81,862 research outputs found
A Bohmian approach to quantum fractals
A quantum fractal is a wavefunction with a real and an imaginary part
continuous everywhere, but differentiable nowhere. This lack of
differentiability has been used as an argument to deny the general validity of
Bohmian mechanics (and other trajectory--based approaches) in providing a
complete interpretation of quantum mechanics. Here, this assertion is overcome
by means of a formal extension of Bohmian mechanics based on a limiting
approach. Within this novel formulation, the particle dynamics is always
satisfactorily described by a well defined equation of motion. In particular,
in the case of guidance under quantum fractals, the corresponding trajectories
will also be fractal.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures (revised version
Semiclassical energy formulas for power-law and log potentials in quantum mechanics
We study a single particle which obeys non-relativistic quantum mechanics in
R^N and has Hamiltonian H = -Delta + V(r), where V(r) = sgn(q)r^q. If N \geq 2,
then q > -2, and if N = 1, then q > -1. The discrete eigenvalues E_{n\ell} may
be represented exactly by the semiclassical expression E_{n\ell}(q) =
min_{r>0}\{P_{n\ell}(q)^2/r^2+ V(r)}. The case q = 0 corresponds to V(r) =
ln(r). By writing one power as a smooth transformation of another, and using
envelope theory, it has earlier been proved that the P_{n\ell}(q) functions are
monotone increasing. Recent refinements to the comparison theorem of QM in
which comparison potentials can cross over, allow us to prove for n = 1 that
Q(q)=Z(q)P(q) is monotone increasing, even though the factor Z(q)=(1+q/N)^{1/q}
is monotone decreasing. Thus P(q) cannot increase too slowly. This result
yields some sharper estimates for power-potential eigenvlaues at the bottom of
each angular-momentum subspace.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure
Coulomb plus power-law potentials in quantum mechanics
We study the discrete spectrum of the Hamiltonian H = -Delta + V(r) for the
Coulomb plus power-law potential V(r)=-1/r+ beta sgn(q)r^q, where beta > 0, q >
-2 and q \ne 0. We show by envelope theory that the discrete eigenvalues
E_{n\ell} of H may be approximated by the semiclassical expression
E_{n\ell}(q) \approx min_{r>0}\{1/r^2-1/(mu r)+ sgn(q) beta(nu r)^q}.
Values of mu and nu are prescribed which yield upper and lower bounds.
Accurate upper bounds are also obtained by use of a trial function of the form,
psi(r)= r^{\ell+1}e^{-(xr)^{q}}. We give detailed results for
V(r) = -1/r + beta r^q, q = 0.5, 1, 2 for n=1, \ell=0,1,2, along with
comparison eigenvalues found by direct numerical methods.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
Effects of various assumptions on the calculated liquid fraction in isentropic saturated equilibrium expansions
The saturated equilibrium expansion approximation for two phase flow often involves ideal-gas and latent-heat assumptions to simplify the solution procedure. This approach is well documented by Wegener and Mack and works best at low pressures where deviations from ideal-gas behavior are small. A thermodynamic expression for liquid mass fraction that is decoupled from the equations of fluid mechanics is used to compare the effects of the various assumptions on nitrogen-gas saturated equilibrium expansion flow starting at 8.81 atm, 2.99 atm, and 0.45 atm, which are conditions representative of transonic cryogenic wind tunnels. For the highest pressure case, the entire set of ideal-gas and latent-heat assumptions are shown to be in error by 62 percent for the values of heat capacity and latent heat. An approximation of the exact, real-gas expression is also developed using a constant, two phase isentropic expansion coefficient which results in an error of only 2 percent for the high pressure case
Smithsonian package for algebra and symbolic mathematics
Symbolic programming system for computer processing of algebraic expression
Simulation of ideal-gas flow by nitrogen and other selected gases at cryogenic temperatures
The real gas behavior of nitrogen, the gas normally used in transonic cryogenic tunnels, is reported for the following flow processes: isentropic expansion, normal shocks, boundary layers, and interactions between shock waves and boundary layers. The only difference in predicted pressure ratio between nitrogen and an ideal gas which may limit the minimum operating temperature of transonic cryogenic wind tunnels occur at total pressures approaching 9 atm and total temperatures 10 K below the corresponding saturation temperature. These pressure differences approach 1 percent for both isentropic expansions and normal shocks. Alternative cryogenic test gases were also analyzed. Differences between air and an ideal diatomic gas are similar in magnitude to those for nitrogen and should present no difficulty. However, differences for helium and hydrogen are over an order of magnitude greater than those for nitrogen or air. It is concluded that helium and cryogenic hydrogen would not approximate the compressible flow of an ideal diatomic gas
Perturbation expansions for a class of singular potentials
Harrell's modified perturbation theory [Ann. Phys. 105, 379-406 (1977)] is
applied and extended to obtain non-power perturbation expansions for a class of
singular Hamiltonians H = -D^2 + x^2 + A/x^2 + lambda/x^alpha, (A\geq 0, alpha
> 2), known as generalized spiked harmonic oscillators. The perturbation
expansions developed here are valid for small values of the coupling lambda >
0, and they extend the results which Harrell obtained for the spiked harmonic
oscillator A = 0. Formulas for the the excited-states are also developed.Comment: 23 page
Chiral extrapolations for nucleon magnetic moments
Lattice QCD simulations have made significant progress in the calculation of
nucleon electromagnetic form factors in the chiral regime in recent years. With
simulation results achieving pion masses of order ~180 MeV, there is an
apparent challenge as to how the physical regime is approached. By using
contemporary methods in chiral effective field theory, both the quark-mass and
finite-volume dependence of the isovector nucleon magnetic moment are carefully
examined. The extrapolation to the physical point yields a result that is
compatible with experiment, albeit with a combined statistical and systematic
uncertainty of 10%. The extrapolation shows a strong finite-volume dependence;
lattice sizes of L > 5 fm must be used to simulate results within 2% of the
infinite-volume result for the magnetic moment at the physical pion mass.Comment: 7 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl
Power Counting Regime of Chiral Effective Field Theory and Beyond
Chiral effective field theory complements numerical simulations of quantum
chromodynamics (QCD) on a space-time lattice. It provides a model-independent
formalism for connecting lattice simulation results at finite volume and a
variety of quark masses to the physical world. The asymptotic nature of the
chiral expansion places the focus on the first few terms of the expansion.
Thus, knowledge of the power-counting regime (PCR) of chiral effective field
theory, where higher-order terms of the expansion may be regarded as
negligible, is as important as knowledge of the expansion itself. Through the
consideration of a variety of renormalization schemes and associated
parameters, techniques to identify the PCR where results are independent of the
renormalization scheme are established. The nucleon mass is considered as a
benchmark for illustrating this general approach. Because the PCR is small, the
numerical simulation results are also examined to search for the possible
presence of an intrinsic scale which may be used in a nonperturbative manner to
describe lattice simulation results outside of the PCR. Positive results that
improve on the current optimistic application of chiral perturbation theory
beyond the PCR are reported.Comment: 18 pages, 55 figure
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