Condensed MatterPub Date : 2023-12-13DOI: 10.3390/condmat8040108
C. Macculi, A. Argan, M. D’Andrea, S. Lotti, G. Minervini, Luigi Piro, L. Ferrari Barusso, Corrado Boragno, E. Celasco, Giovanni Gallucci, Flavio Gatti, Daniele Grosso, M. Rigano, F. Chiarello, Guido Torrioli, Mauro Fiorini, M. Uslenghi, D. Brienza, E. Cavazzuti, S. Puccetti, Angela Volpe, P. Bastia
{"title":"The Cryogenic Anticoincidence Detector for the NewAthena X-IFU Instrument: A Program Overview","authors":"C. Macculi, A. Argan, M. D’Andrea, S. Lotti, G. Minervini, Luigi Piro, L. Ferrari Barusso, Corrado Boragno, E. Celasco, Giovanni Gallucci, Flavio Gatti, Daniele Grosso, M. Rigano, F. Chiarello, Guido Torrioli, Mauro Fiorini, M. Uslenghi, D. Brienza, E. Cavazzuti, S. Puccetti, Angela Volpe, P. Bastia","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040108","url":null,"abstract":"Athena (advanced telescope for high-energy astrophysics) is an ESA large-class mission, at present under a re-definition “design-to-cost” phase, planned for a prospective launch at L1 orbit in the second half of the 2030s. It will be an observatory alternatively focusing on two complementary instruments: the X-IFU (X-ray Integral Field Unit), a TES (TransitionEdge Sensor)-based kilo-pixel array which is able to perform simultaneous high-grade energy spectroscopy (~3 eV@7 keV) and imaging over 4′ FoV (field of view), and the WFI (Wide Field Imager), which has good energy spectral resolution (~170 eV@7 keV) and imaging on wide 40′ × 40′ FoV. Athena will be a truly transformational observatory, operating in conjunction with other large observatories across the electromagnetic spectrum available in the 2030s like ALMA, ELT, JWST, SKA, CTA, etc., and in multi-messenger synergies with facilities like LIGO A+, Advanced Virgo+, LISA, IceCube and KM3NeT. The Italian team is involved in both instruments. It has the co-PIship of the cryogenic instrument for which it has to deliver the TES-based Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector (CryoAC) necessary to guarantee the X-IFU sensitivity, degraded by a primary particle background of both solar and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) origins, and by secondary electrons produced by primaries interacting with the materials surrounding the main detector. The outcome of Geant4 studies shows the necessity for adopting both active and passive techniques to guarantee the residual particle background at 5 × 10−3 cts cm−2 s−1 keV−1 level in 2–10 keV scientific bandwidth. The CryoAC is a four-pixel detector made of Si-suspended absorbers sensed by Ir/Au TESes placed at <1 mm below the main detector. After a brief overview of the Athena mission, we will report on the particle background reduction techniques highlighting the impact of the Geant4 simulation on the X-IFU focal plane assembly design, then hold a broader discussion on the CryoAC program in terms of detection chain system requirements, test, design concept against trade-off studies and programmatic.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"23 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139003623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Condensed MatterPub Date : 2023-12-06DOI: 10.3390/condmat8040107
Tharathep Plienbumrung, M. Daghofer, Jean-Baptiste Morée, Andrzej M. Oleś
{"title":"Single-Band versus Two-Band Description of Magnetism in Infinite-Layer Nickelates","authors":"Tharathep Plienbumrung, M. Daghofer, Jean-Baptiste Morée, Andrzej M. Oleś","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040107","url":null,"abstract":"We present a weak-coupling analysis of magnetism in infinite-layer nickelates, where we compare a single-band description with a two-band model. Both models predict that (i) hybridization due to hopping is negligible, and (ii) the magnetic properties are characterized by very similar dynamic structure factors, S(k→,ω), at the points (π,π,0) and (π,π,π). This gives effectively a two-dimensional description of the magnetic properties.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"16 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138597336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advances in P(VDF-TrFE) Composites: A Methodical Review on Enhanced Properties and Emerging Electronics Applications","authors":"Lekshmi Priya P S, Biswaranjan Swain, Shailendra Rajput, Saubhagyalaxmi Behera, Sabyasachi Parida","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040105","url":null,"abstract":"Piezoelectric polymers are a class of material that belong to carbon–hydrogen-based organic materials with a long polymer chain. They fill the void where single crystals and ceramics fail to perform. This characteristic of piezoelectric polymers made them unique. Their piezoelectric stress constant is higher than ceramics and the piezoelectric strain is lower compared to ceramics. This study’s goal is to present the most recent information on poly(vinylidene fluoride) with trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE), a major copolymer of poly(vinylidene fluoride) PVDF with piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and ferroelectric characteristics. The fabrication of P(VDF-TrFE) composites and their usage in a variety of applications, including in actuators, transducers, generators, and energy harvesting, are the primary topics of this work. The report provides an analysis of how the addition of fillers improves some of the features of P(VDF-TrFE). Commonly utilized polymer composite preparation techniques, including spinning, Langmuir–Blodgett (LB), solution casting, melt extrusion, and electrospinning are described, along with their effects on the pertinent characteristics of the polymer composite. A brief discussion on the literature related to different applications (such as bio-electronic devices, sensors and high energy-density piezoelectric generators, low mechanical damping, and easy voltage rectifiers of the polymer composite is also presented.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"65 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138626678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Condensed MatterPub Date : 2023-12-01DOI: 10.3390/condmat8040104
Jesús González, Angélica Melendez, Luis Camargo
{"title":"Hybrid Superconducting/Superconducting Mesoscopic Heterostructure Studied by Modified Ginzburg–Landau Equations","authors":"Jesús González, Angélica Melendez, Luis Camargo","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040104","url":null,"abstract":"Studies involving vortexes in hybrid superconducting devices and their interactions with different components inside samples are important for reaching higher values of critical parameters in superconducting materials. The vortex distribution on each side of a sample with different fundamental parameters, such as temperature T, penetration depth λ, coherence length ξ, electron mass m, and the order parameter Ψ, may help to improve the superconducting properties. Thus, in this work, we used the modified Ginzburg–Landau theory to investigate a hybrid superconductor (HS), as well as to provide a highly tunable and adjustable theoretical tool for theoretically explaining the experimental results involving the HS in order to study the vortex behavior in superconductors of mesoscopic dimensions with extreme differences among their fundamental parameters. Therefore, we evaluated the influence of the HS on the vortex configuration and its effects on field-dependent magnetization. The results show that when the applied magnetic field H was increased, the diamagnetic response of the HS (Meissner effect) included additional jumps in magnetization, while diamagnetism continued to increase in the sample. In addition, the differences among parameters created an interface between both components, and two different magnitudes of supercurrent and vortex sizes caused less degradation of the local superconductivity, which increased the upper critical field. On the other hand, this type of HS with differences in parameters on both sides can be used to control the vortex movement in the selected sample of the superconducting region with more accuracy.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":" 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138612848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Condensed MatterPub Date : 2023-11-30DOI: 10.3390/condmat8040103
F. Bonfigli, Sabina Botti, M. Vincenti, R. Montereali, A. Rufoloni, Pasquale Gaudio, Riccardo Rossi
{"title":"Fluorescence and Raman Micro-Spectroscopy of LiF Films Containing Radiation-Induced Defects for X-ray Detection","authors":"F. Bonfigli, Sabina Botti, M. Vincenti, R. Montereali, A. Rufoloni, Pasquale Gaudio, Riccardo Rossi","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040103","url":null,"abstract":"Lithium fluoride (LiF) film detectors for extreme ultraviolet radiation, soft and hard X-rays, based on the photoluminescence of radiation-induced electronic defects, have been proposed and are currently under further development and investigation. LiF film detectors are versatile and can be integrated in different experimental apparatus and imaging configurations. LiF can be grown in the form of polycrystalline thin films and it is compatible with several substrates. The radiation-induced color center (CCs) photoluminescence (PL) response can be enhanced through the appropriate choice of substrates and multilayer designs, and by tailoring the micro-structural properties of polycrystalline LiF films through the control of the growth conditions. In this work, we present the characterization, through fluorescence and Raman micro-spectroscopy, of LiF films, thermally evaporated on different substrates with thicknesses of up to 1 μm, irradiated with soft X-rays produced by a laser plasma source. The combination of these micro-spectroscopy techniques could represent an advanced method to investigate the role of the polycrystalline film structures in CC formation efficiency at the microscopic level, a fundamental aspect of the development of LiF film radiation-imaging detectors.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139202004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Condensed MatterPub Date : 2023-11-29DOI: 10.3390/condmat8040102
Dema Dasuki, K. Habanjar, R. Awad
{"title":"Effect of Growth and Calcination Temperatures on the Optical Properties of Ruthenium-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles","authors":"Dema Dasuki, K. Habanjar, R. Awad","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040102","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to probe the effect of heat treatment on zinc oxide nanoparticles doped with ruthenium through a chemical co-preparation technique. Pure ZnO and Ru-doped ZnO nanoparticles, with the general formula Zn1−x−RuxO, were synthesized for 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04. Using the same starting precursors, the growth temperature was 60 °C and 80 °C for set A and set B, respectively, whereas the calcination temperature was 450 °C and 550 °C for set A and set B, respectively. For the structure investigation, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) revealed that the crystallite size of set A was smaller than that of set B. For x = 0.04 in set B, the maximum value of the crystallite size was attributed to the integration of Ru3+ ions into interstitial sites in the host causing this expansion. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the formation of zinc oxide nanoparticles by showing a Zn-O bonding peak at 421 cm−1. For x = 0.04 in set B, the divergence confirmed the change in bonding properties of Zn2+ distributed by Ru3+ doping, which verifies the presence of secondary-phase RuO2. Using UV–visible spectroscopy, the energy gap of set A swings as ruthenium doping increases. However, in set B, as the crystallite size decreases, the energy gap increases until reversing at the highest concentration of x = 0.04. The transition from oxygen vacancy to interstitial oxygen, which is associated with the blue peak (469 nm), increases in set A under low heating conditions and decreases in set B as Ru doping increases, as revealed in the photoluminescence optical spectra of the samples. Therefore, ruthenium doping proves a useful surface defect and generates distortion centers in the lattice, leading to more adsorption and a remarkable advantage in sunscreen and paint products used for UV protection.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139215238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Condensed MatterPub Date : 2023-11-17DOI: 10.3390/condmat8040101
Matteo Cataldo, O. Cremonesi, Stefano Pozzi, E. Mocchiutti, Ritabrata Sarkar, A. Hillier, M. Clemenza
{"title":"The Implementation of MuDirac in Geant4: A Preliminary Approach to the Improvement of the Simulation of the Muonic Atom Cascade Process","authors":"Matteo Cataldo, O. Cremonesi, Stefano Pozzi, E. Mocchiutti, Ritabrata Sarkar, A. Hillier, M. Clemenza","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040101","url":null,"abstract":"Muonic Atom X-ray Emission spectroscopy (µ-XES) is a novel elemental technique that exploits the high-energy X-rays emitted from the muonic atom cascade process to characterize materials. At the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, the technique is performed at Port4 of the RIKEN-RAL facility, with a user demand that is increasing every year. To cope with this demand, it is necessary to continue to improve the method, either for the hardware (detectors, acquisition, etc.) or software (data analysis and interpretation). In both cases, Monte Carlo codes play an important role: with a simulation, it is possible to reproduce the experimental setup and provide a reliable quantitative analysis. In this work, we investigate the capabilities of GEANT4 for such applications. From the results, we observed that the generation of X-rays, especially the kα and kβ transition for high Z atoms, are not in agreement with the experimental ones. A solution to this issue, other than an attempt with a small modification of the GEANT4 cascade class, could be provided by a database of transition energy calculated by a Dirac equation software called MuDirac. The software, developed by the UKRI scientific computing department and the ISIS muon group, can compute all the transition energy for a given nuclide. Here, preliminary results of the implementation of the MuDirac database in GEANT4 are reported.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"230 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139264548","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Condensed MatterPub Date : 2023-11-17DOI: 10.3390/condmat8040099
M. Bonesini, R. Bertoni, A. Abba, F. Caponio, M. Prata, M. Rossella
{"title":"Improving the Time Resolution of Large-Area LaBr3:Ce Detectors with SiPM Array Readout","authors":"M. Bonesini, R. Bertoni, A. Abba, F. Caponio, M. Prata, M. Rossella","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040099","url":null,"abstract":"LaBr3:Ce crystals have good scintillation properties for X-ray spectroscopy. Initially, they were introduced for radiation imaging in medical physics with either a photomultiplier or SiPM readout, and they found extensive applications in homeland security and gamma-ray astronomy. We used 1″ round LaBr3:Ce crystals to realize compact detectors with the SiPM array readout. The aim was a good energy resolution and a fast time response to detect low-energy X-rays around 100 keV. A natural application was found inside the FAMU experiment, at RIKEN RAL. Its aim is a precise measurement of the proton Zemach radius with impinging muons, to contribute to the solution to the so-called “proton radius puzzle”. Signals to be detected are characteristic X-rays around 130 KeV. A limit for this type of detector, as compared to the ones with a photomultiplier readout, is its poorer timing characteristics due to the large capacity of the SiPM arrays used. In particular, long signal falltimes are a problem in experiments such as FAMU, where a “prompt” background component must be separated from a “delayed” one (after 600 ns) in the signal X-rays to be detected. Dedicated studies were pursued to improve the timing characteristics of the used detectors, starting from hybrid ganging of SiPM cells; then developing a suitable zero pole circuit with a parallel ganging, where an increased overvoltage for the SiPM array was used to compensate for the signal decrease; and finally designing ad hoc electronics to split the 1″ detector’s SiPM array into four quadrants, thus reducing the involved capacitances. The aim was to improve the detectors’ timing characteristics, especially falltime, while keeping a good FWHM energy resolution for low-energy X-ray detection.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"43 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139263620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Condensed MatterPub Date : 2023-11-17DOI: 10.3390/condmat8040098
Veronica De Leo, Gerardo Claps, Francesco Cordella, G. Cristoforetti, L. Gizzi, Petra Koester, Danilo Pacella, Antonella Tamburrino
{"title":"Combined Spectroscopy System Utilizing Gas Electron Multiplier and Timepix3 Technology for Laser Plasma Experiments","authors":"Veronica De Leo, Gerardo Claps, Francesco Cordella, G. Cristoforetti, L. Gizzi, Petra Koester, Danilo Pacella, Antonella Tamburrino","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040098","url":null,"abstract":"We present an innovative X-ray spectroscopy system to address the complex study of the X-ray emissions arising from laser–target interactions, where the emissions occur within extremely brief intervals from femtoseconds to nanoseconds. Our system combines a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector with a silicon-based Timepix3 (TPX3) detector. These detectors work in tandem, allowing for a spectroscopic radiation analysis along the same line of sight. With an active area of 10 × 10 cm2, the GEM detector allows for 1D measurements for X-ray energies (2–50 keV) by utilizing the full 10 cm gas depth. The high-energy part of the radiation beam exits through a downstream side window of the GEM without being absorbed in the gas volume. Positioned side-on at the GEM detector’s exit, the TPX3 detector, equipped with a pixelated sensor (55 µm × 55 µm; active area 14 mm × 14 mm), uses its full 14 mm silicon sensor to detect hard X-rays (50–500 keV) and gamma rays (0.5–10 MeV). We demonstrate the correct operation of the entire detection system and provide a detailed description of the Timepix3 detector’s calibration procedure, highlighting the suitability of the combined system to work in laser plasma facilities.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"16 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139262659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Laser Fabrication of Gold–sp-Carbon Films","authors":"Stella Kavokina, Anton Osipov, Vlad Samyshkin, Andrey Abramov, Natalia Rozhkova, Vitali Kononenko, Vitali Konov, Alexey Kucherik","doi":"10.3390/condmat8040096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat8040096","url":null,"abstract":"We develop a method for the laser synthesis and deposition of carbon–gold films formed by a net of linear sp-carbon chains and stabilized by gold nanoparticles. The originality of the method is in the simultaneous production of carbon chains and gold nanoparticles due to the laser fragmentation of the amorphous carbon and hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (III) or chloroauric acid. We study how surface resistivity alters the effect of the obtained films via the illumination in the visible spectral range.","PeriodicalId":10665,"journal":{"name":"Condensed Matter","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134900966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}