Method of linear prediction in the ultrasonic spectroscopy of rock

The possibility of using the resonant acoustic spectroscopy method for testing the internal state of rock is considered. This method can be used for the determination of the concentration of defects and their spatial distribution. A rock specimen with defects is characterized by a high loss of vibrational energy, which leads to the overlapping of the resonant responses. In this case, the complex resonant frequencies are determined as the parameters of a model that describes the measured transfer function of the response of the mechanical system. The linearity of the vibratory system is used as the a priori information for presetting the functional dependences of the model. An algorithm is developed for the determination of the parameters of the resonances in conditions of their partial overlapping. Examples are presented to demonstrate the possibility of analyzing the complex elastic constant tensor of rock by the acoustic spectroscopy method. The proposed method of experimental data processing provides the possibility for the determination of the weak anisotropy that occurs in the velocity of sound because of a partial fracture of rock.     

Antimagnons in ferrimagnets

Purely antiferromagnetic intrinsic oscillations of magnetic ions in a tetragonal ferrimagnet are considered. The magnetic ions occupy two double positions (forming four magnetic sublattices) so that the center of symmetry for each position is not a closed element. Not involving the total magnetization vector, the oscillations are not excited by the magnetic field; however, the oscillations can be excited by an alternating electric field or by a combination of a constant electric field and the alternating magnetic field of a certain frequency. This phenomenon is a dynamic manifestation of the magnetoelectric interaction. These oscillations, representing a new special type of spin waves (magnons), were called antimagnons. The intrinsic frequencies of antimagnons, as well as the corresponding susceptibilities, were determined. Quantitative estimates were obtained for a Mn₂Sb-based ferrimagnetic phase in both easy-axis and easy-plane orientation states.     

Electronic properties of model quantum-dot structures in zero and finite magnetic fields

We have computed electronic structures and total energies of circularly confined two-dimensional quantum dots and their lateral dimers in zero and finite uniform external magnetic fields using different theoretical schemes: the spin-density-functional theory (SDFT), the current-and-spin-density-functional theory (CSDFT), and the variational quantum Monte Carlo (VMC) method. The SDFT and CSDFT calculations employ a recently-developed, symmetry-unrestricted real-space algorithm allowing solutions which break the spin symmetry. Results obtained for a six-electron dot in the weak confinement limit and in zero magnetic field as well as in a moderate confinement and in finite magnetic fields enable us to draw conclusions about the reliability of the more approximative SDFT and CSDFT schemes in comparison with the VMC method. The same is true for results obtained for the two-electron quantum dot dimer as a function of inter-dot distance. The structure and role of the symmetry-breaking solutions appearing in the SDFT and CSDFT calculations for the above systems are discussed. Received 16 October 2001 and Received in final form 17 January 2002     

Signal recording in acoustooptical imaging of scattering media

An expression for a signal at the ultrasonic frequency from a photodetector arising when diffraction waves at the cathode mix is obtained for the case when the optical and acoustic beams are space-limited and Bragg angles are small. The alternating current generated when the scattering medium is crossed by a focused 3-MHz ultrasonic beam and illuminated by a cw He-Ne laser is measured. Satisfactory agreement between experimental results and those calculated from the formulas obtained indicates that our model treating acoustooptical interaction in the medium in terms of Raman-Nath diffraction is valid. Conditions for measuring the alternating current (which is a parameter of acoustooptical imaging) that are optimal from the viewpoint of maximizing the signal and signal-to-noise ratio are predicted theoretically and corroborated experimentally.     

Creation of a donor-acceptor pair for studying intraprotein electron transfer with the participation of amino-acid derivatives of fullerene C60

Efficient quenching of eosin phosphorescence by amino-acid derivatives of fullerene (AADFs) such as C₆₀-alanine and C₆₀-glycine in aqueous solutions indicates the possibility of transferring electrons from eosin to fullerene upon collisions or in the exciplex state. To investigate electron transfer in the protein structure, we studied the process of incorporation of C₆₀-alanine and C₆₀-glycine into the heme pocket of myoglobin by controlling Förster quenching. The dissociation constant for the protein-AADF complex was estimated.     

Numerical simulation of silane decomposition in an RF plasma

A model of silane decomposition in a radio-frequency argon plasma is constructed. The concentrations of SiH₄ decomposition products, as well as products of synthesis (higher silanes), are calculated. The role of metastable argon atoms in the formation of SiH₃ radicals and the higher silanes is analyzed.     

Boundary Problems for the Quantum Bose Gas

A relaxation kinetic equation that describes the behavior of a Bose gas is derived. The Kramers half-space problem on isothermal slip is treated. An analytical solution and the number-of-particle distribution function for particles flying toward a wall, in explicit form, are obtained. The dependence of the slip velocity on the parameter that is the ratio of the chemical potential to the product of Boltzmann's constant by the absolute temperature is analyzed. The influence of the quantum effects on the isothermal slip coefficient is evaluated for He⁴.