Phase separation in binary systems with competing internal and external multiplicative noises

We have considered phase separation processes in binary stochastic systems with thermal diffusion and ballistic mixing representing irradiation influence. Introducing fluctuations of thermal flux and an external source of atom relocations due to ballistic diffusion into dynamics of a globally conserved field, we have shown that there are two competing mechanisms of phase transitions type of “order-disorder”: thermally assisted diffusion and irradiation induced atomic exchange. We have studied dynamics of the structure function at early stages of decomposition. In the framework of the mean field theory we have derived the effective Fokker-Planck equation to describe phase separation processes. It was shown that the ordering processes can be controlled by both regular and stochastic parts of external source influence. A reentrant behavior of a mean field order parameter versus the external noise intensity and fluctuations correlation radius is found.     

Pattern formation inside bacteria: fluctuations due to the low copy number of proteins

We examine fluctuation effects due to the low copy number of proteins involved in pattern-forming dynamics within a bacterium. We focus on a stochastic model of the oscillating MinCDE protein system regulating accurate cell division in E. coli. We find that, for some parameter regions, the protein concentrations are low enough that fluctuations are essential for the generation of patterns. We also examine the role of fluctuations in constraining protein concentration levels.     

Exhibition of intrinsic properties of certain systems in response to external disturbances

Two systems, which are models of biological processes, are considered. These systems are notable for responding to different external actions nearly alike. This is associated with the fact that an external action excites only their natural intrinsic motions. Two kinds of external actions, harmonic and random, are studied. It is shown that each of them induces a transition to a new state that can be treated as a peculiar kind of phase transitions. Characteristics of these phase transitions are found.     

Longitudinal Inverted Compressibility in Super-strained Metamaterials

We develop a statistical physics theory for solid-solid phase transitions in which a metamaterial undergoes longitudinal contraction in response to increase in external tension. Such transitions, which are forbidden in thermodynamic equilibrium, have recently been shown to be possible during the decay of metastable, super-strained states. We present a first-principles model to predict these transitions and validate it using molecular dynamics simulations. Aside from its immediate mechanical implications, our theory points to a wealth of analogous inverted responses, such as inverted susceptibility or heat-capacity transitions, allowed when considering realistic scales.     

Phase transitions and critical phenomena in multiferroic films with orthorhombic magnetic structure

Phase transitions and critical phenomena in materials with strongly correlated magnetic, ferroelectric, and elastic subsystems are studied. A theoretical study of the influence external fields (dc and ac) have on the dynamics of phase transitions in perovskite-type crystals is performed.     

Acoustic dispersion near structural phase transitions

We show on various examples, that elastic constant measurements provide a valuable tool for studying the dynamics of solids near phase transitions. Many experimental methods used in the investigation of phase transitions (NMR, neutron scattering, etc.) are able to give information on the dynamics, but in different regions of q- and ω-space, thereby probing different dynamical processes.

A comparison of the dynamics obtained from the elastic measurements with other techniques (NMR) demonstrates this very clearly for the cases of KSCN and C_60.     

Crooks Fluctuation Theorem for Single Polymer Dynamics in Time-Dependent Flows: Understanding Viscoelastic Hysteresis

Nonequilibrium work relations have fundamentally advanced our understanding of molecular processes. In recent years, fluctuation theorems have been extensively applied to understand transitions between equilibrium steady-states, commonly described by simple control parameters such as molecular extension of a protein or polymer chain stretched by an external force in a quiescent fluid. Despite recent progress, far less is understood regarding the application of fluctuation theorems to processes involving nonequilibrium steady-states such as those described by polymer stretching dynamics in nonequilibrium fluid flows. In this work, we apply the Crooks fluctuation theorem to understand the nonequilibrium thermodynamics of dilute polymer solutions in flow. We directly determine the nonequilibrium free energy for single polymer molecules in flow using a combination of single molecule experiments and Brownian dynamics simulations. We further develop a time-dependent extensional flow protocol that allows for probing viscoelastic hysteresis over a wide range of flow strengths. Using this framework, we define quantities that uniquely characterize the coil-stretch transition for polymer chains in flow. Overall, generalized fluctuation theorems provide a powerful framework to understand polymer dynamics under far-from-equilibrium conditions.     

Pattern competition and the decay of unstable patterns in quasi-one-dimensional systems

The dynamics of quasi-one-dimensional pattern-forming systems with simple periodic initial conditions and additional noise or with almost-periodic initial conditions is studied analytically and numerically using the lowest-order amplitude equation. In this way the decay of Eckhaus-unstable patterns and subsequent formation of stable ones, as observed recently, and the competition of patterns with different wavenumbers is studied.     

Plasticity-induced characteristic changes of pattern dynamics and the related phase transitions in small-world neuronal networks

Phase transitions widely exist in nature and occur when some control parameters are changed. In neural systems, their macroscopic states are represented by the activity states of neuron populations, and phase transitions between different activity states are closely related to corresponding functions in the brain. In particular, phase transitions to some rhythmic synchronous firing states play significant roles on diverse brain functions and disfunctions, such as encoding rhythmical external stimuli, epileptic seizure, etc. However, in previous studies, phase transitions in neuronal networks are almost driven by network parameters （e.g., external stimuli）, and there has been no investigation about the transitions between typical activity states of neuronal networks in a self-organized way by applying plastic connection weights. In this paper, we discuss phase transitions in electrically coupled and lattice-based small-world neuronal networks （LBSW networks） under spike-timing-dependent plasticity （STDP）. By applying STDP on all electrical synapses, various known and novel phase transitions could emerge in LBSW networks, particularly, the phenomenon of self-organized phase transitions （SOPTs）： repeated transitions between synchronous and asynchronous firing states. We further explore the mechanics generating SOPTs on the basis of synaptic weight dynamics.     

Magnetization switching and microwave oscillations in nanomagnets driven by spin-polarized currents

A novel theoretical approach to magnetization dynamics driven by spin-polarized currents is presented. Complete stability diagrams are obtained for the case where spin torques and external magnetic fields are simultaneously present. Quantitative predictions are made for the critical currents and fields inducing magnetization switching, for the amplitude and frequency of magnetization self-oscillations, and for the conditions leading to hysteretic transitions between self-oscillations and stationary states.     

Effect of axial growth on Turing pattern formation

We have performed one-dimensional and two-dimensional experiments and simulations to study the formation of patterns in a system that grows continuously in one direction. Depending on the growth velocity, three basic spatial configurations can be obtained: stripes that are parallel, oblique, or perpendicular to the growth direction. The dependence of the wavelength on the growth velocity has also been observed. Our results illustrate the importance of these growth mechanisms in determining the final configuration of chemical and biological pattern-forming processes.     

Dynamics of resonant fluorescence from atomic Cs vapor at scanning the frequency of laser radiation in the presence of a constant magnetic field

The dynamics of interaction of laser radiation resonant with the transitions of D₂ line in atomic Cs¹³³ in the presence of an external magnetic field is studied. Populations of levels and dynamics of resonant fluorescence at scanning frequency of the laser radiation with linear and circular polarizations are considered.     

Heterogeneous recurrence representation and quantification of dynamic transitions in continuous nonlinear processes

Many real-world systems are evolving over time and exhibit dynamical behaviors. In order to cope with system complexity, sensing devices are commonly deployed to monitor system dynamics. Online sensing brings the proliferation of big data that are nonlinear and nonstationary. Although there is rich information on nonlinear dynamics, significant challenges remain in realizing the full potential of sensing data for system control. This paper presents a new approach of heterogeneous recurrence analysis for online monitoring and anomaly detection in nonlinear dynamic processes. A partition scheme, named as Q-tree indexing, is firstly introduced to delineate local recurrence regions in the multi-dimensional continuous state space. Further, we design a new fractal representation of state transitions among recurrence regions, and then develop new measures to quantify heterogeneous recurrence patterns. Finally, we develop a multivariate detection method for on-line monitoring and predictive control of process recurrences. Case studies show that the proposed approach not only captures heterogeneous recurrence patterns in the transformed space, but also provides effective online control charts to monitor and detect dynamical transitions in the underlying nonlinear processes.     

Nonequilibriurn discontinuous phase transitions in a fast ionic conductor model: Coexistence and spinodal lines

Two-dimensional lattice-gas models with attractive interactions and particle-conserving hopping dynamics under the influence of a very large external electric field along a principal axis are studied in the case of off-critical densities. We describe the corresponding nonequilibrium first-order phase transitions, evaluate coexistence and spinodal lines, and make some comparisons with experimental observations on fast ionic conductors.See Ref. 1 (henceforth referred to as II) for references.     

Method for construction of a biased potential for hyperdynamic simulation of atomic systems

An approach to constructing a biased potential for hyperdynamic simulation of atomic systems is considered. Using this approach, the diffusion of an atom adsorbed on the surface of a two-dimensional crystal and a vacancy in the bulk of the crystal are simulated. The influence of the variation in the potential barriers due to thermal vibrations of atoms on the results of calculations is discussed. It is shown that the bias of the potential in the hyperdynamic simulation makes it possible to obtain statistical samples of transitions of atomic systems between states, similar to those given by classical molecular dynamics. However, hyperdynamics significantly accelerates computations in comparison with molecular dynamics in the case of temperature-activated transitions and the associated processes in atomic systems.     

Entropy production and nonequilibrium stationarity in quantum dynamical systems. Physical meaning of van Hove limit

With aid of the so-called dilation method, a concise formula is obtained for the entropy production in the algebraic formulation of quantum dynamical systems. In this framework, the initial ergodic state of an external force system plays a pivotal role in generating dissipativity as a conditional expectation. The physical meaning of van Hove limit is clarified through the scale-changing transformation to control transitions between microscopic and macroscopic levels. It plays a crucial role in realizing the macroscopic stationarity in the presence of microscopic fluctuations as well as in the transition from non-Markovian (groupoid) dynamics to Markovian dissipative processes of state changes. The extension of the formalism to cases with spatial and internal inhomogeneity is indicated in the light of the groupoid dynamical systems and noncommutative integration theory.     

Pattern formation in flame spread over thin solid fuels

The fingering char pattern emerging on the surface of thin cellulosic sheets burning against an oxidizing wind is discussed. Employing collocation-based averaging, the assumption of diffusive-thermal equilibrium, the strong temperature dependence of the reaction rate, and the strong disparity between the densities of the solid and gaseous phases, an elementary two-dimensional free-interface model for the flame spread is formulated. It is shown that the pattern-forming dynamics is functionally akin to the well-studied cellular instability occurring in low Lewis number premixed gas flames.     

Instability and spatiotemporal dynamics of alternans in paced cardiac tissue

We derive an equation that governs the spatiotemporal dynamics of small amplitude alternans in paced cardiac tissue. We show that a pattern-forming linear instability leads to the spontaneous formation of stationary or traveling waves whose nodes divide the tissue into regions with opposite phase of oscillation of action potential duration. This instability is important because it creates dynamically a heterogeneous electrical substrate for the formation of conduction blocks and the induction of fibrillation if the tissue size exceeds a fraction of the pattern wavelength. We derive an analytical expression for this wavelength as a function of three basic length scales related to dispersion and intercellular electrical coupling.     

General theory for the interference of two-photon and one-photon processes in semiconductor heterostructures

We develop a general theory for the dynamics of multi-photon processes in semiconductor heterostructures. The resulting effective multi-band Bloch equations describe the dynamics of electrons in the reduced set of bands between which the optical pulses induce quasi-resonant transitions. The model is specialized to the case of interfering one- and two-photon transitions across the band gap. The withdrawn bands are included as intermediate states for an effective interaction that is quadratic in the electromagnetic fields. The benefit of this perturbative approach is to lead to equations of motion for slowly varying quantities only, in the spirit of the rotating wave approximation. Coulomb interaction and relaxation can also easily be included. Finally, a general expression for the time dependent polarization current that is consistent with the approximations involved by the effective multi-band Bloch equations is derived.     

Roles of classical dynamics and quantum dynamics on activated processes occurring in liquids

This paper reviews the reactive flux correlation function approach to studying the classical dynamics of activated processes in liquids. The possibilities and consequences of nonadiabatic electronic transitions in affecting this dynamics is also considered. We emphasize the feasibility of quantitative trajectory studies and the fact that these studies have yet to be fully exploited in the development of approximate theories of activated processes.