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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 1,459 records · Page 81
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Electric-field-induced paraelectric to ferroelectric phase transformation in prototypical polycrystalline BaTiO{sub 3}

An electric-field-induced paraelectric cubic to ferroelectric tetragonal phase transformation has been directly observed in prototypical polycrystalline BaTiO{sub 3} at temperatures above the Curie point (T{sub C}) using in situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The transformation persisted to a maximum temperature of 4 °C above T{sub C}. The nature of the observed field-induced transformation and the resulting development of domain texture within the induced phase were dependent on the proximity to the transition temperature, corresponding well to previous macroscopic measurements. The transition electric field increased with increasing temperature above T{sub C}, while the magnitude of the resultant tetragonal domain texture at the maximum electric field (4 kV mm{sup −1}) decreased at higher temperatures. These results provide insights into the phase transformation behavior of a prototypical ferroelectric and have important implications for the development of future large-strain phase-change actuator materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Field-assisted sintering and phase transition of ZnS-CaLa 2 S 4 composite ceramics

In the present study, zinc sulfide (ZnS) and calcium lanthanum sulfide (CaLa 2 S 4 , CLS) composite ceramics were consolidated via field-assisted sintering of 0.5ZnS-0.5CLS (volume ratio) composite powders at 800–1050 °C. Through sintering curve analyses and microstructural observations, it was determined that between 800 and 1000 °C, grain boundary diffusion was the main mechanism controlling grain growth for both the ZnS and CLS phases within the composite ceramics. The consolidated composite ceramics were determined to be composed of sphalerite ZnS, wurtzite ZnS and thorium phosphate CLS. The sphalerite-wurtzite phase transition of ZnS was further demonstrated to be accompanied by the formation of stacking faults and twins in the ceramics. Furthermore, it was also found that the addition of the CLS phase improved the indentation hardness of the ceramics relative to pure ZnS by homogeneous dispersion of ZnS and CLS small grains.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Solid–liquid transition in a skyrmion matter

We report Monte-Carlo studies of the orientational order and melting of a 2D skyrmion lattice containing more than one million spins. Two models have been investigated, a microscopic model of lattice spins with Dzyaloshinskii–Moryia interaction that possesses skyrmions, and the model in which skyrmions are treated as point particles with repulsive interaction derived from a spin model. They produce similar results. The skyrmion lattice exhibits a sharp one-step transition between solid and liquid phases on temperature and the magnetic field. This solid–liquid transition is characterized by the kink in the magnetization. Here, the field-temperature phase diagram is computed. We show that the application of the field gradient to a 2D system of skyrmions produces a solid–liquid interface that must be possible to observe in experiments.

2D melting↗
NASA NTRS1975

Interplanetary field and plasma during initial phase of geomagnetic storms

A study has been conducted of a large number of geomagnetic storms occurring during the period from 1966 to 1970. Questions of data selection are discussed and the large-scale interplanetary magnetic field during the initial phase is examined. Small-scale interplanetary fields during the initial phase are also considered, taking into account important features of small-scale variations in the interplanetary field and plasma for three storms. Details concerning 23 geomagnetic storms and the interplanetary magnetic field are presented in a table. A study of the initial phase of these storms indicates that in most of these events, the solar-ecliptic Z component of the interplanetary magnetic field turns southward when the main phase decrease begins.

Patel, V. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A study of backscattering and emission from closely packed inhomogeneous media

The effects of close spacing between small scattering spheres were examined by keeping the distance-dependent terms in the expressions for the transverse scattered fields. The phase matrix was then derived from these fields and was used in the radiative transfer formulation to model scattering and emission from a densely populated, inhomogeneous layer. Computed results were compared with those obtained when the phase matrix was specialized to the far-field condition. It was found that the use of the far-zone condition tended to underestimate both the level of the copolarized backscattering and the cross-polarized backscattering. In emission computations, the use of the far-zone condition overestimated the level of the brightness temperature. These effects decreased with a decrease in the volume fraction or an increase in the exploring frequency, as expected. An improvement on the snow parameter (density and crystal size) estimation was shown to be possible when this new phase matrix was used.

Fung, A. K.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Extracting flat-field images from scene-based image sequences using phase correlation

Flat-field image processing is an essential step in producing high-quality and radiometrically calibrated images. Flat-fielding corrects for variations in the gain of focal plane array electronics and unequal illumination from the system optics. Typically, a flat-field image is captured by imaging a radiometrically uniform surface. The flat-field image is normalized and removed from the images. There are circumstances, such as with remote sensing, where a flat-field image cannot be acquired in this manner. For these cases, we developed a phase-correlation method that allows the extraction of an effective flat-field image from a sequence of scene-based displaced images. The method uses sub-pixel phase correlation image registration to align the sequence to estimate the static scene. The scene is removed from sequence producing a sequence of misaligned flat-field images. An average flat-field image is derived from the realigned flat-field sequence.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Magnetic excitations of the hybrid multiferroic (ND 4 ) 2 FeCl 5 ·D 2 O

We report a comprehensive inelastic neutron scattering study of the hybrid molecule-based multiferroic compound ( ND 4 ) 2 FeCl 5 · D 2 O in the zero-field incommensurate cycloidal phase and the high-field quasicollinear phase. The spontaneous electric polarization changes its direction concurrently with the field-induced magnetic transition, from mostly aligned with the crystallographic a axis to the c axis. To account for such a change in polarization direction, the underlying multiferroic mechanism was proposed to switch from the spin-current model induced via the inverse Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction to the p - d hybridization model. We perform a detailed analysis of the inelastic neutron data of ( ND 4 ) 2 FeCl 5 · D 2 O using linear spin-wave theory to quantify magnetic interaction strengths and investigate the possible impact of different multiferroic mechanisms on the magnetic couplings. Overall our result reveals that the spin dynamics of both multiferroic phases can be well described by a Heisenberg Hamiltonian with easy-plane anisotropy. We do not find notable differences between the optimal model parameters of the two phases. The hierarchy of exchange couplings and the balance among frustrated interactions remain the same between two phases, suggesting that magnetic interactions in ( ND 4 ) 2 FeCl 5 · D 2 O are much more robust than the electric polarization in response to delicate reorganizations of the electronic degrees of freedom in an applied magnetic field.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Field-tunable BKT and quantum phase transitions in spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ triangular lattice antiferromagnet

Quantum magnetism is one of the most active fields for exploring exotic phases and phase transitions. The recently synthesized Na 2 BaCo(PO 4 ) 2 (NBCP) is an ideal material incarnation of the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ easy-axis triangular lattice antiferromagnet (TLAF). Experimental evidence shows that NBCP hosts the spin supersolid state with a giant magnetocaloric effect. Theory further predicts that magnetic fields can drive NBCP through Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) and other richer quantum phase transitions. However, detecting these transitions is challenging, as they onset at ultralow temperatures near 60 mK and require high magnetization sensitivity. Using a newly developed gradient force magnetometer in a dilution refrigerator, we mapped the magnetic susceptibility phase diagram down to 30 mK. Our results provide a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of BKT melting of spin supersolidity and several field-tunable quantum phase transitions, which establish NBCP as a model platform for frustrated magnetism and highlight potential applications of its giant magnetocaloric effects.

BKT transition↗
NASA NTRS2018

Optical Design and Predicted Performance of the WFIRST Phase-B Imaging Optics Assembly and Wide Field Instrument

Now in Phase-B, the architecture of the Wide-Field Infra-Red Survey Telescope (WFIRST) payload has matured since 2013 to accommodate various opto-mechanical constraints. Based on a 2.4-meter aperture Forward Optical Assembly (FOA), the Imaging Optics Assembly (IOA) provides corrected optical fields to each on-board instrument. Using a Three Mirror Anastigmat (TMA) optical design, the Wide-Field Channel (WFC) provides ~1/3-square degree of instantaneous field coverage at 0.11 arcsecond pixel scale. The WFC as-built predictive analysis anticipates near diffraction-limited imaging over a focal plane of 300.8 million pixels, operating in seven panchromatic bands between 0.48 - 2.0μm, or a 1-octive multi-spectral imaging mode from ~0.95-1.93μm. The IOA provides the Coronagraph Instrument (CGI) a collimated beam with very specific wavefront constraints. We present configuration changes since 2013 that improved interfaces, improved testability, and reduced technical risk. We provide an overview of our Integrated Modeling results, performed at an unprecedented level for a phase-A study, to illustrate performance margins with respect to static wavefront error, jitter, and thermal drift.

Dark Energy↗
DOE OSTI2017

Phase coexistence and electric-field control of toroidal order in oxide superlattices

Systems that exhibit phase competition, order parameter coexistence, and emergent order parameter topologies constitute a major part of modern condensed-matter physics. Here, by applying a range of characterization techniques, and simulations, we observe that in PbTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 superlattices all of these effects can be found. By exploring superlattice period-, temperature- and field-dependent evolution of these structures, we observe several new features. First, it is possible to engineer phase coexistence mediated by a first-order phase transition between an emergent, low-temperature vortex phase with electric toroidal order and a high-temperature ferroelectric a 1 /a 2 phase. At room temperature, the coexisting vortex and ferroelectric phases form a mesoscale, fibre-textured hierarchical superstructure. The vortex phase possesses an axial polarization, set by the net polarization of the surrounding ferroelectric domains, such that it possesses a multi-order-parameter state and belongs to a class of gyrotropic electrotoroidal compounds. Finally, application of electric fields to this mixed-phase system permits interconversion between the vortex and the ferroelectric phases concomitant with order-of-magnitude changes in piezoelectric and nonlinear optical responses. Here, our findings suggest new cross-coupled functionalities.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

The phase accumulation and antenna near field of microscopic propagating spin wave devices

We studied phase accumulation by the highly non-reciprocal magnetostatic surface spin waves in thin Permalloy microstripes excited and received by microscopic coplanar antennae. We find that the experimentally measured characteristic length of the near field of the antenna is smaller than the total width of the coplanar. This is confirmed by our numerical simulations. Consequently, the distance over which the spin wave accumulates its phase while travelling between the input and output antennae coincides with the distance between the antennae symmetry axes with good accuracy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2012

Phased Array Ultrasonic Sound Field Mapping through Large-Bore Coarse Grained Cast Austenitic Stainless Steel (CASS) Components

A sound field beam mapping exercise was conducted to assist in understanding the effects of coarse-grained microstructures found in cast austenitic stainless steel (CASS) materials on acoustic longitudinal wave propagation. Ultrasonic laboratory measurements were made on three specimens representing four different grain structures. Phased array (PA) probes were fixed on each specimen surface and excited in the longitudinal mode at specific angles while a point receiver was scanned in a raster pattern over the end of the specimen, generating a transmitted sound field image. Three probes operating at nominal frequencies of 0.5, 0.8, and 1.0 MHz were used. A 6.4 mm (0.25-in.) thick slice was removed from the specimen end and beam mapping was repeated three times, yielding four full sets of beam images. Data were collected both with a constant part path for each configuration (probe, specimen and slice, angle, etc.) and with a variable part path (fixed position on the surface). The base specimens and slices were then polished and etched to reveal measureable grain microstructures that were compared to the sound field interactions and scattering effects seen in the collected data.

cast austenitic stainless steel↗
DOE OSTI2018

Robust non-Abelian spin liquid and a possible intermediate phase in the antiferromagnetic Kitaev model with magnetic field

In this work, we investigate the non-Abelian topological chiral spin-liquid phase in the two-dimensional Kitaev honeycomb model subject to a magnetic field. By combining density matrix renormalization group and exact diagonalization we study the energy spectra, entanglement, topological degeneracy, and expectation values of Wilson loop operators, allowing for a robust characterization. While the ferromagnetic Kitaev spin liquid is already destroyed by a weak magnetic field with Zeeman energy $H^{FM}_\ast ≈ 0.02$, the antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin liquid remains robust up to a magnetic field that is an order of magnitude larger, $H^{AFM}_\ast ≈ 0.2$. Interestingly, for larger fields $H^{AFM}_\ast < H < H^{AFM}_{\ast\ast}$, an intermediate gapless phase is observed, before a second transition to the high-field partially polarized paramagnet. We attribute this rich phase diagram, and the remarkable stability of the chiral topological phase in the AFM Kitaev model, to the interplay of strong spin-orbit coupling and frustration enhanced by the magnetic field. Our findings suggest relevance to recent experiments on RuCl 3 under magnetic fields.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Metallic 1T phase source/drain electrodes for field effect transistors from chemical vapor deposited MoS{sub 2}

Two dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) offer promise as opto-electronic materials due to their direct band gap and reasonably good mobility values. However, most metals form high resistance contacts on semiconducting TMDs such as MoS{sub 2}. The large contact resistance limits the performance of devices. Unlike bulk materials, low contact resistance cannot be stably achieved in 2D materials by doping. Here we build on our previous work in which we demonstrated that it is possible to achieve low contact resistance electrodes by phase transformation. We show that similar to the previously demonstrated mechanically exfoliated samples, it is possible to decrease the contact resistance and enhance the FET performance by locally inducing and patterning the metallic 1T phase of MoS{sub 2} on chemically vapor deposited material. The device properties are substantially improved with 1T phase source/drain electrodes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Phase mixing of upper hybrid oscillations in a cold inhomogeneous plasma placed in an inhomogeneous magnetic field

We study phase mixing/wave breaking phenomena of upper hybrid modes in a cold inhomogeneous plasma placed in an inhomogeneous magnetic field. Inhomogeneities both in the background ion density and magnetic field profile are treated as periodic in space but independent in time. The Lagrangian fluid description is employed to obtain an exact solution of this fully nonlinear problem. It is demonstrated that the upper hybrid modes, excited by an initial local charge imbalance, break via phase mixing, induced by the inhomogeneities. It is also shown that it is possible to avoid phase mixing in excited upper hybrid oscillations in an inhomogeneous plasma containing a finite amplitude ion density fluctuation. The choice of external magnetic field is shown to have a key role in avoiding phase mixing in such oscillations. The relevance of our investigation regarding the particle acceleration in an inhomogeneous plasma has also been discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Nonequilibrium Dynamical Mean-Field Theory for the Charge-Density-Wave Phase of the Falicov-Kimball Model

Nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) is developed for the case of the charge-density-wave ordered phase. We consider the spinless Falicov-Kimball model which can be solved exactly. This strongly correlated system is then placed in an uniform external dc electric field. We present a complete derivation for nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory Green’s functions defined on the Keldysh-Schwinger time contour. Here, we also discuss numerical issues involved in solving the coupled equations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗