2,178 research outputs found
Dual Fronts Propagating into an Unstable State
The interface between an unstable state and a stable state usually develops a
single confined front travelling with constant velocity into the unstable
state. Recently, the splitting of such an interface into {\em two} fronts
propagating with {\em different} velocities was observed numerically in a
magnetic system. The intermediate state is unstable and grows linearly in time.
We first establish rigorously the existence of this phenomenon, called ``dual
front,'' for a class of structurally unstable one-component models. Then we use
this insight to explain dual fronts for a generic two-component
reaction-diffusion system, and for the magnetic system.Comment: 19 pages, Postscript, A
Phase Slips and the Eckhaus Instability
We consider the Ginzburg-Landau equation, , with complex amplitude . We first analyze the phenomenon of
phase slips as a consequence of the {\it local} shape of . We next prove a
{\it global} theorem about evolution from an Eckhaus unstable state, all the
way to the limiting stable finite state, for periodic perturbations of Eckhaus
unstable periodic initial data. Equipped with these results, we proceed to
prove the corresponding phenomena for the fourth order Swift-Hohenberg
equation, of which the Ginzburg-Landau equation is the amplitude approximation.
This sheds light on how one should deal with local and global aspects of phase
slips for this and many other similar systems.Comment: 22 pages, Postscript, A
Large deviations of lattice Hamiltonian dynamics coupled to stochastic thermostats
We discuss the Donsker-Varadhan theory of large deviations in the framework
of Hamiltonian systems thermostated by a Gaussian stochastic coupling. We
derive a general formula for the Donsker-Varadhan large deviation functional
for dynamics which satisfy natural properties under time reversal. Next, we
discuss the characterization of the stationary state as the solution of a
variational principle and its relation to the minimum entropy production
principle. Finally, we compute the large deviation functional of the current in
the case of a harmonic chain thermostated by a Gaussian stochastic coupling.Comment: Revised version, published in Journal of Statistical Physic
Ergodicity and Slowing Down in Glass-Forming Systems with Soft Potentials: No Finite-Temperature Singularities
The aim of this paper is to discuss some basic notions regarding generic
glass forming systems composed of particles interacting via soft potentials.
Excluding explicitly hard-core interaction we discuss the so called `glass
transition' in which super-cooled amorphous state is formed, accompanied with a
spectacular slowing down of relaxation to equilibrium, when the temperature is
changed over a relatively small interval. Using the classical example of a
50-50 binary liquid of N particles with different interaction length-scales we
show that (i) the system remains ergodic at all temperatures. (ii) the number
of topologically distinct configurations can be computed, is temperature
independent, and is exponential in N. (iii) Any two configurations in phase
space can be connected using elementary moves whose number is polynomially
bounded in N, showing that the graph of configurations has the `small world'
property. (iv) The entropy of the system can be estimated at any temperature
(or energy), and there is no Kauzmann crisis at any positive temperature. (v)
The mechanism for the super-Arrhenius temperature dependence of the relaxation
time is explained, connecting it to an entropic squeeze at the glass
transition. (vi) There is no Vogel-Fulcher crisis at any finite temperature T>0Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to PR
Existence of the Bogoliubov S(g) operator for the quantum field theory
We prove the existence of the Bogoliubov S(g) operator for the
quantum field theory for coupling functions of compact support in space and
time. The construction is nonperturbative and relies on a theorem of
Kisy\'nski. It implies almost automatically the properties of unitarity and
causality for disjoint supports in the time variable.Comment: LaTeX, 24 pages, minor modifications, typos correcte
Modularity and Optimality in Social Choice
Marengo and the second author have developed in the last years a geometric
model of social choice when this takes place among bundles of interdependent
elements, showing that by bundling and unbundling the same set of constituent
elements an authority has the power of determining the social outcome. In this
paper we will tie the model above to tournament theory, solving some of the
mathematical problems arising in their work and opening new questions which are
interesting not only from a mathematical and a social choice point of view, but
also from an economic and a genetic one. In particular, we will introduce the
notion of u-local optima and we will study it from both a theoretical and a
numerical/probabilistic point of view; we will also describe an algorithm that
computes the universal basin of attraction of a social outcome in O(M^3 logM)
time (where M is the number of social outcomes).Comment: 42 pages, 4 figures, 8 tables, 1 algorithm
Boundary effects in the stepwise structure of the Lyapunov spectra for quasi-one-dimensional systems
Boundary effects in the stepwise structure of the Lyapunov spectra and the
corresponding wavelike structure of the Lyapunov vectors are discussed
numerically in quasi-one-dimensional systems consisting of many hard-disks.
Four kinds of boundary conditions constructed by combinations of periodic
boundary conditions and hard-wall boundary conditions are considered, and lead
to different stepwise structures of the Lyapunov spectra in each case. We show
that a spatial wavelike structure with a time-oscillation appears in the
spatial part of the Lyapunov vectors divided by momenta in some steps of the
Lyapunov spectra, while a rather stationary wavelike structure appears in the
purely spatial part of the Lyapunov vectors corresponding to the other steps.
Using these two kinds of wavelike structure we categorize the sequence and the
kinds of steps of the Lyapunov spectra in the four different boundary condition
cases.Comment: 33 pages, 25 figures including 10 color figures. Manuscript including
the figures of better quality is available from
http://newt.phys.unsw.edu.au/~gary/step.pd
Nonperiodic Oscillations of Pressure in a Spark Ignition Engine
We report our results on non-periodic experimental time series of pressure in
a spark ignition engine. The experiments were performed for a low rotational
velocity of a crankshaft and a relatively large spark advance angle. We show
that the combustion process has many chaotic features. Surprisingly, the
reconstructed attractor has a characteristic butterfly shape similar to a
chaotic attractor of Lorentz type. The suitable recurrence plot shows that the
dynamics of the combustion is a nonlinear multidimensional process mediated by
stochastic noise.Comment: Latex, 6 pages, 5 figure
Bursty egocentric network evolution in Skype
In this study we analyze the dynamics of the contact list evolution of
millions of users of the Skype communication network. We find that egocentric
networks evolve heterogeneously in time as events of edge additions and
deletions of individuals are grouped in long bursty clusters, which are
separated by long inactive periods. We classify users by their link creation
dynamics and show that bursty peaks of contact additions are likely to appear
shortly after user account creation. We also study possible relations between
bursty contact addition activity and other user-initiated actions like free and
paid service adoption events. We show that bursts of contact additions are
associated with increases in activity and adoption - an observation that can
inform the design of targeted marketing tactics.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Social Network Analysis and Mining (2013
On the Fluctuation Relation for Nose-Hoover Boundary Thermostated Systems
We discuss the transient and steady state fluctuation relation for a
mechanical system in contact with two deterministic thermostats at different
temperatures. The system is a modified Lorentz gas in which the fixed
scatterers exchange energy with the gas of particles, and the thermostats are
modelled by two Nos\'e-Hoover thermostats applied at the boundaries of the
system. The transient fluctuation relation, which holds only for a precise
choice of the initial ensemble, is verified at all times, as expected. Times
longer than the mesoscopic scale, needed for local equilibrium to be settled,
are required if a different initial ensemble is considered. This shows how the
transient fluctuation relation asymptotically leads to the steady state
relation when, as explicitly checked in our systems, the condition found in
[D.J. Searles, {\em et al.}, J. Stat. Phys. 128, 1337 (2007)], for the validity
of the steady state fluctuation relation, is verified. For the steady state
fluctuations of the phase space contraction rate \zL and of the dissipation
function \zW, a similar relaxation regime at shorter averaging times is
found. The quantity \zW satisfies with good accuracy the fluctuation relation
for times larger than the mesoscopic time scale; the quantity \zL appears to
begin a monotonic convergence after such times. This is consistent with the
fact that \zW and \zL differ by a total time derivative, and that the tails
of the probability distribution function of \zL are Gaussian.Comment: Major revision. Fig.10 was added. Version to appear in Journal of
Statistical Physic
- …