Are citations of scientific papers a case of nonextensivity?

The distribution N(x) of citations of scientific papers has recently been illustrated (on ISI and PRE data sets) and analyzed by Redner (Eur. Phys. J. B 4, 131 (1998)). To fit the data, a stretched exponential () has been used with only partial success. The success is not complete because the data exhibit, for large citation count x, a power law (roughly for the ISI data), which, clearly, the stretched exponential does not reproduce. This fact is then attributed to a possibly different nature of rarely cited and largely cited papers. We show here that, within a nonextensive thermostatistical formalism, the same data can be quite satisfactorily fitted with a single curve (namely, [0pt] for the available values of x. This is consistent with the connection recently established by Denisov (Phys. Lett. A 235, 447 (1997)) between this nonextensive formalism and the Zipf-Mandelbrot law. What the present analysis ultimately suggests is that, in contrast to Redner's conclusion, the phenomenon might essentially be one and the same along the entire range of the citation number x. Received 13 April 1999     

Testing the uncertainty principle using (n,γ) photon beams and pulsed neutron beams

Nuclear resonance scattering of a photon beam based on the (n,γ) reaction was used for measuring the mean square zero-point linear momenta p_a² and p_c² of the atoms of a metallic Zn single crystal. A similar measurement was carried out using a pulsed neutron source. These were combined with corresponding values of x_a² and x_c² obtained using the Mössbauer effect. In both the cases the measured values of p_a² and p_c² were found to conform to the requirements of the Uncertainty principle for a real solid to within 3%.     

When do finite sample effects significantly affect entropy estimates?

An expression is proposed for determining the error made by neglecting finite sample effects in entropy estimates. It is based on the Ansatz that the ranked distribution of probabilities tends to follow a Zipf scaling. Received 17 August 1998 and Received in final form 8 February 1999     

Detecting vorticity filaments using wavelet analysis: About the statistical contribution of vorticity filaments to intermittency in swirling turbulent flows

Swirling turbulent flows display intermittent pressure drops associated with intense vorticity filaments. Using the wavelet transform modulus maxima representation of pressure fluctuations, we propose a method of characterizing these pressure drop events from their time-scale properties. This method allows us to discriminate fluctuations induced by just formed (young) as well as by burst (old) filaments from background pressure fluctuations. The statistical characteristics of these filaments (core size, waiting time) are analyzed in details and compared with previously reported experimental and numerical findings. Their intermittent occurrence is found to be governed by a pure Poisson's law, the hallmark of independent events. Then we apply the wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) method to the background pressure fluctuations. This study reveals that, once removed all the filaments, the “multifractal” nature of pressure fluctuations still persists. This is a clear indication that the statistical contribution of the filaments is not important enough to account for the intermittency phenomenon in turbulents flows. Received 27 July 1998 and Received in final form 23 November 1998     

Quasi-topological electromagnetism:Dark energy,dyonic black holes,stable photon spheres and hidden electromagnetic duality

We introduce the quasi-topological electromagnetism which is defined to be the squared norm of the topological 4-form F ∧ F. A salient property is that its energy-momentum tensor is of the isotropic perfect fluid with the pressure being precisely the opposite to its energy density. It can thus provide a model for dark energy. We study its application in both black hole physics and cosmology.The quasi-topological term has no effect on the purely electric or magnetic Reissner-Nordstr o¨m black holes, the dyonic solution is however completely modified. We find that the dyonic black holes can have four real horizons. For suitable parameters, the black hole can admit as many as three photon spheres, with one being stable. Another intriguing property is that although the quasitopological term breaks the electromagnetic duality, the symmetry emerges in the on-shell action in the Wheeler-De Witt patch. In cosmology, we demonstrate that the quasi-topological term alone is equivalent to a cosmological constant, but the model provides a mechanism for the dark energy to couple with other types of matter. We present a concrete example of the quasi-topological electromagnetism coupled to a scalar field that admits the standard FLRW cosmological solutions.