Predicting the liquid-vapor critical point from the crystal anharmonicity

A "universal" dependence is predicted of the reduced critical parameters, k(B)T(c) / E0(gamma), V(c) / V0(gamma), and P(c)V(c)/k(B)T(c) = Z(c)(gamma), on the crystal anharmonicity gamma (closely related to the Gruneisen parameter gamma(G)). It is based on a simplified embedded-atom type approach which enables one to utilize the universal zero-temperature equation of state in a version of fluid perturbation theory. This model's critical temperature and density agree with the experimental results for both the heavy rare gases ( gamma approximately 2.85) and heavy alkali metals ( gamma approximately 1.35). Predicted critical parameters for many other liquid metals are consistent with previous estimates, but the model is not applicable when directional bonding is important.     

Fluctuations in granular media

Dense slowly evolving or static granular materials exhibit strong force fluctuations even though the spatial disorder of the grains is relatively weak. Typically, forces are carried preferentially along a network of "force chains." These consist of linearly aligned grains with larger-than-average force. A growing body of work has explored the nature of these fluctuations. We first briefly review recent work concerning stress fluctuations. We then focus on a series of experiments in both two- and three-dimension [(2D) and (3D)] to characterize force fluctuations in slowly sheared systems. Both sets of experiments show strong temporal fluctuations in the local stress/force; the length scales of these fluctuations extend up to 10(2) grains. In 2D, we use photoelastic disks that permit visualization of the internal force structure. From this we can make comparisons to recent models and calculations that predict the distributions of forces. Typically, these models indicate that the distributions should fall off exponentially at large force. We find in the experiments that the force distributions change systematically as we change the mean packing fraction, gamma. For gamma's typical of dense packings of nondeformable grains, we see distributions that are consistent with an exponential decrease at large forces. For both lower and higher gamma, the observed force distributions appear to differ from this prediction, with a more Gaussian distribution at larger gamma and perhaps a power law at lower gamma. For high gamma, the distributions differ from this prediction because the grains begin to deform, allowing more grains to carry the applied force, and causing the distributions to have a local maximum at nonzero force. It is less clear why the distributions differ from the models at lower gamma. An exploration in gamma has led to the discovery of an interesting continuous or "critical" transition (the strengthening/softening transition) in which the mean stress is the order parameter, and the mean packing fraction, gamma, must be adjusted to a value gamma(c) to reach the "critical point." We also follow the motion of individual disks and obtain detailed statistical information on the kinematics, including velocities and particle rotations or spin. Distributions for the azimuthal velocity, V(theta), and spin, S, of the particles are nearly rate invariant, which is consistent with conventional wisdom. Near gamma(c), the grain motion becomes intermittent causing the mean velocity of grains to slow down. Also, the length of stress chains grows as gamma-->gamma(c). The 3D experiments show statistical rate invariance for the stress in the sense that when the power spectra and spectral frequencies of the stress time series are appropriately scaled by the shear rate, Omega, all spectra collapse onto a single curve for given particle and sample sizes. The frequency dependence of the spectra can be characterized by two different power laws, P proportional, variant omega(-alpha), in the high and low frequency regimes: alpha approximately 2 at high omega; alpha<2 at low omega. The force distributions computed from the 3D stress time series are at least qualitatively consistent with exponential fall-off at large stresses. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics.     

In situ reflectivity investigations of solid/liquid interface during laser backside etching

In situ reflectivity measurements of the solid/liquid interface with a pump-probe setup were performed during laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) of fused silica with KrF excimer laser using toluene as absorbing liquid. The intensity, the temporal shape, and the duration of the reflected light measured in dependence on the laser fluence are discussed referring to the surface modification and the bubble formation.The vaporisation of the superheated liquid at the solid interface causes a considerable increase of the reflectivity and gives information about the bubble lifetime. The alterations of the reflectivity after bubbles collapse can be explained with the changed optical properties due to surface modifications of the solid surface. Comparative studies of the reflectivity at different times and the etch rate behaviour in dependence on the laser fluence show that the in situ measured surface modification begins just at the etch threshold fluence and correlates further with etch rate behaviour and the etched surface appearance. The already observed surface modification at LIBWE due to a carbon deposition and structural changes of the near surface region are approved by the changes of the interface reflectivity and emphasizes the importance of the modified surface region in the laser-induced backside wet etching process.     

Study on gamma response function of E J301 organic liquid scintillator with GEANT4 and FLUKA

The gamma response function is required for energy calibration of EJ301 （5 cm in diameter and 20 cm in height） organic liquid scintillator detector by means of gamma sources. The GEANT4 and FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation packages were used to simulate the response function of the detector for standard 22Na, 60Co, 137Cs gamma sources. The simulated results showed a good agreement with experimental data by incorporating the energy resolution function to simulation codes. The energy resolution and the position of the maximum Compton electron energy were obtained by comparing measured light output distribution with simulated one. The energy resolution of the detector varied from 21.2% to 12.4% for electrons in the energy region from 0.341 MeV to 1.12 MeV. The accurate position of the maximum Compton electron energy was determined at the position 81% of maximum height of Compton edges distribution. In addition, the relation of the electron energy calibration and the effective neutron detection thresholds were described in detail. The present results indicated that both packages were suited for studying the gamma response function of EJ301 detector.     

切向流动对偏晶合金定向生长机理的影响

研究了静态和切向流动作用下对二氯苯-丁二腈(DCB-SCN)偏晶合金的定向凝固过程.实验结果表明,静态条件下,DCB以小平面相方式生长,随着抽拉速度的提高,DCB-SCN偏晶凝固组织形貌发生液/固两相完全分离组织-规则纤维状共生组织-不规则弥散组织转变.施加切向流动作用后,DCB生长晶面出现胞状扰动,并且偏晶共生纤维间距随流速的增高而变大,但对于同一流速,仍然满足λV^0.5=常数.同时,切向流动能够细化弥散偏晶组织中第二相颗粒尺寸,这主要缘于流动引发的固液界面形态变化能     

Surface fluctuations of normal and superfluid 3He probed by Wigner solid dynamics

Electron scattering from surface fluctuations on normal and superfluid 3He has been measured by its effect on the linewidth of the low-wave-vector transverse magnetophonon mode of the electron crystal (the Wigner solid) floating on the helium surface. The relaxation rate becomes anomalously low below 70 mK, and reaches a plateau at about 3 times less than its expected value before dropping further at the superfluid transition. The absence of such anomalous behavior on 4He suggests that the effect is specific to liquid 3He.     

On the solidification front of a dilute binary alloy: Thermal diffusivity effects and breathing solutions

The asymptotic equation derived in [6],

, to describe the interfacial structure of the solidification front of a dilute binary alloy in the limit in which the solute rejection coefficient is close to unity, is demonstrated to be also valid to lowest order when the thermal diffusivities in the liquid and in the solid are unequal. At higher order nonequal thermal diffusivity effects contribute an integral term. A uniformly valid approximation for the interfacial structure is obtained. The integral term is shown to be capable of producing slowly travelling waves or breathing solutions along the interfacial front when the thermal diffusivity of the liquid is sufficiently larger than the thermal diffusivity of the solid. This slowly oscillatory behavior may signal the proximity of a chaotic region located within the region of linear instability. Latent heat of fusion effects are also discussed.     

An attempt to determine the tritium, Na, Cl and radon in territory of mud volcano in Taman

Little is known about the radio-isotopic geochemistry of mud volcanoes in the Taman area, Krasnodar region, in the tectonic active zone of the Caucasus range. In 1998, we have started the determination of radon in soil air using solid state nuclear track detectors on a monthly basis. Tritium was determined out of water sampled at the mud volcano vents by means of both mass spectrometry and liquid scintillation. ²²Na, ³⁶Cl were also determined by means of a low background gamma spectrometer placed at a depth of 50 m in our underground laboratory. It was found that mud volcano fluids are of partial deep origin.     

Orientation dependence of the solid/liquid interfacial free energy in binary systems

A first-order theory of compositional segregation at solid/liquid interfaces, based on a pair-bonded, lattice-liquid interfacial model, has been applied to predict the effect of segregation on the orientation dependence of the interfacial free energy in binary metallic systems. The results show that the sharpness of the cusps in the gamma plot is reduced due to preferential segregation at layer edges as compared to layer faces, and cusps may be eliminated under certain conditions. The reduction in cusp sharpness is the greatest when the composition difference of the solid and liquid phases is large and the solutions are appreciably non-ideal. The relative reduction of sharpness due to segregation is less pronounced for cusps which are sharper in the unsegregated condition, so segregation tends to smooth the form of the gamma plot. Graphical results are presented for calculation of segregational anisotropy effects in general systems.     

Exciton dispersion and electronic excitations in hcp 4He

We present first measurements of the dispersion of excitons in solid helium, taken on a single hcp 4He crystal along the c axis. In agreement with studies on helium clusters, the major energy-loss peak can be interpreted as an intermediate molecular-type exciton, as we do not observe Wannier-like excitations. The measurements are in the (0 0 2) periodic zone, with the exciton energy dispersing along the c axis with a minimum at the gamma point. A calculated conduction band minimum at 31.0 eV above the valence band at gamma is supported by our data at energies above the exciton energy, leading to an exciton binding energy of 8.4 eV.     

Gamma ray radiation induced visible light absorption in P-doped silica fibers at low dose levels

A CCD Fiber Optic Spectrometer has been used to monitor the gamma ray radiation induced loss in P-doped fibers at different dopant concentrations (1, 5 and 10 mol%) with a light source (an incandescent bulb with a temperature of 2800–3000 K). The range of dose rates is limited to that used in medical applications (cancer treatments), that is 0.1 to 1.0 Gray per minute (Gy/min). At low integral dose level (<2.0 Gy) four absorption peaks were observed (470, 502, 540 and 600 nm) within the visible region. It has been observed that the radiation induced loss at 470 and 600 nm depends strongly on dose rate. At dose rates of 0.2 and 0.5 Gy/min the induced loss shows nonlinear relation to the total dose. However, at high dose rate (1.0 Gy/min) and low dose rate (0.1 Gy/min) it seems to have a linear dependence with total dose. The conversion from NBOHCs to GeX centers was observed during gamma radiation at low dose rates (0.1–0.5 Gy/min). At the wavelength of 502 and 540 nm, the radiation induced losses show excellent linear relations with total dose (<2.0 Gy) with little dose rate dependence. Experimental results show that the sensitivity (induced loss (dB) per meter fiber per Gy) of 5 mol% P-doped silica fiber is more than 30 times greater than that of a standard multi-mode (MM) communication fiber. The results suggest that P-doped silica fiber is a good candidate as a sensing component in fiber optic dosimetry, especially for radiation therapy applications.     

Singularities in Gravitational Collapse with Radial Pressure

We analyze spherical dust collapse with non-vanishing radial pressure, II, and vanishing tangential stresses. Considering a barotropic equation of state, II = , we obtain an analytical solution in closed form—which is exact for = –1, 0, and approximate otherwise—near the center of symmetry (where the curvature singularity forms). We study the formation, visibility, and curvature strength of singularities in the resulting spacetime. We find that visible, Tipler strong singularities can develop from generic initial data. Radial pressure alters the spectrum of possible endstates for collapse, increasing the parameter space region that contains no visible singularities, but cannot by itself prevent the formation of visible singularities for sufficiently low values of the energy density. Known results from pressureless dust are recovered in the = 0 limit.     

Nature of the As75 excited states

The As⁷⁵ excited states were studied through measurement of the g factor and level lifetime and on the basis of angular correlation with liquid and solid sources. The experimental results are compared with the predictions of various theories.Translated from Izvestiya VUZ. Fizika, No. 8, pp. 114–117, August, 1970.     

Liquid/vapor surface tension of metals: embedded atom method with charge gradient corrections

Molecular dynamics simulations for three embedded atom method (EAM) function sets are used to determine the liquid/vapor surface tension gamma for Al, Ni, Cu, Ag, and Au. The three EAM models differ in both the functional forms employed and the fitting procedure used. All the EAM potentials underestimate gamma but one of the models performs consistently better than the others. We show that including a correction to the local charge density associated with gradients in the density together with exploiting the invariance of the EAM potentials to appropriate transformations in the charge density can lead to improved values for gamma, as well as for solid free surface energies, within existing EAM function sets.     

Pulsed-laser sputtering of atoms and molecules. Part I: Basic solutions for gas-dynamic effects

When gases are released from a pulsed nozzle or when solids are sputtered with intense laser pulses, effusion-like expansions take place which terminate abruptly. The resulting gas-dynamic processes depend on , the heat capacity ratio, as well as on whether particles backscattered to the effusing surface are subject to recondensation or reflection. Certain aspects of these terminating expansions have already been treated but we consider it appropriate to examine the problem further. In particular the following topics are emphasized. (a) Following previous work, the expansions are shown to consist of a series of regions separated by lines of contact, i.e. abrupt changes of slope. (b) For conditions of recondensation, there are two regions separated by one line of contact, the first region lying in part behind the effusing surface. For conditions of reflection, there are three regions, the first of which begins at the surface. Both types of expansion terminate with a region which is a remanent of the release process. (c) The nearsurface region under conditions of reflection permits an analytical approximation valid for all in which the sound speed is invariant with distance and the flow velocity is linear with distance. (d) The surface itself under conditions of recondensation permits an analytical approximation valid for all for the sound speed. More generally the near-surface region can be resolved by the method of Stanyukovich. (e) The various analytical solutions and approximations are shown to compare favorably with numerical results. (f) Plots of density and flow velocity versus distance are found to be roughly independent of , thence of the nature of the sputtered particles. (g) Tabulated results are presented to enable a more general use of gas-dynamic ideas.For Part II, which deals with recondensation, see [1]     

Reflection of structural waves at a solid/liquid interface

This paper investigates the reflection characteristics of structural or guided waves in rods at a solid/liquid interface. Structural waves, whose wavelengths are much larger than the diameter of the rod, are described in a first approximation by classical one-dimensional wave theory. The reflection characteristics of such waves at a solid/liquid (melting) interface has been reported by two different ultrasonic measurement techniques: first, measuring the fast regression rate of a melting interface during the burning of metal rod samples in an oxygen-enriched environment, and second, monitoring the propagation of the solid/liquid interface during the slow melting and solidification of a rod sample in a furnace. The second work clearly shows that the major reflection occurs from the solid/liquid interface and not the liquid/gas interface as predicted by plane longitudinal wave reflectivity theory. The present work confirms this observation by reporting on the results of some specially designed experiments to identify the main interface of reflection for structural waves in rods. Hence, it helps in explaining the fundamental discrepancy between the reflection characteristics at a solid/liquid interface between low frequency structural waves and high frequency bulk waves, and confirms that the detected echo within a burning metallic rod clearly represents a reflection from the solid/liquid interface.     

Solute segregation at the curved surface of a growing crystal (steady state)

We consider a cylindrical crystal growing from the melt at a constant speed with a convex interface. Impurities from the melt segregate at the interface, and their approximate distribution in the solid is calculated in a dimensionless system with the following assumptions: a) the process occurs in the steady state; b) the impurities do not diffuse within the solid; c) the segregation at the interface is large. The determining parameter is the product of growth velocity and average curvature of the interface. When this parameter is large, the impurity concentration near the cylinder mantle is many orders of magnitude higher than near its axis. This gives rise to aradial refining process, which can be applied when diffusion in the liquid is low and convection has to be prevented. The problem is discussed for different shapes of the interface.     

In situ observation of maghemite nanoparticle adsorption at the water/gas interface

The adsorption of (maghemite) nanoparticles at the aqueous solution/gas interface was investigated by x-ray reflectivity. Two different concentrations (0.07 g/L and 0.7 g/L) were probed. The x-ray reflectivities indicate the adsorption of nanoparticles at the liquid surface for the highly concentrated solution, while no nanoparticle adsorption could be detected at the surface of the low concentrated solution within several hours. The vertical electron density profile of the high concentration solution/gas interface indicates the formation of a low ordered monolayer of nanoparticles occupying only 6% of the interfacial region.     

Vortex nanoliquid in high-temperature superconductors

Using a differential magneto-optical technique to visualize the flow of transport currents, we reveal a new delocalization line within the reversible vortex liquid region in the presence of a low density of columnar defects. This line separates a homogeneous vortex liquid, in which all the vortices are delocalized, from a heterogeneous "nanoliquid" phase, in which interconnected nanodroplets of vortex liquid are caged in the pores of a solid skeleton formed by vortices pinned on columnar defects. The nanoliquid phase displays high correlation along the columnar defects but no transverse critical current.