Measurement of the (p, \rho,T) Properties for Pure Hydrocarbons at Temperatures up to 600 K and Pressures up to 200 MPa

The data available for the thermodynamic properties of propane, \(n\) -butane, and isobutane at temperatures above 440 K are outdated and show significant discrepancies with each other. The ambiguity associated with these data could be limiting to the development of any understanding related to the effects of mixing of these substances with other materials such as \(\text{ CO}_{2}\) , ammonia, and non-flammable or lower-flammable HFC refrigerants. In this study, the (p, \(\rho \) , T) properties of propane, \(n\) -butane, and isobutane were measured at temperatures ranging from (360 to 600) K and pressures ranging from (50 to 200) MPa. Precise measurements were carried out using a metal-bellows variable volumometer with a thermostatted air bath. The expanded uncertainties \((k = 2)\) in the temperature, pressure, and density measurements were estimated to be \(<\) 5 mK, 0.02 MPa, and 0.88 kg  \(\cdot \)  m \(^{-3}\) ( \(T\le 423\)  K, \(p<100\)  MPa), 0.76 kg  \(\cdot \)   \(\text{ m}^{-3}\) ( \(T\le 423\)  K, \(p\ge 100\)  MPa), 0.76 kg  \(\cdot \)   \(\text{ m}^{-3}\) ( \(T>423\)  K, \(p < 100\)  MPa), and 2.94 kg  \(\cdot \)   \(\text{ m}^{-3}\) ( \(T>423\)  K, \(p \ge 100\)  MPa), respectively. The data obtained throughout this study were systematically compared with the calculated values derived from the available equations of state. These models agree well with the measured data at higher temperatures up to 600 K, demonstrating their suitability for an effective and precise examination of the mixing effects of potential alternative mixtures.     

({p, \rho,T, x}) Properties of \text{ CO}_{2}/Propane Binary Mixtures at 280 K to 440 K and 3 MPa to 200 MPa

The (p, \(\rho \) , T, x) properties of binary mixtures of CO \(_{2}\) (volume fraction purity 0.99999) and propane (mole fraction purity 0.9999) ( \(x_{1}\) CO \(_{2}+x_{2}\) propane; \(x_{1} = 0.1744\) , 0.3863, 0.5837, and 0.7732) were measured in the compressed liquid phase using a metal-bellows variable volumometer. Measurements were conducted from 280 K to 440 K and 3 MPa to 200 MPa. The expanded uncertainties ( \(k = 2\) ) were estimated to be temperature, \(<\) 3 mK; pressure, 1.5 kPa ( \(p\le 7\)  MPa), 0.06 % (7 MPa \(< p\le 50\)  MPa), 0.1 % (50 MPa \(< p\le 150\)  MPa), 0.2 % ( \(p> 150\)  MPa); density, 0.10 %; and composition, \(4.4\times 10^{-4}\) . At \(p >100\)  MPa and 280 K or 440 K, the uncertainties in density measurements increase to 0.14 % and 0.22 %, respectively. The data were compared with available equations of state. The excess molar volumes, \(v_\mathrm{m}^\mathrm{E}\) , of the mixtures were calculated and plotted as a function of temperature and pressure.     

Toward a Detector/Readout Architecture for the Background-Limited Far-IR/Submm Spectrograph (BLISS)

We have built and tested 32-element linear arrays of absorber-coupled transition-edge sensors (TESs) read out with a time-division SQUID multiplexer. This detector/readout architecture is designed for the background-limited far-IR/submm spectrograph (BLISS) which is a broadband (35–433  \(\upmu \) m), grating spectrometer consisting of six wavebands each with a modest resolution of R \(\sim \) 700. Since BLISS requires the effective noise equivalent power (NEP) of the TESs to equal 1  \(\times \)  10 \(^{-19}\)  W/Hz \(^{1/2}\) , our detectors consist of very long (1–2 mm), narrow (0.4 \(\upmu \) m), and thin (0.25 \(\upmu \) m) Si \(_{x}\) N \(_{y}\) support beams that reduce the thermal conductance G between the substrate and the optical absorber. The thermistors of our lowest noise TESs consist of iridium with \(T_{c}=130\) mK. We have measured the electrical properties of arrays of these Ir TESs with various meander and straight support beams and absorber shapes and found that G is \(\sim \) 30 fW/K (meander) and \(\sim \) 110 fW/K (straight), the electrical NEP is 2–3  \(\times \)  10 \(^{-19}\) W/Hz \(^{1/2}\) (meander and straight), and the response time \(\tau \) is 10–30 ms (meander) and 2–5 ms (straight). To reduce spurious or “dark” power from heating the arrays, we mounted the arrays into light-tight niobium boxes and added custom L/R and L/C low-pass chip filters into these boxes to intercept dark power from the bias and readout circuit. We found the average dark power equals 1.3 and 4.6 fW for the boxes with L/R and L/C chip filters, respectively. We have built arrays with \(T_{c}= 70\)  mK using molybdenum/copper bilayers and are working to lower the dark power by an order of magnitude so we can demonstrate NEP \(~=~1~\times \)  10 \(^{-19}\)  W/Hz \(^{1/2}\) with these arrays. PACS numbers: 85.25.Pb; 95.85.Gn; 95.85.Fm; 63.22. \(+\) m     

Probabilistic assessment of torsion in concrete beams externally strengthened with CFRP composites

This paper illustrates an analytical probabilistic study of concrete beams subjected to torsion that are strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Hii and Al-Mahaidi’s method is one of the best analytical models for evaluating the torsional capacity of CFRP strengthened reinforced concrete beams. The first-order reliability method is carried out to probabilistically assess the capacity of CFRP-strengthened beams. For this aim, the statistical characteristics of design variables and model errors have been considered, followed by the determination of the average reliability indexes of the strengthened beams. The effect of each design variable on the average reliability is also determined. The assessment shows that the Hii and Al-Mahaidi’s analytical model is unconservative. In order to correct the situation, a more relaxed set of resistance factors for use in a load and resistance factor design format are needed. These are then determined for two target reliability levels of $ \beta_{\text T} $  = 3.0 and $ \beta_{\text T} $  = 3.5. It is found that factors of 0.9200 and 0.8225 are needed for target reliability levels, $ \beta_{\text T} $  = 3.0 and $ \beta_{\text T} $  = 3.5, respectively. Values of 0.9 and 0.8 are suggested for use in real practice depending on the target reliability sought.     

Spin-Polarized Calculations of Magnetic and Thermodynamic Properties of the Full-Heusler \mathrm{{Co}}_{2}MnZ (Z = Al, Ga)

The purpose of this study is to further understanding of the structural, electronic, magnetic, and thermal properties of the full-Heusler compounds, ${\mathrm{{Co}}}_{2}$ Co 2 MnAl and ${\mathrm{{Co}}}_{2}$ Co 2 MnGa, using density functional theory. Electronic structure calculations will be performed using the full potential linear augmented plane wave. The electronic structures and magnetic properties of ${\mathrm{{Co}}}_{2}$ Co 2 MnZ (Z = Al, Ga) compounds with ${\mathrm{L}}2_{1 }$ L 2 1 structure are studied. It is shown that the calculated lattice constants and spin magnetic moments are in good agreement with experimental values using the general gradient approximation method. Thermal effects on some macroscopic properties of ${\mathrm{{Co}}}_{2}$ Co 2 MnZ (Z = Al, Ga) compounds are predicted using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the lattice vibrations are taken into account. The variations of the lattice constant, volume expansion coefficient, heat capacities, and Debye temperature with pressure and temperature in the ranges of 0 GPa to 18 GPa and 0 K to700 K have been obtained.     

Dislocation structures in a { \bar{1} 104}/��11 \bar{2} 0�� low-angle tilt grain boundary of alumina (��-Al2O3)

An alumina (??-Al₂O₃) bicrystal with a ( $ \bar{1} $ 104)/[11 $ \bar{2} $ 0] 2^o low-angle tilt grain boundary was fabricated by diffusion bonding at 1500 °C in air, and the grain boundary was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). High-resolution TEM observations revealed that the grain boundary consists of at least two kinds of dislocations. One is a perfect dislocation which has a Burgers vector of 1/3[ $ \bar{1} $ 2 $ \bar{1} $ 0]. The other is dissociated into two partial dislocations with a stacking fault on the (0001) plane, and each partial dislocation has a 1/6[ $ \bar{1} $ 101] edge component. It is suggested from structural considerations that the dissociated-dislocation pair originates from a b = 1/3[02 $ \bar{2} $ 1] perfect dislocation (i.e., 1/3[02 $ \bar{2} $ 1] ?? 1/6[02 $ \bar{2} $ 1] + 1/6[02 $ \bar{2} $ 1]). This dissociation produces a stacking fault in the anion sublattice. The stacking fault energy is estimated to be roughly 1.3 Jm^?2 based on the elastic theory. The authors discuss the dislocation structures and the stacking fault formed on the (0001) plane in detail.     

Theoretical Investigations on Electrocaloric Properties of \mathrm{PbZr}_{0.95}\mathrm{Ti}_{0.05}\mathrm{O}_{3} Thin Film

Based on a phenomenological model, the electrocaloric effect (ECE) accompanied with the ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition in a PbZr $_{0.95}$ 0.95 Ti $_{0.05}$ 0.05 O $_{3}$ 3 thin film was investigated. The extracted data reveal many features of the ECE such as electrocaloric entropy changes, heat capacity changes, and temperature changes as functions of temperature due to different electric fields shifts. From the behavior of the PbZr $_{0.95}$ 0.95 Ti $_{0.05}$ 0.05 O $_{3}$ 3 thin film in phase transitions, it leads to a large change of heat capacity of 105.94 J  ${\cdot }\,$ · kg ${^{-1}}\,{\cdot }\,{^{\circ }}$ ? 1 · ° C, a temperature change of 22.44 K, and a relative cooling power of 1469 J  ${\cdot }$ ·  kg $^{-1}$ ? 1 .     

Thermal Stability of \beta -PtO_2 Investigated by Simultaneous Thermal Analysis and Its Influence on Platinum Resistance Thermometry

We present thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric studies of PtO \(_2\) powders measured in different atmospheres. In synthetic air a mass loss of 11.4 % is found at the decomposition temperature \(T_\mathrm {D}\)  = 595  \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) which can be attributed to the reduction of PtO \(_2\) . In a helium atmosphere the mass loss is 12.0 % and is found at 490  \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) . Subsequent heating in air leads to another oxidation process above \(T_\mathrm {D}\) and a reduction at 800  \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) . The second oxidation and reduction process is strongly suppressed when the powder is heated in He. The remaining mass above \(T_\mathrm {D}\) does not comply with a reduction path PtO \(_2 \rightarrow \) PtO \(\rightarrow \) Pt. Differential scanning calorimetry shows an endothermic reaction at \(T_\mathrm {D}\) in synthetic air as well as in helium which corresponds with the mass loss. These measurements imply that the powder can be assigned to be \(\beta \) -PtO \(_2\) . Furthermore, catalytic activity of the PtO \(_2\) powder is evidenced by mass spectrometry to be present below 460  \(^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) . Finally, the impact of these findings on the stability of platinum resistance thermometers is discussed.     

An analytical approach and experimental confirmation of dislocation–twin boundary interactions in titanium

The morphology of $ \{ 10\overline{1} 2\} \left\langle {\overline{1} 011} \right\rangle $ { 10 1 ¯ 2 } 〈 1 ¯ 011 〉 deformation twins formed in commercial purity titanium during an initial pass of equal-channel angular pressing was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The corresponding diffraction patterns show a symmetry line splitting of $ (10\overline{1} 2) $ ( 10 1 ¯ 2 ) twin boundaries (TB) which is related to the presence of interfacial defects. A simple modeling for the interaction between non-screw a-slip lattice dislocations (Burgers vector b =  $ \frac{1}{3}[\overline{1} \overline{1} 20] $ 1 3 [ 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 20 ] ) and the $ (10\overline{1} 2) $ ( 10 1 ¯ 2 ) twin plane is used according to crystallographic geometry and vector conservation. The results show that dislocation dissociation into different Frank partial dislocations on the interfacial plane is more favorable than its transmission to the other side of the interface. The formation of the Frank partials at the TB can produce a small change in the TB misorientation angle and this is consistent with the symmetry line splitting of the $ (10\overline{1} 2) $ ( 10 1 ¯ 2 ) twin boundaries observed by TEM.     

Experimental Measurements of Thermophysical Properties of \mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}– and \mathrm{TiO}_{2}–Ethylene Glycol Nanofluids

This paper presents measurements of the thermal conductivity and the dynamic viscosity of $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol (1 % to 3 % particle volume fraction) nanofluids carried out in the temperature range from $0\,^{\circ }$ 0 ° C to $50\,^{\circ }$ 50 ° C. The thermal-conductivity measurements were performed by using a transient hot-disk TPS 2500S apparatus instrumented with a 7577 probe (2.001 mm in radius) having a maximum uncertainty $(k=2)$ ( k = 2 ) lower than 5.0 % of the reading. The dynamic-viscosity measurements and the rheological analysis were carried out by a rotating disk type rheometer Haake Mars II instrumented with a single-cone probe (60 mm in diameter and $1^{\circ }$ 1 ° ) having a maximum uncertainty $(k=2)$ ( k = 2 ) lower than 5.0 % of the reading. The thermal-conductivity measurements of the tested nanofluids show a great sensitivity to particle volume fraction and a lower sensitivity to temperature: $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids show a thermal-conductivity enhancement (with respect to pure ethylene glycol) from 1 % to 19.5 % and from 9 % to 29 %, respectively. $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids exhibit Newtonian behavior in all the investigated temperature and particle volume fraction ranges. The relative viscosity shows a great sensitivity to the particle volume fraction and weak or no sensitivity to temperature: $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids show a dynamic viscosity increase with respect to ethylene glycol from (4 to 5) % to 30 % and from 14 % to 50 %, respectively. Present experimental measurements were compared both with available measurements carried out by different researchers and computational models for thermophysical properties of nanofluids.     

Phase stability of \upbeta-MoSi2−x prepared by the Na flux method against thermal, oxidative, and mechanical treatments

The single $\upbeta$ -MoSi₂ phase was prepared by the Na flux method and its stability against thermal, oxidative, and mechanical treatments was investigated. The X-ray diffraction results show that the single $\upbeta$ phase is formed at 600 °C within 1 h using pre-mixed Mo and Si powders with a Si/Mo molar ratio of 2.00–2.25. By energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the produced powder is found to be Si-deficient with a Si/Mo molar ratio of 1.87–1.96. The differential thermal analysis shows that the $\upbeta$ phase transforms into the $\upalpha$ -MoSi₂ phase at 815 °C at 10 K/min with the segregation of a small amount of Mo₅Si₃. The transformation heat is ?5.5 kJ/mol and the activation energy calculated by the Kissinger method is 290 kJ/mol. Thermogravimetry reveals that the $\upbeta$ -MoSi_2?x powder oxidizes significantly at 400–600 °C via the pest oxidation mechanism while it is resistant to oxidation at 700 °C for 5 h similarly to the $\upalpha$ -MoSi₂ phase. At last, mechanical milling on the $\upbeta$ -MoSi_2?x powder with a planetary ball mill up to 216 h demonstrates that this powder is stable under a severe mechanical treatment.     

Comparing Transition-Edge Sensor Response Times in a Modified Contact Scheme with Different Support Beams

We present measurements of the thermal conductance, G, and effective time constants, \(\tau \) , of three transition-edge sensors (TESs) populated in arrays operated from 80–87 mK with T \(_\mathrm{C}\)   \(\sim \)  120 mK. Our TES arrays include several variations of thermal architecture enabling determination of the architecture that demonstrates the minimum noise equivalent power, the lowest \(\tau \) , and the trade-offs among designs. The three TESs we report here have identical Mo/Cu bilayer thermistors and wiring structures, while the thermal architectures are: (1) a TES with straight support beams of 1 mm length, (2) a TES with meander support beams of total length 2 mm and with two phonon-filter blocks per beam, and (3) a TES with meander support beams of total length 2 mm and with six phonon-filter blocks per beam. Our wiring scheme aims to lower the thermistor normal state resistance R \(_{N}\) and increase the sharpness of the transition \(\alpha =\)  dlogR/dlogT at the transition temperature T \(_\mathrm{C}\) . We find an upper limit of \(\alpha \) given by ( \(25\pm 10\) ), and G values of 200 fW/K for (1), 15 fW/K for (2), and 10 fW/K for (3). The value of \(\alpha \) can be improved by slightly increasing the length of our thermistors.     

Measurement and Modeling of Water-Vapor Diffusion in Elastomers with Impact in Humidity and Vacuum Measurements

The dynamics of water-vapor dissolution in Viton O-rings is measured with a gravimetric method using a precise mass comparator. A sample gasket was degassed in high vacuum for a sufficiently long period to remove more than 99 % of the dissolved water vapor. After that, it was exposed to the ambient atmosphere with a controlled temperature, and relative humidity and water-vapor uptake curves were measured gravimetrically with a precise balance. The dynamics of a water-vapor release into vacuum from another sample that was previously saturated with water vapor at room temperature was determined. The sample was placed in a vacuum outgassing rate measurement apparatus. The time dependence of the evolved water vapor was calculated by integrating the measured outgassing rate. The physical process of water absorption can be described by the diffusion equation. The geometry of the samples required solving the diffusion equation in cylindrical coordinates. This was done numerically using a finite-difference method. As a result of the modeling, room temperature values of the diffusion constant $D$ D , the solubility $s$ s , and the permeability $K = D\times s$ K = D × s of water vapor in the sample material (Viton A-401C) were obtained. For sample 1, we obtained $D = 8.0 \times 10 ^{-8}$ D = 8.0 × 10 ? 8  cm $^{2}\,\,{\cdot }\,\,$ 2 · s $^{-1}$ ? 1 and $s = 6.5 \times 10^{-7}$ s = 6.5 × 10 ? 7  g $\,{\cdot }\,$ · cm $^{-3}\,{\cdot }\,$ ? 3 · Pa $^{-1}$ ? 1 , while for sample 2, $D = 3.0 \times 10^{-7}$ D = 3.0 × 10 ? 7  cm $^{2}\,{\cdot }\,$ 2 · s $^{-1}$ ? 1 and $s = 3.5 \times 10^{-7}$ s = 3.5 × 10 ? 7  g $\,{\cdot }\,$ · cm $^{-3}\,{\cdot }\,$ ? 3 · Pa $^{-1}$ ? 1 .     

Quartz Tuning Forks as Cryogenic Vacuum Gauges

We report measurements of the mechanical \(Q\) of a 32.7 kHz quartz tuning fork as a function of pressure for helium and argon at T  \(=\)  300 K and for helium in the temperature range 7.0–0.7 K. In the low pressure ballistic regime, the damping due to the surrounding gas is inversely proportional to \(P\) , while for higher pressures, a hydrodynamic treatment accounts for most of the variation of \(Q\) with \(P\) . We have combined the ballistic and hydrodynamic models together with calculations of the thermal transpiration correction to correlate the tuning fork \(Q\) at low temperature with the pressure measured with a room temperature pressure gauge. The fork was found to be useful as an in situ pressure gauge for pressures above \(\sim \) 0.1 mTorr. A dissipation peak and frequency drop associated with the superfluid transition in the adsorbed helium film is also observed for \(T<1.4\)  K.     

Exploratory Characterization of a Perfluoropolyether Oil as a Possible Viscosity Standard at Deepwater Production Conditions of 533 K and 241 MPa

DuPont’s perfluoropolyether oil Krytox $^{\textregistered }$ GPL 102 is a promising candidate for the high-temperature, high-pressure Deepwater viscosity standard (DVS). The preferred DVS is a thermally stable liquid that exhibits a viscosity of roughly 20  $\hbox {mPa} \cdot \hbox {s}$ at 533 K and 241 MPa; a viscosity value representative of light oils found in ultra-deep formations beneath the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A windowed rolling-ball viscometer designed by our team is used to determine the Krytox $^{\textregistered }$ GPL 102 viscosity at pressures to 245 MPa and temperatures of 311 K, 372 K, and 533 K. At 533 K and 243 MPa, the Krytox $^{\textregistered }$ GPL 102 viscosity is $(27.2 \pm 1.3)\,\hbox {mPa} \cdot \hbox {s}$ . The rolling-ball viscometer viscosity results for Krytox $^{\textregistered }$ GPL 102 are correlated with an empirical 10-parameter surface fitting function that yields an MAPD of 3.9 %. A Couette rheometer is also used to measure the Krytox $^{\textregistered }$ GPL 102 viscosity, yielding a value of $(26.2 \pm 1)\,\hbox {mPa} \cdot \hbox {s}$ at 533 K and 241 MPa. The results of this exploratory study suggest that Krytox $^{\textregistered }\, \hbox {GPL}$ 102 is a promising candidate for the DVS, primarily because this fluoroether oil is thermally stable and exhibits a viscosity closer to the targeted value of 20 mPa $\cdot $ s at 533 K and 241 MPa than any other fluid reported to date. Nonetheless, further studies must be conducted by other researcher groups using various types of viscometers and rheometers on samples of Krytox GPL $^{\textregistered }$ 102 from the same lot to further establish the properties of Krytox GPL $^{\textregistered }$ 102.     

Effect of Grain Size of BaTiO_{3}Ceramics on Thermal Expansion and Electrical Properties

The thermal expansion behavior and electrical resistivity of BaTiO \(_{3}\) ceramics with different grain sizes were investigated. When they were heated and subsequently cooled in the range from 25  \(^{\circ }\) C to 200  \(^{\circ }\) C, the expansion and contraction curves of BaTiO \(_{3}\) ceramics with grain sizes of 600 nm and 1500 nm were not matched well to each other, and abnormal contraction and expansion behaviors were observed. For 30 nm and 150 nm BaTiO \(_{3}\) ceramics, the expansion and contraction curves basically are straight lines during heating. The linear thermal expansion coefficients ( \(\alpha _\mathrm{L}\) ) and the electrical resistivity of BaTiO \(_{3}\) ceramics were also measured. Experimental results showed that the value of \(\alpha _\mathrm{L}\) increases and the electrical resistivity decreases gradually with reducing grain size. This phenomenon can be attributed to the combination effect of the grain boundary and oxygen vacancies.     

High-Frequency Shear Viscosity of Low-Viscosity Liquids

A thickness shear quartz resonator technique is described to measure the shear viscosity of low-viscosity liquids in the frequency range from 6 MHz to 130 MHz. Examples of shear-viscosity spectra in that frequency range are presented to show that various molecular processes are accompanied by shear-viscosity relaxation. Among these processes are conformational variations of alkyl chains, with relaxation times \(\tau _{\eta }\) of about 0.3 ns for \(n\) -pentadecane and \(n\) -hexadecane at 25  \(^{\circ }\) C. These variations can be well represented in terms of a torsional oscillator model. Also featured briefly are shear-viscosity relaxations associated with fluctuations of hydrogen-bonded clusters in alcohols, for which \(\tau _{\eta }\) values between 0.3 ns ( \(n\) -hexanol) and 1.5 ns ( \(n\) -dodecanol) have been found at 25  \(^{\circ }\) C. In addition, the special suitability of high-frequency shear-viscosity spectroscopy to the study of critically demixing mixtures is demonstrated by some illustrative examples. Due to slowing, critical fluctuations do not contribute to the shear viscosity at sufficiently high frequencies of measurements so that the non-critical background viscosity \(\eta _\mathrm{bg}\) of critical systems can be directly determined from high-frequency shear-viscosity spectroscopy. Relaxations in \(\eta _\mathrm{bg}\) appear also in the shear-viscosity spectra with, for example, \(\tau _{\eta }\,\approx \) 2 ns for the critical triethylamine–water binary mixture at temperatures between 10  \(^{\circ }\) C and 18  \(^{\circ }\) C. Such relaxations noticeably influence the relaxation rate of order parameter fluctuations. They may be also the reason for the need of a special mesoscopic viscosity when mutual diffusion coefficients of critical polymer solutions are discussed in terms of mode-coupling theory.     

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.     

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.     

Experimental Apparatus to Search for Supersolidity in Monolayer ^4He on Graphite

We describe some details of a new experimental setup for torsional oscillator (TO) measurement of $^4$ He monolayers adsorbed on a graphite surface. This setup is designed to seek for the possible supersolid phase, in which crystalline order coexists with superfluidity, in two dimensional (2D) solid $^4$ He below 300 mK. Among such 2D solids, the commensurate phase in the second layer on graphite is the most hopeful candidate for the novel supersolid phase since it is the lowest-density quantum solid ever found. An exfoliated graphite substrate we used is ZYX which has at least ten times longer surface coherence length compared to Grafoil, an exfoliated graphite most commonly used in previous experiments. The first version of TO we made has the resonant frequency of 786.8 Hz and the Q value of $1.1\times 10^5$ at $T \le 10$  mK. The resonant frequency of this particular TO without any He samples ( $f_{\mathrm {cell}}$ ) showed unexpectedly large temperature variation and non-reproducibility below 1 K as well as sudden jumps when mechanical shocks are applied to the experimental apparatus. We found the stability of $f_{\mathrm {cell}}$ is highly correlated with the temperature stability of 1 K pot in dilution refrigerator.