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At least 55 records · Page 3

SU-E-T-603: PBS Prostate Plan Robustness: A Tool for Patient Specific Setup Tolerance

Purpose: Fiducial markers are commonly used for setup of prostate patients using orthogonal radiographs. After aligned with the markers, the displacement of the bony anatomy relative to the planned DRR can be up to 10 mm. Such offset can potentially have significant dosimetric effects because it changes the radiological path length of protons in differing amounts of bone. It is imperative to develop a method to evaluate its impact on target coverage and hence establish patient specific setup tolerance for prostate proton PBS treatment. Methods: Prostate patients were planned in RayStation according to the PCG protocol with bi-lateral beams. The primary planning objectives are: (1) 100% of CTV receives full prescription dose; (2) 98% of the prescription dose covers at least 98% of the PTV; (3) OARs meet criteria per protocol. For each patient 108 dose perturbations were automatically generated using an in-house script, which considered the isocenter shifting in S-I and A-P directions (up to ±15 mm with an interval of 6mm) as well as the range uncertainty (±3.5%). The target coverage was evaluated on the contour shifted along with prostate to mimic the daily treatment. Results: The minimum CTV coverage as a function of offsets in S-I and A-P directions is presented in a 2D contour map. The offsets along A-P direction generally have greater impact than along S-I direction. Both the CTV D98%>98% or CTV V98%>98% are achievable for most patients if the offset is <10 mm in either direction despite of range uncertainties. Conclusion: We developed a method to evaluate the plan robustness for proton PBS prostate treatment. It can provide patient specific setup tolerance of bony structure offset. For our current planning approach, a 1 cm displacement is acceptable. This approach can be generalized to other target structures that move relative to bony anatomy.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Metatranscriptomic Analyses of Diel Metabolic Functions During a Microcystis Bloom in Western Lake Erie (United States)

This study examined diel shifts in metabolic functions of Microcystis spp. during a 48-h Lagrangian survey of a toxin-producing cyanobacterial bloom in western Lake Erie in the aftermath of the 2014 Toledo Water Crisis. Transcripts mapped to the genomes of recently sequenced lower Great Lakes Microcystis isolates showed distinct patterns of gene expression between samples collected across day (10:00 h, 16:00 h) and night (22:00 h, 04:00 h). Daytime transcripts were enriched in functions related to Photosystem II (e.g., psbA), nitrogen and phosphate acquisition, cell division (ftsHZ), heat shock response (dnaK, groEL), and uptake of inorganic carbon (rbc, bicA). Genes transcribed during nighttime included those involved in phycobilisome protein synthesis and Photosystem I core subunits. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis (PCA) showed a tightly clustered group of nighttime expressed genes, whereas daytime transcripts were separated from each other over the 48-h duration. Lack of uniform clustering within the daytime transcripts suggested that the partitioning of gene expression in Microcystis is dependent on both circadian regulation and physicochemical changes within the environment.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Bias dependence and correlation of the cathodoluminescence and electron beam induced current from an InGaN/GaN light emitting diode

Micron-scale mapping has been employed to study a contacted InGaN/GaN LED using combined electroluminescence (EL), cathodoluminescence (CL), and electron beam induced current (EBIC). Correlations between parameters, such as the EBIC and CL intensity, were studied as a function of applied bias. The CL and EBIC maps reveal small areas, 2–10 μm in size, which have increased nonradiative recombination rate and/or a lower conductivity. The CL emission from these spots is blue shifted, by 30–40 meV. Increasing the reverse bias causes the size of the spots to decrease, due to competition between in-plane diffusion and drift in the growth direction. EL mapping shows large bright areas (∼100 μm) which also have increased EBIC, indicating domains of increased conductivity in the p and/or n-GaN.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Time-resolved Hyperspectral Fluorescence Spectroscopy using Frequency Modulated Excitation

An intensity-modulated excitation light source is used together with a micro channel plate intensified CCD (ICCD) detector gated at a slightly different frequency to generate a beat frequency from a fluorescent sample. The addition of a spectrograph produces a hyperspectral time-resolved data product where the resulting beat frequency is detected with a low frame rate camera. Measuring the beat frequency of the spectrum as a function of time allows separation of the excited fluorescence from ambient constant light sources. The excitation and detector repetition rates are varied over a range of discrete frequencies, and the phase shift of the beat wave maps out the emission decay rate(s).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Design and Testing of a Prototype Eddy Current Actuated Valve for the ITER Shattered Pellet Injection System

Reliably mitigating disruptions is essential for ITER to meet its long-term operational research plan without damage to the in-vessel components. Currently, the shattered pellet injection (SPI) technique is the most effective radiator of thermal energy and has been chosen for the baseline disruption mitigation system (DMS) for ITER. The SPI process uses cryogenic temperatures to desublimate material into the barrel of a pipe gun forming a solid cylindrical pellet. Pellets for ITER will initially be hydrogen and hydrogen-neon mixtures. Once formed, pellets are dislodged and accelerated using high-pressure gas (40-60 bar) delivered by a fast-opening valve. The solenoid valves currently used for SPI experiments will not operate in an ITER environment due to the large background magnetic field. An ITER prototype fast-opening valve, called a flyer plate valve (FPV), has been designed and has undergone a wide range of testing. The FPV operates by pulsing current through a pancake coil that is closely coupled with a ``flyer plate.'' The flyer plate is an aluminum plate in which eddy currents are generated creating a repulsive force from the pancake coil. The force generated in the flyer plate rapidly lifts the valve tip off the seat and delivers a pulse of gas to the rear of the pellet, breaking it free from the barrel and accelerating the pellet downstream to its intended target. The design of the valve has been iterated on over the lifetime of this project, as the DMS for ITER shifted from massive gas injection (MGI) to SPI. The most recent design has been tested, and operational ranges have been mapped. The valve must survive 3000+ cycles in an ITER-like magnetic field. The principal functional requirement of this valve is to reliably dislodge and accelerate hydrogen (or H-Ne mixture) pellets into ITER. The valve was mated with an ITER SPI test stand and has been shown to be capable of launching pellets reliably. The valve and power supply design will be discussed in this article, along with the various testing setups used to determine the feasibility of this valve for use on ITER.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Bromine Incorporation Affects Phase Transformations and Thermal Stability of Lead Halide Perovskites

Mixed-cation and mixed-halide lead halide perovskites show great potential for their application in photovoltaics. Many of the high-performance compositions are made of cesium, formamidinium, lead, iodine, and bromine. However, incorporating bromine in iodine-rich compositions and its effects on the thermal stability of the perovskite structure has not been thoroughly studied. In this work, we study how replacing iodine with bromine in the state-of-the-art Cs 0.17 FA 0.83 PbI 3 perovskite composition leads to different dynamics in the phase transformations as a function of temperature. Through a combination of structural characterization, cathodoluminescence mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and first-principles calculations, we reveal that the incorporation of bromine reduces the thermodynamic phase stability of the films and shifts the products of phase transformations. Our results suggest that bromine-driven vacancy formation during high temperature exposure leads to irreversible transformations into PbI 2 , whereas materials with only iodine go through transformations into hexagonal polytypes, such as the 4H-FAPbI 3 phase. This work sheds light on the structural impacts of adding bromine on thermodynamic phase stability and provides new insights into the importance of understanding the complexity of phase transformations and secondary phases in mixed-cation and mixed-halide systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Anisotropic Response of Defect Bound States to the Magnetic Field in Epitaxial FeSn Films

Crystal defects, whether intrinsic or engineered, drive many fundamental phenomena and novel functionalities of quantum materials. Here, we report symmetry-breaking phenomena induced by Sn vacancy defects on the surface of epitaxial Kagome antiferromagnetic FeSn films using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Near the single Sn vacancy, anisotropic quasiparticle interference patterns are observed in the differential conductance dI/dV maps, breaking the 6-fold rotational symmetry of the Kagome layer. Furthermore, the Sn vacancy defects induce bound states that exhibit anomalous Zeeman shift under an out-of-plane magnetic field, where the energy of the bound states moves linearly toward higher energy independent of the direction of the magnetic field. Under an in-plane magnetic field, the shift of the bound state energy also shows a 2-fold oscillating behavior as a function of the azimuth angle. These findings demonstrate defectenabled new functionalities in Kagome antiferromagnets for potential applications in nanoscale spintronic devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Mapping Thermal Expansion Coefficients in Freestanding 2D Materials at the Nanometer Scale

Two-dimensional materials, including graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides and their heterostructures, exhibit great potential for a variety of applications, such as transistors, spintronics, and photovoltaics. While the miniaturization offers remarkable improvements in electrical performance, heat dissipation and thermal mismatch can be a problem in designing electronic devices based on two-dimensional materials. Quantifying the thermal expansion coefficient of 2D materials requires temperature measurements at nanometer scale. Here, we introduce a novel nanometer-scale thermometry approach to measure temperature and quantify the thermal expansion coefficients in 2D materials based on scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with electron energy-loss spectroscopy to determine the energy shift of the plasmon resonance peak of 2D materials as a function of sample temperature. Iin this work, by combining these measurements with first-principles modeling, the thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) of single-layer and freestanding graphene and bulk, as well as monolayer MoS 2 , MoSe 2 , WS 2 , orWSe 2 , are directly determined and mapped.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hyperspectral radiance mapping and chromatic correction for temperature measurement in laser-heated diamond anvil cells

In laser-heated diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments, the effective heated region typically decreases in size with increasing pressure, leading to steeper thermal gradients. Under these conditions, chromatic aberration in the optical path from sample to detector can significantly create bias in spectro-radiometric temperature measurement. We present a radiance-mapping approach using a hyperspectral camera that records 25 spectral channels spanning 605–875 nm at each pixel in a single exposure, providing spatially and spectrally resolved radiance in each frame. This enables chromatic effects to be recorded and corrected in data processing. We developed a procedure for hyperspectral mapping, involving per-camera calibration, crosstalk removal, measured spectral throughput functions, and optional sub-pixel co-registration to minimize chromatic distortion. The calibrated radiance maps are then used to derive temperature maps of the laser-heated hotspots. For smaller heating spots, the radiance mapping approach reveals chromatic shifts that conventional spectro-radiometric methods cannot quantify. Ambient-pressure heating experiments confirm accurate temperature retrieval. At high pressure, application of the hyperspectral system to a platinum-heating experiment at 12 GPa demonstrates stable temperature reconstruction under steep thermal gradients. Beyond mitigating chromatic aberrations, the ability to diagnose optical artifacts separately from emissivity variations during controlled test experiments or in situ suggests a path toward more rigorous spectral emissivity analysis and improved modeling of thermal transport in laser-heated DAC experiments.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

MAPPING THE GAS TURBULENCE IN THE COMA CLUSTER: PREDICTIONS FOR ASTRO-H

Astro-H will be able for the first time to map gas velocities and detect turbulence in galaxy clusters. One of the best targets for turbulence studies is the Coma cluster, due to its proximity, absence of a cool core, and lack of a central active galactic nucleus. To determine what constraints Astro-H will be able to place on the Coma velocity field, we construct simulated maps of the projected gas velocity and compute the second-order structure function, an analog of the velocity power spectrum. We vary the injection scale, dissipation scale, slope, and normalization of the turbulent power spectrum, and apply measurement errors and finite sampling to the velocity field. We find that even with sparse coverage of the cluster, Astro-H will be able to measure the Mach number and the injection scale of the turbulent power spectrum—the quantities determining the energy flux down the turbulent cascade and the diffusion rate for everything that is advected by the gas (metals, cosmic rays, etc.). Astro-H will not be sensitive to the dissipation scale or the slope of the power spectrum in its inertial range, unless they are outside physically motivated intervals. We give the expected confidence intervals for the injection scale and the normalization of the power spectrum for a number of possible pointing configurations, combining the structure function and velocity dispersion data. Importantly, we also determine that measurement errors on the line shift will bias the velocity structure function upward, and show how to correct this bias.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Attosecond transient absorption of a bound wave packet coupled to a smooth continuum

Here, we investigate the possibility of using transient absorption of a coherent bound electron wave packet in hydrogen as an attosecond pulse characterization technique. In a recent work, we have shown that photoionization of such a coherent bound electron wave packet opens up for pulse characterization with unprecedented temporal accuracy—independent of the atomic structure—with maximal photoemission at all kinetic energies given a wave packet with zero relative phase. Here, we perform numerical propagation of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation and analytical calculations based on perturbation theory to show that the energy-resolved maximal absorption of photons from the attosecond pulse does not uniquely occur at a zero relative phase of the initial wave packet. Instead, maximal absorption occurs at different relative wave packet phases, distributed as a non-monotonous function with a smooth $-\pi /2$ shift across the central photon energy (given a Fourier-limited Gaussian pulse). Similar results are also found in helium. Our finding is surprising, because it implies that the energy-resolved photoelectrons are not mapped one-to-one with the energy-resolved absorbed photons of the attosecond pulse.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

In-Operando Characterization of P-I-N Perovskite Solar Cell Under Reverse Bias

A solar module is often exposed to a variety of intensity and uniformity illumination conditions throughout a day. In the field, objects or dirt can block light from hitting the module creating a partial shading event. When a partial shading event occurs the module power point tracking system will typically push the shaded cells into reverse bias in order to avoid the current loss from the other series connected illuminated cells. When perovskite solar cells are operated in reverse bias, electrochemical reactions can occur, leading to both reversible and irreversible performance losses. Excess holes generated by reverse bias cause and push the oxidation reaction of halide ions from the lattice to neutral halogen interstitial. Small interstitial halogen atoms can diffuse across the device and potentially move from the perovskite layer and into the transport layers, shifting the fermi levels in the devices. In this investigation we utilize cross-sectional kelvin probe atomic force microscopy to map the band energetics of perovskite solar cells during reverse bias. We observe a 150 meV decrease in the work function of the C 60 . This leads to a decrease of 150 mV and 4 mA/cm 2 in V oc and in J sc respectively. Finally, we discuss methods to prevent this irreversible degradation after a perovskite device is held under reverse bias.

fullerene↗

Shifts in dominant tree mycorrhizal associations in response to anthropogenic impacts

Plant-fungal symbioses play critical roles in vegetation dynamics and nutrient cycling, modulating the impacts of global changes on ecosystem functioning. Here, we used forest inventory data consisting of more than 3 million trees to develop a spatially resolved “mycorrhizal tree map” of the contiguous United States. We show that abundances of the two dominant mycorrhizal tree groups—arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal trees—are associated primarily with climate. Further, we show that anthropogenic influences, primarily nitrogen (N) deposition and fire suppression, in concert with climate change, have increased AM tree dominance during the past three decades in the eastern United States. Given that most AM-dominated forests in this region are underlain by soils with high N availability, our results suggest that the increasing abundance of AM trees has the potential to induce nutrient acceleration, with critical consequences for forest productivity, ecosystem carbon and nutrient retention, and feedbacks to climate change.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Gating Single Molecules with Counterions

We report atomic-scale gating and visualization of local charge distribution within individual rare-earth-based molecular complexes on a metallic surface. The complexes are formed by a positively charged lanthanum ion coordinated to a (pcam)3 molecule and a negatively charged counterion trapped underneath via electrostatic interactions on a Au(111) surface. Local gating is performed by adding an additional negatively charged counterion to one side of the complex, which results in the redistribution of charges within the complex and a positive shift of the frontier orbitals. This is caused by the internal Stark effect induced by the added counterion. This effect is directly captured using tunneling spectroscopy and spectroscopic mapping at 5 K substrate temperature. The polarizability of the complex is corroborated by density functional theory and analytical calculations based on experimental findings. Furthermore, the influence of charge polarization on nearby complexes is investigated in a cluster purposely assembled using three complexes, which reveals maintaining the charge states as in single complexes. These findings will enable the design of robust charged rare-earth complexes to be tailored for potential solid-state applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Lithium's low-temperature phase transitions: Insights into quantum lattice dynamics and superconductivity

The large lattice dynamics of lithium, driven by its low atomic mass, results in energetically similar structures and significant isotope effects under pressure, posing challenges to current theoretical models. Above 20 GPa and at low temperatures, lithium's electronic properties deviate from simple metallic behavior, with superconductivity emerging in a complex, pressure-dependent manner, alongside an unusual isotope effect. The structural phases of 7 Li reported under these conditions are inconsistent across studies, and the structures of 6 Li remain unexamined. These gaps limit our understanding of the effects of pressure on lithium's electronic properties and the role of quantum lattice effects on its structural behavior under pressure. Here, we integrate experimental and theoretical approaches to investigate the low-temperature structural phase boundaries in lithium isotopes. We map the structural phase diagram of 7 Li from 5 to 55 GPa and 15–75 K, identifying the sequence fcc → ℎ⁡R⁢1 → cI16. A pronounced isotope effect is observed, with 6 Li shifting the fcc → ℎ⁡R⁢1 phase boundary to lower pressures at 15 K. Density functional theory calculations further clarify how these structural changes affect superconducting properties, particularly emphasizing the role of the fcc → ℎ⁡R⁢1 transition in lithium's superconductivity. Furthermore, our findings offer insights into the unique behavior of lithium isotopes under pressure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Efficient design of random metasurfaces

Random media introduce large degrees of freedom in device design and can thus address challenges in manipulating optical waves. Wave shaping with metasurfaces has mainly utilized periodic or quasi-periodic grids, and the potential of random arrangement of particles for devices has only come under investigation recently. The main difficulty in pursuing random metasurfaces is the identification of the degrees of freedom that optimize their efficiencies and functions. They can also encode information using the statistics of particle distribution. We propose a phase-map that accounts for the statistical nature of random media. The method takes into account effects of random near-field couplings that introduce phase errors by affecting the phase shift of elements. The proposed approach increases the efficiency of our random metasurface devices by up to ~20%. Furthermore, this work paves the way toward the efficient design of random metasurfaces with potential applications in highly secure optical cryptography and information encoding.

Nasari, Hadiseh↗

Interface properties and built-in potential profile of a LaCr O 3 / SrTi O 3 superlattice determined by standing-wave excited photoemission spectroscopy

LaCrO 3 (LCO)/SrTiO 3 (STO) heterojunctions are intriguing due to a polar discontinuity along [001], exhibiting two distinct and controllable charged interface structures [(LaO) + /(TiO 2 ) 0 and (SrO) 0 /(CrO 2 ) - ] with induced polarization, and a resulting depth-dependent potential. In this study, we have used soft- and hard-x-ray standing-wave excited photoemission spectroscopy (SW-XPS) to quantitatively determine the elemental depth profile, interface properties, and depth distribution of the polarization-induced built-in potentials. We observe an alternating charged interface configuration: a positively charged (LaO) + /(TiO 2 ) 0 intermediate layer at the LCO top /STO bottom interface and a negatively charged (SrO) 0 /(CrO 2 ) - intermediate layer at the STO top /LCO bottom interface. Using core-level SW data, we have determined the depth distribution of species, including through the interfaces, and these results are in excellent agreement with scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy mapping of local structure and composition. SW-XPS also enabled deconvolution of the LCO and STO contributions to the valence-band (VB) spectra. Using a two-step analytical approach involving first SW-induced core-level binding-energy shifts and then VB modeling, the variation in potential across the complete superlattice is determined in detail. As a result, this potential is in excellent agreement with density functional theory models, confirming this method as a generally useful tool for interface studies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗