The volume entropy of local Hermitian symmetric space of noncompact type

We calculate the volume entropy of local Hermitian symmetric spaces of noncompact type in terms of its invariant $r$, $a$, $b$.Comment: 10 page

Diastatic entropy and rigidity of hyperbolic manifolds

Let $f: Y \rightarrow X$ be a continuous map between a compact real analytic K\"ahler manifold $(Y,g)$ and a compact complex {hyperbolic manifold} $(X,g_0)$. In this paper we give a lower bound of the diastatic entropy of $(Y,g)$ in terms of the diastatic entropy of $(X,g_0)$ and the degree of $f$. When the lower bound is attained we get geometric rigidity theorems for the diastatic entropy analogous to the ones obtained by G. Besson, G. Courtois and S. Gallot [2] for the volume entropy. As a corollary, when $X=Y$, we show that the minimal diastatic entropy is achieved if and only if $g$ is holomorphically or anti-holomorphically isometric to the hyperbolic metric $g_0$

A note on diastatic entropy and balanced metrics

We give un upper bound Ent(\Omega, g)<\lambda\ of the diastatic entropy Ent(\Omega, g) of a complex bounded domain (\Omega, g) in terms of the balanced condition (in Donaldson terminology) of the Kaehler metric \lambda g. When (\Omega, g) is a homogeneous bounded domain we show that the converse holds true, namely if Ent(\Omega, g)<1 then g is balanced. Moreover, we explcit compute Ent(\Omega, g) in terms of Piatetski-Shapiro constants.Comment: 7 page

On the diastatic entropy and C^1-rigidity of complex hyperbolic manifolds

Let f:(Y,g)->(X,g_0) be a non zero degree continuous map between compact K\"ahler manifolds of dimension greater or equal to 2, where g_0 has constant negative holomorphic sectional curvature. Adapting the Besson-Courtois-Gallot barycentre map techniques to the K\"ahler setting, we prove a gap theorem in terms of the degree of f and the diastatic entropies of (Y, g) and (X,g_0), which extends the rigidity result proved by the author in [13].Comment: 23 page

Polymer translocation through nano-pores in vibrating thin membranes

Polymer translocation is a promising strategy for the next-generation DNA sequencing technologies. The use of biological and synthetic nano-pores, however, still suffers from serious drawbacks. In particular, the width of the membrane layer can accommodate several bases at the same time, making difficult accurate sequencing applications. More recently, the use of graphene membranes has paved the way to new sequencing capabilities, with the possibility to measure transverse currents, among other advances. The reduced thickness of these new membranes poses new questions on the effect of deformability and vibrations of the membrane on the translocation process, two features which are not taken into account in the well-established theoretical frameworks. Here, we make a first step forward in this direction. We report numerical simulation work on a model system simple enough to allow gathering significant insight on the effect of these features on the average translocation time, with appropriate statistical significance. We have found that the interplay between thermal fluctuations and the deformability properties of the nano-pore play a crucial role in determining the process. We conclude by discussing new directions for further work

Locally preferred structure in simple atomic liquids

We propose a method to determine the locally preferred structure of model liquids. This latter is obtained numerically as the global minimum of the effective energy surface of clusters formed by small numbers of particles embedded in a liquid-like environment. The effective energy is the sum of the intra-cluster interaction potential and of an external field that describes the influence of the embedding bulk liquid at a mean-field level. Doing so we minimize the surface effects present in isolated clusters without introducing the full blown geometrical frustration present in bulk condensed phases. We find that the locally preferred structure of the Lennard-Jones liquid is an icosahedron, and that the liquid-like environment only slightly reduces the relative stability of the icosahedral cluster. The influence of the boundary conditions on the nature of the ground-state configuration of Lennard-Jones clusters is also discussed.Comment: RevTeX 4, 17 pages, 6 eps figure

The effect of polymorphism on the structural, dynamic and dielectric properties of plastic crystal water: A molecular dynamics simulation perspective

We have employed molecular dynamics simulations based on the TIP4P/2005 water model to investigate the local structural, dynamical, and dielectric properties of the two recently reported body-centered-cubic and face-centered-cubic plastic crystal phases of water. Our results reveal significant differences in the local orientational structure and rotational dynamics of water molecules for the two polymorphs. The probability distributions of trigonal and tetrahedral order parameters exhibit a multi-modal structure, implying the existence of significant local orientational heterogeneities, particularly in the face-centered-cubic phase. The calculated hydrogen bond statistics and dynamics provide further indications of the existence of a strongly heterogeneous and rapidly interconverting local orientational structural network in both polymorphs. We have observed a hindered molecular rotation, much more pronounced in the body-centered-cubic phase, which is reflected by the decay of the fourth-order Legendre reorientational correlation functions and angular Van Hove functions. Molecular rotation, however, is additionally hindered in the high-pressure liquid compared to the plastic crystal phase. The results obtained also reveal significant differences in the dielectric properties of the polymorphs due to the different dipolar orientational correlation characterizing each phase