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June 18, 2015 The Waterline The Waterline Vol. XXXII No. 24 www.facebook.com/NavalSupportActivityWashington [email protected] NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION www.cnic.navy.mil/nsaw

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June 18, 2015

The WaterlineThe WaterlineVol. XXXII No. 24

www.facebook.com/[email protected]

NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION

www.cnic.navy.mil/nsaw

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2 Thursday, June 18, 2015Waterline

The WaterlineCommander, Naval Support Activity Washington

Capt. Monte Ulmer

NSAW Public Affairs OfficerBrian Sutton

Waterline StaffWriter

Patrick Gordon

Copy Editor/Page DesignerThe Gazette/Comprint Military Publications

Lorraine Walker

All stories must be submitted by 4 p.m. theThursday prior to publication. E-mail stories to:[email protected] or bring/mail to: The Wa-terline, 1411 Parsons Ave. SE, Suite 205, Washington

Navy Yard, 20374.

Submissions should be free of military times andshould contain the first and last names with ranks/rates,warfare qualifications, job titles and duty station/com-mand of all persons quoted or referred to.

All submissions must also include the author’s nameand office or telephone number where they can bereached. If you have further questions, call or contactthe editor at (202) 433-9714, fax (202) 433-2158.

This commercial enterprise Navy newspaper is anauthorized publication for members of the U.S. mili-tary services, retirees, DOD civilians and their familymembers.

Contents of The Waterline do not necessarily reflectthe official views of the U.S. government, Departmentof Defense or the U.S. Navy, and does not imply en-dorsement thereof.

The appearance of advertising in this publication,including inserts or supplements, does not constitute

endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Navy,Naval District Washington or Comprint, Inc., of theproducts or services advertised.

This paper is published by Comprint, Inc., 9030Comprint Ct., Gaithersburg, Md. 20877, (301) 948-1520, a private firm in no way connected with DODor the U.S. Navy, under exclusive contract with NavalDistrict Washington.

To place display advertising, please call (240) 473-7538. To place classified advertising, call (301) 670-2505.

Everything advertised in this publication shall bemade available for purchase, use or patronage withoutregard to race, color, gender, national origin, age, mari-tal status, physical handicap, political affiliation or anyother non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron.

The editorial content of The Waterline is edited andapproved by the public affairs office of Naval DistrictWashington.

By Patrick GordonNSAW public affairs

The U.S. Naval Observatory is a very fa-mous place. Most know it as the residence ofthe vice president of the United States. Butwhat many people don’t know is that it is afully functioning observatory, determiningthe motions of celestial bodies and provid-ing astronomical and timing data requiredby the Navy and other components of theDepartment of Defense for navigation, pre-cise positioning, and command, control,and communications.

But this necessary and precise researchis being hindered every night by light pol-lution, and the culprits often have no ideathey are doing it.

“Since the Naval Observatory still hasworking telescopes, in particular the 26-inch telescope, light pollution makes itdifficult for the scientists to see the stars,and urban light pollution in the D.C. areais a problem,” Janell Herring, communityplanning liaison officer for Naval SupportActivity Washington. “What we’re trying todo is make the public aware, so we can turndown the lights and prevent or turn back thecurrent level of light pollution and the en-croachment to the Navy’s mission.”

According to the observatory, light pollu-tion can be categorized into two forms - skyglow and light trespass. Sky glow is a gen-eralized effect resulting from the scatteringof light from sources throughout a city ormetropolitan area. Light trespass refers tothe escape of light from direct point sources.

Herring explained that because of theobservatory’s location in an urban area, theamount of light being thrown into the air atnight creates conditions that make it diffi-cult for astronomers at the observatory touse their instruments to watch the night sky.In an effort to reduce this, Herring said thatNSAW has worked with a number commu-nity organizations to raise awareness aboutwhat citizens can do to help.

“We do a lot of outreach and havebrought in groups in D.C.’s government,such as the D.C. Office of Planning, Office ofZoning, Office of the Environment, and theD.C. Department of Transportation,” saidHerring. “And then we go out to the neigh-borhood associations and the National Cap-ital Planning Commission and do briefs for

them, so that when they make decisions onprojects they take our concerns under con-sideration. And there are things like GloverPark Day. Glover Park is a neighborhoodjust outside of the observatory and everyyear they have Glover Park Day, so we goout there and raise awareness among theresidents out there.”

Herring added that her office has workedwith the D.C. office of zoning and have in-corporated some of the best managementpractices for light pollution into D.C.’s zon-ing code, working with developers to stopthe problem of light pollution at the onset.

She explained that are a number ofthings that average citizens can do as well

to limit the amount of sky glow around theobservatory.

“Three things that people can do are onlyhave the lights on when you need them, onlyhave lights where you need them, and turndown the wattage,” said Herring.

Some tips for limiting light pollution are:- Keep lights off when not in use. Hook-

ing up motion sensor to lights is a good wayto ensure that they are not on when theydon’t need to be.

- Use lower wattage bulbs. Lower wattagebulbs reduce the amount of light being castout. Herring said that foot-candle tests by theDark Sky Association and the IlluminationEn-gineering Society found thatwattage in neigh-borhoods around the observatory were wellabove recommended levels. “We’re just overlighting inmost cases,” said Herring.

- Know the Glow. The type of bulb affectsthe color of light it puts out, said Herring.She recommends using low pressure so-dium lights wherever possible because theyput off a yellow light that can be filtered bythe telescope. Commonly used bulbs, suchas LED bulbs, produce broad spectrumlight, which is much more difficult to filter.

- Point lights down when possible. “Lightpointed at the ground tends to stay on theground,” said Herring. Lighting fixturesshould direct light where it is needed ratherthan scattering it. Full cutoff fixtures shinelight downward rather than allowing it toescape in all directions and contribute tosky glow.

Herring said that while more work needsto be done to reduce light pollution in thearea around the observatory, outreach hasproved dividends. She added that manymembers of the surrounding neighbor-hoods have become more aware of theNaval Observatory’s mission and how theycan help due in large part to interactionwith the community.

“We’ve seen a lot of awareness of the is-sue,” said Herring. “The difference betweengoing out to Glover Park Day the first yearand the following year was noticeable. Thefirst year nobody knew there was a workingtelescope at the observatory, but the follow-ing year a lot of people came up to us andtold us they were aware of the telescope andthe problem.”

NSAW aims to reduce light pollution forU.S. Naval Observatory operations

U.S. Navy photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Seth Rossman

Personnel at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., prepare thefacility’s historic 26-inch refractor telescope for optical viewing of Mars.NSAW is working with the communities around the observatory to limitlight pollution that makes it difficult for astronomers to view the night sky.

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By John D. BanusiewiczDoD NewsDefense Media Activity

A Defense Department proposal submit-ted to Congress today would create whatPentagon officials called a “blended definedbenefit and defined contribution” militaryretirement system.

Pentagon spokesman Army Col. SteveWarren told reporters that the proposal in-cludes elements the department believes arenecessary to promote retention, to maintainthe all-volunteer force, and to protect ser-vice members who retire due to disability.

“The department carefully reviewedproposals offered by the Military Compen-sation and Retirement Modernization Com-mission as well as Congress,” Warren said.

“And in crafting its final recommendation,the department considered all elements ofcurrent and potential retirement plans andbuilt a blended system that -- in the militaryjudgment of the Department of Defense --best enables us to maintain the readiness ofthe all-volunteer force.”

Officials believe the proposal will help togive the department the flexibility it needsto manage the force into the future, thecolonel said, while helping to ensure that 85percent of service members will start long-term retirement savings.

Proposal HighlightsHighlights of the proposal include:- Creating a defined contribution ele-

ment through the Thrift Savings Plan forservice members;

- DoD automatically contributing anamount equal to 1 percent of a servicemem-

ber’s basic pay to the Thrift Savings Planaccount from entry into service throughseparation or retirement, with vesting aftercompletion of two years of service and ad-ditional matching contributions of up to 5percent of basic pay starting after comple-tion of four years of service and continuingthrough separation or retirement; and

- Each service having the ability to offer abonus, called Continuation Pay, tomemberswith eight to 16 years of service, with eachservice setting the rate of Continuation Pay.

“This change to a blended retirement sys-tem is a key step in modernizing the depart-ment’s ability to recruit, retain andmaintainthe talent we require of our future force,”Warren said. “We know that future servicemembers will require more choice and flex-ibility in compensation and retirement.”

Attracting andManaging the Future Force

The proposal also provides additionaloptions for attracting and managing a mili-tary force that requires ever-increasing, di-verse and technical skill sets in an evolvingglobal economy, he added.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a De-fense Department spokesman, said thatunder the plan, about 85 percent of servicemembers who enter the force will receivesome form of a portable retirement benefit.

Future servicemembers would receive 80percent of the current defined benefit -- re-tirement pay, which effectively is a pension-- if they serve for 20 years, and would havethe opportunity to achieve nearly equiva-lent or better retirement benefits when theyreach retirement age, he added.

“This plan enables us to recruit and re-tain our superb all-volunteer force in the21st century,” Christensen said.

DoD sends blended military retirement proposal to Congress

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ty C. Connors

Master Chief Fire Controlman “Old Tar” Thomas E. Ward goes ashore for the last time following his retirement ceremony aboard the forward-deployedamphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). A Defense Department proposal submitted to Congress today would create what Pentagon of-ficials called a “blended defined benefit and defined contribution” military retirement system.

By Patrick GordonNSAW public affairs

Two Masters-at-Arms assigned to NavalSupport Activity Washington committedthemselves to the Navy’s culture of fitnessby taking part in the Tough Mudder raceat Doswell , Va., June 13. Master-at-Arms2nd Class AndrewMcCarthy and Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Derek Mauser ran the 10.1-mile obstacle race that included 19 creative-ly named obstacles such as “Skidmarked,”a 10-foot angled wall; “Mud Mile,” a wait-deep mud hole run; and “ElectroshockTherapy,” hanging electrodes that randomlyshock participants passing under them.

This most recent Tough Mudder was the

third for both. “About this time last yearwe heard about it and thought it would befun,” said Mauser. “He really got into it,and I had just checked in to the command,”added McCarthy. “And so the Friday beforethe first one we ran, [Mauser] didn’t haveanyone to go with him, so I got a ticket anddid it too. I wasn’t in the best of shape forthat one, coming off of 30-days leave, but weboth finished.”

Following that race, the two immediatelyregistered for the next race the following Oc-tober. They say their goal is to reach 10 intheir time with NSAW.

In addition to the fun of running theMudders, McCarthy and Mauser say that itcan do a lot to build a Sailor.

“There are a lot of reasons to do it,” saidMauser. “Proceeds go to the Wounded War-rior Project, and it’s good for you.” “It’sfun, and it actually builds teamwork,” saidMcCarthy. “You’re helping out each other,even random strangers, get through the ob-stacles, and people are helping you whenyou need it.”

Mauser cited the “MudMile” as an exam-ple of how far teamwork goes in the race. Hesaid jumping into several feet of muddy wa-ter that culminates in a wall climb is whereyou really see everyone pulling together tohelp everyone else. The two said that therace isn’t so much about the time runnerscomplete the race in, but the experience ofrunning it.

The two added that while the ToughMud-der helps condition them for the rigors of be-ing a NavyMaster-at-Arms, they said that thechallenging race is good for all Sailors.

“Any rate can benefit from a race likethis,” said McCarthy. “You’re conditioningyourself, whether you walk or run the race,by going 10 miles, and you’re using all ofyour muscles on the various obstacles.”

The two Sailors added they are excited torunmore ToughMudders, and will try to en-courage more of their peers to do so as well.

“It can be hard to get a whole shift to runone together due to manning,” said Mauser.

“But if anyone fromNSAWwanted to joinour team we’d be more than willing to havethem,” added McCarthy.

NSAW Masters-at-Arms participate in Tough Mudder competition

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By Army Sgt. 1st ClassTyrone C. Marshall Jr.DoD NewsDefense Media Activity

The Defense Department’s top civilianpersonnel policy chief discussed develop-ments intended to address civilian work-force challenges and improve performancemanagement and resourcing as part of theFuture of the Force initiative during a paneldiscussion held here today.

Paige Hinkle-Bowles, deputy assistantsecretary of defense for civilian personnelpolicy, participated in “Future of the Force:Recruitment, Retention and Readiness,” aDefense One Live-sponsored event.

Civilian Personnel Policy MissionHinkle-Bowles explained DoD’s civil-

ian population is a part of a “very large andcomplicated organization that we workwithin.”

“We focus, in my organization, predomi-nantly on the civilian population,” she said.“If you list out the different categories of ci-vilians that we have in the department, wehave about 900,000, which is very large byany standard of an organization.”

Those individuals, Hinkle-Bowles said,are grouped into about 600 occupations in3,000 locations across the U.S. and aroundthe world.

“In those occupations, we range fromeverything from logistics, acquisitions, in-formation technology [and] medical [ser-vices] to human resources and education,”Hinkle-Bowles said. “So we really cover thefull gamut.”

Hinkle-Bowles said most of DoD’s civil-ian workforce work outside of the Washing-ton, D.C., area.

“About 14 percent of our civilians are lo-cated here in the D.C. area,” she said. “Therest are out, again, in the rest of the countryand all over the world.”

Addressing ChallengesThe last few years have been challeng-

ing for the department’s civilians, Hinkle-

Bowles said referring to results from the2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

“Our employees sent some messages tous as they have over the last few years,” shesaid. “The positive side of what they said tous is our employees are very dedicated tothe department’s mission and they continueto remain focused on the job.”

Despite satisfaction with many DoDwork/life balance programs, areas such asperformance management, terminal devel-opment and resources were cited as areasneeding improvement, Hinkle-Bowles said.

“In many cases,” she said, “our employ-ees expressed some concern about whetheror not we have the right resources [and]people to do the job, and so those are thetypes of things that we are focusing on in thecivilian arena.”

Planning Efforts in ProgressHinkle-Bowles said this is an opportunity

under “Force of the Future” to explore someof those areas and efforts to affect changeare already underway.

One strategic workforce planning effort,she explained, involves categorizing theappropriated workforce across functionalcommunities and assessing if the correctskills and competencies are in place andstrategies if they are not.

“We are making progress in that plan-ning effort, but we still have a lot of work todo,” Hinkle-Bowles said.

New Beginnings InitiativeAnother initiative, referred to as “New

Beginnings,” began prior to the Future ofthe Force initiative, Hinkle-Bowles said.

This effort, she said, began several yearsago following authorities granted underthe National Defense Authorization Act toestablish a new civilian workforce perfor-mance management system, and undersec-retary of defense authorities provided hiringcapabilities.

“We are anticipating implementation ofthat performance management system anda phased rollout starting as early as nextyear,” she said.

“One of the key notes of that for us,” Hin-kle-Bowles said, “is that it was a collabora-tive process with our labor unions andmanyother recommendations that culminated inthat effort came out of some design teamswhere we worked in partnership with laborand management together.”

Hiring StrategyHinkle-Bowles noted the civilian work-

force experiences challenges similar to

those of the military workforce in attracting,recruiting and retaining personnel.

“One of the key elements of our hiringstrategy is bringing veterans back into ourworkforce as civilians,” she said. “About 50percent of our civilian workforce has someprior military service.”

But DoD wants to do a better job of at-tracting people who might not normallyconsider the department or government asan employer of choice, Hinkle-Bowles said.

DoD civilian personnel chief discusses future force

By Terri Moon CronkDoD NewsDefense Media Activity

The Defense Department today an-nounced a partnership to launch employ-ment training for transitioning servicemembers, veterans and military spouses inhighly skilled utility industry jobs.

The Utility Industry Workforce Initiativeis a public-private partnership comprisingDoD, the departments of Energy, VeteransAffairs and Labor, and private-sector com-panies Edison Electric Institute, Center forEnergy Workforce Development, NuclearEnergy Institute, National Rural ElectricCooperative Association and American Gas

Association, defense officials said.The initiative’s goal is to promote and

design training and credentialing opportu-nities for applicants to enter the utility in-dustry, officials noted.

Program Builds on White House EffortsThe announcement builds on the White

House effort that began in April to help Amer-ica’s veterans find high-quality jobs, with agoal to train 75,000 workers for the renew-able energy industry by 2020. About 200,000service members leave the military annually.

The energy sector is projected to requirean additional 1.5 million workers by 2030 tomodernize the nation’s energy infrastructure,according to Quadrennial Energy Review.

VA’s Veterans Economic Communities

Initiative will work with local resources toconnect transitioning service members,veterans, and their families on training andemployment opportunities.

DOL will match military occupationcodes with credentialing opportunities inthe utility sector, and expand training ca-pacity in SkillBridge through the commu-nity college structure.

‘SkillBridge’ Helps Transitioning TroopsThe DoD SkillBridge authority promotes

civilian job training available to transition-ing military service members.

“This announcement is just the latest ex-ample of how leveraging our new SkillBridgeauthority can help in easing the transition ofour service members to civilian life -- while

delivering real value to the American econo-my,” said Frank C. DiGiovanni, DoD’s direc-tor of force readiness and training.

“As we have seen, [by] the private sectorparticipating in SkillBridge, it just makesgood business sense,” he added.

SkillBridge will help linkmilitary occupa-tions to utility jobs, and active-duty troopscan receive entry-level utility training, suchas apprenticeships or internships, in theirlast six months before separation.

To qualify, the eight- to 12-week trainingmust lead to a “high probability” of employ-ment and must be provided at little or nocost to service members, officials said.

Defense officials said the strategic planwill roll out later this year.

Utility jobs training to open for troops, veterans, spouses

Department of Defense photo

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com

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NSAW News BriefsYards Park Friday Night Concert Series and CanalPark Outdoor Film Series

Let the excitement begin! Lineups have been finalizedfor the Yards Park Friday Night Concert Series and CanalPark Outdoor Film Series this summer in the Capitol Riv-erfront.

The Friday Night Concert Series kicked off May 15 onthe boardwalk and terrace steps of Yards Park. A total of 18concerts will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will featurea wide range of live musical performances from bands se-lected by top entertainment source OnTap Magazine.

June 12 - C Jazz Fest at The Yards, Soul Rebels & SharónClark (Jazz) June 19 - Texas Chainsaw Horns (Horn DrivenRock) June 26 - Jah Works (Reggae)

July 3 - Almost Journey (Journey Tribute) July 10 - HandPainted Swinger (Pop Hits) July 17 - Wesley Spangler(Crossover Country) July 24 - Justin Trawick (Indie FolkRock) July 31 - White Ford Bronco (90’s Covers)

Aug. 7 - Morrison Brothers (Alt Country) Aug. 14 - JeffFrom Accounting (Pop Hits) Aug. 21 - Lloyd Dobler Effect(Party Covers) Aug. 28 - Special Guest TBA in August!

Sept. 4 - Crowded Streets (DaveMatthews Tribute) Sept.11 - Sara Gray (Modern Country)

The “People’s Choice” themed Outdoor Film Series willbegin Thursday, June 4, in the northern block of Canal Parkat sundown around 8:45 p.m. Bring your blanket and yourpicnic and enjoy your favorite stars underneath our stars inCanal Park:

June 25 - Rush HourJuly 2 - Independence DayJuly 9 - Bring It OnJuly 16 - LEGOMovie

July 23 -WillyWonka& the Chocolate FactoryJuly 30 - Big Hero 6 Aug. 6- Pitch Perfect Aug. 13 - TheGoonies Aug. 20 - Guardians ofthe Galaxy Aug. 27 - To Kill A Mockingbird Sept. 3 - TheSound of Music

Everyday Fitness in The FrontThe Capitol Riverfront BID and partners VIDA Fitness

and DC BFIT will host a series of summer workouts andexercise classes in Yards Park and Canal Park from May19 through Sept. 12.

The fitness classes are free and open to the public andwill be offered Monday through Saturday, with a specialfamily fitness class one Sunday per month. The followingclasses can be enjoyed throughout the summer:

Monday: 6:30 p.m.High Energy class in Canal Park from DC BFITTuesday: 7 p.m.Vinyasa Yoga in Yards Park from VIDA FitnessWednesday: 6:30 a.m.Yoga class in Canal Park; 6:30 p.m. High Energy class

in Yards Park from DC BFITThursday: 7 p.m.Zumba in Yards Park from VIDA FitnessFriday: 6:30 a.m.High Energy class in Yards Park from DC BFITSaturday: 8:30 a.m.Boot Camp in Yards Park fromDC BFIT Third Sunday

of each month: 1:30 p.m. Family Fitness in Canal Parkfrom DC BFIT

By Don RochonNAVFAC Headquarters Public Affairs

Daniel Zarate, a chemist with Naval Facilities Engineer-ing Command’s Engineering and Expeditionary WarfareCenter in Port Hueneme, California, was honored at thePentagon by the assistant secretary of the Navy for research,development and acquisition as one of the Navy’s top sci-entists, June 12.

Zarate successfully developed, validated and transi-tioned the next generation of Polysulfide Modified NovolacEpoxy coating for use in petroleum, oil, and lubricants fuelstanks. The new coating successfully resolved environmentaland operational risks associated with leaks caused by cor-rosion, including the elimination of volatile organic com-pounds in the coating.

“This innovation will save the government millionsof dollars in tank maintenance, repair, and replacementcosts,” said EXWC Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Edel-son. “The new coating increases operational availabilityand reduces the risk of fuel leaking into the environment.”

Zarate was among 11 extraordinary scientists and engi-neers who were recognized at this year’s ASNDr. DeloresM.Etter Top Scientists and Engineers Award ceremony.

In addition to saving maintenance costs for the Navy,the new coating will reduce the operational down time forlarge POL fuel tanks. Corrosion is a perennial problem inmaintaining facilities infrastructure, especially those withsteel components. Massive POL fuel tanks present a diffi-cult challenge due to their sheer volume. Industrial coatingshave been used to mitigate corrosion problems, but currentsystems have a high volatile organic compounds content,which impacts local ozone levels and contributes to green-house gas effects.

Zarate’s new PMNE coating solves this problem. The

new coating significantly improves performance while re-ducing lifecycle cost by up to 50%.

Now living in Oxnard, California, Zarate originally hailsfrom Visalia, California.

For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Com-mand, visit www.navy.mil/local/navfachq/.

NAVFAC chemist receivesNavy’s top scientist award

Courtesy graphic

From Department of Defense

The Department of Defense has issued the first-everDoD-wide Law of War Manual June 12.

The manual is the product of a multi-year effort by mili-tary and civilian lawyers from across the Defense Depart-ment to develop a department-wide resource for militarycommanders, legal practitioners, and other military andcivilian personnel on the international law principles gov-erning armed conflict.

Although all of the services have previously publishedrespected works on the law of war, which have served asvaluable resources for their personnel, DoD has never be-fore published a department-wide law of war manual.

The manual is publicly available at http://www.defense.gov/pubs/Law-of-War-Manual-June-2015.pdf, or at the“News” tab on Defense.gov under “Publications.”

DoD announces newLaw of War Manual

Link directly to www.dcmilitary.com /waterlineon your Smart phone

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By Donna McKinneyNaval Research Lab

A team of physicists from the Universityof Pittsburgh, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the U.S. Naval Research Lab-oratory has discovered electron pairing instrontium titanate far above the supercon-ducting transition temperature. The phaseis a long-postulated state of matter in whichelectrons form pairs that do not condenseinto a superconducting phase. The com-plete findings are published in the May 14issue of the journal “Nature”.

At low temperatures, many materialsenter a superconducting phase, where theyexhibit precisely zero electrical resistance.Superconductors are used for many appli-cations including in magnetic resonanceimaging devices and for magnetic energystorage. The basis for all superconductors isthe formation of electron pairs.

In the normal non-superconductingphase, the electrons in most metals moveindependently—the scattering of electronscauses electrical resistance. In a supercon-ductor, the paired electrons move in a high-ly coordinated fashion that has zero electri-

cal resistance. The new research identifiedan intermediate phase, in which electronsform pairs, but the pairs move independent-ly. The independent pairs are able to scatter,and the phase exhibits electrical resistance.

The researchers used quantum dots instrontium titanate to observe the electronpairs. Quantum dots are small regions of amaterial in which the number of electronscan be precisely controlled, in this case us-ing an electrostatic gate. The quantum dotswere large enough to support a supercon-ducting phase at low temperatures, but theresearchers observed that the dots alwayspreferred an even number of electronsin the new phase at higher temperatures.When the researchers applied a magneticfield, they observed breaking of the electronpairs one at a time.

A theory of electron pairing without for-mation of a superconducting state was firstpublished by David M. Eagles in 1969. C.Stephen Hellberg, a physicist in NRL’s Ma-terial Science and Technology Division andthe team’s theorist, observed “the resultsare well described by a simple model withattractive interactions between electrons.We still don’t know the origin of the attrac-tive interaction: possibilities include ‘Nega-

tive-U’ defect centers and bipolarons.”The team created and measured 58

quantum dots with varying dimensions andbarriers between the quantum dots and theleads. The new pairing phase was observedin all of the dots. The discovery providesclues about the mechanisms causing super-conductivity in strontium titanate, whichmay eventually help researchers to the dis-covery of a material that superconducts atroom temperature.

These images show differential conduc-tance through the quantum dot as a func-tion of the gate voltage that controls thenumber of electrons in the dot (x-axis) andthe applied magnetic field (y-axis). Blueregions have low differential conductanceand a constant number of electrons; green,yellow, and brown show higher differen-tial conductance, indicating a change inthe number of electrons in the dot. The toppanel shows the measured differential con-ductance; the bottom panel shows the the-oretical calculation, which has no disorder.Both experiment and theory show splittingof the electron pairs with increasing fieldand reentrant pairing at higher fields (themerging of pairs of boundaries into verticalboundaries).

Researchers discover electron pairing without superconductivity

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

These images show differential con-ductance through the quantum dotas a function of the gate voltage thatcontrols the number of electrons inthe dot (x-axis) and the applied mag-netic field (y-axis). Blue regions havelow differential conductance and aconstant number of electrons; green,yellow, and brown show higher dif-ferential conductance, indicating achange in the number of electronsin the dot. The top panel shows themeasured differential conductance;the bottom panel shows the theoreti-cal calculation, which has no dis-order. Both experiment and theoryshow splitting of the electron pairswith increasing field and reentrantpairing at higher fields (the mergingof pairs of boundaries into verticalboundaries).

For more news from other bases around the Washington, D.C. area,

visit www.dcmilitary.com.

T6617560

Rockville

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