13 research outputs found
Volume-energy correlations in the slow degrees of freedom of computer-simulated phospholipid membranes
Constant-pressure molecular-dynamics simulations of phospholipid membranes in
the fluid phase reveal strong correlations between equilibrium fluctuations of
volume and energy on the nanosecond time-scale. The existence of strong
volume-energy correlations was previously deduced indirectly by Heimburg from
experiments focusing on the phase transition between the fluid and the ordered
gel phases. The correlations, which are reported here for three different
membranes (DMPC, DMPS-Na, and DMPSH), have volume-energy correlation
coefficients ranging from 0.81 to 0.89. The DMPC membrane was studied at two
temperatures showing that the correlation coefficient increases as the phase
transition is approached
A Study Of A New Class Of Discrete Nonlinear Schroedinger Equations
A new class of 1D discrete nonlinear Schrdinger Hamiltonians
with tunable nonlinerities is introduced, which includes the integrable
Ablowitz-Ladik system as a limit. A new subset of equations, which are derived
from these Hamiltonians using a generalized definition of Poisson brackets, and
collectively refered to as the N-AL equation, is studied. The symmetry
properties of the equation are discussed. These equations are shown to possess
propagating localized solutions, having the continuous translational symmetry
of the one-soliton solution of the Ablowitz-Ladik nonlinear
Schrdinger equation. The N-AL systems are shown to be suitable
to study the combined effect of the dynamical imbalance of nonlinearity and
dispersion and the Peierls-Nabarro potential, arising from the lattice
discreteness, on the propagating solitary wave like profiles. A perturbative
analysis shows that the N-AL systems can have discrete breather solutions, due
to the presence of saddle center bifurcations in phase portraits. The
unstaggered localized states are shown to have positive effective mass. On the
other hand, large width but small amplitude staggered localized states have
negative effective mass. The collison dynamics of two colliding solitary wave
profiles are studied numerically. Notwithstanding colliding solitary wave
profiles are seen to exhibit nontrivial nonsolitonic interactions, certain
universal features are observed in the collison dynamics. Future scopes of this
work and possible applications of the N-AL systems are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, revtex4, xmgr, gn
Traffic and Related Self-Driven Many-Particle Systems
Since the subject of traffic dynamics has captured the interest of
physicists, many astonishing effects have been revealed and explained. Some of
the questions now understood are the following: Why are vehicles sometimes
stopped by so-called ``phantom traffic jams'', although they all like to drive
fast? What are the mechanisms behind stop-and-go traffic? Why are there several
different kinds of congestion, and how are they related? Why do most traffic
jams occur considerably before the road capacity is reached? Can a temporary
reduction of the traffic volume cause a lasting traffic jam? Under which
conditions can speed limits speed up traffic? Why do pedestrians moving in
opposite directions normally organize in lanes, while similar systems are
``freezing by heating''? Why do self-organizing systems tend to reach an
optimal state? Why do panicking pedestrians produce dangerous deadlocks? All
these questions have been answered by applying and extending methods from
statistical physics and non-linear dynamics to self-driven many-particle
systems. This review article on traffic introduces (i) empirically data, facts,
and observations, (ii) the main approaches to pedestrian, highway, and city
traffic, (iii) microscopic (particle-based), mesoscopic (gas-kinetic), and
macroscopic (fluid-dynamic) models. Attention is also paid to the formulation
of a micro-macro link, to aspects of universality, and to other unifying
concepts like a general modelling framework for self-driven many-particle
systems, including spin systems. Subjects such as the optimization of traffic
flows and relations to biological or socio-economic systems such as bacterial
colonies, flocks of birds, panics, and stock market dynamics are discussed as
well.Comment: A shortened version of this article will appear in Reviews of Modern
Physics, an extended one as a book. The 63 figures were omitted because of
storage capacity. For related work see http://www.helbing.org
Weak, strong, and coherent regimes of Fröhlich condensation and their applications to terahertz medicine and quantum consciousness
In 1968, Fröhlich showed that a driven set of oscillators can condense with nearly all of the supplied energy activating the vibrational mode of lowest frequency. This is a remarkable property usually compared with Bose–Einstein condensation, superconductivity, lasing, and other unique phenomena involving macroscopic quantum coherence. However, despite intense research, no unambiguous example has been documented. We determine the most likely experimental signatures of Fröhlich condensation and show that they are significant features remote from the extraordinary properties normally envisaged. Fröhlich condensates are classified into 3 types: weak condensates in which profound effects on chemical kinetics are possible, strong condensates in which an extremely large amount of energy is channeled into 1 vibrational mode, and coherent condensates in which this energy is placed in a single quantum state. Coherent condensates are shown to involve extremely large energies, to not be produced by the Wu–Austin dynamical Hamiltonian that provides the simplest depiction of Fröhlich condensates formed using mechanically supplied energy, and to be extremely fragile. They are inaccessible in a biological environment. Hence the Penrose–Hameroff orchestrated objective-reduction model and related theories for cognitive function that embody coherent Fröhlich condensation as an essential element are untenable. Weak condensates, however, may have profound effects on chemical and enzyme kinetics, and may be produced from biochemical energy or from radio frequency, microwave, or terahertz radiation. Pokorný's observed 8.085-MHz microtubulin resonance is identified as a possible candidate, with microwave reactors (green chemistry) and terahertz medicine appearing as other feasible sources