115 research outputs found
Self- generated disorder and structural glass formation in homopolymer globules
We have investigated the interrelation between the spin glasses and the
structural glasses. Spin glasses in this case are random magnets without
reflection symmetry (e.g. - spin interaction spin glasses and Potts
glasses) which contain quenched disorder, whereas the structural glasses are
here exemplified by the homopolymeric globule, which can be viewed as a liquid
of connected molecules on nano scales. It is argued that the homopolymeric
globule problem can be mapped onto a disorder field theoretical model whose
effective Hamiltonian resembles the corresponding one for the spin glass model.
In this sense the disorder in the globule is self - generated (in contrast to
spin glasses) and can be related with competitive interactions (virial
coefficients of different signs) and the chain connectivity. The work is aimed
at giving a quantitative description of this analogy. We have investigated the
phase diagram of the homopolymeric globule where the transition line from the
liquid to glassy globule is treated in terms of the replica symmetry breaking
paradigm. The configurational entropy temperature dependence is also discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Coherent X-ray Scattering from Manganite Charge and Orbital Domains
We report coherent x-ray scattering studies of charge and orbital domains in
manganite systems. The experiments were carried out on LaMnO_3 and
Pr_{0.6}Ca_{0.4}MnO_3, with the incident photon energy tuned near the Mn K
edge. At room temperature, the orbital speckle pattern of LaMnO_3 was observed
to be constant over a timescale of at least minutes, which is indicative of
static orbital domains on this timescale. For Pr_{0.6}Ca_{0.4}MnO_3, both
charge and orbital speckle patterns were observed. The observation of the
latter rules out the presence of fast orbital fluctuations, while long time
series data-- on the order of several minutes-- were suggestive of slow dynamic
behavior. In contrast, the charge order speckle patterns were static.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Resonant nonstationary amplification of polychromatic laser pulses and conical emission in an optically dense ensemble of neon metastable atoms
Experimental and numerical investigation of single-beam and pump-probe
interaction with a resonantly absorbing dense extended medium under strong and
weak field-matter coupling is presented. Significant probe beam amplification
and conical emission were observed. Under relatively weak pumping and high
medium density, when the condition of strong coupling between field and
resonant matter is fulfilled, the probe amplification spectrum has a form of
spectral doublet. Stronger pumping leads to the appearance of a single peak of
the probe beam amplification at the transition frequency. The greater probe
intensity results in an asymmetrical transmission spectrum with amplification
at the blue wing of the absorption line and attenuation at the red one. Under
high medium density, a broad band of amplification appears. Theoretical model
is based on the solution of the Maxwell-Bloch equations for a two-level system.
Different types of probe transmission spectra obtained are attributed to
complex dynamics of a coherent medium response to broadband polychromatic
radiation of a multimode dye laser.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, corrected, Fig.8 was changed, to be published in
Phys. Rev.
Resonant x-ray diffraction study of the magnetoresistant perovskite Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3
We report a x-ray resonant diffraction study of the perovskite
Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3. At the Mn K-edge, this technique is sensitive to details of the
electronic structure of the Mn atoms. We discuss the resonant x-ray spectra
measured above and below the charge and orbital ordering phase transition
temperature (TCOO = 232 K), and present a detailed analysis of the energy and
polarization dependence of the resonant scattering. The analysis confirms that
the structural transition is a transition to an orbitally ordered phase in
which inequivalent Mn atoms are ordered in a CE-type pattern. The Mn atoms
differ mostly by their 3d orbital occupation. We find that the charge
disproportionation is incomplete, 3d^{3.5-\delta} and 3d^{3.5+\delta} with
\delta\ll0.5 . A revised CE-type model is considered in which there are two Mn
sublattices, each with partial e_{g} occupancy. One sublattice consists of Mn
atoms with the 3x^{2}-r^{2} or 3y^{2}-r^{2} orbitals partially occupied, the
other sublattice with the x^{2}-y^{2} orbital partially occupied.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figure
Symmetry-breaking Effects for Polariton Condensates in Double-Well Potentials
We study the existence, stability, and dynamics of symmetric and anti-symmetric states of quasi-one-dimensional polariton condensates in double-well potentials, in the presence of nonresonant pumping and nonlinear damping. Some prototypical features of the system, such as the bifurcation of asymmetric solutions, are similar to the Hamiltonian analog of the double-well system considered in the realm of atomic condensates. Nevertheless, there are also some nontrivial differences including, e.g., the unstable nature of both the parent and the daughter branch emerging in the relevant pitchfork bifurcation for slightly larger values of atom numbers. Another interesting feature that does not appear in the atomic condensate case is that the bifurcation for attractive interactions is slightly sub-critical instead of supercritical. These conclusions of the bifurcation analysis are corroborated by direct numerical simulations examining the dynamics of the system in the unstable regime.MICINN (Spain) project FIS2008- 0484
Monte Carlo Methods for Estimating Interfacial Free Energies and Line Tensions
Excess contributions to the free energy due to interfaces occur for many
problems encountered in the statistical physics of condensed matter when
coexistence between different phases is possible (e.g. wetting phenomena,
nucleation, crystal growth, etc.). This article reviews two methods to estimate
both interfacial free energies and line tensions by Monte Carlo simulations of
simple models, (e.g. the Ising model, a symmetrical binary Lennard-Jones fluid
exhibiting a miscibility gap, and a simple Lennard-Jones fluid). One method is
based on thermodynamic integration. This method is useful to study flat and
inclined interfaces for Ising lattices, allowing also the estimation of line
tensions of three-phase contact lines, when the interfaces meet walls (where
"surface fields" may act). A generalization to off-lattice systems is described
as well.
The second method is based on the sampling of the order parameter
distribution of the system throughout the two-phase coexistence region of the
model. Both the interface free energies of flat interfaces and of (spherical or
cylindrical) droplets (or bubbles) can be estimated, including also systems
with walls, where sphere-cap shaped wall-attached droplets occur. The
curvature-dependence of the interfacial free energy is discussed, and estimates
for the line tensions are compared to results from the thermodynamic
integration method. Basic limitations of all these methods are critically
discussed, and an outlook on other approaches is given
A Pre-Landing Assessment of Regolith Properties at the InSight Landing Site
This article discusses relevant physical properties of the regolith at the Mars InSight landing site as understood prior to landing of the spacecraft. InSight will land in the northern lowland plains of Mars, close to the equator, where the regolith is estimated to be ≥3--5 m thick. These investigations of physical properties have relied on data collected from Mars orbital measurements, previously collected lander and rover data, results of studies of data and samples from Apollo lunar missions, laboratory measurements on regolith simulants, and theoretical studies. The investigations include changes in properties with depth and temperature. Mechanical properties investigated include density, grain-size distribution, cohesion, and angle of internal friction. Thermophysical properties include thermal inertia, surface emissivity and albedo, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, and specific heat. Regolith elastic properties not only include parameters that control seismic wave velocities in the immediate vicinity of the Insight lander but also coupling of the lander and other potential noise sources to the InSight broadband seismometer. The related properties include Poisson’s ratio, P- and S-wave velocities, Young’s modulus, and seismic attenuation. Finally, mass diffusivity was investigated to estimate gas movements in the regolith driven by atmospheric pressure changes. Physical properties presented here are all to some degree speculative. However, they form a basis for interpretation of the early data to be returned from the InSight mission.Additional co-authors: Nick Teanby and Sharon Keda
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