arXiv subjects

M. Gordon

Publications and source records attributed to M. Gordon.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Photoinduced twist and untwist of moir\'e superlattices in TMDC heterobilayers

Two-dimensional moir\'e materials are formed by artificially stacking atomically thin monolayers. A wealth of correlated and topological quantum phases can be engineered via precise choice of stacking geometry. These designer electronic properties depend crucially on interlayer coupling and atomic registry. An important open question is how atomic registry responds on ultrafast timescales to optical excitation and whether the moir\'e geometry can be dynamically reconfigured to tune emergent phenomena in real time. Here we show that femtosecond photoexcitation drives a coherent twist-untwist motion of the moir\'e superlattice in $2^\circ$ and $57^\circ$ twisted WSe$_2$/MoSe$_2$ heterobilayers, resolved directly by ultrafast electron diffraction. Upon above-band-gap photoexcitation, the moir\'e superlattice diffraction features are enhanced within 1 ps and subsequently suppressed several picoseconds after, deviating markedly from typical photoinduced lattice heating. Kinetic diffraction analysis, supported by simulations of the sample dynamics, indicates a peak-to-trough local twist angle modulation of $0.6^\circ$, correlated with a sub-THz frequency moir\'e phonon. This motion is driven by ultrafast charge transfer that transiently increases interlayer attraction. Our results could lead to ultrafast control of moir\'e periodic lattice distortions and, by extension, the local moir\'e potential that shapes excitons, polarons, and correlation-driven behaviors

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Four-Dimensional Emittance Measurements of Ultrafast Electron Diffraction Optics Corrected Up to Sextupole Order

Ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) is a technique in which short-pulse electron beams can probe the femtosecond-scale evolution of atomic structure in matter driven far from equilibrium. As an accelerator physics challenge, UED imposes stringent constraints on the brightness of the probe electron beam. The low normalized emittance employed in UED, often at the 10 nm scale and below, is particularly sensitive to both applied field aberrations and space charge effects. The role of aberrations is increasingly important in small probe systems that often feature multiple orders of magnitude variations in beam size during transport. In this work, we report the correction of normal quadrupole, skew quadrupole, and sextupole aberrations via dedicated corrector elements in an ultrafast electron micro-diffraction beamline. To do this, we generate precise 4-dimensional phase space maps of rf-compressed electron beams, and find excellent agreement with aberration-free space charge simulations. Finally, we discuss the role a probe-forming aperture can play in improving the brightness of bunches with appreciable space charge effects.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2022

Multi-scale time-resolved electron diffraction: A case study in moir\'e materials

Ultrafast-optical-pump -- structural-probe measurements, including ultrafast electron and x-ray scattering, provide direct experimental access to the fundamental timescales of atomic motion, and are thus foundational techniques for studying matter out of equilibrium. High-performance detectors are needed in scattering experiments to obtain maximum scientific value from every probe particle. We deploy a hybrid pixel array direct electron detector to perform ultrafast electron diffraction experiments on a WSe$_2$/MoSe$_2$ 2D heterobilayer, resolving the weak features of diffuse scattering and moir\'e superlattice structure without saturating the zero order peak. Enabled by the detector's high frame rate, we show that a chopping technique provides diffraction difference images with signal-to-noise at the shot noise limit. Finally, we demonstrate that a fast detector frame rate coupled with a high repetition rate probe can provide continuous time resolution from femtoseconds to seconds, enabling us to perform a scanning ultrafast electron diffraction experiment that maps thermal transport in WSe$_2$/MoSe$_2$ and resolves distinct diffusion mechanisms in space and time.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

A kiloelectron-volt ultrafast electron micro-diffraction apparatus using low emittance semiconductor photocathodes

We report the design and performance of a time-resolved electron diffraction apparatus capable of producing intense bunches with simultaneously single digit micron probe size, long coherence length, and $200$ fs rms time resolution. We measure the 5d (peak) beam brightness at the sample location in micro-diffraction mode to be $7 \times 10^{13} \ \mathrm{A}/\text{m}^2\text{-rad}^2$. To generate high brightness electron bunches, the system employs high efficiency, low emittance semiconductor photocathodes driven with a wavelength near the photoemission threshold at a repetition rate up to 250 kHz. We characterize spatial, temporal, and reciprocal space resolution of the apparatus. We perform proof-of-principle measurements of ultrafast heating in single crystal Au samples and compare experimental results with simulations that account for the effects of multiple-scattering.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2021

Point-to-Point Coulomb Effects in High Brightness Photoelectron Beamlines for Ultrafast Electron Diffraction

In an effort to increase spatial and temporal resolution of ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy, ultra-high brightness photocathodes are actively sought to improve electron beam quality. Beam dynamics codes often approximate the Coulomb interaction with mean-field space charge, which is a good approximation in traditional beams. However, point-to-point Coulomb effects, such as disorder induced heating and the Boersch effect, can not be neglected in cold, dense beams produced by such photocathodes. In this paper, we introduce two new numerical methods to calculate the important effects of the photocathode image charge when using a point-to-point interaction model. Equipped with an accurate model of the image charge, we calculate the effects of point-to-point interactions on two high brightness photoemission beamlines for ultrafast diffraction. The first beamline uses a 200 keV gun, whereas the second uses a 5 MeV gun, each operating in the single-shot diffraction regime with $10^5$ electrons/pulse. Assuming a zero photoemission temperature, it is shown that including stochastic Coulomb effects increases the final emittance of these beamlines by over a factor of 2 and decreases the peak transverse phase space density by over a factor of 3 as compared to mean-field simulations. We then introduce a method to compute the energy released by disorder induced heating using the pair correlation function. This disorder induced heating energy was found to scale very near the theoretical result for stationary ultracold plasmas, and it accounts for over half of the emittance growth above mean-field simulations.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2020

A Semantic Framework for Enabling Radio Spectrum Policy Management and Evaluation

Because radio spectrum is a finite resource, its usage and sharing is regulated by government agencies. These agencies define policies to manage spectrum allocation and assignment across multiple organizations, systems, and devices. With more portions of the radio spectrum being licensed for commercial use, the importance of providing an increased level of automation when evaluating such policies becomes crucial for the efficiency and efficacy of spectrum management. We introduce our Dynamic Spectrum Access Policy Framework for supporting the United States government's mission to enable both federal and non-federal entities to compatibly utilize available spectrum. The DSA Policy Framework acts as a machine-readable policy repository providing policy management features and spectrum access request evaluation. The framework utilizes a novel policy representation using OWL and PROV-O along with a domain-specific reasoning implementation that mixes GeoSPARQL, OWL reasoning, and knowledge graph traversal to evaluate incoming spectrum access requests and explain how applicable policies were used. The framework is currently being used to support live, over-the-air field exercises involving a diverse set of federal and commercial radios, as a component of a prototype spectrum management system.

cs.AI↗

arXiv2018

Cyclotron and combined phonon-assisted resonances in double-well heterostructure In$_{0.65}$Ga$_{0.35}$As/In$_{0.52}$Al$_{0.48}$As at megagauss magnetic fields

Experiments on resonances of conduction electrons in InGaAs/InAlAs double quantum wells at megagauss magnetic fields in the Faraday geometry are reported. We observe new cyclotron resonances assisted by emission of InAs-like and GaAs-like optic phonons and a combined (cyclotron-spin) resonance assisted by emission of InAs-like phonon. The observations are very well described for three laser frequencies with the use of an eight-band (three level) $\textbf{k}\cdot \textbf{p}$ model, taking into account position- and energy-dependent effective masses and spin g-factors. It is indicated that the new observations are possible due to the application very high magnetic fields.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2016

Landau levels and shallow donor states in GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum wells at mega-gauss magnetic fields

Landau levels and shallow donor states in multiple GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (MQWs) are investigated by means of the cyclotron resonance at mega-gauss magnetic fields. Measurements of magneto-optical transitions were performed in pulsed fields up to 140 T and temperatures from 6 to 300 K. The $14\times14$ \textbf{P}$\cdot$\textbf{p} band model for GaAs is used to interpret free-electron transitions in a magnetic field. Temperature behavior of the observed resonant structure indicates, in addition to the free-electron Landau states, contributions of magneto-donor states in the GaAs wells and possibly in the AlGaAs barriers. The magneto-donor energies are calculated using a variational procedure suitable for high magnetic fields and accounting for conduction band nonparabolicity in GaAs. It is shown that the above states, including their spin splitting, allow one to interpret the observed magneto-optical transitions in MQWs in the middle infrared region. Our experimental and theoretical results at very high magnetic fields are consistent with the picture used previously for GaAs/AlGaAs MQWs at lower magnetic fields.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

BICEP2 and Keck Array operational overview and status of observations

The BICEP2 and Keck Array experiments are designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) on angular scales of 2-4 degrees (l=50-100). This is the region in which the B-mode signal, a signature prediction of cosmic inflation, is expected to peak. BICEP2 was deployed to the South Pole at the end of 2009 and is in the middle of its third year of observing with 500 polarization-sensitive detectors at 150 GHz. The Keck Array was deployed to the South Pole at the end of 2010, initially with three receivers--each similar to BICEP2. An additional two receivers have been added during the 2011-12 summer. We give an overview of the two experiments, report on substantial gains in the sensitivity of the two experiments after post-deployment optimization, and show preliminary maps of CMB polarization from BICEP2.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2006

First science with SALT: peering at the accreting polar caps of the eclipsing polar SDSS J015543.40+002807.2

We describe briefly the properties of the recently completed Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), along with its first light imager SALTICAM. Using this instrument, we present 4.3 hr of high speed unfiltered photometric observations of the eclipsing polar SDSSJ015543.40+002807.2 with time resolution as short as 112 ms, the highest quality observations of this kind of any polar to date. The system was observed during its high luminosity state. Two accreting poles are clearly seen in the eclipse light curve. The binary system parameters have been constrained: the white dwarf mass is at the low end of the range expected for cataclysmic variables. Correlations between the positions of the accretion regions on or near the surface of the white dwarf and the binary system parameters were established. The sizes of the accretion regions and their relative movement from eclipse to eclipse were estimated: they are typically 4-7 deg depending on the mass of the white dwarf. The potential of these observations will only fully be realised when low state data of the same kind are obtained and the contact phases of the eclipse of the white dwarf are measured.

astro-ph↗