23 research outputs found
Resolution-scale relativistic formulation of non-differentiable mechanics
This article motivates and presents the scale relativistic approach to
non-differentiability in mechanics and its relation to quantum mechanics. It
stems from the scale relativity proposal to extend the principle of relativity
to resolution-scale transformations, which leads to considering
non-differentiable dynamical paths. We first define a complex scale-covariant
time-differential operator and show that mechanics of non-differentiable paths
is implemented in the same way as classical mechanics but with the replacement
of the time derivative and velocity with the time-differential operator and
associated complex velocity. With this, the generalized form of Newton's
fundamental relation of dynamics is shown to take the form of a Langevin
equation in the case of stationary motion characterized by a null average
classical velocity. The numerical integration of the Langevin equation in the
case of a harmonic oscillator taken as an example reveals the same statistics
as the stationary solutions of the Schrodinger equation for the same problem.
This motivates the rest of the paper, which shows Schrodinger's equation to be
a reformulation of Newton's fundamental relation of dynamics as generalized to
non-differentiable geometries and leads to an alternative interpretation of the
other axioms of standard quantum mechanics in a coherent picture. This exercise
validates the scale relativistic approach and, at the same time, it allows to
envision macroscopic chaotic systems observed at resolution time-scales
exceeding their horizon of predictability as candidates in which to search for
quantum-like dynamics and structures.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figure
Stellar intensity interferometry: Optimizing air Cherenkov telescope array layouts
Kilometric-scale optical imagers seem feasible to realize by intensity
interferometry, using telescopes primarily erected for measuring Cherenkov
light induced by gamma rays. Planned arrays envision 50--100 telescopes,
distributed over some 1--4 km. Although array layouts and telescope sizes
will primarily be chosen for gamma-ray observations, also their interferometric
performance may be optimized. Observations of stellar objects were numerically
simulated for different array geometries, yielding signal-to-noise ratios for
different Fourier components of the source images in the interferometric
-plane. Simulations were made for layouts actually proposed for future
Cherenkov telescope arrays, and for subsets with only a fraction of the
telescopes. All large arrays provide dense sampling of the -plane due to
the sheer number of telescopes, irrespective of their geographic orientation or
stellar coordinates. However, for improved coverage of the -plane and a
wider variety of baselines (enabling better image reconstruction), an exact
east-west grid should be avoided for the numerous smaller telescopes, and
repetitive geometric patterns avoided for the few large ones. Sparse arrays
become severely limited by a lack of short baselines, and to cover
astrophysically relevant dimensions between 0.1--3 milliarcseconds in visible
wavelengths, baselines between pairs of telescopes should cover the whole
interval 30--2000 m.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures; presented at the SPIE conference "Optical and
Infrared Interferometry II", San Diego, CA, USA (June 2010
Stellar Intensity Interferometry: Astrophysical targets for sub-milliarcsecond imaging
Intensity interferometry permits very long optical baselines and the
observation of sub-milliarcsecond structures. Using planned kilometric arrays
of air Cherenkov telescopes at short wavelengths, intensity interferometry may
increase the spatial resolution achieved in optical astronomy by an order of
magnitude, inviting detailed studies of the shapes of rapidly rotating hot
stars with structures in their circumstellar disks and winds, or mapping out
patterns of nonradial pulsations across stellar surfaces. Signal-to-noise in
intensity interferometry favors high-temperature sources and emission-line
structures, and is independent of the optical passband, be it a single spectral
line or the broad spectral continuum. Prime candidate sources have been
identified among classes of bright and hot stars. Observations are simulated
for telescope configurations envisioned for large Cherenkov facilities,
synthesizing numerous optical baselines in software, confirming that
resolutions of tens of microarcseconds are feasible for numerous astrophysical
targets.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures; presented at the SPIE conference "Optical and
Infrared Interferometry II", San Diego, CA, USA (June 2010
Toward a revival of stellar intensity interferometry
Journal ArticleBuilding on technological developments over the last 35 years, intensity interferometry now appears a feasible option by which to achieve diffraction-limited imaging over a square-kilometer synthetic aperture. Upcoming Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope projects will consist of up to 100 telescopes, each with ~100m2 of light gathering area, and distributed over ~lkm2 . These large facilities will offer thousands of baselines from 50m to more than 1km and an unprecedented (u,v) plane coverage. The revival of interest in Intensity Interferometry has recently led to the formation of a IAU working group. Here we report on various ongoing efforts towards implementing modern Stellar Intensity Interferometry