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At least 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Scattering neutrinos, spin models, and permutations

We consider a class of Heisenberg all-to-all coupled spin models inspired by neutrino interactions in a supernova with N degrees of freedom. These models are characterized by a coupling matrix that is relatively simple in the sense that there are only a few, relative to N , nontrivial eigenvalues, in distinction to the classic Heisenberg spin-glass models, leading to distinct behavior in both the high-temperature and low-temperature regimes. When the momenta of the neutrinos are uniform and random in directions, we can calculate the large- N partition function for the quantum Heisenberg model. In particular, the high-temperature partition function predicts a non-Gaussian density of states, providing interesting counterexamples showing the limits of general theorems on the density of states for quantum spin models. We can repeat the same argument for classical Heisenberg models, also known as rotor models, and we find the high-temperature expansion is completely controlled by the eigenvalues of the coupling matrix, and again predicts non-Gaussian behavior for the density of states as long as the number of eigenvalues does not scale linearly with N . Indeed, we derive the amusing fact that these partition functions are essentially the generating function for counting permutations in the high-temperature regime. Finally, for the case relevant to neutrinos in a supernova, we identify the low-temperature phase as a unique state with the direction of the momenta of the neutrino dictating its coherent state in flavor-space, a state we dub the “flavor-momentum-locked” state. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Emergent Ergodicity at the Transition between Many-Body Localized Phases

Strongly disordered systems in the many-body localized (MBL) phase can exhibit ground state order in highly excited eigenstates. The interplay between localization, symmetry, and topology has led to the characterization of a broad landscape of MBL phases ranging from spin glasses and time crystals to symmetry protected topological phases. Understanding the nature of phase transitions between these different forms of eigenstate order remains an essential open question. In this work, we conjecture that no direct transition between distinct MBL orders can occur in one dimension; rather, an ergodic phase always intervenes. Motivated by recent advances in Rydberg-atom-based quantum simulation, we propose an experimental protocol where the intervening ergodic phase can be diagnosed via the dynamics of local observables.

1-dimensional spin chains↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nonlinear dynamics, avalanches, and noise for driven Wigner crystals

Here we consider the driven dynamics of Wigner crystals interacting with random disorder. Using numerical simulations, we find a rich variety of transport phenomena as a function of charge density, drive, and pinning strength. For weak pinning, the system forms a defect-free crystal that depins elastically. When the pinning is stronger, a pinned glass phase appears that depins into a filamentary flow state, transitions at higher drives into a disordered flow phase, and finally forms a moving smectic. Within the filamentary flow phase, the conduction curves can show switching dynamics as well as negative differential conductivity in which switching events cause some flow channels to be blocked. The velocity noise in the filamentary flow regime exhibits narrow band characteristics due to the one-dimensional nature of the motion, while the moving smectic has narrow band velocity noise with a washboard frequency. In the disordered flow state, the noise power reaches a peak value and the noise has a 1/$\mathcal{f}$ character. Our transport results are consistent with recent experimental transport studies in systems where Wigner crystal states are believed to be occurring. Below the conduction threshold, we find that avalanches with a power-law size distribution appear when there are sudden local rearrangements of charges from one pinned configuration to another.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nontrivial critical behavior at magnetic transitions: A case study of Sm 7 ⁢Pd 3

We present a comprehensive analysis of the critical behavior of Sm 7 ⁢Pd 3 in the vicinity of its second-order magnetoelastic transition at 𝑇 c =173 K. The critical exponents (CEs) 𝛽 and 𝛾, determined using both the standard convergence procedure and the average normalized slope (ANS) method, diverge at 𝑇 c –-a characteristic typically associated with first-order transitions. Notably, none of the established universality classes satisfactorily describe the critical behavior of Sm 7 ⁢Pd 3 , and we discuss the possible origins of this deviation in the context of the strong spin-lattice coupling intrinsic to the sample. We emphasize the importance of accurately selecting the critical temperature and magnetic field ranges to ensure robust critical behavior analysis, and propose a quantitative approach to assess the reliability of the extracted CEs. Additionally, we demonstrate that in the ANS method, the critical exponents 𝛽 and 𝛾 should be calculated separately using data for 𝑇 ⩽ 𝑇 c and 𝑇 ⩾ 𝑇 c , respectively. In conclusion, our findings underscore the need for a revised theoretical framework to accurately describe second-order magnetoelastic transitions.

Ferrimagnets↗
NASA NTRS1979

Friction measurements in piston-cylinder apparatus using quartz-coesite reversible transition

The value of friction determined by monitoring piston displacement as a function of nominal pressure on compression and decompression cycles at 1273 K is compared with the friction value obtained by reversing the quartz-coesite transition at 1273 and 1073 K in a talc-glass-alsimag cell (Akella and Kennedy, 1971) and a low-friction salt cell (Mirwald et al., 1975). Quenching runs at 1273 K gave double values of friction of 0.25 GPa for the talc-glass-alsimag cell and 0.03 GPa for the salt cell. The piston-displacement technique gave somewhat higher values. Use of piston-displacement hysteresis loops in evaluating the actual pressure on a sample may lead to overestimates for decompression runs and underestimates for compression runs.

Akella, J.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Fluorescence of Pentavalent Chromium in SiO2 Sol-Gel Glasses

Chromium ions are very attractive to optical spectroscopy and laser physics. It is well known that the first laser in the history is a ruby laser activated with Cr(3+). It was found in early nineties that Cr(4+) was also an interesting lasing ion in the near infrared, and various Cr(4+) lasers have been developed. Very recently, it was reported that Cr(2+) doped in CdSe crystals showed lasing action in the infrared. The above achievement have stimulated an interest in searching for Cr(5+) and investigating its optical properties. Cr(5+) is isoelectronic with Ti(3+) and V(4+), having electron configuration 3d1. Ti(3+) is the active center of commercial cw and femtosecond sapphire lasers, tunable in the range 680-1100 nm. V(4+) doped in YAlO3 and Al2O3 showed broad band emission near 635 nm. Although EPR results of Cr(5+) were reported, the optical properties were less studied. Herren et al. reported an observation of luminescence from Cr doped in SiO2 sol-gel glass. The luminescence spectrum was assigned to pentavalent ions in their first paper, and later it was identified to be the emission from the charge transfer transition of Cr(6+). The first observation of photoluminescence from octahedrally coordinated Cr(5+) in BaCaMg aluminate glasses was reported very recently. In this work, we report luminescence results of Cr doped SiO2 sol-gel glasses. The fluorescence spectra are very different from Herrens' results, and we believe it originates from pentavalent Cr.

Jia, Weiyi↗
DOE OSTI2021

Manifestations of metastable criticality in the long-range structure of model water glasses

Abstract Much attention has been devoted to water’s metastable phase behavior, including polyamorphism (multiple amorphous solid phases), and the hypothesized liquid-liquid transition and associated critical point. However, the possible relationship between these phenomena remains incompletely understood. Using molecular dynamics simulations of the realistic TIP4P/2005 model, we found a striking signature of the liquid-liquid critical point in the structure of water glasses, manifested as a pronounced increase in long-range density fluctuations at pressures proximate to the critical pressure. By contrast, these signatures were absent in glasses of two model systems that lack a critical point. We also characterized the departure from equilibrium upon vitrification via the non-equilibrium index; water-like systems exhibited a strong pressure dependence in this metric, whereas simple liquids did not. These results reflect a surprising relationship between the metastable equilibrium phenomenon of liquid-liquid criticality and the non-equilibrium structure of glassy water, with implications for our understanding of water phase behavior and glass physics. Our calculations suggest a possible experimental route to probing the existence of the liquid-liquid transition in water and other fluids.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Molecular Rotations, Multiscale Order, Hyperuniformity, and Signatures of Metastability during the Compression/Decompression Cycles of Amorphous Ices

We model, via large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, the isothermal compression of low-density amorphous ice (LDA) to generate high-density amorphous ice (HDA) and the corresponding decompression extending to negative pressures to recover the low-density amorphous phase (LDA HDA ). Both LDA and HDA are nearly hyperuniform and are characterized by a dynamical HBN, showing that amorphous ices are nonstatic materials and implying that nearly hyperuniformity can be accommodated in dynamical networks. In correspondence with both the LDA-to-HDA and the HDA-to-LDA HDA phase transitions, the (partial) activation of rotational degrees of freedom activates a cascade effect that induces a drastic change in the connectivity and a pervasive reorganization of the HBN topology which, ultimately, break the samples’ hyperuniform character. Key to this effect is the rapid rate at which changes occur, and not their magnitude. The inspection of structural properties from the short- to the long-range shows that signatures of metastability are present at all length-scales, hence providing further solid evidence in support of the liquid–liquid critical point scenario. LDA and LDA HDA differ in terms of HBN and structural properties, implying that they are distinct low-density glasses. Our work unveils the role of molecular rotations in the phase transitions between amorphous ices and shows how the unfreezing of rotational degrees of freedom generates a cascade effect that propagates over multiple length-scales. Our findings greatly improve our basic understanding of water and amorphous ices and can potentially impact the field of molecular network-forming materials at large.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2000

A Dynamic Model for the Interaction Between an Insoluble Particle and an Advancing Solid/Liquid Interface

Most models that describe the interaction of an insoluble particle with an advancing solid-liquid interface are based on the assumption of steady state. However, as demonstrated by experimental work, the process does not reach steady state until the particle is pushed for a while by the interface. In this work, a dynamic mathematical model was developed. The dynamic model demonstrates that this interaction is essentially non-steady state and that steady state eventually occurs only when solidification is conducted at sub-critical velocities. The model was tested for three systems: aluminum-zirconia particles, succinonitrilepolystyrene particles, and biphenyl-glass particles. The calculated values for critical velocity of the pushing/engulfment transition were in same range with the experimental ones.

Catalina, A. V.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Containerless Measurement of Thermophysical Properties of Ti-Zr-Ni Alloys

The surface tension, viscosity, density, and thermal expansion of Ti-Zr-Ni alloys were measured for a number of compositions by electrostatic levitation methods. Containerless methods greatly reduce heterogeneous nucleation, increasing access to the undercooled liquid regime at finite cooling rates. The density and thermal expansion are measured optically, while the surface tension and viscosity are measured by the oscillating drop method. The measured alloys include compositions which form a metastable quasicrystal phase from the undercooled liquid, and alloys close to the composition of several multi-component bulk metallic glass-forming alloys. Measurements of surface tension show behavior typical of transition metals at high temperature, but a sudden decrease in the deeply undercooled liquid for alloys near the quasicrystal-forming composition range, but not for compositions which form the solid-solution phase first.

Hyers, Robert↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TEMPERATURE CONSTRAINT OF THE MISTASTIN LAKE IMPACT STRUCTURE IMPACT MELT ROCKS

Impact melt is a product of hypervelocity cratering events formed by the instantaneous melting of near-surface target rocks. The temperatures of impact melt upon formation are believed to be superheated, vastly exceeding the liquidus temperature of igneous rocks formed via endogenic processes. However, quantitative understanding of the formation and duration of superheated temperatures remains incomplete. To date, only one datum on the hottest post-shock temperature (>2370 °C) has been derived by Timms et al. (2017) [1]. These authors studied the microstructures and crystallographic orientations preserved within a rim of vermicular ZrO2 of a zircon grain entrained within impact glass at the Mistastin Lake impact structure, Canada. Diagnostic crystallographic orientation indicated the presence of cubic zirconia, requiring a minimum temperature for the impact melt of >2370°C from the dissociation of zircon to cubic zirconia and liquid SiO2. With only one temperature datum, it cannot be stated whether the temperature of the impact melt sheet was homogenous across the entire structure or if the thermal history of the melt varied with spatial distribution. In this study, we present a preliminary investigation of 70 zircon grains, 22 of which exhibit rims of vermicular ZrO2 dissociation textures, similar to those studied by Timms et al. (2017). To acquire a more accurate temperature profile representative of impact melt, zircon crystals were collected from different types of impact melt bearing units, including additional samples of the impact glass studied by Timms et al. (2017). Of the 22 zircon grains with dissociation textures, at least 4 grains in the impact glass show diagnostic evidence of pre-existing cubic zirconia, and 1 grain from a glass-bearing breccia exhibits granular zircon textures, possible evidence of a transition from high-P to high-T conditions. These results show the heterogeneous post-shock temperature distribution of superheated impact melt within the Mistastin impact structure. [1] Timms, N.E., Erickson, T.M., Zanetti, M.R., Pearce, M.A., Cayron, C., Cavosie, A.J., Reddy, S.M., Wittmann, A. and Carpenter, P.K., 2017. Cubic zirconia in> 2370° C impact melt records Earth's hottest crust. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 477, pp.52-58.

rock↗
DOE OSTI2025

Interplay between aging and rejuvenation in spin glasses

Aging in a single-crystal spin glass (Cu 0.92 ⁢Mn 0.08 ) has been measured using ac susceptibility techniques over a temperature range of 0.3–0.8𝑇 𝑔 . In these studies, traditional aging experiments (or “quench” aging protocols) are compared to aging curves constructed from finite-cooling-rate curves. By comparing the growth rates of spin glass order between the two types of aging curves, it is determined that quantitative comparisons between protocols that are taken by quenching and protocols using a finite cooling rate are not possible without a deeper understanding of the interplay between aging and rejuvenation. Finally, we then demonstrate that the data presented indicate that rejuvenation, rather than cumulative aging, is the cause of the discrepancies between the two growth rates.

dynamical phase transitions↗
NASA NTRS2021

Modeling Laminar-to-Turbulent Transition in the Panel Test Facility Arcjet

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) laminar-to-turbulence transition model was developed for the NASA Ames Research Center’s 20 MW Panel Test Facility (PTF). Surface pressure, heat flux to a water-cooled plate, and surface temperature on a tile plate coated with reaction-cured glass were measured across several conditions in the facility and compared with laminar and fully-turbulent CFD simulations. The potential for bypass transition in the PTF nozzle was assessed via application of the Langtry-Menter four-equation transitional shear-stress transport (SST) model. Results from the transition model were inconsistent with measurements. Flow interaction with a boundary conditioning plate feature inside the nozzle was also investigated as a potential source of laminar-to-turbulent transition using two turbulence models with specified transition locations. The Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model was configured to simulate a transition at the upstream edge of the boundary conditioning plate and produced results consistent with the surface pressure measurements but not the cold-wall heat flux. Finally, the SST turbulence model was calibrated to transition at the upstream edge of the boundary conditioning plate and produced results consistent with both the surface pressure and cold-wall heat flux measurements. The SST-based model demonstrated reasonable agreement with surface temperature measurements on the reaction-cured glass tile, albeit with some discrepancies.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microstructural and Rheological Transitions in Bacterial Biofilms

Biofilms are aggregated bacterial communities structured within an extracellular matrix (ECM). ECM controls biofilm architecture and confers mechanical resistance against shear forces. From a physical perspective, biofilms can be described as colloidal gels, where bacterial cells are analogous to colloidal particles distributed in the polymeric ECM. However, the influence of the ECM in altering the cellular packing fraction (Φ) and the resulting viscoelastic behavior of biofilm remains unexplored. Using biofilms of Pantoea sp. (WT) and its mutant (ΔUDP), the correlation between biofilm structure and its viscoelastic response is investigated. Experiments show that the reduction of exopolysaccharide production in ΔUDP biofilms corresponds with a seven-fold increase in Φ, resulting in a colloidal glass-like structure. Consequently, the rheological signatures become altered, with the WT behaving like a weak gel, whilst the ΔUDP displayed a glass-like rheological signature. By co-culturing the two strains, biofilm Φ is modulated which allows us to explore the structural changes and capture a change in viscoelastic response from a weak to a strong gel, and to a colloidal glass-like state. The results reveal the role of exopolysaccharide in mediating a structural transition in biofilms and demonstrate a correlation between biofilm structure and viscoelastic response.

viscoelasticity↗
DOE OSTI2025

On the bulk compaction of brittle granular materials, Part III: Brittle‐to‐ductile transition and yield strength

A new and simple method is presented that enables the estimation of the yield strength (σ y ) of brittle materials (e.g., ceramics, glasses). It results from the combination of sufficiently high-stress compaction of their granular form, postmortem analysis of the crushed particles to identify the critical particle size corresponding to their brittle-to-ductile transition, and the use of a developed and simple analytical expression. Here, this method was an outcome from Part I of this three-paper series. To execute it, a granular brittle material is compacted to a sufficiently high stress, whereby the acting comminution produces both a fraction of particles having a sufficiently small size formed by ductile or plastic-like deformation and a remaining fraction of larger particles formed from brittle fracture. Postmortem microscopy is then used to identify the smallest particle size whose morphology indicates it formed from brittle fracture (d B2D ). The brittle material's σ y can then be estimated using a combination of the d B2D , Kendall's and Griffith's theories, a priori knowledge of the material's fracture toughness (K Ic ), and a fracture mechanics shape factor constant (Y) using σ y = √((32 π K Ic 2 )/(3 Y 2 d B2D )). The method's development and its use to estimate σ y for several vitreous silicates, α-quartzes, and NaCl are provided.

Compaction↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fast-current-heating devices to study in situ phase formation in metallic glasses by using high-energy synchrotron radiation

Details of fast-resistive-heating setups, controlled heating ranging from ~10 1 K s –1 to ~10 3 K s –1 , to study in situ phase transformations (on heating and on cooling) in metallic glasses by high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction are discussed here. Both setups were designed and custom built at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW Dresden) and have been implemented at the P02.1 Powder Diffraction and Total Scattering Beamline and the P21.1 Swedish Materials Science Beamline at PETRA III storage ring, DESY, Hamburg. The devices are interchangeable at both beamlines. Joule heating is triggered automatically and is timed with the incident beam and detector. The crystallization process can be controlled via a feedback circuit by monitoring the change in the time-dependent resistivity and temperature of glasses. Different ambient atmospheres, such as vacuum and inert gases (He and Ar), can be used to control oxidation and cooling. The main focus of these devices is on understanding the crystallization mechanism and kinetics in metallic glasses, which are brittle and for which fast heating gives defined glass–crystal composites with enhanced plasticity. As an example, phase-transformation sequence(s) in a prototyped Cu–Zr-based metallic glass is described on heating, and a crystalline phase beneficial to the plasticity is identified.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Between Harmonic Crystal and Glass: Solids with Dimpled Potential-Energy Surfaces Having Multiple Local Energy Minima

Solids with dimpled potential-energy surfaces are ubiquitous in nature and, typically, exhibit structural (elastic or phonon) instabilities. Dimpled potentials are not harmonic; thus, the conventional quasiharmonic approximation at finite temperatures fails to describe anharmonic vibrations in such solids. At sufficiently high temperatures, their crystal structure is stabilized by entropy; in this phase, a diffraction pattern of a periodic crystal is combined with vibrational properties of a phonon glass. As temperature is lowered, the solid undergoes a symmetry-breaking transition and transforms into a lower-symmetry phase with lower lattice entropy. Here, we identify specific features in the potential-energy surface that lead to such polymorphic behavior; we establish reliable estimates for the relative energies and temperatures associated with the anharmonic vibrations and the solid–solid symmetry-breaking phase transitions. We show that computational phonon methods can be applied to address anharmonic vibrations in a polymorphic solid at fixed temperature. To illustrate the ubiquity of this class of materials, we present a range of examples (elemental metals, a shape-memory alloy, and a layered charge-density-wave system); we show that our theoretical predictions compare well with known experimental data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗