Metastable Frenkel pair defect in graphite: source of Wigner energy?

The atomic processes associated with energy storage and release in irradiated graphite have long been subject to untested speculation. We examine structures and recombination routes for interstitial-vacancy (I-V) pairs in graphite. Interaction results in the formation of a new metastable defect (an intimate I-V pair) or a Stone-Wales defect. The intimate I-V pair, although 2.9 eV more stable than its isolated constituents, still has a formation energy of 10.8 eV. The barrier to recombination to perfect graphite is calculated to be 1.3 eV, consistent with the experimental first Wigner energy release peak at 1.38 eV. We expect similar defects to form in carbon nanostructures such as nanotubes, nested fullerenes, and onions under irradiation.

Bernoulli excitation and detection of gas bubbles.

A simple method is proposed for detecting and sizing bubbles in pipeline fluid flow. This is based on changing the pressure of the fluid, which in turn excites volume oscillations in the bubble. If the change in pressure is of sufficient brevity and magnitude, the transient distortion results in excitation of the bubble into radiative oscillation at its natural frequency. In a moving fluid, the Bernoulli equation predicts that such a pressure change can be achieved through a suitable gradient in the flow velocity. In the experiments described here, this is achieved by altering the cross-sectional area of the pipe in which the fluid is flowing. We demonstrate the efficacy of this excitation method and, by detecting the radiated sound using a nearby hydrophone, determine the size of individual bubbles from their characteristic oscillation frequency.