Contrarian Majority Rule Model with External Oscillating Propaganda and Individual Inertias.

We study the Galam majority rule dynamics with contrarian behavior and an oscillating external propaganda in a population of agents that can adopt one of two possible opinions. In an iteration step, a random agent interacts with three other random agents and takes the majority opinion among the agents with probability p(t) (majority behavior) or the opposite opinion with probability 1-p(t) (contrarian behavior). The probability of following the majority rule p(t) varies with the temperature T and is coupled to a time-dependent oscillating field that mimics a mass media propaganda, in a way that agents are more likely to adopt the majority opinion when it is aligned with the sign of the field. We investigate the dynamics of this model on a complete graph and find various regimes as T is varied. A transition temperature Tc separates a bimodal oscillatory regime for TTc in which m oscillates around zero. These regimes are characterized by the distribution of residence times that exhibit a unique peak for a resonance temperature T*, where the response of the system is maximum. An insight into these results is given by a mean-field approach, which also shows that T* and Tc are closely related.

Contrarian Voter Model under the Influence of an Oscillating Propaganda: Consensus, Bimodal Behavior and Stochastic Resonance.

We study the contrarian voter model for opinion formation in a society under the influence of an external oscillating propaganda and stochastic noise. Each agent of the population can hold one of two possible opinions on a given issue­against or in favor­and interacts with its neighbors following either an imitation dynamics (voter behavior) or an anti-alignment dynamics (contrarian behavior): each agent adopts the opinion of a random neighbor with a time-dependent probability p(t), or takes the opposite opinion with probability 1−p(t). The imitation probability p(t) is controlled by the social temperature T, and varies in time according to a periodic field that mimics the influence of an external propaganda, so that a voter is more prone to adopt an opinion aligned with the field. We simulate the model in complete graph and in lattices, and find that the system exhibits a rich variety of behaviors as T is varied: opinion consensus for T=0, a bimodal behavior for TTc, and full disorder for T≫1. The transition temperature Tc vanishes with the population size N as Tc≃2/lnN in complete graph. In addition, the distribution of residence times tr in the bimodal phase decays approximately as tr−3/2. Within the oscillatory regime, we find a stochastic resonance-like phenomenon at a given temperature T*. Furthermore, mean-field analytical results show that the opinion oscillations reach a maximum amplitude at an intermediate temperature, and that exhibit a lag with respect to the field that decreases with T.

Monte Carlo simulation of elongating metallic nanowires in the presence of surfactants.

Nanowires of different metals undergoing elongation were studied by means of canonical Monte Carlo simulations and the embedded atom method representing the interatomic potentials. The presence of a surfactant medium was emulated by the introduction of an additional stabilization energy, represented by a parameter Q. Several values of the parameter Q and temperatures were analyzed. In general, it was observed for all studied metals that, as Q increases, there is a greater elongation before the nanowire breaks. In the case of silver, linear monatomic chains several atoms long formed at intermediate values of Q and low temperatures. Similar observations were made for the case of silver-gold alloys when the medium interacted selectively with Ag.

Inter-domain interactions in charged lipid monolayers.

Phase coexistence is common in model biomembranes with the presence of domains formed by lipids in a dense phase state modulating lateral diffusion of species through hydrodynamic and electrostatic interactions. In this study, interdomain interactions in monolayers of charged surfactants were analyzed and compared with neutral systems. Interactions were investigated at different interdomain distances and by varying the ionic strength (I) of the subphase. At low percentages of condensed area (%Ac), i.e., high interdomain distances, domains were approximated as point charges or dipoles, and a comparison between the simulated and experimental results was made. At high %Ac, domains were arranged in a distorted hexagonal lattice, and the energy of a domain around its equilibrium position in the lattice was modeled using a harmonic potential and the spring constant determined. On subphases of high I, charged domains interacted in a manner similar to neutral domains with domain motion being precluded at high percentages of condensed area. At low I, a higher interdomain repulsion was observed along with a lower domain motion and, therefore, a higher apparent viscosity at comparable %Ac. Interestingly, this effect was observed at conditions where the Debye-Hückel length was still 2 orders lower than the interdomain distances.