Phase behaviour of the confined lattice gas Lebwohl-Lasher model

The phase behaviour of the Lebwohl-Lasher lattice gas model (one of the simplest representations of a nematogenic fluid) confined in a slab is investigated by means of extensive Monte Carlo simulations. The model is known to yield a first order gas-liquid transition in both the 2D and 3D limits, that is coupled with an orientational order-disorder transition. This latter transition happens to be first order in the 3D limit and it shares some characteristic features with the continuous defect mediated Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in 2D. In this work we will analyze in detail the behaviour of this system taking full advantage of the lattice nature of the model and the particular symmetry of the interaction potential, which allows for the use of efficient cluster algorithms.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Phase behaviour of attractive and repulsive ramp fluids: integral equation and computer simulation studies

Using computer simulations and a thermodynamically self consistent integral equation we investigate the phase behaviour and thermodynamic anomalies of a fluid composed of spherical particles interacting via a two-scale ramp potential (a hard core plus a repulsive and an attractive ramp) and the corresponding purely repulsive model. Both simulation and integral equation results predict a liquid-liquid de-mixing when attractive forces are present, in addition to a gas-liquid transition. Furthermore, a fluid-solid transition emerges in the neighbourhood of the liquid-liquid transition region, leading to a phase diagram with a somewhat complicated topology. This solidification at moderate densities is also present in the repulsive ramp fluid, thus preventing fluid-fluid separation.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure

Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs

Many institutions are changing the focus of their introductory physics labs from verifying physics content towards teaching students about the skills and nature of science. As instruction shifts, so too will the ways students approach and behave in the labs. In this study, we evaluated students' lab notes from an early activity in an experimentation-focused lab course. We found that about 30% of student groups (out of 107 groups at three institutions) recorded questionable research practices in their lab notes, such as subjective interpretations of results or manipulating equipment and data. The large majority of these practices were associated with confirmatory goals, which we suspect stem from students' prior exposure to verification labs. We propose ways for experimentation-focused labs to better engage students in the responsible conduct of research and authentic scientific practice.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Bright solitary waves of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates under rotation

We analyse the rotation of bright solitary waves formed of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates with attractive atomic interactions. By employing a variational technique and assuming an irrotational quadrupolar flow field, we map out the variational solutions in the rotating frame. In particular, we show that rotation has a considerable stabilising effect on the system, significantly raising the critical threshold for collapse of the bright solitary waves.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Geometric Langevin equations on submanifolds and applications to the stochastic melt-spinning process of nonwovens and biology

In this article we develop geometric versions of the classical Langevin equation on regular submanifolds in euclidean space in an easy, natural way and combine them with a bunch of applications. The equations are formulated as Stratonovich stochastic differential equations on manifolds. The first version of the geometric Langevin equation has already been detected before by Leli\`evre, Rousset and Stoltz with a different derivation. We propose an additional extension of the models, the geometric Langevin equations with velocity of constant absolute value. The latters are seemingly new and provide a galaxy of new, beautiful and powerful mathematical models. Up to the authors best knowledge there are not many mathematical papers available dealing with geometric Langevin processes. We connect the first version of the geometric Langevin equation via proving that its generator coincides with the generalized Langevin operator proposed by Soloveitchik, Jorgensen and Kolokoltsov. All our studies are strongly motivated by industrial applications in modeling the fiber lay-down dynamics in the production process of nonwovens. We light up the geometry occuring in these models and show up the connection with the spherical velocity version of the geometric Langevin process. Moreover, as a main point, we construct new smooth industrial relevant three-dimensional fiber lay-down models involving the spherical Langevin process. Finally, relations to a class of self-propelled interacting particle systems with roosting force are presented and further applications of the geometric Langevin equations are given

Developing an on-line undergraduate course in introductory psychology

In this article, we describe the process of developing a first and second edition of a professional, commercial,on-line course in introductory psychology. We review some of the advantages and disadvantages of on-line pedagogy and outline some of the contiguities and disparities between the original conception of the course and its actual development and execution. The article also outlines some potentially useful recommendations for other authors who are interested in using the Internet as a tool for developing and presenting similar pedagogical material

Instabilities leading to vortex lattice formation in rotating Bose-Einstein condensates

We present a comprehensive theoretical study of vortex lattice formation in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates confined by a rotating elliptical trap. We consider rotating solutions of the classical hydrodynamic equations, their response to perturbations, as well as time-dependent simulations. We discriminate three distinct, experimentally testable, regimes of instability: {\em ripple}, {\em interbranch}, and {\em catastrophic}. Under symmetry-breaking perturbations these instabilities lead to lattice formation even at zero temperature. While our results are consistent with previous theoretical and experimental results, they shed new light on lattice formation.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

A near zero velocity dispersion stellar component in the Canes Venatici dwarf spheroidal galaxy

We present a spectroscopic survey of the newly-discovered Canes Venatici dwarf galaxy using the Keck/DEIMOS spectrograph. Two stellar populations of distinct kinematics are found to be present in this galaxy: an extended, metal-poor component, of half-light radius 7'.8(+2.4/-2.1), which has a velocity dispersion of 13.9(+3.2/-2.5) km/s, and a more concentrated (half-light radius 3'.6(+1.1/-0.8) metal-rich component of extremely low velocity dispersion. At 99% confidence, the upper limit to the central velocity dispersion of the metal-rich population is 1.9 km/s. This is the lowest velocity dispersion ever measured in a galaxy. We perform a Jeans analysis on the two components, and find that the dynamics of the structures can only be consistent if we adopt extreme (and unlikely) values for the scale length and velocity dispersion of the metal-poor population. With a larger radial velocity sample and improved measurements of the density profile of the two populations, we anticipate that it will be possible to place strong constraints on the central distribution of the dark matter in this galaxy.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted by MNRA