1,967,312 research outputs found
Colloidal Gels: Equilibrium and Non-Equilibrium Routes
We attempt a classification of different colloidal gels based on
colloid-colloid interactions. We discriminate primarily between non-equilibrium
and equilibrium routes to gelation, the former case being slaved to
thermodynamic phase separation while the latter is individuated in the
framework of competing interactions and of patchy colloids. Emphasis is put on
recent numerical simulations of colloidal gelation and their connection to
experiments. Finally we underline typical signatures of different gel types, to
be looked in more details in experiments.Comment: topical review, accepted in J. Phys. Condens. Matte
Equilibrium relationships for non-equilibrium chemical dependencies
In contrast to common opinion, it is shown that equilibrium constants
determine the time-dependent behavior of particular ratios of concentrations
for any system of reversible first-order reactions. Indeed, some special ratios
actually coincide with the equilibrium constant at any moment in time. This is
established for batch reactors, and similar relations hold for steady-state
plug-flow reactors, replacing astronomic time by residence time. Such
relationships can be termed time invariants of chemical kinetics
Valuation equilibrium
We introduce a new solution concept for games in extensive form with perfect information, valuation equilibrium, which is based on a partition of each player's moves into similarity classes. A valuation of a player'is a real-valued function on the set of her similarity classes. In this equilibrium each player's strategy is optimal in the sense that at each of her nodes, a player chooses a move that belongs to a class with maximum valuation. The valuation of each player is consistent with the strategy profile in the sense that the valuation of a similarity class is the player's expected payoff, given that the path (induced by the strategy profile) intersects the similarity class. The solution concept is applied to decision problems and multi-player extensive form games. It is contrasted with existing solution concepts. The valuation approach is next applied to stopping games, in which non-terminal moves form a single similarity class, and we note that the behaviors obtained echo some biases observed experimentally. Finally, we tentatively suggest a way of endogenizing the similarity partitions in which moves are categorized according to how well they perform relative to the expected equilibrium value, interpreted as the aspiration level
Reflective Equilibrium
This article examines the method of reflective equilibrium (RE) and its role in philosophical inquiry. It begins with an overview of RE before discussing some of the subtleties involved in its interpretation, including challenges to the standard assumption that RE is a form of coherentism. It then evaluates some of the main objections to RE, in particular, the criticism that this method generates unreasonable beliefs. It concludes by considering how RE relates to recent debates about the role of intuitions in philosophy
Equilibrium onions?
We demonstrate the possibility of a stable equilibrium multi-lamellar ("onion") phase in pure lamellar systems (no excess solvent) due to a sufficiently negative Gaussian curvature modulus. The onion phase is stabilized by non-linear elastic moduli coupled to a polydisperse size distribution (Apollonian packing) to allow space-filling without appreciable elastic distortion. This model is compared to experiments on copolymer-decorated lamellar surfactant systems, with reasonable qualitative agreement
Non-equilibrium transport response from equilibrium transport theory
We propose a simple scheme that describes accurately essential
non-equilibrium effects in nanoscale electronics devices using equilibrium
transport theory. The scheme, which is based on the alignment and dealignment
of the junction molecular orbitals with the shifted Fermi levels of the
electrodes, simplifies drastically the calculation of current-voltage
characteristics compared to typical non-equilibrium algorithms. We probe that
the scheme captures a number of non-trivial transport phenomena such as the
negative differential resistance and rectification effects. It applies to those
atomic-scale junctions whose relevant states for transport are spatially placed
on the contact atoms or near the electrodes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted in Physical Review
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