Optical probing of thin liquid crystal layers using the prism-coupling technique

Prism-coupling work in polymer aligned liquid crystal layers is presented with special emphasis being placed on the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase, of interest to electro-optic device fabrication. Experimental results as a function of temperature, wavelength and DC applied voltage are presented, together with a study of sp mixing which may have potential device applications as well as being an elegant technique with which to establish the optical dielectric tensor configuration in thin, aligned liquid crystal layers.     

Ordering of substitutional ternary alloys with an fcc lattice

The possible types of ordering diagrams of ternary substutional alloys with an fcc lattice are analyzed, taking account of interactions in two coordination spheres.Ural Polytechnic Institute. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 38–41, December, 1992.     

Magnetic behaviour of TbMnFe

Neutron diffraction and M?ssbauer measurements have been carried out on the cubic Laves phase intermetallic TbMnFe. The magnetic moment on the transition metal atom is found to be low, 0.2μ _B, at room temperature. This moment is temperature independent down to 10 K. Magnetic moment on the rare earth atom varies from 2.5μ _B at 296 K to 7.27μ _B at 10 K. M?ssbauer spectra recorded at 298 K and 78 K have magnetic character but there is a large distribution of hyperfine field values. Both these features arise due to magnetic frustration created in the sample due to the competing ferro and antiferromagnetic interactions between the transition metal atoms.     

Sorption of chromium hydroxide sol on silica studied by radiotracing

This study was undertaken to investigate the sorption behavior of chromium hydroxide sol on silica type adsorbent in aqueous solution. Radioisotopic tracer method was used to assess data. This technique allowed sensitive kinetic and equilibrium measurements in both direction: sorption and desorption, which are strongly dependent on solution conditions, such as pH, ionic strength or the presence of complexing species. Total removal of sol particles could not be achieved, even under the most favorable experimental conditions (acidification).     

Electron-stimulated desorption of D (H) from condensed D2O (H2O) films

The electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of D⁻ and H⁻ ions from condensed D₂O and H₂O films is investigated. Three low-energy peaks are observed in the ESD anion yield, which are identified as arising from excitation of ²B₁, ²A₁ and ²B₂ dissociative electron attachment (DEA) resonances. Additional structure is observed between 18 and 32 eV, which may be due to ion pair formation or to DEA resonances involving the 2a₁ orbital. The ion yield resulting from excitation of the ²B₁ resonance increases as the film is heated. We attribute the increase in the ion yield to thermally induced hydrogen bond breaking near the surface, which enhances the lifetimes of the excited states that lead to desorption.     

μSR in oxygen deficient YBa2Cu3O x (6.5⩽x⩽7.0)

A systematic μSR study of the local magnetic field distribution in a series of oxygen deficient YBa₂Cu₃O _x samples with 6.5⩽x⩽7.0 is reported. Special attention was given to perform the experiments under the same conditions, so that the oxygen content of the measured samples was the only parameter varied. The behavior of the depolarization rate σ as a function of the oxygen contentx was found to have strong similarities with the behavior of the critical temperatureT _c as a function ofx. In particular, two step-like increases of σ were observed abovex=6.7 and 6.9. The temperature dependence of the normalized depolarization rate σ(T)/σ(0) is well described by the two-fluid model forx⩾6.781(1) and clearly deviates from this behavior forx⩽6.704(1). Our results are compared to those obtained by other groups.     

Direct laser ablation of sub-100 nm line structures into polyimide

Periodic line structures with a period of 167 nm and linewidths varying from 30 to 100 nm have been produced in polyimide by direct ablation with a KrF laser using an interferometric technique. The characteristics of this interferometer as it applies to the ablation of these line structures, including linewidth and alignment sensitivity, are analyzed. The ability to control the linewidth by varying the average incident fluence is described theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. This externally generated period of 167 nm also prevents the spontaneous growth of laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS).     

Pion pair production in photon-photon collisions

The process γγ→π⁺π^? was measured using the detector MD-1 at VEPP-4. The two-photon reactionse ⁺ e ^?, μ⁺ μ^? and π⁺ π^? pair production were separated using scintillation counters, Cherenkov counters and shower-range chambers. A radiation widthГ _γγ(f ₂(1270))=3.1±0.35±0.35 keV was obtained.