States Of Helium Research Articles

Measurement of atomic oxygen densities using TALIF on a dielectric barrier discharge: Insights into the volume above a micro cavity plasma array

Abstract Dielectric barrier discharges, particularly micro cavity plasma arrays, offer significant potential for plasma-catalytic research due to their ability to ignite plasma in direct contact with a catalytic surface, enabling the observation of plasma-surface interactions. A key factor in their application is the generation of reactive species, such as atomic oxygen, within the cavities. These species can interact with both, the surface (e.g., for activation or cleaning) and the gas being treated (e.g., for oxidation). Given the central role of oxygen atoms in plasma catalysis and their use as a model for more complex species, this work investigates the transport of these atoms out of the cavities. Two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence (TALIF) spectroscopy with picosecond resolution is performed in the volume above the cavities. The results are compared with a basic diffusion model. The reactor operates with a He/O2 mixture at a flow rate of 1 slm and atmospheric pressure. Densities of up to 1016cm-3 are measured near the surface. Time-dependent measurements show that, at a distance of 350 µm from the surface, a density equilibrium is reached within less than 3 ms of reactor operation. Decay times due to ozone formation after the reactor is turned off are on a similar scale. Spatially resolved measurements show that the oxygen density decreases exponentially from the surface but remains detectable up to approximately 1 mm above the surface, indicating significant application potential. Variations in the O2 admixture show a density maximum at 0.4%, confirming previous helium state enhanced actinometry measurements within the cavities.

Extracting doubly excited state lifetimes in helium directly in the time domain with attosecond noncollinear four-wave-mixing spectroscopy

The helium atom, with one nucleus and two electrons, is a prototypical system to study quantum many-body dynamics. Doubly excited states, or quantum states in which both electrons are excited by one photon, showcase electronic-correlation mediated effects. In this paper, the natural lifetimes of the doubly excited 1Po2snp Rydberg series and the 1Se2p2 dark state in helium in the 60–65 eV region are measured directly in the time domain with extreme-ultraviolet/near-infrared noncollinear attosecond four-wave-mixing (FWM) spectroscopy. The measured lifetimes agree with lifetimes deduced from spectral linewidths and theoretical predictions, and the roles of specific decay mechanisms are considered. While complex spectral line shapes in the form of Fano resonances are common in absorption spectroscopy of autoionizing states, the background-free and thus homodyned character of noncollinear FWM results exclusively in Lorentzian spectral features in the absence of strong-field effects. The onset of strong-field effects that would affect the extraction of accurate natural lifetimes in helium by FWM is determined to be approximately 0.3 Rabi cycles. This study provides a systematic understanding of the FWM parameters necessary to enable accurate lifetime extractions, which can be utilized in more complex quantum systems in the future. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Effective Faraday interaction between light and nuclear spins of helium-3 in its ground state: a semiclassical study

Abstract We derive the semiclassical evolution equations for a system consisting of helium-3 atoms in the 2 3 S metastable state interacting with a light field far-detuned from the 2 3 S − 2 3 P transition, in the presence of metastability exchange collisions with ground state helium atoms and a static magnetic field. For two configurations, each corresponding to a particular choice of atom–light detuning in which the contribution of either the metastable level F = 1 / 2 or F = 3 / 2 is dominant, we derive a simple model of three coupled collective spins from which we can analytically extract an effective coupling constant between the collective nuclear spin and light. In these two configurations, we compare the predictions of our simplified model with the full model.

Field-Induced Slow Magnetization Relaxation of a Tetrahedral S=2 FeIIS4-Containing Complex.

In the work described herein, the spin relaxation properties of the mononuclear tetrahedral S=2 [Fe{(SPiPr2)2N}2] complex (1) were studied by employing static and dynamic magnetic measurements at liquid helium temperatures. In the absence of an external direct current (DC) magnetic field, 1 exhibits fast magnetization relaxation. However, in the presence of external magnetic fields of a few kOe, slow relaxation is induced as monitored by alternating current (AC) magnetic susceptibility measurements up to 10 kHz, in the temperature range 2-5 K. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the corresponding relaxation time reveals contributions by Quantum Tunnelling of Magnetization, and the Direct and Orbach processes in the magnetization relaxation mechanism of 1. The energy barrier, Ueff, of the Orbach process, as determined by this analysis, is compared with that related to the zero-field splitting parameters of 1 which were previously determined by high- frequency and -field electron paramagnetic resonance and Mössbauer spectroscopies.

Study of Nanostructured Layer Growth on Plasma-Facing Materials Irradiated with Helium Plasma

Tungsten and stainless steel samples were irradiated with stationary helium plasma in the plasma linear multicusp plasma device. The surface of the material is modified under the influence of helium plasma with the formation of nanostructures and microstructures on the surface. The fluence of helium ions equal to 8 × 1027 ions/m2 was achieved on the tungsten sample. Depending on the helium ion fluence, fuzzlike layers, loops, and bubbles of 20- to 500-nm scale were formed on the tungsten surface. The fuzz layer thickness depends on the duration of plasma irradiation in a wide range of fluence. Saturation of the growth of the thickness of the tungsten fuzz layer was observed at a fluence of more than 8 × 1026 ions/m2. The growth of microstructures and nanostructures on the surface of stainless steel irradiated with helium plasma was observed. The growth of nanostructured layers is explained by a theoretical model considering the dynamics of adatoms under the influence of plasma.

Managing photon flux in a miniaturized photoionization detector

Miniaturized photoionization detectors (PIDs) are used in conjunction with gas chromatography systems to detect volatile compounds in gases by collecting the current from the photoionized gas analytes. PIDs should be inexpensive and compatible with a wide range of analyte species. One such PID is based on the formation of a He plasma in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), which generates vacuum UV (VUV) photons from excited states of He to photoionize gas analytes. There are several design parameters that can be leveraged to increase the ionizing photon flux to gas analytes to increase the sensitivity of the PID. To that end, the methods to maximize the photon flux from a pulsed He plasma in a DBD-PID were investigated using a two-dimensional plasma hydrodynamics model. The ionizing photon flux originated from the resonance states of helium, He(3P) and He(21P), and from the dimer excimer He2*. While the photon flux from the resonant states was modulated over the voltage pulse, the photon flux from He2* persisted long after the voltage pulse passed. Several geometrical optimizations were investigated, such as using an array of pointed electrodes. However, increasing the capacitance of the dielectric enclosing the plasma chamber had the largest effect on increasing the VUV photon fluence to gas analytes.

Radio frequency discharge apparatus for studying spin transfer from solid surfaces to metastable helium gas

We developed a radio frequency discharge apparatus for He gas to investigate the spin states of metastable helium (He*) interacting with solid-state surfaces. Our apparatus consisted of a stainless steel vacuum chamber, in which a coil produced He* by discharging introduced He gas. The spin states of the He* were detected using optical pumping and probing techniques. The chamber was designed to accommodate various solid-state samples. We measured the He* polarization produced at a dielectric prism surface by total internal reflection of the circularly polarized pumping light. Our apparatus can be used to investigate possible spin transfer from various solid surfaces to He* atoms.

Multi-sideband interference structures by high-order photon-induced continuum-continuum transitions in helium

Following up on a previous paper on two-color photoionization of Ar(3p) [D. Bharti , ], we present measurements and calculations for a modified three-sideband (3-SB) version of the reconstruction of attosecond beating by interference of two-photon transitions (RABBITT) configuration applied to He(1s). The 3-SB RABBITT approach allows us to explore interference effects between pathways involving different orders of transitions within the continuum. The relative differences in the retrieved oscillation phases of the three sidebands provide insights into the continuum-continuum transitions. The ground state of helium has zero orbital angular momentum, which simplifies the analysis of oscillation phases and their angle dependence within the three sidebands. We find qualitative agreement between our experimental results and the theoretical predictions for many cases but also observe some significant quantitative discrepancies. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Theoretical study of the structural and thermodynamic properties of U-He compounds under high pressure.

Uranium is considered as a very important nuclear energy material because of the huge amount of energy it releases. As the main product of the spontaneous decay of uranium, it is difficult for helium to react with uranium because of its chemical inertness. Therefore, bubbles will be formed inside uranium, which could greatly reduce the performance of uranium or cause safety problems. Additionally, nuclear materials are usually operated in an environment of high-temperature and high-pressure, so it is necessary to figure out the exact state of helium inside uranium under extreme conditions. Here, we explored the structural stability of the U-He system under high pressure and high temperature by using density functional theory calculations. Two metastable phases are found between 50 and 400 GPa: U4He with space group Fmmm and U6He with space group P1̄. Both are metallic and adopt layered structures. Electron localization function calculation combined with charge density difference analysis indicates that there are covalent bonds between U and U atoms in both Fmmm-U4He and P1̄-U6He. Regarding the elastic modulus of α-U, the addition of helium has certain influence on the mechanical properties of uranium. Besides, first-principles molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to study the dynamical behavior of Fmmm-U4He and P1̄-U6He at high-temperature. It was found that Fmmm-U4He and P1̄-U6He undergo one-dimensional superionic phase transitions at 150 GPa. Our study revealed the exotic structure of U-He compounds beyond the formation of bubbles under high-pressure and high-temperature, which might be relevant to the performance and safety issues of nuclear materials under extreme conditions.

Free electron laser prepared high-intensity metastable helium and helium-like ions

In the precision spectroscopy of few-electron atoms, the generation of high-intensity metastable helium atoms and helium-like ions is crucial for implementing experimental studies as well as a critical factor for improving the signal-to-noise ratio of experimental measurements. With the rapid development of free-electron laser (FEL) and technology, FEL wavelengths extend from hard X-rays to soft X-rays and even vacuum ultraviolet bands. Meanwhile, laser pulses with ultra-fast, ultra-intense and high repetition frequencies are realized, thus making it possible for FEL to prepare single-quantum state atoms/ions with high efficiency. In this work, we propose an experimental method for obtaining high-intensity single-quantum state helium atoms and helium-like ions by using FEL. The preparation efficiency can be calculated by solving the master equation of light-atom interaction. Considering the experimental parameters involved in this work, we predict that the efficiencies of preparing metastable 2<sup>3</sup>S He, Li<sup>+</sup> and Be<sup>2+</sup> are about 3%, 6% and 2%, respectively. Compared with the common preparation methods such as gas discharge and electron bombardment, a state-of-the-art laser excitation method can not only increase the preparation efficiency, but also reduce the effects of high-energy stray particles such as electrons, ions, and photons generated during discharge. Furthermore, combined with the laser preparation technique, the sophisticated ion confinement technique, which can ensure a long interaction time between the ions and laser, increases the efficiency of metastable Li<sup>+</sup> and Be<sup>2+</sup> by several orders of magnitude. Therefore, the preparation of high-intensity metastable helium and helium-like ions can improve the measurement accuracy of precision spectroscopy of atoms and ions. A new experimental method, based on FEL, to study the fine structure energy levels 2<sup>3</sup>P of helium, has the potential to obtain the results with an accuracy exceeding the sub-kHz level. Thus, the high-precision fine structure constants can be determined with the development of high-order quantum electrodynamics theory. In order to measure energy levels with higher accuracy, a new detection technique, which can reduce or even avoid more systematic effects, must be developed. For example, the quantum interference effect, which has been proposed in recent years, seriously affects the accuracy of fine-structure energy levels. If the interference phenomenon of spontaneous radiation between different excited states can be avoided in the detection process, the measurement accuracy will not be affected by this quantum interference effect. High-intensity metastable atoms or ions in chemical reaction dynamics studies also have better chances to investigate reaction mechanisms. In summary, the FEL preparation of high-intensity metastable helium atoms and helium-like ions proposed in this work will lay an important foundation for developing cold atom physics and chemical reaction dynamics.

Cryogenic Design of a Superconducting Magnet With a Copper Cable-in-Conduit Conductor Filled With Static Superfluid Helium

Cryogenic Design of a Superconducting Magnet With a Copper Cable-in-Conduit Conductor Filled With Static Superfluid Helium

Electron Quantum Optics with Beam Splitters and Waveguides in Dirac Matter

AbstractAn electron is a quantum particle and behaves as both a particle and a probability wave. On account of this it can be controlled in a similar way to a photon and electronic devices can be designed in analogy to those based on light when there is minimal excitation of the underlying Fermi sea. Here, splitting of the electron wavefunction is explored for systems supporting Dirac type physics, with a focus on graphene but being equally applicable to electronic states in topological insulators, liquid helium, and other systems described relativistically. Electron beam‐splitters and superfocusers are analysed along with propagation through nanoribbons, demonstrating that the waveform, system geometry, and energies all need to balance to maximise the probability density and hence lifetime of the flying electron. These findings form the basis for novel quantum electron optics.

Collisional quenching of the pionic helium 4He long-lived states

Collisions of metastable pionic helium atoms with helium atoms of the medium lead to the destruction of these states, as well as to the shifts and broadening of E1 spectral lines of transitions between the pionic helium states. In the paper, in order to obtain the interaction potential matrix (π −He+)−He, calculations of the potential energy surface (PES) in the unrestricted Hartree-Fock method are performed taking into account electron correlations within the second-order perturbation theory (MP2). With this potential, the system of equations of strong channel coupling is solved numerically. Various techniques are used in the calculations that eliminate degeneracy of the solution matrix in the vicinity of small distances between colliding subsystems, which arises due to strong coupling of channels in this region, owing to which the numerical solutions “forget” boundary conditions. Cross sections and rates of collisional transitions are calculated (Nσv). It is found that the collisional transition rate (n, l) = (17, 16) → (17, 15) (n, l — the principal quantum number and the angular momentum respectively) for the density of the medium N = 0.2 × 1023 cm−3 is lower than 103s−1, which indicates that it is possible to ignore the effect of collisional destruction of pionic helium long-lived states in precision laser spectroscopic experiments.

Hyperspherical Cluster Model for Bosons: Application to Sub-threshold Halo States in Helium Drops

To describe long-range behaviour of one particle removed from a few- or a many-body system, a hyperspherical cluster model has been developed. It has been applied to the ground and first excited states of helium drops with five, six, eight and ten atoms interacting via a two-body soft gaussian potential. Convergence of the hyperspherical cluster harmonics expansion is studied for binding energies, root-mean-squared radii and overlaps of the wave functions of two helium drops differing by one atom. It was shown that with increasing model space the functional form of such overlaps at large distances converges to the correct asymptotic behaviour. The asymptotic normalization coefficients that quantify the overlaps’ amplitudes in this region are calculated. It was also shown that in the first excited state one helium atom stays far apart from the rest forming a two-body molecule, or a halo. The probability of finding the halo atom in the classically-forbidden region of space depends on the definition of the latter and on the valence atom binding energy. The total norm of the overlap integrals, the spectroscopic factor, represents the number of partitions of a many-body state into a chosen state of the system with one particle removed. The spectroscopic factors have been calculated and their sum rules are discussed giving a further insight into the structure of helium drops.

Accounting for non-ideal mixing effects in the hydrogen-helium equation of state

Context. The equation of state for hydrogen and helium is fundamental for studying stars and giant planets. It has been shown that because of interactions at atomic and molecular levels, the behaviour of a mixture of hydrogen and helium cannot be accurately represented by considering these elements separately. Aims. This paper aims at providing a simple method to account for interactions between hydrogen and helium in interior and evolution models of giant planets. Methods. Using on the one hand ab initio simulations that involve a system of interacting hydrogen and helium particles and pure equations of state for hydrogen and helium on the other, we derived the contributions in density and entropy of the interactions between hydrogen and helium particles. Results. We show that relative variations of up to 15% in density and entropy arise when non-ideal mixing is accounted for. These non-ideal mixing effects must be considered in interior models of giant planets based on accurate gravity field measurements, particularly in the context of variations in the helium-to-hydrogen ratio. They also affect the mass-radius relation of exoplanets. We provide a table that contains the volume and entropy of mixing as a function of pressure and temperature. This table is to be combined with pure hydrogen and pure helium equations of state to obtain an equation of state that self-consistently includes mixing effects for any hydrogen and helium mixing ratio and may be used to model the interior structure and evolution of giant planets to brown dwarfs. Conclusions. Non-linear mixing must be included in accurate calculations of the equations of state of hydrogen and helium. Uncertainties on the equation of state still exist, however. Ab initio calculations of the behaviour of the hydrogen-helium mixture in the megabar regime for various compositions should be performed in order to gain accuracy.

Lagrange-mesh calculations of P-wave resonances in three-body atomic systems

The resonance energies and widths of the P-wave states of helium and of the positronium ion are studied under the hypothesis that their constituting particles interact trough pure or screened Coulomb forces. The resonances are investigated by combining the Lagrange-mesh method and the complex scaling method. This approach is proved to be efficient: rather simple to implement, fast, and accurate. The obtained results improve by several orders of magnitude the best literature results.

Spatially and temporally resolved atomic oxygen densities in a micro cavity plasma array

Micro cavity plasma arrays have numerous applications, such as the treatment of volatile organic compounds or the generation of new species. In recent years, the focus has also shifted to plasma catalysis, in which catalytic surfaces are combined with plasmas. The key to all of these applications is the generation of reactive species such as atomic oxygen within the plasma. Typically, atomic oxygen densities can be measured by laser spectroscopic methods. In the case of a micro plasma array, which consists of thousands of cavities with a diameter between 50 and 200 µm, optical access is limited. For this reason, an optical emission spectroscopy approach, helium state enhanced actinometry, is used. 2D resolved narrow bandwidth measurements are performed by using an ICCD camera in combination with a tunable bandpass filter (550–1000 nm). The discharge is operated in helium with an oxygen admixture of 0.1%. An argon admixture of 0.05% is used as actinometer gas. The triangular excitation voltage is varied between amplitudes of 400 and 800 V at a frequency of 15 kHz. Very high dissociation degrees up to nearly complete dissociation are observed. Time resolved measurements show significant differences in oxygen density between the increasing and the decreasing potential phase.

XUV superfluorescence from helium gas in the paraxial three-dimensional approximation

We present the results of a theoretical study of XUV superfluorescence from doubly excited states of helium resonantly pumped by free-electron laser (FEL) pulses. Our model allows us to predict both the spectrum and angular distribution of emitted XUV radiation in a wide range of experimentally accessible parameters. This is achieved by going beyond two key deficiencies of most previous models: The one-dimensional treatment in space is upgraded to three dimensions with electromagnetic fields treated in the paraxial approximation and spontaneous emission is modeled by a recently developed approach that avoids the unrealistic delayed response but preserves the expected characteristics of the emitted field in the spontaneous emission limit. The case study of $3a{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{1}{P}^{o}$ resonance in helium with $63.66\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ excitation energy is presented for realistic parameters of seeded light pulses from the FERMI FEL facility and a recently developed high-pressure gas cell. Results of numerical simulations show that both the spectral width and angular divergence of emitted radiation vary with gas pressure and pump pulse intensity in a complex way.

Populating α-unbound states in 16O via 19F (p, αy)16O reaction

The 12C(α, y)16O reaction is important in the production of universal 16O, but its cross-section at the relevant energies of static helium burning is complex and uncertain. The total cross-section originates from a sum of resonance tails and direct captures, making the contributions of sub-threshold states difficult to estimate. One proposed method to estimate these contributions involves determining relevant reduced α-widths of the sub-threshold states through indirect measurements. Therefore, 19F(p, αy)16O reaction was used to populate α-unbound states in 16O using a 2.6 MeV proton beam on a CaF2 target. A detection system consisting of single and telescope configurations of Si detectors was used to detect 2α-particles and a 12C particle in coincidence. Scintillator detectors were included in the setup to study the de-excitation of the states populated in 16O to the ground state. Under good event conditions a preliminar indentification of the particles detected has been conducted.

Calculations of Energy Levels of the Singly Excited States (1snl) 1,3Lp for Heliumlike Ions with Z ≤ 12

In this paper we present accurate calculated data of the energy levels of the 1snl1,3Lp states (l = s, p, d; n = 2 – 10) of helium and heliumlike ions up to Z = 12 using the variational approach of the Screening Constant by Unit Nuclear Charge (SCUNC) formalism. These calculations are performed by solving the time-independent Schrödinger equation using a new explicitly correlated wave function. A thorough comparison with theoretical predictions available in the literature for the energy levels of the singly excited 1sns1,3Se, 1snp1,3P0and 1snd1,3De Rydberg series is performed. Most of the tabulated results are generally in good agreement with the available reference data, confirming the reliability of our results. SCUNC predictions up to n = 10 may provide reliable atomic data for related experiments in the future.