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At least 1,495 records · Page 83

Lattice distortion inducing exciton splitting and coherent quantum beating in CsPbI 3 perovskite quantum dots

It is well known that shape or crystal anisotropy in nanocrystal quantum dots, which are tiny semiconductor nanoparticles, results in energy splitting of their optically bright excitons (bound electron-hole pairs), which is known as fine structure splitting (FSS). Studying FSS usually requires single or just a few quantum dots because of its sensitivity to nanocrystal size and shape. In this work, by using ensemble-level femtosecond polarized transient absorption, the authors observed clear bright-exciton FSS in solution-processed CsPbI 3 perovskite QDs, which is manifested as exciton quantum beats (periodic oscillations of kinetic traces). Remarkably, the beat frequency of a given sample, as determined by the FSS energy, can be continuously controlled by changing the temperature. The FSS is linked experimentally for the first time to temperature dependent lattice distortion in the orthorhombic crystal structure. Because these orthorhombic-phase nanocrystal quantum dots are bounded by the pseudocubic family of crystal planes, the lattice distortion results in a misalignment between the lattice vectors and the nanocrystal edge directions which breaks the symmetry, leading to previously unrecognized avoided crossing “fine-structure gap” between bright exciton. Furthermore, this fine structure gap is responsible for the ability to observe quantum beats despite the shape inhomogeneity within the measured ensemble. Lattice-distortion dependent FSS in CsPbI 3 QDs has important consequences for their application as a platform for coherence and entanglement control in quantum information science.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

EPICS for small-scale laboratories with Python soft IOCs

While the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is widely used at large laboratories for slow controls and instrumentation, the deployment of a full EPICS installation can be difficult, with a steep learning curve to new users. Taking advantage of the pythonSoftIOC module, we developed an EPICS slow controls implementation for Jefferson Lab's Hall B cryotarget written entirely in Python and based on software IOCs that communicate with instruments over Ethernet. Here, this system ran successfully, interfacing with Jefferson Lab's full EPICS network, and we offer it as an example of the capabilities of pythonSoftIOC to build lightweight, yet robust and flexible instrumentation platforms that would be easily adapted for use at a small-scale laboratory. University groups can use these examples to build complete slow controls systems, from device communication to data archiving and display, using open-source, mature EPICS tools and student-friendly Python as an alternative to expensive and proprietary systems such as LabVIEW.

Computing↗

Developing a control system for ARES 2

A great deal of analysis and testing is conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center to support the development of safe and reliable helicopter rotor systems. This work is performed by the Rotorcraft Aeroelasticity Group located in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) facility. Over the past two decades a wide variety of tests have been successfully conducted in the TDT and their results have contributed significantly to the understanding of aeromechanical phenomena in rotor systems. This has led to improved tools for analysis and design, and ultimately to the development, of improved rotor systems. The TDT facility is ideally suited for these tests due to its unique ability to use a heavy gas as a working medium. This allows the model to be scaled such that the results obtained may be readily extrapolated to full scale. Until recently, the rotor system to be tested has been mounted on a fixed balance which is attached to the longeron which is attached to the stand through a single pitching degree of freedom. The testbed used is known as the Aeroelastic Rotor Experimental System (ARES 1). In order to extend the experimental capabilities to investigate the full rotor/body dynamic coupling present in a rotorcraft, a very ambitious project has been undertaken to design and construct a six degree of freedom system that can be controlled so as to emulate the inertial characteristics of a prescribed model fuselage. The electronic and mechanical hardware for this system has already been designed and constructed. This system is known ar ARES II. The rotor and its drive system are mounted on the balance which is attached to the longeron via six hydraulic actuators. This six degree of freedom parallel linkage is referred to in the literature as a Stuart Platform. By properly adjusting the length of the hydraulic actuators it is possible to position and orient the balance relative to the longeron. The longeron is attached to the stand via a pitch degree of freedom to allow testing over various forward flight regimes. One major task remaining to complete this testbed is the design and synthesis of a control system. To do this properly requires an understanding of the kinematics and dynamics of the system and robust control design. A brief description of the development of a control design is given.

Fitzsimons, Philip M.↗

Space Station technology testbed: 2010 deep space transport

A space station in a crew-tended or permanently crewed configuration will provide major R&D opportunities for innovative, technology and materials development and advanced space systems testing. A space station should be designed with the basic infrastructure elements required to grow into a major systems technology testbed. This space-based technology testbed can and should be used to support the development of technologies required to expand our utilization of near-Earth space, the Moon and the Earth-to-Jupiter region of the Solar System. Space station support of advanced technology and materials development will result in new techniques for high priority scientific research and the knowledge and R&D base needed for the development of major, new commercial product thrusts. To illustrate the technology testbed potential of a space station and to point the way to a bold, innovative approach to advanced space systems' development, a hypothetical deep space transport development and test plan is described. Key deep space transport R&D activities are described would lead to the readiness certification of an advanced, reusable interplanetary transport capable of supporting eight crewmembers or more. With the support of a focused and highly motivated, multi-agency ground R&D program, a deep space transport of this type could be assembled and tested by 2010. Key R&D activities on a space station would include: (1) experimental research investigating the microgravity assisted, restructuring of micro-engineered, materials (to develop and verify the in-space and in-situ 'tuning' of materials for use in debris and radiation shielding and other protective systems), (2) exposure of microengineered materials to the space environment for passive and operational performance tests (to develop in-situ maintenance and repair techniques and to support the development, enhancement, and implementation of protective systems, data and bio-processing systems, and virtual reality and telepresence/kinetic processes), (3) subsystem tests of advanced nuclear power, nuclear propulsion and communication systems (using boom extensions, remote station-keeping platforms and mobile EVA crew and robots), and (4) logistics support (crew and equipment) and command and control of deep space transport assembly, maintenance, and refueling (using a station-keeping platform).

Holt, Alan C.↗

Impact of Footprint Diameter and Off-Nadir Pointing on the Precision of Canopy Height Estimates from Spaceborne Lidar

A spaceborne lidar mission could serve multiple scientific purposes including remote sensing of ecosystem structure, carbon storage, terrestrial topography and ice sheet monitoring. The measurement requirements of these different goals will require compromises in sensor design. Footprint diameters that would be larger than optimal for vegetation studies have been proposed. Some spaceborne lidar mission designs include the possibility that a lidar sensor would share a platform with another sensor, which might require off-nadir pointing at angles of up to 16 . To resolve multiple mission goals and sensor requirements, detailed knowledge of the sensitivity of sensor performance to these aspects of mission design is required. This research used a radiative transfer model to investigate the sensitivity of forest height estimates to footprint diameter, off-nadir pointing and their interaction over a range of forest canopy properties. An individual-based forest model was used to simulate stands of mixed conifer forest in the Tahoe National Forest (Northern California, USA) and stands of deciduous forests in the Bartlett Experimental Forest (New Hampshire, USA). Waveforms were simulated for stands generated by a forest succession model using footprint diameters of 20 m to 70 m. Off-nadir angles of 0 to 16 were considered for a 25 m diameter footprint diameter. Footprint diameters in the range of 25 m to 30 m were optimal for estimates of maximum forest height (R(sup 2) of 0.95 and RMSE of 3 m). As expected, the contribution of vegetation height to the vertical extent of the waveform decreased with larger footprints, while the contribution of terrain slope increased. Precision of estimates decreased with an increasing off-nadir pointing angle, but off-nadir pointing had less impact on height estimates in deciduous forests than in coniferous forests. When pointing off-nadir, the decrease in precision was dependent on local incidence angle (the angle between the off-nadir beam and a line normal to the terrain surface) which is dependent on the off-nadir pointing angle, terrain slope, and the difference between the laser pointing azimuth and terrain aspect; the effect was larger when the sensor was aligned with the terrain azimuth but when aspect and azimuth are opposed, there was virtually no effect on R2 or RMSE. A second effect of off-nadir pointing is that the laser beam will intersect individual crowns and the canopy as a whole from a different angle which had a distinct effect on the precision of lidar estimates of height, decreasing R2 and increasing RMSE, although the effect was most pronounced for coniferous crowns.

Pang, Yong↗

OpenMP application experiences: Porting to accelerated nodes

As recent enhancements to the OpenMP specification become available in its implementations, there is a need to share the results of experimentation in order to better understand the OpenMP implementation’s behavior in practice, to identify pitfalls, and to learn how the implementations can be effectively deployed in scientific codes. We report on experiences gained and practices adopted when using OpenMP to port a variety of ECP applications, mini-apps and libraries based on different computational motifs to accelerator-based leadership-class high-performance supercomputer systems at the United States Department of Energy. Additionally, we identify important challenges and open problems related to the deployment of OpenMP. Through our report of experiences, we find that OpenMP implementations are successful on current supercomputing platforms and that OpenMP is a promising programming model to use for applications to be run on emerging and future platforms with accelerated nodes.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Predicted Ferromagnetism in Discovered Co–Bi Binary Phases

Binary solid-state materials offer unique insight into how the interplay of factors such as stoichiometry and bonding interactions affects magnetism and electronic properties. In this work, we considered systems where a transition metal provides the spin moment and a heavy main group element bolsters strong spin–orbit coupling. Within this context, cobalt, a known component of permanent magnets, and bismuth, functionally the heaviest element stable to radioactive decay, form a compelling combination. The Co–Bi system has been previously shown to exhibit superconductivity in a phase recovered from high pressure. We expected the Co−Bi system could also be ferromagnetic, resulting in two sets of compounds within one chemical system, one superconducting and one ferromagnetic. Subsequently, we investigated the Co–Bi system through both experimental and theoretical approaches to discover new candidates for permanent magnets. Ab initio random structure searching calculations identified five new compounds with diverse structural motifs that may form at higher pressures than previously reported. Experimental high-pressure synthesis yielded four compounds: α-CoBi, α-CoBi 2 , β-CoBi, and β-CoBi 2 . Three of these phases, α-CoBi 2 , β-CoBi, and β-CoBi 2 , were consistent with the calculated structures, corresponding to a 60% success rate for our structure search and underscoring the strength of combining computation with experiment. Theory predicts β-CoBi and β-CoBi2 are ferromagnetic, with β-CoBi possessing larger magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy than familiar permanent magnets such as CoPt and Nd–Fe–B. These results suggest the Co–Bi system could be a platform for understanding the factors that underpin magnetism and, to an extent, superconductivity in a chemically simple binary system.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Harnessing photoautotroph-methanotroph interactions for biogas conversion to fuels and chemicals using binary consortia (Project Final Technical Report)

Industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste streams containing stranded organic carbon represent a significant and underutilized feedstock to produce fuels and chemicals. With anaerobic digestion deployed at large scales to capture organic waste streams, over 6 million tons of biogas are available today. However, the utilization of biogas represents a significant challenge due to its low pressure and presence of contaminants such as H 2 S, ammonia, and volatile organic carbon compounds. To tap into this immense potential, effective biotechnologies that co-utilize both CO 2 and CH 4 are needed. Recent studies demonstrated that, in nature, microbial communities have developed a highly efficient way to recover energy and capture carbon from both CH 4 and CO 2 through metabolic coupling of methane oxidation to oxygenic photosynthesis. Using two synthetic methanotroph – photoautotroph (M-P) co-cultures that exhibit stable growth under a broad range of cultivation conditions, in this project we proposed to harness the interspecies interactions within these cocultures for biogas conversion to fuels and chemicals. To facilitate this overarching objective, we aim to develop experimental and computational tools to gain qualitative and quantitative understandings on the interactions and dynamics of the coculture at both systems and molecular levels, and to validate our findings through experiments and mutant development. The fundamental understanding on the interactions and dynamics of the photoautotroph-methanotroph will lay the foundation for the design and optimization of synthetic binary consortia for production of fuels and chemicals from biogas. We expect the knowledge gained from this project may be generally applicable to other cross-feeding binary consortium, and the tools developed can be adapted to study the interactions and dynamics of other multi-organism platforms.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF FUEL PHYSICAL PROPERTY EFFECTS ON SPARK IGNITION ENGINE PERFORMANCE

Alternative fuels are of interest to automakers and regulators due to their potential to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources. Alternative fuels also have fuel properties which may enable advanced combustion modes with higher engine thermal efficiencies. There has been previous work to identify the relationship between various fuel properties and engine performance, but most of this work has been experiments or simulations where the change in properties was obtained through changing the fuel composition, making isolating the effects of individual fuel properties difficult. In this study, numerical simulations have been used to investigate the effects of individual fuel physical properties such as viscosity or heat of vaporization (HoV) on engine performance. Simulations have been performed of two different engine platforms, the first an optical, single-cylinder research engine and the second a multi-cylinder production engine. Both engines are direct-injection spark-ignition engines with pent-roof heads and are designed for automotive applications. Each engine was run at a different operating condition, one stable and one knock-limited. Different base fuels provided a variety of simulated conditions. Up to six different fuel properties were varied as part of Global Sensitivity Analyses performed for each of the engines with multiple performance targets including thermal efficiency, combustion efficiency and combustion phasing. Results show trends that are largely consistent with previous experimental findings using multiple fuels. The engine thermal efficiency was primarily sensitive to the fuel's HoV, with other fuel physical properties having smaller effects. For optical engine results, the magnitude of the effect was greater in this study than expected based on previous experimental results were many fuel physical and chemical properties were varied simultaneously. However, for the multi-cylinder production engine, the relationship between thermal efficiency and HoV was slightly smaller.

engine simulation↗

A stable 15-member bacterial SynCom promotes Brachypodium growth under drought stress

Introduction: Rhizosphere microbiomes are known to drive soil nutrient cycling and influence plant fitness during adverse environmental conditions. Field-derived robust Synthetic Communities (SynComs) of microbes mimicking the diversity of rhizosphere microbiomes can greatly advance a deeper understanding of such processes. However, assembling stable, genetically tractable, reproducible, and scalable SynComs remains challenging. Methods: Here, we present a systematic approach using a combination of network analysis and cultivation-guided methods to construct a 15-member SynCom from the rhizobiome of Brachypodium distachyon. This SynCom incorporates diverse strains from five bacterial phyla. Genomic analysis of the individual strains was performed to reveal encoded plant growth-promoting traits, including genes for the synthesis of osmoprotectants (trehalose and betaine) and Na+/K+ transporters, and some predicted traits were validated by laboratory phenotypic assays. Results: The SynCom demonstrates strong stability both in vitro and in planta. Most strains encoded multiple plant growth-promoting functions, and several of these were confirmed experimentally. The presence of osmoprotectant and ion transporter genes likely contributed to the observed resilience of Brachypodium to drought stress, where plants amended with the SynCom recovered better than those without. We further observed preferential colonization of SynCom strains around root tips under stress, likely due to active interactions between plant root metabolites and bacteria. Discussion: Our results demonstrate that trait-informed construction of synthetic communities can yield stable, functionally diverse consortia that enhance plant resilience under drought. Preferential colonization near root tips points to active, localized plant-microbe signaling as a component of stress-responsive recruitment. This stable SynCom provides a scalable platform for probing mechanisms of plant-microbe interaction and for developing microbiome-based strategies to improve soil and crop performance in variable environments.

Yadav, Archana↗

Hadron-Argon Cross-Section Measurements at Protodune

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next-generation experiment designed to measure neutrino oscillations with unprecedented precision, specifically seeking to identify CP violation in the lepton sector. DUNE utilizes the Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) as its core detecting technology, offering high-resolution imaging to reconstruct neutrino interactions on argon. A primary challenge in this reconstruction is the modeling of hadronic final-state interactions (FSI), where hadrons produced at the initial interaction vertex undergo further scattering before escaping the nucleus. In this thesis, I utilize the ProtoDUNE-SP detector and its 1~GeV/$c$ hadron beam at the CERN Neutrino Platform to present the first measurements of total inelastic $\pi^+$-argon and proton-argon cross sections in an energy regime critical to DUNE. I detail the development and validation of the ``slicing method'', which utilizes a kiloton-scale LArTPC to extract hadron-argon cross sections. These measurements provide an indispensable benchmark for informing DUNE's FSI modeling, and our results show no significant tension with current model predictions. Additionally, I study the impact of FSI modeling on DUNE’s sensitivity to oscillation parameters. This study demonstrates that variations in FSI models may be degenerate with oscillation features, highlighting the necessity of using direct experimental data to refine interaction models. Finally, I provide an outlook on related studies that will further contribute to this effort, supporting the ambitious physics goals of upcoming neutrino oscillation programs including DUNE.

Yin-Rui, Liu [U. Chicago (main)]↗

Understanding interactions between biomolecules and two-dimensional nanomaterials using in silico microscopes

We report two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials such as graphene are increasingly used in research and industry for various biomedical applications. Extensive experimental and theoretical studies have revealed that 2D nanomaterials are promising drug delivery vehicles, yet certain materials exhibit toxicity under biological conditions. So far, it is known that 2D nanomaterials possess strong adsorption propensities for biomolecules. To mitigate potential toxicity and retain favorable physical and chemical properties of 2D nanomaterials, it is necessary to explore the underlying mechanisms of interactions between biomolecules and nanomaterials for the subsequent design of biocompatible 2D nanomaterials for nanomedicine. The purpose of this review is to integrate experimental findings with theoretical observations and facilitate the study of 2D nanomaterial interaction with biomolecules at the molecular level. We discuss the current understanding and progress of 2D nanomaterial interaction with proteins, lipid membranes, and DNA based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In this review, we focus on the 2D graphene nanosheet and briefly discuss other 2D nanomaterials. With the ever-growing computing power, we can image nanoscale processes using MD simulation that are otherwise not observable in experiment. We expect that molecular characterization of the complex behavior between 2D nanomaterials and biomolecules will help fulfill the goal of designing effective 2D nanomaterials as drug delivery platforms.

2D nanomaterials↗

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↗

Long-lived polaritonic coherence and polaron decoupling effects in 2D electronic spectra

Molecular polaritons, formed by coupling molecular excitons with cavity photons, offer a promising platform for exploring quantum phenomena. A key challenge is understanding how these hybrid states maintain coherence in the presence of environmental vibrations. Here, we show theoretically that collective coupling of many molecular excitons in a cavity can protect polariton coherence from phonon-induced decoherence. Under realistic conditions, the coherence time can extend up to 200 fs at room temperature, compared with 15 fs for typical molecular systems. Simulations of two-dimensional electronic spectra reveal prolonged oscillations between upper and lower polariton states, and reduced vibrational coupling as indicated by changes in the nodal line slope of the lower polariton peak. These findings provide guidance for experimental efforts to realize long-lived polaritons, such as coupling CdSe nanoplatelets to optical cavities.

2D electronic spectroscopy↗

The measurement of the ground wind structure at Wallops Island

The mean and turbulence characteristics of the surface wind measured near the Atlantic coast were measured. The experimental data were acquired from a 76 meter tall instrumented micrometeorological tower. Mean wind and turbulence measurements were made with two types of instrumentation consisting of cup vane and temperature probes, primarily used for mean profile measurements of velocity and temperature respectively. The second system, a hot film and thermocouple system, was used for measurement of turbulence variances and covariances and spectra. The cup vane system was used to acquire data from all wind directions, while the hot film system was primarily used for turbulence measurements from the two prevailing wind directions, south and northwest. The micrometeorological tower is a self standing nonguyed tower with five working platforms at 15.2m (50 ft.) intervals, with cup vane and aspirated temperature probes mounted at each platform.

Tielman, H. W.↗

Experimental measurements and analytical analysis related to gas turbine heat transfer. Part 1: Time-averaged heat-flux and surface-pressure measurements on the vanes and blades of the SSME fuel-side turbine and comparison with prediction. Part 2: Phase-resolved surface-pressure and heat-flux measurements on the first blade of the SSME fuel-side turbine

Time averaged Stanton number and surface-pressure distributions are reported for the first-stage vane row, the first stage blade row, and the second stage vane row of the Rocketdyne Space Shuttle Main Engine two-stage fuel-side turbine. Unsteady pressure envelope measurements for the first blade are also reported. These measurements were made at 10 percent, 50 percent, and 90 percent span on both the pressure and suction surfaces of the first stage components. Additional Stanton number measurements were made on the first stage blade platform blade tip, and shroud, and at 50 percent span on the second vane. A shock tube was used as a short duration source of heated and pressurized air to which the turbine was subjected. Platinum thin-film heat flux gages were used to obtain the heat flux measurements, while miniature silicon-diaphragm flush-mounted pressure transducers were used to obtain the pressure measurements. The first stage vane Stanton number distributions are compared with predictions obtained using a version of STAN5 and a quasi-3D Navier-Stokes solution. This same quasi-3D N-S code was also used to obtain predictions for the first blade and the second vane.

Source record↗

Discovery of a weak topological insulating state and van Hove singularity in triclinic RhBi2

Abstract Time reversal symmetric (TRS) invariant topological insulators (TIs) fullfil a paradigmatic role in the field of topological materials, standing at the origin of its development. Apart from TRS protected strong TIs, it was realized early on that more confounding weak topological insulators (WTI) exist. WTIs depend on translational symmetry and exhibit topological surface states only in certain directions making it significantly more difficult to match the experimental success of strong TIs. We here report on the discovery of a WTI state in RhBi 2 that belongs to the optimal space group P $$\bar{1}$$ 1 ¯ , which is the only space group where symmetry indicated eigenvalues enumerate all possible invariants due to absence of additional constraining crystalline symmetries. Our ARPES, DFT calculations, and effective model reveal topological surface states with saddle points that are located in the vicinity of a Dirac point resulting in a van Hove singularity (VHS) along the (100) direction close to the Fermi energy ( E F ). Due to the combination of exotic features, this material offers great potential as a material platform for novel quantum effects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Accelerators for Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Biomolecules

Atomistic Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations provide researchers the ability to model biomolecular structures such as proteins and their interactions with drug-like small molecules with greater spatiotemporal resolution than is otherwise possible using experimental methods. MD simulations are notoriously expensive computational endeavors that have traditionally required massive investment in specialized hardware to access biologically relevant spatiotemporal scales. Our goal is to summarize the fundamental algorithms that are employed in the literature to then highlight the challenges that have affected accelerator implementations in practice. We consider three broad categories of accelerators: Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). These categories are comparatively studied to facilitate discussion of their relative trade-offs and to gain context for the current state of the art. We conclude by providing insights into the potential of emerging hardware platforms and algorithms for MD.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗