Energy-scaling approach to phase-ordering growth laws

Phase-Separation Kinetics in the Two-Dimensional Long-Range Ising Model

Using Monte Carlo computer simulations, we investigate the kinetics of phase separation in the two-dimensional conserved Ising model with power-law decaying long-range interactions, the prototypical model for many long-range interacting systems. A long-standing analytical prediction for the characteristic length is shown to be applicable. In the simulation, we relied on our novel algorithm which provides a massive speedup for long-range interacting systems.

Temperature-Dependent Decay of Quasi-Two-Dimensional Vortices across the BCS-BEC Crossover

We systematically study the decay of quasi-two-dimensional vortices in an oblate strongly interacting Fermi gas over a wide interaction range and observe that, as the system temperature is lowered, the vortex lifetime increases in the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) regime but decreases at unitarity and in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) regime. The observations can be qualitatively captured by a phenomenological model simply involving diffusion and two-body collisional loss, in which the vortex lifetime is mostly determined by the slower process of the two. In particular, the counterintuitive vortex decay in the BCS regime can be interpreted by considering the competition between the temperature dependence of the vortex annihilation rate and that of unpaired fermions. Our results suggest a competing mechanism for the complex vortex decay dynamics in the BCS-BEC crossover for the fermionic superfluids.

Universal Dynamical Scaling of Quasi-Two-Dimensional Vortices in a Strongly Interacting Fermionic Superfluid

Vortices play a leading role in many fascinating quantum phenomena. Here we generate a large number of vortices by thermally quenching a fermionic superfluid of ^{6}Li atoms in an oblate optical trap and study their annihilation dynamics and spatial distribution. Over a wide interaction range from the attractive to the repulsive side across the Feshbach resonance, these quasi-two-dimensional vortices are observed to follow algebraic scaling laws both in time and space, having exponents consistent with the two-dimensional universality. We further simulate the classical XY model on the square lattice by a Glauber dynamics and find good agreement between the numerical and experimental behaviors. Our work provides a direct demonstration of the universal 2D vortex dynamics.

Ordering kinetics in a q-state random-bond clock model: Role of vortices and interfaces

In this article, we present a Monte Carlo study of phase transition and coarsening dynamics in the nonconserved two-dimensional random-bond q-state clock model (RBCM) deriving from a pure clock model [Chatterjee et al., Phys. Rev. E 98, 032109 (2018)10.1103/PhysRevE.98.032109]. Akin to the pure clock model, RBCM also passes through two different phases when quenched from a disordered initial configuration representing at infinite temperature. Our investigation of the equilibrium phase transition affirms that both upper (T_{c}^{1}) and lower (T_{c}^{2}) phase transition temperatures decrease with bond randomness strength ε. Effect of ε on the nonequilibrium coarsening dynamics is investigated following independent rapid quenches in the quasi-long-range ordered (QLRO, T_{c}^{2}<T<T_{c}^{1}) regime and long-range ordered (LRO, T<T_{c}^{2}) regime at temperature T. We report that the dynamical scaling of the correlation function and structure factor is independent of ε and the presence of quenched disorder slows down domain coarsening. Coarsening dynamics in both LRO and QLRO regimes are further characterized by power-law growth with disorder-dependent exponents within our simulation timescales. The growth exponents in the LRO regime decrease from 0.5 in the pure case to 0.22 in the maximum disordered case, whereas the corresponding change in the QLRO regime happens from 0.45 to 0.38. We further explored the coarsening dynamics in the bond-diluted clock model and, in both the models, the effect of the disorder is more significant for the quench in the LRO regime compared to the QLRO regime.

Ordering kinetics in the random-bond XY model

We present a comprehensive Monte Carlo study of domain growth in the random-bond XY model with nonconserved kinetics. The presence of quenched disorder slows down domain growth in d=2,3. In d=2, we observe power-law growth with a disorder-dependent exponent on the time scales of our simulation. In d=3, we see the signature of an asymptotically logarithmic growth regime. The scaling functions for the real-space correlation function are seen to be independent of the disorder. However, the same does not apply for the two-time autocorrelation function, demonstrating the breakdown of superuniversality.

Vesicle Geometries Enabled by Dynamically Trapped States

Understanding and controlling vesicle shapes is a fundamental challenge in biophysics and materials design. In this paper, we design dynamic protocols for enlarging the shape space of both fluid and crystalline vesicles beyond the equilibrium zone. By removing water from within the vesicle at different rates, we numerically produced a series of dynamically trapped stable vesicle shapes for both fluid and crystalline vesicles in a highly controllable fashion. In crystalline vesicles that are continuously dehydrated, simulations show the initial appearance of small flat areas over the surface of the vesicles that ultimately merge to form fewer flat faces. In this way, the vesicles transform from a fullerene-like shape into various faceted polyhedrons. We perform analytical elasticity analysis to show that these salient features are attributable to the crystalline nature of the vesicle. The potential to use dynamic protocols, such as those used in this study, to engineer vesicle shape transformations is helpful for exploiting the richness of vesicle geometries for desired applications.

Exact results for curvature-driven coarsening in two dimensions

We consider the statistics of the areas enclosed by domain boundaries ("hulls") during the curvature-driven coarsening dynamics of a two-dimensional nonconserved scalar field from a disordered initial state. We show that the number of hulls per unit area that enclose an area greater than A has, for large time t, the scaling form Nh(A,t)=2c/(A+lambdat), demonstrating the validity of dynamical scaling in this system, where c=1/8pisquare root 3 is a universal constant. Domain areas (regions of aligned spins) have a similar distribution up to very large values of A/lambdat. Identical forms are obtained for coarsening from a critical initial state, but with c replaced by c/2.

Controlling the accuracy of unconditionally stable algorithms in the Cahn-Hilliard equation

Given an unconditionally stable algorithm for solving the Cahn-Hilliard equation, we present a general calculation for an analytic time step Deltatau in terms of an algorithmic time step Deltat. By studying the accumulative multistep error in Fourier space and controlling the error with arbitrary accuracy, we determine an improved driving scheme Deltat=At(2/3) and confirm the numerical results observed in a previous study [Cheng and Rutenberg, Phys. Rev. E 72, 055701(R) (2005)].

Maximally fast coarsening algorithms

We present maximally fast numerical algorithms for conserved coarsening systems that are stable and accurate with a growing natural time step Deltat=At2/3s. We compare the scaling structure obtained from our maximally fast conserved systems directly against the standard fixed time-step Euler algorithm, and find that the error scales as square root of A--so arbitrary accuracy can be achieved. For nonconserved systems, only effectively finite time steps are accessible for similar unconditionally stable algorithms.

Coarsening dynamics of the one-dimensional Cahn-Hilliard model

The dynamics of one-dimensional Cahn-Hilliard model is studied. The stationary and particle-type solutions, the bubbles, are perused as a function of initial conditions, boundary conditions, and system size. We characterize the bubble solutions which are involved in the coarsening dynamics and establish the bifurcation scenarios of the system. A set of ordinary differential equation permits us to describe the coarsening dynamics in very good agreement with numerical simulations. We also compare these dynamics with the bubble dynamics deduced from the classical kink interaction computation where our model seems to be more appropriated. In the case of two bubbles, we deduce analytical expressions for the bubble's position and the bubble's width. Besides, a simple description of the ulterior dynamics is presented.

Dynamical scaling in two-dimensional quenched uniaxial nematic liquid crystals

The phase-ordering kinetics of the two-dimensional uniaxial nematic has been studied using a cell dynamic scheme. The system after quench from T=infinity was found to scale dynamically with an asymptotic growth law similar to that of the two-dimensional O(2) model (quenched from above the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature), i.e., L (t) approximately [t/ln (t/ t(0) ) ](1/2) (with nonuniversal time scale t(0) ). We obtained the true asymptotic limit of the growth law by performing our simulation for a sufficiently long time. The presence of topologically stable 1/2 -disclination points is reflected in the observed large-momentum dependence k(-4) of the structure factor. The correlation function was also found to tally with the theoretical prediction of the correlation function for the two-dimensional O(2) system.

Autocorrelation exponent of conserved spin systems in the scaling regime following a critical quench

We study the autocorrelation function of a conserved spin system following a quench at the critical temperature. Defining the correlation length L(t) approximately t(1/z), we find that for times t' and t satisfying L(t')<<L(t)<<L(t')(phi) well inside the scaling regime, the spin autocorrelation function behaves like s(t)s(t') approximately L(t')(-(d-2+eta))[L(t')/L(t)](lambda(')(c)). For the O(n) model in the n-->infinity limit, we show that lambda(')(c)=d+2 and phi=z/2. We give a heuristic argument suggesting that this result is, in fact, valid for any dimension d and spin vector dimension n. We present numerical simulations for the conserved Ising model in d=1 and d=2, which are fully consistent with the present theory.

Experimental study of spinodal decomposition in a 1D conserved order parameter system

We study the zigzag instability coarsening of splay-bend walls formed in a nematic liquid crystal under external fields. The vertexes of zigzag can be considered as kinks in a one-dimensional order parameter system and the geometrical constraints associated with the necessary equal length sum of zig and zag segments impose a conserved quantity in this Cahn-Hilliard-type problem. In the late stage of coarsening, the characteristic length of the system L(t) shows a logarithmic increase in time and the dynamical scaling law holds. We then try to extract the nontrivial asymptotic scaling exponent lambda of the two-time correlation function, defined by lim(<phi(0,t)phi(0,t('))> approximately [L(t)/L(t('))](-lambda). The scaling exponents with respective time references, t(')=32 and 64 s, after quench are found to be lambda approximately 2 which is larger than the value with respective time reference t(')=0, predicted by numerical simulation.

Limits and regulations for mycotoxins in food and feed

Mycotoxins are natural contaminants whose presence in food- and feedstuffs cannot be completely avoided. Since several mycotoxins have been associated with and implicated in human and animal diseases there is a need to establish maximum levels, guidelines or action levels for them in some kinds of commodities. International and government authorities in many countries have been investing in mycotoxins research and initiating administrative actions for elaboration of legislation and implementing regulatory measures for the control of mycotoxins. Codex Alimentarius Commission is established international legislation on food and feed. In European Union specific limits and regulations for mycotoxins and other contaminants are constructed under the general Codex standards and based on proposal from European Commission. The legal basis for European Commission became available with the framework Council Regulation (EEC) No 315/93. In this paper, legislation regarding maximum levels for certain mycotoxins in food- and feedstuffs in European Community and other countries were reviewed and discussed.

Vortex dynamics in a coarsening two-dimensional XY model

The vortex velocity distribution function for a two-dimensional coarsening nonconserved O(2) time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model is determined numerically and compared to theoretical predictions. In agreement with these predictions the distribution function scales with the average vortex speed which is inversely proportional to t(x), where t is the time after the quench and x is near 1/2. We find the entire curve, including a large speed algebraic tail, in good agreement with the theory.

Kinetics of inhomogeneous cooling in granular fluids

We study the dynamical behavior of a freely evolving granular gas, where the particles undergo inelastic collisions. The velocity and density fields exhibit complex pattern dynamics, which is reminiscent of phase ordering systems. For example, in the initial time regime, the density field stays (approximately) uniform, and the system is said to be in a homogeneous cooling state (HCS). At later times, the density field undergoes nonlinear clustering, and the system continues to lose energy in an inhomogeneous cooling state (ICS). We quantitatively characterize the HCS-->ICS crossover as a function of system parameters. Furthermore, we study nonlinear growth processes in the ICS by invoking analogies from studies of phase ordering dynamics.

Experimental study of coarsening dynamics of the zigzag wall in a nematic liquid crystal with negative dielectric anisotropy

When a homeotropically aligned nematic liquid crystal cell is placed above two permanent magnets forming a magnetic quadrupole, a straight splay-bend wall, or a so-called Ising wall, is formed. With a material of positive dielectric anisotropy, it has been shown that the application of an electric field perpendicular to the plates leads to a zigzag instability of the wall, exclusively related to the elastic anisotropy of the liquid crystal. In this case, the coarsening process of the zigzag is very slow, which in turn leads to experimental difficulties concerning its quantitative investigation. If a material of negative dielectric anisotropy is used under an electric field with low voltage and low frequency, two convective rolls appear along the Ising wall due to the charge focusing effect, which is also responsible, at a higher voltage in the homogenous tilted regions, for the appearance of Williams domains electrohydrodynamic instability. If the voltage is higher than a threshold value, the straight Ising wall spontaneously breaks into a zigzag shape and a fast coarsening of the zigzag proceeds, associated with the annihilation of two neighboring vertices. In the present paper, the coarsening dynamics of this system, which can be considered as a one-dimensional Ising situation, are investigated experimentally. At late times, the average width of the zigzag increases logarithmically with time. This finding is consistent with the theory and also with the numerical simulation of a one-dimensional Cahn-Hilliard situation having a conserved order parameter. The scaling analysis of size distribution of the Ising domain, the shape of the power spectrum, and of the correlation function of the Ising order parameter, as well as the number density correlation functions of kinks also confirms that the dynamical scaling law predicted for one-dimensional conservative systems holds for the coarsening process. As supposed from symmetry arguments, it is confirmed that this experiment constitutes a one-dimensional analog of spinodal decomposition.

Dynamics of phase separation in multicomponent mixtures

We study the dynamics of phase separation in multicomponent mixtures through Monte Carlo simulations of the q-state Potts model with conserved kinetics. We use the Monte Carlo renormalization-group method to investigate the asymptotic regime. The domain growth law is found to be consistent with the Lifshitz-Slyozov law, L(t) equivalent to t(1/3) (where t is time), regardless of the value of q. We also present results for the scaled correlation functions and domain-size distribution functions for a range of q values.

Anisotropic domain growth of the axial next-nearest-neighbor Ising model at low temperatures

We investigate the ordering kinetics for the axial next-nearest-neighbor Ising (ANNNI) model in one and two dimensions by the multispin heat bath dynamical simulation. This dynamics enables us to overcome the pinning effect and to observe the dynamical scaling law for domain growth in the ANNNI model at zero temperature. The domain growth exponent is 1/2 isotropically both in the ferromagnetic and the dry (commensurate) antiphase. In the wet (commensurate) antiphase, however, it is approximately 1/3 in the modulated direction, whereas it remains 1/2 in the nonmodulated direction. We suggest that these exponent values are dictated by 3- and 4-body diffusion-reaction processes of domain walls.

Spinodal decomposition and the tomita sum rule

The scaling properties of a phase-ordering system with a conserved order parameter are studied. The theory developed leads to scaling functions satisfying certain general properties including the Tomita sum rule. The theory also gives good agreement with numerical results for the order parameter scaling function in three dimensions. The values of the associated nonequilibrium decay exponents are given by the known lower bounds.

Random walks in logarithmic and power-law potentials, nonuniversal persistence, and vortex dynamics in the two-dimensional XY model

The Langevin equation for a particle ("random walker") moving in d-dimensional space under an attractive central force and driven by a Gaussian white noise is considered for the case of a power-law force, F(r) approximately -r(-sigma). The "persistence probability," P0(t), that the particle has not visited the origin up to time t is calculated for a number of cases. For sigma>1, the force is asymptotically irrelevant (with respect to the noise), and the asymptotics of P0(t) are those of a free random walker. For sigma<1, the noise is (dangerously) irrelevant and the asymptotics of P0(t) can be extracted from a weak noise limit within a path-integral formalism employing the Onsager-Machlup functional. The case sigma=1, corresponding to a logarithmic potential, is most interesting because the noise is exactly marginal. In this case, P0(t) decays as a power law, P0(t) approximately t(-straight theta) with an exponent straight theta that depends continuously on the ratio of the strength of the potential to the strength of the noise. This case, with d=2, is relevant to the annihilation dynamics of a vortex-antivortex pair in the two-dimensional XY model. Although the noise is multiplicative in the latter case, the relevant Langevin equation can be transformed to the standard form discussed in the first part of the paper. The mean annihilation time for a pair initially separated by r is given by t(r) approximately r(2) ln(r/a) where a is a microscopic cutoff (the vortex core size). Implications for the nonequilibrium critical dynamics of the system are discussed and compared to numerical simulation results.

Breakdown of scaling in the nonequilibrium critical dynamics of the two-dimensional XY model

The approach to equilibrium, from a nonequilibrium initial state, in a system at its critical point is usually described by a scaling theory with a single growing length scale, xi(t) approximately t(1/z), where z is the dynamic exponent that governs the equilibrium dynamics. We show that, for the 2D XY model, the rate of approach to equilibrium depends on the initial condition. In particular, xi(t) approximately t(1/2) if no free vortices are present in the initial state, while xi(t) approximately (t/lnt)(1/2) if free vortices are present.

Corrections to scaling in the phase-ordering dynamics of a vector order parameter

Corrections to scaling, associated with deviations of the order parameter from the scaling morphology in the initial state, are studied for systems with O(n) symmetry at zero temperature in phase-ordering kinetics. Including corrections to scaling, the equal time pair correlation function has the form C(r,t)=f0(r/L)+L(-omega)f1(r/L)+., where L is the coarsening length scale. The correction-to-scaling exponent omega and the correction-to-scaling function f1(x) are calculated for both nonconserved and conserved order parameter systems using the approximate Gaussian closure theory of Mazenko. In general omega is a nontrivial exponent which depends on both the dimensionality d of the system and the number of components n of the order parameter. Corrections to scaling are also calculated for the nonconserved one-dimensional XY model, where an exact solution is possible.

Dynamical scaling: the two-dimensional XY model following a quench

To sensitively test scaling in the two-dimensional XY model quenched from high temperatures into the ordered phase, we study the difference between measured correlations and the (scaling) results of a Gaussian-closure approximation. We also directly compare various length scales. All of our results are consistent with dynamical scaling and an asymptotic growth law L approximately (t/ln[t/t(0)])(1/2), though with a time scale t(0) that depends on the length scale in question. We then reconstruct correlations from the minimal-energy configuration consistent with the vortex positions, and find them significantly different from the "natural" correlations - though both scale with L. This indicates that both topological (vortex) and nontopological "spin-wave" contributions to correlations are relevant arbitrarily late after the quench. We also present a consistent definition of dynamical scaling applicable more generally, and emphasize how to generalize our approach to other quenched systems where dynamical scaling is in question. Our approach directly applies to planar liquid-crystal systems.

Emergence of order in textured patterns

A characterization of textured patterns, referred to as the disorder function delta(beta), is used to study properties of patterns generated in the Swift-Hohenberg equation (SHE). It is shown to be an intensive, configuration-independent measure. The evolution of random initial states under the SHE exhibits two stages of relaxation. The initial phase, where local striped domains emerge from a noisy background, is quantified by a power-law decay delta(beta) approximately t-(1/2)beta. Beyond a sharp transition, a slower power-law decay of delta(beta), which corresponds to the coarsening of striped domains, is observed. The transition between the phases advances as the system is driven further from the onset of patterns, and suitable scaling of time and delta(beta) leads to the collapse of distinct curves. The decay of delta(beta) during the initial phase remains unchanged when nonvariational terms are added to the underlying equations, suggesting the possibility of observing it in experimental systems. In contrast, the rate of relaxation during domain coarsening increases with the coefficient of the nonvariational term.