Consistent histories,robust histories,and verifiable histories

A distinction is made among consistent histories in general, and those that are robustly consistent, and finally those that are classically verifiable. In the case of an individual system, the Copenhagen view would regard only its verifiable history to have actually taken place. We analyze the consequences if instead one associates reality with a finer and yet robust history. There are distinct disadvantages. In general one should probabilistically sum over the fine-grained consistent histories, even when the events have already happened.     

Modeling human dialogue-the case of group communications in trunked mobile telephony

In this report we study the dynamics characteristics of conversations among several participants, analyzing trunked mobile telephony databases. We find that the duration of the dialogue sessions deviates systematically from the predictions of Poisson statistics, following probability distributions with either log-normal or power law tail. We propose that such a behavior can be described using the Bouchaud-Mezard (B-M) stochastic model, which suggests that the two probability distributions correspond to different types of human networking in conversations. We discuss the implications of our results in risk assessment in communications.     

Quantum histories without contrary inferences

In the consistent histories formulation of quantum theory it was shown that it is possible to retrodict contrary properties. We show that this problem do not appear in our formalism of generalized contexts for quantum histories.     

移动式低温容器中的纤维增强复合材料

纤维增强复合材料因其优良的低温力学和热学性能在低温领域内得到越来越多的应用。介绍了用于移动式低温容器支撑结构的纤维增强复合材料,并对其低温力学性能、热物理性能以及放气速率等进行了分析,最后介绍了改善此类材料性能的方法。     

Impact and vibration testing of shipping containers

Equations are developed for experimental evaluation of restoring and dissipative parameters, as used in a non-linear mathematical unit load model. A specially developed transportation damage simulation test jig is described. This jig is suitable for impact and vibration load reproduction on bottom tier containers in unit loads, but only a single container sample is needed. A detailed case study is described, exemplifying how these parameters may be evaluated by impact (shock) or vibration testing of corrugated produce shipping containers. The initial spring rate K₀ was found to be approximately equal in impact and vibration loading. The parameter r, expressing the non-linearity, was significantly larger in vibration loading than in impact loading. On the other hand, both viscous and Coulomb damping are significantly greater in impact loading than in vibration loading. The same modus operandi may be used for determination of dynamic restoring and dissipative parameters of other products, such as cushioning foams and elastomers.     

梯度特异材料表面对入射高斯光束的反射研究

最近人们[1-3]提出了一类反射式梯度特异材料表面系统,此系统可以高效地将入射波转换成被束缚于材料表面的表面波,这个系统成为连接行波和表面波的一座桥梁。以往人们研究梯度特异材料表面的反射特性时多是以入射平面波为主,这里我们结合实际,以入射的高斯光束作为研究对象,讨论梯度特异材料表面对其的反射特性,尤其是高斯光束的主入射角和束腰对反射行为的影响,得到了与平面波入射不同的反射现象。对于临界角为17.2°的梯度特异材料表面,束腰为4的高斯光束以主入射角分别为0°、10°、30°入射时,我们发现随着主入射角的变大,入射高斯光束转变为表面波的比例增大;而固定主入射角为30°,我们通过改变束腰,发现束腰越大,波矢分布越窄,越接近于平面波,转变为表面波的效率就越高。在数值模拟中,反射光束出现了明显的Goos-Hansen位移现象。同时还出现了类似光栅反射的特点,即分叉现象,这是由于模拟计算时网格不能无限小,梯度特异材料表面不能模拟为折射率连续变化的材料而应该是阶跃式变化的材料。由于实际制备的梯度特异材料表面是人工微结构的排列,因此微小的阶跃式变化的梯度特异材料表面更为实际。我们的工作对于利用梯度特异材料表面将入射高斯光束转变为表面波具有指导意义。     

Influences,histories, and reality

It is stressed that any theory of which it is claimed that it is compatible both with standard realism and with the experimental data is subject to severe constraints. One is that it must either incorporate superluminal influences or negate the free will of the experimentalist. The other one is that, in it. it is only at the price of accepting backward causality that a measurement can he interpreted as revealing the value the measured quantity had, just before, rather than just after, the measurement look place.Dedicated to Professor Max Jammer on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

A Bayesian account of quantum histories

We investigate whether quantum history theories can be consistent with Bayesian reasoning and whether such an analysis helps clarify the interpretation of such theories. First, we summarise and extend recent work categorising two different approaches to formalising multi-time measurements in quantum theory. The standard approach consists of describing an ordered series of measurements in terms of history propositions with non-additive ‘probabilities.’ The non-standard approach consists of defining multi-time measurements to consist of sets of exclusive and exhaustive history propositions and recovering the single-time exclusivity of results when discussing single-time history propositions. We analyse whether such history propositions can be consistent with Bayes’ rule. We show that certain class of histories are given a natural Bayesian interpretation, namely, the linearly positive histories originally introduced by Goldstein and Page. Thus, we argue that this gives a certain amount of interpretational clarity to the non-standard approach. We also attempt a justification of our analysis using Cox’s axioms of probability theory.     

Consistent histories and operational quantum theory

In this work a generalization of the consistent histories approach to quantum mechanics is presented. We first critically review the consistent histories approach to nonrelativistic quantum mechanics in a mathematically rigorous way and give some general comments about it. We investigate to what extent the consistent histories scheme is compatible with the results of the operational formulation of quantum mechanics. According to the operational approach, nonrelativistic quantum mechanics is most generally formulated in terms of effects, states, and operations. We formulate a generalized consistent histories theory using the concepts and the terminology which have proven useful in the operational formulation of quantum mechanics. The logical rule of the logical interpretation of quantum mechanics is generalized to the present context. The algebraic structure of the generalized theory is studied in detail.     

Oscillatory binary fluid convection in large aspect-ratio containers

Direct numerical simulations of chevrons, blinking states, and repeated transients in binary fluid mixtures with a negative separation ratio heated from below are described. The calculations are performed in two-dimensional containers for experimental parameter values and boundary conditions. Quantitative agreement with the experiments of Kolodner [Phys. Rev. E 47, 1038 (1993)] is obtained, and the origin of the blinking and repeated transient states is elucidated.     

Mixing by turbulent buoyant jets in slender containers

A turbulent buoyant jet injected vertically into a slender cylinder containing a stratified fluid is investigated experimentally. The working fluid is water, and salt is used to change its density to obtain either a positively or negatively buoyant jet. The interest is the vertical density distribution in container and its dependence on time and other parameters. For each case (lighter or heavier jet) the experimental data could be collapsed into a ‘universal’ time dependent behavior, when properly non-dimensionalized. A theoretical model is advanced to explain the results. Possible applications include refilling of crude oil into U.S. strategic petroleum reserves caverns.     

Quantum arrival time formula from decoherent histories

We use the decoherent histories approach to quantum mechanics to compute the probability for a wave packet to cross the origin during a given time interval. We define class operators (sums of strings of projectors) characterizing quantum-mechanical crossing and simplify them using a semiclassical approximation. Using these class operators we find that histories crossing the origin during different time intervals are approximately decoherent for a variety of initial states. Probabilities may therefore be assigned and coincide with the flux of the wave packet (the standard semiclassical formula), and are positive. The known initial states for which the flux is negative (backflow states) are shown to correspond to non-decoherent sets of histories, so probabilities may not be assigned.     

Fragrance release profile from sonochemically prepared protein microsphere containers

Protein microspheres have been prepared by sonicating a mixture of pure fragrant oil (amyl acetate (AA)) with an aqueous protein (bovine serum albumin) solution. The prepared protein spheres are nano- to micrometer sized with an encapsulation efficiency of approx. 97% for the AA present on the surface and inside the BSA capsule. Containers were found stable for more than 6 months when stored sealed at 4 °C and 20 °C. For the release profile measurements, we used a simple, automated and direct method. We continuously weighed the encapsulated microspheres and measured the evaporation rates. The release profiles at 15 °C and 25 °C display two different evaporation rates. The higher rate is the sum of a few evaporation rates, including water molecules, while the slower rate is due to the evaporation of pure AA. The changes in the evaporation rates occur upon the collapse of the container. This event coincides with the full evaporation of water. For morphological characterization we dyed the AA with Nile red, and used SEM, ESEM, Cryo-SEM, light microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy measurements.     

Probability sum rules and consistent quantum histories

An example shows that weak decoherence is more restrictive than the minimal logical decoherence structure that allows probabilities to be used consistently for quantum histories. The probabilities in the sum rules that define minimal decoherence are all calculated by using a projection operator to describe each possibility for the state at each time. Weak decoherence requires more sum rules. They bring in additional variables, that require different measurements and a different way to calculate probabilities, and raise questions of operational meaning. The example shows that extending the linearly positive probability formula from weak to minimal decoherence gives probabilities that are different from those calculated in the usual way using the Born and von Neumann rules and a projection operator at each time.