[en] A water quenching method is used to produce as-cast Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Al₈Ag₈ rods with diameters from 20 mm to 25 mm. The microstructures of the as-cast samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the crystallization behavior of the Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Al₈Ag₈ glassy alloy was examined by XRD and transmission electron microscopy. Based on the results obtained one can assume that the simultaneous precipitation of the Zr₂Cu+AlCu₂Zr eutectic phases is the possible reason for the high stabilization of the quaternary Zr₄₈Cu₃₆Al₈Ag₈ supercooled liquid.

[en] Highly ductile Zr₆₅Al_7.5Cu_27.5 bulk metallic glass (BMG) containing nanometer scaled fcc phase was obtained by copper mold casting. Room temperature compression tests revealed superior mechanical properties of the alloy: yielding stress of 1670 MPa, Young's modulus of 90 GPa, elastic strain of 2%, and especially a remarkable plasticity of over 50%. The marginal BMG is a useful model system to examine the nanocrystal coalescence model and the shear-transformation-zone model proposed for large scale plastic deformations of metallic glasses

[en] The authors report the observations of nanoscale wavy steps on fracture surface of a Pd-based bulk metallic glass. The wavy steps are generated by crack front waves. Besides this kind of steps, it is also found that there is a dispersive microscale wavy trace aligned along a backbone ''branch line,'' which is induced by dynamic instability of a rapidly propagating crack front. Such microbranching events are evidenced as dissipating energy accumulated at the crack front by creating the additional fracture surface area when the crack propagation exceeds a critical velocity

[en] There exist two distinctive types of soliton-shaping mechanisms in mode-locked fiber lasers: one is the balance between the fiber nonlinear Kerr effect and the linear cavity dispersion, and the other one is that caused by the laser gain saturation and dispersion. We show both numerically and experimentally that as the net cavity group velocity dispersion approaches zero, the two types of soliton-shaping mechanisms coexist in a laser. Depending on the laser operation, either of them could dominate the pulse shaping in a laser. And as a result of their competition, the stable soliton formed in the cavity dispersion regime could have different temporal and spectral profiles

[en] We report on the continuous wave (CW) and passive Q-switching performance of a high-power diode-pumped Nd:GGG laser. A CW output power of 7.20 W was obtained under an absorbed pump power of 14.97 W, which gives a slop efficiency of 52.7%. With a Cr⁴⁺ doped yttrium aluminum garnet crystal as the saturable absorber, the shortest passively Q-switched pulse width, largest pulse energy, and highest peak power achieved were 7.7 ns, 126.25 μJ, and 15.5 kW, respectively

[en] We have experimentally demonstrated a diode-pumped passively mode-locked Nd:CLNGG-CNGG hybrid laser for the first time. By employing Nd:CLNGG and Nd:CNGG disordered crystals together as laser gain media, the mode-locked laser could generate much shorter pulses. With a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) as a mode locker, the laser emitted stable mode-locked pulses with a pulse width of 534 fs, a repetition rate of 88 MHz, and an average output power of 60 mW. To our best knowledge, this is the shortest pulse generated from SESAM mode-locked Nd-doped crystal lasers

[en] A new class of materials: Au-based nanograined metallic glasses (NGMGs) were synthesized using magnetron sputtering with powder targets. A detailed study by x-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) documents the unique nanoscale granular structure of the Au-based NGMG. This material inherited the good mechanical properties of metallic glasses, showing a high hardness of ∼5.3 GPa and a low elastic modulus of ∼79 GPa. In addition, in contrast to most MGs the nanoglassy particles can deform along the loading direction, exhibiting unique tensile elongation up to 100%. During thermal crystallization of NGMG material, even smaller sized Au solid solution nanocrystals are formed within the glassy nanograins, offering a new way for production of the nanocomposites with tailored structural length scales. (paper)

[en] We report on a compact high-power passively mode-locked Nd:LuVO₄ laser by use of semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The laser generated clean CW mode-locked pulses with an average output power of 8.6 W, a repetition rate of 144 MHz, and a pulse duration of 13.2 ps. By employing a three-mirror cavity scheme, the laser setup has only a footprint size of 70×30 cm², which can be packaged to a portable laser system for convenient applications

[en] Passively cw mode-locked laser operation of Yb-doped NaY(WO₄)₂ (Yb:NaYW) crystal was demonstrated with an average power of 400 mW. This is the highest power achieved from the mode-locked Yb:NaYW laser to our knowledge. The laser was end-pumped by a high power fiber pigtailed laser diode bar and the mode-locking was enabled by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The laser pulse duration was 1.1 ps, centered at the wavelength of 1019.7 nm with a bandwidth of 1.6 nm, and nearly transform-limited

[en] Spectroscopic characteristics, efficient and broadly tunable continuous wave (CW) laser operation of a Tm:CLNGG disordered crystal have been investigated for the first time. The disordered crystal laser emits a maximum power of 1.17 W with a slope efficiency as high as 42%. Broadly tunable CW laser operation is achieved in the Tm:CLNGG laser by diode pumping. A wide tuning range from 1896 to 2069 nm has been obtained, suggesting the potential of the disordered crystal for femtosecond pulse generation by mode-locking. (letter)