Nonlinear viscoelasticity of freestanding and polymer-anchored vertically aligned carbon nanotube foams

Vertical arrays of carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) show unique mechanical behavior in compression, with a highly nonlinear response similar to that of open cell foams and the ability to recover large deformations. Here, we study the viscoelastic response of both freestanding VACNT arrays and sandwich structures composed of a VACNT array partially embedded between two layers of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and bucky paper. The VACNTs tested are ∼2 mm thick foams grown via an injection chemical vapor deposition method. Both freestanding and sandwich structures exhibit a time-dependent behavior under compression. A power-law function of time is used to describe the main features observed in creep and stress-relaxation tests. The power-law exponents show nonlinear viscoelastic behavior in which the rate of creep is dependent upon the stress level and the rate of stress relaxation is dependent upon the strain level. The results show a marginal effect of the thin PDMS/bucky paper layers on the viscoelastic responses. At high strain levels (ɛ = 0.8), the peak stress for the anchored CNTs reaches ∼45 MPa, whereas it is only ∼15 MPa for freestanding CNTs, suggesting a large effect of PDMS on the structural response of the sandwich structures

Dynamic scaling of fronts in the quantum XX chain

The dynamics of the transverse magnetization in the zero-temperature XX chain is studied with emphasis on fronts emerging from steplike initial magnetization profiles. The fronts move with fixed velocity and display a staircase like internal structure whose dynamic scaling is explored both analytically and numerically. The front region is found to spread with time sub-diffusively with the height and the width of the staircase steps scaling as t^(-1/3) and t^1/3, respectively. The areas under the steps are independent of time, thus the magnetization relaxes in quantized "steps" of spin-flips.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figures, RevTe

Quaternionic and Octonionic Spinors. A Classification

Quaternionic and octonionic realizations of Clifford algebras and spinors are classified and explicitly constructed in terms of recursive formulas. The most general free dynamics in arbitrary signature space-times for both quaternionic and octonionic spinors is presented. In the octonionic case we further provide a systematic list of results and tables expressing, e.g., the relations of the octonionic Clifford algebras with the $G_2$ cosets over the Lorentz algebras, the identities satisfied by the higher-rank antisymmetric octonionic tensors and so on. Applications of these results range from the classification of octonionic generalized supersymmetries, the construction of octonionic superstrings, as well as the investigations concerning the recently discovered octonionic $M$-superalgebra and its superconformal extension.Comment: 24 pages, LaTe

Simple algebras of Weyl type

Over a field $F$ of any characteristic, for a commutative associative algebra $A$ with an identity element and for the polynomial algebra $F[D]$ of a commutative derivation subalgebra $D$ of $A$, the associative and the Lie algebras of Weyl type on the same vector space $A[D]=A\otimes F[D]$ are defined. It is proved that $A[D]$, as a Lie algebra (modular its center) or as an associative algebra, is simple if and only if $A$ is $D$-simple and $A[D]$ acts faithfully on $A$. Thus a lot of simple algebras are obtained.Comment: 9 pages, Late

Marginal Extended Perturbations in Two Dimensions and Gap-Exponent Relations

The most general form of a marginal extended perturbation in a two-dimensional system is deduced from scaling considerations. It includes as particular cases extended perturbations decaying either from a surface, a line or a point for which exact results have been previously obtained. The first-order corrections to the local exponents, which are functions of the amplitude of the defect, are deduced from a perturbation expansion of the two-point correlation functions. Assuming covariance under conformal transformation, the perturbed system is mapped onto a cylinder. Working in the Hamiltonian limit, the first-order corrections to the lowest gaps are calculated for the Ising model. The results confirm the validity of the gap-exponent relations for the perturbed system.Comment: 11 pages, Plain TeX, eps

Cosmic strings in axionic-dilatonic gravity

We first consider local cosmic strings in dilaton-axion gravity and show that they are singular solutions. Then we take a supermassive Higgs limit and present expressions for the fields at far distances from the core by applying a Pecci-Quinn and a duality transformation to the dilatonic Melvin's magnetic universe.Comment: Latex file. 16 page

Fermionization and Hubbard Models

We introduce a transformation which allows the fermionization of operators of any one-dimensional spin-chain. This fermionization procedure is independent of any eventual integrable structure and is compatible with it. We illustrate this method on various integrable and non-integrable chains, and deduce some general results. In particular, we fermionize XXC spin-chains and study their symmetries. Fermionic realizations of certain Lie algebras and superalgebras appear naturally as symmetries of some models. We also fermionize recently obtained Hubbard models, and obtain for the first time multispecies analogues of the Hubbard model, in their fermionic form. We comment on the conflict between symmetry enhancement and integrability of these models. Finally, the fermionic versions of the non integrable spin-1 and spin-3/2 Heisenberg chains are obtained.Comment: 24 pages, Latex. Minor typos corrected, one equation adde

Gauge theories as a geometrical issue of a Kaluza-Klein framework

We present a geometrical unification theory in a Kaluza-Klein approach that achieve the geometrization of a generic gauge theory bosonic component. We show how it is possible to derive the gauge charge conservation from the invariance of the model under extra-dimensional translations and to geometrize gauge connections for spinors, thus we can introduce the matter just by free spinorial fields. Then, we present the applications to i)a pentadimensional manifold $V^{4}\otimes S^{1}$, so reproducing the original Kaluza-Klein theory, unless some extensions related to the rule of the scalar field contained in the metric and the introduction of matter by spinors with a phase dependence from the fifth coordinate, ii)a seven-dimensional manifold $V^{4}\otimes S^{1}\otimes S^{2}$, in which we geometrize the electro-weak model by introducing two spinors for any leptonic family and quark generation and a scalar field with two components with opposite hypercharge, responsible of spontaneous symmetry breaking.Comment: 37 pages, no figure

Plane Light-Like Shells and Impulsive Gravitational Waves in Scalar-Tensor Theories of Gravity

We study gravitational plane impulsive waves and electromagnetic shock waves in a scalar-tensor theory of gravity of the Brans-Dicke type. In vacuum, we present an exact solution of Brans-Dicke's field equations and give an example in which a plane impulsive gravitational wave and a null shell of matter coexist on the same hypersurface. In the homogenous case, we characterize them by their surface energy density and wave amplitude and discuss the inhomogenous case. We also give an exact solution of the Brans-Dicke's field equations in the electrovacuum case which admits a true curvature singularity and use it to built an example where a plane impulsive gravitational wave and an electromagnetic shock wave have the same null hypersurface as history of their wave fronts and propagate independently and decoupled from a null shell of matter. This last solution is shown to correspond to the space-time describing the interaction region resulting from the collision of two electromagnetic shock waves leading to the formation of two gravitational impulsive waves. The properties of this solution are discussed and compared to those of the Bell-Szekeres solution of general relativity.Comment: 19 pages, latex, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Class. Quant. Gra