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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 1,315 records · Page 73
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DOE OSTI2015

Scale-invariant curvature fluctuations from an extended semiclassical gravity

We present an extension of the semiclassical Einstein equations which couple n-point correlation functions of a stochastic Einstein tensor to the n-point functions of the quantum stress-energy tensor. We apply this extension to calculate the quantum fluctuations during an inflationary period, where we take as a model a massive conformally coupled scalar field on a perturbed de Sitter space and describe how a renormalization independent, almost-scale-invariant power spectrum of the scalar metric perturbation is produced. Furthermore, we discuss how this model yields a natural basis for the calculation of non-Gaussianities of the considered metric fluctuations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Communication: Relation of centroid molecular dynamics and ring-polymer molecular dynamics to exact quantum dynamics

We recently obtained a quantum-Boltzmann-conserving classical dynamics by making a single change to the derivation of the “Classical Wigner” approximation. Here, we show that the further approximation of this “Matsubara dynamics” gives rise to two popular heuristic methods for treating quantum Boltzmann time-correlation functions: centroid molecular dynamics (CMD) and ring-polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD). We show that CMD is a mean-field approximation to Matsubara dynamics, obtained by discarding (classical) fluctuations around the centroid, and that RPMD is the result of discarding a term in the Matsubara Liouvillian which shifts the frequencies of these fluctuations. These findings are consistent with previous numerical results and give explicit formulae for the terms that CMD and RPMD leave out.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

A classification scheme for young stellar objects using the wide-field infrared survey explorer AllWISE catalog: revealing low-density star formation in the outer galaxy

We present an assessment of the performance of WISE and the AllWISE data release for a section of the Galactic Plane. We lay out an approach to increasing the reliability of point-source photometry extracted from the AllWISE catalog in Galactic Plane regions using parameters provided in the catalog. We use the resulting catalog to construct a new, revised young star detection and classification scheme combining WISE and 2MASS near- and mid-infrared colors and magnitudes and test it in a section of the outer Milky Way. The clustering properties of the candidate Class I and II stars using a nearest neighbor density calculation and the two-point correlation function suggest that the majority of stars do form in massive star-forming regions, and any isolated mode of star formation is at most a small fraction of the total star forming output of the Galaxy. We also show that the isolated component may be very small and could represent the tail end of a single mechanism of star formation in line with models of molecular cloud collapse with supersonic turbulence and not a separate mode all to itself.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Growth mode evolution of hafnium oxide by atomic layer deposition

HfO{sub 2} thin films were deposited using tetrakis-ethylmethylamido hafnium and H{sub 2}O as precursors on silicon by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The morphology and microstructures at different ALD cycles were characterized by atomic force microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Based on the height–height correlation function and power spectral density function, quantitative analysis of surface morphologies was performed. Three characteristic dimensions (ξ{sub 1}, ξ{sub 2}, and ξ{sub 3}) corresponding to three surface structures, islands, local and global fluctuations, were identified. The evolution of ALD growth mode at range of the three critical scales was investigated, respectively. It suggests the transformation of growth mode from quasi two-dimensional layer-by-layer to three-dimensional island for global fluctuations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

HST/STIS ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE MASSIVE TRIPLE STAR δ ORI A

The multiple star system of δ Orionis is one of the closest examples of a system containing a luminous O-type, bright giant star (component Aa1). It is often used as a spectral-type standard and has the highest observed X-ray flux of any hot-star binary. The main component Aa1 is orbited by two lower mass stars, faint Aa2 in a 5.7 day eclipsing binary, and Ab, an astrometric companion with an estimated period of 346 years. Generally the flux from all three stars is recorded in ground-based spectroscopy, and the spectral decomposition of the components has proved difficult. Here we present Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph ultraviolet spectroscopy of δ Ori A that provides us with spatially separated spectra of Aa and Ab for the first time. We measured radial velocities for Aa1 and Ab in two observations made near the velocity extrema of Aa1. We show tentative evidence for the detection of the Aa2 component in cross-correlation functions of the observed and model spectra. We discuss the appearance of the UV spectra of Aa1 and Ab with reference to model spectra. Both stars have similar effective temperatures, but Ab is fainter and is a rapid rotator. The results will help in the interpretation of ground-based spectroscopy and in understanding the physical and evolutionary parameters of these massive stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Two-Yukawa fluid at a hard wall: Field theory treatment

We apply a field-theoretical approach to study the structure and thermodynamics of a two-Yukawa fluid confined by a hard wall. We derive mean field equations allowing for numerical evaluation of the density profile which is compared to analytical estimations. Beyond the mean field approximation, analytical expressions for the free energy, the pressure, and the correlation function are derived. Subsequently, contributions to the density profile and the adsorption coefficient due to Gaussian fluctuations are found. Both the mean field and the fluctuation terms of the density profile are shown to satisfy the contact theorem. We further use the contact theorem to improve the Gaussian approximation for the density profile based on a better approximation for the bulk pressure. The results obtained are compared to computer simulation data.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Entropy mode loops and cosmological correlations during perturbative reheating

Recently, it has been shown that during preheating the entropy modes circulating in the loops, which correspond to the inflaton decay products, meaningfully modify the cosmological correlation functions at superhorizon scales. In this paper, we determine the significance of the same effect when reheating occurs in the perturbative regime. In a typical two scalar field model, the magnitude of the loop corrections are shown to depend on several parameters like the background inflaton amplitude in the beginning of reheating, the inflaton decay rate and the inflaton mass. Although the loop contributions turn out to be small as compared to the preheating case, they still come out larger than the loop effects during inflation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Nonclassical Light Sources Based on Selectively Positioned Deterministic Microlens Structures and (111) In(Ga)As Quantum Dots

The results of investigations of the optical characteristics of nonclassical light sources based on selectively positioned microlens structures and single (111) In(Ga)As quantum dots grown on a (111) BGaAs substrate are presented. The single-photon nature of the radiation is confirmed by measuring and analyzing second-order correlation functions g{sup (2)}(τ); g{sup (2)}(0) = 0.07. The fine structure of the exciton states of (111) In(Ga)As quantum dots is investigated. It is shown that, in the energy range of 1.320–1.345 eV, the splitting of exciton states is comparable to the natural width of the exciton lines, which is of interest for developing photon-pair emitters based on them.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Subgap states in disordered superconductors

We revise the problem of the density of states in disordered superconductors. Randomness of local sample characteristics translates to the quenched spatial inhomogeneity of the spectral gap, smearing the BCS coherence peak. We show that various microscopic models of potential and magnetic disorder can be reduced to a universal phenomenological random order parameter model, whereas the details of the microscopic description are encoded in the correlation function of the order parameter fluctuations. The resulting form of the density of states is generally described by two parameters: the width {Gamma} measuring the broadening of the BCS peak and the energy scale {Gamma}{sub tail} that controls the exponential decay of the density of subgap states. We refine the existing instanton approaches for determination of {Gamma}{sub tail} and show that they appear as limiting cases of a unified theory of optimal fluctuations in a nonlinear system. The application to various types of disorder is discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Influence of system temperature on the micro-structures and dynamics of dust clusters in dusty plasmas

Influence of the system temperature on the micro-structures and dynamics of dust clusters in dusty plasmas is investigated through laboratory experiment and molecular dynamics simulation. The micro-structures, defect numbers, and pair correlation function of the dust clusters are studied for different system temperatures. The dust grains' trajectories, the mean square displacement, and the corresponding self-diffusion coefficient of the clusters are calculated for different temperatures for illustrating the phase properties of the dust clusters. The simulation results confirm that with the increase in system temperature, the micro-structures and dynamics of dust clusters are gradually changed, which qualitatively agree with experimental results.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

CONSTRAINTS ON SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN THE FINE-STRUCTURE CONSTANT FROM PLANCK

We use the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy data from Planck to constrain the spatial fluctuations of the fine-structure constant α at a redshift of 1100. We use a quadratic estimator to measure the four-point correlation function of the CMB temperature anisotropies and extract the angular power spectrum fine-structure constant spatial variations projected along the line of sight at the last scattering surface. At tens of degree angular scales and above, we constrain the fractional rms fluctuations of the fine-structure constant to be (δα/α){sub rms} < 3.4 × 10{sup –3} at the 68% confidence level. We find no evidence for a spatially varying α at a redshift of 10{sup 3}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Cluster truncated Wigner approximation in strongly interacting systems

We present a general method by which linear quantum Hamiltonian dynamics with exponentially many degrees of freedom is replaced by approximate classical nonlinear dynamics with the number of degrees of freedom (phase space dimensionality) scaling polynomially in the system size. This method is based on generalization of the truncated Wigner approximation (TWA) to a higher dimensional phase space, where phase space variables are associated with a complete set of quantum operators spanning finite size clusters. The method becomes asymptotically exact with increasing cluster size. The crucial feature of TWA is fluctuating initial conditions, which we approximate by a Gaussian distribution. We show that such fluctuations dramatically increase accuracy of TWA over traditional cluster mean-field approximations. In this way we can treat on equal footing quantum and thermal fluctuations as well as compute entanglement and various equal and non-equal time correlation functions. The main limitation of the method is exponential scaling of the phase space dimensionality with the cluster size, which can be significantly reduced by using the language of Schwinger bosons and can likely be further reduced by truncating the local Hilbert space variables. We demonstrate the power of this method analyzing dynamics in various spin chains with and without disorder and show that we can capture such phenomena as long time hydrodynamic relaxation, many-body localization and the ballistic spread of entanglement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

An alternative derivation of ring-polymer molecular dynamics transition-state theory

In a previous article [T. J. H. Hele and S. C. Althorpe, J. Chem. Phys. 138, 084108 (2013)], we showed that the t → 0{sub +} limit of ring-polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD) rate-theory is also the t → 0{sub +} limit of a new type of quantum flux-side time-correlation function, in which the dividing surfaces are invariant to imaginary-time translation; in other words, that RPMD transition-state theory (RMPD-TST) is a t → 0{sub +} quantum transition-state theory (QTST). Recently, Jang and Voth [J. Chem. Phys. 144, 084110 (2016)] rederived this quantum t → 0{sub +} limit and claimed that it gives instead the centroid-density approximation. Here we show that the t → 0{sub +} limit derived by Jang and Voth is in fact RPMD-TST.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Path integral density matrix dynamics: A method for calculating time-dependent properties in thermal adiabatic and non-adiabatic systems

We introduce a new approach for calculating quantum time-correlation functions and time-dependent expectation values in many-body thermal systems; both electronically adiabatic and non-adiabatic cases can be treated. Our approach uses a path integral simulation to sample an initial thermal density matrix; subsequent evolution of this density matrix is equivalent to solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, which we perform using a linear expansion of Gaussian wavepacket basis functions which evolve according to simple classical-like trajectories. Overall, this methodology represents a formally exact approach for calculating time-dependent quantum properties; by introducing approximations into both the imaginary-time and real-time propagations, this approach can be adapted for complex many-particle systems interacting through arbitrary potentials. We demonstrate this method for the spin Boson model, where we find good agreement with numerically exact calculations. We also discuss future directions of improvement for our approach with a view to improving accuracy and efficiency.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effective delayed neutron fraction measurement in the critical VENUS-F reactor using noise techniques

This paper present the measurements of VENUS-F kinetic parameters using the Rossi-Alpha methods. The VENUS-F reactor is a zero-power reactor based in Mol, Belgium at SCK-CEN where the fuel is made of metallic enriched uranium with pure lead in order to simulate the behavior of lead fast reactor. The reactor can be operated under critical when it is coupled with GENEPI-3C. At the beginning of 2014, a measurement campaign was performed in order to estimate the kinetics parameters. In this paper, two measurements are analyzed at two different powers (approximately 2 W and 30 W) with 7 different fission chambers (with a 235-U deposit that varies from 1 g to 10 mg). All the correlation functions needed for the Rossi-Alpha method have been built for each possible set of two detectors in each configuration and values obtained from those functions for the effective delayed neutron fraction are then compared. The absolute necessity to operate at very low power is presented. The final value for the effective delayed neutron fraction is finally estimated to be 730 pcm ± 11 pcm and the prompt neutron generation time is estimated to be equal to 0,041 μseconds ± 0.04 μsec. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effective electrostatic interactions among charged thermo-responsive microgels immersed in a simple electrolyte

This work explores the nature and thermodynamic behavior of the effective electrostatic interactions among charged microgels immersed in a simple electrolyte, taking special interest in the effects due to the thermally induced variation of the microgel size while the remaining parameters (microgel charge and concentration, plus the amount of added salt) are kept constant. To this end, the rigorous approach obtained from applying the precise methodology of the dressed ion theory to the proper definition of the effective direct correlation functions, which emerge from tracing-out the degrees of freedom of the microscopic ions, is employed to provide an exact description of the parameters characterizing such interactions: screening length, effective permittivity, and renormalized charges. A model solution with three components is assumed: large permeable anionic spheres for the microgels, plus small charged hard spheres of equal size for the monovalent cations and anions. The two-body correlations among the components of this model suspension, used as the input for the determination of the effective interaction parameters, are here calculated by using the hyper-netted chain approximation. It is then found that at finite microgel concentrations the values of these parameters change as the microgel size increases, even though the ionic strength of the supporting electrolyte and the bare charge of the microgels remain fixed during this process. The variation of the screening length, as well as that of the effective permittivity, is rather small, but still interesting in view of the fact that the corresponding Debye length stays constant. The renormalized charges, in contrast, increase markedly as the microgels swell. The ratio of the renormalized charge to the corresponding analytic result obtained in the context of an extended linear response theory allows us to introduce an effective charge that accounts for the non-linear effects induced by the short-ranged association of microions to the microgels. The behavior of these effective charges as a function of the amount of added salt and the macroion charge, size, and concentration reveals the interplay among all these system parameters.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Mapping the Lyα Emission around a z ∼ 6.6 QSO with MUSE: Extended Emission and a Companion at a Close Separation

We utilize the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the Very Large Telescope to search for extended Lyα emission around the z ∼ 6.6 QSO J0305−3150. After carefully subtracting the point spread function, we reach a nominal 5σ surface-brightness limit of SB{sub 5σ} = 1.9 × 10{sup −18} erg s{sup −1} cm{sup −2} arcsec{sup −2} over a 1 arcsec{sup 2} aperture, collapsing five wavelength slices centered at the expected location of the redshifted Lyα emission (i.e., at 9256 Å). Current data suggest the presence (5σ accounting for systematics) of a Lyα nebula that extends for 9 kpc around the QSO. This emission is displaced and redshifted by 155 km s{sup −1} with respect to the location of the QSO host galaxy traced by the [C II] 158 μm emission line. The total luminosity is L(Lyα) = (3.0 ± 0.4) × 10{sup 42} erg s{sup −1}. Our analysis suggests that this emission is unlikely to rise from optically thick clouds illuminated by the ionizing radiation of the QSO. It is more plausible that the Lyα emission is due to the fluorescence of the highly ionized optically thin gas. This scenario implies a high hydrogen volume density of n{sub H}∼6 cm{sup −3}. In addition, we detect a Lyα emitter (LAE) in the immediate vicinity of the QSO, i.e., with a projected separation of ∼12.5 kpc and a line-of-sight velocity difference of 560 km s{sup −1}. The luminosity of the LAE is L(Lyα) = (2.1 ± 0.2) × 10{sup 42} erg s{sup −1} and its inferred star-formation rate is SFR ∼ 1.3 M {sub ⊙} yr{sup −1}. The probability of finding such a close LAE is one order of magnitude above the expectations based on the QSO–galaxy cross-correlation function. This discovery is in agreement with a scenario where dissipative interactions favor the rapid build-up of supermassive black holes at early cosmic times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Methods of Reverberation Mapping. I. Time-lag Determination by Measures of Randomness

A class of methods for measuring time delays between astronomical time series is introduced in the context of quasar reverberation mapping, which is based on measures of randomness or complexity of the data. Several distinct statistical estimators are considered that do not rely on polynomial interpolations of the light curves nor on their stochastic modeling, and do not require binning in correlation space. Methods based on von Neumann’s mean-square successive-difference estimator are found to be superior to those using other estimators. An optimized von Neumann scheme is formulated, which better handles sparsely sampled data and outperforms current implementations of discrete correlation function methods. This scheme is applied to existing reverberation data of varying quality, and consistency with previously reported time delays is found. In particular, the size–luminosity relation of the broad-line region in quasars is recovered with a scatter comparable to that obtained by other works, yet with fewer assumptions made concerning the process underlying the variability. The proposed method for time-lag determination is particularly relevant for irregularly sampled time series, and in cases where the process underlying the variability cannot be adequately modeled.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗