Atoms, Defects and Diffusion in Solids

Collins Research Group
Hyperfine Interactions Laboratory

Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-2814, USA
Welcome!  We study the local structure of ordered solids through measurements of nuclear hyperfine interactions.  Interactions between nuclear quadrupole moments and electric field gradients (EFG) "flag" local environments of radioactive probe atoms, including possible neighboring point defects.  Signal amplitudes give site fractions of probes on the various sites, with and without nearby defects, from which can be determined defect concentrations and thermodynamic properties such as formation and migration enthalpies of defects and interaction enthalpies with solute atoms.   Atomic motion at jump frequencies in the the MHz to GHz range gives rise to measurable nuclear relaxation.  We mostly study intermetallic compounds but the methods are applicable to all crystalline solids.   We especially apply the spectroscopy perturbed angular correlation of gamma rays (PAC), and are one of few PAC groups actively studying solids in North America.   Current interests:
Click below to learn more about us or PAC and to download papers.  Contact Collins for more information, to participate in our work, or to explore collaboration in a project.


What we do
Who we are
PAC spectroscopy
Other methods
Useful links
Research opportunities
Sources of support
 Papers 2006-2010
 Papers 2001-2005
Papers 1995-2000
Selected publications to 1995
Powerpoints and research nuggets
Meeting abstracts
Pics
PAC links worldwide
Seventh  International Conference on Diffusion in Materials, Lanzarote, Canary Islands,  2008


July 2008.  Send comments and suggestions to Professor Gary S. Collins at collins at wsu.edu.  There have been roughly 60000 visitors since 1998.  Material in this web site is based in part on work supported by the Metals Program of the National Science Foundation under Grant DMR 05-04843 and predecessor grants, for which we are most grateful.  Additional support comes from the Praveen Sinha Fund for Physics Research.  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these pages are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect views of the National Science Foundation or of the Praveen Sinha Fund.  Copyright© Gary S. Collins, 1995 and later years.  Disclaimer.
 
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