Semiclassics around a phase space caustic: an illustration using the Nelson Hamiltonian

The semiclassical formula for the coherent-state propagator is written in terms of complex classical trajectories of an equivalent classical system. Depending on the parameters involved, more than one trajectory may contribute to the calculation. Eventually, however, two contributing trajectories coalesce, characterizing what is called phase space caustic. In this case, the usual semiclassical formula for the propagator diverges, so that a uniform approximation is required to avoid this singularity. In this paper, we present a non-trivial application illustrating this scenario, and showing the accuracy of the uniform formula that we have previously derived.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Rural to Urban Population Density Scaling of Crime and Property Transactions in English and Welsh Parliamentary Constituencies

Urban population scaling of resource use, creativity metrics, and human behaviors has been widely studied. These studies have not looked in detail at the full range of human environments which represent a continuum from the most rural to heavily urban. We examined monthly police crime reports and property transaction values across all 573 Parliamentary Constituencies in England and Wales, finding that scaling models based on population density provided a far superior framework to traditional population scaling. We found four types of scaling: i ) non-urban scaling in which a single power law explained the relationship between the metrics and population density from the most rural to heavily urban environments, ii ) accelerated scaling in which high population density was associated with an increase in the power-law exponent, iii ) inhibited scaling where the urban environment resulted in a reduction in the power-law exponent but remained positive, and iv ) collapsed scaling where transition to the high density environment resulted in a negative scaling exponent. Urban scaling transitions, when observed, took place universally between 10 and 70 people per hectare. This study significantly refines our understanding of urban scaling, making clear that some of what has been previously ascribed to urban environments may simply be the high density portion of non-urban scaling. It also makes clear that some metrics undergo specific transitions in urban environments and these transitions can include negative scaling exponents indicative of collapse. This study gives promise of far more sophisticated scale adjusted metrics and indicates that studies of urban scaling represent a high density subsection of overall scaling relationships which continue into rural environments

The Electronic States of Two Oppositely doped Mott Insulators Bilayers

We study the effect of Coulomb interaction between two oppositely doped low-dimensional tJ model systems. We exactly show that, in the one-dimensional case, an arbitrarily weak interaction leads to the formation of charge neutral electron-hole pairs. We then use two different mean-field theories to address the two-dimensional case, where inter-layer excitons also form and condense. We propose that this results in new features which have no analog in single layers, such as the emergence of an insulating spin liquid phase. Our simple bilayer model might have relevance to the physics of doped Mott insulator interfaces and of the new four layer Ba2CaCu4O8 compound.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Nonlinear gyrofluid computation of edge localised ideal ballooning modes

Three dimensional electromagnetic gyrofluid simulations of the ideal ballooning mode blowout scenario for tokamak edge localized modes (ELMs) are presented. Special emphasis is placed on energetic diagnosis, examining changes in the growth rate in the linear, overshoot, and decay phases. The saturation process is energy transfer to self generated edge turbulence which exhibits an ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode structure. Convergence in the decay phase is found only if the spectrum reaches the ion gyroradius. The equilibrium is a self consistent background whose evolution is taken into account. Approximately two thirds of the total energy in the edge layer is liberated in the blowout. Parameter dependence with respect to plasma pressure and the ion gyroradius is studied. Despite the violent nature of the short-lived process, the transition to nonlinearity is very similar to that found in generic tokamak edge turbulence.Comment: The following article has been submitted to Physics of Plasmas. After it is published, it will be found at http://pop.aip.org