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We have measured the steady-state vortex-line density in turbulent counterflow using a second-sound-burst technique as a local probe. Contrary to the Vinen theory and previous assumptions, we find substantial line-density inhomogeneity and strong departures from the predicted heat-current dependence. Anomalous behavior of the line density at higher heat currents provides evidence for a new secondary flow state.
Spiral orbit tribometry friction tests performed on Ni-rich Ni55Ti45 titanium ball bearings indicate that this alloy is a promising candidate for future aerospace bearing applications. Microstructural characterization of the bearing specimens was performed using transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy, with NiTi, Ni4Ti3, Ni3Ti, and Ni2Ti4Ox phases identified within the microstructure of the alloy. Density functional theory was applied to predict the electronic structure of the NixTiy phases, including the band structure and site projected density of states. Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy was used to verify the density of states results from the density functional theory calculations, with good agreement observed between experiment and theory.
Seasonal variations of firn density in ice-sheet firn layers have been attributed to variations in deposition processes or other processes within the upper firn. A recent high-resolution (mm scale) density profile, measured along a 181 m core from Antarctica, showed small-scale density variations with a clear seasonal cycle that apparently was not-related to seasonal variations in deposition or known near-surface processes (Gerland and others 1999). A recent model of surface elevation changes (Zwally and Li, submitted) produced a seasonal variation in firn densification, and explained the seasonal surface elevation changes observed by satellite radar altimeters. In this study, we apply our 1-D time-dependent numerical model of firn densification that includes a temperature-dependent formulation of firn densification based on laboratory measurements of grain growth. The model is driven by a steady-state seasonal surface temperature and a constant accumulation rate appropriate for the measured Antarctic ice core. The modeled seasonal variations in firn density show that the layers of snow deposited during spring to mid-summer with the highest temperature history compress to the highest density, and the layers deposited during later summer to autumn with the lowest temperature history compress to the lowest density. The initial amplitude of the seasonal difference of about 0.13 reduces to about 0.09 in five years and asymptotically to 0.92 at depth, which is consistent with the core measurements.
Steady state composition of low density nonequilibrium hydrogen plasma
Future spacecraft systems such as the manned space station will be subjected to low-dose long term radiation particles. Most electronic systems are affected by such particles. There is therefore a great need to understand device physics and failure mechanisms affected by radiation and to design circuits that would be less susceptible to radiation. Using 2 MeV electron radiation and bias temperature aging, it was found that MOS capacitors that were prepositively biased have lower flatband voltage shift and lesser increase in density of surface state charge than those that were not prepositively biased. In addition, it was shown that there is continued recovery of flatband voltage and density of state charge in irradiated capacitors during both room temperature anneal and 137 degree anneal. When nMOS transistors were subjected to 1 MeV proton radiation, charge pumping and current versus voltage measurements indicated that transconductance degradation, threshold voltage shifts and changes in interface states density may be the primary cause of nMOS transistor failure after radiation. Simulation studies using SPICE were performed on CMOS SRAM cells of various transistor sizes. It is shown that transistor sizing affects the noise margins of CMOS SRAM cells, and that as the beta ratio of the transistors of the CMOS SRAM cell decreases, the effective noise margin of the SRAM cell increases. Some suggestions were made in connection with the design of CMOS SRAMS that are hardened against single event upsets.
It is shown that if an upper bound to the false vacuum energy of the electroweak Higgs potential is satisfied, the true ground state of high-density matter is not nuclear matter, or even strange-quark matter, but rather a non-topological soliton where the electroweak symmetry is exact and the fermions are massless. This possibility is examined in the standard SU(3) sub C tensor product SU(2) sub L tensor product U(1) sub Y model. The bound to the false vacuum energy is satisfied only for a narrow range of the Higgs boson masses in the minimal electroweak model (within about 10 eV of its minimum allowed value of 6.6 GeV) and a somewhat wider range for electroweak models with a non-minimal Higgs sector.
The qualitative features of the equation of state of matter at supernuclear densities are deduced through a careful examination of the nature of particle interactions at short distances and by the introduction of an 'effective baryon mass spectrum.' It is found that the equation of state begins to take on a particularly simple form (the 'asymptotic form') at a relatively low matter density of 100,000 teragrams per cu cm.
Refractory materials such as metallic borides, often considered as ultra high temperature ceramics (UHTC), are characterized by high melting point, high hardness, and good chemical inertness. These materials have many applications which require high temperature materials that can operate with no or limited oxidation. Ab initio, first principles methods are the most accurate modeling approaches available and represent a parameter free description of the material based on the quantum mechanical equations. Using these methods, many of the intrinsic properties of these material can be obtained. We performed ab initio calculations based on density functional theory for the UHTC materials ZrB2 and HfB2. Computational results are presented for structural information (lattice constants, bond lengths, etc), electronic structure (bonding motifs, densities of states, band structure, etc), thermal quantities (phonon spectra, phonon densities of states, specific heat), as well as information about point defects such as vacancy and antisite formation energies.
Dissolved oxygen in group IIIA-VA (Nb, Ti, Zr, Y) based alloys is a fundamental problem, affecting both mechanical properties and oxidation resistance, yet details of the phenomenon are poorly understood. In these alloys, oxygen is more stable dissolved in the metal than as an oxide-compound. In contrast, alloys based on Ni, Fe, Al and Cr exhibit almost no oxygen solubility. To improve the performance of Nb and Ti based alloys it is necessary to understand the differences in oxygen solubility between these two groups of metals. As a first step we considered the energetics of interstitial oxygen in alpha-V and alpha-Cr. Both of these metals have a BCC structure, yet the oxygen solubility in V is much higher than that in Cr. We obtain total energies, densities of states and population analyses using the CASTEP plane-wave pseudopotential density functional computer code. The differences in the energetics and electronic structures of the two materials, particularly the partial densities of states associated with the interstitial oxygen, are discussed.
The valence electronic structure and core levels of Tl2Ba2CuO(6 + delta) (Tl-2201) epitaxial films have been measured with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and are compared to those of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O(8 + delta) (Tl-2212). Changes in the Tl-2201 core-level binding energies with oxygen doping are consistent with a change in the chemical potential. Differences between the Tl-2201 and Tl-2212 measured densities of states are consistent with the calculated Cu 3d and Tl 6s partial densities of states.
A structural ceramic analysis and reliability evaluation code has recently been developed encompassing volume and surface flaw induced fracture, modeled by the two-parameter Weibull probability density function. A segment of the software involves computing the Weibull polydimensional stress state crack density coefficient from uniaxial stress experimental fracture data. The relationship of the polydimensional stress coefficient to the uniaxial stress coefficient is derived for a shear-insensitive material with a random surface flaw population.
We study electron transport between capped carbon nanotubes and a substrate, and relate this transport to the local density of states in the cap. Our results show that that the transmission probability mimics the behavior of the density of states at all energies except those that correspond to localized states. For a capped carbon nanotube that is not connected to a substrate, the localized states do not couple to the coexisting continuum states. However, close proximity of a substrate causes hybridization between these states. As a result, new transmission paths open from substrate states to nanotube continuum states via the localized states in the cap. We show that the interference between various paths gives rise to transmission antiresonances with the minimum equal to zero at the energy of the localized state. The presence of defects in the tube places close to the cap transforms antiresonances into resonances. Depending on the spatial position of defects, these resonant states are capable of carrying a large current. The results of this paper are of relevance to carbon nanotube based studies on molecular electronics and probe tip applications.
The objectives were to perform surface characterization of high efficiency n+/p and p+/n silicon cells, to relate surface density to substrate dopant concentration, and to identify dominant current loss mechanisms in high efficiency cells. The approach was to measure density of states on homogeneously doped substrates with high frequency C-V and Al/SiN sub x/Si structures; to investigate density of states and photoresponse of high efficiency N+/P and P+/N cells; and to conduct I-V-T studies to identify current loss nechanisms in high efficiency cells. Results are given in tables and graphs.
The population densities of both the ground and the 2D(5/2) metastable states of copper atoms in a double-pulsed copper-chloride laser are correlated with laser energy as a function of time after the dissociation current pulse. Time-resolved density variations of the ground and excited copper atoms were derived from measurements of optical absorption at 324.7 and 510.6 nm, respectively, over a wide range of operating conditions in laser tubes with diameters of 4 to 40 mm. The minimum delay between the two current pulses at which lasing was observed is shown to be a function of the initial density and subsequent decay of the metastable state. Similarly, the maximum delay is shown to be a function of the initial density and decay of the ground state.
The strength of the bond between metals and SiO2 was studied by measuring the static coefficient of friction of metals contacting alpha-quartz in ultrahigh vacuum. It was found that copper with either chemisorbed oxygen, nitrogen, or sulphur exhibited higher contact strength on stoichiometric SiO2 than did clean copper. Since the surface density of states induced by these species on copper is similar, it appears that the strength of the interfacial bond can be related to the density of states on the metal surface.
The strength of the bond between metals and SiO2 is studied by measuring the static coefficient of friction of metals contacting alpha-quartz in ultrahigh vacuum. It was found that copper with either chemisorbed oxygen, nitrogen or sulphur exhibited higher contact strength on stoichiometric SiO2 than did clean copper. Since the surface density of states induced by these species on copper is similar, it appears that the strength of the interfacial bond can be related to the density of states on the metal surface.
We have found a way to analyze Edwards' density of states for static granular packings in the special case of round, rigid, frictionless grains assuming constant coordination number. It obtains the most entropic density of single grain states, which predicts several observables including the distribution of contact forces. We compare these results against empirical data obtained in dynamic simulations of granular packings. The agreement between theory and the empirics is quite good, helping validate the use of statistical mechanics methods in granular physics. The differences between theory and empirics are mainly due to the variable coordination number, and when the empirical data are sorted by that number we obtain several insights that suggest an underlying elegance in the density of states
The thermal and e(+)e(-)-pair equilibrium structure of two-temperature disk coronae above a cool (about 10 exp 6 K) disk around a black hole of 10 solar masses are investigated. Soft photons are assumed to be amply supplied from the cool disk. Two-pair thermal equilibrium points are found for a given proton column density: the low state with very small pair density and the high state dominated by pairs. Both states are thermally unstable, while for perturbations in pair density the high state is unstable and the low state is stable. Two possible scenarios are discussed for the fate of a two-temperature corona. When the proton optical depth is relatively small (e.g., less than 1) and the temperature of input soft photons is low (e.g., less than 10 exp 6 K), the corona will undergo a limit cycle between the high state and the low state on a time scale of milliseconds. As a consequence of Compton scattering of the soft photons, the emergent spectrum in the high state is rather flat with a big Wien bump at about 100 keV, whereas it is composed of a power-law component in the low state. Some observational consequences are briefly discussed in connection with the high-low spectral transition in Cyg X-1.