Rings and bars: unmasking secular evolution of galaxies

Secular evolution gradually shapes galaxies by internal processes, in contrast to early cosmological evolution which is more rapid. An important driver of secular evolution is the flow of gas from the disk into the central regions, often under the influence of a bar. In this paper, we review several new observational results on bars and nuclear rings in galaxies. They show that these components are intimately linked to each other, and to the properties of their host galaxy. We briefly discuss how upcoming observations, e.g., imaging from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G), will lead to significant further advances in this area of research.Comment: Invited review at "Galaxies and their Masks", celebrating Ken Freeman's 70-th birthday, Sossusvlei, Namibia, April 2010. To be published by Springer, New York, editors D.L. Block, K.C. Freeman, & I. Puerari; minor change

Monte Carlo Methods for Estimating Interfacial Free Energies and Line Tensions

Excess contributions to the free energy due to interfaces occur for many problems encountered in the statistical physics of condensed matter when coexistence between different phases is possible (e.g. wetting phenomena, nucleation, crystal growth, etc.). This article reviews two methods to estimate both interfacial free energies and line tensions by Monte Carlo simulations of simple models, (e.g. the Ising model, a symmetrical binary Lennard-Jones fluid exhibiting a miscibility gap, and a simple Lennard-Jones fluid). One method is based on thermodynamic integration. This method is useful to study flat and inclined interfaces for Ising lattices, allowing also the estimation of line tensions of three-phase contact lines, when the interfaces meet walls (where "surface fields" may act). A generalization to off-lattice systems is described as well. The second method is based on the sampling of the order parameter distribution of the system throughout the two-phase coexistence region of the model. Both the interface free energies of flat interfaces and of (spherical or cylindrical) droplets (or bubbles) can be estimated, including also systems with walls, where sphere-cap shaped wall-attached droplets occur. The curvature-dependence of the interfacial free energy is discussed, and estimates for the line tensions are compared to results from the thermodynamic integration method. Basic limitations of all these methods are critically discussed, and an outlook on other approaches is given

Strangeness nuclear physics: a critical review on selected topics

Selected topics in strangeness nuclear physics are critically reviewed. This includes production, structure and weak decay of $\Lambda$--Hypernuclei, the $\bar K$ nuclear interaction and the possible existence of $\bar K$ bound states in nuclei. Perspectives for future studies on these issues are also outlined.Comment: 63 pages, 51 figures, accepted for publication on European Physical Journal

Platform independent, efficient implementation of the Ising Model on parallel acceleration devices

In this paper we present a versatile and scalable simulation code for the two- and three dimensional Ising model which can be used across different parallel acceleration frameworks (CUDA, OpenCL, OpenMP, MPI)

Platform independent, efficient implementation of the Ising Model on parallel acceleration devices

In this paper we present a versatile and scalable simulation code for the two- and three dimensional Ising model which can be used across different parallel acceleration frameworks (CUDA, OpenCL, OpenMP, MPI)

Computer simulations of the Ising Model on Graphics Processing Units

The aim of this review article is to give an introduction to implementations of the Ising model accelerated by Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and to summarize different techniques that have been used and tested by different groups. Different parallelization schemes and algorithms are discussed and compared, technical details are pointed out and their performance potential is evaluated

Computer simulations of the Ising Model on Graphics Processing Units

The aim of this review article is to give an introduction to implementations of the Ising model accelerated by Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and to summarize different techniques that have been used and tested by different groups. Different parallelization schemes and algorithms are discussed and compared, technical details are pointed out and their performance potential is evaluated