63 research outputs found
Tight coupling in thermal Brownian motors
We study analytically a thermal Brownian motor model and calculate exactly
the Onsager coefficients. We show how the reciprocity relation holds and that
the determinant of the Onsager matrix vanishes. Such condition implies that the
device is built with tight coupling. This explains why Carnot's efficiency can
be achieved in the limit of infinitely slow velocities. We also prove that the
efficiency at maximum power has the maximum possible value, which corresponds
to the Curzon-Alhborn bound. Finally, we discuss the model acting as a Brownian
refrigerator
Networks of strong ties
Social networks transmitting covert or sensitive information cannot use all
ties for this purpose. Rather, they can only use a subset of ties that are
strong enough to be ``trusted''. In this paper we consider transitivity as
evidence of strong ties, requiring that each tie can only be used if the
individuals on either end also share at least one other contact in common. We
examine the effect of removing all non-transitive ties in two real social
network data sets. We observe that although some individuals become
disconnected, a giant connected component remains, with an average shortest
path only slightly longer than that of the original network. We also evaluate
the cost of forming transitive ties by deriving the conditions for the
emergence and the size of the giant component in a random graph composed
entirely of closed triads and the equivalent Erdos-Renyi random graph.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
Energetics of rocked inhomogeneous ratchets
We study the efficiency of frictional thermal ratchets driven by finite
frequency driving force and in contact with a heat bath. The efficiency
exhibits varied behavior with driving frequency. Both nonmonotonic and
monotonic behavior have been observed. In particular the magnitude of
efficiency in finite frequency regime may be more than the efficiency in the
adiabatic regime. This is our central result for rocked ratchets. We also show
that for the simple potential we have chosen, the presence of only spatial
asymmetry (homogeneous system) or only frictional ratchet (symmetric potential
profile), the adiabatic efficiency is always more than in the nonadiabatic
case.Comment: 5 figure
Spontaneous Oscillations of Collective Molecular Motors
We analyze a simple stochastic model to describe motor molecules which
cooperate in large groups and present a physical mechanism which can lead to
oscillatory motion if the motors are elastically coupled to their environment.
Beyond a critical fuel concentration, the non-moving state of the system
becomes unstable with respect to a mode with angular frequency omega. We
present a perturbative description of the system near the instability and
demonstrate that oscillation frequencies are determined by the typical
timescales of the motors.Comment: 11 pages, Revtex, 4 pages Figure
Scale-free energy dissipation and dynamic phase transition in stochastic sandpiles
We study numerically scaling properties of the distribution of cumulative
energy dissipated in an avalanche and the dynamic phase transition in a
stochastic directed cellular automaton [B. Tadi\'c and D. Dhar, Phys. Rev.
Lett. {\bf 79}, 1519 (1997)] in d=1+1 dimensions. In the critical steady state
occurring for the probability of toppling = 0.70548, the
dissipated energy distribution exhibits scaling behavior with new scaling
exponents and D_E for slope and cut-off energy, respectively,
indicating that the sandpile surface is a fractal. In contrast to avalanche
exponents, the energy exponents appear to be p- dependent in the region
, however the product remains universal. We
estimate the roughness exponent of the transverse section of the pile as . Critical exponents characterizing the dynamic phase transition
at are obtained by direct simulation and scaling analysis of the
survival probability distribution and the average outflow current. The
transition belongs to a new universality class with the critical exponents
, and , with apparent violation of hyperscaling. Generalized hyperscaling
relation leads to , where is the exponent governed by the ultimate survival
probability
Islands of conformational stability for Filopodia
Filopodia are long, thin protrusions formed when bundles of fibers grow outwardly from a cell surface while remaining closed in a membrane tube. We study the subtle issue of the mechanical stability of such filopodia and how this depends on the deformation of the membrane that arises when the fiber bundle adopts a helical configuration. We calculate the ground state conformation of such filopodia, taking into account the steric interaction between the membrane and the enclosed semiflexible fiber bundle. For typical filopodia we find that a minimum number of fibers is required for filopodium stability. Our calculation elucidates how experimentally observed filopodia can obviate the classical Euler buckling condition and remain stable up to several tens of . We briefly discuss how experimental observation of the results obtained in this work for the helical-like deformations of enclosing membrane tubes in filopodia could possibly be observed in the acrosomal reactions of the sea cucumber Thyone, and the horseshoe crab Limulus. Any realistic future theories for filopodium stability are likely to rely on an accurate treatment of such steric effects, as analysed in this work
Hopping motion of lattice gases through nonsymmetric potentials under strong bias conditions
The hopping motion of lattice gases through potentials without
mirror-reflection symmetry is investigated under various bias conditions. The
model of 2 particles on a ring with 4 sites is solved explicitly; the resulting
current in a sawtooth potential is discussed. The current of lattice gases in
extended systems consisting of periodic repetitions of segments with sawtooth
potentials is studied for different concentrations and values of the bias.
Rectification effects are observed, similar to the single-particle case. A
mean-field approximation for the current in the case of strong bias acting
against the highest barriers in the system is made and compared with numerical
simulations. The particle-vacancy symmetry of the model is discussed.Comment: 8 pages (incl. 6 eps figures); RevTeX 3.
Breaking of general rotational symmetries by multi-dimensional classical ratchets
We demonstrate that a particle driven by a set of spatially uncorrelated,
independent colored noise forces in a bounded, multidimensional potential
exhibits rotations that are independent of the initial conditions. We calculate
the particle currents in terms of the noise statistics and the potential
asymmetries by deriving an n-dimensional Fokker-Planck equation in the small
correlation time limit. We analyze a variety of flow patterns for various
potential structures, generating various combinations of laminar and rotational
flows.Comment: Accepted, Physical Review
Controlled transport of solitons and bubbles using external perturbations
We investigate generalized soliton-bearing systems in the presence of
external perturbations. We show the possibility of the transport of solitons
using external waves, provided the waveform and its velocity satisfy certain
conditions. We also investigate the stabilization and transport of bubbles
using external perturbations in 3D-systems. We also present the results of real
experiments with laser-induced vapor bubbles in liquids.Comment: 26 pages, 24 figure
Multiple current reversals in forced inhomogeneous ratchets
Transport properties of overdamped Brownian paricles in a rocked thermal
ratchet with space dependent friction coefficient is studied. By tuning the
parameters, the direction of current exhibit multiple reversals, both as a
function of the thermal noise strength as well as the amplitude of rocking
force. Current reversals also occur under deterministic conditions and exhibits
intriguing structure. All these features arise due to mutual interplay between
potential asymmetry,noise, driving frequency and inhomogeneous friction.Comment: 6 figure
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