Thermodynamical quantum localization in plasma physics?
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:07 am
Using quantum mechanics to predict particle dynamics is usually related to low energy physics, suggesting that we can nearly forget about it while considering high energy plasma (?)
There are some recent thermodynamical considerations suggesting that situation might be more complicated - that "quantum" densities with strong localization properties seem to be more universal.
The trick is that standard stochastic models like Brownian motion occur to be usually biased in a very subtle way - often emphasize some possibilities without a base for such assumption. It makes that they often only approximate e.g. maximal uncertainty principle, required by thermodynamical models.
There are recently being developed proper thermodynamical models - based on Maximal Entropy Random Walk (MERW).
For regular conditions or short time scales their behavior is similar, however irregularities make that global dynamical equilibrium state can be completely different.
For example Brownian motion leads to nearly uniform probability distribution, while both quantum mechanics and this corrected thermodynamical approach lead to the quantum mechanical ground state probability density - they have very strong localization properties.
To imagine how nontrivial this localization is, see for example electron density in defected lattice of semiconductor: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/41659
Here is PRL paper about localization in the simplest model: http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v102/i16/e160602
Here is large paper connecting with quantum thermodynamics (my current PhD thesis): http://arxiv.org/abs/1111.2253
And here is simulator to compare conductance in both models.
Applying to plasma physics the fact that properly made thermodynamical model for moving particles has "quantum" statistics is extremely difficult, but the general intuitions for some additional effects is that density could be more likely to localize in "defect-free" regions.
Where "defect" is something making it more difficult for particle to enter, like maybe the wall of tokamak or a charged object ...(?)
Do you have some experience with difficult to explain strong density localization in plasma physics?
And generally - what quantum effects are considered in plasma physics?
There are some recent thermodynamical considerations suggesting that situation might be more complicated - that "quantum" densities with strong localization properties seem to be more universal.
The trick is that standard stochastic models like Brownian motion occur to be usually biased in a very subtle way - often emphasize some possibilities without a base for such assumption. It makes that they often only approximate e.g. maximal uncertainty principle, required by thermodynamical models.
There are recently being developed proper thermodynamical models - based on Maximal Entropy Random Walk (MERW).
For regular conditions or short time scales their behavior is similar, however irregularities make that global dynamical equilibrium state can be completely different.
For example Brownian motion leads to nearly uniform probability distribution, while both quantum mechanics and this corrected thermodynamical approach lead to the quantum mechanical ground state probability density - they have very strong localization properties.
To imagine how nontrivial this localization is, see for example electron density in defected lattice of semiconductor: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/41659
Here is PRL paper about localization in the simplest model: http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v102/i16/e160602
Here is large paper connecting with quantum thermodynamics (my current PhD thesis): http://arxiv.org/abs/1111.2253
And here is simulator to compare conductance in both models.
Applying to plasma physics the fact that properly made thermodynamical model for moving particles has "quantum" statistics is extremely difficult, but the general intuitions for some additional effects is that density could be more likely to localize in "defect-free" regions.
Where "defect" is something making it more difficult for particle to enter, like maybe the wall of tokamak or a charged object ...(?)
Do you have some experience with difficult to explain strong density localization in plasma physics?
And generally - what quantum effects are considered in plasma physics?