Timothy M. Garoni

A comparative study of Macroscopic Fundamental Diagrams of arterial road networks governed by adaptive traffic signal systems

Using a stochastic cellular automaton model for urban traffic flow, we study and compare Macroscopic Fundamental Diagrams (MFDs) of arterial road networks governed by different types of adaptive traffic signal systems, under various boundary conditions. In particular, we simulate realistic signal systems that include signal linking and adaptive cycle times, and compare their performance against a highly adaptive system of self-organizing traffic signals which is designed to uniformly distribute the network density. We find that for networks with time-independent boundary conditions, well-defined stationary MFDs are observed, whose shape depends on the particular signal system used, and also on the level of heterogeneity in the system. We find that the spatial heterogeneity of both density and flow provide important indicators of network performance. We also study networks with time-dependent boundary conditions, containing morning and afternoon peaks. In this case, intricate hysteresis loops are observed in the MFDs which are strongly correlated with the density heterogeneity. Our results show that the MFD of the self-organizing traffic signals lies above the MFD for the realistic systems, suggesting that by adaptively homogenizing the network density, overall better performance and higher capacity can be achieved.

Traffic flow on realistic road networks with adaptive traffic lights

We present a model of traffic flow on generic urban road networks based on cellular automata. We apply this model to an existing road network in the Australian city of Melbourne, using empirical data as input. For comparison, we also apply this model to a square-grid network using hypothetical input data. On both networks we compare the effects of non-adaptive versus adaptive traffic lights, in which instantaneous traffic state information feeds back into the traffic signal schedule. We observe that not only do adaptive traffic lights result in better averages of network observables, they also lead to significantly smaller fluctuations in these observables. We furthermore compare two different systems of adaptive traffic signals, one which is informed by the traffic state on both upstream and downstream links and one which is informed by upstream links only. We find that, in general, both the mean and the fluctuation of the travel time are smallest when using the joint upstream–downstream control strategy.

Bond and site percolation in three dimensions.

We simulate the bond and site percolation models on a simple-cubic lattice with linear sizes up to L=512, and estimate the percolation thresholds to be p(c)(bond)=0.24881182(10) and p(c)(site)=0.3116077(2). By performing extensive simulations at these estimated critical points, we then estimate the critical exponents 1/ν=1.1410(15), β/ν=0.47705(15), the leading correction exponent y(i)=-1.2(2), and the shortest-path exponent d(min)=1.3756(3). Various universal amplitudes are also obtained, including wrapping probabilities, ratios associated with the cluster-size distribution, and the excess cluster number. We observe that the leading finite-size corrections in certain wrapping probabilities are governed by an exponent ≈-2, rather than y(i)≈-1.2.

Finite one-dimensional impenetrable Bose systems: Occupation numbers

Bosons in the form of ultracold alkali-metal atoms can be confined to a one-dimensional (1D) domain by the use of harmonic traps. This motivates the study of the ground-state occupations {lambda}{sub i} of effective single-particle states {phi}{sub i}, in the theoretical 1D impenetrable Bose gas. Both the system on a circle and the harmonically trapped system are considered. The {lambda}{sub i} and {phi}{sub i} are the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions, respectively, of the one-body density matrix. We present a detailed numerical and analytic study of this problem. Our main results are the explicit scaled forms of the density matrices, from which it is deduced that for fixed i the occupations {lambda}{sub i} are asymptotically proportional to {radical}(N) in both the circular and harmonically trapped cases.

Asymptotic corrections to the eigenvalue density of the GUE and LUE

We obtain correction terms to the large N asymptotic expansions of the eigenvalue density for the Gaussian unitary and Laguerre unitary ensembles of random N×N matrices, both in the bulk of the spectrum and near the spectral edge. This is achieved by using the well known orthogonal polynomial expression for the kernel to construct a double contour integral representation for the density, to which we apply the saddle point method. The main correction to the bulk density is oscillatory in N and depends on the distribution function of the limiting density, while the corrections to the Airy kernel at the soft edge are again expressed in terms of the Airy function and its first derivative. We demonstrate numerically that these expansions are very accurate. A matching is exhibited between the asymptotic expansion of the bulk density, expanded about the edge, and the asymptotic expansion of the edge density, expanded into the bulk.

Prudent walks and polygons

We have produced extended series for two-dimensional prudent polygons, based on a transfer matrix algorithm of complexity O(n 5 ), for a series of n-step polygons. For prudent polygons in two dimensions wefind the growth constant to be smaller than that for the corresponding walks, and by considering three distinct subclasses of prudent walks and polygons, we find that the growth constant for polygons varies with class, while for walks it does not. We give exact values for the critical exponents γ and α for walks and polygons, respectively. We have extended the definition of prudent walks to three dimensions and produced series expansions, using a back-tracking algorithm, for both walks and polygons. In the three-dimensional case we estimate the growthconstantforbothwalksandpolygonsandalsoestimatetheusualcritical exponents γ, νand α.

Asymptotic form of the density profile for Gaussian and Laguerre random matrix ensembles with orthogonal and symplectic symmetry

In a recent study we have obtained correction terms to the large N asymptotic expansions of the eigenvalue density for the Gaussian unitary and Laguerre unitary ensembles of random N×N matrices, both in the bulk and at the soft edge of the spectrum. In the present study these results are used to similarly analyze the eigenvalue density for Gaussian and Laguerre random matrix ensembles with orthogonal and symplectic symmetry. As in the case of unitary symmetry, a matching is exhibited between the asymptotic expansion of the bulk density, expanded about the edge, and the asymptotic expansion of the edge density, expanded into the bulk. In addition, aspects of the asymptotic expansion of the smoothed density, which involves delta functions at the endpoints of the support, are interpreted microscopically.

Painleve transcendent evaluations of finite system density matrices for 1d impenetrable bosons

Abstract: The recent experimental realisation of a one-dimensional Bose gas of ultra cold alkali atoms has renewed attention on the theoretical properties of the impenetrable Bose gas. Of primary concern is the ground state occupation of effective single particle states in the finite system, and thus the tendency for Bose-Einstein condensation. This requires the computation of the density matrix. For the impenetrable Bose gas on a circle we evaluate the density matrix in terms of a particular Painlevé VI transcendent in Σ-form, and furthermore show that the density matrix satisfies a recurrence relation in the number of particles. For the impenetrable Bose gas in a harmonic trap, and with Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions, we give a determinant form for the density matrix, a form as an average over the eigenvalues of an ensemble of random matrices, and in special cases an evaluation in terms of a transcendent related to Painlevé V and VI. We discuss how our results can be used to compute the ground state occupations.

Lévy flights: Exact results and asymptotics beyond all orders

A comprehensive study of the symmetric Levy stable probability density function is presented. This is performed for orders both less than 2, and greater than 2. The latter class of functions are traditionally neglected because of a failure to satisfy non-negativity. The complete asymptotic expansions of the symmetric Levy stable densities of order greater than 2 are constructed, and shown to exhibit intricate series of transcendentally small terms—asymptotics beyond all orders. It is demonstrated that the symmetric Levy stable densities of any arbitrary rational order can be written in terms of generalized hypergeometric functions, and a number of new special cases are given representations in terms of special functions. A link is shown between the symmetric Levy stable density of order 4, and Pearcey’s integral, which is used widely in problems of optical diffraction and wave propagation. This suggests the existence of applications for the symmetric Levy stable densities of order greater than 2, despite their failure to define a probability density function.

Ferromagnetic phase transition for the spanning-forest model (q-->0 limit of the Potts model) in three or more dimensions.

We present Monte Carlo simulations of the spanning-forest model (q-->0 limit of the ferromagnetic Potts model) in spatial dimensions d=3, 4, 5. We show that, in contrast to the two-dimensional case, the model has a ferromagnetic second-order phase transition at a finite positive value w(c). We present numerical estimates of w(c) and of the thermal and magnetic critical exponents. We conjecture that the upper critical dimension is 6.