Logarithmic wave-mechanical effects in polycrystalline metals: Theory and experiment

Schrodinger-type wave equations with logarithmic nonlinearity occur in hydrodynamic models of Korteweg-type materials with capillarity and surface tension, which can undergo liquid-solid or liquid-gas phase transitions. One of the predictions of the theory is a periodic pattern of density inhomogeneities occurring in the form of either bubbles (topological phase), or cells (non-topological phase). Such inhomogeneities are described by solitonic solutions of a logarithmic wave equation, gaussons and kinks, in the vicinity of the liquid-solid phase transition. During the solidification process, these inhomogeneities become centers of nucleation, thus shaping the polycrystalline structure of the metal grains. The theory predicts a Gaussian profile of material density inside such a cell, which should manifest in a Gaussian-like profile of microhardness inside a grain. We report experimental evidence of large-scale periodicity in the structure of grains in the ferrite steel S235/A570, copper C-Cu/C14200, austenite in steel X10CrNiTi18-10/AISI 321, and aluminium-magnesium alloy 5083/5056; and also Gaussian-like profiles of microhardness inside an averaged grain in these materials.