186 research outputs found
Dynamics of Large-Scale Plastic Deformation and the Necking Instability in Amorphous Solids
We use the shear transformation zone (STZ) theory of dynamic plasticity to
study the necking instability in a two-dimensional strip of amorphous solid.
Our Eulerian description of large-scale deformation allows us to follow the
instability far into the nonlinear regime. We find a strong rate dependence;
the higher the applied strain rate, the further the strip extends before the
onset of instability. The material hardens outside the necking region, but the
description of plastic flow within the neck is distinctly different from that
of conventional time-independent theories of plasticity.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (eps), revtex4, added references, changed and
added content, resubmitted to PR
Extinction Rates for Fluctuation-Induced Metastabilities : A Real-Space WKB Approach
The extinction of a single species due to demographic stochasticity is
analyzed. The discrete nature of the individual agents and the Poissonian noise
related to the birth-death processes result in local extinction of a metastable
population, as the system hits the absorbing state. The Fokker-Planck
formulation of that problem fails to capture the statistics of large deviations
from the metastable state, while approximations appropriate close to the
absorbing state become, in general, invalid as the population becomes large. To
connect these two regimes, a master equation based on a real space WKB method
is presented, and is shown to yield an excellent approximation for the decay
rate and the extreme events statistics all the way down to the absorbing state.
The details of the underlying microscopic process, smeared out in a mean field
treatment, are shown to be crucial for an exact determination of the extinction
exponent. This general scheme is shown to reproduce the known results in the
field, to yield new corollaries and to fit quite precisely the numerical
solutions. Moreover it allows for systematic improvement via a series expansion
where the small parameter is the inverse of the number of individuals in the
metastable state
Fronts with a Growth Cutoff but Speed Higher than
Fronts, propagating into an unstable state , whose asymptotic speed
is equal to the linear spreading speed of infinitesimal
perturbations about that state (so-called pulled fronts) are very sensitive to
changes in the growth rate for . It was recently found
that with a small cutoff, for ,
converges to very slowly from below, as . Here we show
that with such a cutoff {\em and} a small enhancement of the growth rate for
small behind it, one can have , {\em even} in the
limit . The effect is confirmed in a stochastic lattice model
simulation where the growth rules for a few particles per site are accordingly
modified.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Rapid Comm., Phys. Rev.
The Weakly Pushed Nature of "Pulled" Fronts with a Cutoff
The concept of pulled fronts with a cutoff has been introduced to
model the effects of discrete nature of the constituent particles on the
asymptotic front speed in models with continuum variables (Pulled fronts are
the fronts which propagate into an unstable state, and have an asymptotic front
speed equal to the linear spreading speed of small linear perturbations
around the unstable state). In this paper, we demonstrate that the introduction
of a cutoff actually makes such pulled fronts weakly pushed. For the nonlinear
diffusion equation with a cutoff, we show that the longest relaxation times
that govern the convergence to the asymptotic front speed and profile,
are given by , for
.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Brief Reports, Phys. Rev.
Duality in interacting particle systems and boson representation
In the context of Markov processes, we show a new scheme to derive dual
processes and a duality function based on a boson representation. This scheme
is applicable to a case in which a generator is expressed by boson creation and
annihilation operators. For some stochastic processes, duality relations have
been known, which connect continuous time Markov processes with discrete state
space and those with continuous state space. We clarify that using a generating
function approach and the Doi-Peliti method, a birth-death process (or discrete
random walk model) is naturally connected to a differential equation with
continuous variables, which would be interpreted as a dual Markov process. The
key point in the derivation is to use bosonic coherent states as a bra state,
instead of a conventional projection state. As examples, we apply the scheme to
a simple birth-coagulation process and a Brownian momentum process. The
generator of the Brownian momentum process is written by elements of the
SU(1,1) algebra, and using a boson realization of SU(1,1) we show that the same
scheme is available.Comment: 13 page
Asymptotic Scaling of the Diffusion Coefficient of Fluctuating "Pulled" Fronts
We present a (heuristic) theoretical derivation for the scaling of the
diffusion coefficient for fluctuating ``pulled'' fronts. In agreement
with earlier numerical simulations, we find that as ,
approaches zero as , where is the average number of particles per
correlation volume in the stable phase of the front. This behaviour of
stems from the shape fluctuations at the very tip of the front, and is
independent of the microscopic model.Comment: Some minor algebra corrected, to appear in Rapid Comm., Phys. Rev.
Does the continuum theory of dynamic fracture work?
We investigate the validity of the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics approach
to dynamic fracture. We first test the predictions in a lattice simulation,
using a formula of Eshelby for the time-dependent Stress Intensity Factor.
Excellent agreement with the theory is found. We then use the same method to
analyze the experiment of Sharon and Fineberg. The data here is not consistent
with the theoretical expectation.Comment: 4 page
Front Propagation and Diffusion in the A <--> A + A Hard-core Reaction on a Chain
We study front propagation and diffusion in the reaction-diffusion system A
A + A on a lattice. On each lattice site at most one A
particle is allowed at any time. In this paper, we analyze the problem in the
full range of parameter space, keeping the discrete nature of the lattice and
the particles intact. Our analysis of the stochastic dynamics of the foremost
occupied lattice site yields simple expressions for the front speed and the
front diffusion coefficient which are in excellent agreement with simulation
results.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
The universality class of fluctuating pulled fronts
It has recently been proposed that fluctuating ``pulled'' fronts propagating
into an unstable state should not be in the standard KPZ universality class for
rough interface growth. We introduce an effective field equation for this class
of problems, and show on the basis of it that noisy pulled fronts in {\em d+1}
bulk dimensions should be in the universality class of the {\em (d+1)+1}D KPZ
equation rather than of the {\em d+1}D KPZ equation. Our scenario ties together
a number of heretofore unexplained observations in the literature, and is
supported by previous numerical results.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Larval dispersal in a changing ocean with an emphasis on upwelling regions
Dispersal of benthic species in the sea is mediated primarily through small, vulnerable larvae that must survive minutes to months as members of the plankton community while being transported by strong, dynamic currents. As climate change alters ocean conditions, the dispersal of these larvae will be affected, with pervasive ecological and evolutionary consequences. We review the impacts of oceanic changes on larval transport, physiology, and behavior. We then discuss the implications for population connectivity and recruitment and evaluate life history strategies that will affect susceptibility to the effects of climate change on their dispersal patterns, with implications for understanding selective regimes in a future ocean. We find that physical oceanographic changes will impact dispersal by transporting larvae in different directions or inhibiting their movements while changing environmental factors, such as temperature, pH, salinity, oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, and turbidity, will affect the survival of larvae and alter their behavior. Reduced dispersal distance may make local adaptation more likely in well-connected populations with high genetic variation while reduced dispersal success will lower recruitment with implications for fishery stocks. Increased dispersal may spur adaptation by increasing genetic diversity among previously disconnected populations as well as increasing the likelihood of range expansions. We hypothesize that species with planktotrophic (feeding), calcifying, or weakly swimming larvae with specialized adult habitats will be most affected by climate change. We also propose that the adaptive value of retentive larval behaviors may decrease where transport trajectories follow changing climate envelopes and increase where transport trajectories drive larvae toward increasingly unsuitable conditions. Our holistic framework, combined with knowledge of regional ocean conditions and larval traits, can be used to produce powerful predictions of expected impacts on larval dispersal as well as the consequences for connectivity, range expansion, or recruitment. Based on our findings, we recommend that future studies take a holistic view of dispersal incorporating biological and oceanographic impacts of climate change rather than solely focusing on oceanography or physiology. Genetic and paleontological techniques can be used to examine evolutionary impacts of altered dispersal in a future ocean, while museum collections and expedition records can inform modern-day range shifts
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