Stress Tensor Fluctuations and Passive Quantum Gravity

The quantum fluctuations of the stress tensor of a quantum field are discussed, as are the resulting space-time metric fluctuations. Passive quantum gravity is an approximation in which gravity is not directly quantized, but fluctuations of the space-time geometry are driven by stress tensor fluctuations. We discuss a decomposition of the stress tensor correlation function into three parts, and consider the physical implications of each part. The operational significance of metric fluctuations and the possible limits of validity of semiclassical gravity are discussed.     

Dispersion analysis of the least‐squares finite‐element shallow‐water system

The frequency or dispersion relation for the least‐squares mixed formulation of the shallow‐water equations is analysed. We consider the use of different approximation spaces corresponding to co‐located and staggered meshes, respectively. The study includes the effect of Coriolis, and the dispersion properties are compared analytically and graphically with those of the mixed Galerkin formulation. Numerical solutions of a test problem to simulate slow Rossby modes illustrate the theoretical results. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

重力输水管道优化设计方法研究

针对重力输水管道设计中存在的问题，文章以管道造价最小为目标，应用动态规划，提出了一种新的重力输水管道优化设计方法，对输水管的当量管径、流量分配、连接管设置与可靠性校核计算等问题作了探讨。该方法可用于沿线有节点流量流出的并联输水管道优化设计，能明显节省投资，有良好的实用性     

宇宙学常数疑难

当代天文学的一系列观测事实都支持应该存在一个非零的正的宇宙学常数，但是，人们发现当前宇宙学常数值太小，而且宇宙学常数即真空能量密度与现在的物质密度巧合地具有相同的量级，然而现有物理学理论还无法给出合理的解释，因此宇宙学常数问题成为物理学和天文学上最重大的疑难之一。文章综述了近年来宇宙在加速膨胀这一重大的天文发现和宇宙学常数的观测结果以及当前理论物理学在宇宙学常数问题上的一些尝试。     

On Matter and Metric in Affine Theory of Gravity

The affine theory was conceived as a geometric model, wherein the connection field is the primary structure of the space-time. According to the program lying on the basis of this theory, metric and some sort of matter are somehow to be deduced from the connection field. In the present paper, we point out classical ways to a realization of this program. It is shown that, even in that case where the introduction of the metric seems to exclude the coupling of gravity to matter, the situation is not so hopeless as one may assume. In particular, for a symmetric Einstein tensor, it is answered the old question as to a self-consistent introduction of a metric and a metrical energy-momentum tensor controversially debated by Einstein, Eddington, and Weyl.     

Glafka 2004: Generalizing Quantum Mechanics for Quantum Gravity

Familiar quantum mechanics assumes a fixed spacetime geometry. Quantummechanics must therefore be generalized for quantum gravity where spacetime geometry is not fixed but rather a quantum variable. This extended abstract sketches a fully fourdimensional generalized quantum mechnics of cosmological spacetime geometries that is one such generalization.This contribution to the proceedings of the Glafka Conference is an extended abstract of the author's talk there. More details can be found in the references cited at the end of the abstract expecially (Hartle, 1995).     

Consistent ADD scenario with stabilized extra dimension

A model with one compact extra dimension and a scalar field of Brans–Dicke type in the bulk is discussed. It describes two branes with non-zero tension embedded into the space-time with flat background. This setup allows one to use a very simple method for stabilization of the size of extra dimension. It appears that the four-dimensional Planck mass is expressed only through parameters of the scalar field potentials on the branes.     

Stochastic modeling of a billiard in a gravitational field: Power law behavior of Lyapunov exponents

We consider the motion of a point particle (billiard) in a uniform gravitational field constrained to move in a symmetric wedge-shaped region. The billiard is reflected at the wedge boundary. The phase space of the system naturally divides itself into two regions in which the tangent maps are respectively parabolic and hyperbolic. It is known that the system is integrable for two values of the wedge half-angle ₁ and ₂ and chaotic for ₁<< ₂. We study the system at three levels of approximation: first, where the deterministic dynamics is replaced by a random evolution; second, where, in addition, the tangent map in each region is, replaced by its average; and third, where the tangent map is replaced by a single global average. We show that at all three levels the Lyapunov exponent exhibits power law behavior near ₁ and ₂ with exponents 1/2 and 1, respectively. We indicate the origin of the exponent 1, which has not been observed in unaccelerated billiards.     

The strong coupling constant: Its theoretical derivation from a geometric approach to hadron structure

Since more than a decade, abi-scale, unified approach to strong and gravitational interactions has been proposed, that uses the geometrical methods of general relativity, and yielded results similar to strong gravity theory's. We fix our attention, in this note, on hadron structure, and show that also the strong interaction strength _S, ordinarily called the (perturbative) coupling-constant square, can be evaluated within our theory, and found to decrease (increase) as the distancer decreases (increases). This yields both the confinement of the hadron constituents (for large values ofr) and their asymptotic freedom (for small values ofr inside the hadron): in qualitative agreement with the experimental evidence. In other words, our approach leads us, on a purely theoretical ground, to a dependence of _S onr which had been previously found only on phenomenological and heuristic grounds. We expect the above agreement to be also quantitative, on the basis of a few checks performed in this paper, and of further work of ours on calculating meson mass spectra.     

Moving grid method for numerical simulation of stratified flows

We develop a second‐order accurate Navier–Stokes solver based on r‐adaptivity of the underlying numerical discretization. The motion of the mesh is based on the fluid velocity field; however, certain adjustments to the Lagrangian velocities are introduced to maintain quality of the mesh. The adjustments are based on the variational approach of energy minimization to redistribute grid points closer to the areas of rapid solution variation. To quantify the numerical diffusion inherent to each method, we monitor changes in the background potential energy, computation of which is based on the density field. We demonstrate on a standing interfacial gravity wave simulation how using our method of grid evolution decreases the rate of increase of the background potential energy compared with using the same advection scheme on the stationary grid. To further highlight the benefit of the proposed moving grid method, we apply it to the nonhydrostatic lock‐exchange flow where the evolution of the interface is more complex than in the standing wave test case. Naive grid evolution based on the fluid velocities in the lock‐exchange flow leads to grid tangling as Kelvin–Helmholtz billows develop at the interface. This is remedied by grid refinement using the variational approach. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.