Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Flux engineering to control in-plane crystal and morphological orientation

We tailored nanostructured morphology and crystal texture of iron nanocolumns by engineering the inclination and azimuthal directions of the collimated flux characteristic of glancing angle deposition (GLAD). Under continuous substrate rotation, the flux is azimuthally isotropic within one rotation. With large substrate rotation speeds, we can deposit vertical nanocolumns with a faceted, tetrahedral apex, BCC crystal structure and 111 fiber texture. Designing the flux to have an azimuthal 3-fold symmetry, which reflects the symmetry of the tetrahedral apex, allows us to induce both an in-plane and out-of-plane texture (biaxial texture) by evolutionary selection. In-plane crystal orientation is accompanied by a preferential azimuthal nanocolumn orientation, where the sides of tetrahedral apex are directed toward the flux direction. This work demonstrates the flux engineering technique, which can orient in-plane crystal texture and morphology of crystalline nanocolumns on amorphous substrates. This control is a useful addition to vapor\u2013solid, physical self-assembly with the potential to improve the performance of porous thin film architectures as biaxial buffer layers, and in a variety of device applications such as photovoltaics and energy storage.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

A little ribbing: flux starvation engineering for rippled indium tin oxide nanotree branches

Combining vapour-liquid-solid growth with glancing angle deposition (VLS-GLAD) facilitates fabrication of branched nanowires not possible with either technique alone. Indiumtin oxide (ITO) nanostructuresgrown by VLS-GLAD produce extremely porous nanotree structures, where periodic branch diameter oscillations are sometimes observed. We explain this rippled branch growth with a simple model linking the physics governing branch growth to the process variables controlled in VLS-GLAD. The model is verified by inducing specific, aperiodic ripples onto growing ITO branches through macroscopic vapour flux control and manipulation of local shadowing.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Flux engineering for indium tin oxide nanotree crystal alignment and height-dependent branch orientation

Single-crystal indium tin oxide (ITO) nanotrees with engineered trunk and branch orientations are grown using a recently reported technique combining vapor-liquid-solid growth and glancing angle deposition (VLS-GLAD). In this work, three unique capabilities of VLS-GLAD are demonstrated for the first time: (i) nanotrees are aligned without epitaxy, (ii) branches can be placed on select faces of the nanotree trunk, and (iii) branch orientation can be modified along the height of nanotrees. VLS-GLAD uses a collimated obliquely incident vapor flux to place material on desired growth surfaces, resulting in preferential branch growth on the sides of the nanotree trunk exposed to the flux at the time of nucleation. Dynamic control of the azimuthal orientation of the flux relative to a growing nanotree enables the preferential orientation of branches to be modulated along the height of the nanotree, which we have demonstrated with both continuous and discrete substrate rotation schemes. An electron diffraction investigation confirms that the nanotrees can be considered as a single crystal, with continuity of the crystal structure across the trunk-branch interface. Crystal texture of the films is characterized by X-ray diffraction pole figures. By limiting the flux to discrete positions, the films develop both out-of-plane and in-plane crystal alignment (biaxial texture). We interpret the in-plane orientation as the result of competitive growth, which leads to evolutionary selection of similarly oriented structures. Control over in-plane nanotree crystal alignment and height-dependent branch orientation should increase the achievable complexity in three-dimensional nanowire architectures. \ua9 2012 American Chemical Society.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye