A nonperturbative variational approach to the vacuum structure in quantum chromodynamics

We study the vacuum structure in QCD in a nonperturbative manner using a variational approach with gluon condensates. We show that in Coulomb gauge as the coupling becomes moderately strong, the perturbative vacuum of QCD becomes unstable leading to gluon condensates and a gauge dependent effective mass for the gluons related to the gauge independent value of 〈vac‖G _μν ^a G ^aμν‖vac〉 of Shifmanet al.     

A variational approach to stochastic nonlinear problems

A variational principle is formulated which enables the mean value and higher moments of the solution of a stochastic nonlinear differential equation to be expressed as stationary values of certain quantities. Approximations are generated by using suitable trial functions in this variational principle and some of these are investigated numerically for the case of a Bernoulli oscillator driven by white noise. Comparison with exact data available for this system shows that the variational approach to such problems can be quite effective.     

Diffusion in a symmetric bistable potential: A variational approach

An approximation procedure for the solution of stochastic nonlinear equations, which was derived from a variational principle in a previous paper, is applied to the problem of a particle that diffuses in a symmetric bistable potential starting from the point of unstable equilibrium. The second moment and variance for the particle's position are calculated as functions of the timet. Good agreement is found with results recently obtained by Baibuzet al. from an approximate evaluation of a path integral expression for the probability density.     

A basis-free approach to time-reversal for symmetry groups

We develop a basis-free approach to time-reversal for the quantal angular momentum group,SU2, and apply these methods to the physical symmetrySU2_isospin,SU3_flavor,SU3_nuclear and the nuclear collective symmetry groupSL(3,R) of Gell-Mann and Tomonaga.     

A thermostatistical approach to protein structures

In this study, the relation between the additional heat capacities of proteins have been obtained. The expressions for the increments of enthalpy , entropy and Gibbs energy which are encountered in the dissolving of the proteins in water, have been calculated. Partition functions of proteins are related to the macrothermodynamical quantities with the help of free energies. In order to endeavour the structure of the proteins, the theoretical calculations of thermostatistical mechanics are fitted to the data of experimental results.     

A quantum approach to paramagnetic resonance

In the semi-classical theory of the problem of interaction of radio-frequency (r.f.) field with electron or nuclear spin, the application of quantisation is restricted to the spin system only, the r.f. field being treated classically. In this paper, a purely quantum approach is discussed for a system with spin > 1/2 using a Glauber vector to describe coherent excitations of the r.f. field. It is illustrated here for the case of spin 3/2. One finds that this quantum approach contains the classical one. An erratum to this article is available at .     

On the derivation of quantum kinetic equations. I. Collision expansions

A straightforward scheme for deriving quantum kinetic equations is presented. It is based on Bogoliubov's initiai condition of vanishing correlations in the infinite past and consists in the elimination of an initial oneparticle Wigner function between two nonlinear functionals. By performing the elimination to second order in the density the quantum analog of the Choh-Uhlenbeck three-particle collision term is obtained. The scheme may be extended to include relativistic particles as well as particles with internal degrees of freedom.This investigation is part of the research program of the Stichting voor fundamenteel onderzoek der materie (FOM), which is financially supported by the Organisatie voor zuiver-wetenschappelijk onderzoek (ZWO).     

Variational quantum simulation of thermal statistical states on a superconducting quantum processer

Quantum computers promise to solve finite-temperature properties of quantum many-body systems, which is generally challenging for classical computers due to high computational complexities. Here, we report experimental preparations of Gibbs states and excited states of Heisenberg $XX$ and $XXZ$ models by using a 5-qubit programmable superconducting processor. In the experiments, we apply a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm to generate finite temperature states with classical probability models and variational quantum circuits. We reveal that the Hamiltonians can be fully diagonalized with optimized quantum circuits, which enable us to prepare excited states at arbitrary energy density. We demonstrate that the approach has a self-verifying feature and can estimate fundamental thermal observables with a small statistical error. Based on numerical results, we further show that the time complexity of our approach scales polynomially in the number of qubits, revealing its potential in solving large-scale problems.     

Reconstructing unknown quantum states using variational layerwise method

In order to gain comprehensive knowledge of an arbitrary unknown quantum state, one feasible way is to reconstruct it, which can be realized by finding a series of quantum operations that can refactor the unitary evolution producing the unknown state. We design an adaptive framework that can reconstruct unknown quantum states at high fidelities, which utilizes SWAP test, parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) and layerwise learning strategy. We conduct benchmarking on the framework using numerical simulations and reproduce states of up to six qubits at more than 96% overlaps with original states on average using PQCs trained by our framework, revealing its high applicability to quantum systems of different scales theoretically. Moreover, we perform experiments on a five-qubit IBM Quantum hardware to reconstruct random unknown single qubit states, illustrating the practical performance of our framework. For a certain reconstructing fidelity, our method can effectively construct a PQC of suitable length, avoiding barren plateaus of shadow circuits and overuse of quantum resources by deep circuits, which is of much significance when the scale of the target state is large and there is no a priori information on it. This advantage indicates that it can learn credible information of unknown states with limited quantum resources, giving a boost to quantum algorithms based on parameterized circuits on near-term quantum processors.     

Square lattice variational approximations applied to the Ising model

The variational method developed by Baxter is applied to the zero-field Ising model on the square lattice. The problem is simplified to that of solving a relatively small system of nonlinear equations. The estimates to the spontaneous magnetization and the critical temperature from the sequence of variational approximations are obtained. The results converge rapidly to the exact ones. They exhibit a crossover phenomenon and satisfy a scaling relation.     

Tunneling time based on the quantum diffusion process approach in multichannel and optical potential cases

We analyze the effects of inelastic scattering on the tunneling time theoretically, using generalized Nelson’s quantum mechanics. This generalization enables us to describe quantum system with channel couplings and optical potential in a real time stochastic approach, which seems to give us a new insight into quantum mechanics beyond Copenhagen interpretation     

Simple variational approach to the thermal properties of ionic crystals

The thermal properties of ionic crystals are analysed using the variational principle of classical statistical mechanics. The Einstein and Debye pictures of the lattice vibrations are adopted as trial Hamiltonians. No explicit calculation of the lattice spectrum is needed. The variational result for the thermal expansion in the Einstein picture is identical to that recently derived by Narayan and Ramaseshan by a physically motivated thermal force picture. The agreement with experimental values in the alkali halide family of crystals is surprisingly good, the root mean square error being about 14%. The parameters in the interionic potential used are obtained from the lattice spacings and compressibilities of the crystals and not from anharmonic properties. The Debye picture gives about equally good results for the thermal expansion, but better results for the thermal vibration amplitudes of the ions. It differs from the Einstein picture in incorporating correlated vibrations of atoms and in having an explicit Coulomb contribution to the thermal properties. It is suggested that the theory given in this paper has a useful role to play in studies of thermal expansion and phase stability for large families of ionic crystals when combined with semi-empirical theories.     

First-order system least squares and the energetic variational approach for two-phase flow

This paper develops a first-order system least-squares (FOSLS) formulation for equations of two-phase flow. The main goal is to show that this discretization, along with numerical techniques such as nested iteration, algebraic multigrid, and adaptive local refinement, can be used to solve these types of complex fluid flow problems. In addition, from an energetic variational approach, it can be shown that an important quantity to preserve in a given simulation is the energy law. We discuss the energy law and inherent structure for two-phase flow using the Allen–Cahn interface model and indicate how it is related to other complex fluid models, such as magnetohydrodynamics. Finally, we show that, using the FOSLS framework, one can still satisfy the appropriate energy law globally while using well-known numerical techniques.     

Variational extension of the mean spherical approximation to arbitrary dimensions

We generalize a variational principle for the mean spherical approximation for a system of charged hard spheres in 3D to arbitrary dimensions. We first construct a free energy variational trial function from the Debye-Hückel excess charging internal energy at a finite concentration and an entropy obtained at the zero-concentration limit by thermodynamic integration. In three dimensions the minimization of this expression with respect to the screening parameter leads to the mean spherical approximation, usually obtained by solution of the Ornstein-Zernike equation. This procedure, which interpolates naturally between the zero concentration/coupling limit and the high-concentration/ coupling limit, is extended to arbitrary dimensions. We conjecture that this result is also equivalent to the MSA as originally defined, although a technical proof of this point is left for the future. The Onsager limitT ΔS ^MSA /ΔE ^MSA → 0 for infinite concentration/coupling is satisfied for all d ≠ 2, while ford=2 this limit is 1. On leave from Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, 00681.     

Validity of the time-dependent variational approximation to the Gaussian wavepacket method applied to double-well systems

We have examined the validity of the time-dependent variational approximation (TDVA) to the Gaussian wavepacket method (GWM) for quantum double-well (DW) systems, by using the quasi-exact spectral method (SM). Comparisons between results of wavefunctions, averages of position and momentum, the auto-correlation function, and an uncertainty product calculated by SM and TDVA have been made. It has been shown that a given initial Gaussian wavepacket in SM is quickly deformed at t>0$t>0$ where a wavepacket cannot be expressed by a single Gaussian, and that assumptions on averages of higher-order fluctuations in TDVA are not justified. These results cast some doubt on an application of TDVA to DW systems. Gaussian wavepacket dynamics in anharmonic potential systems is studied also.     

模拟囊泡形变动力学的新方法离散空间变分法

提出了全新的离散空间变分法研究二维囊泡形变动力学过程，克服了原先解析或数值解囊泡形状方程遇到的困难，结果表明动力学终态与已有理论方法的计算结果完全一致；说明这一方法正确而且解法稳定有效，这一方法可进一步推广至研究三维无对称性的囊泡形状以及膜与膜之间有长程相互作用的情形，这为囊泡形状的研究提供了新的理论手段. 关键词： 离散空间变分法 囊泡 动力学 Helfrich方程     

Incompatible and Contradictory Retrodictions in the History Approach to Quantum Mechanics

We illustrate two simple spin examples which show that in the consistent histories approach to quantum mechanics one can retrodict with certainty incompatible or contradictory propositions corresponding to non-orthogonal or, respectively, orthogonal projections.     

Status of the Fundamental Laws of Thermodynamics

We describe recent progress towards deriving the Fundamental Laws of thermodynamics (the 0th, 1st, and 2nd Law) from nonequilibrium quantum statistical mechanics in simple, yet physically relevant models. Along the way, we clarify some basic thermodynamic notions and discuss various reversible and irreversible thermodynamic processes from the point of view of quantum statistical mechanics.