Although ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks are present in many collisional orogenic belts, almost all exposed UHP metamorphic rocks are subducted upper or felsic lower continental crust with minor mafic boudins. Eclogites formed by subduction of mafic lower continental crust have not been identified yet. Here an eclogite occurrence that formed during subduction of the mafic lower continental crust in the Dabie orogen, east-central China is reported. At least four generations of metamorphic mineral assemblages can be discerned: (i) hypersthene + plagioclase ± garnet; (ii) omphacite + garnet + rutile + quartz; (iii) symplectite stage of garnet + diopside + hypersthene + ilmenite + plagioclase; (iv) amphibole + plagioclase + magnetite, which correspond to four metamorphic stages: (a) an early granulite facies, (b) eclogite facies, (c) retrograde metamorphism of high-pressure granulite facies and (d) retrograde metamorphism of amphibolite facies. Mineral inclusion assemblages and cathodoluminescence images show that zircon is characterized by distinctive domains of core and a thin overgrowth rim. The zircon core domains are classified into two types: the first is igneous with clear oscillatory zonation ± apatite and quartz inclusions; and the second is metamorphic containing a granulite facies mineral assemblage of garnet, hypersthene and plagioclase (andesine). The zircon rims contain garnet, omphacite and rutile inclusions, indicating a metamorphic overgrowth at eclogite facies. The almost identical ages of the two types of core domains (magmatic ¼ 791 ± 9 Ma and granulite facies metamorphic zircon ¼ 794 ± 10 Ma), and the Triassic age (212 ± 10 Ma) of eclogitic facies metamorphic overgrowth zircon rim are interpreted as indicating that the protolith of the eclogite is mafic granulite that originated from underplating of mantle-derived magma onto the base of continental crust during the Neoproterozoic (c. 800 Ma) and then subducted during the Triassic, experiencing UHP eclogite facies metamorphism at mantle depths. The new finding has two-fold significance: (i) voluminous mafic lower continental crust can increase the average density of subducted continental lithosphere, thus promoting its deep subduction; (ii) because of the current absence of mafic lower continental crust in the Dabie orogen, delamination or recycling of subducted mafic lower continental crust can be inferred as the geochemical cause for the mantle heterogeneity and the unusually evolved crustal composition.

In the southeastern margin of the North China Craton, high-pressure (HP) granulite facies meta-basic rocks exposed as bands or lenses in the Precambrian metamorphic basement (e.g. Bengbu) and as xenoliths in Mesozoic intrusions (e.g. Jiagou) are characterized by the assemblage garnet + clinopyroxene + plagioclase + quartz + rutile ± Ti-rich hornblende. Cathodoluminescence imaging and mineral inclusions reveal that most zircon from the three dated samples displays distinct core-mantle-rim structures. The cores show typical igneous zircon characteristics and give ages of 2.5-2.4 Ga, thus dating the protolith of the metabasites. The mantles formed at granulite facies conditions as evidenced by inclusions of the HP granulite mineral assemblage garnet + clinopyroxene + rutile + plagioclase + quartz ± hornblende and Ti-rich biotite and yield ages of 1839 ± 31, 1811 ± 19 and 1800 ± 15 Ma. An inclusion-free rim yields an age of 176 ± 2 Ma with the lower Th ⁄ U ratio of 0.02. The geochronological and preliminary petrological data of this study suggest that the lower crust beneath the southeastern margin of the North China Craton formed at 2.5-2.4 Ga and underwent HP granulite facies metamorphism at c. 1.8 Ga. This HT-HP metamorphic event may be ascribed to largescale crustal heating and thickening related to mantle-derived magma underplating at the base of the lower crust, as evidenced by widespread extension, rifting and related mafic magma emplacement in the North China Craton during this period. The age of 176 ± 2 Ma most likely records the late amphibolite facies retrogression occurring during exhumation.

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Elemental alloying in monolayer, two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) promises unprecedented ability to modulate their electronic structure leading to unique optoelectronic properties. MoS2 monolayer based photodetectors typically exhibit a high photoresponsivity but suffer from a low response time. Here we develop a new approach for Sn alloying in MoS2 monolayers based on the synergy of the customized chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and the effects of common salt (NaCl) to produce high-quality and large-size Mo1–x Sn x S2 (x < 0.5) alloy monolayers. The composition difference results in different growth behaviors; Mo dominated alloys (x < 0.5) exhibit uniform and large size (up to 100 μm) triangular monolayers, while Sn-dominated alloys (x > 0.5) present multilayer grains. The Mo1–x Sn x S2 (x < 0.5) based photodetectors and phototransistors exhibit a maximum responsitivity of 12 mA/W and a minimum response time of 20 ms, which is faster than most reported MoS2-based photodetectors. This work offers new perspectives for precision 2D alloy engineering to improve the optoelectronic performance of TMD-based photodetectors.

To compensate the beam-beam tune spread and beam-beam resonance driving terms in the polarized proton operation in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), we will introduce a low energy DC electron beam into each ring to collide head-on with the opposing proton beam. The device to provide the electron beam is called an electron lens. In this article, using a 6D weak-strong beam-beam interaction simulation model, we will investigate the effects of head-on beam-beam compensation with electron lenses on the proton beam dynamics for the RHIC 250 GeV polarized proton operation. Frequency maps, dynamic apertures, and proton beam loss rates are calculated for this study. Key beam parameters involved in this scheme are varied to search for the optimum compensation condition. The sensitivities of head-on beam-beam compensation to beam imperfections and beam offsets are also studied.

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