2,960 research outputs found
How dense can one pack spheres of arbitrary size distribution?
We present the first systematic algorithm to estimate the maximum packing
density of spheres when the grain sizes are drawn from an arbitrary size
distribution. With an Apollonian filling rule, we implement our technique for
disks in 2d and spheres in 3d. As expected, the densest packing is achieved
with power-law size distributions. We also test the method on homogeneous and
on empirical real distributions, and we propose a scheme to obtain
experimentally accessible distributions of grain sizes with low porosity. Our
method should be helpful in the development of ultra-strong ceramics and high
performance concrete.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Breathing synchronization in interconnected networks
Global synchronization in a complex network of oscillators emerges from the
interplay between its topology and the dynamics of the pairwise interactions
among its numerous components. When oscillators are spatially separated,
however, a time delay appears in the interaction which might obstruct
synchronization. Here we study the synchronization properties of interconnected
networks of oscillators with a time delay between networks and analyze the
dynamics as a function of the couplings and communication lag. We discover a
new breathing synchronization regime, where two groups appear in each network
synchronized at different frequencies. Each group has a counterpart in the
opposite network, one group is in phase and the other in anti-phase with their
counterpart. For strong couplings, instead, networks are internally
synchronized but a phase shift between them might occur. The implications of
our findings on several socio-technical and biological systems are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures + 3 pages of Supplemental Materia
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