486 research outputs found
Nucleation versus Spinodal decomposition in a first order quark hadron phase transition
We investigate the scenario of homogeneous nucleation for a first order
quark-hadron phase transition in a rapidly expanding background of quark gluon
plasma. Using an improved preexponential factor for homogeneous nucleation
rate, we solve a set of coupled equations to study the hadronization and the
hydrodynamical evolution of the matter. It is found that significant
supercooling is possible before hadronization begins. This study also suggests
that spinodal decomposition competes with nucleation and may provide an
alternative mechanism for phase conversion particularly if the transition is
strong enough and the medium is nonviscous. For weak enough transition, the
phase conversion may still proceed via homogeneous nucleation.Comment: LaTeX, 10 pages with 7 Postscript figures, more discussions and
referencese added, typos correcte
X-Ray Scattering Measurements of the Transient Structure of a Driven Charge-Density-Wave
We report time-resolved x-ray scattering measurements of the transient
structural response of the sliding {\bf Q} charge-density-wave (CDW) in
NbSe to a reversal of the driving electric field. The observed time scale
characterizing this response at 70K varies from 15 msec for driving
fields near threshold to 2 msec for fields well above threshold. The
position and time-dependent strain of the CDW is analyzed in terms of a
phenomenological equation of motion for the phase of the CDW order parameter.
The value of the damping constant, eV
seconds \AA, is in excellent agreement with the value
determined from transport measurements. As the driving field approaches
threshold from above, the line shape becomes bimodal, suggesting that the CDW
does not depin throughout the entire sample at one well-defined voltage.Comment: revtex 3.0, 7 figure
Electron scattering in multi-wall carbon-nanotubes
We analyze two scattering mechanisms that might cause intrinsic electronic
resistivity in multi-wall carbon nanotubes: scattering by dopant impurities,
and scattering by inter-tube electron-electron interaction. We find that for
typically doped multi-wall tubes backward scattering at dopants is by far the
dominating effect.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Dynamics of a faceted nematic-smectic B front in thin-sample directional solidification
We present an experimental study of the directional-solidification patterns
of a nematic - smectic B front. The chosen system is C_4H_9-(C_6H_{10})_2CN (in
short, CCH4) in 12 \mu m-thick samples, and in the planar configuration
(director parallel to the plane of the sample). The nematic - smectic B
interface presents a facet in one direction -- the direction parallel to the
smectic layers -- and is otherwise rough, and devoid of forbidden directions.
We measure the Mullins-Sekerka instability threshold and establish the
morphology diagram of the system as a function of the solidification rate V and
the angle theta_{0} between the facet and the isotherms. We focus on the
phenomena occurring immediately above the instability threshold when theta_{0}
is neither very small nor close to 90^{o}. Under these conditions we observe
drifting shallow cells and a new type of solitary wave, called "faceton", which
consists essentially of an isolated macroscopic facet traveling laterally at
such a velocity that its growth rate with respect to the liquid is small.
Facetons may propagate either in a stationary, or an oscillatory way. The
detailed study of their dynamics casts light on the microscopic growth
mechanisms of the facets in this system.Comment: 12 pages, 19 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
The Role of Friction in Compaction and Segregation of Granular Materials
We investigate the role of friction in compaction and segregation of granular
materials by combining Edwards' thermodynamic hypothesis with a simple
mechanical model and mean-field based geometrical calculations. Systems of
single species with large friction coefficients are found to compact less.
Binary mixtures of grains differing in frictional properties are found to
segregate at high compactivities, in contrary to granular mixtures differing in
size, which segregate at low compactivities. A phase diagram for segregation
vs. friction coefficients of the two species is generated. Finally, the
characteristics of segregation are related directly to the volume fraction
without the explicit use of the yet unclear notion of compactivity.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Homogeneous nucleation of quark-gluon plasma, finite size effects and long-lived metastable objects
The general formalism of homogeneous nucleation theory is applied to study
the hadronization pattern of the ultra-relativistic quark-gluon plasma (QGP)
undergoing a first order phase transition. A coalescence model is proposed to
describe the evolution dynamics of hadronic clusters produced in the nucleation
process. The size distribution of the nucleated clusters is important for the
description of the plasma conversion. The model is most sensitive to the
initial conditions of the QGP thermalization, time evolution of the energy
density, and the interfacial energy of the plasma-hadronic matter interface.
The rapidly expanding QGP is first supercooled by about . Then it reheats again up to the critical temperature T_c. Finally it
breaks up into hadronic clusters and small droplets of plasma. This fast
dynamics occurs within the first . The finite size effects and
fluctuations near the critical temperature are studied. It is shown that a drop
of longitudinally expanding QGP of the transverse radius below 4.5 fm can
display a long-lived metastability. However, both in the rapid and in the
delayed hadronization scenario, the bulk pion yield is emitted by sources as
large as 3-4.5 fm. This may be detected experimentally both by a HBT
interferometry signal and by the analysis of the rapidity distributions of
particles in narrow p_T-intervals at small p_T on an event-by-event basis.Comment: 29 pages, incl. 12 figures and 1 table; to be published in Phys. Rev.
Microscopic Aspects of Stretched Exponential Relaxation (SER) in Homogeneous Molecular and Network Glasses and Polymers
Because the theory of SER is still a work in progress, the phenomenon itself
can be said to be the oldest unsolved problem in science, as it started with
Kohlrausch in 1847. Many electrical and optical phenomena exhibit SER with
probe relaxation I(t) ~ exp[-(t/{\tau}){\beta}], with 0 < {\beta} < 1. Here
{\tau} is a material-sensitive parameter, useful for discussing chemical
trends. The "shape" parameter {\beta} is dimensionless and plays the role of a
non-equilibrium scaling exponent; its value, especially in glasses, is both
practically useful and theoretically significant. The mathematical complexity
of SER is such that rigorous derivations of this peculiar function were not
achieved until the 1970's. The focus of much of the 1970's pioneering work was
spatial relaxation of electronic charge, but SER is a universal phenomenon, and
today atomic and molecular relaxation of glasses and deeply supercooled liquids
provide the most reliable data. As the data base grew, the need for a
quantitative theory increased; this need was finally met by the
diffusion-to-traps topological model, which yields a remarkably simple
expression for the shape parameter {\beta}, given by d*/(d* + 2). At first
sight this expression appears to be identical to d/(d + 2), where d is the
actual spatial dimensionality, as originally derived. The original model,
however, failed to explain much of the data base. Here the theme of earlier
reviews, based on the observation that in the presence of short-range forces
only d* = d = 3 is the actual spatial dimensionality, while for mixed short-
and long-range forces, d* = fd = d/2, is applied to four new spectacular
examples, where it turns out that SER is useful not only for purposes of
quality control, but also for defining what is meant by a glass in novel
contexts. (Please see full abstract in main text
Persistent Spin Currents in Helimagnets
We demonstrate that weak external magnetic fields generate dissipationless
spin currents in the ground state of systems with spiral magnetic order. Our
conclusions are based on phenomenological considerations and on microscopic
mean-field theory calculations for an illustrative toy model. We speculate on
possible applications of this effect in spintronic devices.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, updated version as published, Journal referenc
Aharonov-Bohm spectral features and coherence lengths in carbon nanotubes
The electronic properties of carbon nanotubes are investigated in the
presence of disorder and a magnetic field parallel or perpendicular to the
nanotube axis. In the parallel field geometry, the -periodic
metal-insulator transition (MIT) induced in metallic or semiconducting
nanotubes is shown to be related to a chirality-dependent shifting of the
energy of the van Hove singularities (VHSs). The effect of disorder on this
magnetic field-related mechanism is considered with a discussion of mean free
paths, localization lengths and magnetic dephasing rate in the context of
recent experiments.Comment: 22 pages, 6 Postscript figures. submitted to Phys. Rev.
The half-lives for 24Na, 72Ga and 140La
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/22610/1/0000160.pd
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