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T. Bartsch

Publications and source records attributed to T. Bartsch.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

Equilibration in fermionic systems

The time evolution of a finite fermion system towards statistical equilibrium is investigated using analytical solutions of a nonlinear partial differential equation that had been derived earlier from the Boltzmann collision term. The solutions of this fermionic diffusion equation are rederived in closed form, evaluated exactly for simplified initial conditions, and applied to hadron systems at low energies in the MeV-range, as well as to quark systems at relativistic energies in the TeV-range where antiparticle production is abundant. Conservation laws for particle number including created antiparticles, and for the energy are discussed.

cond-mat.stat-mech

Extracting Multidimensional Phase Space Topology from Periodic Orbits

We establish a hierarchical ordering of periodic orbits in a strongly coupled multidimensional Hamiltonian system. Phase space structures can be reconstructed quantitatively from the knowledge of periodic orbits alone. We illustrate our findings for the hydrogen atom in crossed electric and magnetic fields.

nlin.CD

Semiclassical ionization dynamics of the hydrogen molecular ion in an electric field of arbitrary orientation

Quasi-static models of barrier suppression have played a major role in our understanding of the ionization of atoms and molecules in strong laser fields. Despite their success, in the case of diatomic molecules these studies have so far been restricted to fields aligned with the molecular axis. In this paper we investigate the locations and heights of the potential barriers in the hydrogen molecular ion in an electric field of arbitrary orientation. We find that the barriers undergo bifurcations as the external field strength and direction are varied. This phenomenon represents an unexpected level of intricacy even on this most elementary level of the dynamics. We describe the dynamics of tunnelling ionization through the barriers semiclassically and use our results to shed new light on the success of a recent theory of molecular tunnelling ionization as well as earlier theories that restrict the electric field to be aligned with the molecular axis.

physics.atom-ph

Photoabsorption spectra of the diamagnetic hydrogen atom in the transition regime to chaos: Closed orbit theory with bifurcating orbits

With increasing energy the diamagnetic hydrogen atom undergoes a transition from regular to chaotic classical dynamics, and the closed orbits pass through various cascades of bifurcations. Closed orbit theory allows for the semiclassical calculation of photoabsorption spectra of the diamagnetic hydrogen atom. However, at the bifurcations the closed orbit contributions diverge. The singularities can be removed with the help of uniform semiclassical approximations which are constructed over a wide energy range for different types of codimension one and two catastrophes. Using the uniform approximations and applying the high-resolution harmonic inversion method we calculate fully resolved semiclassical photoabsorption spectra, i.e., individual eigenenergies and transition matrix elements at laboratory magnetic field strengths, and compare them with the results of exact quantum calculations.

nlin.CD

Uniform semiclassical approximations on a topologically non-trivial configuration space: The hydrogen atom in an electric field

Semiclassical periodic-orbit theory and closed-orbit theory represent a quantum spectrum as a superposition of contributions from individual classical orbits. Close to a bifurcation, these contributions diverge and have to be replaced with a uniform approximation. Its construction requires a normal form that provides a local description of the bifurcation scenario. Usually, the normal form is constructed in flat space. We present an example taken from the hydrogen atom in an electric field where the normal form must be chosen to be defined on a sphere instead of a Euclidean plane. In the example, the necessity to base the normal form on a topologically non-trivial configuration space reveals a subtle interplay between local and global aspects of the phase space structure. We show that a uniform approximation for a bifurcation scenario with non-trivial topology can be constructed using the established uniformization techniques. Semiclassical photo-absorption spectra of the hydrogen atom in an electric field are significantly improved when based on the extended uniform approximations.

nlin.CD

The Kustaanheimo-Stiefel transformation in geometric algebra

The Kustaanheimo-Stiefel (KS) transformation maps the non-linear and singular equations of motion of the three-dimensional Kepler problem to the linear and regular equations of a four-dimensional harmonic oscillator. It is used extensively in studies of the perturbed Kepler problem in celestial mechanics and atomic physics. In contrast to the conventional matrix-based approach, the formulation of the KS transformation in the language of geometric Clifford algebra offers the advantages of a clearer geometrical interpretation and greater computational simplicity. It is demonstrated that the geometric algebra formalism can readily be used to derive a Lagrangian and Hamiltonian description of the KS dynamics in arbitrary static electromagnetic fields. For orbits starting at the Coulomb centre, initial conditions are derived and a framework is set up that allows a discussion of the stability of these orbits.

physics.class-ph

The hydrogen atom in an electric field: Closed-orbit theory with bifurcating orbits

Closed-orbit theory provides a general approach to the semiclassical description of photo-absorption spectra of arbitrary atoms in external fields, the simplest of which is the hydrogen atom in an electric field. Yet, despite its apparent simplicity, a semiclassical quantization of this system by means of closed-orbit theory has not been achieved so far. It is the aim of this paper to close that gap. We first present a detailed analytic study of the closed classical orbits and their bifurcations. We then derive a simple form of the uniform semiclassical approximation for the bifurcations that is suitable for an inclusion into a closed-orbit summation. By means of a generalized version of the semiclassical quantization by harmonic inversion, we succeed in calculating high-quality semiclassical spectra for the hydrogen atom in an electric field.

nlin.CD

Closed orbits and their bifurcations in the crossed-fields hydrogen atom

A systematic study of closed classical orbits of the hydrogen atom in crossed electric and magnetic fields is presented. We develop a local bifurcation theory for closed orbits which is analogous to the well-known bifurcation theory for periodic orbits and allows identifying the generic closed-orbit bifurcations of codimension one. Several bifurcation scenarios are described in detail. They are shown to have as their constituents the generic codimension-one bifurcations, which combine into a rich variety of complicated scenarios. We propose heuristic criteria for a classification of closed orbits that can serve to systematize the complex set of orbits.

nlin.CD

Semiclassical quantization of the hydrogen atom in crossed electric and magnetic fields

The S-matrix theory formulation of closed-orbit theory recently proposed by Granger and Greene is extended to atoms in crossed electric and magnetic fields. We then present a semiclassical quantization of the hydrogen atom in crossed fields, which succeeds in resolving individual lines in the spectrum, but is restricted to the strongest lines of each n-manifold. By means of a detailed semiclassical analysis of the quantum spectrum, we demonstrate that it is the abundance of bifurcations of closed orbits that precludes the resolution of finer details. They necessitate the inclusion of uniform semiclassical approximations into the quantization process. Uniform approximations for the generic types of closed-orbit bifurcation are derived, and a general method for including them in a high-resolution semiclassical quantization is devised.

nlin.CD

Semiclassical quantization with bifurcating orbits

Bifurcations of classical orbits introduce divergences into semiclassical spectra which have to be smoothed with the help of uniform approximations. We develop a technique to extract individual energy levels from semiclassical spectra involving uniform approximations. As a prototype example, the method is shown to yield excellent results for photo-absorption spectra for the hydrogen atom in an electric field in a spectral range where the abundance of bifurcations would render the standard closed-orbit formula without uniform approximations useless. Our method immediately applies to semiclassical trace formulae as well as closed-orbit theory and offers a general technique for the semiclassical quantization of arbitrary systems.

nlin.CD

Dielectronic Recombination (via N=2 --> N'=2 Core Excitations) and Radiative Recombination of Fe XX: Laboratory Measurements and Theoretical Calculations

We have measured the resonance strengths and energies for dielectronic recombination (DR) of Fe XX forming Fe XIX via N=2 --> N'=2 (Delta_N=0) core excitations. We have also calculated the DR resonance strengths and energies using AUTOSTRUCTURE, HULLAC, MCDF, and R-matrix methods, four different state-of-the-art theoretical techniques. On average the theoretical resonance strengths agree to within <~10% with experiment. However, the 1 sigma standard deviation for the ratios of the theoretical-to-experimental resonance strengths is >~30% which is significantly larger than the estimated relative experimental uncertainty of <~10%. This suggests that similar errors exist in the calculated level populations and line emission spectrum of the recombined ion. We confirm that theoretical methods based on inverse-photoionization calculations (e.g., undamped R-matrix methods) will severely overestimate the strength of the DR process unless they include the effects of radiation damping. We also find that the coupling between the DR and radiative recombination (RR) channels is small. We have used our experimental and theoretical results to produce Maxwellian-averaged rate coefficients for Delta_N=0 DR of Fe XX. For kT>~1 eV, which includes the predicted formation temperatures for Fe XX in an optically thin, low-density photoionized plasma with cosmic abundances, our experimental and theoretical results are in good agreement. We have also used our R-matrix results, topped off using AUTOSTRUCTURE for RR into J>=25 levels, to calculate the rate coefficient for RR of Fe XX. Our RR results are in good agreement with previously published calculations.

astro-ph

Semiclassical Quantization by Harmonic Inversion: Comparison of Algorithms

Harmonic inversion techniques have been shown to be a powerful tool for the semiclassical quantization and analysis of quantum spectra of both classically integrable and chaotic dynamical systems. Various computational procedures have been proposed for this purpose. Our aim is to find out which method is numerically most efficient. To this end, we summarize and discuss the different techniques and compare their accuracies by way of two example systems.

nlin.CD

Ghost orbit bifurcations in semiclassical spectra

Gutzwiller's semiclassical trace formula for the density of states in a chaotic system diverges near bifurcations of periodic orbits, where it must be replaced with uniform approximations. It is well known that, when applying these approximations, complex predecessors of orbits created in the bifurcation (``ghost orbits'') can produce clear signatures in the semiclassical spectra. We demonstrate that these orbits themselves can undergo bifurcations, resulting in complex, non-generic bifurcation scenarios. We do so by studying an example taken from the Diamagnetic Kepler Problem. By application of normal form theory, we construct an analytic description of the complete bifurcation scenario, which is then used to calculate the pertinent uniform approximation. The ghost orbit bifurcation turns out to produce signatures in the semiclassical spectrum in much the same way as a bifurcation of real orbits would.

nlin.CD

Radiative recombination of bare Bi83+: Experiment versus theory

Electron-ion recombination of completely stripped Bi83+ was investigated at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) of the GSI in Darmstadt. It was the first experiment of this kind with a bare ion heavier than argon. Absolute recombination rate coefficients have been measured for relative energies between ions and electrons from 0 up to about 125 eV. In the energy range from 15 meV to 125 eV a very good agreement is found between the experimental result and theory for radiative recombination (RR). However, below 15 meV the experimental rate increasingly exceeds the RR calculation and at Erel = 0 eV it is a factor of 5.2 above the expected value. For further investigation of this enhancement phenomenon the electron density in the interaction region was set to 1.6E6/cm3, 3.2E6/cm3 and 4.7E6/cm3. This variation had no significant influence on the recombination rate. An additional variation of the magnetic guiding field of the electrons from 70 mT to 150 mT in steps of 1 mT resulted in periodic oscillations of the rate which are accompanied by considerable changes of the transverse electron temperature.

physics.atom-ph

Uniform approximations for non-generic bifurcation scenatios including bifurcations of ghost orbits

Gutzwiller's trace formula allows interpreting the density of states of a classically chaotic quantum system in terms of classical periodic orbits. It diverges when periodic orbits undergo bifurcations, and must be replaced with a uniform approximation in the vicinity of the bifurcations. As a characteristic feature, these approximations require the inclusion of complex ``ghost orbits''. By studying an example taken from the Diamagnetic Kepler Problem, viz. the period-quadrupling of the balloon-orbit, we demonstrate that these ghost orbits themselves can undergo bifurcations, giving rise to non-generic complicated bifurcation scenarios. We extend classical normal form theory so as to yield analytic descriptions of both bifurcations of real orbits and ghost orbit bifurcations. We then show how the normal form serves to obtain a uniform approximation taking the ghost orbit bifurcation into account. We find that the ghost bifurcation produces signatures in the semiclassical spectrum in much the same way as a bifurcation of real orbits does.

chao-dyn

Dielectronic Recombination of Ground-State and Metastable Li+ Ions

Dielectronic recombination has been investigated for Delta-n = 1 resonances of ground-state Li+(1s^2) and for Delta-n = 0 resonances of metastable Li+(1s2s ^3S). The ground-state spectrum shows three prominent transitions between 53 and 64 eV, while the metastable spectrum exhibits many transitions with energies < 3.2 eV. Reasonably good agreement of R-matrix, LS coupling calculations with the measured recombination rate coefficient is obtained. The time dependence of the recombination rate yields a radiative lifetime of 52.2 +- 5.0 s for the 2 ^3S level of Li+.

physics.atom-ph

Dielectronic Recombination in Photoionized Gas. II. Laboratory Measurements for Fe XVIII and Fe XIX

In photoionized gases with cosmic abundances, dielectronic recombination (DR) proceeds primarily via nlj --> nl'j' core excitations (Dn=0 DR). We have measured the resonance strengths and energies for Fe XVIII to Fe XVII and Fe XIX to Fe XVIII Dn=0 DR. Using our measurements, we have calculated the Fe XVIII and Fe XIX Dn=0 DR DR rate coefficients. Significant discrepancies exist between our inferred rates and those of published calculations. These calculations overestimate the DR rates by factors of ~2 or underestimate it by factors of ~2 to orders of magnitude, but none are in good agreement with our results. Almost all published DR rates for modeling cosmic plasmas are computed using the same theoretical techniques as the above-mentioned calculations. Hence, our measurements call into question all theoretical Dn=0 DR rates used for ionization balance calculations of cosmic plasmas. At temperatures where the Fe XVIII and Fe XIX fractional abundances are predicted to peak in photoionized gases of cosmic abundances, the theoretical rates underestimate the Fe XVIII DR rate by a factor of ~2 and overestimate the Fe XIX DR rate by a factor of ~1.6. We have carried out new multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock and multiconfiguration Breit-Pauli calculations which agree with our measured resonance strengths and rate coefficients to within typically better than <~30%. We provide a fit to our inferred rate coefficients for use in plasma modeling. Using our DR measurements, we infer a factor of ~2 error in the Fe XX through Fe XXIV Dn=0 DR rates. We investigate the effects of this estimated error for the well-known thermal instability of photoionized gas. We find that errors in these rates cannot remove the instability, but they do dramatically affect the range in parameter space over which it forms.

astro-ph

Significance of Ghost Orbit Bifurcations in Semiclassical Spectra

Gutzwiller's trace formula for the semiclassical density of states in a chaotic system diverges near bifurcations of periodic orbits, where it must be replaced with uniform approximations. It is well known that, when applying these approximations, complex predecessors of orbits created in the bifurcation ("ghost orbits") can produce pronounced signatures in the semiclassical spectra in the vicinity of the bifurcation. It is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate that these ghost orbits themselves can undergo bifurcations, resulting in complex, nongeneric bifurcation scenarios. We do so by studying an example taken from the Diamagnetic Kepler Problem, viz. the period quadrupling of the balloon orbit. By application of normal form theory we construct an analytic description of the complete bifurcation scenario, which is then used to calculate the pertinent uniform approximation. The ghost orbit bifurcation turns out to produce signatures in the semiclassical spectrum in much the same way as a bifurcation of real orbits would.

chao-dyn