arXiv subjects

Stephen J. Kuhn

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen J. Kuhn.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

A High-frequency, Low-power Resonant Radio-frequency Neutron Spin Flipper for High-resolution Spectroscopy

We present a resonant-mode, transverse-field, radio-frequency (rf) neutron spin flipper design that uses high-temperature superconducting films to ensure sharp transitions between uniform magnetic field regions. Resonant mode allows for low power, high frequency operation but requires strict homogeneity of the magnetic fields inside the device. This design was found to efficiently flip neutrons at 96.6$\pm 0.6\%$ at an effective frequency of 4 MHz with a beam size of $2.5~\times~2.5$~cm and a wavelength of 0.4 nm. The high frequency and efficiency enable this device to perform high-resolution neutron spectroscopy with comparable performance to currently implemented rf flipper designs. The limitation of the maximum frequency was found due to the field homogeneity of the device. We numerically analyze the maximum possible efficiency of this design using a Bloch solver simulation with magnetic fields generated from finite-element simulations. We also discuss future improvements of the efficiency and frequency to the design based on the experimental and simulation results.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2022

Correcting Aberrations of a Transverse-Field Neutron Resonance Spin Echo Instrument

The neutron resonance spin echo (NRSE) technique has the potential to increase the Fourier time and energy resolution in neutron scattering by using radio-frequency (rf) neutron spin-flippers. However, aberrations arising from variations in the neutron path length between the rf flippers reduce the polarization. Here, we develop and test a transverse static-field magnet, a series of which are placed between the rf flippers, to correct for these aberrations. The prototype correction magnet was both simulated in an NRSE beamline using McStas, a Monte Carlo neutron ray-tracing software package, and measured using neutrons. The results from the prototype demonstrate that this static-field design corrects for transverse-field NRSE aberrations.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2015

Metallicity of Ca2Cu6P5 with Single and Double Copper-Pnictide Layers

We report thermodynamic and transport properties, and also theoretical calculations, for Cu-based compound Ca2Cu6P5 and compare with CaCu(2-x)P2. Both materials have layers of edge-sharing copper pnictide tetrahedral CuP4, similar to Fe-As and Fe-Se layers (with FeAs4, FeSe4) in the iron-based superconductors. Despite the presence of this similar transition-metal pnictide layer, we find that both Ca2Cu6P5 and CaCu(2-x)P2 have temperature-independent magnetic susceptibility and show metallic behavior with no evidence of either magnetic ordering or superconductivity down to 1.8 K. CaCu(2-x)P2 is slightly off-stoichiometric, with delta = 0.14. Theoretical calculations suggest that unlike Fe 3d-based magnetic materials with a large density of states (DOS) at the Fermi surface, Cu have comparatively low DOS, with the majority of the 3d spectral weight located well below Fermi level. The room-temperature resistivity value of Ca2Cu6P5 is only 9 micro ohm-cm, due to a substantial plasma frequency and an inferred electron-phonon coupling lambda of 0.073 (significantly smaller than that of metallic Cu). Also, microscopy result shows that Cu-Cu distance along the c-axis within the double layers can be very short (2.5 A), even shorter than metallic elemental copper bond (2.56 A). The value of dp over dT for CaCu(2-x)P2 at 300 K is approximately three times larger than in Ca2Cu6P5, which suggests the likelihood of stronger electron-phonon coupling. This study shows that the details of Cu-P layers and bonding are important for their transport characteristics. In addition, it emphasizes the remarkable character of the DOS of '122' iron-based materials, despite much structural similarities.

cond-mat.supr-con↗