Related papers: Theoretical study of solvent-mediated Ising-like s…
Systems with long-range interactions quenched into a metastable state near the pseudospinodal exhibit nucleation that is qualitatively different than the classical nucleation observed near the coexistence curve. We have observed nucleation…
We analyze the frictionless motion of a point-like particle that slides under gravity on an inverted conical surface. This motion is studied for arbitrary initial conditions and a general relation, valid within 13%, between the periods of…
We propose a finite element method for simulating one-dimensional solid models moving and experiencing large deformations while immersed in generalized Newtonian fluids. The method is oriented towards applications involving microscopic…
In this paper we analyze the existence, stability, dynamical formation and mobility properties of localized solutions in a one-dimensional system described by the discrete nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation with a linear point defect. We…
Over the past few decades the experimental literature has consistently reported observations of attraction between like-charged colloidal particles and macromolecules in solution. Examples include nucleic acids and colloidal particles in…
A brief review is presented of the scaling of complex fluids, polymers and polyelectrolytes in solution and in confined geometry, in thermodynamical, structural and rheology properties using equilibrium and nonequilibrium dissipative…
We study the possible singularities of isotropic cosmological models that have a varying speed of light as well as a varying gravitational constant. The field equations typically reduce to two dimensional systems which are then analyzed…
Microscopic active droplets are able to swim autonomously in viscous flows: this puzzling feature stems from solute exchanges with the surrounding fluid via surface reactions or their spontaneous solubilisation, and the interfacial flows…
We have studied spinning superfluid $^4$He nanodroplets at zero temperature using Density Functional theory. Due to the irrotational character of the superfluid flow, the shapes of the spinning nanodroplets are very different from those of…
The goal of this PhD thesis was to characterize the properties of friction in nanotubes and from a more general point of view the understanding of the microscopic origin of friction. Indeed, the relative simplicity of the system allows us…
Engineering synthetic materials that mimic the remarkable complexity of living organisms is a fundamental challenge in science and technology. We study the spatiotemporal patterns that emerge when an active nematicfilm of microtubules and…
It is known from both experiments and molecular dynamics simulations that chemically patterning a solid surface has an effect on the flow of an adjacent liquid. This fact is in stark contrast with predictions of classical fluid mechanics…
Fluids under nanoscale confinement differ -- and often dramatically -- from their bulk counterparts. A notorious feature of nanoconfined fluids is their inhomogeneous density profile along the confining dimension, which plays a key role in…
We describe the dynamics of a stream of equally spaced macroscopic particles in orbit around a central body (e.g. a planet or star). A co-orbital configuration of small bodies may be subject to gravitational instability, which takes the…
We consider thin fluid films placed on thermally conductive substrates and exposed to time-dependent spatially uniform heat source. The evolution of the films is considered within the long-wave framework in the regime such that both…
Ab initio molecular dynamics is used to study deformations of sodium clusters at temperatures $500\cdots 1100$ K. Open-shell Na$_{14}$ cluster has two shape isomers, prolate and oblate, in the liquid state. The deformation is stabilized by…
One characteristic feature of soft matter systems is their strong response to external stimuli. As a consequence they are comparatively easily driven out of their ground state and out of equilibrium, which leads to many of their fascinating…
The kinetics of dissolution of an amorphous solid is studied using a simple model of a glass that captures with reasonable accuracy the dynamic heterogeneities associated with the relaxation of an amorphous material at low temperatures. The…
Using nonequilibrium computer simulations, we study the response of ferromagnetic nanofilaments, consisting of stabilized onedimensional chains of ferromagnetic nanoparticles, under external rotating magnetic fields. In difference with…
Many typical nanoscale structures consist of dielectric nanoparticles with an inevitable oxide-generated coating around them. Depending on the fabrication techniques, these coatings may not be homogeneous, and their distortion can cause…