Modification of magnetic anisotropy in metallic glasses using high-energy ion beam irradiation

Heavy ion irradiation in the electronic stopping power region induces macroscopic dimensional change in metallic glasses and introduces magnetic anisotropy in some magnetic materials. The present work is on the irradiation study of ferromagnetic metallic glasses, where both dimensional change and modification of magnetic anisotropy are expected. Magnetic anisotropy was measured using Mössbauer spectroscopy of virgin and irradiated Fe₄₀Ni₄₀B₂₀ and Fe₄₀Ni₃₈Mo₄B₁₈ metallic glass ribbons. 90 MeV ¹²⁷I beam was used for the irradiations. Irradiation doses were 5×10¹³ and 7.5×10¹³ ions/cm². The relative intensity ratios D ₂₃ of the second and third lines of the Mössbauer spectra were measured to determine the magnetic anisotropy. The virgin samples of both the materials display in-plane magnetic anisotropy, i.e., the spins are oriented parallel to the ribbon plane. Irradiation is found to cause reduction in magnetic anisotropy. Near-complete randomization of magnetic moments is observed at high irradiation doses. Correlation is found between the residual stresses introduced by ion irradiation and the change in magnetic anisotropy.     

Simple method to measure the visual axis of the human eye

We propose a simple method to measure the angle "α" that the visual axis (VA) makes with the optical axis of the human eye. In this method, we capture the images of the pupil from three different angles, one along the VA and the other two along angles that are symmetrical with respect to the VA. These views of the pupil are captured simultaneously by a camera in a single photograph using a pair of plane mirrors. Assuming a model eye and with the help of finite ray tracing, we compute the value of α from the measured diameters of the three images of the pupil. Having a simple means to measure the value of α can be useful for optical modeling and analysis of the human eye. Measurement of the VA may also be useful in monitoring progressive myopia.     

Rotation sensitivity of Lau fringes: an analysis based on coherence theory

An analysis based on coherence theory is presented, which explains the experimentally observed rotation sensitivity of the contrast of Lau fringes obtained under spatially incoherent illumination.     

Synthetic magnetic opals

We present studies of novel nanocomposites of BiNi impregnated into the structure of opals as well as inverse opals. Atomic force microscopy and high resolution elemental analyses show a highly ordered structure and uniform distribution of the BiNi filler in the matrix. These BiNi-based nanocomposites are found to exhibit distinct ferromagnetic-like ordering with transition temperature of about 675 K. As far as we know there exists no report in literature on any BiNi compound which is magnetic.     

Magnetization curves for general cylindrical samples in a transverse field

Using the recent results for the surface current density on cylindrical surfaces of arbitrary cross-section producing uniform interior magnetic field we propose a method for obtaining solutions of Bean’s critical state model for general cylindrical samples. The method uses the technique of conformal mapping to express the sample surface and the flux-fronts in terms of a set of coefficients that depend on a parameter. The flux-fronts are to be determined by solving a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations for the coefficients. Retaining only a certain finite number of leading coefficients we get an approximate solution. The procedure is illustrated by considering two cyclindrical samples — one with an elliptical cross-section and the other with a non-elliptical cross-section. The virgin curve and small and large magnetization hysteresis loops for the two samples are obtained.     

Heat transfer from a slowly rotating sphere

The problem of steady state forced convection heat transfer in a viscous incompressible fluid occupying the annular region between two concentric spheres is considered. The inner sphere is maintained at a constant temperatureT ₀ and rotates slowly around an axis through the centre. The outer sphere is at rest and the temperature of its surface is prescribed as a function of the spherical coordinates and. It is shown that, when viscous dissipation is small, the overall rate of heat transfer from the rotating sphere into the fluid is unaffected by convection from the sphere surface, in case of a slow rotation, where the Stokes solution holds.     

Low-field vortex dynamics in various high-T c thin films

We present a novel ac susceptibility technique for the study of vortex creep in superconducting thin films. With this technique we study the dynamics of dilute vortices in c-axis oriented Y-123, Hg-1212, and Tl-1212 thin films, as well as a axis oriented Hg-1212 thin films. Results on the Hg-1212 and Tl-1212 thin films indicate that dislocation-mediated plastic flux creep of single vortices dominates at low temperatures and fields. As the temperature (or the field) is increased, the increasing vortex-vortex interactions promote a collective behavior, which can be characterized by elastic creep with a non-zero μ exponent. Also, in some of these samples effects of thermally assisted quantum creep are visible up to 45 K in some of these samples. In Y-123 thin films, creep is found to be collective down to the lowest temperatures and fields investigated, while the quantum creep persists only up to 10–11 K.     

Holographic multivergence target for subjective measurement of the astigmatic error of the human eye

In subjective refraction the spherical and cylindrical errors of the human eye are measured. Recently, we reported a technique by which the spherical error can be measured in one step using a hologram [K. V. Avudainayagam and C. S. Avudainayagam, Opt. Lett.28, 123 (2003)]. We have now developed a holographic target consisting of sunburst patterns to measure the astigmatic error of the human eye as well. Apart from being simple, quick, and low cost, holography offers the advantage of being an open field refraction system that is devoid of the problem of proximal accommodation. We describe the holographic target, its working principles, the measurement procedure, and the initial results obtained.