Finding the response matrix to the external action from a subspace for a discrete linear stochastic dynamical system

For a discrete linear stochastic dynamical system, computation of the response matrix to the external action from a subspace using given observational data is examined. An algorithm is proposed and substantiated that makes it possible to improve the numerical accuracy and to reduce the amount of observational data compared to the general case where an arbitrary external action is allowed. As an illustration, a discrete system arising in the analysis of a linear stochastic dynamical continuous-time system is considered more thoroughly. Some numerical results are presented.     

Formation and hydrogenation of p(2 × 2)-N on Pt(1 1 1)

The formation of a well-ordered p(2 × 2) overlayer of atomic nitrogen on the Pt(1 1 1) surface and its reaction with hydrogen were characterized with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The p(2 × 2)-N overlayer is formed by exposure of ammonia to a surface at 85 K that is covered with 0.44 monolayer (ML) of molecular oxygen and then heating to 400 K. The reaction between ammonia and oxygen produces water, which desorbs below 400 K. The only desorption product observed above 400 K is molecular nitrogen, which has a peak desorption temperature of 453 K. The absence of oxygen after the 400 K anneal is confirmed with AES. Although atomic nitrogen can also be produced on the surface through the reaction of ammonia with an atomic, rather than molecular, oxygen overlayer at a saturation coverage of 0.25 ML, the yield of surface nitrogen is significantly less, as indicated by the N₂ TPD peak area. Atomic nitrogen readily reacts with hydrogen to produce the NH species, which is characterized with RAIRS by an intense and narrow (FWHM ∼ 4 cm⁻¹) peak at 3322 cm⁻¹. The areas of the H₂ TPD peak associated with NH dissociation and the XPS N 1s peak associated with the NH species indicate that not all of the surface N atoms can be converted to NH by the methods used here.     

A dynamical test of phase transition order: New things in old places or old wine in new bottles

We first discuss nonlinear aspects of phase transition theory applied to a particular liquid crystal phase transition. A simple derivation is given to show how two coupled Goldstone modes (one appearing as gauge fluctuations of the ordered phase) can force a phase transition, against all expectations, to take place discontinuously (theory of Halperin, Lubensky, and Ma)-but the discontinuity may be immeasurably small. Then, we describe a new dynamical test of phase transition order, developed by Cladiset al., that turns out to be more sensitive than x-ray diffraction and adiabatic calorimetry. Quantitative data found by this new method are in excellent agreement with the measurements of adiabatic calorimetry and x-ray diffraction as well as expectations implicit in the predictions of HLM.This is the text of an after-banquet talk given at the CNLS Workshop on the Dynamics of Concentrated Systems.     

Theory of interfacial phase transitions in surfactant systems

The spin-1 Ising model, which is equivalent to the three-component lattice gas model, is used to study wetting transitions in three-component surfactant systems consisting of an oil, water, and a nonionic surfactant. Phase equilibria, interfacial profiles, and interfacial tensions for three-phase equilibrium are determined in mean field approximation, for a wide range of temperature and interaction parameters. Surfactant interaction parameters are found to strongly influence interfacial tensions, reducing them in some cases to ultralow values. Interfacial tensions are used to determine whether the middle phase, rich in surfactant, wets or does not wet the interface between the oil-rich and water-rich phases. By varying temperature and interaction parameters, a wetting transition is located and found to be of the first order. Comparison is made with recent experimental results on wetting transitions in ternary surfactant systems.This paper is dedicated to J. K. Percus in honor of his 65th birthday.     

An applied cell mapping method for optimal control problems

From the application point of view, a series of modifications are proposed for the cell mapping method discussed in Ref. 1 for the optimal control analysis of dynamical systems. The cell order around the target set is rearranged. A set of common discriminate principles is used for the selection of the optimal one among competing control strategies of the same cost. Inequality constraints of the system are taken into account. The number of elements in the set of allowable time intervals is not prescribed, but left open. These modifications seem to make the cell mapping method more efficient for analyzing feedback systems and for obtaining their global optimal control information. The algorithms presented in this paper could broaden the application of the cell mapping approach of Ref. 1 to a wider class of engineering problems.     

A method for calculating invariant subspaces of symmetric hyperbolic equations

An algorithm is constructed for calculating invariant subspaces of symmetric hyperbolic systems arising in electromagnetic, acoustic, and elasticity problems. Discrete approximations are calculated for subspaces that correspond to minimal eigenvalues and smooth eigenfunctions. Difficulties related to the presence of an infinite-dimensional kernel in the differential operator are successfully handled. The efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated using acoustics equations.     

Commuting and stable feedback design for switched linear systems

In the paper, commuting and stable feedback design for switched linear systems is investigated. This problem is formulated as to build up suitable state feedback controller for each subsystem such that the closed-loop systems are not only asymptotically stable but also commuting each other. A new concept, common admissible eigenvector set (CAES), is introduced to establish necessary/sufficient conditions for commuting and stable feedback controllers. For second-order systems, a necessary and sufficient condition is established. Moreover, a parametrization of the CAES is also obtained. The motivation comes from stabilization of switched linear systems which consist of a family of LTI systems and a switching law specifying the switching between them, where if all the subsystems are stable and commuting each other, then the total system is stable under arbitrary switching.     

The Linear Fokker-Planck Equation for the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process as an (Almost) Nonlinear Kinetic Equation for an Isolated N-Particle System

It is long known that the Fokker-Planck equation with prescribed constant coefficients of diffusion and linear friction describes the ensemble average of the stochastic evolutions in velocity space of a Brownian test particle immersed in a heat bath of fixed temperature. Apparently, it is not so well known that the same partial differential equation, but now with constant coefficients which are functionals of the solution itself rather than being prescribed, describes the kinetic evolution (in the N→∞ limit) of an isolated N-particle system with certain stochastic interactions. Here we discuss in detail this recently discovered interpretation. An erratum to this article can be found at     

K_(1,n)-free图具有给定性质的[a,b]-因子的一个充分条件

图G称为K1,n-free图,如果它不含K1,n作为其导出子图.对K1,n-free图具有给定性质的[a,b]-因子涉及到最小度条件进行了研究,得到一个充分条件.