Simple "kink" model of melt intercalation in polymer-clay nanocomposites

We propose a simple semiphenomenological model to describe the dynamics of polymer melt intercalation in the gallery between the adjacent clay sheets in polymer-clay nanocomposites. Within this model, the intercalation process is driven by the motion of localized excitations ("kinks") which open up the tip between the clay sheets. These kinks belong to a novel type of solitonlike excitations that appear due to the interplay between the double-well potential of the clay-clay long-range interaction, bending elasticity of the sheets, and external shear force. We find that the kink solutions can exist only if applied shear is sufficiently strong, in a qualitative agreement with experimental data.     

Heterogeneous diffuse interfaces: A new mechanism for arrested coarsening in binary mixtures Heterogeneous diffuse interfaces

We discuss the dynamics of binary fluid mixtures in which surface tension density is allowed to become locally negative within the interface, while still preserving positivity of the overall surface tension (heterogeneous diffuse interface). Numerical simulations of two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau phase field equations implementing such mechanism and including hydrodynamic motion, show evidence of dynamically arrested domain coarsening. Under specific conditions on the functional form of the surface tension density, dynamical arrest can be interpreted in terms of the collective dynamics of metastable, non-linear excitations of the density field, named compactons, as they are localized to finite-size regions of configuration space and strictly zero elsewhere. Aside from compactons, the heterogeneous diffuse interface scenario appears to provide a robust mechanism for the interpretation of many aspects of soft-glassy behaviour in binary fluid mixtures.     

Virtual Excitations and Entanglement Dynamics and Polygamy in Three Ultra-Strongly Coupled Systems

The Milburn dynamics of three non resonant ultra-strongly coupled oscillators are resolved by using symplectic geometry. The Milburn dynamics of virtual excitations and how they affect the pairwise entanglement are looked at. It is found that the dynamics of excitations and entanglement experience similar profiles against time, physical parameters, and decoherence rate. Furthermore, it is shown that the extinction of excitations entails separability, which demonstrates the hierarchy between entanglement and virtual excitations. Additionally, the effects of physical parameters on the redistribution of virtual excitations among the three bi-partitions are analyzed. As a result, the violation of the monogamy of excitations is shown as in quantum discord. This implies that excitations can be considered as signatures of quantum correlations beyond entanglement. Besides, it is emphasized that the treatment can be used to model coupled quantum circuits in real situations (with decoherence).     

Localized excitations in arrays of synchronized laser oscillators

We investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of a large array of laser oscillators. The oscillators are locally coupled and their natural frequencies are randomly detuned. We show that synchronization of the array elements results in localized excitations wandering along well-defined trajectories.     

Heterogeneous diffuse interfaces: a new mechanism for arrested coarsening in binary mixtures. Heterogeneous diffuse interfaces

We discuss the dynamics of binary fluid mixtures in which surface tension density is allowed to become locally negative within the interface, while still preserving positivity of the overall surface tension (heterogeneous diffuse interface). Numerical simulations of two-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau phase field equations implementing such mechanism and including hydrodynamic motion, show evidence of dynamically arrested domain coarsening. Under specific conditions on the functional form of the surface tension density, dynamical arrest can be interpreted in terms of the collective dynamics of metastable, non-linear excitations of the density field, named compactons, as they are localized to finite-size regions of configuration space and strictly zero elsewhere. Aside from compactons, the heterogeneous diffuse interface scenario appears to provide a robust mechanism for the interpretation of many aspects of soft-glassy behaviour in binary fluid mixtures.     

Momentum dependence of the spin and charge excitations in the two dimensional Hubbard model

The low energy spin and charge excitations in the 2D Hubbard model near half filling are analyzed. The RPA spectra derived from inhomoheneous mean field textures are analyzed. Spin excitations show a commensurate peak at half filling, incommensurate peaks near half filling, and a broad background typical of a dilute Fermi liquid away from half filling. Charge excitations, near half filling, are localized near (0,0), and they occupy a small portion of the Brillouin Zone, in a way consistent with the existence of a small density of carriers, and a small Fermi surface. At higher hole densities, they fill the entire BZ, and can be understood in terms of a conventional Fermi liquid picture. The results are consistent with the observed features of the high-T_c superconductors.     

Theory of mutual friction in superfluid He at low temperatures

We review the microscopic theory of the mutual friction in superfluid ³He. This theory suggests that the dynamics of vortices is governed by the interaction between the quasiparticles localized in the vortex core and excitations outside the vortex. The mutual friction parameters are determined by the ratio of the distance between the energy levels of quasiparticles localized in the vortex and the relaxation rate of these quasiparticles.     

One-dimensional "turbulence" in a discrete lattice

We study a one-dimensional discrete analog of the von Karman flow, widely investigated in turbulence. A lattice of anharmonic oscillators is excited by both ends in order to create a large scale structure in a highly nonlinear medium, in the presence of a dissipative term proportional to the second order finite difference of the velocities, similar to the viscous term in a fluid. In a first part, the energy density is investigated in real and Fourier space in order to characterize the behavior of the system on a local scale. At low amplitude of excitation the large scale structure persists in the system but all modes are however excited and exchange energy, leading to a power law spectrum for the energy density, which is remarkably stable against changes in the model parameters, amplitude of excitation, or damping. In the spirit of shell models, this regime can be described in terms of interacting scales. At higher amplitude of excitation, the large scale structure is destroyed and the dynamics of the system can be viewed as resulting from the creation, interaction, and decay of localized excitations, the discrete breathers, the one-dimensional equivalents of vortices in a fluid. The spectrum of the energy density is well described by the spectrum of the breathers, and shows an exponential decay with the wave vector. Due to this exponential behavior, the spectrum is dominated by the most intense breathers. In this regime, the probability distribution of the increments of velocity between neighboring points is remarkably similar to the experimental results of turbulence and can be described by distributions deduced from nonextensive thermodynamics as in fluids. In a second part the power dissipated in the whole lattice is studied to characterize the global behavior of the system. Its probability distribution function shows non-Gaussian fluctuations similar to the one exhibited recently in a large class of "inertial systems," i.e., systems that cannot be divided into mesoscopic regions which are independent. The properties of the nonlinear excitations of the lattice provide a partial understanding of this behavior.     

Phase propagation of localized surface plasmons probed by time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy

In combining time-resolved two-photon photoemission (TR-2PPE) and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) the ultra-fast dynamics of collective electron excitations in silver nanoparticles (localized surface plasmons – LSPs) is probed at fs and nm resolution. Here we demonstrate that the sampling of the LSP dynamics by means of time-resolved PEEM enables detailed insight into the propagation processes associated with these excitations. In phase-integrated as well as phase-resolved measurements we observe spatio-temporal modulations in the photoemission yield from a single nanoparticle. These modulations are assigned to local variations in the electric near field as a result of the phase propagation of a plasmonic excitation through the particle. Furthermore, the control of the phase between the fs pump and probe laser pulses used for these experiments can be utilized for an external manipulation of the nanoscale electric near-field distribution at these particles. PACS 78.47.+p; 78.67.Bf; 79.60.-i; 73.20.Mf     

Calculations of localized modes on surface and impurity layer embedded in a semi-infinite Heisenberg ferromagnet

We investigate the magnetic excitations for the magnetic problem arising from the absence of magnetic translation symmetry in one dimension due to the presence of an impurity layer embedded within a semi-infinite ferromagnet. A Heisenberg model is employed to investigate the possibility that localized modes can occur with an impurity layer implanted within a semi-infinite ferromagnet. No electronic effects are considered. The theoretical approach employs the matching procedure in the mean field approximation and determines the propagating and evanescent spin amplitude fields including the contribution due to an applied field. The results are used to calculate the energies of localized modes associated with the impurity layer and with the surface. Numerical examples of the modes are given and they are found to exhibit various effects due to the interplay between the impurity layer and surface modes. It is shown that more localized modes can occur and the modification of the spin wave spectra can be signaled by the appearance of surface and impurity modes, besides the bulk excitations. Also, the bulk spin fluctuations field, the spin waves localized on the surface as well as on impurity layer depend are shown to depend on the nature of the exchange coupling between spin sites, the values of spin sites and the position of the impurity layer from the surface.     

Linearity stabilizes discrete breathers

The study of the dynamics of 1D chains with both harmonic and nonlinear interactions, as in the Fermi–Pasta–Ulam (FPU) and related problems, has played a central role in efforts to identify the broad consequences of nonlinearity in these systems. Here we study the dynamics of highly localized excitations, or discrete breathers, which are known to be initiated by the quasistatic stretching of bonds between adjacent particles. We show via dynamical simulations that acoustic waves introduced by the harmonic term stabilize the discrete breather by suppressing the breather’s tendency to delocalize and disperse. We conclude that the harmonic term, and hence acoustic waves, are essential for the existence of localized breathers in these systems.     

Low frequency dynamics of disordered XY spin chains and pinned density waves: from localized spin waves to soliton tunneling

A long-standing problem of the low-energy dynamics of a disordered XY spin chain is reexamined. The case of a rigid chain is studied, where the quantum effects can be treated quasiclassically. It is shown that, as the frequency decreases, the relevant excitations change from localized spin waves to two-level systems to soliton-antisoliton pairs. The linear-response correlation functions are calculated. The results apply to other periodic glassy systems such as pinned density waves, planar vortex lattices, stripes, and disordered Luttinger liquids.     

Dynamics of quasicrystals

The (lattice) dynamics of quasicrystals differs in many aspects from that of lattice periodic systems. This they have in common with other aperiodic crystals. The dynamics of quasicrystals is discussed here in the context of these general aperiodic crystals, but the special features of quasicrystals are stressed. The lattice dynamics is now fairly well understood. Especially for aperiodic crystals, there are excitations related to the possibility to describe the systems in superspace. These ‘phasons’ are discussed in particular.     

Taming chaotic solitons in Frenkel-Kontorova chains by weak periodic excitations

We have proposed theoretically and confirmed numerically the possibility of controlling chaotic solitons in damped, driven Frenkel-Kontorova chains subjected to additive bounded noise by weak periodic excitations. Theoretically, we obtained an effective equation of motion governing the dynamics of the soliton center of mass for which we deduced Melnikov's method-based predictions concerning the regions in the control parameter space where homoclinic bifurcations are frustrated. Numerically, we found that such theoretical predictions can be reliably applied to the original Frenkel-Kontorova chains, even for the case of localized application of the soliton-taming excitations, and there is strikingly good agreement between analytical estimates and numerical results.     

New localized excitations in a (2+1)-dimensional Broer—Kaup system

Starting with the extended homogeneous balance method and a variable separation approach, a general variable separation solution of the Broer—Kaup system is derived. In addition to the usual localized coherent soliton excitations like dromions, lumps, rings, breathers, instantons, oscillating soliton excitations, peakon and fractal localized solutions, some new types of localized excitations, such as compacton and folded excitations, are obtained by introducing appropriate lower-dimensional piecewise smooth functions and multiple-valued functions, and some interesting novel features of these structures are revealed.     

Localization of Waves near the Interface between Nonlinear Media with Spatial Dispersion

The nonlinear stationary excitations localized near the interface between media with spatial dispersion are investigated. In the study of the given problem, of prime importance is a consideration of interaction of excitations with the interface between the media. In this case, the arising localized excitations are nonlinear interface waves. It is demonstrated that nonlinear interface waves of several types exist in the examined system. The conditions of their existence are formulated.     

What becomes of global color

The recent demise of certain global unbroken symmetry generators in the presence of a grand unified magnetic monopole leads us to consider more carefully the notion of charges associated with gauge symmetries. It turns out that global transformations associated with the generators of the gauge group, and their charges, make sense only for extended systems which are sufficiently localized. GUT monopoles fail this criterion. Detailed consideration of the monopole-antimonopole system helps remove apparent paradoxes related to the chromodyon excitations of a single monopole and agrees with the previous result that some, but not all, of the states naively expected do exist. The remaining states ns needed to fill out color multiplets are spread throughout space; they are recovered as long-lived excitations when an antimonopole is brought in from infinity.     

A self-organizing network in the weak-coupling limit

We prove the existence of spatially localized ground states of the diffusive Haken model. This model describes a self-organizing network whose elements are arranged on a d-dimensional lattice with short-range diffusive coupling. The network evolves according to a competitive gradient dynamics in which the effects of diffusion are counteracted by a localizing potential that incorporates an additional global coupling term. In the absence of diffusive coupling, the ground states of the system are strictly localized, i.e. only one lattice site is excited. For sufficiently small non-zero diffusive coupling , it is shown analytically that localized ground states persist in the network with the excitations exponentially decaying in space. Numerical results establish that localization occurs for arbitrary values of in one dimension but vanishes beyond a critical coupling _c(d), when d> 1. The one-dimensional localized states are interpreted in terms of instanton solutions of a continuum version of the model.     

Soliton-like excitations and solectrons in two-dimensional nonlinear lattices

We discuss here the thermal excitation of soliton-like supersonic, intrinsic localized modes in two-dimensional monolayers of atoms imbedded into a heat bath. These excitations induce local electrical polarization fields at the nano-scale in the lattice which influence electron dynamics, thus leading to a new form of trapping. We study the soliton-mediated electron dynamics in such systems at moderately high temperatures and calculate the density of embedded electrons in a suitable adiabatic approximation.     

Exact Solutions of Some (1+1)-Dimensional Nonlinear Evolution Equations

By means of the variable separation method, new exact solutions of some (1+1)-dimensional nonlinear evolution equations are obtained. Abundant localized excitations can be found by selecting corresponding arbitrary functions appropriately. Namely, the new soliton-like localized excitations and instanton-like localized excitations are presented.