169 research outputs found
Generalized model of blockage in particulate flow limited by channel carrying capacity
We investigate stochastic models of particles entering a channel with a
random time distribution. When the number of particles present in the channel
exceeds a critical value , a blockage occurs and the particle flux is
definitively interrupted. By introducing an integral representation of the
particle survival probabilities, we obtain exact expressions for the survival
probability, the distribution of the number of particles that pass before
failure, the instantaneous flux of exiting particle and their time correlation.
We generalize previous results for to an arbitrary distribution of entry
times and obtain new, exact solutions for for a Poisson distribution and
partial results for .Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure
The viscous slowing down of supercooled liquids as a temperature-controlled superArrhenius activated process: a description in terms of frustration-limited domains
We propose that the salient feature to be explained about the glass
transition of supercooled liquids is the temperature-controlled superArrhenius
activated nature of the viscous slowing down, more strikingly seen in
weakly-bonded, fragile systems. In the light of this observation, the relevance
of simple models of spherically interacting particles and that of models based
on free-volume congested dynamics are questioned. Finally, we discuss how the
main aspects of the phenomenology of supercooled liquids, including the
crossover from Arrhenius to superArrhenius activated behavior and the
heterogeneous character of the relaxation, can be described by an
approach based on frustration-limited domains.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, accepted in J. Phys.: Condensed Matter,
proceedings of the Trieste workshop on "Unifying Concepts in Glass Physics
Microphase Separation and modulated phases in a Coulomb frustrated Ising ferromagnet
We study a 3-dimensional Ising model in which the tendency to order due to
short-range ferromagnetic interactions is frustrated by competing long-range
(Coulombic) interactions. Complete ferromagnetic ordering is impossible for any
nonzero value of the frustration parameter, but the system displays a variety
of phases characterized by periodically modulated structures. We have performed
extensive Monte-Carlo simulations which provide strong evidence that the
microphase separation transition between paramagnetic and modulated phases is a
fluctuation-induced first-order transition. Additional transitions to various
commensurate phases may also occur when further lowering the temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted in Europhys. Letter
Thermalization of an anisotropic granular particle
We investigate the dynamics of a needle in a two-dimensional bath composed of
thermalized point particles. Collisions between the needle and points are
inelastic and characterized by a normal restitution coefficient . By
using the Enskog-Boltzmann equation, we obtain analytical expressions for the
translational and rotational granular temperatures of the needle and show that
these are, in general, different from the bath temperature. The translational
temperature always exceeds the rotational one, though the difference decreases
with increasing moment of inertia. The predictions of the theory are in very
good agreement with numerical simulations of the model.Comment: 7 pages, 6 Figures, submitted to PRE. Revised version (Fig1, Fig5 and
Fig6 corrected + minor typos
Lunar laser ranging in infrfared at hte Grasse laser station
For many years, lunar laser ranging (LLR) observations using a green
wavelength have suffered an inhomogeneity problem both temporally and
spatially. This paper reports on the implementation of a new infrared detection
at the Grasse LLR station and describes how infrared telemetry improves this
situation. Our first results show that infrared detection permits us to densify
the observations and allows measurements during the new and the full Moon
periods. The link budget improvement leads to homogeneous telemetric
measurements on each lunar retro-reflector. Finally, a surprising result is
obtained on the Lunokhod 2 array which attains the same efficiency as Lunokhod
1 with an infrared laser link, although those two targets exhibit a
differential efficiency of six with a green laser link
Locally Preferred Structure and Frustration in Glassforming Liquids: A Clue to Polyamorphism?
We propose that the concept of liquids characterized by a given locally
preferred structure (LPS) could help in understanding the observed phenomenon
of polyamorphism. ``True polyamorphism'' would involve the competition between
two (or more) distinct LPS, one favored at low pressure because of its low
energy and one favored at high pressure because of its small specific volume,
as in tetrahedrally coordinated systems. ``Apparent polyamorphism'' could be
associated with the existence of a poorly crystallized defect-ordered phase
with a large unit cell and small crystallites, which may be illustrated by the
metastable glacial phase of the fragile glassformer triphenylphosphite; the
apparent polyamorphism might result from structural frustration, i. e., a
competition between the tendency to extend the LPS and a global constraint that
prevents tiling of the whole space by the LPS.Comment: 11, 6 figures, Proceedings of the Conference "Horizons in Complex
Systems", Messina; in honor of the 60th birthday of H.E. Stanle
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