5,844 research outputs found
Front Propagation in the Pearling Instability of Tubular Vesicles
Recently Bar-Ziv and Moses discovered a dynamical shape transformation
induced in cylindrical lipid bilayer vesicles by the action of laser tweezers.
We develop a hydrodynamic theory of fluid bilayers in interaction with the
surrounding water and argue that the effect of the laser is to induce a sudden
tension in the membrane. We refine our previous analysis to account for the
fact that the shape transformation is not uniform but propagates outward from
the laser trap. Applying the marginal stability criterion to this situation
gives us an improved prediction for the selected initial wavelength and a new
prediction for the propagation velocity, both in rough agreement with the
experimental values. For example, a tubule of initial radius 0.7\micron\ has a
predicted initial sinusoidal perturbation in its diameter with wavelength
5.5\micron, as observed. The perturbation propagates as a front with the
qualitatively correct front velocity a bit less than 100\micron/sec. In
particular we show why this velocity is initially constant, as observed, and so
much smaller than the natural scale set by the tension. We also predict that
the front velocity should increase linearly with laser power. Finally we
introduce an approximate hydrodynamic model applicable to the fully nonlinear
regime. This model exhibits propagating fronts as well as fully-developed
``pearled" vesicles similar to those seen in the experiments.Comment: 42 pages, 6 eps figures included with text in uuencoded file, ps file
available from ftp://dept.physics.upenn.edu/pub/Nelson/pearl_propagation.ps
submitted to Journal de Physiqu
Characterizing Potentials by a Generalized Boltzmann Factor
Based on the concept of a nonequilibrium steady state, we present a novel
method to experimentally determine energy landscapes acting on colloidal
systems. By measuring the stationary probability distribution and the current
in the system, we explore potential landscapes with barriers up to several
hundred \kT. As an illustration, we use this approach to measure the
effective diffusion coefficient of a colloidal particle moving in a tilted
potential
Mobility and Diffusion of a Tagged Particle in a Driven Colloidal Suspension
We study numerically the influence of density and strain rate on the
diffusion and mobility of a single tagged particle in a sheared colloidal
suspension. We determine independently the time-dependent velocity
autocorrelation functions and, through a novel method, the response functions
with respect to a small force. While both the diffusion coefficient and the
mobility depend on the strain rate the latter exhibits a rather weak
dependency. Somewhat surprisingly, we find that the initial decay of response
and correlation functions coincide, allowing for an interpretation in terms of
an 'effective temperature'. Such a phenomenological effective temperature
recovers the Einstein relation in nonequilibrium. We show that our data is well
described by two expansions to lowest order in the strain rate.Comment: submitted to EP
Tagged particle in a sheared suspension: effective temperature determines density distribution in a slowly varying external potential beyond linear response
We consider a sheared colloidal suspension under the influence of an external
potential that varies slowly in space in the plane perpendicular to the flow
and acts on one selected (tagged) particle of the suspension. Using a
Chapman-Enskog type expansion we derive a steady state equation for the tagged
particle density distribution. We show that for potentials varying along one
direction only, the tagged particle distribution is the same as the equilibrium
distribution with the temperature equal to the effective temperature obtained
from the violation of the Einstein relation between the self-diffusion and
tagged particle mobility coefficients. We thus prove the usefulness of this
effective temperature for the description of the tagged particle behavior
beyond the realm of linear response. We illustrate our theoretical predictions
with Brownian dynamics computer simulations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Europhys. Let
Quantum Geometry Phenomenology: Angle and Semiclassical States
The phenomenology for the deep spatial geometry of loop quantum gravity is
discussed. In the context of a simple model of an atom of space, it is shown
how purely combinatorial structures can affect observations. The angle operator
is used to develop a model of angular corrections to local, continuum
flat-space 3-geometries. The physical effects involve neither breaking of local
Lorentz invariance nor Planck scale suppression, but rather reply on only the
combinatorics of SU(2) recouping theory. Bhabha scattering is discussed as an
example of how the effects might be observationally accessible.Comment: 5 pages, slightly extended version of the contribution to the
Loops'11 conference proceeding
Efficiency at maximum power: An analytically solvable model for stochastic heat engines
We study a class of cyclic Brownian heat engines in the framework of
finite-time thermodynamics. For infinitely long cycle times, the engine works
at the Carnot efficiency limit producing, however, zero power. For the
efficiency at maximum power, we find a universal expression, different from the
endoreversible Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency. Our results are illustrated with a
simple one-dimensional engine working in and with a time-dependent harmonic
potential.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Posterior probability and fluctuation theorem in stochastic processes
A generalization of fluctuation theorems in stochastic processes is proposed.
The new theorem is written in terms of posterior probabilities, which are
introduced via the Bayes theorem. In usual fluctuation theorems, a forward path
and its time reversal play an important role, so that a microscopically
reversible condition is essential. In contrast, the microscopically reversible
condition is not necessary in the new theorem. It is shown that the new theorem
adequately recovers various theorems and relations previously known, such as
the Gallavotti-Cohen-type fluctuation theorem, the Jarzynski equality, and the
Hatano-Sasa relation, when adequate assumptions are employed.Comment: 4 page
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