Generation of high quality ion beams through the stable radiation pressure acceleration of the near critical density target

In order to generate high quality ion beams through the stable radiation pressure acceleration(RPA) of the near critical density(NCD) target, we propose a new type of target where an ultra-thin high density(HD) layer is attached to the front surface of an NCD target, which has a preferable self-supporting property in the RPA experiments than the ultra-thin foil target. It is found that in one-dimensional particle-in-cell(PIC) simulation, by the block of the HD layer in the new target,there emerges the hole-boring process rather than propagation in the NCD layer when the intense laser pulse impinges on this target. As a result, a typical RPA structure that the compressed electron layer overlaps the ion layer as a whole is formed and a high quality ion beam is obtained, e.g., a circularly polarized laser pulse with normalized amplitude a_0= 120 impinges on this new target and a 1.2 GeV monoenergetic ion beam is generated through the RPA of the NCD layer. Similar results are also found in the two-dimensional PIC simulation.

Influence of the electrolyte conductivity on the critical current density and the breakdown voltage

The work investigates influence of the electrolyte conductivity on the onset of partial contact glow discharge electrolysis(CGDE)in a water electrolysis.Critical current density(CCD)and breakdown voltage were measured together with in situ observation of hydrogen bubble behavior,whose influence has not been focused on.For a fixed current during normal electrolysis,hydrogen coalescence adjacent to cathode surface was invigorated at a lower conductivity.Photographic analyses elucidated the hydrogen coalescence characteristics by quantifying size and population of detached hydrogen bubbles.The CCD increased about 104% within given range of conductivity(11.50-127.48 mS·cm^(-1))due to impaired bubble coalescence,which delays hydrogen film formation on the cathode.Meanwhile,decreasing trend of breakdown voltage was measured with increased conductivity showing maximum drop of 74%.It is concluded that onset of partial CGDE is directly affected by hydrodynamic bubble behaviors,whereas the electrolyte conductivity affects the bubble formation characteristics adjacent to cathode electrode.

Revealing the potential of apparent critical current density of Li/garnet interface with capacity perturbation strategy

Apparent critical current density(j_(Ac)^(a))of garnet all-solid-state lithium metal symmetric cells(ASSLSCs)is a fundamental parameter for designing all-solid-state lithium metal batteries.Nevertheless,how much the possible maximum apparent current density that a given ASSLSC system can endure and how to reveal this potential still require study.Herein,a capacity perturbation strategy aiming to better measure the possible maximum j_(Ac)^(a)is proposed for the first time.With garnet-based plane-surface structure ASSLSCs as an exemplification,the j_(Ac)^(a)is quite small when the capacity is dramatically large.Under a perturbed capacity of 0.001 mA h cm^(-2),the j_(Ac)^(a)is determined to be as high as 2.35 mA cm^(-2)at room temperature.This investigation demonstrates that the capacity perturbation strategy is a feasible strategy for measuring the possible maximum j_(Ac)^(a)of Li/solid electrolyte interface,and hopefully provides good references to explore the critical current density of other types of electrochemical systems.

An Inquiry into Two Intriguing Values of the Critical Current Density of Bi-2212

The empirically reported values of the critical current density (jc) of Bi-2212 as 2.4 × 105 (jc1;Sample 1) and 1.0 × 106 A/cm2 (jc2;Sample 2) are intriguing because both of them correspond to the same values of the temperature T = 4.2 K and the applied magnetic field H = 12 × 104 G. This difference is conventionally attributed to such factors—not all of which are quantifiable—as the geometry, dimensions and the nature of dopants and the manners of preparation of the samples which cause their granular structures, grain boundaries, alignment of the grains and so on to differ. Based on the premise that the chemical potential μ subsumes most of these features, given herein is a novel explanation of the said results in terms of the values of μ of the two samples. This paper revisits the problem that was originally addressed in [Malik G.P., Varma V.S. (2020) WJCMP, 10, 53-70] in the more accurate framework of a subsequent paper [Malik G.P., Varma V.S. (2021) JSNM, 34, 1551-1561]. Besides, it distinguishes between the contributions of the electro-electron (e-e) and the hole-hole (h-h) pairs to jc—a feature to which no heed was paid earlier. The essence of our findings is that the jcs of the two samples differ because they are characterized by different values of the primary variables μi and , where is the effective mass of a charge-carrier and me is the free-electron mass and i = 1 and 2 denote Sample 1 and Sample 2, respectively. In the scenario of the charge-carriers being predominantly h-h pairs, the values of these parameters are estimated to be: μ1 ≈ 12.3 meV, η1 ≈ 0.58;μ2 ≈ 22.7 meV, η2 ≈ 0.94. Following from these and similar estimates when the charge-carriers are e-e pairs, given below for each sample are the detailed results for the values of the secondary variables viz. the number density of the charge-carriers and their critical velocity, the number of occupied Landau levels and the magnetic interaction parameter.

High critical current density in Li_(6.4)La_(3)Zr_(1.4)Ta_(0.6)O_(12) electrolyte via interfacial engineering with complex hydride

Garnet-type solid-state batteries(SSBs)are considered to be one of the most promising candidates to realize next-generation lithium metal batteries with high energy density and safety.However,the dendrite-induced short-circuit and the poor interfacial contact impeded the practical application.Herein,interface engineering to achieve low interfacial resistance without high temperature calcination was developed,which Li_(6.4)La_(3)Zr_(1.4)Ta_(0.6)O_(12)(LLZTO)was simply coated with complex hydride(Li_(4)(BH_(4))_(3)I(3L1L))in various mass ratios n(Li_(4)(BH_(4))_(3)I)-(100−n)LLZTO(10≤n≤40).The interfacial conductivity increases by more than three orders of magnitude from 8.29×10^(−6)S·cm^(−1)to 1.10×10^(−2)S·cm^(−1).Symmetric Li cells exhibit a high critical current density(CCD)of 4.0 mA·cm^(−2) and an excellent cycling stability for 200 h at 4.0 mA·cm^(−2).SSBs with polymeric sulfur-polyacrylonitrile(SPAN)cathode achieve a high discharge capacity of 1149 mAh·g^(−1) with a capacity retention of 91%after 100 cycles(0.2 C).This attempt guides a simple yet efficient strategy for obtaining a stable Li/LLZTO interface,which would promote the development of solid-state batteries.

Preparation of dense Ta-LLZO/MgO composite Li-ion solid electrolyte:Sintering, microstructure, performance and the role of MgO

Cubic phase Li7La3Zr2O12(LLZO),a member of the Li–Garnet family,is a promising solid electrolyte and has been widely studied in recent years.However,LLZO samples prepared via conventional ambient air sintering reported in the published literature often contain large grains with lower than desired(<94%)relative density.In this study,a non-contact method of co-firing with mother powder method is proposed to prepare high-quality Ta-doped LLZO–MgO composite ceramics.By sintering at 1150℃for 5 h,the ceramics can reach relative density of 98.2%,conductivity of 5.17×10^-4 S cm^-1 at 25℃and fracture strength of 150 MPa.The sintered samples have uniform fine-grained microstructure and high critical current densities of 0.75–0.95 mA cm-2 at room temperature in Li–Li symmetry cell with Au modification.In addition,systematic sintering experiments and characterizations are conducted to explore the function of MgO in inhibiting the Ta-LLZO grain growth and its existing form inside the composite ceramics.

In-plane current-induced magnetization reversal of Pd/CoZr/MgO magnetic multilayers

High critical current density(>10^(6)A/cm^(2))is one of major obstacles to realize practical applications of the currentdriven magnetization reversal devices.In this work,we successfully prepared Pd/CoZr(3.5 nm)/MgO thin films with large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and demonstrated a way of reducing the critical current density with a low out-of-plane magnetic field in the Pd/CoZr/MgO stack.Under the assistance of an out-of-plane magnetic field,the magnetization can be fully reversed with a current density of about 10^(4)A/cm^(2).The magnetization reversal is attributed to the combined effect of the out-of-plane magnetic field and the current-induced spin-orbital torque.It is found that the current-driven magnetization reversal is highly relevant to the temperature owing to the varied spin-orbital torque,and the current-driven magnetization reversal will be more efficient in low-temperature range,while the magnetic field is helpful for the magnetization reversal in high-temperature range.

Erratum to“Fabrication of Tl_(2)Ba_(2)CaCu_(2)O_(8) superconducting films without thallium pellets

The rocking curve of Tl-2212 thin films in Fig.2 of our original paper[1]should be replaced with the following new one.Accordingly,in the fifth paragraph of Section 3 of the original paper,the statement“The full width at half maximum(FWHM)of the(0012)peak of the Tl-2212 phase is about 0.24°”should be“The full width at half maximum(FWHM)of the(0012)peak of the Tl-2212 phase is about 0.42°”.

Special variation of infiltration-growth processed bulk YBCO fabricated using new liquid source: Ba_(3)Cu_(5)O_(8) (1:1.3) and YbBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(y)

Utilization of novel materials,particularly high-T_(c)(critical temperature)superconductors,is essential to pursue the United Nations’Sustainable Goals,as well as to meet the increasing worldwide demand for clean and carbon-free electric power technologies.Superconducting magnets are beneficial in several real-life applications including transportation,energy production,magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),and drug delivery systems.To achieve high performance,one must develop uniform,large-grain,infiltration-growth(IG)processed bulk YBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(y)(Y-123)super-magnets.In this study,we report the magnetic and microstructural properties of a large-grain,top-seeded,IG-processed Y-123 pellet,which is 20 mm in diameter and 6 mm in height;the pellet is produced utilizing liquid Yb-123+Ba_(3)Cu_(5)O_(8) as the liquid source.All the samples cut from the top of the bulk exhibit a sharp superconducting transition(approximately 1 K wide)with the onset T_(c) of approximately 90 K.However,in the samples cut from the bottom surface,the onset T_(c) values slightly decreased to between 88 and 90 K,although still exhibiting a sharp superconducting transition.The top and bottom samples exhibited the highest remnant value of J_(c)(critical current density)at 77 K H//c-axis of 50 and 55 kA/cm^(2),respectively.The remnant J_(c) and irreversibility field values significantly fluctuated,being fairly low in some bottom samples.Scanning electron microscopy identified nanometer size Y-211(Y2BaCuO5)secondary-phase particles dispersed in the Y-123 matrix.Energy-dispersive spectroscopy clarified that the decreased both T_(c) and J_(c) for the bottom samples were attributed to liquid phase dispersion within the Y-123 phase.

Towards high degree of c-axis orientation in MgB_(2) bulks

The paper presents fabrication and characterization of spark plasma sintered textured(001) MgB_(2)with a record degree of orientation of about 40% and 16% by high-energy ultra-sonication and slip casting in high magnetic field(12 T) and 0 T magnetic field, respectively.Structural characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. The analysis revealed unexpected preferred orientation also in the MgO secondary phase due to the epitaxial growth of(111) MgO on(001) MgB_(2). The influence of oriented microstructure on the superconducting characteristics expressed by critical current density(J_(c)), irreversibility field(H_(irr)), and on the pinning properties were assessed. High anisotropy versus sample orientation in applied magnetic field, H, was observed for J_(c), Hirr, pinning activation energy(U^(*))extracted from relaxation measurements. The zero-field critical current, J_(c0)and F_(p),maxare weakly or not dependent on the direction of H,while the other indicated parameters are significantly influenced. Results enable control of superconducting parameters by further optimization of microstructure through MgB_(2) texturing as a novel and viable strategy for development of bulk MgB2with enhanced properties when taking advantage of its anisotropy.

Doping effects of transition metals on the superconductivity of (Li,Fe)OHFeSe films

The doping effects of transition metals(TMs = Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu) on the superconducting critical parameters are investigated in the films of iron selenide(Li,Fe)OHFe Se. The samples are grown via a matrix-assisted hydrothermal epitaxy method. Among the TMs, the elements of Mn and Co adjacent to Fe are observed to be incorporated into the crystal lattice more easily. It is suggested that the doped TMs mainly occupy the iron sites of the intercalated(Li,Fe)OH layers rather than those of the superconducting Fe Se layers. We find that the critical current density J_(c) can be enhanced much more strongly by the Mn dopant than the other TMs, while the critical temperature T_(c) is weakly affected by the TM doping.

Interplay between cold densification and malic acid addition (C4H6O5) for the fabrication of near-isotropic MgB2 conductors for magnet application

The effect of cold high pressure densification(CHPD)on anisotropy of the critical current density(Jc)in《in situ》single core binary and alloyed MgB2 tapes has been determined as a function of temperatures at 4.2 K,20 K and 25 K as well as at applied magnetic fields up to 19 T.The study includes binary and C4H6O5(malic acid)doped MgB2 tapes before and after CHPD.It is remarkable that the CHPD process not only improved the Jc values,in particular at the higher magnetic fields,but also decreased the anisotropy ratio,Г=JC^///JC^⊥In binary MgB2 tapes,the anisotropy factor F increases with higher aspect ratios,even after applying CHPD.In malic acid(C4H6O5)doped tapes,however,the application of CHPD leads only to small enhancements ofГ,even for higher aspect ratios.This is attributed to the higher carbon content in the MgB2 filaments,which in turn is a consequence of the reduced chemical reaction path in the densified filaments.At all applied field values,it was found that CHPD processed C4H6O5 doped tapes exhibit an almost isotropic behavior.This constitutes an advantage in view of industrial magnet applications using wires with square or slightly rectangular configuration.

Photoreflectance system based on vacuum ultraviolet laser at 177.3 nm

Photoreflectance(PR)spectroscopy is a powerful and non-destructive experimental technique to explore interband transitions of semiconductors.In most PR systems,the photon energy of the pumping beam is usually chosen to be higher than the bandgap energy of the sample.To the best of our knowledge,the highest energy of pumping laser in reported PR systems is 5.08 eV(244 nm),not yet in the vacuum ultraviolet(VUV)region.In this work,we report the design and construction of a PR system pumped by VUV laser of 7.0 eV(177.3 nm).At the same time,dual-modulated technique is applied and a dual channel lock-in-amplifier is integrated into the system for efficient PR measurement.The system’s performance is verified by the PR spectroscopy measurement of well-studied semiconductors,which testifies its ability to probe critical-point energies of the electronic band in semiconductors from ultraviolet to near-infrared spectral region.

Terahertz high-sensitivity SIS mixer based on Nb–AlN–NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junctions

The terahertz band,a unique segment of the electromagnetic spectrum,is crucial for observing the cold,dark universe and plays a pivotal role in cutting-edge scientific research,including the study of cosmic environments that support life and imaging black holes.High-sensitivity superconductor–insulator–superconductor(SIS)mixers are essential detectors for terahertz astronomical telescopes and interferometric arrays.Compared to the commonly used classical Nb/AlO_(x)/Nb superconducting tunnel junction,the Nb/AlN/NbN hybrid superconducting tunnel junction has a higher energy gap voltage and can achieve a higher critical current density.This makes it particularly promising for the development of ultra-wideband,high-sensitivity coherent detectors or mixers in various scientific research fields.In this paper,we present a superconducting SIS mixer based on Nb/AlN/NbN parallel-connected twin junctions(PCTJ),which has a bandwidth extending up to490 GHz–720 GHz.The best achieved double-sideband(DSB)noise temperature(sensitivity)is below three times the quantum noise level.

Estimation of critical current density of bulk superconductor with artificial neural network

In the applications of superconducting materials,the critical current density J_(c)(B)is a crucial performance parameter.The conventional method of measuring J_(c)(B)of bulk superconductor is magnetization method.However,there are errors in the estimation of J_(c)(B)in the lower field,and the estimation is not applicable in the region where the magnetic field reverses.In this paper,J_(c)(B)of the bulk superconductor is determined by the hysteresis and magnetostriction loops with artificial neural network(ANN),respectively.Compared with double‐output ANN,the critical current density obtained by single‐output ANN is more accurate.Finally,the prediction results given by the hysteresis and magnetostriction loops are discussed.

Effect of Gd addition on the superconducting properties of Ti-based V, Nb, Ta alloys

The critical current density(Jc)of the body centered cubic(bcc)V0.6Ti0.4 alloy enhances significantly after the addition of rare earth Gd as the latter is immiscible in the matrix[S.Paul,et.al,IEEE Trans.Appl.Supercond.31,5(2021)].Very low solubility of Gd in other bcc elements like Ta and Nb is also well known[Jr.KA Gschneidner in Prog Sci Technol Rare Earths,vol.1,pp.222–258,1964&M Neuberger,et.al in Handbook of Electronic Materials,Vol 4,1972].We use these facts to find the effect of adding 1 at.%Gd into the Nb0.6Ti0.4 and Ta0.4Ti0.6 alloys on the superconducting properties e.g.,the transition temperature(Tc),Jc,flux pinning force density(Fp)and the microstructure.In spite of Gd being ferromagnetic,the Tc in these alloys change only marginally(increase by 0.3 K in Ta0.4Ti0.6 and decrease by 0.15 K in Nb0.6Ti0.4 after Gd addition.The Jc(H?1 T,T=4 K)increases by 5 and 1.5 times respectively in the Gd containing Nb0.6Ti0.4 and Ta0.4Ti0.6 alloys,which is quite small as compared to the increase observed in the V0.6Ti0.4(20 times)system.With Gd addition,the grain size reduces approximately by 65%and 10%respectively in Nb0.6Ti0.4 and Ta0.4Ti0.6.Our analysis indicates that grain boundaries are the major flux line pinning centres in these alloys and the role of Gd in increasing the Jc depends on the effectiveness of Gd in reducing the grain size.The grain boundary density depends strongly on the distribution of Gd precipitates,which is quite different from each other for two alloy systems under study.Moreover,our results suggest that the addition of Gd to commercial Nb‐Ti(Nb0.37Ti0.63)alloy is a new promising route for achieving higher Jc values.

Simulation and analysis of the carrying capacity for road networks using a grid-based approach

The number of vehicles that a road network can carry is limited.When the limit is exceeded,the network system is not able to function effectively.In this paper,an updated cellular automaton model for grid networks with all-way stop-controlled intersections is proposed to simulate the network level critical density and carrying capacity under different conditions,which essentially indicates the limit number of vehicles that the network can handle before going into gridlock.In the proposed model,two update rules,including lane-changing and the longitudinal location update,are adopted to describe the vehicle’s movements on road segments according to the driving condition on the road and the vehicle’s direction in the downstream intersection.The vehicle’s movements in intersection areas are prioritized based on vehicle’s position,so as to prevent collisions within the intersection area.The simulation results show that an increase in network size is able to expand the carrying capacity of a road network,whereas the expansion rate is lower than the change rate in the network size.The carrying capacity is also associated with the structure of road network.The carrying capacity is inversely proportional to the number of intersections,and proportional to the length of the road in the network.Also,optimizing the origin-destination(O-D)distribution can increase the carrying capacity of an urban road network.

Ba_(1-x)K_(x)Fe_(2)As_(2)铁基超导带材的织构调控与性能研究

高性能超导材料是高场磁体开发的基础.铁基超导体具有很高的上临界场和较低的各向异性,在高场应用领域具有广阔的前景,如加速器磁体、高场核磁共振谱仪、医用磁共振成像系统和可控核聚变装置.本文通过一种易于规模扩展的工艺路线制备了铜银复合包套Ba_(1-x)K_(x)Fe_(2)As_(2)(Ba122)超导带材,其传输临界电流密度在4.2 K和10 T外磁场下为1.1×10^(5)A cm^(-2),达到了105A cm^(-2)的实用化水平.该制备路线结合了平辊轧制织构化工艺和热等静压致密化工艺.通过改变轧制工艺参数,可以调控多晶的织构度.研究表明,在轧制过程中施加较大的变形量可以提高Ba122超导带材的c轴织构度,从而提高其传输性能.对高性能带材的微观结构表征表明,其Ba122相元素分布均匀,晶粒细小且连接性良好,有助于提高晶界钉扎作用.磁光成像研究表明,即使在25 K,样品中仍然存在较大的磁化电流.本文采用的易于规模化扩展且低成本的制备路线在Ba122超导带材中获得了很高的传输性能,表明铁基超导材料在未来高场应用中是潜在的有力竞争者.

High-performance Ta-doped Li_(7)La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12) garnet oxides with AlN additive

Garnet-type oxide is one of the most promising solid-state electrolytes(SSEs)for solid-state lithium-metal batteries(SSLMBs).However,the Li dendrite formation in garnet oxides obstructs the further development of the SSLMBs seriously.Here,we report a high-performance garnet oxide by using AlN as a sintering additive and Li as an anode interface layer.AlN with high thermal conductivity can promote the sintering activity of the garnet oxides,resulting in larger particle size and higher relative density.Moreover,Li3N with high ionic conductivity formed at grain boundaries and interface can also improve Li-ion transport kinetics.As a result,the garnet oxide electrolytes with AlN show enhanced thermal conductivity,improved ionic conductivity,reduced electronic conductivity,and increased critical current density(CCD),compared with the counterpart using Al_(2)O_(3) sintering aid.In addition,Li symmetric cells and Li|LiFePO_(4)(Li|LFP)half cells using the garnet electrolyte with the AlN additive exhibit good electrochemical performances.This work provides a simple and effective strategy for high-performance SSEs.

A method to access the electro-mechanical properties of superconducting thin film under uniaxial compression

Superconducting thin films are widely used in superconducting quantum interferometers,microwave devices,etc.The electrical performance of a superconducting thin film is often affected by structural deformation or stress.Based on four-point bending of a Cu-Be beam,we constructed a device that could apply uniaxial,uniform.compressive strain to a superconducting thin film at both room temperature and the temperature of liquid nitrogen.The thin film was placed into a slot carved in the Cu-Be beam.We optimized the size of this slot via numerical simulation.Our results indicated that the slot width was optimal when it was same as the width of the Cu-Be beam.Notably,the sample bended hardly after machining two slits along width direction on both sides of the slot.A YBa2Cu3O7-δSrTiO3(YBCO-STO)film was used as an example.It was loadedby the aforementioned device to determine its electrical characteristics as functions of the uniaxial-uniform-compressive strain.The optimized design allowed the sample to be compressed to a larger strain without breaking it.