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Results for “ADIABATIC APPROXIMATION”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3

Particle transport in planetary magnetospheres

Particle energization in Earth's and Jupiter's magnetospheres is discussed. Understanding of the large scale magnetic and electric fields in which charged particles move is reviewed. Orbit theory in the adiabatic approximation is sketched. General conditions for adiabatic breakdown at each of three levels of periodicity are presented. High energy losses and lower energy sources argue for the existence of magnetospheric accelerations. Nonadiabatic acceleration processes are mentioned. Slow diffusive energization by particle interactions with electromagnetic fluctuations is outlined. This mechanism seems adequate at Earth but, operating alone, is unconvincing for Jupiter. Adding spatial diffusion in the radially distended Jovian magnetodisk may resolve the difficulty.

Birmingham, T. J.↗

Communication: Creation of molecular vibrational motions via the rotation-vibration coupling

Building on recent advances in the rotational excitation of molecules, we show how the effect of rotation-vibration coupling can be switched on in a controlled manner and how this coupling unfolds in real time after a pure rotational excitation. We present the first examination of the vibrational motions which can be induced via the rotation-vibration coupling after a pulsed rotational excitation. A time-dependent quantum wave packet calculation for the HF molecule shows how a slow (compared to the vibrational period) rotational excitation leads to a smooth increase in the average bond length whereas a fast rotational excitation leads to a non-stationary vibrational motion. As a result, under field-free postpulse conditions, either a stretched stationary bond or a vibrating bond can be created due to the coupling between the rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom. The latter corresponds to a laser-induced breakdown of the adiabatic approximation for rotation-vibration coupling.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Radial variation of the solar wind proton temperature: Heat flow or addition?

The proton temperature profile of the asymptotic solar wind plasma can be modified by four different physical effects: PdV work, external heat deposition, ΔQ, divergence of heat, ∇⋅q, and collisional energy exchange with other species in the plasma. Suggestions in the literature that ΔQ heating is “required” to explain the proton profile have often been deduced while neglecting q{sub p} and energy exchange. Despite the adiabatic approximation q{sub p}=0 having no rigorous justification in low-density plasmas, the simultaneous neglect of energy exchange unnaturally forces the “need” for ΔQ to balance adiabatic cooling caused by the wind’s expansion. In this paper, the asymptotic wind proton heat flux is determined which balances the inner Heliosphere’s steady state entropy equation for the protons, ignoring heat addition and energy exchange. The solutions of the energy equation recover both the power-law trend and amplitude of the 5 year averaged Helios temperature profiles that were segregated by speed. The dimensionless skewness S of the heat flow is empirically shown to scale for all wind states below 600 km s{sup −1} as if it were equal to the Knudsen number determined by Coulomb collisions, a relation that is rigorously demonstrated for an infinitesimal Knudsen number, bridging the unusual adiabatic protons for U≃250 km s{sup −1} and the higher speed states of the winds that remain hotter over a wider radial domain. Higher speed states (U>650 km s{sup −1}) may require additional scattering beyond what Coulomb effects can provide, although the averaged profiles for these speeds are not as accurate as those below 600 km s{sup −1}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The exact wavefunction factorization of a vibronic coupling system

We investigate the exact wavefunction as a single product of electronic and nuclear wavefunction for a model conical intersection system. Exact factorized spiky potentials and nodeless nuclear wavefunctions are found. The exact factorized potential preserves the symmetry breaking effect when the coupling mode is present. Additionally nodeless wavefunctions are found to be closely related to the adiabatic nuclear eigenfunctions. This phenomenon holds even for the regime where the non-adiabatic coupling is relevant, and sheds light on the relation between the exact wavefunction factorization and the adiabatic approximation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

EVIDENCE FOR QUASI-ADIABATIC MOTION OF CHARGED PARTICLES IN STRONG CURRENT SHEETS IN THE SOLAR WIND

We investigate quasi-adiabatic dynamics of charged particles in strong current sheets (SCSs) in the solar wind, including the heliospheric current sheet (HCS), both theoretically and observationally. A self-consistent hybrid model of an SCS is developed in which ion dynamics is described at the quasi-adiabatic approximation, while the electrons are assumed to be magnetized, and their motion is described in the guiding center approximation. The model shows that the SCS profile is determined by the relative contribution of two currents: (i) the current supported by demagnetized protons that move along open quasi-adiabatic orbits, and (ii) the electron drift current. The simplest modeled SCS is found to be a multi-layered structure that consists of a thin current sheet embedded into a much thicker analog of a plasma sheet. This result is in good agreement with observations of SCSs at ∼1 au. The analysis of fine structure of different SCSs, including the HCS, shows that an SCS represents a narrow current layer (with a thickness of ∼10{sup 4} km) embedded into a wider region of about 10{sup 5} km, independently of the SCS origin. Therefore, multi-scale structuring is very likely an intrinsic feature of SCSs in the solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The Berry phase and the phase of the determinant

We show that under very general assumptions the adiabatic approximation of the phase of the zeta-regularized determinant of the imaginary-time Schrödinger operator with periodic Hamiltonian is equal to the Berry phase.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Weakly bound states of the He-He-Mg trimer

We search for the existence of the weakly bound He-He-Mg molecules. The He-He-Mg molecule is treated as a three-body system. By using hyperspherical coordinates, the Schroedinger equation for the triatomic system is solved in the adiabatic approximation. We obtain that the binding of the three atoms is possible. The binding energies of such molecules are estimated.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Effect of the Pauli exclusion principle and the polarization of nuclei on the potential of their interaction for the example of the {sup 16}O+{sup 16}O system

On the basis of the energy-density method, the effect of simultaneously taking into account the Pauli exclusion principle and the monopole and quadrupole polarizations of interacting nuclei on their interaction potential is considered for the example of the {sup 16}O + {sup 16}O system by using the wave function for the two-center shell model. The calculations performed in the adiabatic approximation reveal that the inclusion of the Pauli exclusion principle and the polarization of interacting nuclei, especially their quadrupole polarization, has a substantial effect on the potential of the nucleus-nucleus interaction.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

A simple formula for the third integral of motion of disk-crossing stars in the galaxy

We present a simple analytical formula for an approximated third integral of motion associated with nearly equatorial orbits in the Galaxy: I{sub 3}=ZΣ{sub I}{sup 1/3}, where Z(R) is the vertical amplitude of the orbit at galactocentric distance R and Σ {sub I}(R) is the integrated dynamical surface mass density of the disk, a quantity which has recently become measurable. We also suggest that this relation is valid for disk-crossing orbits in a wide variety of axially symmetric galactic models, which range from razor-thin disks to disks with non-negligible thickness, whether or not the system includes bulges and halos. We apply our formalism to a Miyamoto-Nagai model and to a realistic model for the Milky Way. In both cases, the results provide fits for the shape of nearly equatorial orbits which are better than the corresponding curves obtained by the usual adiabatic approximation when the orbits have vertical amplitudes comparable to the disk's scale height. We also discuss the role of this approximate third integral of motion in modified theories of gravity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Coherent control and time-dependent density functional theory: Towards creation of wave packets by ultrashort laser pulses

Explicitly time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is a formally exact theory, which can treat very large systems. However, in practice it is used almost exclusively in the adiabatic approximation and with standard ground state functionals. Therefore, if combined with coherent control theory, it is not clear which control tasks can be achieved reliably, and how this depends on the functionals. In this paper, we continue earlier work in order to establish rules that answer these questions. Specifically, we look at the creation of wave packets by ultrashort laser pulses that contain several excited states. We find that (i) adiabatic TDDFT only works if the system is not driven too far from the ground state, (ii) the permanent dipole moments involved should not differ too much, and (iii) these results are independent of the functional used. Additionally, we find an artifact that produces fluence-dependent excitation energies.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Strongly correlated states of a small cold-atom cloud from geometric gauge fields

Using exact diagonalization for a small system of cold bosonic atoms, we analyze the emergence of strongly correlated states in the presence of an artificial magnetic field. This gauge field is generated by a laser beam that couples two internal atomic states, and it is related to Berry's geometrical phase that emerges when an atom follows adiabatically one of the two eigenstates of the atom-laser coupling. Our approach allows us to go beyond the adiabatic approximation, and to characterize the generalized Laughlin wave functions that appear in the strong magnetic-field limit.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Classically spinning and isospinning solitons

We investigate classically spinning topological solitons in (2+1)- and (3+1)-dimensional models; more explicitely spinning sigma model solitons in 2+1 dimensions and Skyrme solitons in 2+1 and 3+1 dimensions. For example, such types of solitons can be used to describe quasiparticle excitations in ferromagnetic quantum Hall systems or to model spin and isospin states of nuclei. The standard way to obtain solitons with quantised spin and isospin is the semiclassical quantization procedure: One parametrizes the zero-mode space - the space of energy-degenerate soliton configurations generated from a single soliton by spatial translations and rotations in space and isospace - by collective coordinates which are then taken to be time-dependent. This gives rise to additional dynamical terms in the Hamiltonian which can then be quantized following semiclassical quantization rules. A simplification which is often made in the literature is to apply a simple adiabatic approximation to the (iso)rotational zero modes of the soliton by assuming that the soliton's shape is rotational frequency independent. Our numerical results on classically spinning arbitrarily deforming soliton solutions clearly show that soliton deformation cannot be ignored.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The adiabatic phase mixing and heating of electrons in Buneman turbulence

The nonlinear development of the strong Buneman instability and the associated fast electron heating in thin current layers with Ω{sub e}/ω{sub pe}<1 is explored. Phase mixing of the electrons in wave potential troughs and a rapid increase in temperature are observed during the saturation of the instability. We show that the motion of trapped electrons can be described using a Hamiltonian formalism in the adiabatic approximation. The process of separatrix crossing as electrons are trapped and de-trapped is irreversible and guarantees that the resulting electron energy gain is a true heating process.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nonlinear properties and stabilities of polaritonic crystals beyond the low-excitation-density limit

Coherent properties of a two-dimensional spatially periodic structure, polaritonic crystal (PolC) formed by trapped two-level atoms in an optical cavity array interacting with a light field, are analyzed. By considering the wave function overlapping for both photonic and atomic states, a cubic-quintic complex nonlinear Schroedinger equation is derived for the dynamics of coupled atom-light states, wave function of low-branch polaritons, associated with PolC in the continuous limit. A variational approach predicts that a stable ground-state wave function of PolC exists but is accompanied by an oscillating width. For a negative scattering length, the wave function collapses in the presence of a small quintic nonlinearity appearing due to a three-body polariton interaction. By studying the nonequilibrium (dissipative) dynamics of polaritons with adiabatic approximation, we have shown that the collapse of PolC wave function can be prevented even in the presence of small decaying of a number of polariton particles.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Dinuclear systems in complete fusion reactions

Formation and evolution of dinuclear systems in reactions of complete fusion are considered. Based on the dinuclear system concept, the process of compound nucleus formation is studied. Arguments confirming the validity of this concept are given. The main problems of describing the complete fusion in adiabatic approximation are listed. Calculations of evaporation residue cross sections in complete fusion reactions leading to formation of superheavy nuclei are shown. Isotopic trends of the cross sections of heavy nuclei formation in complete fusion reactions are considered.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

A generalized Uhlenbeck and Beth formula for the third cluster coefficient

Relatively recently (Amaya-Tapia et al., 2011), we presented a formula for the evaluation of the third Bose fugacity coefficient–leading to the third virial coefficient–in terms of three-body eigenphase shifts, for particles subject to repulsive forces. An analytical calculation for a 1-dim. model, for which the result is known, confirmed the validity of this approach. We now extend the formalism to particles with attractive forces, and therefore must allow for the possibility that the particles have bound states. We thus obtain a true generalization of the famous formula of Uhlenbeck and Beth (Uhlenbeck and Beth, 1936; Beth and Uhlenbeck, 1937) and of Gropper (Gropper, 1936, 1937) for the second virial. We illustrate our formalism by a calculation, in an adiabatic approximation, of the third cluster in one dimension, using McGuire’s model as in our previous paper, but with attractive forces. The inclusion of three-body bound states is trivial; taking into account states having asymptotically two particles bound, and one free, is not.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Ionization processes in small quasimolecules: He{sub 2}{sup 2+} (He{sup 2+}+ He)

The energy spectra of electrons ejected in He{sup 2+}-He collisions were measured in the ion energy range 6-30 keV. Theoretical analysis of the ionization mechanisms has been performed on the basis of the advanced adiabatic approximation for one-electron processes and perturbation theory for two-electron processes. The ionization channel 2p{sigma}{sup 2}{yields} 1s{sigma}nd{sigma}{yields} 1s{sigma}{epsilon}d{sigma} has been revealed, which makes a considerable contribution to the ionization cross section in the keV ion energy range.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Nonadiabatic optomechanical Hamiltonian of a moving dielectric membrane in a cavity

We formulate a nonrelativistic Hamiltonian in order to describe the interaction between a moving dielectric membrane and radiation pressure. Such a Hamiltonian is derived without making use of the single-mode adiabatic approximation, and linear approximation and hence, it enables us to incorporate multimode effects in cavity optomechanics. By performing a second quantization, we show how a set of generalized Fock states can be constructed to represent quantum states of the membrane and cavity field. In addition, we discuss examples showing how photon scattering among different cavity modes would modify the interaction strengths and the mechanical frequency of the membrane.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗