110 research outputs found
Directed transport of active particles over asymmetric energy barriers
We theoretically and numerically investigate the transport of active colloids
to target regions, delimited by asymmetric energy barriers. We show that it is
possible to introduce a generalized effective temperature that is related to
the local variance of particle velocities. The stationary probability
distributions can be derived from a simple diffusion equation in the presence
of an inhomogeneous effective temperature resulting from the action of external
force fields. In particular, transitions rates over asymmetric energy barriers
can be unbalanced by having different effective temperatures over the two
slopes of the barrier. By varying the type of active noise, we find that equal
values of diffusivity and persistence time may produce strongly varied
effective temperatures and thus stationary distributions
Complex oscillatory yielding of model hard sphere glasses
The yielding behaviour of hard sphere glasses under large amplitude
oscillatory shear has been studied by probing the interplay of Brownian motion
and shear-induced diffusion at varying oscillation frequencies. Stress,
structure and dynamics are followed by experimental rheology and Browian
Dynamics simulations. Brownian motion assisted cage escape dominates at low
frequencies while escape through shear-induced collisions at high ones, both
related with a yielding peak in\ . At intermediate
frequencies a novel, for HS glasses, double peak in is
revealed reflecting both mechanisms. At high frequencies and strain amplitudes
a persistent structural anisotropy causes a stress drop within the cycle after
strain reversal, while higher stress harmonics are minimized at certain strain
amplitudes indicating an apparent harmonic response.Comment: 4 figures placed at the end with following order: Figure 1, figure 3,
figure 4 and figure
Yielding of Hard-Sphere Glasses during Start-Up Shear
Concentrated hard-sphere suspensions and glasses are investigated with rheometry, confocal microscopy, and Brownian dynamics simulations during start-up shear, providing a link between microstructure, dynamics, and rheology. The microstructural anisotropy is manifested in the extension axis where the maximum of the pair-distribution function exhibits a minimum at the stress overshoot. The interplay between Brownian relaxation and shear advection as well as the available free volume determine the structural anisotropy and the magnitude of the stress overshoot. Shear-induced cage deformation induces local constriction, reducing in-cage diffusion. Finally, a superdiffusive response at the steady state, with a minimum of the time-dependent effective diffusivity, reflects a continuous cage breakup and reformation
Colloidal gels under shear: Strain rate effects
Attractive colloidal particles are trapped in metastable states such as colloidal gels at high attraction strengths and attractive glasses and high volume fractions. Under shear such states flow via a two step yielding process that relates to bond and cluster or cage breaking. We discuss the way the structural properties and related stress response are affected by the shear rate. At low rates colloidal gels yield during start-up shear essentially in a single step, exhibiting a single stress overshoot due to creation of compact flowing clusters. With increasing shear rate a second stress overshoot, linked with further cluster breaking up to individual particles, is becoming more pronounced. We further present the age dependence of the two step yielding and wall slip effects often taking place during rheological experiments of colloidal gels. The latter is related both with the shear rate dependent gel structure as well as the time evolution of the near wall structure
Residual Stresses in Glasses
The history dependence of the glasses formed from flow-melted steady states
by a sudden cessation of the shear rate is studied in colloidal
suspensions, by molecular dynamics simulations, and mode-coupling theory. In an
ideal glass, stresses relax only partially, leaving behind a finite persistent
residual stress. For intermediate times, relaxation curves scale as a function
of , even though no flow is present. The macroscopic stress
evolution is connected to a length scale of residual liquefaction displayed by
microscopic mean-squared displacements. The theory describes this history
dependence of glasses sharing the same thermodynamic state variables, but
differing static properties.Comment: submitted to Physical Revie
Colloidal suspensions in modulated light fields
Periodically-modulated potentials in the form of light fields have previously
been applied to induce reversible phase transitions in dilute colloidal systems
with long-range interactions. Here we investigate whether similar transitions
can be induced in very dense systems, where inter-particle contacts are
important. Using microscopy we show that particles in such systems are indeed
strongly affected by modulated potentials. We discuss technical aspects
relevant to generating the light-induced potentials and to imaging
simultaneously the particles. We also consider what happens when the particle
size is comparable with the modulation wavelength. The effects of selected
modulation wavelengths as well as pure radiation pressure are illustrated.Comment: Accepted by J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, CODEF II Special Issue. 23
pages, 12 figure
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