The microscopic mechanism of bulk melting of ice.

We study the initial stages of homogeneous melting of a hexagonal ice crystal at coexistence and at moderate superheating. Our trajectory-based computer simulation approach provides a comprehensive picture of the events that lead to melting, from the initial accumulation of 5+7 defects, via the formation of L-D and interstitial-vacancy pairs, to the formation of a liquid nucleus. Of the different types of defects that we observe to be involved in melting, a particular kind of 5+7 type defect (type 5) plays a prominent role as it often forms prior to the formation of the initial liquid nucleus and close to the site where the nucleus forms. Hence, like other solids, ice homogeneously melts via the prior accumulation of defects.

Weak scaling of the contact distance between two fluctuating interfaces with system size.

A pair of flat parallel surfaces, each freely diffusing along the direction of their separation, will eventually come into contact. If the shapes of these surfaces also fluctuate, then contact will occur when their centers-of-mass remain separated by a nonzero distance ℓ. An example of such a situation is the motion of interfaces between two phases at conditions of thermodynamic coexistence, and in particular the annihilation of domain wall pairs under periodic boundary conditions. Here we present a general approach to calculate the probability distribution of the contact distance ℓ and determine how its most likely value ℓ^{*} depends on the surfaces' lateral size L. Using the Edward-Wilkinson equation as a model for interfaces, we demonstrate that ℓ^{*} scales weakly with system size, i.e., the dependence of ℓ^{*} on L for both (1+1)- and (2+1)-dimensional interfaces is such that lim_{L→∞}(ℓ^{*}/L)=0. In particular, for (2+1)-dimensional interfaces ℓ^{*} is an algebraic function of logL, a result that is confirmed by computer simulations of slab-shaped domains formed under periodic boundary conditions. This weak scaling implies that such domains remain topologically intact until ℓ becomes very small compared to the lateral size of the interface, contradicting expectations from equilibrium thermodynamics.

Interplay of fast and slow dynamics in rare transition pathways: The disk-to-slab transition in the 2d Ising model.

Rare transitions between long-lived stable states are often analyzed in terms of free energy landscapes computed as functions of a few collective variables. Here, using transitions between geometric phases as example, we demonstrate that the effective dynamics of a system along these variables are an essential ingredient in the description of rare events and that the static perspective provided by the free energy alone may be misleading. In particular, we investigate the disk-to-slab transition in the two-dimensional Ising model starting with a calculation of a two-dimensional free energy landscape and the distribution of committor probabilities. While at first sight it appears that the committor is incompatible with the free energy, they can be reconciled with each other using a two-dimensional Smoluchowski equation that combines the free energy landscape with state dependent diffusion coefficients. These results illustrate that dynamical information is not only required to calculate rate constants but that neglecting dynamics may also lead to an inaccurate understanding of the mechanism of a given process.

Direct Measurement of Photon Recoil from a Levitated Nanoparticle.

The momentum transfer between a photon and an object defines a fundamental limit for the precision with which the object can be measured. If the object oscillates at a frequency Ω_{0}, this measurement backaction adds quanta ℏΩ_{0} to the oscillator's energy at a rate Γ_{recoil}, a process called photon recoil heating, and sets bounds to coherence times in cavity optomechanical systems. Here, we use an optically levitated nanoparticle in ultrahigh vacuum to directly measure Γ_{recoil}. By means of a phase-sensitive feedback scheme, we cool the harmonic motion of the nanoparticle from ambient to microkelvin temperatures and measure its reheating rate under the influence of the radiation field. The recoil heating rate is measured for different particle sizes and for different excitation powers, without the need for cavity optics or cryogenic environments. The measurements are in quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions and provide valuable guidance for the realization of quantum ground-state cooling protocols and the measurement of ultrasmall forces.