Internal friction in alloys due to plasticity of the diffusion phase transformation

An analytic expression is obtained for the time dependence Q ^?1(t) of internal friction associated with plasticity of a phase transformation. Time dependences Q ^?1(t) of internal friction of the Pb-62Sn and Pb-1.9Sn alloys (wt.%) alloys were studied in the regime of continuous excitation of resonant flexural vibrations. The measurements of the Q ^?1(t) dependences for 1 h at room temperature and a fixed strain amplitude ε₀ ≈ 7 and 19 min) for the Pb-62Sn alloy. For the Pb-1.9Sn alloy under the same conditions, an exponential decrease followed by an internal friction peak (at t _m ≈ 7 min) is observed. It is shown numerically that the above singularities of internal friction are formed by processes of intermittent phase decomposition of Pb-Sn alloys in the cyclic stress field produced by an external load. Experimental data on Q ^?1(t) are used for reconstructing the kinetic curves describing the decomposition (conversion) ratio as a function of time and for calculating the corresponding values of parameters K and n of the Avrami kinetic equation for the Pb-62Sn alloy.     

Thermodynamic properties of rhodium at high temperature and pressure by using mean field potential approach

The thermophysical properties of rhodium are studied up to melting temperature by incorporating anharmonic effects due to lattice ions and thermally excited electrons. In order to account anharmonic effects due to lattice vibrations, we have employed mean field potential (MFP) approach and for thermally excited electrons Mermin functional. The local form of the pseudopotential with only one effective adjustable parameter r_c is used to construct MFP and hence vibrational free energy due to ions – F_ion. We have studied equation of state at 300 K and further, to access the applicability of present conjunction scheme, we have also estimated shock-Hugoniot and temperature along principle Hugoniot. We have carried out the study of temperature variation of several thermophysical properties like thermal expansion (β_P), enthalpy (E_H), specific heats at constant pressure and volume (C_P and C_V), specific heats due to lattice ions and thermally excited electrons (C_V^ion and C_V^el, isothermal and adiabatic bulk moduli (B_T and B_s) and thermodynamic Gruneisen parameter (γ_th) in order to examine the inclusion of anharmonic effects in the present study. The computed results are compared with available experimental results measured by using different methods and previously obtained theoretical results using different theoretical philosophy. Our computed results are in good agreement with experimental findings and for some physical quantities better or comparable with other theoretical results. We conclude that local form of the pseudopotential used accounts s-p-d hybridization properly and found to be transferable at extreme environment without changing the values of the parameter. Thus, even the behavior of transition metals having complexity in electronic structure can be well understood with local pseudopotential without any modification in the potential at extreme environment. Looking to the success of present scheme (MFP + pseudopotential) we would like to extend it further for the study of liquid state properties as well as thermophysical properties of d and f block metals.     

Lattice dynamics of BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript> under hydrostatic pressure

The vibrational frequencies of the BiFeO₃ crystal lattice in the cubic phase (Pm3m) and the rhombohedral paraelectric phase (R3c) are calculated in terms of the ab initio model of an ionic crystal with the inclusion of the dipole and quadrupole polarizabilities. In the ferroelectric phase with the symmetry R3c, the calculated spontaneous polarization of 136 μC cm^?2 agrees well with the experimental data. The dependences of the unit cell volume, the elastic modulus, and the vibrational frequencies on the pressure are calculated. It is found that the frequency of an unstable ferroelectric mode in both the cubic (Pm3m) and rhombohedral (R3c) phases are almost independent of the applied pressure, in contrast to classical ferroelectrics with a perovskite structure, where the ferroelectric instability is very sensitive to a variation in the pressure.     

Self-similar magnetic structures and magnetic flux “Giant” creep

The penetration of a magnetic flux into a type-II high-T _c superconductor occupying the half-space x > 0 is considered. At the superconductor surface, the magnetic field amplitude increases in accordance with the law b(0, t) = b ₀(1 + t)^m (in dimensionless coordinates), where m > 0. The velocity of penetration of vortices is determined in the regime of thermally activated magnetic flux flow: v = v ₀exp?ub;?(U _0/T )(1-b?b/?x)?ub;, where U ₀ is the effective pinning energy and T is the thermal energy of excited vortex filaments (or their bundles). magnetic flux “Giant” creep (for which U ₀/T? 1) is considered. The model Navier-Stokes equation is derived with nonlinear “viscosity” v ∝ U ₀/T and convection velocity v _f ∝ (1 ? U ₀/T). It is shown that motion of vortices is of the diffusion type for j → 0 (j is the current density). For finite current densities 0 < j < j _c, magnetic flux convection takes place, leading to an increase in the amplitude and depth of penetration of the magnetic field into the superconductor. It is shown that the solution to the model equation is finite at each instant (i.e., the magnetic flux penetrates to a finite depth). The penetration depth x _eff ^A (t) ∝ (1 + t)^{(1 + m/2)/2} of the magnetic field in the superconductor and the velocity of the wavefront, which increases linearly in exponent m, exponentially in temperature T, and decreases upon an increase in the effective pinning barrier, are determined. A distinguishing feature of the solutions is their self-similarity; i.e., dissipative magnetic structures emerging in the case of giant creep are invariant to transformations b(x, t) = β^m b(t/β, x/β^{(1 + m/2)/2}), where β > 0.     

Self-similar distribution in “giant” magnetic flux creep

The problem of magnetic field penetration into the half-space is considered in parallel geometry in an external magnetic field increasing with time in accordance with the law B(0, t, τ₀ = B _{c 1} (1 + t/τ₀) ^m , m ≥ 0, t ≥ 0 (τ ₀ is the time of magnetic flux redistribution and B _{c 1} is the lower critical field). It is assumed that the flow of vortices is thermally activated in the “giant” creep mode (i.e., for weak pinning creep and high temperatures). A model equation is derived for describing the magnetic flux evolution. Analytic formulas are obtained for the depth and velocity of magnetic field penetration. It is shown that the giant creep regime is stable for 0 ≤ m ≤ 1/2.     

A new procedure for investigating three-dimensional stress fields in a thin plate with a through-the-thickness crack

In the paper, a new procedure is proposed to investigate three-dimensional fracture problems of a thin elastic plate with a long through-the-thickness crack under remote uniform tensile loading. The new procedure includes a new analytical method and high accurate finite element simulations. In the part of theoretical analysis, three-dimensional Maxwell stress functions are employed in order to derive three-dimensional crack tip fields. Based on the theoretical analysis, an equation which can describe the relationship among the three-dimensional J-integral J(z), the stress intensity factor K(z) and the tri-axial stress constraint level T _z (z) is derived first. In the part of finite element simulations, a fine mesh including 153360 elements is constructed to compute the stress field near the crack front, J(z) and T _z (z). Numerical results show that in the plane very close to the free surface, the K field solution is still valid for in-plane stresses. Comparison with the numerical results shows that the analytical results are valid.     

Scattering the Geometry of Weighted Graphs

Given two weighted graphs (X, b_k, m_k), k =?1,2 with b₁ ～ b₂ and m₁ ～ m₂, we prove a weighted L¹-criterion for the existence and completeness of the wave operators W_±(H₂, H₁, I_1,2), where H_k denotes the natural Laplacian in ?²(X, m_k) w.r.t. (X, b_k, m_k) and I_1,2 the trivial identification of ?²(X, m₁) with ?²(X, m₂). In particular, this entails a general criterion for the absolutely continuous spectra of H₁ and H₂ to be equal.     

Population Dynamics of Excited Atoms in Dissipative Cavities

Population dynamics of excited atoms in dissipative cavities is investigated in this work. We present a method of controlling populations of excited atoms in dissipative cavities. For the initial state |ee〉_AB|00〉_ab, the repopulation of excited atoms can be obtained by using atom-cavity couplings and non-Markovian effects after the atomic excited energy decays to zero. For the initial state |gg〉_AB|11〉_ab, the two atoms can also be populated to the excited states from the initial ground states by using atom-cavity couplings and non-Markovian effects. And the stronger the atom-cavity coupling or the non-Markovian effect is, the larger the number of repopulation of excited atoms is. Particularly, when the atom-cavity coupling or the non-Markovian effect is very strong, the number of repopulation of excited atoms can be close to one in a short time and will tend to a steady value in a long time.     

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.     

Spin-selective low temperature spectroscopy on single molecules with a triplet-triplet optical transition: Application to the NV defect center in diamond

The spin-selective photokinetics of a single matrix-isolated impurity molecule with a triplet-triplet optical transition, T ₀–T ₁, is considered and the manifestations of the photokinetics in the fluorescence excitation spectra and intensity autocorrelation functions g ⁽²⁾(τ) of the molecule undergoing narrow-band optical excitation is studied to resolve the fine structure of the transition. The rates of intersystem crossings (ISCs) T ₁→S→T ₀ to and from a nonradiating singlet state S of the molecule and the rate of population relaxation among the ground (T ₀) state sublevels can be obtained from the spectra and g ⁽²⁾(τ) using the analytical expressions obtained. New experiments on an individual NV defect center in nanocrystals of diamond, where, for the first time, the fine structure of its triplet-triplet ³ A-³ E zero-phonon optical transition (~637 nm) at 1.4 K was resolved, are interpreted. It is concluded that the rate of the ISC transition from the m _S =0 sublevel of the excited ³ E state to the singlet ¹ A state (~1 kHz) is much slower than the rates from the m _S =±1 substates, while the rates of ISC transitions to different m _S substates of the ground ³ A state are close to each other (~1 Hz). As a result, only the optical transition between m _S =0 sublevels in the ³ A-³ E manifold contributes strongly to the fluorescence. The experimentally observed double-exponential decay of the g ⁽²⁾(τ) function is explained by the two pathways available to the center for it to leave the S state: (i) the S→ T ₀(m _S )=0) transition and (ii) the S→T ⁰(m _S =±1) transitions followed by the slow spin-lattice relaxation T ₀(m _S =±1)→T ₀(m _S =0) (rate ~0.1 Hz). The work is important for studies where the NV center is used as a single photon source or for quantum information processing.     

Electron in the field of flexural vibrations of a membrane: Quantum time,magnetic oscillations,and coherence breaking

We have studied the motion of an electron in a membrane under the influence of flexural vibrations with a correlator that decreases upon an increase in the distance in accordance with the law r–^2η. We have conducted a detailed consideration of the case with η < 1/2, in which the perturbation theory is inapplicable, even for an arbitrarily weak interaction. It is shown that, in this case, reciprocal quantum time 1/τ_q is proportional to g^1/(1–η)T^{(2–η)/(2–2η)}, where g is the electron–phonon interaction constant and T is the temperature. The method developed here is applied for calculating the electron density of states in a magnetic field perpendicular to the membrane. In particular, it is shown that the Landau levels in the regime with ω_cτ_q » 1 have a Gaussian shape with a width that depends on the magnetic field as B^η. In addition, we calculate the time τ_φ of dephasing of the electron wave function that emerges due to the interaction with flexural phonons for η < 1/2. It has been shown that, in several temperature intervals, quantity 1/τ_φ can be expressed by various power functions of the electron–phonon interaction constant, temperature, and electron energy.     

Influence of the dimension of a polycrystalline film and the optical anisotropy of crystallites on the effective dielectric constant of the film

The dimension D of a polycrystalline film and the optical anisotropy m = ε_z/ε_x of uniaxial crystallites with the principal components ε_x = ε_y and ε_z of the tensor of the dielectric constant have been shown to produce a strong influence on the effective dielectric constant ε_D^* and the effective refractive index n_D^* = (ε_D^*)^1/2 of the film in the optical transparency region, as well as on the boundaries of the intervals B_Dl ≤ ε_D^* ≤ B_Du. The intervals Δ₂(m) = B_2l–B_2u and Δ₃(m) = B_3l–B_3u are separated by a gap for m in the range 1 < m < 2, whereas the theoretical dependence ε₂^*(m) is separated by a gap from the interval Δ₃(m) for m in the range 1 < m < 4. This is confirmed by a comparison of the experimental (n_oP) and theoretical (n_D^*) ordinary refractive indices for uniaxial polycrystalline films of the conjugated polymer poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) with uniaxial crystallites and appropriate values of m. In the visible transparency region of the PPV films with a change in m(λ) in the range 2 < m(λ) < 3 due to the dependence of the components ε_x,z(λ) on the light wavelength λ, the refractive indices n_oP²(λ) = ε_oP(λ) are consistent with the theoretical values of ε₂^*(λ) and lie outside the interval Δ₃(m). For m(λ) > 3 near the electronic absorption band of the crystallites, the values of ε_oP(λ) lie in the region of the overlap of the intervals Δ₂(m) and Δ₃(m). The boundaries mc of the range 1 < m < m_c are determined, for which the interval Δ₂(m) is separated by a gap from the dependences ε₃^*(m) corresponding to the effective medium theory with spherical crystallites and hierarchical models of a polycrystal, as well as from the proposed new dependence ε₃^*(m).     

Waves in a superlattice with arbitrary interlayer boundary thickness

The transmittance D(ω), reflectance R(ω), and dispersion ω(k) are investigated for waves of various nature propagating through a one-dimensional superlattice (multilayer structure) with arbitrary thickness of the interlayer boundary. The dependences of the band gap widths δω_m and their positions in the wave spectrum of the superlattice on the interlayer boundary thickness d and the band number m are calculated. Calculations are performed in terms of the modified coupled-mode theory (MCMT) using the frequency dependence of R(ω), as well as in the framework of perturbation theory using the function ω (k), which made it possible to estimate the accuracy of the MCMT method; the MCMT method is found to have a high accuracy in calculating the band gap widths and a much lower accuracy in determining the gap positions. It is shown that the m dependence of δω _m for electromagnetic (or elastic) waves is different from that for spin waves. Furthermore, the widths of the band gaps with m=1 and 2 are practically independent of d, whereas the widths of all gaps for m>2 depend strongly on d. Experimental measurements of these dependences allow one to determine the superlattice interface thicknesses by using spectral methods.     

The effect of non-linear capacitances in the localization properties of aperiodic dual electric transmission lines

This study investigates the localization properties of dual electric transmission lines with non-linear capacitances. The V_C,n voltage across each capacitor is selected as a non-linear function of the electric charge q_n, i.e., V_C,n = q_n(1/C_n -ε_n|q_n|²)where C_n is the linear part of the capacitance and ε_n the amplitude of the non-linear term. We follow a binary distribution of values of ε_n, according to the Thue-Morse m-tupling sequence. The localization behavior of this non-linear case indicates that the case m = 2 does not belong to the m ≥ 3, family because when m changes from m = 2 to m = 3, the number of extended states diminishes dramatically. This proves the topological difference of the m = 2 and m = 3 families. However, by increasing m values, localization behavior of the m-tupling family resembles that of the m = 2, case because the system begins to regain its extended states. The exact same result was obtained recently in the study of linear direct transmission lines with m-tupling distribution of inductances. Consequently, we state that the localization behavior of the m-tupling family as a function of the m value is independent of both the linear and the non-linear system under study, but independent of the kind of transmission line (dual or direct). This is curious behavior of the m-tupling family and thus deserves more scholarly attention.     

Specific features of optical absorption in rare-earth orthoaluminate DyAlO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Polarization spectra of optical absorption of the 4f-4f transition ⁶ H _15/2 → ⁶ F _3/2 in the rare-earth orthoaluminate DyAlO₃ are theoretically and experimentally studied at the temperature T=78 K. It is shown that the nontrivial character of the anisotropy of the polarization absorption spectra at low temperatures can be explained by the J-J mixing of excited multiplets of the 4f ⁹ configuration of Dy³⁺ ions in a low-symmetry crystal field of the orthoaluminate structure. The energy and wave functions of the Stark sublevels within the excited ⁶ F _5/2 multiplet in the 4f ⁹ configuration of the Dy³⁺ rare-earth ion in the crystal field of C _s symmetry are numerically calculated.     

Optical studies of phase transitions in the (NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript>Ti(O<Subscript>2</Subscript>)F<Subscript>5</Subscript> crystal

Polarization-optical study of twinning and measurements of the Raman spectra and birefringence in oxyfluoride (NH₄)₃Ti(O₂)F₅ were carried out over the temperature range 90–350 K. Phase transitions were detected at temperatures T ₀₁ = 266 K (second-order transition) and T ₀₂ = 225 K (first order). It is assumed that the crystal symmetry is changed as follows: Fm3m ? I4/mmm ? I4/m. Anomalies of the spectral parameters are established in the frequency range of internal vibrations of ammonium ions and Ti(O₂)F₅ complexes. An analysis of the results shows that the transition at T ₀₁ is likely due to small shifts of the tetrahedral groups from their position on the triad axis and that the transition at T ₀₂ is due to fluorine-oxygen ordering of Ti(O₂)F₅ complexes.     

Peculiarities of the formation of high-defect states in mechanocomposites and powders of niobium and aluminum under severe deformation in planetary ball mills

The microstructural peculiarities of Nb powder and Nb + Al powder mixtures after mechanical activation in a high-energy planetary ball mill were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The materials revealed two-level structural states: nanograins of size from 50 to 100 nm that contain subgrains of size ～20 nm and less with low-angle misorientation boundaries, elastic lattice curvature gC _ij ≈100°…200°μm^?1, curl or curvature gradient ?χ _ij /? _r > 100 μm^?2 and high (up to 10E μm^?1) local stress gradients (couples). An important factor in the formation of the above states is the capability of nano-objects to reach high elastic lattice curvature, high gradients of this curvature, and high local internal stress gradients at rather low absolute values of the internal stress.     

Dominant Majorana bound energy and critical current enhancement in ferromagnetic-superconducting topological insulator

Among the potential applications of topological insulators, we theoretically study the coexistence of proximity-induced ferromagnetic and superconducting orders in the surface states of a 3-dimensional topological insulator. The superconducting electron-hole excitations can be significantly affected by the magnetic order induced by a ferromagnet. In one hand, the surface state of the topological insulator, protected by the time-reversal symmetry, creates a spin-triplet and, on the other hand, magnetic order causes to renormalize the effective superconducting gap. We find Majorana mode energy along the ferromagnet/superconductor interface to sensitively depend on the magnitude of magnetization m _zfs from superconductor region, and its slope around perpendicular incidence is steep with very low dependency on m _zfs . The superconducting effective gap is renormalized by a factor η(m _zfs ), and Andreev bound state in ferromagnet-superconductor/ferromagnet/ferromagnet-superconductor (FS/F/FS) Josephson junction is more sensitive to the magnitude of magnetizations of FS and F regions. In particular, we show that the presence of m _zfs has a noticeable impact on the gap opening in Andreev bound state, which occurs in finite angle of incidence. This directly results in zero-energy Andreev state being dominant. By introducing the proper form of corresponding Dirac spinors for FS electron-hole states, we find that via the inclusion of m _zfs , the Josephson supercurrent is enhanced and exhibits almost abrupt crossover curve, featuring the dominant zero-energy Majorana bound states.     

Thermoelectric effect in the Kondo dot side-coupled to a Majorana mode

We investigate the linear thermoelectric response of an interacting quantum dot side-coupled by one of two Majorana modes hosted by a topological superconducting wire. We employ the numerical renormalization group technique to obtain the thermoelectrical conductance L in the Kondo regime while the background temperature T, the Majorana-dot coupling Γ _m , and the overlap ε _m between the two Majorana modes are tuned. We distinguish two transport regimes in which L displays different features: the weak- (Γ _m <T _K ) and strong-coupling (Γ _m >T _K ) regimes, where T _K is the Kondo temperature. For an infinitely long nanowire where the Majorana modes do not overlap (ε _m = 0), the thermoelectrical conductance in the weak-coupling regime exhibits a peak at T ~ Γ _m <T _K . This peak is ascribed to the anti-Fano resonance between the asymmetric Kondo resonance and the zero-energy Majorana bound state. In the strong-coupling regime, on the other hand, the Kondo-induced peak in L is affected by the induced Zeeman splitting in the dot. For finite but small overlap (0 <ε _m <Γ _m ), the interference between the two Majorana modes restores the Kondo effect in a smaller energy scale Γ′ _m and gives rise to an additional peak in Γ ~ Γ′ _m, whose sign is opposite to that at T ~ Γ _m . In the strong-coupling regime this additional peak can cause a non-monotonic behavior of L with respect to the dot gate. Finally, in order to identify the fingerprint of Majorana physics, we compare the Majorana case with its counterpart in which the Majorana bound states are replaced by a (spin-polarized) ordinary bound state and find that the thermoelectric features for finite ε _m are the genuine effect of the Majorana physics.     

Messung der Kernradiusdifferenzen von46Ti,48Ti und50Ti durch elastische Elektronenstreuung

Ratios of differential cross sections for elastic electron scattering from⁴⁶Ti,⁴⁸Ti and⁵⁰Ti have been measured at 29 MeV and 58 MeV. A partial wave analysis, carried out for static Fermi-type nuclear charge distributions, yields differences of the r.m.s. radiiR _m ofR _m ⁴⁸ ?R _m ⁴⁶ =(?0,00₅±0,02₇) fm andR _m ⁵⁰ ?R _m ⁴⁶ =(0,00₃±0,02₁) fm, if the skin thickness parameterz of the charge density is assumed to be constant. If allowance is made for a change inz ofΔz/z=±5% and ±10%, then the errors increase by ±0,01₃ fm and ±0,02₈ fm, respectively. This indicates a relatively small change in nuclear r.m.s. radii below the magic neutron number N=28.