We present a model of ant traffic considering individual ants as self-propelled particles undergoing single-file motion on a one-dimensional trail. Recent experiments on unidirectional ant traffic in well-formed natural trails showed that the collective velocity of ants remains approximately unchanged, leading to the absence of jamming even at very high densities [John et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 108001 (2009)]. Assuming a feedback control mechanism of self-propulsion force generated by each ant using information about the distance from the ant in front, our model captures all the main features observed in the experiment. The distance headway distribution shows a maximum corresponding to separations within clusters. The position of this maximum remains independent of average number density. We find a non-equilibrium first-order transition, with the formation of an infinite cluster at a threshold density where all the ants in the system suddenly become part of a single cluster.

We propose a model that accounts for the budding behavior of domains in lipid bilayers, where each of the bilayer leaflets has a coupling between its local curvature and the local lipid composition. The compositional asymmetry between the two monolayers leads to an overall spontaneous curvature. The membrane free energy contains three contributions: the bending energy, the line tension, and a Landau free energy for a lateral phase separation. Within a mean-field treatment, we obtain various phase diagrams which contain fully budded, dimpled, and flat states. In particular, for some range of membrane parameters, the phase diagrams exhibit a tricritical behavior as well as a three-phase coexistence region. The global phase diagrams can be divided into three types and are analyzed in terms of the curvature-composition coupling parameter and domain size.

We investigate the impact of degree-degree correlations on the spectra of networks. Even though density distributions exhibit drastic changes depending on the (dis)assortative mixing and the network architecture, the short-range correlations in eigenvalues exhibit universal random matrix theory predictions. The long-range correlations turn out to be a measure of randomness in (dis)assortative networks. The analysis further provides insight into the origin of high degeneracy at the zero eigenvalue displayed by a majority of biological networks.

Continuouslyphase-locked (autoresonant) dark solitons of the defocusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation are excited and controlled by driving the system by a slowly chirped wavelike perturbation. The theory of these excitations is developed using Whitham's averaged variational principle and compared with numerical simulations. The problem of the threshold for transition to autoresonance in the driven system is studied in detail, focusing on the regime when the weakly nonlinear frequency shift in the problem differs from the typical quadratic dependence on the wave amplitude. The numerical simulations in this regime show a deviation of the autoresonance threshold on the driving amplitude from the usual 3/4 power dependence on the driving frequency chirp rate. The theory of this effect is suggested.

Double kicked rotors (DKRs) appear to be the simplest nonintegrable Hamiltonian systems featuring classical translational symmetry in phase space (i.e., in angular momentum) for an infinite set of values (the rational ones) of a parameter $\eta$. The experimental realization of quantum DKRs by atom-optics methods motivates the study of the double kicked particle (DKP). The latter reduces, at any fixed value of the conserved quasimomentum $\beta \hslash$, to a generalized DKR, the “$\beta \text{−}\mathrm{DKR}$.” We determine general quantum properties of $\beta \text{−}\mathrm{DKRs}$ and DKPs for arbitrary rational $\eta$. The quasienergy problem of $\beta$-DKRs is shown to be equivalent to the energy eigenvalue problem of a finite strip of coupled lattice chains. Exact connections are then obtained between quasienergy spectra of $\beta$-DKRs for all $\beta$ in a generically infinite set. The general conditions of quantum resonance for $\beta$-DKRs are shown to be the simultaneous rationality of $\eta ,\beta$, and a scaled Planck constant ${\hslash }_{\mathrm{S}}$. For rational ${\hslash }_{\mathrm{S}}$ and generic values of $\beta$, the quasienergy spectrum is found to have a staggered-ladder structure. Other spectral structures, resembling Hofstadter butterflies, are also found. Finally, we show the existence of particular DKP wave-packets whose quantum dynamics is free, i.e., the evolution frequencies of expectation values in these wave-packets are independent of the nonintegrability. All the results for rational ${\hslash }_{\mathrm{S}}$ exhibit unique number-theoretical features involving $\eta ,{\hslash }_{\mathrm{S}}$, and $\beta$.

When superimposing the potentials of external fields on the Coulomb potential of the hydrogen atom, a saddle point (called the Stark saddle point) appears. For energies slightly above the saddle point energy, one can find classical orbits that are located in the vicinity of this point. We follow those so-called quasi-Penning orbits to high energies and field strengths, observing structural changes and uncovering their bifurcation behavior. By plotting the stability behavior of those orbits against energy and field strength, the appearance of a stability apex is reported. A cusp bifurcation, located in the vicinity of the apex, will be investigated in detail. In this cusp bifurcation, another orbit of similar shape is found. This orbit becomes completely stable in the observed region of positive energy, i.e., in a region of parameter space, where the Kepler-like orbits located around the nucleus are already unstable. By quantum mechanically exact calculations, we prove the existence of signatures in quantum spectra belonging to those orbits. Husimi distributions are used to compare quantum-Poincaré sections with the extension of the classical torus structure around the orbits. Since periodic orbit theory predicts that each classical periodic orbit contributes an oscillating term to photoabsorption spectra, we finally give an estimation for future experiments, which could verify the existence of the stable orbits.

The onset and decay of convection in a spherical cavity filled with ferromagnetic nanofluid and heated from below are investigated experimentally. It is found that, unlike in a single-component Newtonian fluid where stationary convection sets in as a result of supercritical bifurcation and where convection intensity increases continuously with the degree of supercriticality, convection in a multicomponent ferromagnetic nanofluid starts abruptly and has an oscillatory nature. The hysteresis is observed in the transition between conduction and convection states. In moderately supercritical regimes, the arising fluid motion observed at a fixed temperature difference intermittently transitions from quasiharmonic to essentially irregular oscillations that are followed by periods of a quasistationary convection. The observed oscillations are shown to result from the precession of the axis of a convection vortex in the equatorial plane. When the vertical temperature difference exceeds the convection onset value by a factor of 2.5, the initially oscillatory convection settles to a steady-state regime with no intermittent behavior detected afterward. The performed wavelet and Fourier analyses of thermocouple readings indicate the presence of various oscillatory modes with characteristic periods ranging from one hour to several days.

The generation of identical droplets of controllable size in the micrometer range is a problem of much interest owing to the numerous technological applications of such droplets. This work reports an investigation of the regime of periodic emission of droplets from an electrified oscillating meniscus of a liquid of low viscosity and high electrical conductivity attached to the end of a capillary tube, which may be used to produce droplets more than ten times smaller than the diameter of the tube. To attain this periodic microdripping regime, termed axial spray mode II by Juraschek and Röllgen [R. Juraschek and F. W. Röllgen, Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 177, 1 (1998)], liquid is continuously supplied through the tube at a given constant flow rate, while a dc voltage is applied between the tube and a nearby counter electrode. The resulting electric field induces a stress at the surface of the liquid that stretches the meniscus until, in certain ranges of voltage and flow rate, it develops a ligament that eventually detaches, forming a single droplet, in a process that repeats itself periodically. While it is being stretched, the ligament develops a conical tip that emits ultrafine droplets, but the total mass emitted is practically contained in the main droplet. In the parametrical domain studied, we find that the process depends on two main dimensionless parameters, the flow rate nondimensionalized with the diameter of the tube and the capillary time, $q$, and the electric Bond number $B_E$, which is a nondimensional measure of the square of the applied voltage. The meniscus oscillation frequency made nondimensional with the capillary time, $f$, is of order unity for very small flow rates and tends to decrease as the inverse of the square root of $q$ for larger values of this parameter. The product of the meniscus mean volume times the oscillation frequency is nearly constant. The characteristic length and width of the liquid ligament immediately before its detachment approximately scale as powers of the flow rate and depend only weakly on the applied voltage. The diameter of the main droplets nondimensionalized with the diameter of the tube satisfies $d_d\approx {(6/\pi )}^{1/3}{(q/f)}^{1/3}$, from mass conservation, while the electric charge of these droplets is about $1/4$ of the Rayleigh charge. At the minimum flow rate compatible with the periodic regimen, the dimensionless diameter of the droplets is smaller than one-tenth, which presents a way to use electrohydrodynamic atomization to generate droplets of highly conducting liquids in the micron-size range, in marked contrast with the cone-jet electrospray whose typical droplet size is in the nanometric regime for these liquids. In contrast with other microdripping regimes where the mass is emitted upon the periodic formation of a narrow capillary jet, the present regime gives one single droplet per oscillation, except for the almost massless fine aerosol emitted in the form of an electrospray.

An approach to simulating warm and hot dense matter that combines density-functional-theory-based calculations of the electronic structure to classical molecular dynamics simulations with pair interaction potentials is presented. The method, which we call pseudoatom molecular dynamics, can be applied to single-component or multicomponent plasmas. It gives equation of state and self-diffusion coefficients with an accuracy comparable to orbital-free molecular dynamics simulations but is computationally much more efficient.

The 2+1-dimensional compressible Euler equations are investigated here. A power-type elliptic vortex ansatz is introduced and thereby reduction obtains to an eight-dimensional nonlinear dynamical system. The latter is shown to have an underlying integral Ermakov-Ray-Reid structure of Hamiltonian type. It is of interest to notice that such an integrable Ermakov structure exists not only in the density representations but also in the velocity components. A class of typical elliptical vortex solutions termed pulsrodons corresponding to warm-core eddy theory is isolated and its behavior is simulated. In addition, a Lax pair formulation is constructed and the connection with stationary nonlinear cubic Schrödinger equations is established.

By using canonical transformations we obtain localized (in space) exact solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) with cubic and quintic space and time modulated nonlinearities and in the presence of time-dependent and inhomogeneous external potentials and amplification or absorption (source or drain) coefficients. We obtain a class of wide localized exact solutions of NLSE in the presence of a number of non-Hermitian parity-time $\left(\mathcal{PT}\right)$-symmetric external potentials, which are constituted by a mixing of external potentials and source or drain terms. The exact solutions found here can be applied to theoretical studies of ultrashort pulse propagation in optical fibers with focusing and defocusing nonlinearities. We show that, even in the presence of gain or loss terms, stable solutions can be found and that the $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry is an important feature to guarantee the conservation of the average energy of the system.

Using the exactly solvable $XY$ spin chain as an example, we consider nonadiabatic variation of the Hamiltonian along an isospectral trajectory. We suggest that quantum phase transitions (QPTs) can be revealed by the nonadiabatic geometric or Aharonov-Anandan phase, accumulated in a cycle of the state that starts from a particular initial state. On the other hand, starting as the ground state of the instantaneous Hamiltonian, the state does not return to the initial state if the variation of the Hamiltonian is not adiabatic, but the survival probability can indicate QPTs and display revival phenomena.

We establish a generalization of the fluctuation theorem for partially masked nonequilibrium dynamics. We introduce a partial entropy production with a subset of all possible transitions, and show that the partial entropy production satisfies the integral fluctuation theorem. Our result reveals the fundamental properties of a broad class of autonomous as well as nonautonomous nanomachines. In particular, our result gives a unified fluctuation theorem for both autonomous and nonautonomous Maxwell's demons, where mutual information plays a crucial role. Furthermore, we derive a fluctuation-dissipation theorem that relates nonequilibrium stationary current to two kinds of equilibrium fluctuations.

We study critical hysteresis in the random-field Ising model on a two-dimensional periodic lattice with a variable coordination number $z_{\mathrm{eff}}$ in the range $3\le z_{\mathrm{eff}}\le 6$. We find that the model supports critical behavior in the range $4<z_{\mathrm{eff}}\le 6$, but the critical exponents are independent of $z_{\mathrm{eff}}$. The result is discussed in the context of the universality of nonequilibrium critical phenomena and extant results in the field.

We present a numerical study on the ordering dynamics of a one-dimensional nonequilibrium Ising spin system with chirality. This system is characterized by a direction-dependent spin update rule. Pairs of $+-$ spins can flip to $++$ or $--$ with probability $(1-u)$ or to $-+$ with probability $u$ while $-+$ pairs are frozen. The system was found to evolve into the ferromagnetic ordered state at any $u<1$ exhibiting the power-law scaling of the characteristic length scale $\xi \sim t^{1/z}$ and the domain-wall density $\rho \sim t^{-\delta }$. The scaling exponents $z$ and $\delta$ were found to vary continuously with the parameter $u$. To establish the anomalous power-law scaling firmly, we perform the block renormalization analysis proposed by Basu and Hinrichsen [U. Basu and H. Hinrichsen, J. Stat. Mech.: Theor. Exp. (2011) P11023]. The block renormalization method predicts, under the assumption of dynamic scale invariance, a scaling relation that can be used to estimate the scaling exponent numerically. We find the condition under which the scaling relation is justified. We then apply the method to our model and obtain the critical exponent $z\delta$ at several values of $u$. The numerical result is in perfect agreement with that of the previous study. This study serves as additional evidence for the claim that the nonequilibrium chiral Ising model displays power-law scaling behavior with continuously varying exponents.

To unravel how the microstructure affects the fracture surface roughness in heterogeneous brittle solids like rocks or ceramics, we characterized the roughness statistics of postmortem fracture surfaces in homemade materials of adjustable microstructure length scale and porosity, obtained by sintering monodisperse polystyrene beads. Beyond the characteristic size of disorder, the roughness profiles are found to exhibit self-affine scaling features evolving with porosity. Starting from a null value and increasing the porosity, we quantitatively modify the self-affine scaling properties from anisotropic (at low porosity) to isotropic (for porosity >10%).

We study the response of an autoregulated gene to a range of concentrations of signal molecules. We show that transcriptional leakage and noise due to translational bursting have the opposite effects. In a positively autoregulated gene, increasing the noise converts the response from graded to binary, while increasing the leakage converts the response from binary to graded. Our findings support the hypothesis that, being a common phenomenon, leaky expression may be a relatively easy way for evolutionary tuning of the type of gene response without changing the type of regulation from positive to negative.