Nodal domains of the equilateral triangle billiard

We characterise the eigenfunctions of an equilateral triangle billiard in terms of its nodal domains. The number of nodal domains has a quadratic form in terms of the quantum numbers, with a non-trivial number-theoretic factor. The patterns of the eigenfunctions follow a group-theoretic connection in a way that makes them predictable as one goes from one state to another. Extensive numerical investigations bring out the distribution functions of the mode number and signed areas. The statistics of the boundary intersections is also treated analytically. Finally, the distribution functions of the nodal loop count and the nodal counting function are shown to contain information about the classical periodic orbits using the semiclassical trace formula. We believe that the results belong generically to non-separable systems, thus extending the previous works which are concentrated on separable and chaotic systems.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figure

A nodal domain theorem for integrable billiards in two dimensions

Eigenfunctions of integrable planar billiards are studied - in particular, the number of nodal domains, $\nu$, of the eigenfunctions are considered. The billiards for which the time-independent Schr\"odinger equation (Helmholtz equation) is separable admit trivial expressions for the number of domains. Here, we discover that for all separable and non-separable integrable billiards, $\nu$ satisfies certain difference equations. This has been possible because the eigenfunctions can be classified in families labelled by the same value of $m\mod kn$, given a particular $k$, for a set of quantum numbers, $m, n$. Further, we observe that the patterns in a family are similar and the algebraic representation of the geometrical nodal patterns is found. Instances of this representation are explained in detail to understand the beauty of the patterns. This paper therefore presents a mathematical connection between integrable systems and difference equations.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

Cross-section Fluctuations in Open Microwave Billiards and Quantum Graphs: The Counting-of-Maxima Method Revisited

The fluctuations exhibited by the cross-sections generated in a compound-nucleus reaction or, more generally, in a quantum-chaotic scattering process, when varying the excitation energy or another external parameter, are characterized by the width Gamma_corr of the cross-section correlation function. In 1963 Brink and Stephen [Phys. Lett. 5, 77 (1963)] proposed a method for its determination by simply counting the number of maxima featured by the cross sections as function of the parameter under consideration. They, actually, stated that the product of the average number of maxima per unit energy range and Gamma_corr is constant in the Ercison region of strongly overlapping resonances. We use the analogy between the scattering formalism for compound-nucleus reactions and for microwave resonators to test this method experimentally with unprecedented accuracy using large data sets and propose an analytical description for the regions of isolated and overlapping resonances

Residual stress development and evolution in two-phase crystalline material: a discrete dislocation study

Crystalline materials undergo heterogeneous deformation upon the application of external load, which results in the development of incompatible elastic strains in the material as soon as the load is removed. The presence of heterogeneous distribution of elastic strains in the absence of any form of external load results in the building up of stresses referred to as residual stresses. The heterogeneity of strain is attributed either to the presence of multiple phases or to the orientation gradients across the sample volume. This paper is an endeavour to model the presence of second phase in a two-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics framework, which already contains constitutive rules to include three-dimensional mechanisms, such as line tension and dynamic junction formation. The model is used to investigate residual stress development in single crystals subjected to plane strain loading and then subsequently unloaded to study residual stresses. The dislocation accumulation around the second phase and its effect on the mechanical properties is studied. The orientation dependence of residual stresses as a function of the underlying defect substructure has also been explored. A variety of results are obtained. In particular, the development of stresses as a function of underlying defect substructure is also presented and found to depend upon the orientation of the crystal