2,804 research outputs found
Bubble kinematics in a sheared foam
We characterize the kinematics of bubbles in a sheared two-dimensional foam
using statistical measures. We consider the distributions of both bubble
velocities and displacements. The results are discussed in the context of the
expected behavior for a thermal system and simulations of the bubble model.
There is general agreement between the experiments and the simulation, but
notable differences in the velocity distributions point to interesting elements
of the sheared foam not captured by prevalent models
Breakdown of Hydrodynamic Transport Theory in the Ordered Phase of Helimagnets
It is shown that strong fluctuations preclude a hydrodynamic description of
transport phenomena in helimagnets, such as MnSi, at T>0. This breakdown of
hydrodynamics is analogous to the one in chiral liquid crystals. Mode-mode
coupling effects lead to infinite renormalizations of various transport
coefficients, and the actual macroscopic description is nonlocal. At T=0 these
effects are weakened due to the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, and the
renormalizations remain finite. Observable consequences of these results, as
manifested in the neutron scattering cross-section, are discussedComment: 4pp., 1 eps figur
Realistic interpretation of a superposition state does not imply a mixture
Contrary to previous claims, it is shown that, for an ensemble of either
single-particle systems or multi-particle systems, the realistic interpretation
of a superposition state that mathematically describes the ensemble does not
imply that the ensemble is a mixture. Therefore it cannot be argued that the
realistic interpretation is wrong on the basis that some predictions derived
from the mixture are different from the corresponding predictions derived from
the superposition state
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Compressible Fluid Flow in Two-Dimensional Channels
We study compressible fluid flow in narrow two-dimensional channels using a
novel molecular dynamics simulation method. In the simulation area, an upstream
source is maintained at constant density and temperature while a downstream
reservoir is kept at vacuum. The channel is sufficiently long in the direction
of the flow that the finite length has little effect on the properties of the
fluid in the central region. The simulated system is represented by an
efficient data structure, whose internal elements are created and manipulated
dynamically in a layered fashion. Consequently the code is highly efficient and
manifests completely linear performance in simulations of large systems. We
obtain the steady-state velocity, temperature, and density distributions in the
system. The velocity distribution across the channel is very nearly a quadratic
function of the distance from the center of the channel and reveals velocity
slip at the boundaries; the temperature distribution is only approximately a
quartic function of this distance from the center to the channel. The density
distribution across the channel is non-uniform. We attribute this
non-uniformity to the relatively high Mach number, approximately 0.5, in the
fluid flow. An equation for the density distribution based on simple
compressibility arguments is proposed; its predictions agree well with the
simulation results. Validity of the concept of local dynamic temperature and
the variation of the temperature along the channel are discussed.Comment: 16 pages (in latex) + 8 figures (in a single ps file). Submitted to
the Physical Review
Structural role of the tyrosine residues of cytochrome c
The tertiary structures of horse, tuna, Neurospora crassa, horse [Hse65,Leu67]- and horse [Hse65,Leu74]-cytochromes c were studied with high-resolution 1H n.m.r. spectroscopy. The amino acid sequences of these proteins differ at position 46, which is occupied by phenylalanine in the horse proteins but by tyrosine in the remaining two, and at positions 67, 74 and 97, which are all occupied by tyrosine residues in horse and tuna cytochrome c but in the other proteins are substituted by phenylalanine or leucine, though there is only one such substitution per protein. The various aromatic-amino-acid substitutions do not seriously affect the protein structure
Two liquid states of matter: A new dynamic line on a phase diagram
It is generally agreed that the supercritical region of a liquid consists of
one single state (supercritical fluid). On the other hand, we show here that
liquids in this region exist in two qualitatively different states: "rigid" and
"non-rigid" liquid. Rigid to non-rigid transition corresponds to the condition
{\tau} ~ {\tau}0, where {\tau}is liquid relaxation time and {\tau}0 is the
minimal period of transverse quasi-harmonic waves. This condition defines a new
dynamic line on the phase diagram, and corresponds to the loss of shear
stiffness of a liquid at all available frequencies, and consequently to the
qualitative change of many important liquid properties. We analyze the dynamic
line theoretically as well as in real and model liquids, and show that the
transition corresponds to the disappearance of high-frequency sound,
qualitative changes of diffusion and viscous flow, increase of particle thermal
speed to half of the speed of sound and reduction of the constant volume
specific heat to 2kB per particle. In contrast to the Widom line that exists
near the critical point only, the new dynamic line is universal: it separates
two liquid states at arbitrarily high pressure and temperature, and exists in
systems where liquid - gas transition and the critical point are absent
overall.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure
Science and Film-making
The essay reviews the literature, mostly historical, on the relationship between science and film-making, with a focus on the science documentary. It then discusses the circumstances of the emergence of the wildlife making-of documentary genre. The thesis examined here is that since the early days of cinema, film-making has evolved from being subordinate to science, to being an equal partner in the production of knowledge, controlled by non-scientists
Critical dynamics of an isothermal compressible non-ideal fluid
A pure fluid at its critical point shows a dramatic slow-down in its
dynamics, due to a divergence of the order-parameter susceptibility and the
coefficient of heat transport. Under isothermal conditions, however, sound
waves provide the only possible relaxation mechanism for order-parameter
fluctuations. Here we study the critical dynamics of an isothermal,
compressible non-ideal fluid via scaling arguments and computer simulations of
the corresponding fluctuating hydrodynamics equations. We show that, below a
critical dimension of 4, the order-parameter dynamics of an isothermal fluid
effectively reduces to "model A," characterized by overdamped sound waves and a
divergent bulk viscosity. In contrast, the shear viscosity remains finite above
two dimensions. Possible applications of the model are discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures; v3: minor corrections and clarifications; as
published in Phys. Rev.
Multi-Resolution Analysis and Fractional Quantum Hall Effect: an Equivalence Result
In this paper we prove that any multi-resolution analysis of \Lc^2(\R)
produces, for some values of the filling factor, a single-electron wave
function of the lowest Landau level (LLL) which, together with its (magnetic)
translated, gives rise to an orthonormal set in the LLL. We also give the
inverse construction. Moreover, we extend this procedure to the higher Landau
levels and we discuss the analogies and the differences between this procedure
and the one previously proposed by J.-P. Antoine and the author.Comment: Submitted to Journal Mathematical Physisc
On the origin of the -transition in liquid Sulphur
Developing a novel experimental technique, we applied photon correlation
spectroscopy using infrared radiation in liquid Sulphur around ,
i.e. in the temperature range where an abrupt increase in viscosity by four
orders of magnitude is observed upon heating within few degrees. This allowed
us - overcoming photo-induced and absorption effects at visible wavelengths -
to reveal a chain relaxation process with characteristic time in the ms range.
These results do rehabilitate the validity of the Maxwell relation in Sulphur
from an apparent failure, allowing rationalizing the mechanical and
thermodynamic behavior of this system within a viscoelastic scenario.Comment: 5 pages, 4 eps figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. Let
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