Subdiffusion and stable laws

This paper examines particle diffusion in N-dimensional Euclidean space with traps of the return type. Under the assumption that the random continuous-diffusion time has a finite mean value, it is established that subdiffusion (which is characterized by an increase in the width of the diffusion packet with time according to the t ^α -law, where α<1; for normal diffusion α=1) emerges if and only if the distribution density of the random time a particle spends in a trap has a tail of the power-law type ∝t ^α−1. In these conditions the asymptotic expression for the distribution density of a diffusing particle is found in terms of the density of a one-sided stable law with a characteristic exponent α. It is shown that the density is a solution of subdiffusion equations in fractional derivatives. The physical meaning of the solution is discussed, and so are the properties of the solution and its relation to the results of other researchers in the field of anomalous-diffusion theory. Finally, the results of numerical calculations are discussed. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 2113–2132 (June 1999)     

Large-scale amplification of a magnetic field by turbulent helicity fluctuations

In this paper the procedure of large-scale averaging of the magnetic-field diffusion equation with the α-term curlα(r,t)B(r,t) is used to show that a nonuniform distribution of the turbulent helicity fluctuations (more precisely, the fluctuations of the coefficient α) with a zero average value gives rise to large-scale amplification of the initial magnetic field. A detailed study is carried out of the dependence of the resulting large-scale α effect on the characteristics of the correlator 〈〈α(r, t)α(r″,t″)〉〉 in a rotating medium with a nonuniform distribution of the angular velocity ω=ω(ρ,z) (ρ is the distance for the rotation axis z). The effect of helicity fluctuations and the diffusion coefficient on the turbulent diffusion process is also investigated. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 85–104 (July 1999)     

On the Boltzmann Equation for Fermi–Dirac Particles with Very Soft Potentials: Averaging Compactness of Weak Solutions

The paper considers macroscopic behavior of a Fermi–Dirac particle system. We prove the L ¹-compactness of velocity averages of weak solutions of the Boltzmann equation for Fermi–Dirac particles in a periodic box with the collision kernel b(cos θ)|ρ−ρ _*|^γ, which corresponds to very soft potentials: −5 < γ ≤ −3 with a weak angular cutoff: ∫₀ ^π b(cos θ)sin ³θ dθ < ∞. Our proof for the averaging compactness is based on the entropy inequality, Hausdorff–Young inequality, the L ^∞-bounds of the solutions, and a specific property of the value-range of the exponent γ. Once such an averaging compactness is proven, the proof of the existence of weak solutions will be relatively easy.     

Cuspons and Smooth Solitons of the Degasperis–Procesi Equation Under Inhomogeneous Boundary Condition

This paper is contributed to explore all possible single peakon solutions for the Degasperis–Procesi (DP) equation m _t  + m _x u + 3mu _x  = 0, m = u − u _xx . Our procedure shows that the DP equation either has cusp soliton and smooth soliton solutions only under the inhomogeneous boundary condition lim_|x|→ ∞ u =A ≠0, or possesses the regular peakon solutions ce ^{− |x − ct|} ∈ H ¹ (c is the wave speed) only when lim_|x|→ ∞ u = 0 (see Theorem 4.1). In particular, we first time obtain the stationary cuspon solution of the DP equation. Moreover we present new cusp solitons (in the space of ) and smooth soliton solutions in an explicit form. Asymptotic analysis and numerical simulations are provided for smooth solitons and cusp solitons of the DP equation.      

Brownian motion in a classical ideal gas: A microscopic approach to Langevin’s equation

We present an insightful ‘derivation’ of the Langevin equation and the fluctuation dissipation theorem in the specific context of a heavier particle moving through an ideal gas of much lighter particles. The Newton’s law of motion (mx = F) for the heavy particle reduces to a Langevin equation (valid on a coarser time-scale) with the assumption that the lighter gas particles follow a Boltzmann velocity distribution. Starting from the kinematics of the random collisions we show that (1) the average force 〈F〉 ∞ −x and (2) the correlation function of the fluctuating forceη = F — 〈F〉 is related to the strength of the average force. Deceased     

Diffusion Coefficient of a Brownian Particle with a Friction Function Given by a Power Law

Nonequilibrium biological systems like moving cells or bacteria have been phenomenologically described by Langevin equations of Brownian motion in which the friction function depends on the particle’s velocity in a nonlinear way. An important subclass of such friction functions is given by power laws, i.e., instead of the Stokes friction constant γ ₀ one includes a function γ(v)∼v ^2α . Here I show using a recent analytical result as well as a dimension analysis that the diffusion coefficient is proportional to a simple power of the noise intensity D like D ^{(1−α)/(1+α)} (independent of spatial dimension). In particular the diffusion coefficient does not depend on the noise intensity at all, if α=1, i.e., for a cubic friction F _fric=−γ(v)v∼v ³. The exact prefactor is given in the one-dimensional case and a fit formula is proposed for the multi-dimensional problem. All results are confirmed by stochastic simulations of the system for α=1, 2, and 3 and spatial dimension d=1, 2, and 3. Conclusions are drawn about the strong noise behavior of certain models of self-propelled motion in biology.     

Asymptotic fractality and the anomalous transport of particles having finite velocity

A generalized time-dependent transport equation is obtained for particles whose free motion has a finite velocity, which includes “Lévy flights” and the effect of “traps.” It is shown that as a result of allowing for the finite velocity, the asymptotic (with respect to time) distribution of a particle walking in one dimension has a fractal nature only when the power-law tails of the mean-free-path distributions and particle residence times in the trap have the same exponents. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 138–139 (January 1998)     

Aging properties of an anomalously diffusing particule

We report new results about the two-time dynamics of an anomalously diffusing classical particle, as described by the generalized Langevin equation with a frequency-dependent noise and the associated friction. The noise is defined by its spectral density proportional to ω^δ−1 at low frequencies, with 0<δ<1 (subdiffusion) or 1<δ<2 (superdiffusion). Using Laplace analysis, we derive analytic expressions in terms of Mittag–Leffler functions for the correlation functions of the velocity and of the displacement. While the velocity thermalizes at large times (slowly, in contrast to the standard Brownian motion case δ=1), the displacement never attains equilibrium: it ages. We thus show that this feature of normal diffusion is shared by a subdiffusive or superdiffusive motion. We provide a closed form analytic expression for the fluctuation–dissipation ratio characterizing aging.     

Statistical model of fluorescence blinking

Blinking of single molecules and nanocrystals is modeled as a two-state renewal process with on (fluorescent) and off (non-fluorescent) states. The on and off-times may have power-law or exponential distributions. A fractional generalization of the exponential function is used to develop a unified treatment of the blinking statistics for both types of distributions. In the framework of the two-state model, an equation for the probability density p(t _on|t) of the total on-time is derived. As applied to power-law blinking, the equation contains derivatives of fractional orders α and β equal to the exponents of the on and off-time power-law distributions, respectively. In the limit case of α = β = 1, the distributions become exponential and the fractional differential equation reduces to an integer order differential equation. Solutions to these equations are expressed in terms of fractional stable distributions. The Poisson transform of p(t _on|t) is the photon number distribution that determines the photon counting statistics. It is shown that the long-time asymptotic behavior of Mandel’s Q parameter follows a power law: M(t) ∝ t ^γ . The function γ(α, β) is defined on the (α, β) plane. An analysis of the relative variance of the total on-time shows that it decays only when α = β = 1 or α < β. Otherwise, relative fluctuations either exhibit asymptotic power-law growth or approach a constant level. Analytical calculations are in good agreement with the results of Monte Carlo simulations.     

On the Energy Growth of Some Periodically Driven Quantum Systems with Shrinking Gaps in the Spectrum

We consider quantum Hamiltonians of the form H(t)=H+V(t) where the spectrum of H is semibounded and discrete, and the eigenvalues behave as E _n ∼n ^α , with 0<α<1. In particular, the gaps between successive eigenvalues decay as n ^α−1. V(t) is supposed to be periodic, bounded, continuously differentiable in the strong sense and such that the matrix entries with respect to the spectral decomposition of H obey the estimate ‖V(t) _m,n ‖≤ε|m−n|^−p max {m,n}^−2γ for m≠n, where ε>0, p≥1 and γ=(1−α)/2. We show that the energy diffusion exponent can be arbitrarily small provided p is sufficiently large and ε is small enough. More precisely, for any initial condition Ψ∈Dom(H ^1/2), the diffusion of energy is bounded from above as 〈H〉 _Ψ (t)=O(t ^σ ), where . As an application we consider the Hamiltonian H(t)=|p| ^α +ε v(θ,t) on L ²(S ¹,dθ) which was discussed earlier in the literature by Howland.     

Time Quasi-Periodic Unbounded Perturbations¶of Schrödinger Operators and KAM Methods

We eliminate by KAM methods the time dependence in a class of linear differential equations in ℓ² subject to an unbounded, quasi-periodic forcing. This entails the pure-point nature of the Floquet spectrum of the operator H ₀+εP(ωt) for ε small. Here H ₀ is the one-dimensional Schr?dinger operator p ²+V, V(x)∼|x|^α, α <2 for |x|→∞, the time quasi-periodic perturbation P may grow as |x|^β, β <(α−2)/2, and the frequency vector ω is non resonant. The proof extends to infinite dimensional spaces the result valid for quasiperiodically forced linear differential equations and is based on Kuksin's estimate of solutions of homological equations with non-constant coefficients. Received: 3 October 2000 / Accepted: 20 December 2000     

Polarization of the vacuum in a relativistic hydrogenlike atom: The Lamb shift

This paper examines the shift of energy levels in a hydrogenlike atom induced by vacuum polarization effects. The contribution of free polarization is found for the ground state and several excited states in a closed analytical form. For the first time an expression is derived for the radiative correction to the energy in the form of an explicit function of the parameter Zα. The results are valid for states nl _j with the largest values of orbital and total angular momenta (l=n−1 and j=l+1/2). The final expression, found in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions, is a function of three variables, Zα, n, and the ratio of the particle masses on the orbit and in the vacuum loop, i.e., the result is valid for ordinary atoms and for muonic atoms. Several useful asymptotic expressions are also derived. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 1575–1586 (November 1999)     

Random quantum magnets with broad disorder distribution

We study the critical behavior of Ising quantum magnets with broadly distributed random couplings (J), such that P(ln J) ∼ | ln J|^{-1 - α}, α > 1, for large | ln J| (Lévy flight statistics). For sufficiently broad distributions, α < , the critical behavior is controlled by a line of fixed points, where the critical exponents vary with the Lévy index, α. In one dimension, with = 2, we obtained several exact results through a mapping to surviving Riemann walks. In two dimensions the varying critical exponents have been calculated by a numerical implementation of the Ma-Dasgupta-Hu renormalization group method leading to ≈ 4.5. Thus in the region 2 < α < , where the central limit theorem holds for | ln J| the broadness of the distribution is relevant for the 2d quantum Ising model. Received 6 December 2000 and Received in final form 22 January 2001     

On the kinetic theory of energy losses in a randomly heterogeneous medium

The equation describing the distribution of energy losses of a particle propagating in a fractal medium with quenched and dynamic heterogeneities has been derived. It has been shown that in the case of the medium with fractal dimension 2 < D < 3, the losses Δ are characterized by the sublinear anomalous dependence Δ ∼ x ^α with a power-law dependence on the distance x from the surface and exponent α = D − 2.     

Bremsstrahlung spectrum for α decay and quantum tunneling

Spectra of the electromagnetic radiation arising during α decay of atomic nuclei as a consequence of the motion of the α particle through a Coulomb potential barrier and in the Coulomb field of the daughter nucleus are calculated via a quantum-mechanical approach. The contributions of the E1 and E2 multipoles are calculated. Model problems of emission during motion of a charged particle through a spherically symmetric, rectangular potential barrier and a “cut-off” Coulomb barrier are treated. Numerical calculations are performed for ^210,214Po and ²²⁶Ra nuclei. Emission spectra are derived for an α particle propagating along classical trajectories in these potentials. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 116, 390–409 (August 1999)     

Shock profiles for the asymmetric simple exclusion process in one dimension

The asymmetric simple exclusion process (ASEP) on a one-dimensional lattice is a system of particles which jump at ratesp and 1-p (herep > 1/2) to adjacent empty sites on their right and left respectively. The system is described on suitable macroscopic spatial and temporal scales by the inviscid Burgers’ equation; the latter has shock solutions with a discontinuous jump from left density ρ- to right density ρ+, ρ-< ρ +, which travel with velocity (2p−1 )(1−ρ₊−p ₋). In the microscopic system we may track the shock position by introducing a second class particle, which is attracted to and travels with the shock. In this paper we obtain the time-invariant measure for this shock solution in the ASEP, as seen from such a particle. The mean density at lattice siten, measured from this particle, approachesp _± at an exponential rate asn→ ±∞, witha characteristic length which becomes independent ofp when . For a special value of the asymmetry, given byp/(1−p)=p ₊(1−p ₋)/p ₋(1−p ₊), the measure is Bernoulli, with densityρ ₋ on the left andp ₊ on the right. In the weakly asymmetric limit, 2p−1 → 0, the microscopic width of the shock diverges as (2p+1)^-1. The stationary measure is then essentially a superposition of Bernoulli measures, corresponding to a convolution of a density profile described by the viscous Burgers equation with a well-defined distribution for the location of the second class particle.     

Internal waves in a compressible two-layer model atmosphere: Hamiltonian description

We consider slow, compared to the speed of sound, motions of an ideal compressible fluid (gas) in a gravitational field in the presence of two isentropic layers with a small specific-entropy difference between them. Assuming the flow to be potential in each of the layers (v _{1, 2} = ▿ϕ_{1, 2}) and neglecting the acoustic degrees of freedom (div($ \bar \rho $ \bar \rho (z)▿ϕ_{1, 2}) ≈ 0, where $ \bar \rho $ \bar \rho (z) is the average equilibrium density), we derive the equations of motion for the boundary in terms of the shape of the surface z = η(x, y, t) itself and the difference between the boundary values of the two velocity field potentials: ψ(x, y, t) = ψ₁ − ψ₂. We prove the Hamilto nian structure of the derived equations specified by a Lagrangian of the form ℒ = ∫$ \bar \rho $ \bar \rho (η)η _t ψdxdy − ℋ{η, ψ}. The system under consideration is the simplest theoretical model for studying internal waves in a sharply stratified atmosphere in which the decrease in equilibrium gas density due to gas compressibility with increasing height is essentially taken into account. For plane flows, we make a generalization to the case where each of the layers has its own constant potential vorticity. We investigate a system with a model dependence $ \bar \rho $ \bar \rho (z) ∝ e ^−2αz with which the Hamiltonian ℋ{η, ψ} can be represented explicitly. We consider a long-wavelength dynamic regime with dispersion corrections and derive an approximate nonlinear equation of the form u _t + auu _x − b[−$ \hat \partial _x^2 $ \hat \partial _x^2 + α²]^1/2 u _x = 0 (Smith’s equation) for the slow evolution of a traveling wave.     

Speedy Motions of a Body Immersed in an Infinitely Extended Medium

We study the motion of a classical point body of mass M, moving under the action of a constant force of intensity E and immersed in a Vlasov fluid of free particles, interacting with the body via a bounded short range potential Ψ. We prove that if its initial velocity is large enough then the body escapes to infinity increasing its speed without any bound (runaway effect). Moreover, the body asymptotically reaches a uniformly accelerated motion with acceleration E/M. We then discuss at a heuristic level the case in which Ψ(r) diverges at short distances like gr ^−α , g,α>0, by showing that the runaway effect still occurs if α<2.     

Statistics of photocounts of blinking fluorescence of quantum dots

The blinking of quantum dots under the action of laser radiation is described based on a model of a binary (two-state) renewal process with on (fluorescent) and off (non fluorescent) states. The T _on and T _off sojourn times in the on and off states are random and power-law distributed with exponents 0 < α < 1 and 0 < β < 1; the averages of the on and off times are infinite. As a consequence of this, the Gaussian statistics is inapplicable and the process is described using a more general statistics. An equation for the density of distribution p(t _on|t) of the total on time during the observation time t is derived that contains derivatives of fractional orders α and β. A solution to this equation is found in terms of fractional stable distributions. The Poisson transform of the density p(t _on|t) leads to the photon counting distribution and determines the fluorescence statistics. It is demonstrated that, if a blinking process with exponents α < β is implemented, then, at fairly long times, the on time will considerably prevail over the off time, i.e., blinking will be suppressed. This behavior is evidenced by the types of distributions of the total fluorescence time, the decay of relative fluctuations, and the Monte Carlo simulated trajectories of the process.     

Equilibration of a cone: KMC simulation results

We study the equilibration of an initial surface of conic shape that consists of concentric circular monolayers by Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method. The kinetic processes of attachment and/or detachment of particles to/from steps, diffusion of particles on the surface, along a step or cluster edges are considered. The difference between an up hill and down hill motion of a particle at a step are taken into account through the Ehrlich-Schwoebel (ES) barrier. The height of the cone evolves as h(0) − h(t) ~ t ^1/α where h(0) is the initial height of the surface and α is approximately 2. The ES barrier slows down the equilibration of the surface but the time dependence remains as given above. The exponent α depends neither on ES barrier nor on the temperature. The equilibration is found also to be independent of energy barrier to the motion of particles along the step edges. The number of particles in each layer except the top two circular layers is found to decrease as t ^0.57.