Fermi, Majorana and the Statistical Model of Atoms

We give an account of the appearance and first developments of the statistical model of atoms proposed by Thomas and Fermi, focusing on the main results achieved by Fermi and his group in Rome. Particular attention is addressed to the unknown contribution to this subject by Majorana, anticipating some important results reached later by leading physicists.     

Symmetries of Itô and Stratonovich Dynamical Systems and Their Conserved Quantities

A new definition for the symmetries of Itô and Stratonovich dynamicalsystem is given. Determining systems of symmetries for Itô andStratonovich systems have been obtained, and their relation has beendiscussed. It has been shown that some of the Lie point symmetries ofthe Fokker–Planck equation can be constructed using the symmetries ofItô dynamical systems. Conserved quantities can be found from thesymmetries of stochastic dynamical systems which do not arise from aHamiltonian. The results have been applied to an example.     

Toda Chains in the Jacobi Method

We use the Jacobi method to construct various integrable systems, such as the Stäckel systems and Toda chains, related to various root systems. We find canonical transformations that relate integrals of motion for the generalized open Toda chains of types B _n, C _n, and D _n.     

Existence of two solutions of m-point boundary value problem for second order dynamic equations on time scales

In this paper, by means of a new twin fixed-point theorem in a cone, the existence of at least two positive solutions of m-point boundary value problem for second order dynamic equations on time scales is considered.     

Approximate symmetries and conservation laws for Itô and Stratonovich dynamical systems

A new definition for the approximate symmetries of Itô dynamical system is given. Determining systems of approximate symmetries for Itô and Stratonovich dynamical systems have been obtained. It has been shown that approximate conservation laws can be found from the approximate symmetries of stochastic dynamical systems which do not arise from a Hamiltonian. The results have been applied to an example.     

Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis transitions of partially and fully substituted cellulose fatty esters

The main transitions of cellulose fatty esters with different degrees of substitution (DSs) were investigated with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Two distinct main relaxations were observed in partially substituted cellulose esters (PSCEs). They were attributed to the glass‐transition temperature and to the chain local motion of the aliphatic substituents. The temperatures of both transitions decreased when DS or the number of carbon atoms (n) of the acyl substituent increased. Conversely, all the transitions of fully substituted cellulose esters occurred within a narrow temperature range, and they did not vary significantly with n. This phenomenon was explained by the formation of a crystalline phase of the fatty substituents. The presence of few residual OH groups in PSCEs was responsible for a large increase in the storage bending modulus, and it eliminated the effect of n on damping. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 281–288, 2003     

The Computational Complexity of the Chow Form

We present a bounded probability algorithm for the computation of the Chowforms of the equidimensional components of an algebraic variety. In particular, this gives an alternative procedure for the effective equidimensional decomposition of the variety, since each equidimensional component is characterized by its Chow form. The expected complexity of the algorithm is polynomial in the size and the geometric degree of the input equation system defining the variety. Hence it improves (or meets in some special cases) the complexity of all previous algorithms for computing Chow forms. In addition to this, we clarify the probability and uniformity aspects, which constitutes a further contribution of the paper. The algorithm is based on elimination theory techniques, in line with the geometric resolution algorithm due to M. Giusti, J. Heintz, L. M. Pardo, and their collaborators. In fact, ours can be considered as an extension of their algorithm for zero-dimensional systems to the case of positive-dimensional varieties. The key element for dealing with positive-dimensional varieties is a new Poisson-type product formula. This formula allows us to compute the Chow form of an equidimensional variety from a suitable zero-dimensional fiber. As an application, we obtain an algorithm to compute a subclass of sparse resultants, whose complexity is polynomial in the dimension and the volume of the input set of exponents. As another application, we derive an algorithm for the computation of the (unique) solution of a generic overdetermined polynomial equation system.     

Maximum norms of random sums and transient pattern formation

Many interesting and complicated patterns in the applied sciences are formed through transient pattern formation processes. In this paper we concentrate on the phenomenon of spinodal decomposition in metal alloys as described by the Cahn-Hilliard equation. This model depends on a small parameter, and one is generally interested in establishing sharp lower bounds on the amplitudes of the patterns as the parameter approaches zero. Recent results on spinodal decomposition have produced such lower bounds. Unfortunately, for higher-dimensional base domains these bounds are orders of magnitude smaller than what one would expect from simulations and experiments. The bounds exhibit a dependence on the dimension of the domain, which from a theoretical point of view seemed unavoidable, but which could not be observed in practice.

In this paper we resolve this apparent paradox. By employing probabilistic methods, we can improve the lower bounds for certain domains and remove the dimension dependence. We thereby obtain optimal results which close the gap between analytical methods and numerical observations, and provide more insight into the nature of the decomposition process. We also indicate how our results can be adapted to other situations.

     

On Covariant Phase Space and the Variational Bicomplex

The notion of a phase space in classical mechanics is well known. The extension of this concept to field theory however, is a challenging endeavor, and over the years numerous proposals for such a generalization have appeared in the literature. In this paper We review a Hamiltonian formulation of Lagrangian field theory based on an extension to infinite dimensions of J.-M. Souriau's symplectic approach to mechanics. Following G. Zuckerman, we state our results in terms of the modern geometric theory of differential equations and the variational bicomplex. As an elementary example, we construct a phase space for the Monge–Ampere equation.     

Hawking Radiation of Dirac Particles in a Nonuniformly Rectilinearly Accelerating Black Hole

The Hawking radiation of Dirac particles on the event horizon of a nonuniformly rectilinearly accelerating black hole is studied in this paper. First, we construct the symmetrized null tetrad from which the spin coefficients and Dirac equation are derived. Next, by proposing generalized tortoise coordinate transformation, the decoupling problem of the Dirac equation with nonzero rest mass is solved. Finally, by analytic continuation, the Hawking thermal spectrum formula of Dirac particle for nonuniformly rectilinearly accelerating black hole is obtained.