Radon surveys in Brazil using CR-39

In this work results of two radon daughters survey in Brazil are presented and discussed. Some methodological problems concerning the first survey are pointed out which were corrected for the second survey in order to make a realistic long-term measurement of radon decay products in the air. The technique employed in both surveys was the alpha-spectroscopy using CR-39. The reliability of this technique as well as the results of the second survey are discussed, which indicate a poor correlation between radon and its decay products in the air at the researched dwellings. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of environrnental conditions on the radon daughters spatial distribution

The influence of environmental conditions on the indoor radon daughters spatial distribution is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Simple theoretical calculations indicate that ventilation and variation in the size distribution of aerosols should play an important role influencing the spatial distribution of indoor radon decay products, but experimental results indicate that these environmental factors have little influence on the spatial distribution of radon daughters near the walls of indoor environments. We have observed that the maximum effective range of the plate-out effect varies only between I and 3 cm in typical dwellings. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimates for the Poisson kernel and Hardy spaces on compact manifolds

We study Hardy spaces on the boundary of a smooth open subset or R-n and prove that they can be defined either through the intrinsic maximal function or through Poisson integrals, yielding identical spaces. This extends to any smooth open subset of R-n results already known for the unit ball. As an application, a characterization of the weak boundary values of functions that belong to holomorphic Hardy spaces is given, which implies an F. and M. Riesz type theorem. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reversibility properties of semigroup actions on homogeneous spaces

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Cauchy-Stieltjes Integral on Time Scales in Banach Spaces and Hysteresis Operators

The play operator has a fundamental importance in the theory of hysteresis. It was studied in various settings as shown by P. Krejci and Ph. Laurencot in 2002. In that work it was considered the Young integral in the frame of Hilbert spaces. Here we study the play in the frame of the regulated functions (that is: the ones having only discontinuities of the first kind) on a general time scale T (that is: with T being a nonempty closed set of real numbers) with values in a Banach space. We will be showing that the dual space in this case will be defined as the space of operators of bounded semivariation if we consider as the bilinearity pairing the Cauchy-Stieltjes integral on time scales.

Quasiprobability distribution functions for periodic phase spaces: I. Theoretical aspects

An approach featuring s-parametrized quasiprobability distribution functions is developed for situations where a circular topology is observed. For such an approach, a suitable set of angle - angular momentum coherent states must be constructed in an appropriate fashion.

Schwinger and Pegg-Barnett approaches and a relationship between angular and Cartesian quantum descriptions: II. Phase spaces

Following the discussion-in state-space language-presented in a preceding paper, we work on the passage from the phase-space description of a degree of freedom described by a finite number of states (without classical counterpart) to one described by an infinite (and continuously labelled) number of states. With this it is possible to relate an original Schwinger idea to the Pegg-Barnett approach to the phase problem. In phase-space language, this discussion shows that one can obtain the Weyl-Wigner formalism, for both Cartesian and angular coordinates, as limiting elements of the discrete phase-space formalism.

Extended Cahill-Glauber formalism for finite-dimensional spaces. II. Applications in quantum tomography and quantum teleportation

By means of a mod(N)-invariant operator basis, s-parametrized phase-space functions associated with bounded operators in a finite-dimensional Hilbert space are introduced in the context of the extended Cahill-Glauber formalism, and their properties are discussed in details. The discrete Glauber-Sudarshan, Wigner, and Husimi functions emerge from this formalism as specific cases of s-parametrized phase-space functions where, in particular, a hierarchical process among them is promptly established. In addition, a phase-space description of quantum tomography and quantum teleportation is presented and new results are obtained.

Discrete squeezed states for finite-dimensional spaces

We show how discrete squeezed states in an N-2-dimensional phase space can be properly constructed out of the finite-dimensional context. Such discrete extensions are then applied to the framework of quantum tomography and quantum information theory with the aim of establishing an initial study on the interference effects between discrete variables in a finite phase space. Moreover, the interpretation of the squeezing effects is seen to be direct in the present approach, and has some potential applications in different branches of physics.

Extended Cahill-Glauber formalism for finite-dimensional spaces: I. Fundamentals

The Cahill-Glauber approach for quantum mechanics on phase space is extended to the finite-dimensional case through the use of discrete coherent states. All properties and features of the continuous formalism are appropriately generalized. The continuum results are promptly recovered as a limiting case. The Jacobi theta functions are shown to have a prominent role in the context.

Quasiprobability distribution functions for finite-dimensional discrete phase spaces: Spin-tunneling effects in a toy model

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Curves in homogeneous spaces and their contact with 1-dimensional orbits

Let alpha be a C(infinity) curve in a homogeneous space G/H. For each point x on the curve, we consider the subspace S(k)(alpha) of the Lie algebra G of G consisting of the vectors generating a one parameter subgroup whose orbit through x has contact of order k with alpha. In this paper, we give various important properties of the sequence of subspaces G superset of S(1)(alpha) superset of S(2)(alpha) superset of S(3)(alpha) superset of ... In particular, we give a stabilization property for certain well-behaved curves. We also describe its relationship to the isotropy subgroup with respect to the contact element of order k associated with alpha.

Lower bounds on blow up solutions of the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations in homogeneous Sobolev spaces

Suppose that u(t) is a solution of the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, either on the whole space or with periodic boundary conditions, that has a singularity at time T. In this paper we show that the norm of u(T - t) in the homogeneous Sobolev space (H)over dot(s) must be bounded below by c(s)t(-(2s-1)/4) for 1/2 < s < 5/2 (s not equal 3/2), where c(s) is an absolute constant depending only on s; and by c(s)parallel to u(0)parallel to((5-2s)/5)(L2)t(-2s/5) for s > 5/2. (The result for 1/2 < s < 3/2 follows from well-known lower bounds on blowup in Lp spaces.) We show in particular that the local existence time in (H)over dot(s)(R-3) depends only on the (H)over dot(s)-norm for 1/2 < s < 5/2, s not equal 3/2. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4762841]

Radon in groundwaters from Guarany aquifer, South America: environmental and exploration implications

Groundwater and sandstone samples were analyzed for radon in Guarany aquifer, Parana sedimentary basin, South America. The dissolved radon ranged between 3 and 3303 pCi/l, being lognormally distributed, with a modal value of 1315 pCi/l, and a median value of 330 pCi/l. Rn-222 leakage experiments for sandstones yielded a theoretical value of 1390 pCi/l for Rn-222 in water, showing that theoretical modeling can reliably be used to interpret laboratory and field data. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

A combined method for evaluating radon and progeny in waters and its use at Guarani aquifer, São Paulo State, Brazil

A combined method for evaluating radon (Rn-222) and progeny (Pb-214 and Bi-214) in water was developed by using inexpensive alpha scintillation Counting and gamma ray spectrometry through NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors. A groundwater sample collected at the Pocos de Caldas alkaline massif in Brazil was submitted to the technique in order to assure its applicability by comparing the volumetric activities by different methods. Similar volumetric activity was determined for Pb-214 and Bi-214 in the sample analyzed that is compatible with the expected condition of radioactive equilibrium between these nuclides. The combined method was successfully used to analyze groundwater samples from Guarani aquifer in S (a) over tildeo Paulo State, Brazil, and the results of the measurements indicated that Pb-214 and Bi-214 provide useful information concerning the evaluation of the drinking water quality in terms of radiological aspects. This is because they are directly identified in the water samples, without the need of requiring the assumption of the establishment of the transient equilibrium condition with its parent Rn-222. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.