Spectral statistics for unitary transfer matrices of binary graphs

Quantum graphs have recently been introduced as model systems to study the spectral statistics of linear wave problems with chaotic classical limits. It is proposed here to generalise this approach by considering arbitrary, directed graphs with unitary transfer matrices. An exponentially increasing contribution to the form factor is identified when performing a diagonal summation over periodic orbit degeneracy classes. A special class of graphs, so-called binary graphs, is studied in more detail. For these, the conditions for periodic orbit pairs to be correlated (including correlations due to the unitarity of the transfer matrix) can be given explicitly. Using combinatorial techniques it is possible to perform the summation over correlated periodic orbit pair contributions to the form factor for some low--dimensional cases. Gradual convergence towards random matrix results is observed when increasing the number of vertices of the binary graphs.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure

A new correlator in quantum spin chains

We propose a new correlator in one-dimensional quantum spin chains, the $s-$Emptiness Formation Probability ($s-$EFP). This is a natural generalization of the Emptiness Formation Probability (EFP), which is the probability that the first $n$ spins of the chain are all aligned downwards. In the $s-$EFP we let the spins in question be separated by $s$ sites. The usual EFP corresponds to the special case when $s=1$, and taking $s>1$ allows us to quantify non-local correlations. We express the $s-$EFP for the anisotropic XY model in a transverse magnetic field, a system with both critical and non-critical regimes, in terms of a Toeplitz determinant. For the isotropic XY model we find that the magnetic field induces an interesting length scale.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

Signatures of homoclinic motion in quantum chaos

Homoclinic motion plays a key role in the organization of classical chaos in Hamiltonian systems. In this Letter, we show that it also imprints a clear signature in the corresponding quantum spectra. By numerically studying the fluctuations of the widths of wavefunctions localized along periodic orbits we reveal the existence of an oscillatory behavior, that is explained solely in terms of the primary homoclinic motion. Furthermore, our results indicate that it survives the semiclassical limit.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Coarse-graining protein energetics in sequence variables

We show that cluster expansions (CE), previously used to model solid-state materials with binary or ternary configurational disorder, can be extended to the protein design problem. We present a generalized CE framework, in which properties such as energy can be unambiguously expanded in the amino-acid sequence space. The CE coarse grains over nonsequence degrees of freedom (e.g., side-chain conformations) and thereby simplifies the problem of designing proteins, or predicting the compatibility of a sequence with a given structure, by many orders of magnitude. The CE is physically transparent, and can be evaluated through linear regression on the energies of training sequences. We show, as example, that good prediction accuracy is obtained with up to pairwise interactions for a coiled-coil backbone, and that triplet interactions are important in the energetics of a more globular zinc-finger backbone.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

A self‐consistent model of helium in the thermosphere

We have found that consideration of neutral helium as a major species leads to a more complete physics‐based modeling description of the Earth's upper thermosphere. An augmented version of the composition equation employed by the Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Electrodynamic General Circulation Model (TIE‐GCM) is presented, enabling the inclusion of helium as the fourth major neutral constituent. Exospheric transport acting above the upper boundary of the model is considered, further improving the local time and latitudinal distributions of helium. The new model successfully simulates a previously observed phenomenon known as the “winter helium bulge,” yielding behavior very similar to that of an empirical model based on mass spectrometer observations. This inclusion has direct consequence on the study of atmospheric drag for low‐Earth‐orbiting satellites, as well as potential implications on exospheric and topside ionospheric research.Key PointsTIE‐GCM has been modified to account for neutral heliumSeasonal behavior is successfully capturedNeutral densities from the new model agree well with previous observationsPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113723/1/jgra51979.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113723/2/jgra51979_am.pd

Freezing Transition, Characteristic Polynomials of Random Matrices, and the Riemann Zeta-Function

We argue that the freezing transition scenario, previously explored in the statistical mechanics of 1/f-noise random energy models, also determines the value distribution of the maximum of the modulus of the characteristic polynomials of large N x N random unitary (CUE) matrices. We postulate that our results extend to the extreme values taken by the Riemann zeta-function zeta(s) over sections of the critical line s=1/2+it of constant length and present the results of numerical computations in support. Our main purpose is to draw attention to possible connections between the statistical mechanics of random energy landscapes, random matrix theory, and the theory of the Riemann zeta function.Comment: published version with a few misprints corrected and references adde

On the Nodal Count Statistics for Separable Systems in any Dimension

We consider the statistics of the number of nodal domains aka nodal counts for eigenfunctions of separable wave equations in arbitrary dimension. We give an explicit expression for the limiting distribution of normalised nodal counts and analyse some of its universal properties. Our results are illustrated by detailed discussion of simple examples and numerical nodal count distributions.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figure

Europe as a multilevel federation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

On the resonance eigenstates of an open quantum baker map

We study the resonance eigenstates of a particular quantization of the open baker map. For any admissible value of Planck's constant, the corresponding quantum map is a subunitary matrix, and the nonzero component of its spectrum is contained inside an annulus in the complex plane, $|z_{min}|\leq |z|\leq |z_{max}|$. We consider semiclassical sequences of eigenstates, such that the moduli of their eigenvalues converge to a fixed radius $r$. We prove that, if the moduli converge to $r=|z_{max}|$, then the sequence of eigenstates converges to a fixed phase space measure $\rho_{max}$. The same holds for sequences with eigenvalue moduli converging to $|z_{min}|$, with a different limit measure $\rho_{min}$. Both these limiting measures are supported on fractal sets, which are trapped sets of the classical dynamics. For a general radius $|z_{min}|< r < |z_{max}|$, we identify families of eigenstates with precise self-similar properties.Comment: 32 pages, 2 figure