2,297 research outputs found
Explosive Ballooning Flux Tubes in Tokamaks
Tokamak stability to, potentially explosive, `ballooning' displacements of
elliptical magnetic flux tubes is examined in large aspect ratio equilibrium.
Above a critical pressure gradient the energy stored in the plasma may be
lowered by finite (but not infinitesimal) displacements of such tubes
(metastability). Above a higher pressure gradient, the linear stability
boundary, such tubes are linearly and nonlinearly unstable. The flux tube
displacement can be of the order of the pressure gradient scale length. Plasma
transport from displaced flux tubes may result in rapid loss of confinement.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Dynamical Model for Chemically Driven Running Droplets
We propose coupled evolution equations for the thickness of a liquid film and
the density of an adsorbate layer on a partially wetting solid substrate.
Therein, running droplets are studied assuming a chemical reaction underneath
the droplets that induces a wettability gradient on the substrate and provides
the driving force for droplet motion. Two different regimes for moving droplets
-- reaction-limited and saturated regime -- are described. They correspond to
increasing and decreasing velocities with increasing reaction rates and droplet
sizes, respectively. The existence of the two regimes offers a natural
explanation of prior experimental observations.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Straightening of Thermal Fluctuations in Semi-Flexible Polymers by Applied Tension
We investigate the propagation of a suddenly applied tension along a
thermally excited semi-flexible polymer using analytical approximations,
scaling arguments and numerical simulation. This problem is inherently
non-linear. We find sub-diffusive propagation with a dynamical exponent of 1/4.
By generalizing the internal elasticity, we show that tense strings exhibit
qualitatively different tension profiles and propagation with an exponent of
1/2.Comment: Latex file; with three postscript figures; .ps available at
http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/~nelson/pull.p
Dynamics of Strongly Deformed Polymers in Solution
Bead spring models for polymers in solution are nonlinear if either the
finite extensibility of the polymer, excluded volume effects or hydrodynamic
interactions between polymer segments are taken into account. For such models
we use a powerful method for the determination of the complete relaxation
spectrum of fluctuations at {\it steady state}. In general, the spectrum and
modes differ significantly from those of the linear Rouse model. For a tethered
polymer in uniform flow the differences are mainly caused by an inhomogeneous
distribution of tension along the chain and are most pronounced due to the
finite chain extensibility. Beyond the dynamics of steady state fluctuations we
also investigate the nonlinear response of the polymer to a {\em large sudden
change} in the flow. This response exhibits several distinct regimes with
characteristic decay laws and shows features which are beyond the scope of
single mode theories such as the dumbbell model.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Interfacial layering in a three-component polymer system
We study theoretically the temporal evolution and the spatial structure of
the interface between two polymer melts involving three different species (A,
A* and B). The first melt is composed of two different polymer species A and A*
which are fairly indifferent to one another (Flory parameter chi_AA* ~ 0). The
second melt is made of a pure polymer B which is strongly attracted to species
A (chi_AB 0). We then show
that, due to these contradictory tendencies, interesting properties arise
during the evolution of the interface after the melts are put into contact: as
diffusion proceeds, the interface structures into several adjacent
"compartments", or layers, of differing chemical compositions, and in addition,
the central mixing layer grows in a very asymmetric fashion. Such unusual
behaviour might lead to interesting mechanical properties, and demonstrates on
a specific case the potential richness of multi-component polymer interfaces
(as compared to conventional two-component interfaces) for various
applications.Comment: Revised version, to appear in Macromolecule
Generic morphologies of viscoelastic dewetting fronts
A simple model is put forward which accounts for the occurrence of certain
generic dewetting morphologies in thin liquid coatings. It demonstrates that by
taking into account the elastic properties of the coating, a morphological
phase diagram may be derived which describes the observed structures of
dewetting fronts. It is demonstrated that dewetting morphologies may also serve
to determine nanoscale rheological properties of liquids.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Viscoelastic Effect on Hydrodynamic Relaxation in Polymer Solutions
The viscoelastic effect on the hydrodynamic relaxation in semidilute polymer
solutions is investigated. From the linearized two-fluid model equations, we
predict that the dynamical asymmetry coupling between the velocity fluctuations
and the viscoelastic stress influences on the hydrodynamic relaxation process,
resulting in a wave-number-dependent shear viscosity.Comment: 7pages; To be published in Journal of the Physical Society of
Japan,Vol 72,No2,(2003
Monomer dynamics of a wormlike chain
We derive the stochastic equations of motion for a tracer that is tightly
attached to a semiflexible polymer and confined or agitated by an externally
controlled potential. The generalised Langevin equation, the power spectrum,
and the mean-square displacement for the tracer dynamics are explicitly
constructed from the microscopic equations of motion for a weakly bending
wormlike chain by a systematic coarse-graining procedure. Our accurate
analytical expressions should provide a convenient starting point for further
theoretical developments and for the analysis of various single-molecule
experiments and of protein shape fluctuations.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Liquid-liquid coexistence in the phase diagram of a fluid confined in fractal porous materials
Multicanonical ensemble sampling simulations have been performed to calculate
the phase diagram of a Lennard-Jones fluid embedded in a fractal random matrix
generated through diffusion limited cluster aggregation. The study of the
system at increasing size and constant porosity shows that the results are
independent from the matrix realization but not from the size effects. A
gas-liquid transition shifted with respect to bulk is found. On growing the
size of the system on the high density side of the gas-liquid coexistence curve
it appears a second coexistence region between two liquid phases. These two
phases are characterized by a different behaviour of the local density inside
the interconnected porous structure at the same temperature and chemical
potential.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Europhys. Letter
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