Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Unifying description of the damping regimes of a stochastic particle in a periodic potential

  Antonio Piscitelli, Massimo Pica Ciamarra

  SciPost Phys. 3, 018 (2017) · published 4 September 2017 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We analyze the classical problem of the stochastic dynamics of a particle confined in a periodic potential, through the so called Il'in and Khasminskii model, with a novel semi-analytical approach. Our approach gives access to the transient and the asymptotic dynamics in all damping regimes, which are difficult to investigate in the usual Brownian model. We show that the crossover from the overdamped to the underdamped regime is associated with the loss of a typical time scale and of a typical length scale, as signaled by the divergence of the probability distribution of a certain dynamical event. In the underdamped regime, normal diffusion coexists with a non Gaussian displacement probability distribution for a long transient, as recently observed in a variety of different systems. We rationalize the microscopic physical processes leading to the non-Gaussian behavior, as well as the timescale to recover the Gaussian statistics. The theoretical results are supported by numerical calculations and are compared to those obtained for the Brownian model.

  1 citation

• Super-diffusion and crossover from diffusive to anomalous transport in a one-dimensional system

  Anupam Kundu

  SciPost Phys. 15, 038 (2023) · published 31 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study transport in a one-dimensional lattice system with two conserved quantities - "volume" and energy. Considering a slowly evolving local equilibrium state that is slightly deviated from an underlying global equilibrium, we estimate the correction to the local equilibrium distribution. This correction arises mainly through the space-time correlations of some local currents. In the continuum limit, we show that the local equilibrium distribution along with the correction yields drift-diffusion equation for the "volume" and super-diffusion equation for the energy in the linear response regime as macroscopic hydrodynamics as one would obtain from non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamic theory. We find explicit expression of the super-diffusion equation. Further, we find diffusive correction to the super-diffusive evolution. Such a correction allows us to study a crossover from diffusive to anomalous transport. We demonstrate this crossover numerically through the spreading of an initially localized heat pulse in equilibrium as well as through the system size scaling of the stationary current in non-equilibrium steady state.

  1 citation

• Traveling discontinuity at the quantum butterfly front

  Camille Aron, Éric Brunet, Aditi Mitra

  SciPost Phys. 15, 042 (2023) · published 2 August 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We formulate a kinetic theory of quantum information scrambling in the context of a paradigmatic model of interacting electrons in the vicinity of a superconducting phase transition. We carefully derive a set of coupled partial differential equations that effectively govern the dynamics of information spreading in generic dimensions. Their solutions show that scrambling propagates at the maximal speed set by the Fermi velocity. At early times, we find exponential growth at a rate set by the inelastic scattering. At late times, we find that scrambling is governed by shock-wave dynamics with traveling waves exhibiting a discontinuity at the boundary of the light cone. Notably, we find perfectly causal dynamics where the solutions do not spill outside of the light cone.

  1 citation

• Joint distribution of currents in the symmetric exclusion process

  Aurélien Grabsch, Pierre Rizkallah, Olivier Bénichou

  SciPost Phys. 16, 016 (2024) · published 18 January 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The symmetric simple exclusion process (SEP) is a paradigmatic model of diffusion in a single-file geometry, in which the particles cannot cross. In this model, the study of currents have attracted a lot of attention. In particular, the distribution of the integrated current through the origin, and more recently, of the integrated current through a moving reference point, have been obtained in the long time limit. This latter observable is particularly interesting, as it allows to obtain the distribution of the position of a tracer particle. However, up to now, these different observables have been considered independently. Here, we characterise the joint statistical properties of these currents, and their correlations with the density of particles. We show that the correlations satisfy closed integral equations, which generalise the ones obtained recently for a single observable. We also obtain boundary conditions verified by these correlations, which take a simple physical form for any single-file system. As a consequence of our results, we quantify the correlations between the displacement of a tracer, and the integrated current of particles through the origin.

  1 citation

• Associative bond swaps in molecular dynamics

  Simone Ciarella, Wouter G. Ellenbroek

  SciPost Phys. 12, 128 (2022) · published 12 April 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We implement a three-body potential to model associative bond swaps, and release it as part of the HOOMD-blue software. The use of a three-body potential to model swaps has been proven to be effective and has recently provided useful insights into the mechanics and dynamics of adaptive network materials such as vitrimers. It is elegant because it can be used in plain molecular dynamics simulations without the need for topology-altering Monte Carlo steps, and naturally represents typical physical features such as slip-bond behavior. It is easily tunable with a single parameter to control the average swap rate. Here, we show how associative bond swaps can be used to speed up the equilibration of systems that self-assemble by avoiding traps and pitfalls, corresponding to long-lived metastable configurations. Our results demonstrate the possibilities of these swaps not only for modeling systems that are associative by nature, but also for increasing simulation efficiency in other systems that are modellable in HOOMD-blue.

  1 citation

• Methods and conversations in (post)modern thermodynamics

  Francesco Avanzini, Massimo Bilancioni, Vasco Cavina, Sara Dal Cengio, Massimiliano Esposito, Gianmaria Falasco, Danilo Forastiere, Nahuel Freitas, Alberto Garilli, Pedro E. Harunari, Vivien Lecomte, Alexandre Lazarescu, Shesha G. Marehalli Srinivas, Charles Moslonka, Izaak Neri, Emanuele Penocchio, William D. Piñeros, Matteo Polettini, Adarsh Raghu, Paul Raux, Ken Sekimoto, Ariane Soret

  SciPost Phys. Lect. Notes 80 (2024) · published 20 March 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Lecture notes after the doctoral school (Post)Modern Thermodynamics held at the University of Luxembourg, December 2022, 5-7, covering and advancing continuous-time Markov chains, network theory, stochastic thermodynamics, large deviations, deterministic and stochastic chemical reaction networks, metastability, martingales, quantum thermodynamics, and foundational issues.

  1 citation

• Exclusion process subject to conformational size changes

  Yvan Rousset, Luca Ciandrini, Norbert Kern

  SciPost Phys. 6, 077 (2019) · published 26 June 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We introduce a model for stochastic transport on a one-dimensional substrate with particles assuming different conformations during their stepping cycles. These conformations correspond to different footprints on the substrate: in order to advance, particles are subject to successive contraction and expansion steps with different characteristic rates. We thus extend the paradigmatic exclusion process, provide predictions for all regimes of these rates that are in excellent agreement with simulations, and show that the current-density relation may be affected considerably. Symmetries are discussed, and exploited. We discuss our results in the context of molecular motors, confronting a hand-over-hand and an inchworm stepping mechanism, as well as for ribosomes.

• Anomalous criticality coexists with giant cluster in the uniform forest model

  Hao Chen, Jesús Salas, Youjin Deng

  SciPost Phys. 16, 121 (2024) · published 6 May 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We show by extensive simulations that the whole supercritical phase of the three-dimensional uniform forest model simultaneously exhibits an infinite tree and a rich variety of critical phenomena. Besides typical scalings like algebraically decaying correlation, power-law distribution of cluster sizes, and divergent correlation length, a number of anomalous behaviors emerge. The fractal dimensions for off-giant trees take different values when being measured by linear system size or gyration radius. The giant-tree size displays two-length scaling fluctuations, instead of following the central-limit theorem.

• Connected correlations in partitioning protocols: A case study and beyond

  Saverio Bocini

  SciPost Phys. 15, 027 (2023) · published 25 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The assumption of local relaxation in inhomogeneous quantum quenches allows to compute asymptotically the expectation value of local observables via hydrodynamic arguments known as generalized hydrodynamics (GHD). In this work we address formally the question of when an observable is local enough to be described by GHD using the playground of partitioning protocols and non-interacting time evolution. We show that any state evolving under a quadratic Hamiltonian can be described via a set of decoupled dynamical fields such that one of those fields can be identified with a space-time-dependent generalisation of the root density. By studying the contribution to a connected spin correlation of each of those fields independently, we derive the locality conditions under which an observable can be described using the root density only. That shows both the regime of validity for hydrodynamic approaches that aim at describing the asymptotic value of observables in term of the root density only, such as GHD, and the locality conditions necessary for Gaussianification to occur.

• Relative cluster entropy for power-law correlated sequences

  Anna Carbone, Linda Ponta

  SciPost Phys. 13, 076 (2022) · published 30 September 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We propose an information-theoretical measure, the \textit{relative cluster entropy} $\mathcal{D_{C}}[P \| Q] $, to discriminate among cluster partitions characterised by probability distribution functions $P$ and $Q$. The measure is illustrated with the clusters generated by pairs of fractional Brownian motions with Hurst exponents $H_1$ and $H_2$ respectively. For subdiffusive, normal and superdiffusive sequences, the relative entropy sensibly depends on the difference between $H_1$ and $H_2$. By using the \textit{minimum relative entropy} principle, cluster sequences characterized by different correlation degrees are distinguished and the optimal Hurst exponent is selected. As a case study, real-world cluster partitions of market price series are compared to those obtained from fully uncorrelated sequences (simple Browniam motions) assumed as a model. The \textit{minimum relative cluster entropy} yields optimal Hurst exponents $H_1=0.55$, $H_1=0.57$, and $H_1=0.63$ respectively for the prices of DJIA, S\&P500, NASDAQ: a clear indication of non-markovianity. Finally, we derive the analytical expression of the relative cluster entropy and the outcomes are discussed for arbitrary pairs of power-laws probability distribution functions of continuous random variables.