Fluid Dynamics · Cross-listed from math.NA
Two-dimensional Gauss–Jacobi Quadrature for Multiscale Boltzmann Solvers
Shanshan Dong, Lu Wang, Xiangxiang Chen et al. (+1 more)
The discretization of velocity space plays a crucial role in the accuracy and efficiency of multiscale Boltzmann solvers. Conventional velocity space discretization methods suffer from uneven node distribution and mismatch issues, limiting the performance of numerical simulations. To address this, a Gaussian quadrature scheme with a parameterized weight function is proposed, combined with a polar coordinate transformation for flexible discretization of velocity space. This method effectively mitigates node mismatch problems encountered in traditional approaches. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed scheme significantly improves accuracy while reducing computational cost. Under highly rarefied conditions, the proposed method achieves a speed-up of up to 50 times compared to the conventional Newton-Cotes quadrature, offering an efficient tool with broad applicability for numerical simulations of rarefied and multiscale gas flows.
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All authors Shanshan Dong, Lu Wang, Xiangxiang Chen, Guanqing Wang
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics · Cross-listed from stat.AP
A generalisation of the signal-to-noise ratio using proper scoring rules
Jochen Bröcker and Eviatar Bach
A generalised concept of the signal-to-noise ratio (or equivalently the ratio of predictable components, or RPC) is provided, based on proper scoring rules. This definition is the natural generalisation of the classical RPC, yet it allows one to define and analyse the signal-to-noise properties of any type of forecast that is amenable to scoring, thus drastically widening the applicability of these concepts. The methodology is illustrated through numerical examples of ensemble forecasts, scored using the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS), and of probability forecasts of a binary event, scored using the logarithmic score. Numerical examples are carried out using both synthetic data with prescribed signal-to-noise ratios as well as seasonal ensemble hindcasts of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. The latter have previously been interpreted as having a signal-to-noise "paradox", or anomalous signal-to-noise ratio, using the RPC statistic. For the synthetic data, the RPC statistic as well as the scoring rule-based ones agree regarding which data sets exhibit anomalous signal-to-noise ratios, but exhibit different variance, indicating different statistical properties. For the NAO data, on the other hand, the different statistics are more equivocal on whether the signal-to-noise ratio is anomalous.
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Chemical Physics
Latent Spaces for Langevin Dynamics
Andy Bruce, Alexander Aghili, Razvan Marinescu et al. (+1 more)
In the field of machine learning coarse-grained potentials in molecular dynamics, many propagators require that the effective
Hamiltonian is quadratic in momentum, thus limiting the family of coarse-graining functions. In this paper, we derive a general family of coarse-graining
embedding functions for which Langevin dynamics samples correctly. These equations have significant implications for molecular simulations and pave the way for Langevin dynamics on non-
geometric coarse-graining representations, such as those provided by principal components of component analysis or latent
embeddings of molecules obtained from neural networks.
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All authors Andy Bruce, Alexander Aghili, Razvan Marinescu, Daniel Sabo
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
Global sonde datasets do not support a mesoscale transition in the turbulent energy cascade
Thomas D. DeWitt and Timothy J. Garrett
Conceptual and theoretical models describing the dynamics of the atmosphere often assume a hierarchy of dynamic regimes, each operating over some limited range of spatial scales. The largest scales are presumed to be governed by quasi-two-dimensional geostrophic
turbulence, mesoscale dynamics by
gravity waves, and the smallest scales by 3D isotropic
turbulence. In theory, this hierarchy should be observable as clear scale breaks in turbulent kinetic energy spectra as one physical mechanism transitions to the next. Here, we show that this view is not supported by global dropsonde and radiosonde
datasets of horizontal winds. Instead, the structure function for horizontal wind calculated for vertical separations between 200 m and 8 km has a Hurst exponent of $H_v \approx 0.6$, which is inconsistent with either
gravity waves ($H_v = 1$) or 3D
turbulence ($H_v = 1/3$). For horizontal separations between 200 km and 1800 km, the Hurst exponent is $H_h \approx 0.4$, which is inconsistent with quasi-geostrophic dynamics ($H_h = 1$). We argue that sonde observations are most consistent with a lesser known "Lovejoy-Schertzer" model for stratified
turbulence where, at all scales, the dynamics of the atmosphere obey a single anisotropic turbulent cascade with $H_v=3/5$ and $H_h =1/3$. While separation scales smaller than 200 m are not explored here due to measurement limitations, the analysis nonetheless supports a single cohesive theoretical framework for describing atmospheric dynamics, one that might substitute for the more traditional hierarchy of mechanisms that depends on spatial scale.
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Physics and Society
Impacts of Climate Change on Photovoltaic Potential in Africa
Eva Lu and Dongdong Wang
Africa holds the world's highest
solar irradiance yet has <2% of global photovoltaic (PV) capacity, leaving 600 million people without electricity access. However,
climate change impacts on its 10 TW potential remain understudied. Using four decades of ERA5 reanalysis data (1980-2020) at 0.25 degree resolution, we quantify the contributions of key
climate factors to historical changes in African PV potential through multivariate decomposition. Continental PV potential increased by 3.2%, driven primarily by enhanced
solar radiation (+1.2 degree Celsius, contributing -23%). East Africa gained >6% from radiation enhancement, while North Africa declined by 0.5% as extreme heat (+2 degree Celsius) overwhelmed radiation benefits. Critically, stability analysis using the coefficient of variation (CV) reveals that high-irradiance subtropical zones are highly variable (CV=0.4), in contrast to stable equatorial regions (CV=0.1), challenging the assumption that resource abundance ensures reliability. These findings reframe Africa's
solar strategy: North Africa requires prioritizing heat-resilient technology over capacity maximization; subtropical zones demand grid-storage co-investment; and East Africa presents globally competitive opportunities for rapid, stable deployment. By resolving spatiotemporal heterogeneities and quantifying
climate-driver contributions, our analysis provides an actionable framework for
climate-resilient
solar deployment, critical for Africa's energy transition and
climate mitigation.
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Classical Physics
The swinging counterweight trebuchet. On internal friction
E Horsdal
Mechanical energy is lost to friction during a shot with a trebuchet. The losses are mainly due to sliding friction at the bearings for the throwing arm and at the hinge for the swinging counterweight, but the aerodynamic force on the sling also contributes. Generalized forces for these sliding and aerodynamic frictions are derived and included in the equations for the internal movement of the engine. The equations are solved by the use of perturbation theory and calculated losses are compared with results from an experimental engine of small dimensions. Scaling to full-size trebuchets is discussed.
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Fluid Dynamics
Numerical Insights on Controlled Droplet Formation in a Microfluidic Flow-Focusing Device
Somasekhara Goud Sontti and Arnab Atta
In this article, we have developed a computational model to determine the droplet formation regime and its transition in a square microfluidic flow-focusing device that eventually dictate the droplet shape, size, and its formation frequency. We have methodically explored the influences of various physicochemical parameters on the droplet dynamics and flow regime transition, which are essential in the development of new methods for on-demand droplet generation. On the basis of the droplet formation mechanism, we have formulated flow maps for different
liquid-
liquid systems, and have also proposed a scaling law to predict the droplet length for a wide range of operating condition resulting from the variation of flow rates, and viscosities of the continuous phase as well as the interfacial tension. This work can effectively contribute in providing helpful guidelines on the design and operations of droplet-based flow-focusing microfluidic systems.
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Medical Physics
Predictive Dosimetry in PSMA-Targeted Radiopharmaceutical Therapies: A PBPK Modeling and Machine Learning Study
Hamid Abdollahi, James Fowler, Carlos Uribe et al. (+1 more)
Predictive dosimetry is central to enabling personalized radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT), particularly in prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted theranostics. In this work, we develop a three layer computational framework that integrates physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling with machine learning (ML) to predict both physical (AUC, absorbed dose) and biological (BED, EQD2) dosimetric endpoints in tumors and major organs. In the first layer, we generated 640 virtual patients using PBPK simulations of F-18, Ga-68, and Cu-64 labeled PSMA PET tracers paired with Lu-177 PSMA therapy, producing 15360 tumor and organ time activity curves (TACs) under realistic biological variability and PET-like noise. In the second layer, TACs were transformed into quantitative kinetic features and mapped to physical and biological dose metrics. In the third layer, ML models (Random Forest, Extra Trees, Ridge, Gradient Boosting, and XGBoost) were trained to predict RPT doses from PET derived features, with performance evaluated using mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and R2. Cu-64 PSMA-617 based PET yielded the most robust predictions, achieving tumor dose MAPE as low as 8 percent and 10 to 20 percent for normal organs, while F-18 DCFPyL showed volume dependent performance and Ga-68 PSMA-11 exhibited higher variability. SHAP analysis revealed that peak uptake, clearance, and early kinetic features dominated predictive performance across organs and endpoints. This PBPK ML framework enables scalable, physiology informed predictive dosimetry and provides a foundation for trial design and patient specific treatment planning in PSMA targeted RPT. These results demonstrate that pre therapy PET can serve as a reliable surrogate for post therapy dosimetry, enabling scalable personalization of PSMA targeted RPT.
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All authors Hamid Abdollahi, James Fowler, Carlos Uribe, Arman Rahmim
Accelerator Physics
LLRF System Analysis for the Fermilab PIP-II Superconducting LINAC
P. Varghese, S. Raman, M. Guran et al. (+4 more)
PIP-II is a superconducting linac that is in the initial acceleration chain for the Fermilab accelerator complex. The RF system consists of a warm front-end with an RFQ and buncher cavities along with 25 superconducting cryo-modules comprised of cavities with five different acceleration \(\beta\). The LLRF system for the linac has to provide field and resonance control for a total of 125 RF cavities. Various components of the LLRF system have been tested with and without beam at the PIP-II test stands. The LLRF system design is derived from the LCLS-II project with its self-excited loop architecture used in the majority of the cryo-modules. The PIP-II beam loading at 2 mA is much higher than the LCLS-II linac. The control system architecture is analyzed and evaluated for the operational limits of feedback gains and their ability to meet the project regulation requirements for cavity field amplitude and phase regulation.
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All authors P. Varghese, S. Raman, M. Guran, L. Reyes, L. Doolittle, Q. Du, S. Murthy
Fluid Dynamics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.soft
Shear jamming and nonlinear rheology of chocolate suspensions
Michel Orsi, Veeraj Shah, Mahesh Padmanabhan et al. (+2 more)
We experimentally investigate the rheology of dark chocolate pastes in both industrially relevant pre-refined form and simplified model systems. Steady and oscillatory shear experiments reveal yielding, pronounced shear-thinning, and stress-dependent hysteresis governed by solid loading. Fitting the viscosity data with the Maron-Pierce model provides stress-dependent maximum flowable fractions $\phi_{\rm{m}}(\sigma)$, defining yield loci in the $(\phi, \sigma)$ plane. Their variation with stress quantifies the coupled roles of friction and adhesion in setting flow limits. Large-amplitude oscillatory shear tests characterize transitions from elastic to viscous behavior and identify distinct recovery pathways near jamming. Contact-stress decomposition separates hydrodynamic and frictional contributions, confirming that adhesive contact networks dominate stress transmission in pre-refined pastes. These results establish chocolate pastes as dense, adhesive suspensions whose flow is controlled by the interplay of friction and adhesion, offering quantitative
benchmarks for constitutive modeling and linking chocolate processing to the broader physics of constraint rheology.
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All authors Michel Orsi, Veeraj Shah, Mahesh Padmanabhan, Thomas Curwen, Jeffrey F. Morris
Computational Physics · Cross-listed from cs.LG
Physically consistent and uncertainty-aware learning of spatiotemporal dynamics
Qingsong Xu, Jonathan L Bamber, Nils Thuerey et al. (+5 more)
Accurate long-term
forecasting of spatiotemporal dynamics remains a fundamental challenge across scientific and engineering domains. Existing machine learning methods often neglect governing physical laws and fail to quantify inherent uncertainties in spatiotemporal predictions. To address these challenges, we introduce a physics-consistent neural operator (PCNO) that enforces physical constraints by projecting surrogate model outputs onto function spaces satisfying predefined laws. A physics-consistent projection layer within PCNO efficiently computes mass and momentum conservation in
Fourier space. Building upon deterministic predictions, we further propose a
diffusion model-enhanced PCNO (DiffPCNO), which leverages a consistency model to quantify and mitigate uncertainties, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of forecasts. PCNO and DiffPCNO achieve high-fidelity spatiotemporal predictions while preserving physical consistency and uncertainty across diverse systems and spatial resolutions, ranging from turbulent flow modeling to real-world flood/atmospheric
forecasting. Our two-stage framework provides a robust and versatile approach for accurate, physically grounded, and uncertainty-aware spatiotemporal
forecasting.
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All authors Qingsong Xu, Jonathan L Bamber, Nils Thuerey, Niklas Boers, Paul Bates, Gustau Camps-Valls, Yilei Shi, Xiao Xiang Zhu
History and Philosophy of Physics · Cross-listed from quant-ph
Quantum Interference and the Limits of Separability
Sebastian Horvat
Quantum theory implies, and empirical evidence confirms, that while particles $\textit{can}$ exhibit wave-like behavior in interferometric experiments, this behavior is so limited as $\textit{not}$ to allow for third- and higher-order interference. The article at hand shows that this possibility-impossibility structure suggests the universal validity of a principle that regulates statistical correlations between spatiotemporally localized events, $\textit{independently}$ of the nature of the objects that may or may not partake in these events. Roughly, the said principle mandates that $\textit{any}$ joint influence of $m$ mutually spacelike separated events on $\textit{another}$ event, be such, that it can be separated by $\textit{at least}$ $\lceil \frac{m}{2} \rceil$ mediating events, and in some cases, by $\textit{no more}$ than $\lceil \frac{m}{2} \rceil$ mediating events. The structure of
quantum interference thus teaches us that events can influence each other in a non-separable fashion, but that this non-separability has a certain exactly quantifiable limit.
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Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics · Cross-listed from astro-ph.SR
Parametrisation of the wave-zonal flow interactions taking into account the full Coriolis acceleration. The necessity of going beyond the traditional approximation in the sub-inertial regime and in weakly stratified regions
Stéphane Mathis
From the Earth's atmosphere and oceans to
stellar radiation zones, inertia-
gravity waves, which are called gravito-inertial waves (hereafter GIWs) in Astrophysics, are transporting momentum and mixing matter when they are damped through heat and viscous
diffusions and when they break. Their short-time scale dynamics is governed by the buoyancy force and the Coriolis acceleration. Because of the transport they trigger, they modify the long-term
evolution of the large-scale planetary atmospheric (oceanic) circulation and of the structure and rotation of
stars. In many state-of-the-art models, the so-called Traditional Approximation of Rotation (hereafter denoted TAR), where the local projection of the rotation vector along the horizontal direction is neglected, is assumed. We aim to identify the applicability regime of this approximation and to propose a non-traditional parametrisation of wave - zonal flow interactions, in which the full Coriolis acceleration is taken into account. We build a prototype local non-traditional Cartesian model in which we take into account the full Coriolis acceleration, buoyancy, and heat and viscous
diffusions. On the one hand, the TAR is strongly underestimating GIWs damping in the sub-inertial regime. In this regime a non-traditional modelling must be adopted to predict the correct altitude where momentum is deposited, which is closer to the excitation region of waves than the one predicted using the TAR. On the other hand, non-traditional modellings of GIWs convective and shear-induced breakings are proposed. Taking into account the full Coriolis acceleration leads to a stronger inhibition of the efficiency of the convective and shear-induced overturnings and to a weaker transport than those predicted when assuming the TAR. Finally, a fully non-traditional parametrisation of GIWs - mean zonal flows interaction is derived.
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Biological Physics
Mechanical Evidence of the impossibility of directed motion of Trypanosoma cruzi towards preferred organs in the Human Body, a simulation 2D model within a laminar flow
Alberto-Mario Castillo and Gabriel Villalobos
The movement of the infective form of the T. Cruzi parasite within the human blood is not completely understood.
Video microscopy observations confirm forward motility of the protozoa and relate it to the deformation of the body, nonetheless there are open questions relating the deformation of the protozoan with its motion in blood, for which a computational model would be very helpful. Hereby we introduce a simple computational 2D model to test whether it is mechanistically possible for the parasite to direct its movement through the blood stream towards preferred organs in the bloodstream. We model the infective form of the T. cruzi, the causative
agent of Chagas disease; by means of a network of harmonic springs that represents its body, without explicitly modeling the flagellum. We coupled this with a particle model of a laminar fluid flow, which we implemented using the Dissipative Particles Dynamics method. Our parasite model swims on still fluid, its center of mass displacement being larger than the end to end deformation. Laminar flow dragged the model parasite of the order of 5 $\mu m$; having minor effects on its structure. The parasite model does not exhibit directed motion in a moving fluid, suggesting that the large-scale displacement of the real parasite is not attributable to its own motility but is instead caused by it being dragged by the flow. We highlight two potential improvements for the model: incorporating the capacity to describe 3D motion and including a specific depiction of the flagellum.
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Physics and Society
Urban Planning in 3D with a Two-tier LUTI model
Flora Roumpani, Joel Dearden and Alan Wilson
The two-tier Lowry model brings dynamic simulations of population and employment directly into the planning process. By linking regional modelling with neighbourhood design, the framework enables planners to explore how alternative planning scenarios may evolve over time. The upper tier captures regional flows of people, jobs, and services, while the lower tier allocates these to fine-grain zones such as neighbourhoods or parcels. Implemented in CityEngine, the approach allows interactive visualisation and evaluation of multi-scale scenarios. A case study in South Yorkshire (UK) illustrates how regional forecasts can be translated into local design responses, connecting quantitative modelling with 3D spatial planning.
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Applied Physics
Phononic Combs in Lithium Niobate Acoustic Resonators
Ian Anderson, Jack Kramer, Tzu-Hsuan Hsu et al. (+3 more)
Frequency combs consist of a spectrum of evenly spaced spectral lines. Optical frequency combs enable technologies ranging from timing,
LiDAR, and ultra-stable signal sources. Microwave frequency combs are analogous to optical frequency combs, but often leverage electronic nonlinearity for comb generation. Generating microwave frequency combs using piezoelectric mechanical resonators would enable this behavior in a more compact form factor, thanks to the shorter acoustic wavelengths. In this work, we demonstrate a microwave frequency comb leveraging thermal nonlinearity in high quality factor ($Q$) overmoded acoustic resonators in thin film lithium niobate. By providing input power at 257 MHz, which is the sum frequency of two acoustic modes at 86 MHz and 171 MHz, we generate parametric down conversion and comb generation. We explore the nonlinear mixing regimes and the associated conditions for comb generation. Comb spacing is observed to vary significantly with drive frequency and power, and its general behavior is found to rely heavily on initial conditions. This demonstration showcases the potential for further improvement in compact and efficient microwave frequency combs, leveraging nonlinear acoustic resonators.
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All authors Ian Anderson, Jack Kramer, Tzu-Hsuan Hsu, Yinan Wang, Vakhtang Chulukhadze, Ruochen Lu