arXiv subjects

H. J. Herrmann

Publications and source records attributed to H. J. Herrmann.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Fracturing ranked surfaces

Discretized landscapes can be mapped onto ranked surfaces, where every element (site or bond) has a unique rank associated with its corresponding relative height. By sequentially allocating these elements according to their ranks and systematically preventing the occupation of bridges, namely elements that, if occupied, would provide global connectivity, we disclose that bridges hide a new tricritical point at an occupation fraction $p=p_{c}$, where $p_{c}$ is the percolation threshold of random percolation. For any value of $p$ in the interval $p_{c}< p \leq 1$, our results show that the set of bridges has a fractal dimension $d_{BB} \approx 1.22$ in two dimensions. In the limit $p \rightarrow 1$, a self-similar fracture is revealed as a singly connected line that divides the system in two domains. We then unveil how several seemingly unrelated physical models tumble into the same universality class and also present results for higher dimensions.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2012

Corrections to Scaling for Watersheds, Optimal Path Cracks, and Bridge Lines

We study the corrections to scaling for the mass of the watershed, the bridge line, and the optimal path crack in two and three dimensions. We disclose that these models have numerically equivalent fractal dimensions and leading correction-to-scaling exponents. We conjecture all three models to possess the same fractal dimension, namely, $d_f=1.2168\pm0.0005$ in 2D and $d_f=2.487\pm0.003$ in 3D, and the same exponent of the leading correction, $Ω=0.9\pm0.1$ and $Ω=1.0\pm0.1$, respectively. The close relations between watersheds, optimal path cracks in the strong disorder limit, and bridge lines are further supported by either heuristic or exact arguments.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2012

Fracturing highly disordered materials

We investigate the role of disorder on the fracturing process of heterogeneous materials by means of a two-dimensional fuse network model. Our results in the extreme disorder limit reveal that the backbone of the fracture at collapse, namely the subset of the largest fracture that effectively halts the global current, has a fractal dimension of $1.22 \pm 0.01$. This exponent value is compatible with the universality class of several other physical models, including optimal paths under strong disorder, disordered polymers, watersheds and optimal path cracks on uncorrelated substrates, hulls of explosive percolation clusters, and strands of invasion percolation fronts. Moreover, we find that the fractal dimension of the largest fracture under extreme disorder, $d_f=1.86 \pm 0.01$, is outside the statistical error bar of standard percolation. This discrepancy is due to the appearance of trapped regions or cavities of all sizes that remain intact till the entire collapse of the fuse network, but are always accessible in the case of standard percolation. Finally, we quantify the role of disorder on the structure of the largest cluster, as well as on the backbone of the fracture, in terms of a distinctive transition from weak to strong disorder characterized by a new crossover exponent.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2012

Taylor-Couette Instability in General Manifolds: A Lattice Kinetic Approach

We present a new lattice kinetic method to simulate fluid dynamics in curvilinear geometries. A suitable discrete Boltzmann equation is solved in contravariant coordinates, and the equilibrium distribution function is obtained by a Hermite polynomials expansion of the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, expressed in terms of the contravariant coordinates and the metric tensor. To validate the model, we calculate the critical Reynolds number for the onset of the Taylor-Couette instability between two concentric cylinders, obtaining excellent agreement with the theory. In order to extend this study to more general geometries, we also calculate the critical Reynolds number for the case of two concentric spheres, finding good agreement with experimental data. In the case of two concentric tori, we have found that the critical Reynolds is about 10% larger than the respective value for the two concentric cylinders.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2012

The balance between excitation and inhibition controls the temporal organization of neuronal avalanches

Neuronal avalanches, measured in vitro and in vivo, exhibit a robust critical behaviour. Their temporal organization hides the presence of correlations. Here we present experimental measurements of the waiting time distribution between successive avalanches in the rat cortex in vitro. This exhibits a non-monotonic behaviour, not usually found in other natural processes. Numerical simulations provide evidence that this behaviour is a consequence of the alternation between states of high and low activity, named up and down states, leading to a balance between excitation and inhibition controlled by a single parameter. During these periods both the single neuron state and the network excitability level, keeping memory of past activity, are tuned by homeostatic mechanisms.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2012

Single to Double Hump Transition in the Equilibrium Distribution Function of Relativistic Particles

We unveil a transition from single peaked to bimodal velocity distribution in a relativistic fluid under increasing temperature, in contrast with a non-relativistic gas, where only a monotonic broadening of the bell-shaped distribution is observed. Such transition results from the interplay between the raise in thermal energy and the constraint of maximum velocity imposed by the speed of light. We study the Bose-Einstein, the Fermi-Dirac, and the Maxwell-Jüttner distributions, all exhibiting the same qualitative behavior. We characterize the nature of the transition in the framework of critical phenomena and show that it is either continuous or discontinuous, depending on the group velocity. We analyze the transition in one, two, and three dimensions, with special emphasis on two-dimensions, for which a possible experiment in graphene, based on the measurement of the Johnson-Nyquist noise, is proposed.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2012

Bohman-Frieze-Wormald model on the lattice, yielding a discontinuous percolation transition

The BFW model introduced by Bohman, Frieze, and Wormald [Random Struct. Algorithms, 25, 432 (2004)] and recently investigated in the framework of discontinuous percolation by Chen and D'Souza [Phys. Rev. Lett., 106, 115701 (2011)], is studied on the square and simple-cubic lattices. In two and three dimensions, we find numerical evidence for a strongly discontinuous transition. In two dimensions, the clusters at the threshold are compact with a fractal surface of fractal dimension $d_f=1.49\pm0.02$. On the simple-cubic lattice, distinct jumps in the size of the largest cluster are observed. We proceed to analyze the tree-like version of the model, where only merging bonds are sampled, for dimension two to seven. The transition is again discontinuous in any considered dimension. Finally, the dependence of the cluster-size distribution at the threshold on the spatial dimension is also investigated.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2012

Klein Tunneling in the presence of random impurities

In this paper, we study Klein tunneling in random media. To this purpose, we simulate the propagation of a relativistic Gaussian wavepacket through a graphene sample with randomly distributed potential barriers (impurities). The simulations, based on a relativistic quantum lattice Boltzmann method, permit to compute the transmission coefficient across the sample, thereby providing an estimate for the conductivity as a function of impurity concentration and strength of the potentials. It is found that the conductivity loss due to impurities is significantly higher for wave-packets of massive particles, as compared to massless ones. A general expression for the loss of conductivity as a function of the impurity percentage is presented and successfully compared with the Kozeny-Carman law for disordered media in classical fluid dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Pre-Turbulent Regimes in Graphene Flows

We provide numerical evidence that electronic pre-turbulent phenomena in graphene could be observed, under current experimental conditions, through detectable current fluctuations, echoing the detachment of vortices past localized micron-sized impurities. Vortex generation, due to micron sized constriction, is also explored with special focus on the effects of relativistic corrections to the normal Navier-Stokes equations. These corrections are found to cause a delay in the stability breakout of the fluid as well as a small shift in the vortex shedding frequency. Finally, a relation between the Strouhal number, a dimensionless measure of the vortex shedding frequency, and the Reynolds number is provided under conditions of interest for future experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Overspill avalanching in a dense reservoir network

Sustainability of communities, agriculture, and industry is strongly dependent on an effective storage and supply of water resources. In some regions the economic growth has led to a level of water demand which can only be accomplished through efficient reservoir networks. Such infrastructures are not always planned at larger scale but rather made by farmers according to their local needs of irrigation during droughts. Based on extensive data from the upper Jaguaribe basin, one of the world's largest system of reservoirs, located in the Brazilian semiarid northeast, we reveal that surprisingly it self-organizes into a scale-free network exhibiting also a power-law in the distribution of the lakes and avalanches of discharges. With a new self-organized-criticality-type model we manage to explain the novel critical exponents. Implementing a flow model we are able to reproduce the measured overspill evolution providing a tool for catastrophe mitigation and future planning.

physics.data-an↗

arXiv2011

Gaussian model of explosive percolation in three and higher dimensions

The Gaussian model of discontinuous percolation, recently introduced by Araújo and Herrmann [Phys. Rev. Lett., 105, 035701 (2010)], is numerically investigated in three dimensions, disclosing a discontinuous transition. For the simple-cubic lattice, in the thermodynamic limit, we report a finite jump of the order parameter, $J=0.415 \pm 0.005$. The largest cluster at the threshold is compact, but its external perimeter is fractal with fractal dimension $d_A = 2.5 \pm 0.2$. The study is extended to hypercubic lattices up to six dimensions and to the mean-field limit (infinite dimension). We find that, in all considered dimensions, the percolation transition is discontinuous. The value of the jump in the order parameter, the maximum of the second moment, and the percolation threshold are analyzed, revealing interesting features of the transition and corroborating its discontinuous nature in all considered dimensions. We also show that the fractal dimension of the external perimeter, for any dimension, is consistent with the one from bridge percolation and establish a lower bound for the percolation threshold of discontinuous models with finite number of clusters at the threshold.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2011

On the relativistic Lattice Boltzmann method for quark-gluon plasma simulations

In this paper, we investigate the recently developed lattice Boltzmann model for relativistic hydrodynamics. To this purpose, we perform simulations of shock waves in quark-gluon plasma in the low and high viscosities regime, using three different computational models, the relativistic lattice Boltzmann (RLB), the Boltzmann Approach Multi-Parton Scattering (BAMPS), and the viscous sharp and smooth transport algorithm (vSHASTA). From the results, we conclude that the RLB model departs from BAMPS in the case of high speeds and high temperature(viscosities), the departure being due to the fact that the RLB is based on a quadratic approximation of the Maxwell-Jüttner distribution, which is only valid for sufficiently low temperature and velocity. Furthermore, we have investigated the influence of the lattice speed on the results, and shown that inclusion of quadratic terms in the equilibrium distribution improves the stability of the method within its domain of applicability. Finally, we assess the viability of the RLB model in the various parameter regimes relevant to ultra-relativistic fluid dynamics.

hep-th↗

arXiv2011

Jump at the onset of saltation

We reveal a discontinuous transition in the saturated flux for aeolian saltation by simulating explicitly particle motion in turbulent flow. The discontinuity is followed by a coexistence interval with two metastable solutions. The modification of the wind profile due to momentum exchange exhibits a second maximum at high shear strength. The saturated flux depends on the strength of the wind as $q_s=q_0+A(u_*-u_t)(u_*^2+u_t^2)$.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2011

Granular packings of cohesive elongated particles

We report numerical results of effective attractive forces on the packing properties of two-dimensional elongated grains. In deposits of non-cohesive rods in 2D, the topology of the packing is mainly dominated by the formation of ordered structures of aligned rods. Elongated particles tend to align horizontally and the stress is mainly transmitted from top to bottom, revealing an asymmetric distribution of local stress. However, for deposits of cohesive particles, the preferred horizontal orientation disappears. Very elongated particles with strong attractive forces form extremely loose structures, characterized by an orientation distribution, which tends to a uniform behavior when increasing the Bond number. As a result of these changes, the pressure distribution in the deposits changes qualitatively. The isotropic part of the local stress is notably enhanced with respect to the deviatoric part, which is related to the gravity direction. Consequently, the lateral stress transmission is dominated by the enhanced disorder and leads to a faster pressure saturation with depth.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2011

Fractality of eroded coastlines of correlated landscapes

Using numerical simulations of a simple sea-coast mechanical erosion model, we investigate the effect of spatial long-range correlations in the lithology of coastal landscapes on the fractal behavior of the corresponding coastlines. In the model, the resistance of a coast section to erosion depends on the local lithology configuration as well as on the number of neighboring sea sides. For weak sea forces, the sea is trapped by the coastline and the eroding process stops after some time. For strong sea forces erosion is perpetual. The transition between these two regimes takes place at a critical sea force, characterized by a fractal coastline front. For uncorrelated landscapes, we obtain, at the critical value, a fractal dimension D=1.33, which is consistent with the dimension of the accessible external perimeter of the spanning cluster in two-dimensional percolation. For sea forces above the critical value, our results indicate that the coastline is self-affine and belongs to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class. In the case of landscapes generated with power-law spatial long-range correlations, the coastline fractal dimension changes continuously with the Hurst exponent H, decreasing from D=1.34 to 1.04, for H=0 and 1, respectively. This nonuniversal behavior is compatible with the multitude of fractal dimensions found for real coastlines.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2011

Scaling Relations for Watersheds

We study the morphology of watersheds in two and three dimensional systems subjected to different degrees of spatial correlations. The response of these objects to small, local perturbations is also investigated with extensive numerical simulations. We find the fractal dimension of the watersheds to generally decrease with the Hurst exponent, which quantifies the degree of spatial correlations. Moreover, in two dimensions, our results match the range of fractal dimensions $1.10 \leq d_f \leq 1.15$ observed for natural landscapes. We report that the watershed is strongly affected by local perturbations. For perturbed two and three dimensional systems, we observe a power-law scaling behavior for the distribution of areas (volumes) enclosed by the original and the displaced watershed, and for the distribution of distances between outlets. Finite-size effects are analyzed and the resulting scaling exponents are shown to depend significantly on the Hurst exponent. The intrinsic relation between watershed and invasion percolation, as well as relations between exponents conjectured in previous studies with two dimensional systems, are now confirmed by our results in three dimensions.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2011

Study of the combined effect of temperature, pH and water activity on the radial growth rate of the white-rot basidiomycete Physisporinus vitreus by using a hyphal growth model

The present work investigates environmental effects on the growth of fungal colonies of P. vitreus by using a lattice-free discrete modelling approach called FGM (Fuhr et al. (2010), arXiv:1101.1747), in which hyphae and nutrients are considered as discrete structures. A discrete modelling approach allows studying the underlying mechanistic rule concerning the basic architecture and dynamic of fungal networks on the scale of a single colony. By comparing simulations of the FGM with laboratory experiments of growing fungal colonies on malt extract agar we show that combined effect of temperature, pH and water activity on the radial growth rate of a fungal colony on a macroscopic scale may be explained by a power law for the growth costs of hyphal expansion on a microscopic scale. The information about the response of the fungal mycelium on a microscopic scale to environmental conditions is essential to simulate its behavior in complex structure substrates such as wood, where the impact of the fungus to the wood (i.e. the degradation of bordered pits or the creation of bore holes and cavities) changes the local environmental condition, e.g. the permeability of the substrate and therefore the water activity level in a colonized wood cell lumen. A combination of diffusion and moisture processes into wood with the FGM may brighten the knowledge about the colonization strategy of P. vitreus and helps to optimize its growth behavior for biotechnological application such as bioincising.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2011

Oil displacement through a porous medium with a temperature gradient

We investigate the effect of a temperature gradient on oil recovery in a two-dimensional pore-network model. The oil viscosity depends on temperature as, $μ_o=exp(B/T)$, where $B$ is a physico-chemical parameter depending on the type of oil, and $T$ is the temperature. A temperature gradient is applied across the medium in the flow direction. Initially, the porous medium is saturated with oil and, then, another fluid is injected. We have considered two cases representing different injection strategies. In the first case, the invading fluid viscosity is constant (finite viscosity ratio) while in the second one, the invading fluid is inviscid (infinite viscosity ratio). Our results show that, for the case of finite viscosity ratio, recovery increases with $ΔT$ independently on strength or sign of the gradient. For an infinite viscosity ratio, a positive temperature gradient is necessary to enhance recovery. Moreover, we show that, for $ΔT>0$, the percentage of oil recovery generally decreases (increases) with $B$ for a finite (infinite) viscosity ratio. Finally, we also extend our results for infinite viscosity ratio to a three-dimensional porous media geometry.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗