title:
Strong lensing by subhalos in the dwarf-galaxy mass range I: Image
  separations

abstract:
  The cold dark matter scenario predicts that a large number of dark subhalos
should be located within the halo of each Milky-way sized galaxy. One tell-tale
signature of such dark subhalos could be additional milliarcsecond-scale image
splitting of quasars previously known to be multiply-imaged on arcsecond
scales. Here, we estimate the image separations for the subhalo density
profiles favoured by recent N-body simulations, and compare these to the
angular resolution of both existing and upcoming observational facilities. We
find, that the image separations produced are very sensitive to the exact
subhalo density profile assumed, but in all cases considerably smaller than
previous estimates based on the premise that subhalos can be approximated by
singular isothermal spheres. Only the most optimistic subhalo models produce
image separations that would be detectable with current technology, and many
models produce image separations that will remain unresolved with all
telescopes expected to become available in the foreseeable future. Detections
of dark subhalos through image-splitting effects will therefore be far more
challenging than currently believed, albeit not necessarily impossible.


title: Hunting the lightest lightest neutralinos

abstract:
  The lightest neutralino in the minimal supersymmetric extension of the
Standard Model can be, in principle, massless. If super-light neutralinos are
the dark matter, structure formation constrains their mass to be above a few
keV. We show that relaxing the assumption of radiation domination and entropy
conservation prior to Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, the relic abundance of very
light neutralinos can be consistent with the inferred cold dark matter density.
We study how we can hunt for light neutralino dark matter, with a mass at or
below a GeV, focusing on both direct and indirect searches. We argue that the
two most promising channels are spin-dependent direct detection and the search
for monochromatic gamma rays from the prompt pair-annihilation of neutralinos
into photons with GLAST. Our study indicates that the lightest lightest
neutralinos can be detected as long as their mass is above a few tenth of a
GeV, a mass range where a future linear collider could provide important
information on the details of the particle dark matter model.


title: Spin memristive systems

abstract:
  Recently, in addition to the well-known resistor, capacitor and inductor, a
fourth passive circuit element, named memristor, has been identified following
theoretical predictions. The model example used in such case consisted in a
nanoscale system with coupled ionic and electronic transport. Here, we discuss
a system whose memristive behaviour is based entirely on the electron spin
degree of freedom which allows for a more convenient control than the ionic
transport in nanostructures. An analysis of time-dependent spin transport at a
semiconductor/ferromagnet junction provides a direct evidence of memristive
behaviour. Our scheme is fundamentally different from previously discussed
schemes of memristive devices and broadens the possible range of applications
of semiconductor spintronics.


title:
Scattering of plasmons at the intersection of two metallic nanotubes:
  Implications for tunnelling

abstract:
  We study theoretically the plasmon scattering at the intersection of two
metallic carbon nanotubes. We demonstrate that for a small angle of crossing,
$\theta \ll 1$, the transmission coefficient is an oscillatory function of
$\lambda/\theta$, where $\lambda$ is the interaction parameter of the Luttinger
liquid in an individual nanotube. We calculate the tunnel density of states,
$\nu(\omega,x)$, as a function of energy, $\omega$, and distance, $x$, from the
intersection. In contrast to a single nanotube, we find that, in the geometry
of crossed nanotubes, conventional "rapid" oscillations in $\nu(\omega,x)$ due
to the plasmon scattering acquire an aperiodic "slow-breathing" envelope which
has $\lambda/\theta$ nodes.


title:
Evidence of local superconductivity in granular Bi nanowires fabricated
  by electrodeposition

abstract:
  An unusual enhancement of resistance (i.e., superresistivity) below a certain
characteristic temperature Tsr was observed in granular Bi nanowires. This
superresistive state was found to be dependent on the applied magnetic field
(H) as well as the excitation current (I). The suppression of Tsr by magnetic
field resembles that of a superconductor. The observed superresistivity appears
to be related to the nucleation of local superconductivity inside the granular
nanowire without long-range phase coherence. The phenomenon is reminiscent of
the Bose-insulator observed previously in ultra thin two-dimensional (2D)
superconducting films and 3D percolative superconducting films.


title:
The Momentum Kick Model Description of the Near-Side Ridge and Jet
  Quenching

abstract:
  In the momentum kick model, a near-side jet emerges near the surface, kicks
medium partons, loses energy, and fragments into the trigger particle and
fragmentation products. The kicked medium partons subsequently materialize as
the observed ridge particles, which carry direct information on the magnitude
of the momentum kick and the initial parton momentum distribution at the moment
of jet-(medium parton) collisions. The initial parton momentum distribution
extracted from the STAR ridge data for central AuAu collisions at
\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV has a thermal-like transverse momentum distribution and a
rapidity plateau structure with a relatively flat distribution at mid-rapidity
and sharp kinematic boundaries at large rapidities. Such a rapidity plateau
structure may arise from particle production in flux tubes, as color charges
and anti-color charges separate at high energies. The centrality dependence of
the ridge yield and the degree of jet quenching can be consistently described
by the momentum kick model.


title:
Unusual giant magnetoresistance effect in heterojunction structure of
  ultra-thin single-crystal Pb film on silicon substrate

abstract:
  Superconductor films on semiconductor substrates draw much attention recently
since the derived superconductor-based electronics have been shown promising
for future data process and storage technologies. By growing atomically uniform
single-crystal epitaxial Pb films of several nanometers thick on Si wafers to
form a sharp superconductor-semiconductor heterojunction, we have obtained an
unusual giant magnetoresistance effect when the Pb film is superconducting. In
addition to the great fundamental interest of this effect, the simple structure
and compatibility and scalability with current Si-based semiconductor
technology offer a great opportunity for integrating superconducting circuits
and detectors in a single chip.


title: Quantum corrections to eta/s

abstract:
  We consider corrections to the ratio of the shear viscosity to the entropy
density in strongly coupled nonabelian plasmas using the AdS/CFT
correspondence. In particular, higher derivative terms with the five-form RR
flux, which have been ignored in all previous calculations, are included. This
provides the first reliable calculation of the leading order correction in the
inverse 't Hooft coupling to the celebrated result eta/s=1/4pi. The leading
correction in inverse powers of the number of colours is computed. Our results
hold very generally for quiver gauge theories with an internal manifold L_pqr
in the holographic dual. Our analysis implies that the thermal properties of
these theories will not be affected by the five-form flux terms at this order.


title:
Spitzer/MIPS 24um Observations of Galaxy Clusters: An Increasing
  Fraction of Obscured Star-forming Members from z=0.02 to z=0.83

abstract:
  We study the mid-infrared properties of 1315 spectroscopically confirmed
members in eight massive (M>5x10^14 Msun) galaxy clusters covering the redshift
range from 0.02 to 0.83. The selected clusters all have deep Spitzer MIPS 24um
observations, Hubble and ground-based photometry, and extensive redshift
catalogs. We observe for the first time an increase in the fraction of cluster
galaxies with mid-infrared star formation rates higher than 4 solar masses per
year from 3% at z=0.02 to 13% at z=0.83. This increase is reproduced even when
considering only the most massive members (Mstars >4x10^10 Msun). The 24 micron
observations reveal stronger evolution in the fraction of blue/star-forming
cluster galaxies than color-selected samples: the number of red but strongly
star-forming cluster galaxies increases with redshift, and combining these with
the optically-defined Butcher-Oemler members increases the total fraction of
blue/star-forming cluster galaxies to ~30% at z=0.83. These results, the first
of our Spitzer/MIPS Infra-Red Cluster Survey (SMIRCS), support earlier studies
indicating the increase in star-forming members is driven by cluster assembly
and galaxy infall, as is expected in the framework of hierarchical formation.


title: Spitzer IRAC Infrared Colours of Submillimetre-bright Galaxies

abstract:
  High-redshift submillimetre-bright galaxies identified by blank field surveys
at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths appear in the region of the IRAC
colour-colour diagrams previously identified as the domain of luminous active
galactic nuclei (AGNs). Our analysis using a set of empirical and theoretical
dusty starburst spectral energy distribution (SED) models shows that power-law
continuum sources associated with hot dust heated by young (<100 Myr old),
extreme starbursts at z>2 also occupy the same general area as AGNs in the IRAC
colour-colour plots. A detailed comparison of the IRAC colours and SEDs
demonstrates that the two populations are distinct from each other, with
submillimetre-bright galaxies having a systematically flatter IRAC spectrum (>1
mag bluer in the observed [4.5]-[8.0] colour). Only about 20% of the objects
overlap in the colour-colour plots, and this low fraction suggests that
submillimetre galaxies powered by a dust-obscured AGN are not common. The red
IR colours of the submillimetre galaxies are distinct from those of the
ubiquitous foreground IRAC sources, and we propose a set of IR colour selection
criteria for identifying SMG counterparts that can be used even in the absence
of radio or Spitzer MIPS 24 micron data.


title:
Communication-optimal parallel and sequential QR and LU factorizations:
  theory and practice

abstract:
  We present parallel and sequential dense QR factorization algorithms that are
both optimal (up to polylogarithmic factors) in the amount of communication
they perform, and just as stable as Householder QR. Our first algorithm, Tall
Skinny QR (TSQR), factors m-by-n matrices in a one-dimensional (1-D) block
cyclic row layout, and is optimized for m >> n. Our second algorithm, CAQR
(Communication-Avoiding QR), factors general rectangular matrices distributed
in a two-dimensional block cyclic layout. It invokes TSQR for each block column
factorization.


title: The Stability of Quantum Concatenated Code Hamiltonians

abstract:
  Protecting quantum information from the detrimental effects of decoherence
and lack of precise quantum control is a central challenge that must be
overcome if a large robust quantum computer is to be constructed. The
traditional approach to achieving this is via active quantum error correction
using fault-tolerant techniques. An alternative to this approach is to engineer
strongly interacting many-body quantum systems that enact the quantum error
correction via the natural dynamics of these systems. Here we present a method
for achieving this based on the concept of concatenated quantum error
correcting codes. We define a class of Hamiltonians whose ground states are
concatenated quantum codes and whose energy landscape naturally causes quantum
error correction. We analyze these Hamiltonians for robustness and suggest
methods for implementing these highly unnatural Hamiltonians.


title: Secular Light Curve of 2P/Encke: A Comet Active At Aphelion

abstract:
  We present the secular light curve of comet 2P/Encke in two phase spaces, the
log plot, and the time plot. The main conclusions of this work are: a) The
comet shows activity at perihelion and aphelion, caused by two different active
areas: Source 1, close to the South pole, active at perihelion, and Source 2,
at the North pole, centered at aphelion. b) More than 18 physical parameters
are measured from the secular light curves, many of them new, and are listed in
the individual plots of the comet. Specifically we find for Source 1 the
location of the turn on and turn off points of activity, RON= -1.63+-0.03 AU,
ROFF= +1.49+-0.20 AU, TON= -87+-5 d, TOFF= +94+-15 d, the time lag, LAG(q)=
6+-1 d, the total active time, TACTIVITY= 181+-16 d, and the amplitude of the
secular light curve, ASEC(1,1) = 4.8+-0.1 mag. c) From this information the
photometric age and the time-age defined in Ferrin (Icarus 178, 493-516, 2005a,
and Icarus, 185, 523-543, 2006), can be calculated, and we find P-AGE=97+-8
comet years and T-AGE= 103+-9 comet years (cy). Thus comet 2P/Encke is an old
comet entering the methuselah stage (100 cy < age). d) The activity at aphelion
(Source 2), extends for TACTIVITY = 815+-30 d and the amplitude of the secular
light curve is ASEC (1,Q) = 3.0+-0.2 mag. e) From a new phase diagram an
absolute magnitude and phase coefficient for the nucleus are determined, and we
find RNUC(1,1,0)= 15.05+-0.14, and betha= 0.066+-0.003. From this data we find
a nucleus effective diameter DEFFE = 5.12(+2.5;-1.7) km. These values are not
much different from previous determinations but exhibit smaller errors.
Additional results appear in the full abstract.


title: The weak magnetic field of the O9.7 supergiant zeta Orionis A

abstract:
  We report here the detection of a weak magnetic field of 50 - 100 G on the
O9.7 supergiant zeta Ori A, using spectropolarimetric observations obtained
with NARVAL at the 2m Telescope Bernard Lyot atop Pic du Midi (France). zeta
Ori A is the third O star known to host a magnetic field (along with theta^1
Ori C and HD 191612), and the first detection on a 'normal' rapidly-rotating O
star. The magnetic field of zeta Ori A is the weakest magnetic field ever
detected on a massive star. The measured field is lower than the thermal
equipartition limit (about 100 G). By fitting NLTE model atmospheres to our
spectra, we determined that zeta Ori A is a 40 Msun star with a radius of 25
Rsun and an age of about 5 - 6 Myr, showing no surface nitrogen enhancement and
losing mass at a rate of about 2x10^(-6) Msol/yr. The magnetic topology of zeta
Ori A is apparently more complex than a dipole and involves two main magnetic
polarities located on both sides of the same hemisphere; our data also suggest
that zeta Ori A rotates in about 7.0 d and is about 40 degrees away from
pole-on to an Earth-based observer. Despite its weakness, the detected magnetic
field significantly affects the wind structure; the corresponding Alfven radius
is however very close to the surface, thus generating a different rotational
modulation in wind lines than that reported on the two other known magnetic O
stars. The rapid rotation of zeta Ori A with respect to theta^1 Ori C appears
as a surprise, both stars having similar unsigned magnetic fluxes (once
rescaled to the same radius); it may suggest that the sub-equipartition field
detected on zeta Ori A is not a fossil remnant (as opposed to that of theta^1
Ori C and HD 191612), but the result of an exotic dynamo action produced
through MHD instabilities.


title:
Constraints on Left-Right Symmetric and $E_6$ Superstring Models from
  the Number of Light Neutrino Species

abstract:
  Using the experimental value for the rate $R^{LEP}
_{exp}=\Gamma_{inv}/\Gamma_{l\bar l}=5.942\pm 0.016$, we derive constraints on
the number of light neutrino species with the invisible width method in the
framework of a left-right symmetric model (LRSM) and a $E_6$ superstring model
as a function of their respective mixing angles for the neutral vector gauge
bosons. Using the above LEP result we get the constraints $-1.6\times
10^{-3}\leq\phi \leq 1.1\times 10^{-3}$ and $-1.3\times 10^{-2}\leq\phi_{E_6}
\leq 0.4\times 10^{-2}$, which are stronger than those obtained in previous
studies of these models.


title:
Twisted Alexander polynomials, symplectic 4-manifolds and surfaces of
  minimal complexity

abstract:
  Let M be a 4-manifold which admits a free circle action. We use twisted
Alexander polynomials to study the existence of symplectic structures and the
minimal complexity of surfaces in M. The results on the existence of symplectic
structures summarize previous results of the authors in [FV08a,FV08,FV07]. The
results on surfaces of minimal complexity are new.


title: Freyd's generating hypothesis with almost split sequences

abstract:
  Freyd's generating hypothesis for the stable module category of a non-trivial
finite group G is the statement that a map between finitely generated
kG-modules that belongs to the thick subcategory generated by k factors through
a projective if the induced map on Tate cohomology is trivial. In this paper we
show that Freyd's generating hypothesis fails for kG when the Sylow p-subgroup
of G has order at least 4 using almost split sequences. By combining this with
our earlier work, we obtain a complete answer to Freyd's generating hypothesis
for the stable module category of a finite group. We also derive some
consequences of the generating hypothesis.


title: The scalar sector in the Myers-Pospelov model

abstract:
  We construct a perturbative expansion of the scalar sector in the
Myers-Pospelov model, up to second order in the Lorentz violating parameter and
taking into account its higher-order time derivative character. This expansion
allows us to construct an hermitian positive-definite Hamiltonian which
provides a correct basis for quantization. Demanding that the modified normal
frequencies remain real requires the introduction of an upper bound in the
magnitude |k| of the momentum, which is a manifestation of the effective
character of the model. The free scalar propagator, including the corresponding
modified dispersion relations, is also calculated to the given order, thus
providing the starting point to consider radiative corrections when
interactions are introduced.


title: Single-atom doping for quantum device development in diamond and silicon

abstract:
  The ability to inject dopant atoms with high spatial resolution, flexibility
in dopant species and high single ion detection fidelity opens opportunities
for the study of dopant fluctuation effects and the development of devices in
which function is based on the manipulation of quantum states in single atoms,
such as proposed quantum computers. We describe a single atom injector, in
which the imaging and alignment capabilities of a scanning force microscope
(SFM) are integrated with ion beams from a series of ion sources and with
sensitive detection of current transients induced by incident ions. Ion beams
are collimated by a small hole in the SFM tip and current changes induced by
single ion impacts in transistor channels enable reliable detection of single
ion hits. We discuss resolution limiting factors in ion placement and
processing and paths to single atom (and color center) array formation for
systematic testing of quantum computer architectures in silicon and diamond.


title: Stein's Method and Characters of Compact Lie Groups

abstract:
  Stein's method is used to study the trace of a random element from a compact
Lie group or symmetric space. Central limit theorems are proved using very
little information: character values on a single element and the decomposition
of the square of the trace into irreducible components. This is illustrated for
Lie groups of classical type and Dyson's circular ensembles. The approach in
this paper will be useful for the study of higher dimensional characters, where
normal approximations need not hold.


title:
General Solution of the Quantum Damped Harmonic Oscillator II : Some
  Examples

abstract:
  In the preceding paper (arXiv : 0710.2724 [quant-ph]) we have constructed the
general solution for the master equation of quantum damped harmonic oscillator,
which is given by the complicated infinite series in the operator algebra
level. In this paper we give the explicit and compact forms to solutions
(density operators) for some initial values. In particular, the compact one for
the initial value based on a coherent state is given, which has not been given
as far as we know. Moreover, some related problems are presented.


title:
Topological defects in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers with
  perpendicular anisotropy

abstract:
  A rich variety of specific multidomain textures recently observed in
antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy include
regular (equilibrium) multidomain states as well as different types of
topological magnetic defects. Within a phenomenological theory we have
classified and analyzed the possible magnetic defects in the antiferromagnetic
ground state and determine their structures. We have derived the optimal sizes
of the defects as functions of the antiferromagnetic exchange, the applied
magnetic field, and geometrical parameters of the multilayer. The calculated
magnetic phase diagrams show the existence regions for all types of magnetic
defects. Experimental investigations of the remanent states (observed after
different magnetic pre-history) in [Co/Pt]/Ru multilayers with wedged Co layers
reveal a corresponding succession of different magnetic defect domain types.


title: Quantavo: a Maple Toolbox for Linear Quantum Optics

abstract:
  This manual describes the basic objectives, functionalities and uses of the
toolbox for Maple (Maplesoft^TM) called Quantavo. It is intended to facilitate
calculations both symbolically and numerically related to Quantum Optics. In
particular the evolution, measurement and entanglement properties of quantum
states in the Fock basis can be simulated with it. It is provided to the
community as a free open source module.


title: On knot Floer homology and cabling II

abstract:
  We continue our study of the knot Floer homology invariants of cable knots.
For large |n|, we prove that many of the filtered subcomplexes in the knot
Floer homology filtration associated to the (p,pn+1) cable of a knot, K, are
isomorphic to those of K. This result allows us to obtain information about the
behavior of the Ozsvath-Szabo concordance invariant under cabling, which has
geometric consequences for the cabling operation. Applications considered
include quasipositivity in the braid group, the knot theory of complex curves,
smooth concordance, and lens space (or, more generally, L-space) surgeries.


title:
Influence of dephasing process on the quantum Hall effect and the spin
  Hall effect

abstract:
  We study the influence of the phase relaxation process on Hall resistance and
spin Hall current of a mesoscopic two-dimensional (2D) four-terminal Hall
cross-bar with or without Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in a
perpendicular uniform magnetic field. We find that the plateaus of the Hall
resistance with even number of edge states can survive for very strong phase
relaxation when the system size becomes much longer than the phase coherence
length. On the other hand, the odd integer Hall resistance plateaus arising
from the SOI are easily destroyed by the weak phase relaxation during the
competition between the magnetic field and the SOI which delocalize the edge
states. In addition, we have also studied the transverse spin Hall current and
found that it exhibits resonant behavior whenever the Fermi level crosses the
Landau band of the system. The phase relaxation process weakens the resonant
spin Hall current and enhances the non-resonant spin Hall current.


title:
Astrophysical S-factor for $^{16}$O+$^{16}$O within the adiabatic
  molecular picture

abstract:
  The astrophysical S-factor for $^{16}$O + $^{16}$O is investigated within the
adiabatic molecular picture. It very well explains the available experimental
data. The collective radial mass causes a pronounced resonant structure in the
S-factor excitation function, providing a motivation for measuring the $^{16}$O
+ $^{16}$O fusion cross section at deep sub-barrier energies.


title:
Quantum Lithography Based on Multiple Light Exposures for Arbitrary
  Sub-Diffraction-Limit Pattern Generation

abstract:
  We propose a super-resolution quantum lithography scheme based on coherent
population trapping in lambda-type atoms coupled to temporally-cascaded
standing-wave driving fields. By realizing effective multiplication of optical
intensity profiles on an atomic state density distribution, the scheme enables
an arbitrarily high degree of resolution enhancement without modifying the
atomic level structure of the photographic medium or the light source
configuration. It is also shown that the visibility of the super-resolution
patterns is preserved under a significant atomic state decoherence rate.


title:
Josephson current transport through a Quantum Dot in an Aharonov-Bohm
  Ring

abstract:
  The Josephson current through an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) interferometer, in which
a quantum dot (QD) is situated on one arm and a magnetic flux $\Phi$ threads
through the ring, has been investigated. With the existence of the magnetic
flux, the relation of the Josephson current and the superconductor phase is
complex, and the system can be adjusted to $\pi$ junction by either modulating
the magnetic flux or the QD's energy level $\varepsilon_d$. Due to the
electron-hole symmetry, the Josephson current $I$ has the property
$I(\varepsilon_d,\Phi)=I(-\varepsilon_d,\Phi+\pi)$. The Josephson current
exhibits a jump when a pair of Andreev bound states aligns with the Fermi
energy. The condition for the current jump is given. In particularly, we find
that the position of the current jump and the position of the maximum value of
the critical current $I_c$ are identical. Due to the interference between the
two paths, the critical current $I_c$ versus the QD's level $\varepsilon_d$
shows a typical Fano shape, which is similar to the Fano effect in the
corresponding normal device. But they also show some differences. For example,
the critical current never reaches zero for any parameters, while the current
in the normal device can reach zero at the destruction point.


title: Scalar emission in a rotating G\"{o}del black hole

abstract:
  We study the absorption probability and Hawking radiation of the scalar field
in the rotating G\"{o}del black hole in minimal five-dimensional gauged
supergravity. We find that G\"{o}del parameter $j$ imprints in the greybody
factor and Hawking radiation. It plays a different role from the angular
momentum of the black hole in the Hawking radiation and super-radiance. These
information can help us know more about rotating G\"{o}del black holes in
minimal five-dimensional gauged supergravity.


title:
Persistent spin current in nano-devices and definition of the spin
  current

abstract:
  We investigate two closely related subjects: (i) existence of a pure
persistent spin current in semiconducting mesoscopic device with a spin-orbit
interaction's (SOI), and (ii) the definition of the spin current in the
presence of SOI. Through physical argument from four physical pictures in
different aspects, we provide strong evidences that the persistent spin current
does exist in a device with SOI in the absence of any magnetic materials. This
persistent spin current is an analog of the persistent charge current in a
mesoscopic ring threaded by a magnetic flux, and it describes the real spin
motion and can be measured experimentally. We then investigate the definition
of the spin current. We point out that (i) the non-zero spin current in the
equilibrium SOI device is the persistent spin current, (ii) the spin current is
in general not conserved, and (iii) the Onsager relation is violated for the
spin transport no matter what definition of the spin current is used. These
issues, the non-zero spin current in the equilibrium case, the non-conserved
spin current, and the violation of the Onsager relation, are intrinsic
properties of spin transport. We note that the conventional definition of the
spin current has very clear physical intuition and describes the spin motion
very well. Therefore we feel that the conventional definition of the spin
current makes physical sense and there is no need to modify it. In addition,
the relationship between the persistent spin current and transport spin
current, the persistent linear and angular spin currents in the SOI region of
the hybrid ring, are discussed. Finally, we show that if the spin-spin
interaction is included into the Hamiltonian, the persistent spin current is
automatically conserved using the conventional definition.


title: Shock Waves in the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe

abstract:
  Cosmological shock waves are induced during hierarchical formation of
large-scale structure in the universe. Like most astrophysical shocks, they are
collisionless, since they form in the tenuous intergalactic medium through
electromagnetic viscosities. The gravitational energy released during structure
formation is transferred by these shocks to the intergalactic gas as heat,
cosmic-rays, turbulence, and magnetic fields. Here we briefly describe the
properties and consequences of the shock waves in the context of the
large-scale structure of the universe.


title: Extreme Bowen-York initial data

abstract:
  The Bowen-York family of spinning black hole initial data depends essentially
on one, positive, free parameter. The extreme limit corresponds to making this
parameter equal to zero. This choice represents a singular limit for the
constraint equations. We prove that in this limit a new solution of the
constraint equations is obtained. These initial data have similar properties to
the extreme Kerr and Reissner-Nordstrom black hole initial data. In particular,
in this limit one of the asymptotic ends changes from asymptotically flat to
cylindrical. The existence proof is constructive, we actually show that a
sequence of Bowen-York data converges to the extreme solution.


title:
The Evolutionary Reduction Principle for Linear Variation in Genetic
  Transmission

abstract:
  The evolution of genetic systems has been analyzed through the use of
modifier gene models, in which a neutral gene is posited to control the
transmission of other genes under selection. Analysis of modifier gene models
has found the manifestations of an "evolutionary reduction principle": in a
population near equilibrium, a new modifier allele that scales equally all
transition probabilities between different genotypes under selection can invade
if and only if it reduces the transition probabilities. Analytical results on
the reduction principle have always required some set of constraints for
tractability: limitations to one or two selected loci, two alleles per locus,
specific selection regimes or weak selection, specific genetic processes being
modified, extreme or infinitesimal effects of the modifier allele, or tight
linkage between modifier and selected loci. Here, I prove the reduction
principle in the absence of any of these constraints, confirming a twenty-year
old conjecture. The proof is obtained by a wider application of Karlin's
Theorem 5.2 (1982) and its extension to ML-matrices, substochastic matrices,
and reducible matrices.


title: From particle to kinetic and hydrodynamic descriptions of flocking

abstract:
  We discuss the Cucker-Smale's (C-S) particle model for flocking, deriving
precise conditions for flocking to occur when pairwise interactions are
sufficiently strong long range. We then derive a Vlasov-type kinetic model for
the C-S particle model and prove it exhibits time-asymptotic flocking behavior
for arbitrary compactly supported initial data. Finally, we introduce a
hydrodynamic description of flocking based on the C-S Vlasov-type kinetic model
and prove flocking behavior \emph{without} closure of higher moments.


title: Resonant Plasmon-Soliton Interaction

abstract:
  We describe an effective resonant interaction between two localized wave
modes of different nature: a plasmon-polariton at a metal surface and a
self-focusing beam (spatial soliton) in a non-linear dielectric medium.
Propagating in the same direction, they represent an exotic coupled-waveguide
system, where the resonant interaction is controlled by the soliton amplitude.
This non-linear system manifests hybridized plasmon-soliton eigenmodes, mutual
conversion, and non-adiabatic switching, which offer exciting opportunities for
manipulation of plasmons via spatial solitons.


title:
Modified Newton's gravity in Finsler Space as a possible alternative to
  dark matter hypothesis

abstract:
  A modified Newton's gravity is obtained as the weak field approximation of
the Einstein's equation in Finsler space. It is found that a specified Finsler
structure makes the modified Newton's gravity equivalent to the modified
Newtonian dynamics (MOND). In the framework of Finsler geometry, the flat
rotation curves of spiral galaxies can be deduced naturally without invoking
dark matter.


title: A Spectroscopically Unique Main Belt Asteroid: 10537 (1991 RY16)

abstract:
  We present visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra and interpreted
surface mineralogy for asteroid 10537 (1991 RY16). The spectrum of this object
is without precedent amongst the Main Belt asteroids. A unique absorption band
centered at 0.63 microns could be attributed to one of several mineralogies.
Pronounced 1- and 2-micron absorption bands suggest that the composition of
10537 is a mixture of pyroxenes and olivine and that it originated from a
parent body that was partially or fully differentiated. The closest available
analog is the large Main Belt asteroid 349 Dembowska but 10537 may be an
isolated fragment from a completely eroded parent body.


title: Bounding the Hubble flow in terms of the w parameter

abstract:
  The last decade has seen increasing efforts to circumscribe and bound the
cosmological Hubble flow in terms of model-independent constraints on the
cosmological fluid - such as, for instance, the classical energy conditions of
general relativity. Quite a bit can certainly be said in this regard, but much
more refined bounds can be obtained by placing more precise constraints (either
theoretical or observational) on the cosmological fluid. In particular, the use
of the w-parameter (w=p/rho) has become increasingly common as a surrogate for
trying to say something about the cosmological equation of state. Herein we
explore the extent to which a constraint on the w-parameter leads to useful and
nontrivial constraints on the Hubble flow, in terms of constraints on density
rho(z), Hubble parameter H(z), density parameter Omega(z), cosmological
distances d(z), and lookback time T(z). In contrast to other partial results in
the literature, we carry out the computations for arbitrary values of the space
curvature k in [-1,0,+1], equivalently for arbitrary Omega_0 <= 1.


title:
Asymptotic analysis of a boundary-value problem with the nonlinear
  boundary multiphase interactions in a perforated domain

abstract:
  We consider a boundary-value problem for the second order elliptic
differential operator with rapidly oscillating coefficients in a domain
$\Omega_{\epsilon}$ that is $\epsilon-$periodically perforated by small holes.
The holes are divided into two $\epsilon-$periodical sets depending on the
boundary interaction at their surfaces. Therefore, two different nonlinear
Robin boundary conditions $\sigma_\epsilon (u_\epsilon) + \epsilon \kappa_{m}
(u_\epsilon) = \epsilon g^{(m)}_\epsilon, m=1, 2,$ are given on the
corresponding boundaries of the small holes. The asymptotic analysis of this
problem is made as $\epsilon\to0,$ namely the convergence theorem both for the
solution and for the energy integral is proved without using extension
operators, the asymptotic approximations both for the solution and for the
energy integral are constructed and the corresponding error estimates are
obtained.


title: Message passing in fault tolerant quantum error correction

abstract:
  Inspired by Knill's scheme for message passing error detection, here we
develop a scheme for message passing error correction for the nine-qubit
Bacon-Shor code. We show that for two levels of concatenated error correction,
where classical information obtained at the first level is used to help
interpret the syndrome at the second level, our scheme will correct all cases
with four physical errors. This results in a reduction of the logical failure
rate relative to conventional error correction by a factor proportional to the
reciprocal of the physical error rate.


title:
Stellar and Dust Properties of Local Elliptical Galaxies: Clues to the
  Onset of Nuclear Activity

abstract:
  We study the stellar and dust properties of a well-defined sample of local
elliptical galaxies to investigate the relationship between host galaxy
properties and nuclear activity. We select a complete sample of 45 ellipticals
from the Palomar spectroscopic survey of nearby galaxies, which includes 20
low-luminosity active galactic nuclei classified as LINERs and 25 inactive
galaxies. Using a stellar population synthesis method, we compare the derived
stellar population properties of the LINER versus the inactive subsamples. We
also study the dust and stellar surface brightness distributions of the central
regions of these galaxies using high-resolution images obtained with the {\it
Hubble Space Telescope}. Relative to the inactive subsample, ellipticals
hosting LINERs share similar total optical and near-infrared luminosity,
central stellar velocity dispersions, and nuclear stellar populations as judged
from their luminosity-weighted ages and metallicities. LINERs, on the other
hand, have a larger fraction of core-type central surface brightness profiles
and a much higher frequency of circumnuclear dust structures. Our results
support the suggestion that LINERs are powered by low-luminosity AGNs rather
than by young or intermediate-age stars. Nuclear activity in nearby elliptical
galaxies seems to occur preferentially in those systems where sufficient cold
interstellar material has managed to accumulate, perhaps via cooling
condensations from hot gas.


title: Direct photon-charged hadron azimuthal correlations

abstract:
  Azimuthal correlations of direct photons at high transverse energy (8 $<$
E$_T$ $<$ 16 GeV) with away-side hadrons of transverse momentum (3 $<$ p$_T$
$<$ 6 GeV/c) have been measured over a broad range of centrality for $Au+Au$
collisions and $p+p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV. The presented
results are the first measurements at RHIC for $\gamma$-hadron azimuthal
correlations in $Au+Au$ collisions.


title: Remote hole-doping of Mott insulators on the nanometer scale

abstract:
  At interfaces between polar and nonpolar perovskite oxides, an unusual
electron-doping has been previously observed, due to electronic
reconstructions. We report on remote hole-doping at an interface composed of
only polar layers, revealed by high-resolution hard x-ray core-level
photoemission spectroscopy. In LaAlO3/LaVO3/LaAlO3 trilayers, the vanadium
valence systematically evolves from the bulk value of V3+ to higher oxidation
states with decreasing LaAlO3 cap layer thickness. These results provide a
synthetic approach to hole-doping transition metal oxide heterointerfaces
without invoking a polar discontinuity.


title:
Generalized second law and entropy bound for a Reissner- Nordstr\"om
  black hole

abstract:
  It has been conjectured that black hole interacting with its surroundings
will obey the Generalized Second Law ($GSL$) of thermodynamics. Conservation of
$GSL$ is due to the fully thermal nature of Hawking radiation and an upper
bound on entropy. We study these aspects for a
Reissner-Nordstr$\ddot{\textbf{o}}$m ($RN$)black hole and conjecture that $GSL$
may be conserved if the equation of state of radiation near the horizon is
modified. An upper bound on $S/E$, similar to the Bekenstein form evolves in
the calculation.


title:
Heat conduction and Fourier's law by consecutive local mixing and
  thermalization

abstract:
  We present a first-principles study of heat conduction in a class of models
which exhibit a new multi-step local thermalization mechanism which gives rise
to Fourier's law. Local thermalization in our models occurs as the result of
binary collisions among locally confined gas particles. We explore the
conditions under which relaxation to local equilibrium, which involves no
energy exchange, takes place on time scales shorter than that of the binary
collisions which induce local thermalization. The role of this mechanism in
multi-phase material systems such as aerogels is discussed.


title:
Ricci Flow and Nonlinear Reaction--Diffusion Systems in Biology,
  Chemistry, and Physics

abstract:
  This paper proposes the Ricci-flow equation from Riemannian geometry as a
general geometric framework for various nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems
(and related dissipative solitons) in mathematical biology. More precisely, we
propose a conjecture that any kind of reaction-diffusion processes in biology,
chemistry and physics can be modelled by the combined geometric-diffusion
system. In order to demonstrate the validity of this hypothesis, we review a
number of popular nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems and try to show that
they can all be subsumed by the presented geometric framework of the Ricci
flow.
  Keywords: geometrical Ricci flow, nonlinear reaction-diffusion, dissipative
solitons and breathers


title: Structure and Magnetic Order in the NdFeAs(O,F) Superconductor System

abstract:
  The transition temperature Tc~26 K of the recently discovered superconductor
LaFeAs(O,F) has been demonstrated to be extremely sensitive to the lanthanide
ion, reaching 55 K for the Sm containing oxypnictides. Therefore, it is
important to determine how the moment on the lanthanide affects the overall
magnetism in these systems. Here we report a neutron diffraction study of the
Nd oxypnictides. Long ranged antiferromagnetic order is apparent in NdFeAsO
below 1.96 K. Rietveld refinement shows that both Fe and Nd magnetic ordering
are required to describe the observed data with the staggered moment 1.55(4)
Bohr magneton per Nd and 0.9(1) Bohr magneton per Fe at 0.3 K. The other
structural properties such as the tetragonal-orthorhombic distortion are found
to be very similar to those in LaFeAsO. Neither the magnetic ordering nor the
structural distortion occur in the superconducting sample NdFeAsO0.80F0.20 at
any temperatures down to 1.5 K.


title: Landau singularity and the instability of vacuum state in QED

abstract:
  Quantum Eletrodynamics (QED) is considered as the most successful of all
physical theories. It can predict numerical values of physical quantities to a
spectacular degree of accuracy. However, from the very early days it has been
known that, in QED, there are two important problems which are linked with the
very foundation of the theory. In 1952, Dyson put forward strong argumnts to
suggest that the perturbation seires in quantum electrodynamics can not be
convergent. Just three years latter, in 1955, Landau argued that the effective
running coupling constant in QED has a pole (Landau singularity) albeit at some
very high energy scale. This paper addresses, in details, the question of
stability of perturbative vacuum state of QED in the light of these two well
known problems.
  Landau has been a cult-like figure for many of us who studied theoretical
physics in the former Soviet Union. As an undergraduate student in the
department of theoretical physics of People's Friendship University, Moscow, in
1970's, I grew up hearing colourful stories about the legendary persona of Lev
Davidovich from my teachers some of whom had known him at personal level. It is
a great honour for me to contribute this article to the Landau centenary volume
of "Eletronics Journal of Theoretical Physics".


title:
Projection Method for Exact Diagonalization in the Strong Coupling Limit
  for Frustrated Models with Highly Degenerate Ground States

abstract:
  In this paper, we carry out a new technique named projection ED and indicate
that it is applicable to the frustrated models, e.g., XXZ spin-1/2 Heisenberg
and spinless fermion t-V models, in the strong coupling limit with highly
degenerate ground states in a general way. As an example, we deal with a
spinless fermion t-V model on a triangular lattice and show the usefulness of
the method.


title: Capacity-achieving CPM schemes

abstract:
  The pragmatic approach to coded continuous-phase modulation (CPM) is proposed
as a capacity-achieving low-complexity alternative to the serially-concatenated
CPM (SC-CPM) coding scheme. In this paper, we first perform a selection of the
best spectrally-efficient CPM modulations to be embedded into SC-CPM schemes.
Then, we consider the pragmatic capacity (a.k.a. BICM capacity) of CPM
modulations and optimize it through a careful design of the mapping between
input bits and CPM waveforms. The so obtained schemes are cascaded with an
outer serially-concatenated convolutional code to form a pragmatic
coded-modulation system. The resulting schemes exhibit performance very close
to the CPM capacity without requiring iterations between the outer decoder and
the CPM demodulator. As a result, the receiver exhibits reduced complexity and
increased flexibility due to the separation of the demodulation and decoding
functions.


title: Typical AGN at intermediate redshifts

abstract:
  We study the host galaxies and black holes of typical X-ray selected AGN at
intermediate redshifts (z~0.5-1.4). The AGN are selected such that their
spectral energy distributions are dominated by stellar emission, i.e., they
show a prominent 1.6micron bump thus minimizing the AGN emission contamination.
This AGN population comprises approximately 50% of the X-ray selected AGN at
these redshifts. AGN reside in the most massive galaxies at the redshifts
probed here, with characteristic stellar masses that are intermediate between
those of local type 2 AGN and high redshift (z~2) AGN. The inferred black hole
masses of typical AGN are similar to those of optically identified quasars at
similar redshifts. Since the AGN in our sample are much less luminous than
quasars, typical AGN have low Eddington ratios. This suggests that, at least at
intermediate redshifts, the cosmic AGN 'downsizing' is due to both a decrease
in the characteristic stellar mass of the host galaxies, and less efficient
accretion. Finally there is no strong evidence in AGN host galaxies for either
highly suppressed star formation, expected if AGN played a role in quenching
star formation, or elevated star formation when compared to mass selected
galaxies of similar stellar masses and redshifts.


title:
Next-to-leading order QCD corrections to light Higgs Pair production via
  vector boson fusion

abstract:
  We present the NLO QCD corrections for light Higgs pair production via vector
boson fusion at the LHC within the CP conserving type II two higgs doublet
model in the form of a fully flexible parton--level Monte Carlo program. Scale
dependences on integrated cross sections and distributions are reduced with QCD
K-factors of order unity.


title:
Parity Violation in a Single Domain of Spin-Triplet Sr2RuO4
  Superconductors

abstract:
  We observed an unconventional parity-violating vortex in single domain
Sr2RuO4 single crystals using a transport measurement. The current-voltage
characteristics of submicron Sr2RuO4 shows that the induced voltage has
anomalous components which are even function of the bias current. The results
may suggest that the vortex itself has a helical internal structure
characterized by a Hopf invariant (a topological invariant). We also discuss
that the hydrodynamics of such a helical vortex causes the parity violation to
retain the topological invariant.


title: Explicit Constructions of the non-Abelian $p^3$-Extensions Over $\QQ$

abstract:
  Let $p$ be an odd prime. Let $F/k$ be a cyclic extension of degree $p$ and of
characteristic different from $p$. The explicit constructions of the
non-abelian $p^{3}$-extensions over $k$, are induced by certain elements in
${F(\mu_{p})}^{*}$. In this paper we let $k=\QQ$ and present sufficient
conditions for these elements to be suitable for the constructions. Polynomials
for the non-abelian groups of order 27 over $\QQ$ are constructed.


title: Structure and melting behavior of classical bilayer crystals of dipoles

abstract:
  We study the structure and melting of a classical bilayer system of dipoles,
in a setup where the dipoles are oriented perpendicular to the planes of the
layers and the density of dipoles is the same in each layer. Due to the
anisotropic character of the dipole-dipole interactions, we find that the
ground-state configuration is given by two hexagonal crystals positioned on top
of each other, independent of the interlayer spacing and dipolar density. For
large interlayer distances these crystals are independent, while in the
opposite limit of small interlayer distances the system behaves as a
two-dimensional crystal of paired dipoles. Within the harmonic approximation
for the phonon excitations, the melting temperature of these crystalline
configurations displays a non-monotonic dependence on the interlayer distance,
which is associated with a re-entrant melting behavior in the form of
solid-liquid-solid-liquid transitions at fixed temperature.


title: New Charged Black Holes in Five Dimensions

abstract:
  We obtain new stationary charged solutions of five-dimensional minimal
supergravity. We first obtain purely dipole charged solutions, by extending a
technique that we developed for five-dimensional Ricci-flat metrics in a
previous paper, which could be viewed as being analogous to a four-dimensional
construction by Demianski and Plebanski. The further introduction of electric
charge is achieved by means of a solution-generating technique, which exploits
the global SL(2,R) symmetry of five-dimensional minimal supergravity reduced on
a timelike direction to four dimensions. We present this procedure in detail,
since it provides a particularly simple general way of adding charge to any
stationary solution of five-dimensional minimal supergravity. The new charged
solutions we obtain limit in special cases to black rings carrying electric and
magnetic dipole charge, or to charged Myers-Perry rotating black holes. We
analyse the general solutions in detail, showing that they can describe
asymptotically locally flat black holes whose horizon is a lens space
L(n;m)=S^3/\Gamma(n;m). At infinity they approach Minkowski_5/\Gamma(m;n).


title:
Synthesis, crystal structure, microstructure, transport and magnetic
  properties of SmFeAsO and SmFeAs(O0.93F0.07)

abstract:
  SmFeAsO and the isostructural superconducting SmFeAs(O0.93F0.07) samples were
prepared. Characterization by means of Rietveld refinement of X-ray powder
diffraction data, scanning electron microscope observation, transmission
electron microscope analysis, resistivity and magnetization measurements were
carried out. Sintering treatment strongly improves the grain connectivity, but,
on the other hand, induces a competition between the thermodynamic stability of
the oxy-pnictide and Sm2O3, hence worsening the purity of the sample. In the
pristine sample both magnetization and resistivity measurements clearly
indicate that two different sources of magnetism are present: the former
related to Fe ordering at 140 K and the latter due to the Sm ions that orders
antiferromagnetically at low temperature. The feature at 140 K disappears in
the F-substituted sample and, at low temperatures a superconducting transition
appears. The magnetoresistivity curves of the F-substituted sample probably
indicates very high critical field values.


title: A Model for Neutrino Masses

abstract:
  I present a model for neutrino masses based on a hypothesis proposed by
Friedberg and Lee.


title:
Entropy-driven phase transitions with influence of the field-dependent
  diffusion coefficient

abstract:
  We present a comprehensive study of the phase transitions in the single-field
reaction-diffusion stochastic systems with field-dependent mobility of a
power-low form and the internal fluctuations. Using variational principles and
mean-field theory it was shown that the noise can sustain spatial patterns and
leads to disordering phase transitions. We have shown that the phase
transitions can be of critical or non-critical character.


title: Improved Likelihood Inference in Birnbaum-Saunders Regressions

abstract:
  The Birnbaum-Saunders regression model is commonly used in reliability
studies. We address the issue of performing inference in this class of models
when the number of observations is small. We show that the likelihood ratio
test tends to be liberal when the sample size is small, and we obtain a
correction factor which reduces the size distortion of the test. The correction
makes the error rate of he test vanish faster as the sample size increases. The
numerical results show that the modified test is more reliable in finite
samples than the usual likelihood ratio test. We also present an empirical
application.


title: Bounding the greybody factors for Schwarzschild black holes

abstract:
  Greybody factors in black hole physics modify the naive Planckian spectrum
that is predicted for Hawking radiation when working in the limit of
geometrical optics. We consider the Schwarzschild geometry in (3+1) dimensions,
and analyze the Regge-Wheeler equation for arbitrary particle spin S and
wave-mode angular momentum L, deriving rigourous bounds on the greybody factors
as a function of S, L, wave frequency (omega), and the black hole mass, m.


title:
Periodic Orbits and Binary Collisions in the Classical Coulomb
  Three-Body Problem

abstract:
  In the helium case of the classical Coulomb three-body problem in two
dimensions with zero angular momentum, we develop a procedure to find periodic
orbits applying two symbolic dynamics for one-dimensional and planar problems.
A sequence of periodic orbits are predicted and are actually found numerically.
The results obtained here will be a cornerstone for finding the remaining
periodic orbits, which needed for semiclassical applications such as periodic
orbit quantization.


title: Macroscopic quantum electrodynamics and duality

abstract:
  We discuss under what conditions the duality between electric and magnetic
fields is a valid symmetry of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics. It is shown
that Maxwell's equations in the absence of free charges satisfy duality
invariance on an operator level, whereas this is not true for Lorentz forces
and atom--field couplings in general. We prove that derived quantities like
Casimir forces, local-field corrected decay rates as well as van-der-Waals
potentials are invariant with respect to a global exchange of electric and
magnetic quantities. This exact symmetry can be used to deduce the physics of
new configurations on the basis of already established ones.


title: Kinky Vortons

abstract:
  Cosmic vortons are closed loops of superconducting cosmic strings carrying
current and charge. Despite a large number of studies the existence and
stability of cosmic vorton solutions is still an open problem. Numerical
simulations of the nonlinear field theory are difficult to perform in
(3+1)-dimensions, due to the existence of multiple length and time scales. In
this paper we study a (2+1)-dimensional analogue of cosmic vortons, which we
refer to as kinky vortons, where the cosmic string is replaced by a kink
string. Many of the expected qualitative aspects of cosmic vortons transfer to
kinky vortons, with the advantage that several approximations used in the study
of cosmic vortons can be replaced by exact results. Furthermore, the numerical
study of kinky vortons requires less computational resources than cosmic
vortons, so a number of issues can be addressed in some depth. The radius of
the kinky vorton is determined as a function of the charge and winding number,
and it is shown that the chiral limit is a repulsive fixed point. Stability to
both axial and non-axial perturbations is demonstrated in the electric and
chiral regimes, though surprisingly long lived ringing modes are observed.
Kinky vortons which are too magnetic are shown to suffer from a pinching
instability, which results in a reduction in the winding number and can convert
magnetic into electric solutions.


title: Thermal QCD Sum Rules for sigma(600) Meson

abstract:
  In the present work, the temperature dependence of the scalar mesons
parameters is investigated in the framework of thermal QCD sum rules. We
calculate sigma-pole and the non-resonant two-pion continuum contributions to
the spectral density. Taking into account additional operators appearing at
finite temperature, the thermal QCD sum rules are derived. The temperature
dependence of the shifts in the mass and leptonic decay constant of scalar
sigma(600) meson is calculated.


title: Neutralino annihilation processes in the minimal supergravity model

abstract:
  We study all tree-level neutralino annihilation processes concerning
energy-dependence at the mSUGRA benchmark point SPS1a using tree-level
calculators MadGraph and CompHEP as well as FormCalc. We further investigate
the total tree-level neutralino annihilation cross section by scanning over the
mSUGRA parameters and identifying the dominant channels in every region. The
results for the cross sections are presented in the m1/2-m0 planes for
different values of tan(beta) and A0. We identify as well the resonances due to
the exchange of the heavy Higgs bosons A and H in the s-channel of many
neutralino annihilation processes, where the total cross section increases
significantly if these Higgs bosons can be produced close to on-shell. Finally,
we provide a few comments on the neutralino annihilation processes at
loop-level.


title: Invariant measure for the continual Cartan subgroup

abstract:
  We construct and study the one-parameter semigroup of $\sigma$-finite
measures ${\cal L}^{\theta}$, $\theta>0$, on the space of Schwartz
distributions that have an infinite-dimensional abelian group of linear
symmetries; this group is a continual analog of the classical Cartan subgroup
of diagonal positive matrices of the group $SL(n,R)$. The parameter $\theta$ is
the degree of homogeneity with respect to homotheties of the space, we prove
uniqueness theorem for measures with given degree of homogeneity, and call the
measure with degree of homogeneity equal to one the infinite-dimensional
Lebesgue measure $\cal L$. The structure of these measures is very closely
related to the so-called Poisson--Dirichlet measures $PD(\theta)$, and to the
well-known gamma process. The nontrivial properties of the Lebesgue measure are
related to the superstructure of the measure PD(1), which is called the conic
Poisson--Dirichlet measure -- $CPD$. This is the most interesting
$\sigma$-finite measure on the set of positive convergent monotonic real
series.


title:
An Intelligent Multi-Agent Recommender System for Human Capacity
  Building

abstract:
  This paper presents a Multi-Agent approach to the problem of recommending
training courses to engineering professionals. The recommendation system is
built as a proof of concept and limited to the electrical and mechanical
engineering disciplines. Through user modelling and data collection from a
survey, collaborative filtering recommendation is implemented using intelligent
agents. The agents work together in recommending meaningful training courses
and updating the course information. The system uses a users profile and
keywords from courses to rank courses. A ranking accuracy for courses of 90% is
achieved while flexibility is achieved using an agent that retrieves
information autonomously using data mining techniques from websites. This
manner of recommendation is scalable and adaptable. Further improvements can be
made using clustering and recording user feedback.


title: The initial luminosity and mass functions of the Galactic open clusters

abstract:
  (... abridged) The observed luminosity function can be constructed in a range
of absolute integrated magnitudes $I_{M_V}= [-10, -0.5]$ mag, i.e. about 5
magnitudes deeper than in the most nearby galaxies. It increases linearly from
the brightest limit to a turnover at about $I_{M_V}\approx-2.5$. The slope of
this linear portion is $a=0.41\pm0.01$, which agrees perfectly with the slope
deduced for star cluster observations in nearby galaxies. (...) We find that
the initial mass function of open clusters (CIMF) has a two-segment structure
with the slopes $\alpha=1.66\pm0.14$ in the range $\log
M_c/M_\odot=3.37...4.93$ and $\alpha=0.82\pm0.14$ in the range $\log
M_c/M_\odot=1.7...3.37$. The average mass of open clusters at birth is
$4.5\cdot 10^3 M_\odot$, which should be compared to the average observed mass
of about $700 M_\odot$. The average cluster formation rate derived from the
comparison of initial and observed mass functions is $\bar{\upsilon}=0.4
\mathrm{kpc}^{-2}\mathrm{Myr}^{-1}$. Multiplying by the age of the Galactic
disc (T = 13 Gyr) the predicted surface density of Galactic disc field stars
originating from dissolved open clusters amounts to $22 M_\odot
\mathrm{pc}^{-2}$ which is about 40% of the total surface density of the
Galactic disc in the solar neighbourhood. Thus, we conclude that almost half of
all field stars were born in open clusters, a much higher fraction than
previously thought.


title: Schroedinger Cat: Entanglement test in a Micro-Macroscopic system

abstract:
  A Macro-state consisting of N= 3.5 x 10^4 photons in a quantum superposition
and entangled with a far apart single-photon state (Micro-state) is generated.
Precisely, an entangled photon pair is created by a nonlinear optical process,
then one photon of the pair is injected into an optical parametric amplifier
(OPA) operating for any input polarization state, i.e. into a phase-covariant
cloning machine. Such transformation establishes a connection between the
single photon and the multi particle fields. We then demonstrate the
non-separability of the bipartite system by adopting a local filtering
technique within a positive operator valued measurement.


title: Quantum Monte Carlo Study of the Quasi-One-Dimensional Superconductivity

abstract:
  We report on the result of quantum Monte Carlo simulation of
quasi-one-dimensional electron systems at 1/4-filling, considering organic
superconductors such as TMTSF- and TMTTF-salts. We focus on the effect of
dimensionality (interchain coupling) on superconducting fluctuation. First we
consider Hubbard model which includes only on-site repulsion U. We find that
the increase of interchain coupling enhances superconducting susceptibility,
although it deforms the nested Fermi surface and suppresses the spin
susceptibility. Next we consider an extended Hubbard model which includes
nearest-neighbor repulsion V . In this case we consider the competition between
different symmetries of electron pairing, d_{x^2-y^2} - and d_xy-wave symmetry,
and find that the particle-particle interaction vertex for d_{x^2-y^2}-wave
pairing is no longer attractive even in the region where nesting condition
still holds. On the other hand, the interaction vertex for d_xy-wave pairing
persists to be attractive. The obtained results for the Hubbard model show
qualitative agreement with recent renormalization group study, and have the
possibility of accounting for the recent experimental result of (TMTTF)2SbF6,
which exhibits a wider superconducting phase than the previous studies.


title:
Inverse Square-Root Field Dependence of Conductivity in Organic
  Field-Effect Transistors

abstract: This paper has been withdrawn by the author.


title:
Ab initio studies of structures and properties of small potassium
  clusters

abstract:
  We have studied the structure and properties of potassium clusters containing
even number of atoms ranging from 2 to 20 at the ab initio level. The geometry
optimization calculations are performed using all-electron density functional
theory with gradient corrected exchange-correlation functional. Using these
optimized geometries we investigate the evolution of binding energy, ionization
potential, and static polarizability with the increasing size of the clusters.
The polarizabilities are calculated by employing Moller-Plesset perturbation
theory and time dependent density functional theory. The polarizabilities of
dimer and tetramer are also calculated by employing large basis set coupled
cluster theory with single and double excitations and perturbative triple
excitations. The time dependent density functional theory calculations of
polarizabilities are carried out with two different exchange-correlation
potentials: (i) an asymptotically correct model potential and (ii) within the
local density approximation. A systematic comparison with the other available
theoretical and experimental data for various properties of small potassium
clusters mentioned above has been performed. These comparisons reveal that both
the binding energy and the ionization potential obtained with gradient
corrected potential match quite well with the already published data.
Similarly, the polarizabilities obtained with Moller-Plesset perturbation
theory and with model potential are quite close to each other and also close to
experimental data.


title: The oriented swap process

abstract:
  Particles labelled $1,...,n$ are initially arranged in increasing order.
Subsequently, each pair of neighboring particles that is currently in
increasing order swaps according to a Poisson process of rate 1. We analyze the
asymptotic behavior of this process as $n\to\infty$. We prove that the
space--time trajectories of individual particles converge (when suitably
scaled) to a certain family of random curves with two points of
non-differentiability, and that the permutation matrix at a given time
converges to a certain deterministic measure with absolutely continuous and
singular parts. The absorbing state (where all particles are in decreasing
order) is reached at time $(2+o(1))n$. The finishing times of individual
particles converge to deterministic limits, with fluctuations asymptotically
governed by the Tracy--Widom distribution.


title:
Search for long-lived particles decaying into electron or photon pairs
  with the D0 detector

abstract:
  In this Letter we report on a search for long-lived particles that decay into
final states with two electrons or photons. Such long-lived particles arise in
a variety of theoretical models, like hidden valleys and supersymmetry with
gauge-mediated breaking. By precisely reconstructing the direction of the
electromagnetic shower we are able to probe much longer lifetimes than
previously explored. We see no evidence of the existence of such long-lived
particles and interpret this search as a quasi model-independent limit on their
production cross section, as well as a limit on a long-lived fourth generation
quark.


title: Tree-valued resampling dynamics: Martingale Problems and applications

abstract:
  The measure-valued Fleming-Viot process is a diffusion which models the
evolution of allele frequencies in a multi-type population. In the neutral
setting the Kingman coalescent is known to generate the genealogies of the
"individuals" in the population at a fixed time. The goal of the present paper
is to replace this static point of view on the genealogies by an analysis of
the evolution of genealogies. We encode the genealogy of the population as an
(isometry class of an) ultra-metric space which is equipped with a probability
measure. The space of ultra-metric measure spaces together with the Gromov-weak
topology serves as state space for tree-valued processes. We use well-posed
martingale problems to construct the tree-valued resampling dynamics of the
evolving genealogies for both the finite population Moran model and the
infinite population Fleming-Viot diffusion. We show that sufficient information
about any ultra-metric measure space is contained in the distribution of the
vector of subtree lengths obtained by sequentially sampled "individuals". We
give explicit formulas for the evolution of the Laplace transform of the
distribution of finite subtrees under the tree-valued Fleming-Viot dynamics.


title: Zero-point vacancies in quantum solids

abstract:
  A Jastrow wave function (JWF) and a shadow wave function (SWF) describe a
quantum solid with Bose--Einstein condensate; i.e. a supersolid. It is known
that both JWF and SWF describe a quantum solid with also a finite equilibrium
concentration of vacancies x_v. We outline a route for estimating x_v by
exploiting the existing formal equivalence between the absolute square of the
ground state wave function and the Boltzmann weight of a classical solid. We
compute x_v for the quantum solids described by JWF and SWF employing very
accurate numerical techniques. For JWF we find a very small value for the zero
point vacancy concentration, x_v=(1.4\pm0.1) x 10^-6. For SWF, which presently
gives the best variational description of solid 4He, we find the significantly
larger value x_v=(1.4\pm0.1) x 10^-3 at a density close to melting. We also
study two and three vacancies. We find that there is a strong short range
attraction but the vacancies do not form a bound state.


title: Self-masking of spontaneous symmetry breaking in layer materials

abstract:
  We study d-wave Fermi surface deformations (dFSD), the so-called Pomeranchuk
instability, on bilayer and infinite-layer square lattices. Since the order
parameter of the dFSD has Ising symmetry, there are two stacking patterns along
the c axis: (+,+) and (+,-). We find that, as long as the c axis dispersion is
finite at the saddle points of the in-plane band dispersion, the (+,-) stacking
is usually favored independently on the details of interlayer coupling,
yielding no macroscopic anisotropy. The dFSD provides unique spontaneous
symmetry breaking that is self-masked in layer materials.


title: Zero-temperature study of vacancies in solid 4He

abstract:
  We are investigating the properties of vacancies in solid 4He with the exact
zero temperature SPIGS method. Our aim is to study the possibility of
phase--separation between vacancies and the perfect crystal. We find a
significant correlation among vacancies both in two and in three dimensional
solid 4He. In 3D we have considered up to 5 vacancies in a hcp crystal at a
density rho = 0.0293 AA^-3, close to the melting, and in 2D we have considered
up to 6 vacancies in a triangular crystal at rho = 0.0765 AA^-2. In all the
considered cases the correlation among vacancies seems to display an
exponential decay that would suggest the presence of a bound state. The
systematically sublinear dependence on the number of vacancies found for the
activation energy strengthens the indication of an attractive interaction, even
if we have direct evidence that vacancies do not form a single compact cluster.


title: Multi-Scale CLEAN deconvolution of radio synthesis images

abstract:
  Radio synthesis imaging is dependent upon deconvolution algorithms to
counteract the sparse sampling of the Fourier plane. These deconvolution
algorithms find an estimate of the true sky brightness from the necessarily
incomplete sampled visibility data. The most widely used radio synthesis
deconvolution method is the CLEAN algorithm of Hogbom. This algorithm works
extremely well for collections of point sources and surprisingly well for
extended objects. However, the performance for extended objects can be improved
by adopting a multi-scale approach. We describe and demonstrate a conceptually
simple and algorithmically straightforward extension to CLEAN that models the
sky brightness by the summation of components of emission having different size
scales. While previous multiscale algorithms work sequentially on decreasing
scale sizes, our algorithm works simultaneously on a range of specified scales.
Applications to both real and simulated data sets are given.


title: Cut and singular loci up to codimension 3

abstract:
  We give a new and detailed description of the structure of cut loci, with
direct applications to the singular sets of some Hamilton-Jacobi equations.
These sets may be non-triangulable, but a local description at all points
except for a set of Hausdorff dimension $n-2$ is well known. We go further in
this direction by giving a clasification of all points up to a set of Hausdorff
dimension $n-3$.


title:
Search for solar axions with mass around 1 eV using coherent conversion
  of axions into photons

abstract:
  A search for solar axions has been performed using an axion helioscope which
is equipped with a 2.3m-long 4T superconducting magnet, a gas container to hold
dispersion-matching gas, PIN-photodiode X-ray detectors, and a telescope mount
mechanism to track the sun. A mass region around m_a = 1eV was newly explored.
  From the absence of any evidence, analysis sets a limit on axion-photon
coupling constant to be g < 5.6-13.4x10^{-10} GeV^{-1} for the axion mass of
0.84<m_a<1.00eV at 95% confidence level. It is the first result to search for
the axion in the g-m_a parameter region of the preferred axion models with a
magnetic helioscope.


title: Bulk-like d band of SrVO3 under a self-protective cap layer

abstract:
  We have performed a detailed angel-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study
of in-situ prepared SrVO3 thin films. Naturally capped by a ``transparent''
protective layer, contributions from surface states centered at ~ -1.5 eV are
dramatically reduced, enabling us to study the bulk V 3d states. We have
observed a clear band dispersion not only in the coherent quasiparticle part
but also in the incoherent part, which are reproduced by dynamical mean-field
theory calculations and the spectral weight of the incoherent part is stronger
within the Fermi surface.


title:
Mock observations with the Millennium simulation: Cosmological
  downsizing and intermediate redshift observations

abstract:
  Only by incorporating various forms of feedback can theories of galaxy
formation reproduce the present-day luminosity function of galaxies. It has
also been argued that such feedback processes might explain the
counter-intuitive behaviour of "downsizing" witnessed since redshifts z=1-2. To
examine this question, observations spanning 0.4 < z < 1.4 from the
DEEP2/Palomar survey are compared with a suite of equivalent mock observations
derived from the Millennium Simulation, populated with galaxies using the
Galform code. Although the model successfully reproduces the observed total
mass function and the general trend of downsizing, it fails to accurately
reproduce the colour distribution and type-dependent mass functions at all
redshifts probed. This failure is shared by other semi-analytical models which
collectively appear to "over-quench" star formation in intermediate-mass
systems. These mock lightcones are also a valuable tool for investigating the
reliability of the observational results in terms of cosmic variance. Using
variance estimates derived from the lightcones we confirm the significance of
the decline since z=1 in the observed number density of massive blue galaxies
which, we argue, provides the bulk of the associated growth in the red
sequence. We also assess the limitations arising from cosmic variance in terms
of our ability to observe mass-dependent growth since z=1.


title: QCD at finite chemical potential with six time slices

abstract:
  We investigate the Taylor expansion of the baryon number susceptibility, and
hence, pressure, in a series in the baryon chemical potential (mu_B) through a
lattice simulation with light dynamical staggered quarks at a finer lattice
cutoff a=1/6T. We determine the QCD cross over coupling at mu_B=0. We find the
radius of convergence of the series at various temeperatures, and bound the
location of the QCD critical point to be T^E/T_c = 0.94 and mu_B^E/T < 1.8. We
also investigate the extrapolation of various susceptibilities and linkages to
finite chemical potential.


title:
Phase-field approach to polycrystalline solidification including
  heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation

abstract:
  Advanced phase-field techniques have been applied to address various aspects
of polycrystalline solidification including different modes of crystal
nucleation. The height of the nucleation barrier has been determined by solving
the appropriate Euler-Lagrange equations. The examples shown include the
comparison of various models of homogeneous crystal nucleation with atomistic
simulations for the single component hard-sphere fluid. Extending previous work
for pure systems (Granasy L, Pusztai T, Saylor D and Warren J A 2007 Phys. Rev.
Lett. 98 art no 035703), heterogeneous nucleation in unary and binary systems
is described via introducing boundary conditions that realize the desired
contact angle. A quaternion representation of crystallographic orientation of
the individual particles (outlined in Pusztai T, Bortel G and Granasy L 2005
Europhys. Lett. 71 131) has been applied for modeling a broad variety of
polycrystalline structures including crystal sheaves, spherulites and those
built of crystals with dendritic, cubic, rhombododecahedral, truncated
octahedral growth morphologies. Finally, we present illustrative results for
dendritic polycrystal-line solidification obtained using an atomistic
phase-field model.


title:
The Formation, Evolution and Parameters of Short-Period Low-Mass X-Ray
  Binaries with Black-Hole Components

abstract:
  We discuss the formation, evolution and observational parameters of the
population of short-period ($<10$ hr) low-mass black-hole binaries (LMBHB).
Their evolution is determined by the orbital angular momentum loss and/or
nuclear evolution of the donors. All observed semidetached LMBHB are observed
as soft X-ray transients (SXTs). The absence of observed short-period stable
luminous X-ray sources with black holes and low-mass optical components
suggests that upon RLOF by the donor, the angular-momentum losses are
substantially reduced. The model with reduced angular-momentum loss reasonably
well reproduces the masses and effective temperatures of the observed
secondaries of SXTs. Theoretical mass-transfer rates in SXTs are consistent
with those deduced from observations only if the accretion discs in LMBHB are
truncated. The population of short-period LMBHB is formed mainly by systems
which at RLOF had unevolved or slightly evolved donors (abundance of hydrogen
in the center $> 0.35$). Our models suggest that a very high efficiency of
common envelopes ejection is necessary to form LMBHB.


title:
Negative differential conductivity in far-from-equilibrium quantum spin
  chains

abstract:
  We show that, when a finite anisotropic Heisenberg spin-1/2 chain in the
gapped regime is driven far from equilibrium, oppositely polarized
ferromagnetic domains build up at the edges of the chain, thus suppressing
quantum spin transport. As a consequence, a negative differential conductivity
regime arises, where increasing the driving decreases the current. The above
results are explained in terms of magnon localization and are shown to be
structurally stable against breaking of integrability.


title:
Measurement of Neutrino Oscillations with the MINOS Detectors in the
  NuMI Beam

abstract:
  This letter reports new results from the MINOS experiment based on a two-year
exposure to muon neutrinos from the Fermilab NuMI beam. Our data are consistent
with quantum mechanical oscillations of neutrino flavor with mass splitting
$|\Delta m^2|=(2.43\pm 0.13)\times10^{-3}$ eV$^2$ (68% confidence level) and
mixing angle $\sin^2(2\theta)>0.90$ (90% confidence level). Our data disfavor
two alternative explanations for the disappearance of neutrinos in flight,
namely neutrino decays into lighter particles and quantum decoherence of
neutrinos, at the 3.7 and 5.7 standard deviation levels, respectively.


title: Two interacting Hopf algebras of trees

abstract:
  Hopf algebra structures on rooted trees are by now a well-studied object,
especially in the context of combinatorics. In this work we consider a Hopf
algebra H by introducing a coproduct on a (commutative) algebra of rooted
forests, considering each tree of the forest (which must contain at least one
edge) as a Feynman-like graph without loops. The primitive part of the graded
dual is endowed with a pre-Lie product defined in terms of insertion of a tree
inside another. We establish a surprising link between the Hopf algebra H
obtained this way and the well-known Connes-Kreimer Hopf algebra of rooted
trees by means of a natural H-bicomodule structure on the latter. This enables
us to recover recent results in the field of numerical methods for differential
equations due to Chartier, Hairer and Vilmart as well as Murua.


title:
Improved predictions of nuclear reaction rates with the TALYS reaction
  code for astrophysical applications

abstract:
  Nuclear reaction rates of astrophysical applications are traditionally
determined on the basis of Hauser-Feshbach reaction codes. These codes adopt a
number of approximations that have never been tested, such as a simplified
width fluctuation correction, the neglect of delayed or multiple-particle
emission during the electromagnetic decay cascade, or the absence of the
pre-equilibrium contribution at increasing incident energies.
  The reaction code TALYS has been recently updated to estimate the
Maxwellian-averaged reaction rates that are of astrophysical relevance. These
new developments enable the reaction rates to be calculated with increased
accuracy and reliability and the approximations of previous codes to be
investigated.
  The TALYS predictions for the thermonuclear rates of relevance to
astrophysics are detailed and compared with those derived by widely-used codes
for the same nuclear ingredients. It is shown that TALYS predictions may differ
significantly from those of previous codes, in particular for nuclei for which
no or little nuclear data is available. The pre-equilibrium process is shown to
influence the astrophysics rates of exotic neutron-rich nuclei significantly.
For the first time, the Maxwellian-averaged (n,2n) reaction rate is calculated
for all nuclei and its competition with the radiative capture rate is
discussed.
  The TALYS code provides a new tool to estimate all nuclear reaction rates of
relevance to astrophysics with improved accuracy and reliability.


title:
Luminosity, redshift and gas abundance in general relativistic radiation
  hydrodynamics

abstract:
  Quasi-stationary flows of gas accreting onto a compact center are analyzed in
the framework of general-relativistic radiation hydrodynamics, under
assumptions of spherical symmetry and thin gas approximation. Numerical
investigation shows that luminosity, redshift and gas abundance are correlated.
The gas can constitute up to one third of the total mass of brightest
low-redshift sources, but its abundance goes down to 1/30 for sources with
luminosities close to the Eddington limit.


title:
A cryogenic liquid-mirror telescope on the moon to study the early
  universe

abstract:
  We have studied the feasibility and scientific potential of zenith observing
liquid mirror telescopes having 20 to 100 m diameters located on the moon. They
would carry out deep infrared surveys to study the distant universe and follow
up discoveries made with the 6 m James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with more
detailed images and spectroscopic studies. They could detect objects 100 times
fainter than JWST, observing the first, high-red shift stars in the early
universe and their assembly into galaxies. We explored the scientific
opportunities, key technologies and optimum location of such telescopes. We
have demonstrated critical technologies. For example, the primary mirror would
necessitate a high-reflectivity liquid that does not evaporate in the lunar
vacuum and remains liquid at less than 100K: We have made a crucial
demonstration by successfully coating an ionic liquid that has negligible vapor
pressure. We also successfully experimented with a liquid mirror spinning on a
superconducting bearing, as will be needed for the cryogenic, vacuum
environment of the telescope. We have investigated issues related to lunar
locations, concluding that locations within a few km of a pole are ideal for
deep sky cover and long integration times. We have located ridges and crater
rims within 0.5 degrees of the North Pole that are illuminated for at least
some sun angles during lunar winter, providing power and temperature control.
We also have identified potential problems, like lunar dust. Issues raised by
our preliminary study demand additional in-depth analyses. These issues must be
fully examined as part of a scientific debate we hope to start with the present
article.


title: Disordered vortex arrays in a two-dimensional condensate

abstract:
  We suggest a method to create turbulence in a Bose-Einstein condensate. The
method consists in, firstly, creating an ordered vortex array, and, secondly,
imprinting a phase difference in different regions of the condensate. By
solving numerically the two-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation we show that
the motion of the resulting positive and negative vortices is disordered.


title:
Relic Gravitational Waves And CMB Polarization In The Accelerating
  Universe

abstract:
  In this paper we briefly present our works on the relic gravitational waves
(RGW) and the CMB polarization in the accelerating universe. The spectrum of
RGW has been obtained, showing the influence of the dark energy. Compared with
those from non-accelerating models, the shape of the spectrum is approximately
similar, nevertheless, the amplitude of RGW now acquires a suppressing factor
of the ratio of matter over dark energy $\propto \Omega_m/\Omega_{\Lambda}\sim
0.4$ over almost the whole range of frequencies. The RGW spectrum is then used
as the source to calculate the spectra of CMB polarization. By a two half
Gaussian function as an approximation to the visibility function during the
photon decoupling, both the "electric" and "magnetic" spectra have been
analytically derived, which are quite close to the numerical ones. Several
physical elements that affect the spectra have been examined, such as the
decoupling process, the inflation, the dark energy, the baryons, etc.


title: Spin correlations in elastic $e^{+}e^{-}$ scattering in QED

abstract:
  Spin correlations are carefully investigated in elastic $e^{+}e^{-}$
scattering in QED, for initially \textit{polarized} as well as
\textit{unpolarized} particles, with emphasis placed on energy or speed of the
underlying particles involved in the process. An explicit expression is derived
for the corresponding transition probabilities in closed form to the leading
order. These expressions are unlike the ones obtained from simply combining
spins of the relevant particles which are of kinematic nature. It is remarkable
that these explicit results obtained from quantum field theory show a clear
violation of Bell's inequality at \textit{all} energies in support of quantum
theory in the relativistic regime. We hope that our explicit expression
obtained will lead to experiments in the manner described in the bulk of this
paper by monitoring speed.


title:
Loss of molecules in magneto-electrostatic traps due to nonadiabatic
  transitions

abstract:
  We analyze the dynamics of a paramagnetic, dipolar molecule in a generic
"magneto-electrostatic'' trap where both magnetic and electric fields may be
present. The potential energy that governs the dynamics of the molecules is
found using a reduced molecular model that incorporates the main features of
the system. We discuss the shape of the trapping potentials for different field
geometries, as well as the possibility of nonadiabatic transitions to untrapped
states, i.e., the analog of Majorana transitions in a quadrupole magnetic
atomic trap. Maximizing the lifetime of molecules in a trap is of great concern
in current experiments, and we assess the effect of nonadiabatic transitions on
obtainable trap lifetimes.


title: Conditioning SLEs and loop erased random walks

abstract:
  We discuss properties of dipolar SLE(k) under conditioning. We show that k=2,
which describes continuum limits of loop erased random walks, is characterized
as being the only value of k such that dipolar SLE conditioned to stop on an
interval coincides with dipolar SLE on that interval. We illustrate this
property by computing a new bulk passage probability for SLE(2).


title: On the Dalitz plot analysis of the B --> K eta gamma decays

abstract:
  Recently B-factories have published new results on the $B \to K \eta \gamma$
decays being inspired by the theoretical suggestion to search for new physics
in $B \to P_1 P_2 \gamma$ decays. Using heavy meson chiral perturbation theory
we find mechanism which governs the amplitude in parts of the Dalitz plot where
either $K$ or $\eta$ mesons are soft. The dominant contributions in these cases
are coming from the nonresonant decay modes. We discuss also $B \to K \eta'
\gamma$ Dalitz plot. Our partially integrated rates are in agreement with the
experimental findings.


title:
A change of variable formula for the 2D fractional Brownian motion of
  Hurst index bigger or equal to 1/4

abstract:
  We prove a change of variable formula for the 2D fractional Brownian motion
of index H bigger of equal to 1/4. For H strictly bigger than 1/4, our formula
coincides with that obtained by using the rough paths theory. For H=1/4 (the
more interesting case), there is an additional term that is a classical Wiener
integral against an independent standard Brownian motion.


title:
Influence of Charge Carrier Mobility on the Performance of Organic Solar
  Cells

abstract:
  The power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells based on
donor--acceptor blends is governed by an interplay of polaron pair dissociation
and bimolecular polaron recombination. Both processes are strongly dependent on
the charge carrier mobility, the dissociation increasing with faster charge
transport, with raised recombination losses at the same time. Using a
macroscopic effective medium simulation, we calculate the optimum charge
carrier mobility for the highest power conversion efficiency, for the first
time accounting for injection barriers and a reduced Langevin-type
recombination. An enhancement of the charge carrier mobility from
$10^{-8}$m$^2$/Vs for state of the art polymer:fullerene solar cells to about
$10^{-6}$m$^2$/Vs, which yields the maximum efficiency, corresponds to an
improvement of only about 20% for the given parameter set.


title: Hadronic Light-by-Light Contribution to Muon g-2: Status and Prospects

abstract:
  I review the recent calculations and present status of the hadronic
light-by-light contribution to the muon g-2.


title:
Integrable Rosochatius deformations of higher-order constrained flows
  and the soliton hierarchy with self-consistent sources

abstract:
  We propose a systematic method to generalize the integrable Rosochatius
deformations for finite dimensional integrable Hamiltonian systems to
integrable Rosochatius deformations for infinite dimensional integrable
equations. Infinite number of the integrable Rosochatius deformed higher-order
constrained flows of some soliton hierarchies, which includes the generalized
integrable H$\acute{e}$non-Heiles system, and the integrable Rosochatius
deformations of the KdV hierarchy with self-consistent sources, of the AKNS
hierarchy with self-consistent sources and of the mKdV hierarchy with
self-consistent sources as well as their Lax representations are presented.


title:
Observations of Time Delays in Gravitational Lenses from Intensity
  Fluctuations: The Coherence Function

abstract:
  Measurements of the spectrum of the fluctuations of the output current of the
quadratic detector of a telescope can be used to find unresolved astronomical
gravitational lenses and determine time delays between their image components.
These time delays can be used for astronomical studies. The spatial correlation
coefficient of a source is an important parameter that quantifies the loss of
contrast, caused by the extendedness of the source, in the spectral modulation
of the intensity fluctuations. This work shows that the correlation coefficient
must not be evaluated at the frequency of observation, but must instead be
evaluated at the much lower beat frequencies of the spectrum of the
fluctuations. This opens up a powerful novel technique to find unresolved
gravitational lenses and to study the lensing event and the source.


title: Quantum Chessboards in the Deuterium Molecular Ion

abstract:
  We present a new algorithm for vibrational control in deuterium molecules
that is feasible with current experimental technology. A pump mechanism is used
to create a coherent superposition of the D2+ vibrations. A short, intense
infrared control pulse is applied after a chosen delay time to create selective
interferences. A `chessboard' pattern of states can be realized in which a set
of even- or odd-numbered vibrational states can be selectively annihilated or
enhanced. A technique is proposed for experimental realization and observation
of this effect using 5 fs pulses of 790 nm radiation, with intermediate
intensity (5e13 W/cm2)


title: Optimal Light Beams and Mirror Shapes for Future LIGO Interferometers

abstract:
  We report the results of a recent search for the lowest value of thermal
noise that can be achieved in LIGO by changing the shape of mirrors, while
fixing the mirror radius and maintaining a low diffractional loss. The result
of this minimization is a beam with thermal noise a factor of 2.32 (in power)
lower than previously considered Mesa Beams and a factor of 5.45 (in power)
lower than the Gaussian beams employed in the current baseline design. Mirrors
that confine these beams have been found to be roughly conical in shape, with
an average slope approximately equal to the mirror radius divided by arm
length, and with mild corrections varying at the Fresnel scale. Such a mirror
system, if built, would impact the sensitivity of LIGO, increasing the event
rate of observing gravitational waves in the frequency range of maximum
sensitivity roughly by a factor of three compared to an Advanced LIGO using
Mesa beams (assuming all other noises remain unchanged). We discuss the
resulting beam and mirror properties and study requirements on mirror tilt,
displacement and figure error, in order for this beam to be used in LIGO
detectors.


title: Phases and properties of quark matter

abstract:
  I review recent developments in finite temperature lattice QCD which are
useful for the study of heavy-ion collisions. I pay particular attention to
studies of the equation of state and the light they throw on conformal symmetry
and the large N_c limit, and to the structure of the phase diagram for N_f=2+1.


title: The initial meadows

abstract:
  A \emph{meadow} is a commutative ring with an inverse operator satisfying
$0^{-1}=0$. We determine the initial algebra of the meadows of characteristic 0
and show that its word problem is decidable.


title: Enhanced Superconductivity in Superlattices of High-$T_c$ Cuprates

abstract:
  The electronic properties of multilayers of strongly correlated models for
cuprate superconductors are investigated using cluster dynamical mean-field
techniques. We focus on combinations of underdoped and overdoped layers and
find that the superconducting order parameter in the overdoped layers is
enhanced by the proximity effect of the strong pairing scale originating from
the underdoped layers. The enhanced order parameter can even exceed the maximum
value in uniform systems. This behavior is well reproduced in slave-boson
mean-field calculations which also find higher transition temperatures than in
the uniform system.


title: Interface evolution: the Hele-Shaw and Muskat problems

abstract:
  We study the dynamics of the interface between two incompressible 2-D flows
where the evolution equation is obtained from Darcy's law. The free boundary is
given by the discontinuity among the densities and viscosities of the fluids.
This physical scenario is known as the two dimensional Muskat problem or the
two-phase Hele-Shaw flow. We prove local-existence in Sobolev spaces when,
initially, the difference of the gradients of the pressure in the normal
direction has the proper sign, an assumption which is also known as the
Rayleigh-Taylor condition.


title:
Thermal destruction of chiral order in a two-dimensional model of
  coupled trihedra

abstract:
  We introduce a minimal model describing the physics of classical
two-dimensional (2D) frustrated Heisenberg systems, where spins order in a
non-planar way at T=0. This model, consisting of coupled trihedra (or
Ising-$\mathbb{R}P^3$ model), encompasses Ising (chiral) degrees of freedom,
spin-wave excitations and $\Z_2$ vortices. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations
show that the T=0 chiral order disappears at finite temperature in a continuous
phase transition in the 2D Ising universality class, despite misleading
intermediate-size effects observed at the transition. The analysis of
configurations reveals that short-range spin fluctuations and $\Z_2$ vortices
proliferate near the chiral domain walls explaining the strong renormalization
of the transition temperature. Chiral domain walls can themselves carry an
unlocalized $\Z_2$ topological charge, and vortices are then preferentially
paired with charged walls. Further, we conjecture that the anomalous
size-effects suggest the proximity of the present model to a tricritical point.
A body of results is presented, that all support this claim: (i) First-order
transitions obtained by Monte Carlo simulations on several related models (ii)
Approximate mapping between the Ising-$\mathbb{R}P^3$ model and a dilute Ising
model (exhibiting a tricritical point) and, finally, (iii) Mean-field results
obtained for Ising-multispin Hamiltonians, derived from the high-temperature
expansion for the vector spins of the Ising-$\mathbb{R}P^3$ model.