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At least 1,783 records · Page 99

Low background signal readout electronics for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR

The MAJORANA Collaboration will seek neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) in {sup 76}Ge using isotopically enriched p-type point contact (PPC) high purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors. A tonne-scale array of HPGe detectors would require background levels below 1 count/ROI-tonne-year in the 4 keV region of interest (ROI) around the 2039 keV Q-value of the decay. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of such an experiment, the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, a 40 kg HPGe detector array, is being constructed with a background goal of < 3 count/ROI-tonne-year, which is expected to scale down to < 1 count/ROI-tonne-year for a tonne-scale experiment. The signal readout electronics, which must be placed in close proximity to the detectors, present a challenge toward reaching this background goal. This talk will discuss the materials and design used to construct signal readout electronics with low enough backgrounds for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Molecular simulation of homogeneous nucleation of crystals of an ionic liquid from the melt

The homogeneous nucleation of crystals of the ionic liquid [dmim{sup +}][Cl{sup −}] from its supercooled liquid phase in the bulk (P = 1 bar, T = 340 K, representing a supercooling of 58 K) was studied using molecular simulations. The string method in collective variables [Maragliano et al., J. Chem. Phys. 125, 024106 (2006)] was used in combination with Markovian milestoning with Voronoi tessellations [Maragliano et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 5, 2589–2594 (2009)] and order parameters for molecular crystals [E. E. Santiso and B. L. Trout, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 064109 (2011)] to sketch a minimum free energy path connecting the supercooled liquid and the monoclinic crystal phases, and to determine the free energy and the rates involved in the homogeneous nucleation process. The physical significance of the configurations found along this minimum free energy path is discussed with the help of calculations based on classical nucleation theory and with additional simulation results obtained for a larger system. Our results indicate that, at a supercooling of 58 K, the liquid has to overcome a free energy barrier of the order of 60 kcal/mol and to form a critical nucleus with an average size of about 3.6 nm, before it reaches the thermodynamically stable crystal phase. A simulated homogeneous nucleation rate of 5.0 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} s{sup −1} was obtained for our system, which is in reasonable agreement with experimental and simulation rates for homogeneous nucleation of ice at similar degrees of supercooling. This study represents our first step in a series of studies aimed at understanding the nucleation and growth of crystals of organic salts near surfaces and inside nanopores.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The geometry of the light-cone cell decomposition of moduli space

The moduli space of Riemann surfaces with at least two punctures can be decomposed into a cell complex by using a particular family of ribbon graphs called Nakamura graphs. We distinguish the moduli space with all punctures labelled from that with a single labelled puncture. In both cases, we describe a cell decomposition where the cells are parametrised by graphs or equivalence classes of finite sequences (tuples) of permutations. Each cell is a convex polytope defined by a system of linear equations and inequalities relating light-cone string parameters, quotiented by the automorphism group of the graph. We give explicit examples of the cell decomposition at low genus with few punctures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

A chain-of-states acceleration method for the efficient location of minimum energy paths

We describe a robust and efficient chain-of-states method for computing Minimum Energy Paths (MEPs) associated to barrier-crossing events in poly-atomic systems, which we call the acceleration method. The path is parametrized in terms of a continuous variable t ∈ [0, 1] that plays the role of time. In contrast to previous chain-of-states algorithms such as the nudged elastic band or string methods, where the positions of the states in the chain are taken as variational parameters in the search for the MEP, our strategy is to formulate the problem in terms of the second derivatives of the coordinates with respect to t, i.e., the state accelerations. We show this to result in a very simple and efficient method for determining the MEP. We describe the application of the method to a series of test cases, including two low-dimensional problems and the Stone-Wales transformation in C{sub 60}.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Ingot Nb based SRF technology for the International Linear Collider

The International Linear Collider (ILC) is anticipated to be built as the next energy-frontier electron-positron colliding accelerator with a global effort in particle physics. Niobium based Superconducting Radio-Frequency (SRF) technology is required to provide beam-accelerating structure with elliptical cavity strings to linearly accelerate the electron and positron beams up to 250 GeV and to realize a center-of-mass energy of 500 GeV in collisions. The accelerator design and R&D efforts progressed, and the ILC Technical Design Report (ILC-TDR) was published in 2013. Niobium will take a critical role to generate electric field gradient with a frequency of 1.3 GHz, for accelerating the beam with the best efficiency, in energy balance, using RF superconductivity. This paper discusses a technical approach to provide Nb material (ingot) and thin disks for producing the elliptical cavity structure, with direct slicing from Nb ingot having sufficiently optimized purity and residual resistance ration (RRR) necessary for the ILC SRF cavities.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Perfect Abelian dominance of confinement in quark-antiquark potential in SU(3) lattice QCD

In the context of the dual superconductor picture for the confinement mechanism, we study maximally Abelian (MA) projection of quark confinement in SU(3) quenched lattice QCD with 32{sup 4} at β=6.4 (i.e., a ≃ 0.058 fm). We investigate the static quark-antiquark potential V(r), its Abelian part V{sub Abel}(r) and its off-diagonal part V{sub off}(r), respectively, from the on-axis lattice data. As a remarkable fact, we find almost perfect Abelian dominance for quark confinement, i.e., σ{sub Abel} ≃ σ for the string tension, on the fine and large-volume lattice. We find also a nontrivial summation relation of V (r) ≃ V{sub Abel}(r)+V{sub off}(r)

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Discriminating between two reformulations of SU(3) Yang-Mills theory on a lattice

In order to investigate quark confinement, we give a new reformulation of the SU (N) Yang-Mills theory on a lattice and present the results of the numerical simulations of the SU (3) Yang-Mills theory on a lattice. The numerical simulations include the derivation of the linear potential for static interquark potential, i.e., non-vanishing string tension, in which the “Abelian” dominance and magnetic monopole dominance are established, confirmation of the dual Meissner effect by measuring the chromoelectric flux tube between quark-antiquark pair, the induced magnetic-monopole current, and the type of dual superconductivity, etc.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Puzzles in quarkonium hadronic transitions with two pion emission

The anomalously large rates of some hadronic transitions from quarkonium are studied using QCD multipole expansion (QCDME) in the framework of a constituent quark model which has been successful in describing hadronic phenomenology. The hybrid intermediate states needed in the QCDME method are calculated in a natural extension of our constituent quark model based on the Quark Confining String (QCS) scheme. Some of the anomalies are explained due to the presence of an hybrid state with a mass near the mass of the decaying resonance whereas other are justified by the presence of molecular components in the wave function. Some unexpected results are pointed out.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Recent progress in backreacted bottom-up holographic QCD

Recent progress in constructing holographic models for QCD is discussed, concentrating on the bottom-up models which implement holographically the renormalization group flow of QCD. The dynamics of gluons can be modeled by using a string-inspired model termed improved holographic QCD, and flavor can be added by introducing space filling branes in this model. The flavor fully backreacts to the glue in the Veneziano limit, giving rise to a class of models which are called V-QCD. The phase diagrams and spectra of V-QCD are in good agreement with results for QCD obtained by other methods.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Exploring the free energy surface using ab initio molecular dynamics

Efficient exploration of the configuration space and identification of metastable structures are challenging from both computational as well as algorithmic perspectives. Here, we extend the recently proposed orderparameter aided temperature accelerated sampling schemes to efficiently and systematically explore free energy surfaces, and search for metastable states and reaction pathways within the framework of density functional theory based molecular dynamics. The sampling method is applied to explore the relevant parts of the configuration space in prototypical materials SiO 2 and Ti to identify the different metastable structures corresponding to different phases in these materials. In addition, we use the string method in collective variables to study the melting pathways in the high pressure cotunnite phase of SiO 2 and the hcp to fcc phase transition in Ti.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Tolerance analyses of a quadrupole magnet for advanced photon source upgrade

Given physics requirements, the mechanical fabrication and assembly tolerances for storage ring magnets can be calculated using analytical methods [1, 2]. However, this method is not easy for complicated magnet designs [1]. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to determine fabrication and assembly tolerances consistent with physics requirements, through a combination of magnetic and mechanical tolerance analyses. In this study, finite element analysis using OPERA is conducted to estimate the effect of fabrication and assembly errors on the magnetic field of a quadrupole magnet and to determine the allowable tolerances to achieve the specified magnetic performances. Based on the study, allowable fabrication and assembly tolerances for the quadrupole assembly are specified for the mechanical design of the quadrupole magnet. Next, to achieve the required assembly level tolerances, mechanical tolerance stackup analyses using a 3D tolerance analysis package are carried out to determine the part and subassembly level fabrication tolerances. This method can be used to determine the tolerances for design of other individual magnets and of magnet strings.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

SSAGES: Software Suite for Advanced General Ensemble Simulations

Molecular simulation has emerged as an essential tool for modern-day research, but obtaining proper results and making reliable conclusions from simulations requires adequate sampling of the system under consideration. To this end, a variety of methods exist in the literature that can enhance sampling considerably, and increasingly sophisticated, effective algorithms continue to be developed at a rapid pace. Implementation of these techniques, however, can be challenging for experts and non-experts alike. There is a clear need for software that provides rapid, reliable, and easy access to a wide range of advanced sampling methods, and that facilitates implementation of new techniques as they emerge. Here we present SSAGES, a publicly available Software Suite for Advanced General Ensemble Simulations designed to interface with multiple widely used molecular dynamics simulations packages. SSAGES allows facile application of a variety of enhanced sampling techniques—including adaptive biasing force, string methods, and forward flux sampling—that extract meaningful free energy and transition path data from all-atom and coarse grained simulations. A noteworthy feature of SSAGES is a user-friendly framework that facilitates further development and implementation of new methods and collective variables. In this study, the use of SSAGES is illustrated in the context of simple representative applications involving distinct methods and different collective variables that are available in the current release of the suite.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Early-stage human islet amyloid polypeptide aggregation: Mechanisms behind dimer formation

Amyloid aggregates of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP or human amylin) have long been implicated in the development of type II diabetes. While hIAPP is known to aggregate into amyloid fibrils, it is the early-stage prefibrillar species that have been proposed to be cytotoxic. A detailed picture of the early-stage aggregation process and relevant intermediates would be valuable in the development of effective therapeutics. Here, we use atomistic molecular dynamics simulations with a combination of enhanced sampling methods to examine the formation of the hIAPP dimer in water. Bias-exchange metadynamics calculations reveal relative conformational stabilities of the hIAPP dimer. Finite temperature string method calculations identify pathways for dimer formation, along with relevant free energy barriers and intermediate structures. We show that the initial stages of dimerization involve crossing a substantial free energy barrier to form an intermediate structure exhibiting transient beta-sheet character, before proceeding to form an entropically stabilized dimer structure.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Superlinearity, saturation, and the PMT—Tailoring and calibration methodology for prompt radiation detectors

This work illustrates predominant measureable nonlinearities in photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and introduces a controllable one called “Superlinearity,” signifying both a positive nonlinear response and the ability to extend linear operation by counteracting gain saturation mechanisms — charge depletion, space-charge field limitation, and secondary emission surface effects. Recognizing superlinearity and its effect on the temporal step response leads to a true definition of linearity, free of a small-signal linear assumption. Furthermore, given the prevalent use of glass microchannel-plate (MCP) PMTs in favor of a faster impulse response in spite of a small charge limit, we are motivated to examine their nonlinear amplitude response and deploy tailored gain bias string methods to fully harness the maximum linear gain as is usually done for transmissive metal mesh and reflective metal dynode PMTs. Our characterization methodology applies standard NIST-traceable calibrated laboratory equipment with absolute input-referenced techniques, examining step responses over many orders of magnitude in controlled illumination. By doing so, we quantitatively reveal the superlinearity strength independent of charge depletion, yielding true linear responsivity and effectively doubling the small-signal linear limit; this is very relevant to PMT modeling and charge deconvolution efforts. In conclusion, with further development, the tailoring strategies we introduce could be applied to MCP detectors, extracting all useful capillary charge with a significant improvement in large linear signal quality.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Prediction of impact sensitivity, heat of formation and heat of explosion using atomic connectivity

In these proceedings we revisit a large collection of explosives and explosive descriptors with the goal of predicting impact sensitivity using only local atomic environments that can be deciphered from molecular SMILES strings as descriptors without utilizing empirically measured values or computationally expensive electronic structure calculations. From the original database of nearly 500 descriptors, removing empirically measured and electronic structure values decreased the number of descriptors to 135, which we reduced to 18 the most important descriptors using Random Forests. The condensed model predicted impact sensitivity with essentially the same accuracy as the existing, more complex model (R 2 = 0.788 and RSME = 0.312), while remaining applicable to all types of explosives (Peroxides, azides, C-Nitros, Nitroamines, Nitrate Esters, etc.). In addition to impact sensitivity, we proposed similar models to accurately predict values heat of formation (ΔH f ) and heat of explosion (Q), with R 2 = 0.966 and 0.916, respectively. In conclusion, the work in these proceedings allows for prediction of explosive performance and sensitivity with only chemical structure information and an estimate of density.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Strong-Weak Duality via Jordan-Wigner Transformation: Using Fermionic Methods for Strongly Correlated su(2) Spin Systems

The Jordan-Wigner transformation establishes a duality between $su(2)$ and fermionic algebras. We present qualitative arguments and numerical evidence that when mapping spins to fermions, the transformation makes strong correlation weaker, as demonstrated by the Hartree-Fock approximation to the transformed Hamiltonian. This result can be rationalized in terms of rank reduction of spin shift terms when transformed to fermions. Conversely, the mapping of fermions to qubits makes strong correlation stronger, complicating its solution when one uses qubit-based correlators. The presence of string operators poses challenges to the implementation of quantum chemistry methods on classical computers, but these can be dealt with using established techniques of low computational cost. Here, our proof of principle results for XXZ and J1-J2 Heisenberg (in 1D and 2D) indicate that the JW transformed fermionic Hamiltonian has reduced complexity in key regions of their phase diagrams, and provides a better starting point for addressing challenging spin problems.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Magnetic phases of spatially modulated spin-1 chains in Rydberg excitons: Classical and quantum simulations

Here, in this work, we study the magnetic phases of a spatially modulated chain of spin-1 Rydberg excitons. Using the Density Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG) technique, we study various magnetic and topologically nontrivial phases using both single-particle properties, such as local magnetization and quantum entropy, and many-body ones, such as pair-wise Néel and long-range string correlations. In particular, we investigate the emergence and robustness of the Haldane phase, a topological phase of anti-ferromagnetic spin-1 chains. Furthermore, we devise a hybrid quantum algorithm employing restricted Boltzmann machine to simulate the ground state of such a system that shows very good agreement with the results of exact diagonalization and DMRG.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Toward transferable empirical valence bonds: Making classical force fields reactive

The empirical valence bond technique allows classical force fields to model reactive processes. However, parametrization from experimental data or quantum mechanical calculations is required for each reaction present in the simulation. We show that the parameters present in the empirical valence bond method can be predicted using a neural network model and the SMILES strings describing a reaction. This removes the need for quantum calculations in the parametrization of the empirical valence bond technique. In doing so, we have taken the first steps toward defining a new procedure for enabling reactive atomistic simulations. This procedure would allow researchers to use existing classical force fields for reactive simulations, without performing additional quantum mechanical calculations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗