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We propose a trajectory-based quasi-classical method for approximating dynamics in condensed phase systems. Building upon the previously developed optimized mean trajectory approximation that has been used to compute linear and nonlinear spectra, we borrow some ideas from filtering trajectory methods to obtain a novel semiclassical method for the dynamical propagation of density matrices. This new approximation is tested rigorously against standard multistate electronic models, spin-boson models, and models of the Fenna–Matthews–Olson complex. For dissipative systems, the current method is significantly better or as good as many other semiclassical methods available, especially at low temperatures and for off-diagonal density matrix elements, whereas for scattering models, the current method bears similar limitations as mean-field propagation schemes. All results are tested against the numerically exact hierarchical equations of motion method. The new method shows excellent agreement across various parameter regimes with numerically exact results, highlighting the robustness and accuracy of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a crucial technique to prepare high-quality graphene because of its controllability. In the research, we perform a systematic computational fluid dynamics numerical investigation on the effect of gas-phase reaction dynamics on the graphene growth in a horizontal tube CVD reactor. The research results indicate that the gas-phase chemical reactions in the CVD reactor are in a nonequilibrium state, as evidenced by the comparison of species mole fraction distributions during the CVD process and under chemical equilibrium conditions. The effect of gas-phase reaction dynamics on the deposition rate of graphene under different conditions is studied, and our research shows that the main causes of change in graphene growth rates under different conditions are gas-phase reaction dynamics and active species transport. The results of numerical simulation agree well with the experimental phenomena. The research results also indicate that, for methane, the main limiting factor of graphene growth is the surface kinetic reaction rate. Conversely, for active species, the main limiting factor of graphene growth is species transport. Our research suggests that the growth rate of graphene can be regulated from the perspective of the gas reaction mechanism. This method has theoretical guiding significance and can be extended to the preparation of large-area graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: the coupling of EEG signals during an epileptic seizure in patients during coma is being studied. Materials and Methods: the analysis of the applicability of the method of detecting the interaction between oscillatory systems based on the phase dynamics modeling to EEG signals during an epilepsy seizure in comatose patients is carried out. Results: a method of preliminary filtering of EEG signals has been proposed and the values of the method parameters have been selected, which allow obtaining reliable estimates of directional coupling at a significance level of 0.05. As an example, the analysis of the couplings between EEG signals of two patients with the mentioned pathologies was carried out using the method of the coupling estimation developed in this work.

In floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD), high-aspect-ratio carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are produced in the gas phase at high number concentrations and undergo collision and agglomeration, eventually giving rise to a macroscale aerogel, enabling functional material forms such as fibers or mats to be obtained directly from the synthesis process. The self-assembly behavior between high-aspect-ratio CNTs dictates the resulting morphology at the nanoscale and subsequently the bulk properties of the CNT product. Reorientation between CNTs after collision is a critical step that results in bundle formation and precedes aerogel formation. However, it has been challenging to study the phenomenon with existing methods as it spans multiple time and length scales. In this study, a physics-based semi-analytical model was developed to study the gas-phase reorientation dynamics of high-aspect-ratio CNTs and their bundles, with ±10% accuracy compared with mesoscale molecular dynamics simulations, but at <0.1% the computational cost. It was revealed that the reorientation time scale is dictated by the interplay among the van der Waals potential, drag, and the geometric configuration of CNTs upon collision. This then allows the time scale of reorientation (i.e., bundle formation) to be compared with other gas-phase dynamics in a typical FCCVD reactor and offers new insights into the self-assembly behavior of 1D nanoparticles in the gas phase.

Real-time detection of intermediate species and final products at the surface and near-surface in interfacial solid-gas reactions is critical for an accurate understanding of heterogeneous reaction mechanisms. In this article, an experimental method that can simultaneously monitor the ultrafast dynamics at the surface and above the surface in photoinduced heterogeneous reactions is presented. This method relies on a combination of mass spectrometry and femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. As a model system, the photoinduced reaction of methyl iodide on and above a cerium oxide surface is investigated. The species that are simultaneously detected from the surface and gas-phase present distinct features in the mass spectra, such as a sharp peak followed by an adjacent broad shoulder. The sharp peak is attributed to the species detected from the surface, while the broad shoulder is due to the detection of gas-phase species above the surface, as confirmed by multiple experiments. By monitoring the evolution of the sharp peak and broad shoulder as a function of the pump-probe time delay, transient signals are obtained that describe the ultrafast photoinduced reaction dynamics of methyl iodide on the surface and in the gas-phase. Finally, SimION simulations are performed to confirm the origin of the ions produced on the surface and in the gas-phase., (© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Characterizing the brain’s dynamic pattern of response to an input in electroencephalography (EEG) is not a trivial task due to the entanglement of the complex spontaneous brain activity. In this context, the brain’s response can be defined as (1) the additional neural activity components generated after the input or (2) the changes in the ongoing spontaneous activities induced by the input. Moreover, the response can be manifested in multiple features. Three commonly studied examples of features are (1) transient temporal waveform, (2) time–frequency representation, and (3) phase dynamics. The most extensively used method of average event-related potentials (ERPs) captures the first one, while the latter two and other more complex features are attracting increasing attention. However, there has not been much work providing a systematic illustration and guidance for how to effectively exploit multifaceted features in neural cognitive research. Based on a visual oddball ERPs dataset with 200 participants, this work demonstrates how the information from the above-mentioned features are complementary to each other and how they can be integrated based on stereotypical neural-network-based machine learning approaches to better exploit neural dynamic information in basic and applied cognitive research.

We review an approach for reconstructing oscillatory networks’ undirected and directed connectivity from data. The technique relies on inferring the phase dynamics model. The central assumption is that we observe the outputs of all network nodes. We distinguish between two cases. In the first one, the observed signals represent smooth oscillations, while in the second one, the data are pulse-like and can be viewed as point processes. For the first case, we discuss estimating the true phase from a scalar signal, exploiting the protophase-to-phase transformation. With the phases at hand, pairwise and triplet synchronization indices can characterize the undirected connectivity. Next, we demonstrate how to infer the general form of the coupling functions for two or three oscillators and how to use these functions to quantify the directional links. We proceed with a different treatment of networks with more than three nodes. We discuss the difference between the structural and effective phase connectivity that emerges due to high-order terms in the coupling functions. For the second case of point-process data, we use the instants of spikes to infer the phase dynamics model in the Winfree form directly. This way, we obtain the network’s coupling matrix in the first approximation in the coupling strength.

The phase reduction approach has manifested its efficacy in investigating synchronization behaviors in limit-cycle oscillators. However, spatial distributions of the phase value on the limit cycle may lead to illusions of synchronizations for oscillators close to bifurcations. In this paper, we compared the phase sensitivity function in the spatial domain and time domain for oscillators close to saddle-node homoclinic (SNH) bifurcation, also known as saddle-node bifurcation on an invariant circle. It was found that the phase sensitivity function in the spatial domain can show the phase accumulation feature on the limit cycle, which can be ignored in the phase sensitivity function in the time domain. As an example, the synchronization distributions of uncoupled SNH oscillators driven by common and independent noises were investigated, where the space-dependent coupling function was considered on common noise. These results shed some light on the phase dynamics of oscillators close to bifurcations.

Both straight and curved carbon fibers are widely used in various commercial gas diffusion layer (GDL) fabrications. The effect of the different carbon fiber curvatures on two-phase flow dynamics within the cathode GDLs of proton exchange membrane fuel cells remains unclear. In this study, we investigate liquid transport in three types of GDLs with varying fiber curvatures using the two-phase volume of fluid simulations in OpenFOAM. For the first time, a rod periodic surface model is combined with a layer-by-layer fiber stacking strategy, to stochastically reconstruct GDL structures while incorporating crucial parameters from physical (experimental) GDLs. A grid independence study and model validation are conducted. Following pore network analysis of pore size distribution and connectivity, we study the time-varying GDL total and local water saturation and capillary pressure. Despite maintaining similar layer and bulk porosity, increased fiber curvature enhances pore connectivity but raises water saturation and capillary pressure, increasing the risk of flooding. Additionally, droplets in gas channels with straight-fiber GDLs are larger and have slower movement than those in curved-fiber GDLs. Fiber curvature inversely affects drainage capacity in GDLs and connected channels. With comparable water saturation and capillary pressure, curved-fiber GDLs exhibit lower discrepancies, suggesting improved uniformity in water distribution. [Display omitted] • Curved and straight fiber GDLs are reconstructed with similar bulk and layer porosity. • Increasing fiber curvature enhances pore connectivity and pore quantity. • GDL water saturation and capillary pressure increase with an increased fiber curvature. • Increasing the amount of small pores results in stronger water spreading within GDLs. • Detached droplets in GCs have smaller sizes and longer liquid bridge when using curved-fiber GDLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By measuring the current–voltage characteristics and the switching current distributions as a function of temperature, we have investigated the phase dynamics of Al tunnel ferromagnetic Josephson junctions (JJs), designed to fall in the typical range of parameters of state-of-the-art transmons, providing evidence of phase diffusion processes. The comparison with the experimental outcomes on non-magnetic JJs with nominally the same electrodynamical parameters demonstrates that the introduction of ferromagnetic barriers does not cause any sizeable detrimental effect and supports the notion of including tunnel ferromagnetic JJs in qubit architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a method to reconstruct the phase dynamics in rhythmical interacting systems from macroscopic responses to weak inputs by developing linear and nonlinear response theories, which predict the responses in a given system. By solving an inverse problem, the method infers an unknown system: the natural frequency distribution, the coupling function, and the time delay which is inevitable in real systems. In contrast to previous methods, our method requires neither strong invasiveness nor microscopic observations. We demonstrate that the method reconstructs two phase systems from observed responses accurately. The qualitative methodological advantages demonstrated by our quantitative numerical examinations suggest its broad applicability in various fields, including brain systems, which are often observed through macroscopic signals such as electroencephalograms and functional magnetic response imaging.

The third-order response lies at the heart of simulating and interpreting nonlinear spectroscopies ranging from two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) to 2D electronic (2D-ES), and 2D sum frequency generation (2D-SFG). The extra time and frequency dimensions in these spectroscopic techniques provide access to rich information on the electronic and vibrational states present, the coupling between them, and the resulting rates at which they exchange energy that are obscured in linear spectroscopy, particularly for condensed phase systems that usually contain many overlapping features. While the exact quantum expression for the third-order response is well established, it is incompatible with the methods that are practical for calculating the atomistic dynamics of large condensed phase systems. These methods, which include both classical mechanics and quantum dynamics methods that retain quantum statistical properties while obeying the symmetries of classical dynamics, such as LSC-IVR, centroid molecular dynamics, and Ring Polymer Molecular Dynamics (RPMD), naturally provide short-time approximations to the multi-time symmetrized Kubo transformed correlation function. Here, we show how the third-order response can be formulated in terms of equilibrium symmetrized Kubo transformed correlation functions. We demonstrate the utility and accuracy of our approach by showing how it can be used to obtain the third-order response of a series of model systems using both classical dynamics and RPMD. In particular, we show that this approach captures features such as anharmonically induced vertical splittings and peak shifts while providing a physically transparent framework for understanding multidimensional spectroscopies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of the dispersive temporal interferometry technique, we carried out a real-time observation of the time separation and relative phase evolutions of two pulses toward harmonic mode-locking. During the separation stage of the buildup process, the time separation increases, while the relative phase decreases synchronously, and the largest change rates are 0.247 fs/r and -0.017 rad/r, respectively. Meanwhile, the two rates show a linear relation with the former 17.4 times larger than the latter. Moreover, a residual phase change rate of -3.89 × 10 -4  rad/r is observed in a steady non-uniform dual-soliton state, while such phase change is absent in a uniform four-soliton state. This study unveils the soliton interaction dynamics in lasers, which not only help to reduce timing jitter in multi-soliton mode-locking, but also bring insight to a temporal tweezing of femtosecond pulse.

Preparation of neutral non-volatile molecules intact in the gas phase for mass spectrometry or chemical dynamics experiments remains a challenge for many classes of molecules. Here, we report the design and characterization of a fiber-coupled laser-based thermal desorption source capable of preparing intact neutral molecules at high molecular densities in the gas phase for use in velocity-map imaging experiments. Within this source, the sample is deposited onto a thin tantalum foil. Irradiation of the foil from the reverse side by a focused laser beam leads to highly localized heating of the sample, resulting in desorption of a plume of molecules into the gas phase. The fiber-coupled design simplifies the alignment of the desorption laser beam, and the ability to rotate the foil relative to the fixed laser beam allows the sample to be continually refreshed under vacuum. We use 118 nm photoionization of three test molecules-uracil, adenine, and phenylalanine-to characterize the source and to demonstrate various aspects of its performance. These include the dependence of the velocity-map imaging performance on the size of the interaction region and the dependence of the laser-induced desorption source emission on desorption laser power and heating time. Signal levels recorded in these measurements are comparable to those we typically obtain in similar experiments using a pulsed supersonic molecular beam, and we, therefore, believe that the source has considerable potential for use in a wide range of chemical dynamics and other experiments., (© 2023 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Noise can induce coherent oscillations in excitable systems without periodic orbits. Here, we establish a method to derive a hybrid system approximating the noise-induced coherent oscillations in excitable systems and further perform phase reduction of the hybrid system to derive an effective, dimensionality-reduced phase equation. We apply the reduced phase model to a periodically forced excitable system and two-coupled excitable systems, both undergoing noise-induced oscillations. The reduced phase model can quantitatively predict the entrainment of a single system to the periodic force and the mutual synchronization of two coupled systems, including the phase slipping behavior due to noise, as verified by Monte Carlo simulations. The derived phase model gives a simple and efficient description of noise-induced oscillations and can be applied to the analysis of more general cases.

Methanol is one of the most abundant interstellar Complex Organic Molecules (iCOMs) and represents a major building block for the synthesis of increasingly complex oxygen-containing molecules. The reaction between protonated methanol and its neutral counterpart, giving protonated dimethyl ether, $ \require{mhchem} \ce{(CH3)2OH+} $ (CH 3 ) 2 OH + , along with the ejection of a water molecule, has been proposed as a key reaction in the synthesis of dimethyl ether in space. Here, gas phase vibrational spectra of the $ \ce{(CH3)2OH+} $ (CH 3 ) 2 OH + reaction product and the $ \ce{[C2H9O2]+} $ [ C 2 H 9 O 2 ] + intermediate complex(es), formed under different pressure and temperature conditions, are presented. The widely tunable free electron laser for infrared experiments, FELIX, was employed to record these vibrational fingerprint spectra using different types of infrared action spectroscopy in the 600-1700 cm $ ^{-1} $ − 1 frequency range, complemented with measurements using an OPO/OPA system to cover the $ \ce{O-H} $ O − H stretching region $ 3400-3700\,{\rm cm}^{-1} $ 3400 − 3700 c m − 1 . The formation of protonated dimethyl ether as a product of the reaction is spectroscopically confirmed, providing the first gas-phase vibrational spectrum of this potentially relevant astrochemical ion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive study of vortex phases and vortex dynamics is presented for a recently discovered high-temperature superconductor YH 6 with T c (onset) of 215 K under a pressure of 200 GPa. The thermal activation energy ( U 0 on magnetic field with a possible crossover at a field around 8-10 T. Furthermore, we have depicted the vortex phase transition from the vortex-glass to vortex-liquid state according to the vortex-glass theory. Finally, vortex phase diagram is constructed for the first time for superhydrides. Very high estimated values of flux flow barriers U 0 ∝ H α on magnetic field with a possible crossover at a field around 8-10 T. Furthermore, we have depicted the vortex phase transition from the vortex-glass to vortex-liquid state according to the vortex-glass theory. Finally, vortex phase diagram is constructed for the first time for superhydrides. Very high estimated values of flux flow barriers U 0 ( H ) = (1.5-7) × 10 4 K together with high crossover fields make YH 6 a rather outstanding superconductor as compared to most cuprates and iron-based systems. The Ginzburg number for YH 6 Gi = (3-7) × 10 -3 indicates that thermal fluctuations are not so strong and cannot broaden superconducting transitions in weak magnetic fields.

We investigate the unbiased model for money exchanges with collective debt limit: agents give at random time a dollar to one another as long as they have at least one dollar or they can borrow a dollar from a central bank if the bank is not empty. Surprisingly, this dynamic eventually leads to an asymmetric Laplace distribution of wealth (conjectured in [N. Xi, N. Ding, and Y. Wang, Phys. A, 357 (2005), pp. 543--555] and shown formally in a recent work [N. Lanchier and S. Reed, J. Stat. Phys., 176 (2019), pp. 1115--1137]). In this manuscript, we carry out a formal mean-field limit as the number of agents goes to infinity where we uncover a two-phase ODE dynamic. Convergence towards the unique equilibrium (two-sided geometric) distribution in the large time limit is also shown and the role played by the bank and debt (in terms of Gini index or wealth inequality) will be explored numerically as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We experimentally investigate the stochastic phase dynamics of planar Josephson junctions (JJs) and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) defined in epitaxial InAs/Al heterostructures, and characterized by a large ratio of Josephson energy to charging energy. We observe a crossover from a regime of macroscopic quantum tunneling to one of phase diffusion as a function of temperature, where the transition temperature T^{*} is gate-tunable. The switching probability distributions are shown to be consistent with a small shunt capacitance and moderate damping, resulting in a switching current which is a small fraction of the critical current. Phase locking between two JJs leads to a difference in switching current between that of a JJ measured in isolation and that of the same JJ measured in an asymmetric SQUID loop. In the case of the loop, T^{*} is also tuned by a magnetic flux.

Nonlocally coupled oscillators with a phase lag self-organize into various patterns, such as global synchronization, the twisted state, and the chimera state. In this paper, we consider nonlocally coupled oscillators that move on a ring by randomly exchanging their positions with the neighbors and investigate the combined effects of phase lag and mobility on the collective phase dynamics. Spanning the whole range of phase lag and mobility, we show that mobility promotes synchronization for an attractive coupling, whereas it destroys coherence for a repulsive coupling. The transition behaviors are discussed in terms of the timescales of synchronization and diffusion of the oscillators. We also find a novel spatiotemporal pattern at the border between coherent and incoherent states.

The study was carried out to evaluate the dynamics of monthly numbers of cases, deaths, tests and case fatality ratio worldwide during three phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: Twenty-three sets of databases, dated the 22nd of each month from January 2020 to November 2021, for 213 countries were collected from the Worldometer website. The number of cases, deaths, tests, case fatality ratio, infection fatality ratio, etc. were counted for various periods of time for each of the 213 countries, then the results related to different periods of time were compared. The analysis of main epidemiological parameters resulted in division of three phases of the global pandemic evolution. The first phase (23.01.20-22.07.20), the second phase (23.07.20-22.01.21) and the third phase (23.01.21-22.07.21) were different in terms of the number of tests performed, new cases and mortality due to COVID-19. By the end of second phase, the worldwide statistics indicated end of the pandemic, but the third phase was characterized by sudden rise in number of new cases and deaths. The most dramatic evolution of epidemic curve occurred in the countries where physicians had successfully confronted COVID-19 during the first two phases of the pandemic. Despite the decrease in the overall numbers deaths during the latest months analyzed, additional study is necessary to identify causes of new cases and deaths during the third phase of the pandemic. It can be suggested that preventive and therapeutic protocols should be changed from the 'standard' to 'personalized' types.

The study was carried out to evaluate the dynamics of monthly numbers of cases, deaths, tests and case fatality ratio worldwide during three phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: Twenty-three sets of databases, dated the 22nd of each month from January 2020 to November 2021, for 213 countries were collected from the Worldometer website. The number of cases, deaths, tests, case fatality ratio, infection fatality ratio, etc. were counted for various periods of time for each of the 213 countries, then the results related to different periods of time were compared. The analysis of main epidemiological parameters resulted in division of three phases of the global pandemic evolution. The first phase (23.01.20-22.07.20), the second phase (23.07.20-22.01.21) and the third phase (23.01.21-22.07.21) were different in terms of the number of tests performed, new cases and mortality due to COVID-19. By the end of second phase, the worldwide statistics indicated imminent end of the pandemic, but the third phase was characterized by sudden rise in the number of new cases and deaths that could not be explained rationally. The most dramatic evolution of epidemic curve occurred in the countries where physicians had successfully confronted COVID-19 during the first two phases of the pandemic. Despite the decrease in the overall numbers deaths during the latest months analyzed, additional study is necessary to identify the cause of increasing in the number of new cases and deaths during the third phase of the pandemic. Presumably, there are several causes of negative evolution of the current pandemic, including over-reliance on polymerase chain reaction tests, application of non-specialized premises for quarantine and treatment, non-professional management, following therapeutic protocols applied in countries with high number of deaths, ignoring preventive treatment, and decreasing in mass and individual immunity. It can be suggested that the use of drugs modulating T-cell immunity is necessary, and preventive and therapeutic protocols should be changed from the 'standard' to 'personalized' types.

Abstract The Earth's inner core (IC) is known to exhibit heterogeneous structures with their origins still unknown. From the onset of nucleation, the IC can grow via sedimentation and compaction of iron crystals freezing out from the fluid outer core. Previous studies of IC growth have shown entrapment of fluid within the solid matrix, and unstable density profiles in 1D can appear depending on the efficiency of fluid percolation. In this study, we perform simulations of IC growth in spherical geometries (assuming axisymmetry). We find that it is possible for the IC to develop large‐scale convective flows under certain conditions and, in some instances, produce small‐scale heterogeneites close to the IC boundary. Assuming representative values for the physical properties of the Earth's IC, we show that it is possible for the IC to exhibit compaction‐driven convection today.