237 research outputs found
Homochiral growth through enantiomeric cross-inhibition
The stability and conservation properties of a recently proposed
polymerization model are studied. The achiral (racemic) solution is linearly
unstable once the relevant control parameter (here the fidelity of the
catalyst) exceeds a critical value. The growth rate is calculated for different
fidelity parameters and cross-inhibition rates. A chirality parameter is
defined and shown to be conserved by the nonlinear terms of the model. Finally,
a truncated version of the model is used to derive a set of two ordinary
differential equations and it is argued that these equations are more realistic
than those used in earlier models of that form.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. (accepted
Reduction of spurious velocity in finite difference lattice Boltzmann models for liquid - vapor systems
The origin of the spurious interface velocity in finite difference lattice
Boltzmann models for liquid - vapor systems is related to the first order
upwind scheme used to compute the space derivatives in the evolution equations.
A correction force term is introduced to eliminate the spurious velocity. The
correction term helps to recover sharp interfaces and sets the phase diagram
close to the one derived using the Maxwell construction.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures (submitted to International Journal of Modern
Physics C- Physics and Computers
Total Chiral Symmetry Breaking during Crystallization: Who needs a "Mother Crystal"?
Processes that can produce states of broken chiral symmetry are of particular
interest to physics, chemistry and biology. Chiral symmetry breaking during
crystallization of sodium chlorate occurs via the production of secondary
crystals of the same handedness from a single "mother crystal" that seeds the
solution. Here we report that a large and "symmetric" population of D- and
L-crystals moves into complete chiral purity disappearing one of the
enantiomers. This result shows: (i) a new symmetry breaking process
incompatible with the hypothesis of a single "mother crystal"; (ii) that
complete symmetry breaking and chiral purity can be achieved from an initial
system with both enantiomers. These findings demand a new explanation to the
process of total symmetry breaking in crystallization without the intervention
of a "mother crystal" and open the debate on this fascinating phenomenon. We
present arguments to show that our experimental data can been explained with a
new model of "complete chiral purity induced by nonlinear autocatalysis and
recycling".Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Added reference
The dynamics of dissipative multi-fluid neutron star cores
We present a Newtonian multi-fluid formalism for superfluid neutron star
cores, focussing on the additional dissipative terms that arise when one takes
into account the individual dynamical degrees of freedom associated with the
coupled "fluids". The problem is of direct astrophysical interest as the nature
of the dissipative terms can have significant impact on the damping of the
various oscillation modes of the star and the associated gravitational-wave
signatures. A particularly interesting application concerns the
gravitational-wave driven instability of f- and r-modes. We apply the developed
formalism to two specific three-fluid systems: (i) a hyperon core in which both
Lambda and Sigma^- hyperons are present, and (ii) a core of deconfined quarks
in the colour-flavour-locked phase in which a population of neutral K^0 kaons
is present. The formalism is, however, general and can be applied to other
problems in neutron-star dynamics (such as the effect of thermal excitations
close to the superfluid transition temperature) as well as laboratory
multi-fluid systems.Comment: RevTex, no figure
Mirror symmetry breaking as a problem in dynamical critical phenomena
The critical properties of the Frank model of spontaneous chiral synthesis
are discussed by applying results from the field theoretic renormalization
group (RG). The long time and long wavelength features of this microscopic
reaction scheme belong to the same universality class as multi-colored directed
percolation processes. Thus, the following RG fixed points (FP) govern the
critical dynamics of the Frank model for d<4: one unstable FP that corresponds
to complete decoupling between the two enantiomers, a saddle-point that
corresponds to symmetric interspecies coupling, and two stable FPs that
individually correspond to unidirectional couplings between the two chiral
molecules. These latter two FPs are associated with the breakdown of mirror or
chiral symmetry. In this simplified model of molecular synthesis, homochirality
is a natural consequence of the intrinsic reaction noise in the critical
regime, which corresponds to extremely dilute chemical systems.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Complete homochirality induced by the nonlinear autocatalysis and recycling
A nonlinear autocatalysis of a chiral substance is shown to achieve
homochirality in a closed system, if the back-reaction is included. Asymmetry
in the concentration of two enantiomers or the enantiometric excess increases
due to the nonlinear autocatalysis. Furthermore, when the back-reaction is
taken into account, the reactant supplied by the decomposition of the
enantiomers is recycled to produce more and more the dominant one, and
eventually the homochirality is established.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Homochirality and the need of energy
The mechanisms for explaining how a stable asymmetric chemical system can be
formed from a symmetric chemical system, in the absence of any asymmetric
influence other than statistical fluctuations, have been developed during the
last decades, focusing on the non-linear kinetic aspects. Besides the absolute
necessity of self-amplification processes, the importance of energetic aspects
is often underestimated. Going down to the most fundamental aspects, the
distinction between a single object -- that can be intrinsically asymmetric --
and a collection of objects -- whose racemic state is the more stable one --
must be emphasized. A system of strongly interacting objects can be described
as one single object retaining its individuality and a single asymmetry; weakly
or non-interacting objects keep their own individuality, and are prone to
racemize towards the equilibrium state. In the presence of energy fluxes,
systems can be maintained in an asymmetric non-equilibrium steady-state. Such
dynamical systems can retain their asymmetry for times longer than their
racemization time.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Origins of Life and Evolution of
Biosphere
Information dynamics: Temporal behavior of uncertainty measures
We carry out a systematic study of uncertainty measures that are generic to
dynamical processes of varied origins, provided they induce suitable continuous
probability distributions. The major technical tool are the information theory
methods and inequalities satisfied by Fisher and Shannon information measures.
We focus on a compatibility of these inequalities with the prescribed
(deterministic, random or quantum) temporal behavior of pertinent probability
densities.Comment: Incorporates cond-mat/0604538, title, abstract changed, text
modified, to appear in Cent. Eur. J. Phy
Dissociation in a polymerization model of homochirality
A fully self-contained model of homochirality is presented that contains the
effects of both polymerization and dissociation. The dissociation fragments are
assumed to replenish the substrate from which new monomers can grow and undergo
new polymerization. The mean length of isotactic polymers is found to grow
slowly with the normalized total number of corresponding building blocks.
Alternatively, if one assumes that the dissociation fragments themselves can
polymerize further, then this corresponds to a strong source of short polymers,
and an unrealistically short average length of only 3. By contrast, without
dissociation, isotactic polymers becomes infinitely long.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Orig. Life Evol. Biosp
Chiral Crystal Growth under Grinding
To study the establishment of homochirality observed in the crystal growth
experiment of chiral molecules from a solution under grinding, we extend the
lattice gas model of crystal growth as follows. A lattice site can be occupied
by a chiral molecule in R or S form, or can be empty. Molecules form
homoclusters by nearest neighbor bonds. They change their chirality if they are
isolated monomers in the solution. Grinding is incorporated by cutting and
shafling the system randomly. It is shown that Ostwald ripening without
grinding is extremely slow to select chirality, if possible. Grinding alone
also cannot achieve chirality selection. For the accomplishment of
homochirality, we need an enhanced chirality change on crystalline surface.
With this "autocatalytic effect" and the recycling of monomers due to rinding,
an exponential increase of crystal enantiomeric excess to homochiral state is
realized.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
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