Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ELECTROMAGNETIC SCATTERING”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

The Beam Dump eXperiment

Hadronic matter makes about 14% of the known universe. The remaining 86% is Dark Matter (DM). Since it does not interact with the ordinary matter via electromagnetic force, DM is not visible and, to date, it escaped detection. The search for Dark Matter (DM) is one of the hottest topic in modern physics. Despite the increasing number of astrophysical and cosmological observations proving the existence, so far no particle physics experiment has detected DM yet. Up to now, most of the experimental efforts have been focused on the so called WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive Particle) paradigm, which predicts heavy DM (10 GeV-10 TeV mass range) interacting with Standard Model (SM) particles via the weak force mediators (W or Z bosons). More recently, due to the lack of clear evidence of WIMPs, other models of DM gained the interest of the physics community. These models consider Light DM particles (LDM), in MeV-GeV mass range. Among LDM theories, the Dark Photon theory predicts the existence of a Dark Sector interacting with SM particles via a new massive vector boson (Dark Photon, Heavy Photon or A0), mediator of a new force. This scenario, despite being theoretically well motivated, is remarkably experimentally unexplored. The Beam Dump eXperiment (BDX), is an approved experiment at Jefferson Lab (JLab), aiming to discover the DM predicted witihn the Dark Photon theory. The experiment uses the CEBAF (Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility) 11 GeV electron beam, impinging on the JLab Hall-A beam-dump, to produce a beam of DM particles, detected by a ~ 1 m3 detector made of thallium doped cesium iodide (CsI(Tl)) crystals located ~ 20 m downstream. In order to achieve excellent background rejection, the experimental setup includes active vetos and passive shielding surrounding CsI(Tl) crystals. Given the weakness of the DM-SM interaction, the scattering of a DM particle in the BDX detector is a rare event. Therefore, the characterization of the expected background is a critical aspect of the experiment. Both cosmogenic and penetrating SM particles produced by the beam interaction in the dump contribute to the background of the experiment. While the cosmogenic contribution can be measured during the experiment when the beam is off, beam-related background can only be estimated via Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Therefore, a careful assessment of possible systematics introduced by the MC is needed. The beam-correlated background characterization was made by measuring the muon flux produced by the interaction of the CEBAF beam with Hall-A dump in a dedicated experimental campaign in spring 2018 [1]. The comparison to the ?ux predicted by MC allowed us to validate the BDX simulation framework. The reach of BDX, i.e. the region that the experiment can probe in the LDM theory parameter space, depends critically on the background rejection capability and signal detection effciency. For this reason, the detector setup was fine-tuned through a dedicated study. The response to LDM and background events was evaluated for different setups and selection cuts. As a result of this procedure, the configuration resulting in the best sensitivity was selected [2]. The reach calculation was performed taking into account the different LDM production mechanisms, including the contribution of secondary particles produced in the beam-dump. In particular, the effect of the secondary positrons annihilation was found to be extremely significant. In the majority of the sensitivity studies, this contribution is neglected, but recent results [3] [4] demonstrated that this process significantly enhances the sensitivity of lepton beam-dump experiments. Currently, the BDX collaboration is focused on the deployment and operation of a small detector, called BDX-MINI, built to perform a preliminary physics measurement searching for LDM at JLab. This test will pave the way to the realization of the full BDX experiment. The measurement is currently ongoing but results are expected by the end of this year. During my PhD I was involved in all aspects of the BDX experiment: design, simulation, prototyping and data analysis. The main results of my work are reported in this thesis. This manuscript is organized as follows: the first Chapter provides an introduction to the theory of LDM, with particular attention to the Dark Photon paradigm; the second Chapter illustrates the BDX experimental setup, the LDM production and detection mechanisms and the expected backgrounds; Chapter 3 and 4 describe, respectively, the BDX-HODO measurement, with a detailed description of the simulations, and the BDX experimental setup and analysis cuts optimization. Chapter 5 reports about BDXMINI detector characterization, calibration and sensitivity estimate. Finally, Chapter 6 describes in detail the calculation of the secondary positron annihilation contribution to the sensitivity of BDX and other electron-beam thick-target experiment.

Marsicano, Luca↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cosmic structure strikes back: The elimination of vector-mediated nonstandard interaction models as a mechanism for sterile neutrino dark matter production

We revisit sterile neutrino production enabled by nonstandard interactions (NSIs) among active neutrinos mediated by new bosons. We focus on vector mediators, including neutrinophilic, gauged 𝐿 𝜇 −𝐿 𝜏 , and 𝐵−𝐿 realizations, that modify in-medium dispersion and scattering, thereby altering the active-sterile conversion history. Building on a novel production framework with NSI thermal potentials and collision integrals, we compute nonthermal phase-space distributions across sterile neutrino mixing and NSI parameters and map each point to an equivalent thermal warm dark matter particle mass 𝑚 th via linear theory transfer function fitting with the cosmological structure formation Boltzmann solver. This enables a direct reinterpretation of state-of-the-art structure formation limits from Milky Way satellites, strong lensing, and the Lyman-𝛼 forest. These limits, in conjunction with x-ray decay searches, as well as results from a wide variety of particle physics experiments allow for a more complete examination of these models. We find that these vector-mediated models are ruled out when the full combination of current constraints, listed above, are taken into account. NSI scalar-mediated models and models with low reheating temperatures remain viable.

cosmology↗
DOE OSTI2022

The 2022 magneto-optics roadmap

Abstract Magneto-optical (MO) effects, viz. magnetically induced changes in light intensity or polarization upon reflection from or transmission through a magnetic sample, were discovered over a century and a half ago. Initially they played a crucially relevant role in unveiling the fundamentals of electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. A more broad-based relevance and wide-spread use of MO methods, however, remained quite limited until the 1960s due to a lack of suitable, reliable and easy-to-operate light sources. The advent of Laser technology and the availability of other novel light sources led to an enormous expansion of MO measurement techniques and applications that continues to this day (see section 1). The here-assembled roadmap article is intended to provide a meaningful survey over many of the most relevant recent developments, advances, and emerging research directions in a rather condensed form, so that readers can easily access a significant overview about this very dynamic research field. While light source technology and other experimental developments were crucial in the establishment of today’s magneto-optics, progress also relies on an ever-increasing theoretical understanding of MO effects from a quantum mechanical perspective (see section 2), as well as using electromagnetic theory and modelling approaches (see section 3) to enable quantitatively reliable predictions for ever more complex materials, metamaterials, and device geometries. The latest advances in established MO methodologies and especially the utilization of the MO Kerr effect (MOKE) are presented in sections 4 (MOKE spectroscopy), 5 (higher order MOKE effects), 6 (MOKE microscopy), 8 (high sensitivity MOKE), 9 (generalized MO ellipsometry), and 20 (Cotton–Mouton effect in two-dimensional materials). In addition, MO effects are now being investigated and utilized in spectral ranges, to which they originally seemed completely foreign, as those of synchrotron radiation x-rays (see section 14 on three-dimensional magnetic characterization and section 16 on light beams carrying orbital angular momentum) and, very recently, the terahertz (THz) regime (see section 18 on THz MOKE and section 19 on THz ellipsometry for electron paramagnetic resonance detection). Magneto-optics also demonstrates its strength in a unique way when combined with femtosecond laser pulses (see section 10 on ultrafast MOKE and section 15 on magneto-optics using x-ray free electron lasers), facilitating the very active field of time-resolved MO spectroscopy that enables investigations of phenomena like spin relaxation of non-equilibrium photoexcited carriers, transient modifications of ferromagnetic order, and photo-induced dynamic phase transitions, to name a few. Recent progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology, which is intimately linked to the achieved impressive ability to reliably fabricate materials and functional structures at the nanoscale, now enables the exploitation of strongly enhanced MO effects induced by light–matter interaction at the nanoscale (see section 12 on magnetoplasmonics and section 13 on MO metasurfaces). MO effects are also at the very heart of powerful magnetic characterization techniques like Brillouin light scattering and time-resolved pump-probe measurements for the study of spin waves (see section 7), their interactions with acoustic waves (see section 11), and ultra-sensitive magnetic field sensing applications based on nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond (see section 17). Despite our best attempt to represent the field of magneto-optics accurately and do justice to all its novel developments and its diversity, the research area is so extensive and active that there remains great latitude in deciding what to include in an article of this sort, which in turn means that some areas might not be adequately represented here. However, we feel that the 20 sections that form this 2022 magneto-optics roadmap article, each written by experts in the field and addressing a specific subject on only two pages, provide an accurate snapshot of where this research field stands today. Correspondingly, it should act as a valuable reference point and guideline for emerging research directions in modern magneto-optics, as well as illustrate the directions this research field might take in the foreseeable future.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Exploring the SDSS Data Set with Linked Scatter Plots. I. EMP, CEMP, and CV Stars

We present the results of a search for extremely metal-poor (EMP), carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP), and cataclysmic variable (CV) stars using a new exploration tool based on linked scatter plots (LSPs). Our approach is especially designed to work with very large spectrum data sets such as the SDSS, LAMOST, RAVE, and Gaia data sets, and it can be applied to stellar, galaxy, and quasar spectra. As a demonstration, we conduct our search using the SDSS DR10 data set. We first created a 3326-dimensional phase space containing nearly 2 billion measures of the strengths of over 1600 spectral features in 569,738 SDSS stars. These measures capture essentially all the stellar atomic and molecular species visible at the resolution of SDSS spectra. We show how LSPs can be used to quickly isolate and examine interesting portions of this phase space. To illustrate, we use LSPs coupled with cuts in selected portions of phase space to extract EMP stars, CEMP stars, and CV stars. We present identifications for 59 previously unrecognized candidate EMP stars and 11 previously unrecognized candidate CEMP stars. We also call attention to 2 candidate He ii emission CV stars found by the LSP approach that have not yet been discussed in the literature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Chiral dynamics and peripheral transverse densities

In the partonic (or light-front) description of relativistic systems the electromagnetic form factors are expressed in terms of frame-independent charge and magnetization densities in transverse space. This formulation allows one to identify the chiral components of nucleon structure as the peripheral densities at transverse distances b = O(M{sub {pi}}{sup -1}) and compute them in a parametrically controlled manner. A dispersion relation connects the large-distance behavior of the transverse charge and magnetization densities to the spectral functions of the Dirac and Pauli form factors near the two--pion threshold at timelike t = 4 M{ sub {pi}}{sup 2}, which can be computed in relativistic chiral effective field theory. Using the leading-order approximation we (a) derive the asymptotic behavior (Yukawa tail) of the isovector transverse densities in the "chiral" region b = O(M{sub {pi}}{sup -1}) and the "molecular" region b = O(M{sub N}{sup 2}/M{sub {pi}}{sup 3}); (b) perform the heavy-baryon expansion of the transverse densities; (c) explain the relative magnitude of the peripheral charge and magnetization densities in a simple mechanical picture; (d) include Delta isobar intermediate states and study the peripheral transverse densities in the large-N{ sub c} limit of QCD; (e) quantify the region of transverse distances where the chiral components of the densities are numerically dominant; (f) calculate the chiral divergences of the b{sup 2}-weighted moments of the isovector transverse densities (charge and anomalous magnetic radii) in the limit M{sub {pi}} -> 0 and determine their spatial support. Our approach provides a concise formulation of the spatial structure of the nucleon's chiral component and offers new insights into basic properties of the chiral expansion. It relates the information extracted from low-t elastic form factors to the generalized parton distributions probed in peripheral high-energy scattering processes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cosmic-ray cooling in active galactic nuclei as a new probe of inelastic dark matter

We present a novel way to probe inelastic dark matter using cosmic-ray (CR) cooling in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Dark matter (DM) in the vicinity of supermassive black holes may scatter off CRs, resulting in the rapid cooling of CRs for sufficiently large cross sections. This in turn can alter the high-energy neutrino and gamma-ray fluxes detected from these sources. We show that AGN cooling bounds obtained through the multimessenger data of NGC 1068 and TXS 0506 + 056 allows us to reach unprecedently large mass splittings for inelastic DM (≳ TeV), orders of magnitude larger than those probed by direct detection experiments and DM capture in neutron stars. Furthermore, we demonstrate that cooling bounds from AGNs can probe thermal light DM with small mass splittings. This provides novel and complementary constraints in parts of a parameter space accessible solely by colliders and beam-dump experiments.

astronomical black holes↗
DOE OSTI2021

Measurement of U 238 ( n , n ' γ ) cross section data and their impact on reaction models

A better knowledge of (n,xn) reaction cross sections is important for both reaction modeling and energy applications. This article focuses on inelastic scattering of neutrons off 238 U for which improvements are needed to better constrain evaluations and solve inconsistencies in nuclear power reactor calculations. A new precise measurement of (n,xnγ) reaction cross sections on 238 U has been performed at the GELINA (Geel Electron LINear Accelerator) neutron facility operated by EC-JRC-Geel (Belgium) with the GRAPhEME (GeRmanium array for Actinides PrEcise MEasurements) setup. The prompt γ-ray spectroscopy method coupled to time-of-flight measurements is used to extract (n,xnγ) cross section values which can be further combined to infer the total neutron inelastic scattering cross section. Cross section data for 18 γ transitions (five never measured before) are presented and compared to the data in the literature. Here, emphasis is especially given to the uncertainty determination to produce partial cross section data as accurate as possible. Due to intrinsic limitations of the experimental method, the use of additional nuclear structure information coupled with theoretical modeling is required to determine the total (n, n') cross section over the whole neutron energy range. We have investigated modeling aspects of the 238 U(n,n'γ) cross sections related to the description of compound nucleus and preequilibirum mechanisms as well as the discrete part of nuclear structure. Through comparison between experimental and calculated (n,n'γ) cross sections, we pinpoint inaccuracies in the description of specific reaction mechanisms and challenge recently implemented models. This helps improving the whole modeling of the (n, n') reaction.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

TORQUE ENHANCEMENT, SPIN EQUILIBRIUM, AND JET POWER FROM DISK-INDUCED OPENING OF PULSAR MAGNETIC FIELDS

The interaction of a rotating star’s magnetic field with a surrounding plasma disk lies at the heart of many questions posed by neutron stars in X-ray binaries. We consider the opening of stellar magnetic flux due to differential rotation along field lines coupling the star and disk, using a simple model for the disk-opened flux, the torques exerted on the star by the magnetosphere, and the power extracted by the electromagnetic wind. We examine the conditions under which the system enters an equilibrium spin state, in which the accretion torque is instantaneously balanced by the pulsar wind torque alone. For magnetic moments, spin frequencies, and accretion rates relevant to accreting millisecond pulsars, the spin-down torque from this enhanced pulsar wind can be substantially larger than that predicted by existing models of the disk–magnetosphere interaction, and is in principle capable of maintaining spin equilibrium at frequencies less than 1 kHz. We speculate that this mechanism may account for the non-detection of frequency increases during outbursts of SAX J1808.4-3658 and XTE J1814-338, and may be generally responsible for preventing spin-up to sub-millisecond periods. If the pulsar wind is collimated by the surrounding environment, the resulting jet can satisfy the power requirements of the highly relativistic outflows from Cir X-1 and Sco X-1. In this framework, the jet power scales relatively weakly with accretion rate, L{sub j}∝ M-dot {sup 4/7}, and would be suppressed at high accretion rates only if the stellar magnetic moment is sufficiently low.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Shapes, softness, and nonyrast collectivity in 186 W

Nonyrast, excited states in neutron-rich 186 W were populated via inelastic-scattering reactions using beams of 136 Xe nuclei accelerated to 725 and 800 MeV. Levels populated in the reactions were investigated via particle-γ coincidence techniques using the Gammasphere array of high-purity germanium detectors and the compact heavy-ion counter, CHICO2. The K π = 2 + (γ ), K π = 0 + and K π = 2 – (octupole) rotational side bands were extended to spins 14h¯, 12h¯, and 13h¯, respectively. A staggering pattern observed in the energies of levels in the K π = 2 + band was found to be consistent with a potential that gets softer to vibration in the γ degree of freedom with increasing spin. Furthermore, the odd-even staggering of states in the K π = 2 – band was found to exhibit a phase opposite to that seen in the γ band; an effect most probably associated with Coriolis coupling to other, unobserved octupole vibrational bands in 186 W.

150 ≤ A ≤ 189↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coulomb excitation of 102 Ru with 12 C and 16 O

Here, the Coulomb excitation of 102 Ru was performed with beams of 12 C and 16 O ions. The beam particles scattered at forward angles were momentum analyzed with a magnetic spectrograph. The resolution achieved enabled the populations of the $2^{+}_{1}$ state, the unresolved $2^{+}_{2}$/ $4^{+}_{1}$, and $2^{+}_{4}$/$3^{-}_{1}$, doublets of states, and the $3^{-}_{2}$ state to be determined as a function of the scattering angle. These populations are compared with gosia calculations, yielding B(E2; $2^{+}_{1}$→$0^{+}_{1}$) = 41.5 ± 2.3 W.u., B(E2; $2^{+}_{2}$→$0^{+}_{1}$) = 1.75 ± 0.11 W.u., B(E3; $3^{-}_{1}$→$0^{+}_{1}$) = 31.5 ± 3.5 W.u., and B(E3; $3^{-}_{2}$→$0^{+}_{1}$) = 6.8 ± 0.5 W.u. The B(E3; $3^{-}_{1}$→$0^{+}_{1}$) value is significantly larger than previously measured. The weakly populated $2^{+}_{3}$ state, presumed to be a member of the band built on the $0^{+}_{2}$ state, was observed clearly for a single angle only, and a fit to its population results in B(E2; $2^{+}_{3}$→$0^{+}_{1}$) = 0.053 ± 0.011 W.u. Using the known γ -ray branching ratios for the $2^{+}_{3}$ level, the B(E2; $2^{+}_{3}$→$0^{+}_{2}$) value is calculated to be 18 ± 4 W.u., substantially less than the B(E2; $2^{+}_{1}$→$0^{+}_{1}$) . This suggests that the deformation of the $0^{+}_{2}$ state is lower than that of the $0^{+}_{1}$ state. The results are compared with beyond-mean-field calculations with the Gogny-D1S interaction using the symmetry-conserving configuration-mixing method.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Measurement of the inclusive energy spectrum in the very forward direction in proton-proton collisions at $ \sqrt{s}=13 $ TeV

The differential cross section for inclusive particle production as a function of energy in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV is measured in the very forward region of the CMS detector. The measurement is based on data collected with the CMS apparatus at the LHC, and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 0.34 μb$^{−1}$. The energy is measured in the CASTOR calorimeter, which covers the pseudorapidity region −6.6 < η < −5.2. The results are given as a function of the total energy deposited in CASTOR, as well as of its electromagnetic and hadronic components. The spectra are sensitive to the modeling of multiparton interactions in pp collisions, and provide new constraints for hadronic interaction models used in collider and in high energy cosmic ray physics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

TIME-DEPENDENT ELECTRON ACCELERATION IN BLAZAR TRANSIENTS: X-RAY TIME LAGS AND SPECTRAL FORMATION

Electromagnetic radiation from blazar jets often displays strong variability, extending from radio to γ -ray frequencies. In a few cases, this variability has been characterized using Fourier time lags, such as those detected in the X-rays from Mrk 421 using Beppo SAX. The lack of a theoretical framework to interpret the data has motivated us to develop a new model for the formation of the X-ray spectrum and the time lags in blazar jets based on a transport equation including terms describing stochastic Fermi acceleration, synchrotron losses, shock acceleration, adiabatic expansion, and spatial diffusion. We derive the exact solution for the Fourier transform of the electron distribution and use it to compute the Fourier transform of the synchrotron radiation spectrum and the associated X-ray time lags. The same theoretical framework is also used to compute the peak flare X-ray spectrum, assuming that a steady-state electron distribution is achieved during the peak of the flare. The model parameters are constrained by comparing the theoretical predictions with the observational data for Mrk 421. The resulting integrated model yields, for the first time, a complete first-principles physical explanation for both the formation of the observed time lags and the shape of the peak flare X-ray spectrum. It also yields direct estimates of the strength of the shock and the stochastic magnetohydrodynamical wave acceleration components in the Mrk 421 jet.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fiber-optic sensor packaging assessment and benchmarking for embedded sensing applications

Fiber optic-based sensing for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health monitoring of various infrastructure and energy assets is an increasingly important sensing scheme. Because of their immunity to electromagnetic interferences, versatility in sensing mechanisms and designs as well as capability for distributed sensing, the fiber optic sensing is of great interest for embedding within infrastructures using advanced manufacturing methods. However, the protection of fiber optic sensors during advanced manufacturing-based embedding is an important aspect for infrastructure monitoring in practice. While successful installation of fiber optic sensors has been accomplished through application of epoxy or adhesives on infrastructure surfaces, there has been only limited investigation of fiber protection packaging schemes which are compatible with in-situ repair techniques such as the metallic cold-spray. With increasing interest and importance of cold spray-based repair processes, the integration of fiber optic sensors simultaneously during the repair is equally important. In this work, we focus our efforts on investigating various types of packaging schemes for their compatibility and integrability on the surfaces of metallic structures such as oil and gas pipelines during an in-situ repair coating. First, we consider sandblasting using silica sand particles of various size for optical fibers on the surface of a metallic coupon as a useful proxy test of sensor packaging stability. Structural damage of packaging is characterized by means of optical microscopy and the optical integrity of embedded fiber optic cables is examined using optical backscatter reflectometry (OBR). In addition, initial investigation of metallic cold-spray embedded fiber optic cables under various packaging on metallic substrates is also considered with early conclusions and future directions.

Fiber-optic sensors, Sensors packaging, Metallic C↗
DOE OSTI2017

SERS Theory: The Chemical Effect of Rhodamine 6G Adsorption on Silver Surfaces on Its Raman Spectrum

The SERS spectra of small organic molecules can be very sensitive to the physisorption or chemisorption of the molecules onto metallic surfaces. However it is challenging to model the results, as typical SERS substrates have a broad distribution of possible surface sites, and the populations of these sites and the SERS enhancement factors associated with them are very difficult to determine, especially when electromagnetic hot spots dominate the observed spectra. However it is important to account for these effects if one is to make a quantitative interpretation of measured SERS spectra. Indeed, the influence of different sites is important to both the electromagnetic and chemical mechanisms in SERS, where the former mechanism is concerned with local field enhancement effects arising from plasmon excitation, while the latter arises from the effect of chemisorption induced charged transfer on the Raman intensities, as can be modeled using static limit Raman intensity calculations[1]. Extensive studies have been performed on simple organics like pyridine bound to gold and silver clusters, and it was found that both the chemical and electrodynamic enhancement factors associated with binding pyridine in various orientations result in noticeable changes in the SERS spectra compared to the gas phase spectrum of pyridine.[2] One of the most important benchmark molecules for SERS and TERS studies is Rhodamine 6G (R6G). This is a strongly fluorescent dye molecule in solution, but when adsorbed onto SERS substrates, its fluorescence is quenched, and the resulting SERS intensities are among the largest observed for any molecule. As a result R6G has played a crucial role in the development of single molecule SERS, and in the development of SERS substrates. [3, 4] Previously, the SERS spectrum of R6G has been modeled as if it were a gas phase molecule. Jensen and Schatz[5] incorporated resonant effects as well as vibronic effects and found that resonance excitation to the S1 excited state of R6G resulted in good agreement with spectra obtained from SERS experiments. In another study, intermolecular charge transfer was studied with R6G bound to a Ag2 cluster.[6] It is unclear if a cluster model as small as two silver atoms can accurately capture the surface effects of a nanoparticle with thousands of atoms. Recent single molecule, ultra high vacuum, tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SM-UHV-TERS) measurements for R6G[3] were moderately reproduced by gas phase resonance Raman calculations. Of particular importance in this work was the comparison of TERS spectra at room temperature with those at a low temperature of 10K. It was found that lowering the temperature led to both sharpening of the vibrational spectra, and shifts in the spectra (up to 20 cm-1 with some lines shifting red, some blue and some not at all), suggesting that the molecule transitions from a largely gas phase molecule at room temperature to being strongly chemisorbed at 10K. A potential energy distribution analysis performed by Chulhai and Jensen[3] showed that the modes that were shifted from the gas phase had vibrational activity associated with the ethylamine component of R6G, which is the likely moiety associated with Raman calculations. What remains unresolved concerning the SM-UHV-TERS studies of R6G is direct evidence that the chemical binding of R6G to a silver nanoparticle surfaces causes frequency shifts and/or intensity changes in the Raman scattering intensities of specific modes, especially those involving vibrations of the ethylamine moiety. The theoretical work described in this chapter directly addresses this issue by calculating Raman spectra for R6G interacting with a 20-atom silver cluster, and with a flat Ag(111) surface. Tetrahedral Ag20 is chosen for part of these studies as it provides a model nanoparticle structure that has a well-defined fragment of a (111) surface, as well as having edges and vertices that can be used to model coordinately unsaturated sites on a particle. In addition, Ag20 has been found to provide a reasonable reference structure for determining the chemical contribution to SERS enhancements.[1] Two different geometries of the Ag20/R6G system are considered in the present study, corresponding to two different binding configurations of R6G to a pristine Ag(111) surface. In addition, we study adsorption of R6G on a flat Ag(111) surface of using plane wave DFT calculations to determine optimized geometries and normal mode properties.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Intrinsic nonlocality of spin- and polarization-resolved probabilities in strong-field quantum electrodynamics

Spin and polarization are central to precision tests of fundamental physics and for interpreting radiation from astrophysical sources and ultraintense laser-matter experiments. Here, focusing on the fundamental process of nonlinear Compton scattering, we demonstrate that a key assumption underlying current strong-field quantum electrodynamics models, i.e., that emission can be treated as an instantaneous random event sampled from a local differential rate, is inconsistent once emission angles, electron spin, and/or photon polarization are resolved. Namely, even in strictly constant and uniform fields , the resulting fully differential distribution is sign indefinite, yielding negative inferred probabilities. The physical reason is that the photon emission probability builds up over a finite length of the electron trajectory, the formation region, during which the electron direction changes by roughly the same small angle that defines the radiation cone. Therefore, we put forward a new method where we integrate over this formation region analytically to obtain a physically consistent electron spin and photon polarization model. We show that the implementation of our model is compatible with existing Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell workflows. Simulations of a GeV-class electron-laser collision accessible at current petawatt facilities and of emission in a pulsarlike magnetic field are shown to reveal spin and polarization patterns that differ even qualitatively from state-of-the-art local models. In particular, our new model predicts substantial angle-dependent circular photon polarization where the well-known collinear-emission approach yields none, and a pronounced helicity bias in the recoiling electrons absent from current predictions. These findings have direct implications for upcoming strong-field QED experiments and for interpreting polarized radiation from extreme astrophysical environments.

astrophysical electromagnetic fields↗
DOE OSTI2021

Revealing the structure of light pseudoscalar mesons at the electron–ion collider

The questions of how the bulk of the Universe's visible mass emerges and how it is manifest in the existence and properties of hadrons are profound, and probe the heart of strongly interacting matter. Paradoxically, the lightest pseudoscalar mesons appear to be key to a further understanding of the emergent mass and structure mechanisms. These mesons, namely, the pion and kaon, are the Nambu-Goldstone boson modes of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Unravelling their partonic structure and the interplay between emergent and Higgs-boson mass mechanisms is a common goal of three interdependent approaches - continuum QCD phenomenology, lattice-regularised QCD, and the global analysis of parton distributions - linked to experimental measurements of hadron structure. Experimentally, the anticipated electron-ion collider will enable a revolution in our ability to study pion and kaon structures, accessed by scattering from the 'meson cloud' of the proton through the Sullivan process. With the goal of enabling a suite of measurements that can address these questions, we examine key reactions that identify the critical detector-system requirements needed to map tagged pion and kaon cross-sections over a wide range of kinematics. The excellent prospects for extracting pion structural, functional, and form-factor data are outlined, and similar prospects for kaon structures are discussed in the context of a worldwide programme. Finally, the successful completion of the programme outlined herein will deliver deep, far-reaching insights into the emergence of pions and kaons, their properties, and their role as QCD's Goldstone boson modes.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Final Technical Report - Center for Simulation of Fusion Relevant RF Actuators

We have developed a suite of 3D electromagnetic field solvers, both FEM and FDTD based, that account for the RF antenna and vacuum vessel geometries with unprecedented accuracy. Workflows were developed that make it possible to translate CAD models for the antenna and vacuum vessel to physics meshes for RF wave simulation. Nonlinear RF sheath formation has been incorporated self-consistently as a boundary condition in these solvers. We have also carried out extensive studies of the impact of RF sheaths on the ion energy angle distribution at plasma-material interfaces, using high fidelity particle-in-cell codes. Comprehensive simulation models were developed to assess the impact of blob-like edge turbulence on RF wave propagation and the impact of the RF ponderomotive force on the plasma scrape-off layer (SOL). A fluid transport solver for the far-SOL was also developed which accounts for the high parallel to perpendicular heat anisotropy on an unstructured mesh, thus making it possible to precisely represent an antenna structure in the presence of edge transport. Finally we have developed a hierarchy of core wave propagation and absorption models that self-consistently combine continuum Fokker Planck and Monte Carlo treatments of fast ion evolution with ICRF full-wave field solvers and continuum Fokker Planck treatments of fast electron evolution with both full-wave and ray tracing models.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗