(In)commensurability, scaling and multiplicity of friction in nanocrystals and application to gold nanocrystals on graphite

The scaling of friction with the contact size $A$ and (in)commensurabilty of nanoscopic and mesoscopic crystals on a regular substrate are investigated analytically for triangular nanocrystals on hexagonal substrates. The crystals are assumed to be stiff, but not completely rigid. Commensurate and incommensurate configurations are identified systematically. It is shown that three distinct friction branches coexist, an incommensurate one that does not scale with the contact size ($A^0$) and two commensurate ones which scale differently (with $A^{1/2}$ and $A$) and are associated with various combinations of commensurate and incommensurate lattice parameters and orientations. This coexistence is a direct consequence of the two-dimensional nature of the contact layer, and such multiplicity exists in all geometries consisting of regular lattices. To demonstrate this, the procedure is repeated for rectangular geometry. The scaling of irregularly shaped crystals is also considered, and again three branches are found ($A^{1/4}, A^{3/4}, A$). Based on the scaling properties, a quantity is defined which can be used to classify commensurability in infinite as well as finite contacts. Finally, the consequences for friction experiments on gold nanocrystals on graphite are discussed

The 3-graviton vertex function in thermal quantum gravity

The high temperature limit of the 3-graviton vertex function is studied in thermal quantum gravity, to one loop order. The leading ($T^4$) contributions arising from internal gravitons are calculated and shown to be twice the ones associated with internal scalar particles, in correspondence with the two helicity states of the graviton. The gauge invariance of this result follows in consequence of the Ward and Weyl identities obeyed by the thermal loops, which are verified explicitly.Comment: 19 pages, plain TeX, IFUSP/P-100

Predicting crystal structures: the Parrinello-Rahman method revisited

By suitably adapting a recent approach [A. Laio and M. Parrinello, PNAS, 99, 12562 (2002)] we develop a powerful molecular dynamics method for the study of pressure-induced structural transformations. We use the edges of the simulation cell as collective variables. In the space of these variables we define a metadynamics that drives the system away from the local minimum towards a new crystal structure. In contrast to the Parrinello-Rahman method our approach shows no hysteresis and crystal structure transformations can occur at the equilibrium pressure. We illustrate the power of the method by studying the pressure-induced diamond to simple hexagonal phase transition in a model of silicon.Comment: 5 pages, 2 Postscript figures, submitte

On the Infrared Behavior of the Pressure in Thermal Field Theories

We study non-perturbatively, via the Schwinger-Dyson equations, the leading infrared behavior of the pressure in the ladder approximation. This problem is discussed firstly in the context of a thermal scalar field theory, and the analysis is then extended to the Yang-Mills theory at high temperatures. Using the Feynman gauge, we find a system of two coupled integral equations for the gluon and ghost self-energies, which is solved analytically. The solutions of these equations show that the contributions to the pressure, when calculated in the ladder approximation, are finite in the infrared domain.Comment: 20 pages plus 4 figures available by request, IFUSP/P-100

The graviton self-energy in thermal quantum gravity

We show generally that in thermal gravity, the one-particle irreducible 2-point function depends on the choice of the basic graviton fields. We derive the relevant properties of a physical graviton self-energy, which is independent of the parametrization of the graviton field. An explicit expression for the graviton self-energy at high-temperature is given to one-loop order.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

Dynamical transitions in incommensurate systems

In the dynamics of the undamped Frenkel-Kontorova model with kinetic terms, we find a transition between two regimes, a floating incommensurate and a pinned incommensurate phase. This behavior is compared to the static version of the model. A remarkable difference is that, while in the static case the two regimes are separated by a single transition (the Aubry transition), in the dynamical case the transition is characterized by a critical region, in which different phenomena take place at different times. In this paper, the generalized angular momentum we have previously introduced, and the dynamical modulation function are used to begin a characterization of this critical region. We further elucidate the relation between these two quantities, and present preliminary results about the order of the dynamical transition.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, file 'epl.cls' necessary for compilation provided; subm. to Europhysics Letter

Energy flow of moving dissipative topological solitons

We study the energy flow due to the motion of topological solitons in nonlinear extended systems in the presence of damping and driving. The total field momentum contribution to the energy flux, which reduces the soliton motion to that of a point particle, is insufficient. We identify an additional exchange energy flux channel mediated by the spatial and temporal inhomogeneity of the system state. In the well-known case of a DC external force the corresponding exchange current is shown to be small but non-zero. For the case of AC driving forces, which lead to a soliton ratchet, the exchange energy flux mediates the complete energy flow of the system. We also consider the case of combination of AC and DC external forces, as well as spatial discretization effects.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Chao

Forward Flux Sampling-type schemes for simulating rare events: Efficiency analysis

We analyse the efficiency of several simulation methods which we have recently proposed for calculating rate constants for rare events in stochastic dynamical systems, in or out of equilibrium. We derive analytical expressions for the computational cost of using these methods, and for the statistical error in the final estimate of the rate constant, for a given computational cost. These expressions can be used to determine which method to use for a given problem, to optimize the choice of parameters, and to evaluate the significance of the results obtained. We apply the expressions to the two-dimensional non-equilibrium rare event problem proposed by Maier and Stein. For this problem, our analysis gives accurate quantitative predictions for the computational efficiency of the three methods.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figure

Faculty responses to business school branding: a discursive approach

It is increasingly recognized that the branding of universities presents a different set of challenges from corporate, for-profit sectors. However, much remains unknown about how faculty in particular interpret and make sense of branding in this complex environment. This paper investigates faculty responses to branding through a qualitative interview-based study of four business schools. Our discursive approach to understanding faculty responses highlights the fluid and reflexive nature of brand engagement, in which faculty adopt a number of stances towards their school’s branding efforts. In particular, the study identifies three main faculty responses to branding: endorsement, ambivalence and cynicism. The study highlights the ambiguities created from higher education brand management efforts, and the multiple ways that faculty exploit, frame and resist the branding of their business schools. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for branding in university contexts

Thermal matter and radiation in a gravitational field

We study the one-loop contributions of matter and radiation to the gravitational polarization tensor at finite temperatures. Using the analytically continued imaginary-time formalism, the contribution of matter is explicitly given to next-to-leading ($T^2$) order. We obtain an exact form for the contribution of radiation fields, expressed in terms of generalized Riemann zeta functions. A general expression is derived for the physical polarization tensor, which is independent of the parametrization of graviton fields. We investigate the effective thermal masses associated with the normal modes of the corresponding graviton self-energy.Comment: 32 pages, IFUSP/P-107