arXiv subjects

X. B. Wang

Publications and source records attributed to X. B. Wang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Revealing Hidden Inversion Symmetry Breaking in ZrTe$_5$ via Phonon-Assisted Heterodyne Amplification

ZrTe$_5$ is a sensitive topological material where small perturbations can alter its electronic structure. Its equilibrium crystal structure has been widely regarded as centrosymmetric, while recent experiments have raised the possibility of inversion-symmetry breaking. Here we probe this hidden symmetry lowering using nonlinear optical spectroscopy. Although conventional second-harmonic generation does not resolve an equilibrium symmetry-breaking signal, terahertz-field-induced second-harmonic generation (TFISH) reveals it through phonon-assisted heterodyne amplification. A coherently driven infrared-active phonon acts as a local oscillator for the vanishingly weak second-order susceptibility $χ^{(2)}$, converting an otherwise undetectable symmetry-breaking response into a phonon-frequency modulation of the TFISH signal. The field-linear scaling of this modulation demonstrates $χ^{(2)}$ is an equilibrium susceptibility rather than a response induced by the THz field. Polarization- and temperature-dependent measurements identify a bulk polar distortion along the crystallographic $a$ axis that persists to room temperature, while the $c$ axis remains nonpolar. These results provide direct optical evidence for equilibrium inversion-symmetry breaking in bulk ZrTe$_5$ and establish a structural constraint for understanding its electronic and topological properties.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

$^{14}$N(p,$γ)^{15}$O $S$ factor and the puzzling solar composition problem

In stellar hydrogen burning, the CNO cycle dominates, with the $^{14}$N(p,$γ)^{15}$O reaction being the slowest process. Consequently, this reaction critically influences the solar composition, CNO neutrino fluxes, and the evolution of star clusters and galaxies. Recent direct measurements of $^{14}$N(p,$γ)^{15}$O have reported an enhanced astrophysical $S$-factor. This work presents a microscopic theoretical study of the $^{14}$N(p,$γ)^{15}$O reaction using the Gamow shell model in the coupled-channel representation (GSM-CC). The calculations achieve good agreement with experimental data for both the total $S$-factors and the separate contributions from transitions to the ground state and excited states of $^{15}\mathrm{O}$. However, the predicted $S$-factor at zero energy exceeds the experimental value. Based on the computed $S$-factors, the derived carbon and nitrogen abundances align closely with predictions from recent $^{14}$N(p,$γ)^{15}$O cross-section measurements, yet remain significantly lower than the latest solar neutrino observation values.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2024

$^{19}$F$(p,γ)$$^{20}$Ne reaction rate and the puzzling calcium abundance in metal poor stars

The $^{19}$F$(p,γ)$$^{20}$Ne reaction is the only process to break out of the CNO cycle at temperature below 0.1 GK and may serve as the origin of calcium in first generation of stars after the Big Bang. In the recent measurement, the Jinping Underground Nuclear Experiment (JUNA) obtained the rate of $^{19}$F$(p,γ)$$^{20}$Ne reaction, significantly larger than the previously recommended values. In this work, we perform the theoretical studies of the $^{19}$F$(p,γ)$$^{20}$Ne reaction using the Gamow shell model in the coupled-channel representation (GSM-CC). At temperature around 0.1 GK, the predicted rate by GSM-CC is close to the rate found by JUNA. Thus, based on GSM-CC, the break-out reaction $^{19}$F$(p,γ)$$^{20}$Ne from the CNO-cycle might win over its competing reaction $^{19}$F$(p,α)$$^{16}$O, and produce enough calcium in the metal poor stars.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2024

Nonequilibrium carrier and phonon dynamics in the ferrimagnetic semiconductor Mn$_3$Si$_2$Te$_6$

We investigate the ultrafast carrier and phonon dynamics in the ferrimagnetic semiconductor Mn$_3$Si$_2$Te$_6$ using time-resolved optical pump-probe spectroscopy. Our results reveal that the electron-phonon thermalization process with a subpicosecond timescale is prolonged by the hot-phonon bottleneck effect. We identify the subsequent relaxation processes associated with two non-radiative recombination mechanisms, i.e., phonon-assisted electron-hole recombination and defect-related Shockley-Read-Hall recombination. Temperature-dependent measurements indicate that all three relaxation components show large variation around 175 and 78 K, which is related to the initiation of spin fluctuation and ferrimagnetic order in Mn$_3$Si$_2$Te$_6$. In addition, two pronounced coherent optical phonons are observed, in which the phonon with a frequency of 3.7 THz is attributed to the $A_{1g}$ mode of Te precipitates. Applying the strain pulse propagation model to the coherent acoustic phonons yields a penetration depth of 506 nm and a sound speed of 2.42 km/s in Mn$_3$Si$_2$Te$_6$. Our results develop understanding of the nonequilibrium properties of the ferrimagnetic semiconductor Mn$_3$Si$_2$Te$_6$, and also shed light on its potential applications in optoelectronic and spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Gamow shell model description of the radiative capture reaction $^8$Li$(n,γ)$$^9$Li

The $^8$Li$(n,γ)$$^9$Li reaction plays a critical role in several reaction chains leading to the nucleosynthesis of $A>12$ nuclei. Due to unstable nature of $^8$Li and the unavailability of neutron targets, direct measurements of this reaction are exceedingly difficult. Only upper limits of this cross section, provided by the indirect experiments, have been obtained so far. In this work, we use the Gamow shell model (GSM) in the coupled-channel representation (GSM-CC) to study the properties of $^9$Li and the radiative capture reaction $^8$Li$(n,γ)$$^9$Li. In GSM-CC calculations, a translationally invariant Hamiltonian is used with a finite-range two-body interaction tuned to reproduce the low-energy spectra of $^{8-9}$Li. In the calculation of $^8$Li$(n,γ)$$^9$Li cross section, all relevant E1, M1, and E2 transitions from the initial continuum states to the final bound states ${3/2}_1^-$, ${1/2}_1^-$ and the resonance ${5/2}_1^-$ of $^9$Li are included. The GSM-CC approach reproduces the experimental low-energy spectrum, neutron emission threshold, and spectroscopic factors in $^9$Li. The calculated reaction rate is consistent with the experimental upper limit of the reaction rate obtained in the indirect measurements at stellar energies. The GSM-CC calculations suggest that the $^8$Li$(n,γ)$$^9$Li reaction can reduce heavy-element production via the main chain $^7$Li($n,γ$)$^8$Li($α,n$)$^{11}$B($n,γ$)$^{12}$B($β^+$)$^{12}$C. Major contribution to the calculated cross section is given by the direct E1 transition to the ground state of $^8$Li. The contribution of excited states to the reaction rate does not exceed $\sim$18% of the total reaction rate.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2023

Gamow shell model description of the radiative capture reaction $^8$B$(p,γ)$$^9$C

In low metallicity supermassive stars, the hot $pp$ chain can serve as an alternative way to produce the CNO nuclei. In the astrophysical environment of high temperature, the proton capture of $^8$B can be faster than its beta decay, thus $^8$B$(p,γ)$$^9$C reaction plays an important role in the hot $pp$ chain. Due to the unstable nature of $^8$B and the lack of the $^8$B beam, the measurement of $^8$B$(p,γ)$$^9$C reaction can only be achieved by the indirect method, and large uncertainties exist. The Gamow shell model in the coupled-channel representation (GSM-CC) is applied to study the proton radiative capture reaction $^8$B$(p,γ)$$^9$C. For the calculation of the $^8$B$(p,γ)$$^9$C astrophysical factors, all E1, M1, and E2 transitions from the initial continuum states to the final bound states ${3/2}_1^-$of $^9$C are considered. The resonant capture to the first resonant state ${1/2}_1^-$ of $^{9}$C is also calculated. The experimental low-energy levels and the proton emission threshold in $^9$C are reproduced by the GSM-CC. The calculated astrophysical factors agrees with the existed experimental data from the indirect measurements. The reaction rates from the direct capture and resonant capture are calculated for the temperature range of astrophysical interest. The calculated total astrophysical $S$ factor is dominated by the E1 transition to the ground state of $^9$C. The GSM-CC calculations suggest that $S$ first increase with the energy of the center of mass $E_{\rm c.m.}$, and then decrease with the energy. This agrees with the existing data, which has smaller values at around zero energy and larger value in the energy range of 0.2 MeV $\leq E_{\rm c.m.} \leq$ 0.6 MeV.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2022

Revealing strong coupling of collective modes between superconductivity and pseudogap in cuprate superconductor by terahertz third harmonic generation

The study of interaction between different degrees of freedom in solids is of fundamental importance to understand the functionalities of materials. One striking example of such interaction is the intertwined coupling or competition between superconductivity (SC), charge density wave (CDW), pseudogap state (PG), and other exotic phases in cuprate superconductors. Recent emergence of nonlinear Terahertz (THz) third harmonic generation (THG) spectroscopy provides a powerful tool for exploring the collective (Higgs) modes of superconductivity order parameters, and its interaction with intertwined/competing phases. In this study, we report on nonlinear THz THG spectroscopy of the YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ (YBCO) thin films with different doping. We identify a characteristic temperature $T_{THG}$, below which third order suscepetility $χ^{(3)}$ emerges. Notably, the $T_{THG}$ is coincident with the crossover temperature $T^*$ of pseudogap in a wide range doping of phase diagram. Upon entering the superconducting state, THG increases sharply but exhibits an abnormal dip feature near $T_c$ which is more clearly seen in optimally doped sample. Strikingly, we observe a beating structure directly in the measured real time waveform of THG signal. Fourier transformation of the time domain waveform gives two separate modes below and above original THG frequency. The observation strongly indicates that an additional mode, presumably Higgs mode, appears at $T_c$ and couples to the mode already developed below $T^*$. The strong coupling effect offers new insight into the interplay between superconductivity and pseudogap. The result unambiguously suggests that the pseudogap phase is not a precursor of superconductivity but represents a distinct order.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Neutral-current neutrino cross section and expected supernova signals for $^{40}$Ar from a three-fold increase in the magnetic dipole strength

In view of the great interest in liquid argon neutrino detectors, the $^{40}$Ar($γ,γ'$)$^{40}$Ar$^{*}$ reaction was revisited to guide a calculation of the neutral current neutrino cross section at supernova energies. Using the nuclear resonance fluorescence technique with a monoenergetic, 99% linearly polarized photon beam, we report a three-fold increase in magnetic dipole strength at around 10 MeV in $^{40}$Ar. Based on shell-model calculations, and using the experimentally identified transitions, the neutral current neutrino cross sections for low-energy reactions on $^{40}$Ar are calculated.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2022

Acceleration of 60 MeV proton beams in the commissioning experiment of SULF-10 PW laser

We report the experimental results of the commissioning phase in the 10 PW laser beamline of Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility (SULF). The peak power reaches 2.4 PW on target without the last amplifying during the experiment. The laser energy of 72\pm 9 J is directed to a focal spot of ~6 μm diameter (FWHM) in 30 fs pulse duration, yielding a focused peak intensity around 2.0 \times 10^{21} W/cm^2. First laser-proton acceleration experiment is performed using plain copper and plastic targets. High-energy proton beams with maximum cut-off energy up to 62.5 MeV are achieved using copper foils at the optimum target thickness of 4 μm via target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA). For plastic targets of tens of nanometers thick, the proton cut-off energy is approximately 20 MeV, showing ring-like or filamented density distributions. These experimental results reflect the capabilities of the SULF-10 PW beamline, e.g., both ultrahigh intensity and relatively good beam contrast. Further optimization for these key parameters is underway, where peak laser intensities of 10^{22}-10^{23} W/cm^2 are anticipated to support various experiments on extreme field physics.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2022

Electromagnetic moments of scandium isotopes and $N=28$ isotones in the distinctive $0f_{7/2}$ orbit

The electric quadrupole moment of $^{49}$Sc was measured by collinear laser spectroscopy at CERN-ISOLDE to be $Q_{\rm s}=-0.159(8)$ $e$b, and a nearly tenfold improvement in precision was reached for the electromagnetic moments of $^{47,49}$Sc. The single-particle behavior and nucleon-nucleon correlations are investigated with the electromagnetic moments of $Z=21$ isotopes and $N=28$ isotones as valence neutrons and protons fill the distinctive $0f_{7/2}$ orbit, respectively, located between magic numbers, 20 and 28. The experimental data are interpreted with shell-model calculations using an effective interaction, and ab-initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group calculations based on chiral interactions. These results highlight the sensitivity of nuclear electromagnetic moments to different types of nucleon-nucleon correlations, and establish an important benchmark for further developments of theoretical calculations.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2019

Comparison between Variational Monte Carlo and Shell Model Calculations of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Matrix Elements in Light Nuclei

Benchmark comparisons between many-body methods are performed to assess the ingredients necessary for an accurate calculation of neutrinoless double beta decay matrix elements. Shell model and variational Monte Carlo (VMC) calculations are carried out for $A=10$ and $12$ nuclei. Different variational wavefunctions are used to evaluate the uncertainties in the {\it ab initio} calculations, finding fairly small differences between the VMC double beta decay matrix elements. For shell model calculations, the role of model space truncation, radial wavefunction choices, and short-range correlation are investigated and all found to be important. Based on the detailed comparisons between the VMC and shell model approaches, we conclude that accurate descriptions of neutrinoless double beta decay matrix elements require a proper treatment of both long-range and short-range correlations.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

Single- and two-nucleon momentum distributions for local chiral interactions

We present quantum Monte Carlo calculations of the single- and two-nucleon momentum distributions in selected nuclei for $A\le16$. We employ local chiral interactions at next-to-next-to-leading order. We find good agreement at low momentum with the single-nucleon momentum distributions derived for phenomenological potentials. The same agreement is found for the integrated two-nucleon momentum distributions at low relative momentum $q$ and low center-of-mass momentum $Q$. We provide results for the two-nucleon momentum distributions as a function of both $q$ and $Q$. The large ratio of $pn$ to $pp$ pairs around $q=2\,\rm fm^{-1}$ for back-to-back $(Q=0)$ pairs is confirmed up to $^{16}$O, and results are compatible with those extracted from available experimental data.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

Properties of nuclei up to $A=16$ using local chiral interactions

We report accurate quantum Monte Carlo calculations of nuclei up to $A=16$ based on local chiral two- and three-nucleon interactions up to next-to-next-to-leading order. We examine the theoretical uncertainties associated with the chiral expansion and the cutoff in the theory, as well as the associated operator choices in the three-nucleon interactions. While in light nuclei the cutoff variation and systematic uncertainties are rather small, in $^{16}$O these can be significant for large coordinate-space cutoffs. Overall, we show that chiral interactions constructed to reproduce properties of very light systems and nucleon-nucleon scattering give an excellent description of binding energies, charge radii, and form factors for all these nuclei, including open-shell systems in $A=6$ and 12.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2017

Weak Magnetism Correction to Allowed Beta-decay for Reactor Antineutrino Spectra

The weak magnetism correction and its uncertainty to nuclear beta-decay play a major role in determining the significance of the reactor neutrino anomaly. Here we examine the common approximation used for one-body weak magnetism in the calculation of fission antineutrino spectra, wherein matrix elements of the orbital angular momentum operator contribution to the magnetic dipole current are assumed to be proportional to those of the spin operator. Although we find this approximation invalid for a large set of nuclear structure situations, we conclude that it is valid for the relevant allowed beta-decays between fission fragments. In particular, the uncertainty in the fission antineutrino due to the uncertainty in the one-body weak magnetism correction is found to be less than 1%. Thus, the dominant uncertainty from weak magnetism for reactor neutrino fluxes lies in the uncertainty in the two-body meson-exchange magnetic dipole current.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Solution of the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov equations in the Cartesian deformed harmonic-oscillator basis. (VIII) hfodd (v2.73y): a new version of the program

We describe the new version (v2.73y) of the code HFODD which solves the nuclear Skyrme Hartree-Fock or Skyrme Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov problem by using the Cartesian deformed harmonic-oscillator basis. In the new version, we have implemented the following new features: (i) full proton-neutron mixing in the particle-hole channel for Skyrme functionals, (ii) the Gogny force in both particle-hole and particle-particle channels, (iii) linear multi-constraint method at finite temperature, (iv) fission toolkit including the constraint on the number of particles in the neck between two fragments, calculation of the interaction energy between fragments, and calculation of the nuclear and Coulomb energy of each fragment, (v) the new version 200d of the code HFBTHO, together with an enhanced interface between HFBTHO and HFODD, (vi) parallel capabilities, significantly extended by adding several restart options for large-scale jobs, (vii) the Lipkin translational energy correction method with pairing, (viii) higher-order Lipkin particle-number corrections, (ix) interface to a program plotting single-particle energies or Routhians, (x) strong-force isospin-symmetry-breaking terms, and (xi) the Augmented Lagrangian Method for calculations with 3D constraints on angular momentum and isospin. Finally, an important bug related to the calculation of the entropy at finite temperature and several other little significant errors of the previous published version were corrected.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Nuclear Zemach Moments and Finite-Size Corrections to Allowed Beta Decay

The finite-size correction to $β$-decay plays an important role in determining the expected antineutrino spectra from reactors at a level that is important for the reactor-neutrino anomaly. Here we express the leading-order finite-size correction to allowed $β$-decay in terms of Zemach moments. We calculate the Zemach moments within a Hartree-Fock model using a Skyrme-like energy density functional. We find that the Zemach moments are increased relative to predictions based on the simple assumption of identical uniform nuclear-charge and weak-transition densities. However, for allowed ground-state to ground-state transitions in medium and heavy nuclei, the detailed nuclear structure calculations do not change the finite-size corrections significantly from the simple model predictions, and are only 10-15% larger than the latter even though the densities differ significantly.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

Optical properties of TlNi2Se2: Observation of pseudogap formation

The quasi-two-dimensional nickel chalcogenides $TlNi_2Se_2$ is a newly discovered superconductor. We have performed optical spectroscopy study on $TlNi_2Se_2$ single crystals over a broad frequency range at various temperatures. The overall optical reflectance spectra are similar to those observed in its isostructure $BaNi_2As_2$. Both the suppression in $R(ω)$ and the peaklike feature in $σ_1(ω)$ suggest the progressive formation of a pseudogap feature in the midinfrared range with decreasing temperatures, which might be originated from the dynamic local fluctuation of charge-density-wave (CDW) instability. We propose that the CDW instability in $TlNi_2Se_2$ is driven by the saddle points mechanism, due to the existence of van Hove singularity very close to the Fermi energy.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Coexistence of superconductivity and density wave in $\mathrm{Ba_2Ti_2Fe_2As_4O}$: an optical spectroscopy study

We performed an optical spectroscopy measurement on single crystals of $\mathrm{Ba_2Ti_2Fe_2As_4O}$, which is a newly discovered superconductor showing a coexistence of superconductivity and density wave order. The study reveals a spectral change related to the formation density wave energy gap below $T_{DW}\approx$125 K, leading to the removal of about half of the multiple Fermi surface sheets. The ratio of 2$Δ_{DW}$/$k_B T_{DW}\approx$ 11.9 is considerably larger than the mean-field value based on the weak-coupling BCS theory. At the lowest temperature in the superconducting state, we observed opening of superconducting energy gaps $Δ_1(0) =3.4$ meV and $Δ_2(0)=7.9$ meV. The properties of superconducting state in $\mathrm{Ba_2Ti_2Fe_2As_4O}$ are similar to that in $\mathrm{BaFe_{1.85}Co_{0.15}As_2}$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗