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At least 1,765 records · Page 98

Effect of MgO shell on electron transfer from Cu doped ZnInS quantum dots to FePt nanoparticles

Highlights: • MgO-coated FePt NPs were synthesized using 4 nm FePt cores as seeds for the growth of MgO shell. • Significant PL quenching took place in Cu doped ZnInS QD-FePt NP system owing to photoexcited electron transfer. • The formation of interfacial MgO barriers could efficiently restrain the electron transfer at QD-FePt interface. - Abstract: The effect of MgO shell on the electron transfer between luminescent Cu doped ZnInS quantum dots (QDs) and magnetic FePt/MgO core/shell nanoparticles (NPs) was studied by using steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. MgO-coated FePt NPs were synthesized using 4 nm FePt cores as seeds for the growth of MgO shell, having a reduced saturation magnetization Ms compared to the pure FePt NPs. It was found that the shortening in PL lifetime of Cu doped ZnInS QDs induced by FePt NPs demonstrated an electrons transfer process from excited QDs to the adjacent FePt NPs. When FePt NPs were coated with a MgO shell, the low work function of MgO shell resulted in a formation of higher interfacial barriers between Cu doped ZnInS QDs and FePt NPs, significantly suppressing the electron transfer at Cu doped ZnInS QD-FePt NP interface.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Active spectroscopy measurements of the deuterium temperature, rotation, and density from the core to scrape off layer on the DIII-D tokamak (invited)

Main-ion charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (MICER) uses the neutral beam induced D α spectrum to measure the local deuterium ion ( D + ) temperature, rotation, and density, as well as parameters related to the neutral beams, fast ions, and magnetic field. An edge MICER system consisting of 16 densely packed chords was recently installed on DIII-D, extending the MICER technique from the core to the pedestal and steep gradient region of H-mode plasmas where the D + and commonly measured impurity ion properties can differ significantly. A combination of iterative collisional radiative modeling techniques and greatly accelerated spectral fitting allowed the extension of this diagnostic technique to the plasma edge where the steep gradients introduce significant diagnostic challenges. The importance of including the fast ion Dα emission in the fit to the spectrum for the edge system is investigated showing that it is typically not important except for cases which can have significant fast ion fractions near the plasma edge such as QH-mode. Example profiles from an Ohmic L-mode and a high power ITER baseline case show large differences in the toroidal rotation of the two species near the separatrix including a strong co-current D + edge rotation. As a result, the measurements and analysis demonstrate the state of the art in active spectroscopy and integrated modeling for diagnosing fusion plasmas and the importance of direct main ion measurements.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The Coronal-Dimming Footprint of a Streamer-Puff Coronal Mass Ejection: Confirmation of the Magnetic-Arch-Blowout Scenario

A streamer puff is a recently identified variety of coronal mass ejection (CME) of narrow to moderate width. It (1) travels our along a streamer, transiently inflating the streamer but leaving it largely intact, and (2) occurs in step with a compact ejective flare in an outer flank of the base of the streamer. These aspects suggest the following magnetic-arch-blowout scenario for the production of these CMEs: the magnetic explosion that produces the flare also produces a plasmoid that explodes up the leg of an outer loop of the arcade base of the streamer, blows out the top of this loop, and becomes the core of the CME. In this paper, we present a streamer-puff CME that produced a coronal-dimming footprint. The coronal dimming, its magnetic setting, and the timing and magnetic setting of a strong compact ejective flare within the dimming footprint nicely confirm the magnetic-arch-blowout scenario. From these observations, together with several published cases of a trans-equatorial CME produced in tandem with an ejective flare or filament eruption that was far offset from directly under the CME, we propose the following. Streamer-puff CMEs are a subclass (one variety) of a broader class of "over-and-out" CMEs that are often much larger than streamer puffs but are similar to them in that they are produced by the blowout of a large quasi-potential magnetic arch by a magnetic explosion that erupts from one foot of the large arch, where it is marked by a filament eruption and/or an ejective flare.

Moore, Ronald L.↗

Comparison of Two Coronal Magnetic Field Models to Reconstruct a Sigmoidal Solar Active Region with Coronal Loops

Magnetic field extrapolation is an important tool to study the three-dimensional (3D) solar coronal magnetic field, which is difficult to directly measure. Various analytic models and numerical codes exist, but their results often drastically differ. Thus, a critical comparison of the modeled magnetic field lines with the observed coronal loops is strongly required to establish the credibility of the model. Here we compare two different non-potential extrapolation codes, a nonlinear force-free field code (CESE–MHD–NLFFF) and a non-force-free field (NFFF) code, in modeling a solar active region (AR) that has a sigmoidal configuration just before a major flare erupted from the region. A 2D coronal-loop tracing and fitting method is employed to study the 3D misalignment angles between the extrapolated magnetic field lines and the EUV loops as imaged by SDO /AIA. It is found that the CESE–MHD–NLFFF code with preprocessed magnetogram performs the best, outputting a field that matches the coronal loops in the AR core imaged in AIA 94 Å with a misalignment angle of ∼10°. This suggests that the CESE–MHD–NLFFF code, even without using the information of the coronal loops in constraining the magnetic field, performs as good as some coronal-loop forward-fitting models. For the loops as imaged by AIA 171 Å in the outskirts of the AR, all the codes including the potential field give comparable results of the mean misalignment angle (∼30°). Thus, further improvement of the codes is needed for a better reconstruction of the long loops enveloping the core region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Magnetically Driven Neutron-rich Ejecta Unleashed: Global 3D Neutrino–General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Collapsars Probe the Conditions for r -process Nucleosynthesis

Abstract Collapsars—rapidly rotating stellar cores that form black holes—can power gamma-ray bursts and are proposed to be key contributors to the production of heavy elements in the Universe via the rapid neutron capture process ( r -process). Previous neutrino-transport collapsar simulations have been unable to unbind neutron-rich material from the disk. However, these simulations have not included sufficiently strong magnetic fields and the black hole (BH), both of which are essential for launching mass outflows. We present ν h-amr , a novel neutrino-transport general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic ( ν GRMHD) code, which we use to perform the first 3D global ν GRMHD collapsar simulations. We find a self-consistent formation of a weakly magnetized dense accretion disk, which has sufficient time to neutronize. Eventually, substantial magnetic flux accumulates near the BH, becomes dynamically important, leads to a magnetically arrested disk (MAD), and unbinds some of the neutron-rich material. However, the strong flux also hinders accretion, lowers density, and increases neutrino-cooling timescale, which prevents further disk neutronization. Typical collapsar progenitors with mass accretion rates, M ̇ ∼ 0.1 − 1 M ⊙ s - 1 , do not produce significant neutron-rich ( Y e < 0.25) ejecta. However, we find that MADs at higher mass accretion rates, M ̇ ≳ few M ⊙ s - 1 (e.g., for more centrally concentrated progenitors), can unbind M ej ≲ M ⊙ of neutron-rich ejecta. The outflows inflate a shocked cocoon that mixes with the infalling neutron-poor stellar gas and raises the final outflow Y e ; however, the final r -process yield may be determined earlier at the point of neutron capture freeze-out. Future work will explore under what conditions more typical collapsar engines become r -process factories.

Issa, Danat (ORCID:0009000524787631)↗

Magnetic Flux Cancelation as the Buildup and Trigger Mechanism for CME-Producing Eruptions in two Small Active Regions

We follow two small, magnetically isolated CME-producing solar active regions (ARs) from the time of their emergence until the time that their core regions erupt to produce the CMEs several days later. In both cases, magnetograms show: (a) following an initial period where the poles of the emerging regions separate from each other, the poles then reverse direction and start to retract inward; (b) during the retraction period, flux cancelation occurs along the main neutral line of the regions, (c) this cancelation builds the sheared core field/flux rope that eventually erupts to make the CME. In the two cases, respectively 30% and 50% of the maximum flux of the region cancels prior to the eruption. Recent studies indicate that solar coronal jets frequently result from small-scale filaments eruptions, with those “minifilament” eruptions also being built up and triggered by cancelation of magnetic flux. Together, the small-AR eruptions here and the coronal jet results suggest that isolated bipolar regions tend to erupt before or when a threshold of roughly 50% of the region’s maximum flux has canceled. Our observed erupting filaments/flux ropes form at sites of flux cancelation, in agreement with previous observations. Thus, the recent finding that minifilaments that erupt to form jets also form via flux cancelation is further evidence that minifilaments are small-scale versions of the long-studied full-sized filaments.

Sterling, Alphonse C.↗

A RECONNECTION-DRIVEN RAREFACTION WAVE MODEL FOR CORONAL OUTFLOWS

We conduct numerical experiments to determine whether interchange reconnection at high altitude coronal null points can explain the outflows observed as blueshifts in coronal emission lines at the boundaries between open and closed magnetic field regions. In this scenario, a strong, post-reconnection pressure gradient forms in the field-aligned direction when dense and hot, active region core loops reconnect with neighboring tenuous and cool, open field lines. We find that the pressure gradient drives a supersonic outflow and a rarefaction wave develops in both the open and closed post-reconnection magnetic field regions. We forward-model the spectral line profiles for a selection of coronal emission lines to predict the spectral signatures of the rarefaction wave. We find that the properties of the rarefaction wave are consistent with the observed velocity versus temperature structure of the corona in the outflow regions, where the velocity increases with the formation temperature of the emission lines. In particular, we find excellent agreement between the predicted and observed Fe XII 195.119 A spectral line profiles in terms of the blueshift (10 km s{sup -1}), full width at half-maximum (83 mA) and symmetry. Finally, we find that T{sub i} < T{sub e} in the open field region, which indicates that the interchange reconnection scenario may provide a viable mechanism and source region for the slow solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Vortex dynamics and frequency splitting in vertically coupled nanomagnets

Here, we explored the dynamic response of a vortex core in a circular nanomagnet by manipulating its dipole-dipole interaction with another vortex core confined locally on top of the nanomagnet. A clear frequency splitting is observed corresponding to the gyrofrequencies of the two vortex cores. The peak positions of the two resonance frequencies can be engineered by controlling the magnitude and direction of the external magnetic field. Both experimental and micromagnetic simulations show that the frequency spectra for the combined system is significantly dependent on the chirality of the circular nanomagnet and is asymmetric with respect to the external bias field. We attribute this result to the strong dynamic dipole-dipole interaction between the two vortex cores, which varies with the distance between them. The possibility of having multiple states in a single nanomagnet with vertical coupling could be of interest for magnetoresistive memories.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

ParaStell: parametric modeling and neutronics support for stellarator fusion power plants

The three-dimensional variation inherent to stellarator geometries and fusion sources motivates three-dimensional modeling to obtain accurate results from computational modeling in support of design and analysis of first wall, blanket, and shield (FWBS) systems. Manually constructing stellarator fusion power plant geometries in computer-aided design (CAD) and defining the corresponding fusion source can be cumbersome and challenging. The open-source parametric modeling toolset ParaStell has been developed to automate construction of such geometries in low-fidelity. Low-fidelity modeling is useful during the conceptual phase of engineering design as a means of rapidly exploring the design space of a given device. The modeling capability of ParaStell includes in-vessel components and magnets, for any given stellarator configuration, using a parametric definition and plasma equilibrium data. Furthermore, the toolset automates the generation of detailed, tetrahedral neutron source definitions and DAGMC geometries for use in neutronics modeling. ParaStell assists rapid design iteration, parametric study, and design optimization of stellarator fusion cores. As a demonstration of the design iteration capability, the effect of the three-dimensional parameter space on tritium breeding and magnet shielding is investigated, using the WISTELL-D configuration as a design basis. Blanket and shield thicknesses are varied in three dimensions, using the space available between the plasma edge and magnet coils as a constraint. The corresponding effects on tritium breeding ratio and magnet heating are tallied using the open-source Monte Carlo particle transport code OpenMC. The inclusion of additional and higher-fidelity modeling capabilities is planned for ParaStell’s future, as well as its implementation in machine-driven optimization.

Moreno, Connor↗

Cryogenic thermonuclear fuel implosions on the National Ignition Facility

The first inertial confinement fusion implosion experiments with equimolar deuterium-tritium thermonuclear fuel have been performed on the National Ignition Facility. These experiments use 0.17 mg of fuel with the potential for ignition and significant fusion yield conditions. The thermonuclear fuel has been fielded as a cryogenic layer on the inside of a spherical plastic capsule that is mounted in the center of a cylindrical gold hohlraum. Heating the hohlraum with 192 laser beams for a total laser energy of 1.6 MJ produces a soft x-ray field with 300 eV temperature. The ablation pressure produced by the radiation field compresses the initially 2.2-mm diameter capsule by a factor of 30 to a spherical dense fuel shell that surrounds a central hot-spot plasma of 50 {mu}m diameter. While an extensive set of x-ray and neutron diagnostics has been applied to characterize hot spot formation from the x-ray emission and 14.1 MeV deuterium-tritium primary fusion neutrons, thermonuclear fuel assembly is studied by measuring the down-scattered neutrons with energies in the range of 10 to 12 MeV. X-ray and neutron imaging of the compressed core and fuel indicate a fuel thickness of (14 {+-} 3) {mu}m, which combined with magnetic recoil spectrometer measurements of the fuel areal density of (1 {+-} 0.09) g cm{sup -2} result in fuel densities approaching 600 g cm{sup -3}. The fuel surrounds a hot-spot plasma with average ion temperatures of (3.5 {+-} 0.1) keV that is measured with neutron time of flight spectra. The hot-spot plasma produces a total fusion neutron yield of 10{sup 15} that is measured with the magnetic recoil spectrometer and nuclear activation diagnostics that indicate a 14.1 MeV yield of (7.5{+-}0.1) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14} which is 70% to 75% of the total fusion yield due to the high areal density. Gamma ray measurements provide the duration of nuclear activity of (170 {+-} 30) ps. These indirect-drive implosions result in the highest areal densities and neutron yields achieved on laser facilities to date. This achievement is the result of the first hohlraum and capsule tuning experiments where the stagnation pressures have been systematically increased by more than a factor of 10 by fielding low-entropy implosions through the control of radiation symmetry, small hot electron production, and proper shock timing. The stagnation pressure is above 100 Gbars resulting in high Lawson-type confinement parameters of P{tau} Asymptotically-Equal-To 10 atm s. Comparisons with radiation-hydrodynamic simulations indicate that the pressure is within a factor of three required for reaching ignition and high yield. This will be the focus of future higher-velocity implosions that will employ additional optimizations of hohlraum, capsule and laser pulse shape conditions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Energy conversion and transport in molecular-scale junctions

Molecular-scale junctions (MSJs) have been considered the ideal testbed for probing physical and chemical processes at the molecular scale. Due to nanometric confinement, charge and energy transport in MSJs are governed by quantum mechanically dictated energy profiles, which can be tuned chemically or physically with atomic precision, offering rich possibilities beyond conventional semiconductor devices. While charge transport in MSJs has been extensively studied over the past two decades, understanding energy conversion and transport in MSJs has only become experimentally attainable in recent years. As demonstrated recently, by tuning the quantum interplay between the electrodes, the molecular core, and the contact interfaces, energy processes can be manipulated to achieve desired functionalities, opening new avenues for molecular electronics, energy harvesting, and sensing applications. This Review provides a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of various forms of energy conversion and transport processes in MSJs and their associated applications. We elaborate on energy-related processes mediated by the interaction between the core molecular structure in MSJs and different external stimuli, such as light, heat, electric field, magnetic field, force, and other environmental cues. Key topics covered include photovoltaics, electroluminescence, thermoelectricity, heat conduction, catalysis, spin-mediated phenomena, and vibrational effects. Furthermore, the review concludes with a discussion of existing challenges and future opportunities, aiming to facilitate in-depth future investigation of promising experimental platforms, molecular design principles, control strategies, and new application scenarios.

Charge transport↗

Impact of ideal MHD stability limits on high-beta hybrid operation

Here, the hybrid scenario is a candidate for stationary high-fusion gain tokamak operation in ITER and DEMO. To obtain such performance, the energy confinement and the normalized pressure ${{\beta}_{N}}$ must be maximized, which requires operating near or above ideal MHD no-wall limits. New experimental findings show how these limits can affect hybrid operation. Even if hybrids are mainly limited by tearing modes, proximity to the no-wall limit leads to 3D field amplification that affects plasma profiles, e.g. rotation braking is observed in ASDEX Upgrade throughout the plasma and peaks in the core. As a result, even the small ASDEX Upgrade error fields are amplified and their effects become visible. To quantify such effects, ASDEX Upgrade measured the response to 3D fields applied by $8\times 2$ non-axisymmetric coils as ${{\beta}_{N}}$ approaches the no-wall limit. The full n = 1 response profile and poloidal structure were measured by a suite of diagnostics and compared with linear MHD simulations, revealing a characteristic feature of hybrids: the n = 1 response is due to a global, marginally-stable n = 1 kink characterized by a large m = 1, n = 1 core harmonic due to q min being just above 1. A helical core distortion of a few cm forms and affects various core quantities, including plasma rotation, electron and ion temperature, and intrinsic W density. In similar experiments, DIII-D also measured the effect of this helical core on the internal current profile, providing information useful to understanding of the physics of magnetic flux pumping, i.e. anomalous current redistribution by MHD modes that keeps ${{q}_{\text{min}}}>1$ . Thanks to flux pumping, a broad current profile is maintained in DIII-D even with large on-axis current drive, enabling fully non-inductive operation at high ${{\beta}_{N}}$ up to 3.5–4.

3D equilibrium↗

Structure and properties of edge dislocations in BiFe O 3

Edge dislocations are frequently found in epitaxial BiFeO 3 multiferroic thin films and are expected to exhibit distinctive and localized magnetoelectric properties. However, an exhaustive characterization of these dislocations at the atomic level has to date been largely overlooked. Here, we use a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy techniques, atomistic simulations obtained from classical molecular dynamics calculations, and real-space multiple-scattering theory to explore the chemical properties and the bonding characteristics of the atoms located at and near the dislocation cores. We find that in addition to Bi, small amounts of Fe atoms are present in the BiFeO 3 dislocation cores which result in uncompensated Fe spins along the dislocations and give rise to a magnetic signal. Furthermore, our results suggest that edge dislocations in BiFeO 3 films could be efficiently used for realizing BiFeO 3 -based magnetic devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Cogging torque minimization in transverse flux machines

This study presents the design considerations in cogging torque minimization in two types of transverse flux machines. The machines have a double stator-single rotor configuration with flux concentrating ferrite magnets. One of the machines has pole windings across each leg of an E-Core stator. Another machine has quasi-U-shaped stator cores and a ring winding. The flux in the stator back iron is transverse in both machines. Different methods of cogging torque minimization are investigated. Key methods of cogging torque minimization are identified and used as design variables for optimization using a design of experiments (DOE) based on the Taguchi method. A multi-level DOE is proposed as an optimization method to reach an optimum solution with minimum simulations. The case study is analyzed in a two level DOE optimization. Finite element analysis is used to study the different effects. Two prototypes are fabricated for validating the FEA results.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

One-dimensional Ar-SF{sub 6} hydromodel at low-pressure in e-beam generated plasmas

A one-dimensional steady-state hydrodynamic model of electron beam generated plasmas produced in Ar-SF{sub 6} mixtures at low pressure in a constant magnetic field was developed. Simulations were performed for a range of SF{sub 6} partial pressures at constant 30 mTorr total gas pressure to determine the spatial distribution of species densities and fluxes. With the addition of small amount of SF{sub 6} (∼1%), the confining electrostatic field sharply decreases with respect to the pure argon case. This effect is due to the applied magnetic field inhibiting electron diffusion. The hallmark of electronegative discharge plasmas, positive ion—negative ion core and positive ion—electron edge, was not observed. Instead, a plasma with large electronegativity (∼100) is formed throughout the volume, and only a small fraction (≈30%) of the parent SF{sub 6} molecules were dissociated to F{sub 2}, SF{sub 2}, and SF{sub 4}. Importantly, F radical densities were found to be very low, on the order of the ion density. Model predictions for the electron density, ion density, and plasma electronegativity are in good agreement with experimental data over the entire range of SF{sub 6} concentrations investigated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High-energy neutrino emission from white dwarf mergers

The merger of two white dwarfs is expected to result in a central fast-rotating core surrounded by a debris disk, in which magnetorotational instabilities give rise to a hot magnetized corona and a magnetized outflow. The dissipation of magnetic energy via reconnection could lead to the acceleration of cosmic-rays (CRs) in the expanding material, which would result in high energy neutrinos. We discuss the possibility of using these neutrino signals as probes of the outflow dynamics, magnetic energy dissipation rate, and CR acceleration efficiency. Importantly, the accompanying high-energy gamma-rays are absorbed within these sources because of the large optical depth, so these neutrino sources can be regarded as hidden cosmic-ray accelerators that are consistent with the non-detection of gamma-rays with Fermi-LAT. While the CR generation rate is highly uncertain, if it reaches ∼10{sup 45} erg Mpc{sup −3} yr{sup −1}, the diffuse neutrino flux could contribute a substantial fraction of the IceCube observations. We also evaluate the prospect of observing individual merger events, which provides a means for testing such sources in the future.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Mount Wilson Observatory S-index of the sun

The most commonly used index of stellar magnetic activity is the instrumental flux scale of singly ionized calcium H and K line core emission, S, developed by the Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) HK Project, or the derivative index R{sub HK}{sup ′}. Accurately placing the Sun on the S scale is important for comparing solar activity to that of the Sun-like stars. We present previously unpublished measurements of the reflected sunlight from the Moon using the second-generation MWO HK photometer during solar cycle 23 and determine cycle minimum S{sub 23,min}=0.1634±0.0008, amplitude ΔS{sub 23}=0.0143±0.0012, and mean 〈S{sub 23}〉=0.1701±0.0005. By establishing a proxy relationship with the closely related National Solar Observatory Sacramento Peak calcium K emission index, itself well correlated with the Kodaikanal Observatory plage index, we extend the MWO S time series to cover cycles 15–24 and find on average 〈S{sub min}〉=0.1621±0.0008, 〈ΔS{sub cyc}〉=0.0145±0.0012, 〈S{sub cyc}〉=0.1694±0.0005. Our measurements represent an improvement over previous estimates that relied on stellar measurements or solar proxies with non-overlapping time series. We find good agreement from these results with measurements by the Solar-Stellar Spectrograph at Lowell Observatory, an independently calibrated instrument, which gives us additional confidence that we have accurately placed the Sun on the S-index flux scale.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗