Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Paolo Amore

Publications and source records attributed to Paolo Amore.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Spectral sum rules on a $d$--sphere

We derive spectral sum rules for inverse powers of the eigenvalues of the Helmholtz equation on a $d$-sphere in the presence of an arbitrary density. By adopting a rigorous renormalization scheme, we remove the divergent contributions of the zero mode and obtain exact expressions for the sum rules without requiring an explicit determination of the eigenvalues, which is generally impossible. As an application, we derive explicit sum rules for the density $\Sigma(\Omega) = 1 + \kappa Y_{1,\vec{0}}(\Omega)$ in $d=3,4,5$ dimensions and compare them with numerical estimates obtained by approximating the low-lying part of the spectrum with the Rayleigh--Ritz method and the high-energy part with Weyl's formula.

math-ph↗
arXiv2025

Exploring the energy landscape of the logarithmic potential: local minima and stationary states

We have performed a detailed exploration of the energy landscape for configurations of points on the sphere, interacting via the logarithmic potential, and corresponding to local minima of the total energy, up to $N = 160$. The growth of $N_{\rm conf}$ (number of distinct configurations) is exponential, as for the Thomson problem, although weaker. Using the techniques described in our previous paper~\cite{Amore25} we have also explored the solution landscape of this problem for $N \leq 24$, and found that the number of stationary states is growing exponentially.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2025

Thomson problem on a spherical cap

We investigate the low-energy configurations of N mutually repelling charges confined to a spherical cap and interacting via the Coulomb potential. In the continuum limit, this problem was solved by Lord Kelvin, who found a non-uniform charge distribution with an integrable singularity at the boundary. To explore the discrete analogue, we developed an efficient numerical method that enables energy minimization while maintaining the number of charges at the cap's edge fixed. Using this approach we have obtained numerical results for various values of N and cap angular widths. Based on these results, we analyze the emergence and behavior of topological defects as functions of both N and the cap's curvature.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2025

Exploring the energy landscape of the Thomson problem: local minima and stationary states

We conducted a comprehensive numerical investigation of the energy landscape of the Thomson problem for systems up to $N=150$. Our results show the number of distinct configurations grows exponentially with $N$, but significantly faster than previously reported. Furthermore, we find that the average energy gap between independent configurations at a given $N$ decays exponentially with $N$, dramatically increasing the computational complexity for larger systems. Finally, we developed a novel approach that reformulates the search for stationary points in the Thomson problem (or similar systems) as an equivalent minimization problem using a specifically designed potential. Leveraging this method, we performed a detailed exploration of the solution landscape for $N\leq24$ and estimated the growth of the number of stationary states to be exponential in $N$.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2025

On the two-dimensional hydrogen atom in a circular box in the presence of an electric field

We revisit the quantum-mechanical two-dimensional hydrogen atom with an electric field confined to a circular box of impenetrable wall. In order to obtain the energy spectrum we resort to the Rayleigh-Ritz method with a polynomial basis sets. We discuss the limits of large and small box radius and the symmetry of the solutions of the Schr\"{o}dinger equation. An interesting feature of the model is the appearance of accidental degeneracy and the splitting of degenerate energy levels due to the presence of the electric field.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2024

Lower and upper bounds for configurations of points on a sphere

We present a new proof (based on spectral decomposition) of a bound originally proved by Sidelnikov~\, for the frame potentials $\sum_{ij} \left( {\bf P}_i \cdot {\bf P}_j \right)^\ell $ on a unit--sphere in $d$ dimensions. Sidelnikov's bound is a special case of the lower bound for the weighted sums $\sum_{ij} f_i f_j \left( {\bf P}_i \cdot {\bf P}_j \right)^\ell$, where $f_i>0$ are scalar quantities associated to each point on the sphere, which we also prove using spectral decomposition. Moreover, in three dimensions, again using spectral decomposition, we find a sharp upper bound for $\sum_{ijk}^N \left[ \left( {\bf P}_i \times {\bf P}_j\right) \cdot {\bf P}_k \right]^2$. We explore two applications of these bounds: first, we examine configurations of points corresponding to the local minima of the Thomson problem for $N=972$; second, we analyze various distributions of points within a three-dimensional volume, where a suitable weighted sum is defined to satisfy a specific bound.

math-ph↗
arXiv2024

Circle packing on spherical caps

We have studied the packing of congruent disks on a spherical cap, for caps of different size and number of disks, $N$. This problem has been considered before only in the limit cases of circle packing inside a circle and on a sphere (Tammes problem), whereas all intermediate cases are unexplored. Finding the preferred packing configurations for a domain with both curvature and border could be useful in the description of physical and biological systems (for example, colloidal suspensions or the compound eye of an insect), with potential applications in engineering and architecture (e.g. geodesic domes). We have carried out an extensive search for the densest packing configurations of congruent disks on spherical caps of selected angular widths ($θ_{\rm max} = π/6$, $π/4$, $π/2$, $3π/4$, $5 π/6$) and for several values of $N$. The numerical results obtained in the present work have been used to establish (at least qualitatively) some general features for these configurations, in particular the behavior of the packing fraction as function of the number of disks and of the angular width of the cap, or the nature of the topological defects in these configurations (it found that as the curvature increases the overall topological on the border tends to become more negative). Finally we have studied the packing configurations for $N = 19$, $37$, $61$, $91$ (hexagonal numbers) for caps ranging from the flat disk to the whole sphere, to observe the evolution (and eventual disappearance) of the curved hexagonal packing configurations while increasing the curvature.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2024

Fuzzy Spheres in Stringy Matrix Models: Quantifying Chaos in a Mixed Phase Space

We consider a truncation of the BMN matrix model to a configuration of two fuzzy spheres, described by two coupled non-linear oscillators dependent on the mass parameter $μ$. The classical phase diagram of the system generically ($μ\neq 0$) contains three equilibrium points: two centers and a center-saddle; as $μ\to 0$ the system exhibits a pitchfork bifurcation. We demonstrate that the system is exactly integrable in quadratures for $μ=0$, while for very large values of $μ$, it approaches another integrable point characterized by two harmonic oscillators. The classical phase space is mixed, containing both integrable islands and chaotic regions, as evidenced by the classical Lyapunov spectrum. At the quantum level, we explore indicators of early and late time chaos. The eigenvalue spacing is best described by a Brody distribution, which interpolates between Poisson and Wigner distributions; it dovetails, at the quantum level, the classical results and reemphasizes the notion that the quantum system is mixed. We also study the spectral form factor and the quantum Lyapunov exponent, as defined by out-of-time-ordered correlators. These two indicators of quantum chaos exhibit weak correlations with the Brody distribution. We speculate that the behavior of the system as $μ\to 0$ dominates the spectral form factor and the quantum Lyapunov exponent, making these indicators of quantum chaos less effective in the context of a mixed phase space.

hep-th↗
arXiv2024

On the eigenvalues of the harmonic oscillator with a Gaussian perturbation

We test the analytical expressions for the first two eigenvalues of the harmonic oscillator with a Gaussian perturbation proposed recently. Our numerical eigenvalues show that those expressions are valid in an interval of the coupling parameter that is greater than the one estimated by the authors. We also calculate critical values of the coupling parameter and several exceptional points in the complex plane.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2023

Circle packing in arbitrary domains

We describe an algorithm that allows one to find dense packing configurations of a number of congruent disks in arbitrary domains in two or more dimensions. We have applied it to a large class of two dimensional domains such as rectangles, ellipses, crosses, multiply connected domains and even to the cardioid. For many of the cases that we have studied no previous result was available. The fundamental idea in our approach is the introduction of "image" disks, which allows one to work with a fixed container, thus lifting the limitations of the packing algorithms of \cite{Nurmela97,Amore21,Amore23}. We believe that the extension of our algorithm to three (or higher) dimensional containers (not considered here) can be done straightforwardly.

cs.CG↗
arXiv2023

Thomson problem in the disk

We investigate the classical ground state of a large number of charges confined inside a disk and interacting via the Coulomb potential. By realizing the important role that the peripheral charges play in determining the lowest energy solutions, we have successfully implemented an algorithm that allows us to work with configurations with a desired number of border charges. This feature brings a consistent reduction in the computational complexity of the problem, thus simplifying the search of global minima of the energy. Additionally, we have implemented a divide and conquer approach which has allowed us to study configurations of size never reached before (the largest one corresponding to $N=40886$ charges). These last configurations, in particular, are seen to display an increasingly rich structure of topological defects as $N$ gets larger.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2023

Echoes of the hexagon: remnants of hexagonal packing inside regular polygons

Based on numerical simulations that we have carried out, we provide evidence that for regular polygons with $σ= 6j$ sides (with $j=2,3,\dots$), $N(k)=3 k (k+1)+1$ (with $k=1,2,\dots$) congruent disks of appropriate size can be nicely packed inside these polygons in highly symmetrical configurations which apparently have maximal density for $N$ sufficiently small. These configurations are invariant under rotations of $π/3$ and are closely related to the configurations with perfect hexagonal packing in the regular hexagon and to the configurations with {\sl curved hexagonal packing} (CHP) in the circle found long time ago by Graham and Lubachevsky. At the basis of our explorations are the algorithms that we have devised, which are very efficient in producing the CHP and more general configurations inside regular polygons. We have used these algorithms to generate a large number of CHP configurations for different regular polygons and numbers of disks; a careful study of these results has made possible to fully characterize the general properties of the CHP configurations and to devise a {\sl deterministic} algorithm that completely ensembles a given CHP configuration once an appropriate input ("DNA") is specified. Our analysis shows that the number of CHP configurations for a given $N$ is highly degenerate in the packing fraction and it can be explicitly calculated in terms of $k$ (number of shells), of the building block of the DNA itself and of the number of vertices in the fundamental domain (because of the symmetry we work in $1/6$ of the whole domain). With the help of our deterministic algorithm we are able to build {\sl all} the CHP configurations for a polygon with $k$ shells.

math.NA↗
arXiv2022

Circle packing in regular polygons

We study the packing of a large number of congruent and non--overlapping circles inside a regular polygon. We have devised efficient algorithms that allow one to generate configurations of $N$ densely packed circles inside a regular polygon and we have carried out intensive numerical experiments spanning several polygons (the largest number of sides considered here being $16$) and up to $200$ circles ($400$ circles in the special cases of the equilateral triangle and the regular hexagon) . Some of the configurations that we have found possibly are not global maxima of the packing fraction, particularly for $N \gg 1$, due to the great computational complexity of the problem, but nonetheless they should provide good lower bounds for the packing fraction at a given $N$. This is the first systematic numerical study of packing in regular polygons, which previously had only been carried out for the equilateral triangle, the square and the circle.

cs.CG↗
arXiv2022

About the effects of rotation on the Landau levels in an elastic medium with a spiral dislocation

In this Paper we analyze a model proposed recently with the purpose of studying the effects of rotation on the interaction of a point charge with a uniform magnetic field in an elastic medium with a spiral dislocation. In particular we focus on the approximation proposed by the authors that consists of changing the left boundary condition in order to obtain analytical results. We show that this approximation leads to quantitative and qualitative errors, the most relevant one being a wrong prediction of the level spacing.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2022

Quantum particles in a suddenly accelerating potential

We study the behavior of a quantum particle trapped in a confining potential in one dimension under multiple sudden changes of velocity and/or acceleration. We develop the appropriate formalism to deal with such situation and we use it to calculate the probability of transition for simple problems such as the particle in an infinite box and the simple harmonic oscillator. For the infinite box of length $L$ under two and three sudden changes of velocity, where the initial and final velocity vanish, we find that the system undergoes quantum revivals for $Δt = τ_0 \equiv \frac{4mL^2}{π\hbar}$, regardless of other parameters ($Δt$ is the time elapsed between the first and last change of velocity). For the simple harmonic oscillator we find that the states obtained by suddenly changing (one change) the velocity and/or the acceleration of the potential, for a particle initially in an eigenstate of the static potential, are {\sl coherent} states. For multiple changes of acceleration or velocity we find that the quantum expectation value of the Hamiltonian is remarkably close (possibly identical) to the corresponding classical expectation values. Finally, the probability of transition for a particle in an accelerating harmonic oscillator (no sudden changes) calculated with our formalism agrees with the formula derived long time ago by Ludwig and recently modified by Dodonov~\cite{Dodonov21}, but with a different expression for the dimensionless parameter $γ$. Our probability agrees with the one of ref.~\cite{Dodonov21} for $γ\ll 1$ but is not periodic in time (it decays monotonously), contrary to the result derived in ref.~\cite{Dodonov21}.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2022

Efficient algorithms for the dense packing of congruent circles inside a square

We study dense packings of a large number of congruent non-overlapping circles inside a square by looking for configurations which maximize the packing density, defined as the ratio between the area occupied by the disks and the area of the square container. The search for these configurations is carried out with the help of two algorithms that we have devised: a first algorithm is in charge of obtaining sufficiently dense configurations starting from a random guess, while a second algorithm improves the configurations obtained in the first stage. The algorithms can be used sequentially or independently. The performance of these algorithms is assessed by carrying out numerical tests for configurations with a large number of circles.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2022

The heterogeneous helicoseir

We study the rotations of a heavy string (helicoseir) about a vertical axis with one free endpoint and with arbitrary density, under the action of the gravitational force. We show that the problem can be transformed into a nonlinear eigenvalue equation, as in the uniform case. The eigenmodes of this equation represent equilibrium configurations of the rotating string in which the shape of the string doesn't change with time. As previously proved by Kolodner for the homogenous case, the occurrence of new modes of the nonlinear equation is tied to the spectrum of the corresponding linear equation. We have been able to generalize this result to a class of densities $ρ(s) = γ(1-s)^{γ-1}$, which includes the homogenous string as a special case ($γ=1$). We also show that the solutions to the nonlinear eigenvalue equation (NLE) for an arbitrary density are orthogonal and that a solution of this equation with a given number of nodes contains solutions of a different helicoseir, with a smaller number of nodes. Both properties hold also for the homogeneous case and had not been established before.

physics.comp-ph↗