In terms of the packing fraction the total number of non-native contacts is MA = Mη(1 − Q) , (A.1) where η is the packing fraction of non-native polymer surrounding the dense (η = 1) native core. The mean-field configurational entropy of a self-avoiding polymer of n links with packing fraction η is given by [62, 63] S SA c (η) n = ln ν e − 1 − η η ln (1 − η) (A.2) The conformational entropy of ...

In 1611 Kepler proposed that the densest packing of spheres could be achieved by stacking close-packed planes of spheres. In such a packing, the spheres occupy π/ √ 18 ≈74.05% of space. The Kepler conjecture was (almost certainly) proved in 1998 by Thomas Hales. When we pour a large number of equal-sized spheres in a container and shake them down, we do not obtain the Kepler packing. Rather a d...

Three-dimensional discrete numerical simulation is used to investigate the properties of close-packed frictionless granular assemblies as a function of particle polydispersity and shape. Unlike some experimental results, simulations show that disordered packings of pinacoids (eight-face convex polyhedra) achieve higher solid fraction values than amorphous packings of spherical or rounded partic...

The question of whether the known virial coefficients are enough to determine the packing fraction η(∞) at which the fluid equation of state of a hard-sphere fluid diverges is addressed. It is found that the information derived from the direct Padé approximants to the compressibility factor constructed with the virial coefficients is inconclusive. An alternative approach is proposed which makes...

Particle tracking and displacement covariance matrix techniques are employed to investigate the phonon dispersion relations of two-dimensional colloidal glasses composed of soft, thermoresponsive microgel particles whose temperature-sensitive size permits in situ variation of particle packing fraction. Bulk, B, and shear, G, moduli of the colloidal glasses are extracted from the dispersion rela...

A field theory of frictionless grain packings in two dimensions is shown to exhibit a zero-temperature critical point at a nonzero value of the packing fraction. The zero-temperature constraint of force balance plays a crucial role in determining the nature of the transition. Two order parameters, , the deviation of the average number of contacts from the isostatic value, and , the aver...