6,030 research outputs found
Noise-induced switching between vortex states with different polarization in classical two-dimensional easy-plane magnets
In the 2-dimensional anisotropic Heisenberg model with XY-symmetry there are
non-planar vortices which exhibit a localized structure of the z-components of
the spins around the vortex center. We study how thermal noise induces a
transition of this structure from one polarization to the opposite one. We
describe the vortex core by a discrete Hamiltonian and consider a stationary
solution of the Fokker-Planck equation. We find a bimodal distribution function
and calculate the transition rate using Langer's instanton theory (1969). The
result is compared with Langevin dynamics simulations for the full many-spin
model.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, Phys. Rev. B., in pres
Inhomogeneous soliton ratchets under two ac forces
We extend our previous work on soliton ratchet devices [L. Morales-Molina et
al., Eur. Phys. J. B 37, 79 (2004)] to consider the joint effect of two ac
forces including non-harmonic drivings, as proposed for particle ratchets by
Savele'v et al. [Europhys. Lett. 67}, 179 (2004); Phys. Rev. E {\bf 70} 066109
(2004)]. Current reversals due to the interplay between the phases, frequencies
and amplitudes of the harmonics are obtained. An analysis of the effect of the
damping coefficient on the dynamics is presented. We show that solitons give
rise to non-trivial differences in the phenomenology reported for particle
systems that arise from their extended character. A comparison with soliton
ratchets in homogeneous systems with biharmonic forces is also presented. This
ratchet device may be an ideal candidate for Josephson junction ratchets with
intrinsic large damping
Ratchet behavior in nonlinear Klein-Gordon systems with point-like inhomogeneities
We investigate the ratchet dynamics of nonlinear Klein-Gordon kinks in a
periodic, asymmetric lattice of point-like inhomogeneities. We explain the
underlying rectification mechanism within a collective coordinate framework,
which shows that such system behaves as a rocking ratchet for point particles.
Careful attention is given to the kink width dynamics and its role in the
transport. We also analyze the robustness of our kink rocking ratchet in the
presence of noise. We show that the noise activates unidirectional motion in a
parameter range where such motion is not observed in the noiseless case. This
is subsequently corroborated by the collective variable theory. An explanation
for this new phenomenom is given
Internal mode mechanism for collective energy transport in extended systems
We study directed energy transport in homogeneous nonlinear extended systems
in the presence of homogeneous ac forces and dissipation. We show that the
mechanism responsible for unidirectional motion of topological excitations is
the coupling of their internal and translation degrees of freedom. Our results
lead to a selection rule for the existence of such motion based on resonances
that explains earlier symmetry analysis of this phenomenon. The direction of
motion is found to depend both on the initial and the relative phases of the
two harmonic drivings, even in the presence of noise.Comment: Final version, to appear in Physical Review Letter
Number partitioning as random energy model
Number partitioning is a classical problem from combinatorial optimisation.
In physical terms it corresponds to a long range anti-ferromagnetic Ising spin
glass. It has been rigorously proven that the low lying energies of number
partitioning behave like uncorrelated random variables. We claim that
neighbouring energy levels are uncorrelated almost everywhere on the energy
axis, and that energetically adjacent configurations are uncorrelated, too.
Apparently there is no relation between geometry (configuration) and energy
that could be exploited by an optimization algorithm. This ``local random
energy'' picture of number partitioning is corroborated by numerical
simulations and heuristic arguments.Comment: 8+2 pages, 9 figures, PDF onl
Optimization of soliton ratchets in inhomogeneous sine-Gordon systems
Unidirectional motion of solitons can take place, although the applied force
has zero average in time, when the spatial symmetry is broken by introducing a
potential , which consists of periodically repeated cells with each cell
containing an asymmetric array of strongly localized inhomogeneities at
positions . A collective coordinate approach shows that the positions,
heights and widths of the inhomogeneities (in that order) are the crucial
parameters so as to obtain an optimal effective potential that yields
a maximal average soliton velocity. essentially exhibits two
features: double peaks consisting of a positive and a negative peak, and long
flat regions between the double peaks. Such a potential can be obtained by
choosing inhomogeneities with opposite signs (e.g., microresistors and
microshorts in the case of long Josephson junctions) that are positioned close
to each other, while the distance between each peak pair is rather large. These
results of the collective variables theory are confirmed by full simulations
for the inhomogeneous sine-Gordon system
Fine and ultrafine particle number and size measurements from industrial combustion processes : primary emissions field data
This study is to our knowledge the first to present the results of on-line measurements of residual nanoparticle numbers downstream of the flue gas treatment systems of a wide variety of medium- and large-scale industrial installations. Where available, a semi-quantitative elemental composition of the sampled particles is carried out using a Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (SEM-EDS). The semi-quantitative elemental composition as a function of the particle size is presented. EU's Best Available Technology documents (BAT) show removal efficiencies of Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) and bag filter dedusting systems exceeding 99% when expressed in terms of weight. Their efficiency decreases slightly for particles smaller than 1 mu m but when expressed in terms of weight, still exceeds 99% for bag filters and 96% for ESP. This study reveals that in terms of particle numbers, residual nanoparticles (NP) leaving the dedusting systems dominate by several orders of magnitude. In terms of weight, all installations respect their emission limit values and the contribution of NP to weight concentrations is negligible, despite their dominance in terms of numbers. Current World Health Organisation regulations are expressed in terms of PM2.5 wt concentrations and therefore do not reflect the presence or absence of a high number of NP. This study suggests that research is needed on possible additional guidelines related to NP given their possible toxicity and high potential to easily enter the blood stream when inhaled by humans
On the combination of omics data for prediction of binary outcomes
Enrichment of predictive models with new biomolecular markers is an important
task in high-dimensional omic applications. Increasingly, clinical studies
include several sets of such omics markers available for each patient,
measuring different levels of biological variation. As a result, one of the
main challenges in predictive research is the integration of different sources
of omic biomarkers for the prediction of health traits. We review several
approaches for the combination of omic markers in the context of binary outcome
prediction, all based on double cross-validation and regularized regression
models. We evaluate their performance in terms of calibration and
discrimination and we compare their performance with respect to single-omic
source predictions. We illustrate the methods through the analysis of two real
datasets. On the one hand, we consider the combination of two fractions of
proteomic mass spectrometry for the calibration of a diagnostic rule for the
detection of early-stage breast cancer. On the other hand, we consider
transcriptomics and metabolomics as predictors of obesity using data from the
Dietary, Lifestyle, and Genetic determinants of Obesity and Metabolic syndrome
(DILGOM) study, a population-based cohort, from Finland
Kinetics of n-Butoxy and 2-Pentoxy Isomerization and Detection of Primary Products by Infrared Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy
The primary products of n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy isomerization in the presence and absence of O_2 have been detected using pulsed laser photolysis-cavity ringdown spectroscopy (PLP-CRDS). Alkoxy radicals n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy were generated by photolysis of alkyl nitrite precursors (n-butyl nitrite or 2-pentyl nitrite, respectively), and the isomerization products with and without O_2 were detected by infrared cavity ringdown spectroscopy 20 μs after the photolysis. We report the mid-IR OH stretch (ν_1) absorption spectra for δ-HO-1-C_4H_8•, δ-HO-1-C_4H_8OO•, δ-HO-1-C_5H_(10)•, and δ-HO-1-C_5H_(10)OO•. The observed ν_1 bands are similar in position and shape to the related alcohols (n-butanol and 2-pentanol), although the HOROO• absorption is slightly stronger than the HOR• absorption. We determined the rate of isomerization relative to reaction with O_2 for the n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy radicals by measuring the relative ν_1 absorbance of HOROO• as a function of [O_2]. At 295 K and 670 Torr of N_2 or N_2/O_2, we found rate constant ratios of k_(isom)/k_(O2) = 1.7 (±0.1) × 10^(19) cm^(–3) for n-butoxy and k_(isom)/k_(O2) = 3.4(±0.4) × 10^(19) cm^(–3) for 2-pentoxy (2σ uncertainty). Using currently known rate constants k_(O2), we estimate isomerization rates of k_(isom) = 2.4 (±1.2) × 10^5 s^(–1) and k_(isom) ≈ 3 × 10^5 s^(–1) for n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy radicals, respectively, where the uncertainties are primarily due to uncertainties in k_(O2). Because isomerization is predicted to be in the high pressure limit at 670 Torr, these relative rates are expected to be the same at atmospheric pressure. Our results include corrections for prompt isomerization of hot nascent alkoxy radicals as well as reaction with background NO and unimolecular alkoxy decomposition. We estimate prompt isomerization yields under our conditions of 4 ± 2% and 5 ± 2% for n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy formed from photolysis of the alkyl nitrites at 351 nm. Our measured relative rate values are in good agreement with and more precise than previous end-product analysis studies conducted on the n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy systems. We show that reactions typically neglected in the analysis of alkoxy relative kinetics (decomposition, recombination with NO, and prompt isomerization) may need to be included to obtain accurate values of k_(isom)/k_(O2)
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