Pub Date : 2016-07-03DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2016.1200832
Shreyas Gokhale, A. Sood, R. Ganapathy
The glass transition is the most enduring grand-challenge problem in contemporary condensed matter physics. Here, we review the contribution of colloid experiments to our understanding of this problem. First, we briefly outline the success of colloidal systems in yielding microscopic insights into a wide range of condensed matter phenomena. In the context of the glass transition, we demonstrate their utility in revealing the nature of spatial and temporal dynamical heterogeneity. We then discuss the evidence from colloid experiments in favor of various theories of glass formation that has accumulated over the last two decades. In the next section, we expound on the recent paradigm shift in colloid experiments from an exploratory approach to a critical one aimed at distinguishing between predictions of competing frameworks. We demonstrate how this critical approach is aided by the discovery of novel dynamical crossovers within the range accessible to colloid experiments. We also highlight the impact of alternate routes to glass formation such as random pinning, trajectory space phase transitions and replica coupling on current and future research on the glass transition. We conclude our review by listing some key open challenges in glass physics such as the comparison of growing static length scales and the preparation of ultrastable glasses that can be addressed using colloid experiments.
{"title":"Deconstructing the glass transition through critical experiments on colloids","authors":"Shreyas Gokhale, A. Sood, R. Ganapathy","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2016.1200832","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2016.1200832","url":null,"abstract":"The glass transition is the most enduring grand-challenge problem in contemporary condensed matter physics. Here, we review the contribution of colloid experiments to our understanding of this problem. First, we briefly outline the success of colloidal systems in yielding microscopic insights into a wide range of condensed matter phenomena. In the context of the glass transition, we demonstrate their utility in revealing the nature of spatial and temporal dynamical heterogeneity. We then discuss the evidence from colloid experiments in favor of various theories of glass formation that has accumulated over the last two decades. In the next section, we expound on the recent paradigm shift in colloid experiments from an exploratory approach to a critical one aimed at distinguishing between predictions of competing frameworks. We demonstrate how this critical approach is aided by the discovery of novel dynamical crossovers within the range accessible to colloid experiments. We also highlight the impact of alternate routes to glass formation such as random pinning, trajectory space phase transitions and replica coupling on current and future research on the glass transition. We conclude our review by listing some key open challenges in glass physics such as the comparison of growing static length scales and the preparation of ultrastable glasses that can be addressed using colloid experiments.","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"65 1","pages":"363 - 452"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2016.1200832","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-01-26DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2016.1194044
C. Giannetti, M. Capone, D. Fausti, M. Fabrizio, F. Parmigiani, D. Mihailovic
In the last two decades non-equilibrium spectroscopies have evolved from avant-garde studies to crucial tools for expanding our understanding of the physics of strongly correlated materials. The possibility of obtaining simultaneously spectroscopic and temporal information has led to insights that are complementary to (and in several cases beyond) those attainable by studying the matter at equilibrium. From this perspective, multiple phase transitions and new orders arising from competing interactions are benchmark examples where the interplay among electrons, lattice and spin dynamics can be disentangled because of the different timescales that characterize the recovery of the initial ground state. For example, the nature of the broken-symmetry phases and of the bosonic excitations that mediate the electronic interactions, eventually leading to superconductivity or other exotic states, can be revealed by observing the sub-picosecond dynamics of impulsively excited states. Furthermore, recent experimental and theoretical developments have made it possible to monitor the time-evolution of both the single-particle and collective excitations under extreme conditions, such as those arising from strong and selective photo-stimulation. These developments are opening the way for new, non-equilibrium phenomena that can eventually be induced and manipulated by short laser pulses. Here, we review the most recent achievements in the experimental and theoretical studies of the non-equilibrium electronic, optical, structural and magnetic properties of correlated materials. The focus will be mainly on the prototypical case of correlated oxides that exhibit unconventional superconductivity or other exotic phases. The discussion will also extend to other topical systems, such as iron-based and organic superconductors, and charge-transfer insulators. With this review, the dramatically growing demand for novel experimental tools and theoretical methods, models and concepts, will clearly emerge. In particular, the necessity of extending the actual experimental capabilities and the numerical and analytic tools to microscopically treat the non-equilibrium phenomena beyond the simple phenomenological approaches represents one of the most challenging new frontiers in physics.
{"title":"Ultrafast optical spectroscopy of strongly correlated materials and high-temperature superconductors: a non-equilibrium approach","authors":"C. Giannetti, M. Capone, D. Fausti, M. Fabrizio, F. Parmigiani, D. Mihailovic","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2016.1194044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2016.1194044","url":null,"abstract":"In the last two decades non-equilibrium spectroscopies have evolved from avant-garde studies to crucial tools for expanding our understanding of the physics of strongly correlated materials. The possibility of obtaining simultaneously spectroscopic and temporal information has led to insights that are complementary to (and in several cases beyond) those attainable by studying the matter at equilibrium. From this perspective, multiple phase transitions and new orders arising from competing interactions are benchmark examples where the interplay among electrons, lattice and spin dynamics can be disentangled because of the different timescales that characterize the recovery of the initial ground state. For example, the nature of the broken-symmetry phases and of the bosonic excitations that mediate the electronic interactions, eventually leading to superconductivity or other exotic states, can be revealed by observing the sub-picosecond dynamics of impulsively excited states. Furthermore, recent experimental and theoretical developments have made it possible to monitor the time-evolution of both the single-particle and collective excitations under extreme conditions, such as those arising from strong and selective photo-stimulation. These developments are opening the way for new, non-equilibrium phenomena that can eventually be induced and manipulated by short laser pulses. Here, we review the most recent achievements in the experimental and theoretical studies of the non-equilibrium electronic, optical, structural and magnetic properties of correlated materials. The focus will be mainly on the prototypical case of correlated oxides that exhibit unconventional superconductivity or other exotic phases. The discussion will also extend to other topical systems, such as iron-based and organic superconductors, and charge-transfer insulators. With this review, the dramatically growing demand for novel experimental tools and theoretical methods, models and concepts, will clearly emerge. In particular, the necessity of extending the actual experimental capabilities and the numerical and analytic tools to microscopically treat the non-equilibrium phenomena beyond the simple phenomenological approaches represents one of the most challenging new frontiers in physics.","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"65 1","pages":"238 - 58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2016.1194044","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-01-01Epub Date: 2016-09-01DOI: 10.1080/23746149.2016.1221739
Robert H Wilson, Karthik Vishwanath, Mary-Ann Mycek
We present an overview of quantitative and label-free optical methods used to characterize living biological tissues, with an emphasis on emerging applications in clinical tissue diagnostics. Specifically, this review focuses on diffuse optical spectroscopy, imaging, and tomography, optical coherence-based techniques, and non-linear optical methods for molecular imaging. The potential for non- or minimally-invasive assessment, quantitative diagnostics, and continuous monitoring enabled by these tissue-optics technologies provides significant promise for continued clinical translation.
{"title":"Optical methods for quantitative and label-free sensing in living human tissues: principles, techniques, and applications.","authors":"Robert H Wilson, Karthik Vishwanath, Mary-Ann Mycek","doi":"10.1080/23746149.2016.1221739","DOIUrl":"10.1080/23746149.2016.1221739","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We present an overview of quantitative and label-free optical methods used to characterize living biological tissues, with an emphasis on emerging applications in clinical tissue diagnostics. Specifically, this review focuses on diffuse optical spectroscopy, imaging, and tomography, optical coherence-based techniques, and non-linear optical methods for molecular imaging. The potential for non- or minimally-invasive assessment, quantitative diagnostics, and continuous monitoring enabled by these tissue-optics technologies provides significant promise for continued clinical translation.</p>","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"1 4","pages":"523-543"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5560608/pdf/nihms838222.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35284479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-11-08DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2016.1211393
L. Zdeborová, F. Krzakala
Many questions of fundamental interest in today's science can be formulated as inference problems: some partial, or noisy, observations are performed over a set of variables and the goal is to recover, or infer, the values of the variables based on the indirect information contained in the measurements. For such problems, the central scientific questions are: Under what conditions is the information contained in the measurements sufficient for a satisfactory inference to be possible? What are the most efficient algorithms for this task? A growing body of work has shown that often we can understand and locate these fundamental barriers by thinking of them as phase transitions in the sense of statistical physics. Moreover, it turned out that we can use the gained physical insight to develop new promising algorithms. The connection between inference and statistical physics is currently witnessing an impressive renaissance and we review here the current state-of-the-art, with a pedagogical focus on the Ising model which, formulated as an inference problem, we call the planted spin glass. In terms of applications we review two classes of problems: (i) inference of clusters on graphs and networks, with community detection as a special case and (ii) estimating a signal from its noisy linear measurements, with compressed sensing as a case of sparse estimation. Our goal is to provide a pedagogical review for researchers in physics and other fields interested in this fascinating topic.
{"title":"Statistical physics of inference: thresholds and algorithms","authors":"L. Zdeborová, F. Krzakala","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2016.1211393","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2016.1211393","url":null,"abstract":"Many questions of fundamental interest in today's science can be formulated as inference problems: some partial, or noisy, observations are performed over a set of variables and the goal is to recover, or infer, the values of the variables based on the indirect information contained in the measurements. For such problems, the central scientific questions are: Under what conditions is the information contained in the measurements sufficient for a satisfactory inference to be possible? What are the most efficient algorithms for this task? A growing body of work has shown that often we can understand and locate these fundamental barriers by thinking of them as phase transitions in the sense of statistical physics. Moreover, it turned out that we can use the gained physical insight to develop new promising algorithms. The connection between inference and statistical physics is currently witnessing an impressive renaissance and we review here the current state-of-the-art, with a pedagogical focus on the Ising model which, formulated as an inference problem, we call the planted spin glass. In terms of applications we review two classes of problems: (i) inference of clusters on graphs and networks, with community detection as a special case and (ii) estimating a signal from its noisy linear measurements, with compressed sensing as a case of sparse estimation. Our goal is to provide a pedagogical review for researchers in physics and other fields interested in this fascinating topic.","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"65 1","pages":"453 - 552"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2016.1211393","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-11-02DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2015.1114338
S. Dong, Jun-ming Liu, S. Cheong, Z. Ren
Multiferroics are those materials with more than one ferroic order, and magnetoelectricity refers to the mutual coupling between magnetism (spins and/or magnetic field) and electricity (electric dipoles and/or electric field). In spite of the long research history in the whole twentieth century, the discipline of multiferroicity has never been so highly active as that in the first decade of the twenty-first century, and it has become one of the hottest disciplines of condensed matter physics and materials science. A series of milestones and steady progress in the past decade have enabled our understanding of multiferroic physics substantially comprehensive and profound, which is further pushing forward the research frontier of this exciting area. The availability of more multiferroic materials and improved magnetoelectric performance are approaching to make the applications within reach. While seminal review articles covering the major progress before 2010 are available, an updated review addressing the new achievements since that time becomes imperative. In this review, following a concise outline of the basic knowledge of multiferroicity and magnetoelectricity, we summarize the important research activities on multiferroics, especially magnetoelectricity and related physics in the last six years. We consider not only single-phase multiferroics but also multiferroic heterostructures. We address the physical mechanisms regarding magnetoelectric coupling so that the backbone of this divergent discipline can be highlighted. A series of issues on lattice symmetry, magnetic ordering, ferroelectricity generation, electromagnon excitations, multiferroic domain structure and domain wall dynamics, and interfacial coupling in multiferroic heterostructures, will be revisited in an updated framework of physics. In addition, several emergent phenomena and related physics, including magnetic skyrmions and generic topological structures associated with magnetoelectricity will be discussed. The review is ended with a set of prospectives and forward-looking conclusions, which may inevitably reflect the authors' biased opinions but are certainly critical.
{"title":"Multiferroic materials and magnetoelectric physics: symmetry, entanglement, excitation, and topology","authors":"S. Dong, Jun-ming Liu, S. Cheong, Z. Ren","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2015.1114338","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2015.1114338","url":null,"abstract":"Multiferroics are those materials with more than one ferroic order, and magnetoelectricity refers to the mutual coupling between magnetism (spins and/or magnetic field) and electricity (electric dipoles and/or electric field). In spite of the long research history in the whole twentieth century, the discipline of multiferroicity has never been so highly active as that in the first decade of the twenty-first century, and it has become one of the hottest disciplines of condensed matter physics and materials science. A series of milestones and steady progress in the past decade have enabled our understanding of multiferroic physics substantially comprehensive and profound, which is further pushing forward the research frontier of this exciting area. The availability of more multiferroic materials and improved magnetoelectric performance are approaching to make the applications within reach. While seminal review articles covering the major progress before 2010 are available, an updated review addressing the new achievements since that time becomes imperative. In this review, following a concise outline of the basic knowledge of multiferroicity and magnetoelectricity, we summarize the important research activities on multiferroics, especially magnetoelectricity and related physics in the last six years. We consider not only single-phase multiferroics but also multiferroic heterostructures. We address the physical mechanisms regarding magnetoelectric coupling so that the backbone of this divergent discipline can be highlighted. A series of issues on lattice symmetry, magnetic ordering, ferroelectricity generation, electromagnon excitations, multiferroic domain structure and domain wall dynamics, and interfacial coupling in multiferroic heterostructures, will be revisited in an updated framework of physics. In addition, several emergent phenomena and related physics, including magnetic skyrmions and generic topological structures associated with magnetoelectricity will be discussed. The review is ended with a set of prospectives and forward-looking conclusions, which may inevitably reflect the authors' biased opinions but are certainly critical.","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"64 1","pages":"519 - 626"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2015.1114338","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-09-21DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2016.1198134
L. D'Alessio, Y. Kafri, A. Polkovnikov, M. Rigol
This review gives a pedagogical introduction to the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), its basis, and its implications to statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. In the first part, ETH is introduced as a natural extension of ideas from quantum chaos and random matrix theory (RMT). To this end, we present a brief overview of classical and quantum chaos, as well as RMT and some of its most important predictions. The latter include the statistics of energy levels, eigenstate components, and matrix elements of observables. Building on these, we introduce the ETH and show that it allows one to describe thermalization in isolated chaotic systems without invoking the notion of an external bath. We examine numerical evidence of eigenstate thermalization from studies of many-body lattice systems. We also introduce the concept of a quench as a means of taking isolated systems out of equilibrium, and discuss results of numerical experiments on quantum quenches. The second part of the review explores the implications of quantum chaos and ETH to thermodynamics. Basic thermodynamic relations are derived, including the second law of thermodynamics, the fundamental thermodynamic relation, fluctuation theorems, the fluctuation–dissipation relation, and the Einstein and Onsager relations. In particular, it is shown that quantum chaos allows one to prove these relations for individual Hamiltonian eigenstates and thus extend them to arbitrary stationary statistical ensembles. In some cases, it is possible to extend their regimes of applicability beyond the standard thermal equilibrium domain. We then show how one can use these relations to obtain nontrivial universal energy distributions in continuously driven systems. At the end of the review, we briefly discuss the relaxation dynamics and description after relaxation of integrable quantum systems, for which ETH is violated. We present results from numerical experiments and analytical studies of quantum quenches at integrability. We introduce the concept of the generalized Gibbs ensemble and discuss its connection with ideas of prethermalization in weakly interacting systems.
{"title":"From quantum chaos and eigenstate thermalization to statistical mechanics and thermodynamics","authors":"L. D'Alessio, Y. Kafri, A. Polkovnikov, M. Rigol","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2016.1198134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2016.1198134","url":null,"abstract":"This review gives a pedagogical introduction to the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), its basis, and its implications to statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. In the first part, ETH is introduced as a natural extension of ideas from quantum chaos and random matrix theory (RMT). To this end, we present a brief overview of classical and quantum chaos, as well as RMT and some of its most important predictions. The latter include the statistics of energy levels, eigenstate components, and matrix elements of observables. Building on these, we introduce the ETH and show that it allows one to describe thermalization in isolated chaotic systems without invoking the notion of an external bath. We examine numerical evidence of eigenstate thermalization from studies of many-body lattice systems. We also introduce the concept of a quench as a means of taking isolated systems out of equilibrium, and discuss results of numerical experiments on quantum quenches. The second part of the review explores the implications of quantum chaos and ETH to thermodynamics. Basic thermodynamic relations are derived, including the second law of thermodynamics, the fundamental thermodynamic relation, fluctuation theorems, the fluctuation–dissipation relation, and the Einstein and Onsager relations. In particular, it is shown that quantum chaos allows one to prove these relations for individual Hamiltonian eigenstates and thus extend them to arbitrary stationary statistical ensembles. In some cases, it is possible to extend their regimes of applicability beyond the standard thermal equilibrium domain. We then show how one can use these relations to obtain nontrivial universal energy distributions in continuously driven systems. At the end of the review, we briefly discuss the relaxation dynamics and description after relaxation of integrable quantum systems, for which ETH is violated. We present results from numerical experiments and analytical studies of quantum quenches at integrability. We introduce the concept of the generalized Gibbs ensemble and discuss its connection with ideas of prethermalization in weakly interacting systems.","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"65 1","pages":"239 - 362"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2016.1198134","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-07-04DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2015.1109817
D. Leitner
We review a theory for coupled many-nonlinear oscillator systems that describes quantum ergodicity and energy flow in molecules. The theory exploits the isomorphism between quantum energy flow in Fock space, that is, vibrational state space, and single-particle quantum transport in disordered solid-state systems. The quantum ergodicity transition in molecules is thereby analogous to the Anderson transition in disordered solids. The theory reviewed here, local random matrix theory (LRMT), describes the nature of the quantum ergodicity transition, statistical properties of vibrational eigenstates, and quantum energy flow through the vibrational states of molecules. Predictions of LRMT have been observed in computational studies of coupled nonlinear oscillator systems, which are summarized here. We also review applications of LRMT to molecular spectroscopy and chemical reaction rate theory, including adoption of LRMT in theories that predict rates of conformational change of molecules taking place at energies corresponding to those below and above the quantum ergodicity transition. A number of specific examples are reviewed, including the application of LRMT to predict (1) dilution factors of IR spectra of organic molecules, (2) rates of conformational change in chemical and photochemical reactions, (3) conformational dynamics of biological molecules in molecular beams, (4) rates of hydrogen bond breaking and rearrangement in clusters of biological molecules and water, and (5) excited state proton transfer reactions in proteins.
{"title":"Quantum ergodicity and energy flow in molecules","authors":"D. Leitner","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2015.1109817","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2015.1109817","url":null,"abstract":"We review a theory for coupled many-nonlinear oscillator systems that describes quantum ergodicity and energy flow in molecules. The theory exploits the isomorphism between quantum energy flow in Fock space, that is, vibrational state space, and single-particle quantum transport in disordered solid-state systems. The quantum ergodicity transition in molecules is thereby analogous to the Anderson transition in disordered solids. The theory reviewed here, local random matrix theory (LRMT), describes the nature of the quantum ergodicity transition, statistical properties of vibrational eigenstates, and quantum energy flow through the vibrational states of molecules. Predictions of LRMT have been observed in computational studies of coupled nonlinear oscillator systems, which are summarized here. We also review applications of LRMT to molecular spectroscopy and chemical reaction rate theory, including adoption of LRMT in theories that predict rates of conformational change of molecules taking place at energies corresponding to those below and above the quantum ergodicity transition. A number of specific examples are reviewed, including the application of LRMT to predict (1) dilution factors of IR spectra of organic molecules, (2) rates of conformational change in chemical and photochemical reactions, (3) conformational dynamics of biological molecules in molecular beams, (4) rates of hydrogen bond breaking and rearrangement in clusters of biological molecules and water, and (5) excited state proton transfer reactions in proteins.","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"64 1","pages":"445 - 517"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2015.1109817","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-05-04DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2015.1068524
H. Weng, Rui Yu, X. Hu, X. Dai, Z. Fang
Over a long period of exploration, the successful observation of quantized version of anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in thin film of magnetically doped topological insulator (TI) completed a quantum Hall trio—quantum Hall effect (QHE), quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE), and quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). On the theoretical front, it was understood that the intrinsic AHE is related to Berry curvature and U(1) gauge field in momentum space. This understanding established connection between the QAHE and the topological properties of electronic structures characterized by the Chern number. With the time-reversal symmetry (TRS) broken by magnetization, a QAHE system carries dissipationless charge current at edges, similar to the QHE where an external magnetic field is necessary. The QAHE and corresponding Chern insulators are also closely related to other topological electronic states, such as TIs and topological semimetals, which have been extensively studied recently and have been known to exist in various compounds. First-principles electronic structure calculations play important roles not only for the understanding of fundamental physics in this field, but also towards the prediction and realization of realistic compounds. In this article, a theoretical review on the Berry phase mechanism and related topological electronic states in terms of various topological invariants will be given with focus on the QAHE and Chern insulators. We will introduce the Wilson loop method and the band inversion mechanism for the selection and design of topological materials, and discuss the predictive power of first-principles calculations. Finally, remaining issues, challenges and possible applications for future investigations in the field will be addressed.
{"title":"Quantum anomalous Hall effect and related topological electronic states","authors":"H. Weng, Rui Yu, X. Hu, X. Dai, Z. Fang","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2015.1068524","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2015.1068524","url":null,"abstract":"Over a long period of exploration, the successful observation of quantized version of anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in thin film of magnetically doped topological insulator (TI) completed a quantum Hall trio—quantum Hall effect (QHE), quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE), and quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE). On the theoretical front, it was understood that the intrinsic AHE is related to Berry curvature and U(1) gauge field in momentum space. This understanding established connection between the QAHE and the topological properties of electronic structures characterized by the Chern number. With the time-reversal symmetry (TRS) broken by magnetization, a QAHE system carries dissipationless charge current at edges, similar to the QHE where an external magnetic field is necessary. The QAHE and corresponding Chern insulators are also closely related to other topological electronic states, such as TIs and topological semimetals, which have been extensively studied recently and have been known to exist in various compounds. First-principles electronic structure calculations play important roles not only for the understanding of fundamental physics in this field, but also towards the prediction and realization of realistic compounds. In this article, a theoretical review on the Berry phase mechanism and related topological electronic states in terms of various topological invariants will be given with focus on the QAHE and Chern insulators. We will introduce the Wilson loop method and the band inversion mechanism for the selection and design of topological materials, and discuss the predictive power of first-principles calculations. Finally, remaining issues, challenges and possible applications for future investigations in the field will be addressed.","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"64 1","pages":"227 - 282"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2015.1068524","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-05-04DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2015.1057979
V. Lubchenko
The random first-order transition theory of the structural glass transition is reviewed in a pedagogical fashion. The rigidity that emerges in crystals and glassy liquids is of the same fundamental origin. In both cases, it corresponds with a breaking of the translational symmetry; analogies with freezing transitions in spin systems can also be made. The common aspect of these seemingly distinct phenomena is a spontaneous emergence of the molecular field, a venerable and well-understood concept. In crucial distinction from periodic crystallisation, the free energy landscape of a glassy liquid is vastly degenerate, which gives rise to new length and time scales while rendering the emergence of rigidity gradual. We obviate the standard notion that to be mechanically stable a structure must be essentially unique; instead, we show that bulk degeneracy is perfectly allowed but should not exceed a certain value. The present microscopic description thus explains both crystallisation and the emergence of the landscape regime followed by vitrification in a unified, thermodynamics-rooted fashion. The article contains a self-contained exposition of the basics of the classical density functional theory and liquid theory, which are subsequently used to quantitatively estimate, without using adjustable parameters, the key attributes of glassy liquids, viz., the relaxation barriers, glass transition temperature, and cooperativity size. These results are then used to quantitatively discuss many diverse glassy phenomena, including the intrinsic connection between the excess liquid entropy and relaxation rates, the non-Arrhenius temperature dependence of α-relaxation, the dynamic heterogeneity, violations of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, glass ageing and rejuvenation, rheological and mechanical anomalies, super-stable glasses, enhanced crystallisation near the glass transition, the excess heat capacity and phonon scattering at cryogenic temperatures, the Boson peak and plateau in thermal conductivity, and the puzzling midgap electronic states in amorphous chalcogenides.
{"title":"Theory of the structural glass transition: a pedagogical review","authors":"V. Lubchenko","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2015.1057979","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2015.1057979","url":null,"abstract":"The random first-order transition theory of the structural glass transition is reviewed in a pedagogical fashion. The rigidity that emerges in crystals and glassy liquids is of the same fundamental origin. In both cases, it corresponds with a breaking of the translational symmetry; analogies with freezing transitions in spin systems can also be made. The common aspect of these seemingly distinct phenomena is a spontaneous emergence of the molecular field, a venerable and well-understood concept. In crucial distinction from periodic crystallisation, the free energy landscape of a glassy liquid is vastly degenerate, which gives rise to new length and time scales while rendering the emergence of rigidity gradual. We obviate the standard notion that to be mechanically stable a structure must be essentially unique; instead, we show that bulk degeneracy is perfectly allowed but should not exceed a certain value. The present microscopic description thus explains both crystallisation and the emergence of the landscape regime followed by vitrification in a unified, thermodynamics-rooted fashion. The article contains a self-contained exposition of the basics of the classical density functional theory and liquid theory, which are subsequently used to quantitatively estimate, without using adjustable parameters, the key attributes of glassy liquids, viz., the relaxation barriers, glass transition temperature, and cooperativity size. These results are then used to quantitatively discuss many diverse glassy phenomena, including the intrinsic connection between the excess liquid entropy and relaxation rates, the non-Arrhenius temperature dependence of α-relaxation, the dynamic heterogeneity, violations of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, glass ageing and rejuvenation, rheological and mechanical anomalies, super-stable glasses, enhanced crystallisation near the glass transition, the excess heat capacity and phonon scattering at cryogenic temperatures, the Boson peak and plateau in thermal conductivity, and the puzzling midgap electronic states in amorphous chalcogenides.","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"64 1","pages":"283 - 443"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2015.1057979","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-01-02DOI: 10.1080/00018732.2015.1037068
Jin Wang
We present a review of the recently developed landscape and flux theory for non-equilibrium dynamical systems. We point out that the global natures of the associated dynamics for non-equilibrium system are determined by two key factors: the underlying landscape and, importantly, a curl probability flux. The landscape (U) reflects the probability of states (P) () and provides a global characterization and a stability measure of the system. The curl flux term measures how much detailed balance is broken and is one of the two main driving forces for the non-equilibrium dynamics in addition to the landscape gradient. Equilibrium dynamics resembles electron motion in an electric field, while non-equilibrium dynamics resembles electron motion in both electric and magnetic fields. The landscape and flux theory has many interesting consequences including (1) the fact that irreversible kinetic paths do not necessarily pass through the landscape saddles; (2) non-equilibrium transition state theory at the new saddle on the optimal paths for small but finite fluctuations; (3) a generalized fluctuation–dissipation relationship for non-equilibrium dynamical systems where the response function is not just equal to the fluctuations at the steady state alone as in the equilibrium case but there is an additional contribution from the curl flux in maintaining the steady state; (4) non-equilibrium thermodynamics where the free energy change is not just equal to the entropy production alone, as in the equilibrium case, but also there is an additional house-keeping contribution from the non-zero curl flux in maintaining the steady state; (5) gauge theory and a geometrical connection where the flux is found to be the origin of the gauge field curvature and the topological phase in analogy to the Berry phase in quantum mechanics; (6) coupled landscapes where non-adiabaticity of multiple landscapes in non-equilibrium dynamics can be analyzed using the landscape and flux theory and an eddy current emerges from the non-zero curl flux; (7) stochastic spatial dynamics where landscape and flux theory can be generalized for non-equilibrium field theory. We provide concrete examples of biological systems to demonstrate the new insights from the landscape and flux theory. These include models of (1) the cell cycle where the landscape attracts the system down to an oscillation attractor while the flux drives the coherent motion on the oscillation ring, the different phases of the cell cycle are identified as local basins on the cycle path and biological checkpoints are identified as local barriers or transition states between the local basins on the cell-cycle path; (2) stem cell differentiation where the Waddington landscape for development as well as the differentiation and reprogramming paths can be quantified; (3) cancer biology where cancer can be described as a disease of having multiple cellular states and the cancer state as well as the normal state can be quantified as b
{"title":"Landscape and flux theory of non-equilibrium dynamical systems with application to biology","authors":"Jin Wang","doi":"10.1080/00018732.2015.1037068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00018732.2015.1037068","url":null,"abstract":"We present a review of the recently developed landscape and flux theory for non-equilibrium dynamical systems. We point out that the global natures of the associated dynamics for non-equilibrium system are determined by two key factors: the underlying landscape and, importantly, a curl probability flux. The landscape (U) reflects the probability of states (P) () and provides a global characterization and a stability measure of the system. The curl flux term measures how much detailed balance is broken and is one of the two main driving forces for the non-equilibrium dynamics in addition to the landscape gradient. Equilibrium dynamics resembles electron motion in an electric field, while non-equilibrium dynamics resembles electron motion in both electric and magnetic fields. The landscape and flux theory has many interesting consequences including (1) the fact that irreversible kinetic paths do not necessarily pass through the landscape saddles; (2) non-equilibrium transition state theory at the new saddle on the optimal paths for small but finite fluctuations; (3) a generalized fluctuation–dissipation relationship for non-equilibrium dynamical systems where the response function is not just equal to the fluctuations at the steady state alone as in the equilibrium case but there is an additional contribution from the curl flux in maintaining the steady state; (4) non-equilibrium thermodynamics where the free energy change is not just equal to the entropy production alone, as in the equilibrium case, but also there is an additional house-keeping contribution from the non-zero curl flux in maintaining the steady state; (5) gauge theory and a geometrical connection where the flux is found to be the origin of the gauge field curvature and the topological phase in analogy to the Berry phase in quantum mechanics; (6) coupled landscapes where non-adiabaticity of multiple landscapes in non-equilibrium dynamics can be analyzed using the landscape and flux theory and an eddy current emerges from the non-zero curl flux; (7) stochastic spatial dynamics where landscape and flux theory can be generalized for non-equilibrium field theory. We provide concrete examples of biological systems to demonstrate the new insights from the landscape and flux theory. These include models of (1) the cell cycle where the landscape attracts the system down to an oscillation attractor while the flux drives the coherent motion on the oscillation ring, the different phases of the cell cycle are identified as local basins on the cycle path and biological checkpoints are identified as local barriers or transition states between the local basins on the cell-cycle path; (2) stem cell differentiation where the Waddington landscape for development as well as the differentiation and reprogramming paths can be quantified; (3) cancer biology where cancer can be described as a disease of having multiple cellular states and the cancer state as well as the normal state can be quantified as b","PeriodicalId":7373,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Physics","volume":"64 1","pages":"1 - 137"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/00018732.2015.1037068","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"58773381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}