title:
Transport through a multiply connected interacting meso-system using the
  Keldysh formalism

abstract:
  We apply the Keldysh formalism in order to derive a current formula easy to
use for a system with many sites, one of which is interacting. The main
technical challenge is to deal with the lesser Green function. It turns out
that, in the case of the left-right symmetry, the knowledge of the lesser Green
function is not necessary and an exact current formula can be expressed in
terms of retarded Green functions only. The application is done for a
triangular interferometer which gives a good account of the Fano-Kondo effect.
It is found that the interference effects, in the context of Kondo
correlations, give rise to a point in the parameters space where the
conductance is temperature-independent. We include a comparison with the
results from the Ng's ansatz, which are less accurate, but can be used also in
the absence of the above mentioned symmetry.


title:
Electron spin manipulation and resonator readout in a double quantum dot
  nano-electromechanical system

abstract:
  Magnetically coupling a nano-mechanical resonator to a double quantum dot
confining two electrons can enable the manipulation of a single electron spin
and the readout of the resonator's natural frequency. When the Larmor frequency
matches the resonator frequency, the electron spin in one of the dots can be
selectively flipped by the magnetised resonator. By simultaneously measuring
the charge state of the two-electron double quantum dots, this transition can
be detected thus enabling the natural frequency of the mechanical resonator to
be determined.


title:
Transient quantum evolution of 2D electrons under photoexcitation of a
  deep center

abstract:
  We have considered the ballistic propagation of the 2D electron Wigner
distribution, which is excited by an ultrashort optical pulse from a
short-range impurity into the first quantized subband of a selectively-doped
heterostructure with high mobility. Transient ionization of a deep local state
into a continuum conduction c-band state is described. Since the quantum nature
of the photoexcitation, the Wigner distribution over 2D plane appears to be an
alternating-sign function. Due to a negative contribution to the Wigner
function, the mean values (concentration, energy, and flow) demonstrate an
oscillating transient evolution in contrast to the diffusive classical regime
of propagation.


title: Observables in multi-detector analyses of supernova neutrinos

abstract: This paper has been withdrawn by the author, due to errors in the figures.


title: Bayesian Inversion of Stokes Profiles

abstract:
  [abridged] Inversion techniques are the most powerful methods to obtain
information about the thermodynamical and magnetic properties of solar and
stellar atmospheres. In the last years, we have witnessed the development of
highly sophisticated inversion codes that are now widely applied to
spectro-polarimetric observations. The majority of these inversion codes are
based on the optimization of a complicated non-linear merit function. However,
no reliable and statistically well-defined confidence intervals can be obtained
for the parameters inferred from the inversions. A correct estimation of the
confidence intervals for all the parameters that describe the model is
mandatory. Additionally, it is fundamental to apply efficient techniques to
assess the ability of models to reproduce the observations and to what extent
the models have to be refined or can be simplified. Bayesian techniques are
applied to analyze the performance of the model to fit a given observed Stokes
vector. The posterior distribution, is efficiently sampled using a Markov Chain
Monte Carlo method. For simplicity, we focus on the Milne-Eddington approximate
solution of the radiative transfer equation and we only take into account the
generation of polarization through the Zeeman effect. However, the method is
extremely general and other more complex forward models can be applied. We
illustrate the ability of the method with the aid of academic and realistic
examples. We show that the information provided by the posterior distribution
turns out to be fundamental to understand and determine the amount of
information available in the Stokes profiles in these particular cases.


title: Painlev\'e scheme

abstract:
  In this note, we review the notion of Painlev\'e scheme of the sixth
Painlev\'e equation from the viewpoint of accessible singular point and its
local index in the Hirzebruch surface of degree two ${\Sigma_2}$. The key
method is Painlev\'e $\alpha$-method for each accessible singular point. Giving
a Painlev\'e scheme in the differential system satisfying certain conditions,
we can recover the Painlev\'e VI system with the polynomial Hamiltonian. We
also consider the case of the Painlev\'e V,IV and III systems, respectively.
Finally, we study non-linear ordinary differential systems in dimension two
with only simple accessible singular $(n+2)$-points in the Hirzebruch surface
of degree $n$; ${\Sigma_n}$. This equation has symmetry of symmetric group of
degree $n+2$.


title:
Asymptotic expansion and central limit theorem for quadratic variations
  of Gaussian processes

abstract:
  Cohen, Guyon, Perrin and Pontier have given assumptions under which the
second-order quadratic variations of a Gaussian process converge almost surely
to a deterministic limit. In this paper we present two new convergence results
about these variations: the first is a deterministic asymptotic expansion; the
second is a central limit theorem. Next we apply these results to identify
two-parameter fractional Brownian motion and anisotropic fractional Brownian
motion.


title: On Universal Properties of Capacity-Approaching LDPC Ensembles

abstract:
  This paper is focused on the derivation of some universal properties of
capacity-approaching low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles whose
transmission takes place over memoryless binary-input output-symmetric (MBIOS)
channels. Properties of the degree distributions, graphical complexity and the
number of fundamental cycles in the bipartite graphs are considered via the
derivation of information-theoretic bounds. These bounds are expressed in terms
of the target block/ bit error probability and the gap (in rate) to capacity.
Most of the bounds are general for any decoding algorithm, and some others are
proved under belief propagation (BP) decoding. Proving these bounds under a
certain decoding algorithm, validates them automatically also under any
sub-optimal decoding algorithm. A proper modification of these bounds makes
them universal for the set of all MBIOS channels which exhibit a given
capacity. Bounds on the degree distributions and graphical complexity apply to
finite-length LDPC codes and to the asymptotic case of an infinite block
length. The bounds are compared with capacity-approaching LDPC code ensembles
under BP decoding, and they are shown to be informative and are easy to
calculate. Finally, some interesting open problems are considered.


title: Morita Type Equivalences and Reflexive Algebras

abstract:
  Two unital operator algebras A, B are called Delta-equivalent if there exists
an equivalence functor between the categories A-mod and B-mod which "extends"
to a *-functor implementing an equivalence between the categories A-dmod and
B-dmod. Here A-mod denotes the category of normal representations of A and
A-dmod denotes the category with the same objects as A-mod and D(A)-module maps
(D(A) is the diagonal of A). We prove that any such functor maps completely
isometric representations to completely isometric representations, "respects"
the lattices of the algebras and maps reflexive algebras to reflexive algebras.
We present applications to the class of CSL algebras.


title:
Pulse-Bandwidth Dependence of Coherent Phase Control of
  Resonance-Mediated (2+1) Three-Photon Absorption

abstract:
  We study in detail coherent phase control of femtosecond resonance-mediated
(2+1) three-photon absorption and its dependence on the spectral bandwidth of
the excitation pulse. The regime is the weak-field regime of third perturbative
order. The corresponding interference mechanism involves a group of
three-photon excitation pathways that are on resonance with the intermediate
state and a group of three-photon excitation pathways that are near resonant
with it. The model system of the study is atomic sodium (Na), for which
experimental and numerical-theoretical results are obtained. Prominent among
the results is our finding that with simple proper pulse shaping an increase in
the excitation bandwidth leads to a corresponding increase in the enhancement
of the three-photon absorption over the absorption induced by the (unshaped)
transform-limited pulse. For example, here, a 40-nm bandwidth leads to an
order-of-magnitude enhancement over the transform-limited absorption.


title: Arbitrary precision composite pulses for NMR quantum computing

abstract:
  We discuss the implementation of arbitrary precision composite pulses
developed using the methods of Brown et al. [Phys. Rev. A 70 (2004) 052318]. We
give explicit results for pulse sequences designed to tackle both the simple
case of pulse length errors and for the more complex case of off-resonance
errors. The results are developed in the context of NMR quantum computation,
but could be applied more widely.


title: What is interesting in eta and eta' Meson Decays?

abstract:
  An introduction to the physics of eta and eta' meson decays is given. A
historical account of the discovery of the mesons is presented. It is followed
by an overview and classification of the common decay modes and the relevance
of the mesons for modern hadron and particle physics. In more detail the
hadronic decay modes are discussed and in particular some interesting features
of the eta-> 3pi0 decay are presented. The last section briefly reviews and
compares reactions used to produce the eta and eta' mesons for the studies of
their decays.


title:
A MERLIN Study of 6 GHz Excited-state OH & 6.7 GHz Methanol Masers in
  ON1

abstract:
  MERLIN observations of 6.668-GHz methanol and both 6.031- and 6.035-GHz
hydroxyl (OH) emission from the massive star-formation region ON1 are
presented. These are the first methanol observations made in full polarization
using 5 antennas of MERLIN, giving high resolution and sensitivity to extended
emission. Maser features are found to lie at the southern edge of the
ultra-compact HII region, following the known distribution of ground-state OH
masers. The masers cover a region ~1 arcsec in extent, lying perpendicular to
the H13CO+ bipolar outflow. Excited-state OH emission demonstrates consistent
polarization angles across the strongest linearly polarized features which are
parallel to the overall distribution. The linear polarizations vary between
10.0 and 18.5 per cent, with an average polarization angle of -60 deg +/- 28
deg. The strongest 6.668-GHz methanol features provide an upper limit to linear
polarization of ~1 per cent. Zeeman splitting of OH shows magnetic fields
between -1.1 to -5.8 mG, and a tentative methanol magnetic field strength of
-18 mG is measured.


title: AC-induced superfluidity

abstract:
  We argue that a system of ultracold bosonic atoms in a tilted optical lattice
can become superfluid in response to resonant AC forcing. Among others, this
allows one to prepare a Bose-Einstein condensate in a state associated with a
negative effective mass. Our reasoning is backed by both exact numerical
simulations for systems consisting of few particles, and by a theoretical
approach based on Floquet-Fock states.


title: Force induced stretched state: Effects of temperature

abstract:
  A model of self avoiding walks with suitable constraint has been developed to
study the effect of temperature on a single stranded DNA (ssDNA) in the
constant force ensemble. Our exact calculations for small chains show that the
extension (reaction co-ordinate) may increase or decrease with the temperature
depending upon the applied force. The simple model developed here which
incorporates semi-microscopic details of base direction provide an explanation
of the force induced transitions in ssDNA as observed in experiments.


title: Current-induced cleaning of graphene

abstract:
  A simple yet highly reproducible method to suppress contamination of graphene
at low temperature inside the cryostat is presented. The method consists of
applying a current of several mA through the graphene device, which is here
typically a few $\mu$m wide. This ultra-high current density is shown to remove
contamination adsorbed on the surface. This method is well suited for quantum
electron transport studies of undoped graphene devices, and its utility is
demonstrated here by measuring the anomalous quantum Hall effect.


title: The New Science of Gravitational Waves

abstract:
  A brief survey is presented of new science that will emerge during the
decades ahead from direct detection of gravitational radiation. Interferometers
on earth and in space will probe the universe in an entirely new way by
directly sensing motions of distant matter over a range of more than a million
in frequency. The most powerful sources of gravitational (or indeed any form
of) energy in the universe are inspiralling and merging binary black holes;
with LISA data, they will become the most distant, most completely and
precisely modeled, and most accurately measured systems in astronomy outside
the solar system. Other sources range from already known and named nearby
Galactic binary stars, to compact objects being swallowed by massive black
holes, to possible effects of new physics: phase transitions and superstrings
from the early universe, or holographic noise from quantum fluctuations of
local spacetime.


title:
Topological spin-Hall current in waveguided zinc-blende semiconductors
  with Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling

abstract:
  We describe an intrinsic spin-Hall effect in $n$-type bulk zinc-blende
semiconductors with topological origin. When electron transport is confined to
a waveguide structure, and the applied electric field is such that the spins of
electrons remain as eigenstates of the Dresselhaus spin-orbit field with
negligible subband mixing, a gauge structure appears in the momentum space of
the system. In particular, the momentum space exhibits a non-trivial Berry
curvature which affects the transverse motion of electrons anisotropically in
spin, thereby producing a finite spin-Hall effect. The effect should be
detectable using standard techniques in the literature such as Kerr rotation,
and be readily distinguishable from other mechanisms of the spin-Hall effect.


title:
Environments of z>5 quasars: searching for protoclusters at
  submillimetre wavelengths

abstract:
  The most massive haloes at high redshift are expected, according to
hierarchical cosmologies, to reside in the most biased density fields. If
powerful active galactic nuclei (AGN) are expected to exist anywhere in the
early Universe (z>5), it is within these massive haloes. The most luminous of
these AGN, powered by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) ~10^9Msun, thereby
present an opportunity to test models of galaxy formation. Here, we present
submillimetre (submm) continuum images of the fields of three luminous quasars
at z>5, obtained at 850 and 450um using the Submm Common-User Bolometer Array
(SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). N-body simulations predict
that such quasars evolve to become the central dominant galaxies of massive
clusters at z=0, but at z=5-6 they are actively forming stars and surrounded by
a rich proto-filamentary structure of young galaxies. Our images show evidence
of extended emission on a scale of ~100kpc from at least one quasar -
indicative of a partially resolved merger or a colossal host galaxy. In
addition, at >3sigma significance we detect 12 (5) submm galaxies (SMGs) at
850um (450um) in the surrounding fields. Number counts of these SMGs are
systematically overabundant relative to blank-field submm surveys. Whilst the
redshift-sensitive 850um/450um and 850um/1.4GHz flux density ratios indicate
that some of these SMGs are likely foreground objects, the counts suggest that
many probably lie in the same large-scale structures as the quasars.


title: Holographic Indeterminacy, Uncertainty and Noise

abstract:
  A theory is developed to describe the nonlocal effect of spacetime
quantization on position measurements transverse to macroscopic separations.
Spacetime quantum states close to a classical null trajectory are approximated
by plane wavefunctions of Planck wavelength (l_P) reference beams; these are
used to connect transverse position operators at macroscopically separated
events. Transverse positions of events with null spacetime separation, but
separated by macroscopic spatial distance $L$, are shown to be quantum
conjugate observables, leading to holographic indeterminacy and a new
uncertainty principle, a lower bound on the standard deviation of relative
transverse position \Delta x_\perp > \sqrt{l_PL} or angular orientation
\Delta\theta > \sqrt{l_P/L}. The resulting limit on the number of independent
degrees of freedom is shown to agree quantitatively with holographic covariant
entropy bounds derived from black hole physics and string theory. The theory
predicts a universal ``holographic noise'' of spacetime, appearing as shear
perturbations with a frequency-independent power spectral density S_H=l_P/c, or
in equivalent metric perturbation units, h_{H,rms} \sqrt{l_P/c} = 2.3 \times
10^{-22} /\sqrt{Hz}. If this description of holographic phenomenology is valid,
interferometers with current technology could undertake direct quantitative
studies of quantum gravity.


title: Information Equation of State

abstract:
  Landauer's principle is applied to information in the universe. Once stars
began forming, the increasing proportion of matter at high stellar temperatures
compensated for the expanding universe to provide a near constant information
energy density. The information equation of state was close to the dark energy
value, w = -1, for a wide range of redshifts, 10> z >0.8, over one half of
cosmic time. A reasonable universe information bit content of only 10^87 bits
is sufficient for information energy to account for all dark energy. A time
varying equation of state with a direct link between dark energy and matter,
and linked to star formation in particular, is clearly relevant to the cosmic
coincidence problem.In answering the "Why now?" question we wonder "What next?"
as we expect the information equation of state to tend towards w = 0 in the
future.


title: Complementarity and uncertainty relations for matter wave interferometry

abstract:
  We establish a rigorous quantitative connection between (i) the
interferometric duality relation for which-way information and fringe
visibility and (ii) Heisenberg's uncertainty relation for position and modular
momentum. We apply our theory to atom interferometry, wherein spontaneously
emitted photons provide which way information, and unambiguously resolve the
challenge posed by the metamaterial `perfect lens' to complementarity and to
the Heisenberg-Bohr interpretation of the Heisenberg microscope thought
experiment.


title: Dynamical parton distributions of the nucleon and very small-x physics

abstract:
  Utilizing recent DIS measurements (F_{2,L}) and data on dilepton and
high-E_{T} jet production we determine the dynamical parton distributions of
the nucleon generated radiatively from valence-like positive input
distributions at optimally chosen low resolution scales. These are compared
with `standard' distributions generated from positive input distributions at
some fixed and higher resolution scale. It is shown that up to the next to
leading order NLO(\bar{MS}, DIS) of perturbative QCD considered in this paper,
the uncertainties of the dynamical distributions are, as expected, smaller than
those of their standard counterparts. This holds true in particular in the
presently unexplored extremely small-x region relevant for evaluating ultrahigh
energy cross sections in astrophysical applications. It is noted that our new
dynamical distributions are compatible, within the presently determined
uncertainties, with previously determined dynamical parton distributions.


title:
Frequency-Domain Coherent Control of Femtosecond Two-Photon Absorption:
  Intermediate-Field vs. Weak-Field Regime

abstract:
  Coherent control of femtosecond two-photon absorption in the
intermediate-field regime is analyzed in detail in the powerful frequency
domain using an extended 4th-order perturbative description. The corresponding
absorption is coherently induced by the weak-field non-resonant two-photon
transitions as well as by four-photon transitions involving three absorbed
photons and one emitted photons. The interferences between these two groups of
transitions lead to a difference between the intermediate-field and weak-field
absorption dynamics. The corresponding interference nature (constructive or
destructive) strongly depends on the detuning direction of the pulse spectrum
from half the two-photon transition frequency. The model system of the study is
atomic sodium, for which both experimental and theoretical results are
obtained. The detailed understanding obtained here serves as a basis for
coherent control with rationally-shaped femtosecond pulses in a regime of
sizable absorption yields.


title: Vacuum shell in the Schwarzschild-de Sitter world

abstract:
  We construct the classification scheme for all possible evolution scenarios
and find the corresponding global geometries for dynamics of a thin spherical
vacuum shell in the Schwarzschild-de Sitter metric. This configuration is
suitable for the modelling of vacuum bubbles arising during cosmological phase
transitions in the early Universe. The distinctive final types of evolution
from the local point of view of a rather distant observer are either the
unlimited expansion of the shell or its contraction with a formation of black
hole (with a central singularity) or wormhole (with a baby universe in
interior).


title: Widom-Rowlinson model (continuum and lattice)

abstract:
  This is a short review about liquid-vapor and crystalline phase transitions
in continuum and lattice Widom-Rowlinson models.


title:
Microwave surface resistance of pristine and neutron-irradiated MgB2
  samples in magnetic field

abstract:
  We report on the microwave surface resistance of two polycrystalline Mg11B2
samples; one consists of pristine material, the other has been irradiated at
very high neutron fluence. It has already been reported that in the strongly
irradiated sample the two gaps merge into a single value. The mw surface
resistance has been measured in the linear regime as a function of the
temperature and the DC magnetic field, at increasing and decreasing fields. The
results obtained in the strongly irradiated sample are quite well justified in
the framework of a generalized Coffey and Clem model, in which we take into
account the field distribution inside the sample due to the critical state. The
results obtained in the pristine sample show several anomalies, especially at
low temperatures, which cannot be justified in the framework of standard models
for the fluxon dynamics. Only at temperatures near Tc and for magnetic fields
greater than 0.5Hc2(T) the experimental data can quantitatively be accounted
for by the Coffey and Clem model, provided that the upper-critical-field
anisotropy is taken into due account.


title:
Physical Characteristics of a Dark Cloud in an Early Stage of Star
  Formation toward NGC 7538: an Outer Galaxy Infrared Dark Cloud?

abstract:
  In the inner parts of the Galaxy the Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are
presently believed to be the progenitors of massive stars and star clusters.
Many of them are predominantly devoid of active star formation and for now they
represent the earliest observed stages of massive star formation. Their Outer
Galaxy counterparts, if present, are not easily identified because of a low or
absent mid-IR background. We characterize the ambient conditions in the Outer
Galaxy IRDC candidate G111.80+0.58, a relatively quiescent molecular core
complex in the vicinity of NGC7538. We conduct molecular line observations on a
number of dense cores and analyze the data in terms of excitation temperature,
column and volume density, mass and stability. The temperatures (15-20K) are
higher than expected from only cosmic ray heating, but comparable to those
found in massive cores. Star forming activity could be present in some cores,
as indicated by the presence of warm gas and YSO candidates. The observed
super-thermal line-widths are typical for star forming regions. The velocity
dispersion is consistent with a turbulent energy cascade over the observed size
scales. We do not find a correlation between the gas temperature and the
line-width. The LTE masses we find are much larger than the thermal Jeans mass
and fragmentation is expected. In that case the observed lines represent the
combined emission of multiple unresolved components. We conclude that
G111.80+0.58 is a molecular core complex with bulk properties very similar to
IRDCs in an early, but not pristine, star forming state. The individual cores
are close to virial equilibrium and some contain sufficient material to form
massive stars and star clusters. The ambient conditions suggest that turbulence
is involved in supporting the cores against gravitational collapse.


title:
Asymptotic normality for the counting process of weak records and
  \delta-records in discrete models

abstract:
  Let $\{X_n,n\ge1\}$ be a sequence of independent and identically distributed
random variables, taking non-negative integer values, and call $X_n$ a
$\delta$-record if $X_n>\max\{X_1,...,X_{n-1}\}+\delta$, where $\delta$ is an
integer constant. We use martingale arguments to show that the counting process
of $\delta$-records among the first $n$ observations, suitably centered and
scaled, is asymptotically normally distributed for $\delta\ne0$. In particular,
taking $\delta=-1$ we obtain a central limit theorem for the number of weak
records.


title: Strong size evolution of the most massive galaxies since z~2

abstract:
  Using the combined capabilities of the large near-infrared Palomar/DEEP-2
survey, and the superb resolution of the ACS HST camera, we explore the size
evolution of 831 very massive galaxies (M*>10^{11}h_{70}^{-2}M_sun) since z~2.
We split our sample according to their light concentration using the Sersic
index n. At a given stellar mass, both low (n<2.5) and high (n>2.5)
concentrated objects were much smaller in the past than their local massive
counterparts. This evolution is particularly strong for the highly concentrated
(spheroid-like) objects. At z~1.5, massive spheroid-like objects were a factor
of 4(+-0.4) smaller (i.e. almost two orders of magnitudes denser) than those we
see today. These small sized, high mass galaxies do not exist in the nearby
Universe, suggesting that this population merged with other galaxies over
several billion years to form the largest galaxies we see today.


title:
Poisson-type deviation inequalities for curved continuous-time Markov
  chains

abstract:
  In this paper, we present new Poisson-type deviation inequalities for
continuous-time Markov chains whose Wasserstein curvature or $\Gamma$-curvature
is bounded below. Although these two curvatures are equivalent for Brownian
motion on Riemannian manifolds, they are not comparable in discrete settings
and yield different deviation bounds. In the case of birth--death processes, we
provide some conditions on the transition rates of the associated generator for
such curvatures to be bounded below and we extend the deviation inequalities
established [An\'{e}, C. and Ledoux, M. On logarithmic Sobolev inequalities for
continuous time random walks on graphs. Probab. Theory Related Fields 116
(2000) 573--602] for continuous-time random walks, seen as models in null
curvature. Some applications of these tail estimates are given for
Brownian-driven Ornstein--Uhlenbeck processes and $M/M/1$ queues.


title:
Evaporation and condensation of spherical interstellar clouds.
  Self-consistent models with saturated heat conduction and cooling

abstract:
  Shortened version: The fate of IS clouds embedded in a hot tenuous medium
depends on whether the clouds suffer from evaporation or whether material
condensates onto them. Analytical solutions for the rate of evaporative mass
loss from an isolated spherical cloud embedded in a hot tenuous gas are deduced
by Cowie & McKee (1977). In order to test the validity of the analytical
results for more realistic IS conditions the full hydrodynamical equations must
be treated. Therefore, 2D numerical simulations of the evolution of IS clouds
%are performed with different internal density structures and surrounded by a
hot plasma reservoir. Self-gravity, interstellar heating and cooling effects
and heat conduction by electrons are added. Classical thermal conductivity of a
fully ionized hydrogen plasma and saturated heat flux are considered. Using
pure hydrodynamics and classical heat flux we can reproduce the analytical
results. Heat flux saturation reduces the evaporation rate by one order of
magnitude below the analytical value. The evolution changes totally for more
realistic conditions when interstellar heating and cooling effects stabilize
the self-gravity. Evaporation then turns into condensation, because the
additional energy by heat conduction can be transported away from the interface
and radiated off efficiently from the cloud's inner parts. I.e. that the
saturated heat flux consideration is inevitable for IS clouds embedded in hot
tenuous gas. Various consequences are discussed in the paper.


title: On Faster Integer Calculations using Non-Arithmetic Primitives

abstract:
  The unit cost model is both convenient and largely realistic for describing
integer decision algorithms over (+,*). Additional operations like division
with remainder or bitwise conjunction, although equally supported by computing
hardware, may lead to a considerable drop in complexity. We show a variety of
concrete problems to benefit from such NON-arithmetic primitives by presenting
and analyzing corresponding fast algorithms.


title:
Efficient Implementation of the AI-REML Iteration for Variance Component
  QTL Analysis

abstract:
  Regions in the genome that affect complex traits, quantitative trait loci
(QTL), can be identified using statistical analysis of genetic and phenotypic
data. When restricted maximum-likelihood (REML) models are used, the mapping
procedure is normally computationally demanding. We develop a new efficient
computational scheme for QTL mapping using variance component analysis and the
AI-REML algorithm. The algorithm uses an exact or approximative low-rank
representation of the identity-by-descent matrix, which combined with the
Woodbury formula for matrix inversion results in that the computations in the
AI-REML iteration body can be performed more efficiently. For cases where an
exact low-rank representation of the IBD matrix is available a-priori, the
improved AI-REML algorithm normally runs almost twice as fast compared to the
standard version. When an exact low-rank representation is not available, a
truncated spectral decomposition is used to determine a low-rank approximation.
We show that also in this case, the computational efficiency of the AI-REML
scheme can often be significantly improved.


title:
Consistency and robustness of kernel-based regression in convex risk
  minimization

abstract:
  We investigate statistical properties for a broad class of modern
kernel-based regression (KBR) methods. These kernel methods were developed
during the last decade and are inspired by convex risk minimization in
infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. One leading example is support vector
regression. We first describe the relationship between the loss function $L$ of
the KBR method and the tail of the response variable. We then establish the
$L$-risk consistency for KBR which gives the mathematical justification for the
statement that these methods are able to ``learn''. Then we consider robustness
properties of such kernel methods. In particular, our results allow us to
choose the loss function and the kernel to obtain computationally tractable and
consistent KBR methods that have bounded influence functions. Furthermore,
bounds for the bias and for the sensitivity curve, which is a finite sample
version of the influence function, are developed, and the relationship between
KBR and classical $M$ estimators is discussed.


title: On It\^{o}'s formula for elliptic diffusion processes

abstract:
  Bardina and Jolis [Stochastic process. Appl. 69 (1997) 83--109] prove an
extension of It\^{o}'s formula for $F(X_t,t)$, where $F(x,t)$ has a locally
square-integrable derivative in $x$ that satisfies a mild continuity condition
in $t$ and $X$ is a one-dimensional diffusion process such that the law of
$X_t$ has a density satisfying certain properties. This formula was expressed
using quadratic covariation. Following the ideas of Eisenbaum [Potential Anal.
13 (2000) 303--328] concerning Brownian motion, we show that one can re-express
this formula using integration over space and time with respect to local times
in place of quadratic covariation. We also show that when the function $F$ has
a locally integrable derivative in $t$, we can avoid the mild continuity
condition in $t$ for the derivative of $F$ in $x$.


title: Lagrangian Investigation of Two-Dimensional Decaying Turbulence

abstract:
  We present a numerical investigation of two-dimensional decaying turbulence
in the Lagrangian framework. Focusing on single particle statistics, we
investigate Lagrangian trajectories in a freely evolving turbulent velocity
field. The dynamical evolution of the tracer particles is strongly dominated by
the emergence and evolution of coherent structures. For a statistical analysis
we focus on the Lagrangian acceleration as a central quantity. For more
geometrical aspects we investigate the curvature along the trajectories. We
find strong signatures for self-similar universal behavior.


title: Antisymmetric rank--2 tensor unparticle physics

abstract:
  We present the phenomenology of antisymmetric rank-2 tensor unparticle
operator ${\cal O}_{\cal U,A}^{\mu\nu}$ with scaling dimension $d_{\cal U}$. We
consider the physical effects of operator $O_{\cal U,A}^{\mu\nu}$ in $Z^0$
boson invisible decays $Z^0 \to {\cal U}$, $Z^0 \to b \bar{b}$ channel, the
electroweak precision observable $S$ parameter, and the muon anomalous magnetic
dipole moment. The $Z^0$ boson invisible decay gives a very stringent
constraint in the $(\Lambda_{\cal U}, M_{\cal U})$ plane, and only small $r
\equiv \Lambda_{\cal U} / M_{\cal U} \lesssim 0.1$ is favored, when
$\Lambda_{\cal U}$ is order of several 100 GeV. When the phenomenological
parameter $\mu$, which parameterizes the scale invariance breaking, goes to 0,
the $S$ parameter and the muon $(g-2)$ diverge for $1 < d_{\cal U} < 2$, while
for non-zero $\mu$, there will be constraints on $(\Lambda_{\cal U}, M_{\cal
U})$ which are more stringent than those obtained from collider experiments.


title:
The basic K nuclear cluster K- pp and its enhanced formation in the p +
  p -> K+ + X reaction

abstract:
  We have studied the structure of K- pp nuclear cluster comprehensively by
solving this three-body system exactly in a variational method starting from
the Ansatz that the Lambda(1405) resonance (Lambda*) is a K-p bound state. We
have found that our original prediction for the presence of K-pp as a compact
bound system with M = 2322$ MeV/c2, B = 48 MeV and Gamma = 60 MeV remains
unchanged by varying the Kba-rN and NN interactions widely as far as they
reproduce Lambda(1405). The structure of K- pp reveals a molecular feature,
namely, the K- in Lambda* as an "atomic center" plays a key role in producing
strong covalent bonding with the other proton. We have shown that the
elementary process, p + p -> K+ + Lambda* + p, which occurs in a short impact
parameter and with a large momentum transfer (Q ~ 1.6$ GeV/c), leads to
unusually large self-trapping of Lambda* by the participating proton, since the
Lambda*-p system exists as a compact doorway state propagating to K- pp
(R{Lambda*-p} ~ 1.67 fm).


title:
Massive stars: their contribution to energy and element budget in
  chemo-dynamical galaxy evolution

abstract:
  Here results of numerical radiation hydrodynamical simulations are presented
which explore the energetic impact of massive stars on the interstellar medium.
We study the evolution of the ambient gas around isolated massive stars in the
mass range between 15 and 85 Msun in order to analyze the formation of
structures and further the transfer and deposit of the stellar wind and
radiation energy into the circumstellar medium until the stars explode as a
supernovae. The derived energy transfer efficiencies are much smaller than
analytically estimated and should be inserted into chemo-dynamical evolutionary
models of galaxies as appropriate parameter values. As an additional issue the
element release in the Wolf-Rayet phases and its detectability have been
investigated for comparison with observations.


title:
Bogoliubov angle and visualization of particle-hole mixture in
  superconductors

abstract:
  Superconducting excitations --Bogoliubov quasiparticles -- are the quantum
mechanical mixture of negatively charged electron (-e) and positively charged
hole (+e). Depending on the applied voltage bias in STM one can sample the
particle and hole content of such a superconducting excitation. Recent Scanning
Tunneling Microscope (STM) experiments offer a unique insight into the inner
workings of the superconducting state of superconductors. We propose a new
observable quantity for STM studies that is the manifestation of the
particle-hole dualism of the quasiparticles. We call it a {\em Bogoliubov
angle}. This angle measures the relative weight of particle and hole amplitude
in the superconducting (Bogoliubov) quasiparticle. We argue that this quantity
can be measured locally by comparing the ratio of tunneling currents at
positive and negative biases. This Bogoliubov angle allows one to measure
directly the energy and position dependent particle-hole admixture and
therefore visualize robustness of superconducting state locally. It may also
allow one to measure the particle-hole admixture of excitations in normal state
above critical temperature and thus may be used to measure superconducting
correlations in pseudogap state.


abstract:
  The first INTEGRAL observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (carried out in
2003) are reported in which two sources are clearly detected. The first source,
SMC X-1, shows a hard X-ray eclipse and measurements of its pulse period
indicate a continuation of the long-term spin-up now covering ~30 years. The
second source is likely to be a high mass X-ray binary, and shows a potential
periodicity of 6.8s in the IBIS lightcurve. An exact X-ray or optical
counterpart cannot be designated, but a number of proposed counterparts are
discussed. One of these possible counterparts shows a strong coherent optical
modulation at ~2.7d, which, together with the measured hard X-ray pulse period,
would lead to this INTEGRAL source being classified as the fourth known high
mass Roche lobe overflow system.


title: Detectors for Cosmic Rays on Ground and in Space

abstract:
  The origin of the cosmic rays has been a great mystery since they were
discovered by Victor Hess in 1912. AGASA's observation of ultra-high-energy
cosmic-rays (UHECR) possibly beyond the GZK (Greisen, Zatsepin and Kuzmin)
cutoff stimulated the field in great deal. In addition, Kamiokande's detection
of neutrinos from SN1987A and the H.E.S.S.'s detection of TeV gamma-rays from
supernova remnants demonstrated the viability of neutrino and TeV gamma-ray
astronomy for cosmic-ray research. A new generation of currently-operating or
soon-to-be-operating detectors for charged particles, gamma-rays and neutrinos
from cosmos will get us even closer to understanding the nature and origin of
cosmic rays. Detectors for UHECRs, gamma rays and neutrinos are of particular
importance in order to study the origins of cosmic rays since these particles
are free from the deflection due to magnetic fields. Detectors for
antiparticles and gamma rays would be useful to detect cosmic rays originated
from the decay of the dark matter in the Universe. I will review these
cosmic-ray detectors with particular attention on the differences of
ground-based, balloon-borne and satellite-borne detectors.


title: Poisson Sigma Model with branes and hyperelliptic Riemann surfaces

abstract:
  We derive the explicit form of the superpropagators in presence of general
boundary conditions (coisotropic branes) for the Poisson Sigma Model. This
generalizes the results presented in Cattaneo and Felder's previous works for
the Kontsevich angle function used in the deformation quantization program of
Poisson manifolds without branes or with at most two branes. The relevant
superpropagators for n branes are defined as gauge fixed homotopy operators of
a complex of differential forms on n sided polygons P_n with particular
"alternating" boundary conditions.
  In presence of more than three branes we use first order Riemann theta
functions with odd singular characteristics on the Jacobian variety of a
hyperelliptic Riemann surface (canonical setting). In genus g the
superpropagators present g zero modes contributions.


title:
Internal chemo-dynamical Modeling of Gas Exchange within Galaxies and
  with their Environment

abstract:
  By a few but important examples as models of combined radiative and
wind-driven HII regions and galactic winds we demonstrate the importance of
refined small-to-medium scale studies of chemo-dynamical effects. These
processes determine the internal dynamics and energetic of the ISM and affect
its observational signatures, e.g. by abundance contributions, but are not yet
reliably and satisfactorily explored.


title:
Sample path properties of the local time of multifractional Brownian
  motion

abstract:
  We establish estimates for the local and uniform moduli of continuity of the
local time of multifractional Brownian motion,
$B^H=(B^{H(t)}(t),t\in\mathbb{R}^+)$. An analogue of Chung's law of the
iterated logarithm is studied for $B^H$ and used to obtain the pointwise
H\"{o}lder exponent of the local time. A kind of local asymptotic
self-similarity is proved to be satisfied by the local time of $B^H$.


title: Asymptotic behavior of grafting rays

abstract:
  In this paper we study the convergence behavior of grafting rays to the
Thurston boundary of Teichmuller space. When the grafting is done along a
weighted system of simple closed curves or along a maximal uniquely ergodic
lamination this behavior is the same as for Teichmuller geodesics and lines of
minima. We also show that the ray grafted along a weighted system of simple
closed curves is at bounded distance from Teichmuller geodesic.


title:
Atomic Diffusion and Mixing in Old Stars I. VLT/FLAMES-UVES Observations
  of Stars in NGC 6397

abstract:
  We present a homogeneous photometric and spectroscopic analysis of 18 stars
along the evolutionary sequence of the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397
([Fe/H] = -2), from the main-sequence turnoff point to red giants below the
bump. The spectroscopic stellar parameters, in particular stellar-parameter
differences between groups of stars, are in good agreement with broad-band and
Stroemgren photometry calibrated on the infrared-flux method. The spectroscopic
abundance analysis reveals, for the first time, systematic trends of iron
abundance with evolutionary stage. Iron is found to be 31% less abundant in the
turnoff-point stars than in the red giants. An abundance difference in lithium
is seen between the turnoff-point and warm subgiant stars. The impact of
potential systematic errors on these abundance trends (stellar parameters, the
hydrostatic and LTE approximations) is quantitatively evaluated and found not
to alter our conclusions significantly. Trends for various elements (Li, Mg,
Ca, Ti and Fe) are compared with stellar-structure models including the effects
of atomic diffusion and radiative acceleration. Such models are found to
describe the observed element-specific trends well, if extra (turbulent) mixing
just below the convection zone is introduced. It is concluded that atomic
diffusion and turbulent mixing are largely responsible for the sub-primordial
stellar lithium abundances of warm halo stars. Other consequences of atomic
diffusion in old metal-poor stars are also discussed.


title: Algebraic theta functions and Eisenstein-Kronecker numbers

abstract:
  In this paper, we give an overview of our previous paper concerning the
investigation of the algebraic and $p$-adic properties of Eisenstein-Kronecker
numbers using Mumford's theory of algebraic theta functions.


title:
Coherent control for the spherical symmetric box potential in short and
  intensive XUV laser fields

abstract:
  Coherent control calculations are presented for a spherically symmetric box
potential for non-resonant two photon transition probabilities. With the help
of a genetic algorithm (GA) the population of the excited states are maximized
and minimized. The external driving field is a superposition of three intensive
extreme ultraviolet (XUV) linearly polarized laser pulses with different
frequencies in the femtosecond duration range. We solved the quantum mechanical
problem within the dipole approximation. Our investigation clearly shows that
the dynamics of the electron current has a strong correlation with the
optimized and neutralizing pulse shape.


title:
Geometry of Liquid Crystals and the alignment of HIV-1 virus helical
  filaments

abstract:
  Geometry of Liquid crystals as detectors of HIV twisted helical filaments is
presented.


title:
Effects of interactions in transport through Aharonov-Bohm-Casher
  interferometers

abstract:
  We study the conductance through a ring described by the Hubbard model (such
as an array of quantum dots), threaded by a magnetic flux and subject to Rashba
spin-orbit coupling (SOC). We develop a formalism that is able to describe the
interference effects as well as the Kondo effect when the number of electrons
in the ring is odd. In the Kondo regime, the SOC reduces the conductance from
the unitary limit, and in combination with the magnetic flux, the device acts
as a spin polarizer.


title:
One-loop Self-energy and Counterterms in a Massive Yang-Mills Theory
  based on the Nonlinearly Realized Gauge Group

abstract:
  In this paper we evaluate the self-energy of the vector mesons at one loop in
our recently proposed subtraction scheme for massive nonlinearly realized SU(2)
Yang-Mills theory. We check the fulfillment of physical unitarity. The
resulting self-mass can be compared with the value obtained in the massive
Yang-Mills theory based on the Higgs mechanism, consisting in extra terms due
to the presence of the Higgs boson (tadpoles included). Moreover we evaluate
all the one-loop counterterms necessary for the next order calculations. By
construction they satisfy all the equations of the model (Slavnov-Taylor, local
functional equation and Landau gauge equation). They are sufficient to make all
the one-loop amplitudes finite through the hierarchy encoded in the local
functional equation.


title: A Substellar Companion to the Intermediate-Mass Giant 11 Com

abstract:
  We report the detection of a substellar companion orbiting the
intermediate-mass giant star 11 Com (G8 III). Precise Doppler measurements of
the star from Xinglong station and Okayama Astrophysical Observatory (OAO)
revealed Keplerian velocity variations with an orbital period of 326.03 +/-
0.32 days, a semiamplitude of 302.8 +/- 2.6 m/s, and an eccentricity of 0.231
+/- 0.005. Adopting a stellar mass of 2.7 +/- 0.3 M_solar, the minimum mass of
the companion is 19.4 +/- 1.5 M_Jup, well above the deuterium burning limit,
and the semimajor axis is 1.29 +/- 0.05 AU. This is the first result from the
joint planet search program between China and Japan aiming at revealing
statistics of substellar companions around intermediate-mass giants. 11 Com b
emerged from 300 targets of the planet search program at OAO. The current
detection rate of a brown dwarf candidate seems to be comparable to that around
solar-type stars within orbital separations of $\sim$3 AU.


title:
Algebraic solution of a graphene layer in a transverse electric and
  perpendicular magnetic fields

abstract:
  We present an exact algebraic solution of a single graphene plane in
transverse electric and perpendicular magnetic fields. The method presented
gives both the eigen-values and the eigen-functions of the graphene plane. It
is shown that the eigen-states of the problem can be casted in terms of
coherent states, which appears in a natural way from the formalism.


title: Sharp constants related to the triangle inequality in Lorentz spaces

abstract:
  We study the Lorentz spaces $L^{p,s}(R,\mu)$ in the range $1<p<s\le \infty$,
for which the standard functional $$ ||f||_{p,s}=(\int_0^\infty
(t^{1/p}f^*(t))^s\frac{dt}{t})^{1/s}
  $$ is only a quasi-norm. We find the optimal constant in the triangle
inequality for this quasi-norm, which leads us to consider the following
decomposition norm: $$ ||f||_{(p,s)}=\inf\bigg\{\sum_{k}||f_k||_{p,s}\bigg\},
$$ where the infimum is taken over all finite representations $f=\sum_{k}f_k. $
We also prove that the decomposition norm and the dual norm $$ ||f||_{p,s}'=
\sup\left\{\int_R fg d\mu: ||g||_{p',s'}=1\right\} $$ agree for all values
$p,s>1$.


title: Rearrangement transformations on general measure spaces

abstract:
  For a general set transformation ${\cal R}$ between two measure spaces, we
define the rearrangement of a measurable function by means of the Layer's cake
formula. We study some functional properties of the Lorentz spaces defined in
terms of ${\cal R}$, giving a unified approach to the classical rearrangement,
Steiner's symmetrization, the multidimensional case, and the discrete setting
of trees.


title: Oscillation of Tc depending on the number of CuO2 planes in the cuprates

abstract:
  Using the Tc formula given by BCS, together with a shear modulus varying with
the numbering of planes, we can demonstrate that Tc oscillates depending on the
number of the cuprate planes. The maximum of Tc in these oscillations appears
for three planes irrespective of the cuprate family. Comparison with
experimental data shows good agreement and suggests that the electron-phonon
coupling predominate in the superconductivity of these materials. This model
predicts that such oscillations can also occur in many others physical
quantities that depend on Tc. The new Tc formula shows interesting prospects
towards room temperature superconductors.


title:
Limit theorems for functionals on the facets of stationary random
  tessellations

abstract:
  We observe stationary random tessellations $X=\{\Xi_n\}_{n\ge1}$ in
$\mathbb{R}^d$ through a convex sampling window $W$ that expands unboundedly
and we determine the total $(k-1)$-volume of those $(k-1)$-dimensional manifold
processes which are induced on the $k$-facets of $X$ ($1\le k\le d-1$) by their
intersections with the $(d-1)$-facets of independent and identically
distributed motion-invariant tessellations $X_n$ generated within each cell
$\Xi_n$ of $X$. The cases of $X$ being either a Poisson hyperplane tessellation
or a random tessellation with weak dependences are treated separately. In both
cases, however, we obtain that all of the total volumes measured in $W$ are
approximately normally distributed when $W$ is sufficiently large. Structural
formulae for mean values and asymptotic variances are derived and explicit
numerical values are given for planar Poisson--Voronoi tessellations (PVTs) and
Poisson line tessellations (PLTs).


title: GRB970228 and a class of GRBs with an initial spikelike emission

abstract:
  (Shortened) The Swift and HETE-2 discovery of an afterglow associated
possibly with short GRBs opened the new problematic of their nature and
classification. This has been further enhanced by the GRB060614 observation and
by a re-analysis of the BATSE catalog leading to the identification of a new
GRB class with "an occasional softer extended emission lasting tenths of
seconds after an initial spikelike emission". We plan: a) to fit this new class
of "hybrid" sources within our "canonical GRB" scenario, where all GRBs are
generated by a "common engine" (i.e. the gravitational collapse to a black
hole); b) to propose GRB970228 as the prototype of the such a class. We analyze
BeppoSAX data on GRB970228 in the 40-700 keV and 2-26 keV energy bands within
the "fireshell" model. We find that GRB970228 is a "canonical GRB", like e.g.
GRB050315, with the main peculiarity of a particularly low CircumBurst Medium
(CBM) average density n_{cbm}~10^{-3} #/cm^3. We also simulate the light curve
corresponding to a rescaled CBM density profile with n_{cbm}=1 #/cm^3. From
such a comparison it follows that the total time-integrated luminosity is a
faithful indicator of the GRB nature, contrary to the peak luminosity which is
merely a function of the CBM density. We call attention on discriminating the
short GRBs between the "genuine" and the "fake" ones. The "genuine" ones are
intrinsically short, with baryon loading B \la 10^{-5}, as stated in our
original classification. The "fake" ones, characterized by an initial spikelike
emission followed by an extended emission lasting tenths of seconds, have a
baryon loading 10^{-4} \la B \leq 10^{-2}. They are observed as such only due
to an underdense CBM consistent with a galactic halo environment which deflates
the afterglow intensity.


title: Many Body Symmetrical Dynamical Systems

abstract:
  We investigate the stability of few body symmetrical dynamical systems which
include four and five body symmetrical dynamical systems. Research presented in
this thesis includes the following original investigations: determination of
some analytical solutions of the four body problem; stability analysis of the
near symmetric coplanar CSFBP ; derivation of the analytical stability
criterion valid for all time for a special symmetric configuration of the
general five-body problem, the CS5BP, which exhibits many of the salient
characteristics of the general five body problem; numerical investigation of
the hierarchical stability of the CS5BP and derivation of the stability
criterion for the CSNBP.


title: Creating and preserving multi-partite entanglement with spin chains

abstract:
  We show how multi-partite entanglement, such as of W-state form, can be
created in branched spin chain systems. We also discuss the preservation of
such entanglement, once created. The technique could be applied to actual spin
chain systems, or to other physical systems such as strings of coupled quantum
dots, molecules or atoms.


title:
Mapping Neutral Hydrogen During Reionization with the Ly-alpha Emission
  from Quasar Ionization Fronts

abstract:
  We present a new method to directly map the neutral-hydrogen distribution
during the reionization epoch and to constrain the emission properties of the
highest-redshift quasars (QSOs). As a tracer of HI, we propose to use the
Ly-alpha radiation produced by quasar ionization fronts (I-fronts) that expand
in the partially ionized intergalactic medium (IGM) before reionization is
complete. These Ly-alpha photons are mainly generated by collisional
excitations of hydrogen atoms in the boundary of the rapidly expanding HII
region. The observable signal is produced by the part of the I-front that lies
behind the QSO with respect to the observer. Combining two radiative transfer
models (one for the QSO ionizing radiation and one for the Ly-alpha photons),
we estimate the expected Ly-alpha spectral shape and surface brightness (SB)
for a large number of configurations where we varied both the properties of the
ionizing QSO and of the surrounding medium. We find that the expected signal is
observable as a single (broad) emission line with a characteristic width of
100-200 km/s. The expected SB produced at redshift z~6.5 within a fully neutral
region (at mean density) by a typical QSO I-front lies in the range
$10^{-21}-10^{-20}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ arcsec$^{-2}$ and decreases
proportionally to $(1+z)^2$ for a given QSO age. QSOs with harder spectra may
produce a significantly brighter emission at early phases. The signal may cover
up to a few hundred square arcmin on the sky and should be already detectable
with current facilities by means of moderate/high resolution spectroscopy. The
detection of this Ly-alpha emission can shed new light on the reionization
history, the age and the emission properties of the highest-redshift QSOs.
(abridged)


title: Colored Spin Systems, BKP Evolution and finite N_c effects

abstract:
  Even within the framework of the leading logarithmic approximation the
eigenvalues of the BKP kernel for states of more than three reggeized gluons
are unknown in general, contrary to the planar limit case where the problem
becomes integrable. We consider a 4-gluon kernel for a finite number of colors
and define some simple toy models for the configuration space dynamics, which
are directly solvable with group theoretical methods. Then we study the
dependence of the spectrum of these models with respect to the number of colors
and make comparisons with the large limit case.


title: Hidden Fermi Liquid: The Secret of High Tc Cuprates

abstract:
  I present a formalism for dealing directly with the effects of the Gutzwiller
projection, which is implicit in the t-J model widely believed to underly the
phenomenology of the high-Tc cuprates. I suggest that a true BCS condensation
from a Fermi liquid state takes place, but in the unphysical space prior to
projection. The theory which results upon projection does not follow
conventional rules of diagram theory and in fact in the normal state is a Z=0
non-Fermi liquid. Anomalous properties of this strange metal normal state are
predicted and compared to experiments.


title: Quasi-Normal Modes and Gravitational Wave Astronomy

abstract:
  We review the main results obtained in the literature on quasi-normal modes
of compact stars and black holes, in the light of recent exciting developments
of gravitational wave detectors. Quasi-normal modes are a fundamental feature
of the gravitational signal emitted by compact objects in many astrophysical
processes; we will show that their eigenfrequencies encode interesting
information on the nature and on the inner structure of the emitting source and
we will discuss whether we are ready for a gravitational wave asteroseismology.


title: Chemical evolution of bulges at high redshift

abstract:
  We present a new class of hydrodynamical models for the formation of bulges
(either massive elliptical galaxies or classical bulges in spirals) in which we
implement detailed prescriptions for the chemical evolution of H, He, O and Fe.
Our results hint toward an outside-in formation in the context of the
supernovae-driven wind scenario. The build-up of the chemical properties of the
stellar populations inhabiting the galactic core is very fast. Therefore we
predict a non significant evolution of both the mass-metallicity and the
mass-[alpha/Fe] relations after the first 0.5 - 1 Gyr. In this framework we
explain how the observed slopes, either positive or negative, in the radial
gradient of the mean stellar [alpha/Fe], and their apparent lack of any
correlation with all the other observables, can arise as a consequence of the
interplay between star formation and metal-enhanced internal gas flows.


title:
Statistical Properties of the IntraCluster Light from SDSS Image
  Stacking

abstract:
  The presence of a diffuse stellar component in galaxy clusters has been
established by a number of observational works in recent years. In this
contribution I summarize our results (Zibetti et al. 2005) obtained by stacking
SDSS images of 683 clusters, selected with the maxBCG algorithm at 0.2< z <0.3.
Thanks to our large sample and the advantages of image stacking applied to SDSS
images, we are able to measure the systematic properties of the intracluster
light (ICL) with very high accuracy. We find that the average surface
brightness of the ICL ranges between 26 and 32 mag/arcsec^2, and constantly
declines from 70 kpc cluster-centric distance (i.e. distance from the BCG) to
700 kpc. The fraction of diffuse light over the total light (including
galaxies), monotonically declines from ~50 to <~5% over the same range of
distances, thus showing that the ICL is more easily produced close to the
bottom of a cluster's potential well. Clusters lacking a bright BCG hardly
build up a large amount of intracluster stellar component. The link between the
growth of the BCG and the ICL is also suggested by the strong degree of
alignment between these two components which is observed in clusters where the
BCG displays a significant elongation. With the additional fact that the colors
of the ICL are consistent with those of galaxies, all this appears to be
evidence for IC stars being stripped from galaxies that suffer very strong
tidal interactions in the center of clusters and eventually merge into the BCG.
Our measurements also show that IC stars are a minor component of a cluster's
baryonic budget, representing only ~10% of the total optical emission within
500 kpc. Finally, we discuss some open issues that emerge from a comparison of
the present results with other observations and recent theoretical modeling.


title:
Oscillations of General Relativistic Multi-fluid/Multi-layer Compact
  Stars

abstract:
  We develop the formalism for determining the quasinormal modes of general
relativistic multi-fluid compact stars in such a way that the impact of
superfluid gap data can be assessed. Our results represent the first attempt to
study true multi-layer dynamics, an important step towards considering
realistic superfluid/superconducting compact stars. We combine a relativistic
model for entrainment with model equations of state that explicity incorporate
the symmetry energy. Our analysis emphasises the many different parameters that
are required for this kind of modelling, and the fact that standard tabulated
equations of state are grossly incomplete in this respect. To make progress,
future equations of state need to provide the energy density as a function of
the various nucleon number densities, the temperature (i.e. entropy), and the
entrainment among the various components.


title:
Unresolved Classical Electromagnetic Aspects of the Aharonov-Bohm Phase
  Shift

abstract:
  The long-standing controversy regarding the Aharonov-Bohm phase shift is
reviewed. The shifts of both optical and particle interference patterns are
summarized. It is pointed out that a line of electric dipoles and a line of
magnetic dipoles (a long solenoid) both produce experimentally observed phase
shifts similar to that produced by introducing a rectangular block of glass
behind one slit of a double-slit interference pattern; the double-slit pattern
is shifted while the single-slit envelope remains undisplaced. The quantum
explanation for the magnetic interference pattern shift introduced by Aharonov
and Bohm in 1959 involves completely different ideas from those suggested by a
semiclassical analysis. Experiments planned by Caprez, Barwick, and Batelaan
should clarify the connections between classical and quantum theories in
connection with the Ahronov-Bohm phase shift.


title: Structure of BSCCO supermodulation from ab initio calculations

abstract:
  We present results of density functional theory (DFT) calculation of the
structural supermodulation in BSCCO-2212 structure, and show that the
supermodulation is indeed a spontaneous symmetry breaking of the nominal
crystal symmetry, rather than a phenomenon driven by interstitial O dopants.
The structure obtained is in excellent quantitative agreement with recent x-ray
studies, and reproduces several qualitative aspects of scanning tunnelling
microscopy (STM) experiments as well. The primary structural modulation
affecting the CuO_2 plane is found to be a buckling wave of tilted CuO_5
half-octahedra, with maximum tilt angle near the phase of the supermodulation
where recent STM experiments have discovered an enhancement of the
superconducting gap. We argue that the tilting of the half-octahedra and
concommitant planar buckling are directly modulating the superconducting pair
interaction.


title: K3 surfaces, rational curves, and rational points

abstract:
  We prove that for any of a wide class of elliptic surfaces $X$ defined over a
number field $k$, if there is an algebraic point on $X$ that lies on only
finitely many rational curves, then there is an algebraic point on $X$ that
lies on no rational curves. In particular, our theorem applies to a large class
of elliptic $K3$ surfaces, which relates to a question posed by Bogomolov in
1981. We apply our results to construct an explicit algebraic point on a $K3$
surface that does not lie on any smooth rational curves.


title: Excited mesons on dynamical clover-Wilson lattices

abstract:
  We present results for masses of excited mesons from dynamical clover-Wilson
lattices provided by the CP-PACS collaboration at pion masses down to 500 MeV.
Our analysis of the data is based on using a matrix of correlators from various
source and sink operators. The spectroscopy results are discussed and compared
to experimental values.


title: Multiplicity fluctuations in relativistic nuclear collisions

abstract:
  Multiplicity distributions of hadrons produced in central nucleus-nucleus
collisions are studied within the hadron-resonance gas model in the large
volume limit. In the canonical ensemble conservation of three charges (baryon
number, electric charge, and strangeness) is enforced. In addition, in the
micro-canonical ensemble energy conservation is included. An analytical method
is used to account for resonance decays. Multiplicity distributions and scaled
variances for negatively charged hadrons are presented along the chemical
freeze-out line of central Pb+Pb (Au+Au) collisions from SIS to LHC energies.
Predictions obtained within different statistical ensembles are compared with
preliminary NA49 experimental results on central Pb+Pb collisions in the SPS
energy range. The measured fluctuations are significantly narrower than a
Poisson reference distribution, and clearly favor expectations for the
micro-canonical ensemble.


title:
Lepton Flavour Violation in the Constrained MSSM with Constrained
  Sequential Dominance

abstract:
  We consider charged Lepton Flavour Violation (LFV) in the Constrained Minimal
Supersymmetric Standard Model, extended to include the see-saw mechanism with
Constrained Sequential Dominance (CSD), where CSD provides a natural see-saw
explanation of tri-bimaximal neutrino mixing. When charged lepton corrections
to tri-bimaximal neutrino mixing are included, we discover characteristic
correlations among the LFV branching ratios, depending on the mass ordering of
the right-handed neutrinos, with a pronounced dependence on the leptonic mixing
angle $\theta_{13}$ (and in some cases also on the Dirac CP phase $\delta$).


title: Computation of weight lattices of G-varieties

abstract:
  Let G be a connected reductive group. To any irreducible G-variety one
assigns the lattice generated by all weights of B-semiinvariant rational
functions on X, where B$ is a Borel subgroup of G. This lattice is called the
weight lattice of X. We establish algorithms for computing weight lattices for
homogeneous spaces and affine homogeneous vector bundles. For affine
homogeneous spaces of rank rk(G) we present a more or less explicit
computation.


title: Entropy and Uncertainty Analysis in Financial Markets

abstract:
  The investor is interested in the expected return and he is also concerned
about the risk and the uncertainty assumed by the investment. One of the most
popular concepts used to measure the risk and the uncertainty is the variance
and/or the standard-deviation. In this paper we explore the following issues:
Is the standard-deviation a good measure of risk and uncertainty? What are the
potentialities of the entropy in this context? Can entropy present some
advantages as a measure of uncertainty and simultaneously verify some basic
assumptions of the portfolio management theory, namely the effect of
diversification?


title: G_2 gauge theory at finite temperature

abstract:
  The gauge group being centreless, $G_2$ gauge theory is a good laboratory for
studying the role of the centre of the group for colour confinement in
Yang-Mills gauge theories. In this paper, we investigate $G_2$ pure gauge
theory at finite temperature on the lattice. By studying the finite size
scaling of the plaquette, the Polyakov loop and their susceptibilities, we show
that a deconfinement phase transition takes place. The analysis of the
pseudocritical exponents give strong evidence of the deconfinement transition
being first order. Implications of our findings for scenarios of colour
confinement are discussed.


title: Using Data Compressors to Construct Rank Tests

abstract:
  Nonparametric rank tests for homogeneity and component independence are
proposed, which are based on data compressors. For homogeneity testing the idea
is to compress the binary string obtained by ordering the two joint samples and
writing 0 if the element is from the first sample and 1 if it is from the
second sample and breaking ties by randomization (extension to the case of
multiple samples is straightforward). $H_0$ should be rejected if the string is
compressed (to a certain degree) and accepted otherwise. We show that such a
test obtained from an ideal data compressor is valid against all alternatives.
Component independence is reduced to homogeneity testing by constructing two
samples, one of which is the first half of the original and the other is the
second half with one of the components randomly permuted.


title:
Which Partial Sums of the Taylor Series for $e$ are Convergents to $e$?
  (and a Link to the Primes 2, 5, 13, 37, 463), II

abstract:
  This is an expanded version of our earlier paper. Let the $n$th partial sum
of the Taylor series $e = \sum_{r=0}^{\infty} 1/r!$ be $A_n/n!$, and let
$p_k/q_k$ be the $k$th convergent of the simple continued fraction for $e$.
Using a recent measure of irrationality for $e$, we prove weak versions of our
conjecture that only two of the partial sums are convergents to $e$. A related
result about the denominators $q_k$ and powers of factorials is proved. We also
show a surprising connection between the $A_n$ and the primes 2, 5, 13, 37,
463. In the Appendix, we give a conditional proof of the conjecture, assuming a
second conjecture we make about the zeros of $A_n$ and $q_k$ modulo powers of
2. Tables supporting this Zeros Conjecture are presented and we discuss a
2-adic reformulation of it.


title: Harmonic morphisms on heaven spaces

abstract:
  We prove that any (real or complex) analytic horizontally conformal
submersion from a three-dimensional conformal manifold M to a two-dimensional
conformal manifold N can be, locally, `extended' to a unique harmonic morphism
from the heaven space of M to N.


title: Excited Fermions at H1

abstract:
  We present a search for excited neutrinos and electrons using all data
collected by the H1 experiment at HERA at a center-of-mass energy of 320 GeV
with an integrated luminosity of up to 435 pb$^{-1}$. No evidence for excited
neutrino or electron production is found. Mass dependent exclusion limits are
determined for the ratio of the coupling to the compositeness scale,
$f/{\Lambda}$. These limits greatly extend the excluded region to higher masses
than has been possible in previous searches.


title:
Simple Algorithmic Principles of Discovery, Subjective Beauty, Selective
  Attention, Curiosity & Creativity

abstract:
  I postulate that human or other intelligent agents function or should
function as follows. They store all sensory observations as they come - the
data is holy. At any time, given some agent's current coding capabilities, part
of the data is compressible by a short and hopefully fast program / description
/ explanation / world model. In the agent's subjective eyes, such data is more
regular and more "beautiful" than other data. It is well-known that knowledge
of regularity and repeatability may improve the agent's ability to plan actions
leading to external rewards. In absence of such rewards, however, known beauty
is boring. Then "interestingness" becomes the first derivative of subjective
beauty: as the learning agent improves its compression algorithm, formerly
apparently random data parts become subjectively more regular and beautiful.
Such progress in compressibility is measured and maximized by the curiosity
drive: create action sequences that extend the observation history and yield
previously unknown / unpredictable but quickly learnable algorithmic
regularity. We discuss how all of the above can be naturally implemented on
computers, through an extension of passive unsupervised learning to the case of
active data selection: we reward a general reinforcement learner (with access
to the adaptive compressor) for actions that improve the subjective
compressibility of the growing data. An unusually large breakthrough in
compressibility deserves the name "discovery". The "creativity" of artists,
dancers, musicians, pure mathematicians can be viewed as a by-product of this
principle. Several qualitative examples support this hypothesis.


title:
Magnetic field induced singlet - triplet phase transition in quasi
  one-dimensional organic superconductors

abstract:
  We propose a theoretical model of quasi-one-dimensional superconductors, with
attractive electron-electron interactions dominant in the singlet d-wave
channel and sub-dominant in the p-wave channel. We discuss, in the mean field
approximation, the effect of a magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the
direction of the lowest conductivity. The lowest free energy phase corresponds
to a singlet d-wave symmetry in low fields, but to a triplet symmetry in high
fields. A first order singlet-triplet phase transition is expected at moderate
applied fields of a few teslas. We propose to ascribe the recent critical field
and NMR experimental data, observed in superconducting (TMTSF)2ClO4 to such an
effect.


title: The potential for Earth-mass planet formation around brown dwarfs

abstract:
  Recent observations point to the presence of structured dust grains in the
discs surrounding young brown dwarfs, thus implying that the first stages of
planet formation take place also in the sub-stellar regime. Here, we
investigate the potential for planet formation around brown dwarfs and very low
mass stars according to the sequential core accretion model of planet
formation. We find that, for a brown dwarfs of mass 0.05M_{\odot}, our models
predict a maximum planetary mass of ~5M_{\oplus}, orbiting with semi-major axis
~1AU. However, we note that the predictions for the mass - semi-major axis
distribution are strongly dependent upon the models chosen for the disc surface
density profiles and the assumed distribution of disc masses. In particular, if
brown dwarf disc masses are of the order of a few Jupiter masses, Earth-mass
planets might be relatively frequent, while if typical disc masses are only a
fraction of Jupiter mass, we predict that planet formation would be extremely
rare in the sub-stellar regime. As the observational constraints on disc
profiles, mass dependencies and their distributions are poor in the brown dwarf
regime, we advise caution in validating theoretical models only on stars
similar to the Sun and emphasise the need for observational data on planetary
systems around a wide range of stellar masses. We also find that, unlike the
situation around solar-like stars, Type-II migration is totally absent from the
planet formation process around brown dwarfs, suggesting that any future
observations of planets around brown dwarfs would provide a direct measure of
the role of other types of migration.


title:
On the Complexity of Protein Local Structure Alignment Under the
  Discrete Fr\'echet Distance

abstract:
  We show that given $m$ proteins (or protein backbones, which are modeled as
3D polygonal chains each of length O(n)) the problem of protein local structure
alignment under the discrete Fr\'{e}chet distance is as hard as Independent
Set. So the problem does not admit any approximation of factor
$n^{1-\epsilon}$. This is the strongest negative result regarding the protein
local structure alignment problem. On the other hand, if $m$ is a constant,
then the problem can be solved in polygnomial time.


title: Constraints on Unparticle Physics from Solar and KamLAND Neutrinos

abstract:
  Interest has been directed recently towards low energy implications of a
non-trivial conformal sector of an effective field theory with an IR fixed
point (\Lambda), manifest in terms of ``unparticles'' with bizarre properties.
We re-examine the implications of the limits on decay lifetimes of solar
neutrinos for unparticle interactions. We study in detail the fundamental
parameter space (\Lambda, M) and derive bounds on the energy scale M
characterizing the new physics. We work strictly within the framework where
conformal invariance holds down to low energies. We first assume that couplings
of the unparticle sector to the Higgs field are suppressed and derive bounds
with \Lambda in the TeV region from neutrino decay into scalar unparticles.
These bounds are significant for values of the anomalous dimension of the
unparticle operator 1.0 < d < 1.2. For a region of the parameter space, we show
that the bounds are comparable to those arising from production rates at high
energy colliders. We then relax our assumption, by considering a more natural
framework which does not require a priori restrictions on couplings of
Higgs-unparticle operators, and derive bounds with \Lambda in meV region from
neutrino decay into vector unparticles. Such low scales for the IR fixed point
are relevant in gauge theories with many flavors.


title: Curvature and torsion in growing actin networks

abstract:
  Intracellular pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Rickettsia
rickettsii move within a host cell by polymerizing a comet-tail of actin fibers
that ultimately pushes the cell forward. This dense network of cross-linked
actin polymers typically exhibits a striking curvature that causes bacteria to
move in gently looping paths. Theoretically, tail curvature has been linked to
details of motility by considering force and torque balances from a finite
number of polymerizing filaments. Here we track beads coated with a prokaryotic
activator of actin polymerization in three dimensions to directly quantify the
curvature and torsion of bead motility paths. We find that bead paths are more
likely to have low rather than high curvature at any given time. Furthermore,
path curvature changes very slowly in time, with an autocorrelation decay time
of 200 seconds. Paths with a small radius of curvature, therefore, remain so
for an extended period resulting in loops when confined to two dimensions. When
allowed to explore a 3D space, path loops are less evident. Finally, we
quantify the torsion in the bead paths and show that beads do not exhibit a
significant left- or right-handed bias to their motion in 3D. These results
suggest that paths of actin-propelled objects may be attributed to slow changes
in curvature rather than a fixed torque.


title:
Designing a Virtual Manikin Animation Framework Aimed at Virtual
  Prototyping

abstract:
  In the industry, numerous commercial packages provide tools to introduce, and
analyse human behaviour in the product's environment (for maintenance,
ergonomics...), thanks to Virtual Humans. We will focus on control. Thanks to
algorithms newly introduced in recent research papers, we think we can provide
an implementation, which even widens, and simplifies the animation capacities
of virtual manikins. In order to do so, we are going to express the industrial
expectations as for Virtual Humans, without considering feasibility (not to
bias the issue). The second part will show that no commercial application
provides the tools that perfectly meet the needs. Thus we propose a new
animation framework that better answers the problem. Our contribution is the
integration - driven by need ~ of available new scientific techniques to
animate Virtual Humans, in a new control scheme that better answers industrial
expectations.


title: Strong-coupling expansion of cusp anomaly from quantum superstring

abstract:
  We consider the world surface in AdS_5 that ends on two intersecting null
lines at the boundary. The corresponding string partition function describes
the expectation value of the Wilson line with a null cusp in dual large N
maximally supersymmetric gauge theory and thus determines the cusp anomaly
function f(\lambda) of the gauge coupling. The first two coefficients in its
strong-coupling or string inverse tension expansion were determined in
hep-th/0210115 (a_1=1) and in arXiv:0707.4254 (a_2=- 3 log 2). Here we find
that the 2-loop coefficient is a_2 = - K where K is the Catalan's constant.
This is in agreement (expected on general grounds) with the previous results
for f(\lambda) as the coefficient of log(S) term in the energy of closed
spinning string in AdS_5. The string theory value for a_2 is in agreement with
the numerical result in hep-th/0611135 and the recent analytic result in
arXiv:0708.3933 for the solution of the BES equation following from the
asymptotic Bethe ansatz for the spectrum of the theory. We explicitly verify
the cancellation of 2-loop 2d logarithmic divergences thus demonstrating the
quantum consistency of the AdS_5 x S^5 superstring. We also discuss the
structure of higher loop string corrections to the cusp anomaly giving a 2d QFT
diagrammatic interpretation to the strong-coupling expansion of the cusp
anomaly function as solution of the BES equation found in arXiv:0708.3933.


title:
Pressure sensor-based tongue-placed electrotactile biofeedback for
  balance improvement - Biomedical application to prevent pressure sores
  formation and falls

abstract:
  We introduce the innovative technologies, based on the concept of "sensory
substitution", we are developing in the fields of biomedical engineering and
human disability. Precisely, our goal is to design, develop and validate
practical assistive biomedical and/or technical devices and/or rehabilitating
procedures for persons with disabilities, using artificial tongue-placed
tactile biofeedback systems. Proposed applications are dealing with: (1)
pressure sores prevention in case of spinal cord injuries (persons with
paraplegia, or tetraplegia); and (2) balance control improvement to prevent
fall in older and/or disabled adults. This paper describes the architecture and
the functioning principle of these biofeedback systems and presents preliminary
results of two feasibility studies performed on young healthy adults.


title:
Framework for a low-cost intra-operative image-guided neuronavigator
  including brain shift compensation

abstract:
  In this paper we present a methodology to address the problem of brain tissue
deformation referred to as 'brain-shift'. This deformation occurs throughout a
neurosurgery intervention and strongly alters the accuracy of the
neuronavigation systems used to date in clinical routine which rely solely on
pre-operative patient imaging to locate the surgical target, such as a tumour
or a functional area. After a general description of the framework of our
intra-operative image-guided system, we describe a procedure to generate
patient specific finite element meshes of the brain and propose a biomechanical
model which can take into account tissue deformations and surgical procedures
that modify the brain structure, like tumour or tissue resection.


title:
Muon spin rotation studies of spin dynamics at avoided level crossings
  in LiY0.998Ho0.002F4

abstract:
  We have studied the Ho3+ spin dynamics for LiY0.998Ho0.002F4 through the
positive muon (mu+) transverse field depolarization rate lambda_TF as a
function of temperature and magnetic field. We find sharp reductions in
lambda_TF(H) at fields of 23, 46 and 69 mT, for which the Ho3+ ion system has
field-induced (avoided) level crossings. The reduction scales with calculated
level repulsions, suggesting that mu+ depolarization by slow fluctuations of
non-resonant Ho3+ spin states is partially suppressed when resonant tunneling
opens new fluctuation channels at frequencies much greater than the muon
precession frequency.


title:
Not Only Because of Theory: Dyson, Eddington and the Competing Myths of
  the 1919 Eclipse Expedition

abstract:
  The 1919 Eclipse Expedition to test the light-bending prediction of General
Relativity remains one of the most famous physics experiments of the 20th
century. However, in recent decades it has been increasingly often alleged that
the data-analysis of the expedition's leaders was faulty and biased in favor of
Einstein's theory. Arthur Stanley Eddington is particularly alleged to have
been prejudiced in favor of general relativity. Specifically it is claimed that
some of the data, which would have favored the so-called Newtonian prediction,
was thrown out on dubious grounds. This paper argues that a close examination
of the views of the expedition's organizers, and of their data analysis,
suggests that they had good grounds for acting as they did, and that the key
people involved, in particular the astronomer Frank Watson Dyson, were not
biased in favor of Einstein. It also draws attention to a modern re-analysis of
the most important eclipse plates which, though overlooked until now, tends to
strongly support the thesis of this paper.


title:
Bio-Mechanical Model of the Brain for a Per-Operative Image-Guided
  Neuronavigator Compensating for "Brain-Shift" Deformations


title: On the concept of relativistic mass

abstract:
  Within the past fifteen years the use of the concept of "relativistic mass"
has been on the decline and has been replaced by the concept of "proper mass"
(aka "rest mass") - ?simply referred to as "mass" and labeled "m" by its
proponents. This decline in usage appears to be due to arguments presented in
several journal articles over the last thirty-five years, as well as to
standard practices in the field of particle physics. The aforementioned debate
consists of arguments as to how the term "mass" should be defined to maximize
logic as well as to be less confusing to the layman and people just starting to
learn relativity. Lacking in the debate is a clear definition of all types of
mass and all its usages in a wide variety of cases. The purpose in this article
is to bring a unifying perspective to the subject. In doing so I will explore
those things omitted from previous articles on this subject including the
importance of point particles vs. extended objects; open vs. closed systems and
gravitational mass. Although I argue for the usage of relativistic mass I do
"not" argue that proper mass is not an important tool in relativistic dynamics.


title:
rho0(770)-f0(980) mixing and CPT violation in a non-unitary evolution of
  pion creation process pi(-)p->pi(-)pi(+)n on polarized target

abstract:
  Unitary evolution from pure initial states to pure final states in pi(-)p->
pi(-)pi(+)n imposes constraints on pion production amplitudes that are violated
by CERN data on polarized target at 17.2 GeV/c. The pion creation is a
non-unitary process arising from a unitary co-evolution of the pion creation
process with a quantum environment. The purpose of this work is to identify the
interacting degrees of freedom of the environment in a high resolution
amplitude analysis of CERN data on polarized target for dipion masses 580-1080
MeV. The S-wave spectra |S|^2 show presence of rho0(770) while P-wave spectra
|L|^2 show a dip at f0(980) mass. The observed rho0(770)-f0(980) mixing is
encoded in all measured density matrix elements which also encode a level
splitting of the spectra arising from the interaction of the pion creation
process with the environment. The analytical form of the level splitting
reveals the existence of a new quantum number characterizing the environment.
We propose a model for the CPT violating interaction of the pion creation
process with the environment in which non-diagonal transitions between resonant
qqbar modes and pi(-)pi(+) states lead to vector-scalar mixing and a dynamic
entanglement of the pi(-)pi(+) isospin states. The final states pi(-)p(+)n do
not posses CPT cojugate states and the concept of CPT symmetry looses its
meanining.


title:
A Plantar-pressure Based Tongue-placed Tactile Biofeedback System for
  Balance Improvement

abstract:
  Maintaining an upright stance represents a complex task, which is achieved by
integrating sensory information from the visual, vestibular and somatosensory
systems. When one of these sensory inputs becomes unavailable and/or inaccurate
and/or unreliable, postural control generally is degraded. One way to solve
this problem is to supplement and/or substitute limited/altered/missing sensory
information by providing additional sensory information to the central nervous
system via an alternative sensory modality. Along these lines, we developed an
original biofeedback system [1] whose underlying principle consists in
supplying the user with supplementary sensory information related to foot sole
pressure distribution through a tongue-placed output device (Tongue Display
Unit, "TDU" [2]). The purpose of the present experiment was to assess its
effectiveness in improving balance in young healthy adults.


title: Constructing presentations of subgroups of right-angled Artin groups

abstract:
  Let $G$ be the right-angled Artin group associated to the flag complex
$\Sigma$ and let $\pi:G\to\Z$ be its canonical height function. We investigate
the presentation theory of the groups $\Gamma_n=\pi^{-1}(n\Z)$ and construct an
algorithm that, given $n$ and $\Sigma$, outputs a presentation of optimal
deficiency on a minimal generating set, provided $\Sigma$ is triangle-free; the
deficiency tends to infinity as $n\to\infty$ if and only if the corresponding
Bestvina-Brady kernel $\bigcap_n\Gamma_n$ is not finitely presented, and the
algorithm detects whether this is the case. We explain why there cannot exist
an algorithm that constructs finite presentations with these properties in the
absence of the triangle-free hypothesis. We explore what is possible in the
general case, describing how to use the configuration of 2-simplices in
$\Sigma$ to simplify presentations and giving conditions on $\Sigma$ that
ensure that the deficiency goes to infinity with $n$. We also prove, for
general $\Sigma$, that the abelianized deficiency of $\Gamma_n$ tends to
infinity if and only if $\Sigma$ is 1-acyclic, and discuss connections with the
relation gap problem.


title:
Dynamical modelling of luminous and dark matter in 17 Coma early-type
  galaxies

abstract:
  Dynamical models for 17 Coma early-type galaxies are presented. The galaxy
sample consists of flattened, rotating as well as non-rotating early-types
including cD and S0 galaxies with luminosities between M=-18.79 and M=-22.56.
Kinematical long-slit observations cover at least the major and minor axis and
extend to 1-4 effective radii. Axisymmetric Schwarzschild models are used to
derive stellar mass-to-light ratios and dark halo parameters. In every galaxy
models with a dark matter halo match the data better than models without. The
statistical significance is over 95 percent for 8 galaxies, around 90 percent
for 5 galaxies and for four galaxies it is not significant. For the highly
significant cases systematic deviations between observed and modelled
kinematics are clearly seen; for the remaining galaxies differences are more
statistical in nature. Best-fit models contain 10-50 percent dark matter inside
the half-light radius. The central dark matter density is at least one order of
magnitude lower than the luminous mass density. The central phase-space density
of dark matter is often orders of magnitude lower than in the luminous
component, especially when the halo core radius is large. The orbital system of
the stars along the major-axis is slightly dominated by radial motions. Some
galaxies show tangential anisotropy along the minor-axis, which is correlated
with the minor-axis Gauss-Hermite coefficient H4. Changing the balance between
data-fit and regularisation constraints does not change the reconstructed mass
structure significantly. Model anisotropies tend to strengthen if the weight on
regularisation is reduced, but the general property of a galaxy to be radially
or tangentially anisotropic, respectively, does not change. (abridged)


title: Thickness-dependence of the electronic properties in V2O3 thin films

abstract:
  High quality vanadium sesquioxide V2O3 films (170-1100 {\AA}) were grown
using the pulsed laser deposition technique on (0001)-oriented sapphire
substrates, and the effects of film thickness on the lattice strain and
electronic properties were examined. X-ray diffraction indicates that there is
an in-plane compressive lattice parameter (a), close to -3.5% with respect to
the substrate and an out-of-plane tensile lattice parameter (c) . The thin film
samples display metallic character between 2-300 K, and no metal-to-insulator
transition is observed. At low temperature, the V2O3 films behave as a strongly
correlated metal, and the resistivity (\rho) follows the equation \rho =\rho_0
+ A T^2, where A is the transport coefficient in a Fermi liquid. Typical values
of A have been calculated to be 0.14 \mu\Omega cm K^{-2}, which is in agreement
with the coefficient reported for V2O3 single crystals under high pressure.
Moreover, a strong temperature-dependence of the Hall resistance confirms the
electronic correlations of these V2O3 thin films samples.


title: The closed string spectrum of SU(N) gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions

abstract:
  We use lattice techniques to study the closed-string spectrum of SU(N) gauge
theories in 2+1 dimensions. We calculate the energies of the lowest lying ~30
states for strings with lengths between l ~ 0.45 fm and l ~ 3 fm, and compare
to different theoretical predictions. We obtain unambiguous evidence that the
closed-strings are in the universality class of the Nambu-Goto free bosonic
string. Moreover, we clearly see that our data can be described by a covariant
string theory with a small/moderate correction down to very short distance
scales, and possibly on all distance scales at large-N.


title:
A Rigid-Field Hydrodynamics approach to modeling the magnetospheres of
  massive stars

abstract:
  We introduce a new Rigid-Field Hydrodynamics approach to modeling the
magnetospheres of massive stars in the limit of very-strong magnetic fields.
Treating the field lines as effectively rigid, we develop hydrodynamical
equations describing the 1-dimensional flow along each, subject to pressure,
radiative, gravitational, and centrifugal forces. We solve these equations
numerically for a large ensemble of field lines, to build up a 3-dimensional
time-dependent simulation of a model star with parameters similar to the
archetypal Bp star sigma Ori E. Since the flow along each field line can be
solved for independently of other field lines, the computational cost of this
approach is a fraction of an equivalent magnetohydrodynamical treatment.
  The simulations confirm many of the predictions of previous analytical and
numerical studies. Collisions between wind streams from opposing magnetic
hemispheres lead to strong shock heating. The post-shock plasma cools initially
via X-ray emission, and eventually accumulates into a warped, rigidly rotating
disk defined by the locus of minima of the effective (gravitational plus
centrifugal) potential. But a number of novel results also emerge. For field
lines extending far from the star, the rapid area divergence enhances the
radiative acceleration of the wind, resulting in high shock velocities (up to
~3,000 km/s) and hard X-rays. Moreover, the release of centrifugal potential
energy continues to heat the wind plasma after the shocks, up to temperatures
around twice those achieved at the shocks themselves. Finally, in some
circumstances the cool plasma in the accumulating disk can oscillate about its
equilibrium position, possibly due to radiative cooling instabilities in the
adjacent post-shock regions.


title: A Reformulation of the Hoop Conjecture

abstract:
  A reformulation of the Hoop Conjecture based on the concept of trapped circle
is presented. The problems of severe compactness in every spatial direction,
and of how to superpose the hoops with the surface of the black hole, are
resolved. A new conjecture concerning "peeling" properties of
dynamical/trapping horizons is propounded. A novel geometric Hoop inequality is
put forward. The possibility of carrying over the results to arbitrary
dimension is discussed.


title: Resonant x-ray scattering study of NpRhGa_5 and NpCoGa_5

abstract:
  We report a resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) study of antiferromagnetic
neptunium compounds NpCoGa_5 and NpRhGa_5 at the Np M_4 and Ga K-edges. Large
resonant signals of magnetic dipole character are observed below the Neel
temperatures at both edges. The signals at the Np edges confirm the behaviour
determined previously from neutron diffraction, i.e. the moments along [001] in
NpCoGa_{5} and in NpRhGa_5 a reorientation of the moments from the c-axis
direction to the ab plane. In the latter material, on application of magnetic
field of 9 Tesla along the [010] direction we observe a change in the
population of different [110]-type domains. We observe also a magnetic dipole
signal at the Ga K-edge, similarly to the reported UGa_3 case, that can be
interpreted within a semi-localized model as an orbital polarization of the Ga
4p states induced via strong hybridization with the Np 5f valence band.
Quantitative analysis of the signal shows that the Ga dipole on the two
different Ga sites follows closely the Np magnetic moment reorientation in
NpRhGa_5. The ratios of the signals on the two inequivalent Ga sites are not
the same for the different compounds.


title: A Note on Gravitational Baryogenesis

abstract:
  The coupling between Ricci scalar curvature and the baryon number current
dynamically breaks CPT in an expanding universe and leads to baryon asymmetry.
We study the effect of time dependence of equation of state parameter of the
FRW universe on this asymmetry.