The temperature jump and slow evaporation in molecular gases

We set up model transport equations that describe the behavior of molecular (diatomic and polyatomic) gases with a molecule collision rate proportional to the molecular velocity. In deriving these equations we allow for the internal (rotational) degrees of freedom, while the vibrational degrees of freedom are assumed “frozen.” We also set up an exact equation for the problem of the temperature jump with allowance for slow evaporation from the liquid surface into the saturated vapor atmosphere. Finally, we derive explicit formulas for calculating the coefficients of the temperature jump and gas-density jump above a flat surface and do the necessary numerical calculations. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 956–971 (September 1998)     

Towards an universal classification of scale invariant processes

We consider fields which take random values over several decades. Starting from physical examples, we postulate that scale is not an absolute quantity. We then establish the equivalence between two existing approaches based on scale symmetry arguments as general as possible. This yields a classification of log-infinitely divisible laws, possibly universal. The physical significance of the parameters entering in the classification is discussed. Received: 7 November 1997 / Received in final form: 26 March 1998 / Accepted: 30 March 1998     

Influence of the surface on the elastic properties of liquid crystals

A statistical approach including direct correlation functions is applied to study the influence of the surface confining the nematic liquid phase on the Franck elastic coefficients. Specific calculations are made for a model system composed of ellipsoidal molecules interacting by means of the Gay-Berne potential near the interacting surface. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1356–1359 (July 1998)     

Anomalous light diffusion in ferroelectrics having a diffuse phase transition

It has been shown by using the statistical approach that the angular dependence of intensity I(θ) in multiple small-angle light scattering can be described by Lévy’s universal distribution functions. The fundamental property of the stability of these distributions permits one to extract information on the characteristics of fractal media as complete as it is possible in the simple single-scattering case. In particular, an analysis of the polarization characteristics of I(θ) in disordered PST reveals that the surface fractals observed in these crystals are of the heterophase rather than domain origin. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1537–1541 (August 1998)     

Calculation of the noise factor of a traveling-wave gyrotron

The problem of calculating the noise factor of a traveling-wave gyrotron is solved for a model of a thin annular multistart-helical electron flux taking into account the effect of the quasistatic space-charge field. Plots of the gain and the noise factor of the traveling-wave gyrotron versus the electrical parameters of the amplifier are obtained. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 130–132 (February 1998)     

Experiments on two-step heating of a dense plasma in the GOL-3 facility

This paper presents the results of experiments on two-stage heating of a dense plasma by a relativistic electron beam in the GOL-3 facility. A dense plasma with a length of about a meter and a hydrogen density up to 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ was created in the main plasma, whose density was 10¹⁵ cm⁻³. In the process of interacting with the plasma, the electron beam (1 MeV, 40 kA, 4 μs) imparts its energy to the electrons of the main plasma through collective effects. The heated electrons, as they disperse along the magnetic field lines, in turn reach the region of dense plasma and impart their energy to it by pairwise collisions. Estimates based on experimental data are given for the parameters of the flux of hot plasma electrons, the energy released in the dense plasma, and the energy balance of the beam-plasma system. The paper discusses the dynamics of the plasma, which is inhomogeneous in density and temperature, including the appearance of pressure waves. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 897–917 (March 1998)     

Continuum many universal Horn classes of graphs of bounded chromatic number

Received February 28, 1997; accepted in final form July 19, 1998.     

Light-induced evaporation and condensation growth of aerosol particles

We analyze the possibility of resonant optical radiation inducing evaporation and condensation growth of aerosol particles suspended in a vapor-gas mixture. The molecules of the vapor absorb radiation selectively as to velocity. We examine the Knudsen regime, in which the particle radius is much smaller than the mean free path of the molecules. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 1036–1047 (March 1998)     

Electric field of an isolated charged impurity in an ionic crystal

The character of the behavior of the electric field created by a charged impurity in an ionic crystal is studied on the basis of both cluster and analytical approaches. In the cluster approach about 30 000 ions surrounding the impurity are taken into account. These ions are described in a model of polarizable sites. A direct calculation shows that the asymptote of the electric field of a charged impurity at lattice points can differ strongly from the one given by the Coulomb equation written for a homogeneous polarizable medium. The behavior of the electric field at intermediate distances, where the asymptotic behavior cannot yet be used, is studied in detail. It is found that the electric field is increased significantly in comparison to the Coulomb field in the region near the defect. The size of this (strongly polarized) region increases as the dielectric constant increases. These data are in qualitative agreement with the results obtained by Vikhnin et al. and account for the results of recent experiments designed to investigate polarization in reduced virtual ferroelectrics. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 662–667 (April 1998)     

Study of the phase composition of AgI microcrystals by exciton spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry

Differential absorption spectra of RbAg₄I₅ have been measured in the exciton absorption region of AgI within the temperature range 27–250 °C. In the same temperature range, the temperature behavior of the heat capacity of RbAg₄I₅, Rb₂AgI₃, and KAg₄I₅ have been obtained by differential scanning calorimetry. An analysis of the results suggests that, in AgI microcrystals less than r _cr in size, the upper boundary for stability of the low-temperature β modification is higher by several tens of degrees. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 852–854 (May 1998)