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Strong-field ionization can induce electron motion in both the continuum and the valence shell of the parent ion. Here, we explore their interplay by studying laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED) patterns arising from interaction with the potentials of two-hole states of the xenon cation. The quantitative rescattering theory is used to calculate the corresponding photoelectron momentum distributions, providing evidence that the spin-orbit dynamics could be detected by LIED. We identify the contribution of these time-evolving hole states to the angular distribution of the rescattered electrons, particularly noting a distinct change along the backward scattering angles. We benchmark numerical results with experiments using ultrabroad and femtosecond laser pulses centered at \SI3100nm.

The finite-nuclear-size (FNS) effect has a large contribution to the atomic spectral properties especially for heavy nuclei. By adopting the microscopic nuclear charge density distributions obtained from the relativistic continuum Hartree-Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory, we systematically investigate the FNS corrections to atomic energy levels and bound-electron $g$ factors of hydrogen-like ions with nuclear charge up to $118$. The comparison of the present numerical calculations with the predictions from empirical nuclear charge models, the non-relativistic Skyrme-Hartree-Fock calculations, and the results based on experimental charge densities indicate that both the nuclear charge radius and the detailed shape of charge density distribution play important roles in determining the FNS corrections. The variation of FNS corrections to energy levels and $g$ factors with respect to the nuclear charge are investigated for the lowest several bound states of hydrogen-like ions. It is shown that they both increase by orders of magnitude with increasing the nuclear charge, while the ratio between them has a relatively weak dependence on the nuclear charge. The FNS corrections to the $s_{1/2}$ and $p_{1/2}$ bound state energies from the RCHB calculations are generally in good agreement with the analytical estimations by Shabaev [J. Phys. B, 26, 1103 (1993)] based on the homogeneously charged sphere nuclear model, with the discrepancy indicating the distinct contribution of microscopic nuclear structure to the FNS effects.

TianQin is a proposed space-based gravitational wave detector designed to operate in circular high Earth orbits. As a sequel to [Zhang et al. Phys. Rev. D 103, 062001 (2021)], this work provides an analytical model to account for the perturbing effect of the Earth's gravity field on the range acceleration noise between two TianQin satellites. For such an ``orbital noise,'' the Earth's contribution dominates above $5\times 10^{-5}$ Hz in the frequency spectrum, and the noise calibration and mitigation, if needed, can benefit from in-depth noise modeling. Our model derivation is based on Kaula's theory of satellite gravimetry with Fourier-style decomposition, and uses circular reference orbits as an approximation. To validate the model, we compare the analytical and numerical results in two main scenarios. First, in the case of the Earth's static gravity field, both noise spectra are shown to agree well with each other at various orbital inclinations and radii, confirming our previous numerical work while providing more insight. Second, the model is extended to incorporate the Earth's time-variable gravity. Particularly relevant to TianQin, we augment the formulas to capture the disturbance from the Earth's free oscillations triggered by earthquakes, of which the mode frequencies enter TianQin's measurement band above 0.1 mHz. The analytical model may find applications in gravity environment monitoring and noise-reduction pipelines for TianQin.

Nonlinear optical materials possess wide applications, ranging from terahertz and mid-infrared detection to energy harvesting. Recently, the correlations between nonlinear optical responses and topological properties, such as Berry curvature and the quantum metric tensor, have stimulated great interest. Here, we report giant room-temperature nonlinearities in an emergent non-centrosymmetric two-dimensional topological material, the Janus transition metal dichalcogenides in the 1T' phase, which are synthesized by an advanced atomic-layer substitution method. High harmonic generation, terahertz emission spectroscopy, and second harmonic generation measurements consistently reveal orders-of-the-magnitude enhancement in terahertz-frequency nonlinearities of 1T' MoSSe (e.g., > 50 times higher than 2H MoS$_2$ for 18th order harmonic generation; > 20 times higher than 2H MoS$_2$ for terahertz emission). It is elucidated that such colossal nonlinear optical responses come from topological band mixing and strong inversion symmetry breaking due to the Janus structure. Our work defines general protocols for designing materials with large nonlinearities and preludes the applications of topological materials in optoelectronics down to the monolayer limit. This two-dimensional form of topological materials also constitute a unique platform for examining origin of the anomalous high-harmonic generation, with potential applications as building blocks for scalable attosecond sources.

The creation of attosecond pulses via laser-plasma interaction has been a subject of great scientific interest for more than three decades. This process is investigated by using particle-in-cell simulation with varying the plasma and laser parameters. The steepness of the density gradient at the plasma-vacuum interface is examined to see how this parameter affects the high-order harmonic generations and isolated-attosecond pulse creation. The optimal density gradient lengths $L$ are explored within the relativistic oscillating mirror mechanism. Although the ideal gradient lengths for the full width at half maximum and peak intensity of an isolated-attosecond pulse depend on the driving laser intensity independently, they are both found near $L$=0.2$\lambda$ for high laser intensities.

Segment lengths along major strike-slip faults exhibit a size dependency related to the brittle crust thickness. These segments result in the formation of the localized 'P-shear' deformation crossing and connecting the initial Riedels structures (i.e. en-echelon fault structures) which formed during the genesis stage of the fault zone. Mechanical models show that at all scales, the geometrical characteristics of the Riedels exhibit dependency on the thickness of the brittle layer. Combining the results of our mechanical discrete element model with several analogue experiments using sand, clay and gypsum, we have formulated a relationship between the orientation and spacing of Riedels and the thickness of the brittle layer. From this relationship, we derive that for a pure strike-slip mode, the maximum spacing between the Riedels are close to three times the thickness. For a transtensional mode, as the extensive component becomes predominant, the spacing distance at the surface become much smaller than the thickness. Applying this relationship to several well-characterized strike-slip faults on Earth, we show that the predicted brittle thickness is consistent with the seismogenic depth. Supposing the ubiquity of this phenomenon, we extent this relationship to characterize en-echelon structures observed on Mars, in the Memnonia region located West of Tharsis. Assuming that the outer ice shells of Ganymede, Enceladus and Europa, exhibit a brittle behavior, we suggest values of the corresponding apparent brittle thicknesses.

To ensure the practical application of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides, it is essential to characterize their structural stability under external stimuli such as electric fields and currents. Using vacancy monolayer islands on TiSe2 surfaces as a model system, for the first time we have observed a shape evolution and growth from triangular to hexagonal driven by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) electrical stressing. The size of islands shows linear growth with a rate of (3.00 +- 0.05) x 10-3 nm/s, when the STM scanning parameters are held fixed at Vs = 1.0 V and I = 1.8 nA. We further quantified how the growth rate is related to the tunneling current magnitude. Our simulations of monolayer island evolution using phase-field modeling are in good agreement with our experimental observations, and point towards preferential edge atom dissociation under STM scanning driving the observed growth. The results could be potentially important for device applications of ultrathin transition metal dichalcogenides and related 2D materials subject to electrical stressing under device operating conditions.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes are promising nanoelectronic materials but face long-standing challenges including production of pure semiconducting SWNTs and integration into ordered structures. Here, highly pure semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are separated from bulk materials and self-assembled into densely aligned rafts driven by depletion attraction forces. Microscopy and spectroscopy revealed a high degree of alignment and a high packing density of ~100 tubes/micron within SWNT rafts. Field-effect transistors made from aligned SWNT rafts afforded short channel (~150 nm long) devices comprised of tens of purely semiconducting SWNTs derived from chemical separation within a < 1 micron channel width, achieving unprecedented high on-currents (up to ~120 microamperes per device) with high on/off ratios. The average on-current was ~ 3-4 microamperes per tube. The results demonstrated densely aligned high quality semiconducting SWNTs for integration into high performance nanoelectronics.