Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Low-temperature ultrasonic study of trapped hydrogen in niobium

Journal Article · · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)

The elastic constants and attenuation of niobium containing low concentrations of oxygen and hydrogen (deuterium) have been measured between 0.5 and 15 K, as a function of temperature, frequency, polarization, and hydrogen isotope. Two relaxations were observed for the C' mode. No observable relaxations appeared in C/sub 44/ or the bulk modulus. At 10 MHz the relaxations occurred at 2.5 and 5.5 K for H, shifting to higher temperature for D. The relaxation strength of the low-temperature process is linear in H concentration, while the higher-temperature process is nonlinear. The low-temperature process exhibits an apparent activation energy of 1.8 meV, with a nonclassical temperature dependence of the relaxation strength. The constraints which these results place upon a delocalized-wave model are discussed.

Research Organization:
Department of Physics and Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76ER01198
OSTI ID:
5223694
Journal Information:
Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States) Vol. 29:2; ISSN PRBMD
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English