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At least 883 records · Page 49

Stochastic modeling of x-ray superfluorescence

An approach to modeling the dynamics of x-ray amplified spontaneous emission and superfluorescence, the phenomenon of collective x-ray emission initiated by intense pulses of x-ray free-electron lasers, is developed based on stochastic partial differential equations. The equations are derived from first principles, and the relevant approximations, derivation steps, and extensions specific to stimulated x-ray emission are presented. The resulting equations take the form of three-dimensional generalized Maxwell-Bloch equations augmented with noise terms for both field and atomic variables. The derived noise terms possess specific correlation properties that enable the correct reconstruction of spontaneous emission. Consequently, the developed theoretical formalism is universally suitable for describing all stages of stimulated x-ray emission: spontaneous emission, amplified spontaneous emission, and superfluorescence. Here, we present numerical examples that illustrate various properties of the emitted field, including spatiotemporal coherence and spectral-angular and polarization characteristics. We anticipate that the proposed theoretical framework will establish a robust foundation for interpreting measurements in stimulated x-ray emission spectroscopy, modeling x-ray laser oscillators, and describing other experiments leveraging x-ray superfluorescence.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

On-shot, high-intensity laser aberration measurements via ponderomotive electron ejection

We present a technique to assess the spatial aberration content of a focused multi-terawatt laser when fired at full power. This method leverages the direct detection of electrons ponderomotively accelerated from the focal volume formed in a low-pressure gaseous back-fill. Furthermore, our results show that the spatial distribution of emitted electrons exhibits distinct features correlated to the laser aberration type and magnitude. This work represents progress toward the complete and accurate in-situ spatiotemporal characterization of focused high-intensity lasers.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Multiresonant metasurfaces for arbitrarily broad bandwidth pulse chirping and dispersion compensation

Here, we show that ultrathin metasurfaces with a specific multiresonant response can enable simultaneously arbitrarily strong and arbitrarily broadband dispersion compensation, pulse (de)chirping, and compression or broadening. This breakthrough overcomes the fundamental limitations of both conventional nonresonant approaches (bulky) and modern singly resonant metasurfaces (narrowband) for quadratic phase manipulations of electromagnetic signals. The required nonuniform trains of resonances in the electric and magnetic sheet conductivities that completely control phase delay, group delay, and chirp are rigorously derived and the limitations imposed by fundamental physical constraints are thoroughly discussed. Subsequently, a practical, truncated approximation by finite sequences of physically realizable linear resonances is constructed and the associated error is quantified. By appropriate spectral ordering of the resonances, operation can be achieved either in transmission or reflection mode, enabling full space coverage. The proposed concept is not limited to dispersion compensation, but introduces a generic and powerful ultrathin platform for the spatiotemporal control of broadband real-world signals with a myriad of applications in modern optics, microwave photonics, radar, and communication systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Time of flight and supernova progenitor effects on the neutrino halo

We argue that the neutrino halo, a population of neutrinos that have undergone direction-changing scattering in the stellar envelope of a core-collapse supernova (CCSNe), is sensitive to neutrino emission history through time of flight. In this work, we show that the constant time approximation, commonly used in calculating the neutrino halo, does not capture the spatiotemporal evolution of the halo neutrino population and that correcting for time of flight can produce conditions which may trigger fast neutrino flavor conversion. We also find that there exists a window of time early in all CCSNe where the neutrino halo population is sufficiently small that it may be negligible. This suggests that collective neutrino oscillation calculations which neglect the halo may be well founded at sufficiently early times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Laser and electron deflection from transverse asymmetries in laser-plasma accelerators

Here, we report on the deflection of laser pulses and accelerated electrons in a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) by the effects of laser pulse front tilt and transverse density gradients. Asymmetry in the plasma index of refraction leads to laser steering, which can be due to a density gradient or spatiotemporal coupling of the laser pulse. The transverse forces from the skewed plasma wave can also lead to electron deflection relative to the laser. Quantitative models are proposed for both the laser and electron steering, which are confirmed by particle-in-cell simulations. Experiments with the BELLA Petawatt Laser are presented which show controllable 0.1-1 mrad laser and electron beam deflection from laser pulse front tilt. This has potential applications for electron beam pointing control, which is of paramount importance for LPA applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nonlinear transmission of laser light through coronal plasma due to self-induced incoherence

The success of direct laser-driven inertial con nement fusion (ICF) relies critically on the efficient coupling of laser light to plasma. At ignition scale, the absolute stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) instability can severely inhibit this coupling by redirecting and strongly depleting laser light. This article describes a new dynamic saturation regime of the absolute SRS instability near one quarter of the critical density. The saturation occurs when spatiotemporal ion-acoustic fluctuations in the plasma density detune the instability resonance. Here, the dynamic saturation mitigates the strong depletion of laser light and enhances its transmission through the instability region, explaining the coupling of laser light to ICF targets at higher plasma densities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Interface learning of multiphysics and multiscale systems

Complex natural or engineered systems comprise multiple characteristic scales, multiple spatiotemporal domains, and even multiple physical closure laws. To address such challenges, we introduce an interface learning paradigm and put forth a data-driven closure approach based on memory embedding to provide physically correct boundary conditions at the interface. To enable the interface learning for hyperbolic systems by considering the domain of influence and wave structures into account, we put forth the concept of upwind learning toward a physics-informed domain decomposition. The promise of the proposed approach is shown for a set of canonical illustrative problems. Here, we highlight that high-performance computing environments can benefit from this methodology to reduce communication costs among processing units in emerging machine-learning-ready heterogeneous platforms toward exascale era.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Synchronization of dust acoustic waves in a forced Korteweg–de Vries–Burgers model

The synchronization of dust acoustic waves to an external periodic source is studied in the framework of a driven Korteweg–de Vries–Burgers equation that takes into account the appropriate nonlinear and dispersive nature of low-frequency waves in a dusty plasma medium. For a spatiotemporally varying source term, the system is shown to demonstrate harmonic (1:1) and superharmonic (1:2) synchronized states. Here, the existence domains of these states are delineated in the form of Arnold tongue diagrams in the parametric space of the forcing amplitude and forcing frequency and their resemblance to some past experimental results is discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Flow-Driven Branching in a Frangible Porous Medium

Channel formation and branching is widely seen in physical systems where movement of fluid through a porous structure causes the spatiotemporal evolution of the medium. We provide a simple theoretical framework that embodies this feedback mechanism in a multiphase model for flow through a frangible porous medium with a dynamic permeability. Numerical simulations of the model show the emergence of branched networks whose topology is determined by the geometry of external flow forcing. Furthermore, this allows us to delineate the conditions under which splitting and/or coalescing branched network formation is favored, with potential implications for both understanding and controlling branching in soft frangible media.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Space-Time Quantum Metasurfaces

Metasurfaces have recently entered the realm of quantum photonics, enabling manipulation of quantum light using a compact nanophotonic platform. Realizing the full potential of metasurfaces at the deepest quantum level requires the ability to tune coherent light-matter interactions continuously in space and time. Here, we introduce the concept of space-time quantum metasurfaces for arbitrary control of the spectral, spatial, and spin properties of nonclassical light using a compact photonic platform. We show that space-time quantum metasurfaces allow on-demand tailoring of entanglement among all degrees of freedom of a single photon. We also show that spatiotemporal modulation induces asymmetry at the fundamental level of quantum fluctuations, resulting in the generation of steered and vortex photon pairs out of vacuum. Space-time quantum metasurfaces have the potential to enable novel photonic functionalities, such as encoding quantum information into high-dimensional color qudits using designer modulation protocols, sculpting multispectral and multispatial modes in spontaneous emission, and generating reconfigurable hyperentanglement for high-capacity quantum communications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Discrete Time-Crystalline Order Enabled by Quantum Many-Body Scars: Entanglement Steering via Periodic Driving

The control of many-body quantum dynamics in complex systems is a key challenge in the quest to reliably produce and manipulate large-scale quantum entangled states. Recently, quench experiments in Rydberg atom arrays [Bluvstein et al. Science 371, 1355 (2021)] demonstrated that coherent revivals associated with quantum many-body scars can be stabilized by periodic driving, generating stable subharmonic responses over a wide parameter regime. We analyze a simple, related model where these phenomena originate from spatiotemporal ordering in an effective Floquet unitary, corresponding to discrete time-crystalline behavior in a prethermal regime. Unlike conventional discrete time crystals, the subharmonic response exists only for Néel-like initial states, associated with quantum scars. We predict robustness to perturbations and identify emergent timescales that could be observed in future experiments. Our results suggest a route to controlling entanglement in interacting quantum systems by combining periodic driving with many-body scars.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Guiding Self-Assembly of Active Colloids by Temporal Modulation of Activity

Self-organization phenomena in ensembles of self-propelled particles open pathways to the synthesis of new dynamic states not accessible by traditional equilibrium processes. The challenge is to develop a set of principles that facilitate the control and manipulation of emergent active states. In this study, we report that dielectric rolling colloids energized by a pulsating electric field self-organize into alternating square lattices with a lattice constant controlled by the parameters of the field. We combine experiments and simulations to examine spatiotemporal properties of the emergent collective patterns and investigate the underlying dynamics of the self-organization.We reveal the resistance of the dynamic lattices to compression and expansion stresses leading to a hysteretic behavior of the lattice constant. The general mechanism of pattern synthesis and control in active ensembles via temporal modulation of activity can be applied to other active colloidal systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Exact Coherent Structures and Phase Space Geometry of Preturbulent 2D Active Nematic Channel Flow

Confined active nematics exhibit rich dynamical behavior, including spontaneous flows, periodic defect dynamics, and chaotic “active turbulence.” Here, we study these phenomena using the framework of exact coherent structures, which has been successful in characterizing the routes to high Reynolds number turbulence of passive fluids. Exact coherent structures are stationary, periodic, quasiperiodic, or traveling wave solutions of the hydrodynamic equations that, together with their invariant manifolds, serve as an organizing template of the dynamics. We compute the dominant exact coherent structures and connecting orbits in a preturbulent active nematic channel flow, which enables a fully nonlinear but highly reduced-order description in terms of a directed graph. Using this reduced representation, we compute instantaneous perturbations that switch the system between disparate spatiotemporal states occupying distant regions of the infinite-dimensional phase space. Overall, our results lay the groundwork for a systematic means of understanding and controlling active nematic flows in the moderate- to high-activity regime.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Benchmarking Quantum Simulators Using Ergodic Quantum Dynamics

Here we propose and analyze a sample-efficient protocol to estimate the fidelity between an experimentally prepared state and an ideal target state, applicable to a wide class of analog quantum simulators without advanced spatiotemporal control. Our protocol relies on universal fluctuations emerging from generic Hamiltonian dynamics, which we discover in the present work. It does not require fine-tuned control over state preparation, quantum evolution, or readout capability, while achieving near optimal sample complexity: a percent-level precision is obtained with ~103 measurements, independent of system size. Furthermore, the accuracy of our fidelity estimation improves exponentially with increasing system size. We numerically demonstrate our protocol in a variety of quantum simulator platforms, including quantum gas microscopes, trapped ions, and Rydberg atom arrays. We discuss applications of our method for tasks such as multiparameter estimation of quantum states and processes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Single-Shot Diagnosis of Electron Energy Evolution via Streaked Betatron X Rays in a Curved Laser Wakefield Accelerator

We report on an experimental observation of the streaking of betatron x rays in a curved laser wakefield accelerator. The streaking of the betatron x rays was realized by launching a laser pulse into a plasma with a transverse density gradient. By controlling the plasma density and the density gradient, we realized the steering of the laser driver, electron beam, and betatron x rays simultaneously. Furthermore, we observed an energy-angle correlation of the streaked betatron x rays and utilized it in diagnosing the electron acceleration process in a single-shot mode. Our work could also find applications in advanced control of laser beam and particle propagation. More importantly, the angular streaked betatron x ray has an intrinsic spatiotemporal correlation, which makes it a promising tool for single-shot pump-probe applications.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Harnessing Plasmonic Interference for Nanoscale Ultrafast Electron Sources

In this Letter we demonstrate the use of plasmonic focusing in conjunction with nonlinear photoemission to develop geometrically flat nanoscale electron sources with less than 40 pm-rad root mean squared (rms) normalized transverse emittance. Circularly polarized light is incident on a gold Archimedean spiral structure to generate surface-plasmon polaritons that interfere coherently at the center resulting in a 50 nm rms emission area. Furthermore, such a nanostructured flat surface enables simultaneous spatiotemporal confinement of emitted electrons at the nanometer and femtosecond level and can be used as an advanced electron source for high-repetition-rate ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy experiments as well as the next generation of miniaturized particle accelerators.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Optical imprinting of superlattices in two-dimensional materials

We propose a novel optical method to imprint superlattice structures in two-dimensional electronic systems. By changing the shape of the optical field, we synthesize various lattice structures with different spatial symmetry, periodicity, and strength. We find that the wide optical tunability allows one to tune different properties of the effective band structure, including Chern number, energy bandwidths, and band gaps. We consider the high-frequency regime where the electronic system can remain in the quasi-equilibrium phase for an extended amount of time. The spatiotemporal reconfigurablity of our approach opens up new possibilities to control light-matter interaction to generate novel electronic states and optoelectronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Dynamics and phases of nonunitary Floquet transverse-field Ising model

Inspired by current research on measurement-induced quantum phase transitions, we analyze the nonunitary Floquet transverse-field Ising model with complex nearest-neighbor couplings and complex transverse fields. Unlike its unitary counterpart, the model shows a number of steady phases, stable to integrability-breaking perturbations. Some phases have robust edge modes and/or spatiotemporal long-range orders in the bulk. The transitions between the phases have extensive entanglement entropy, whose scaling with the system size depends on the number of the real quasiparticle modes in the spectrum at the transition. In particular, the volume-law scaling appears on some critical lines, protected by pseudo-Hermiticity. Both the scaling of entanglement entropy in steady states and the evolution after a quench are compatible with the non-Hermitian generalization of the quasiparticle picture of Calabrese and Cardy at least qualitatively. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Su, Lei (ORCID:0009000455290786)↗