Coupled phase transformations and plastic flows under torsion at high pressure in rotational diamond anvil cell: Effect of contact sliding

A three-dimensional large-sliding contact model coupled with strain-induced phase transformations (PTs) and plastic flow in a disk-like sample under torsion at high pressure in rotational diamond anvil cell (RDAC) is formulated and studied. Coulomb and plastic friction are combined and take into account variable parameters due to PT. Results are obtained for weaker, equal-strength, and stronger high pressure phases, and for three values of the kinetic coefficient in a strain-controlled kinetic equation and friction coefficient. All drawbacks typical of problem with cohesion are overcome, including eliminating mesh-dependent shear band and artificial plastic zones. Contact sliding intensifies radial plastic flow, which leads to larger reduction in sample thickness. Larger plastic strain and increased pressure in the central region lead to intensification of PT. However, the effect of the reduction in the friction coefficient on PT kinetics is nonmonotonous. Sliding increases away from the center and with growing rotation and is weakly dependent on the kinetic coefficient. Also, cyclic back and forth torsion is studied and compared to unidirectional torsion. Multiple experimental phenomena, e.g., pressure self-multiplication effect, steps (plateaus) at pressure distribution, flow to the center of a sample, and oscillatory pressure distribution for weaker high-pressure phase, are reproduced and interpreted. Reverse PT in high pressure phase that flowed to the low pressure region is revealed. Possible misinterpretation of experimental PT pressure is found. Obtained results represent essential progress toward understanding of strain-induced PTs under compression and shear in RDAC and may be used for designing experiments for synthesis of new high pressure phases and reduction in PT pressure for known phases, as well as for determination of PT kinetics from experiments

Distant perturbation asymptotics in window-coupled waveguides. I. The non-threshold case

We consider a pair of adjacent quantum waveguides, in general of different widths, coupled laterally by a pair of windows in the common boundary, not necessarily of the same length, at a fixed distance. The Hamiltonian is the respective Dirichlet Laplacian. We analyze the asymptotic behavior of the discrete spectrum as the window distance tends to infinity for the generic case, i.e. for eigenvalues of the corresponding one-window problems separated from the threshold

Strain-induced phase transformation under compression in a diamond anvil cell: Simulations of a sample and gasket

Combined high pressure phase transformations (PTs) and plastic flow in a sample within a gasket compressed in diamond anvil cell (DAC) are studied for the first time using finite element method. The key point is that phase transformations are modelled as strain-induced, which involves a completely different kinetic description than for traditional pressure-induced PTs. The model takes into account, contact sliding with Coulomb and plastic friction at the boundaries between the sample, gasket, and anvil. A comprehensive computational study of the effects of the kinetic parameter, ratio of the yield strengths of high and low-pressure phases and the gasket, sample radius, and initial thickness on the PTs and plastic flow is performed. A new sliding mechanism at the contact line between the sample, gasket, and anvil called extrusion-based pseudoslip is revealed, which plays an important part in producing high pressure. Strain-controlled kinetics explains why experimentally determined phase transformation pressure and kinetics (concentration of high pressure phase vs. pressure) differ for different geometries and properties of the gasket and the sample: they provide different plastic strain, which was not measured. Utilization of the gasket changes radial plastic flow toward the center of a sample, which leads to high quasi-homogeneous pressure for some geometries. For transformation to a stronger high pressure phase, plastic strain and concentration of a high-pressure phase are also quasi-homogeneous. This allowed us to suggest a method of determining strain-controlled kinetics from experimentation, which is not possible for weaker and equal-strength high-pressure phases and cases without a gasket. Some experimental phenomena are reproduced and interpreted. Developed methods and obtained results represent essential progress toward the understanding of PTs under compression in the DAC. This will allow one optimal design of experiments and conditions for synthesis of new high pressure phases

Plastic flows and phase transformations in materials under compression in diamond anvil cell: Effect of contact sliding

Modeling of coupled plastic flows and strain-induced phase transformations (PTs) under high pressure in a diamond anvil cell is performed with the focus on the effect of the contact sliding between sample and anvils. Finite element software ABAQUS is utilized and a combination of Coulomb friction and plastic friction is considered. Results are obtained for PTs to weaker, equal-strength, and stronger high pressure phases, using different scaling parameters in a strain-controlled kinetic equation, and with various friction coefficients. Compared to the model with cohesion, artificial shear banding near the constant surface is eliminated. Sliding and the reduction in friction coefficient intensify radial plastic flow in the entire sample (excluding a narrow region near the contact surface) and a reduction in thickness. A reduction in the frictioncoefficient to 0.1 intensifies sliding and increases pressure in the central region. Increases in both plastic strain and pressure lead to intensification of strain-induced PT. The effect of self-locking of sliding is revealed. Multiple experimental phenomena are reproduced and interpreted. Thus, plastic flow and PT can be controlled by controlling friction

Bulk Nanocrystalline Thermoelectrics Based on Bi-Sb-Te Solid Solution

A nanopowder from p-Bi-Sb-Te with particles ~ 10 nm were fabricated by the ball milling using different technological modes. Cold and hot pressing at different conditions and also SPS process were used for consolidation of the powder into a bulk nanostructure and nanocomposites. The main factors allowing slowing-down of the growth of nanograins as a result of recrystallization are the reduction of the temperature and of the duration of the pressing, the increase of the pressure, as well as addition of small value additives (like MoS2, thermally expanded graphite or fullerenes). It was reached the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT=1.22 (at 360 K) in the bulk nanostructure Bi0,4Sb1,6Te3 fabricated by SPS method. Some mechanisms of the improvement of the thermoelectric efficiency in bulk nanocrystalline semiconductors based on BixSb2-xTe3 are studied theoretically. The reduction of nanograin size can lead to improvement of the thermoelectric figure of merit. The theoretical dependence of the electric and heat conductivities and the thermoelectric power as the function of nanograins size in BixSb2-xTe3 bulk nanostructure are quite accurately correlates with the experimental data.Comment: 35 pages, 24 figures, 4 tables, 52 reference

Thermogravimetry and neutron thermodiffractometry studies of the H-YBa2Cu3O7 system.

The high Tc superconducting oxide YBa2Cu3O7¿x reacts with hydrogen gas. Thermogravimetric, X-ray and neutron scattering experiments allow us to propose a two-step type of hydrogen bonding. Firstly, a few hydrogen atoms fill some oxygen vacancies and may favourably modify the electron state, giving rise to a slight increase in the critical temperature. Secondly, after a prolonged heating period, the collapse of the YBa2Cu3O7¿x type framework and of superconductivity were observed, and a new, highly hydrogenated material appeared

Strain-induced phase transformations under compression, unloading, and reloading in a diamond anvil cell

Strain-induced phase transformations (PTs) in a sample under compression, unloading, and reloading in a diamond anvil cell are investigated in detail, by applying finite element method. In contrast to previous studies, the kinetic equation includes the pressure range in which both direct and reverse PTs occur simultaneously. Results are compared to the case when “no transformation” region in the pressure range exists instead, for various values of the kinetic parameters and ratios of the yield strengths of low and high pressure phases. Under unloading (which has never been studied before), surprising plastic flow and reverse PT are found, which were neglected in experiments and change interpretation of experimental results. They are caused both by heterogeneous stress redistribution and transformation-induced plasticity. After reloading, the reverse PT continues followed by intense direct PT. However, PT is less pronounced than after initial compression and geometry of transformed zone changes. In particular, a localized transformed band of a weaker high pressure phase does not reappear in comparison with the initial compression. A number of experimental phenomena are reproduced and interpreted

Coupling running through the Looking-Glass of dimensional Reduction

The dimensional reduction, in a form of transition from four to two dimensions, was used in the 90s in a context of HE Regge scattering. Recently, it got a new impetus in quantum gravity where it opens the way to renormalizability and finite short-distance behavior. We consider a QFT model $g\,\varphi^4\,$ with running coupling defined in both the two domains of different dimensionality; the \gbar(Q^2)\, evolutions being duly conjugated at the reduction scale $\,Q\sim M.$ Beyond this scale, in the deep UV 2-dim region, the running coupling does not increase any more. Instead, it {\it slightly decreases} and tends to a finite value \gbar_2(\infty) \,< \, \gbar_2(M^2)\, from above. As a result, the global evolution picture looks quite peculiar and can propose a base for the modified scenario of gauge couplings behavior with UV fixed points provided by dimensional reduction instead of leptoquarks.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures,Version to match the one which (besides the Appendix) will appear in "Particles and Nuclei (PEPAN), Letters", v.7, No 6(162) 2010 pp 625-631. Slightly edited, one more reference and related numerical estimate adde

Rare events, escape rates and quasistationarity: some exact formulae

We present a common framework to study decay and exchanges rates in a wide class of dynamical systems. Several applications, ranging form the metric theory of continuons fractions and the Shannon capacity of contrained systems to the decay rate of metastable states, are given