The KrF laser ablation of Y-Ba-Cu-O bulk samples has been studied using visible UV spectroscopy and ion probes. Principal luminescent species, expansion velocities, and the extent of ionization in the ablation plume have been determined in this way, providing information on the interaction of relevance to ablation as a film deposition source.

Single-shot removal of thin metal films on various substrates has been studied using a XeCl laser and thresholds compared with theoretical modeling of the interaction. Low thresholds and potential for micron resolution with large area projection patterning techniques are demonstrated.

The elastic constants and thermal expansion of single-crystal CdTe have been measured in the temperature range 4·2-300 K. The values of elastic constants obtained at 298 K were C11=5·38×1010 N m−2, C12=3·74×1010 N m−2 and C44=2·018×1010 N m−2. Their temperature variation is in good agreement with Vekilov and Rusakov's (1971) values and the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion is similar to the other measurements in the literature. An anomaly in both parameters is observed, which has hitherto not been reported, and is tentatively attributed to a change in ionicity. The Debye temperature at 0 K is calculated from the elastic constants and a value of 162·7 K obtained.

Measurements of the magnetostriction constants h1 and h2 are presented for CoxMn1-xFe2O4 in the range 2 K less-than-or-eq, slant T less-than-or-eq, slant 400 K for 0·005 less-than-or-eq, slant x less-than-or-eq, slant 1·12. The contribution of Co2+ ions to the magnetostriction constants Δh1 and Δh2 have been extracted and compared with the theoretical predictions of the single-ion model. It is found that the magnetostriction varies linearly with cobalt concentration only for x<0·20. Close agreement between the theoretical and experimental temperature dependence of Δh1 and Δh2 over the whole temperature range implies a much larger spin-orbit coupling constant (αλ similar 270 cm−1) than has hitherto been thought appropriate to this system, together with a relatively small exchange interaction (βH similar 125 cm−1).