title: Planck and reionization history: a model selection view

abstract:
  We use Bayesian model selection tools to forecast the Planck satellite's
ability to distinguish between different models for the reionization history of
the Universe, using the large angular scale signal in the cosmic microwave
background polarization spectrum. We find that Planck is not expected to be
able to distinguish between an instantaneous reionization model and a
two-parameter smooth reionization model, except for extreme values of the
additional reionization parameter. If it cannot, then it will be unable to
distinguish between different two-parameter models either. However, Bayesian
model averaging will be needed to obtain unbiased estimates of the optical
depth to reionization. We also generalize our results to a hypothetical future
cosmic variance limited microwave anisotropy survey, where the outlook is more
optimistic.


title:
Phase diagram of the t-U^2 Hamiltonian of the weak coupling Hubbard
  model

abstract:
  We determine the symmetry of Cooper pairs, on the basis of the perturbation
theory in terms of the Coulomb interaction $U$, for the two-dimensional Hubbard
model on the square lattice. The phase diagram is investigated in detail. The
Hubbard model for small $U$ is mapped onto an effective Hamiltonian with the
attractive interaction using the canonical transformation: $H_{eff}=e^S
He^{-S}$. The gap equation of the weak coupling formulation is solved without
numerical ambiguity to determine the symmetry of Cooper pairs. The
superconducting gap crucially depends on the position of the van Hove
singularity. We show the phase diagram in the plane of the electron filling
$n_e$ and the next nearest-neighbor transfer $t'$. The d-wave pairing is
dominant for the square lattice in a wide range of $n_e$ and $t'$. The d-wave
pairing is also stable for the square lattice with anisotropic $t'$. The
three-band $d$-$p$ model is also investigated, for which the d-wave pairing is
stable in a wide range of $n_e$ and $t_{pp}$ (the transfer between neighboring
oxygen atoms). In the weak coupling analysis, the second-neighbor transfer
parameter $-t'$ could not be so large so that the optimum doping rate is in the
range of $0.8 <n_e <0.9$.


title: Primes in the form $[\alpha p+\beta]$

abstract:
  Let \beta be a real number. Then for almost all irrational \alpha>0 (in the
sense of Lebesgue measure)
  \limsup_{x\to\infty}\pi_{\alpha,\beta}^*(x)(\log x)^2/x>=1, where
\pi_{\alpha,\beta}^*(x)={p<=x: both p and [\alpha p+\beta] are primes}.


title: Kaluza-Klein towers for spinors in flat space

abstract:
  Considering a massive or massless free spinor field propagating in a flat
five dimensional space with its fifth dimension compactified either on a strip
or on a circle, we analyse the procedure of generation of the four dimensional
Kaluza-Klein spinor mass towers. Requiring the five dimensional Dirac operator
to be symmetric, the set of all the allowed boundary conditions is obtained. In
the determination of the boundary conditions and in the Kaluza-Klein reduction
equations, the SO(3,1) and parity invariances in the space-time subspace are
carefully taken into account. The equations determining the mass towers are
written in full generality. A few numerical examples are given.


title: Universe from vacuum in loop-string cosmology

abstract:
  In this paper we study the description of the Universe based on the low
energy superstring theory modified by the Loop Quantum Gravity effects.This
approach was proposed by De Risi et al. in the Phys. Rev. D {\bf 76} (2007)
103531. We show that in the contrast with the string motivated pre-Big Bang
scenario, the cosmological realisation of the $t$-duality transformation is not
necessary to avoid an initial singularity. In the model considered the universe
starts its evolution in the vacuum phase at time $t\to - \infty$. In this phase
the scale factor $a\to 0$, energy density $\rho \to 0$ and coupling of the
interactions $g^2_s \to 0$. After this stage the universe evolves to the
non-singular hot Big Bang phase $\rho \to \rho_{\text{max}} < \infty$. Then the
standard classical universe emerges. During the whole evolution the scale
factor increases monotonically. We solve this model analytically. We also
propose and solve numerically the model with an additional dilaton potential in
which the universe starts the evolution from the asymptotically free vacuum
phase $g^2_s \to 0$ and then evolves non-singularly to the emerging dark energy
dominated phase with the saturated coupling constant $g^2_s \to \text{const}$.


title: Poincare series of filtrations corresponding to ideals on surfaces

abstract:
  Earlier the authors considered and, in some cases, computed Poincare series
of two sorts of multi-index filtrations on the ring of germs of functions on a
complex (normal) surface singularity (in particular on the complex plane). A
filtration from the first class was defined by a curve (with several branches)
on the surface singularity. The other one (so called divisorial filtration) was
defined by a set of components of the exceptional divisor of a modification of
the surface singularity. Here we define a filtration corresponding to an ideal
or to a set of ideals in the ring of germs of functions on a surface
singularity and compute the corresponding Poincare series in some cases. For
the complex plane this notion unites the two classes of filtrations described
above.


title: Nuclear shadowing in the light-cone dipole approach

abstract:
  We study nuclear shadowing at small Bjorken x < 0.01 in the color dipole
approach. Such a light-cone quantum-chromodynamics formalism based on the Green
function technique incorporates naturally color transparency and coherence
length effects. The nuclear shadowing for the barq-q Fock component of the
photon is calculated using exact numerical solution of the evolution equation
for the Green function. At x < 0.01 we demonstrate that a contribution of
higher Fock states containing gluons to overall nuclear shadowing becomes
effective. Numerical results for nuclear shadowing are compared with available
data from the E665 and NMC collaborations. Model calculations are finally
tested with the results obtained from other models.


title: Dye-Sensitized Nanostructured TiO2 Film Based Photoconductor

abstract:
  Grooves were etched in a conductive layer of a conductive, transparent glass,
and a nanoporous TiO2 film was deposited on both the conductive and
nonconductive area. The width of the grooves was 100 $\mu$m and 150 $\mu$m. A
transparent TiO2 film was dye-sensitized, covered with an electrolyte, and
sandwiched with a cover glass. The conductivity of the dye-sensitized TiO2 film
permeated with electrolyte was studied in the dark and under illumination, and
was observed to be dependent on light intensity, wavelength and applied
voltage. This study shows that dye-sensitized nanoporous films can be used as a
wavelength dependent photoconductor.


title: Equivalences between fusion systems of finite groups of Lie type

abstract:
  We prove, for certain pairs G,G of finite groups of Lie type, that the
p-fusion systems for G and G' are equivalent. In other words, there is an
isomorphism between a Sylow p-subgroup of G and one of G' which preserves
p-fusion. This occurs, for example, when G=H(q) and G'=H(q') for a simple Lie
type H, and q and q' are prime powers, both prime to p, which generate the same
closed subgroup of the p-adic units. Our proof uses homotopy theoretic
properties of the p-completed classifying spaces of G and G', and we know of no
purely algebraic proof of this result.


title:
Implementation of the three-qubit phase-flip error correction code with
  superconducting qubits

abstract:
  We investigate the performance of a three qubit error correcting code in the
framework of superconducting qubit implementations. Such a code can recover a
quantum state perfectly in the case of dephasing errors but only in situations
where the dephasing rate is low. Numerical studies in previous work have
however shown that the code does increase the fidelity of the encoded state
even in the presence of high error probability, during both storage and
processing. In this work we give analytical expressions for the fidelity of
such a code. We consider two specific schemes for qubit-qubit interaction
realizable in superconducting systems; one $\sigma_z\sigma_z$-coupling and one
cavity mediated coupling. With these realizations in mind, and considering
errors during storing as well as processing, we calculate the maximum operation
time allowed in order to still benefit from the code. We show that this limit
can be reached with current technology.


title: A Computational Framework for the Near Elimination of Spreadsheet Risk

abstract:
  We present Risk Integrated's Enterprise Spreadsheet Platform (ESP), a
technical approach to the near-elimination of spreadsheet risk in the
enterprise computing environment, whilst maintaining the full flexibility of
spreadsheets for modelling complex financial structures and processes. In its
Basic Mode of use, the system comprises a secure and robust centralised
spreadsheet management framework. In Advanced Mode, the system can be viewed as
a robust computational framework whereby users can "submit jobs" to the
spreadsheet, and retrieve the results from the computations, but with no direct
access to the underlying spreadsheet. An example application, Monte Carlo
simulation, is presented to highlight the benefits of this approach with regard
to mitigating spreadsheet risk in complex, mission-critical, financial
calculations.


title:
An isomorphism between the completion of an Algebra and its Caratheodory
  Extension

abstract:
  Let $\Omega$ denote an algebra of sets and $\mu$ a $\sigma$-finite measure.
We then prove that the completion of $\Omega$ under the pseudometric $d(A,B)$ =
$\mu^{\ast}(A \triangle B)$ is $\sigma$-algebra isomorphic and isometric to the
Caratheodory Extension of $\Omega$ under the equivalence relation $\sim$.


title: Sub-luminous X-ray Bursters Unveiled with INTEGRAL

abstract:
  In 2005 March 22nd, the INTEGRAL satellite caught a type-I X-ray burst from
the unidentified source XMMU J174716.1-281048, serendipitously discovered with
XMM-Newton in 2003. Based on the type-I X-ray burst properties, we derived the
distance of the object and suggested that the system is undergoing a prolonged
accretion episode of many years. We present new data from a Swift/XRT campaign
which strengthen this suggestion. AX J1754.2-2754 was an unclassified source
reported in the ASCA catalogue of the Galactic Centre survey. INTEGRAL observed
a type-I burst from it in 2005, April 16th. Recently, a Swift ToO allowed us to
refine the source position and establish its persistent nature.


title:
TellTable Spreadsheet Audit: from Technical Possibility to Operating
  Prototype

abstract:
  At the 2003 EuSpRIG meeting, we presented a framework and software
infrastructure to generate and analyse an audit trail for a spreadsheet file.
This report describes the results of a pilot implementation of this software
(now called TellTable; see www.telltable.com), along with developments in the
server infrastructure and availability, extensions to other "Office Suite"
files, integration of the audit tool into the server interface, and related
developments, licensing and reports. We continue to seek collaborators and
partners in what is primarily an open-source project with some shared-source
components.


title:
Weighted empirical likelihood in some two-sample semiparametric models
  with various types of censored data

abstract:
  In this article, the weighted empirical likelihood is applied to a general
setting of two-sample semiparametric models, which includes biased sampling
models and case-control logistic regression models as special cases. For
various types of censored data, such as right censored data, doubly censored
data, interval censored data and partly interval-censored data, the weighted
empirical likelihood-based semiparametric maximum likelihood estimator
$(\tilde{\theta}_n,\tilde{F}_n)$ for the underlying parameter $\theta_0$ and
distribution $F_0$ is derived, and the strong consistency of
$(\tilde{\theta}_n,\tilde{F}_n)$ and the asymptotic normality of
$\tilde{\theta}_n$ are established. Under biased sampling models, the weighted
empirical log-likelihood ratio is shown to have an asymptotic scaled
chi-squared distribution for censored data aforementioned. For right censored
data, doubly censored data and partly interval-censored data, it is shown that
$\sqrt{n}(\tilde{F}_n-F_0)$ weakly converges to a centered Gaussian process,
which leads to a consistent goodness-of-fit test for the case-control logistic
regression models.


title: On the performances of a new thresholding procedure using tree structure

abstract:
  This paper deals with the problem of function estimation. Using the white
noise model setting, we provide a method to construct a new wavelet procedure
based on thresholding rules which takes advantage of the dyadic structure of
the wavelet decomposition. We prove that this new procedure performs very well
since, on the one hand, it is adaptive and near-minimax over a large class of
Besov spaces and, on the other hand, the maximal functional space (maxiset)
where this procedure attains a given rate of convergence is very large. More
than this, by studying the shape of its maxiset, we prove that the new
procedure outperforms the hard thresholding procedure.


title:
A Novel Approach to Formulae Production and Overconfidence Measurement
  to Reduce Risk in Spreadsheet Modelling

abstract:
  Research on formulae production in spreadsheets has established the practice
as high risk yet unrecognised as such by industry. There are numerous software
applications that are designed to audit formulae and find errors. However these
are all post creation, designed to catch errors before the spreadsheet is
deployed. As a general conclusion from EuSpRIG 2003 conference it was decided
that the time has come to attempt novel solutions based on an understanding of
human factors. Hence in this paper we examine one such possibility namely a
novel example driven modelling approach. We discuss a control experiment that
compares example driven modelling against traditional approaches over several
progressively more difficult tests. The results are very interesting and
certainly point to the value of further investigation of the example driven
potential. Lastly we propose a method for statistically analysing the problem
of overconfidence in spreadsheet modellers.


title: Analysis of angular distributions in gamma N \to pi0 eta N

abstract:
  Angular distributions in the final state of pi0-eta photoproduction on
nucleons are considered. As a formal base the familiar isobar model is used in
which the (pi0 eta N) state is a product of the resonance decay into
eta-Delta(1232) and pi-S_{11}(1535) channels. One of the principal assumptions
used is that in the actual energy region the reaction is dominated by a single
resonance state. The developed formalism can serve as a tool for testing spin
and parity of that resonance.


title:
Equisingularity of families of hypersurfaces and applications to
  mappings

abstract:
  In the study of equisingularity of isolated singularities we have the
classical theorem of Briancon, Speder and Teissier which states that a family
of isolated hypersurface singularities is Whitney equisingular if and only if
the mu^*-sequence for a hypersurface is constant in the family.
  In this paper we generalize to non-isolated hypersurface singularities. By
assuming non-contractibility of strata of a Whitney stratification of the
non-isolated singularities outside the origin we show that Whitney
equisingularity of a family is equivalent to constancy of a certain selection
of invariants from two distinct generalizations of the mu^*-sequence.
Applications of this theorem to equisingularity of more general mappings are
given.


title: Nanomechanical squeezing with detection via a microwave cavity

abstract:
  We study a parametrically-driven nanomechanical resonator capacitively
coupled to a microwave cavity. If the nanoresonator can be cooled to near its
quantum ground state then quantum squeezing of a quadrature of the
nanoresonator motion becomes feasible. We consider the adiabatic limit in which
the cavity mode is slaved to the nanoresonator mode. By driving the cavity on
its red-detuned sideband, the squeezing can be coupled into the microwave field
at the cavity resonance. The red-detuned sideband drive is also compatible with
the goal of ground state cooling. Squeezing of the output microwave field may
be inferred using a technique similar to that used to infer squeezing of the
field produced by a Josephson parametric amplifier, and subsequently, squeezing
of the nanoresonator motion may be inferred. We have calculated the output
field microwave squeezing spectra and related this to squeezing of the
nanoresonator motion, both at zero and finite temperature. Driving the cavity
on the blue-detuned sideband, and on both the blue and red sidebands, have also
been considered within the same formalism.


title: A simple SO(10) GUT in five dimensions

abstract:
  A simple supersymmetric SO(10) GUT in five dimensions is considered. The
fifth dimension is compactified on the $S^1/(Z_2\times Z_2^\prime)$ orbifold
possessing two inequivalent fixed points. In our setup, all matter and Higgs
multiplets reside on one brane (PS brane) where the original SO(10) gauge group
is broken down to the Pati-Salam (PS) gauge group, SU(4)$_c \timesSU(2)_L
\times$ SU(2)$_R$, by the orbifold boundary condition, while only the SO(10)
gauge multiplet resides in the bulk. The further breaking of the PS symmetry to
the Standard Model gauge group is realized by Higgs multiplets on the PS brane
as usual in four dimensional models. Proton decay is fully suppressed. In our
simple setup, the gauge coupling unification is realized after incorporating
threshold corrections of Kaluza-Klein modes. When supersymmetry is assumed to
be broken on the other brane, supersymmetry breaking is transmitted to the PS
brane through the gaugino mediation with the bulk gauge multiplet.


title:
Connecting the Physical Properties of Galaxies with the Overdensity and
  Tidal Shear of the Large-Scale Environment

abstract:
  We have examined the correlations between the large-scale environment of
galaxies and their physical properties, using a sample of 28,354 nearby
galaxies drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the large-scale tidal
field reconstructed in real space from the 2Mass Redshift Survey and smoothed
over a radius of $\sim 6 h^{-1}$Mpc. The large-scale environment is expressed
in terms of the overdensity, the ellipticity of the shear and the type of the
large-scale structure. The physical properties analyzed include $r$-band
absolute magnitude $M_{^{0.1}r}$, stellar mass $M_\ast$, $g-r$ colour,
concentration parameter $R_{90}/R_{50}$ and surface stellar mass density
$\mu_\ast$.
  Both luminosity and stellar mass are found to be statistically linked to the
large-scale environment, regardless of how the environment is quantified. More
luminous (massive) galaxies reside preferentially in the regions with higher
densities, lower ellipticities and halo-like structures. At fixed luminosity,
the large-scale overdensity depends strongly on parameters related to the
recent star formation history, that is colour and D(4000), but is almost
independent of the structural parameters $R_{90}/R_{50}$ and $\mu_\ast$. All
the physical properties are statistically linked to the shear of the
large-scale environment even when the large-scale density is constrained to a
narrow range. This statistical link has been found to be most significant in
the quasi-linear regions where the large-scale density approximates to an order
of unity, but no longer significant in highly nonlinear regimes with
$\delta_{\rm LS}\gg 1$.


title:
Entanglement of two distant Bose-Einstein condensates by detection of
  Bragg-scattered photons

abstract:
  We show that it is possible to generate entanglement between two distant
Bose-Einstein condensates by detection of Hanbury Brown-Twiss type correlations
in photons Bragg-scattered by the condensates. Upon coincident detection of two
photons by two detectors, the projected joint state of two condensates is shown
to be non-Gaussian. We verify the existence of entanglement by showing that the
partially transposed state is negative. Further we use the inequality in terms
of higher order moments to confirm entanglement. Our proposed scheme can be
generalized for multiple condensates and also for spinor condensates with Bragg
scattering of polarized light with the latter capable of producing hyper
entanglement.


title: Quantum Conductance of Achiral Graphene Ribbons and Carbon Nanotubes

abstract:
  Explicit expressions of the band spectrum near the neutrality point for
armchair and zigzag graphene ribbons and carbon nanotubes were derived based on
a tight-binding macromolecule model of graphene. The obtained dispersion
relations are used to determine and compare the conductance ladders of these
structures and are beneficial for many other applications. Our results are
different in many respects from previously reported data. This new information
forms a solid reliable basis for evaluation of the potential of graphene
nanoelectronic devices.


title:
High-resolution synchrotron XRD study of Zr-rich compositions of
  Pb(Zr_xTi_1-x)O_3 (0.525\leq x \leq 0.60): evidence for the absence of the
  rhombohedral phase

abstract:
  Results of Rietveld analysis of the synchrotron XRD data on Pb(Zr_xTi_1-x)O_3
(PZT) for 0.525\leqx\leq0.60 are presented to show the absence of rhombohedral
phase on the Zr-rich side of the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). Our results
reveal that the structure of PZT is monoclinic in the Cm space group for
0.525\leq x\leq 0.60. The nature of the monoclinic distortion changes from
pseudo-tetragonal for 0.525\leqx\leq0.54 to pseudo-rhombohedral for x>0.54.


title: Unimodular L-infinity algebras

abstract:
  We give a new short proof that the wheeled operad of unimodular Lie algebras
is Koszul and use this to explicitly construct its minimal resolution. A
representation of this resolution in a finite dimensional vector space V we
call a unimodular L-infinity algebra. Such a structure corresponds to a
homological vector field on V together with an invariant measure. We present
explicit formulae for homotopy transferred structures, define the deformation
complex and give a cohomological obstruction to the extension of an arbitrary
structure of finite dimensional L-infinity algebra to a structure of unimodular
L-infinity algebra.


title:
WiFly: experimenting with Wireless Sensor Networks and Virtual
  coordinates

abstract:
  Experimentation is important when designing communication protocols for
Wireless Sensor Networks. Lower-layers have a major impact on upper-layer
performance, and the complexity of the phenomena can not be entirely captured
by analysis or simulation. In this report, we go through the complete process,
from designing an energy-efficient self-organizing communication architecture
(MAC, routing and application layers) to real-life experimentation roll-outs.
The presented communication architecture includes a MAC protocol which avoids
building and maintaining neighborhood tables, and a geographically-inspired
routing protocol over virtual coordinates. The application consists of a mobile
sink interrogating a wireless sensor network based on the requests issued by a
disconnected base station. After the design process of this architecture, we
verify it functions correctly by simulation, and we perform a temporal
verification. This study is needed to calculate the maximum speed the mobile
sink can take. We detail the implementation, and the results of the off-site
experimentation (energy consumption at PHY layer, collision probability at MAC
layer, and routing). Finally, we report on the real-world deployment where we
have mounted the mobile sink node on a radio-controlled airplane.


title: Simultaneous X-ray/radio observations of Cir X-1

abstract:
  We analysed simultaneous X-ray/radio observations of Circinus X-1 collected
respectively with RXTE and ATCA in 2000 October and 2002 December and
identified radio flares close to phase 0.0 and 0.5 of the orbital period. To
date, there is only circumstantial evidence for radio flares near phase 0.5.
Moreover, in our data set, we clearly associated both a radio flare and X-ray
spectral timing changes with phase 0.0. While for black hole X-ray binaries the
picture of the association between the X-ray and the radio bands is quite well
understood, for neutron star X-ray binaries a clear and complete picture is
still missing.


title: Copolymers at selective interfaces: new bounds on the phase diagram

abstract:
  We investigate the phase diagram of disordered copolymers at the interface
between two selective solvents, and in particular its weak-coupling behavior,
encoded in the slope $m_c$ of the critical line at the origin. In mathematical
terms, the partition function of such a model does not depend on all the
details of the Markov chain that models the polymer, but only on the time
elapsed between successive returns to zero and on whether the walk is in the
upper or lower half plane between such returns. This observation leads to a
natural generalization of the model, in terms of arbitrary laws of return
times: the most interesting case being the one of return times with power law
tails (with exponent 1+alpha, alpha=1/2 in the case of the symmetric random
walk). The main results we present here are:
  1. The improvement of the known result 1/(1+alpha) smaller or equal to m_c
smaller or equal to 1, as soon as alpha >1 for what concerns the upper bound,
and down to alpha = 0.65 for the lower bound.
  2. A proof of the fact that the critical curve lies strictly below the
critical curve of the annealed model for every non-zero value of the coupling
parameter.
  We also provide an argument that rigorously shows the strong dependence of
the phase diagram on the details of the return probability (and not only on the
tail behavior). Lower bounds are obtained by exhibiting a new localization
strategy, while upper bounds are based on estimates of non-integer moments of
the partition function.


title: Single- and Multichannel Wave Bending

abstract:
  Recently, we have discovered a new concept of permanent wave resonance with
potential spatial oscillations. This means the constant wave swinging frequency
on the whole energy intervals of spectral forbidden zones destroying physical
solutions and deepening the theory of waves in periodic potentials. It also
shows the other side of strengthening the fundamentally important magic nuclear
structures. A new language of wave bending will be presented to enrich our
quantum intuition, e.g., the paradoxical effective attraction of barriers and
repulsion of wells in multichannel systems.


title:
Uncertainties in H2 and HD Chemistry and Cooling and their Role in Early
  Structure Formation

abstract:
  At low temperatures, the main coolant in primordial gas is molecular
hydrogen, H2. Recent work has shown that primordial gas that is not collapsing
gravitationally but is cooling from an initially ionized state forms hydrogen
deuteride, HD, in sufficient amounts to cool the gas to the temperature of the
cosmic microwave background. This extra cooling can reduce the characteristic
mass for gravitational fragmentation and may cause a shift in the
characteristic masses of population III stars. Motivated by the importance of
the atomic and molecular data for the cosmological question, we assess several
chemical and radiative processes that have hitherto been neglected: the
sensitivity of the low temperature H2 cooling rate to the ratio of ortho-H2 to
para-H2, the uncertainty in the low temperature cooling rate of H2 excited by
collisions with H, the effects of cooling from H2 excited by collisions with H+
and e-, and the large uncertainties in the rates of several of the reactions
responsible for determining the H2 fraction in the gas.
  We show that the most important of the neglected processes is the excitation
of H2 by collisions with protons and electrons. This cools the gas more rapidly
at early times, and so it forms less H2 and HD at late times. This fact, as
well as several of the chemical uncertainties presented here, significantly
affects the thermal evolution of the gas. We anticipate that this may lead to
clear differences in future detailed 3D studies of first structure formation.
Finally, we show that although the thermal evolution of the gas is in principle
sensitive to the ortho-para ratio, in practice the standard assumption of a 3:1
ratio produces results that are almost indistinguishable from those produced by
a more detailed treatment. (abridged)


title: Stock price jumps: news and volume play a minor role

abstract:
  In order to understand the origin of stock price jumps, we cross-correlate
high-frequency time series of stock returns with different news feeds. We find
that neither idiosyncratic news nor market wide news can explain the frequency
and amplitude of price jumps. We find that the volatility patterns around jumps
and around news are quite different: jumps are followed by increased
volatility, whereas news tend on average to be followed by lower volatility
levels. The shape of the volatility relaxation is also markedly different in
the two cases. Finally, we provide direct evidence that large transaction
volumes are_not_ responsible for large price jumps. We conjecture that most
price jumps are induced by order flow fluctuations close to the point of
vanishing liquidity.


title: Case study: calculation of a narrow resonance with the LIT method

abstract:
  The possibility to resolve narrow structures in reaction cross sections in
calculations with the Lorentz integral transform (LIT) method is studied. To
this end we consider a fictitious two-nucleon problem with a low-lying and
narrow resonance in the $^3P_1$ nucleon-nucleon partial wave and calculate the
corresponding ``deuteron photoabsorption cross section''. In the LIT method the
use of continuum wave functions is avoided and one works instead with a
localized function \tilde\Psi. In this case study it is investigated how far
into the asymptotic region \tilde\Psi has to be determined in order to obtain a
precise resolution of the artificially introduced E1 resonance. Comparing with
the results of a conventional calculation with explicit neutron-proton
continuum wave functions it is shown that the LIT approach leads to an
excellent reproduction of the cross section in the resonance region and of
further finer cross section details at higher energies. To this end, however,
for \tilde\Psi one has to take into account two-nucleon distances up to at
least 30 fm.


title: Full Stabilization of a Microresonator based Optical Frequency Comb

abstract:
  We demonstrate control and stabilization of an optical frequency comb
generated by four-wave mixing in a monolithic microresonator with a mode
spacing in the microwave regime (86 GHz). The comb parameters (mode spacing and
offset frequency) are controlled via the power and the frequency of the pump
laser, which constitutes one of the comb modes. Furthermore, generation of a
microwave beat note at the comb's mode spacing frequency is presented, enabling
direct stabilization to a microwave frequency standard.


title:
An Infrared Survey of Brightest Cluster Galaxies. II: Why are Some
  Brightest Cluster Galaxies Forming Stars?

abstract:
  Quillen et al.(2007) presented an imaging survey with the {\it Spitzer Space
Telescope} of 62 brightest cluster galaxies with optical line emission located
in the cores of X-ray luminous clusters. They found that at least half of these
sources have signs of excess infrared emission. Here we discuss the nature of
the IR emission and its implications for cool core clusters. The strength of
the mid-IR excess emission correlates with the luminosity of the optical
emission lines. Excluding the four systems dominated by an AGN, the excess
mid-infrared emission in the remaining brightest cluster galaxies is likely
related to star formation. The mass of molecular gas (estimated from CO
observations) is correlated with the IR luminosity as found for normal star
forming galaxies. The gas depletion time scale is about 1 Gyr. The physical
extent of the infrared excess is consistent with that of the optical emission
line nebulae. This supports the hypothesis that the star formation occurs in
molecular gas associated with the emission line nebulae and with evidence that
the emission line nebulae are mainly powered by ongoing star formation. We find
a correlation between mass deposition rates (${\dot M}_X$) estimated from the
X-ray emission and the star formation rate estimated from the infrared
luminosity. The star formation rates are 1/10 to 1/100 of the mass deposition
rates suggesting that the re-heating of the ICM is generally very effective in
reducing the amount of mass cooling from the hot phase but not eliminating it
completely.


title: Complex cooperative networks from evolutionary preferential attachment

abstract:
  In spite of its relevance to the origin of complex networks, the interplay
between form and function and its role during network formation remains largely
unexplored. While recent studies introduce dynamics by considering rewiring
processes of a pre-existent network, we study network growth and formation by
proposing an evolutionary preferential attachment model, its main feature being
that the capacity of a node to attract new links depends on a dynamical
variable governed in turn by the node interactions. As a specific example, we
focus on the problem of the emergence of cooperation by analyzing the formation
of a social network with interactions given by the Prisoner's Dilemma. The
resulting networks show many features of real systems, such as scale-free
degree distributions, cooperative behavior and hierarchical clustering.
Interestingly, results such as the cooperators being located mostly on nodes of
intermediate degree are very different from the observations of cooperative
behavior on static networks. The evolutionary preferential attachment mechanism
points to an evolutionary origin of scale-free networks and may help understand
similar feedback problems in the dynamics of complex networks by appropriately
choosing the game describing the interaction of nodes.


title:
Disorder-induced trapping versus Anderson localization in Bose-Einstein
  condensates expanding in disordered potentials

abstract:
  We theoretically investigate the localization of an expanding Bose-Einstein
condensate with repulsive atom-atom interactions in a disordered potential. We
focus on the regime where the initial inter-atomic interactions dominate over
the kinetic energy and the disorder. At equilibrium in a trapping potential and
for small disorder, the condensate shows a Thomas-Fermi shape modified by the
disorder. When the condensate is released from the trap, a strong suppression
of the expansion is obtained in contrast to the situation in a periodic
potential with similar characteristics. This effect crucially depends on both
the momentum distribution of the expanding BEC and the strength of the
disorder. For strong disorder, the suppression of the expansion results from
the fragmentation of the core of the condensate and from classical reflections
from large modulations of the disordered potential in the tails of the
condensate. We identify the corresponding disorder-induced trapping scenario
for which large atom-atom interactions and strong reflections from single
modulations of the disordered potential play central roles. For weak disorder,
the suppression of the expansion signals the onset of Anderson localization,
which is due to multiple scattering from the modulations of the disordered
potential. We compute analytically the localized density profile of the
condensate and show that the localization crucially depends on the correlation
function of the disorder. In particular, for speckle potentials the long-range
correlations induce an effective mobility edge in 1D finite systems. Numerical
calculations performed in the mean-field approximation support our analysis for
both strong and weak disorder.


title:
Existence and stability of static shells for the Vlasov-Poisson System
  with a fixed central point mass

abstract:
  We consider the Vlasov-Poisson system with spherical symmetry and an exterior
potential which is induced by a point mass in the center. This system can be
used as a simple model for a newtonian galaxy surrounding a black hole. For
this system, we establish a global existence result for classical solutions
with shell-like initial data, i.e. the support of the density is bounded away
from the point mass singularity. We also prove existence and stability of
stationary solutions which describe static shells, where we use a variational
approach which was established by Y. Guo and G. Rein.


title: Separation of Variables in the open XXX chain

abstract:
  We apply the Sklyanin method of separation of variables to the reflection
algebra underlying the open spin-1/2 XXX chain with non-diagonal boundary
fields. The spectral problem can be formulated in terms of a TQ-equation which
leads to the known Bethe equations for boundary parameters satisfying a
constraint. For generic boundary parameters we study the asymptotic behaviour
of the solutions of the TQ-equation.


title: Dual parameterization and Abel transform tomography for twist-3 DVCS

abstract:
  We derive dual parameterization for the DVCS amplitude to the twist-3
accuracy. The relation of the dual parameterization to the Abel transform
tomography for amplitudes of hard exclusive processes is elaborated. We prove
dispersion relations for the twist-3 DVCS amplitude in the Wandzura -- Wilczek
approximation and show that the subtraction constant is given by the D-term
form factor. The same as in the case of twist-2 DVCS amplitude.


title: Extended Reduction Criterion and Lattice States

abstract:
  We study a particular class of states of a bipartite system consisting of two
4-level parties. By means of an adapted extended reduction criterion we
associate their entanglement properties to the geometric patterns of a planar
lattice consisting of 16 points.


title:
Time-frequency analysis of Transitory/Permanent frequency decrease in
  civil engineering structures during earthquakes

abstract:
  The analysis of strong motion recordings in structures is crucial to
understand the damaging process during earthquakes. A very precise
time-frequency representation, the reassigned smoothed pseudo-Wigner-Ville
method, allowed us to follow the variation of the Millikan Library (California)
and the Grenoble City Hall building (France) resonance frequencies during
earthquakes. Under strong motions, a quick frequency drop, attributed to damage
of the soil-structure system, followed by a slower increase is found. However,
in the case of weak earthquakes, we show that frequency variations come from
the ground motion spectrum and cannot be interpreted in terms of change of the
soil-structure system.


title: Existence and uniqueness results for a nonlinear stationary system

abstract:
  We prove a few existence results of a solution for a static system with a
coupling of thermoviscoelastic type. As this system involves $L^1$ coupling
terms we use the techniques of renormalized solutions for elliptic equations
with $L^1$ data. We also prove partial uniqueness results.


title: Nonlinear and non-coercive elliptic problems with integrable data

abstract:
  In this paper we study existence and uniqueness of renormalized solution to
the following problem $\lambda (x,u) -div a(x,Du) +\Phi (x,u)) =f$ with $f$ in
$L^1$ and with Dirichlet-Neumann boundary condition. The main difficulty in
this task is that in general the operator entering in the above equation is not
coercive in a Sobolev space. Moreover, the possible degenerate character of
$\lambda$ with respect to $u$ renders more complex the proof of uniqueness for
integrable data $f$.


title:
Reflected Light from Sand Grains in the Terrestrial Zone of a
  Protoplanetary Disk

abstract:
  We show that grains have grown to ~mm size (sand sized) or larger in the
terrestrial zone (within ~3 AU) of the protoplanetary disk surrounding the 3
Myr old binary star KH 15D. We also argue that the reflected light in the
system reaches us by back scattering off the far side of the same ring whose
near side causes the obscuration.


title:
Remarks on the uniqueness of comparable renormalized solutions of
  elliptic equations with measure data

abstract:
  We give a partial uniqueness result concerning comparable renormalized
solutions of the nonlinear elliptic problem $-\diw(\aop(x,Du))=\mu$ in
$\Omega$, $u=0$ on $\partial\Omega$, where $\mu$ is a Radon measure with
bounded variation on $\Omega$.


title: On the blow-up problem for the axisymmetric 3D Euler equations

abstract:
  In this paper we study the finite time blow-up problem for the axisymmetric
3D incompressible Euler equations with swirl. The evolution equations for the
deformation tensor and the vorticity are reduced considerably in this case.
Under the assumption of local minima for the pressure on the axis of symmetry
with respect to the radial variations we show that the solution blows-up in
finite time. If we further assume that the second radial derivative vanishes on
the axis, then system reduces to the form of Constantin-Lax-Majda equations,
and can be integrated explicitly.


title:
r-Process Nucleosynthesis in Hot Accretion Disk Flows from Black Hole -
  Neutron Star Mergers

abstract:
  We consider hot accretion disk outflows from black hole - neutron star
mergers in the context of the nucleosynthesis they produce. We begin with a
three dimensional numerical model of a black hole - neutron star merger and
calculate the neutrino and antineutrino fluxes emitted from the resulting
accretion disk. We then follow the element synthesis in material outflowing the
disk along parameterized trajectories. We find that at least a weak r-process
is produced, and in some cases a main r-process as well. The neutron-rich
conditions required for this production of r-process nuclei stem directly from
the interactions of the neutrinos emitted by the disk with the free neutrons
and protons in the outflow.


title:
What can be learned from the Belle spectrum for the decay tau- -> nu_tau
  K_S pi-

abstract:
  A theoretical description of the differential decay spectrum for the decay
tau- -> nu_tau K_S pi-, which is based on the contributing K pi vector and
scalar form factors F_+^{K pi}(s) and F_0^{K pi}(s) being calculated in the
framework of resonance chiral theory (R$\chi$T), additionally imposing
constraints from dispersion relations as well as short distance QCD, provides a
good representation of a recent measurement of the spectrum by the Belle
collaboration. Our fit allows to deduce the total branching fraction B[tau- ->
nu_tau K_S pi-] = 0.427 +- 0.024 % by integrating the spectrum, as well as the
K^* resonance parameters M_{K^*} = 895.3 +- 0.2 MeV and Gamma_{K^*} = 47.5 +-
0.4 MeV, where the last two errors are statistical only. From our fits, we
confirm that the scalar form factor F_0^{K pi}(s) is required to provide a good
description, but we were unable to further constrain this contribution.
Finally, from our results for the vector form factor F_+^{K pi}(s), we update
the corresponding slope and curvature parameters lambda'_+ = (25.2 +-
0.3)*10^{-3} and lambda''_+ = (12.9 +- 0.3)*10^{-4}, respectively.


title: Hadronization, spin, and lifetimes

abstract:
  Measurements of lifetimes can be done in two ways. For very short lived
particles, the width can be measured. For long lived ones, the lifetime can be
directly measured, for example, using a displaced vertex. Practically, the
lifetime cannot be extracted for particles with intermediate lifetimes. We show
that for such cases information about the lifetime can be extracted for heavy
colored particles that can be produced with known polarization. For example, a
$t$-like particle with intermediate lifetime hadronizes into a superposition of
the lowest two hadronic states, $T^*$ and $T$ (the equivalent of $B^*$ and
$B$). Depolarization effects are governed by time scales that are much longer
than the hadronization time scale, $\lqcd^{-1}$. After a time of order
$1/\Delta m$, with $\Delta m \equiv m(T^*)-m(T)$, half of the initial
polarization is lost. The polarization is totally lost after a time of order
$1/\Gamma_{\gamma}$, with $\Gamma_{\gamma}= \Gamma(T^*\to T\gamma)$. Thus, by
comparing the initial and final polarization, we get information on the
particle's lifetime.


title: The finite time blow-up for the Euler-Poisson equations in $\Bbb R^n$

abstract:
  We prove the finite time blow-up for $C^1$ solutions to the Euler-Poisson
equations in $\Bbb R^n$, $n\geq 1$, with/without background density for initial
data satisfying suitable conditions. We also find a sufficient condition for
the initial data such that $C^3$ solution breaks down in finite time for the
compressible Euler equations for polytropic gas flows.


title:
A Nexafs Study of Nitric Oxide Layers Adsorbed from a nitrite Solution
  onto a Pt(111) Surface

abstract:
  NO molecules adsorbed on a Pt(111) surface from dipping in an acidic nitrite
solution are studied by near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy
(NEXAFS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low energy electron
diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) techniques. LEED
patterns and STM images show that no long range ordered structures are formed
after NO adsorption on a Pt(111) surface. Although the total NO coverage is
very low, spectroscopic features in N K-edge and O K-edge absorption spectra
have been singled out and related to the different species induced by this
preparation method. From these measurements it is concluded that the NO
molecule is adsorbed trough the N atom in an upright conformation. The maximum
saturation coverage is about 0.3 monolayers, and although nitric oxide is the
major component, nitrite and nitrogen species are slightly co-adsorbed on the
surface. The results obtained from this study are compared with those
previously reported in the literature for NO adsorbed on Pt(111) under UHV
conditions.


title: Can OPERA help in constraining neutrino non-standard interactions?

abstract:
  We study how much the unique ability of the OPERA experiment to directly
detect \nu_\tau can help in probing new, non-standard contact interactions of
the third family of neutrinos. We perform a combined analysis of future,
high-statistics MINOS and OPERA data. For the case of non-standard interactions
in \nu_\mu to \nu_e transitions we also include the impact of possible
DoubleCHOOZ data. In all cases we find that the \nu_\tau sample of OPERA is too
small to be statistically significant, even if one doubles the nominal exposure
of OPERA to 4.5E20 pot. OPERA's real benefit for this measurement lies in its
very high neutrino energy and hence very different L/E compared to MINOS.


title:
Dynamical Energy Analysis - determining wave energy distributions in
  complex vibro-acoustical structures

abstract:
  We propose a new approach towards determining the distribution of mechanical
and acoustic wave energy in complex built-up structures. The technique
interpolates between standard Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) and full ray
tracing containing both these methods as limiting case. By writing the flow of
ray trajectories in terms of linear phase space operators, it is suggested here
to reformulate ray-tracing algorithms in terms of boundary operators containing
only short ray segments. SEA can now be identified as a low resolution ray
tracing algorithm and typical SEA assumptions can be quantified in terms of the
properties of the ray dynamics. The new technique presented here enhances the
range of applicability of standard SEA considerably by systematically
incorporating dynamical correlations wherever necessary. Some of the
inefficiencies inherent in typical ray tracing methods can be avoided using
only a limited amount of the geometrical ray information. The new dynamical
theory - Dynamical Energy Analysis (DEA) - thus provides a universal approach
towards determining wave energy distributions in complex structures.


title: On the Raman shift in nanosized crystals

abstract:
  An analytical form of the Raman shift dependence on size of nanocrystals is
presented. Based on the hard confinement model, it works in those cases where
the average phonon curve shows a quadratic dependence on the phonon
quasi-momentum in the range of interest.


title: Dynamical Aspects of 2D Quantum Percolation

abstract:
  The existence of a quantum percolation threshold p_q<1 in the 2D quantum
site-percolation problem has been a controversial issue for a long time. By
means of a highly efficient Chebyshev expansion technique we investigate
numerically the time evolution of particle states on finite disordered square
lattices with system sizes not reachable up to now. After a careful finite-size
scaling, our results for the particle's recurrence probability and the
distribution function of the local particle density give evidence that indeed
extended states exist in the 2D percolation model for p<1.


title:
Suppression of exciton dephasing in quantum dots through ultrafast
  multipulse control

abstract:
  We investigate the usefulness and viability of the scheme developed by Viola
and Lloyd [Phys. Rev. A 58, 2733 (1998)] to control dephasing in the context of
exciton-based quantum computation with self-assembled quantum dots. We
demonstrate that optical coherence of a confined exciton qubit exposed to
phonon-induced dephasing can be substantially enhanced through the application
of a simple periodic sequence of control pulses. The shape of the quantum dot
has a significant effect on the dephasing properties. Remarkably, we find that
quantum dots with parameters optimized for implementing quantum computation are
among the most susceptible to dephasing, yet periodic decoupling is most
efficient for exactly that type of dot. We also show that the presence of an
electric field, which is a necessary ingredient for many exciton-based quantum
computing schemes, may further increase the control efficiency. Our results
suggest that dynamical decoupling may be a method of choice for robust storage
of exciton qubits during idle stages of quantum algorithms.


title: The search for Primordial Quark Nuggets among Near Earth Asteroids

abstract:
  Primordial Quark Nuggets,remnants of the quark-hadron phase transition, may
be hiding most of the baryon number in superdense chunks have been discussed
for years always from the theoretical point of view. While they seemed
originally fragile at intermediate cosmological temperatures, it became
increasingly clear that they may survive due to a variety of effects affecting
their evaporation (surface and volume) rates. A search of these objects have
never been attempted to elucidate their existence. We discuss in this note how
to search directly for cosmological fossil nuggets among the small asteroids
approaching the Earth. ``Asteroids'' with a high visible-to-infrared flux
ratio, constant lightcurves and devoid of spectral features are signals of an
actual possible nugget nature. A viable search of very definite primordial
quark nugget features can be conducted as a spinoff of the ongoing/forthcoming
NEAs observation programmes.


title: Correlating the WFC and the IBIS hard X-ray surveys

abstract:
  During the operational life of BeppoSax, the Wide Field Camera observations
covered almost the full sky at different epochs. The energy coverage, wide
field of view and imaging capabilities share many commonalities with IBIS, the
gamma-ray telescope onboard INTEGRAL satellite. We mosaicked all the available
single pointing WFC observation images and then we searched the map for
persistent and transient sources as has been done for the IBIS survey. This
work represents the first unbiased source list compilation produced in this way
from the overall WFC data set.


title:
A FDR-preserving field theory of glass transition in terms of the
  fluctuating hydrodynamics

abstract:
  A field theoretical method for the fluctuating hydrodynamics with preserving
fluctuation-dissipation relations (FDR) is reformulated. It is shown that the
long time behavior within the first-loop order perturbation under the
assumption that the correlations include the momentum decay fast enough, is
equivalent to that for the standard mode-coupling theory.


title: Three-point vertices in Landau-gauge Yang-Mills theory

abstract:
  Vertices are of central importance for constructing QCD bound states out of
the individual constituents of the theory, i.e. quarks and gluons. In
particular, the determination of three-point vertices is crucial in
non-perturbative investigations of QCD. We use numerical simulations of lattice
gauge theory to obtain results for the 3-point vertices in Landau-gauge SU(2)
Yang-Mills theory in three and four space-time dimensions for various kinematic
configurations. In all cases considered, the ghost-gluon vertex is found to be
essentially tree-level-like, while the three-gluon vertex is suppressed at
intermediate momenta. For the smallest physical momenta, reachable only in
three dimensions, we find that some of the three-gluon-vertex tensor structures
change sign.


title:
Dynamics and stability of Bose-Einstein condensates with attractive 1/r
  interaction

abstract:
  The time-dependent extended Gross-Pitaevskii equation for Bose-Einstein
condensates with attractive 1/r interaction is investigated with both a
variational approach and numerically exact calculations. We show that these
condensates exhibit signatures known from the nonlinear dynamics of autonomous
Hamiltonian systems. The two stationary solutions created in a tangent
bifurcation at a critical value of the scattering length are identified as
elliptical and hyperbolical fixed points, corresponding to stable and unstable
stationary states of the condensate. The stable stationary state is surrounded
by elliptical islands, corresponding to condensates periodically oscillating in
time, whereas condensate wave functions in the unstable region undergo a
collapse within finite time. For negative scattering lengths below the tangent
bifurcation no stationary solutions exist, i.e., the condensate is always
unstable and collapses.


title: Sociophysics: A review of Galam models

abstract:
  We review a series of models of sociophysics introduced by Galam and Galam et
al in the last 25 years. The models are divided in five different classes,
which deal respectively with democratic voting in bottom up hierarchical
systems, decision making, fragmentation versus coalitions, terrorism and
opinion dynamics. For each class the connexion to the original physical model
and technics are outlined underlining both the similarities and the
differences. Emphasis is put on the numerous novel and counterintuitive results
obtained with respect to the associated social and political framework. Using
these models several major real political events were successfully predicted
including the victory of the French extreme right party in the 2000 first round
of French presidential elections, the voting at fifty - fifty in several
democratic countries (Germany, Italy, Mexico), and the victory of the no to the
2005 French referendum on the European constitution. The perspectives and the
challenges to make sociophysics a predictive solid field of science are
discussed.


title: Exact Microscopic Entropy of Non-Supersymmetric Extremal Black Rings

abstract:
  In this brief note we show that the horizon entropy of the largest known
class of non-supersymmetric extremal black rings, with up to six parameters, is
exactly reproduced for all values of the ring radius using the same conformal
field theory of the four-charge four-dimensional black hole. A particularly
simple case is a dipole black ring without any conserved charges. The mass gets
renormalized, but the first corrections it receives can be easily understood as
an interaction potential energy. Finally, we stress that even if the entropy is
correctly reproduced, this only implies that one sector of chiral excitations
has been identified, but an understanding of excitations in the other sector is
still required in order to capture the black ring dynamics.


title:
The optical conductivity of graphene in the visible region of the
  spectrum

abstract:
  We compute the optical conductivity of graphene beyond the usual Dirac cone
approximation, giving results that are valid in the visible region of the
conductivity spectrum. The effect of next nearest neighbor hoping is also
discussed. Using the full expression for the optical conductivity, the
transmission and reflection coefficients are given. We find that even in the
optical regime the corrections to the Dirac cone approximation are surprisingly
small (a few percent). Our results help in the interpretation of the
experimental results reported by Nair {\it et al.} [Science {\bf 320}, 1308
(2008)].


title: The Cluster-Merger Shock in 1E 0657-56

abstract:
  The merging galaxy cluster 1E 0657-56, known as the "bullet cluster," is one
of the hottest clusters known. The X-ray emitting plasma exhibits
bow-shock-like temperature and density jumps. The segregation of this plasma
from the peaks of the mass distribution determined by gravitational lensing has
been interpreted as a direct proof of collisionless dark matter. If the high
shock speed inferred from the shock jump conditions equals the relative speed
of the merging CDM halos, however, this merger is predicted to be such a rare
event in a LCDM universe that observing it presents a possible conflict with
the LCDM model.
  We examined this question using high resolution, 2D simulations of gas
dynamics in cluster collisions to analyze the relative motion of the clusters,
the bow shock, and the contact discontinuity, and relate these to the X-ray
data for the bullet cluster. We find that the velocity of the fluid shock need
not equal the relative velocity of the CDM components. An illustrative
simulation finds that the present relative velocity of the CDM halos is 16%
lower than that of the shock. While this conclusion is sensitive to the
detailed initial mass and gas density profiles of the colliding clusters, such
a decrease of the inferred halo relative velocity would significantly increase
the likelihood of finding 1E 0657-56 in a LCDM universe.
  (Conference proceedings based on a poster at Bash Symposium 2007)


title:
Bardeen-Stephen flux flow law disobeyed in the high-$T_c$ superconductor
  Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+\delta}$

abstract:
  Pulsed high current experiments in single crystals of the high-$T_{c}$
superconductor Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+\delta}$ in c-axis directed
magnetic field $H$ reveal that the $ab$-face resistance in the free flux flow
regime is a solely logarithmic function of H, devoid of any power law
component. Re-analysis of published data confirms this result and leads to
empirical analytic forms for the $ab$-plane and c-axis resistivities:
$\rho_{ab}\propto$ $H^{3/4}$, which does not obey the expected Bardeen-Stephen
result for free flux flow, and $\rho_{c} \propto H^{-3/4} \log^{2}H$.


title: Modeling the Lukewarm Corino Phase - is L1527 unique?

abstract:
  Sakai et al. have observed long-chain unsaturated hydrocarbons and
cyanopolyynes in the low-mass star-forming region L1527, and have attributed
this result to a gas-phase ion-molecule chemistry, termed ``Warm Carbon Chain
Chemistry'', which occurs during and after the evaporation of methane from
warming grains. The source L1527 is an envelope surrounding a Class 0/I
protostar with regions that possess a slightly elevated temperature of ~30 K.
The molecules detected by Sakai et al. are typically associated only with dark
molecular clouds, and not with the more evolved hot corino phase. In order to
determine if L1527 is chemically distinct from a dark cloud, we compute models
including various degrees of heating. The results indicate that the composition
of L1527 is somewhat more likely to be due to ``Warm Carbon Chain Chemistry''
than to be a remnant of a colder phase. If so, the molecular products provide a
signature of a previously uncharacterized early phase of low mass star
formation, which can be characterized as a ``lukewarm'' corino. We also include
predictions for other molecular species that might be observed toward candidate
lukewarm corino sources. Although our calculations show that unsaturated
hydrocarbons and cyanopolyynes can be produced in the gas phase as the grains
warm up to 30 K, they also show that such species do not disappear rapidly from
the gas as the temperature reaches 200 K, implying that such species might be
detected in hot corinos and hot cores.


title:
Electron transport and thermoelectric properties of layered perovskite
  LaBaCo2O5.5

abstract:
  We have investigated the systematic transport properties of the layered
112-type cobaltite LaBaCo2O5.5 by means of electrical resistivity,
magnetoresistance, electroresistance and thermoelectric measurements in various
conditions. In order to understand the complex conduction mechanism of
LaBaCo2O5.5, the transport data have been analyzed using different theoretical
models. The system shows semiconductor-semiconductor like transition (TSC)
around 326K, corresponding to ferromagnetic transition and in the low
temperature region resistivity data follows the Motts variable range hopping
model. Interestingly, near and below the room temperature this compound depicts
significant change in electro- and magnetoresistance behavior, the latter one
is noteworthy near the magnetic phase boundary. The temperature dependence of
thermopower, S(T), exhibits p-type polaronic conductivity in the temperature
range of 60-320K and reaches a maximum value of 303 uV/K (at 120K). In the low
temperature AFM region, the unusual S(T) behavior, generally observed for the
cobaltite series LnBaCo2O5.5 (Ln = Rare Earth), is explained by the electron
magnon scattering mechanism as previously described for perovskite manganites.


title: Minimum-Delay Decoding of Turbo-Codes for Upper-Layer FEC

abstract:
  In this paper we investigate the decoding of parallel turbo codes over the
binary erasure channel suited for upper-layer error correction. The proposed
algorithm performs on-the-fly decoding, i.e. it starts decoding as soon as the
first symbols are received. This algorithm compares with the iterative decoding
of codes defined on graphs, in that it propagates in the trellises of the turbo
code by removing transitions in the same way edges are removed in a bipartite
graph under message-passing decoding. Performance comparison with LDPC codes
for different coding rates is shown.


title:
Microwave properties of DyBa_2Cu_3O_(7-x) monodomains and related
  compounds in magnetic fields

abstract:
  We present a microwave characterization of a DyBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-x}$
single domain, grown by the top-seeded melt-textured technique. We report the
(a,b) plane field-induced surface resistance, $\Delta R_s(H)$, at 48.3 GHz,
measured by means of a cylindrical metal cavity in the end-wall-replacement
configuration. Changes in the cavity quality factor Q against the applied
magnetic field yield $\Delta R_s(H)$ at fixed temperatures. The temperature
range [70 K ; T_c] was explored. The magnetic field $\mu_0 H <$ 0.8 T was
applied along the c axis. The field dependence of $\Delta R_s(H)$ does not
exhibit the steep, step-like increase at low fields typical of weak-links. This
result indicates the single-domain character of the sample under investigation.
$\Delta R_s(H)$ exhibits a nearly square-root dependence on H, as expected for
fluxon motion. From the analysis of the data in terms of motion of Abrikosov
vortices we estimate the temperature dependences of the London penetration
depth $\lambda$ and the vortex viscosity $\eta$, and their zero-temperature
values $\lambda(0)=$165 nm and $\eta(0)=$ 3 10$^{-7}$ Nsm$^{-2}$, which are
found in excellent agreement with reported data in YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-x}$
single crystals. Comparison of microwave properties with those of related
samples indicate the need for reporting data as a function of T/T_c in order to
obtain universal laws.


title: Pure Spinors for General Backgrounds

abstract:
  We show the equivalence of the different types of pure spinor constraints
geometrically derived from the Free Differential Algebras of N=2 d=10
supergravities. Firstly, we compute the general solutions of these constraints,
using both a G_2 and an SO(8) covariant decomposition of the 10d chiral
spinors. Secondly, we verify that the number of independent degrees of freedom
is equal to that implied by the Poincare' pure spinor constraints so-far used
for superstrings, namely twenty two. Thirdly, we show the equivalence between
the FDA type IIA/B constraints among each other and with the Poincare' ones.


title: Experimental demonstration of a BDCZ quantum repeater node

abstract:
  Quantum communication is a method that offers efficient and secure ways for
the exchange of information in a network. Large-scale quantum communication (of
the order of 100 km) has been achieved; however, serious problems occur beyond
this distance scale, mainly due to inevitable photon loss in the transmission
channel. Quantum communication eventually fails when the probability of a dark
count in the photon detectors becomes comparable to the probability that a
photon is correctly detected. To overcome this problem, Briegel, D\"{u}r, Cirac
and Zoller (BDCZ) introduced the concept of quantum repeaters, combining
entanglement swapping and quantum memory to efficiently extend the achievable
distances. Although entanglement swapping has been experimentally demonstrated,
the implementation of BDCZ quantum repeaters has proved challenging owing to
the difficulty of integrating a quantum memory. Here we realize entanglement
swapping with storage and retrieval of light, a building block of the BDCZ
quantum repeater. We follow a scheme that incorporates the strategy of BDCZ
with atomic quantum memories. Two atomic ensembles, each originally entangled
with a single emitted photon, are projected into an entangled state by
performing a joint Bell state measurement on the two single photons after they
have passed through a 300-m fibre-based communication channel. The entanglement
is stored in the atomic ensembles and later verified by converting the atomic
excitations into photons. Our method is intrinsically phase insensitive and
establishes the essential element needed to realize quantum repeaters with
stationary atomic qubits as quantum memories and flying photonic qubits as
quantum messengers.


title:
Free energy landscape of mechanically unfolded model proteins: extended
  Jarzinsky versus inherent structure reconstruction

abstract:
  The equilibrium free energy landscape of off-lattice model heteropolymers as
a function of an internal coordinate, namely the end-to-end distance, is
reconstructed from out-of-equilibrium steered molecular dynamics data. This
task is accomplished via two independent methods: by employing an extended
version of the Jarzynski equality (EJE) and the inherent structure (IS)
formalism. A comparison of the free energies estimated with these two schemes
with equilibrium results obtained via the umbrella sampling technique reveals a
good quantitative agreement among all the approaches in a range of temperatures
around the ``folding transition'' for the two examined sequences. In
particular, for the sequence with good foldability properties, the mechanically
induced structural transitions can be related to thermodynamical aspects of
folding. Moreover, for the same sequence the knowledge of the landscape profile
allows for a good estimation of the life times of the native configuration for
temperatures ranging from the folding to the collapse temperature. For the
random sequence, mechanical and thermal unfolding appear to follow different
paths along the landscape.


title:
Exponential distributions of collective flow-event properties in viscous
  liquid dynamics

abstract:
  We study the statistics of flow events in the inherent dynamics in
supercooled two- and three-dimensional binary Lennard-Jones liquids.
Distributions of changes of the collective quantities energy, pressure and
shear stress become exponential at low temperatures, as does that of the event
"size" $S\equiv\sum {d_i}^2$. We show how the $S$-distribution controls the
others, while itself following from exponential tails in the distributions of
(1) single particle displacements $d$, involving a Lindemann-like length $d_L$
and (2) the number of active particles (with $d>d_L$).


title: Spectroscopic distances of 28 nearby star candidates

abstract:
  28 hitherto neglected candidates for the Catalogue of Nearby Stars (CNS) were
investigated to verify their classification and to improve their distance
estimates. All targets had at least a preliminary status of being nearby dwarf
stars based on their large proper motions and relatively faint magnitudes.
Better photometric and/or spectroscopic distances were required for selecting
stars which are worth the effort of trigonometric parallax measurements.
  Low-resolution spectra were obtained with NASPEC at the Tautenburg 2m
telescope and with CAFOS at the Calar Alto 2.2m telescope. The spectral types
of M-type stars were determined by direct comparison of the target's spectra
with those of comparison stars of known spectral types observed with the same
instrument. The classification of earlier types was done based on comparison
with published spectral libraries. The majority were classified as M dwarfs
including 11 stars within 25 pc. The fainter component of LDS 1365, previously
thought to form a nearby common proper motion pair, is according to our results
an unrelated high-velocity background star. For several other nearby common
proper motion pairs our distance estimates of the fainter components are in
good agreement with Hipparcos distances of the brighter components. (abridged)


title:
Component separation with flexible models. Application to the separation
  of astrophysical emissions

abstract:
  This paper offers a new point of view on component separation, based on a
model of additive components which enjoys a much greater flexibility than more
traditional linear component models. This flexibility is needed to process the
complex full-sky observations of the CMB expected from the Planck space
mission, for which it was developed, but it may also be useful in any context
where accurate component separation is needed.


title:
BSDEs with two RCLL Reflecting Obstacles driven by a Brownian Motion and
  Poisson Measure and related Mixed Zero-Sum Games

abstract:
  In this paper we study Backward Stochastic Differential Equations with two
reflecting right continuous with left limits obstacles (or barriers) when the
noise is given by Brownian motion and a Poisson random measure mutually
independent. The jumps of the obstacle processes could be either predictable or
inaccessible. We show existence and uniqueness of the solution when the
barriers are completely separated and the generator uniformly Lipschitz. We do
not assume the existence of a difference of supermartingales between the
obstacles. As an application, we show that the related mixed zero-sum
differential-integral game problem has a value.


title: Superization and (q,t)-specialization in combinatorial Hopf algebras

abstract:
  We extend a classical construction on symmetric functions, the superization
process, to several combinatorial Hopf algebras, and obtain analogs of the
hook-content formula for the (q,t)-specializations of various bases. Exploiting
the dendriform structures yields in particular (q,t)-analogs of the
Bjorner-Wachs q-hook-length formulas for binary trees, and similar formulas for
plane trees.


title:
Singular Yamabe metrics and initial data with exactly
  Kottler-Schwarzschild-de Sitter ends II. Generic metrics

abstract:
  We present a gluing construction which adds, via a localized deformation,
exactly Delaunay ends to generic metrics with constant positive scalar
curvature. This provides time-symmetric initial data sets for the vacuum
Einstein equations with positive cosmological constant with exactly
Kottler-Schwarzschild-de Sitter ends, extending the results in arXiv:0710.3365
[gr-qc].


title: Realization of the Riemann Hypothesis via Coupling Constant Spectrum

abstract:
  We present a Non-relativistic Quantum mechanical model, which exhibits the
realization of Riemann Conjecture. The technique depends on exposing the
$S$-wave Jost function at zero energy and in identifying it with the Riemann
$\xi(s)$ function following a seminal paper of N. N. Khuri.


title:
Search algorithms as a framework for the optimization of drug
  combinations

abstract:
  Combination therapies are often needed for effective clinical outcomes in the
management of complex diseases, but presently they are generally based on
empirical clinical experience. Here we suggest a novel application of search
algorithms, originally developed for digital communication, modified to
optimize combinations of therapeutic interventions. In biological experiments
measuring the restoration of the decline with age in heart function and
exercise capacity in Drosophila melanogaster, we found that search algorithms
correctly identified optimal combinations of four drugs with only one third of
the tests performed in a fully factorial search. In experiments identifying
combinations of three doses of up to six drugs for selective killing of human
cancer cells, search algorithms resulted in a highly significant enrichment of
selective combinations compared with random searches. In simulations using a
network model of cell death, we found that the search algorithms identified the
optimal combinations of 6-9 interventions in 80-90% of tests, compared with
15-30% for an equivalent random search. These findings suggest that modified
search algorithms from information theory have the potential to enhance the
discovery of novel therapeutic drug combinations. This report also helps to
frame a biomedical problem that will benefit from an interdisciplinary effort
and suggests a general strategy for its solution.


title:
Analysis of spin precession in binary black hole systems including
  quadrupole-monopole interaction

abstract:
  We analyze in detail the spin precession equations in binary black hole
systems, when the tidal torque on a Kerr black hole due to quadrupole-monopole
coupling is taken into account. We show that completing the precession
equations with this term reveals the existence of a conserved quantity at 2PN
order when averaging over orbital motion. This quantity allows one to solve the
(orbit-averaged) precession equations exactly in the case of equal masses and
arbitrary spins, neglecting radiation reaction. For unequal masses, an exact
solution does not exist in closed form, but we are still able to derive
accurate approximate analytic solutions. We also show how to incorporate
radiation reaction effects into our analytic solutions adiabatically, and
compare the results to solutions obtained numerically. For various
configurations of the binary, the relative difference in the accumulated
orbital phase computed using our analytic solutions versus a full numerical
solution vary from about 0.3% to 1.8% over the 80 - 140 orbital cycles
accumulated while sweeping over the orbital frequency range 20 - 300 Hz. This
typically corresponds to a discrepancy of order 5-6 radians. While this may not
be accurate enough for implementation in LIGO template banks, we still believe
that our new solutions are potentially quite useful for comparing numerical
relativity simulations of spinning binary black hole systems with
post-Newtonian theory. They can also be used to gain more understanding of
precession effects, with potential application to the gravitational recoil
problem, and to provide semi-analytical templates for spinning, precessing
binaries.


title:
Global characteristics of GRBs observed with INTEGRAL and the inferred
  large population of low-luminosity GRBs

abstract:
  INTEGRAL has two sensitive gamma-ray instruments that have detected 46
gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) up to July 2007. We present the spectral, spatial, and
temporal properties of the bursts in the INTEGRAL GRB catalogue using data from
the imager, IBIS, and spectrometer, SPI. Spectral properties of the GRBs are
determined using power-law, Band model and quasithermal model fits to the
prompt emission. Spectral lags, i.e. the time delay in the arrival of
low-energy gamma-rays with respect to high-energy gamma-rays, are measured for
31 of the GRBs. The photon index distribution of power-law fits to the prompt
emission spectra is consistent with that obtained by Swift. The peak flux
distribution shows that INTEGRAL detects proportionally more weak GRBs than
Swift because of its higher sensitivity in a smaller field of view. The all-sky
rate of GRBs above ~0.15 ph cm^-2 s^-1 is ~1400 yr^-1 in the fully coded field
of view of IBIS. Two groups are identified in the spectral lag distribution,
one with short lags <0.75 s (between 25-50 keV and 50-300 keV) and one with
long lags >0.75 s. Most of the long-lag GRBs are inferred to have low redshifts
because of their long spectral lags, their tendency to have low peak energies
and their faint optical and X-ray afterglows. They are mainly observed in the
direction of the supergalactic plane with a quadrupole moment of
Q=-0.225+/-0.090 and hence reflect the local large-scale structure of the
Universe. The rate of long-lag GRBs with inferred low luminosity is ~25% of
Type Ib/c supernovae. Some of these bursts could be produced by the collapse of
a massive star without a supernova or by a different progenitor, such as the
merger of two white dwarfs or a white dwarf with a neutron star or black hole,
possibly in the cluster environment without a host galaxy.


title:
First-principles investigation of the electron-phonon interaction in
  OsN$_2$: Theoretical prediction of superconductivity mediated by N-N covalent
  bonds

abstract:
  A first-principles investigation of the electron-phonon interaction in the
recently synthesized osmium dinitride (OsN$_2$) compound predicts that the
material is a superconductor. Superconductivity in OsN$_2$ would originate from
the stretching of covalently bonded dinitrogen units embedded in the
transition-metal matrix, thus adding dinitrides to the class of superconductors
containing covalently bonded light elements. The dinitrogen vibrations are
strongly coupled to the electronic states at the Fermi level and generate
narrow peaks in the Eliashberg spectral function $\alpha^2F(\omega)$. The total
electron-phonon coupling of OsN$_2$ is $\lambda=0.37$ and the estimated
superconducting temperature T$_c \approx 1$ K. We suggest that the
superconducting temperature can be substantially increased by hole doping of
the pristine compound and show that T$_c$ increases to 4 K with a doping
concentration of 0.25 holes/OsN$_2$ unit.


title:
Effective gravitational equations on brane world with induced gravity
  described by $f(R)$ term

abstract:
  In this article we study a generalization of DGP scenarios, where the induced
gravity is given by a $f(R)$ term. We obtain the effective gravitational
equations and the effective FLRW cosmological equation on the brane of this
model. We show that this generalization has also two regime, a 5D regime a low
energies that has a self-accelerated branch of interest for cosmology and a 4D
regime at high energies that it is described a modified gravitational theory.


title: Recent Applications of the Theory of Lie Systems in Ermakov Systems

abstract:
  We review some recent results of the theory of Lie systems in order to apply
such results to study Ermakov systems. The fundamental properties of Ermakov
systems, i.e. their superposition rules, the Lewis-Ermakov invariants, etc.,
are found from this new perspective. We also obtain new results, such as a new
superposition rule for the Pinney equation in terms of three solutions of a
related Riccati equation.


title: On the algebraic geometry of polynomial dynamical systems

abstract:
  This paper focuses on polynomial dynamical systems over finite fields. These
systems appear in a variety of contexts, in computer science, engineering, and
computational biology, for instance as models of intracellular biochemical
networks. It is shown that several problems relating to their structure and
dynamics, as well as control theory, can be formulated and solved in the
language of algebraic geometry.


title: Radial Velocities of Stars in the Galactic Center

abstract:
  We present results from K band slit scan observations of a ~20''x20'' region
of the Galactic center (GC) in two separate epochs more than five years apart.
The high resolution (R>=14,000) observations allow the most accurate radial
velocity and acceleration measurements of the stars in the central parsec of
the Galaxy. Detected stars can be divided into three groups based on the CO
absorption band heads at ~2.2935 microns and the He I lines at ~2.0581 microns
and ~2.112, 2.113 microns: cool, narrow-line hot and broad-line hot. The radial
velocities of the cool, late-type stars have approximately a symmetrical
distribution with its center at ~-7.8(+/-10.3) km/s and a standard deviation
~113.7(+/-10.3) km/s. Although our statistics are dominated by the brightest
stars, we estimate a central black hole mass of 3.9(+/-1.1) million solar
masses, consistent with current estimates from complete orbits of individual
stars. Our surface density profile and the velocity dispersion of the late type
stars support the existence of a low density region at the Galactic center
suggested by earlier observations. Many hot, early-type stars show radial
velocity changes higher than maximum values allowed by pure circular orbital
motions around a central massive object, suggesting that the motions of these
stars greatly deviate from circular orbital motions around the Galactic center.
The correlation between the radial velocities of the early type He I stars and
their declination offsets from Sagittarius A* suggests that a systematic
rotation is present for the early-type population. No figure rotation around
the Galactic center for the late type stars is supported by the new
observations.


title: The Supermembrane with Central Charges on a G2 Manifold

abstract:
  We construct the 11D supermembrane with topological central charges induced
through an irreducible winding on a G2 manifold realized from the T7/Z2xZ2xZ2
orbifold construction. The hamiltonian H of the theory on a T7 target has a
discrete spectrum. Within the discrete symmetries of H associated to large
diffeomorphisms, the Z2xZ2xZ2 group of automorphisms of the quaternionic
subspaces preserving the octonionic structure is relevant. By performing the
corresponding identification on the target space, the supermembrane may be
formulated on a G2 manifold, preserving the discretness of its supersymmetric
spectrum. The corresponding 4D low energy effective field theory has N=1
supersymmetry.


title: Chemical Abundances and Dust in Planetary Nebulae in the Galactic Bulge

abstract:
  We present mid-infrared Spitzer spectra of eleven planetary nebulae in the
Galactic Bulge. We derive argon, neon, sulfur, and oxygen abundances for them
using mainly infrared line fluxes combined with some optical line fluxes from
the literature. Due to the high extinction toward the Bulge, the infrared
spectra allow us to determine abundances for certain elements more accurately
that previously possible with optical data alone. Abundances of argon and
sulfur (and in most cases neon and oxygen) in planetary nebulae in the Bulge
give the abundances of the interstellar medium at the time their progenitor
stars formed; thus these abundances give information about the formation and
evolution of the Bulge. The abundances of Bulge planetary nebulae tend to be
slightly higher than those in the Disk on average, but they do not follow the
trend of the Disk planetary nebulae, thus confirming the difference between
Bulge and Disk evolution. Additionally, the Bulge planetary nebulae show
peculiar dust properties compared to the Disk nebulae. Oxygen-rich dust feature
(crystalline silicates) dominate the spectra of all of the Bulge planetary
nebulae; such features are more scarce in Disk nebulae. Additionally,
carbon-rich dust features (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) appear in roughly
half of the Bulge planetary nebulae in our sample, which is interesting in
light of the fact that this dual chemistry is comparatively rare in the Milky
Way as a whole.


title: Stability of the proton-to-electron mass ratio

abstract:
  We report a limit on the fractional temporal variation of the
proton-to-electron mass ratio as, obtained by comparing the frequency of a
rovibrational transition in SF6 with the fundamental hyperfine transition in
Cs. The SF6 transition was accessed using a CO2 laser to interrogate spatial
2-photon Ramsey fringes. The atomic transition was accessed using a primary
standard controlled with a Cs fountain. This result is direct and model-free.


title: On Winning Conditions of High Borel Complexity in Pushdown Games

abstract:
  Some decidable winning conditions of arbitrarily high finite Borel complexity
for games on finite graphs or on pushdown graphs have been recently presented
by O. Serre in [ Games with Winning Conditions of High Borel Complexity, in the
Proceedings of the International Conference ICALP 2004, LNCS, Volume 3142, p.
1150-1162 ]. We answer in this paper several questions which were raised by
Serre in the above cited paper. We first show that, for every positive integer
n, the class C_n(A), which arises in the definition of decidable winning
conditions, is included in the class of non-ambiguous context free omega
languages, and that it is neither closed under union nor under intersection. We
prove also that there exists pushdown games, equipped with such decidable
winning conditions, where the winning sets are not deterministic context free
languages, giving examples of winning sets which are non-deterministic
non-ambiguous context free languages, inherently ambiguous context free
languages, or even non context free languages.


title:
New observations of the extended hydrogen exosphere of the extrasolar
  planet HD209458b

abstract:
  Atomic hydrogen escaping from the planet HD209458b provides the largest
observational signature ever detected for an extrasolar planet atmosphere.
However, the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) used in previous
observational studies is no longer available, whereas additional observations
are still needed to better constrain the mechanisms subtending the evaporation
process, and determine the evaporation state of other `hot Jupiters'. Here, we
aim to detect the extended hydrogen exosphere of HD209458b with the Advanced
Camera for Surveys (ACS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and to find
evidence for a hydrogen comet-like tail trailing the planet, which size would
depend on the escape rate and the amount of ionizing radiation emitted by the
star. These observations also provide a benchmark for other transiting planets,
in the frame of a comparative study of the evaporation state of close-in giant
planets. Eight HST orbits are used to observe two transits of HD209458b.
Transit light curves are obtained by performing photometry of the unresolved
stellar Lyman-alpha emission line during both transits. Absorption signatures
of exospheric hydrogen during the transit are compared to light curve models
predicting a hydrogen tail. Transit depths of (9.6 +/- 7.0)% and (5.3 +/-
10.0)% are measured on the whole Lyman-alpha line in visits 1 and 2,
respectively. Averaging data from both visits, we find an absorption depth of
(8.0 +/- 5.7)%, in good agreement with previous studies. The extended size of
the exosphere confirms that the planet is likely loosing hydrogen to space.
Yet, the photometric precision achieved does not allow us to better constrain
the hydrogen mass loss rate.


title: Extragalactic Zeeman Detections in OH Megamasers

abstract:
  We have measured the Zeeman splitting of OH megamaser emission at 1667 MHz
from five (ultra)luminous infrared galaxies ([U]LIRGs) using the 305 m Arecibo
telescope and the 100 m Green Bank Telescope. Five of eight targeted galaxies
show significant Zeeman-splitting detections, with 14 individual masing
components detected and line-of-sight magnetic field strengths ranging from
~0.5-18 mG. The detected field strengths are similar to those measured in
Galactic OH masers, suggesting that the local process of massive star formation
occurs under similar conditions in (U)LIRGs and the Galaxy, in spite of the
vastly different large-scale environments. Our measured field strengths are
also similar to magnetic field strengths in (U)LIRGs inferred from synchrotron
observations, implying that milligauss magnetic fields likely pervade most
phases of the interstellar medium in (U)LIRGs. These results provide a
promising new tool for probing the astrophysics of distant galaxies.


title: Dense Stellar Populations: Initial Conditions

abstract:
  This chapter is based on four lectures given at the Cambridge N-body school
"Cambody". The material covered includes the IMF, the 6D structure of dense
clusters, residual gas expulsion and the initial binary population. It is aimed
at those needing to initialise stellar populations for a variety of purposes
(N-body experiments, stellar population synthesis).


title:
Precise Measurement of the Spin Parameter of the Stellar-Mass Black Hole
  M33 X-7

abstract:
  In prior work, {\it Chandra} and Gemini-North observations of the eclipsing
X-ray binary M33 X-7 have yielded measurements of the mass of its black hole
primary and the system's orbital inclination angle of unprecedented accuracy.
Likewise, the distance to the binary is known to a few percent. In an analysis
based on these precise results, fifteen {\it Chandra} and {\it XMM-Newton}
X-ray spectra, and our fully relativistic accretion disk model, we find that
the dimensionless spin parameter of the black hole primary is $a_* = 0.77 \pm
0.05$. The quoted 1-$\sigma$ error includes all sources of observational
uncertainty. Four {\it Chandra} spectra of the highest quality, which were
obtained over a span of several years, all lead to the same estimate of spin to
within statistical errors (2%), and this estimate is confirmed by 11 spectra of
lower quality. There are two remaining uncertainties: (1) the validity of the
relativistic model used to analyze the observations, which is being addressed
in ongoing theoretical work; and (2) our assumption that the black hole spin is
approximately aligned with the angular momentum vector of the binary, which can
be addressed by a future X-ray polarimetry mission.


title:
Constraints on the Size of Extra Dimensions from the Orbital Evolution
  of Black-Hole X-Ray Binaries

abstract:
  One of the plausible unification schemes in physics considers the observable
universe to be a 4-dimensional surface (the "brane") embedded in a
higher-dimensional curved spacetime (the "bulk"). In such braneworld gravity
models with infinitely large extra dimensions, black holes evaporate fast
through the emission of the additional gravitational degrees of freedom,
resulting in lifetimes of stellar-mass black holes that are significantly
smaller than the Hubble time. We show that the predicted evaporation rate leads
to a change in the orbital period of X-ray binaries harboring black holes that
is observable with current instruments. We obtain an upper limit on the rate of
change of the orbital period of the binary A0620-00 and use it to constrain the
asymptotic curvature radius of the extra dimension to a value comparable to the
one obtained by table-top experiments. Furthermore we argue that any
measurement of a period increase for low-mass X-ray binaries with a high mass
ratio is evidence for new physics beyond general relativity and the standard
model.


title: Quantum gravity at a TeV and the renormalization of Newton's constant

abstract:
  We examine whether renormalization effects can cause Newton's constant to
change dramatically with energy, perhaps even reducing the scale of quantum
gravity to the TeV region without the introduction of extra dimensions. We
examine a model that realizes this possibility and describe experimental
signatures from production of small black holes.


title: Imaging a Jet Base - Prospects with M87

abstract:
  M87 provides the best opportunity to study the base of a jet where it is
collimated and accelerated. The size of that region scales with the mass of the
black hole, and M87 has the best combination of high mass, proximity to the
Earth, and presence of a bright jet. VLBI observations of M87 can probe regions
under 100 gravitational radii where theoretical studies suggest that the jet
formation and acceleration occurs. A one-year sequence of 43 GHz observations
every 3 weeks on the VLBA is being used to study the structure and dynamics in
this region. Initial results from that effort are reported here, including the
observation of rapid motions - sufficiently rapid that more frequent
observations are planned for early 2008. The contribution ends with a
discussion of prospects for future VLBI observations of M87 with VSOP2. For
VSOP2, a strong recommendation is made that a series of daily observations at
43 GHz be planned.


title: Python - All a Scientist Needs

abstract:
  Any cutting-edge scientific research project requires a myriad of
computational tools for data generation, management, analysis and
visualization. Python is a flexible and extensible scientific programming
platform that offered the perfect solution in our recent comparative genomics
investigation (J. B. Lucks, D. R. Nelson, G. Kudla, J. B. Plotkin. Genome
landscapes and bacteriophage codon usage, PLoS Computational Biology, 4,
1000001, 2008). In this paper, we discuss the challenges of this project, and
how the combined power of Biopython, Matplotlib and SWIG were utilized for the
required computational tasks. We finish by discussing how python goes beyond
being a convenient programming language, and promotes good scientific practice
by enabling clean code, integration with professional programming techniques
such as unit testing, and strong data provenance.


title: Radiative Thrusters on Close-in Extrasolar Planets

abstract:
  The atmospheres of close-in extrasolar planets absorb most of the incident
stellar radiation, advect this energy, then reradiate photons in preferential
directions. Those photons carry away momentum, applying a force on the planet.
Here we evaluate the resulting secular changes to the orbit, known as the
Yarkovsky effect. For known transiting planets, typical fractional changes in
semi-major axis are about 1% over their lifetime, but could be up to ~5% for
close-in planets like OGLE-TR-56b or inflated planets like TrES-4. We discuss
the origin of the correlation between semi-major axis and surface gravity of
transiting planets in terms of various physical processes, finding that
radiative thrusters are too weak by about a factor of 10 to establish the lower
boundary that causes the correlation.


title:
About Essence of the Wave Function on Atomic Level and in
  Superconductors

abstract:
  The wave function was proposed for description of quantum phenomena on the
atomic level. But now it is well known that quantum phenomena are observed not
only on atomic level and the wave function is used for description of
macroscopic quantum phenomena, such as superconductivity. The essence of the
wave function on level elementary particles was and is the subject of heated
argument among founders of quantum mechanics and other physicists. This essence
seems more clear in superconductor. But impossibility of probabilistic
interpretation of wave function in this case results to obvious contradiction
of quantum principles with some fundamental principles of physics.


title: On the Topological Complexity of Infinitary Rational Relations

abstract:
  We prove in this paper that there exists some infinitary rational relations
which are analytic but non Borel sets, giving an answer to a question of
Simonnet [Automates et Th\'eorie Descriptive, Ph. D. Thesis, Universit\'e Paris
7, March 1992].


title: Closure Properties of Locally Finite Omega Languages

abstract:
  Locally finite omega languages were introduced by Ressayre in [Journal of
Symbolic Logic, Volume 53, No. 4, p.1009-1026]. They generalize omega languages
accepted by finite automata or defined by monadic second order sentences. We
study here closure properties of the family LOC_omega of locally finite omega
languages. In particular we show that the class LOC_omega is neither closed
under intersection nor under complementation, giving an answer to a question of
Ressayre.


title: WMAP5 and the Cluster Mass Function

abstract:
  The recently revised cosmological constraints from the Five-Year WMAP data
ameliorate previous tension between cosmological constraints from the microwave
background and from cluster abundances. We demonstrate that the revised
estimates of cosmological parameters are in excellent agreement with the mass
function of X-ray clusters in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Velocity
segregation between galaxies and the underlying dark matter could cause virial
mass estimates to be biased, causing the mass scale of the mass function to be
offset from the true value. Modest velocity segregation
($\sigma_{gxy}/\sigma_{DM}$=1.13$^{+0.06}_{-0.05}$) is sufficient to match the
mass function to the Five-Year WMAP results. When the new WMAP results are
combined with constraints from supernovae and baryon acoustic oscillations,
there is no need for velocity segregation
($\sigma_{gxy}/\sigma_{DM}$=1.05$\pm$0.05). This result agrees with
expectations for velocity segregation from state-of-the-art numerical
simulations of clusters. Together with the improved agreement between the new
WMAP results and recent cosmic shear measurements, this result demonstrates
that the amplitude of large-scale structure in the nearby universe matches that
predicted from the structure seen in the microwave background. The new
constraint we place on velocity segregation in clusters indicates that virial
mass estimates for clusters are reasonably accurate. This result suggests that
future cluster surveys will be able to probe both cosmological parameters and
fundamental cluster physics.