Lorentz's model with dissipative collisions

Propagation of a particle accelerated by an external field through a scattering medium is studied within the generalized Lorentz model allowing inelastic collisions. Energy losses at collisions are proportional to $(1-\alpha^{2})$, where $0\le\alpha\le 1$ is the restitution coefficient. For $\alpha =1$ (elastic collisions) there is no stationary state. It is proved in one dimension that when $\alpha <1$ the stationary state exists . The corresponding velocity distribution changes from a highly asymmetric half-gaussian ($\alpha =0$) to an asymptotically symmetric distribution $\sim {\rm exp}[-(1-\alpha)v^{4}/2]$, for $\alpha\to 1$. The identical scaling behavior in the limit of weak inelasticity is derived in three dimensions by a self-consistent perturbation analysis, in accordance with the behavior of rigorously evaluated moments. The dependence on the external field scales out in any dimension, predicting in particular the stationary current to be proportional to the square root of the external acceleration.Comment: 13 pages, no figures, submitted to Physica

Duality and spatial inhomogeneity

Within the framework on non-extensive thermostatistics we revisit the recently advanced q-duality concept. We focus our attention here on a modified q-entropic measure of the spatial inhomogeneity for binary patterns. At a fixed length-scale this measure exhibits a generalised duality that links appropriate pairs of q and q' values. The simplest q q' invariant function, without any free parameters, is deduced here. Within an adequate interval q < qo < q', in which the function reaches its maximum value at qo, this invariant function accurately approximates the investigated q-measure, nitidly evidencing the duality phenomenon. In the close vicinity of qo, the approximate meaningful relation q + q' = 2qo holds.Comment: Contribution to International School and Conference on "Non Extensive Thermodynamics and physical applications", Villasimius-Capo Boi (Cagliari), Italy, 23-30 May 2001, 6 pages, 2 figures, replaced with published versio

Entropic descriptor of a complex behaviour

We propose a new type of entropic descriptor that is able to quantify the statistical complexity (a measure of complex behaviour) by taking simultaneously into account the average departures of a system's entropy S from both its maximum possible value Smax and its minimum possible value Smin. When these two departures are similar to each other, the statistical complexity is maximal. We apply the new concept to the variability, over a range of length scales, of spatial or grey-level pattern arrangements in simple models. The pertinent results confirm the fact that a highly non-trivial, length-scale dependence of the entropic descriptor makes it an adequate complexity-measure, able to distinguish between structurally distinct configurational macrostates with the same degree of disorder.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, extended versio

The Bose gas beyond mean field

We study a homogeneous Bose gas with purely repulsive forces. Using the Kac scaling of the binary potential we derive analytically the form of the thermodynamic functions of the gas for small but finite values of the scaling parameter in the low density regime. In this way we determine dominant corrections to the mean-field theory. It turns out that repulsive forces increase the pressure at fixed density and decrease the density at given chemical potential (the temperature is kept constant). They also flatten the Bose momentum distribution. However, the present analysis cannot be extended to the region where the mean-field theory predicts the appearence of condensate.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure

Field induced stationary state for an accelerated tracer in a bath

Our interest goes to the behavior of a tracer particle, accelerated by a constant and uniform external field, when the energy injected by the field is redistributed through collision to a bath of unaccelerated particles. A non equilibrium steady state is thereby reached. Solutions of a generalized Boltzmann-Lorentz equation are analyzed analytically, in a versatile framework that embeds the majority of tracer-bath interactions discussed in the literature. These results --mostly derived for a one dimensional system-- are successfully confronted to those of three independent numerical simulation methods: a direct iterative solution, Gillespie algorithm, and the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo technique. We work out the diffusion properties as well as the velocity tails: large v, and either large -v, or v in the vicinity of its lower cutoff whenever the velocity distribution is bounded from below. Particular emphasis is put on the cold bath limit, with scatterers at rest, which plays a special role in our model.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures v3:minor corrections in sec.III and added reference

Search for universality in one-dimensional ballistic annihilation kinetics

We study the kinetics of ballistic annihilation for a one-dimensional ideal gas with continuous velocity distribution. A dynamical scaling theory for the long time behavior of the system is derived. Its validity is supported by extensive numerical simulations for several velocity distributions. This leads us to the conjecture that all the continuous velocity distributions \phi(v) which are symmetric, regular and such that \phi(0) does not vanish, are attracted in the long time regime towards the same Gaussian distribution and thus belong to the same universality class. Moreover, it is found that the particle density decays as n(t)~t^{-\alpha}, with \alpha=0.785 +/- 0.005.Comment: 8 pages, needs multicol, epsf and revtex. 8 postscript figures included. Submitted to Phys. Rev. E. Also avaiable at http://mykonos.unige.ch/~rey/publi.html#Secon

Anthologies of contemporary Polish poetry in English translation : paratexts, narratives, and the manipulation of national literatures

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