Effect of irradiation at low doses and incubation of voids within the rate theory approach

The evolution of defects in a material under irradiation is studied at low doses (∼5 dpa or less) using rate equations. It is shown that as a function of temperature at a critical valueT _c a transition occurs in the behaviour of the solutions of the rate equations. BelowT _c the voids show incubation effects. An expression is derived for the critical dislocation density at which the void growth starts. This is related to the trapped vacancy fraction ε in vacancy dislocation loops. AboveT _c the incubation effects are shown to be related to the gas production rate which becomes the rate controlling parameter in determining the evolution of the defects. A gas-bubble to void transition occurs at a critical void radius and expressions are derived for the critical void size and dose at which the transition appears. It is shown that closely related to this is the incubation dose for interstitial loops. Finally, these features are corroborated by actual numerical integration of the rate equations.     

Critical absorption in binary liquid systems

The refractive index of coexisting phases in two binary liquid systems, viz., perfluorodekalineheptane (PFD-H) and acetic anhydride-pentane (AA-P), in the vicinity of the critical consolution temperature of the system T _c was measured. It was shown that it is possible to observe (using the refractometry method, if the instrument is updated appropriately) critical absorption phenomena; a surface layer enriched by perfluorodekaline (in the PFD-H system) and by pentane (in the AA-P system) occurs at the liquid-vapor interface near the critical consolute point under T > T _c .     

Nonlinearity in cooperative systems-dynamical Bethe-Ising model

The dynamics of the short-range order as well as the long-range order in the nonlinear cooperative system is investigated specifically for a kinetic Ising model in the Bethe approximation. The phenomena of critical slowing down near the transition temperatureT _c and anomalous fluctuation belowT _c are directly related to the instability of the long-range order. The dynamics of the short-range order is essentially a fast mode and is noncritical. However, through the nonlinear coupling the short-range order is also influenced by the critical behavior of the long-range order.     

低温下质子辐照对Y-Ba-Cu—O和La-Sr-Cu-O性质的影响

使用外延YBa₂Cu₃O₇薄膜,测量了低温下(液氮或液氦温度)质子辐照对样品输运性质的影响。不仅观察到由低温辐照引起的样品超导转变温度T_c下降及电阻率P上升,还观察到dp/dT的上升和发生金属至非金属的相变。经室温热循环的样品显示出强烈室温退火效应。近60％由辐照引起的样品电阻升高和T_c下降可以得到恢复,并可伴随发生非金属至金属的相变,在La-Sr-Cu-O薄膜的低温辐照实验中观察到了类似的室温退 关键词：     

A quantum of history

The critical temperature, T _c, for all presently known superconductors does not exceed 20°K. This fact obviously limits the range of applications of superconductivity in technology in a very fundamental way. On the whole, the reason why the value of T _c for ‘ordinary’ superconductors should not exceed 20–40 °K is fairly well understood on the basis of the existing theory of superconductivity. At the same time, there apparently could exist high temperature superconductors for which the temperature T _c would reach hundreds of degrees, or at least liquid air temperature. Possible means of producing high temperature superconductors are considered in this article. Special attention is paid to what can be called the exciton mechanism of superconductivity.     

Quasiparticle picture of quarks near chiral phase transition

We study how the quasiparticle picture of the quark can be modified near but above the critical temperature (T _c) of the chiral phase transition; we incorporate into the quark self-energy the effects of the precursory soft modes of the phase transition, i.e. ‘para-σ(π) meson’. It is found that the quark spectrum has a three-peak structure near T _c: We show that the additional new spectra originate from the mixing between a quark (antiquark) and an antiquark-hole (quark-hole) caused by a “resonant scattering” of the quasi-fermions with the thermally-excited soft modes.     

Effects of neutron irradiation on superconducting properties of orthorhombic Y–Ba–Cu oxides

Abstract

We have studied the effects of fast neutron (E>0.1 MeV) irradiation at reactor (～ 360 K) and low (～ 20 K) temperatures on the superconducting properties of polycrystalline orthorhombic YBa₂Cu₃O_7?y . Measurements were made on the superconducting critical temperature T_c , critical current J_c , Meissner effect and magnetic field dependence of J_c . The T_c drops by an irradiation at reactor temperature and J_c increases with increasing fluence. On the other hand with the irradiation at low temperature, T_c rises and J_c increases. Results of observation of Meissner effect and the magnetic field dependence of J_c are consistent with the behavior of T_c and J_c .     

Approximate calculations for the two-dimensional Ising model

A self-consistent molecular field approximation for the two-dimensional, square-lattice Ising model is used to calculate the energy and magnetization. Agreement with the exact calculations is good except near the critical temperature, which differs from the exact critical temperature by 4%. The specific heat has no anomalous behavior asT approachesT _c from above, and the magnetization follows the incorrect Weiss (T _c-T)^1/2 law asT approachesT _c from below.     

Dimple‐assisted dewetting: heterogeneous nucleation in undercooled wetting films

Undercooled wetting films near a first‐order wetting transition exhibit an unusually long lifetime: the thermal nucleation barrier for formation of a critical hole in a film of thickness F diverges according to Γ ∼ exp (ℰ_c/k_BT) where the excess free energy ℰ_c ∼ F^ζ with ζ ≥ 2. Localized perturbations of the liquid‐vapor interface (‘dimples’) are shown to be a useful tool in reducing Γ in a controlled way: they act as heterogeneous nucleation centers for thermal critical nuclei. For ⁴He wetting films on weak‐binding alkali substrates (Cs, Rb) dimples can be generated either by vortices in a superfluid film or by surface electrons. The theory of the heterogeneous nucleation process initiated by the presence of surface dimples (‘dimple‐assisted dewetting’) is developed, accompanied by quantitative predictions for experiment.     

Dielectric relaxation in the weak ferroelectric Li2Ge7O15 near the ferroelectric phase transition

The dielectric permittivity of Ni-doped Li₂Ge₇O₁₅ crystals was studied in the vicinity of the ferroelectric phase transition. Introduction of Ni has been shown to suppress the dielectric anomaly and to reduce substantially the transition temperature. A temperature hysteresis in ɛ (T) has been observed in nominally pure and Ni-doped Li₂Ge₇O₁₅ crystals near the transition point. Measurements performed under cooling from the paraphase reveal dispersion of dielectric permittivity at Debye relaxation frequencies of the order of 10⁴–10⁵ Hz at T _c . It is proposed that the hysteresis phenomena and the low-frequency dispersion are caused by residual defects (of the type of random local fields), which become polarized in the ferroelectric phase and become disordered above T _c . Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 2198–2201 (December 1998)     

High temperature superconductivity; The spin polaron theory

An outline is given of one of the many models which have been advanced to explain high temperature superconductivity in the quasi-two-dimensional oxides. In these the compensation ensures that there are free positive holes, formed in the oxygen 2p states, which form ‘spin polarons’ by orienting neighbouring spins in Cu 3d⁹ ions. Two spin polarons then combine to form a spinless pair, which obeys Einstein–Bose statistics. It is shown that a degenerate gas of such entities is a superconductor. If this is a correct model, such pairs (bosons) must exist above the critical temperature (T _c). Particular attention is given to the properties of these materials at temperatures above T _c. An unresolved problem is whether all, or only some, of the carriers form bosons.     

Suppression of the shear viscosity near the critical temperature in hot QCD

We consider QCD near but above critical temperature T_c. The pressure, susceptibilities and the renormalized Polyakov loop — which is an order parameter for the deconfining phase transition — dramatically change up to temperatures a few times T_c. We refer to this region as a “semi”-QGP, where partial confinement plays important role. We show that the shear viscosity η is suppressed by two powers of the Polyakov loop. This suggests that η/T³ decreases markedly as QCD cools down to temperatures near T_c. We also show a ratio of the viscosity to the entropy becomes small near T_c [Y. Hidaka and R.D. Pisarski, Phase," arXiv:0803.0453 [Phys. Rev. D (to be published)]].     

Linear birefringence studies of incommensurate systems: II. KFeF4

Abstract

The temperature dependence of the linear birefringence (LB), Δn _c , is measured in the range 5 K ? T ? 500 K on samples of KFeF₄, which originate from hydrothermal, flux and Bridgman growth techniques. Pronounced anomalies are found at the orthorhombic-orthorhomic phase transition at T _c ∽ 400 K. It is weakly discontinuous with a near-tricritical exponent β ∽ 0.2. Weak anomalies near T _i ∽ T _c + (25 … 40 K) seem to indicate a transition into an intermediate incommensurate phase. Its XY-model character is reflected by the critical LB exponent β = 0.8 ± 0.1. A smooth LB anomaly below 200 K is due to 2-dimensional ferromagnetic spin-order.     

Peculiarities of antiferromagnetic ordering in orthorhombic LiMnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Data on the antiferromagnetic ordering in orthorhombic lithium manganite LiMnO₂ are obtained from magnetic-susceptibility, calorimetry, and nuclear magnetic resonance studies. The minimal hysteresis and the absence of jumps in the temperature dependences of the sublattice magnetization M(T) and the magnetic susceptibility near T _N indicate that the ordering occurs through a continuous second-order phase transition. Within the critical temperature range, the M(T?T _N) variation is satisfactorily described by a power-law dependence with a critical exponent β = 0.25(4), which is substantially smaller than that predicted for 3D magnetic systems with isotropic Heisenberg exchange. The band structure of orthorhombic LiMnO₂ is calculated using the LMTO-ASA method. Taking into account the spin states of manganese ions, an adequate pattern is obtained for the density-of-states distribution with an energy gap near the Fermi level (～0.7 eV), which is in agreement with the measured electrical parameters of lithium manganite. The calculations demonstrate that the exchange interactions between Mn³⁺ ions leading to antiferromagnetic ordering are significantly anisotropic. It is found that small paramagnetic regions persist in the manganite below the Néel temperature, and it is concluded that the reason for this is partial structural disordering of LiMnO₂. As a result, a certain fraction of the manganese positions is occupied by lithium ions (Li_Mn) and vise versa (Mn_Li). These defects are not involved in the formation of the ordered magnetic structure and compose a paramagnetic fraction.     

吸气溅射Mo1-xSix薄膜的超导性能

对于四个Mo_1-xSi_x薄膜样品进行了超导转变温度、临界温度附近的临界磁场以及在4.2K下的临界电流的测试,并且测量了室温(300K)及低温(8K)下的电阻率,结果显示四个样品具有非晶的特征,其中Mo₇₈Si₂₂薄膜样品有较好的非晶特性。 关键词：     

Electron irradiation effects in doped high temperature superconductors YBa2Cu3? x M x O y (M = Fe, Ni; x=0; x =0:01)

The influence of irradiation by electrons with an energy of 8 MeV, at dose intervals between 10¹³ and 2×10¹⁸el/cm², on the properties of impurity doped, high-temperature superconductor YBa₂Cu_3−x M _x O _y (M = Fe, Ni; x=0; x=0:01) ceramics has been studied. It has been established that, as the irradiation dose is increased, the onset temperature of the transition to the superconducting state (T _c ^on ), and the intergranular weak link coupling temperature between granules (T _m ^J ), exhibit an oscillation around their initial values of approximately about 1–1.5 K. This oscillation indicates that the process of radiation defect formation in HTSC occurs in multiple stages. It was also found that the critical current (J _c )decreases with an increase of the irradiation dose, and exhibits a local minimum at a dose of 8×10¹⁶el/cm²coinciding with minima for T _c ^on and T _m ^J at this dose. It was found that the introduction of Fe atoms to the ceramic decreases T _m ^J , while introducing Ni atoms decreases both T _c ^on and T _m ^J ; it is suggested that this is a result of Ni substitution of Cu both in Cu2 plane sites and Cu1 chain sites. The introduction of Ni causes a large change in the intergranular critical current density, J _c . A critical irradiation dose is obtained (2×10¹⁸)after which all HTSC parameters strongly decrease, i. e. the superconductivity of HTSC is destroyed.      

Magnetostriction and thermal expansion anomalies near the Curie point of the compound La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 with the perovskite structure

It is found that the bulk part ω of the magnetostriction near the Curie temperature T _c in a La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ single crystal with the perovskite structure is negative and that the temperature dependence of |ω| has a maximum near T _c . The quantity |ω| at the maximum increases rapidly with increasing magnetic field. The thermal expansion coefficient near T c increases with temperature much faster than linearly. The paramagnetic Curie temperature determined from the Curie-Weiss law, which the paramagnetic susceptibility of this crystal satifies, was found to be lower than T _c . These anomalies and also the near-T _c metal-insulator transition which is characteristic for this material are explained by the existence of a magnetically two-phase state consisting of a conducting ferromagnetic matrix containing antiferromagnetic insulating microregions occupying not more than 5% of the sample volume. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 6, 449–453 (25 March 1997)     

The liquid-vapour phase transition in fluid mercury

The paper discusses recent experimental results in the liquid-vapour critical region of metals which show that the existence of the metal-non-metal transition noticeably influences the electronic, thermodynamic, structural and interfacial features of the fluid. The main emphasis is on surface-induced phenomena. Reflectivity experiments on mercury against an optically transparent sapphire window close to the vapour-liquid coexistence curve reveal clearly the existence of a prewetting transition of mercury on the sapphire substrate. The transition line, which terminates at high temperatures at a prewetting critical temperature T _pwc lying below the bulk critical temperature T _c and at low temperatures at the wetting transition temperature T _w lies close to the bulk vapour-liquid coexistence curve.     

Laser reactivation of Room-Tc ferromagnetism in Mn-doped insulating TiO2 thin films

Room-T _c ferromagnetic insulating Mn-doped TiO₂ thin films were prepared by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). The thin films show obvious decay of ferromagnetism when aged in air at room temperature for one year without any special treatment. A distinct reactivation of ferromagnetism, together with a decrease in coercive force is achieved in these samples under laser irradiation treatment. The possible mechanism for the phenomena is also discussed. It is suggested that the bound magnetic polaron (BMP) forming via photo-generated defect-bound carriers accounts for the laser reactivation of room-T _c ferromagnetism.