Two-dimensional nanoscale correlations in the strong negative thermal expansion material ScF 3
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Anderson insulators are noninteracting disordered systems which have localized single-particle eigenstates. The interacting analog of Anderson insulators are the many-body localized (MBL) phases. The spectrum of the many-body eigenstates of an Anderson insulator is efficiently represented as a set of product states over the single-particle modes. Here, we show that product states over matrix product operators of small bond dimension is the corresponding efficient description of the spectrum of an MBL insulator. In this language all of the many-body eigenstates are encoded by matrix product states (i.e., density matrix renormalization group wave functions) consisting of only two sets of low bond dimension matrices per site: the G i matrices corresponding to the local ground state on site i and the E i matrices corresponding to the local excited state. All 2 n eigenstates can be generated from all possible combinations of these sets of matrices.
We consider in detail a simple model supporting a single floppy mode that is often used to heuristically describe instances of negative thermal expansion. A key result is that the translational kinetic energy of the dilating bond network scales extensively with system size and results in dynamical properties which differ qualitatively from considerations built upon harmonic models. We develop an analogy between the dynamics of this model and a modified mechanical pendulum to elucidate the connection between the new results and the familiar harmonic limit. We then propose an appropriate Schrödinger equation for this system and study numerically the quantum mechanical solutions. Marked differences from conventional phonon dynamics and thermodynamics are seen in both classical and quantum limits, in particular a strong twofold enhancement of the (negative) coefficient of thermal expansion. We contextualize the results against real material parameters and discuss related empirical observations.
In this work, first-principles calculations based on density functional theory are used to describe the ideal magnetization reversal through polarization switching in BaCuF 4 which, according to our results, could be accomplished close to room temperature. Furthermore, we show that this ideal coupling is driven by a single soft mode that combines both polarization, and octahedral rotation. The later being directly coupled to the weak ferromagnetism of BaCuF 4 . This, added to its strong Jahn-Teller distortion and its orbital ordering, makes this material a very appealing prototype for crystals in the A B X 4 family for multifunctional applications. The described mechanism behaves ideally as it couples the ferroelectric and the magnetic properties naturally and it has not been reported previously.
Here, we introduce a new method of spin-motion coupling for trapped ions using microwaves and a magnetic field gradient oscillating close to the ions’ motional frequency. We demonstrate and characterize this coupling experimentally using a single ion in a surface-electrode trap that incorporates current-carrying electrodes to generate the microwave field and the oscillating magnetic field gradient. Using this technique, we perform resolved-sideband cooling of a single motional mode to its ground state.
The advent of next-generation synchrotron radiation sources and X-ray free-electron lasers calls for high-quality Bragg-diffraction crystal optics to preserve the X-ray beam coherence and wavefront. This requirement brings new challenges in characterizing crystals in Bragg diffraction in terms of Bragg-plane height errors and wavefront phase distortions. Here, a quantitative methodology to characterize crystal optics using a state-of-the-art at-wavelength wavefront sensing technique and statistical analysis is proposed. The method was tested at the 1-BM-B optics testing beamline at the Advanced Photon Source for measuring silicon and diamond crystals in a self-referencing single-crystal mode and an absolute double-crystal mode. The phase error sensitivity of the technique is demonstrated to be at the λ/100 level required by most applications, such as the characterization of diamond crystals for cavity-based X-ray free-electron lasers.
Optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) is a technique for interrogating optical fiber sensors to generate relative, quasi-distributed measurements. Although Optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) is increasingly being adopted for aerospace, energy production, and structural monitoring applications, the quantification of uncertainty for OFDR measurements has not been developed beyond sparse empirical relationships. To address this knowledge gap, an uncertainty metric for OFDR measurements was developed. This uncertainty metric was applied to weight the edges between OFDR measurements on directed correlation graphs and analyzed to minimize the cumulative uncertainty. In conclusion, this work is the first to propose an uncertainty metric for OFDR and provides a generalized mathematical framework for optimizing OFDR hardware selection, optical fiber sensor selection, and postprocessing strategy.
A digital holography device is currently undergoing development at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the purpose of measuring surface topography, with the goal of deployment as a real-time plasma-facing component diagnostic for the study of materials that could be utilized in a nuclear fusion device. The holography system utilizes one or two lasers depending on the scale of surface features under measurement. Measurements of surface roughness were performed in a single-laser mode and compared with the data from profilometry, with a linear correlation of increased holographic measurement fidelity as surfaces became smoother. Characterization of the dual-laser operating mode has been performed via surface measurement of stainless steel targets with ``stair-step'' features in various sizes. Results demonstrated that surface features with known sizes as small as 25.4 μm could be resolved. Measurements were within ~55 μm or less deviation from the actual sizes, and measurement accuracy was improved as feature size was increased, corresponding to the effect of noise becoming less pronounced. In conclusion, a target exposed to plasma generated by an electrothermal (ET) arc source was analyzed with flat-field correction and averaging of sequential image frames to demonstrate the improved measurement quality in preparation for future use of holography on ET arc-exposed targets.
Here, this competition aimed to survey state-of-the-art UV high reflectors. The requirements of the coatings are a minimum reflection of 99.5% at 45 degrees incidence angle for P-polarized light at 355-nm. The choice of coating materials, design, and deposition method were left to the participants. Laser damage testing was performed at a single testing facility using the raster scan method with a 5-ns pulse length laser system operating at 10 Hz in a single longitudinal mode. A double blind test assured sample and submitter anonymity. Finally, in addition to the laser damage resistance results, details of the deposition processes, cleaning method, coating materials and layer count are also shared.
Purpose: As the landscape of learning and testing shifts toward a computer-based environment, a replacement for paper-based methods of studying is desirable. Using Microsoft Excel, a study tool was developed that allows the user to populate multiple-choice questions and then generate an interactive quiz session to answer them. Methods: The code for the tool was written using Microsoft Excel Visual Basic for Applications with the intent that this tool could be implemented by any institution with Excel. The base tool is a template with a setup macro, which builds out the structure based on user’s input. Once the framework is built, the user can input sets of multiple-choice questions, answer choices, and even add figures. The tool can be run in random-question or sequential-question mode for single or multiple courses of study. The interactive session allows the user to select answer choices and immediate feedback is provided. Once the user is finished studying, the tool records the day’s progress by reporting progress statistics useful for trending. Results: Six doctoral students at UTHSCSA have used this tool for the past two months to study for their qualifying exam, which is similar in format and content to the American Board of Radiology (ABR) Therapeutic Part II exam. The students collaborated to create a repository of questions, met weekly to go over these questions, and then used the tool to prepare for their exam. Conclusion: The study tool has provided an effective and efficient way for students to collaborate and be held accountable for exam preparation. The ease of use and familiarity of Excel are important factors for the tool’s use. There are software packages to create similar question banks, but this study tool has no additional cost for those that already have Excel. The study tool will be made openly available.
We report demonstrations of both quadrature-squeezed vacuum and photon number difference squeezing generated in an integrated nanophotonic device. Squeezed light is generated via strongly driven spontaneous four-wave mixing below threshold in silicon nitride microring resonators. The generated light is characterized with both homodyne detection and direct measurements of photon statistics using photon number–resolving transition-edge sensors. We measure 1.0(1) decibels of broadband quadrature squeezing (~4 decibels inferred on-chip) and 1.5(3) decibels of photon number difference squeezing (~7 decibels inferred on-chip). Nearly single temporal mode operation is achieved, with measured raw unheralded second-order correlations g (2) as high as 1.95(1). Multiphoton events of over 10 photons are directly detected with rates exceeding any previous quantum optical demonstration using integrated nanophotonics. These results will have an enabling impact on scaling continuous variable quantum technology.
The concept of an acoustical analog of the optical laser has been developed recently in both theoretical and experimental works. We here discuss a model of a coherent phonon generator with a direct signature of the quantum properties of sound vibrations. The considered setup is made of a laser-driven quantum dot embedded in an acoustical nanocavity. The system dynamics is solved for a single phonon mode in the steady-state and in the strong quantum dot—phonon coupling regime beyond the secular approximation. We demonstrate that the phonon statistics exhibits quantum features, i.e., is sub-Poissonian.
The problem of localized states in 1D systems with a relativistic spectrum, namely, graphene stripes and carbon nanotubes, is studied analytically. The bound state as a superposition of two chiral states is completely described by their relative phase, which is the foundation of the variable phase method (VPM) developed herein. Based on our VPM, we formulate and prove the relativistic Levinson theorem. The problem of bound states can be reduced to the analysis of closed trajectories of some vector field. Remarkably, the Levinson theorem appears as the Poincaré index theorem for these closed trajectories. The VPM equation is also reduced to the nonrelativistic and semiclassical limits. The limit of a small momentum p{sub y} of transverse quantization is applicable to an arbitrary integrable potential. In this case, a single confined mode is predicted.
NWQSim is a quantum circuit simulation environment developed at PNNL. It currently includes two major components: a state-vector simulator (SV-Sim) and a density matrix simulator (DM-Sim) and we may add more components, such as a Clifford simulator, in the future effort. NWQSim has two language interface: C/C++ and Python. It supports Q#/QDK frontend through QIR and QIR-runtime. It supports Qiskit and Cirq frontends through OpenQASM. NWQSim runs on several backends: Intel-CPU, Intel-Xeon-Phi, AMD-CPU, AMD-GPU, NVIDIA-GPU, and IBM-CPU. It supports three modes: (1) single processor, such as a single CPU (with and without AVX2 and AVX512 acceleration), a single NVIDIA GPU or a single AMD GPU; (2) single-node-multi-processors, such as multi-CPUs/Xeon-Phis, multi-NVIDA/AMD GPUs; (3) multi-nodes, such as a CPU cluster, a Xeon-Phi cluster (e.g., ANL Theta, NERSC Cori), an NVIDIA cluster (e.g., ORNL Summit, NERSC Perlmutter).
We report a terahertz quantum-cascade vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (QC-VECSEL) emitting around 1.9 THz with up to 10% continuous fractional frequency tuning of a single laser mode. The device shows lasing operation in pulsed mode up to 102 K in a high-quality beam, with the maximum output power of 37 mW and slope efficiency of 295 mW/A at 77 K. Challenges for up-scaling the operating wavelength in QC metasurface VECSELs are identified.
Here, the objective of this Department of Energy SBIR program has been to develop technology for the advancement of advanced computing systems. NanoSonic worked with two subcontractors, the Polymicro Division of Molex, a U.S.-based manufacturer of specialized optical fiber and fiber components, and Virginia Tech, a research university involved through the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) program in high-speed computer networking research. NanoSonic developed a patented molecular-level self-assembly process to manufacture polymer-based optical fibers in a way similar to the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) approach typically used to make glass optical fibers. Although polymer fiber has a higher attenuation per unit length than glass fiber, short connectorized polymer fiber jumpers offer significant cost savings over their glass counterparts, particularly due to the potential use of low-cost plastic fiber connectors. As part of the SBIR commercialization process, NanoSonic exclusively licensed this technology to a large ($100B+ market cap) U.S.-based manufacturing conglomerate near the end of the first year of the Phase II program. With this base technology developed and licensed, NanoSonic then worked with Polymicro to address secondary program goals of using related but not conflicting production methods to enhance the performance of other specialty optical fiber products and components, and Virginia Tech continued its evaluation of developed polymer fibers in its network infrastructure system on the university campus. We also report our current understanding of the observation during the Phase I program of quantum conductance and partial quantum conductance in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) devices. Such conductance behavior may be modeled as singlemode behavior in one-dimensional electrically conducting waveguides, similar in principle to singlemode optical propagation in dielectric fiber waveguides. Although NanoSonic has not licensed any of the additional technology developed during the second year of the program, several proprietary discussions with major materials companies are underway as of the conclusion of Phase II.
The NSLS-II linac was commissioned in the spring of 2012. The normalized transverse rms emittance was measured to be approximately 23 mm-mrad in single bunch mode and 20 mm-mrad in multiple bunch mode. This is larger than the design value of 16 mm-mrad. Simulations of the linac show that the emittance should be about 40% lower than measured. It has been suggested that misalignments in the linac, particularly in the low energy section are contributing to the emittance grow in the linac. This paper discusses how misalignments in the low energy section of the linac contribute to emittance growth.
For inertial fusion energy (IFE) to be successful, designs need to work robustly including both target physics and engineering considerations. For a power plant to be reliable and have a high operating capacity factor, the integrated design of the target, driver, target fabrication, target injection system, and chamber all need to work together in way that is robust and repeatable to expected variations. One of the lesson’s learned from our experience at NIF is that designs that are sensitive have not performed as expected – even in single shot mode. The lesson’s learned from NIF should be folded into creating integrated designs for IFE and for evaluating the tradeoffs between the different parts of the IFE system. To do so, we propose using the NIF 1.3 MJ yield shot/design (N210808) as a starting point of a study of the feasibility of indirect drive designs for IFE. If the hohlraum inefficiency precludes indirect drive, the study would include direct drive or fast ignition versions of this design.