380 research outputs found
Rigid unit modes in tetrahedral crystals
The 'rigid unit mode' (RUM) model requires unit blocks, in our case
tetrahedra of SiO_4 groups, to be rigid within first order of the displacements
of the O-ions. The wave-vectors of the lattice vibrations, which obey this
rigidity, are determined analytically. Lattices with inversion symmetry yield
generically surfaces of RUMs in reciprocal space, whereas lattices without this
symmetry yield generically lines of RUMs. Only in exceptional cases as in
beta-quartz a surface of RUMs appears, if inversion symmetry is lacking. The
occurence of planes and bending surfaces, straight and bent lines is discussed.
Explicit calculations are performed for five modifications of SiO_2 crystals.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, improved notatio
Amorphization induced by pressure: results for zeolites and general implications
We report an {\sl ab initio} study of pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) in
zeolites, which are model systems for this phenomenon. We confirm the
occurrence of low-density amorphous phases like the one reported by Greaves
{\sl et al.} [Science {\bf 308}, 1299 (2005)], which preserves the crystalline
topology and might constitute a new type of glass. The role of the zeolite
composition regarding PIA is explained. Our results support the correctness of
existing models for the basic PIA mechanim, but suggest that energetic, rather
than kinetic, factors determine the irreversibility of the transition.Comment: 4 pages with 3 figures embedded. More information at
http://www.icmab.es/dmmis/leem/jorg
Isostaticity, auxetic response, surface modes, and conformal invariance in twisted kagome lattices
Model lattices consisting of balls connected by central-force springs provide
much of our understanding of mechanical response and phonon structure of real
materials. Their stability depends critically on their coordination number .
-dimensional lattices with are at the threshold of mechanical
stability and are isostatic. Lattices with exhibit zero-frequency
"floppy" modes that provide avenues for lattice collapse. The physics of
systems as diverse as architectural structures, network glasses, randomly
packed spheres, and biopolymer networks is strongly influenced by a nearby
isostatic lattice. We explore elasticity and phonons of a special class of
two-dimensional isostatic lattices constructed by distorting the kagome
lattice. We show that the phonon structure of these lattices, characterized by
vanishing bulk moduli and thus negative Poisson ratios and auxetic elasticity,
depends sensitively on boundary conditions and on the nature of the kagome
distortions. We construct lattices that under free boundary conditions exhibit
surface floppy modes only or a combination of both surface and bulk floppy
modes; and we show that bulk floppy modes present under free boundary
conditions are also present under periodic boundary conditions but that surface
modes are not. In the the long-wavelength limit, the elastic theory of all
these lattices is a conformally invariant field theory with holographic
properties, and the surface waves are Rayleigh waves. We discuss our results in
relation to recent work on jammed systems. Our results highlight the importance
of network architecture in determining floppy-mode structure.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Low temperature structural phase transition and incommensurate lattice modulation in the spin gap compound BaCuSi2O6
Results of high resolution x-ray diffraction experiments are presented for
single crystals of the spin gap compound BaCuSiO in the temperature
range from 16 to 300 K. The data show clear evidence of a transition from the
room temperature tetragonal phase into an incommensurately modulated
orthorhombic structure below 100 K. This lattice modulation is
characterized by a resolution limited wave vector {\bf
q}=(0,0.13,0) and its 2 and 3 harmonics. The phase
transition is first order and exhibits considerable hysteresis. This
observation implies that the spin Hamiltonian representing the system is more
complex than originally thought.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Simulation study of pressure and temperature dependence of the negative thermal expansion in Zn(CN)(2)
12 pages, 16 figures12 pages, 16 figures12 pages, 16 figures12 pages, 16 figure
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Background risk information to assist in risk management decision making
The evaluation of the need for remedial activities at hazardous waste sites requires quantification of risks of adverse health effects to humans and the ecosystem resulting from the presence of chemical and radioactive substances at these sites. The health risks from exposure to these substances are in addition to risks encountered because of the virtually unavoidable exposure to naturally occurring chemicals and radioactive materials that are present in air, water, soil, building materials, and food products. To provide a frame of reference for interpreting risks quantified for hazardous waste sites, it is useful to identify the relative magnitude of risks of both a voluntary and involuntary nature that are ubiquitous throughout east Tennessee. In addition to discussing risks from the ubiquitous presence of background carcinogens in the east Tennessee environment, this report also presents risks resulting from common, everyday activities. Such information should, not be used to discount or trivialize risks from hazardous waste contamination, but rather, to create a sensitivity to general risk issues, thus providing a context for better interpretation of risk information
Roughening of close-packed singular surfaces
An upper bound to the roughening temperature of a close-packed singular
surface, fcc Al (111), is obtained via free energy calculations based on
thermodynamic integration using the embedded-atom interaction model. Roughening
of Al (111) is predicted to occur at around 890 K, well below bulk melting (933
K), and it should therefore be observable, save for possible kinetic hindering.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, embedded figure
Open Data as Open Educational Resources: Case studies of emerging practice
This collection presents the stories of our contributorsâ experiences and insights, in order to demonstrate the enormous potential for openly-licensed and accessible datasets (Open Data) to be used as Open Educational Resources (OER). Open Data is an umbrella term describing openly-licensed, interoperable, and reusable datasets which have been created and made available to the public by national or local governments, academic researchers, or other organisations. These datasets can be accessed, used and shared without restrictions other than attribution of the intellectual property of their creators1.While there are various definitions of OER, these are generally understood as openly-licensed digital resources that can be used in teaching and learning. On the basis of these definitions, it is reasonable to assert that while Open Data is not always OER, it certainly becomes OER when used within pedagogical contexts. Yet while the question may appear already settled at the level of definition, the potential and actual pedagogical uses of Open Data appear to have been under-discussed. As open education researchers who take a wider interest in the various open âmovementsâ, we have observed that linkages between them are not always strong, in spite of shared and interconnecting values. So, Open Data tends to be discussed primarily in relation to its production, storage, licensing and accessibility, but less often in relation to its practical subsequent uses. And, in spite of widespread understanding that use of the term âOERâ is actually context-dependent, and, therefore, could be almost all-encompassing, the focus of OER practice and research has tended to be on educator-produced learning materials. The search for relevant research literature in the early stages of this project turned up sources which discuss the benefits of opening data, and others advocating improving student engagement with data3, but on the topic of Open Data as an educational resource specifically, there appeared to be something of a gap
First-principles study of the ferroelastic phase transition in CaCl_2
First-principles density-functional calculations within the local-density
approximation and the pseudopotential approach are used to study and
characterize the ferroelastic phase transition in calcium chloride (CaCl_2). In
accord with experiment, the energy map of CaCl_2 has the typical features of a
pseudoproper ferroelastic with an optical instability as ultimate origin of the
phase transition. This unstable optic mode is close to a pure rigid unit mode
of the framework of chlorine atoms and has a negative Gruneisen parameter. The
ab-initio ground state agrees fairly well with the experimental low temperature
structure extrapolated at 0K. The calculated energy map around the ground state
is interpreted as an extrapolated Landau free-energy and is successfully used
to explain some of the observed thermal properties. Higher-order anharmonic
couplings between the strain and the unstable optic mode, proposed in previous
literature as important terms to explain the soft-phonon temperature behavior,
are shown to be irrelevant for this purpose. The LAPW method is shown to
reproduce the plane-wave results in CaCl_2 within the precision of the
calculations, and is used to analyze the relative stability of different phases
in CaCl_2 and the chemically similar compound SrCl_2.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, uses RevTeX
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