Asymptotically balanced schemes for non-homogeneous hyperbolic systems – application to the Shallow Water equations

In this work we introduce a class of balanced numerical schemes, up to second order, for the solution of general non-homogeneous hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. We give a general technique to build such schemes. We also prove that they balance up to second order a large class of steady solutions in the whole domain but some subset whose measure tends to zero as the grid size decreases to zero. We finally present an application to Shallow Water equations that exhibit the good performances of some of the schemes introduced. To cite this article: T. Chacón Rebollo et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 338 (2004).     

The Gross-Neveu model at finite temperature at next-to-leading order in the 1/N expansion

We present new results on the Gross-Neveu model at finite temperature and at next-to-leading order in the 1/N expansion. In particular, a new expression is obtained for the effective potential which is explicitly invariant under renormalization group transformations. The model is used as a playground to investigate various features of field theory at finite temperature. For example we verify that, as expected from general arguments, the cancellation of ultraviolet divergences takes place at finite temperature without the need for introducing counterterms beyond those of zero temperature. As well known, the discrete chiral symmetry of the (1+1)-dimensional model is spontaneously broken at zero temperature and restored, in leading order, at some temperature T_c; we find that the 1/N approximation breaks down for temperatures below T_c: as the temperature increases, the fluctuations become eventually too large to be treated as corrections, and a Landau pole invalidates the calculation of the effective potential in the vicinity of its minimum. Beyond T_c, the 1/N expansion becomes again regular: it predicts that in leading order the system behaves as a free gas of massless fermions and that, at the next-to-leading order, it remains weakly interacting. In the limit of large temperature, the pressure coincides with that given by perturbation theory with a coupling constant defined at a scale of the order of the temperature, as expected from asymptotic freedom.     

A theoretical analysis of the TiO2/Sn doped (1 1 0) surface properties

We have used the periodic quantum-mechanical method with density functional theory at the B3LYP level in order to study TiO₂/Sn doped (1 1 0) surfaces and have investigated the structural, electronic and energy band properties of these oxides. Our calculated relaxation directions for TiO₂ is the experimental one and is also in agreement with other theoretical results. We also observe for the doped systems relaxation of lattice positions of the atoms. Modification of Sn, O and Ti charges depend on the planes and positions of the substituted atoms. Doping can modify the Fermi levels, energy gaps as well as the localization and composition of both valence and conduction band main components. Doping can also modify the chemical, electronic and optical properties of these oxides surfaces increasing their suitability for use as gas sensors and optoelectronic devices.     

Lyapunov-type inequalities for nonlinear systems

In this paper, by using elementary analysis, we establish some new Lyapunov-type inequalities for nonlinear systems of differential equations, special cases of which contain the well-known equations such as Emden-Fowler-type and half-linear equations. The inequalities obtained here can be used as handy tools in the study of qualitative behaviour of solutions of the associated equations.     

Hydrophilic and hydrophobic copolymer systems based on acrylic derivatives of pyrrolidone and pyrrolidine

This article deals with the synthesis of hydrophilic methacrylic monomers derived from ethyl pyrrolidone [2‐ethyl‐(2‐pyrrolidone) methacrylate (EPM)] and ethyl pyrrolidine [2‐ethyl‐(2‐pyrrolidine) methacrylate (EPyM)] and their respective homopolymers. For the determination of their reactivity in radical copolymerization reactions, both monomers were copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA), the reactivity ratios being calculated by the application of linear and nonlinear mathematical methods. EPM and MMA had ratios of r_EPM = 1.11 and r_MMA = 0.76, and this indicated that EPM with MMA had a higher reactivity in radical copolymerization processes than vinyl pyrrolidone (VP; r_VP = 0.005 and r_MMA = 4.7). EPyM and MMA had reactivity ratios of r_EPyM = 1.31 and r_MMA = 0.92, and this implied, as for the EPM–MMA copolymers, a tendency to form random or Bernoullian copolymers. The glass‐transition temperatures of the prepared copolymers were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and were found to adjust to the Fox equation. Total‐conversion copolymers were prepared, and their behavior in aqueous media was found to be dependent on the copolymer composition. The swelling kinetics of the copolymers followed water transport mechanism case II, which is the most desirable kinetic behavior for a swelling controlled‐release material. Finally, the different states of water in the hydrogels—nonfreezing water, freezing bound water, and unbound freezing water—were determined by DSC and found to be dependent on the hydrophilic and hydrophobic units of the copolymers. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 395–407, 2003     

Recent Developments in Synchrotron Mössbauer Reflectometry

Hyperfine Interactions - Synchrotron Mössbauer Reflectometry (SMR), the grazing incidence nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation, can be applied to perform depth-selective phase...     

Derivation of the k–ε model for locally homogeneous turbulence by homogenization techniques

We derive the incompressible and compressible k–ε model for locally homogeneous turbulence. The model is rigorously derived on formal mathematical grounds using the MPP modelling technique. This lets us calculate by either analytical or numerical means the closure constants of the model. To cite this article: T. Chacón Rebollo, D. Franco Coronil, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 337 (2003).     

Spinors, Inflation, and Non-Singular Cyclic Cosmologies

We consider toy cosmological models in which a classical, homogeneous, spinor field provides a dominant or sub-dominant contribution to the energy-momentum tensor of a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universe. We find that, if such a field were to exist, appropriate choices of the spinor self-interaction would generate a rich variety of behaviors, quite different from their widely studied scalar field counterparts. We first discuss solutions that incorporate a stage of cosmic inflation and estimate the primordial spectrum of density perturbations seeded during such a stage. Inflation driven by a spinor field turns out to be unappealing as it leads to a blue spectrum of perturbations and requires considerable fine-tuning of parameters. We next find that, for simple, quartic spinor self-interactions, non-singular cyclic cosmologies exist with reasonable parameter choices. These solutions might eventually be incorporated into a successful past- and future-eternal cosmological model free of singularities. In an Appendix, we discuss the classical treatment of spinors and argue that certain quantum systems might be approximated in terms of such fields.     

Interpretation of the polyelectrolyte and antipolyelectrolyte effects of poly(N‐vinylimidazole‐co‐sodium styrenesulfonate) hydrogels

Hydrogels of N‐vinylimidazole (VI) and sodium styrenesulfonate (SSS) were synthesized in aqueous solution by radical crosslinking copolymerization with N,N′‐methylene‐bis(acrylamide) as crosslinker. Swelling in several saline solutions was measured for hydrogel samples synthesized with different comonomer concentrations (C_T = 10, 25, or 40%) and with SSS mole fractions covering a broad range (f_SSS = 0–0.7), while the crosslinker ratio was 2 wt % in all cases. The degree of swelling in aqueous solution with a specific ionic strength (μ), plotted versus the SSS composition of the feed, shows a minimum for any set of samples synthesized with a fixed C_T. The dependence of swelling on μ shows both polyelectrolyte (f_SSS beyond the minimum) and antipolyelectrolyte behaviors (in the low f_SSS limit). It was found that the nonGaussian factor of the crosslinking density and the polymer‐solvent interaction parameter increase with f_SSS for any C_T. Moreover, in the low f_SSS limit, the osmotic swelling pressure is governed not only by the ionic contribution, but also by the polymer‐solvent mixing and, the concentration of mobile counterions inside the gel is not proportional to the net fixed charge but to the addition of cationic and anionic side groups, what discards the formation of ionic pairs. The antipolyelectrolyte effect is interpreted as due to the increasing protonation of VI as μ goes up. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1683–1693, 2007     

Spectral Analysis of the Differential Operator in Wavelet Bases

We analyze the spectral properties of the differential operator in wavelet bases. The problem is studied on a periodic domain, with periodized wavelets. An algorithm for finding the eigenvalue function of the differential operator is presented, and general conditions that ensure a "nicely behaving" eigenvalue function are derived.