We study the dynamics of shear-band formation and evolution using a simple rheological model. The description couples the local structure and viscosity to the applied shear stress. We consider in detail the Couette geometry, where the model is solved iteratively with the Navier-Stokes equation to obtain the time evolution of the local velocity and viscosity fields. It is found that the underlying reason for dynamic effects is the nonhomogeneous shear distribution, which is amplified due to a positive feedback between the flow field and the viscosity response of the shear thinning fluid. This offers a simple explanation for the recent observations of transient shear banding in time-dependent fluids. Extensions to more complicated rheological systems are considered.

We study the statistical properties of recurrence times in the self-excited Hawkes conditional Poisson process, the simplest extension of the Poisson process that takes into account how the past events influence the occurrence of future events. Specifically, we analyze the impact of the power law distribution of fertilities with exponent $\alpha$, where the fertility of an event is the number of triggered events of first generation, on the probability distribution function (PDF) $f\left(\tau \right)$ of the recurrence times $\tau$ between successive events. The other input of the model is an exponential law quantifying the PDF of waiting times between an event and its first generation triggered events, whose characteristic time scale is taken as our time unit. At short-time scales, we discover two intermediate power law asymptotics, $f\left(\tau \right)\sim {\tau }^{-(2-\alpha )}$ for $\tau \ll {\tau }_c$ and $f\left(\tau \right)\sim {\tau }^{-\alpha }$ for ${\tau }_c\ll \tau \ll 1$, where ${\tau }_c$ is associated with the self-excited cascades of triggered events. For $1\ll \tau \ll 1/\nu$, we find a constant plateau $f\left(\tau \right)\simeq \mathrm{const}$, while at long times, $1/\nu \lesssim \tau$, $f\left(\tau \right)\simeq e^{-\nu \tau }$ has an exponential tail controlled by the arrival rate $\nu$ of exogenous events. These results demonstrate a novel mechanism for the generation of power laws in the distribution of recurrence times, which results from a power law distribution of fertilities in the presence of self-excitation and cascades of triggering.

We investigate the collective dynamics of a network of inertia particles diffusing in a ratchet potential and interacting indirectly through their stochastic dynamical environment. We obtain analytically the condition for the existence of a stable collective state, and we show that the number $N$ of particles in the network, and the strength $k$ of their interaction with the environment, play key roles in synchronization and transport processes. Synchronization is preceded by symmetry-breaking associated with double-resonance oscillations and is shown to be strongly dependent on the network size: convergence to the synchronization manifold occurs much faster with a large network. For small networks, increasing the noise level enhances synchronization in the weakly coupled regime, while particles in a large network are weakly synchronized. Similarly, in the strongly coupled regime, particles in a small network are weakly synchronized; whereas the synchronization is strong and robust against noise when the network-size is large. Small and moderate networks maximize and stabilize efficient transport. Although the dynamics for larger networks is highly correlated, the transport current is erratic.

Motivated by recent proposals of “collisionally inhomogeneous” Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), which have a spatially modulated scattering length, we introduce a phase imprint into the macroscopic order parameter governing the dynamics of BECs with spatiotemporal varying scattering length described by a cubic Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) equation and then suitably engineer the imprinted phase to generate the modified GP equation, also called the cubic derivative nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation. This equation describes the dynamics of condensates with two-body (attractive and repulsive) interactions in a time-varying quadratic external potential. We then carry out a theoretical analysis which invokes a lens-type transformation that converts the cubic derivative NLS equation into a modified NLS equation with only explicit temporal dependence. Our analysis suggests a particular interest in a specific time-varying potential with the strength of the magnetic trap $\sim 1/{(t+t^{*})}^2$. For a time-varying quadratic external potential of this kind, an explicit expression for the growth rate of a purely growing modulational instability is presented and analyzed. We point out the effect of the imprint parameter and the parameter $t^{*}$ on the instability growth rate, as well as on the solitary waves of the BECs.

In a one-dimensional model for a turbulent aerosol (inertial particles suspended in a random flow) we compute the distributions of particle-velocity gradients and the rate of caustic formation at finite but small Kubo numbers, $\mathrm{Ku}$, for arbitrary Stokes numbers, $\mathrm{St}$. Our results are consistent with those obtained earlier in the limit $\mathrm{Ku}\to 0$ and $\mathrm{St}\to \infty$ such that ${\mathrm{Ku}}^2\mathrm{St}$ remains constant. We show how finite-time correlations and nonergodic effects influence the inertial-particle dynamics at finite but small Kubo numbers.

By including an oscillating particle source term, acoustic multipole sources can be implemented in the lattice Boltzmann method. The effect of this source term on the macroscopic conservation equations is found using a Chapman-Enskog expansion. In a lattice with $q$ particle velocities, the source term can be decomposed into $q$ orthogonal multipoles. More complex sources may be formed by superposing these basic multipoles. Analytical solutions found from the macroscopic equations and an analytical lattice Boltzmann wavenumber are compared with inviscid multipole simulations, finding very good agreement except close to singularities in the analytical solutions. Unlike the BGK operator, the regularized collision operator is proven capable of accurately simulating two-dimensional acoustic generation and propagation at zero viscosity.

We document the derivation and implementation of extensions to a two-dimensional, multicomponent lattice Boltzmann equation model, with Laplace law interfacial tension. The extended model behaves in such a way that the boundary between its immiscible drop and embedding fluid components can be shown to describe a vesicle of constant volume bounded by a membrane with conserved length, specified interface compressibility, bending rigidity, preferred curvature, and interfacial tension. We describe how to apply this result to several, independent vesicles. The extended scheme is completely Eulerian, and it represents a two-way coupled vesicle membrane and flow within a single framework. Unlike previous methods, our approach dispenses entirely with the need explicitly to track the membrane, or boundary, and makes no use whatsoever of computationally expensive and intricate interface tracking and remeshing. Validation data are presented, which demonstrate the utility of the method in the simulation of the flow of high volume fraction suspensions of deformable objects.

We propose a model for the propulsion of Leidenfrost solids on ratchets based on viscous drag due to the flow of evaporating vapor. The model assumes pressure-driven flow described by the Navier-Stokes equations and is mainly studied in lubrication approximation. A scaling expression is derived for the dependence of the propulsive force on geometric parameters of the ratchet surface and properties of the sublimating solid. We show that the model results as well as the scaling law compare favorably with experiments and are able to reproduce the experimentally observed scaling with the size of the solid.

We study the thermodynamic Casimir force between a spherical object and a plate. We consider the bulk universality class of the three-dimensional Ising model, which is relevant for experiments on binary mixtures. To this end, we simulate the improved Blume-Capel model. Following Hucht, we compute the force by integrating energy differences over the inverse temperature. We demonstrate that these energy differences can be computed efficiently by using a particular cluster algorithm. Our numerical results for strongly symmetry breaking boundary conditions are compared with the Derjaguin approximation for small distances and the small sphere expansion for large distances between the sphere and the plate.

Using a concrete example, we demonstrate how the combinatorial approach to a general system of particles, which was introduced in detail in an earlier paper [Fronczak, Phys. Rev. E 86, 041139 (2012)], works and where this approach provides a genuine extension of results obtained through more traditional methods of statistical mechanics. We study the cluster properties of a one-dimensional lattice gas with nearest-neighbor interactions. Three cases (the infinite temperature limit, the range of finite temperatures, and the zero temperature limit) are discussed separately, yielding interesting results and providing alternative proof of known results. In particular, the closed-form expression for the grand partition function in the zero temperature limit is obtained, which results in the nonanalytic behavior of the grand potential, in accordance with the Yang-Lee theory.

Kinetic equations are introduced for the transition-metal nanocluster nucleation and growth mechanism, as proposed by Watzky and Finke [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 119, 10382 (1997)]. Equations of this type take the form of Smoluchowski coagulation equations supplemented with the terms responsible for the chemical reactions. In the absence of coagulation, we find complete analytical solutions of the model equations for the autocatalytic rate constant both proportional to the cluster mass, and the mass-independent one. In the former case, ${\xi }_k=s_k\left({\xi }_1\right)\propto {\xi }_1^k/k$ was obtained, while in the latter, the functional form of $s_k\left({\xi }_1\right)$ is more complicated. In both cases, ${\xi }_1\left(t\right)=h_{\mu }\left(M_{\mu }\left(t\right)\right)$ is a function of the moments of the mass distribution. Both functions, $s_k\left({\xi }_1\right)$ and $h_{\mu }\left(M_{\mu }\right)$, depend on the assumed mechanism of autocatalytic growth and monomer production, and not on other chemical reactions present in a system.

An asymmetric variant of the contact process where the activity spreads with different and independent random rates to the left and to the right is introduced. A real space renormalization scheme is formulated for the model by means of which it is shown that the local asymmetry of spreading is irrelevant on large scales if the model is globally (statistically) symmetric. Otherwise, in the presence of a global bias in either direction, the renormalization method predicts two distinct phase transitions, which are related to the spreading of activity in and against the direction of the bias. The latter is found to be described by an infinite randomness fixed point while the former is not.

$k$-core percolation is a percolation model which gives a notion of network functionality and has many applications in network science. In analyzing the resilience of a network under random damage, an extension of this model is introduced, allowing different vertices to have their own degree of resilience. This extension is named heterogeneous $k$-core percolation and it is characterized by several interesting critical phenomena. Here we analytically investigate binary mixtures in a wide class of configuration model networks and categorize the different critical phenomena which may occur. We observe the presence of critical and tricritical points and give a general criterion for the occurrence of a tricritical point. The calculated critical exponents show cases in which the model belongs to the same universality class of facilitated spin models studied in the context of the glass transition.

A two-dimensional crystal of repulsive dipolar particles is studied in the vicinity of its melting transition by using Brownian dynamics computer simulation, dynamical density-functional theory, and phase-field-crystal modeling. A vacancy is created by taking out a particle from an equilibrated crystal, and the relaxation dynamics of the vacancy is followed by monitoring the time-dependent one-particle density. We find that the vacancy is quickly filled up by diffusive hopping of neighboring particles towards the vacancy center. We examine the temperature dependence of the diffusion constant and find that it decreases with decreasing temperature in the simulations. This trend is reproduced by the dynamical density-functional theory. Conversely, the phase-field-crystal calculations predict the opposite trend. Therefore, the phase-field model needs a temperature-dependent expression for the mobility to predict trends correctly.

The Fréedericksz transition in twist cells of cholesteric liquid crystals with a finite surface energy is considered. It is shown that this transition can be either of the second order or of the first order depending on the values of the Frank constants, pitch, surface energies, and the cell thickness. A simple criterion that determines the order of the phase transition is obtained. By numerically minimizing the free energy of the liquid-crystal pattern the distribution of the director in the presence of the external electric field is calculated. For this purpose the polar angle of the director was presented as a partial sum of the Fourier series and of the appropriate function. The azimuthal angle was eliminated using Euler-Lagrange equations. Calculations were performed for different sets of liquid-crystal parameters which provide the phase transition of the first and of the second order. The numerical results are in a good agreement with theoretical formulas based on the Landau-type theory.

Interleaflet cavitation in lipid bilayer membranes, or, shortly, intramembrane cavitation (IMC), is the formation of gas bubbles between the two leaflets of the membrane. The present paper focuses on the thermodynamics of IMC, namely, on the minimum work required to form an intramembrane cavity. The minimum work can be separated into two parts, one that depends on the volume and number of gas molecules in the bubble and another that depends on the bubble geometry. Minimization of the second part at a fixed bubble volume determines the optimized bubble shape. In homogeneous cavitation this part is proportional to the bubble surface area and therefore the bubble is spherical. In contrast, in IMC the second part is no longer a simple function of the bubble area and the optimized cavity is not spherical because of the finite elasticity of the membrane. Using a simplified assumption about the cavity shape, the geometry-dependent term is derived and minimized at a fixed cavity volume. It is found that the optimized cavity is almost spherical at large bubble volumes, while at small volumes the cavity has a lenslike shape. The optimized shape is used to analyze the minimum work of IMC.

We study the dynamics of randomly connected networks composed of binary Boolean elements and those composed of binary majority vote elements. We elucidate their differences in both sparsely and densely connected cases. The quickness of large network dynamics is usually quantified by the length of transient paths, an analytically intractable measure. For discrete-time dynamics of networks of binary elements, we address this dilemma with an alternative unified framework by using a concept termed state concentration, defined as the exponent of the average number of $t$-step ancestors in state transition graphs. The state transition graph is defined by nodes corresponding to network states and directed links corresponding to transitions. Using this exponent, we interrogate the dynamics of random Boolean and majority vote networks. We find that extremely sparse Boolean networks and majority vote networks with arbitrary density achieve quickness, owing in part to long-tailed in-degree distributions. As a corollary, only relatively dense majority vote networks can achieve both quickness and robustness.

We study the microwave induced ratchet transport of two-dimensional electrons on an oriented semidisk Galton board. The magnetic field symmetries of ratchet transport are analyzed in the presence of electron-electron interactions. Our results show that a magnetic field asymmetric ratchet current can appear due to two contributions, a Hall drift of the rectified current that depends only weakly on electron-electron interactions and a breaking of the time reversal symmetry due to the combined effects of interactions and magnetic field. In the latter case, the asymmetry between positive and negative magnetic fields vanishes in the weak interaction limit. We also discuss the recent experimental results on ratchet transport in asymmetric nanostructures.

We investigate the possibility to assist the numerically ill-posed calculation of spectral properties of interacting quantum systems in thermal equilibrium by extending the imaginary-time simulation to a finite Schwinger-Keldysh contour. The effect of this extension is tested within the standard maximum entropy approach to analytic continuation. We find that the inclusion of real-time data improves the resolution of structures at high energy, while the imaginary-time data are needed to correctly reproduce low-frequency features such as quasiparticle peaks. As a nonequilibrium application, we consider the calculation of time-dependent spectral functions from retarded Green function data on a finite time interval, and compare the maximum entropy approach to direct Fourier transformation and a method based on Padé approximants.

Fluid flow advecting one substance while others are immobilized can generate an instability in a homogeneous steady state of a reaction-diffusion-advection system. This differential-flow instability leads to the formation of steady spatial patterns in a moving reference frame. We study the effects of shear flow on this instability by considering two layers of fluid moving independently from each other, but allowing the substances to diffuse along and across the layers. We find that shear flow can generate instabilities even if the average flow velocity is zero for both substances. These instabilities are strongly dependent on which substance is advected by the shear flow. We explain these effects using the results of Taylor dispersion, where an effective diffusivity is enhanced by shear flow.