Internalizing Change Capacity in Secondary Schools Through Organizational Change

In this article we focus on understanding the meaning of change capacity in secondary schools. Our definition of change capacity focuses on organizational dimensions. We review evidence from a longitudinal study of change in nine secondary schools in a single district to argue that change capacity consists of three attributes: liberation from structures that inhibit innovation (in our case breaking the mold of subject department organizational structures), honoring dissonance, and forging new relationships. We identify the conditions that contribute to the development of change capacity in secondary schools by examining the contributors to the emergence of each element.Dans cet article, les auteurs se penchent sur le sens de la capacité pour le changement dans les écoles secondaires. La définition qu'ils en donnent s'appuie sur des dimensions organisationnelles. Ils évoquent les résultats d'une étude longitudinale de neuf écoles secondaires situées dans un seul district comme preuve que la capacité pour le changement consiste en trois éléments: le fait d'outrepasser les structures qui limitent l'innovation (dans le présent cas, il s'agissait de passer au-delà des contraintes organisationnelles imposées par la structure départementale basée sur les matières-sujets), le respect de la dissonance et l'établissement de nouveaux rapports. En étudiant les facteurs qui contribuent à la naissance de chacun de ces éléments, les auteurs expliquent par le fait même les conditions qui encouragent le développement de la capacité pour le changement dans les écoles secondaires

Real roots of Random Polynomials: Universality close to accumulation points

We identify the scaling region of a width O(n^{-1}) in the vicinity of the accumulation points $t=\pm 1$ of the real roots of a random Kac-like polynomial of large degree n. We argue that the density of the real roots in this region tends to a universal form shared by all polynomials with independent, identically distributed coefficients c_i, as long as the second moment \sigma=E(c_i^2) is finite. In particular, we reveal a gradual (in contrast to the previously reported abrupt) and quite nontrivial suppression of the number of real roots for coefficients with a nonzero mean value \mu_n = E(c_i) scaled as \mu_n\sim n^{-1/2}.Comment: Some minor mistakes that crept through into publication have been removed. 10 pages, 12 eps figures. This version contains all updates, clearer pictures and some more thorough explanation

Shrunk loop theorem for the topology probabilities of closed Brownian (or Feynman) paths on the twice punctured plane

The shrunk loop theorem presented here is an integral identity which facilitates the calculation of the relative probability (or probability amplitude) of any given topology that a free, closed Brownian or Feynman path of a given 'duration' might have on the twice punctured plane (the plane with two marked points). The result is expressed as a scattering series of integrals of increasing dimensionality based on the maximally shrunk version of the path. Physically, this applies in different contexts: (i) the topology probability of a closed ideal polymer chain on a plane with two impassable points, (ii) the trace of the Schroedinger Green function, and thence spectral information, in the presence of two Aharonov-Bohm fluxes, (iii) the same with two branch points of a Riemann surface instead of fluxes. Our theorem starts with the Stovicek expansion for the Green function in the presence of two Aharonov-Bohm flux lines, which itself is based on the famous Sommerfeld one puncture point solution of 1896 (the one puncture case has much easier topology, just one winding number). Stovicek's expansion itself can supply the results at the expense of choosing a base point on the loop and then integrating it away. The shrunk loop theorem eliminates this extra two dimensional integration, distilling the topology from the geometry.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figures (accepted by J. Phys. A: Math. Gen.

The Frobenius formalism in Galois quantum systems

Quantum systems in which the position and momentum take values in the ring ${\cal Z}_d$ and which are described with $d$-dimensional Hilbert space, are considered. When $d$ is the power of a prime, the position and momentum take values in the Galois field $GF(p^ \ell)$, the position-momentum phase space is a finite geometry and the corresponding `Galois quantum systems' have stronger properties. The study of these systems uses ideas from the subject of field extension in the context of quantum mechanics. The Frobenius automorphism in Galois fields leads to Frobenius subspaces and Frobenius transformations in Galois quantum systems. Links between the Frobenius formalism and Riemann surfaces, are discussed

Notes on Conformal Invisibility Devices

As a consequence of the wave nature of light, invisibility devices based on isotropic media cannot be perfect. The principal distortions of invisibility are due to reflections and time delays. Reflections can be made exponentially small for devices that are large in comparison with the wavelength of light. Time delays are unavoidable and will result in wave-front dislocations. This paper considers invisibility devices based on optical conformal mapping. The paper shows that the time delays do not depend on the directions and impact parameters of incident light rays, although the refractive-index profile of any conformal invisibility device is necessarily asymmetric. The distortions of images are thus uniform, which reduces the risk of detection. The paper also shows how the ideas of invisibility devices are connected to the transmutation of force, the stereographic projection and Escheresque tilings of the plane

The three-body problem and the Hannay angle

The Hannay angle has been previously studied for a celestial circular restricted three-body system by means of an adiabatic approach. In the present work, three main results are obtained. Firstly, a formal connection between perturbation theory and the Hamiltonian adiabatic approach shows that both lead to the Hannay angle; it is thus emphasised that this effect is already contained in classical celestial mechanics, although not yet defined nor evaluated separately. Secondly, a more general expression of the Hannay angle, valid for an action-dependent potential is given; such a generalised expression takes into account that the restricted three-body problem is a time-dependent, two degrees of freedom problem even when restricted to the circular motion of the test body. Consequently, (some of) the eccentricity terms cannot be neglected {\it a priori}. Thirdly, we present a new numerical estimate for the Earth adiabatically driven by Jupiter. We also point out errors in a previous derivation of the Hannay angle for the circular restricted three-body problem, with an action-independent potential.Comment: 11 pages. Accepted by Nonlinearit

The geometric phase and the dynamics of quantum phase transition induced by a linear quench

We have analysed here the role of the geometric phase in dynamical mechanism of quantum phase transition in the transverse Ising model. We have investigated the system when it is driven at a fixed rate characterized by a quench time $\tau_q$ across the critical point from a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase. Our argument is based on the fact that the spin fluctuation occurring during the critical slowing down causes random fluctuation in the ground state geometric phase at the critical regime. The correlation function of the random geometric phase determines the excitation probability of the quasiparticles, which are excited during the transition from the inital paramagnetic to the ferromagnetic phase. This helps us to evaluate the number density of the kinks formed during the transition, which is found to scale as $\tau_q^{-\frac{1}{2}}$. In addition, we have also estimated the spin-spin correlation at criticality.Comment: 10 pages, accepted in J. Phys. A: Math and Theor. (Special issue on Quantum Phases

Fluctuations and Ergodicity of the Form Factor of Quantum Propagators and Random Unitary Matrices

We consider the spectral form factor of random unitary matrices as well as of Floquet matrices of kicked tops. For a typical matrix the time dependence of the form factor looks erratic; only after a local time average over a suitably large time window does a systematic time dependence become manifest. For matrices drawn from the circular unitary ensemble we prove ergodicity: In the limits of large matrix dimension and large time window the local time average has vanishingly small ensemble fluctuations and may be identified with the ensemble average. By numerically diagonalizing Floquet matrices of kicked tops with a globally chaotic classical limit we find the same ergodicity. As a byproduct we find that the traces of random matrices from the circular ensembles behave very much like independent Gaussian random numbers. Again, Floquet matrices of chaotic tops share that universal behavior. It becomes clear that the form factor of chaotic dynamical systems can be fully faithful to random-matrix theory, not only in its locally time-averaged systematic time dependence but also in its fluctuations.Comment: 12 pages, RevTEX, 4 figures in eps forma

On the semiclassical theory for universal transmission fluctuations in chaotic systems: the importance of unitarity

The standard semiclassical calculation of transmission correlation functions for chaotic systems is severely influenced by unitarity problems. We show that unitarity alone imposes a set of relationships between cross sections correlation functions which go beyond the diagonal approximation. When these relationships are properly used to supplement the semiclassical scheme we obtain transmission correlation functions in full agreement with the exact statistical theory and the experiment. Our approach also provides a novel prediction for the transmission correlations in the case where time reversal symmetry is present