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At least 559 records · Page 31

Multicomponent Cholesky Decomposition: Application to Nuclear–Electronic Orbital Theory

The Cholesky decomposition technique is commonly used to reduce the memory requirement for storing two-particle repulsion integrals in quantum chemistry calculations that use atomic orbital bases. However, when quantum methods use multicomponent bases, such as nuclear–electronic orbitals, additional challenges are introduced due to asymmetric two-particle integrals. This work proposes several multicomponent Cholesky decomposition methods for calculations using nuclear–electronic orbital density functional theory. To analyze the errors in different Cholesky decomposition components, benchmark calculations using water clusters are carried out. The largest benchmark calculation is a water cluster (H 2 O) 27 where all 54 protons are treated quantum mechanically. Furthermore, this study provides energetic and complexity analyses to demonstrate the accuracy and performance of the proposed multicomponent Cholesky decomposition method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Magnetron sputter deposition of boron carbide in Ne and Ar plasmas

Conventional magnetron sputter deposition of B 4 C uses Ar as the working gas. In this report we explore the magnetron sputter deposition of B 4 C with a Ne plasma, which is expected to exhibit larger sputtering yields than Ar. We study properties of films deposited with different substrate tilt angles with the magnetron source operated in either direct-current (DC) or radio-frequency (RF) mode in an Ar or Ne plasma. Results show that the B 4 C film properties are determined by a combination of sputtering ballistics and effects of the working gas on the plasma discharge and gas phase scattering of depositing species flux. At constant discharge power, deposition rates for Ar and Ne plasmas are similar, which is attributed to balancing effects of a higher ballistic sputtering yield of Ne and lower ion flux to the target. Both depositing B and C neutral species and bombarding ions have higher energies for the case of Ne plasmas. Films deposited with the RF-driven Ne plasma exhibit a uniform non-columnar structure, lowest oxygen impurity content, and highest mass density and mechanical properties at a cost of Ne incorporation and larger compressive residual stress.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multimodal correlative study of Hall transport and magnetic phases in Fe/Gd multilayer systems

The Fe/Gd multilayer system hosts a number of magnetic phases, such as stripe, mixed stripe and skyrmion, skyrmion lattice, and isolated skyrmions for a wide range of temperature and magnetic field. We report different Hall transport signals in a Fe/Gd system through multimodal correlative resonant soft x-ray scattering (RSXS), Hall effect, magneto-optic Kerr effect, and transmission x-ray microscopy measurements. The simultaneous nature of the RSXS and Hall transport measurements allowed us to accurately connect various features in the transport data with the specific magnetic phases. We found that the topological Hall effect (THE) shows peaks with opposite signs, which we attribute to two different mechanisms. Our multimodal correlative study indicates that the sign reversal in THE occurs when the system transforms to and from a skyrmion lattice and low density isolated skyrmion phases. We propose that the skyrmion lattice contributes to the THE through a Berry phase induced emergent magnetic field mechanism in one case, and a skew scattering mechanism corresponding to the isolated low density skyrmion state.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Matter-wave stripe solitons induced by helicoidal spin–orbit coupling

Highlights: • Four kinds of exact stripe soliton solutions in Bose–Einstein condensates with helicoidal spin–orbit coupling (SOC) are represented. • The influence of helicoidal SOC on the structure of stripe solitons are described in detail. • The corresponding spin polarization is expressed on the Bloch sphere. • The formation mechanism of stripe solitons and the interaction properties of moving stripe solitons are discussed. We present the exact analytical solution of stripe solitons on different backgrounds in Bose–Einstein condensates with helicoidal spin–orbit coupling (SOC). They are divided into two categories, one is stationary stripe soliton on zero background or period-wave background, the other is moving stripe soliton on zero background or plane-wave background. The period of stripe is determined by both strength and frequency of helicoidal SOC, and the oscillation amplitude of stripe is adjustable in the case of fixed total density. The corresponding spin polarization is expressed on Bloch sphere. For stationary soliton, the spin density vector take values in three directions, which is different from the Rashba–Dresslhaus coupling scheme. The spin density vectors display more complicated spatial distribution for moving stripe solitons. Meanwhile, the formation mechanism of stripe soliton and the interaction properties of moving stripe solitons are discussed. Our work enhances the understanding of stripe solitons, and is helpful for the observation of stripe phase.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Parametric longitudinal coupling between a high-impedance superconducting resonator and a semiconductor quantum dot singlet-triplet spin qubit

Coupling qubits to a superconducting resonator provides a mechanism to enable long-distance entangling operations in a quantum computer based on spins in semiconducting materials. Here, we demonstrate a controllable spin-photon coupling based on a longitudinal interaction between a spin qubit and a resonator. We show that coupling a singlet-triplet qubit to a high-impedance superconducting resonator can produce the desired longitudinal coupling when the qubit is driven near the resonator’s frequency. We measure the energy splitting of the qubit as a function of the drive amplitude and frequency of a microwave signal applied near the resonator antinode, revealing pronounced effects close to the resonator frequency due to longitudinal coupling. By tuning the amplitude of the drive, we reach a regime with longitudinal coupling exceeding 1 MHz. This mechanism for qubit-resonator coupling represents a stepping stone towards producing high-fidelity two-qubit gates mediated by a superconducting resonator.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Structural and physical properties of 99 complex bulk chalcogenides crystals using first-principles calculations

Chalcogenide semiconductors and glasses have many applications in the civil and military fields, especially in relation to their electronic, optical and mechanical properties for energy conversion and in enviormental materials. However, they are much less systemically studied and their fundamental physical properties for a large class chalcogenide semiconductors are rather scattered and incomplete. Here, we present a detailed study using well defined first-principles calculations on the electronic structure, interatomic bonding, optical, and mechanical properties for 99 bulk chalcogenides including thirteen of these crytals which have never been calculated. Due to their unique composition and structures, these 99 bulk chalcogenides are divided into two main groups. The first group contains 54 quaternary crystals with the structure composition (A2BCQ4) (A = Ag, Cu; B = Zn, Cd, Hg, Mg, Sr, Ba; C = Si, Ge, Sn; Q = S, Se, Te), while the second group contains scattered ternary and quaternary chalcogenide crystals with a more diverse composition (AxByCzQn) (A = Ag, Cu, Ba, Cs, Li, Tl, K, Lu, Sr; B = Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, In, P, As, La, Lu, Pb, Cu, Ag; C = Si, Ge, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Zr, Hf, Ga, In; Q = S, Se, Te; x=1, 2, 3; y=0, 1, 2, 5; z=0, 1, 2 and n=3, 4, 5, 6, 9). Moreover, the total bond order density (TBOD) is used as a single quantum mechanical metric to characterize the internal cohesion of these crystals enabling us to correlate them with the calculated properties, especially their mechanical properties. This work provides a very large database for bulk chalcogenides crucial for the future theoretical and experimental studies, opening opportunities for study the properties and potential application of a wide variety of chalcogenides.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Understanding curvature effects on the magnetization reversal of patterned permalloy Archimedean spirals

Geometric curvature in magnetic systems can induce several unique magnetic interactions, the most notable of which are the curvature induced magnetic anisotropy and the curvature introduced Dzyaloshinski-Moria (DM) like interaction. Of the two, the DM-like interaction is particularly interesting as it provides a unique way to control domain wall motion, which is particularly relevant to the field of spintronics. In this work, we study the effect of geometric curvature on magnetization reversal in Permalloy strips patterned into Archimedean spirals with varying widths. Specifically, we simulated the magnetization reversal of Permalloy strips for several widths ranging from microscale to nanoscale to determine a lengthscale at which the curvature effects are strong. Simulations showed that in the microscale spirals, magnetization reversal primarily occurs through the appearance of magnetization ripple in which domains with reversed magnetization nucleate. On the other hand, the nanoscale spirals showed that reversal primarily proceeded through the motion of domain walls into the arms of the spiral. Our experimental in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy data of the microscale spirals, however, showed that magnetization reversal occurred with both mechanisms. At the nanoscale, the effect of local variation of curvature leads to hysteresis loops with stepped behavior. This behavior is characteristic of the curvature induced DM-like interaction affecting domain wall motion in the arms of the nanoscale spirals.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Two-step nucleation of the Earth’s inner core

Significance Understanding the formation of the Earth’s inner core is essential to understanding the geodynamo and Earth's history. However, recent attempts to explain the initial solidification of the inner core have been unsuccessful. The supercooling necessary to form hcp iron is unrealistically large and creates the “inner core nucleation paradox.” Our work demonstrates that molten iron can crystallize via a two-step nucleation process involving the intermediate bcc phase under core conditions. This mechanism significantly reduces the required undercooling necessary to nucleate solid iron. This work also suggests that bcc and hcp iron have similar free energies at pressures near the inner core center.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Computational investigation of water glasses using machine-learning potentials

The molecular origins of water’s anomalous properties have long been a subject of scientific inquiry. The liquid–liquid phase transition hypothesis, which posits the existence of distinct low-density and high-density liquid states separated by a first-order phase transition terminating at a critical point, has gained increasing experimental and computational support and offers a thermodynamically consistent framework for many of water’s anomalies. However, experimental challenges in avoiding crystallization near the postulated liquid–liquid critical point have focused attention to water’s canonical glassy states: low-density and high-density amorphous ice. Here, we use two Deep Potential machine-learning models, trained on the Strongly Constrained and Appropriately Normed density functional and the highly accurate Many-Body Polarizable potential, to conduct an investigation of water’s glassy phenomenology based on quantum mechanical calculations. Despite not being explicitly trained on amorphous ices, both models accurately capture the structure and transformation of the water glasses, including their interconversion along different thermodynamic paths. Isobaric quenching of liquid water at various pressures generates a continuum of intermediate amorphous ices and density fluctuations increase near the liquid–liquid critical pressure. The glass transition temperatures of the amorphous ices produced at different pressures exhibit two distinct branches, corresponding to low-density and high-density amorphous ice behaviors, consistent with experiment and the liquid–liquid transition hypothesis. Extrapolating transformation pressures from isothermal compressions to experimental compression rates brings our simulations into excellent agreement with data. Our findings demonstrate that machine-learning potentials trained on equilibrium phases can effectively model nonequilibrium glassy behavior and pave the way for studying long-timescale, out-of-equilibrium processes with quantum mechanical accuracy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Geometric Phase in Anisotropic Kepler Problem: Perspective for Realization in Rydberg Atoms

We predict a gyroscopic effect that can be demonstrated with Rydberg atoms following the dynamics of a Kepler Hamiltonian with an additional uniaxial anisotropy induced by optical ponderomotive force. This effect is analogous to the rotation of the Foucault pendulum in response to the Earth’s rotation. Furthermore, we argue that in Rydberg states with a large principal quantum number a similar geometric angle can be generated by mechanical rotations of an atomic-optical setup on timescales between 1 μ⁢s and 1 ms.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Persistent exchange splitting in the chiral helimagnet $\mathrm{Cr}_{1/3}\mathrm{NbS}_2$

Here, using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and ab initio calculation, we systematically investigate the electronic structure of the chiral helimagnet Cr 1/3 NbS 2 and its temperature evolution. The comparison with NbS 2 suggests that the electronic structure of Cr 1/3 NbS 2 is strongly modified by the intercalation of Cr atoms. Our ab initio calculation, consistent with experimental results, suggests strong hybridization between Nb- and Cr-derived states near the Fermi level. In the chiral helimagnetic state (below the Curie temperature, T c ), we observe exchange splitting of the energy bands crossing the Fermi level, which follows the temperature evolution of the magnetic moment, suggesting a strong interaction between the conduction electrons and Cr spin moments. Interestingly, the exchange splitting persists far above T c with weak temperature dependence, in drastic contrast to the itinerant ferromagnetism described by the Stoner model, indicating the existence of short-range magnetic order. Our results provide important insights into the interplay between the electronic structure and magnetism in Cr 1/3 NbS 2 , which is helpful for understanding the microscopic mechanism of chiral helimagnetic ordering.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Effect of electrochemical cycling on microstructures of nanocomposite silicon electrodes using hyperpolarized 129 Xe and 7 Li NMR spectroscopy

The microstructural stability of composite electrodes during electrochemical cycling is critically important as it dictates the performance of Li-ion batteries. The issue becomes even more important for the high capacity alloying anode such as silicon that typically exhibits dramatic lithiation–delithiation-induced volume changes. The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formed on the active electrode surface has a profound effect on the overall microstructural stability of composite electrodes. An ideal SEI layer allows Li+ ions in and out of the electrode, but is an insulator to electrons, preventing the electrolyte from being further reduced. However, the SEI layers formed during initial lithiation may experience changes or degradation with subsequent cycling, adversely affecting the electrode performance. A combination of hyperpolarized 129 Xe and 7 Li nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies was applied to probe the microstructures of nanocomposite silicon electrodes at various stages of the lithiation–delithiation cycle. The results obtained from this study shed light on the degradation mechanism of nanocomposite Si electrodes upon electrochemical cycling and should prove useful in the effort to design more robust electrodes in the future.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Atomic imprinting in the absence of an intrinsic length scale

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have successfully been used to replicate molds that are structured at the nano- and even atomic scale through thermoplastic forming (TPF), an ability that was speculated to be rooted in the glass’ featureless atomic structure. These previous demonstrations of atomically precise imprinting, however, were performed under conditions where mold atomic feature dimensions coincided with the unit cell size of constituents in the BMG. In order to evaluate if accurate atomic-scale replication is possible in general, i.e., independent of the accidental presence of favorable constituent size/feature size relationships, we have used Pt 57.5 Cu 14.7 Ni 5.3 P 22.5 to replicate three different crystalline facets of LaAlO 3 single crystals, each exposing distinct atomic step heights. We find that in all cases, the terraced surface termination can be copied with remarkable fidelity, corroborating that BMGs when thermoplastic formed are capable of adapting to any externally imposed confinement with sub-angstrom precision without being limited by factors related to the specifics of their internal structure. This unprecedented capability of quasi-limitless replication fidelity reveals that the deformation mechanism in the supercooled liquid state of BMGs is essentially homogeneous and suggests TPF of BMGs to be a versatile toolbox for atomic and precision nanoscale imprinting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Structure and Dynamics of Entanglement in Large Quantum Systems

Final technical report for he DOE QuantISED grant "Structure and Dynamics of Entanglement in Large Quantum Systems", awarded to Profs. Albion Lawrence and Matthew Headrick a Brandeis University. The work on this grant included entanglement in "matrix quantum mechanics", a system wih large numbers of degrees of freedom; the dynamics of a system coupled to a large environment; and the formulation of he "bit threads" picture of entanglement in quantum systems which are equivalent to a theory of quantum gravity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

An energy-based coupling approach to nonlocal interface problems.

Nonlocal models provide accurate representations of physical phenomena ranging from fracture mechanics to complex subsurface flows, settings in which traditional partial differential equation models fail to capture effects caused by long-range forces at the microscale and mesoscale. However, the application of nonlocal models to problems involving interfaces, such as multimaterial simulations and fluid-structure interaction, is hampered by the lack of a physically consistent interface theory which is needed to support numerical developments and, among other features, reduces to classical models in the limit as the extent of nonlocal interactions vanish. In this paper, we use an energy-based approach to develop a formulation of a nonlocal interface problem which provides a physically consistent extension of the classical perfect interface formulation for partial differential equations. Numerical examples in one and two dimensions validate the proposed framework and demonstrate the scope of our theory.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Doppler effect in rotating systems and Mössbauer rotor experiments

We address once more the problem of the physical interpretation of the Mössbauer effect in a rotating system in the view of the recently discovered extra energy shift (EES) between emitted and absorbed resonant radiation, which emerges in addition to the usual second order Doppler shift for an orbiting absorber. We highlight that both fractional components of the total energy shift have the same sign and correspond to the blueshift of the resonant radiation propagating from the rotational axis to the rotor rim. We indicate a possible way of understanding the origin of the EES in terms of combining metric effects in rotating systems with the quantum mechanical description of resonant nuclei confined in crystal cells by taking into account the recoil-free essence of the Mössbauer effect, where no energy is transmitted to the source (absorber) during the emission (absorption) of resonant radiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Characterizing the Mechanisms of Ca and Mg Carbonate Ion-Pair Formation with Multi-Level Molecular Dynamics/Quantum Mechanics Simulations

The carbonate minerals of Ca and Mg are abundant throughout the lithosphere and have recently garnered significant research interest as possible long-term carbon sinks in the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Nonetheless, an understanding of the atomic-level processes comprising their mineralization remains limited. Furthermore, we characterize and contrast the mechanisms of contact ion-pair formation in aqueous Ca and Mg carbonate systems, which represents the most fundamental step leading to the formation of their mineral solids. Utilizing multilevel embedded correlated wavefunction-based ab initio molecular dynamics/quantum mechanics simulations, we characterize not only the dynamics of these processes but also factors arising from the electronic structure of the involved species, revealing further details of the fundamentally different mechanisms for the interconversion between the contact ion-pairs and solvent-shared ion-pairs of Ca versus Mg carbonate.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Controllable growth of interpenetrating or random copolymer networks

Interpenetrating and random copolymer networks are vital in a number of industrial applications, including the fabrication of automotive parts, damping materials, and tissue engineering scaffolds. We develop a theoretical model for a process that enables the controlled growth of interpenetrating network (IPNs), or a random copolymer network (RCN) of specified size and mechanical properties. In this process, a primary gel “seed” is immersed into a solution containing the secondary monomer and crosslinkers. After the latter species are absorbed into the primary network, the absorbed monomers are polymerized to form the secondary polymer chains, which then can undergo further crosslinking to form an IPN, or undergo inter-chain exchange with the existing network to form a RCN. The swelling and elastic properties of the IPN and RCN networks can be tailored by modifying the monomer and crosslinker concentrations in the surrounding solution, or by tuning the enthalpic interactions between the primary polymer, secondary monomer and solvent through a proper choice of chemistry. This process can be used repeatedly to fabricate gels with a range of mechanical properties from stiff, rigid materials to soft, flexible networks, allowing the method to meet the materials requirements of a variety of applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗