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At least 793 records · Page 44

Holography from lattice $\mathcal{N}$ = 4 super Yang-Mills

In this paper we use lattice simulation to study four dimensional $\mathcal{N}$ = 4 super Yang-Mills (SYM) theory. We have focused on the three color theory on lattices of size 12 4 and for ’t Hooft couplings up to λ = 40.0. Our lattice action is based on a discretization of the Marcus or GL twist of $\mathcal{N}$ = 4 SYM and retains one exact supersymmetry for non-zero lattice spacing. We show that lattice theory exists in a single non-Abelian Coulomb phase for all ’t Hooft couplings. Furthermore the static potential we obtain from correlators of Polyakov lines is in good agreement with that obtained from holography — specifically the potential has a Coulombic form with a coefficent that varies as the square root of the ’t Hooft coupling.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NNL.Fe.qSNAP-ZBL.2024.1: A Fe Spectral Neighbor Analysis Potential for Radiation Damage Simulations

The NNL.Fe.qSNAP-ZBL.2024.1 machine-learned potential (MLP) has been generated to support the development of an elemental body-centered cubic (BCC) Fe athermal recombination corrected neutron damage model and simulations of primary recoil atom (PRA) cascades in BCC Fe. This MLP is a quadratic spectral neighbor analysis potential (qSNAP) hybridized with the universal Ziegler-Beirsack-Littmark (ZBL) potential at short-range and is named according to Naval Nuclear Laboratory MLP naming conventions (NNL.material-system.MLP-type.year.version). Training set calculations for Fe are presented along with the subsequent MLP fitting procedure. A key criterion of the fitting procedure is that ZBL describes the short-range interaction with minimal impact on the MLP. The MLP is compared to density functional theory (DFT) predicted properties relevant to radiation damage simulation, including threshold displacement energies, for validation. The NNL.Fe.qSNAP-ZBL.2024.1 potential is considered suitable for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of radiation defects up to 800 K and PRA cascades in BCC Fe up to around 10 keV. The potential can additionally be used on a limited basis for recoils of 10–20 keV, within which range the emergence of structures outside the training set in cascade simulations may cause system instabilities.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Cosolvent-tuned interactions in ionic liquids: A vibrational and quantum-chemical study of ethylene glycol ratio effects

Ionic liquids (ILs) are attractive media for CO 2 capture but remain limited by viscosity and cost. Blending ILs with ethylene glycol (EG) is a practical route to mitigate these constraints, yet the molecular origins of cosolvent effects and their dependence on composition are not well resolved. We combine Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy with quantum-chemical (DFT) analysis to elucidate how the IL:EG molar ratio modulates intermolecular interactions and electronic structure. Computed vibrational frequencies enable mode assignment and deconvolution of overlapping bands, revealing systematic, ratio-dependent shifts and broadenings in (i) EG O–H stretching, (ii) cation and EG C–H stretchings (imidazolium C2–H, C4–H, C5–H, methyl and ethyl groups, -CH2 of EG), (iii) anion signature modes (e.g., CN motifs), and (iv) EG C–O and C–C stretchings, consistent with the redistribution of hydrogen-bonding networks. Molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) maps quantify attenuation of extreme potential regions with increasing EG, indicating progressive screening of cation–anion electrostatic interactions. Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) identifies emergent bond critical points between EG and the IL ions, while Reduced Density Gradient–Noncovalent Interaction (RDG–NCI) analysis differentiates strong directional hydrogen bonds from dispersive contacts across compositions. Together, these results show that EG fraction controls a switch from predominantly ion–ion to mixed ion–EG coordination, altering local polarity and polarizability that underlie the observed FT-IR trends. The framework provides composition–structure–spectrum relationships that can guide rational selection of IL:EG ratios to balance favorable molecular interactions with practical performance targets in scalable CO 2 capture systems.

DAC↗

Two Spacers, One Perovskite: Integrating Ruddlesden–Popper and Dion–Jacobson Halide Perovskites

Hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites are a rapidly developing class of materials due to their desirable properties for optoelectronic applications such as their ease of synthesis, solution-processable film formation, tunable band gap, strong photoluminescence, good charge carrier mobilities, and high defect tolerance. Here, we present a novel 2D perovskite motif that seamlessly integrates the structural elements from both Ruddlesden–Popper and Dion–Jacobson halide perovskites. We demonstrate the incorporation of two different organic spacer cations in an ordered manner in 5 novel 2D perovskite iodide materials. Both a cyclic diammonium cation 3-(aminomethyl)piperidinium (3AMP) and a linear alkyl monoammonium cation (Cn = C n H 2n+4 N, n = 4–8) are present in distinct alternating layers, making the new series (Cn) 2 (3AMP)[PbI 4 ] 2 . The crystallization of these materials was optimized through careful temperature control to obtain precise crystal structures via single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) which confirmed the presence of the two cations in distinct layers. The influence of the two spacers on optical properties including the band gaps and photoluminescence spectra are found to more closely resemble (3AMP)PbI 4 than (Cn) 2 PbI 4 , which can be attributed to the amount of distortion imposed by the 3AMP spacer on the lead iodide layers. The findings are supported by density functional theory calculations. The strong photoelectric response of solution-processed thin films shows the potential of these materials in photodetectors or photovoltaics. This unprecedented amalgamation of RP–DJ in (Cn) 2 (3AMP)[PbI 4 ] 2 in a structurally ordered fashion suggests a potential vastly underexplored phase space of 2D perovskites in which there are chemically different spacers in distinct layers of the structure, providing an additional parameter to tune perovskite properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Charge Transfer and Recombination Pathways through Fullerene Guests in Porphyrin-Based MOFs

Porphyrin-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) offer a unique platform for building porous donor–acceptor networks that exhibit long-lived charge separation and transport upon incorporation of electron acceptor guest species. Here, in this work, porphyrin-based MOFs, PCN-222(H 2 ) and PCN-222(Zn), synthesized as nanoparticle suspensions, are successfully infiltrated with fullerene acceptor molecules, C 60 or PC 61 BM, in both polar and nonpolar solvent environments. The location and relative binding strength of these guest species are evaluated through a combination of N 2 physisorption measurements, photoluminescence quenching, and UV–vis absorption titration experiments. Semiempirical tight binding calculations are used to screen potential locations of the fullerene guest within the MOF pores, and hybrid density functional theory (DFT)-computed interaction energies confirm the energetically favorable positions. The fundamental photophysics of these donor–acceptor host–guest combinations are probed using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. Sub-picosecond electron transfer involving initial exciplex population is observed, with slow charge recombination lifetimes on the order of τ ~1 ns for all systems in both dimethylformamide and 1,4-dioxane. Charge recombination occurs through population of fullerene and/or framework porphyrin triplet states depending on the porphyrin metalation status. The photophysics of the fullerene-loaded MOFs are discussed in the context of relevant porphyrin–fullerene donor–acceptor molecules to highlight the unique role of the framework environment in dictating photoinduced electron transfer and decay pathways.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Task Sharing of Proton Incorporation in Vertically Aligned Nanocomposite Triple Conductors: Growth, Structure, and Surface Exchange Kinetics

As protonic ceramic electrolysis cells emerge for efficient H 2 production, there is a need to develop air electrode materials enabling fast, durable steam splitting and proton incorporation. Single-phase triple conductors may fail to satisfy the myriad performance/stability requirements, and their critical charge-carriers (holes, oxygen vacancies, and protons) are in competition, limiting their concentrations. Instead, we propose task-sharing, vertically aligned nanocomposites (VANs), comprising a proton conductor (BaZr 0.9 Y 0.1 O 3-δ ) and a redox-active mixed ionic electronic conductor (Ce 0.9 Pr 0.1 O 2-δ ), that may enable rapid proton surface exchange at the solid–gas interface and transport along the solid–solid heterointerfaces. We grew VANs by pulsed laser deposition and investigated the interplay between their processing conditions, structure, and proton and oxygen surface exchange kinetics. We varied the substrate temperature, laser repetition rate, laser fluence, and processing oxygen pressure. The crystallinity and phases were characterized by grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction, and the strain and structural order as a function of depth were evaluated by angle-dependent synchrotron X-ray pair distribution function analysis. To evaluate the potential for interdiffusion, the formation energies of substitutional defects were simulated with density functional theory. Corresponding structural analysis and elemental mapping were performed by scanning/transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy, indicating distinct nanoscale compositional regions with a hierarchical structure embedded in individual VANs columns and minimal interdiffusion across a bilayer film. Proton and oxygen surface exchange coefficients (k H , k O ) and polarization resistances were evaluated by electrical and optical relaxations and impedance spectroscopy of VAN-incorporated protonic ceramic electrochemical cells, respectively, at 400–500 °C, demonstrating values comparable to some of the best-known triple and mixed conductors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Selectivity in Yttrium Manganese Oxide Synthesis via Local Chemical Potentials in Hyperdimensional Phase Space

In sharp contrast to molecular synthesis, materials synthesis is generally presumed to lack selectivity. The few known methods of designing selectivity in solid-state reactions have limited scope, such as topotactic reactions or strain stabilization. This contribution describes a general approach for searching large chemical spaces to identify selective reactions. This novel approach explains the ability of a nominally “innocent” Na 2 CO 3 precursor to enable the metathesis synthesis of single-phase Y 2 Mn 2 O 7 : an outcome that was previously only accomplished at extreme pressures and which cannot be achieved with closely related precursors of Li 2 CO 3 and K 2 CO 3 under identical conditions. By calculating the required change in chemical potential across all possible reactant-product interfaces in an expanded chemical space including Y, Mn, O, alkali metals, and halogens, using thermodynamic parameters obtained from density functional theory calculations, we identify reactions that minimize the thermodynamic competition from intermediates. In this manner, only the Na-based intermediates minimize the distance in the hyperdimensional chemical potential space to Y 2 Mn 2 O 7 , thus providing selective access to a phase which was previously thought to be metastable. Experimental evidence validating this mechanism for pathway-dependent selectivity is provided by intermediates identified from in situ synchrotron-based crystallographic analysis. Finally, this approach of calculating chemical potential distances in hyperdimensional compositional spaces provides a general method for designing selective solid-state syntheses that will be useful for gaining access to metastable phases and for identifying reaction pathways that can reduce the synthesis temperature, and cost, of technological materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Hydrogen-induced degradation dynamics in silicon heterojunction solar cells via machine learning

Abstract Among silicon-based solar cells, heterojunction cells hold the world efficiency record. However, their market acceptance is hindered by an initial 0.5% per year degradation of their open circuit voltage which doubles the overall cell degradation rate. Here, we study the performance degradation of crystalline-Si/amorphous-Si:H heterojunction stacks. First, we experimentally measure the interface defect density over a year, the primary driver of the degradation. Second, we develop SolDeg, a multiscale, hierarchical simulator to analyze this degradation by combining Machine Learning, Molecular Dynamics, Density Functional Theory, and Nudged Elastic Band methods with analytical modeling. We discover that the chemical potential for mobile hydrogen develops a gradient, forcing the hydrogen to drift from the interface, leaving behind recombination-active defects. We find quantitative correspondence between the calculated and experimentally determined defect generation dynamics. Finally, we propose a reversed Si-density gradient architecture for the amorphous-Si:H layer that promises to reduce the initial open circuit voltage degradation from 0.5% per year to 0.1% per year.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Imidazole-graphyne: a new 2D carbon nitride with a direct bandgap and strong IR refraction

Six-membered rings are common building blocks of many carbon structures. Recent studies have shown that penta-graphene composed of five-membered carbon rings have properties very different from that of graphene. This has motivated the search for new carbon structures. Among this is cp-graphyne, composed of carbon pentagons and bridged by acetylenic linkers. However, the bandgap of cp-graphyne, like that of graphene, is zero, making it unsuitable for applications in electronics. Herein, we show that a new two-dimensional (2D) carbon nitride structure formed by assembling the five-membered imidazole molecules with acetylenic linker can overcome this limitation. Named ID-GY, this new material not only has a direct band gap of 1.10 eV, but it is dynamically and mechanically stable and can withstand temperatures up to 1200 K. In addition, due to its porous and anisotropic geometry, the Young's modulus of ID-GY along the diagonal direction is lower than that of most 2D materials reported previously. Equally important, ID-GY exhibits strong refraction near infrared (IR) and has potential for applications in nanoelectronics and optical devices. These results, based on density functional theory, can stimulate experimental studies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Using genetic algorithms to discover novel ground-state triplet conjugated polymers

Stable ground-state triplet π-conjugated copolymers have many interesting electronic and optoelectronic properties. However, the large number of potential monomer combinations makes it impractical to synthesize or even just use density functional theory (DFT) to calculate their triplet ground-state stability. Furthermore, we present a genetic algorithm implementation that uses the semi-empirical GFN2-xTB to find ground-state triplet polymer candidates. We find more than 1400 polymer candidates with a triplet ground-state stability of up to 4 eV versus the singlet. Additionally, we explore the properties of the monomers of those candidates in order to understand the design rules which promote the formation of a stable ground-state triplet in π-conjugated polymers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Plasma heating and current sheet structure in anti-parallel magnetic reconnection

A theoretical model and an analytic theory of current sheet structure are presented for understanding anti-parallel driven magnetic reconnection in 2-1/2 dimension in collisionless plasmas. The theoretical model provides formulation to compute the current sheet y-profiles by specifying the profiles of electron and ion flow velocities V ex (x,y) and V ix (x,y). The current sheet solutions depend on the plasma density n in , merging magnetic field B 0 , ion velocity v i , and electron velocity ve in the upstream and the S evz =V ez /V dz parameter where V ez is the electron velocity accelerated by the reconnection electric field E z in the electron orbit meandering region, V dz ≃cE y /B x is the $\overrightarrow{E}$ × $\overrightarrow{B}$ drift velocity as electrons enter the orbit meandering region, B x is the merging magnetic field, and E y is the electrostatic electric field. With simplifying assumptions on the y-profiles of V ex and V ix , we have also developed an analytic theory of the current sheet structure. Analytic expressions for the anomalous resistivity, the electrostatic potential drop, and the maximum E y amplitude E max are obtained. The analytic results agree reasonably well with both the particle-in-cell simulation results and the numerical solutions of the theoretical model. The ions energy gain due to the potential drop is $∝B^2_0/n_{in}$. The electron energy gain is $∝(B^2_0 /8πn_{in})S_{evz}$. The $B^2_0/n_{in}$ scaling of the average ion and electron energy gains are consistent with laboratory experiments and space plasma observations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Ab initio molecular dynamics on quantum computers

Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) is a valuable technique for studying molecules and materials at finite temperatures where the nuclei evolve on potential energy surfaces obtained from accurate electronic structure calculations. In this work, we present an approach to running AIMD simulations on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ)-era quantum computers. The electronic energies are calculated on a quantum computer using the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) method. Algorithms for computation of analytical gradients entirely on a quantum computer require quantum fault-tolerant hardware, which is beyond NISQ-era. Therefore, we compute the energy gradients numerically using finite differences, the Hellmann-Feynman theorem, and a correlated sampling technique. This method only requires additional classical calculations of electron integrals for each degree of freedom without any additional computations on a quantum computer beyond the initial VQE run. As a proof of concept, AIMD simulations are demonstrated for the H-2 molecule on IBM quantum devices. In addition, we demonstrate the validity of the method for larger molecules using full configuration interaction wave functions. As quantum hardware and noise mitigation techniques continue to improve, the method can be utilized for studying larger molecular systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Renormalized site density functional theory for models of ion hydration

Development of accurate statistical mechanics models of molecular liquid systems is a problem of great practical and fundamental importance. Site-density functional theory (SDFT) is one of the promising directions in this area, but its success hinges upon the ability to efficiently reconcile co-existence of two distinct intra- and inter-molecular interaction regimes in a molecular liquid. Renormalized formulation of site-density functional theory (RSDFT), that we have recently developed, resolves this problem by introducing an additional potential field variable that decouples two interaction scales and maps the molecular liquid problem onto the effective simple liquid mixture. This work provides a critical assessment of RSDFT for the hydrated ion system - a problem, which historically has always been one of the most difficult cases for SDFT applications. Using two-site model of water, we perform a comprehensive analysis of hydrated alkali metal and halogen ions, including both structural and free energy based characteristics. The results indicate that RSDFT provides a significant improvement over conventional 3D-RISM implementations, and may prove useful in coarse grained simulations based on two-site solvent models.

Chuev, Gennady N.↗

Electronic structure theory on modeling short-range noncovalent interactions between amino acids

While short-range noncovalent interactions (NCIs) are proving to be of importance in many chemical and biological systems, these atypical bindings happen within the so-called van der Waals envelope and pose an enormous challenge for current computational methods. We introduce SNCIAA, a database of 723 benchmark interaction energies of short-range noncovalent interactions between neutral/charged amino acids originated from protein x-ray crystal structures at the “gold standard” coupled-cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples/complete basis set [CCSD(T)/CBS] level of theory with a mean absolute binding uncertainty less than 0.1 kcal/mol. Subsequently, a systematic assessment of commonly used computational methods, such as the second-order Møller−Plesset theory (MP2), density functional theory (DFT), symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT), composite electronic-structure methods, semiempirical approaches, and the physical-based potentials with machine learning (IPML) on SNCIAA is carried out. It is shown that the inclusion of dispersion corrections is essential even though these dimers are dominated by electrostatics, such as hydrogen bondings and salt bridges. Overall, MP2, ωB97M-V, and B3LYP+D4 turned out to be the most reliable methods for the description of short-range NCIs even in strongly attractive/repulsive complexes. SAPT is also recommended in describing short-range NCIs only if the δMP2 correction has been included. The good performance of IPML for dimers at close-equilibrium and long-range conditions is not transferable to the short-range. We expect that SNCIAA will assist the development/improvement/validation of computational methods, such as DFT, force-fields, and ML models, in describing NCIs across entire potential energy surfaces (short-, intermediate-, and long-range NCIs) on the same footing.

Chemistry↗

Modeling the behavior of concentrated aqueous HNO 3 using machine learning interatomic potentials

We develop two multi-defect machine learning interatomic potentials (MLIPs) trained at the BLYP-D2 and PBE-D3 density functional theories using the DeepMD-kit, allowing for the investigation of structural and thermodynamic properties of nitric acid over a wide range of concentrations via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We directly compute the degree of dissociation, α, and pK a from MD simulations, revealing that HNO 3 behaves as a weaker acid at higher concentrations, noting that our standard-state pK a value is in excellent agreement with the experimental one. In general, good agreement is observed with experimental results such as α and density outside the training dataset, with only modest deviations at low-to-medium concentrations. We benchmark our custom multi-defect DeepMD MLIPs against foundational models MACE-MP0 and MACE-OFF23. The foundation models capture some aspects of HNO 3 /NO 3 − solvation in concentrated nitric acid but show noticeable density errors and miss subtle structural features relevant to spectroscopy, whereas the bespoke DeepMD MLIPs yield more compact solvation shells, reproduce density-concentration trends, and run ∼12–15× faster than MACE-MP0. Although classical FFs are still more efficient and match experimental densities better, they lack chemical reactivity and thus cannot predict α or pK a , underscoring the need for system-specific reactive MLIPs beyond universal MLIPs.

Dinpajooh, Mohammadhasan [Pacific Northwest Nation↗

Inferring the shape of data: a probabilistic framework for analysing experiments in the natural sciences

A critical step in data analysis for many different types of experiments is the identification of features with theoretically defined shapes in N -dimensional datasets; examples of this process include finding peaks in multi-dimensional molecular spectra or emitters in fluorescence microscopy images. Identifying such features involves determining if the overall shape of the data is consistent with an expected shape; however, it is generally unclear how to quantitatively make this determination. In practice, many analysis methods employ subjective, heuristic approaches, which complicates the validation of any ensuing results—especially as the amount and dimensionality of the data increase. Here, we present a probabilistic solution to this problem by using Bayes’ rule to calculate the probability that the data have any one of several potential shapes. This probabilistic approach may be used to objectively compare how well different theories describe a dataset, identify changes between datasets and detect features within data using a corollary method called Bayesian Inference-based Template Search; several proof-of-principle examples are provided. Altogether, this mathematical framework serves as an automated ‘engine’ capable of computationally executing analysis decisions currently made by visual inspection across the sciences.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

High-pressure structural systematics of dysprosium metal compressed in a neon pressure medium to 182 GPa

Here we present an experimental and theoretical study of dysprosium metal compressed in the soft pressure transmitting medium Ne up to 182 and 300 GPa, respectively. Angle-dispersive x-ray powder diffraction data from each of the high-pressure polymorphs shows anisotropic compression behavior indicating changes to the electron density distribution throughout its polymorphic landscape. We compare the monoclinic (mC4) and orthorhombic (oF16) structures for the collapsed structure for Dy above 82 GPa and verify that the oF16 structure offers a better fit to our data than the previously reported mC4 structure. Further, we have found that the oF16 structure undergoes similar anisotropic compression of its lattice parameters, with a turning point above 160 GPa; suggesting a potential phase transition at pressures much higher than achieved in this study. Density functional theory calculations show the likely candidate for this new high-pressure phase is the isosymmetric oF8 structure, which is predicted to be lower in energy than the oF16 structure above 275 GPa.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Anomalous Hall effect in conical helimagnetic crystals

Spin-spiral texture can substantially change charge transport properties in helimagnets. Here we find the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) exhibiting the dramatic behavior with respect to chemical potential μ in conical magnetic structures. The direct conductivity demonstrates kinks, and the anomalous Hall current exhibits minima and maxima changing the sign. We analytically derive the expression for energy bands and eigenstates in the most general case. Because of the conical potential, the energy bands are split into two nonparabolic bands where the lower band can have one- or two-minima shapes in the k z direction ($\hat{z}$ is a direction of the spiral axis). We prove that the origin of the anomalous Hall effect is not topological and is due to the interplay between the asymmetry of energy bands in the x and z directions and spin restrictions in the phase space due to the conical potential. We also investigate the dependence of transport properties on cone half- angle θ, and find that the effects are most pronounced at θ=π/2 (a helical state). Electric current is calculated using the Boltzmann equation where the relaxation is caused by electron-acoustic phonon interaction. The transition probability is found to be a 2×2 matrix with nonvanishing off-diagonal elements indicating the strong interband transitions. The origin of interband transitions is because of the nature of the conical potential where conduction electron spins interact with localized magnetic moments. To verify the proposed theory, we calculate the temperature dependence of resistivity for MnSi crystals and find the discontinuity at the phase transition between conical and paramagnetic phases. The calculations are in the excellent agreement with the experimental data. In addition, we predict the discontinuity behavior for the anomalous Hall resistivity at the phase transition where the resistivity exhibits the abrupt change at T=T C , (a) to zero if the relativistic effects for the conduction electrons are small or (b) to a nonzero value if Rashba/Dresselhaus effects are taken into account.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗