Hans Dekker Explained

Hans Dekker
Birth Place:Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality:Dutch
Fields:stochastic processes, quantum dissipation
Alma Mater:Delft University of Technology, Utrecht University
Workplaces:Netherlands Physics Laboratory TNO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Amsterdam

Hans J. van Ommeren Dekker (born January 18, 1947, in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch theoretical physicist in the line of Dirk Polder, Ralph Kronig, and Nico van Kampen. His scientific work inter alia involves laser theory, path integrals in curved spaces, nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, dissipation in quantum mechanics, and hydrodynamic turbulence. He is director of the Private Institute for Advanced Study and professor emeritus at the Institute for Theoretical Physics of the University of Amsterdam.

Biography

Dekker studied physics at Delft University of Technology, in Delft, Netherlands, where he did research in acoustics[1] [2] [3] in the group of Cornelis W. Kosten,[4] and in electron optics[5] [6] with .

In 1968 he was also chief editor of the Delft student periodical Het Orakel (for which he inter alia wrote a story [7] about the first successful heart transplantation by Christiaan Barnard, Kaapstad, South Africa) while he spent the summer of 1970 with an IAESTE/Nuffic grant working on thermoluminescent dosimeters [8] [9] at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Muscle Shoals, Alabama, United States.[10]

He completed his studies in theoretical physics under the supervision of Dirk Polder (solid-state physics[11] [12]), Ralph Kronig (quantum electrodynamics[13] [14]), and Jaap Kokkedee [15] (quantum field theory[16] and general relativity[17] [18] [19]).

Dekker then joined the staff of the Netherlands Physics Laboratory TNO,[20] in The Hague, where he became head of the Theoretical Physics Group in 1971. Of prime interest at that time was the quantum theory of the laser[21] [22] [23] and in the early seventies he thus got involved in the Synergetics[24] summerschools in Erice, Sicily, Italy, on co-operative phenomena in complex systems,[25] and in 1976 he was visiting scientist at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in the group of Hermann Haken. In the later seventies his interest in stochastic laser theory lead to several papers on path integrals for nonlinear processes,[26] [27] also in curved Riemannian spaces.[28] [29] [30] Meanwhile he also proposed a mathematical model in theoretical biology on rodent population dynamics.[31] [32] [33]

In 1980 he received a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Nico van Kampen[34] [35] [36] [37] at Utrecht University, Netherlands, concerning the systematic expansion of the master equation for Markov stochastic processes including a critical point[38] [39] (see also [40] [41]). At about the same time Dekker wrote his monograph 'Classical and quantum mechanics of the damped harmonic oscillator', published in 1981 as a Physics Reports volume,[42] which has become a standard reference for dissipation in quantum mechanics.

During 1981–1982 Dekker was NATO/Fulbright visiting professor at the Department of Chemistry, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, United States, with,[43] and at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), in La Jolla, United States, with Kurt E. Shuler.[44] He further was guest scientist at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights United States, in 1988, with Rolf Landauer (on nonequilibrium stochastic processes [45]) and Martin Gutzwiller (on functional integration[46] [47]).

In 1989 he became Lorentz- Professor at the Institute for Theoretical Physics (at the time headed by Hans Capel) of the University of Amsterdam. His inaugural lecture [48] (English title: ‘Certain limitations’) is a plea for the concept of stochastic processes, both classical and quantum mechanical (see, e.g., the Capita selecta on 'Dissipative quantum processes' [49] and also the book chapter ‘An educated game of chance in physics’ [50]).

Dekker inter alia was visiting professor at the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, in 1987 and 1996 (with Lawrence Schulman,[51] [52] [53] on dissipative quantum tunneling;[54] [55] see also [56] [57]) and invited lecturer at the Centennial Meeting of the Fondation Schlumberger/Louis de Broglie in, France, in 1992 [58] (with Tony Leggett,[59] [60] on 'Mesoscopic physics: from dissipative quantum mechanics to non-equilibrium thermodynamics' [61] [62] [63] [64] [65]).

Since 1998 Dekker also is director of the Private Institute for Advanced Study, in Amsterdam, where he inter alia worked on the stochastic theory of hydrodynamic turbulence[66] [67] [68] [69] and studied the Einstein-Maxwell electron radius in general relativity[70] (and for which he became involved in the dynamical problems with the new Combino trams [71] [72] [73] of the Amsterdam Transportation Authority GVB).

Research highlights

Awards

Publications

About 120 articles in refereed journals, and 60 in conference proceedings etc. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/hans_dekker3/publications https://www.uva.nl/profiel/d/e/h.dekker/h.dekker.html https://sites.google.com/view/hadekk944/homepage

Book

External links

Notes and References

  1. C.W. Kosten, International Comparison Measurements in the Reverberation Room, Acustica 10 [5,6] (1960) 400–411 https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/dav/aaua/1960/00000010/F0020005/art00019
  2. A. de Bruijn, A Mathematical Analysis Concerning the Edge Effect of Sound Absorbing Materials, Acustica 28 [1] (1973) 33–44. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/dav/aaua/1973/00000028/00000001/art00008
  3. H. Dekker, Edge Effect Measurements in a Reverberation Room, J. Sound and Vibr. 32 (1974) 199–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-460X(74)80164-1
  4. https://www.hogenda.nl/wp-content/plugins/hogenda-search/download_attachment.php?id=281&type=biography C.W. Kosten, Biography
  5. https://www.springer.com/de/book/9783662236208 W. Glaser, Grundlagen der Elektronenoptik (Springer-Verlag, Wien, 1952)
  6. H. Dekker, A New Method of Measuring the Axial Field Distribution in a Superconducting Election Lens by means of the Faraday Effect, J. Phys. E: Sc. Instr. 5 (1972) 368–372. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0022-3735/5/4/021
  7. H. Dekker, Hartstocht [Heart passage/passion], Orakel (Delftse Uitgeversmaatschappij, 1960) May 28, p. 8. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333448952
  8. J. R. Cameron, N. Suntharalingam and G. N. Kennedy, Thermoluminescent Dosimetry (Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1968).
  9. H. Dekker, Some aspects of a CaF2: Mn Thermoluminescent Dosimeter, Health Physics, 30 (1976) 399-401. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/21885971
  10. H. Klebanoff, Americans Search for Reasons to be Proud [Says Holland Student], The Florence Times (Florence/Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA) August 5, 1970, p. 4. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dekker1970.pdf
  11. A.H. Wilson, Theory of metals (Cambridge University Press, 1953)
  12. H. Dekker, Enkele aspekten van helikongolven (Some aspects of helicon waves), Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Science Report, 43 pages (1969) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dekker1969.pdf
  13. R.P. Feynman, Quantum Electrodynamics (Taylor & Francis Inc., 1971)
  14. H. Dekker, A Theory of Cooperative Effects in Stimulated Cerenkov Radiation, Physica 90C (1977) 283-291. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4363(77)90121-8 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240908572
  15. J.J.J. Kokkedee, Academic Tree https://academictree.org/physics/tree.php?pid=62893 https://www.vvtp.tudelft.nl/en/news/death-of-prof-dr-ir-jjj-kokkedee
  16. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/301480588 J.J.J. Kokkedee, The Quark Model (Benjamin, San Francisco, 1969)
  17. S. Weinberg, Gravitation and Cosmology (Wiley, New York, 1972)
  18. H. Dekker, Algemene Relativiteits Theorie (General Theory of Relativity), Lecture notes, Delft University of Technology (Faculty of Science, J.J.J. Kokkedee, 1974) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dekker1974.pdf
  19. H. Dekker, Self-gravitation of massive charge and the Einstein-Maxwell electron radius, ITF/UvA Report 20140820 (Amsterdam, 2014) https://arxiv.org/abs/1408.4796v1 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264979657
  20. [Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research|TNO]
  21. H. Dekker, Stationary Momentum Space Solution of the Fokker-Planck Equation for a Simple Model of a Laser Oscillator Exhibiting Spatial Dispersion, Optics Communications 10 (1974) 114-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/0030-4018(74)90034-0 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243211788
  22. H. Dekker, The Fokker-Planck Equation for the Continuum Mode Laser with Spatially Inhomogenous Dissipation and Excitation, Physica 83C (1976) 183-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4363(76)90220-5 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240908429
  23. H. Dekker, Stationary Solution of the Fokker-Planck Equation for the Continuum Mode Laser with Spatially Inhomogeneous Dissipation and Excitation, Physica 83C (1976) 193-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4363(76)90221-7 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240908430
  24. H. Dekker, Synergetica: Coöperatieve verschijnselen in complexe systemen, Intermediair, 31 (1975) 11, 32 (1975) 31. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274371628
  25. H. Dekker, Coöperatieve Verschijnselen in Complexe Systemen, TNO Project 4, 6 (1976) 239-243. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275639637
  26. H. Dekker, Time-local Gaussian Processes, Path Integrals and Nonequilibrium Nonlinear Diffusion, Physica 85A (1976) 363-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4371(76)90055-8 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222356887
  27. F.W. Wiegel, Introduction to Path-Integral Methods in Physics and Polymer Science (World Scientific, Singapore, 1986)
  28. H. Dekker, Functional Integration in Riemannian Geometries Revisited, Physical Review A 22 (1980) 1315-1316. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.22.1315 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238974128
  29. H. Dekker, Quantization in Curved Spaces: Functional Integration and the Quantum Action Principle in Riemannian Geometries, in "Functional Integration: Theory and Applications", Edited by JP. Antoine & E. Tirapegui (Plenum, New York, 1980) 207-224. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274371349
  30. H. Dekker, Proof of Identity of Graham and Dekker Covariant Lattice Propagators, Physical Review A 24 (1981) 3182-3187. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.24.3182 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238300726
  31. J.H. Myers and J.C. Krebs, Population Cycles in Rodents, Scientific American 230 (1974) 38-46. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24950096
  32. H. Dekker, A Simple Mathematical Model of Rodent Population Cycles, J. Math. Biol. 2 (1975) 57-67 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00276016 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226829305
  33. H. Dekker, On the Master Equation Approach to Rodent Population Cycles, General Systems, Vol. XXII (1977) 113-118 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276957492
  34. https://academictree.org/physics/tree.php?pid=4062 N.G. van Kampen, Academic Tree
  35. N.G. van Kampen, Stochastic processes in Physics and Chemistry, (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1981/2007)
  36. H. Dekker and N.G. van Kampen, Eigenvalues of a Diffusion Process with a Critical Point, Physics Letters A 73 (1979) 374-376. https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9601(79)90088-4 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222450745
  37. H. Dekker and N.G. van Kampen, The Expansion of the Fokker-Planck Equation including a Critical Point, Physics Letters A 76 (1980) 101-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9601(80)90580-0 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/27707210
  38. H. Dekker, Critical Dynamics: The Expansion of the Master Equation Including a Critical Point, I: Diffusion Processes, Physica 103A (1980) 55-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4371(80)90207-1 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238948067
  39. H. Dekker, Critical Dynamics: The Expansion of the Master Equation Including a Critical Point, II: General Markov Processes, Physica 103A (1980) 80-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4371(80)90208-3 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243355515
  40. H. Dekker, On the Critical Point of a Malthus-Verhulst Process, Journal of Chemical Physics 72 (1980) 189-191. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.438901 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234847231
  41. H. Dekker, Unstable State Dynamics: a Systematic Evaluation of the Master Equation, Physics Letters 88A (1982) 279-281. https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9601(82)90068-8 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232354251
  42. H. Dekker, Classical and Quantum Mechanics of the Damped Harmonic Oscillator, Physics Reports 80 (1981) 1-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/0370-1573(81)90033-8 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222990789 https://doi.org/10.1016/0370-1573(81)90034-X https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280075501
  43. H. Dekker and I. Oppenheim, Two-dimensional Random Walk Description of Fluid Flow in the Presence of a Wall: the Origin of Stick versus Slip Boundary Conditions in the Continuum Limit, Physica 117A (1983) 1-16.https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-4371(83)90018-3 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222066069
  44. https://www.geni.com/people/Prof-Kurt-Shuler-Schulherr/6000000056703197825 K.E. Shuler, Biography
  45. H. Dekker and A. Maassen van den Brink, Nonisothermal Activation: Nonlinear Transport Theory, in: Landauer Festschrift, Edited by S. Datta, A Special Issue of: Superlattices and Microstructures Vol. 23 (1998) 479-494. https://doi.org/10.1006/spmi.1997.0510 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2355651
  46. M.C. Gutzwiller, Chaos in Classical and Quantum Mechanics (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1990)
  47. M.C. Gutzwiller, Huygens' Principle and the Path Integral, in: Path Summation - Achievements and Goals, Edited by S. Lundqvist, A. Ranfagni, V. Sa-yakanit, and L.S. Schulman (World Scientific, Singapore, 1988) p. 47-73.
  48. H. Dekker, Zekere Beperkingen, Oratie Universiteit van Amsterdam 1992 (Printed Edition: FEL-TNO, Den Haag) p. 1-23.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286937869
  49. H. Dekker, Poster/synopsis of Lectures on 'Dissipatieve quantum processen', University of Amsterdam, 1990/1994 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dekker1990.pdf
  50. H. Dekker, From Microscopia to Macroscopia: An Educated “Game of Chance” in Physics, in: “Chance and Uncertainty”, Edited by H.W. Capel et al. (Vossiuspers/Amsterdam University Press AUP, Amsterdam, 1995) p. 87-105. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241858507
  51. L.S. Schulman, Techniques and Applications of Path Integration (Wiley, New York, 1981)
  52. L.S. Schulman, Introduction to the Path Integral, in: Path Summation - Achievements and Goals, Edited by S. Lundqvist, A. Ranfagni, V. Sa-yakanit, and L.S. Schulman (World Scientific, Singapore, 1988) p. 3-46.
  53. L.S. Schulman, How quick is a quantum jump, in: Tunneling and its Implications, Edited by D. Mugnai, A. Ranfagni, and L.S. Schulman (World Scientific, Singapore, 1997) p. 121-133.
  54. H. Dekker, The Frozen False Vacuum, in: Path Summation - Achievements and Goals, Edited by S. Lundqvist, A. Ranfagni, V. Sa-yakanit, and L.S. Schulman (World Scientific, Singapore, 1988) p. 147-167. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293803720
  55. H. Dekker, Multilevel Mesoscopic Tunneling, in: Tunneling and its Implications, Edited by D. Mugnai, A. Ranfagni, and L.S. Schulman (World Scientific, Singapore, 1997) p. 66-79. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241857239
  56. H. Dekker, Dissipative Quantum Decay at Weak Bias: Finite Temperature Tunneling through Almost Degenerate Barriers, in: Path Integrals from meV to MeV, Edited by V. Sa-yakanit, W. Sritrakool, J.O. Berananda, M.C. Gutzwiller, A. Inomata, S. Lundqvist, J.R. Klauder, and L.S. Schulman (World Scientific, Singapore, 1990) p. 329-354. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286935396
  57. H. Dekker, Dissipative Quantum Processes, in: Path Integrals in Physics, Edited by V. Sa-yakanit, J.O. Berananda, and W. Sritrakool (World Scientific, Singapore, 1994) p. 137-153. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301232236
  58. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dekker1992.pdf Poster of the Louis de Broglie Centennial Meeting, France, 1992
  59. A.J. Leggett and A. Garg, Quantum Mechanics versus macroscopic realism: Is the flux there when nobody looks? Physical Review Letters 54 (1985) 857-860. [{{PMID|10031639}}] https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.54.857
  60. A.J. Leggett, S. Chakravarty, A.T. Dorsey, M.P.A. Fisher, A. Garg, and W. Zwerger, Dynamics of the dissipative two-state system, Reviews of Modern Physics 59 (1987) 1-85. https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.59.1
  61. H. Dekker, Noninteracting-blip Approximation for a Two-level System Coupled to a Heat Bath, Physical Review A35 (1987) 1436-1437. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.35.1436 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13391422
  62. H. Dekker, Exactly Solvable Model for Thermal Activation and Quantum Tunneling in Ohmic Systems, Physical Review A38 (1988) 6351-6361. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.38.6351 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13389525
  63. H. Dekker, Multilevel Tunneling and Coherence: Dissipative Spin-hopping Dynamics at Finite Temperatures, Physical Review A44 (1991) 2314-2323. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.44.2314 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13383344, Erratum, Physical Review E50 (1994) 4265. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.50.4265 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/13317301
  64. H. Dekker and A. Maassen van den Brink, Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics of Mesoscopic Systems, J. Supercond. 12 (1999) p. 719-725. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007772623750 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226442452
  65. H. Dekker, Multilevel macroscopic quantum tunneling: coherence and dissipation, in: Controllable dissipative tunneling - Tunnel transport in low-dimensional systems, Edited by A.J. Leggett (Fizmatlit, Moscow, 2012) p. 327-341 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301540854 https://www.rfbr.ru/rffi/ru/books/o_1780081#307 http://artlib.osu.ru/web/books/content_all/362.pdf
  66. H. Dekker, Towards a theory of turbulent shear flow? in: Turbulence Modeling and Vortex Dynamics, Edited by O. Boratov, A. Eden, and A. Erzan, Lecture Notes in Physics, Vol. 491 (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1997) p. 238-241. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0105040 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225589132
  67. H. Dekker, Theory of hydrodynamic turbulence: External scales and irrotational fields, in: Progress in Statistical Mechanics Research, Edited by J.S. Moreno (Nova Science Publishers, New York, 2008) p. 349-372 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254917457
  68. H. Dekker, Turbulence: Large-scale sweeping and the emergence of small-scale Kolmogorov spectra, Physical Review E 84, 026302 (2011) 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.84.026302 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51653479
  69. H. Dekker, Mathematical Modelling of Hydrodynamic Turbulence: Large Scale Sweeping and the Emergence of Small Scale Kolmogorov Spectra, in: Mathematical Modelling, Edited by C.R.Brennan (Nova Science Publishers, New York, 2012) p. 351-425. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287264174
  70. H. Dekker, Pointlike electric charge in gravitational field theory, J. Adv. Physics Vol. 14 [2] (2018) 5611-5623 https://arxiv.org/abs/1408.4796v3 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327576134 https://doi.org/10.24297/jap.v14i2.7596
  71. H. Dekker, Combino Files (Letters to the Editor, Het Parool, Amsterdam) 1 & 2 July 2004 [p.10] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334793083 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334795510; 15 September 2004 [p. 19] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334796570, 22 March 2006 [p. 10] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334798532 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dekker2004.pdf
  72. H. Dekker, Decibelmetingen Combino trams GVB Amsterdam (Private Institute for Advanced Study, Amsterdam, 2004/2005) https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.35777.10088 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334800376 https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13966.72002 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334805920
  73. H. Dekker, Vibrational Dynamics of modern lightrail modules, Arch. Appl. Mech. (2007) 849-859. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00419-007-0130-4 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225491503

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