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At least 379 records · Page 21

Coherence temperature in the diluted periodic Anderson model

The Kondo and periodic Anderson model (PAM) are known to provide a microscopic picture of many of the fundamental properties of heavy-fermion materials and, more generally, a variety of strong correlation phenomena in 4f and 5f systems. Here, we apply the determinant quantum Monte Carlo method to include disorder in the PAM, specifically the removal of a fraction x of the localized orbitals. We determine the evolution of the coherence temperature T*, where the local moments and conduction electrons become entwined in a heavy-fermion fluid, with x and with the hybridization V between localized and conduction orbitals. We recover several of the principal observed trends in T* of doped heavy fermions, and we also show that, within this theoretical framework, the calculated nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation rate tracks the experimentally measured behavior in pure and doped CeCoIn 5 . Finally, our results contribute to important issues in the interpretation of local probes of disordered, strongly correlated systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

PULSATION-TRIGGERED MASS LOSS FROM AGB STARS: THE 60 DAY CRITICAL PERIOD

Low- and intermediate-mass stars eject much of their mass during the late, red giant branch (RGB) phase of evolution. The physics of their strong stellar winds is still poorly understood. In the standard model, stellar pulsations extend the atmosphere, allowing a wind to be driven through radiation pressure on condensing dust particles. Here, we investigate the onset of the wind, using nearby RGB stars drawn from the Hipparcos catalog. We find a sharp onset of dust production when the star first reaches a pulsation period of 60 days. This approximately coincides with the point where the star transitions to the first overtone pulsation mode. Models of the spectral energy distributions show stellar mass-loss rate suddenly increasing at this point, by a factor of ∼10 over the existing (chromospherically driven) wind. The dust emission is strongly correlated with both pulsation period and amplitude, indicating stellar pulsation is the main trigger for the strong mass loss, and determines the mass-loss rate. Dust emission does not strongly correlate with stellar luminosity, indicating radiation pressure on dust has little effect on the mass-loss rate. RGB stars do not normally appear to produce dust, whereas dust production by asymptotic giant branch stars appears commonplace, and is probably ubiquitous above the RGB-tip luminosity. We conclude that the strong wind begins with a step change in mass-loss rate and is triggered by stellar pulsations. A second rapid mass-loss-rate enhancement is suggested when the star transitions to the fundamental pulsation mode at a period of ∼300 days.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Twisted bilayers of thin film magnetic topological insulators

Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) near "magic angles" has emerged as a rich platform for strongly correlated states of two-dimensional (2D) Dirac semimetals. Here we show that twisted bilayers of thin film magnetic topological insulators (MTIs) with large in-plane magnetization can realize flat bands near 2D Dirac nodes. Using a simple model for thin films of MTIs, we derive a continuum model for two such MTIs, twisted by a small angle with respect to each other. When the magnetization is in plane, we show that interlayer tunneling terms act as effective SU (2) vector potentials, which are known to lead to flat bands in TBG. We show that by changing the in-plane magnetization, it is possible to tune the twisted bilayer MTI band dispersion to quadratic band touching or to flat bands, similar to the TBG. If realized, this system can be a highly tunable platform for strongly correlated phases of two-dimensional Dirac semimetals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo for multiband Hubbard models: Controlling the sign and phase problems to capture Hund's physics

In the study of strongly correlated, many-electron systems, the Hubbard-Kanamori (HK) model has emerged as one of the prototypes for transition metal oxide physics. The model is multiband in nature and contains Hund's coupling terms, which have pronounced effects on metal-insulator transitions, high-temperature superconductivity, and other physical properties. In the following, we present a complete theoretical framework for treating the HK model using the ground-state auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) method and analyze its performance on few-band models whose parameters approximate those observed in ruthenates, rhodates, and other materials exhibiting Hund's physics. Unlike previous studies, the constrained path and phaseless approximations are used to respectively control the sign and phase problems, which enables high-accuracy modeling of the HK model's ground-state properties within parameter regimes of experimental interest. We demonstrate that, after careful consideration of the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformations and trial wave functions employed, relative errors in the energy of less than 1% can routinely be achieved for moderate to large values of the Hund's coupling constant. Crucially, our methodology also accurately predicts magnetic ordering and phase transitions. Furthermore, the results presented open the door to more predictive modeling of Hund's physics within a wide range of strongly correlated materials using AFQMC.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

SU-E-P-52: Dose-Volume Toxicity Analysis of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between physical and biological effective dose (BED) to liver toxicity for SBRT fractionations. Methods: A total of 16 patients (13–10×3Gy, 2–5×10Gy and 1–3×15Gy were selected. Physical dose distributions were converted to voxel based BED values using the linear-quadratic (LQ) and linear-quadratic linear (LQ-L) models for doses per fraction larger than 6Gy. Patients were graded for effective toxicity (post-treatment minus pre-treatment grades) using the RTOG Late Radiation Morbidity Scoring Schema associated with Radiation Induced Liver Disease (RILD). Evaluated physical dose-volume levels consisted of V10Gy, V15Gy, V20Gy, V25Gy and V30Gy which were then converted to BED values corresponding to V16.7Gy3, V30Gy3, V46.7Gy3, V66.7Gy3 and V90Gy3, respectively. All levels were normalized to their respective patient normal liver volumes (NLV) and evaluated for correlation to RILD. Results were measured quantitatively using R-squared regression analysis. Results: Mean Dose Tolerable to Normal Liver (MDTNL) against RILD grade resulted in an R-squared value of 0.0104. NLV-normalized physical dose linear regression fit of V10Gy, V15Gy, V20Gy, V25Gy and V30Gy against RILD yielded R-squared values of 0.1041, 0.0895, 0.0698, 0.0398 and 0.0009 while BED levels of V16.7Gy3, V30Gy3, V46.7Gy3, V66.7Gy3 and V90Gy3 resulted in values of 0.0002, 0.0153, 0.0533, 0.0427 and 0.0072, respectively. The average NLV-normalized V10Gy, V15Gy, V20Gy, V25Gy and V30Gy per grade plotted against RILD grade yielded R-squared correlations of 0.8092, 0.6362, 0.5899, 0.5846 and 0.0224 while the BED levels of V16.7Gy3, V30Gy3, V46.7Gy3, V66.7Gy3 and V90Gy3 resulted in R-squared correlations of 0.0003, 0.3831, 0.8476, 0.678 and 0.076, respectively. Conclusion: Regression analysis between physical dose, BED and RILD showed strong correlation for the V30Gy and V46.7Gy3 dose-levels. Average BED and physical dose per grade both exhibit strong correlations to RILD however, a lack of statistical significance exists due to small patient sample size.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Comparison of Magnetic Fields from a New Satellite Magnetic Model of the Lithosphere with Magnetic Fields Predicted from Crust 1.0

Both magnetic and seismic techniques can provide information about the Moho (Mohorovicic discontinuity). We develop a new technique that provides a better estimate of the magnetic thickness of the crust, as compared with previous approaches. It uses prior knowledge from seismology (Crust 1.0), a new high-degree model from CHAMP (CHAllenging Mini-satellite Payload) and Swarm (LCS-1 - a model of Earth's lithospheric field) and a newly developed technique. The technique is appropriate for regions where induced magnetization dominates over remanent magnetization. We compare the predictions from LCS-1 with those from Crust 1.0, with some simple assumptions, and find that the correlations increase until about spherical harmonic degree 30, and then decrease globally. Spatially, the correlations between the seismic and magnetic techniques are strongest over North America and Australia, and weakest over South America and northern Africa. Strong correlations also exist between the two approaches over the Antarctic, northern Europe, and Greenland. While we might expect the seismic and magnetic approaches to correlate over well-characterized regions (i.e. North America), and show weaker correlations over poorly-characterized regions (i.e. South America and north Africa), the strong correlation in the Antarctic and Greenland is puzzling, because both of these regions are poorly-characterized. We discuss some possible explanations, and implications, of this attempt to correlate seismic and magnetic approaches to characterizing the lithosphere.

Seismic↗

Pair extended coupled cluster doubles

The accurate and efficient description of strongly correlated systems remains an important challenge for computational methods. Doubly occupied configuration interaction (DOCI), in which all electrons are paired and no correlations which break these pairs are permitted, can in many cases provide an accurate account of strong correlations, albeit at combinatorial computational cost. Recently, there has been significant interest in a method we refer to as pair coupled cluster doubles (pCCD), a variant of coupled cluster doubles in which the electrons are paired. This is simply because pCCD provides energies nearly identical to those of DOCI, but at mean-field computational cost (disregarding the cost of the two-electron integral transformation). Here, we introduce the more complete pair extended coupled cluster doubles (pECCD) approach which, like pCCD, has mean-field cost and reproduces DOCI energetically. We show that unlike pCCD, pECCD also reproduces the DOCI wave function with high accuracy. Moreover, pECCD yields sensible albeit inexact results even for attractive interactions where pCCD breaks down.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Semimajor Axis Estimation Strategies

This paper extends previous analysis on the impact of sensing noise for the navigation and control aspects of formation flying spacecraft. We analyze the use of Carrier-phase Differential GPS (CDGPS) in relative navigation filters, with a particular focus on the filter correlation coefficient. This work was motivated by previous publications which suggested that a "good" navigation filter would have a strong correlation (i.e., coefficient near -1) to reduce the semimajor axis (SMA) error, and therefore, the overall fuel use. However, practical experience with CDGPS-based filters has shown this strong correlation seldom occurs (typical correlations approx. -0.1), even when the estimation accuracies are very good. We derive an analytic estimate of the filter correlation coefficient and demonstrate that, for the process and sensor noises levels expected with CDGPS, the expected value will be very low. It is also demonstrated that this correlation can be improved by increasing the time step of the discrete Kalman filter, but since the balance condition is not satisfied, the SMA error also increases. These observations are verified with several linear simulations. The combination of these simulations and analysis provide new insights on the crucial role of the process noise in determining the semimajor axis knowledge.

How, Jonathan P.↗

Strong magnetic correlations to 900 K in single crystals of the trigonal antiferromagnetic insulators SrMn 2 As 2 and CaMn 2 As 2

Crystallographic, electronic transport, thermal, and magnetic properties are reported for SrMn 2 As 2 and CaMn 2 As 2 single crystals grown using Sn flux. Rietveld refinements of powder x-ray diffraction data show that the two compounds are isostructural and crystallize in the trigonal CaAl 2 Si 2 -type structure (space group $P\bar{3}$ m1), in agreement with the literature. Electrical resistivity ρ versus temperature T measurements demonstrate insulating ground states for both compounds with activation energies of 85 meV for SrMn 2 As 2 and 61 meV for CaMn 2 As 2 . In a local-moment picture, the Mn +2 3d 5 ions are expected to have high-spin S=5/2 with spectroscopic splitting factor g≈2. Magnetic susceptibility χ and heat capacity Cp measurements versus T reveal antiferromagnetic (AFM) transitions at T N =120(2) K and 62(3) K for SrMn 2 As 2 and CaMn 2 As 2 , respectively. The anisotropic χ(T≤T N ) data indicate that the hexagonal c axis is the hard axis and hence that the ordered Mn moments are aligned in the ab plane. Finally, the χ(T) data for both compounds and the Cp(T) for SrMn 2 As 2 show strong dynamic short-range AFM correlations from T N up to at least 900 K, likely associated with quasi-two-dimensional connectivity of strong AFM exchange interactions between the Mn spins within the corrugated honeycomb Mn layers parallel to the ab plane.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Mott and generalized Wigner crystal states in WSe 2 /WS 2 moiré superlattices

Moiré superlattices can be used to engineer strongly correlated electronic states in two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures, as recently demonstrated in the correlated insulating and superconducting states observed in magic-angle twisted-bilayer graphene and ABC trilayer graphene/boron nitride moiré superlattices. Transition metal dichalcogenide moiré heterostructures provide another model system for the study of correlated quantum phenomena because of their strong light–matter interactions and large spin–orbit coupling. However, experimental observation of correlated insulating states in this system is challenging with traditional transport techniques. Here we report the optical detection of strongly correlated phases in semiconducting WSe 2 /WS 2 moiré superlattices. We use a sensitive optical detection technique and reveal a Mott insulator state at one hole per superlattice site and surprising insulating phases at 1/3 and 2/3 filling of the superlattice, which we assign to generalized Wigner crystallization on the underlying lattice. Furthermore, the spin–valley optical selection rules of transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures allow us to optically create and investigate low-energy excited spin states in the Mott insulator. We measure a very long spin relaxation lifetime of many microseconds in the Mott insulating state, orders of magnitude longer than that of charge excitations. Here, our studies highlight the value of using moiré superlattices beyond graphene to explore correlated physics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Strange Metal in Magic-Angle Graphene with near Planckian Dissipation

Recent experiments on magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene have discovered correlated insulating behavior and superconductivity at a fractional filling of an isolated narrow band. Here we show that magic-angle bilayer graphene exhibits another hallmark of strongly correlated systems—a broad regime of $\textit{T{$-linear resistivity above a small density-dependent crossover temperature—for a range of fillings near the correlated insulator. This behavior is reminiscent of similar behavior in other strongly correlated systems, often denoted “strange metals,” such as cuprates, iron pnictides, ruthenates, and cobaltates, where the observations are at odds with expectations in a weakly interacting Fermi liquid. We also extract a transport “scattering rate,” which satisfies a near Planckian form that is universally related to the ratio of $(k_{\text{B}}T/ℏ)$. In this work, our results establish magic-angle bilayer graphene as a highly tunable platform to investigate strange metal behavior, which could shed light on this mysterious ubiquitous phase of correlated matter.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

SCES2016 Summary: Experiment

Experimental results presented during the 2016 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SECS2016) not only reflect the breadth of topics being explored in the field of strongly correlated systems but also the remarkable progress in discovery and understanding that is being made from their study. Lastly, this brief summary highlights just a few of the exciting experimental developments discussed at SCES2016.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Polaron Absorption for Photovoltaic Energy Conversion in a Manganite-titanate pn Heterojunction

The relation among structure, electric transport, and photovoltaic effect is investigated for a pn heterojunction with strong correlation interactions. A perovskite interface is chosen as a model system consisting of the p-doped strongly correlated manganite Pr{sub 0.64}Ca{sub 0.36}MnO{sub 3} (PCMO) and the n-doped titanate SrTi{sub 1-y}Nb{sub y}O{sub 3} (y = 0.002 and 0.01). High-resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy reveal a nearly dislocation-free, epitaxial interface and give insight into the local atomic and electronic structure. The presence of a photovoltaic effect under visible light at room temperature suggests the existence of mobile excited polarons within the band-gap-free PCMO absorber. The temperature-dependent rectifying current-voltage characteristics prove to be mainly determined by the presence of an interfacial energy spike in the conduction band and are affected by the colossal electroresistance effect. From the comparison of photocurrents and spatiotemporal distributions of photogenerated carriers (deduced from optical absorption spectroscopy), we discuss the range of the excited polaron diffusion length.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Abundance and Distribution of Microbial Cells and Viruses in an Alluvial Aquifer

Viruses are the most abundant biological entity on Earth and their interactions with microbial communities are recognized to influence microbial ecology and impact biogeochemical cycling in various ecosystems. While the factors that control the distribution of viruses in surface aquatic environments are well-characterized, the abundance and distribution of continental subsurface viruses with respect to microbial abundance and biogeochemical parameters have not yet been established. In order to begin to understand the factors governing virus distribution in subsurface environments, we assessed microbial cell and virus abundance in groundwater concurrent with groundwater chemistry in a uranium impacted alluvial aquifer adjoining the Colorado River near Rifle, CO. Virus abundance ranged from 8.0 × 10 4 to 1.0 × 10 6 mL -1 and exceeded cell abundance in all samples (cell abundance ranged from 5.8 × 10 4 to 6.1 × 10 5 mL -1 ). The virus to microbial cell ratio ranged from 1.1 to 8.1 and averaged 3.0 ± 1.6 with virus abundance most strongly correlated to cell abundance (Spearman's ρ = 0.73, p < 0.001). Both viruses and cells were positively correlated to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) with cells having a slightly stronger correlation (Spearman's ρ = 0.46, p < 0.05 and ρ = 0.54, p < 0.05; respectively). Groundwater uranium was also strongly correlated with DOC and virus and cell abundance (Spearman's ρ = 0.62, p < 0.05; ρ = 0.46, p < 0.05; and ρ = 0.50, p < 0.05; respectively). Together the data indicate that microbial cell and virus abundance are correlated to the geochemical conditions in the aquifer. As such local geochemical conditions likely control microbial host cell abundance which in turn controls viral abundance. Given the potential impacts of viral-mediated cell lysis such as liberation of labile organic matter from lysed cells and changes in microbial community structure, viral interactions with the microbiota should be considered in an effort to understand subsurface biogeochemical cycling and contaminant mobility.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

WE-FG-206-12: Enhanced Laws Textures: A Potential MRI Surrogate Marker of Hepatic Fibrosis in a Murine Model

Purpose: To compare enhanced Laws texture derived from parametric proton density (PD) maps to other MRI-based surrogate markers (T2, PD, ADC) in assessing degrees of liver fibrosis in a murine model of hepatic fibrosis using 11.7T scanner. Methods: This animal study was IACUC approved. Fourteen mice were divided into control (n=1) and experimental (n=13). The latter were fed a DDC-supplemented diet to induce hepatic fibrosis. Liver specimens were imaged using an 11.7T scanner; the parametric PD, T2, and ADC maps were generated from spin-echo pulsed field gradient and multi-echo spin-echo acquisitions. Enhanced Laws texture analysis was applied to the PD maps: first, hepatic blood vessels and liver margins were segmented/removed using an automated dual-clustering algorithm; secondly, an optimal thresholding algorithm was applied to reduce the partial volume artifact; next, mean and stdev were corrected to minimize grayscale variation across images; finally, Laws texture was extracted. Degrees of fibrosis was assessed by an experienced pathologist and digital image analysis (%Area Fibrosis). Scatterplots comparing enhanced Laws texture, T2, PD, and ADC values to degrees of fibrosis were generated and correlation coefficients were calculated. Unenhanced Laws texture was also compared to assess the effectiveness of the proposed enhancements. Results: Hepatic fibrosis and the enhanced Laws texture were strongly correlated with higher %Area Fibrosis associated with higher Laws texture (r=0.89). Only a moderate correlation was detected between %Area Fibrosis and unenhanced Laws texture (r=0.70). Strong correlation also existed between ADC and %Area Fibrosis (r=0.86). Moderate correlations were seen between %Area Fibrosis and PD (r=0.65) and T2 (r=0.66). Conclusions: Higher degrees of hepatic fibrosis are associated with increased Laws texture. The proposed enhancements improve the accuracy of Laws texture. Enhanced Laws texture features are more accurate than PD and T2 in assessing fibrosis, and can potentially serve as an accurate surrogate marker for hepatic fibrosis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Microanalysis of dissolved iron and phosphate in pore waters of hypersaline sediment

Diurnal fluctuations of reduced iron concentrations, expected to occur in reduced sediments in the photic zone, were studied. Iron concentration was compared to O2-H2S, a microcanalysis of sulfate reduction was performed, as well as an examination of diurnal concentration of dissolved phosphate and changes in interstitial CO2. The iron profiles suggest a strong correlation between iron remobilization and processes occurring in the light. Phosphate profiles suggest the removal of phosphate is strongly correlated with precipitation of oxidized iron in the upper 2 mm to 5 mm of the sediments. Pore water CO2 concentrations and carbon isotope ratios are presented. These data are from the analyses of minisediment cores collected from the 42 per mil salt pond and incubated in the laboratory under light and dark conditions.

Haddad, R.↗

Self-consistent field model for strong electrostatic correlations and inhomogeneous dielectric media

Electrostatic correlations and variable permittivity of electrolytes are essential for exploring many chemical and physical properties of interfaces in aqueous solutions. We propose a continuum electrostatic model for the treatment of these effects in the framework of the self-consistent field theory. The model incorporates a space- or field-dependent dielectric permittivity and an excluded ion-size effect for the correlation energy. This results in a self-energy modified Poisson-Nernst-Planck or Poisson-Boltzmann equation together with state equations for the self energy and the dielectric function. We show that the ionic size is of significant importance in predicting a finite self energy for an ion in an inhomogeneous medium. Asymptotic approximation is proposed for the solution of a generalized Debye-Hückel equation, which has been shown to capture the ionic correlation and dielectric self energy. Through simulating ionic distribution surrounding a macroion, the modified self-consistent field model is shown to agree with particle-based Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical results for symmetric and asymmetric electrolytes demonstrate that the model is able to predict the charge inversion at high correlation regime in the presence of multivalent interfacial ions which is beyond the mean-field theory and also show strong effect to double layer structure due to the space- or field-dependent dielectric permittivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗