Universality classes in nonequilibrium lattice systems

This work is designed to overview our present knowledge about universality classes occurring in nonequilibrium systems defined on regular lattices. In the first section I summarize the most important critical exponents, relations and the field theoretical formalism used in the text. In the second section I briefly address the question of scaling behavior at first order phase transitions. In section three I review dynamical extensions of basic static classes, show the effect of mixing dynamics and the percolation behavior. The main body of this work is given in section four where genuine, dynamical universality classes specific to nonequilibrium systems are introduced. In section five I continue overviewing such nonequilibrium classes but in coupled, multi-component systems. Most of the known nonequilibrium transition classes are explored in low dimensions between active and absorbing states of reaction-diffusion type of systems. However by mapping they can be related to universal behavior of interface growth models, which I overview in section six. Finally in section seven I summarize families of absorbing state system classes, mean-field classes and give an outlook for further directions of research.Comment: Updated comprehensive review, 62 pages (two column), 29 figs included. Scheduled for publication in Reviews of Modern Physics in April 200

Universality classes in nonequilibrium lattice systems

This work is designed to overview our present knowledge about universality classes occurring in nonequilibrium systems defined on regular lattices. In the first section I summarize the most important critical exponents, relations and the field theoretical formalism used in the text. In the second section I briefly address the question of scaling behavior at first order phase transitions. In section three I review dynamical extensions of basic static classes, show the effect of mixing dynamics and the percolation behavior. The main body of this work is given in section four where genuine, dynamical universality classes specific to nonequilibrium systems are introduced. In section five I continue overviewing such nonequilibrium classes but in coupled, multi-component systems. Most of the known nonequilibrium transition classes are explored in low dimensions between active and absorbing states of reaction-diffusion type of systems. However by mapping they can be related to universal behavior of interface growth models, which I overview in section six. Finally in section seven I summarize families of absorbing state system classes, mean-field classes and give an outlook for further directions of research.Comment: Updated comprehensive review, 62 pages (two column), 29 figs included. Scheduled for publication in Reviews of Modern Physics in April 200

Finite-Size Scaling above the Upper Critical Dimension

Dans cette thèse on étudie les effets de taille finie au-dessus de la dimension critique supérieure d_c. Les effets de taille finie y ont longtemps été incomplètement compris, en particulier vis-à-vis de leur dépendance en fonction des conditions aux limites. La violation de la relation d’échelle dite d’hyperscaling a été l’un des aspects les plus évidents des difficultés rencontrées. Le désaccord avec le scaling usuel est dû au caractère de variable non pertinente dangereuse du terme de self-interaction dans la théorie en ϕ^4. Celle-ci était considérée comme dangereuse pour la densité d’énergie libre et les fonctions thermodynamiques associées, mais pas dans le secteur des corrélations. Récemment, un schéma nouveau de scaling a été proposé dans lequel la longueur de corrélation joue un rôle central et est également affectée par la variable non pertinente dangereuse. Ce nouveau schéma, appelé QFSS, est basé sur le fait que la longueur de corrélation exhibe au lieu du scaling usuel ξ~L un comportement en puissance de la taille finie ξ~L^ϙ. Ce pseudo-exposant critique ϙ est lié à la dimension critique supérieure et à la variable dangereuse. Au-dessous de d_c, cet exposant prend la valeur ϙ=1, mais au-dessus, il vaut ϙ=d/d_c. Le schéma QFSS est parvenu à réconcilier les exposants de champs moyen et le Finite-Size-Scaling tel que dérivé du Groupe de Renormalisation pour les modèles avec interactions à courte portée au-dessus de d_c en conditions aux limites périodiques. Si ϙ est un exposant universel, la validité de la théorie doit toutefois s’étendre également aux conditions de bords libres. Des tests initiaux dans de telles conditions ont mis en évidence de nouvelles difficultés: alors que le QFSS est valable au point pseudo-critique auquel les grandeurs thermodynamiques telles que la susceptibilité manifestent un pic à taille finie, au point critique on a pensé que c’était le FSS standard qui prévalait avec les exposants de champ moyen et ξ~L. On montre dans ce travail qu’il en va différemment de la situation au point critique et qu’à la place ce sont les exposants gaussiens qui s’appliquent en l’absence de variable non pertinente dangereuse. Pour mettre en évidence ce résultat, nous avons mené des simulations de modèles avec interactions à longue portée, qui peuvent être à volonté étudiés au-dessus de leur dimension critique supérieure. Nous avons aussi développé une étude des modes de Fourier qui permet de fournir des exemples de quantités non affectées par la présence de la variable non pertinente dangereuseIn this project finite-size size scaling above the upper critical dimension〖 d〗_c is investigated. Finite-size scaling there has long been poorly understood, especially its dependency on boundary conditions. The violation of the hyperscaling relation above d_c has also been one of the most visible issues. The breakdown in standard scaling is due to the dangerous irrelevant variables presented in the self-interacting term in the ϕ^4 theory, which were considered dangerous to the free energy density and associated thermodynamic functions, but not to the correlation sector. Recently, a modified finite-size scaling scheme has been proposed, which considers that the correlation length actually plays a pivotal role and is affected by dangerous variables too. This new scheme, named QFSS, considers that the correlation length, instead of having standard scaling behaviour ξ~L , scales as ξ~L^ϙ. This pseudocritical exponent is connected to the critical dimension and dangerous variables. Below d_c this exponent takes the value ϙ=1, but above the upper critical dimension it is ϙ=d/d_c. QFSS succeeded in reconciling the mean-field exponents and FSS derived from the renormalisation-group for the models with short-range interactions above d_c with periodic boundary conditions. If ϙ is an universal exponent, the validity of that theory should also hold for the free boundary conditions. Initial tests for such systems faced new problems. Whereas QFSS is valid at pseudocritical points where quantities such as the magnetic susceptibility experience a peak for finite systems, at critical points the standard FSS seemed to prevail, i.e., mean-field exponents with ξ~L. Here, we show that this last picture at critical point is not correct and instead the exponents that applied there actually arise from the Gaussian fixed-point FSS where the dangerous variables are suppressed. To achieve this aim, we study Ising models with long-range interaction, which can be tuned above〖 d〗_c, with periodic and free boundary conditions. We also include a study of the Fourier modes which can be used as an example of scaling quantities without dangerous variable

Computer modelling of complex systems with applications in physical and related areas

Computational modelling techniques have been applied in physics, biology and other fields for decades to investigate the scale-invariant properties in non-equilibrium complex (many-cell) systems. Specific examples have been considered to underpin the simulation of cellular systems, le sandpiles as simple models of transport phenomena, and soap froths as models of many-cell cellular networks. A number of characteristic properties have been investigated to explore common features of complex systems. Particularly interesting for the simple sandpile automaton is the achievement of the critical state through the phenomenon known as self-organised criticality (SOC). Various simulation algorithms eg cellular automata, direct simulation and Monte Carlo have been used to model the sandpile and froth systems respectively. The studies of a directed and dissipative CML sandpile model provide evidence for the occurrence of SOC, with the system characterised by simple power-law distributions. For the soap froth model, the effect on the evolution of the presence of defects is investigated, together with the impressions of varying the amount of disorder Scaling properties obtained, for various initial conditions, are given in detail. The improvements on methods of computational modelling, and the limitations of software and hardware implementation are also briefly discussed

Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems: A Primer

An thorough introduction is given at an introductory level to the field of quantitative complex system science, with special emphasis on emergence in dynamical systems based on network topologies. Subjects treated include graph theory and small-world networks, a generic introduction to the concepts of dynamical system theory, random Boolean networks, cellular automata and self-organized criticality, the statistical modeling of Darwinian evolution, synchronization phenomena and an introduction to the theory of cognitive systems. It inludes chapter on Graph Theory and Small-World Networks, Chaos, Bifurcations and Diffusion, Complexity and Information Theory, Random Boolean Networks, Cellular Automata and Self-Organized Criticality, Darwinian evolution, Hypercycles and Game Theory, Synchronization Phenomena and Elements of Cognitive System Theory.Comment: unformatted version of the textbook; published in Springer, Complexity Series (2008, second edition 2010

Cellular Automata

Modelling and simulation are disciplines of major importance for science and engineering. There is no science without models, and simulation has nowadays become a very useful tool, sometimes unavoidable, for development of both science and engineering. The main attractive feature of cellular automata is that, in spite of their conceptual simplicity which allows an easiness of implementation for computer simulation, as a detailed and complete mathematical analysis in principle, they are able to exhibit a wide variety of amazingly complex behaviour. This feature of cellular automata has attracted the researchers' attention from a wide variety of divergent fields of the exact disciplines of science and engineering, but also of the social sciences, and sometimes beyond. The collective complex behaviour of numerous systems, which emerge from the interaction of a multitude of simple individuals, is being conveniently modelled and simulated with cellular automata for very different purposes. In this book, a number of innovative applications of cellular automata models in the fields of Quantum Computing, Materials Science, Cryptography and Coding, and Robotics and Image Processing are presented

Shape Evolution of Nanostructures by Thermal and Ion Beam Processing: Modeling & Atomistic Simulations

Single-crystalline nanostructures often exhibit gradients of surface (and/or interface) curvature that emerge from fabrication and growth processes or from thermal fluctuations. Thus, the system-inherent capillary force can initiate morphological transformations during further processing steps or during operation at elevated temperature. Therefore and because of the ongoing miniaturization of functional structures which causes a general rise in surface-to-volume ratios, solid-state capillary phenomena will become increasingly important: On the one hand diffusion-mediated capillary processes can be of practical use in view of non-conventional nanostructure fabrication methods based on self-organization mechanisms, on the other hand they can destroy the integrity of nanostructures which can go along with the failure of functionality. Additionally, capillarity-induced shape transformations are effected and can thereby be controlled by applied fields and forces (guided or driven evolution). With these prospects and challenges at hand, formation and shape transformation of single-crystalline nanostructures due to the system-inherent capillary force in combination with external fields or forces are investigated in the frame of this dissertation by means of atomistic computer simulations. For the exploration (search, description, and prediction) of reaction pathways of nanostructure shape transformations, kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations are the method of choice. Since the employed KMC code is founded on a cellular automaton principle, the spatio-temporal development of lattice-based N-particle systems (N up to several million) can be followed for time spans of several orders of magnitude, while considering local phenomena due to atomic-scale effects like diffusion, nucleation, dissociation, or ballistic displacements. In this work, the main emphasis is put on nanostructures which have a cylindrical geometry, for example, nanowires (NWs), nanorods, nanotubes etc

Advances in Fundamental Physics

This Special Issue celebrates the opening of a new section of the journal Foundation: Physical Sciences. Theoretical and experimental studies related to various areas of fundamental physics are presented in this Special Issue. The published papers are related to the following topics: dark matter, electron impact excitation, second flavor of hydrogen atoms, quantum antenna, molecular hydrogen, molecular hydrogen ion, wave pulses, Brans-Dicke theory, hydrogen Rydberg atom, high-frequency laser field, relativistic mean field formalism, nonlocal continuum field theories, parallel universe, charge exchange, van der Waals broadening, greenhouse effect, strange and unipolar electromagnetic pulses, quasicrystals, Wilhelm-Weber’s electromagnetic force law, axions, photoluminescence, neutron stars, gravitational waves, diatomic molecular spectroscopy, information geometric measures of complexity. Among 21 papers published in this Special Issue, there are 5 reviews and 16 original research papers