Study of the peak effect phenomenon in single crystals of 2H-NbSe2

The weakly pinned single crystals of the hexagonal 2H-NbSe₂ compound have emerged as prototypes for determining and characterizing the phase boundaries of the possible order-disorder transformations in the vortex matter. We present here a status report based on the ac and dc magnetization measurements of the peak effect phenomenon in three crystals of 2H-NbSe₂, in which the critical current densities vary over two orders of magnitude. We sketch the generic vortex phase diagram of a weakly pinned superconductor, which also utilizes theoretical proposals. We also establish the connection between the metastability effects and pinning.     

On the possibility of implementation of Kohn’s theorem in the case of ellipsoidal quantum dots

An electron gas in a strongly oblated ellipsoidal quantum dot with impenetrable walls is considered. Influence of the walls of the quantum dot is assumed to be so strong in the direction of the minor axis (the OZ axis) that the Coulomb interaction between electrons in this direction can be neglected and considered as two-dimensional, coupled. On the basis of geometric adiabaticity we show that in the case of a few-particle gas a powerful repulsive potential of the quantum dot walls has a parabolic form and localizes the dot in the geometric center of the structure. Due to this fact, conditions occur to implement the generalized Kohn theorem for this system.     

Quantum model of the prolate spheroidal Thomson hydrogen atom

In a uniformly charged prolate spheroidal Thomson hydrogen atom the electron states have been investigated. It has been shown from the mathematical point of view that the problem is equivalent to a spheroidal hydrogen atom in a parabolic potential with the cylindrical symmetry. In the framework of adiabatic approximation, the energy of ground state has been calculated. Comparison with the case of uncharged spheroidal quantum dot has been made, and the analytical form of wave function of electron has been also obtained.     

Estimation of higher derivatives of the solutions for a class of almost hypoelliptic equations in an infinite strip

The paper considers regular, almost hypoelliptic equations in an infinite strip. It is proved that all solutions of almost hypoelliptic equations, which are of some special space, belong to the Gevrey class.     

The influence of a transverse magnetic field on a subnormal glow discharge in air

In subnormal glow discharge under d.c. excitation at different pressure in a varying transverse magnetic field (0 to 30 G) some measurements have been carried out for various initial average tube currents. The voltage across the discharge increases and average tube current and residual current decreases in the magnetic field. With the help of Beckman’s expression [4] for the axial field and the electron density distribution in a transverse magnetic field the observed variation of current and voltage can be satisfactorily explained. The variation of axial electric field with transverse magnetic field can be represented to a fair degree of accuracy by the derived equation. The behaviour of residual current with magnetic field has been observed in these oscillations.     

Integral equation formulation for buoyancy-driven convection problems

An integral equation formulation for buoyancy-driven convection problems is developed and illustrated. Buoyancy-driven convection in a bounded cylindrical geometry with a free surface is studied for a range of aspect ratios and Nusselt numbers. The critical Rayleigh number, the nature of the cellular motion, and the heat transfer enhancement are computed using linear theory. Green's functions are used to convert the linear problem into linear Fredholm integral equations. Theorems are proved which establish the properties of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the linear integral operator which appears in these equations.     

A Riemann-Hilbert type problem for second order non-regular elliptic equation in weighted spaces

The paper investigates a Riemann-Hilbert type problem for second order nonregular elliptic equation in weighted spaces. It is established that the number of linearly independent solutions of the homogeneous problem and the number of conditions on the boundary functions depend not only on the order of singularity of the weight function and coefficient indices of the considered problem, but also on the behavior of these functions at singular points.     

On the smoothness of solutions of a class of regular equations in a strip

The paper considers a class of regular, hypoelliptic in x ₁, two-dimensional operators P(D) = P(D ₁,D ₂) in rather wide strip Ω _H = {x = (x ₁; x ₂) ∈ $ \mathbb{E} $ \mathbb{E} ², |x ₁| < H, x ₂ ∈ $ \mathbb{E} $ \mathbb{E} ¹}. It is proved the infinite differentiability in Ω _H of those generalized solutions of the equation P(D) _u = 0, for which D ₂ ^j u ∈ L ₂(Ω _H ), j = 0, …, ord _x2 P.     

Propagation of sound waves through a spatially homogeneous but smoothly time-dependent medium

The propagation of sound through a spatially homogeneous but non-stationary medium is investigated within the framework of fluid dynamics. For a non-vortical fluid, especially, a generalized wave equation is derived for the (scalar) potential of the fluid velocity distribution in dependence of the equilibrium mass density of the fluid and the sound wave velocity. A solution of this equation for a finite   transition period τ$\tau$ is determined in terms of the hypergeometric function for a phenomenologically realistic, sigmoidal change of the mass density and sound wave velocity. Using this solution, it is shown that the energy flux of the sound wave is not conserved but increases always   for the propagation through a non-stationary medium, independent of whether the equilibrium mass density is increased or decreased. It is found, moreover, that this amplification of the transmitted wave arises from an energy exchange with the medium and that its flux is equal to the (total) flux of the incident and the reflected wave. An interpretation of the reflected wave as a propagation of sound backward in time is given in close analogy to Feynman and Stueckelberg for the propagation of anti-particles. The reflection and transmission coefficients of sound propagating through a non-stationary medium is analyzed in more detail for hypersonic waves with transition periods τ$\tau$ between 15 and 200 ps as well as the transformation of infrasound waves in non-stationary oceans.