45 research outputs found
Microstructural strain energy of α-uranium determined by calorimetry and neutron diffractometry
The microstructural contribution to the heat capacity of α-uranium was determined by measuring the heat-capacity difference between polycrystalline and single-crystal samples from 77 to 320 K. When cooled to 77 K and then heated to about 280 K, the uranium microstructure released (3±1) J/mol of strain energy. On further heating to 300 K, the microstructure absorbed energy as it began to redevelop microstrains. Anisotropic strain-broadening parameters were extracted from neutron-diffraction measurements on polycrystals. Combining the strain-broadening parameters with anisotropic elastic constants from the literature, the microstructural strain energy is predicted in the two limiting cases of statistically isotropic stress and statistically isotropic strain. The result calculated in the limit of statistically isotropic stress was (3.7±0.5) J/mol K at 77 K and (1±0.5) J/mol at room temperature. In the limit of statistically isotropic strain, the values were (7.8±0.5) J/mol K at 77 K and (4.5±0.5) J/mol at room temperature. In both cases the changes in the microstructural strain energy showed good agreement with the calorimetry
Angle-resolved photoemission and first-principles electronic structure of single-crystalline -uranium (001)
Continuing the photoemission study begun with the work of Opeil et al. [Phys.
Rev. B \textbf{73}, 165109 (2006)], in this paper we report results of an
angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study performed on a
high-quality single-crystal -uranium at 173 K. The absence of
surface-reconstruction effects is verified using X-ray Laue and low-energy
electron diffraction (LEED) patterns. We compare the ARPES intensity map with
first-principles band structure calculations using a generalized gradient
approximation (GGA) and we find good correlations with the calculated
dispersion of the electronic bands
Magnetic field independence of the spin gap in YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-delta}
We report, for magnetic fields of 0, 8.8, and 14.8 Tesla, measurements of the
temperature dependent ^{63}Cu NMR spin lattice relaxation rate for near
optimally doped YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-delta}, near and above T_c. In sharp contrast
with previous work we find no magnetic field dependence. We discuss
experimental issues arising in measurements of this required precision, and
implications of the experiment regarding issues including the spin or pseudo
gap.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, as accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
Space Qualification of the Optical Filter Assemblies for the ICESat-2/ATLAS Instrument
The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) will be the only instrument on the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite -2 (ICESat-2). ICESat-2 is the 2nd-generation of the orbiting laser altimeter ICESat, which will continue polar ice topography measurements with improved precision laser-ranging techniques. In contrast to the original ICESat design, ICESat-2 will use a micro-pulse, multi-beam approach that provides dense cross-track sampling to help scientists determine a surface's slope with each pass of the satellite. The ATLAS laser will emit visible, green laser pulses at a wavelength of 532 nm and a rate of 10 kHz and will be split into 6 beams. A set of six identical, thermally tuned optical filter assemblies (OFA) will be used to remove background solar radiation from the collected signal while transmitting the laser light to the detectors. A seventh assembly will be used to monitor the laser center wavelength during the mission. In this paper, we present the design and optical performance measurements of the ATLAS OFA in air and in vacuum prior to their integration on the ATLAS instrument
Tricritical Phenomena at the Cerium Transition
The isostructural transition in the
CeLaTh system is measured as a function of La alloying
using specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, thermal
expansivity/striction measurements. A line of discontinuous transitions, as
indicated by the change in volume, decreases exponentially from 118 K to close
to zero with increasing La doping and the transition changes from being
first-order to continuous at a critical concentration . At the tricritical point, the coefficient of the linear term in the
specific heat and the magnetic susceptibility start to increase
rapidly near = 0.14 and gradually approaches large values at =0.35
signifying that a heavy Fermi-liquid state evolves at large doping. Near ,
the Wilson ratio, , has a value of 3.0, signifying the presence of
magnetic fluctuations. Also, the low-temperature resistivity shows that the
character of the low-temperature Fermi-liquid is changing
Combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the premartensitic transition in NiMnGa
Ultraviolet-photoemission (UPS) measurements and supporting specific-heat,
thermal-expansion, resistivity and magnetic-moment measurements are reported
for the magnetic shape-memory alloy NiMnGa over the temperature range . All measurements detect clear signatures of the premartensitic
transition () and the martensitic transition
(). Temperature-dependent UPS shows a dramatic
depletion of states (pseudogap) at located 0.3eV below the
Fermi energy. First-principles electronic structure calculations show that the
peak observed at 0.3eV in the UPS spectra for is due to the
Ni-d minority-spin electrons. Below this peak disappears,
resulting in an enhanced density of states at energies around 0.8eV. This
enhancement reflects Ni-d and Mn-d electronic contributions to the
majority-spin density of states and is accompanied by significant
reconstruction of the Fermi surface
Magnetic susceptibility of the normal-superconducting transition in high-purity single-crystal α-uranium
We report complex ac magnetic susceptibility measurements of a superconducting transition in very high-quality single-crystal alpha-uranium using microfabricated coplanar magnetometers. We identify an onset of superconductivity at Tapproximate to0.7 K in both the real and imaginary components of the susceptibility which is confirmed by resistivity data. A superconducting volume fraction argument, based on a comparison with a calibration YBa2Cu3O7-delta sample, indicates that superconductivity in these samples may be filamentary. Our data also demonstrate the sensitivity of the coplanar micro-magnetometers, which are ideally suited to measurements in pulsed magnetic fields exceeding 100 T