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At least 109 records · Page 6

Phase retrieval for short wavelength orbital angular momentum beams using knife-edge diffraction

Laser beams operating in high order transverse modes, especially orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes, have been used increasingly in many frontier research areas. The characterization of these laser modes and the related component analysis can be carried out using the retrieved optical phase. However, conventional iterative phase retrieval methods, when applied to pure OAM modes, may fail because their convergence depends on the choice of the initial phase. Here, we present an improved phase retrieval method which can incorporate additional phase information obtained using knife-edge diffraction. Using no additional optics or few optics available in a wide spectral range, this method is particularly suitable for short wavelength lasers such as free-electron lasers (FELs) in the VUV, EUV, and X-ray regimes. Finally, this method has been tested using simulated beams, and successfully applied to experimentally generated beams from a HeNe laser and an FEL.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Thermodynamic stability of a spin microemulsion in Rashba spin-orbit-coupled bosons

Recent finite-temperature numerical simulations have unveiled a quantum “spin” microemulsion analog, found by raising the temperature of a stripe supersolid phase in a Rashba spin-orbit coupled Bose gas. This microemulsion state is a highly correlated, isotropic normal fluid where atoms self-arrange based on their internal pseudospin into patterns that resemble bicontinuous microemulsions. This finding leaves several open questions regarding the broader accessibility of this phase in experiments. Here, we use equilibrium finite-temperature numerical simulations based on a coherent-state path integral representation to perform a computational investigation into the thermodynamic stability of the spin microemulsion state. Numerical simulations emphasize the requirement of a nearly, but not perfectly, isotropic spin-orbit coupling in order to achieve the microemulsion phase in cold-atom experiments. Moreover, the microemulsion state exists independent of miscibility of the pseudospin components and for a wide range of pseudospin population imbalance, suggesting a high degree of flexibility in choosing the atom and hyperfine states in an experimental realization. Lastly, we demonstrate this feasibility by mimicking a Rashba spin-orbit-coupled 87 Rb experiment in an isotropic harmonic trap, where we confirm the microemulsion's existence via its density profile and equilibrium quasimomentum distribution.

Complex Langevin dynamics↗

Interaction of Th with H 0/–/+ : Combined Experimental and Theoretical Thermodynamic Properties

In this work, high-level electronic structure calculations of the lowlying energy electronic states for ThH, ThH – , and ThH + are reported and compared to experimental measurements. The inclusion of spin–orbit coupling is critical to predict the ground-state ordering as inclusion of spin–orbit switches the coupled-cluster CCSD(T) ordering of the two lowest energy states for ThH and ThH + . At the multireference spin–orbit SO-CASPT2 level, the ground states of ThH, ThH – , and ThH + are predicted to be the 2 Δ 3/2 , 3 Φ 2 , and 3 Δ 1 states, respectively. The adiabatic electron affinity is calculated to be 0.820 eV, and the vertical detachment energy is calculated to be 0.832 eV in comparison to an experimental value of 0.87 ± 0.02 eV. The observed ThH – photoelectron spectrum has many transitions, which approximately correlate with excitations of Th + and/or Th. The adiabatic ionization energy of ThH including spin–orbit corrections is calculated to be 6.181 eV. The natural bond orbital results are consistent with a significant contribution of the Th + H – ionic configuration to the bonding in ThH. The bond dissociation energies for ThH, ThH – , and ThH + using the Feller–Peterson–Dixon approach were calculated to be similar for all three molecules and lie between 259 and 280 kJ/mol.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Slow magnetic relaxation in a europium(II) complex

Single-ion anisotropy is vital for the observation of Single-Molecule Magnet (SMM) properties (i.e., a slow dynamics of the magnetization) in lanthanide-based systems. In the case of europium, the occurrence of this phenomenon has been inhibited by the spin and orbital quantum numbers that give way to J = 0 in the trivalent state and the half-filled population of the 4f orbitals in the divalent state. Herein, by optimizing the local crystal field of a quasi-linear bis(silylamido) Eu II complex, the [Eu II (N{SiMePh 2 } 2 ) 2 ] SMM is described, providing an example of a europium complex exhibiting slow relaxation of its magnetization. This behavior is dominated by a thermally activated (Orbach-like) mechanism, with an effective energy barrier of approximately 8 K, determined by bulk magnetometry and electron paramagnetic resonance. Ab initio calculations confirm second-order spin-orbit coupling effects lead to non-negligible axial magnetic anisotropy, splitting the ground state multiplet into four Kramers doublets, thereby allowing for the observation of an Orbach-like relaxation at low temperatures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Correlation-assisted quantized charge pumping

Here, we investigate charge pumping in the vicinity of order-obstructed topological phases, i.e., symmetry-protected topological phases masked by spontaneous symmetry breaking in the presence of strong correlations. To explore this, we study a prototypical Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model with finite-range interaction that gives rise to orbital charge density wave order and characterize the impact of this order on the model's topological properties. In the ordered phase, where the many-body topological invariant loses quantization, we find that not only is quantized charge pumping still possible, but it is even assisted by the collective nature of the orbital charge density wave order. Remarkably, we show that the Thouless pump scenario may be used to uncover the underlying topology of order-obstructed phases.

1-dimensional systems↗

Materials under high pressure: a chemical perspective

At high pressure, the typical behavior of elements dictated by the periodic table, including oxidation numbers, stoichiometries in compounds, and reactivity, to name but a few, is altered dramatically. As pressure is applied, the energetic ordering of atomic orbitals shifts, allowing core orbitals to become chemically active, atypical electron congurations to occur, and in some cases,non-atom-centered orbitals to form in the interstices of solid structures. Strange stoichiometries, structures, and bonding motifs result. Crystal structure prediction tools, not burdened by preconceived notions about structural chemistry learned at atmospheric pressure, have been applied to great success to explore phase diagrams at high pressure, identifying novel structures in diverse chemical systems. Several of these phases have been subsequently synthesized. Experimentally, access to high-pressure regimes has been bolstered by advances in diamond anvil cell and dynamic com- pression techniques. Here, the joint efforts of experiment and theory have led to startling success stories in the realm of high-temperature superconductivity, identifying many novel phases (some of which have been synthesized) whose superconducting transition approaches room temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Multireference Approach to Electron and Electron–Nuclear Dynamics in Nanomaterials (Final Report)

Many important chemical and physical phenomena involve dynamics on large number of electronic states. Thus, there is a critical need to develop methods to simulate dynamics in dense manifolds of states. Towards this end, we have: a) developed the multiple cloning in dense manifolds of states (MCDMS) method, which is capable of accurately modeling the quantum mechanical coherence between populations on a large number of electronic states, b) implemented MCDMS into the free, open-source PySpawn software package, c) developed graphics processing unit-accelerated algorithms modeling electron dynamics in light fields via Floquet time-dependent configuration interaction (F-TDCI), and d) critically compared different orbital bases in order to achieve an accurate and efficient F-TDCI expansion. This grant ended in August 2020, when our group moved to from Michigan State University to Stony Brook University, where this project continues under grant number DE-SC0021643.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Machine Learning Predictions of Transition Probabilities in Atomic Spectra

Forward modeling of optical spectra with absolute radiometric intensities requires knowledge of the individual transition probabilities for every transition in the spectrum. In many cases, these transition probabilities, or Einstein A-coefficients, quickly become practically impossible to obtain through either theoretical or experimental methods. Complicated electronic orbitals with higher order effects will reduce the accuracy of theoretical models. Experimental measurements can be prohibitively expensive and are rarely comprehensive due to physical constraints and sheer volume of required measurements. Due to these limitations, spectral predictions for many element transitions are not attainable. In this work, we investigate the efficacy of using machine learning models, specifically fully connected neural networks (FCNN), to predict Einstein A-coefficients using data from the NIST Atomic Spectra Database. For simple elements where closed form quantum calculations are possible, the data-driven modeling workflow performs well but can still have lower precision than theoretical calculations. For more complicated nuclei, deep learning emerged more comparable to theoretical predictions, such as Hartree–Fock. Unlike experiment or theory, the deep learning approach scales favorably with the number of transitions in a spectrum, especially if the transition probabilities are distributed across a wide range of values. It is also capable of being trained on both theoretical and experimental values simultaneously. In addition, the model performance improves when training on multiple elements prior to testing. The scalability of the machine learning approach makes it a potentially promising technique for estimating transition probabilities in previously inaccessible regions of the spectral and thermal domains on a significantly reduced timeline.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

The BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey. XVIII. Searching for Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in X-Rays

Theory predicts that a supermassive black hole binary (SMBHB) could be observed as a luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN) that periodically varies on the order of its orbital timescale. In X-rays, periodic variations could be caused by mechanisms including relativistic Doppler boosting and shocks. In this paper we present the first systematic search for periodic AGNs using 941 hard X-ray light curves (14–195 keV) from the first 105 months of the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey (2004–2013). We do not find evidence for periodic AGNs in Swift-BAT, including the previously reported SMBHB candidate MCG+11–11–032. We find that the null detection is consistent with the combination of the upper-limit binary population in AGNs in our adopted model, their expected periodic variability amplitudes, and the BAT survey characteristics. We have also investigated the detectability of SMBHBs against normal AGN X-ray variability in the context of the extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) survey. Under our assumptions of a binary population and the periodic signals they produce, which have long periods of hundreds of days, up to 13% true periodic binaries can be robustly distinguished from normal variable AGNs with the ideal uniform sampling. However, we demonstrate that realistic eROSITA sampling is likely to be insensitive to long-period binaries because longer observing gaps reduce their detectability. In contrast, large observing gaps do not diminish the prospect of detecting binaries of short, few-day periods, as 19% can be successfully recovered, the vast majority of which can be identified by the first half of the survey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Retention of Long-period Gas Giant Planets: Type II Migration Revisited

During their formation, emerging protoplanets tidally interact with their natal disks. Proto–gas giant planets, with Hill radii larger than the disk thickness, open gaps and quench gas flow in the vicinity of their orbits. It is usually assumed that their type II migration is coupled to the viscous evolution of the disk. Although this hypothesis provides an explanation for the origin of close-in planets, it also encounters a predicament on the retention of long-period orbits for most gas giant planets. Moreover, numerical simulations indicate that the planets' migrations are not solely determined by the viscous diffusion of their natal disk. In this work, we carry out a series of hydrodynamic simulations combined with analytic studies to examine the transition between different paradigms of type II migration. We find a range of planetary mass for which gas continues to flow through a severely depleted gap so that the surface density distribution in the disk region beyond the gap is maintained in a quasi-steady state. The associated gap profile modifies the location of corotation and Lindblad resonances. In the proximity of the planet's orbit, high-order Lindblad and corotation torque are weakened by the gas depletion in the gap, while low-order Lindblad torques near the gap walls preserve their magnitude. Consequently, the intrinsic surface density distribution of the disk delicately determines both the pace and direction of the planets' type II migration. We show that this effect might stall the inward migration of giant planets and preserve them in disk regions where the surface density is steep.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Bulk photospin effect: Calculation of electric spin susceptibility to second order in an electric field

Here, we compute the electric spin susceptibility of Bloch electrons with spin-orbit coupling to second order. We find that it is possible to generate a nonequilibrium spin polarization in the bulk of nonmagnetic inversion-symmetric materials using linearly polarized electric fields, but the process depends on interband coherence and produces heating. It may be possible to avoid heating with circular polarization in certain scenarios. The standard Edelstein effect and spin orientation effects are recovered in appropriate limits within the formalism. Finally, the electric spin susceptibility of metals has contributions proportional to spin multipole moments of the Fermi sea that dominate the low frequency spin response.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Observation of odd-parity superconductivity in UTe 2

Symmetry properties of the order parameter are among the most fundamental characteristics of a superconductor. UTe 2 , which was found to feature an exceedingly large upper critical field and striking reentrant behavior at low temperatures, is widely believed to possess a spin-triplet pairing symmetry. However, unambiguous evidence for such a pairing symmetry is still lacking, especially at zero and low magnetic fields. The presence of an inversion crystalline symmetry in UTe 2 requires that, if it is indeed a spin-triplet superconductor, the order parameter must be of odd parity. We report here phase-sensitive measurements of the symmetry of the orbital part of the order parameter using the Josephson effect. The selection rule in the orientation dependence of the Josephson coupling between In, an s -wave superconductor, and UTe 2 suggests strongly that UTe 2 possesses the odd-parity pairing state of B 1 u symmetry near zero magnetic field, making it a spin-triplet superconductor. We also report the apparent formation of Andreev surface bound states on the (1−10) surface of UTe 2 .

Li, Zixuan (ORCID:0009000572025666)↗

Spin–orbit coupling of electrons on separate lanthanide atoms of Pr 2 O 2 and its singly charged cation

Although it plays a critical role in the photophysics and catalysis of lanthanides, spin–orbit coupling of electrons on individual lanthanide atoms in small clusters is not well understood. The major objective of this work is to probe such coupling of the praseodymium (Pr) 4f and 6s electrons in Pr 2 O 2 and Pr 2 O 2 +. The approach combines mass-analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy and spin–orbit multiconfiguration second-order quasi-degenerate perturbation theory. The energies of six ionization transitions are precisely measured; the adiabatic ionization energy of the neutral cluster is 38 045 (5) cm –1 . Most of the electronic states involved in these transitions are identified as spin–orbit coupled states consisting of two or more electron spins. The electron configurations of these states are 4f 4 6s 2 for the neutral cluster and 4 f 46 s for the singly charged cation, both in planar rhombus-type structures. Finally, the spin–orbit splitting due to the coupling of the electrons on the separate Pr atoms is on the order of hundreds of wavenumbers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The effect of Cu additions in FePt–BN–SiO 2 heat-assisted magnetic recording media

Structural and chemical order impact magnetic properties of solids, which are governed by spin–orbit coupling and exchange interaction. The ordered L1 0 phase of FePt is a key material to heat-assisted magnetic recording; to enable high storage density, a solid understanding is needed of structural and chemical disorder at small length scales, as well as associated modifications of the electronic band structure. Here, we investigate the effect of boron and copper additions (≲6 mol% Cu) on structural and magnetic properties of L1 0 FePt granular media. Two copper-driven mechanisms, although competing, can lead to improvements in both structural and magnetic properties. In particular, the Cu substitution on the Fe-site leads to a degradation of magnetic properties due to the delocalized electron orbitals originating from a larger Cu d -orbital occupancy. At the same time, Cu substitution leads to an enhanced crystallographic order and consequently magneto-crystalline anisotropy, which offsets the former effect to a large extent. Our study is based on magnetometry, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, ab-initio calculations and a phenomenological theory of disordered FePt granular media. We do not observe a sizable modification to Fe moments and electronic configuration; Cu reveals two different resonances associated with the presence and absence of Cu–B bonds that vary with total Cu concentration.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Quantum disordered ground state in the triangular-lattice magnet NaRuO 2

It has long been hoped that spin liquid states might be observed in materials that realize the triangular lattice Hubbard model. However, weak spin-orbit coupling and other small perturbations often induce conventional spin freezing or magnetic ordering. Sufficiently strong spin-orbit coupling, however, can renormalize the electronic wave function and induce anisotropic exchange interactions that promote magnetic frustration. Here we show that the cooperative interplay of spin-orbit coupling and correlation effects in the triangular lattice magnet NaRuO 2 produces an inherently fluctuating magnetic ground state. Despite the presence of a charge gap, we find that low-temperature spin excitations generate a metal-like term in the specific heat and a continuum of excitations in neutron scattering, reminiscent of spin liquid states previously found in triangular lattice organic magnets. Further cooling produces a crossover into a different, highly disordered, spin state whose dynamic spin autocorrelation function reflects persistent fluctuations. Furthermore, these findings establish NaRuO 2 as a cousin to organic, Heisenberg spin liquid compounds with a low-temperature crossover in quantum disorder.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Flat-band-induced itinerant ferromagnetism in RbCo 2 Se 2

ACo 2 Se 2 (A=K,Rb,Cs) is a homologue of the iron-based superconductor, AFe 2 Se 2 . From a comprehensive study of RbCo 2 Se 2 via measurements of magnetization, transport, neutron diffraction, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and first-principle calculations, we identify a ferromagnetic order accompanied by an orbital-dependent spin-splitting of the electronic dispersions. However, we identify the ordered moment to be dominated by a d x 2 –y 2 flatband near the Fermi level, which exhibits the largest spin splitting across the ferromagnetic transition, suggesting an itinerant origin of the ferromagnetism. In the broader context of the iron-based superconductors, we find this d x 2 –y 2 flatband to be a common feature in the band structures of both iron chalcogenides and iron pnictides, accessible via heavy electron doping.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Pairing symmetry of twisted bilayer graphene: A phenomenological synthesis

One of the outstanding questions in the study of twisted bilayer graphene—from both experimental and theoretical points of view—is the nature of its superconducting phase. In this paper we perform a comprehensive synthesis of existing experiments, and argue that experimental constraints are strong enough to allow the structure of the superconducting order parameter to be nearly uniquely determined. In particular, we argue that the order parameter is nodal, and is formed from an admixture of spin-singlet and spin-triplet Cooper pairs. This argument is made on phenomenological grounds, without committing to any particular microscopic model of the superconductor. Existing data is insufficient to determine the orbital parity of the order parameter, which could be either p wave or d wave. We propose a way in which the measurement of Andreev edge states can be used to distinguish between the two.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗