2,133 research outputs found
CO2 and non-CO2 radiative forcings in climate projections for twenty-first century mitigation scenarios
Climate is simulated for reference and mitigation emissions scenarios from Integrated Assessment Models using the Bern2.5CC carbon cycle-climate model. Mitigation options encompass all major radiative forcing agents. Temperature change is attributed to forcings using an impulse-response substitute of Bern2.5CC. The contribution of CO2 to global warming increases over the century in all scenarios. Non-CO2 mitigation measures add to the abatement of global warming. The share of mitigation carried by CO2, however, increases when radiative forcing targets are lowered, and increases after 2000 in all mitigation scenarios. Thus, non-CO2 mitigation is limited and net CO2 emissions must eventually subside. Mitigation rapidly reduces the sulfate aerosol loading and associated cooling, partly masking Greenhouse Gas mitigation over the coming decades. A profound effect of mitigation on CO2 concentration, radiative forcing, temperatures and the rate of climate change emerges in the second half of the centur
Probabilistic climate change projections using neural networks
Anticipated future warming of the climate system increases the need for accurate climate projections. A central problem are the large uncertainties associated with these model projections, and that uncertainty estimates are often based on expert judgment rather than objective quantitative methods. Further, important climate model parameters are still given as poorly constrained ranges that are partly inconsistent with the observed warming during the industrial period. Here we present a neural network based climate model substitute that increases the efficiency of large climate model ensembles by at least an order of magnitude. Using the observed surface warming over the industrial period and estimates of global ocean heat uptake as constraints for the ensemble, this method estimates ranges for climate sensitivity and radiative forcing that are consistent with observations. In particular, negative values for the uncertain indirect aerosol forcing exceeding -1.2Wm-2 can be excluded with high confidence. A parameterization to account for the uncertainty in the future carbon cycle is introduced, derived separately from a carbon cycle model. This allows us to quantify the effect of the feedback between oceanic and terrestrial carbon uptake and global warming on global temperature projections. Finally, probability density functions for the surface warming until year 2100 for two illustrative emission scenarios are calculated, taking into account uncertainties in the carbon cycle, radiative forcing, climate sensitivity, model parameters and the observed temperature records. We find that warming exceeds the surface warming range projected by IPCC for almost half of the ensemble members. Projection uncertainties are only consistent with IPCC if a model-derived upper limit of about 5K is assumed for climate sensitivit
Sum Rules for the Dirac Spectrum of the Schwinger Model
The inverse eigenvalues of the Dirac operator in the Schwinger model satisfy
the same Leutwyler-Smilga sum rules as in the case of QCD with one flavor. In
this paper we give a microscopic derivation of these sum rules in the sector of
arbitrary topological charge. We show that the sum rules can be obtained from
the clustering property of the scalar correlation functions. This argument also
holds for other theories with a mass gap and broken chiral symmetry such as QCD
with one flavor. For QCD with several flavors a modified clustering property is
derived from the low energy chiral Lagrangian. We also obtain sum rules for a
fixed external gauge field and show their relation with the bosonized version
of the Schwinger model. In the sector of topological charge the sum rules
are consistent with a shift of the Dirac spectrum away from zero by
average level spacings. This shift is also required to obtain a nonzero chiral
condensate in the massless limit. Finally, we discuss the Dirac spectrum for a
closely related two-dimensional theory for which the gauge field action is
quadratic in the the gauge fields. This theory of so called random Dirac
fermions has been discussed extensively in the context of the quantum Hall
effect and d-wave super-conductors.Comment: 41 pages, Late
The Fermionic Projector, Entanglement, and the Collapse of the Wave Function
After a brief introduction to the fermionic projector approach, we review how
entanglement and second quantized bosonic and fermionic fields can be described
in this framework. The constructions are discussed with regard to decoherence
phenomena and the measurement problem. We propose a mechanism leading to the
collapse of the wave function in the quantum mechanical measurement process.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures, minor changes (published version
On the precise connection between the GRW master-equation and master-equations for the description of decoherence
We point out that the celebrated GRW master-equation is invariant under
translations, reflecting the homogeneity of space, thus providing a particular
realization of a general class of translation-covariant Markovian
master-equations. Such master-equations are typically used for the description
of decoherence due to momentum transfers between system and environment.
Building on this analogy we show the exact relationship between the GRW
master-equation and decoherence master-equations, further providing a
collisional decoherence model formally equivalent to the GRW master-equation.
This allows for a direct comparison of order of magnitudes of relevant
parameters. This formal analogy should not lead to confusion on the utterly
different spirit of the two research fields, in particular it has to be
stressed that the decoherence approach does not lead to a solution of the
measurement problem. Building on this analogy however the feasibility of the
extension of spontaneous localization models in order to avoid the infinite
energy growth is discussed. Apart from a particular case considered in the
paper, it appears that the amplification mechanism is generally spoiled by such
modifications.Comment: 9 pages, latex, no figures, to appear on J. Phys.
Initial correlations effects on decoherence at zero temperature
We consider a free charged particle interacting with an electromagnetic bath
at zero temperature. The dipole approximation is used to treat the bath
wavelengths larger than the width of the particle wave packet. The effect of
these wavelengths is described then by a linear Hamiltonian whose form is
analogous to phenomenological Hamiltonians previously adopted to describe the
free particle-bath interaction. We study how the time dependence of decoherence
evolution is related with initial particle-bath correlations. We show that
decoherence is related to the time dependent dressing of the particle. Moreover
because decoherence induced by the T=0 bath is very rapid, we make some
considerations on the conditions under which interference may be experimentally
observed.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur
Quantum open systems and turbulence
We show that the problem of non conservation of energy found in the
spontaneous localization model developed by Ghirardi, Rimini and Weber is very
similar to the inconsistency between the stochastic models for turbulence and
the Navier-Stokes equation. This sort of analogy may be useful in the
development of both areas.Comment: to appear in Physical Review
A model of quantum reduction with decoherence
The problem of reduction (wave packet reduction) is reexamined under two
simple conditions: Reduction is a last step completing decoherence. It acts in
commonplace circumstances and should be therefore compatible with the
mathematical frame of quantum field theory and the standard model.
These conditions lead to an essentially unique model for reduction.
Consistency with renormalization and time-reversal violation suggest however a
primary action in the vicinity of Planck's length. The inclusion of quantum
gravity and the uniqueness of space-time point moreover to generalized quantum
theory, first proposed by Gell-Mann and Hartle, as a convenient framework for
developing this model into a more complete theory.Comment: 20 pages. To be published in Physical Review
Theory of 'which path' dephasing in single electron interference due to trace in conductive environment
A single-electron two-path interference (Young) experiment is considered
theoretically. The decoherence of an electron wave packet due to the 'which
path' trace left in the conducting (metallic) plate placed under the electron
trajectories is calculated using the many-body quantum description of the
electron gas reservoir.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, moderate changes, 1 new figure, updated
reference
Signatures of chaotic and non-chaotic-like behaviour in a non-linear quantum oscillator through photon detection
The driven non-linear duffing osillator is a very good, and standard, example
of a quantum mechanical system from which classical-like orbits can be
recovered from unravellings of the master equation. In order to generated such
trajectories in the phase space of this oscillator in this paper we use a the
quantum jumps unravelling together with a suitable application of the
correspondence principle. We analyse the measured readout by considering the
power spectra of photon counts produced by the quantum jumps. Here we show that
localisation of the wave packet from the measurement of the oscillator by the
photon detector produces a concomitant structure in the power spectra of the
measured output. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this spectral analysis can be
used to distinguish between different modes of the underlying dynamics of the
oscillator.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
- …