96 research outputs found
Quantum dynamics and breakdown of classical realism in nonlinear oscillators
The dynamics of a quantum nonlinear oscillator is studied in terms of its
quasi-flow, a dynamical mapping of the classical phase plane that represents
the time-evolution of the quantum observables. Explicit expressions are derived
for the deformation of the classical flow by the quantum nonlinearity in the
semiclassical limit. The breakdown of the classical trajectories under the
quantum nonlinear dynamics is quantified by the mismatch of the quasi-flow
carried by different observables. It is shown that the failure of classical
realism can give rise to a dynamical violation of Bell's inequalities.Comment: RevTeX 4 pages, no figure
Star products made (somewhat) easier
We develop an approach to the deformation quantization on the real plane with
an arbitrary Poisson structure which based on Weyl symmetrically ordered
operator products. By using a polydifferential representation for deformed
coordinates we are able to formulate a simple and effective
iterative procedure which allowed us to calculate the fourth order star product
(and may be extended to the fifth order at the expense of tedious but otherwise
straightforward calculations). Modulo some cohomology issues which we do not
consider here, the method gives an explicit and physics-friendly description of
the star products.Comment: 20 pages, v2, v3: comments and references adde
Population Maintenance of the Scyphozoan Cyanea sp. Settled Planulae and the Distribution of Medusae in the Niantic River, Connecticut, USA
Scyphozoan jellyfish are seasonally conspicuous in coastal waters, but relatively little is known about the factors that control their distribution and population dynamics.Cyanea sp is a seasonally abundant medusa in the Niantic River, Connecticut, U.S. and appears to maintain a population entirely within the estuary. To better understand the factors controlling their occurrence, we examined the temporal and spatial distribution of settled scyphistomae in relation to that of the medusae. Planula settlement patterns mirrored the presence of mature female medusae. The planulae settled primarily near the bottom. After settlement, planulacysts and polyps on the settlement plates were out competed by large barnacle and ascidian larvae, resulting in a sharp decline in cyst and polyp abundance. This stage-specific mortality may represent a population bottleneck in the life cycle of scyphozoans
Moyal star product approach to the Bohr-Sommerfeld approximation
The Bohr-Sommerfeld approximation to the eigenvalues of a one-dimensional
quantum Hamiltonian is derived through order (i.e., including the
first correction term beyond the usual result) by means of the Moyal star
product. The Hamiltonian need only have a Weyl transform (or symbol) that is a
power series in , starting with , with a generic fixed point in
phase space. The Hamiltonian is not restricted to the kinetic-plus-potential
form. The method involves transforming the Hamiltonian to a normal form, in
which it becomes a function of the harmonic oscillator Hamiltonian.
Diagrammatic and other techniques with potential applications to other normal
form problems are presented for manipulating higher order terms in the Moyal
series.Comment: 27 pages, no figure
Wigner's Dynamical Transition State Theory in Phase Space: Classical and Quantum
A quantum version of transition state theory based on a quantum normal form
(QNF) expansion about a saddle-centre-...-centre equilibrium point is
presented. A general algorithm is provided which allows one to explictly
compute QNF to any desired order. This leads to an efficient procedure to
compute quantum reaction rates and the associated Gamov-Siegert resonances. In
the classical limit the QNF reduces to the classical normal form which leads to
the recently developed phase space realisation of Wigner's transition state
theory. It is shown that the phase space structures that govern the classical
reaction d ynamicsform a skeleton for the quantum scattering and resonance
wavefunctions which can also be computed from the QNF. Several examples are
worked out explicitly to illustrate the efficiency of the procedure presented.Comment: 132 pages, 31 figures, corrected version, Nonlinearity, 21 (2008)
R1-R11
Dissipative Chaos in Semiconductor Superlattices
We consider the motion of ballistic electrons in a miniband of a
semiconductor superlattice (SSL) under the influence of an external,
time-periodic electric field. We use the semi-classical balance-equation
approach which incorporates elastic and inelastic scattering (as dissipation)
and the self-consistent field generated by the electron motion. The coupling of
electrons in the miniband to the self-consistent field produces a cooperative
nonlinear oscillatory mode which, when interacting with the oscillatory
external field and the intrinsic Bloch-type oscillatory mode, can lead to
complicated dynamics, including dissipative chaos. For a range of values of the
dissipation parameters we determine the regions in the amplitude-frequency
plane of the external field in which chaos can occur. Our results suggest that
for terahertz external fields of the amplitudes achieved by present-day free
electron lasers, chaos may be observable in SSLs. We clarify the nature of this
novel nonlinear dynamics in the superlattice-external field system by exploring
analogies to the Dicke model of an ensemble of two-level atoms coupled with a
resonant cavity field and to Josephson junctions.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figure
A pilot study of Aboriginal health promotion from an ecological perspective
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>For health promotion to be effective in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, interventions (and their evaluation) need to work within a complex social environment and respect Indigenous knowledge, culture and social systems. At present, there is a lack of culturally appropriate evaluation methods available to practitioners that are capable of capturing this complexity. As an initial response to this problem, we used two non-invasive methods to evaluate a community-directed health promotion program, which aimed to improve nutrition and physical activity for members of the Aboriginal community of the Goulburn-Murray region of northern Victoria, Australia. The study addressed two main questions. First, for members of an Aboriginal sporting club, what changes were made to the nutrition environment in which they meet and how is this related to national guidelines for minimising the risk of chronic disease? Second, to what degree was the overall health promotion program aligned with an ecological model of health promotion that addresses physical, social and policy environments as well as individual knowledge and behaviour?</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Rather than monitoring individual outcomes, evaluation methods reported on here assessed change in the nutrition environment (sports club food supply) as a facilitator of dietary change and the 'ecological' nature of the overall program (that is, its complexity with respect to numbers of targets, settings and strategies).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were favourable changes towards the provision of a food supply consistent with Australian guidelines at the sports club. The ecological analysis indicated that the design and implementation of the program were consistent with an ecological model of health promotion.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The evaluation was useful for assessing the impact of the program on the nutrition environment and for understanding the ecological nature of program activities.</p
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