7,647 research outputs found
Droplet shapes on structured substrates and conformal invariance
We consider the finite-size scaling of equilibrium droplet shapes for fluid
adsorption (at bulk two-phase co-existence) on heterogeneous substrates and
also in wedge geometries in which only a finite domain of the
substrate is completely wet. For three-dimensional systems with short-ranged
forces we use renormalization group ideas to establish that both the shape of
the droplet height and the height-height correlations can be understood from
the conformal invariance of an appropriate operator. This allows us to predict
the explicit scaling form of the droplet height for a number of different
domain shapes. For systems with long-ranged forces, conformal invariance is not
obeyed but the droplet shape is still shown to exhibit strong scaling
behaviour. We argue that droplet formation in heterogeneous wedge geometries
also shows a number of different scaling regimes depending on the range of the
forces. The conformal invariance of the wedge droplet shape for short-ranged
forces is shown explicitly.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures. (Submitted to J.Phys.:Cond.Mat.
New bulk scalar field solutions in brane worlds
We use nonlinear perturbation theory to obtain new solutions for brane world
models that incorporate a massive bulk scalar field. We then consider tensor
perturbations and show that Newtonian gravity is recovered on the brane for
both a light scalar field and for a bulk field with large negative mass. This
latter result points to the viability of higher-derivative theories of gravity
in the context of bulk extra dimensions.Comment: 4+\epsilon pages, no figure
3D wedge filling and 2D random-bond wetting
Fluids adsorbed in 3D wedges are shown to exhibit two types of continuous
interfacial unbinding corresponding to critical and tricritical filling
respectively. Analytic solution of an effective interfacial model based on the
transfer-matrix formalism allows us to obtain the asymptotic probability
distribution functions for the interfacial height when criticality and
tricriticality are approached. Generalised random walk arguments show that, for
systems with short-ranged forces, the critical singularities at these
transitions are related to 2D complete and critical wetting with random bond
disorder respectively.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Europhysics Letter
A microscopic approach to critical phenomena at interfaces: an application to complete wetting in the Ising model
We study how the formalism of the Hierarchical Reference Theory (HRT) can be
extended to inhomogeneous systems. HRT is a liquid state theory which
implements the basic ideas of Wilson momentum shell renormalization group (RG)
to microscopic Hamiltonians. In the case of homogeneous systems, HRT provides
accurate results even in the critical region, where it reproduces scaling and
non-classical critical exponents. We applied the HRT to study wetting critical
phenomena in a planar geometry. Our formalism avoids the explicit definition of
effective surface Hamiltonians but leads, close to the wetting transition, to
the same renormalization group equation already studied by RG techiques.
However, HRT also provides information on the non universal quantities because
it does not require any preliminary coarse graining procedure. A simple
approximation to the infinite HRT set of equations is discussed. The HRT
evolution equation for the surface free energy is numerically integrated in a
semi-infinite three-dimensional Ising model and the complete wetting phase
transition is analyzed. A renormalization of the adsorption critical amplitude
and of the wetting parameter is observed. Our results are compared to available
Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: To be published in Phy. Rev.
Correlation function algebra for inhomogeneous fluids
We consider variational (density functional) models of fluids confined in
parallel-plate geometries (with walls situated in the planes z=0 and z=L
respectively) and focus on the structure of the pair correlation function
G(r_1,r_2). We show that for local variational models there exist two
non-trivial identities relating both the transverse Fourier transform G(z_\mu,
z_\nu;q) and the zeroth moment G_0(z_\mu,z_\nu) at different positions z_1, z_2
and z_3. These relations form an algebra which severely restricts the possible
form of the function G_0(z_\mu,z_\nu). For the common situations in which the
equilibrium one-body (magnetization/number density) profile m_0(z) exhibits an
odd or even reflection symmetry in the z=L/2 plane the algebra simplifies
considerably and is used to relate the correlation function to the finite-size
excess free-energy \gamma(L). We rederive non-trivial scaling expressions for
the finite-size contribution to the free-energy at bulk criticality and for
systems where large scale interfacial fluctuations are present. Extensions to
non-planar geometries are also considered.Comment: 15 pages, RevTex, 4 eps figures. To appear in J.Phys.Condens.Matte
From meadows to milk to mucosa – adaptation of Streptococcus and Lactococcus species to their nutritional environments
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are indigenous to food-related habitats as well as associated with the mucosal surfaces of animals. The LAB family Streptococcaceae consists of the genera Lactococcus and Streptococcus. Members of the family include the industrially important species Lactococcus lactis, which has a long history safe use in the fermentative food industry, and the disease-causing streptococci Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes. The central metabolic pathways of the Streptococcaceae family have been extensively studied because of their relevance in the industrial use of some species, as well as their influence on virulence of others. Recent developments in high-throughput proteomic and DNA-microarray techniques, in in vivo NMR studies, and importantly in whole-genome sequencing have resulted in new insights into the metabolism of the Streptococcaceae family. The development of cost-effective high-throughput sequencing has resulted in the publication of numerous whole-genome sequences of lactococcal and streptococcal species. Comparative genomic analysis of these closely related but environmentally diverse species provides insight into the evolution of this family of LAB and shows that the relatively small genomes of members of the Streptococcaceae family have been largely shaped by the nutritionally rich environments they inhabit.
Local functional models of critical correlations in thin-films
Recent work on local functional theories of critical inhomogeneous fluids and
Ising-like magnets has shown them to be a potentially exact, or near exact,
description of universal finite-size effects associated with the excess
free-energy and scaling of one-point functions in critical thin films. This
approach is extended to predict the two-point correlation function G in
critical thin-films with symmetric surface fields in arbitrary dimension d. In
d=2 we show there is exact agreement with the predictions of conformal
invariance for the complete spectrum of correlation lengths as well as the
detailed position dependence of the asymptotic decay of G. In d=3 and d>=4 we
present new numerical predictions for the universal finite-size correlation
length and scaling functions determining the structure of G across the
thin-film. Highly accurate analytical closed form expressions for these
universal properties are derived in arbitrary dimension.Comment: 4 pages, 1 postscript figure. Submitted to Phys Rev Let
Collaboration and contestation in further and higher education partnerships in England: a Bourdieusian field analysis
Internationally, ‘College for All’ policies are creating new forms of vocational higher education (HE), and shifting relationships between HE and further education (FE) institutions. In this paper, we consider the way in which this is being implemented in England, drawing on a detailed qualitative case study of a regional HE–FE partnership to widen participation. We focus on the complex mix of collaboration and contestation that arose within it, and how these affected socially differentiated groups of students following high- and low-status routes through its provision. We outline Bourdieu’s concept of ‘field’ as a framework for our analysis and interpretation, including its theoretical ambiguities regarding the definition and scale of fields. Through hermeneutic dialogue between data and theory, we tentatively suggest that such partnerships represent bridges between HE and FE. These bridges are strong between higher-status institutions, but highly contested between lower-status institutions competing closely for distinction. We conclude that the trajectories and outcomes for socially disadvantaged students require attention and collective action to address the inequalities they face, and that our theoretical approach may have wider international relevance beyond the English case
Two-point correlations of the Gaussian symplectic ensemble from periodic orbits
We determine the asymptotics of the two-point correlation function for
quantum systems with half-integer spin which show chaotic behaviour in the
classical limit using a method introduced by Bogomolny and Keating [Phys. Rev.
Lett. 77 (1996) 1472-1475]. For time-reversal invariant systems we obtain the
leading terms of the two-point correlation function of the Gaussian symplectic
ensemble. Special attention has to be paid to the role of Kramers' degeneracy.Comment: 7 pages, no figure
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