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.     

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.     

New data on the ternary fission of 252Cf from the Gammasphere facility

Ternary fission of ²⁵²Cf was studied at Gammasphere using eight ΔE×E particle telescopes. Helium, beryllium, boron, and carbon light charged particles (LCPs) emitted with kinetic energy more than 9, 21, 26, and 32 MeV, respectively, were identified. The 3368-keV γ transition from the first 2⁺ excited state in ¹⁰Be was found and the population probability ratio N(2⁺)/N(0⁺) = 0.160 ± 0.025 was estimated. No evidence was found for 3368-keV γ rays emitted from a triple molecular state. For the first time, charge distributions are obtained for ternary fission fragments emitted with helium, beryllium, and carbon LCPs.     

Isotopic effect in the width of a giant dipole resonance in light nuclei

An isotopic effect in the widths of giant dipole resonances is established on the basis of an analysis of the latest systematics of photoabsorption cross sections for nuclei containing 12 to 65 nucleons. This effect arises owing to isospin splitting of a giant resonance and is enhanced by its configuration splitting.     

Elasticity and inelasticity of biomorphic silicon carbide ceramics

The effect of the vibration strain amplitude on the Young modulus and ultrasonic absorption (internal friction) in biomorphic SiC ceramics is investigated in the temperature range 116–296 K. The biomorphic SiC ceramics is prepared through pyrolysis of eucalyptus with subsequent infiltration of silicon. It is demonstrated that the vibration loading of samples in air and under vacuum is accompanied by a number of unexpected effects. The behavior of the studied ceramics is governed by at least two mechanisms, which, to a large extent, are responsible for the elastic and inelastic properties of the material. One mechanism is associated with the adsorption-desorption of environmental molecules (hypothetically, owing to the presence of pores and residual carbon), and the other mechanism involves microplastic deformation due to the motion of dislocations or other (similar) structural units.     

Effect of laser erosion on the copper and zinc concentrations in the surface layer of brass

A REMMA 102 scanning electron microscope equipped with semiconductor and wave spectrometers is applied to measure the copper and zinc concentrations in the surface layers of an M161 brass sample and the same sample subjected to a focused laser radiation. The results are compared with the results obtained with an MS3101 laser mass spectrometer having a laser-plasma ion source. The laser-assisted erosion of the surface layer in the brass is shown to significantly change the copper and zinc concentrations. It is found that, when the craters produced by laser pulses on the initial surface do not overlap, the copper and zinc contents in the laser-induced plasma correspond to their contents in the sample.     

On the magnetic dipole absorption of electromagnetic radiation by a fine conducting particle

The cross section of absorption of electromagnetic radiation by a fine spherical conducting particle is estimated in terms of the classical kinetic theory of electrical conduction. The mixed diffuse-specular mechanism of charge carrier reflection from the sample boundary is considered. A correlation between the coefficient of specular reflection and the absorption cross section at different temperatures is analyzed.     

Spatial deterministic chaos in optical systems and methods of its modeling

The phenomenon of spatial deterministic chaos is described. A transition from an ordinary differential equation to a discrete map is justified for modeling of the chaos. Methods of studying the chaos dynamics in this model are suggested. It is established how the physical properties of a nonlinear ring interferometer influence the structure of charts of the Lyapunov exponents. The approaches developed in the present study allow an optical cryptosystem to be optimized.__________Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 65–71, December, 2004.     

Investigations of spectral and luminescent properties of neutral and ionic phenol and <Emphasis Type="Italic">PARA</Emphasis>-chlorophenol forms in aqueous micellar solutions

Special features of the absorption and fluorescence spectra of phenols (phenol and para-chlorophenol) in alkalized and acidified aqueous-micellar solutions are studied. It is established that the absorption band of the anionic phenol form is formed in aqueous-alkali media in the presence of ionogenic surfactants. The fluorescence intensity of the anionic phenol form solubilized in micelles is higher than that in water.__________Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 76–80, November, 2004.