Analysis of the maximum entropy principle “debate”

Jaynes's maximum entropy principle (MEP) is analyzed by considering in detail a recent controversy. Emphasis is placed on the inductive logical interpretation of probability and the concept of total knowledge. The relation of the MEP to relative frequencies is discussed, and a possible realm of its fruitful application is noted.     

New two-color dimer models with critical ground states

We define two new models on the square lattice in which each allowed configuration is a superposition of a covering by white dimers and one by black dimers. Each model maps to a solid-on-solid (SOS) model in which the height field is two dimensional. Measuring the stiffness of the SOS fluctuations in the rough phase provides critical exponents of the dimer models. Using this height representation, we have performed Monte Carlo simulations. They confirm that each dimer model has critical correlations and belongs to a new universality class. In the dimer-loop model (which maps to a loop model) one height component is smooth, but has unusual correlated fluctuations; the other height component is rough. In the noncrossing-dimer model the heights are rough, having two different elastic constants; an unusual form of its elastic theory implies anisotropic critical correlations.     

Atomic versus ionized states in many-particle systems and the spectra of reduced density matrices: A model study

We study the spectrum of appropriate reduced density matrices for a model consisting of one quantum particle (electron) in a classical fluid (of protons) at thermal equilibrium. The quantum and classical particles interact by a shortrange, attractive potential such that the quantum particle can form atomic bound states with a single classical particle. We consider two models for the classical component: an ideal gas and the cell model of a fluid. We find that when the system is at low density the spectrum of the electron-proton pair density matrix has, in addition to a continuous part, a discrete part that is associated with atomic bound states. In the high-density limit the discrete eigenvalues disappear in the case of the cell model, indicating the existence of pressure ionization or a Mott effect according to a general criterion for characterizing bound and ionized electron-proton pairs in a plasma proposed recently by M. Girardeau. For the ideal gas model, on the other hand, eigenvalues remain even at high density.     

On purely radiative space-times

The existence of space-times representing pure gravitational radiation which comes in from infinity and interacts with itself is discussed. They are characterized as solutions of Einstein's vacuum field equations possessing a smooth structure at past null infinity which forms the future null cone at past timelike infinity with complete generators. The pure radiation problem is analysed where free initial data for Einstein's field equations are prescribed on the null cone at past time-like infinity. It is demonstrated how the pure radiation problem can be formulated as a local initial value problem for the symmetric hyperbolic system of reduced conformal vacuum field equations. Its solutions are uniquely determined by the free data.Work supported by a Heisenberg-fellowship of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Contribution to the theory of single-mode laser modulation II. Conduction modulation

The problem of conduction modulation of laser radiation is considered. It is shown that acoustic wave interacting with photon field in active medium causes a periodic modulation of the number of quanta in the single-mode gas laser. The problem of modulation is solved quantum mechanically and it is shown that dielectric and conduction modulation give similar results.     

Can particle creation by a black hole be described in terms of more familiar laboratory processes?

Particle creation by a black hole is described in terms of temperature corrections to the Casimir effect. The results of Levin, Polevoy, and Ritov for spectral and total Poynting vector for a fluctuating electromagnetic field in a plane vacuum gap between two arbitrary media with different temperatures in flat spacetime are applied to clarify the situation that exists between the horizon of a nonrotating black hole and spatial infinity. This helps to reveal the mechanism of particle creation. The Hawking radiation is born inside the bell formed by a potential barrier of a black hole in all the region [2M, ]. Its blackbody spectrum is due to the interaction of field fluctuations with the surface of the bell. The particles between the walls are virtual ones. They can become real after passing through the [3M, ] tail, appearing to an observer at future infinityJ ⁺ as real ones. The arguments for and against the present standpoint are discussed.     

Reconstruction of abstract quantum theory

Understanding quantum theory as a general theory of prediction, we reconstruct abstract quantum theory. Abstract means the general frame of quantum theory, without reference to a three-dimensional position space, to concepts like particle or field, or to special laws of dynamics. Reconstruction is the attempt to do this by formulating simple and plausible postulates on prediction in order to derive the basic concepts of quantum theory from them. Thereby no law of classical physics is presupposed which would then have to be quantized. We briefly discuss the relationship of theory and interpretation in physics and the fundamental role of time as a basic concept for physics. Then a number ofassertions are given, formulated as succinctly as possible in order to make them easily quotable and comparable. The assertions are arranged in four groups: heuristic principles, verbal definitions of some terms, three basic postulates, and consequences. The three postulates of separable alternatives, indeterminism, and kinematics are the central points of this work. These brief assertions are commented upon, and their relationship with the interpretation of quantum theory is discussed. Also given are an outlook on the further development into concrete quantum theory and some philosophical reflections.     

Embedding of posets into lattices in quantum logic

It has been proposed that some posets of quantum logic could be embedded into lattices in order to recover the lattice structure avoiding the introduction of ad hoc axioms. We consider here the embedding _s of any posetS into the complete lattice _s of its closed ideals (normal embedding ofS) and show that _s can be characterized (up to a lattice isomorphism) either by means of a density property or by means of a minimality property. Both of these suggest that the normal embedding satisfies some intuitive conditions which make it preferable with respect to other possible embeddings ofS. We consider the poset of all the effects associated to yes-no experiments and briefly comment on the application of the normal embedding in this case. The possibility of giving a physical interpretation to the elements of is also discussed.Research sponsored by CNR and INFN (Italy).     

Environment,consciousness, and quantum measurement

It is shown that (a) the conscious observer plays no essential part in the measurement process, and (b) environmental perturbations of whatever kind fail to account for the evolution of systems into mixtures or dynamically decoupled systems.     

A Representation for Compound Quantum Systems as Individual Entities: Hard Acts of Creation and Hidden Correlations

We introduce an explicit definition for hidden correlations on individual entities in a compound system: when one individual entity is measured, this induces a well-defined transition of the proper state of the other individual entities. We prove that every compound quantum system described in the tensor product of a finite number of Hilbert spaces can be uniquely represented as a collection of individual entities between which there exist such hidden correlations. We investigate the significance of these hidden correlation representations within Aerts' creation-discovery approach and in particular their compatibility with the hidden measurement formalism. This leads us to the introduction of the notions of soft and hard acts of creation and to the observation that our approach can be seen as a theory of individuals when it is compared to the standard quantum theory.     

The first and second nearest neighbour Cr3+ pairs in ruby

The irreducible representations of the states of the first and second nearest neighbour Cr³⁺ pairs in ruby were deduced from the known states of the single ions by the group theoretical method of induction. The summetry selection rules and polarizations for electric dipole radiation are discussed.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft within the Sonderforschungsbereich 65 Frankfurt-Darmstadt.     

Hamiltonian formulation of general relativity in terms of Dirac spinors

The Dirac spinors and matrices are used in combination with the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner formalism in order to obtain yet another formulation of Hamiltonian general relativity, together with a new form of the Gauss-Codazzi equations. The relation with Ashtekar's variables is analyzed; it is shown, for instance, that the matrices are equivalent to the electric field variable. The electric and magnetic decomposition of the gravitational field is also studie using Dirac matrices.     

Methodological imperfection and formalizations of scientific activity

Any mathematical formalization of scientific activity allows for imperfections in the methodology that is formalized. These can be of three types, dirty, rotten, and dammed. Restricting mathematical attention to those methods that cannot be construed to be imperfect drastically reduces the class of objects that must be analyzed, and relates all other objects to these more regular ones. Examples are drawn from empirical logic.     

Pairing correlations: II. Exact model ground-state results for generalised ladders

In this series of papers, the so-called ground-state version of the [exp(S) or] coupled-cluster formalism (CCF) of quantum many-body theory is applied to the general problem of pairing correlations within a many-body system of identical fermions. In this second work in the series we restrict ourselves to exact calculations and concentrate on analytic solutions to the generalised ladder approximations formulated in the first paper. We focus attention on the particular model case of a general (non-local) separable potential, and work within the so-called complete ladder (CLAD) approximation which was shown in the earlier paper to be the CCF formulation of the well-known Galitskii approximation. We show how the CLAD approximation reduces in this case to a highly non-trivial pair of coupled nonlinear integral equations for the four-point correlation function,S ₂, which provides a measure of the two-particle/two-hole component in the true ground-state wave-function. In the further derivation of exact analytic solutions for bothS ₂ and the corresponding ground-state energy, we also see how various types of composite pairs within the many-body medium manifest themselves as virtual (de-)excitations. We thus show how our CCF provides an efficient and unified framework in which to describe all aspects of pairing, such as: (i) a possible free bound pair and its gradual approach to dissolution as the density is increased; (ii) the possible appearance of a second bound pair of predominantly hole-like quasi-particles above some lower critical density (which depends on the total momentum of the pair); (iii) the unstable but bound resonant pairs that can exist for densities above a comparable upper critical density at which the two previous types of real bound pairs have dissolved; and (iv) Cooper pairs. Even though each of these composite pairs leads to a new condensed-pair phase of lower energy, we further show that our so-called ground-state CCF leads only to the fluid-like state of uncondensed particles. In a third paper in this series we use the solutions obtained here as input to the analogous excited-state version of the CCF, and show how these various composite pairs materialise as negative energy (de-)excitations.     

Quasigroups Connected with Clifford Groups

In Clifford groups, a nonassociative product is defined which leads to the definition of nonassociative groups. These nonassociative groups have matrix representations on the condition that the row by column product of two matrices is replaced by the column by column product. A nonassociative group of transformations connected with the Lorentz group is determined, together with its irreducible, double-valued matrix representation, whose matrices undergo the column by column product.     

Finite-Time Lyapunov Exponents for Products of Random Transformations

I show how continuous products of random transformations constrained by a generic group structure can be studied by using Iwasawa's decomposition into angular, diagonal, and shear degrees of freedom. In the case of a Gaussian process a set of variables, adapted to the Iwasawa decomposition and still having a Gaussian distribution, is introduced and used to compute the statistics of the finite-time Lyapunov spectrum of the process. The variables also allow to show the exponential freezing of the shear degrees of freedom, which contain information about the Lyapunov eigenvectors.     

Comments on the symmetry structure of bi-Hamiltonian systems

The algebraic structure of exactly solvable equations is reviewed and results are reported which 1) establish that isospectral eigenvalue problems yield hereditary symmetries for bi-Hamiltonian equations and 2) show that if both an equation and its modified equation have known Hamiltonian formulations then their hereditary symmetries and bi-Hamiltonian formulations are readily obtained via their Miura transformation.Invited talk presented at the International Symposium Selected Topics in Quantum Field Theory and Mathematical Physics, Bechyn, Czechoslovakia, June 14–19, 1981.     

Characterizations of the Kerr metric

For stationary, asymptotically flat solutions of Einstein's equations, covariant functionals of the metric variables are defined which characterize the Kerr metric uniquely. For instance, we obtain a generalization of the Bach tensor to stationary metrics, which vanishes if and only if the solution is Kerr. We also give a new interpretation of the Schwarzschild-to-Kerr-transformation. Our results might be applicable to simplify the proof of the uniqueness theorem for stationary black holes.     

Standpoint cosmology

An unorthodox cosmology is based on a notion of standpoint, distinguishing past from future, realized through Hilbert-space representation of the complex conformai group for 3+1spacetime and associated coherent states. Physical (approximate) symmetry attaches to eight-parameter complex Poincaré displacements, interpretable as growth of standpoint age (one parameter), boost of matter energy-momentum in standpoint rest frame (three parameters) and displacement of matter location in a compact U(1)O(4)/O(3) spacetime attached to standpoint (four parameters). An initial condition (at big bang) is characterized by a huge dimensionless parameter that breaks dilation invariance. Four major length scales are recognized, called Planck, particle, lab, and Hubble, with separations controlled by ; all physical concepts, including spacetime, depend on wideness of scale separation.     

On some frequent but controversial statements concerning the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations

Quite often the compatibility of the EPR correlations with the relativity theory has been questioned; it has been stated that the first in time of two correlated measurements instantaneously collapses the other subsystem; it has been suggested that a causal asymmetry is built into the Feynman propagator. However, the EPR transition amplitude, as derived from the S matrix, is Lorentz andCPT invariant; the correlation formula is symmetric in the two measurements irrespective of their time ordering, so that the link of the correlations is the Feynman zigzag, and that causality isCPT invariant at the microlevel; finally, although the Feynman propagator has theP andCT symmetries, no causal asymmetry follows from that. As for Stapp's views concerning process and becoming, and his Whiteheadean concept of an advancing front, I object that they belong to factlike macrophysics, and are refuted at the microlevel by the EPR phenomenology, which displays direct Fokker-like space-time connections. The reason for this is a radical one. The very blending of a space-time picture and of a probability calculus is a paradox. The only adequate paradigm is one denying objectivity to space-time—but this, of course, is also required by the complementary of the x and the k pictures, which only look compatible at the macrolevel. Therefore, the classical objectivity must yield in favor of intersubjectivity. Only the macroscopic preparing and measuring devices have factlike objectivity; the transition of the quantal system takes place beyond both thex and thek 4-spaces. Then, the intrinsic symmetries between retarded and advanced waves, and statistical prediction and retrodiction, entails that the future has no less (but no more) existence than the past. It is the future that is significant in creative process, the elementary forms of which should be termed precognition or psychokinesis—respectively symmetric to the factlike taboos that we can neither know into the future nor act into the past. It is gratifying that Robert Jahn, at the Engineering School of Princeton University, is conducting (after others) conclusive experiments demonstrating low level psychokinesis—a phenomenon implied by the very symmetry of the negentropy-information transition. So, what pierces the veil of maya is the (rare) occurrence of paranormal phenomena. The essential severance between act and potentia is not a spacelike advancing front, but the out of and the into factlike space-time. Finally, I do not feel that an adequate understanding of the EPR phenomenology requires going beyond the present status of relativistic quantum mechanics. Rather, I believe that the potentialities of this formalism have not yet been fully exploited.