107 research outputs found
A renormalisation approach to excitable reaction-diffusion waves in fractal media
Of fundamental importance to wave propagation in a wide range of physical phenomena is the structural geometry of the supporting medium. Recently, there have been several investigations on wave propagation in fractal media. We present here a renormalization approach to the study of reaction-diffusion (RD) wave propagation on finitely ramified fractal structures. In particular we will study a Rinzel-Keller (RK) type model, supporting travelling waves on a Sierpinski gasket (SG), lattice
A preliminary investigation of a novel method to manipulate penis length to measure female sexual satisfaction: a single-case experimental design
Dynamical features of reaction-diffusion fronts in fractals
The speed of front propagation in fractals is studied by using (i) the reduction of the reaction-transport equation into a Hamilton-Jacobi equation and (ii) the local-equilibrium approach. Different equations proposed for describing transport in fractal media, together with logistic reaction kinetics, are considered. Finally, we analyze the main features of wave fronts resulting from this dynamic process, i.e., why they are accelerated and what is the exact form of this acceleration
Fractional differentiability of nowhere differentiable functions and dimensions
Weierstrass's everywhere continuous but nowhere differentiable function is
shown to be locally continuously fractionally differentiable everywhere for all
orders below the `critical order' 2-s and not so for orders between 2-s and 1,
where s, 1<s<2 is the box dimension of the graph of the function. This
observation is consolidated in the general result showing a direct connection
between local fractional differentiability and the box dimension/ local Holder
exponent. Levy index for one dimensional Levy flights is shown to be the
critical order of its characteristic function. Local fractional derivatives of
multifractal signals (non-random functions) are shown to provide the local
Holder exponent. It is argued that Local fractional derivatives provide a
powerful tool to analyze pointwise behavior of irregular signals.Comment: minor changes, 19 pages, Late
Precision Measurements of Stretching and Compression in Fluid Mixing
The mixing of an impurity into a flowing fluid is an important process in
many areas of science, including geophysical processes, chemical reactors, and
microfluidic devices. In some cases, for example periodic flows, the concepts
of nonlinear dynamics provide a deep theoretical basis for understanding
mixing. Unfortunately, the building blocks of this theory, i.e. the fixed
points and invariant manifolds of the associated Poincare map, have remained
inaccessible to direct experimental study, thus limiting the insight that could
be obtained. Using precision measurements of tracer particle trajectories in a
two-dimensional fluid flow producing chaotic mixing, we directly measure the
time-dependent stretching and compression fields. These quantities, previously
available only numerically, attain local maxima along lines coinciding with the
stable and unstable manifolds, thus revealing the dynamical structures that
control mixing. Contours or level sets of a passive impurity field are found to
be aligned parallel to the lines of large compression (unstable manifolds) at
each instant. This connection appears to persist as the onset of turbulence is
approached.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Critical dimensions for random walks on random-walk chains
The probability distribution of random walks on linear structures generated
by random walks in -dimensional space, , is analytically studied
for the case . It is shown to obey the scaling form
, where is
the density of the chain. Expanding in powers of , we find that
there exists an infinite hierarchy of critical dimensions, ,
each one characterized by a logarithmic correction in . Namely, for
, ; for ,
; for , ; for , ; for , , {\it etc.\/} In particular, for
, this implies that the temporal dependence of the probability density of
being close to the origin .Comment: LATeX, 10 pages, no figures submitted for publication in PR
Liquefaction features produced by the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence in southwest Christchurch, New Zealand, and preliminary assessment of Paleoliquefaction features
Liquefaction features and the geologic environment in which they formed were carefully studied at two sites near Lincoln in southwest Christchurch. We undertook geomorphic mapping, excavated trenches, and obtained hand cores in areas with surficial evidence for liquefaction and areas where no surficial evidence for liquefaction was present at two sites (Hardwick and Marchand). The liquefaction features identified include (1) sand blows (singular and aligned along linear fissures), (2) blisters or injections of subhorizontal dikes into the topsoil, (3) dikes related to the blows and blisters, and (4) a collapse structure. The spatial distribution of these surface liquefaction features correlates strongly with the ridges of scroll bars in meander settings. In addition, we discovered paleoliquefaction features, including several dikes and a sand blow, in excavations at the sites of modern liquefaction. The paleoliquefaction event at the Hardwick site is dated at A.D. 908-1336, and the one at the Marchand site is dated at A.D. 1017-1840 (95% confidence intervals of probability density functions obtained by Bayesian analysis). If both events are the same, given proximity of the sites, the time of the event is A.D. 1019-1337. If they are not, the one at the Marchand site could have been much younger. Taking into account a preliminary liquefaction-triggering threshold of equivalent peak ground acceleration for an Mw 7.5 event (PGA7:5) of 0:07g, existing magnitude-bounded relations for paleoliquefaction, and the timing of the paleoearthquakes and the potential PGA7:5 estimated for regional faults, we propose that the Porters Pass fault, Alpine fault, or the subduction zone faults are the most likely sources that could have triggered liquefaction at the study sites. There are other nearby regional faults that may have been the source, but there is no paleoseismic data with which to make the temporal link
Fracton pairing mechanism for "strange" superconductors: Self-assembling organic polymers and copper-oxide compounds
Self-assembling organic polymers and copper-oxide compounds are two classes
of "strange" superconductors, whose challenging behavior does not comply with
the traditional picture of Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer (BCS)
superconductivity in regular crystals. In this paper, we propose a theoretical
model that accounts for the strange superconducting properties of either class
of the materials. These properties are considered as interconnected
manifestations of the same phenomenon: We argue that superconductivity occurs
in the both cases because the charge carriers (i.e., electrons or holes)
exchange {\it fracton excitations}, quantum oscillations of fractal lattices
that mimic the complex microscopic organization of the strange superconductors.
For the copper oxides, the superconducting transition temperature as
predicted by the fracton mechanism is of the order of K. We suggest
that the marginal ingredient of the high-temperature superconducting phase is
provided by fracton coupled holes that condensate in the conducting
copper-oxygen planes owing to the intrinsic field-effect-transistor
configuration of the cuprate compounds. For the gate-induced superconducting
phase in the electron-doped polymers, we simultaneously find a rather modest
transition temperature of K owing to the limitations imposed by
the electron tunneling processes on a fractal geometry. We speculate that
hole-type superconductivity observes larger onset temperatures when compared to
its electron-type counterpart. This promises an intriguing possibility of the
high-temperature superconducting states in hole-doped complex materials. A
specific prediction of the present study is universality of ac conduction for
.Comment: 12 pages (including separate abstract page), no figure
Linear Relaxation Processes Governed by Fractional Symmetric Kinetic Equations
We get fractional symmetric Fokker - Planck and Einstein - Smoluchowski
kinetic equations, which describe evolution of the systems influenced by
stochastic forces distributed with stable probability laws. These equations
generalize known kinetic equations of the Brownian motion theory and contain
symmetric fractional derivatives over velocity and space, respectively. With
the help of these equations we study analytically the processes of linear
relaxation in a force - free case and for linear oscillator. For a weakly
damped oscillator we also get kinetic equation for the distribution in slow
variables. Linear relaxation processes are also studied numerically by solving
corresponding Langevin equations with the source which is a discrete - time
approximation to a white Levy noise. Numerical and analytical results agree
quantitatively.Comment: 30 pages, LaTeX, 13 figures PostScrip
Holder exponents of irregular signals and local fractional derivatives
It has been recognized recently that fractional calculus is useful for
handling scaling structures and processes. We begin this survey by pointing out
the relevance of the subject to physical situations. Then the essential
definitions and formulae from fractional calculus are summarized and their
immediate use in the study of scaling in physical systems is given. This is
followed by a brief summary of classical results. The main theme of the review
rests on the notion of local fractional derivatives. There is a direct
connection between local fractional differentiability properties and the
dimensions/ local Holder exponents of nowhere differentiable functions. It is
argued that local fractional derivatives provide a powerful tool to analyse the
pointwise behaviour of irregular signals and functions.Comment: 20 pages, Late
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