151 research outputs found
Quantifying hidden order out of equilibrium
While the equilibrium properties, states, and phase transitions of
interacting systems are well described by statistical mechanics, the lack of
suitable state parameters has hindered the understanding of non-equilibrium
phenomena in diverse settings, from glasses to driven systems to biology. The
length of a losslessly compressed data file is a direct measure of its
information content: The more ordered the data is, the lower its information
content and the shorter the length of its encoding can be made. Here, we
describe how data compression enables the quantification of order in
non-equilibrium and equilibrium many-body systems, both discrete and
continuous, even when the underlying form of order is unknown. We consider
absorbing state models on and off-lattice, as well as a system of active
Brownian particles undergoing motility-induced phase separation. The technique
reliably identifies non-equilibrium phase transitions, determines their
character, quantitatively predicts certain critical exponents without prior
knowledge of the order parameters, and reveals previously unknown ordering
phenomena. This technique should provide a quantitative measure of organization
in condensed matter and other systems exhibiting collective phase transitions
in and out of equilibrium
Binodal Colloidal Aggregation Test - 4: Polydispersion
Binodal Colloidal Aggregation Test - 4: Polydispersion (BCAT-4-Poly) will use model hard-spheres to explore seeded colloidal crystal nucleation and the effects of polydispersity, providing insight into how nature brings order out of disorder. Crewmembers photograph samples of polymer and colloidal particles (tiny nanoscale spheres suspended in liquid) that model liquid/gas phase changes. Results will help scientists develop fundamental physics concepts previously cloaked by the effects of gravity
Peak Effect in Superconductors: Melting of Larkin Domains
Motivated by the recent observations of the peak effect in high- YBCO
superconductors, we reexamine the origin of this unusual phenomenon. We show
that the mechanism based on the -dependence (nonlocality) of the
vortex-lattice tilt modulus cannot account for the essential
feature of the peak effect. We propose a scenario in which the peak effect is
related to the melting of Larkin domains. In our model, the rise of critical
current with increasing temperature is a result of a crossover from the Larkin
pinning length to the length scale set by thermally excited free dislocations.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, REVTE
Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-5: Aspheres
The Binary Colloidal Alloy Test - 5: Aspheres (BCAT-5-Aspheres) experiment photographs initially randomized colloidal samples (tiny nanoscale spheres suspended in liquid) in microgravity to determine their resulting structure over time. BCAT-5-Aspheres will study the properties of concentrated systems of small particles when they are identical, but not spherical in microgravity.
DNA Photolithography with Cinnamate Crosslinkers
The present invention relates generally to cinnamate crosslinkers. Specifically, the present invention relates to gels, biochips, and functionalized surfaces useful as probes, in assays, in gels, and for drug delivery, and methods of making the same using a newly-discovered crosslinking configuration
- …