arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Robert W. Johnson.
The binding energies of the excited states of positronium are calculated using the two body Dirac equations of constraint formalism. The results from nonperturbative evaluation are compared to those from perturbative evaluation. The equations for decoupled sates with J=0 are compared to an alternate formulation of the model. Some misprints in the literature are identified and corrected.
A transformation group approach to the prior for the parameters of the beta distribution is suggested which accounts for finite sets of data by imposing a limit to the range of parameter values under consideration. The relationship between the beta distribution and the Poisson and gamma distributions in the continuum is explored, with an emphasis on the decomposition of the model into separate estimates for size and shape. Use of the beta distribution in classification and prediction problems is discussed, and the effect of the prior on the analysis of some well known examples from statistical genetics is examined.
Heisenberg groups over algebras with central involution and their automorphism groups are constructed. The complex quaternion group algebra over a prime field is used as an example. Its subspaces provide finite models for each of the real and complex quadratic spaces with dimension 4 or less. A model for the representations of these Heisenberg groups and automorphism groups is constructed. A pseudo-differential operator enables a parallel treatment of spaces defined over finite and real fields.
The algorithm AMGKQ for adaptive multivariate Gauss-Kronrod quadrature over hyper-rectangular regions of arbitrary dimensionality is proposed and implemented in Octave/MATLAB. It can approximate numerically any number of integrals over a common domain simultaneously. Improper integrals are addressed through singularity weakening coordinate transformations. Internal singularities are addressed through the use of breakpoints. Its accuracy performance is investigated thoroughly, and its running time is compared to other commonly available routines in two and three dimensions. Its running time can be several orders of magnitude faster than recursively called quadrature routines. Its performance is limited only by the memory structure of its operating environment. Included with the software are numerous examples of its invocation.
The Stacey-Sigmar model for tokamak equilibrium as presented in the literature relies heavily on the neoclassical theory of the electrostatic field. Its neglect of Gauss's law is inconsistent with the potential formulation of electrodynamics. Its treatment of the dynamic electric field generated by the central heating and poloidal field coils also is suspect. Its derivation of the viscosity term remains incomplete and does not account for the varying pitch angle of the magnetic field. A derivation of the viscosity term which respects the pitch angle can account for the radial force commonly ascribed to the radial electrostatic field, thereby obviating the desire to neglect Gauss's law.
The Bayesian approach to the prediction of particle type given measurements of particle location is explored, using a parametric model whose prior is based on the transformation group. Two types of particle are considered, and locations are expressed in terms of a single spatial coordinate. Several cases corresponding to different states of prior knowledge are evaluated, including the effect of measurement uncertainty. Comparisons are made to nearest neighbor classification and kernel density estimation. How one can evaluate the reliability of the prediction solely from the available data is discussed.
The properties of the Gabor and Morlet transforms are examined with respect to the Fourier analysis of discretely sampled data. Forward and inverse transform pairs based on a fixed window with uniform sampling of the frequency axis can satisfy numerically the energy and reconstruction theorems; however, transform pairs based on a variable window or nonuniform frequency sampling in general do not. Instead of selecting the shape of the window as some function of the central frequency, we propose constructing a single window with unit energy from an arbitrary set of windows which is applied over the entire frequency axis. By virtue of using a fixed window with uniform frequency sampling, such a transform satisfies the energy and reconstruction theorems. The shape of the window can be tailored to meet the requirements of the investigator in terms of time/frequency resolution. The algorithm extends naturally to the case of nonuniform signal sampling without modification beyond identification of the Nyquist interval.
The derivation of the helicon dispersion relation for a uniform plasma with stationary ions subject to a constant background magnetic field is reexamined in terms of the potential formulation of electrodynamics. Under the same conditions considered by the standard derivation, the nonlinear self-coupling between the perturbed electron flow and the potential it generates is addressed. The plane wave solution for general propagation vector is determined for all frequencies and expressed in terms of a vector phasor. The behavior of the solution as described in vacuum units depends upon the ratio of conductivity to the magnitude of the background field. Only at low conductivity and below the cyclotron frequency can significant propagation occur as determined by the ratio of skin depth to wavelength.
The forward and inverse wavelet transform using the continuous Morlet basis may be symmetrized by using an appropriate normalization factor. The loss of response due to wavelet truncation is addressed through a renormalization of the wavelet based on power. The spectral density has physical units which may be related to the squared amplitude of the signal, as do its margins the mean wavelet power and the integrated instant power, giving a quantitative estimate of the power density with temporal resolution. Deconvolution with the wavelet response matrix reduces the spectral leakage and produces an enhanced wavelet spectrum providing maximum resolution of the harmonic content of a signal. Applications to data analysis are discussed.
The principle of maximum entropy is applied to the spectral analysis of a data signal with general variance matrix and containing gaps in the record. The role of the entropic regularizer is to prevent one from overestimating structure in the spectrum when faced with imperfect data. Several arguments are presented suggesting that the arbitrary prefactor should not be introduced to the entropy term. The introduction of that factor is not required when a continuous Poisson distribution is used for the amplitude coefficients. We compare the formalism for when the variance of the data is known explicitly to that for when the variance is known only to lie in some finite range. The result of including the entropic measure factor is to suggest a spectrum consistent with the variance of the data which has less structure than that given by the forward transform. An application of the methodology to example data is demonstrated.
The model by Braginskii for the viscous stress tensor is used to determine the shear and gyroviscous forces acting within a toroidally confined plasma. Comparison is made to a previous evaluation which contains an inconsistent treatment of the radial derivative and neglects the effect of the pitch angle. Parallel viscosity contributes a radial shear viscous force which may develop for sufficient vertical asymmetry to the ion velocity profile. An evaluation is performed of this radial viscous force for a tokamak near equilibrium which indicates qualitative agreement between theory and measurement for impure plasma discharges with strong toroidal flow.
The helicon antenna is a well-known device in the field of electric propulsion. Here we investigate the vector potential produced in vacuum by such an antenna with typical size parameters. Both a static and a dynamic analysis are performed. The dynamic calculation is evaluated at both the usual operating frequency and one which is slightly greater. At the higher frequency, a pulse of electromagnetic energy is found to propagate along the cylindrical axis in either direction. The possible adaptation of the helicon antenna as a RF injection device for burning plasma is discussed.
With the establishment of vanishing net electrostatic fields in a toroidally symmetric tokamak at equilibrium [R. W. Johnson, to appear in Phys. Rev. D], one is left needing an explanation for the measurement of an apparent radial electric field in experiments. Two scenarios are proposed, depending on the type of measurement being considered. Indirect measurement via the radial equation of motion for an impurity species possibly measures that species' net radial viscous force, and direct measurement via the motional Stark effect might reveal electric fields generated by the shifting of the toroidal magnetic flux density.
The calculation presented in "A neoclassical calculation of rotation profiles and comparison with DIII-D measurements" by Stacey, Johnson, and Mandrekas, [Physics of Plasmas, 13, (2006)], contains several errors, including the neglect of the toroidal electric field, an unphysical expression for the electrostatic potential, and an unevaluated relation among its parameters. An alternative formulation is discussed.
From a common expression for the poloidal electrostatic field of a tokamak, in the limit of large aspect ratio and concentric circular flux surfaces, one may determine the associated potential. This potential satisfies Poisson's equation, which reduces to Laplace's equation when the medium has vanishing charge density, in axial geometry but not toroidal geometry. A simple transformation takes the potential over to the correct harmonic form for tokamak coordinates, and the resulting electrostatic field is calculated. From the radial field one may estimate the supporting charge density on the boundary, and from the poloidal field one may determine a prediction for the radial dependence of the electron temperature, which does not compare well with a rough estimate of the profile often seen in a tokamak.
The calculation presented in "Rotation Velocities and Radial Electric Field in the Plasma Edge" by W. M. Stacey [Contrib. Plasma Phys. 46, (2006)] contains an inconsistent treatment of the electrostatic potential. Comparing the expressions for the potential associated with the radial electrostatic field with that associated with the poloidal electrostatic field reveals the inconsistency. A field-theoretic perspective implies that the electrostatic field must vanish in a model based upon the physics of a neutral, conducting fluid.
The neoclassical prescription to use an equation of motion to determine the electrostatic field within a tokamak plasma is fraught with difficulties. Herein we examine two popular expressions for the equilibrium electrostatic field so determined and show that one fails to withstand a formal scrutiny thereof while the other fails to respect the vector nature of the diamagnetic current. Reconsideration of the justification for the presence of the equilibrium electrostatic field indicates that no field is needed for a neutral plasma when considering the net bound current defined as the curl of the magnetization. With any shift in the toroidal magnetic flux distribution, a dynamic electric field is generated with both radial and poloidal components, providing an alternate explanation for any measurements thereof.
A heatbath algorithm is proposed for pure SU(N) lattice gauge theory based on the Manton action of the plaquette element for general gauge group N. Comparison is made to the Metropolis thermalization algorithm using both the Wilson and Manton actions. The heatbath algorithm is found to outperform the Metropolis algorithm in both execution speed and decorrelation rate. Results, mostly in D=3, for N=2 through 5 at several values for the inverse coupling are presented.