Atmospheric drivers of storage water use in Scots pine

International audienceIn this study we determined the microclimatic drivers of storage water use in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in a temperate climate. The storage water use was modeled using the ANAFORE model, integrating a dynamic water flow and ? storage model with a process-based transpiration model. The model was calibrated and validated with sap flow measurements for the growing season of 2000 (26 May?18 October). Because there was no severe soil drought during the study period, we were able to study atmospheric effects. Incoming radiation was the main driver of storage water use. The general trends of sap flow and storage water use are similar, and follow more or less the pattern of incoming radiation. Nevertheless, considerable differences in the day-to-day pattern of sap flow and storage water use were observed, mainly driven by vapour pressure deficit (VPD). During dry atmospheric conditions (high VPD) storage water use was reduced. This reduction was disproportionally higher than the reduction in measured sap flow. Our results suggest that the trees did not rely more on storage water during periods of atmospheric drought, without severe soil drought. A third important factor was the tree water deficit. When storage compartments were depleted beyond a threshold, storage water use was limited due to the low water potential in the storage compartments. The maximum relative contribution of storage water to daily transpiration was also constrained by an increasing tree water deficit

Field-Angle-Resolved Magnetic Excitations as a Probe of Hidden-Order Symmetry in CeB6

In contrast to magnetic order formed by electrons' dipolar moments, ordering phenomena associated with higher-order multipoles (quadrupoles, octupoles, etc.) are more difficult to characterize because of the limited choice of experimental probes that can distinguish different multipolar moments. The heavy-fermion compound CeB6 and its La-diluted alloys are among the best-studied realizations of the long-range-ordered multipolar phases, often referred to as "hidden order."Previously, the hidden order in phase II was identified as primary antiferroquadrupolar and field-induced octupolar order. Here, we present a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of collective excitations in phase II of CeB6. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) in fields up to 16.5 T reveals a new high-energy mode above 14 T in addition to the low-energy magnetic excitations. The experimental dependence of their energy on the magnitude and angle of the applied magnetic field is compared to the results of a multipolar interaction model. The magnetic excitation spectrum in a rotating field is calculated within a localized approach using the pseudospin representation for the Γ8 states. We show that the rotating-field technique at fixed momentum can complement conventional INS measurements of the dispersion at a constant field and holds great promise for identifying the symmetry of multipolar order parameters and the details of intermultipolar interactions that stabilize hidden-order phases. © 2020 authors. Published by the American Physical Society

Effect of creep temperature on Z-phase formation in heat-resistant 9% Cr-3% Co martensitic steel

The Z-phase (CrVN) precipitation in a 9% Cr-3% Co martensitic steel during creep at 923 K and 948 K has been investigated with aim to establish the effect of temperature on the nucleation mechanism of these particles and their coarsening behavior. Ostwald ripening of VX carbonitrides strongly affects these processes. An increase in creep temperature significantly accelerates the transformation of the nanoscale MX carbonitrides into the Zphase particles causing the Z-phase nucleation in a shorter tim

Solid phase transformations

This special-topic book, devoted to ""Solid Phase Transformations"" , covers a broad range of phenomena which are of importance in a number of technological processes. Most commercial alloys undergo thermal treatment after casting, with the aim of imparting desired compositions and/or optimal morphologies to the component phases. In spite of the fact that the topic has lain at the center of physical metallurgy for a long time, there are numerous aspects which are wide open to potential investigative breakthroughs. Materials with new structures also stimulate research in the field, as well as