Langevin diamagnetic susceptibility 2026-10-25
For identical isotropic closed-shell atoms of number density , with electrons and mean squared radius per electron, the quadratic magnetic field energy is . It follows from the term with . Differentiating the energy with respect to field and using yields the negative SI volume magnetic susceptibility. For helium, ; combining it with the independent spin-one-half nuclear response gives a density-independent sign-change scale .
Langmuir mica adsorption experiment 2026-10-18
In 1918, Irving Langmuir measured adsorption using freshly split mica strips, handled at their edges, separated by iron spacers and held with brass fasteners. A glass bulb contained the bundle; a similar blank contained matching iron and brass but no mica. Evacuated glass connections, Mercury seals, liquid air traps, and McLeod gauges provided controlled gas handling. Calibrated compartment volumes and pressure readings before and after expansion gave free-gas amounts; their deficit indicated uptake. Lowering pressure and measuring released gas tested desorption.[ref]
The Adsorption of Gases on Plane Surfaces of Glass, Mica and Platinum by Irving Langmuir. Langmuir 1918, printed pp. 1376–1377: Experiments with Mica, preparation, blank, apparatus and Methods I–II
Hydrogen blank runs calibrated cooling-related pressure differences. Irving Langmuir pre-cooled the bulbs to reduce thermal delay; he suggested slow diffusion between strips could control the remaining approach to equilibrium. Critically, blank uptake was not subtracted: he estimated the mica-bulb results were 10–30% too high. Liquid air temperature drift was unrecorded. These limits constrain inference of intrinsic binding from the uptake curve. The paper's pressure unit called “bar” was , unlike the modern bar used above.[ref]
The Adsorption of Gases on Plane Surfaces of Glass, Mica and Platinum by Irving Langmuir. Langmuir 1918, printed p. 1365: pressure-unit definition; pp. 1377–1378: cooling calibration; p. 1381: equilibration; p. 1385: blank bias and bath drift
Lattice gas Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-10-20
A lattice gas describes particle positions by occupations of fixed cells. In the single-occupancy model, and . Its grand canonical partition function sums configurations with weight . Discretizing a classical position integral into cells of volume gives , with thermal de Broglie wavelength .
Lattice gauge theory Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-10-20
A formulation of a gauge theory with discretized spacetime. Matter fields are assigned to sites and gauge-group elements to links between nearby sites. Products of link variables around closed paths provide gauge-invariant quantities. This structure preserves the local gauge symmetry while making nonperturbative numerical calculations possible. Physical predictions require control of finite spacing, finite volume and statistical errors rather than treating one finite grid as the continuum theory.
Lattice parallelepiped 2026-10-20
Lattice QCD Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-10-20
Lattice QCD is a lattice gauge theory formulation of Quantum chromodynamics. A Euclidean path integral on a discrete spacetime lattice provides a route to computing hadron observables numerically, particularly when weak-coupling expansions are inadequate. Physical predictions require control of lattice spacing, finite spatial volume and quark-mass effects.
Left ventricle 2026-10-31
Linear flow 2026-10-14
For a constant real square matrix , the autonomous differential equation has the linear flow , where is the matrix exponential. The identity gives the flow map composition law, and reverses the evolution. Its determinant is , so the matrix trace gives the instantaneous fractional rate of volume change, as illustrated in trace and local volume change. A zero trace preserves volume even when the flow stretches one direction and contracts another.
Linear-gradient isopycnic focusing 2026-10-14
Why does an isopycnic centrifugation band return after displacement? Choose a dilute mathematical model with outward coordinate , constant local centrifugal acceleration , fixed displaced volume , linear friction coefficient , and an imposed liquid density with . Treat the species' buoyant density as constant in this medium. The sedimentation coefficient force balance gives the ordinary differential equationIts exponential function solution is . The sign of the velocity reverses across , proving stable equilibrium when lies inside the liquid. Changing changes the approach time , while depends on buoyant density and the imposed density gradient. A real centrifuge rotor has radially varying centrifugal acceleration; the constant- approximation describes a short radial interval. Here the density gradient is held fixed, rather than modeling its formation.
For an original dimensionless example, let and , where is column length and a chosen time scale. Write and , so . Species A and B have the same but different friction-dependent rates: and . A moves outward and B inward, both toward . Species C has and approaches a separate band at . At , their positions are approximately , and : a finite-time photograph would still show A short of its limiting position.
An equilibrium band has finite width because diffusion opposes focusing. In the same local model, let be concentration and let the constant diffusion coefficient be . Combining the restoring drift with Fick's laws, zero net flux requiresDividing by and integrating proves the Gaussian function profile, whose standard deviation is . This local result assumes that the band is narrow relative to its distance from the boundaries and that , and the density gradient vary negligibly across it. Equal buoyant densities therefore imply coincident centers in this model, not identical widths. A band outside the available density range has no such interior restoring point.
Linearly elastic balloon discharge Created 2026-10-07 Updated 2026-10-14
An inviscid uniform tube plug driven by entrance excess pressure obeys and . From rest, the first zero of occurs after a quarter harmonic period, independent of its initial volume. The maximum speed is proportional to that initial volume. Entrance losses, a reservoir kinetic head or independently prescribed initial flow change this ideal model.
Linear mass density Created 2026-10-14 Updated 2026-10-18
Linearize at , , , and zero reaction. With displacement gradient and temperature increment , one has andwhere , and at the reference state. The temperature factor converts this entropy coefficient to a volumetric heat capacity: . Strictly constant volume is the case .
Line current Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
A line current idealizes an electric current as flowing along a curve; its current-density volume integral reduces to along that curve.
Lipid vesicle 2026-10-06
A lipid vesicle is a closed lipid bilayer enclosing fluid. Its shape and thermal membrane undulations depend on membrane tension, membrane bending modulus, and constraints such as fixed enclosed volume.
Liquid 2026-10-14
Local density of states 2026-10-18
The local density of states resolves the density of states by position as well as energy. With a consistent counting of spin states, its integral over the specimen's volume gives the total density of states, . It describes the spatial distribution of available states, rather than their occupation.
A constant-tension slender viscous thread loses the same cross-sectional area along each material element: . Volume conservation gives material stretch . Near an isolated quadratic minimum of , integration over a shrinking material width proportional to gives total extension exponent . A uniformly thin thread has the same divergent stretch everywhere and exponent . The localized coefficient is independent of remote endpoints.
Local Joule heating rate 2026-10-14
The electric field does work on matter at local power per volumeHere is current density and the dot product includes the relative direction. Positive means energy passes from the field to matter; negative means matter supplies energy to the field. In general this is a work rate, not automatically an irreversible heating rate.[ref]
For a stationary isotropic Ohmic conductor with real scalar electrical conductivity , local Ohm's law gives . Thus the local Joule heating rate isThe electrical resistivity has units , and electrical conductivity has units . These formulas use the material's rest frame and dissipative conduction current density. Moving media, complex conductivity, and additional storage or transport processes require their appropriate energy balance rather than this scalar substitution.
For uniform current in a straight homogeneous wire of length , wire cross-sectional area and constant electrical conductivity, , and . The volume integral recovers terminal power:As a numerical check, the wire already used in electrical resistance has , , and . It gives , and , agreeing with and . Concentrating the same electric current in a smaller wire cross-sectional area therefore raises the local heating rate if electrical resistivity stays fixed.
Log-concave probability density Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
A probability density is log-concave when its logarithm is a concave function on its support. Tangent lines to a differentiable concave log density lie above its graph, giving exponential envelopes for rejection sampling.
Lorentz force density Created 2026-09-25 Updated 2026-09-29
