Nitrided Ferroalloy Production By Metallurgical SHS Process: Scientific Foundations and Technology

The main objective of this paper is to present results of the research in the development of a specialized self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) technology for ferroalloy composites, as applied to steelmaking. The problem of creating such a production cycle has been solved by developing a new approach to the practical implementation of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis, as applied to metallurgy. The metallurgical variation of SHS is based on the use of different metallurgic alloys (including waste in the form of dust from ferroalloy production) as basic raw materials in the new process. Here, the process of synthesis by combustion is realized through exothermic exchange reactions. The process produces a composite, based on inorganic compositions with a bond of iron and/or alloy based on iron. It has been shown that in terms of the aggregate state of initial reagents, metallurgical SHS processes are either gasless or gas-absorbing. Combustion regimes significantly differ when realized in practice. To organize the metallurgical SHS process in weakly exothermic systems, different variations of the thermal trimming principle are used. In the present study, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of ferrovanadium nitride, ferrochromium nitride and ferrosilicon nitride; which is widely used in steel alloying, was investigated. Keywords: self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS); composite ferroalloys; nitrides; borides; filtration combustion; ferrovanadium nitride ferrochromium nitride and ferrosilicon nitrid

New method of electron beam transverse size measurement by angular distribution of emission in a thin crystal

A technique is proposed for determining beam dimensions on a target by measuring two-dimensional angular distributions of the radiation for two distances between the crystal where the radiation is generated and a coordinate detector. The dimensions are determined from the results of a least squares method procedure with varying parameters, where the adjustable function is the distribution for a shorter distance and the fitting function is the convolution of the angular distribution at a greater distance with a twodimensional Gaussian distribution whose parameters are uniquely related to the beam dimensions on the target and the distances between the crystal and the detecto

Method of spatial size measurement of relativistic electrons beams with small bunch length

We investigate the practical implementation of a previously proposed method for determining angular distributions of diffracted transition radiation of relativistic electrons for two distances between the crystal where the radiation is generated and the coordinate detector for femtosecond bunches. We show that determining electron microbunches with small longitudinal sizes requires an increased photon energy, achieved by decreasing the observation angl

Frequency-resolved Monte Carlo

We adapt the Quantum Monte Carlo method to the cascaded formalism of quantum optics, allowing us to simulate the emission of photons of known energy. Statistical processing of the photon clicks thus collected agrees with the theory of frequency-resolved photon correlations, extending the range of applications based on correlations of photons of prescribed energy, in particular those of a photon-counting character. We apply the technique to autocorrelations of photon streams from a two-level system under coherent and incoherent pumping, including the Mollow triplet regime where we demonstrate the direct manifestation of leapfrog processes in producing an increased rate of two-photon emission events

What Is Stochastic Resonance? Definitions, Misconceptions, Debates, and Its Relevance to Biology

Stochastic resonance is said to be observed when increases in levels of unpredictable fluctuations—e.g., random noise—cause an increase in a metric of the quality of signal transmission or detection performance, rather than a decrease. This counterintuitive effect relies on system nonlinearities and on some parameter ranges being “suboptimal”. Stochastic resonance has been observed, quantified, and described in a plethora of physical and biological systems, including neurons. Being a topic of widespread multidisciplinary interest, the definition of stochastic resonance has evolved significantly over the last decade or so, leading to a number of debates, misunderstandings, and controversies. Perhaps the most important debate is whether the brain has evolved to utilize random noise in vivo, as part of the “neural code”. Surprisingly, this debate has been for the most part ignored by neuroscientists, despite much indirect evidence of a positive role for noise in the brain. We explore some of the reasons for this and argue why it would be more surprising if the brain did not exploit randomness provided by noise—via stochastic resonance or otherwise—than if it did. We also challenge neuroscientists and biologists, both computational and experimental, to embrace a very broad definition of stochastic resonance in terms of signal-processing “noise benefits”, and to devise experiments aimed at verifying that random variability can play a functional role in the brain, nervous system, or other areas of biology

The processes of nonequilibrium exchange in rotating plasma flows

The mechanisms of energy/momentum exchange in rotating and compressing plasma flows have been discussed. It has been shown that such flows are capable of transforming the energy of different degrees of freedom into the energy of one degree owing to the interaction of the coupled nonlinear radial, axial and azimuthal electron-ion oscillations. These processes may lead to the additional acceleration of the flow in azimuthal or axial direction so they might be instrumental for the creation of space thrusters employing pulse transformations for propulsion