On random walks arising in queueing systems: ergodicity and transience via quadratic forms as lyapounov functions — Part I

A simple and quite general approach is proposed to derive criteria for transience and ergodicity of a certain class of irreducibleN-dimensional Markov chains in ₊ ^N assuming a boundedness condition on the second moment of the jumps. The method consists in constructing convenient smooth supermartingales outside some compact set. The Lyapounov functions introduced belong to the set of quadratic forms in ₊ ^N and do not always have a definite sign. Existence and construction of these forms is shown to be basically equivalent to finding vectors satisfying a system of linear inequalities.Part I is restricted toN=2, in which case a complete characterization is obtained for the type of random walks analyzed by Malyshev and Mensikov, thus relaxing their condition of boundedness of the jumps. The motivation for this work is partly from a large class of queueing systems that give rise to random walks in ₊ ^N      

Determination of the optimal initial function and the parameters for nonlinear time-delay systems

This paper deals with dynamic systems described by nonlinear differential-difference equations of retarded type. The problem considered is to determine the initial function and certain system parameters which minimize a given cost functional. A computational method is presented and some convergence results are given. Numerical examples of linear and nonlinear systems are also included.     

A new quantum statistical evaluation method for time correlation functions

Considering a system ofN identical interacting particles, which obey Fermi-Dirac or Bose-Einstein statistics, we derive new formulas for correlation functions of the type (whereB _j is diagonal in the free-particle states) in the thermodynamic limit. Thereby we apply and extend a superoperator formalism, recently developed for the derivation of long-time tails in semiclassical systems. As an illustrative application, the Boltzmann equation value of the time-integrated correlation functionC(t) is derived in a straightforward manner. Due to exchange effects, the obtained t-matrix and the resulting scattering cross section, which occurs in the Boltzmann collision operator, are now functionals of the Fermi-Dirac or Bose-Einstein distribution.     

Comparison of localization and delocalization indices obtained with Hartree-Fock and conventional correlated methods: effect of Coulomb correlation

Atomic populations and localization [lambda(A)] and delocalization [delta(A,B)] indices (LIs and DIs) are calculated for a large set of molecules at the Hartree-Fock (HF), MP2, MP4(SDQ), CISD, and QCISD levels with the 6-311++G(2d,2p) basis set. The HF method and the conventional correlation methods [MP2, MP4(SDQ), CISD, and QCISD] yield distinct sets of LIs and DIs. Yet, within the four conventional correlation methods the differences in atomic populations and LIs and DIs are small. Relative to HF, the conventional correlation methods [MP2, MP4(SDQ), CISD, QCISD] yield virtually the same LIs and DIs for molecules with large charge separations while LIs and DIs that differ significantly from the HF values--the LIs are increased and DIs decreased--are obtained for bonds with no or small charge separations. Such is the case in the archetypal homopolar molecules HC(triple bond)CH, H2C=CH2, CH3-CH3, and "protonated cyclopropane" C(3)H(7) (+), in which case the bonding may be atypical. Relative to HF, the typical effect of the conventional correlation methods is to decrease the DI between atoms.     

On a characterization of the normal distribution by means of identically distributed linear forms

Let X₁, X₂,…, be independent, identically distributed random variables. Suppose that the linear forms L₁ = Σ_j=1^∞a_jX_j and L₂ = Σ_j=1^∞b_jX_j exist with probability one and are identically distributed; necessary and sufficient conditions assuring that X₁ is normally distributed are presented. The result is an extension of a theorem of Linnik (Ukrainian Math. J.5 (1953), 207–243, 247–290) concerning the case that the linear forms L₁ and L₂ have a finite number of nonvanishing components. This proof only makes use of elementary properties of characteristic functions and of meromorphic functions.     

New Method to Calculate Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of a Multi-Temperature Plasma: Application to N2 Plasma

Multi-temperature thermal plasmas have often to be considered to account for the nonequilibrium effects. Recently André et al. have developed the calculation of concentrations in a multi-temperature plasma by artificially separating the partition functions into a product by assuming that the excitation energies are those of the lower levels (electronic, vibration, and rotation). However, at equilibrium, differences, increasing with temperature, can be observed between partition functions calculated rigorously and with their method. This paper presents a modified method where it has been assumed that the preponderant rotational energy is that of the vibrational level v=0 of the ground electronic state and the preponderant vibrational energy is that of the ground electronic state. The internal partition function can then be expressed as a product of series expressions. At equilibrium for N ₂ and N ₂ ⁺ partition functions the values calculated with our method differ by less than 0.1% from those calculated rigorously. The calculation has been limited to three temperatures: heavy species T_h , electrons T_e , and vibrational T _v temperatures. The plasma composition has been calculated by minimizing the Gibbs free enthalpy with the steepest descent numerical technique. The nonequilibrium properties have been calculated using the method of Devoto, modified by Bonnefoi and Aubreton. The ratio =T_e/T_h was varied between 1 and 2 as well as the ratio _v =T _v /T _h for a nitrogen plasma. At equilibrium the corresponding equilibrium transport properties of Ar and N ₂ are in good agreement with those of Devoto and Murphy except for T>10,000 K where we used a different interaction potential for N–N ⁺ . The effects of _v and _e on thermodynamic and transport properties of N ₂ are then discussed.     

Product or sum: comparative tests of Voigt,and product or sum of Gaussian and Lorentzian functions in the fitting of synthetic Voigt‐based X‐ray photoelectron spectra

A comparative study for the fitting of X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) using different model functions is presented. Synthetically generated test spectra using Gaussian/Lorentzian convolution and a real measured spectrum are fitted with the three commonly used models: product, sum and Gaussian/Lorentzian convolution functions. In these limited tests, it was found that the sum function is superior to the product function, particularly for low‐noise spectra. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Debye screening for two-dimensional Coulomb systems at high temperatures

The grand canonical ensemble of a two-dimensional Coulomb system with±1 charges is proved to have screening phenomena in its high-temperature region. The Coulomb potential in a finite region is assumed to be (–)^–1, where is the Laplacian with zero boundary conditions on. The hard-core condition is not assumed. The model is set up by separating (–)^–1 into a shortrange part and a long-range part depending on a parameter. The self-energies are subtracted only for the short-range part and therefore a choice of is a choice of subtraction of self-energies. The method of proof is in general the same as that of Brydges-Federbush Debye screening, except that here a modification for the short-range part of the potentials is needed.     

The time-local view of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. I. Linear theory of transport and relaxation

The various approaches to nonequilibrium statistical mechanics may be subdivided into convolution and convolutionless (time-local) ones. While the former, put forward by Zwanzig, Mori, and others, are used most commonly, the latter are less well developed, but have proven very useful in recent applications. The aim of the present series of papers is to develop the time-local picture (TLP) of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics on a new footing and to consider its physical implications for topics such as the formulation of irreversible thermodynamics. The most natural approach to TLP is seen to derive from the Fourier-Laplace transform ) of pertinent time correlation functions, which on the physical sheet typically displays an essential singularity at z= and a number of macroscopic and microscopic poles in the lower half-plane corresponding to long- and short-lived modes, respectively, the former giving rise to the autonomous macrodynamics, whereas the latter are interpreted as doorway modes mediating the transfer of information from relevant to irrelevant channels. Possible implications of this doorway mode concept for socalled extended irreversible thermodynamics are briefly discussed. The pole structure is used for deriving new kinds of generalized Green-Kubo relations expressing macroscopic quantities, transport coefficients, e.g., by contour integrals over current-current correlation functions obeying Hamiltonian dynamics, the contour integration replacing projection. The conventional Green-Kubo relations valid for conserved quantities only are rederived for illustration. Moreover, may be expressed by a Laurent series expansion in positive and negative powers ofz, from which a rigorous, general, and straightforward method is developed for extracting all macroscopic quantities from so-called secularly divergent expansions of as obtained from the application of conventional many-body techniques to the calculation of . The expressions are formulated as time scale expansions, which should rapidly converge if macroscopic and microscopic time scales are sufficiently well separated, i.e., if lifetime (memory) effects are not too large.     

The spherical-model limit in a random field

The spherical-model limitn of then-vector model in a random field, with either a statistically independent distribution or with long-range correlated random fields, is studied to demonstrate the correctness of the replica method in which then and replica limits limits are interchanged, provided the replica and thermodynamic limits are taken in the right order, in the case of long-range correlated random fields. A scaling form for the two-point correlation function relevant to the first-order phase transition below the lower critical dimensionality of the random system is also obtained.