23,538 research outputs found
Scaling behavior of interactions in a modular quantum system and the existence of local temperature
We consider a quantum system of fixed size consisting of a regular chain of
-level subsystems, where is finite. Forming groups of subsystems
each, we show that the strength of interaction between the groups scales with
. As a consequence, if the total system is in a thermal state with
inverse temperature , a sufficient condition for subgroups of size
to be approximately in a thermal state with the same temperature is , where is the width of the occupied
level spectrum of the total system. These scaling properties indicate on what
scale local temperatures may be meaningfully defined as intensive variables.
This question is particularly relevant for non-equilibrium scenarios such as
heat conduction etc.Comment: 7 pages, accepted for publication in Europhysics Letter
Analysis of the loop length distribution for the negative weight percolation problem in dimensions d=2 through 6
We consider the negative weight percolation (NWP) problem on hypercubic
lattice graphs with fully periodic boundary conditions in all relevant
dimensions from d=2 to the upper critical dimension d=6. The problem exhibits
edge weights drawn from disorder distributions that allow for weights of either
sign. We are interested in in the full ensemble of loops with negative weight,
i.e. non-trivial (system spanning) loops as well as topologically trivial
("small") loops. The NWP phenomenon refers to the disorder driven proliferation
of system spanning loops of total negative weight. While previous studies where
focused on the latter loops, we here put under scrutiny the ensemble of small
loops. Our aim is to characterize -using this extensive and exhaustive
numerical study- the loop length distribution of the small loops right at and
below the critical point of the hypercubic setups by means of two independent
critical exponents. These can further be related to the results of previous
finite-size scaling analyses carried out for the system spanning loops. For the
numerical simulations we employed a mapping of the NWP model to a combinatorial
optimization problem that can be solved exactly by using sophisticated matching
algorithms. This allowed us to study here numerically exact very large systems
with high statistics.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, paper summary available at
http://www.papercore.org/Kajantie2000. arXiv admin note: substantial text
overlap with arXiv:1003.1591, arXiv:1005.5637, arXiv:1107.174
Negative-weight percolation
We describe a percolation problem on lattices (graphs, networks), with edge
weights drawn from disorder distributions that allow for weights (or distances)
of either sign, i.e. including negative weights. We are interested whether
there are spanning paths or loops of total negative weight. This kind of
percolation problem is fundamentally different from conventional percolation
problems, e.g. it does not exhibit transitivity, hence no simple definition of
clusters, and several spanning paths/loops might coexist in the percolation
regime at the same time. Furthermore, to study this percolation problem
numerically, one has to perform a non-trivial transformation of the original
graph and apply sophisticated matching algorithms.
Using this approach, we study the corresponding percolation transitions on
large square, hexagonal and cubic lattices for two types of disorder
distributions and determine the critical exponents. The results show that
negative-weight percolation is in a different universality class compared to
conventional bond/site percolation. On the other hand, negative-weight
percolation seems to be related to the ferromagnet/spin-glass transition of
random-bond Ising systems, at least in two dimensions.Comment: v1: 4 pages, 4 figures; v2: 10 pages, 7 figures, added results, text
and reference
Magnetized Non-linear Thin Shell Instability: Numerical Studies in 2D
We revisit the analysis of the Non-linear Thin Shell Instability (NTSI)
numerically, including magnetic fields. The magnetic tension force is expected
to work against the main driver of the NTSI -- namely transverse momentum
transport. However, depending on the field strength and orientation, the
instability may grow. For fields aligned with the inflow, we find that the NTSI
is suppressed only when the Alfv\'en speed surpasses the (supersonic)
velocities generated along the collision interface. Even for fields
perpendicular to the inflow, which are the most effective at preventing the
NTSI from developing, internal structures form within the expanding slab
interface, probably leading to fragmentation in the presence of self-gravity or
thermal instabilities. High Reynolds numbers result in local turbulence within
the perturbed slab, which in turn triggers reconnection and dissipation of the
excess magnetic flux. We find that when the magnetic field is initially aligned
with the flow, there exists a (weak) correlation between field strength and gas
density. However, for transverse fields, this correlation essentially vanishes.
In light of these results, our general conclusion is that instabilities are
unlikely to be erased unless the magnetic energy in clouds is much larger than
the turbulent energy. Finally, while our study is motivated by the scenario of
molecular cloud formation in colliding flows, our results span a larger range
of applicability, from supernovae shells to colliding stellar winds.Comment: 12 pages, 17 figures, some of them at low resolution. Submitted to
ApJ, comments welcom
Reply to the Comment on `Glassy Transition in a Disordered Model for the RNA Secondary Structure'
We reply to the Comment by Hartmann (cond-mat/9908132) on our paper Phys.
Rev. Lett. 84 (2000) 2026 (also cond-mat/9907125).Comment: 1 page, no figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let
Gamma ray constraints on the galactic supernova rate
Monte Carlo simulations of the expected gamma-ray signatures of galactic supernovae of all types are performed in order to estimate the significance of the lack of a gamma-ray signal due to supernovae occurring during the last millenium. Using recent estimates of nuclear yields, we determine galactic supernova rates consistent with the historic supernova record and the gamma-ray limits. Another objective of these calculations of galactic supernova histories is their application to surveys of diffuse galactic gamma-ray line emission
On Which Length Scales Can Temperature Exist in Quantum Systems?
We consider a regular chain of elementary quantum systems with nearest
neighbor interactions and assume that the total system is in a canonical state
with temperature . We analyze under what condition the state factors into a
product of canonical density matrices with respect to groups of subsystems
each, and when these groups have the same temperature . While in classical
mechanics the validity of this procedure only depends on the size of the groups
, in quantum mechanics the minimum group size also depends
on the temperature ! As examples, we apply our analysis to different types
of Heisenberg spin chains.Comment: To appear in: Proceedings of the SPQS conference, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn.
74 (2005) Supp
Evidence for a Galactic gamma ray halo
We present quantitative statistical evidence for a -ray emission halo
surrounding the Galaxy. Maps of the emission are derived. EGRET data were
analyzed in a wavelet-based non-parametric hypothesis testing framework, using
a model of expected diffuse (Galactic + isotropic) emission as a null
hypothesis. The results show a statistically significant large scale halo
surrounding the center of the Milky Way as seen from Earth. The halo flux at
high latitudes is somewhat smaller than the isotropic gamma-ray flux at the
same energy, though of the same order (O(10^(-7)--10^(-6)) ph/cm^2/s/sr above 1
GeV).Comment: Final version accepted for publication in New Astronomy. Some
additional results/discussion included, along with entirely revised figures.
19 pages, 15 figures, AASTeX. Better quality figs (PS and JPEG) are available
at http://tigre.ucr.edu/halo/paper.htm
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