Divide and conquer: resonance induced by competitive interactions

We study an Ising model in a network with disorder induced by the presence of both attractive and repulsive links and subjected to a periodic subthreshold signal. By means of numerical simulations and analytical calculations we give evidence that the global response of the system reaches a maximum value for a given fraction of the number of repulsive interactions. The model can represent a network of spin-like neurons with excitatory and inhibitory couplings, or a simple opinion spreading model. In this context, attractive/repulsive links represent friends and enemies. “Divide and Conquer” refers to the fact that in order to force a society to adopt a new point of view, it helps to break its homogeneity by fostering enmities amongst its members.     

Active Brownian motion models and applications to ratchets

We give an overview over recent studies on the model of Active Brownian Motion (ABM) coupled to reservoirs providing free energy which may be converted into kinetic energy of motion. First, we present an introduction to a general concept of active Brownian particles which are capable to take up energy from the source and transform part of it in order to perform various activities. In the second part of our presentation we consider applications of ABM to ratchet systems with different forms of differentiable potentials. Both analytical and numerical evaluations are discussed for three cases of sinusoidal, staircaselike and Mateos ratchet potentials, also with the additional loads modelled by tilted potential structure. In addition, stochastic character of the kinetics is investigated by considering perturbation by Gaussian white noise which is shown to be responsible for driving the directionality of the asymptotic flux in the ratchet. This stochastically driven directionality effect is visualized as a strong nonmonotonic dependence of the statistics of the right versus left trajectories of motion leading to a net current of particles. Possible applications of the ratchet systems to molecular motors are also briefly discussed.     

The study of banded spherulite patterns by coupled logistic map lattice model

Banded spherulite patterns are simulated in two dimensions by means of a coupled logistic map lattice model. Both target pattern and spiral pattern which have been proved to be existent experimentally in banded spherulite are obtained by choosing suitable parameters in the model. The simulation results also indicate that the band spacing is decreased with the increase of parameter μ in the logistic map and increased with the increase of the coupling parameter ε, which is quite similar to the results in some experiments. Moreover, the relationship between the parameters and the corresponding patterns is obtained, and the target patterns and spiral patterns are distinguished for a given group of initial values, which may guide the study of banded spherulite.     

Birth and death in a continuous opinion dynamics model

We here discuss the process of opinion formation in an open community where agents are made to interact and consequently update their beliefs. New actors (birth) are assumed to replace individuals that abandon the community (deaths). This dynamics is simulated in the framework of a simplified model that accounts for mutual affinity between agents. A rich phenomenology is presented and discussed with reference to the original (closed group) setting. Numerical findings are supported by analytical calculations.     

New mechanism for non-trivial intra-molecular vibrational dynamics

We investigate the time evolution process of one selected (initially prepared by optical pumping) vibrational molecular state S, coupled to all other intra-molecular vibrational states R of the same molecule, and also to its environment Q. Molecular states forming the first reservoir R are characterized by a discrete dense spectrum, whereas the environment reservoir Q states form a continuous spectrum. Assuming the equidistant reservoir R states we find the exact analytical solution of the quantum dynamic equations. S-Q and R-Q couplings yield to spontaneous decay of the S and R states, whereas S-R exchange leads to recurrence cycles and Loschmidt echo at frequencies of S-R transitions and double resonances at the interlevel reservoir R transitions. Due to these couplings the system S time evolution is not reduced to a simple exponential relaxation. We predict various regimes of the system S dynamics, ranging from exponential decay to irregular damped oscillations. Namely, we show that there are possible four dynamic regimes of the evolution: (i) independent of the environment Q exponential decay suppressing backward R - S transitions, (ii) Loschmidt echo regime, (iii) incoherent dynamics with multicomponent Loschmidt echo, when the system state is exchanged its energy with many states of the reservoir, (iv) cycle mixing regime, when long time system dynamics looks as a random-like. We suggest applications of our results for interpretation of femtosecond vibration spectra of large molecules and nano-systems.     

Stochastic resonance and energy optimization in spatially extended dynamical systems

We investigate a class of nonlinear wave equations subject to periodic forcing and noise, and address the issue of energy optimization. Numerically, we use a pseudo-spectral method to solve the nonlinear stochastic partial differential equation and compute the energy of the system as a function of the driving amplitude in the presence of noise. In the fairly general setting where the system possesses two coexisting states, one with low and another with high energy, noise can induce intermittent switchings between the two states. A striking finding is that, for fixed noise, the system energy can be optimized by the driving in a form of resonance. The phenomenon can be explained by the Langevin dynamics of particle motion in a double-well potential system with symmetry breaking. The finding can have applications to small-size devices such as microelectromechanical resonators and to waves in fluid and plasma.     

Control coherence resonance by noise recycling

We study the effect of recycled noise, generated by the superposition of a primary Gaussian noise source with a second component of constant delay, in a parameter region below the threshold of supercritical Hopf bifurcation, by focussing on the performance of noise induced oscillations and coherence resonance. For fixed noise intensity, the amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio of the oscillation show periodic dependences on the delay time. The optimal noise intensity for the occurrence of coherence resonance also shows a periodic dependence on the delay. A theoretical analysis based on the stochastic normal form theory is presented, which qualitatively reproduces the simulation results with good agreement. This work presents a possible strategy for controlling noise induced oscillations and coherence resonance by deliberately adjusting the parameters of the recycled noise.     

Lattice Lotka-Volterra model with long range mixing

A spatio-temporal process in the Lattice Lotka Volterra (LLV) model, when realized on low dimensional support, is studied. It is shown that the introduction of a long-range mixing causes a drastic change in the system’s behavior, which transits from small random-like fluctuations to global oscillations when the mixing rate transcends above a critical point. The amplitude of the induced oscillations is well defined by the mixing rate and is insensitive to the initial conditions and the lattice size variations. The observed behavior essentially differs from that predicted by the Mean-Field model which is conservative. The oscillations are of limit-cycle type and appear as a stochastic analog of a Hopf bifurcation.     

Description of nonrigid rotation in small atomic clusters

The dependence of the internal dynamics of triatomic van der Waals clusters on the rate of nonrigid rotation has been studied. The method of decomposition of the system's motion into orthogonal modes of the motion has been proposed. Additionally, a new method of separation of the kinetic energy, captured by the modes, into rotational and vibrational components has been developed. It has been found that the most significant factor for the chaotic behavior of the cluster is the partitioning of the vibrational and rotational energies among the modes.     

Type-II intermittency characteristics in the presence of noise

We consider a type of intermittent behavior that occurs as the result of the interplay between dynamical mechanisms giving rise to type-II intermittency and random dynamics. We analytically deduce the law for the distribution of the laminar phases, which has never been obtained hitherto. The already known dependence of the mean length of the laminar phases on the criticality parameter [Phys. Rev. E 68, 036203 (2003)] follows as a corollary of the carried out research. We also prove that this dependence obtained earlier under the assumption of the fixed form of the reinjection probability does not depend on the relaminarization properties, and, correspondingly, the obtained expression of the mean length of the laminar phases on the criticality parameter remains correct for different types of the reinjection probability.     

Fractal model of the atom and some properties of the matter through an extended model of scale relativity

The scale relativity model was extended for the motions on fractal curves of fractal dimension D _F and third order terms in the equation of motion of a complex speed field. It results that, in a fractal fluid, the convection, dissipation and dispersion are compensating at any scale (differentiable or non-differentiable), whereas a generalized Schrödinger type equation is obtained for an irrotational movement of the fractal fluid. For D _F = 2 and the dissipative approximation of the motions, the fractal model of atom is build: the real part of the complex speed field describes the electron motion on stationary orbits according to a quantification condition, while the imaginary part of the complex speed field gives the electron energy quantification. For D _F = 3 and the dispersive approximation of motions, some properties of the matter are explained: at the differentiable scale the flowing regimes (non-quasi-autonomous and quasi-autonomous) of the fractal fluids are separated by the experimental “0.7 structure”, while for the non-differentiable scale the fractal potential acts as an energy accumulator and controls through coherence the transport phenomena. Moreover, the compatibility between the differentiable and non-differentiable scales implies a Cantor space-time, and consequently a fractal at any scale. Thus, some properties of the matter (the anomaly of nano-fluids thermal conductivity, the superconductivity etc.) can be explained by this model.     

Classical dynamics of polar diatomic molecules in external fields

In this paper, we present the study of the global classical dynamics of a rigid diatomic molecule in the presence of combined electrostatic and nonresonant polarized laser fields. In particular, we focus on the collinear field case, which is an integrable system because the z-component P_φ of the angular momentum is conserved. The study involves the complete analysis of the stability of the equilibrium points, their bifurcations and the evolution of the phase flow as a function of the field strengths and P_φ. Finally, the influence of the bifurcations on the orientation of the quantum states is studied.     

Dynamics of a FitzHugh-Nagumo system subjected to autocorrelated noise

We analyze the dynamics of the FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) model in the presence of colored noise and a periodic signal. Two cases are considered: (i) the dynamics of the membrane potential is affected by the noise, (ii) the slow dynamics of the recovery variable is subject to noise. We investigate the role of the colored noise on the neuron dynamics by the mean response time (MRT) of the neuron. We find meaningful modifications of the resonant activation (RA) and noise enhanced stability (NES) phenomena due to the correlation time of the noise. For strongly correlated noise we observe suppression of NES effect and persistence of RA phenomenon, with an efficiency enhancement of the neuronal response. Finally we show that the self-correlation of the colored noise causes a reduction of the effective noise intensity, which appears as a rescaling of the fluctuations affecting the FHN system.     

Nonextensivity at the edge of chaos of a new universality class of one-dimensional unimodal dissipative maps

We introduce a new universality class of one-dimensional unimodal dissipative maps. The new family, from now on referred to as the (z₁, z₂)-logarithmic map, corresponds to a generalization of the z-logistic map. The Feigenbaum-like constants of these maps are determined. It has been recently shown that the probability density of sums of iterates at the edge of chaos of the z-logistic map is numerically consistent with a q-Gaussian, the distribution which, under appropriate constraints, optimizes the nonadditive entropy S_q. We focus here on the presently generalized maps to check whether they constitute a new universality class with regard to q-Gaussian attractor distributions. We also study the generalized q-entropy production per unit time on the new unimodal dissipative maps, both for strong and weak chaotic cases. The q-sensitivity indices are obtained as well. Our results are, like those for the z-logistic maps, numerically compatible with the q-generalization of a Pesin-like identity for ensemble averages.     

Electroconvection in nematics above the splay Fréedericksz transition

We present a basic model for an instability leading to a novel type of electroconvection patterns observed above the splay Fréedericksz transition in nematics. Such patterns, with wave vector perpendicular to the director easy axis, are found in planar sandwich cells under crossed polarizers, they do not produce shadowgraph images at onset. An adaptation of the classical Carr Helfrich mechanism is introduced. The ground state is a tilted director field uniform in the cell plane. The proposed mechanism destabilizes this director field and leads to a structure with modulated out-of-plane (twist) deformations. Experimental confirmation is provided by polarizing microscopy. All experimental observations are qualitatively explained with the proposed model.     

Dynamical stability of systems with long-range interactions: application of the Nyquist method to the HMF model

We apply the Nyquist method to the Hamiltonian mean field (HMF) model in order to settle the linear dynamical stability of a spatially homogeneous distribution function with respect to the Vlasov equation. We consider the case of Maxwell (isothermal) and Tsallis (polytropic) distributions and show that the system is stable above a critical kinetic temperature T_c and unstable below it. Then, we consider a symmetric double-humped distribution, made of the superposition of two decentered Maxwellians, and show the existence of a re-entrant phase in the stability diagram. When we consider an asymmetric double-humped distribution, the re-entrant phase disappears above a critical value of the asymmetry factor Δ > 1.09. We also consider the HMF model with a repulsive interaction. In that case, single-humped distributions are always stable. For asymmetric double-humped distributions, there is a re-entrant phase for 1 ≤ Δ < 25.6, a double re-entrant phase for 25.6 < Δ < 43.9 and no re-entrant phase for Δ > 43.9. Finally, we extend our results to arbitrary potentials of interaction and mention the connexion between the HMF model, Coulombian plasmas and gravitational systems. We discuss the relation between linear dynamical stability and formal nonlinear dynamical stability and show their equivalence for spatially homogeneous distributions. We also provide a criterion of dynamical stability for spatially inhomogeneous systems.     

Transverse energy distributions in participant number model for ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The transverse energy distribution in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions has been obtained as a convolution over the number of projectile and target participants. The latter is computed using the geometrical overlap model as a function of impact parameter. The data from 10 A GeV to 200 A GeV heavy ion beams on various targets in different pseudo-rapidity domains have been successfully described.     

Exact diffusion coefficient of self-gravitating Brownian particles in two dimensions

We derive the exact expression of the diffusion coefficient of a self-gravitating Brownian gas in two dimensions. Our formula generalizes the usual Einstein relation for a free Brownian motion to the context of two-dimensional gravity. We show the existence of a critical temperature T_c at which the diffusion coefficient vanishes. For T < T_c, the diffusion coefficient is negative and the gas undergoes gravitational collapse. This leads to the formation of a Dirac peak concentrating the whole mass in a finite time. We also stress that the critical temperature T_c is different from the collapse temperature T_* at which the partition function diverges. These quantities differ by a factor 1-1/N where N is the number of particles in the system. We provide clear evidence of this difference by explicitly solving the case N = 2. We also mention the analogy with the chemotactic aggregation of bacteria in biology, the formation of “atoms” in a two-dimensional (2D) plasma and the formation of dipoles or “supervortices” in 2D point vortex dynamics.     

SPR and SERS characteristics of gold nanoaggregates with different morphologies

In this study, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) characteristics of gold nanoaggregates with different morphologies are examined to elucidate the correlation between SPR and SERS of the object. Nanoaggregates, defined as random aggregates (hereafter RA), elongated aggregates (hereafter EA) and two-dimensional layered aggregates (hereafter 2DLA) are fabricated by immobilizing colloidal gold nanoparticles on glass substrates. The color variation observed in the RA and EA samples indicates the variation in localized SPR excitations excited on the samples. The RA sample mostly shows a broadened and shifted SPR peak centered at 570 nm in addition to another peak in the longer wavelength region (∼700 nm), whereas in the EA sample a weak blue-shifted peak is observed near 450 nm in addition to a broadened peak centered at 570 nm covering a trail for another one near 700 nm. In the case of the 2DLA sample, more than one SPR peaks are observed in the longer wavelength region. The SERS observation confirms million times higher enhancement at least in Raman intensity using the gold nanoaggregates adsorbed by dye molecules. The EA sample of gold nanoparticles shows ∼5 times higher enhancement in Raman signal compared to that of the RA and 2DLA sample.     

Global firing induced by network disorder in ensembles of active rotators

We study the influence of repulsive interactions on an ensemble of coupled excitable rotators. We find that a moderate fraction of repulsive interactions can trigger global firing of the ensemble. The regime of global firing, however, is suppressed in sufficiently large systems if the network of repulsive interactions is fully random, due to self-averaging in its degree distribution. We thus introduce a model of partially random networks with a broad degree distribution, where self-averaging due to size growth is absent. In this case, the regime of global firing persists for large sizes. Our results extend previous work on the constructive effects of diversity in the collective dynamics of complex systems.