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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 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Flows and torques in Brownian ferrofluids subjected to rotating uniform magnetic fields in a cylindrical and annular geometry

Ferrofluid flow in cylindrical and annular geometries under the influence of a uniform rotating magnetic field was studied experimentally using aqueous ferrofluids consisting of low concentrations (<0.01 v/v) of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with Brownian relaxation to test the ferrohydrodynamic equations, elucidate the existence of couple stresses, and determine the value of the spin viscosity in these fluids. An ultrasound technique was used to measure bulk velocity profiles in the spin-up (cylindrical) and annular geometries, varying the intensity and frequency of the rotating magnetic field generated by a two pole stator winding. Additionally, torque measurements in the cylindrical geometry were made. Results show rigid-body like velocity profiles in the bulk, and no dependence on the axial direction. Experimental velocity profiles were in quantitative agreement with the predictions of the spin diffusion theory, with a value of the spin viscosity of ∼10{sup −8} kg m/s, two orders of magnitude larger than the value estimated earlier for iron oxide based ferrofluids, and 12 orders of magnitude larger than estimated using dimensional arguments valid in the infinite dilution limit. These results provide further evidence of the existence of couple stresses in ferrofluids and their role in driving the spin-up flow phenomenon.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Direct imaging of enhanced current collection on grain boundaries of Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} solar cells

We report on direct imaging of current collection by performing conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) measurement on a complete Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} solar cell. The localized current was imaged by milling away the top conductive layer of the device by repeated C-AFM scans. The result exhibits enhanced photocurrent collection on grain boundaries (GBs) of CIGS films, consistent with the argument for electric-field-assisted carrier collection on the GBs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Rough surface reconstruction for ultrasonic NDE simulation

The reflection of ultrasound from rough surfaces is an important topic for the NDE of safety-critical components, such as pressure-containing components in power stations. The specular reflection from a rough surface of a defect is normally lower than it would be from a flat surface, so it is typical to apply a safety factor in order that justification cases for inspection planning are conservative. The study of the statistics of the rough surfaces that might be expected in candidate defects according to materials and loading, and the reflections from them, can be useful to develop arguments for realistic safety factors. This paper presents a study of real rough crack surfaces that are representative of the potential defects in pressure-containing power plant. Two-dimensional (area) values of the height of the roughness have been measured and their statistics analysed. Then a means to reconstruct model cases with similar statistics, so as to enable the creation of multiple realistic realizations of the surfaces, has been investigated, using random field theory. Rough surfaces are reconstructed, based on a real surface, and results for these two-dimensional descriptions of the original surface have been compared with those from the conventional model based on a one-dimensional correlation coefficient function. In addition, ultrasonic reflections from them are simulated using a finite element method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

A simple grand canonical approach to compute the vapor pressure of bulk and finite size systems

In this article we introduce a simple grand canonical screening (GCS) approach to accurately compute vapor pressures from molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations. This procedure entails a screening of chemical potentials using a conventional grand canonical scheme, and therefore it is straightforward to implement for any kind of interface. The scheme is validated against data obtained from Gibbs ensemble simulations for water and argon. Then, it is applied to obtain the vapor pressure of the coarse-grained mW water model, and it is shown that the computed value is in excellent accord with the one formally deduced using statistical thermodynamics arguments. Finally, this methodology is used to calculate the vapor pressure of a water nanodroplet of 94 molecules. Interestingly, the result is in perfect agreement with the one predicted by the Kelvin equation for a homogeneous droplet of that size.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Reassignment of the O{sub Se}−V{sub Cd} complex in CdSe

An IR absorption study of CdSe single crystals is presented. The as-received material revealed three absorption lines at 1094.2, 1107.5, and 1126.3 cm{sup −1}, which were previously assigned to the O{sub Se}−V{sub Cd} complex [G. Chen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 195502 (2008)] We show that each of the lines is accompanied by a number of weaker satellites with intensities which match the natural abundances of sulfur isotopes. In contrast to the original identification it is suggested that these peaks are local vibrational modes of a SO{sub n} complex. The three modes correspond to different orientations of the complex in the CdSe lattice. Arguments are presented in favor of 2 oxygen atoms (n = 2) in the complex. Measurements with uniaxial stress applied to the samples revealed defect symmetries and activation energies for the defect reorientation. The complex was found to be stable up to 750 °C.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Monomer-dimer problem on random planar honeycomb lattice

We consider the monomer-dimer (MD) problem on a random planar honeycomb lattice model, namely, the random multiple chain. This is a lattice system with non-periodic boundary condition, whose generating process is inspired by the growth of single walled zigzag carbon nanotubes. By applying algebraic and combinatorial techniques we establish a calculating expression of the MD partition function for bipartite graphs, which corresponds to the permanent of a matrix. Further, by using the transfer matrix argument we show that the computing problem of the permanent of high order matrix can be converted into some lower order matrices for this family of lattices, based on which we derive an explicit recurrence formula for evaluating the MD partition function of multiple chains and random multiple chains. Finally, we analyze the expectation of the number of monomer-dimer arrangements on a random multiple chain and the asymptotic behavior of the annealed MD entropy when the multiple chain becomes infinite in width and length, respectively.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Multi-peak solution for nonlinear magnetic Choquard type equation

In this paper, we study a class of nonlinear magnetic Choquard type equation involving a magnetic potential and nonlocal nonlinearities. By using the method of penalization argument, we show that there exists a family of solutions having multiple concentration regions which are concentrate at the minimum points of potential V.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Inductance due to spin current

The inductance of spintronic devices that transport charge neutral spin currents is discussed. It is known that in a media that contains charge neutral spins, a time-varying electric field induces a spin current. We show that since the spin current itself produces an electric field, this implies existence of inductance and electromotive force when the spin current changes with time. The relations between the electromotive force and the corresponding flux, which is a vector calculated by the cross product of electric field and the trajectory of the device, are clarified. The relativistic origin generally renders an extremely small inductance, which indicates the advantage of spin current in building low inductance devices. The same argument also explains the inductance due to electric dipole current and applies to physical dipoles consist of polarized bound charges.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Comment on “A case study on the scaling of 1/f noise: La{sub 2∕3}Sr{sub 1∕3}MnO{sub 3} thin films” [J. Appl. Phys. 113, 094901 (2013)]

The problem of non-standard scaling of the 1/f noise in thin manganite films was revisited in the above paper, suggesting the quantum theory of fundamental flicker noise for the interpretation of the unusual dependence of the normalized Hooge parameter on the sample volume. Experimental evidence has been reported, showing that in these materials such volume dependence is, instead, an artifact of extrinsic noise sources, e.g., contact noise. Moreover, the proposed theoretical model implies a linear temperature dependence of the Hooge parameter, which is against the experimental data reported here. Based on these arguments, it is possible to conclude that the quantum theory of fundamental flicker noise cannot be applied to the case of La{sub 2∕3}Sr{sub 1∕3}MnO{sub 3} thin films.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

The 2ν{sub 3} Raman overtone of sulfur hexafluoride: Absolute spectra, pressure effects, and polarizability properties

Of the six normal vibrations of SF{sub 6}, ν{sub 3} has a key role in the mechanisms of radiative forcing. This vibration, though inactive in Raman, shows up through the transition 2ν{sub 3} allowing for a complementary view on the asymmetric stretch of the molecule. Here, we look back into this topic, which has already caught some interest in the past but with some points been left out. We make a systematic incoherent-light-scattering analysis of the overtone with the use of different gas pressures and polarization orientations for the incident beam. Absolute-scale isotropic and anisotropic spectra are reported along with natural and pressure-induced widths and shifts, and other spectral features such as the peaks corresponding to the (experimentally indistinguishable) interfering channels E{sub g} and F{sub 2g} hitherto seen solely as two-photon IR-absorption features. We make the first-ever prediction of the SF{sub 6} polarizability second derivative with respect to the ν{sub 3}-mode coordinate and we develop a heuristic argument to explain why the superposition of the three degenerate stretching motions that are related to the ν{sub 3} mode cannot but generate a polarized Raman band.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Revision of the Coulomb logarithm in the ideal plasma

The standard picture of the Coulomb logarithm in the ideal plasma is controversial, the arguments for the lower cut off need revision. The two cases of far subthermal and of far superthermal electron drift motions are accessible to a rigorous analytical treatment. We show that the lower cut off b{sub min} is a function of symmetry and shape of the shielding cloud, it is not universal. In the subthermal case, shielding is spherical and b{sub min} is to be identified with the de Broglie wavelength; at superthermal drift the shielding cloud exhibits cylindrical (axial) symmetry and b{sub min} is the classical parameter of perpendicular deflection. In both situations, the cut offs are determined by the electron-ion encounters at large collision parameters. This is in net contrast to the governing standard interpretation that attributes b{sub min} to the Coulomb singularity at vanishing collision parameters b and, consequently, assigns it universal validity. The origin of the contradictions in the traditional picture is analyzed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Derivatives of the Pochhammer and reciprocal Pochhammer symbols and their use in epsilon-expansions of Appell and Kampé de Fériet functions

Useful expressions of the derivatives, to any order, of Pochhammer and reciprocal Pochhammer symbols with respect to their arguments are presented. They are building blocks of a procedure, recently suggested, for obtaining the ε-expansion of functions of the hypergeometric class related to Feynman integrals. The procedure is applied to some examples of such kind of functions taken from the literature.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Response to “Comment on ‘Rethinking first-principles electron transport theories with projection operators: The problems caused by partitioning the basis set’” [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 177103 (2014)]

The thesis of Brandbyge's comment [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 177103 (2014)] is that our operator decoupling condition is immaterial to transport theories, and it appeals to discussions of nonorthogonal basis sets in transport calculations in its arguments. We maintain that the operator condition is to be preferred over the usual matrix conditions and subsequently detail problems in the existing approaches. From this operator perspective, we conclude that nonorthogonal projectors cannot be used and that the projectors must be selected to satisfy the operator decoupling condition. Because these conclusions pertain to operators, the choice of basis set is not germane.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Nodal soliton solutions for generalized quasilinear Schrödinger equations

This paper is concerned with constructing nodal radial solutions for generalized quasilinear Schrödinger equations in R{sup N} which arise from plasma physics, fluid mechanics, as well as high-power ultashort laser in matter. For any given integer k ⩾ 0, by using a change of variables and minimization argument, we obtain a sign-changing minimizer with k nodes of a minimization problem.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ge L{sub 3}-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure study of structural changes accompanying conductivity drift in the amorphous phase of Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}

A gradual uncontrollable increase in the resistivity of the amorphous phase of phase-change alloys, such as Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}, known as drift, is a serious technological issue for application of phase-change memory. While it has been proposed that drift is related to structural relaxation, no direct structural results have been reported so far. Here, we report the results of Ge L{sub 3}-edge x-ray absorption measurements that suggest that the drift in electrical conductivity is associated with the gradual conversion of tetrahedrally coordinated Ge sites into pyramidal sites, while the system still remains in the amorphous phase. Based on electronic configuration arguments, we propose that during this process, which is governed by the existence of lone-pair electrons, the concentration of free carriers in the system decreases resulting in an increase in resistance despite the structural relaxation towards the crystalline phase.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effective imaging systems based on periodic lattices

A crucial question in imaging problems from diffracted wavefields is the evaluation of the information content of data and the related reconstruction performance in terms of spatial resolution. It is well-known that full-view tomographic reconstructions are characterized by resolution limits of the order of one half propagated wavelength. These limits are further deteriorated when a truncated measurement domain is exploited for the imaging. In this Letter, we show that when the imaging system comprises a periodic layer located between a linear array of probes and the investigated domain, the resolution limits are substantially improved compared to the case of a homogenous scenario. This intriguing result is a consequence of the multiscattering effects arising from the periodicity of the structure. The study provides physical insight supported by mathematical arguments paving the way to the development of effective imaging systems requiring few radiating elements.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Emergence of complex and spinor wave functions in scale relativity. II. Lorentz invariance and bi-spinors

Owing to the non-differentiable nature of the theory of Scale Relativity, the emergence of complex wave functions, then of spinors and bi-spinors occurs naturally in its framework. The wave function is here a manifestation of the velocity field of geodesics of a continuous and non-differentiable (therefore fractal) space-time. In a first paper (Paper I), we have presented the general argument which leads to this result using an elaborate and more detailed derivation than previously displayed. We have therefore been able to show how the complex wave function emerges naturally from the doubling of the velocity field and to revisit the derivation of the non-relativistic Schrödinger equation of motion. In the present paper (Paper II), we deal with relativistic motion and detail the natural emergence of the bi-spinors from such first principles of the theory. Moreover, while Lorentz invariance has been up to now inferred from mathematical results obtained in stochastic mechanics, we display here a new and detailed derivation of the way one can obtain a Lorentz invariant expression for the expectation value of the product of two independent fractal fluctuation fields in the sole framework of the theory of Scale Relativity. These new results allow us to enhance the robustness of our derivation of the two main equations of motion of relativistic quantum mechanics (the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations) which we revisit here at length.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Modifying the characteristics of carbon nanotubes grown on metallic substrates for ultracapacitor applications

This paper reports the design, fabrication, and testing of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based ultracapacitor electrodes and provides quantitative results, showing that total electrode surface area—and, correspondingly, the total cell capacitance—is highly sensitive to the amount of catalyst material deposited prior to CNT growth. We deposit between 0.6 and 1.0 nm of iron catalyst on metallic (tungsten) substrates and synthesized vertically aligned CNT forests directly by thermal chemical vapor deposition. A capacitance maximum is observed with electrodes prepared with 0.8 nm of catalyst. Geometrical arguments based on average CNT diameter and areal density are used to corroborate this result. The CNTs' differential capacitance is found to be independent of their areal density, mean diameter, length, and the amount of catalyst used to grow them.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗