The Effect of Increasing the Rate of Repetitions of Classical Reactions

Using quantum theory operator method, we discuss the general reversible classical reactions A ₁ + A ₁ + A _r B ₁ + B ₂ + + B _s, where r and s are arbitrary natural positive numbers. We show that if either direction of the reaction is repeated a large number of times N in a finite total times T then in the limit of very large N, keeping T constant, one remains with the initial reacting particles only. We also show that if the reaction evolves through different possible paths of evolution, each of them beginning at the same side of the reaction, proceeds through different intermediate consecutive reactions and ends at the other side, then one may realize any such path by performing in a dense manner the set of reactions along it. the same results are also numerically demonstrated for the specific reversible reaction A + B A + C. We note that similar results have been shown to hold also in the quantum regime.     

Almost positive perturbations of positive selfadjoint operators

LetA be a positive selfadjoint operator and letB be a symmetric perturbation ofA. We establish sufficient conditions for the essential selfadjointness ofA+B on domains whereA is essentially selfadjoint. The results have application to the ⁴ field theory in two space-time dimensions.Supported in part by the U.S. Air Force under Grant AFOSR 68-1453 MOD C.     

Differential graded Lie algebras and singularities of level sets of momentum mappings

The germ of an analytic varietyX at a pointxX is said to bequadratic if it is bi-analytically isomorphic to the germ of a cone defined by a system of homogeneous quadratic equations at the origin. Arms, Marsden and Moncrief show in [2] that under certain conditions the analytic germ of a level set of a momentum mapping is quadratic. We discuss related ideas in a more algebraic context by associating to an affine Hamiltonian action a differential graded Lie algebra, which in the presence of an invariant positive complex structure, is formal in the sence of [5].Dedicated to the memory of Bruce Reinhart     

Boundary conditions for quantum mechanics on cones and fields around cosmic strings

We study the options for boundary conditions at the conical singularity for quantum mechanics on a two-dimensional cone with deficit angle 2 and for classical and quantum scalar fields propagating with a translationally invariant dynamics in the 1+3 dimensional spacetime around an idealized straight infinitely long, infinitesimally thin cosmic string. The key to our analysis is the observation that minus-the-Laplacian on a cone possesses a one-parameter family of selfadjoint extensions. These may be labeled by a parameterR with the dimensions of length—taking values in [0, ). ForR=0, the extension is positive. WhenR0 there is a bound state. Each of our problems has a range of possible dynamical evolutions corresponding to a range of allowedR-values. They correspond to either finite, forR=0, or logarithmically divergent, forR0, boundary conditions at zero radius. Non-zeroR-values are a satisfactory replacement for the (mathematically ill-defined) notion of -function potentials at the cone's apex.We discuss the relevance of the various idealized dynamics to quantum mechanics on a cone with a rounded-off centre and field theory around a true string of finite thickness. Provided one is interested in effects at sufficiently large length scales, the true dynamics will depend on the details of the interaction of the wave function with the cone's centre (/field with the string etc.) only through a single parameterR (its scattering length) and will be well-approximated by the dynamics for the corresponding idealized problem with the sameR-value. This turns out to be zero if the interaction with the centre is purely gravitational and minimally coupled, but non-zero values can be important to model nongravitational (or non-minimally coupled) interactions. Especially, we point out the relevance of non-zeroR-values to electromagnetic waves around superconducting strings. We also briefly speculate on the relevance of theR-parameter in the application of quantum mechanics on cones to 1+2 dimensional quantum gravity with massive scalars.     

The orthogonality postulate in axiomatic quantum mechanics

Letp(A,,E) be the probability that a measurement of an observableA for the system in a state will lead to a value in a Borel setE. An experimental function is a function f from the set of all statesI into [0,1] for which there are an observableA and a Borel setE such thatf()=p(A, , E) for all I. A sequencef ₁,f ₂,... of experimental functions is said to be orthogonal if there is an experimental functiong such thatg+f ₁+f ₂+...=1, and it is said to be pairwise orthogonal iff _i+f _j 1 forij. It is shown that if we assume both notions to be equivalent then the setL of all experimental functions is an orthocomplemented partially ordered set with respect to the natural order of real functions with the complementationf=1–f, each observableA can be identified with anL-valued measure _A, each state can be identified with a probability measurem onL and we havep(A,,E)=m oA(E). Thus we obtain the abstract setting of axiomatic quantum mechanics as a consequence of a single postulate.     

Generalized measures in gauge theory

LetP M be a principalG-bundle. We construct well-defined analogs of Lebesgue measure on the spaceA of connections onP and Haar measure on the groupG of gauge transformations. More precisely, we define algebras of cylinder functions on the spacesA,G, andA/G, and define generalized measures on these spaces as continuous linear functionals on the corresponding algebras. Borrowing some ideas from lattice gauge theory, we characterize generalized measures onA,G, andA/G in terms of graphs embedded inM. We use this characterization to construct generalized measures onA andG whenG is compact. The uniform generalized measure onA is invariant under the group of automorphisms ofP. It projects down to the generalized measure onA/G considered by Ashtekar and Lewandowski in the caseG = SU(n). The generalized Haar measure onG is right- and left-invariant as well as Aut(P)-invariant. We show that averaging any generalized measure onA against generalized Haar measure gives aG-invariant generalized measure onA.     

Unbounded derivations of commutativeC*-algebras

It is shown that an unbounded *-derivation of a unital commutativeC*-algebraA is quasi well-behaved if and only if there is a dense open subsetU of the spectrum ofA such that, for anyf in the domain of , (f) vanishes at any point ofU wheref attains its norm. An example is given to show that even if is closed it need not be quasi well-behaved. This answers negatively a question posed by Sakai for arbitraryC*-algebras.It is also shown that there are no-zero closed derivations onA if the spectrum ofA contains a dense open totally disconnected subset.     

Non-Markovian reversible Chapman-Kolmogorov measures on subshifts of finite type

We consider shift-invariant probability measures on subshift dynamical systems with a transition matrixA which satisfies the Chapman-Kolmogorov equation for some stochastic matrix compatible withA. We call them Chapman-Kolmogorov measures. A nonequilibrium entropy is associated to this class of dynamical systems. We show that ifA is irreducible and aperiodic, then there are Chapman-Kolmogorov measures distinct from the Markov chain associated with and its invariant row probability vectorq. If, moreover, (q, ) is a reversible chain, then we construct reversible Chapman-Kolmogorov measures on the subshift which are distinct from (q, ).     

Unbounded Entropy in Spacetimes with Positive Cosmological Constant

In theories of gravity with a positive cosmological constant, we consider product solutions with flux, of the form (A)dS _p ×S ^q . Most solutions are shown to be perturbatively unstable, including all uncharged dS _p ×S ^q spacetimes. For dimensions greater than four, the stable class includes universes whose entropy exceeds that of de Sitter space, in violation of the conjectured N-bound. Hence, if quantum gravity theories with finite-dimensional Hilbert space exist, the specification of a positive cosmological constant will not suffice to characterize the class of spacetimes they describe.     

One-Parameter Continuous Fields of Kirchberg Algebras

We prove that all unital separable continuous fields of C*-algebras over [0,1] with fibers isomorphic to the Cuntz algebra are trivial. More generally, we show that if A is a separable, unital or stable, continuous field over [0,1] of Kirchberg C*-algebras satisfying the UCT and having finitely generated K-theory groups, then A is isomorphic to a trivial field if and only if the associated K-theory presheaf is trivial. For fixed we also show that, under the additional assumption that the fibers have torsion free K _d -group and trivial K _d+1-group, the K _d -sheaf is a complete invariant for separable stable continuous fields of Kirchberg algebras. M.D. was supported in part by NSF Grant #DMS-0500693. G.A.E. held a Discovery Grant from NSERC Canada.     

A reply to “a comment on generalized electromagnetism and Dirac algebra”

Issues raised by W. A. Rodrigues, Jr. are discussed.1. This is not a new result; see,e.g., Rohrlich.⁽³⁾ 2. A typographical error in Eq. (77) is corrected here: The productj A in the right-hand parentheses was erroneously transcribed in Ref. (2) as A.3. I define electromagnetic fieldF = A to be that generated by electric charges and the magnetoelectric fieldG = M to be that generated by magnetic monopoles:F F +₅ G. 4. Rodrigues, on the other hand, takes the position that the importance of the Lagrangian formulation should be downgraded if not discarded altogether: ... it is redundant to look for Lagrangians.⁽¹⁾ 5. In fact, he reformulates it using the language of differential forms.6. It is interesting to observe that this bilinear form has the additional virtue of being appropriate for dealing with the monopolecharge parity question, which was pointed out long ago.⁽¹⁴⁾ 7. In fact, even mathematics looks to Nature for its authority.⁽¹⁶⁾ There is evidence that Rodrigues does not understand this concept.⁽¹⁷⁾     

Scattering into cones I: Potential scattering

In the non-relativistic time-dependent theory of scattering, we compute the probability that a particle with given initial state should scatter into a cone with apex at the origin. A formula for this probability is found which holds good for a large class of short-range potentials and also for Coulomb potentials. The formula is obtained by showing that if the initial state of a particle is specified byf, then its position probability density at large positive times can be taken to be .The author wishes to acknowledge the support during this work of NSF Grant GP 7453.     

The enveloping algebra of a covariant system

In an earlier work, Doplicher, Kastler and Robinson have examined a mathematical structure consisting of a pair (A, G), whereA is aC*-algebra andG is a locally compact automorphism group ofA. We call such a structure a covariant system. The enveloping von Neumann algebraA(A, G) of (A, G) is defined as a *-algebra of operator valued functions (called options) on the space of covariant representations of (A, G). The system (A, G) is canonically embedded in, and in fact generates, the von Neumann algebraA(A, G). Further we show there is a natural one-to-one correspondence between the normal *-representations ofA(A, G) and the proper covariant representations of (A, G). The relation ofA(A, G) to the covarainceC*-algebraC*(A, G) is also examined.     

Conditional expectation and commutativity in von Neumann algebras

LetH be a Hilbert space,A the von Neumann algebra of all bounded operators onH,B a von Neumann subalgebra ofA, andw a bounded linear functional onA. The functionalw is said to commute withBA ifw(AB)=w(BA) for allAA. It is shown that the mapBw (BAB) is a complex measure on the orthocomplemented partially ordered set of all orthogonal projections inB for everyAA if and only ifw commutes with all members ofB. For anyAA, the conditional expectation ofA with respect toB andw is defined and it is shown that this expectation exists for an Abelian separableB ifw commutes with all members ofB. Using Gleason's theorem it is shown thatw commutes withB if and only if the density operator ofw commutes withB.     

Nonexistence of hidden variables in the algebraic approach

Given two unital C*-algebrasA, and their state spacesE _A , E respectively, (A,E _A ) is said to have (, E) as a hidden theory via a linear, positive, unit-preserving map L: A if, for all E _A , L* can be decomposed in E into states with pointwise strictly less dispersion than that of . Conditions onA and L are found that exclude (A,E _A ) from having a hidden theory via L. It is shown in particular that, ifA is simple, then no (, E) can be a hidden theory of (A,E _A ) via a Jordan homomorphism; it is proved furthermore that, ifA is a UHF algebra, it cannot be embedded into a larger C*-algebra such that (, E) is a hidden theory of (A,E _A ) via a conditional expectation from ontoA.     

Ideals and solutions of nonlinear field equations

Families of horizontal ideals of contact manifolds of finite order are studied. Each horizontal ideal is shown to admit ann-dimensional module of Cauchy characteristic vectors that is also a module of annihilators (in the sense of Cartan) of the contact ideal. Since horizontal ideals are generated by 1-forms, any completely integrable horizontal ideal in the family leads to a foliation of the contact manifold by submanifolds of dimensionn on which the horizontal ideal vanishes. Explicit conditions are obtained under which an open subset of a leaf of this foliation is the graph of a solution map of the fundamental ideal that characterizes a given system of partial differential equations of finite order withn independent variables. The solution maps are obtained by sequential integration of systems of autonomous ordinary differential equations that are determined by the Cauchy characteristic vector fields for the problem. We show that every smooth solution map can be obtained in this manner. Let {_Vi¦1in} be a basis for the module of Cauchy characteristic vector fields that are in Jacobi normal form. If a subsidiary balance ideal admits each of then vector fieldsV _i as a smooth isovector field, then certain leaves of the foliation generated by the corresponding closed horizontal ideal are shown to be graphs of solution maps of the fundamental ideal. A subclass of these constructions agree with those of the Cartan-Kähler theorem. Conditions are also obtained under which every leaf of the foliation is the graph of a solution map. Solving a given system ofr partial differential equations withn independent variables on a first-order contact manifold is shown to be equivalent to the problem of constructing a complete system of independent first integrals. Properties of systems of first integrals are analyzed by studying the collection ISO[A _ij ] of all isovectors of the horizontal ideal. We show that ISO[A _ij ] admits the direct sum decomposition ^*[A _ij ]W[A _ij ] as a vector space, where ^*[A _ij ] is the module of Cauchy characteristics of the horizontal ideal. ISO[A _ij ] also forms a Lie algebra under the standard Lie product,^*[A _ij ] andW[A _ij ] are Lie subalgebras of ISO[A _ij ], and [A _ij ] is an ideal. A change of coordinates that resolves (straightens out) the canonical basis for ^*[A _ij ] is constructed. This change of coordinates is used to reduce the problem of solving the given system of PDE to the problem of root extraction of a system ofr functions ofn variables, and to establish the existence of solutions to a second-order system of overdetermined PDE that generate the subspaceW[A _ij ]. Similar results are obtained for second-order contact manifolds. Extended canonical transformations are studied. They are shown to provide algorithms for calculating large classes of closed horizontal ideals and a partial analog of classical Hamilton-Jacobi theory.     

A Comment on Differential Identities for the Weyl Spinor Perturbations

It is shown that in a type-D vacuum space-time with cosmological constant, the components of the Weyl spinor perturbations along the principal spinors of the background conformal curvature satisfy differential identities, which are valid in all the normalized spin frames {o ^A , ^A } such that o ^A and ^A are double principal spinors of the background conformal curvature.     

A Lower Bound for Periods of Matrices

For a nonsingular integer matrix A, we study the growth of the order of A modulo N. We say that a matrix is exceptional if it is diagonalizable, and a power of the matrix has all eigenvalues equal to powers of a single rational integer, or all eigenvalues are powers of a single unit in a real quadratic field. For exceptional matrices, it is easily seen that there are arbitrarily large values of N for which the order of A modulo N is logarithmically small. In contrast, we show that if the matrix is not exceptional, then the order of A modulo N goes to infinity faster than any constant multiple of logN.     

Sensitivity of approximate formulas for determining optical constants of thin films

The sensitivity of approximate formulas for determining the optical constants of thin films using measurement of reflectancesR and transmittancesT at normal incidence have been investigated theoretically. The ranges of refractive indexn, absorption indexk,2nk (=₂) andn ²–k ²(=₁) within relative errors of 5%, 10%, and 20% may be obtained. Selected signs of (₁)⁺ or (₁)^– have been determined. Validity of the condition n₀ A=n _s A has been also evaluated (A=1–R –T andA=1–R–T).     

Isospectral hamiltonian flows in finite and infinite dimensions

A moment map is constructed from the Poisson manifold _A of rank-r perturbations of a fixedN×N matrixA to the dual of the positive part of the formal loop algebra =gl(r)[[, ^–1]]. The Adler-Kostant-Symes theorem is used to give hamiltonians which generate commutative isospectral flows on . The pull-back of these hamiltonians by the moment map gives rise to commutative isospectral hamiltonian flows in _A. The latter may be identified with flows on finite dimensional coadjoint orbits in and linearized on the Jacobi variety of an invariant spectral curveX _r which, generically, is anr-sheeted Riemann surface. Reductions of _A are derived, corresponding to subalgebras ofgl(r, ) andsl(r, ), determined as the fixed point set of automorphism groupes generated by involutions (i.e., all the classical algebras), as well as reductions to twisted subalgebras of . The theory is illustrated by a number of examples of finite dimensional isospectral flows defining integrable hamiltonian systems and their embeddings as finite gap solutions to integrable systems of PDE's.This research was partially supported by NSF grants MCS-8108814 (A03), DMS-8604189, and DMS-8601995