Measurement of the elastic moduli of dense layers of oriented carbon nanotubes by a scanning force microscope

A technique is developed for measuring the modulus of elasticity of a material with a Nanoscan scanning force microscope on the basis of measuring the dependence of probe vibration frequency on the penetration depth of the needle into the specimen. This technique makes it possible to study materials with elastic moduli from 50 to 1000 GPa. The Young moduli of dense films of carbon nanotubes oriented at angles of 45° and 90° to the quartz substrate are measured. From their ratio, the Young modulus in the direction perpendicular to the tubes and the anisotropy of the elastic moduli are determined. A comparison of these values with the corresponding values obtained for a nanotube film deposited on a silicon substrate is carried out. On the basis of this comparison, a conclusion is made concerning the interaction between single-layer nanotubes and between nanotubes in a mixture of single-layer and multilayer ones.     

Sound propagation and relaxation processes in the isotropic phase of cholesteryl miristate

The propagation and absorption of high-frequency sound in the isotropic phase of cholesteryl miristate is studied in a wide frequency range using the data of both Brillouin spectroscopy and acoustooptic measurements. The parameters of the relaxation process associated with the volume viscosity relaxation are calculated using the experimental data on the velocity and absorption of sound.     

Effective equation of nonlinear pulse evolution in a randomly anisotropic medium

Propagation of a light pulse through a weakly inhomogeneous optical fiber is analyzed. The non-linear envelope equation describing the evolution of polarized pulses is determined by statistical properties of inhomogeneities in the optical fiber. The isotropic Manakov system of equations is shown to be applicable in the presence of high-frequency small-scale defects in the fiber. In the presence of only large-scale inhomogeneities, the signal dynamics are described by an anisotropic system of equations.     

Observation of latent coherent effects in randomized systems

Coherent interference effects of the following three types are experimentally discovered in disordered (randomized) systems: (i) Josephson behavior of the HTSC polycrystal BaKBiO in the phase-separated state; (ii) oscillations of bismuth film resistance, which are periodic in “direct” magnetic field; and (iii) mesoscopic oscillations of the resistance in the course of film growth. In the first case, the method for detecting the “latent” nonstationary Josephson effect is substantiated by the frequency modulation method for microwave radiation, while in the other two cases, simple models are proposed to explain the nature of coherent oscillations of the resistance. The analogy between the observed oscillations and the Josephson effect in randomized systems is discussed.