Condensed Matter Physics Commons^™

High Pressure Synchrotron Xrd, Nfs, And Nrixs Studies Of Fesb2, Melanie Alden White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This work combines high pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear forward scattering (NFS), and nuclear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (NRIXS) experiments on iron diantimonide (FeSb2), a promising thermoelectric material. NRIXS uses the interaction between excited nuclear and lattice states to directly measure the phonon density of states (PDOS) for samples containing certain Mössbauer isotopes. For our experiments, we synthesized FeSb2 enriched with the isotope 57Fe and measured the partial PDOS for 57Fe sites in the FeSb2 lattice. NFS, also known as synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy, is a sister technique to NRIXS that studies the hyperfine structure of the excited Mössbauer nuclei. …

A Structural Study Of Correlated Materials: Incipient Mott Insulators And Low-Dimensional Systesm., Alaa Alfailakawi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current theories of high-temperature superconductivity suggest that electrons must organize into Cooper pairs in order for a material to exhibit a superconducting phase. Electrons in insulators experience significant repulsive interactions that tend to keep electrons localized at atomic positions. In contrast, electrons in metals are delocalized, interact weakly, and are free to conduct electricity. Therefore, the formation of Cooper pairs should have different mechanisms for metals compared to insulators. This contrast raises the debate about the origin of high-temperature superconductivity in iron-based material, whether it depends on the strong or weak coupling. Many iron-based materials are metallic in the normal …

Brillouin Zone Center Phonon Modes In Znga2O4, Megan Stokey, Rafal Korlacki, Sean Knight, Matthew J. Hilfiker, Zbigniew Galazka, Klaus Irmscher, Vanya Darakchieva, Mathias Schubert

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Infrared-active lattice mode properties of melt-grown high-quality single bulk crystals of ZnGa₂O₄ are investigated by combined spectroscopic ellipsometry and density functional theory computation analysis. The normal spinel structure crystals are measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry at room temperature in the range of 100 cm^–1–1200 cm^–1. The complex-valued dielectric function is determined from a wavenumber-by-wavenumber approach, which is then analyzed by the four-parameter semi-quantum model dielectric function approach augmented by impurity mode contributions. We determine four infrared-active transverse and longitudinal optical mode pairs, five localized impurity mode pairs, and the high frequency dielectric constant. All …

Free Charge Carrier Properties In Two-Dimensional Materials And Monoclinic Oxides Studied By Optical Hall Effect, Sean Knight

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this dissertation, optical Hall effect (OHE) measurements are used to determine the free charge carrier properties of important two-dimensional materials and monoclinic oxides. Two-dimensional material systems have proven useful in high-frequency electronic devices due to their unique properties, such as high mobility, which arise from their two-dimensional nature. Monoclinic oxides exhibit many desirable characteristics, for example low-crystal symmetry which could lead to anisotropic carrier properties. Here, single-crystal monoclinic gallium oxide, an AlInN/GaN-based high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) structure, and epitaxial graphene are studied as examples. To characterize these material systems, the OHE measurement technique is employed. The OHE is a physical …

An Expanded Model Of Unmatter From Neutrosophic Logic Perspective: Towards Matter-Spirit Unity View, Florentin Smarandache, Victor Christianto, Robert Neil Boyd

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In Neutrosophic Logic, a basic assertion is that there are variations of about everything that we can measure; the variations surround three parameters called T, I, F (truth, indeterminacy, falsehood) which can take a range of values. A previous paper in IJNS, 2020 shortly reviews the links among aether and matter creation from the perspective of Neutrosophic Logic. In any case, matter creation process in nature stays a major puzzle for physicists, scientists and other science analysts. To this issue neutrosophic logic offers an answer: "unmatter." This paper examines an extended model of unmatter, to incorporate issue soul solidarity. So, …

Heterostructure Of 2d Materials: Hfs2/Hfo2/Si, Christopher J. Robledo

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Heterostructures have been utilized in electronic devices for over 50 years with the proposal for the first heterostructure transistor in 1957. With the scaling of devices, it is necessary to create new heterostructures that will comply with Moore’s Law, as well as make devices faster and consume less power. Novel 2D materials, such as hafnium disulfide, have shown promise as an active channel layer, while hafnium dioxide is already proven to be a replacement of silicon dioxide for the gate insulating layer. However, fabrication techniques for wide-scale integration of these heterostructures have not yet been achieved. Also, the dielectric properties …

Investigation Of Complex Refractive Index Of Grad Phene Oxide Using Polarisation Response Of Graphene Oxide-Coated Planarizeoptical Waveguide, Soon Xin Gan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Since a single atomic layer of carbon, also as known as graphene is being successfully exfoliated from 3D graphite, intense research on graphene and its derivative begins. Among them, graphene oxide (GO) is considered one of the most prominent candidates in the category of graphene derivatives for the application of electronic, optoelectronic and photonics. However, although GO has been applied in many applications like saturable absorbers of Q-switch laser and optical limiters for eye protection, its intrinsic optical properties especially complex refractive index reported so far still has a large deviation. Also, most of the optical characterization research on GO …

Site Selective Adsorption Of The Spin Crossover Complex Fe(Phen)2(Ncs)2 On Au(111), Sumit Beniwal, Suchetana Sarkar, Felix Baier, Birgit Weber, Peter Dowben, Axel Enders

Peter Dowben Publications

The iron(II) spin crossover complex Fe(1,10-phenanthroline)₂(NCS)₂, dubbed Fe-phen, has been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy, after adsorption on the 'herringbone' reconstructed surface of Au(111) for sub-monolayer coverages. The Fe-phen molecules attach, through their NCS-groups, to the Au atoms of the fcc domains of the reconstructed surface only, thereby lifting the herringbone reconstruction. The molecules stack to form 1D chains, which run along the Au[110] directions. Neighboring Fe-phen molecules are separated by approximately 2.65 nm, corresponding to 9 atomic spacings in this direction. The molecular axis, defined by the two phenanthroline groups, is aligned perpendicular to the …

Quantum Criticality In Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, Samuel Obadiah Kellar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study of the Hubbard model in three dimensions contains a variety of phases dependent upon the chosen parameters. This thesis shows that there is the indication of a zero temperature phase transition at a finite doping. The Hubbard model has been used to identify a similar quantum critical point in two dimensions. The presented results continue these investigations. The system demonstrates a strange metal phase at finite temperature which cannot be described in term of the conventional Fermi liquid. While there have been extensive studies over the past three decades for such materials in two dimensions, there are few …

Identifying Structure Transitions Using Machine Learning Methods, Nicholas Walker

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Methodologies from data science and machine learning, both new and old, provide an exciting opportunity to investigate physical systems using extremely expressive statistical modeling techniques. Physical transitions are of particular interest, as they are accompanied by pattern changes in the configurations of the systems. Detecting and characterizing pattern changes in data happens to be a particular strength of statistical modeling in data science, especially with the highly expressive and flexible neural network models that have become increasingly computationally accessible in recent years through performance improvements in both hardware and algorithmic implementations. Conceptually, the machine learning approach can be regarded as …

Multi-Metallic Conduction Cooled Superconducting Radio-Frequency Cavity With High Thermal Stability, Gianluigi Ciovati, Gary Cheng, Uttar Pudasaini, Robert A. Rimmer

Physics Faculty Publications

Superconducting radio-frequency cavities are commonly used in modern particle accelerators for applied and fundamental research. Such cavities are typically made of high-purity, bulk Nb and with cooling by a liquid helium bath at a temperature of ∼2 K. The size, cost and complexity of operating a particle accelerator with a liquid helium refrigerator make the current cavity technology not favorable for use in industrial-type accelerators. We have developed a multi-metallic 1.495 GHz elliptical cavity conductively cooled by a cryocooler. The cavity has a ∼2 μm thick layer of Nb₃Sn on the inner surface, exposed to the rf field, …

Nitrogen-Doped Graphene-Based Metal Composites For The Non-Enzymatic Detection Of Hydrogen Peroxide, Tajabadi Poor Mohammad Taghi

Student Works (2020-2029)

Recently, much attention has been devoted to detecting hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) because of its extensive range of applications in chemical synthesis, the textile industry, food production, fuel cell devices, and even in many oxidative biological reactions. Among the various methods of detection of H2O2, electrochemical sensors has many advantages, such as simplicity, high efficiency and sensitivity, as well as good selectivity., To improve the sensitivity of non-enzymatic sensors, noble metal nanoparticles with particular electrocatalytic activities can be utilized. The present research is aimed to design a hybrid approach for the development of novel nanostructures for non-enzymatic detection of H2O2. Herein, …

Growth Of Semi-Polar (11-22) Gan Epitaxial Layer On M-Plane Sapphire Via Mocvd, Anuar Mohd Afiq

Student Works (2020-2029)

In the past few years, semi-polar (11-22) GaN has attracted much intention in the field of optoelectronics including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs) and photodetectors. Commercially, GaN-based optoelectronic devices are grown along c-plane direction. However, c-oriented GaN-based optoelectronics suffer from piezoelectric polarization, which hinders the device performances. Conversely, semi-polar (11-22) GaN exhibits almost zero piezoelectric polarization effect. Furthermore, as the GaN wurtzite lattice is inclined approximately 58° respective to c-plane, it provides more sites for doping incorporation such as indium, silicon, aluminium, etc. Therefore, the semi-polar (11-22) GaN is presumed to be one of a promising candidate for efficient …

Development Of Nano Carbon And Conducting Polymers Based Ternary Composites For Supercapattery, Iqbal Javed

Student Works (2020-2029)

Although significant efforts have been devoted on the development of energy storage systems such as batteries and fuel cells in the past decades, the low power density, short cyclic life and high maintenance cost have kept them away from many applications. Alternatively, supercapattery which has the characteristic features of batteries as well as supercapacitors has gained much attention because of its rapid charge/discharge mechanism, long life cycle, and high power density. However, supercapattery generally suffers from poor energy density. This research aims to develop carbon and conducting polymers based ternary nanocomposites for high performance supercapattery. Pristine metal oxide nanostructures suffer …

Quantum Interference In Monocyclic Molecules: A Novel And Straightforward Phase Wave Model, Zainelabideen Yousif Mijbil

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

We have proposed by far the simplest model, so-called phase wave model (PWM), to predict quantum interference states in monocyclic molecules. Meanwhile, transmission coefficient calculations were also performed using Green’s function method incorporated with Hückel (Tight Binding) approximation. An impressive agreement has been obtained between the results of the phase wave model and the ones from transmission coefficient calculations for the chosen model systems, namely benzene, cycloheptatriene, cyclooctatetraene, and [10]annulene. PWM represents the phase of wave functions of the incoming electrons by a wave and associates a single wavelength of the phase with five atoms/sites. Hence, the electrical conductance would …

Generalized Magnetoelectronic Circuit Theory And Spin Relaxation At Interfaces In Magnetic Multilayers, G. G. Baez Flores, Alexey Kovalev, Mark Van Schilfgaarde, K. D. Belashchenko

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Spin transport at metallic interfaces is an essential ingredient of various spintronic device concepts, such as giant magnetoresistance, spin-transfer torque, and spin pumping. Spin-orbit coupling plays an important role in many such devices. In particular, spin current is partially absorbed at the interface due to spin-orbit coupling. We develop a general magnetoelectronic circuit theory and generalize the concept of spin-mixing conductance, accounting for various mechanisms responsible for spin-flip scattering. For the special case when exchange interactions dominate, we give a simple expression for the spin-mixing conductance in terms of the contributions responsible for spin relaxation (i.e., spin memory loss), spin …

Surface Termination And Schottky-Barrier Formation Of In4Se3(001), Archit Dhingra, Pavlo V. Galiy, Lu Wang, Nataliia S. Vorobeva, Alexey Lipatov, Angel Torres, Taras M. Nenchuk, Simeon J. Gilbert, Alexander Sinitskii, Andrew J. Yost, Wai-Ning Mei, Keisuke Fukutani, Jia Shiang Chen, Peter Dowben

Peter Dowben Publications

The surface termination of In₄Se₃(001) and the interface of this layered trichalcogenide, with Au, was examined using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Low energy electron diffraction indicates that the surface is highly crystalline, but suggests an absence of C2v mirror plane symmetry. The surface termination of the In₄Se₃(001 is found, by angle-resolved x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, to be In, which is consistent with the observed Schottky barrier formation found with this n-type semiconductor. Transistor measurements confirm earlier results from photoemission, suggesting that In₄Se₃(001 is an n-type semiconductor, so that Schottky barrier …

Fabrication Of Magnetocaloric La(Fe,Si)13 Thick Films, N H. Dung, N B. Doan, P De Rango, L Ranno, Karl G. Sandeman, N M. Dempsey

Publications and Research

La(Fe,Si)₁₃–based compounds are considered to be very promising magnetocaloric materials for magnetic refrigeration applications. Many studies have focused on this material family but only in bulk form. In this paper we report on the fabrication of thick films of La(Fe,Si)₁₃, both with and without post-hydriding. These films exhibit magnetic and structural properties comparable to bulk materials. We also observe that the ferromagnetic phase transition has a negative thermal hysteresis, a phenomenon not previously found in this material but which may have its origins in the availability of a strain energy reservoir, as in the cases of …

Perspective: Ferromagnetic Liquids, Robert Streubel, Xubo Liu, Xuefei Wu, Thomas P. Russell

Robert Streubel Papers

Mechanical jamming of nanoparticles at liquid-liquid interfaces has evolved into a versatile approach to structure liquids with solid-state properties. Ferromagnetic liquids obtain their physical and magnetic properties, including a remanent magnetization that distinguishes them from ferrofluids, from the jamming of magnetic nanoparticles assembled at the interface between two distinct liquids to minimize surface tension. This perspective provides an overview of recent progress and discusses future directions, challenges and potential applications of jamming magnetic nanoparticles with regard to 3D nano-magnetism. We address the formation and characterization of curved magnetic geometries, and spin frustration between dipole-coupled nanostructures, and advance our understanding of …

Modeling Single Microtubules As A Colloidal System To Measure The Harmonic Interactions Between Tubulin Dimers In Bovine Brain Derived Versus Cancer Cell Derived Microtubules, Arooj Aslam

Dissertations

The local properties of tubulin dimers dictate the properties of the larger microtubule assembly. In order to elucidate this connection, tubulin-tubulin interactions are be modeled as harmonic interactions to map the stiffness matrix along the length of the microtubule. The strength of the interactions are measured by imaging and tracking the movement of segments along the microtubule over time, and then performing a fourier transform to extract the natural vibrational frequencies. Using this method the first ever reported experimental phonon spectrum of the microtubule is reported. This method can also be applied to other biological materials, and opens new doors …

D-Orbital Occupancy Of Transition Metal Oxides By X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (Xanes), Eric Kurywczak

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

XANES L₂ and L₃-edge X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Spectra (XANES) for 4d and 5d row transition metals (TM) oxides are assumed to be directly reflecting unoccupied d orbitals influenced by the local symmetry of the metal ion. XANES L₂- and L₃-edge data analysis through non-linear curve fitting allows for a unique, efficient look at the structural eccentricities of transition metal oxides. In this way it is possible to determine the oxidation state of a material as well as its site symmetry. We have used non-linear least-squares fitting across the near-edge region …

Density Functional Theory Calculations Of Al Doped Hafnia For Different Crystal Symmetry Configurations, Joshua Steier

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Dogan et al.[1], investigated the causes of ferroelectricity in doped hafnia using ab initio methods. Similarly, we investigated the stability of Al doped hafnia using quantum mechanical methods.

There are many different phases of Hafnia: monoclinic, tetragonal, cubic and orthorhombic. Starting with the monoclinic phase of Hafnia, Hafnia undergoes phase transitions which result in different space groups. The temperature at which the tetragonal phase is induced is 2000 K and cubic phase is induced at 2900 K[1]. Different dielectric constants vary from phase to phase. The average dielectric constants are highest for the cubic and tetragonal phases. In order to …

First-Principles Studies Of Anion Engineering In Functional Ceramics, Steven Timothy Hartman

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Ceramic materials display a wide variety of valuable properties, such as ferroelectricity, superconductivity, and magnetic ordering, due to the partially covalent bonds which connect the cations and anions. While many breakthroughs have been made by mixing multiple cations on a sublattice, the equivalent mixed-anion ceramics have not received nearly as much attention, despite the key role the anion plays in the materials’ properties. There is great potential for functional ceramics design using anion engineering, which aims to tune the materials properties by adding and removing different types of anions in existing classes of ceramic materials. In this dissertation, I present …

Applied-Force Oscillations In Avalanche Dynamics, Louis W. Mcfaul, Gregory Sparks, Jordan Sickle, Jonathan T. Uhl, Wendelin J. Wright, Robert Maass, Karin A. Dahmen

Faculty Journal Articles

Until now most studies of discrete plasticity have focused on systems that are assumed to be driven by a monotonically increasing force; in many real systems, however, the driving force includes damped oscillations or oscillations induced by the propagation of discrete events or “slip avalanches.” In both cases, these oscillations may obscure the true dynamics. Here we effectively consider both cases by investigating the effects of damped oscillations in the external driving force on avalanche dynamics. We compare model simulations of slip avalanches under mean-field dynamics with observations in slip-avalanche experiments on slowly compressed micrometer-sized Au specimens using open-loop force …

Nitrogen Vacancy Center Optical Magnetometry Of A Barium-Iron-Cobalt Superconductor, William Setterberg

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Experimentally probing the intrinsic properties of superconductors—such as the London penetration depth λ and the critical fields H_c1 and H_c2—poses a difficult task. Various sample- and measurement-related factors can impact the efficacy of results obtained for λ or H_c1, such as perturbations to the magnetic properties of a superconducting sample or crystalline defects. One measurement technique that can minimize the impact of both of these issues is known as Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) center magnetometry. In this work, we use NV center magnetometry to perform minimally-invasive measurements of the lower critical field H_c1 and the …

Curvature In Compressed Thin Cylindrical Shells Approaching The Isometric Limit, Nicole Voce

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The ability to manipulate surface elastic instabilities finds many applications in engineering smart interfaces, e.g. in fluid-structure interaction and micro-fabrication. We study the buckling of a thin cylindrical shell constrained to slide onto an inner non-deformable pipe. Our goal is to characterize the relationship between the shell thickness and the localization of stresses by using curvature measurements. First, we induce surface buckling by immobilizing one end of the shell and applying force to the other end. Then, we obtain a virtual reconstruction of the surface from 3D optical scanning and compute the Gaussian curvature for every point on the mesh. …

Skyrmion Fluctuations At A First-Order Phase Transition Boundary, V. Esposito, X. Y. Zheng, M. H. Seaberg, S. A. Montoya, B. Holladay, A. H. Reid, R. Streubel, J. C.T. Lee, L. Shen, J. D. Koralek, G. Coslovich, P. Walter, S. Zohar, V. Thampy, M. F. Lin, P. Hart, K. Nakahara, P. Fischer, W. Colocho, A. Lutman, F. J. Decker, S. K. Sinha, E. E. Fullerton, S. D. Kevan, S. Roy, M. Dunne, J. J. Turner

Robert Streubel Papers

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected spin textures with promising prospects for applications in data storage. They can form a lattice state due to competing magnetic interactions and are commonly found in a small region of the temperature - magnetic field phase diagram. Recent work has demonstrated that these magnetic quasi-particles fluctuate at the μeV energy scale. Here, we use a coherent x-ray correlation method at an x-ray free-electron laser to investigate these fluctuations in a magnetic phase coexistence region near a first-order transition boundary where fluctuations are not expected to play a major role. Surprisingly, we find that the relaxation …

Development Of Co2 Laser-Heating For The Study Of Wide Band Gap Oxide Materials, Christian Matthew Childs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The ability to access a vast region of the pressure-temperature landscape using energy density tuning enables exotic states of matter to be probed. A well documented method for such exploration, under static conditions, is the use of the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC), accessing a combination of high pressure (>300 GPa) and high temperature (>5000 K). This thesis presents our development of direct CO2 laser heating techniques to study a series of wide band gap insulators, La2Sn2O7, ZrO2, and CeO2, under high pressure conditions. The lasing frequency of CO2 lasers is such that these wide band gap materials …

Symmetry And Interface Considerations For Interactions On Mos2, Prescott E. Evans

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The critical role of symmetry, in adsorbate-MoS₂ interactions, has been demonstrated through a variety of electronic structure, topology, and catalytic studies of MoS₂ and MoS₂ composites.A combination of density functional theory and experiment exhibiting diiodobenzene isomer dependent adsorption rates highlight frontier orbital symmetry as key to adsorption on MoS₂. It is clear that the geometry and symmetry of MoS₂ influences the creation and stability of surface defects, that in turn affect catalytic activity and a myriad of other applications. We have shown that surface reactions such the methanol to methoxy reaction can create defects …

Investigations Of Technetium Metal And The Synthesis Of Binary Technetium Nitrides Under Extreme Conditions, Emily Siska

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Technetium (Tc) is the lightest of the radioactive elements and has no stable isotopes. Significant quantities of Tc are not naturally occurring on earth. However, technetium is found in high fission yield in nuclear reactors and produced for medical imaging. With its long half life, and high mobility in the environment make it of particular interest. To that end, the fundamental chemistry of Tc and Tc compounds is not as well understood compared to neighboring elements on the periodic table. Therefore, fundamental studies designed to better understand this transition metal, coupled with more targeted investigation at high temperature and pressure …