Search results for "Relativity"
showing 10 items of 1213 documents
Electronic properties of graphene: A learning path for undergraduate students
2016
The purpose of this work is to present a learning path aimed at deepening student understanding of the fundamental concepts underlying the electronic properties of new materials, graphene in particular. To achieve this task, we propose a five-week long workshop where students may be introduced to fundamental concepts of advanced physics, rarely used in learning paths, such as the symmetry properties of the crystal lattice, the group theory , the features of the free electron wave functions and energy levels, the relativistic Dirac equation. Particular emphasis is given to the manner of introducing these concepts, since an essential knowledge of solid state physics, quantum physics and relat…
The Mathematicians’ Happy Hunting Ground: Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity
2004
There is hardly any doubt that for physics special relativity theory is of much greater consequence than the general theory. The reverse situation prevails with respect to mathematics: there special relativity theory had comparatively little, general relativity theory very considerable, influence, above all upon the development of a general scheme for differential geometry. —Hermann Weyl, “Relativity as a Stimulus to Mathematical Research,” pp. 536–537.
Seeing reality through Einstein's eyes: a teaching proposal for special relativity
2021
The teaching of Special Relativity is still a critical issue not only for students but also for teachers. In this paper, we describe the trial of a learning unit on the Special Relativity topic based on Minkowski's approach through spacetime diagrams, following the results in pedagogical researches in this field. The main innovation of our project consists of a mechanical instrument: it allows to physically and mechanically represent Lorentz’s transformations by hands, exploring the effects of a change of the reference frame. Teachers and students can deal “by eye” with unusual phenomena as the loss of simultaneity, time dilation, length contraction, relativistic addition of velocities and …
A quantum model of Schwarzschild black hole evaporation
1996
We construct a one-loop effective metric describing the evaporation phase of a Schwarzschild black hole in a spherically symmetric null-dust model. This is achieved by quantising the Vaidya solution and by chosing a time dependent quantum state. This state describes a black hole which is initially in thermal equilibrium and then the equilibrium is switched off, so that the black hole starts to evaporate, shrinking to a zero radius in a finite proper time. The naked singularity appears, and the Hawking flux diverges at the end-point. However, a static metric can be imposed in the future of the end-point. Although this end-state metric cannot be determined within our construction, we show tha…
Symmetries and solvable models for evaporating 2D black holes
1997
We study the evaporation process of a 2D black hole in thermal equilibrium when the ingoing radiation is suddenly switched off. We also introduce global symmetries of generic 2D dilaton gravity models which generalize the extra symmetry of the CGHS model. © Elsevier Science B.V
Relativistic kinematic approach to the classical ideal gas
2019
he necessary and sufficient conditions for a unit time-like vector field to be the unit velocity of a classical ideal gas are obtained. In a recent paper [Coll, Ferrando and S\'aez, Phys. Rev D {\bf 99} (2019)] we have offered a purely hydrodynamic description of a classical ideal gas. Here we take one more step in reducing the number of variables necessary to characterize these media by showing that a plainly kinematic description can be obtained. We apply the results to obtain test solutions to the hydrodynamic equation that model the evolution in local thermal equilibrium of a classical ideal gas. \end{abstract}
Thermodynamic class II Szekeres-Szafron solutions. Singular models
2019
A family of parabolic Szekeres-Szafron class II solutions in local thermal equilibrium is studied and their associated thermodynamics are obtained. The subfamily with the hydrodynamic behavior of a generic ideal gas (defined by the equation of state $p = k n \Theta$) results to be an inhomogeneous generalization of flat FLRW $\gamma$-law models. Three significative interpretations that follow on from the choice of three specific thermodynamic schemes are analyzed in depth. First, the generic ideal gas in local thermal equilibrium; this interpretation leads to an inhomogeneous temperature $\Theta$. Second, the thermodynamics with homogeneous temperature considered by Lima and Tiomno (CQG 6 1…
Local thermal equilibrium and ideal gas Stephani universes
2005
The Stephani universes that can be interpreted as an ideal gas evolving in local thermal equilibrium are determined. Five classes of thermodynamic schemes are admissible, which give rise to five classes of regular models and three classes of singular models. No Stephani universes exist representing an exact solution to a classical ideal gas (one for which the internal energy is proportional to the temperature). But some Stephani universes may approximate a classical ideal gas at first order in the temperature: all of them are obtained. Finally, some features about the physical behavior of the models are pointed out.
Unified theory for analysis of curved thin-walled girders with open and closed cross section through HSA method
2016
Abstract The behaviour of thin-walled structures is deeply influenced by non-uniform torsion and cross section distortion. In this paper the extension of the Hamiltonian Structural Analysis (HSA) Method to thin-walled straight and curved beams is presented. The proposed method solves the structural elastic problem of thin-walled beams through the definition of a Hamiltonian system composed of 1st order differential equations. The method allows engineers to solve the elastic problem by introducing the degrees of freedom and the corresponding compatibility equations, founding equilibrium equations in the variational form. The methodology is explained in the framework of the so-called Generali…
LEM for twisted re-entrant angle sections
2014
In this paper an innovative numerical method named as line element-less method, LEM, for finding solution of torsion problem has been extended to all shaped sections, including sections possessing re-entrant angles at their boundary. The response solution in terms of shear stress field or Prandtl function or warping function in all domain and for any kind of domain with arbitrary contour, may be performed quickly, calculating line integrals only. The method takes full advantage of the theory of analytic complex function and is robust in the sense that returns exact solution if this exists. Numerical implementation of LEM has been developed using Mathematica software without resorting to any…