Universalities in vortex transport at the melting transition

We consider the jump in resistance at the melting transition, which is experimentally observed to be constant, independent of magnetic field (vortex density). We present an explanation of this effect based on vortex cuttings, and universalities of the structure factor at the freezing transition (the Hansen-Verlet criterion).

Transport through an electrostatically defined quantum dot lattice in a two-dimensional electron gas

Quantum dot lattices (QDLs) have the potential to allow for the tailoring of optical, magnetic, and electronic properties of a user-defined artificial solid. We use a dual gated device structure to controllably tune the potential landscape in a GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gas, thereby enabling the formation of a periodic QDL. The current-voltage characteristics, I (V), follow a power law, as expected for a QDL. In addition, a systematic study of the scaling behavior of I (V) allows us to probe the effects of background disorder on transport through the QDL. Our results are particularly important for semiconductor-based QDL architectures which aim to probe collective phenomena.

Exciting forces due to interaction of water waves with a submerged sphere in an ice-covered two-layer fluid of finite depth

Scattering of water waves by a sphere in a two-layer fluid, where the upper layer has an ice-cover modelled as an elastic plate of very small thickness, while the lower one has a rigid horizontal bottom surface, is investigated within the framework of linearized water wave theory. The effects of surface tension at the surface of separation is neglected. There exist two modes of time-harmonic waves - the one with lower wave number propagating along the ice-cover and the one with higher wave number along the interface. Method of multipole expansions is used to find the particular solution for the problem of wave scattering by a submerged sphere placed in either of the layers. The exciting forces for vertical and horizontal directions are derived and plotted against different values of the wave number for different submersion depths of the sphere and flexural rigidity of the ice-cover. When the flexural rigidity and the density of the ice-cover are taken to be zero, the numerical results for the exciting forces for the problem with free surface are recovered as particular cases. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coupled Wavenumbers in an Infinite Flexible Fluid-Filled Circular Cylindrical Shell: Comparison between Different Shell Theories

Analytical expressions are found for the wavenumbers in an infinite flexible in vacuo I fluid-filled circular cylindrical shell based on different shell-theories using asymptotic methods. Donnell-Mushtari theory (the simplest shell theory) and four higher order theories, namely Love-Timoshenko, Goldenveizer-Novozhilov, Flugge and Kennard-simplified are considered. Initially, in vacuo and fluid-coupled wavenumber expressions are presented using the Donnell-Mushtari theory. Subsequently, the wavenumbers using the higher order theories are presented as perturbations on the Donnell-Mushtari wavenumbers. Similarly, expressions for the resonance frequencies in a finite shell are also presented, using each shell theory. The basic differences between the theories being what they are, the analytical expressions obtained from the five theories allow one to see how these differences propagate into the asymptotic expansions. Also, they help to quantify the difference between the theories for a wide range of parameter values such as the frequency range, circumferential order, thickness ratio of the shell, etc.

Ion Transport in Liquid Salt Solutions with Oxide Dispersions:``Soggy Sand'' Electrolytes

``Soggy sand'' electrolyte, which essentially consists of oxide dispersions in nonaqueous liquid salt solutions, comprises an important class of soft matter electrolytes. The ion transport mechanism of soggy sand electrolyte is complex. The configuration of particles in the liquid solution has been observed to depend in a nontrivial manner on various parameters related to the oxide (concentration, size, surface chemistry) and solvent (dielectric constant, viscosity) as well as time. The state of the particles in solution not only affects ionic conductivity but also effectively the mechanical and electrochemical properties of the solid liquid composite. Apart from comprehensive understanding of the underlying phenomena that govern ion transport, which will benefit design of better electrolytes, the problem has far-reaching implications in diverse fields such as catalysis, colloid chemistry, and biotechnology.

Evaporation Heat Transfer Coefficient in a Capillary Pumped Loop and Loop Heat Pipe for Different Working Fluids

Capillary pumped loop (CPL) and loop heat pipe (LHP) are passive two-phase heat transport devices. They have been gaining importance as a part of the thermal control system of spacecraft. The evaporation heat transfer coefficient at the tooth-wick interface of an LHP or CPL has a significant impact on the evaporator temperature. It is also the main parameter in sizing of a CPL or LHP. Experimentally determined evaporation heat transfer coefficients from a three-port CPL with tubular axially grooved (TAG) evaporator and a TAG LHP with acetone, R-134A, and ammonia as working fluids are presented in this paper. The influences of working fluid, hydrodynamic blocks in the core, evaporator configuration (LHP or CPL), and adverse elevation (evaporator above condenser) on the heat transfer coefficient are presented.

Plumes Dynamics and Heat Transfer over Horizontal Grooved Surfaces

This study investigates the free convection and plumes dynamics over horizontal surfaces with parallel V-grooves. The convection is studied in a tank of water with the bottom surface being a smooth or grooved surface and the top of the water surface exposed to ambient. Two groove heights were used-10 mm and 3 mm-and the experiment was done with two values of aspect ratio-2.9 and 1.8 (aspect ratio is the width of the fluid layer/height of fluid layer). Heat flux at the bottom surface was from electrical heating. Beyond a certain critical temperature difference, enhanced heat transfer is obtained on the grooved surface compared to a smooth surface. Nusselt numbers are evaluated for both smooth and grooved surfaces and correlated using modified Rayleigh numbers. Visualization shows that the enhanced heat transport in the rough cavities cannot be ascribed to the increase in the contact area; rather, it must be the local dynamics of the thermal boundary layer.

Ultrasonic Wave Dispersion Characteristics of Fluid-Filled Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Based on Nonclassical Shell Model

In this paper, ultrasonic wave propagation analysis in fluid filled single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) is studied using nonlocal elasticity theory. The SWCNT is modeled using Flugge's shell theory, with the wall having axial, circumferential and radial degrees of freedom and also including small scale effects. The fluid inside the SWCNT is assumed as water. Nonlocal governing equations for this system are derived and wave propagation analysis is also carried out. The presence of fluid in SWCNT alters the ultrasonic wave dispersion behavior. The wavenumber and wave velocity are smaller in presence of fluid as compared to the empty SWCNT. The nonlocal elasticity calculation shows that the wavenumber tends to reach the continuum limit at certain frequencies and the corresponding wave velocity tends to zero at those frequencies indicating localization and stationary behavior. It has been shown that the circumferential. waves will propagate non-dispersively at higher frequencies in nonlocality. The magnitudes of wave velocities of circumferential waves are smaller in nonlocal elasticity as compared to local elasticity. We also show that the cut-off frequency depend on the nonlocal scaling parameter and also on the density of the fluid inside the SWCNT, and the axial wavenumber, as the fluid becomes denser the cut-off frequency decreases. The effect of axial wavenumber on the ultrasonic wave behavior in SWCNTS filled with water is also discussed.

Effect of equal channel angular extrusion on wear and corrosion behavior of the orthopedic Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy in simulated body fluid

We report investigations on the texture, corrosion and wear behavior of ultra-fine grained (UFG) Ti-13Nb-Zr alloy, processed by equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) technique, for biomedical applications. The microstructure obtained was characterized by X-ray line profile analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). We focus on the corrosion resistance and the fretting behavior, the main considerations for such biomaterials, in simulated body fluid. To this end. potentiodynamic polarization tests were carried out to evaluate the corrosion behavior of the UFG alloy in Hanks solution at 37 degrees C. The fretting wear behavior was carried out against bearing steel in the same conditions. The roughness of the samples was also measured to examine the effect of topography on the wear behavior of the samples. Our results showed that the ECAE process increases noticeably the performance of the alloy as orthopedic implant. Although no significant difference was observed in the fretting wear behavior, the corrosion resistance of the UFG alloy was found to be higher than the non-treated material. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carrier-transport studies of III-nitride/Si3N4/Si isotype heterojunctions

GaN/Si3N4/n-Si and InN/Si3N4/n-Si heterojunctions (HJs) were fabricated using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy for a comparison study. Single-crystalline wurtzite structures of GaN and InN epilayers were confirmed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and thickness of ultrathin Si3N4 layer was measured by transmission electron microscopy. n-GaN/Si3N4/n-Si HJs show diode-like rectifying current-voltage (I-V) characteristic, while n-InN/Si3N4/n-Si HJs show symmetric nonlinear I-V behavior. The I-V characteristics of both HJs were discussed in terms of the band diagram of HJs and the carrier transport mechanism. The activation energies of carrier conduction were estimated to be similar to 29 meV for GaN/Si3N4/Si and similar to 95 meV for InN/Si3N4/Si HJs. (C) 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Quenching of Meridional Circulation in Flux Transport Dynamo Models

Guided by the recent observational result that the meridional circulation of the Sun becomes weaker at the time of the sunspot maximum, we have included a parametric quenching of the meridional circulation in solar dynamo models such that the meridional circulation becomes weaker when the magnetic field at the base of the convection zone is stronger. We find that a flux transport solar dynamo tends to become unstable on including this quenching of meridional circulation if the diffusivity in the convection zone is less than about 2x10(11) cm(2) s(-1). The quenching of alpha, however, has a stabilizing effect and it is possible to stabilize a dynamo with low diffusivity with sufficiently strong alpha-quenching. For dynamo models with high diffusivity, the quenching of meridional circulation does not produce a large effect and the dynamo remains stable. We present a solar-like solution from a dynamo model with diffusivity 2.8x10(12) cm(2) s(-1) in which the quenching of meridional circulation makes the meridional circulation vary periodically with solar cycle as observed and does not have any other significant effect on the dynamo.

Transport in nanoporous zeolites: Relationships between sorbate size, entropy, and diffusivity

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on monatomic sorbates confined within zeolite NaY to obtain the dependence of entropy and self-diffusivity on the sorbate diameter. Previously, molecular dynamics simulations by Santikary and Yashonath J. Phys. Chem. 98, 6368 (1994)], theoretical analysis by Derouane J. Catal. 110, 58 (1988)] as well as experiments by Kemball Adv. Catal. 2, 233 (1950)] found that certain sorbates in certain adsorbents exhibit unusually high self-diffusivity. Experiments showed that the loss of entropy for certain sorbates in specific adsorbents was minimum. Kemball suggested that such sorbates will have high self-diffusivity in these adsorbents. Entropy of the adsorbed phase has been evaluated from the trajectory information by two alternative methods: two-phase and multiparticle expansion. The results show that anomalous maximum in entropy is also seen as a function of the sorbate diameter. Further, the experimental observation of Kemball that minimum loss of entropy is associated with maximum in self-diffusivity is found to be true for the system studied here. A suitably scaled dimensionless self-diffusivity shows an exponential dependence on the excess entropy of the adsorbed phase, analogous to excess entropy scaling rules seen in many bulk and confined fluids. The two trajectory-based estimators for the entropy show good semiquantitative agreement and provide some interesting microscopic insights into entropy changes associated with confinement.

Low temperature charge transport and microwave absorption of carbon coated iron nanoparticles-polymer composite films

In this paper, the low temperature electrical conductivity and microwave absorption properties of carbon coated iron nanoparticles-polyvinyl chloride composite films are investigated for different filler fractions. The filler particles are prepared by the pyrolysis of ferrocene at 980 degrees C and embedded in polyvinyl chloride matrix. The high resolution transmission electron micrographs of the filler material have shown a 5 nm thin layer graphitic carbon covering over iron particles. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the composite film changes by 10 orders of magnitude with the increase of filler concentration. A percolation threshold of 2.2 and an electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency (EMI SE) of similar to 18.6 dB in 26.5-40 GHz range are observed for 50 wt% loading. The charge transport follows three dimensional variable range hopping conduction. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of Fluid Flow and Mixing Behaviour of a Vacuum Degasser

In recent times the demand of ultra-low carbon steel (ULCS) with improved mechanical properties such as good ductility and good workability has been increased as it is used to produce cold-rolled steel sheets for automobiles. For producing ULCS efficiently, it is necessary to improve the productivity of the vacuum degassers such as RH, DH and tank degasser. Recently, it has been claimed that using a new process, called REDA (revolutionary degassing activator), one can achieve the carbon content below 10 ppm in less time. As such, REDA process has not been studied thoroughly in terms of fluid flow and mass transfer which is a necessary precursor to understand and design this process. Therefore, momentum and mass transfer of the process has been studied by solving momentum and species balance equations along with k-epsilon turbulent model in two-dimension (2D) for REDA process. Similarly, computational fluid dynamic studies have been made in 2D for tank and RH degassers to compare them with REDA process. Computational results have been validated with published experimental and theoretical data. It is found that REDA process is the most efficient among all these processes in terms of mixing efficiency. Fluid flow phenomena have been studied in details for REDA process by varying gas flow rate, depth of immersed snorkel in the steel, diameter of the snorkel and change in vacuum pressure. It is found that design of snorkel affects the melt circulation in the bath significantly.

Macroscopic Transport of Mega-ampere Electron Currents in Aligned Carbon-Nanotube Arrays

We demonstrate that aligned carbon-nanotube arrays are efficient transporters of laser-generated megaampere electron currents over distances as large as a millimeter. A direct polarimetric measurement of the temporal and the spatial evolution of the megagauss magnetic fields (as high as 120 MG) at the target rear at an intensity of (10(18)-10(19)) W/cm(2) was corroborated by the rear-side hot electron spectra. Simulations show that such high magnetic flux densities can only be generated by a very well collimated fast electron bunch.