Two-state shear diagrams for complex fluids in shear flow

The possible "phase diagrams'' for shear-induced phase transitions between two phases are collected. We consider shear-thickening and shear-thinning fluids, under conditions of both common strain rate and common stress in the two phases, and present the four fundamental shear stress vs. strain rate curves and discuss their concentration dependence. We outline how to construct more complicated phase diagrams, discuss in which class various experimental systems fall, and sketch how to reconstruct the phase diagrams from rheological measurements

Age-dependent transient shear banding in soft glasses

We study numerically the formation of long-lived transient shear bands during shear startup within two models of soft glasses (a simple fluidity model and an adapted `soft glassy rheology' model). The degree and duration of banding depends strongly on the applied shear rate, and on sample age before shearing. In both models the ultimate steady flow state is homogeneous at all shear rates, consistent with the underlying constitutive curve being monotonic. However, particularly in the SGR case, the transient bands can be extremely long lived. The banding instability is neither `purely viscous' nor `purely elastic' in origin, but is closely associated with stress overshoot in startup flow.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Diffusion and rheology in a model of glassy materials

We study self-diffusion within a simple hopping model for glassy materials. (The model is Bouchaud's model of glasses [J.-P. Bouchaud, J. Physique I 2, 1705 (1992)], as extended to describe rheological properties [P. Sollich, F. Lequeux, P. Hebraud and M.E. Cates, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 2020 (1997)].) We investigate the breakdown, near the glass transition, of the (generalized) Stokes-Einstein relation between self-diffusion of a tracer particle and the (frequency-dependent) viscosity of the system as a whole. This stems from the presence of a broad distribution of relaxation times of which different moments control diffusion and rheology. We also investigate the effect of flow (oscillatory shear) on self-diffusion and show that this causes a finite diffusivity in the temperature regime below the glass transition (where this was previously zero). At higher temperatures the diffusivity is enhanced by a power law frequency dependence that also characterises the rheological response. The relevance of these findings to soft glassy materials (foams, emulsions etc.) as well as to conventional glass-forming liquids is discussed.Comment: 39 page (double spaced), 2 figure

Role of Metastable States in Phase Ordering Dynamics

We show that the rate of separation of two phases of different densities (e.g. gas and solid) can be radically altered by the presence of a metastable intermediate phase (e.g. liquid). Within a Cahn-Hilliard theory we study the growth in one dimension of a solid droplet from a supersaturated gas. A moving interface between solid and gas phases (say) can, for sufficient (transient) supersaturation, unbind into two interfaces separated by a slab of metastable liquid phase. We investigate the criteria for unbinding, and show that it may strongly impede the growth of the solid phase.Comment: 4 pages, Latex, Revtex, epsf. Updated two reference

Tricritical behavior in dynamical phase transitions

We identify a new scenario for dynamical phase transitions associated with time-integrated observables occurring in diffusive systems described by the macroscopic fluctuation theory. It is characterized by the pairwise meeting of first- and second-order bias-induced phase transition curves at two tricritical points. We formulate a simple, general criterion for its appearance and derive an exact Landau theory for the tricritical behavior. The scenario is demonstrated in three examples: the simple symmetric exclusion process biased by an activity-related structural observable; the Katz-Lebowitz-Spohn lattice gas model biased by its current; and in an active lattice gas biased by its entropy production.Comment: 21 pages, authors' accepted versio

Large time dynamics and aging of a polymer chain in a random potential

We study the out-of-equilibrium large time dynamics of a gaussian polymer chain in a quenched random potential. The dynamics studied is a simple Langevin dynamics commonly referred to as the Rouse model. The equations for the two-time correlation and response function are derived within the gaussian variational approximation. In order to implement this approximation faithfully, we employ the supersymmetric representation of the Martin-Siggia-Rose dynamical action. For a short ranged correlated random potential the equations are solved analytically in the limit of large times using certain assumptions concerning the asymptotic behavior. Two possible dynamical behaviors are identified depending upon the time separation- a stationary regime and an aging regime. In the stationary regime time translation invariance holds and so is the fluctuation dissipation theorem. The aging regime which occurs for large time separations of the two-time correlation functions is characterized by history dependence and the breakdown of certain equilibrium relations. The large time limit of the equations yields equations among the order parameters that are similar to the equations obtained in the statics using replicas. In particular the aging solution corresponds to the broken replica solution. But there is a difference in one equation that leads to important consequences for the solution. The stationary regime corresponds to the motion of the polymer inside a local minimum of the random potential, whereas in the aging regime the polymer hops between different minima. As a byproduct we also solve exactly the dynamics of a chain in a random potential with quadratic correlations.Comment: 21 pages, RevTeX

Nonequilibrium dynamics of mixtures of active and passive colloidal particles

We develop a mesoscopic field theory for the collective nonequilibrium dynamics of multicomponent mixtures of interacting active (i.e., motile) and passive (i.e., nonmotile) colloidal particles with isometric shape in two spatial dimensions. By a stability analysis of the field theory, we obtain equations for the spinodal that describes the onset of a motility-induced instability leading to cluster formation in such mixtures. The prediction for the spinodal is found to be in good agreement with particle-resolved computer simulations. Furthermore, we show that in active-passive mixtures the spinodal instability can be of two different types. One type is associated with a stationary bifurcation and occurs also in one-component active systems, whereas the other type is associated with a Hopf bifurcation and can occur only in active-passive mixtures. Remarkably, the Hopf bifurcation leads to moving clusters. This explains recent results from simulations of active-passive particle mixtures, where moving clusters and interfaces that are not seen in the corresponding one-component systems have been observed.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure

Active-passive mixtures with bulk loading: a minimal active engine in one dimension

We study a one-dimensional mixture of active (run-and-tumble) particles and passive (Brownian) particles, with single-file constraint, in a sawtooth potential. The active particles experience a ratchet effect: this generates a current, which can push passive particles against an applied load. The resulting system operates as an active engine. Using numerical simulations, we analyse the efficiency of this engine, and we discuss how it can be optimised. Efficient operation occurs when the active particles self-organise into teams, which can push the passive ones against large loads by leveraging collective behaviour. We discuss how the particle arrangement, conserved under the single-file constraint, affects the engine efficiency. We also show that relaxing this constraint still allows the engine to operate effectively.Comment: 21 pages, 17 figure