We study in detail a one-dimensional lattice model of a continuum, conserved field (mass) that is transferred deterministically between neighboring random sites. The model belongs to a wider class of lattice models capturing the joint effect of random advection and diffusion and encompassing as specific cases some models studied in the literature, such as those of Kang-Redner, Kipnis-Marchioro-Presutti, Takayasu-Taguchi, etc. The motivation for our setup comes from a straightforward interpretation of the advection of particles in one-dimensional turbulence, but it is also related to a problem of synchronization of dynamical systems driven by common noise. For finite lattices, we study both the coalescence of an initially spread field (interpreted as roughening), and the statistical steady-state properties. We distinguish two main size-dependent regimes, depending on the strength of the diffusion term and on the lattice size. Using numerical simulations and a mean-field approach, we study the statistics of the field. For weak diffusion, we unveil a characteristic hierarchical structure of the field. We also connect the model and the iterated function systems concept.

We study the statistics of random functionals $\mathcal{Z}={\int }_0^{\mathcal{T}}{\left[x\left(t\right)\right]}^{\gamma -2}dt$, where $x\left(t\right)$ is the trajectory of a one-dimensional Brownian motion with diffusion constant $D$ under the effect of a logarithmic potential $V\left(x\right)=V_{0}ln\left(x\right)$. The trajectory starts from a point $x_0$ inside an interval entirely contained in the positive real axis, and the motion is evolved up to the first-exit time $\mathcal{T}$ from the interval. We compute explicitly the PDF of $\mathcal{Z}$ for $\gamma =0$, and its Laplace transform for $\gamma \ne 0$, which can be inverted for particular combinations of $\gamma$ and $V_0$. Then we consider the dynamics in $(0,\infty )$ up to the first-passage time to the origin and obtain the exact distribution for $\gamma >0$ and $V_0>-D$. By using a mapping between Brownian motion in logarithmic potentials and heterogeneous diffusion, we extend this result to functionals measured over trajectories generated by $\dot{x}\left(t\right)=\sqrt{2D}{\left[x\left(t\right)\right]}^{\theta }\eta \left(t\right)$, where $\theta <1$ and $\eta \left(t\right)$ is a Gaussian white noise. We also emphasize how the different interpretations that can be given to the Langevin equation affect the results. Our findings are illustrated by numerical simulations, with good agreement between data and theory.

Stochastic athermal networks composed of fibers that deform axially and in bending strain stiffen much faster than thermal networks of axial elements, such as elastomers. Here we investigate the physical origin of stiffening in athermal network materials. To this end, we use models of stochastic networks subjected to uniaxial deformation and identify the emergence of two subnetworks, the stress path subnetwork (SPSN) and the bending support subnetwork (BSSN), which carry most of the axial and bending energies, respectively. The BSSN controls lateral contraction and modulates the organization of the SPSN during deformation. The SPSN is preferentially oriented in the loading direction, while the BSSN's preferential orientation is orthogonal to the SPSN. In nonaffine networks stiffening is exponential, while in close-to-affine networks it is quadratic. The difference is due to a much more modest lateral contraction in the approximately affine case and to a stiffer BSSN. Exponential stiffening emerges from the interplay of the axial and bending deformation modes at the scale of individual or small groups of fibers undergoing large deformations and being subjected to the constraint of rigid cross-links, and it is not necessarily a result of complex interactions involving many connected fibers. An apparent third regime of quadratic stiffening may be evidenced in nonaffinely deforming networks provided the nominal stress is observed. This occurs at large stretches, when the BSSN contribution of stiffening vanishes. However, this regime is not present if the Cauchy stress is used, in which case stiffening is exponential throughout the entire deformation. These results shed light on the physical nature of stiffening in a broad class of materials including connective tissue, the extracellular matrix, nonwovens, felt, and other athermal network materials.

Active particles, like motile microorganisms and active colloids, are often found in confined environments where they can be arrested in a persistent orbital motion. Here, we investigate noise-induced switching between different coexisting orbits of a confined active particle as a stochastic escape problem. We show that, in the low-noise regime, this problem can be formulated as a least-action principle, which amounts to finding the most probable escape path from an orbit to the basin of attraction of another coexisting orbit. The corresponding action integral coincides with the activation energy, a quantity readily accessible in experiments and simulations via escape rate data. To illustrate how this approach can be used to tackle specific problems, we calculate optimum escape paths and activation energies for noise-induced transitions between clockwise and counterclockwise circular orbits of an active particle in radially symmetric confinement. We also investigated transitions between orbits of different topologies (ovals and lemniscates) coexisting in elliptic confinement. In all worked examples, the calculated optimum paths and minimum actions are in excellent agreement with mean-escape-time data obtained from direct numerical integration of the Langevin equations.

Recently a unified hypothesis of multiparameter universality for the critical behavior of bulk and confined anisotropic systems has been formulated [V. Dohm, Phys. Rev. E 97, 062128 (2018)]. We prove the validity of this hypothesis in $d\ge 2$ dimensions on the basis of the principle of two-scale-factor universality for isotropic systems at vanishing external field. We introduce an angular-dependent correlation vector and a generalized shear transformation that transforms weakly anisotropic systems to isotropic systems. As examples we consider the $O\left(n\right)$-symmetric ${\phi }^4$ model, Gaussian model, and $n$-vector model. By means of the inverse of the shear transformation we determine the general structure of the bulk order-parameter correlation function, of the singular bulk part of the critical free energy, and of critical bulk amplitude relations of anisotropic systems at and away from $T_c$. It is shown that weakly anisotropic systems exhibit a high degree of intrinsic diversity due to $d(d+1)/2-1$ independent parameters that cannot be determined by thermodynamic measurements. Exact results are derived for the $d=2$ Ising universality class and for the spherical and Gaussian universality classes in $d\ge 2$ dimensions. For the $d=3$ Ising universality class we identify the universal scaling function of the isotropic bulk correlation function from the nonuniversal result of the functional renormalization group. A proof is presented for the validity of multiparameter universality of the exact critical free energy and critical Casimir amplitude in a finite rectangular geometry of weakly anisotropic systems with periodic boundary conditions in the Ising universality class. This confirms the validity of recent predictions of self-similar structures of finite-size effects in the $(d=2,n=1)$ universality class at $T=T_c$ derived from conformal field theory [V. Dohm and S. Wessel, Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 060601 (2021)]. This also substantiates the previous notion of an effective shear transformation for anisotropic two-dimensional Ising models. Our theory paves the way for a quantitative theory of nonuniversal critical Casimir forces in anisotropic superconductors for which experiments have been proposed by G. A. Williams [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 197003 (2004)].

In the subcritical regime Erdős-Rényi (ER) networks consist of finite tree components, which are nonextensive in the network size. The distribution of shortest path lengths (DSPL) of subcritical ER networks was recently calculated using a topological expansion [E. Katzav, O. Biham, and A. K. Hartmann, Phys. Rev. E 98, 012301 (2018)]. The DSPL, which accounts for the distance $\ell$ between any pair of nodes that reside on the same finite tree component, was found to follow a geometric distribution of the form $P(L=\ell |L<\infty )=(1-c)c^{\ell -1}$, where $0<c<1$ is the mean degree of the network. This result includes the contributions of trees of all possible sizes and topologies. Here we calculate the distribution of shortest path lengths $P(L=\ell |S=s)$ between random pairs of nodes that reside on the same tree component of a given size $s$. It is found that $P(L=\ell |S=s)=\frac{\ell +1}{s^{\ell }}\frac{(s-2)!}{(s-\ell -1)!}$. Surprisingly, this distribution does not depend on the mean degree $c$ of the network from which the tree components were extracted. This is due to the fact that the ensemble of tree components of a given size $s$ in subcritical ER networks is sampled uniformly from the set of labeled trees of size $s$ and thus does not depend on $c$. The moments of the DSPL are also calculated. It is found that the mean distance between random pairs of nodes on tree components of size $s$ satisfies $\mathbb{E}\left[L\right|S=s]\sim \sqrt{s}$, unlike small-world networks in which the mean distance scales logarithmically with $s$.

Polymer ejection has been of interest due to its relation to the viral genome ejection. However, the ejection dynamics of a semiflexible polymer from a nanosphere is not yet understood. Here, a theory is developed for the ejection dynamics of a polymer with total length $L_0$ and persistence length $l$ from a sphere of diameter $D$. These length scales define different confinement regimes to study the polymer dynamics. The polymer sometimes undergoes between two to three regimes during its ejection. The rate of change of the free energy of confinement is balanced by the rate of energy dissipation, in each regime. The polymer experiences a final stage in which the free energy of polymer attachment to the sphere governs the ejection. The total ejection time $\tau$ depends on the polymer dynamics in the various regimes that it passes through in the phase space. Dependence of the ejection time on the polymer length, the persistence length, and the sphere diameter $\tau \propto L_0^{\alpha }{D}^{\beta }{l}^{\gamma }$ is obtained from the theory. It is shown that $\alpha$ changes between 1 and 1.7, $\beta$ between 3 and 5, and $\gamma$ takes a zero or positive value often smaller than 1. Agreement of these exponents with other theory and simulations are discussed.

We study the percolation properties of geometrical clusters defined in the overlap space of two statistically independent replicas of a square-lattice Ising model that are simulated at the same temperature. In particular, we consider two distinct types of clusters in the overlap, which we dub soft- and hard-constraint clusters, and which are subsets of the regions of constant spin overlap. By means of Monte Carlo simulations and a finite-size scaling analysis we estimate the transition temperature as well as the set of critical exponents characterizing the percolation transitions undergone by these two cluster types. The results suggest that both soft- and hard-constraint clusters percolate at the critical temperature of the Ising model and their critical behavior is governed by the correlation-length exponent $\nu =1$ found by Onsager. At the same time, they exhibit nonstandard and distinct sets of exponents for the average cluster size and percolation strength.

Finite-size scaling above the upper critical dimension is a long-standing puzzle in the field of statistical physics. Even for pure systems various scaling theories have been suggested, partially corroborated by numerical simulations. In the present manuscript we address this problem in the even more complicated case of disordered systems. In particular, we investigate the scaling behavior of the random-field Ising model at dimension $D=7$, i.e., above its upper critical dimension $D_{\mathrm{u}}=6$, by employing extensive ground-state numerical simulations. Our results confirm the hypothesis that at dimensions $D>D_{\mathrm{u}}$, linear length scale $L$ should be replaced in finite-size scaling expressions by the effective scale $L_{\mathrm{eff}}=L^{D/D_{\mathrm{u}}}$. Via a fitted version of the quotients method that takes this modification, but also subleading scaling corrections into account, we compute the critical point of the transition for Gaussian random fields and provide estimates for the full set of critical exponents. Thus, our analysis indicates that this modified version of finite-size scaling is successful also in the context of the random-field problem.

Floquet theory is an indispensable tool for analyzing periodically driven quantum many-body systems. Although it does not universally extend to classical systems, some of its methodologies can be adopted in the presence of well-separated timescales. Here we use these tools to investigate the stroboscopic behaviors of a classical spin chain that is driven by a periodic magnetic field and coupled to a thermal reservoir. We detail and expand our previous work: we investigate the significance of higher-order corrections to the classical Floquet-Magnus expansion in both the high- and low-frequency regimes; explicitly probe the evolution dynamics of the reservoir; and further explore how the driven system and the reservoir synchronize with the applied field at low frequencies. In line with our earlier results, we find that the high-frequency regime is characterized by a local Floquet-Gibbs ensemble with the reservoir acting as a nearly-reversible heat sink. At low frequencies, the driven system rapidly enters a synchronized state, which can only be fully described in a global picture accounting for the concurrent relaxation of the reservoir in a fictitious magnetic field arising from the drive. We highlight how the evolving nature of the reservoir may still be incorporated in a local picture by introducing an effective temperature. Finally, we show that generic local-dissipation models that account for the influence of the reservoir on the driven system phenomenologically through Markovian dissipative equations of motion can generally not reproduce the rich behavior that our microscopic simulations reveal. In particular, such models prove insufficient to account for the suppression of overall energy absorption that is induced by the here observed synchronization between driven system and reservoir.

We analyze random resistor networks through a study of lattice Green's functions in arbitrary dimensions. We develop a systematic disorder perturbation expansion to describe the weak disorder regime of such a system. We use this formulation to compute ensemble-averaged nodal voltages and bond currents in a hierarchical fashion. We verify the validity of this expansion with direct numerical simulations of a square lattice with resistances at each bond exponentially distributed. Additionally, we construct a formalism to recursively obtain the exact Green's functions for finitely many disordered bonds. We provide explicit expressions for lattices with up to four disordered bonds, which can be used to predict nodal voltage distributions for arbitrarily large disorder strengths. Finally, we introduce a novel order parameter that measures the overlap between the bond current and the optimal path (the path of least resistance), for a given resistance configuration, which helps to characterize the weak and strong disorder regimes of the system.

Different dynamical states ranging from coherent, incoherent to chimera, multichimera, and related transitions are addressed in a globally coupled nonlinear continuum chemical oscillator system by implementing a modified complex Ginzburg-Landau equation. Besides dynamical identifications of observed states using standard qualitative metrics, we systematically acquire nonequilibrium thermodynamic characterizations of these states obtained via coupling parameters. The nonconservative work profiles in collective dynamics qualitatively reflect the time-integrated concentration of the activator, and the majority of the nonconservative work contributes to the entropy production over the spatial dimension. It is illustrated that the evolution of spatial entropy production and semigrand Gibbs free-energy profiles associated with each state are connected yet completely out of phase, and these thermodynamic signatures are extensively elaborated to shed light on the exclusiveness and similarities of these states. Moreover, a relationship between the proper nonequilibrium thermodynamic potential and the variance of activator concentration is established by exhibiting both quantitative and qualitative similarities between a Fano factor like entity, derived from the activator concentration, and the Kullback-Leibler divergence associated with the transition from a nonequilibrium homogeneous state to an inhomogeneous state. Quantifying the thermodynamic costs for collective dynamical states would aid in efficiently controlling, manipulating, and sustaining such states to explore the real-world relevance and applications of these states.

Exploiting the rich phenomenology of periodically driven many-body systems is notoriously hindered by persistent heating in both the classical and the quantum realm. Here, we investigate to what extent coupling to a large thermal reservoir makes stabilization of a nontrivial steady state possible. To this end, we model both the system and the reservoir as classical spin chains where driving is applied through a rotating magnetic field, and we simulate the Hamiltonian dynamics of this setup. We find that the intuitive limits of infinite frequency and vanishing frequency, where the system dynamics is governed by the average and the instantaneous Hamiltonian, respectively, can be smoothly extended into entire regimes separated only by a small crossover region. At high frequencies, the driven system stroboscopically attains a Floquet-type Gibbs state at the reservoir temperature. At low frequencies, a global synchronized Gibbs state emerges, whose temperature may depart significantly from the initial temperature of the reservoir. Although our analysis in some parts relies on the specific properties of our setup, we argue that much of its phenomenology could be generic.

The oscillation of fluctuation with two state observables is investigated. Following the idea of Ohga et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 077101 (2023)], we find that the fluctuation oscillation relative to their autocorrelations is bounded from above by the entropy production per characteristic maximum oscillation time. Our result applies to a variety of systems including Langevin systems, chemical reaction systems, and macroscopic systems. In addition, our bound consists of experimentally tractable quantities, which enables us to examine our inequality experimentally.

Crack-template-based transparent conductive films (TCFs) are promising kinds of junction-free, metallic network electrodes that can be used, e.g., for transparent electromagnetic interference shielding. Using image processing of published photos of TCFs, we have analyzed the topological and geometrical properties of such crack templates. Additionally, we analyzed the topological and geometrical properties of some computer-generated networks. We computed the electrical conductance of such networks against the number density of their cracks. Comparison of these computations with predictions of the two analytical approaches revealed the proportionality of the electrical conductance to the square root of the number density of the cracks was found, this being consistent with the theoretical predictions.

The $q$-state Potts model on a diamond chain has mathematical significance in analyzing phase transitions and critical behaviors in diverse fields, including statistical physics, condensed matter physics, and materials science. By focusing on the three-state Potts model on a diamond chain, we reveal rich and analytically solvable behaviors without phase transitions at finite temperatures. Upon investigating thermodynamic properties such as internal energy, entropy, specific heat, and correlation length, we observe sharp changes near zero temperature. Magnetic properties, including magnetization and magnetic susceptibility, display distinct behaviors that provide insights into spin configurations in different phases. However, the Potts model lacks genuine phase transitions at finite temperatures, in line with the Peierls argument for one-dimensional systems. Nonetheless, in the general case of an arbitrary $q$ state, magnetic properties such as correlation length, magnetization, and magnetic susceptibility exhibit intriguing remnants of a zero-temperature phase transition at finite temperatures. Furthermore, residual entropy uncovers unusual frustrated regions at zero-temperature phase transitions. This feature leads to the peculiar thermodynamic properties of phase boundaries, including a sharp entropy change resembling a first-order discontinuity without an entropy jump, and pronounced peaks in second-order derivatives of free energy, suggestive of a second-order phase transition divergence but without singularities. This unusual behavior is also observed in the correlation length at the pseudocritical temperature, which could potentially be misleading as a divergence.

As a result of the application of recurrence quantification analysis to acoustic emission time series obtained in uniaxial tensile testing of copper and silver, we detected the existence of a characteristic interval in which the Shannon information entropy (as a parameter of the quantitative analysis of recurrence plots) increased rapidly. Using statistical analysis of the behavior of the dislocation ensemble, we established a relation between the physical parameters of the given interval and the global stability loss parameters of the plastic flow of metals, indicating the predictability of the distinctive point determined long before the critical state was attained.

Positive phase coupling plays an attractive role in inducing in-phase synchrony in an ensemble of phase oscillators. Positive coupling involving both amplitude and phase continues to be attractive, leading to complete synchrony in identical oscillators (limit cycle or chaotic) or phase coherence in oscillators with heterogeneity of parameters. In contrast, purely positive phase velocity coupling may originate a repulsive effect on pendulumlike oscillators (with rotational motion) to bring them into a state of diametrically opposite phases or a splay state. Negative phase velocity coupling is necessary to induce synchrony or coherence in the general sense. The contrarian roles of phase coupling and phase velocity coupling on the synchrony of networks of second-order phase oscillators have been explored here. We explain our proposition using networks of two model systems, a second-order phase oscillator representing the pendulum or the superconducting Josephson junction dynamics, and a voltage-controlled oscillations in neurons model. Numerical as well as semianalytical approaches are used to confirm our results.

Symmetries are known to dictate important physical properties and can be used as a design principle in particular in wave physics, including wave structures and the resulting propagation dynamics. Local symmetries, in the sense of a symmetry that holds only in a finite domain of space, can be either the result of a self-organization process or a structural ingredient into a synthetically prepared physical system. Applying local symmetry operations to extend a given finite chain we show that the resulting one-dimensional lattice consists of a transient followed by a subsequent periodic behavior. Due to the fact that, by construction, the implanted local symmetries strongly overlap the resulting lattice possesses a dense skeleton of such symmetries. We proof this behavior on the basis of a class of local symmetry operations allowing us to conclude upon the “asymptotic” properties such as the final period, decomposition of the unit cell and the length and appearance of the transient. As an example case, we explore the corresponding tight-binding Hamiltonians. Their energy eigenvalue spectra and eigenstates are analyzed in some detail, showing in particular the strong variability of the localization properties of the eigenstates due to the presence of a plethora of local symmetries.

We study the evolution of aggregates triggered by collisions with monomers that either lead to the attachment of monomers or the break-up of aggregates into constituting monomers. Depending on parameters quantifying addition and break-up rates, the system falls into a jammed or a steady state. Supercluster states (SCSs) are very peculiar nonextensive jammed states that also arise in some models. Fluctuations underlie the formation of the SCSs. Conventional tools, such as the van Kampen expansion, apply to small fluctuations. We go beyond the van Kampen expansion and determine a set of critical exponents quantifying SCSs. We observe continuous and discontinuous phase transitions between the states. Our theoretical predictions are in good agreement with numerical results.