Condensed Matter Theory

Abstract:

Lattice Boltzmann simulations are used to explore the behavior of liquid crystals subject to Poiseuille flow. In the nematic regime at low shear rates we find two possible steady-state configurations of the director field. The selected state depends on both the shear rate and the history of the sample. For both director configurations there is clear evidence of shear thinning, a decrease in the viscosity with increasing shear rate. Moreover, at very high shear rates or when the order parameter is large, the system transforms to a 'log-rolling state' with boundary layers that may exhibit oscillatory behavior. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

Recent results and interpretations are presented for the thermal minority game, concentrating on deriving and justifying the fundamental stochastic differential equation for the microdynamics.

Abstract:

In this paper we study a simple, purely topological, cellular model which is allowed to evolve through a Glauber-Kawasaki process. We find a non-thermodynamic transition to a glassy phase in which the energy (defined as the square of the local cell topological charge) fails to reach the equilibrium value below a characteristic temperature which is dependent on the cooling rate. We investigate a correlation function which exhibits ageing behaviour, and follows a master curve in the stationary regime when time is rescaled by a factor of the relaxation time tr. This master curve can be fitted by a von Schweidler law in the late β-relaxation regime. The relaxation times can be well fitted at all temperatures by an offset Arrhenius law. A power law can be fitted to an intermediate-temperature regime; the exponent of the power law and the von Schweidler law roughly agree with the relationship predicted by mode-coupling theory. By defining a suitable response function, we find that the fluctuation-dissipation ratio is held until sometime later than the appearance of the plateaux; non-monotonicity of the response is observed after this ratio is broken, a feature which has been observed in other models with dynamics involving activated processes.