Mean Field Behaviour of Spin Systems with Orthogonal Interaction Matrix

For the long-range deterministic spin models with glassy behaviour of Marinari, Parisi and Ritort we prove weighted factorization properties of the correlation functions which represent the natural generalization of the factorization rules valid for the Curie–Weiss case.     

Ground-state properties of LiV2O4 and Li1-xZnx(V1-yTiy)2O4

We present susceptibility, microwave resistivity, NMR and heat-capacity results for Li_1-xZn_x(V_1-yTi_y)₂O₄ with 0 ? x ? 0.3 and 0 ? y ? 0.3. For all doping levels the susceptibility curves can be fitted with a Curie-Weiss law. The paramagnetic Curie-Weiss temperatures remain negative with an average value close to that of the pure compound Θ≈ - 36 K. Spin-glass anomalies are observed in the susceptibility, heat-capacity and NMR measurements for both type of dopants. From the temperature dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate we found critical-dynamic behavior in the Zn doped compounds at the freezing temperatures. For the Ti-doped samples two successive freezing transitions into disordered low-temperature states can be detected. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity for Zn-doped compounds does not resemble that of canonical spin glasses and only a small fraction of the total vanadium entropy is frozen at the spin-glass transitions. For pure LiV₂O₄ the spin-glass transition is completely suppressed. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity for LiV₂O₄ can be described using a nuclear Schottky contribution and the non-Fermi liquid model, appropriate for a system close to a spin-glass quantum critical point. Finally an ( x / y , T )-phase diagram for the low-doping regime is presented. Received 16 March 2001 and Received in final form 30 October 2001     

Thermal analysis of glasses for proecological applications

Thermal behaviour and biochemical activity of potassium-silicate-phosphate glasses modified by addition of Ca, Mg, acting as ecological fertilisers of controlled release rate of the nutrients for plants were studied. It has been found that the biochemical activity of silicate-phosphate glasses depends on the nature and the number of components forming the glassy framework and is related to the thermal stability of glass demonstrated by the formation of new compounds during the process of crystallisation. It is proved that these seemingly different properties are determined by the same parameters which are the strengths bonds of glass network-formers and modifiers as well as their chemical affinity. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Strain hardening of polycarbonate in the glassy state: Influence of temperature and molecular weight

This study is concerned with the temperature and molecular weight dependence of the strain-hardening behavior of polycarbonate. It is shown that the strain-hardening modulus reduces with increasing temperature and decreasing molecular weight. This result is interpreted in terms of temperature accelerated relaxation of the entanglement network. Moreover, it is shown that frozen-in orientations, induced by homogeneous deformations above the glass transition temperature, lead to anisotropic yield behavior that can be fully rationalized (and modelled) in terms of a superimposed stress contribution of the prestrained network. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2041–2049, 2004     

Thermomagnetic hysteresis and electrical transport in amorphous films

We report resistivity and magnetization measurements on an amorphous Ni₇₄Mn₂₄Pt₂ thin film in the temperature range of 3–300 K. Two significant features are apparent in both the magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity. A low-temperature (low-T) anomaly is observed at about 40 K, where a cusp appears in the resistivity, while a concomitant step-like increase in zero-field-cooled (ZFC) magnetization (M) appears with increasing temperature. The low-T anomaly is attributed to a crossover from a pure re-entrant spin-glass within individual domains to a mixed ferro-spin-glass regime at lower temperatures. By contrast, the high-temperature (high-T) anomaly, signaled by the appearance of hysteresis below 250 K, corresponds to the freezing of transverse spins in individual domains acting independently. Between the low-T and high-T anomalies a small but discernable magnetic hysteresis is observed for warming vs. cooling in the field-cooled (FC) case. This behavior clearly indicates the presence of domain structure in the sample, while the disappearance of this hysteresis at lower temperatures indicates the complete freezing of the spin orientation of these domains. According to these results, we have divided the magnetic state of this sample into three regions: at temperatures above 250 K, the sample behaves like a soft ferromagnet, exhibiting M vs. H loops with very small hysteresis (less than 5 Oe). As the temperature is lowered into the intermediate region (the range 40–250 K), spins become frozen randomly and progressively within the individual domains. These domains behave independently, rather than as a cooperative behavior of the sample. Weak irreversibility sets in, indicating the onset of transverse spin freezing within the domains. At temperatures below 40 K, the M vs. H loops exhibit larger hysteresis, for both the ZFC and FC cases, as in a pure spin-glass. We have also demonstrated giant noise in the resistivity at temperatures just below 250 K. Such noise can originate from fluctuations of the domains near the film surface because of competing effective bulk and surface anisotropy fields. The large observed amplitude may be explained by means of a large ferromagnetic anisotropy in the resistivity due to the large spin–orbit effect seen in NiMn systems. Finally, the low-T peak in the resistivity has been analyzed using Fisher and Langer's expression based on the Friedel Model proposed for critical transitions in transition metals (s–d systems). The fitted results are in satisfactory agreement with the predictions of this model.     

La5Al3Ni2 – an Intermetallic Phase Observed upon Crystallization of La50Al25Ni25 Metallic Glass

The yet unknown intermetallic phase La₅Al₃Ni₂ was obtained by partially crystallizing amorphous La₅₀Al₂₅Ni₂₅ at 550 K (further heating above 600 K leads to irreversible disappearance of this phase), and its crystal structure was determined from X‐ray powder diffraction data. The crystal structure of the La₅Al₃Ni₂ phase constitutes a new structure type (Cmcm, a = 14.231Å, b = 6.914Å, c = 10.460Å, oC40) and is built from [Al₃Ni₂] chains surrounded by La atoms. In the ternary system La‐Al‐Ni La₅Al₃Ni₂ is located on the section La₅₀Al_50−nNi_n (0 ≤ n ≤ 50) with the binary compounds LaAl and LaNi as end members. Strikingly, also the crystal structures of the end members can be conceived as chain structures with Al and Ni chains surrounded by La, respectively.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Comment on</Emphasis>¶Low temperature specific heat of blue bronze K <Emphasis Type="Bold">0.30</Emphasis>MoO <Emphasis Type="Bold">3</Emphasis>, by J. Odin,J.C. Lasjaunias,K. Biljaković, K. Hasselbach,and P. Monceau

Eur. Phys. J. B 24, 315 (2001) Here we comment on a recently published paper on the presence of a phason contribution in the low temperature heat capacity data of the charge-density-wave compounds K_0.3MoO₃ and (TaSe₄)₂I. We have shown that the anomaly in the C _P / T ³ data reported by Odin et al. is straightforwardly interpreted in terms of low energy phonon modes resulting from the peculiar topology of these compounds. Received 21 February 2002 Published online 19 July 2002     

Effects of Nb2O5 on thermal stability and optical properties of Er3+-doped tellurite glasses

Er³⁺-doped tellurite glasses with molar compositions of xNb₂O₅-(14.7-x)Na₂O--10ZnO--5K₂O--10GeO₂-- 60TeO₂--0.3Er₂O₃ (x=0, 3, 5, 7 and 9) have been investigated for developing 1.5~μm fibre and planar amplifiers. The effects of Nb₂O₅ on the thermal stability and optical properties of Er³⁺-doped tellurite glasses have been discussed. It is noted that the incorporation of Nb₂O₅ (x=5) increases the thermal stability of tellurite glasses significantly. Er³⁺-doped niobium tellurite glasses exhibit a large stimulated emission cross-section (7.2\times 10^-21- 10.7×10^-21~cm² and the gain bandwidth, FWHM×\sigma_e^{\rm peak} (274\times 10^-28 - 480×10^-28~cm³), which are significantly higher than that of silicate and phosphate glasses. In addition, the intensity of upconversion luminescence of the Er³⁺-doped niobium tellurite glasses decreases rapidly with increasing Nb₂O₅ content. As a result, Er³⁺-doped niobium tellurite glasses might be a potential candidate for developing laser or optical amplifier devices.     

具有高机械强度的掺Er~(3 )∶TeO_2-Nb_2O_5玻璃的光谱性质研究

熔制了掺铒碲铌玻璃样品(100-X)TeO2-XNb2O5(X=5,10,15,20mol%),测试了其密度、折射率、转变温度、析晶温度、维氏机械强度、吸收光谱、荧光光谱、荧光寿命等参量。利用Judd-Ofelt和McCumber理论分别计算了铒离子强度参量Ωt(t=2,4,6)和受激发射截面σemi的大小,研究了掺铒碲铌玻璃样品光谱参量对Nb2O5成分的依赖性,并与典型的碲锌钠玻璃(75TeO2-20ZnO-5Na2O)在热学、机械强度、光谱性质和放大品行四个方面进行了比较.     

Glass-forming liquids,anomalous liquids,and polyamorphism in liquids and biopolymers

Summary Glass formation in nature and materials science is reviewed and the recent recognition of polymorphism within the glassy state, polyamorphism, is discussed. The process by which the glassy state originates during the continuous cooling or viscous slowdown process, is examined and the three canonical characteristics of relaxing liquids are correlated through the fragility. The conversion of strong liquids to fragile liquids by pressure-induced coordination number increases is discussed, and then it is shown that for the same type of system it is possible to have the same conversion accomplished via a first-order transition within the liquid state. The systems in which this can happen are of the same type which exhibit polyamorphism, and the whole phenomenology can be accounted for by a recent simple modification of the van der Waals model for tetrahedrally bonded liquids. The concept of complex amorphous systems which can lose a significant number of degrees of freedom through weak first-order transitions is then used to discuss the relation between native and denatured hydrated proteins, since the latter have much in common with plasticized chain polymer systems. Finally, we close the circle by taking a short-time-scale phenomenon given much attention by protein physicists,viz., the onset of an anomaly in the Debye-Waller factor with increasing temperature, and showing that for a wide variety of liquids, including computer-simulated strong and fragile ionic liquids, this phenomenon is closely correlated with the experimental glass transition temperature. This implies that the latter owes its origin to the onset of strong anharmonicity in certain components of the vibrational density of states (evidently related to the boson peak) which then permits the system to gain access to its configurational degrees of freedom. The more anharmonic these vibrational components, the closer to the Kauzmann temperature will commence the exploration of configuration space and, for a given configurational microstate degeneracy, the more fragile the liquid will be. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994.