Hardness is too complex to be described by first principles. Based on the dielectric chemical bond theory, a semiempirical approach for the evaluation of the hardness of ionic oxide crystals has been proposed. It was applied to predict the hardness of complex crystals such as the optical crystals yttrium aluminum garnet, the LaMgAl11O19 aluminates, and the high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O7. The ...

Rayleigh distillation models are developed to describe theoretical growth zoning of Lu, Hf, Rb, Sr, Sm, and Nd in typical garnet crystals from metapelites and metabasites. Effects of diffusion-limited transport within the matrix and intracrystalline diffusion are also considered qualitatively. Theoretical zoning profiles show strong depletions of Lu in garnet rims compared to cores, but virtual...

The influence of irradiation with white light on the permeability at 77 K is investigated on p-type yttrium iron garnet single crystals with Pb impurity. Theexistence of an irreversible photo-magnetic effect and photo-accelerated disaccommodation is demonstrated in p-type YIG. These effects are explained by a modified two center model in which Fe4+ plays an important role.

This dissertation addresses dimensionality-induced magneto-optic effects in liquid-phaseepitaxy magnetic garnet thin films. It is found that the Faraday rotation (FR) per unit length evinces a marked and steady enhancement as the film thickness is reduced below ~100 nm in Bi0.8Gd0.2Lu2Fe5O12, although it remains constant in the micronand most of the submicron-regime. The reported specific FR ch...

Magneto-optical imaging is widely used to observe the domain patterns in magnetic materials, visualize defects in ferromagnetic objects, and measure the spatial distribution of stray magnetic fields. Optimized 1D magneto-photonic crystals enable a significant increase in the sensitivity of magneto-optical sensors. The properties of such devices based on the optimized reflection (doubled Faraday...

A recent analogy between stripe domain structures of uniaxial magnetic garnet films and smectic liquid crystals is extended, using general energetic and symmetry considerations. The analogy is furthermore strengthened by remarking that the growth of magnetized stripes in a magnetic film is similar to the swelling of lyotropic smectic liquid crystals occurring under changes of water or oil conce...