Thermodynamics of the magnetic-field-coupled Brownian particles is studied. We show that in the presence of the magnetic field, work can be extracted from the reservoir even when the measurement operation and the potential change operation are applied in different spatial directions. In particular, we show that more work can be extracted if the measurements are applied in two different directions simultaneously. In all these cases, we show that the generalized second law involving the measurement information and potential change is satisfied. In addition, we show how the continuous potential change and measurement position affect the work extraction.

Stationary solutions for the $2+1$ cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation modeling Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) in a small potential are obtained via a form of perturbation. In particular, perturbations due to small potentials which either confine or repel the BECs are studied, and under arbitrary piecewise continuous potentials, we obtain the general representation for the perturbation theory of radial BEC solutions. Numerical results are also provided for regimes where perturbative results break down (i.e., the large-potential regime). Both repulsive and attractive BECs are considered under this framework. Solutions for many specific confining potentials of physical relevance to experiments on BECs are provided in order to demonstrate the approach. We make several observations regarding the influence of the particular small potentials on the behavior of the BECs.

The lattice gas model of condensation in a heterogeneous pore system, represented by a random graph of cells, is studied using an exact analytical solution. A binary mixture of pore cells with different coordination numbers is shown to exhibit two phase transitions as a function of chemical potential in a certain temperature range. Heterogeneity in interaction strengths is demonstrated to reduce the critical temperature and, for large-enough degreeS of disorder, divides the cells into ones which are either on average occupied or unoccupied. Despite treating the pore space loops in a simplified manner, the random-graph model provides a good description of condensation in porous structures containing loops. This is illustrated by considering capillary condensation in a structural model of mesoporous silica SBA-15.

We study the performance of a quantum Otto cycle operating in trapping potentials of different shapes. We show that, while both the mean work output and the efficiency of two Otto cycles in different trapping potentials can be made equal, the work probability distribution will still be strongly affected by the difference in structure of the energy levels. To exemplify our results, we study the family of potentials of the form $V_t\left(x\right)\sim x^{2q}$. This family of potentials possesses a simple scaling property that allows for analytical insights into the efficiency and work output of the cycle. We perform a comparison of quantum Otto cycles in various physically relevant scenarios and find that in certain instances, the efficiency of the cycle is greater when using potentials with larger values of $q$, while in other cases, the efficiency is greater with harmonic traps.

We derive the analytical expression for the first finite-size correction to the average free energy of disordered Ising models on random regular graphs. The formula can be physically interpreted as a weighted sum over all non-self-intersecting loops in the graph, the weight being the free-energy shift due to the addition of the loop to an infinite tree.

As recently proposed, the long-time behavior of equilibrium time-correlation functions for one-dimensional systems are expected to be captured by a nonlinear extension of fluctuating hydrodynamics. We outline the predictions from the theory aimed at the comparison with molecular dynamics. We report on numerical simulations of a fluid with a hard-shoulder potential and of a hard-point gas with alternating masses. These models have in common that the collision time is zero and their dynamics amounts to iterating collision by collision. The theory is well confirmed, with the twist that the nonuniversal coefficients are still changing at longest accessible times.

We study the transfer of heat in the nonequilibrium spin-boson model with an Ohmic dissipation. In the nonadiabatic limit we derive a formula for the thermal conductance based on a rate equation formalism at the level of the noninteracting blip approximation, valid for temperatures $T>T_K$, with $T_K$ as the Kondo temperature. We evaluate this expression analytically assuming either weak or strong couplings, and demonstrate that our results agree with exact relations. Far-from-equilibrium situations are further examined, showing a close correspondence to the linear response limit.

Recently the analysis of scattering patterns by angular cross-correlation analysis (CCA) was introduced to reveal the orientational order in disordered samples with special focus to future applications on x-ray free-electron laser facilities. We apply this CCA approach to ultra-small-angle light-scattering data obtained from two-dimensional monolayers of microspheres. The films were studied in addition by optical microscopy. This combined approach allows to calculate the cross-correlations of the scattering patterns, characterized by the orientational correlation function ${\Psi }_l\left(q\right)$, as well as to obtain the real-space structure of the monolayers. We show that CCA is sensitive to the orientational order of monolayers formed by the microspheres which are not directly visible from the scattering patterns. By mixing microspheres of different radii the sizes of ordered monolayer domains is reduced. For these samples it is shown that ${\Psi }_l\left(q\right)$ quantitatively describes the degree of hexagonal order of the two-dimensional films. The experimental CCA results are compared with calculations based on the microscopy images. Both techniques show qualitatively similar features. Differences can be attributed to the wave-front distortion of the laser beam in the experiment. This effect is discussed by investigating the effect of different wave fronts on the cross-correlation analysis results. The so-determined characteristics of the cross-correlation analysis will be also relevant for future x-ray-based studies.

In this work we propose a mechanism to explain the enhancement of the magnetic-field-induced yield stress when nonmagnetic particles are added to magnetic particulate suspensions, i.e., two-component suspensions. Our main hypothesis is that the nonmagnetic particles collide with the field-induced magnetic aggregates under shear flow. Consequently, supplementary fluctuations of the orientations of the magnetic aggregates occur, resulting in an effective rotary diffusion process, which increases the dynamic yield stress of the suspension. Furthermore, the collision rate and the rotary diffusivity of the aggregates should increase with the concentration of nonmagnetic particles. Rheological measurements in plate-plate and cylindrical Couette geometries confirm the increase of the yield stress with the volume fraction of nonmagnetic particles. In addition, such an effect appears to be more important in Couette geometry, for which orientation fluctuations of the magnetic aggregates play a more significant role. Finally, a theoretical model based on this rotary diffusion mechanism is developed, providing a quantitative explanation of the experimentally observed trends.

We perform a systematic study of the characteristics of shear transformation zones (STZs) that nucleate at free surfaces of two-dimensional amorphous solids subject to tensile loading using two different atomistic simulation methods, the standard athermal, quasistatic (AQ) approach and our recently developed self-learning metabasin escape (SLME) method, to account for the finite temperature and strain-rate effects. In the AQ, or strain-driven limit, the nonaffine displacement fields of surface STZs decay exponentially away from their centers at similar decay rates as their bulk counterparts, though the direction of maximum nonaffine displacement is tilted away from the tensile axis due to surface effects. Using the SLME method at room temperature and at the high strain rates that are seen in classical molecular dynamics simulations, the characteristics for both bulk and surface STZs are found to be identical to those seen in the AQ simulations. However, using the SLME method at room temperature and experimentally relevant strain rates, we find a transition in the surface STZ characteristics where a loss in the characteristic angular tensile-compression symmetry is observed. Finally, the thermally activated surface STZs exhibit a slower decay rate in the nonaffine displacement field than do strain-driven surface STZs, which is characterized by a larger drop in potential energy resulting from STZ nucleation that is enabled by the relative compliance of the surface as compared to the bulk.

We analyze the combined effect of three ingredients of an aggregation model—surface tension, particle flow and particle source—representing typical characteristics of many aggregation growth processes in nature. Through extensive numerical experiments and for different underlying lattice structures we demonstrate that the location of incoming particles and their preferential direction of flow can significantly affect the resulting general shape of the aggregate, while the surface tension controls the surface roughness. Combining all three ingredients increases the aggregate shape plasticity, yielding a wider spectrum of shapes as compared to earlier works that analyzed these ingredients separately. Our results indicate that the considered combination of effects is fundamental for modeling the polymorphic growth of a wide variety of structures in confined geometries and/or in the presence of external fields, such as rocks, crystals, corals, and biominerals.

This article deals with the theoretical prediction of the wetting hysteresis on nonideal solid surfaces in terms of the surface heterogeneity parameters. The spatially periodical chemical heterogeneity is considered. We propose precise definitions for both the advancing and the receding contact angles for the Wilhelmy plate geometry. It is well known that in such a system, a multitude of metastable states of the liquid meniscus occurs for each different relative position of the defect pattern on the plate with respect to the liquid level. As usual, the static advancing and receding angles are assumed to be a consequence of the preceding contact line motion in the respective direction. It is shown how to select the appropriate states among all metastable states. Their selection is discussed. The proposed definitions are applicable to both the static and the dynamic contact angles on heterogeneous surfaces. The static advancing and receding angles are calculated for two examples of periodic heterogeneity patterns with sharp borders: the horizontal alternating stripes of a different wettability (studied analytically) and the doubly periodic pattern of circular defects on a homogeneous base (studied numerically). The wetting hysteresis is determined as a function of the defect density and the spatial period. A comparison with the existing results is carried out.

We use conformal maps to study a free boundary problem for a two-fluid electromechanical system, where the interface between the fluids is determined by the combined effects of electrostatic forces, gravity, and surface tension. The free boundary in our system develops sharp corners or singularities in certain parameter regimes, and this is an impediment to using existing “single-scale” numerical conformal mapping methods. The difficulty is due to the phenomenon of crowding, i.e., the tendency of nodes in the preimage plane to concentrate near the sharp regions of the boundary, leaving the smooth regions of the boundary poorly resolved. A natural idea is to exploit the scale separation between the sharp regions and smooth regions to solve for each region separately and then stitch the solutions together. However, this is not straightforward as conformal maps are rigid “global” objects, and it is not obvious how one would patch two conformal maps together to obtain a new conformal map. We develop a “multiscale” (i.e., adaptive) conformal mapping method that allows us to carry out this program of stitching conformal maps on different scales together. We successfully apply our method to the electromechanical model problem.

The strength of quasibrittle materials depends on the ensemble of defects inside the sample and on the way damage accumulates before failure. Using large-scale numerical simulations of the random fuse model, we investigate the evolution of the microcrack distribution as the applied load approaches the fracture point. We find that the distribution broadens mostly due to a tendency of cracks to coalesce in a way that increases with system size. We study how the observed behavior depends on the disorder present in the sample and relate the results with fracture size effects.

A lubrication model is used to study dewetting of an evaporating thin film layer over a solid substrate with a nanometer-scale topography. The effects of the geometry of the topography, the contact angle, the film thickness, and the slippage on the dewetting have been studied. Our results reveal that the evaporation enhances the dewetting process and reduces the depinning time over the topography. Also it is shown that the depinning time is inversely proportional to the slippage and increasing the contact angle may considerably reduce the depinning time, while the film thickness increases the depinning time.

Development of soft electromechanical materials is critical for several tantalizing applications such as soft robots and stretchable electronics, among others. Soft nonpiezoelectric materials can be coaxed to behave like piezoelectrics by merely embedding charges and dipoles in their interior and assuring some elastic heterogeneity. Such so-called electret materials have been experimentally shown to exhibit very large electromechanical coupling. In this work, we derive rigorous nonlinear expressions that relate effective electromechanical coupling to the creation of electret materials. In contrast to the existing models, we are able to both qualitatively and quantitatively capture the known experimental results on the nonlinear response of electret materials. Furthermore, we show that the presence of another form of electromechanical coupling, flexoelectricity, leads to size effects that dramatically alter the electromechanical response at submicron feature sizes. One of our key conclusions is that nonlinear deformation (prevalent in soft materials) significantly enhances the flexoelectric response and hence the aforementioned size effects.

The temporal statistics exhibited by written correspondence appear to be media dependent, with features which have so far proven difficult to characterize. We explain the origin of these difficulties by disentangling the role of spontaneous activity from decision-based prioritizing processes in human dynamics, clocking all waiting times through each agent's “proper time” measured by activity. This unveils the same fundamental patterns in written communication across all media (letters, email, sms), with response times displaying truncated power-law behavior and average exponents near $-\frac{3}{2}$. When standard time is used, the response time probabilities are theoretically predicted to exhibit a bimodal character, which is empirically borne out by our newly collected years-long data on email. These perspectives on the temporal dynamics of human correspondence should aid in the analysis of interaction phenomena in general, including resource management, optimal pricing and routing, information sharing, and emergency handling.

The linear regression parameters between two time series can be different under different lengths of observation period. If we study the whole period by the sliding window of a short period, the change of the linear regression parameters is a process of dynamic transmission over time. We tackle fundamental research that presents a simple and efficient computational scheme: a linear regression patterns transmission algorithm, which transforms linear regression patterns into directed and weighted networks. The linear regression patterns (nodes) are defined by the combination of intervals of the linear regression parameters and the results of the significance testing under different sizes of the sliding window. The transmissions between adjacent patterns are defined as edges, and the weights of the edges are the frequency of the transmissions. The major patterns, the distance, and the medium in the process of the transmission can be captured. The statistical results of weighted out-degree and betweenness centrality are mapped on timelines, which shows the features of the distribution of the results. Many measurements in different areas that involve two related time series variables could take advantage of this algorithm to characterize the dynamic relationships between the time series from a new perspective.

Colloidal particles can achieve autonomous motion by a number of physicochemical mechanisms. For instance, if a spherical particle acts as a catalyst with an asymmetric surface reactivity, a molecular solute concentration gradient will develop in the surrounding fluid that can propel the particle via self-diffusiophoresis. Theoretical analyses of self-diffusiophoresis have mostly been considered in quiescent fluid, where the solute concentration is usually assumed to evolve solely via diffusion. In practical applications, however, self-propelled colloidal particles can be expected to reside in flowing fluids. Here, we examine the role of ambient flow on self-diffusiophoresis by quantifying the dynamics of a model Janus particle in a simple shear flow. The imposed flow can distort the self-generated solute concentration gradient. The extent of this distortion is quantified by a Peclet number, Pe, associated with the shear flow. Utilizing matched asymptotic analysis, we determine the concentration gradient surrounding a Janus particle in shear flow at a small, but finite, Peclet number and the resulting particle motion. For example, when the symmetry axis of the particle is aligned with the imposed flow, the Janus particle experiences an $\text{O}\left(\text{Pe}\right)$ cross-streamline drift and an $\text{O}\left({\text{Pe}}^{3/2}\right)$ reduction in translational velocity along the flow direction. We then analyze the in-plane trajectory of the Janus particle in shear. We find that the particle performs elliptical orbits around its initial position in the flow, which decrease in size with increasing Pe.

A direct numerical simulation of the three-dimensional elektrokinetic instability near a charge-selective surface (electric membrane, electrode, or system of micro- or nanochannels) has been carried out and analyzed. A special finite-difference method has been used for the space discretization along with a semi-implicit $3\frac{1}{3}$-step Runge-Kutta scheme for the integration in time. The calculations employ parallel computing. Three characteristic patterns, which correspond to the overlimiting currents, are observed: (a) two-dimensional electroconvective rolls, (b) three-dimensional regular hexagonal structures, and (c) three-dimensional structures of spatiotemporal chaos, which are a combination of unsteady hexagons, quadrangles, and triangles. The transition from (b) to (c) is accompanied by the generation of interacting two-dimensional solitary pulses.