Influence of confinement on the fragility of antiplasticized and pure polymer films

We investigate by molecular dynamics simulation how thin film confinement modifies the fragility of a model glass-forming liquid characterized previously in the bulk. Film confinement is found to reduce the relative fragility of the polymer fluid, leading to effects similar to simulations of the addition of an antiplasticizer additive. A reduction of fragility is not observed for the antiplasticized polymer film. These effects are interpreted in terms of variation in the string (cooperatively moving segments) concentration with film confinement and the addition of antiplasticizing additives.     

Control of Correlation Using Confinement in Case of Quantum System

This article investigates the behavior of a Moshinsky atom in a 1D harmonic trap. Focus is given on the theoretical foundations of confinement and its impact on the correlation between particles in the Moshinsky atom. The investigation begins by illustrating the (de)localization of the probability density function using Shannon entropy. The basics of correlation and interpretation of correlation using tools such as mutual information and statistical correlation coefficients and how these can be quantified are discussed. Then the concept of confinement is explored. The impact of interaction strength and confinement on Shannon entropy, statistical correlation coefficients, and mutual information is investigated. How interaction strength and confinement can be used to induce correlations between previously uncorrelated particles, as well as how they can be used to suppress correlations between previously correlated particles is discussed. Their implications for quantum information processing and quantum simulation are discussed. In conclusion, confinement is a powerful tool for controlling correlations in quantum systems, and its impact on correlation can be understood through theoretical models. The importance of experimental studies in this field, which provide insights into the behavior of quantum systems under confinement and pave the way for future applications in quantum technology is also emphasized.     

Tailoring steep density profile with unstable points

The mesoscopic properties of a plasma in a cylindrical magnetic field are investigated from the view point of test-particle dynamics. When the system has enough time and spatial symmetries, a Hamiltonian of a test particle is completely integrable and can be reduced to a single degree of freedom Hamiltonian for each initial state. The reduced Hamiltonian sometimes has unstable fixed points (saddle points) and associated separatrices. To choose among available dynamically compatible equilibrium states of the one particle density function of these systems we use a maximum entropy principle and discuss how the unstable fixed points affect the density profile or a local pressure gradient, and are able to create a steep profile that improves plasma confinement.     

Intramicellar glass transition and liquid dynamics in soft confinement

We explore the dynamics of viscous propylene glycol (PG) near its glass transition for the case of soft spatial confinement. The supercooled liquid is geometrically restricted by the reverse micelles of a glass-forming PG/AOT/decalin microemulsion, with the intramicellar dynamics being probed by triplet state solvation dynamics. While hard confinement by porous solids is known to result in slower dynamics and an increased glass transition temperature T(g) of PG, the nanodroplets suspended in a more fluid environment display faster structural relaxation, equivalent to a reduction of T(g) as observed in freestanding polymer films.     

Anisotropic fluid dynamics in the early stage of relativistic heavy-ion collisions

A formalism for anisotropic fluid dynamics is proposed. It is designed to describe boost-invariant systems with anisotropic pressure. Such systems are expected to be produced at the early stages of relativistic heavy-ion collisions, when the timescales are too short to achieve equal thermalization of transverse and longitudinal degrees of freedom. The approach is based on the energy–momentum and entropy conservation laws, and may be regarded as a minimal extension of the boost-invariant standard relativistic hydrodynamics of the perfect fluid. We show how the formalism may be used to describe the isotropization of the system (the transition from the initial state with no longitudinal pressure to the final state with equal longitudinal and transverse pressure).     

Excited states of light hadrons as a probe of QCD

The dynamics of light hadrons being highly sensitive to the confinement force, it is suggested that a careful study of the excitation pattern of light hadrons might be the most effective way to unravel the mechanisms of confinement dynamics. As a case study, it is shown how the recently confirmed doubling of the ρ' (1600) (which in potential models relies on an accidental level degeneracy) finds a simple interpretation in the framework of a string picture for flux-tube dynamics.     

Econophysics and the Entropic Foundations of Economics

This paper examines relations between econophysics and the law of entropy as foundations of economic phenomena. Ontological entropy, where actual thermodynamic processes are involved in the flow of energy from the Sun through the biosphere and economy, is distinguished from metaphorical entropy, where similar mathematics used for modeling entropy is employed to model economic phenomena. Areas considered include general equilibrium theory, growth theory, business cycles, ecological economics, urban–regional economics, income and wealth distribution, and financial market dynamics. The power-law distributions studied by econophysicists can reflect anti-entropic forces is emphasized to show how entropic and anti-entropic forces can interact to drive economic dynamics, such as in the interaction between business cycles, financial markets, and income distributions.     

Cardy–Verlinde formula in FRW Universe with inhomogeneous generalized fluid and dynamical entropy bounds near the future singularity

We derive a formula for the entropy for a multicomponent coupled fluid, which under special conditions reduces to the Cardy–Verlinde form relating the entropy of a closed FRW universe to its energy together with its Casimir energy. The generalized fluid obeys an inhomogeneous equation of state. A viscous dark fluid is included, and also modified gravity is included in terms of its fluid representation. It is demonstrated how such an expression reduces to the standard Cardy–Verlinde formula corresponding to the 2d CFT entropy in some special cases. The dynamical entropy bound for a closed FRW universe with dark components is obtained. The universality of the dynamical entropy bound near a future singularity (of all known four types), as well as near the Big Bang singularity, is investigated. It is demonstrated that, except from some special cases of Type II and Type IV singularities, the dynamical entropy bound is violated near the singularity even if quantum effects are taken into account. The dynamical entropy bound seems to be universal for the case of a regular universe, including the asymptotic de Sitter universe.     

Topological invariants in the study of a chaotic food chain system

The study of ecological systems has generated deep interest in exploring the complexity of chaotic food chains. The role of chaos in ecosystems is not entirely understood. One approach to have a better comprehension of ecological chaos is by analyzing it in mathematical models of basic food chains. In this article it is considered a classical chaotic food chain model from the literature. We use the theory of symbolic dynamics to study the topological entropy and the parameter space ordering of kneading sequences associated with one-dimensional maps that reproduce significant aspects of the model dynamics. The topological entropy allows us to distinguish different chaotic states in some realistic system parameter region. Another numerical invariant is introduced in order to characterize isentropic dynamics. Studying a set of maps with the same topological entropy, we exhibit numerical results about the relation between the second topological invariant and each of the control parameters in consideration. This work provides an illustration of how our understanding of ecological models can be enhanced by the theory of symbolic dynamics.     

The Approach Towards Equilibrium in a Reversible Ising Dynamics Model: An Information-Theoretic Analysis Based on an Exact Solution

We study the approach towards equilibrium in a dynamic Ising model, the Q2R cellular automaton, with microscopic reversibility and conserved energy for an infinite one-dimensional system. Starting from a low-entropy state with positive magnetisation, we investigate how the system approaches equilibrium characteristics given by statistical mechanics. We show that the magnetisation converges to zero exponentially. The reversibility of the dynamics implies that the entropy density of the microstates is conserved in the time evolution. Still, it appears as if equilibrium, with a higher entropy density is approached. In order to understand this process, we solve the dynamics by formally proving how the information-theoretic characteristics of the microstates develop over time. With this approach we can show that an estimate of the entropy density based on finite length statistics within microstates converges to the equilibrium entropy density. The process behind this apparent entropy increase is a dissipation of correlation information over increasing distances. It is shown that the average information-theoretic correlation length increases linearly in time, being equivalent to a corresponding increase in excess entropy.     

Bianchi I cosmology in the presence of a causally regularized viscous fluid

We analyze the dynamics of a Bianchi I cosmology in the presence of a viscous fluid, causally regularized according to the Lichnerowicz approach. We show how the effect induced by shear viscosity is still able to produce a matter creation phenomenon, meaning that also in the regularized theory we address, the Universe is emerging from a singularity with a vanishing energy density value. We discuss the structure of the singularity in the isotropic limit, when bulk viscosity is the only retained contribution. We see that, as far as viscosity is not a dominant effect, the dynamics of the isotropic Universe possesses the usual non-viscous power-law behaviour but in correspondence to an effective equation of state, depending on the bulk viscosity coefficient. Finally, we show that, in the limit of a strong non-thermodynamical equilibrium of the Universe mimicked by a dominant contribution of the effective viscous pressure, a power-law inflation behaviour of the Universe appears, the cosmological horizons are removed and a significant amount of entropy is produced.     

Transient entropy squeezing of a single-Cooper-pair box placed inside a phase-damped cavity

This article provides a convenient framework for a quantitative evaluation of the transient entropy squeezing generated when a single-Cooper-pair box irradiated by a classical field taking into account a phase-damped cavity. It explores how the entropy squeezing factors influenced by phase-damped cavity. The numerical results reveal an interesting connection between entropy squeezing and entanglement dynamics.     

Oscillating magnetocaloric effect in quantum nanoribbons

We investigate the oscillating magnetocaloric effect on a diamagnetic nanoribbon, using the model of a quasi-one-dimensional electron gas (Q1DEG) made with a parabolic confinement potential. We obtained analytical expressions for the thermodynamic potential and for the entropy change. The entropy change exhibits the same dependence on field and temperature observed for other diamagnetic systems. The period of the field-oscillating pattern is ~0.1 mT and the temperature of maximum entropy change is ~0.1 K with an applied field of the order of 1 T. An interesting feature of the results is the dependence of the oscillations with the strength of the confinement potential, as well as the possibility to provide a relationship among this last with nanoribbon width. In the limit of null confinement potential our expressions match those for the 2D diamagnetic system.     

Slow dynamics in colloidal glasses and porous media as probed by NMR relaxometry: assessment of solvent levy statistics in the strong adsorption regime

Mesoscopic media such as porous materials or colloidal pastes develop large specific surface area which strongly influence the dynamics of the embedded fluid. This fluid confinement can be used either to probe the interfacial geometry (frozen porous media) or the particle dynamics (paste and colloidal glass). In the strong adsorption regime, it was recently proposed that the effective surface diffusion on flat surface is anomalous and exhibits long time pathology (Lévy walks). This phenomena is directly related to the time and space properties of loop trajectories appearing in the bulk between a desorption and a readsorption step. The Lévy statistics extends the time domain of the embedded fluid dynamics toward the low frequency regime. An interesting way to probe such a slow interfacial process is to use field cycling NMR relaxometry. In the first part of this paper, we propose a simple theoretical model of NMR dispersion which only involves elementary time steps of the solvent dynamics near an interface (loops, trains, tails in relation with the confining geometry). In the second part, field cycling NMR relaxometry is used to probe the slow solvent dynamics in two type of interfacial systems: (i) a colloidal glass made of thin and flat particles (ii) two fully saturated porous media, the Vycor glass and MCM48 respectively. Experimental results are critically compared to closed-form analytical expressions and numerical simulations.     

Quantum shape effects and novel thermodynamic behaviors at nanoscale

Thermodynamic properties of confined systems depend on sizes of the confinement domain due to quantum nature of particles. Here we show that shape also enters as a control parameter on thermodynamic state functions. By considering specially designed confinement domains, we demonstrate how shape effects alone modify Helmholtz free energy, entropy and internal energy of a confined system. We propose an overlapped quantum boundary layer method to analytically predict quantum shape effects without even solving Schrödinger equation or invoking any other mathematical tools. Thereby we reduce a thermodynamic problem into a simple geometric one and reveal the profound link between geometry and thermodynamics. We report also a torque due to quantum shape effects. Furthermore, we introduce isoformal, shape preserving, process which opens the possibility of a new generation of thermodynamic cycles operating at nanoscale with unique features.     

混沌伪随机序列复杂度分析的符号动力学方法

通过将混沌伪随机序列看成一个符号序列，提出了用符号动力学的 方法来分析混沌伪随机序列的复杂度.以Logistic映射和耦合映射格子系统产生的混沌伪随 机序列为例，说明了该方法的应用，并将计算结果与近似熵ApEn法的计算结果作了比较.结 果表明，该方法可以有效地判断出不同的混沌伪随机序列的复杂程度，而且比近似熵法更为 优越. 关键词： 混沌 伪随机序列 符号动力学 熵     

Probing interfacial dynamics of water in confined nanoporous systems by NMRD

The confined dynamics of water molecules inside a pore involves an intermittence between adsorption steps near the interface and surface diffusion and excursions in the pore network. Depending on the strength of the interaction in the layer(s) close to the surface and the dynamical confinement of the distal bulk liquid, exchange dynamics can vary significantly. The average time spent in the surface proximal region (also called the adsorption layer) between a first entry and a consecutive exit allows estimating the level of ‘nanowettablity’ of water. As shown in several seminal works, NMRD is an efficient experimental method to follow such intermittent dynamics close to an interface. In this paper, the intermittent dynamics of a confined fluid inside nanoporous materials is discussed. Special attention is devoted to the interplay between bulk diffusion, adsorption and surface diffusion on curved pore interfaces. Considering the nano or meso length scale confinement of the pore network, an analytical model for calculating the inter-dipolar spin–lattice relaxation dispersion curves is proposed. In the low-frequency regime (50?KHz–100?MHz), this model is successfully compared with numerical simulations performed using a 3D-off lattice reconstruction of Vycor glass. Comparison with experimental data available in the literature is finally discussed.     

Tuning density profiles and mobility of inhomogeneous fluids

Density profiles are the most common measure of inhomogeneous structure in confined fluids, but their connection to transport coefficients is poorly understood. We explore via simulation how tuning particle-wall interactions to flatten or enhance the particle layering of a model confined fluid impacts its self-diffusivity, viscosity, and entropy. Interestingly, interactions that eliminate particle layering significantly reduce confined fluid mobility, whereas those that enhance layering can have the opposite effect. Excess entropy helps to understand and predict these trends.     

On Tagged Particle Dynamics in Highly Confined Fluids

Heuristic approaches to the statistics of tagged particle motion in a one-dimensional hard point particle fluid are discussed. An exact expression is obtained for the finite N case with arbitrary single-particle interactionless dynamics. This is extended to the mean over tagged particles as N→∞, and a simple form presented in terms of elementary physical quantities. Extension to single-file flow under quasi-one-dimensional confinement is initiated.