Non-uniform ergodic properties of Hamiltonian flows with impacts

The ergodic properties of two uncoupled oscillators, one horizontal and one vertical, residing in a class of non-rectangular star-shaped polygons with only vertical and horizontal boundaries and impacting elastically from its boundaries are studied. We prove that the iso-energy level sets topology changes non-trivially; the flow on level sets is always conjugated to a translation flow on a translation surface, yet, for some segments of partial energies the genus of the surface is strictly greater than $1$ . When at least one of the oscillators is unharmonic, or when both are harmonic and non-resonant, we prove that for almost all partial energies, including the impacting ones, the flow on level sets is uniquely ergodic. When both oscillators are harmonic and resonant, we prove that there exist intervals of partial energies on which periodic ribbons and additional ergodic components coexist. We prove that for almost all partial energies in such segments the motion is uniquely ergodic on the part of the level set that is not occupied by the periodic ribbons. This implies that ergodic averages project to piecewise smooth weighted averages in the configuration space.

Spectrums and Uniform Mean Ergodicity of Weighted Composition Operators on Fock Spaces

For holomorphic pairs of symbols $$(u, \psi )$$ ( u , ψ ) , we study various structures of the weighted composition operator $$ W_{(u,\psi )} f= u \cdot f(\psi )$$ W ( u , ψ ) f = u · f ( ψ ) defined on the Fock spaces $$\mathcal {F}_p$$ F p . We have identified operators $$W_{(u,\psi )}$$ W ( u , ψ ) that have power-bounded and uniformly mean ergodic properties on the spaces. These properties are described in terms of easy to apply conditions relying on the values |u(0)| and $$|u(\frac{b}{1-a})|$$ | u ( b 1 - a ) | , where a and b are coefficients from linear expansion of the symbol $$\psi $$ ψ . The spectrum of the operators is also determined and applied further to prove results about uniform mean ergodicity.

A Probabilistic Assessment Model for Train-Bridge Systems: Special Attention on Track Irregularities

In this paper, a probabilistic model devoted to investigating the dynamic behaviors of train-bridge systems subjected to random track irregularities is presented, in which a train-ballasted track-bridge coupled model with nonlinear wheel-rail contacts is introduced, and then a new approach for simulating a random field of track irregularities is developed; moreover, the probability density evolution method is used to describe the probability transmission from excitation inputs to response outputs; finally, extended analysis from three aspects, that is, stochastic analysis, reliability analysis, and correlation analysis, are conducted on the evaluation and application of the proposed model. Besides, compared to the Monte Carlo method, the high efficiency and the accuracy of this proposed model are validated. Numerical studies show that the ergodic properties of track irregularities on spectra, amplitudes, wavelengths, and phases should be taken into account in stochastic analysis of train-bridge interactions. Since the main contributive factors concerning different dynamic indices are rather different, different failure modes possess no obvious or only weak correlations from the probabilistic perspective, and the first-order reliability theory is suitable in achieving the system reliability.

Spectra and ergodic properties of multiplication and convolution operators on the space $${\mathcal S}({\mathbb R})$$

In this paper we investigate the spectra and the ergodic properties of the multiplication operators and the convolution operators acting on the Schwartz space $${\mathcal S}({\mathbb R})$$ S ( R ) of rapidly decreasing functions, i.e., operators of the form $$M_h: {\mathcal S}({\mathbb R})\rightarrow {\mathcal S}({\mathbb R})$$ M h : S ( R ) → S ( R ) , $$f \mapsto h f $$ f ↦ h f , and $$C_T:{\mathcal S}({\mathbb R})\rightarrow {\mathcal S}({\mathbb R})$$ C T : S ( R ) → S ( R ) , $$f\mapsto T\star f$$ f ↦ T ⋆ f . Precisely, we determine their spectra and characterize when those operators are power bounded and mean ergodic.

Inertia triggers nonergodicity of fractional Brownian motion

How related are the ergodic properties of the over- and underdamped Langevin equations driven by fractional Gaussian noise? We here find that for massive particles performing fractional Brownian motion (FBM) inertial effects not only destroy the stylized fact of the equivalence of the ensemble-averaged mean-squared displacement (MSD) to the time-averaged MSD (TAMSD) of overdamped or massless FBM, but also concurrently dramatically alter the values of the ergodicity breaking parameter (EB). Our theoretical results for the behavior of EB for underdamped ot massive FBM for varying particle mass m, Hurst exponent H, and trace length T are in excellent agreement with the findings of extensive stochastic computer simulations. The current results can be of interest for the experimental community employing various single-particle-tracking techniques and aiming at assessing the degree of nonergodicity for the recorded time series (studying e.g. the behavior of EB versus lag time). To infer FBM as a realizable model of anomalous diffusion for a set single-particle-tracking data when massive particles are being tracked, the EBs from the data should be compared to EBs of massive (rather than massless) FBM.

On Educational Assessment Theory: A High-Level Discussion of Adolphe Quetelet, Platonism, and Ergodicity

Educational assessments, specifically standardized and normalized exams, owe most of their foundations to psychological test theory in psychometrics. While the theoretical assumptions of these practices are widespread and relatively uncontroversial in the testing community, there are at least two that are philosophically and mathematically suspect and have troubling implications in education. Assumption 1 is that repeated assessment measures that are calculated into an arithmetic mean are thought to represent some real stable, quantitative psychological trait or ability plus some error. Assumption 2 is that aggregated, group-level educational data collected from assessments can then be interpreted to make inferences about a given individual person over time without explicit justification. It is argued that the former assumption cannot be taken for granted; it is also argued that, while it is typically attributed to 20th century thought, the assumption in a rigorous form can be traced back at least to the 1830s via an unattractive Platonistic statistical thesis offered by one of the founders of the social sciences—Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874). While contemporary research has moved away from using his work directly, it is demonstrated that cognitive psychology is still facing the preservation of assumption 1, which is becoming increasingly challenged by current paradigms that pitch human cognition as a dynamical, complex system. However, how to deal with assumption 1 and whether it is broadly justified is left as an open question. It is then argued that assumption 2 is only justified by assessments having ergodic properties, which is a criterion rarely met in education; specifically, some forms of normalized standardized exams are intrinsically non-ergodic and should be thought of as invalid assessments for saying much about individual students and their capability. The article closes with a call for the introduction of dynamical mathematics into educational assessment at a conceptual level (e.g., through Bayesian networks), the critical analysis of several key psychological testing assumptions, and the introduction of dynamical language into philosophical discourse. Each of these prima facie distinct areas ought to inform each other more closely in educational studies.