314 research outputs found
A cluster model with random anisotropy for hysteresis jumps in CeNiCu alloys
Some Cerium compounds exhibit hysteresis cycles with sharp macroscopic jumps
in the magnetization at very low temperatures. This effect is attributed to the
formation of clusters in which the anisotropy competes with the applied
magnetic field. Here, we present a simple model where a lattice of
ferromagnetically coupled spins is separated in clusters of random sizes and
with random anisotropy. Within this model, we obtain hysteresis cycles
presenting jumps that behave in a similar way that the experimental ones, and
that disappear when increasing the temperature. The results are in good
agreement with the hysteresis cycles measured at very low temperatures in
CeNiCu and the comparison with these experimental results allows
to discriminate the relative importance of the mechanisms driving the thermal
evolution of the cycles.Comment: Accepted in PR
Visualizing probabilistic models: Intensive Principal Component Analysis
Unsupervised learning makes manifest the underlying structure of data without
curated training and specific problem definitions. However, the inference of
relationships between data points is frustrated by the `curse of
dimensionality' in high-dimensions. Inspired by replica theory from statistical
mechanics, we consider replicas of the system to tune the dimensionality and
take the limit as the number of replicas goes to zero. The result is the
intensive embedding, which is not only isometric (preserving local distances)
but allows global structure to be more transparently visualized. We develop the
Intensive Principal Component Analysis (InPCA) and demonstrate clear
improvements in visualizations of the Ising model of magnetic spins, a neural
network, and the dark energy cold dark matter ({\Lambda}CDM) model as applied
to the Cosmic Microwave Background.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Nucleation at the DNA supercoiling transition
Twisting DNA under a constant applied force reveals a thermally activated
transition into a state with a supercoiled structure known as a plectoneme.
Using transition state theory, we predict the rate of this plectoneme
nucleation to be of order 10^4 Hz. We reconcile this with experiments that have
measured hopping rates of order 10 Hz by noting that the viscosity of the bead
used to manipulate the DNA limits the measured rate. We find that the intrinsic
bending caused by disorder in the base-pair sequence is important for
understanding the free energy barrier that governs the transition. Both
analytic and numerical methods are used in the calculations. We provide
extensive details on the numerical methods for simulating the elastic rod model
with and without disorder.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figure
Deep Spin-Glass Hysteresis Area Collapse and Scaling in the Ising Model
We investigate the dissipative loss in the Ising spin glass in three
dimensions through the scaling of the hysteresis area, for a maximum magnetic
field that is equal to the saturation field. We perform a systematic analysis
for the whole range of the bond randomness as a function of the sweep rate, by
means of frustration-preserving hard-spin mean field theory. Data collapse
within the entirety of the spin-glass phase driven adiabatically (i.e.,
infinitely-slow field variation) is found, revealing a power-law scaling of the
hysteresis area as a function of the antiferromagnetic bond fraction and the
temperature. Two dynamic regimes separated by a threshold frequency
characterize the dependence on the sweep rate of the oscillating field. For
, the hysteresis area is equal to its value in the adiabatic
limit , while for it increases with the
frequency through another randomness-dependent power law.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Universally Sloppy Parameter Sensitivities in Systems Biology
Quantitative computational models play an increasingly important role in
modern biology. Such models typically involve many free parameters, and
assigning their values is often a substantial obstacle to model development.
Directly measuring \emph{in vivo} biochemical parameters is difficult, and
collectively fitting them to other data often yields large parameter
uncertainties. Nevertheless, in earlier work we showed in a
growth-factor-signaling model that collective fitting could yield
well-constrained predictions, even when it left individual parameters very
poorly constrained. We also showed that the model had a `sloppy' spectrum of
parameter sensitivities, with eigenvalues roughly evenly distributed over many
decades. Here we use a collection of models from the literature to test whether
such sloppy spectra are common in systems biology. Strikingly, we find that
every model we examine has a sloppy spectrum of sensitivities. We also test
several consequences of this sloppiness for building predictive models. In
particular, sloppiness suggests that collective fits to even large amounts of
ideal time-series data will often leave many parameters poorly constrained.
Tests over our model collection are consistent with this suggestion. This
difficulty with collective fits may seem to argue for direct parameter
measurements, but sloppiness also implies that such measurements must be
formidably precise and complete to usefully constrain many model predictions.
We confirm this implication in our signaling model. Our results suggest that
sloppy sensitivity spectra are universal in systems biology models. The
prevalence of sloppiness highlights the power of collective fits and suggests
that modelers should focus on predictions rather than on parameters.Comment: Submitted to PLoS Computational Biology. Supplementary Information
available in "Other Formats" bundle. Discussion slightly revised to add
historical contex
Temperature dependence of the superheating field for superconductors in the high-k London limit
We study the metastability of the superheated Meissner state in type II
superconductors with k >> 1 beyond Ginzburg-Landau theory, which is applicable
only in the vicinity of the critical temperature. Within Eilenberger's
semiclassical approximation, we use the local electrodynamic response of the
superconductor to derive a generalized thermodynamic potential valid at any
temperature. The stability analysis of this functional yields the temperature
dependence of the superheating field. Finally, we comment on the implications
of our results for superconducting cavities in particle accelerators.Comment: 7.5 pages, 2 figure
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