Spectra generated by a confined softcore Coulomb potential

Analytic and approximate solutions for the energy eigenvalues generated by a confined softcore Coulomb potentials of the form a/(r+\beta) in d>1 dimensions are constructed. The confinement is effected by linear and harmonic-oscillator potential terms, and also through `hard confinement' by means of an impenetrable spherical box. A byproduct of this work is the construction of polynomial solutions for a number of linear differential equations with polynomial coefficients, along with the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of such solutions. Very accurate approximate solutions for the general problem with arbitrary potential parameters are found by use of the asymptotic iteration method.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure

Classical Monopoles: Newton, NUT-space, gravomagnetic lensing and atomic spectra

Stimulated by a scholium in Newton's Principia we find some beautiful results in classical mechanics which can be interpreted in terms of the orbits in the field of a mass endowed with a gravomagnetic monopole. All the orbits lie on cones! When the cones are slit open and flattened the orbits are exactly the ellipses and hyperbolae that one would have obtained without the gravomagnetic monopole. The beauty and simplicity of these results has led us to explore the similar problems in Atomic Physics when the nuclei have an added Dirac magnetic monopole. These problems have been explored by others and we sketch the derivations and give details of the predicted spectrum of monopolar hydrogen. Finally we return to gravomagnetic monopoles in general relativity. We explain why NUT space has a non-spherical metric although NUT space itself is the spherical space-time of a mass with a gravomagnetic monopole. We demonstrate that all geodesics in NUT space lie on cones and use this result to study the gravitational lensing by bodies with gravomagnetic monopoles. We remark that just as electromagnetism would have to be extended beyond Maxwell's equations to allow for magnetic monopoles and their currents so general relativity would have to be extended to allow torsion for general distributions of gravomagnetic monopoles and their currents. Of course if monopoles were never discovered then it would be a triumph for both Maxwellian Electromagnetism and General Relativity as they stand!Comment: 39 pages, 9 figures and 2 tables available on request from the author

Quantum singular oscillator as a model of two-ion trap: an amplification of transition probabilities due to small time variations of the binding potential

Following the paper by M. Combescure [Ann. Phys. (NY) 204, 113 (1990)], we apply the quantum singular time dependent oscillator model to describe the relative one dimensional motion of two ions in a trap. We argue that the model can be justified for low energy excited states with the quantum numbers $n\ll n_{max}\sim 100$, provided that the dimensionless constant characterizing the strength of the repulsive potential is large enough, $g_*\sim 10^5$. Time dependent Gaussian-like wave packets generalizing odd coherent states of the harmonic oscillator, and excitation number eigenstates are constructed. We show that the relative motion of the ions, in contradistinction to its center of mass counterpart, is extremely sensitive to the time dependence of the binding harmonic potential, since the large value of $g_*$ results in a significant amplification of the transition probabilities between energy eigenstate even for slow time variations of the frequency.Comment: 19 pages, LaTeX, 5 eps-figures, to appear on Phys. Rev. A, one reference correcte

On the Liouvillian solutions to the perturbation equations of the Schwarzschild black hole

We use Kovacic's algorithm to obtain all Liouvillian solutions, i.e., essentially all solutions in terms of quadratures, of the master equation which governs the evolution of first order perturbations of the Schwarzschild geometry. We show that all solutions in quadratures of this equation contain a polynomial solution to an associated ordinary differential equation (ODE). This ODE, apart from a few trivial cases, falls into the confluent Heun class. In the case of the gravitational perturbations, for the Liouvillian solution $\chi \int \frac {{\rm d}r_{\!\ast}}{\chi^{2}}$, we find in "closed form" the polynomial solution P to the associated confluent Heun ODE. We prove that the Liouvillian solution $\chi \int \frac {{\rm d}r_{\!\ast}}{\chi^{2}}$ is a product of elementary functions, one of them being the polynomial P. We extend previous results by Hautot and use the extended results we derive in order to prove that P admits a finite expansion in terms of truncated confluent hypergeometric functions of the first kind. We also prove, by using the extended results we derive, that P admits also a finite expansion in terms of associated Laguerre polynomials. We prove, save for two unresolved cases, that the Liouvillian solutions $\chi$ and $\chi \int \frac {{\rm d}r_{\!\ast}}{\chi^{2}}$, initially found by Chandrasekhar, are the only Liouvillian solutions to the master equation. We improve previous results in the literature on this problem and compare our results with theirs. Comments are made for a more efficient implementation of Kovacic's algorithm to any second order ODE with rational function coefficients. Our results set the stage for deriving similar results in other black hole geometries 4-dim and higher.Comment: 118 page

Mapping the geometry of volcanic systems with magnetotelluric soundings: Results from a land and marine magnetotelluric survey performed during the 2018–2019 Mayotte seismovolcanic crisis

A major seismovolcanic crisis has afflicted the islands of Mayotte, Comoros Archipelago, since May 2018, although the origin is debated. Magnetotellurics (MT), which is sensitive to hydrothermal and/or magmatic fluids and can map the subsurface electrical resistivity structure, can provide insight by revealing the internal structure of the volcanic system. In this paper, we report the results of a preliminary land and shallow marine MT survey performed on and offshore the island nearest the crisis. The 3D inversion-derived electrical resistivity model suggests that the island is underlain by a shallow ~500-m-thick conductive layer atop a deeper, more resistive layer, possibly associated with a high-temperature geothermal system. At depths of ~15 km, the resistivity drops by almost two orders of magnitude, possibly due to partial melting. Further petrophysical and geophysical studies are underway for confirmation and to map the geometry and evolution of the volcanic system