22,702 research outputs found
Noisy Classical Field Theories with Two Coupled Fields: Dependence of Escape Rates on Relative Field Stiffnesses
Exit times for stochastic Ginzburg-Landau classical field theories with two
or more coupled classical fields depend on the interval length on which the
fields are defined, the potential in which the fields deterministically evolve,
and the relative stiffness of the fields themselves. The latter is of
particular importance in that physical applications will generally require
different relative stiffnesses, but the effect of varying field stiffnesses has
not heretofore been studied. In this paper, we explore the complete phase
diagram of escape times as they depend on the various problem parameters. In
addition to finding a transition in escape rates as the relative stiffness
varies, we also observe a critical slowing down of the string method algorithm
as criticality is approached.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure
The Order of Phase Transitions in Barrier Crossing
A spatially extended classical system with metastable states subject to weak
spatiotemporal noise can exhibit a transition in its activation behavior when
one or more external parameters are varied. Depending on the potential, the
transition can be first or second-order, but there exists no systematic theory
of the relation between the order of the transition and the shape of the
potential barrier. In this paper, we address that question in detail for a
general class of systems whose order parameter is describable by a classical
field that can vary both in space and time, and whose zero-noise dynamics are
governed by a smooth polynomial potential. We show that a quartic potential
barrier can only have second-order transitions, confirming an earlier
conjecture [1]. We then derive, through a combination of analytical and
numerical arguments, both necessary conditions and sufficient conditions to
have a first-order vs. a second-order transition in noise-induced activation
behavior, for a large class of systems with smooth polynomial potentials of
arbitrary order. We find in particular that the order of the transition is
especially sensitive to the potential behavior near the top of the barrier.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures with extended introduction and discussion; version
accepted for publication by Phys. Rev.
New Limits on Local Lorentz Invariance in Mercury and Cesium
We report new bounds on Local Lorentz Invariance (LLI) violation in Cs and
Hg. The limits are obtained through the observation of the the spin- precession
frequencies of 199Hg and 133Cs atoms in their ground states as a function of
the orientation of an applied magnetic field with respect to the fixed stars.
We measure the amplitudes of the dipole couplings to a preferred direction in
the equatorial plane to be 19(11) nHz for Hg and 9(5) microHz for Cs. The upper
bounds established here improve upon previous bounds by about a factor of four.
The improvement is primarily due to mounting the apparatus on a rotating table.
New bounds are established on several terms in the standard model extension
including the first bounds on the spin-couplings of the neutron and proton to
the z direction, <7e-30 GeV and <7e-29 GeV, respectively.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure
Estimating changes in temperature extremes from millennial scale climate simulations using generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions
Changes in extreme weather may produce some of the largest societal impacts
of anthropogenic climate change. However, it is intrinsically difficult to
estimate changes in extreme events from the short observational record. In this
work we use millennial runs from the CCSM3 in equilibrated pre-industrial and
possible future conditions to examine both how extremes change in this model
and how well these changes can be estimated as a function of run length. We
estimate changes to distributions of future temperature extremes (annual minima
and annual maxima) in the contiguous United States by fitting generalized
extreme value (GEV) distributions. Using 1000-year pre-industrial and future
time series, we show that the magnitude of warm extremes largely shifts in
accordance with mean shifts in summertime temperatures. In contrast, cold
extremes warm more than mean shifts in wintertime temperatures, but changes in
GEV location parameters are largely explainable by mean shifts combined with
reduced wintertime temperature variability. In addition, changes in the spread
and shape of the GEV distributions of cold extremes at inland locations can
lead to discernible changes in tail behavior. We then examine uncertainties
that result from using shorter model runs. In principle, the GEV distribution
provides theoretical justification to predict infrequent events using time
series shorter than the recurrence frequency of those events. To investigate
how well this approach works in practice, we estimate 20-, 50-, and 100-year
extreme events using segments of varying lengths. We find that even using GEV
distributions, time series that are of comparable or shorter length than the
return period of interest can lead to very poor estimates. These results
suggest caution when attempting to use short observational time series or model
runs to infer infrequent extremes.Comment: 33 pages, 22 figures, 1 tabl
Practical Bayesian Modeling and Inference for Massive Spatial Datasets On Modest Computing Environments
With continued advances in Geographic Information Systems and related
computational technologies, statisticians are often required to analyze very
large spatial datasets. This has generated substantial interest over the last
decade, already too vast to be summarized here, in scalable methodologies for
analyzing large spatial datasets. Scalable spatial process models have been
found especially attractive due to their richness and flexibility and,
particularly so in the Bayesian paradigm, due to their presence in hierarchical
model settings. However, the vast majority of research articles present in this
domain have been geared toward innovative theory or more complex model
development. Very limited attention has been accorded to approaches for easily
implementable scalable hierarchical models for the practicing scientist or
spatial analyst. This article is submitted to the Practice section of the
journal with the aim of developing massively scalable Bayesian approaches that
can rapidly deliver Bayesian inference on spatial process that are practically
indistinguishable from inference obtained using more expensive alternatives. A
key emphasis is on implementation within very standard (modest) computing
environments (e.g., a standard desktop or laptop) using easily available
statistical software packages without requiring message-parsing interfaces or
parallel programming paradigms. Key insights are offered regarding assumptions
and approximations concerning practical efficiency.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, 2 table
Analytical Rebridging Monte Carlo: Application to cis/trans Isomerization in Proline-Containing, Cyclic Peptides
We present a new method, the analytical rebridging scheme, for Monte Carlo
simulation of proline-containing, cyclic peptides. The cis/trans isomerization
is accommodated by allowing for two states of the amide bond. We apply our
method to five peptides that have been previously characterized by NMR methods.
Our simulations achieve effective equilibration and agree well with
experimental data in all cases. We discuss the importance of effective
equilibration and the role of bond flexibility and solvent effects on the
predicted equilibrium properties.Comment: 29 pages, 8 PostScript figures, LaTeX source. to appear in J. Chem.
Phys., 199
Photonic band mixing in linear chains of optically coupled micro-spheres
The paper deals with optical excitations arising in a one-dimensional chain
of identical spheres due optical coupling of whispering gallery modes (WGM).
The band structure of these excitations depends significantly on the
inter-mixing between WGMs characterized by different values of angular quantum
number, . We develop a general theory of the photonic band structure of
these excitations taking these effects into account and applied it to several
cases of recent experimental interest. In the case of bands originating from
WQMs with the angular quantum number of the same parity, the calculated
dispersion laws are in good qualitative agreement with recent experiment
results. Bands resulting from hybridization of excitations resulting from
whispering gallery modes with different parity of exhibits anomalous
dispersion properties characterized by a gap in the allowed values of
\emph{wave numbers} and divergence of group velocity.Comment: RevTex, 28 pages, 7 Figure
Spin Susceptibility of a 2D Electron System in GaAs towards the Weak Interaction Region
We determine the spin susceptibility in the weak interaction regime of
a tunable, high quality, two-dimensional electron system in a GaAs/AlGaAs
heterostructure. The band structure effects, modifying mass and g-factor, are
carefully taken into accounts since they become appreciable for the large
electron densities of the weak interaction regime. When properly normalized,
decreases monotonically from 3 to 1.1 with increasing density over our
experimental range from 0.1 to . In the high density
limit, tends correctly towards and compare well with recent
theory.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review
Magnetic Reversal in Nanoscopic Ferromagnetic Rings
We present a theory of magnetization reversal due to thermal fluctuations in
thin submicron-scale rings composed of soft magnetic materials. The
magnetization in such geometries is more stable against reversal than that in
thin needles and other geometries, where sharp ends or edges can initiate
nucleation of a reversed state. The 2D ring geometry also allows us to evaluate
the effects of nonlocal magnetostatic forces. We find a `phase transition',
which should be experimentally observable, between an Arrhenius and a
non-Arrhenius activation regime as magnetic field is varied in a ring of fixed
size.Comment: RevTeX, 23 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Approach to equilibrium in adiabatically evolving potentials
For a potential function (in one dimension) which evolves from a specified
initial form to a different asymptotically, we study the
evolution, in an overdamped dynamics, of an initial probability density to its
final equilibeium.There can be unexpected effects that can arise from the time
dependence. We choose a time variation of the form
. For a , which is
double welled and a which is simple harmonic, we show that, in
particular, if the evolution is adiabatic, the results in a decrease in the
Kramers time characteristics of . Thus the time dependence makes
diffusion over a barrier more efficient. There can also be interesting
resonance effects when and are two harmonic potentials
displaced with respect to each other that arise from the coincidence of the
intrinsic time scale characterising the potential variation and the Kramers
time.Comment: This paper contains 5 page
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