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DOE OSTI2026

Confinement and String Breaking in the Compact Abelian Higgs Model

While real-time simulation of Quantum Chromodynamics remains technologically out of reach, simplified models for studying elements of QCD phenomenology abound. This work presents a simple model, a spin-1 truncation of the Compact Abelian Higgs Model simulated on qutrit sites, in which confinement and string breaking is accessible to current simulation methods. In the low-energy regime of 1+1D scalar electrodynamics, the heavy modes are integrated out, producing a spin chain effective Hamiltonian in which Gauss' law is implicitly satisfied. We study the spectrum of string-like excitations using DMRG methods on the order of 100 sites. We demonstrate that an added, local chemical potential, playing a role analogous to external charges, permits parameter-dependent measurements of physical features of interest like the string tension and effective meson mass. Varying the chemical potential also permits a characterization of string stability not assessed in prior studies of confining lattice models.

Senseman, Blake [Iowa U.]↗

DOE OSTI2026

A Material Frame: Hard Recoils from Slow Force Carriers

We modify the Standard Model by making the longitudinal component of the photon physical, propagating with small speed $c_L \ll 1$. This modification breaks gauge invariance and Lorentz symmetry, defining a preferred reference frame. No new fields or scales are introduced, and the photon mass is protected by a Galilean higher-form symmetry. The theory has a smooth $c_L\to0$ limit: the new modes decouple from standard matter and ordinary gauge theory predictions are recovered. Experimental constraints are severe. Charged particles Cherenkov-emit these slow modes, experiencing hard recoils against the preferred frame. The recoil rate decreases with $c_L$, but the momentum transfer remains of the order of the particle's momentum. Dark matter detectors, sensitive to keV-scale nuclear recoils, imply an order-of-magnitude bound $c_L \lesssim 10^{-60}$, tens of orders of magnitude stronger than speed-difference bounds. At such values, $c_L$ is better understood as a recoil-rate factor rather than a physically relevant speed. The slow modes, practically fixed in space, make the reference frame a material medium capable of absorbing momentum from charged particles.

Serra, Francesco [Johns Hopkins U.]↗

NASA NTRS2010

Characteristics of the Dust-Plasma Interaction Near Enceladus' South Pole

We present RPWS Langmuir probe data from the third Enceladus flyby (E3) showing (he presence of dusty plasma near Enceladus' South Pole. There is a sharp rise in both the electron and ion number densities when the spacecraft traverses through Enceladus plume. The ion density near Enceladus is found to increase abruptly from about 10(exp 2) cm (exp -3) before the closest approach to 10(exp 5) cm (exp -3) just 30 s after the closest approach, an amount two orders of magnitude higher than the electron density. Assuming that the inconsistency between the electron and ion number densities is due to the presence of dust particles that are collecting the missing electron charges, we present dusty plasma characteristics down to sub-micron particle sizes. By assuming a differential dust number density for a range in dust sizes and by making use of Langmuir probe data, the dust densities for certain lower limits in dust size distribution were estimated. In order to achieve the dust densities of micrometer and larger sized grains comparable to the ones reported in the literature. we show that the power law size distribution must hold down to at least 0.03 micron such that the total differential number density is dominated by the smallest sub-micron sized grains. The total dust number density in Enceladus' plume is of the order of l0(exp 2) cm(exp -3) reducing to 1 cm(exp -3) in the E- ring. The dust density for micrometer and larger sized grains is estimated to be about 10(exp -4) cm(exp -3) in the plume while it is about 10(exp -6) - 10(exp -7) cm(exp -3) in the E-ring. Dust charge for micron sized grains is estimated to be about eight thousand electron charges reducing to below one hundred electron charges for 0.03 micron sized grains. The effective dusty plasma Debye length is estimated and compared with intergrain distance as well as the electron Debye length. The maximum dust charging time of 1.4 h is found for 0.03 11mmicron sized grains just 1 min before the closest approach. The charging time decreases substantially in the plume where it is only a fraction of a second for 1 micron sized grains, 1 s for 0.l micron sized grains and about 10 s for 0.03 micron sized grains.

Shafiq, Muhammad↗

NASA NTRS2018

Modification of Radiator Pigments by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)

The optical and physical properties of spacecraft radiator coatings are dictated by orbital environmental conditions. For example, coatings must adequately dissipate charge buildup when orbital conditions, such as polar, geostationary or gravity neutral, result in surface charging. Current dissipation techniques include depositing a layer of ITO (indium tin oxide) on the radiator surface in a high temperature process. Other examples include the application of variable emittance coatings such as the use of VO2 to optimize radiator size, allowing for a decrease in heater power budget. The application of these enhanced coatings must be such that the properties in question are tailored to mission-specific requirements. Modification of these coatings can be accomplished during coating application preprocessing by using a deposition technique prevalent in the semiconductor micro processing industry called Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). The preprocessing is rendered directly on the coating dry pigment before binding. ALD is a cost effective nano-manufacturing technique that allows for the conformal coating of substrates with atomic-level thickness control in a benign temperature and pressure environment. Through the introduction of paired precursor gases, thin films can be deposited on a myriad of substrates ranging from glass, polymers, aerogels, metals, powders, and other high aspect-ratio micro- and nano-structures. By providing atomic-level control, where single layers of atoms can be deposited, the fabrication of metal transparent films, precise nano-laminates, and coatings of nano-channels and pores is achievable. We have demonstrated a method for the ALD of In2O3 and ITO films on a variety of substrates from Si(100) wafers, glass slides, and on Z93P pigments (patent pending). The results indicate excellent growth of 4-22 nm thick films demonstrating an order of magnitude decrease in resistivity on the pigments.

ITO↗

DOE OSTI2023

Origin of Rapid Delithiation In Secondary Particles Of LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 and LiNi y Mn z Co 1− y − z O 2 Cathodes

Abstract Most research on the electrochemical dynamics in materials for high‐energy Li‐ion batteries has focused on the global behavior of the electrode. This approach is susceptible to misleading analyses resulting from idiosyncratic kinetic conditions, such as surface impurities inducing an apparent two‐phase transformation within LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 . Here, nano‐focused X‐ray probes are used to measure delithiation operando at the scale of secondary particle agglomerates in layered cathode materials during charge. After an initial latent phase, individual secondary particles undergo rapid, stochastic, and largely uniform delithiation, which is in contrast with the gradual increase in cell potential. This behavior reproduces across several layered oxides. Operando X‐ray microdiffraction (‐XRD) leverages the relationship between Li content and lattice parameter to further reveal that rate acceleration occurs between Li‐site fraction ( x Li ) ≈0.9 and ≈0.5 for LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 . Physics‐based modeling shows that, to reproduce the experimental results, the exchange current density ( i 0 ) must depend on x Li , and that i 0 should increase rapidly over three orders of magnitude at the transition point. The specifics and implications of this jump in i 0 are crucial to understanding the charge‐storage reaction of Li‐ion battery cathodes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS1998

Automated Track Recognition and Event Reconstruction in Nuclear Emulsion

The major advantages of nuclear emulsion for detecting charged particles are its submicron position resolution and sensitivity to minimum ionizing particles. These must be balanced, however, against the difficult manual microscope measurement by skilled observers required for the analysis. We have developed an automated system to acquire and analyze the microscope images from emulsion chambers. Each emulsion plate is analyzed independently, allowing coincidence techniques to be used in order to reject back- ground and estimate error rates. The system has been used to analyze a sample of high-multiplicity Pb-Pb interactions (charged particle multiplicities approx. 1100) produced by the 158 GeV/c per nucleon Pb-208 beam at CERN. Automatically reconstructed track lists agree with our best manual measurements to 3%. We describe the image analysis and track reconstruction techniques, and discuss the measurement and reconstruction uncertainties.

Deines-Jones, P.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Excited states of lutetium oxide and its singly charged cation

Vibronic spectra of lutetium oxide (LuO) seeded in supersonic molecule beams are investigated with mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) spectroscopy and second-order multiconfigurational quasi-degenerate perturbation (MCQDPT2) theory. Six states of LuO and four states of LuO + are located by the MCQDPT2 calculations, and an a 3 Π(LuO + ) ← C 2 Σ + (LuΟ) transition is observed by the MATI measurement. Finally, the vibronic spectra show abnormal vibrational intervals for both the neural and cation excited states, and the abnormality is attributed to vibrational perturbations induced by interactions with neighboring states.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2005

Development of a Spectral Model Based on Charge Transport for the Swift/BAT 32K CdZnTe Detector Array

The properties of 32K CdZnTe (4 x 4 sq mm large, 2 mm thick) detectors have been studied in the pre-flight calibration of the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on-board the Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer (scheduled for launch in November 2004). In order to understand the energy response of the BAT CdZnTe array, we first quantify the mobility-lifetime (mu tau) products of carriers in individual CdZnTe detectors, which produce a position dependency in the charge induction efficiency and results in a low energy tail in the energy spectrum. Based on a new method utilizing (57)Co spectra obtained at different bias voltages, the mu tau for electrons ranges from 5.0 x 10(exp -4) to 1.0 x 10(exp -2) sq cm/V while the mu tau for holes ranges from 1.3 x 10(exp -5 to 1.8 x 10(exp -4) sq cm/V. We find that this wide distribution of mu tau products explains the large diversity in spectral shapes between CdZnTe detectors well. We also find that the variation of mu tau products can be attributed to the difference of crystal ingots or manufacturing harness. We utilize the 32K sets of extracted mu tau products to develop a spectral model of the detector. In combination with Monte Carlo simulations, we can construct a spectral model for any photon energy or any incident angle.

Sato, Goro↗

DOE OSTI2024

Standards Guidance for Electric Two- and Three-Wheelers and Charging Infrastructure in Pakistan

Electric two-wheelers (E2Ws) and electric three-wheelers (E3Ws) have reached upfront cost price parity as compared to their conventional counterparts in many markets (IEA 2022). Therefore, Pakistan has embraced E2Ws and E3Ws in their National Electric Vehicle Policy (Government of Pakistan 2019b). Specifically, this policy targets 50% of new two- and three-wheeler sales to be electric by 2030. In the short term, this policy targets five times as many E2Ws and E3Ws as cars, vans, and pickups. In order to meet these goals in a safe, reliable, and efficient manner, Pakistan needs to develop and implement standards related to E2W and E3W vehicles and charging infrastructure, including battery swap stations. Without standards, E2Ws and E3Ws can be dangerous, unreliable, incompatible with charging stations, or diminish the grid’s electricity quality (Goel and Singh 2019; Sasidharan 2020). Fortunately, there are several global and local efforts to establish standards that Pakistan can learn from or adopt. This document explains the purpose and process of standards development and introduces the international standards development organizations involved and relevant classification and testing systems. It then introduces and lists many standards related to the vehicles, batteries, and charging equipment so that Pakistan can adopt or reference these standards when developing its own.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

NASA NTRS2020

An Adverse Outcome Pathway for Potential Space Radiation Induced Neurological Diseases

Astronauts have begun to spend increasingly longer periods in space, putting themselves in foreign environments in order to explore the unknown. Space radiation is one of the largest health risks faced by astronauts on their missions. The space radiation environment has the ability to cause high levels of irreversible damage. Multiple sources of charged particle radiation exist in the space environment that may increase risk of carcinogenesis, degeneration of bodily tissue (e.g. gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, or pulmonary), acute radiation syndromes, and acute and late central nervous system (CNS) disorders. In order to help inform an understanding of the risk of degenerative CNS disease due to radiation exposure, an initial step is presented here to develop an adverse outcome pathway from radiation exposure focused on Alzheimer’s disease.

Mi, Kaitlyn↗

DOE OSTI2021

Nature of the magnetic stripes in fully oxygenated La 2 CuO 4+y

We present triple-axis neutron scattering studies of static and dynamic magnetic stripes in an optimally oxygen-doped cuprate superconductor, La 2 CuO 4+y , which exhibits a clean superconducting transition at T c = 42 K. Polarization analysis reveals that the magnetic stripe structure is equally represented along both of the tetragonal crystal axes and that the fluctuating stripes display significant weight for in-plane as well as out-of-plane spin components. Both static magnetic order as well as low-energy fluctuations are fully developed in zero applied magnetic field and the low-energy spin fluctuations at ℏω = 0.3 – 10 meV intensify on cooling. We interpret this as an indication that superconductivity and low-energy spin fluctuations coexist microscopically in spatial regions which are separated from domains with static magnetic order.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS1988

HIEN-LO: An experiment for charge determination of cosmic rays of interplanetary and solar origin

The experiment is designed to measure the heavy ion environment at low altitude (HIEN-LO) in the energy range 0.3 to 100 MeV/nucleon. In order to cover this wide energy range a complement of three sensors is used. A large area ion drift chamber and a time-of-flight telescope are used to determine the mass and energy of the incoming cosmic rays. A third omnidirectional counter serves as a proton monitor. The analysis of mass, energy and incoming direction in combination with the directional geomagnetic cut-off allows the determination of the ionic charge of the cosmic rays. The ionic charge in this energy range is of particular interest because it provides clues to the origin of these particles and to the plasma conditions at the acceleration site. The experiment is expected to be flown in 1988/1989.

Klecker, B.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Mitigating Band Tailing in Kesterite Solar Absorbers: Ab Initio Quantum Dynamics

Open-circuit voltage deficits are limiting factors in kesterite solar cells. Addressing this issue by suppressing band tailing and nonradiative charge recombination is essential for enhancing the performance. We employ ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics to elucidate the origin of band tailing and charge losses and propose a mitigation strategy. The simulations show that Cu–Zn disorder, associated with antisite defect clusters [Cu Zn +Zn Cu ], is a significant source of band tailing in kesterites, as evidenced by the much larger Urbach energy in disordered than ordered kesterites. Cu–Zn disorder gives rise to new sulfur-centered coordination polyhedra, increases structural inhomogeneity, changes electrostatic potential at sulfur centers, and shifts the S(3p) orbital energy. Differences in the S(3p)/Cu(3d) and S(3p)/Sn(5s) hybridization strengths and the S(3p) orbital energy shift reduce the band gap by 0.37 eV. Furthermore, Cu–Zn disorder enhances vibrational motion of sulfur anions and surrounding cations, increasing band gap fluctuations by 15 meV. The stronger electron–phonon interactions reduce charge carrier lifetimes and limit the kesterite solar cell efficiency. Partial substitution of Zn with Cd facilitates structural ordering and significantly suppresses band tailing, particularly in disordered systems. The improvement can be attributed to the larger atomic radius and mass of Cd, which weakens bonding around the anion, suppresses S-related vibrations within the covalent tetrahedra, and reduces nonadiabatic coupling, thereby increasing charge carrier lifetimes. The reported results establish the key influence of cation disorder on band tailing and reduced charge carrier lifetimes in kesterites and highlight cation disorder engineering as a strategy to achieve high-efficiency kesterite solar cells.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

Charged current Drell-Yan production at N 3 LO

We present the production cross section for a lepton-neutrino pair at the Large Hadron Collider computed at next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N 3 LO) in QCD perturbation theory. We compute the partonic coefficient functions of a virtual W± boson at this order. We then use these analytic functions to study the progression of the perturbative series in different observables. In particular, we investigate the impact of the newly obtained corrections on the inclusive production cross section of W ± bosons, as well as on the ratios of the production cross sections for W + , W – and/or a virtual photon. Finally, we present N3LO predictions for the charge asymmetry at the LHC.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Optically controllable magnetism in atomically thin semiconductors

We report evidence that ferromagnetic order in electrostatically doped, monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors can be stabilized and controlled at zero magnetic field by local optical pumping. We use circular dichroism (CD) in reflectivity from excitonic states as a spatially resolved probe of charge-carrier spin polarization. At electron densities $n_e$ ~ 10 12 cm -2 , a diffraction-limited, circularly polarized optical pump breaks symmetry between oppositely polarized magnetic states and stabilizes long-range magnetic order, with carrier polarization exceeding 80% over an 8 μm by 5 μm extent. In time-resolved measurements with pulsed optical excitation, we observe that magnetic interactions amplify the initial pump-induced spin polarization by more than an order of magnitude. The optical control of magnetism with local optical pumps will unlock advancements in spin and optical technologies and provides a versatile tool in the study of correlated phases in two-dimensional electron gases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Systematic investigation of the particle spectra in heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider

We investigate the charged particle spectra produced in the heavy-ion collisions at nine centralities from different systems, i.e. Pb+Pb at √ s NN = 2.76 TeV and 5.02 TeV as well as Xe+Xe at √ s NN = 5.44 TeV, at Large Hadron Collider (LHC) using one empirical formula inspired by the stationary solution of the Fokker-Planck equation, dubbed as the generalized Fokker-Planck solution (GFPS). Our results show that the GFPS can reproduce the experimental particle spectrum up to transverse momentum pT about 45 GeV/c with the maximum discrepancy 30% covering 10 orders of magnitude. Here, the discrepancy between the data and the results from the GFPS decreases to 15% when the maximum of the charged particle transverse momentum is cut to 20 GeV/c. We confirmed that the Tsallis distribution derived from the non-extensive statistics, which can reproduce the particle spectra produced in small collision systems, such as p+p, up to few hundreds GeV/c, can only apply to systematically study the particle spectra up to 8 GeV/c in A+A collisions at LHC, as pointed out in the study of identified particle spectra in Pb+Pb collisions at √ s NN = 2.76 TeV. A brief discussion on GFPS is also given.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1986

Two-dimensional quasi-neutral description of particles and fields above discrete auroral arcs

Models are presented for particle distributions, electric fields and currents in an adiabatic treatment of auroral electrostatic potential distributions in order to describe the quiet-time evening auroral arcs featuring both upward and return currents. The models are consistent with current continuity and charge balance requirements for particle populations controlled by adiabatic invariants and quasi-neutrality in the magnetosphere. The effective energy of the cool electron population is demonstrated to have a significant effect on the latitudinal breadth of the auroral electrostatic potential structure and the extent of the penetration of the accelerating potential into the ionosphere. Another finding is that the energy of any parallel potential drop in the lowest few thousand kilometers of the field line is of the same order of magnitude as the thermal energy of the cool electrons. Additional predictions include density cavities along field lines that support large potential drops, and density enhancements along field lines at the edge of an inverted V with a small potential drop.

Newman, A. L.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Mutations of Omicron Variant at the Interface of the Receptor Domain Motif and Human Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2

The most recent Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has caused global concern and anxiety. The only thing certain about this strain, with a large number of mutations in the spike protein, is that it spreads quickly, seems to evade immune defense, and mitigates the benefits of existing vaccines. Based on the ultra-large-scale ab initio computational modeling of the receptor binding motif (RBM) and the human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) interface, we provide the details of the effect of Omicron mutations at the fundamental atomic scale level. In-depth analysis anchored in the novel concept of amino acid-amino acid bond pair units (AABPU) indicates that mutations in the Omicron variant are connected with (i) significant changes in the shape and structure of AABPU components, together with (ii) significant increase in the positive partial charge, which facilitates the interaction with ACE2. We have identified changes in bonding due to mutations in the RBM. The calculated bond order, based on AABPU, reveals that the Omicron mutations increase the binding strength of RBM to ACE2. Our findings correlate with and are instrumental to explain the current observations and can contribute to the prediction of next potential new variant of concern.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗