This thesis focuses on the significance of distributive space for understanding capitalist forms of spatio-temporality. It argues that the distributive phase of commodity mobilities has remained a relatively under-represented aspect of social theory, especially in the context of cultural and social geography. The extant work that has focused on distribution tends to be confined to the areas of economic and transport geography. The thesis aims to address the importance of this space for understanding the formations of late capitalist modernity, particularly its role as a specific, but networked space between production and consumption. Significantly the work addresses the 'construction' of this space by focus sing on the substantive case study of containerisation. In doing so it engages with global commodity mobilities in the form of intermodal shipping containers, and their attendant logistical infrastructure. The research critically considers the spatial and temporal apparatuses that have been developed to organise and order the mobilities of the containers; including the design and development of the object itself, alongside a range of logistics and supply chain management strategies. In theoretical terms an important influence on the research has been Michel Serres' work on the interlacing of order and disorder. Given this, a simultaneous focus of the research deals with the immanent presence of disorder in these systemic environments; thus reflecting an intellectual engagement with theoretical work in the areas of turbulence, complexity theory, assemblage theory and Serres' work on the parasite. Substantively this aspect of the research has been determined by considering the place of the accident within networks and systems, alongside the 'tactical-logistics' of smuggling practices. 3

Many Co-based Heusler alloys with the stoichometric composition X2YZ are ideal candidates for the spintronics applications. So, they have been extensively studied theoretically and experimentally. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect heat treatment on phase stability and magnetic properties for quaternary Co2FeSi1-xGax Heusler alloys with varying Si concentration. The Co2FeSi1-xGax alloy samples were prepared by conventional arc melting technique. The structure of Co2FeSi1-xGax bulk alloys were examined by powder x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. It was confirmed that Co2FeSi1-xGax alloys display the L21 type structure for all x compositions based on the annealing temperature. The magnetic ordering transition temperature, Tc, was measured by differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that the order-disorder phase transition temperature from the L21 to the B2 structure, T , decreases while the Curie temperature, Tc, increases with increasing x / however, the value of these temperatures were not influenced by changing heat treatment process. The magnetic properties of Co2FeSi1-xGax alloy were investigated by using vibrating sample magnetometer. Higher saturation value was obtained at the L21 phase than the value obtained at the B2 phase. It was concluded that the Co2FeSi0.2Ga0.8 alloy was chosen optimum composition for spintronics applications because of its highest Curie temperature and phase stability of L21.

Kyoto University (京都大学) / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18983号 / 工博第4025号 / 新制||工||1620 / 31934 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科材料工学専攻 / (主査)教授 田中 功, 教授 宇田 哲也, 教授 白井 泰治 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当

No description available.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第23901号 / 工博第4988号 / 新制||工||1779(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科材料工学専攻 / (主査)教授 田中 功, 教授 杉村 博之, 准教授 野瀬 嘉太郎 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Additional advisors: Richard Brown, Ioulia Karpechina, Ryoichi Kawai, Boris Kunin. Description based on contents viewed Feb. 5, 2008; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-75).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2006. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-128). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

L’étude des matériaux multiferroiques est sans doute un des domaines de recherche actuelle les plus actifs et prolifiques de la matière condensée. Dans ces matériaux, coexistent polarisation, aimantation et élasticité. On comprend bien que cette coexistence permet une multifonctionnalité très attrayante pour un grand nombre d’applications mais aussi fournit un vivier extraordinaire pour étudier les interactions entre ces grandeurs ainsi que les mécanismes microscopiques sous-jacents. Cet attrait s’en trouve d’autant plus renforcé du fait des phénomènes de couplage entre ces grandeurs physiques autorisant des fonctionnalités nouvelles comme par exemple le renversement d’une aimantation avec un champ électrique au lieu d’un champ magnétique classiquement. Cependant, ces matériaux multiferroiques sont d’une part en petit nombre et d’autre part, exploitent pour beaucoup d’entre eux, la polarisation d’un ferroélectrique et l’aimantation d’un antiferromagnétique. Ceci étant, il existe d’autres types d’arrangements polaires et magnétiques encore non-exploités, c’est dans ce cadre que s’inscrit ce travail de thèse. L’objectif de la thèse était de synthétiser de nouveaux multiferroiques présentant des arrangements polaires et magnétiques originaux et d’en caractériser les propriétés. Nous nous sommes tout particulièrement intéressés aux oxydes PbFe2/3W1/3O3 (PFW) et PbZrO3 (PZO). PFW présente des ordres polaires et magnétiques à longue et à courte portée : ferroélectrique-relaxeur et antiferromagnétique-verre de spin (ou ferromagnétisme faible). PZO est quant à lui antiferroélectrique avec antiferrodistorsivité (rotation des octaèdres d’oxygène) et présence d’instabilité ferroélectrique. Nous avons d’une part combiné ces deux matériaux pour former une solution solide et d’autre part réalisé un dopage de PZO avec des ions magnétiques. Après avoir synthétisé ces matériaux, nous les avons caractérisés électriquement (constante diélectrique, phénomène de relaxation, polarisation, température de Curie), magnétiquement (susceptibilité magnétique, aimantation) et structuralement (transition de phase). Ainsi, nous avons montré qu’il était possible d’obtenir un matériau multiferroique (50%PFW-50%PZO) présentant l’ensemble des instabilités ferroiques et structurales. Ces nouveaux matériaux ouvrent ainsi de nouvelles perspectives d’étude dans ce riche domaine en particulier en utilisant des antiferroélectriques. / Multiferroics are currently intensely investigated because the coexistence and coupling of ferroic arrangements brings about new physical effects and, for the few room-temperature examples, interesting prospects for applications in various fields. This interest is illustrated by the recent publication of several articles on multiferroics in high impact reviews over the last five years. The main goal of the thesis was to look for new multiferroics by exploiting overlooked and original polar and magnetic arrangements. We more precisely investigated compounds based on lead iron tungsten PbFe2/3W1/3O3 (PFW) and lead zirconate PbZrO3 (PZO) oxides. PFW displays long- and short-range both polar and magnetic orders (ferroelectric-relaxor and antiferromagnetic-spin-glass) while PZO is antiferroelectric with antiferrodistorsivity (oxygen tilts) and existence of ferroelectric instabilities. Combining various techniques from synthesis to electric, magnetic and structural characterizations, we demonstrated that it is possible to get a multiferroic compound (50%PFW-50%PZO) with coexistence of multiple ferroic and structural arrangements with room temperature properties of practical interest. This work opens new prospects in this rich field of multiferroics in peculiar by using antiferroelectrics.

I study dusty plasma produced by electrostatically confining melamine formaldehyde microparticles in a radio-frequency glow discharge plasma. Dusty plasma is a mixture of particles of solid matter (dust), electrons, ions, and neutral gas atoms. The dust particles have a very high charge and a mass compared to the electrons and ions in the ambient plasma. As a consequence, a dusty plasma exhibits collective phenomena such as dust acoustic waves, crystallization, and melting. The discrete nature of dust particles gives rise to compressibility. In this thesis I report findings of four tasks that were performed to investigate dust acoustic waves, compressibility, and melting. First, the nonlinear phenomenon of synchronization was characterized experimentally for the dust acoustic wave propagating in a dust cloud with many layers. I find four synchronized states, with frequencies that are multiples of 1, 2, 3, and 1/2 of the driving frequency. Comparing to phenomena that are typical of the van der Pol paradigm, I find that synchronization of the dust acoustic wave exhibits the signature of the suppression mechanism but not that of the phaselocking mechanism. Additionally, I find that the synchronization of the dust acoustic wave exhibits three characteristics that differ from the van der Pol paradigm: a threshold amplitude that can be seen in the Arnold tongue diagram, a branching of the 1:1 harmonic tongue at its lower extremity, and a nonharmonic state. Second, to assess which physical processes are important for a dust acoustic instability, I derived dispersion relations that encompass more physical processes than commonly done. I investigated how various physical processes affect a dust acoustic wave by solving these dispersion relations using parameters from a typical dust acoustic wave experiment. I find that the growth rate diminishes for large ion currents. I also find that the compressibility, a measure of the coupling between the dust particles, have a strong effect on the wave propagation. Comparing the kinetic vs. hydrodynamic descriptions for ions, I find that under typical laboratory conditions the inverse Landau damping and the ion-neutral collisions contribute about equally to the dust acoustic instability. Third, I performed dust acoustic wave experiments to resolve a previously unremarked discrepancy in the literature regarding the sign of the compressibility of a strongly-coupled dust component in a dusty plasma. According to theories compressibility is negative, whereas experiments suggest that it is positive. I find that the compressibility is positive. This conclusion was reached after allowing for a wide range of experimental uncertainties and model dependent systematic errors. Finally, the polygon construction method of Glaser and Clark was used to characterize crystallization and melting in a single-layer dusty plasma. Using particle positions measured in a previous dusty plasma experiment, I identified geometrical defects, which are polygons with four or more sides. These geometrical defects are found to proliferate during melting. I also identify a possibility of latent heat involvement in melting and crystallization processes of a dusty plasma.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18983号 / 工博第4025号 / 新制||工||1620(附属図書館) / 31934 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科材料工学専攻 / (主査)教授 田中 功, 教授 宇田 哲也, 教授 白井 泰治 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM