3,515 research outputs found
The generalization of the Regge-Wheeler equation for self-gravitating matter fields
It is shown that the dynamical evolution of perturbations on a static
spacetime is governed by a standard pulsation equation for the extrinsic
curvature tensor. The centerpiece of the pulsation equation is a wave operator
whose spatial part is manifestly self-adjoint. In contrast to metric
formulations, the curvature-based approach to gravitational perturbation theory
generalizes in a natural way to self-gravitating matter fields. For a certain
relevant subspace of perturbations the pulsation operator is symmetric with
respect to a positive inner product and therefore allows spectral theory to be
applied. In particular, this is the case for odd-parity perturbations of
spherically symmetric background configurations. As an example, the pulsation
equations for self-gravitating, non-Abelian gauge fields are explicitly shown
to be symmetric in the gravitational, the Yang Mills, and the off-diagonal
sector.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, no figure
The Stern-Gerlach Experiment Revisited
The Stern-Gerlach-Experiment (SGE) of 1922 is a seminal benchmark experiment
of quantum physics providing evidence for several fundamental properties of
quantum systems. Based on today's knowledge we illustrate the different
benchmark results of the SGE for the development of modern quantum physics and
chemistry.
The SGE provided the first direct experimental evidence for angular momentum
quantization in the quantum world and thus also for the existence of
directional quantization of all angular momenta in the process of measurement.
It measured for the first time a ground state property of an atom, it produced
for the first time a `spin-polarized' atomic beam, it almost revealed the
electron spin. The SGE was the first fully successful molecular beam experiment
with high momentum-resolution by beam measurements in vacuum. This technique
provided a new kinematic microscope with which inner atomic or nuclear
properties could be investigated.
The original SGE is described together with early attempts by Einstein,
Ehrenfest, Heisenberg, and others to understand directional quantization in the
SGE. Heisenberg's and Einstein's proposals of an improved multi-stage SGE are
presented. The first realization of these proposals by Stern, Phipps, Frisch
and Segr\`e is described. The set-up suggested by Einstein can be considered an
anticipation of a Rabi-apparatus. Recent theoretical work is mentioned in which
the directional quantization process and possible interference effects of the
two different spin states are investigated.
In full agreement with the results of the new quantum theory directional
quantization appears as a general and universal feature of quantum
measurements. One experimental example for such directional quantization in
scattering processes is shown. Last not least, the early history of the
`almost' discovery of the electron spin in the SGE is revisited.Comment: 50pp, 17 fig
Perturbation theory for self-gravitating gauge fields I: The odd-parity sector
A gauge and coordinate invariant perturbation theory for self-gravitating
non-Abelian gauge fields is developed and used to analyze local uniqueness and
linear stability properties of non-Abelian equilibrium configurations. It is
shown that all admissible stationary odd-parity excitations of the static and
spherically symmetric Einstein-Yang-Mills soliton and black hole solutions have
total angular momentum number , and are characterized by
non-vanishing asymptotic flux integrals. Local uniqueness results with respect
to non-Abelian perturbations are also established for the Schwarzschild and the
Reissner-Nordstr\"om solutions, which, in addition, are shown to be linearly
stable under dynamical Einstein-Yang-Mills perturbations. Finally, unstable
modes with are also excluded for the static and spherically
symmetric non-Abelian solitons and black holes.Comment: 23 pages, revtex, no figure
Physical interpretation of gauge invariant perturbations of spherically symmetric space-times
By calculating the Newman-Penrose Weyl tensor components of a perturbed
spherically symmetric space-time with respect to invariantly defined classes of
null tetrads, we give a physical interpretation, in terms of gravitational
radiation, of odd parity gauge invariant metric perturbations. We point out how
these gauge invariants may be used in setting boundary and/or initial
conditions in perturbation theory.Comment: 6 pages. To appear in PR
Covariant Perturbations of Schwarzschild Black Holes
We present a new covariant and gauge-invariant perturbation formalism for
dealing with spacetimes having spherical symmetry (or some preferred spatial
direction) in the background, and apply it to the case of gravitational wave
propagation in a Schwarzschild black hole spacetime. The 1+3 covariant approach
is extended to a `1+1+2 covariant sheet' formalism by introducing a radial unit
vector in addition to the timelike congruence, and decomposing all covariant
quantities with respect to this. The background Schwarzschild solution is
discussed and a covariant characterisation is given. We give the full
first-order system of linearised 1+1+2 covariant equations, and we show how, by
introducing (time and spherical) harmonic functions, these may be reduced to a
system of first-order ordinary differential equations and algebraic constraints
for the 1+1+2 variables which may be solved straightforwardly. We show how both
the odd and even parity perturbations may be unified by the discovery of a
covariant, frame- and gauge-invariant, transverse-traceless tensor describing
gravitational waves, which satisfies a covariant wave equation equivalent to
the Regge-Wheeler equation for both even and odd parity perturbations. We show
how the Zerilli equation may be derived from this tensor, and derive a similar
transverse traceless tensor equivalent to this equation. The so-called
`special' quasinormal modes with purely imaginary frequency emerge naturally.
The significance of the degrees of freedom in the choice of the two frame
vectors is discussed, and we demonstrate that, for a certain frame choice, the
underlying dynamics is governed purely by the Regge-Wheeler tensor. The two
transverse-traceless Weyl tensors which carry the curvature of gravitational
waves are discussed.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure, Revtex 4. Submitted to Classical and Quantum
Gravity. Revised version is significantly streamlined with an important error
corrected which simplifies the presentatio
Variational study of the Holstein polaron
The paper deals with the ground and the first excited state of the polaron in
the one dimensional Holstein model. Various variational methods are used to
investigate both the weak coupling and strong coupling case, as well as the
crossover regime between them. Two of the methods, which are presented here for
the first time, introduce interesting elements to the understanding of the
nature of the polaron. Reliable numerical evidence is found that, in the strong
coupling regime, the ground and the first excited state of the self-trapped
polaron are well described within the adiabatic limit. The lattice vibration
modes associated with the self-trapped polarons are analyzed in detail, and the
frequency softening of the vibration mode at the central site of the small
polaron is estimated. It is shown that the first excited state of the system in
the strong coupling regime corresponds to the excitation of the soft phonon
mode within the polaron. In the crossover regime, the ground and the first
excited state of the system can be approximated by the anticrossing of the
self-trapped and the delocalized polaron state. In this way, the connection
between the behavior of the ground and the first excited state is qualitatively
explained.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, PRB 65, 14430
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