Depression of the ferroelastic phase transition in LiCsSO<Subscript>4</Subscript> by uniaxial stress

In the lithium-caesium sulphate crystal in the temperature range of ferroelastic phase transition, the uniaxial stress σ _X induced changes in velocity and attenuation of the longitudinal ultrasonic wave propagating in the direction [010] are studied. The phase transition is close to the three-critical point and the critical exponent is κ = 0.27 ± 0.02. The stress applied drastically decreases the stepwise change in the wave velocity at T _C up to its disappearance at 2 MPa. In the temperature range between T _C and T _C − 6 K, the stress leads to an increase in the wave velocity and a decrease in its attenuation. This range was interpreted as that of co-existence of ferroelastic and incommensurate ordering, in which the stress influences the density of solitons leading to stiffening of the crystal lattice.     

Quantum Entanglement in Ground State of Extended Hubbard Model

Metal-insulator and CDW-SDW transitions are studied in the one-dimensional Extended Hubbard Model at half-filling by analysing the behaviour of local entanglement in fermionic systems. 1D traditional Hubbard model exhibits metal-insulator transition at critical point U_c = 0, where local entanglement reaches its maximum value. Moreover, a transition between charge- and spin-density- wave (CDW-SDW) occurs in 1D Extended Hubbard Model tUV with long-range interaction at straight line U = 2 V. The analysis of our obtained results shows that CDW-SDW transition has curious properties whose can be used in quantum information processing.

     

The effect of moisture content in fibre laser cutting of pine wood

This paper reports a statistical analysis of the multiple-pass laser cutting of wet and dry pine wood with a Ytterbium fibre laser. As multiple factors affect the laser wood cutting process, finding the optimal combination of process parameters is necessary to achieve good quality and high process efficiency. Design of experiments (DOE) and statistical modelling were used in this study to investigate the significant process parameters and their interactions. A high brightness, 1 kW IPG single mode, continuous wave Ytterbium doped fibre laser was employed to cut wet and dry pine wood samples. The parameters investigated are laser power, traverse speed, focal plane position (f.p.p.), gas pressure, number of passes, direction of cut (normal or parallel to wood's tracheids) and the moisture content. The experimental results were compared against process responses defining the efficiency (i.e. kerf depth and energy consumption) and quality of the cut section (i.e. kerf width, heat affected zone—HAZ, edge surface roughness and perpendicularity). It has been found that the laser cutting process was mainly affected by the moisture content and the cut direction with respect to the wood's tracheids, followed by traverse speed, laser power and the number of passes. The effect of moisture content on energy consumption in the laser cutting process of both wet and dry wood is analysed. The wood cutting results with fibre laser are compared with those from a CO₂ laser.     

Dielectric and ultrasonic investigation of phase transition in cuinp2s6 crystals

Investigation results of dielectric and ultrasonic properties of layered CuInP₂S₆ crystals are presented. At low frequencies, dielectric spectra are highly influenced by the high ionic conductivity with the activation energy of 7357.4?K (0.635?eV). The high-frequency part of the spectra is determined by relaxational soft mode. The critical slowing down and Debye-type dispersion show the order–disorder type of the phase transition. The temperature dependence of the relaxational soft mode and dielectric contribution show a quasi-one-dimensional behaviour. Ultrasonic velocity exhibits critical slowing down which is accompanied by attenuation peaks in the phase transition region. Layered CuInP₂S₆ crystals have extremely large elastic nonlinearity in the direction perpendicular to layers. The nonlinear elastic parameters substantially increases at the PT temperature.     

Spin echo SPI methods for quantitative analysis of fluids in porous media

Fluid density imaging is highly desirable in a wide variety of porous media measurements. The SPRITE class of MRI methods has proven to be robust and general in their ability to generate density images in porous media, however the short encoding times required, with correspondingly high magnetic field gradient strengths and filter widths, and low flip angle RF pulses, yield sub-optimal S/N images, especially at low static field strength. This paper explores two implementations of pure phase encode spin echo 1D imaging, with application to a proposed new petroleum reservoir core analysis measurement.In the first implementation of the pulse sequence, we modify the spin echo single point imaging (SE-SPI) technique to acquire the k-space origin data point, with a near zero evolution time, from the free induction decay (FID) following a 90° excitation pulse. Subsequent k-space data points are acquired by separately phase encoding individual echoes in a multi-echo acquisition. T₂ attenuation of the echo train yields an image convolution which causes blurring. The T₂ blur effect is moderate for porous media with T₂ lifetime distributions longer than 5 ms. As a robust, high S/N, and fast 1D imaging method, this method will be highly complementary to SPRITE techniques for the quantitative analysis of fluid content in porous media.In the second implementation of the SE-SPI pulse sequence, modification of the basic measurement permits fast determination of spatially resolved T₂ distributions in porous media through separately phase encoding each echo in a multi-echo CPMG pulse train. An individual T₂ weighted image may be acquired from each echo. The echo time (TE) of each T₂ weighted image may be reduced to 500 μs or less. These profiles can be fit to extract a T₂ distribution from each pixel employing a variety of standard inverse Laplace transform methods. Fluid content 1D images are produced as an essential by product of determining the spatially resolved T₂ distribution. These 1D images do not suffer from a T₂ related blurring.The above SE-SPI measurements are combined to generate 1D images of the local saturation and T₂ distribution as a function of saturation, upon centrifugation of petroleum reservoir core samples. The logarithm mean T₂ is observed to shift linearly with water saturation. This new reservoir core analysis measurement may provide a valuable calibration of the Coates equation for irreducible water saturation, which has been widely implemented in NMR well logging measurements.     

State and degree of polarization along single-polarization optical fibres with random perturbations

A numerical study of the state and degree of polarization along single-polarization fibres has been carried out on the basis of Müller-Stokes matrix approach and the mode coupling centre model. The general quasimonochromatic case is considered. Correspondence between polarization holdingh-parameter and the mode coupling centres' parameters has been established. The spectral average process has been considered and a novel criterion has been proposed. Expressions for the degree of polarization along the fibre have been derived for the cases of guided mode excitation and nonpolarized input. The degree of polarization has been shown to tend to a saturation level which depends on theh-parameter, the differential mode attenuation gD and the coherence lengthL in the fibre.     

A new technique for determination of melting temperature of poly(ethylene glycol) by ultrasonic velocimetry

Ultrasonic velocity and density of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (mol. wt. 2000 and 8000) solutions in water and benzene have been studied as a function of temperature from which respective isentropic compressibility has also been calculated. The velocity (as well as isentropic compressibility) undergoes a sudden change near melting temperature, T _m, of the solute polymer. Normally, we expect only one peak in viscoelastic properties at the T _m of PEG. However, we see two peaks (T _m1 and T _m2) in the case of the aqueous solution of PEG while there is only one peak for the case of benzene solution. This has been interpreted on the basis that one of the peaks (T _m1) is for unsolvated PEG and the other peak (T _m2) is that of PEG with water solvation shell. Such solvation shell is not formed with the aprotic solvent (benzene).     

Dynamic properties of the anderson model at finiteU

TheN-fold-degenerate single impurity Anderson model is studied at finiteU, using the perturbation expansion in the hybridizationV. The 1/N-expansion and the energy-dependence of the self-energies allow to set up a system of self-consistent integral equations for the self-energies, and thef-spectral function. Thef-spectral density and transport coefficients (the electrical resistivity , the Lorenz ratioL/L ₀ , the thermoelectric powerS, and the Hall-coefficientR _H ) are calculated numerically via the self-consistent integral equations. We are particularly interested in the effect of the Coulomb interaction on the dynamic properties. Thef-spectral function is calculated at small and largeU. It shows a sharp peak at the Fermilevel (the Kondo-Abrikosov-Suhl resonance) and two broad peaks around _f and _f +U. The structure at the Fermi-level is very sensitive to the Coulomb interactionU. In order to get more information about the model, we have studied the transport coefficients at differentU, which are universal functions of the temperatureT/T _K , where the Kondo-temperature sets the scale. We find that the transport coefficients show Kondo behavior aroundTT _K , and are also sensitive toU. The Hall-coefficient is negative forTT _K already within the impurity model. This competes with the usual interpretation as a coherence effect caused by the lattice.     

Criteria for the capture of large bottom particles by eddies in a dam break flow

The bottom layer of a dam break flow is experimentally studied. It is shown that the thickness of the viscous layer exceeds the diameter of a bottom particle (d _p < 1.2 cm). Small particles d _p < 0.05 cm are captured by single satellite eddies that occur under main eddies periodically formed in the viscous layer. Two satellite eddies approach each other and merge into one eddy capable of capturing a large particle if the flow velocity is higher than the critical value U _dip. The particle is captured for large U _cr > U _dip which provides particle rotation without slipping.     

The structure of projection-valued states: A generalization of Wigner's theorem

A projection-valued state is defined to be a completely orthoadditive map from the projections on one Hilbert space into the projections on another Hilbert space, which preserves the unit. Any such mapping is shown to have the formP U ₁(P 1₁)U ₁ ^–1 U ₂(P 1₂)U ₂ ^–1 , whereU ₁ is unitary andU ₂ is antiunitary, generalizing Wigner's theorem on symmetry transformations. A physical interpretation is given and the relation to quantum logic is discussed.The contents of this paper are a portion of the author's dissertation at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.     

Spatial variations of the mean and statistical quantities in the thermal boundary layers of turbulent convection

We have studied the dynamics of the contact line of a viscous liquid on a solid substrate with macroscopic random defects. We have first characterized the friction force f₀ at microscopic scale for a substrate without defects; f₀ is found to be a strongly nonlinear function of the velocity U of the contact line. In presence of macroscopic defects, we find that the applied force F(U) is simply shifted with respect to f₀(U) by a constant: we do not observe any critical behavior at the depinning transition. The only observable effect of the substrate disorder is to increase the hysteresis. We have also performed realistic numerical simulation of the motion of the contact line. Using the same values of the parameters as in the experiment, we find that the experimental data is qualitatively well reproduced. In light of experimental and numerical results, we discuss the possibility of measuring a true critical behavior.Received: 6 October 2003, Published online: 19 February 2004PACS: 46.65. + g Random phenomena and media - 64.60.Ht Dynamic critical phenomena - 68.08.Bc Wetting     

Experimental gravity induced coexistence curve of methyl fluoride near the critical point

Abstract

The top part of the coexistence curve of methyl fluoride in the critical region has been determined first by direct observation of the disappearance of the meniscus of the fluid situated in a high-pressure light scattering cell and subsequently from the measured maximum depolarization ratio of an appreciable number of isochores close to the critical point. The experimental data obtained from direct observations yield a coexistence curve which nearly coincides with that found recently from pVT measurements. However, the data obtained from light scattering experiments describe a gravity induced coexistence curve which lies above the previous one and which shows a minimum at the critical point. The complete experimental data have been used to evaluate the critical parameters p_c, ρ_c and T_c and the critical exponent β.     

On the special points on the (P,T, x)-phase diagram for Sn2P2(Se x S1− x )6 crystals: acoustic studies of Sn2P2(Se0.28S0.72)6

On the basis of temperature dependences of the acoustic wave velocity and the acoustic attenuation in Sn₂P₂(Se_0.28S_0.72)₆ crystals under normal conditions and hydrostatic pressures, we show that increasing pressure causes these crystals to move away from the tricritical point and enter into the region of first-order phase transitions (PTs) in (P,?T,?x)-space. Still higher hydrostatic pressures lead to an increase in the attenuation of the acoustic wave with the velocity v ₂₂ and broadening of its anomaly in the PT region, thus hinting at splitting of the PT, with the appearance of an intermediate incommensurate phase approximately at P?=?3.3?kbar. We offer a (P,?T,?x)-phase diagram for the solid solutions Sn₂P₂(Se _x S_{1? x} )₆, which includes two special lines of PTs, tricritical and triple ones, which can intersect at the Lifshitz point at negative hydrostatic pressures. The variations of the surface of acoustic wave velocities occurring with changing temperature are obtained for Sn₂P₂(Se_0.28S_0.72)₆ crystals under the atmospheric pressure.     

Striking and Running Voltages in a Glow Discharge for Combinations Fe/Ne + 1% Ar with and without Hg

Experimental investigations of striking U_s and running U_r voltages in a glow discharge for the combinations cathode material Fe gas filling 99% Ne + 1% Ar with and without Hg have been carried out. It is shown that Hg addings cause an increase of striking voltages U_s in the whole investigated range of Paschen curve as well as an increase of running voltage U_r in the whole pressure range p under investigation. The additional effects which occur in the discharge with Hg addings are discussed and a qualitative explanation of the obtained results is proposed.     

Structural instability in high-T c superconducting oxides

Two broad internal friction (attenuation as well) peaks in YBCO measured at around 120 K and 250 K are found to exhibit the characteristics of a first-order phase transition. X-ray diffraction indicates no symmetry change on cooling from room temperature but only a downward jump of the lattice parameters was observed. This is referred to as a phase-like transition (PLT) and further confirmed by stress-strain, specific heat and Debye-Waller factor measurements. There always occurs a phase-like transition at 10-30 K above T _c in YBCO, BSCCO and TBCCO which disappears in the non-superconducting phases. Ultrasonic studies on single-crystal BSCCO reveal a pronounced elastic anisotropy in the c-plane and a velocity minimum associated with PLT. The overall trend of elastic stiffening below room temperature and some discrepancies and questions in elasticity measurements so far observed for high-T _c oxides have been explained or clarified in terms of an abnormal fast change of lattice parameters.     

Calibration of non-contact ultrasound as an online sensor for wood characterization: Effects of temperature, moisture, and scanning direction

Numerous handheld moisture meters are available for measuring moisture levels of wood and building materials for a vast range of quality control and moisture diagnosis applications. However, many methods currently available require physical contact of a probe with the test material to operate. The contact requirement of such devices has limited applications for these purposes. There is a tremendous demand for dynamic online quality assessment of in-process materials for moisture content (MC) measurements. In this paper, a non-destructive non-contact ultrasound technology was used to evaluate the effects of increasing temperature in two MC levels and of increasing MC in lumber. The results show that the ultrasonic absolute transmittance and velocity parameters are directly correlated very well (R²≥0.87) with temperature for the two moisture levels in wood. At constant temperature, however, the velocity is inversely correlated with MC. It was also found that the distribution of MC along the length is marginally insignificant to both ultrasonic measurements. The transmittance measurement along the orthogonal thickness direction is insignificant above the fiber saturation MC; similarly, the velocity measurement is marginally insignificant. The study concludes a positive correlation and a good fit for this technology to advance into the development of an automated device for determining wood moisture levels, which will in turn be used to control the dynamics of wood drying/sterilization processes. Further calibration research is recommended to ascertain the constraints and limitations of the technology to specific wood species and dimension. PACS 43.35.Zc; 43.60.Vx; 43.35.Yb; 43.35.Mr; 81.05.Rm; 81.70.Cv; 83.80.Mc; 87.50.yg     

Transported scalar PDF calculations of autoignition of a hydrogen jet in a heated turbulent co-flow

The joint scalar PDF method, as implemented in FLUENT, was used to simulate the autoignition of a jet of hydrogen in a turbulent co-flow of heated air. While the autoignition phenomenon is intermittent in the experiment, ensemble-averaged data on the effect of the flow on ignition length are available, which enables us to compare them with the steady state calculations.Results of sensitivity tests showed that the choice of chemical mechanism affects the calculation more than the mixing model and model constants. Further calculations for different initial conditions (i.e. temperature and velocity of the jet T _jet and U _jet and the co-flow T _air and U _air) have been done using a set of parameters selected after the sensitivity study. Scatter plots and conditional scalar profiles confirmed that the ignition is always initiated in lean mixture fractions. The ignition length was predicted with good accuracy for the case of U _jet>U _air but not so well for the case of U _jet≈U _air. For the equal velocity case, increasing the velocity resulted in delayed autoignition time (defined as the ignition length divided by the mean velocity), in agreement with the experimental trend. The results give credence to the use of the joint scalar PDF method for autoignition in non-premixed flows.     

Cluster approach to the problem of hopping with interactions: oxygen transport in YBa2Cu3O6+x

A method for calculation of hopping transport phenomena in lattices which allows for strong interparticle interactions by means of cluster expansion constructions for transport coefficients is presented. The method developed is applied to the oxygen transfer in YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x taking into account interactions both between oxygen ions in lattice sites and between hopping oxygen in the saddle point and surroundings. It is shown that the oxygen mobility μ decreases as the oxygen content increases in contrast to the chemical diffusivityD which rises withx. The effective activation energiesU _eff forD and μ have peculiarities at the phase transition points. At fixedx valuesU _eff of μ falls by ≈ 0.1– 0.15 eV at the ortho-tetraphase transition whileU _eff ofD practically doesn't change. Paper presented at the 5th Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Benalmádena, Spain, Sept. 13–20, 1998.     

Vortex rings moving into turbulence

We report on an experimental study of turbulent vortex rings injected with velocity U _v0 into a grid-generated turbulent flow (with RMS streamwise velocity u _*) and followed relative to the mean flow. The initial Reynolds number of the vortices varies from 4500 to 11,500. The turbulence was characterised by an intensity I_t =u _*/U _v0, which varied over the range 0<I_t <0.03. A mathematical model based on a stochastic model of the vortex core is developed to explain and interpret the results. The vortex radius grows diffusively in time with the rate of increase of the square of the vortex radius increasing linearly with I_t . As the vortices grow, they slow down sufficiently rapidly in a manner that they penetrate a finite distance into the turbulence. The vortex velocity, averaged over many experiments, showed an initial t ^?1 decay, consistent with Maxworthy’s experiments. The analysis and experiments show that such vortices ultimately only move a finite distance from their point of generation and this distance varies inversely with I_t .     

Dynamical mean-field study of the Mott transition in thin films

The correlation-driven transition from a paramagnetic metal to a paramagnetic Mott-Hubbard insulator is studied within the half-filled Hubbard model for a thin-film geometry. We consider simple-cubic films with different low-index surfaces and film thickness d ranging from d=1 (two-dimensional) up to d=8. Using the dynamical mean-field theory, the lattice (film) problem is self-consistently mapped onto a set of d single-impurity Anderson models which are indirectly coupled via the respective baths of conduction electrons. The impurity models are solved at zero temperature using the exact-diagonalization algorithm. We investigate the layer and thickness dependence of the electronic structure in the low-energy regime. Effects due to the finite film thickness are found to be the more pronounced the lower is the film-surface coordination number. For the comparatively open sc(111) geometry we find a strong layer dependence of the quasi-particle weight while it is much less pronounced for the sc(110) and the sc(100) film geometries. For a given geometry and thickness d there is a unique critical interaction strength U _c2 (d) at which all effective masses diverge and there is a unique strength U _c1 (d) where the insulating solution disappears. U _c2 (d) and U _c1 (d) gradually increase with increasing thickness eventually approaching their bulk values. A simple analytical argument explains the complete geometry and thickness dependence of U_c2. U_c1 is found to scale linearly with U_c2. Received 19 August 1998