arXiv subjects

Sergio Rica

Publications and source records attributed to Sergio Rica.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Self-focusing of helicity drives finite-time singularities in inviscid flows

This paper deals with the longstanding quest of the possible existence of finite-time singularities in the equations governing the dynamics of inviscid fluids, namely, Euler equations. Here, two contributions are brought for the case of perfect fluids with finite initial energy. First, a self-similar velocity field inspired by Leray Ansatz is proposed which allows for a separation of variables that transforms the original partial differential Euler equations to a nonlinear system of ordinary differential equations. This system can be solved semi-analytically and allows a continuum set of solutions parametrised by a self-similar exponent, $\nu$. Second, we use the conservation laws of Euler equations to select the possible finite-time singular solutions and the related self-similar exponents. We find that the helicity is the driving mechanism of the blow-up through a self-focusing mechanism. The flow near the singularity separates into two phases. A first phase is within a tubular region that shrinks as a power-law $(t_c-t)^\nu$, with $t_c$ the blow-up time, where the helicity is focused. This region is separated by a sharp interface from an outer region where the vorticity, and thus helicity, is identically zero. We found that the finite-time singularity may be either point-like or line-like depending on the dynamics of the tubular region along its axis of symmetry. Incidentally for a point-like singularity we recover the Leray scaling $\nu=1/2$ paving the way to a generalisation of this approach for the Navier-Stokes equations. Finally, we conjecture that if the helicity vanishes initially, no finite-time singularity would be possible, since in this case the singularity occurs at infinite time from the initial condition.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2026

Superflows around corners

We investigate analytically and numerically the dynamics of a two-dimensional superflow governed by the Gross-Pitaevskii equation passing over finite-size rectangular obstacles: an impenetrable wall and an impenetrable rectangular well. Extending classical studies of vortex nucleation around smooth obstacles, we focus on the role of sharp corners in determining the onset of vortex nucleation. Using a combination of analytical techniques based on the Schwarz-Christoffel methods for potential flow and on numerical simulations, we show that local velocity amplification near sharp corners crucially controls the critical flow velocity for vortex nucleation. For both wall and well configurations, we identify analytically and theoretically the critical velocities as a function of the obstacle width and its height or depth, finding an excellent agreement between the theory and our numerical simulations. Our results provide a simple framework for understanding superflow stability past finite-size obstacles with sharp features and are directly relevant to experimentally realizable configurations in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates and related superfluid systems.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2024

Bridging Rayleigh-Jeans and Bose-Einstein condensation of a guided fluid of light with positive and negative temperatures

We consider the free propagation geometry of a light beam (or fluid of light) in a multimode waveguide. As a result of the effective photon-photon interactions, the photon fluid thermalizes to an equilibrium state during its conservative propagation. In this configuration, Rayleigh-Jeans (RJ) thermalization and condensation of classical light waves have been recently observed experimentally in graded index multimode optical fibers characterized by a 2D parabolic trapping potential. As well-known, the properties of RJ condensation differ substantially from those of Bose-Einstein (BE) condensation: The condensate fraction decreases quadratically with the temperature for BE condensation, while it decreases linearly for RJ condensation. Furthermore, for quantum particles the heat capacity tends to zero at small temperatures, and it takes a constant value in the classical particle limit at high temperatures. This is in contrast with classical RJ waves, where the specific heat takes a constant value at small temperatures, and tends to vanish above the condensation transition in the normal (uncondensed) state. Here, we reconcile the thermodynamic properties of BE and RJ condensation: By introducing a frequency cut-off inherent to light propagation in a waveguide, we derive generalized expressions of the thermodynamic properties that include the RJ and BE limits as particular cases. We extend the approach to encompass negative temperatures. In contrast to positive temperatures, the specific heat does not display a singular behavior at negative temperatures, reflecting the non-critical nature of the transition to a macroscopic population of the highest energy level. Our work contributes to understanding the quantum-to-classical crossover in the equilibrium properties of light, within a versatile experimental platform based on nonlinear optical propagation in multimode waveguides.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Anisotropic finite-time singularity in the three-dimensional axisymmetric Euler equation with a swirl

The search of finite-time singularity solutions of Euler equations is considered for the case of an incompressible and inviscid fluid. Under the assumption that a finite-time blow-up solution may be spatially anisotropic as time goes by such that the flow contracts more rapidly into one direction than into the other, it can be shown that the dynamics of an axially symmetric flow with swirl may be approximated to a simpler hyperbolic system. By using the method of characteristics, it can be shown that generically the velocity flow exhibits multi-valued solutions appearing on a rim at a finite distance from the axis of rotation which displays a singular behavior in the radial derivatives of velocities. Moreover, the general solution shows a genuine blow-up which is also discussed. This singularity is generic for a vast number of smooth finite-energy initial conditions and is characterized by a local singular behavior of velocity gradients and accelerations.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Magnetoelectric effect in dipolar clusters

We combine the anisotropy of magnetic interactions and the point symmetry of finite solids in the study of dipolar clusters as new basic units for multiferroics metamaterials. The hamiltonian of magnetic dipoles with an easy axis at the vertices of polygons and polyhedra, maps exactly into a hamiltonian with symmetric and antisymmetric exchange couplings. The last one gives rise to a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya contribution responsible for the magnetic modes of the systems and their symmetry groups, which coincide with those of a particle in a crystal field with spin-orbit interaction. We find that the clusters carry spin current and that they manifest the magnetoelectric effect. We expect our results to pave the way for the rational design of magnetoelectric devices at room temperature.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

The anatomy of the 2019 Chilean social unrest

We analyze the 2019 Chilean social unrest episode, consisting of a sequence of events, through the lens of an epidemic-like model that considers global contagious dynamics. We adjust the parameters to the Chilean social unrest aggregated public data available from the Undersecretary of Human Rights, and observe that the number of violent events follows a well-defined pattern already observed in various public disorder episodes in other countries since the sixties. Although the epidemic-like models display a single event that reaches a peak followed by an exponential decay, we add standard perturbation schemes that may produce a rich temporal behavior as observed in the 2019 Chilean social turmoil. Although we only have access to aggregated data, we are still able to fit it to our model quite well, providing interesting insights on social unrest dynamics.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2019

Finite-time localized singularities as a mechanism for turbulent dissipation

We provide a scenario for a singularity-mediated turbulence based on the self-focusing non-linear Schrödinger equation, for which sufficiently smooth initial states leads to blow-up in finite time. Here, by adding dissipation, these singularities are regularized, and the inclusion of an external forcing results in a chaotic fluctuating state. The strong events appear randomly in space and time, making the dissipation rate highly fluctuating. The model shows that: i) dissipation takes place near the singularities only, ii) such intense events are random in space and time, iii) the mean dissipation rate is almost constant as the viscosity varies, and iv) the observation of an Obukhov-Kolmogorov spectrum with a power law dependence together with an intermittent behavior using structure functions correlations, in close correspondence with fluid turbulence.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Phase space classification of an Ising Cellular Automaton: the Q2R model

An exact characterization of the different dynamical behavior that exhibit the space phase of a reversible and conservative cellular automaton, the so called Q2R model, is shown in this paper. Q2R is a cellular automaton which is a dynamical variation of the Ising model in statistical physics and whose space of configurations grows exponentially with the system size. As a consequence of the intrinsic reversibility of the model, the phase space is composed only by configurations that belong to a fixed point or a limit cycle. In this work we classify them in four types accordingly to well differentiated topological characteristics. Three of them, which we call of type S-I, S-II and S-III, share a symmetry property, while the fourth, which we call of type AS, does not. Specifically, we prove that any configuration of Q2R belongs to one of the four previous limit cycles. Moreover, at a combinatorial level, we are able to determine the number of limit cycles for some small periods which are almost always present in the Q2R. Finally, we provide a general overview of the resulting decomposition of the arbitrary size Q2R phase space, in addition, we realize an exhaustive study of a small Ising system 4x4 which is fully analyzed under this new framework.

nlin.CG↗

arXiv2018

A Kolmogorov spectrum for strongly vibrating plates

In fluid turbulence, energy is transferred from a scale to another by an energy cascade that depends only on the energy dissipation rate. It leads by dimensional arguments to the Kolmogorov 1941 (K41) spectrum. Remarkably the normal modes of vibrations in elastic plates manifests an energy cascade with the same K41 spectrum in the fully non-linear regime. Moreover, the elastic deformations present large "eddies" together with a myriad of small "crumpling eddies", such that folds, developable cones, and more complex stretching structures, in close analogy with spots, swirls, vortices and other structures in hydrodynamic turbulence. We characterize the energy cascade, the validity of the constant energy dissipation rate over the scales and the role of intermittency via the correlation functions.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2018

Turbulent laser puffs

The destabilisation of laminar flows and the development of turbulence has remained a central problem in fluid dynamics since Reynolds' studies in the 19th century. Turbulence is usually associated with complex fluid motions and most of the studies have so far been carried out using liquids or gases. Nevertheless, on a theoretical viewpoint, turbulence may also arise in a wide range of fields such as biology and optics. Here we report the results of experimental and theoretical investigation of the characteristic features of laminar-turbulent transition in a long laser commonly used as a light source in medical imaging and sensing applications. This laminar to turbulence transition in the laser light is characterized by the appearance of turbulent puffs similar to those commonly observed in pipe flows and is accompanied by a loss of coherence and limits the range of applications. We present both experimental results and numerical simulations demonstrating that this transition is mediated by the appearance of a convective instability where localised structures develop into drifting bursts of turbulence, in complete analogy with spots, swirls and other structures in hydrodynamic turbulence

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Wave turbulence in vibrating plates : the effect of damping

The effect of damping in the wave turbulence regime for thin vibrating plates is studied. An experimental method, allowing measurements of dissipation in the system at all scales, is first introduced. Practical experimental devices for increasing the dissipation are used. The main observable consequence of increasing the damping is a significant modification in the slope of the power spectral density, so that the observed power laws are not in a pure inertial regime. However, the system still displays a turbulent behavior with a cut-off frequency that is determined by the injected power which does not depend on damping. By using the measured damping power-law in numerical simulations, similar conclusions are drawn out.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2016

Geometry and design of origami bellows with tunable response

Origami folded cylinders (origami bellows) have found increasingly sophisticated applications in space flight and medicine. In spite of this interest, a general understanding of the mechanics of an origami folded cylinder has been elusive. With a newly developed set of geometrical tools, we have found an analytic solution for all possible cylindrical rigid-face states of both Miura-ori and triangular tessellations. Although an idealized bellows in both of these families may have two allowed rigid-face configurations over a well-defined region, the corresponding physical device, limited by nonzero material thickness and forced to balance hinge and plate-bending energy, often cannot stably maintain a stowed configuration. We have identified the parameters that control this emergent bistability, and have demonstrated the ability to design and fabricate bellows with tunable deployability.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Wave turbulence theory for gravitational waves in general relativity: The Space-Time Kolmogorov spectrum

The recent observation of gravitational waves, stimulates the question of the longtime evolution of the space-time fluctuations. Gravitational waves interact themselves through the nonlinear character of Einstein's equations of general relativity. This nonlinear wave interaction allows the spectral energy transfer from mode to mode. According to the wave turbulence theory, the weakly nonlinear interaction of gravitational waves leads to the existence of an irreversible kinetic regime that dominates the longtime evolution. The resulting kinetic equation suggests the existence of an equilibrium wave spectrum and the existence of a non-equilibrium Kolmogorov-Zakharov spectrum for spatio-temporal fluctuations. Evidence of these solutions extracted in the fluctuating signal of the recent observations will be discussed in the paper. Probably, the present results would be pertinent in the new age of development of gravitational astronomy, as well as, in new tests of General Relativity.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2016

Master Equation approach to Reversible and Conservative Discrete Systems

A master equation approach is applied to a reversible and conservative cellular automata model (Q2R). The Q2R model is a dynamical variation of the Ising model for ferromagnetism that possesses quite a rich and complex dynamics. The configurational space is composed by a huge number of cycles with exponentially long periods. Following Nicolis and Nicolis [Phys. Rev. A 38, 427-433 (1988)], a coarse-graining approach is applied to the time series of the total magnetization leading to a master equation that governs the macroscopic irreversible dynamics of the Q2R automata. The methodology is replicated for various lattice sizes. In the case of small systems, it is shown that the master equation leads to a tractable probability transfer matrix of moderate size which provides a master equation for a coarse-grained probability distribution. The method is validated and some explicit examples are discussed.

nlin.CG↗

arXiv2015

Self-similar formation of an inverse cascade in vibrating elastic plates

The dynamics of random weakly nonlinear waves is studied in the framework of vibrating thin elastic plates. Although it has been previously predicted that no stationary inverse cascade of constant wave action flux could exist in the framework of wave turbulence for elastic plates, we present substantial evidence of the existence of {\gr a time dependent} inverse cascade, opening up the possibility of self organization for a larger class of systems. This inverse cascade transports the spectral density of the amplitude of the waves from short up to large scales, increasing the distribution of long waves despite the short wave fluctuations. This dynamics appears to be self-similar and possesses a power law behaviour in the short wavelength limit which is significantly different from the exponent obtained via a Kolmogorov dimensional analysis argument. Finally, we show explicitly a tendency to build a long wave coherent structure in finite time.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2013

Strict majority bootstrap percolation in the r-wheel

In this paper we study the strict majority bootstrap percolation process on graphs. Vertices may be active or passive. Initially, active vertices are chosen independently with probability p. Each passive vertex becomes active if at least half of its neighbors are active (and thereafter never changes its state). If at the end of the process all vertices become active then we say that the initial set of active vertices percolates on the graph. We address the problem of finding graphs for which percolation is likely to occur for small values of p. Specifically, we study a graph that we call r-wheel: a ring of n vertices augmented with a universal vertex where each vertex in the ring is connected to its r closest neighbors to the left and to its r closest neighbors to the right. We prove that the critical probability is 1/4. In other words, if p>1/4 then for large values of r percolation occurs with probability arbitrarily close to 1 as n goes to infinity. On the other hand, if p<1/4 then the probability of percolation is bounded away from 1.

cs.SI↗

arXiv2011

Shear Modulus of an Elastic Solid under External Pressure as a function of Temperature: The case of Helium

The energy of a dislocation loop in a continuum elastic solid under pressure is considered within the framework of classical mechanics. For a circular loop, this is a function with a maximum at pressures that are well within reach of experimental conditions for solid helium suggesting, in this case, that dislocation loops can be generated by a pressure-assisted thermally activated process. It is also pointed out that pinned dislocations segments can alter the shear response of solid helium, by an amount consistent with current measurements, without any unpinning.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2011

Theory of real supersolids

We review the main properties of a supersolid. We describe first the macroscopic equation that satisfies a supersolid based on general arguments and symmetries and show that such solids might exhibit simultaneously or independently both elastic behavior and superfluidity. We then explain why a supersolid state should exist for solids at very low temperature but with a very small superfluid fraction. Finally, we propose a mean-field model, based on the Gross-Pitaevski\uı equation, which presents the general properties expected for a supersolid and should therefore provide a consistent framework to study its dynamical properties.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗