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L. Hu

Publications and source records attributed to L. Hu.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2019

Measurement of the real dielectric permittivity epsilon_r of glacial ice

Using data collected by the Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) experiment at the South Pole, we have used long-baseline propagation of radio-frequency signals to extract information on the radio-frequency index-of-refraction in South Polar ice. Owing to the increasing ice density over the upper 150--200 meters, rays are observed along two, nearly parallel paths, one of which is direct and a second which refracts through an inflection point, with differences in both arrival time and arrival angle that can be used to constrain the neutrino properties. We also observe indications, for the first time, of radio-frequency ice birefringence for signals propagating along predominantly horizontal trajectories, corresponding to an asymmetry of order 0.1% between the ordinary and extra-ordinary paths, numerically compatible with previous measurements of birefringent asymmetries for vertically-propagating radio-frequency signals at South Pole. Taken together, these effects offer the possibility of redundantly measuring the range from receiver to a neutrino interaction in Antarctic ice, if receiver antennas are deployed at shallow (25 m<z<100 m) depths. Such range information is essential in determining both the neutrino energy, as well as the incident neutrino direction.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2018

Design and Performance of an Interferometric Trigger Array for Radio Detection of High-Energy Neutrinos

Ultra-high energy neutrinos are detectable through impulsive radio signals generated through interactions in dense media, such as ice. Subsurface in-ice radio arrays are a promising way to advance the observation and measurement of astrophysical high-energy neutrinos with energies above those discovered by the IceCube detector ($\geq$1 PeV) as well as cosmogenic neutrinos created in the GZK process ($\geq$100 PeV). Here we describe the $\textit{NuPhase}$ detector, which is a compact receiving array of low-gain antennas deployed 185 m deep in glacial ice near the South Pole. Signals from the antennas are digitized and coherently summed into multiple beams to form a low-threshold interferometric phased array trigger for radio impulses. The NuPhase detector was installed at an Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) station during the 2017/18 Austral summer season. $\textit{In situ}$ measurements with an impulsive, point-source calibration instrument show a 50% trigger efficiency on impulses with voltage signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of $\le$2.0, a factor of $\sim$1.8 improvement in SNR over the standard ARA combinatoric trigger. Hardware-level simulations, validated with $\textit{in situ}$ measurements, predict a trigger threshold of an SNR as low as 1.6 for neutrino interactions that are in the far field of the array. With the already-achieved NuPhase trigger performance included in ARASim, a detector simulation for the ARA experiment, we find the trigger-level effective detector volume is increased by a factor of 1.8 at neutrino energies between 10 and 100 PeV compared to the currently used ARA combinatoric trigger. We also discuss an achievable near term path toward lowering the trigger threshold further to an SNR of 1.0, which would increase the effective single-station volume by more than a factor of 3 in the same range of neutrino energies.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2018

Single-loop realization of arbitrary non-adiabatic holonomic single-qubit quantum gates in a superconducting circuit

Geometric phases are noise-resilient, and thus provide a robust way towards high fidelity quantum manipulation. Here we experimentally demonstrate arbitrary non-adiabatic holonomic single-qubit quantum gates for both a superconducting transmon qubit and a microwave cavity in a single-loop way. In both cases, an auxiliary state is utilized, and two resonant microwave drives are simultaneously applied with well-controlled but varying amplitudes and phases for the arbitrariness of the gate. The resulting gates on the transmon qubit achieve a fidelity of 0.996 characterized by randomized benchmarking and the ones on the cavity show an averaged fidelity of 0.978 based on a full quantum process tomography. In principle, a nontrivial two-qubit holonomic gate between the qubit and the cavity can also be realized based on our presented experimental scheme. Our experiment thus paves the way towards practical non-adiabatic holonomic quantum manipulation with both qubits and cavities in a superconducting circuit.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2018

Observation of Reconstructable Radio Emission Coincident with an X-Class Solar Flare in the Askaryan Radio Array Prototype Station

The Askaryan Radio Array (ARA) reports an observation of radio emission coincident with the "Valentine's Day" solar flare on Feb. 15$^{\rm{th}}$, 2011 in the prototype "Testbed" station. We find $\sim2000$ events that passed our neutrino search criteria during the 70 minute period of the flare, all of which reconstruct to the location of the sun. A signal analysis of the events reveals them to be consistent with that of bright thermal noise correlated across antennas. This is the first natural source of radio emission reported by ARA that is tightly reconstructable on an event-by-event basis. The observation is also the first for ARA to point radio from individual events to an extraterrestrial source on the sky. We comment on how the solar flares, coupled with improved systematic uncertainties in reconstruction algorithms, could aid in a mapping of any above-ice radio emission, such as that from cosmic-ray air showers, to astronomical locations on the sky.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2018

The Astropy Project: Building an inclusive, open-science project and status of the v2.0 core package

The Astropy project supports and fosters the development of open-source and openly-developed Python packages that provide commonly-needed functionality to the astronomical community. A key element of the Astropy project is the core package Astropy, which serves as the foundation for more specialized projects and packages. In this article, we provide an overview of the organization of the Astropy project and summarize key features in the core package as of the recent major release, version 2.0. We then describe the project infrastructure designed to facilitate and support development for a broader ecosystem of inter-operable packages. We conclude with a future outlook of planned new features and directions for the broader Astropy project.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2017

Sensitive spin detection using an on-chip SQUID-waveguide resonator

Precise detection of spin resonance is of paramount importance to achieve coherent spin control in quantum computing. We present a novel setup for spin resonance measurements, which uses a dc-SQUID flux detector coupled to an antenna from a coplanar waveguide. The SQUID and the waveguide are fabricated from 20~nm Nb thin film, allowing high magnetic field operation with the field applied parallel to the chip. We observe a resonance signal between the first and third excited states of Gd spins $S=7/2$ in a CaWO$_4$ crystal, relevant for state control in multi-level systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2017

Follow up of GW170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart by Australian-led observing programs

The discovery of the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave signal has generated follow-up observations by over 50 facilities world-wide, ushering in the new era of multi-messenger astronomy. In this paper, we present follow-up observations of the gravitational wave event GW170817 and its electromagnetic counterpart SSS17a/DLT17ck (IAU label AT2017gfo) by 14 Australian telescopes and partner observatories as part of Australian-based and Australian-led research programs. We report early- to late-time multi-wavelength observations, including optical imaging and spectroscopy, mid-infrared imaging, radio imaging, and searches for fast radio bursts. Our optical spectra reveal that the transient source afterglow cooled from approximately 6400K to 2100K over a 7-day period and produced no significant optical emission lines. The spectral profiles, cooling rate, and photometric light curves are consistent with the expected outburst and subsequent processes of a binary neutron star merger. Star formation in the host galaxy probably ceased at least a Gyr ago, although there is evidence for a galaxy merger. Binary pulsars with short (100 Myr) decay times are therefore unlikely progenitors, but pulsars like PSR B1534+12 with its 2.7 Gyr coalescence time could produce such a merger. The displacement (about 2.2 kpc) of the binary star system from the centre of the main galaxy is not unusual for stars in the host galaxy or stars originating in the merging galaxy, and therefore any constraints on the kick velocity imparted to the progenitor are poor.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2017

Anomalous Hall effect in two-dimensional non-collinear antiferromagnetic semiconductor Cr0.68Se

Cr0.68Se single crystals with two-dimensional (2D) character have been grown, and the detailed magnetization M(T), electrical transport properties (including longitudinal resistivity and Hall resistivity and thermal transport ones (including heat capacity Cp(T) and thermoelectric power (TEP) S(T)) have been measured. There are some interesting phenomena: (i) Cr0.68Se presents a non-collinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconducting behavior with the Neel temperature TN = 42 K and the activated energy Eg=3.9 meV; (ii) It exhibits the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) below TN and large negative magnetoresistance (MR) about 83.7% (2 K, 8.5 T). The AHE coefficient RS is 0.385 cm-3/C at T=2 K and the AHE conductivity σH is about 1 ohm-1cm-1 at T=40 K, respectively; (iii) The scaling behavior between the anomalous Hall resistivity and the longitudinal resistivity is linear and further analysis implies that the origin of the AHE in Cr0.68Se is dominated by the skew-scattering mechanism. Our results may be helpful for exploring the potential application of these kind of 2D AFM semiconductors.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2017

Converting quasiclassical states into arbitrary Fock state superpositions in a superconducting cavity

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a new method to generate arbitrary Fock-state superpositions in a superconducting quantum circuit, where a qubit is dispersively coupled to a microwave cavity mode without the need of fine-frequency tuning. Here the qubit is used to conditionally modulate the probability amplitudes of the Fock state components of a coherent state to those of the desired superposition state, instead of pumping photons one by one into the cavity as in previous schemes. Our method does not require the adjustment of the qubit frequency during the cavity state preparation, and is more robust to noise and accumulation of experimental errors compared to previous ones. Using the method, we experimentally generate high-fidelity phase eigenstates under various Hilbert-space dimensions and squeezed states, which are useful for quantum walk and high-precision measurements.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2016

Distributed data processing and analysis environment for neutron scattering experiments at CSNS

China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) is the first high-performance pulsed neutron source in China, which will meet the increasing fundamental research and technique applications demands domestically and overseas. A new distributed data processing and analysis environment has been developed, which has generic functionalities for neutron scattering experiments. The environment consists of three parts, an object-oriented data processing framework adopting a data centered architecture, a communication and data caching system based on the C/S paradigm, and data analysis and visualization software providing the 2D/3D experimental data display. This environment will be widely applied in CSNS for live data processing.

physics.data-an↗
arXiv2016

Performance of two Askaryan Radio Array stations and first results in the search for ultra-high energy neutrinos

Ultra-high energy neutrinos are interesting messenger particles since, if detected, they can transmit exclusive information about ultra-high energy processes in the Universe. These particles, with energies above $10^{16}\mathrm{eV}$, interact very rarely. Therefore, detectors that instrument several gigatons of matter are needed to discover them. The ARA detector is currently being constructed at South Pole. It is designed to use the Askaryan effect, the emission of radio waves from neutrino-induced cascades in the South Pole ice, to detect neutrino interactions at very high energies. With antennas distributed among 37 widely-separated stations in the ice, such interactions can be observed in a volume of several hundred cubic kilometers. Currently 3 deep ARA stations are deployed in the ice of which two have been taking data since the beginning of the year 2013. In this publication, the ARA detector "as-built" and calibrations are described. Furthermore, the data reduction methods used to distinguish the rare radio signals from overwhelming backgrounds of thermal and anthropogenic origin are presented. Using data from only two stations over a short exposure time of 10 months, a neutrino flux limit of $3 \cdot 10^{-6} \mathrm{GeV} / (\mathrm{cm^2 \ s \ sr})$ is calculated for a particle energy of 10^{18}eV, which offers promise for the full ARA detector.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2016

Spin dynamics, electronic and thermal transport properties of two-dimensional CrPS4 single crystal

2-Dimensional (2D) CrPS4 single crystals have been grown by the chemical vapor transport method. The crystallographic, magnetic, electronic and thermal transport properties of the single crystals were investigated by the room-temperature X-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity \r{ho}(T), specific heat CP(T) and the electronic spin response (ESR) measurements. CrPS4 crystals crystallize into a monoclinic structure. The electrical resistivity \r{ho}(T) shows a semiconducting behavior with an energy gap Ea=0.166 eV. The antiferromagntic (AFM) transition temperature is about TN=36 K. The spin flipping induced by the applied magnetic field is observed along the c axis. The magnetic phase diagram of CrPS4 single crystal has been discussed. The extracted magnetic entropy at TN is about 10.8 J/mol K, which is consistent with the theoretical value R ln(2S + 1) for S = 3/2 of the Cr3+ ion. Based on the mean-field theory, the magnetic exchange constants J1 and Jc corresponding to the interactions of the intralayer and between layers are about 0.143 meV and -0.955 meV are obtained based on the fitting of the susceptibility above TN, which agree with the results obtained from the ESR measurements. With the help of the strain for tuning the magnetic properties, monolayer CrPS4 may be a promising candidate to explore 2D magnetic semiconductors.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2015

Superconductivity in CaSn3 single crystal with a AuCu3-type structure

We report the superconductivity of the CaSn3 single crystal with a AuCu3-type structure, namely cubic space group Pm3m. The superconducting transition temperature TC=4.2 K is determined by the magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and heat capacity measurements. The magnetization versus magnetic field (M-H) curve at low temperatures shows the typical-II superconducting behavior. The estimated lower and upper critical fields are about 125 Oe and 1.79 T, respectively. The penetration depth λ(0) and coherence length ξ(0) are calculated to be approximately 1147 nm and 136 nm by the Ginzburg-Landau equations. The estimated Sommerfeld coefficient of the normal state γ_N is about 2.9 mJ/mol K2. ΔC/γNTC =1.13 and λep=0.65 suggest that CaSn3 single crystal is a weakly coupled superconductor. Electronic band structure calculations show a complex multi-sheet Fermi surface formed by three bands and a low density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level, which is consistent with the experimental results. Based on the analysis of electron phonon coupling of AX3 compounds (A=Ca, La, and Y; X=Sn and Pb), we theoretically proposed a way to increase TC in the system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2015

Spin-orbit coupling enhanced superconductivity in Bi-rich compounds ABi$_{3}$ (A=Sr and Ba)

Recently, Bi-based compounds have attracted attentions because of the strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). In this work, we figured out the role of SOC in ABi$_{3}$ (A=Sr and Ba) by theoretical investigation of the band structures, phonon properties, and electron-phonon coupling. Without SOC, strong Fermi surface nesting leads to phonon instabilities in ABi$_{3}$. SOC suppresses the nesting and stabilizes the structure. Moreover, without SOC the calculation largely underestimates the superconducting transition temperatures ($T_{c}$), while with SOC the calculated $T_{c}$ are very close to those determined by measurements on single crystal samples. The SOC enhanced superconductivity in ABi$_{3}$ is due to not only the SOC induced phonon softening, but also the SOC related increase of electron-phonon coupling matrix elements. ABi$_{3}$ can be potential platforms to construct heterostructure of superconductor/topological insulator to realize topological superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2015

PROSPECT - A Precision Reactor Oscillation and Spectrum Experiment at Short Baselines

Current models of antineutrino production in nuclear reactors predict detection rates and spectra at odds with the existing body of direct reactor antineutrino measurements. High-resolution antineutrino detectors operated close to compact research reactor cores can produce new precision measurements useful in testing explanations for these observed discrepancies involving underlying nuclear or new physics. Absolute measurement of the 235U-produced antineutrino spectrum can provide additional constraints for evaluating the accuracy of current and future reactor models, while relative measurements of spectral distortion between differing baselines can be used to search for oscillations arising from the existence of eV-scale sterile neutrinos. Such a measurement can be performed in the United States at several highly-enriched uranium fueled research reactors using near-surface segmented liquid scintillator detectors. We describe here the conceptual design and physics potential of the PROSPECT experiment, a U.S.-based, multi-phase experiment with reactor-detector baselines of 7-20 meters capable of addressing these and other physics and detector development goals. Current R&D status and future plans for PROSPECT detector deployment and data-taking at the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be discussed.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2010

Extraction of crystal-field parameters for lanthanide ions from quantum-chemical calculations

A simple method for constructing effective Hamiltonians for the 4fN and 4fN-15d energy levels of lanthanide ions in crystals from quantum-chemical calculations is presented. The method is demonstrated by deriving crystal-field and spin-orbit parameters for Ce3+ ions doped in LiYF4, Cs2NaYCl6, CaF2, KY3F10 and YAG host crystals from quantum chemical calculations based on the DV-Xα method. Good agreement between calculated and fitted values of the crystal-field parameters is obtained. The method can be used to calculate parameters even for low-symmetry sites where there are more parameters than energy levels.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2005

Nonadiabatic Geometric Quantum Computation Using A Single-loop Scenario

A single-loop scenario is proposed to realize nonadiabatic geometric quantum computation. Conventionally, a so-called multi-loop approach is used to remove the dynamical phase accumulated in the operation process for geometric quantum gates. More intriguingly, we here illustrate in detail how to use a special single-loop method to remove the dynamical phase and thus to construct a set of universal quantum gates based on the nonadiabatic geometric phase shift. The present scheme is applicable to NMR systems and may be feasible in other physical systems.

quant-ph↗