Higher-order <Emphasis Type="Bold">?</Emphasis> corrections in the semiclassical quantization of chaotic billiards

In the periodic orbit quantization of physical systems, usually only the leading-order ? contribution to the density of states is considered. Therefore, by construction, the eigenvalues following from semiclassical trace formulae generally agree with the exact quantum ones only to lowest order of ?. In different theoretical work the trace formulae have been extended to higher orders of ?. The problem remains, however, how to actually calculate eigenvalues from the extended trace formulae since, even with ? corrections included, the periodic orbit sums still do not converge in the physical domain. For lowest-order semiclassical trace formulae the convergence problem can be elegantly, and universally, circumvented by application of the technique of harmonic inversion. In this paper we show how, for general scaling chaotic systems, also higher-order ? corrections to the Gutzwiller formula can be included in the harmonic inversion scheme, and demonstrate that corrected semiclassical eigenvalues can be calculated despite the convergence problem. The method is applied to the open three-disk scattering system, as a prototype of a chaotic system. Received 10 September 2001 and Received in final form 3 January 2002     

Diffractive heavy vector meson production from the BFKL equation

Diffractive heavy vector meson photoproduction accompanied by proton dissociation is studied for arbitrary momentum transfer. The process is described by the non-forward BFKL equation, for which a complete analytical solution is found, giving the scattering amplitude. The impact of non-leading corrections to the BFKL equation is also analysed. Results are compared to the HERA data on production. Received: 2 July 2002 / Revised version: 29 August 2002 / Published online: 18 October 2002     

The simulation of dendrite growth and partial discharges in epoxy resin

A self-consistent model of the development of dendrites and partial discharges in a dielectric solid under a variable voltage is suggested. Dendrites originate at sites with the enhanced local field strength and also where the dielectric is broken down under the action of partial discharges. The numerical simulation is used to quantitatively describe the space-time dynamics of the dendrites and partial discharges in epoxy resin for the tip-plane electrode configuration. The simulated data are compared with electrical measurements of partial discharges and with optical images of dendrite growth under the same conditions.     

Development of high-speed video cameras for Dynamic PIV

The most promising next generation Image Velocimtry (IV) is the high-speed Dynamic PIV. It requires the development of innovative high-speed video camera sensors. We started by specifying the required performance of these new sensors, for measurements in air and water flows. These criteria founded on the most recent developments in PIV algorithms and incorporate results from a large questionnaire survey of users of high-speed video cameras in Japan. The results suggest that the followings are required: (1) frame rate of 1,000,000 fps, (2) pixel count of 1,000,000 pixels, (3) frame storage capacity of 100–200 frames for tracing a single event and 10,000 frames for turbulent measurements, (4) gray levels of 4–8 bits for PTV; 12 bits for observation. Finally, we reviewed the state of the art of high-speed video-image sensors. Currently the standard parallel-readout sensors can operate at 1 Kfps with a pixel count of approximately 1 Kpixels. The In-situ Storage Image Sensor (ISIS) developed by the authors has recently achieved frame rates of 1 Mfps.     

Switching kinetics of ferroelastic ferroelectrics

Switching kinetics of uniaxial ferroelastic ferroelectrics (FFs) in external electric and stress fields is studied using classical theory of nucleation and growth. The stage in which the polarization and deformation reversal involves the main body of the FF and the final stage (Ostwald ripening) of the FF switching are studied with allowance for the change in the repolarization and redeformation during the phase transition. The time dependences of the repolarization and redeformation are found, and equations are derived from which the polarization current and the deformation flux, as well as their time dependence, can be calculated. The calculated main characteristics of the FF switching are compared with the experimental data for switching of Rochelle salt single crystals.     

Thermal conductivity of GaS and GaSe layered semiconductors

This paper reports on the results of experimental investigations into the thermal conductivity of GaS and GaSe layered semiconductor crystals in directions parallel and perpendicular to the crystal layers in the temperature range 5–300 K. Specific features of the thermal conductivity of these crystals are analyzed.     

The Efficiency Distribution Approach in Data Envelopment Analysis: An Application

A method is developed here for characterizing the empirical distribution of the efficient units in data envelopment analysis. Two empirical applications illustrate the various uses of the distribution approach. One involves the cost frontier which exhibits increasing returns to scale and the other involves a dynamic production frontier, where technological change causes a shift of the production frontier over time.     

Echolocation range of captive and free-ranging baiji (Lipotes vexillifer), finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides), and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

The interclick intervals of captive dolphins are known to be longer than the two-way transit time between the dolphin and a target. In the present study, the interclick intervals of free-ranging baiji, finless porpoises, and bottlenose dolphins in the wild and in captivity were compared. The click intervals in open waters ranged up to 100-200 ms, whereas the click intervals in captivity were in the order of 4-28 ms. Echolocation of free-ranging dolphins appears to adapt to various distance in navigation or ranging, sometimes up to 140 m. Additionally, the difference of waveform characteristics of clicks between species was recognized in the frequency of maximum energy and the click duration.     

Exciton states in In x Ga1−x As/GaAs double quantum wells: Normalized reflection spectra

Il Nuovo Cimento D - Normalized reflection spectra in GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells are shown for two sets of samples with different alloy concentration (x=9% and 18.5%) and well thickness ranging from...