Deposition of particles under gravity in a kinetic lattice model

We study the growth through particle deposition of the surface of a discrete two-dimensional system, in which the motion of particles is affected by infinite gravity and the Kob-Andersen kinetic rule. Computer simulation results are found to be consistent with previous results in literature, showing that this particular case belongs to the same universality class as Ballistic Deposition, the Eden model, one step solid-on-solid (SOS) deposition and Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) characterized by scaling exponents α=0.5, β=1/3=0.33 and z=α/β=1.5.     

Dynamic critical phenomena in two-dimensional fully frustrated Coulomb gas model with disorder

The dynamic critical phenomena near depinning transition in two-dimensional fully frustrated square lattice Coulomb gas model with disorders was studied using Monte Carlo technique. The ground state of the model system with disorder σ=0.3 is a disordered state. The dependence of charge current density J on electric field E was investigated at low temperatures. The nonlinear J-E behavior near critical depinning field can be described by a scaling function proposed for three-dimensional flux line system [M.B. Luo, X. Hu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 (2007) 267002]. We evaluated critical exponents and found an Arrhenius creep motion for field region Ec/2<E<Ec. The scaling law of the depinning transition is also obtained from the scaling function.     

Jarzynski equation for the expansion of a relativistic gas and black-body radiation

Generalizing the work of Lua and Grosberg [R.C. Lua, A.Y. Grosberg, J. Phys. Chem. B 109 (2005) 6805], we verify the validity of the Jarzynski equation for the non-equilibrium expansion of an ideal relativistic gas and black-body radiation, respectively. The upper limit for the speed of the particles allows one to choose the parameters of the problem such that no multiple collisions need to be taken into account. Although related, the two cases considered differ from each other due to the quantum nature of photons. We show that bunching of photons is crucial for the Jarzynski equation to hold.     

Creep Motion in Two-Dimensional Fully Frustrated Coulomb Gas Model

The creep motion in a two-dimensional fully frustrated square lattice Coulomb gas model with disorders is studied by using the Monte Carlo technique. The dependence of charge current density J on electric field E is investigated at low temperature T and at low E. The results show that the creep obeys the Arrhenius law J - C（T） exp[-U（E）/T]. The prefactor C（T） increases with the temperature in a power law relation with an exponent about 3.0. The energy barrier U （ E） increases logarithmically with Ec,/ E as U （ E） - Uo ln（ Ec/ E） with Ec being the critical field at zero temperature.     

Absorbing phase transition in contact process on fractal lattices

We investigate the critical behavior of nonequilibrium phase transition from an active phase to an absorbing state on two selected fractal lattices, i.e., on a checkerboard fractal and on a Sierpinski carpet. The checkerboard fractal is finitely ramified with many dead ends, while the Sierpinski carpet is infinitely ramified. We measure various critical exponents of the contact process with a diffusion-reaction scheme A→AA and A→0, characterized by a spreading with a rate λ and an annihilation with a rate μ, and the results are confirmed by a crossover scaling and a finite-size scaling. The exponents, compared with the ?-expansion results assuming , being the fractal dimension of the underlying fractal lattice, exhibit significant deviations from the analytical results for both the checkerboard fractal and the Sierpinski carpet. On the other hand, the exponents on a checkerboard fractal agree well with the interpolated results of the regular lattice for the fractional dimensionality, while those on a Sierpinski carpet show marked deviations.     

Effect of correlated noises on Brownian motor

The Brownian motor operating between two correlated Gaussian white noises was investigated. The expressions of the current and the energy conversion efficiency of the Brownian motor were analytically derived by exploiting adiabatic approximation. The results indicates that: (i) Regulating the correlation strength λ between the two noises and the ratio D₂/D₁ of the two noise intensities can change the rotational direction of the motor; (ii) For the smaller D₂/D₁, an optimal λ can make the positive current and the efficiency be maximal, and for the smaller λ, an optimal D₂/D₁ also let the positive current be maximal. The results were explained from a viewpoint of modified potentials. The study is of important significance in the aspect of controlling the operation of the Brownian motor.     

Nonequilibrium work fluctuations in a driven Ising model

Monte Carlo simulations of a sheared Ising model are used to study nonequilibrium fluctuations of mechanical work. The validity of the transient (starting from equilibrium) and the steady state fluctuation relations is verified. A fluctuation relation has been also shown to hold for the mechanical work done on the system, during the transition between two nonequilibrium steady states corresponding to different drivings.     

Anomalous scaling in the Zhang model

We apply the moment analysis technique to analyze large scale simulations of the Zhang sandpile model. We find that this model shows different scaling behavior depending on the update mechanism used. With the standard parallel updating, the Zhang model violates the finite-size scaling hypothesis, and it also appears to be incompatible with the more general multifractal scaling form. This makes impossible its affiliation to any one of the known universality classes of sandpile models. With sequential updating, it shows scaling for the size and area distribution. The introduction of stochasticity into the toppling rules of the parallel Zhang model leads to a scaling behavior compatible with the Manna universality class. Received 8 August 2000 and Received in final form 4 October 2000     

Depinning transition of the quenched Mullins-Herring equation: A short-time dynamic method

The depinning phase transition of the Mullins-Herring equation with an external driving force and quenched random noise is studied in a short-time dynamic scaling scheme. Besides the critical driving force, all the critical exponents can be accessed, agreeing well with those in long-time steady-state simulations. The finite size effects on the critical exponents are also discussed. It is found that reasonable results can be achieved with a relatively small system, which highlights the advantage of the present approach.     

On the thermodynamic origin of the quantum potential

In a new thermodynamic interpretation, the quantum potential is shown to result from the presence of a subtle thermal vacuum energy distributed across the whole domain of an experimental setup. Explicitly, its form is demonstrated to be exactly identical to the heat distribution derived from the defining equation for classical diffusion wave fields. For a single free particle path, this thermal energy does not significantly affect particle motion. However, in between different paths, or at interfaces, the accumulation-depletion law for diffusion waves provides an immediate new understanding of the quantum potential’s main features.     

Mean First-Passage Time in a Bistable Kinetic Model with Stochastic Potentials

The transient properties of a bistable system with the stochastic potentials are investigated. The explicit expressions of the mean first-passage time (MFPT) are obtained by using a steepest-descent approximation. The results show that the MFPT of the system increases with the amplitude Δ of the stochastic potential, decreases with the noise intensity D and the correlation length l. The stochastic potential makes against the particle moving towards the destination.     

The short-time critical behaviour of the Ginzburg-Landau model with long-range interaction

The renormalisation group approach is applied to the study of the short-time critical behaviour of the d-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau model with long-range interaction of the form in momentum space. Firstly the system is quenched from a high temperature to the critical temperature and then relaxes to equilibrium within the model A dynamics. The asymptotic scaling laws and the initial slip exponents and of the order parameter and the response function respectively, are calculated to the second order in . Received 9 June 2000 and Received in final form 2 August 2000     

A sharp transition between a trivial 1D BTW model and self-organized critical rice-pile model

A one-dimensional model of a rice-pile is numerically studied for different driving mechanisms. We found that for a sufficiently large system, there is a sharp transition between the trivial behaviour of a 1D BTW model and self-organized critical (SOC) behaviour. Depending on the driving mechanism, the self-organized critical rice-pile model belongs to two different universality classes. Received 18 December 1998     

Phase separation of binary systems

In this paper, three physical predictions on the phase separation of binary systems are derived based on a dynamic transition theory developed recently by the authors. First, the order of phase transitions is precisely determined by the sign of a nondimensional parameter K such that if K>0, the transition is first order with latent heat and if K<0, the transition is second order. Here the parameter K is defined in terms of the coefficients in the quadratic and cubic nonlinear terms of the Cahn-Hilliard equation and the typical length scale of the container. Second, a phase diagram is derived, characterizing the order of phase transitions, and leading in particular to a prediction that there is only a second-order transition for molar fraction near 1/2. This is different from the prediction made by the classical phase diagram. Third, a TL-phase diagram is derived, characterizing the regions of both homogeneous and separation phases and their transitions.     

Green functions and Langevin equations for nonlinear diffusion equations: A comment on ‘Markov processes, Hurst exponents, and nonlinear diffusion equations’ by Bassler et al.

We discuss two central claims made in the study by Bassler et al. [K.E. Bassler, G.H. Gunaratne, J.L. McCauley, Physica A 369 (2006) 343]. Bassler et al. claimed that Green functions and Langevin equations cannot be defined for nonlinear diffusion equations. In addition, they claimed that nonlinear diffusion equations are linear partial differential equations disguised as nonlinear ones. We review bottom-up and top-down approaches that have been used in the literature to derive Green functions for nonlinear diffusion equations and, in doing so, show that the first claim needs to be revised. We show that the second claim as well needs to be revised. To this end, we point out similarities and differences between non-autonomous linear Fokker-Planck equations and autonomous nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations. In this context, we raise the question whether Bassler et al.’s approach to financial markets is physically plausible because it necessitates the introduction of external traders and causes. Such external entities can easily be eliminated when taking self-organization principles and concepts of nonextensive thermostatistics into account and modeling financial processes by means of nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations.     

The role of pinning and instability in a class of non-equilibrium growth models

We study the dynamics of a growing crystalline facet where the growth mechanism is controlled by the geometry of the local curvature. A continuum model, in (2+1) dimensions, is developed in analogy with the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) model is considered for the purpose. Following standard coarse graining procedures, it is shown that in the large time, long distance limit, the continuum model predicts a curvature independent KPZ phase, thereby suppressing all explicit effects of curvature and local pinning in the system, in the “perturbative” limit. A direct numerical integration of this growth equation, in 1+1 dimensions, supports this observation below a critical parametric range, above which generic instabilities, in the form of isolated pillared structures lead to deviations from standard scaling behaviour. Possibilities of controlling this instability by introducing statistically “irrelevant" (in the sense of renormalisation groups) higher ordered nonlinearities have also been discussed. Received 23 April 2002 / Received in final form 24 July 2002 Published online 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: akc@mpipks-dresden.mpg.de     

Dynamics and scaling of noise-induced domain growth

The domain growth processes originating from noise-induced nonequilibrium phase transitions are analyzed, both for non-conserved and conserved dynamics. The existence of a dynamical scaling regime is established in the two cases, and the corresponding growth laws are determined. The resulting universal dynamical scaling scenarios are those of Allen-Cahn and Lifshitz-Slyozov, respectively. Additionally, the effect of noise sources on the behaviour of the pair correlation function at short distances is studied. Received 28 June 2000 and Received in final form 29 September 2000     

Entropy-driven phase transitions with influence of the field-dependent diffusion coefficient

We present a comprehensive study of phase transitions in a single-field reaction-diffusion stochastic systems with a field-dependent mobility of a power-law form and internal fluctuations. Using variational principles and mean-field theory we have shown that the noise can sustain spatial patterns and leads to phase transitions type of “order-disorder”. These phase transitions can be critical and non-critical in character. Our theoretical results are verified by computer simulations.