A Boltzmann equation approach to transport in finite modular quantum systems

We investigate the transport behavior of finite modular quantum systems. Such systems have recently been analyzed by different methods. These approaches indicate diffusive behavior even and especially for finite systems. Inspired by these results we analyze analytically and numerically if and in which sense the dynamics of those systems are in agreement with an appropriate Boltzmann equation. We find that the transport behavior of a certain type of finite modular quantum systems may indeed be described in terms of a Boltzmann equation. However, the applicability of the Boltzmann equation appears to be rather limited to a very specific type of model.     

Information-theoretic approach to the study of control systems

We propose an information-theoretic framework for analyzing control systems based on the close relationship of controllers to communication channels. A communication channel takes an input state and transforms it into an output state. A controller, similarly, takes the initial state of a system to be controlled and transforms it into a target state. In this sense, a controller can be thought of as an actuation channel that acts on inputs to produce desired outputs. In this transformation process, two different control strategies can be adopted: (i) the controller applies an actuation dynamics that is independent of the state of the system to be controlled (open-loop control); or (ii) the controller enacts an actuation dynamics that is based on some information about the state of the controlled system (closed-loop control). Using this communication channel model of control, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for a system to be perfectly controllable and perfectly observable in terms of information and entropy. In addition, we derive a quantitative trade-off between the amount of information gathered by a closed-loop controller and its relative performance advantage over an open-loop controller in stabilizing a system. This work supplements earlier results (Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 (2000) 1156) by providing new derivations of the advantage afforded by closed-loop control and by proposing an information-based optimality criterion for control systems. New applications of this approach pertaining to proportional controllers, and the control of chaotic maps are also presented.     

Ultrasonic characterisation of flour-water systems: a new approach to investigate dough properties

The viscoelastic properties of dough are of great interest in the baking industry as they affect the quality of the final product. In this work, the viscoelastic properties of dough were investigated using ultrasonic techniques and then compared with traditional methods. It has been shown that ultrasonics provides a non-destructive, rapid and low cost technique for the measurement of physical food characteristics. A common protocol for dough preparation was used for each type of measurement. Experimental results on more than 30 different flour quality and dough processing were presented. The measurements were correlated and compared with traditional dough quality tests. In addition, the capability of ultrasound measurements for discriminating flours for different purposes was also studied, showing the potential of ultrasound as an alternative measurement method to discriminate types of flours for different purposes.     

系统生物学中的物理问题

在20世纪末到21世纪初的十多年里,生命科学,特别是分子生物学发生了令世人瞩目的变化.生命科学研究飞速发展使人们相信21世纪是生命科学的世纪.与此同时,人们也越来越清楚地意识到生命科学研究的质的飞跃不可能由生物学家独立完成.数学、物理、化学、力学、信息科学在生物学研究中必将担任越来越重要的角色.文章通过介绍几个作者参与的系统生物学研究工作,探讨物理学在系统生物学中应该并能担任的角色.     

系统生物学中的物理问题

在20世纪末到21世纪初的十多年里,生命科学,特别是分子生物学发生了令世人瞩目的变化.生命科学研究飞速发展使人们相信21世纪是生命科学的世纪.与此同时,人们也越来越清楚地意识到生命科学研究的质的飞跃不可能由生物学家独立完成.数学、物理、化学、力学、信息科学在生物学研究中必将担任越来越重要的角色.文章通过介绍几个作者参与的系统生物学研究工作,探讨物理学在系统生物学中应该并能担任的角色.     

The tight-binding approach to the dielectric response in the multiband systems

Starting from the random phase approximation for the weakly coupled multiband tightly-bounded electron systems, we calculate the dielectric matrix in terms of intraband and interband transitions. The advantages of this representation with respect to the usual planewave decomposition are pointed out. The analysis becomes particularly transparent in the long wavelength limit, after performing the multipole expansion of bare Coulomb matrix elements. For illustration, the collective modes and the macroscopic dielectric function for a general cubic lattice are derived. It is shown that the dielectric instability in conducting narrow band systems proceeds by a common softening of one transverse and one longitudinal mode. Furthermore, the self-polarization corrections which appear in the macroscopic dielectric function for finite band systems, are identified as a combined effect of intra-atomic exchange interactions between electrons sitting in different orbitals and a finite inter-atomic tunneling.     

Chaos control via TDFC in time-delayed systems: The harmonic balance approach

This Letter deals with the problem of designing time-delayed feedback controllers (TDFCs) to stabilize unstable equilibrium points and periodic orbits for a class of continuous time-delayed chaotic systems. Harmonic balance approach is used to select the appropriate controller parameters: delay time and feedback gain. The established theoretical results are illustrated via a case study of the well-known Logistic model.     

The dynamical-quantization approach to open quantum systems

The dynamical-quantization approach to open quantum systems does consist in quantizing the Brownian motion starting directly from its stochastic dynamics under the framework of both Langevin and Fokker–Planck equations, without alluding to any model Hamiltonian. On the ground of this non-Hamiltonian quantization method, we can derive a non-Markovian Caldeira–Leggett quantum master equation as well as a non-Markovian quantum Smoluchowski equation. The former is solved for the case of a quantum Brownian particle in a gravitational field whilst the latter for a harmonic oscillator. In both physical situations, we come up with the existence of a non-equilibrium thermal quantum force and investigate its classical limit at high temperatures as well as its quantum limit at zero temperature. Further, as a physical application of our quantum Smoluchowski equation, we take up the tunneling phenomenon of a non-inertial quantum Brownian particle over a potential barrier. Lastly, we wish to point out, corroborating conclusions reached in our previous paper [A. O. Bolivar, Ann. Phys. 326 (2011) 1354], that the theoretical predictions in the present article uphold the view that our non-Hamiltonian quantum mechanics is able to capture novel features inherent in quantum Brownian motion, thereby overcoming shortcomings underlying the Caldeira–Leggett Hamiltonian model.     

An improved impulsive control approach to nonlinear systems with time-varying delays

A scheme for the impulsive control of nonlinear systems with time-varying delays is investigated in this paper. Based on the Lyapunov-like stability theorem for impulsive functional differential equations (FDEs), some sufficient conditions are presented to guarantee the uniform asymptotic stability of impulsively controlled nonlinear systems with time-varying delays. These conditions are more effective and less conservative than those obtained. Finally, two numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

An alternative approach to investigate the origin of p-type conductivity in arsenic doped ZnO

P-type conductivity in MOCVD grown ZnO was obtained by directional thermal diffusion of arsenic from semi-insulating GaAs substrate. The films were single crystalline in nature and oriented along (002) direction. Ab initio calculations in the framework of density functional theory have been carried out with different chemical states of arsenic in ZnO. Present calculations suggested As_Zn–2V_Zn defect is a shallow acceptor and results in ferromagnetism in ZnO. The magnetic measurements of the samples indeed showed ferromagnetic ordering at room temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectra confirmed the presence of As_Zn and V_Zn. The core level chemical shift in binding energy of As_Zn indicated the formation of As_Zn–2V_Zn. Diffused arsenic substitutes zinc atom and creates additional zinc vacancies. The zinc vacancies, surrounding the oxygen atoms, result in unpaired O 2p electrons which in turn induce ferromagnetism in the samples.     

Introduction to focus issue: dynamics in systems biology

The methods of nonlinear systems form an extensive toolbox for the study of biology, and systems biology provides a rich source of motivation for the development of new mathematical techniques and the furthering of understanding of dynamical systems. This Focus Issue collects together a large variety of work which highlights the complementary nature of these two fields, showing what each has to offer the other. While a wide range of subjects is covered, the papers often have common themes such as "rhythms and oscillations," "networks and graph theory," and "switches and decision making." There is a particular emphasis on the links between experimental data and modeling and mathematical analysis.     

Janes approach to the dynamics of Darwin systems

Within the Janes statistical formalism, a variational principle describing the dynamics of Darwin systems is suggested. Explicit relations describing the dynamics of selection in Darwin systems with random variables and parameters are derived. Biological aspects of basic units of the variational principle are analyzed. Tomsk State University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh, Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 52–57, June, 2000.     

Hamiltonian approach to the dynamics of Darwinian systems

It is shown that equations describing the dynamics of Darwinian systems (DS) far from the bifurcation points may be expressed in Hamiltonian form. The cases of DS with constant organization and DS with a constant flux through the system are considered. The configurational part of phase space is formed by variables containing information on the structure of the system. Momentum variables may be regarded as specific rates of multiplication. The evolution of DS with constant organization in this phase space is expressed as uniform rectilinear motion. In the case of DS with a constant flux, the motion occurs in some effective constant and uniform field. The meaning of the elements of the Hamiltonian structure is described in terms of theoretical biology. Tomsk State University. Scientific-Research Institute of Biological Systems, Tomsk State University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 23–28, July, 1997.     

基于Min-Max方法的混沌系统采样同步控制研究

针对含有扰动的混沌系统, 设计采样同步控制器, 利用输入时滞法将含有采样同步控制器的混杂系统转换为具有输入时滞的连续系统. 并考虑对系统影响最坏的干扰程度, 在该种情况下, 基于线性矩阵不等式(LMI)技术和min-max鲁棒控制方法, 给出了使误差系统稳定的充分条件, 确保混沌系统在所容许的扰动下均能实现完全同步. 仿真结果说明所设计的采样同步控制方案具有很强的鲁棒性, 适合应用于保密通信系统中. 关键词： 混沌同步 采样控制 min-max方法 输入时滞     

An improved impulsive control approach to robust lag synchronization between two different chaotic systems

In this paper, a novel robust impulsive lag synchronization scheme for different chaotic systems with parametric uncertainties is proposed. Based on the theory of impulsive functional differential equations and a new differential inequality, some new and less conservative sufficient conditions are established to guarantee that the error dynamics can converge to a predetermined region. Finally, some numerical simulations for the Lorenz system and Chen system are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method. Compared with the existing results based on so-called dual-stage impulsive control, the derived results reduce the complexity of impulsive controller, moreover, a larger stable region can be obtained under the same parameters, which can be shown in the numerical simulations finally.     

Synchronization of hyperchaotic Chen systems: a class of the adaptive control approach

The synchronization of hyperchaotic Chen systems is considered. An adaptive synchronization approach and a cascade adaptive synchronization approach are presented to synchronize a drive system and a response system. By utilizing an adaptive controller based on the dynamic compensation mechanism, exact knowledge of the systems is not necessarily required, and the synchronous speed is controllable by tuning the controller parameters. Sufficient conditions for the asymptotic stability of the two synchronization schemes are derived. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that the adaptive synchronization scheme with four control inputs and the cascade adaptive synchronization scheme with only one control signal are effective and feasible in chaos synchronization of hyperchaotic systems.     

The use of acoustoelectrochemistry to investigate rectified diffusion

This paper describes the approach to bubble related phenomena using a novel 'acoustoelectrochemical' technique designed to investigate the physical and chemical effects of the acoustically induced motion of the bubble wall. In particular it describes the behaviour of a suspended gas bubble irradiated with sound of an appropriate frequency and pressure to induce bubble wall oscillation. The first electrochemical measurement of the growth of a bubble through rectified diffusion is demonstrated. The technique employed relies on the sensitivity of a scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) deployed close to the gas/liquid interface of a bubble. The growth rate of the bubble (<0.1 microms(-1)) is reported. It will be also demonstrated that gas exchange across the phase boundary at the bubble wall, can be successfully probed when the bubble is stationary.