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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 649 records · Page 36
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DOE OSTI2021

Ultra-Structural Imaging Provides 3D Organization of 46 Chromosomes of a Human Lymphocyte Prophase Nucleus

Three dimensional (3D) ultra-structural imaging is an important tool for unraveling the organizational structure of individual chromosomes at various stages of the cell cycle. Performing hitherto uninvestigated ultra-structural analysis of the human genome at prophase, we used serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) to understand chromosomal architectural organization within 3D nuclear space. Acquired images allowed us to segment, reconstruct, and extract quantitative 3D structural information about the prophase nucleus and the preserved, intact individual chromosomes within it. Our data demonstrate that each chromosome can be identified with its homolog and classified into respective cytogenetic groups. Thereby, we present the first 3D karyotype built from the compact axial structure seen on the core of all prophase chromosomes. The chromosomes display parallel-aligned sister chromatids with familiar chromosome morphologies with no crossovers. Furthermore, the spatial positions of all 46 chromosomes revealed a pattern showing a gene density-based correlation and a neighborhood map of individual chromosomes based on their relative spatial positioning. A comprehensive picture of 3D chromosomal organization at the nanometer level in a single human lymphocyte cell is presented.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Origin of the quasi-quantized Hall effect in ZrTe 5

The quantum Hall effect (QHE) is traditionally considered to be a purely two-dimensional (2D) phenomenon. Recently, however, a three-dimensional (3D) version of the QHE was reported in the Dirac semimetal ZrTe 5 . It was proposed to arise from a magnetic-field-driven Fermi surface instability, transforming the original 3D electron system into a stack of 2D sheets. Here, we report thermodynamic, spectroscopic, thermoelectric and charge transport measurements on such ZrTe 5 samples. The measured properties: magnetization, ultrasound propagation, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, show no signatures of a Fermi surface instability, consistent with in-field single crystal X-ray diffraction. Instead, a direct comparison of the experimental data with linear response calculations based on an effective 3D Dirac Hamiltonian suggests that the quasi-quantization of the observed Hall response emerges from the interplay of the intrinsic properties of the ZrTe 5 electronic structure and its Dirac-type semi-metallic character.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tunable magneto-optical properties in MoS 2 via defect-induced exciton transitions

The presence of chalcogen vacancies in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) leads to excitons with mixed localized-delocalized character and to reduced valley selectivity. Recent experimental advances in defect design in TMDs allow for a close examination of such mixed exciton states as a function of their degree of circular polarization under external magnetic fields, revealing strongly varying defect-induced magnetic properties. A theoretical understanding of these observations and their physical origins demands a predictive, structure-sensitive theory. In this work, we study the effect of chalcogen vacancies on the exciton magnetic properties in monolayer MoS 2 . Using many-body perturbation theory, we show how the complex excitonic picture associated with the presence of defects—with reduced valley and spin selectivity due to hybridized electron-hole transitions—leads to a structurally controllable exciton magnetic response. We find a variety of $\textit{g}$-factors with changing magnitudes and sign depending on the exciton energy and character. Further, our findings suggest a pathway to tune the nature of the excitons—and by that their magneto-optical properties—through defect architecture.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

The FEFF code

FEFF is a real-space multiple-scattering Green’s function code for simulating a variety of X-ray spectroscopies as well as ground-state and excited-state electronic structure. It is perhaps best known for its use in extended X-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) calculations, particularly within various analysis codes such as DEMETER and LARCH. In addition to EXAFS, FEFF can also be used to calculate X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), electron energy loss spectra (EELS) and many other spectroscopic quantities. Here, the basic approach used for the calculations is described, focusing on the most important approximations and aspects of the simulations. Here, the capabilities of the FEFF code, including those of the Java-based graphical user interface JFEFF, are also briefly described.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

FeSi binary alloy electronic structure low-Si dataset (1024 atoms)

This dataset contaims the calculated atomic charge density, atomic magnetic moment, and total energy for 1600 configurations of iron-silicon (Fe-Si) binary alloys body-centered cubic (BCC) structures at 3, 6, and 9% Si. These large scale (1024 atom) ab initio calculations were produced with the LSMS code on the OLCF Summit supercomputer. LSMS GitHub repository: https://github.com/mstsuite/lsms

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Comparative many-body study of Pr 4 Ni 3 O 8 and NdNiO 2

We study the many-body electronic structure of the stoichiometric and electron-doped trilayer nickelate Pr4Ni 3 O 8 in comparison to that of the stoichiometric and hole-doped infinite layer nickelate NdNiO 2 within the framework of density functional plus dynamical mean field theory, noting that Pr4Ni 3 O 8 has the same nominal carrier concentration as NdNiO2 doped to a level of 1/3 holes/Ni. In this work, we find that the correlated Ni-3$\textit{d}$ shells of both of these low valence nickelates have similar many-body configurations with correlations dominated by the $d_{x^2 - y^2}$ orbital. Additionally, when compared at the same nominal carrier concentration, the materials exhibit similar many-body electronic structures, self energies, and correlation strengths, but differ in Fermiology. Compared to cuprates, these materials are closer to the Mott-Hubbard regime due to their larger charge transfer energies. Moreover, doping involves the charge reservoir provided by the rare earth 5$\textit{d}$ electrons, as opposed to cuprates where it is realized via the oxygen 2$\textit{p}$ electrons.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

First-order magnetic phase transition in P r 2 In with negligible thermomagnetic hysteresis

Magnetic first-order phase transitions are key for the emergence of functionalities of fundamental and applied significance, including magnetic shape memory as well as magnetostrictive and magnetocaloric effects. Such transitions are usually associated with thermomagnetic hysteresis. In this paper we report the observation of a firstorder transition in Pr 2 In from a paramagnetic to a ferromagnetic state at $T_C$ = 57K without a detectable thermomagnetic hysteresis, which is also accompanied by a large magnetocaloric effect. The peculiar electronic structure of Pr2In exhibiting a large density of states near the Fermi energy explains the highly responsive magnetic behavior of the material. The magnetic properties of Pr 2 In are reported, including observation of another (second-order) magnetic transition at 35 K.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Resistivity phase diagram of cuprates revisited

The phase diagram of the cuprate superconductors has posed a formidable scientific challenge for more than three decades. This challenge is perhaps best exemplified by the need to understand the normal-state charge transport as the system evolves from Mott insulator to Fermi- liquid metal with doping. Here in this paper, we report a detailed analysis of the temperature (T) and doping (p) dependence of the planar resistivity of simple-tetragonal HgBa 2 CuO 4+δ (Hg1201), the single- CuO 2 -layer cuprate with the highest optimal superconducting transition temperature, T c . The data allow us to test a recently proposed phenomenological model for the cuprate phase diagram that combines a universal transport scattering rate with spatially inhomogeneous (de)localization of the Mott-localized hole. We find that the model provides a good description of the data. We then extend this analysis to prior transport results for several other cuprates, including the Hall number in the overdoped part of the phase diagram, and find little compound-to-compound variation in (de)localization gap scale. The results point to a robust, universal structural origin of the inherent gap inhomogeneity that is unrelated to doping-related disorder. They are inconsistent with the notion that much of the phase diagram is controlled by a quantum critical point, and instead indicate that the unusual electronic properties exhibited by the cuprates are fundamentally related to strong nonlinearities associated with subtle nanoscale inhomogeneity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Interplay between magnetism and band topology in the kagome magnets R Mn 6 Sn 6

Kagome-lattice magnets R Mn 6 Sn 6 recently emerged as a new platform to exploit the interplay between magnetism and topological electronic states. Some of the most exciting features of this family are the dramatic dependence of the easy magnetization direction on the rare-earth specie, despite other magnetic and electronic properties being essentially unchanged, and the kagome geometry of the Mn planes that in principle can generate flat bands and Dirac points; gapping of the Dirac points by spin-orbit coupling has been suggested recently to be responsible for the observed anomalous Hall response in the member TbMn 6 Sn 6 . In this paper, we address both issues with ab initio calculations. We have discovered the significant role played by higher-order crystal-field parameters and rare-earth magnetic anisotropy constants in these systems. Further, we demonstrate that the microscopic origin of rare-earth magnetic anisotropy can also be quantified and understood at various levels: ab initio, phenomenological, and analytical. In particular, using a simple and physically transparent analytical model based on perturbation theory, we are able to explain, with full quantitative agreement, the evolution of rare-earth magnetic anisotropy across the series. We analyze in detail the topological properties of Mn-dominated bands and demonstrate how they emerge from the multiorbital planar kagome model. We further show that, despite this fact, most of the topological features at the Brillouin zone corner K are strongly 3D and therefore cannot explain the observed quasi-2D anomalous Hall effect, while the most pronounced quasi-2D dispersion are too far removed from the Fermi level. By employing self-consistent calculations with ab initio many-body approaches, we demonstrate that the exchange-correlation effects beyond the density functional theory for itinerant Mn- d electrons do not significantly alter the obtained electronic and magnetic structure. Therefore, we conclude that, contrary to previous claims, the most pronounced 2D kagome-derived topological band features bear little relevance to transport in RMn 6 Sn 6 , albeit they may possibly be brought to focus by electron or hole doping.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Final Technical Report for DE-FG02-86ER45268

This work addresses several key issues for understanding the unusual superconductivity in IBS, already shown to be technologically useful materials. 1a). Are reactive gasses like fluorine, chlorine, or water vapor behaving simply as electron donors to cause the superconductivity (at T conset =21 K) in undoped IBS like BaFe 2 As 2 ? 1b). Does exposure to fluorine increase T c in electron-doped IBS materials that are underdoped, e. g. Ba(Fe 0.96 Co 0.04 ) 2 As 2 ? 1c). Can fluorine as a reactive electron-donor, with its relatively greater ease of introduction into the lattice, be used as a rapid tool to search for superconductivity in new materials under investigation? Method of investigation: Using electron probe microanalysis, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and dynamical mean field theory calculations, we found that fluorine substitutes for As in the BaFe 2 As 2 lattice, and should therefore behave as an electron donor. We will F-dope Ba(Fe 0.96 Co 0.04 ) 2 As 2 and several new compounds under investigation for superconductivity upon doping to determine fluorine’s effect. Potential impact: If – like for fluorine - a brief exposure to hydrogen indeed causes superconductivity to a depth of 10 microns, this technique could be useful in creating long lengths of superconducting tape without the chemical aggressiveness of fluorine. Using the F ion, which substitutes for As - away from the Fe planes, in underdoped IBS like Ba(Fe 0.96 Co 0.04 ) 2 As 2 may form optimally doped IBS with less impurity scattering of the superconducting Fe 3d electrons resulting in improved superconducting properties. Another potential impact is the speed of checking for superconductivity in new materials under investigation for superconductivity upon doping. 2. What are the effects of Be substitution into IBS, beginning with FeSe and its derivatives (FeSe 1-x S x and FeSe 1-x Te x ) and BaFe 2-x Co x As 2 ? Method of investigation: We recently succeeded in adding Be to the FeSe lattice and found, surprisingly, a factor of four improvement of the low temperature residual resistivity ratio, consistent with improved electronic ordering. Using single crystal x-ray diffraction and x-ray dispersive spectroscopy, determine the concentration and location of the Be dopant. Using resistivity, determine if there is improvement in the residual resistivity achieved by Be doping in the FeSe derivatives (using AlCl 3 :KCl flux growth) and Co-doped BaFe 2 As 2 (using self-flux single crystal growth). Measuring resistivity under strain, determine the changes of the nematic susceptibility at the structural ordering transition causes by the increase in electronic order caused by Be doping in FeSe. Potential impact: Further understanding of IBS, including FeSe which - under physical pressure - has a T c increase to 40 K and -prepared as a monolayer - has a T c reported to be over 100 K. 3. In collaboration, prepare light atom compounds involving Be and look for high pressure-induced superconductivity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Ultrafast optical control of surface and bulk magnetism in magnetic topological insulator/antiferromagnet heterostructure

Abstract Optical control of the magnetic properties in topological insulator systems is an important step in applying these materials in ultrafast optoelectronic and spintronic schemes. In this work, we report the experimental observation of photo-induced magnetization dynamics in the magnetically doped topological insulator (MTI)/antiferromagnet (AFM) heterostructure composed of Cr-(Bi,Sb) 2 Te 3 /CrSb. Through proximity coupling to the AFM layer, the MTI displays a dramatically enhanced magnetism, with robust perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. When subjected to intense laser irradiation, both surface and bulk magnetism of the MTI are weakened by laser-induced heating of the lattice, however, at the surface, the deleterious heat effect is compensated by the strengthening of Dirac-hole-mediated exchange coupling as demonstrated by an unconventional pump-fluence-dependent exchange-bias effect. Through theoretical analyses, the sizes of exchange coupling energies are estimated in the MTI/AFM bilayer structure. The fundamentally different mechanisms supporting the surface and bulk magnetic order in MTIs allow a novel and distinctive photo-induced transient magnetic state with antiparallel spin configuration, which broadens the understanding of the magnetization dynamics of MTIs under ultrashort and intense optical excitation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dynamic Observation of Dendritic Quasicrystal Growth upon Laser-Induced Solid-State Transformation

In this paper, we report the laser-induced solid-state transformation between a periodic “approximant” and quasicrystal in the Al-Cr system during rapid quenching. Dynamic transmission electron microscopy allows us to capture in situ the dendritic growth of the metastable quasicrystals. The formation of dendrites during solid-state transformation is a rare phenomenon, which we attribute to the structural similarity between the two intermetallics. Through ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we identify the dominant structural motif to be a 13-atom icosahedral cluster transcending the phases of matter.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Extended Gutzwiller Approximation for Nonlocal Electron-Electron and Electron-Boson Correlations (I): The Theory

Understanding electron-electron and electron-photon correlations is central to uncovering the fundamental mechanisms governing material properties, particularly in systems where strong interactions give rise to emergent phenomena such as superconductivity, magnetism, and polaritonic effects. These correlations play a pivotal role in cavity quantum materials, where hybridized light-matter states enable quantum control over electronic properties. However, capturing both local and nonlocal correlations in these systems presents a significant theoretical challenge. In this work, we extend the Gutzwiller wavefunction method to include nonlocal electron-photon and electron-electron interactions, providing a unified framework to study the intricate interplay between these effects. Our approach accurately captures the long-range correlations induced by photon exchange, enabling the exploration of exotic quantum phases and the effects of cavity coupling on electronic structure. By benchmarking the method across coupling regimes, we reveal the critical role of nonlocal correlations in stabilizing phases, such as superconducting and insulating states, that are inaccessible through local interactions alone. This generalized Gutzwiller framework offers a versatile tool for understanding and designing materials that harness the transformative potential of strong light-matter coupling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multiple magnetic orders in LaFeAs 1-x P x O uncover universality of iron-pnictide superconductors

The iron-pnictide superconductors have generated tremendous excitement as the competition between magnetism and superconductivity has allowed unique in-roads towards elucidating a microscopic theory of unconventional high-temperature superconductivity. In addition to the stripe spin density wave ($C^a_{2M}$) phase observed in the parent compounds of all iron-pnictide superconductors, two novel magnetic orders have recently been discovered in different parent structures: an out-of-plane collinear double-Q ($C^c_{4M}$) structure in the hole-doped (Ca, Sr, Ba) 1-x (Na) x Fe 2 As 2 and Ba 1-x K x Fe 2 As 2 families, and a spin vortex crystal “hedgehog” ($C^{ab}_{4M}$) structure in the CaKFe 4 As 4 family. Using neutron diffraction, we demonstrate that LaFeAs 1-x P x O contains all three magnetic orders within a single-phase diagram as a function of substitution, all of which compete strongly with superconductivity. Our experimental observations combined with theoretical modeling demonstrate how the reduction in electronic correlations by chemical substitution results in larger Fermi surfaces and the sequential stabilization of multiple magnetic anisotropies. Our work presents a unified narrative for the competing magnetic and superconducting phases observed in various iron-pnictide systems with different crystal structures and chemistry.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Defect-induced electronic smectic state at the surface of nematic materials

Due to the intertwining between electronic nematic and elastic degrees of freedom, lattice defects and structural inhomogeneities commonly found in crystals can have a significant impact on the electronic properties of nematic materials. Here, we show that defects commonly present at the surface of crystals generally shift the wave-vector of the nematic instability to a non-zero value, resulting in an incommensurate electronic smectic phase. Such a smectic state onsets above the bulk nematic transition temperature and is localized near the surface of the sample. We argue that this effect may explain not only recent observations of a modulated nematic phase in iron-based superconductors, but also several previous puzzling experiments that reported signatures consistent with nematic order before the onset of a bulk structural distortion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Plasmon mediated coherent population oscillations in molecular aggregates

The strong coherent coupling of quantum emitters to vacuum fluctuations of the light field offers opportunities for manipulating the optical and transport properties of nanomaterials, with potential applications ranging from ultrasensitive all-optical switching to creating polariton condensates. Often, ubiquitous decoherence processes at ambient conditions limit these couplings to such short time scales that the quantum dynamics of the interacting system remains elusive. Prominent examples are strongly coupled exciton-plasmon systems, which, so far, have mostly been investigated by linear optical spectroscopy. Here, we use ultrafast two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to probe the quantum dynamics of J-aggregate excitons collectively coupled to the spatially structured plasmonic fields of a gold nanoslit array. We observe rich coherent Rabi oscillation dynamics reflecting a plasmon-driven coherent exciton population transfer over mesoscopic distances at room temperature. This opens up new opportunities to manipulate the coherent transport of matter excitations by coupling to vacuum fields.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Resonant and bound states of charged defects in two-dimensional semiconductors

A detailed understanding of charged defects in two-dimensional semiconductors is needed for the development of ultrathin electronic devices. Here, we study negatively charged acceptor impurities in monolayer WS 2 using a combination of scanning tunnelling spectroscopy and large-scale atomistic electronic structure calculations. We observe several localized defect states of hydrogenic wave function character in the vicinity of the valence band edge. Some of these defect states are bound, while others are resonant. The resonant states result from the multi-valley valence band structure of WS$_2$, whereby localized states originating from the secondary valence band maximum at Γ hybridize with continuum states from the primary valence band maximum at K/K$^{\prime}$. Resonant states have important consequences for electron transport as they can trap mobile carriers for several tens of picoseconds.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Polarity dependent heating at the phase interface in metal-insulator transitions

We show that in a model of a metal photoexcited by a transient pump pulse resonant with a phonon mode, the absolute dc conductivity may become negative, depending on the interplay between the electronic structure, the phonon frequency, and the pump intensity. The analysis includes the effects of inelastic scattering and thermal relaxation. Results for the time evolution of the negative conductivity state are presented; the associated nonequilibrium physics may persist for long times after the pulse. Furthermore, our findings provide a theoretical justification for previously proposed phenomenology and indicate new routes to the generation and exploration of intrinsically nonequilibrium states.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗