On Essential Incompleteness of Hertz’s Experiments on Propagation of Electromagnetic Interactions

The historical background of the 19th century electromagnetic theory is revisited from the standpoint of the opposition between alternative approaches in respect to the problem of interactions. The 19th century electrodynamics became the battle-field of a paramount importance to test existing conceptions of interactions. Hertzs experiments were designed to bring a solid experimental evidence in favor of one of them. The modern scientific method applied to analyze Hertzs experimental approach as well as the analysis of his laboratory notes, dairy and private letters show that Hertzs crucial experiments cannot be considered as conclusive at many points as it is generally implied. We found that alternative Helmholtzs electrodynamics did not contradict any of Hertzs experimental observations of transverse components as Maxwells theory predicted. Moreover, as we now know from recently published Hertzs dairy and private notes, his first experimental results indicated clearly on infinite rate of propagation. Nevertheless, Hertzs experiments provided no further explicit information on non-local longitudinal components which were such an essential feature of Helmholtzs theory. Necessary and sufficient conditions for a decisive choice on the adequate account of electromagnetic interactions are discussed from the position of modern scientific method.     

Perturbed periodic Hamiltonians: Essential Spectrum and exponential decay of eigenfunctions

Spectral properties of – +V(x), whereV(x) lies in a neighbourhood of the periodic case and describes various models of disorder, are studied. We prove the exponential decay of generalized eigenfunctions corresponding to energies in the resolvent set of the unperturbed periodic Hamiltonian, as well as the stability of the essential spectrum for the dislocation disorder in two dimensions.     

On the relation between weak and strong invariance of differential equations

Some concepts of Lie algebra cohomology are used to systematize the search for differential equations invariant under a given Lie groupG. In particular, it is shown that if a strongly invariant equation exists, then all weakly invariant equations differ from it only by an arbitrary multiplicative factor. If no strongly invariant equation exists, then cohomology theory can be used to simplify the search for weakly invariant equations.     

Analysis of signal-to-noise ratio of the laser Doppler velocimeter

The signal-to-shot-noise ratio of the photocurrent of a laser Doppler anemometer is calculated as a function of the parameters which describe the system. It is found that the S/N is generally a growing function of receiver area, that few large particles are better than many small ones, and that generally the fringe or differential mode configuration is equal to, or better than, the reference beam mode.     

Ritz,Einstein, and the Emission Hypothesis

Just as Albert Einsteins special theory of relativity was gaining acceptance around 1908, the young Swiss physicist Walter Ritz advanced a competing though preliminary emission theory that sought to explain the phenomena of electrodynamics on the assumption that the speed of light depends on the motion of its source. I survey Ritzs unfinished work in this area and review the reasons why Einstein and other physicists rejected Ritzs and other emission theories. Since Ritzs emission theory attracted renewed attention in the 1960s, I discuss how the earlier observational evidence was misconstrued as telling against it more conclusively than actually was the case. Finally, I contrast the role played by evidence against Ritzs theory with other factors that led to the early rejection of his approach.     

Sampling in holography of diffused objects or with diffused illumination

Differentiation between a diffused hologram and a specular hologram is determined by criteria of the wavelength and the relief of the object. In a hologram where the object beam is diffused (due to diffused object illumination, or because the object surface is reflecting diffusively), every part in the holographic plane contains information about the whole object, but from a different angle of view. In a specular hologram, the recording is somewhere between the image recording and the diffused holography. The latter part is contributed mainly by the edges of the object.This paper describes properties of sampled diffused holograms in terms of resolution,S/N (contrast), angle of view, power spectrum and the ability of determination of the object.Different sampling functions are compared and experimentally examined, while the total diffracting areas are preserved constant.It was found that when the sampling areas were distributed over the entire plane and the observation distance was preserved, the resolution, the angle of view and the ability of determination of the object was close to the unsampled hologram. At the same conditions theS/N and the power spectrum were reduced.It seems that these techniques of sampling may be applied for multiplexing, subtracting and correlating between two adjacent recordings.     

Nordström,Ehrenfest, and the Role of Dimensionality in Physics

In the summer of 1916, Finnish physicist Gunnar Nordström (1881–1923) arrived in Leiden to carry out research with Paul Ehrenfest (1880–1933), Hendrik A. Lorentzs successor in the chair of theoretical physics. Nordström had recently published the first five-dimensional unified model of the universe, a theory that went virtually unnoticed by the physics community. Ehrenfests personal journals reveal that Nordströms visit coincided with a flowering of Ehrenfests own interest in dimensionality, which resulted in his well-known paper on the connection between the fundamental laws of physics and the three-dimensionality of space. I examine Nordströms and Ehrenfests collaboration and explore the relationship between their ideas and the Kaluza-Klein model of five-dimensional unification.Paul Halpern is Professor of Physics at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002 to study the history of dimensionality in science.     

Rational forms for twistings of enveloping algebras of simple Lie algebras

We give rational forms for twistings of classical enveloping algebras. We also remark a link with the generalized formalism of Gurevich, Manin, and Cartier.     

Integrable hierarchy underlying topological Landau-Ginzburg models of D-type

A universal integrable hierarchy underlying topological Landau-Ginzburg models of D-type is presented. Like the dispersionless Toda hierarchy, the new hierarchy has two distinct (positive and negative) sets of flows. Special solutions corresponding to topological Landau-Ginzburg models of D-type are characterized by a Riemann-Hilbert problem, which can be converted into a generalized hodograph transformation. This construction gives an embedding of the finite-dimensional small phase space of these models into the full space of flows of this hierarchy. One of flat coordinates in the small phase space turns out to be identical to the first negative time variable of the hierarchy, whereas the others belong to the positive flows.     

Surface topology investigation for ancient coinage assessment using optical interferometry

In order to demonstrate the capabilities of white-light interferometry depth profiling (WLI-DP) for ancient coinage assessment, we investigated a series of notorious 1786 gold coins, bearing Louis XVIs horned effigy, and allegedly minted in Strasbourg. Scanning electron microscopy as well as WLI-DP observations unambiguously indicate that both previously differentiated single- and double-horned varieties originated from a unique minting tool. Moreover, from topological measurements, we infer that single-horned coins, rather than wearing out into double-horned coins, proceeded from the latter variety during minting by progressive failure of an already altered die. Whereas present observations do not exclude initial forgery, they suggest that protrusions resulted from progressive incidental in-service die deterioration. PACS 81.70.Fy; 07.60.Ly; 61.16.Bg; 81.40.Pq     

The Strange Story of the Concept which Inaugurated Modern Theoretical Physics

The strange Story of the Concept which inaugurated Modern Theoretical Physics is the title of a lecture which I delivered on the invitation of Professor Franco Selleri at the University of Bari about 20 years ago. Since Professor Selleri himself has written several interesting papers on this concept and since the centennial of the birth of modern theoretical physics will be celebrated soon, I found it appropriate to dedicate this essay, containing so far unpublished critical and historical comments on this concept, to Professor Selleri on the occasion of his 70th birthday. It should be emphasized that the critical comments in this essay are not intended to question the validity of the theory initiated by this concept, a theory which in the realm of its applicability is daily corroborated by numerous experiments in high-energy laboratories all over the world. Although these critical remarks refer almost exclusively to the first publication of this theory, a publication which has been hailed as the most important paper written in the 20th century, they discuss profound problems of general importance for the study of the foundations of physics.     

Robert Hooke’s Seminal Contribution to Orbital Dynamics

During the second half of the seventeenth century, the outstanding problem in astronomy was to understand the physical basis for Keplers laws describing the observed orbital motion of a planet around the Sun. In the middle 1660s,Robert Hooke (1635–1703) proposed that a planets motion is determined by compounding its tangential velocity with the change in radial velocity impressed by the gravitational attraction of the Sun, and he described his physical concept to Isaac Newton (1642–1726) in correspondence in 1679. Newton denied having heard of Hookes novel concept of orbital motion, but shortly after their correspondence he implemented it by a geometric construction from which he deduced the physical origin of Keplers area law,which later became Proposition I, Book I, of his Principia in 1687.Three years earlier, Newton had deposited a preliminary draft of it, his De Motu Corporum in Gyrum (On the Motion of Bodies), at the Royal Society of London, which Hooke apparently was able to examine a few months later, because shortly there-after he applied Newtons construction in a novel way to obtain the path of a body under the action of an attractive central force that varies linearly with the distance from its center of motion (Hookes law). I show that Hookes construction corresponds to Newtons for his proof of Keplers area law in his De Motu. Hookes understanding of planetary motion was based on his observations with mechanical analogs. I repeated two of his experiments and demonstrated the accuracy of his observations.My results thus cast new light on the significance of Hookes contributions to the development of orbital dynamics, which in the past have either been neglected or misunderstood.Michael Nauenberg is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His primary research has been in theoretical physics, but he also has written several articles and coedited a book on the historical development of dynamics by Huygens, Newton, and Hooke.     

Some problems of quantum mechanics possessing a non-negative phase-space distribution function

In order to clarify physical consequences due to the presence of a set of auxiliary functions _k (q,t) in quantum mechanics with a non-negative phase-space distribution function, the simplest quantum-mechanical problems are solved. It is shown that _k (q,t) influence upon the results of a problem. Therefore it is supposed that _k (q, t) reflect some physical reality (subquantum situation), interacting with a mechanical system. In particular the subquantum situation determines the minimum coordinate and momentum uncertainties ((q)² and (p)²) as well as the coordinate distribution of a fixed system and the momentum distribution of a free system. These results provide the opportunity to formulate the notion of a stationary homogeneous isotropic subquantum situation. Supposing thatq andp are small an attempt is made to develop an approximate method of solutions (quasi-orthodox approximation). Energy spectrum of an electron in a hydrogen atom is found in the second order of this approximation.On leave of absence from Peoples' Friendship University, Chair of Theoretical Physics, 3, Ordjonikidze Street, B-302, Moscow, U.S.S.R.     

The many faces of a character

We prove an identity between three infinite families of polynomials which are defined in terms of bosonic, fermionic, and one-dimensional configuration sums. In the limit where the polynomials become infinite series, they give different-looking expressions for the characters of the two integrable representations of the affine su(2) algebra at level one. We conjecture yet another fermionic sum representation for the polynomials which is constructed directly from the Bethe-ansatz solution of the Heisenberg spin chain.     

A note on a paper by Atkin and Bastin

The paper A Homological Foundation for Scale Problems in Physics (Atkin & Bastin, 1970) is criticised on account of several inconsistencies in the argument. Possible applications of the general ideas used are then discussed in the context of a quantum logic type of framework.     

Faux-boolean algebras,classical probability,and determinism

It is possible to define, for any quantum system, an algebra of definite-valued events—those events that are definitely occurrent or non-occurrent. It is shown that two different sets of constraints on the algebra of definite-valued events are each equivalent to the definition of that set as a certain pseudo-Boolean algebra.     

Long-lived fluorescence probes for studying lipid dynamics: A review

A great many studies have focused on the heterogeneous packing of lipids in the bilayer matrix. However, less attention has been directed toward the temporal aspects of these lipid-lipid interactions. Studies of lipid packing fluctuations, or gel-fluid exchange, using fluorescence probe methodologies have been limited. This limitation arises from thesubmicrosecond time scale over which the fluctuations are expected to occur. Traditionally, dynamic studies of lipid bilayers have been restricted to the nanosecond time regime, and the submicrosecond time window has not been explored in any great depth by fluorescence methods, although persistent lipid dynamics has been evident. Probes with long fluorescence lifetimes (several hundred nanoseconds) have the potential to expand this important time window, providing information on gel-fluid exchange rates and insights into how important biological effectors such as proteins, cholesterol, and anesthetics affect or modulate these fluctuations. Using the long-lived fluorescence probe coronene, combined with time-resolved fluorescence methods geared toward microheterogeneity, we present a view of bilayer dynamics in an alternate time domain. Fluorescence probes are expected to inhabit an equilibrium between fluid and gel environments. Some probes remain in their respective environments throughout their excited-state lifetime, while others reside in surroundings that will change (i.e., melt). Long-lived fluorescence membrane probes can provide direct estimates of submicrosecond lipid fluctuation or melt rates. Simple Landau modeling leads to adistribution of melt rates and provides an attractive alternative to a simplercompartmental model where a unique lipid fluctuation of gel-fluid exchange rate is measured. Thedistribution model is probe independent (defined by thermodynamic quantities) and can be applied generally to the rotational motions of fluorescence probes embedded in the lipid bilayer.Abbreviations DMPC l--dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine - DPH 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene - DPPC l--dipalmitoylphospha-tidylcholine - DSC differential scanning calorimetry - EA fluorescence emission anisotropy - LUV large unilamellar vesicles - SUV small unilamellar vesicles - T_c lipid phase transition temperature     

Stochastic Ornstein–Uhlenbeck Capacitors

We introduce and study a class of random capacitor systems which are both charged and discharged stochastically. A capacitor is fed by a random inflow with stationary and independent increments. Discharging occurs according to a Markovian rate which is linear in the capacitors level. The resulting capacitor dynamics are Markovian, stochastically cyclic, and regenerative. We coin these systems Lévy-charged Ornstein–Uhlenbeck capacitors. Various random quantities associated with these systems are analyzed, including: the time-to- discharge; the duration of the charging cycle; the trajectory and the peak height of the capacitor level during a charging cycle; and, the capacitors stationary equilibrium level. Furthermore, we show that there are sharp distinctions between these capacitor systems and corresponding standard Lévy-driven Ornstein–Uhlenbeck systems.     

Ultrageneralised complex analysis

The zero rest mass Euclidean Dirac equations in 2 (4) dimensions may be regarded as square roots of the second order harmonic equation, and give rise to the crucial integral theorem and integral formula of complex (quaternionic) analysis. Recently discovered 2rth root equations for the 2rth order harmonic equations are here shown to give rise to a similar integral theorem and integral formula.     

A formulation of linearised gravity

The formulation of linearised gravity in terms of the electric and magnetic gravitational fields is extended to take into account the presence of matter. The modes of radiation, the equations of motion and the potential in the static case are given. The relevant components of the superenergy tensor are calculated and a quantity named the superforce is introduced.