Temperature and field dependences of photo-induced changes in the magnetization in yttrium iron garnet

The changes in the magnetization of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) when irradiated by a pulsed neodymium laser beam with wavelength λ=1.06 μm are investigated. Measurements are performed in the temperature range from 100 K to 600 K in various external magnetic fields. YIG single crystals grown along the crystallographic (100), (110), and (111) directions are chosen so that the external anisotropy of the indicated processes can be determined. Characteristic temperature intervals dominated by different mechanisms of variation of the magnetization under the influence of a laser pulse are discussed. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1263–1266 (July 1997)     

Temperature and frequency dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation times of E′1 centers in neutron-irradiated quartz glass

Results are reported for measurements of the spin-lattice relaxation times of E′₁ centers in quartz glass, produced by neutron irradiation, with the measurements made at two frequencies 9.25 and 24.0 GHz over a wide temperature interval 1.5–300 K. The experimental data are interpreted on the basis of interaction mechanisms of the spins with two-level systems with excitation energies ∼6, ∼26, and ∼420 cm⁻¹. A small modification of the existing theory allows us to explain a number of features of the observed temperature and frequency dependence of the relaxation rate. The results are compared with the data available in the literature on spin-lattice relaxation of irradiation centers in crystalline quartz and quartz glass. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1335–1337 (August 1997)     

Excitation of bulk elastic waves at the surfaces of piezoelectric crystals with 422,622 symmetry

The problem of exciting bulk elastic waves at the surface of a piezoelectric with symmetries 422,622 has been solved by a successive approximation method. In the approximation of a fixed electric field, created at the surface of the piezoelectric crystal by a two-electrode transducer, the distributions are found for the shear wave stress and the energy flux density in the far zone. The equivalent circuit parameters for a two-electrode radiator are determined taking account of the dynamic piezoelectric correction obtained in the second approximation. The equivalent circuit parameters and the transducer loss are treated for TeO₂ crystals. A realistic possibility of using surface transducers in the development of acousto-optic modulators in the s.h.f. region is shown. Tomsk State Academy of Control Systems and Radio Electronics. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 8–15, January, 1997.     

Thermodynamic stability of the structure of a deformed Fe-C solid solution

An analysis is made of the thermodynamic stability of the dislocation structure in polycrystalline samples of Fe-C, deformed under conditions of high rates and hydrostatic pressures, based on experimental and theoretical data concerning the internal energy and on diffractometer measurements of the broadening of x-ray lines. The method of deformation calorimetry was used to determine the internal energy in a wide range of deformations. A theoretical model is proposed for estimating the change in internal energy in deformed alloys. An investigation is made of the dependence of the interdislocation interaction parameter on the deformation rate for different stressed state-schemes and large plastic deformations. It is shown that the relative quantity δU/A is correlated in a wide range of deformations with the relative root-mean-square distortions of the crystal lattice of the deformed solid solution. The mechanisms for the accumulation of energy in deformed solid solutions having a body-centered cubic lattice are considered. Don State Technical University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 77–83.     

Student-Invented Numeration Systems: Pattern-Analysis and Mathematical Understanding

Thirteen fifth graders were given an assignment to invent their own numeration systems, following a unit on bases and a look at early events in the history of numbers. The task presented options that required the students to make decisions (such as whether to use a base, which base to use, design of symbols, etc.), and build a rationale for the elements of their system. Analyses of patterns embedded in their invented systems provided an assessment of student understanding of numeration. The progression of more and less complex thinking related to the student's choice of a base other than 10, consistency of logic throughout the system in words and symbols, rationale for change, and perception of real life examples that would change if the system was adopted. The invention task is presented as another way to make connections.     

Effect of iodine sorption on the free volume of polycarbonate

 The effect of iodine sorption on the free volume of polycarbonate is investigated by Positron Annihilation Lifetime method. The observed results are interpreted in terms of the Charge Transfer Complex formation and precipitation of iodine at the initial and final stages of sorption, respectively. At higher levels of sorption, changes in the second lifetime and its intensity seem to suggest a conformational transformation, probably due to the net change in the amorphous-crystalline boundary regions of the polymer matrix. The free volume cavities have been predominantly occupied by I^- ₃ species and the diffusion process obeys Fick’s law. An exponential type correlation has been observed between fractional free volume and the diffusion coefficient. Received: 13 June 1996/Accepted: 20 September 1996     

A poincaré-bendixson theorem for analytic families of vector fields

We provide a characterization of the limit periodic sets for analytic families of vector fields under the hypothesis that the first jet is non-vanishing at any singular point. Also, applying the family desingularization method, we reduce the complexity of some of these sets.