[en] We have studied the effect of thermal treatment on the domain wall dynamics of FeSiB and FeCoMoB microwires. It was shown that annealing in transversal magnetic field increases the domain wall mobility as well as the domain wall velocity. Annealing under the tensile stress hinders the appearance of the monodomain structure but application of tensile stress leads to the magnetic bistability having the domain wall mobility twice higher that in as-cast state. Further increase of the tensile stress reduces the domain wall mobility but the domain wall velocity increases as a result of the decrease of critical propagation field. Annealing of the FeCoMoB microwire by Joule heating leads to introduction of the circular anisotropy that favors the vortex domain wall. Such treatment increases the domain wall mobility as well as the maximum domain wall velocity.

No abstract available

[en] Solar plants are increasingly used not only for hot tap water heating but also for the assistance of space heating. These plants produce much more energy in summer than needed, which often results in stagnation. Because of stagnation-temperatures of todays selective collectors up to 200 deg. C, the collector fluid evaporates. In several plants a high noise level and a vibration of the plant during this evaporation phase is reported. This is due to the occurrence of water hammers in the system, when liquid collector fluid passes areas where the fluid was already evaporated and superheated. The remaining vapor bubbles deflate rapidly and the liquid phases collide with high velocity, which results in a rapid pressure increase. This paper describes the theory of condensate-induced water hammers and conditions of solar plants, under which this can happen. A simulation model for the evaporation phase of the collector is presented to give a deeper understanding about the influences of solar radiation, the size of the tubing, and the size of the expansion device on the process of the evaporation. Three hydraulic layouts of the collector area are discussed for there possibilities producing water hammers. (au)

[en] Neoclassical tearing modes are found to limit the achievable beta in many high performance discharges in DIII-D. Electron cyclotron current drive within the magnetic islands formed as the tearing mode grows has been proposed as a means of stabilizing these modes or reducing their amplitude, thereby increasing the beta limit by a factor around 1.5. Some experimental success has been obtained previously on Asdex-U. Here we examine the parameter range in DIII-D in which this effect can best be studied. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics

[en] We present calculations of thermal evolution of hot Jupiters with various masses and effective temperatures under ohmic dissipation. The resulting evolutionary sequences show a clear tendency toward inflated radii for effective temperatures that give rise to significant ionization of alkali metals in the atmosphere, compatible with the trend of the data. The degree of inflation shows that ohmic dissipation along with the likely variability in heavy element content can account for all of the currently detected radius anomalies. Furthermore, we find that in the absence of a massive core, low-mass hot Jupiters can overflow their Roche lobes and evaporate on Gyr timescales, possibly leaving behind small rocky cores.

[en] This paper investigated the current sensitivity of a resonant sensor based on a magnetically actuated piezoresistive microcantilever in different resonant modes, which were the first flexural mode and the first and second torsional modes. The sensor was based on the idea of measuring the electrothermally induced resonance frequency shift as a result of the Joule heating dissipated when the DC current flowed through the Wheatstone bridge on the microcantilever. Two theoretical models between the microcantilever’s resonance frequency and the square of the applied DC current for the sensor operating under the flexural and torsional modes were established. From the experimental results, it can be seen that the current sensitivity of the first torsional mode is an order of magnitude greater than the first flexural mode, but less than that of the second torsional mode. In addition, the effect of the DC current’s direction on the measured results should be taken into account before detecting the DC current. (paper)

[en] This paper presents our work on design, modeling, and characterization of a novel shape memory alloy (SMA)-actuated torsion actuator for meso-scale robots. Development of a miniature torsion actuator is challenging, but it can enhance the agility and enlarge the workspace of meso-scale robots. This torsion actuator comprises a pair of antagonistic SMA torsion springs, which bi-directionally actuate the actuator by Joule heating and natural cooling. First, the mechanical design of the torsion actuator is presented, followed by the fabrication of SMA torsion springs. Then, we present the constitutive model of the SMA torsion spring with an analysis of its strain change, and derive a quasi-static model with the Coulomb friction torque for this torsion actuator. Finally, a series of characterization experiments are conducted on the SMA torsion spring and the torsion actuator prototype to determine the values of all model parameters. This work shows that the properties of the SMA-actuated torsion actuator can be appropriately characterized by experiments and the actuator is feasible for robotics applications. (paper)

[en] Recent low-temperature scanning-force-microscopy experiments on narrow Hall bars, under the conditions of the integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE) and its breakdown, have revealed an interesting position dependence of the Hall potential, which changes drastically with the applied magnetic field and the strength of the imposed current through the sample. The present paper shows, that inclusion of Joule heating into an existing self-consistent theory of screening and magneto-transport, which assumes translation invariant Hall bars with a homogeneous background charge due to doping, can explain the experimental results on the breakdown of the IQHE in the so called edge-dominated regime.

[en] Helical rf-fields with appropriate wave numbers can be used to exploit for heating purposes the existence within the plasma of the MHD-singular surfaces where the scalar product Kvector.B₀vector=0. In this way the TTMP heating rate can exceed the non-resonant value by a factor of order 1/β and the working frequency ω approximately equal to (the scalar product Kvector.B₀/B₀)Vsub(ti) can in principle be choosen arbitrarily low (but preferentially ω>=nu sub(coll)

[en] This thesis proposes many solar heating improvements in France, by a presentation of solar architecture realizations and the authors communications in meetings or conferences. (A.L.B.)