arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Stephen Wiggins.
We prove that a Lebesgue measure-preserving linked-twist map defined in the plane is metrically isomorphic to a Bernoulli shift (and thus strongly mixing). This is the first such result for an explicitly defined linked-twist map on a manifold other than the two-torus. Our work builds on that of Wojtkowski who established an ergodic partition for this example using an invariant cone-field in the tangent space.
We investigate the relation between the phase space structure of Hamiltonian and non-Hamiltonian deterministic thermostats. We show that phase space structures governing reaction dynamics in Hamiltonian systems map to the same type of phase space structures for the non-Hamiltonian isokinetic equations of motion for the thermostatted Hamiltonian. Our results establish a framework for analyzing thermostat dynamics using concepts and methods developed in reaction rate theory.
A quantum version of transition state theory based on a quantum normal form (QNF) expansion about a saddle-centre-...-centre equilibrium point is presented. A general algorithm is provided which allows one to explictly compute QNF to any desired order. This leads to an efficient procedure to compute quantum reaction rates and the associated Gamov-Siegert resonances. In the classical limit the QNF reduces to the classical normal form which leads to the recently developed phase space realisation of Wigner's transition state theory. It is shown that the phase space structures that govern the classical reaction d ynamicsform a skeleton for the quantum scattering and resonance wavefunctions which can also be computed from the QNF. Several examples are worked out explicitly to illustrate the efficiency of the procedure presented.
We analyze with the tools of lobe dynamics the velocity field from a numerical simulation of the surface circulation in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. We identify relevant hyperbolic trajectories and their manifolds, and show that the transport mechanism known as the `turnstile', previously identified in abstract dynamical systems and simplified model flows, is also at work in this complex and rather realistic ocean flow. In addition nonlinear dynamics techniques are shown to be powerful enough to identify the key geometric structures in this part of the Mediterranean. In particular the North Balearic Front, the westernmost part of the transition zone between saltier and fresher waters in the Western Mediterranean is interpreted in terms of the presence of a semipermanent ``Lagrangian barrier'' across which little transport occurs. Our construction also reveals the routes along which this transport happens. Topological changes in that picture, associated with the crossing by eddies and that may be interpreted as the breakdown of the front, are also observed during the simulation.
Let $N$ be a smooth manifold and $f:N\to N$ be a $C^l$, $l\geq 2$ diffeomorphism. Let $M$ be a normally hyperbolic invariant manifold, not necessarily compact. We prove an analogue of the $λ$-lemma in this case.
A quantum version of a recent formulation of transition state theory in {\em phase space} is presented. The theory developed provides an algorithm to compute quantum reaction rates and the associated Gamov-Siegert resonances with very high accuracy. The algorithm is especially efficient for multi-degree-of-freedom systems where other approaches are no longer feasible.
We propose a new dynamical model for capture of irregular moons which identifies chaos as the essential feature responsible for initial temporary gravitational trapping within a planet's Hill sphere. The key point is that incoming potential satellites get trapped in chaotic orbits close to "sticky" KAM tori in the neighbourhood of the planet, possibly for very long times, so that the chaotic layer largely dictates the final orbital properties of captured moons.