Kinetics of martensitic transitions in Cu-Al-Mn under thermal cycling: Analysis at multiple length scales

In this paper we study the evolution of the kinetic features of the martensitic transition in a Cu-Al-Mn single crystal under thermal cycling. The use of several experimental techniques including optical microscopy, calorimetry, and acoustic emission, has enabled us to perform an analysis at multiple scales. In particular, we have focused on the analysis of avalanche events (associated with the nucleation and growth of martensitic domains), which occur during the transition. There are significant differences between the kinetics at large and small length scales. On the one hand, at small length scales, small avalanche events tend to sum to give new larger events in subsequent loops. On the other hand, at large length scales the large domains tend to split into smaller ones on thermal cycling. We suggest that such different behavior is the necessary ingredient that leads the system to the final critical state corresponding to a power-law distribution of avalanches.

Martensitic transitions and the nature of ferromagnetism in the austenitic and martensitic states of Ni-Mn-Sn alloys

Structural and magnetic transformations in the Heusler-based system Ni0.50Mn0.50¿xSnx are studied by x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and magnetization. The structural transformations are of austenitic-martensitic character. The austenite state has an L21 structure, whereas the structures of the martensite can be 10M , 14M , or L10 depending on the Sn composition. For samples that undergo martensitic transformations below and around room temperature, it is observed that the magnetic exchange in both parent and product phases is ferromagnetic, but the ferromagnetic exchange, characteristic of each phase, is found to be of different strength. This gives rise to different Curie temperatures for the austenitic and martensitic states.

Critical behavior in nonequilibrium phase transitions

The nonequilibrium phase transitions occurring in a fast-ionic-conductor model and in a reaction-diffusion Ising model are studied by Monte Carlo finite-size scaling to reveal nonclassical critical behavior; our results are compared with those in related models.

Phase Transitions Of Trace Metals In The Aquatic Environment Of Kuttanad, Kerala

Environmental persistence, fate and interactive effects with living organisms - beneficial or toxic - of trace elements are directly related to the physico-chemical forms in which they occur. Knowledge on the association of trace metals with different environmental compartments in an aquatic system are, therefore, essential for monitoring the trace metal pollution as well as transport, fate and bio-geochemical cycles of trace metals. This thesis is a modest attempt in assessing the trace metal levels and their behaviour in the aquatic environment of Kuttanad, an aquatic system that is severely affected by man's intervention on natural processes, by seriously evaluating the levels of trace metals in dissolved and particulate phases and also in the different chemical fractions of the sediments.

Reply to "Comment on 'Nature and entropy content of the ordering transitions in RCo2'"

In the previous Comment, Forker and co-workers claim that perturbed angular correlation (PAC) data leave no alternative to the conclusion that the spontaneous magnetization of PrCo2 and NdCo2 undergoes a discontinuous, first-order phase transition at TC. We show here that their claim is in clear contradiction with a wealth of experimental evidence, including our own. Finally, we propose a possible origin for the disagreement between their interpretation of the PAC results and the literature on this subject.

Electrical properties and phase transitions insome ammonium containing ferroelectrics

The thesis aims to present the results of the experimental investigations on the electrical properties like electrical conductivity, dielectric constant and ionic thermo~ currents in certain ammonium containing ferroelectric crystals viz. LiNH4SO4, (NH4)2SO4 and (NH4)5H(SO4)2. Special attention has been paid in revealing the mechanisms of electrical conduction in the various phases of these crystals and those asso~ ciated with the different phase transitions occurring in them, by making studies on doped, quenched and deuterated crystals. The report on the observation of two new phase transitions in (NH4) S O2 and of a similar one in ( NH4 ) H (2SO4 ) are included. The relaxation mechanisms of the impurity-vacancy complexes and the space charge phenomena in pure and doped crystals of LiNH4SO4 and (NH4)2SO4 and the observation of a new type of ionic thermo-current viz. Protonic Thermo-Current (PTC) in these crystals are also presented here.

Electrical And Photoacoustic Studies On Phase Transitions In Certain Ammonium Containing Crystals

In the present thesis a series of exhaustive investigations have been carried out on a number of crystalline samples with special reference tx> the jphase transitions exhibited by them. These include single crystals of pure, doped or deuterated specimens of certain ammonium containing crystals viz., (NH )34H(SO4)2, (NH4)2HPO4, (NH4)2Cr2O7 znui NH4H2PO4. ac/dc electrical conductivity, dielectric constant, ionic thermocurrent as wwifil as photoacoustic measurements have been carried out on most of them over a wide range of temperature. In addition investigations have been carried out in pure and doped single crystals of NaClO3 and NaNO3 using ionic thermocurrent measurements and these are presented here. Special attention has been paid to reveal the mechanism of electrical conduction in various phases of "these crystals and to evaluate the different parameters involved in the conduction as well as phase transition process. The thesis contains ten chapters ‘

Three-electron radiative transitions

A new type of many-electron radiative transitions involving three electrons is predicted. The results of their investigation by many-body perturbation theory are presented. New spectral lines observed in the wavelength range of 37.5 to 54.0 nm by means of photon-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (PIFS) following the excitation of the Kr I 3d{^-1}np resonances are reported and compared with the predictions.

A clear atomic example for the surface sensitivity of penning ionization

Using a crossed-beam apparatus with a double hemispherical electron spectrometer, we have studied the spectrum of electrons released in thermal energy ionizing collisions of metastable He^*(2^3S) atoms with ground state Yb(4f^14 6s^2 ^1S_0) atoms, thereby providing the first Penning electron spectrum of an atomic target with-4f-electrons. In contrast to the HeI (58.4nm) and NeI (73.6/74.4nm) photoelectron spectra of Yb, which show mainly 4f- and 6s-electron emission in about a 5:1 ratio, the He^*(2^3S) Penning electron spectrum is dominated by 6s-ionization, acoompnnied by some correlation- induced 6p-emission (8% Yb+( 4f^14 6p^2P) formation) and very little 4f-ionization (<_~ 2.5%). This astounding result is attributed to the electron exchange mechanism for He^*(2^3S) ionization and reflects the poor overlap of the target 4f-electron wavefunction with the 1s-hole of He^*(2^3S), as discussed on thc basis of Dirac-Fock wave functions for the Yb orbitals and through calculations of the partial ionization cross sections involving semiempirical complex potentiale. The presented case may be regarded as the elearest atomic example for the surface sensitivity of He^*(2^3S) Penning ionization observed so far.

Nuclear charge radii from X-ray transitions in muonic atoms of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen

Energies of muonic X-rays of the K-series of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen have been measured with an accuracy of about 15 eV. Root mean square radii of the nuclear charge distributions were deduced. The results 2.49±0.05 fm for carbon, 2.55 ±0.03 fm for nitrogen and 2.71 ±0.02 fm for oxygen are in good agreement at comparable accuracy with recent electron scattering data.

Beam-foil-excited auger transitions in neon

Energy spectra of electrons ejected from collisions between a carbon foil and Ne projectiles with energies between 1.4 and 20 MeV have been measured. Continuous and discrete electron energy distributions are observed. Auger transitions of foil-excited Ne have been studied. Using relativistic Dirac-Fock multiconfiguration calculations, most of the measured Auger transitions have been identified.

Volume isotope shifts in low lying transitions of Au I

Electronic factors in the volume isotope shift have been calculated in an ab initio way with the relativistic Dirac-Fock method for a number of different optical single/and two-photon transitions in Au I. The agreement with a semi-empirical method is within 10% for the resonance transition. For this one and a few other transitions the effect of core excitation has been analyzed with the Multi-configuration Dirac-Fock method as well, and it was found to reduce the electronic factor in the order of 5 %.