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Ashok Kumar

Publications and source records attributed to Ashok Kumar.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2023

Dielectric behavior and impedance spectroscopy of Niobium substituted Lanthanum based orthovanadates at high temperatures

We present the detailed study of the temperature dependent dielectric properties, impedance spectroscopy and electrical conductivity of LaV$_{1-x}$Nb$_x$O$_4$ ($x=$ 0-1) samples prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The dielectric constant ($ε_r'$) increases (decreases) with increase in the temperature (frequency); while, the magnitude of $ε_r'$ remains almost invariant (order of 10$^4$ at 100~Hz and 600\degree C) with $x$. The single phase $x=$ 0 (monoclinic-monazite, $P2_1/n$) and $x =$ 1 (monoclinic fergusonite, $I2/a$) samples show the lower values of loss factor [tan$δ=$ (4-8)] as compared to the $x=$ 0-0.8 samples [tan$δ=$(12-18)] having mixed tetragonal and monoclinic phases, which indicates the strong correlation between the crystal structure and the dielectric properties. The real part of impedance decreases with both temperature and frequency, and the observed weak relaxation remains almost unaltered with $x$. The imaginary part of impedance shows strong relaxation peaks shifting towards higher temperatures with frequency, which is attributed to the effect of grains, grain boundaries, and electrodes in the samples. The activation energy of the relaxation process is estimated to be 0.8-1.0~eV for the $x=$ 0-0.6 samples, and $\approx$1.4~eV for the $x=$ 0.8; whereas the $x=$ 1 sample shows two values ($\approx$0.5~eV and $\approx$1.0~eV) in the higher and lower temperature range, respectively. Further, the change in total conductivity with the angular frequency, which found to be in the range of 10$^{-3}$ to 10$^{-5}$~S/m, is fitted using the Jonsher power law. The analysis suggests the OLPT model for all the samples, whereas the $x$ = 1 sample exhibit a transition near 480\degree C and at higher temperatures it shows NSPT and QMT. This transition is corroborated by the tangent loss curves and may be associated with the change in structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

Parallel Quantum-Enhanced Sensing

Quantum metrology takes advantage of quantum correlations to enhance the sensitivity of sensors and measurement techniques beyond their fundamental classical limit given by the shot noise limit. The use of both temporal and spatial correlations present in quantum states of light can extend quantum-enhanced sensing to a parallel configuration that can simultaneously probe an array of sensors or independently measure multiple parameters. To this end, we use multi-spatial mode twin beams of light, which are characterized by independent quantum-correlated spatial subregions in addition to quantum temporal correlations, to probe a four-sensor quadrant plasmonic array. We show that it is possible to independently and simultaneously measure local changes in refractive index for all four sensors with a quantum enhancement in sensitivity in the range of $22\%$ to $24\%$ over the corresponding classical configuration. These results provide a first step towards highly parallel spatially resolved quantum-enhanced sensing techniques and pave the way toward more complex quantum sensing and quantum imaging platforms.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2023

Structural, vibrational and electronic properties of Nb substituted orthovanadates LaV$_{1-x}$Nb$_x$O$_4$

We investigate the structural, vibrational, morphological, and electronic properties of Nb substituted orthovanadate LaV$_{1-x}$Nb$_x$O$_4$ samples prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals the presence of three crystal structures [monoclinic monazite ($m-m$) type for the $x=$ 0, two-phase equilibrium of monoclinic monazite ($m-m$) and tetragonal scheelite ($t-s$) type for the 0.2$\leq$$x$$\leq$0.8, and monoclinic fergusonite ($m-f$) type for the $x=$ 1 samples] with an increase in Nb$^{5+}$ concentration. The Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to study the vibrational and electronic properties of all the samples, respectively. In order to choose an excitation wavelength that does not cause undesirable fluorescence and has observable intensities of all the vibrational modes, the Raman spectra are collected using 532 nm, 633 nm, and 785 nm laser lines. With increasing the Nb$^{5+}$ concentration, new Raman modes associated with Nb-bonds are clearly visible and the intensity of V-bonds assigned modes is decreasing. The XPS analysis shows the unchanged 3+ oxidation state of La ion where the intensity of the V 2$p$ core-level decreases while the Nb 3$d$ core-level increases with $x$. The equal spin-orbit energy splitting of the states is confirmed by the average energy difference (across La core-level spectra for all the samples) for state I as well as bonding and anti-bonding of state II. Interesting, the relative intensity of La 3$d$ state I and state II show systematic change with Nb doping altering the metal ligand overlap. We discuss and provide insight into the evolution of the structural, morphological, and chemical features with Nb substitution in LaV$_{1-x}$Nb$_x$O$_4$ samples.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

Laser based optical interferometer manometer design for primary pressure standard in India

The SI unit of pressure, i.e. Pascal is realized with mechanical devices such as ultrasonic interferometer manometers and pressure balances for the pressure range 1 Pa to 100 kPa. Recently, optical interferometer manometers are being used to realize Pascal. Such a realization is mercury-free and environmentally friendly and does not depend on any mechanical motions as in piston gauges and is based on physical constants. It consists of an optical Fabry-Perot cavity as a refractometer and is based on the measurement of the resonant frequency of the cavity using lasers. In this paper, we report the theoretical calculations for such an optical cavity and discuss various parameters for the laser required for developing such a cavity-based refractometer system. We present the mechanical design for the dual cavity and an all-fiber optical set-up to be used for the next generation of primary pressure standards in the barometric region of pressure at CSIR-National physical laboratory, India.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2023

Isometric models of the Funk disc and the Busemann function

In this article, we find three isometric models of the Funk disc: Finsler upper half of the hyperboloid of two sheets model, the Finsler band model and the Finsler upper hemi sphere model; and we also find two new models of the Finsler-Poincaré disc. We explicitly describe the geodesics in each model. Moreover, we compute the Busemann function and consequently describe the horocycles in the Funk and the Hilbert disc. Finally, we prove the asymptotic harmonicity of the Funk disc. We also show that, the concept of asymptotic harmonicity of the Finsler manifolds {\it tacitly} depends on the measure, in {\it contrast} to the Riemannian case.

math.DG↗
arXiv2023

Mechanical, Optical and Thermoelectric Properties of Janus BiTeCl Monolayer

We report mechanical, optical and thermoelectric properties of recently fabricated Janus BiTeCl monolayer using density functional and semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. Janus BiTeCl monolayer exhibits a direct bandgap, high carrier mobility (~10$^3$ cm$^2$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$) and high optical absorption in the UV-visible region. The mechanical behavior of the Janus BiTeCl monolayer is nearly isotropic having an ideal tensile strength ~ 15 GPa. The higher value of the Gruneisen parameter ($γ$), a low value of phonon group velocity (vg), and very little phonon scattering time ($τ_p$) lead to low lattice thermal conductivity (1.46 W/mK) of Janus BiTeCl monolayer. The combined effect of thermal conductivity and electronic transport coefficients of Janus BiTeCl monolayer results in the figure of merit (ZT) in the range of 0.43-0.75 at 300-500 K. Our results suggest Janus BiTeCl monolayer be a potential candidate for optoelectronic and moderate temperature thermoelectric applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

Two-Dimensional $β$-PdX$_2$ (X = S, Te) Monolayers for Efficient Solar Energy Conversion Applications

The search for highly effective and environmentally safe photocatalysts for water splitting and photovoltaic solar cells is essential for renewable solar energy conversion and storage. Based on first principles calculations, we show that novel 2D $β$-PdX$_2$ (X = S, Te) monolayer possesses excellent stabilities and great potentials in solar energy conversion applications. Comprehensive studies show that the $β$-PdX$_2$ monolayer exhibits semiconductor characteristics with an indirect gap, suitable band alignment, efficient carrier separation, and high solar to hydrogen (STH) efficiencies, supporting its good photoelectronic performance. The surface catalytic and adsorption/intercalation energies calculation reveals that the photogenerated holes have adequate driving forces to render hydrogen reduction half-reactions to proceed spontaneously and the ability to cover and incorporate water molecules on $β$-PdX$_2$ monolayer. Besides, the $β$-PdX$_2$ monolayer is promising donor material for excitonic solar cells with high photovoltaic performance. More importantly, due to suitable donor band gap and small conduction band offset in the proposed type-II heterostructure, the calculated power conversion efficiencies (PCE) is calculated up to ~23% ($β$-PdX$_2$/WTe$_2$), ~21% ($β$-PdX$_2$/ MoTe$_2$) and ~18% ($β$-PdTe2/$β$-PdX$_2$), making it a promising candidate for solar energy conversion applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

Photocatalytic Properties of Anisotropic $β$-PtX$_2$ (X= S, Se) and Janus $β$-PtSSe monolayers

The highly efficient photocatalytic water splitting to produce clean energy requires novel semiconductor materials to achieve high solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency. Herein, the photocatalytic properties of anisotropic $β$-PtX$_2$ (X=S, Se) and Janus $β$-PtSSe monolayers are investigated based on density functional theory. Small cleavage energy for \{beta}-PtS2 (0.44 J/m2) and $β$-PtSe$_2$ (0.40 J/m$^2$) endorses the possibility of their mechanical exfoliation from respective layered bulk material. The calculated results find \{beta}-PtX2 monolayers to have an appropriate bandgap (~1.8-2.6 eV) enclosing the water redox potential, light absorption coefficients (~104 cm$^{-1}$), and excitons binding energy (~0.5-0.7 eV), which facilitates excellent visible-light driven photocatalytic performance. Remarkably, an inherent structural anisotropy leads to the anisotropic and high carrier mobility (up to ~5 x 10$^3$ cm$^2$ V$^{-1}$ S$^{-1}$) leading to fast transport of photogenerated carriers. Notably, the small required external potential to derive hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction processes with an excellent solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency of $β$-PtSe$_2$ (~16%) and $β$-PtSSe (~18%) makes them promising candidates for solar water splitting applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

Janus $β$-PdXY (X/Y = S, Se, Te) Materials with high Anisotropic Thermoelectric Performance

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have garnered considerable attention as an emerging thermoelectric (TE) material owing to their unique density of state (DOS) near the Fermi level. We investigate the TE performance of Janus $β$-PdXY (X/Y=S, Se, Te) monolayer materials as a function of carrier concentration and mid-temperature range (300 to 800 K) by combining density functional theory (DFT) and semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. The phonon dispersion spectra and AIMD simulations confirm their thermal and dynamical stability. The transport calculation results reveal the highly anisotropic TE performance for both n and p-type Janus $β$-PdXY monolayers. Meanwhile, the coexistence of low phonon group velocity and converged scattering rate leads to lower lattice thermal conductivity (K_l) of 0.80 W/m K, 0.94 W/m K, and 0.77 W/m K along y-direction for these Janus materials. While the high TE power factor is attributed to the high Seebeck coefficient (S) and electrical conductivity, which is due to the degenerate top valance bands of these Janus monolayers. The combination of lower K_l and high-power factor at 300K (800 K) leads to an optimal figure of merit (ZT) as 0.68 (2.21), 0.86 (4.09) and 0.68 (3.63) for p-type Janus PdSSe, PdSeTe and PdSTe monolayers. To capture rational electron transport properties, the effects of acoustic phonon scattering ($τ$_ac), impurity scattering ($τ$_imp), and polarized phonon scattering ($τ$_polar) are included in the temperature-dependent electron relaxation time. These findings indicated that the Janus $β$-PdXY monolayers are promising candidates for TE conversion devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

First Principles Study of 2D Ring-Te and its Electrical Contact with Topological Dirac Semimetal

In recent years, researchers have manifested their interest in the two-dimensional (2D) mono-elemental materials of group-VI elements because of their excellent optoelectronic, photovoltaic and thermoelectric properties. Despite the intensive recent research efforts, there is still a possibility of novel 2D allotropes of these elements due to their multivalency nature. Here, we have predicted a novel 2D allotrope of tellurium (ring-Te) using density functional theory. Its stability is confirmed by phonon and ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations. The ring-Te has an indirect band gap of 0.69 eV (1.16 eV) at PBE (HSE06) level of theories and undergoes an indirect-direct band gap transition under the tensile strain. The higher carrier mobility of holes (~103cm$^2$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$), good UV-visible light absorption ability and low exciton binding (~0.35 eV) of ring-Te gives rise to its potential applications in optoelectronic devices. Further, the electrical contact of ring-Te with topological Dirac semimetal (sq-Te) under the influence of electric field shows that the Schottky barriers and contact types can undergo transition from p-type to n-type Schottky contact and then to ohmic contact at higher electric field. Our study provides an insight into the physics of designing high-performance electrical coupled devices composed of 2D semiconductors and topological semimetals.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

Janus $β$-Te$_2$X (X = S, Se) Monolayers for Efficient Excitonic Solar Cells and Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Highly efficient, environmental friendly and renewable sources of energy are of great need today to combat with increasing energy demands and environmental pollution. In this work, we have investigated the novel 2D allotropes i.e., $β$-Te$_2$X (X = S, Se) using first-principles calculations and study their potential applications in light harvesting devices. Both the monolayers possess to have the high stability and semiconducting nature with an indirect band gap. The high carrier mobilities and excellent optical absorption of these monolayers make them potential candidates for solar conversion applications. We have proposed the type-II heterojunction solar cells and calculated their power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). The small conduction band offset and appropriate band gap of donor material in case of $β$-Te$_2$S(S-Side)/$α$-Te$_2$S(Te-Side) heterojunction results in the PCE of ~ 21%. In addition to that, the band alignments of these monolayers properly engulf the redox potentials of the water. The overpotentials required to trigger the hydrogen reduction (HER) and water oxidation (OER) half reactions reveal that HER and OER preferred the acidic and neutral mediums, respectively. The calculated solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies of $β$-Te$_2$S ($β$-Te$_2$Se) monolayers come out to be ~ 13 % (~12 %), respectively, which implies their practical applications in water splitting. Thus, our work provides strong evidence regarding the potential applications of these materials in the field of light harvesting devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

As-based ternary Janus monolayers for efficient thermoelectric and photocatalytic applications

Highly efficient and sustainable resources of energy are of great demand today to combat with environmental pollution and the energy crisis. In this work, we have examined the novel 2D Janus AsTeX (X = Cl, Br and I) monolayers using first-principles calculations and explore their potential energy conversion applications. We have demonstrated the thermal, energetic, dynamic and mechanical stability of AsTeX (X = Cl, Br, and I) monolayers. Janus AsTeX (X = Cl, Br and I) monolayers are indirect bandgap semiconductors with high carrier mobilities and excellent visible light optical absorption. Our findings demonstrate that the Janus AsTeCl and AsTeBr monolayers exhibits low lattice thermal conductivity and excellent electronic transport properties obtained using semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory including various scattering mechanism. Additionally, the redox potential of water is adequately engulfed by the band alignments of the AsTeCl and AsTeBr monolayers. The water splitting process under illumination can proceeds spontaneously on Janus AsTeBr monolayer, while a minimal low external potential (0.26-0.29 eV) is required to trigger water splitting process on Janus AsTeCl monolayer. A more than 10% STH efficiency of these monolayers indicate their potential practical applications in the commercial production of hydrogen. Thus, our study demonstrates that these monolayers can show potential applications in energy conversion fields.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2023

Study of the Bound State, Electron-Detachment Energy and Reactivity of Hydride Ion using Variational Quantum Eigensolver

The accurate prediction and understanding of molecular energy and chemical reactivity are fundamental pursuits in the field of molecular quantum chemistry. With the limitations of the current noisy intermediate scale quantum computer (NISQ) era, the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) algorithm offers a promising approach to efficiently estimate the stable energy state of a given molecule. This study is focused on predicting the ground state and single electron detachment energy of the hydride ion because of its high electron electron correlation and numerous applications in astrophysics and quantum chemistry. The hydride ion is the first three body quantum problem for which the ground state energy has been calculated theoretically using the Chandrasekhar Wavefunction, which takes high electron-electron correlation into account. For the calculation of hydride ion, we used the VQE algorithm with two types of quantum computational ansatz, (i) chemistry inspired ansatz based on unitary CC (UCC) and (ii) hardware efficient based ansatz (HEA). To check the versatility of the algorithm, we analyzed two proton transfer reactions involving the hydride ion and finds the energy to be exothermic with a much improved result compared to previous studies. Overall, the VQE algorithm with a quantum computational approach is found to be reliable in calculating stable state energy, single electron detachment energy, and reaction energy for proton transfer reactions involving a highly correlated molecule with a low relative percentage error.

physics.chem-ph↗
arXiv2022

Information encoding in the spatial correlations of entangled twin beams

The ability to use the temporal and spatial degrees of freedom of quantum states of light to encode and transmit information is crucial for the implementation of a robust and efficient quantum network. In particular, the large dimensionality of the spatial degree of freedom promises to provide significant enhancements; however, such promise has largely been unfulfilled as the necessary level of control over the spatial degree of freedom to encode information remains elusive. Here, we show that information can be encoded in the distribution of the spatial correlations of highly multi-spatial mode entangled bright twin beams. We take advantage of the dependence of the spatial correlations on the angular spectrum of the pump required for four-wave mixing, as dictated by phase matching. The encoded information can be extracted by mapping the momenta distribution of the twin beams to a position distribution in the far field and measuring the spatial cross-correlation of images acquired with a high quantum efficiency electron multiplying charge coupled device. We further show that the encoded information cannot be accessed through individual beam measurements and that the temporal quantum correlations are not modified. We anticipate that the ability to engineer the distribution of the spatial correlations will serve as a novel degree of freedom to encode information and hence provide a pathway for high capacity quantum information channels and networks. In addition, a high degree of control over the spatial properties of quantum states of light will enable real-world quantum-enhanced spatially resolved sensing and imaging applications.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2022

Anisotropic Spatial Entanglement

The photon-pairs generated through spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) possess strong correlations in their transverse position and momentum degrees of freedom. For such photon pairs, the transverse position correlation length depends on the crystal thickness and the pump wavelength, whereas the transverse momentum correlation length depends on the beam waist and spatial coherence length of the pump. By controlling these parameters, it is possible to engineer the spatial entanglement. Here, we utilize the circular asymmetry of the pump by using an elliptical-Gaussian beam to change the degree of entanglement in transverse directions, which we call anisotropic entanglement. We show the interrelation between the degree of anisotropic entanglement and the asymmetry in the beam width. In addition, we also show that for a highly asymmetric pump beam, the entanglement along the y-direction completely vanishes, whereas the entanglement in the x-direction remains intact.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2022

The Qualification of GEM detector and its application to Imaging

The Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) is a new age detector, which can handle the high flux of particles. The GEM foil, which is constructed using 50$μ$m highly insulating foil (Kapton/Apical) coated with 5$μ$m layers of copper, on both sides, with a network of specifically shaped holes is the major component of these detectors. The European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) has been the sole supplier of the GEM foils until recently when a few other companies started manufacturing GEM foils under the transfer of technology (TOT) agrement from CERN. Techtra is one such company in Europe which gained a right to use CERN developed technology in order to produce commercially viable GEM foils. Micropack Pvt. Ltd. is another company in India which has successfully manufactured good quality GEM foils. Due to the microscopic structure of holes and dependence on the electric field inside, it becomes essential to study the defect and uniformity of holes along with the electrical property of foils under ambient conditions. In this work we are reporting the tests condition of Techtra GEM foils. We report on the development of a cost effective and efficient technique to study the GEM foils holes geometry, distribution, and defects. We also report on the electrical properties of these foils like leakage current, stability, and discharges. At the detector level, we describe the high voltage (HV) response, gain, uniformity, and stability. The GEMs have been proposed to have a wider applications, so we performed a feasibility study to utilize these for the imaging. We irrediated various objects of varying density with X-rays and reconstructed the images. The reconstructed image shows a good distinction between materials of different densities, which can be very useful in various applications like medical imaging or cargo imaging.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2022

On Minimal Surfaces of Revolutions Immersed in Deformed Hyperbolic Kropina Space

In this paper we consider three dimensional upper half space $\mathbb{H}^3 $ equipped with various Kropina metrics obtained by deformation of hyperbolic metric of $\mathbb{H}^3$ through $1$-forms and obtain a partial differential equation that characterizes minimal surfaces immersed in it. We prove that such minimal surfaces can only be obtained when the hyperbolic metric is deformed along $x^3$ direction. Then we classify such minimal surfaces and show that flag curvature of these surfaces is always non-positive. We also obtain the geodesics of this surface. In particular, it follows that such surfaces neither have forward conjugate points nor they are forward complete.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Fundamental Sensitivity Bounds for Quantum Enhanced Optical Resonance Sensors Based on Transmission and Phase Estimation

Quantum states of light can enable sensing configurations with sensitivities beyond the shot-noise limit (SNL). In order to better take advantage of available quantum resources and obtain the maximum possible sensitivity, it is necessary to determine fundamental sensitivity limits for different possible configurations for a given sensing system. Here, due to their wide applicability, we focus on optical resonance sensors, which detect a change in a parameter of interest through a resonance shift. We compare their fundamental sensitivity limits set by the quantum Cramér-Rao bound (QCRB) based on the estimation of changes in transmission or phase of a probing bright two-mode squeezed state (bTMSS) of light. We show that the fundamental sensitivity results from an interplay between the QCRB and the transfer function of the system. As a result, for a resonance sensor with a Lorentzian lineshape a phase-based scheme outperforms a transmission-based one for most of the parameter space; however, this is not the case for lineshapes with steeper slopes, such as higher order Butterworth lineshapes. Furthermore, such an interplay results in conditions under which the phase-based scheme provides a higher sensitivity than the transmission-based one but a smaller degree of quantum enhancement. We also study the effect of losses external to the sensor on the degree of quantum enhancement and show that for certain conditions probing with a classical state can provide a higher sensitivity than probing with a bTMSS. Finally, we discuss detection schemes, namely optimized intensity-difference and optimized homodyne detection, that can achieve the fundamental sensitivity limits even in the presence of external losses.

quant-ph↗