Coarsening in 2D slabs

We study coarsening; that is, the zero-temperature limit of Glauber dynamics in the standard Ising model on slabs S_k = Z^2 x {0, ..., k-1} of all thicknesses k \geq 2 (with free and periodic boundary conditions in the third coordinate). We show that with free boundary conditions, for k \geq 3, some sites fixate for large times and some do not, whereas for k=2, all sites fixate. With periodic boundary conditions, for k \geq 4, some sites fixate and others do not, while for k=2 and 3, all sites fixate.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

Density classification on infinite lattices and trees

Consider an infinite graph with nodes initially labeled by independent Bernoulli random variables of parameter p. We address the density classification problem, that is, we want to design a (probabilistic or deterministic) cellular automaton or a finite-range interacting particle system that evolves on this graph and decides whether p is smaller or larger than 1/2. Precisely, the trajectories should converge to the uniform configuration with only 0's if p1/2. We present solutions to that problem on the d-dimensional lattice, for any d>1, and on the regular infinite trees. For Z, we propose some candidates that we back up with numerical simulations

Lower systolic blood pressure in normotensive subjects is related to better autonomic recovery following exercise

Blood pressure (BP) is a cardiovascular parameter applied to detect cardiovascular risk. Recently, the pre-hypertension state has received greater consideration for prevention strategies. We evaluated autonomic and cardiorespiratory recovery following aerobic exercise in normotensive individuals with different systolic BP (SBP) values. We investigated 30 healthy men aged 18 to 30 years divided into groups according to systolic BP (SBP): G1 (n = 16), resting SBP <110 mmHg and G2 (n = 14), resting SBP between 120–110 mmHg. The groups endured 15 minutes seated at rest, followed by a submaximal aerobic exercise on a treadmill and then remaining seated for 60 minutes also at rest, during recovery from the exercise. Cardiorespiratory parameters and heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) (rMSSD, SD1, HF [ms2]) were evaluated before and during recovery from exercise. G2 displayed slower return of SBP, rMSSD and SD1 HRV indices during recovery from exercise compared to G1. In conclusion, normotensive subjects with higher resting SBP (110 to 120 mmHg) offered delayed autonomic recovery following moderate exercise. We suggest that this group may be less physiologically optimized leading to cardiac risks

Moderate deviations for random field Curie-Weiss models

The random field Curie-Weiss model is derived from the classical Curie-Weiss model by replacing the deterministic global magnetic field by random local magnetic fields. This opens up a new and interestingly rich phase structure. In this setting, we derive moderate deviations principles for the random total magnetization $S_n$, which is the partial sum of (dependent) spins. A typical result is that under appropriate assumptions on the distribution of the local external fields there exist a real number $m$, a positive real number $\lambda$, and a positive integer $k$ such that $(S_n-nm)/n^{\alpha}$ satisfies a moderate deviations principle with speed $n^{1-2k(1-\alpha)}$ and rate function $\lambda x^{2k}/(2k)!$, where $1-1/(2(2k-1)) < \alpha < 1$.Comment: 21 page

Non-linear Response of the trap model in the aging regime : Exact results in the strong disorder limit

We study the dynamics of the one dimensional disordered trap model presenting a broad distribution of trapping times $p(\tau) \sim 1/\tau^{1+\mu}$, when an external force is applied from the very beginning at $t=0$, or only after a waiting time $t_w$, in the linear as well as in the non-linear response regime. Using a real-space renormalization procedure that becomes exact in the limit of strong disorder $\mu \to 0$, we obtain explicit results for many observables, such as the diffusion front, the mean position, the thermal width, the localization parameters and the two-particle correlation function. In particular, the scaling functions for these observables give access to the complete interpolation between the unbiased case and the directed case. Finally, we discuss in details the various regimes that exist for the averaged position in terms of the two times and the external field.Comment: 27 pages, 1 eps figur

Nature versus Nurture in Complex and Not-So-Complex Systems

Understanding the dynamical behavior of many-particle systems both in and out of equilibrium is a central issue in both statistical mechanics and complex systems theory. One question involves "nature versus nurture": given a system with a random initial state evolving through a well-defined stochastic dynamics, how much of the information contained in the state at future times depends on the initial condition ("nature") and how much on the dynamical realization ("nurture")? We discuss this question and present both old and new results for low-dimensional Ising spin systems.Comment: 7 page

Anomalous diffusion, Localization, Aging and Sub-aging effects in trap models at very low temperature

We study in details the dynamics of the one dimensional symmetric trap model, via a real-space renormalization procedure which becomes exact in the limit of zero temperature. In this limit, the diffusion front in each sample consists in two delta peaks, which are completely out of equilibrium with each other. The statistics of the positions and weights of these delta peaks over the samples allows to obtain explicit results for all observables in the limit $T \to 0$. We first compute disorder averages of one-time observables, such as the diffusion front, the thermal width, the localization parameters, the two-particle correlation function, and the generating function of thermal cumulants of the position. We then study aging and sub-aging effects : our approach reproduces very simply the two different aging exponents and yields explicit forms for scaling functions of the various two-time correlations. We also extend the RSRG method to include systematic corrections to the previous zero temperature procedure via a series expansion in $T$. We then consider the generalized trap model with parameter $\alpha \in [0,1]$ and obtain that the large scale effective model at low temperature does not depend on $\alpha$ in any dimension, so that the only observables sensitive to $\alpha$ are those that measure the `local persistence', such as the probability to remain exactly in the same trap during a time interval. Finally, we extend our approach at a scaling level for the trap model in $d=2$ and obtain the two relevant time scales for aging properties.Comment: 33 pages, 3 eps figure

Localization properties of the anomalous diffusion phase x tμx ~ t^{\mu} in the directed trap model and in the Sinai diffusion with bias

We study the anomalous diffusion phase $x ~ t^{\mu}$ with $0<\mu<1$ which exists both in the Sinai diffusion at small bias, and in the related directed trap model presenting a large distribution of trapping time $p(\tau) \sim 1/\tau^{1+\mu}$. Our starting point is the Real Space Renormalization method in which the whole thermal packet is considered to be in the same renormalized valley at large time : this assumption is exact only in the limit $\mu \to 0$ and corresponds to the Golosov localization. For finite $\mu$, we thus generalize the usual RSRG method to allow for the spreading of the thermal packet over many renormalized valleys. Our construction allows to compute exact series expansions in $\mu$ of all observables : at order $\mu^n$, it is sufficient to consider a spreading of the thermal packet onto at most $(1+n)$ traps in each sample, and to average with the appropriate measure over the samples. For the directed trap model, we show explicitly up to order $\mu^2$ how to recover the diffusion front, the thermal width, and the localization parameter $Y_2$. We moreover compute the localization parameters $Y_k$ for arbitrary $k$, the correlation function of two particles, and the generating function of thermal cumulants. We then explain how these results apply to the Sinai diffusion with bias, by deriving the quantitative mapping between the large-scale renormalized descriptions of the two models.Comment: 33 pages, 3 eps figure