Magnetic critical properties and basal-plane anisotropy of Sr2_2IrO4_4

The anisotropic magnetic properties of Sr$_2$IrO$_4$ are investigated, using longitudinal and torque magnetometry. The critical scaling across $T_c$ of the longitudinal magnetization is the one expected for the 2D XY universality class. Modeling the torque for a magnetic field in the basal-plane, and taking into account all in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic couplings, we derive the effective 4-fold anisotropy $K_4 \approx$ 1 10$^5$ erg mole$^{-1}$. Although larger than for the cuprates, it is found too small to account for a significant departure from the isotropic 2D XY model. The in-plane torque also allows us to put an upper bound for the anisotropy of a field-induced shift of the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature

Oxygen and iron production by electrolytic smelting of lunar soil

Oxygen, present in abundance in nearly all lunar materials, can theoretically be extracted by molten silicate electrolysis from any known lunar rock. Derivation of oxygen by this method has been amply demonstrated experimentally in silicate melts of a variety of compositions. This work can be divided into three categories: (1) measurement of solubilities of metals (atomic) in silicate melts; (2) electrolysis experiments under various conditions of temperature, container material, electrode configuration, current density, melt composition, and sample mass (100 to 2000 mg) measuring energy required and character of resulting products; and (3) theoretical assessment of compositional requirements for steady state operations of an electrolysis cell

Oxygen and iron production by electrolytic smelting of lunar soil

Work during the past year involved two aspects: (1) electrolysis experiments on a larger scale than done before, and (2) collaboration with Carbotek Inc. on design for a lunar magma electrolysis cell. It was demonstrated previously that oxygen can be produced by direct electrolysis of silicate melts. Previous experiments using 50-100 mg of melt have succeeded in measuring melt resistivities, oxygen production efficiencies, and have identified the character of metal products. A series of experiments using 1-8 grams of silicate melt, done in alumina and spinel containers sufficiently large that surface tension effects between the melt and the wall are expected to have minor effect on the behavior of the melt in the region of the electrodes were completed. The purpose of these experiments was to demonstrate the durability of the electrode and container materials, demonstrate the energy efficiency of the electrolysis process, further characterize the nature of the expected metal and spinel products, measure the efficiency of oxygen production and compare to that predicted on the basis of the smaller-scale experiments, and identify any unexpected benefits or problems of the process. Four experimental designs were employed. Detailed results of these experiments are given in the appendix ('Summary of scaling-up experiments'); a general report of the results is given in terms of implications of the experiments on container materials, cathode materials, anode materials, bubble formation and frothing of the melt, cell potential, anode-cathode distance, oxygen efficiency, and energy efficiency

The Performance of Madness as Resistance in Nuruddin Farah's Close Sesame

This article explores the representation of madness in Nuruddin Farah’s Close Sesame (1983) as a performance of resistance against the Somali dictatorship of Mohammed Siyad Barre. I argue that Farah presents madness as performance in order to protect those who speak and act out against tyranny, as well as their associates and families. The novel’s presentation of these counter-hegemonic performances not only has implications for the study of narrative representations of dictatorship in Africa, but also for the understanding of the colonial and neocolonial disciplinary attitudes towards resistance fighters in East Africa. In particular, I consider the “Mad Mullah” and J.C. Carothers in light of their contributions to the colonial discourse about madness and resistance. The colonial history’s relationship to Barre’s dictatorial regime is explicitly marked by Farah’s novel, yet the place of madness within that history has not been adequately explored, nor has the function of madness within Farah’s Close Sesame. This article’s focus on resistance in the context of Farah’s text is also a broader reading of resistance and repression in colonial states and neocolonial dictatorships