3,805 research outputs found
Sliding friction between an elastomer network and a grafted polymer layer: the role of cooperative effects
We study the friction between a flat solid surface where polymer chains have
been end-grafted and a cross-linked elastomer at low sliding velocity. The
contribution of isolated grafted chains' penetration in the sliding elastomer
has been early identified as a weakly velocity dependent pull-out force. Recent
experiments have shown that the interactions between the grafted chains at high
grafting density modify the friction force by grafted chain. We develop here a
simple model that takes into account those interactions and gives a limit
grafting density beyond which the friction no longer increases with the
grafting density, in good agreement with the experimental dataComment: Submitted to Europhys. Letter
An adaptive Metropolis-Hastings scheme: sampling and optimization
We propose an adaptive Metropolis-Hastings algorithm in which sampled data
are used to update the proposal distribution. We use the samples found by the
algorithm at a particular step to form the information-theoretically optimal
mean-field approximation to the target distribution, and update the proposal
distribution to be that approximatio. We employ our algorithm to sample the
energy distribution for several spin-glasses and we demonstrate the superiority
of our algorithm to the conventional MH algorithm in sampling and in annealing
optimization.Comment: To appear in Europhysics Letter
Variational bounds for the shear viscosity of gelling melts
We study shear stress relaxation for a gelling melt of randomly crosslinked,
interacting monomers. We derive a lower bound for the static shear viscosity
, which implies that it diverges algebraically with a critical exponent
. Here, and are the critical exponents of
percolation theory for the correlation length and the gel fraction. In
particular, the divergence is stronger than in the Rouse model, proving the
relevance of excluded-volume interactions for the dynamic critical behaviour at
the gel transition. Precisely at the critical point, our exact results imply a
Mark-Houwink relation for the shear viscosity of isolated clusters of fixed
size.Comment: 5 pages; CHANGES: typos corrected, some references added; version as
publishe
Phase Transitions in the Two-Dimensional XY Model with Random Phases: a Monte Carlo Study
We study the two-dimensional XY model with quenched random phases by Monte
Carlo simulation and finite-size scaling analysis. We determine the phase
diagram of the model and study its critical behavior as a function of disorder
and temperature. If the strength of the randomness is less than a critical
value, , the system has a Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) phase transition
from the paramagnetic phase to a state with quasi-long-range order. Our data
suggest that the latter exists down to T=0 in contradiction with theories that
predict the appearance of a low-temperature reentrant phase. At the critical
disorder and for there is no
quasi-ordered phase. At zero temperature there is a phase transition between
two different glassy states at . The functional dependence of the
correlation length on suggests that this transition corresponds to the
disorder-driven unbinding of vortex pairs.Comment: LaTex file and 18 figure
Universality of the Gunn effect: self-sustained oscillations mediated by solitary waves
The Gunn effect consists of time-periodic oscillations of the current flowing
through an external purely resistive circuit mediated by solitary wave dynamics
of the electric field on an attached appropriate semiconductor. By means of a
new asymptotic analysis, it is argued that Gunn-like behavior occurs in
specific classes of model equations. As an illustration, an example related to
the constrained Cahn-Allen equation is analyzed.Comment: 4 pages,3 Post-Script figure
Two-Dimensional Diffusion in the Presence of Topological Disorder
How topological defects affect the dynamics of particles hopping between
lattice sites of a distorted, two-dimensional crystal is addressed.
Perturbation theory and numerical simulations show that weak, short-ranged
topological disorder leads to a finite reduction of the diffusion coefficient.
Renormalization group theory and numerical simulations suggest that
longer-ranged disorder, such as that from randomly placed dislocations or
random disclinations with no net disclinicity, leads to subdiffusion at long
times.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
Phase transition curves for mesoscopic superconducting samples
We compute the phase transition curves for mesoscopic superconductors.
Special emphasis is given to the limiting shape of the curve when the magnetic
flux is large. We derive an asymptotic formula for the ground state of the
Schr\"odinger equation in the presence of large applied flux. The expansion is
shown to be sensitive to the smoothness of the domain. The theoretical results
are compared to recent experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur
Role of friction-induced torque in stick-slip motion
We present a minimal quasistatic 1D model describing the kinematics of the
transition from static friction to stick-slip motion of a linear elastic block
on a rigid plane. We show how the kinematics of both the precursors to
frictional sliding and the periodic stick-slip motion are controlled by the
amount of friction-induced torque at the interface. Our model provides a
general framework to understand and relate a series of recent experimental
observations, in particular the nucleation location of micro-slip instabilities
and the build up of an asymmetric field of real contact area.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Experimental simulation of quantum graphs by microwave networks
We present the results of experimental and theoretical study of irregular,
tetrahedral microwave networks consisting of coaxial cables (annular
waveguides) connected by T-joints. The spectra of the networks were measured in
the frequency range 0.0001-16 GHz in order to obtain their statistical
properties such as the integrated nearest neighbor spacing distribution and the
spectral rigidity. The comparison of our experimental and theoretical results
shows that microwave networks can simulate quantum graphs with time reversal
symmetry. In particular, we use the spectra of the microwave networks to study
the periodic orbits of the simulated quantum graphs. We also present
experimental study of directional microwave networks consisting of coaxial
cables and Faraday isolators for which the time reversal symmetry is broken. In
this case our experimental results indicate that spectral statistics of
directional microwave networks deviate from predictions of Gaussian orthogonal
ensembles (GOE) in random matrix theory approaching, especially for small
eigenfrequency spacing s, results for Gaussian unitary ensembles (GUE).
Experimental results are supported by the theoretical analysis of directional
graphs.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Contested resources: unions, employers, and the adoption of new work practices in US and UK telecommunications
The pattern of adoption of high-performance work practices has been explained in terms of strategic contingency and in terms of union presence. We compare the post-deregulation/privatization changes in work practice at AT&T, Bell Atlantic and British Telecom. On the basis of these cases, we argue that the choice of new work practices should be understood as a consequence not only of the company's resources or changes in its environment, nor of a simple union presence, but also as a consequence of the practices' effects on union power, the nature of the union's engagement, and the union's strategic choices
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