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Chiara Saffirio

Publications and source records attributed to Chiara Saffirio.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Commutator Estimates for Low-Temperature Fermi Gases

We investigate the semiclassical regularity of thermal equilibria in the presence of a harmonic potential at low temperature; that is, we obtain the asymptotic behavior of the Schatten norms of commutators of the one-body operators associated with these equilibria and the position and momentum operators. We also obtain upper bounds in the magnetic field case for the Fock-Darwin Hamiltonian. Our estimates, in particular, allow us to observe several regimes depending on the joint behavior of the Planck constant, the temperature, and the strength of the magnetic field.

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The Semi-Classical Limit from the Dirac Equation with Time-Dependent External Electromagnetic Field to Relativistic Vlasov Equations

We prove the mathematically rigorous (semi-)classical limit $\hbar \to 0$ of the Dirac equation with time-dependent external electromagnetic field to relativistic Vlasov equations with Lorentz force for electrons and positrons. In this limit antimatter and spin remain as intrinsically relativistic effects on a classical level. Our global-in-time results use Wigner transforms and a Lagrange multiplier viewpoint of the matrix-valued Wigner equation. In particular, we pass to the limit in the ''full" Wigner matrix equation without projecting on the eigenspaces of the matrix-valued symbol of the Dirac operator. In the limit, the Lagrange multiplier maintains the constraint that the Wigner measure and the symbol of the Dirac operator commute and vanishes when projected on the electron or positron eigenspace. This is a different approach to the problem as discussed in [P. Gérard, P. Markowich, N.J. Mauser, F. Poupaud: Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 50(4):323--379, 1997], where the limit is taken in the projected Wigner equation. By explicit calculation of the remainder term in the expansion of the Moyal product we are able to generalize to time-dependent potentials with much less regularity. We use uniform $L^2$ bounds for the Wigner transform, which are only possible for a special class of mixed states as initial data.

math.AP

Diffusion Limit of the Low-Density Magnetic Lorentz Gas

We consider the magnetic Lorentz gas proposed by Bobylev et al. [4], which describes a point particle moving in a random distribution of hard-disk obstacles in $\mathbb{R}^2$ under the influence of a constant magnetic field perpendicular to the plane. We show that, in the coupled low-density and diffusion limit, when the intensity of the magnetic field is smaller than $\frac{8π}{3}$, the non-Markovian effects induced by the magnetic field become sufficiently weak. Consequently, the particle's probability distribution converges to the solution of the heat equation with a diffusion coefficient dependent on the magnetic field and given by the Green-Kubo formula. This formula is derived from the generator of the generalized Boltzmann process associated with the generalized Boltzmann equation, as predicted in [4].

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Semiclassical Limit of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes Equation

In this paper, we rewrite the time-dependent Bogoliubov$\unicode{x2013}$de Gennes equation in an appropriate semiclassical form and establish its semiclassical limit to a two-particle kinetic transport equation with an effective mean-field background potential satisfying the one-particle Vlasov equation. Moreover, for some semiclassical regimes, we obtain a higher-order correction to the two-particle kinetic transport equation, capturing a nontrivial two-body interaction effect. The convergence is proven for $C^2$ interaction potentials in terms of a semiclassical optimal transport pseudo-metric. Furthermore, combining our current results with the results of Marcantoni et al. [arXiv:2310.15280], we establish a joint semiclassical and mean-field approximation of the dynamics of a system of spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ Fermions by the Vlasov equation in some negative order Sobolev topology.

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Derivation of the Vlasov-Maxwell system from the Maxwell-Schrödinger equations with extended charges

We consider the Maxwell-Schrödinger equations in the Coulomb gauge describing the interaction of extended fermions with their self-generated electromagnetic field. They heuristically emerge as mean-field equations from non-relativistic quantum electrodynamics in a mean-field limit of many fermions. In the semiclassical regime, we establish the convergence of the Maxwell-Schrödinger equations for extended charges towards the non-relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell dynamics and provide explicit estimates on the accuracy of the approximation. To this end, we build a well-posedness and regularity theory for the Maxwell-Schrödinger equations and for the Vlasov-Maxwell system for extended charges.

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Propagation of moments for large data and semiclassical limit to the relativistic Vlasov equation

We investigate the semiclassical limit from the semi-relativistic Hartree-Fock equation describing the time evolution of a system of fermions in the mean-field regime with a relativistic dispersion law and interacting through a singular potential of the form $K(x)=γ\frac{1}{|x|^a}$, $a \in \left( \max \left\{ \frac{d}{2} -2 , - 1 \right\}, d-2 \right]$, $d\in\{2,3\}$ and $γ\in\mathbb{R}$, with the convention $K(x)=γ\log(|x|)$ if $a=0$. For mixed states, we show convergence in Schatten norms with explicit rate towards the Weyl transform of a solution to the relativistic Vlasov equation with singular potentials, thus generalizing [J. Stat. Phys. 172 (2), 398--433 (2018)] where the case of smooth potentials has been treated. Moreover, we provide new results on the well-posedness theory of the relativistic Vlasov equations with singular interactions.

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From many-body quantum dynamics to the Hartree-Fock and Vlasov equations with singular potentials

We obtain the combined mean-field and semiclassical limit from the $N$-body Schrödinger equation for fermions interacting via singular potentials. To obtain the result, we first prove the uniformity in Planck's constant $h$ propagation of regularity for solutions to the Hartree$\unicode{x2013}$Fock equation with singular pair interaction potentials of the form $\pm |x-y|^{-a}$, including the Coulomb and gravitational interactions. In the context of mixed states, we use these regularity properties to obtain quantitative estimates on the distance between solutions to the Schrödinger equation and solutions to the Hartree$\unicode{x2013}$Fock and Vlasov equations in Schatten norms. For $a\in(0,1/2)$, we obtain local-in-time results when $N^{-1/2} \ll h \leq N^{-1/3}$. In particular, it leads to the derivation of the Vlasov equation with singular potentials. For $a\in[1/2,1]$, our results hold only on a small time scale, or with an $N$-dependent cutoff.

math.AP

Weakly interacting Fermions: mean-field and semiclassical regimes

The derivation of effective macroscopic theories approximating microscopic systems of interacting particles is a major question in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. In these notes we present an approximation of systems made by many fermions interacting via inverse power law potentials in the mean-field and semiclassical regimes, reviewing the material presented at the 11th summer school "Methods and Models of Kinetic Theory" held in Pesaro in June 2022. More precisely, we focus on weakly interacting fermions whose collective effect can be approximated by an averaged potential in convolution form, and review recent mean-field techniques based on second quantization approaches. As a first step we obtain a reduced description given by the time-dependent Hartree-Fock equation. As a second step we look at longer time scales where a semiclassical description starts to be relevant and approximate the many-body dynamics with the Vlasov equation, which describes the evolution of the effective probability density of particles on the one particle phase space.

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Existence and stability of weak solutions of the Vlasov--Poisson system in localized Yudovich spaces

We consider the Vlasov--Poisson system both in the repulsive (electrostatic potential) and in the attractive (gravitational potential) cases. In our first main theorem, we prove the uniqueness and the quantitative stability of Lagrangian solutions $f=f(t,x,v)$ whose associated spatial density $ρ_f=ρ_f(t,x)$ is potentially unbounded but belongs to suitable uniformly-localized Yudovich spaces. This requirement imposes a condition of slow growth on the function $p \mapsto \|ρ_f(t,\cdot)\|_{L^p}$ uniformly in time. Previous works by Loeper, Miot and Holding--Miot have addressed the cases of bounded spatial density, i.e., $\|ρ_f(t,\cdot)\|_{L^p} \lesssim 1$, and spatial density such that $\|ρ_f(t,\cdot)\|_{L^p} \sim p^{1/α}$ for $α\in[1,+\infty)$. Our approach is Lagrangian and relies on an explicit estimate of the modulus of continuity of the electric field and on a second-order Osgood lemma. It also allows for iterated-logarithmic perturbations of the linear growth condition. In our second main theorem, we complement the aforementioned result by constructing solutions whose spatial density sharply satisfies such iterated-logarithmic growth. Our approach relies on real-variable techniques and extends the strategy developed for the Euler equations by the first and fourth-named authors. It also allows for the treatment of more general equations that share the same structure as the Vlasov--Poisson system. Notably, the uniqueness result and the stability estimates hold for both the classical and the relativistic Vlasov--Poisson systems.

math.AP

Global-in-time Semiclassical Regularity for the Hartree-Fock Equation

For arbitrarily large times $T>0$, we prove the uniform-in-$\hbar$ propagation of semiclassical regularity for the solutions to the Hartree$\unicode{x2013}$Fock equation with singular interactions of the form $V(x)=\pm\,|x|^{-a}$ where $a\in(0,\frac12)$. As a byproduct of this result, we extend to arbitrarily long times the derivation of the Hartree$\unicode{x2013}$Fock and the Vlasov equations from the many-body dynamics provided in [J. Chong, L. Lafleche, C. Saffirio: arXiv:2103.10946 (2021)].

math.AP

On the semiclassical regularity of thermal equilibria

We study the regularity properties of fermionic equilibrium states at finite positive temperature and show that they satisfy certain semiclassical bounds. As a corollary, we identify explicitly a class of positive temperature states satisfying the regularity assumptions of [J.J. Chong, L. Lafleche, C. Saffirio: arXiv:2103.10946 (2021)].

math-ph

On the $L^2$ Rate of Convergence in the Limit from the Hartree to the Vlasov$\unicode{x2013}$Poisson Equation

Using a new stability estimate for the difference of the square roots of two solutions of the Vlasov$\unicode{x2013}$Poisson equation, we obtain the convergence in the $L^2$ norm of the Wigner transform of a solution of the Hartree equation with Coulomb potential to a solution of the Vlasov$\unicode{x2013}$Poisson equation, with a rate of convergence proportional to $\hbar$. This improves the $\hbar^{3/4-\varepsilon}$ rate of convergence in $L^2$ obtained in [L.~Lafleche, C.~Saffirio: Analysis & PDE, to appear]. Another reason of interest of this paper is the new method, reminiscent of the ones used to prove the mean-field limit from the many-body Schrödinger equation towards the Hartree$\unicode{x2013}$Fock equation for mixed states.

math.AP

Two-dimensional Lorentz process for magnetotransport: Boltzmann-Grad limit

We study a system of charged, noninteracting classical particles moving in a Poisson distribution of hard-disk scatterers in two dimensions, under the effect of a magnetic field perpendicular to the plane. We prove that, in the low-density (Boltzmann-Grad) limit, the particle distribution evolves according to a generalized linear Boltzmann equation, previously derived and solved by Bobylev et al. [4, 5, 6]. In this model, Boltzmann's chaos fails, and the kinetic equation includes non-Markovian terms. The ideas of [13] can be however adapted to prove convergence of the process with memory.

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Strong semiclassical limit from Hartree and Hartree-Fock to Vlasov-Poisson equation

We consider the semiclassical limit from the Hartree to the Vlasov equation with general singular interaction potential including the Coulomb and gravitational interactions, and we prove explicit bounds in the strong topologies of Schatten norms. Moreover, in the case of fermions, we provide estimates on the size of the exchange term in the Hartree-Fock equation and also obtain a rate of convergence for the semiclassical limit from the Hartree-Fock to the Vlasov equation in Schatten norms. Our results hold for general initial data in some Sobolev space and any fixed time interval.

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From the Hartree to the Vlasov dynamics: conditional strong convergence

We review the recent results [45, 46] concerning the semiclassical limit from the Hartree dynamics to the Vlasov equation with singular potentials and extend them to the case of more general radial interactions. We prove that, at positive temperature, the Hartree dynamics converges in trace norm to the Vlasov one, for a particular class of initial states.

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Semiclassical limit to the Vlasov equation with inverse power law potentials

We consider mixed quasi-free states describing $N$ fermions in the mean-field limit. In this regime, the time evolution is governed by the nonlinear Hartree equation. In the large $N$ limit, we study the convergence towards the classical Vlasov equation. Under integrability and regularity assumptions on the initial state, we prove strong convergence in trace and Hilbert-Schmidt norm and provide explicit bounds on the convergence rate for a class of singular potentials of the form $V(x)=|x|^{-α}$, for $α\in(0,1/2)$.

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