Orthogonal Polynomials from Hermitian Matrices

A unified theory of orthogonal polynomials of a discrete variable is presented through the eigenvalue problem of hermitian matrices of finite or infinite dimensions. It can be considered as a matrix version of exactly solvable Schr\"odinger equations. The hermitian matrices (factorisable Hamiltonians) are real symmetric tri-diagonal (Jacobi) matrices corresponding to second order difference equations. By solving the eigenvalue problem in two different ways, the duality relation of the eigenpolynomials and their dual polynomials is explicitly established. Through the techniques of exact Heisenberg operator solution and shape invariance, various quantities, the two types of eigenvalues (the eigenvalues and the sinusoidal coordinates), the coefficients of the three term recurrence, the normalisation measures and the normalisation constants etc. are determined explicitly.Comment: 53 pages, no figures. Several sentences and a reference are added. To be published in J. Math. Phy

Extension of Nikiforov-Uvarov Method for the Solution of Heun Equation

We report an alternative method to solve second order differential equations which have at most four singular points. This method is developed by changing the degrees of the polynomials in the basic equation of Nikiforov-Uvarov (NU) method. This is called extended NU method for this paper. The eigenvalue solutions of Heun equation and confluent Heun equation are obtained via extended NU method. Some quantum mechanical problems such as Coulomb problem on a 3-sphere, two Coulombically repelling electrons on a sphere and hyperbolic double-well potential are investigated by this method

Gravitating semirelativistic N-boson systems

Analytic energy bounds for N-boson systems governed by semirelativistic Hamiltonians of the form H=\sum_{i=1}^N(p_i^2 + m^2)^{1/2} - sum_{1=i<j}^N v/r_{ij}, with v>0, are derived by use of Jacobi relative coordinates. For gravity v=c/N, these bounds are substantially tighter than earlier bounds and they are shown to coincide with known results in the nonrelativistic limit.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures It is now proved that the reduced Hamiltonian is bounded below by the simple N/2 Hamiltonia

Rim curvature anomaly in thin conical sheets revisited

This paper revisits one of the puzzling behaviors in a developable cone (d-cone), the shape obtained by pushing a thin sheet into a circular container of radius $R$ by a distance $\eta$ [E. Cerda, S. Chaieb, F. Melo, and L. Mahadevan, {\sl Nature} {\bf 401}, 46 (1999)]. The mean curvature was reported to vanish at the rim where the d-cone is supported [T. Liang and T. A. Witten, {\sl Phys. Rev. E} {\bf 73}, 046604 (2006)]. We investigate the ratio of the two principal curvatures versus sheet thickness $h$ over a wider dynamic range than was used previously, holding $R$ and $\eta$ fixed. Instead of tending towards 1 as suggested by previous work, the ratio scales as $(h/R)^{1/3}$. Thus the mean curvature does not vanish for very thin sheets as previously claimed. Moreover, we find that the normalized rim profile of radial curvature in a d-cone is identical to that in a "c-cone" which is made by pushing a regular cone into a circular container. In both c-cones and d-cones, the ratio of the principal curvatures at the rim scales as $(R/h)^{5/2}F/(YR^{2})$, where $F$ is the pushing force and $Y$ is the Young's modulus. Scaling arguments and analytical solutions confirm the numerical results.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures. Added references. Corrected typos. Results unchange

Low-lying spectra in anharmonic three-body oscillators with a strong short-range repulsion

Three-body Schroedinger equation is studied in one dimension. Its two-body interactions are assumed composed of the long-range attraction (dominated by the L-th-power potential) in superposition with a short-range repulsion (dominated by the (-K)-th-power core) plus further subdominant power-law components if necessary. This unsolvable and non-separable generalization of Calogero model (which is a separable and solvable exception at L = K = 2) is presented in polar Jacobi coordinates. We derive a set of trigonometric identities for the potentials which generalizes the well known K=2 identity of Calogero to all integers. This enables us to write down the related partial differential Schroedinger equation in an amazingly compact form. As a consequence, we are able to show that all these models become separable and solvable in the limit of strong repulsion.Comment: 18 pages plus 6 pages of appendices with new auxiliary identitie

BCS-BEC Crossover in Atomic Fermi Gases with a Narrow Resonance

We determine the effects on the BCS-BEC crossover of the energy dependence of the effective two-body interaction, which at low energies is determined by the effective range. To describe interactions with an effective range of either sign, we consider a single-channel model with a two-body interaction having an attractive square well and a repulsive square barrier. We investigate the two-body scattering properties of the model, and then solve the Eagles-Leggett equations for the zero temperature crossover, determining the momentum dependent gap and the chemical potential self-consistently. From this we investigate the dependence of the crossover on the effective range of the interaction.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figure

Linearized Kompaneetz equation as a relativistic diffusion

We show that Kompaneetz equation describing photon diffusion in an environment of an electron gas, when linearized around its equilibrium distribution, coincides with the relativistic diffusion discussed in recent publications. The model of the relativistic diffusion is related to soluble models of imaginary time quantum mechanics. We suggest some non-linear generalizations of the relativistic diffusion equation and their astrophysical applications (in particular to the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect).Comment: 12 page

Semiclassical corrections to the interaction energy of a hard-sphere Boltzmann gas

Quantum effects in statistical mechanics are important when the thermal wavelength is of the order of, or greater than, the mean interatomic spacing. This is examined at depth taking the example of a hard-sphere Boltzmann gas. Using the virial expansion for the equation of state, it is shown that the interaction energy of a classical hard-sphere gas is exactly zero. When the (second) virial coefficient of such a gas is obtained quantum mechanically, however, the quantum contribution to the interaction energy is shown to be substantial. The importance of the semiclassical corrections to the interaction energy shows up dramatically in such a system.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Eur. J. Phy

Correlated two-particle scattering on finite cavities

The correlated two-particle problem is solved analytically in the presence of a finite cavity. The method is demonstrated here in terms of exactly solvable models for both the cavity as well as the two-particle correlation where the two-particle potential is chosen in separable form. The two-particle phase shift is calculated and compared to the single-particle one. The two-particle bound state behavior is discussed and the influence of the cavity on the binding properties is calculated.Comment: Derivation shortened and corrected, 14 pages 10 figure

Representation reduction and solution space contraction in quasi-exactly solvable systems

In quasi-exactly solvable problems partial analytic solution (energy spectrum and associated wavefunctions) are obtained if some potential parameters are assigned specific values. We introduce a new class in which exact solutions are obtained at a given energy for a special set of values of the potential parameters. To obtain a larger solution space one varies the energy over a discrete set (the spectrum). A unified treatment that includes the standard as well as the new class of quasi-exactly solvable problems is presented and few examples (some of which are new) are given. The solution space is spanned by discrete square integrable basis functions in which the matrix representation of the Hamiltonian is tridiagonal. Imposing quasi-exact solvability constraints result in a complete reduction of the representation into the direct sum of a finite and infinite component. The finite is real and exactly solvable, whereas the infinite is complex and associated with zero norm states. Consequently, the whole physical space contracts to a finite dimensional subspace with normalizable states.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures (2 in color