Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Random fields”

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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Far-field speckle correlations as a function of object position for microscopically distinguishing objects hidden in a randomly scattering medium

Super-resolution optical sensing is of critical importance in science and technology and has required prior information about an imaging system or obtrusive near-field probing. Additionally, coherent imaging and sensing in heavily scattering media such as biological tissue has been challenging, and practical approaches have either been restricted to measuring the field transmission of a single point source, or to where the medium is thin. We present the concept of far-subwavelength spatial sensing with relative object motion in speckle as a means to coherently sense through heavy scatter. Experimental results demonstrate the ability to distinguish nominally identical objects with nanometer-scale translation while hidden in randomly scattering media, without the need for precise or known location and with imprecise replacement. The theory and supportive illustrations presented provide the basis for super-resolution sensing and the possibility of virtually unlimited spatial resolution, including through thick, heavily scattering media with relative motion of an object in a structured field. This work provides enabling opportunities for material inspection, security, and biological sensing.

Hastings, Ryan L. (ORCID:0009000095977807)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spectral form factor of a quantum spin glass

It is widely expected that systems which fully thermalize are chaotic in the sense of exhibiting random-matrix statistics of their energy level spacings, whereas integrable systems exhibit Poissonian statistics. In this paper, we investigate a third class: spin glasses. These systems are partially chaotic but do not achieve full thermalization due to large free energy barriers. We examine the level spacing statistics of a canonical infinite-range quantum spin glass, the quantum p-spherical model, using an analytic path integral approach. We find statistics consistent with a direct sum of independent random matrices, and show that the number of such matrices is equal to the number of distinct metastable configurations — the exponential of the spin glass “complexity” as obtained from the quantum Thouless-Anderson-Palmer equations. We also consider the statistical properties of the complexity itself and identify a set of contributions to the path integral which suggest a Poissonian distribution for the number of metastable configurations. Our results show that level spacing statistics can probe the ergodicity-breaking in quantum spin glasses and provide a way to generalize the notion of spin glass complexity beyond models with a semi-classical limit.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Once-in-a-lifetime encounter models for neutrino media. II. Quasisteady states and miscidynamic flavor evolution

We extended the once-in-a-lifetime encounter (OILE) model to stochastic interactions among neutrinos. As in the original OILE model, the new model reproduces the mean-field behavior of a dense neutrino gas for time 𝑡 ≲ (𝜇⁢𝛾) −1 , where 𝜇 measures the strength of the mean-field neutrino self-interaction potential and is proportional to the neutrino density, and the dimensionless “impact parameter” 𝛾 is a measure of the change in the flavor quantum state of a neutrino during interaction with another neutrino when the wave packets of the two neutrinos overlap. As in the mean-field case, the OILE model with random neutrino velocities experiences kinetic flavor decoherence as the flavor quantum states of the neutrinos diverge from each other. Unlike the mean-field case, however, the OILE model has a “collision term” due to the quantum entanglement among neutrinos. For 𝛾 ≪ 1, this incoherent effect can drive the neutrinos into a quasisteady state that is similar to the collective precession mode in a homogeneous and isotropic neutrino gas in the mean-field approximation. Subsequently, the collision term drives the neutrino gas adiabatically through different quasisteady states and eventually to flavor equilibration. This process is an example of miscidynamic flavor evolution, with the mixing equilibria being the quasisteady precession states.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhancing quantum clocks and sensors with randomization and decoherence

This letter shows how incoherent dynamics can lead to metrological advantages in quantum sensing. The results rely on the fact that incoherent dynamics lead to an additive contribution to the quantum Fisher information about time. Such an additive contribution can reduce the error of optimal estimation protocols, as implied by the quantum Cramér–Rao bound. I characterize regimes in which the estimation of a time interval or a frequency is enhanced by decoherence, thereby identifying cases in which incoherent dynamics serve as a metrological resource. The decoherence processes that yield enhanced precision of quantum sensors can be engineered by randomized Hamiltonian dynamics. I illustrate the results with protocols that display improved sensing of time intervals or global fields by qubit and photonic sensors. Enhanced precision of time intervals is achieved with Hamiltonians that include randomized global parameters. Enhanced precision in field estimation is obtained by randomized sensing times.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Investigation of Rocket Effect in BRC 18 using Gaia EDR3

ABSTRACT Bright-rimmed clouds (BRCs) are ideal candidates to study radiation-driven implosion mode of star formation as they are potential sites of triggered star formation, located at the edges of Hii regions, showing evidence of ongoing star formation processes. BRC 18 is located towards the eastern edge of relatively closer (∼400 pc) H ii region excited by λ Ori. We made R-band polarimetric observations of 17 candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) located towards BRC 18 to investigate any preferred orientation of the discs with respect to the ambient magnetic field and the direction of energetic photons from λ Ori. We found that the discs are oriented randomly with respect to the projected magnetic field. Using distances and proper motions from the Gaia EDR3 of the candidate YSOs, we investigated the possible acceleration of BRC 18, away from λ Ori due to the well-known ‘Rocket Effect’, by assuming that both the candidate YSOs and BRC 18 are kinematically coupled. The relative proper motions of the candidate YSOs are found to show a trend of moving away from λ Ori. We computed the offset between the angle of the direction of the ionization front and the relative proper motion of the candidate YSOs and found it to lie close to being parallel to each other. Additionally, we found 12 sources that are co-moving with the known candidate YSOs towards BRC 18. These co-moving sources are most likely to be young and are missed in previous surveys conducted to identify potential YSOs of the region.

Saha, Piyali (ORCID:0000000200281354)↗
DOE OSTI2023

An effective field theory for non-maximal quantum chaos

In non-maximally quantum chaotic systems, the exponential behavior of out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs) results from summing over exchanges of an infinite tower of higher “spin” operators. We construct an effective field theory (EFT) to capture these exchanges in (0 + 1) dimensions. The EFT generalizes the one for maximally chaotic systems, and reduces to it in the limit of maximal chaos. The theory predicts the general structure of OTOCs both at leading order in the 1/N expansion (N is the number of degrees of freedom), and after resuming over an infinite number of higher order 1/N corrections. These general results agree with those previously explicitly obtained in specific models. We also show that the general structure of the EFT can be extracted from the large q SYK model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A computational study of how surfaces affect slip family activity

Plastic deformation behavior is most conveniently assessed by characterization on a surface, but whether such observations are representative of bulk properties is uncertain. Motivated by reported inconsistencies in slip resistance probed at different depths, we investigated (i) whether the average slip family activity is affected by the presence of a surface and (ii) how the kinematic nature of available slip families influences a potential surface effect. The slip family activity as a function of distance from the surface was extracted from full-field crystal plasticity simulations of random polycrystalline hexagonal close-packed (HCP) and body-centered cubic (BCC) metals as examples of mixed in contrast to universally-high numbers of slip systems per family. Under certain conditions, a deviation from bulk slip activity is observed up to about two grains from the surface. For the easiest (least slip-resistant) family, a surface effect of decreasing activity with depth emerges if the number of slip systems falls below about six. For harder families, slip activity always increases with depth. Furthermore, these phenomena are explained on the basis of varying constraints with depth in connection with the kinematic properties of slip families in the material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Electrostatic Interactions Control the Nanostructure of Conjugated Polyelectrolyte–Polymeric Ionic Liquid Blends

Polyelectrolyte complexation offers unique opportunities to compatibilize polymers with very different backbone chemistries and to control the morphology of the resulting blend via electrostatic manipulation. In this study, we demonstrate the ability to formulate homogeneous complexes of a conjugated polyelectrolyte with a polymeric ionic liquid, utilizing the electrostatic attraction among their oppositely charged side chains. Variation of electrostatic parameters, such as counterion concentration or polymer charge fraction, tunes the morphology of these polymer complexes from homogeneously disordered blend to weakly structured microemulsion where the local ordering arises from backbone-immiscibility-induced microphase segregation. Our experimental observations are in qualitative agreement with both field-theoretic simulation and random-phase approximation calculations. Simulated morphology snapshots suggest and experimental evidence also indicates that the microphase-segregated complex likely takes on a cocontinuous microemulsion structure. Our findings show that ionic interactions are an effective pathway to compatibilize polymers at macroscopic length scales while achieving controlled nanostructures in these ionic blends. Such systems have great potential for engineering the nanostructure of polymers to tailor applications such as nanofiltration, catalysis, and energy storage, where local ordering can enhance the physical properties of an otherwise macroscopically homogeneous structure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Phonon dynamics in the site-disordered Kitaev spin liquid

The Kitaev honeycomb model provides a paradigmatic example of an exactly solvable quantum spin liquid (QSL), where spins fractionalize into itinerant Majorana fermions coupled to a static background of ℤ 2 gauge fluxes. This model has attracted significant interest due to its potential experimental realization in spin-orbit Mott insulators like 𝛼−RuCl 3 . Among various experimental techniques, ultrasound measurements of sound attenuation have emerged as a promising approach to detect spin fractionalization in these materials. However, deviations from the ideal Kitaev model, often due to disorder, introduce localized modes that dominate the low-energy physics. To investigate these effects, we calculate the sound attenuation coefficient in the site-disordered Kitaev honeycomb model under an applied magnetic field that breaks time-reversal symmetry. Our analysis reveals that quasilocalized modes from quasivacancies impact the phonon self-energy, yet the sound attenuation coefficient maintains its sixfold symmetry and linear temperature dependence at low temperatures, even with disorder. This robustness underscores sound attenuation's reliability as a probe for spin fractionalization. As a result, we show that this linear behavior persists under an external field and in the random-flux sector, highlighting the persistent influence of fractionalized excitations, despite disorder.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quasiparticle self-consistent GW band structures and phase transitions of LiAlO 2 in tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated structures

In this work, a first-principles computational study is presented of various phases of LiAlO 2 . The relative total energies and equations of state of the α, β, and γ phases are determined after structural relaxation of each phase. The β and γ tetrahedral phases are found to be very close in energy and lattice volume with the γ phase having the lowest energy. The octahedral α phase is a high-pressure phase and the transition pressure from the γ and β phases to α is determined to be about 1 GPa. The electronic band structures of each phase at their own equilibrium volume are determined using the quasiparticle self-consistent (QS) GW method as well as using the 0.8 Σ approach in which the QS GW self-energy is reduced by a factor of 0.8 to correct for the underscreening of W in QS GW. The effective masses of the band edges and the nature of the band gaps are presented. The lowest energy γ phase is found to have a pseudodirect gap of 7.69 eV. The gap is direct at Γ but corresponds to a dipole forbidden transition. The imaginary part of the dielectric function and the absorption coefficient are calculated in the long-wavelength limit and the random phase approximation, without local field or electron-hole interaction effects for each phase, and their anisotropies are discussed. Si doping on the Al site is investigated as a possible n-type dopant in γ-LiAlO 2 using a 128-atom supercell corresponding to 3.125% Si on the Al sublattice in the generalized gradient approximation and a smaller 16-atom cell with 25% Si in the QS GW approximation. The Si is found to significantly perturb the conduction band and lower the gap but a clearly separated deep donor defect level is not found. However, the donor binding energy is still expected to be relatively deep, on the order of a few tenths eV in the hydrogenic effective mass approximation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Route to Molecular Quantum Technologies Using Endohedral Metallofullerenes

This project focused on fundamental studies of metal-organic hybrid molecules, including endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) and related cage-like structures in which quantum information can be encoded into the magnetic (spin) states associated with lanthanide (Ln) atoms that are encapsulated within a protective organic shell. This approach promises advantages over other current magnetic qubit targets based on inorganic molecules and solids. First and foremost, the organic cage provides a rigid environment devoid of elements that possess magnetic nuclei (the 12C nucleus is non-magnetic), thereby protecting the encapsulated atoms from well-known and stubborn noise sources – random vibrations and fluctuating magnetic fields due to nearby nuclei – that can easily erase fragile quantum information states. Equally important, this approach opens up the vast toolbox of organic molecular chemistry. This allows for large-scale synthesis of chemically identical species, with exquisite control over the quantum information states of the associated Ln atoms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of neutron spin-phase imaging for amorphous magnetic thin film investigation

Neutron spin-phase imaging (NSPI) capability was developed to study the magnetization distribution of an amorphous magnetic thin film. The local magnetization under different applied magnetic fields between 0.09 and 1.36 mT was investigated. The developed radio frequency flippers showed more than 95% flipping efficiency under these fields. A spatial resolution of ~0.4 mm and field of view of ~24 mm x 27 mm were achieved. In conclusion, the bulk property of the random distributions of the magnetization and magnetic field distribution ranging between ~1.1 and 1.4 T were observed showing that NSPI is a useful technique for investigating the spatial dependence of magnetic properties of amorphous magnetic thin films.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Near-field-driven radiative thermal dynamics in aperiodic photonic nanostructures

Harnessing structural correlations in near-field plasmonic and polaritonic systems hold untapped potential for controlling light–matter interactions at the nanoscale. By tuning these correlations, one can reshape mode localization, coupling, and spectral distribution which are properties central to manipulating energy transport and field enhancement in nanophotonic platforms. We exploit Vogel spirals, an aperiodic geometry where a single parameter dictates spatial correlations, to show how correlation strength reshapes the modal spectrum and transient dynamics of near-field coupling. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that aperiodic configurations outperform both uncorrelated (random) and periodic arrays in controlling near-field radiative heat-transfer dynamics. These results establish deterministic aperiodic order as a powerful platform for tailoring correlated electromagnetic responses in next-generation nanophotonic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Equilibrium Dynamics of Infinite-Range Quantum Spin Glasses in a Field

We determine the low-energy spectrum and Parisi replica-symmetry-breaking function for the spin-glass phase of the quantum Ising model with infinite-range random exchange interactions and transverse and longitudinal ( h ) fields. We show that, for all h , the spin-glass state has full replica symmetry breaking and the local spin spectrum is gapless, with a spectral density that vanishes linearly with frequency. These results are obtained using an action functional—argued to yield exact results at low frequencies—that expands in powers of a spin-glass order parameter, which is bilocal in time, and a matrix in replica space. We also present the exact solution of the infinite-range spherical quantum p -rotor model at nonzero h : here, the spin-glass state has one-step replica symmetry breaking and gaplessness only appears after imposition of an additional marginal stability condition. Possible connections to experiments on random arrays of trapped Rydberg atoms are noted. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Tikhanovskaya, Maria↗
DOE OSTI2025

Turbulent-like flows in quasi two-dimensional dense suspensions of motile colloids

Dense bacterial suspensions exhibit turbulent-like flows at low Reynolds numbers, driven by the activity of the microswimmers. In this study, we develop a model system to examine these dynamics using motile colloids that mimic bacterial locomotion. The colloids are powered by the Quincke instability, which causes them to spontaneously roll in a random-walk pattern when exposed to a square-wave electric field. We experimentally investigate the flow dynamics in dense suspensions of these Quincke random walkers under quasi two-dimensional conditions, where the particle size is comparable to the gap between the electrodes. The results suggest a scaling regime in the energy spectrum ∼k −4 at high wavenumbers, observed consistently across activity levels and particle concentrations. We observe that velocity time correlations decay within a single period of the square-wave field, yet an anti-correlation appears between successive field applications, indicative of a dynamic structural memory of the ensemble.

Luo, Rui [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Frequency Domain Methodology for Quantitative Evaluation of Diffuse Wavefield With Applications to Seismic Imaging

Abstract Ambient Noise Imaging (ANI) of subsurface structures relies on seismic interferometry of diffuse seismic wavefields. However, the lack of effective methods to quantify and identify highly diffuse waves hampers applications of ANI, particularly in evaluating seismic attenuation and monitoring structural changes with high temporal resolution. Conventional ANI approaches require data normalization, which effectively suppresses the non‐diffuse component with large amplitude but also results in significant loss of amplitude and phase information in the continuous seismic records. In this study, we propose a frequency domain method to quantitatively evaluate the degree of diffuseness of seismic wavefields by analyzing their statistical characteristics of modal amplitudes for stationarity and randomness. Tests on synthetic waveform and field nodal records show that the proposed method can effectively distinguish between diffuse and non‐diffuse waveforms for either single‐ or three‐component data. As an application, we identify a 60‐s‐long diffuse coda of a local M 2.2 earthquake recorded by a dense nodal array on the San Jacinto Fault Zone, and successfully extract high‐quality dispersion curve andQ‐value without performing data normalization. These results are consistent with those obtained by conventional methods that assess the correlation between coherency and the Green's function, and by modeling ballistic waves generated by road traffic. Our proposed method can advance the imaging of subsurface velocity and attenuation structures as well as monitoring temporal changes for scientific studies and engineering applications.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗
DOE OSTI2022

New Apparatus for Neutron Capture Measurements on Extra Small Radioactive Samples: The DICER Instrument at LANSCE

We report the neutron capture cross section, the probability per unit area a neutron is absorbed by a nucleus followed by the emission of gamma ray(s), is an important quantity in several fields such as astrophysics, nuclear criticality safety, radiochemical diagnostics, nuclear medicine, nuclear forensics and nuclear security. Accurate knowledge of how neutrons interact with matter is a crucial component to understand physical processes in depth. A great example is the understanding of how our universe was created, a quest that requires accurate modeling in which neutron capture cross sections are a key ingredient

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Scrambling and quantum chaos indicators from long-time properties of operator distributions

Scrambling is a key concept in the analysis of nonequilibrium properties of quantum many-body systems. Most studies focus on its characterization via out-of-time-ordered correlation (OTOC) functions, particularly through the early-time decay of the OTOC. However, scrambling is a complex process which involves operator spreading and operator entanglement, and a full characterization requires one to access more refined information on the operator dynamics at several timescales. In this work we analyze operator scrambling by expanding the target operator in a complete basis and studying the structure of the expansion coefficients treated as a coarse-grained probability distribution in the space of operators. Here we study different features of this distribution, such as its mean, variance, and participation ratio, for the Ising model with longitudinal and transverse fields, kicked collective spin models, and random circuit models. We show that the long-time properties of the operator distribution display common features across these cases and discuss how these properties can be used as a proxy for the onset of quantum chaos. Finally, we discuss the connection with OTOCs and analyze the cost of probing the operator distribution experimentally using these correlation functions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗