Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1999. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-61). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-45). Also available in electronic version.

No description available.

We determine the dynamical structure factors of two gapped correlated electron systems, namely the Ising model in a strong transverse field and the two-leg spin-1/2 Heisenberg ladder in the limit of strong rung coupling. We consider the low-temperature limit, employing a variety of analytical and numerical techniques. The coherent modes of single-particle excitations, which are delta functions at zero temperature, are shown to broaden asymmetrically in energy with increasing temperature. Firstly, we apply a low-temperature “resummation” inspired by the Dyson equation to a linked-cluster expansion of the two-leg Heisenberg ladder. We include matrix elements to second order in the interaction between states containing up to two particles. A low-frequency response similar to the “Villain mode” is also observed. Next, we apply a cumulant expansion technique to the transverse field Ising model. We resolve the issue of negative spectral weight caused by double pole in the leading self-energy diagram by including a resummation of terms obtained from the six-point function, demonstrating that the perturbation series in 2n-spin correlation functions can be extended to higher orders. The result generalises to higher dimensions and the analytic calculation is compared to a numerical Pade approximant. We outline the extension of this method to the strong coupling ladder. Finally, we compare the previous results to numerical data obtained by full diagonalisation of finite chains and numerical evaluation of the Pfaffian, a method specific to the transverse field Ising chain. The latter method is used for a phenomenological study of the asymmetric broadening as well as an evaluation of fitting functions for the broadened lineshapes.

We calculate the string tensions, mass spectrum, and deconfining temperatures of <i>SO(N</i>) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions. After a review of lattice field theory, we describe how we simulate the corresponding lattice gauge theories, construct operators to project on to specific states, and extrapolate values to the continuum limit. We discuss how to avoid possible complications such as finite size corrections and the bulk transition. <i>SO(N</i>) gauge theories have become recently topical since they do not have a fermion sign problem, are orbifold equivalent to <i>SU(N</i>) gauge theories, and share a common large-<i>N</i> limit in their common sector of states with <i>SU(N</i>) gauge theories. This motivates us to compare the physical properties of <i>SO(N</i>) and <i>SU(N</i>) gauge theories between 'group equivalences', which includes Lie algebra equivalences such as <i>SO</i>(6) and <i>SU</i>(4), and particularly a large-<i>N</i> equivalence. We discuss the large-<i>N</i> orbifold equivalence between <i>SO(N</i>) and <i>SU(N</i>) gauge theories, which relates the large-<i>N</i> gauge theories perturbatively. Using large-<i>N</i> extrapolations at fixed 't Hooft coupling, we test to see if <i>SO(N</i>) gauge theories and <i>SU(N</i>) gauge theories share non-perturbative properties at the large-<i>N</i> limit. If these group equivalences lead to similar physics in the gauge theories, then we could imagine doing finite chemical potential calculations that are currently intractable in <i>SU(N</i>) gauge theories by calculating equivalent quantities in the corresponding <i>SO(N</i>) gauge theories. We show that the <i>SO(N</i>) and <i>SU(N</i>) values match between group equivalences and at the large-<i>N</i> limit.

We investigate definability in henselian fields. Specifically, we are interested in those sets and substructures that are existentially definable or definable with `few' parameters. Our general approach is to use various versions of henselianity to understand the `local structure' of these definable sets. The fields in which we are most interested are those of positive characteristic, for example the local fields F_q((t)), but many of our methods and results also apply to p-adic and real closed fields. In positive characteristic we have to deal with inseparable field extensions and we develop the method of Λ-closure to `translate' inseparable field extensions into separable ones. In the first part of the thesis we focus on existentially definable sets, which are projections of algebraic sets. Our main tool is the Implicit Function Theorem (for polynomials) which is equivalent to t-henselianity, by work of Prestel and Ziegler. This enables us to prove that existentially definable sets are `large' in various senses. Using the Implicit Function Theorem, we also obtain a nonuniform local elimination of the existential quantifier. The non-uniformity and local character of this result at present forms an obstacle to full quantifier-elimination. From these technical statements we can deduce characterisations of, for example, existentially definable subfields and existentially definable transcendentals. We prove that a dense, regular extension of t-henselian fields is existentially closed which, in particular, implies the old result of Ershov that F_p(t)^h ≤_Ǝ F_p((t)). Using the existential closedness of large fields in henselian fields, we are able to apply many of these results to large fields. This answers questions for imperfect large fields that were answered in the perfect case by Fehm.</p> In the second part of the thesis, we work with power series fields F((t)) and subsets which are F- definable (and not contained in F). We use a `hensel-like' lemma to characterise F-orbits of (singleton) elements of F((t)). It turns out that all such orbits are Ǝ-t-definable. Consequently, we may apply our earlier results about existentially definable subsets to F-definable subsets. We can use this to characterise F-definable subfields of F((t)). As a further corollary, we obtain an Ǝ-0̸-definition of F_p[[t]] in F<sub>p<sub>((t)).

Nesta dissertação, estudamos implicações geradas pela quebra da simetria de Lorentz na Eletrodinâmica Quântica. Analisamos férmions interagindo com um campo eletromagnético nos contextos da mecânica quântica e ao efetuar correções radiativas. Na mecânica quântica, os termos de quebra da simetria de Lorentz foram tratados como perturbações à equação de Dirac, e seus valores esperados no vácuo foram obtidos. Nas correções radiativas, a quebra da simetria de Lorentz foi introduzida nessa interação para que o termo tipo Chern-Simons pudesse ser induzido em (3+1) dimensões. Também discutimos as consequências geradas por este termo sobre as velocidades de propagação de fótons clássicos. / In this dissertation, we study the implications generated by the Lorentz breaking symmetry in quantum electrodynamics. We analyze fermions interacting with an electromagnetic field in the contexts of quantum mechanics and we make radiative corrections. In quantum mechanics, the terms of the Lorentz breaking symmetry were treated as perturbations to the Dirac equation, and their expected values were obtained in a vacuum. In the radiative corrections, the Lorentz breaking symmetry was introduced in this interaction for the Chern-Simons like term could be induced in (3 +1) dimensions. We also discussed the consequences generated by this term on the propagation speeds of classic photons.

The scheduling and Control Group at the University of South Australia has been studying the optimal control of trains for many years, and has developed in-cab devices that help drivers stay on time and minimise energy use. In this thesis, we re-examine the optimal control theory for the train control problem. In particular, we study the optimal control around steep sections of track. To calculate an optimal driving strategy we need a realistic model of train performance. In particular, we need to know a coefficient of rolling resistance and a coefficient of aerodynamic drag. In practice, these coefficients are different for every train and difficult to predict. In the thesis, we study the use of mathematical filters to estimate model parameters from observations of actual train performance.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-114). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Theoretical predictions for generic multi-scale observables in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) typically suffer from large Sudakov logarithms associated with the emission of soft or collinear radiation, whose presence spoils the perturbative expansion in the coupling strength which underlies most calculations in QCD. A canonical way to improve predictions wherever these logarithms appear is to resum them to all perturbative orders, which can conveniently be achieved using Effective Field Theory (EFT) methods. In an age of increasing automation using computers, this task is still mostly performed manually, observable-by-observable. In this thesis we identify the 2-loop soft function as a crucial ingredient for the resummation of QCD Sudakov logarithms to Next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (NNLL) accuracy in Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET), for wide classes of observables involving two massless colour-charged energetic particles, such as dijet event shapes at lepton colliders, or colour singlet production at hadron colliders. We develop a method to evaluate these soft functions using numerical methods based on sector decomposition and the choice of a convenient parametrisation for the phase space. This allows the factorisation of all implicit (real emission) and explicit (virtual correction) divergences made manifest by dimensional and analytic regularisation. The regulator pole coefficients can then be evaluated numerically following a subtraction and expansion, and two computational tools are presented to perform these numerical integrations, one based on publicly available tools, the other based on our own code. Some technical improvements over naive straightforward numerical evaluation are demonstrated and implemented. This allows us to compute and verify two of three colour structures of the 2-loop bare soft functions for wide ranges of observables with a factorisation theorem. A number of example results - both new and already known - are shown to demonstrate the reach of this approach, and a few possible extensions are sketched. This thesis therefore represents a crucial step towards automation of resummation for generic observables to NNLL accuracy in SCET.