Role of orientation in kinetics of nucleation and growth of crystals in polymers

A theoretical framework is provided for generalizing the inferences drawn from the results of earlier experimental studies of kinetics of crystallization in oriented poly(ethylene terephthalate). The framework is obtained by combining extensions of classical nucleation theories in polymers^3,4 and a theory of crystal growth with anisotropic incorporation of segments into growing crystals.¹⁵ It is shown that, while a very strong dependence of rate of primary nucleation on orientation does exist, there is a only a much weaker dependence of rate of crystal growth on the orientation of the crystallizing polymer. The theoretical formulation provided here would allow qualitative estimates for comparison with experiments.     

Active interferometer as an antenna for gravitational waves

It is demonstrated that a gain medium in the cavity of the Michelson interferometer that serves as a detector of gravitational waves allows a sharp decrease in the output power of the external laser source.     

High Curie temperature in B-site ordered Sr2CrWO6 epitaxial thin films

Epitaxial and c-axis oriented double perovskite Sr₂CrWO₆ thin films were prepared on SrTiO₃ (100) and LaAlO₃ (100) substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. Structural, magnetic and transport properties were found to be sensitive to the gas conditions employed during the deposition. A small amount of oxygen along with Ar during the deposition was found to be essential for B-site ordering; such films displayed lattice parameters close to the bulk value and display ferromagnetic metallic behavior. The Curie temperature observed above 500 K in these films is higher than bulk Sr₂CrWO₆ samples. Films grown without oxygen were observed to have long c-parameter and no B-site ordering; they were non-magnetic and semiconducting.     

Numerical method for problems of diffraction on semi-infinite structures

We propose a method which transforms homogeneous integral equations into inhomogeneous ones for problems of diffraction by semi-infinite structures. New integral equations and the corresponding stationary functionals dependent on the desired scattering parameters are obtained. The consideration is performed for the open-end diffraction problem of a parallel-plate waveguide which has a rigorous solution, but the method has sufficient generality to use it for two-dimensional surface integral equations describing planar and nonplanar structures as well as for an arbitrary structure of waveguide transformer type, the solution for which can be sought in the finite domain. The method is based on field representation at the infinity as incident and scattered waves. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 235–245, March 2006.