Reliable calculations of nuclear binding energies by the Gaussian process of machine learning

Reliable calculations of nuclear binding energies are crucial for advancing the research of nuclear physics. Machine learning provides an innovative approach to exploring complex physical problems. In this study, the nuclear binding energies are modeled directly using a machine-learning method called the Gaussian process. First, the binding energies for 2238 nuclei with Z > 20 and N > 20 are calculated using the Gaussian process in a physically motivated feature space, yielding an average deviation of 0.046 MeV and a standard deviation of 0.066 MeV. The results show the good learning ability of the Gaussian process in the studies of binding energies. Then, the predictive power of the Gaussian process is studied by calculating the binding energies for 108 nuclei newly included in AME2020. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental data, reflecting the good predictive power of the Gaussian process. Moreover, the α-decay energies for 1169 nuclei with 50 ≤ Z ≤ 110 are derived from the theoretical binding energies calculated using the Gaussian process. The average deviation and the standard deviation are, respectively, 0.047 MeV and 0.070 MeV. Noticeably, the calculated α-decay energies for the two new isotopes ^ (204 )Ac(Huang et al. Phys Lett B 834, 137484(2022)) and ^ (207) Th(Yang et al. Phys Rev C 105, L051302(2022)) agree well with the latest experimental data. These results demonstrate that the Gaussian process is reliable for the calculations of nuclear binding energies. Finally, the α-decay properties of some unknown actinide nuclei are predicted using the Gaussian process. The predicted results can be useful guides for future research on binding energies and α-decay properties.

Topological laser on square lattice with gain–loss-induced higher-order corner modes

We investigate the higher-order topological laser in the two-dimensional(2D) coupled-cavity array. By adding staggered on-site gain and loss to the 2D Hermitian array with a trivial phase, the system will emerge degenerate topological corner modes, which are protected by bulk band gap. For such a non-Hermitian model, by adjusting the parameters of the system and introducing the pumping into the cavity at the corner, a single-mode lasing with topological protection emerges.Furthermore, single-mode lasing exists over a wide range of pumping strengths. No matter where the cavity is initially stimulated, after enough time evolution, all the cavities belonging to the topological corner mode can emit a stable laser.

The Solar Upper Transition Region Imager(SUTRI)Onboard the SATech-01 Satellite

The Solar Upper Transition Region Imager(SUTRI)onboard the Space Advanced Technology demonstration satellite(SATech-01),which was launched to a Sun-synchronous orbit at a height of~500 km in 2022 July,aims to test the on-orbit performance of our newly developed Sc/Si multi-layer reflecting mirror and the 2k×2k EUV CMOS imaging camera and to take full-disk solar images at the Ne VII 46.5 nm spectral line with a filter width of~3 nm.SUTRI employs a Ritchey-Chrétien optical system with an aperture of 18 cm.The on-orbit observations show that SUTRI images have a field of view of~416×416 and a moderate spatial resolution of~8″without an image stabilization system.The normal cadence of SUTRI images is 30 s and the solar observation time is about16 hr each day because the earth eclipse time accounts for about 1/3 of SATech-01's orbit period.Approximately15 GB data is acquired each day and made available online after processing.SUTRI images are valuable as the Ne VII 46.5 nm line is formed at a temperature regime of~0.5 MK in the solar atmosphere,which has rarely been sampled by existing solar imagers.SUTRI observations will establish connections between structures in the lower solar atmosphere and corona,and advance our understanding of various types of solar activity such as flares,filament eruptions,coronal jets and coronal mass ejections.

High-resolution x-ray monochromatic imaging for laser plasma diagnostics based on toroidal crystal

Monochromatic x-ray imaging is an essential method for plasma diagnostics related to density information.Large-field high-resolution monochromatic imaging of a He-like iron(Fe XXV)Kαcharacteristic line(6.701 keV)for laser plasma diagnostics was achieved using a developed toroidal crystal x-ray imager.A high-index crystal orientation Ge(531)wafer with a Bragg angle of 75.37°and the toroidal substrate were selected to obtain sufficient diffraction efficiency and compensate for astigmatism under oblique incidence.A precise offline assembly method of the toroidal crystal imager based on energy substitution was proposed,and a spatial resolution of 3-7μm was obtained by toroidal crystal imaging of a 600 line-pairs/inch Au grid within an object field of view larger than 1.0 mm.The toroidal crystal x-ray imager has been successfully tested via side-on backlight imaging experiments of the sinusoidal modulation target and a 1000 line-pairs/inch Au grid with a linewidth of 5μm using an online alignment method based on dual positioning balls to indicate the target and backlighter.This paper describes the optical design,adjustment method,and experimental results of a toroidal crystal system in a laboratory and laser facility.

Narrowband EUV Sc/Si Multilayer for the Solar Upper Transition Region Imager at 46.5 nm

The transition region is the key region between the lower solar atmosphere and the corona, which has been limitedly understood by human beings. Therefore, the Solar Upper Transition Region Imager(SUTRI) was proposed by Chinese scientists and launched in 2022 July. Right now, the first imaging observation of the upper transition region around 46.5 nm has been carried out by SUTRI. To ensure the spectral and temporal resolution of the SUTRI telescope, we have developed a narrowband Sc/Si multilayer. Based on the extreme ultraviolet(EUV)reflectivity measurements, the multilayer structure has been modified for ensuring the peak position of reflectivity was at 46.5 nm. Finally, the narrowband Sc/Si multilayer was successfully deposited on the hyperboloid primary mirror and secondary mirrors. The deviation of multilayer thickness uniformity was below than 1%, and the average EUV reflectivity at 46.1 nm was 27.8% with a near-normal incident angle of 5°. The calculated bandwidth of the reflectivity curve after primary and secondary mirrors was 2.82 nm, which could ensure the requirements of spectral resolution and reflectivity of SUTRI telescope to achieve its scientific goals.

Fast prediction of the mechanical response for layered pavement under instantaneous large impact based on random forest regression

The layered pavements usually exhibit complicated mechanical properties with the effect of complex material properties under external environment.In some cases,such as launching missiles or rockets,layered pavements are required to bear large impulse load.However,traditional methods cannot non-destructively and quickly detect the internal structural of pavements.Thus,accurate and fast prediction of the mechanical properties of layered pavements is of great importance and necessity.In recent years,machine learning has shown great superiority in solving nonlinear problems.In this work,we present a method of predicting the maximum deflection and damage factor of layered pavements under instantaneous large impact based on random forest regression with the deflection basin parameters obtained from falling weight deflection testing.The regression coefficient R^(2)of testing datasets are above 0.94 in the process of predicting the elastic moduli of structural layers and mechanical responses,which indicates that the prediction results have great consistency with finite element simulation results.This paper provides a novel method for fast and accurate prediction of pavement mechanical responses under instantaneous large impact load using partial structural parameters of pavements,and has application potential in non-destructive evaluation of pavement structure.

A Quorum Sensing Active Matter in a Confined Geometry

Inspired by the problem of biofilm growth,we numerically investigate clustering in a two-dimensional suspension of active(Janus)particles of finite size confined in a circular cavity.Their dynamics is regulated by a non-reciprocal mechanism that causes them to switch from active to passive above a certain threshold of the perceived near-neighbor density(quorum sensing).A variety of cluster phases,i.e.,glassy,solid(hexatic)and liquid,are observed,depending on the particle dynamics at the boundary,the quorum sensing range,and the level of noise.

Direct Ion Beam Figuring Process and Rotational Measurement Method for Ultra-smooth Aspherical Surfaces of a 46.5 nm Telescope

This paper describes a fabrication process for the hyperboloidal concave mirror of a 46.5 nm telescope. The180 mm aperture hyperboloidal concave mirror and 70 mm aperture compensator are machined directly from chemical mechanical polishing of a spherical surface to a high-accuracy aspherical surface by ion beam figuring.The aspherical measurement method is the Dall null test. To minimize system errors in the measurement process,the rotational measurement method with six rotations is used in the null test. The results of the analysis for the ME(first solve the machined surface profile, then solve the system errors) and EM(first solve the system errors, then solve the machined surface profile) methods of calculation in the measurement are given. The ME method is a more accurate rotational test method, and the six rotations are appropriate for rotational measurements. After the figuring process, the hyperboloidal concave mirror surface profile reached 8.27 nm rms and the compensator surface profile is approximately 4 nm rms. The roughness of the hyperboloidal concave mirror is smooth to0.160 nm rms.

Preparation of squeezed light with low average photon number based on dynamic Casimir effect

It is well known that squeezed states can be produced by nonlinear optical processes,such as parametric amplification and four wave mixing,in which two photons are created or annihilated simultaneously.Since the Hamiltonian of the dynamic Casimir effect contains a~2 and a~(+2),photons in such a process are also generated or annihilated in pairs.Here we propose to get squeezed light through the dynamic Casimir effect.Specifically,we demonstrate it from the full quantum perspective and the semiclassical perspective successively.Different from previous work,we focus on generating squeezed states with the lowest average photon number,because such squeezed states have better quantum properties.For the full quantum picture,that is,phonons also have quantum properties,when the system is initially in the excited state of phonons,squeezed light cannot be generated during the evolution,but the light field can collapse to the squeezed state by measuring the state of phonons.When the phonon is treated as a classical quantity,that is,the cavity wall is continuously driven,squeezed light with the minimum average photon number will be generated in the case of off-resonance.This will play a positive role in better regulating the photon state generated by the dynamic Casimir system in the future.

Phonon Focusing Effect in an Atomic Level Triangular Structure

The rise of artificial microstructures has made it possible to modulate propagation of various kinds of waves,such as light,sound and heat.Among them,the focusing effect is a modulation function of particular interest.We propose an atomic level triangular structure to realize the phonon focusing effect in single-layer graphene.In the positive incident direction,our phonon wave packet simulation results confirm that multiple features related to the phonon focusing effect can be controlled by adjusting the height of the triangular structure.More interestingly,a completed different focusing pattern and an enhanced energy transmission coefficient are found in the reverse incident direction.The detailed mode conversion physics is discussed based on the Fourier transform analysis on the spatial distribution of the phonon wave packet.Our study provides physical insights to achieving phonon focusing effect by designing atomic level microstructures.

Meta-silencer with designable timbre

Timbre,as one of the essential elements of sound,plays an important role in determining sound properties,whereas its manipulation has been remaining challenging for passive mechanical systems due to the intrinsic dispersion nature of resonances.Here,we present a meta-silencer supporting intensive mode density as well as highly tunable intrinsic loss and offering a fresh pathway for designable timbre in broadband.Strong global coupling is induced by intensive mode density and delicately modulated with the guidance of the theoretical model,which efficiently suppresses the resonance dispersion and provides desirable frequency-selective wave-manipulation capacity for timbre tuning.As proof-of-concept demonstrations for our design concepts,we propose three meta-silencers with the designing targets of high-efficiency broadband sound attenuation,efficiency-controlled sound attenuation and designable timbre,respectively.The proposed meta-silencers all operate in a broadband frequency range from 500 to 3200 Hz and feature deep-subwavelength sizes around 50 mm.Our work opens up a fundamental avenue to manipulate the timbre with passive resonances-controlled acoustic metamaterials and may inspire the development of novel multifunctional devices in noise-control engineering,impedance engineering,and architectural acoustics.

Simulation research on surface growth process of positive and negative frequency detuning chromium atom lithographic gratings

Chromium atom photolithography gratings are a promising technology for the development of nanoscale length standard substances due to their high accuracy,uniformity,and consistency.However,the inherent difference between the interaction of positive and negative frequency detuning standing wave field and the atoms can cause a difference in the adjacent peak-to-valley heights of the grating in positive and negative frequency detuning chromium atom lithography,which greatly reduces its accuracy.In this study,we performed a controlled variable growth simulation using the semi-classical theoretical model and Monte Carlo method with trajectory tracking and ballistic deposition methods to investigate the influence of key experimental parameters on the surface growth process of positive and negative frequency detuning atomic lithography gratings.We established a theoretical model based on simulation results and summarized empirical equations to guide the selection of experimental parameters.Our simulations achieved uniform positive and negative frequency detuning atomic lithography gratings with a period of 1/4 of the wavelength corresponding to the atomic transition frequency,and adjacent peak-to-valley heights differing by no more than 2 nm,providing an important theoretical reference for the controllable fabrication of these gratings.

Dynamic modulated single-photon routing

The dynamic control of single-photon scattering in a pair of one-dimensional waveguides mediated by a time-modulated atom-cavity system is investigated.Two cases,where the waveguides are coupled symmetrically or asymmetrically to the atom-cavity system,are discussed in detail.The results show that such time-modulated atom-cavity configuration can behave as a dynamical tunable directional single-photon router.The photons with different frequencies can dynamically be routed from the incident waveguide into any ports of the other with a 100%probability via adjusting the modulated amplitude or phases of the time-modulated atom-cavity coupling strengths,associate with the help of the asymmetrical waveguide-cavity couplings.Furthermore,the influence of dissipation on the routing capability is investigated.It is shown that the present single-photon router is robust against the dissipative process of the system,especially the atomic dissipation.These results are expected to be applicable in quantum information processing and design quantum devices with dynamical modulation.

Design,Fabrication and Assembly of the Solar Upper Transition Region Imager(SUTRI)

The Solar Upper Transition Region Imager(SUTRI)focuses on the solar transition region to achieve dynamic imaging observation of the upper transition region.In this paper,we report the optical system design,mechanical design,ultrasmooth mirror manufacture and measurement,EUV multilayer film coating,prelaunch installation and calibration for the SUTRI payload at IPOE,Tongji University.Finally,the SUTRI carried by the SATech-01 satellite was successfully set to launch.All functions of this telescope were normal,and the observation results obtained in orbit were consistent with the design.

Effects of sputtering power and annealing temperature on surface roughness of gold films for high-reflectivity synchrotron radiation mirrors

Gold films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering are used for synchrotron radiation optics. In this study, the microstructure and surface roughness of gold films were investigated for the purpose of developing high-reflectivity mirrors. The deposition process was first optimized. Films were fabricated at different sputtering powers (15, 40, 80, and 120 W) and characterized using grazing incidence X-ray reflectometry, X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. The results showed that all the films were highly textured, having a dominant Au (111) orientation, and the film deposited at 80 W had the lowest surface roughness. Subsequently, post-deposition annealing from 100 to 200℃ in a vacuum was performed on the films deposited at 80 W to investigate the effect of annealing on the microstructure and surface roughness of the films. The grain size, surface roughness, and their relationship were investigated as a function of annealing temperature. AFM and XRD results revealed that at annealing temperatures of 175 ℃ and below, microstructural change of the films was mainly manifested by the elimination of voids. At annealing temperatures higher than 175℃, grain coalescence occurred in addition to the void elimination, causing the surface roughness to increase.

Efficient and stable wireless power transfer based on the non-Hermitian physics

As one of the most attractive non-radiative power transfer mechanisms without cables,efficient magnetic resonance wireless power transfer(WPT)in the near field has been extensively developed in recent years,and promoted a variety of practical applications,such as mobile phones,medical implant devices and electric vehicles.However,the physical mechanism behind some key limitations of the resonance WPT,such as frequency splitting and size-dependent efficiency,is not very clear under the widely used circuit model.Here,we review the recently developed efficient and stable resonance WPT based on non-Hermitian physics,which starts from a completely different avenue(utilizing loss and gain)to introduce novel functionalities to the resonance WPT.From the perspective of non-Hermitian photonics,the coherent and incoherent effects compete and coexist in the WPT system,and the weak stable of energy transfer mainly comes from the broken phase associated with the phase transition of parity-time symmetry.Based on this basic physical framework,some optimization schemes are proposed,including using nonlinear effect,using bound states in the continuum,or resorting to the system with high-order parity-time symmetry.Moreover,the combination of non-Hermitian physics and topological photonics in multi-coil system also provides a versatile platform for long-range robust WPT with topological protection.Therefore,the non-Hermitian physics can not only exactly predict the main results of current WPT systems,but also provide new ways to solve the difficulties of previous designs.

Growth and physical characterization of high resistivityFe:β-Ga2O3 crystals

High quality 0.02 mol%,0.05 mol%,and 0.08 mol%Fe:β-Ga2O3 single crystals were grown by the floating zone method.The crystal structure,optical,electrical,and thermal properties were measured and discussed.Fe:β-Ga2O3 single crystals showed transmittance of higher than 80%in the near infrared region.With the increase of the Fe doping concentration,the optical bandgaps reduced and room temperature resistivity increased.The resistivity of 0.08 mol%Fe:β-Ga2O3 crystal reached to 3.63×1011Ω·cm.The high resistivity Fe:β-Ga2O3 single crystals could be applied as the substrate for the high-power field effect transistors(FETs).

Stress, Roughness and Reflectivity Properties of Sputter-Deposited B4C Coatings for X-Ray Mirrors

Boron carbide(B4C)coatings have high reflectivity and are widely used as mirrors for free-electron lasers in the x-ray range.However,B4C coatings fabricated by direct-current magnetron sputtering show a strong compressive stress of about-3 GPa.By changing the argon gas pressure and nitrogen-argon gas mixing ratio,we are able to reduce the intrinsic stress to less than-1 GPa for a 50-nm-thick B4C coating.It is found that the stress in a coating deposited at 10 m Torr is-0.69 GPa,the rms roughness of the coating surface is 0.53 nm,and the coating reflectivity is 88%,which is lower than those of coatings produced at lower working pressures.When the working gas contains 8%nitrogen and 92%argon,the B4 C coating shows not only-1.19 GPa stress but also a low rms roughness of 0.16 nm,and the measured reflectivity is 93%at the wavelength of 0.154 nm.

Dynamic properties of atomic collective decay in cavity quantum electrodynamics

We theoretically study the collective decay of two atoms trapped in a single mode cavity and we describe the evolution of the population of Dicke states. We show that the collective decay property is strongly dependent on the phase of atomic radiation and the speeding up of collective decay can only be observed in a bad cavity regime. For in-or out-phase case,this occurs due to the quantum interference enhancement, no matter which atom is excited initially. For π/2 phase, the speeding up of collective decay takes place if the first atom is excited at the beginning. However, it disappears due to the quantum interference cancellation if the second atom is excited. Compared with the in-phase and out-phase cases,we also show that the speeding up of collective decay can be significantly enhanced in strong coupling regime for π/2 phase, although one atom is decoupled to the cavity in this condition. The study presented here is helpful to understand the physical mechanism of collective decay in cavity quantum electrodynamics and it provides a useful method to control the collective decay phenomenon via quantum interference effect.

Calibration of X-ray telescope prototypes at PANTER

We report on a ground X-ray calibration of two X-ray telescope prototypes at the PANTER X-ray Test Facility, operated by the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, in Neuried, Germany.The X-ray telescope prototypes were developed by the Institute of Precision Optical Engineering(IPOE)of Tongji University, in a conical Wolter-I configuration, using thermal glass slumping technology.Prototype #1 with three layers and Prototype #2 with 21 layers were tested to assess the prototypes’ onaxis imaging performance. The measurement of Prototype #1 indicates a Half Power Diameter(HPD) of 82′′ at 1.49 keV. As for Prototype #2, we performed more comprehensive measurements of on-axis angular resolution and effective area at several energies ranging from 0.5–10 keV. The HPD and effective area are111′′ and 39 cm^2 at 1.49 keV, respectively, at which energy the on-axis performance of the prototypes is our greatest concern.