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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Defect enhancement of Er emission in single crystal Er 2 O 3

We report observations of crystal defect induced modifications in the laser-excited Er 3+ photoluminescence spectra of single-crystal Er 2 O 3 thin films. These include marked enhancement of transition intensities known to be weak or nonexistent in as-grown samples. In this Letter, we examine the temperature and defect density dependence of the measurements and suggest photophysical processes that may account for these unexpected results.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Pulse Radiolysis Investigation of Radicals Derived from Water-Soluble Cyanine Dyes: Implications for Super-resolution Microscopy

Light-induced blinking, an inherent feature of many forms of super-resolution microscopy, has been linked to transient reduction of the fluorescent cyanine dye used as an imaging agent. There is, however, only scant literature information related to one-electron reduced cyanine dyes, especially in an aqueous environment. Here, we examine a small series of cyanine dyes, possessing disparate π-conjugation lengths, under selective reducing or oxidizing conditions. The experiment allows recording of both differential absorption spectra and decay kinetics of the resultant one-electron reduced or oxidized transient species in water. Relative to the ground state, absorption transitions for the various radicals are weak and somewhat broadened but do allow correlation with the π-conjugation length. In all cases, absorption maxima lie to the blue of the main ground-state transition. Under anaerobic conditions, the transient species decay on the microsecond to millisecond time scale, with the mean lifetime depending on molecular structure, radiation dose, and dye concentration. The experimental absorption spectra recorded for the one-electron reduced radicals and the presumed dimer cation radical compare well to spectra obtained from time-dependent density functional theory calculations. Furthermore, the results allow conclusions to be drawn regarding the plausibility of the reduced species being responsible for light-induced blinking in direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

2D High‐Entropy Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Carbon Dioxide Electrocatalysis

Abstract High‐entropy alloys combine multiple principal elements at a near equal fraction to form vast compositional spaces to achieve outstanding functionalities that are absent in alloys with one or two principal elements. Here, the prediction, synthesis, and multiscale characterization of 2D high‐entropy transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) alloys with four/five transition metals is reported. Of these, the electrochemical performance of a five‐component alloy with the highest configurational entropy, (MoWVNbTa)S 2 , is investigated for CO 2 conversion to CO, revealing an excellent current density of 0.51 A cm −2 and a turnover frequency of 58.3 s −1 at ≈ −0.8 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. First‐principles calculations show that the superior CO 2 electroreduction is due to a multi‐site catalysis wherein the atomic‐scale disorder optimizes the rate‐limiting step of CO desorption by facilitating isolated transition metal edge sites with weak CO binding. 2D high‐entropy TMDC alloys provide a materials platform to design superior catalysts for many electrochemical systems.

Cavin, John↗
DOE OSTI2022

Turbulence Structures in the Very Stable Boundary Layer Under the Influence of Wind Profile Distortion

Abstract In very stable boundary layers (VSBL), a “cocktail” of submeso motions routinely result in elevated mean wind speed maxima above the ground, acting as a new source of turbulence generation. This new source of turbulent kinetic energy enhances turbulent mixing and causes mean wind profile distortion (WPD). As a results, this transient distortion in the wind profile adjusts the classical log‐law. Addressing how WPD‐induced turbulence regulates flow structures, turbulent fluxes, and transitions in stability regimes across layers remains a challenge. Eddy covariance data measured at four levels on a 62‐m tower are employed to address these questions. It is shown that the WPD initiates large turbulent eddies that penetrate downward, leading to enhanced vertical mixing and comparable turbulent transport efficiencies across layers. As a consequence, turbulence intensity and fluxes are increased. As the WPD is intensified, turbulent fluxes and turbulent flux transport caused by large eddies are also enhanced, leading to a transition from very stable to weakly stable regimes. Due to the influence of WPD‐induced large eddies, the large‐eddy turbulent Prandtl number does not deviate appreciably from unity and the partitioning between turbulent kinetic and potential energies is linearly related to the gradient Richardson number.

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of the Ground State Spin and Parity of 22 Al Disfavors Halo Formation

We report the decisive resolution of the ground state spin and parity of the proton–drip line nucleus 22 Al, a prime candidate for a proton halo. The resolution stems from the first 𝛽-delayed charged particle emission experiment in the gas stopping area at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), leveraging high-intensity, low-energy beams extracted from the Advanced Cryogenic Gas Stopper (ACGS). The pristine beam quality from FRIB and the ACGS enabled a sensitive particle identification technique using thin silicon detectors, allowing for the suppression of the dominant proton background and the first observation of the weak 𝛽-delayed 𝛼 transition from the isobaric analog state in 22 Mg to the 18 Ne ground state. This observation uniquely fixes the 22 Al ground state as 4 + . The valence proton is confined by a dominant 𝑑-wave centrifugal barrier which, combined with the Coulomb repulsion, hinders the tunneling required for halo formation despite the exceptionally low proton separation energy of 22 Al.

20 ≤ A ≤ 38↗
DOE OSTI2020

Energy spectrum and current-phase relation of a nanowire Josephson junction close to the topological transition

A semiconducting nanowire proximitized by an $\textit{s}$-wave superconductor can be tuned into a topological state by an applied magnetic field. This quantum phase transition is marked by the emergence of Majorana zero modes at the ends of the wire. The fusion of Majorana modes at a junction between two nanowires results in a 4π-periodic Josephson effect. Here, we elucidate how the 4π periodicity arises across the topological phase transition in a highly-transparent short nanowire junction. Owing to a high transmission coefficient, Majorana zero modes coming from different wires are strongly coupled, with an energy scale set by the proximity-induced, field-independent pairing potential. At the same time, the topological spectral gap—defined by competition between superconducting correlations and Zeeman splitting—becomes narrow in the vicinity of the transition point. The resulting hybridization of the fused Majorana states with the spectral continuum strongly affects the electron density of states at the junction and its Josephson energy. We study the manifestations of this hybridization in the energy spectrum and phase dependence of the Josephson current. We pinpoint the experimentally observable signatures of the topological phase transition, focusing on junctions with weak backscattering.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Geometry of the charge density wave in the kagome metal A V 3 Sb 5

Kagome lattice is a fertile platform for topological and intertwined electronic excitations. Recently, experimental evidence of an unconventional charge density wave (CDW) is observed in a Z 2 kagome metal AV 3 Sb 5 (A=K, Cs, Rb). This observation triggers wide interest in the interplay between frustrated crystal structure and Fermi surface instabilities. Here, we analyze the lattice effect and its impact on CDW in AV 3 Sb 5 . Based on published experimental data, we show that the 2×2×2 CDW breaks the sixfold rotational symmetry of the crystal due to the phase shift between kagome layers and can explain the twofold symmetric CDW peak intensity observed by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The coupling between the lattice and electronic degrees of freedom yields a weak first-order structural transition without continuous change of lattice dynamics. Our result emphasizes the fundamental role of lattice geometry in proper understanding of unconventional electronic orders in AV 3 Sb 5 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Strain-Modulated Slater-Mott Crossover of Pseudospin-Half Square-Lattice in ( SrIrO 3 ) 1 / ( SrTiO 3 ) 1 Superlattices

Here, we report on the epitaxial strain-driven electronic and antiferromagnetic modulations of a pseudospin-half square lattice realized in superlattices of (SrIrO 3 ) 1 /(SrTiO 3 )1. With increasing compressive strain, we find the low-temperature insulating behavior to be strongly suppressed with a corresponding systematic reduction of both the Néel temperature and the staggered moment. However, despite such a suppression, the system remains weakly insulating above the Néel transition. The emergence of metallicity is observed under large compressive strain but only at temperature far above the Néel transition. These behaviors are characteristics of the Slater-Mott crossover regime, providing a unique experimental model system of the spin-half Hubbard Hamiltonian with a tunable intermediate coupling strength.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Delocalization Transition of a Disordered Axion Insulator

The axion insulator is a higher-order topological insulator protected by inversion symmetry. We show that, under quenched disorder respecting inversion symmetry on average, the topology of the axion insulator stays robust, and an intermediate metallic phase in which states are delocalized is unavoidable at the transition from an axion insulator to a trivial insulator. We derive this conclusion from general arguments, from classical percolation theory, and from the numerical study of a 3D quantum network model simulating a disordered axion insulator through a layer construction. We find the localization length critical exponent near the delocalization transition to be ν = 1.42 ± 0.12. We further show that this delocalization transition is stable even to weak breaking of the average inversion symmetry, up to a critical strength. Finally, we also quantitatively map our quantum network model to an effective Hamiltonian and we find its low-energy k ∙ p expansion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Visualizing electron localization of WS 2 /WSe 2 moiré superlattices in momentum space

The search for materials with flat electronic bands continues due to their potential to drive strong correlation and symmetry breaking orders. Electronic moirés formed in van der Waals heterostructures have proved to be an ideal platform. However, there is no holistic experimental picture for how superlattices modify electronic structure. By combining spatially resolved angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with optical spectroscopy, we report the first direct evidence of how strongly correlated phases evolve from a weakly interacting regime in a transition metal dichalcogenide superlattice. By comparing short and long wave vector moirés, we find that the electronic structure evolves into a highly localized regime with increasingly flat bands and renormalized effective mass. The flattening is accompanied by the opening of a large gap in the spectral function and splitting of the exciton peaks. These results advance our understanding of emerging phases in moiré superlattices and point to the importance of interlayer physics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1984

Substrate-induced orientational order in the isotropic phase of liquid crystals

Nematic order induced near a solid boundary in an otherwise isotropic liquid crystal is studied theoretically, at temperatures just above the bulk nematic-isotropic phase transition. Three distinct regimes are found, depending on the strength of orientational torques at the boundary: (1) strong orientational order, (2) strong orientational order followed by a first-order transition to a state of weak orientational order as temperature is raised, and (3) a state of weak orientational order.

Mauger, A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Rotational modulation and flares on RS CVn and BY Dra stars

Evidence is presented for spots, plages, and flares on the noneclipsing RS CVn system II Peg and V 711 Tau. The large spot originally found on II Peg in 1981.8 could still be identified in 1983. Two spectroscopic flares of II Peg were detected. For the larger flare the fluxes in the strongest transition-region lines reached about six times their quiescent values. A comparison of the 1981 and 1983 flux variations show that active regions or plages are located on one hemisphere. On V 711 Tau at least two flares were observed. Outside of these flares, the strongest chromospheric and transition-region emission lines exhibited weak phase-dependent variations that persist over 173 orbital cycles (1981-1983) and are possibly associated with one of the proposed spots. For both stellar systems the fluxes from the higher temperature emission lines showed the greatest variations.

Andrews, A. D.↗
DOE OSTI2022

How effective is the Brink–Axel hypothesis for astrophysical weak rates?

We explore the effectiveness of the Brink–Axel hypothesis (BAH) for the computation of stellar electron capture (EC) and β-decay (BD) rates, namely that the transition strength function depends only upon the transition energy and not upon the details of the initial state. For this purpose, we calculated Gamow–Teller (GT) strength distributions for a selection of sd-shell nuclides, using two different microscopic models, namely the proton–neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation and the full configuration-interaction shell model, taking into account the first 100 states of both the initial and final nuclides. The GT transition strengths among these levels evolve with initial state energy. These transition strength functions we folded into weak-interaction mediated rates in stellar matter, specifically EC and BD rates, for a range of densities 10 g cm –3 ≤ ρ ≤ 10 11 g cm –3 and range of temperatures 1 GK ≤ T ≤ 30 GK. When transitions from excited states were approximated using the BAH, augmented by so-called 'back-resonance' transitions, the rates were affected by up to three orders of magnitude or more at high temperatures and densities. Furthermore the BAH is not a reliable approximation for the calculation of stellar rates, especially in high temperature–density environments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1994

Mechanisms of optical response in superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-delta thin films and grain-boundary weak links

The optical response of single grain-boundary weak links in superconducting YBCO thin films has been investigated. At temperatures well below the transition temperature, the grain boundary exhibits an optical response which is qualitatively different from transition edge response. Using a resistively shunted-junction model for the grain-boundary weak link, we find that the optical response below the transition temperature can be described by radiation induced thermal modulation of the critical currents of the weak links. The dependence on the bias current and the temperature distinguishes the weak-link optical response from the transition edge optical response. We discuss novel aspects of a potential radiation detector based on grain-boundary weak-link junctions.

Bhattacharya, S.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ultrafast dynamics of a fermion chain in a terahertz field-driven optical cavity

In this article, we study the effect of a terahertz field-driven single cavity mode for ultrafast control of a fermion chain with dissipation-induced nonlinearity and quadratic coupling to an infrared-active phonon mode. Unlike the first-order phase transition in the nonequilibrium steady state of the system without a cavity or with a high-quality cavity, we find that a realistic dissipation in a low-quality driven cavity process prevents such a transition. Without realistic photon loss from the cavity, the transition only survives for the lower phonon-polariton branch with strong drive; a weak laser field fails to induce the phase transition and renders the polaritons symmetrical. The ability to control the phase transition is crucial for realizing strongly modulated steady states; we propose experimentally feasible regimes where this occurs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantum Photon Sources in WSe 2 Monolayers Induced by Weakly Localized Strain Fields

Quantum emitters in semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers hold great promise for many quantum optics applications due to the intriguing properties afforded by the host materials. The creation of localized excitonic states in two-dimensional semiconductors is also fundamentally interesting. Local strain engineering of TMD monolayers has been attested to be a viable approach for creating quantum emitters. However, despite the ubiquitous existence of local topography variations in the structures used to create strain gradients in the TMD monolayers, an understanding of their influence on the strain fields and exciton trapping is notably lacking, especially on the nanoscale. In this study, we investigate WSe 2 monolayers deposited on the edges of asfabricated trenches, which are deemed to induce 1D delocalized strain profiles in the monolayers, and observe optical signatures of weakly confined excitonic states supporting biexciton emission. Here, our numerical simulations of the strain distributions suggest that the quantum emitters originate from quasi-1D like localized strain profiles induced by local topography variations at the trench edges. These findings have strong implications toward the controlled creation of quantum emitters in TMD monolayers and their efficient coupling to photonic structures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Potential neutron-induced γ-ray background on natural tellurium relevant to 130 Te 0 ν ββ decay searches at the CUORE and SNO+ detectors

Gamma-ray production cross-section data have been obtained for the inelastic neutron scattering reactions 126,128,130 Te(n,n'γ) at five neutron energies between 3.6 and 10 MeV. We report data for the γ-ray energy region relevant to 0ν ββ decay of 130 Te with a Q ββ value of 2527.515 keV, assuming natural-abundance tellurium, as used at CUORE and SNO+. The natural abundance of 130 Te, 128 Te, and 126 Te is 34%, 32%, and 19%, respectively. For CUORE the γ-ray cascades from the excited state in 130 Te at 2527.06 keV and in 126 Te at 2533.85 keV are of concern. For SNO+, accounting for its inferior energy resolution, an additional four levels are important in 130 Te, an additional nine levels in 128 Te, and an additional eight levels in 126 Te. Of these, we report neutron-induced γ-ray production cross sections for the strongest transitions: the 2581.15 keV level in 130 Te, the 2494.20, 2508.06, and 2630.14 keV levels in 128 Te, and the 2496.83 and 2585.46 keV level in 126 Te. Here, the largest cross-section values were found for cascade γ-ray transitions to the ground state, while direct transitions to the ground state are very weak and were not observed in the present work. Both the CUORE and SNO+ detectors, however, may not be able to distinguish between cascade transitions and direct transitions to the ground state, making the neutron-induced excitation of the 2527.06 keV state of 130 Te in particular a potential problem for 0νββ decay searches of 130Te, because it matches its Q ββ value.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1998

Anisotropic Optical-Response of Eu-doped Yttrium Orthosilicate

Eu-doped yttrium orthosilicate (Eu(3+) : Y2SiO5) had been a subject being investigated for coherent time-domain optical memory and information processing applications since its ultraslow optical dephasing was discovered several years ago. In this crystal the weakly allowed (7)F0 - (5)D0 transition of europium ions exhibits a sufficient long dephasing time and no spectral difli.usion on a time scale of several hours at low temperature, thus an information pattern or data can be stored as a population grating in the ground state hyperfine levels. On the other hand, the study on photon-echo relaxation shows that the dephasing time T2 of Eu (3+) and other rare-earth ions doped YAG, YAlO3 strongly depends on the intensity of the excitation pulses. In Eu (3+) :YAlO3, an exponential decay of photon-echo with T2 = 53 microseconds if the excitation pulses are weak (5 vJ/pulse) was observed. However, when the excitation pulses are strong (80 pJ/pulse) they observed a much shortened T2 with a highly nonexponential decay pattern. The conclusion they derived is that the intensity-dependent dephasing rate effects are quite general, and it depends on how much the excitation intensity varies. In this paper we use transient grating formation technique showing that a temporal lattice distortion may only occur along crystal c axis, caused by EU (3+) excitation. At high excitation level the produced exciton in conduction band may also couple to the dynamical lattice relaxation process, giving rise to an apparently much shortened dephasing time.

Liu, Huimin↗