83 research outputs found
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.
Two scenarios for avalanche dynamics in inclined granular layers
We report experimental measurements of avalanche behavior of thin granular
layers on an inclined plane for low volume flow rate. The dynamical properties
of avalanches were quantitatively and qualitatively different for smooth glass
beads compared to irregular granular materials such as sand. Two scenarios for
granular avalanches on an incline are identified and a theoretical explanation
for these different scenarios is developed based on a depth-averaged approach
that takes into account the differing rheologies of the granular materials.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted to Phys. Rev. Let
Regular dendritic patterns induced by non-local time-periodic forcing
The dynamic response of dendritic solidification to spatially homogeneous
time-periodic forcing has been studied. Phase-field calculations performed in
two dimensions (2D) and experiments on thin (quasi 2D) liquid crystal layers
show that the frequency of dendritic side-branching can be tuned by oscillatory
pressure or heating. The sensitivity of this phenomenon to the relevant
parameters, the frequency and amplitude of the modulation, the initial
undercooling and the anisotropies of the interfacial free energy and molecule
attachment kinetics, has been explored. It has been demonstrated that besides
the side-branching mode synchronous with external forcing as emerging from the
linear Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin analysis, modes that oscillate with higher
harmonic frequencies are also present with perceptible amplitudes.Comment: 15 pages, 23 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Surface effects in nucleation and growth of smectic B crystals in thin samples
We present an experimental study of the surface effects (interactions with
the container walls) during the nucleation and growth of smectic B crystals
from the nematic in free growth and directional solidification of a mesogenic
molecule () called CCH4 in thin (of thickness in the 10
m range) samples. We follow the dynamics of the system in real time with a
polarizing microscope. The inner surfaces of the glass-plate samples are coated
with polymeric films, either rubbed polyimid (PI) films or monooriented
poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) films deposited by friction at high
temperature. The orientation of the nematic and the smectic B is planar. In
PI-coated samples, the orientation effect of SmB crystals is mediated by the
nematic, whereas, in PTFE-coated samples, it results from a homoepitaxy
phenomenon occurring for two degenerate orientations. A recrystallization
phenomenon partly destroys the initial distribution of crystal orientations. In
directional solidification of polycrystals in PTFE-coated samples, a particular
dynamics of faceted grain boundary grooves is at the origin of a dynamical
mechanism of grain selection. Surface effects also are responsible for the
nucleation of misoriented terraces on facets and the generation of lattice
defects in the solid.Comment: 15 pages, 24 figures, submitted to PR
The health risks of consuming drinking water with elevated arsenic content of geochemical origin
Viscous fingering in liquid crystals: Anisotropy and morphological transitions
We show that a minimal model for viscous fingering with a nematic liquid
crystal in which anisotropy is considered to enter through two different
viscosities in two perpendicular directions can be mapped to a two-fold
anisotropy in the surface tension. We numerically integrate the dynamics of the
resulting problem with the phase-field approach to find and characterize a
transition between tip-splitting and side-branching as a function of both
anisotropy and dimensionless surface tension. This anisotropy dependence could
explain the experimentally observed (reentrant) transition as temperature and
applied pressure are varied. Our observations are also consistent with previous
experimental evidence in viscous fingering within an etched cell and
simulations of solidification.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to PR
Nucleation and Bulk Crystallization in Binary Phase Field Theory
We present a phase field theory for binary crystal nucleation. In the
one-component limit, quantitative agreement is achieved with computer
simulations (Lennard-Jones system) and experiments (ice-water system) using
model parameters evaluated from the free energy and thickness of the interface.
The critical undercoolings predicted for Cu-Ni alloys accord with the
measurements, and indicate homogeneous nucleation. The Kolmogorov exponents
deduced for dendritic solidification and for "soft-impingement" of particles
via diffusion fields are consistent with experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted to PR
Computing Immutable Regions for Subspace Top-k Queries
National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under International Research Centre @ Singapore Funding Initiativ
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