New articles on Nonlinear Sciences


[1] 2503.08572

Effects of inertia on the asynchronous state of a disordered Kuramoto model

We investigate the role of inertia in the asynchronous state of a disordered Kuramoto model. We extend an iterative simulation scheme to the case of the Kuramoto model with inertia in order to determine the self-consistent fluctuation statistics, specifically, the power spectra of network noise and single oscillators. Comparison with network simulations demonstrates that this works well whenever the system is in an asynchronous state. We also find an unexpected effect when varying the degree of inertia: the correlation time of the oscillators becomes minimal at an intermediate mass of the oscillators; correspondingly, the power spectra appear flatter and thus more similar to white noise around the same value of mass. We also find a similar effect for the Lyapunov spectra of the oscillators when the mass is varied.


[2] 2503.07729

Bypassing eigenstate thermalization with experimentally accessible quantum dynamics

Eigenstate thermalization has played a prominent role as a determiner of the validity of quantum statistical mechanics since von Neumann's early works on quantum ergodicity. However, its connection to the dynamical process of quantum thermalization relies sensitively on nondegeneracy properties of the energy spectrum, as well as detailed features of individual eigenstates that are effective only over correspondingly large timescales, rendering it generically inaccessible given practical timescales and finite experimental resources. Here, we introduce the notion of energy-band thermalization to address these limitations, which coarse-grains over energy level spacings with a finite energy resolution. We show that energy-band thermalization implies the thermalization of an observable in almost all physical states over accessible timescales without relying on microscopic properties of the energy eigenvalues or eigenstates, and conversely, can be efficiently accessed in experiments via the dynamics of a single initial state (for a given observable) with only polynomially many resources in the system size. This allows us to directly determine thermalization, including in the presence of conserved charges, from this state: Most strikingly, if an observable thermalizes in this initial state over a finite range of times, then it must thermalize in almost all physical initial states over all longer timescales. As applications, we derive a finite-time Mazur-Suzuki inequality for quantum transport with approximately conserved charges, and establish the thermalization of local observables over finite timescales in almost all accessible states in (generally inhomogeneous) dual-unitary quantum circuits. We also propose measurement protocols for general many-qubit systems. This work initiates a rigorous treatment of quantum thermalization in terms of experimentally accessible quantities.


[3] 2503.07741

Critical behavior of a programmable time-crystal lattice gas

Time crystals are many-body systems whose ground state spontaneously breaks time-translation symmetry and thus exhibits long-range spatiotemporal order and robust periodic motion. Using hydrodynamics, we have recently shown how an $m$th-order external packing field coupled to density fluctuations in driven diffusive fluids can induce the spontaneous emergence of time-crystalline order in the form of $m$ rotating condensates, which can be further controlled and modulated. Here we analyze this phenomenon at the microscopic level in a paradigmatic model of particle diffusion under exclusion interactions, a generalization of the weakly asymmetric simple exclusion process with a configuration-dependent field called the time-crystal lattice gas. Using extensive Monte Carlo simulations, we characterize the nonequilibrium phase transition to these complex time-crystal phases for different values of $m$, including the order parameter, the susceptibility and the Binder cumulant, from which we measure the critical exponents, which turn out to be within the Kuramoto universality class for oscillator synchronization. We also elucidate the condensates density profiles and velocities, confirming along the way a scaling property predicted for the higher-order condensate shapes in terms of first-order ones, discussing also novel possibilities for this promising route to time crystals.


[4] 2503.08018

Asymptotic Scattering Relation for the Toda Lattice

In this paper we consider the Toda lattice $(\boldsymbol{p}(t); \boldsymbol{q}(t))$ at thermal equilibrium, meaning that its variables $(p_i)$ and $(e^{q_i-q_{i+1}})$ are independent Gaussian and Gamma random variables, respectively. We justify the notion from the physics literature that this model can be thought of as a dense collection of solitons (or "soliton gas'') by, (i) precisely defining the locations of these solitons; (ii) showing that local charges and currents for the Toda lattice are well-approximated by simple functions of the soliton data; and (iii) proving an asymptotic scattering relation that governs the dynamics of the soliton locations. Our arguments are based on analyzing properties about eigenvector entries of the Toda lattice's (random) Lax matrix, particularly, their rates of exponential decay and their evolutions under inverse scattering.


[5] 2503.08034

Long-range interaction of kinks in higher-order polynomial models

We obtain asymptotic estimates of the interaction forces between kink and antikink in a family of field-theoretic models with two vacua in (1+1)-dimensional space-time. In our study we consider a new class of soliton solutions previously found in our paper [Chaos, Solitons and Fractals 165 (2022) 112805]. We focus on the case of kinks having one exponential and one power-law asymptotics. We show that if the kink and antikink are faced each other with long-range tails, the force of attraction between them at large separations demonstrates a power-law decay with the distance. We also performed numerical simulations to measure the interaction force and obtained good agreement between the experimental values and theoretical estimates.


[6] 2503.08069

Freezing chaos without synaptic plasticity

Chaos is ubiquitous in high-dimensional neural dynamics. A strong chaotic fluctuation may be harmful to information processing. A traditional way to mitigate this issue is to introduce Hebbian plasticity, which can stabilize the dynamics. Here, we introduce another distinct way without synaptic plasticity. An Onsager reaction term due to the feedback of the neuron itself is added to the vanilla recurrent dynamics, making the driving force a gradient form. The original unstable fixed points supporting the chaotic fluctuation can then be approached by further decreasing the kinetic energy of the dynamics. We show that this freezing effect also holds in more biologically realistic networks, such as those composed of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. The gradient dynamics are also useful for computational tasks such as recalling or predicting external time-dependent stimuli.


[7] 2503.08109

Non-hermitian integrable systems from constant non-invertible solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation

We construct invertible spectral parameter dependent Yang-Baxter solutions ($R$-matrices) by Baxterizing constant non-invertible Yang-Baxter solutions. The solutions are algebraic (representation independent). They are constructed using supersymmetry (SUSY) algebras. The resulting $R$-matrices are regular leading to local non-hermitian Hamiltonians written in terms of the SUSY generators. As particular examples we Baxterize the $4\times 4$ constant non-invertible solutions of Hietarinta leading to nearest-neighbor Hamiltonians. On comparing with the literature we find two of the models are new. Apart from being non-hermitian, many of them are also non-diagonalizable with interesting spectrums. With appropriate representations of the SUSY generators we obtain spin chains in all local Hilbert space dimensions.


[8] 2503.08283

Nonlinear optimals and their role in sustaining turbulence in channel flow

We investigate the energy transfer from the mean profile to velocity fluctuations in channel flow by calculating nonlinear optimal disturbances,i.e. the initial condition of a given finite energy that achieves the highest possible energy growth during a given fixed time horizon. It is found that for a large range of time horizons and initial disturbance energies, the nonlinear optimal exhibits streak spacing and amplitude consistent with DNS at least at Re_tau = 180, which suggests that they isolate the relevant physical mechanisms that sustain turbulence. Moreover, the time horizon necessary for a nonlinear disturbance to outperform a linear optimal is consistent with previous DNS-based estimates using eddy turnover time, which offers a new perspective on how some turbulent time scales are determined.


[9] 2503.08513

Experimental observation of recurrence and spectral asymmetry of the two-component Akhmediev breathers in a single mode optical fibre

We report the results of experimental studies of recurrent spectral dynamics of the two component Akhmediev breathers (ABs) in a single mode optical fibre. We also provide the theoretical analysis and numerical simulations of the ABs based on the two component Manakov equations that confirm the experimental data. In particular, we observed spectral asymmetry of fundamental ABs and complex spectral evolution of second-order nondegenerate ABs.


[10] 2503.08660

Elastic Plateau-Rayleigh instability in soft cylinders: Surface elasticity and periodic beading

The Plateau-Rayleigh instability shows that a cylindrical fluid flow can be destabilized by surface tension. Similarly, capillary forces can make an elastic cylinder unstable when the elastocapillary length is comparable to the cylinder's radius. While existing models predict a single isolated bulge as the result of an instability, experiments reveal a periodic sequence of bulges spaced out by thinned regions, a phenomenon known as beading instability. Most models assume that surface tension is independent of the deformation of the solid, neglecting variations due to surface stretch. In this work, we assume that surface tension arises from the deformation of material particles near the free surface, treating it as a pre-stretched elastic surface surrounding the body. Using the theoretical framework proposed by Gurtin and Murdoch, we show that a cylindrical solid can undergo a mechanical instability with a finite critical wavelength if the body is sufficiently soft or axially stretched. Post-buckling numerical simulations reveal a morphology in qualitative agreement with experimental observations. Period-halving secondary bifurcations are also observed. The results of this research have broad implications for soft materials, biomechanics, and microfabrication applications where surface tension plays a crucial role.