1. |
- Sun, Huiliang, et al.
(author)
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A monothiophene unit incorporating both fluoro and ester substitution enabling high-performance donor polymers for non-fullerene solar cells with 16.4% efficiency
- 2019
-
In: Energy & Environmental Science. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 1754-5692 .- 1754-5706. ; 12:11, s. 3328-3337
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Thiophene and its derivatives have been extensively used in organic electronics, particularly in the field of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Significant research efforts have been dedicated to modifying thiophene-based units by attaching electron-donating or withdrawing groups to tune the energy levels of conjugated materials. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a novel thiophene derivative, FE-T, featuring a monothiophene functionalized with both an electron-withdrawing fluorine atom (F) and an ester group (E). The FE-T unit possesses distinctive advantages of both F and E groups, the synergistic effects of which enable significant downshifting of the energy levels and enhanced aggregation/crystallinity of the resulting organic materials. Shown in this work are a series of polymers obtained by incorporating the FE-T unit into a PM6 polymer to fine-tune the energetics and morphology of this high-performance PSC material. The optimal polymer in the series shows a downshifted HOMO and an improved morphology, leading to a high PCE of 16.4% with a small energy loss (0.53 eV) enabled by the reduced non-radiative energy loss (0.23 eV), which are among the best values reported for non-fullerene PSCs to date. This work shows that the FE-T unit is a promising building block to construct donor polymers for high-performance organic photovoltaic cells.
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2. |
- Xi, Wenxiong, et al.
(author)
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Generation and Propagation Characteristics of an Auto-Ignition Flame Kernel Caused by the Oblique Shock in a Supersonic Flow Regime
- 2022
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In: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 15:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The auto-ignition caused by oblique shocks was investigated experimentally in a supersonic flow regime, with the incoming flow at a Mach number of 2.5. The transient characteristics of the auto-ignition caused by shock evolvements were recorded with a schlieren photography system, and the initial flame kernel generation and subsequent propagation were recorded using a high-speed camera. The fuel mixing characteristics were captured using NPLS (nanoparticle-based planar laser scattering method). This work aimed to reveal the flame spread mechanism in a supersonic flow regime. The effects of airflow total temperature, fuel injection pressure, and cavity length in the process of auto-ignition and on the auto-ignitable boundary were investigated and analyzed. From this work, it was found that the initial occurrence of auto-ignition is first induced by oblique shocks and then propagated upstream to the recirculation region, to establish a sustained flame. The auto-ignition performance can be improved by increasing the injection pressure and airflow total temperature. In addition, a cavity with a long length has benefits in controlling the flame spread from the induced state to a sustained state. The low-speed recirculating region created in the cavity is beneficial for the flame spread, which has the function of flame-holding and prevents the flame from being blown away.
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3. |
- Cheng, Yu, et al.
(author)
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Gas Kinematics of the Massive Protocluster G286.21+0.17 Revealed by ALMA
- 2020
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 894:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study the gas kinematics and dynamics of the massive protocluster G286.21+0.17 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array using spectral lines of {equation presented}(3-2), and DCN(3-2). On the parsec clump scale, C18O emission appears highly filamentary around the systemic velocity, N2D+ and DCO+ are more closely associated with the dust continuum, and DCN is strongly concentrated toward the protocluster center, where no or only weak detection is seen for N2D and DCO+, possibly due to this region being at a relatively evolved evolutionary stage. Spectra of 76 continuum-defined dense cores, typically a few 1000 au in size, are analyzed to measure their centroid velocities and internal velocity dispersions. There are no statistically significant velocity offsets of the cores among the different dense gas tracers. Furthermore, the majority (71%) of the dense cores have subthermal velocity offsets with respect to their surrounding, lower-density C18O-emitting gas. Within the uncertainties, the dense cores in G286 show internal kinematics that are consistent with being in virial equilibrium. On clump scales, the core-to-core velocity dispersion is also similar to that required for virial equilibrium in the protocluster potential. However, the distribution in velocity of the cores is largely composed of two spatially distinct groups, which indicates that the dense molecular gas has not yet relaxed to virial equilibrium, perhaps due to there being recent/continuous infall into the system.
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4. |
- Cheng, Yu, et al.
(author)
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Star Formation in a Strongly Magnetized Cloud
- 2021
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 916:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study star formation in the Center Ridge 1 (CR1) clump in the Vela C giant molecular cloud, selected as a high column density region that shows the lowest level of dust continuum polarization-angle dispersion, likely indicating that the magnetic field is relatively strong. We observe the source with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 7 m array at 1.05 and 1.3 mm wavelengths, which enable measurements of dust temperature, core mass, and astrochemical deuteration. A relatively modest number of 11 dense cores are identified via their dust continuum emission, with masses spanning from 0.17-6.7 M-circle dot. Overall CR1 has a relatively low compact dense gas fraction compared with other typical clouds with similar column densities, which may be a result of the strong magnetic field and/or the very early evolutionary stage of this region. The deuteration ratios, D-frac, of the cores, measured with N2H+(3-2) and N2D+(3-2) lines, span from 0.011-0.85, with the latter being one of the highest values yet detected. The level of deuteration appears to decrease with evolution from prestellar to protostellar phase. A linear filament, running approximately parallel with the large scale magnetic field orientation, is seen connecting the two most massive cores, each having CO bipolar outflows aligned orthogonally to the filament. The filament contains the most deuterated core, likely to be prestellar and located midway between the protostars. The observations permit measurement of the full deuteration structure of the filament along its length, which we present. We also discuss the kinematics and dynamics of this structure, as well as of the dense core population.
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5. |
- Cheng, Yu, et al.
(author)
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The Core Mass Function in the Massive Protocluster G286.21+0.17 Revealed by ALMA
- 2018
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 853:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study the core mass function (CMF) of the massive protocluster G286.21+0.17 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array via 1.3 mm continuum emission at a resolution of 1.″0 (2500 au). We have mapped a field of 5.′3 × 5.′3 centered on the protocluster clump. We measure the CMF in the central region, exploring various core detection algorithms, which give source numbers ranging from 60 to 125, depending on parameter selection. We estimate completeness corrections due to imperfect flux recovery and core identification via artificial core insertion experiments. For masses M 1 M o , the fiducial dendrogram-identified CMF can be fit with a power law of the form dN/dlog M ∝ M -α with α ≃ 1.24 ± 0.17, slightly shallower than, but still consistent with, the index of the Salpeter stellar initial mass function of 1.35. Clumpfind-identified CMFs are significantly shallower with α ≃ 0.64 ± 0.13. While raw CMFs show a peak near 1 M o , completeness-corrected CMFs are consistent with a single power law extending down to ∼0.5 M o , with only a tentative indication of a shallowing of the slope around ∼1 M o . We discuss the implications of these results for star and star cluster formation theories.
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6. |
- Fedriani, Rubén, 1991, et al.
(author)
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The SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. IV. Isolated Protostars
- 2023
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 942:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present similar to 10-40 mu m SOFIA-FORCAST images of 11 isolated protostars as part of the SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey, with this morphological classification based on 37 mu m imaging. We develop an automated method to define source aperture size using the gradient of its background-subtracted enclosed flux and apply this to build spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We fit the SEDs with radiative transfer models, developed within the framework of turbulent core accretion (TCA) theory, to estimate key protostellar properties. Here, we release the sedcreator python package that carries out these methods. The SEDs are generally well fitted by the TCA models, from which we infer initial core masses M ( c ) ranging from 20-430 M (circle dot), clump mass surface densities sigma(cl) similar to 0.3-1.7 g cm(-2), and current protostellar masses m (*) similar to 3-50 M (circle dot). From a uniform analysis of the 40 sources in the full SOMA survey to date, we find that massive protostars form across a wide range of clump mass surface density environments, placing constraints on theories that predict a minimum threshold sigma(cl) for massive star formation. However, the upper end of the m (*)-sigma(cl) distribution follows trends predicted by models of internal protostellar feedback that find greater star formation efficiency in higher sigma(cl) conditions. We also investigate protostellar far-IR variability by comparison with IRAS data, finding no significant variation over an similar to 40 yr baseline.
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7. |
- Liu, Jian, et al.
(author)
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Numerical investigations of endwall film cooling design of a turbine vane using four-holes pattern
- 2022
-
In: International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat and Fluid Flow. - 0961-5539. ; 32:6, s. 2177-2197
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Endwall film cooling protects vane endwall by coolant coverage, especially at the leading edge (LE) region and vane-pressure side (PS) junction region. Strong flow impingement and complex vortexaa structures on the vane endwall cause difficulties for coolant flows to cover properly. This work aims at a full-scale arrangement of film cooling holes on the endwall which improves coolant efficiency in the LE region and vane-PS junction region. Design/methodology/approach: The endwall film holes are grouped in four-holes constructal patterns. Three ways of arranging the groups are studied: based on the pressure field, the streamlines or the heat transfer field. The computational analysis is done with the k-ω SST model after validating the turbulence model properly. Findings: By clustering the film cooling holes in four-holes patterns, the ejection of the coolant flow is stronger. The four-holes constructal patterns also improve the local coolant coverage in the “tough” regions, such as the junction region of the PS and the endwall. The arrangement based on streamlines distribution can effectively improve the coolant coverage and the arrangement based on the heat transfer distribution (HTD) has benefits by reducing high-temperature regions on the endwall. Originality/value: A full-scale endwall film cooling design is presented considering interactions of different film cooling holes. A comprehensive model validation and mesh independence study are provided. The cooling holes pattern on the endwall is designed as four-holes constructal patterns combined with several arrangement choices, i.e. by pressure, by heat transfer and by streamline distributions.
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8. |
- Liu, Mengyao, et al.
(author)
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SiO Outflows as Tracers of Massive Star Formation in Infrared Dark Clouds
- 2021
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 921:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To study the early phases of massive star formation, we present ALMA observations of SiO(5-4) emission and VLA observations of 6 cm continuum emission toward 32 Infrared Dark Cloud clumps, spatially resolved down to less than or similar to 0.05 pc. Out of the 32 clumps, we detect SiO emission in 20 clumps, and in 11 of them the SiO emission is relatively strong and likely tracing protostellar outflows. Some SiO outflows are collimated, while others are less ordered. For the six strongest SiO outflows, we estimate basic outflow properties. In our entire sample, where there is SiO emission, we find 1.3 mm continuum and infrared emission nearby, but not vice versa. We build the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of cores with 1.3 mm continuum emission and fit them with radiative transfer models. The low luminosities and stellar masses returned by SED fitting suggest these are early-stage protostars. We see a slight trend of increasing SiO line luminosity with bolometric luminosity, which suggests more powerful shocks in the vicinity of more massive YSOs. We do not see a clear relation between the SiO luminosity and the evolutionary stage indicated by L/M. We conclude that, as a protostar approaches a bolometric luminosity of similar to 10(2) L (circle dot), the shocks in the outflow are generally strong enough to form SiO emission. The VLA 6 cm observations toward the 15 clumps with the strongest SiO emission detect emission in four clumps, which is likely from shock-ionized jets associated with the more massive ones of these protostellar cores.
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9. |
- Liu, Mengyao, et al.
(author)
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The Core Mass Function across Galactic Environments. II. Infrared Dark Cloud Clumps
- 2018
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 862:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study the core mass function (CMF) within 32 dense clumps in seven infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array via 1.3 mm continuum emission at a resolution of similar to 1 ''. We have identified 107 cores with the dendrogram algorithm, with a median radius of about 0.02 pc. Their masses range from 0.261 to 178 M-circle dot. After applying completeness corrections, we fit the combined IRDC CMF with a power law of the form dN/d log M proportional to M(-alpha)and derive an index of alpha similar or equal to 0.86 +/- 0.11 for M >= 0.79 M-circle dot and alpha similar or equal to 0.70 +/- 0.13 for M >= 1.26 M-circle dot, which is a significantly more top-heavy distribution than the Salpeter stellar initial mass function index of 1.35. We also make a direct comparison of these IRDC clump CMF results to those measured in the more evolved protocluster G286 derived with similar methods, which have alpha similar or equal to 1.29 +/- 0.19 and 1.08 +/- 0.27 in these mass ranges, respectively. These results provide a hint that, especially for the M >= 1.26 M-circle dot range where completeness corrections are modest, the CMF in high pressure, early-stage environments of IRDC clumps may be top-heavy compared to that in the more evolved, global environment of the G286 protoclusters. However, larger samples of cores probing these different environments are needed to better establish the robustness of this potential CMF variation.
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10. |
- Liu, Mengyao, et al.
(author)
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The SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. II. High Luminosity Protostars
- 2019
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 874:1
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present multiwavelength images observed with SOFIA-FORCAST from similar to 10 to 40 mu m of seven high luminosity massive protostars, as part of the SOFIA Massive Star Formation Survey. Source morphologies at these wavelengths appear to be influenced by outflow cavities and extinction from dense gas surrounding the protostars. Using these images, we build spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the protostars, also including archival data from Spitzer, Herschel, and other facilities. Radiative transfer (RT) models of Zhang & Tan, based on Turbulent Core Accretion theory, are then fit to the SEDs to estimate key properties of the protostars. Considering the best five models fit to each source, the protostars have masses m* similar to 12-64 M circle dot accreting at rates of m* similar to 10(-4) -10(-3) M circle dot yr(-1) inside cores of initial masses M-c similar to 100-500 M circle dot embedded in clumps with mass surface densities Sigma(cl) similar to 0.1-3 g cm(-2) and span a luminosity range of 10(4) -10(6) L circle dot. Compared with the first eight protostars in Paper I, the sources analyzed here are more luminous and, thus, likely to be more massive protostars. They are often in a clustered environment or have a companion protostar relatively nearby. From the range of parameter space of the models, we do not see any evidence that Sigma(cl) needs to be high to form these massive stars. For most sources, the RT models provide reasonable fits to the SEDs, though the cold clump material often influences the long wavelength fitting. However, for sources in very clustered environments, the model SEDs may not be such a good description of the data, indicating potential limitations of the models for these regions.
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11. |
- Liu, Mengyao, et al.
(author)
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The SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. III. From Intermediate- to High-mass Protostars
- 2020
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 904:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present similar to 10-40 mm SOFIA-FORCAST images of 14 intermediate-mass protostar candidates as part of the SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. We build spectral energy distributions, also using archival Spitzer, Herschel, and IRAS data. We then fit the spectral energy distributions with radiative transfer models of Zhang & Tan, based on turbulent core accretion theory, to estimate key protostellar properties. With the addition of these intermediate-mass sources, based on average properties derived from SED fitting, SOMA protostars span luminosities from similar to 10(2) to 10(6) L-circle dot, current protostellar masses from similar to 0.5 to 35 M-circle dot, and ambient clump mass surface densities, Scl, from 0.1 to g cm(-2). A wide range of evolutionary states of the individual protostars and of the protocluster environments is also probed. We have also considered about 50 protostars identified in infrared dark clouds that are expected to be at the earliest stages of their evolution. With this global sample, most of the evolutionary stages of high- and intermediate-mass protostars are probed. The best-fitting models show no evidence that a threshold value of the protocluster clump mass surface density is required to form protostars up to similar to 25 M.. However, to form more massive protostars, there is tentative evidence that Sigma(cl) needs to be greater than or similar to 1 g cm(-2). We discuss how this is consistent with expectations from core accretion models that include internal feedback from the forming massive star.
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12. |
- Moser, Emily, et al.
(author)
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The High-mass Protostellar Population of a Massive Infrared Dark Cloud
- 2020
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 897:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We conduct a census of the high-mass protostellar population of the similar to 70,000Minfrared dark cloud (IRDC) G028.37+00.07, identifying 35 sources based on their 70 mu m emission, as reported in the Herschel Hi-GAL catalog of Molinari et al. We perform aperture photometry to construct spectral energy distributions, which are then fit with the massive protostar models of Zhang & Tan. We find that the sources span a range of isotropic luminosities from similar to 20 to 4500L. The most luminous sources are predicted to have current protostellar masses ofm(*) similar to 10Mforming from cores of massM(c) similar to 40 to 400M. The least luminous sources in our sample are predicted to be protostars with masses as low as similar to 0.5Mforming from cores withM(c) similar to 10M, which are the minimum values explored in the protostellar model grid. The detected protostellar population has a total estimated protostellar mass ofM(*) similar to 100M. Allowing for completeness corrections, which are constrained by comparison with an ALMA study in part of the cloud, we estimate a star formation efficiency per freefall time of similar to 3% in the IRDC. Finally, analyzing the spatial distribution of the sources, we find relatively low degrees of central concentration of the protostars. The protostars, including the most massive ones, do not appear to be especially centrally concentrated in the protocluster as defined by the IRDC boundary.
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13. |
- O'Neill, Theo J., et al.
(author)
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The Core Mass Function across Galactic Environments. III. Massive Protoclusters
- 2021
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 916:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The stellar initial mass function (IMF) is fundamental for many areas of astrophysics, but its origin remains poorly understood. It may be inherited from the core mass function (CMF) or arise as a result of more chaotic, competitive accretion. Dense, gravitationally bound cores are seen in molecular clouds and some observations have suggested that the CMF is similar in shape to the IMF, though translated to higher masses by a factor of similar to 3. Here we measure the CMF in 28 dense clumps within 3.5 kpc that are likely to be central regions of massive protoclusters, observed via 1.3 mm dust continuum emission by the ALMAGAL project. We identify 222 cores using the dendrogram algorithm with masses ranging from 0.04 to 252 M-circle dot. We apply completeness corrections for flux and number recovery, estimated from core insertion and recovery experiments. At higher masses, the final derived CMF is well described by a single power law of the form dN/d log M proportional to M-alpha alpha similar or equal to 0.94 +/- 0.08. However, we find evidence of a break in this power-law behavior between similar to 5 and 15 M-circle dot, which is, to our knowledge, the first time such a break has been found in distant (greater than or similar to 1 kpc) regions by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We compare this massive protocluster CMF with those derived using the same methods in the G286 protocluster and a sample of infrared dark clouds. The massive protocluster CMF is significantly different, i.e., containing more massive cores, which is a potential indication of the role of environment on the CMF and IMF.
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14. |
- Rosero, Viviana, et al.
(author)
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The SOMA Radio Survey. I. Comprehensive SEDs of High-mass Protostars from Infrared to Radio and the Emergence of Ionization Feedback
- 2019
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 873:1
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study centimeter continuum emission of eight high- and intermediate-mass protostars that are part of the SOFIA Massive Star Formation Survey, thus building extended spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from the radio to the infrared. We discuss the morphology seen in the centimeter continuum images, which are mostly derived from archival Very Large Array data, and the relation to infrared morphology. We use the SEDs to test new models of high-mass star formation including radiative and disk-wind feedback and associated free-free and dust continuum emission. We show that interferometric data of the centimeter continuum flux densities provide additional, stringent tests of the models by constraining the ionizing luminosity of the source; they also help to break degeneracies encountered when modeling the infrared-only SEDs, especially for the protostellar mass. Our derived parameters are consistent with physical parameters estimated by other methods, such as dynamical protostellar masses. We find a few examples of additional stellar sources in the vicinity of the high-mass protostars, which may be low-mass young stellar objects. However, the stellar multiplicity of the regions, at least as traced by radio continuum emission, appears to be relatively low.
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15. |
- Sun, Haonan, et al.
(author)
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Large energy storage density in BiFeO3-BaTiO3-AgNbO3 lead-free relaxor ceramics
- 2020
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In: Journal of the European Ceramic Society. - : Elsevier. - 0955-2219 .- 1873-619X. ; 40:8, s. 2929-2935
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lead-free (0.70-x)BiFeO3-0.30BaTiO3-xAgNbO3+5‰mol CuO (abbreviated as BF-BT-xAN) ceramics were fabricated using a modified thermal quenching technique. BF-BT-xAN ceramics are of a perovskite structure with morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) and show strong relaxor properties. Remarkably, the high recoverable energy storage density of 2.11 J/cm3 is obtained for BF-BT-xAN with x = 0.14. For the x = 0.14 ceramics, its energy storage efficiency is as high as 84 % at relative low field of 195 kV/cm, together with an outstanding thermal stability in a broad temperature range from 25 °C to 150 °C. In addition, this ceramic maintains superior energy storage performance even after 8 × 104 electrical cycles due to its high densification after doping Ag2O and Nb2O5. The result suggests that lead-free BF-BT-xAN ceramics may be promising candidate for dielectric energy storage application.
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16. |
- Sun, Huiliang, et al.
(author)
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Reducing energy loss via tuning energy levels of polymer acceptors for efficient all-polymer solar cells
- 2020
-
In: Science China Chemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1869-1870 .- 1674-7291. ; 63:12, s. 1785-1792
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The open-circuit voltage (Voc) of all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) is typically lower than 0.9 V even for the most efficient ones. Large energy loss is the main reason for limiting Voc and efficiency of all-PSCs. Herein, through materials design using electron deficient building blocks based on bithiophene imides, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of polymer acceptors can be effectively tuned, which resulted in a reduced energy loss induced by charge generation and recombination loss due to the suppressed charge-transfer (CT) state absorption. Despite a negligible driving force, all-PSC based on the polymer donor and acceptor combination with well-aligned energy levels exhibited efficient charge transfer and achieved an external quantum efficiency over 10% while maintaining a large Voc of 1.02 V, leading to a 9.21% efficiency. Through various spectroscopy approaches, this work sheds light on the mechanism of energy loss in all-PSCs, which paves an avenue to achieving efficient all-PSCs with large Voc and drives the further development of all-PSCs.
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17. |
- Sun, Huiliang, et al.
(author)
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Reducing energy lossviatuning energy levels of polymer acceptors for efficient all-polymer solar cells
- 2020
-
In: Science China Chemistry. - : Science China Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany. - 1674-7291 .- 1869-1870. ; 63, s. 1785-1792
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The open-circuit voltage (V-oc) of all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) is typically lower than 0.9 V even for the most efficient ones. Large energy loss is the main reason for limitingV(oc)and efficiency of all-PSCs. Herein, through materials design using electron deficient building blocks based on bithiophene imides, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of polymer acceptors can be effectively tuned, which resulted in a reduced energy loss induced by charge generation and recombination loss due to the suppressed charge-transfer (CT) state absorption. Despite a negligible driving force, all-PSC based on the polymer donor and acceptor combination with well-aligned energy levels exhibited efficient charge transfer and achieved an external quantum efficiency over 10% while maintaining a largeV(oc)of 1.02 V, leading to a 9.21% efficiency. Through various spectroscopy approaches, this work sheds light on the mechanism of energy loss in all-PSCs, which paves an avenue to achieving efficient all-PSCs with largeV(oc)and drives the further development of all-PSCs.
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18. |
- Tanaka, Kei E. I., et al.
(author)
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Salt, Hot Water, and Silicon Compounds Tracing Massive Twin Disks
- 2020
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In: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 900:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report results of 0.''. 05-resolution observations toward the O-type proto-binary system IRAS 16547-4247 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We present dynamical and chemical structures of the circumbinary disk, circumstellar disks, outflows, and jets, illustrated by multi-wavelength continuum and various molecular lines. In particular, we detect sodium chloride, silicon compounds, and vibrationally excited water lines as probes of the individual protostellar disks at a scale of 100 au. These are complementary to typical hot-core molecules tracing the circumbinary structures on a 1000 au scale. The H2O line tracing inner disks has an upper-state energy of E-u/k > 3000 K, indicating a high temperature of the disks. On the other hand, despite the detected transitions of NaCl, SiO, and SiS not necessarily having high upper-state energies, they are enhanced only in the vicinity of the protostars. We posit that these molecules are the products of dust destruction, which only happens in the inner disks. This is the second detection of alkali metal halide in protostellar systems after the case of the disk of Orion Source I, and also one of few massive protostellar disks associated with high-energy transition water and silicon compounds. These new results suggest that these "hot-disk" lines may be common in innermost disks around massive protostars, and have great potential for future research of massive star formation. We also tentatively find that the twin disks are counter-rotating, which might give a hint of the origin of the massive protobinary system IRAS 16547-4247.
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19. |
- Zhang, Hongqi, et al.
(author)
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Tbit/s Multi-Dimensional Multiplexing THz-Over-Fiber for 6G Wireless Communication
- 2021
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In: Journal of Lightwave Technology. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 0733-8724 .- 1558-2213. ; 39:18, s. 5783-5790
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Photonics-aided terahertz (THz) wireless systems have been progressively developed to accommodate the forthcoming wireless communication with extremely high data rates in recent years. However, restrained by the obtainable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the dimensions explored in THz photonic wireless systems, achieving data rates of Tbit/s and beyond is still challenging. In this paper, we present a multi-dimensional multiplexing Tbit/s THz-over-Fiber wireless communication system, by efficiently benefiting from the multiplexing gain in both optical wavelength and space domains. Enabled by a combined routine of an optical frequency comb, a low inter-core crosstalk (IC-XT) multi-core fiber and advanced digital signal processing, a line rate of up to 1176 Gbit/s over a wireless distance of 10 m in the 350 GHz band is experimentally demonstrated without any THz amplifiers, resulting in a net data rate of up to 1059 Gbit/s. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that beyond Tbit/s wireless data rate is successfully achieved in the THz region above 300 GHz, making a significant contribution to the development of THz-over-Fiber systems for the sixth generation (6G) wireless communication.
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20. |
- Zhang, Yichen, et al.
(author)
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An Ordered Envelope-Disk Transition in the Massive Protostellar Source G339.88-1.26
- 2019
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 873:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report molecular line observations of the massive protostellar source G339.88-1.26 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. The observations reveal a highly collimated SiO jet extending from the 1.3 mm continuum source, which connects to a slightly wider but still highly collimated CO outflow. Rotational features perpendicular to the outflow axis are detected in various molecular emissions, including SiO, SO 2 , H 2 S, CH 3 OH, and H 2 CO emissions. Based on their spatial distributions and kinematics, we find that they trace different parts of the envelope-disk system. The SiO emission traces the disk and inner envelope in addition to the jet. The CH 3 OH and H 2 CO emissions mostly trace the infalling-rotating envelope and are enhanced around the transition region between envelope and disk, i.e., the centrifugal barrier. The SO 2 and H 2 S emissions are enhanced around the centrifugal barrier and also trace the outer part of the disk. Envelope kinematics are consistent with rotating-infalling motion, while those of the disk are consistent with Keplerian rotation. The radius and velocity of the centrifugal barrier are estimated to be about 530 au and 6 , respectively, leading to a central mass of about 11 M o , consistent with estimates based on spectral energy distribution fitting. These results indicate that an ordered transition from an infalling-rotating envelope to a Keplerian disk through a centrifugal barrier, accompanied by changes of types of molecular line emissions, is a valid description of this massive protostellar source. This implies that at least some massive stars form in a similar way to low-mass stars via core accretion.
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21. |
- Zhang, Yichen, et al.
(author)
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Discovery of a Photoionized Bipolar Outflow toward the Massive Protostar G45.47+0.05
- 2019
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In: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 886:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Massive protostars generate strong radiation feedback, which may help set the mass that they achieve by the end of the accretion process. Studying such feedback is therefore crucial for understanding the formation of massive stars. We report the discovery of a photoionized bipolar outflow toward the massive protostar G45.47+0.05 using high-resolution observations at 1.3 mm with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) and at 7 mm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). By modeling the free-free continuum, the ionized outflow is found to be a photoevaporation flow with an electron temperature of 10,000 K and an electron number density of similar to 1.5 x 10(7) cm(-3) at the center, launched from a disk of radius of 110 au. H30 alpha hydrogen recombination line emission shows strong maser amplification, with G45 being one of very few sources to show such millimeter recombination line masers. The mass of the driving source is estimated to be 30-50 M based on the derived ionizing photon rate, or 30-40 M based on the H30 alpha kinematics. The kinematics of the photoevaporated material is dominated by rotation close to the disk plane, while accelerated to outflowing motion above the disk plane. The mass loss rate of the photoevaporation outflow is estimated to be similar to(2-3.5) x 10(-5) M yr(-1). We also found hints of a possible jet embedded inside the wide-angle ionized outflow with nonthermal emissions. The possible coexistence of a jet and a massive photoevaporation outflow suggests that, in spite of the strong photoionization feedback, accretion is still ongoing.
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22. |
- Zhang, Yichen, et al.
(author)
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Dynamics of a massive binary at birth
- 2019
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In: Nature Astronomy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-3366. ; 3:6, s. 517-523
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Almost all massive stars have bound stellar companions, existing in binaries or higher-order multiples(1-5). While binarity is theorized to be an essential feature of how massive stars form(6), essentially all information about such properties is derived from observations of already formed stars, whose orbital properties may have evolved since birth. Little is known about binarity during formation stages. Here we report high-angular-resolution observations of 1.3 mm continuum and H30 alpha recombination line emission, which reveal a massive protobinary with apparent separation of 180 au at the centre of the massive star-forming region IRAS 07299-1651. From the line-of-sight velocity difference of 9.5 km s(-1) of the two protostars, the binary is estimated to have a minimum total mass of 18 solar masses, consistent with several other metrics, and maximum period of 570 yr, assuming a circular orbit. The H30 alpha line from the primary protostar shows kinematics consistent with rotation along a ring of radius of 12 au. The observations indicate that disk fragmentation at several hundred astronomical units may have formed the binary, and much smaller disks are feeding the individual protostars.
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