Optical fiber interferometer for the study of ultrasonic waves in composite materials

The possibility of acoustic emission detection in composites using embedded optical fibers as sensing elements was investigated. Optical fiber interferometry, fiber acoustic sensitivity, fiber interferometer calibration, and acoustic emission detection are reported. Adhesive bond layer dynamical properties using ultrasonic interface waves, the design and construction of an ultrasonic transducer with a two dimensional Gaussian pressure profile, and the development of an optical differential technique for the measurement of surface acoustic wave particle displacements and propagation direction are also examined

Water Vapour Content of the Atmosphere in Relation to Surface Humidity

The theoretical relationship between precipitate water vapour in the atmosphere & surface humidity has been investigated. By introducing the concept of a lapse parameter alpha, a method has been devised for estimation of precipitable water vapour. Results have been compared for six Indian Stations for which upper air data were available

A Fresh Approach to the Study of Atmosphere Turbidity

The problem of assessment of atmospheric turbidity caused by aerosol particles, viz., dust, smoke, haze, and other atmospheric pollutants, apart from the effect of variable water vapour content of the atmosphere, has been studied afresh. The basic concept underlying Linke's turbidity factor, T has been found to be theoretically sound, although its quantitative formulation suffers from one major defect, viz, its 'virtual variation' with air mass. This error has been traced to defective formulation of the quantitative expression for T. A 'Rational turbidity factor', Tr, has been proposed which is likely to overcome the limitations of Linke's turbidity factor, T. A nomogram has been development for quick evaluation of Tr, and the effect of altitude has also been considered

Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling of a Domain Wall in a Ferromagnetic Metal

The macroscopic quantum tunneling of a planar domain wall in a ferromagnetic metal is studied based on the Hubbard model. It is found that the ohmic dissipation is present even at zero temperature due to the gapless Stoner excitation, which is the crucial difference from the case of the insulating magnet. The dissipative effect is calculated as a function of width of the wall and is shown to be effective in a thin wall and in a weak ferromagnet. The results are discussed in the light of recent experiments on ferromagnets with strong anisotropy. PACS numbers:75.60.Ch, 03.65.Sq, 75.10.LpComment: 13page

Macroscopic Quantum Coherence in a Magnetic Nanoparticle Above the Surface of a Superconductor

We study macroscopic quantum tunneling of the magnetic moment in a single-domain particle placed above the surface of a superconductor. Such a setup allows one to manipulate the height of the energy barrier, preserving the degeneracy of the ground state. The tunneling amplitude and the effect of the dissipation in the superconductor are computed.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Magnetic Field Dependence of Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling and Coherence of Ferromagnetic Particle

We calculate the quantum tunneling rate of a ferromagnetic particle of $\sim 100 \AA$ diameter in a magnetic field of arbitrary angle. We consider the magnetocrystalline anisotropy with the biaxial symmetry and that with the tetragonal symmetry. Using the spin-coherent-state path integral, we obtain approximate analytic formulas of the tunneling rates in the small $\epsilon (=1- H/H_c)$-limit for the magnetic field normal to the easy axis ($\theta_H = \pi/2$), for the field opposite to the initial easy axis ($\theta_H = \pi$), and for the field at an angle between these two orientations ($\pi/2 << \theta_H << \pi$). In addition, we obtain numerically the tunneling rates for the biaxial symmetry in the full range of the angle $\theta_H$ of the magnetic field ($\pi/2 < \theta_H \leq \pi$), for the values of \epsilon =0.01 and 0.001.Comment: 25 pages of text (RevTex) and 4 figures (PostScript files), to be published in Phys. Rev.

Quantum Relaxation of Magnetisation in Magnetic Particles

At temperatures below the magnetic anisotropy energy, monodomain magnetic systems (small particles, nanomagnetic devices, etc.) must relax quantum mechanically. This quantum relaxation must be mediated by the coupling to both nuclear spins and phonons (and electrons if either particle or substrate is conducting. We analyze the effect of each of these couplings, and then combine them. Conducting systems can be modelled by a "giant Kondo" Hamiltonian, with nuclear spins added in as well. At low temperatures, even microscopic particles on a conducting substrate (containing only $10-50$ spins) will have their magnetisation frozen over millenia by a combination of electronic dissipation and the "degeneracy blocking" caused by nuclear spins. Raising the temperature leads to a sudden unblocking of the spin dynamics at a well defined temperature. Insulating systems are quite different. The relaxation is strongly enhanced by the coupling to nuclear spins. At short times the magnetisation of an ensemble of particles relaxes logarithmically in time, after an initial very fast decay; this relaxation proceeds entirely via the nuclear spins. At longer times phonons take over, but the decay rate is still governed by the temperature-dependent nuclear bias field acting on the particles - decay may be exponential or power-law depending on the temperature. The most surprising feature of the results is the pivotal role played by the nuclear spins. The results are relevant to any experiments on magnetic particles in which interparticle dipolar interactions are unimportant. They are also relevant to future magnetic device technology.Comment: 30 pages, RevTex, e:mail , Submitted to J.Low Temp.Phys. on 1 Nov. 199

On the Observability of Meso- and Macro-scopic Quantum Coherence of Domain Walls in Magnetic Insulators

Results are presented of a numerical calculation of the tunneling gap for a domain wall moving in the double well potential of a pair of voids in a magnetic insulator. Both symmetric and asymmetric double well potentials are considered. It is found that, even in the absence of dissipation, the prospects for observing quantum coherence on a meso- or macro-scopic scale appears unlikely.Comment: 15 pages, Plain LaTex, UBC TP-93-1

Non-Markoffian effects of a simple nonlinear bath

We analyze a model of a nonlinear bath consisting of a single two-level system coupled to a linear bath (a classical noise force in the limit considered here). This allows us to study the effects of a nonlinear, non-Markoffian bath in a particularly simple situation. We analyze the effects of this bath onto the dynamics of a spin by calculating the decay of the equilibrium correlator of the spin's z-component. The exact results are compared with those obtained using three commonly used approximations: a Markoffian master equation for the spin dynamics, a weak-coupling approximation, and the substitution of a linear bath for the original nonlinear bath.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Ice XII in its second regime of metastability

We present neutron powder diffraction results which give unambiguous evidence for the formation of the recently identified new crystalline ice phase[Lobban et al.,Nature, 391, 268, (1998)], labeled ice XII, at completely different conditions. Ice XII is produced here by compressing hexagonal ice I_h at T = 77, 100, 140 and 160 K up to 1.8 GPa. It can be maintained at ambient pressure in the temperature range 1.5 < T < 135 K. High resolution diffraction is carried out at T = 1.5 K and ambient pressure on ice XII and accurate structural properties are obtained from Rietveld refinement. At T = 140 and 160 K additionally ice III/IX is formed. The increasing amount of ice III/IX with increasing temperature gives an upper limit of T ~ 150 K for the successful formation of ice XII with the presented procedure.Comment: 3 Pages of RevTeX, 3 tables, 3 figures (submitted to Physical Review Letters