367 research outputs found
Thermodynamics of nano-cluster phases: a unifying theory
We propose a unifying, analytical theory accounting for the self-organization
of colloidal systems in nano- or micro-cluster phases. We predict the
distribution of cluter sizes with respect to interaction parameters and colloid
concentration. In particular, we anticipate a proportionality regime where the
mean cluster size grows proportionally to the concentration, as observed in
several experiments. We emphasize the interest of a predictive theory in soft
matter, nano-technologies and biophysics.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
An alternative scenario for the formation of specialized protein nano-domains (cluster phases) in biomembranes
We discuss a realistic scenario, accounting for the existence of
sub-micrometric protein domains in cell membranes. At the biological level,
such membrane domains have been shown to be specialized, in order to perform a
determined biological task, in the sense that they gather one or a few protein
species out of the hundreds of different ones that a cell membrane may contain.
By analyzing the balance between mixing entropy and protein affinities, we
propose that such protein sorting in distinct domains can be explained without
appealing to pre-existing lipidic micro-phase separations, as in the lipid raft
scenario. We show that the proposed scenario is compatible with known physical
interactions between membrane proteins, even if thousands of different species
coexist.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, published versio
Inelastic light, neutron, and X-ray scatterings related to the heterogeneous elasticity of glasses
The effects of plasticization of poly(methyl methacrylate) glass on the boson
peaks observed by Raman and neutron scattering are compared. In plasticized
glass the cohesion heterogeneities are responsible for the neutron boson peak
and partially for the Raman one, which is enhanced by the composition
heterogeneities. Because the composition heterogeneities have a size similar to
that of the cohesion ones and form quasiperiodic clusters, as observed by small
angle X-ray scattering, it is inferred that the cohesion heterogeneities in a
normal glass form nearly periodic arrangements too. Such structure at the
nanometric scale explains the linear dispersion of the vibrational frequency
versus the transfer momentum observed by inelastic X-ray scattering.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, to be published in J. Non-Cryst. Solids
(Proceedings of the 4th IDMRCS
Numerical study of anharmonic vibrational decay in amorphous and paracrystalline silicon
The anharmonic decay rates of atomic vibrations in amorphous silicon (a-Si)
and paracrystalline silicon (p-Si), containing small crystalline grains
embedded in a disordered matrix, are calculated using realistic structural
models. The models are 1000-atom four-coordinated networks relaxed to a local
minimum of the Stillinger-Weber interatomic potential. The vibrational decay
rates are calculated numerically by perturbation theory, taking into account
cubic anharmonicity as the perturbation. The vibrational lifetimes for a-Si are
found to be on picosecond time scales, in agreement with the previous
perturbative and classical molecular dynamics calculations on a 216-atom model.
The calculated decay rates for p-Si are similar to those of a-Si. No modes in
p-Si reside entirely on the crystalline cluster, decoupled from the amorphous
matrix. The localized modes with the largest (up to 59%) weight on the cluster
decay primarily to two diffusons. The numerical results are discussed in
relation to a recent suggestion by van der Voort et al. [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 62},
8072 (2000)] that long vibrational relaxation inferred experimentally may be
due to possible crystalline nanostructures in some types of a-Si.Comment: 9 two-column pages, 13 figure
Kinetic regulation of coated vesicle secretion
The secretion of vesicles for intracellular transport often rely on the
aggregation of specialized membrane-bound proteins into a coat able to curve
cell membranes. The nucleation and growth of a protein coat is a kinetic
process that competes with the energy-consuming turnover of coat components
between the membrane and the cytosol. We propose a generic kinetic description
of coat assembly and the formation of coated vesicles, and discuss its
implication to the dynamics of COP vesicles that traffic within the Golgi and
with the Endoplasmic Reticulum. We show that stationary coats of fixed area
emerge from the competition between coat growth and the recycling of coat
components, in a fashion resembling the treadmilling of cytoskeletal filaments.
We further show that the turnover of coat components allows for a highly
sensitive switching mechanism between a quiescent and a vesicle producing
membrane, upon a slowing down of the exchange kinetics. We claim that the
existence of this switching behaviour, also triggered by factors such as the
presence of cargo and variation of the membrane mechanical tension, allows for
efficient regulation of vesicle secretion. We propose a model, supported by
different experimental observations, in which vesiculation of secretory
membranes is impaired by the energy consuming desorption of coat proteins,
until the presence of cargo or other factors triggers a dynamical switch into a
vesicle producing state.Comment: 6 pages 4 figures accepted at PNA
Interaction of quasilocal harmonic modes and boson peak in glasses
The direct proportionality relation between the boson peak maximum in
glasses, , and the Ioffe-Regel crossover frequency for phonons,
, is established. For several investigated materials . At the frequency the mean free path of the
phonons becomes equal to their wavelength because of strong resonant
scattering on quasilocal harmonic oscillators. Above this frequency phonons
cease to exist. We prove that the established correlation between
and holds in the general case and is a direct consequence of
bilinear coupling of quasilocal oscillators with the strain field.Comment: RevTex, 4 pages, 1 figur
Observation of Umklapp processes in non-crystalline materials
Umklapp processes are known to exist in cristalline materials, where they
control important properties such as thermal conductivity, heat capacity and
electrical conductivity. In this work we report the provocative observation of
Umklapp processes in a non-periodical system, namely liquid Lithium. The lack
of a well defined periodicity seems then not to prevent the existence of these
scattering processes mechanisms provided that the local order of the systems
i.e. the maxima of the static structure factor supply the equivalent of a
reciprocal lattice vector in the case of cristalline materials.Comment: 13 pages P
Anharmonic vs. relaxational sound damping in glasses: I. Brillouin scattering from densified silica
This series discusses the origin of sound damping and dispersion in glasses.
In particular, we address the relative importance of anharmonicity versus
thermally activated relaxation. In this first article, Brillouin-scattering
measurements of permanently densified silica glass are presented. It is found
that in this case the results are compatible with a model in which damping and
dispersion are only produced by the anharmonic coupling of the sound waves with
thermally excited modes. The thermal relaxation time and the unrelaxed velocity
are estimated.Comment: 9 pages with 7 figures, added reference
Effective interactions of colloids on nematic films
The elastic and capillary interactions between a pair of colloidal particles
trapped on top of a nematic film are studied theoretically for large
separations . The elastic interaction is repulsive and of quadrupolar type,
varying as . For macroscopically thick films, the capillary interaction
is likewise repulsive and proportional to as a consequence of
mechanical isolation of the system comprised of the colloids and the interface.
A finite film thickness introduces a nonvanishing force on the system (exerted
by the substrate supporting the film) leading to logarithmically varying
capillary attractions. However, their strength turns out to be too small to be
of importance for the recently observed pattern formation of colloidal droplets
on nematic films.Comment: 13 pages, accepted by EPJ
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