  A study of the $CP$ properties of the interaction between the Higgs boson and
top quarks is presented. Higgs bosons are identified via the diphoton decay
channel ($H \rightarrow \gamma\gamma$) and their production in association with
a top quark pair ($t\bar{t}H$) or single top quark ($tH$) is studied. The
analysis uses 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data recorded at a
center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the
Large Hadron Collider. Assuming a $CP$-even coupling, the $t\bar{t}H$ process
is observed with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. The measured cross
section times $H \to \gamma \gamma$ branching ratio is
$1.64\;^{+0.38}_{-0.36}\;\text{(stat.)}\;^{+0.17}_{-0.14}\;(\text{sys.})$ fb,
and the measured rate for $t\bar{t}H$ is
$1.43\;^{+0.33}_{-0.31}\;\text{(stat.)}\;^{+0.21}_{-0.15}\;(\text{sys.})$ times
the Standard Model expectation. The $tH$ production process is not observed and
an upper limit on its rate of 12 times the Standard Model expectation is set. A
$CP$-mixing angle greater (less) than 43 (-43)$^\circ$ is excluded at 95%
confidence level.


  The external forward shock (EFS) models have been the standard paradigm to
interpret the broad-band afterglow data of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). One
prediction of the models is that some afterglow temporal breaks at different
energy bands should be achromatic. Observations in the Swift era have revealed
chromatic afterglow behaviors at least in some GRBs, casting doubts on the EFS
origin of GRB afterglows. In this paper, we perform a systematic study to
address the question: how bad/good are the external forward shock models? Our
sample includes 85 GRBs well-monitored X-ray and optical lightcurves. Based on
how well the data abide by the EFS models, we categorize them as: Gold sample:
(Grade I and II) include 45/85 GRBs. They show evidence of, or are consistent
with having, an achromatic break. The temporal/spectral behaviors in each
afterglow segment are consistent with the predictions (closure relations) of
the EFS models. Silver sample: (Grade III and IV) include 37/85 GRBs. They are
also consistent with having an achromatic break, even though one or more
afterglow segments do not comply with the closure relations. Bad sample: (Grade
V), 3/85 shows direct evidence of chromatic behaviors, suggesting that the EFS
models are inconsistent with the data. These are included in the Bad sample. We
further perform statistical analyses of various observational properties
($\alpha$, $\beta$, $t_b$ and model parameters (energy injection index q, p,
$\theta_j$, $\eta_\gamma$, etc) of the GRBs in the Gold Sample, and derive
constraints on the magnetization parameter $\epsilon_B$ in the EFS. Overall, we
conclude that the simplest EFS models can account for the multi-wavelength
afterglow data of at least half of the GRBs. When more advanced modeling (e.g.,
long-lasting reverse shock, structured jets) is invoked, up to $>90 \%$ of the
afterglows may be interpreted within the framework of the ESF models.


  In this paper we propose a framework for ethical decision making in the
context of planning, with intended application to robotics. We put forward a
compact but highly expressive language for ethical planning that combines
linear temporal logic with lexicographic preference modelling. This original
combination allows us to assess plans both with respect to an agent's values
and their desires, introducing the novel concept of the morality level of an
agent and moving towards multigoal, multivalue planning. We initiate the study
of computational complexity of planning tasks in our setting, and we discuss
potential applications to robotics.


  If a smooth compact 4-manifold M admits a Kaehler-Einstein metric g of
positive scalar curvature, Gursky showed that its conformal class [g] is an
absolute minimizer of the Weyl functional among all conformal classes with
positive Yamabe constant. Here we prove that, with the same hypotheses, [g]
also minimizes of the Weyl functional on a different open set of conformal
classes, most of which have negative Yamabe constant. An analogous minimization
result is then proved for Einstein metrics g which are Hermitian, but not
Kaehler.


  (abridged) We report the discovery of a previously unnoticed member of the
Centaurus A Group, NGC 5011C. While the galaxy is a well known stellar system
listed with a NGC number its true identity remained hidden because of
coordinate confusion and wrong redshifts in the literature. NGC 5011C attracted
our attention since, at a putative distance of 45.3 Mpc, it would be a peculiar
object having a very low surface brightness typical of a dwarf galaxy, and at
the same time having the size of an early-type spiral or S0 galaxy. To confirm
or reject this peculiarity, our immediate objective was to have the first
reliable measurement of its recession velocity. The observations were carried
out with EFOSC2 at the 3.6m ESO telescope. We found that NGC 5011C has indeed a
low redshift of v_sun=647+/-96 km/sec and thus is a nearby dwarf galaxy rather
than a member of the distant Centaurus cluster as believed for the past 23
years. Rough distance estimates based on photometric parameters also favor this
scenario. As a byproduct of our study we update the redshift for NGC 5011B at
v_sun=3227+/-50 km/sec. Applying population synthesis techniques, we find that
NGC 5011B has a luminosity-weighted age of 4+/-1 Gyr and a solar metallicity,
and that the luminosity-weighted age and metallicity of NGC 5011C are 0.9+/-0.1
Gyr and 1/5 solar. Finally we estimate a stellar mass of NGC 5011C comparable
to that of dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the Local Group.


  This paper presents LinBFT, a novel Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) protocol
for blockchain systems that achieves amortized O(n) communication volume per
block under reasonable conditions (where n is the number of participants),
while satisfying determinist guarantees on safety and liveness. This
significantly improves previous results, which either incurs quadratic
communication complexity, or only satisfies safety in a probabilistic sense.
LinBFT is based on the popular PBFT protocol, and cuts down its $O(n^4)$
complexity with three tricks, each by $O(n)$: linear view change, threshold
signatures, and verifiable random functions. All three are known, i.e., the
solutions are right in front of our eyes, and yet LinBFT is the first $O(n)$
solution with deterministic security guarantees.
  Further, LinBFT also addresses issues that are specific to permission-less,
public blockchain systems, such as anonymous participants without a public-key
infrastructure, proof-of-stake with slashing, rotating leader, and a dynamic
participant set. In addition, LinBFT contains no proof-of-work module, reaches
consensus for every block, and tolerates changing honesty of the participants
for different blocks.


  We present the higgsing of three-dimensional N=6 superconformal ABJM type
theories coupled to conformal supergravity, so called topologically gauged ABJM
theory, thus providing a gravitational extension of previous work on the
relation between N M2 and N D2-branes. The resulting N=6 supergravity theory
appears at a chiral point similar to that of three-dimensional chiral gravity
introduced recently by Li, Song and Strominger, but with the opposite sign for
the Ricci scalar term in the lagrangian. We identify the supersymmetry in the
broken phase as a particular linear combination of the supersymmetry and
special conformal supersymmetry in the original topologically gauged ABJM
theory. We also discuss the higgsing procedure in detail paying special
attention to the role played by the U(1) factors in the original ABJM model and
the U(1) introduced in the topological gauging.


  This paper provides an overview of the Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) experiments.
The measurement principle is explained and its theory is derived. Both
contributions, the direct reflected light from retroreflectors as well as the
scattered light from the lunar surface are considered. The measurement results
from the Sixties until 2007 are then compared between different LLR stations
and with the theoretical forecast. The very first experiment was in 1962: a
laser beam was directed to the Moon and the scattered light from the lunar
surface was detected. The number of received photons was in line with the
theory. Then from 1969 the laser beams were directed to retroreflectors placed
by Apollo astronauts and Luna space crafts. Retroreflectors are on the one hand
reference points for long term measurements; on the other hand they deliver a
much stronger return signal compared to the scattered return. But none of the
stations could measure the expected amplification of the retroreflectors. The
number of received photons remained in line with measurements to the bare
surface of the Moon. Therefore either all retroreflectors have degraded such
that their return signals fit to the scattered return from the lunar soil or
the measurements were indeed taken to the lunar surface only.


  The ability to localise a smart device is very useful to visually or
cognitively impaired people. Localisation-capable technologies are becoming
more readily available as off-the-shelf components. In this paper, we highlight
the need for such a service in the field of health and autonomy, especially for
disabled people. We introduce a model for Semantic Position Description (SPD)
(e.g. "The pill organiser in on the kitchen table") as well as various
algorithms that transform raw distance estimations to SPD related to proximity,
alignment and room identification. Two of these algorithms are evaluated using
the LocURa4IoT testbed. The results are compared to the output of a
pre-experiment involving ten human participants in the Maison Intelligente de
Blagnac. The two studies indicate that both approaches converge up to 90% of
the time. .


  A hybrid semiconductor-superconductor nanowire on the top of a magnetic film
in the stripe phase experiences a magnetic texture from the underlying fringing
fields. The Zeeman interaction with the highly inhomogeneous magnetic textures
generates a large synthetic spin-orbit coupling. We show that this platform can
support the formation of Majorana bound states (MBS) localized at the ends of
the nanowire. The transition to the topological superconducting phase not only
depends on the nanowire parameters and stripe size but also on the relative
orientation of the stripes with respect to the nanowire axis. Topological phase
transitions with the corresponding emergence or destruction of MBS can be
induced by reorienting the stripes or shifting their position, which can be
achieved by passing a charge current through the magnetic film or by applying
electrically-controlled strain to it. The proposed platform removes the need
for external magnetic fields and offers a non-invasive electrical tuning of MBS
with the perturbation (current or strain) acting only on thee magnetic film.


  Following an argument advanced by Feynman, we consider a method for obtaining
the effective action which generates the sum of tree diagrams with external
physical particles. This technique is applied, in the unbroken \lambda \phi^4
theory, to the derivation of the threshold amplitude for the production of $n$
scalar particles by $n$ initial particles. The leading contributions to the
tree amplitude, which become singular in the threshold limit, exhibit a
factorial growth with n.


  Experimentally observed excited strange charmed mesons
$D_{s0}^*(2317)^{\pm}$, $D_{s1}(2460)^{\pm}$, $D_{s1}(2536)^{\pm}$,
$D_{s2}^*(2573)^{\pm}$, $D_{s1}^*(2700)^{\pm}$, $D_{s1}^*(2860)^{\pm}$,
$D_{s3}^*(2860)^{\pm}$, and $D_{sJ}(3040)^{\pm}$ are identified tentatively
according to their spin, parity, and masses. Using the heavy quark effective
theory in the leading order approximation, we study their strong decays to
ground state charmed mesons plus light pseudoscalar mesons. The branching
ratios are classified, $(D_{s0}^*(2317), D_{s1}(2460))$ as $(1^3P_0, 1P_1)$ and
$(D_{s1}(2536), D_{s2}^*(2573))$ as $(1P_1^{\prime}, 1^3P_2)$, in heavy quark
doublets. The $D_{s1}^*(2700)$ as $2^3S_1$ and its spin partner, $2^1S_0$ is
still missing in the experiment. Its strong decay behavior is predicted. The
assignment of $D_{sJ}^*(2860)$ as four resonance states $D_{s1}^*(2860)$,
$D_{s2}^*(2860)$, $D_{s2}^{*\prime}(2860)$, $D_{s3}^*(2860)$ is favored, where
for $D_{s3}^*(2860)^{\pm}$ the mass should be expected to higher than 2.86 GeV.
The $D_{sJ}(3040)$ is more likely to be 2$P_1$ state. We construct the Regge
trajectories of experimentally observed strange charmed mesons in $(M^2, J)$
and $(M^2, n_r)$ planes, which estimate the masses of $1^3D_3$, $1^3F_4$,
$1D_2$, $1^1F_3$, $1D_2^{\prime}$, $1F_3^{\prime}$, $3^3S_1$, and $3P_1$ states
with fixing the slopes and intercepts of the Regge lines. Moreover, the strong
decay rates and the branching ratios of these higher excited states are also
examined, which distinguished the dominant decay channels for these higher
excited states. Our results could provide some important clues in LHCb, BESIII,
KEK-B, and the forthcoming Belle II and $\overline{\mbox{\sffamily
P}}${\sffamily ANDA} experiments.


  We report on magnetization data obtained as a function of temperature and
magnetic field in Li2 (Pd0.8Pt0.2)3B and Li2Pd3B non-centro-symmetric
superconductors. Reversible magnetization curves were plotted as M1/2 vs. T.
This allows study of the asymptotic behavior of the averaged order parameter
amplitude (gap) near the superconducting transition. Results of the analysis
show, as expected, a mean field superconducting transition for Li2Pd3B. On
contrary, a large deviation from the mean field behavior is revealed for
Li2(Pd0.8Pt0.2)3B. This is interpreted as due to the strength of the non s-wave
spin-triplet pairing in this Pt-containing compound which produces nodes in the
order parameter and consequently, phase fluctuations. The diamagnetic signal
above Tc(H) in Li2Pd3B is well explained by superconducting Gaussian
fluctuations, which agrees with the observed mean field transition. For
Li2(Pd0.8Pt0.2)3B the diamagnetic signal above Tc(H) is much higher than the
expected Gaussian values and appears to be well explained by three dimensional
critical fluctuations of the lowest-Landau-level type, which somehow agrees
with the scenario of a phase mediated transition.


  Our comprehensive study on EuFe$_2$As$_2$ reveals a dramatic reduction of
magnetic detwinning fields compared to other AFe$_2$As$_2$ (A = Ba, Sr, Ca)
iron pnictides by indirect magneto-elastic coupling of the Eu$^{2+}$ ions. We
find that only 0.1T are sufficient for persistent detwinning below the local
Eu$^{2+}$ ordering; above $T_\text{Eu}$ = 19K, higher fields are necessary.
Even after the field is switched off, a significant imbalance of twin domains
remains constant up to the structural and electronic phase transition (190K).
This persistent detwinning provides the unique possibility to study the low
temperature electronic in-plane anisotropy of iron pnictides without applying
any symmetrybreaking external force.


  The growing efficiency of single-cell sequencing technology has provided
biologists with ample cells to identify and differentiate, often through
clustering. Heuristic approaches for clustering method choice have become more
prevalent and could lead to inaccurate reports if statistical evaluation of the
resulting clusters is omitted. During the advent of microarray data, a similar
dilemma was addressed in literature through the provision of supervised and
unsupervised measures, which were evaluated through Rank Aggregation. In this
paper, these measures are adapted into the single-cell framework through a
leave-one-out approach. Additionally, a scheme was created to utilize the
information of cluster sizes by using their ranking to assign importance to the
aggregation of methods, resulting in one table of methods ranked by cluster
sizes. To demonstrate the ensemble of measures and scheme, five benchmark
single-cell datasets were clustered with various methods at appropriate cluster
sizes. We show that through rank aggregation and our importance scheme, our
adapted measures select clustering methods that perform better at cluster sizes
associated with true biological groups compared to those selected through
traditional measures. For four of the five datasets and with internal measures
alone, the rank aggregation scheme could correctly identify methods that
performed the best at cluster sizes that match the original biological groups.
We plan to package this ensemble of measures in the hopes to provide others
with a tool to identify the best performing clustering methods and associated
sizes for a variety of single cell datasets.


  Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a well-known linear dimension-reduction
technique designed for Euclidean data. In a wide spectrum of applied fields,
however, it is common to observe multivariate circular data (also known as
toroidal data), rendering spurious the use of PCA on it due to the periodicity
of its support. This paper introduces Toroidal Ridge PCA (TR-PCA), a novel
construction of PCA for bivariate circular data that leverages the concept of
density ridges as a flexible first principal component analog. Two reference
bivariate circular distributions, the bivariate sine von Mises and the
bivariate wrapped Cauchy, are employed as the parametric distributional basis
of TR-PCA. Efficient algorithms are presented to compute density ridges for
these two distribution models. A complete PCA methodology adapted to toroidal
data (including scores, variance decomposition, and resolution of edge cases)
is introduced and implemented in the companion R package ridgetorus. The
usefulness of TR-PCA is showcased with a novel case study involving the
analysis of ocean currents on the coast of Santa Barbara.


  The high occurrence rates of spiral arms and large central clearings in
protoplanetary disks, if interpreted as signposts of giant planets, indicate
that gas giants form commonly as companions to young stars ($<$ few Myr) at
orbital separations of 10--300\,au. However, attempts to directly image this
giant planet population as companions to more mature stars ($> 10$\, Myr) have
yielded few successes. This discrepancy could be explained if most giant
planets form "cold start," i.e., by radiating away much of their formation
energy as they assemble their mass, rendering them faint enough to elude
detection at later times. In that case, giant planets should be bright at early
times, during their accretion phase, and yet forming planets are detected only
rarely through direct imaging techniques. Here we explore the possibility that
the low detection rate of accreting planets is the result of episodic accretion
through a circumplanetary disk. We also explore the possibility that the
companion orbiting the Herbig Ae star HD~142527 may be a giant planet
undergoing such an accretion outburst.


  Statistical modeling is a key component in the extraction of physical results
from lattice field theory calculations. Although the general models used are
often strongly motivated by physics, many model variations can frequently be
considered for the same lattice data. Model averaging, which amounts to a
probability-weighted average over all model variations, can incorporate
systematic errors associated with model choice without being overly
conservative. We discuss the framework of model averaging from the perspective
of Bayesian statistics, and give useful formulae and approximations for the
particular case of least-squares fitting, commonly used in modeling lattice
results. In addition, we frame the common problem of data subset selection
(e.g. choice of minimum and maximum time separation for fitting a two-point
correlation function) as a model selection problem and study model averaging as
a straightforward alternative to manual selection of fit ranges. Numerical
examples involving both mock and real lattice data are given.


  Depth cameras have found applications in diverse fields, such as computer
vision, artificial intelligence, and video gaming. However, the high latency
and low frame rate of existing commodity depth cameras impose limitations on
their applications. We propose a fast and accurate depth map reconstruction
technique to reduce latency and increase the frame rate in depth cameras. Our
approach uses only a commodity depth camera and color camera in a hybrid camera
setup; our prototype is implemented using a Kinect Azure depth camera at 30 fps
and a high-speed RGB iPhone 11 Pro camera captured at 240 fps. The proposed
network, AutoDepthNet, is an encoder-decoder model that captures frames from
the high-speed RGB camera and combines them with previous depth frames to
reconstruct a stream of high frame rate depth maps. On GPU, with a 480 x 270
output resolution, our system achieves an inference time of 8 ms, enabling
real-time use at up to 200 fps with parallel processing. AutoDepthNet can
estimate depth values with an average RMS error of 0.076, a 44.5% improvement
compared to an optical flow-based comparison method. Our method can also
improve depth map quality by estimating depth values for missing and
invalidated pixels. The proposed method can be easily applied to existing depth
cameras and facilitates the use of depth cameras in applications that require
high-speed depth estimation. We also showcase the effectiveness of the
framework in upsampling different sparse datasets e.g. video object
segmentation. As a demonstration of our method, we integrated our framework
into existing body tracking systems and demonstrated the robustness of the
proposed method in such applications.


  We present an extension of the FKS subtraction scheme beyond next-to-leading
order to deal with soft singularities in fully differential calculations within
QED with massive fermions. After a detailed discussion of the
next-to-next-to-leading order case, we show how to extend the scheme to even
higher orders in perturbation theory. As an application we discuss the
computation of the next-to-next-to-leading order QED corrections to the muon
decay and present differential results with full electron mass dependence.


  The McKibben pneumatic artificial muscle is a commonly studied soft robotic
actuator, and its quasistatic force-length properties have been well
characterized and modeled. However, its damping and force-velocity properties
are less well studied. Understanding these properties will allow for more
robust dynamic modeling of soft robotic systems. The force-velocity response of
these actuators is of particular interest because these actuators are often
used as hardware models of skeletal muscles for bioinspired robots, and this
force-velocity relationship is fundamental to muscle physiology. In this work,
we investigated the force-velocity response of McKibben actuators and the
ability to tune this response through the use of viscoelastic polymer sheaths.
These viscoelastic McKibben actuators (VMAs) were characterized using
iso-velocity experiments inspired by skeletal muscle physiology tests. A
simplified 1D model of the actuators was developed to connect the shape of the
force-velocity curve to the material parameters of the actuator and sheaths.
Using these viscoelastic materials, we were able to modulate the shape and
magnitude of the actuators' force-velocity curves, and using the developed
model, these changes were connected back to the material properties of the
sheaths.


  Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been a widely used tool in various
scientific fields and practical applications, with quantum control emerging as
a promising strategy for synergistic advancements. In this paper, we propose a
novel approach that combines NMR and quantum state preparation techniques to
control free induction decay (FID) signals in weakly coupled spin systems,
specifically Trifluoroiodoethylene $C_2F_3I$. We investigate the FID signal of
the three-spin system and compare the differences between the FID signals in
the thermal state and the pseudo-pure state (PPS), where the latter is
generated using quantum state preparation techniques. Our approach aims to
demonstrate a single exponentially decaying FID in weakly coupled spins, in
which oscillatory FID signals are often observed. We validate our findings
through numerical simulations and experimental measurements, and justify the
validity of the theory. Our method opens a door to advancing spin system
research and extending the capabilities of NMR with current quantum
technologies in various scientific and practical fields.


  Chirikov's celebrated criterion of resonance overlap has been widely used in
celestial mechanics and Hamiltonian dynamics to detect global instability, but
is rarely rigourous. We introduce two simple Hamiltonian systems, each
depending on two parameters measuring respectively the distance to resonance
overlap and non-integrability. Within some thin region of the parameter plane,
classical perturbation theory shows the existence of global instability and
symbolic dynamics, thus illustrating Chirikov's criterion.


  A mu+ mu- collider is an appealing machine to probe resonant CP-violating
transitions of a CP-even Higgs particle into the Z boson or into another CP-odd
Higgs scalar. These phenomena are studied within a manifestly gauge-invariant
approach implemented by the pinch technique. The CP invariance of an extended
Higgs sector motivated by supersymmetric E_6 models is assumed to be broken
radiatively by the presence of heavy Majorana fermions. CP violation
originating from Higgs-Z mixing is found to be very modest, whereas CP-number
violating transitions involving Higgs scalars only can be resonantly enhanced
up to order of unity.


  Statistical verification of a quantum state aims to certify whether a given
unknown state is close to the target state with confidence. So far,
sample-optimal verification protocols based on local measurements have been
found only for disparate groups of states: bipartite pure states, GHZ states,
and antisymmetric basis states. In this work, we investigate systematically
optimal verification of entangled stabilizer states using Pauli measurements.
First, we provide a lower bound on the sample complexity of any verification
protocol based on separable measurements, which is independent of the number of
qubits and the specific stabilizer state. Then we propose a simple algorithm
for constructing optimal protocols based on Pauli measurements. Our
calculations suggest that optimal protocols based on Pauli measurements can
saturate the above bound for all entangled stabilizer states, and this claim is
verified explicitly for states up to seven qubits. Similar results are derived
when each party can choose only two measurement settings, say X and Z.
Furthermore, by virtue of the chromatic number, we provide an upper bound for
the minimum number of settings required to verify any graph state, which is
expected to be tight. For experimentalists, optimal protocols and protocols
with the minimum number of settings are explicitly provided for all equivalent
classes of stabilizer states up to seven qubits. For theorists, general results
on stabilizer states (including graph states in particular) and related
structures derived here may be of independent interest beyond quantum state
verification.


  Anisotropies in the final state of heavy-ion collisions carry information on
the creation, expansion and evolution of the quark-gluon plasma. Currently,
there is an abundance of studies on azimuthal anisotropies in comparison to
longitudinal ones. The purpose of this work is to quantify angular $(\theta,
\phi)$ correlations to further the understanding of the full spatial 3-D
picture of emitted hadrons. Therefore, public ALICE data from Run 1 (2010) of
Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76\mathrm{~TeV}$ is analyzed through the
estimation of an angular power spectrum. Issues with $|\eta| < 0.9$ limitation
are tackled, as well as event multiplicity and detector efficiency. Firstly,
spectra are calculated for toy Monte Carlo samples. Secondly, heavy-ion data
spectra are presented for the full momentum phase space $0.15 < p_T <
100\mathrm{~GeV}$ and also separate intervals $p_T < 0.54\mathrm{~GeV}$ and
$p_T > 0.54\mathrm{~GeV}$. The latter reveal how different geometries dominate
at distinct scales and transverse momentum. Finally, the study submits
particles generated through the AMPT model to the same power spectrum analysis.
This comparison shows that in scales dominated by flow geometry, AMPT
qualitatively describes the data spectra, while the opposite is true for
smaller scales.


  The standard formalism for the co-evolution of halos and dark matter predicts
that any initial halo velocity bias rapidly decays to zero. We argue that, when
the purpose is to compute statistics like power spectra etc., the coupling in
the momentum conservation equation for the biased tracers must be modified. Our
new formulation predicts the constancy in time of any statistical halo velocity
bias present in the initial conditions, in agreement with peak theory. We test
this prediction by studying the evolution of a conserved halo population in
N-body simulations. We establish that the initial simulated halo density and
velocity statistics show distinct features of the peak model and, thus, deviate
from the simple local Lagrangian bias. We demonstrate, for the first time, that
the time evolution of their velocity is in tension with the rapid decay
expected in the standard approach.


  Recent observations by PAMELA, Fermi-LAT, and AMS-02 have conclusively
indicated a rise in the cosmic-ray positron fraction above 10 GeV, a feature
which is impossible to mimic under the paradigm of secondary positron
production with self-consistent Galactic cosmic-ray propagation models. A
leading explanation for the rising positron fraction is an additional source of
electron-positron pairs, for example one or more mature, energetic, and
relatively nearby pulsars. We point out that any one of two well-known nearby
pulsars, Geminga and Monogem, can satisfactorily provide enough positrons to
reproduce AMS-02 observations. A smoking-gun signature of this scenario is an
anisotropy in the arrival direction of the cosmic-ray electrons and positrons,
which may be detectable by existing, or future, telescopes. The predicted
anisotropy level is, at present, consistent with limits from Fermi-LAT and
AMS-02. We argue that the large collecting area of Atmospheric Cherenkov
Telescopes (ACTs) makes them optimal tools for detecting such an anisotropy.
Specifically, we show that much of the proton and gamma-ray background, which
affects measurements of the cosmic-ray electron-positron spectrum with ACTs,
may be controlled in the search for anisotropies. We conclude that observations
using archival ACT data could already constrain or substantiate the pulsar
origin of the positron anomaly, while upcoming instruments (such as the
Cherenkov Telescope Array) will provide strong constraints on the source of the
rising positron fraction.


  In this paper, probabilistic shaping is numerically and experimentally
investigated for increasing the transmission reach of wavelength division
multiplexed (WDM) optical communication system employing quadrature amplitude
modulation (QAM). An optimized probability mass function (PMF) of the QAM
symbols is first found from a modified Blahut-Arimoto algorithm for the optical
channel. A turbo coded bit interleaved coded modulation system is then applied,
which relies on many-to-one labeling to achieve the desired PMF, thereby
achieving shaping gain. Pilot symbols at rate at most 2% are used for
synchronization and equalization, making it possible to receive input
constellations as large as 1024QAM. The system is evaluated experimentally on a
10 GBaud, 5 channels WDM setup. The maximum system reach is increased w.r.t.
standard 1024QAM by 20% at input data rate of 4.65 bits/symbol and up to 75% at
5.46 bits/symbol. It is shown that rate adaptation does not require changing of
the modulation format. The performance of the proposed 1024QAM shaped system is
validated on all 5 channels of the WDM signal for selected distances and rates.
Finally, it was shown via EXIT charts and BER analysis that iterative
demapping, while generally beneficial to the system, is not a requirement for
achieving the shaping gain.


  A study of the linearised gravitational field (spin 2 zero-rest-mass field)
on a Minkowski background close to spatial infinity is done. To this purpose, a
certain representation of spatial infinity in which it is depicted as a
cylinder is used. A first analysis shows that the solutions generically develop
a particular type of logarithmic divergence at the sets where spatial infinity
touches null infinity. A regularity condition on the initial data can be
deduced from the analysis of some transport equations on the cylinder at
spatial infinity. It is given in terms of the linearised version of the Cotton
tensor and symmetrised higher order derivatives, and it ensures that the
solutions of the transport equations extend analytically to the sets where
spatial infinity touches null infinity. It is later shown that this regularity
condition together with the requirement of some particular degree of tangential
smoothness ensures logarithm-free expansions of the time development of the
linearised gravitational field close to spatial and null infinities.


  Several studies have considered control theory tools for traffic control in
communication networks, as for example the congestion control issue in IP
(Internet Protocol) routers. In this paper, we propose to design a linear
observer for time-delay systems to address the traffic monitoring issue in
TCP/AQM (Transmission Control Protocol/Active Queue Management) networks. Due
to several propagation delays and the queueing delay, the set TCP/AQM is
modeled as a multiple delayed system of a particular form. Hence, appropriate
robust control tools as quadratic separation are adopted to construct a delay
dependent observer for TCP flows estimation. Note that, the developed mechanism
enables also the anomaly detection issue for a class of DoS (Denial of Service)
attacks. At last, simulations via the network simulator NS-2 and an emulation
experiment validate the proposed methodology.


  Data-driven turbulence modeling is experiencing a surge in interest following
algorithmic and hardware developments in the data sciences. We discuss an
approach using the differentiable physics paradigm that combines known physics
with machine learning to develop closure models for Burgers' turbulence. We
consider the 1D Burgers system as a prototypical test problem for modeling the
unresolved terms in advection-dominated turbulence problems. We train a series
of models that incorporate varying degrees of physical assumptions on an a
posteriori loss function to test the efficacy of models across a range of
system parameters, including viscosity, time, and grid resolution. We find that
constraining models with inductive biases in the form of partial differential
equations that contain known physics or existing closure approaches produces
highly data-efficient, accurate, and generalizable models, outperforming
state-of-the-art baselines. Addition of structure in the form of physics
information also brings a level of interpretability to the models, potentially
offering a stepping stone to the future of closure modeling.


  The Keller theorem in the problem of effective conductivity in anisotropic
two-dimensional (2D) many-component composites makes it possible to establish a
simple inequality $\sigma_{{\sf is}}^e(\sigma^{-1}_i)\cdot \sigma_{{\sf
is}}^e(\sigma_k)> 1$ for the isotropic part $\sigma_{{\sf is}}^e(\sigma_k)$ of
the 2-nd rank symmetric tensor ${\widehat \sigma}_{i,j}^e$ of effective
conductivity.


  AI systems that model and interact with users can update their models over
time to reflect new information and changes in the environment. Although these
updates may improve the overall performance of the AI system, they may actually
hurt the performance with respect to individual users. Prior work has studied
the trade-off between improving the system's accuracy following an update and
the compatibility of the updated system with prior user experience. The more
the model is forced to be compatible with a prior version, the higher loss in
accuracy it will incur. In this paper, we show that by personalizing the loss
function to specific users, in some cases it is possible to improve the
compatibility-accuracy trade-off with respect to these users (increase the
compatibility of the model while sacrificing less accuracy). We present
experimental results indicating that this approach provides moderate
improvements on average (around 20%) but large improvements for certain users
(up to 300%).


  We show an algorithm that, given an $n$-vertex graph $G$ and a parameter $k$,
in time $2^{O(k \log k)} n^{O(1)}$ finds a tree decomposition of $G$ with the
following properties:
  * every adhesion of the tree decomposition is of size at most $k$, and
  * every bag of the tree decomposition is $(i,i)$-unbreakable in $G$ for every
$1 \leq i \leq k$.
  Here, a set $X \subseteq V(G)$ is $(a,b)$-unbreakable in $G$ if for every
separation $(A,B)$ of order at most $b$ in $G$, we have $|A \cap X| \leq a$ or
$|B \cap X| \leq a$. The resulting tree decomposition has arguably best
possible adhesion size boundsand unbreakability guarantees. Furthermore, the
parametric factor in the running time bound is significantly smaller than in
previous similar constructions. These improvements allow us to present
parameterized algorithms for Minimum Bisection, Steiner Cut, and Steiner
Multicut with improved parameteric factor in the running time bound.
  The main technical insight is to adapt the notion of lean decompositions of
Thomas and the subsequent construction algorithm of Bellenbaum and Diestel to
the parameterized setting.


  Let $X$ be a finite vertex-transitive graph of valency $d$, and let $A$ be
the full automorphism group of $X$. Then the arc-type of $X$ is defined in
terms of the sizes of the orbits of the action of the stabiliser $A_v$ of a
given vertex $v$ on the set of arcs incident with $v$. Specifically, the
arc-type is the partition of $d$ as the sum $$n_1 + n_2 + \dots + n_t + (m_1 +
m_1) + (m_2 + m_2) + \dots + (m_s + m_s),$$ where $n_1, n_2, \dots, n_t$ are
the sizes of the self-paired orbits, and $m_1,m_1, m_2,m_2, \dots, m_s,m_s$ are
the sizes of the non-self-paired orbits, in descending order.
  In this paper, we find the arc-types of several families of graphs. Also we
show that the arc-type of a Cartesian product of two `relatively prime' graphs
is the natural sum of their arc-types. Then using these observations, we show
that with the exception of $1+1$ and $(1+1)$, every partition as defined above
is realisable, in the sense that there exists at least one graph with the given
partition as its arc-type.


  In this paper, we provide a rigorous quantum mechanical derivation for the
coherent photon transport characteristics of a two-level atom coupled to a
waveguide without linearizing the coupling coefficient between the light and
the atom. We propose a novel single frequency sampling method utilizing a
UV-cutoff that allows us to treat the singularities in real space scattering
potential despite the non-convergence property. We also study the conditions
under which the linearization of the coupling coefficient is an accurate
assumption and find the resulting spontaneous emission and transport
characteristics taking the radiative and non-radiative decay rates into
account. This allows us to confirm and expand on the findings of the existing
literature while obtaining the dynamic electronic polarizability for the
two-level atom confined to a 1-D waveguide while using an interaction
Hamiltonian with the rotating-wave approximation.


  We show here that the rotation period data in open clusters allow the
empirical determination of an expression for the rate of loss of angular
momentum from cool stars on the main sequence. One significant component of the
expression, the dependence on rotation rate, persists from prior work; others
do not. The expression has a bifurcation, as before, that corresponds to an
observed bifurcation in the rotation periods of coeval open cluster stars. The
dual dependencies of this loss rate on stellar mass are captured by two
functions, $f(B-V)$ and $T(B-V)$, that can be determined from the rotation
period observations. Equivalent masses and other [UBVRIJHK] colors are provided
in Table 1. Dimensional considerations, and a comparison with appropriate
calculated quantities suggest interpretations for $f$ and $T$, both of which
appear to be related closely (but differently) to the calculated convective
turnover timescale, $\tau_c$, in cool stars. This identification enables us to
write down symmetrical expressions for the angular momentum loss rate and the
deceleration of cool stars, and also to revive the convective turnover
timescale as a vital connection between stellar rotation and stellar activity
physics.


  The statistics of high speed satellite galaxies, as reported in the recent
literature, can be a powerful diagnosis of the depth of the potential well of
the host halo, and hence discriminate between competing gravitational theories.
Naively one expects that high speed satellites are more common in Modified
Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) than in cold dark matter (CDM) since an isolated
MONDian system has an infinite potential well, while CDM halos have finite
potential wells. In this \textit{Letter} we report on an initial test of this
hypothesis in the context of the first generation of cosmological simulations
utilising a rigorous MONDian Poisson solver. We find that such high speed
encounters are approximately a factor of four more common in MOND than in the
concordance $\Lambda$CDM model of cosmic structure formation.


  The equations of motion of planar elliptic restricted three body problem are
transformed to four decoupled Hill's equations. By using the Floquet theorem
analytic solution to the oscillator equations with time dependent periodic
coefficients are presented. We show that the new analytic approach is valid for
system parameters $0 < e \leq 0.05$ and $0 < \mu \leq 0.01$ where $e$ denotes
the eccentricity of primaries while $\mu$ is the mass parameter, respectively.
We also clarify the transformation details that provide the applicability of
the method.


  Given a group $\Gamma,$ its Bohr compactification
$\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma)$ and its profinite completion
$\operatorname{Prof}(\Gamma)$ are compact groups naturally associated to
$\Gamma$; moreover, $\operatorname{Prof}(\Gamma)$ can be identified with the
quotient of $\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma)$ by its connected component
$\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma)_0.$ We study the structure of
$\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma)$ for an arithmetic subgroup $\Gamma$ of an
algebraic group $G$ over $\mathbf{Q}$. When $G$ is unipotent, we show that
$\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma)$ can be identified with the direct product
$\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma^{\rm Ab})_0\times \operatorname{Prof}(\Gamma)$,
where $\Gamma^{\rm Ab}= \Gamma/[\Gamma, \Gamma]$ is the abelianization of
$\Gamma.$ In the general case, using a Levi decomposition $G= U\rtimes H$
(where $U$ is unipotent and $H$ is reductive), we show that
$\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma)$ can be described as the semi-direct product of a
certain quotient of $\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma\cap U)$ with
$\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma \cap H)$. When $G$ is simple and has higher
$\mathbf{R}$-rank, $\operatorname{Bohr}(\Gamma)$ is isomorphic, up to a finite
group, to the product $K\times \operatorname{Prof}(\Gamma),$ where $K$ is the
maximal compact factor of the real Lie group $G(\mathbf{R}).$


  We find the discrete states of the c=1 string in the light-cone gauge of
Polyakov. When the state space of the gravitational sector of the theory is
taken to be the irreducible representations of the SL(2,R) current algebra, the
cohomology of the theory is NOT the same as that in the conformal gauge. In
particular, states with ghost numbers up to 4 appear. However, after taking the
space of the theory to be the Fock space of the Wakimoto free-field
representation of the SL(2,R), the light-cone and conformal gauges are
equivalent. This supports the contention that the discrete states of the theory
are physical. We point out that the natural states in the theory do not satisfy
the KPZ constraints.


  Multi-armed bandits are widely applied in scenarios like recommender systems,
for which the goal is to maximize the click rate. However, more factors should
be considered, e.g., user stickiness, user growth rate, user experience
assessment, etc. In this paper, we model this situation as a problem of
$K$-armed bandit with multiple losses. We define relative loss vector of an arm
where the $i$-th entry compares the arm and the optimal arm with respect to the
$i$-th loss. We study two goals: (a) finding the arm with the minimum
$\ell^\infty$-norm of relative losses with a given confidence level (which
refers to fixed-confidence best-arm identification); (b) minimizing the
$\ell^\infty$-norm of cumulative relative losses (which refers to regret
minimization). For goal (a), we derive a problem-dependent sample complexity
lower bound and discuss how to achieve matching algorithms. For goal (b), we
provide a regret lower bound of $\Omega(T^{2/3})$ and provide a matching
algorithm.


  Many of the purported virtues of Multi-Principal Element Alloys (MPEAs), such
as corrosion, high-temperature oxidation and irradiation resistance, are highly
sensitive to vacancy diffusivity. Similarly, solute interdiffusion is governed
by vacancy diffusion -- it is often unclear whether MPEAs are truly stable, or
effectively stabilized by slow interdiffusion. The considerable composition
space afforded to these alloys makes optimizing for desired properties a
daunting task; theoretical and computational tools are necessary to guide alloy
development. For diffusion, such tools depend on both a knowledge of the
vacancy migration barriers within a given alloy and an understanding of how
these barriers influence vacancy diffusivity. We present a generalized theory
of vacancy diffusion in rugged energy landscapes, paired with Kinetic Monte
Carlo simulations of MPEA vacancy diffusion. The barrier energy statistics are
informed by nudged elastic band calculations in the equiatomic CoNiCrFeMn
alloy. Theory and simulations show that vacancy diffusion in solid-solution
MPEAs is not necessarily sluggish, but can potentially be tuned, and that trap
models are an insufficient explanation for sluggish diffusion in the CoNiCrFeMn
HEA. These results also show that any model that endeavors to faithfully
represent diffusion-related phenomena must account for the full nature of the
energy landscape, not just the migration barriers.


  Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) needs to be both efficient and robust for
practical uses. Quantization and structure simplification are promising ways to
adapt DNNs to mobile devices, and adversarial training is the most popular
method to make DNNs robust. In this work, we try to obtain both features by
applying a convergent relaxation quantization algorithm, Binary-Relax (BR), to
a robust adversarial-trained model, ResNets Ensemble via Feynman-Kac Formalism
(EnResNet). We also discover that high precision, such as ternary (tnn) and
4-bit, quantization will produce sparse DNNs. However, this sparsity is
unstructured under advarsarial training. To solve the problems that adversarial
training jeopardizes DNNs' accuracy on clean images and the struture of
sparsity, we design a trade-off loss function that helps DNNs preserve their
natural accuracy and improve the channel sparsity. With our trade-off loss
function, we achieve both goals with no reduction of resistance under weak
attacks and very minor reduction of resistance under strong attcks. Together
with quantized EnResNet with trade-off loss function, we provide robust models
that have high efficiency.


  We study the chiral condensates in neutron star matter from nuclear to quark
matter domain. We describe nuclear matter with a parity doublet model (PDM),
quark matter with the Nambu--Jona-Lasino (NJL) model, and a matter at the
intermediate density by interpolating nuclear and quark matter equations of
state. The model parameters are constrained by nuclear physics and neutron star
observations. Various condensates in the interpolated domain are estimated from
the chemical potential dependence of the condensates at the boundaries of the
interpolation. The use of the PDM with substantial chiral invariant mass ($m_0
\gtrsim 500$ MeV, which is favored by the neutron star observations) predicts
the mild chiral restoration, and the significant chiral condensate remains to
baryon density $n_B \sim 2-3n_0$ ($n_0\simeq 0.16\,{\rm fm}^{-3}$: nuclear
saturation density), smoothly approaching the NJL predictions for the
color-flavor-locked phase at $n_B \gtrsim 5n_0$. The same method is applied to
estimate diquark condensates, number densities of up-, down- and
strange-quarks, and the lepton fraction. In our descriptions the chiral
restoration in the interpolated domain proceeds with two conceptually distinct
chiral restoration effects; the first is associated with the positive scalar
density in a nucleon, relevant in dilute regime, and the other primarily arises
from the modification of the quark Dirac sea, which is triggered by the growth
of the quark Fermi sea. We discuss several qualitative conjectures to
interpolate the microphysics in nuclear and quark matter.


  Various approaches have explored the covariation of residues in
multiple-sequence alignments of homologous proteins to extract functional and
structural information. Among those are principal component analysis (PCA),
which identifies the most correlated groups of residues, and direct coupling
analysis (DCA), a global inference method based on the maximum entropy
principle, which aims at predicting residue-residue contacts. In this paper,
inspired by the statistical physics of disordered systems, we introduce the
Hopfield-Potts model to naturally interpolate between these two approaches. The
Hopfield-Potts model allows us to identify relevant 'patterns' of residues from
the knowledge of the eigenmodes and eigenvalues of the residue-residue
correlation matrix. We show how the computation of such statistical patterns
makes it possible to accurately predict residue-residue contacts with a much
smaller number of parameters than DCA. This dimensional reduction allows us to
avoid overfitting and to extract contact information from multiple-sequence
alignments of reduced size. In addition, we show that low-eigenvalue
correlation modes, discarded by PCA, are important to recover structural
information: the corresponding patterns are highly localized, that is, they are
concentrated in few sites, which we find to be in close contact in the
three-dimensional protein fold.


  Machine learning can reveal new insights into X-ray spectroscopy of liquids
when the local atomistic environment is presented to the model in a suitable
way. Many unique structural descriptor families have been developed for this
purpose. We benchmark the performance of six different descriptor types using a
computational data set of 24200 sulfur K\b{eta} X-ray emission spectra of
aqueous sulfuric acid simulated at six different concentrations. We train a
feed-forward neural network to predict the spectra from the corresponding
descriptor vectors and find that the local many-body tensor representation,
smooth overlap of atomic positions and atom-centered symmetry functions excel
in this comparison. We found a similar hierarchy when applying the
emulator-based component analysis to identify the spectrally relevant
structural characteristics. The spectra were dominantly dependent on the
concentration of the system, whereas adding the second most significant degree
of freedom in the decomposition allowed for distinction of the protonation
state of the acid molecule.


  Inflationary cosmology attempts to provide a natural explanation for the
flatness and homogeneity of the observable universe. In the context of
reversible (unitary) evolution, this goal is difficult to satisfy, as
Liouville's theorem implies that no dynamical process can evolve a large number
of initial states into a small number of final states. We use the invariant
measure on solutions to Einstein's equation to quantify the problems of
cosmological fine-tuning. The most natural interpretation of the measure is the
flatness problem does not exist; almost all Robertson-Walker cosmologies are
spatially flat. The homogeneity of the early universe, however, does represent
a substantial fine-tuning; the horizon problem is real. When perturbations are
taken into account, inflation only occurs in a negligibly small fraction of
cosmological histories, less than $10^{-6.6\times 10^7}$. We argue that while
inflation does not affect the number of initial conditions that evolve into a
late universe like our own, it nevertheless provides an appealing target for
true theories of initial conditions, by allowing for small patches of space
with sub-Planckian curvature to grow into reasonable universes.


  A new framework for many multiblock component methods (including consensus
and hierarchical PCA) is proposed. It is based on the consensus PCA model: a
scheme connecting each block of variables to a superblock obtained by
concatenation of all blocks. Regularized consensus PCA is obtained by applying
regularized generalized canonical correlation analysis to this scheme for the
function $g(x) = x^m$ where $m \ge 1$. A gradient algorithm is proposed. At
convergence, a solution of the stationary equation related to the optimization
problem is obtained. For m = 1, 2 or 4 and shrinkage constants equal to 0 or 1,
many multiblock component methods are recovered.


  We establish a new regularity property for weak solutions of parabolic
systems with coefficients depending measurably on time as well as on all
spatial variables. Namely, weak solutions are locally H{\"o}lder continuous Lp
valued functions for some p > 2.


  This is the second part of the paper. Results of the first part about crossed
modules are applied here to study of quantum groups in braided categories.
Correct cross product in the class of quantum braided groups is built.
Criterion when quantum braided group is cross product is otained.


  We search for the gravity description of unidentified field theories at their
conformal fixed points by studying the low energy effective action of six
dimensional noncritical string theory. We find constant dilaton solutions by
solving both the equations of motion and BPS equations. Our solutions include a
free parameter provided by a stack of uncharged space filling branes. We find
several AdS_p\times S^q solutions with constant radii for AdS_p and S^q. The
curvature of the solutions are of the order of the string scale.


  By recording every state change in the run of a program, it is possible to
present the programmer every bit of information that might be desired.
Essentially, it becomes possible to debug the program by going ``backwards in
time,'' vastly simplifying the process of debugging. An implementation of this
idea, the ``Omniscient Debugger,'' is used to demonstrate its viability and has
been used successfully on a number of large programs. Integration with an event
analysis engine for searching and control is presented. Several small-scale
user studies provide encouraging results. Finally performance issues and
implementation are discussed along with possible optimizations.
  This paper makes three contributions of interest: the concept and technique
of ``going backwards in time,'' the GUI which presents a global view of the
program state and has a formal notion of ``navigation through time,'' and the
integration with an event analyzer.


  We present results from modeling the broadband X-ray spectrum of the Type 1
AGN 2MASX J193013.80+341049.5 using NuSTAR, Swift and archival XMM-Newton
observations. We find this source to be highly X-ray obscured, with column
densities exceeding 10$^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$ across all epochs of X-ray
observations, spanning an 8 year period. However, the source exhibits prominent
broad optical emission lines, consistent with an unobscured Type 1 AGN
classification. We fit the X-ray spectra with both phenomenological reflection
models and physically-motivated torus models to model the X-ray absorption. We
examine the spectral energy distribution of this source and investigate some
possible scenarios to explain the mismatch between X-ray and optical
classifications. We compare the ratio of reddening to X-ray absorbing column
density ($E_{B-V}/N_{H}$) and find that 2MASX J193013.80+341049.5 likely has a
much lower dust-to-gas ratio relative to the Galactic ISM, suggesting that the
Broad Line Region (BLR) itself could provide the source of extra X-ray
obscuration, being composed of low-ionization, dust-free gas.


  A linear theory of whistler wave is developed wihtin the paradigm of a two
dimensional incompressible electron magnetohydrodynamics model. Exact analytic
wave solutions are obtained for a small amplitude whistler wave that exhibit
magnetic field topological structures consistent with the observations and our
simulations in linear regime. In agreement with experiment, we find that the
parallel group velocity of the wave is large compared to its perpendicular
counterpart. Numerical simulations of collisional interactions demonstrate that
the wave magnetic field either coalesces or repels depending upon the polarity
of the associated current. In the nonlinear regime, our simulations demonstrate
that the evolution of wave magnetic field is governed essentially by the
nonlinear Hall force.


  Dijkstra monads enable a dependent type theory to be enhanced with support
for specifying and verifying effectful code via weakest preconditions. Together
with their closely related counterparts, Hoare monads, they provide the basis
on which verification tools like F*, Hoare Type Theory (HTT), and Ynot are
built.
  We show that Dijkstra monads can be derived "for free" by applying a
continuation-passing style (CPS) translation to the standard monadic
definitions of the underlying computational effects. Automatically deriving
Dijkstra monads in this way provides a correct-by-construction and efficient
way of reasoning about user-defined effects in dependent type theories.
  We demonstrate these ideas in EMF*, a new dependently typed calculus,
validating it via both formal proof and a prototype implementation within F*.
Besides equipping F* with a more uniform and extensible effect system, EMF*
enables a novel mixture of intrinsic and extrinsic proofs within F*.


  Errors in the Epperlein & Haines [PoF (1986)] transport coefficients were
recently found at low electron magnetizations, with new magnetic transport
coefficients proposed simultaneously by two teams [Sadler, Walsh & Li, PRL
(2021) and Davies, Wen, Ji & Held, PoP (2021)]; these two separate sets of
updated coefficients are shown in this paper to be in agreement. The importance
of these new coefficients in laser-plasmas with either self-generated or
applied magnetic fields is demonstrated. When an external magnetic field is
applied, the cross-gradient-Nernst term twists the field structure; this
twisting is reduced by the new coefficients in the low magnetization regime.
For plasmas where only self-generated magnetic fields are present, the new
coefficients are found to result in the magnetic field moving with the
Righi-Leduc heat-flow, enhancing the impact of MHD. Simulations of Biermann
Battery magnetic fields around ICF hot-spot perturbations are presented, with
cross-gradient-Nernst transport increasing spike penetration.


  A lot of fundamental tests of gravitational theories rely on highly precise
measurements of the travel time and/or the frequency shift of electromagnetic
signals propagating through the gravitational field of the Solar System. In
practically all of the previous studies, the explicit expressions of such
travel times and frequency shifts as predicted by various metric theories of
gravity are derived from an integration of the null geodesic differential
equations. However, the solution of the geodesic equations requires heavy
calculations when one has to take into account the presence of mass multipoles
in the gravitational field or the tidal effects due to the planetary motions,
and the calculations become quite complicated in the post-post-Minkowskian
approximation. This difficult task can be avoided using the time transfer
function's formalism. We present here our last advances in the formulation of
the one-way frequency shift using this formalism up to the
post-post-Minkowskian approximation.


  Using explicit constructions of the Weierstrass mock modular form, we offer a
closed formula for generating the values of shifted convolution $L$-values for
certain elliptic curves that can be computed to arbitrary precision. These
identities provide a surprising relation between weight $2$ newforms and
shifted convolution $L$-values.


  Decision forests are widely used for classification and regression tasks. A
lesser known property of tree-based methods is that one can construct a
proximity matrix from the tree(s), and these proximity matrices are induced
kernels. While there has been extensive research on the applications and
properties of kernels, there is relatively little research on kernels induced
by decision forests. We construct Kernel Mean Embedding Random Forests (KMERF),
which induce kernels from random trees and/or forests using leaf-node
proximity. We introduce the notion of an asymptotically characteristic kernel,
and prove that KMERF kernels are asymptotically characteristic for both
discrete and continuous data. Because KMERF is data-adaptive, we suspected it
would outperform kernels selected a priori on finite sample data. We illustrate
that KMERF nearly dominates current state-of-the-art kernel-based tests across
a diverse range of high-dimensional two-sample and independence testing
settings. Furthermore, our forest-based approach is interpretable, and provides
feature importance metrics that readily distinguish important dimensions,
unlike other high-dimensional non-parametric testing procedures. Hence, this
work demonstrates the decision forest-based kernel can be more powerful and
more interpretable than existing methods, flying in the face of conventional
wisdom of the trade-off between the two.


  We report the discovery of a pair of infrared, axisymmetric rings in the
planetary nebula NGC 1514 during the course of the WISE all-sky mid-infrared
survey. Similar structures are seen at visible wavelengths in objects such as
the "Engraved Hourglass Nebula" (MyCn 18) and the "Southern Crab Nebula" (Hen
2-104). However, in NGC 1514 we see only a single pair of rings and they are
easily observed only in the mid-infrared. These rings are roughly 0.2 pc in
diameter, are separated by 0.05 pc, and are dominated by dust emission with a
characteristic temperature of 160 K. We compare the morphology and color of the
rings to the other nebular structures seen at visible, far-infrared, and radio
wavelengths, and close with a discussion of a physical model and formation
scenario for NGC 1514.


  Let $M$ be either $S^2\times S^2$ or the one point blow-up $\cp# \bcp$ of
$\cp$. In both cases $M$ carries a family of symplectic forms $\om_\la$, where
$\la > -1$ determines the cohomology class $[\om_\la]$. This paper calculates
the rational (co)homology of the group $G_\la$ of symplectomorphisms of
$(M,\om_\la)$ as well as the rational homotopy type of its classifying space
$BG_\la$. It turns out that each group $G_\la$ contains a finite collection
$K_k, k = 0,...,\ell = \ell(\la)$, of finite dimensional Lie subgroups that
generate its homotopy. We show that these subgroups "asymptotically commute",
i.e. all the higher Whitehead products that they generate vanish as $\la\to
\infty$. However, for each fixed $\la$ there is essentially one nonvanishing
product that gives rise to a "jumping generator" $w_\la$ in $H^*(G_\la)$ and to
a single relation in the rational cohomology ring $H^*(BG_\la)$. An analog of
this generator $w_\la$ was also seen by Kronheimer in his study of families of
symplectic forms on 4-manifolds using Seiberg--Witten theory. Our methods
involve a close study of the space of $\om_\la$-compatible almost complex
structures on $M$.


  We use the Cremmer-Julia E_7(7) non-linear symmetry of N=8 Supergravity to
derive its order $\kappa^2$ on-shell Hamiltonian in terms of one chiral
light-cone superfield. By requiring that E_7(7) commute with the super-Poincare
group, we deduce to lowest non-trivial order in $\kappa$, the light cone E_7(7)
transformations of all fields of the theory, including the graviton. We then
derive the dynamical supersymmetry transformation to order $\kappa^2$, and
express the Hamiltonian as a quadratic form in the chiral superfield.


  We introduce and discuss a new class of (multivalued analytic) transcendental
functions which still share with algebraic functions the property that the
number of their isolated zeros can be explicitly counted. On the other hand,
this class is sufficiently rich to include all periods (integral of rational
forms over algebraic cycles).


  The physical properties and structural evolution of the MX$_2$-type solid
solution Au$_{1-x}$Pd$_x$Te$_2$ are reported. The end member AuTe$_2$ is a
normal metal with a monoclinic distorted CdI$_2$-type structure with preformed
Te-Te dimers. A monoclinic--trigonal structural phase transition at a finite
temperature occurs upon Pd substitution and is suppressed to zero temperature
near $x$ = 0.55, and a superconducting phase with a maximum $T_{\rm c}$ = 4.65
K emerges. A clear indication of strong coupling superconductivity is observed
near the composition of the structural instability. The competitive
relationship between Te-Te dimers and superconductivity is proposed.


  A review of new developments in numerical stochastic perturbation theory
(NSPT) is presented. In particular, the status of the extension of the method
to gauge fixed lattice QCD is reviewed and a first application to compact
(scalar) QED is presented. Lacking still a general proof of the convergence of
the underlying stochastic processes, a self-consistent method for testing the
results is discussed.


  Black-box model-based optimization (MBO) problems, where the goal is to find
a design input that maximizes an unknown objective function, are ubiquitous in
a wide range of domains, such as the design of proteins, DNA sequences,
aircraft, and robots. Solving model-based optimization problems typically
requires actively querying the unknown objective function on design proposals,
which means physically building the candidate molecule, aircraft, or robot,
testing it, and storing the result. This process can be expensive and time
consuming, and one might instead prefer to optimize for the best design using
only the data one already has. This setting -- called offline MBO -- poses
substantial and different algorithmic challenges than more commonly studied
online techniques. A number of recent works have demonstrated success with
offline MBO for high-dimensional optimization problems using high-capacity deep
neural networks. However, the lack of standardized benchmarks in this emerging
field is making progress difficult to track. To address this, we present
Design-Bench, a benchmark for offline MBO with a unified evaluation protocol
and reference implementations of recent methods. Our benchmark includes a suite
of diverse and realistic tasks derived from real-world optimization problems in
biology, materials science, and robotics that present distinct challenges for
offline MBO. Our benchmark and reference implementations are released at
github.com/rail-berkeley/design-bench and
github.com/rail-berkeley/design-baselines.


  Excitations of three-dimensional spin glasses are computed numerically. We
find that one can flip a finite fraction of an LxLxL lattice with an O(1)
energy cost, confirming the mean field picture of a non-trivial spin overlap
distribution P(q). These low energy excitations are not domain-wall-like,
rather they are topologically non-trivial and they reach out to the boundaries
of the lattice. Their surface to volume ratios decrease as L increases and may
asymptotically go to zero. If so, link and window overlaps between the ground
state and these excited states become ``trivial''.


  Reduction in the operating voltage of electrooptic modulators is needed in
order to remove the bottleneck in the flow of data between electronics and
optical interconnects. We report experimental demonstration of a 10 fold
reduction in an electrooptic modulator's half-wave voltage up to 50 GHz. This
was achieved by employing optical sideband-only amplification.


  We analyze the impact of future hard X-ray observations on the search for
indirect signatures of particle dark matter in large extragalactic systems such
as nearby clusters or groups of galaxies. We argue that the hard X-ray energy
band falls squarely at the peak of the inverse Compton emission from electrons
and positrons produced by dark matter annihilation or decay for a large class
of dark matter models. Specifically, the most promising are low-mass models
with a hard electron-positron annihilation final state spectrum and
intermediate-mass models with a soft electron-positron spectrum. We find that
constraints on dark matter models similar to the current constraints from the
Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope will be close to the sensitivity limit of the
near-term hard X-ray telescopes NuSTAR and ASTRO-H for relatively long
observations. An instrument like the Wide Field Imager (WFI) proposed for
ATHENA would instead give a significant gain in sensitivity to dark matter if
placed in a low background orbit similar to NuSTAR's; however, given the higher
expected background level for ATHENA's proposed orbit at L2, its sensitivity
will be similar to that of NuSTAR.


  We present a new method to compute R\'enyi entropies in one-dimensional
critical systems. The null-vector conditions on the twist fields in the cyclic
orbifold allow us to derive a differential equation for their correlation
functions. The latter are then determined by standard bootstrap techniques. We
apply this method to the calculation of various R\'enyi entropies in the
non-unitary Yang-Lee model.


  Microscale dynamic testing is vital to the understanding of material behavior
at application relevant strain rates. However, despite two decades of intense
micromechanics research, the testing of microscale metals has been largely
limited to quasi-static strain rates. Here we report the dynamic compression
testing of pristine 3D printed copper micropillars at strain rates from
$\sim0.001$ s$^{-1}$ to $\sim500$ s$^{-1}$. It was identified that
microcrystalline copper micropillars deform in a single-shear like manner
exhibiting a weak strain rate dependence at all strain rates. Ultrafine grained
(UFG) copper micropillars, however, deform homogenously via barreling and show
strong rate-dependence and small activation volumes at strain rates up to
$\sim0.1$ s$^{-1}$, suggesting dislocation nucleation as the deformation
mechanism. At higher strain rates, yield stress saturates remarkably, resulting
in a decrease of strain rate sensitivity by two orders of magnitude and a
four-fold increase in activation volume, implying a transition in deformation
mechanism to collective dislocation nucleation.


  Motivated by the phenomenological scenario of the chiral magnetic effect that
can be possibly found in high-energy heavy ion collisions, we study the role of
very intense magnetic fields and strong CP violation in the phase structure of
strong interactions and, more specifically, their influence on the nature of
the chiral transition. Direct implications for the dynamics of phase conversion
and its time scales are briefly discussed. Our results can also be relevant in
the case of the early universe.


  An $\it{ab \,\, initio}$ based fully microscopic many-body approach is used
to study the carrier relaxation dynamics in monolayer transition-metal
dichalcogenides. Bandstructures and wavefunctions as well as phonon energies
and coupling matrix elements are calculated using density functional theory.
The resulting dipole and Coulomb matrix elements are implemented in the
Dirac-Bloch equations to calculate carrier-carrier and carrier-phonon
scatterings throughout the whole Brillouin zone. It is shown that carrier
scatterings lead to a relaxation into hot quasi-Fermi distributions on a single
femtosecond timescale. Carrier cool down and inter-valley transitions are
mediated by phonon scatterings on a picosecond timescale. Strong,
density-dependent energy renormalizations are shown to be valley-dependent. For
MoTe$_2$, MoSe$_2$ and MoS$_2$ the change of energies with occupation is found
to be about 50$\%$ stronger in the $\Sigma$ and $\Lambda$ side valleys than in
the $K$ and $K'$ valleys. However, for realistic carrier densities, the
materials always maintain their direct bandgap at the $K$ points of the
Brillouin zone.


  We study the renormalization of sound attenuation and sound velocity by
fluctuation Cooper pairs in layered superconductors. We consider the influence
of s- and d-wave symmetry of the fluctuating order parameter, on both
longitudinal and transverse phonon modes. We show that both unconventional
order parameter symmetry and transverse sound polarization suppress the AL and
MT terms, while the DOS contribution is the least affected. The combination of
these effects can change the sign of the overall fluctuation corrections above
Tc. We also compare the results obtained using the Ginzburg-Landau formalism
with a microscopic derivation of the fluctuation corrections to the sound
velocity in both s- and d-wave superconductors. These calculations are
motivated by ongoing ultrasound measurements in organic superconductors.


  In a recent investigation evidence was presented for a low-level sinusoidal
oscillation superimposed on top of the Hubble flow. This oscillation was in
V$_{CMB}$, in a sample of type Ia Supernovae sources with accurate distances,
and it was found to have a wavelength close to 40 Mpc. It became easily visible
after the removal of several previously identified discrete velocity
components. Its amplitude like that of the Hubble velocity showed an increase
with distance, as would be expected for a constant-amplitude space oscillation.
Here we report that this oscillation is also present in distance clumping in
these sources, with the same wavelength, but in phase quadrature. The discrete
velocity components do not play a role in detecting the distance clumping
wavelength. Assuming that time proceeds from high cosmological redshift to low,
the blue-shifted velocity peaks, which represent the contraction stage of the
velocity oscillation, then lead the density peaks. With the discrete velocity
components removed we also find evidence for at least one other, weaker
velocity oscillation. It is found to have a wavelength similar to one reported
in density clumping by previous investigators. In those cases the source
samples were much larger.


  We consider an ensemble of $N$ discrete nonintersecting paths starting from
equidistant points and ending at consecutive integers. Our first result is an
explicit formula for the correlation kernel that allows us to analyze the
process as $N\to \infty$. In that limit we obtain a new general class of
kernels describing the local correlations close to the equidistant starting
points. As the distance between the starting points goes to infinity, the
correlation kernel converges to that of a single random walker. As the distance
to the starting line increases, however, the local correlations converge to the
sine kernel. Thus, this class interpolates between the sine kernel and an
ensemble of independent particles. We also compute the scaled simultaneous
limit, with both the distance between particles and the distance to the
starting line going to infinity, and obtain a process with number variance
saturation, previously studied by Johansson.


  A well-quasi-order is an order which contains no infinite decreasing sequence
and no infinite collection of incomparable elements. In this paper, we consider
graph classes defined by excluding one graph as contraction. More precisely, we
give a complete characterization of graphs H such that the class of
H-contraction-free graphs is well-quasi-ordered by the contraction relation.
This result is the contraction analogue on the previous dichotomy theorems of
Damsaschke [Induced subgraphs and well-quasi-ordering, Journal of Graph Theory,
14(4):427-435, 1990] on the induced subgraph relation, Ding [Subgraphs and
well-quasi-ordering, Journal of Graph Theory, 16(5):489-502, 1992] on the
subgraph relation, and B{\l}asiok et al. [Induced minors and
well-quasi-ordering, ArXiv e-prints, 1510.07135, 2015] on the induced minor
relation.


  This paper investigates the transmission energy minimization problem for the
two-user downlink with strictly heterogeneous latency constraints. To cope with
the latency constraints and to explicitly specify the trade-off between
blocklength (latency) and reliability the normal approximation of the capacity
of finite blocklength codes (FBCs) is adopted, in contrast to the classical
Shannon capacity formula. We first consider the non-orthogonal multiple access
(NOMA) based transmission scheme. However, due to heterogeneous latency
constraints and channel conditions at receivers, the conventional successive
interference cancellation may be infeasible. We thus study the problem by
considering heterogeneous receiver conditions under different interference
mitigation schemes and solve the corresponding NOMA design problems. It is
shown that, though the energy function is not convex and does not have closed
form expression, the studied NOMA problems can be globally solved
semi-analytically and with low complexity. Moreover, we propose a hybrid
transmission scheme that combines the time division multiple access (TDMA) and
NOMA. Specifically, the hybrid scheme can judiciously perform bit and time
allocation and take TDMA and NOMA as two special instances. To handle the more
challenging hybrid design problem, we propose a concave approximation of the
FBC rate/capacity formula, by which we obtain computationally efficient and
high-quality solutions. Simulation results show that the hybrid scheme can
achieve considerable transmission energy saving compared with both pure NOMA
and TDMA schemes.


  Earth system models suffer from various structural and parametric errors in
their representation of nonlinear, multi-scale processes, leading to
uncertainties in their long-term projections. The effects of many of these
errors (particularly those due to fast physics) can be quantified in short-term
simulations, e.g., as differences between the predicted and observed states
(analysis increments). With the increase in the availability of high-quality
observations and simulations, learning nudging from these increments to correct
model errors has become an active research area. However, most studies focus on
using neural networks, which while powerful, are hard to interpret, are
data-hungry, and poorly generalize out-of-distribution. Here, we show the
capabilities of Model Error Discovery with Interpretability and Data
Assimilation (MEDIDA), a general, data-efficient framework that uses
sparsity-promoting equation-discovery techniques to learn model errors from
analysis increments. Using two-layer quasi-geostrophic turbulence as the test
case, MEDIDA is shown to successfully discover various linear and nonlinear
structural/parametric errors when full observations are available. Discovery
from spatially sparse observations is found to require highly accurate
interpolation schemes. While NNs have shown success as interpolators in recent
studies, here, they are found inadequate due to their inability to accurately
represent small scales, a phenomenon known as spectral bias. We show that a
general remedy, adding a random Fourier feature layer to the NN, resolves this
issue enabling MEDIDA to successfully discover model errors from sparse
observations. These promising results suggest that with further development,
MEDIDA could be scaled up to models of the Earth system and real observations.


  Understanding the fundamental limits on the precision to which an optical
phase can be estimated is of key interest for many investigative techniques
utilized across science and technology. We study the estimation of a fixed
optical phase shift due to a sample which has an associated optical loss, and
compare phase estimation strategies using classical and non-classical probe
states. These comparisons are based on the attainable (quantum) Fisher
information calculated per number of photons absorbed or scattered by the
sample throughout the sensing process. We find that, for a given number of
incident photons upon the unknown phase, non-classical techniques in principle
provide less than a 20% reduction in root-mean-square-error (RMSE) in
comparison with ideal classical techniques in multi-pass optical setups. Using
classical techniques in a new optical setup we analyze, which incorporates
additional stages of interference during the sensing process, the achievable
reduction in RMSE afforded by non-classical techniques falls to only ~4%. We
explain how these conclusions change when non-classical techniques are compared
to classical probe states in non-ideal multi-pass optical setups, with
additional photon losses due to the measurement apparatus.


  Equation of state and electric (isospin) charge fluctuations are studied for
matter composed of interacting pions. The pion matter is described by self
interacting scalar fields via a $\phi^4-\phi^6$ type Lagrangian. The mean-field
approximation is used, and interaction parameters are fixed by fitting lattice
QCD results on the isospin density as a function of the isospin chemical
potential at zero temperature. Two scenarios for fixing the model parameters --
with and without the first order phase transition -- are considered, both
yielding a satisfactory description of the lattice data. Thermodynamic
functions and isospin charge fluctuations are studied and systematically
compared for these two scenarios, yielding qualitative differences in the
behavior of isospin charge susceptibilities. These differences can be probed by
lattice simulations at temperatures $T \lesssim 100$ MeV.


  Many useful parameters depend on nonparametric first steps. Examples include
games, dynamic discrete choice, average exact consumer surplus, and treatment
effects. Often estimators of these parameters are asymptotically equivalent to
a sample average of an object referred to as the influence function. The
influence function is useful in local policy analysis, in evaluating local
sensitivity of estimators, constructing debiased machine learning estimators,
in efficiency comparisons, and in formulating primitive regularity conditions
for asymptotic normality, We show that the influence function is a Gateaux
derivative with respect to a smooth deviation evaluated at a point mass. This
result generalizes the classic Von Mises (1947) and Hampel (1974) calculation
to estimators that depend on smooth nonparametric first steps. We give explicit
influence functions for first steps that satisfy exogenous or endogenous
orthogonality conditions. We use these results to generalize the omitted
variable bias formula for regression to policy analysis for and sensitivity to
structural changes. We apply this analysis and find no sensitivity to
endogeneity of average equivalent variation estimates in a gasoline demand
application.


  We investigate the dynamics of semigroups of rational maps on the Riemann
sphere. To establish a fractal theory of the Julia sets of infinitely generated
semigroups of rational maps, we introduce a new class of semigroups which we
call nicely expanding rational semigroups. More precisely, we prove Bowen's
formula for the Hausdorff dimension of the pre-Julia sets, which we also
introduce in this paper. We apply our results to the study of the Julia sets of
non-hyperbolic rational semigroups. For these results, we do not assume the
cone condition, which has been assumed in the study of infinite contracting
iterated function systems. Similarly, we show that Bowen's formula holds for
the limit set of a contracting conformal iterated function system without the
cone condition.


  XMASS-I uses single phase liquid xenon technology for aiming at the direct
detection of dark matter. The detector observes only scintillation light by 2
inch 642 PMTs which are placed in sphere shape around an active volume. With
its large mass target and high photoelectron yield, we conducted a search for
dark matter by annual modulation with 832 kg $\times$ 359.2 days exposure of
data. We find no modulation signal in the data so that we set an upper limit
4.3$\times10^{-41} \rm{cm}^{2} $ at WIMP mass of 8 GeV/$c^{2}$ which excluded
an interpreted DAMA/LIBRA allowed region.


  Semidefinite programming is based on optimization of linear functionals over
convex sets defined by linear matrix inequalities, namely, inequalities of the
form $$L_A(X)=I-A_1X_1-\dots-A_g X_g\succeq0.$$ Here the $X_j$ are real numbers
and the set of solutions is called a spectrahedron. These inequalities make
sense when the $X_i$ are symmetric matrices of any size, $n\times n$, and enter
the formula though tensor product $A_i\otimes X_i$: The solution set of
$L_A(X)\succeq0$ is called a free spectrahedron since it contains matrices of
all sizes and the defining ``linear pencil" is ``free" of the sizes of the
matrices.
  In this article, we report on empirically observed properties of optimizers
obtained from optimizing linear functionals over free spectrahedra restricted
to matrices $X_i$ of fixed size $n\times n$.
  The optimizers we find are always classical extreme points. Surprisingly, in
many reasonable parameter ranges, over 99.9\% are also free extreme points.
Moreover, the dimension of the active constraint, $\ker(L_A(X^\ell))$, is about
twice what we expected. Another distinctive pattern regards reducibility of
optimizing tuples $(X_1^\ell,\dots,X_g^\ell)$.
  We give an algorithm for representing elements of a free spectrahedron as
matrix convex combinations of free extreme points; these representations
satisfy a very low bound on the number of free extreme points neede


  We report on an observational campaign on the bright black hole X-ray binary
Swift J1727.8$-$1613 centered around five observations by the Imaging X-ray
Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). These observations track for the first time the
evolution of the X-ray polarization of a black hole X-ray binary across a hard
to soft state transition. The 2--8 keV polarization degree decreased from
$\sim$4\% to $\sim$3\% across the five observations, but the polarization angle
remained oriented in the North-South direction throughout. Based on
observations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), we find that
the intrinsic 7.25 GHz radio polarization aligns with the X-ray polarization.
Assuming the radio polarization aligns with the jet direction (which can be
tested in the future with higher spatial resolution images of the jet), our
results imply that the X-ray corona is extended in the disk plane, rather than
along the jet axis, for the entire hard intermediate state. This in turn
implies that the long ($\gtrsim$10 ms) soft lags that we measure with the
Neutron star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) are dominated by processes
other than pure light-crossing delays. Moreover, we find that the evolution of
the soft lag amplitude with spectral state does not follow the trend seen for
other sources, implying that Swift J1727.8$-$1613 is a member of a hitherto
under-sampled sub-population.


  The aim of this paper is to give another proof of a theorem of D.Prasad,
which calculates the character of an irreducible representation of
$\text{GL}(mn,\mathbb{C})$ at the diagonal elements of the form $\underline{t}
\cdot c_n$, where $\underline{t}=(t_1,t_2,\cdots,t_m)$ $\in$
$(\mathbb{C}^*)^{m}$ and $c_n=(1,\omega_n,\omega_n^{2},\cdots,\omega_n^{n-1})$,
where $\omega_n=e^{\frac{2\pi \imath}{n}}$, and expresses it as a product of
certain characters for $\text{GL}(m,\mathbb{C})$ at $\underline{t}^n$.


  Taking the Hubble constant to be in the range 60 - 75 km/s Mpc we show that
three independent conditions strongly rule out the standard model of flat space
with vanishing cosmological constant.


  Conflict sets are loci of intersecting wavefronts emanating from $l$
different surfaces. We show that generically conflict sets are Legendrian:
locally they admit the structure of wavefronts. Simple stable singularities for
this problem in $\R^n$ occur when $0 \leq n-l \leq 4$. Other related sets, such
as kite curves and centre sets are also defined and discussed. Throughout
canonical relations are used as an essential tool to carry out several of these
geometrical constructions.


  This paper proposes a methodology to prepare corpora in Arabic language from
online social network (OSN) and review site for Sentiment Analysis (SA) task.
The paper also proposes a methodology for generating a stopword list from the
prepared corpora. The aim of the paper is to investigate the effect of removing
stopwords on the SA task. The problem is that the stopwords lists generated
before were on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) which is not the common language
used in OSN. We have generated a stopword list of Egyptian dialect and a
corpus-based list to be used with the OSN corpora. We compare the efficiency of
text classification when using the generated lists along with previously
generated lists of MSA and combining the Egyptian dialect list with the MSA
list. The text classification was performed using Na\"ive Bayes and Decision
Tree classifiers and two feature selection approaches, unigrams and bigram. The
experiments show that the general lists containing the Egyptian dialects words
give better performance than using lists of MSA stopwords only.


  We report results from a study of $B^\pm \rightarrow DK^\pm$ decays followed
by $D$ decaying to $CP$~eigenstates, where $D$ indicates a $D^0$ or
$\bar{D}^{0}$ meson. These decays are sensitive to the
Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa unitarity-triangle angle $\phi_{3}$. The results are
based on a combined analysis of the final data set of $772 \times
10^6~B\bar{B}$ pairs collected by the Belle experiment and a data set of $198
\times 10^6~B\bar{B}$ pairs collected by the Belle~II experiment, both in
electron-positron collisions at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance. We measure the
$CP$ asymmetries to be $\mathcal{ A}_{CP +} =~(+12.5 \pm 5.8 \pm 1.4)\% $ and
$\mathcal{ A}_{CP -} =~(-16.7 \pm 5.7 \pm 0.6)\%$, and the ratios of branching
fractions to be $\mathcal{ R}_{CP+}=~1.164 \pm 0.081 \pm 0.036 $ and $\mathcal{
R}_{CP-} =~1.151 \pm 0.074 \pm 0.019$. The first contribution to the
uncertainties is statistical, and the second is systematic. The asymmetries
$\mathcal{A}_{CP +}$ and $\mathcal{A}_{CP -}$ have similar magnitudes and
opposite signs; their difference corresponds to 3.5~standard deviations. From
these values we calculate 68.3\% confidence intervals of
($8.5^{\circ}<\phi_{3}<16.5^{\circ}$) or ($84.5^{\circ}<\phi_{3}<95.5^{\circ}$)
or ($163.3^{\circ}<\phi_{3}<171.5^{\circ}$) and $0.321<r_{B}<0.465$.


  A novel modified nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation is presented. Through a
travelling wave ansatz, the equation is transformed into a nonlinear ODE which
is then solved exactly and analytically. The soliton solution is characterised
in terms of waveform and wave speed, and the dependence of these properties
upon parameters in the equation is detailed. It is discovered that some
parameter settings yield unique waveforms while others yield degeneracy, with
two distinct waveforms per set of parameter values. The uni-waveform and
bi-waveform regions of parameter space are identified. It is also found that
each waveform has two modes of propagation with shared directionality but
distinct speeds. Finally, the equation is shown to be a model for the
propagation of a quantum mechanical exciton, such as an electron, through a
collectively-oscillating plane lattice with which the exciton interacts. The
physical implications of the soliton solution are discussed.


  We present an $\tilde{O}(n^{2.5})$-time algorithm for maintaining the
topological order of a directed acyclic graph with $n$ vertices while inserting
$m$ edges.


  We analyse and experimentally demonstrate quantum steering using criteria
based on generalised entropies and criteria with minimal assumptions based on
the so-called dimension-bounded steering. Further, we investigate and compare
their robustness against experimental imperfections such as misalignment in the
shared measurement reference frame. Whilst entropy based criteria are robust
against imperfections in state preparation, we demonstrate an advantage in
dimension-bounded steering in the presence of measurement imprecision. As
steering with such minimal assumptions is easier to reach than fully non-local
correlations, and as our setting requires very little trust in the measurement
devices, the results provide a candidate for the costly Bell tests while
remaining highly device-independent.


  We extend a previously constructed T-matrix approach to the quark-gluon
plasma (QGP) to include the effects of spin-dependent interactions between
partons. Following earlier work within the relativistic quark model, the
spin-dependent interactions figure as relativistic corrections to the Cornell
potential. When applied to the vacuum spectroscopy of quarkonia, in particular
their mass splittings in S- and P-wave states, the issue of the Lorentz
structure of the confining potential arises. We confirm that a significant
admixture of a vector interaction (to the previously assumed scalar
interaction) improves the description of the experimental mass splittings. The
temperature corrections to the in-medium potential are constrained by results
from thermal lattice-QCD for the equation of state (EoS) and heavy-quark (HQ)
free energy in a selfconsistent set-up for heavy- and light-parton spectral
functions in the QGP. We then deploy the refined in-medium heavy-light T-matrix
to compute the charm-quark transport coefficients in the QGP. The vector
component of the confining potential, through its relativistic corrections,
enhances the friction coefficient for charm quarks in the QGP over previous
calculations by tens of percent at low momenta and temperatures, and more at
higher momenta. Our results are promising for improving the current
phenomenology of open heavy-flavor observables at Relativistic Heavy Ion
Collider (RHIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).


  It is well known that non-Abelian Majorana zero modes (MZM) harbor at vortex
cores in a $p_{x}+\text{i}p_{y}$ topological superconductor, which can be
realized in a 2D spin-orbit coupled system with a single Fermi surface and by
proximity coupling to an $s$-wave superconductor. Here we show that existence
of non-Abelian MZMs is unrelated to the bulk topology of a 2D superconductor,
and propose that such exotic modes can be resulted in much broader range of
superconductors, being topological or trivial. For a generic 2D system with
multiple Fermi surfaces and gapped out by superconducting pairings, we show
that at least a single MZM survives if there are only odd number of Fermi
surfaces of which the corresponding superconducting orders have vortices, and
such MZM is protected by an emergent Chern-Simons invariant, irrespective of
the bulk topology of the superconductor. This result may enrich new
experimental schemes for realizing non-Aelian MZMs. In particular, we propose a
minimal scheme to realize the MZMs in a 2D superconducting Dirac semimetal with
trivial bulk topology, which can be well achieved based on the recent cold atom
experiments.


  The 'Brillouin zone spin filtering' mechanism of enhanced tunneling
magnetoresistance (TMR) is described for magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) and
studied on an example of the MTJ with hcp Co electrodes and hexagonal BN (h-BN)
spacer. Our calculations based on local density approximation of density
functional theory (LDA-DFT) for Co(0001)/h-BN/Co(0001) MTJ predict high TMR in
this device due to Brillouin zone filtering mechanism. Owning to the specific
complex band structure of the h-BN the spin-dependent tunneling conductance of
the system is ultra-sensitive to small variations of the Fermi energy position
inside the BN band gap. Doping of the BN and, consequentially, changing the
Fermi energy position could lead to variation of the TMR by several orders of
magnitude. We show also that taking into account correlation effects on beyond
DFT level is required to accurately describe position of the Fermi level and
thus transport propertied of the system. Our study suggests that new MTJ based
on hcp Co-Pt or Co-Pd disordered alloy electrodes and p-doped hexagonal BN
spacer is a promising candidate for the spin-transfer torque magnetoresistive
random-access memory (STT-MRAM).


  Radiation reaction effects in the interaction of an electron bunch with a
superstrong focused ultrashort laser pulse are investigated in the quantum
radiation dominated regime. The angle-resolved Compton scattering spectra are
calculated in laser pulses of variable duration using a semi-classical
description for the radiation dominated dynamics and a full quantum treatment
for the emitted radiation. In dependence of the laser pulse duration we find
signatures of quantum radiation reaction in the radiation spectra, which are
characteristic for the focused laser beam and visible in the qualitative
behaviour of both the angular spread and the spectral bandwidth of the
radiation spectra. The signatures are robust with respect to the variation of
the electron and laser beam parameters in a large range. They fully differ
qualitatively from those in the classical radiation reaction regime and are
measurable with presently available laser technology.