Fine Structure Research Articles

Optical skyrmions and tunable fine spin structures in deep-subwavelength scale at metal/graded index material interface

Optical skyrmions and tunable fine spin structures in deep-subwavelength scale at metal/graded index material interface

Visualizing the Structure and Dynamics of Transition Metal-Based Electrocatalysts Using Synchrotron X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy.

As the global energy structure evolves and clean energy technologies advance, electrocatalysis has become a focal point as a critical conversion pathway in the new energy sector. Transitional metal electrocatalysts (TMEs) with their distinctive electronic structures and redox properties show great potential in electrocatalytic reactions. However, complex reaction mechanisms and kinetic limitations hinder the improvement of energy conversion efficiency, highlighting the necessity for comprehensive studies on structure and performance of electrocatalysts. X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) spectra stand out as a robust tool for examining the electrocatalyst's structures and performance due to its atomic selectivity and sensitivity to local environments. This review delves into the application of XAFS technology in characterizing TMEs, providing in-depth analyses of X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES) spectra, and Extended XAFS (EXAFS) spectra in both R-space and k-space. These analyses reveal intrinsic structural information, electronic interactions, catalyst stability, and aggregation morphology. Furthermore, the paper examines advancements in in-situ XAFS techniques for real-time monitoring of active site changes, capturing critical intermediate and transitional states, and elucidating the evolution of active species during electrocatalytic reactions. These insights deepen our understanding on structure-activity relationship of electrocatalysts and offer valuable guidance for designing and developing highly active and stable electrocatalysts.

Ambient Noise‐Derived SmS Splitting: A New Approach to Constraining Crustal Radial Anisotropy

AbstractRecent studies have shown that crustal body wave phases, such as PmP or SmS, can be effectively retrieved from ambient noise cross‐correlations. However, few studies have used these phases to constrain crustal structures. In this study, we successfully retrieve SmS signals from ambient noise data and observe SmS splitting caused by crustal radial anisotropy. Furthermore, through simulations of synthetic tests and application to field data, we demonstrate that these SmS signals can be used to constrain crustal radial anisotropy structures through joint inversion with surface waves. Our findings suggest that SmS signals obtained from noise data can significantly enhance the understanding of fine crustal radial anisotropic structures.

Charged Nariai black holes on the dark bubble

Abstract In this paper, we realise the charged Nariai black hole on a braneworld from a
nucleated bubble in AdS5, known as the dark bubble model. Geometrically, the black hole
takes the form of a cylindrical spacetime pulling on the dark bubble. This is realised by a
brane embedding in an AdS5 black string background. Identifying the brane with a D3-brane
in string theory allows us to determine a relation between the fine structure constant and the
string coupling, αEM = 3 gs/2, which was previously obtained for a microscopic black hole. We
also speculate on the consequences for the Festina Lente bound and neutrino masses.

Impact of cochlear detailed morphology on insertion results and intracochlear trauma of a slim pre-curved electrode array: a micro-CT study.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of detailed cochlear dimensions, assessed using micro-CT (µCT) imaging, on insertion outcomes and associated trauma with a new slim, precurved electrode array. Eleven temporal bone specimens underwent implantation of a 22-electrode slim precurved array via the round window. High-resolution µCT scans post-implantation enabled visualization of cochlear structures and electrode positioning. Combination with subsequent scans taken after electrodes removal, we analyzed angular insertion depth (AID), insertion length, number of electrodes inserted, cochlear dimensions (specifically cochlear duct length (CDL), basal turn diameter, scala tympani dimension), and intracochlear trauma of fine structures. Statistical analyses were performed to correlate cochlear detailed dimensions and morphology with insertion outcomes and trauma. The mean AID was 351.82°, and the mean insertion length was 21.07mm. CDL showed positive correlations with AID and insertion length. Basal turn diameter (value B) positively correlated with AID and insertion length, unlike value A. Middle-basal turn (M/B) relationships (angle and height) significantly influenced insertion depth. The cochleae with smaller M/B heights and specific angles were more susceptible to insertion trauma. Larger basal turn diameters correlated with increased trauma and electrode translocation into the scala vestibuli. This study highlights the importance of precise cochlear measurements in predicting and optimizing cochlear implant outcomes. Specific cochlear dimensions and anatomical shapes were identified as critical factors affecting insertion depth, trauma risk, and electrode positioning. Utilizing micro-CT provided detailed insights into cochlear anatomy and insertion outcomes, offering valuable data for advancing cochlear implant technology and surgical practices.

Spectral Characteristics of Fundamental–Harmonic Pairs of Interplanetary Type III Radio Bursts Observed by PSP

Based on the observations by the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) during its encounter phases of approaching the Sun, I. C. Jebaraj et al. found that fundamental–harmonic (F-H) pairs constitute a majority of interplanetary (IP) type III radio bursts. In the present Letter, spectral characteristics of the IP F-H pairs are identified and analyzed further. The observations were made with the Radio Frequency Spectrometer (RFS) experiment on the PSP spacecraft in its encounter phase from the first to the ninth orbit as it traveled from 0.17 to 0.074 au from the Sun. The result shows that the occurrence rate of F-H pairs rises significantly with the rise in the number of IP type III radio bursts detected by the PSP or the enhancement in the time resolution of the RFS instrument. In particular, we compare the relationship between F and H spectral characteristics, such as the frequency-drift rate, emission intensity, relative bandwidth, duration, and fine structure. The results will be helpful for us to understand the physics underlying the generation and evolution of the IP F-H pairs as well as other IP type III radio bursts.

Infinitely Rugged Intra-Cage Potential Energy Landscape in Metallic Glasses Caused by Many-Body Interaction

The absence of translational symmetry in glassy materials poses a significant challenge in establishing effective structure-property relationships in real space. Consequently, the potential energy landscape (PEL) in phase space is widely utilized to comprehend the complex phenomena in glasses. The classical PEL features a two-scale profile comprising mega-basins and sub-basins, corresponding to α-relaxations (e.g. glass transition) and β-relaxations (e.g. local cage-breaking atomic rearrangements), respectively. Recent studies, however, reveal that sub-basins are not smooth and contain finer structures, the origins of which remain elusive. Here we probe the smoothness of sub-basin bottoms in glasses’ PEL by introducing small intra-cage cyclic loading and then measuring the net changes in atomic-level stresses. Compared to glasses with pair interaction, glasses with many-body interaction exhibit orders-of-magnitude larger and loading dependent stress changes even before the first cage-breaking event takes place, which reflect much more feature-rich sub-basins. We further demonstrate this stark contrast stems from the spatial distribution of individual atom’s constraining force field. Specifically, at vanishing perturbations, many-body interactions disrupt the positive-definite synchrony in energy variations of the perturbed atom and the whole system, causing inherently less confined atomic responses and infinitely rugged sub-basins. The implications of these findings for the selective addition or removal of fine structures in the PEL and the subsequent tuning of glassy materials’ responses to external stimuli are also explored.

Impact of temperature on sphalerite chemistry: Simulation experiments of sphalerite in MVT Zn-Pb sulfide deposits in the Beiba Dome, northern Sichuan Basin, China

Many sedimentary metal deposits are rich in organic matter, and some organic deposits are metal deposits themselves. These metal deposits, represented by MVT Zn-Pb deposits, are widely distributed in the world, and their industrial types (Pb + Zn > 5 %) are also very rich, which has important theoretical and economic significance. However, there is no systematic research on the metallogenic mechanism of MVT Zn-Pb deposits in the participating organic matter. Therefore, geochemical simulation experiments and thermodynamic calculations have been used to examine the role of organic matter in reconstructing the ore-forming process of MVT Zn-Pb sulfide deposits. Additionally, the precipitation chemistry of sphalerite under the mineralization process mediated by organic matter is explained. Guided by the evidence on the homogenization temperature of fluid inclusion, the temperature range, from 60 °C to 200 °C, has drawn a close relationship between the temperature and the ore-forming mechanism. Notably, this reflects sphalerite’s chemical composition and morphology, even assisting in interpreting its chemical formation. The results showed that 80 °C is the beginning temperature for ZnS formation calculated from the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis (ICP-MS) under the precipitation simulation experiments with the participation of organic matter. With the increased temperature, the rate of ZnS formation showed a trend of rapid growth in the early stage (80–140 °C) and relatively slow in the later stage (160–200 °C). This finding suggests a closer coupling relationship between metal mineralization and the maturation-genesis of organic matter, mainly the formation of the ancient oil reservoir. Following the continued increase in temperature, the morphology of ZnS was significantly different from that of the scanning electron microscope (SEM), with an apparent fine granular structure at high temperature. Likewise, more ZnO was also found through the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis (XPS), reducing the purity of the ZnS in sphalerite. Thus, this study helps reveal the metallogenic mechanism of MVT Zn-Pb sulfide deposits from the viewpoint of sphalerite chemistry under the participation of organic matter from temperature change. Furthermore, it provides a valuable theoretical and experimental basis for the later prospecting of the metal deposits.

Enhanced plasticization resistance of hollow fiber membranes via metal ion coordination for advanced helium recovery

Plasticization can significantly impair the gas separation performance of gas separation membranes, especially for hollow fiber membranes (HFMs) with ultrathin skin layer. While conventional thermal crosslinking is an effective method to address this issue, it often leads to the transition layer collapse in HFMs, resulting in a significant decrease in gas permeance. Herein, we fabricate polyimide-cerium (PI-Ce) complex HFMs using a carboxylic group-containing 6FDA-mPDA0.65-DABA0.3-TFMB0.05 copolyimide through metal ion coordination to achieve plasticization-resistance helium recovery from natural gas. We optimized dope compositions and spinning conditions to produce defect-free hollow fiber membranes with a skin layer as thin as 300 nm. The coordination between carboxyl groups and cerium ions was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The polymer-metal coordinated membranes exhibited enhanced gas selectivities compared to the pristine HFMs due to the tailored microporosity achieved through polymer-metal coordination. Furthermore, the PI-Ce HFMs demonstrated only a 10.8% decline in mixed-gas He/CH4 selectivity, which is significantly lower than the 55.4% decline observed in pristine HFMs when exposed to CO2-containing feed pressures below 400 PSIA. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that coordination confined molecular chain swelling, thereby suppressing plasticization caused by CO2. The exceptional plasticization resistance of the PI-Ce complex HFMs provides a novel strategy for recovering helium from aggressive natural gas environments.

Multiple shock and acceleration processes of high-velocity flyers driven by the HEAVEN-I laser facility

The experiments of high-velocity flyer acceleration were performed on the HEAVEN-I KrF laser facility with a long-pulse duration (∼ 28 ns). Double-layered flyers consisting of polystyrene and aluminum films can be accelerated to more than 10 km/s measured by VISAR. The polystyrene layer is used as the ablative material, insulation layer, and shock wave regulator. Multiple shock and acceleration processes were observed by adjusting the thickness of the polystyrene layer. We simulated and analyzed the multiple shock processes driven by the long laser pulses and square pressure pulses. The results indicate that the reverberation processes can be induced by the alternating shock and rarefaction waves due to the wave–interface interactions. The reverberations in the Al layer can modulate the pressure evolution and the fine structure of flyer acceleration history. Similar processes in the polystyrene layer can lead to a secondary or multiple shock loading process when the driving pulse duration is several times longer than the shock round trip time in the double-layered flyer. Multiple accelerations can effectively enhance the final velocities in the experimental and simulation results. However, multiple accelerations involve more complex shock loading and unloading processes, and flyers are more prone to breakup compared with single acceleration.

Theoretical investigation of iodine plasma through detailed electron impact excitation cross-section calculations and collisional-radiative model analysis

Abstract In the present study, we consider the electron impact excitation of neutral iodine and its application in developing a collisional-radiative model for plasma diagnostics of iodine plasma. Electron impact excitation cross- sections are calculated using fully relativistic distorted wave theory. The required atomic structure calculations for iodine are carried out using the relativistic multi-configuration Dirac-Fock method. The excitation energies obtained are reported and compared with values from the NIST database. The electron impact excitation cross-sections are calculated from the ground (5p5 2P3/2) and first- excited state (5p5 2P1/2) to the several upper fine structure levels. Our cross- section results align well with previous studies, reported by Ambalampitiya et al. [Atoms, 9, 103, 2021] using the Breit-Pauli B-spline R-matrix method. Further calculated cross-section results are incorporated into the collisional-radiative model. Our model also includes electron impact ionization, de-excitation, three- body recombination, and radiative decay. We validate our model using emission spectra from inductively coupled iodine plasma. For this purpose, we used the recorded intensities for the emission lines, 486.23 nm, 511.92 nm, 523.45 nm, 589.40 nm, and 608.24 nm are compared with those obtained from our model to calculate electron temperature and electron density of the iodine plasma.

Revealing and Manipulating Hidden Fine-Structure Coherence of Bright Excitons in CsPbI3 Perovskite Quantum Dots.

Observation and understanding of fine-structure splitting of bright excitons in lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are crucial to their emerging applications in quantum light sources and exciton coherence manipulation. Recent studies demonstrate that ensemble-level polarization-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy can reveal the quantum beats arising from the coherence between two fine-structure levels. Here we report the observation of an extra fine-structure quantum coherence hidden in previous studies by using cryo-magnetic quantum beat spectroscopy. In ∼6 nm CsPbI3 QDs, two splitting energies of 0.25 and 1.20 meV were observed at 1.7 K, which gradually increased to 0.74 and 1.55 meV, respectively, when a longitudinal magnetic field up to 7 T was applied. The field dependence allowed us to extract two distinct nominal Landé g-factors corresponding to QDs with different orientations with respect to the external field.

Electrically switched asymmetric interfaces for liquid manipulation.

External field driven fluid manipulation, in particular electric field, offers the advantages of real-time control and exceptional flexibility, rendering it highly promising for applications in microfluidic devices, liquid separation and energy catalysis. However, it is still challenging for controlled liquid transport and fine control of droplet splitting. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy to achieve direction-controlled liquid transport and fine droplet splitting on an anisotropic groove-microstructured electrode surface via an electrically switched asymmetric interface. The balance of asymmetric capillary force generated by microstructures and electro-capillary force is critical in determining directional liquid transport and fine droplet splitting. Asymmetric bubbles generated by liquid electrolysis form an asymmetric liquid-gas-solid interface and result in gradient liquid wetting behavior on the two neighboring electrode surfaces. The electric field further enhances the asymmetric wetting of a liquid droplet on the electrode surface, exhibiting electric field direction-dependent motion. Moreover, the groove-microstructured electrode surface can strengthen the liquid droplet anisotropic wetting and correspondingly refine the volume range of the splitting sub-droplet. Even unidirectional/bidirectional liquid droplet transport can be controlled in collaboration with the asymmetric groove-microstructure and electric field. Thus, this work provides a new route for liquid transport and droplet splitting, showing great potential in controllable separation, microreaction and microfluidic devices.

Quantitative evaluation of intensity fidelity of super-resolution reconstruction for structured illumination microscopy

Super-resolution structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) relies heavily on post-processing reconstruction to obtain high-quality SR images from raw data. Although many SIM reconstruction algorithms have been developed to recover fine cellular structures with high fidelity even from the noisy data, whether the pixel intensities of reconstructed SR images are still proportional to the original fluorescence intensity has been less explored. The linearity between the intensity before and after reconstruction is defined as the intensity fidelity. Here, we proposed a method to evaluate the reconstructed SR image intensity fidelity at different spatial frequencies. With the proposed metric, we systematically investigated the impact of the key factors on the intensity fidelity in the standard Wiener-SIM reconstructions with simulated data, then evaluated the intensity fidelity of the SR images reconstructed by representative open-source packages. Our work provides a reference for SR-SIM image intensity fidelity improvement.

Corrosion studies of Al-Mg-Sc-Zr Alloy with Low Sc/Zr ratio fabricated by laser powder bed fusion for marine environments

This study investigates the corrosion behavior of a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy with a Sc/Zr ratio of less than 1 in 3.5wt% NaCl solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the presence of an Al matrix with face-centered cubic (FCC) structure and the secondary phase Al3(Sc,Zr) with L12 crystal structure. Microstructural analysis indicated a bimodal grain size distribution with fine equiaxed and columnar grains influenced by thermal gradients and secondary phase Al3(Sc,Zr). Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests in 3.5wt% NaCl solution demonstrated that the alloy exhibits a less negative corrosion potential (Ecorr) and lower corrosion current density (icorr) compared to other Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys with higher Sc/Zr ratios, indicating superior corrosion resistance. The enhanced performance is attributed to the fine grain structure and the formation of a stable protective oxide layer facilitated by the higher Zr content.

Publisher Correction: Fine structures of a solar type III radio bursts observed with LOFAR

Publisher Correction: Fine structures of a solar type III radio bursts observed with LOFAR

Non-parametric reconstruction of the fine structure constant with galaxy clusters

Testing possible variations in fundamental constants of nature is a crucial endeavor in observational cosmology. This paper investigates potential cosmological variations in the fine structure constant (α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document}) through a non-parametric approach, using galaxy cluster observations as the primary cosmological probe. We employ two methodologies based on galaxy cluster gas mass fraction measurements derived from X-ray and Sunyaev–Zeldovich observations, along with luminosity distances from type Ia supernovae. We also explore how different values of the Hubble constant (H0\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$H_0$$\\end{document}) impact the variation of α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document} across cosmic history. When using the Planck satellite’s H0\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$H_0$$\\end{document} observations, a constant α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document} is ruled out at approximately the 3σ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sigma $$\\end{document} confidence level for z≲0.5\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$z \\lesssim 0.5$$\\end{document}. Conversely, employing local estimates of H0\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$H_0$$\\end{document} restores agreement with a constant α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha $$\\end{document}.

Reverse Hall–Petch Effect of Nano-Bainite in a High-Carbon Silicon-Containing Steel

High-strength steels are widely used in various mechanical production and construction industries for their low cost, high strength and high toughness. Among these, bainitic steels have better comprehensive performance relative to martensite and ferrite. In this paper, from the point of view of its microscopic fine structure and mechanical properties, the high-carbon silicon-containing steel Fe-0.99C-1.37Si-0.44Mn-1.04Cr-0.03Ni was austenitized at high temperature after a brief isothermal treatment at 280 °C and is briefly reviewed. We have used EBSD, TEM and 3D-APT to observe a unique transformation in which high-carbon silicon-containing steels form nanostructured bainite with nanometer widths. Intriguingly, as the isothermal duration decreases, the beam bainite width becomes increasingly finer. When the beam bainite width falls below 50 nm, there is a sudden shift in defect type from the conventional edge-type dislocations to a defect characterized by the insertion of a semi-atomic surface in the opposite direction, which leads to different degrees of reduction in the micro- and macro-mechanical properties of high-carbon silicon-containing steels from 1754 MPa to 1667 MPa. This sudden change in the sub-structural properties is typical of the reverse Hall–Petch effect.

Tailoring the microstructure by prior treatment to achieve 37.6 GPa·% PSE in a room-temperature quenched and partitioned steel

In this work, different initial microstructures, including deformed cold-rolled structure, quenched martensite, granular bainite, and lathy bainite, were intentionally designed through cold rolling and prior treatment. Meanwhile, a novel room-temperature quenching and partitioning (RT-Q&P) process was proposed to further enhance strength-ductility combination of Cu-Ni bearing Q&P. The present study aims to investigate the influences of initial microstructures on the formation kinetics of austenite, the mechanical stability of RA, microstructure evolution, and mechanical performance in Q&P steel treated by RT-Q&P process. Compared to sample without prior treatment, samples with prior treatment showed a larger austenization degree due to more nucleation sites on martensite/bainite matrix. DICTRA simulation indicates the lathy bainite matrix with low C and low Mn is more conducive to the refinement of parent austenite, thus leading to fine and dispersive TM/A. During tensile deformation, the fine and dispersive lath-structures can effectively alleviate strain localization on the interfaces which resulted from the deformability difference between the soft and hard phases, thereby delaying crack initiation and propagation. After RT-Q&P treatment, the outstanding mechanical properties with UTS of 1152 MPa, TEL of 32.6 %, YS of 754 MPa, and PSE of 37.6 GPa·% was achieved in sample with lathy bainite matrix, far exceeding the properties of traditional Q&P steels, which was mainly attributed to higher work-hardening ability of fine and dispersive structure and sustained TRIP effect of RA.

THE RESONANCE APPROACH FOR THE PROCESS OF THE PHOTO-TRIDENT IN THE FIELD OF A LINEARLY POLARIZED ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE

The process of the creation of an electron-positron pair at the scattering of a polarized high-energy photon (photo-trident) in the field of a monochromatic linearly polarized electromagnetic wave was investigated in the framework of the resonance approximation. This approximation allows to neglect the interference of amplitudes, i.e. resonance for each amplitude occurs in different kinematic regions. Despite these simplifications the expression for the probability for the investigated process, which has a second order in the fine structure constant, is sufficiently cumbersome. That is a consequence of the polarization properties of the intermediate state. And only for the case of linear polarization of the wave and an unpolarized initial photon, the probability of a photo-trident is factorized into the product of the probabilities of the first-order subprocesses into which the sequence of the studied process is divided.