1,638 research outputs found
Phase transition in inelastic disks
This letter investigates the molecular dynamics of inelastic disks without
external forcing. By introducing a new observation frame with a rescaled time,
we observe the virtual steady states converted from asymptotic energy
dissipation processes. System behavior in the thermodynamic limit is carefully
investigated. It is found that a phase transition with symmetry breaking occurs
when the magnitude of dissipation is greater than a critical value.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Theory of Second and Higher Order Stochastic Processes
This paper presents a general approach to linear stochastic processes driven
by various random noises. Mathematically, such processes are described by
linear stochastic differential equations of arbitrary order (the simplest
non-trivial example is , where is not a Gaussian white
noise). The stochastic process is discretized into time-steps, all possible
realizations are summed up and the continuum limit is taken. This procedure
often yields closed form formulas for the joint probability distributions.
Completely worked out examples include all Gaussian random forces and a large
class of Markovian (non-Gaussian) forces. This approach is also useful for
deriving Fokker-Planck equations for the probability distribution functions.
This is worked out for Gaussian noises and for the Markovian dichotomous noise.Comment: 35 pages, PlainTex, accepted for publication in Phys Rev. E
Free energies of crystalline solids: a lattice-switch Monte Carlo method
We present a method for the direct evaluation of the difference between the
free energies of two crystalline structures, of different symmetry. The method
rests on a Monte Carlo procedure which allows one to sample along a path,
through atomic-displacement-space, leading from one structure to the other by
way of an intervening transformation that switches one set of lattice vectors
for another. The configurations of both structures can thus be sampled within a
single Monte Carlo process, and the difference between their free energies
evaluated directly from the ratio of the measured probabilities of each. The
method is used to determine the difference between the free energies of the fcc
and hcp crystalline phases of a system of hard spheres.Comment: 5 pages Revtex, 3 figure
On ‘Organized Crime’ in the illicit antiquities trade: moving beyond the definitional debate
The extent to which ‘organized crime’ is involved in illicit antiquities trafficking is unknown and frequently debated. This paper explores the significance and scale of the illicit antiquities trade as a unique transnational criminal phenomenon that is often said to be perpetrated by and exhibit traits of so-called ‘organized crime.’ The definitional debate behind the term ‘organized crime’ is considered as a potential problem impeding our understanding of its existence or extent in illicit antiquities trafficking, and a basic progression-based model is then suggested as a new tool to move beyond the definitional debate for future research that may help to elucidate the actors, processes and criminal dynamics taking place within the illicit antiquities trade from source to market. The paper concludes that researchers should focus not on the question of whether organized criminals- particularly in a traditionally conceived, mafia-type stereotypical sense- are involved in the illicit antiquities trade, but instead on the structure and progression of antiquities trafficking itself that embody both organized and criminal dynamics
Intermediate energy Coulomb excitation as a probe of nuclear structure at radioactive beam facilities
The effects of retardation in the Coulomb excitation of radioactive nuclei in
intermediate energy collisions (Elab ~100 MeV/nucleon) are investigated. We
show that the excitation cross sections of low-lying states in 11Be,
{38,40,42}S and {44,46}Ar projectiles incident on gold and lead targets are
modified by as much as 20% due to these effects. The angular distributions of
decaying gamma-rays are also appreciably modified.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, Phys. Rev. C, in pres
Markov chain analysis of random walks on disordered medium
We study the dynamical exponents and for a particle diffusing
in a disordered medium (modeled by a percolation cluster), from the regime of
extreme disorder (i.e., when the percolation cluster is a fractal at )
to the Lorentz gas regime when the cluster has weak disorder at and
the leading behavior is standard diffusion. A new technique of relating the
velocity autocorrelation function and the return to the starting point
probability to the asymptotic spectral properties of the hopping transition
probability matrix of the diffusing particle is used, and the latter is
numerically analyzed using the Arnoldi-Saad algorithm. We also present evidence
for a new scaling relation for the second largest eigenvalue in terms of the
size of the cluster, , which provides a
very efficient and accurate method of extracting the spectral dimension
where .Comment: 34 pages, REVTEX 3.
Frustrated spin model as a hard-sphere liquid
We show that one-dimensional topological objects (kinks) are natural degrees
of freedom for an antiferromagnetic Ising model on a triangular lattice. Its
ground states and the coexistence of spin ordering with an extensive
zero-temperature entropy can be easily understood in terms of kinks forming a
hard-sphere liquid. Using this picture we explain effects of quantum spin
dynamics on that frustrated model, which we also study numerically.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
The molecular mechanisms underlying BiP-mediated gating of the Sec61 translocon of the endoplasmic reticulum
The Sec61 translocon of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane forms an aqueous pore that is gated by the lumenal Hsp70 chaperone BiP. We have explored the molecular mechanisms governing BiP-mediated gating activity, including the coupling between gating and the BiP ATPase cycle, and the involvement of the substrate-binding and J domain–binding regions of BiP. Translocon gating was assayed by measuring the collisional quenching of fluorescent probes incorporated into nascent chains of translocation intermediates engaged with microsomes containing various BiP mutants and BiP substrate. Our results indicate that BiP must assume the ADP-bound conformation to seal the translocon, and that the reopening of the pore requires an ATP binding–induced conformational change. Further, pore closure requires functional interactions between both the substrate-binding region and the J domain–binding region of BiP and membrane proteins. The mechanism by which BiP mediates translocon pore closure and opening is therefore similar to that in which Hsp70 chaperones associate with and dissociate from substrates
Structure Effects on Coulomb Dissociation of B
Coulomb Dissociation provides an alternative method for determining the
radiative capture cross sections at astrophysically relevant low relative
energies. For the breakup of B on Ni, we calculate the total Coulomb
Dissociation cross section and the angular distribution for E1, E2 and M1. Our
calculations are performed first within the standard first order semiclassical
theory of Coulomb Excitation, including the correct three body kinematics, and
later including the projectile-target nuclear interactions.Comment: 6 pages, proceedings from International Workshop on RNB, Puri, India,
January 1998 - to be published in J. Phys.
- …