A novel approach to study transmission through waveguides in terms of optical streamlines is presented. This theoretical framework combines the computational performance of beam propagation methods with the possibility to monitor the passage of light
through the guiding medium by means of these sampler paths. In this way, not only the optical flow along the waveguide can be followed in detail, but also a fair estimate of the transmitted light (intensity) can be accounted for by counting streamline arrivals with starting points statistically distributed according to the input pulse. Furthermore, this approach allows to elucidate the mechanism leading to energy losses, namely a vortical dynamics, which can be advantageously exploited in optimal waveguide design.
Activated surface diffusion with interacting adsorbates is analyzed within the Linear Response Theory framework. The so-called interacting single adsorbate model is justified by means of a two-bath model, where one harmonic bath takes into account th
e interaction with the surface phonons, while the other one describes the surface coverage, this leading to defining a collisional friction. Here, the corresponding theory is applied to simple systems, such as diffusion on flat surfaces and the frustrated translational motion in a harmonic potential. Classical and quantum closed formulas are obtained. Furthermore, a more realistic problem, such as atomic Na diffusion on the corrugated Cu(001) surface, is presented and discussed within the classical context as well as within the framework of Kramers theory. Quantum corrections to the classical results are also analyzed and discussed.
The femtosecond response of NO-doped rare gas matrices is studied within a stochastic Langevin theoretical framework. As is shown, a simple damped harmonic oscillator model can describe properly the absorption and emission line shapes associated with
the NO ($A^2Sigma^+ longleftrightarrow X^2Pi$) electronic transitions inside these media as well as the matrix first-solvation shell response in a process with two timescales, finding a fairly good agreement with available experimental data. This approach thus constitutes an alternative and complementary way to analyze the structural relaxation dynamics of systems in liquids and solids, leading to a better understanding of the underlying physics.
