818 research outputs found
X ray sensitive area detection device
A radiation sensitive area detection device is disclosed which comprises a phosphor-containing film capable of receiving and storing an image formed by a pattern of incoming x rays, UV, or other radiation falling on the film. The device is capable of fluorescing in response to stimulation by a light source in a manner directly proportional to the stored radiation pattern. The device includes: (1) a light source capable of projecting light or other appropriate electromagnetic wave on the film so as to cause it to fluoresce; (2) a means to focus the fluoresced light coming from the phosphor-containing film after light stimulation; and (3) at least one charged coupled detector or other detecting element capable of receiving and digitizing the pattern of fluoresced light coming from the phosphor-containing film. The device will be able to generate superior x ray images of high resolution from a crystal or other sample and will be particularly advantageous in that instantaneous near-real-time images of rapidly deteriorating samples can be obtained. Furthermore, the device can be made compact and sturdy, thus capable of carrying out x ray or other radiation imaging under a variety of conditions, including those experienced in space
Depletion forces in non-equilibrium
The concept of effective depletion forces between two fixed big colloidal
particles in a bath of small particles is generalized to a non-equilibrium
situation where the bath of small Brownian particles is flowing around the big
particles with a prescribed velocity. In striking contrast to the equilibrium
case, the non-equilibrium forces violate Newton's third law, are
non-conservative and strongly anisotropic, featuring both strong attractive and
repulsive domains.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Reentrance effect in the lane formation of driven colloids
Recently it has been shown that a strongly interacting colloidal mixture
consisting of oppositely driven particles, undergoes a nonequilibrium
transition towards lane formation provided the driving strength exceeds a
threshold value. We predict here a reentrance effect in lane formation: for
fixed high driving force and increasing particle densities, there is first a
transition towards lane formation which is followed by another transition back
to a state with no lanes. Our result is obtained both by Brownian dynamics
computer simulations and by a phenomenological dynamical density functional
theory.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Differential Dynamic Microscopy of Bacterial Motility
We demonstrate 'differential dynamic microscopy' (DDM) for the fast, high
throughput characterization of the dynamics of active particles. Specifically,
we characterize the swimming speed distribution and the fraction of motile
cells in suspensions of Escherichia coli bacteria. By averaging over ~10^4
cells, our results are highly accurate compared to conventional tracking. The
diffusivity of non-motile cells is enhanced by an amount proportional to the
concentration of motile cells.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. In this updated version we have added simulations
to support our interpretation, and changed the model for the swimming speed
probability distribution from log-normal to a Schulz distribution. Neither
modification significantly changes our conclusion
Integration through transients for Brownian particles under steady shear
Starting from the microscopic Smoluchowski equation for interacting Brownian
particles under stationary shearing, exact expressions for shear-dependent
steady-state averages, correlation and structure functions, and
susceptibilities are obtained, which take the form of generalized Green-Kubo
relations. They require integration of transient dynamics. Equations of motion
with memory effects for transient density fluctuation functions are derived
from the same microscopic starting point. We argue that the derived formal
expressions provide useful starting points for approximations in order to
describe the stationary non-equilibrium state of steadily sheared dense
colloidal dispersions.Comment: 17 pages, Submitted to J. Phys.: Condens. Matter; revised version
with minor correction
Phase Transitions of Hard Disks in External Periodic Potentials: A Monte Carlo Study
The nature of freezing and melting transitions for a system of hard disks in
a spatially periodic external potential is studied using extensive Monte Carlo
simulations. Detailed finite size scaling analysis of various thermodynamic
quantities like the order parameter, its cumulants etc. are used to map the
phase diagram of the system for various values of the density and the amplitude
of the external potential. We find clear indication of a re-entrant liquid
phase over a significant region of the parameter space. Our simulations
therefore show that the system of hard disks behaves in a fashion similar to
charge stabilized colloids which are known to undergo an initial freezing,
followed by a re-melting transition as the amplitude of the imposed, modulating
field produced by crossed laser beams is steadily increased. Detailed analysis
of our data shows several features consistent with a recent dislocation
unbinding theory of laser induced melting.Comment: 36 pages, 16 figure
Square root singularity in the viscosity of neutral colloidal suspensions at large frequencies
The asymptotic frequency , dependence of the dynamic viscosity of
neutral hard sphere colloidal suspensions is shown to be of the form , where has been determined as a
function of the volume fraction , for all concentrations in the fluid
range, is the solvent viscosity and the P\'{e}clet time. For
a soft potential it is shown that, to leading order steepness, the asymptotic
behavior is the same as that for the hard sphere potential and a condition for
the cross-over behavior to is given. Our result for the hard
sphere potential generalizes a result of Cichocki and Felderhof obtained at low
concentrations and agrees well with the experiments of van der Werff et al, if
the usual Stokes-Einstein diffusion coefficient in the Smoluchowski
operator is consistently replaced by the short-time self diffusion coefficient
for non-dilute colloidal suspensions.Comment: 18 pages LaTeX, 1 postscript figur
Diffusive Evolution of Stable and Metastable Phases II: Theory of Non-Equilibrium Behaviour in Colloid-Polymer Mixtures
By analytically solving some simple models of phase-ordering kinetics, we
suggest a mechanism for the onset of non-equilibrium behaviour in
colloid-polymer mixtures. These mixtures can function as models of atomic
systems; their physics therefore impinges on many areas of thermodynamics and
phase-ordering. An exact solution is found for the motion of a single, planar
interface separating a growing phase of uniform high density from a
supersaturated low density phase, whose diffusive depletion drives the
interfacial motion. In addition, an approximate solution is found for the
one-dimensional evolution of two interfaces, separated by a slab of a
metastable phase at intermediate density. The theory predicts a critical
supersaturation of the low-density phase, above which the two interfaces become
unbound and the metastable phase grows ad infinitum. The growth of the stable
phase is suppressed in this regime.Comment: 27 pages, Latex, eps
Dispersity-Driven Melting Transition in Two Dimensional Solids
We perform extensive simulations of Lennard-Jones particles to study
the effect of particle size dispersity on the thermodynamic stability of
two-dimensional solids. We find a novel phase diagram in the dispersity-density
parameter space. We observe that for large values of the density there is a
threshold value of the size dispersity above which the solid melts to a liquid
along a line of first order phase transitions. For smaller values of density,
our results are consistent with the presence of an intermediate hexatic phase.
Further, these findings support the possibility of a multicritical point in the
dispersity-density parameter space.Comment: In revtex format, 4 pages, 6 postscript figures. Submitted to PR
Evidence for Unusual Dynamical Arrest Scenario in Short Ranged Colloidal Systems
Extensive molecular dynamics simulation studies of particles interacting via
a short ranged attractive square-well (SW) potential are reported. The
calculated loci of constant diffusion coefficient in the
temperature-packing fraction plane show a re-entrant behavior, i.e. an increase
of diffusivity on cooling, confirming an important part of the high
volume-fraction dynamical-arrest scenario earlier predicted by theory for
particles with short ranged potentials. The more efficient localization
mechanism induced by the short range bonding provides, on average, additional
free volume as compared to the hard-sphere case and results in faster dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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