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Register a new userTwo new topologically ordered glass phases of smectics confined in anisotropic random media
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Brad Jacobsen
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We show that smectic liquid crystals confined in_anisotropic_ porous structures such as e.g.,_strained_ aerogel or aerosil exhibit two new glassy phases. The strain both ensures the stability of these phases and determines their nature. One type of strain induces an ``XY Bragg glass, while the other creates a novel, triaxially anisotropic ``m=1 Bragg glass. The latter exhibits anomalous elasticity, characterized by exponents that we calculate to high precision. We predict the phase diagram for the system, and numerous other experimental observables.
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A review is given on the theory of vortex-glass phases in impure type-II superconductors in an external field. We begin with a brief discussion of the effects of thermal fluctuations on the spontaneously broken U(1) and translation symmetries, on the global phase diagram and on the critical behaviour. Introducing disorder we restrict ourselves to the experimentally most relevant case of weak uncorrelated randomness which is known to destroy the long-ranged translational order of the Abrikosov lattice in three dimensions. Elucidating possible residual glassy ordered phases, we distinguish betwee positional and phase-coherent vortex glasses. The discussion of elastic vortex glasses, in two and three dimensions occupy the main part of our review. In particular, in three dimensions there exists an elastic vortex-glass phase which still shows quasi-long-range translational order: the `Bragg glass. It is shown that this phase is stable with respect to the formation of dislocations for intermediate fields. Preliminary results suggest that the Bragg-glass phase may not show phase-coherent vortex-glass order. The latter is expected to occur in systems with weak disorder only in higher dimensions. We further demonstrate that the linear resistivity vanishes in the vortex-glass phase. The vortex-glass transition is studied in detail for a superconducting film in a parallel field. Finally, we review some recent developments concerning driven vortex-line lattices moving in a random environment.
We study the shape, elasticity and fluctuations of the recently predicted (cond-mat/9510172) and subsequently observed (in numerical simulations) (cond-mat/9705059) tubule phase of anisotropic membranes, as well as the phase transitions into and out of it. This novel phase lies between the previously predicted flat and crumpled phases, both in temperature and in its physical properties: it is crumpled in one direction, and extended in the other. Its shape and elastic properties are characterized by a radius of gyration exponent $ u$ and an anisotropy exponent $z$. We derive scaling laws for the radius of gyration $R_G(L_perp,L_y)$ (i.e. the average thickness) of the tubule about a spontaneously selected straight axis and for the tubule undulations $h_{rms}(L_perp,L_y)$ transverse to its average extension. For phantom (i.e. non-self-avoiding) membranes, we predict $ u=1/4$, $z=1/2$ and $eta_kappa=0$, exactly, in excellent agreement with simulations. For membranes embedded in the space of dimension $d<11$, self-avoidance greatly swells the tubule and suppresses its wild transverse undulations, changing its shape exponents $ u$ and $z$. We give detailed scaling results for the shape of the tubule of an arbitrary aspect ratio and compute a variety of correlation functions, as well as the anomalous elasticity of the tubules. Finally we present a scaling theory for the shape of the membrane and its specific heat near the continuous transitions into and out of the tubule phase and perform detailed renormalization group calculations for the crumpled-to-tubule transition for phantom membranes.
Dense assemblies of self propelled particles, also known as active or living glasses are abundantaround us, covering different length and time scales: from the cytoplasm to tissues, from bacterialbio-films to vehicular traffic jams, from Janus colloids to animal herds. Being structurally disorderedas well as strongly out of equilibrium, these systems show fascinating dynamical and mechanicalproperties. Using extensive molecular dynamics simulation and a number of different dynamicaland mechanical order parameters we differentiate three dynamical steady states in a sheared modelactive glassy system: (a) a disordered phase, (b) a propulsion-induced ordered phase, and (c) ashear-induced ordered phase. We supplement these observations with an analytical theory based onan effective single particle Fokker-Planck description to rationalise the existence of the novel shear-induced orientational ordering behaviour in our model active glassy system that has no explicitaligning interactions,e.g.of Vicsek-type. This ordering phenomenon occurs in the large persistencetime limit and is made possible only by the applied steady shear. Using a Fokker-Planck descriptionwe make testable predictions without any fit parameters for the joint distribution of single particleposition and orientation. These predictions match well with the joint distribution measured fromdirect numerical simulation. Our results are of relevance for experiments exploring the rheologicalresponse of dense active colloids and jammed active granular matter systems.
It is well-known that the degeneracy of two-phase microstructures with the same volume fraction and two-point correlation function $S_2(mathbf{r})$ is generally infinite. To elucidate the degeneracy problem explicitly, we examine Debye random media, which are entirely defined by a purely exponentially decaying two-point correlation function $S_2(r)$. In this work, we consider three different classes of Debye random media. First, we generate the most probable class using the Yeong-Torquato construction algorithm. A second class of Debye random media is obtained by demonstrating that the corresponding two-point correlation functions are effectively realized in the first three space dimensions by certain models of overlapping, polydisperse spheres. A third class is obtained by using the Yeong-Torquato algorithm to construct Debye random media that are constrained to have an unusual prescribed pore-size probability density function. We structurally discriminate these three classes of Debye random media from one another by ascertaining their other statistical descriptors, including the pore-size, surface correlation, chord-length probability density, and lineal-path functions. We also compare and contrast the percolation thresholds as well as the diffusion and fluid transport properties of these degenerate Debye random media. We find that these three classes of Debye random media are generally distinguished by the aforementioned descriptors and their microstructures are also visually distinct from one another. Our work further confirms the well-known fact that scattering information is insufficient to determine the effective physical properties of two-phase media. Additionally, our findings demonstrate the importance of the other two-point descriptors considered here in the design of materials with a spectrum of physical properties.
Motivated by the mean field prediction of a Gardner phase transition between a normal glass and a marginally stable glass, we investigate the off-equilibrium dynamics of three-dimensional polydisperse hard spheres, used as a model for colloidal or granular glasses. Deep inside the glass phase, we find that a sharp crossover pressure $P_{rm G}$ separates two distinct dynamical regimes. For pressure $P < P_{rm G}$, the glass behaves as a normal solid, displaying fast dynamics that quickly equilibrates within the glass free energy basin. For $P>P_{rm G}$, instead, the dynamics becomes strongly anomalous, displaying very large equilibration time scales, aging, and a constantly increasing dynamical susceptibility. The crossover at $P_{rm G}$ is strongly reminiscent of the one observed in three-dimensional spin-glasses in an external field, suggesting that the two systems could be in the same universality class, consistently with theoretical expectations.
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