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At least 1,171 records · Page 65

A Numerical Method for Computing the State Transition Matrix Using Poincare Integral Invariants

The Poincare integral invariants describe the volumes of sets in Hamiltonian phase space. We use these invariants to derive a new numerical procedure for obtaining the state transition matrix (STM), which can be applied to both conservative and nonconservative systems. The method is analogous to a finite difference approximation of the STM, where perturbed states are numerically propagated along with the reference trajectory. We discuss the mathematical similarities between this new STM and existing methods, show numerical results for orbital motion and uncertainty propagation, and discuss new insights afforded by the Hamiltonian properties of phase flow.

state transition matrix↗

Identifying low-dimensional dynamics in type-I edge-localised-mode processes in JET plasmas

Edge localised mode (ELM) measurements from reproducibly similar plasmas in the Joint European Torus (JET) tokamak, which differ only in their gas puffing rate, are analysed in terms of the pattern in the sequence of inter-ELM time intervals. It is found that the category of ELM defined empirically as type I-typically more regular, less frequent, and having larger amplitude than other ELM types-embraces substantially different ELMing processes. By quantifying the structure in the sequence of inter-ELM time intervals using delay time plots, we reveal transitions between distinct phase space dynamics, implying transitions between distinct underlying physical processes. The control parameter for these transitions between these different ELMing processes is the gas puffing rate.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

On the statistical and transport properties of a non-dissipative Fermi-Ulam model

The transport and diffusion properties for the velocity of a Fermi-Ulam model were characterized using the decay rate of the survival probability. The system consists of an ensemble of non-interacting particles confined to move along and experience elastic collisions with two infinitely heavy walls. One is fixed, working as a returning mechanism of the colliding particles, while the other one moves periodically in time. The diffusion equation is solved, and the diffusion coefficient is numerically estimated by means of the averaged square velocity. Our results show remarkably good agreement of the theory and simulation for the chaotic sea below the first elliptic island in the phase space. From the decay rates of the survival probability, we obtained transport properties that can be extended to other nonlinear mappings, as well to billiard problems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

KINETIC EVOLUTION OF CORONAL HOLE PROTONS BY IMBALANCED ION-CYCLOTRON WAVES: IMPLICATIONS FOR MEASUREMENTS BY SOLAR PROBE PLUS

We extend the kinetic guiding-center model of collisionless coronal hole protons presented in Isenberg and Vasquez to consider driving by imbalanced spectra of obliquely propagating ion-cyclotron waves. These waves are assumed to be a small by-product of the imbalanced turbulent cascade to high perpendicular wavenumber, and their total intensity is taken to be 1% of the total fluctuation energy. We also extend the kinetic solutions for the proton distribution function in the resulting fast solar wind to heliocentric distances of 20 solar radii, which will be attainable by the Solar Probe Plus spacecraft. We consider three ratios of outward-propagating to inward-propagating resonant intensities: 1, 4, and 9. The self-consistent bulk flow speed reaches fast solar wind values in all cases, and these speeds are basically independent of the intensity ratio. The steady-state proton distribution is highly organized into nested constant-density shells by the resonant wave-particle interaction. The radial evolution of this kinetic distribution as the coronal hole plasma flows outward is understood as a competition between the inward- and outward-directed large-scale forces, causing an effective circulation of particles through the (v{sub ∥}, v{sub ⊥}) phase space and a characteristic asymmetric shape to the distribution. These asymmetries are substantial and persist to the outer limit of the model computation, where they should be observable by the Solar Probe Plus instruments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Negative differential gain in quantum dot systems: Interplay of structural properties and many-body effects

The saturation behaviour of optical gain with increasing excitation density is an important factor for laser device performance. For active materials based on self-organized InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots, we study the interplay between structural properties of the quantum dots and many-body effects of excited carriers in the optical properties via a combination of tight-binding and quantum-kinetic calculations. We identify regimes where either phase-space filling or excitation-induced dephasing dominates the saturation behavior of the optical gain. The latter can lead to the emergence of a negative differential material gain.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Coherent states, quantum gravity, and the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. III.: Applications to loop quantum gravity

In this article, the third of three, we analyse how the Weyl quantisation for compact Lie groups presented in the second article of this series fits with the projective-phase space structure of loop quantum gravity-type models. Thus, the proposed Weyl quantisation may serve as the main mathematical tool to implement the program of space adiabatic perturbation theory in such models. As we already argued in our first article, space adiabatic perturbation theory offers an ideal framework to overcome the obstacles that hinder the direct implementation of the conventional Born-Oppenheimer approach in the canonical formulation of loop quantum gravity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Annular vortex merging processes in non-neutral electron plasmas

Non-neutral electron plasmas in a uniform magnetic field are investigated experimentally as a two dimensional (2D) fluid. Previously, it was reported that 2D phase space volume increases during a vortex merging process with viscosity. However, the measurement was restricted to a plasma with a high density. Here, an alternative method is introduced to evaluate a similar process for a plasma with a low density.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Driving-induced multistability in coupled chaotic oscillators: Symmetries and riddled basins

We study the multistability that results when a chaotic response system that has an invariant symmetry is driven by another chaotic oscillator. We observe that there is a transition from a desynchronized state to a situation of multistability. In the case considered, there are three coexisting attractors, two of which are synchronized and one is desynchronized. For large coupling, the asynchronous attractor disappears, leaving the system bistable. We study the basins of attraction of the system in the regime of multistability. The three attractor basins are interwoven in a complex manner, with extensive riddling within a sizeable region of (but not the entire) phase space. A quantitative characterization of the riddling behavior is made via the so–called uncertainty exponent, as well as by evaluating the scaling behavior of tongue–like structures emanating from the synchronization manifold.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Massive Fermi gas in the expanding universe

The behavior of a decoupled ideal Fermi gas in a homogeneously expanding three-dimensional volume is investigated, starting from an equilibrium spectrum. In case the gas is massless and/or completely degenerate, the spectrum of the gas can be described by an effective temperature and/or an effective chemical potential, both of which scale down with the volume expansion. In contrast, the spectrum of a decoupled massive and non-degenerate gas can only be described by an effective temperature if there are strong enough self-interactions such as to maintain an equilibrium distribution. Assuming perpetual equilibration, we study a decoupled gas which is relativistic at decoupling and then is red-shifted until it becomes non-relativistic. We find expressions for the effective temperature and effective chemical potential which allow us to calculate the final spectrum for arbitrary initial conditions. This calculation is enabled by a new expansion of the Fermi-Dirac integral, which is for our purpose superior to the well-known Sommerfeld expansion. We also compute the behavior of the phase space density under expansion and compare it to the case of real temperature and real chemical potential. Using our results for the degenerate case, we also obtain the mean relic velocity of the recently proposed non-thermal cosmic neutrino background.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Transport barriers to self-propelled particles in fluid flows

Here, we present theory and experiments demonstrating the existence of invariant manifolds that impede the motion of microswimmers in two-dimensional fluid flows. One-way barriers are apparent in a hyperbolic fluid flow that block the swimming of both smooth-swimming and run-and-tumble Bacillus subtilis bacteria. We identify key phase-space structures, called swimming invariant manifolds (SwIMs), that serve as separatrices between different regions of long-time swimmer behavior. When projected into xy space, the edges of the SwIMs act as one-way barriers, consistent with the experiments.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Gravitational encounters and the evolution of galactic nuclei. II. Classical and resonant relaxation

Direct numerical integrations of the Fokker–Planck equation in energy-angular momentum space are carried out for stars orbiting a supermassive black hole (SBH) at the center of a galaxy. The algorithm, which was described in detail in an earlier paper, includes diffusion coefficients that describe the effects of both random (“classical”) and correlated (“resonant”) encounters. Steady-state solutions are similar to the Bahcall–Wolf solution, n(r)∝r{sup −7/4}, but are modified at small radii due to the higher rate of diffusion in angular momentum, which results in a low-density core. The core radius is a few percent of the influence radius of the SBH. The corresponding phase-space density f(E,L) drops nearly to zero at low energies, implying almost no stars on tightly bound orbits about the SBH. Steady-state rates of stellar disruption are presented, and a simple analytic expression is found that reproduces the numerical feeding rates with good accuracy. The distribution of periapsides of disrupted stars is computed. Time-dependent solutions, f(E,L,t), are also computed, starting from initial conditions similar to those produced by a binary SBH. In these models, feeding rates evolve on two timescales: rapid evolution during which the region evacuated by the massive binary is refilled by angular-momentum diffusion; and slower evolution as diffusion in energy causes the density profile at large radii to attain the Bahcall–Wolf form.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Novel technique for spatially resolved imaging of molecular bond orientations using x-ray birefringence

Birefringence has been observed in anisotropic materials transmitting linearly polarized X-ray beams tuned close to an absorption edge of a specific element in the material. Synchrotron bending magnets provide X-ray beams of sufficiently high brightness and cross section for spatially resolved measurements of birefringence. The recently developed X-ray Birefringence Imaging (XBI) technique has been successfully applied for the first time using the versatile test beamline B16 at Diamond Light Source. Orientational distributions of the C–Br bonds of brominated “guest” molecules within crystalline “host” tunnel structures (in thiourea or urea inclusion compounds) have been studied using linearly polarized incident X-rays near the Br K-edge. Imaging of domain structures, changes in C–Br bond orientations associated with order-disorder phase transitions, and the effects of dynamic averaging of C–Br bond orientations have been demonstrated. The XBI setup uses a vertically deflecting high-resolution double-crystal monochromator upstream from the sample and a horizontally deflecting single-crystal polarization analyzer downstream, with a Bragg angle as close as possible to 45°. In this way, the ellipticity and rotation angle of the polarization of the beam transmitted through the sample is measured as in polarizing optical microscopy. The theoretical instrumental background calculated from the elliptical polarization of the bending-magnet X-rays, the imperfect polarization discrimination of the analyzer, and the correlation between vertical position and photon energy introduced by the monochromator agrees well with experimental observations. The background is calculated analytically because the region of X-ray phase space selected by this setup is sampled inefficiently by standard methods.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Simulation of perturbation produced by an absorbing spherical body in collisionless plasma

A steady plasma state reached in the course of charging of an absorbing spherical body is found using computational methods. Numerical simulations provide complete information on this process, thereby allowing one to find the spatiotemporal dependences of the physical quantities and observe the kinetic phenomena accompanying the formation of stable electron and ion distributions in phase space. The distribution function of trapped ions is obtained, and their contribution to the screening of the charged sphere is determined. The sphere charge and the charge of the trapped-ion cloud are determined as functions of the unperturbed plasma parameters.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Rectlinear cooling scheme for bright muon sources

A fast cooling technique is described that simultaneously reduces all six phase-space dimensions of a charged particle beam. In this process, cooling is accomplished by reducing the beam momentum through ionization energy loss in absorbers and replenishing the momentum loss only in the longitudinal direction rf cavities. In this work we review its main features and describe the main results.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Probability density adjoint for sensitivity analysis of the Mean of Chaos

Sensitivity analysis, especially adjoint based sensitivity analysis, is a powerful tool for engineering design which allows for the efficient computation of sensitivities with respect to many parameters. However, these methods break down when used to compute sensitivities of long-time averaged quantities in chaotic dynamical systems. This paper presents a new method for sensitivity analysis of ergodic chaotic dynamical systems, the density adjoint method. The method involves solving the governing equations for the system's invariant measure and its adjoint on the system's attractor manifold rather than in phase-space. This new approach is derived for and demonstrated on one-dimensional chaotic maps and the three-dimensional Lorenz system. It is found that the density adjoint computes very finely detailed adjoint distributions and accurate sensitivities, but suffers from large computational costs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Transport of radioactive ion beams and related safety issues: The {sup 132}Sn{sup +} case study

The transport of intense radioactive ion beam currents requires a careful design in order to limit the beam losses, the contamination and thus the dose rates. Some investigations based on numerical models and calculations have been performed in the framework of the SPIRAL 2 project to evaluate the performance of a low energy beam transport line located between the isotope separation on line (ISOL) production cell and the experiment areas. The paper presents the results of the transverse phase-space analysis, the beam losses assessment, the resulting contamination, and radioactivity levels. They show that reasonable beam transmission, emittance growth, and dose rates can be achieved considering the current standards.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Numerical study on the stability of weakly collisional plasma in E×B fields

Plasma stability in weakly collisional plasmas in the presence of E×B fields is studied with numerical simulations. Different types of ion-neutral collisions are considered in a fully magnetized regime. We study the influence of ion-neutral collisions and the role of collision types on the stability of plasma. It is found that the stability of plasma depends on the type of ion-neutral collisions, with the plasma being unstable for charge exchange collisions, and stable for the elastic scattering. The analysis focuses on the temporal evolution of the velocity phase space, RMS values of the potential fluctuations, and coherent structures in potential densities. For the unstable case, we observe growth and propagation of electrostatic waves. Simulations are performed with a three-dimensional electrostatic particle in cell code.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Time evolution analysis of the electron distribution in Thomson/Compton back-scattering

We present the time evolution of the energy distribution of a relativistic electron beam after the Compton back-scattering with a counter-propagating laser field, performed in the framework of the Quantum Electrodynamics, by means of the code CAIN. As the correct angular distribution of the spontaneous emission is accounted, the main effect is the formation of few stripes, followed by the diffusion of the more energetic particles toward lower values in the longitudinal phase space. The Chapman-Kolmogorov master equation gives results in striking agreement with the numerical ones. An experiment on the Thomson source at SPARC-LAB is proposed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗