No Arabic abstract
The critical behavior of the Widom-Rowlinson mixture [J. Chem. Phys. 52, 1670 (1970)] is studied in d=3 dimensions by means of grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. The finite size scaling approach of Kim, Fisher, and Luijten [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 065701 (2003)] is used to extract the order parameter and the coexistence diameter. It is demonstrated that the critical behavior of the diameter is dominated by a singular term proportional to t^(1-alpha), with t the relative distance from the critical point, and alpha the critical exponent of the specific heat. No sign of a term proportional to t^(2beta) could be detected, with beta the critical exponent of the order parameter, indicating that pressure-mixing in this model is small. The critical density is measured to be rho*sigma^3 = 0.7486 +/- 0.0002, with sigma the particle diameter. The critical exponents alpha and beta, as well as the correlation length exponent nu, are also measured and shown to comply with d=3 Ising criticality.
We investigate the influence of confinement on phase separation in colloid-polymer mixtures. To describe the particle interactions, the colloid-polymer model of Asakura and Oosawa [J. Chem. Phys. 22, 1255 (1954)] is used. Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations are then applied to this model confined between two parallel hard walls, separated by a distance D=5 colloid diameters. We focus on the critical regime of the phase separation and look for signs of crossover from three-dimensional (3D) Ising to two-dimensional (2D) Ising universality. To extract the critical behavior, finite size scaling techniques are used, including the recently proposed algorithm of Kim et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 065701 (2003)]. Our results point to effective critical exponents that differ profoundly from 3D Ising values, and that are already very close to 2D Ising values. In particular, we observe that the critical exponent beta of the order parameter in the confined system is smaller than in 3D bulk, yielding a flatter binodal. Our results also show an increase in the critical colloid packing fraction in the confined system with respect to the bulk. The latter seems consistent with theoretical expectations, although subtleties due to singularities in the critical behavior of the coexistence diameter cannot be ruled out.
The Widom-Rowlinson model of a fluid mixture is studied using a new cluster algorithm that is a generalization of the invaded cluster algorithm previously applied to Potts models. Our estimate of the critical exponents for the two-component fluid are consistent with the Ising universality class in two and three dimensions. We also present results for the three-component fluid.
A novel order parameter $Phi$ for spin glasses is defined based on topological criteria and with a clear physical interpretation. $Phi$ is first investigated for well known magnetic systems and then applied to the Edwards-Anderson $pm J$ model on a square lattice, comparing its properties with the usual $q$ order parameter. Finite size scaling procedures are performed. Results and analyses based on $Phi$ confirm a zero temperature phase transition and allow to identify the low temperature phase. The advantages of $Phi$ are brought out and its physical meaning is established.
Let $H_{mathrm{WR}}$ be the path on $3$ vertices with a loop at each vertex. D. Galvin conjectured, and E. Cohen, W. Perkins and P. Tetali proved that for any $d$-regular simple graph $G$ on $n$ vertices we have $$hom(G,H_{mathrm{WR}})leq hom(K_{d+1},H_{mathrm{WR}})^{n/(d+1)}.$$ In this paper we give a short proof of this theorem together with the proof of a conjecture of Cohen, Perkins and Tetali. Our main tool is a simple bijection between the Widom-Rowlinson model and the hard-core model on another graph. We also give a large class of graphs $H$ for which we have $$hom(G,H)leq hom(K_{d+1},H)^{n/(d+1)}.$$ In particular, we show that the above inequality holds if $H$ is a path or a cycle of even length at least $6$ with loops at every vertex.
The origin of the abrupt shear thickening observed in some dense suspensions has been recently argued to be a transition from frictionless (lubricated) to frictional interactions between immersed particles. The Wyart-Cates rheological model, built on this scenario, introduced the concept of fraction of frictional contacts $f$ as the relevant order parameter for the shear thickening transition. Central to the model is the equation-of-state relating $f$ to the applied stress $sigma$, which is directly linked to the distribution of the normal components of non-hydrodynamics interparticle forces. Here, we develop a model for this force distribution, based on the so-called $q$-model that we borrow from granular physics. This model explains the known $f(sigma)$ in the simple case of sphere contacts displaying only sliding friction, but also predicts strong deviation from this usual form when stronger kinds of constraints are applied on relative motion. We verify these predictions in the case of contacts with rolling friction, in particular a broadening of the stress range over which shear thickening occurs. We finally discuss how a similar approach can be followed to predict $f(sigma)$ in systems with other variations from the canonical system of monodisperse spheres with sliding friction, in particular the case of large bidispersity.