Current-constraining variational approaches to quantum transport

Presently, the main methods for describing a nonequilibrium charge-transporting steady state are based on time-evolving it from the initial zero-current situation. An alternative class of theories would give the statistical nonequilibrium density operator from principles of statistical mechanics, in a spirit close to Gibbs ensembles for equilibrium systems, leading to a variational principle for the nonequilibrium steady state. We discuss the existing attempts to achieve this using the maximum entropy principle based on constraining the average current. We show that the current-constrained theories result in a zero-induced drop in electrostatic potential, so that such ensembles cannot correspond to the time-evolved density matrix, unless left- and right-going scattering states are mutually incoherent

Hartree-Fock theory of a current-carrying electron gas

State-of-the-art simulation tools for nonequilibrium quantum transport systems typically take the current-carrier occupations to be described in terms of equilibrium distribution functions characterized by two different electrochemical potentials, while for the description of electronic exchange and correlation, the local density approximation (LDA) to density functional theory is generally used. However, this involves an inconsistency because the LDA is based on the homogeneous electron gas in equilibrium, while the system is not in equilibrium and may be far from it. In this paper, we analyze this inconsistency by studying the interplay between nonequilibrium occupancies obtained from a maximum entropy approach and the Hartree-Fock exchange energy, single-particle spectrum and exchange hole, for the case of a two-dimensional homogeneous electron gas. The current dependence of the local exchange potential is also discussed. It is found that the single-particle spectrum and exchange hole have a significant dependence on the current, which has not been taken into account in practical calculations since it is not captured by the commonly used functionals. The exchange energy and the local exchange potential, however, are shown to change very little with respect to their equilibrium counterparts. The weak dependence of these quantities on the current is explained in terms of the symmetries of the exchange hole

Asymptotic self-consistency in quantum transport calculations

Ab initio simulations of quantum transport commonly focus on a central region which is considered to be connected to infinite leads through which the current flows. The electronic structure of these distant leads is normally obtained from an equilibrium calculation, ignoring the self-consistent response of the leads to the current. We examine the consequences of this, and show that the electrostatic potential Delta phi is effectively being approximated by the difference between electrochemical potentials Delta mu, and that this approximation is incompatible with asymptotic charge neutrality. In a test calculation for a simple metal-vacuum-metal junction, we find significant errors in the nonequilibrium properties calculated with this approximation, in the limit of small vacuum gaps. We provide a scheme by which these errors may be corrected

Contribución a la clasificación fitosociológica de los pastizales de la provincia de Cádiz (España)

Contribución a la clasificación fitosociológica de los pastizales de la provincia de Cádiz (España). En el presente trabajo se estudian las comunidades de pastos del centro y suroeste de la provincia de Cádiz en base a 521 inventarios fitosociológicos. Todos ellos han sido sometidos a dos análisis multivariantes, uno de ordenación (PCA) y otro de clasificación. Con ambos métodos se han obtenido 50 grupos de vegetación correspondientes a asociaciones pertenecientes a diferentes clases fitosociológicas: Corynephoretea canescentis, Poetea bulbosae, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, Polygono arenastri-Poetea annuae, Ruderali-Secalietea cerealis, Juncetea bufonii, Littorelletea, Phragmitio-Magnocaricetea y Frankenietea pulverulentae. Como resultado del tratamiento estadístico se describe un nuevo orden- Phalaridetalia coerulescentis, una alianza -Gaudinio fragilis-Hordeion bulbosi, tres asociaciones -Deschampsio strictae-Agrostietum curtisii, Hedysaro coronarii-Phalaridetum coerulescentis y Poo sylvicolae-Festucetum atlantigenae y dos subasociaciones -Gaudinio fragilis-Agrostietum castellanae hypochaeridetosum platylepidis y Poo sylvicolae-Festucetum atlantigenae scirpetosum maritimi

Surface Vacuum Energy in Cutoff Models: Pressure Anomaly and Distributional Gravitational Limit

Vacuum-energy calculations with ideal reflecting boundaries are plagued by boundary divergences, which presumably correspond to real (but finite) physical effects occurring near the boundary. Our working hypothesis is that the stress tensor for idealized boundary conditions with some finite cutoff should be a reasonable ad hoc model for the true situation. The theory will have a sensible renormalized limit when the cutoff is taken away; this requires making sense of the Einstein equation with a distributional source. Calculations with the standard ultraviolet cutoff reveal an inconsistency between energy and pressure similar to the one that arises in noncovariant regularizations of cosmological vacuum energy. The problem disappears, however, if the cutoff is a spatial point separation in a "neutral" direction parallel to the boundary. Here we demonstrate these claims in detail, first for a single flat reflecting wall intersected by a test boundary, then more rigorously for a region of finite cross section surrounded by four reflecting walls. We also show how the moment-expansion theorem can be applied to the distributional limits of the source and the solution of the Einstein equation, resulting in a mathematically consistent differential equation where cutoff-dependent coefficients have been identified as renormalizations of properties of the boundary. A number of issues surrounding the interpretation of these results are aired.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures, 1 table; PACS 03.70.+k, 04.20.Cv, 11.10.G

Dynamics of magnetic moments coupled to electrons and lattice oscillations

Inspired by the models of A. Rebei and G. J. Parker and A. Rebei et. al., we study a physical model which describes the behaviour of magnetic moments in a ferromagnet. The magnetic moments are associated to 3d electrons which interact with conduction band electrons and with phonons. We study each interaction separately and then collect the results assuming that the electron-phonon interaction can be neglected. For the case of the spin-phonon interaction, we study the derivation of the equations of motion for the classical spin vector and find that the correct behaviour, as given by the Brown equation for the spin vector and the Bloch equation, using the results obtained by D. A. Garanin for the average over fluctuations of the spin vector, can be obtained in the high temperature limit. At finite temperatures we show that the Markovian approximation for the fluctuations is not correct for time scales below some thermal correlation time $\tau_{Th}$. For the case of electrons we workout a perturbative expansion of the Feynman-Vernon functional. We find the expression for the random field correlation function. The composite model (as well as the individual models) is shown to satisfy a fluctuation-dissipation theorem for all temperature regimes if the behaviour of the coupling constants of the phonon-spin interaction remains unchanged with the temperature. The equations of motion are derived

In-flight calibration of STEREO-B/WAVES antenna system

The STEREO/WAVES (SWAVES) experiment on board the two STEREO spacecraft (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) launched on 25 October 2006 is dedicated to the measurement of the radio spectrum at frequencies between a few kilohertz and 16 MHz. The SWAVES antenna system consists of 6 m long orthogonal monopoles designed to measure the electric component of the radio waves. With this configuration direction finding of radio sources and polarimetry (analysis of the polarization state) of incident radio waves is possible. For the evaluation of the SWAVES data the receiving properties of the antennas, distorted by the radiation coupling with the spacecraft body and other onboard devices, have to be known accurately. In the present context, these properties are described by the antenna effective length vectors. We present the results of an in-flight calibration of the SWAVES antennas using the observations of the nonthermal terrestrial auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) during STEREO roll maneuvers in an early stage of the mission. A least squares method combined with a genetic algorithm was applied to find the effective length vectors of the STEREO Behind (STEREO-B)/WAVES antennas in a quasi-static frequency range ($L_{antenna} \ll \lambda_{wave}$) which fit best to the model and observed AKR intensity profiles. The obtained results confirm the former SWAVES antenna analysis by rheometry and numerical simulations. A final set of antenna parameters is recommended as a basis for evaluations of the SWAVES data