Ultrasonic attenuation in insulating crystals

A theory for the dampingΓ of ultrasonic waves due to three-phonon processes is developed by using a Green's function method. The imaginary part of the self-energy of the impressed ultrasound phonons interacting with thermal phonons is calculated. In the limits ofω τ very large and very small the known results are rederived, whereω is the frequency of the ultrasonic wave andτ the thermal phonon relaxation time. The intermediate range ofω τ values is discussed in detail for the case of longitudinal phonon attenuation. It is found, that forω τ>1 a Landau-Rumer type law applies also for longitudinal phonons,Γ～ωT ⁴. But it is shown that dispersion effects and large third-order elastic anisotropy can lead to a stronger temperature dependence thanT ⁴ and a weaker dependence on frequency thanω. These results are compared with recent experiments.     

Rayleigh wave attenuation due to the scattering by two-dimensional irregularities of the walls of an empty borehole

Attenuation of the Rayleigh waves propagating along an irregular surface of an empty borehole is investigated. This problem generalizes the problem on the attenuation of Rayleigh waves by an irregular boundary of a half-space. The technique used to evaluate the attenuation coefficient is based on the perturbation method and the mean field method. As a result, an expression is obtained that relates the partial attenuation coefficients of the surface Rayleigh wave to the scattering by the irregular surface of an empty borehole into the bulk longitudinal and transverse waves (the R → P and R → S processes) and into the surface Rayleigh waves (the R → R processes). The frequency-dependent behavior of the partial attenuation coefficients is analyzed for different correlation functions of irregularities.     

On wave and rheidity properties of the Earth’s crust

The properties of the Earth’s solid crust have been studied on the assumption that this crust has a block structure. According to the rotation model, the motion of such a medium (geomedium) follows the angular momentum conservation law and can be described in the scope of the classical elasticity theory with a symmetric stress tensor. A geomedium motion is characterized by two types of rotation waves with shortand long-range actions. The first type includes slow solitons with velocities of 0 ≤ V_sol ≤ c0, max = 1–10 cm s^–1; the second type, fast excitons with V₀ ≤ V_ex ≤ V_S–V_P. The exciton minimal velocity (V₀ = 0) depends on the energy of the collective excitation of all seismically active belt blocks proportional to the Earth’s pole vibration frequency (the Chandler vibration frequency). The exciton maximal velocity depends on the velocities of S (V_S ≈ 4 km s^–1) and/or P (V_P ≈ 8 km s^–1) seismic (acoustic) waves. According to the rotation model, a geomedium is characterized by the property physically close to the corpuscular–wave interaction between blocks that compose this medium. The possible collective wave motion of geomedium blocks can be responsible for the geomedium rheidity property, i.e., a superplastic volume flow. A superplastic motion of a quantum fluid can be the physical analog of the geomedium rheid motion.     

Rayleigh wave dispersion and attenuation on a statistically rough free surface of a hexagonal crystal

Dispersion and attenuation of Rayleigh surface acoustic waves on a statistically rough free surface of a Z-cut hexagonal crystal were analytically studied using a modified mean-field method within the perturbation theory. Numerical calculations were carried out in the frequency range accessible for the perturbation theory using expressions for the real and imaginary parts of the complex frequency shift of Rayleigh waves caused by a slight surface roughness. The Rayleigh wave dispersion and attenuation in the Z-cut hexagonal crystal were shown to coincide qualitatively with those in an isotropic medium, differing only quantitatively. In the long-wavelength limit λ?a, where a is the lateral roughness correlation length, explicit analytical expressions for the relative change in the phase velocity and the inverse damping depth of Rayleigh waves were derived and used in numerical calculations.     

Interaction of surface acoustic waves with moving vortex structures in superconducting films

A method is proposed for describing a moving film vortex structure and its interaction with surface acoustic waves. It is shown that the moving vortex structure can amplify (generate) surface acoustic waves. In contrast to a similar effect in semiconductor films, this effect can appear when the velocity of the vortex structure is much lower than the velocity of the surface acoustic waves. A unidirectional collective mode is shown to exist in the moving vortex structure. This mode gives rise to an acoustic analogue of the diode effect that is resonant in the velocity of the vortex structure. This acoustic effect is manifested as an anomalous attenuation of the surface acoustic waves in the direction of the vortex-structure motion and as the absence of this attenuation for the propagation in the opposite direction.     

A swirling jet with vortex breakdown: three-dimensional coherent structures

The paper reports on shape of a three-dimensional coherent structure in a velocity field of a high-swirl turbulent jet with the bubble-type vortex breakdown. A set of the 3D instantenous velocity fields was measured by using the tomographic particle image velocimetry (tomographic PIV) technique and processed by the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method. The detected intensive coherent velocity component corresponded to a helical vortex core of the swirling jet and two secondary spiral vortices. The entire coherent structure was rotating around the jet axis in compliance with the direction of the flow swirl. From the 3D data it is concluded that the dynamics of the strsucture can be described by a traveling wave equation: Re[A(y, r)·e ^{i(mθ + ky - ωt)}] with the number of the spiral mode m = +1 for positively defined k and ω.     

Amplification of longitudinal ultrasonic waves by a moving vortex structure in type II superconductors

A moving vortex structure can amplify (generate) longitudinal acoustic waves when the velocity of its motion exceeds a certain critical velocity. The critical velocity is determined by the logarithmic derivative of the viscosity coefficient of the vortex structure with respect to the magnetic field and may be much smaller than the speed of sound. In particular, this effect suggests an alternative explanation for the plateau observed in the current-voltage characteristic of superconducting bridges in a perpendicular magnetic field [S.G. Doettinger et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 1691 (1994)].     

Formation of an energy cascade in a system of vortices on the surface of water

The formation of an energy cascade in a system of vortices generated by perpendicular standing waves with a frequency of 6 Hz on the water surface has been experimentally studied. It has been found that peaks appear on the energy distribution over wave vectors E(k) after switching on pumping. These peaks are transformed with time because of the energy redistribution over scales. The stationary distribution E(k) established 300 s after switching on pumping can be described by a power-law function of the wave vector E(k) ～ k^1.75. It has been shown that waves with frequencies of about 18, 15, 12, 9, and 3 Hz appear on the surface of water owing to the nonlinear interaction at the excitation of a 6-Hz wave. It is assumed that the energy cascade of the turbulent motion in the wave vector range of 0.3–5 cm^?1 is formed by the nonlinear interaction between vortices generated by all waves propagating on the surface and direct energy fluxes toward high wave vectors dominate.     

Collinear diffraction of a divergent light beam by ultrasound in a paratellurite crystal

The collinear acousto-optical interaction of a divergent light beam with ultrasound along the approximate [110] direction in a TeO₂ paratellurite crystal is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The collinear diffraction is studied at an ultrasonic frequency f ≈ 149 MHz under exposure of the crystal to an uncollimated laser light beam at a wavelength λ = 633 nm and at an angle of divergence as large as 4°. It is shown that the collinear diffraction along the direction forbidden for acousto-optical interactions of plane waves occurs only under conditions where the light beam is uncollimated and the diffraction efficiency increases with an increase in the divergence of the light beam. It is proved that the attenuation of an acoustic wave brings about a decrease in the diffraction efficiency and an increase in the transmission bandwidth of the device used. A model of the collinear acousto-optical filter based on a paratellurite crystal with an interaction length l = 2.7 cm is analyzed. The collinear acousto-optical filter is characterized by a high resolving power (～3000), a high diffraction efficiency (I₁/I₀ ≈ 0.8), and a large angular aperture (Δ? ≈ 4°). This makes collinear diffraction promising for use in acousto-optical filters based on paratellurite crystals.     

Crystallization and melting of spin-polarized<Superscript>3</Superscript>He

The melting and growth of³He crystals, spin-polarized by an external magnetic field, are different in nature depending on whether the temperature is higher or lower than the characteristic ordering temperatures in the crystal (the Neel temperatureT _N ) and in the liquid (the superfluid transition temperatureT _c ). In the high-temperature region (T≥T _N ,T _c ) the liquid which appears upon melting has a high nonequilibrium spin density. In the low-temperature region (T?T _N ,T _c ) the melting and growth are accompanied by spin supercurrents both in the liquid and in the crystal in addition to mass supercurrents in the liquid. The crystallization waves at the liquid-solid interface should exist in the low-temperature region. With increasing magnetic field the waves change in nature, because the spin currents begin to play a dominant role. The wave spectrum becomes linear with a velocity inversely proportional to the magnetic field. The attenuation of the waves at low enough temperatures is mainly due to the interaction of the moving crystal-liquid interface with thermal spin waves in the crystal. The waves could be weakly damped at temperatures below a few hundreds microkelvins.     

Spin waves on chains of YIG particles: dispersion relations,Faraday rotation,and power transmission

We calculate the dispersion relations for spin waves on a periodic chain of spherical or cylindrical Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) particles. We use the quasistatic approximation, appropriate when kd ? 1, where k is the wave number and d the interparticle spacing. In this regime, because of the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction between the localized magnetic excitations on neighboring particles, dispersive spin waves can propagate along the chain. The waves are analogous to plasmonic waves generated by electric dipole-dipole interactions between plasmons on neighboring metallic particles. The spin waves can be longitudinal (L), transverse (T), or elliptically polarized. We find that a linearly polarized spin wave undergoes a Faraday rotation as it propagates along the chain. The amount of Faraday rotation can be tuned by varying the off-diagonal component of the permeability tensor. We also discuss the possibility of wireless power transmission along the chain using these coupled spin waves.     

Nonlinear dynamics of domain walls with a vortex internal structure in magnetouniaxial films with planar anisotropy

The nonlinear and generally unsteady dynamics of domain walls with a vortex internal structure in a constant magnetic field H is investigated on the basis of the numerical solution of the Landau-Lifshitz equation for a 2D distribution of magnetization M in magnetic films with planar anisotropy taking into account exactly the main interaction, including the dipole-dipole interaction. It is shown that in addition to field H _c (bifurcation field) above which the motion of a wall becomes unsteady and its internal structure experiences global dynamic changes, there exists a field H₀ separating two steady motions of the wall with different structures. The data clarifying the physical origin of the nonlinear dynamic rearrangement of the wall structure are presented. New rearrangement mechanisms associated with the generation and attenuation of vortices as well as their tunneling through the central surface of the wall are established. The existence of subperiod oscillations of the wall velocity in a static field in addition to the oscillations associated with the precession of M around the easy magnetization axis is predicted. The period T of dynamic variations of the wall structure is studied, and an empirical formula is proposed for describing the singular behavior of the T(H) dependence near H=H _Hc with the critical index depending on the film parameters. The bifurcation process is studied, and a nonlinear dependence of the critical field H _c on the film thickness and the saturation magnetization is established. The possibility of direct experimental investigation of the dynamic rearrangement of the internal structure of the wall is indicated.     

Influence of Embedded Inhomogeneities on the Spectral Ratio of the Horizontal Components of a Random Field of Rayleigh Waves

Study of the statistical parameters of the Earth’s random microseismic field makes it possible to obtain estimates of the properties and structure of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle. Different approaches are used to observe and process the microseismic records, which are divided into several groups of passive seismology methods. Among them are the well-known methods of surface-wave tomography, the spectral H/V ratio of the components in the surface wave, and microseismic sounding, currently under development, which uses the spectral ratio V/V₀ of the vertical components between pairs of spatially separated stations. In the course of previous experiments, it became clear that these ratios are stable statistical parameters of the random field that do not depend on the properties of microseism sources. This paper proposes to expand the mentioned approach and study the possibilities for using the ratio of the horizontal components H₁/H₂ of the microseismic field. Numerical simulation was used to study the influence of an embedded velocity inhomogeneity on the spectral ratio of the horizontal components of the random field of fundamental Rayleigh modes, based on the concept that the Earth’s microseismic field is represented by these waves in a significant part of the frequency spectrum.     

Effect of a liquid on the characteristics of antisymmetric lamb waves in thin piezoelectric plates

The effect of a perfectly elastic nonviscous nonconducting liquid on the characteristics of a zero-order antisymmetric Lamb wave (the A ₀ wave) in a 128YX LiNbO₃ plate, whose thickness is small compared to the wavelength, is studied both theoretically and experimentally. A method for calculating the velocity and attenuation of this wave depending on the value of the parameter hf (h is the plate thickness and f is the wave frequency) is proposed. In addition, the characteristics of an A ₀ wave in a piezoelectric plate that is in contact with two different perfectly elastic nonviscous nonconducting liquids on its two sides are investigated. A possibility for the development of a proximate analyzer of liquids on the basis of such a structure is indicated.     

Acoustic testing of the vortex structure produced by an air flow about an array of cylinders

Results of experiments on the scattering of a plane ultrasonic wave from a vortex wake formed in an air flow behind a lattice of vertical cylinders are presented. The lattice is periodic in the direction perpendicular to the oncoming flow. The experiments are performed in a wind tunnel for two values of the Reynolds number, namely, Re = 75 and 500, and for lattices with different numbers of cylinders and with different lattice periods g = (2.5–15)d (where d is the diameter of the cylinders). The measured parameters of the scattered waves are used to estimate the degree of transverse correlation between the vortex wakes formed behind the cylinders for flows with different Reynolds numbers. The results obtained from an analysis of the characteristics of the scattered sound are compared with the results of direct hot-wire anemometer measurements and with the data obtained by other researchers.     

Sound attenuation in a random waveguide when using a radiating system with different patterns of directivity

Using numerical simulations of sound propagation on Russia’s shallow Arctic shelf, low frequency sound attenuation is analyzed for acoustic sources with different patterns of directivity, i.e., vertical discrete radiating arrays of different length. It is shown that sound attenuation depends largely on the parameters of patterns of directivity and the intensity of surface waves even at short ranges r from a source (r < 250H, where H is the waveguide depth).     

Sound velocity in shallow water bodies with gas-saturated water-bottom (ice) interfaces

Sound velocity variations in shallow water bodies with gas-saturated water-bottom (ice) interfaces are investigated. The effect of air inclusions in water and water-like bottoms (ice) on the velocity of longitudinal sound waves is qualitatively and quantitatively estimated. It is shown that changes in the sound velocity are mainly governed by the radial resonance, which at low frequencies depends on the quality factor of the zeroth mode of bubble oscillation. For real concentrations of bubbles, the velocity of longitudinal waves may become very low. This may lead to considerable distortions of boundary conditions at rough surfaces and, hence, to enhancement of scattering and absorption of sound waves and additional leakage of acoustic energy into the bottom (ice), as well as considerable changes in the sound velocity profile in surface layers with a change of sign of the velocity gradient from negative to positive, which results in the formation of a subsurface channel or an increase in its power. It is found that water-like bottoms (sediments) and ice (“liquid” ice), which are characterized by shear wave velocities of an order of 15 m/s or less, behave in the kilohertz range almost as a vacuum (C _l → 0) when the air content in them reaches several percent. As a result, the propagation of first normal modes in shallow water or in subsurface layers of arctic and oceanic waveguides noticeably changes.     

Amplitude and frequency characteristics of acoustic jets

The prerequisites to formation and the characteristics of a jet that occurs at the open end of a waveguide guiding an intense sound wave are studied. The velocity field is measured by a hot-wire anemometer. The previously developed method of separating the jet velocity V_jet from the amplitude of the oscillating particle velocity V_osc, which is applicable only when V_jet>V_osc, is supplemented with the method of oscillogram processing applicable for V_jet≤V_osc. Thus, a full picture of the jet evolution in space, starting from the waveguide outlet, is obtained. The experimentally determined spatial distribution of the jet velocity is found to agree well with the numerically simulated dependences reported by other authors. For the oscillating velocity amplitude at the open end of the waveguide, a threshold value, beyond which the formation of the acoustic jet takes place, is revealed. The frequency dependence of this threshold value is determined. The dependence of the maximal jet velocity on the oscillating velocity amplitude in the outlet waveguide cross section is found to be close to linear.     

Motion of a Rigid Body in a Special Lorentz Gas: Loss of Memory Effect

Linear motion of a rigid body in a special kind of Lorentz gas is mathematically analyzed. The rigid body moves against gas drag according to Newton’s equation. The gas model is a special Lorentz gas consisting of gas molecules and background obstacles, which was introduced in Tsuji and Aoki (J Stat Phys 146:620–645, 2012). The specular boundary condition is imposed on the resulting kinetic equation. This study complements the numerical study by Tsuji and Aoki cited above—although the setting in this paper is slightly different from theirs, qualitatively the same asymptotic behavior is proved: The velocity V(t) of the rigid body decays exponentially if the obstacles undergo thermal motion; if the obstacles are motionless, then the velocity V(t) decays algebraically with a rate \(t^{-\,5}\) independent of the spatial dimension. This demonstrates the idea that interaction of the molecules with the background obstacles destroys the memory effect due to recollision.