The Matter of Time

About a century ago, in the spirit of ancient atomism, the quantum of light was renamed the photon to suggest that it is the fundamental element of everything. Since the photon carries energy in its period of time, a flux of photons inexorably embodies a flow of time. Thus, time comprises periods as a trek comprises legs. The flows of quanta naturally select optimal paths (i.e., geodesics) to level out energy differences in the least amount of time. The corresponding flow equations can be written, but they cannot be solved. Since the flows affect their driving forces, affecting the flows, and so on, the forces (i.e., causes) and changes in motions (i.e., consequences) are inseparable. Thus, the future remains unpredictable. However, it is not all arbitrary but rather bounded by free energy. Eventually, when the system has attained a stationary state where forces tally, there are no causes and no consequences. Since there are no energy differences between the system and its surroundings, the quanta only orbit on and on. Thus, time does not move forward either but circulates.     

Statistical Physics of Evolving Systems

Evolution is customarily perceived as a biological process. However, when formulated in terms of physics, evolution is understood to entail everything. Based on the axiom of everything comprising quanta of actions (e.g., quanta of light), statistical physics describes any system evolving toward thermodynamic balance with its surroundings systems. Fluxes of quanta naturally select those processes leveling out differences in energy as soon as possible. This least-time maxim results in ubiquitous patterns (i.e., power laws, approximating sigmoidal cumulative curves of skewed distributions, oscillations, and even the regularity of chaos). While the equation of evolution can be written exactly, it cannot be solved exactly. Variables are inseparable since motions consume driving forces that affect motions (and so on). Thus, evolution is inherently a non-deterministic process. Yet, the future is not all arbitrary but teleological, the final cause being the least-time free energy consumption itself. Eventually, trajectories are computable when the system has evolved into a state of balance where free energy is used up altogether.     

Optimal network kinetics: A new significance to the principle of least time

The principle of least time is given a precise mathematical formulation in the new context of stochastic processes, where it is referred to as “optimal network kinetics”: In situations influenced by natural selection the efficient processes take place along optimal reaction coordinate paths, which in complex systems may form a network by bifurcations. The optimal paths in the configuration space of the system are defined by monimizing the time scale associated with an individual path in the set of all possible paths, subject to given boundary conditions. In particular it is discussed how optimal paths may be the consequence of detailed balance, which incorporates into the structure of the stochastic matrix of the system a local bias against excessive energy expenditure. Hence the optimal path depends on the configuration space (potential-) energy surface as well as on the temperature, for instance according to the law of Arrhenius at the crossing of a barrier along a reaction coordinate passing through the saddle-points. Exact formulations are given for disordered structures, including the case of variable range hopping conduction, where we obtain an exact derivation of the law of Mott. A variational formulation is given for processes corresponding to classical diffusion on a multidimensional energy surface. The corresponding differential equations defining the optimal path in this space have the form of newtonian equations of motion. However, the situation implies an interesting teleological aspect, which is unlike anything known from conventional dynamics. In order to be capable of crossing energy barriers the point tracing out the optimal path between given endpoints adjusts its mass so that both positive and negative values permit it to go along with, as well as against the locally acting force (the conventional gradient of the energy surface). At any point the appropriate mass, and hence the acceleration that is derived from the force at the current location, depends in a definite way on the entire path that is ultimately going to be completed.     

胶子非弹性散射过程对夸克胶子等离子体中双轻子产生的影响

双轻子是研究夸克物质的形成和性质的重要探针.本文基于化学平衡化的黏滞性夸克胶子等离子体演化模型,计算了相对论重离子碰撞能量下金-金对心碰撞形成的夸克胶子等离子体中的双轻子产额.在黏滞性计算中加入了胶子非弹性散射过程对黏滞系数的贡献.相较仅考虑夸克和胶子弹性散射的情况,双轻子的产额有较明显的降低.这表明在黏滞系数中加入胶子非弹性散射的贡献使得系统的演化过程加快,演化时间变短.     

Musical emotions: Functions,origins, evolution

Theories of music origins and the role of musical emotions in the mind are reviewed. Most existing theories contradict each other, and cannot explain mechanisms or roles of musical emotions in workings of the mind, nor evolutionary reasons for music origins. Music seems to be an enigma. Nevertheless, a synthesis of cognitive science and mathematical models of the mind has been proposed describing a fundamental role of music in the functioning and evolution of the mind, consciousness, and cultures. The review considers ancient theories of music as well as contemporary theories advanced by leading authors in this field. It addresses one hypothesis that promises to unify the field and proposes a theory of musical origin based on a fundamental role of music in cognition and evolution of consciousness and culture. We consider a split in the vocalizations of proto-humans into two types: one less emotional and more concretely-semantic, evolving into language, and the other preserving emotional connections along with semantic ambiguity, evolving into music. The proposed hypothesis departs from other theories in considering specific mechanisms of the mind–brain, which required the evolution of music parallel with the evolution of cultures and languages. Arguments are reviewed that the evolution of language toward becoming the semantically powerful tool of today required emancipation from emotional encumbrances. The opposite, no less powerful mechanisms required a compensatory evolution of music toward more differentiated and refined emotionality. The need for refined music in the process of cultural evolution is grounded in fundamental mechanisms of the mind. This is why today's human mind and cultures cannot exist without today's music. The reviewed hypothesis gives a basis for future analysis of why different evolutionary paths of languages were paralleled by different evolutionary paths of music. Approaches toward experimental verification of this hypothesis in psychological and neuroimaging research are reviewed.     

Fractal behavior in quantum statistical physics

The properties of an ideal gas of spinless particles are investigated by using the path integral formalism. It is shown that the quantum paths exhibit a fractal character which remains unchanged in the relativistic domain provided the creation of new particles is avoided, and the Brownian motion remains the stochastic process associated with the quantum paths. These results are obtained by using a special representation of the Klein-Gordon wave equation. On the quantum paths the relation between velocity and momentum is not the usual one. The mean square value of the velocity depends on the time needed to define the velocity and its value shows the interplay between pure quantum effects and thermodynamics. The fractal character is also investigated starting from wave equations by analyzing the evolution of a Gaussian wave packet via the Hausdorff dimension. Both approaches give the same fractal character in the same limit. It is shown that the time that appears in the path integral behaves like an ordinary time, and the key quantity is the time interval needed for the thermostat to give to the particles a thermal action equal to the quantum of action. Thus, the partition function calculated via the path integral formalism also describes the dynamics of the system for short time intervals. For low temperatures, it is shown that a time-energy uncertainty relation is verified at the end of the calculations. The energy involved in this relation has not a thermodynamic meaning but results from the fact that the particles do not follow the equations of motion along the paths. The results suggest that the density matrix obtained by quantification of the classical canonical distribution function via the path integral formalism should not be totally identical to that obtained via the usual route.     

On network form and function

Moving from the observation that drainage network configurations minimizing total energy dissipation are stationary solutions of the general equation describing landscape evolution, we review theoretical and observational evidence on river patterns and their scale-invariant structure. Exact results complemented by numerical annealing of the basic equation in the presence of additive noise suggest that configurations at (or very close to) the global minimum of energy dissipation differ from dynamically accessible states, which have rather different scaling properties and conform much better to natural forms. Thus we argue that, at least in the fluvial landscape, Nature works through imperfect searches for dynamically accessible optimal configurations. We also show that optimal networks are spanning loopless configurations only under precise physical requirements. This is stated in a form applicable to generic networks, suggesting that other branching structures occurring in Nature (e.g. scale-free and looping) may possibly arise through optimality to selective pressures. Indeed, we show that this is the case.     

Hamiltonian systems with indefinite kinetic energy

Some interesting features of a class of two-dimensional Hamiltonians with indefinite kinetic energy are considered. It is shown that such Hamiltonians cannot be reduced, in general, to an equivalent dynamical Hamiltonian with positive definite kinetic energy quadratic in velocities. Complex nonlinear evolution equations like the K-dV, the MK-dV and the sine-Gordon equations possess such Hamiltonians. The case of complex K-dV equation has been considered in detail to demonstrate the generic features. The two-dimensional real systems obtained by analytic continuation to complex plane of one-dimensional dynamical systems are also discussed. The evolution equations for nonlinear, amplitude-modulated Langmuir waves as well as circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in plasmas, are considered as illustrative examples.     

固体炸药爆轰的一种考虑热学非平衡的反应流动模型

基于固体炸药爆轰过程中化学反应混合区内的固相反应物与气相生成物处于力学平衡状态及热学非平衡状态的事实,提出一种考虑热学非平衡效应的反应流动模型来描述固体炸药的爆轰流动现象.该爆轰流动模型的主要特点是,在反应混合物Euler方程和固相反应物质量守恒方程的基础上,通过附加一套关于固相反应物的组分物理量的流动控制方程来表达固相反应物与气相生成物之间的热学非平衡效应.根据反应混合区内固相反应物与气相生成物这两种化学组分保持各自内能守恒的混合规则,并借助它们具有压力相等的性质以及满足体积分数总和为1的条件,推导获得的附加方程有：固相反应物的内能演化方程、体积分数演化方程及反应混合物的压力演化方程.这样,建立的爆轰模型包括：反应混合物的质量守恒方程、动量守恒方程、总能量守恒方程、压力演化方程,以及固相反应物的质量守恒方程、内能演化方程、体积分数演化方程.对所获得的爆轰模型方程组采用一个时空二阶精度的有限体积法进行数值求解,典型爆轰问题算例结果表明本文提出的固体炸药爆轰模型是合理的.     

Universality in active chaos

Many examples of chemical and biological processes take place in large-scale environmental flows. Such flows generate filamental patterns which are often fractal due to the presence of chaos in the underlying advection dynamics. In such processes, hydrodynamical stirring strongly couples into the reactivity of the advected species and might thus make the traditional treatment of the problem through partial differential equations difficult. Here we present a simple approach for the activity in inhomogeneously stirred flows. We show that the fractal patterns serving as skeletons and catalysts lead to a rate equation with a universal form that is independent of the flow, of the particle properties, and of the details of the active process. One aspect of the universality of our approach is that it also applies to reactions among particles of finite size (so-called inertial particles).     

Dynamic statistical information theory

In recent years we extended Shannon static statistical information theory to dynamic processes and established a Shannon dynamic statistical information theory, whose core is the evolution law of dynamic entropy and dynamic information. We also proposed a corresponding Boltzmman dynamic statistical information theory. Based on the fact that the state variable evolution equation of respective dynamic systems, i.e. Fokker-Planck equation and Liouville diffusion equation can be regarded as their information symbol evolution equation, we derived the nonlinear evolution equations of Shannon dynamic entropy density and dynamic information density and the nonlinear evolution equations of Boltzmann dynamic entropy density and dynamic information density, that describe respectively the evolution law of dynamic entropy and dynamic information. The evolution equations of these two kinds of dynamic entropies and dynamic informations show in unison that the time rate of change of dynamic entropy densities is caused by their drift, diffusion and production in state variable space inside the systems and coordinate space in the transmission processes; and that the time rate of change of dynamic information densities originates from their drift, diffusion and dissipation in state variable space inside the systems and coordinate space in the transmission processes. Entropy and information have been combined with the state and its law of motion of the systems. Furthermore we presented the formulas of two kinds of entropy production rates and information dissipation rates, the expressions of two kinds of drift information flows and diffusion information flows. We proved that two kinds of information dissipation rates (or the decrease rates of the total information) were equal to their corresponding entropy production rates (or the increase rates of the total entropy) in the same dynamic system. We obtained the formulas of two kinds of dynamic mutual informations and dynamic channel capacities reflecting the dynamic dissipation characteristics in the transmission processes, which change into their maximum—the present static mutual information and static channel capacity under the limit case where the proportion of channel length to information transmission rate approaches to zero. All these unified and rigorous theoretical formulas and results are derived from the evolution equations of dynamic information and dynamic entropy without adding any extra assumption. In this review, we give an overview on the above main ideas, methods and results, and discuss the similarity and difference between two kinds of dynamic statistical information theories.     

Modeling the complex dynamics of enzyme-pathway coevolution

Metabolic pathways must have coevolved with the corresponding enzyme gene sequences. However, the evolutionary dynamics ensuing from the interplay between metabolic networks and genomes is still poorly understood. Here, we present a computational model that generates putative evolutionary walks on the metabolic network using a parallel evolution of metabolic reactions and their catalyzing enzymes. Starting from an initial set of compounds and enzymes, we expand the metabolic network iteratively by adding new enzymes with a probability that depends on their sequence-based similarity to already present enzymes. Thus, we obtain simulated time courses of chemical evolution in which we can monitor the appearance of new metabolites, enzyme sequences, or even entire organisms. We observe that new enzymes do not appear gradually but rather in clusters which correspond to enzyme classes. A comparison with Brownian motion dynamics indicates that our system displays biased random walks similar to diffusion on the metabolic network with long-range correlations. This suggests that a quantitative molecular principle may underlie the appearance of punctuated equilibrium dynamics, whereby enzymes occur in bursts rather than by phyletic gradualism. Moreover, the simulated time courses lead to a putative time-order of enzyme and organism appearance. Among the patterns we detect in these evolutionary trends is a significant correlation between the time of appearance and their enzyme repertoire size. Hence, our approach to metabolic evolution may help understand the rise in complexity at the biochemical and genomic levels.     

Role of nonequilibrium entropy in Einstein’s theory of gravitation

We employ the covariant version of a systematic framework of nonequilibrium thermodynamics to clarify the role of entropy in the classical theory of gravitation. An expression for the global entropy is identified naturally from the covariant formulation, and a dual role of the Einstein equation as a fundamental evolution equation and as a thermodynamic equation of state follows immediately. The covariant time integral of the entropy is a more fundamental quantity than the entropy itself. In the absence of matter, the gravitational entropy alone cannot generate any irreversible processes. Some implications for the structure of a quantum theory of gravity are discussed.     

Monte carlo simulation of a quantized universe

A Monte Carlo simulation method which yields groundstate wave functions for multielectron atoms is applied to quantized cosmological models. In quantum mechanics, the propagator for the Schrödinger equation reduces to the absolute value squared of the groundstate wave function in the limit of infinite Euclidean time. The wave function of the universe as the solution to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation may be regarded as the zero energy mode of a Schrödinger equation in coordinate time. The simulation evaluates the path integral formulation of the propagator by constructing a large number of paths and computing their contribution to the path integral using the Metropolis algorithm to drive the paths toward a global minimum in the path energy. The result agrees with a solution to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation which has the characteristics of a nodeless groundstate wave function. Oscillatory behavior cannot be reproduced although the simulation results may be physically reasonable. The primary advantage of the simulations is that they may easily be extended to cosmologies with many degrees of freedom. Examples with one, two, and three degrees of freedom (d.f.) are presented.This essay was awarded Honorable Mention by the Gravity Research Foundation.Part of this work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract number W-7405-ENG-48 and part was supported by National Science Foundation Grant PHY82-13411 to Oakland University.     

The constructal law and the evolution of design in nature

The constructal law accounts for the universal phenomenon of generation and evolution of design (configuration, shape, structure, pattern, rhythm). This phenomenon is observed across the board, in animate, inanimate and human systems. The constructal law states the time direction of the evolutionary design phenomenon. It defines the concept of design evolution in physics. Along with the first and second law, the constructal law elevates thermodynamics to a science of systems with configuration. In this article we review the more recent work of our group, with emphasis on the advances made with the constructal law in the natural sciences. Highlighted are the oneness of animate and inanimate designs, the origin of finite-size organs on animals and vehicles, the flow of stresses as the generator of design in solid structures (skeletons, vegetation), the universality and rigidity of hierarchy in all flow systems, and the global design of human flows. Noteworthy is the tapestry of distributed energy systems, which balances nodes of production with networks of distribution on the landscape, and serves as key to energy sustainability and empowerment. At the global level, the constructal law accounts for the geography and design of human movement, wealth and communications.     

Radio-frequency radiation energy transfer in an ionospheric layer with random small-scale inhomogeneities

Conclusion The equation of the energy balance for the radiation in a randomly inhomogeneous planestratified plasma layer is derived in this paper based on the phenomenological approach. This equation can be transformed, thanks to the use of invariant ray variables, into a drift-type equation which describes deformation of the spatial distribution of the radio-frequency radiation resulting from the multiple scattering. Two related effects are studied numerically: the variations in the radiowave arrival angles for the slightly oblique propagation and variation in the intensity of the radio-frequency radiation reflected from the plasma layer. Their practical value is associated with such fields as radio homing at short paths, SW radars, the interpretation of results of vertical sounding of the ionosphere, as well as diagnostics of the inhomogeneous structure of the plasma in plasma-like media.The procedure suggested can be used for the study of scattering effects for radiowaves crossing the plasma layer (e.g., in transionospheric sounding), or oblique propagation (e.g., in the vicinity of the maximum frequency). This will be the subject of papers to follow, as well as analysis of the complete solution of the equation of energy balance in a plane-stratified layer.Scientific-Research Institute of Physics, Rostov University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavednii, Radiofizika, Vol. 36, No. 12, pp. 1075–1088, December, 1993.     

Langevin Dynamics,Large Deviations and Instantons for the Quasi-Geostrophic Model and Two-Dimensional Euler Equations

We investigate a class of simple models for Langevin dynamics of turbulent flows, including the one-layer quasi-geostrophic equation and the two-dimensional Euler equations. Starting from a path integral representation of the transition probability, we compute the most probable fluctuation paths from one attractor to any state within its basin of attraction. We prove that such fluctuation paths are the time reversed trajectories of the relaxation paths for a corresponding dual dynamics, which are also within the framework of quasi-geostrophic Langevin dynamics. Cases with or without detailed balance are studied. We discuss a specific example for which the stationary measure displays either a second order (continuous) or a first order (discontinuous) phase transition and a tricritical point. In situations where a first order phase transition is observed, the dynamics are bistable. Then, the transition paths between two coexisting attractors are instantons (fluctuation paths from an attractor to a saddle), which are related to the relaxation paths of the corresponding dual dynamics. For this example, we show how one can analytically determine the instantons and compute the transition probabilities for rare transitions between two attractors.     

基于气体动理论的二维Karman涡街数值模拟

基于从稀薄流到连续流的跨流域气体动理论统一算法(gas-kinetic unified algorithm,GKUA),通过数值求解考虑转动自由度激发的Boltzmann-Rykov模型方程,得到了一种跨流域非定常流动数值模拟的方法.该求解方法以Boltzmann模型方程为控制方程,在常温状态下如果考虑转动能激发的情况...     

T Violation and the Unidirectionality of Time

An increasing number of experiments at the Belle, BNL, CERN, DAΦNE and SLAC accelerators are confirming the violation of time reversal invariance (T). The violation signifies a fundamental asymmetry between the past and future and calls for a major shift in the way we think about time. Here we show that processes which violate T symmetry induce destructive interference between different paths that the universe can take through time. The interference eliminates all paths except for two that represent continuously forwards and continuously backwards time evolution. Evidence from the accelerator experiments indicates which path the universe is effectively following. This work may provide fresh insight into the long-standing problem of modeling the dynamics of T violation processes. It suggests that T violation has previously unknown, large-scale physical effects and that these effects underlie the origin of the unidirectionality of time. It may have implications for the Wheeler-DeWitt equation of canonical quantum gravity. Finally it provides a view of the quantum nature of time itself.