Astrophysical spectroscopy and neutron reactions: Integral transforms and Voigt functions

The Voigt functionsK(x, y) andL(x, y) which play an essential role in astrophysical spectroscopy and neutron physics are investigated and generalized from the viewpoint of integral operators. Unified representations and series expansions involving classical functions of mathematical physics and multivariable hypergeometric functions are established. From the delicate asymptotic analysis of Laplace and Hankel integral transforms we extract complete and rigorous asymptotic expansions of the generalized Voigt functions for large values of the variablesx andy which are of great value in the theory of spectral line profiles.     

A unified presentation of the Voigt functions

This paper aims at presenting a unified study of the Voigt functionsK(x,y) andL(x,y) which play a rather important role in several diverse fields of physics such as astrophysical spectroscopy and the theory of neutron reactions. Explicit expressions for these functions are given in terms of relatively more familiar special functions of one and two variables; indeed, each of these representations will naturally lead to various other needed properties of the Voigt functions.     

A unified presentation of the Voigt functions

In the present paper, we have given a generalization of a unified study of the Voigt functionsK(x, y) andL(x, y) obtained by Srivastava and Miller (1987; Vol. 135, pp. 111–118) which play an important role in several diverse fields of physics-such as astrophysical spectroscopy and the theory of neutron reactions. Explicit expressions for these functions are given in terms of relatively more familiar special functions of one and two variables; indeed, each of these representations will naturally lead to various other needed properties of the Voigt functions.     

On the adelphic potentials compatible with a set of planar orbits

Given a planar potentialB=B(x, y), compatible with a monoparametric family of planar orbitsf(x, y)=c, we face the problem of producing potentialsA=A(x, y), adelphic toB(x, y), i.e. nontrivial potentials which have in common withB(x, y) the given set of orbits. We establish a linear, second order partial differential equation for a functionP(x, y) and we prove that, to any definite positive solution of this equation, there corresponds a potentialA(x, y) adelphic toB(x, y).     

Compatible potentials and orbits in synodic systems

For a given family of orbits f(x,y) = c ^* which can be traced by a material point of unit in an inertial frame it is known that all potentials V(x,y) giving rise to this family satisfy a homogeneous, linear in V(x,y), second order partial differential equation (Bozis,1984). The present paper offers an analogous equation in a synodic system Oxy, rotating with angular velocity . The new equation, which relates the synodic potential function (x,y), = –V(x, y) + % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaWaaSqaaSqaai% aaigdaaeaacaaIYaaaaaaa!3780!\[\tfrac{1}{2}\]²(x ² + y ²) to the given family f(x,y) = c ^*, is again of the second order in (x,y) but nonlinear.As an application, some simple compatible pairs of functions (x,y) and f(x, y) are found, for appropriate values of , by adequately determining coefficients both in and f.     

Family boundary curves for autonomous dynamical systems

The notion of the family boundary curves (FBC), introduced recently for two-dimensional conservative systems, is extended to account for, generally, nonconservative autonomous systems of two degrees of freedom. Formulae are found for the force componentsX (x, y),Y (x, y) which produce a preassigned family of orbitsf(x, y)=c lying inside a preassigned, open or closed, regionB(x, y)0 of the xy plane.     

Families of planar orbits generated by homogeneous potentials

The second order partial differential equation which relates the potentialV(x,y) to a family of planar orbitsf(x,y)=c generated by this potential is applied for the case of homogeneousV(x,y) of any degreem. It is shown that, if the functionf(x,y) is also homogeneous, there exists, for eachm, a monoparametric set of homogeneous potentials which are the solutions of an ordinary, linear differential equation of the second order. Iff(x,y) is not homogeneous, in general, there is not a homogeneous potential which can create the given family; only if =f _y /f _x satisfies two conditions, a homogeneous potential does exist and can be determined uniquely, apart from a multiplicative constant. Examples are offered for all cases.     

Spectral line profiles and neutron cross sections: New results concerning the analysis of Voigt functions

The Voigt functions, so important in spectroscopy and neutron physics, are represented as generalized hypergeometric functions (G-functions) of two real variables. A system of partial differential equations for the Voigt functions is derived. By applying Hölder's inequality to an integral representation of the Voigt functions apparently not known in the literature until now, lower and upper bounds are obtained. Moreover, from this representation an asymptotic expansion of Voigt functions for large values of one variable is extracted.     

The gravitational field of a disk

This note gives the gravitational potential of the disk {(x, y, z):x ² +y ² p ² , z=0} and the gravitational field at the point (x, y, z). Formulas for a ring can be obtained as the difference of our results for two different values ofp. Results are obtained in terms of elliptic integrals and we indicate how these functions can be computed efficiently. Formulas necessary for the computation of partial derivatives are also given.This paper presents the results of one phase of research carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under Contract NAS7-100, sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.     

Motion of rigid bodies in a set of redundant variables

In this article we study the conditions for obtaining canonical transformationsy=f(x) of the phase space, wherey(y ₁,y ₂,...,y _2n ) andx(x ₁,x ₂,...,x _2m ) in such a way that the number of variables is increased. In particular, this study is applied to the rotational motion in functions of the Eulerian parameters (q ₀,q ₁,q ₂,q ₃) and their conjugate momenta (Q ₀,Q ₁,Q ₂,Q ₃) or in functions of complex variables (z ₁,z ₂,z ₃,z ₄) and their conjugate momenta (Z ₁,Z ₂,Z ₃,Z ₄) defined by means of the previous variables. Finally, our article include some properties on the rotational motion of a rigid body moving about a fixed point.     

Inhomogeneous potentials producing homogeneous orbits

We prove that, in general, a given two-dimensional inhomogeneous potential V(x,y) does not allow for the creation of homogeneous families of orbits. Yet, depending on the case at hand, if the given potential satisfies certain conditions, this potential is compatible either with one (or two) monoparametric homogeneous families of orbits or at most with five such familes. The orbits are then found on the grounds of the given potential.     

The angle-dependent redistribution functionsR III andR IV: Line absorption probability distribution functions and reemission coefficients

The line absorption probability distribution functions and the reemission coefficients are derived for the non-coherent scattering functionsR _III andR _IV. The appropriate line profile function forR _III is shown to be a simple Voigt function, while forR _IV, the line absorption probability distribution function is more complex involving a linear combination of two Voigt functions and another more complex probability distribution. The structure of the reemission coefficients forR _III andR _IV is then discussed.     

Numerical analysis of the symmetric methods

Aimed at the initial value problem of the particular second-order ordinary differential equations,y =f(x, y), the symmetric methods (Quinlan and Tremaine, 1990) and our methods (Xu and Zhang, 1994) have been compared in detail by integrating the artificial earth satellite orbits in this paper. In the end, we point out clearly that the integral accuracy of numerical integration of the satellite orbits by applying our methods is obviously higher than that by applying the same order formula of the symmetric methods when the integration time-interval is not greater than 12000 periods.     

Families of orbits in planar anisotropic fields

The aim of the planar inverse problem of dynamics is: given a monoparametric family of curves f(x, y) = c, find the potential V (x, y) under whose action a material point of unit mass can describe the curves of the family. In this study we look for V in the class of the anisotropic potentials V(x, y) = v(a²x² + y²), (a=constant). These potentials have been used lately in the search of connections between classical, quantum, and relativistic mechanics. We establish a general condition which must be satisfied by all the families produced by an anisotropic potential. We treat special cases regarding the families (e. g. families traced isoenergetically) and we present certain pertinent examples of compatible pairs of families of curves and anisotropic potentials. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Compatibility conditions for a non-quadratic integral of motion

Conditions are found which are satisfied by the coefficients of the expression being a second integral of the motion of an autonomous dynamical system with two degrees of freedom. The coefficientsA, B. , ,E are differentiable functions of the cartesian position coordinatesx, y. The velocity components are denoted by . It is shown that must be constant andB must be of the formB =f(x+y) +g(x-y) wheref, g are arbitrary.Given andB one can always find the remaining coefficientsA, E and also the corresponding potential and second integral. Depending on the specifica case at hand a certain number of arbitrary constants (or arbitrary functions) enter into the potential and the second integral. To each potential (which may be of the separable or nonseparable type in the coordinatesx andy)there corresponds one integral of the above form.     

Limits of stability for an area-preserving polynomial mapping

The Henon-Heiles mappingx=x+a(y–y ³), y=y–a(x–x³) has been studied, with the aim of finding where the unstable regions of the (x, y) plane are. When this mapping is put into the normal form, it is found to be a typical twist mapping. The criteria of Moser (1971) are used to obtain an upper limit to the size of a stable region around the origin, and this limit decreases to zero as the value of the parameter a increases toward 2.0. However, direct calculation fora=1.99 shows that there is a fairly large region insidex=0.412,y=0, from which escape from near the outer boundary requires at least 160 mappings. The region of high stability thus appears to be much larger than any region of absolute stability predicted by the KAM theorem.A general survey has been made of instability regions for the parameter valuea=1.0, this survey having been carried out to the extent which is allowed by a computer with 18-decimal-place accuracy. First, for all thex-axis fixed points (of the above mapping) deemed to be representative and significant, both the locations and variational matrix traces have been calculated. (The latter show whether the fixed point is elliptic or hyperbolic.) Ifn is the number of mappings andk is the number of circuits around the origin, then the listing (Table IV) is for fractionsk/n between 1/6 and 1/22, inclusive. (This covers the range 0x<0.96, withx=0 the fixed point forn=6,k=1).Escape toward infinity can be rapid, with less than 200 mappings necessary to reach the vicinity of then=1 fixed points (atx=±1,y=0 andx=0,y=±1) from outer regions of the (x, y) plane, such as for |x|>0.93,y=0. In this case, the unstable regions may be tongues encircling the origin. However, as the distance from the origin is decreased, the tongues can be replaced by exceedingly fine threads rapidly becoming less than say 10^–16 in thickness. Such a thread issues fromx=0.905468199,y=0 and requires of the order of 40 000 mappings to escape. It does so by spiralling about the origin and penetrating through several series of loops associated with various fixed points at successively greater (absolute) values ofx(y=0). The region between this thread and the origin is therefore highly stable. Practical stability of a region may be regarded as attained when the region is interior to a series of loops for which the trace of the variational matrix is close to 2.0. This occurs forn=53,k=4, with fixed point atx=0.819786,y=0 and Trace=2.0000 0004.If an invariant curve does in fact exist, then one must be able to show that the outward spiralling from a given series of loops is brought to a halt at some stage. This does not occur in the region where direct computation is possible, as we show in this article, and it remains to be seen under what conditions it can take place.     

The perturbed ideal resonance problem

The author's previous studies concerning the Ideal Resonance Problem are enlarged upon in this article. The one-degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian system investigated here has the form $$\begin{array}{*{20}c} { - F = B(x) + 2\mu ^2 A(x)\sin ^2 y + \mu ^2 f(x,y),} \\ {\dot x = - F_y ,\dot y = F_x .} \\ \end{array}$$ The canonically conjugate variablesx andy are respectively the momentum and the coordinate, andμ ² is a small positive constant parameter. The perturbationf is o (A) and is represented by a Fourier series iny. The vanishing of ?B/?x≡B ⁽¹⁾ atx=x ₀ characterizes the resonant nature of the problem. With a suitable choice of variables, it is shown how a formal solution to this perturbed form of the Ideal Resonance Problem can be constructed, using the method of ‘parallel’ perturbations. Explicit formulae forx andy are obtained, as functions of time, which include the complete first-order contributions from the perturbing functionf. The solution is restricted to the region of deep resonance, but those motions in the neighbourhood of the separatrix are excluded.     

Lie transforms and the Hamiltonization of non-Hamiltonian systems

To develop the perturbation solution of the non-Hamiltonian system of differential equationsy=g(y, t; ), it is sufficient to obtain the perturbation solution of a Hamiltonian system represented by the HamiltonianK=Y·g(y, t; ) which is linear in the adjoint vectorY. This Hamiltonization allows the direct use of the perturbation methods already established for Hamiltonian systems. To demonstrate this fact, a Hamiltonian algorithm developed by this author and based on the Lie-Deprit transform is applied to the Hamiltonized system and is shown to be equivalent to the application of the non-Hamiltonian form of this same algorithm to the original non-Hamiltonian system.     

Interplanetary radar time delay in an arbitrary theory of gravitation

Expressions for the interplanetary radar time delay in the one-body problem of an arbitrary gravitational theory are deduced. The structure of the theory enters the result through two functions of one variable,f(r) andq(r), always connected by an identity.     

Velocity structure of the shallow lunar crust

The data from the Apollo-14 and Apollo-16 Active Seismic Experiments have been reanalyzed and show that a power-law velocity variation with depth,v(z)110z ^1/6 m s^–1 (0<z<10 m), is consistent with both the travel times and amplitudes of the first arrivals for source-to-geophone separations up to 32 m. The data were improved by removing spurious glitches, by filtering and stacking. While this improved the signal-to-noise ratios, it was not possible to measure the arrival times or amplitudes of the first arrivals beyond 32 m. The data quality precludes a definitive distinction between the power-law velocity variation and the layered-velocity model proposed previously. However, the physical evidence that the shallow lunar regolith is made up of fine particles adds weight to the 1/6-power velocity model because this is the variation predicted theoretically for self-compacting spheres.The 1/6-power law predicts the travel time,t(x), varies with separation,x, ast(x)=t ₀(x/x ₀)^5/6 and, using a first-order theory, the amplitude,A(x), varies asA(x)=A ₀(x/x ₀)^{–(13–m)/12},m>1; the layervelocity model predictst(x)=t ₀(x/x ₀) andA(x)=A ₀(x/x ₀)^–2, respectively. The measured exponents for the arrival times were between 0.63 and 0.84 while those for the amplitudes were between –1.5 and –2.2. The large variability in the amplitude exponent is due, in part, to the coarseness with which the amplitudes are measured (only five bits are used per amplitude measurement) and the variability in geophone sensitivity and thumper-shot strengths.A least-squares analysis was devised which uses redundancy in the amplitude data to extract the geophone sensitivities, shot strengths and amplitude exponent. The method was used on the Apollo-16 ASE data and it indicates there may be as much as 30 to 40% variation in geophone sensitivities (due to siting and coupling effects) and 15 to 20% variability in the thumper-shot strengths. However, because of the low signal-to-noise ratios in the data, there is not sufficient accuracy or redundancy in the data to allow high confidence in these results.