Viscous tilting and production of vorticity in homogeneous turbulence

Viscous depletion of vorticity is an essential and well known property of turbulent flows, balancing, in the mean, the net vorticity production associated with the vortex stretching mechanism. In this letter, we, however, demonstrate that viscous effects are not restricted to a mere destruction process, but play a more complex role in vorticity dynamics that is as important as vortex stretching. Based on the results from three dimensional particle tracking velocimetry experiments and direct numerical simulation of homogeneous and quasi-isotropic turbulence, we show that the viscous term in the vorticity equation can also locally induce production of vorticity and changes of the orientation of the vorticity vector (viscous tilting)

Small scale aspects of flows in proximity of the turbulent/non-turbulent interface

The work reported below is a first of its kind study of the properties of turbulent flow without strong mean shear in a Newtonian fluid in proximity of the turbulent/non-turbulent interface, with emphasis on the small scale aspects. The main tools used are a three-dimensional particle tracking system (3D-PTV) allowing to measure and follow in a Lagrangian manner the field of velocity derivatives and direct numerical simulations (DNS). The comparison of flow properties in the turbulent (A), intermediate (B) and non-turbulent (C) regions in the proximity of the interface allows for direct observation of the key physical processes underlying the entrainment phenomenon. The differences between small scale strain and enstrophy are striking and point to the definite scenario of turbulent entrainment via the viscous forces originating in strain.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Phys. Fluid

On the new approach to variable separation in the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation with two space dimensions

We suggest an effective approach to separation of variables in the Schr\"odinger equation with two space variables. Using it we classify inequivalent potentials $V(x_1,x_2)$ such that the corresponding Schr\" odinger equations admit separation of variables. Besides that, we carry out separation of variables in the Schr\" odinger equation with the anisotropic harmonic oscillator potential $V=k_1x_1^2+k_2x_2^2$ and obtain a complete list of coordinate systems providing its separability. Most of these coordinate systems depend essentially on the form of the potential and do not provide separation of variables in the free Schr\" odinger equation ($V=0$).Comment: 21 pages, latex, to appear in the "Journal of Mathematical Physics" (1995

Superintegrable systems with spin and second-order integrals of motion

We investigate a quantum nonrelativistic system describing the interaction of two particles with spin 1/2 and spin 0, respectively. We assume that the Hamiltonian is rotationally invariant and parity conserving and identify all such systems which allow additional integrals of motion that are second order matrix polynomials in the momenta. These integrals are assumed to be scalars, pseudoscalars, vectors or axial vectors. Among the superintegrable systems obtained, we mention a generalization of the Coulomb potential with scalar potential $V_0=\frac{\alpha}{r}+\frac{3\hbar^2}{8r^2}$ and spin orbital one $V_1=\frac{\hbar}{2r^2}$.Comment: 32 page

A Lagrangian investigation of the small-scale features of turbulent entrainment through particle tracking and direct numerical simulation

We report an analysis of small-scale enstrophy ω2 and rate of strain s2 dynamics in the proximity of the turbulent/non-turbulent interface in a flow without strong mean shear. The techniques used are three-dimensional particle tracking (3D-PTV), allowing the field of velocity derivatives to be measured and followed in a Lagrangian manner, and direct numerical simulations (DNS). In both experiment and simulation the Taylor-microscale Reynolds number is Reλ = 50. The results are based on the Lagrangian viewpoint with the main focus on flow particle tracers crossing the turbulent/non-turbulent interface. This approach allowed a direct investigation of the key physical processes underlying the entrainment phenomenon and revealed the role of small-scale non-local, inviscid and viscous processes. We found that the entrainment mechanism is initiated by self-amplification of s2 through the combined effect of strain production and pressure--strain interaction. This process is followed by a sharp change of ω2 induced mostly by production due to viscous effects. The influence of inviscid production is initially small but gradually increasing, whereas viscous production changes abruptly towards the destruction of ω2. Finally, shortly after the crossing of the turbulent/non-turbulent interface, production and dissipation of both enstrophy and strain reach a balance. The characteristic time scale of the described processes is the Kolmogorov time scale, τη. Locally, the characteristic velocity of the fluid relative to the turbulent/non-turbulent interface is the Kolmogorov velocity, u

Curve crossing in linear potential grids: the quasidegeneracy approximation

The quasidegeneracy approximation [V. A. Yurovsky, A. Ben-Reuven, P. S. Julienne, and Y. B. Band, J. Phys. B {\bf 32}, 1845 (1999)] is used here to evaluate transition amplitudes for the problem of curve crossing in linear potential grids involving two sets of parallel potentials. The approximation describes phenomena, such as counterintuitive transitions and saturation (incomplete population transfer), not predictable by the assumption of independent crossings. Also, a new kind of oscillations due to quantum interference (different from the well-known St\"uckelberg oscillations) is disclosed, and its nature discussed. The approximation can find applications in many fields of physics, where multistate curve crossing problems occur.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, 8 PostScript figures, uses REVTeX and psfig, submitted to Physical Review

Coherent Excitation of a Two-Level Atom driven by a far off-resonant Classical Field: Analytical Solutions

We present an analytical treatment of coherent excitation of a Two-Level Atom driven by a far-off resonant classical field. A class of pulse envelope is obtained for which this problem is exactly solvable. The solutions are given in terms of Heun function which is a generalization of the Hypergeometric function. The degeneracy of Heun to Hypergeometric equation can give all the exactly solvable pulse shapes of Gauss Hypergeometric form, from the generalized pulse shape obtained here. We discuss the application of the results obtained to the generation of XUV.Comment: 9 Pages, 8 Figures. Accepted for Physical Review A as a regular articl

Physical realization of coupled Hilbert-space mirrors for quantum-state engineering

Manipulation of superpositions of discrete quantum states has a mathematical counterpart in the motion of a unit-length statevector in an N-dimensional Hilbert space. Any such statevector motion can be regarded as a succession of two-dimensional rotations. But the desired statevector change can also be treated as a succession of reflections, the generalization of Householder transformations. In multidimensional Hilbert space such reflection sequences offer more efficient procedures for statevector manipulation than do sequences of rotations. We here show how such reflections can be designed for a system with two degenerate levels - a generalization of the traditional two-state atom - that allows the construction of propagators for angular momentum states. We use the Morris-Shore transformation to express the propagator in terms of Morris-Shore basis states and Cayley-Klein parameters, which allows us to connect properties of laser pulses to Hilbert-space motion. Under suitable conditions on the couplings and the common detuning, the propagators within each set of degenerate states represent products of generalized Householder reflections, with orthogonal vectors. We propose physical realizations of this novel geometrical object with resonant, near-resonant and far-off-resonant laser pulses. We give several examples of implementations in real atoms or molecules.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure

Relativistic wave equations for interacting massive particles with arbitrary half-intreger spins

New formulation of relativistic wave equations (RWE) for massive particles with arbitrary half-integer spins s interacting with external electromagnetic fields are proposed. They are based on wave functions which are irreducible tensors of rank $n ($n=s-\frac12$) antisymmetric w.r.t. n pairs of indices, whose components are bispinors. The form of RWE is straightforward and free of inconsistencies associated with the other approaches to equations describing interacting higher spin particles

On elliptic solutions of the quintic complex one-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau equation

The Conte-Musette method has been modified for the search of only elliptic solutions to systems of differential equations. A key idea of this a priory restriction is to simplify calculations by means of the use of a few Laurent series solutions instead of one and the use of the residue theorem. The application of our approach to the quintic complex one-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau equation (CGLE5) allows to find elliptic solutions in the wave form. We also find restrictions on coefficients, which are necessary conditions for the existence of elliptic solutions for the CGLE5. Using the investigation of the CGLE5 as an example, we demonstrate that to find elliptic solutions the analysis of a system of differential equations is more preferable than the analysis of the equivalent single differential equation.Comment: LaTeX, 21 page