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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 1,045 records · Page 58
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Ultracold Electrons via Near-Threshold Photoemission from Single-Crystal Cu(100)

Achieving a low mean transverse energy or temperature of electrons emitted from the photocathode-based electron sources is critical to the development of next-generation and compact x-ray free electron lasers and ultrafast electron diffraction, spectroscopy, and microscopy experiments. In this Letter, we demonstrate a record low mean transverse energy of 5 meV from the cryo-cooled (100) surface of copper using near-threshold photoemission. Further, we also show that the electron energy spread obtained from such a surface is less than 11.5 meV, making it the smallest energy spread electron source known to date: more than an order of magnitude smaller than any existing photoemission, field emission, or thermionic emission based electron source. Overall, our measurements also shed light on the physics of electron emission and show how the energy spread at few meV scale energies is limited by both the temperature and the vacuum density of states.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Superradiance and Subradiance due to Quantum Interference of Entangled Free Electrons

When multiple quantum emitters radiate, their emission rate may be enhanced or suppressed due to collective interference in a process known as super- or subradiance. Such processes are well known to occur also in light emission from free electrons, known as coherent cathodoluminescence. Unlike atomic systems, free electrons have an unbounded energy spectrum, and, thus, all their emission mechanisms rely on electron recoil, in addition to the classical properties of the dielectric medium. To date, all experimental and theoretical studies of super- and subradiance from free electrons assumed only classical correlations between particles. However, dependence on quantum correlations, such as entanglement between free electrons, has not been studied. Recent advances in coherent shaping of free-electron wave functions motivate the investigation of such quantum regimes of super- and subradiance. In this Letter, we show how a pair of coincident path-entangled electrons can demonstrate either super- or subradiant light emission, depending on the two-particle wave function. By choosing different free-electron Bell states, the spectrum and emission pattern of the light can be reshaped, in a manner that cannot be accounted for by a classical mixed state. We show these results for light emission in any optical medium and discuss their generalization to many-body quantum states. Furthermore, our findings suggest that light emission can be sensitive to the explicit quantum state of the emitting matter wave and possibly serve as a nondestructive measurement scheme for measuring the quantum state of many-body systems.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spontaneous Valley Polarization of Itinerant Electrons

Memory or transistor devices based on an electron’s spin rather than its charge degree of freedom offer certain distinct advantages and comprise a cornerstone of spintronics. Recent years have witnessed the emergence of a new field, valleytronics, which seeks to exploit an electron’s valley index rather than its spin. An important component in this quest would be the ability to control the valley index in a convenient fashion. Here we show that the valley polarization can be switched from zero to 1 by a small reduction in density, simply tuned by a gate bias, in a two-dimensional electron system. This phenomenon, which is akin to Bloch spin ferromagnetism, arises fundamentally as a result of electron-electron interaction in an itinerant, dilute electron system. Essentially, the kinetic energy favors an equal distribution of electrons over the available valleys, whereas the interaction between electrons prefers single-valley occupancy below a critical density. The gate-bias-tuned transition we observe is accompanied by a sudden, twofold change in sample resistance, making the phenomenon of interest for potential valleytronic transistor device applications. Finally, our observation constitutes a quintessential demonstration of valleytronics in a very simple experiment.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Insulating band gaps both below and above the Néel temperature in d -electron LaTi O 3 , LaV O 3 , SrMn O 3 , and LaMn O 3 perovskites as a symmetry-breaking event

Metal d-electron oxides having an odd number of electrons per cell should exhibit band degeneracy at the Fermi energy, making them, in band theory, formally metallic. In many cases, however, these are “false metals”, as evidenced by the observation that many ABO 3 oxide perovskites with a magnetic 3d B-atom are observed to be insulators both below and above the Néel temperature. These inconsistencies between experimental observation and expectation have historically been resolved by invoking degeneracy-breaking physics, based largely on -pure electron effects, such as strong interelectronic correlation for d-electron compounds (the Mott mechanism). Such explanations generally consider microscopic lattice or magnetic degrees of freedom (m-DOF) as largely passive spectators, not a cause of the formally metallic being an insulator. Yet, it has long been known that ABO 3 perovskites can manifest an arrangement of m-DOFs in the form of octahedral tilting, bond dimerization, Jahn-Teller distortions, and ordering of local magnetic moments. It appears reasonable that such structural and magnetic local degrees of freedom need to be allowed to compete with purely electronic strong correlation. To answer this question, we explored a range of d-electron oxide perovskites exemplified by the archetypes LaTiO 3 , LaVO 3 , SrMnO 3 , and LaMnO 3 with 1, 2, 3, or 4 d -electrons, respectively. Using a mean-field-like electronic structure method (here, density functional theory), we find that a combination of magnetic symmetry breaking with structural distortions can account for insulating band gaps in this series while at the same time correctly predicting for the control case an intrinsic paramagnetic metal in SrVO 3 as symmetry-breaking is insufficiently strong to remove the degeneracy. Finally, this indicates that calculating quantitatively local magnetic and positional symmetry-breaking motifs in unit cells that avoid averaging at the outset over the low symmetry motifs can provide consistent trends in a Mott transition without Mott U.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

On the Possibility of Installing the Rapid Cycling Synchrotron of the Electron Ion Collider in the AGS Tunnel

This report describes electron injector concepts for the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) using the tunnel of the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) of Brookhaven National Laboratory which is to be compared to the RCS in the RHIC tunnel or a new ring in a new tunnel. Possible designs of the electron booster synchrotron, the Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS) with good spin transparency with electron energies of up to 10 GeV and 18 GeV and placing the injector linac in the adjacent Building 912 for are worked out. The main reason for studying such options is the expectation that it will reduce the Electron Ion Collider injector cost because no civil construction is required, the machine is very compact, and existing infrastructure can be used. The design of an RCS with a top energy of 10 GeV with good spin transparency is quite conventional. However, for collider operation with 18 GeV electrons, this option would require accelerating the 10 GeV beam in the Electron Storage Ring (ESR) to 18 GeV and relying on the Sokolov Ternov self-polarization at 18 GeV in the ESR. Solutions for an RCS with Electron energies of up to 18 GeV with or without spin transparency are found to be possible but push the envelope of conventional magnet technology.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

An Abundant and Diverse New Family of Electron Bifurcating Enzymes With a Non-canonical Catalytic Mechanism

Microorganisms utilize electron bifurcating enzymes in metabolic pathways to carry out thermodynamically unfavorable reactions. Bifurcating FeFe-hydrogenases (HydABC) reversibly oxidize NADH (E′∼−280 mV, under physiological conditions) and reduce protons to H 2 gas (E°′−414 mV) by coupling this endergonic reaction to the exergonic reduction of protons by reduced ferredoxin (Fd) (E′∼−500 mV). We show here that HydABC homologs are surprisingly ubiquitous in the microbial world and are represented by 57 phylogenetically distinct clades but only about half are FeFe-hydrogenases. The others have replaced the hydrogenase domain with another oxidoreductase domain or they contain additional subunits, both of which enable various third reactions to be reversibly coupled to NAD + and Fd reduction. We hypothesize that all of these enzymes carry out electron bifurcation and that their third substrates can include hydrogen peroxide, pyruvate, carbon monoxide, aldehydes, aryl-CoA thioesters, NADP + , cofactor F 420 , formate, and quinones, as well as many yet to be discovered. Some of the enzymes are proposed to be integral membrane-bound proton-translocating complexes. These different functionalities are associated with phylogenetically distinct clades and in many cases with specific microbial phyla. We propose that this new and abundant class of electron bifurcating enzyme be referred to as the Bfu family whose defining feature is a conserved bifurcating BfuBC core. This core contains FMN and six iron sulfur clusters and it interacts directly with ferredoxin (Fd) and NAD(H). Electrons to or from the third substrate are fed into the BfuBC core via BfuA. The other three known families of electron bifurcating enzyme (abbreviated as Nfn, EtfAB, and HdrA) contain a special FAD that bifurcates electrons to high and low potential pathways. The Bfu family are proposed to use a different electron bifurcation mechanism that involves a combination of FMN and three adjacent iron sulfur clusters, including a novel [2Fe-2S] cluster with pentacoordinate and partial non-Cys coordination. The absolute conservation of the redox cofactors of BfuBC in all members of the Bfu enzyme family indicate they have the same non-canonical mechanism to bifurcate electrons. A hypothetical catalytic mechanism is proposed as a basis for future spectroscopic analyses of Bfu family members.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quantitative Modeling of High-Energy Electron Scattering in Thick Samples Using Monte Carlo Techniques

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a powerful tool for imaging biological samples but is typically limited by sample thickness, which is restricted to a few hundred nanometers depending on the electron energy. However, there is a growing need for imaging techniques capable of studying biological samples up to 10 µm in thickness while maintaining nanoscale resolution. This need motivates the use of mega-electron-volt scanning transmission electron microscopy (MeV-STEM), which leverages the high penetration power of MeV electrons to generate high-resolution images of thicker samples. In this study, we employ Monte Carlo simulations to model electron–sample interactions and explore the signal decay of imaging electrons through thick specimens. By incorporating material properties, interaction cross-sections for energy loss, and experimental parameters, we investigate the relationship between the incident and transmitted beam intensities. Key factors such as detector collection angle, convergence semi-angle, and the material properties of samples were analyzed. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between incident and transmitted beam intensities follows the Beer–Lambert law over thicknesses ranging from a few microns to several tens of microns, depending on material composition, electron energy, and collection angles. The linear depth of silicon dioxide reaches 3.9 µm at 3 MeV, about 6 times higher than that at 300 keV. Meanwhile, the linear depth of amorphous ice reaches 17.9 µm at 3 MeV, approximately 11.5 times higher than that at 300 keV. These findings are crucial for advancing the study of thick biological and semiconductor samples using MeV-STEM.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Electron Correlation and High-Temperature Superconductivity

Strong electron correlation plays a central role in the high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) of cuprates. However, to date, research has focused only on its role in spin dynamics and related effects, even though it is becoming increasingly clear that spin alone may not be sufficient to create HTSC. Here, we discuss a possible role of electron correlation in the Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) of Cooper pairs. Recently, we succeeded in observing dynamic electron correlation via inelastic X-ray scattering through results presented in real space. We discovered that electron correlations are strongly modified in the plasmon, proving that electron dynamics significantly affect electron correlation. Earlier, we found that in 4 He, the atom–atom distance in the BE condensate is 10% longer than that in the non-condensate. These results suggest the possibility that the reduction in electron-repulsion energy upon BEC is driving T c to high values. Thus, electron correlation itself could be the origin of the HTSC phenomenon.

Bose–Einstein condensation↗
NASA NTRS2001

Radiation dose from reentrant electrons

In estimating the crew exposures during an extra vehicular activity (EVA), the contribution of reentrant electrons has always been neglected. Although the flux of these electrons is small compared to the flux of trapped electrons, their energy spectrum extends to several GeV compared to about 7 MeV for trapped electrons. This is also true of splash electrons. Using the measured reentrant electron energy spectra, it is shown that the dose contribution of these electrons to the blood forming organs (BFO) is more that 10 times greater than that from the trapped electrons. The calculations also show that the dose-depth response is a very slowly changing function of depth, and thus adding reasonable amounts of additional shielding would not significantly lower the dose to BFO. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

NASA Center JSC↗
NASA NTRS1995

Anaerobic electron acceptor chemotaxis in Shewanella putrefaciens

Shewanella putrefaciens MR-1 can grow either aerobically or anaerobically at the expense of many different electron acceptors and is often found in abundance at redox interfaces in nature. Such redox interfaces are often characterized by very strong gradients of electron acceptors resulting from rapid microbial metabolism. The coincidence of S. putrefaciens abundance with environmental gradients prompted an examination of the ability of MR-1 to sense and respond to electron acceptor gradients in the laboratory. In these experiments, taxis to the majority of the electron acceptors that S. putrefaciens utilizes for anaerobic growth was seen. All anaerobic electron acceptor taxis was eliminated by the presence of oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, elemental sulfur, or dimethyl sulfoxide, even though taxis to the latter was very weak and nitrate and nitrite respiration was normal in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide. Studies with respiratory mutants of MR-1 revealed that several electron acceptors that could not be used for anaerobic growth nevertheless elicited normal anaerobic taxis. Mutant M56, which was unable to respire nitrite, showed normal taxis to nitrite, as well as the inhibition of taxis to other electron acceptors by nitrite. These results indicate that electron acceptor taxis in S. putrefaciens does not conform to the paradigm established for Escherichia coli and several other bacteria. Carbon chemo-taxis was also unusual in this organism: of all carbon compounds tested, the only positive response observed was to formate under anaerobic conditions.

NASA Program Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS2013

Comparison Between Path Lengths Traveled by Solar Electrons and Ions in Ground-Level Enhancement Events

We have examined the Wind/3DP/SST electron and Wind/EPACT/LEMT ion data to investigate the path length difference between solar electrons and ions in the ground-level enhancement (GLE) events in solar cycle 23. Assuming that the onset time of metric type II or decameter-hectometric (DH) type III radio bursts is the solar release time of non-relativistic electrons, we have found that within an error range of plus or minus 10% the deduced path length of low-energy (approximately 27 keV) electrons from their release site near the Sun to the 1 AU observer is consistent with the ion path length deduced by Reames from the onset time analysis. In addition, the solar longitude distribution and IMF topology of the GLE events examined are in favor of the coronal mass ejection-driven shock acceleration origin of observed non-relativistic electrons.We have also found an increase of electron path lengths with increasing electron energies. The increasing rate of path lengths is correlated with the pitch angle distribution (PAD) of peak electron intensities locally measured, with a higher rate corresponding to a broader PAD. The correlation indicates that the path length enhancement is due to the interplanetary scattering experienced by first arriving electrons. The observed path length consistency implies that the maximum stable time of magnetic flux tubes, along which particles transport, could reach 4.8 hr.

electrons↗
NASA NTRS2017

Predicting Electron Population Characteristics in 2-D Using Multispectral Ground-Based Imaging

Ground-based imaging and in situ sounding rocket data are compared to electron transport modeling for an active inverted-V type auroral event. The Ground-to-Rocket Electrodynamics-Electrons Correlative Experiment (GREECE) mission successfully launched from Poker Flat, Alaska, on 3 March 2014 at 11:09:50 UT and reached an apogee of approximately 335 km over the aurora. Multiple ground-based electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) imagers were positioned at Venetie, Alaska, and aimed toward magnetic zenith. The imagers observed the intensity of different auroral emission lines (427.8, 557.7, and 844.6 nm) at the magnetic foot point of the rocket payload. Emission line intensity data are correlated with electron characteristics measured by the GREECE onboard electron spectrometer. A modified version of the GLobal airglOW (GLOW) model is used to estimate precipitating electron characteristics based on optical emissions. GLOW predicted the electron population characteristics with 20% error given the observed spectral intensities within 10 deg of magnetic zenith. Predictions are within 30% of the actual values within 20 deg of magnetic zenith for inverted-V-type aurora. Therefore, it is argued that this technique can be used, at least in certain types of aurora, such as the inverted-V type presented here, to derive 2-D maps of electron characteristics. These can then be used to further derive 2-D maps of ionospheric parameters as a function of time, based solely on multispectral optical imaging data.

multispectral ground-based imaging↗
NASA NTRS2020

High Temperature Electronics for Venus Surface Applications: A Summary of Recent Technical Advances

This white paper has a technical focus meant to provide background to those unfamiliar with the challenges of high temperature electronics, and an understanding of why new surface mission concepts are now viable for Venus and other applications. It describes that, for the first time, high temperature electronics have been developed to enable a paradigm change in extended duration Venus surface exploration. This white paper concentrates on the advances made in Silicon Carbide (SiC) integrated circuit (IC) electronics that have matured to a state where a simple long-life scientific probe is feasible for Venus surface operations. These electronics have been demonstrated for more than a year at 500˚C, 60 days in high-fidelity simulated Venus surface conditions chamber, and have been integrated and demonstrated with prototype long-lived scientific observation sensor technology. Continued maturation of these needed high temperature electronics and sensors is ongoing in the Long-Lived In-Situ Solar System Explorer (LLISSE) project to provide an operational system including sensor control and operation, signal processing, power management, and communications in the early part of the 2020’s. A key focus of this work includes increasing the complexity and decreasing the power consumption of the ICs which will pave the way to enhanced capabilities, such as long-duration Venus seismic measurements. Other IC development efforts include high temperature memory, terrestrial based characterization of volcanic magma, and development of a simple microprocessor. This electronics has also shown to have exceptionally high radiation tolerance, and thus have relevance for a broad range of solar system exploration. Although presently at the level of complexity of 1970-1980 silicon-based electronics, such electronics can enable breakthroughs in Venus planetary exploration akin to 1970s-launched planetary exploration successes (such as Viking and Voyager).

High temperature Electronics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Native Defects Hybridization and Electronic Transport in Cu 2 Se–CuGaSe 2 Hierarchical Composites

Engineering the energy distribution of electronic defects in semiconductors can afford the coexistence of degenerate and nondegenerate transport behavior. By leveraging native defects in Cu 2 Se and CuGaSe 2 phases, the tunability of the concentration and energy distribution of active electronic defects in hierarchical (1-x)Cu 2 Se-(x)CuGaSe 2 composites is demonstrated. This study found that the electrical conductivity of various composites decreases with rising temperature indicating degenerate semiconducting behavior, whereas the carrier density increases with temperature, which is consistent with non-degenerate semiconductivity. Remarkably, this study found that while the carrier density and electrical conductivity drop with the increasing CuGaSe 2 content for samples with x ≤ 0.45 is consistent with an increase in the activation energy of “active” electronic defects, the sudden increase by 140% in the electrical conductivity and by 109% in the carrier density for near equimolar composition suggests the formation of a large density of electronic defects with lower activation energy. This unusual behavior is understood within the context of the hybridization of coexisting native electronic defects to form degenerate hybrid acceptor states with lower activation energy. The reported unique electronic transport can be leveraged for the development of more versatile electronic and optoelectronic devices with superior performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sub-1K Cold-Electron Quantum Well Switching at Room Temperature

Quantum states can provide means to systematically manipulate the transport of electrons. Here, in this study, we present electron transport across quasi-bound states of two heterogeneous quantum wells (QWs), where the transport of thermally excited electrons is blocked or enabled depending on the relative positions of the two quasi-bound states, with an abrupt current onset occurring when the two QW states align. The QW switch comprises a source (Cr), QW1 (Cr 2 O 3 ), QW2 (SnO x , x < 2), a tunneling barrier (SiO 2 ), and a drain (Si), where the effective electron mass of QW1 (m* QW1 ) is selected to be larger than QW2 (m* QW2 ). The current-voltage (I-V) measurements of the fabricated devices show abrupt current onsets, with the current transition occurring within 0.25 mV, corresponding to an effective electron temperature of 0.8 K at room temperature. Since transistor power consumption is fundamentally tied to effective electron temperature, this sub-1K cold-electron QW switching holds promise for highly energy-efficient computing.

Fermi−Dirac thermal smearing↗
DOE OSTI2020

A compact electron source for the dielectric laser accelerator

In this work, we design and demonstrate a compact electron source that combines an integrated silicon nanotip photoemitter with a compact silicon-based electrostatic lens. The lens simultaneously accelerates electrons to 30 keV and focuses the resulting beam to a 0.4 μm (RMS) beam diameter with 62 pm-rad normalized emittance at a distance of 20 mm from the cathode. The compact nature of this lens provides a compelling source for dielectric laser accelerator (DLA) beamlines, ultrafast electron diffraction, or ultrafast electron microscopy. Driven by a 220 fs, 1960 nm pulsed laser beam, electron currents up to 28 electrons/pulse at 100 kHz are demonstrated. The electron bunch length is 540 ± 50 fs for photocurrents of <1 electron/pulse, increasing to 700 ± 80 fs for 28 electrons/pulse, as measured by cross correlation with a 220 fs pulsed laser beam. The maximum 5D peak brightness is measured to be 6.8 × 10 13 A/(m 2 rad 2 ) at 28 electrons/pulse. These results represent a significant step toward developing practical benchtop-sized linear accelerators based on DLA technology or compact ultrafast electron microscopy and diffraction applications.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spectral emission properties of a nitrogen-doped diamond (001) photocathode: Hot electron transport and transverse momentum filtering

The electron emission properties of a single-crystal nitrogen-doped diamond(001) photocathode inserted in a 10 kV DC photoelectron gun are determined using a tunable (235–410 nm) ultraviolet laser radiation source for photoemission from both the back nitrogen-doped substrate face and the front homoepitaxially grown and undoped diamond crystal face. Here, the measured spectral trends of the mean transverse energy and quantum efficiency of the emitted electrons are both anomalous and nonmonotonic, but are shown to be consistent with (i) the known physics of electron photoexcitation from the nitrogen substitution states into the conduction bands of diamond, (ii) the energy position and dispersion characteristics of the conduction bands of diamond in the (001) emission direction, (iii) the effective electron affinity of the crystal faces, (iv) the strong electron-(optical)phonon coupling in diamond, and (v) the associated hot electron transport dynamics under energy equipartition with the optical phonons. Notably, the observed hot electron emission is shown to be restricted parallel to the photocathode surface by the low transverse effective masses of the emitting band states—a transverse momentum filtering effect.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electron Kinetics Induced by Ultrafast Photoexcitation of Warm Dense Matter in a 30-nm-Thick Foil

We report on the study of electron kinetics induced by intense femtosecond (fs) laser excitation of electrons in the 5d band of Au. Changes in the electron system are observed from the temporal evolution of ac conductivity and conduction electron density. The results reveal an increase of electron thermalization time with excitation energy density, contrary to the Fermi-liquid behavior of the decrease of thermalization time associated with the heating of conduction electrons. This is attributed to the severe mitigation of photoexcitation by Auger decay. The study also uncovers the shortening of 5d hole lifetime with the increase of photoexcitation rates. Overall, these unique findings provide valuable insights for understanding electron kinetics under extreme nonequilibrium conditions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗