Band-gap structure of the spectrum of periodic Maxwell operators

We investigate the band-gap structure of some second-order differential operators associated with the propagation of waves in periodic two-component media. Particularly, the operator associated with the Maxwell equations with position-dependent dielectric constant (x),xR ³, is considered. The medium is assumed to consist of two components: the background, where (x) = _b , and the embedded component composed of periodically positioned disjoint cubes, where (x) = _a . We show that the spectrum of the relevant operator has gaps provided some reasonable conditions are imposed on the parameters of the medium. Particularly, we show that one can open up at least one gap in the spectrum at any preassigned point provided that the size of cubesL, the distancel=L betwen them, and the contrast = _b / _a are chosen in such a way thatL ^–2, and quantities ^-1-3/2 and ² are small enough. If these conditions are satisfied, the spectrum is located in a vicinity of widthw(^3/2)^-1 of the set {² L ^-2 k ²:kZ³}. This means, in particular, that any finite number of gaps between the elements of this discrete set can be opened simultaneously, and the corresponding bands of the spectrum can be made arbitrarily narrow. The method developed shows that if the embedded component consists of periodically positioned balls or other domains which cannot pack the space without overlapping, one should expect pseudogaps rather than real gaps in the spectrum.     

A derivation of the Broadwell equation

We consider a stochastic system of particles in a two dimensional lattice and prove that, under a suitable limit (i.e.N, 0,N²const, whereN is the number of particles and is the mesh of the lattice) the one-particle distribution function converges to a solution of the two-dimensional Broadwell equation for all times for which the solution (of this equation) exists. Propagation of chaos is also proven.Research partially supported by CNR-PS-MMAIT     

On the derivation of the incompressible Mavier-Stokes equation for Hamiltonian particle systems

We consider a Hamiltonian paticle system interacting by means of a pair potetial. We look at the behavior of the system on a space scale of order ^-1, times of order ^-2 and mean velocities of order , with a scale parameter. Assuming that the phase space density of the particles is give by a series in (the analog of the Chapman-Enskog expansion), the behavior of the system under this rescaling is described, to the lowest order in , by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The viscosity is given in terms of microscopic correlations, and its expression agrees with the Green-Kubo formula.     

A Rigorous Derivation of a Linear Kinetic Equation of Fokker–Planck Type in the Limit of Grazing Collisions

We rigorously derive a linear kinetic equation of Fokker–Planck type for a 2-D Lorentz gas in which the obstacles are randomly distributed. Each obstacle of the Lorentz gas generates a potential V( ), where V is a smooth radially symmetric function with compact support, and >0. The density of obstacles diverges as ^– , where >0. We prove that when 0< <1/8 and =2+1, the probability density of a test particle converges as 0 to a solution of our kinetic equation.     

On the Hamiltonian interpolation of near-to-the identity symplectic mappings with application to symplectic integration algorithms

We reconsider the problem of the Hamiltonian interpolation of symplectic mappings. Following Moser's scheme, we prove that for any mapping , analytic and -close to the identity, there exists an analytic autonomous Hamiltonian system, H such that its time-one mapping _H differs from by a quantity exponentially small in 1/. This result is applied, in particular, to the problem of numerical integration of Hamiltonian systems by symplectic algorithms; it turns out that, when using an analytic symplectic algorithm of orders to integrate a Hamiltonian systemK, one actually follows exactly, namely within the computer roundoff error, the trajectories of the interpolating Hamiltonian H, or equivalently of the rescaled Hamiltonian K=^-1H, which differs fromK, but turns out to be ⁵ close to it. Special attention is devoted to numerical integration for scattering problems.     

Thermodynamics of a dense self-avoiding walk with contact interactions

A lattice model is used to study the properties of an infinite self-avoiding linear polymer chain that occupies a fraction, 01, of sites on ad-dimensional hypercubic lattice. The model introduces an (attractive or repulsive) interaction energy between nonbonded monomers that are nearest neighbors on the lattice. The lattice cluster theory enables us to derive a double series expansion in and d^–1 for the chain free energy per segment while retaining the full dependence. Thermodynamic quantities, such as the entropy, energy, and mean number of contacts per segment, are evaluated, and their dependences on, , andd are discussed. The results are in good accordance with known limiting cases.     

Geometric expansion of the boundary free energy of a dilute gas

We consider a dilute classical gas in a volume ^–1 which tends to ^d by dilation as 0. We prove that the pressurep(^–1) isC ^q in at =0 (thermodynamic limit), for anyq, provided the boundary isC ^q and provided the Ursell functionsu _n (x ₁, ...,x _n) admit moments of degreeq and have nice derivatives.     

Transient bimodality in interacting particle systems

We consider a system of spins which have values ±1 and evolve according to a jump Markov process whose generator is the sum of two generators, one describing a spin-flipGlauber process, the other aKawasaki (stirring) evolution. It was proven elsewhere that if the Kawasaki dynamics is speeded up by a factor ^–2, then, in the limit 0 (continuum limit), propagation of chaos holds and the local magnetization solves a reaction-diffusion equation. We choose the parameters of the Glauber interaction so that the potential of the reaction term in the reaction-diffusion equation is a double-well potential with quartic maximum at the origin. We assume further that for each the system is in a finite interval ofZ with ^–1 sites and periodic boundary conditions. We specify the initial measure as the product measure with 0 spin average, thus obtaining, in the continuum limit, a constant magnetic profile equal to 0, which is a stationary unstable solution to the reaction-diffusion equation. We prove that at times of the order ^–1/2 propagation of chaos does not hold any more and, in the limit as 0, the state becomes a nontrivial superposition of Bernoulli measures with parameters corresponding to the minima of the reaction potential. The coefficients of such a superposition depend on time (on the scale ^–1/2) and at large times (on this scale) the coefficient of the term corresponding to the initial magnetization vanishes (transient bimodality). This differs from what was observed by De Masi, Presutti, and Vares, who considered a reaction potential with quadratic maximum and no bimodal effect was seen, as predicted by Broggi, Lugiato, and Colombo.     

Un phénomène de concentration évanescente pour des flots non-stationnaires incompressibles en dimension deux

We consider a sequencev of non-stationary solutions of the incompressible 2D-Euler equation, locally bounded inL ². We prove that if the defect measure is supported in a one-dimensional set (³) of some special type (which we call finite type), the weak limitv ofv is a solution of the Euler equations: our theorem is of the type concentration-cancellation.     

Periodic Thermodynamics

This paper develops the thermodynamics of quantum Floquet systems, i.e., quantum systems driven by an arbitrarily strong periodic perturbation, which are in weak interaction with a heat bath. The physics differs in an essential way from that of undriven systems, because the usual energy conservation law, for interactions between the system and heat bath, is changed to +E=0, ±, ±2,... where is the driving frequency, is the difference of the so-called quasi-energies of the Floquet states and E the excitation energy of the bath. That is, a transition between two given physical Floquet states will be accompanied by bath transitions with many different energy changes, E=–+m, where m is an arbitrary integer. This results in a breakdown of detailed balance. There is a steady state in which the system has periodic fluctuations of period T=2/. The steady state density matrix is diagonal in the Floquet states, with all Floquet states having finite weights, even at zero temperature. Experimentally favorable conditions for studying periodic thermodynamics are briefly discussed.     

Optical Spectra of Zinc Oxide in the Wide Energy Range 0–30 eV

A full set of spectra of the optical functions of a zinc oxide crystal in the range 0–30 eV has been calculated on the basis of the experimental spectrum of characteristic losses –Im ^–1. The ₂, ₁ and Im ^–1, Re ^–1 spectra were decomposed into elementary components. The most intense transverse and longitudinal components of transitions and their parameters have been determined. The data obtained were compared with theoretical calculations of the bands.     

Dissipation Statistics of a Passive Scalar in a Multidimensional Smooth Flow

We compute analytically the probability distribution function () of the dissipation field =()² of a passive scalar advected by a d-dimensional random flow, in the limit of large Peclet and Prandtl numbers (Batchelor–Kraichnan regime). The tail of the distribution is a stretched exponential: for , ln ()–(d ² )^1/3.     

Ising-Type and Other Transitions in One-Dimensional Coupled Map Lattices with Sign Symmetry

We consider a one-dimensional lattice of expanding antisymmetric maps [–1, 1][–1, 1] with nearest neighbor diffusive coupling. For such systems it is known that if the coupling parameter is small there is unique stationary (in time) state, which is chaotic in space-time. A disputed question is whether such systems can exhibit Ising-type phase transitions as grows beyond some critical value _c. We present results from computer experiments which give definite indication that such a transition takes place: the mean square magnetization appears to diverge as approaches some critical value, with a critical exponent around 0.9. We also study other properties of the coupled map system.     

Fine Structures of the Permittivity and Characteristic Losses of Electrons in Fluorite

Experimental-computational spectra of the permittivity and characteristic losses –Im^–1 for energies in the range 5–21 eV at a temperature of 4.2 K and theoretical spectra of and –Im^–1 of a fluorite crystal are resolved into elementary transition bands. The parameters of transition bands (energies of their maxima E _i, band halfwidths H _i and areas S _i, and oscillator forces f _i) are determined. A correlation of the spectral bands of and –Im^–1is established, and their specific features are elucidated.     

Electron Transitions of Cadmium Oxide

The bands, densities of states, and spectrum of the permittivity ₂ of a CdO crystal have been calculated by the FP–LMTO method. The ₂, ₁, –Im ^–1, and Re ^–1 spectra for the CdO crystal in the range 1–30 eV have been obtained on the basis of the experimental spectrum of reflection. The spectra were decomposed into elementary components and their main parameters were calculated. The obtained spectrum of the transverse components was compared with the theoretical spectrum of ₂.     

Some remarkable degenerations of quantum groups

We show that an irreducible representation of a quantized enveloping algebraU at a ^th root of 1 has maximal dimension (= ^N ) if the corresponding symplectic leaf has maximal dimension (=2N). The method of the proof consists of a construction of a sequence of degenerations ofU , the last one being aq-commutative algebraU ^(2N) . This allows us to reduce many problems concerningU to that concerningU ^(2N) .To Armand Borel on his 70^th birthdaySupported in part by the NSF grant DMS-9103792     

Random shearing direction models for isotropic turbulent diffusion

Recently, a rigorous renormalization theory for various scalar statistics has been developed for special modes of random advection diffusion involving random shear layer velocity fields with long-range spatiotemporal correlations. New random shearing direction models for isotropic turbulent diffusion are introduced here. In these models the velocity field has the spatial second-order statistics of an arbitrary prescribed stationary incompressible isotropic random field including long-range spatial correlations with infrared divergence, but the temporal correlations have finite range. The explicit theory of renormalization for the mean and second-order statistics is developed here. With the spectral parameter, for –<<4 and measuring the strength of the infrared divergence of the spatial spectrum, the scalar mean statistics rigorously exhibit a phase transition from mean-field behavior for <2 to anomalous behavior for with 2<<4 as conjectured earlier by Avellaneda and the author. The universal inertial range renormalization for the second-order scalar statistics exhibits a phase transition from a covariance with a Gaussian functional form for with <2 to an explicit family with a non-Gaussian covariance for with 2<<4. These non-Gaussian distributions have tails that are broader than Gaussian as varies with 2<<4 and behave for large values like exp(–C _c |x|^4–), withC _c an explicit constant. Also, here the attractive general principle is formulated and proved that every steady, stationary, zero-mean, isotropic, incompressible Gaussian random velocity field is well approximated by a suitable superposition of random shear layers.     

Probability Backflow for a Dirac Particle

The phenomenon of probability backflow, previously quantified for a free nonrelativistic particle, is considered for a free particle obeying Dirac's equation. It is shown that probability backflow can occur in the opposite direction to the momentum; that is to say, there exist positive-energy states in which the particle certainly has a positive momentum in a given direction, but for which the component of the probability flux vector in that direction is negative. It is shown that the maximum possible amount of probability that can flow backwards, over a given time interval of duration T, depends on the dimensionless parameter = (4/mc²T)^1/2, where m is the mass of the particle and c is the speed of light. At = 0, the nonrelativistic value of approximately 0.039 for this maximum is recovered. Numerical studies suggest that the maximum decreases monotonically as increases from 0, and show that it depends on the size of m, , and T, unlike the nonrelativistic case.     

Photonic pseudogaps for periodic dielectric structures

We consider the problems of existence and structure of gaps (pseudogaps) in the spectra associated with Maxwell equations and equations that govern the propagation of acoustic waves in periodic two-component media. The dielectric constant is assumed to be real and positive, and the value of = _b on the background is supposed to be essentially larger than the value of = _a on the embedded component. We prove the existence of pseudogaps in the spectra of the relevant operators. In particular, we give an accurate treatment of the term pseudogap. We also show that if the contrast _b / _a approaches infinity, then the bands of the spectrum shrink to a discrete set which can be identified with the set of eigenvalues of a Neumann-type boundary value problem and thus can be effectively calculated.     

Mössbauer study of the Cu-Zn alloy system

Using the 93.3keV transition in⁶⁷Zn, the Lamb-Mössbauer factor, the electron density and the electric field gradient at the Zn nucleus have been determined for pure Zn metal, the ^–, ^–, ^–, and -phases as well as pure Cu metal.