Creep kinetics of linearly heated metallic glasses

A quantitative theory of creep in linearly heated metallic glasses is developed in terms of new ideas on the kinetics of irreversible structural relaxation under external mechanical stress. The validity of the resulting flow equation has been confirmed by a specially devised experiment. It is shown that the temperature dependence of Newtonian viscosity is determined by the rate of heating and the energy spectrum of irreversible structural relaxation. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 2186–2190 (December 1997)     

Recombination kinetics in nonlinear defective LiB3O5 crystals

A study of recombination kinetics in LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystals by time-resolved luminescence and absorption spectroscopy is reported. An investigation of the kinetics of transient optical absorption (TOA) and luminescence under ns-scale electron-beam excitation performed within a broad temperature range of 77–500 K and a 1.2–5-eV spectral interval has established that the specific features in the recombination kinetics observed in LBO involve electronic, B²⁺, and hole, O⁻, trapping centers. The TOA and luminescence kinetics, as well as their temperature dependence, are interpreted by a model of competing hole centers. Relations connecting the kinetics parameters and the temperature dependence to the parameters of the main LBO point defects are presented. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 2008–2014 (November 1998)     

Effect of Mo3+ ions on Nd3+ spin-lattice relaxation in Y3Al5O12

The content of Mo³⁺ ions in YAG:Nd garnet samples prepared by different technologies has been studied, and the spin-lattice relaxation rate of these ions at temperatures of 4–5 K measured. It is concluded is drawn that Mo³⁺ ions can play the part of rapidly relaxing centers mediating the Nd³⁺ spin-lattice relaxation at liquid-helium temperatures. This may account for a number of features in the spin-lattice relaxation of rare-earth ions in garnets, observed earlier at low temperatures. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 2026–2028 (November 1998)     

Giant dielectric relaxation in SrTiO3-SrMg1/3Nb2/3O3 and SrTiO3-SrSc1/2Ta1/2O3 solid solutions

Ceramic samples of (1−x)SrTiO₃-xSrMg_1/3Nb_2/3O₃ and (1−x)SrTiO₃-xSrSc_1/2Ta_1/2O₃ were prepared, and their dielectric properties were studied at x=0.005–0.15 and 0.01–0.1, respectively, at frequencies 10 Hz–1 MHz and at temperatures 4.2–350 K. A giant dielectric relaxation was observed in the temperature range 150–300 K, and not so strong but well-developed relaxation was found in the temperature range 20–90 K. The activation energy U and the relaxation time τ₀ were determined to be 0.21–0.3 eV and from 10⁻¹¹ to 10⁻¹² s for the high-temperature relaxation and 0.01–0.02 eV and 10⁻⁸–10⁻¹⁰ s for the low-temperature relaxation, respectively. The additional local charge compensation of the heterovalent impurities Mg²⁺ and Nb⁵⁺ (or Sc³⁺ and Ta⁵⁺) by free charge carriers or the host ion vacancies is suggested to be the underlying physical mechanism of the relaxation phenomena. On the basis of this mechanism, the Maxwell-Wagner model and the model of reorienting dipole centers Mg²⁺ (or Sc³⁺) associated with the oxygen vacancy are proposed to explain the high-temperature relaxation with some arguments in favor of the latter model. The polaron-like model with the Nb⁵⁺-Ti³⁺ center is suggested as the origin of the low-temperature relaxation. The reasons for the absence of ferroelectric phase transitions in the solid solutions under study are also discussed. From Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 44, No. 11, 2002, pp. 1948–1957. Original English Text Copyright ? 2002 by Lemanov, Sotnikov, Smirnova, Weihnacht. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Temperature and frequency dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation times of E′1 centers in neutron-irradiated quartz glass

Results are reported for measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation times of E′₁ centers in quartz glass, produced by neutron irradiation, with the measurements made at two frequencies 9.25 and 24.0 GHz over a wide temperature interval 1.5–300 K. The experimental data are interpreted on the basis of interaction mechanisms of the spins with two-level systems with excitation energies ∼6, ∼26, and ∼420 cm⁻¹. A small modification of the existing theory allows us to explain a number of features of the observed temperature and frequency dependence of the relaxation rate. The results are compared with the data available in the literature on spin-lattice relaxation of irradiation centers in crystalline quartz and quartz glass. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1335–1337 (August 1997)     

Relaxation of the conductivity of CsI-Tl after excitation by subnanosecond electron pulses

The pulsed conductivity is investigated for a CsI-Tl crystal having a Tl⁺ concentration N=8×10¹⁷cm⁻³ and excited by an electron beam (0.2 MeV, 50 ps, 10²–10⁴ A/cm ²). It is shown that the amplitude of the conduction current pulse is almost an order of magnitude lower than for “pure” CsI crystals irradiated under like conditions. The conduction current relaxation time is preserved up to τ=100 ps in this case. Under the experimental conditions, therefore, the lifetime of electrons in the conduction band is controlled by trapping at Tl⁺ centers. The electron capture cross section at a Tl⁺ center is determined: σ=7×10⁻¹⁶ cm², which agrees in order of magnitude with estimates of the capture cross section for a neutral trapping center. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 66–67 (January 1998)     

Metastable optical absorption of relaxed electronic excitations in BeO-Zn crystals

Spectra of metastable optical absorption and its relaxation kinetics have been studied in zinc-doped BeO crystals by time-resolved pulsed absorption spectroscopy. A comparison of the observed induced optical absorption of self-trapped excitons and small-radius excitons bound to the zinc impurity suggests that their hole components have similar structures and reveals distinctive features of “forbidden” optical transitions in the electronic components. Metastable optical absorption in Zn⁺ centers has been discovered. It is shown that the small-radius excitons bound to the zinc impurity form in the hole stages of thermally stimulated tunneling recombination processes involving Zn⁺ electronic centers. It has been found that the high recombination probability of the electronic and hole centers created in BeO-Zn crystals by an electron beam may be due to the high degree of their spatial correlation. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 601–605 (April 1999)     

Spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation of nitrogen in electron irradiated and annealed synthetic diamond

Transient nutation ESR spectroscopy has been used to study the broadening of isolated lines in the triplet of P1 nitrogen centers in disperse synthetic diamond bombarded by electrons and annealed at 670–1070 K. On the basis of measurements of the spin-spin relaxation time, it was established that at nitrogen concentrations up to 1.2×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ the homogeneous line width is caused by dipole interaction between the nitrogen atoms and exchange interactions make no contribution. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1235–1237 (July 1998)     

Dislocations used to probe the defect state of an ionic crystal lattice excited by a pulsed magnetic field

This paper presents the results of an investigation into the effect of a pulsed magnetic field on the state of linear and point defects in ionic crystals. For different amplitudes (1–7 T) and pulse lengths (3×10⁻⁵ to 10² s) of the pulsed field the kinetics of the transformation of defects into a new state and their relaxation after the field is turned off are studied in the temperature range 77–400 K. It is found that the relaxation of the states of point defects is mainly through recombination, and the change of state of the dislocations and of the point defects contribute nonadditively to the change in the dislocation mobility. The exposure of the crystal to a magnetic field leads to an increase in the dislocation mobility when the sample is mechanically stressed and to a decrease in the dislocation displacement with a second field pulse. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 634–639 (April 1997)     

Formation of a nuclear spin polaron under optical orientation in GaAs-type semiconductors

A theory is developed for the formation of a nuclear spin polaron under optical cooling of nuclear spins in the vicinity of donor centers. It is shown that the polaron does not form above a certain limiting nuclear-spin temperature. For a shallow donor in GaAs, this temperature is about 10⁻⁷ K. The formation of a nuclear spin polaron should manifest itself in an anomalous increase of the spin relaxation time of the total spin of its component nuclei. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1018–1021 (June 1998)     

Paramagnetic properties of ion-implanted polymer layers

Films of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyamine-6 implanted with B⁺ and N⁺ ions with an energy of 100 keV are investigated by an EPR method in a dose interval of 1·10¹⁴–1·10¹⁷ cm⁻². It is shown that paramagnetic centers with g=2.0025 formed in the implanted polymers have a nature similar to the nature of paramagnetic centers of pyrolized and initially conducting polymers. Correspondence of the character of the variation in paramagnetic characteristics of the modified polymers to the model proposed earlier for the formation of pyrocarbon “drops” in ion implantation is revealed. The relaxation times for paramagnetic centers in the implanted polymer films are calculated and assumptions are made about the formation of a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas as well as the possibility of magnetic ordering in polymer-film layers modified by high-dosage implantation. The effect of oxygen on the electron states of the implanted polymer specimens is studied. Belarusian State University, 4, Skorina Ave., Minsk, 220050 Belarus. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 4, pp. 562–567, July–August, 1998.     

Radio-frequency absorption study of the parameters of high-T c materials irradiated with fast reactor neutrons

The magnetic properties of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x ceramics of various densities and Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O₈ quasicrystals irradiated with neutrons at fluences of 10¹⁶–10¹⁹ cm⁻² are investigated by a radio-frequency method (in the frequency range f=100–150 MHz). The electromagnetic absorption is used to estimate the parameters of a Josephson medium: the lower critical field, the critical current density, the grain size and intergranular distances, and the penetration depth of the magnetic field in the sample. The hysteresis of electromagnetic absorption in the indicated superconductors is investigated; the hysteresis effect can be used to obtain data on flux pinning processes and flux creep dynamics. It is shown that an increase in the critical current density is observed as a result of the injection of radiation-induced pinning centers. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 28–34 (January 1997)     

Kinetics of electron tunneling transfer in KH<Subscript>2</Subscript>PO<Subscript>4</Subscript> and NH<Subscript>4</Subscript>H<Subscript>2</Subscript>PO<Subscript>4</Subscript> crystals with hydrogen bonds

A model of electron transfer by tunneling between trapped electron and hole centers in crystals with hydrogen bonds under the conditions of thermostimulated mobility of one carrier type in the recombination process has been developed. The proposed model describes all features in the kinetics of induced optical density relaxation observed in nonlinear optical crystals of KH₂PO₄ (KDP) and NH₄H₂PO₄ (ADP) on a wide temporal scale (10⁻⁸–10 s) under pulsed irradiation. The results of model calculations have been compared with experimental data on the photoinduced transient optical absorption (TOA) in KDP and ADP crystals in the visible and UV ranges. The nature of the radiation-induced defects, which account for the TOA, and the dependence of the TOA decay kinetics on the temperature, excitation power, and other experimental conditions have been considered.     

Modeling the atomic and electronic structure of diamond nanocrystals containing [NV]<Superscript>−</Superscript> centers by the density functional method

We have used the density functional method to model the atomic and electronic structure of diamond nanocrystals passivated by hydrogen atoms and either not containing defects or containing a single [NV]⁻ center. We have shown that in all cases, after relaxation the nanocrystals are formed as diamond-like structures. We have studied the features of the electronic structure of the nanocrystals. We have analyzed in detail the mechanism for the formation of energy levels in the bandgap due to [NV]⁻ centers. We have established that the optical absorption and fluorescence spectra for the [NV]⁻ centers are mainly associated with transitions of electrons between the highest occupied β orbitals (projection of the electron spin equal to +1/2) and lower unoccupied α orbitals (projection of the electron spin equal to −1/2). The results on the localization and energy position of the states in the bandgap match data obtained for the [NV]⁻ center in bulk diamond. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 86–92, January–February, 2007.     

X-ray diffraction studies of silicon implanted with high-energy erbium ions

Silicon crystals after implantation of erbium ions with energies in the range 0.8–2.0 MeV and doses in the range 1×10¹²–1×10¹⁴ cm⁻² have been studied by two-and three-crystal x-ray diffraction. Three types of two-crystal reflection curves are observed. They correspond to different structural states of the implanted layers. At moderate doses (1×10¹²–1×10¹³ cm⁻²) a positive strain is observed, due to the formation of secondary radiation defects of interstitial type. An increase of the implantation dose is accompanied by the formation of an amorphous layer separating the bulk layer and a thin monocrystalline surface layer. At an implantation dose of 1×10¹⁴ cm⁻² the monocrystalline surface layer is completely amorphized. Parameters of the implantation layers are determined. A model of the transformation of structural damage is discussed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 853–857 (May 1997)     

Long-lived excited state of Te donors in GaP

The kinetics of the photoresponses in constant and microwave electric fields and the variation of the absorption of background radiation in GaP doped with Te (2×10¹⁷ cm⁻³) upon impurity excitation at 5–50 K are investigated. The lifetime of the excited state of the Te donors is determined (∼10⁻² s). It is shown that the results presented are consistent with the model of carrier accumulation in long-lived impurity excited states in semiconductors. These results are compared with the results previously obtained for diamond-structure semiconductors. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 2204–2210 (December 1998)     

Fast magnetic relaxation, studied by microwave absorption in neutron-irradiated YBa2Cu3O7−x ceramic

A contactless microwave method is used to measure the fast magnetic relaxation of granular ceramic samples of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x irradiated by neutrons with fluences of 10¹⁶–10¹⁹ cm⁻². An experimental study of the time dependence of the relaxation of high-frequency (rf) absorption (f=100 MHz) after the action of an external magnetic field pulse has shown the magnetic relaxation times τ ₀ to be in the time interval of 0.5–150 ms. The rf-absorption mechanism is discussed in terms of an intergranular system with a thermally activated flux of vortices and their diffusion in the granular medium. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 977–981 (June 1997)     

Kinetics of nonequilibrium processes excited in broad-band dielectrics by synchrotron radiation

Luminescence spectroscopy with subnanosecond time resolution is used to study features of nonequilibrium processes excited in several broad-zone dielectrics (mainly inorganic scintillators) by pulses of synchrotron radiation (SR). When excitation density exceeds a certain level, which is different for each material, there is an abrupt change in the kinetics of relaxation of the nonequilibrium states. This change is accompanied by nonuniform broadening or shortwave shifting of the luminescence spectrum and a drop in quantum light yield. The decay time for natural luminescence decreases by 1–3 orders, to nanoseconds, and is independent of temperature within the range 80–450 K. The build-up stage disappears in the kinetics of luminescence of Ce³⁺-centers and decay time is reduced by a factor of 2–4. Density effects are found to be independent of the conditions under which the material is exposed to SR. A model is proposed in which density effects are related to nonradiative energy transfer from the upper excited states of the luminescence centers to external quenching centers. The contribution of the space charge induced by SR is also examined. Ural State Technical University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 120–135, November, 1996.     

Relaxation and shift of the precession frequency of the spin of a negative muon in n-type silicon

The residual polarization of negative muons in n-type silicon with impurity density (1.6±0.2) · 10¹³ cm⁻³ is investigated as a function of temperature in the range 10–300 K. The measurements are performed in an external magnetic field of 0.08 T oriented transversely to the spin of the muons. Relaxation of the muon spin and a shift of the precession frequency are observed at temperatures below 30 K. The relaxation rate at 30 K equals 0.25±0.08 μs⁻¹. The shift of the precession frequency at 20 K equals 7 · 10⁻³. Both the relaxation rate and the shift of the precession frequency increase as the temperature decreases. At temperatures below 30 K the relaxation rate is described well by the relation Λ=bT ^−q , where q=2.8±0.2. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 7, 539–543 (10 April 1996)     

Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the weakening of ionic crystals by pulsed magnetic fields

The effect of short (10⁻² s) magnetic-field pulses (B=7 T) on the plastic flow of ionic crystals is investigated. The stages of the transition process stimulated by a field in the system of structural defects of the lattice are distinguished. The results are discussed from the standpoint of the thermodynamics and kinetics of processes in nonequilibrium systems. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 2016–2018 (November 1997)