Interpretation of experimental data near lambda-transition point in liquid helium

The recently published experimental data for specific heat C_p of liquid helium in zero gravity conditions very close to the lambda-transition have been discussed. We have shown that these data allow different interpretations. They can be well interpreted within the perturbative RG approach and within our recently developed theory, as well. Allowing the logarithmic correction, the corresponding fits lie almost on top of each other over the whole range of the reduced temperatures t (for bin averaged data) 6.3 x 10^{-10} < t < 8.8 x 10^{-3}. However, the plot of the effective exponent alpha_eff(t) suggests that the behaviour of C_p, probably, changes very close to the lambda-transition temperature. To clarify this question, we need more accurate data for t<10^{-7}. In addition, we show that the experimental data for superfluid fraction of liquid helium close to the critical point within 3 x 10^{-7} < t < 10^{-4} can be better fit by our exponents nu=9/13, Delta=5/13 than by the RG exponents (nu approximately 0.6705 and Delta about 0.5). The latter ones are preferable to fit the whole measured range 3 x 10^{-7} < t < 10^{-2} where, however, remarkable systematic deviations appear. Our estimated value 0.694 +/- 0.017 of the asymptotic exponent nu well agrees with the theoretical prediction nu=9/13.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. The first version was a preliminary one. Now it is substentially extended and coincides with the published pape

Surface tension and interfacial fluctuations in d-dimensional Ising model

The surface tension of rough interfaces between coexisting phases in 2D and 3D Ising models are discussed in view of the known results and some original calculations presented in this paper. The results are summarised in a formula, which allows to interpolate the corrections to finite-size scaling between two and three dimensions. The physical meaning of an analytic continuation to noninteger values of the spatial dimensionality d is discussed. Lattices and interfaces with properly defined fractal dimensions should fulfil certain requirements to possibly have properties of an analytic continuation from d-dimensional hypercubes. Here 2 appears as the marginal value of d below which the (d-1)-dimensional interface splits in disconnected pieces. Some phenomenological arguments are proposed to describe such interfaces. They show that the character of the interfacial fluctuations at d<2 is not the same as provided by a formal analytic continuation from d-dimensional hypercubes with d >= 2. It, probably, is true also for the related critical exponents.Comment: 10 pages, no figures. In the second version changes are made to make it consistent with the published paper (Sec.2 is completed

Application of thermodynamics to driven systems

Application of thermodynamics to driven systems is discussed. As particular examples, simple traffic flow models are considered. On a microscopic level, traffic flow is described by Bando's optimal velocity model in terms of accelerating and decelerating forces. It allows to introduce kinetic, potential, as well as total energy, which is the internal energy of the car system in view of thermodynamics. The latter is not conserved, although it has certain value in any of two possible stationary states corresponding either to fixed point or to limit cycle in the space of headways and velocities. On a mesoscopic level of description, the size n of car cluster is considered as a stochastic variable in master equation. Here n=0 corresponds to the fixed-point solution of the microscopic model, whereas the limit cycle is represented by coexistence of a car cluster with n>0 and free flow phase. The detailed balance holds in a stationary state just like in equilibrium liquid-gas system. It allows to define free energy of the car system and chemical potentials of the coexisting phases, as well as a relaxation to a local or global free energy minimum. In this sense the behaviour of traffic flow can be described by equilibrium thermodynamics. We find, however, that the chemical potential of the cluster phase of traffic flow depends on an outer parameter - the density of cars in the free-flow phase. It allows to distinguish between the traffic flow as a driven system and purely equilibrium systems.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures. Eur. Phys. J. B (2007) to be publishe

Zero range model of traffic flow

A multi--cluster model of traffic flow is studied, in which the motion of cars is described by a stochastic master equation. Assuming that the escape rate from a cluster depends only on the cluster size, the dynamics of the model is directly mapped to the mathematically well-studied zero-range process. Knowledge of the asymptotic behaviour of the transition rates for large clusters allows us to apply an established criterion for phase separation in one-dimensional driven systems. The distribution over cluster sizes in our zero-range model is given by a one--step master equation in one dimension. It provides an approximate mean--field dynamics, which, however, leads to the exact stationary state. Based on this equation, we have calculated the critical density at which phase separation takes place. We have shown that within a certain range of densities above the critical value a metastable homogeneous state exists before coarsening sets in. Within this approach we have estimated the critical cluster size and the mean nucleation time for a condensate in a large system. The metastablity in the zero-range process is reflected in a metastable branch of the fundamental flux--density diagram of traffic flow. Our work thus provides a possible analytical description of traffic jam formation as well as important insight into condensation in the zero-range process.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures, small changes are made according to finally accepted version for publication in Phys. Rev.

Equilibrium distributions in thermodynamical traffic gas

We derive the exact formula for thermal-equilibrium spacing distribution of one-dimensional particle gas with repulsive potential V(r)=r^(-a) (a>0) depending on the distance r between the neighboring particles. The calculated distribution (for a=1) is successfully compared with the highway-traffic clearance distributions, which provides a detailed view of changes in microscopical structure of traffic sample depending on traffic density. In addition to that, the observed correspondence is a strong support of studies applying the equilibrium statistical physics to traffic modelling.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, changed content, added reference

Hydrodynamics of the zero-range process in the condensation regime

We argue that the coarse-grained dynamics of the zero-range process in the condensation regime can be described by an extension of the standard hydrodynamic equation obtained from Eulerian scaling even though the system is not locally stationary. Our result is supported by Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. v2: Minor alteration

A stochastic multi-cluster model of freeway traffic

A stochastic approach based on the Master equation is proposed to describe the process of formation and growth of car clusters in traffic flow in analogy to usual aggregation phenomena such as the formation of liquid droplets in supersaturated vapour. By this method a coexistence of many clusters on a one-lane circular road has been investigated. Analytical equations have been derived for calculation of the stationary cluster distribution and related physical quantities of an infinitely large system of interacting cars. If the probability per time (or p) to decelerate a car without an obvious reason tends to zero in an infinitely large system, our multi-cluster model behaves essentially in the same way as a one-cluster model studied before. In particular, there are three different regimes of traffic flow (free jet of cars, coexisting phase of jams and isolated cars, highly viscous heavy traffic) and two phase transitions between them. At finite values of p the behaviour is qualitatively different, i.e., there is no sharp phase transition between the free jet of cars and the coexisting phase. Nevertheless, a jump-like phase transition between the coexisting phase and the highly viscous heavy traffic takes place both at p→0. Monte-Carlo simulations have been performed for finite roads showing a time evolution of the system into the stationary state. In distinction to the one-cluster model, a remarkable increasing of the average flux has been detected at certain densities of cars due to finite-size effects

Monte Carlo test of the Goldstone mode singularity in 3D XY model

Monte Carlo simulations of magnetization and susceptibility in the 3D XY model are performed for system sizes up to L=384 (significantly exceeding the largest size L=160 considered in work published previously), and fields h ≥ 0.0003125 at two different coupling constants β=0.5, and β=0.55 in the ordered phase. We examine the prediction of the standard theory that the longitudinal susceptibility χ ∥ has a Goldstone mode singularity such that χ ∥ ∝h -1/2 holds when h↦0. Most of our results, however, support another theoretical prediction that the singularity is of a more general form χ ∥ ∝h ρ-1 , where 1/2>ρ>1 is a universal exponent related to the ∼h ρ variation of the magnetization. Copyright EDP Sciences/Società Italiana di Fisica/Springer-Verlag 200705.10.Ln Monte Carlo methods, 75.10.Hk Classical spin models, 05.50.+q Lattice theory and statistics (Ising, Potts, etc.),