15,652 research outputs found
On the propagation of semiclassical Wigner functions
We establish the difference between the propagation of semiclassical Wigner
functions and classical Liouville propagation. First we re-discuss the
semiclassical limit for the propagator of Wigner functions, which on its own
leads to their classical propagation. Then, via stationary phase evaluation of
the full integral evolution equation, using the semiclassical expressions of
Wigner functions, we provide the correct geometrical prescription for their
semiclassical propagation. This is determined by the classical trajectories of
the tips of the chords defined by the initial semiclassical Wigner function and
centered on their arguments, in contrast to the Liouville propagation which is
determined by the classical trajectories of the arguments themselves.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. To appear in J. Phys. A. This version matches the
one set to print and differs from the previous one (07 Nov 2001) by the
addition of two references, a few extra words of explanation and an augmented
figure captio
Uniform approximation for the overlap caustic of a quantum state with its translations
The semiclassical Wigner function for a Bohr-quantized energy eigenstate is
known to have a caustic along the corresponding classical closed phase space
curve in the case of a single degree of freedom. Its Fourier transform, the
semiclassical chord function, also has a caustic along the conjugate curve
defined as the locus of diameters, i.e. the maximal chords of the original
curve. If the latter is convex, so is its conjugate, resulting in a simple fold
caustic. The uniform approximation through this caustic, that is here derived,
describes the transition undergone by the overlap of the state with its
translation, from an oscillatory regime for small chords, to evanescent
overlaps, rising to a maximum near the caustic. The diameter-caustic for the
Wigner function is also treated.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
Chaos and a Resonance Mechanism for Structure Formation in Inflationary Models
We exhibit a resonance mechanism of amplification of density perturbations in
inflationary mo-dels, using a minimal set of ingredients (an effective
cosmological constant, a scalar field minimally coupled to the gravitational
field and matter), common to most models in the literature of inflation. This
mechanism is based on the structure of homoclinic cylinders, emanating from an
unstable periodic orbit in the neighborhood of a saddle-center critical point,
present in the phase space of the model. The cylindrical structure induces
oscillatory motions of the scales of the universe whenever the orbit visits the
neighborhood of the saddle-center, before the universe enters a period of
exponential expansion. The oscillations of the scale functions produce, by a
resonance mechanism, the amplification of a selected wave number spectrum of
density perturbations, and can explain the hierarchy of scales observed in the
actual universe. The transversal crossings of the homoclinic cylinders induce
chaos in the dynamics of the model, a fact intimately connected to the
resonance mechanism occuring immediately before the exit to inflation.Comment: 4 pages. This essay received an Honorable Mention from the Gravity
Research Foundation, 1998-Ed. To appear in Mod. Phys. Lett.
Regular string-like braneworlds
In this work, we propose a new class of smooth thick string-like braneworld
in six dimensions. The brane exhibits a varying brane-tension and an
asymptotic behavior. The brane-core geometry is parametrized by the Bulk
cosmological constant, the brane width and by a geometrical deformation
parameter. The source satisfies the dominant energy condition for the
undeformed solution and has an exotic asymptotic regime for the deformed
solution. This scenario provides a normalized massless Kaluza-Klein mode for
the scalar, gravitational and gauge sectors. The near-brane geometry allows
massive resonant modes at the brane for the state and nearby the brane for
.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Some modifications to match the published
version in EPJ
An affordable vehicle-mounted sensing solution for mobile air quality monitoring
This paper presents the first prototype of the Expo-LIS system and its preliminary laboratory and field experiments. The ExpoLIS system is composed of an affordable vehicle-mounted mobile sensor network and its supporting user-centred services whose aim is to provide citizens with real-time and dense spatiotemporal air quality data. A set of preliminary static laboratory experiments and dynamic field experiments were conducted, showing that the current prototype is already able to track changes in the air quality and provide citizens with access to these events via a mobile application.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Air quality mapping and visualisation: An affordable solution based on a vehicle-mounted sensor network
This paper describes a prototype of the ExpoLIS system, which aims at: (1) informing citizens regarding the air quality of their surroundings and how to cope with it (e.g., choosing commuting routes according to a health model); and (2) gathering dense spatiotemporal air quality data to support the empirical work of environmental experts. The system is composed of: (1) an affordable and custom vehicle-mounted sensor network for air quality monitoring; (2) a server to store, process, and map all gathered geo-referenced sensory data; and (3) a set of user-centred visualisation and prediction services tailored for citizens and environmental experts. Experimental validation of each component of the proposed system shows that the current prototype is capable of tracking spatiotemporal air quality changes and of providing users with access to these events via a set of interfaces. The results show evidence of a strong correlation in static situations (R2 of 0.96 for PM2.5) between the proposed low-cost all-weather system and a high-cost equipment with no weather protection. The results also show a weaker correlation (R2 of 0.57 for PM2.5), but still satisfactory, in dynamic settings. In short, this paper presents experimental evidence that supports the claim that the ExpoLIS system is feasible and valuable to both citizens and environmental scientists.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Decoherence of Semiclassical Wigner Functions
The Lindblad equation governs general markovian evolution of the density
operator in an open quantum system. An expression for the rate of change of the
Wigner function as a sum of integrals is one of the forms of the Weyl
representation for this equation. The semiclassical description of the Wigner
function in terms of chords, each with its classically defined amplitude and
phase, is thus inserted in the integrals, which leads to an explicit
differential equation for the Wigner function. All the Lindblad operators are
assumed to be represented by smooth phase space functions corresponding to
classical variables. In the case that these are real, representing hermitian
operators, the semiclassical Lindblad equation can be integrated. There results
a simple extension of the unitary evolution of the semiclassical Wigner
function, which does not affect the phase of each chord contribution, while
dampening its amplitude. This decreases exponentially, as governed by the time
integral of the square difference of the Lindblad functions along the classical
trajectories of both tips of each chord. The decay of the amplitudes is shown
to imply diffusion in energy for initial states that are nearly pure.
Projecting the Wigner function onto an orthogonal position or momentum basis,
the dampening of long chords emerges as the exponential decay of off-diagonal
elements of the density matrix.Comment: 23 pg, 2 fi
Ultimate periodicity of b-recognisable sets : a quasilinear procedure
It is decidable if a set of numbers, whose representation in a base b is a
regular language, is ultimately periodic. This was established by Honkala in
1986.
We give here a structural description of minimal automata that accept an
ultimately periodic set of numbers. We then show that it can verified in linear
time if a given minimal automaton meets this description.
This thus yields a O(n log(n)) procedure for deciding whether a general
deterministic automaton accepts an ultimately periodic set of numbers.Comment: presented at DLT 201
Semiclassical Evolution of Dissipative Markovian Systems
A semiclassical approximation for an evolving density operator, driven by a
"closed" hamiltonian operator and "open" markovian Lindblad operators, is
obtained. The theory is based on the chord function, i.e. the Fourier transform
of the Wigner function. It reduces to an exact solution of the Lindblad master
equation if the hamiltonian operator is a quadratic function and the Lindblad
operators are linear functions of positions and momenta.
Initially, the semiclassical formulae for the case of hermitian Lindblad
operators are reinterpreted in terms of a (real) double phase space, generated
by an appropriate classical double Hamiltonian. An extra "open" term is added
to the double Hamiltonian by the non-hermitian part of the Lindblad operators
in the general case of dissipative markovian evolution. The particular case of
generic hamiltonian operators, but linear dissipative Lindblad operators, is
studied in more detail. A Liouville-type equivariance still holds for the
corresponding classical evolution in double phase, but the centre subspace,
which supports the Wigner function, is compressed, along with expansion of its
conjugate subspace, which supports the chord function.
Decoherence narrows the relevant region of double phase space to the
neighborhood of a caustic for both the Wigner function and the chord function.
This difficulty is avoided by a propagator in a mixed representation, so that a
further "small-chord" approximation leads to a simple generalization of the
quadratic theory for evolving Wigner functions.Comment: 33 pages - accepted to J. Phys.
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