Three-wave turbulent interactions and the role of eddy size on the turbulent electromotive force are studied in a spherical liquid-sodium dynamo experiment. A symmetric, equatorial baffle reduces the amplitude of the largest-scale turbulent eddies, which is inferred from the magnetic fluctuations spectrum (measured by a 2D array of surface probes). Differential rotation in the mean flow is $>2$ times more effective in generating mean toroidal magnetic fields from the applied poloidal field (via the $\Omega$ effect) when the largest-scale eddies are eliminated, thus demonstrating that the global turbulent resistivity (the $\beta$ effect from the largest-scale eddies) is reduced by a similar amount.

The static friction coefficient between two materials is considered to be a material constant. We present experiments demonstrating that the ratio of shear to normal force needed to move contacting bodies can, instead, vary systematically with controllable changes in the external loading configuration. Large variations in both the friction coefficient and consequent stress drop are tightly linked to changes in the rupture dynamics of the rough interface separating the two bodies.

The spreading of liquids on solids is a commonplace phenomenon, discernible in various instances of everyday life. Despite the apparent simplicity of spreading, the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood on a microscopic level, particularly at the moving edge between liquid and solid known as the contact line region. Here we show the time-dependent evolution of nanoscale films on a clean solid surface near the moving contact line. Our work contributes to the body of experimental evidence required to assemble a comprehensive understanding of microstructures at the vicinity of the contact line, bridging the gap between computational methods and theory. Moreover, this research will provide insight into the fundamental behavior of fluid spreading and other surface phenomena.

We report data for nonequilibrium density fluctuations in a layer of liquid ${\mathrm{CS}}_2$ subjected to temperature gradients on Earth and in a satellite. The structure factor $S(q)$ was measured using a calibrated shadowgraph. Upon removing gravity, $S(q)$ increased dramatically at small wave vector, until the fluctuations generated by thermal noise were limited only by the 3 mm sample thickness. The results agree with theory to within a few percent on Earth and are $\sim 14\%$ below theory in microgravity, demonstrating that the use of equilibrium Langevin forces is appropriate in this nonequilibrium situation.

While filaments are generally interpreted as a dynamic balance between Kerr focusing and plasma defocusing, the role of the higher-order Kerr effect (HOKE) is actively debated as a potentially dominant defocusing contribution to filament stabilization. In a pump-probe experiment supported by numerical simulations, we demonstrate the transition between two distinct filamentation regimes at 800 nm. For long pulses (1.2 ps), the plasma substantially contributes to filamentation, while this contribution vanishes for short pulses (70 fs). These results confirm the occurrence, in adequate conditions, of filamentation driven by the HOKE rather than by plasma.

Rigorous upper limits on the vertical heat transport in two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection between stress-free isothermal boundaries are derived from the Boussinesq approximation of the Navier-Stokes equations. The Nusselt number Nu is bounded in terms of the Rayleigh number Ra according to $\mathrm{Nu}\le 0.2891{\mathrm{Ra}}^{5/12}$ uniformly in the Prandtl number Pr. This scaling challenges some theoretical arguments regarding asymptotic high Rayleigh number heat transport by turbulent convection.

We show that magnetized plasma with appropriately designed parameters supports nearly diffractionless propagation of electromagnetic waves along the direction of the applied magnetic field, arising from their unbounded equifrequency contour in the magnetized plasma. Such a unique feature can be utilized to construct subdiffraction imaging devices, which is confirmed by detailed numerical investigations. Subdiffraction imaging devices based on magnetic plasma do not require microfabrication normally entailed by construction of metamaterials; more importantly, they can be dynamically reconfigured by tuning the applied magnetic field or the plasma density, and therefore they represent a facile and powerful route for imaging applications.

We discuss the breakdown of spatial coherence in networks of coupled oscillators with nonlocal interaction. By systematically analyzing the dependence of the spatiotemporal dynamics on the range and strength of coupling, we uncover a dynamical bifurcation scenario for the coherence-incoherence transition which starts with the appearance of narrow layers of incoherence occupying eventually the whole space. Our findings for coupled chaotic and periodic maps as well as for time-continuous Rössler systems reveal that intermediate, partially coherent states represent characteristic spatiotemporal patterns at the transition from coherence to incoherence.

Small particles transported by a fluid medium do not necessarily have to follow the flow. We show that for a wide class of time-periodic incompressible flows inertial particles have a tendency to spontaneously align in one-dimensional dynamic coherent structures. This effect may take place for particles so small that often they would be expected to behave as passive tracers and be used in PIV measurement technique. We link the particle tendency to form one-dimensional structures to the nonlinear phenomenon of phase locking. We propose that this general mechanism is, in particular, responsible for the enigmatic formation of the “particle accumulation structures” discovered experimentally in thermocapillary flows more than a decade ago and unexplained until now.

Time-resolved spectrum measurements of a sonoluminescing Xe bubble reveal a transition from transparency to an opaque Planck blackbody. As the temperature is $<10000\mathrm{K}$ and the density is below liquid density, the photon scattering length is 10 000 times too large to explain its opacity. We resolve this issue with a model that reduces the ionization potential. According to this model, sonoluminescence originates in a new phase of matter with high ionization. Analysis of line emission from ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{*}$ also yields evidence of phase segregation for this first-order transition inside a bubble.

The three-dimensional patterns of surface wrinkling on a core-shell soft sphere are investigated through buckling and postbuckling analyses under differential tissue growth or shrinkage. With increasing deformation, the sphere first exhibits a buckyball-like wrinkling pattern and then undergoes a wrinkle-to-fold transition into labyrinth folded patterns, in agreement with experimental observations. This transition involves dynamic movement, rotation, and coalescence of polygons formed during the initial buckling.

This work analyzes the parameter space of a discrete ratchet model and gives direct connections between chaotic domains and a family of isoperiodic stable structures with the ratchet current. The isoperiodic structures, where larger currents are usually observed inside, appear along preferred direction in the parameter space giving a guide to follow the current. Currents in parameter space provide a direct measure of the momentum asymmetry of the multistable and chaotic attractors times the size of the corresponding basin of attraction. Transport structures are shown to exist in the parameter space of the Langevin equation with an external oscillating force.

We experimentally investigate the Bragg reflection of light at one-dimensionally ordered atomic structures by using cold atoms trapped in a laser standing wave. By a fine-tuning of the periodicity, we reach the regime of multiple reflection due to the refractive index contrast between layers, yielding an unprecedented high reflectance efficiency of 80%. This result is explained by the occurrence of a photonic band gap in such systems, in accordance with previous predictions.

We use metamaterials with extreme anisotropy to solve the fundamental problem of light transport in deep subwavelength apertures. By filling a simply connected aperture with an anisotropic medium, we decouple the cutoff frequency and the group velocity of modes inside apertures. In the limit of extreme anisotropy, all modes become purely transverse electromagnetic modes, free from geometrical dispersion, propagate with a velocity controlled by the transverse permittivity and permeability, and have zero cutoff frequency. We analyze physically realizable cases for a circular aperture and show a metamaterial design using existing materials.

We show that thin sheets under boundary confinement spontaneously generate a universal self-similar hierarchy of wrinkles. From simple geometry arguments and energy scalings, we develop a formalism based on wrinklons, the localized transition zone in the merging of two wrinkles, as building blocks of the global pattern. Contrary to the case of crumpled paper where elastic energy is focused, this transition is described as smooth in agreement with a recent numerical work [R. D. Schroll, E. Katifori, and B. Davidovitch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 074301 (2011)]. This formalism is validated from hundreds of nanometers for graphene sheets to meters for ordinary curtains, which shows the universality of our description. We finally describe the effect of an external tension to the distribution of the wrinkles.

We experimentally investigate the phase dynamics of laser networks with homogenous time-delayed mutual coupling and establish the fundamental rules that govern their state of synchronization. We identified a specific substructure that imposes its synchronization state on the entire network and show that for any coupling configuration the network forms at most two synchronized clusters. Our results indicate that the synchronization state of the network is a nonlocal phenomenon and cannot be deduced by decomposing the network into smaller substructures, each with its individual synchronization state.

A pair of perturbed antiparallel quantum vortices, simulated using the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equations, is shown to be unstable to vortex stretching. This results in kinetic energy $K_{\nabla \psi }$ being converted into interaction energy $E_I$ and eventually local kinetic energy depletion that is similar to energy decay in a classical fluid, even though the governing equations are Hamiltonian and energy conserving. The intermediate stages include the generation of vortex waves, their deepening, multiple reconnections, the emission of vortex rings and phonons, and the creation of an approximately $-5/3$ kinetic energy spectrum at high wave numbers. All of the wave generation and reconnection steps follow from interactions between the two original vortices. A four vortex example is given to demonstrate that some of these steps might be general.

Three-body interactions have been found in physics, biology, and sociology. To investigate their effect on dynamical systems, as a first step, we study numerically and theoretically a system of phase oscillators with a three-body interaction. As a result, an infinite number of multistable synchronized states appear above a critical coupling strength, while a stable incoherent state always exists for any coupling strength. Owing to the infinite multistability, the degree of synchrony in an asymptotic state can vary continuously within some range depending on the initial phase pattern.

We present self-accelerating self-trapped beams in nonlinear optical media, exhibiting self-focusing and self-defocusing Kerr and saturable nonlinearities, as well as a quadratic response. In Kerr and saturable media such beams are stable under self-defocusing and weak self-focusing, whereas for strong self-focusing the beams off-shoot solitons while their main lobe continues to accelerate. Self-accelerating self-trapped wave packets are universal, and can also be found in matter waves, plasma, etc.

We investigate the morphologies and maximum packing density of thin wires packed into spherical cavities. Using simulations and experiments, we find that ordered as well as disordered structures emerge, depending on the amount of internal torsion. We find that the highest packing densities are achieved in low torsion packings for large systems, but in high torsion packings for small systems. An analysis of both situations is given in terms of energetics and comparison is made to analytical models of DNA packing in viral capsids.