Holonomy and Skyrme's Model

In this paper we consider two generalizations of the Skyrme model. One is a variational problem for maps from a compact 3-manifold to a compact Lie group. The other is a variational problem for flat connections. We describe the path components of the configuration spaces of smooth fields for each of the variational problems. We prove that the invariants separating the path components are well-defined for (not necessarily smooth) fields with finite Skyrme energy. We prove that for every possible value of these invariants there exists a minimizer of the Skyrme functional. Throughout the paper we emphasize the importance of holonomy in the Skyrme model. Some of the results may be useful in other contexts. In particular, we define the holonomy of a distributionally flat L²_loc connection; the local developing maps for such connections need not be continuous.The first author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0204651.The second author was partially supported by NSF grants DMS-9970638, and DMS-0200670     

Fermionic Quantization of Hopf Solitons

In this paper we show how to quantize Hopf solitons using the Finkelstein-Rubinstein approach. Hopf solitons can be quantized as fermions if their Hopf charge is odd. Symmetries of classical minimal energy configurations induce loops in configuration space which give rise to constraints on the wave function. These constraints depend on whether the given loop is contractible. Our method is to exploit the relationship between the configuration spaces of the Faddeev-Hopf and Skyrme models provided by the Hopf fibration. We then use recent results in the Skyrme model to determine whether loops are contractible. We discuss possible quantum ground states up to Hopf charge Q=7.     

Rotation Sets of Billiards with One Obstacle

We investigate the rotation sets of billiards on the m-dimensional torus with one small convex obstacle and in the square with one small convex obstacle. In the first case the displacement function, whose averages we consider, measures the change of the position of a point in the universal covering of the torus (that is, in the Euclidean space), in the second case it measures the rotation around the obstacle. A substantial part of the rotation set has usual strong properties of rotation sets.The first author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS 0456748.The second author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS 0456526.The third author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS 0457168.     

A Poisson Structure on Compact Symmetric Spaces

We present some basic results on a natural Poisson structure on any compact symmetric space. The symplectic leaves of this structure are related to the orbits of the corresponding real semisimple group on the complex flag manifold.Acknowledgements We thank Sam Evens for many useful discussions. The first author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0072520. The second author was partially supported by NSF(USA) grants DMS-0105195 and DMS-0072551 and by the HHY Physical Sciences Fund at the University of Hong Kong.     

A zero-mode quantization of the skyrmion

In the semi-classical approach to the Skyrme model, nuclei are approximated by quantum mechanical states on a finite-dimensional space of field configurations; in zero-mode quantization this space is generated by rotations and isorotations. Here, simulated annealing is used to find the axially symmetric Skyrme configuration which extremizes the zero-mode quantized energy for the nucleon.     

Constant-cutoff approach to radiative decays of hyperons: E2/M1 transition ratios

We suggest a quantum stabilization method for theSU(2) σ-model, based on the constant-cutoff limit of the cutoff quantization method developed by Balakrishnaet al., which avoids the difficulties with the usual soliton boundary conditions pointed out by Iwasaki and Ohyama. We investigate the baryon numberB=1 sector of the model and show that after the collective coordinate quantization it admits a stable soliton solution which depends on a single dimensional arbitrary constant. We then study the radiative decays ofJ ^π=3/2⁺ baryons using the constant-cutoff approach to theSU(3) collective treatment of the Skyrme model for hyperons. Thus we evaluate the widths and E2/M1 ratios, showing that there is a general qualitative agreement with the results obtained using the complete Skyrme model, as well as the nonrelativistic quark model and quenched lattice model, for the total widths.     

Semi-Focusing Billiards: Hyperbolicity

In this paper we answer affirmatively the question concerning the existence of hyperbolic billiards in convex domains of ℝ³. We also prove that a related class of semi-focusing billiards has mixed dynamics, i.e., their phase space is an union of two invariant sets of positive measure such that the dynamics is integrable on one set and is hyperbolic on the other. These billiards are the first rigorous examples of billiards in domains of ℝ³ with divided phase space. The first author was partially supported by the NSF grant #0140165 and the Humboldt Foundation. The second author was partially supported by the FCT (Portugal) through the Program POCTI/FEDER.     

Quantization of triangular Lie bialgebras

We derive a universal twisting element for an arbitrary triangularγ-matrix using a simple analogue of the Fedosov quantization method. Presented at the 11th Colloquium “Quantum Groups and Integrable Systems”, Prague, 20–22 June 2002. The work of SLL is partially supported by RFBR grant 00-02-17-956 and the grant INTAS 00-262. The work of AASh is supported by RFBR grant 02-02-06879 and Russian Ministry of Education under the grant E-00-33-184. The work of VAD is partially supported by the grant INTAS 00-561 and by the Grant for Support of Scientific Schools 00-15-96557. The work of API is partially supported by the RFBR grant 00-01-00299.     

Geometric Quantization¶and the Generalized Segal--Bargmann Transform¶for Lie Groups of Compact Type

Let K be a connected Lie group of compact type and let T ^*(K) be its cotangent bundle. This paper considers geometric quantization of T ^*(K), first using the vertical polarization and then using a natural K?hler polarization obtained by identifying T ^*(K) with the complexified group K _ℂ. The first main result is that the Hilbert space obtained by using the K?hler polarization is naturally identifiable with the generalized Segal–Bargmann space introduced by the author from a different point of view, namely that of heat kernels. The second main result is that the pairing map of geometric quantization coincides with the generalized Segal–Bargmann transform introduced by the author. This means that the pairing map, in this case, is a constant multiple of a unitary map. For both results it is essential that the half-form correction be included when using the K?hler polarization. These results should be understood in the context of results of K. Wren and of the author with B. Driver concerning the quantization of (1+1)-dimensional Yang–Mills theory. Together with those results the present paper may be seen as an instance of “quantization commuting with reduction”. Received: 28 June 2001 / Accepted: 17 September 2001     

Surfaces and the Sklyanin Bracket

 We discuss the Lie Poisson group structures associated to splittings of the loop group LGL(N,ℂ), due to Sklyanin. Concentrating on the finite dimensional leaves of the associated Poisson structure, we show that the geometry of the leaves is intimately related to a complex algebraic ruled surface with a ℂ ^*-invariant Poisson structure. In particular, Sklyanin's Lie Poisson structure admits a suitable abelianisation, once one passes to an appropriate spectral curve. The Sklyanin structure is then equivalent to one considered by Mukai, Tyurin and Bottacin on a moduli space of sheaves on the Poisson surface. The abelianization procedure gives rise to natural Darboux coordinates for these leaves, as well as separation of variables for the integrable Hamiltonian systems associated to invariant functions on the group. Received: 8 August 2001/Accepted: 29 April 2002 Published online: 14 October 2002 RID="★" ID="★" The first author of this article would like to thank NSERC and FCAR for their support RID="★★" ID="★★" The second author was partially supported by NSF grant number DMS-9802532     

Rigorous bounds on the fast dynamo growth rate involving topological entropy

The fast dynamo growth rate for aC ^k+1 map or flow is bounded above by topological entropy plus a 1/k correction. The proof uses techniques of random maps combined with a result of Yomdin relating curve growth to topological entropy. This upper bound implies the following anti-dynamo theorem: inC systems fast dynamo action is not possible without the presence of chaos. In addition topological entropy is used to construct a lower bound for the fast dynamo growth rate in the caseR _m =.This author is supported by an NSF postdoctoral fellowshipThis author is partially supported by an NSF grant     

A numerical solution of the Stefan problem

A two-dimensional Stefan problem is solved for a prism and a cylinder by approximating the enthalpy formulation of the problem byC ⁰ piecewise linear finite elements in space combined with a semi-implicit scheme in time. The numerical integration in space makes the scheme easy to implement.This work was partially supported by GA CR grant No. 106/93/0638.     

Limit Cycles Bifurcating from a k-dimensional Isochronous Center Contained in ?n with k ? n

The goal of this paper is double. First, we illustrate a method for studying the bifurcation of limit cycles from the continuum periodic orbits of a k-dimensional isochronous center contained in ℝ ⁿ with n ⩾ k, when we perturb it in a class of differential systems. The method is based in the averaging theory. Second, we consider a particular polynomial differential system in the plane having a center and a non-rational first integral. Then we study the bifurcation of limit cycles from the periodic orbits of this center when we perturb it in the class of all polynomial differential systems of a given degree. As far as we know this is one of the first examples that this study can be made for a polynomial differential system having a center and a non-rational first integral. The first and third authors are partially supported by a MCYT/FEDER grant MTM2005-06098-C01, and by a CIRIT grant number 2005SGR-00550. The second author is partially supported by a FAPESP–BRAZIL grant 10246-2. The first two authors are also supported by the joint project CAPES–MECD grant HBP2003-0017.     

Robust exponential attractors for the strongly damped wave equation with memory. II

We consider the singular limit of the semilinear strongly damped wave equation with memory in the presence of a critical nonlinearity, as the memory kernel converges to the Dirac mass at zero. We prove the existence of a robust family of regular exponential attractors in the weak energy space. Partially supported by the Italian PRIN research project 2006 Problemi a frontiera libera, transizioni di fase e modelli di isteresi. The first author has been partially supported by a research grant from the Fondazione Fratelli Confalonieri (Milano, Italy).     

Spin Gromov-Witten Invariants

We define and study r-spin Gromov-Witten invariants and r-spin quantum cohomology of a projective variety V, where r≥2 is an integer. The main element of the construction is the space of r-spin maps, the stable maps into a variety V from n-pointed algebraic curves of genus g with the additional data of an r-spin structure on the curve. We prove that is a Deligne-Mumford stack and use it to define the r-spin Gromov-Witten classes of V. We show that these classes yield a cohomological field theory (CohFT) which is isomorphic to the tensor product of the CohFT associated to the usual Gromov-Witten invariants of V and the r-spin CohFT. Restricting to genus zero, we obtain the notion of an r-spin quantum cohomology of V, whose Frobenius structure is isomorphic to the tensor product of the Frobenius manifolds corresponding to the quantum cohomology of V and the r^th Gelfand-Dickey hierarchy (or, equivalently, the A_r−1 singularity). We also prove a generalization of the descent property which, in particular, explains the appearance of the ψ classes in the definition of gravitational descendants.Research of the first author was partially supported by NSA grant number MDA904-99-1-0039Research of the second author was partially supported by NSF grant number DMS-9803427Research of the third author was partially supported by NSF grant DMS-0104397     

Non-compact quantum groups associated with Abelian subgroups

LetG be a Lie group. For any Abelian subalgebra of the Lie algebra g ofG, and any , the difference of the left and right translates ofr gives a compatible Poisson bracket onG. We show how to construct the corresponding quantum group, in theC ^*-algebra setting. The main tool used is the general deformation quantization construction developed earlier by the author for actions of vector groups onC ^*-algebras.The research reported on here was supported in part by National Science Foundation grant DMS-9303386.     

On Ulam-von Neumann transformations

We define and study Ulam-von Neumann transformations which are certain interval mappings and conjugate toq(x)=1–2x ² on [–1,1]. We use a singular metric on [–1,1] to study a Ulam-von Neumann transformation. This singular metric is universal in the sense that it does not depend on any particular mapping but only on the exponent of this mapping at its unique critical point. We give the smooth classification of Ulam-von Neumann transformations by their eigenvalues at periodic points and exponents and asymmetries.The author is partially supported by a PSC-CUNY grant and a NSF grant.     

Random walk in random environment: A counterexample?

We describe a family of random walks in random environments which have exponentially decaying correlations, nearest neighbor transition probabilities which are bounded away from 0, and yet are subdiffusive in any dimensiond<.This author partially supported by NSF grant DMS 83-1080This author partially supported by NSF grant DMS-85-05020 and the Army Research Office through the Mathematical Sciences Institute at Cornell University