A variational principle for doubly nonlinear evolution

The weighted energy-dissipation principle stands as a novel variational tool for the study of dissipative evolution and has already been applied to rate-independent systems and gradient flows. We provide here an example of its application to a specific yet critical doubly nonlinear equation featuring a super-quadratic dissipation.     

Ignition enhancement by addition of NO and NO2 from a N2/O2 plasma torch in a supersonic flow

The effects of NO and NO₂ produced by using a plasma jet (PJ) of a N₂/O₂ mixture on ignition of hydrogen, methane, and ethylene in a supersonic airflow were experimentally and numerically investigated. Numerical analysis of ignition delay time showed that the addition of a small amount of NO or NO₂ drastically reduced ignition delay times of hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels at a relatively low initial temperature. In particular, NO and NO₂ were more effective than O radicals for ignition of a CH₄/air mixture at 1200 K or lower. These ignition enhancement effects were examined by including the low temperature chemistry. Ignition tests by a N₂/O₂ PJ in a supersonic flow (M = 1.7) for using hydrogen, methane, and ethylene injected downstream of the PJ were conducted. The results showed that the ignitability of the N₂/O₂ PJ is affected by the composition of the feedstock and that pure O₂ is not the optimum condition for downstream fuel injection. This result of ignition tests with downstream fuel injection demonstrated a significant difference in ignition characteristics of the PJ from the ignition tests with upstream fuel injection.     

First observation of a smectic A-cholesteric phase transition in a thermotropic liquid crystal consisting of a rigid-rod helical polysilane

A smectic A-cholesteric phase transition for a rigid-rod helical polymer, poly[n-decyl-(S)-2-methylbutylsilane] (PD2MBS), with a narrow molecular weight distribution, has been observed for the first time. Polarizing optical microscopy showed that the fan-shaped texture of the smectic A phase turned into the characteristic planar texture of the cholesteric phase upon heating. The positive CD band, which corresponds to the reflection band of the cholesteric phase, gradually decreased in intensity within a range 30°C below the transition temperature on cooling, while the peak maximum shifted towards shorter wavelengths. It was concluded that the system has a very wide temperature region over which the cholesteric-smectic A phase transition occurs and in which the cholesteric pitch varies with temperature.     

Doubly nonlinear evolution equations with non-monotone perturbations in reflexive Banach spaces

Let V and V* be a real reflexive Banach space and its dual space, respectively. This paper is devoted to the abstract Cauchy problem for doubly nonlinear evolution equations governed by subdifferential operators with non-monotone perturbations of the form: ?_V y^t (u￠(t)) + ?_V j(u(t)) + B(t, u(t)) ' f(t){\partial_V \psi^t (u{^\prime}(t)) + \partial_V \varphi(u(t)) + B(t, u(t)) \ni f(t)} in V*, 0 < t < T, u(0) = u ₀, where ?_V y^t, ?_V j: V ? 2^V*{\partial_V \psi^t, \partial_V \varphi : V \to 2^{V^*}} denote the subdifferential operators of proper, lower semicontinuous and convex functions y^t, j: V ? (-￥, +￥]{\psi^t, \varphi : V \to (-\infty, +\infty]}, respectively, for each t ? [0,T]{t \in [0,T]}, and f : (0, T) → V* and u₀ ? V{u_0 \in V} are given data. Moreover, let B be a (possibly) multi-valued operator from (0, T) × V into V*. We present sufficient conditions for the local (in time) existence of strong solutions to the Cauchy problem as well as for the global existence. Our framework can cover evolution equations whose solutions might blow up in finite time and whose unperturbed equations (i.e., B o 0{B \equiv 0}) might not be uniquely solved in a doubly nonlinear setting. Our proof relies on a couple of approximations for the equation and a fixed point argument with a multi-valued mapping. Moreover, the preceding abstract theory is applied to doubly nonlinear parabolic equations.