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Maria Serena Causo

Publications and source records attributed to Maria Serena Causo.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2002

Cut-and-permute algorithm for self-avoiding walks in the presence of surfaces

We present a dynamic nonlocal hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm consisting of pivot and ``cut-and-permute'' moves. The algorithm is suitable for the study of polymers in semiconfined geometries at the ordinary transition, where the pivot algorithm exhibits quasi-ergodic problems. The dynamic properties of the proposed algorithm are studied in d = 3. The hybrid dynamics is ergodic and exhibits the same optimal critical behavior as the pivot algorithm in the bulk.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2002

Universal shape ratios for polymers grafted at a flat surface

We consider dilute non-adsorbed polymers grafted at an impenetrable surface and compute several quantities which characterize the polymer shape: the asphericity and the ratios of the eigenvalues of the radius-of-gyration tensor. The results are only slightly different from those obtained for polymers in the bulk, showing that the surface has little influence on the polymer shape.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2000

End-to-end distribution function for dilute polymers

We study the end-to-end distribution function for dilute polymers. We present a computation to order $O(ε^2)$, $ε= 4 - d$, and discuss in detail its asymptotic behaviour for small and large distances. The theoretical predictions are compared with Monte Carlo results, finding good agreement.

hep-lat↗
arXiv1999

Bilocal Dynamics for Self-Avoiding Walks

We introduce several bilocal algorithms for lattice self-avoiding walks that provide reasonable models for the physical kinetics of polymers in the absence of hydrodynamic effects. We discuss their ergodicity in different confined geometries, for instance in strips and in slabs. A short discussion of the dynamical properties in the absence of interactions is given.

hep-lat↗
arXiv1999

A Simple Model for the DNA Denaturation Transition

We study pairs of interacting self-avoiding walks on the 3d simple cubic lattice. They have a common origin and are allowed to overlap only at the same monomer position along the chain. The latter overlaps are indeed favored by an energetic gain. This is inspired by a model introduced long ago by Poland and Sheraga [J. Chem. Phys. {\bf 45}, 1464 (1966)] for the denaturation transition in DNA where, however, self avoidance was not fully taken into account. For both models, there exists a temperature T_m above which the entropic advantage to open up overcomes the energy gained by forming tightly bound two-stranded structures. Numerical simulations of our model indicate that the transition is of first order (the energy density is discontinuous), but the analog of the surface tension vanishes and the scaling laws near the transition point are exactly those of a second order transition with crossover exponent ϕ=1. Numerical and exact analytic results show that the transition is second order in modified models where the self-avoidance is partially or completely neglected.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv1998

Determination of the exponent gamma for SAWs on the two-dimensional Manhattan lattice

We present a high-statistics Monte Carlo determination of the exponent gamma for self-avoiding walks on a Manhattan lattice in two dimensions. A conservative estimate is $γ\gtapprox 1.3425(3)$, in agreement with the universal value 43/32 on regular lattices, but in conflict with predictions from conformal field theory and with a recent estimate from exact enumerations. We find strong corrections to scaling that seem to indicate the presence of a non-analytic exponent Delta < 1. If we assume Delta = 11/16 we find gamma = 1.3436(3), where the error is purely statistical.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv1998

Crossover scaling from classical to non-classical critical behaviour

Interacting physical systems in the neighborhood of criticality (and massive continuum field theories) can often be characterized by just two physical scales: a (macroscopic) correlation length and a (microscopic) interaction range, related to the coupling and measured by the Ginzburg number $G$. A critical crossover limit can be defined when both scales become large while their ratio stays finite. The corresponding scaling functions are universal, and they are related to the standard field-theory renormalization-group functions. The critical crossover describes the unique flow from the Gaussian to the nonclassical fixed point.

hep-lat↗
arXiv1998

2-d Self-Avoiding Walks on a Cylinder

We present simulations of self-avoiding random walks on 2-d lattices with the topology of an infinitely long cylinder, in the limit where the cylinder circumference L is much smaller than the Flory radius. We study in particular the L-dependence of the size h parallel to the cylinder axis, the connectivity constant mu, the variance of the winding number around the cylinder, and the density of parallel contacts. While mu(L) and scale as as expected (in particular, \sim h/L), the number of parallel contacts decays as h/L^1.92, in striking contrast to recent predictions. These findings strongly speak against recent speculations that the critical exponent gamma of SAW's might be nonuniversal. Finally, we find that the amplitude for does not agree with naive expectations from conformal invariance.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv1997

Monte Carlo results for three-dimensional self-avoiding walks

We discuss possible sources of systematic errors in the computation of critical exponents by renormalization-group methods, extrapolations from exact enumerations and Monte Carlo simulations. A careful Monte Carlo determination of the susceptibility exponent gamma for three-dimensional self-avoiding walks has been used to test the claimed accuracy of the various methods.

hep-lat↗