Pattern formation of chevrons in the conduction regime in homeotropically aligned liquid crystals

We report on chevrons (herringbonelike patterns) observed in homeotropically aligned liquid crystals with high electric conductivity. We focus our attention on two types of chevrons observed in the conduction regime. The threshold voltage and the characteristic double periodicity of chevrons (i.e., the short wavelength lambda(1) of the striated rolls and the long wavelength lambda(2) Of the chevron bands) have been measured as functions of the applied electric frequency f. With the aid of a crossed polarizer set, we have, in addition, determined the director field which shows a periodic in-plane rotation for our chevrons (with a wavelength lambda(2)) We arrived at the types of chevrons after qualitatively different bifurcation sequences with increasing voltage. The frequency dependence of lambda(2) also shows a qualitatively different behavior with respect to the two types of chevrons. The experimental results are discussed in terms of recent theoretical investigations.

Nonlinear modulation of transverse dust lattice waves in complex plasma crystals

The occurrence of the modulational instability in transverse dust lattice waves propagating in a one-dimensional dusty plasma crystal is investigated. The amplitude modulation mechanism, which is related to the intrinsic nonlinearity of the sheath electric field, is shown to destabilize the carrier wave under certain conditions, possibly leading to the formation of localized envelope excitations. Explicit expressions for the instability growth rate and threshold are presented and discussed. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.

Weakly nonlinear vertical dust grain oscillations in dusty plasma crystals in the presence of a magnetic field

The weakly nonlinear regime of transverse paramagnetic dust grain oscillations in dusty (complex) plasma crystals is discussed. The nonlinearity, which is related to the sheath electric/magnetic field(s) and to the intergrain (electrostatic/magnetic dipole) interactions, is shown to lead to the generation of phase harmonics and, in the case of propagating transverse dust-lattice modes, to the modulational instability of the carrier wave due to self-interaction. The stability profile depends explicitly on the form of the electric and magnetic fields in the plasma sheath. The long term evolution of the modulated wave packet, which is described by a nonlinear Schrodinger-type equation, may lead to propagating localized envelope structures whose exact forms are presented and discussed. Explicit suggestions for experimental investigations are put forward. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.

Weakly nonlinear effects associated with transverse oscillations in dusty plasma crystals

We study the amplitude modulation of transverse dust lattice waves (TDLW) propagating in a single- and double-layer dusty plasma (DP) crystal. It is shown that a modulational instability mechanism, which is related to an intrinsic nonlinearity of the sheath electric field, may occur under certain conditions. Possibility of the formation of localized excitations (envelope solitons) in the dusty plasma crystal is discussed.

Discrete breather modes associated with vertical dust grain oscillations in dusty plasma crystals

Accounting for the lattice discreteness and the sheath electric field nonlinearity in dusty plasma crystals, it is demonstrated that highly localized structures (discrete breathers) involving vertical (transverse, off-plane) oscillations of charged dust grains may exist in a dust lattice. These structures correspond to either extremely localized bright breather excitations (pulses) or dark excitations composed of dips/voids. Explicit criteria for selecting different breather modes are presented. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.

Dust lattice wave dispersion relations in two-dimensional hexagonal crystals including the effect of dust charge polarization

A dusty plasma crystalline configuration with equal charge dust grains and mass is considered. Both charge and mass of each dust species are taken to be constant. Two differential equations for a two-dimensional hexagonal crystal on the basis of a Yukawa-type potential energy and a

Nonlinearly modulated dust lattice wave packets in two-dimensional hexagonal dust crystals

The amplitude modulation of dust lattice waves (DLWs) propagating in a two-dimensional hexagonal dust crystal is investigated in a continuum approximation, accounting for the effect of dust charge polarization (dressed interactions). A dusty plasma crystalline configuration with constant dust grain charge and mass is considered. The dispersion relation and the group velocity for DLWs are determined for wave propagation in both longitudinal and transverse directions. The reductive perturbation method is used to derive a (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE). New expressions for the coefficients of the NLSE are derived and compared, for a Yukawa-type potential energy and for a

Modulated transverse off-plane dust-lattice wave packets in hexagonal two-dimensional dusty plasma crystals

The propagation of nonlinear dust-lattice waves in a two-dimensional hexagonal crystal is investigated. Transverse (off-plane) dust grain oscillatory motion is considered in the form of a backward propagating wave packet whose linear and nonlinear characteristics are investigated. An evolution equation is obtained for the slowly varying amplitude of the first (fundamental) harmonic by making use of a two-dimensional lattice multiple scales technique. An analysis based on the continuum approximation (spatially extended excitations compared to the lattice spacing) shows that wave packets will be modulationally stable and that dark-type envelope solitons (density holes) may occur in the long wavelength region. Evidence is provided of modulational instability and of the occurrence of bright-type envelopes (pulses) at shorter wavelengths. The role of second neighbor interactions is also investigated and is shown to be rather weak in determining the modulational stability region. The effect of dissipation, assumed negligible in the algebra throughout the article, is briefly discussed.

Phonons, Instabilities and Origin of Polarization in KDP Crystals

The -phonons of KH2PO4 (KDP) and its deuterated analog DKDP are studied via first-principles linear response calculations. The paraelectric phase shows two instabilities. One for a z-polarized mode, which leads to the spontaneous polarization Ps of the ferroelectric phase. The other corresponds to a two-fold degenerate xy-polarized mode. Other phonons are analyzed, which couple to the ferroelectric one at large amplitudes and are relevant for the ferroelectric transition. We show that Ps is mainly of electronic nature, since it arises mostly from an off-diagonal component of the Born effective charge tensor of H, with minor contribution from P atoms displacements.

Quantum ground state of self-organized atomic crystals in optical resonators

Cold atoms, driven by a laser and simultaneously coupled to the quantum field of an optical resonator, may self-organize in periodic structures. These structures are supported by the optical lattice, which emerges from the laser light they scatter into the cavity mode and form when the laser intensity exceeds a threshold value. We study theoretically the quantum ground state of these structures above the pump threshold of self-organization by mapping the atomic dynamics of the self-organized crystal to a Bose-Hubbard model. We find that the quantum ground state of the self-organized structure can be the one of a Mott insulator, depending on the pump strength of the driving laser. For very large pump strengths, where the intracavity-field intensity is maximum and one would expect a Mott-insulator state, we find intervals of parameters where the phase is compressible. These states could be realized in existing experimental setups.