Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Stefano Iubini

Publications and source records attributed to Stefano Iubini.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Finite-size localization scenarios in condensation transitions

We consider the phenomenon of condensation of a globally conserved quantity $H=\sum_{i=1}^N ε_i$ distributed on $N$ sites, occurring when the density $h= H/N$ exceeds a critical density $h_c$. We numerically study the dependence of the participation ratio $Y_2=\langle ε_i^2\rangle/(Nh^2)$ on the size $N$ of the system and on the control parameter $δ= (h-h_c)$, for various models: (i)~a model with two conservation laws, derived from the Discrete NonLinear Schrödinger equation; (ii)~the continuous version of the Zero Range Process class, for different forms of the function $f(ε)$ defining the factorized steady state. Our results show that various localization scenarios may appear for finite $N$ and close to the transition point. These scenarios are characterized by the presence or the absence of a minimum of $Y_2$ when plotted against $N$ and by an exponent $γ\geq 2$ defined through the relation $N^* \simeq δ^{-γ}$, where $N^*$ separates the delocalized region ($N\ll N^*$, $Y_2$ vanishes with increasing $N$) from the localized region ($N\gg N^*$, $Y_2$ is approximately constant). We finally compare our results with the structure of the condensate obtained through the single-site marginal distribution.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Statistical Mechanics of Systems with Negative Temperature

Do negative absolute temperatures matter physics and specifically Statistical Physics? We provide evidence that we can certainly answer positively to this vexata quaestio. The great majority of models investigated by statistical mechanics over almost one century and a half exhibit positive absolute temperature, because their entropy is a nondecreasing function of energy. Since more than half a century ago it has been realized that this may not be the case for some physical systems as incompressible fluids, nuclear magnetic chains, lasers, cold atoms and optical waveguides. We review these examples and discuss their peculiar thermodynamic properties, which have been associated to the presence of thermodynamic regimes, characterized by negative absolute temperatures. As reported in this review, the ambiguity inherent the definition of entropy has recurrently raised a harsh debate about the possibility of considering negative temperature states as genuine thermodynamic equilibrium ones. Here we show that negative absolute temperatures are consistent with equilibrium as well as with non-equilibrium thermodynamics. In particular, thermometry, thermodynamics of cyclic transformations, ensemble equivalence, fluctuation-dissipation relations, response theory and even transport processes can be reformulated to include them, thus dissipating any prejudice about their exceptionality, typically presumed as a manifestation of transient metastable effects.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Localization transition in the Discrete Non-Linear Schrödinger Equation: ensembles inequivalence and negative temperatures

We present a detailed account of a first-order localization transition in the Discrete Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation, where the localized phase is associated to the high energy region in parameter space. We show that, due to ensemble inequivalence, this phase is thermodynamically stable only in the microcanonical ensemble. In particular, we obtain an explicit expression of the microcanonical entropy close to the transition line, located at infinite temperature. This task is accomplished making use of large-deviation techniques, that allow us to compute, in the limit of large system size, also the subleading corrections to the microcanonical entropy. These subleading terms are crucial ingredients to account for the first-order mechanism of the transition, to compute its order parameter and to predict the existence of negative temperatures in the localized phase. All of these features can be viewed as signatures of a thermodynamic phase where the translational symmetry is broken spontaneously due to a condensation mechanism yielding energy fluctuations far away from equipartition: actually they prefer to participate in the formation of nonlinear localized excitations (breathers), typically containing a macroscopic fraction of the total energy.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Aging of living polymer networks: a model with patchy particles

Microrheology experiments show that viscoelastic media composed by wormlike micellar networks display complex relaxations lasting seconds even at the scale of micrometers. By mapping a model of patchy colloids with suitable mesoscopic elementary motifs to a system of worm-like micelles, we are able to simulate its relaxation dynamics, upon a thermal quench, spanning many decades, from microseconds up to tens of seconds. After mapping the model to real units and to experimental scission energies, we show that the relaxation process develops through a sequence of non-local and energetically challenging arrangements. These adjustments remove undesired structures formed as a temporary energetic solution for stabilizing the thermodynamically unstable free caps of the network. We claim that the observed scale-free nature of this stagnant process may complicate the correct quantification of experimentally relevant time scales as the Weissenberg number.

cond-mat.soft↗

Nonequilibrium phenomena in nonlinear lattices: from slow relaxation to anomalous transport

This Chapter contains an overview of the effects of nonlinear interactions in selected problems of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Most of the emphasis is put on open setups, where energy is exchanged with the environment. With reference to a few models of classical coupled anharmonic oscillators, we review anomalous but general properties such as extremely slow relaxation processes, or non-Fourier heat transport.

nlin.PS↗

Coupled transport in a linear-stochastic Schrödinger Equation

I study heat and norm transport in a one-dimensional lattice of linear Schrödinger oscillators with conservative stochastic perturbations. Its equilibrium properties are the same of the Discrete Nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the limit of vanishing nonlinearity. When attached to external classical reservoirs that impose nonequilibrium conditions, the chain displays diffusive transport, with finite Onsager coefficients in the thermodynamic limit and a finite Seebeck coefficient.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Equilibrium time-correlation functions of the long-range interacting Fermi-Pasta-Ulam model

We present a numerical study of dynamical correlations (structure factors) of the long-range generalization of the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam oscillator chain, where the strength of the interaction between two lattice sites decays as a power $α$ of the inverse of their distance. The structure factors at finite energy density display distinct peaks, corresponding to long-wavelength propagating modes, whose dispersion relation is compatible with the predictions of the linear theory. We demonstrate that dynamical scaling holds, with a dynamical exponent $z$ that depends weakly on $α$ in the range $1<α<3$. The lineshapes have a non-trivial functional form and appear somehow independent of $α$. Within the accessible time and size ranges, we also find that the short-range limit is hardly attained even for relatively large values of $α$.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Rate dependence of current and fluctuations in jump models with negative differential mobility

Negative differential mobility is the phenomenon in which the velocity of a particle decreases when the force driving it increases. We study this phenomenon in Markov jump models where a particle moves in the presence of walls that act as traps. We consider transition rates that obey local detailed balance but differ in normalisation, the inclusion of a rate to cross a wall and a load factor. We illustrate the full counting statistics for different choices of the jumping rates. We also show examples of thermodynamic uncertainty relations. The variety of behaviours we encounter highlights that negative differential mobility depends crucially on the chosen rates and points out the necessity that such choices should be based on proper coarse-graining studies of a more microscopic description.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Dynamical freezing of relaxation to equilibrium

We provide evidence of an extremely slow thermalization occurring in the Discrete NonLinear Schrödinger (DNLS) model. At variance with many similar processes encountered in statistical mechanics - typically ascribed to the presence of (free) energy barriers - here the slowness has a purely dynamical origin: it is due to the presence of an adiabatic invariant, which freezes the dynamics of a tall breather. Consequently, relaxation proceeds via rare events, where energy is suddenly released towards the background. We conjecture that this exponentially slow relaxation is a key ingredient contributing to the non-ergodic behavior recently observed in the negative temperature region of the DNLS equation.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Topological Sieving of Rings According to their Rigidity

We present a novel mechanism for resolving the mechanical rigidity of nanoscopic circular polymers that flow in a complex environment. The emergence of a regime of negative differential mobility induced by topological interactions between the rings and the substrate is the key mechanism for selective sieving of circular polymers with distinct flexibilities. A simple model accurately describes the sieving process observed in molecular dynamics simulations and yields experimentally verifiable analytical predictions, which can be used as a reference guide for improving filtration procedures of circular filaments. The topological sieving mechanism we propose ought to be relevant also in probing the microscopic details of complex substrates.

cond-mat.soft↗

Transport in perturbed classical integrable systems: the pinned Toda chain

Nonequilibrium and thermal transport properties of the Toda chain, a prototype of classically integrable system, subject to additional (nonintegrable) terms are considered. In particular, we study via equilibrium and nonequilibrium simulations, the Toda lattice with a power-law pinning potential, recently analyzed by Lebowitz and Scaramazza [ArXiv:1801.07153]. We show that, according to general expectations, even the case with quadratic pinning is genuinely non-integrable, as demonstrated by computing the Lyapunov exponents, and displays normal (diffusive) conductivity for very long chains. However, the model has unexpected dynamical features and displays strong finite-size effects and slow decay of correlations to be traced back to the propagation of soliton-like excitations, weakly affected by the harmonic pinning potential. Some novel results on current correlations for the standard integrable Toda model are also reported.

physics.plasm-ph↗

Heat transport in oscillator chains with long-range interactions coupled to thermal reservoirs

We investigate thermal conduction in arrays of long-range interacting rotors and Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) oscillators coupled to two reservoirs at different temperatures. The strength of the interaction between two lattice sites decays as a power $α$ of the inverse of their distance. We point out the necessity of distinguishing between energy flows towards/from the reservoirs and those within the system. We show that energy flow between the reservoirs occurs via a direct transfer induced by long-range couplings and a diffusive process through the chain. To this aim, we introduce a decomposition of the steady-state heat current that explicitly accounts for such direct transfer of energy between the reservoir. For $0\leq α<1$, the direct transfer term dominates, meaning that the system can be effectively described as a set of oscillators each interacting with the thermal baths. Also, the heat current exchanged with the reservoirs depends on the size of the thermalised regions: in the case in which such size is proportional to the system size $N$, the stationary current is independent on $N$. For $α> 1$, heat transport mostly occurs through diffusion along the chain: for the rotors transport is normal, while for FPU the data are compatible with an anomalous diffusion, possibly with an $α$ -dependent characteristic exponent.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Relaxation and coarsening of weakly-interacting breathers in a simplified DNLS chain

The Discrete NonLinear Schrödinger (DNLS) equation displays a parameter region characterized by the presence of localized excitations (breathers). While their formation is well understood and it is expected that the asymptotic configuration comprises a single breather on top of a background, it is not clear why the dynamics of a multi-breather configuration is essentially frozen. In order to investigate this question, we introduce simple stochastic models, characterized by suitable conservation laws. We focus on the role of the coupling strength between localized excitations and background. In the DNLS model, higher breathers interact more weakly, as a result of their faster rotation. In our stochastic models, the strength of the coupling is controlled directly by an amplitude-dependent parameter. In the case of a power-law decrease, the associated coarsening process undergoes a slowing down if the decay rate is larger than a critical value. In the case of an exponential decrease, a freezing effect is observed that is reminiscent of the scenario observed in the DNLS. This last regime arises spontaneously when direct energy diffusion between breathers and background is blocked below a certain threshold.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Entropy production for complex Langevin equations

We study irreversible processes for nonlinear oscillators networks described by complex-valued Langevin equations that account for coupling to different thermo-chemical baths. Dissipation is introduced via non-Hermitian terms in the Hamiltonian of the model. We apply the stochastic thermodynamics formalism to compute explicit expressions for the entropy production rates. We discuss in particular the non-equilibrium steady states of the network characterised by a constant production rate of entropy and flows of energy and particle currents. For two specific examples, a one-dimensional chain and a dimer, numerical calculations are presented. The role of asymmetric coupling among the oscillators on the entropy production is illustrated.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

A Chain, a Bath, a Sink and a Wall

We investigate out-of-equilibrium stationary processes emerging in a Discrete Nonlinear Schroedinger chain in contact with a heat reservoir (a bath) at temperature $T_L$ and a pure dissipator (a sink) acting on opposite edges. We observe two different regimes. For small heat-bath temperatures $T_L$ and chemical-potentials, temperature profiles across the chain display a non-monotonous shape, remain remarkably smooth and even enter the region of negative absolute temperatures. For larger temperatures $T_L$, the transport of energy is strongly inhibited by the spontaneous emergence of discrete breathers, which act as a thermal wall. A strongly intermittent energy flux is also observed, due to the irregular birth and death events of the breathers. The corresponding statistics exhibits the typical signature of rare events of processes with large deviations. In particular, the breather lifetime is found to be ruled by a stretched-exponential law.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Exciton transport in the PE545 complex: insight from atomistic QM/MM-based quantum master equations and elastic network models

In this paper we work out a parameterization of the environment noise within the Haken-Strobl-Reinenker (HSR) model for the PE545 light-harvesting complex based on atomic-level quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations. We use this approach to investigate the role of different auto- and cross-correlations in the HSR noise tensor, confirming that site-energy autocorrelations (pure dephasing) terms dominate the noise-induced exciton mobility enhancement, followed by site energy-coupling cross-correlations for specific triplets of pigments. Interestingly, several cross-correlations of the latter kind, together with coupling-coupling cross-correlations, display clear low-frequency signatures in their spectral densities in the region 30-70 inverse centimeters. These slow components lie at the limits of validity of the HSR approach, requiring that environmental fluctuations be faster than typical exciton transfer time scales. We show that a simple coarse-grained elastic-network-model (ENM) analysis of the PE545 protein naturally spotlights collective normal modes in this frequency range, that represent specific concerted motions of the subnetwork of cysteines that are covalenty linked to the pigments. This analysis strongly suggests that protein scaffolds in light-harvesting complexes are able to express specific collective, low-frequency normal modes providing a fold-rooted blueprint of exciton transport pathways. We speculate that ENM-based mixed quantum classical methods, such as Ehrenfest dynamics, might be promising tools to disentangle the fundamental designing principles of these dynamical processes in natural and artificial light-harvesting structures.

q-bio.BM↗

Transport of quantum excitations coupled to spatially extended nonlinear many-body systems

The role of noise in the transport properties of quantum excitations is a topic of great importance in many fields, from organic semiconductors for technological applications to light-harvesting complexes in photosynthesis. In this paper we study a semi-classical model where a tight-binding Hamiltonian is fully coupled to an underlying spatially extended nonlinear chain of atoms. We show that the transport properties of a quantum excitation are subtly modulated by (i) the specific type (local vs non-local) of exciton-phonon coupling and by (ii) nonlinear effects of the underlying lattice. We report a non-monotonic dependence of the exciton diffusion coefficient on temperature, in agreement with earlier predictions, as a direct consequence of the lattice-induced fluctuations in the hopping rates due to long-wavelength vibrational modes. A standard measure of transport efficiency confirms that both nonlinearity in the underlying lattice and off-diagonal exciton-phonon coupling promote transport efficiency at high temperatures, preventing the Zeno-like quench observed in other models lacking an explicit noise-providing dynamical system.

quant-ph↗

Coherent energy transport in classical nonlinear oscillators: an analogy with the Josephson effect

The standard approach to non-equilibrium thermodynamics describes transport in terms of generalised forces and coupled currents, a typical example being the Fourier law that relates temperature gradient to the heat flux. Here we demonstrate the presence of persistent energy currents in a lattice of classical nonlinear oscillators with uniform temperature and chemical potential. In strong analogy with the well known Josephson effect, the currents are generated only by the phase differences between the oscillators. The phases play the role of additional thermodynamical forces, that drive the system out of equilibrium. Our results apply to a large class of oscillators and indicate novel ways to practically control the propagation of coupled currents and rectification effects in many different devices. They also suggest a simple, macroscopic setup for studying a phenomenon which hitherto have only been observed in microscopic, quantum-mechanical systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗