Hierarchy of boundary driven phase transitions in multi-species particle systems

Interacting systems with $K$ driven particle species on a open chain or chains which are coupled at the ends to boundary reservoirs with fixed particle densities are considered. We classify discontinuous and continuous phase transitions which are driven by adiabatic change of boundary conditions. We build minimal paths along which any given boundary driven phase transition (BDPT) is observed and reveal kinetic mechanisms governing these transitions. Combining minimal paths, we can drive the system from a stationary state with all positive characteristic speeds to a state with all negative characteristic speeds, by means of adiabatic changes of the boundary conditions. We show that along such composite paths one generically encounters $Z$ discontinuous and $2(K-Z)$ continuous BDPTs with $Z$ taking values $0\leq Z\leq K$ depending on the path. As model examples we consider solvable exclusion processes with product measure states and $K=1,2,3$ particle species and a non-solvable two-way traffic model. Our findings are confirmed by numerical integration of hydrodynamic limit equations and by Monte Carlo simulations. Results extend straightforwardly to a wide class of driven diffusive systems with several conserved particle species.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure

Application of approximation theory by nonlinear manifolds in Sturm-Liouville inverse problems

We give here some negative results in Sturm-Liouville inverse theory, meaning that we cannot approach any of the potentials with $m+1$ integrable derivatives on $\mathbb{R}^+$ by an $\omega$-parametric analytic family better than order of $(\omega\ln\omega)^{-(m+1)}$. Next, we prove an estimation of the eigenvalues and characteristic values of a Sturm-Liouville operator and some properties of the solution of a certain integral equation. This allows us to deduce from [Henkin-Novikova] some positive results about the best reconstruction formula by giving an almost optimal formula of order of $\omega^{-m}$.Comment: 40 page

Discriminants, symmetrized graph monomials, and sums of squares

Motivated by the necessities of the invariant theory of binary forms J. J. Sylvester constructed in 1878 for each graph with possible multiple edges but without loops its symmetrized graph monomial which is a polynomial in the vertex labels of the original graph. In the 20-th century this construction was studied by several authors. We pose the question for which graphs this polynomial is a non-negative resp. a sum of squares. This problem is motivated by a recent conjecture of F. Sottile and E. Mukhin on discriminant of the derivative of a univariate polynomial, and an interesting example of P. and A. Lax of a graph with 4 edges whose symmetrized graph monomial is non-negative but not a sum of squares. We present detailed information about symmetrized graph monomials for graphs with four and six edges, obtained by computer calculations

Laser-like Instabilities in Quantum Nano-electromechanical Systems

We discuss negative damping regimes in quantum nano-electromechanical systems formed by coupling a mechanical oscillator to a single-electron transistor (normal or superconducting). Using an analogy to a laser with a tunable atom-field coupling, we demonstrate how these effects scale with system parameters. We also discuss the fluctuation physics of both the oscillator and the single-electron transistor in this regime, and the degree to which the oscillator motion is coherent.Comment: 4+ pages, 1 figure; reference to the work of Dykman and Krivoglaz adde

The existence of a real pole-free solution of the fourth order analogue of the Painleve I equation

We establish the existence of a real solution y(x,T) with no poles on the real line of the following fourth order analogue of the Painleve I equation, x=Ty-({1/6}y^3+{1/24}(y_x^2+2yy_{xx})+{1/240}y_{xxxx}). This proves the existence part of a conjecture posed by Dubrovin. We obtain our result by proving the solvability of an associated Riemann-Hilbert problem through the approach of a vanishing lemma. In addition, by applying the Deift/Zhou steepest-descent method to this Riemann-Hilbert problem, we obtain the asymptotics for y(x,T) as x\to\pm\infty.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figure

First-order symmetric-hyperbolic Einstein equations with arbitrary fixed gauge

We find a one-parameter family of variables which recast the 3+1 Einstein equations into first-order symmetric-hyperbolic form for any fixed choice of gauge. Hyperbolicity considerations lead us to a redefinition of the lapse in terms of an arbitrary factor times a power of the determinant of the 3-metric; under certain assumptions, the exponent can be chosen arbitrarily, but positive, with no implication of gauge-fixing.Comment: 5 pages; Latex with Revtex v3.0 macro package and style; to appear in Phys. Rev. Let