Sunil Chhita and Kurt Johansson Domino statistics of the two-periodic Aztec diamond arXiv e-prints 2014 http://arxiv.org/abs/1410.2385
Abstract: Random domino tilings of the Aztec diamond shape exhibit interesting features and some of the statistical properties seen in random matrix theory. As a statistical mechanical model it can be thought of as a dimer model or as a certain random surface. We consider the Aztec diamond with a two-periodic weighting which exhibits all three possible phases that occur in these types of models, often referred to as solid, liquid and gas. To analyze this model, we use entries of the inverse Kasteleyn matrix which give the probability of any configuration of dominoes. A formula for these entries, for this particular model, was derived by Chhita and Young (2014). In this paper, we find a major simplication of this formula expressing entries of the inverse Kasteleyn matrix by double contour integrals which makes it possible to investigate their asymptotics. In a part of the Aztec diamond we use this formula to show that the entries of the inverse Kasteleyn matrix converge to the known entries of the full-plane inverse Kasteleyn matrices for the different phases. We also study the detailed asymptotics of the covariance between dominoes at both the 'solid-liquid' and 'liquid-gas' boundaries. Finally we provide a potential candidate for a combinatorial description of the liquid-gas boundary.
Sergio Conti, Georg Dolzmann and Stefan Müller Korn's second inequality and geometric rigidity with mixed growth conditions Calc. Var., 50: 437-454 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00526-013-0641-5
Abstract: Geometric rigidity states that a gradient field which is \( L^p\) -close to the set of proper rotations is necessarily \( L^p\) -close to a fixed rotation, and is one key estimate in nonlinear elasticity. In several applications, as for example in the theory of plasticity, energy densities with mixed growth appear. We show here that geometric rigidity holds also in \( L^p+L^q\) and in \( L^p,q\) interpolation spaces. As a first step we prove the corresponding linear inequality, which generalizes Korn's inequality to these spaces.
Sergio Conti and Geog Dolzmann Relaxation of a model energy for the cubic to tetragonal phase transformation in two dimensions Math. Models. Metods App. Sci., 24(14): 2929-2942 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S0218202514500419
Abstract: We consider a two-dimensional problem in nonlinear elasticity which corresponds to the cubic-to-tetragonal phase transformation. Our model is frame invariant and the energy density is given by the squared distance from two potential wells. We obtain the quasiconvex envelope of the energy density and therefore the relaxation of the variational problem. Our result includes the constraint of positive determinant.
Landry Fokoua Djodom, Sergio Conti and Michael Ortiz Optimal Scaling in Solids undergoing Ductile Fracture by Void Sheet Formation Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal., 212(1): 331-357 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00205-013-0687-8
Abstract: This work is concerned with the derivation of optimal scaling laws, in the sense of matching lower and upper bounds on the energy, for a solid undergoing ductile fracture. The specific problem considered concerns a material sample in the form of an infinite slab of finite thickness subjected to prescribed opening displacements on its two surfaces. The solid is assumed to obey deformation-theory of plasticity and, in order to further simplify the analysis, we assume isotropic rigid-plastic deformations with zero plastic spin. When hardening exponents are given values consistent with observation, the energy is found to exhibit sublinear growth. We regularize the energy through the addition of nonlocal energy terms of the strain-gradient plasticity type. This nonlocal regularization has the effect of introducing an intrinsic length scale into the energy. Under these assumptions, ductile fracture emerges as the net result of two competing effects: whereas the sublinear growth of the local energy promotes localization of deformation to failure planes, the nonlocal regularization stabilizes this process, thus resulting in an orderly progression towards failure and a well-defined specific fracture energy. The optimal scaling laws derived here show that ductile fracture results from localization of deformations to void sheets, and that it requires a well-defined energy per unit fracture area. In particular, fractal modes of fracture are ruled out under the assumptions of the analysis. The optimal scaling laws additionally show that ductile fracture is cohesive in nature, that is, it obeys a well-defined relation between tractions and opening displacements. Finally, the scaling laws supply a link between micromechanical properties and macroscopic fracture properties. In particular, they reveal the relative roles that surface energy and microplasticity play as contributors to the specific fracture energy of the material.
Landry Fokoua Djodom, Sergio Conti and Michael Ortiz Optimal scaling laws for ductile fracture derived from strain-gradient microplasticity J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 62: 295-311 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2013.11.002
Abstract: This work is concerned with the derivation of optimal scaling laws, in the sense of matching lower and upper bounds on the energy, for a solid undergoing ductile fracture. The specific problem considered concerns a material sample in the form of an infinite slab of finite thickness subjected to prescribed opening displacements on its two surfaces. The solid is assumed to obey deformation-theory of plasticity and, in order to further simplify the analysis, we assume isotropic rigid-plastic deformations with zero plastic spin. When hardening exponents are given values consistent with observation, the energy is found to exhibit sublinear growth. We regularize the energy through the addition of nonlocal energy terms of the strain-gradient plasticity type. This nonlocal regularization has the effect of introducing an intrinsic length scale into the energy. Under these assumptions, ductile fracture emerges as the net result of two competing effects: whereas the sublinear growth of the local energy promotes localization of deformation to failure planes, the nonlocal regularization stabilizes this process, thus resulting in an orderly progression towards failure and a well-defined specific fracture energy. The optimal scaling laws derived here show that ductile fracture results from localization of deformations to void sheets, and that it requires a well-defined energy per unit fracture area. In particular, fractal modes of fracture are ruled out under the assumptions of the analysis. The optimal scaling laws additionally show that ductile fracture is cohesive in nature, that is, it obeys a well-defined relation between tractions and opening displacements. Finally, the scaling laws supply a link between micromechanical properties and macroscopic fracture properties. In particular, they reveal the relative roles that surface energy and microplasticity play as contributors to the specific fracture energy of the material.
Celia Reina and Sergio Conti Kinematic description of crystal plasticity in the finite kinematic framework: a micromechanical understanding of F=F^e F^p J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 67: 40-61 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2014.01.014
Abstract: The plastic component of the deformation gradient plays a central role in finite kinematic models of plasticity. However, its characterization has been the source of extended debates in the literature and many important issues still remain unresolved. Some examples are the micromechanical understanding of $F=F^eF^p$ with multiple active slip systems, the uniqueness of the decomposition, or the characterization of the plastic deformation without reference to the so-called intermediate configuration. In this paper, we shed some light to these issues via a two-dimensional kinematic analysis of the plastic deformation induced by discrete slip surfaces and the corresponding dislocation structures. In particular, we supply definitions for the elastic and plastic components of the deformation gradient as a function of the active slip systems without any a priori assumption on the decomposition of the total deformation gradient. These definitions are explicitly and uniquely given from the microstructure and do not make use of any unrealizable intermediate configuration. The analysis starts from a semi-continuous mathematical description of the deformation at the microscale, where the displacements are considered continuous everywhere in the domain except at the discrete slip surfaces, over which there is a displacement jump. At this scale, where the microstructure is resolved, the deformation is uniquely characterized from purely kinematic considerations and the elastic and plastic components of the deformation gradient can be defined based on physical arguments. These quantities are then passed to the continuous limit via homogenization, i.e., by increasing the number of slip surfaces to infinity and reducing the lattice parameter to zero. This continuum limit is computed for several illustrative examples, where the well-known multiplicative decomposition of the total deformation gradient is recovered. Additionally, by similar arguments, an expression of the dislocation density tensor is obtained as the limit of discrete dislocation densities which are well characterized within the semi-continuous model.
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A. Borodin, I. Corwin and P.L. Ferrari Anisotropic (2+1)d growth and Gaussian limits of q-Whittaker processes preprint, arXiv:1612.00321 0 http://arxiv.org/abs/1612.00321
Abstract: We consider a discrete model for anisotropic (2+1)-dimensional growth of an interface height function. Owing to a connection with q-Whittaker functions, this system enjoys many explicit integral formulas. By considering certain Gaussian stochastic differential equation limits of the model we are able to prove a space-time limit to the (2+1)-dimensional additive stochastic heat equation (or Edwards-Wilkinson equation) along characteristic directions. In particular, the bulk height function converges to the Gaussian free field which evolves according to this stochastic PDE.