Magnetic Properties of Iron-Based Amorphous Metal Wires

It has been studied how the conditions of machining and the elastic tensile stresses affect the magnetic properties of amorphous metal wires of composition Fe₇₅Si₁₀B₁₅ produced by drawing from a melt. The magnetic characteristics of wires subjected to both thermal treatment and treatment with a continuous electric current of different magnitude have been investigated. The residual induction of wires is their magnetic parameter most sensitive to the conditions of treatment. The dependences of the residual induction on temperature and on the magnitude of the treating electric current are qualitatively similar. The greatest changes in residual induction are observed in the range of treating electric currents from 0.5 to 0.8 A, which can be associated with the processes of structural relaxation and crystallization occurring in the wires. The run of the dependence of the residual induction on the magnitude of tensile stresses is nonmonotonic in character and is determined by the level of internal hardening stresses of the test wires.     

Effects of localization of the areas of sound scattering by surface wind waves

Experimental studies of the scattering of a monochromatic sound signal by a rough sea surface are carried out. The signal is produced by a point source in a shallow-water basin. The measurements are performed with the use of horizontal and vertical linear receiving arrays. The experimental data are compared with the estimates obtained on the basis of the model developed by the authors for resonant sound scattering by surface roughness. A satisfactory agreement between the experiments and the calculations is achieved. It is shown that the scattered signal is formed within small surface areas, whose sizes have the same order of magnitude as the first Fresnel zone with respect to the source and the receiving system.     

DX<Superscript>−</Superscript> center formation in planar-doped GaAs:Si in strong electric fields

The kinetics of current decay and partial restoration in planar doped GaAs:Si due to the formation of DX^? centers in strong electric fields has been experimentally studied. The existence of thresholds with respect to the field strength and donor concentration is explained. A model of the DX^? center formation is proposed, which is based on the notions about variation of the depth and width of a potential well created by planar doping, caused by the redistribution of hot electrons between quantum confinement subbands. As a result, the energy level of DX^? centers, which is situated above the potential well depth in the absence of strong field, decreases and falls within the potential well. This makes possible the DX^? center formation, provided that hot electrons, occupying the resonance electron levels in the conduction band, simultaneously excite local vibrational modes.     

Characteristics of high-power radiating imploding discharge with cold start

A qualitative model of the dynamics of a multiterawatt radiating Z-pinch with cold start and high rate of current rise is proposed. The model is used to analyze discharges with currents I ～ 2–5 MA (with dI/dt > 10¹³ A/s) through uniform or structured plasma-producing loads, including wire arrays. The most important consequence of cold start is that spatially nonuniform plasma production is prolonged to almost the entire current rise time. Under these conditions, the Ampére force begins to play a dominant role in the plasma dynamics before the plasma-producing load is completely transformed into an accelerated plasma. The results of computations of wire-array vaporization are presented. A formula is proposed for estimating the highest attainable velocity of plasma flow into a heterogeneous liner driven by the Ampére force. It is shown that local imbalance between radial motion of the produced plasma and supply of the plasma-producing substance to be ionized leads to axially nonuniform breakthrough of magnetic flux into the liner, which precedes plasma collapse. The magnetic-flux breakthrough gives rise to a chaotic azimuthal-axial plasma structure consisting of radial plasma jets of relatively small diameter, which is called a radial plasma rainstorm. The breaking-through azimuthal magnetic flux obstructs further current flow in the breakthrough region. Analyses of Z-pinch implosion based on the theory of Rayleigh-Taylor instability or the snowplow model are incorrect under the plasma-rainstorm conditions. The processes taking place in a stagnant Z-pinch include conversion of the energy carried by the current-generated magnetic field into turbulent MHD flow of the ion component of the plasma, its convective mixing with magnetic field, heating, energy transfer from ions to electrons, and emission from the plasma. Under typical experimental conditions, emission plays a key role in the energy balance in an imploding pinch. Z-pinch is modeled by an electric-circuit component that has a time-dependent nonlinear impedance and consumes the magnetic energy supplied by a generator through a magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL). The peak power reached in the circuit is comparable to the peak soft X-ray power output emitted by the pinch in terms of magnitude and timing. Optimum matching conditions are formulated for the generator-MITL-pinch circuit.