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Herbert Spohn

Publications and source records attributed to Herbert Spohn.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
arXiv2008

Not to normal order - Notes on the kinetic limit for weakly interacting quantum fluids

The derivation of the Nordheim-Boltzmann transport equation for weakly interacting quantum fluids is a longstanding problem in mathematical physics. Inspired by the method developed to handle classical dilute gases, a conventional approach is the use of the BBGKY hierarchy for the time-dependent reduced density matrices. In contrast, our contribution is motivated by the kinetic theory of the weakly nonlinear Schrodinger equation. The main observation is that the results obtained in the latter context carry over directly to weakly interacting quantum fluids provided one does not insist on normal order in the Duhamel expansion. We discuss the term by term convergence of the expansion and the equilibrium time correlation .

math-ph↗
arXiv2008

Kinetics of the Bose-Einstein Condensation

We study the bosonic Boltzmann-Nordheim kinetic equation, which describes the kinetic regime of weakly interacting bosons with s-wave scattering only. We consider a spatially homogeneous fluid with an isotropic momentum distribution. The issue of the dynamical formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate has been studied extensively. We supply here the completed equations of motion for the coupled system, the energy density distribution of the normal fluid and the density of the condensate. With this information the post-nucleation self-similar solution is investigated in more detail than before.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2008

Kramers degeneracy theorem in nonrelativistic QED

Degeneracy of the eigenvalues of the Pauli-Fierz Hamiltonian with spin 1/2 is proven by the Kramers degeneracy theorem. The Pauli-Fierz Hamiltonian at fixed total momentum is also investigated.

math-ph↗
arXiv2008

Energy transport in stochastically perturbed lattice dynamics

We consider lattice dynamics with a small stochastic perturbation of order ε and prove that for a space-time scale of order \varepsilon\^-1 the local spectral density (Wigner function) evolves according to a linear transport equation describing inelastic collisions. For an energy and momentum conserving chain the transport equation predicts a slow decay, as 1/\sqrt{t}, for the energy current correlation in equilibrium. This is in agreement with previous studies using a different method.

math.PR↗
arXiv2008

Spectral Analysis of the Semi-relativistic Pauli-Fierz Hamiltonian

We consider a charged particle, spin 1/2, with relativistic kinetic energy and minimally coupled to the quantized Maxwell field. Since the total momentum is conserved, the Hamiltonian admits a fiber decomposition as $H(P)$, $P\in \BbbR^3$. We study the spectrum of $H(P)$. In particular we prove that, for non-zero photon mass, the ground state is exactly two-fold degenerate and separated by a gap, uniformly in $P$, from the rest of the spectrum.

math-ph↗
arXiv2007

Motions of electrons in adiabatically perturbed periodic structures

We study the motion of electrons in a periodic background potential (usually resulting from a crystalline solid). For small velocities one would use either the non-magnetic or the magnetic Bloch hamiltonian, while in the relativistic regime one would use the Dirac equation with a periodic potential. The dynamics, with the background potential included, is perturbed either through slowly varying external electromagnetic potentials or through a slow deformation of the crystal. In either case we discuss how the Hilbert space of states decouples into almost invariant subspaces and explain the effective dynamics within such a subspace.

math-ph↗
arXiv2007

The time-dependent Born-Oppenheimer approximation

We explain why the conventional argument for deriving the time-dependent Born-Oppenheimer approximation is incomplete and review recent mathematical results, which clarify the situation and at the same time provide a systematic scheme for higher order corrections. We also present a new elementary derivation of the correct second-order time-dependent Born-Oppenheimer approximation and discuss as applications the dynamics near a conical intersection of potential surfaces and reactive scattering.

math-ph↗
arXiv2007

Notes on coherent backscattering from a random potential

We consider the quantum scattering from a random potential of strength $λ^{1/2}$ and with a support on the scale of the mean free path, which is of order $λ^{-1}$. On the basis of maximally crossed diagrams we provide a concise formula for the backscattering rate in terms of the Green's function for the kinetic Boltzmann equation. We briefly discuss the extension to wave scattering.

math-ph↗
arXiv2007

Anomalous energy transport in the FPU-beta chain

We consider the energy current correlation function for the FPU-beta lattice. For small non-linearity one can rely on kinetic theory. The issue reduces then to a spectral analysis of the linearized collision operator. We prove thereby that, on the basis of kinetic theory, the energy current correlations decay in time as t^(-3/5). It follows that the thermal conductivity is anomalous, increasing as N^(2/5) with the system size N.

math-ph↗
arXiv2006

Polymer pinning in a random medium as influence percolation

In this article we discuss a set of geometric ideas which shed some light on the question of directed polymer pinning in the presence of bulk disorder. Differing from standard methods and techniques, we transform the problem to a particular dependent percolative system and relate the pinning transition to a percolation transition.

math.PR↗
arXiv2006

On the Integrated Form of the BBGKY Hierarchy for Hard Spheres

In my book ``Large Scale Dynamics of Interacting Particles'' [S] I refer to an unpublished note from early 1985 on the BBGKY hierarchy for hard spheres. My main point there was to provide a direct probabilistic proof for the time-integrated version of the hierarchy. Over recent years there has been repeated interest in this derivation, which encourages me to make my note public. I decided to leave it in its original form including likely inaccuracies. The work of R. Illner and M. Pulvirenti [IP] appeared in September 1985, see also the book by C. Cercignani, R. Illner, and M. Pulvirenti [CIP], who prove the same result using special flow representation and methods from the theory of differential operators. [S] H. Spohn, Large Scale Dynamics of Interacting Particles, Texts and Monographs in Physics, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 1991. [IP] R. Illner and M. Pulvirenti, A derivation of the BBGKY-hierarchy for hard sphere particle systems, Transport Theory and Stat. Phys. \textbf{16}, 997--1012 (1987), preprint DM-388-IR, September 1985. [CIP] C. Cercignani, R. Illner, and M. Pulvirenti, The Mathematical Theory of Dilute Gases, Applied Mathematical Sciences \textbf{106}, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1994.

math-ph↗
arXiv2006

Domino tilings and the six-vertex model at its free fermion point

At the free-fermion point, the six-vertex model with domain wall boundary conditions (DWBC) can be related to the Aztec diamond, a domino tiling problem. We study the mapping on the level of complete statistics for general domains and boundary conditions. This is obtained by associating to both models a set of non-intersecting lines in the Lindstroem-Gessel-Viennot (LGV) scheme. One of the consequence for DWBC is that the boundaries of the ordered phases are described by the Airy process in the thermodynamic limit.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2006

Lowest energy states in nonrelativistic QED: atoms and ions in motion

Within the framework of nonrelativisitic quantum electrodynamics we consider a single nucleus and $N$ electrons coupled to the radiation field. Since the total momentum $P$ is conserved, the Hamiltonian $H$ admits a fiber decomposition with respect to $P$ with fiber Hamiltonian $H(P)$. A stable atom, resp. ion, means that the fiber Hamiltonian $H(P)$ has an eigenvalue at the bottom of its spectrum. We establish the existence of a ground state for $H(P)$ under (i) an explicit bound on $P$, (ii) a binding condition, and (iii) an energy inequality. The binding condition is proven to hold for a heavy nucleus and the energy inequality for spinless electrons.

math-ph↗
arXiv2006

Energy Transport in Weakly Anharmonic Chains

We investigate the energy transport in a one-dimensional lattice of oscillators with a harmonic nearest neighbor coupling and a harmonic plus quartic on-site potential. As numerically observed for particular coupling parameters before, and confirmed by our study, such chains satisfy Fourier's law: a chain of length N coupled to thermal reservoirs at both ends has an average steady state energy current proportional to 1/N. On the theoretical level we employ the Peierls transport equation for phonons and note that beyond a mere exchange of labels it admits nondegenerate phonon collisions. These collisions are responsible for a finite heat conductivity. The predictions of kinetic theory are compared with molecular dynamics simulations. In the range of weak anharmonicity, respectively low temperatures, reasonable agreement is observed.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗