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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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
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 OSTI2023

Excitons and trions in monolayer semiconductors with correlated electrons

We revisit low-temperature optical spectra of transition-metal dichalcogenide monolayers and point to a possible crystallization of electrons (or holes) at low to moderate charge densities. To calculate the excitonic spectra under such conditions, we introduce the recursion method and compute how the charge density affects the energies, linewidths, and oscillator strengths of exciton and trion complexes. Equally important, we study how excitons and trions in the monolayer evolve when the charge particles gradually transition to a periodic Wigner lattice. The results provide valuable information on the ability to detect whether the particles are ordered through the exciton spectrum. Finally, we calculate the change in exciton energy in cases where the added charge particles have similar and dissimilar quantum numbers (spin and valley) to those of the electron or hole in the exciton. Here, the results of this work shed new light on the important optical properties of monolayer semiconductors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Robust Quantum Control via Multipath Interference for Thousandfold Phase Amplification in a Resonant Atom Interferometer

We introduce a novel technique for enhancing the robustness of light-pulse atom interferometers against the pulse infidelities that typically limit their sensitivities. The technique uses quantum optimal control to favorably harness the multipath interference of the stray trajectories produced by imperfect atom-optics operations. We apply this method to a resonant atom interferometer and achieve thousandfold phase amplification, representing a 50-fold improvement over the performance observed without optimized control. Moreover, we find that spurious interference can arise from the interplay of spontaneous emission and many-pulse sequences and demonstrate optimization strategies to mitigate this effect. Given the ubiquity of spontaneous emission in quantum systems, these results may be valuable for improving the performance of a diverse array of quantum sensors. We anticipate our findings will significantly benefit the performance of matter-wave interferometers for a variety of applications, including dark matter, dark energy, and gravitational wave detection.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Observation of thermally activated coherent magnon-magnon coupling in a magnonic hybrid system

In this work, we experimentally demonstrate coherent magnon-magnon coupling by thermal spin excitations in yttrium iron garnet/permalloy (YIG/Py) hybrid structures using microfocused Brillouin light scattering—an optical technique that enables the detection of zero-wave-vector and higher-order wave-vector spin waves in a broad frequency range. The thermally activated magnons in the bilayer lead to a hybrid excitation between magnon modes in the conductive Py layer with a wide wave-vector range and the first perpendicular standing magnon modes in the insulating YIG layer, facilitated by strong interfacial exchange coupling. To further investigate this coupling, we compare the thermal magnon spectra with the results obtained from electrical excitation and detection methods, which primarily detect the uniform Py mode. The realization of coherent coupling between incoherent (thermal) magnons is important for advancing energy-efficient magnonic devices, particularly in classical as well as quantum spin-wave computing technologies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electron Spin Polarization in Large Electric Fields

This project investigated the effects of large electric fields on electron spin polarization in semiconductors, which is of interest for spin-based electronics (“spintronics”) and quantum information processing. It has been theoretically proposed that large electric fields could potentially preserve or amplify electron spin polarization, which would make it easier to generate, transport, and detect spin polarization in spin-based devices; however, previous measurements had not measured the response of electron spin polarization at large electric fields. During this project, methods to perform measurements of electron spin polarization at large electric fields were developed and performed using ultrafast time- and spatially-resolved magneto-optical spectroscopy, high-voltage pulses, and lock-in detection. The device geometry was engineered to reduce the threshold voltage required to reach the Gunn threshold, and the effect of optical illumination on the sample conductivity and Gunn oscillations was investigated. Electron spin polarization measurements were performed at electric fields up to and beyond the Gunn threshold for the device. The measurements showed that the electron spin polarization magnitude decreased with increasing electric field in the devices measured, and a spin amplification effect was not observed. However, these effects could potentially exist in a different material or in a material with a different doping concentration or in a different device geometry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Truncated nonlinear interferometer-based atomic force microscopes

A truncated non-linear interferometer-based atomic force microscope (AFM) includes an input port and a non-linear amplifier that renders a probe beam and a conjugate beam. The AFM includes local oscillators having a relationship with the probe beam and the conjugate beam. The displacement of the AFM's cantilever is transduced by the probe beam, and/or the conjugate beam or their respective local oscillators. The AFM's phase-sensitive detectors detect a phase modulation between the respective local oscillators and the probe beam and the conjugate beam. The detected phase modulation corresponds to the change in phase. The AFM's circuitry measures phase signals that are indicative of the cantilever displacement. The resulting measurement signals exhibit a quantum noise reduction in either the intensity difference or phase sum quadrature.

Pooser, Raphael C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Thermal Probes of Phonon-Coupled Kitaev Spin Liquids: From Accurate Extraction of Quantized Edge Transport to Anyon Interferometry

Recent theoretical studies inspired by experiments on the Kitaev magnet α-RuCl 3 highlight the nontrivial impact of phonons on the thermal Hall conductivity of chiral topological phases. Here, we introduce mixed mesoscopic-macroscopic devices that allow refined thermal-transport probes of non-Abelian spin liquids with Ising topological order. These devices feature a quantum-coherent region with quantized or negligible phonon conductance, flanked by macroscopic lobes that facilitate efficient thermalization between chiral Majorana edge modes and bulk phonons. We show that our devices enable (i) accurate determination of the quantized thermal Hall conductivity, (ii) identification of non-Abelian Ising anyons via the temperature dependence of the thermal conductance, and, most interestingly, (iii) single-anyon detection through heat-based anyon interferometry. Analogous results apply broadly to phonon-coupled chiral topological orders.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Terahertz Spectroscopy of Gas Mixtures with Dual Quantum Cascade Laser Frequency Combs

Terahertz laser frequency combs based on quantum cascade lasers provide coherent, broadband, electrically pumped, THz radiation sources for use in future spectroscopic applications. In this work, we explore the feasibility of such lasers in a dual-comb spectroscopy configuration for the detection of multiple molecular samples in the gas phase. The lasers span approximately 180 GHz of optical bandwidth, centered at 3.4 THz, with submilliwatt total optical power. One of the main advantages of dual-comb spectroscopy is its high speed, which opens up the possibility for direct observations of chemical reaction dynamics in the terahertz spectral region. As a proof-of-concept, we recorded continuously evolving spectra from gas mixtures with 1 ms temporal resolution.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Peptoid-Based Programmable 2D Nanomaterial Sensor for Selective and Sensitive Detection of H 2 S in Live Cells

During the past decades, a variety of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets have been developed through supramolecular self-assembly. Among them, those assembled from sequence-defined molecules have received particularly attention because they enable a precise displaying of functional groups, including fluorescent dyes, within nanosheet surfaces. On the other hand, due to the fluorescence self-quenching, synthesis of organic 2D nanosheets exhibiting high fluorescence quantum yields is a significant challenge. Herein, we report the utilization of H 2 S-responsive probes as peptoid sidechains to design and synthesize crystalline 2D nanomembranes (2DNMs) as selective and sensitive H 2 S sensors. These 2DNM sensors exhibit a high quantum yield as a result of high crystallinity and tunable probe density. Compared with amorphous state of peptoid assembly and pre-assembled peptoid-probe conjugates, these crystalline 2DNM sensors exhibit a significantly strong fluorescence intensity and a high sensitivity (~ 0.36 nM). By sonication-cutting these 2DNM sensors into a colloidal form in aqueous solution, we further demonstrated the use of colloidal 2DNMs for detecting both exogenous and endogenous H 2 S inside cells or targeted cell organelles. As far as we know, this is the first example of using sequence-defined 2D nanomaterials for selective and sensitive detection of H 2 S. Because peptoids are biocompatible and peptoid-based 2DNMs are highly programmable, we expect that this new class of 2DNM sensors offer great potentials for detecting H 2 S and for biological applications.

2D nanomaterials↗
DOE OSTI2025

A fault-tolerant neutral-atom architecture for universal quantum computation

Quantum error correction (QEC) is essential for the realization of large-scale quantum computers. However, owing to the complexity of operating on the encoded ‘logical’ qubits, understanding the physical principles for building fault-tolerant quantum devices and combining them into efficient architectures is an outstanding scientific challenge. Here we use reconfigurable arrays of up to 448 neutral atoms to implement the key elements of a universal, fault-tolerant quantum processing architecture and experimentally explore their underlying working mechanisms. We first use surface codes to study how repeated QEC suppresses errors, demonstrating 2.14(13)x below-threshold performance in a four-round characterization circuit by leveraging atom loss detection and machine learning decoding. We then investigate logical entanglement using transversal gates and lattice surgery and extend it to universal logic through transversal teleportation with three-dimensional [[15,1,3]] codes, enabling arbitrary-angle synthesis with polylogarithmic overhead. Finally, we develop mid-circuit qubit reuse16, increasing experimental cycle rates by two orders of magnitude and enabling deep-circuit protocols with dozens of logical qubits and hundreds of logical teleportations with [[7,1,3]] and high-rate [[16,6,4]] codes while maintaining constant internal entropy. Our experiments show key principles for efficient architecture design, involving the interplay between quantum logic and entropy removal, judiciously using physical entanglement in logic gates and magic state generation, and leveraging teleportations for universality and physical qubit reset. These results establish foundations for scalable, universal error-corrected processing and its practical implementation in neutral atom systems.

atomic and molecular physics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Two-color, intracavity pump–probe, cavity ringdown spectroscopy

Here, we report a proof-of-principle demonstration of intracavity pump–probe, cavity ringdown (CRD) detection in a three-mirror, traveling-wave cavity. With cavity-enhanced pump power and probe absorption path length, the technique is a generally applicable, high-sensitivity, high-selectivity detection method. In our experiments, the pump radiation is switched off during every other probe ringdown, which allows uncorrelated measurements of analyte and background cavity decay rates. The net, two-color signal from the difference between the pump-on and pump-off decay rates is immune to empty-CRD drifts and spectral overlaps from non-target molecular transitions. The immunity to the ringdown drifts allows longer signal-averaging and, thus, higher detection sensitivity. The ability to compensate for the background absorption enhances the detection selectivity in spectrally congested regions. Our technique is well-suited for trace-detection in the mid-IR region, where pump–probe schemes based on strong rovibrational transitions can be applied. In this work, two-color CRD detection is implemented on a ladder-type, three-level system based on the N 2 O, ν 3 = 1 ← 0, P(19) (pump) and ν 3 = 2 ← 1, R(18) (probe), rovibrational transitions. By frequency-locking two-quantum cascade lasers to the p-polarization (pump, Finesse = 5280) and s-polarization (probe, Finesse = 67 700) cavity modes, we achieve high intracavity pump power (36 W) and high probe ringdown rates (>2 kHz). The observed two-color spectra are simulated by a density-matrix, three-level system model that is solved under the constraints of the cavity resonance conditions. In addition to its background compensation capability, experimental flexibility in the selection of pump–probe schemes and signal insensitivity to intracavity laser power are further features that enhance the utility of our technique for mid-IR trace-detection.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-Energy Collision of Quarks and Mesons in the Schwinger Model: From Tensor Networks to Circuit QED

With the aim of studying nonperturbative out-of-equilibrium dynamics of high-energy particle collisions on quantum simulators, we investigate the scattering dynamics of lattice quantum electrodynamics in 1 + 1 dimensions. Working in the bosonized formulation of the model and in the thermodynamic limit, we use uniform-matrix-product-state tensor networks to construct multiparticle wave-packet states, evolve them in time, and detect outgoing particles post collision. This facilitates the numerical simulation of scattering experiments in both confined and deconfined regimes of the model at different energies, giving rise to rich phenomenology, including inelastic production of quark and meson states, meson disintegration, and dynamical string formation and breaking. We obtain elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections, together with time-resolved momentum and position distributions of the outgoing particles. Furthermore, we propose an analog circuit-QED implementation of the scattering process that is native to the platform, requires minimal ingredients and approximations, and enables practical schemes for particle wave-packet preparation and evolution. Furthermore, this study highlights the role of classical and quantum simulation in enhancing our understanding of scattering processes in quantum field theories in real time.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A planar defect spin sensor in a two-dimensional material susceptible to strain and electric fields

Abstract The boron-vacancy spin defect ( $${\,{{\mbox{V}}}}_{{{\mbox{B}}}\,}^{-}$$ V B − ) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has a great potential as a quantum sensor in a two-dimensional material that can directly probe various external perturbations in atomic-scale proximity to the quantum sensing layer. Here, we apply first-principles calculations to determine the coupling of the $${\,{{\mbox{V}}}}_{{{\mbox{B}}}\,}^{-}$$ V B − electronic spin to strain and electric fields. Our work unravels the interplay between local piezoelectric and elastic effects contributing to the final response to the electric fields. The theoretical predictions are then used to analyse optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectra recorded on hBN crystals containing different densities of $${\,{{\mbox{V}}}}_{{{\mbox{B}}}\,}^{-}$$ V B − centres. We prove that the orthorhombic zero-field splitting parameter results from local electric fields produced by surrounding charge defects. This work paves the way towards applications of $${\,{{\mbox{V}}}}_{{{\mbox{B}}}\,}^{-}$$ V B − centres for quantitative electric field imaging and quantum sensing under pressure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Entangled two-plasmon generation in carbon nanotubes and graphene-coated wires

Here, we investigate the two-plasmon spontaneous decay of a quantum emitter near single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and graphene-coated wires (GCWs). We demonstrate efficient, enhanced generation of two-plasmon entangled states in SWCNTs due to the strong coupling between tunable guided plasmons and the quantum emitter. We predict two-plasmon emission rates more than twelve orders of magnitude higher than in free space, with average lifetimes of a few dozen nanoseconds. Given their low dimensionality, these systems could be more efficient for generating and detecting entangled plasmons in comparison to extended graphene. Indeed, we achieve a tunable spectrum of emission in GCWs, where sharp resonances occur precisely at the plasmons' minimum excitation frequencies. We show that by changing the material properties of the GCW's dielectric core, one could tailor the dominant modes and frequencies of the emitted entangled plasmons while keeping the decay rate ten orders of magnitude higher than in free space. By unveiling the unique properties of two-plasmon spontaneous emission processes in the presence of low-dimensional carbon-based nanomaterials, our findings set the basis for a novel material platform with applications to on-chip quantum information technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Spectral Properties and Coding Transitions of Haar-Random Quantum Codes

A quantum error-correcting code with a nonzero error threshold undergoes a mixed-state phase transition when the error rate reaches that threshold. We explore this phase transition for Haar-random quantum codes, in which the logical information is encoded in a random subspace of the physical Hilbert space. We focus on the spectrum of the encoded system density matrix as a function of the rate of uncorrelated, single-qudit errors. For low error rates, this spectrum consists of well-separated bands, representing errors of different weights. As the error rate increases, the bands for high-weight errors merge. The evolution of these bands with increasing error rate is well described by a simple analytic ansatz. Using this ansatz, as well as an explicit calculation, we show that the threshold for Haar-random quantum codes saturates the hashing bound, and thus coincides with that for random stabilizer codes. For error rates that exceed the hashing bound, typical errors are uncorrectable, but postselected error correction remains possible until a much higher detection threshold. Postselection can in principle be implemented by projecting onto subspaces corresponding to low-weight errors, which remain correctable past the hashing bound.

decoherence↗
DOE OSTI2020

Solid-State Recrystallization Pathways of Sodium Aluminate Hydroxy Hydrates

Crystallization of Al-bearing solid phases from highly alkaline Na 2 O:Al 2 O 3 :H 2 O solutions commonly necessitates an Al 3+ coordination change from tetrahedral to octahedral, but intermediate coordination states are often difficult to isolate. Here, a similar Al 3+ coordination change process is examined during the solid-state recrystallization of sodium oxohydroxoaluminate hydrate (MSA) to nonasodium bis(hexahydroxy aluminate) trihydroxide hexahydrate (NSA) at ambient temperature. While the MSA structure contains solely polymerized tetrahedral Al 3+ , the NSA structure is a molecular aluminate salt solely based upon monomeric octahedral Al 3+ . Spontaneous recrystallization of MSA and excess sodium hydroxide hydrate into NSA over 3 days of reaction time was clearly evident in X-ray diffractograms and in Raman spectra. In situ 27 Al multiple quantum MAS NMR spectroscopy showed no evidence of intermediate aluminates, suggesting that intermediates, such as pentacoordinate Al 3+ , are short-lived and require more highly time resolved spectroscopies to detect. Such research is advancing upon detailed mechanistic understanding of Al 3+ coordination change mechanisms in these highly alkaline systems, with relevance to aluminum refining, corrosion sciences, and nuclear waste processing.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Molecular catalyst coordinatively bonded to organic semiconductors for selective light-driven CO 2 reduction in water

The selective photoreduction of CO 2 in aqueous media based on earth-abundant elements only, is today a challenging topic. Here we present the anchoring of discrete molecular catalysts on organic polymeric semiconductors via covalent bonding, generating molecular hybrid materials with well-defined active sites for CO 2 photoreduction, exclusively to CO in purely aqueous media. The molecular catalysts are based on aryl substituted Co phthalocyanines that can be coordinated by dangling pyridyl attached to a polymeric covalent triazine framework that acts as a light absorber. This generates a molecular hybrid material that efficiently and selectively achieves the photoreduction of CO 2 to CO in KHCO 3 aqueous buffer, giving high yields in the range of 22 mmol g -1 (458 μmol g -1 h -1 ) and turnover numbers above 550 in 48 h, with no deactivation and no detectable H 2 . The electron transfer mechanism for the activation of the catalyst is proposed based on the combined results from time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, in situ spectroscopies and quantum chemical calculations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Heat-driven acoustic phonons in lamellar nanoplatelet assemblies

Colloidal CdSe nanoplatelets, with the electronic structure of quantum wells, self-assemble into lamellar stacks due to large co-facial van der Waals attractions. These lamellar stacks are shown to display coherent acoustic phonons that are detected from oscillatory changes in the absorption spectrum observed in infrared pump, electronic probe measurements. Rather than direct electronic excitation of the nanocrystals using a femtosecond laser, impulsive transfer of heat from the organic ligand shell, excited at C–H stretching vibrational resonances, to the inorganic core of individual nanoplatelets occurs on a time-scale of <100 ps. This heat transfer drives in-phase longitudinal acoustic phonons of the nanoplatelet lamellae, which are accompanied by subtle deformations along the nanoplatelet short axes. The frequencies of the oscillations vary from 0.7 to 2 GHz (3–8 μeV and 0.5–1 ns oscillation period) depending on the thickness of the nanoplatelets—but not their lateral areas—and the temperature of the sample. Temperaturedependence of the acoustic phonon frequency conveys a substantial stiffening of the organic ligand bonds between nanoplatelets with reduced temperature. Overall, these results demonstrate a potential for acoustic modulation of the excitonic structure of nanocrystal assemblies in self-assembled anisotropic semiconductor systems at temperatures at or above 300 K.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗