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At least 1,027 records · Page 57

Imaging and controlling vortex dynamics in mesoscopic superconductor–normal-metal–superconductor arrays

Harnessing the properties of vortices in superconductors is crucial for fundamental science and technological applications; thus, it has been an ongoing goal to locally probe and control vortices. Here, we use a scanning probe technique that enables studies of vortex dynamics in superconducting systems by leveraging the resonant behavior of a raster-scanned, magnetic-tipped cantilever. This experimental setup allows us to image and control vortices, as well as extract key energy scales of the vortex interactions. Applying this technique to lattices of superconductor island arrays on a metal, we obtain a variety of striking spatial patterns that encode information about the energy landscape for vortices in the system. We interpret these patterns in terms of local vortex dynamics and extract the relative strengths of the characteristic energy scales in the system, such as the vortex-magnetic field and vortex-vortex interaction strengths, as well as the vortex chemical potential. We also demonstrate that the relative strengths of the interactions can be tuned and show how these interactions shift with an applied bias. The high degree of tunability and local nature of such vortex imaging and control not only enable new understanding of vortex interactions, but also have potential applications in more complex systems such as those relevant to quantum computing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Interface-Driven Chiral Magnetism in Ultrathin Metallic Ferromagnets: Towards Skyrmion Spintronics

Magnetic skyrmions are localized chiral magnetic textures in the form of nanoscale vortices or bubbles that are topologically protected from being ‘unwound’. Their topological nature gives rise to rich behaviors including ordered lattice formation, emergent electrodynamics and robust current-driven displacement at remarkably low current densities. However, magnetic skyrmions have so far been restricted to just a few materials and observed only at low temperatures, limiting the experimental accessibility and technological application of these unique topological objects. This project aimed to realize magnetic skyrmions at room temperature in a new class of engineered chiral ferromagnets that exploit broken mirror symmetry at interfaces to generate helical magnetic order. Ultrathin magnetic heterostructures were engineered and patterned into laterally-confined nanostructures in which skyrmions were stabilized, manipulated, and detected for the first time under ambient conditions. Static and dynamic properties were examined using advanced x-ray imaging to provide a fundamental understanding of topological magnetic phases. The interactions between magnetic skyrmions and electron charge and spin currents were studied to identify fundamental new physics and enable device applications. These experimental studies, supported by detailed modeling, will help launch a new subfield of skyrmion-based spintronics in which individual skyrmions can be used to encode, store, and transport information in high-performance, low power memory and logic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Spectrally sharp magnetic excitations above the critical temperature in a frustrated Weyl semimetal

The rare-earth α-pyrochlore iridates are a prospective class of conducting frustrated magnets where electronic correlations, large spin-orbit coupling, and geometrical frustration interplay, leading to a rich set of magnetic and electronic phases. Despite their intriguing properties, the magnetic order and excitations in this fundamental class of topological quantum materials remain poorly understood due to challenges in growing large single crystals and insufficient microscopic information on their temperature-dependent phases. Here, by combining state-of-the-art thin-film synthesis, resonant elastic and inelastic X-ray scattering, spin wave analysis, and dynamical spin susceptibility calculations, we unequivocally reveal the presence of spectrally sharp, gapped magnetic excitations in Y 2 Ir 2 O 7 that surprisingly persist well above the Néel transition temperature, signaling the presence of a quasi-universal regime connected to fluctuations on frustrated lattices. This finding implies the existence of a highly unusual cooperative paramagnetic (CP) phase above the ordering temperature and offers an explanation for the puzzling high-temperature magnetic behavior observed across the family of metallic pyrochlore crystals. Understanding such magnetic excitations at technologically relevant temperatures opens up possibilities for novel topological spintronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab: Precision Measurements and Nonlinear Beam Dynamics

The Muon g-2 Experiment has achieved a significant milestone by measuring the positive muon anomalous magnetic moment to an unprecedented accuracy of 0.20 ppm, paving the way to a better understanding of particle physics, including beyond-the-Standard-Model possibilities. In the experiment, muons are circulated within a storage ring, and their anomalous precession frequency — the spin precession relative to momentum — is determined from decay positron time and energy data, captured using calorimeters. In support of accurate storage ring simulations, we performed high-order calculations of the field of the experiment's high-voltage quadrupoles. We also carried out accurate, transfer map–based calculations of the storage ring's chromaticity. These calculations are essential for understanding the beam dynamics effects in the Muon g-2 storage ring.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Generation and characterization of magnetized electron beam from a DC high voltage photogun for electron beam cooling application

One of the most challenging requirements for the proposed Electron-Ion Collider is the strong cooling of the proton beam, which is key to achieving the collider’s desired luminosity of order 10 33 -10 34 cm -2 s -1 . Magnetized bunched-beam electron cooling could be a means to achieve the required high luminosity, where strong cooling is accomplished inside a cooling solenoid where the ions co-propagate with an electron beam generated from a source immersed in a magnetic field. To increase the cooling efficiency, a bunched electron beam with high bunch charge and high repetition rate is required. This work describes the production and characterization of magnetized electron beam using a compact 300 kV DC high voltage photogun and bi-alkali antimonide photocathode. Beam magnetization was studied using a diagnostic beamline that includes viewer screens for measuring the shearing angle of the electron beamlet passing through a narrow upstream slit. Simulations and corresponding measurements of beam magnetization are presented as a function of laser spot size and magnetic field strength. Correlated beam emittance with magnetic field (0–0.15 T) at the photocathode was measured for various laser spot sizes. Measurements of photocathode lifetime were carried out at different magnetized electron beam currents up to 28 mA, and bunch charge up to 0.7 nC (not simultaneously).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Quantum spin ice response to a magnetic field in the dipole-octupole pyrochlore Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7

The pyrochlore magnet Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 has attracted much attention as a quantum spin ice candidate whose novelty derives in part from the dipolar-octupolar nature of the Ce 3+ pseudospin-1/2 degrees of freedom it possesses. We report heat capacity measurements on single crystal samples of Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 down to T~0.1K in a magnetic field along the [$1,\bar{1},0$] direction. These measurements show that the broad hump in the zero-field heat capacity moves higher in temperature with increasing field strength and is split into two separate humps by the [$1,\bar{1},0$] magnetic field at ~2T. These separate features are due to the decomposition of the pyrochlore lattice into effectively decoupled chains for fields in this direction: One set of chains (α chains) is polarized by the field while the other (β chains) remains free. This situation is similar to that observed in the classical spin ices Ho 2 Ti 2 O 7 and Dy 2 Ti 2 O 7 , but with the twist that here the strong transverse exchange interactions produce substantial quantum effects. Our theoretical modeling suggests that the β chains are close to a critical state, with nearly-gapless excitations. We also report elastic and inelastic neutron scattering measurements on single crystal Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 in [$1,\bar{1},0$] and [0,0,1] magnetic fields at temperatures down to T=0.03K. The elastic scattering behaves consistently with the formation of independent chains for a [$1,\bar{1},0$] field, while the [0,0,1] field produces a single field-induced elastic magnetic Bragg peak at (0,2,0) and equivalent wavevectors, indicating a polarized spin ice state for fields above ~3T. For both [$1,\bar{1},0$] and [0,0,1] magnetic fields, our inelastic neutron scattering results show an approximately dispersionless continuum of scattering that increases in both energy and intensity with increasing field strength. By modeling the complete set of experimental data using numerical linked cluster and semiclassical molecular dynamics calculations, we demonstrate the dominantly multipolar nature of the exchange interactions in Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 and the smallness of the parameter θ, which controls the mixing between dipolar and octupolar degrees of freedom. Finally, these results support previous estimates of the microscopic exchange parameters and place strong constraints on the theoretical description of this prominent spin ice candidate.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Negatively Charged Excitons in CdSe Nanoplatelets

The low-temperature emission spectrum of CdSe colloidal nanoplatelets (NPLs) consists of two narrow lines. The high-energy line stems from the recombination of neutral excitons. The origin of the low-energy line is currently debated. Here, we experimentally study the spectral shift, emission dynamics, and spin polarization of both lines at low temperatures down to 1.5 K and in high magnetic fields up to 60 T and show that the low-energy line originates from the recombination of negatively charged excitons (trions). This assignment is confirmed by the NPL photocharging dynamics and associated variations in the spectrum. We show that the negatively charged excitons are considerably less sensitive to the presence of surface spins than the neutral excitons. The trion binding energy in three-monolayer-thick NPLs is as large as 30 meV, which is 4 times larger than its value in the two-dimensional limit of a conventional CdSe quantum well confined between semiconductor barriers. A considerable part of this enhancement is gained by the dielectric enhancement effect, which is due to the small dielectric constant of the environment surrounding the NPLs.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Magnetic skyrmionic structures with variable topological charges in engineered Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction systems

Magnetic skyrmionic structures, including magnetic skyrmions and antiskyrmions, are characterized by swirling spin textures with non-trivial topologies. They are featured with specific topological charges, Q , which are of crucial importance in determining their topological properties. Owing to the invariance of the chiral nature, it is generally believed that Q is conserved in a given magnetic skyrmionic structure and is hard to alter. Here, we experimentally realize the control of Q of magnetic skyrmionic structures at room temperature in a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) platform with spatially alternating signs. Depending on how many times it crosses the interfaces between DMI regions with opposite signs, the magnetic skyrmionic structures possess different Q . Modifying the DMI energy landscape through chemisorbed oxygen, a magnetic topological transition is realized. This creation and manipulation of magnetic skyrmionic structures with controllable Q , in particular the DMI-stabilized thin-film antiskyrmions and high- Q skyrmionic structures, enables a new degree of freedom to control their dynamics via a novel DMI confinement effect. Our findings open up an unexplored avenue on various topological magnetic skyrmionic structures and their potential applications.

magnetic properties and materials↗

CoSyR: A novel beam dynamics code for the modeling of synchrotron radiation effects

The self-consistent nonlinear dynamics of a relativistic charged particle beam interacting with its complete self-fields is a fundamental problem underpinning many of the accelerator design issues in high brightness beam applications, as well as the development of advanced accelerators. Particularly, synchrotron radiation induced effects in a magnetic dispersive beamline element can lead to collective beam instabilities and emittance growth. A novel beam dynamics code is developed based on a Lagrangian method for the calculation of the particles’ radiation near-fields using wavefront/wavelet meshes via the Green’s function of the Maxwell equations. These fields are then interpolated onto a moving mesh for dynamic update of the beam. This method allows radiation co-propagation and self-consistent interaction with the beam in 2D/3D simulations at greatly reduced numerical errors. Multiple levels of parallelisms are inherent in this method and implemented in our code CoSyR to enable at-scale simulations of nonlinear beam dynamics on modern computing platforms using MPI, multi-threading, and GPUs. Here, the current 2D implementation of CoSyR has been used to evaluate the transverse and longitudinal coherent radiation effects on the beam and to investigate beam optics designs proposed for mitigation of beam brightness degradation in a magnetic bunch compressor. In this paper, the design of CoSyR, as well as the benchmark with other coherent synchrotron radiation models, are described and discussed. Extension of the core algorithms to 3D is possible and planned.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The JOREK non-linear extended MHD code and applications to large-scale instabilities and their control in magnetically confined fusion plasmas

JOREK is a massively parallel fully implicit non-linear extended magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) code for realistic tokamak X-point plasmas. It has become a widely used versatile simulation code for studying large-scale plasma instabilities and their control and is continuously developed in an international community with strong involvements in the European fusion research programme and ITER organization. This article gives a comprehensive overview of the physics models implemented, numerical methods applied for solving the equations and physics studies performed with the code. A dedicated section highlights some of the verification work done for the code. A hierarchy of different physics models is available including a free boundary and resistive wall extension and hybrid kinetic-fluid models. The code allows for flux-surface aligned iso-parametric finite element grids in single and double X-point plasmas which can be extended to the true physical walls and uses a robust fully implicit time stepping. Particular focus is laid on plasma edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) physics as well as disruption related phenomena. Among the key results obtained with JOREK regarding plasma edge and SOL, are deep insights into the dynamics of edge localized modes (ELMs), ELM cycles, and ELM control by resonant magnetic perturbations, pellet injection, as well as by vertical magnetic kicks. Also ELM free regimes, detachment physics, the generation and transport of impurities during an ELM, and electrostatic turbulence in the pedestal region are investigated. Regarding disruptions, the focus is on the dynamics of the thermal quench (TQ) and current quench triggered by massive gas injection and shattered pellet injection, runaway electron (RE) dynamics as well as the RE interaction with MHD modes, and vertical displacement events. Also the seeding and suppression of tearing modes (TMs), the dynamics of naturally occurring TQs triggered by locked modes, and radiative collapses are being studied.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Dynamics of fractionalized mean-field theories: Consequences for Kitaev materials

There have been substantial recent efforts, both experimentally and theoretically, to find a material realization of the Kitaev spin liquid—the ground state of the exactly solvable Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice. Candidate materials are now plentiful, but the presence of non-Kitaev terms makes comparison between theory and experiment challenging. Here, we rederive time-dependent Majorana mean-field theory and extend it to include quantum phase information, allowing the direct computation of the experimentally relevant dynamical spin-spin correlator, which reproduces exact results for the unperturbed model. In contrast to previous work, we find that small perturbations do not substantially alter the exact result, implying that α-RuCl 3 is perhaps farther from the Kitaev phase than originally thought. Our approach generalizes to any correlator and to any model where Majorana mean-field theory is a valid starting point.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Adaptative Survival of Aspergillus fumigatus to Echinocandins Arises from Cell Wall Remodeling Beyond β-1,3-glucan Synthesis Inhibition

Antifungal echinocandins inhibit the biosynthesis of β-1,3-glucan, a major and essential polysaccharide component of the fungal cell wall. However, the efficacy of echinocandins against the pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is limited. Here, we use solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) and other techniques to show that echinocandins induce dynamic changes in the assembly of mobile and rigid polymers within the A. fumigatus cell wall. The reduction of β-1,3- glucan induced by echinocandins is accompanied by a concurrent increase in levels of chitin, chitosan and highly polymorphic α-1,3-glucans, whose physical association with chitin maintains cell wall integrity and modulates water permeability. The rearrangement of the macromolecular network is dynamic and controls the permeability and circulation of the drug throughout the cell wall. Thus, our results indicate that echinocandin treatment triggers compensatory rearrangements in the cell wall that may help A. fumigatus to tolerate the drugs’ antifungal effects.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Layer-by-Layer Freezing of Nanoconfined Water

Abstract Nanoconfined water plays a pivotal role in a vast number of fields ranging from biological and materials sciences to catalysis, nanofluidics and geochemistry. Here, we report the freezing and melting behavior of water (D 2 O) nanoconfined in architected silica-based matrices including Vycor glass and mesoporous silica SBA-15 and SBA-16 with pore diameters ranging between 4–15 nm, which are investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and 2 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results provide compelling evidence that the extreme dynamical heterogeneity of water molecules is preserved over distances as small as a few angstroms. Solidification progresses in a layer-by-layer fashion with a coexistence of liquid-like and solid-like dynamical fraction at all temperatures during the transition process. The previously reported fragile-to-strong dynamic transition in nanoconfined water is argued to be a direct consequence of the layer-by-layer solidification.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Light-induced electron spin qubit coherences in the purple bacteria reaction center protein

Photosynthetic reaction center proteins (RCs) provide ideal model systems for studying quantum entanglement between multiple spins, a quantum mechanical phenomenon wherein the properties of the entangled particles become inherently correlated. Following light-generated sequential electron transfer, RCs generate spin-correlated radical pairs (SCRPs), also referred to as entangled spin qubit (radical) pairs (SQPs). Understanding and controlling coherence mechanisms in SCRP/SQPs is important for realizing practical uses of electron spin qubits in quantum sensing applications. The bacterial RC (bRC) provides an experimental system for exploring quantum effects in the SCRP P 865 + Q A − , where P 865 , a special pair of bacteriochlorophylls, is the primary donor, and Q A is the primary quinone acceptor. In this study, we focus on understanding how local molecular environments and isotopic substitution, particularly deuteration, influence spin coherence times (T M ). Using high-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, we observed that the local environment surrounding P 865 and Q A plays a significant role in determining T M . Our findings show that while deuteration led to a modest increase in T M , particularly at low temperatures, but the effect was substantially smaller than predicted by classical nuclear spin diffusion alone. This result is in contrast to our previous study of the photosystem I (PSI) RC, where no increase in T M was observed upon deuteration. Theoretical modeling identified several methyl groups at key distances from the spin centers of both bRC and PSI, and methyl group tunneling at low temperatures has been previously suggested as a mechanism for enhanced spin decoherence. Additionally, our study revealed a strong dependence of spin coherence on the orientation of the external magnetic field, highlighting the influence of the protein microenvironment on spin dynamics. In conclusion, these results offer new insights for optimizing coherence times in quantum system design for quantum information science and sensing applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Direct prediction of nonlinear tearing mode saturation using a variational principle

It is shown that the variational principle of multi-region relaxed magnetohydrodynamics (MRxMHD) can be used to predict the stability and nonlinear saturation of tearing modes in strong guide field configurations without resolving the dynamics and without explicit dependence on the plasma resistivity. While the magnetic helicity is not a good invariant for tearing modes, we show that the saturated tearing mode can be obtained as an MRxMHD state of a priori unknown helicity by appropriately constraining the current profile. The predicted saturated island width in a tearing-unstable force-free slab equilibrium is shown to reproduce the theoretical scaling at small values of Δ' and the scaling obtained from resistive magnetohydrodynamics simulations at large Δ'.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Local cation ordering in compositionally complex Ruddlesden–Popper n = 1 oxides

The Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) layered perovskite structure is of great interest due to its inherent tunability, and the emergence and growth of the compositionally complex oxide (CCO) concept endows the RP family with further possibilities. Here, a comprehensive assessment of thermodynamic stabilization, local order/disorder, and lattice distortion was performed in the first two reported examples of lanthanum-deficient La n+1 B n O 3n+1 (n = 1, B = Mg, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) obtained via various processing conditions. Chemical short-range order (CSRO) at the B-site and the controllable excess interstitial oxygen (δ) in RP-CCOs are uncovered by neutron pair distribution function analysis. Reverse Monte Carlo analysis of the data, Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations, and extended x-ray absorption fine structure analysis implies a modest degree of magnetic element segregation on the local scale. Further, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations results obtained from special quasirandom structure disagree with experimentally observed CSRO but confirm Jahn–Teller distortion of CuO 6 octahedra. These findings highlight potential opportunities to control local order/disorder and excess interstitial oxygen in layered RP-CCOs and demonstrate a high degree of freedom for tailoring application-specific properties. They also suggest a need for expansion of theoretical and data modeling approaches in order to meet the innate challenges of CCO and related high-entropy phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Spin-selective evolution of the Zhang-Rice state in binary transition metal oxide MnO(001) film

Here, the Zhang-Rice (ZR) state is a strongly hybridized bound state formed by transition-metal and oxygen atoms. The spin fluctuations within the ZR state are known to play an important role in high-T c superconductivity in cuprates. Here, we employ a combination of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and ab initio embedded dynamical mean-field theory (eDMFT) to investigate the influence of magnetic ordering on the spectral characteristics of the valence band and Mn 2⁢p core-level in MnO (001) ultrathin films. Our results demonstrate that a complex spin-selective evolution of Mn 3⁢d-O2⁢p hybridization develops due to the long-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering. This hybridization significantly alters the spectral shape and weight of the ZR state. Specifically, in the AFM phase, we observed the sharpening of the ZR state and band folding with the periodicity of the AFM unit cell of MnO(001). We also demonstrated a strong connection between the spectral evolution of the ZR state and the non-local screening channels of the photoexcited core holes. Further, our detailed temperature-dependent study reveals the presence of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations that exist at much higher temperatures than Neel temperature (T N ) and shows the evolution of the ZR state across the magnetic transitions and its implication to the core-hole screening in 3⁢d binary transition metal oxides.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Memory effect and phase transition in a hierarchical trap model for spin glasses

Here, we introduce an efficient dynamical tree method that enables us to explicitly demonstrate the thermoremanent magnetization memory effect in a hierarchical energy landscape. Our simulation nicely reproduces the nontrivial waiting-time and waiting-temperature dependences in this nonequilibrium phenomenon. We further investigate the condensation effect, in which a small set of microstates dominates the thermodynamic behavior in the multilayer trap model. Importantly, a structural phase transition of the multilayer tree model is shown to coincide with the onset of the condensation phenomenon. Our results underscore the importance of hierarchical structure and demonstrate the intimate relation between the glassy behavior and structure of barrier trees.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗