title: Is the quantum adiabatic theorem consistent?

abstract:
  The quantum adiabatic theorem states that if a quantum system starts in an
eigenstate of the Hamiltonian, and this Hamiltonian varies sufficiently slowly,
the system stays in this eigenstate. We investigate experimentally the
conditions that must be fulfilled for this theorem to hold. We show that the
traditional adiabatic condition as well as some conditions that were recently
suggested are either not sufficient or not necessary. Experimental evidence is
presented by a simple experiment using nuclear spins.


title:
Antiproton and proton collisions with the alkali metal atoms Li, Na, and
  K

abstract:
  Single-electron ionization and excitation cross sections as well as cross
sections for excitation into the first excited p state of the alkali metal
atoms Li(2s), Na(3s) and K(4s) colliding with antiprotons and protons were
calculated using a time-dependent channel-coupling approach. For antiprotons an
impact-energy range from 0.25 to 1000 keV and for protons from 2 to 1000 keV
was considered. The target atoms are treated as effective one-electron systems
using a model potential. The results are compared with theoretical and
experimental data from literature and calculated cross sections for
antiproton-hydrogen collisions. For proton collisions a good overall agreement
is found which confirms the present numerical approach, whereas discrepancies
are found between the present antiproton cross sections and those calculated by
Stary et al., J.Phys.B 23, 263 (1990).


title:
Correlation between site preference of ternary Mn addition in LaAg and
  superconductivity

abstract:
  The results of an extensive investigation of structure, surface morphology,
composition and the superconducting-normal phase diagram of a new
unconventional superconductor LaAg1-cMnc with nominal composition c = 0.0,
0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, reveal the following. The alloys with c = 0,
0.025 and 0.05 are essentially single phase alloys with the actual Mn
concentration, x, same as the nominal one, i.e., c = x, whereas in the alloys
with c = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, the actual Mn concentration of the majority phase
(crystalline grains) is x = 0.050(1), 0.080(1) and 0.100(1), respectively. The
ternary Mn addition does not alter the CsCl structure of the parent compound
LaAg. Neither a structural phase transition occurs nor a long-range
antiferromagnetic order exists at any temperature within the range 1.8K < = T <
= 50K in any of the Mn containing alloys. Mn has exclusive La (Ag) site
preference in the alloy (alloys) with x = c = 0.025 (x < = 0.05 or c < = 0.1)
whereas in the alloy with x = c = 0.05, Mn has essentially no site preference
in that all the Mn atoms either occupy the La sites or the Ag sites. In the
alloys (alloy) with x < = 0.05 (x = c = 0.025), substitution of Ag (La) by Mn
at the Ag (La) sub-lattice sites in LaAg host gives rise to unconventional
superconductivity (destroys the conventional phonon-mediated superconductivity
prevalent in the parent LaAg compound).


title:
Optical control of energy-level structure of few electrons in
  AlGaAs/GaAs quantum dots

abstract:
  Optical control of the lateral quantum confinement and number of electrons
confined in nanofabricated GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots is achieved by illumination
with a weak laser beam that is absorbed in the AlGaAs barrier. Precise tuning
of energy-level structure and electron population is demonstrated by monitoring
the low-lying transitions of the electrons from the lowest quantum-dot energy
shells by resonant inelastic light scattering. These findings open the way to
the manipulation of single electrons in these quantum dots without the need of
external metallic gates.


title:
Properties of contact matrices induced by pairwise interactions in
  proteins

abstract:
  The total conformational energy is assumed to consist of pairwise interaction
energies between atoms or residues, each of which is expressed as a product of
a conformation-dependent function (an element of a contact matrix, C-matrix)
and a sequence-dependent energy parameter (an element of a contact energy
matrix, E-matrix). Such pairwise interactions in proteins force native
C-matrices to be in a relationship as if the interactions are a Go-like
potential [N. Go, Annu. Rev. Biophys. Bioeng. 12. 183 (1983)] for the native
C-matrix, because the lowest bound of the total energy function is equal to the
total energy of the native conformation interacting in a Go-like pairwise
potential. This relationship between C- and E-matrices corresponds to (a) a
parallel relationship between the eigenvectors of the C- and E-matrices and a
linear relationship between their eigenvalues, and (b) a parallel relationship
between a contact number vector and the principal eigenvectors of the C- and
E-matrices; the E-matrix is expanded in a series of eigenspaces with an
additional constant term, which corresponds to a threshold of contact energy
that approximately separates native contacts from non-native ones. These
relationships are confirmed in 182 representatives from each family of the SCOP
database by examining inner products between the principal eigenvector of the
C-matrix, that of the E-matrix evaluated with a statistical contact potential,
and a contact number vector. In addition, the spectral representation of C- and
E-matrices reveals that pairwise residue-residue interactions, which depends
only on the types of interacting amino acids but not on other residues in a
protein, are insufficient and other interactions including residue
connectivities and steric hindrance are needed to make native structures the
unique lowest energy conformations.


title: The formation of spiral arms and rings in barred galaxies

abstract:
  We propose a theory to explain the formation of both spirals and rings in
barred galaxies using a common dynamical framework. It is based on the orbital
motion driven by the unstable equilibrium points of the rotating bar potential.
Thus, spirals, rings and pseudo-rings are related to the invariant manifolds
associated to the periodic orbits around these equilibrium points. We examine
the parameter space of three barred galaxy models and discuss the formation of
the different morphological structures according to the properties of the bar
model. We also study the influence of the shape of the rotation curve in the
outer parts, by making families of models with rising, flat or falling rotation
curves in the outer parts. The differences between spiral and ringed structures
arise from differences in the dynamical parameters of the host galaxies.


title: Relativity and the low energy nd Ay puzzle

abstract:
  We solve the Faddeev equation in an exactly Poincare invariant formulation of
the three-nucleon problem. The dynamical input is a relativistic
nucleon-nucleon interaction that is exactly on-shell equivalent to the high
precision CDBonn NN interaction. S-matrix cluster properties dictate how the
two-body dynamics is embedded in the three-nucleon mass operator. We find that
for neutron laboratory energies above 20 MeV relativistic effects on Ay are
negligible. For energies below 20 MeV dynamical effects lower the nucleon
analyzing power maximum slightly by 2% and Wigner rotations lower it further up
to 10 % increasing thus disagreement between data and theory. This indicates
that three-nucleon forces must provide an even larger increase of the Ay
maximum than expected up to now.


title:
Quantum Monte Carlo, Density Functional Theory, and Pair Potential
  Studies of Solid Neon

abstract:
  We report quantum Monte Carlo (QMC), plane-wave density-functional theory
(DFT), and interatomic pair-potential calculations of the zero-temperature
equation of state (EOS) of solid neon. We find that the DFT EOS depends
strongly on the choice of exchange-correlation functional, whereas the QMC EOS
is extremely close to both the experimental EOS and the EOS obtained using the
best semiempirical pair potential in the literature. This suggests that QMC is
able to give an accurate treatment of van der Waals forces in real materials,
unlike DFT. We calculate the QMC EOS up to very high densities, beyond the
range of values for which experimental data are currently available. At high
densities the QMC EOS is more accurate than the pair-potential EOS. We generate
a different pair potential for neon by a direct evaluation of the QMC energy as
a function of the separation of an isolated pair of neon atoms. The resulting
pair potential reproduces the EOS more accurately than the equivalent potential
generated using the coupled-cluster CCSD(T) method.


title:
Classical solvability of nonlinear initial-boundary problems for
  first-order hyperbolic systems

abstract:
  We prove the global classical solvability of initial-boundary problems for
semilinear first-order hyperbolic systems subjected to local and nonlocal
nonlinear boundary conditions. We also establish lower bounds for the order of
nonlinearity demarkating a frontier between regular cases (classical
solvability) and singular cases (blow-up of solutions).


title: Funnelling related phase transitions in networks

abstract:
  Funnelling effect, in the context of searching on networks, precisely
indicates that the search takes place through a few specific nodes. We define
the funnelling capacity $f$ of a node as the fraction of successful dynamic
paths through it with a fixed target. We claim that there is a funnelling
effect if the distribution $D(f)$ of the fraction of nodes with funnelling
capacity $f$ shows a power law behaviour. We find that a transition from a
search with funnelling effect to that without any such effect can exist and is
driven by the parameters defining the network.


title: Propagation of UHE Protons through Magnetized Cosmic Web

abstract:
  If ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) originate from extragalactic
sources, understanding the propagation of charged particles through the
magnetized large scale structure (LSS) of the universe is crucial in the search
for the astrophysical accelerators. Based on a novel model of the turbulence
dynamo, we estimate the intergalactic magnetic fields (IGMFs) in cosmological
simulations of the formation of the LSS. Under the premise that the sources of
UHECRs are strongly associated with the LSS, we consider a model in which
protons with E >10^{19} eV are injected by sources that represent active
galactic nuclei located inside clusters of galaxies. With the model IGMFs, we
then follow the trajectories of the protons, while taking into account the
energy losses due to interactions with the cosmic background radiation. For
observers located inside groups of galaxies like ours, about 70% and 35% of
UHECR events above 60 EeV arrive within ~15 degree and ~5 degree, respectively,
of the source position with time delays of less than ~10^7 yr. This implies
that the arrival direction of super-GZK protons might exhibit a correlation
with the distribution of cosmological sources on the sky. In this model, nearby
sources (within 10 - 20 Mpc) should contribute significantly to the particle
flux above ~10^{20} eV.


title: Quantum Monte Carlo study of the Ne atom and the Ne+ ion

abstract:
  We report all-electron and pseudopotential calculations of the
ground-stateenergies of the neutral Ne atom and the Ne+ ion using the
variational and diffusion quantum Monte Carlo (DMC) methods. We investigate
different levels of Slater-Jastrow trial wave function: (i) using Hartree-Fock
orbitals, (ii) using orbitals optimized within a Monte Carlo procedure in the
presence of a Jastrow factor, and (iii) including backflow correlations in the
wave function. Small reductions in the total energy are obtained by optimizing
the orbitals, while more significant reductions are obtained by incorporating
backflow correlations. We study the finite-time-step and fixed-node biases in
the DMC energy and show that there is a strong tendency for these errors to
cancel when the first ionization potential (IP) is calculated. DMC gives highly
accurate values for the IP of Ne at all the levels of trial wave function that
we have considered.


title: van der Waals Interactions Between Thin Metallic Wires and Layers

abstract:
  Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods have been used to obtain accurate
binding-energy data for pairs of parallel thin metallic wires and layers
modeled by 1D and 2D homogeneous electron gases. We compare our QMC binding
energies with results obtained within the random phase approximation, finding
significant quantitative differences and disagreement over the asymptotic
behavior for bilayers at low densities. We have calculated pair-correlation
functions for metallic biwire and bilayer systems. Our QMC data could be used
to investigate van der Waals energy functionals.


title:
DOT Tomography of the Solar Atmosphere VII. Chromospheric Response to
  Acoustic Events

abstract:
  We use synchronous movies from the Dutch Open Telescope sampling the
  G band, Ca II and Halpha with five-wavelength profile sampling to study the
response of the chromosphere to acoustic events in the underlying photosphere.
We first compare the visibility of the chromosphere in Ca II H and Halpha,
demonstrate that studying the chromosphere requires Halpha data, and summarize
recent developments in understanding why this is so. We construct divergence
and vorticity maps of the photospheric flow field from the G-band images and
locate specific events through the appearance of bright Ca II H grains. The
reaction of the Halpha chromosphere is diagnosed in terms of brightness and
Doppler shift. We show and discuss three particular cases in detail: a regular
acoustic grain marking shock excitation by granular dynamics, a persistent
flasher which probably marks magnetic-field concentration, and an exploding
granule. All three appear to buffet overlying fibrils, most clearly in
Dopplergrams. Although our diagnostic displays to dissect these phenomena are
unprecedentedly comprehensive, adding even more information (photospheric
Doppler tomography and magnetograms, chromospheric imaging and Doppler mapping
in the ultraviolet) is warranted.


title: Exciton and biexciton energies in bilayer systems

abstract:
  We report calculations of the energies of excitons and biexcitons in ideal
two-dimensional bilayer systems within the effective-mass approximation with
isotropic electron and hole masses. The exciton energies are obtained by a
simple numerical integration technique, while the biexciton energies are
obtained from diffusion quantum Monte Carlo calculations. The exciton binding
energy decays as the inverse of the separation of the layers, while the binding
energy of the biexciton with respect to dissociation into two separate excitons
decays exponentially.


title: Project of Virtual Institute of Astroparticle Physics

abstract:
  Studies in astroparticle physics are actively developed all over the world.
It is clear that the effectiveness of the work depends strongly on the
information exchange rate and on the overall coordination of this activity. An
international forum, be it virtual, which can join all the groups and
coordinate their efforts would give a boost to this cooperation. Particularly
this is important for isolated scientific groups and scientists from small
countries which can contribute a lot to this work being a part of the large
international collaboration. Objectives, instruments and structure of proposed
Virtual Instutute of Astroparticle Physics are discussed.


title: Diffusion quantum Monte Carlo study of three-dimensional Wigner crystals

abstract:
  We report diffusion quantum Monte Carlo calculations of three-dimensional
Wigner crystals in the density range r_s=100-150. We have tested different
types of orbital for use in the approximate wave functions but none improve
upon the simple Gaussian form. The Gaussian exponents are optimized by directly
minimizing the diffusion quantum Monte Carlo energy. We have carefully
investigated and sought to minimize the potential biases in our Monte Carlo
results. We conclude that the uniform electron gas undergoes a transition from
a ferromagnetic fluid to a body-centered-cubic Wigner crystal at r_s=106+/-1.
The diffusion quantum Monte Carlo results are compared with those from
Hartree-Fock and Hartree theory in order to understand the role played by
exchange and correlation in Wigner crystals. We also study "floating" Wigner
crystals and give results for their pair-correlation functions.


title: Jastrow correlation factor for atoms, molecules, and solids

abstract:
  A form of Jastrow factor is introduced for use in quantum Monte Carlo
simulations of finite and periodic systems. Test data are presented for atoms,
molecules, and solids, including both all-electron and pseudopotential atoms.
We demonstrate that our Jastrow factor is able to retrieve a large fraction of
the correlation energy.


title: Consensus of self-driven agents with avoidance of collisions

abstract:
  In recent years, many efforts have been addressed on collision avoidance of
collectively moving agents. In this paper, we propose a modified version of the
Vicsek model with adaptive speed, which can guarantee the absence of
collisions. However, this strategy leads to an aggregated state with slowly
moving agents. We therefore further introduce a certain repulsion, which
results in both faster consensus and longer safe distance among agents, and
thus provides a powerful mechanism for collective motions in biological and
technological multi-agent systems.


title:
On the Diversity of Non-Linear Transient Dynamics in Several Types of
  Complex Networks

abstract:
  Dynamic systems characterized by diversified evolutions are not only more
flexible, but also more resilient to attacks, failures and changing conditions.
This article addresses the quantification of the diversity of non-linear
transient dynamics obtained in undirected and unweighted complex networks as a
consequence of self-avoiding random walks. The diversity of walks starting at a
specific node $i$ is quantified in terms of a signature composed by the
entropies of the node visit probabilities along each of the initial steps. Six
theoretical models of complex networks are considered: Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi,
Barab\'asi-Albert, Watts-Strogatz, a geographical model, as well as two
recently introduced knitted networks formed by paths. The random walk diversity
is explored at the level of network categories and of individual nodes. Because
the diversity at successive steps of the walks tends to be correlated,
principal component analysis is systematically applied in order to identify the
more relevant linear combinations of the diversity entropies and to obtain
optimal dimensionality reduction. Several interesting results are reported,
including the facts that the transient diversity tends to increase with the
average degree for all considered network models and that the Watts and
Strogatz and geographical models tend to yield diversity entropies which
increase more gradually with the number of steps, contrasting sharply with the
steep increases verified for the other four considered models. The principal
linear combination of the diversities identified by the principal component
analysis method is shown to allow an interesting characterization of individual
nodes as well as partitioning of networks into subgraphs of similar diversity.


title:
Electron Emission from Diamondoids: A Diffusion Quantum Monte Carlo
  Study

abstract:
  We present density-functional theory (DFT) and quantum Monte Carlo (QMC)
calculations designed to resolve experimental and theoretical controversies
over the optical properties of H-terminated C nanoparticles (diamondoids). The
QMC results follow the trends of well-converged plane-wave DFT calculations for
the size dependence of the optical gap, but they predict gaps that are 1-2 eV
higher. They confirm that quantum confinement effects disappear in diamondoids
larger than 1 nm, which have gaps below that of bulk diamond. Our QMC
calculations predict a small exciton binding energy and a negative electron
affinity (NEA) for diamondoids up to 1 nm, resulting from the delocalized
nature of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. The NEA suggests a range of
possible applications of diamondoids as low-voltage electron emitters.


title: Some conjectures about the mechanism of poltergeist phenomenon

abstract:
  Poltergeist accounts concern at least four kinds of strange spontaneous
manifestations, such as burning of materials, failures of electric equipments,
rapping noises and movements of objects. A simple analysis of phenomenology of
these disturbances shows that they might have a common origin, that is, a
reduction in strength of molecular bonds due to an enhancement in polarization
of vacuum which decreases the actual electron charge. Arguments based on
Prigogine' nonequilibrium thermodynamics are proposed, which show how
transformations in brain of some pubescent childs or young womans might be the
cause of these effects.


title:
Vortex-lattice formation and melting in a nonrotating Bose-Einstein
  condensate

abstract:
  Numerical simulations of the interference of a three-way segmented
nonrotating Bose-Einstein condensate reveal the production of a honeycomb
vortex lattice containing significant numbers of vortices and antivortices. If
confined within a trap, the lattice subsequently melts, exhibiting a rich
assortment of vortex-antivortex interactions. In contrast with nonlinear vortex
production mechanisms previously described for Bose-Einstein condensates, the
process here is shown to be primarily one of linear superposition, with initial
vortex locations approximately described by a linear theory of wave packet
interference.


title:
Multibeam Maser Survey of methanol and excited OH in the Magellanic
  Clouds: new detections and maser abundance estimates

abstract:
  We present the results of the first complete survey of the Large and Small
Magellanic Clouds for 6668-MHz methanol and 6035-MHz excited-state hydroxyl
masers. In addition to the survey, higher-sensitivity targeted searches towards
known star-formation regions were conducted. The observations yielded the
discovery of a fourth 6668-MHz methanol maser in the Large Magellanic Cloud
(LMC), found towards the star-forming region N160a, and a second 6035-MHz
excited-state hydroxyl maser, found towards N157a. We have also re-observed the
three previously known 6668-MHz methanol masers and the single 6035-MHz
hydroxyl maser. We failed to detect emission from either transition in the
Small Magellanic Cloud. All observations were initially made using the Methanol
Multibeam (MMB) survey receiver on the 64-m Parkes telescope as part of the MMB
project and accurate positions have been measured with the Australia Telescope
Compact Array (ATCA). We compare the maser populations in the Magellanic Clouds
with those of our Galaxy and discuss their implications for the relative rates
of massive star-formation, heavy metal abundance, and the abundance of complex
molecules. The LMC maser populations are demonstrated to be smaller than their
Milky Way counterparts. Methanol masers are under-abundant by a factor of ~45,
whilst hydroxyl and water masers are a factor of ~10 less abundant than our
Galaxy.


title: Convolution-Dominated Operators on Discrete Groups

abstract:
  We study infinite matrices $A$ indexed by a discrete group $G$ that are
dominated by a convolution operator in the sense that $|(Ac)(x)| \leq (a \ast
|c|)(x)$ for $x\in G$ and some $a\in \ell ^1(G)$. This class of
"convolution-dominated" matrices forms a Banach-*-algebra contained in the
algebra of bounded operators on $\ell ^2(G)$. Our main result shows that the
inverse of a convolution-dominated matrix is again convolution-dominated,
provided that $G$ is amenable and rigidly symmetric. For abelian groups this
result goes back to Gohberg, Baskakov, and others, for non-abelian groups
completely different techniques are required, such as generalized
  $L^1$-algebras and the symmetry of group algebras.


title:
Spam: It's Not Just for Inboxes and Search Engines! Making Hirsch
  h-index Robust to Scientospam

abstract:
  What is the 'level of excellence' of a scientist and the real impact of
his/her work upon the scientific thinking and practising? How can we design a
fair, an unbiased metric -- and most importantly -- a metric robust to
manipulation?


title:
Corrugated probe for SNOM - Optimization of energy throughput via
  plasmon excitation

abstract:
  In a previous paper we proposed a modification of metal-coated tapered-fibre
aperture probes for scanning near-field optical microscopes. The modification
consists of radial corrugations of the metal-dielectric interface oriented
inward the core. Their purpose is to facilitate the excitation of propagating
surface plasmons, which increase the transport of energy beyond the cut-off
diameter and radiate a quasi-dipolar field from the probe output rim. An
increase in energy output allows for reduction of the apex diameter, which is
the main factor determining the resolution of the microscope. In FDTD
simulations we analyse the performance of the new type to SNOM probe. We aim at
achieving of maximum energy throughput in probes with corrugations that may be
realized in a glass etching process.


title:
Novel magnetoinductance effects in Josephson Junction Arrays: A
  single-plaquette approximation

abstract:
  Using a single-plaquette approximation, novel magnetoinductance effects in
Josephson junction arrays (JJAs) are predicted, including the appearance of
steps in the temperature behavior of magnetic susceptibility. The number of
steps (as well as their size) is controlled by the kinetic inductance of the
plaquette whose field dependence is governed by the Abrikosov vortices
penetrating superconducting regions of the array. The experimental conditions
under which the predicted effects should manifest themselves in artificially
prepared JJAs are discussed.


title:
Near-integrability and confinement for high-energy hadron-hadron
  collisions

abstract:
  We investigate an effective Hamiltonian for QCD at large s, in which
longitudinal gauge degrees of freedom are suppressed, but not eliminated. In an
axial gauge the effective field theory is a set of coupled (1+1)-dimensional
principal-chiral models, which are completely integrable. The confinement
problem is solvable in this context, and we find the longitudinal and
transverse string tensions with techniques already used for a similar
Hamiltonian in (2+1)-dimensions. We find some a posteriori justification for
the effective Hamiltonian as an eikonal approximation. Hadrons in this
approximation consist of partons, which are quarks and soliton-like excitations
of the sigma models. Diffractive hadron-hadron scattering appears primarily due
to exchange of longitudinal flux between partons.


title: Staring at Economic Aggregators through Information Lenses

abstract:
  It is hard to exaggerate the role of economic aggregators -- functions that
summarize numerous and / or heterogeneous data -- in economic models since the
early XX$^{th}$ century. In many cases, as witnessed by the pioneering works of
Cobb and Douglas, these functions were information quantities tailored to
economic theories, i.e. they were built to fit economic phenomena. In this
paper, we look at these functions from the complementary side: information. We
use a recent toolbox built on top of a vast class of distortions coined by
Bregman, whose application field rivals metrics' in various subfields of
mathematics. This toolbox makes it possible to find the quality of an
aggregator (for consumptions, prices, labor, capital, wages, etc.), from the
standpoint of the information it carries. We prove a rather striking result.
  From the informational standpoint, well-known economic aggregators do belong
to the \textit{optimal} set. As common economic assumptions enter the analysis,
this large set shrinks, and it essentially ends up \textit{exactly fitting}
either CES, or Cobb-Douglas, or both. To summarize, in the relevant economic
contexts, one could not have crafted better some aggregator from the
information standpoint. We also discuss global economic behaviors of optimal
information aggregators in general, and present a brief panorama of the links
between economic and information aggregators.
  Keywords: Economic Aggregators, CES, Cobb-Douglas, Bregman divergences


title: The Lex-Plus-Powers Conjecture holds for pure powers

abstract:
  We prove Evans' Lex-Plus-Powers Conjecture for ideals containing a monomial
regular sequence.


title:
Spinning Particle with Anomalous Magnetic Moment in an External Plane
  Wave Field

abstract:
  In this paper we study the interaction of a Dirac-Pauli particle with an
electromagnetic plane wave, by using a previously given generalization of the
pseudo-classical Lagrangian for a spinning particle with an anomalous magnetic
moment. We derive the explicit expressions for the eigenfunctions and the
Green's functions of the theory. We discuss the validity of the semi-classical
approach by comparing the wavefunctions with the (pseudo)-classical solutions
of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation.


title:
Old and new examples of scale functions for spectrally negative Levy
  processes

abstract:
  We give a review of the state of the art with regard to the theory of scale
functions for spectrally negative Levy processes. From this we introduce a
general method for generating new families of scale functions. Using this
method we introduce a new family of scale functions belonging to the Gaussian
Tempered Stable Convolution (GTSC) class. We give particular emphasis to
special cases as well as cross-referencing their analytical behaviour against
known general considerations.


title: An exact minimum degree condition for Hamilton cycles in oriented graphs

abstract:
  We show that every sufficiently large oriented graph with minimum in- and
outdegree at least (3n-4)/8 contains a Hamilton cycle. This is best possible
and solves a problem of Thomassen from 1979.


title:
On a problem of Molluzzo concerning Steinhaus triangles in finite cyclic
  groups

abstract:
  Let $X$ be a finite sequence of length $m\geq 1$ in $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$.
The \textit{derived sequence} $\partial X$ of $X$ is the sequence of length
$m-1$ obtained by pairwise adding consecutive terms of $X$. The collection of
iterated derived sequences of $X$, until length 1 is reached, determines a
triangle, the \textit{Steinhaus triangle $\Delta X$ generated by the sequence
$X$}. We say that $X$ is \textit{balanced} if its Steinhaus triangle $\Delta X$
contains each element of $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$ with the same multiplicity.
An obvious necessary condition for $m$ to be the length of a balanced sequence
in $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$ is that $n$ divides the binomial coefficient
$\binom{m+1}{2}$. It is an open problem to determine whether this condition on
$m$ is also sufficient. This problem was posed by Hugo Steinhaus in 1963 for
$n=2$ and generalized by John C. Molluzzo in 1976 for $n\geq3$. So far, only
the case $n=2$ has been solved, by Heiko Harborth in 1972. In this paper, we
answer positively Molluzzo's problem in the case $n=3^k$ for all $k\geq1$.
Moreover, for every odd integer $n\geq3$, we construct infinitely many balanced
sequences in $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$. This is achieved by analysing the
Steinhaus triangles generated by arithmetic progressions. In contrast, for any
$n$ even with $n\geq4$, it is not known whether there exist infinitely many
balanced sequences in $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$. As for arithmetic progressions,
still for $n$ even, we show that they are never balanced, except for exactly 8
cases occurring at $n=2$ and $n=6$.


title:
Calculating conjugacy classes in Sylow $p$-subgroups of finite Chevalley
  groups

abstract:
  In earlier work, the first author outlined an algorithm for calculating a
parametrization of the conjugacy classes in a Sylow $p$-subgroup $U(q)$ of a
finite Chevalley group $G(q)$, valid when $q$ is a power of a good prime for
$G(q)$. In this paper we develop this algorithm and discuss an implementation
in the computer algebra language {\sf GAP}. Using the resulting computer
program we are able to calculate the parametrization of the conjugacy classes
in $U(q)$, when $G(q)$ is of rank at most 6. In these cases, we observe that
the number of conjugacy classes of $U(q)$ is given by a polynomial in $q$ with
integer coefficients.


title: Interpreting the X-ray Flash XRF 060218 and its associated supernova

abstract:
  Forty years after their discovery, and in spite of a very large body of
observations, the operation of the 'engine' responsible for long-duration
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and X-ray flashes --as well as the mechanisms
generating their radiation-- are still the subject of debate and study. In this
respect a recent event, XRF 060218, associated with SN 2006aj, is particularly
significant. It has been argued that, for the first time, the break-out of the
shock involved in the supernova explosion has been observed, thanks to the
detection of a thermal component in the event's radiation; that this XRF was
not a GRB seen 'off-axis', but a member of a new class of energetically feeble
GRBs; and that its 'continued engine activity' may have been driven by a
remnant highly-magnetized neutron star, a magnetar. I argue, on grounds based
on observations and on limpid verified hypothesis, that there is a common,
simpler alternative to these views, with no thermal component, no new feeble
GRBs, and no steady engine activity.


title: On the graph isomorphism problem

abstract:
  We relate the graph isomorphism problem to the solvability of certain systems
of linear equations with nonnegative variables. This version replaces the two
previous versions of this paper.


title:
Scalar Mesons: A Chiral Lagrangian Framework for their Mixing and
  Substructure

abstract:
  The highlights of studies of mixing among scalar mesons below and above 1 GeV
within a nonlinear chiral Lagrangian framework is briefly presented. Two scalar
meson nonets are introduced to explore the mass spectrum and decay properties
of the $I$=1/2 and $I$=1 scalar states. For the $I$=0 states, in addition to
these two nonets a scalar glueball component is also taken into account, and
together with the constraints from the $I$=1/2 and $I$=1 sectors, their mass
spectrum is studied. The fact that an ideally mixed $q {\bar q}$ scalar nonet
has a mass ordering which is opposite to that of an ideally mixed four-quark
scalar nonet is exploited to gain some insight into the quark substructure of
the $I$=1/2, $I$=1 and $I$=0 states below and above 1 GeV. Consequently,
numerical estimates of various components of these states (two quark and four
quark components of $I$=1/2 and $I$=1 states, and two quark, four quark and
glue component of $I$=0 states) are determined.


title:
Ab initio investigation of hydrogen bonding and electronic structure of
  high-pressure phases of ice

abstract:
  We report a detailed ab initio investigation on hydrogen bonding, geometry,
electronic structure, and lattice dynamics of ice under a large high pressure
range, including the ice X phase (55-380GPa), the previous theoretically
proposed higher-pressure phase ice XIIIM (Refs. 1-2) (380GPa), ice XV (a new
structure we derived from ice XIIIM) (300-380GPa), as well as the ambient
pressure low-temperature phase ice XI. Different from many other materials, the
band gap of ice X is found to be increasing linearly with pressure from 55GPa
up to 290GPa, the electronic density of states (DOS) shows that the valence
bands have a tendency of red shift (move to lower energies) referring to the
Fermi energy while the conduction bands have a blue shift (move to higher
energies). This behavior is interpreted as the high pressure induced change of
s-p charge transfers between hydrogen and oxygen. It is found that ice X exists
in the pressure range from 75GPa to about 290GPa. Beyond 300GPa, a new
hydrogen-bonding structure with 50% hydrogen atoms in symmetric positions in
O-H-O bonds and the other half being asymmetric, ice XV, is identified. The
physical mechanism for this broken symmetry in hydrogen bonding is revealed.


title: Algebras that satisfy Auslander's condition on vanishing of cohomology

abstract:
  Auslander conjectured that every Artin algebra satisfies a certain condition
on vanishing of cohomology of finitely generated modules. The failure of this
conjecture - by a 2003 counterexample due to Jorgensen and Sega - motivates the
consideration of the class of rings that do satisfy Auslander's condition. We
call them AC rings and show that an AC Artin algebra that is left-Gorenstein is
also right-Gorenstein. Furthermore, the Auslander-Reiten Conjecture is proved
for AC rings, and Auslander's G-dimension is shown to be functorial for AC
rings that are commutative or have a dualizing complex.


title:
A sub-AU outwardly truncated accretion disk around a classical T Tauri
  star

abstract:
  We present the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) spectrum of SR20, a 5--10
AU binary T Tauri system in the $\rho$ Ophiuchi star forming region. The
spectrum has features consistent with the presence of a disk; however, the
continuum slope is steeper than the $\lambda^{-4/3}$ slope of an infinite
geometrically thin, optically thick disk, indicating that the disk is outwardly
truncated. Comparison with photometry from the literature shows a large
increase in the mid-infrared flux from 1993 to 1996. We model the spectral
energy distribution and IRS spectrum with a wall + optically thick irradiated
disk, yielding an outer radius of 0.39$_{+0.03}^{-0.01}$ AU, much smaller than
predicted by models of binary orbits. Using a two temperature $\chi^2$
minimization model to fit the dust composition of the IRS spectrum, we find the
disk has experienced significant grain growth: its spectrum is well-fit using
opacities of grains larger than 1 $\mu$m. We conclude that the system
experienced a significant gravitational perturbation in the 1990s.


title:
The non-conditional nature of the Cerf-Adami inequalities and
  implications for thermodynamics

abstract:
  We show that the Cerf-Adami inequalities do not necessarily depend on
conditional entropies nor any reference to Markov chains. While the latter are
not explicit in the original form, they are often implied in certain
derivations. We also show that these inequalities are intimately related to at
least one interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics. The combination
of these results provides added insight into why some quantum systems violate
the Cerf-Adami inequalities thereby improving our understanding of the
quantum-classical boundary. As a result we suggest that the second law may
serve as some type of boundary condition on classical knowledge.


title: Extended Hyperbolicity

abstract:
  Given a complex space $X$, we cosidered the problem of finding a {\it
hyperbolic model} of $X$. This is an object $\ip(X)$ with a morphism $i:X\to
\ip(X)$ in such a way that $\ip(X)$ is ``hyperbolic'' in a suitable sense and
$i$ is as close as possible to be an isomorphism. Using the theory of model
categories, we found a definition of hyperbolic simplicial sheaf (for the
strong topology) that extends the classical one of Brody for complex spaces. We
prove the existence of hyperbolic models for any simplicial sheaf. Furthermore,
the morphism $i$ can be taken to be a cofibration and an affine weak
equivalence (in an algebraic setting, Morel and Voevodsky called it an $\aff$
weak equivalence). Imitating one possible definition of homotopy groups for a
topological space, we defined the {\it holotopy} groups for a simplicial sheaf
and showed that their vanishing in ``positive'' degrees is a necessary
condition for a sheaf to be hyperbolic. We deduce that if $X$ is a complex
space with a non zero holotopy group in positive degree, then its hyperbolic
model (that in general will only be a simplicial sheaf) cannot be weakly
equivalent to a hyperbolic complex space (in particular is not itself
hyperbolic). We finish the manuscript by applying these results and a {\it
topological realization functor}, constructed in the previous section, to prove
that the hyperbolic models of the complex projective spaces cannot be weakly
equivalent to hyperbolic complex spaces.


title: Atoms in a radiofrequency-dressed optical lattice

abstract:
  We load cold atoms into an optical lattice dramatically reshaped by
radiofrequency (rf) coupling of state-dependent lattice potentials. This rf
dressing changes the unit cell of the lattice at a subwavelength scale, such
that its curvature and topology departs strongly from that of a simple
sinusoidal lattice potential. Radiofrequency dressing has previously been
performed at length scales from mm to tens of microns, but not at the
single-optical-wavelength scale. At this length scale significant coupling
between adiabatic potentials leads to nonadiabatic transitions, which we
measure as a function of lattice depth and dressing frequency and amplitude. We
also investigate the dressing by measuring changes in the momentum distribution
of the dressed states.


title: Phase Transition in Sexual Reproduction and Biological Evolution

abstract:
  Using Monte Carlo model of biological evolution we have discovered that
populations can switch between two different strategies of their genomes'
evolution; Darwinian purifying selection and complementing the haplotypes. The
first one is exploited in the large panmictic populations while the second one
in the small highly inbred populations. The choice depends on the crossover
frequency. There is a power law relation between the critical value of
crossover frequency and the size of panmictic population. Under the constant
inbreeding this critical value of crossover does not depend on the population
size and has a character of phase transition. Close to this value sympatric
speciation is observed.


title: The thermo-mechanical behavior of low-dimensional materials

abstract:
  Consistently atomistic understanding of the mechanism behind the intriguing
behavior of low-dimensional systems including monatomic chains, hollow tubes,
surface skins, nanocavities, nanowires, and nanograins has long been a high
challenge. This article reports recent progress in this regard. A survey is
presented and then is followed by analytical approaches in terms of local bond
average (LBA) from the perspective of bonding energetics and its functional
dependence on external stimuli of coordination environment and temperature
change. It is shown that the measurable quantities of a specimen can be
functionally correlated to the identities of the representative bonds and their
responses to the external stimuli. It is understood that the shortened and
strengthened bonds between the under-coordinated atoms and the associated local
strain and energy trapping dictate intrinsically the mechanical behavior of
systems with large portion of under-coordinated atoms. The thermal softening of
a substance arises from thermally-induced bond expansion and lattice vibration
that weakens the bonds through the internal energy increase. The competition
between the energy-density-gain and the residual atomic cohesive-energy in the
relaxed surface skin determines intrinsically the mechanical performance of a
mesoscopic specimen, whereas competition between the activation and inhibition
of atomic dislocations dominates extrinsically the yield strength of the
specimen in plastic deformation.


title:
Some thermal transport properties of the FPU model with quadratic
  pinning

abstract:
  Thermal transport properties of the FPU $\beta$ model with a quadratic
pinning term are investigated for various couplings and temperatures. In
particular, the size dependence of the thermal conductivity, $\kappa\propto
L^\alpha$, is studied. $\alpha$ agrees with that of the FPU $\beta$ model (with
no pinning) at high temperatures but decreases at low temperatures. This
crossover behavior occurs at a temperature depending on the strength of the
quadratic pinning.


title: Science with Simbol-X

abstract:
  Simbol-X is a French-Italian mission, with a participation of German
laboratories, for X-ray astronomy in the wide 0.5-80 keV band. Taking advantage
of emerging technology in mirror manufacturing and spacecraft formation flying,
Simbol-X will push grazing incidence imaging up to ~80 keV, providing an
improvement of roughly three orders of magnitude in sensitivity and angular
resolution compared to all instruments that have operated so far above 10 keV.
This will open a new window in X-ray astronomy, allowing breakthrough studies
on black hole physics and census and particle acceleration mechanisms. We
describe briefly the main scientific goals of the Simbol-X mission, giving a
few examples aimed at highlighting key issues of the Simbol-X design.


title:
Resonant Plasma Wave Growth and Monoenergetic Electron Beam Production
  using Collinear High-Intensity Ultrashort Laser Pulses

abstract:
  The resonant generation of relativistic plasma waves and plasma wave guiding
by two co-propagating laser pulses has been studied. By proper timing between
guiding and driver pulses, a resonant interaction occurs, which generates a
high-amplitude plasma wave over a longer length than is possible with either of
the laser pulses individually. The growth of the plasma wave is inferred by the
measurement of monoenergetic electron beams with low divergence that are not
measured by using either of the pulses individually. This scheme can be easily
implemented, and allows more control of the interaction than is available to
the single pulse scheme.


title: Dynamical generation of mass in the D=(2+1) Wess-Zumino model

abstract:
  In this work we study the dynamical generation of mass in the massless N=1
Wess-Zumino model in a three dimensional spacetime. Using the tadpole method to
compute the effective potential, we observe that supersymmetry is dynamicaly
broken together with the discrete symmetry A(x) -> - A(x). We show that this
model, differently from non-supersymmetric scalar models, exhibits a consistent
perturbative dynamical generation of mass after two loop corrections to the
effective potential.


title:
Modelling the Localized to Itinerant Electronic Transition in the Heavy
  Fermion System CeIrIn5

abstract:
  We address the fundamental question of crossover from localized to itinerant
state of a paradigmatic heavy fermionmaterial CeIrIn5. The temperature
evolution of the one electron spectra and the optical conductivity is predicted
from first principles calculation. The buildup of coherence in the form of a
dispersive many body feature is followed in detail and its effects on the
conduction electrons and optical conductivity of the material is revealed. We
find multiple hybridization gaps and link them to the crystal structure of the
material. Our theoretical approach explains the multiple peak structures
observed in optical experiments and the sensitivity of CeIrIn5 to substitutions
of the transition metal element and may provide a microscopic basis for the
more phenomenological descriptions currently used to interpret experiments in
heavy fermion systems.


title: Effect of Electric Field on One-Dimensional Insulators: A DMRG study

abstract:
  We perform density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations
extensively on one dimensional Mott and Peierls chains with explicit inclusion
of the static bias to study the insulator-metal transition in those systems. We
find that the electric field induces a number of insulator-metal transitions
for finite size systems and at the thermodynamic limit, the insulating system
breaks down into a completely conducting state at a critical value of bias
which depends strongly on the insulating parameters. Our results indicate that
the breakdown, in both the Peierls and Mott insulators, at thermodynamic limit,
does not follow the Landau-Zener mechanism. Calculations on various size
systems indicate that an increase in the system size decreases the threshold
bias as well as the charge gap at that bias, making the insulator-metal
transition sharper in both cases.


title:
External Electric Field Mediated Quantum Phase Transitions in
  One-Dimensional Charge Ordered Insulators: A DMRG Study

abstract:
  We perform density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations
extensively on one-dimensional chains with on site (U) as well as nearest
neighbour (V) Coulomb repulsions. The calculations are carried out in full
parameter space with explicit inclusion of the static bias and we compare the
nature of spin density wave (SDW) and charge density wave (CDW) insulators
under the influence of external electric field. We find that, although the SDW
(U>2V) and CDW (U<2V) insulators enter into a conducting state after a certain
threshold bias, CDW insulators require much higher bias than the SDW insulators
for insulator-metal transition at zero temperature. We also find the CDW-SDW
phase transition on application of external electric field. The bias required
for the transitions in both cases decreases with increase in system size.


title:
Inclusive photon production and photon-jet correlations in hadronic
  collisions

abstract:
  We compare results of $k_t$-factorization approach and next-to-leading order
collinear-factorization approach for photon-jet correlations in $pp$ and $p
\bar p$ collisions at RHIC, Tevatron and LHC energies. We discuss correlations
in azimuthal angle between photon and jet as well as correlations in
two-dimensional space of photon and jet transverse momenta. Different
unintegrated gluon/parton distributions are used in the $k_t$-factorization
approach. The results depend on UGDF/UPDF used. The collinear NLO $2 \to 3$
contributions dominate over $k_t$-factorization cross section at small relative
azimuthal angles as well as for asymmetric transverse momentum configurations.


title: A Small Parameter Method for Few-Body Problems

abstract:
  A procedure to solve few-body problems which is based on an expansion over a
small parameter is developed. The parameter is the ratio of potential energy to
kinetic energy in the subspace of states having not small hyperspherical
quantum numbers, K>K_0. Dynamic equations are reduced perturbatively to those
in the finite subspace with K \le K_0. The contribution from the subspace with
K>K_0 is taken into account in a closed form, i.e. without an expansion over
basis functions.


title:
High resolution CO observations towards the Bright Eastern Knot of the
  SNR Puppis A

abstract:
  This paper reports molecular observations towards the Bright Eastern Knot
(BEK) in the SNR Puppis A, a feature where radio and X-ray studies suggest that
the shock front is interacting with a dense molecular clump. We performed
high-resolution millimetric observations towards the BEK of Puppis A using the
SEST telescope in the 12CO J=1-0 and 2-1 lines (beams of 45" and 23"
respectively). More extended, lower angular resolution 12CO J=1-0 observations
taken from NANTEN archival data were also analyzed to obtain a complete
picture. In the velocity range near 16 km/s, the Puppis A systemic velocity,
our study revealed two important properties: (i) no dense molecular gas is
detected immediately adjacent to the eastern border of the BEK and (ii) the
molecular clump detected very close to the radiocontinuum maximum is probably
located in the foreground along the line of sight and has not yet been reached
by the SNR shock front. We propose two possible scenarios to explain the
absence of molecular emission eastwards of the BEK border of Puppis A. Either
the shock front has completely engulfed and destroyed a molecular clump or the
shock front is interacting with part of a larger cloud and we do not detect CO
emission immediately beyond it because the molecules have been dissociated by
photodissociation and by reactions with photoionized material due to the
radiative precursor.


title: Invariant tensors and graphs

abstract:
  We describe a correspondence between GL_n-invariant tensors and graphs, and
show how this correspondence accomodates various types of symmetries and
orientations.


title:
The role of von Neumann and L\"uders postulates in the EPR-Bohm-Bell
  considerations: Did EPR make a mistake?

abstract:
  We show that the projection postulate plays a crucial role in the discussion
on the so called "quantum nonlocality", in particular in the EPR-argument. We
stress that the original von Neumann projection postulate was crucially
modified by extending it to observables with degenerate spectra (the L\"uders
postulate) and we show that this modification is highly questionable from a
physical point of view, and it is the real source of "quantum nonlocality". The
use of the original von Neumann postulate eliminates this problem: instead of
"action at the distance"-nonlocality, we obtain a classical measurement
nonlocality. It seems that EPR did mistake in their 1935-paper: if one uses
correctly von Neumann projection postulate, no ``elements of reality'' can be
assigned to entangled systems. Our analysis of the EPR and projection postulate
makes clearer Bohr's considerations in his reply to Einstein.


title: Quantum pumping of electrons by a moving modulated potential

abstract:
  Quantum pumping holds great potential for future applications in micro- and
nanotechnology. Its main feature, dissipationless charge transport, is
theoretically possible via several different mechanisms. However, since no
unambiguous verification has been demonstrated experimentally, the question of
finding a viable mechanism for pumping remains open. Here we study quantum
pumping in an one dimensional electron waveguide with a single time-dependent
barrier. The quantum pumping of electrons using a potential barrier whose
height and position are harmonically varied is analyzed analytically and by
numerically solving the time-dependent Schr{\"o}dinger equation. The pumped
charge is modeled analytically by including two contributions in linear
response theory. First, the scattering of electrons off a potential moving
slowly through matter-waves gives a contribution independent of the
translational velocity of the potential. Second, Doppler-shifted scattering
events give rise to a velocity dependent contribution, which is found in
general to be small in comparison with the first one. The relative phase
between the oscillations of the height and position is found to be the factor
that determines to what extent either contribution is present.


title:
Consistent set of band parameters for the group-III nitrides AlN, GaN,
  and InN

abstract:
  We have derived consistent sets of band parameters (band gaps, crystal
field-splittings, band gap deformation potentials, effective masses, Luttinger
and EP parameters) for AlN, GaN, and InN in the zinc-blende and wurtzite phases
employing many-body perturbation theory in the G0W0 approximation. The G0W0
method has been combined with density-functional theory (DFT) calculations in
the exact-exchange optimized effective potential approach (OEPx) to overcome
the limitations of local-density or gradient-corrected DFT functionals (LDA and
GGA). The band structures in the vicinity of the Gamma-point have been used to
directly parameterize a 4x4 k.p Hamiltonian to capture non-parabolicities in
the conduction bands and the more complex valence-band structure of the
wurtzite phases. We demonstrate that the band parameters derived in this
fashion are in very good agreement with the available experimental data and
provide reliable predictions for all parameters which have not been determined
experimentally so far.


title:
The influence of magnetic-moment relaxation motion on second viscosity
  in superfluid solutions

abstract:
  The influence of He-3 nuclear magnetization relaxation on the second
viscosity in quantum solutions subjected to an external oscillating magnetic
field is studied. The cases of first-, second- and forth-sound waves are
examined. The expressions for the second viscosity coefficients are derived and
the conditions for the viscosity to be decreased are analyzed.


title:
Analysis of possible anomalies in the QSO distribution of the Flesch &
  Hardcastle catalogue

abstract:
  AIMS. A recent catalogue by Flesch & Hardcastle presents two major anomalies
in the spatial distribution of QSO candidates: i/ an apparent excess of such
objects near bright galaxies, and ii/ an excess of very bright QSO candidates
compared to random background expectations in several regions of the sky.
Because anyone of these anomalies would be relevant in a cosmological context,
we carried out an extensive analysis of the probabilities quoted in that
catalogue.
  METHODS. We determine the nature and redshift of a subsample of 30 sources in
that catalogue by analysing their optical spectra (another 11 candidates were
identified from existing public databases). These have allowed us to
statistically check the reliability of the probabilities QSO status quoted by
Flesch & Hardcastle for their candidates.
  RESULTS. Only 12 of the 41 candidates turned out QSOs (7 of which have been
identified here for the first time).
  CONCLUSIONS. The probabilities of the QSOs' being the candidates given by
Flesch & Hardcastle are overestimated for m_B<17 and for objects projected near
(<1 arcmin) bright galaxies. This is the cause of the anomalies mentioned
above.


title:
The Environments of Low and High Luminosity Radio Galaxies at Moderate
  Redshifts

abstract:
  In the local Universe, high-power radio galaxies live in lower density
environments than low-luminosity radio galaxies. If this trend continues to
higher redshifts, powerful radio galaxies would serve as efficient probes of
moderate redshift groups and poor clusters. Photometric studies of radio
galaxies at 0.3 < z < 0.5 suggest that the radio luminosity-environment
correlation disappears at moderate redshifts, though this could be the result
of foreground/background contamination affecting the photometric measures of
environment. We have obtained multi-object spectroscopy of in the fields of 14
lower luminosity (L_1.4GHz < 4x10^24 W/Hz) and higher luminosity (L_1.4GHz >
1.2x10^25 W/Hz) radio galaxies at z ~ 0.3 to spectroscopically investigate the
link between the environment and the radio luminosity of radio galaxies at
moderate redshifts. Our results support the photometric analyses; there does
not appear to be a correlation between the luminosity of a radio galaxy and its
environment at moderate redshifts. Hence, radio galaxies are not efficient
signposts for group environments at moderate redshifts.


title: NC pi0 Production in the MiniBooNE Antineutrino Data

abstract:
  The single largest background to future numubar to nuebar (numu to nue)
oscillation searches is neutral current pi0 production. MiniBooNE, which began
taking antineutrino data in January 2006, has the world's largest sample of
pi0's produced by antineutrinos in the 1 GeV energy range. These neutral pions
are primarily produced through the delta resonance but can also be created
through "coherent production." The latter process is the coherent sum of
glancing scatters of (anti)neutrinos off a neutron or proton, in which the
nucleus is kept intact but a pi0 is created. Current analysis of NC pi0
production in the MiniBooNE antineutrino data will be discussed.


title:
On the Relationship between Transmission Power and Capacity of an
  Underwater Acoustic Communication Channel

abstract:
  The underwater acoustic channel is characterized by a path loss that depends
not only on the transmission distance, but also on the signal frequency. As a
consequence, transmission bandwidth depends on the transmission distance, a
feature that distinguishes an underwater acoustic system from a terrestrial
radio system. The exact relationship between power, transmission band, distance
and capacity for the Gaussian noise scenario is a complicated one. This work
provides a closed-form approximate model for 1) power consumption, 2) band-edge
frequency and 3) bandwidth as functions of distance and capacity required for a
data link. This approximate model is obtained by numerical evaluation of
analytical results which takes into account physical models of acoustic
propagation loss and ambient noise. The closed-form approximations may become
useful tools in the design and analysis of underwater acoustic networks.


title: Vortices and Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking in Rotating Bose Gases

abstract:
  We present a rigorous proof of the appearance of quantized vortices in dilute
trapped Bose gases with repulsive two-body interactions subject to rotation,
which was obtained recently in joint work with Elliott Lieb. Starting from the
many-body Schroedinger equation, we show that the ground state of such gases
is, in a suitable limit, well described by the nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii
equation. In the case of axially symmetric traps, our results show that the
appearance of quantized vortices causes spontaneous symmetry breaking in the
ground state.


title: Constraints on Supersymmetric Flavour Models from b->s gamma

abstract:
  We consider the effects of departures from minimal flavour violations (MFV)
in the context of CMSSM-like theories. Second and third generation off-diagonal
elements in the Yukawa, sfermion, and trilinear mass matrices are taken to be
non-zero at the GUT scale. These are run down together with MSSM parameters to
the electroweak scale. We apply constraints from fermion masses and CKM matrix
elements to limit the range of the new free parameters of the model. We
determine the effect of the departure from MFV on the branching ratio of b->s
gamma. We find that only when the expansion parameter in the down-squark sector
is relatively large there is a noticeable effect, which tends to relax the
lower limit from b->s gamma on the universal gaugino mass. We also find that
the expansion parameter associated with the slepton sector needs to be smaller
than the corresponding parameter in the down-squark sector in order to be
compliant with the bound imposed by the branching ratio of tau-> mu gamma.


title:
AWECS: A Linear Gyrokinetic Delta-f Particle-in-Cell Simulation Code for
  the Study of Alfvenic Instabilities in High-Beta Tokamak Plasmas

abstract:
  A 1-D linear gyrokinetic code called AWECS is developed to study the kinetic
excitation of Alfvenic instabilities in a high-beta tokamak plasma, with beta
being the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure. It is designed to describe
physics associated with a broad range of frequencies and wavelengths. For
example, AWECS is capable of simulating kinetic ballooning modes, Alfvenic
ion-temperature-gradient-driven modes, as well as Alfven instabilities due to
energetic particles. In addition, AWECS may be used to study drift-Alfven
instabilities in the low-beta regime. Here, the layout of the code and the
numerical methods used are described. AWECS is benchmarked against other codes
and a convergence study is carried out.


title:
A lattice approach to the conformal $\OSp(2S+2|2S)$ supercoset sigma
  model. Part I: Algebraic structures in the spin chain. The Brauer algebra

abstract:
  We define and study a lattice model which we argue is in the universality
class of the $OSp(2S+2|2S)$ supercoset sigma model for a large range of values
of the coupling constant $g_\sigma^2$. In this first paper, we analyze in
details the symmetries of this lattice model, in particular the decomposition
of the space of the quantum spin chain $V^{\otimes L}$ as a bimodule over
$OSp(2S+2|2S)$ and its commutant, the Brauer algebra $B_L(2)$. It turns out
that $V^{\otimes L}$ is a nonsemisimple module for both $OSp(2S+2|2S)$ and
$B_L(2)$. The results are used in the companion paper to elucidate the
structure of the (boundary) conformal field theory.


title: Dimers and the Ising model

abstract:
  We present a innovative relationship between ground states of the Ising model
and dimer coverings which sheds new light on the Ising Models with highly
degenerated ground states and enables one to construct such models. Thanks to
this relationship we also find the generating function for dimers as the
appropriate limit of the free energy per spin for the Ising model.


title: Spectra and strains

abstract:
  This is a blend of two informal reports on the activities of the seminar on
Galois representations and mirror symmetry given at the Conference on
classification problems and mirror duality at the Steklov Institute, in March
2006, and at the Seminar on Algebra, Geometry and Physics at MPI, in November
2007. We assess where we are on the issue of the spectra of Fano varieties, and
state problems. We introduce higher dimensional irreducible analogues of
dessins, the low ramified sheaves, and hypothesize that Fano spectra relate to
their geometric conductors. We give a recipe to a physicist.


title:
Mass Outflow and Chromospheric Activity of Red Giant Stars in Globular
  Clusters I: M15

abstract:
  High resolution spectra of 110 selected red giant stars in the globular
cluster M15 (NGC 7078) were obtained with Hectochelle at the MMT telescope in
2005 May, 2006 May, and 2006 October. Echelle orders containing Halpha and Ca H
& K are used to identify emission and line asymmetries characterizing motions
in the extended atmospheres. Emission in Halpha is detected to a luminosity of
log (L/L_sun)=2.36, in this very metal deficient cluster, comparable to other
studies, suggesting that appearance of emission wings is independent of stellar
metallicity. The faintest stars showing Halpha emission appear to lie on the
asymptotic giant branch (AGB) in M15. A line-bisector technique for Halpha
reveals outflowing velocities in all stars brighter than log (L/L_sun)=2.5, and
this outflow velocity increases with stellar luminosity, indicating the mass
outflow increases smoothly with luminosity. Many stars lying low on the AGB
show exceptionally high outflow velocities (up to 10-15 km s^{-1}) and more
velocity variability (up to 6-8 km s^{-1}), than red giant branch (RGB) stars
of similar apparent magnitude. High velocities in M15 may be related to the low
cluster metallicity. Dusty stars identified from Spitzer Space Telescope
infrared photometry as AGB stars are confirmed as cluster members by radial
velocity measurements, yet their Halpha profiles are similar to those of RGB
stars without dust. If substantial mass loss creates the circumstellar shell
responsible for infrared emission, such mass loss must be episodic.


title:
The Transverse-momentum-dependent Parton Distribution Function and Jet
  Transport in Medium

abstract:
  We show that the gauge-invariant transverse-momentum-dependent (TMD) quark
distribution function can be expressed as a sum of all higher-twist collinear
parton matrix elements in terms of a transport operator. From such a general
expression, we derive the nuclear broadening of the transverse momentum
distribution. Under the maximal two-gluon correlation approximation, in which
all higher-twist nuclear multiple-parton correlations with the leading nuclear
enhancement are given by products of twist-two nucleon parton distributions, we
find the nuclear transverse momentum distribution as a convolution of a
Gaussian distribution and the nucleon TMD quark distribution. The width of the
Gaussian, or the mean total transverse momentum broadening squared, is given by
the path integral of the quark transport parameter $\hat q_F$ which can also be
expressed in a gauge invariant form and is given by the gluon distribution
density in the nuclear medium. We further show that contributions from
higher-twist nucleon gluon distributions can be resummed under the extended
adjoint two-gluon correlation approximation and the nuclear transverse momentum
distribution can be expressed in terms of a transverse scale dependent quark
transport parameter or gluon distribution density. We extend the study to hot
medium and compare to dipole model approximation and ${\cal N}=4$
Supersymmetric Yang-Mills (SYM) theory in the strong coupling limit. We find
that multiple gluon correlations become important in the strongly coupled
system such as ${\cal N}=4$ SYM plasma.


title: Efficient method to calculate total energies of large nanoclusters

abstract:
  We present an approach to calculate total energies of nanoclusters based on
first principles estimates. For very large clusters the total energy can be
separated into surface, edge and corner energies, in addition to bulk
contributions. Using this separation and estimating these with direct, first
principles calculations, together with the relevant chemical potentials, we
have calculated the total energies of Cu and CdSe tetrahedrons containing a
large number of atoms. In our work we consider polyhedral clusters so that in
addition our work provides direct information on relaxation. For Cu the effects
are very small and the clusters vary uniformly from very small to very large
sizes. For CdSe there are important variations in surface and edge structures
for specific sizes; nevertheless, the approach can be used to extrapolate to
large non-stoichiometric clusters with polar surfaces.


title:
Accretion-Powered Stellar Winds II: Numerical Solutions for Stellar Wind
  Torques

abstract:
  [Abridged] In order to explain the slow rotation observed in a large fraction
of accreting pre-main-sequence stars (CTTSs), we explore the role of stellar
winds in torquing down the stars. For this mechanism to be effective, the
stellar winds need to have relatively high outflow rates, and thus would likely
be powered by the accretion process itself. Here, we use numerical
magnetohydrodynamical simulations to compute detailed 2-dimensional
(axisymmetric) stellar wind solutions, in order to determine the spin down
torque on the star. We explore a range of parameters relevant for CTTSs,
including variations in the stellar mass, radius, spin rate, surface magnetic
field strength, the mass loss rate, and wind acceleration rate. We also
consider both dipole and quadrupole magnetic field geometries.
  Our simulations indicate that the stellar wind torque is of sufficient
magnitude to be important for spinning down a ``typical'' CTTS, for a mass loss
rate of $\sim 10^{-9} M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. The winds are wide-angle,
self-collimated flows, as expected of magnetic rotator winds with moderately
fast rotation. The cases with quadrupolar field produce a much weaker torque
than for a dipole with the same surface field strength, demonstrating that
magnetic geometry plays a fundamental role in determining the torque. Cases
with varying wind acceleration rate show much smaller variations in the torque
suggesting that the details of the wind driving are less important. We use our
computed results to fit a semi-analytic formula for the effective Alfv\'en
radius in the wind, as well as the torque. This allows for considerable
predictive power, and is an improvement over existing approximations.


title: Pomeron - Graviton duality

abstract:
  In this lecture I give a short introduction to the high energy limit of
hadronic interactions. The elements of the Regge theory, Pomeron in QCD and
high energy scattering in AdS/CFT correspondence are presented. I discuss the
resummation of the hard Pomeron which in the case of the fixed coupling leads
to the value of intercept equal to two in the limit of the strong coupling.


title:
Operator-valued Herglotz kernels and functions of positive real part on
  the ball

abstract:
  We describe several classes of holomorphic functions of positive real part on
the unit ball; each is characterized by an operator-valued Herglotz formula.
Motivated by results of J.E. McCarthy and M. Putinar, we define a family of
weighted Cauchy-Fantappi\`e pairings on the ball and establish duality
relations between certain pairs of classes, and in particular we identify the
dual of the positive Schur class. We also establish the existence of self-dual
classes with respect to this pairing, and identify some extreme points of the
positive Schur class.


title: The Coincidence of Nuclear Star Clusters and Active Galactic Nuclei

abstract:
  We study galaxies that host both nuclear star clusters and active galactic
nuclei (AGN) implying the presence of a massive black hole. We select a sample
of 176 galaxies with previously detected nuclear star clusters that range from
ellipticals to late-type spirals. We search for AGN in this sample using
optical spectroscopy and archival radio and X-ray data. We find galaxies of all
Hubble types and with a wide range of masses (10^9-11 solar masses) hosting
both AGN and nuclear star clusters. From the optical spectra, we classify 10%
of the galaxies as AGN and an additional 15% as composite, indicating a mix of
AGN and star-formation spectra. The fraction of nucleated galaxies with AGN
increases strongly as a function of galaxy and nuclear star cluster mass. For
galaxies with both a NC and a black hole, we find that the masses of these two
objects are quite similar. However, non-detections of black holes in Local
Group nuclear star clusters show that not all clusters host black holes of
similar masses. We discuss the implications of our results for the formation of
nuclear star clusters and massive black holes.


title: Accretion-Powered Stellar Winds III: Spin Equilibrium Solutions

abstract:
  We compare the stellar wind torque calculated in a previous work (Paper II)
to the spin-up and spin-down torques expected to arise from the magnetic
interaction between a slowly rotating ($\sim 10$% of breakup) pre-main-sequence
star and its accretion disk. This analysis demonstrates that stellar winds can
carry off orders of magnitude more angular momentum than can be transferred to
the disk, provided that the mass outflow rates are greater than the solar wind.
Thus, the equilibrium spin state is simply characterized by a balance between
the angular momentum deposited by accretion and that extracted by a stellar
wind. We derive a semi-analytic formula for predicting the equilibrium spin
rate as a function only of the ratio of $\dot M_{\rm w} / \dot M_{\rm a}$ and a
dimensionless magnetization parameter, $\Psi \equiv B_*^2 R_*^2 (\dot M_{\rm a}
v_{\rm esc})^{-1}$, where $\dot M_{\rm w}$ is the stellar wind mass outflow
rate, $\dot M_{\rm a}$ the accretion rate, $B_*$ the stellar surface magnetic
field strength, $R_*$ the stellar radius, and $v_{\rm esc}$ the surface escape
speed. For parameters typical of accreting pre-main-sequence stars, this
explains spin rates of $\sim 10$% of breakup speed for $\dot M_{\rm w} / \dot
M_{\rm a} \sim 0.1$. Finally, the assumption that the stellar wind is driven by
a fraction of the accretion power leads to an upper limit to the mass flow
ratio of $\dot M_{\rm w} / \dot M_{\rm a} \la 0.6$.


title:
Is a Classical Language Adequate in Assessing the Detectability of the
  Redshifted 21cm Signal from the Early Universe?

abstract:
  The classical radiometer equation is commonly used to calculate the
detectability of the 21cm emission by diffuse cosmic hydrogen at high
redshifts. However, the classical description is only valid in the regime where
the occupation number of the photons in phase space is much larger than unity
and they collectively behave as a classical electromagnetic field. At redshifts
z<20, the spin temperature of the intergalactic gas is dictated by the
radiation from galaxies and the brightness temperature of the emitting gas is
in the range of mK, independently from the existence of the cosmic microwave
background. In regions where the observed brightness temperature of the 21cm
signal is smaller than the observed photon energy, of 68/(1+z) mK, the
occupation number of the signal photons is smaller than unity. Neverethless,
the radiometer equation can still be used in this regime because the weak
signal is accompanied by a flood of foreground photons with a high occupation
number (involving the synchrotron Galactic emission and the cosmic microwave
background). As the signal photons are not individually distinguishable, the
combined signal+foreground population of photons has a high occupation number,
thus justifying the use of the radiometer equation.


title: A Minimum Column Density of 1 g cm^-2 for Massive Star Formation

abstract:
  Massive stars are very rare, but their extreme luminosities make them both
the only type of young star we can observe in distant galaxies and the dominant
energy sources in the universe today. They form rarely because efficient
radiative cooling keeps most star-forming gas clouds close to isothermal as
they collapse, and this favors fragmentation into stars <~1 Msun. Heating of a
cloud by accreting low-mass stars within it can prevent fragmentation and allow
formation of massive stars, but what properties a cloud must have to form
massive stars, and thus where massive stars form in a galaxy, has not yet been
determined. Here we show that only clouds with column densities >~ 1 g cm^-2
can avoid fragmentation and form massive stars. This threshold, and the
environmental variation of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) that it
implies, naturally explain the characteristic column densities of massive star
clusters and the difference between the radial profiles of Halpha and UV
emission in galactic disks. The existence of a threshold also implies that
there should be detectable variations in the IMF with environment within the
Galaxy and in the characteristic column densities of massive star clusters
between galaxies, and that star formation rates in some galactic environments
may have been systematically underestimated.


title:
Perturbative Quantum Monte Carlo Study of LiHoF4 in a Transverse
  Magnetic Field

abstract:
  P.B. Chakraborty {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 70}, 144411 (2004)) study of
the LiHoF$_4$ Ising magnetic material in an external transverse magnetic field
$B_x$ show a discrepancy with the experimental results, even for small $B_x$
where quantum fluctuations are small. This discrepancy persists asymptotically
close to the classical ferromagnet to paramagnet phase transition. In this
paper, we numerically reinvestigate the temperature $T$, versus transverse
field phase diagram of LiHoF$_4$ in the regime of weak $B_x$. In this regime,
starting from an effective low-energy spin-1/2 description of LiHoF$_4$, we
apply a cumulant expansion to derive an effective temperature-dependent
classical Hamiltonian that incorporates perturbatively the small quantum
fluctuations in the vicinity of the classical phase transition at $B_x=0$. Via
this effective classical Hamiltonian, we study the $B_x-T$ phase diagram via
classical Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, we investigate the influence
on the phase diagram of various effects that may be at the source of the
discrepancy between the previous QMC results and the experimental ones. For
example, we consider two different ways of handling the long-range
dipole-dipole interactions and explore how the $B_x-T$ phase diagram is
modified when using different microscopic crystal field Hamiltonians. The main
conclusion of our work is that we fully reproduce the previous QMC results at
small $B_x$. Unfortunately, none of the modifications to the microscopic
Hamiltonian that we explore are able to provide a $B_x-T$ phase diagram
compatible with the experiments in the small semi-classical $B_x$ regime.


title:
A lattice approach to the conformal $\OSp(2S+2|2S)$ supercoset sigma
  model. Part II: The boundary spectrum

abstract:
  We consider the partition function of the boundary $OSp(2S+2|2S)$ coset sigma
model on an annulus, based on the lattice regularization introduced in the
companion paper. Using results for the action of $OSp(2S+2|2S)$ and $B_L(2)$ on
the corresponding spin chain, as well as mini-superspace and small $g_\sigma^2$
calculations, we conjecture the full spectrum and set of degeneracies on the
entire critical line. Potential relationship with the $OSp(2S+2|2S)$
Gross-Neveu model is also discussed.


title:
f(R) gravity with torsion: a geometric approach within the J-bundles
  framework

abstract:
  We discuss the f(R)-theories of gravity with torsion in the framework of
jet-bundles. Such an approach is particularly useful since the components of
the torsion and curvature tensors can be chosen as fiber jet-coordinates on the
bundles and then the symmetries and the conservation laws of the theory can be
easily achieved. Field equations of f(R)-gravity are studied in empty space and
in presence of various forms of matter as Dirac fields, Yang--Mills fields and
spin perfect fluid. Such fields enlarge the jet-bundles framework and
characterize the dynamics. Finally we give some cosmological applications and
discuss the relations between f(R)-gravity and scalar-tensor theories.


title: Le lemme fondamental pour les algebres de Lie

abstract:
  We propose a proof for conjectures of Langlands, Shelstad and Waldspurger
known as the fundamental lemma for Lie algebras and the non-standard
fundamental lemma. The proof is based on a study of the decomposition of the
l-adic cohomology of the Hitchin fibration into direct sum of simple perverse
sheaves.


title:
Limits on Reddening and Gas-to-Dust Ratios for Seven Intermediate
  Redshift Damped Ly-alpha Absorbers from Diffuse Interstellar Bands

abstract:
  We present equivalent width measurements and limits of six diffuse
interstellar bands (DIBs) in seven damped Ly-alpha absorbers (DLAs) over the
redshift range 0.091<z<0.524, sampling 20.3<log[N(HI)]<21.7. DIBs were detected
in only one of the seven DLAs, that which has the highest reddening and
metallicity. Based upon the Galactic DIB-N(HI) relation, the 6284 DIB
equivalent width upper limits in four of the seven DLAs are a factor of 4-10
times below the 6284 DIB equivalent widths observed in the Milky Way, but are
not inconsistent with those present in the Magellanic Clouds. Assuming the
Galactic DIB-E(B-V) relation, we determine reddening upper limits for the DLAs
in our sample. Based upon the E(B-V) limits, the gas-to-dust ratios,
N(HI)/E(B-V), of the four aforementioned DLAs are at least 5 times higher than
that of the Milky Way ISM. The ratios of two other DLAs are at least a factor
of a few times higher. The best constraints on reddening derive from the upper
limits for the 5780 and 6284 DIBs, which yield E(B-V)<0.08 for four of the
seven DLAs. Our results suggest that, in DLAs, quantities related to dust, such
as reddening and metallicity, appear to have a greater impact on DIB strengths
than does HI gas abundance; the organic molecules likely responsible for DIBs
in DLA selected sightlines are underabundant relative to sightlines in the
Galaxy of similarly high N(HI). With regards to the study of astrobiology, this
could have implications for the abundance of organic molecules in redshifted
galaxies. However, since DLAs are observed to have low reddening, selection
bias likely plays a role in the apparent underabundance of DIBs in DLAs.


title: Cosmology with New Astrophysical Constants

abstract:
  It is shown that Einstein field equations give two solutions for cosmology.
The first one is the standard well known representative of the present status
of cosmology. We identify it with the local point of view of a flat Universe
with the values for the cosmological omega parameters (k = 0, lambda = 2/3, m =
1/3). The second one is a new one that we identify with a cosmic point of view,
as given by free photons, neutrinos, tachyons and gravity quanta. We apply a
wave to particle technique to find the matter propagation equation. Then we
prove that all gravitational radii are constant, regardless of the possible
time variations of the physical properties like the speed of light c, the
gravitational constant G or the mass m of fundamental particles. We find two
cosmological constants, c^3 /G and mc, with the condition that the field
equations be derived from the action principle. With this result, and the
integration of the Bianchi identity, we prove the existence of the two
solutions for cosmology. We then validate Weinberg relation and prove that the
speed of light c is proportional to the Hubble parameter H, a cosmological
view. Thus, the cosmic observer (free photons and the like) are found to see
accelerated photons with a numerical value that has been observed as an
anomalous acceleration of the Pioneer 10/11 spacecrafts. An initial inflation
is present which converts the Planck size into the present size of the Universe
in about 140 initial tic-tac.


title: Semigroups of valuations dominating local domains

abstract:
  A new criterion is given for a semigroup to be the semigroup of a valuation
dominating an equicharacteristic local domain. The criterion is used to
construct examples of well ordered subsemigroups of the positive rational
numbers which are of ordinal type omega, but are not the value semigroup of a
valuation on an equicharacteristic noetherian local domain. This shows that the
necessary conditions on value semigroups given in Appendix 3 to Zariski and
Samuel's book ``Commutative Algebra'' are not sufficient.


title:
Hadronic resonance production in $d$+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$
  = 200 GeV at RHIC

abstract:
  We present the first measurements of the $\rho(770)^0$, $K^*$(892),
$\Delta$(1232)$^{++}$, $\Sigma$(1385), and $\Lambda$(1520) resonances in $d$+Au
collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$ = 200 GeV, reconstructed via their hadronic
decay channels using the STAR detector at RHIC. The masses and widths of these
resonances are studied as a function of transverse momentum ($p_T$). We observe
that the resonance spectra follow a generalized scaling law with the transverse
mass ($m_T$). The $<p_T>$ of resonances in minimum bias collisions is compared
to the $<p_T>$ of $\pi$, $K$, and $\bar{p}$. The $\rho^0/\pi^-$, $K^*/K^-$,
$\Delta^{++}/p$, $\Sigma(1385)/\Lambda$, and $\Lambda(1520)/\Lambda$ ratios in
$d$+Au collisions are compared to the measurements in minimum bias $p+p$
interactions, where we observe that both measurements are comparable. The
nuclear modification factors ($R_{dAu}$) of the $\rho^0$, $K^*$, and $\Sigma^*$
scale with the number of binary collisions ($N_{bin}$) for $p_T >$ 1.2 GeV/$c$.


title: A cgi synthetic CMD calculator for the YY Isochrones

abstract:
  We describe a web-based cgi calculator for constructing synthetic
color-magnitude diagrams for a simple stellar population (SSP) using the
Yonsei-Yale (YY) isochrone data base. This calculator is designed to be used
interactively. It creates quick look CMD displays in (B-V) and (V-I) colors.
Stochastic effects on the CMDs are included. Output in tabular form is also
provided for special purpose displays, or for combining the CMDs of different
stellar populations. This research tool has applications in studies of the
stellar content of our Galaxy and external systems. It provides an easy way to
interpret the CMDs in resolved stellar populations. It offers the means to
explore the dependence of the integrated properties of unresolved stellar
systems on stellar parameters (ages, chemical composition, binarity) and on the
characteristics of their parent population (IMF slope and mass range).


title:
Sum Capacity of the Gaussian Interference Channel in the Low
  Interference Regime

abstract:
  New upper bounds on the sum capacity of the two-user Gaussian interference
channel are derived. Using these bounds, it is shown that treating interference
as noise achieves the sum capacity if the interference levels are below certain
thresholds.


title: Probing Nuclear Matter with Jet Conversions

abstract:
  We discuss the flavor of leading jet partons as a valuable probe of nuclear
matter. We point out that the coupling of jets to nuclear matter naturally
leads to an alteration of jet chemistry even at high transverse momentum $p_T$.
In particular, QCD jets coupling to a chemically equilibrated quark gluon
plasma in nuclear collisions, will lead to hadron ratios at high transverse
momentum $p_T$ that can differ significantly from their counterparts in $p+p$
collisions. Flavor measurements could complement energy loss as a way to study
interactions of hard QCD jets with nuclear matter. Roughly speaking they probe
the inverse mean free path $1/\lambda$, while energy loss probes the average
squared momentum transfer $\mu^2/\lambda$. We present some estimates for the
rate of jet conversions in a consistent Fokker-Planck framework and their
impact on future high-$p_T$ identified hadron measurements at RHIC and LHC. We
also suggest some novel observables to test flavor effects.


title:
The properties of 70micron selected high-redshift galaxies in the
  Extended Groth Strip

abstract:
  We examine the infrared properties of 43 high redshift (0.1<z<1.2),
infrared-luminous galaxies in the Extended Groth Strip (EGS), selected by a
deep 70 micron survey with the Multiband Imaging Photometer on Spitzer (MIPS).
In addition and with reference to starburst-type Spectral Energy Distributions
(SEDs), we derive a set of equations for estimating the total infrared
luminosity (L_IR) in the range 8-1000 microns using photometry from at least
one MIPS band. 42 out of 43 of our sources' optical/infrared SEDs
(lambda_observed < 160 microns) are starburst-type, with only one object
displaying a prominent power-law near-infrared continuum. For a quantitative
analysis, models of radiation transfer in dusty media are fit onto the infrared
photometry, revealing that the majority of galaxies are represented by high
extinction, A_v>35 and for a large fraction (~50 per cent) the SED turns over
into the Rayleigh-Jeans regime at wavelengths longward of 90 microns. For
comparison, we also fit semi-empirical templates based on local galaxy data,
however, these underestimate the far-infrared SED shape by a factor of at least
2 and in extreme cases up to 10 for the majority (~70 per cent) of the sources.
Further investigation of SED characteristics reveals that the mid-infrared
(70/24 microns) continuum slope is decoupled from various galaxy properties
such as the total infrared luminosity and far-infrared peak, quantified by the
L_160/L_70 ratio. In view of these results, we propose that these high-redshift
galaxies have different properties to their local counterparts, in the sense
that large amounts of dust cause heavy obscuration and are responsible for an
additional cold emissive component, appearing as a far-infrared excess in their
SEDs.


title: A System Theoretic Approach to Bandwidth Estimation

abstract:
  It is shown that bandwidth estimation in packet networks can be viewed in
terms of min-plus linear system theory. The available bandwidth of a link or
complete path is expressed in terms of a {\em service curve}, which is a
function that appears in the network calculus to express the service available
to a traffic flow. The service curve is estimated based on measurements of a
sequence of probing packets or passive measurements of a sample path of
arrivals. It is shown that existing bandwidth estimation methods can be derived
in the min-plus algebra of the network calculus, thus providing further
mathematical justification for these methods. Principal difficulties of
estimating available bandwidth from measurement of network probes are related
to potential non-linearities of the underlying network. When networks are
viewed as systems that operate either in a linear or in a non-linear regime, it
is argued that probing schemes extract the most information at a point when the
network crosses from a linear to a non-linear regime. Experiments on the Emulab
testbed at the University of Utah evaluate the robustness of the system
theoretic interpretation of networks in practice. Multi-node experiments
evaluate how well the convolution operation of the min-plus algebra provides
estimates for the available bandwidth of a path from estimates of individual
links.


title: On the wonderful compactification

abstract:
  These lecture notes explain the construction and basic properties of the
wonderful compactification of a complex semisimple group of adjoint type. An
appendix discusses the more general case of a semisimple symmetric space.


title:
Exploring Interstellar Titanium and Deuterium Abundances and Other
  Correlations

abstract:
  The origin of the observed variability of the gas-phase D/H ratio in the
local interstellar medium is still debated, and in particular the role of
deuterium depletion onto dust grains. Here we extend the study of the
relationship between deuterium and titanium, a refractory species and tracer of
elemental depletion, and explore other relationships. We have acquired high
resolution spectra for nine early-type stars using the VLT/UVES spectrograph,
and detected the absorption lines of interstellar TiII. Using a weighted
orthogonal distance regression (ODR) code and a special method to treat non
symmetric errors, we compare the TiII columns with the corresponding HI, DI and
also OI columns. We perform in parallel the same comparisons for available FeII
data. We find a significant correlation between TiII/HI and D/H in our data
set, and, when combined with published results, we confirm and better constrain
a previously published trend and extend it to low HI columns. We exclude
uncertainties in HI and OI columns as the main contributor to the derived
metals-deuterium correlations by showing that the TiII/HI ratio is positively
correlated with DI/OI. We find a similar correlation between FeII/HI and
DI/OI.The TiII gradients are similar or slightly smaller than for FeII, while
one would expect larger variations on the basis of the higher condensation
temperature of titanium. However we argue that ionisation effects introduce
biases that affect iron and not titanium and may explain the gradient
similarity. We find a less significant negative correlation between the TiII/DI
ratio and the hydrogen column, possibly a sign of different evaporation of D
and metals according to the cloud properties.


title: A paradigm for entanglement theory based on quantum communication

abstract:
  Here it is shown that the squashed entanglement has an operational meaning --
it is the fastest rate at which a quantum state can be sent between two parties
who share arbitrary side-information. Likewise, the entanglement of formation
and entanglement cost is shown to be the fastest rate at which a quantum state
can be sent when the parties have access to side-information which is maximally
correlated. A further restriction on the type of side-information implies that
the rate of state transmission is given by the quantum mutual information. This
suggests a new paradigm for understanding entanglement and other correlations.
Different types of side-information correspond to different types of
correlations with the squashed entanglement being one extreme. The paradigm
also allows one to classify states not only in terms of how much quantum
communication is needed to transfer half of it, but also in terms of how much
entanglement is needed. Furthermore, there is a dual paradigm: if one
distributes the side-information as maliciously as possible so as to make the
sending of the state as difficult as possible, one finds maximum rates which
give interpretations to known quantities (such as the entanglement of
assistance), as well as new ones. The infamous additivity questions can also be
recast and receive an operational interpretation in terms of maximally
correlated states.


title: Dirac Representation of Dynamically-Generated Elementary-Particle Mass

abstract:
  Special-relativistic dynamically-generated elementary-particle mass is
represented by a self-adjoint energy operator acting on a rigged Hilbert space
(RHS) of functions over the 6-dimensional Euclidean-group manifold. The energy
operator is not the generator of infinitesimal wave-function evolution in
classical time. Ray evolution is generated by action-carrying Feynman paths.
Extending quantum-theoretic formalism which Dirac invented and applied
non-relativistically, unitary Poincar\'e -group representation is provided by
the wave functions of a spacelike entity that we call 'preon'. Although the
term 'preon observable' is misleading, six continuous Feynman-path-contacting
preon coordinates specify spatial location (3 coordinates),
lightlike-velocity-direction (2 coordinates) and transverse polarization (1
coordinate). Velocity and spatial location combine to define a preon time
operator conjugate to the energy operator. In RHS bases alternative to
functions over the group manifold, the wave function depends on a preon
'velocity-helicity' integer or half-odd integer) and a positive-lightlike
velocity 4-vector that is Lorentz-orthogonal to a canonically-conjugate pair of
spacelike 4-vectors. One 4-vector prescribes location in preon spacetime while
its conjugate prescribes preon energy-momentum. Emulating the
Schr\"odinger-dubbed 'zitterbewegung' of Dirac's 'relativistic' electron, mass
for any spinning (positive-timelike) elementary particle accompanies a
reflection-symmetric fluctuation of preon lightlike velocity and
velocity-helicity. But (departing from Dirac), a tiny elementary-particle
'longitudinal' spatial extension accompanies a huge fluctuation of preon
longitudinal momentum dictated by motionless-particle reflection symmetry about
the plane perpendicular to spin direction.


title:
Rhombohedral calcite precipitation from CO2-H2O-Ca(OH)2 slurry under
  supercritical and gas CO2 media

abstract:
  The formation of solid calcium carbonate (CaCO3) from aqueous solutions or
slurries containing calcium and carbon dioxide (CO2) is a complex process of
considerable importance in the ecological, geochemical and biological areas.
Moreover, the demand for powdered CaCO3 has increased considerably recently in
various fields of industry. The aim of this study was therefore to synthesize
fine particles of calcite with controlled morphology by hydrothermal
carbonation of calcium hydroxide at high CO2 pressure (initial PCO2=55 bar) and
at moderate and high temperature (30 and 90 degrees C). The morphology of
precipitated particles was identified by transmission electron microscopy
(TEM/EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS). In addition, an X-ray
diffraction analysis was performed to investigate the carbonation efficiency
and purity of the solid product. Carbonation of dispersed calcium hydroxide in
the presence of supercritical (PT=90 bar, T=90 degrees C) or gaseous (PT=55
bar, T=30 degrees C) CO2 led to the precipitation of sub-micrometric isolated
particles (<1$\mu$m) and micrometric agglomerates (<5$\mu$m) of calcite. For
this study, the carbonation efficiency (Ca(OH)2-CaCO3 conversion) was not
significantly affected by PT conditions after 24 h of reaction. In contrast,
the initial rate of calcium carbonate precipitation increased from 4.3 mol/h in
the "90bar-90 degrees C" system to 15.9 mol/h in the "55bar-30 degrees C"
system. The use of high CO2 pressure may therefore be desirable for increasing
the production rate of CaCO3, carbonation efficiency and purity, to
approximately 48 kg/m3h, 95% and 96.3%, respectively in this study. The
dissipated heat for this exothermic reaction was estimated by calorimetry to be
-32 kJ/mol in the "90bar-90 degrees C" system and -42 kJ/mol in the "55bar-30
degrees C" system.