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M. A. M. de Aguiar

Publications and source records attributed to M. A. M. de Aguiar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2013

Mean Field Approximation to a Spatial Host-Pathogen Model

We study the mean field approximation to a simple spatial host-pathogen model that has been shown to display interesting evolutionary properties. We show that previous derivations of the mean field equations for this model are actually only low-density approximations to the true mean field limit. We derive the correct equations and the corresponding equations including pair-correlations. The process of invasion by a mutant type of pathogen is also discussed. [This article was published as Physical Review E 67, 047102 (2003). Errata for the published version are corrected here and explicitly listed at the end of this document.]

q-bio.PE↗
arXiv2013

Phase space flow in the Husimi representation

We derive a continuity equation for the Husimi function evolving under a general non-hermitian Hamiltonian and identify the phase space flow associated with it. For the case of unitary evolution we obtain explicit formulas for the quantum flow, which can be written as a classical part plus semiclassical corrections. These equations are the analogue of the Wigner flow, which displays several non-intuitive features like momentum inversion and motion of stagnation points. Many of these features also appear in the Husimi flow and, therefore, are not related to the negativity of the Wigner function as previously suggested. We test the exact and semiclassical formulas for a particle in a double well potential. We find that the zeros of the Husimi function are saddle points of the flow, and are always followed by a center. Merging or splitting of stagnation points, observed in the Wigner flow,does not occur because of the isolation of the Husimi zeros.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2012

Energy transfer dynamics and thermalization of two oscillators interacting via chaos

We consider the classical dynamics of two particles moving in harmonic potential wells and interacting with the same external environment (HE), consisting of N non-interacting chaotic systems. The parameters are set so that when either particle is separately placed in contact with the environment, a dissipative behavior is observed. When both particles are simultaneously in contact with HE an indirect coupling between them is observed only if the particles are in near resonance. We study the equilibrium properties of the system considering ensemble averages for the case N=1 and single trajectory dynamics for N large. In both cases, the particles and the environment reach an equilibrium configuration at long times, but only for large N a temperature can be assigned to the system.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2008

A conjugate for the Bargmann representation

In the Bargmann representation of quantum mechanics, physical states are mapped into entire functions of a complex variable z*, whereas the creation and annihilation operators $\hat{a}^\dagger$ and $\hat{a}$ play the role of multiplication and differentiation with respect to z*, respectively. In this paper we propose an alternative representation of quantum states, conjugate to the Bargmann representation, where the roles of $\hat{a}^\dagger$ and $\hat{a}$ are reversed, much like the roles of the position and momentum operators in their respective representations. We derive expressions for the inner product that maintain the usual notion of distance between states in the Hilbert space. Applications to simple systems and to the calculation of semiclassical propagators are presented.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2008

Synchronization and Stability in Noisy Population Dynamics

We study the stability and synchronization of predator-prey populations subjected to noise. The system is described by patches of local populations coupled by migration and predation over a neighborhood. When a single patch is considered, random perturbations tend to destabilize the populations, leading to extinction. If the number of patches is small, stabilization in the presence of noise is maintained at the expense of synchronization. As the number of patches increases, both the stability and the synchrony among patches increase. However, a residual asynchrony, large compared with the noise amplitude, seems to persist even in the limit of infinite number of patches. Therefore, the mechanism of stabilization by asynchrony recently proposed by R. Abta et. al., combining noise, diffusion and nonlinearities, seems to be more general than first proposed.

nlin.CG↗
arXiv2007

Controlling Phase Space Caustics in the Semiclassical Coherent State Propagator

The semiclassical formula for the quantum propagator in the coherent state representation $<\mathbf{z}'' | e^{-i\hat{H}T/\hbar} | \mathbf{z}'>$ is not free from the problem of caustics. These are singular points along the complex classical trajectories specified by $\mathbf{z}'$, $\mathbf{z}''$ and $T$ where the usual quadratic approximation fails, leading to divergences in the semiclassical formula. In this paper we derive third order approximations for this propagator that remain finite in the vicinity of caustics. We use Maslov's method and the dual representation proposed in Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 95}, 050405 (2005) to derive uniform, regular and transitional semiclassical approximations for coherent state propagator in systems with two degrees of freedom.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2006

Semiclassical Tunneling of Wavepackets with Real Trajectories

Semiclassical approximations for tunneling processes usually involve complex trajectories or complex times. In this paper we use a previously derived approximation involving only real trajectories propagating in real time to describe the scattering of a Gaussian wavepacket by a finite square potential barrier. We show that the approximation describes both tunneling and interferences very accurately in the limit of small Plank's constant. We use these results to estimate the tunneling time of the wavepacket and find that, for high energies, the barrier slows down the wavepacket but that it speeds it up at energies comparable to the barrier height.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2006

A semiclassical trace formula for the canonical partition function of one dimensional systems

We present a semiclassical trace formula for the canonical partition function of arbitrary one-dimensional systems. The approximation is obtained via the stationary exponent method applied to the phase-space integration of the density operator in the coherent state representation. The formalism is valid in the low temperature limit, presenting accurate results in this regime. As illustrations we consider a quartic Hamiltonian that cannot be split into kinetic and potential parts, and a system with two local minima. Applications to spin systems are also presented.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2006

Coherent State Path Integrals in the Weyl Representation

We construct a representation of the coherent state path integral using the Weyl symbol of the Hamiltonian operator. This representation is very different from the usual path integral forms suggested by Klauder and Skagerstan in \cite{Klau85}, which involve the normal or the antinormal ordering of the Hamiltonian. These different representations, although equivalent quantum mechanically, lead to different semiclassical limits. We show that the semiclassical limit of the coherent state propagator in Weyl representation is involves classical trajectories that are independent on the coherent states width. This propagator is also free from the phase corrections found in \cite{Bar01} for the two Klauder forms and provides an explicit connection between the Wigner and the Husimi representations of the evolution operator.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2006

Quantum Dissipation and Decoherence via Interaction with Low-Dimensional Chaos: a Feynman-Vernon Approach

We study the effects of dissipation and decoherence induced on a harmonic oscillator by the coupling to a chaotic system with two degrees of freedom. Using the Feynman-Vernon approach and treating the chaotic system semiclassically we show that the effects of the low dimensional chaotic environment are in many ways similar to those produced by thermal baths. The classical correlation and response functions play important roles in both classical and quantum formulations. Our results are qualitatively similar to the high temperature regime of the Caldeira-Leggett model.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2005

Semiclassical coherent state propagator for systems with spin

We derive the semiclassical limit of the coherent state propagator for systems with two degrees of freedom of which one degree of freedom is canonical and the other a spin. Systems in this category include those involving spin-orbit interactions and the Jaynes-Cummings model in which a single electromagnetic mode interacts with many independent two-level atoms. We construct a path integral representation for the propagator of such systems and derive its semiclassical limit. As special cases we consider separable systems, the limit of very large spins and the case of spin 1/2.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2005

Classical Dissipation and Asymptotic Equilibrium via Interaction with Chaotic Systems

We study the energy flow between a one dimensional oscillator and a chaotic system with two degrees of freedom in the weak coupling limit. The oscillator's observables are averaged over an initially microcanonical ensemble of trajectories of the chaotic system, which plays the role of an environment for the oscillator. We show numerically that the oscillator's average energy exhibits irreversible dynamics and `thermal' equilibrium at long times. We use linear response theory to describe the dynamics at short times and we derive a condition for the absorption or dissipation of energy by the oscillator from the chaotic system. The equilibrium properties at long times, including the average equilibrium energies and the energy distributions, are explained with the help of statistical arguments. We also check that the concept of temperature defined in terms of the `volume entropy' agrees very well with these energy istributions.

nlin.CD↗
arXiv2005

Semiclassical propagation of coherent states using complex and real trajectories

We study the semiclassical propagation of coherent states in $d$ dimensions, which in general involves complex classical dynamics. Several simple approximations are derived that depend only on real classical trajectories, among them the thawed Gaussian approximation (TGA). Apart from the TGA, all other possibilities are able to reproduce interference and tunnelling effects, and involve propagating a set of classical initial conditions compatible with the quantum uncertainties. The accuracy of the results is verified in two dimensions for the scattering by an attractive potential, for a bound nonlinear system, for motion inside a circular billiard and for a system involving tunnelling.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2005

Semiclassical Propagation of Wavepackets with Real and Complex Trajectories

We consider a semiclassical approximation for the time evolution of an originally gaussian wave packet in terms of complex trajectories. We also derive additional approximations replacing the complex trajectories by real ones. These yield three different semiclassical formulae involving different real trajectories. One of these formulae is Heller's thawed gaussian approximation. The other approximations are non-gaussian and may involve several trajectories determined by mixed initial-final conditions. These different formulae are tested for the cases of scattering by a hard wall, scattering by an attractive gaussian potential, and bound motion in a quartic oscillator. The formula with complex trajectories gives good results in all cases. The non-gaussian approximations with real trajectories work well in some cases, whereas the thawed gaussian works only in very simple situations.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2005

An analytically solvable model of probabilistic network dynamics

We present a simple model of network dynamics that can be solved analytically for uniform networks. We obtain the dynamics of response of the system to perturbations. The analytical solution is an excellent approximation for random networks. A comparison with the scale-free network, though qualitatively similar, shows the effect of distinct topology.

nlin.CG↗
arXiv2004

A New Form of Path Integral for the Coherent States Representation and its Semiclassical Limit

The overcompleteness of the coherent states basis leads to a multiplicity of representations of Feynman's path integral. These different representations, although equivalent quantum mechanically, lead to different semiclassical limits. Two such semiclassical formulas were derived in \cite{Bar01} for the two corresponding path integral forms suggested by Klauder and Skagerstan in \cite{Klau85}. Each of these formulas involve trajectories governed by a different classical representation of the Hamiltonian operator: the P representation in one case and the Q representation in other. In this paper we construct a third representation of the path integral whose semiclassical limit involves directly the Weyl representation of the Hamiltonian operator, i.e., the classical Hamiltonian itself.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2004

Spectral Analysis and the Dynamic Response of Complex Networks

The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the connectivity matrix of complex networks contain information about its topology and its collective behavior. In particular, the spectral density $ρ(λ)$ of this matrix reveals important network characteristics: random networks follow Wigner's semicircular law whereas scale-free networks exhibit a triangular distribution. In this paper we show that the spectral density of hierarchical networks follow a very different pattern, which can be used as a fingerprint of modularity. Of particular importance is the value $ρ(0)$, related to the homeostatic response of the network: it is maximum for random and scale free networks but very small for hierarchical modular networks. It is also large for an actual biological protein-protein interaction network, demonstrating that the current leading model for such networks is not adequate.

nlin.AO↗