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At least 1,495 records · Page 83

Visualizing band selective enhancement of quasiparticle lifetime in a metallic ferromagnet

Abstract Electrons navigate more easily in a background of ordered magnetic moments than around randomly oriented ones. This fundamental quantum mechanical principle is due to their Bloch wave nature and also underlies ballistic electronic motion in a perfect crystal. As a result, a paramagnetic metal that develops ferromagnetic order often experiences a sharp drop in the resistivity. Despite the universality of this phenomenon, a direct observation of the impact of ferromagnetic order on the electronic quasiparticles in a magnetic metal is still lacking. Here we demonstrate that quasiparticles experience a significant enhancement of their lifetime in the ferromagnetic state of the low-density magnetic semimetal EuCd 2 As 2 , but this occurs only in selected bands and specific energy ranges. This is a direct consequence of the magnetically induced band splitting and the multi-orbital nature of the material. Our detailed study allows to disentangle different electronic scattering mechanisms due to non-magnetic disorder and magnon exchange. Such high momentum and energy dependence quasiparticle lifetime enhancement can lead to spin selective transport and potential spintronic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High-throughput Li plating quantification for fast-charging battery design

Fast charging of most commercial lithium-ion batteries is limited due to fear of lithium plating on the graphite anode, which is difficult to detect and poses considerable safety risk. In this report we demonstrate the power of simple, accessible and high-throughput cycling techniques to quantify irreversible Li plating spanning data from over 200 cells. We first observe the effects of energy density, charge rate, temperature and state of charge on lithium plating, use the results to refine a mature physics-based electrochemical model and provide an interpretable empirical equation for predicting the plating onset state of charge. We then explore the reversibility of lithium plating and its connection to electrolyte design for preventing irreversible Li accumulation. Finally, we design a method to quantify in situ Li plating for commercially relevant graphite|LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 (NMC) cells and compare with results from the experimentally convenient Li|graphite configuration. The hypotheses and abundant data herein were generated primarily with equipment universal to the battery researcher, encouraging further development of innovative testing methods and data processing that enable rapid battery engineering.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Light-wave control of correlated materials using quantum magnetism during time-periodic modulation of coherent transport

Light–wave quantum electronics utilizes the oscillating carrier wave to control electronic properties with intense laser pulses. Without direct light–spin interactions, however, magnetic properties can only be indirectly affected by the light electric field, mostly at later times. A grand challenge is how to establish a universal principle for quantum control of charge and spin fluctuations, which can allow for faster-than-THz clock rates. Using quantum kinetic equations for the density matrix describing non–equilibrium states of Hubbard quasiparticles, here we show that time–periodic modulation of electronic hopping during few cycles of carrier–wave oscillations can dynamically steer an antiferromagnetic insulating state into a metalic state with transient magnetization. While nonlinearities associated with quasi-stationary Floquet states have been achieved before, magneto–electronics based on quasiparticle acceleration by time–periodic multi–cycle fields and quantum femtosecond/attosecond magnetism via strongly–coupled charge–spin quantum excitations represents an alternative way of controlling magnetic moments in sync with quantum transport.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Ultrafast infrared transient absorption spectroscopy of gas-phase Ni(CO) 4 photodissociation at 261 nm

Here, we employ ultrafast mid-infrared transient absorption spectroscopy to probe the rapid loss of carbonyl ligands from gas-phase nickel tetracarbonyl following ultraviolet photoexcitation at 261 nm. Here, nickel tetracarbonyl undergoes prompt dissociation to produce nickel tricarbonyl in a singlet excited state; this electronically excited tricarbonyl loses another CO group over tens of picoseconds. Our results also suggest the presence of a parallel, concerted dissociation mechanism to produce nickel dicarbonyl in a triplet excited state, which likely dissociates to nickel monocarbonyl. Mechanisms for the formation of these photoproducts in multiple electronic excited states are theoretically predicted with one-dimensional cuts through the potential energy surfaces and computation of spin–orbit coupling constants using equation of motion coupled cluster methods (EOM-CC) and coupled cluster theory with single and double excitations (CCSD). Bond dissociation energies are calculated with CCSD, and anharmonic frequencies of ground and excited state species are computed using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Metastable argon dynamics in a pulsed microplasma at 43 GHz

Short pulses of millimeter wave (MMW) radiation at 43 GHz create microplasma within a photonic crystal for pressures from 40 to 600 Torr (1.3 × 10 3 –8.0 × 10 4 Pa). Gas breakdown occurs within a photonic crystal, which acts as an electromagnetic resonator to create a strong initial electric field. The time response of the argon metastable density is experimentally determined during the pulse and in the afterglow using laser absorption. The metastable density overshoots the steady-state condition at the beginning of the pulse and during the afterglow. Modeling is presented to understand these observations. The overproduction of argon 1s5 at the beginning of each pulse is due to a concurrent overshoot in the MMW electric field within the photonic crystal. This field overheats the plasma electrons and enhances the production of excited states. The burst of argon metastables observed in the afterglow is due to the pooled energy of the plasma stored in electrons, ions, and excited states of argon. As a result, understanding metastable production is an important intermediate step to ionization and is also critical in the study of diode-pumped rare gas lasers.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Turbulence statistical analysis of the L-H transition and RMPs in KSTAR

Here, we investigate the turbulence statistics associated with low-to-high confinement (L-H) transitions and externally applied resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) in KSTAR. Time-series fluctuations of electron density n e , electron temperature T e , and the time derivative of the poloidal magnetic field dB θ /dt (Mirnov coils) are analysed using information-geometric measures (information rate Γ and information length $\mathcal{L}$ = ∫ Γ dt), together with kurtosis κ and variance σ 2 . In low-density upper single-null plasmas (n e ~ 1.2 x 10 19 m -3 ), a ~80 kHz magnetic mode coupling n e , T e , dB θ /dt and emerges prior to the L-H transition and persists into the edge-localised modes H-mode. Edge-localised RMPs (ERMPs) suppress this coherent mode but enhance intermittency, producing frequent bursts that abruptly reshape the time-dependent probability density functions (PDFs) and generate large spikes in Γ (with smaller changes in κ), signalling ERMP-driven departures from quasi-stationarity. The impact of ERMPs on background fluctuation levels depends on density, radial location, and the fluctuating variable itself ($\tilde{n}$, $\tilde{T}$, $\dot{B}$ θ ), whereas $\mathcal{L}$ provides a robust, regime-agnostic measure of cumulative statistical reorganisation and spatial decorrelation. In particular, at low density we observe weaker coupling between $\tilde{n}$ and $\tilde{T}$, along with a tendency toward decreased radial correlation-most clearly for $\tilde{T}$-under ERMPs. Overall, information geometry cleanly captures intermittent events, quantifies non-equilibrium PDF evolution, and offers a compact, cross-diagnostic metric for assessing resonant magnetic perturbation effects on edge transport and correlation across densities, radial locations, and confinement states.

Kim, Eun-jin [Coventry Univ. (United Kingdom); Seo↗

Using intrusive approaches as a step towards accounting for stochasticity in wind turbine design

Current wind turbine design methods require tens of thousands of time-domain simulations and use different random seeds to account for the stochasticity of the environmental conditions. The account of stochasticity is nonintrusive because the sampling method calls a deterministic model multiple times without changing its underlying equations. In this work, we investigate and demonstrate using simple proof of concepts how intrusive approaches can be used to directly account for stochasticity in the equations representing a mechanical system. Our long term goal is to apply such methodology to the design of wind turbines without requiring an excessive number of simulations. Intrusive methods manipulate stochastic variables directly to provide the probability density functions (PDFs) of the states and outputs at any time as functions of the PDFs of the inputs. We illustrate how different methods can be used with a reduced-order model of a wind turbine with one degree of freedom and for linear and nonlinear models. We discuss how the methods can be extended and what it will take to apply them to a level of fidelity similar to current state-of-the-art wind turbine design tools.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Symmetry-Energy Dependence of the Bulk Viscosity of Nuclear Matter

We clarify how the weak-interaction-driven bulk viscosity ζ and the bulk relaxation time τ Π of neutrino-transparent n p e matter depend on the nuclear symmetry energy. We show that, at saturation density, the equation-of-state dependence of these transport quantities is fully determined by the experimentally constrained nuclear symmetry energy S and its slope L . Variations of L can change the bulk viscosity by orders of magnitude, which can affect both the dissipative and the conservative tidal response of neutron stars. Furthermore, this suggests that both conservative and dissipative effects encoded in the gravitational-wave signatures of binary neutron star inspirals may help constrain nuclear symmetry-energy properties.

Neutron stars & pulsars↗

Absolute dissociative electron attachment cross-section measurement of difluoromethane

Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to difluoromethane (CH 2 F 2 ) has been studied in the electron energy range of 0 to 16 eV. Two resonant states around 2 and 11.4 eV leading to three different fragment anions (F - , CHF - , and F 2 - ) are observed. Ion-yield curves of the negative ions help us to locate the position of the resonant states. In the ion-yield curve of F - ions, one small hump near 9.8 eV followed by a peak around 15.2 eV is also observed. Absolute DEA cross sections of the F - ion is measured by using the well-known relative flow technique. Dissociation channels associated with each resonant states are identified by density-functional theory (DFT) calculations of the threshold energies. The theory matches quite well within the experimental uncertainty.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Possible role of grain-boundary and dislocation structure for the magnetic-flux trapping behavior of niobium: A first-principles study

In this work, first-principles methods were used to understand magnetic flux trapping at vacancies, dislocations, and grain boundaries in high-purity superconducting niobium. Full-potential linear augmented plane-wave methods were applied in progressively greater complexity, starting at simple vacancies and extending to screw dislocations and tilt grain boundaries to analyze the effects of magnetic field on the superconducting state surrounding these defects. Density-functional theory calculations identified changes in electronic structure at the dislocation core and different types of symmetric tilt grain boundaries relative to bulk niobium. Electron redistribution enhanced nonparamagnetic effects and thus perturb superconductivity, resulting in local conditions suitable for premature flux penetration and subsequently flux pinning. Since the coherence length of superconducting niobium at 0 K is significantly larger than the lattice parameter, the effects of line and planar defects in niobium are predicted to be stronger for defect clusters than single defects in isolation, which is consistent with recent experimental observations. Controlling accumulation or depletion of charge at the defects, e.g., by segregation of an impurity atom, can mitigate these tendencies thus increasing the quality of superconducting niobium.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Thickness dependence of electronic structure and optical properties of a correlated van der Waals antiferromagnetic NiPS 3 thin film

In this work, we study the thickness dependence of the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of a NiPS 3 thin film, which is an antiferromagnetic charge-transfer insulator. Utilizing state-of-the-art advanced density functionals, we find the antiferromagnetic zigzag order, the band gap, and the main peaks in the dielectric tensor are all in good agreement with the corresponding experimental values. Upon thinning, the zigzag antiferromagnetic order becomes virtually degenerate with a competing Néel order, consistent with the suppression of long-range order observed by Raman spectroscopy due to strong magnetic fluctuations. Additionally, due to the robustness of the electronic band gap observed by spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements above T N , we suggest that the persistence of the band gap is driven by strong electronic correlations. Other systematic changes in electronic dispersion, effective mass, and Kerr angle with thickness are also discussed. Finally, an applied external electric field is found to suppress the band gap by up to 13%, until precipitating an insulator-metal transition at a critical field value of 0.7 eV/Å.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Quantum phase transitions in a model Hamiltonian exhibiting entangled simultaneous fermion-pair and exciton condensations

Quantum states of a novel Bose-Einstein condensate, in which both fermion-pair and exciton condensations are simultaneously present, have recently been realized theoretically in a model Hamiltonian system. Here, in this study, we identify quantum phase transitions in that model between fermion-pair and exciton condensations based on a geometric analysis of the convex set of ground-state two-particle reduced density matrices (2-RDMs). The 2-RDM set provides a finite representation of the infinite parameter space of Hamiltonians that readily reveals a fermion-pair condensate phase and two distinct exciton condensate phases, as well as the emergence of first- and second-order phase transitions as the particle number of the system is increased. The set, furthermore, shows that the fermion-exciton condensate (FEC) lies along the second-order phase transition between the exciton and fermion-pair condensate phases. The detailed information about the exciton and fermion-pair phases, the forces behind these phases, as well as their associated transitions provides additional insight into the formation of the FEC condensate, which we anticipate will prove useful in its experimental realization.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Triplet pair density wave superconductivity on the π -flux square lattice

Pair-density waves (PDWs) are superconducting states that spontaneously break translation symmetry in systems with time-reversal symmetry (TRS). Evidence for PDWs has been seen in several recent experiments, as well as in the pseudogap regime in cuprates. Theoretical understanding of PDWs has been largely restricted to phenomenological and numerical studies, while microscopic theories typically require strong coupling or fine tuning. In this work, we provide a symmetry-based mechanism under which PDWs emerge as a weak-coupling instability of a two-dimensional TRS metal. Combining mean-field and renormalization-group analyses, we identify a weak-coupling instability towards a triplet PDW realized in the π-flux square lattice model with on-site repulsion and moderate nearest-neighbor attraction when the Fermi level crosses Van Hove singularities at 1/4 and 3/4 fillings. Further, this PDW is protected by the magnetic translation symmetries characteristic of Hofstadter systems, of which the π-flux lattice is a special time-reversal-symmetric case.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Higher-order transverse momentum fluctuations in heavy-ion collisions

In relativistic heavy-ion collisions, the event-by-event mean transverse momentum fluctuations are sensitive to overlap area and energy density fluctuations in the initial state. We present a framework to calculate p T fluctuations up to fourth order using standard and subevent methods, which is validated using the HIJING model. We observe a power-law dependence for cumulants of all orders as a function of charged particle multiplicity N ch , consistent with a simple independent source picture. The fluctuation in pp collisions is observed to be larger than for p+Pb, Pb + Pb, and Xe + Xe collisions at the same N ch due to bias in the number of contributing sources. The short-range correlations are greatly suppressed in the subevent method in comparison to calculations based on the standard method. This paper provides a baseline for transverse momentum fluctuations without the presence of final-state effects.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Relativistic hybrid stars in light of the NICER PSR J0740 + 6620 radius measurement

We explore the implications of the recent radius determination of PSR J0740 + 6620 by the NICER experiment, combined with the neutron skin measurement by the PREX-II experiment and the associated inference of the slope of symmetry energy, for the structure of hybrid stars with a strong first-order phase transition from nucleonic to quark matter. Furthermore, we combine a covariant density-functional nucleonic equation of state (EOS) with a constant-speed-of-sound EOS for quark matter. We show that the radius and tidal deformability ranges obtained from GW170817 can be reconciled with the implication of the PREX-II experiment if there is a phase transition to quark matter in the low-mass compact star. In the high-mass segment, the EOS needs to be stiff to comply with the large-radius inference for PSR J0740 + 6620 and J0030 + 0451 with masses M ≃ 2 M ⊙ and M≃1.4 M⊙. We show that twin stars are not excluded, but the mass and radius ranges (with M ≥ M ⊙ ) are restricted to narrow domains ΔM twin ≲ 0.05 M ⊙ and ΔR twin ~ 1.0 km. We also show that the existence of twin configurations is compatible with the light companion in the GW190814 event being a hybrid star in the case of values of the sound-speed square s = 0.6 and s = 1/3.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Data-Driven Closures and Assimilation for Stiff Multiscale Random Dynamics

Here, we introduce a data-driven and physics-informed framework for propagating uncertainty in stiff, multiscale random ordinary differential equations (RODEs) driven by correlated (colored) noise. Unlike systems subjected to Gaussian white noise, a deterministic equation for the joint probability density function (PDF) of RODE state variables does not exist in closed form. Moreover, such an equation would require as many phase-space variables as there are states in the RODE system. To alleviate this curse of dimensionality, we instead derive exact, albeit unclosed, reduced-order PDF (RoPDF) equations for low-dimensional observables/quantities of interest. The unclosed terms take the form of state-dependent conditional expectations, which are directly estimated from data at sparse observation times. However, for systems exhibiting stiff, multiscale dynamics, data sparsity introduces regression discrepancies that compound during RoPDF evolution. This is overcome by introducing a kinetic-like defect term to the RoPDF equation, which is learned by assimilating in sparse, low-fidelity RoPDF estimates. Two assimilation methods are considered, namely nudging and deep neural networks, which are successfully tested against Monte Carlo simulations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Reentrant pinning, dynamic row reduction, and skyrmion accumulation for driven skyrmions in inhomogeneous pinning arrays

In this work, we examine the dynamics of skyrmions in systems with a region of strong pinning coexisting with a pin-free region, where the equilibrium state has a uniform skyrmion density. Under an applied drive, skyrmions accumulate in the pin-free region along the edge of the pinned region due to the skyrmion Hall effect. As the drive increases, a series of dynamical structural transitions occur in the flowing skyrmion lattice similar to those observed in the compression dynamics of crystals. These transitions correspond to reductions in the number of flowing rows of skyrmions due to the collective motion of the skyrmions into the pinned region, and they are accompanied by a series of steps in the velocity force curves leading to a negative differential conductivity. When the number of pinning sites is sufficiently large, a drive-induced pinning effect can occur in which the skyrmion Hall effect forces all of the skyrmions to enter the strongly pinned region. This reentrant pinning effect becomes more pronounced for increasing intrinsic skyrmion Hall angle and larger pinning sites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High-rate multiplexed entanglement source based on time-bin qubits for advanced quantum networks

Entanglement distribution based on time-bin qubits is an attractive option for emerging quantum networks. We demonstrate a 4.09-GHz repetition rate source of photon pairs entangled across early and late time bins separated by 80 ps. Simultaneous high rates and high visibilities are achieved through frequency multiplexing the spontaneous parametric down conversion output into eight time-bin entangled channel pairs. We demonstrate entanglement visibilities as high as 99.4%, total entanglement rates up to 3.55×10 6 coincidences/s, and predict a straightforward path towards achieving up to an order of magnitude improvement in rates without compromising visibility. Finally, we resolve the density matrices of the entangled states for each multiplexed channel and express distillable entanglement rates in ebit/s, thereby quantifying the trade-off between visibility and coincidence rates that contributes to useful entanglement distribution. This source is a fundamental building block for high-rate entanglement-based quantum key distribution systems or advanced quantum networks.

Mueller, Andrew (ORCID:0000000265989732)↗