Shortcuts to adiabaticity from linear response theory

A shortcut to adiabaticity is a finite-time process that produces the same final state as would result from infinitely slow driving. We show that such shortcuts can be found for weak perturbations from linear response theory. With the help of phenomenological response functions a simple expression for the excess work is found -- quantifying the nonequilibrium excitations. For two specific examples, the quantum parametric oscillator and the spin-1/2 in a time-dependent magnetic field, we show that finite-time zeros of the excess work indicate the existence of shortcuts. Finally, we propose a degenerate family of protocols, which facilitate shortcuts to adiabaticity for specific and very short driving times.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure; published versio

Microcanonical Szilárd engines beyond the quasistatic regime

COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPWe discuss the possibility of extracting energy from a single thermal bath using microcanonical Szilard engines operating in finite time. This extends previous works on the topic which are restricted to the quasistatic regime. The feedback protocol is implemented based on linear response predictions of the excess work. It is claimed that the underlying mechanism leading to energy extraction does not violate Liouville's theorem and preserves ergodicity throughout the cycle. We illustrate our results with several examples including an exactly solvable model.96618COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP15048692016/01660-2The authors acknowledge J. P. Pekola, P. Talkner, M. Campisi, S. Deffner, and W. H. Zurek for enriching discussions. We especially thank É. Roldán for the careful analysis of the manuscript and inspiring discussions. T.A. acknowledges support from “Gleb Wataghin” Physics Institute (Brazil) and CAPESP (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) (Brazil) (Grant No. 1504869). M.B. acknowledges financial support from FAEPEX (Fundo de Apoio ao Ensino, à Pesquisa e Extensão, Universidade Estadual de Campinas) (Brazil) (Grant No. 0031/15) and FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) (Brazil) (Grant No. 2016/01660-2)

Degenerate optimal paths in thermally isolated systems

CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOWe present an analysis of the work performed on a system of interest that is kept thermally isolated during the switching of a control parameter. We show that there exists, for a certain class of systems, a finite-time family of switching protocols for which the work is equal to the quasistatic value. These optimal paths are obtained within linear response for systems initially prepared in a canonical distribution. According to our approach, such protocols are composed of a linear part plus a function which is odd with respect to time reversal. For systems with one degree of freedom, we claim that these optimal paths may also lead to the conservation of the corresponding adiabatic invariant. This points to an interesting connection between work and the conservation of the volume enclosed by the energy shell. To illustrate our findings, we solve analytically the harmonic oscillator and present numerical results for certain anharmonic examples.We present an analysis of the work performed on a system of interest that is kept thermally isolated during the switching of a control parameter. We show that there exists, for a certain class of systems, a finite-time family of switching protocols for which the work is equal to the quasistatic value. These optimal paths are obtained within linear response for systems initially prepared in a canonical distribution. According to our approach, such protocols are composed of a linear part plus a function which is odd with respect to time reversal. For systems with one degree of freedom, we claim that these optimal paths may also lead to the conservation of the corresponding adiabatic invariant. This points to an interesting connection between work and the conservation of the volume enclosed by the energy shell. To illustrate our findings, we solve analytically the harmonic oscillator and present numerical results for certain anharmonic examples.914112CNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPq [134296/2013-3]FAPESP [2012/07429-0]134296/2013-32012/07429-0Both authors thank C. Jarzynski for his hospitality during their visit to the University of Maryland, where most of this work was developed. It is also a pleasure to thank S. Deffner and M. de Koning for enriching discussions and Y. Subasi and R. Freitas for useful comments and suggestions about the manuscript. T.A. acknowledges financial support from the Physics Institute of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas and CNPq (Brazil), Project No. 134296/2013-3. M.B. acknowledges financial support from FAPESP (Brazil), Project No. 2012/07429-0

Una proposta di analisi GIS per la lettura degli assetti insediativi nell’Abruzzo interno tra l’età del Ferro e la romanizzazione

This paper presents a territorial analysis focused on a sample area in the inner region of Abruzzo, delimited by the Gran Sasso and the Sirente mountain ranges and characterised by strong geomorphological irregularities. Archaeological data from the Final Bronze Age/ Early Iron Age to the beginning of the Romanization process are analysed through a computer-based approach, using CAD, DBMS and GIS. Published data about this region are quite disjointed, both for methodological reasons and for various interferences in the archaeological record. These aspects influenced the landscape analyses proposed in previous studies and the hypothesis about the territorial exploitation patterns during the pre-Roman times. Research has been mainly concentrated on sites with better visibility, such as fortified hilltop sites and necropolises, frequently compared to the Roman settlement pattern, based on valley floor sites along the main pathways. Nevertheless, recent surveys suggest that these data should be reconsidered, taking into account both the presence of other kinds of sites (such as the Iron Age/Archaic period small rural sites localised in the valley floor) and continuity in the settlement pattern up to Roman times. The available archaeological data have been processed within a GIS, in order to investigate placement and visibility/intervisibility factors in hilltop fortified sites, starting from an expressly projected DEM. The territorial sample has been filtered using qualitative and quantitative parameters, proving that hilltop sites during the pre-Roman times were likely to control the natural catchment area. In Roman times, this pattern lost its mainly defensive character, with hilltop sites being abandoned, and was incorporated in the so-called ‘paganus-vicanicus’ system, connected to the administrative subdivision gravitating on urban centres (coloniae and then municipia) and on new monumental cult places

Un-biodegradable and biodegradable plastic sheets modify the soil properties after six months since their applications

Nowadays, microplastics represent emergent pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems that exert impacts on soil properties, affecting key soil ecological functions. In agroecosystems, plastic mulching is one of the main sources of plastic residues in soils. The present research aimed to evaluate the effects of two types of plastic sheets (un-biodegradable and biodegradable) on soil abiotic (pH, water content, concentrations of organic and total carbon, and total nitrogen) and biotic (respiration, and activities of hydrolase, dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase and urease) properties, and on phytotoxicity (germination index of Sorghum saccharatum L. and Lepidium sativum L.). Results revealed that soil properties were mostly affected by exposure time to plastics rather than the kind (un-biodegradable and biodegradable) of plastics. After six months since mesocosm setting up, the presence of un-biodegradable plastic sheets significantly decreased soil pH, respiration and dehydrogenase activity and increased total and organic carbon concentrations, and toxicity highlighted by S. saccharatum L. Instead, the presence of biodegradable plastic sheets significantly decreased dehydrogenase activity and increased organic carbon concentrations. An overall temporal improvement of the investigated properties in soils covered by biodegradable plastic sheets occurred

One-pot organocatalyzed synthesis of tricyclic indolizines

Indolizines and their saturated derivatives are important structural motifs present in several biologically active compounds of both natural and synthetic origin. We describe herein a one-pot approach for the synthesis of tricyclic indolizines catalyzed by a bicyclic imidazole-alcohol. The protocol is based on an aqueous Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction between pyridine-2-carboxaldehydes and six- or seven-membered cyclic enones, followed by sequential intramolecular cyclization and dehydration. So, in a single operational step two new bonds (C-C and C-N) are formed in an organocatalyzed process that takes place in simple conditions (stirring in water at 60 °C for 12 h) and with great atom economy (water as the sole byproduct), affording the purified compounds in yields ranging from 19 to 70%. The facility of the cyclization strongly depends on the size of the cycloalkenone ring: while MBH adducts derived from six-, seven- or eight-membered cycloenones are readily transformed into the corresponding indolizines, cyclopentenone-derived MBH adducts do not cyclize. A competition experiment revealed that cycloheptenone- derived MBH adducts cyclize faster than cyclohexenone-derived adducts. Model DFT calculations have been performed to rationalize these reactivity trends

INVESTIGATING THE SEISMIC RESPONSE OF URM WALLS WITH IRREGULAR OPENING LAYOUT THROUGH DIFFERENT MODELING APPROACHES

The façade and internal walls of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings often present an irregular opening layout, due to architectural reasons or modifications to the structure, which make the expected seismic damage pattern less predictable a priori. Therefore, the discretization of the walls in structural components is not standardized, conversely to cases with a regular opening layout for which the available modeling methods are corroborated by seismic damage surveys reporting recurrent failure patterns. The structural component discretization is a relevant step for the code-conforming seismic assessment, typically based on comparing the internal forces and drifts of each component to strength criteria and drift thresholds. Therefore, the lack of well-established approaches can significantly influence the assessment. The issue is even more evident when the structural components must be identified a priori in the modeling stage, namely for equivalent frame models. The applicability of available methods for discretization of URM walls with irregular opening layout has been already investigated in literature, but a conclusive judgment requires further studies. In this context, this paper presents an overview of the preliminary results addressing the numerical modeling of this type of walls within the framework of the DPC-ReLUIS 2022-2024 project (Subtask 10.3), funded by the Italian Department of Civil Protection. The Subtask aims to propose consensus-based recommendations for researchers and practitioners which can contribute to harmonize the use of different modeling approaches. Seven research groups are involved in the research, adopting different modeling approaches and computer codes, but similar assumptions and the same analysis method (pushover) are used. The benchmark URM structure illustrated in the paper is a two-story wall from which four configurations with increasing irregularity of opening layout were derived. The results of four modeling approached are presented. Three of them reproduce the mechanical response of masonry at the material scale by means of FE models implemented in OpenSees, DIANA and Abaqus software, while the remaining approach describes the mechanical response of masonry at the macro-element scale in 3DMacro software. Results were compared in terms of capacity curves, predicted failure mechanisms and evolution of internal forces in piers. The adoption of consistent assumptions among the different approaches led to an overall agreement of predictions at both wall and pier scales, particularly in terms of damage pattern with higher concentration of damage at the ground story. Despite that, differences on the pushover curves have been highlighted. They are mainly due to some deviations of the internal forces in squat piers deriving from a complex load flow in these elements

Investigating the seismic response of URM walls with irregular opening layout through different modeling approaches

TThe façade and internal walls of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings often present an irregular opening layout, due to architectural reasons or modifications to the structure, which make the expected seismic damage pattern less predictable a priori. Therefore, the discretization of the walls in structural components is not standardized, conversely to cases with a regular opening layout for which the available modeling methods are corroborated by seismic damage surveys reporting recurrent failure patterns. The structural component discretization is a relevant step for the code-conforming seismic assessment, typically based on comparing the internal forces and drifts of each component to strength criteria and drift thresholds. Therefore, the lack of well-established approaches can significantly influence the assessment. The issue is even more evident when the structural components must be identified a priori in the modeling stage, namely for equivalent frame models. The applicability of available methods for discretization of URM walls with irregular opening layout has been already investigated in literature, but a conclusive judgment requires further studies. In this context, this paper presents an overview of the preliminary results addressing the numerical modeling of this type of walls within the framework of the DPC-ReLUIS 2022-2024 project (Subtask 10.3), funded by the Italian Department of Civil Protection. The Subtask aims to propose consensus-based recommendations for researchers and practitioners which can contribute to harmonize the use of different modeling approaches. Seven research groups are involved in the research, adopting different modeling approaches and computer codes, but similar assumptions and the same analysis method (pushover) are used. The benchmark URM structure illustrated in the paper is a two-story wall from which four configurations with increasing irregularity of opening layout were derived. The results of four modeling approached are presented. Three of them reproduce the mechanical response of masonry at the material scale by means of FE models implemented in OpenSees, DIANA and Abaqus software, while the remaining approach describes the mechanical response of masonry at the macro-element scale in 3DMacro software. Results were compared in terms of capacity curves, predicted failure mechanisms and evolution of internal forces in piers. The adoption of consistent assumptions among the different approaches led to an overall agreement of predictions at both wall and pier scales, particularly in terms of damage pattern with higher concentration of damage at the ground story. Despite that, differences on the pushover curves have been highlighted. They are mainly due to some deviations of the internal forces in squat piers deriving from a complex load flow in these elements.DPC - Dipartimento della Protezione Civile, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri(LA/P/0112/2020