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DOE OSTI2014

An alternative to the standard model

We present an extension of the standard model to dark sector with an unbroken local dark U(1){sub X} symmetry. Including various singlet portal interactions provided by the standard model Higgs, right-handed neutrinos and kinetic mixing, we show that the model can address most of phenomenological issues (inflation, neutrino mass and mixing, baryon number asymmetry, dark matter, direct/indirect dark matter searches, some scale scale puzzles of the standard collisionless cold dark matter, vacuum stability of the standard model Higgs potential, dark radiation) and be regarded as an alternative to the standard model. The Higgs signal strength is equal to one as in the standard model for unbroken U(1){sub X} case with a scalar dark matter, but it could be less than one independent of decay channels if the dark matter is a dark sector fermion or if U(1){sub X} is spontaneously broken, because of a mixing with a new neutral scalar boson in the models.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2014

Alternative optical concept for electron cyclotron emission imaging

The implementation of advanced electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) systems on tokamak experiments has revolutionized the diagnosis of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activities and improved our understanding of instabilities, which lead to disruptions. It is therefore desirable to have an ECEI system on the ITER tokamak. However, the large size of optical components in presently used ECEI systems have, up to now, precluded the implementation of an ECEI system on ITER. This paper describes a new optical ECEI concept that employs a single spherical mirror as the only optical component and exploits the astigmatism of such a mirror to produce an image with one-dimensional spatial resolution on the detector. Since this alternative approach would only require a thin slit as the viewing port to the plasma, it would make the implementation of an ECEI system on ITER feasible. The results obtained from proof-of-principle experiments with a 125 GHz microwave system are presented.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2014

Accurate measurement of heteronuclear dipolar couplings by phase-alternating R-symmetry (PARS) sequences in magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy

We report a Phase-Alternating R-Symmetry (PARS) dipolar recoupling scheme for accurate measurement of heteronuclear {sup 1}H-X (X = {sup 13}C, {sup 15}N, {sup 31}P, etc.) dipolar couplings in MAS NMR experiments. It is an improvement of conventional C- and R-symmetry type DIPSHIFT experiments where, in addition to the dipolar interaction, the {sup 1}H CSA interaction persists and thereby introduces considerable errors in the dipolar measurements. In PARS, phase-shifted RN symmetry pulse blocks applied on the {sup 1}H spins combined with π pulses applied on the X spins at the end of each RN block efficiently suppress the effect from {sup 1}H chemical shift anisotropy, while keeping the {sup 1}H-X dipolar couplings intact. Another advantage over conventional DIPSHIFT experiments, which require the signal to be detected in the form of a reduced-intensity Hahn echo, is that the series of π pulses refocuses the X chemical shift and avoids the necessity of echo formation. PARS permits determination of accurate dipolar couplings in a single experiment; it is suitable for a wide range of MAS conditions including both slow and fast MAS frequencies; and it assures dipolar truncation from the remote protons. The performance of PARS is tested on two model systems, [{sup 15}N]-N-acetyl-valine and [U-{sup 13}C,{sup 15}N]-N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe tripeptide. The application of PARS for site-resolved measurement of accurate {sup 1}H-{sup 15}N dipolar couplings in the context of 3D experiments is presented on U-{sup 13}C,{sup 15}N-enriched dynein light chain protein LC8.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2014

Alternating brittle and ductile response of coherent twin boundaries in nanotwinned metals

Nanotwinned metals have opened exciting avenues for the design of high strength and high ductility materials. In this work, we investigate crack propagation along coherent twin boundaries in nanotwinned metals using molecular dynamics. Our simulations reveal that alternating twin boundaries exhibit intrinsic brittleness and ductility owing to the opposite crystallographic orientations of the adjoining twins. This is a startling consequence of the directional anisotropy of an atomically sharp crack along a twin boundary that favors cleavage in one direction and dislocation emission from the crack tip in the opposite direction. We further find that a blunt crack exhibits ductility in all cases albeit with very distinct deformation mechanisms and yield strength associated with intrinsically brittle and ductile coherent twin boundaries.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2014

Inhibition of brain tumor cell proliferation by alternating electric fields

This study was designed to investigate the mechanism by which electric fields affect cell function, and to determine the optimal conditions for electric field inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Low-intensity (<2 V/cm) and intermediate-frequency (100–300 kHz) alternating electric fields were applied to glioblastoma cell lines. These electric fields inhibited cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest and abnormal mitosis due to the malformation of microtubules. These effects were significantly dependent on the intensity and frequency of applied electric fields.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

Combined alternating gradient force magnetometer and susceptometer system

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of a new system that combines the performances of two different types of magnetic characterization systems, Alternating Gradient Force Magnetometers (AGFM) and susceptometers. The flexibility of our system is demonstrated by its capability to be used as any of them, AGFM or susceptometer, without any modification in the experimental set-up because of the electronics we have developed. Our system has a limit of sensitivity lower than 5 × 10{sup −7} emu. Moreover, its main advantage is demonstrated by the possibility of measuring small quantities of materials under DC or AC magnetic fields that cannot properly be measured with a commercial vibrating sample magnetometers or AGFM.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2015

Alternative material study for heat assisted magnetic recording transducer application

In heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), optical near field transducer (NFT) is a key component. Au is currently used as NFT material because of its strong surface plasmon effect. Due to the soft property of Au material, reliability of Au NFT becomes a key issue for realizing HAMR production. In this paper, the possibility of alternative materials, including transition metal nitrides (TMNs) and transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) to replace Au is studied. The results show that all of the listed TMN and TCO materials can meet the mechanical requirements at room temperature in terms of hardness and thermal expansion. An optical model, which includes optical waveguide, NFT and FePt media, is used to simulate NFT performances. The results indicate that the resonant wavelengths for NFT with TCO materials are longer than 1500 nm, which is not suitable for HAMR application. TMN materials are suitable for NFT application at wavelength band of around 800 nm. But the NFT efficiency is very low. ZrN is the best material among TMN materials and the efficiency of ZrN NFT is only 13% of the Au NFT's efficiency. Reducing refractive index (n) and increasing extinction coefficient (k) will both lead to efficiency increase. Increasing k contributes more in the efficiency increase, while reducing n has a relatively low NFT absorption. For materials with the same figure of merit, the NFT with larger k material has higher efficiency. Doping materials to increase the material conduction electron density and growing film with larger size grain may be the way to increase k and reduce n.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2015

Investigations on caesium-free alternatives for H{sup −} formation at ion source relevant parameters

Negative hydrogen ions are efficiently produced in ion sources by the application of caesium. Due to a thereby induced lowering of the work function of a converter surface a direct conversion of impinging hydrogen atoms and positive ions into negative ions is maintained. However, due to the complex caesium chemistry and dynamics a long-term behaviour is inherent for the application of caesium that affects the stability and reliability of negative ion sources. To overcome these drawbacks caesium-free alternatives for efficient negative ion formation are investigated at the flexible laboratory setup HOMER (HOMogenous Electron cyclotron Resonance plasma). By the usage of a meshed grid the tandem principle is applied allowing for investigations on material induced negative ion formation under plasma parameters relevant for ion source operation. The effect of different sample materials on the ratio of the negative ion density to the electron density n{sub H{sup −}} /n{sub e} is compared to the effect of a stainless steel reference sample and investigated by means of laser photodetachment in a pressure range from 0.3 to 3 Pa. For the stainless steel sample no surface induced effect on the negative ion density is present and the measured negative ion densities are resulting from pure volume formation and destruction processes. In a first step the dependency of n{sub H{sup −}} /n{sub e} on the sample distance has been investigated for a caesiated stainless steel sample. At a distance of 0.5 cm at 0.3 Pa the density ratio is 3 times enhanced compared to the reference sample confirming the surface production of negative ions. In contrast for the caesium-free material samples, tantalum and tungsten, the same dependency on pressure and distance n{sub H{sup −}} /n{sub e} like for the stainless steel reference sample were obtained within the error margins: A density ratio of around 14.5% is measured at 4.5 cm sample distance and 0.3 Pa, linearly decreasing with decreasing distance to 7% at 1.5 cm. Thus, tantalum and tungsten do not significantly affect the negative ion density. First measurements conducted with LaB{sub 6} as well as with two types of diamond like carbon (DLC) n{sub H{sup −}} /n{sub e} of about 15% at 1 Pa were measured, which is comparable to the density ratio obtained for the stainless steel reference sample. At HOMER a surface induced enhancement of n{sub H{sup −}} is only observed when it exceeds the volume formation of H{sup −} which is also realistic for negative hydrogen ion sources.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Thermal stability and photoconductive properties of photosensors with an alternating multilayer structure of amorphous Se and As{sub x}Se{sub 1−x}

In this study, we fabricated a-Se based photosensors with an alternating multilayer structure of a-Se and As{sub x}Se{sub 1−x} by rotational thermal evaporation deposition. During the deposition of the amorphous As{sub x}Se{sub 1−x} layers, As diffuses into the underlying a-Se component layers, thereby improving the thermal stability of the multilayer photosensor and thus increasing the breakdown electric field. Although the As doping introduces carrier traps in the a-Se layers, the multilayer photosensors demonstrate an effective quantum efficiency comparable to the single-layered a-Se sensor under the blue light illumination but are with a lower dark current density by two orders of magnitude. In addition to the top As{sub x}Se{sub 1−x} layer being functioning as an electron blocking layer, carrier traps present in the multilayer structure may decrease the drift mobility of charge carriers and disturb electric field distribution in the photosensors, thereby suppressing the dark current.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Yttrium scandate thin film as alternative high-permittivity dielectric for germanium gate stack formation

We investigated yttrium scandate (YScO{sub 3}) as an alternative high-permittivity (k) dielectric thin film for Ge gate stack formation. Significant enhancement of k-value is reported in YScO{sub 3} comparing to both of its binary compounds, Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Sc{sub 2}O{sub 3}, without any cost of interface properties. It suggests a feasible approach to a design of promising high-k dielectrics for Ge gate stack, namely, the formation of high-k ternary oxide out of two medium-k binary oxides. Aggressive scaling of equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) with promising interface properties is presented by using YScO{sub 3} as high-k dielectric and yttrium-doped GeO{sub 2} (Y-GeO{sub 2}) as interfacial layer, for a demonstration of high-k gate stack on Ge. In addition, we demonstrate Ge n-MOSFET performance showing the peak electron mobility over 1000 cm{sup 2}/V s in sub-nm EOT region by YScO{sub 3}/Y-GeO{sub 2}/Ge gate stack.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Biased diffusion in tubes of alternating diameter: Numerical study over a wide range of biasing force

This paper is devoted to particle transport in a tube formed by alternating wide and narrow sections, in the presence of an external biasing force. The focus is on the effective transport coefficients—mobility and diffusivity, as functions of the biasing force and the geometric parameters of the tube. Dependences of the effective mobility and diffusivity on the tube geometric parameters are known in the limiting cases of no bias and strong bias. The approximations used to obtain these results are inapplicable at intermediate values of the biasing force. To bridge the two limits Brownian dynamics simulations were run to determine the transport coefficients at intermediate values of the force. The simulations were performed for a representative set of tube geometries over a wide range of the biasing force. They revealed that there is a range of the narrow section length, where the force dependence of the mobility has a maximum. In contrast, the diffusivity is a monotonically increasing function of the force. A simple formula is proposed, which reduces to the known dependences of the diffusivity on the tube geometric parameters in both limits of zero and strong bias. At intermediate values of the biasing force, the formula catches the diffusivity dependence on the narrow section length, if the radius of these sections is not too small.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2016

Alternative modeling methods for plasma-based Rf ion sources

Rf-driven ion sources for accelerators and many industrial applications benefit from detailed numerical modeling and simulation of plasma characteristics. For instance, modeling of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) internal antenna H{sup −} source has indicated that a large plasma velocity is induced near bends in the antenna where structural failures are often observed. This could lead to improved designs and ion source performance based on simulation and modeling. However, there are significant separations of time and spatial scales inherent to Rf-driven plasma ion sources, which makes it difficult to model ion sources with explicit, kinetic Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulation codes. In particular, if both electron and ion motions are to be explicitly modeled, then the simulation time step must be very small, and total simulation times must be large enough to capture the evolution of the plasma ions, as well as extending over many Rf periods. Additional physics processes such as plasma chemistry and surface effects such as secondary electron emission increase the computational requirements in such a way that even fully parallel explicit PIC models cannot be used. One alternative method is to develop fluid-based codes coupled with electromagnetics in order to model ion sources. Time-domain fluid models can simulate plasma evolution, plasma chemistry, and surface physics models with reasonable computational resources by not explicitly resolving electron motions, which thereby leads to an increase in the time step. This is achieved by solving fluid motions coupled with electromagnetics using reduced-physics models, such as single-temperature magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), extended, gas dynamic, and Hall MHD, and two-fluid MHD models. We show recent results on modeling the internal antenna H{sup −} ion source for the SNS at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using the fluid plasma modeling code USim. We compare demonstrate plasma temperature equilibration in two-temperature MHD models for the SNS source and present simulation results demonstrating plasma evolution over many Rf periods for different plasma temperatures. We perform the calculations in parallel, on unstructured meshes, using finite-volume solvers in order to obtain results in reasonable time.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2017

Improving ICF implosion performance with alternative capsule supports

The thin membrane that holds the capsule in-place in the hohlraum is recognized as one of the most significant contributors to reduced performance in indirect drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments on the National Ignition Facility. This membrane, known as the “tent,” seeds a perturbation that is amplified by Rayleigh-Taylor and can rupture the capsule. A less damaging capsule support mechanism is under development. Possible alternatives include the micron-scale rods spanning the hohlraum width and supporting either the capsule or stiffening the fill-tube, a larger fill-tube to both fill and support the capsule, or a low-density foam layer that protects the capsule from the tent impact. Experiments are testing these support features to measure their imprint on the capsule. These experiments are revealing unexpected aspects about perturbation development in indirect drive ICF, such as the importance of shadows coming from bright spots in the hohlraum. Two dimensional and 3D models are used to explain these features and assess the impact on implosion performance. Experiments and modeling suggest that the fill-tube supported by a perpendicular rod can mount the capsule without any additional perturbation beyond that of the fill tube.

Weber, C. R.↗

DOE OSTI2019

Spin-orbit torque-mediated spin-wave excitation as an alternative paradigm for femtomagnetism

Laser-induced femtosecond demagnetization, femtomagnetism, provides a potential route to develop faster magnetic storage devices. It is generally thought that the traditional spin-wave theory, which is developed for thermally driven slow demagnetization, cannot explain this rapid demagnetization by design. Here, we show that this traditional spin-wave theory, once augmented by laser-induced spin–orbit torque, provides a highly efficient paradigm for demagnetization, by capturing low-energy spin-wave excitation that is absent in existing mechanisms. Our paradigm is different from existing ones but does not exclude them. Microscopically, we find that optical spin–orbit torque generates massive spin waves across several hundred lattice sites, collapsing the long-range spin-spin correlation within 20 fs. Our result does not only explain new experiments but also establishes an alternative paradigm for femtomagnetism. It is expected to have far-reaching impacts on future research.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

A pushered capsule implosion as an alternate approach to the ignition regime for inertial confinement fusion

We report in inertial confinement fusion, the threshold for ignition is a highly dynamic quantity as the sources and sinks of power in the hot spot can vary rapidly. In this article, we consider the ignition condition as a race between heating and disassembly rates and make use of a prior solution to the fusion hot-spot thermodynamics to develop a Lawson-like ignition criteria for pressure × confinement time (p-τ) vs temperature. Low-Z capsule designs reach the temperature for this threshold using as much of the shell as feasible as ablator but then are limited in τ by low stagnated mass. An alternate approach, the pushered single shell (PSS) design [D. D.-M. Ho, S. MacLaren, and Y. Wang, “High-yield implosions via radiation trapping and high rho-R,” paper presented at the 60th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics, 2018], introduces a dense inner layer of Mo-Be alloy that is smoothly graded outward to pure Be, increasing the confinement time at stagnation and lowering the temperature requirement at the ignition threshold. Here, we describe a PSS ignition design for the National Ignition Facility and use the theory as well as simulations to compare it with the low-Z capsule approach. Additionally, we show how an adjustment to the design is used to anticipate the effects of mixing at the fuel–ablator interface.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2022

Alternative formulation of weak magnetohydrodynamic turbulence theory

In a recent paper, the weak turbulence theory for incompressible magnetohydrodynamics is formulated by employing the method customarily applied in the context of kinetic weak plasma turbulence theory. Such an approach simplified certain mathematical procedures including achieving the closure relationship. The formulation in the above-cited paper starts from the equations of incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory expressed via Elsasser variables. The derivation of nonlinear wave kinetic equation therein is obtained via a truncated solution at the second-order of iteration following the standard practice. In the present paper, the weak MHD turbulence theory is alternatively formulated by employing the pristine form of incompressible MHD equation rather than that expressed in terms of Elsasser fields. The perturbative expansion of the nonlinear momentum equation is carried out up to the third-order iteration rather than imposing the truncation at the second order. Furthermore, it is found that while the resulting wave kinetic equation is identical to that obtained in the previous paper cited above, the third-order nonlinear correction plays an essential role for properly calculating derived quantities such as the total and residual energies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Bond length alternation of π -conjugated polymers predicted by the Fermi–Löwdin orbital self-interaction correction method

π-conjugated polymers have been used in a wide range of practical applications, partly due to their unique properties that originate in the delocalization of electrons through the polymer backbone. The level of delocalization can be characterized by the induced bond length alternation (BLA), with shorter BLA connected with strong delocalization and vice versa. The accurate description of this structural parameter can be considered a benchmark for testing the capability of different electronic structure methods for self-interaction error (SIE) removal and electron correlation inclusion. Density functional theory (DFT), in its local or semi-local flavors, suffers from SIE and, thus, underestimates the BLA compared to self-interaction-free methods. In this work, we utilize the Fermi–Löwdin orbital self-interaction correction (FLOSIC) method for one-electron self-interaction removal to characterize the BLA of five oligomers with increasing length extrapolated to the polymeric limit. We compare the self-interaction-free BLA to several DFT approximations, Møller–Plesset second-order perturbation theory (MP2), and the BLA obtained with the domain based local pair natural orbital CCSD(T) [DLPNO-CCSD(T)] approximation. Our findings show that FLOSIC corrects for the small BLA given by (semi-)local DFT approximations, but it tends to overcorrect with respect to CAM-B3LYP, MP2, and DLPNO-CCSD(T).

Chemistry↗

DOE OSTI2013

Nonlinear waves in an array of zigzag waveguides with alternating positive and negative refractive indices

Interaction of coupled waves propagating in a system of waveguides with alternating positive and negative refractive indices is studied theoretically. The zigzag configuration of the waveguides in the array allows communication not only between the nearest neighbours, but also with the waveguides beyond them. It is shown that the spectrum of linear waves in such a waveguide system has a bandgap. Partial solutions are found to the system of coupled waves corresponding to a stationary electromagnetic field pulse that propagates along the array of tunnel-coupled waveguides as a whole. Investigation of the interaction of nonlinear solitary waves has demonstrated numerically the stability of their relatively weak disturbances and collisions with each other. (nanogradient dielectric coatings and metamaterials)

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗