Shape evolution in neutron-rich Rh isotopes; First measurement of negative-parity isomers in Rh

Zhang, J. Z.*; Chen, Z. Q.*; Qu, T.*; Wang, Y. K.*; Li, Z. H.*; Orlandi, R.; 他62名*

Physics Letters B, 873, p.140144_1 - 140144_9, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2025.140144

At the RIKEN, -delayed -ray spectroscopy studies were conducted on Rh and Rh, resulting in the world's first successful identification of a 1/2 isomer in these isotope, extending the energy difference between the 9/2 and 1/2 states up to neutron number =74. Comparison of the new results with state-of-the-art calculations suggests that triaxial deformation plays a significant role in the evolution of the energy difference, indicating a shape transition from axially symmetric to triaxial deformation within the Rh isotopic series. These findings provide new insights into the structure of neutron-rich nuclei in the atomic number region, elucidating the interplay between triaxial deformation and shell evolution.

Revealing dislocation evolution in a nickel-based superalloy during tensile deformation by neutron diffraction

Yan, Z.*; Tan, Q.*; Gao, Y.*; Rong, Y.*; Qin, H.*; Bi, Z.*; Gong, W.; Harjo, S.; Wang, Y.-D.*

Materials Science & Engineering A, 945, p.148976_1 - 148976_6, 2025/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2025.148976

The dislocation structure evolution in the superalloy was studied by in-situ neutron diffraction tensile tests and line profile analysis. The proportion of screw-type dislocations increased in both fine and coarse ' structures, and dislocations were rearranged towards high-energy structures with weak dipole character, especially in the fine structure, due to its enhanced slip planarity.

Strong low-energy rattling modes enabled liquid-like ultralow thermal conductivity in a well-ordered solid

Liu, P.-F.*; Li, X.*; Li, J.*; Zhu, J.*; Tong, Z.*; 古府 麻衣子*; 楡井 真実; Xu, J.*; Yin, W.*; Wang, F.*; et al.

National Science Review, 11(12), p.nwae216_1 - nwae216_10, 2024/12

https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwae216

Crystalline solids exhibiting inherently low lattice thermal conductivity () are of great importance in applications such as thermoelectrics and thermal barrier coatings. However, cannot be arbitrarily low and is limited by the minimum thermal conductivity related to phonon dispersions. In this work, we report the liquid-like thermal transport in a well-ordered crystalline CsAgTe, which exhibits an extremely low value of 0.18 WmK. On the basis of first-principles calculations and inelastic neutron scattering measurements, we find that there are lots of low-lying optical phonon modes at 3.1 meV hosting the avoided-crossing behavior with acoustic phonons. These strongly localized modes are accompanied by weakly bound rattling Ag atoms with thermally induced large amplitudes of vibrations. Using the two-channel model, we demonstrate that coupling of the particle-like phonon modes and the heat-carrying wave-like phonons is essential for understanding the low , which is heavily deviated from the temperature dependence of the standard Peierls theory. In addition, our analysis indicates that the soft structural framework with liquid-like motions of the fluctuating Ag atoms is the underlying cause that leads to the suppression of the heat conduction in CsAgTe. These factors synergistically account for the ultralow value. Our results demonstrate that the liquid-like heat transfer could indeed exist in a well-ordered crystal.

Anomalous dislocation response to deformation strain in CrFeCoNiPd high-entropy alloys with nanoscale chemical fluctuations

Ying, H.*; Yang, X.*; He, H.*; Yan, A.*; An, K.*; Ke, Y.*; Wu, Z.*; Tang, S.*; Zhang, Z.*; Dong, H.*; et al.

Scripta Materialia, 250, p.116181_1 - 116181_7, 2024/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2024.116181

Nanoscale chemical fluctuations and their effect on the deformation behavior of CrFeCoNi-based high-entropy alloys (HEAs) were investigated using small-angle scattering and in situ neutron diffraction measurements. Small-angle scattering results demonstrated the presence of nano (10 nm) chemical fluctuations in the as-prepared CrFeCoNiPd HEAs, which was attributed to the negative mixing of enthalpy and the significant atomic radius difference between Pd and the constituent elements in the CrFeCoNi-based alloys. Subsequent tensile tests demonstrated that the yield and tensile strengths of the as-prepared CrFeCoNiPd HEA surpass those of the as-prepared CrMnFeCoNi HEA. Neutron diffraction data analysis revealed an anomalous response of dislocation evolution with the strain.

A One-third magnetization plateau phase as evidence for the Kitaev interaction in a honeycomb-lattice antiferromagnet

Shangguan, Y.*; Bao, S.*; Dong, Z.-Y.*; Xi, N.*; Gao, Y.-P.*; Ma, Z.*; Wang, W.*; Qi, Z.*; Zhang, S.*; Huang, Z.*; et al.

Nature Physics, 19(12), p.1883 - 1889, 2023/09

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-023-02212-2

The magnetization of a quantum magnet can be pinned at a fraction of its saturated value by collective effects. One example of such a plateau phase is found in spin-1/2 triangular-lattice antiferromagnets. They feature strong geometrical frustration and the plateau phase therein is often interpreted as arising from an order-by-disorder mechanism driven by quantum fluctuations. Here we observe a one-third magnetization plateau under an applied magnetic field in the spin-1 antiferromagnet NaNiBiO with a honeycomb lattice, which, with conventional magnetic interactions, would not be geometrically frustrated. Based on our elastic neutron scattering measurements, we propose the spin structure of the plateau phase to be an unusual partial spin-flop ferrimagnetic order. Our theoretical calculations indicate that bond-anisotropic Kitaev interactions are the source of frustration that produces the plateau. These results suggest that Kitaev interactions provide a different route to frustration and phases driven by quantum fluctuations in high-spin magnets.

Extreme phonon anharmonicity underpins superionic diffusion and ultralow thermal conductivity in argyrodite AgSnSe

Ren, Q.*; Gupta, M. K.*; Jin, M.*; Ding, J.*; Wu, J.*; Chen, Z.*; Lin, S.*; Fabelo, O.*; Rodriguez-Velamazan, J. A.*; 古府 麻衣子; et al.

Nature Materials, 22(8), p.999 - 1006, 2023/08

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01560-x

Ultralow thermal conductivity and fast ionic diffusion endow superionic materials with excellent performance both as thermoelectric converters and as solid-state electrolytes. Yet the correlation and interdependence between these two features remain unclear owing to a limited understanding of their complex atomic dynamics. Here we investigate ionic diffusion and lattice dynamics in argyrodite AgSnSe using synchrotron X-ray and neutron scattering techniques along with machine-learned molecular dynamics. We identify a critical interplay of the vibrational dynamics of mobile Ag and a host framework that controls the overdamping of low-energy Ag-dominated phonons into a quasi-elastic response, enabling superionicity. Concomitantly, the persistence of long-wavelength transverse acoustic phonons across the superionic transition challenges a proposed 'liquid-like thermal conduction' picture. Rather, a striking thermal broadening of low-energy phonons, starting even below 50 K, reveals extreme phonon anharmonicity and weak bonding as underlying features of the potential energy surface responsible for the ultralow thermal conductivity ( 0.5 WmK) and fast diffusion. Our results provide fundamental insights into the complex atomic dynamics in superionic materials for energy conversion and storage.

The Fe(n,)Fe cross section from the surrogate ratio method and its effect on the Fe nucleosynthesis

Yan, S. Q.*; Li, X. Y.*; 西尾 勝久; Lugaro, M.*; Li, Z. H.*; 牧井 宏之; Pignatari, M.*; Wang, Y. B.*; Orlandi, R.; 廣瀬 健太郎; et al.

Astrophysical Journal, 919(2), p.84_1 - 84_7, 2021/10

https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac12ce

The long-lived Fe (with a half-life of 2.62 Myr) is a crucial diagnostic of active nucleosynthesis in the Milky Way galaxy and in supernovae near the solar system. The neutron-capture reaction Fe(n,)Fe on Fe (half-life=44.5 days) is the key reaction for the production of Fe in massive stars. This reaction cross section has been previously constrained by the Coulomb dissociation experiment, which offered partial constraint on the E1 -ray strength function but a negligible constraint on the M1 and E2 components. In this work, for the first time, we use the surrogate ratio method to experimentally determine the Fe(n,)Fe cross sections in which all the components are included. We derived a Maxwellian-averaged cross section of 27.53.5 mb at = 30 keV and 13.41.7 mb at = 90 keV, roughly 10%-20% higher than previous estimates. We analyzed the impact of our new reaction rates in nucleosynthesis models of massive stars and found that uncertainties in the production of Fe from the Fe(n,)Fe rate are at most 25. We conclude that stellar physics uncertainties now play a major role in the accurate evaluation of the stellar production of Fe.

General synthesis of single-atom catalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions and room-temperature Na-S batteries

Lai, W.-H.*; Wang, H.*; Zheng, L.*; Jiang, Q.*; Yan, Z.-C.*; Wang, L.*; 吉川 浩史*; 松村 大樹; Sun, Q.*; Wang, Y.-X.*; et al.

Angewandte Chemie; International Edition, 59(49), p.22171 - 22178, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202009400

Herein, we report a comprehensive strategy to synthesize a full range of single-atom metals on carbon matrix, including V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ge, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, In, Sn, W, Ir, Pt, Pb, and Bi. The extensive applications of various single-atom catalysts (SACs) are manifested via their ability to electro-catalyze typical hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and conversion reactions in novel room-temperature sodium sulfur batteries (RT-Na-S). The enhanced performances for these electrochemical reactions arisen from the ability of different single active atoms on local structures to tune their electronic configuration. Significantly, the electrocatalytic behaviors of diverse SACs, assisted by density functional theory calculations, are systematically revealed by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and in situ transmission electronic microscopy, providing a strategic library for the general synthesis and extensive applications of SACs in energy conversion and storage.

Comparison of heavy-ion transport simulations; Collision integral with pions and resonances in a box

小野 章*; Xu, J.*; Colonna, M.*; Danielewicz, P.*; Ko, C. M.*; Tsang, M. B.*; Wang, Y,-J.*; Wolter, H.*; Zhang, Y.-X.*; Chen, L.-W.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 100(4), p.044617_1 - 044617_35, 2019/10

AA2019-0025.pdf:2.76MB

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.100.044617

2017年4月に開催された国際会議Transport2017において、重イオン核反応モデルの国際的な比較が議論された。重イオン加速器の安全評価や宇宙飛行士の被ばく評価等で重要な役割を果たすため、世界中で重イオン核反応の様々な理論モデルが開発されている。本研究では、辺の長さが20fmの直方体に320個の中性子と陽子をランダム配置し、それらが70fm/cの間に起こす散乱の回数やエネルギーを計算した。ここでは、特にパイオンやその前駆体であるデルタ共鳴の生成に注目して比較を行った。参加コードは、個々の粒子の時間発展を追うQMD型コードと、粒子の位置や運動量の確率分布を決めておき、散乱や崩壊が発生したときそれらを乱数サンプリングするBUU型コードがあり、発表者が用いたJQMDは前者に属する。本研究により、計算における時間刻みが各コードによる結果の差の主な原因であることが分かった。さらに、今後のJQMDの改良方針の策定に有益な知見を得ることができた。

Comparison of heavy-ion transport simulations; Collision integral in a box

Zhang, Y.-X.*; Wang, Y,-J.*; Colonna, M.*; Danielewicz, P.*; 小野 章*; Tsang, M. B.*; Wolter, H.*; Xu, J.*; Chen, L.-W.*; Cozma, D.*; et al.

Physical Review C, 97(3), p.034625_1 - 034625_20, 2018/03

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.97.034625

2017年4月に開催された国際会議Transport2017において、重イオン核反応モデルの国際的な比較が議論された。重イオン加速器の安全評価や宇宙飛行士の被ばく評価等で重要な役割を果たすため、世界中で重イオン核反応の様々な理論モデルが開発されている。本研究はモデル間の共通点と差異を明らかにし、各モデルの問題点を明らかにした。比較において、辺の長さが20fmの直方体に320個の中性子と320個の陽子をランダム配置し、それらが時間発展に伴って起こす散乱の回数や散乱時のエネルギーなどを計算する条件が設定された。また、結果以外にも、理論モデルを構成するアルゴリズムについても比較を行った。発表者は重イオン核反応モデルJQMD(JAERI Quantum Molecular Dynamics)を用いて計算を行い、世界で開発されている15の計算コードによる計算結果と比較した。コードアルゴリズムの比較では、JQMDは必ず陽子から 優先的に衝突確率を計算し、その後に中性子の衝突を計算するため、物理描像の妥当性が指摘された。一方、JQMDは他のモデルとほぼ同じ計算結果を出すことも判明した。衝突回数や運動量の計算値が平均から2倍以上乖離するモデルもある中で、JQMDは本計算条件で安定した性能を発揮することが確認された。