Randomness and Irreversiblity in Quantum Mechanics: A Worked Example for a Statistical Theory.

The randomness of some irreversible quantum phenomena is a central question because irreversible phenomena break quantum coherence and thus yield an irreversible loss of information. The case of quantum jumps observed in the fluorescence of a single two-level atom illuminated by a quasi-resonant laser beam is a worked example where statistical interpretations of quantum mechanics still meet some difficulties because the basic equations are fully deterministic and unitary. In such a problem with two different time scales, the atom makes coherent optical Rabi oscillations between the two states, interrupted by random emissions (quasi-instantaneous) of photons where coherence is lost.

Scaling laws in turbulence.

Following the idea that dissipation in turbulence at high Reynolds number is dominated by singular events in space-time and described by solutions of the inviscid Euler equations, we draw the conclusion that in such flows, scaling laws should depend only on quantities appearing in the Euler equations. This excludes viscosity or a turbulent length as scaling parameters and constrains drastically possible analytical pictures of this limit. We focus on the drag law deduced by Newton for a projectile moving quickly in a fluid at rest.

Cutting and Slicing Weak Solids.

Dicing soft solids with a sharp knife is quicker and smoother if the blade is sliding rapidly parallel to its edge in addition to the normal squeezing motion. We explain this common observation with a consistent theory suited for soft gels and departing from the standard theories of elastic fracture mechanics relied on for a century. The gel is assumed to fail locally when submitted to stresses exceeding a threshold σ_{1}.

Boltzmann-type collision operators for Bogoliubov excitations of Bose-Einstein condensates: A unified framework.

Starting from the Bogoliubov diagonalization for the Hamiltonian of a weakly interacting Bose gas under the presence of a Bose-Einstein condensate, we derive the kinetic equation for the Bogoliubov excitations. Without dropping any of the commutators, we find three collisional processes. One of them describes the 1↔2 interactions between the condensate and the excited atoms.

Shock waves from the inhomogeneous Boltzmann equation.

We revisit the problem on the inner structure of shock waves in simple gases modelized by the Boltzmann kinetic equation. In a paper by Pomeau [Y. Pomeau, Transp.

The shape of hanging elastic cylinders.

Deformations of heavy elastic cylinders with their axis in the direction of earth's gravity field are investigated. The specimens, made of polyacrylamide hydrogels, are attached from their top circular cross section to a rigid plate. An equilibrium configuration results from the interplay between gravity that tends to deform the cylinders downwards under their own weight, and elasticity that resists these distortions.

Anisotropic cellular forces support mechanical integrity of the Stratum Corneum barrier.

The protective function of biological surfaces that are exposed to the exterior of living organisms is the result of a complex arrangement and interaction of cellular components. This is the case for the most external cornified layer of skin, the stratum corneum (SC). This layer is made of corneocytes, the elementary 'flat bricks' that are held together through adhesive junctions.

Interview with Yves Pomeau, Boltzmann Medallist 2016 : The universality of statistical physics interpretation is ever more obvious.

During the StatPhys Conference on 20th July 2016 in Lyon, France, Yves Pomeau and Daan Frenkel will be awarded the most important prize in the field of Statistical Mechanics: the 2016 Boltzmann Medal, named after the Austrian physicist and philosopher Ludwig Boltzmann. The award recognises Pomeau's key contributions to the Statistical Physics of non-equilibrium phenomena in general. And, in particular, for developing our modern understanding of fluid mechanics, instabilities, pattern formation and chaos.

New Drop Fluidics Enabled by Magnetic-Field-Mediated Elastocapillary Transduction.

This research introduces a new drop fluidics that uses a deformable and stretchable elastomeric film as the platform instead of the commonly used rigid supports. Such a soft film impregnated with magnetic particles can be modulated with an external electromagnetic field that produces a vast array of topographical landscapes with varying surface curvature, which, in conjunction with capillarity, can direct and control the motion of water droplets efficiently and accurately. When a thin layer of oil is present on this film that is deformed locally, a centrosymmetric wedge is formed.

Softening of edges of solids by surface tension.

Surface tension tends to minimize the area of interfaces between pieces of matter in different thermodynamic phases, be they in the solid or the liquid state. This can be relevant for the macroscopic shape of very soft solids and lead to a roughening of initially sharp edges. We calculate this effect for a Neo-Hookean elastic solid, with assumptions corresponding to actual experiments, namely the case where an initially sharp edge is rounded by the effect of surface tension felt when the fluid surrounding the soft solid (and so surface tension) is changed at the solid/liquid boundary.

Gravity driven instability in elastic solid layers.

We demonstrate the instability of the free surface of a soft elastic solid facing downwards. Experiments are carried out using a gel of constant density ρ, shear modulus μ, put in a rigid cylindrical dish of depth h. When turned upside down, the free surface of the gel undergoes a normal outgoing acceleration g.

Supernovae: an example of complexity in the physics of compressible fluids.

Because the collapse of massive stars occurs in a few seconds, while the stars evolve on billions of years, the supernovae are typical complex phenomena in fluid mechanics with multiple time scales. We describe them in the light of catastrophe theory, assuming that successive equilibria between pressure and gravity present a saddle-center bifurcation. In the early stage we show that the loss of equilibrium may be described by a generic equation of the Painlevé I form.

Room temperature water Leidenfrost droplets.

We experimentally investigate the Leidenfrost effect at pressures ranging from 1 to 0.05 atmospheric pressure. As a direct consequence of the Clausius–Clapeyron phase diagram of water, the droplet temperature can be at ambient temperature in a non-sophisticated lab environment.

Solid drops: large capillary deformations of immersed elastic rods.

Under the effect of surface tension, a blob of liquid adopts a spherical shape when immersed in another fluid. We demonstrate experimentally that soft, centimeter-size elastic solids can exhibit a similar behavior: when immersed into a liquid, a gel having a low elastic modulus undergoes large, reversible deformations. We analyze three fundamental types of deformations of a slender elastic solid driven by surface stress, depending on the shape of its cross section: a circular elastic cylinder shortens in the longitudinal direction and stretches transversally; the sharp edges of a square based prism get rounded off as its cross sections tend to become circular; and a slender, triangular based prism bends.

Prediction of catastrophes: an experimental model.

Catastrophes of all kinds can be roughly defined as short-duration, large-amplitude events following and followed by long periods of "ripening." Major earthquakes surely belong to the class of "catastrophic" events. Because of the space-time scales involved, an experimental approach is often difficult, not to say impossible, however desirable it could be.

Shape of an elastic loop strongly bent by surface tension: experiments and comparison with theory.

When a very flexible wire is dipped into a soapy solution, it collapses onto itself. We consider the regions of high curvature where the wire folds back onto itself, enclosing a capillary film. The shapes of these end loops are measured in experiments using soap films and compared to a known similarity solution.

Take off of small Leidenfrost droplets.

We put in evidence the unexpected behavior of Leidenfrost droplets at the later stage of their evaporation. We predict and observe that, below a critical size Rl, the droplets spontaneously take off due to the breakdown of the lubrication regime. We establish the theoretical relation between the droplet radius and its elevation.

Capillarity driven instability of a soft solid.

We report the observation of a Plateau instability in a thin filament of solid gel with a very small elastic modulus. A longitudinal undulation of the surface of the cylinder reduces its area thereby triggering capillary instability, but is counterbalanced by elastic forces following the deformation. This competition leads to a nontrivial instability threshold for a solid cylinder.

Optical solitons as quantum objects.

The intensity of classical bright solitons propagating in linearly coupled identical fibers can be distributed either in a stable symmetric state at strong coupling or in a stable asymmetric state if the coupling is small enough. In the first case, if the initial state is not the equilibrium state, the intensity may switch periodically from fiber to fiber, while in the second case the asymmetrical state remains forever, with most of its energy in either fiber. The latter situation makes a state of propagation with two exactly reciprocal realizations.

Coexistence of ordinary elasticity and superfluidity in a model of a defect-free supersolid.

The mechanical behavior of a supersolid is studied in the framework of a fully explicit model derived from the Gross-Pitaevskii equation without assuming any defect or vacancy. A set of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations plus boundary conditions is derived. The conditions of mechanical equilibrium are studied under external constraints such as steady rotation and external stress.

Condensation of classical nonlinear waves.

We study the formation of a large-scale coherent structure (a condensate) in classical wave equations by considering the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation as a representative model. We formulate a thermodynamic description of the classical condensation process by using a wave turbulence theory with ultraviolet cutoff. In three dimensions the equilibrium state undergoes a phase transition for sufficiently low energy density, while no transition occurs in two dimensions, in complete analogy with standard Bose-Einstein condensation in quantum systems.

Diffusion and reaction-diffusion in fast cellular flows.

Cellular structures, as the rolls generated by Rayleigh-Bénard instability, have always been an important topic in nonlinear science. The diffusion of a passive scalar in a given steady cellular flow becomes an interesting question in the limit of a large Péclet number, often realistic. The main result there is that the effective diffusion is somewhere in between the molecular diffusion and the "turbulent" diffusion.

Dissipative flow and vortex shedding in the Painlevé boundary layer of a Bose-Einstein condensate.

This paper addresses the drag force and formation of vortices in the boundary layer of a Bose-Einstein condensate stirred by a laser beam following the experiments of Phys. Rev. Lett.