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At least 37 records · Page 2

Anatomy of Local Structural Disorder of Ni(II) Species in MgCl 2 –KCl Molten Salts

Understanding the speciation of metal ions dissolved in molten salts (MS) is critical for enabling a broad range of high-temperature energy applications, including MS nuclear reactors and concentrated solar power plants. However, due to the inherent dynamicity of metal species in the MS environment and the strong temperature dependencies of their multiple coexisting forms, they are difficult to resolve structurally. Herein, we show that combining in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) with ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations is necessary to uncover and quantify the coexisting coordination states of Ni(II) in molten MgCl 2 –KCl mixtures and explain how the temperature and salt composition control their relative populations. Furthermore, from the interionic angle and distance distributions of nickel in different coordination states obtained from AIMD simulations, it is evident that for each coordination state, the width and skewness of their bonding distributions increase with increasing coordination number. In conclusion, the combination of XAS with first-principles modeling to resolve metastable metal species in MS is critical for understanding their behavior over a wide range of temperatures and chemical environments in nuclear and solar applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

3D Seismic Anatomy of a Watershed Reveals Climate–Topography Coupling That Drives Water Flowpaths and Bedrock Weathering

To investigate how bedrock transforms to soil, we mapped the topography of the interface demarcating onset of weathering under an east-west trending shale watershed in the Valley and Ridge province in the U.S.A. Using wave-equation travel-time tomography from a seismic array of >4000 geophones, we obtained a 3D P-wave velocity (Vp) model that resolves structures ~20 m below land surface (mbls). The depth of mobile soil and the onset of dissolution of chlorite roughly match Vp = 600 m/s and Vp = 2700 m/s, respectively. Chlorite dissolution initiates porosity growth in the shale matrix. Depth to the 2700 m/s contour is greater under the N- as compared to S-facing hillslopes and under sub-planar as compared to concave-up land surfaces. Broadly, the geometries of the ‘soil’ and ‘chlorite’ Vp contours are consistent with the calculated potential for shear fracture opening under weak regional compression. However, this calculated fracture potential does not consistently explain observations related to N- vs. S-facing aspect nor fracture density observed by borehole televiewer. Apparently, regional compression is only a secondary influence on Vp: the primary driver of P-wave slowing in the upper layers of this catchment is topographic control of reactive water flowpaths and their integrated effects on weathering. Here, the Vp result is best explained as the long-term integrated effect of groundwater flow-induced geochemical weathering of shale in response to climate-driven patterns of micro- and macro-topography.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Anatomy of information scrambling and decoherence in the integrable Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model

The growth of information scrambling, captured by out-of-time-order correlation functions (OTOCs), is a central indicator of the nature of many-body quantum dynamics. Here, we compute analytically the complete time dependence of the OTOC for an integrable Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model, 𝑁 Majoranas with random two-body interactions of infinite range, coupled to a Markovian bath at finite temperature. In the limit of no coupling to the bath, the time evolution of scrambling experiences different stages. For 𝑡≲√𝑁, after an initial polynomial growth, the OTOC approaches saturation in a power-law fashion with oscillations superimposed. At 𝑡∼√𝑁, the OTOC reverses trend and starts to decrease linearly in time. The reason for this linear decrease is that, despite being a subleading 1/𝑁 effect, the OTOC in this region is governed by the spectral form factor of the antisymmetric couplings of the SYK model. The linear decrease stops at 𝑡∼2⁢𝑁, the Heisenberg time, where saturation occurs. The effect of the environment is an overall exponential decay of the OTOC for times longer than the inverse of the coupling strength to the bath. Here, the oscillations at 𝑡≲√𝑁 indicate lack of thermalization—a desired feature for better performance of quantum information devices.

Open quantum systems & decoherence↗

Anatomy of $tthh$ physics at the HL-LHC

The t t h h production at colliders contains rich information on the nature of the Higgs boson. In this article, we systematically studied its physics at the high-luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), using exclusive channels with multiple ( ≥ 5 ) b -jets and one lepton ( 5 b 1 ℓ ), multiple ( ≥ 5 ) b -jets and opposite-sign dilepton ( 5 b 2 ℓ ), same-sign dilepton ( SS 2 ℓ ), multiple leptons (multi- ℓ ), and ditau resonance ( τ τ ). The scenarios analyzed include: (1) the t t h h production in Standard Model; (2) the t t h h production mediated by anomalous cubic Higgs self-coupling and t t h h contact interaction; (3) heavy Higgs ( H ) production with t t H → t t h h ; and (4) pair production of fermionic top partners ( T ) with T T → t t h h . To address the complication of event topologies and the mess of combinatorial backgrounds, a tool of boosted-decision-tree was applied in the analyses. The 5 b 1 ℓ and SS 2 ℓ analyses define the two most promising channels. For the nonresonant t t h h production, a combination of these exclusive analyses allows for its measurement in the SM with a statistical significance ~ 0.9 σ (with S / B > 1 % ), and may partially break the sensitivity degeneracy with respect to a varying cubic Higgs self-coupling, a difficulty usually thought to exist in gluon fusion di-Higgs analysis at HL-LHC. These sensitivities were also projected to future hadron colliders at 27 TeV and 100 TeV. For the resonant t t h h productions, the heavy Higgs boson in type II two-Higgs-doublet-model could be efficiently searched for between the mass thresholds 2 m h < m H < 2 m t and even beyond that, for relatively small tan β (vacuum alignment), while the fermionic top partners in composite Higgs models could be probed up to ~ 1.5 TeV and ~ 1.7 TeV , for Br ( T → t h ) = 25 % and 50%, respectively.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Bent Laue crystal anatomy: new insights into focusing and energy-dispersion properties

X-ray Laue-type monochromators are common and essential optical components at many high-power X-ray facilities, e.g. synchrotron facilities. The X-ray optics of bent Laue crystals is a well developed area. An incident X-ray beam penetrating a bent Laue crystal will result in a diffracted beam with different angles and energies. There is a need for a way of organizing the rays that allows one to sort out the energy and spatial properties of the diffracted beam. The present work introduces a new approach for describing the general behaviour of bent Laue crystals from a ray-tracing point of view. This quasi-monochromatic beam approach provides an intuitive view of bent-crystal diffraction and leads to deeper understanding. It explains the energy and spatial properties of common and special cases of bent Laue optics, predicts phenomena that can improve energy-dispersion-related X-ray imaging techniques and provides a theoretical framework that makes ray-tracing simulation easier to realize.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Deconstructing the root system of grasses through an exploration of development, anatomy and function

Abstract Well‐adapted root systems allow plants to grow under resource‐limiting environmental conditions and are important determinants of yield in agricultural systems. Important staple crops such as rice and maize belong to the family of grasses, which develop a complex root system that consists of an embryonic root system that emerges from the seed, and a postembryonic nodal root system that emerges from basal regions of the shoot after germination. While early seedling establishment is dependent on the embryonic root system, the nodal root system, and its associated branches, gains in importance as the plant matures and will ultimately constitute the bulk of below‐ground growth. In this review, we aim to give an overview of the different root types that develop in cereal grass root systems, explore the different physiological roles they play by defining their anatomical features, and outline the genetic networks that control their development. Through this deconstructed view of grass root system function, we provide a parts‐list of elements that function together in an integrated root system to promote survival and crop productivity.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

On the anatomy of acoustic emission

Abrupt, local frictional fault failure comprises a displacement that is normally accompanied by acoustic emission (AE)—an impulsive elastic wave broadcast with an amplitude proportional to particle velocity. The aggregate of these displacements is the basic fault motion. In laboratory shear experiments, the examination of a sequence of laboratory earthquakes includes continuous measurements of fault motion and the associated AE that is broadcast. From these measurements, connections between the fault motion and cumulative sum of the AE amplitude can be identified. The composition of the AE broadcasts reveals inhomogeneity in the fault mechanical structure from which they arise. This inhomogeneity can be decomposed into a time invariant AE component and an articulated AE component. The articulated AE component serves as a “state of the fault diagnostic” that follows a distinctive pattern to fault failure. Thus, the articulated AE component can be used directly to monitor the state of the fault.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Anatomy of a Summertime Convective Event over the Arabian Region

This study investigates the structure and evolution of a summertime convective event that occurred on 14 July 2015 over the Arabian region. We use the WRF Model with 1-km horizontal grid spacing and test three PBL parameterizations: the Mellor–Yamada–Nakanishi–Niino (MYNN) scheme; the Asymmetrical Convective Model, version 2, (ACM2) scheme; and the quasi-normal scale-elimination (QNSE) scheme. Convection initiates near the Al Hajar Mountains of northern Oman at around 1100 local time (LT; 0700 UTC) and propagates northwestward. A nonorographic convective band along the west coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) develops after 1500 LT as a result of the convergence of cold pools with the sea breeze from the Arabian Gulf. The model simulation employing the QNSE scheme simulates the convection initiation and propagation well. Although the MYNN and ACM2 simulations show convective initiation near the Al Hajar Mountains, they fail to simulate the development of the convective band along the UAE west coast. The MYNN run simulates colder near-surface temperatures and a weaker sea breeze, whereas the ACM2 run simulates a stronger sea breeze but a drier lower troposphere. Sensitivity simulations using horizontal grid spacings of 9 and 3 km show that lower-resolution runs develop broader convective structures and weaker cold pools and horizontal wind divergence, affecting the development of convection along the west coast of the UAE. The 1-km run using the QNSE PBL scheme realistically captures the sequence of events that leads to the moist convection over the UAE and adjacent mountains.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Data for "High-resolution microCT reveals relationships between stomata and interior leaf anatomy in Sorghum"

Includes three different types of stacks, in two folders: "REC_RAW_STACKS.zip" contains: (1) Raw gray-scale reconstructed microCT x-ray scans, in the form of individual stacks per sample. "ML_STACKS.zip" contains: (2) Stacks that have been labeled using a machine-learning mask-RCNN pipeline identifying epidermis, mesophyll, airspace, vascular bundle, and background. (3) Stacks that have stomata locations labeled using a small point. The three types of stacks were used to calculate a variety of anatomical and physiological traits, using ImageJ Macros provided on Github: https://github.com/leakey-lab/microCT-Macros-Fischer. Young leaves from WT and transgenic Sorghum plants. CSV "microCT_REC2_META.csv" contains metadata, including sample/sub-sample labels.

3D↗

Anatomy of Continuous Mars SEIS and Pressure Data from Unsupervised Learning

The seismic noise recorded by the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport (InSight) seismometer (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure [SEIS]) has a strong daily quasi-periodicity and numerous transient microevents, associated mostly with an active Martian environment with wind bursts, pressure drops, in addition to thermally induced lander and instrument cracks. That noise is far from the Earth’s microseismic noise. Quantifying the importance of nonstochasticity and identifying these microevents is mandatory for improving continuous data quality and noise analysis techniques, including autocorrelation. Cataloging these events has so far been made with specific algorithms and operator’s visual inspection. We investigate here the continuous data with an unsupervised deep-learning approach built on a deep scattering network. This leads to the successful detection and clustering of these microevents as well as better determination of daily cycles associated with changes in the intensity and color of the background noise. We first provide a description of our approach, and then present the learned clusters followed by a study of their origin and associated physical phenomena. We show that the clustering is robust over several Martian days, showing distinct types of glitches that repeat at a rate of several tens per sol with stable time differences. We show that the clustering and detection efficiency for pressure drops and glitches is comparable to or better than manual or targeted detection techniques proposed to date, noticeably with an unsupervised approach. Finally, here we discuss the origin of other clusters found, especially glitch sequences with stable time offsets that might generate artifacts in autocorrelation analyses. We conclude with presenting the potential of unsupervised learning for long-term space mission operations, in particular, for geophysical and environmental observatories.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Anatomy of a Turtle Confiscation: What to Expect When You're Not Expecting and Recommendations for Improving Outcomes

Turtles are being subjected to unprecedented collection for the illegal wildlife trade, but only a portion of the trade is detected. When confiscations do happen, wildlife agencies must decide what to do with those animals—euthanize them, place them in permanent captivity, or release them back into the wild. Here, we present a case study of a confiscation of .200 eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) and our efforts to repatriate them back to the wild. Twentyfive percent of turtles died in captivity, and at least another 33% died during the soft-release phase. Approximately half of the confiscated turtles survived until they were released from their soft-release pen 9 months post-confiscation. For each phase, from the time turtles were seized until released, we describe our objectives, the challenges we encountered, and our recommendations for improving future turtle confiscations. Given the extended stressful conditions that confiscated turtles often experience before being seized, it is important to recalibrate our expectations regarding future confiscation outcomes.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

The Anatomy of an Unusual Edge-on Protoplanetary Disk. I. Dust Settling in a Cold Disk

As the earliest stage of planet formation, massive, optically thick, and gas-rich protoplanetary disks provide key insights into the physics of star and planet formation. When viewed edge-on, high-resolution images offer a unique opportunity to study both the radial and vertical structures of these disks and relate this to vertical settling, radial drift, grain growth, and changes in the midplane temperatures. In this work, we present multi-epoch Hubble Space Telescope and Keck scattered light images, and an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 1.3 mm continuum map for the remarkably flat edge-on protoplanetary disk SSTC2DJ163131.2–242627, a young solar-type star in ρ Ophiuchus. We model the 0.8 μm and 1.3 mm images in separate Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) runs to investigate the geometry and dust properties of the disk using the MCFOST radiative transfer code. In scattered light, we are sensitive to the smaller dust grains in the surface layers of the disk, while the submillimeter dust continuum observations probe larger grains closer to the disk midplane. An MCMC run combining both data sets using a covariance-based log-likelihood estimation was marginally successful, implying insufficient complexity in our disk model. The disk is well characterized by a flared disk model with an exponentially tapered outer edge viewed nearly edge-on, though some degree of dust settling is required to reproduce the vertically thin profile and lack of apparent flaring. A colder than expected disk midplane, evidence for dust settling, and residual radial substructures all point to a more complex radial density profile to be probed with future, higher-resolution observations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

The Anatomy of an Unusual Edge-on Protoplanetary Disk. II. Gas Temperature and a Warm Outer Region

We present high-resolution {sup 12}CO and {sup 13}CO 2–1 ALMA observations, as well as optical and near-infrared spectroscopy, of the highly inclined protoplanetary disk around SSTC2D J163131.2–242627. The spectral type we derive for the source is consistent with a 1.2 M {sub ⊙} star inferred from the ALMA observations. Despite its massive circumstellar disk, we find little to no evidence for ongoing accretion on the star. The CO maps reveal a disk that is unusually compact along the vertical direction, consistent with its appearance in scattered light images. The gas disk extends about twice as far away as both the submillimeter continuum and the optical scattered light. CO is detected from two surface layers separated by a midplane region in which CO emission is suppressed, as expected from freeze-out in the cold midplane. We apply a modified version of the tomographically reconstructed distribution method presented by Dutrey et al. to derive the temperature structure of the disk. We find a temperature in the CO-emitting layers and the midplane of ∼33 K and ∼20 K at R < 200 au, respectively. Outside of R > 200 au, the disk’s midplane temperature increases to ∼30 K, with a nearly vertically isothermal profile. The transition in CO temperature coincides with a dramatic reduction in the submicron and submillimeter emission from the disk. We interpret this as interstellar UV radiation providing an additional source of heating to the outer part of the disk.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗