A Note on the Diagonalization of the Discrete Fourier Transform

Following the approach developed by S. Gurevich and R. Hadani, an analytical formula of the canonical basis of the DFT is given for the case $N=p$ where $p$ is a prime number and $p\equiv 1$ (mod 4).Comment: 12 pages, accepted by Applied and Computational Harmonic Analysi

On the diagonalization of the discrete Fourier transform

The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is an important operator which acts on the Hilbert space of complex valued functions on the ring Z/NZ. In the case where N=p is an odd prime number, we exhibit a canonical basis of eigenvectors for the DFT. The transition matrix from the standard basis to the canonical basis defines a novel transform which we call the discrete oscillator transform (DOT for short). Finally, we describe a fast algorithm for computing the discrete oscillator transform in certain cases.Comment: Accepted for publication in the journal "Applied and Computational Harmonic Analysis": Appl. Comput. Harmon. Anal. (2009), doi:10.1016/j.acha.2008.11.003. Key words: Discrete Fourier Transform, Weil Representation, Canonical Eigenvectors, Oscillator Transform, Fast Oscillator Transfor

Efficient Quantum Transforms

Quantum mechanics requires the operation of quantum computers to be unitary, and thus makes it important to have general techniques for developing fast quantum algorithms for computing unitary transforms. A quantum routine for computing a generalized Kronecker product is given. Applications include re-development of the networks for computing the Walsh-Hadamard and the quantum Fourier transform. New networks for two wavelet transforms are given. Quantum computation of Fourier transforms for non-Abelian groups is defined. A slightly relaxed definition is shown to simplify the analysis and the networks that computes the transforms. Efficient networks for computing such transforms for a class of metacyclic groups are introduced. A novel network for computing a Fourier transform for a group used in quantum error-correction is also given.Comment: 30 pages, LaTeX2e, 7 figures include

Linear approach to the orbiting spacecraft thermal problem

We develop a linear method for solving the nonlinear differential equations of a lumped-parameter thermal model of a spacecraft moving in a closed orbit. Our method, based on perturbation theory, is compared with heuristic linearizations of the same equations. The essential feature of the linear approach is that it provides a decomposition in thermal modes, like the decomposition of mechanical vibrations in normal modes. The stationary periodic solution of the linear equations can be alternately expressed as an explicit integral or as a Fourier series. We apply our method to a minimal thermal model of a satellite with ten isothermal parts (nodes) and we compare the method with direct numerical integration of the nonlinear equations. We briefly study the computational complexity of our method for general thermal models of orbiting spacecraft and conclude that it is certainly useful for reduced models and conceptual design but it can also be more efficient than the direct integration of the equations for large models. The results of the Fourier series computations for the ten-node satellite model show that the periodic solution at the second perturbative order is sufficiently accurate.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, accepted in Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfe

Symmetry-Adapted Phonon Analysis of Nanotubes

The characteristics of phonons, i.e. linearized normal modes of vibration, provide important insights into many aspects of crystals, e.g. stability and thermodynamics. In this paper, we use the Objective Structures framework to make concrete analogies between crystalline phonons and normal modes of vibration in non-crystalline but highly symmetric nanostructures. Our strategy is to use an intermediate linear transformation from real-space to an intermediate space in which the Hessian matrix of second derivatives is block-circulant. The block-circulant nature of the Hessian enables us to then follow the procedure to obtain phonons in crystals: namely, we use the Discrete Fourier Transform from this intermediate space to obtain a block-diagonal matrix that is readily diagonalizable. We formulate this for general Objective Structures and then apply it to study carbon nanotubes of various chiralities that are subjected to axial elongation and torsional deformation. We compare the phonon spectra computed in the Objective Framework with spectra computed for armchair and zigzag nanotubes. We also demonstrate the approach by computing the Density of States. In addition to the computational efficiency afforded by Objective Structures in providing the transformations to almost-diagonalize the Hessian, the framework provides an important conceptual simplification to interpret the phonon curves.Comment: To appear in J. Mech. Phys. Solid