Surface tension and phase transition for lattice systems

We introduce the surface tension for arbitrary spin systems and study its general properties. In particular we show that for a large class of systems, the surface tension is zero at high temperature. We also derive a geometrical condition for the surface tension to be zero at all temperature. For discrete spin systems this condition becomes a criterion to establish the existence of a phase transition associated with surface tension. This criterion is illustrated on several examples.     

The Compressible Viscous Surface-Internal Wave Problem: Stability and Vanishing Surface Tension Limit

This paper concerns the dynamics of two layers of compressible, barotropic, viscous fluid lying atop one another. The lower fluid is bounded below by a rigid bottom, and the upper fluid is bounded above by a trivial fluid of constant pressure. This is a free boundary problem: the interfaces between the fluids and above the upper fluid are free to move. The fluids are acted on by gravity in the bulk, and at the free interfaces we consider both the case of surface tension and the case of no surface forces. We establish a sharp nonlinear global-in-time stability criterion and give the explicit decay rates to the equilibrium. When the upper fluid is heavier than the lower fluid along the equilibrium interface, we characterize the set of surface tension values in which the equilibrium is nonlinearly stable. Remarkably, this set is non-empty, i.e., sufficiently large surface tension can prevent the onset of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. When the lower fluid is heavier than the upper fluid, we show that the equilibrium is stable for all non-negative surface tensions and we establish the zero surface tension limit.     

Hydrodynamic Limit of Condensing Two-Species Zero Range Processes with Sub-critical Initial Profiles

Two-species condensing zero range processes (ZRPs) are interacting particle systems with two species of particles and zero range interaction exhibiting phase separation outside a domain of sub-critical densities. We prove the hydrodynamic limit of nearest neighbour mean zero two-species condensing ZRP with bounded local jump rate for sub-critical initial profiles, i.e., for initial profiles whose image is contained in the region of sub-critical densities. The proof is based on H.T. Yau’s relative entropy method, which relies on the existence of sufficiently regular solutions to the hydrodynamic equation. In the particular case of the species-blind ZRP, we prove that the solutions of the hydrodynamic equation exist globally in time and thus the hydrodynamic limit is valid for all times.     

Long Time Behavior of the Continuum Limit¶of the Toda Lattice, and the Generation¶of Infinitely Many Gaps from C∞ Initial Data

We analyze a continuum limit of the finite non-periodic Toda lattice through an associated constrained maximization problem over spectral density functions. The maximization problem was derived by Deift and McLaughlin using the Lax–Levermore approach, initially developed for the zero dispersion limit of the KdV equation. It encodes the evolution of the continuum limit for all times, including evolution through shocks. The formation of gaps in the support of the maximizer is indicative of oscillations in the Toda lattice and the lack of strong convergence of the continuum limit. For large times, the maximizer tends to have zero gaps, which is the continuum analogue of the sorting property of the finite lattice. Using methods from logarithmic potential theory, we show that this behavior depends crucially on the initial data. We exhibit initial data for which the zero gap ansatz holds uniformly in the spatial parameter (at large times), and other initial data for which this uniformity fails at all times. We then construct an example of C ^∞ smooth initial data generating, at a later time, infinitely many gaps in the support of the maximizer, while for even larger times, all gaps have closed. Received: 8 May 2000 / Accepted: 27 March 2001     

Hydrodynamic Limit of the Boltzmann Equation with Contact Discontinuities

The hydrodynamic limit for the Boltzmann equation is studied in the case when the limit system, that is, the system of Euler equations contains contact discontinuities. When suitable initial data is chosen to avoid the initial layer, we prove that there exist a family of solutions to the Boltzmann equation globally in time for small Knudsen number. And this family of solutions converge to the local Maxwellian defined by the contact discontinuity of the Euler equations uniformly away from the discontinuity as the Knudsen number ε tends to zero. The proof is obtained by an appropriately chosen scaling and the energy method through the micro-macro decomposition.     

Discontinuity of surface tensions in the q-state Potts model

For the ferromagnetic scalar q-state Potts model on a d-dimensional cubic lattice we prove the following results: (1) We derive a correlation inequality and then we prove that the surface tension between two ordered phases exists in dimension d ⩾ 2 whenever q ⩾ 2 and it is discontinuous at the transition point whenever q is large enough. (2) At the limit q↗ ∞ the surface tension between an ordered phase and the disordered one vanishes everywhere except at the transition point.     

Surface plasmon in a parallel magnetic field

Using a hydrodynamic model the dispersion relation for the surface plasmon is calculated in an external magnetic field parallel to the surface when the wave propagates perpendicular to the magnetic field. In the limit of zero wave vector, the results reduce to those of Chiu and Quinn who have used the dielectric constant in the local theory.     

Dynamical Collapse of White Dwarfs in Hartree- and Hartree-Fock Theory

We study finite-time blow-up for pseudo-relativistic Hartree- and Hartree-Fock equations, which are model equations for the dynamical evolution of white dwarfs. In particular, we prove that radially symmetric initial configurations with negative energy lead to finite-time blow-up of solutions. Furthermore, we derive a mass concentration estimate for radial blow-up solutions. Both results are mathematically rigorous and are in accordance with Chandrasekhar’s physical theory of white dwarfs, stating that stellar configurations beyond a certain limiting mass lead to “gravitational collapse” of these objects. Apart from studying blow-up, we also prove local well-posedness of the initial-value problem for the Hartree- and Hartree-Fock equations underlying our analysis, as well as global-in-time existence of solutions with sufficiently small initial data, corresponding to white dwarfs whose stellar mass is below the Chandrasekhar limit.     

Surface Terms on the Nishimori Line of the Gaussian Edwards-Anderson Model

For the Edwards-Anderson model we find an integral representation for some surface terms on the Nishimori line. Among the results are expressions for the surface pressure for free and periodic boundary conditions and the adjacency pressure, i.e., the difference between the pressure of a box and the sum of the pressures of adjacent sub-boxes in which the box can been decomposed. We show that all those terms indeed behave proportionally to the surface size and prove the existence in the thermodynamic limit of the adjacency pressure.     

Boltzmann Limit and Quasifreeness for a Homogenous Fermi Gas in a Weakly Disordered Random Medium

We discuss some basic aspects of the dynamics of a homogenous Fermi gas in a weak random potential, under negligence of the particle pair interactions. We derive the kinetic scaling limit for the momentum distribution function with a translation invariant initial state and prove that it is determined by a linear Boltzmann equation. Moreover, we prove that if the initial state is quasifree, then the time evolved state, averaged over the randomness, has a quasifree kinetic limit. We show that the momentum distributions determined by the Gibbs states of a free fermion field are stationary solutions of the linear Boltzmann equation; this includes the limit of zero temperature.     

The initial value problem for the Whitham averaged system

We study the initial value problem for the Whitham averaged system which is important in determining the KdV zero dispersion limit. We use the hodograph method to show that, for a generic non-trivial monotone initial data, the Whitham averaged system has a solution within a region in thex-t plane for all time bigger than a large time. Furthermore, the Whitham solution matches the Burgers solution on the boundaries of the region. For hump-like initial data, the hodograph method is modified to solve the non-monotone (inx) solutions of the Whitham averaged system. In this way, we show that, for a hump-like initial data, the Whitham averaged system has a solution within a cusp for a short time after the increasing and decreasing parts of the initial data beging to interact. On the cusp, the Whitham and Burgers solutions are matched.     

Strain Localization in Titanium with a Modified Surface Layer

Plastic flow localization in commercially pure titanium (VT1-0 according to the Russian classification) with the surface modified by low-energy high current electron beams has been numerically studied. The structure and mechanical properties of the modified surface layer and titanium substrate correspond to the experimentally observed ones and are taken into account explicitly as initial data of a dynamic boundary value problem. The tension of titanium structures with a modified surface layer is simulated by the finite difference method in a plane strain formulation. The dependence of the plastic strain localization parameters on the mechanical properties of structural elements in the titanium substrate has been determined.     

Surface layers in general relativity and their relation to surface tensions

For a thin shell, the intrinsic 3-pressure will be shown to be analogous to -A, whereA is the classical surface tension: First, interior and exterior Schwarzschild solutions will be matched together such that the surface layer generated at the common boundary has no gravitational mass; then its intrinsic 3-pressure represents a surface tension fulfilling Kelvin's relation between mean curvature and pressure difference in the Newtonian limit. Second, after a suitable definition of mean curvature, the general relativistic analog to Kelvin's relation will be proven to be contained in the equation of motion of the surface layer.     

Surface and transport properties of Au-In liquid alloys

Thermodynamic quantities on Au-In liquid alloys have been used as the input data for the interaction parameter calculations in the framework of the complex formation model (CFM). Once the interaction energies are computed the surface (surface tension and surface composition) and transport properties (chemical diffusion and viscosity) as well as the microscopic functions (concentration fluctuations in the long-wavelength limit and chemical short-range order parameter) have been calculated. The concentration and temperature dependent surface tension values have been compared with our new set of experimental data, obtained by the large drop method in the temperature range of T = 1273-1493 K. The anomalous change of surface tension for some alloy compositions may be attributed to a retention of order in the Au-In melts which is similar to the atomic arrangement in solid Au-In.     

The problem of a self-gravitating scalar field

In this paper we begin the study of the global initial value problem for Einstein's equations in the spherically symmetric case with a massless scalar field as the material model. We reduce the problem to a single nonlinear evolution equation. Taking as initial hypersurface a future light cone with vertex at the center of symmetry, we prove, the local, in retarded time, existence and global uniqueness of classical solutions. We also prove that if the initial data is sufficiently small there exists a global classical solution which disperses in the infinite future.Research supported in part by National Science Foundation grants MCS-8201599 to the Courant Institute and PHY-8318350 to Syracuse University     

Interfacial energy of the superfluid 3He a-B phase interface in the zero-temperature limit

We have measured the surface energy of the interface between the A and B phases of superfluid 3He in the low temperature limit at zero pressure. Using a shaped magnetic field, we control the passage of the phase boundary through a small aperture. We obtain the interphase surface energy from the over- or undermagnetization required to force the interface through the aperture in both directions, yielding values of the surface tension and the interfacial contact angle. This is the first measurement of the interfacial energy in high magnetic fields and in the zero-temperature limit.     

Surface tension effects in the zero gravity inflow of a drop into a fluid

As a drop of fluid is deposited on the surface of a miscible fluid (that we call the solvent), it undergoes a strong pulling due to its surface rupture and it acquires a kinetic energy independently of gravity. For the drop and the solvent being of the same fluid we observe a drop injection at an initial velocity which scales as the square root of the surface tension of the drop against air. Once injected, the drop develops a transverse instability giving rise to an expanding ring. Viscosity terminates the process and stops the ring. We show that the final ring height follows a scaling law whereas two asymptotical scaling regimes can be identified for the ring radius. Received 31 August 1999     

Convexity properties of the surface tension and equilibrium crystals

We study the thermodynamic limit of the orientation-dependent surface tension. Under general conditions, which we show to hold true for a large class of lattice systems, we prove that the limit exists and that it satisfies some convexity properties related to the pyramidal inequality introduced by R. L. Dobrushin and S. B. Shlosman⁽¹⁾. We discuss some consequences of these results for the equilibrium crystal shape.     

Surface Tension in the Dilute Ising Model. The Wulff Construction

We study the surface tension and the phenomenon of phase coexistence for the Ising model on with ferromagnetic but random couplings. We prove the convergence in probability (with respect to random couplings) of surface tension and analyze its large deviations: upper deviations occur at volume order while lower deviations occur at surface order. We study the asymptotics of surface tension at low temperatures and relate the quenched value τ ^q of surface tension to maximal flows (first passage times if d =  2). For a broad class of distributions of the couplings we show that the inequality –where τ ^a is the surface tension under the averaged Gibbs measure – is strict at low temperatures. We also describe the phenomenon of phase coexistence in the dilute Ising model and discuss some of the consequences of the media randomness. All of our results hold as well for the dilute Potts and random cluster models.     

Surface tension with normal curvature in curved space-time

With an aim to include the contribution of surface tension in the action of the boundary, we define the tangential pressure in terms of surface tension and Normal curvature in a more naturally geometric way. For a thin shell approximation of a static spherically symmetric surface and for weak and slowly varying fields, the negative tangential pressure $\tau _{\alpha \beta }$ is chosen to be analogous to $S_{\alpha \beta },$ where $S_{\alpha \beta }$ is the classical surface tension. First, by a suitable choice of the enveloping surfaces, we show that the negative tangential pressure is independent of the four-velocity of a very thin hyper-surface. Second, using suitable definition of the normal curvature for such a surface layer, we relate the 3-pressure of a surface layer to the normal curvature and the surface tension. Third, using the fact that the tangential pressure on the surface layer is independent of the four-velocity and a central force interaction, we relate the surface tension $S_{\alpha \beta }$ to the energy of the surface layer. Four, we show that the delta like energy flows across the hypersurface will be zero for such a representation of intrinsic 3-pressure. Five, for the weak field approximation and for static spherically symmetric configuration, we deduce the classical Kelvin’s relation between surface tension, pressure difference and mean curvature from this sort of representation of negative tangential pressure $\tau _{\alpha \beta }$ in terms of surface tension $S_{\alpha \beta }$ and the normal curvature. Six, using the representation of tangential pressure in terms of surface tension and normal curvature, we write a modified action for the boundary having contributions both from surface tension and normal curvature of the surface layer. Also we propose a method to find the physical action assuming a reference background, where the background is not flat. (The $g_{\mu \nu }^{+}$ or just $g_{\mu \nu }$ has been chosen to represent the metric coefficent of the hypersurface of $V_{+}$ space which is time-like surface layer here. The $g_{\mu \nu }^{-}$ represents the metric coefficient of the space like hypersurface of $V_{-}$ space.)