The long-range bond-percolation problem, on a linear chain (d = 1), in the presence of diluted sites (with an occupancy probability p s for an active site) is studied by means of a Monte Carlo simulation. The occupancy probability for a bond between two active sites i and j, separated by a distance r ij is given by p ij = <img width=32 height=32 id="_x0000_i1026" src="../../img/revistas/bjp/v33n3/a32img01.gif" align=absbottom>, where p represents the usual occupancy probability between nearest-neighbor sites. This model allows one to analyse the competition between long-range bonds (which enhance percolation) and diluted sites (which weaken percolation). By varying the parameter a (a > 0), one may find a crossover between a nonextensive regime and an extensive regime; in particular, the cases a = 0 and a ® ¥ represent, respectively, two well-known limits, namely, the mean-field (infinite-range bonds) and first-neighbor-bond limits. The percolation order parameter, P¥, was investigated numerically for different values of a and p s. Two characteristic values of a were found, which depend on the site-occupancy probability p s, namely, a1(p s) and a2(p s) (a2(p s) > a1(p s) > 0). The parameter P¥ equals unit, "p > 0, for 0 < a < a1(p s) and vanishes, "p < 1, for a > a2(p s). In the interval a1(p s) < a < a2(p s), the parameter P¥ displays a familiar behavior, i.e., 0 for p < p c(a) and finite otherwise. It is shown that both a1(p s) and a2(p s) decrease with the inclusion of diluted sites. For a fixed p s, it is shown that a convenient variable, p* º p*(p, a, N), may be defined in such a way that plots of P¥ versus p* collapse for different sizes and values of a in the nonextensive regime.

Recently a multifractal object, Qmf, was proposed to allow the study of percolation properties in a multifractal support. The area and the number of neighbors of the blocks of Qmf show a non-trivial behavior. The value of the probability of occupation at the percolation threshold, p c, is a function of r, a parameter of Qmf which is related to its anisotropy. We investigate the relation between p c and the average number of neighbors of the blocks as well as the anisotropy of Qmf.

Neste trabalho desenvolvemos um programa educativo versando sobre modos normais em uma cadeia de osciladores acoplados. O usuário do programa pode simular a evolução dinâmica de uma cadeia de osciladores escolhendo condições iniciais tanto em coordenadas cartesianas como em coordenadas normais. Focalizamos o efeito do desacoplamento do sistema de equações diferenciais (passagem de coordenadas cartesianas para coordenadas normais) sobre as trajetórias dos osciladores do ponto de vista da dinâmica qualitativa. Através das características da evolução dinâmica, quase-periodicidade ou periodicidade, o estudante ganha intuição sobre o significado das formas normais.

In this work we develop an educational software about normal modes in a chain of coupled oscillators. The software simulates the dynamical evolution of the system allowing to choose initial conditions in cartesian coordinates or in normal modes. We focus on the effect of decoupling the system of differential equations (transition from cartesian coordinates to normal modes) in the qualitative dynamics of the oscillators, either in the quasiperiodic or in the periodic regime. The purpose is to give the student some insights about the meaning of the normal modes.

A method for obtaining critical properties of physical systems is presented. Based on a recursive relation involving a physical parameter of the system, it drives the system spontaneously to the critical point, providing an efficient way to estimate critical properties. The method is illustrated for several ferromagnetic Ising systems on well-known Bravais lattices. A finite-size scaling approach is performed, by applying the method on lattices of different sizes. The efficiency of the method is confirmed by evaluating critical temperatures, as well as critical exponents, that turn up to be in good agreement with those available in the literature, with a relatively small computational effort.