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At least 145 records · Page 8

The influence of laser energy on deuterium emission characteristics from a Zircaloy-4 plasma

Laser-produced plasma coupled with optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is a promising technique for detecting certain isotopes, with unique capabilities such as standoff and rapid detection and minimal to no sample preparation requirements. The key figure-of-merit for isotopic analysis using optical spectroscopy tools is the linewidth relative to the isotope shift. Although the isotopes of hydrogen (1H, 2H, and 3H) possess large isotopic shifts (1H–2H ≈ 180 pm, 1H–3H ≈ 240 pm), being a light element, the H transitions are susceptible to various broadening mechanisms in the plasma environment. One of the critical parameters that influence the linewidth of a transition in an LPP is the incident laser energy. In the present study, we evaluated the role of laser energy on plume expansion dynamics, deuterium emission intensity, and linewidth in a nanosecond laser-produced Zircaloy-4 plasma. The changes in 2Hα emission intensity and linewidth were investigated for varying laser fluence and time after plasma onset. Spatially resolved and spatially integrated OES were performed and compared to investigate the emission spectral features and linewidth of 2Hα. Monochromatic two-dimensional time-resolved imaging was also performed to understand the morphology of the deuterium and protium emission relative to all species in the plume. Our results showed that 1Hα and 2Hα emissions predominantly occur closer to the target. Measurements of 2Hα linewidth approached similar values at later times of plasma evolution regardless of the laser energy. The linewidths of the 2Hα transition showed insignificant differences between spatially resolved and spatially integrated measurements.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Effects of laser-annealing on fixed-frequency superconducting qubits

As superconducting quantum processors increase in complexity, techniques to overcome constraints on frequency crowding are needed. The recently developed method of laser-annealing provides an effective post-fabrication method to adjust the frequency of superconducting qubits. In this work, we present an automated laser-annealing apparatus based on conventional microscopy components and demonstrate preservation of highly coherent transmons. In addition, we perform noise spectroscopy to investigate the change in defect features, in particular, two-level system defects, after laser-annealing. Finally, we present a local heating model as well as demonstrate aging stability for laser-annealing on the wafer scale. Our work constitutes an important step toward both understanding the underlying physical mechanism and scaling up laser-annealing of superconducting qubits.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Optical control of topological memory based on orbital magnetization

Under suitable conditions, some twisted graphene multilayers and transition-metal dichalcogenides become Chern insulators, exhibiting the anomalous quantum Hall effect and orbital magnetization due to spontaneous valley polarization. We study the interaction of a Chern insulator with circularly polarized light. Here, the interaction energy contains an antisymmetric term that couples to the helicity of incident light. For a two-band Chern insulator, this term is expressed as an integral involving the Berry curvature of the system. Taking advantage of this interaction, we propose an experimental protocol for switching topological memory based on orbital magnetization by circularly polarized light. Moreover, two laser beams of opposite circular polarization can nucleate domains of opposite magnetization and thus produce an optically configurable domain wall carrying topologically protected chiral edge modes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Photoelectron–residual-ion interaction in angle-resolved streaked shake-up ionization of helium

Streaked photoelectron emission spectra access the correlated dynamics of photoelectrons and residual target electrons with attosecond temporal resolution. Here, we calculated ab initio single-ionization spectra for photoemission from helium atoms by colinearly polarized ultrashort XUV and assisting few-femtosecond IR pulses. Distinguishing direct and shake-up ionization resulting in ground-state and excited (𝑛 = 2, 3) He + residual ions, respectively, we examined the effects of the correlated photoemission dynamics on the photoelectron phase accumulation as a function of the observable photoelectron detection direction and kinetic energy and XUV–IR pulse delay. We tracked the dynamical evolution of the residual ion in relative streaked photo- emission delays and found dominant contributions for shake-up emission from the residual-ion–photoelectron interaction. These are in very good and fair agreement, respectively, for 𝑛 = 2 and 𝑛 = 3 shake-up photoemission along the pulse-polarization directions, with previous experimental and theoretical investigations [Ossiander et al ., Nat. Phys. 13, 280 (2017)] and reveal a strong photoemission-direction dependence for shake-up ionization due to the coupling between the photoelectron and evolving residual-ion charge distribution in the IR-laser field.

Stark effect↗

Exploring spin symmetry-breaking effects for static field ionization of atoms: Is there an analog to the Coulson–Fischer point in bond dissociation?

Löwdin's symmetry dilemma is an ubiquitous issue in approximate quantum chemistry. In the context of Hartree-Fock (HF) theory, the use of Slater determinants with some imposed constraints to preserve symmetries of the exact problem may lead to physically unreasonable potential energy surfaces. On the other hand, lifting these constraints leads to the so-called broken symmetry solutions that usually provide better energetics, at the cost of losing information about good quantum numbers that describe the state of the system. This behavior has previously been extensively studied in the context of bond dissociation. Here, this paper studies the behavior of different classes of HF spin polarized solutions (restricted, unrestricted, and generalized) in the context of ionization by strong static electric fields. We find that, for simple two electron systems, unrestricted Hartree-Fock (UHF) is able to provide a qualitatively good description of states involved during the ionization process (neutral, singly ionized, and doubly ionized states), whereas RHF fails to describe the singly ionized state. For more complex systems, even though UHF is able to capture some of the expected characteristics of the ionized states, it is constrained to a single M s (diabatic) manifold in the energy surface as a function of field intensity. In this case, a better qualitative picture can be painted by using generalized Hartree-Fock as it is able to explore different spin manifolds and follow the lowest solution due to lack of collinearity constraints on the spin quantization axis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Effects of frequency and pulse width on electron density, hydrogen peroxide generation, and perfluorooctanoic acid mineralization in a nanosecond pulsed discharge gas-liquid plasma reactor

Plasma electron density and temperature were characterized in a continuous flowing gas-liquid film reactor with argon carrier gas by time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy. The plasma parameters were studied as a function of time for varying pulse widths and frequencies. Pulse frequency was varied between 1 and 10 kHz at 16 kV (input voltage) and 40 ns (pulse width) using an Eagle Harbor Technologies, Inc. (EHT) power supply and 5–100 kHz using an Airity Technologies, LLC (AT) power supply. The pulse width was varied between 40 and 200 ns at 16 kV, 2 kHz with the EHT power supply. Optimal frequencies of 5 and 20 kHz were observed for peak electron density with EHT and AT power supplies, respectively. The peak electron density increased with increasing pulse width between 40 and 200 ns using the EHT power supply. Hydrogen peroxide exiting the reactor in the liquid phase increased with discharge power irrespective of the power supply or pulse parameters. Mineralization of 12.5, 50, and 200 ppm perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) dissolved in DI water to fluoride (F - ) correlated to the peak electron density. Glycerol, a liquid-phase hydroxyl radical scavenger, depleted hydrogen peroxide but did not affect PFOA mineralization. CO, a gas-phase hydroxyl radical scavenger, led to a reduction in the formation of F - production, suggesting hydroxyl radicals in the gas-liquid film play a necessary, but not singular, role in mineralization of PFOA.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Sodium tracer measurements of an expanded dense aluminum plasma from e-beam isochoric heating

Spatially and temporally resolved visible absorption spectroscopy is performed on sodium D-lines present as surface contaminants on an expanded dense aluminum plasma plume. An 80-ns FWHM, intense, relativistic electron beam deposits 5.4 J into a 100- μ m-thick Al foil, which isochorically heats and subsequently hydrodynamically expands the material through the warm dense matter state and into a classical-like plasma state, with a coupling parameter of approximately 0.2 and a degeneracy parameter of approximately 270. The Na contamination, carried along with the expanding plume, shows saturated absorption features in the dense Al continuum for λ > 450 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy confirm Na is a surface contaminant with an atomic concentration of ~ 0.1 % when interrogating identical foil samples. Additioanlly, a spectroscopic-quality radiation transport model is used to post-process 2D hydrodynamic simulations to interpret the plasma conditions based on the measured Na 3p-3s doublet line profiles. A sodium number density of 3 × 10 15 cm -3 best matches the experimental spectra, which originate from a dense surface plasma with n e = 3.0 ± 0.8 × 10 18 cm -3 .

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Experimental methods for laboratory measurements of helium spectral line broadening in white dwarf photospheres

White Dwarf (WD) stars are the most common stellar remnant in the universe. WDs usually have a hydrogen or helium atmosphere, and helium WD (called DB) spectra can be used to solve outstanding problems in stellar and galactic evolution. DB origins, which are still a mystery, must be known to solve these problems. DB masses are crucial for discriminating between different proposed DB evolutionary hypotheses. Current DB mass determination methods deliver conflicting results. The spectroscopic mass determination method relies on line broadening models that have not been validated at DB atmosphere conditions. We performed helium benchmark experiments using the White Dwarf Photosphere Experiment (WDPE) platform at Sandia National Laboratories' Z-machine that aims to study He line broadening at DB conditions. Using hydrogen/helium mixture plasmas allows investigating the importance of He Stark and van der Waals broadening simultaneously. Accurate experimental data reduction methods are essential to test these line-broadening theories. In this paper, we present data calibration methods for these benchmark He line shape experiments. We give a detailed account of data processing, spectral power calibrations, and instrument broadening measurements. Uncertainties for each data calibration step are also derived. We demonstrate that our experiments meet all benchmark experiment accuracy requirements: WDPE wavelength uncertainties are <1 Å, spectral powers can be determined to within 15%, densities are accurate at the 20% level, and instrumental broadening can be measured with 20% accuracy. Fulfilling these stringent requirements enables WDPE experimental data to provide physically meaningful conclusions about line broadening at DB conditions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Local measurements of the pedestal magnetic field profile throughout the ELM cycle on DIII-D

We report new high speed localized measurements of the pedestal magnetic field during the edge localized mode (ELM) cycle of a DIII-D High confinement mode (H-mode) discharge indicate a temporally and spatial complex redistribution of the edge current density profile, $j_{edge}$. The measurement technique extracts the magnetic field magnitude, $\textit{B}$, via the spectral separation of Stark-split neutral beam radiation in the pedestal. Single spatial channel measurements from a novel spatial heterodyne spectrometer are validated in discharges with core current profile changes. The technique measures Stark-splitting changes that imply $\textit{B}$ changes as small as 1 mT with high time resolution (50 μs). At normalized poloidal flux $ψ_n$ = 1.0, $\textit{B}$ appears saturated in the inter-ELM period and then rapidly decreases in <200 μs by ~1%, before edge recycling emission begins to increase. Radially inboard of $j_{edge}$, $\textit{B}$ increases at the ELM crash. The behavior is consistent with a rapid collapse of $j_{edge}$ at the ELM crash and subsequent pedestal recovery. In some discharges, at $ψ_n$ < 0.96, changes in $\textit{B}$ are observed throughout the ELM cycle. In others, $\textit{B}$ recovers and is relatively stable until a few ms leading up to the next crash. Measurements of $\textit{B}$ during the H-mode transition show a large increase at $ψ_n$ = 1 with little change at $ψ_n$ = 0.9, consistent with the formation of the edge bootstrap current density peak. The $ψ_n$ = 0.9 spectrum is complicated by predicted changes to the Stark component intensities with density at the L–H transition.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Diagnostics of plasma–liquids systems: Challenges and their mitigation

This article will review two popular methods of laser diagnostics in a plasma–liquid system and generally in low-temperature plasmas. These are Thomson scattering and laser-induced fluorescence. Setting up the plasma–liquid interaction experiment will be described while stressing the important points for laser diagnostics and maintaining conditions for correct and repeatable measurements. In this work, I will discuss the caveats that are encountered when measuring an inherently unstable and collisional system, such as plasma interacting with the liquid and how these challenges impact that data analysis and calibration efforts for these two-diagnostic approaches.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Temperature and density dependence of Kr L-shell spectrum in hot dense plasmas

Kr L-shell spectroscopy modeling results are discussed in this paper, focusing on the n = 4 to n = 2 line transitions of Be- and Li-like Kr ions. Collisional radiative atomic kinetic and Stark-broadened spectral line shape calculations show electron temperature Te and density ne sensitivity in the spectrum. The combination of the Te dependence due to the relative intensity of Be-like to Li-like line emissions in the range from 1.5 to 3 keV and the ne sensitivity from the Stark broadening effect on the line shapes in the range from 5×1023 to 2×1024/ cc results in a spectrum that can be employed to diagnose Te and ne. Two different collisional radiative atomic kinetic models i.e., Prismspect [J. J. MacFarlane, et al., Int. Fusion Sci. Appl. Conf. Proc. 457 (2003)] and ABAKO [Florido, et al., PRE, 80, 056402 (2009)] produce similar results in level populations and spectra. In x-ray spectroscopy of implosion cores, this Kr L-shell spectrum may prove useful in an intermediate Te range in which Ar is too ionized for its K-shell to be of diagnostic value and Kr is not ionized enough for its K-shell emission to be useful.

Physics↗

Experimental characterization of discharge plasma dynamics in a square capillary for prospective applications in laser wakefield acceleration

Research on plasma generated by electrical discharge in gas-filled capillaries plays an important role in advancing laser wakefield accelerators. We present a comprehensive study of the temporal and spatial distribution of plasma density within a short, 1 cm long, square-shaped capillary filled with hydrogen gas. Two transverse capillary sizes, 500 μm and 300 μm, were investigated achieving peak plasma densities of 0.9 × 10 18 cm −3 and 2.5 × 10 18 cm −3 , respectively, at the capillary center. In addition, we explore how these distributions depend on discharge parameters, specifically discharge current and gas flow through the capillary. Plasma density was determined by analyzing the Stark broadening of the hydrogen Balmer-alpha line. The results obtained were compared with the theoretical models and simulations. The comparison between the model predictions and the experimental data at the transient ionization stage of the discharge reveals a discrepancy of a factor of ∼1.3–2.1, depending on the capillary size, which is thoroughly discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Perspectives of active Si photonics devices for data communication and optical sensing

Si photonics has made rapid progress in research and commercialization in the past two decades. While it started with electronic–photonic integration on Si to overcome the interconnect bottleneck in data communications, Si photonics has now greatly expanded into optical sensing, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), optical computing, and microwave/RF photonics applications. From an applied physics point of view, this perspective discusses novel materials and integration schemes of active Si photonics devices for a broad range of applications in data communications, spectrally extended complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) image sensing, as well as 3D imaging for LiDAR systems. We also present a brief outlook of future synergy between Si photonic integrated circuits and Si CMOS image sensors toward ultrahigh capacity optical I/O, ultrafast imaging systems, and ultrahigh sensitivity lab-on-chip molecular biosensing.

electronic band structure↗

On-Chip Cavity Electroacoustics Using Lithium Niobate Phononic Crystal Resonators

Mechanical systems are pivotal in quantum technologies because of their long coherent time and versatile coupling to qubit systems. So far, the coherent and dynamic control of gigahertz-frequency mechanical modes mostly relies on optomechanical coupling and piezoelectric coupling to superconducting qubits. Here, we demonstrate on-chip cavity electroacoustic dynamics using our microwave-frequency electrically modulated phononic crystal resonators on lithium niobate. Leveraging the high dispersion of phononic crystal, our acoustic modes space unevenly in the frequency spectrum, emulating atomic energy levels. Atomiclike transitions between different acoustic modes are selectively achieved by applying electrical fields to modulate acoustic modes via the nonlinear piezoelectricity of lithium niobate. Among two modes, we demonstrate Autler-Townes splitting, ac Stark shift, and Rabi oscillation with a maximum cooperativity of 4.18. Extending to three modes, we achieve nonreciprocal frequency conversions with an isolation up to 20 dB. Nonreciprocity can be tuned by the time delay between the two modulating pulses. Finally, our cavity electroacoustic platform could find broad applications in sensing, microwave signal processing, acoustic computing, and quantum acoustics.

Rabi model↗

Theory of strong-field sequential double ionization of polyatomic molecules

Understanding of strong-field sequential double ionization (SDI) of molecules by a highly intense infrared laser pulse could be the key to observing electron motion in molecules in the attosecond to femtosecond timescale. Based on a novel density matrix approach for SDI (DM-SDI), a recent theoretical study has shown that SDI can be used as a probe to monitor the changes in vibronic coherence in homonuclear diatomic molecules. In this article, we extend the DM-SDI model to general molecules that could possess permanent dipole moments and arbitrary symmetry. We apply the model to SDI of a water molecule and identify the formation pathway of individual dication states. We further deduce that kinetic energy release spectra from two- and three-body fragments could carry the signature of vibronic coherence between the lowest two states of the water cation. Furthermore, our results suggest that observables from the SDI probe can be interpreted intuitively with only the knowledge of electronic structures of populated ionic states, making the SDI probe to be a highly desirable probing scheme for vibronic coherence in generic molecules.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Full radiator-perturber interaction in computer simulations of hydrogenic spectral line broadening by plasmas

Spectral line broadening by plasmas can be computed by solving the equation of motion for the dipole of the radiating system perturbed by a fluctuating potential obtained from computer simulations. Such calculations have relied on the multipole expansion of the radiator-plasma interaction often keeping only the dipole term. With increasing density, however, higher multipoles as well as plasma perturbers overlapping the bound electron wave functions are expected to become important. For hydrogenic systems, the atomic matrix elements of the full Coulomb and screened Coulomb interactions are given by analytical formulas. Using these results, a computer simulation approach that accounts for the full radiator-plasma interaction is developed. One benefit is the removal of inherent strong collision divergences in the multipole expansion approximation. Furthermore, it yields the plasma polarization shift produced by perturbers penetrating the wave function of the radiator bound electrons. Here, the model was applied to hydrogenic argon Ly-α , Ly- β , and Ly-$\gamma$ spectral lines in a dense argon plasma at free electron densities of 10 24 or 10 25 cm ⁻3 and temperature of $800$ $eV$ relevant to plasma diagnostic techniques for inertial confinement fusion implosions.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗