arXiv subjects

Katrina Smith-Mannschott

Publications and source records attributed to Katrina Smith-Mannschott.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Surface tension and the strain-dependent topography of soft solids

When stretched in one direction, most solids shrink in the transverse directions. In soft silicone gels, however, we observe that small-scale topographical features grow upon stretching. A quantitative analysis of the topography shows that this counter-intuitive response is nearly linear, allowing us to tackle it through a small-strain analysis. We find that the surprising increase of small-scale topography with stretch is due to a delicate interplay of the bulk and surface responses to strain. Specifically, we find that surface tension changes as the material is deformed. This response is expected on general grounds for solid materials, but challenges the standard description of gel- and elastomer-surfaces.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2021

Droplets sit and slide anisotropically on soft, stretched substrates

Anisotropically wetting substrates enable useful control of droplet behavior across a range of applications. Usually, these involve chemically or physically patterning the substrate surface, or applying gradients in properties like temperature or electrical field. Here, we show that a flat, stretched, uniform soft substrate also exhibits asymmetric wetting, both in terms of how droplets slide and in their static shape. Droplet dynamics are strongly affected by stretch: glycerol droplets on silicone substrates with a 23\% stretch slide 67\% faster in the direction parallel to the applied stretch than in the perpendicular direction. Contrary to classical wetting theory, static droplets in equilibrium appear elongated, oriented parallel to the stretch direction. Both effects arise from droplet-induced deformations of the substrate near the contact line.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2017

Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in an Elastic Network

Living and engineered systems rely on the stable coexistence of two interspersed liquid phases. Yet surface tension drives their complete separation. Here we show that stable droplets of uniform and tuneable size can be produced through arrested phase separation in an elastic matrix. Starting with an elastic polymer network swollen by a solvent mixture, we change the temperature or composition to drive demixing. Droplets nucleate and grow to a stable size that is tuneable by the network cross-linking density, the cooling rate, and the composition of the solvent mixture. We discuss thermodynamic and mechanical constraints on the process. In particular, we show that the threshold for macroscopic phase separation is altered by the elasticity of the polymer network, and we highlight the role of internuclear correlations in determining the droplet size and polydispersity. This phenomenon has potential applications ranging from colloid synthesis and structural colour to phase separation in biological cells.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2010

Quantum dynamics in the bosonic Josephson junction

We employ a semiclassical picture to study dynamics in a bosonic Josephson junction with various initial conditions. Phase-diffusion of coherent preparations in the Josephson regime is shown to depend on the initial relative phase between the two condensates. For initially incoherent condensates, we find a universal value for the buildup of coherence in the Josephson regime. In addition, we contrast two seemingly similar on-separatrix coherent preparations, finding striking differences in their convergence to classicality as the number of particles increases.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2009

Occupation Statistics of a BEC for a Driven Landau-Zener Crossing

We consider an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) loaded in a biased double-well trap with tunneling rate $K$ and inter-atomic interaction $U$. The BEC is prepared such that all $N$ atoms are in the left well. We drive the system by sweeping the potential difference $ε$ between the two wells. Depending on the interaction $u=NU/K$, and the sweep rate $\dotε$, we distinguish three dynamical regimes: adiabatic, diabatic, and sudden, and consider the occupation statistics of the final state. The analysis goes beyond mean-field theory and is complemented by a semiclassical picture.

cond-mat.other↗