Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Chirality”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Magnetic Control of Soft Chiral Phonons in PbTe

We report PbTe crystals have a soft transverse optical phonon mode in the terahertz frequency range, which is known to efficiently decay into heat-carrying acoustic phonons, resulting in anomalously low thermal conductivity. Here, we studied this phonon via polarization-dependent terahertz spectroscopy. We observed softening of this mode with decreasing temperature, indicative of incipient ferroelectricity, which we explain through a model including strong anharmonicity with a quartic displacement term. In magnetic fields up to 25 T, the phonon mode splits into two modes with opposite handedness, exhibiting circular dichroism. Their frequencies display Zeeman splitting together with an overall diamagnetic shift with increasing magnetic field. Using a group-theoretical approach, we demonstrate that these observations are the result of magnetic field-induced morphic changes in the crystal symmetries through the Lorentz force exerted on the lattice ions. Thus, our Letter reveals a novel process of controlling phonon properties in a soft ionic lattice by a strong magnetic field.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structural patterns at all scales in a nonmetallic chiral Au 133 (SR) 52 nanoparticle

Structural ordering is widely present in molecules and materials. However, the organization of molecules on the curved surface of nanoparticles is still the least understood owing to the major limitations of the current surface characterization tools. By the merits of x-ray crystallography, we reveal the structural ordering at all scales in a super robust 133–gold atom nanoparticle protected by 52 thiolate ligands, which is manifested in self-assembled hierarchical patterns starting from the metal core to the interfacial –S–Au–S– ladder-like helical “stripes” and further to the “swirls” of carbon tails. These complex surface patterns have not been observed in the smaller nanoparticles. We further demonstrate that the Au 133 (SR) 52 nanoparticle exhibits nonmetallic features in optical and electron dynamics measurements. Our work uncovers the elegant self-organization strategies in assembling a highly robust nanoparticle and provides a conceptual advance in scientific understanding of pattern structures.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Photoluminescence Spectra in Polycrystals of Chirally Pure and Racemic Phases of Tryptophan

The photoluminescence spectra of three crystalline phase modifications of aromatic amino acid tryptophan are compared: the left phase of L-tryptophan, the right phase of D-tryptophan, and the racemic phase of DL-tryptophan. The photoluminescence spectra were recorded using a fiber-optic procedure, a small-size FSD-8 spectrometer, and a data processing system that enables comparison of the analyzed spectrum with the spectrum of a reference substance. Photoluminescence was excited by a pulsed-periodic ultraviolet laser at a wavelength of 266 nm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗