Chemical short-range order in liquid Al-Ni alloys.

The chemical short-range structure was studied in liquid Al-Ni alloys by x-ray absorption spectroscopy as a function of temperature and composition. A containerless technique, combining aerodynamic levitation and inductive heating, was used to position and melt the samples. The fluorescence yield x-ray absorption at the Ni K edge was measured by a multichannel solid-state Ge detector. The number of heteroatomic pairs around the scatterer is higher than for a homogeneous alloy.

Surface tension measurements in microgravity and their relevance to Marangoni convection.

The physical properties of liquids, such as surface tension, Marangoni convection and surface segregation are important in many technical fields and are of fundamental interest. However, inaccuracy of experiments has prevented us from fully understanding these phenomena. Recent advances in experimental techniques, such as the containerless technique and the utilization of microgravity, are described.