Soliton chaos and lengthscale competition in nonlinear dynamics

Perturbing soliton-bearing completely integrable dynamics can give rise to rich and fascinating behaviour. If the perturbation introduces a lengthscale which is large compared to the spatial extent of the solitons present in the system, the solitons move like particles in an effective potential. Taking into account two-soliton interaction can result in chaotic behaviour called ‘soliton chaos’. In the opposite limit of a small-lengthscale perturbation the solitons acquire a dressing which effectively shields them from the perturbation. If the resulting ‘dressed solitons’ are subject to an additional long-wavelength perturbation they move like renormalised particles. Furthermore they can scatter nearly elastically. If the perturbation contains lengthscales which are comparable to one of the soliton's typical lengthscales then lengthscale competition can occur. Neither the particle approximation nor the dressed-particle approximation for the soliton is valid and complicated spatio-temporal behaviour is observed. We illustrate this scenario by means of the perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The perturbed sine-Gordon equation and the Ablowitz-Ladik equation are also discussed.     

On a model of electromagnetic field propagation in ferroelectric media

The Maxwell system in an anisotropic, inhomogeneous medium with non-linear memory effect produced by a Maxwell type system for the polarization is investigated under low regularity assumptions on data and domain. The particular form of memory in the system is motivated by a model for electromagnetic wave propagation in ferromagnetic materials suggested by Greenberg, MacCamy and Coffman [J.M. Greenberg, R.C. MacCamy, C.V. Coffman, On the long-time behavior of ferroelectric systems, Phys. D 134 (1999) 362-383]. To avoid unnecessary regularity requirements the problem is approached as a system of space-time operator equation in the framework of extrapolation spaces (Sobolev lattices), a theoretical framework developed in [R. Picard, Evolution equations as space-time operator equations, Math. Anal. Appl. 173 (2) (1993) 436-458; R. Picard, Evolution equations as operator equations in lattices of Hilbert spaces, Glasnik Mat. 35 (2000) 111-136]. A solution theory for a large class of ferromagnetic materials confined to an arbitrary open set (with suitably generalized boundary conditions) is obtained.     

Rhamnosylation of lignans by a Streptomyces strain

Screening of 400 Streptomyces strains for biotransformation of the natural lignan matairesinol led to the identification of Streptomyces sp. LS136, capable of producing a single metabolite in moderate yields. Isolation and purification by preparative HPLC, followed by structural analyses by LC-MS and NMR, established the structure as matairesinol-4-O-rhamnoside. This bacterial strain was also used for rhamnosylation of the abundant natural lignans, hydroxymatairesinol and secoisolariciresinol.     

Dynamic NMR study of the flexibility of 2-amino-3-aroyl-4,6-diaryl-pyrylium salts

Dynamic NMR investigations of a number of 2-amino-3-aroyl-4,6-diaryl-pyrylium salts were carried out. The barrier to rotation of the partial C, N double bond was determined and proved to be in the range of 62 to 63 kJ/mol. Quantum chemical calculations of bond orders and electron densities of the different atoms in the molecules show the distinct double bond character of the exocyclic C, N bond. This is in agreement with the relatively high barrier to rotation. By quantum chemical ab initio 3-21G calculations, the dynamic behaviour of this kind of compounds was simulated; two pairs (image and mirror image) of ground state conformations, in coincidence with the experiment, were obtained. Received: 10 May 1996 / Revised: 1 July 1996 / Accepted: 4 July 1996