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Laser powder bed fusion of a nanocrystalline Finemet Fe-based alloy for soft magnetic applications
Full text linkThe aim of this work is to explore the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processability window of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic Finemet alloy. With that purpose, several laser power and scan speed values and a meander scanning strategy were probed to process simple geometry specimens. Good dimensional accuracy was obtained within the entire processing window investigated. Relative densities as high as 89% were achieved for processing conditions including high laser power and low scan speeds. The fraction of amorphous phase, which peaked at 49%, was found to be mostly dependent on the scan speed and only slightly influenced by the laser power. The microstructure of
the crystalline domains is formed by ultrafine, equiaxed grains with random orientations. Irrespective of the processing conditions, the LPBF-processed samples exhibit a similar saturation magnetization, lower permeability, and higher coercivity than fully amorphous meltspun ribbons of the same composition. The coercive field of the additively
manufactured specimens is fairly independent of the relative density and exhibits a moderate inverse variation with the amorphous fraction. Consistent with earlier works, this study suggests that the average grain size is an important contributor to coercivity
Comb-locked deep-ultraviolet laser system for precision mercury spectroscopy
Full text linkDoppler-broadening gas thermometry is extended to the deep-ultraviolet domain using a comb-locked laser frequency chain, expressly developed for precision spectroscopy of mercury vapors at the wavelength of 253.7 nm, in coincidence with the (6s2)S01→(6s6p)P13 intercombination line. The system is based on a double-stage second-harmonic generation process of an external-cavity diode laser at 1014.8 nm, which is frequency locked to a self-referenced optical-frequency-comb synthesizer by means of an efficient nonlinear frequency-mixing scheme. An absolute frequency axis in the UV region is produced by scanning the comb repetition rate, with the entire frequency chain following the reference comb tooth. The complete characterization of the phase noise of the comb-locked near-infrared laser demonstrates line-emission narrowing down to the limit imposed by the coherence of the comb teeth. After a proper processing of the phase noise, the Gaussian and Lorentzian components of the width of the UV radiation are determined. This is useful to estimate the instrumental perturbation to the probed mercury line for the aims of thermodynamic temperature metrology. In this regard, the preliminary spectroscopic results are quite promising, despite the difficulties arising from the short wavelength of operation
Magnetic loss versus temperature and role of doping in Mn-Zn ferrites
Full text linkWe investigate the effect of different doping schemes on the broadband magnetic losses and their temperature dependence in Mn-Zn ferrites. CaO, Nb2O5, ZrO2, and SiO2 are added with increasing proportions to TiO2-doped prefired powders and, after sintering at either 1275 °C or 1300 °C, the obtained ring samples are tested versus frequency f (DC-1 GHz) and peak polarization Jp (2 mT – 200 mT) up to T = 160 °C. Appropriately enhanced impurity contents are shown to induce further decrease of the energy loss in materials already prepared for best performance at high temperatures (140 – 160 °C). This behavior can be hardly ascribed to the impurity-related increase of the electrical resistivity brough about by extra-doping, being it rather connected to a corresponding monotonical decrease of the effective magnetic anisotropy < Keff > with T. The decreasing anisotropy makes the balance between the contributions of domain wall (dw) displacements and reversible rotations to the magnetization process evolving in favor of the latter. The energy loss correspondingly develops with frequency and peak polarization in a complex fashion, according to the specific dissipative mechanisms sustained by the spins precessing either inside the moving walls or in the bulk. A dividing line in the (Jp − f) plane is identified, which separates dominant dw- and rotation-generated losses. It moves downward (i.e. lower f) with increasing temperature, the higher T the lower the frequency at which the rotations, theoretically assessed via the Landau-Lifshitz equation, supersede the domain wall contribution. Once accomplished, however, the transition to rotations can lead, according to the theoretical model, to higher losses when moving to higher temperatures. Following the experimental trend of the complex resistivity versus frequency at different T values, the calculations and the experiments show that eddy currents start to contribute to the energy loss, in the 5 mm thick ring samples, around a few MHz, accounting for about 50 % of measured loss beyond some 50 MHz. The chief dissipative process at applicative frequencies and induction values is therefore identified with spin damping, to which the generalized loss decomposition method can be applied
The first MR Electrical Properties Tomography (MR-EPT) reconstruction challenge: preliminary results of phase 1
No full textDemonstration of a Transportable Fabry–Pérot Refractometer by a Ring-Type Comparison of Dead-Weight Pressure Balances at Four European National Metrology Institutes
Full text linkFabry–Pérot-based refractometry has demonstrated the ability to assess gas pressure with high accuracy and has been prophesized to be able to realize the SI unit for pressure, the pascal, based on quantum calculations of the molar polarizabilities of gases. So far, the technology has mostly been limited to well-controlled laboratories. However, recently, an easy-to-use transportable refractometer has been constructed. Although its performance has previously been assessed under well-controlled laboratory conditions, to assess its ability to serve as an actually transportable system, a ring-type comparison addressing various well-characterized pressure balances in the 10–90 kPa range at several European national metrology institutes is presented in this work. It was found that the transportable refractometer is capable of being transported and swiftly set up to be operational with retained performance in a variety of environments. The system could also verify that the pressure balances used within the ring-type comparison agree with each other. These results constitute an important step toward broadening the application areas of FP-based refractometry technology and bringing it within reach of various types of stakeholders, not least within industry
Experimental Characterization of RF-SQUIDs Based Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifier Exploiting Resonant Phase Matching Scheme
Full text linkThis study presents recent advancements in Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifiers (JTWPAs) developed and tested at Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica within the Detector Array Readout with Traveling Wave AmplifieRS project framework. Combining Josephson junctions with superconducting coplanar waveguides, JTWPAs offer advanced capabilities for quantum-limited broadband microwave amplification and the emission of non-classical microwave radiation. The work delves into the architecture, optimization, and experimental characterization of a JTWPA with a Resonant Phase-Matching mechanism, highlighting signal gains and idler conversion factors in relation to pump power and signal frequency
Metrological Evaluation of the Building Influence on Air Temperature Measurements
Full text linkThis paper describes the metrological procedure carried out for the evaluation of the building influence on air temperature measurements. This evaluation aims to produce reliable conclusions, information, and data to contribute to the WMO siting classification schemes for air temperature measurements. For this purpose, a field experiment was designed, deployed, and carried out. As a result, one-year-lasting air temperature measurements were collected and analyzed. In this field experiment, a 200 m wide building is the unique artificial heat source and the unique object projecting shades over a flat surface (no discernible slope) in an open space bigger than 40,000 m2, covered with short grass. Eight calibrated thermometers, equipped with the same model of artificially ventilated radiation shields, were set up at a height of 1.5 m from the ground and at different distances from a 200 m wide building. This configuration provides the observation of the horizontal air temperature radially distributed from the building and, as a conclusion, it enables the quantification of the building influences on air temperature measurements at different distances from the building. This document describes the field experiment, the analysis procedure, the evolution of the building influence on air temperature measurements along the day, and the impact of other meteorological parameters on this building effect. Two different building effects are observed: the positive building effect, where the air temperature decreases with the distance to the building, and the negative building effect, where the air temperature increases with the distance to the building. It is also noticed that the building influence is higher on clear days and the daily maximum building influence values are directly linked with the corresponding maximum solar irradiance. The influence of wind on the building effect is also analyzed, reaching the conclusion that due to characteristic of local winds, in terms of low speed and direction, the wind impact could be considered as negligible. The maximum values of building influence on air temperature measurements, the associated uncertainty analysis, and the conclusions are presented in this paper. All these points have been addressed using metrological principles with the purpose of giving consistency and robustness to the evidence presented here
Quantum Conductance and Temperature Effects in Titanium Oxide-Based Memristive Devices
Full text linkA thorough investigation of quantum conductance properties and the effects of temperature on Cr/Au/TiO2/TiOx/Cr/Au memristive devices is presented. Besides fabrication and resistive switching characteristics, two different programming strategies have been explored to observe quantum conductance effects. The first strategy was based on device stimulation with slow current sweeps to observe quantum levels in the SET region, while the second aimed to achieve quantum steps during RESET using slow sweep stimulation. The effects of the two different programming strategies are compared. It is also shown that these devices can be programed to achieve stable quantum levels, as revealed by retention measurements performed after programming the device to 1 G(0). Furthermore, the temperature -dependent electronic conduction mechanism of the device after being programed to different internal resistance states has been analyzed, revealing a semiconductor behavior with an increase in resistance by lowering the temperature in either a pristine state, low -resistance state, or resistance states close to the quantum conduction regime
Realisation of primary mixtures of CO2 in air at known isotopic composition
Full text linkThe monitoring of the increasing levels of CO2 in atmosphere, together with the discrimination between the natural and anthropogenic sources of CO2, is of utmost importance to support climate change studies and the reduction of the CO2 emissions from human activities in the close future. The involvement of the metrological community is essential to achieve the comparability of results over space and time, to assure accuracy and metrological traceability, linking all the individual measurement results to common and stable reference standards.
The availability of sound and affordable reference materials for the measurement of the isotopic composition of CO2 at ambient amount fraction is foreseen to support the researchers operating in the isotope measurement field, by means of spectroscopic techniques, to assure the metrological traceability for the determination of the isotopic composition of CO2 in air. Reference gas mixtures at known isotopic composition produced by means of primary methods, such as gravimetry, represent a good opportunity for this purpose.
At INRiM, the Italian National Metrology Institute, the realization of gaseous reference materials of CO2 in air at known δ13C-CO2 started within the European Joint Research Project (JRP) 16ENV06 SIRS, and continued with the JRP 19ENV05 STELLAR.
The reference mixtures are realized by the gravimetric method, following the ISO standard 6142-1, in high-pressure cylinders of aluminum alloy, obtaining low preparation uncertainties of 0.33 % for the CO2 amount fraction at atmospheric level. These mixtures are prepared from parent mixtures at higher amount fraction, realized at INRiM from different pure CO2 sources.
Non Dispersive Infrared Spectroscopy (NDIR ABB URAS 14, Switzerland) is used to verify the mixtures for their amount fraction values while Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS50, USA) is used for the δ13C-CO2 value assignment. The δ13C-CO2 values of the gravimetric mixtures span in the range from +1.3 ‰ to -42 ‰.
Recently, a Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer (CRDS G2131i Picarro, USA) was acquired to double-check the isotopic composition of the prepared mixtures. Preliminary tests were carried out for the metrological characterization of the instrument, followed by the set-up of the analytical methodology for the confirmation of the isotopic composition of some mixtures prepared within the STELLAR project and sent to other project partners for analysis in the past two years. The results of the tests carried out are presented in this work, together with some future perspectives for the realization of primary reference mixtures of CO2 in air at know isotopic composition on a larger scale