Mathematical Physics

We determine explicit variational expressions for the free energy of mean-field spin glasses in a transversal magnetic field, whose glass interaction is given by a hierarchical Gaussian potential as in Derrida's Generalized Random Energy Model (GREM), its continuous version (CREM) or the non-hierarchical GREM. The corresponding phase diagrams, which generally include glass transitions as well as magnetic transitions, are discussed. In the glass phase, the free energy is generally determined by both the parameters of the classical model and the transversal field.

We perform generalizations of Witt and Virasoro algebras, and derive the corresponding Korteweg-de Vries equations from known R(p,q)-deformed quantum algebras previously introduced in J. Math. Phys. 51, 063518, (2010). Related relevant properties are investigated and discussed. Besides, we construct the R(p,q)-deformed Witt n- algebra, and determine the Virasoro constraints for a toy model, which play an important role in the study of matrix models. Finally, as matter of illustration, explicit results are provided for main particular deformed quantum algebras known in the literature.

In this paper we make an overview of results relating the recent "discoveries" in differential geometry, such as higher structures and differential graded manifolds with some natural problems coming from mechanics. We explain that a lot of classical differential geometric constructions in the context can be conveniently described using the language of Q-structures, and thus Q-structure preserving integrators are potentially of great use in mechanics. We give some hints how the latter can be constructed, and formulate some open problems. Since the text is intended both to mathematics and mechanics communities, we tried to make it accessible to non-geometers as well.

We consider the time-independent scattering theory for time evolution operators of one-dimensional two-state quantum walks. The scattering matrix associated with the position-dependent quantum walk naturally appears in the asymptotic behavior at spatial infinity of generalized eigenfunctions. The asymptotic behavior of generalized eigenfunctions is a consequence of an explicit expression of the Green function associated with the free quantum walk. When the position-dependent quantum walk is a finite rank perturbation of the free quantum walk, we derive a kind of combinatorial constructions of the scattering matrix by counting paths of quantum walkers. We also mention some remarks on the tunneling effect.

The study of hyperbolic waves involves various notions which help characterise how these structures evolve. One important facet is the notion of \emph{genuine nonlinearity}, namely the ability for shocks and rarefactions to form instead of contact discontinuities. In the context of the Whitham Modulation equations, this paper demonstrate that a loss of genuine nonlinearity leads to the appearance of a dispersive set of dynamics in the form of the modified Korteweg de-Vries equation governing the evolution of the waves instead. Its form is universal in the sense that its coefficients can be written entirely using linear properties of the underlying waves such as the conservation laws and linear dispersion relation. This insight is applied to two systems of physical interest, one an optical model and the other a stratified hydrodynamics experiment, to demonstrate how it can be used to provide insight into how waves in these systems evolve when genuine nonlinearity is lost.

We analyze in full-detail the geometric structure of the covariant phase space (CPS) of any local field theory defined over a space-time with boundary. To this end, we introduce a new frame: the "relative bicomplex framework". It is the result of merging an extended version of the "relative framework" (initially developed in the context of algebraic topology by R.~Bott and L.W.~Tu in the 1980s to deal with boundaries) and the variational bicomplex framework (the differential geometric arena for the variational calculus). The relative bicomplex framework is the natural one to deal with field theories with boundary contributions, including corner contributions. In fact, we prove a formal equivalence between the relative version of a theory with boundary and the non-relative version of the same theory with no boundary. With these tools at hand, we endow the space of solutions of the theory with a (pre)symplectic structure canonically associated with the action and which, in general, has boundary contributions. We also study the symmetries of the theory and construct, for a large group of them, their Noether currents, and charges. Moreover, we completely characterize the arbitrariness (or lack thereof for fiber bundles with contractible fibers) of these constructions. This clarifies many misconceptions about the role of the boundary terms in the CPS description of a field theory. Finally, we provide what we call the CPS-algorithm to construct the aforementioned (pre)symplectic structure and apply it to some relevant examples.

A novel invariant decomposition of diagonalizable n?n matrices into n commuting matrices is presented. This decomposition is subsequently used to split the fundamental representation of su(3) Lie algebra elements into at most three commuting elements of u(3) . As a result, the exponential of an su(3) Lie algebra element can be split into three commuting generalized Euler's formulas, or conversely, a Lie group element can be factorized into at most three generalized Euler's formulas. After the factorization has been performed, the logarithm follows immediately.

A geometrical formulation for adjoint-symmetries as 1-forms is studied for general partial differential equations (PDEs), which provides a dual counterpart of the geometrical meaning of symmetries as tangent vector fields on the solution space of a PDE. Two applications of this formulation are presented. Additionally, for systems of evolution equations, adjoint-symmetries are shown to have another geometrical formulation given by 1-forms that are invariant under the flow generated by the system on the solution space. This result is generalized to systems of evolution equations with spatial constraints, where adjoint-symmetry 1-forms are shown to be invariant up to a functional multiplier of a normal 1-form associated to the constraint equations. All of the results are applicable to the PDE systems of interest in applied mathematics and mathematical physics.

This thesis investigates geometric approaches to quantum hydrodynamics (QHD) in order to develop applications in theoretical quantum chemistry. Based upon the momentum map geometric structure of QHD and the associated Lie-Poisson and Euler-Poincaré equations, alternative geometric approaches to the classical limit in QHD are presented. These include a new regularised Lagrangian which allows for singular solutions called 'Bohmions' as well as a 'cold fluid' classical closure quantum mixed states. The momentum map approach to QHD is then applied to the nuclear dynamics in a chemistry model known as exact factorization. The geometric treatment extends existing approaches to include unitary electronic evolution in the frame of the nuclear flow, with the resulting dynamics carrying both Euler-Poincaré and Lie-Poisson structures. A new mixed quantum-classical model is then derived by considering a generalised factorisation ansatz at the level of the molecular density matrix. A new alternative geometric formulation of QHD is then constructed. Introducing a u(1) connection as the new fundamental variable provides a new method for incorporating holonomy in QHD, which follows from its constant non-zero curvature. The fluid flow is no longer irrotational and carries a non-trivial circulation theorem, allowing for vortex filament solutions. Finally, non-Abelian connections are then considered in quantum mechanics. The dynamics of the spin vector in the Pauli equation allows for the introduction of an so(3) connection whilst a more general u(H) connection is introduced from the unitary evolution of a quantum system. This is used to provide a new geometric picture for the Berry connection and quantum geometric tensor, whilst relevant applications to quantum chemistry are then considered.

In PT-quantum mechanics the generator of the dynamics of a physical system is not necessarily a self-adjoint Hamiltonian. It is now clear that this choice does not prevent to get a unitary time evolution and a real spectrum of the Hamiltonian, even if, most of the times, one is forced to deal with biorthogonal sets rather than with on orthonormal basis of eigenvectors. In this paper we consider some extended versions of the Heisenberg algebraic dynamics and we relate this analysis to some generalized version of Gibbs states and to their related KMS-like conditions. We also discuss some preliminary aspects of the Tomita-Takesaki theory in our context.