Ref HAL: hal-01589130_v1
PMID 28894205
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11076-5
WoS: 000410063400044
Exporter : BibTex | endNote
3 Citations
Résumé:

This article deals with the fundamental problem of light-matter interaction in the quantum theory. Although it is described through the vector potential in quantum electrodynamics, it is believed by some that a hamiltonian involving only the electric and the magnetic fields is preferable. In the literature this hamiltonian is known as the Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian. We question its validity and show that it is not equivalent to the minimal-coupling hamiltonian. In this article, we show that these two hamiltonians are not connected through a gauge transformation. We find that the gauge is not fixed in the Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian. The interaction term is written in one gauge whereas the rest of the hamiltonian is written in another gauge. The Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian and the minimal-coupling one are related through a unitary transformation that does not fulfill the gauge fixing constraints. Consequently, they predict different physical results. In this letter, we provide the correct quantum theory in the multipolar gauge with a hamiltonian involving only the physical fields.

Ref HAL: hal-01589027_v1
Ref Arxiv: 1502.05281
DOI: 10.1103/RevModPhys.89.035005
WoS: 000407999000001
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
Exporter : BibTex | endNote
193 Citations
Résumé:

We present a comprehensive review of the physical behavior of yield stress materials in soft condensed matter, which encompass a broad range of materials from colloidal assemblies and gels to emulsions and non-Brownian suspensions. All these disordered materials display a nonlinear flow behavior in response to external mechanical forces, due to the existence of a finite force threshold for flow to occur: the yield stress. We discuss both the physical origin and rheological consequences associated with this nonlinear behavior, and give an overview of experimental techniques available to measure the yield stress. We discuss recent progress concerning a microscopic theoretical description of the flow dynamics of yield stress materials, emphasizing in particular the role played by relaxation time scales, the interplay between shear flow and aging behavior, the existence of inhomogeneous shear flows and shear bands, wall slip, and non-local effects in confined geometries.

Commentaires: Review article: V1: 58 pages, 38 figs, 487 refs. V2: Final version 44 pages, 27 figs, 449 refs. Accepted for publication in Rev. Mod. Phys. Réf Journal: Rev. Mod. Phys. 89, 035005 (2017)

Ref HAL: hal-01586169_v1
DOI: 10.1039/c7nr02976d
WoS: WOS:000408435400019
Exporter : BibTex | endNote
13 Citations
Résumé:

Ionic transport through single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is promising for many applications but remains both experimentally challenging and highly debated. Here we report ionic current measurements through microfluidic devices containing one or several SWCNTs of diameter of 1.2 to 2 nm unexpectedly showing a linear or a voltage-activated I-V dependence. Transition from an activated to a linear behavior, and stochastic fluctuations between different current levels were notably observed. For linear devices, the high conductance confirmed with different chloride salts indicates that the nanotube/water interface exhibits both a high surface charge density and flow slippage, in agreement with previous reports. In addition, the sublinear dependence of the conductance on the salt concentration points toward a charge-regulation mechanism. Theoretical modelling and computer simulations show that the voltage-activated behavior can be accounted for by the presence of local energy barriers along or at the ends of the nanotube. Raman spectroscopy reveals strain fluctuations along the tubes induced by the polymer matrix but displays insufficient doping or variations of doping to account for the apparent surface charge density and energy barriers revealed by ion transport measurements. Finally, experimental evidence points toward environment-sensitive chemical moieties at the nanotube mouths as being responsible for the energy barriers causing the activated transport of ions through SWCNTs within this diameter range.

Ref HAL: hal-01585262_v1
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17618-1
WoS: 000417689400033
Exporter : BibTex | endNote
14 Citations
Résumé:

Protein synthesis rates are determined, at the translational level, by properties of the transcript's sequence. The efficiency of an mRNA can be tuned by varying the ribosome binding sites controlling the recruitment of the ribosomes, or the codon usage establishing the speed of protein elongation.In this work we propose transcript length as a further key determinant of translation efficiency. Based on a physical model that considers the kinetics of ribosomes advancing on the mRNA and diffusing in its surrounding, as well as mRNA circularisation and ribosome drop-off, we explain how the transcript length may play a central role in establishing ribosome recruitment and the overall translation rate of an mRNA. According to our results, the proximity of the 3' end to the ribosomal recruitment site of the mRNA could induce a feedback in the translation process that would favour the recycling of ribosomes.We also demonstrate how this process may be involved in shaping the experimental ribosome density-gene length dependence. Finally, we argue that cells could exploit this mechanism to adjust and balance the usage of its ribosomal resources.

Ref HAL: hal-01585104_v1
Ref Arxiv: 1605.09770
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.95.060601
WoS: 000403358400001
Ref. & Cit.: NASA ADS
Exporter : BibTex | endNote
11 Citations
Résumé:

We use large-scale computer simulations to explore the non-equilibrium aging dynamics in a microscopic model for colloidal gels. We find that gelation resulting from a kinetically-arrested phase separation is accompanied by `anomalous' particle dynamics revealed by superdiffusive particle motion and compressed exponential relaxation of time correlation functions. Spatio-temporal analysis of the dynamics reveals intermittent heterogeneities producing spatial correlations over extremely large length scales. Our study is the first microscopically-resolved model reproducing all features of the spontaneous aging dynamics observed experimentally in soft materials.

Commentaires: Réf Journal: Phys. Rev. E 95, 060601 (2017)

Ref HAL: hal-01575417_v1
DOI: 10.1007/s10439-017-1904-7
WoS: 000414172300008
Exporter : BibTex | endNote
4 Citations
Résumé:

A methodology for non-invasive estimation of the pressure in internal carotid arteries is proposed. It uses data assimilation and Ensemble Kalman filters in order to identify unknown parameters in a mathematical description of the cerebral network. The approach uses patient specific blood flow rates extracted from Magnetic Resonance Angiography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This construction is necessary as the simulation of blood flows in complex arterial networks, such as the circle of Willis, is not straightforward because hemodynamic parameters are unknown as well as the boundary conditions necessary to close this complex system with many outlets. For instance, in clinical cases, the values of Windkessel model parameters or the Young's modulus and the thickness of the arteries are not available on per-patient cases. To make the approach computational efficient, a reduced order zero-dimensional compartment model is used for blood flow dynamics. Using this simplified model, the proof-of-concept study demonstrates how to use the EnKF as an optimization tool to find parameters and how to make the inverse hemodynamic problem tractable. The predicted blood flow rates in the internal carotid arteries and the predicted systolic and diastolic brachial blood pressures are found to be in good agreement with the clinical measurements.

Ref HAL: hal-01576120_v1
Exporter : BibTex | endNote
Résumé:

Computer simulations give precious insight into the microscopic behavior of disordered and amorphous materials, but their typical time scales are orders of magnitude shorter than the experimentally relevant ones. In particular, simulations of supercooled liquids cover at most 4-5 decades of viscous slowing down, which falls far short of the 13 decades commonly accessible in experimental studies. We close this enormous gap for a class of realistic models of liquids, which we successfully equilibrate beyond laboratory time scales by means of the swap Monte Carlo algorithm. We show that combined optimization of selected features of the interaction potential, such as particle softness, polydispersity and non-additivity, leads to computer models with excellent glass-forming ability. For such models, we achieve over 10 orders of magnitude speedup in equilibration time scale. This numerical advance allows us to address some outstanding questions concerning glass formation, such as the role of local structure and the relevance of an entropy crisis, in a dynamical range that remains inaccessible in experiments. Our results support the view that non-trivial static correlations continue to build up steadily in supercooled liquids even below the laboratory glass temperature.