Pressure effects on magnetic properties and martensitic transformation of Ni–Mn–Sn magnetic shape memory alloys

The mechanism for the effects of pressure on the magnetic properties and the martensitic transformation of Ni-Mn- Sn shape memory alloys is revealed by first-principles calculations. It is found that the total energy difference between paramagnetic and ferromagnetic austenite states plays an important role in the magnetic transition of Ni-Mn-Sn under pressure. The pressure increases the relative stability of the martensite with respect to the anstenite, leading to an increase of the martensitic transformation temperature. Moreover, the effects of pressure on the magnetic properties and the martensitic transformation are discussed based on the electronic structure.     

Pressure and temperature effects on the Γ, N and L-phonons in zirconium

Abstract

The effective potentials for the E_2g,-phonon at the T point of the Brillouin zone of hep Zr, the transverse N- and longitudinal L-phonons of bcc Zr are calculated for different pressures by the “frozen phonon” method. The temperature and pressure dependences of the phonon frequencies are studied within the framework of a modified pseudo-harmonic approximation. The results obtained are in good agreement with the experimental ones. The stability of the hep, bec and ω phases of zirconium at different temperatures and pressures is discussed.     

Electromagnetic effects and scattering lengths extraction from experimental data on K → 3π decays

The final state interactions in K ^± → π^±π⁰π⁰ decays are considered using the methods of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. It is shown how to take into account the largest electromagnetic effect in the analysis of experimental data using the amplitudes calculated earlier. The relevant expressions for amplitude corrections valid both above and below the two charged pions production threshold , including the average effect for the threshold bin, are proposed. These formulae can be used in the procedure of pion scattering lengths measurement from spectrum. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

High-power module based on inert gas–halogen mixtures for UV irradiation

We have developed a module based on exciplex barrier-discharge lamps for irradiation by high-power narrow-band ultraviolet radiation. The module uses air cooling and is intended for irradiation of substrates such as those used in microelectronics. The module provides close to uniform irradiation on a flat surface with power density up to 35 and 25 mW/cm² as a result of emission in B–X bands of the molecules XeBr^* (282 nm) and XeCl^* (308 nm) respectively.     

The effects of winds from burning structures on ground-fire propagation at the wildland–urban interface

A simple physics-based mathematical model is developed for prediction of the propagation of a grass-fire front driven by an ambient wind and by entrainment winds generated from one or more burning structures. This model accounts for the heterogeneous nature of the burning in a particular wildland–urban-interface (WUI) setting, where the entrainment from fundamentally three-dimensional structure-fire plumes can change the propagation of a two-dimensional ground-fire front. Data on grass fires and estimates of structure fires are presented and compared to justify the model. Scaling effects on the fire-front propagation-speed are given as a function of the location of the front, of the heat release rate of a single burning structure, of the total number of burning structures and of the burning-structure density. Also, detailed front propagation changes due to a single and multiple burning-house scenarios are presented.     

Laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time for premixed isooctane–air flames with syngas addition

The effects of blending syngas in different proportions to isooctane on the laminar burning velocity and ignition delay time of the fuel–air mixture have been studied in SI engine relevant conditions. The syngas is assumed to be composed of 50% H₂ and 50% CO. Simulations have been carried out using a skeletal mechanism containing 143 species and 643 reaction steps. It has been found that the blending of syngas augments the laminar burning velocity of isooctane due to increase of the thermal diffusivity of the reactant mixture and alteration in the chemistry of the flame reactions. For the mixture of 30% isooctane/70% syngas, the laminar burning velocity and the ignition delay time values are very close to those corresponding to pure isooctane. Additionally, the effects of exhaust gas recirculation have been explored for the 30% isooctane/70% syngas–air flame. It is seen that the reduction in laminar burning velocity due to the dilution by the recirculated exhaust gas can be compensated by an increase in the unburnt gas temperature. The effect of the exhaust gas dilution on the ignition delay time of 30% isooctane/70% syngas–air mixture has been found to be negligible.     

The effects of speech intelligibility and temporal–spectral variability on performance and annoyance ratings

Ambient sound can impair verbal short-term memory performance. This finding is relevant to the acoustic optimization of open-plan offices. Two algorithmic approaches claim to model the impairment during a given sound condition. One model is based on the Speech Transmission Index (STI). The other approach relies on the hearing sensation fluctuation strength (F). Within the scope of our consulting activities the approach based on F can hardly be applied and the model based on the STI is often misinterpreted in terms of semanticity. Therefore we put to test the two models and elucidate the relevance of temporal–spectral variability and semanticity of background sound with regard to impairment of performance. A group of 24 subjects performed a short-term memory task and rated perceived annoyance during eight different speech and speech-like noise conditions, which varied with regard to STI and F. The empirical data is compared to the model predictions, which only partly cover the experimental results. Speech impairs performance more than all other sound conditions and variable speech-like noise is more impairing than continuous speech-like noise. Sound masking with continuous speech-like noise provides relief from the negative effect of background speech. This positive effect is more pronounced if the signal to noise ratio is −3 dB(A) or even lower.     

Investigation on Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of Copper–Water Nanofluid Flow in Plain and Perforated Channels

This article reports an experimental study on copper–water nanofluid flow inside plain and perforated channels. The effects of flow rate and nanoparticle concentration on the heat transfer and pressure drop are studied. It is found that the perforated channel has a remarkable heat transfer enhancement of 24.6%. Furthermore, by using the copper–water nanofluid instead of the base fluid, the heat transfer coefficient as well as pressure drop are increased for both plain and perforated channels. A noticeable thermal performance factor of 1.34 is obtained for the simultaneous utilization of both the heat transfer enhancement techniques considered in this article.     

Design and Construction of a Three-Color Gold–Copper-Vapor Laser and the Output-Power Dependence on the Frequency and Buffer-gas Pressure

We design and construct a three-color gold–copper-vapor laser emitting green (510.6 nm), yellow (578.2 nm), and red (627.8 nm) light. The maximum measured total average output power is 12 W under sealed-off conditions. We divide the active medium into three zones (two at both ends for copper and the central zone for gold) in order to vaporize both gold and copper simultaneously. For this purpose, we use a single type of thermal insulator to change the temperature along the medium by varying its thickness, which is the main point in our design. In addition, we carry out some experiments to distinguish the dependence of the output power on the frequency and buffer-gas pressure; the measured ratio of these three wavelengths, green : yellow: red, is 22 : 10 : 7.     

Effects of pressure and fuel dilution on coflow laminar methane–air diffusion flames: A computational and experimental study

In this study, the influence of pressure and fuel dilution on the structure and geometry of coflow laminar methane–air diffusion flames is examined. A series of methane-fuelled, nitrogen-diluted flames has been investigated both computationally and experimentally, with pressure ranging from 1.0 to 2.7 atm and CH₄ mole fraction ranging from 0.50 to 0.65. Computationally, the MC-Smooth vorticity–velocity formulation was employed to describe the reactive gaseous mixture, and soot evolution was modelled by sectional aerosol equations. The governing equations and boundary conditions were discretised on a two-dimensional computational domain by finite differences, and the resulting set of fully coupled, strongly nonlinear equations was solved simultaneously at all points using a damped, modified Newton's method. Experimentally, chemiluminescence measurements of CH* were taken to determine its relative concentration profile and the structure of the flame front. A thin-filament ratio pyrometry method using a colour digital camera was employed to determine the temperature profiles of the non-sooty, atmospheric pressure flames, while soot volume fraction was quantified, after evaluation of soot temperature, through an absolute light calibration using a thermocouple. For a broad spectrum of flames in atmospheric and elevated pressures, the computed and measured flame quantities were examined to characterise the influence of pressure and fuel dilution, and the major conclusions were as follows: (1) maximum temperature increases with increasing pressure or CH₄ concentration; (2) lift-off height decreases significantly with increasing pressure, modified flame length is roughly independent of pressure, and flame radius decreases with pressure approximately as P^?1/2; and (3) pressure and fuel stream dilution significantly affect the spatial distribution and the peak value of the soot volume fraction.     

A preparation method and effects of Al–Cr coating on NdFeB sintered magnets

A 50 μm Al–Cr coating on NdFeB sintered magnets was prepared through dipping in solution, shaking dry and heating at 300 °C. The morphology and composition of the Al–Cr coating were investigated with scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction. The corrosion resistance of NdFeB sintered magnets with and without the Al–Cr coating was analyzed by normal salt spray, polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The magnetic properties were measured with a hysteresis loop tracer. The results show that the Al–Cr coating forms an overlapping structure and Al flakes lie nearly parallel to the substrate, which improves the anticorrosion and increases normal salt spray test from 10 to 100 h. The corrosion potential of NdFeB sintered magnets with and without the Al–Cr coating moves positively from −0.67 to −0.48 V, which is in accordance with Nyquist and Bode plots. The Al–Cr coating has little influence on the magnetic properties of the NdFeB sintered magnets.     

A comparative study on the effects of salt and filler on transport and structural properties of organic–inorganic hybrid electrolytes

Organic–inorganic hybrid electrolytes based on the reaction of tri-block copolymer poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol) bis(2-aminopropyl ether), poly(ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, and (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane doped with LiClO₄ and SiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol–gel process. The structural and dynamic properties of the materials thus obtained were systematically investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, alternate current impedance, and ¹³C solid-state NMR measurements. A maximum ionic conductivity of 3.2?×?10^?5 S cm^?1 was obtained at 30 °C for the solid hybrid electrolyte with a [O]/[Li] ratio of 16 and 7 wt% of SiO₂ nanoparticles. A Vogel–Tamman–Fulcher-like temperature dependence of ionic conductivity was observed for the hybrid electrolytes, implying that the diffusion of charge carriers was assisted by the segmental motions of the polymer chains.     

Deformation effects on isospin mixing and isobar analogue resonance for 74−80Kr isotopes

Pyatov’s method has been applied to investigate Fermi beta transitions in deformed ^74–80Kr isotopes. This self-consistent method, which was used to study the isobar analogue states in the spherical odd-odd nuclei, has to date not been applied for the isobar analogue states in deformed nuclei. The nucleon-nucleon residual interaction has been included so that the broken isospin symmetry in the mean field approximation has been restored and the strength parameter of the effective interaction has been taken out to be a free parameter. The energies and wave functions of the isobaric analogue excitations in ^74–80Rb isotopes have been obtained within the framework of the pnQRPA method. The probability of the isospin mixing in the ground states and the centroid energies of the isobar analogue resonance have been presented and the deformation effects on these quantities have been quantified.     

Interaction and spin–orbit effects on a kagome lattice at 1/3 filling

We investigate the competing effects of spin-orbit coupling and electron--electron interaction on a kagome lattice at 1/3 filling. We apply the cellular dynamical mean-field theory and its real-space extension combined with the continuous time quantum Monte Carlo method, and obtain a phase diagram including the effects of the interaction and the spin-orbit coupling at T = 0. 1t, where T is the temperature and t is the hopping energy. We find that without the spin-orbit coupling, the system is in a semi-metal phase stable against the electron--electron interaction. The presence of the spin-orbit coupling can induce a topological non-trivial gap and drive the system to a topological insulator, and as the interaction increases, a larger spin--orbit coupling is required to reach the topological insulating phase.     

Fourier–Mukai and Nahm transforms for holomorphic triples on elliptic curves

We define a Fourier–Mukai transform for a triple consisting of two holomorphic vector bundles over an elliptic curve and a homomorphism between them. We prove that in some cases, the transform preserves the natural stability condition for a triple. We also define a Nahm transform for solutions to natural gauge-theoretic equations on a triple—vortices—and explore some of its basic properties. Our approach combines direct methods with dimensional reduction techniques, relating triples over a curve with vector bundles over the product of the curve with the complex projective line.     

The energy–momentum distributions and relativistic quantum effects on scalar and spin-half particles in a Gödel-type space–time

In this article, the energy–momentum distributions associated with a topologically trivial Gödel-type space–time, using different complexes of Møller, Einstein, Landau–Lifshitz, Papapetrou, and Bergmann–Thomson, is evaluated. The results obtained here may support the Cooperstock’s energy localization hypothesis. Finally, we investigate the relativistic quantum effects on scalar and spin-half particles in this space–time without any potential, and analyse the influence of vorticity parameter on the energy eigenvalues of the system.     

Novel fusion method for visible light and infrared images based on NSST–SF–PCNN

The purpose of image fusion is to combine the source images of the same scene into a single composite image with more useful information and much better visual effects, which is undoubtedly suitable for further image processing tasks. This paper presented a novel fusion method for visible light and infrared images based on non-subsampled shearlet transform (NSST)–spatial frequency (SF)–pulse coupled neural network (PCNN). As a recently developed multi-resolution geometric analysis tool, NSST not only has remarked superiorities over other past conventional tools in terms of information capturing and computational costs saving, but also overcomes the lack of shift-invariance in shearlet transform (ST), so NSST applies to conducting the decompositions and reconstructions. Besides, traditional PCNN model is also upgraded to be an improved one called IPCNN in this paper to fuse the low-frequency and high-frequency subband coefficients. In the IPCNN structure, on the one hand, the value of the linking strength β is determined by the SF which represents the gradient features of the subband image; on the other hand, the time matrix is utilized to adaptively decide the iteration number of the IPCNN model, which is helpful to increase the function efficiency and save computational resources. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method performs well and has obvious superiorities over other current typical ones in both subjective visual performance and objective criteria.     

Temperature effects on exciton–phonon coupling and Auger recombination in CdTe/ZnTe quantum dots

We report the results of experimental studies on temperature-dependent thermal escape and Auger recombination coefficients in CdTe/ZnTe quantum dots. We show that at low temperatures, there is a thermally activated transition between two different states separated by a localization energy of about 15.8 meV, while the primary non-radiative process at high temperatures is thermal escape assisted multi-longitudinal optical (LO) phonons absorption with three phonons. The most striking result is a rapid increase in the Auger coefficient and a reduction in the decay time with increasing temperature above 35 K. These results show that the Auger process is assisted by the participation of phonons with an energy threshold of 34.4 meV and an LO phonon energy of around 19 meV.