Laser properties of coactivated YAP: Nd free of colour centres

YAP:Nd, Cr grown under Ar-H₂ or Ar-He-H₂ atmosphere possesses good energy transfer from Cr³⁺ to Nd³⁺ but suffers from the colour centre formation. The centre formation was completely prevented using further admixture of Ce³⁺ and 10^–4–10^–3 wt. % Fe. Small luminescence quenching of Cr³⁺ or Nd³⁺ due to iron ions is negligible in the presence of Ce³⁺. The crystals may be also heavily doped with Nd³⁺ because the increased pumping efficiency compensates the shortening of the luminescence lifetime. YAP: Nd, Ce, Cr, Fe is advisible active laser material particularly for all the types of pulsed lasers.     

Cyclic deformation of aluminium and its alloys

The formation of slip bands is the main mechanism of cyclic deformation in pure Al. Their density, orientation and heights in polycrystalline Al were investigated during cycling. Types, sizes and densities of precipitates are responsible for the mode of cyclic deformation in AlCu4 pure alloy. In technical Al alloys intermetallic phases have detrimental effects on deformation homogeneity and largely govern the fatigue mechanism of the material and especially microcrack initiation.     

Structural and electrical properties of quasicrystalline Al-14 at% Mn alloy

Quasicrystalline Al-14 at. % Mn alloy was prepared by melt-spinning and its structural and electrical properties were studied. This alloy consists of icosahedral grains with sizes from 1 to 4 m and of crystalline aluminium phase. The electrical resistivity was almost temperature independent with a value of about 765 n gWm at 4·2 K.     

The influence of temperature on superplasticity of Zn-Al-Cd alloy

Experimental results of the study of superplastic behaviour in Zn-0·35 wt. % Al-0·25 wt. % Cd alloy are presented. The attention has been paid to the influence of temperature on stress-strain curves, ductility, strain rate sensitivy parameterm and activation energy of superplastic flow. The best superplastic properties have been established at temperatures T370 K (0·53 T_m): ductilityA=600% and parameterm=0·56. A fast grain growth observed at temperaturesT 380 K has been suggested to be responsible both for the decrease in ductility and parameterm values and for the origin of an anomaly in the decreasing temperature dependence of flow stress. The measurements of activation energy have shown an expected decrease in activation energy at the transition from the non-superplastic region at lower temperatures to the superplastic region at higher temperatures. Significant transient effects after strain rate changes have been observed. The experimental results obtained in the Zn-Al-Cd alloy have been compared with those obtained in binary Zn-1·1 wt. % Al alloy and discussed from the point of view of possible models of structural superplasticity.     

Excitation functions for some output channels following the p +55Mn interaction atE p=1·3–2·0 MeV

Excitation functions for the⁵⁵Mn(p, p )⁵⁵Mn,⁵⁵Mn(p, n )⁵⁵Fe and⁵⁵Mn(p, )⁵⁶Fe reactions are studied for proton beam energyE _p=1·3–2 MeV. The excitation functions are established from yield functions for -rays emitted from the first excited states of final nuclei. Many resonances are observed and competition of their decay into all three output channels is analysed. Spin-parity assignment for some resonant states in the⁵⁶Fe compound nucleus is deduced.Participated partly in the course of his work on a Thesis.The authors wish to thank the staff of the Van de Graaff accelerator at Charles University in Prague for the efficient operation of the machine and dr. I. Wilhelm for the valuable technical help in the early period of the experimental work. One of us (N. A. N.) acknowledges the staff of the Dept. of Nuclear Physics of Charles University in Prague for the excellent working conditions.     

Softening during and after the hot deformation of the AISI 321 steel with respect to practical applications

The softening processes during and after the hot deformation (850–1180 C) in AISI 321 stainless steel were studied with respect to true strains _D and true strain rates . The analysis of deformation curves indicates the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization for values of Zener-Hollomon parameterZ10¹⁵ s^–1. The retardation of static recrystallization by fine Ti(N, C) precipitates is documented by microstructure studies and by variations of annealing conditions.     

Searching for optimal configurations by simulated tunneling

Optimization theory deals with algorithms finding the lowest cost (energy) configuration in a minimal number of steps. When the cost function has many local minima, the deterministic algorithms become easily trapped in suboptimal solutions. The simulated annealing method tries to overcome this difficulty by introducting thermal noise in the problem. Here we explore the possibility of implementing search procedures analogous to the quantum tunneling effect. The suggested dynamics is a guided diffusion process of an interactingpopulation of configurations. Different dynamical aspects of the search process are formulated first in a simple one-dimensional tight-binding model with a hierarchical potential. The new algorithm is then applied to the Traveling Salesman Problem. It is demonstrated that the use of interacting, evolving populations of tours representing our wave packet leads to systematic improvements and possibly, to the optimal tour. In addition, the structure of the cost function landscape for a given instance becomes locally accessible. The performance of the algorithm and its implications for parallel computing and genetic programming are briefly discussed.     

Strukturelle Charakterisierung der Dicyanamid-Komplexe von Kupfer(II), Nickel(II) bzw. Kobalt(II) mit Aminopyridinen

Summary New dicyanamide complexes of the typeM[N(CN)₂]₂ L ₂ (M=Cu or Ni;L=2-, 3-, 4-aminopyridine, 2-amino-5-nitropyridine) and Co[N(CN)₂]₂ (2-amino-5-nitropyridine)₂ were prepared and studied by spectroscopic methods as well as by room-temperature magnetic moments. The results show that the Cu(II) complexes have elongated pseudooctahedral structures while the Ni(II) and Co(II) complexes are octahedral. In most cases the N(CN)₂ groups are in bridging function and through their cyanide nitrogens, or-more rarely-amide and cyanide nitrogens connect the basic structure units into polymeric conglomerates. In the Cu(II) systems exchange coupling is seen from the _eff value or ESR spectrum.

Professor Viktor Gutmann zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet