Multipeak distributions of first passage times in bistable dynamics in a model of a thermochemical system.

A master equation is used to study transitions between the stable limit cycle and stable focus in the two-variable bistable system. The distribution function of the mean first passage time between these attractors and the relative dispersion of the mean first return time from the stable focus to itself as a function of the intensity of fluctuations are calculated and discussed. A coherence resonance is observed for the return time from the focus to itself.     

Multiple separatrix crossing in multi-degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian flows

Summary We study separatrix crossing in near-integrablek-degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian flows, 2 <k < , whose unperturbed phase portraits contain separatrices inn degrees of freedom, 1 <n <k. Each of the unperturbed separatrices can be recast as a codimension-one separatrix in the 2k-dimensional phase space, and the collection of these separatrices takes on a variety of geometrical possibilities in the reduced representation of a Poincaré section on the energy surface. In general 0 l n of the separatrices will be available to the Poincaré section, and each separatrix may be completely isolated from all other separatrices or intersect transversely with one or more of the other available separatrices. For completely isolated separatrices, transitions across broken separatrices are described for each separatrix by the single-separatrix crossing theory of Wiggins, as modified by Beigie. For intersecting separatrices, a possible violation of a normal hyperbolicity condition complicates the analysis by preventing the use of a persistence and smoothness theory for compact normally hyperbolic invariant manifolds and their local stable and unstable manifolds. For certain classes of multi-degree-of-freedom flows, however, a local persistence and smoothness result is straightforward, and we study the global implications of such a local result. In particular, we find codimension-one partial barriers and turnstile boundaries associated with each partially destroyed separatrix. From the collection of partial barriers and turnstiles follows a rich phase space partitioning and transport formalism to describe the dynamics amongst the various degrees of freedom. A generalization of Wiggins' higher-dimensional Melnikov theory to codimension-one surfaces in the multi-separatrix case allows one to uncover invariant manifold geometry. In the context of this perturbative analysis and detailed numerical computations, we study invariant manifold geometry, phase space partitioning, and phase space transport, with particular attention payed to the role of a vanishing frequency in the limit approaching the intersection of the partially destroyed separatrices. The class of flows under consideration includes flows of basic physical relevance, such as those describing scattering phenomena. The analysis is illustrated in the context of a detailed study of a 3-degree-of-freedom scattering problem.     

Criteria for local equilibrium in a system with transport of heat and mass

Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics is used to compute the coupled heat and mass transport in a binary isotope mixture of particles interacting with a Lennard-Jones/spline potential. Two different stationary states are studied, one with a fixed internal energy flux and zero mass flux, and the other with a fixed diffusive mass flux and zero temperature gradient. Computations are made for one overall temperature,T=2, and three overall number densities,n=0.1, 0.2, and 0.4. (All numerical values are given in reduced, Lennard-Jones units unless otherwise stated.) Temperature gradients are up to T=0.09 and weight-fraction gradients up to w ₁=0.007. The flux-force relationships are found to be linear over the entire range. All four transport coefficients (theL-matrix) are determined and the Onsager reciprocal relationship for the off-diagonal coefficients is verified. Four different criteria are used to analyze the concept of local equilibrium in the nonequilibrium system. The local temperature fluctuation is found to be T0.03T and of the same order as the maximum temperature difference across the control volume, except near the cold boundary. A comparison of the local potential energy, enthalpy, and pressure with the corresponding equilibrium values at the same temperature, density, and composition also verifies that local equilibrium is established, except near the boundaries of the system. The velocity contribution to the BoltzmannH-function agrees with its Maxwellian (equilibrium) value within 1%, except near the boundaries, where the deviation is up to 4%. Our results do not support the Eyring-type transport theory involving jumps across energy barriers; we find that its estimates for the heat and mass fluxes are wrong by at least one order of magnitude.     

Time-resolved fluorescence relaxation of 3-methyllumiflavin in polar solution

We have studied the fluorescent properties of a well-defined model flavin compound (3-methyllumiflavin) in a relatively polar solvent like propylene glycol or ethanol. Inhomogeneous spectral broadening effects were directly time-resolved by detection at the extreme blue and red edges of the fluorescence band of 3-methyllumiflavin using excitation in the main absorption band. At the high-energy side of the emission band a rapid decay component (tens of picoseconds) was resolved indicative for the disappearance of the initially prepared, nonequilibrium state with a characteristic dipolar relaxation time. At the low-energy side the rise of a solvent relaxed fluorescent species could be time-resolved. The wavelength-dependent effects on the dipolar relaxation were abolished when excitation was at the low-energy side of the absorption band. The experimental decays of the flavin solvate at different energies of fluorescence and excitation are presented as they represent an easy diagnosis for energy dependent solvation dynamics. Wavelength dependent rotation of 3-methyllumiflavin, examined by fluorescence anisotropy decay, turned out to be absent for 3-methyllumiflavin in propylene glycol between 263 and 293 K, probably because of the small change in dipole moment upon flavin excitation.     

A goldstone mode in the Kawasaki-Ising model

The hydrodynamic regime of superfluids is dominated by a Goldstone mode corresponding to a spontaneously brokenU(1) symmetry. In this article we map the Kawasaki-Ising model for a classical lattice gas into a quantum model for a superfluid and establish a connection between the normal density fluctuations of the first and the Goldstone mode of the second. The fact that the quantum model we obtain describes a superfluid derives from an inequality by Penrose and Onsager which gives a lower bound to the Bose-Einstein condensate density. Mathematically, the Goldstone mode can be described by means of a quantum extension of the local algebra of the Ising model. The classification of its irreducible representations requires an additionalU(1) phase factor and the correspondingU(1) gauge symmetry is spontaneously broken for all finite values of the temperature and of the density.     

Excition dynamics in the J-aggregates of a carbocyanine dye

We report on the exciton dynamics in the J-aggregating dye 5,5, 6,6-tetrachloro-1,1-diethyl-3,3-di(4-sulfobutyl)-benzimidazolocarbocyanine which is known readily to form J-aggregates, even at room temperature and at a low concentration. We performed a series of time-correlated singlephoton-counting experiments at different emission wavelengths and at different temperatures in the range between 1.5 and 125 K. Additionally, the temperature dependence of the relative fluorescence quantum yield was determined.     

Polymer diffusion in quenched disorder: A renormalization group approach

We study the diffusion of polymers through quenched short-range correlated random media by renormalization group (RG) methods, which allow us to derive universal predictions in the limit of long chains and weak disorder. We take local quenched random potentials with second momentv and the excluded-volume interactionu of the chain segments into account. We show that our model contains the relevant features of polymer diffusion in random media in the RG sense if we focus on the local entropic effects rather than on the topological constraints of a quenched random medium. The dynamic generating functional and the general structure of its perturbation expansion inu andv are derived. The distribution functions for the center-of-mass motion and the internal modes of one chain and for the correlation of the center of mass motions of two chains are calculated to one-loop order. The results allow for sufficient cross-checks to have trust in the one-loop renormalizability of the model. The general structure as well as the one-loop results of the integrated RG flow of the parameters are discussed. Universal results can be found for the effective static interactionwu–v0 and for small effective disorder coupling on the intermediate length scalel. As a first physical prediction from our analysis, we determine the general nonlinear scaling form of the chain diffusion constant and evaluate it explicitly as for .     

Exact exponent for the number of persistent spins in the zero-temperature dynamics of the one-dimensional Potts model

For the zero-temperature Glauber dynamics of theq-state Potts model, the fractionr(q, t) of spins which never flip up to timet decays like a power lawr(q, t)t ^–(q) when the initial condition is random. By mapping the problem onto an exactly soluble one-species coagulation model (A+AA) or alternatively by transforming the problem into a free-fermion model, we obtain the exact expression of (q) for all values ofq. The exponent (q) is in general irrational, (3)=0.53795082..., (4)=0.63151575..., ..., with the exception ofq=2 andq=, for which (2)=3/8 and ()=1.     

Crystal and molecular structure of 6-0-acetylgrayanotoxin III

The crystal and molecular structure of a grayanotoxin III derivative, 6-0-acetylgrayanotoxin III is presented. The crystal is orthorhombic, space group P2₁2₁2₁, witha=15.582(3),b=21.304(3),c=6.339(3)Å,V=2104(1) ų Z=4. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by full matrix least-squares methods to a finalR=0.047 for 1763 independent reflections withF ₀>3 (F ₀) The molecule is based on a tetracyclic structure consisting of two five-membered, one six-membered, and one seven-membered ring with various conformations.