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At least 1,693 records · Page 94

The effect of alkali-soluble lignin on purified core cellulase and hemicellulase activities during hydrolysis of extractive ammonia-pretreated lignocellulosic biomass

Removing alkali-soluble lignin using extractive ammonia (EA) pretreatment of corn stover (CS) is known to improve biomass conversion efficiency during enzymatic hydrolysis. In this study, we investigated the effect of alkali-soluble lignin on six purified core glycosyl hydrolases and their enzyme synergies, adopting 31 enzyme combinations derived by a five-component simplex centroid model, during EA-CS hydrolysis. Hydrolysis experiment was carried out using EA-CS(-) (approx. 40% lignin removed during EA pretreatment) and EA-CS(+) (where no lignin was extracted). Enzymatic hydrolysis experiments were done at three different enzyme mass loadings (7.5, 15 and 30 mg protein g -1 glucan), using a previously developed high-throughput microplate-based protocol, and the sugar yields of glucose and xylose were detected. The optimal enzyme combinations (based on % protein mass loading) of six core glycosyl hydrolases for EA-CS(-) and EA-CS(+) were determined that gave high sugar conversion. The inhibition of lignin on optimal enzyme ratios was studied, by adding fixed amount of alkali-soluble lignin fractions to EA-CS(-), and pure Avicel, beechwood xylan and evaluating their sugar conversion. The optimal enzyme ratios that gave higher sugar conversion for EA-CS(-) were CBH I: 27.2–28.2%, CBH II: 18.2–22.2%, EG I: 29.2–34.3%, EX: 9.0–14.1%, βX: 7.2–10.2%, βG: 1.0–5.0% (at 7.5–30 mg g -1 protein mass loading). Endoglucanase was inhibited to a greater extent than other core cellulases and xylanases by lignin during enzyme hydrolysis. We also found that alkali-soluble lignin inhibits cellulase more strongly than hemicellulase during the course of enzyme hydrolysis.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Satellites, core hole excitations, and spin-resolved electronic structure in the spectroscopy of half-metallic CrO 2

Photoelectron satellites—the structures appearing on the low kinetic or high binding-energy side of the “main” or “elastic” photopeak—betray the complex many-body interactions set in motion by the sudden creation of the core hole. In this work, we demonstrate, using the technologically important ferromagnetic half-metal CrO 2 , how such satellites can manifest themselves in other core-level spectroscopies of the material and how they can reveal important details pertinent to its electronic structure. Specifically, we identify a fluorescence satellite in the Cr 𝐿 3 resonant x-ray-emission spectra that radiates at a constant emission energy across the Cr 𝐿 3 x-ray edge with energy ≈1.3 eV above the ordinary valence fluorescence. Here, we provide evidence that this feature arises from the valence recombination of the Cr 2⁢𝑝 core hole “dressed” by the same shakeup charge-transfer process present in both the Cr x-ray photoelectron and the Cr x-ray absorption spectra with its energy uniquely measuring the exchange splitting of the Cr 3⁢𝑑 level. Further analysis of the x-ray emission data reveals three additional features that radiate at constant loss energy that are attributed to combinations of Cr 3⁢𝑑⁢(𝑡 2⁢𝑔 ) → Cr 3⁢𝑑⁢(𝑡 2⁢𝑔 ), charge-transfer O 2⁢𝑝→Cr 3⁢𝑑, and crystal-field Cr⁢ 3⁢𝑑⁡(𝑡 2⁢𝑔 )→Cr⁢ 3⁢𝑑⁡(𝑒 𝑔 ) excitations. These assignments and their energies are supported by density-functional theory calculations, the accuracy of which we demonstrate by hard x-ray valence-photoemission measurements. Atomic multiplet calculations, which include crystal-field effects, help interpret x-ray photoelectron and x-ray absorption spectra of the covalently mixed Cr ion. Resonant Cr K-𝐿 2,3 ⁢𝐿 2,3 Auger-electron emission spectra support a ligand-to-metal nature of the charge-transfer process while highlighting the charge sensitivity differences between photon-in/electron-out and photon-in/photon-out spectroscopies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Self-consistent microscopic calculations for electron captures on nuclei in core-collapse supernovae

Calculations for electron capture rates on nuclei with atomic numbers between 𝑍 = 20 and 𝑍 = 52 are performed in a self-consistent finite-temperature covariant energy density functional theory within the relativistic quasiparticle random-phase approximation. Electron captures on these nuclei contribute most to reducing the electron fraction during the collapse phase of core-collapse supernovae. The rates include contributions from allowed (Gamow-Teller) and first-forbidden (FF) transitions, and it is shown that the latter become dominant at high stellar densities and temperatures. Temperature-dependent effects such as Pauli unblocking and transitions from thermally excited states are also included. The new rates are implemented in a spherically symmetric one-dimensional simulation of the core-collapse phase. The results indicate that the increase in electron capture rates, due to inclusion of FF transitions, leads to reductions of the electron fraction at nuclear saturation density, the peak neutrino luminosity, and enclosed mass at core bounce. The new rates reaffirm that the most relevant nuclei for the deleptonization situate around the 𝑁 = 50 and 82 shell closures, but, compared to previous simulations, nuclei are less proton rich. Here, the new rates developed in this work are available, and will be of benefit to improve the accuracy of multidimensional supernova simulations.

Electron & muon capture↗

Attosecond X-Ray Core-Level Chronoscopy of Aromatic Molecules

Attosecond photoemission or photoionization delays are a unique probe of the structure and the electronic dynamics of matter. However, the spectral congestion of valence photoelectron spectra sets fundamental limits to the complexity of systems that can be studied, and the delocalization of valence electron wave functions blurs the spatial origin of the photoelectron wave packet. Using attosecond x-ray pulses from LCLS, we demonstrate the key advantages of measuring core-level delays: The photoelectron spectra remain atomlike, the measurements become element specific, and the observed scattering dynamics originate from a pointlike source when multicenter interference effects are negligible. We exploit these unique features to reveal the effects of changing functional groups (C-H vs N) and symmetry on attosecond scattering dynamics by measuring and calculating the photoionization delays between N−1⁢𝑠 and C−1⁢𝑠 core shells of a series of aromatic azabenzene molecules. Remarkably, the delays increase with the number of nitrogen atoms in the molecule and reveal multiple resonances. We identify two previously unknown mechanisms regulating the associated attosecond dynamics, namely the enhanced confinement of the trapped wave function with the replacement of C-H groups by N atoms and the decrease of the coupling strength among the photoemitted partial waves with increasing symmetry. This study demonstrates the unique opportunities opened by measurements of core-level photoionization delays for unraveling attosecond electron dynamics in complex matter.

Ji, Jia-Bao [Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule↗

Unambiguous observation of F-atom core-hole localization in CF 4 through body-frame photoelectron angular distributions

A dramatic symmetry breaking in K-shell photoionization of the CF 4 molecule in which a core-hole vacancy is created in one of four equivalent fluorine atoms is displayed in the molecular frame angular distribution of the photoelectrons. In observing the photoejected electron in coincidence with an F + atomic ion after Auger decay we see how selecting the dissociation path where the core hole was localized was almost exclusively on that atom. A combination of measurements and ab initio calculations of the photoelectron angular distribution in the frame of the recoiling CF 3 + and F + atoms elucidates the underlying physics that derives from the Ne-like valence structure of the F(1s -1 ) core-excited atom.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Time-dependent Schrödinger equation for molecular core-hole dynamics

X-ray spectroscopy is an important tool for the investigation of matter. X rays primarily interact with inner-shell electrons, creating core (inner-shell) holes that will decay on the time scale of attoseconds to a few femtoseconds through electron relaxations involving the emission of a photon or an electron. Furthermore, the advent of femtosecond x-ray pulses expands x-ray spectroscopy to the time domain and will eventually allow the control of core-hole population on time scales comparable to core-vacancy lifetimes. For both cases, a theoretical approach that accounts for the x-ray interaction while the electron relaxations occur is required. We describe a time-dependent framework, based on solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, that is suitable for describing the induced electron and nuclear dynamics.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Structure and dynamics of $\mathrm{Fe_{90}}$$\mathrm{Si_3}$$\mathrm{O_7}$ liquids close to Earth's liquid core conditions

Using an artificial neural-network machine learning interatomic potential, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations to study the structure and dynamics of $\mathrm{Fe_{90}}$$\mathrm{Si_3}$$\mathrm{O_7}$ liquid close to the Earth's liquid core conditions. Here, the simulation results reveal that the short-range structural order (SRO) in the $\mathrm{Fe_{90}}$$\mathrm{Si_3}$$\mathrm{O_7}$ liquid is very strong. About 80% of the atoms are arranged in crystallinelike SRO motifs. In particular, ~ $70$% of Fe-centered clusters can be classified as either hexagonal-close-packed-like or icosahedrallike SRO motifs. The SRO clusters centered on Fe, Si, or O atoms are strongly intermixed and homogenously distributed throughout the liquid. The atomic structure of the liquid and the fractions of dominant SRO clusters are not sensitive to pressure/temperature used in the simulations except that the SRO of the O-centered clusters is enhanced close to inner core pressures. The O-diffusion coefficient is about two to three times larger than the Fe and Si ions and increases more rapidly in the deeper core regions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Field dependence of the vortex core size probed by scanning tunneling microscopy

We study the spatial distribution of the density of states (DOS) at zero bias N(r) in the mixed state of single and multigap superconductors. We provide an analytic expression for N(r) based on deGennes' relationship between DOS and the order parameter that reproduces well scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) data in several superconducting materials. In the single gap superconductor β-Bi 2 Pd, we find that N(r) is governed by a length scale ξ H = $\sqrt{Φ0/2πH}$ which decreases in rising fields. The vortex core size $C$ ∝ (d Δ/dr| r→0 ) ₋1 differs from ξ H by a material dependent numerical factor. The new data on the tunneling conductance and vortex lattice of the 2H-NbSe 1.8 S 0.2 show the in-plane isotropic vortices, suggesting that substitutional scattering removes the in-plane anisotropy found in the two-gap superconductor 2H-NbSe 2 . We fit the tunneling conductance of 2H-NbSe 1.8 S 0.2 to a two gap model and calculate the vortex core size $C$ for each band. We find that $C$ is field independent and has the same value for both bands. We also analyze the two-band superconductor 2H-NbSe 2 and find the same result. Lastly, we conclude that, independently of the magnetic field induced variation of the order parameter values in both bands, the spatial variation of the order parameter close to the vortex core is the same for all bands.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Influence of multiband sign-changing superconductivity on vortex cores and vortex pinning in stoichiometric high- T c CaKFe 4 As 4

We use a scanning tunneling microscope to study the superconducting density of states and vortex lattice of single crystals of CaKFe 4 As 4 . This material has a critical temperature of T c = 35 K, one of the highest among stoichiometric iron based superconductors (FeBSCs), and is comparable to T c found near optimal doping in other FeBSCs. We observe quasiparticle scattering from defects with a pattern related to interband scattering between zone centered hole sheets. We measure the tunneling conductance in vortex cores and find a peak due to Caroli–de Gennes–Matricon bound states. The peak is located above the Fermi level, showing that CaKFe 4 As 4 is a clean superconductor with vortex core bound states close to the so-called extreme quantum limit. We identify locations where the superconducting order parameter is strongly suppressed due to pair breaking. Vortices are pinned at these locations, and the length scale of the suppression of the order parameter is of order of the vortex core size. Finally, as a consequence, the vortex lattice is disordered up to 8 T.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Revisiting the origin of satellites in core-level photoemission of transparent conducting oxides: The case of $\mathcal{n}$-doped SnO 2

In this work, the longstanding problem of interpretation of satellite structures in core-level photoemission spectra of metallic systems with a low density of conduction electrons is addressed using the specific example of Sb-doped SnO 2 . Comparison of ab initio many-body calculations with experimental hard x-ray photoemission spectra of the Sn 4d states shows that strong satellites are produced by coupling of the Sn core hole to the plasma oscillations of the free electrons introduced by doping. Within the same theoretical framework, spectral changes of the valence band spectra are also related to dynamical screening effects. These results demonstrate that, for the interpretation of electron correlation features in the core-level photoelectron spectra of such narrow-band materials, going beyond the homogeneous electron gas electron-plasmon coupling model is essential.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Finite-temperature electron-capture rates for neutron-rich nuclei near N = 50 and effects on core-collapse supernova simulations

In this paper the temperature dependence of stellar electron-capture (EC) rates is investigated, with a focus on nuclei near N = 50, just above Z = 28, which play an important role during the collapse phase of core-collapse supernovae (CCSN). Two new microscopic calculations of stellar EC rates are obtained from relativistic and nonrelativistic finite-temperature quasiparticle random-phase approximation approaches, for a conventional grid of temperatures and densities. In both approaches, EC rates due to Gamow-Teller transitions are included. In the relativistic calculation, contributions from first-forbidden transitions are also included and add strongly to the EC rates. The new EC rates are compared with large-scale shell-model calculations for the specific case of 86 Kr, providing insight into the finite-temperature effects on the EC rates. At relevant thermodynamic conditions for core collapse, the discrepancies between the different calculations of this paper are within about one order of magnitude. Numerical simulations of CCSN are performed with the spherically symmetric gr1d simulation code to quantify the impact of such differences on the dynamics of the collapse. These simulations also include EC rates based on two parametrized approximations. A comparison of the neutrino luminosities and enclosed mass at core bounce shows that differences between simulations with different sets of EC rates are relatively small (≈ 5 %), suggesting that the EC rates used as inputs for these simulations have become well constrained.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Multimessenger asteroseismology of core-collapse supernovae

In this work we investigate correlated gravitational wave and neutrino signals from rotating core-collapse supernovae with simulations. Using an improved mode identification procedure based on mode function matching, we show that a linear quadrupolar mode of the core produces a dual imprint on gravitational waves and neutrinos in the early post-bounce phase of the supernova. The angular harmonics of the neutrino emission are consistent with the mode energy around the neutrinospheres, which points to a mechanism for the imprint on neutrinos. Thus, neutrinos carry information about the mode amplitude in the outer region of the core, whereas gravitational waves probe deeper in. We also find that the best-fit mode function has a frequency bounded above by ~420 Hz , and yet the mode’s frequency in our simulations is ~15 % higher, due to the use of Newtonian hydrodynamics and a widely used pseudo-Newtonian gravity approximation. This overestimation is particularly important for the analysis of gravitational wave detectability and asteroseismology, pointing to limitations of pseudo-Newtonian approaches for these purposes, possibly even resulting in excitation of incorrect modes. In addition, mode frequency matching (as opposed to mode function matching) could be resulting in mode misidentification in recent work. Lastly, we evaluate the prospects of a multimessenger detection of the mode using current technology. The detection of the imprint on neutrinos is most challenging, with a maximum detection distance of ~ 1 kpc using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The maximum distance for detecting the complementary gravitational wave imprint is ~ 5 kpc using Advanced LIGO at design sensitivity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Fast collective neutrino oscillations inside the neutrino sphere in core-collapse supernovae

Neutrinos are believed to have a key role in the explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae as they carry most of the energy released by the gravitational collapse of a massive star. If their flavor is converted fast inside the neutrino sphere, the supernova explosion may be influenced. This paper is reporting the results of the extended work of our previous paper. Here, we perform a thorough survey of the electron lepton number (ELN) crossing in one of our self-consistent, realistic Boltzmann simulations in two spatial dimensions under axisymmetry for the existence of the crossings between $ν_e$ and $\bar{ν}_e$ angular distributions, or the ELN crossing. We report for the first time the positive detections deep inside the core of the massive star in the vicinity of neutrino sphere at $\textit{r}$ ≈ 16 – 21 km . We find that low values of the electron fraction $Y_e$ produced by convective motions together with the appearance of light elements are critically important to give rise to the ELN crossing by enhancing the chemical potential difference between proton and neutron, and hence by mitigating the Fermi-degeneracy of $ν_e$. Since the region of positive detection are sustained and, in fact, expanding with time, it may have an impact on the explosion of core-collapse supernovae, observational neutrino astronomy, and nucleosynthesis of heavy nuclei.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Coupling neutrino oscillations and simulations of core-collapse supernovae

At the present time even the most sophisticated, multidimensional simulations of core-collapse supernovae do not (self-consistently) include neutrino flavor transformation. This physics is missing despite the importance of neutrinos in the core-collapse explosion paradigm. Because of this dependence, any flavor transformation that occurs in the region between the protoneutron star and the shock could result in major effects upon the dynamics of the explosion. Here, we present the first hydrodynamic core-collapse supernova simulation which simultaneously includes flavor transformation of the free-streaming neutrinos in the neutrino transport. These oscillation calculations are dynamically updated and evolve self-consistently alongside the hydrodynamics. Using a M = 20 M ⊙ progenitor, we find that while the oscillations have an effect on the neutrino emission and the heating rates, flavor transformation alone does not lead to a successful explosion of this progenitor in spherical symmetry.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Core collapse supernova gravitational wave emission for progenitors of 9.6, 15, and 25 M ⊙

Here, we present gravitational wave emission predictions based on three core collapse supernova simulations corresponding to three different progenitor masses. The masses span a large range, between 9.6 and 25M ⊙ , are all initially nonrotating, and are of two metallicities: zero and solar. We compute both the temporal evolution of the gravitational wave strains for both the plus and the cross polarizations, as well as their spectral decomposition and characteristic strains. The temporal evolution of our zero metallicity 9.6M ⊙ progenitor model is distinct from the temporal evolution of our solar metallicity 15M ⊙ progenitor model and our zero metallicity 25M ⊙ progenitor model. In the former case, the high-frequency gravitational wave emission is largely confined to a brief time period ~75 ms after bounce, whereas in the latter two cases high-frequency emission does not commence until ~125 ms after bounce or later. The excitation mechanisms of the high-frequency emission in all three cases correspond to proto-neutron star convection and accretion onto the proto-neutron star from the convective gain layer above it, with the former playing the dominant role for most of the evolution. The low-frequency emission in all three models exhibits very similar behavior. At frequencies below ~250 Hz, gravitational waves are emitted by neutrino-driven convection and the standing accretion shock instability (SASI). This emission extends throughout the simulations when a gain region is present. In all three models, explosion is observed at ~125, ~500, and ~250 ms after bounce in the 9.6, 15, and 25M ⊙ progenitor models, respectively. At these times, the low-frequency gravitational wave emission is joined by very low-frequency emission, below ~10 Hz. These very low-frequency episodes are the result of explosion and begin at the above designated explosion times in each of our models. Our characteristic strains tell us that, in principle, all three gravitational wave signals would be detectable by current-generation detectors for a supernova at a distance of 10 kpc. However, our 9.6M ⊙ progenitor model is a significantly weaker source of gravitational waves, with strain amplitudes approximately 5–10 times less than in our other two models. The characteristic strain for this model tells us that such a supernova would be detectable only within a much more narrow frequency range around the maximum sensitivity of today’s detectors. Finally, in our 9.6M ⊙ progenitor model, we see very high-frequency gravitational radiation, extending up to ~2000 Hz. This feature results from the interaction of shock- and deleptonization-induced convection with perturbations introduced in the progenitor by nuclear burning during core collapse. While unique to the 9.6M ⊙ progenitor model analyzed here, this very high-frequency emission may, in fact, be a generic feature of the predictions for the gravitational wave emission from all core collapse supernova models when simulations are performed with three-dimensional progenitors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Linear analysis of fast-pairwise collective neutrino oscillations in core-collapse supernovae based on the results of Boltzmann simulations

Neutrinos are densely populated deep inside the core of massive stars after their gravitational collapse to produce supernova explosions and form compact stars such as neutron stars and black holes. It has been considered that they may change their flavor identities through so-called fast-pairwise conversions induced by mutual forward scatterings. If that is really the case, the dynamics of supernova explosion will be influenced, since the conversion may occur near the neutrino sphere, from which neutrinos are effectively emitted. In this paper, we conduct a pilot study of such possibilities based on the results of fully self-consistent, realistic simulations of a core-collapse supernova explosion in two spatial dimensions under axisymmetry. As we solved the Boltzmann equations for neutrino transfer in the simulation not as a postprocess but in real time, the angular distributions of neutrinos in momentum space for all points in the core at all times are available, a distinct feature of our simulations. We employ some of these distributions extracted at a few selected points and times from the numerical data and apply linear analysis to assess the possibility of the conversion. We focus on the vicinity of the neutrino sphere, where different species of neutrinos move in different directions and have different angular distributions as a result. This is a pilot study for a more thorough survey that will follow soon. Here, we find no positive sign of conversion unfortunately at least for the spatial points and times we studied in this particular model. We hence investigate rather in detail the condition for the conversion by modifying the neutrino distributions rather arbitrarily by hand.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Manipulating Core Excitations in Molecules by X-Ray Cavities

Core excitations on different atoms are highly localized and therefore decoupled. By placing molecules in an x-ray cavity the core transitions become coupled via the exchange of cavity photons and form delocalized hybrid light-matter excitations known as core polaritons. Here, we demonstrate these effects for the two inequivalent carbon atoms in 1,1-difluoroethylene. Polariton signatures in the x-ray absorption, two-photon absorption, and multidimensional four-wave mixing signals are predicted.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Absence of Off-Diagonal Long-Range Order in hcp 4 He Dislocation Cores

Here, the mass transport properties along dislocation cores in hcp 4 He are revisited by considering two types of edge dislocations as well as a screw dislocation, using a fully correlated quantum simulation approach. Specifically, we employ the zero-temperature path-integral ground state (PIGS) method together with ergodic sampling of the permutation space to investigate the fundamental dislocation core structures and their off-diagonal long-range order properties. It is found that the Bose-Einstein condensate fraction of such defective 4 He systems is practically null (≤ 10 –6 ), just as in the bulk defect-free crystal. These results provide compelling evidence for the absence of intrinsic superfluidity in dislocation cores in hcp 4 He and challenge the superfluid dislocation-network interpretation of the mass-flux-experiment observations, calling for further experimental investigation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗