Metal-reinforced Al{sub 2}0{sub 3}-matrix composites were prepared using reactive hot pressing. The volume fraction of the reinforcing phase was controlled by the stoichiometry of the particular displacement reaction used. Dense Al{sub 2}0{sub 3}-Ni and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Nb composites were fabricated using this technique. The best combination of strength, 610 MPa, and toughness, 12 MPam{sup 1/2}, was found for the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Ni composites. Indentation cracks and fracture surfaces showed evidence of ductile deformation of the Ni phase. The Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Nb composites had high strength, but the toughness was lower than expected due to the poor bonding between the Nb and A1{sub 2}0{sub 3}phases.

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This report talks about Application of a Dynamic Stress Theory to Pike Leaks

This report talks about Coalescence of Nanometer Silver Islands on Oxides Grown by Filtered Cathodic Arc Depostion

A novel technique is proposed in which a nuclear magneticresonance (NMR) spectrum or magnetic resonance image (MRI) is encoded andstored as spin polarization and is then moved to a different physicallocation to be detected. Remote detection allows the separateoptimization of the encoding and detection steps, permitting theindependent choice of experimental conditions, and excitation anddetection methodologies. In the first experimental demonstration of thistechnique, we show that NMR signal can be amplified by taking diluted129Xe from a porous sample placed inside a large encoding coil, andconcentrating it into a smaller detection coil. In general, the study ofNMR active molecules at low concentration that have low physical fillingfactor is facilitated by remote detection. In the second experiment, MRIinformation encoded in a very low field magnet (4-7mT) is transferred toa high field magnet (4.2 T) in order to be detected under optimizedconditions. Furthermore, remote detection allows the utilization ofultra-sensitive optical or superconducting detection techniques, whichbroadens the horizon of NMR experimentation.

A sensitive search for the rare decays {Omega}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}{pi}{sup -} and {Xi}{sup 0} {yields} p{pi}{sup -} has been performed using data from the 1997 run of the HyperCP (Fermilab E871) experiment. Limits on other such processes do not exclude the possibility of observable rates for |{Delta}S| = 2 nonleptonic hyperon decays, provided the decays occur through parity-odd operators. They obtain the branching-fraction limits {Beta}({Omega}{sup -} {yields} {Lambda}{pi}{sup -}) < 2.9 x 10{sup -6} and {Beta}({Xi}{sup 0} {yields} p{pi}{sup -}) < 8.2 x 10{sup -6}, both at 90% confidence level.

The WW{gamma} triple gauge boson coupling parameters are studied using p{bar p} {yields} {ell}{nu}{gamma} + X({ell} = e, {mu}) events at {radical}s = 1.96 TeV. The data were collected with the D0 detector from an integrated luminosity of 162 pb{sup -1} delivered by the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The cross section times branching fraction for p{bar p} {yields} W({gamma}) + X {yields} {ell}{nu}{gamma} + X with E{sub T}{sup {gamma}} > 8 GeV and {Delta}R{sub {ell}{gamma}} > 0.7 is 14.8 {+-} 1.6(stat) {+-} 1.0(syst) {+-} 1.0(lum) pb. The one-dimensional 95% confidence level limits on anomalous couplings are -0.88 < {Delta}{kappa}{sub {gamma}} < 0.96 and -0.20 < {lambda}{sub {gamma}} < 0.20.

We present the third edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog. The catalog consists of the 46,420 objects in the SDSS Third Data Release that have luminosities larger than M{sub i} = -22 (in a cosmology with H{sub 0} = 70 km s{sup -1} Mpc{sup -1}, {Omega}{sub M} = 0.3, and {Omega}{sub {Lambda}} = 0.7), have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km s{sup -1} or are unambiguously broad absorption line quasars, are fainter than i = 15.0, and have highly reliable redshifts. The area covered by the catalog is {approx} 4188 deg{sup 2}. The quasar redshifts range from 0.08 to 5.41, with a median value of 1.47; the high-redshift sample includes 520 quasars at redshifts greater than four, of which 17 are at redshifts greater than five. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.2'' rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800-9200 at a spectral resolution …

Based on an acoustic assumption (shear wave velocity is zero) and a dispersion relation, we derive an acoustic wave equation for P-waves in tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media (transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis). This equation has fewer parameters than an elastic wave equation in TTI media and yields an accurate description of P-wave traveltimes and spreading-related attenuation. Our TTI acoustic wave equation is a fourth-order equation in time and space. We demonstrate that the acoustic approximation allows the presence of shear waves in the solution. The substantial differences in traveltime and amplitude between data created using VTI and TTI assumptions is illustrated in examples.

Speedup, a commercial software package for the dynamic modeling of chemical processes, has been coupled with the PVM software to allow a single process model to be distributed over several computers running in parallel. As an initial application, this coarse distribution technique was applied to a batch chemical plant containing 16 unit operations. Computation time for this problem was reduced by a factor of 4.7 using only three parallel processors in the UNIX computing environment. Better than linear acceleration was achieved from the significant reduction in computation required to reinitialize the smaller subprocesses at discontinuities in the solution. The process was physically divided at points that naturally separated the overall plant into distinct subprocesses. This facilitated the computation by minimizing the interconnection between the parallel units. Techniques were developed to make efficient material and energy transfers between the modeled subprocesses based on actual material transfers used in plant operations.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for three separately parameterized embedded atom methods (EAM) function sets are used to determine the liquid/vapor surface tension {gamma} for Al, Ni, Cu, Ag, and Au. The three EAM models differ in both the functional forms employed and the fitting procedure used. All the EAM potentials underestimate {gamma} but one of the models performs consistently better than the others. The authors show that including a correction to the local charge density associated with gradients in the density together with exploiting the invariance of the EAM bulk potential to appropriate transformations in the charge density can lead to improved values for {gamma}, as well as for solid free surface energies, within existing EAM function sets.

An attempt to confirm production of superheavy elements in the reaction of 48Ca beams with actinide targets has been performed using the 238U(48Ca,3n)283112 reaction. Two 48Ca projectile energies were used, that spanned the energy range where the largest cross sections have been reported for this reaction. No spontaneous fission events were observed. No alpha decay chains consistent with either reported or theoretically predicted element 112 decay properties were observed. The cross section limits reached are significantly smaller than the recently reported cross sections.

We implemented a new concept for heavy element chemistry research using an ion separator to separate the desired products from the beam, transfer products and other undesirable by-products prior to chemical studies. First, a Recoil product Transfer Chamber (RTC) was designed and attached to the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator (BGS) to collect and transfer the recoiling products to the chemical separation system. The RTC consists of a wire-grid-supported thin mylar foil ({le}) 200 {micro}g/cm{sup 2} that separates the BGS detector chamber, at 1.3 mbar pressure, from the chemistry system at different pressures ranging from 480 mbar to 2000 mbar. The overall transport efficiency ranged between 30% and 15%, compared to the activity measured in the focal plane detector of the BGS. The CTS was designed as a separation and {alpha}-decay detection system for the highly volatile tetroxides of osmium and hassium, element 108. The CTS, shown in figure 1, consists of two rows of 32-{alpha} detectors arranged along a negative temperature gradient. The tetroxides adsorb on the surface of one of the silicone photodiodes at a certain deposition temperature, and the nuclide is then identified by the {alpha}-decay. To test the CTS with the expected hassium homologue osmium, different {alpha}-active osmium …

It has long been recognized that the introduction of a narrow band of states in a semiconductor band gap could be used to achieve improved power conversion efficiency in semiconductor-based solar cells. The intermediate band would serve as a ''stepping stone'' for photons of different energy to excite electrons from the valence to the conduction band. An important advantage of this design is that it requires formation of only a single p-n junction, which is a crucial simplification in comparison to multijunction solar cells. A detailed balance analysis predicts a limiting efficiency of more than 50% for an optimized, single intermediate band solar cell. This is higher than the efficiency of an optimized two junction solar cell. Using ion beam implantation and pulsed laser melting we have synthesized Zn{sub 1-y}Mn{sub y}O{sub x}Te{sub 1-x} alloys with x<0.03. These highly mismatched alloys have a unique electronic structure with a narrow oxygen-derived intermediate band. The width and the location of the band is described by the Band Anticrossing model and can be varied by controlling the oxygen content. This provides a unique opportunity to optimize the absorption of solar photons for best solar cell performance. We have carried out systematic studies of the …

The effect of alloying small amounts of ZnO with ZnSe on the electronic band structure has been studied. Optical transitions in molecular-beam-epitaxy-grown ZnO{sub x}Se{sub 1-x} epitaxial films (0 {<=} x {<=} 1.35%) were investigated using photoreflectance and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The fundamental band-gap energy of the alloys was found to decrease at a rate of about 0.1 eV per atomic percent of oxygen. The pressure dependence of the band gap was also found to be strongly affected by O incorporation. Both the effects can be quantitatively explained by an anticrossing interaction between the extended states of the conduction band of ZnSe and the highly localized oxygen states located at approximately 0.22 eV above the conduction-band edge.

In this report, we present the use of temperature programmed reaction/decomposition (TPR) in the isoconversion mode to measure outgassing kinetics and to make kinetic prediction concerning hydrogen release from the polycrystalline LiH/LiOH system in the absence of any external H{sub 2}O source.

Variations in oxide species and consolidation method have been shown to have a significant effect on the mechanical properties of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) molybdenum material. The mechanical behavior of molybdenum - 2 Volume % La[sub]2O[sub]3 mill product forms, produced by a wet doping process, were characterized over the temperature range of -150 degrees C to 1800 degrees C. The various mill product forms evaluated ranged from thin sheet stock to bar stock. Tensile properties of the material in the various product forms were not significantly affected by the vast difference in total cold work. Creep properties, however, were sensitive to the total amount of cold work as well as the starting microstructure. Stress-relieved material had superior creep rupture properties to recrystallized material at 1200 degrees C, while at 1500 degrees C and above the opposite was observed. Thus it is necessary to match the appropriate thermo-mechanical processing and microstructure of molybdenum - 2 volume % LA[sub]2O[sub]3 to the demands of the application being considered.