Approach to a rational rotation number in a piecewise isometric system

We study a parametric family of piecewise rotations of the torus, in the limit in which the rotation number approaches the rational value 1/4. There is a region of positive measure where the discontinuity set becomes dense in the limit; we prove that in this region the area occupied by stable periodic orbits remains positive. The main device is the construction of an induced map on a domain with vanishing measure; this map is the product of two involutions, and each involution preserves all its atoms. Dynamically, the composition of these involutions represents linking together two sector maps; this dynamical system features an orderly array of stable periodic orbits having a smooth parameter dependence, plus irregular contributions which become negligible in the limit.Comment: LaTeX, 57 pages with 13 figure

Interacting fermions and domain wall defects in 2+1 dimensions

We consider a Dirac field in 2+1 dimensions with a domain wall like defect in its mass, minimally coupled to a dynamical Abelian vector field. The mass of the fermionic field is assumed to have just one linear domain wall, which is externally fixed and unaffected by the dynamics. We show that, under some general conditions on the parameters, the localized zero modes predicted by the Callan and Harvey mechanism are stable under the electromagnetic interaction of the fermions

Geometric representation of interval exchange maps over algebraic number fields

We consider the restriction of interval exchange transformations to algebraic number fields, which leads to maps on lattices. We characterize renormalizability arithmetically, and study its relationships with a geometrical quantity that we call the drift vector. We exhibit some examples of renormalizable interval exchange maps with zero and non-zero drift vector, and carry out some investigations of their properties. In particular, we look for evidence of the finite decomposition property: each lattice is the union of finitely many orbits.Comment: 34 pages, 8 postscript figure

Stickiness in Hamiltonian systems: from sharply divided to hierarchical phase space

We investigate the dynamics of chaotic trajectories in simple yet physically important Hamiltonian systems with non-hierarchical borders between regular and chaotic regions with positive measures. We show that the stickiness to the border of the regular regions in systems with such a sharply divided phase space occurs through one-parameter families of marginally unstable periodic orbits and is characterized by an exponent \gamma= 2 for the asymptotic power-law decay of the distribution of recurrence times. Generic perturbations lead to systems with hierarchical phase space, where the stickiness is apparently enhanced due to the presence of infinitely many regular islands and Cantori. In this case, we show that the distribution of recurrence times can be composed of a sum of exponentials or a sum of power-laws, depending on the relative contribution of the primary and secondary structures of the hierarchy. Numerical verification of our main results are provided for area-preserving maps, mushroom billiards, and the newly defined magnetic mushroom billiards.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. E. A PDF version with higher resolution figures is available at http://www.pks.mpg.de/~edugal

Constructive algebraic renormalization of the abelian Higgs-Kibble model

We propose an algorithm, based on Algebraic Renormalization, that allows the restoration of Slavnov-Taylor invariance at every order of perturbation expansion for an anomaly-free BRS invariant gauge theory. The counterterms are explicitly constructed in terms of a set of one-particle-irreducible Feynman amplitudes evaluated at zero momentum (and derivatives of them). The approach is here discussed in the case of the abelian Higgs-Kibble model, where the zero momentum limit can be safely performed. The normalization conditions are imposed by means of the Slavnov-Taylor invariants and are chosen in order to simplify the calculation of the counterterms. In particular within this model all counterterms involving BRS external sources (anti-fields) can be put to zero with the exception of the fermion sector.Comment: Jul, 1998, 31 page

On the trace identity in a model with broken symmetry

Considering the simple chiral fermion meson model when the chiral symmetry is explicitly broken, we show the validity of a trace identity -- to all orders of perturbation theory -- playing the role of a Callan-Symanzik equation and which allows us to identify directly the breaking of dilatations with the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. More precisely, by coupling the quantum field theory considered to a classical curved space background, represented by the non-propagating external vielbein field, we can express the conservation of the energy-momentum tensor through the Ward identity which characterizes the invariance of the theory under the diffeomorphisms. Our ``Callan-Symanzik equation'' then is the anomalous Ward identity for the trace of the energy-momentum tensor, the so-called ``trace identity''.Comment: 11 pages, Revtex file, final version to appear in Phys.Rev.