arXiv subjects

Abhishek Rai

Publications and source records attributed to Abhishek Rai.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Numerical Simulation of Thermal Energy Storage using Phase Change Material

This paper presents a study on the design optimization of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) using a cylindrical cavity and Gallium as a Phase Change Material (PCM). The objective is to improve the time span of charging and discharging, as well as minimize heat loss during storage. Five different models with varying geometries and heat source configurations were designed and analyzed using CFD simulation in ANSYS Fluent. The results indicate that models with fins on the heat source surface outperform those without fins, due to increased heat transfer surface area. Comparing the models, Model 4 with three heat sources performs similarly to Model 2 with four heat sources, suggesting an optimal design. However, Model 5 demonstrates less desirable results as the charging time of the PCM increases. Overall, this study highlights the effectiveness of the optimized design in Model 4 with three heat sources for efficient Thermal Energy Storage.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Modification of electronic structure and morphology of Ni2MnGa(100) by Cr adlayers

The growth of Cr adlayers on the Mn-Ga terminated surface of Ni2MnGa(100) has been studied in this work. We show formation of islands of epitaxial Cr layer up to 4 atomic layer heights using scanning tunneling microscopy, while core-level x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates absence of any intermixing of the adlayer and the substrate. The density of states (DOS) of the thin Cr layer (2.7 ML) measured by scanning tunneling spectroscopy exhibits nice agreement with density functional theory (DFT) that establishes that it is ferromagnetic. In contrast, a thick layer of Cr that also grows epitaxially on Ni2MnGa(100) is shown to be antiferromagnetic by comparing its XPS valence band with the DOS for bulk Cr calculated by DFT.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Scanning tunneling microscopy study of Ni2MnGa(100) surface

Ni2MnGa(100) surface has been investigated in the premartensite and martensite phase by using scanning tunneling microscopy. The presence of twined morphology is observed in the premartensite phase for Mn excess surface which exhibit non-equispaced parallel bands in one side of the twin boundary. Moreover, in the flat region of the surface two domains of non-periodic parallel bands corresponding to the incommensurate CDW is observed. Although, stoichiometric surface also exhibit twining but the parallel bands are equispaced and have equal corrugation. Most interestingly, coexistence of twined morphology and the CDW pattern is observed in the premartensite phase for Ni excess surface which was not reported till date. In the martensite phase for Mn excess surface, incommensurate CDW is transformed to commensurate CDW corresponding to the equispaced parallel bands. In stark contrast, stoichiometric surface exhibit parallel bands that have different periodicity in different regions. Both the voltage dependent STM and STS measurement establishes that this morphology is also related to the CDW.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Quasiperiodic ordering in thick Sn layer on $i$-Al-Pd-Mn: A possible quasicrystalline clathrate

Realization of an elemental solid-state quasicrystal has remained a distant dream so far in spite of extensive work in this direction for almost two decades. Here, we report the discovery of quasiperiodic ordering in a thick layer of elemental Sn grown on icosahedral ($i$)-Al-Pd-Mn. The STM images and the LEED patterns of the Sn layer show specific structural signatures that portray quasiperiodicity but are distinct from the substrate. Photoemission spectroscopy reveals the existence of the pseudogap around the Fermi energy up to the maximal Sn thickness. The structure of the Sn layer is modeled as a novel form of quasicrystalline clathrate on the basis of the following: Firstly, from ab-initio theory, the energy of bulk Sn clathrate quasicrystal is lower than the high temperature metallic $β$-Sn phase, but higher than the low temperature $α$-Sn phase. A comparative study of the free slab energetics shows that surface energy favors clathrate over $α$-Sn up to about 4 nm layer thickness, and matches $β$-Sn for narrow window of slab thickness of 2-3 nm. Secondly, the bulk clathrate exhibits gap opening near Fermi energy, while the free slab form exhibits a pronouced pseudogap, which explains the pseudogap observed in photoemission. Thirdly, the STM images exhibit good agreement with clathrate model. We establish the adlayer-substrate compatibility based on very similar (within 1%) the cage-cage separation in the Sn clathrate and the pseudo-Mackay cluster-cluster separation on the $i$-Al-Pd-Mn surface. Furthermore, the nucleation centers of the Sn adlayer on the substrate are identified and these are shown to be a valid part of the Sn clathrate structure. Thus, based on both experiment and theory, we propose that 4 nm thick Sn adlayer deposited on 5-fold surface of $i$-Al-Pd-Mn substrate is in fact a metastable realization of elemental, clathrate family quasicrystal.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2018

Dirac cone in a non-honeycomb surface alloy

We demonstrate unexpected occurrence of linear bands resembling Dirac cone at the zone-center of Au$_2$Sn surface alloy with $\left( \begin{smallmatrix} 2&1\\ 1&3 \end{smallmatrix} \right)$ surface structure formed by deposition of about 0.9 ML Sn on Au(111) at elevated temperature. The surface exhibits an oblique symmetry with unequal lattice constants making it the first two dimensional surface alloy to exhibit Dirac cone with a non-honeycomb lattice.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗