371 research outputs found
Are ghost surfaces quadratic-flux-minimizing?
Two candidates for "almost-invariant" toroidal surfaces passing through
magnetic islands, namely quadratic-flux-minimizing (QFMin) surfaces and ghost
surfaces, use families of periodic pseudo-orbits (i.e. paths for which the
action is not exactly extremal). QFMin pseudo-orbits, which are
coordinate-dependent, are field lines obtained from a modified magnetic field,
and ghost-surface pseudo-orbits are obtained by displacing closed field lines
in the direction of steepest descent of magnetic action, . A generalized Hamiltonian definition of ghost
surfaces is given and specialized to the usual Lagrangian definition. A
modified Hamilton's Principle is introduced that allows the use of Lagrangian
integration for calculation of the QFMin pseudo-orbits. Numerical calculations
show QFMin and Lagrangian ghost surfaces give very similar results for a
chaotic magnetic field perturbed from an integrable case, and this is explained
using a perturbative construction of an auxiliary poloidal angle for which
QFMin and Lagrangian ghost surfaces are the same up to second order. While
presented in the context of 3-dimensional magnetic field line systems, the
concepts are applicable to defining almost-invariant tori in other
degree-of-freedom nonintegrable Lagrangian/Hamiltonian systems.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Revised version includes post-publication
corrections in text, as described in Appendix C Erratu
Action-gradient-minimizing pseudo-orbits and almost-invariant tori
Transport in near-integrable, but partially chaotic,
degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian systems is blocked by invariant tori and is
reduced at \emph{almost}-invariant tori, both associated with the invariant
tori of a neighboring integrable system. "Almost invariant" tori with rational
rotation number can be defined using continuous families of periodic
\emph{pseudo-orbits} to foliate the surfaces, while irrational-rotation-number
tori can be defined by nesting with sequences of such rational tori. Three
definitions of "pseudo-orbit," \emph{action-gradient--minimizing} (AGMin),
\emph{quadratic-flux-minimizing} (QFMin) and \emph{ghost} orbits, based on
variants of Hamilton's Principle, use different strategies to extremize the
action as closely as possible. Equivalent Lagrangian (configuration-space
action) and Hamiltonian (phase-space action) formulations, and a new approach
to visualizing action-minimizing and minimax orbits based on AGMin
pseudo-orbits, are presented.Comment: Accepted for publication in a special issue of Communications in
Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation (CNSNS) entitled "The mathematical
structure of fluids and plasmas : a volume dedicated to the 60th birthday of
Phil Morrison
One-and-a-half quantum de Finetti theorems
We prove a new kind of quantum de Finetti theorem for representations of the
unitary group U(d). Consider a pure state that lies in the irreducible
representation U_{mu+nu} for Young diagrams mu and nu. U_{mu+nu} is contained
in the tensor product of U_mu and U_nu; let xi be the state obtained by tracing
out U_nu. We show that xi is close to a convex combination of states Uv, where
U is in U(d) and v is the highest weight vector in U_mu. When U_{mu+nu} is the
symmetric representation, this yields the conventional quantum de Finetti
theorem for symmetric states, and our method of proof gives near-optimal bounds
for the approximation of xi by a convex combination of product states. For the
class of symmetric Werner states, we give a second de Finetti-style theorem
(our 'half' theorem); the de Finetti-approximation in this case takes a
particularly simple form, involving only product states with a fixed spectrum.
Our proof uses purely group theoretic methods, and makes a link with the
shifted Schur functions. It also provides some useful examples, and gives some
insight into the structure of the set of convex combinations of product states.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, v4: minor additions (including figures),
published versio
Non-negative Wigner functions in prime dimensions
According to a classical result due to Hudson, the Wigner function of a pure,
continuous variable quantum state is non-negative if and only if the state is
Gaussian. We have proven an analogous statement for finite-dimensional quantum
systems. In this context, the role of Gaussian states is taken on by stabilizer
states. The general results have been published in [D. Gross, J. Math. Phys.
47, 122107 (2006)]. For the case of systems of odd prime dimension, a greatly
simplified proof can be employed which still exhibits the main ideas. The
present paper gives a self-contained account of these methods.Comment: 5 pages. Special case of a result proved in quant-ph/0602001. The
proof is greatly simplified, making the general case more accessible. To
appear in Appl. Phys. B as part of the proceedings of the 2006 DPG Spring
Meeting (Quantum Optics and Photonics section
Relaxed MHD states of a multiple region plasma
We calculate the stability of a multiple relaxation region MHD (MRXMHD)
plasma, or stepped-Beltrami plasma, using both variational and tearing mode
treatments. The configuration studied is a periodic cylinder. In the
variational treatment, the problem reduces to an eigenvalue problem for the
interface displacements. For the tearing mode treatment, analytic expressions
for the tearing mode stability parameter , being the jump in the
logarithm in the helical flux across the resonant surface, are found. The
stability of these treatments is compared for displacements of an
illustrative RFP-like configuration, comprising two distinct plasma regions.
For pressure-less configurations, we find the marginal stability conclusions of
each treatment to be identical, confirming analytic results in the literature.
The tearing mode treatment also resolves ideal MHD unstable solutions for which
: these correspond to displacement of a resonant interface.
Wall stabilisation scans resolve the internal and external ideal kink. Scans
with increasing pressure are also performed: these indicate that both
variational and tearing mode treatments have the same stability trends with
, and show pressure stabilisation in configurations with increasing edge
pressure. Combined, our results suggest that MRXMHD configurations which are
stable to ideal perturbations plus tearing modes are automatically in a stable
state. Such configurations, and their stability properties, are of emerging
importance in the quest to find mathematically rigorous solutions of ideal MHD
force balance in 3D geometry.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 22nd IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Geneva,
Switzerland. Submitted to Nuclear Fusio
Adiabatic elimination in quantum stochastic models
We consider a physical system with a coupling to bosonic reservoirs via a
quantum stochastic differential equation. We study the limit of this model as
the coupling strength tends to infinity. We show that in this limit the
solution to the quantum stochastic differential equation converges strongly to
the solution of a limit quantum stochastic differential equation. In the
limiting dynamics the excited states are removed and the ground states couple
directly to the reservoirs.Comment: 17 pages, no figures, corrected mistake
De Finetti theorem on the CAR algebra
The symmetric states on a quasi local C*-algebra on the infinite set of
indices J are those invariant under the action of the group of the permutations
moving only a finite, but arbitrary, number of elements of J. The celebrated De
Finetti Theorem describes the structure of the symmetric states (i.e.
exchangeable probability measures) in classical probability. In the present
paper we extend De Finetti Theorem to the case of the CAR algebra, that is for
physical systems describing Fermions. Namely, after showing that a symmetric
state is automatically even under the natural action of the parity
automorphism, we prove that the compact convex set of such states is a Choquet
simplex, whose extremal (i.e. ergodic w.r.t. the action of the group of
permutations previously described) are precisely the product states in the
sense of Araki-Moriya. In order to do that, we also prove some ergodic
properties naturally enjoyed by the symmetric states which have a
self--containing interest.Comment: 23 pages, juornal reference: Communications in Mathematical Physics,
to appea
Sensitivity optimization in quantum parameter estimation
We present a general framework for sensitivity optimization in quantum
parameter estimation schemes based on continuous (indirect) observation of a
dynamical system. As an illustrative example, we analyze the canonical scenario
of monitoring the position of a free mass or harmonic oscillator to detect weak
classical forces. We show that our framework allows the consideration of
sensitivity scheduling as well as estimation strategies for non-stationary
signals, leading us to propose corresponding generalizations of the Standard
Quantum Limit for force detection.Comment: 15 pages, RevTe
Chaos and Quantum-Classical Correspondence via Phase Space Distribution Functions
Quantum-classical correspondence in conservative chaotic Hamiltonian systems
is examined using a uniform structure measure for quantal and classical phase
space distribution functions. The similarities and differences between quantum
and classical time-evolving distribution functions are exposed by both
analytical and numerical means. The quantum-classical correspondence of
low-order statistical moments is also studied. The results shed considerable
light on quantum-classical correspondence.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Physical Review
Quantum Bayes rule
We state a quantum version of Bayes's rule for statistical inference and give
a simple general derivation within the framework of generalized measurements.
The rule can be applied to measurements on N copies of a system if the initial
state of the N copies is exchangeable. As an illustration, we apply the rule to
N qubits. Finally, we show that quantum state estimates derived via the
principle of maximum entropy are fundamentally different from those obtained
via the quantum Bayes rule.Comment: REVTEX, 9 page
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