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John Toner

Publications and source records attributed to John Toner.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2016

Emergent smectic order in simple active particle models

Novel "smectic-P" behavior, in which self-propelled particles form rows and move on average along them, occurs generically within the orientationally-ordered phase of simple models that we simulate. Both apolar (head-tail symmetric) and polar (head-tail asymmetric) models with aligning and repulsive interactions exhibit slow algebraic decay of smectic order with system size up to some finite length scale, after which faster decay occurs. In the apolar case, this scale is that of an undulation instability of the rows. In the polar case, this instability is absent, but traveling fluctuations disrupt the rows in large systems and motion and smectic order may spontaneously globally rotate. These observations agree with a new hydrodynamic theory which we present here. Variants of our models also exhibit active smectic "A" and "C" order, with motion orthogonal and oblique to the layers respectively.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2016

Following fluctuating signs: anomalous active superdiffusion of swimmers in anisotropic media

Active (i.e., self-propelled or swimming) particles moving through an isotropic fluid exhibit conventional diffusive behavior. We report anomalous diffusion of an active particle moving in an anisotropic, nematic background. Whilst the translational motion parallel to the nematic director shows ballistic behavior, the long-time transverse motion is super-diffusive, with an anomalous scaling $\propto t \ln t$ of the mean squared displacement with time $t$. This behavior is predicted by an analytical theory that we present here, and is corroborated by numerical simulation of active particle diffusion in a simple lattice model for a nematic liquid crystal. It is universal for any collection of self-propelled elements (e.g., bacteria or active rods) moving in a nematic background, provided only that the swimmers are sufficiently dilute that their interactions with each other can be neglected, and that they do not perform "hairpin" turns.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2014

Critical Phenomenon of the Order-Disorder Transition in Incompressible Flocks

We study incompressible systems of motile particles with alignment interactions. Unlike their compressible counterparts, in which the order-disorder (i.e., moving to static) transition, tuned by either noise or number density, is discontinuous, in incompressible systems this transition can be continuous, and belongs to a new universality class. We calculate the critical exponents to $O(ε)$in an $ε=4-d$ expansion, and derive two exact scaling relations. This is the first analytic treatment of a phase transition in a new universality class in an active system.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2013

Two-dimensional superfluidity of exciton-polaritons requires strong anisotropy

Fluids of exciton-polaritons, excitations of two dimensional quantum wells in optical cavities, show collective phenomena akin to Bose condensation. However, a fundamental difference from standard condensates stems from the finite life-time of these excitations, which necessitate continuous driving to maintain a steady state. A basic question is whether a two dimensional condensate with long range algebraic correlations can exist under these non-equilibrium conditions. Here we show that such driven two-dimensional Bose systems cannot exhibit algebraic superfluid order except in low-symmetry, anisotropic systems. Our result implies, in particular, that recent apparent evidence for Bose condensation of exciton-polaritons must be an intermediate scale crossover phenomenon, while the true long distance correlations fall off exponentially. We obtain these results through a mapping of the long-wavelength condensate dynamics onto the anisotropic Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2013

Universality for Moving Stripes: A Hydrodynamic Theory of Polar Active Smectics

We present a hydrodynamic theory of polar active smectics, for systems both with and without number conservation. For the latter, we find quasi long-ranged smectic order in d=2 and long-ranged smectic order in d=3. In d=2 there is a Kosterlitz-Thouless type phase transition from the smectic phase to the ordered fluid phase driven by increasing the noise strength. For the number conserving case, we find that giant number fluctuations are greatly suppressed by the smectic order; that smectic order is long-ranged in d=3; and that nonlinear effects become important in d=2.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2012

The Smectic A to C Phase Transition in Isotropic Disordered Environments

We study theoretically the smectic A to C phase transition in isotropic disordered environments. Surprisingly, we find that, as in the clean smectic A to C phase transition, smectic layer fluctuations do not affect the nature of the transition, in spite of the fact that they are much stronger in the presence of the disorder. As a result, we find that the universality class of the transition is that of the "Random field XY model" (RFXY).

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2012

A Reanalysis of the Hydrodynamic Theory of Fluid, Polar-Ordered Flocks

I reanalyze the hydrodynamic theory of fluid, polar ordered flocks. I find new linear terms in the hydrodynamic equations which slightly modify the anisotropy, but not the scaling, of the damping of sound modes. I also find that the nonlinearities allowed {\it in equilibrium} do not stabilize long ranged order in spatial dimensions $d=2$; in accord with the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Nonequilibrium nonlinearities {\it do} stabilize long ranged order in $d=2$, as argued by earlier work. Some of these were missed by earlier work; it is unclear whether or not they change the scaling exponents in $d=2$.

cond-mat.other↗
arXiv2012

Live Soap: Order, Fluctuations and Instabilities in Active Smectics

We construct a hydrodynamic theory of noisy, apolar active smectics, in bulk suspension or on a substrate. Our predictions include: quasi-long-ranged smectic order in dimension d = 2, and long- ranged in d = 3, extending previously published results to all dynamical regimes; Kosterlitz-Thouless melting to an active nematic at high and low concentrations in d = 2; nonzero second-sound speed parallel to the layers; the suppression of giant number fluctuations by smectic elasticity; instability to spontaneous undulation and flow in bulk contractile smectics; a layer spacing instability, possibly oscillatory, for large enough extensile active stresses.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2011

Birth, Death and Flight: A Theory of Malthusian Flocks

I study "Malthusian Flocks": moving aggregates of self-propelled entities (e.g., organisms, cytoskeletal actin, microtubules in mitotic spindles) that reproduce and die. Long-ranged order (i.e., the existence of a non-zero average velocity $<\vec v (\vec r, t) >\ne \vec 0$) is possible in these systems, even in spatial dimension $d=2$. Their spatio-temporal scaling structure can be determined exactly in all spatial dimensions; furthermore, they lack both the longitudinal sound waves and the giant number fluctuations found in immortal flocks. Number fluctuations are very {\it persistent}, and propagate along the direction of flock motion, but at a different speed.

cond-mat.other↗
arXiv2011

The Smectic $A$-$C$ Phase Transition in Biaxial Disordered Environments

We study the smectic $A$-$C$ phase transition in biaxial disordered environments, e.g. fully anisotropic aerogel. We find that both the $A$ and $C$ phases belong to the universality class of the "XY Bragg glass", and therefore have quasi-long-ranged translational smectic order. The phase transition itself belongs to a new universality class, which we study using an $ε=7/2-d$ expansion. We find a stable fixed point, which implies a continuous transition, the critical exponents of which we calculate.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2011

The Fast Wandering of Slow Birds

I study a single "slow" bird moving with a flock of birds of a different, and faster (or slower) species. I find that every "species" of flocker has a characteristic speed $γ\ne v_0$, where $v_0$ is the mean speed of the flock, such that, if the speed $v_s$ of the "slow" bird equals $γ$, it will randomly wander transverse to the mean direction of flock motion far faster than the other birds will: its mean-squared transverse displacement will grow in $d=2$ with time $t$ like $t^{5/3}$, in contrast to $t^{4/3}$ for the other birds. In $d=3$, the slow bird's mean squared transverse displacement grows like $t^{5/4}$, in contrast to $t$ for the other birds. If $v_s\neq γ$, the mean-squared displacement of the "slow" bird crosses over from $t^{5/2}$ to $t^{4/3}$ scaling in $d=2$, and from $t^{5/4}$ to $t$ scaling in $d=3$, at a time $t_c$ that scales according to $t_c \propto|v_s-γ|^{-2}$.

cond-mat.other↗
arXiv2010

An Anomalously Elastic, Intermediate Phase in Randomly Layered Superfluids, Superconductors, and Planar Magnets

We show that layered quenched randomness in planar magnets leads to an unusual intermediate phase between the conventional ferromagnetic low-temperature and paramagnetic high-temperature phases. In this intermediate phase, which is part of the Griffiths region, the spin-wave stiffness perpendicular to the random layers displays anomalous scaling behavior, with a continuously variable anomalous exponent, while the magnetization and the stiffness parallel to the layers both remain finite. Analogous results hold for superfluids and superconductors. We study the two phase transitions into the anomalous elastic phase, and we discuss the universality of these results, and implications of finite sample size as well as possible experiments.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗
arXiv2010

Tipping without Flipping: A Novel Metastable "Tilted" State in Anisotropic Ferromagnets in External Fields

We show that in suitable anisotropic ferromagnets, both stable and metastable ``tilted'' phases occur, in which the magnetization ${\vec M}$ makes an angle between zero and $180$ degrees with the externally applied ${\vec H}$. Tuning either the magnitude of the external field or the temperature can lead to continuous transitions between these states. A unique feature is that one of these transitions is between two {\it metastable} states. Near the transitions the longitudinal susceptibility becomes anomalous with an exponent which has an {\it exact} scaling relation with the critical exponents.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2008

Goldstone modes and electromagnon fluctuations in the conical cycloid state of a multiferroic

Using a phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory for the magnetic conical cycloid state of a multiferroic, which has been recently reported in the cubic spinel CoCr$_{2}$O$_{4}$, we discuss its low-energy fluctuation spectrum. We identify the Goldstone modes of the conical cycloidal order, and deduce their dispersion relations whose signature anisotropy in momentum space reflects the symmetries broken by the ordered state. We discuss the soft polarization fluctuations, the `electromagnons', associated with these magnetic modes and make several experimental predictions which can be tested in neutron scattering and optical experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2008

Ginzburg-Landau theory for the conical cycloid state in multiferroics: applications to CoCr$_2$O$_4$

We show that the cycloidal magnetic order of a multiferroic can arise in the absence of spin and lattice anisotropies, for e.g., in a cubic material, and this explains the occurrence of such a state in CoCr$_2$O$_4$. We discuss the case when this order coexists with ferromagnetism in a so called `conical cycloid' state, and show that a direct transition to this state from the ferromagnet is necessarily first order. On quite general grounds, the reversal of the direction of the uniform magnetization in this state can lead to the reversal of the electric polarization as well, without the need to invoke `toroidal moment' as the order parameter.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2008

Fluctuation-induced first-order transition in $p $-wave superconductors

The problem of a fluctuation-induced first-order transition is considered for $p $-wave superconductors. Both an $ε$-expansion about $d=4$ and a large-$n$ expansion conclude that the transition for the physical case $n=6$ in $d=3$ is of first order, as in the s-wave case.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2008

Smectics $A$ and $C$, and the Transition between them, in Uniaxial Disordered Environments

We present a theory of the elasticity and fluctuations of the Smectic A and C phases in uniaxial, anisotropic disordered environments, e.g., stretched aerogel. We find that, bizarrely, the low-temperature, lower-symmetry Smectic $C$ phase is less translationally ordered than the high-temperature, higher-symmetry Smectic $A$ phase, with short-ranged "$m=1$ Bragg glass" and algebraic "XY Bragg glass" order, respectively. The $AC$ phase transition belongs to a new universality class, whose fixed points and exponents we find in a $d=5-ε$ expansion. We give very detailed predictions for the very rich light scattering behavior of both phases, and the critical point.

cond-mat.soft↗