4,320 research outputs found
Beyond Poisson-Boltzmann: Numerical sampling of charge density fluctuations
We present a method aimed at sampling charge density fluctuations in Coulomb
systems. The derivation follows from a functional integral representation of
the partition function in terms of charge density fluctuations. Starting from
the mean-field solution given by the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, an original
approach is proposed to numerically sample fluctuations around it, through the
propagation of a Langevin like stochastic partial differential equation (SPDE).
The diffusion tensor of the SPDE can be chosen so as to avoid the numerical
complexity linked to long-range Coulomb interactions, effectively rendering the
theory completely local. A finite-volume implementation of the SPDE is
described, and the approach is illustrated with preliminary results on the
study of a system made of two like-charge ions immersed in a bath of
counter-ions
Simulating (electro)hydrodynamic effects in colloidal dispersions: smoothed profile method
Previously, we have proposed a direct simulation scheme for colloidal
dispersions in a Newtonian solvent [Phys.Rev.E 71,036707 (2005)]. An improved
formulation called the ``Smoothed Profile (SP) method'' is presented here in
which simultaneous time-marching is used for the host fluid and colloids. The
SP method is a direct numerical simulation of particulate flows and provides a
coupling scheme between the continuum fluid dynamics and rigid-body dynamics
through utilization of a smoothed profile for the colloidal particles.
Moreover, the improved formulation includes an extension to incorporate
multi-component fluids, allowing systems such as charged colloids in
electrolyte solutions to be studied. The dynamics of the colloidal dispersions
are solved with the same computational cost as required for solving
non-particulate flows. Numerical results which assess the hydrodynamic
interactions of colloidal dispersions are presented to validate the SP method.
The SP method is not restricted to particular constitutive models of the host
fluids and can hence be applied to colloidal dispersions in complex fluids
Beyond Poisson-Boltzmann: Fluctuations and Correlations
We formulate the non-linear field theory for a fluctuating counter-ion
distribution in the presence of a fixed, arbitrary charge distribution. The
Poisson-Boltzmann equation is obtained as the saddle-point, and the effects of
fluctuations and correlations are included by a loop-wise expansion around this
saddle point. We show that the Poisson equation is obeyed at each order in the
loop expansion and explicitly give the expansion of the Gibbs potential up to
two loops. We then apply our formalism to the case of an impenetrable, charged
wall, and obtain the fluctuation corrections to the electrostatic potential and
counter-ion density to one-loop order without further approximations. The
relative importance of fluctuation corrections is controlled by a single
parameter, which is proportional to the cube of the counter-ion valency and to
the surface charge density. We also calculate effective interactions between
charged particles, which reflect counter-ion correlation effects.Comment: 12 pages, 8 postscript figure
Suppression of non-Poissonian shot noise by Coulomb correlations in ballistic conductors
We investigate the current injection into a ballistic conductor under the
space-charge limited regime, when the distribution function of injected
carriers is an arbitrary function of energy F_c(epsilon). The analysis of the
coupled kinetic and Poisson equations shows that the injected current
fluctuations may be essentially suppressed by Coulomb correlations, and the
suppression level is determined by the shape of F_c(epsilon). This is in
contrast to the time-averaged quantities: the mean current and the spatial
profiles are shown to be insensitive to F_c(epsilon) in the leading-order terms
at high biases. The asymptotic high-bias behavior for the energy resolved
shot-noise suppression has been found for an arbitrary (non-Poissonian)
injection, which may suggest a new field of investigation on the optimization
of the injected energy profile to achieve the desired noise-suppression level.Comment: extended version 4 -> 8 pages, examples and figure adde
Suppression of non-Poissonian shot noise by Coulomb correlations in ballistic conductors
We investigate the current injection into a ballistic conductor under the
space-charge limited regime, when the distribution function of injected
carriers is an arbitrary function of energy F_c(epsilon). The analysis of the
coupled kinetic and Poisson equations shows that the injected current
fluctuations may be essentially suppressed by Coulomb correlations, and the
suppression level is determined by the shape of F_c(epsilon). This is in
contrast to the time-averaged quantities: the mean current and the spatial
profiles are shown to be insensitive to F_c(epsilon) in the leading-order terms
at high biases. The asymptotic high-bias behavior for the energy resolved
shot-noise suppression has been found for an arbitrary (non-Poissonian)
injection, which may suggest a new field of investigation on the optimization
of the injected energy profile to achieve the desired noise-suppression level.Comment: extended version 4 -> 8 pages, examples and figure adde
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Symmetry breaking and electrostatic attraction between two identical surfaces
This paper was presented at the 2nd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2009), which was held at Brunel University, West London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IPEM, the Italian Union of Thermofluid dynamics, the Process Intensification Network, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.By allowing the surface charge of one surface to affect the adsorption equilibrium of the other, we establish the existence of a long-range attractive interaction between two identical surfaces in an electrolyte containing polyvalent counter ions with a mean-field Poisson-Boltzmann approach. A Stern electrostatic condition from linearization of the mass-action adsorption isotherm is used to capture how polyvalent ion condensation affects and reverses the surface charge. We furthermore establish a direct mapping between this Stern layer conditions and previously derived modified Mean-field formulations associated with correlated fluctuations theory. For a sufficiently potential-sensitive isotherm, antisymmetric charge inversion can occur to produce an attractive force that increases with decreasing ionic strengths. Analyses of a mass-action isotherm produce force-separation relations, including an exponential far-field force decay distinct but consistent with previously proposed correlated fluctuation theories, and in quantitative agreement with experimental data
Increase in the random dopant induced threshold fluctuations and lowering in sub-100 nm MOSFETs due to quantum effects: a 3-D density-gradient simulation study
In this paper, we present a detailed simulation study of the influence of quantum mechanical effects in the inversion layer on random dopant induced threshold voltage fluctuations and lowering in sub-100 mn MOSFETs. The simulations have been performed using a three-dimensional (3-D) implementation of the density gradient (DG) formalism incorporated in our established 3-D atomistic simulation approach. This results in a self-consistent 3-D quantum mechanical picture, which implies not only the vertical inversion layer quantization but also the lateral confinement effects related to current filamentation in the “valleys” of the random potential fluctuations. We have shown that the net result of including quantum mechanical effects, while considering statistical dopant fluctuations, is an increase in both threshold voltage fluctuations and lowering. At the same time, the random dopant induced threshold voltage lowering partially compensates for the quantum mechanical threshold voltage shift in aggressively scaled MOSFETs with ultrathin gate oxides
Fluctuation-enhanced electric conductivity in electrolyte solutions
In this letter we analyze the effects of an externally applied electric field
on thermal fluctuations for a fluid containing charged species. We show in
particular that the fluctuating Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations for charged
multispecies diffusion coupled with the fluctuating fluid momentum equation,
result in enhanced charge transport. Although this transport is advective in
nature, it can macroscopically be represented as electrodiffusion with
renormalized electric conductivity. We calculate the renormalized electric
conductivity by deriving and integrating the structure factor coefficients of
the fluctuating quantities and show that the renormalized electric conductivity
and diffusion coefficients are consistent although they originate from
different noise terms. In addition, the fluctuating hydrodynamics approach
recovers the electrophoretic and relaxation corrections obtained by
Debye-Huckel-Onsager theory, and provides a quantitative theory that predicts a
non-zero cross-diffusion Maxwell-Stefan coefficient that agrees well with
experimental measurements. Finally, we show that strong applied electric fields
result in anisotropically enhanced velocity fluctuations and reduced
fluctuations of salt concentrations.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figur
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