Slow Spin Research Articles

Main ion and impurity edge profile evolution across the L- to H-mode transition on DIII-D

Detailed measurements of the main ion () and impurity ion () evolution during the development of the H-mode pedestal across an L–H transition show significant differences in toroidal rotation, density, and temperature profiles in the pedestal region on DIII-D. While both species experience a slow toroidal spin up at constant input neutral beam injected torque, the toroidal rotation develops a non monotonic notch feature and lower toroidal rotation near the plasma edge immediately following the L–H transition. This feature is not present in the main ion rotation that instead, depending on plasma parameters, can show a flat or peaked rotation near the separatrix. The and temperature profiles show a similar evolution; however, the D+ temperature is lower than the temperature at the separatrix in both L and H-mode which may be due to cooling of via charge exchange with cold edge deuterium neutrals. Local neoclassical predictions of the main ion toroidal rotation based on the impurity properties show good agreement with direct measurements at the pedestal top for a lower power, higher collisionality case but can diverge significantly in the steep gradient region for the two shots studied here. These observations highlight the importance of directly measuring the properties of the main ion species at the plasma edge.

The black hole spin in coalescing binary black holes and high-mass X-ray binaries

AbstractThe six LIGO detections of merging black holes (BHs) allowed to infer slow spin values for the two pre-merging BHs. The three cases where the spins of the BHs can be determined in high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) show that those BHs have high spin values. We discuss here scenarios explaining these differences in spin properties in these two classes of object.

Surface effects and spin glass state in Co3O4 coated MnFe2O4 nanoparticles

Surface effects and spin glass state have been studied in Co3O4 coated manganese ferrite (MnFe2O4) nanoparticles by using AC and DC magnetic measurements. Average crystallite size of Co3O4 coated MnFe2O4 nanoparticles was 7 nm as calculated by Debye–Scherrer’s formula. Simulated ZFC/FC revealed higher value of effective anisotropy (Keff) = 5 × 106 erg cm−3 of these nanoparticles as compared to bulk MnFe2O4 due to enhanced surface effects. Temperature dependent saturation magnetization followed the Bloch’s law. Temperature dependent coercivity showed sharp increase below 25 K due to strong surface anisotropy and exchange coupling at interface between ferrimagnetic core and antiferromagnetic surface. For frequency dependent AC-susceptibility, dynamic scaling law fit confirmed the spin glass behavior in Co3O4 coated MnFe2O4 nanoparticles. DC field dependent AC-susceptibility showed the suppression of energy barrier, reduced activation energy and decreased strength of interparticle interactions with increasing DC field. Slow spin relaxation in ZFC protocol further confirmed the presence of spin-glass behavior. All this analysis confirmed the existence of spin-glass behavior as attributed to disordered surface spins and interparticle interactions in these nanoparticles, which gets suppressed after the application of moderate DC field.

Slow spin dynamics and self-sustained clusters in sparsely connected systems.

To identify emerging microscopic structures in low-temperature spin glasses, we study self-sustained clusters (SSC) in spin models defined on sparse random graphs. A message-passing algorithm is developed to determine the probability of individual spins to belong to SSC. We then compare the predicted SSC associations with the dynamical properties of spins obtained from numerical simulations and show that SSC association identifies individual slow-evolving spins. Studies of Erdos-Renyi (ER) and random regular (RR) graphs show that spins belonging to SSC are more stable with respect to spin-flip fluctuations, as suggested by the analysis of fully connected models. Further analyses show that SSC association outperforms local fields in predicting the spin dynamics, specifically the group of slow- and fast-evolving spins in RR graphs, for a wide temperature range close to the spin-glass transition. This insight gives rise to a powerful approach for predicting individual spin dynamics from a single snapshot of an equilibrium spin configuration, namely from limited static information. It also implies that single-sample SSC association carries more information than local fields in describing the state of individual spins, when little information can be extracted from the system's topology.

Fallback accretion on to a newborn magnetar: long GRBs with giant X-ray flares

Flares in the X-ray afterglow of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) share more characteristics with the prompt emission than the afterglow, such as pulse profile and contained fluence. As a result, they are believed to originate from late-time activity of the central engine and can be used to constrain the overall energy budget. In this paper, we collect a sample of $19$ long GRBs observed by \emph{Swift}-XRT that contain giant flares in their X-ray afterglows. We fit this sample with a version of the magnetar propeller model, modified to include fallback accretion. This model has already successfully reproduced extended emission in short GRBs. Our best fits provide a reasonable morphological match to the light curves. However, $16$ out of $19$ of the fits require efficiencies for the propeller mechanism that approach $100\%$. The high efficiency parameters are a direct result of the high energy contained in the flares and the extreme duration of the dipole component, which forces either slow spin periods or low magnetic fields. We find that even with the inclusion of significant fallback accretion, in all but a few cases it is energetically challenging to produce prompt emission, afterglow and giant flares within the constraints of the rotational energy budget of a magnetar.

High temperature spin-freezing transition in pyrochlore Eu2Ti2O7: A new observation from ac-susceptibility

The magnetization (both dc and ac) of pyrochlore Eu2Ti2O7 have been investigated. Ac susceptibility (χ/ &χ//) measurements reveal a new unusual spin freezing below 35 K for pure Eu2Ti2O7. Frequency dependence of these ac χ// peak positions indicate slow spin relaxation near this temperature and it follows the Arrhenius formula suggesting a thermally activated relaxation process. The origin of this spin freezing has been attributed essentially to a single ion process which is associated to Eu3+ spin relaxation. Non-magnetic dilution by Y3+ ions also confirms the single ion freezing.

Evidence for a dynamical ground state in the frustrated pyrohafnate Tb2Hf2O7

We report the physical properties of Tb2Hf2O7 based on ac magnetic susceptibility \chi_ac(T), dc magnetic susceptibility \chi(T), isothermal magnetization M(H), and heat capacity C_p(T) measurements combined with muon spin relaxation (\muSR) and neutron powder diffraction measurements. No evidence for long-range magnetic order is found down to 0.1 K. However, \chi_ac(T) data present a frequency-dependent broad peak (near 0.9 K at 16 Hz) indicating slow spin dynamics. The slow spin dynamics is further evidenced from the \muSR data (characterized by a stretched exponential behavior) which show persistent spin fluctuations down to 0.3 K. The neutron powder diffraction data collected at 0.1 K show a broad peak of magnetic origin (diffuse scattering) but no magnetic Bragg peaks. The analysis of the diffuse scattering data reveals a dominant antiferromagnetic interaction in agreement with the negative Weiss temperature. The absence of long-range magnetic order and the presence of slow spin dynamics and persistent spin fluctuations together reflect a dynamical ground state in Tb2Hf2O7.

M\xf6ssbauer spectroscopy of a monolayer of single molecule magnets

The use of single molecule magnets (SMMs) as cornerstone elements in spintronics and quantum computing applications demands that magnetic bistability is retained when molecules are interfaced with solid conducting surfaces. Here, we employ synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy to investigate a monolayer of a tetrairon(III) (Fe4) SMM chemically grafted on a gold substrate. At low temperature and zero magnetic field, we observe the magnetic pattern of the Fe4 molecule, indicating slow spin fluctuations compared to the Mössbauer timescale. Significant structural deformations of the magnetic core, induced by the interaction with the substrate, as predicted by ab initio molecular dynamics, are also observed. However, the effects of the modifications occurring at the individual iron sites partially compensate each other, so that slow magnetic relaxation is retained on the surface. Interestingly, these deformations escaped detection by conventional synchrotron-based techniques, like X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, thus highlighting the power of synchrotron Mössbauer spectroscopy for the investigation of hybrid interfaces.

Slow spin crossover in bis-meridional Fe2+ complexes through spin-state auto-adaptive N6/N8 coordination.

Fe2+ spin crossover (SCO) complexes with long-lived excited high-spin (HS) states are promising molecular switches. An enhanced kinetic stability of spin-state isomers can be expected to foster applications beyond the limits of cooperative SCO. In this study, we describe a new approach to slow down the spin-state exchange by simple commutation of a phenyl substituent by a pyridyl substituent. To this end, N4 ligand 6-(3-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-2,2'-bipyridine (3b) is synthesized as an N4 homologue of the well-established meridional N3 ligands motif. Phenyl-substituted 6-(3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-2,2'-bipyridine (3a) serves as an intrinsic N3 reference throughout. 3b offers variable coordination numbers, N3 versus N3(+1) and N4, reflecting the preferences of the metal center. As is shown herein through an extended solid-state structure-chemical and solution-state NMR study, which is augmented by density-functional theory modeling, both the coordination geometry and its structural dynamics are indeed highly sensitive towards the expansion of the nominal donor number. The additional donors in 3b introduced through the phenyl-pyridine commutation actually give rise to a rich and diverse stereochemistry of the derived Zn2+ and Fe2+ complexes. Notably, even within a single complex unit coordination of 3b ranges from strongly distorted N3 coordination with a long assisting additional contact (Zn2+ and Fe2+) to a more symmetric N2(+2) or N4 situation in Fe2+. DFT modeling unravels that the additional donors are hemi-labile and coordinate to the Fe2+ only in HS state, leaving the elusive low-spin (LS) state in a fairly undisturbed octahedral environment with 3b being N3 coordinate. That is, the coordination number of the complex autogeneously responds to the altered spin-state. Necessarily this switch in coordination number requires strong structural changes upon SCO. This leads to increased activation barriers for SCO as could be deduced from a temperature-dependent analysis of the dynamic 1H NMR-line broadening and corroborated by accompanying theoretical analysis of the SCO reaction coordinate. For [Fe(3b)2]2+ long spin-state lifetimes τ > 1 ms prevail below the characteristic temperature T (1 ms) = 235 K; this value should be compared with a lifetime of only 150 ns derived for the close analogue [Fe(3a)2]2+. The principle applied herein is general and allows transferring of LS Fe2+ complexes with suitably placed phenyl substituents into SCO complexes with spin-state adaptive coordination number and hence long-lived HS excited states.

Physical process of tidal synchronization and orbital circularization in rotating binaries

The tide is a very important physical factor which can significantly affect the structure and evolution of stars. The physical factors which can affect tidal synchronization and orbital circularization are explored in this paper. For stars with radiative envelopes, radiative damping mechanism is required to explain the observed synchronization and circularization of close binaries. A star can experience a range of oscillations that arise from, and are driven by, the tidal field:the dynamical tides. The dynamical tide is the dynamical response to the tidal force exerted by the companion; it takes into account the elastic properties of the star, and the possibilities of resonances with its free modes of oscillation. The dissipation mechanism acting on this kind of tide is the deviation from adiabaticity of the forced oscillation, due to the radiative damping. Several physical factors can have an influence on the process of radiative damping which is scaled with thermal timescale. These physical factors include stellar mass, initial velocity, orbital period, metallicity, overshooting, etc. According to the equations for angular momentum transfer and chemical elements diffusion, we can obtain how these physical factors affect the evolution of rotating binaries and the mixing of chemical elements in two rotating components. The results indicates that the binaries with massive stars, smaller initial spin velocities, smaller overshooting parameters, and shorter orbital periods can attain the equilibrium speed and orbital circularization early. At synchronous states, the tidal torque is zero and stellar winds continue to brake the star. Therefore, two components cannot keep the synchronous state for a long time. At the equilibrium state, the tidal torque is counteracted by wind torques. Therefore, the equilibrium speed is less than the synchronous one. The system with smaller initial spin velocities reaches the equilibrium speed and orbital circularization early because angular momentum transformation between spin and the orbit can shorten the orbital distance and increase the tidal torques. Nitrogen enrichment in binaries is weaker than the one in single stars due to tidal braking. The results reveal that the system with massive components, higher metallicities, larger overshooting parameters, and shorter orbital periods can display high nitrogen enrichment. Stellar radius is small in the star with lower mass, lower metallicities, slower spin speeds and larger overshooting parameters whereas the star with lower metallicities have higher surface effective temperature. Rapid rotating stars evolve towards low temperature and luminosity in the HR diagram.

Protocol for generating multiphoton entangled states from quantum dots in the presence of nuclear spin fluctuations

Multi-photon entangled states are a crucial resource for many applications in quantum information science. Semiconductor quantum dots offer a promising route to generate such states by mediating photon-photon correlations via a confined electron spin, but dephasing caused by the host nuclear spin environment typically limits coherence (and hence entanglement) between photons to the spin $T_2^*$ time of a few nanoseconds. We propose a protocol for the deterministic generation of multi-photon entangled states that is inherently robust against the dominating slow nuclear spin environment fluctuations, meaning that coherence and entanglement is instead limited only by the much longer spin $T_2$ time of microseconds. Unlike previous protocols, the present scheme allows for the generation of very low error probability polarisation encoded three-photon GHZ states and larger entangled states, without the need for spin echo or nuclear spin calming techniques.

Aeroacoustic Analysis of Low-Speed Axial Fans With Different Rotational Speeds in the Design Point

One of the main design decisions in the development of low-speed axial fans is the right choice of the blade loading versus rotational speed, since a target pressure rise could either be achieved with a slow spinning fan and high blade loading or a fast spinning fan with less flow turning in the blade passages. Both the blade loading and the fan speed have an influence on the fan performance and the fan acoustics, and there is a need to find the optimum choice in order to maximize efficiency while minimizing noise emissions. This paper addresses this problem by investigating five different fans with the same pressure rise but different rotational speeds in the design point (DP). In the first part of the numerical study, the fan design is described and steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations are conducted in order to identify the performance of the fans in the DP and in off-design conditions. The investigations show the existence of an optimum in rotational speed regarding fan efficiency and identify a flow separation on the hub causing a deflection of the outflow in radial direction as the main loss source for slow spinning fans with high blade loadings. Subsequently, large eddy simulations (LES) along with the acoustic analogy of Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW–H) are performed in the DP to identify the main noise sources and to determine the far-field acoustics. The identification of the noise sources within the fans in the near-field is performed with the help of the power spectral density (PSD) of the pressure. In the far-field, the sound power level (SWL) is computed using different parts of the fan surface as FW–H sources. Both methods show the same trends regarding noise emissions and allow for a localization of the noise sources. The flow separation on the hub is one of the main noise sources along with the tip vortex with an increase in its strength toward lower rotational speeds and higher loading. Furthermore, a horseshoe vortex detaching from the rotor leading edge and impinging on the pressure side as well as the turbulent boundary layer on the suction side represent significant noise sources. In the present investigation, the maximum in efficiency coincides with the minimum in noise emissions.

Radio emission from the X-ray pulsar Her X-1: a jet launched by a strong magnetic field neutron star?

Abstract Her X-1 is an accreting neutron star (NS) in an intermediate-mass X-ray binary. Like low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), it accretes via Roche lobe overflow, but similar to many high-mass X-ray binaries containing a NS; Her X-1 has a strong magnetic field and slow spin. Here, we present the discovery of radio emission from Her X-1 with the Very Large Array. During the radio observation, the central X-ray source was partially obscured by a warped disc. We measure a radio flux density of 38.7 ± 4.8 μJy at 9 GHz but cannot constrain the spectral shape. We discuss possible origins of the radio emission, and conclude that coherent emission, a stellar wind, shocks and a propeller outflow are all unlikely explanations. A jet, as seen in LMXBs, is consistent with the observed radio properties. We consider the implications of the presence of a jet in Her X-1 on jet formation mechanisms and on the launching of jets by NSs with strong magnetic fields.

Negative and anomalous T-dependent magnetization trend in CoCr2O4 nanoparticles

We studied the temperature dependent magnetic properties of cobalt chromite (CoCr2O4) nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction revealed the cubic spinel structure of the nanoparticles and average crystallite size was about 42 nm. Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the formation of single phase spinel structure. ZFC/FC curves revealed a paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FiM) transition at TC = 100 K with conical spiral state at TS = 27 K and lock-in state at TL = 13 K. Negative magnetization is observed in the ZFC curve under 50 Oe applied field, which gets suppressed upon the application of higher field. The TC was shifted towards higher temperature with the application of higher field, while TS and TL remain unaffected. M-H loops showed FiM behavior below 100 K and nearly PM at TC = 100 K. Below 75 K, an abnormal decrease in MS is observed down to 5 K, which may be due to presence of stiffed/strong conical spin spiral and lock in states at low temperatures. Modified Kneller's law showed a good fit for temperature dependent Hc at higher temperature and deviated at low temperature (<25 K) which was attributed to frozen disordered surface spins. Nanoparticles showed slow spin relaxation in both ZFC and FC protocols at 5 K, which signifies the presence of spin-glass like behavior at low temperatures. Both curves were fitted with stretched exponential law and the value of β lies in the spin-glass regime. In summary, CoCr2O4 nanoparticles showed anomalous decrease of MS with decreasing temperature, negative magnetization at low field and rather stiffed/strong conical spin spiral and lock-in states in combination with spin-glass behavior at the low temperatures.

Low-field anomalous magnetic phase in the kagome-lattice shandite Co3Sn2S2

The magnetization process of single crystals of the metallic kagome ferromagnet $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{o}}_{3}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{n}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{2}$ was carefully measured via magnetization and ac susceptibility. Field-dependent anomalous transitions observed in low fields indicate the presence of an unconventional magnetic phase just below the Curie temperature, ${T}_{\mathrm{C}}$. The magnetic phase diagrams in low magnetic fields along different crystallographic directions were determined for the first time. The magnetic relaxation measurements at various frequencies covering five orders of magnitude from 0.01 to 1000 Hz indicate markedly slow spin dynamics only in the anomalous phase with characteristic relaxation times longer than 10 s.

Effective combined water and sideband suppression for low-speed tissue and in vivo MAS NMR.

High-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR is a powerful technique that can provide metabolic profiles and structural constraints on intact biological and environmental samples such as cells, tissues and living organisms. However, centripetal force from fast spinning can lead to a loss of sample integrity. In analyses focusing on structural organization, metabolite compartmentalization or in vivo studies, it is critical to keep the sample intact. As such, there is growing interest in slow spinning studies that preserve sample longevity. In this study, for example, reducing the spinning rate from 2500 to 500Hz during the analysis of a living freshwater shrimp increased the 100% survivability threshold from ~14 to 40h. Unfortunately, reducing spinning rate decreases the intensity of the isotropic signals and increases both the intensity and number of spinning sidebands, which mask spectral information. Interestingly, water suppression approaches such as excitation sculpting and W5 WATERGATE, which are effective at higher spinning rates, fail at lower spinning rates (<2500Hz) while simpler approaches such as presaturation are not able to effectively suppress water when the ratio of water to biomass is very high, as is the case in vivo. As such there is a considerable gap in NMR approaches which can be used to suppress water signals and sidebands in biological samples at lower spinning rates. This research presents simple but practically important sequences that combine PURGE water suppression with both phase-adjusted spinning sidebands and an analogue of TOSS termed TOSS.243. The result is simple and effective water and sideband suppression even in extremely dilute samples in pure water down to ~100Hz spinning rate. The approach is introduced, described and applied to a range of samples including, ex vivo worm tissue, Daphnia magna (water fleas), and in vivo Hyalella azteca (shrimp).

Single-ion and single-chain magnetism in triangular spin-chain oxides

$\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{4\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{a}}_{x}\mathrm{M}{\mathrm{n}}_{2}\mathrm{Co}{\mathrm{O}}_{9}$ oxides ($x=0$ and $x=2$) are found to exhibit magnetic responses typical of single-chain magnets (SCMs) and single-ion magnets (SIMs), two features generally investigated in coordination polymers or complexes. The compound $x=0$ appears to be a genuine SCM, in that blocking effects associated with slow spin dynamics yield remanence and coercivity in the absence of long-range ordering (LRO). In addition, SIM signatures of nearly identical nature are detected in both compounds, coexisting with SCM in $x=0$ and with LRO in $x=2$. It is also observed that a SCM response can be recovered in $x=2$ after application of magnetic field. These results suggest that purely inorganic systems could play a valuable role in the topical issue of the interplay among SIM, SCM, and LRO phenomena in low-dimensional magnetism.

Slow spin tunneling in the paramagnetic phase of the pyrochlore Nd2Sn2O7

The insulating pyrochlore compound Nd2Sn2O7 has been shown to undergo a second order magnetic phase transition at Tc ~ 0.91 K to a noncoplanar all-in--all-out magnetic structure of the Nd3+ magnetic moments. An anomalously slow paramagnetic spin dynamics has been evidenced from neutron backscattering and muon spin relaxation (muSR). In the case of muSR this has been revealed through the strong effect of a 50 mT longitudinal field on the spin-lattice relaxation rate. Here, motivated by a recent successful work performed for Yb2Ti2O7 and Yb2Sn2O7, analyzing the shape of the muSR longitudinal polarization function, we substantiate the existence of extremely slow paramagnetic spin dynamics in the microsecond time range for Nd2Sn2O7. Between 1.7 and 7 K, this time scale is temperature independent. This suggests a double spin-flip tunneling relaxation mechanism to be at play, probably involving spin substructures such as tetrahedra. Unexpectedly, the standard deviation of the field distribution at the muon site increases as the system is cooled. This exotic spin dynamics is in sharp contrast with the dynamics above 100 K which is driven by the Orbach relaxation mechanism involving single Nd3+ magnetic moments.

Training Level Does Not Affect Auditory Perception of The Magnitude of Ball Spin in Table Tennis.

Identifying the trajectory and spin of the ball with speed and accuracy is critical for good performance in table tennis. The aim of this study was to analyze the ability of table tennis players presenting different levels of training/experience to identify the magnitude of the ball spin from the sound produced when the racket hit the ball. Four types of “forehand” contact sounds were collected in the laboratory, defined as: Fast Spin (spinning ball forward at 140 r/s); Medium Spin (105 r/s); Slow Spin (84 r/s); and Flat Hit (less than 60 r/s). Thirty-four table tennis players of both sexes (24 men and 10 women) aged 18-40 years listened to the sounds and tried to identify the magnitude of the ball spin. The results revealed that in 50.9% of the cases the table tennis players were able to identify the ball spin and the observed number of correct answers (10.2) was significantly higher (χ2 = 270.4, p <0.05) than the number of correct answers that could occur by chance. On the other hand, the results did not show any relationship between the level of training/experience and auditory perception of the ball spin. This indicates that auditory information contributes to identification of the magnitude of the ball spin, however, it also reveals that, in table tennis, the level of training does not interfere with the auditory perception of the ball spin.

Identification of slow relaxing spin components by pulse EPR techniques in graphene-related materials

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) is a powerful technique that is suitable to study graphene-related materials. The challenging ability requested to the spectroscopy is its capability to resolve the variety of structures, relatively similar, that are obtained in materials produced through different methods, but that also coexist inside a single sample. In general, because of the intrinsic inhomogeneity of the samples, the EPR spectra are therefore a superposition of spectra coming from different structures. We show that by pulse EPR techniques (echo-detected EPR, ESEEM and Mims ENDOR) we can identify and characterize species with slow spin relaxing properties. These species are generally called molecular states, and are likely small pieces of graphenic structures of limited dimensions, thus conveniently described by a molecular approach. We have studied commercial reduced graphene oxide and chemically exfoliated graphite, which are characterized by different EPR spectra. Hyperfine spectroscopies enabled us to characterize the molecular components of the different materials, especially in terms of the interaction of the unpaired electrons with protons (number of protons and hyperfine coupling constants). We also obtained useful precious information about extent of delocalization of the molecular states.