SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Phase transition”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 415 records · Page 23

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2017

Magnetostructural phase transitions and magnetocaloric effect in (Gd 5-x Sc x )Si 1.8 Ge 2.2

Future advancements in magnetocaloric refrigeration/heat pumping technologies depend on the discovery of new materials that demonstrate large, tunable magnetocaloric effects (MCEs) in the vicinity of coupled magnetic and structural phase transitions that occur reversibly with minimum hysteresis. Here, with this in mind, we investigate phase transitions, microstructure, magnetic, thermal, magnetocaloric, and transport properties of (Gd 5-x Sc x )Si 1.8 Ge 2.2 compounds. Replacement of magnetic Gd with non-magnetic Sc in Gd 5-x Sc x Si 1.8 Ge 2.2 increases the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic first order phase transition temperature, T C , with only a minor reduction in MCE when x ≤ 0.2. We also demonstrate that hydrostatic pressure further increases T C and reduces the hysteresis of the first order phase transition in Gd 4.8 Sc 0.2 Si 1.8 Ge 2.2 from 7 to 4 K. Temperature-dependent x-ray powder diffraction study of Gd 4.8 Sc 0.2 Si 1.8 Ge 2.2 confirms the monoclinic ↔ orthorhombic structural transformation at T C , in agreement with magnetic, calorimetric, and electrical transport measurements. In addition to the substantial magnetocaloric effect, a large magnetoresistance of ~20% is also observed in Gd 4.8 Sc 0.2 Si 1.8 Ge 2.2 for ΔH = 50 kOe in the vicinity of the magnetostructural transition. Finally, in a drastic reversal of the initial doping behavior further additions of Sc (x > 0.2) suppress formation of the monoclinic phase, change the nature of the transition from first-to second-order, and reduce both the transition temperature and magnetocaloric effect.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Quantum phase transitions in long-range interacting hyperuniform spin chains in a transverse field

Hyperuniform states of matter are characterized by anomalous suppression of long-wavelength density fluctuations. While most of the interesting cases of disordered hyperuniformity are provided by complex many-body systems such as liquids or amorphous solids, classical spin chains with certain long-range interactions have been shown to demonstrate the same phenomenon. Such spin-chain systems are ideal models for exploring the effects of quantum mechanics on hyperuniformity. It is well-known that the transverse field Ising model shows a quantum phase transition (QPT) at zero temperature. Under the quantum effects of a transverse magnetic field, classical hyperuniform spin chains are expected to lose their hyperuniformity. High-precision simulations of these cases are complicated because of the presence of highly nontrivial long-range interactions. We perform an extensive analysis of these systems using density matrix renormalization group simulations to study the possibilities of phase transitions and the mechanism by which they lose hyperuniformity. Even for a spin chain of length 30, we see discontinuous changes in properties like the “τ order metric” of the ground state, the measure of hyperuniformity, and the second cumulant of the total magnetization along the x-direction, all suggestive of first-order QPTs. An interesting feature of the phase transitions in these disordered hyperuniform spin chains is that, depending on the parameter values, the presence of a transverse magnetic field may lead remarkably to an increase in the order of the ground state as measured by the “τ order metric,” even if hyperuniformity is lost. Therefore, it would be possible to design materials to target specific novel quantum behaviors in the presence of a transverse magnetic field. Our numerical investigations suggest that these spin chains can show no more than two QPTs. We further analyze the long-range interacting spin chains via the Jordan-Wigner mapping onto a system of spinless fermions, showing that under the pairwise-interaction approximation and a mean-field treatment, there can be at most two quantum phase transitions. Here, based on these numerical and theoretical explorations, we conjecture that for spin chains with long-range pair interactions that have convergent cosine transforms, there can be a maximum of two quantum phase transitions at zero temperature.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2020

Ultrafast spin-nematic and ferroelectric phase transitions induced by femtosecond light pulses

We report, optically induced phase transitions of the manganite Pr 1/3 Ca 2/3 MnO 3 have been simulated by using a model Hamiltonian that captures the dynamics of strongly correlated charge, orbital, lattice, and spin degrees of freedom. Its parameters have been extracted from first-principles calculations. Beyond a critical intensity of a femtosecond light pulse, the material undergoes an ultrafast and nonthermal magnetic phase transition from a noncollinear to collinear antiferromagnetic phase. The light-pulse excites selectively either a spin-nematic or a ferroelectric phase, depending on the light polarization. The behavior can be traced to an optically induced ferromagnetic coupling between Mn trimers, i.e., polarons which are delocalized over three Mn sites. The polarization guides the polymerization of the polaronic crystal into distinct patterns of ferromagnetic chains determining the target phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2016

How tetraquarks can generate a second chiral phase transition

We consider how tetraquarks can affect the chiral phase transition in theories like QCD, with light quarks coupled to three colors. For two flavors the tetraquark field is an isosinglet, and its effect is minimal. For three flavors, however, the tetraquark field transforms in the same representation of the chiral symmetry group as the usual chiral order parameter, and so for very light quarks there may be two chiral phase transitions, which are both of first order. In QCD, results from the lattice indicate that any transition from the tetraquark condensate is a smooth crossover. In the plane of temperature, T, and quark chemical potential, μ, though, a crossover line for the tetraquark condensate is naturally related to the transition line for color superconductivity. For four flavors we suggest that a triquark field, antisymmetric in both flavor and color, combine to form hexaquarks.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Field-tunable BKT and quantum phase transitions in spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ triangular lattice antiferromagnet

Quantum magnetism is one of the most active fields for exploring exotic phases and phase transitions. The recently synthesized Na 2 BaCo(PO 4 ) 2 (NBCP) is an ideal material incarnation of the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ easy-axis triangular lattice antiferromagnet (TLAF). Experimental evidence shows that NBCP hosts the spin supersolid state with a giant magnetocaloric effect. Theory further predicts that magnetic fields can drive NBCP through Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) and other richer quantum phase transitions. However, detecting these transitions is challenging, as they onset at ultralow temperatures near 60 mK and require high magnetization sensitivity. Using a newly developed gradient force magnetometer in a dilution refrigerator, we mapped the magnetic susceptibility phase diagram down to 30 mK. Our results provide a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of BKT melting of spin supersolidity and several field-tunable quantum phase transitions, which establish NBCP as a model platform for frustrated magnetism and highlight potential applications of its giant magnetocaloric effects.

BKT transition↗

DOE OSTI2024

Microscopic origin of criticality at macroscale in QCD chiral phase transition

We reveal that the criticality of the chiral phase transition in QCD at the macroscale arises from the microscopic energy levels of its fundamental constituents, the quarks. We establish a novel relation between cumulants of the chiral order parameter (i.e., chiral condensate) and correlations among the energy levels of quarks (i.e., eigenspectra of the massless Dirac operator), which naturally leads to a generalization of the Banks-Casher relation. Based on this novel relation and through (2+1)-flavor lattice QCD calculations using the HISQ action with varying light quark masses in the vicinity of the chiral phase transition, we demonstrate that the correlations among the infrared part of the Dirac eigenspectra exhibit same universal scaling behaviors as expected of the cumulants of the chiral condensate. We find that these universal scaling behaviors extend up to the physical values of the up and down quark masses.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Hybrid Perovskite Phase Transition and Its Ionic, Electrical and Optical Properties

Hybrid perovskite solar cells (PSCs) under normal operation will reach a temperature above ~ 60 °C, across the tetragonal-cubic structural phase transition of methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI 3 ). Whether the structural phase transition could result in dramatic changes of ionic, electrical and optical properties that may further impact the PSC performances should be studied. Herein, we report a structural phase transition temperature of MAPbI 3 thin film at ~ 55 °C, but a striking contrast occurred at ~ 45 °C in the ionic and electrical properties of MAPbI 3 due to a change of the ion activation energy from 0.7 eV to 0.5 eV. The optical properties exhibited no sharp transition except for the steady increase of the bandgap with temperature. It was also observed that the activation energy for ionic migration steadily increased with increased grain sizes, and reduction of the grain boundary density reduced the ionic migration.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

Effect of phase transition on quantum transport in group-IV two-dimensional U-shape device

The effect of phase-transition from the quantum-spin-hall to the band-insulator phase on the transport through a three-terminal U-shape spin-separator has been computationally investigated via non-equilibrium green function formalism. Two-dimensional group-IV elements have been comprehensively appraised as the device material. The device separates the unpolarized current injected at the source-terminal into nearly 100% spin-polarized currents of the opposite polarities at the two drain terminals. The phase-transition activated by the electric-field orthogonal to the device is shown to extensively influence the current magnitude and its spin-polarization, and the effect is stronger for materials with smaller intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. Moreover, the device length and the area under field are shown to critically affect the device characteristics on phase change. It is shown that the same device can be operated as a spin-filter by inducing phase-transition selectively in the channel. The results are important for designing spin-devices from Group-IV monolayers.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS1991

Fluctuation driven electroweak phase transition

We examine the dynamics of the electroweak phase transition in the early Universe. For Higgs masses in the range 46 less than or = M sub H less than or = 150 GeV and top quark masses less than 200 GeV, regions of symmetric and asymmetric vacuum coexist to below the critical temperature, with thermal equilibrium between the two phases maintained by fluctuations of both phases. We propose that the transition to the asymmetric vacuum is completed by percolation of these subcritical fluctuations. Our results are relevant to scenarios of baryogenesis that invoke a weakly first-order phase transition at the electroweak scale.

Gleiser, Marcelo↗

NASA NTRS1992

Fluctuation-driven electroweak phase transition

Gleiser, Marcelo↗

DOE OSTI2016

Tunable Bragg filters with a phase transition material defect layer

We propose an all-solid-state tunable Bragg filter with a phase transition material as the defect layer. Bragg filters based on a vanadium dioxide defect layer sandwiched between silicon dioxide/titanium dioxide Bragg gratings are experimentally demonstrated. Temperature dependent reflection spectroscopy shows the dynamic tunability and hysteresis properties of the Bragg filter. Temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy reveals the connection between the tunability and the phase transition of the vanadium dioxide defect layer. This work paves a new avenue in tunable Bragg filter designs and promises more applications by combining phase transition materials and optical cavities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2019

Observing a previously hidden structural-phase transition onset through heteroepitaxial cap response

Significance We provide an approach to study structural transitions by using appropriate heteroepitaxial caps. Previously unobservable phase transitions that involve small changes in lattice constants, but may have important impact on the physical properties of the material, can now be detected in real space. Using the coherent nanotwinning waves of epitaxial La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 /SrTiO 3 thin films as a sensitive detector, we are able to uncover the onset stage of the cubic-to-tetragonal structural-phase transition of SrTiO 3 in real space. Researchers involved in the study of material properties as well as technologists in a variety of industries, such as electronics, will greatly benefit from this approach.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Phase transitions of ordered ice in graphene nanocapillaries and carbon nanotubes

New phase diagrams for water confined in graphene nanocapillaries and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are proposed, identifying ice structures, their melting points and revealing the presence of a solid-liquid critical point. For quasi-2D water in nanocapillaries, we show through molecular-dynamics simulations that AA stacking in multilayer quasi-2D ice arises from interlayer hydrogen-bonding and is stable up to three layers, thereby explaining recent experimental observations. Detailed structural and energetic analyses show that quasi-2D water can freeze discontinuously through a first-order phase transition or continuously with a critical point. The first-order transition line extends to a continuous transition line, defined by a sharp transition in diffusivity between solid-like and liquid-like regimes. For quasi-1D water, confined in CNTs, we observe the existence of a similar critical point at intermediate densities. In addition, an end point is identified on the continuous-transition line, above which the solid and liquid phases deform continuously. The solid-liquid phase transition temperatures in CNTs are shown to be substantially higher than 273 K, confirming recent Raman spectroscopy measurements. In conclusion, we observe ultrafast proton and hydroxyl transport in quasi-1D and -2D ice at 300 K, exceeding those of bulk water up to a factor of five, thereby providing possible applications to fuel-cells and electrolyzers.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2024

Physical Mechanisms and Electric-Bias Control of Phase Transitions in Quasi-2D Charge-Density-Wave Quantum Materials

The goals of this fundamental science project, aimed at understanding the physical mechanisms and developing methods for electric-bias control of phase transitions in quasi-2D CDW materials, have been achieved. We focused on 1T-TaS2, one of the most interesting materials of this type, and demonstrated electrical gating of the I-V characteristics and hysteresis in this material. The demonstration of electrical gating of CDW phases in quasi-2D material was performed at RT. We have conducted experiments to separate the electric-field CDW switching from Joule heating-induced switching. This was an important development for 2D CDW materials. The project has led to a better understanding of the physical mechanisms behind the phase transitions and CDW depinning in quasi-2D van der Waals materials. We established that the CDW domain depinning in 1T-TaS2 does not lead to a strong increase in the collective current and accompanying narrow-band noise. We developed a technique that utilized the low-frequency noise measurements in such materials for monitoring the CDW phase transitions. In the experiments where 1T-TaS2 flakes were used in polymeric matrices, we verified the robustness of the phase transitions between the nearly commensurate and incommensurate CDW phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2013

Diffuse phase transition from the superionic to non-superionic state in Cu{sub 1.8}Se single crystal

The phase transition from the superionic to non-superionic state in a Cu{sub 1.8}Se single crystal is studied by neutron diffraction. In the superionic state, a diffuse halo related to the disordering of the cation subsystem is observed. It is established that the phase transition from the superionic to non-superionic state is the diffuse first-order phase transition occurring in the temperature range 250-180 K.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2020

Pressure-induced phase transition in barium hydride studied with neutron scattering

Barium hydride can undergo a structural phase transition from an orthorhombic phase to a hexagonal phase induced by high temperature or high pressure. This transition causes an immediate increase in the hydrogen diffusion rates by over an order of magnitude, and therefore, understanding the origin and details of such transition is of great interest not only for fundamental reasons but also for improving materials for future applications. In this work, the pressure evolution of the crystal structure was characterized using neutron powder diffraction up to a maximum pressure of 11.3 GPa. The pressure dependence of the unit cell volumes, lattice parameters, atomic sites, and compressibilities were determined for both phases. A structural phase transition occurred over a wide pressure range of P = 1.3 GPa–4.9 GPa. The transition to the higher density hexagonal phase reduced the volume per formula unit of BaD 2 by 13.6%, hence increasing the volumetric storage density. In addition, we investigated the hydrogen diffusion process using high pressure quasi-elastic neutron scattering up to 7.1 GPa. Our results show that the hydrogen mobility increases with pressure in the hexagonal phase. This work sheds light on the structural and dynamical aspects of barium hydride caused by the application of high pressure. Finally, the results may aid in the development of advanced metal hydride systems with increased hydrogen dynamics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Strength, deformation, and the fcc–hcp phase transition in condensed Kr and Xe to the 100 GPa pressure range

The rare gas solids exhibit systematic differences in crystal structure, phase transition conditions, bond strength, and other physical properties. The physical properties of heavy rare gas solids krypton and xenon are modified by the martensitic phase transition from face-centered cubic to hexagonal close packed structure over a broad pressure range. Crystal structure, strength, and plastic deformation of krypton and xenon have been investigated at 300 K using compression in the diamond-anvil cell with synchrotron angle-dispersive x-ray diffraction and complementary ruby fluorescence spectroscopy for Xe. Stacking faults indicative of the fcc–hcp phase transition are observed at pressures at and above 1.23 ± 0.05 and 1.9 ± 0.6 GPa in Kr and Xe, respectively. The transition remains incomplete in both solids to pressures greater than 100 GPa. Strength determined from stress measurements in Pt and ruby standards at pressures up to 111 GPa and complemented by observations of strain and texture measurements obtained by x-ray diffraction in the radial geometry to 100 GPa indicates similar or higher strength than Ar at all conditions, with significant stiffening at 15–20 GPa. Radial diffraction data reveal the persistence of broad highly textured fcc diffraction lines to 101 GPa in Xe, suggesting that the axial measurements may underestimate the metastable persistence of the fcc phase due to biased sampling of hcp crystallites resulting from preferred crystallite orientation. Kr and Xe are compared with He, Ne, and Ar for a systematic understanding of physical properties and phase equilibria of rare gas solids.

Compressive stress↗

DOE OSTI2024

Primordial black holes from bubble collisions during a first-order phase transition

We study the possibility of production of primordial black holes (PBHs) from bubble collisions during a first-order phase transition. While typical colliding bubbles are small and irrelevant for PBH production, we find that those that can produce PBHs must have a macroscopically thick fluid shell and have been born much before the typical nucleation time. Particularly large uncertainties arise from an exponential sensitivity of the nucleation rate on the required duration of bubble growth which depends on the details of the collisions and the evolution of the spacetime metric toward the end of the phase transition. We introduce a few parameters to be obtained from future numerical simulation to represent those unknowns, and estimate the PBH abundance in an Abelian Higgs benchmark model and show that it can be significant. We predict an approximately monochromatic PBH mass spectrum, and find regions in the parameter space where the PBHs can constitute entire dark matter or even overclose the Universe. Our result thus shows that models with a first-order phase transition can be constrained by overabundant PBHs or null results of other PBH searches. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗