Lattice Boltzmann versus Molecular Dynamics simulation of nano-hydrodynamic flows

A fluid flow in a simple dense liquid, passing an obstacle in a two-dimensional thin film geometry, is simulated by Molecular Dynamics (MD) computer simulation and compared to results of Lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulations. By the appropriate mapping of length and time units from LB to MD, the velocity field as obtained from MD is quantitatively reproduced by LB. The implications of this finding for prospective LB-MD multiscale applications are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Mesoscopic two-phase model for describing apparent slip in micro-channel flows

The phenomenon of apparent slip in micro-channel flows is analyzed by means of a two-phase mesoscopic lattice Boltzmann model including non-ideal fluid-fluid and fluid-wall interactins. The weakly-inhomogeneous limit of this model is solved analytically. The present mesoscopic approach permits to access much larger scales than molecular dynamics, and comparable with those attained by continuum methods. However, at variance with the continuum approach, the existence of a gas layer near the wall does not need to be postulated a priori, but emerges naturally from the underlying non-ideal mesoscopic dynamics. It is therefore argued that a mesoscopic Lattice Boltzmann approach with non-ideal fluid-fluid and fluid-wall interactions might achieve an optimal compromise between physical realism and computational efficiency for the study of channel micro-flows.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Background and approach to a definition of smart buildings

There is no possibility of finding a single reference about domotics in the first half of the 20th century. The best known authors and those who have documented this discipline, set its origin in the 1970’s, when the x-10 technology began to be used, but it was not until 1988 when Larousse Encyclopedia decided to include the definition of "Smart Building". Furthermore, even nowadays, there is not a single definition widely accepted, and for that reason, many other expressions, namely "Intelligent Buildings" "Domotics" "Digital Home" or "Home Automation" have appeared to describe the automated buildings and homes. The lack of a clear definition for "Smart Buildings" causes difficulty not only in the development of a common international framework to develop research in this field, but it also causes insecurity in the potential user of these buildings. Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to propose a definition of the expression “Smart Buildings” that satisfactorily describes the meaning of this discipline. To achieve this aim, a thorough review of the origin of the term itself and the historical background before the emergence of the phenomenon of domotics was conducted, followed by a critical discussion of existing definitions of the term "Smart Buildings" and other similar terms. The extent of each definition has been analyzed, inaccuracies have been discarded and commonalities have been compared. Throughout the discussion, definitions that bring the term "Smart Buildings" near to disciplines such as computer science, robotics and also telecommunications have been found

Axisymmetric pulse recycling and motion in bulk semiconductors

The Kroemer model for the Gunn effect in a circular geometry (Corbino disks) has been numerically solved. The results have been interpreted by means of asymptotic calculations. Above a certain onset dc voltage bias, axisymmetric pulses of the electric field are periodically shed by an inner circular cathode. These pulses decay as they move towards the outer anode, which they may not reach. As a pulse advances, the external current increases continuously until a new pulse is generated. Then the current abruptly decreases, in agreement with existing experimental results. Depending on the bias, more complex patterns with multiple pulse shedding are possible.Comment: 8 pages, 15 figure

Electric current of an electrified jet issuing from a long metallic tube.

This paper presents an analysis of the transport of electric current in a jet of an electrically conducting liquid discharging from a metallic tube into a gas or a vacuum, and subject to an electric field due to a high voltage applied between the tube and a far electrode. The flow, the surface charge and the electric field are computed in the current transfer region of the jet, where conduction current in the liquid becomes surface current due to the convection of electric charge accumulated at its surface. The electric current computed as a function of the flow rate of the liquid injected through the tube increases first as the square root of this flow rate, levels to a nearly constant value when the flow rate is increased and finally sets to a linear increase when the flow rate is further increased. The current increases linearly with the applied voltage at small and moderate values of this variable, and faster than linearly at high voltages. The characteristic length and structure of the current transfer region are determined. Order-of-magnitude estimates for jets which are only weakly stretched by the electric stresses are worked out that qualitatively account for some of the numerical results

A note on the lattice Boltzmann method beyond the Chapman Enskog limits

A non-perturbative analysis of the Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) model kinetic equation for finite values of the Knudsen number is presented. This analysis indicates why discrete kinetic versions of the BGK equation, and notably the Lattice Boltzmann method, can provide semi-quantitative results also in the non-hydrodynamic, finite-Knudsen regime, up to $Kn\sim {\cal O}(1)$. This may help the interpretation of recent Lattice Boltzmann simulations of microflows, which show satisfactory agreement with continuum kinetic theory in the moderate-Knudsen regime.Comment: 7 PAGES, 1 FIGUR

An H-Theorem for the Lattice Boltzmann Approach to Hydrodynamics

The lattice Boltzmann equation can be viewed as a discretization of the continuous Boltzmann equation. Because of this connection it has long been speculated that lattice Boltzmann algorithms might obey an H-theorem. In this letter we prove that usual nine-velocity models do not obey an H-theorem but models that do obey an H-theorem can be constructed. We consider the general conditions a lattice Boltzmann scheme must satisfy in order to obey an H-theorem and show why on a lattice, unlike the continuous case, dynamics that decrease an H-functional do not necessarily lead to a unique ground state.Comment: 6 pages, latex, no figures, accepted for publication in Europhys. Let

Capillary rise of a liquid between two vertical plates making a small angle.

The penetration of a wetting liquid in the narrow gap between two vertical plates making a small angle is analyzed in the framework of the lubrication approximation. At the beginning of the process, the liquid rises independently at different distances from the line of intersection of the plates except in a small region around this line where the effect of the gravity is negligible. The maximum height of the liquid initially increases as the cubic root of time and is attained at a point that reaches the line of intersection only after a certain time. At later times, the motion of the liquid is confined to a thin layer around the line of intersection whose height increases as the cubic root of time and whose thickness decreases as the inverse of the cubic root of time. The evolution of the liquid surface is computed numerically and compared with the results of a simple experiment

Water waves generated by moving atmospheric pressure: Theoretical analyses with applications to the 2022 Tonga event

Both 1DH (dispersive and non-dispersive) and 2DH axisymmetric (approximate, non-dispersive) analytical solutions are derived for water waves generated by moving atmospheric pressures. In 1DH, three wave components can be identified: the locked wave propagating with the speed of the atmospheric pressure, $C_p$, and two free wave components propagating in opposite directions with the respective wave celerity, according to the linear frequency dispersion relationship. Under the supercritical condition ($C_p > C$, which is the fastest celerity of the water wave) the leading water wave is the locked wave and has the same sign (i.e., phase) as the atmospheric pressure, while the trailing free wave has the opposite sign. Under the subcritical condition ($C >C_p$) the fastest moving free wave component leads and its free surface elevation has the same sign as the atmospheric pressure. For a long atmospheric pressure disturbance, the induced free surface profile mimics that of the atmospheric pressure. The 2DH problem involves an axisymmetric atmospheric pressure decaying in the radial direction as $O(r^{-1/2})$. Only two wave components, locked and free, appear due to symmetry. The tsunami DART data captured during Tonga's volcanic eruption event is analyzed. Corrections are necessary to isolate the free surface elevation data. Comparisons between the corrected DART data and the analytical solutions, including the arrival times of the leading locked waves and the trailing free waves, and the amplitude ratios, are in agreement in order-of-magnitude. The differences between them highlight the complexity of problems