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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.

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At least 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Holographic map for cosmological horizons

Here, we propose a holographic map between Einstein gravity coupled to matter in a de Sitter background and large N quantum mechanics of a system of spins. Holography maps a spin model with a finite-dimensional Hilbert space defined on a version of the stretched horizon into bulk gravitational dynamics. The full Hamiltonian of the spin model contains a nonlocal piece which generates chaotic dynamics, widely conjectured to be a necessary part of quantum gravity, and a local piece which recovers the perturbative spectrum in the bulk.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nuclear and neutron-star matter from local chiral interactions [Slides]

We use quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods to perform exact ab-initio calcula1ons of the nuclear equation of state (EOS) and the symmetry energy. We employ local chiral interactions up to next-to-next-to leading (N 2 LO) fit to few-body observables only, and provide a comprehensive uncertainty quantifica1on.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantum criticality and topology in non-equilibrium systems

A key goal of condensed matter physics research is to identify new phases of matter, and to understand the universal features of the phase transitions between them. In the past decade, physicists have uncovered a wealth of new phases with interesting surface properties, exemplified by the theoretical prediction and subsequent experimental discovery of topological insulators and superconductors. Traditional condensed matter systems are usually in a thermal equilibrium state and typically at very low temperature. Very recently, experimental advances have sparked interest in the non-equilibrium setting. Non-equilibrium systems can host new phases and phenomena with no equilibrium counterpart, and could also enable robust ways to build quantum memory devices to store and manipulate quantum information in a coherent manner. These phases and phenomena are inherently “dynamical”: they are described not by changes in the arrangement or structure of the constituent particles, but instead marked by sharp distinctions in how the particles move and exchange energy or quantum information. The discovery of robust non-equilibrium phases raises many fundamental questions: Can we develop a systematic theory of states of matter and of dynamical transitions between such states? How can such states be realized and probed experimentally? The main goal of this project was to explore the emergence of topological phases and quantum criticality (two cornerstones of modern condensed matter physics in equilibrium) in such non-equilibrium quantum systems. Specific goals included (1) using tensor networks to efficiently represent non-equilibrium states of matter and their phase transitions; (2) studying and designing new probes for periodically driven systems; and (3) developing analytic and numerical tools to analyze non-equilibrium topological phase transitions. Advances in these directions were achieved using novel techniques appropriate to study the non-equilibrium dynamics in many-body quantum systems combining strong interactions and randomness. Taken together, these results provide a new conceptual framework for understanding the emergence of quantum critical and topological properties in quantum systems far from thermal equilibrium.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Patternable Mesoporous Thin Film Quantum Materials via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly: An Emergent Technology?

Recent developments in quantum materials hold promise for revolutionizing energy and information technologies. The use of soft matter self-assembly, for example, by employing block copolymers (BCPs) as structure directing or templating agents, offers facile pathways toward quantum metamaterials with highly tunable mesostructures via scalable solution processing. Here, we report the preparation of patternable mesoporous niobium carbonitride-type thin film superconductors through spin-coating of a hybrid solution containing an amphiphilic BCP swollen by niobia sol precursors and subsequent thermal processing in combination with photolithography. Spin-coated as-made BCP-niobia hybrid thin films on silicon substrates after optional photolithographic definition are heated in air to produce a porous oxide, and subsequently converted in a multistep process to carbonitrides via treatment with high temperatures in reactive gases including ammonia. Grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering suggests the presence of ordered mesostructures in as-made BCP-niobia films without further annealing, consistent with a distorted alternating gyroid morphology that is retained upon thermal treatments. Wide-angle X-ray scattering confirms the synthesis of phase-pure niobium carbonitride nanocrystals with rock-salt lattices within the mesoscale networks. Electrical transport measurements of unpatterned thin films show initial exponential rise in resistivity characteristic of thermal activation in granular systems down to 12.8 K, at which point resistivity drops to zero into a superconducting state. Magnetoresistance measurements determine the superconducting upper critical field to be over 16 T, demonstrating material quality on par with niobium carbonitrides obtained from traditional solid-state synthesis methods. Here. we discuss how such cost-effective and scalable solution-based quantum materials fabrication approaches may be integrated into existing microelectronics processing, promising the emergence of a technology with tremendous academic and industrial potential by combining the capabilities of soft matter self-assembly with quantum materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Entanglement Generation in Weakly Driven Arrays of Multilevel Atoms via Dipolar Interactions

We investigate the driven-dissipative dynamics of multilevel atomic arrays interacting via dipolar interactions at subwavelength spacings. Unlike two-level atoms in the weakly excited regime, multilevel atoms can become strongly entangled. Here, the entanglement manifests as the growth of spin waves in the ground-state manifold and survives after turning off the drive. We propose the 2.9 μ⁢m transition between 3 P 2 ↔ 3 D 3 in 88 Sr with 389 nm trapping light as a platform to test our predictions and explore many-body physics with light-matter interactions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Proper time observables of general gravitational perturbations in laser interferometry-based gravitational wave detectors

We present an explicitly gauge-invariant observable of any general gravitational perturbation, ℎ 𝜇⁢𝜈 [not necessarily due to gravitational waves (GWs)], in a laser interferometry-based GW detector, identifying the signature as the proper time elapsed of the beamsplitter observer, between two events: when a photon passes through the beamsplitter, and when the same photon returns to the beamsplitter after traveling through the interferometer arm and reflecting off the far mirror. Our formalism applies to simple Michelson interferometers and can be generalized to more advanced setups. We demonstrate that the proper time observable for a plane GW is equivalent to the detector strain commonly used by the GW community, though now the common framework can be easily generalized for other types of signals, such as dark matter clumps or spacetime fluctuations from quantum gravity. We provide a simple recipe for computing the proper time observable for a general metric perturbation in linearized gravity and explicitly show that it is invariant under diffeomorphisms of the perturbation, as any physical observable should be.

Dark matter detectors↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multiscale Patterning from Competing Interactions and Length Scales

We live in an era of complexity marked by impressive new tools powering the scientific method to accelerate discovery, prediction, and control of increasingly complex systems. In common with many disciplines and societal challenges and opportunities, materials and condensed matter sciences are beneficiaries. The volume and fidelity of experimental, computational, and visualization data available, and tools to rapidly interpret them, are remarkable. Conceptual frameworks, including multiscale, multiphysics modeling of this complexity, are fueled by the data and, in turn, guide directions for future experimental and computational strategies. In this spirit, we discuss the importance of competing interactions, length scales, and constraints as pervasive sources of spatio-temporal complexity. We use representative examples drawn from materials and condensed matter, including the important role of elasticity in some technologically important quantum materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dynamics of Magnus-dominated particle clusters, collisions, pinning, and ratchets

Motivated by the recent work in skyrmions and active chiral matter systems, we examine pairs and small clusters of repulsively interacting point particles in the limit where the dynamics is dominated by the Magnus force. We find that particles with the same Magnus force can form stable pairs, triples, and higher ordered clusters or exhibit chaotic motion. For mixtures of particles with opposite Magnus force, particle pairs can combine to form translating dipoles. Under an applied drive, particles with the same Magnus force translate; however, particles with different or opposite Magnus force exhibit a drive-dependent decoupling transition. When the particles interact with a repulsive obstacle, they can form localized orbits with depinning or unwinding transitions under an applied drive. We examine the interaction of these particles with clusters or lines of obstacles and find that the particles can become trapped in orbits that encircle multiple obstacles. Under an ac drive, we observe a series of ratchet effects, including ratchet reversals, for particles interacting with a line of obstacles due to the formation of commensurate orbits. Lastly, in assemblies of particles with mixed Magnus forces of the same sign, we find that the particles with the largest Magnus force become localized in the center of the cluster, while for mixtures with opposite Magnus forces, the motion is dominated by transient local pairs or clusters, where the translating pairs can be regarded as a form of active matter.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electronic Coherences in Molecules: The Projected Nuclear Quantum Momentum as a Hidden Agent

Electronic coherences are key to understanding and controlling photoinduced molecular transformations. Here, we identify a crucial quantum-mechanical feature of electron-nuclear correlation, the projected nuclear quantum momenta, essential to capture the correct coherence behavior. For simulations, we show that, unlike traditional trajectory-based schemes, exact-factorization-based methods approximate these correlation terms and correctly capture electronic coherences in a range of situations, including their spatial dependence, an important aspect that influences subsequent electron dynamics and that is becoming accessible in more experiments.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Predicting Phonon-Induced Spin Decoherence from First Principles: Colossal Spin Renormalization in Condensed Matter

Developing a microscopic understanding of spin decoherence is essential to advancing quantum technologies. Electron spin decoherence due to atomic vibrations (phonons) plays a special role as it sets an intrinsic limit to the performance of spin-based quantum devices. Two main sources of phonon-induced spin decoherence—the Elliott-Yafet and Dyakonov-Perel mechanisms—have distinct physical origins and theoretical treatments. Here, we show calculations that unify their modeling and enable accurate predictions of spin relaxation and precession in semiconductors. We compute the phonon-dressed vertex of the spin-spin correlation function with a treatment analogous to the calculation of the anomalous electron magnetic moment in QED. We find that the vertex correction provides a giant renormalization of the electron spin dynamics in solids, greater by many orders of magnitude than the corresponding correction from photons in vacuum. Finally, our Letter demonstrates a general approach for quantitative analysis of spin decoherence in materials, advancing the quest for spin-based quantum technologies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Magnon-mediated qubit coupling determined via dissipation measurements

Controlled interaction between localized and delocalized solid-state spin systems offers a compelling platform for on-chip quantum information processing with quantum spintronics. Hybrid quantum systems (HQSs) of localized nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and delocalized magnon modes in ferrimagnets—systems with naturally commensurate energies—have recently attracted significant attention, especially for interconnecting isolated spin qubits at length-scales far beyond those set by the dipolar coupling. However, despite extensive theoretical efforts, there is a lack of experimental characterization of the magnon-mediated interaction between NV centers, which is necessary to develop such hybrid quantum architectures. Here, we experimentally determine the magnon-mediated NV–NV coupling from the magnon-induced self-energy of NV centers. Our results are quantitatively consistent with a model in which the NV center is coupled to magnons by dipolar interactions. This work provides a versatile tool to characterize HQSs in the absence of strong coupling, informing future efforts to engineer entangled solid-state systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigating the crust of neutron stars with neural-network quantum states

An accurate description of low-density nuclear matter is crucial for explaining the physics of neutron star crusts. In the density range between approximately 0.01 fm −3 and 0.1 fm −3 , matter transitions from neutron-rich nuclei to various higher-density pasta shapes, before ultimately reaching a uniform liquid. In this work, we introduce a variational Monte Carlo method based on a neural Pfaffian-Jastrow quantum state, which allows us to model the transition from the liquid phase to neutron-rich nuclei microscopically. At low densities, nuclear clusters dynamically emerge from the microscopic interactions among protons and neutrons, which we model based on pionless effective field theory. Our variational Monte Carlo approach represents a significant improvement over the state-of-the-art auxiliary-field diffusion Monte Carlo method, which is severely hindered by the fermion-sign problem in this low-density regime and cannot capture the onset of clusters. In addition to computing the energy per particle of symmetric nuclear matter and pure neutron matter, we analyze an intermediate isospin-asymmetry configuration to elucidate the formation of nuclear clusters. We also provide evidence that the presence of such nuclear clusters influences the amount of protons in the crust compared to protons in beta-equilibrated, neutrino-transparent matter.

Nuclear astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Global quark spin correlations in relativistic heavy ion collisions

The observation of the vector meson’s global spin alignment by the STAR Collaboration reveals that strong spin correlations may exist for quarks and antiquarks in relativistic heavy-ion collisions in the normal direction of the reaction plane. We propose a systematic method to describe such correlations in the quark matter. We classify them as local and long range quark spin correlations in the system. We show in particular that the effective quark spin correlations contain the genuine spin correlations originated directly from the dynamical process as well as those induced by averaging over other degrees of freedom. We also show that such correlations can be studied by measuring the vector meson’s spin density matrix and hyperon-hyperon and hyperon-anti-hyperon spin correlations. We present the relationships between these measurable quantities and spin correlations of quarks and antiquarks. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Optical high-order harmonic generation as a structural characterization tool

Structural characterization is essential to material engineering, but few tools can detect structural properties in the time domain. High harmonic generation (HHG) emerges as a new frontier that touches the heart of condensed-matter physics from the symmetry to quantum geometrical nature of electrons, but its capability in structural characterization has not been materialized. Here, we establish a crucial connection between the symmetry of a material and the helicity of light. We employ monolayer MoS 2 as an example. In this work, we show that a linearly polarized laser pulse used in experiments is not ideal for structural characterization because it only generates in-plane anisotropy. It is the circularly polarized laser field that is capable of producing four distinctive HHG signals from the four phases of MoS 2 . This finally links the laser helicity to the crystal structure. The results are generic and are not affected by the Berry curvature, the interband or intraband contribution. Our study unleashes the power of HHG as a structural characterization tool for technologically important materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nonlinear Lifshitz photon theory in condensed matter systems

We present an interacting theory of a U(1) gauge boson with a quadratic dispersion relation, which we call the "nonlinear Lifshitz photon theory.'' The Lifshitz photon is a three-dimensional generalization of the Tkachenko mode in rotating superfluids. Starting from the Wigner crystal of charged particles coupled to a dynamical U(1) gauge field, after integrating out gapped degrees of freedom, we arrive at the Lagrangian for the nonlinear Lifshitz photon. The symmetries of the theory include a global U(1) 1-form symmetry and nonlinearly realized "magnetic" translation and rotation symmetries. The interaction terms in the theory lead to the decay of the Lifshitz photon, the rate of which we estimate. We show that the Wilson loop, which plays the role of the order parameter of the spontaneous breaking of the 1-form global symmetry, deviates from the perimeter law by an additional logarithmic factor. Here, we explore potential connections to other condensed matter systems, with a particular focus on quantum spin ice and ferromagnets. Finally, we generalize our theory to higher dimensions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Embrace the darkness: An experimental perspective on organic exciton–polaritons

Organic polaritonics has emerged as a captivating interdisciplinary field that marries the complexities of organic photophysics with the fundamental principles of quantum optics. By harnessing strong light–matter coupling in organic materials, exciton–polaritons offer unique opportunities for advanced device performance, including enhanced energy transport and low-threshold lasing, as well as new functionalities like polariton chemistry. In this review, we delve into the foundational principles of exciton–polaritons from an experimental perspective, highlighting the key states, processes, and timescales that govern polariton phenomena. Our review centers on the spectroscopy of exciton–polaritons. We overview the primary spectroscopic approaches that reveal polariton phenomena, and we discuss the challenges in disentangling polaritonic signatures from spectral artifacts. We discuss how organic materials, due to their complex photophysics and disordered nature, not only present challenges to the conventional polariton models but also provide opportunities for new physics, like manipulating dark electronic states. As the research field continues to grow, with increasingly complex materials and devices, this review serves as a valuable introductory guide for researchers navigating the intricate landscape of organic polaritonics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

The phase diagram of ultra quantum liquids

In this paper, we discuss the dependence of the phase diagram of a hypothetical isotope of helium with nuclear mass less than 4 atomic mass units. We argue that with decreasing nucleus mass, the temperature of the superfluid phase transition (about 2.2 K in real 4 He) increases, while that of the liquid-gas critical point (about 5.2 K in real 4 He) decreases. We discuss various scenarios that may occur when the two temperatures approach each other and the order parameters of the superfluid and the liquid-gas phase transitions interact with each other. The simplest scenario, in which both order parameters become critical at particular values of the nuclear mass, temperature, and pressure, can be ruled out through on an analysis of the Landau theory. We argue that in the most likely scenario, as the nuclear mass decreases, first, a tricritical point appears on the line separating the superfluid and the normal fluid phase, then the critical point disappears under the first-order part of superfluid phase transition line, and in the end the tricritical point disappears. The last change in the phase diagram occurs when the two-body scattering length crosses zero, which corresponds to the nuclear mass of about 1.55 u. We develop a quantitative theory that allows one to determine the phase diagram in the vicinity of this point. Lastly, we discuss several ways to physically realize such liquids.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗