The dynamics of random interfaces in phase transitions

A review is given of recent developments involving the dynamics of random interfaces formed in the evolution of metastable and unstable systems. Topics which are discussed include interface growth and nonequilibrium dynamical scaling. The possibility of there being dynamical universality classes in first-order phase transitions is also discussed. There are a large number of systems of experimental interest which include binary alloys, binary fluids, and polymer mixtures. Other systems studied by computer simulation include the kinetic Ising, Potts, andZ _N models.Work supported by NSF grant No. DMR-8013700.     

A Bahadur efficiency comparison between one and two sample rank statistics and their sequential rank statistic analogues

One and two sample rank statistics are shown in general to be more efficient in the Bahadur sense than their sequential rank statistic analogues as defined by Mason (1981, Ann. Statist.9 424–436) and Lombard (1981, South African Statist. J.15 129–152), even though the two families of statistics (those based on full ranks and those based on sequential ranks) have the same Pitman efficiency against local alternatives. In the process, general results on large deviation probabilities and laws of large numbers for statistics based on sequential ranks are obtained.     

Types of laws of random vectors and best estimators

Optimality of estimators of a vector parameter in terms of the probability of the estimators being contained in suitable region(s) around the parameter point is defined. Conditions under which optimal estimators in the usual senses are also optimal in the above sense are investigated.     

Relationship between refined Griffith criterion and power laws for cracking

Rice [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 26 (1978) 61] proposes a refined Griffith criterion, at any local crack front, where G is the Irwin's energy release rate, γ is the surface free energy and is the rate of crack advance. The refined version implies that the entropy production inequality should holds locally rather than globally from the thermodynamic point of view. Within the irreversible thermodynamic framework developed by Rice [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 19 (1971) 433; Constitutive Equations in Plasticity, 1975, p. 23], it is revealed in this paper that the entropy production inequality holds for each internal variable if its rate is a homogeneous function in its conjugate force. It is further shown that widely-used power laws for crack growth are just certain homogeneous kinetic rate laws, so it is concluded that the power laws directly lead to the refined Griffith criterion.     

Riemann problem for kinematical conservation laws and geometrical features of nonlinear wavefronts

A pair of kinematical conservation laws (KCL) in a ray coordinatesystem (,t) are the basic equations governing the evolutionof a moving curve in two space dimensions. We first study elementarywave solutions and then the Riemann problem for KCL when themetric g, associated with the coordinate designating differentrays, is an arbitrary function of the velocity of propagationm of the moving curve. We assume that m>1 (m is appropriatelynormalized), for which the system of KCL becomes hyperbolic.We interpret the images of the elementary wave solutions inthe (,t)-plane to the (x,y)-plane as elementary shapes of themoving curve (or a nonlinear wavefront when interpreted in aphysical system) and then describe their geometrical properties.Solutions of the Riemann problem with different initial datagive the shapes of the nonlinear wavefront with different combinationsof elementary shapes. Finally, we study all possible interactionsof elementary shapes.     

The loss of tightness of time distributions for homeomorphisms of the circle

For a minimal circle homeomorphism we study convergence in law of rescaled hitting time point process of an interval of length 0$">. Although the point process in the natural time scale never converges in law, we study all possible limits under a subsequence. The new feature is the fact that, for rotation numbers of unbounded type, there is a sequence going to zero exhibiting coexistence of two non-trivial asymptotic limit point processes depending on the choice of time scales used when rescaling the point process. The phenomenon of loss of tightness of the first hitting time distribution is an indication of this coexistence behaviour. Moreover, tightness occurs if and only if the rotation number is of bounded type. Therefore tightness of time distributions is an intrinsic property of badly approximable irrational rotation numbers.

     

Elliptic Apostol sums and their reciprocity laws

We introduce an elliptic analogue of the Apostol sums, which we call elliptic Apostol sums. These sums are defined by means of certain elliptic functions with a complex parameter having positive imaginary part. When , these elliptic Apostol sums represent the well-known Apostol generalized Dedekind sums. Also these elliptic Apostol sums are modular forms in the variable . We obtain a reciprocity law for these sums, which gives rise to new relations between certain modular forms (of one variable).

     

On 2x2 conservation laws with large data

We deal with a strictly hyperbolic system of two conservation laws in one spatial dimension. One of the eigenvalues of the system is of Temple type (rarefaction and shock curves coincide), the other eigenvalue is only required to be genuinely nonlinear.We consider the initial value problem for data of the following kind: the total variation of the Temple component is bounded, possibly large, while the total variation of the other component is small. For such data we prove global existence, uniqueness and L⊃-Lipschitz continuous dependence of solutions.AMS Subject Classification: Primary 35L65; Secondary 35D05, 35L45.