Components of the Shear Modulus and Their Dependence on Temperature and Plastic Deformation of a Metallic Glass

High-precision measurements of the temperature dependences of the high-frequency shear modulus G performed on as-cast, preannealed and predeformed Zr46Cu45Al7Ti2 bulk metallic glass allowed us to determine, for the first time, the harmonic, anharmonic, electronic and relaxation components of G. The dependence of anharmonic, electronic and relaxation components on temperature and preliminary inhomogeneous (localized) plastic deformation was investigated. It is found that plastic deformation results in a significant change in these components. We showed that the increase in the integral relaxation contribution to the shear modulus with an increase in plastic deformation can be quantitatively described within the framework of the interstitialcy theory. It is also found that plastic deformation simultaneously leads to an increase in the anharmonic and decrease in the electronic components of the shear modulus

Britain's great security mirage: the Royal Navy and the Franco-Russian naval threat, 1898–1906

The attached is a post-print version of the article entitled "The Franco-Russian naval threat in British naval thinking, 1899-1906: a reappraisal". This was subsequently changed to "Britain's great security mirage: the Royal Navy and the Franco-Russian naval threat, 1898–1906" for the final published version.This article focuses on the relationship between the threat perception analyses of the British Admiralty and the strategic orientation of the Royal Navy at the outset of the twentieth century. The current view is that this was an era when fear of France and Russia drove British naval policy. However, as this article will show, Britain’s Naval Intelligence Department formed a low opinion of French and Russian naval capabilities at this time and this negative evaluation exerted considerable influence over decision-making. The belief that, owing to multiple qualitative deficiencies, these powers could definitely be beaten in battle lessened the standing of the Franco-Russian naval challenge and freed the Admiralty to consider the danger posed by other possible enemies, most notably Germany

Apparatus to study crystal channeling and volume reflection phenomena at the SPS H8 beamline

A high performance apparatus has been designed and built by the H8-RD22 collaboration for the study of channeling and volume reflection phenomena in the interaction of 400 GeV/c protons with bent silicon crystals, during the 2006 data taking in the external beamline H8 of the CERN SPS. High-quality silicon short crystals were bent by either anticlastic or quasimosaic effects. Alignment with the highly parallel (8 mu rad divergence) proton beam was guaranteed through a submicroradian goniometric system equipped with both rotational and translational stages. Particle tracking was possible by a series of silicon microstrip detectors with high-resolution and a parallel plate gas chamber, triggered by various scintillating detectors located along the beamline. Experimental observation of volume reflection with 400 GeV/c protons proved true with a deflection angle of (10.4 +/- 0.5) mu rad with respect to the unperturbed beam, with a silicon crystal whose (111) planes were parallel to the beam