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Hodograph equations for the Euler equation in curved spaces with constant pressure are discussed. It is shown that the use of known results concerning geodesics and associated integrals allows to construct several types of hodograph equations. These hodograph equations provide us with various classes of solutions of the Euler equation, including stationary solutions. Particular cases of cone and sphere in the 3-dimensional Eulidean space are analysed in detail. Euler equation on the sphere in the 4-dimensional Euclidean space is considered too., Comment: 15 pages

By means of the Hamiltonian approach to two-dimensional wave motions in heterogeneous fluids proposed by Benjamin, we derive a natural Hamiltonian structure for ideal fluids, density stratified in four homogenous layers, constrained in a channel of fixed total height and infinite lateral length. We derive the Hamiltonian and the equations of motion in the dispersionless long-wave limit, restricting ourselves to the so-called Boussinesq approximation. The existence of special symmetric solutions, which generalize to the four-layer case the ones obtained in the paper for the three-layer case, is examined., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2105.12851

Hodograph equations for the n-dimensional Euler equations with the constant pressure and external force linear in velocity are presented. They provide us with solutions of the Euler in implicit form and information on existence or absence of gradient catastrophes. It is shown that in even dimensions the constructed solutions are periodic in time for particular subclasses of external forces. Several particular examples in one, two and three dimensions are considered, including the case of Coriolis external force., Comment: reference added 24 pages, 4 figures

A Hamiltonian reduction approach is defined, studied, and finally used to derive asymptotic models of internal wave propagation in density stratified fluids in two-dimensional domains. Beginning with the general Hamiltonian formalism of Benjamin [1] for an ideal, stably stratified Euler fluid, the corresponding structure is systematically reduced to the setup of two homogeneous fluids under gravity, separated by an interface and confined between two infinite horizontal plates. A long-wave, small-amplitude asymptotics is then used to obtain a simplified model that encapsulates most of the known properties of the dynamics of such systems, such as bidirectional wave propagation and maximal amplitude travelling waves in the form of fronts. Further reductions, and in particular devising an asymptotic extension of Dirac's theory of Hamiltonian constraints, lead to the completely integrable evolution equations previously considered in the literature for limiting forms of the dynamics of stratified fluids. To assess the performance of the asymptotic models, special solutions are studied and compared with those of the parent equations., Comment: 29 pages, 4 figures

We study the (1+1) focussing nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger equation for an initial condition with compactly-supported parabolic profile and phase depending quadratically on the spatial coordinate. In the absence of dispersion, using the natural class of self-similar solutions, we provide a criterion for blow-up in finite time, generalising a result by Talanov et al. In the presence of dispersion, we numerically show that the same criterion determines, even beyond the semi-classical regime, whether the solution relaxes or develops a high-order rogue wave, whose onset time is predicted by the corresponding dispersionless catastrophe time. The sign of the chirp appears to determine the prevailing scenario among two competing mechanisms for rogue wave formation. For negative values, the numerical simulations are suggestive of the dispersive regularisation of a gradient catastrophe described by Bertola and Tovbis for a different class of smooth, bell-shaped initial data. As the chirp becomes positive, the rogue wave seems to result from the interaction of counter-propagating dispersive dam break flows, as in the box problem recently studied by El, Khamis and Tovbis. As the chirp and amplitude of the initial profile are relatively easy to manipulate in optical devices and water tank wave generators, we expect our observation to be relevant for experiments in nonlinear optics and fluid dynamics., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, typos corrected, references added, figures improved

Blowups of vorticity for the three- and two- dimensional homogeneous Euler equations are studied. Two regimes of approaching a blowup points, respectively, with variable or fixed time are analysed. It is shown that in the $n$-dimensional ($n=2,3$) generic case the blowups of degrees $1,..,n$ at the variable time regime and of degrees $1/2,..,(n+1)/(n+2)$ at the fixed time regime may exist. Particular situations when the vorticity blows while the direction of the vorticity vector is concentrated in one or two directions are realisable., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures. Minor typos corrected

Blow-ups of derivatives and gradient catastrophes for the $n$-dimensional homogeneous Euler equation are discussed. It is shown that, in the case of generic initial data, the blow-ups exhibit a fine structure in accordance of the admissible ranks of certain matrix generated by the initial data. Blow-ups form a hierarchy composed by $n+1$ levels with the strongest singularity of derivatives given by $\partial u_i/\partial x_k \sim |\delta \mathbf{x}|^{-(n+1)/(n+2)}$ along certain critical directions. It is demonstrated that in the multi-dimensional case there are certain bounded linear superposition of blow-up derivatives. Particular results for the potential motion are presented too. Hodograph equations are basic tools of the analysis., Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables

Wave front propagation with non-trivial bottom topography is studied within the formalism of hyperbolic long wave models. Evolution of non-smooth initial data is examined, and in particular the splitting of singular points and their short time behaviour is described. In the opposite limit of longer times, the local analysis of wavefronts is used to estimate the gradient catastrophe formation and how this is influenced by the topography. The limiting cases when the free surface intersects the bottom boundary, belonging to the so-called "physical" and "non-physical" vacuum classes, are examined. Solutions expressed by power series in the spatial variable lead to a hierarchy of ordinary differential equations for the time-dependent series coefficients, which are shown to reveal basic differences between the two vacuum cases: for non-physical vacuums, the equations of the hierarchy are recursive and linear past the first two pairs, while for physical vacuums the hierarchy is non-recursive, fully coupled and nonlinear. The former case may admit solutions that are free of singularities for nonzero time intervals, while the latter is shown to develop non-standard velocity shocks instantaneously. We show that truncation to finite dimensional systems and polynomial solutions is in general only possible for the case of a quadratic bottom profile. In this case the system's evolution can reduce to, and is completely described by, a low dimensional dynamical system for the time-dependent coefficients. This system encapsulates all the nonlinear properties of the solution for general power series initial data, and in particular governs the loss of regularity in finite times at the dry point. For the special case of parabolic bottom topographies, an exact, self-similar solution class is introduced and studied to illustrate via closed form expressions the general results., Comment: 32 pages, 15 figures

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the blow-ups of derivatives, gradient catastrophes and dynamics of mappings of $\mathbb{R}^n \to \mathbb{R}^n$ associated with the $n$-dimensional homogeneous Euler equation. Several characteristic features of the multi-dimensional case ($n>1$) are described. Existence or nonexistence of blow-ups in different dimensions, boundness of certain linear combinations of blow-up derivatives and the first occurrence of the gradient catastrophe are among of them. It is shown that the potential solutions of the Euler equations exhibit blow-up derivatives in any dimenson $n$. Several concrete examples in two- and three-dimensional cases are analysed. Properties of $\mathbb{R}^n_{\underline{u}} \to \mathbb{R}^n_{\underline{x}}$ mappings defined by the hodograph equations are studied, including appearance and disappearance of their singularities., Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures , typos corrected

The theory of 3-layer density stratified ideal fluids is examined with a view towards its generalization to the n-layer case. The focus is on structural properties, especially for the case of a rigid upper lid constraint. We show that the long-wave dispersionless limit is a system of quasi-linear equations that do not admit Riemann invariants. We equip the layer-averaged one-dimensional model with a natural Hamiltonian structure, obtained with a suitable reduction process from the continuous density stratification structure of the full two-dimensional equations proposed by Benjamin. For a a laterally unbounded fluid between horizontal rigid boundaries, the paradox about the non-conservation of horizontal total momentum is revisited, and it is shown that the pressure imbalances causing it can be intensified by three-layer setups with respect to their two-layer counterparts. The generator of the x-translational symmetry in the n-layer setup is also identified by the appropriate Hamiltonian formalism. The Boussinesq limit and a family of special solutions recently introduced by de Melo Virissimo and Milewski are also discussed., Comment: 26 pages, 4 figures

Master character of the multidimensional homogeneous Euler equation is discussed. It is shown that under restrictions to the lower dimensions certain subclasses of its solutions provide us with the solutions of various hydrodynamic type equations. Integrable one dimensional systems in terms of Riemann invariants and its extensions, multidimensional equations describing isoenthalpic and polytropic motions and shallow water type equations are among them., Comment: 20 pages, no figures

The notion of Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis manifold generalizes that of Poisson-Nijenhuis manifold. The relevance of the latter in the theory of completely integrable systems is well established since the birth of the bi-Hamiltonian approach to integrability. In this note, we discuss the relevance of the notion of Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis manifold in the context of finite-dimensional integrable systems. Generically (as we show by an example with $3$ degrees of freedom) the Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis structure is largely too general to ensure Liouville integrability of a system. However, we prove that the closed (or periodic) $n$-particle Toda lattice can be framed in such a geometrical structure, and its well-known integrals of the motion can be obtained as spectral invariants of a "quasi-Nijenhuis recursion operator", that is, a tensor field $N$ of type $(1,1)$ defined on the phase space of the lattice. This example and some of its generalizations are used to understand whether one can define in a reasonable sense a notion of {\em involutive\} Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis manifold. A geometrical link between the open (or non periodic) and the closed Toda systems is also framed in the context of a general scheme connecting Poisson quasi-Nijenhuis and Poisson-Nijenhuis manifolds., Comment: 16 pages, no figures

The behavior of a class of solutions of the shallow water Airy system originating from initial data with discontinuous derivatives is considered. Initial data are obtained by splicing together self-similar parabolae with a constant background state. These solutions are shown to develop velocity and surface gradient catastrophes in finite time and the inherent persistence of dry spots is shown to be terminated by the collapse of the parabolic core. All details of the evolution can be obtained in closed form until the collapse time, thanks to formation of simple waves that sandwich the evolving self-similar core. The continuation of solutions asymptotically for short times beyond the collapse is then investigated analytically, in its weak form, with an approach using stretched coordinates inspired by singular perturbation theory. This approach allows to follow the evolution after collapse by implementing a spectrally accurate numerical code, which is developed alongside a classical shock-capturing scheme for accuracy comparison. The codes are validated on special classes of initial data, in increasing order of complexity, to illustrate the evolution of the dry spot initial conditions on longer time scales past collapse., Comment: 28 pages 14 figures

Singularities of plane into plane mappings described by parabolic two-component systems of quasi-liner partial differential equations of the first order are studied. Impediments arising in the application of the original Whitney's approach to such case are discussed. Hierarchy of singularities is analysed by double-scaling expansion method for the simplest $2$-component Jordan system. It is shown that flex is the lowest singularity while higher singularities are given by $(k+1,k+2)$ curves which are of cusp type for $k=2n+1$, $n=1,2,3,\dots$. Regularization of these singularities by deformation of plane into plane mappings into surface $S^{2+k} (\subset \mathbb{R}^{2+k} ) $ to plane is discussed. Applicability of the proposed approach to other parabolic type mappings is noted., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures

Confinement effects by rigid boundaries in the dynamics of ideal fluids are considered from the perspective of long-wave models and their parent Euler systems, with the focus on the consequences of establishing contacts of material surfaces with the confining boundaries. When contact happens, we show that the model evolution can lead to the dependent variables developing singularities in finite time. The conditions and the nature of these singularities are illustrated in several cases, progressing from a single layer homogeneous fluid with a constant pressure free surface and flat bottom, to the case of a two-fluid system contained between two horizontal rigid plates, and finally, through numerical simulations, to the full Euler stratified system. These demonstrate the qualitative and quantitative predictions of the models within a set of examples chosen to illustrate the theoretical results., Comment: 46 pages, 21 figures

Non-standard parabolic regularization of gradient catastrophes for the Burgers-Hopf equation is proposed. It is based on the analysis of all (generic and higher order) gradient catastrophes and their step by step regularization by embedding the Burgers-Hopf equation into multi-component parabolic systems of quasilinear PDEs with the most degenerate Jordan block. Probabilistic realization of such procedure is presented. The complete regularization of the Burgers-Hopf equation is achieved by embedding it into the infinite parabolic Jordan chain. It is shown that the Burgers equation is a particular reduction of the Jordan chain. Gradient catastrophes for the parabolic Jordan systems are also studied., Comment: 20 pages- typos corrected

The theory of integrable systems of Hamiltonian PDEs and their near-integrable deformations is used to study evolution equations resulting from vertical-averages of the Euler system for two-layer stratified flows in an infinite 2D channel. The Hamiltonian structure of the averaged equations is obtained directly from that of the Euler equations through the process of Hamiltonian reduction. Long-wave asymptotics together with the Boussinesq approximation of neglecting the fluids' inertia is then applied to reduce the leading order vertically averaged equations to the shallow-water Airy system, and thence, in a non-trivial way, to the dispersionless non-linear Schr\"odinger equation. The full non-Boussinesq system for the dispersionless limit can then be viewed as a deformation of this well known equation. In a perturbative study of this deformation, it is shown that at first order the deformed system possesses an infinite sequence of constants of the motion, thus casting this system within the framework of completely integrable equations. The Riemann invariants of the deformed model are then constructed, and some local solutions found by hodograph-like formulae for completely integrable systems are obtained., Comment: 26 pages; 8 figures

Changes of type transitions for the two-component hydrodynamic type systems are discussed. It is shown that these systems generically assume the Jordan form (with 2 X 2 Jordan block) on the transition line with hodograph equations becoming parabolic. Conditions which allow or forbid the transition from hyperbolic domain to elliptic one are discussed. Hamiltonian systems and their special subclasses and equations, like dispersionless nonlinear Schroedinger, dispersionless Boussinesq, one-dimensional isentropic gas dynamics equations and nonlinear wave equations are studied. Numerical results concerning the crossing of transition line for the dispersionless Boussinesq equation are presented too., Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures

Cohomological and Poisson structures associated with the special tautological subbundles $TB_{W_{1,2,\dots,n}}$ for the Birkhoff strata of Sato Grassmannian are considered. It is shown that the tangent bundles of $TB_{W_{1,2,\dots,n}}$ are isomorphic to the linear spaces of $2-$coboundaries with vanishing Harrison's cohomology modules. Special class of 2-coboundaries is provided by the systems of integrable quasilinear PDEs. For the big cell it is the dKP hierarchy. It is demonstrated also that the families of ideals for algebraic varieties in $TB_{W_{1,2,\dots,n}}$ can be viewed as the Poisson ideals. This observation establishes a connection between families of algebraic curves in $TB_{W_{\hat{S}}}$ and coisotropic deformations of such curves of zero and nonzero genus described by hierarchies of hydrodynamical type systems like dKP hierarchy. Interrelation between cohomological and Poisson structures is noted., Comment: 15 pages, no figures, accepted in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1005.2053

Structure and properties of families of critical points for classes of functions $W(z,\bar{z})$ obeying the elliptic Euler-Poisson-Darboux equation $E(1/2,1/2)$ are studied. General variational and differential equations governing the dependence of critical points in variational (deformation) parameters are found. Explicit examples of the corresponding integrable quasi-linear differential systems and hierarchies are presented There are the extended dispersionless Toda/nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger hierarchies, the "inverse" hierarchy and equations associated with the real-analytic Eisenstein series $E(\beta,\bar{{\beta}};1/2)$among them. Specific bi-Hamiltonian structure of these equations is also discussed., Comment: 18 pages, no figures

Quasiclassical approximation in the intrinsic description of the vortex filament dynamics is discussed. Within this approximation the governing equations are given by elliptic system of quasi-linear PDEs of the first order. Dispersionless Da Rios system and dispersionless Hirota equation are among them. They describe motion of vortex filament with slow varying curvature and torsion without or with axial flow. Gradient catastrophe for governing equations is studied. It is shown that geometrically this catastrophe manifests as a fast oscillation of a filament curve around the rectifying plane which resembles the flutter of airfoils. Analytically it is the elliptic umbilic singularity in the terminology of the catastrophe theory. It is demonstrated that its double scaling regularization is governed by the Painleve' I equation., Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, minor typos corrected

Gradient catastrophe and flutter instability in the motion of vortex filament within the localized induction approximation are analyzed. It is shown that the origin if this phenomenon is in the gradient catastrophe for the dispersionless Da Rios system which describes motion of filament with slow varying curvature and torsion. Geometrically this catastrophe manifests as a rapid oscillation of a filament curve in a point that resembles the flutter of airfoils. Analytically it is the elliptic umbilic singularity in the terminology of the catastrophe theory. It is demonstrated that its double scaling regularization is governed by the Painlev\'e-I equation., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, typos corrected, references added

Local properties of families of algebraic subsets $W_g$ in Birkhoff strata $\Sigma_{2g}$ of Gr$^{(2)}$ containing hyperelliptic curves of genus $g$ are studied. It is shown that the tangent spaces $T_g$ for $W_g$ are isomorphic to linear spaces of 2-coboundaries. Particular subsets in $W_g$ are described by the intergrable dispersionless coupled KdV systems of hydrodynamical type defining a special class of 2-cocycles and 2-coboundaries in $T_g$. It is demonstrated that the blows-ups of such 2-cocycles and 2-coboundaries and gradient catastrophes for associated integrable systems are interrelated., Comment: 28 pages, no figures. Generally improved version, in particular the Discussion section. Added references. Corrected typos

A comment by R. Schutzhold et al. raises possible concerns and questions regarding recent measurements of analogue Hawking radiation. We briefly reply to the opinions expressed in the comment and sustain that the origin of the radiation may be understood in terms of Hawking emission.

Algebraic varieties and curves arising in Birkhoff strata of the Sato Grassmannian Gr${^{(2)}}$ are studied. It is shown that the big cell $\Sigma_0$ contains the tower of families of the normal rational curves of all odd orders. Strata $\Sigma_{2n}$, $n=1,2,3,...$ contain hyperelliptic curves of genus $n$ and their coordinate rings. Strata $\Sigma_{2n+1}$, $n=0,1,2,3,...$ contain $(2m+1,2m+3)-$plane curves for $n=2m,2m-1$ $(m \geq 2)$ and $(3,4)$ and $(3,5)$ curves in $\Sigma_3$, $\Sigma_5$ respectively. Curves in the strata $\Sigma_{2n+1}$ have zero genus., Comment: 14 pages, no figures, improved some definitions, typos corrected

Event horizons of astrophysical black holes and gravitational analogues have been predicted to excite the quantum vacuum and give rise to the emission of quanta, known as Hawking radiation. We experimentally create such a gravitational analogue using ultrashort laser pulse filaments and our measurements demonstrate a spontaneous emission of photons that confirms theoretical predictions., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett. (accepted)

In the framework of transformation optics, we show that the propagation of a locally superluminal refractive index perturbation (RIP) in a Kerr medium can be described, in the eikonal approximation, by means of a stationary metric, which we prove to be of Gordon type. Under suitable hypotheses on the RIP, we obtain a stationary but not static metric, which is characterized by an ergosphere and by a peculiar behaviour of the geodesics, which are studied numerically, also accounting for material dispersion. Finally, the equation to be satisfied by an event horizon is also displayed and briefly discussed., Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures

Algebraic and geometric structures associated with Birkhoff strata of Sato Grassmannian are analyzed. It is shown that each Birkhoff stratum $\Sigma_S$ contains a subset $W_{\hat{S}}$ of points for which each fiber of the corresponding tautological subbundle $TB_{W_S}$ is closed with respect to multiplication. Algebraically $TB_{W_S}$ is an infinite family of infinite-dimensional commutative associative algebras and geometrically it is an infinite tower of families of algebraic curves. For the big cell the subbundle $TB_{W_\varnothing}$ represents the tower of families of normal rational (Veronese) curves of all degrees. For $W_1$ such tautological subbundle is the family of coordinate rings for elliptic curves. For higher strata, the subbundles $TB_{W_{1,2,\dots,n}}$ represent families of plane $(n+1,n+2)$ curves (trigonal curves at $n=2$) and space curves of genus $n$. Two methods of regularization of singular curves contained in $TB_{W_{\hat{S}}}$, namely, the standard blowing-up and transition to higher strata with the change of genus are discussed., Comment: 31 pages, no figures, version accepted in Journal of Nonlinear Mathematical Physics. The sections on the integrable systems present in previous versions has been published separately

We consider a 4D model for photon production induced by a %superluminal refractive index perturbation in a dielectric medium. We show that, in this model, we can infer the presence of a Hawking type effect. This prediction shows up both in the analogue Hawking framework, which is implemented in the pulse frame and relies on the peculiar properties of the effective geometry in which quantum fields propagate, as well as in the laboratory frame, through standard quantum field theory calculations. Effects of optical dispersion are also taken into account, and are shown to provide a limited energy bandwidth for the emission of Hawking radiation., Comment: Several improvements, also including dispersion, have been considered

We study different algebraic and geometric properties of Heisenberg invariant Poisson polynomial quadratic algebras. We show that these algebras are unimodular. The elliptic Sklyanin-Odesskii-Feigin Poisson algebras $q_{n,k}(\mathcal E)$ are the main important example. We classify all quadratic $H-$invariant Poisson tensors on ${\mathbb C}^n$ with $n\leq 6$ and show that for $n\leq 5$ they coincide with the elliptic Sklyanin-Odesskii-Feigin Poisson algebras or with their certain degenerations., Comment: 14 pages, no figures, minor revision, typos corrected

A class of Hamiltonian deformations of plane curves is defined and studied. Hamiltonian deformations of conics and cubics are considered as illustrative examples. These deformations are described by systems of hydrodynamical type equations. It is shown that solutions of these systems describe processes of formation of singularities (cusps, nodes), bubbles, and change of genus of a curve., Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures

We analyze in detail photon production induced by a superluminal refractive index perturbation in realistic experimental operating conditions. The interaction between the refractive index perturbation and the quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field leads to the production of photon pairs., Comment: 4 pages

Coisotropic deformations of algebraic varieties are defined as those for which an ideal of the deformed variety is a Poisson ideal. It is shown that coisotropic deformations of sets of intersection points of plane quadrics, cubics and space algebraic curves are governed, in particular, by the dKP, WDVV, dVN, d2DTL equations and other integrable hydrodynamical type systems. Particular attention is paid to the study of two- and three-dimensional deformations of elliptic curves. Problem of an appropriate choice of Poisson structure is discussed., Comment: 17 pages, no figures

We show that the bi-Hamiltonian structure of the rational n-particle (attractive) Calogero-Moser system can be obtained by means of a double projection from a very simple Poisson pair on the cotangent bundle of gl(n,R). The relation with the Lax formalism is also discussed., Comment: 19 pages, no figures, minor changes and remarks added

Eukaryotic cells possess a sensible chemical compass allowing them to orient toward sources of soluble chemicals. The extracellular chemical signal triggers separation of the cell membrane into two domains populated by different phospholipid molecules and oriented along the signal anisotropy. We propose a theory of this polarization process, which is articulated into subsequent stages of germ nucleation, patch coarsening and merging into a single domain. We find that the polarization time, $t_\epsilon$, depends on the anisotropy degree $\epsilon$ through the power law $t_\epsilon\propto \epsilon^{-2}$, and that in a cell of radius $R$ there should exist a threshold value $\epsilon_\mathrm{th}\propto R^{-1}$ for the smallest detectable anisotropy.

Cell polarization plays a central role in the development of complex organisms. It has been recently shown that cell polarization may follow from the proximity to a phase separation instability in a bistable network of chemical reactions. An example which has been thoroughly studied is the formation of signaling domains during eukaryotic chemotaxis. In this case, the process of domain growth may be described by the use of a constrained time-dependent Landau-Ginzburg equation, admitting scale-invariant solutions {\textit{\`a la}} Lifshitz and Slyozov. The constraint results here from a mechanism of fast cycling of molecules between a cytosolic, inactive state and a membrane-bound, active state, which dynamically tunes the chemical potential for membrane binding to a value corresponding to the coexistence of different phases on the cell membrane. We provide here a universal description of this process both in the presence and absence of a gradient in the external activation field. Universal power laws are derived for the time needed for the cell to polarize in a chemotactic gradient, and for the value of the smallest detectable gradient. We also describe a concrete realization of our scheme based on the analysis of available biochemical and biophysical data., Comment: Submitted to Journal of Statistical Mechanics -Theory and Experiments

We discuss how the Camassa-Holm hierarchy can be framed within the geometry of the Sato Grassmannian., Comment: 10 pages, no figures

We study exact string backgrounds (WZW models) generated by nonsemisimple algebras which are obtained as double extensions of generic D--dimensional semisimple algebras. We prove that a suitable change of coordinates always exists which reduces these backgrounds to be the product of the nontrivial background associated to the original algebra and two dimensional Minkowski. However, under suitable contraction, the algebra reduces to a Nappi--Witten algebra and the corresponding spacetime geometry, no more factorized, can be interpreted as the Penrose limit of the original background. For both configurations we construct D--brane solutions and prove that {\em all} the branes survive the Penrose limit. Therefore, the limit procedure can be used to extract informations about Nappi--Witten plane wave backgrounds in arbitrary dimensions., Comment: 27 pages, no figures, references added

We express the zeta function associated to the Laplacian operator on $S^1_r\times M$ in terms of the zeta function associated to the Laplacian on $M$, where $M$ is a compact connected Riemannian manifold. This gives formulas for the partition function of the associated physical model at low and high temperature for any compact domain $M$. Furthermore, we provide an exact formula for the zeta function at any value of $r$ when $M$ is a $D$-dimensional box or a $D$-dimensional torus; this allows a rigorous calculation of the zeta invariants and the analysis of the main thermodynamic functions associated to the physical models at finite temperature., Comment: 19 pages, no figures, to appear in J. Phys. A