title:
Coherent states, constraint classes, and area operators in the new
  spin-foam models

abstract:
  Recently, two new spin-foam models have appeared in the literature, both
motivated by a desire to modify the Barrett-Crane model in such a way that the
imposition of certain second class constraints, called cross-simplicity
constraints, are weakened. We refer to these two models as the FKLS model, and
the flipped model. Both of these models are based on a reformulation of the
cross-simplicity constraints. This paper has two main parts. First, we clarify
the structure of the reformulated cross-simplicity constraints and the nature
of their quantum imposition in the new models. In particular we show that in
the FKLS model, quantum cross-simplicity implies no restriction on states. The
deeper reason for this is that, with the symplectic structure relevant for
FKLS, the reformulated cross-simplicity constraints, in a certain relevant
sense, are now \emph{first class}, and this causes the coherent state method of
imposing the constraints, key in the FKLS model, to fail to give any
restriction on states. Nevertheless, the cross-simplicity can still be seen as
implemented via suppression of intertwiner degrees of freedom in the dynamical
propagation. In the second part of the paper, we investigate area spectra in
the models. The results of these two investigations will highlight how, in the
flipped model, the Hilbert space of states, as well as the spectra of area
operators exactly match those of loop quantum gravity, whereas in the FKLS (and
Barrett-Crane) models, the boundary Hilbert spaces and area spectra are
different.


title:
Some remarks on Pr\"{u}fer $\star $--multiplication domains and class
  groups

abstract:
  Let $D$ be an integral domain with quotient field $K$ and let $X$ be an
indeterminate over $D$. Also, let $\boldsymbol{\mathcal{T}}:=\{T_{\lambda}\mid
\lambda
  \in \Lambda \}$ be a defining family of quotient rings of $D$ and suppose
that $\ast $ is a finite type star operation on $D$ induced by
$\boldsymbol{\mathcal{T}}$. We show that $D$ is a P$ \ast $MD (resp., P$v$MD)
if and only if $(\co_D(fg))^{\ast}=(\co_D(f)\co_D(g))^{\ast}$ (resp.,
$(\co_D(fg))^{w}=(\co_D(f)\co_D(g))^{w}$) for all $0 \ne f,g \in K[X]$. A more
general version of this result is given in the semistar operation setting. We
give a method for recognizing P$v$MD's which are not P$\ast $MD's for a certain
finite type star operation $\ast $. We study domains $D$ for which the $\ast
$--class group $\Cl^{\ast}(D)$ equals the $t$--class group $\Cl^{t}(D)$ for any
finite type star operation $\ast $, and we indicate examples of P$v$MD's $D$
such that $\Cl^{\ast}(D)\subsetneq \Cl^{t}(D)$. We also compute $\Cl^v(D)$ for
certain valuation domains $D$.


abstract:
  Rejoinder: Struggles with Survey Weighting and Regression Modeling
[arXiv:0710.5005]


title:
On the weight and the density of the space of order-preserving
  functionals

abstract:
  In the present paper it is proved that the functors $O_\tau$ of $\tau$-smooth
order preserving functionals and $O_R$ of Radon order preserving functionals
preserve the weight of infinite Tychonoff spaces. Moreover, it is established
that the density and the weak density of infinite Tychonoff spaces do not
increase under these functors.


title: On the first integral conjecture of Rene Thom

abstract:
  More that half a century ago R. Thom asserted in an unpublished manuscript
that, generically, vector fields on compact connected smooth manifolds without
boundary can admit only trivial continuous first integrals. Though somehow
unprecise for what concerns the interpretation of the word \textquotedblleft
generically\textquotedblright, this statement is ostensibly true and is
nowadays commonly accepted. On the other hand, the (few) known formal proofs of
Thom's conjecture are all relying to the classical Sard theorem and are thus
requiring the technical assumption that first integrals should be of class
$C^{k}$ with $k\geq d,$ where $d$ is the dimension of the manifold. In this
work, using a recent nonsmooth extension of Sard theorem we establish the
validity of Thom's conjecture for locally Lipschitz first integrals,
interpreting genericity in the $C^{1}$ sense.


title: Star Formation History in the Galactic Thin Disk

abstract:
  The behavior of the relative magnesium abundances in the thin-disk stars
versus their orbital radii suggests that the star formation rate in the thin
disk decreases with increasing Galactocentric distance, and there was no star
formation for some time outside the solar circle while this process was
continuous within the solar circle. The decrease in the star formation rate
with increasing Galactocentric distance is responsible for the existence of a
negative radial metallicity gradient in the thin disk. At the same time the
relative magnesium abundance exhibits no radial gradient. It is in detail
considered the influence of selective effects on the form of both age -
metallicity and age - relative magnesium abundance diagrams. It is shown that
the first several billion years of the formation of the thin disk interstellar
medium in it was on the average sufficiently rich in heavy elements (<[Fe/H]> =
-0.22), badly mixed (\sigma_[Fe/H] = 0.21), and the average relative magnesium
abundance was comparatively high (<[Mg/Fe]> = 0.10). Approximately 5 billion
years ago average metallicity began to systematically increase, and its
dispersion and the average relative magnesium abundance - to decrease. These
properties may be explained by an increase in star formation rate with the
simultaneous intensification of the processes of mixing the interstellar medium
in the thin disk, provoke possible by interaction the Galaxy with the
completely massive by satellite galaxy.


title:
Observations and asteroseismic analysis of the rapidly pulsating hot B
  subdwarf PG 0911+456

abstract:
  The principal aim of this project is to determine the structural parameters
of the rapidly pulsating subdwarf B star PG 0911+456 from asteroseismology. Our
work forms part of an ongoing programme to constrain the internal
characteristics of hot B subdwarfs with the long-term goal of differentiating
between the various formation scenarios proposed for these objects. First
comparisons of asteroseismic values with evolutionary theory look promising,
however it is clear that more targets are needed for meaningful statistics to
be derived. The observational pulsation periods of PG 0911+456 were extracted
from rapid time-series photometry using standard Fourier analysis techniques.
Supplemented by spectroscopic estimates of the star's mean atmospheric
parameters, they were used as a basis for the "forward modelling" approach in
asteroseismology. The latter culminates in the identification of one or more
"optimal" models that can accurately reproduce the observed period spectrum.
This naturally leads to an identification of the oscillations detected in terms
of degree l and radial order k, and infers the structural parameters of the
target. From the photometry it was possible to extract 7 independent pulsation
periods in the 150-200 s range with amplitudes between 0.05 and 0.8 % of the
star's mean brightness. An asteroseismic search of parameter space identified
several models that matched the observed properties of PG 0911+456 well, one of
which was isolated as the "optimal" model on the basis of spectroscopic and
mode identification considerations. All the observed pulsations are identified
with low-order acoustic modes with degree indices l=0,1,2 and 4, and match the
computed periods with a dispersion of only ~0.26 %.


title: On fractional Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes

abstract:
  In this paper we study Doob's transform of fractional Brownian motion (FBM).
It is well known that Doob's transform of standard Brownian motion is identical
in law with the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck diffusion defined as the solution of the
(stochastic) Langevin equation where the driving process is a Brownian motion.
It is also known that Doob's transform of FBM and the process obtained from the
Langevin equation with FBM as the driving process are different. However, also
the first one of these can be described as a solution of a Langevin equation
but now with some other driving process than FBM. We are mainly interested in
the properties of this new driving process denoted Y^{(1)}. We also study the
solution of the Langevin equation with Y^{(1)} as the driving process.
Moreover, we show that the covariance of Y^{(1)} grows linearly; hence, in this
respect Y^{(1)} is more like a standard Brownian motion than a FBM. In fact, it
is proved that a properly scaled version of Y^{(1)} converges weakly to
Brownian motion.


title:
From the Pr\'ekopa-Leindler inequality to modified logarithmic Sobolev
  inequality

abstract:
  We develop in this paper an improvement of the method given by S. Bobkov and
M. Ledoux. Using the Pr\'ekopa-Leindler inequality, we prove a modified
logarithmic Sobolev inequality adapted for all measures on $\dR^n$, with a
strictly convex and super-linear potential. This inequality implies modified
logarithmic Sobolev inequality for all uniform strictly convex potential as
well as the Euclidean logarithmic Sobolev inequality.


title: The Parkes Pulsar Timing Array

abstract:
  Detection and study of gravitational waves from astrophysical sources is a
major goal of current astrophysics. Ground-based laser-interferometer systems
such as LIGO and VIRGO are sensitive to gravitational waves with frequencies of
order 100 Hz, whereas space-based systems such as LISA are sensitive in the
millihertz regime. Precise timing observations of a sample of millisecond
pulsars widely distributed on the sky have the potential to detect
gravitational waves at nanohertz frequencies. Potential sources of such waves
include binary super-massive black holes in the cores of galaxies, relic
radiation from the inflationary era and oscillations of cosmic strings. The
Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) is an implementation of such a system in
which 20 millisecond pulsars have been observed using the Parkes radio
telescope at three frequencies at intervals of two -- three weeks for more than
two years. Analysis of these data has been used to limit the gravitational wave
background in our Galaxy and to constrain some models for its generation. The
data have also been used to investigate fluctuations in the interstellar and
Solar-wind electron density and have the potential to investigate the stability
of terrestrial time standards and the accuracy of solar-system ephemerides.


title: Neutrino oscillations: present status and outlook

abstract:
  I summarize the status of three-flavour neutrino oscillations with date of
Oct. 2007, and provide an outlook for the developments to be expected in the
near future. Furthermore, I discuss the status of sterile neutrino oscillation
interpretations of the LSND anomaly in the light of recent MiniBooNE results,
and comment on implications for the future neutrino oscillation program.


title:
The CORALIE survey for southern extra-solar planets XV. Discovery of two
  eccentric planets orbiting HD4113 and HD156846

abstract:
  We report the detection of two very eccentric planets orbiting HD4113 and
HD156846 with the CORALIE Echelle spectrograph mounted on the 1.2-m Euler Swiss
telescope at La Silla. The first planet, HD4113b, has minimum mass of
$m\sin{i}=1.6\pm0.2 M_{\rm Jup}$, a period of $P=526.59\pm0.21$ days and an
eccentricity of $e=0.903\pm0.02$. It orbits a metal rich G5V star at $a=1.28$
AU which displays an additional radial velocity drift of 28 m s$^{-1}$/yr
observed during 8 years. The combination of the radial-velocity data and the
non-detection of any main sequence stellar companion in our high contrast
images taken at the VLT with NACO/SDI, characterizes the companion as a
probable brown dwarf or as a faint white dwarf. The second planet, \object{HD
156846 b}, has minimum mass of $m\sin{i}=10.45\pm0.05$ M$_{\rm Jup}$, a period
of $P=359.51\pm0.09 $ days, an eccentricity of $e=0.847\pm0.002$ and is located
at $a=1.0$ AU from its parent star. HD156846 is a metal rich G0 dwarf and is
also the primary of a wide binary system ($a>250$ AU, $P>4000$ years). Its
stellar companion, \object{IDS 17147-1914 B}, is a M4 dwarf. The very high
eccentricities of both planets can be explained by Kozai oscillations induced
by the presence of a third object.


title: Magnetic ground state of coupled edge-sharing CuO_2 spin-chains

abstract:
  By means of density functional theory, we investigate the magnetic ground
state of edge-sharing CuO_2 spin-chains, as found in the
(La,Ca,Sr)_14Cu_24O_41system, for instance. Our data rely on spin-polarized
electronic structure calculations including onsite interaction (LDA+U) and an
effective model for the interchain coupling. Strong doping dependence of the
magnetic order is characteristic for edge-sharing CuO_2 spin-chains. We
determine the ground state magnetic structure as function of the spin-chain
filling and quantify the competing exchange interactions.


title:
High-resolution spectroscopy of the R Coronae Borealis Star V Coronae
  Australis

abstract:
  Optical high-resolution spectra of the R Coronae Borealis star V CrA at light
maximum and during minimum light arediscussed. Abundance analysis confirms
previous results showing that V CrA has the composition of the small subclass
of R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars know as `minority' RCBs, i.e., the Si/Fe and
S/Fe ratios are 100 times their solar values.
  A notable novel result for RCBs is the detection of the 1-0 Swan system
$^{12}$C$^{13}$C bandhead indicating that $^{13}$C is abundant: spectrum
synthesis shows that $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C is about 3 to 4. Absorption line
profiles are variable at maximum light with some lines showing evidence of
splitting by about 10 km s$^{-1}$. A spectrum obtained as the star was
recovering from a deep minimum shows the presence of cool C$_2$ molecules with
a rotational temperature of about 1200K, a temperature suggestive of gas in
which carbon is condensing into soot. The presence of rapidly outflowing gas is
shown by blue-shifted absorption components of the Na {\sc i} D and K {\sc i}
7698 \AA resonance lines.


title: Elementary Pseudoconcavity and fields of CR meromorphic functions

abstract:
  Let M be a smooth CR manifold of CR dimension n and CR codimension k, which
is not compact, but has the local extension property E. We introduce the notion
of "elementary pseudoconcavity" for M, which extends to CR manifolds the
concept of a "pseudoconcave" complex manifold. This notion is then used to
obtain generalizations, to the noncompact case, of the results of our previous
paper about algebraic dependence, transcendence degree and related matters for
the field K(M) of CR meromorphic functions on M.


title: The s-s(bar) asymmetry in nucleon and "NuTeV anomaly"

abstract:
  The $s$-$\bar{s}$ asymmetry in nucleon sea is an important observable for
understanding nucleon structure and strong interaction. There have been many
theoretical attempts on this subject and recently on its relation to the "NuTeV
anomaly". Calculations with different theoretical frameworks lead to different
conclusions. Here assuming a newly proposed penta-quark configuration for the
$s$-$\bar{s}$ asymmetry in nucleon, we examine its contribution to the "NuTeV
anomaly", with a result of about $10-20%$.


title: Efficient spatially-resolved multimode quantum memory

abstract:
  We propose a method that enables efficient storage and retrieval of a
photonic excitation stored in an ensemble quantum memory consisting of
Lambda-type absorbers with non-zero Stokes shift. We show that this can be used
to implement a multimode quantum memory storing multiple frequency-encoded
qubits in a single ensemble, and allowing their selective retrieval. The
read-out scheme applies to memory setups based on both
electromagnetically-induced transparency and stimulated Raman scattering, and
spatially separates the output signal field from the control fields.


title: Numerical indications on the semiclassical limit of the flipped vertex

abstract:
  We introduce a technique for testing the semiclassical limit of a quantum
gravity vertex amplitude. The technique is based on the propagation of a
semiclassical wave packet. We apply this technique to the newly introduced
"flipped" vertex in loop quantum gravity, in order to test the intertwiner
dependence of the vertex. Under some drastic simplifications, we find very
preliminary, but surprisingly good numerical evidence for the correct classical
limit.


title: The NIR to UV continuum of radio loud vs. radio quiet quasars

abstract:
  Starting from a sample of SDSS quasars appearing also in the 2MASS survey, we
study the continuum properties of about 1000 objects observed in 8 bands, from
NIR to UV. We construct the mean spectral energy distribution (SED) and compare
and contrast the continua of radio loud (RLQ) and radio quiet (RQQ) objects.
The SEDs of the two populations are significantly different in the sense that
RLQs are redder, with power law spectral indices <alpha(RLQ)>=-0.55+/-0.04 and
<alpha(RQQ)>=-0.31+/-0.01 in the spectral range between 10^14.5 and 10^15.35
Hz. This difference is discussed in terms of different extinctions, different
disc temperatures, or slopes of the non-thermal component.


title:
Accretion indicators for the 37 brightest radio sources in the
  Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field

abstract:
  We study the 37 brightest radio sources in the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field
(SXDF). Using mid-IR (Spitzer MIPS 24 micron) data we expect to trace nuclear
accretion activity, even if it is obscured at optical wavelengths, unless the
obscuring column is extreme. Our results suggest that above the `FRI/FRII'
radio luminosity break most of the radio sources are associated with objects
that have excess mid-IR emission, only some of which are broad-line objects,
although there is one clear low-accretion-rate FRI. The fraction of objects
with mid-IR excess drops dramatically below the FRI/FRII break, although there
exists at least one high-accretion-rate QSO. Investigation of mid-IR and blue
excesses shows that they are correlated as predicted by a model in which a
torus of dust absorbs ~30% of the light, and the dust above and below the torus
scatters >~1% of the light.


title: Entanglement measures as physical observables

abstract:
  We discuss why regular observables can not be proper entanglement measures,
and how observables in a generalized setting can be used to make an
entanglement monotone a directly observable quantity for the case of pure
states. For the case of mixed states, these generalized observables can be used
to find valid lower bounds on entanglement monotones that can be measured in
laboratory experiments in the same fashion as it can also be done for pure
states.


title:
Higgs boson productions at LHC as a probe of different littlest Higgs
  models with T-parity

abstract:
  Higgs boson productions at the LHC will serve as a sensitive probe of various
little Higgs models. In this work we comparatively study two littlest Higgs
models with different T-parity constructions through examining their effects in
three production processes of the Higgs boson at the LHC, namely the
productions of a single Higgs, a Higgs-pair, as well as a Higgs boson
associated with a pair of top and anti-top quarks. The two models are
characterized by predicting a top partner canceling the Higgs mass quadratic
divergence contributed by the top quark with even and odd T-parity,
respectively. We find that both models can alter the SM cross sections sizably
and their corrections also differ significantly. Therefore, the Higgs boson
productions at the LHC may shed some light on these two models or even
distinguish them.


title: On the separability criterion for continuous variable systems

abstract:
  We present an elementary and explicit proof of the separability criterion for
continuous variable two-party Gaussian systems. Our proof is based on an
elementary formulation of uncertainty relations and an explicit determination
of squeezing parameters for which the P-representation condition saturates the
$Sp(2,R)\otimes Sp(2,R)$ invariant separability condition. We thus give the
explicit formulas of squeezing parameters, which establish the equivalence of
the separability condition with the P-representation condition, in terms of the
parameters of the standard form of the correlation matrix. Our proof is
compared to the past proofs, and it is pointed out that the original proof of
the P-representation by Duan, Giedke, Cirac and Zoller(DGCZ) is incomplete. A
way to complete their proof is then shown. It is noted that both of the
corrected proof of DGCZ and the proof of R. Simon are closely related to our
explicit construction despite their quite different appearances.


title:
Verification of new identity for the Green functions in N=1
  supersymmetric non-Abelian Yang--Mills theory with the matter fields

abstract:
  We investigate a new identity for Green functions using the higher covariant
derivative regularization. It relates some coefficients in the vertex function
of the matter superfield, in which one of external matter lines is not chiral.
The calculation in the first nontrivial order (for the two-loop vertex
function) reveals that the new identity is also valid for the non-Abelian
Yang--Mills theory with matter fields. The new identity is shown to appear
because three-loop integrals, defining the Gell-Mann--Low function are
factorized into integrals of total derivatives.


title: A Remark on Almost Umbilical Hypersurfaces

abstract:
  In this article, we prove new stability results for almost-Einstein
hypersurfaces of the Euclidean space, based on previous eigenvalue pinching
results. Then, we deduce some comparable results for almost umbilical
hypersurfaces.


title:
Highly Accurate Analytic Presentation of Solution of the Schr\"{o}dinger
  Equation

abstract:
  High-precision approximate analytic expressions for energies and wave
functions are found for arbitrary physical potentials. The Schr\"{o}dinger
equation is cast into nonlinear Riccati equation, which is solved analytically
in first iteration of the quasi-linearization method (QLM). The zeroth
iteration is based on general features of the exact solution near the
boundaries. The approach is illustrated on the Yukawa potential. The results
enable accurate analytical estimates of effects of parameter variations on
physical systems.


title: Lorentzian LQG vertex amplitude

abstract:
  We generalize a model recently proposed for Euclidean quantum gravity to the
case of Lorentzian signature. The main features of the Euclidean model are
preserved in the Lorentzian one. In particular, the boundary Hilbert space
matches the one of SU(2) loop quantum gravity. As in the Euclidean case, the
model can be obtained from the Lorentzian Barrett-Crane model from a flipping
of the Poisson structure, or alternatively, by adding a topological term to the
action and taking the small Barbero-Immirzi parameter limit.


title: On the extendability of free multiarrangements

abstract:
  A free multiarrangement of rank $k$ is defined to be extendable if it is
obtained from a simple rank $(k+1)$ free arrangement by the natural restriction
to a hyperplane (in the sense of Ziegler). Not all free multiarrangements are
extendable. We will discuss extendability of free multiarrangements for a
special class. We also give two applications. The first is to produce totally
non-free arrangements. The second is to give interpolating free arrangements
between extended Shi and Catalan arrangements.


title:
Statistical approach to dislocation dynamics: From dislocation
  correlations to a multiple-slip continuum plasticity theory

abstract:
  Due to recent successes of a statistical-based nonlocal continuum crystal
plasticity theory for single-glide in explaining various aspects such as
dislocation patterning and size-dependent plasticity, several attempts have
been made to extend the theory to describe crystals with multiple slip systems
using ad-hoc assumptions. We present here a mesoscale continuum theory of
plasticity for multiple slip systems of parallel edge dislocations. We begin by
constructing the Bogolyubov-Born-Green-Yvon-Kirkwood (BBGYK) integral equations
relating different orders of dislocation correlation functions in a grand
canonical ensemble. Approximate pair correlation functions are obtained for
single-slip systems with two types of dislocations and, subsequently, for
general multiple-slip systems of both charges. The effect of the correlations
manifests itself in the form of an entropic force in addition to the external
stress and the self-consistent internal stress. Comparisons with a previous
multiple-slip theory based on phenomenological considerations shall be
discussed.


title:
Comparative Quantum Cosmology: Causality, Singularity, and Boundary
  Conditions

abstract:
  In this review article we compare the recent work of Peter Lynds, "On a
finite universe with no beginning or end", with that of Stephen Hawking,
primarily "Quantum Cosmology, M-Theory, and the Anthropic Principle", and two
foundational works by Sean M. Carroll and Jennifer Chen, "Does Inflation
Provide Natural Conditions for the Universe" and "Spontaneous Inflation and the
Origin of the Arrow of Time", in order to evaluate their comparative treatments
of the nature and role of causality, time ordering, thermodynamic
reversibility, singularities and boundary conditions in the formation of the
early universe. We briefly reference Smolin and Kauffman's recent arguments
with respect to possible processes of "evolutionary selection" in early
universe formation as an alternative explanation to key elements of Hawking's
earlier "M-Theory", and its attendant anthropic principle. We also briefly
excerpt a short section of Smolin's recent work on topology in quantum loop
gravity, simply as an illustrative example of the type of complex quantum
topological transformation which he offers as a theoretical alternative to
string theory in quantum cosmology.


title:
Kinematic structure of the atmosphere and envelope of the post-AGB star
  HD56126

abstract:
  We present results of an analysis of the optical spectrum of the post-AGB
star HD56126 (IRAS 07134+1005) based on observations made with the echelle
spectrographs of the 6-m telescope with spectral resolutions of R=25000 and
60000 at 4012-8790 AA. The profiles of strongest lines (HI; FeII, YII, BaII
absorptions, etc.) formed in the expanding atmosphere at the base of the
stellar wind have complex and variable shapes. To study the kinematics of the
atmosphere, the velocities of individual features in these profiles must be
measured. Differential line shifts of up to Vr=15-30 km/s have been detected
from the lines of metals and molecular features. The star's atmosphere
simultaneously contains both expanding layers and layers falling onto the star.
A comparison of the data for different times demonstrates that both the radial
velocity and the velocity pattern in whole are variable. The position of the
molecular spectrum is stable, implying stability of the expansion velocity of
the circumstellar envelope around HD56126 detected in observations in the C_2
and NaI lines.


title:
Vacuum - induced stationary entanglement in radiatively coupled three -
  level atoms

abstract:
  We consider a pair of three - level atoms interacting with a common vacuum
and analyze the process of entanglement production due to spontaneous emission.
We show that in the case of closely separated atoms, collective damping can
generate robust entanglement of the asymptotic states.


title: Search for Supersymmetric Neutral Higgs Bosons at the Tevatron

abstract:
  Recent preliminary results obtained by the CDF and DO Collaborations on
searches for Higgs bosons beyond the Standard Model at Run II of the Tevatron
are discussed. The data, corresponding to integrated luminosities of up to 1
fb-1, are compared to theoretical expectations. No significant excess of signal
above the expected background is observed in any of the various final states
examined, and so limits at 95% Confidence Level (CL) are presented.


title: Solution of the wave equation in a tridiagonal representation space

abstract:
  We use variable transformation from the real line to finite or semi-infinite
spaces where we expand the regular solution of the 1D time-independent
Schrodinger equation in terms of square integrable bases. We also require that
the basis support an infinite tridiagonal matrix representation of the wave
operator. By this requirement, we deduce a class of solvable potentials along
with their corresponding bound states and stationary wavefunctions expressed as
infinite series in terms of these bases. This approach allows for simultaneous
treatment of the discrete (bound states) as well as the continuous (scattering
states) spectrum on the same footing. The problem translates into finding
solutions of the resulting three-term recursion relation for the expansion
coefficients of the wavefunction. These are written in terms of orthogonal
polynomials, some of which are modified versions of known polynomials. The
examples given, which are not exhaustive, illustrate the power of this approach
in dealing with 1D quantum problems.


title: Localization of Gauge Fields and Monopole Tunnelling

abstract:
  We study the dynamical localization of a massless gauge field on a
lower-dimensional surface (2-brane). In flat space, the necessary and
sufficient condition for this phenomenon is the existence of confinement in the
bulk. The resulting configuration is equivalent to a dual Josephson junction.
This duality leads to an interesting puzzle, as it implies that a localized
massless theory, even in the Abelian case, must become confining at
exponentially large distances. Through the use of topological arguments we
clarify the physics behind this large-distance confinement and identify the
instantons of the brane world-volume theory that are responsible for its
appearance. We show that they correspond to the (condensed) bulk magnetic
charges (monopoles), that occasionally tunnel through the brane and induce weak
confinement of the brane theory. We consider the possible generalization of
this effect to higher dimensions and discuss phenomenological bounds on the
confinement of electric charges at exponentially large distances within our
Universe.


title:
Magnetic fluctuations and formation of large-scale inhomogeneous
  magnetic structures in a turbulent convection

abstract:
  Magnetic fluctuations generated by a tangling of the mean magnetic field by
velocity fluctuations are studied in a developed turbulent convection with
large magnetic Reynolds numbers. We show that the energy of magnetic
fluctuations depends on magnetic Reynolds number only when the mean magnetic
field is smaller than $B_{eq} / 4 Rm^{1/4}$, where $B_{eq}$ is the
equipartition mean magnetic field determined by the turbulent kinetic energy
and Rm is magnetic Reynolds number. Generation of magnetic fluctuations in a
turbulent convection with a nonzero mean magnetic field results in a decrease
of the total turbulent pressure and may cause formation of the large-scale
inhomogeneous magnetic structures even in an originally uniform mean magnetic
field. This effect is caused by a negative contribution of the turbulent
convection to the effective mean Lorentz force. The inhomogeneous large-scale
magnetic fields are formed due to the excitation of the large-scale
instability. The energy for this instability is supplied by the small-scale
turbulent convection. The discussed effects might be useful for understanding
the origin of the solar nonuniform magnetic fields, e.g., sunspots.


title:
Oxygen-isotope effect on the superconducting gap in the cuprate
  superconductor Y_{1-x}Pr_xBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta}

abstract:
  The oxygen-isotope (^{16}O/^{18}O) effect (OIE) on the zero-temperature
superconducting energy gap \Delta_0 was studied for a series of
Y_{1-x}Pr_xBa_2Cu_3O_{7-\delta} samples (0.0\leq x\leq0.45). The OIE on
\Delta_0 was found to scale with the one on the superconducting transition
temperature. These experimental results are in quantitative agreement with
predictions from a polaronic model for cuprate high-temperature superconductors
and rule out approaches based on purely electronic mechanisms.


title: WWW Spiders: an introduction

abstract:
  In recent years, the study of complex networks has received a lot of
attention. Real systems have gained importance in scientific publications,
despite of an important drawback: the difficulty of retrieving and manage such
great quantity of information. This paper wants to be an introduction to the
construction of spiders and scrapers: specifically, how to program and deploy
safely these kind of software applications. The aim is to show how software can
be prepared to automatically surf the net and retrieve information for the user
with high efficiency and safety.


title: Flavour Violating Interactions of Supersymmetric Particles

abstract:
  We derive the renormalization group equations for dimensionless couplings and
soft supersymmetry breaking (SSB) parameters given arbitrary high scale inputs,
incorporating 1-loop thresholds. A program (to be incorporated into ISAJET) has
been developed, which includes flavour violating couplings of superparticles
based on an arbitrary framework for the high scale flavour structure of SSB
parameters. The weak scale flavour structure derived in this way can be applied
to the study of SUSY flavour changing decays. As an illustration, we
recalculate the branching ratio of the flavour-violating decay of the top
squark.


title: Rare B decays at LHCb

abstract:
  Rare loop-induced decays are sensitive to New Physics in many Standard Model
extensions. In this paper we discuss the potential of the LHCb experiment to
very rare $\mathrm{B_s} \to \mu^+ \mu^-$ decays, radiative penguin $\mathrm{b
\to s}\gamma$ decays and electroweak penguin $\mathrm{b \to s\ell\ell}$ decays.
The experimental strategies and the expected sensitivities are presented.


title:
Dwarf nova oscillations and quasi-periodic oscillations in cataclysmic
  variables -- VI. Spin rates, propellering, and coherence

abstract:
  We examine published observations of dwarf nova oscillations (DNOs) on the
rise and decline of outbursts and show that their rates of change are in
reasonable agreement with those predicted from the magnetic accretion model. We
find evidence for propellering in the late stages of outburst of several dwarf
novae, as shown by reductions in EUVE fluxes and from rapid increases of the
DNO periods. Reanalysis of DNOs observed in TY PsA, which had particularly
large amplitudes, shows that the apparent loss of coherence during late decline
is better described as a regular switching between two nearby periods. It is
partly this and the rapid deceleration in some systems that make the DNOs
harder to detect.
  We suggest that the 28.95 s periodicity in WZ Sge, which has long been a
puzzle, is caused by heated regions in the disc, just beyond the corotation
radius, which are a consequence of magnetic coupling between the primary and
gas in the accretion disc. This leads to a possible new interpretation of the
`longer period DNOs' (lpDNOs) commonly observed in dwarf novae and nova-like
variables.


title: Quark number susceptibility of high temperature and finite density QCD

abstract:
  We utilize lattice simulations of the dimensionally reduced effective field
theory (EQCD) to determine the quark number susceptibility of QCD at high
temperature ($T>2T_c$). We also use analytic continuation to obtain results at
finite density. The results extrapolate well from known perturbative expansion
(accurate in extremely high temperatures) to 4d lower temperature lattice data


title:
Can the frequency-dependent specific heat be measured by thermal
  effusion methods?

abstract:
  It has recently been shown that plane-plate heat effusion methods devised for
wide-frequency specific-heat spectroscopy do not give the isobaric specific
heat, but rather the so-called longitudinal specific heat. Here it is shown
that heat effusion in a spherical symmetric geometry also involves the
longitudinal specific heat.


title:
Kosterlitz-Thouless transition of the quasi two-dimensional trapped Bose
  gas

abstract:
  We present Quantum Monte Carlo calculations with up to N=576000 interacting
bosons in a quasi two-dimensional trap geometry closely related to recent
experiments with atomic gases. The density profile of the gas and the
non-classical moment of inertia yield intrinsic signatures for the
Kosterlitz--Thouless transition temperature T_KT. From the reduced one-body
density matrix, we compute the condensate fraction, which is quite large for
small systems. It decreases slowly with increasing system sizes, vanishing in
the thermodynamic limit. We interpret our data in the framework of the
local-density approximation, and point out the relevance of our results for the
analysis of experiments.


title: theta_C from the Dihedral Flavor Symmetries D_7 and D_14

abstract:
  In [1] it has been shown that the Cabibbo angle theta_C might arise from a
dihedral flavor symmetry which is broken to different (directions of) subgroups
in the up and the down quark sector. This leads to a prediction of theta_C in
terms of group theoretical quantities only, i.e. the index n of the dihedral
group D_n, the index j of the fermion representation 2_j and the preserved
subgroups indicated by m_u and m_d. Here we construct a low energy model which
incorporates this idea. The gauge group is the one of the Standard Model and
D_7 x Z_2 ^(aux) serves as flavor symmetry. The additional Z_2 ^(aux) is
necessary in order to maintain two sets of Higgs fields, one which couples only
to up quarks and another one coupling only to down quarks. We assume that D_7
is broken spontaneously at the electroweak scale by vacuum expectation values
of SU(2)_L doublet Higgs fields. The quark masses and mixing parameters can be
accommodated well. Furthermore, the potential of the Higgs fields is studied
numerically in order to show that the required configuration of the vacuum
expectation values can be achieved. We also comment on more minimalist models
which explain the Cabibbo angle in terms of group theoretical quantities, while
theta_{13}^q and theta_{23}^q vanish at leading order. Finally, we perform a
detailed numerical study of the lepton mixing matrix V_{MNS} in which one of
its elements is entirely determined by the group theory of a dihedral symmetry.
Thereby, we show that nearly tri-bi-maximal mixing can also be produced by a
dihedral flavor group with preserved subgroups.


title: Abstract Hermitian Algebras I. Spectral Resolution

abstract:
  We refer to the real Jordan Banach algebra of bounded Hermitian operators on
a Hilbert space as a Hermitian algebra. We define an abstract Hermitian algebra
(AH-algebra) to be the directed group of an e-ring that contains a
semitransparent element, has the quadratic annihilation property, and satisfies
a Vigier condition on pairwise commuting ascending sequences. All of this
terminology is explicated in this article, where we launch a study of
AH-algebras. Here we establish the fundamental properties of AH-algebras,
including the existence of polar decompositions and spectral resolutions, and
we show that two elements of an AH-algebra commute if and only if their
spectral projections commute. We employ spectral resolutions to assess the
structure of maximal pairwise commuting subsets of an AH-algebra.


title: The William Kruskal Legacy: 1919--2005

abstract:
  William Kruskal (Bill) was a distinguished statistician who spent virtually
his entire professional career at the University of Chicago, and who had a
lasting impact on the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and on the field of
statistics more broadly, as well as on many who came in contact with him. Bill
passed away last April following an extended illness, and on May 19, 2005, the
University of Chicago held a memorial service at which several of Bill's
colleagues and collaborators spoke along with members of his family and other
friends. This biography and the accompanying commentaries derive in part from
brief presentations on that occasion, along with recollections and input from
several others. Bill was known personally to most of an older generation of
statisticians as an editor and as an intellectual and professional leader. In
1994, Statistical Science published an interview by Sandy Zabell (Vol. 9,
285--303) in which Bill looked back on selected events in his professional
life. One of the purposes of the present biography and accompanying
commentaries is to reintroduce him to old friends and to introduce him for the
first time to new generations of statisticians who never had an opportunity to
interact with him and to fall under his influence.


title:
Dirac quasinormal modes of a Schwarzschild black hole surrounded by free
  static spherically symmetric quintessence

abstract:
  We evaluate the quasinormal modes of massless Dirac perturbation in a
Schwarzschild black hole surrounded by the free static spherically symmetric
quintessence by using the third-order WKB approximation. The result shows that
due to the presence of quintessence, the massless field damps more slowly. The
real part of the quasinormal modes increases and the the absolute value of the
imaginary part increases when the state parameter $w_q$ increases. In other
words, the massless Dirac field decays more rapidly for the larger $w_q$. And
the peak value of potential barrier gets higher as $|k|$ increases and the
location of peak moves along the right for fixed $w_q$.


title: On derived categories and derived functors

abstract:
  For an abelian category, a category equivalent to its derived category is
constructed by means of specific projective (injective) multicomplexes, the
so-called homological resolutions.


title: Pointwise multipliers in Hardy-Orlicz spaces, and interpolation

abstract:
  We study multipliers of Hardy-Orlicz spaces $\mH_{\Phi}$ which are strictly
contained between $\bigcup_{p>0}H^p$ and so-called ``big'' Hardy-Orlicz spaces.
Big Hardy-Orlicz spaces, carrying an algebraic structure, are equal to their
multiplier algebra, whereas in classical Hardy spaces $H^p$, the multipliers
reduce to $H^{\infty}$. For Hardy-Orlicz spaces $\mH_{\Phi}$ between these two
extremal situations and subject to some conditions, we exhibit multipliers that
are in Hardy-Orlicz spaces the defining functions of which are related to
$\Phi$. Even if the results do not entirely characterize the multiplier
algebra, some examples show that we are not very far from precise conditions.
In certain situations we see how the multiplier algebra grows in a sense from
$\Hi$ to big Hardy-Orlicz spaces when we go from classical $H^p$ spaces to big
Hardy-Orlicz spaces. However, the multiplier algebras are not always ordered as
their underlying Hardy-Orlicz spaces. Such an ordering holds in certain
situations, but examples show that there are large Hardy-Orlicz spaces for
which the multipliers reduce to $\Hi$ so that the multipliers do in general not
conserve the ordering of the underlying Hardy-Orlicz spaces. We apply some of
the multiplier results to construct Hardy-Orlicz spaces close to
$\bigcup_{p>0}H^p$ and for which the free interpolating sequences are no longer
characterized by the Carleson condition which is well known to characterize
free interpolating sequences in $H^p$, $p>0$.


title:
Physical state condition in Quantum General Relativity as a consequence
  of BRST symmetry

abstract:
  Quantization of systems with constraints can be carried on with several
methods. In the Dirac formulation the classical generators of gauge
transformations are required to annihilate physical quantum states to ensure
their gauge invariance. Carrying on BRST symmetry it is possible to get a
condition on physical states which, differently from the Dirac method, requires
them to be invariant under the BRST transformation. Employing this method for
the action of general relativity expressed in terms of the spin connection and
tetrad fields with path integral methods, we construct the generator of BRST
transformation associated with the underlying local Lorentz symmetry of the
theory and write a physical state condition consequence of BRST invariance. We
observe that this condition differs form the one obtained within Ashtekar's
canonical formulation, showing how we recover the latter only by a suitable
choice of the gauge fixing functionals. We finally discuss how it should be
possible to obtain all the requested physical state conditions associated with
all the underlying gauge symmetries of the classical theory using our approach.


title:
Excitation Spectrum at the Yang-Lee Edge Singularity of 2D Ising Model
  on the Strip

abstract:
  At the Yang-Lee edge singularity, finite-size scaling behavior is used to
measure the low-lying excitation spectrum of the Ising quantum spin chain for
free boundary conditions. The measured spectrum is used to identify the CFT
that describes the Yang-Lee edge singularity of the 2D Ising model for free
boundary conditions.


title:
Role of local fields in the optical properties of silicon nanocrystals
  using the tight binding approach

abstract:
  The role of local fields in the optical response of silicon nanocrystals is
analyzed using a tight binding approach. Our calculations show that, at
variance with bulk silicon, local field effects dramatically modify the silicon
nanocrystal optical response. An explanation is given in terms of surface
electronic polarization and confirmed by the fair agreement between the tight
binding results and that of a classical dielectric model. From such a
comparison, it emerges that the classical model works not only for large but
also for very small nanocrystals. Moreover, the dependence on size of the
optical response is discussed, in particular treating the limit of large size
nanocrystals.


title:
Non-minimal Einstein-Yang-Mills-Higgs theory: Associated, color and
  color-acoustic metrics for the Wu-Yang monopole model

abstract:
  We discuss a non-minimal Einstein-Yang-Mills-Higgs model with uniaxial
anisotropy in the group space associated with the Higgs field. We apply this
theory to the problem of propagation of color and color-acoustic waves in the
gravitational background related to the non-minimal regular Wu-Yang monopole.


title: Exponential Metric Fields

abstract:
  The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission will use advanced
technologies to achieve its science goals: the direct detection of
gravitational waves, the observation of signals from compact (small and dense)
stars as they spiral into black holes, the study of the role of massive black
holes in galaxy evolution, the search for gravitational wave emission from the
early Universe. The gravitational red-shift, the advance of the perihelion of
Mercury, deflection of light and the time delay of radar signals are the
classical tests in the first order of General Relativity (GR). However, LISA
can possibly test Einstein's theories in the second order and perhaps, it will
show some particular feature of non-linearity of gravitational interaction. In
the present work we are seeking a method to construct theoretical templates
that limit in the first order the tensorial structure of some metric fields,
thus the non-linear terms are given by exponential functions of gravitational
strength. The Newtonian limit obtained here, in the first order, is equivalent
to GR.


title: A Tribute to Bill Kruskal

abstract:
  Discussion of ``The William Kruskal Legacy: 1919--2005'' by Stephen E.
Fienberg, Stephen M. Stigler and Judith M. Tanur [arXiv:0710.5063]


title: Scale dependence of cosmological backreaction

abstract:
  Due to the non-commutation of spatial averaging and temporal evolution,
inhomogeneities and anisotropies (cosmic structures) influence the evolution of
the averaged Universe via the cosmological backreaction mechanism. We study the
backreaction effect as a function of averaging scale in a perturbative approach
up to higher orders. We calculate the hierarchy of the critical scales, at
which 10% effects show up from averaging at different orders. The dominant
contribution comes from the averaged spatial curvature, observable up to scales
of 200 Mpc. The cosmic variance of the local Hubble rate is 10% (5%) for
spherical regions of radius 40 (60) Mpc. We compare our result to the one from
Newtonian cosmology and Hubble Space Telescope Key Project data.


title: William H. Kruskal and the Development of Coordinate-Free Methods


title: Coherent Pion Production by Neutrinos

abstract:
  I concentrate in this article on the reaction--coherent pion production by
neutrinos incident on nuclei. A special effort is made in order to describe the
approximations entering the calculation. I conclude that the reaction is well
understood and with appropriate data for hadronic reactions is can be computed
for low and high energies. Because of shortage of space I omitted the resonance
analysis, which is described in articles with my collaborators.


title: Higher derivative free energy terms and interfacial curvatures

abstract:
  High derivative terms do not play a major role in field theories because of
the associated complexity and inherent difficulty in connecting these terms to
physically measurable quantities. A role for higher derivative terms is
analyzed for the case of field theories used to describe phase separated
systems. In these theories, higher derivative terms are directly connected to
an interfacial free energy which contains the mean and the Gaussian curvature
and are shown to determine explicitly the shape of the interface.


title: William Kruskal: My Scholarly and Scientific Model


title:
Two-step Doppler cooling of a three-level ladder system with an
  intermediate metastable level

abstract:
  Doppler laser cooling of a three-level ladder system using two near-resonant
laser fields is analyzed in the case of the intermediate level being metastable
while the upper level is short-lived. Analytical as well as numerical results
for e.g. obtainable scattering rates and achievable temperatures are presented.
When appropriate, comparisons with two-level single photon Doppler laser
cooling is made. These results are relevant to recent experimental Doppler
laser cooling investigations addressing intercombination lines in alkali-earth
metal atoms and quadrupole transitions in alkali-earth metal ions.


title: Working with Bill Kruskal: From 1950 Onward


title: Automorphisms of order three on numerical Godeaux surfaces

abstract:
  We prove that a numerical Godeaux surface cannot have an automorphism of
order three.


title: Bill Kruskal and the Committee on National Statistics


title:
Heating of blue compact dwarf galaxies: gas distribution and
  photoionization by stars in I Zw 18

abstract:
  Photoionization models so far are unable to account for the high electron
temperature Te([O III]) implied by the line ratio [O III]4363A/[O III]5007A in
low-metallicity blue compact dwarf galaxies, casting doubts on the assumption
of photoionization by hot stars as the dominant source of heating of the gas in
these objects. Combinations of runs of the 1-D photoionization code NEBU are
used to explore alternative models for the giant H II region shell I Zw 18 NW.
Acceptable models are obtained, which represent schematically an incomplete
shell comprising radiation-bounded condensations embedded in a low-density
matter-bounded diffuse medium. The thermal pressure contrast between gas
components is about a factor 7. The diffuse phase can be in pressure balance
with the hot superbubble fed by mechanical energy from the inner massive star
cluster. The failure of previous modellings is ascribed to (1) the adoption of
an inadequate small-scale gas density distribution, which proves critical when
the collisional excitation of hydrogen contributes significantly to the cooling
of the gas, and possibly (2) a too restrictive implementation of Wolf-Rayet
stars in synthetic stellar cluster spectral energy distributions. A neutral gas
component heated by soft X-rays, whose power is less than 1% of the star
cluster luminosity and consistent with CHANDRA data, can explain the
low-ionization fine-structure lines detected by SPITZER. [O/Fe] is slightly
smaller in I Zw 18 NW than in Galactic Halo stars of similar metallicity and
[C/O] is correlatively large. Extra heating by, e.g., dissipation of mechanical
energy is not required to explain Te([O III]) in I Zw 18. Important
astrophysical developments are at stakes in the 5% uncertainty attached to [O
III] collision strengths.


title: Control of Interaction-Induced Dephasing of Bloch Oscillations

abstract:
  We report on the control of interaction-induced dephasing of Bloch
oscillations for an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice under
the influence of gravity. When tuning the strength of the interaction towards
zero by means of a Feshbach resonance, the dephasing time is increased from a
few to more than twenty thousand Bloch oscillation periods. We quantify the
dephasing in terms of the width of the quasi-momentum distribution and measure
its dependence on time for different values of the scattering length.
Minimizing the dephasing allows us to realize a BEC-based atom interferometer
in the non-interacting limit. We use it for a precise determination of a
zero-crossing for the atomic scattering length and to observe collapse and
revivals of Bloch oscillations when the atomic sample is subject to a spatial
force gradient.


title: William Kruskal Remembered


title: William H. Kruskal, Mentor and Friend


title: Photodisintegration studies on p-nuclei: The case of Mo and Sm isotopes

abstract:
  In explosive stellar environments like supernovae, the temperatures are high
enough for the production of heavy neutron-deficient nuclei, the socalled
p-nuclei. Up to now, the knowledge of the reaction rates of p-nuclei is based
on theoretical parameterizations using statistical model calculations. At the
bremsstrahlung facility of the superconducting electron accelerator ELBE of FZ
Dresden-Rossendorf, we aim to measure the photodisintegration rates of heavy
nuclei experimentally. Photoactivation measurements on the astrophysically
relevant p-nuclei 92Mo and 144Sm have been performed with bremsstrahlung
end-point energies from 10.0 to 16.5 MeV. First experiments on the short-lived
decays following the reaction 144Sm(gamma,n) are carried out using a pneumatic
delivery system for rapid transport of activated samples. The activation yields
are compared with calculations using cross sections from recent Hauser-Feshbach
models.


title: Spitzer IRS mapping of the central kpc of Centaurus A

abstract:
  We report on the results of infrared spectroscopic mapping observations
carried out in the nuclear region of Centaurus A (NGC5128). The 500 pc bipolar
dust shell discovered by Quillen et al.(2006) is even more clearly seen in the
11.3 micron dust emission feature than previous broad band imaging. The pure
rotational lines of molecular hydrogen other than the S(0) line are detected
above the dusty disk and associated with the oval dust shell. The molecular
hydrogen transitions indicate the presence of warm gas at temperatures
250--720K. The ratio of the dust emission features at 7.7 and 11.3 micron and
the ratio of the [NeII](12.8) and 11.3 dust emission feature are lower in the
500 pc dust shell than in the star forming disk. The clearer shell morphology
at 11.3 micron, warm molecular hydrogen emission in the shell, and variation in
line ratios in the shell compared to those in the disk, confirm
spectroscopically that this shell is a separate coherent entity and is unlikely
to be a chance superposition of dust filaments. The physical conditions in the
shell are most similar to Galactic supernova remnants where blast waves
encounter molecular clouds. The lines requiring the highest level of
ionization, [NeV] and [OIV], are detected 20--25 arcsec north-east and
south-west of the nucleus and at position angles near the radio jet axis. Fine
structure line ratios and limits from this region suggest that the medium is
low density and illuminated by a hard radiation field at low ionization
parameter. These higher S molecular hydrogen pure rotational transitions are
also particularly bright in the same region as the [OIV] and [NeV] emission.
This suggests that the gas associated with the dust shell has been excited near
the jet axis and is part of an ionization cone.


title:
Orbital magnetic moment of the electron in the hydrogen atom in deformed
  space with minimal length

abstract:
  We investigated the orbital magnetic moment of electron in the hydrogen atom
in deformed space with minimal length. It turned out that corrections to the
magnetic moment caused by deformation depend on one parameter in the presence
of two-parametric deformation. It is interesting to note that the correction to
orbital magnetic moment is similar to the correction that follows from
relativistic theory but it has an opposite sign. Using the upper bound for
minimal length obtained in previous papers we estimated the upper bound for
relative correction to orbital magnetic moment and obtained the value $\sim
10^{-12}$. This is four power less than the relative error for most recent
experimental values of Bohr magneton.


title: Collapse of Flow: Probing the Order of the Phase Transition

abstract:
  We discuss the present collective flow signals for the phase transition to
the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and the collective flow as a barometer for the
equation of state (EoS). We emphasize the importance of the flow excitation
function from 1 to $50 A$ GeV: here the hydrodynamic model has predicted the
collapse of the $v_1$-flow at $\sim 10 A$ GeV and of the $v_2$-flow at $\sim 40
A$ GeV. In the latter case, this has recently been observed by the NA49
collaboration. Since hadronic rescattering models predict much larger flow than
observed at this energy, we interpret this observation as potential evidence
for a first order phase transition at high baryon density $\rho_B$.


title: Search for bb decay with NEMO 3 and SuperNEMO experiments

abstract:
  NEMO 3 is a double beta decay experiment. A part of low background data was
analysed, preliminary result on bb2nu decay of 130Te obtained: T_{1/2} = 7.6
\+- 1.5(stat) +- 0.8(syst) * 10^{20} y$. No bb0nu signal was observed:
T_{1/2}^{0\nu}(100Mo) > 5.8 *10^{23} y and T_{1/2}^{0\nu}(82Se) > 2.1 * 10^{23}
y (90% C.L.). SuperNEMO project R&D has started.


title:
Effect of annealing on the hyperfine interaction in InAs/GaAs quantum
  dots

abstract:
  The hyperfine interaction of an electron with nuclei in the annealed
self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots is theoretically analyzed. For this
purpose, the annealing process, and energy structure of the quantum dots are
numerically modeled. The modeling is verified by comparison of the calculated
optical transitions and of the experimental data on photoluminescence for set
of the annealed quantum dots. The localization volume of the electron in the
ground state and the partial contributions of In, Ga, and As nuclei to the
hyperfine interaction are calculated as functions of the annealing temperature.
It is established that the contribution of indium nuclei into the hyperfine
interaction becomes predominant up to high annealing temperatures (T = 980 C)
when the In content in the quantum dots does not exceed 25%. Effect of the
nuclear spin fluctuations on the electron spin polarization is numerically
modeled. Effective field of the fluctuations is found to be in good agreement
with experimental data available.


title:
Some Remarks on an Experiment Suggesting Quantum Like Behavior of
  Cognitive Entities and Formulation of an Abstract Quantum Mechanical
  Formalism to Describe Cognitive Entity and its Dynamics

abstract:
  We have executed for the first time an experiment on mental observables
concluding that there exists equivalence (that is to say, quantum like
behavior) between quantum and cognitive entities.Such result has enabled us to
formulate an abstract quantum mechanical formalism that is able to describe
cognitive entities and their time dynamics.


title: High Energy spectra of Seyferts and Unification schemes

abstract:
  The Unified Model of AGN predicts the sole difference between Seyfert 1 and
Seyfert 2 nuclei is the viewing angle with respect to an obscuring structure
around the nucleus. High energy photons above 20 keV are not affected by this
absorption if the column is Compton thin, so their 30--100 keV spectra should
be the same. However, the observed spectra at high energies appear to show a
systematic difference, with Seyfert 1's having $\Gamma \sim $2.1 whereas
Seyfert 2's are harder with $\Gamma \sim$ 1.9. We estimate the mass and
accretion rate of Seyferts detected in these high energy samples and show that
they span a wide range in $L/L_{Edd}$. Both black hole binary systems and AGN
show a correlation between spectral softness and Eddington fraction, so these
samples are probably heterogeneous, spanning a range of intrinsic spectral
indices which are hidden in individual objects by poor signal-to-noise.
However, the mean Eddington fraction for the Seyfert 1's is higher than for the
Seyfert 2's, so the samples are consistent with this being the origin of the
softer spectra seen in Seyfert 1's. We stress that high energy spectra alone
are not necessarily a clean test of Unification schemes, but that the intrinsic
nuclear properties should also change with $L/L_{Edd}$


title:
Simpler Variational Problem for Statistical Equilibria of the 2D Euler
  Equation and Other Systems with Long Range Interactions

abstract:
  The Robert-Sommeria-Miller equilibrium statistical mechanics predicts the
final organization of two dimensional flows. This powerful theory is difficult
to handle practically, due to the complexity associated with an infinite number
of constraints. Several alternative simpler variational problems, based on
Casimir's or stream function functionals, have been considered recently. We
establish the relations between all these variational problems, justifying the
use of simpler formulations.


title: Intersublevel Polaron Dephasing in Self-Assembled Quantum Dots

abstract:
  Polaron dephasing processes are investigated in InAs/GaAs dots using
far-infrared transient four wave mixing (FWM) spectroscopy. We observe an
oscillatory behaviour in the FWM signal shortly (< 5 ps) after resonant
excitation of the lowest energy conduction band transition due to coherent
acoustic phonon generation. The subsequent single exponential decay yields long
intraband dephasing times of 90 ps. We find excellent agreement between our
measured and calculated FWM dynamics, and show that both real and virtual
acoustic phonon processes are necessary to explain the temperature dependence
of the polarization decay.


title: Galaxy Groups in the SDSS DR4: II. halo occupation statistics

abstract:
  We investigate various halo occupation statistics using a large galaxy group
catalogue constructed from the SDSS DR4 with an adaptive halo-based group
finder. The conditional luminosity function (CLF) is measured separately for
all, red and blue galaxies, as well as in terms of central and satellite
galaxies. The CLFs for central and satellite galaxies can be well modelled with
a log-normal distribution and a modified Schechter form, respectively. About
85% of the central galaxies and about 80% of the satellite galaxies in halos
with masses $M_h\ga 10^{14}\msunh$ are red galaxies. These numbers decrease to
50% and 40%, respectively, in halos with $M_h \sim 10^{12}\msunh$. For halos of
a given mass, the distribution of the luminosities of central galaxies, $L_c$,
has a dispersion of about 0.15 dex. The mean luminosity (stellar mass) of the
central galaxies scales with halo mass as $L_c\propto M_h^{0.17}$
($M_{*,c}\propto M_h^{0.22}$) for halos with masses $M\gg 10^{12.5}\msunh$, and
both relations are significantly steeper for less massive halos. We also
measure the luminosity (stellar mass) gap between the first and second
brightest (most massive) member galaxies, $\log L_1 - \log L_2$ ($\log
M_{*,1}-\log M_{*,2}$). These gap statistics, especially in halos with $M_h \la
10^{14.0}\msunh$, indicate that the luminosities of central galaxies are
clearly distinct from those of their satellites. The fraction of fossil groups,
defined as those groups with $\log L_1 - \log L_2\ge 0.8$, ranges from $\sim
2.5%$ for groups with $M_h\sim 10^{14}\msunh$ to 18-60% for groups with
$M_h\sim 10^{13}\msunh$. Finally, we measure the fraction of satellites, which
changes from $\sim 5.0%$ for galaxies with $\rmag\sim -22.0$ to $\sim40%$ for
galaxies with $\rmag\sim -17.0$. (abridged)


title: Galois extensions of Lubin-Tate spectra

abstract:
  Let E_n be the n-th Lubin-Tate spectrum at a prime p. There is a commutative
S-algebra E^{nr}_n whose coefficients are built from the coefficients of E_n
and contain all roots of unity whose order is not divisible by p. For odd
primes p we show that E^{nr}_n does not have any non-trivial connected finite
Galois extensions and is thus separably closed in the sense of Rognes. At the
prime 2 we prove that there are no non-trivial connected Galois extensions of
E^{nr}_n with Galois group a finite group G with cyclic quotient. Our results
carry over to the K(n)-local context.


title: Particle Filters for Multiscale Diffusions

abstract:
  We consider multiscale stochastic systems that are partially observed at
discrete points of the slow time scale. We introduce a particle filter that
takes advantage of the multiscale structure of the system to efficiently
approximate the optimal filter.


title:
Creation of resilient entangled states and a resource for
  measurement-based quantum computation with optical superlattices

abstract:
  We investigate how to create entangled states of ultracold atoms trapped in
optical lattices by dynamically manipulating the shape of the lattice
potential. We consider an additional potential (the superlattice) that allows
both the splitting of each site into a double well potential, and the control
of the height of potential barrier between sites. We use superlattice
manipulations to perform entangling operations between neighbouring qubits
encoded on the Zeeman levels of the atoms without having to perform transfers
between the different vibrational states of the atoms. We show how to use
superlattices to engineer many-body entangled states resilient to collective
dephasing noise. Also, we present a method to realize a 2D resource for
measurement-based quantum computing via Bell-pair measurements. We analyze
measurement networks that allow the execution of quantum algorithms while
maintaining the resilience properties of the system throughout the computation.


title: Pentagon diagrams of Bhabha scattering

abstract:
  We report on tensor reduction of five point integrals needed for the
evaluation of loop-by-loop corrections to Bhabha scattering. As an example we
demonstrate the calculation of the rank two tensor integral with cancellation
of the spurious Gram determinant in the denominator. The reduction scheme is
worked out for arbitrary five point processes.


title: Swarming and swirling in self-propelled polar granular rods

abstract:
  Using experiments with anisotropic vibrated rods and quasi-2D numerical
simulations, we show that shape plays an important role in the collective
dynamics of self-propelled (SP) particles. We demonstrate that SP rods exhibit
local ordering, aggregation at the side walls, and clustering absent in round
SP particles. Furthermore, we find that at sufficiently strong excitation SP
rods engage in a persistent swirling motion in which the velocity is strongly
correlated with particle orientation.


title:
Photoluminescence modification by high-order photonic band with abnormal
  dispersion in ZnO inverse opal

abstract:
  We measured the angle- and polarization-resolved reflection and
photoluminescence spectra of ZnO inverse opals. Significant enhancement of
spontaneous emission is observed. The enhanced emission not only has good
directionality but also can be linearly polarized. A detailed theoretical
analysis and numerical simulation reveal that such enhancement is caused by the
abnormal dispersion of a high-order photonic band. The frozen mode at a
stationary inflection point of a dispersion curve can strongly modify the
intensity, directionality and polarization of spontaneous emission.


title: ISM dust feedback from low to high mass stars

abstract:
  The dust component of the interstellar medium (ISM) has been extensively
studied in the past decades. Late-type stars have been assumed as the main
source of dust to the ISM, but recent observations show that supernova remnants
may play a role on the ISM dust feedback. In this work, I study the importance
of low and high mass stars, as well as their evolutionary phase, on the ISM
dust feedback process. I also determine the changes on the obtained results
considering different mass distribution functions and star formation history.
We describe a semi-empirical calculation of the relative importance of each
star at each evolutionary phase in the dust ejection to the ISM. I compare the
obtained results for two stellar mass distribution functions, the classic
Salpeter initial mass function and the present day mass function. I used the
evolutionary track models for each stellar mass, and the empirical mass-loss
rates and dust-to-gas ratio. The relative contribution of each stellar mass
depends on the used distribution. Ejecta from massive stars represent the most
important objects for the ISM dust replenishment using the Salpeter IMF. On the
other hand, for the present day mass function low and intermediate mass stars
are dominant. Late-type giant and supergiant stars dominate the ISM dust
feedback in our actual Galaxy, but this may not the case of galaxies
experiencing high star formation rates, or at high redshifts. In those cases,
SNe are dominant in the dust feedback process.


title:
Casimir forces between arbitrary compact objects: Scalar and
  electromagnetic field

abstract:
  We develop an exact method for computing the Casimir energy between arbitrary
compact objects, both with boundary conditions for a scalar field and
dielectrics or perfect conductors for the electromagnetic field. The energy is
obtained as an interaction between multipoles, generated by quantum source or
current fluctuations. The objects' shape and composition enter only through
their scattering matrices. The result is exact when all multipoles are
included, and converges rapidly. A low frequency expansion yields the energy as
a series in the ratio of the objects' size to their separation. As examples, we
obtain this series for two spheres with Robin boundary conditions for a scalar
field and dielectric spheres for the electromagnetic field. The full
interaction at all separations is obtained for spheres with Robin boundary
conditions and for perfectly conducting spheres.


title: Soft masses in superstring models with anomalous U(1) symmetries

abstract:
  We analyze the general structure of soft scalar masses emerging in
superstring models involving anomalous U(1) symmetries, with the aim of
characterizing more systematically the circumstances under which they can
happen to be flavor universal. We consider both heterotic orbifold and
intersecting brane models, possibly with several anomalous and non-anomalous
spontaneously broken U(1) symmetries. The hidden sector is assumed to consist
of the universal dilaton, Kahler class and complex structure moduli, which are
supposed to break supersymmetry, and a minimal set of Higgs fields which
compensate the Fayet-Iliopoulos terms. We leave the superpotential that is
supposed to stabilize the hidden sector fields unspecified, but we carefully
take into account the relations implied by gauge invariance and the constraints
required for the existence of a metastable vacuum with vanishing cosmological
constant. The results are parametrized in terms of a constrained Goldstino
direction, suitably defined effective modular weights, and the U(1) charges and
shifts. We show that the effect induced by vector multiplets strongly depends
on the functional form of the Kahler potential for the Higgs fields. We find in
particular that whenever these are charged matter fields, like in heterotic
models, the effect is non-trivial, whereas when they are shifting moduli
fields, like in certain intersecting brane models, the effect may vanish.


title:
The dark connection between the Canis Major dwarf, the Monoceros ring,
  the gas flaring, the rotation curve and the EGRET excess of diffuse Galactic
  Gamma Rays

abstract:
  The excess of diffuse galactic gamma rays above 1 GeV, as observed by the
EGRET telescope on the NASA Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, shows all the key
features from Dark Matter (DM) annihilation: (i) the energy spectrum of the
excess is the same in all sky directions and is consistent with the gamma rays
expected for the annihilation of WIMPs with a mass between 50-100 GeV; (ii) the
intensity distribution of the excess in the sky is used to determine the halo
profile, which was found to correspond to the usual profile from N-body
simulations with additional substructure in the form of two doughnut-shaped
structures at radii of 4 and 13 kpc; (iii) recent N-body simulations of the
tidal disruption of the Canis Major dwarf galaxy show that it is a perfect
progenitor of the ringlike Monoceros tidal stream of stars at 13 kpc with ring
parameters in agreement with the EGRET data; (iiii) the mass of the outer ring
is so large, that its gravitational effects influence both the gas flaring and
the rotation curve of the Milky Way. Both effects are clearly observed in
agreement with the DMA interpretation of the EGRET excess.


title: Multi-gluon field approach of QCD

abstract:
  The decay of 2-gluon colour singlets in quarks: 2g --> q-qbar +2q-2qbar has
been simulated with the Monte-Carlo method, taking into account an effective
1-gluon exchange interaction between the emitted quarks, which was folded with
a 2-gluon density determined self-consistently. 2-gluon densities were found
with different radii, which correspond to 0^{++} glueballs of the size of light
q-qbar, s-sbar, c-cbar, b-bbar, and heavier q-qbar systems. Binding potentials
between the two gluons have been deduced, which are consistent with the
confinement potential from lattice results. However, self-consistency for the
deduction of 2-gluon densities requires massless (or very light) quarks for all
flavours. The masses are given by the binding energies of quarks and gluons,
yielding excitation spectra of 0^{++} glueballs and Phi, J/Psi, and Upsilon
states consistent with observation. The sum of q-q potentials yields a strong
coupling alpha_s consistent with the available data up to large momenta. The
nucleon is described by a gluonium state coupled to 3 valence quarks, yielding
ground state and radial excitations consistent with experiment. Finally, we
discuss the compressibility of the nucleon and relate it to that of nuclear
matter.


title: On fields of definition of arithmetic Kleinian reflection groups

abstract:
  We show that degrees of the real fields of definition of arithmetic Kleinian
reflection groups are bounded by 35.


title:
Degenerate complex Monge-Amp\`ere equations over compact K\"ahler
  manifolds

abstract:
  We prove the existence and uniqueness of the solutions of some very general
type of degenerate complex Monge-Amp\`ere equations. This type of equations is
precisely what is needed in order to construct K\"ahler-Einstein metrics over
irreducible singular K\"ahler spaces with ample or trivial canonical sheaf and
singular K\"ahler-Einstein metrics over varieties of general type.


title:
Congruences of lines in $\mathbb{P}^5$, quadratic normality, and
  completely exceptional Monge-Amp\`ere equations

abstract:
  The existence is proved of two new families of locally Cohen-Macaulay sextic
threefolds in $\mathbb{P}^5$, which are not quadratically normal. These
threefolds arise naturally in the realm of first order congruences of lines as
focal loci and in the study of the completely exceptional Monge-Amp\`ere
equations. One of these families comes from a smooth congruence of multidegree
$(1,3,3)$ which is a smooth Fano fourfold of index two and genus 9.


title: Fermionic NNLO contributions to Bhabha scattering

abstract:
  We derive the two-loop corrections to Bhabha scattering from heavy fermions
using dispersion relations. The double-box contributions are expressed by three
kernel functions. Convoluting the perturbative kernels with fermionic threshold
functions or with hadronic data allows to determine numerical results for small
electron mass m_e, combined with arbitrary values of the fermion mass m_f in
the loop, $m_e^2<<s,t,m_f^2$, or with hadronic insertions. We present numerical
results for m_f = m_{\mu}, m_{\tau}, m_{top} at typical small- and large-angle
kinematics ranging from 1 GeV to 500 GeV.


title: Cosmological Studies with Radio Galaxies and Supernovae

abstract:
  Physical sizes of extended radio galaxies can be employed as a cosmological
"standard ruler", using a previously developed method. Eleven new radio
galaxies are added to our previous sample of nineteen sources, forming a sample
of thirty objects with redshifts between 0 and 1.8. This sample of radio
galaxies are used to obtain the best fit cosmological parameters in a
quintessence model in a spatially flat universe, a cosmological constant model
that allows for non-zero space curvature, and a rolling scalar field model in a
spatially flat universe. Results obtained with radio galaxies are compared with
those obtained with different supernova samples, and with combined radio galaxy
and supernova samples. Results obtained with different samples are consistent,
suggesting that neither method is seriously affected by systematic errors. Best
fit radio galaxy and supernovae model parameters determined in the different
cosmological models are nearly identical, and are used to determine
dimensionless coordinate distances to supernovae and radio galaxies, and
distance moduli to the radio galaxies. The distance moduli to the radio
galaxies can be combined with supernovae samples to increase the number of
sources, particularly high-redshift sources, in the samples. The constraints
obtained here with the combined radio galaxy plus supernovae data set in the
rolling scalar field model are quite strong. The best fit parameter values
suggest a value of omega is less than about 0.35, and the model parameter alpha
is close to zero; that is, a cosmological constant provides a good description
of the data. We also obtain new constraints on the physics of engines that
power the large-scale radio emission.


title: Weak measurement takes a simple form for cumulants

abstract:
  A weak measurement on a system is made by coupling a pointer weakly to the
system and then measuring the position of the pointer. If the initial
wavefunction for the pointer is real, the mean displacement of the pointer is
proportional to the so-called weak value of the observable being measured. This
gives an intuitively direct way of understanding weak measurement. However, if
the initial pointer wavefunction takes complex values, the relationship between
pointer displacement and weak value is not quite so simple, as pointed out
recently by R. Jozsa. This is even more striking in the case of sequential weak
measurements. These are carried out by coupling several pointers at different
stages of evolution of the system, and the relationship between the products of
the measured pointer positions and the sequential weak values can become
extremely complicated for an arbitrary initial pointer wavefunction.
Surprisingly, all this complication vanishes when one calculates the cumulants
of pointer positions. These are directly proportional to the cumulants of
sequential weak values. This suggests that cumulants have a fundamental
physical significance for weak measurement.


title: Inclusive Search for Squarks and Gluinos Production at CDF

abstract:
  We present preliminary results on a search for squarks and gluinos in
proton-antiproton collisions with a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV and based
on 1.1 fb-1 of data collected by the CDF detector in the Tevatron Run II.
Events with multiple jets of hadrons and large missing transverse energy in the
final state are studied within the framework of minimal supergravity and
assuming R-parity conservation. No excess with respect to Standard Model
predictions is observed and new limits on the gluino and squark masses are
extracted.


title: Neutrons from Piezonuclear Reactions

abstract:
  We report the results obtained by cavitating water solutions of iron salts
(iron chloride and iron nitrate) with different concentrations at different
ultrasound powers. In all cases we detected a neutron radiation well higher
than the background level. The neutron production is perfectly reproducible and
can at some extent be controlled. These evidences for neutron emission
generated by cavitation support some preliminary clues for the possibility of
piezonuclear reactions (namely nuclear reactions induced by pressure and shock
waves) obtained in the last ten years. We have been able for the first time to
state some basic features of such a neutron emission induced by cavitation,
namely: 1) a marked threshold behavior in power, energy and time; 2) its
occurring without a concomitant production of gamma radiation.


title: Combining haplotypers

abstract:
  Statistically resolving the underlying haplotype pair for a genotype
measurement is an important intermediate step in gene mapping studies, and has
received much attention recently. Consequently, a variety of methods for this
problem have been developed. Different methods employ different statistical
models, and thus implicitly encode different assumptions about the nature of
the underlying haplotype structure. Depending on the population sample in
question, their relative performance can vary greatly, and it is unclear which
method to choose for a particular sample. Instead of choosing a single method,
we explore combining predictions returned by different methods in a principled
way, and thereby circumvent the problem of method selection.
  We propose several techniques for combining haplotype reconstructions and
analyze their computational properties. In an experimental study on real-world
haplotype data we show that such techniques can provide more accurate and
robust reconstructions, and are useful for outlier detection. Typically, the
combined prediction is at least as accurate as or even more accurate than the
best individual method, effectively circumventing the method selection problem.


title: CP violation in SUSY

abstract:
  CP violation in supersymmetric models is reviewd with focus on explicit CP
violation in the MSSM. The topics covered in particular are CP-mixing in the
Higgs sector and its measurement at the LHC, CP-odd observables in the gaugino
sector at the ILC, EDM constraints, and the neutralino relic density.


title:
Anti-nuclei and nuclei production in Pb+Pb collisions at CERN SPS
  energies

abstract:
  We present new results on production of 3He and t obtained by the NA49
experiment in 20A, 30A, 40A and 80A GeV central Pb+Pb collisions at the CERN
SPS. Transverse mass spectra and rapidity distributions for clusters measured
over a large phase space domain are discussed. We observe a weak dependence of
the mid-rapidity t/3He ratio on collision energy at SPS. The energy dependence
of the total yield for 3He is remarkably reproduced by a statistical hadron gas
model. A gradual decrease of the coalescence parameter B3 for 3He with $\sqrt
{s_{NN}}$ is observed.In addition, a measurement of the yield of anti-deuterons
in Pb+Pb reactions at SPS's top energy of $\sqrt {s_{NN}}$ = 17.2 GeV is
presented.


title:
Determination of the Dark Matter profile from the EGRET excess of
  diffuse Galactic gamma radiation

abstract:
  The excess above 1 GeV in the energy spectrum of the diffuse Galactic gamma
radiation, measured with the EGRET experiment, can be interpreted as the
annihilation of Dark Matter (DM) particles. The DM is distributed in a halo
around the Milky Way. Considering the directionality of the gamma ray flux it
is possible to determine the halo profile. The DM within the halo has a smooth
and a clumpy component.These components can have different profiles as
suggested by N-body simulations and the data is indeed compatible with a NFW
profile for the diffuse component and a cored profile for the clumpy
component.These DM clumps can be partly destroyed by tidal forces from
interactions with stars and the gravitational potential of the Galactic
disc.This effect mainly decreases the annihilation signal from the Galactic
centre (GC). In this paper constraints on the different profiles and the
survival probability of the clumps are discussed.


title: The CMS Pixel Detector: from production to commissioning

abstract:
  The CMS experiment at the LHC includes a hybrid silicon pixel detector for
the reconstruction of charged tracks and of the interaction vertices. The
detector is made of three barrel layers and two disks at each end of the
barrel. Detector modules consist of thin, segmented silicon sensors with highly
integrated readout chips connected by the bump bonding technique. In this paper
we report on the progress of the detector construction and testing. In
addition, first results from the commissioning systems at CERN and PSI are
presented.


title: The dark matter as a light gravitino

abstract:
  We address the question of gravitino dark matter in the context of gauge
mediated supersymmetry breaking models. A special emphasis is put on the role
played by the MSSM singlet messenger in the case of SO(10) grand unification.


title: Bulk Aluminum at High Pressure: A First-Principles Study

abstract:
  The behavior of metals at high pressure is of great importance to the fields
of shock physics, geophysics, astrophysics, and nuclear materials. In order to
further understand the properties of metals at high pressures we studied the
equation of state of aluminum using first-principles techniques up to 2500 GPa,
pressures within reach of the planned L.L.N.L. National Ignition Facility. Our
simulations use density-functional theory and density-functional perturbation
theory in the generalized gradient approximation at 0K. We found core overlaps
to become relevant beyond pressures of 1200 GPa. The equations of state for
three phases (fcc, bcc, and hcp) were calculated predicting the fcc-hcp,
fcc-bcc, and hcp-bcc transitions to occur at 215 GPa, 307 GPa, and 435 GPa
respectively. From the phonon dispersions at increasing pressure, we predict a
softening of the lowest transverse acoustic vibrational mode along the [110]
direction, which corresponds to a Born instability of the fcc phase at 725 GPa.


title:
Constraining Spiral Structure Parameters through Galactic Pencil-beam
  and Large-scale Radial Velocity Surveys

abstract:
  We investigate the effect of spiral structure on the Galactic disk as viewed
by pencil beams centered on the Sun, relevant to upcoming surveys such as
ARGOS, SEGUE, and GAIA. We create synthetic Galactic maps which we call Pencil
Beam Maps (PBMs) of the following observables: line-of-sight velocities, the
corresponding velocity dispersion, and the stellar number density that are
functions of distance from the observer. We show that such maps can be used to
infer spiral structure parameters, such as pattern speed, solar phase angle,
and number of arms. The mean line-of-sight velocity and velocity dispersion are
affected by up to ~35 km/s which is well within the detectable limit for
forthcoming radial velocity surveys. One can measure the pattern speed by
searching for imprints of resonances. In the case of a two-armed spiral
structure it can be inferred from the radius of a high velocity dispersion ring
situated at the 2:1 ILR. This information, however, must be combined with
information related to the velocities and stellar number density in order to
distinguish from a four-armed structure. If the pattern speed is such that the
2:1 ILR is hidden inside the Galactic bulge the 2:1 OLR will be present in the
outer Galaxy and thus can equivalently be used to estimate the pattern speed.
Once the pattern speed is known the solar angle can be estimated from the
line-of-sight velocities and the number density PBMs. Forthcoming radial
velocity surveys are likely to provide powerful constraints of the structure of
the Milky Way disk.


title: Time-dependent CP asymmetries in Bs decays at LHCb

abstract:
  The LHCb experiment will search for New Physics in Bs mixing. The Bs mixing
phase will be extracted from the measurement of the time-dependent CP asymmetry
in exclusive Bs decays governed by the b -> ccbar s quark-level transition.
Large New Physics effects can be discovered or excluded with the data collected
during the very first physics run of LHC. Based on Monte Carlo simulations of
the LHCb detector, the expected sensitivity with 2 inverse fb on the
CP-violation parameter phi_s is sigma(phi_s) = 0.022.


title: Describing Charmonium Correlation Functions in Euclidean Time

abstract:
  We present a detailed investigation of the quark mass-dependence of
charmonium correlators in Euclidean-time obtained using a potential model, as
well as the comparison with results on isotropic lattice calculations performed
at several lattice spacings.


title: The Dearth of low-luminosity Globular Cluster LMXBs in NGC 3379

abstract:
  Our campaign of deep monitoring observations with {\it Chandra} of the nearby
elliptical galaxy NGC 3379 has lead to the detection of nine globular cluster
(GC) and 53 field low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in the joint {\it
Hubble}/{\it Chandra} field of view of this galaxy. Comparing these
populations, we find a highly significant lack of GC LMXBs at the low (0.3-8
keV) X-ray luminosities (in the $\sim 10^{36}$ to $\sim 4\times10^{37}$ erg
s$^{-1}$ range) probed with our observations. This result conflicts with the
proposition that all LMXBs are formed in GCs. This lack of low-luminosity
sources in GCs is consistent with continuous LMXB formation due to stellar
interactions and with the transition from persistent to transient LMXBs. The
observed cut-off X-ray luminosity favors a predominance of LMXBs with
main-sequence donors instead of ultra-compact binaries with white-dwarf donors;
ultra-compacts could contribute significantly only if their disks are not
affected by X-ray irradiation. Our results suggest that current theories of
magnetic stellar wind braking may work rather better for the unevolved
companions of GC LMXBs than for field LMXBs and cataclysmic variables in the
Galaxy, where these companions may be somewhat evolved.


title: Search for Higgs Bosons in H to WW Decays at the Tevatron

abstract:
  We present the results of searches by the CDF and D\O{} Collaborations for
Higgs boson production in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.96 {\rm TeV}$.
The searches are performed in the $WW^*$ channel with $1 {\rm fb}^{-1}$ of
data. In the absence of signal the results are used to set a limit on the Higgs
production cross section times branching ratio.


title:
Testing the nonlinearity of the BVIcJHKs period-luminosity relations for
  the Large Magellanic Cloud Cepheids

abstract:
  A number of recent works have suggested that the period-luminosity (PL)
relation for the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) Cepheids exhibits a controversial
nonlinear feature with a break period at 10 days. Therefore, the aim of this
Research Note is to test the linearity/nonlinearity of the PL relations for the
LMC Cepheids in BVIcJHKs band, as well as in the Wesenheit functions. We show
that simply comparing the long and short period slopes, together with their
associate d standard deviations, leads to a strictly larger error rate than
applying rigorous statistical tests such as the F-test. We applied various
statistical tests to the current published LMC Cepheid data. These statistical
tests include the F-test, the testimator test, and the Schwarz information
criterion (SIC) method. The results from these statistical tests strongly
suggest that the LMC PL relation is nonlinear in BVIcJH band but linear in the
Ks band and in the Wesenheit functions. Using the properties of period-color
relations at maximum light and multi-phase relations, we believe that the
nonlinear PL relation is not caused by extinction errors.


title: Thermal Unparticles: A New Form of Energy Density in the Universe

abstract:
  Unparticle $\U$ with scaling dimension $d_\U$ has peculiar thermal properties
due to its unique phase space structure. We find that the equation of state
parameter $\omega_\U$, the ratio of pressure to energy density, is given by
$1/(2d_\U +1)$ providing a new form of energy in our universe. In an expanding
universe, the unparticle energy density $\rho_\U(T)$ evolves dramatically
differently from that for photons. For $d_\U >1$, even if $\rho_\U(T_D)$ at a
high decoupling temperature $T_D$ is very small, it is possible to have a large
relic density $\rho_\U(T^0_\gamma)$ at present photon temperature $T^0_\gamma$,
large enough to play the role of dark matter. We calculate $T_D$ and
$\rho_\U(T^0_\gamma)$ using photon-unparticle interactions for illustration.


title: A Proof of the Factorization Forest Theorem

abstract:
  We show that for every homomorphism $\Gamma^+ \to S$ where $S$ is a finite
semigroup there exists a factorization forest of height $\leq 3 \abs{S}$. The
proof is based on Green's relations.


title: Atom interferometry with a weakly-interacting Bose Einstein condensate

abstract:
  We demonstrate the operation of an atom interferometer based on a weakly
interacting Bose-Einstein condensate. We strongly reduce the interaction
induced decoherence that usually limits interferometers based on trapped
condensates by tuning the s-wave scattering length almost to zero via a
magnetic Feshbach resonance. We employ a $^{39}$K condensate trapped in an
optical lattice, where Bloch oscillations are forced by gravity. With a control
of the scattering length better that 0.1 $a_0$ we achieve coherence times of
several hundreds of ms. The micrometric sizes of the atomic sample make our
sensor an ideal candidate for measuring forces with high spatial resolution.
Our technique can be in principle extended to other measurement schemes opening
new possibilities in the field of trapped atom interferometry.


title:
Absolute FKBP binding affinities obtained via non-equilibrium unbinding
  simulations

abstract:
  We compute absolute binding affinities for two ligands bound to the FKBP
protein using non-equilibrium unbinding simulations. The methodology is
straight-forward, requiring little or no modification to many modern molecular
simulation packages. The approach makes use of a physical pathway, eliminating
the need for complicated alchemical decoupling schemes. Results of this study
are promising. For the ligands studied here the binding affinities are
typically estimated within less than 4.0 kJ/mol of the target values; and the
target values are within less than 1.0 kJ/mol of experiment. These results
suggest that non-equilibrium simulation could provide a simple and robust means
to estimate protein-ligand binding affinities.


title:
The Half-Perimeter Generating Function of Gated and Wicketed Ferrers
  diagrams

abstract:
  We show that the half-perimeter generating functions for the number of
Wicketed and Gated Ferrers diagrams is algebraic. Furthermore, the generating
function of the Wicketed Ferrers diagrams is closely related to the generating
function of the Catalan numbers. The methodology of the experimentation as well
as the proof is the umbral transfer matrix method.


title: A Zassenhaus-type algorithm solves the Bogoliubov recursion

abstract:
  This paper introduces a new Lie-theoretic approach to the computation of
counterterms in perturbative renormalization. Contrary to the usual approach,
the devised version of the Bogoliubov recursion does not follow a linear
induction on the number of loops. It is well-behaved with respect to the
Connes-Kreimer approach: that is, the recursion takes place inside the group of
Hopf algebra characters with values in regularized Feynman amplitudes.
(Paradigmatically, we use dimensional regularization in the minimal subtraction
scheme, although our procedure is generalizable to other schemes.) The new
method is related to Zassenhaus' approach to the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff
formula for computing products of exponentials. The decomposition of
counterterms is parametrized by a family of Lie idempotents known as the
Zassenhaus idempotents. It is shown, inter alia, that the corresponding Feynman
rules generate the same algebra as the graded components of the Connes-Kreimer
beta-function. This further extends previous work of ours (together with Jose
M. Gracia-Bondia) on the connection between Lie idempotents and renormalization
procedures, where we constructed the Connes-Kreimer beta-function by means of
the classical Dynkin idempotent.


title: New Horizons and the Onset of the Pioneer Anomaly

abstract:
  Analysis of the radio tracking data from the Pioneer 10/11 spacecraft at
distances between about 20 - 70 AU from the Sun has indicated the presence of
an unmodeled, small, constant, Doppler blue shift which can be interpreted as a
constant acceleration of a_P= (8.74 \pm 1.33) \times 10^{-8} cm/s^2 directed
approximately towards the Sun. In addition, there is early (roughly modeled)
data from as close in as 5 AU which indicates there may have been an onset of
the anomaly near Saturn. We observe that the data now arriving from the New
Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt could allow a relatively easy,
direct experimental test of whether this onset is associated with distance from
the Sun (being, for example, an effect of drag on dark matter). We strongly
urge that this test be done.


title: Kl3 semileptonic form factor from 2+1 flavour lattice QCD

abstract:
  We present the first results for the Kl3 form factor from simulations with
2+1 flavours of dynamical domain wall quarks. Combining our result, namely
f_+(0)=0.964(5), with the latest experimental results for Kl3 decays leads to
|V_{us}|=0.2249(14), reducing the uncertaintity in this important parameter.
For the O(p^6) term in the chiral expansion we obtain \Delta f=-0.013(5).