Effect of a magnetic field on the specific heat jump of a superconducting alloy containing paramagnetic impurities with local states within the gap

The effect of a uniform magnetic field on the specific heat jump \({\Delta C}\) of a superconductor containing paramagnetic impurities has been investigated. The impurities are described by the Shiba-Rusinov model. Taking the normalized position of the bound state within the BCS gap ε₀=0.8 and 0.0 and the parameter α(=〈S _z ² 〉/S²)=1.0 and 1/3 as typical values, we find the detailed dependence of \({\Delta C}\) on the impurity concentration \(\bar c\) and the transition temperature T_c. In some cases \({\Delta C}\) diverges at certain values of \(\bar c\) or T_c, signaling a change of the normal-superconductor phase transition from second order to first order.     

Generation of thermal strains in GRP

The temperature dependence of the linear expansion coefficients in the longitudinal (α _l) and transverse directions \((\alpha _{t_1 } and \alpha _{t_2 } )\) of unidirectional glass fibre laminates and their matrix resins (α _m) has been studied. The results for the dry, fully post-cured polyester, epoxy resins and laminates have been found to be consistent with the predictions of the Schapery equations. An anomalous moisture phenomenon, in the form of a peak in theα _m (T)/T andα _t (T)/Tcurves for the polyester resin and laminates has been observed. A difference between \(\alpha _{t_1 }\) and \(\alpha _{t_2 }\) has been observed for partially cured polyester laminates, which is also perturbated in the presence of water. Both these moisture effects, which are not found in the epoxy specimens, are considered to result from a two-phase polyester matrix and the latter to continued curing below the softening point of the resin. These results have a considerable consequence on the magnitude of the thermal strains which develop in polyester composites.     

Limit laws for the maxima of stationary chi-processes under random index

Let \(\{\chi _{k}(t), t\ge 0\}\) be a stationary \(\chi \) -process with \(k\) degrees of freedom. In this paper, we consider the maxima \(M_{k}(T)= \max \{\chi _{k}(t), \forall t\in [0,T]\}\) with random index \(\mathcal {T}_{T}\) , where \(\mathcal {T}_{T}/T\) converges to a non-degenerate distribution or to a positive random variable in probability, and show that the limit distribution of \(M_{k}(\mathcal {T}_{T})\) exists under some additional conditions.     

Is There a Unified Description of Conductivity of Layered Cuprates ?

We present a novel approach to the analysis of the normal state in-plane $\sigma _{ab} $ and out-of-plane σ_c conductivities of anisotropic layered crystals such as oxygen deficient YBa ₂ Cu ₃ O _x . It can be shown that the resistive anisotropy is determined by the ratio of the phase coherence lengths in the respective directions; i.e., $\sigma _{ab} /\sigma _c = \ell _{ab}^2 /\ell _c^2 $ . From the idea that at all doping levels and temperatures T the out-of-plane transport in these crystals is incoherent, follows that $\ell _c $ is T-independent, equal to the spacing $\ell _0 $ between the neighboring bilayers. Thus, the T-dependence of $\ell _{ab} $ is given by the measured anisotropy, and $\sigma _{ab} (\ell _{ab} )$ dependence is obtained by plotting $\sigma _{ab} {\text{ }}vs{\text{ }}\ell = {\text{ (}}\sigma _{ab} /\sigma _c )^{1/2} \ell _0 $ .The analysis of several single crystals of YBa ₂ Cu ₃ O _x (6.35 < x < 6.93) shows that for all of them $\sigma _{ab} (\ell ) $ is described by a universal dependence $\sigma _{ab} /\overline \sigma = f(\ell /\overline \ell ) $ with doping dependent parameters $\overline \sigma {\text{ }}and{\text{ }}\overline \ell $ .     

Containerless Measurements of Density and Viscosity for a Cu_{48}Zr_{52} Liquid

The densities of solid and liquid Cu \(_{48}\) Zr \(_{52}\) and the viscosity of the liquid were measured in a containerless electrostatic levitation system using optical techniques. The measured density of the liquid at the liquidus temperature (1223 K) is (7.02 \(\pm \) 0.01) g \(\cdot \) cm \(^{-3}\) and the density of the solid extrapolated to that temperature is (7.15 \(\pm \) 0.01) g \(\cdot \) cm \(^{-3}\) . The thermal expansion coefficients measured at 1223 K are (6.4 \(\pm \) 0.1) \(\,\times \,10^{-5}\) K \(^{-1}\) in the liquid phase and (3.5 \(\pm \) 0.3) \(\,\times \,10^{-5}\) K \(^{-1}\) in the solid phase. The viscosity of the liquid, measured with the oscillating drop technique, is of the form \(A\exp \left[ \left( {{E}_{0}}+{{E}_{1}}\left( 1/T-1/{{T}_{0}} \right) \right) \times \left( 1/T-1/{{T}_{0}} \right) \right] \) , where \({{T}_{0}}=1223\) K, \(A= (0.0254 \pm 0.0004)\) Pa \(\cdot \) s, \({{E}_{0}}\) =  (8.43 \(\pm \) 0.26) \(\,\times \,10^3\) K and \({{E}_{1}}\) =  (1.7 \(\pm \) 0.2) \(\,\times 10^7\) K \(^{2}\) .     

Application of Non-Isothermal Thermogravimetric Method to Interpret the Decomposition Kinetics of \hbox {NaNO}_{3}, \hbox {KNO}_{3}, and \hbox {KClO}_{4}

The non-isothermal thermogravimetric method was used to study the thermal decomposition of \(\hbox {KClO}_{4}, \hbox {KNO}_{3}\) , and \(\hbox {NaNO}_{3}\) at heating rates of (5, 10, 15, and 20)  \(\hbox {K}\cdot \hbox {min}^{-1}\) . The activation energy of thermal decomposition reactions was computed by isoconversional methods of Ozawa–Flynn–Wall, Kissinger–Akahiro–Sunose, and Friedman equations. Also, the kinetic triplet of the thermal decomposition of salts was determined by the model-fitting method of the modified Coats–Redfern equation. The activation energies of \(\hbox {KClO}_{4}, \hbox {KNO}_{3}\) , and \(\hbox {NaNO}_{3}\) of (293 to 307, 160 to 209, and 192 to 245)  \(\hbox {kJ}\cdot \hbox {mol}^{-1}\) , respectively, are obtained by non–isothermal isoconversional methods. The modified Coats and Redfern method showed that the most probable mechanism functions \(g(\alpha )\) of \([-\hbox {ln}(1 - \alpha )]^{1/3}\) (model A3: Arami–Erofeev equation) and \((1 - \alpha )^{-1}- 1\) (model F2: second order) can be used to predict the decomposition mechanisms of \(\hbox {KClO}_{4}\) , \(\hbox {KNO}_{3}\) , and \(\hbox {NaNO}_{3}\) , respectively.     

Decomposition of the Heusler alloy Cu2MnAl at 360°C

During thermomagnetic studies, the as-quenched Heusler alloy Cu_2.00 Mn_1.00 Al_1.01 exhibits two Curie temperatures \(\theta _{C_I } \) and \(\theta _{C_{II} } \) . After 98 h at 360° C, above the Curie point, X-ray diffraction patterns indicate two ferromagnetic phases: Cu₂MnAl (I) witha _I=5.8707 Å and \(\theta _{C_I } \) = 151 ± 10° C; Cu₂MnAl (II) witha _II=5.9656 Å and \(\theta _{C_{II} } \) = 332 ± 4° C, whereas the 850° C as-quenched alloy exhibitsa=5.9612 Å andθ _c=341±5° C. The results are discussed in terms of the early stages of the decomposition of the Heusler phase. A mechanism, involving mainly the atomic migration of manganese, is suggested in order to reach the equilibrium phases of the ternary Cu-Mn-Al diagram. The kinetics of the decomposition should be ruled by the nucleation and the growth of the Cu₃Mn₂Al intermetallic compound.     

Electrical behaviour of doped-yttria stabilized zirconia ceramic materials

Single-phase sintered ceramic materials (ZrO₂)_1?x {(Y₂O₃) _y (RE₂O₃)_{1-y x} }_x (RE=Nd, Ce, Dy, Er), were synthesized and electrical conductivity and transport number measurements were made as a function of temperature between 500 and 1200° C. The activation energies of conduction were determined, and it was found that the charge carriers in these solid solutions are oxygen ions. The fabricated electrolyte discs were used in cells of the type \(P_{O_2 }\) , Pt/zirconia solid solution/ \(P_{\mathop O\limits^{'} _2 }\) , platinum where \(P_{O_2 }\) =air (0.21 atm) and \(P_{\mathop O\limits^{'} _2 }\) =1 atm or argon-O₂ mixtures. Below 700° C, the e.m.f. deviated from the theoretical values for completely ionic conduction; good agreement was observed above this temperature.     

Dielectric function for the Anderson model

In recent years the study of alloys and compounds containing rare-earth and actinide elements is receiving increasing attention. The Anderson model is most popularly used for studying the theory of these systems. As it displays a large number of anomalous characters in magnetic and electrical properties, it was felt worthwhile to study the dielectric properties of this model. Using the linear response theory of Kubo, the energy and wave vector-dependent dielectric function \(\varepsilon \left( {\bar q,E} \right)\) is related to the retarded Green’s function of Fourier components of electron density fluctuations \(\left\langle {\left\langle {\rho _{\bar q} ;\rho _{ - \bar q} } \right\rangle } \right\rangle \) . Thus a many-body calculation of \(\varepsilon \left( {\bar q,E} \right)\) requires the calculation of \(\left\langle {\left\langle {\rho _{\bar q} ;\rho _{ - \bar q} } \right\rangle } \right\rangle \) . The Greens function is calculated using the equation-of-motion method with RPA decoupling. Further, since certain ensemble averages are required as inputs to the calculation, the relevant single-particle Green’s functions are also evaluated.     

Relationship of hardness to load on the indentor and hardness with a fixed diagonal of the indentation

For high-hardness materials, particularly for ceramics, the relationship of hardness to load is revealed very strongly. An equation is proposed for conversion of Vickers hardness from one load to another: $$HV = HV_1 \left( {\frac{P}{{P_1 }}} \right)^{1 - 2/n}$$ where HV and HV₁ are the hardness with loads on the indentor of P and P₁ respectively. The parameter n is determined from the equation P = const dⁿ, where d is the indentation diagonal. The parameter n may also be determined on the basis of a normalized curve of the value of HV/E (E is Young's modulus). The physical nature of the relationship of hardness to load is discussed and the hardness \(HV_{d_f }\) is introduced with a fixed indentation diagonal d_f (and not with a fixed load) calculated using the equation $$HV_{d_f } = HV\left( {\frac{d}{{d_f }}} \right)^{2 - n}$$ . The introduction of \(HV_{d_f }\) makes it possible to unify measurement of microhardness for different materials at different temperatures. Curves are given simplifying conversion of hardness from one load to another and determination of the hardness \(HV_{d_f }\) .     

Electrical conductivity of polycrystalline tin dioxide and its solid solution with ZnO

Electrical conductivity (σ) of “pure” and ZnO doped SnO₂ has been measured at different temperatures and oxygen partial pressures ( \(p_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) )- From the variation of electrical conductivity of these materials three partial pressure ranges have been identifieD. In the high partial pressure rangeσ increases with decreasing \(p_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) followed by a \(p_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) independent region at lower \(p_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) ´s and finally increases once again with a further decrease of \(p_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) . These variations have been explained on the basis of an anti-Frenkel type defect structure and an interstitial solid solution of ZnO in SnO₂. The activation energy for the conduction process has been estimated and the values are found to differ in two different temperature ranges. In the low temperature range the conductivity is attributed mainly to the chemisorption of oxygen on the surface of the specimen.     

Cross-slip on the first order pyramidal plane (10\bar 11) of a-type dislocations [1\bar 210] in the plastic deformation of α-titanium single crystals

The nature of the cross-slip plane was determined by electron microscopy observations of α-titanium single crystal specimens, oriented for single prismatic slip (10 \(\bar 1\) 0) [1 \(\bar 2\) 10]. The occurrence of cross slip on the first order pyramidal plane (10 \(\bar 1\) 1) was proved for a-type dislocations [1 \(\bar 2\) 10]. Furthermore, two types of dislocation configuration due to the double cross-slip were observed: edge dislocation dipoles and loops elongated along the Burger's vector.     

Investigation of Magnetic Memory Signals Induced by Dynamic Bending Load in Fatigue Crack Propagation Process of Structural Steel

Metal magnetic memory effect, induced by applied stress under the excitation of the geomagnetic field, has attracted a lot of attentions due to its unique advantages of stress concentration identification and early damage detection for ferromagnetic materials. To further investigate the regularity of magnetic memory signals in the fatigue crack propagation process under the dynamic bending load, the surface magnetic field intensity \(H_{p}(y)\) of ferromagnetic structural steel was measured throughout the dynamic three-point bending fatigue tests; variation of \(H_{p}(y)\) and its maximum gradient \(K_{max}\) were studied; meanwhile the possibility of using \(K_{max}\) to predict the fatigue crack propagation was discussed. The results showed that \(H_{p}(y)\) was relatively stable at different loading cycles and its maximum value appeared at the fatigue crack area before the specimen fractured; instead the \(K_{max}\) increased exponentially with the increase of loading cycles, and an approximate linear relationship was found between \(K_{max}\) and crack length 2a. The cause for this phenomenon was also discussed.     

How the Surface Resistance R s of Patterned High-T c Superconducting Thin Film Is Affected by the Film's Edge

This paper defines an effective microwave surface resistance $R_{\text{s}}^{{\text{eff}}}$ for the nonuniform distribution of microwave surface resistance R _s in the strip of a microstrip. It is proved that $R_{\text{s}}^{{\text{eff}}}$ is equivalent to the expression of R _s used in experiments, and that the $R_{\text{s}}^{{\text{eff}}}$ is dominated by the edge part, i.e., the area of width λ²/2t from the strip edge, where λ is the magnetic penetration depth and t is the film thickness. Under the assumption that $R_s \sim \left( {H_{{\text{rf}}}^y } \right)^n$ where $H_{{\text{rf}}}^y$ is the component of rf magnetic field along the film thickness and n is an integer, the ratio of the contributions of the edge part and the rest of the strip to $R_s^{{\text{eff}}}$ is calculated by using an approximate analytical expression of the surface current density distribution J _s in the strip and $H_{{\text{rf}}}^y$ calculated by the London equation. The effect of film's edge on R _s was studied using a microstrip resonator. It is found that the perfectness of the edge could affect the magnitude of the power dependence of R _s significantly, which agreed with our analysis.     

Superconductivity of YBa2−x Nd x Cu3O y Solid Solution

The solubility of Nd at the Ba sites and the superconductivity of YBa_2?x Nd _x Cu₃O _y were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction and measurements of the electrical resistance and ac susceptibility. The single Re123 phase was obtained for x≤0.30. The onset transition temperature $T_{\text{c}}^{{\text{on}}}$ is insensitive to the Nd content x in the region of x≤0.40. All are higher than 95 K. The zero resistance transition temperatures $T_{\text{c}}^{{\text{zero}}}$ , however, exhibits two-step variation with the increase of x. For x≤0.25, $T_{\text{c}}^{{\text{zero}}}$ are all above 92 K. The highest $T_{\text{c}}^{{\text{zero}}}$ of 94 K was obtained for x=0.25. For x≥0.3 $T_{\text{c}}^{{\text{zero}}}$ drops sharply to about 84 K. Finally $T_{\text{c}}^{{\text{zero}}}$ falls to 30 K and $T_{\text{c}}^{{\text{zero}}}$ is below 10 K for x=0.5. The two-step variation of T _c might be an indication of the existence of two trap levels for holes.     

Study on the Difference Between the Triple-Point Temperatures of ^{20}Ne and ^{22}Ne Using Sealed Cells

At the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), the triple points of \(^{20}\) Ne and \(^{22}\) Ne were realized using modular sealed cells, manufactured by the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM) in Italy to measure the difference of the triple-point temperatures of \(^{20}\) Ne and \(^{22}\) Ne. Standard platinum resistance thermometers (SPRTs) were used that were calibrated by NMIJ on the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). In previous reports, sealed cells of \(^{20}\) Ne and \(^{22}\) Ne were mounted one at a time in a cryostat and their triple points were realized in separate cool-downs (the single-cell measurement). In this study, first, the triple point was realized using the single-cell measurement for \(^{20}\) Ne and \(^{22}\) Ne cells. Second, the \(^{20}\) Ne and \(^{22}\) Ne cells were mounted together on the same copper block and their triple points were realized subsequently one after the other in the same cool-down of the cryostat (the double-cell measurement). The melting curves observed by the single-cell and the double-cell measurements were almost identical for each cell. The difference of the triple-point temperatures between the two cells, \(^{22}T -^{20}\!T\) , was estimated, not only using the subrange of SPRTs defined in the ITS-90 from 13.8033 K to 273.16 K (subrange 1) but also that defined from 24.5561 K to 273.16 K (subrange 2). The difference in \((^{22}T-^{20}\!\!T)\) between the subranges 1 and 2 is within 0.06 mK, which is caused by the subrange inconsistency in the ITS-90. The standard uncertainty in \((^{22}T-^{20}\!T)\) due to the subrange inconsistency is estimated to be 0.017 mK. After correction for the effects of impurities and other isotopes in the \(^{20}\) Ne and \(^{22}\) Ne cells, the difference in the triple-point temperatures between pure \(^{20}\) Ne and pure \(^{22}\) Ne is estimated to be 0.146 64 (5) K on subrange 1, which is consistent within the uncertainty with the former studies. When \(^{22}T-^{20}\!T\) for pure \(^{20}\) Ne and pure \(^{22}\) Ne is estimated on subrange 2, \(^{22}T-^{20}\!\!T\) becomes 0.146 60 (5), which agrees very well with the former reports of INRiM evaluating \(^{22}T-^{20}\!T\) on subrange 2.     

Impact of Associated Gases on Equilibrium and Transport Properties of a \mathrm{CO}_{2} Stream: Molecular Simulation and Experimental Studies

During the various carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) stages, an accurate knowledge of thermodynamic properties of \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) streams is required for the correct sizing of plant units. The injected \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) streams are not pure and often contain small amounts of associated gaseous components such as \(\mathrm{O}_{2}, \mathrm{N}_{2}\) , \(\mathrm{SO}_{x}, \mathrm{NO}_{x}\) , noble gases, etc. In this work, the thermodynamic behavior and transport properties of some \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) -rich mixtures have been investigated using both experimental approaches and molecular simulation techniques such as Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. Using force fields available in the literature, we have validated the capability of molecular simulation techniques in predicting properties for pure compounds, binary mixtures, as well as multicomponent mixtures. These validations were performed on the basis of experimental data taken from the literature and the acquisition of new experimental data. As experimental data and simulation results were in good agreement, we proposed the use of simulation techniques to generate new pseudo-experimental data and to study the impact of associated gases on the properties of \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) streams. For instance, for a mixture containing 92.0 mol% of \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) , 4.0 mol% of \(\mathrm{O}_{2}\) , 3.7 mol% of Ar, and 0.3 mol% of \(\mathrm{N}_{2}\) , we have shown that the presence of associated gases leads to a decrease of 14 % and 21 % of the dense phase density and viscosity, respectively, as compared to pure \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) properties.     

Fusion Diagrams in the \mathrm{BiBO}_{3}–\mathrm{YbBO}_{3} and \mathrm{Bi}_{4}\mathrm{B}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{9}–\mathrm{YbBO}_{3} Systems

A calculation model of the Gibbs energy of ternary oxide compounds from the binary components was used. Thermodynamic properties of \(\mathrm{Yb}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{Bi}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{B}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}\) ternary systems in the condensed state were calculated. Thermodynamic data of binary and ternary compounds were used to determine the stable sections. The probability of reactions between the corresponding components in the \(\mathrm{Yb}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{Bi}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{B}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) system was estimated. Fusibility diagrams of systems \(\mathrm{BiBO}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{YbBO}_{3}\) and \(\mathrm{Bi}_{4} \mathrm{B}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{9}\) – \(\mathrm{YbBO}_{3}\) were studied by physical–chemical analysis. The isothermal section of the phase diagram of \(\mathrm{Yb}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{Bi}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{B}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) at 298 K is built, as well as the projection of the liquid surface of \(\mathrm{BiBO}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{B}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) – \(\mathrm{YbBO}_{3}\) .     

Effective Thermal-Conductivity Measurement on Germanate Glass–Ceramics Employing the 3\omega Method at High Temperature

It can be noted that the germanate glass–ceramic is a functional material with excellent thermal stability which can be used in optical devices. The temperature-dependent effective thermal conductivities of CaO–BaO–CoO–Al \(_{2}\) O \(_{3}\) –SiO \(_{2}\) –GeO \(_{2}\) glass–ceramics from 295.5 K to 780 K are determined using a \(3\omega \) method. One of the main advantages for the \(3\omega \) method is to diminish radiation errors effectively when the temperature is as high as 1000 K. Thermal conductivities of CaO–BaO–CoO–Al \(_{2}\) O \(_{3}\) –SiO \(_{2}\) –GeO \(_{2}\) increase with a rise in temperature. Effective thermal conductivities of a sample increase from \(1.55~\hbox {W}\cdot \hbox {m}^{-1}\cdot \hbox {K}^{-1}\) at 295.5 K to \(7.64~\hbox {W}\cdot \,\hbox {m}^{-1}\cdot \hbox {K}^{-1}\) at 698.1 K. The effective thermal conductivity of CaO–BaO–CoO–Al \(_{2}\) O \(_{3}\) –SiO \(_{2}\) –GeO \(_{2}\) glass–ceramic increases with a rise of temperature. This investigation can be used as a basis for the measurement of thermal properties of ceramic materials at higher temperature.     

Fabrication of Nb/Al Superconducting Tunnel Junction Using Ozone Gas

An ozone (O \(_{3})\) oxidation process was introduced for Nb/Al-based superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) in order to form defect-free tunnel barriers at high critical current and to improve the energy resolution ( \(\Delta E\) ) for X-rays. The dependence of critical current ( \(J_\mathrm{C})\) and leak current ( \(I_\mathrm{leak})\) on the O \(_{3}\) exposure was measured to optimize the oxidation condition. The 50-square- \(\upmu \) m STJs produced by the O \(_{3}\) oxidation process exhibited an extremely small \(I_\mathrm{leak}\) of less than 50 pA. As expected, the lower or shorter the O \(_{3}\) exposure, the higher \(J_\mathrm{C}\) and the smaller the normal resistance ( \(R_\mathrm{N})\) . However, the maximum \(J_\mathrm{C}\) was 8 A/cm \(^{2}\) at an O \(_{3}\) exposure of 0.72 Pa min, which is much smaller than those of STJs with the conventional O \(_{2}\) oxidation process. It is expected that the high \(J_\mathrm{C}\) of 1,000 A/cm \(^{2}\) , at which a 9-eV-energy resolution for 277 eV photons is predicted, can be reached by an O \(_{3}\) exposure of 3.5 \(\times \) 10 \(^{-4}\) Pa min.