title: High-volume fraction simulations of two-dimensional vesicle suspensions

abstract:
  We consider numerical algorithms for the simulation of the rheology of
two-dimensional vesicles suspended in a viscous Stokesian fluid. The vesicle
evolution dynamics is governed by hydrodynamic and elastic forces. The elastic
forces are due to local inextensibility of the vesicle membrane and resistance
to bending. Numerically resolving vesicle flows poses several challenges. For
example, we need to resolve moving interfaces, address stiffness due to
bending, enforce the inextensibility constraint, and efficiently compute the
(non-negligible) long-range hydrodynamic interactions.
  Our method is based on the work of {\em Rahimian, Veerapaneni, and Biros,
"Dynamic simulation of locally inextensible vesicles suspended in an arbitrary
two-dimensional domain, a boundary integral method", Journal of Computational
Physics, 229 (18), 2010}. It is a boundary integral formulation of the Stokes
equations coupled to the interface mass continuity and force balance. We extend
the algorithms presented in that paper to increase the robustness of the method
and enable simulations with concentrated suspensions.
  In particular, we propose a scheme in which both intra-vesicle and
inter-vesicle interactions are treated semi-implicitly. In addition we use
special integration for near-singular integrals and we introduce a spectrally
accurate collision detection scheme. We test the proposed methodologies on both
unconfined and confined flows for vesicles whose internal fluid may have a
viscosity contrast with the bulk medium. Our experiments demonstrate the
importance of treating both intra-vesicle and inter-vesicle interactions
accurately.


title:
Analysing Quality of English-Hindi Machine Translation Engine Outputs
  Using Bayesian Classification

abstract:
  This paper considers the problem for estimating the quality of machine
translation outputs which are independent of human intervention and are
generally addressed using machine learning techniques.There are various
measures through which a machine learns translations quality. Automatic
Evaluation metrics produce good co-relation at corpus level but cannot produce
the same results at the same segment or sentence level. In this paper 16
features are extracted from the input sentences and their translations and a
quality score is obtained based on Bayesian inference produced from training
data.


title:
Evolution of an N-level system via automated vectorization of the
  Liouville equations and application to optically controlled polarization
  rotation

abstract:
  The Liouville equation governing the evolution of the density matrix for an
atomic/molecular system is expressed in terms of a commutator between the
density matrix and the Hamiltonian, along with terms that account for decay and
redistribution. For finding solutions of this equation, it is convenient first
to reformulate the Liouville equation by defining a vector corresponding to the
elements of the density operator, and determining the corresponding
time-evolution matrix. For a system of N energy levels, the size of the
evolution matrix is N2xN2. When N is very large, evaluating the elements of
these matrices becomes very cumbersome. We describe a novel algorithm that can
produce the evolution matrix in an automated fashion for an arbitrary value of
N. As a non-trivial example, we apply this algorithm to a fifteen-level atomic
system used for producing optically controlled polarization rotation. We also
point out how such a code can be extended for use in an atomic system with
arbitrary number of energy levels.


title: Is the Voter Model a model for voters?

abstract:
  The voter model has been studied extensively as a paradigmatic opinion
dynamics' model. However, its ability for modeling real opinion dynamics has
not been addressed. We introduce a noisy voter model (accounting for social
influence) with agents' recurrent mobility (as a proxy for social context),
where the spatial and population diversity are taken as inputs to the model. We
show that the dynamics can be described as a noisy diffusive process that
contains the proper anysotropic coupling topology given by population and
mobility heterogeneity. The model captures statistical features of the US
presidential elections as the stationary vote-share fluctuations across
counties, and the long-range spatial correlations that decay logarithmically
with the distance. Furthermore, it recovers the behavior of these properties
when a real-space renormalization is performed by coarse-graining the
geographical scale from county level through congressional districts and up to
states. Finally, we analyze the role of the mobility range and the randomness
in decision making which are consistent with the empirical observations.


title:
Phase Behavior of Materials with Isotropic Interactions Designed by
  Inverse Strategies to Favor Diamond and Simple Cubic Lattice Ground States

abstract:
  We use molecular simulation to construct equilibrium phase diagrams for two
recently introduced model materials with isotropic, soft-repulsive pair
interactions designed to favor diamond and simple cubic lattice ground states,
respectively, over a wide range of densities [Jain et al., Soft Matter 9 14
(2013)]. We employ free energy based Monte Carlo simulation techniques to
precisely trace the inter-crystal and fluid-crystal coexistence curves. We find
that both model materials display rich polymorphic phase behavior featuring
stable crystals corresponding to the target ground-state structures, as well as
a variety of other crystalline (e.g., hexagonal and body-centered cubic) phases
and multiple reentrant melting transitions.


title:
The candidacy of shuffle and shear during compound twinning in hexagonal
  close-packed structures

abstract:
  This paper proposes a systematic generalized formulation for calculating both
atomic shuffling and shear candidates for a given compound twinning mode in
hexagonal closed-packed metals. Although shuffles play an important role in the
mobility of twinning dislocations in non-Bravais metallic lattices, their
analytical expressions have not been previously derived. The method is
illustrated for both flat planes and corrugated planes which are exemplified by
{11-22} and {10-12} twinning modes, respectively. The method distinguishes
between shuffle displacements and net shuffles. While shuffle displacements
correspond to movements between ideal atom positions in the parent and twin
lattices, net shuffles comprise contributions from shear on overlying planes
which can operate along opposite directions to those of shuffle displacements.
Thus, net shuffles in the twinning direction can vanish in a limiting case, as
is interestingly the case for those needed in the second plane by the b_4
dislocation candidate in {11-22} twinning. It is found that while shuffle
displacement vectors can be irrational when K_1 is corrugated, net shuffle
vectors are always rational.


title: A "q-deformed" generalization of the Hosszu-Gluskin theorem

abstract:
  In this paper a new form of the Hossz\'u-Gluskin theorem is presented in
terms of polyadic powers and using the language of diagrams. It is shown that
the Hossz\'u-Gluskin chain formula is not unique and can be generalized
("deformed") using a parameter q which takes special integer values. A version
of the "q-deformed" analog of the Hossz\'u-Gluskin theorem in the form of an
invariance is formulated, and some examples are considered. The "q-deformed"
homomorphism theorem is also given.


title:
A Harnack-Type Inequality for a Prescribing Curvature equation on a
  Domain with Boundary

abstract:
  In this paper we consider a class of prescribing curvature type equations on
half Euclidean balls. Under suitable assumptions on the scalar curvature
function and boundary mean curvature function we prove a min-max type
inequality and the corresponding energy estimates.


title:
Effect of environment on galaxies mass-size distribution: unveiling the
  transition from outside-in to inside-out evolution

abstract:
  The distribution of galaxies on the mass-size plane as a function of redshift
or environment is a powerful test for galaxy formation models. Here we use
integral-field stellar kinematics to interpret the variation of the mass-size
distribution in two galaxy samples spanning extreme environmental densities.
The samples are both identically and nearly mass-selected (stellar mass M*>6e9
Msun) and volume-limited. The first consists of nearby field galaxies from the
Atlas3D parent sample. The second consists of galaxies in the Coma Cluster
(Abell 1656), one of densest environments for which good resolved spectroscopy
can be obtained. The mass-size distribution in the dense environment differs
from the field one in two ways: (i) spiral galaxies are replaced by
bulge-dominated disk-like fast-rotator early-type galaxies (ETGs), which follow
the SAME mass-size relation and have the SAME mass distribution as in the field
sample; (ii) the slow rotator ETGs are segregated in mass from the fast
rotators, with their size increasing proportionally to their mass. A transition
between the two processes appears around the stellar mass M_crit=2e11 Msun. We
interpret this as evidence for bulge growth (outside-in evolution) and
bulge-related environmental quenching dominating at low masses, with little
influence from merging, while significant dry mergers (inside-out evolution)
and halo-related quenching driving the mass and size growth at the high-mass
end. The existence of these two processes naturally explains the diverse size
evolution of galaxies of different masses and the separability of mass and
environmental quenching.


title:
An Optical Lattice Clock with Accuracy and Stability at the $10^{-18}$
  Level

abstract:
  The exquisite control exhibited over quantum states of individual particles
has revolutionized the field of precision measurement, as exemplified by the
most accurate atomic clock realized in single trapped ions. Whereas many-atom
lattice clocks have shown advantages in measurement precision over trapped-ion
clocks, their accuracy has remained 20 times worse. Here we demonstrate, for
the first time, that a many-atom system achieves accuracy (6x10^{-18}) better
than a single ion-based clock, with vastly reduced averaging times (3000 s).
This is the first time a single clock has achieved the best performance in all
three key ingredients necessary for consideration as a primary standard -
stability, reproducibility, and accuracy. This work paves the way for future
experiments to integrate many-body quantum state engineering into the frontiers
of quantum metrology, creating exciting opportunities to advance precision
beyond the standard quantum limit. Improved frequency standards will have
impact to a wide range of fields from the realization of the SI units, the
development of quantum sensors, to precision tests of the fundamental laws of
nature.


title: Short-term Market Reaction after Trading Halts in Chinese Stock Market

abstract:
  In this paper, we study the dynamics of absolute return, trading volume and
bid-ask spread after the trading halts using high-frequency data from the
Shanghai Stock Exchange. We deal with all three types of trading halts, namely
intraday halts, one-day halts and inter-day halts, of 203 stocks in Shanghai
Stock Exchange from August 2009 to August 2011. We find that absolute return,
trading volume, and in case of bid-ask spread around intraday halts share the
same pattern with a sharp peak and a power law relaxation after that. While for
different types of trading halts, the peaks' height and the relaxation
exponents are different. From the perspective of halt reasons or halt duration,
the relaxation exponents of absolute return after inter-day halts are larger
than that after intraday halts and one-day halts, which implies that inter-day
halts are most effective. From the perspective of price trends, the relaxation
exponents of excess absolute return and excess volume for positive events are
larger than that for negative events in case of intraday halts and one-day
halts, implying that positive events are more effective than negative events
for intraday halts and one-day halts. In contrast, negative events are more
effective than positive events for inter-day halts.


title:
The roton-assisted chiral p-wave superfluid in a quasi-two-dimensional
  dipolar Bose-Fermi quantum gas mixture

abstract:
  The chiral p-wave (p_x \pm ip_y) superfluid has attracted significant
attention in recent years, mainly because its vortex core supports a Majorana
fermion which, due to its non-Abelian statistics, can be explored for
implementing topological quantum computation. Mixing dipolar bosons with
fermions in quasi-two-dimensional (2D) space offers the opportunity to use the
roton minimum as a tool for engineering the phonon-induced attractive
interaction between fermions. We study, within the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov
approach, the p-wave superfluid pairings in a quasi-2D dipolar Bose-Fermi
mixture. We show that enhancing the induced interaction by lowering the roton
minimum can affect the stability property of the mixture as well as the
effective mass of the fermions in an important way. We also show that one can
tune the system to operate in stable regions where chiral p-wave superfluid
pairings can be resonantly enhanced by lowering the energy cost of the phonons
near the roton minimum.


title:
On proving some of Ramanujan's formulas for $\frac{1}{\pi}$ with an
  elementary method

abstract:
  In this paper we want to prove some formulas listed by S. Ramanujan in his
paper "Modular equations and approximations to $\pi$" \cite{24} with an
elementary method.


title:
A joint approach for reducing eccentricity and spurious gravitational
  radiation in binary black hole initial data construction

abstract:
  At the beginning of binary black hole simulations, there is a pulse of
spurious radiation (or junk radiation) resulting from the initial data not
matching astrophysical quasi-equilibrium inspiral exactly. One traditionally
waits for the junk radiation to exit the computational domain before taking
physical readings, at the expense of throwing away a segment of the evolution,
and with the hope that junk radiation exits cleanly. We argue that this hope
does not necessarily pan out as junk radiation could excite long-lived
constraint violation. Another complication with the initial data is that it
contains orbital eccentricity that needs to be removed, usually by evolving the
early part of the inspiral multiple times with gradually improved input
parameters. We show that this procedure is also adversely impacted by junk
radiation. In this paper, we do not attempt to eliminate junk radiation
directly, but instead tackle the much simpler problem of ameliorating its
long-lasting effects. We report on the success of a method that achieves this
goal by combining the removal of junk radiation and eccentricity into a single
"joint-elimination" procedure. This approach has the following benefits: (1) We
do not have to contend with the influence of junk radiation on eccentricity
measurements for later iterations of the eccentricity reduction procedure. (2)
We re-enforce constraints periodically by invoking the initial data solver,
removing the constraint violation excited by junk radiation previously. (3) The
wasted simulation segment associated with the junk radiation's evolution is
absorbed into the eccentricity reduction iterations. Furthermore, (1) and (2)
together allow us to carry out our joint-elimination procedure at low
resolution, even when the subsequent "production run" is intended as a high
resolution simulation.


title: Quark-gluon plasma in an external magnetic field

abstract:
  Using numerical simulations of lattice QCD we calculate the effect of an
external magnetic field on the equation of state of the quark-gluon plasma. The
results are obtained using a Taylor expansion of the pressure with respect to
the magnetic field for the first time. The coefficients of the expansion are
computed to second order in the magnetic field. Our setup for the external
magnetic field avoids complications arising from toroidal boundary conditions,
making a Taylor series expansion straightforward. This study is exploratory and
is meant to serve as a proof of principle.


title: Majorana Fermions in Honeycomb Lattices

abstract:
  We study the formation of Majorana fermions in honeycomb-lattice structures
in the presence of a Zeeman field, Rashba spin-orbit coupling, and in the
proximity of an s-wave superconductor. We show that an exact mapping exists
between an anisotropic hexagonal-lattice nanoribbon at k = 0 and a
one-dimensional chain, for which the existence of Majorana fermions has been
extensively discussed. Consequently we can predict the conditions for the
emergence of Majorana fermions at the edges of such ribbon, and relate the
existence of Majoranas to a band inversion in the bulk band structure. Moreover
we find that similar situations arise in isotropic lattices and we give some
examples which show the formation of Majorana fermions in these structures.


title:
Luminous Infrared Galaxies With the Submillimeter Array. IV. 12CO J=6-5
  Observations of VV 114

abstract:
  We present high-resolution (~2.5") observations of 12CO J=6-5 towards the
luminous infrared galaxy VV 114 using the Submillimeter Array. We detect 12CO
J=6-5 emission from the eastern nucleus of VV 114 but do not detect the western
nucleus or the central region. We combine the new 12CO J=6-5 observations with
previously published or archival low-J CO observations, that include 13CO J=1-0
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array cycle 0 observations, to analyze
the beam-averaged physical conditions of the molecular gas in the eastern
nucleus. We use the radiative transfer code RADEX and a Bayesian likelihood
code to constrain the temperature (T_kin), density (n(H2)) and column density
(N(12CO)) of the molecular gas. We find that the most probable scenario for the
eastern nucleus is a cold (T_kin = 38 K), moderately dense (n(H2) = 10^2.89
cm^-3) molecular gas component. We find the most probable 12CO to 13CO
abundance ratio ([12CO]/[13CO]) is 229, roughly three times higher than the
Milky Way value. This high abundance ratio may explain the observed high 12CO/
13CO line ratio (> 25). The unusual 13CO J=2-1/J=1-0 line ratio of 0.6 is
produced by a combination of moderate 13CO optical depths (tau = 0.4 - 1.1) and
extremely subthermal excitation temperatures. We measure the CO-to-H2
conversion factor, alpha_co to be 0.5 M_sol (K km s^-1 pc^2)^-1, which agrees
with the widely used factor for ultra luminous infrared galaxies of Downes &
Solomon (1998; alpha_co =0.8 M_sol (K km s^-1 pc^2)^-1).


title: WIMPy Leptogenesis With Absorptive Final State Interactions

abstract:
  We consider a class of leptogenesis models in which the lepton asymmetry
arises from dark matter annihilation processes which violate CP and lepton
number. Importantly, a necessary one-loop contribution to the annihilation
matrix element arises from absorptive final state interactions. We elucidate
the relationship between this one-loop contribution and the CP-violating phase.
As we show, the branching fraction for dark matter annihilation to leptons may
be small in these models, while still generating the necessary asymmetry.


title: Hydrodynamic limit of quantum random walks

abstract:
  We present a proof of the hydrodynamic limit of independent quantum random
walks evolving on Z.


title: Curves in R^d intersecting every hyperplane at most d+1 times

abstract:
  By a curve in R^d we mean a continuous map gamma:I -> R^d, where I is a
closed interval. We call a curve gamma in R^d at most k crossing if it
intersects every hyperplane at most k times (counted with multiplicity). The at
most d crossing curves in R^d are often called convex curves and they form an
important class; a primary example is the moment curve
{(t,t^2,...,t^d):t\in[0,1]}. They are also closely related to Chebyshev
systems, which is a notion of considerable importance, e.g., in approximation
theory. We prove that for every d there is M=M(d) such that every at most d+1
crossing curve in R^d can be subdivided into at most M convex curves. As a
consequence, based on the work of Elias, Roldan, Safernova, and the second
author, we obtain an essentially tight lower bound for a geometric Ramsey-type
problem in R^d concerning order-type homogeneous sequences of points,
investigated in several previous papers.


title:
On the Anisotropy of the Gravitational Wave Background from Massless
  Preheating

abstract:
  When a light scalar field is present during inflation, its value will vary on
superhorizon scales, modulating the preheating process at the end of inflation.
Consequently, the amplitude of the gravitational wave (GW) background produced
during preheating will also be modulated. The observed energy density of this
background will therefore appear anisotropic at different angles in the sky. We
provide a master formula for the angular power spectrum C_l of the anisotropies
in the GW background from preheating, valid for any scenario where the
anisotropies are due to the superhorizon modulation of a light degree of
freedom. Using lattice field theory simulations of massless preheating with
g^2/\lambda = 2, we find a flat angular spectrum l(l+1)C_l \approx 3x10^{-4},
which represents a strong anisotropy of order 1% variations on large angular
scales. For our choice of couplings, long wavelengths are amplified most
strongly during parametric resonance, which is crucial for the development of
the anisotropies. If future direct detection GW observatories are capable of
detecting backgrounds of cosmological origin, they should be able to detect
this effect. This could eventually become a powerful tool to discriminate among
inflationary and preheating scenarios.


title:
MOSAIK: A hash-based algorithm for accurate next-generation sequencing
  read mapping

abstract:
  This paper presents an accurate short-read mapper for next-generation
sequencing data which is widely used in the 1000 Genomes Project, and human
clinical and other species genome studies.


title: Geometric Quantization with Applications to Gromov-Witten Theory

abstract:
  This is an expository article on the techniques of quantization as they are
applied to Gromov-Witten theory and related areas.


title: Non-Malleable Coding Against Bit-wise and Split-State Tampering

abstract:
  Non-malleable coding, introduced by Dziembowski, Pietrzak and Wichs (ICS
2010), aims for protecting the integrity of information against tampering
attacks in situations where error-detection is impossible. Intuitively,
information encoded by a non-malleable code either decodes to the original
message or, in presence of any tampering, to an unrelated message. Dziembowski
et al. show existence of non-malleable codes for any class of tampering
functions of bounded size.
  We consider constructions of coding schemes against two well-studied classes
of tampering functions: bit-wise tampering functions (where the adversary
tampers each bit of the encoding independently) and split-state adversaries
(where two independent adversaries arbitrarily tamper each half of the encoded
sequence).
  1. For bit-tampering, we obtain explicit and efficiently encodable and
decodable codes of length $n$ achieving rate $1-o(1)$ and error (security)
$\exp(-\tilde{\Omega}(n^{1/7}))$. We improve the error to
$\exp(-\tilde{\Omega}(n))$ at the cost of making the construction Monte Carlo
with success probability $1-\exp(-\Omega(n))$. Previously, the best known
construction of bit-tampering codes was the Monte Carlo construction of
Dziembowski et al. (ICS 2010) achieving rate ~.1887.
  2. We initiate the study of seedless non-malleable extractors as a variation
of non-malleable extractors introduced by Dodis and Wichs (STOC 2009). We show
that construction of non-malleable codes for the split-state model reduces to
construction of non-malleable two-source extractors. We prove existence of such
extractors, which implies that codes obtained from our reduction can achieve
rates arbitrarily close to 1/5 and exponentially small error. Currently, the
best known explicit construction of split-state coding schemes is due to
Aggarwal, Dodis and Lovett (ECCC TR13-081) which only achieves vanishing
(polynomially small) rate.


title:
The inevitability of unconditionally deleterious substitutions during
  adaptation

abstract:
  Studies on the genetics of adaptation typically neglect the possibility that
a deleterious mutation might fix. Nonetheless, here we show that, in many
regimes, the first substitution is most often deleterious, even when fitness is
expected to increase in the long term. In particular, we prove that this
phenomenon occurs under weak mutation for any house-of-cards model with an
equilibrium distribution. We find that the same qualitative results hold under
Fisher's geometric model. We also provide a simple intuition for the surprising
prevalence of unconditionally deleterious substitutions during early
adaptation. Importantly, the phenomenon we describe occurs on fitness
landscapes without any local maxima and is therefore distinct from
"valley-crossing". Our results imply that the common practice of ignoring
deleterious substitutions leads to qualitatively incorrect predictions in many
regimes. Our results also have implications for the substitution process at
equilibrium and for the response to a sudden decrease in population size.


title: On reconciling quantum mechanics and local realism

abstract:
  A necessary and natural change in our application of quantum mechanics to
separated systems is shown to reconcile quantum mechanics and local realism. An
analysis of separation and localization justifies the proposed change in
application of quantum mechanics. An important EPRB experiment is reconsidered
and it is seen that when it is correctly interpreted it supports local realism.
This reconciliation of quantum mechanics with local realism allows the axiom
sets of quantum mechanics, probability, and special relativity to be joined in
a consistent global axiom set for physics.


title: Calibration of RAVE distances to a large sample of Hipparcos stars

abstract:
  A magnitude limited population of 18 808 Hipparcos stars is used to calibrate
distances for 52 794 RAVE stars, including dwarfs, giants, and pre-main
sequence stars. I give treatments for a number of types of bias affecting
calculation, including bias from the non-linear relationship between the
quantity of interest (e.g., distance or distance modulus) and the measured
quantity (parallax or visual magnitude), the Lutz-Kelker bias, and bias due to
variation in density of the stellar population. The use of a magnitude bound
minimises the Malmquist and the Lutz-Kelker bias, and avoids a measurement bias
resulting from the greater accuracy of Hipparcos parallaxes for brighter stars.
The calibration is applicable to stars in 2MASS when there is some way to
determine stellar class with reasonable confidence. For RAVE this is possible
for hot dwarfs and using $\log g $. The accuracy of the calibration is tested
against Hipparcos stars with better than 2% parallax errors, and by comparison
of the RAVE velocity distribution with that of Hipparcos, and is found to
improve upon previous estimates of luminosity distance. An estimate of the LSR
from RAVE data, (U_{0}, V_{0}, W_{0}) = (14.9 \pm 1.7, 15.3 \pm 0.4, 6.9 \pm
0.1) km\,s^{-1} shows excellent agreement with the current best estimate from
XHIP. The RAVE velocity distribution confirms the alignment of stellar motions
with spiral structure.


title:
Minutiae Based Thermal Human Face Recognition using Label Connected
  Component Algorithm

abstract:
  In this paper, a thermal infra red face recognition system for human
identification and verification using blood perfusion data and back propagation
feed forward neural network is proposed. The system consists of three steps. At
the very first step face region is cropped from the colour 24-bit input images.
Secondly face features are extracted from the croped region, which will be
taken as the input of the back propagation feed forward neural network in the
third step and classification and recognition is carried out. The proposed
approaches are tested on a number of human thermal infra red face images
created at our own laboratory. Experimental results reveal the higher degree
performance


title:
Thermal Human face recognition based on Haar wavelet transform and
  series matching technique

abstract:
  Thermal infrared (IR) images represent the heat patterns emitted from hot
object and they do not consider the energies reflected from an object. Objects
living or non-living emit different amounts of IR energy according to their
body temperature and characteristics. Humans are homoeothermic and hence
capable of maintaining constant temperature under different surrounding
temperature. Face recognition from thermal (IR) images should focus on changes
of temperature on facial blood vessels. These temperature changes can be
regarded as texture features of images and wavelet transform is a very good
tool to analyze multi-scale and multi-directional texture. Wavelet transform is
also used for image dimensionality reduction, by removing redundancies and
preserving original features of the image. The sizes of the facial images are
normally large. So, the wavelet transform is used before image similarity is
measured. Therefore this paper describes an efficient approach of human face
recognition based on wavelet transform from thermal IR images. The system
consists of three steps. At the very first step, human thermal IR face image is
preprocessed and the face region is only cropped from the entire image.
Secondly, Haar wavelet is used to extract low frequency band from the cropped
face region. Lastly, the image classification between the training images and
the test images is done, which is based on low-frequency components. The
proposed approach is tested on a number of human thermal infrared face images
created at our own laboratory and Terravic Facial IR Database. Experimental
results indicated that the thermal infra red face images can be recognized by
the proposed system effectively. The maximum success of 95% recognition has
been achieved.


title: Interferometry with relativistic electrons

abstract:
  We propose an experiment to test the influence of Lorentz contraction on the
interference pattern of a beam of electrons. The electron beam is split and
recombined by two pairs of bi-chromatic laser pulses, using a variation of the
Kapitza-Dirac effect. Between the pairs the electrons are accelerated to
relativistic speed. We show that Lorentz contraction of the distance between
two partial beams will then lead to a reduction of fringe visibility. The
connection of the proposal to Bell's spaceship paradox is discussed.


title: A quasi-periodic oscillation in the blazar J1359+4011

abstract:
  The OVRO 40-m telescope has been monitoring the 15 GHz radio flux density of
over 1200 blazars since 2008. The 15 GHz light curve of the flat spectrum radio
quasar J1359+4011 shows a strong and persistent quasi-periodic oscillation. The
time-scale of the oscillation varies between 120 and 150 days over a $\sim4$
year time span. We interpret this as the active galactic nucleus mass-scaled
analog of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations from Galactic microquasars,
or as evidence of modulation of the accretion flow by thermal instabilites in
the "inner" accretion disc.


title:
The rotationally stabilized VPOS and predicted proper motions of the
  Milky Way satellite galaxies

abstract:
  The satellite galaxies of the Milky Way (MW) define a vast polar structure
(VPOS), a thin plane perpendicular to the MW disc. Proper motion (PM)
measurements are now available for all of the 11 brightest, `classical'
satellites and allow an updated analysis of the alignment of their orbital
poles with this spatial structure. The coherent orbital alignment of 7 to 9 out
of 11 satellites demonstrates that the VPOS is a rotationally stabilized
structure and not only a pressure-supported, flattened ellipsoid. This allows
us to empirically and model independently predict the PMs of almost all
satellite galaxies by assuming that the MW satellite galaxies orbit within the
VPOS. As a test of our method, the predictions are best met by satellites whose
PMs are already well constrained, as expected because more uncertain
measurements tend to deviate more from the true values. Improved and new PM
measurements will further test these predictions. A strong alignment of the
satellite galaxy orbital poles is not expected in dark matter based simulations
of galaxy formation. Coherent orbital directions of satellite galaxies are,
however, a natural consequence of tidal dwarf galaxies formed together in the
debris of a galaxy collision. The orbital poles of the MW satellite galaxies
therefore lend further support to tidal scenarios for the origin of the VPOS
and are a very significant challenge for the standard LCDM model of cosmology.
We also note that the dependence of the MW satellite speeds on Galactocentric
distance appear to map an effective potential with a constant velocity of
approximately 240 km/s to about 250 kpc. The individual satellite velocities
are only mildly radial.


title: Monopole Taxonomy in Three-Dimensional Conformal Field Theories

abstract:
  We study monopole operators at the infrared fixed points of Abelian and
non-Abelian gauge theories with N_f fermion flavors in three dimensions. At
large N_f, independent monopole operators can be defined via the state-operator
correspondence only for stable monopole backgrounds. In Abelian theories, every
monopole background is stable. In the non-Abelian case, we find that many (but
not all) backgrounds are stable in each topological class. We calculate the
infrared scaling dimensions of the corresponding operators through
next-to-leading order in 1/N_f. In the case of U(N_c) QCD with N_f fundamental
fermions (and in particular in the QED case, N_c =1), we find that the monopole
operators transform as non-trivial irreducible representations of the SU(N_f)
flavor symmetry group.


title: Noiseless Gravitational Lensing Simulations

abstract:
  The microphysical properties of the DM particle can, in principle, be
constrained by the properties and abundance of substructures in DM halos, as
measured through strong gravitational lensing. Unfortunately, there is a lack
of accurate theoretical predictions for the lensing signal of substructures,
mainly because of the discreteness noise inherent to N-body simulations. Here
we present Recursive-TCM, a method that is able to provide lensing predictions
with an arbitrarily low discreteness noise, without any free parameters or
smoothing scale. This solution is based on a novel way of interpreting the
results of N-body simulations, where particles simply trace the evolution and
distortion of Lagrangian phase-space volume elements. We discuss the advantages
of this method over the widely used cloud-in-cells and adaptive-kernel
smoothing density estimators. Applying the new method to a cluster-sized DM
halo simulated in warm and cold DM scenarios, we show how the expected
differences in their substructure population translate into differences in the
convergence and magnification maps. We anticipate that our method will provide
the high-precision theoretical predictions required to interpret and fully
exploit strong gravitational lensing observations.


title: Broadband Alcock-Paczynski test exploiting redshift distortions

abstract:
  Baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), known as one of the largest cosmological
objects, is now recognized as standard cosmological tool to measure geometric
distances via the Alcock-Paczynski effect, by which the observed BAO exhibits
characteristic anisotropies in addition to the redshift distortions. This
implies that once we know the correct distances to the observed BAO, the tip
points of baryon acoustic peaks in the anisotropic correlation function of
galaxies, $\xi(\sigma,\pi)$, can form a great circle (hereafter 2D BAO circle)
in the $\sigma$ and $\pi$ plane, where $\sigma$ and $\pi$ are the separation of
galaxy pair parallel and perpendicular to the line-of-sight, respectively. This
2D BAO circle remains unchanged under the variations of the unknown galaxy bias
and/or coherent motion, while it varies transversely and radially with respect
to the variations of $D_A$ and $H^{-1}$, respectively. Hereby the ratio between
transverse distance $D_A$ and the radial distance $H^{-1}$ reproduces the
intrinsic shape of 2D BAO circle, which is {\it a priori} given by the known
broadband shape of spectra. All BAO peaks of $\xi(\sigma,\pi)$ are precisely
calculated with the improved theoretical model of redshift distortion. We test
this broadband Alcock--Paczynski method using BOSS--like mock catalogues. The
transverse and radial distances are probed in precision of several percentage
fractional errors, and the coherent motion is observed to match with the
fiducial values accurately.


title: Dark energy imprints on the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich signal

abstract:
  We investigate the imprint of dark energy on the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich
(kSZ) angular power spectrum on scales of $\ell=1000$ to $10000$, and find that
the kSZ signal is sensitive to the dark energy parameter. For example, varying
the constant $w$ by 20\% around $w=-1$ results in a $\gtrsim10\%$ change on the
kSZ spectrum; changing the dark energy dynamics parametrized by $w_a$ by
$\pm0.5$, a 30\% change on the kSZ spectrum is expected. We discuss the
observational aspects and develop a fitting formula for the kSZ power spectrum.
Finally, we discuss how the precise modeling of the post-reionization signal
would help the constraints on patchy reionization signal, which is crucial for
measuring the duration of reionization.


title: Glycolaldehyde Formation via the Dimerisation of the Formyl Radical

abstract:
  Glycolaldehyde, the simplest monosaccharide sugar, has recently been detected
in low- and high-mass star-forming cores. Following on from our previous
investigation into glycolaldehyde formation (Woods et al. 2012, ApJ, 750, 19),
we now consider a further mechanism for the formation of glycolaldehyde that
involves the dimerisation of the formyl radical, HCO. Quantum mechanical
investigation of the HCO dimerisation process upon an ice surface is predicted
to be barrierless and therefore fast. In an astrophysical context, we show that
this mechanism can be very efficient in star-forming cores. It is limited by
the availability of the formyl radical, but models suggest that only very small
amounts of CO are required to be converted to HCO to meet the observational
constraints.


title: Molecular Quantum Magnetism in LiZn2Mo3O8

abstract:
  Inelastic neutron scattering for temperatures below 30 K from a powder of
LiZn2Mo3O8 demonstrates this triangular-lattice antiferromagnet hosts
collective magnetic excitations from spin 1/2 Mo3O13 molecules. Apparently
gapless (\Delta < 0.2 meV) and extending at least up to 2.5 meV, the low energy
magnetic scattering cross section is surprisingly broad in momentum space and
involves one third of the spins present above 100 K. The data are compatible
with the presence of valence-bonds involving nearest-neighbor and
next-nearest-neighbor spins forming a disordered or dynamic state.


title: A Normal Abundance of Faint Satellites in the Fossil Group NGC 6482

abstract:
  Fossil groups are considered the end product in a galaxy group's evolution --
a massive central galaxy that dominates the luminosity budget of the group, as
the outcome of efficient merging between intermediate-luminosity members.
Little is however known about the faint satellite systems of fossil groups.
Here we present a SUBARU/Suprime-Cam wide-field, deep imaging study in the B-
and R-band of the nearest fossil group NGC 6482
(M_{tot}\sim4\times10^{12}M_{\sun}), covering the virial radius out to 310 kpc.
We perform detailed completeness estimations and select group member candidates
by a combination of automated object detection and visual inspection. A
fiducial sample of 48 member candidates down to M_R -10.5 mag is detected,
making this study the deepest of a fossil group up to now. We investigate the
photometric scaling relations, the colour-magnitude relation, and the
luminosity function of our galaxy sample. We find evidence of recent and
ongoing merger events among bright group galaxies. The colour-magnitude
relation is comparable to that of nearby galaxy clusters, and exhibits
significant scatter at the faintest luminosities. The completeness-corrected
luminosity function is dominated by early-type dwarfs and is characterized by a
faint end slope \alpha=-1.32\pm0.05. We conclude that the NGC 6482 fossil group
shows photometric properties consistent with those of regular galaxy clusters
and groups, including a normal abundance of faint satellites.


title:
The obscured hyper-energetic GRB 120624B hosted by a luminous compact
  galaxy at z = 2.20

abstract:
  Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions that we can witness in the
Universe. Studying the most extreme cases of these phenomena allows us to
constrain the limits for the progenitor models. In this Letter, we study the
prompt emission, afterglow, and host galaxy of GRB 120624B, one of the
brightest GRBs detected by Fermi, to derive the energetics of the event and
characterise the host galaxy in which it was produced. Following the
high-energy detection we conducted a multi-wavelength follow-up campaign,
including near-infrared imaging from HAWKI/VLT, optical from OSIRIS/GTC, X-ray
observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and at
sub-millimetre/millimetre wavelengths from SMA. Optical/nIR spectroscopy was
performed with X-shooter/VLT. We detect the X-ray and nIR afterglow of the
burst and determine a redshift of z = 2.1974 +/- 0.0002 through the
identification of emission lines of [OII], [OIII] and H-alpha from the host
galaxy of the GRB. This implies an energy release of Eiso = (3.0+/-0.2)x10^54
erg, amongst the most luminous ever detected. The observations of the afterglow
indicate high obscuration with AV > 1.5. The host galaxy is compact, with R1/2
< 1.6 kpc, but luminous, at L ~ 1.5 L* and has a star formation rate of 91 +/-
6 Msol/yr as derived from H-alpha. As other highly obscured GRBs, GRB 120624B
is hosted by a luminous galaxy, which we also proof to be compact, with a very
intense star formation. It is one of the most luminous host galaxies associated
with a GRB, showing that the host galaxies of long GRBs are not always blue
dwarf galaxies, as previously thought.


title: Double-Mode Radial Pulsations among RR Lyrae Stars

abstract:
  Double-mode RR Lyr type stars are important for studies of properties of
horizontal-branch stars. In particular, two periods coupled with spectral
properties give a mass estimate that is independent of evolutionary models.
Here, we present 59 new Galactic double-mode RR Lyr stars found in the LINEAR
survey data with the fundamental radial mode and the first overtone exited (RRd
stars). These stars may be useful for constraining the mass-metallicity
relation for field horizontal-branch stars. Also, new RRd stars found in the
LMC by EROS-II are verified. We present the updated Petersen diagram and the
distribution of the fundamental mode periods. Comments on selected variable
stars from LINEAR and LMC EROS-II surveys are also presented, including very
rare objects: the third known mode-switching RR Lyr and Cepheid pulsating
simultaneously in three radial modes.


title: High-Redshift Galaxies with Large Ionization Parameters

abstract:
  Motivated by recent observations of galaxies dominated by emission lines,
which show evidence of being metal poor with young stellar populations, we
present calculations of multiple model grids with a range of abundances,
ionization parameters, and stellar ages, finding that the predicted spectral
line diagnostics are heavily dependent on all three parameters. These new model
grids extend the ionization parameter to larger values than typically explored.
We compare these model predictions with previous observations of such objects,
including two new Lyman-$\alpha$ emitting galaxies (LAE) that we have observed.
Our models give improved constraints on the metallicity and ionization
parameter of these previously studied objects, as we are now able to consider
high ionization parameter models. However, similar to previous work, these
models have difficulty predicting large line diagnostics for high ionization
potential species, requiring future work refining the modelling of FUV photons.
Our model grids are also able to constrain the metallicity and ionization
parameter of our LAEs, and give constraints on their Ly$\alpha$ escape
fractions, all of which are consistent with recent lower redshift studies of
LAEs.


title:
Decoherence and lead induced inter-dot coupling in nonequilibrium
  electron transport through interacting quantum dots: A hierarchical quantum
  master equation approach

abstract:
  The interplay between interference effects and electron-electron interactions
in electron transport through an interacting double quantum dot system is
investigated using a hierarchical quantum master equation approach which
becomes exact if carried to infinite order and converges well if the
temperature is not too low. Decoherence due to electron-electron interactions
is found to give rise to pronounced negative differential resistance, enhanced
broadening of structures in current-voltage characteristics and an inversion of
the electronic population. Dependence on gate voltage is shown to be a useful
method of distinguishing decoherence-induced phenomena from effects induced by
other mechanisms such as the presence of a blocking state. Comparison of
results obtained by the hierarchical quantum master equation approach to those
obtained from the Born-Markov approximation to the Nakajima-Zwanzig equation
and from the non-crossing approximation to the nonequilibrium Green's function
reveals the importance of an inter-dot coupling that originates from the energy
dependence of the conduction bands in the leads and the need for a systematic
perturbative expansion.


title:
Three dimensional quantum spin liquids in models of harmonic-honeycomb
  iridates and phase diagram in an infinite-D approximation

abstract:
  Motivated by the recent synthesis of two insulating Li$_2$IrO$_3$ polymorphs,
where Ir$^{4+}$ $S_{eff}$=1/2 moments form 3D ("harmonic") honeycomb structures
with threefold coordination, we study magnetic Hamiltonians on the resulting
$\beta$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$ hyperhoneycomb lattice and $\gamma$-Li$_2$IrO$_3$
stripyhoneycomb lattice. Experimentally measured magnetic susceptibilities
suggest that Kitaev interactions, predicted for the ideal 90$^\circ$ Ir-O-Ir
bonds, are sizable in these materials. We first consider pure Kitaev
interactions, which lead to an exactly soluble 3D quantum spin liquid (QSL)
with emergent Majorana fermions and Z$_2$ flux loops. Unlike 2D QSLs, the 3D
QSL is stable to finite temperature, with $T_c \approx |K|/100$. On including
Heisenberg couplings, exact solubility is lost. However, by noting that the
shortest closed loop $\ell$ is relatively large in these structures, we
construct an $\ell\rightarrow \infty$ approximation by defining the model on
the Bethe lattice. The phase diagram of the Kitaev-Heisenberg model on this
lattice is obtained directly in the thermodynamic limit, using tensor network
states and the infinite-system time-evolving-block-decimation (iTEBD)
algorithm. Both magnetically ordered and gapped QSL phases are found, the
latter being identified by an entanglement fingerprint.


title:
A Gyrochronology and Microvariability Survey of the Milky Way's Older
  Stars Using Kepler's Two-Wheels Program

abstract:
  Even with the diminished precision possible with only two reaction wheels,
the Kepler spacecraft can obtain mmag level, time-resolved photometry of tens
of thousands of sources. The presence of such a rich, large data set could be
transformative for stellar astronomy. In this white paper, we discuss how
rotation periods for a large ensemble of single and binary main- sequence
dwarfs can yield a quantitative understanding of the evolution of stellar
spin-down over time. This will allow us to calibrate rotation-based ages beyond
~1 Gyr, which is the oldest benchmark that exists today apart from the Sun.
Measurement of rotation periods of M dwarfs past the fully-convective boundary
will enable extension of gyrochronology to the end of the stellar
main-sequence, yielding precise ages ({\sigma} ~10%) for the vast majority of
nearby stars. It will also help set constraints on the angular momentum
evolution and magnetic field generation in these stars. Our Kepler-based study
would be supported by a suite of ongoing and future ground-based observations.
Finally, we briefly discuss two ancillary science cases, detection of
long-period low-mass eclipsing binaries and microvariability in white dwarfs
and hot subdwarf B stars that the Kepler Two-Wheels Program would facilitate.


title: The Binary White Dwarf LHS 3236

abstract:
  The white dwarf LHS 3236 (WD1639+153) is shown to be a double-degenerate
binary, with each component having a high mass. Astrometry at the U.S. Naval
Observatory gives a parallax and distance of 30.86 +/- 0.25 pc and a tangential
velocity of 98 km/s, and reveals binary orbital motion. The orbital parameters
are determined from astrometry of the photocenter over more than three orbits
of the 4.0-year period. High-resolution imaging at the Keck Observatory
resolves the pair with a separation of 31 and 124 mas at two epochs. Optical
and near-IR photometry give a set of possible binary components. Consistency of
all data indicates that the binary is a pair of DA stars with temperatures near
8000 and 7400 K and with masses of 0.93 and 0.91 M_solar; also possible, is a
DA primary and a helium DC secondary with temperatures near 8800 and 6000 K and
with masses of 0.98 and 0.69 M_solar. In either case, the cooling ages of the
stars are ~3 Gyr and the total ages are <4 Gyr. The combined mass of the binary
(1.66--1.84 M_solar) is well above the Chandrasekhar limit; however, the
timescale for coalescence is long.


title:
Uhlmann Phase as a Topological Measure for One-Dimensional Fermion
  Systems

abstract:
  We introduce the Uhlmann geometric phase as a tool to characterize
symmetry-protected topological phases in 1D fermion systems, such as
topological insulators and superconductors. Since this phase is formulated for
general mixed quantum states, it provides a way to extend topological
properties to finite temperature situations. We illustrate these ideas with
some paradigmatic models and find that there exists a critical temperature
$T_c$ at which the Uhlmann phase goes discontinuously and abruptly to zero.
This stands as a borderline between two different topological phases as a
function of the temperature. Furthermore, at small temperatures we recover the
usual notion of topological phase in fermion systems.


title: Exceptional Charlier and Hermite orthogonal polynomials

abstract:
  Using Casorati determinants of Charlier polynomials, we construct for each
finite set $F$ of positive integers a sequence of polynomials $r_n^F$, $n\in
\sigma_F$, which are eigenfunction of a second order difference operator, where
$\sigma_F$ is an infinite set of nonnegative integers, $\sigma_F \varsubsetneq
\NN$. For certain finite sets $F$ (we call them admissible sets), we prove that
the polynomials $r_n^F$, $n\in \sigma_F$, are actually exceptional Charlier
polynomials; that is, in addition, they are orthogonal and complete with
respect to a positive measure. By passing to the limit, we transform the
Casorati determinant of Charlier polynomials into a Wronskian determinant of
Hermite polynomials. For admissible sets, these Wronskian determinants turn out
to be exceptional Hermite polynomials.


title: Kepler's Unparalleled Exploration of the Time Dimension

abstract:
  We show that the Kepler spacecraft in two-reaction wheel mode of operation is
very well suited for the study of eclipsing binary star systems. Continued
observations of the Kepler field will provide the most enduring and long-term
valuable science. It will enable the discovery and characterization of
eclipsing binaries with periods greater than 1 year - these are the most
important, yet least understood binaries for habitable-zone planet background
considerations. The continued mission will also enable the investigation of
hierarchical multiple systems (discovered through eclipse timing variations),
and provide drastically improved orbital parameters for circumbinary planetary
systems.


title:
A Habitable Zone Census via Transit Timing and the Imperative for
  Continuing to Observe the Kepler Field

abstract:
  We propose a scientific program to complete a census of planets,
characterizing their masses, orbital properties, and dynamical histories using
continued observations of the Kepler field of view with the Kepler spacecraft
in a two reaction wheel mission. Even with a significantly reduced photometric
precision, extending time-domain observations of this field is uniquely capable
of pursuing several critical science goals: 1) measuring the architectures of
planetary systems by identifying non-transiting planets interleaved among known
transiting planets, 2) establishing the mass-radius relationship for planets in
the important transition region between small, gas-rich sub-Neptune planets and
large, rocky super-Earths, and 3) uncovering dynamical evidence of the
formation and evolution of the inner regions of planetary systems. To meet
these objectives, the unique multi-object observing capabilities of Kepler will
be used in a set of concurrent campaigns with specific motivations. These
campaigns focus largely on the ability to interpret Transit Timing Variations
(TTVs) that result from dynamical interactions among planets in a system and
include: 1) observations of systems that exhibit large TTVs and are
particularly rich in dynamical information, 2) observations of systems where
additional transit times will yield mass measurements of the constituent
planets, 3) observations of systems where the TTV signal evolves over very long
timescales, and 4) observations of systems with long-period planet candidates
where additional transits will remove orbital period ambiguities caused by gaps
in the original Kepler data.


title: An on-chip diamond optical parametric oscillator

abstract:
  Efficient, on-chip optical nonlinear processes are of great interest for the
development of compact, robust, low-power consuming systems for applications in
spectroscopy, metrology, sensing and classical and quantum optical information
processing. Diamond holds promise for these applications, owing to its
exceptional properties. However, although significant progress has been made in
the development of an integrated diamond photonics platform, optical
nonlinearities in diamond have not been explored much apart from Raman
processes in bulk samples. Here, we demonstrate optical parametric oscillations
(OPO) via four wave mixing (FWM) in single crystal diamond (SCD) optical
networks on-chip consisting of waveguide-coupled microring resonators.
Threshold powers as low as 20mW are enabled by ultra-high quality factor
(1*10^6) diamond ring resonators operating at telecom wavelengths, and up to 20
new wavelengths are generated from a single-frequency pump laser. We also
report the inferred nonlinear refractive index due to the third-order
nonlinearity in diamond at telecom wavelengths.


title:
Collider signatures of low scale supersymmetry breaking: A Snowmass 2013
  White Paper

abstract:
  We consider the possibility that supersymmetry is broken at a low scale,
within one order of magnitude above the TeV scale. In such a case, the degrees
of freedom associated with the spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry, the
goldstino fermion and its scalar superpartner (the sgoldstino), can have
significant interactions with the Standard Model particles and their
superpartners. We discuss some characteristic processes, involving the
goldstino and the sgoldstino, and the collider signatures they give rise to.
These signatures involve scalar resonances in the di-photon, di-jet, di-boson
and di-tau channels, the possible relation between these resonances and
deviations in the Higgs couplings as well as exotic Higgs decays in the
monophoton+MET and the four photon channels.


title: Orthogonal Schurs for Classical Gauge Groups

abstract:
  Finite N physics of half-BPS operators for gauge groups SO(N) and Sp(N) has
recently been studied[1, 2]. Among other things they showed that, alike U(N),
Schur operators (but in the square of their eigenvalues) diagonalize the free
field two-point function of half-BPS operators for SO(N) and Sp(N) gauge
groups. This result was unexpected since Wick contractions behave differently.
In this paper we solve the puzzle by treating all gauge groups in a unified
framework and showing how orthogonality of Schur operators emerges naturally
from the embedding structure of classical Lie algebras g(N) -> g(M). We go
further and we state that orthogonality of Schurs is a gauge group-independent
property for classical gauge groups.


title:
Highly efficient coupling from an optical fiber to a nanoscale silicon
  optomechanical cavity

abstract:
  We demonstrate highly efficient coupling of light from an optical fiber to a
silicon photonic crystal optomechanical cavity. The fiber-to-cavity coupling
utilizes a compact (L ~ 25 um) intermediate adiabatic coupler. The optical
coupling is lithographically controlled, broadband, relatively insensitive to
fiber misalignment, and allows for light to be transferred from an optical
fiber to, in principle, any photonic chip with refractive index greater than
that of the optical fiber. Here we demonstrate single-sided cavity coupling
with a total fiber-to-cavity optical power coupling efficiency of 85%.


title:
Evidence of Environmental Dependencies of Type Ia Supernovae from the
  Nearby Supernova Factory indicated by Local H{\alpha}

abstract:
  (Abridged) We study the host galaxy regions in close proximity to Type Ia
supernovae (SNe Ia) to analyze relations between the properties of SN Ia events
and environments most similar to where their progenitors formed. We focus on
local H\alpha\ emission as an indicator of young environments. The Nearby
Supernova Factory has obtained flux-calibrated spectral timeseries for SNe Ia
using integral field spectroscopy, allowing the simultaneous measurement of the
SN and its immediate vicinity. For 89 SNe Ia we measure H\alpha\ emission
tracing ongoing star formation within a 1 kpc radius around each SN. This
constitutes the first direct study of the local environment for a large sample
of SNe Ia also having accurate luminosity, color and stretch measurements. We
find that SNe Ia with local H\alpha\ emission are redder by 0.036+/-0.017 mag,
and that the previously-noted correlation between stretch and host mass is
entirely driven by the SNe Ia coming from passive regions. Most importantly,
the mean standardized brightness for SNe Ia with local H\alpha\ emission is
0.094+/-0.031 mag fainter than for those without. This offset arises from a
bimodal structure in the Hubble residuals, that also explains the
previously-known host-mass bias. We combine this bimodality with the cosmic
star-formation rate to predict changes with redshift in the mean SN Ia
brightness and the host-mass bias. This change is confirmed using high-redshift
SNe Ia from the literature. These environmental dependences point to remaining
systematic errors in SNe Ia standardization. The observed brightness offset is
predicted to cause a significant bias in measurements of the dark energy
equation of state. Recognition of these effects offers new opportunities to
improve SNe Ia as cosmological probes - e.g. SNe Ia having local H\alpha\
emission are more homogeneous, having a brightness dispersion of 0.105+/-0.012
mag.


title:
The similarity of the stellar mass fractions of galaxy groups and
  clusters

abstract:
  We employ a large sample of 20171 optically-selected groups and clusters at
0.15 < z < 0.4 in the SDSS to investigate how the stacked stellar mass fraction
varies across a wide range of total mass, $M_{500}$. Our study improves upon
previous observational studies in a number of important ways, including having
a much larger sample size, an explicit inclusion of the intracluster light
(ICL) component, and a thorough examination of the accuracy of our total mass
estimates via comparisons to simulations and weak lensing observations. We find
that the stellar mass fraction depends only weakly on total mass and that the
contribution of ICL to the total stellar mass fraction is significant
(typically 20-40 per cent). Both of these findings are in excellent accordance
with the predictions of cosmological simulations. Under the assumption of a
Chabrier (Salpeter) IMF, the derived star formation efficiency
($f_{star}$/$f_{b}$, where $f_b=\Omega_b/\Omega_m$) is relatively low at 8 per
cent (14 per cent) and is consistent with the global star formation efficiency
of semi-analytic models that reproduce the galaxy stellar mass function. When
our measured stellar mass fractions are combined with the observed relation
between hot gas mass fraction and total mass from X-ray observations, our
results imply that galaxy groups have significantly lower baryon fractions than
massive clusters. Ejection of gas due to energetic AGN feedback (most likely at
high redshift) provides a plausible mechanism for explaining the trends we
observe.


title: Planning and Optimization of Wireless LANs through Field Measurements

abstract:
  In this paper, the field measurements of signal strength taken at the
frequency of 2432 MHz in indoor & outdoor environments are presented and
analyzed. The received signal levels from the base station were monitored
manually. Total coverage area considered for the measurement campaign consisted
of a mixture of different propagation environments. Based on the experimental
data obtained, path loss exponent and standard deviation of signal strength
variability are derived. It is shown that the values of these parameters vary
from region to region in the coverage area. The analysis is purely statistical
& is compared with the existing propagation model to determine the path loss
exponent & deviation.


title: Dynamic alpha-invariants of del Pezzo surfaces with boundary

abstract:
  The global log canonical threshold (or Tian's alpha-invariant) plays an
important role in the geometry of Fano varieties. Tian showed that Fano
manifolds with big alpha-invariant can be equipped with a Kahler-Einstein
metric. In recent years Donaldson drafted a programme to determine when a
smooth Fano variety X admits a Kahler-Einstein metric. It was conjectured that
the existence of such a metric is equivalent to X being K-stable, an
algebraic-geometric property. A crucial step in Donaldson's programme consists
on finding a Kahler-Einstein metric with edge singularities of small angle
along a smooth anticanonical boundary. Jeffres, Mazzeo and Rubinstein showed
that a dynamic version of the alpha-invariant could be used to find such
metrics.
  The global log canonical threshold measures how anticanonical pairs fail to
be log canonical. In this thesis we compute the global log canonical threshold
of del Pezzo surfaces in various settings. We extend Cheltsov's computation of
the global log canonical threshold of complex del Pezzo surfaces to
non-singular del Pezzo surfaces over a ground field which is algebraically
closed and has arbitrary characteristic. Then we study which anticanonical
pairs fail to be log canonical, giving a classification of very singular
anticanonical pairs for del Pezzo surfaces of small degree. We conjecture under
which circumstances such a classification is plausible for an arbitrary Fano
variety and derive consequences. As an application, we compute the dynamic
alpha-invariant on smooth del Pezzo surfaces of small degree with any smooth
elliptic curve as boundary.
  The main result of this thesis is a computation of the dynamic
alpha-invariant on all smooth del Pezzo surfaces with boundary any smooth
elliptic curve C. The values of the alpha-invariant depend on the choice of C.
We apply our computation to find Kahler-Einstein metrics with edge
singularities.


title: Minimal quasi-complete intersection ideals

abstract:
  A quasi-complete intersection (q.c.i.) ideal of a local ring is an ideal with
"free exterior Koszul homology"; the definition can also be understood in terms
of vanishing of Andr\'e-Quillen homology functors. Principal q.c.i. ideals are
well understood, but few constructions are known to produce q.c.i. ideals of
grade zero that are not principal. This paper examines the structure of q.c.i.
ideals. We exhibit conditions on a ring $R$ which guarantee that every q.c.i.
ideal of $R$ is principal. On the other hand, we give an example of a minimal
q.c.i. deal $I$ which does not contain any principal q.c.i. ideals and is not
embedded, in the sense that no faithfully flat extension of $I$ can be written
as a quotient of complete intersection ideals. We also describe a generic
situation in which the maximal ideal of $R$ is an embedded q.c.i. ideal that
does not contain any principal q.c.i. ideals.


title: Understanding shape entropy through local dense packing

abstract:
  Entropy drives the phase behavior of colloids ranging from dense suspensions
of hard spheres or rods to dilute suspensions of hard spheres and depletants.
Entropic ordering of anisotropic shapes into complex crystals, liquid crystals,
and even quasicrystals has been demonstrated recently in computer simulations
and experiments. The ordering of shapes appears to arise from the emergence of
directional entropic forces (DEFs) that align neighboring particles, but these
forces have been neither rigorously defined nor quantified in generic systems.
Here, we show quantitatively that shape drives the phase behavior of systems of
anisotropic particles upon crowding through DEFs. We define DEFs in generic
systems, and compute them for several hard particle systems. We show that they
are on the order of a few kT at the onset of ordering, placing DEFs on par with
traditional depletion, van der Waals, and other intrinsic interactions. In
experimental systems with these other interactions, we provide direct
quantitative evidence that entropic effects of shape also contribute to
self-assembly. We use DEFs to draw a distinction between self-assembly and
packing behavior. We show that the mechanism that generates directional
entropic forces is the maximization of entropy by optimizing local particle
packing. We show that this mechanism occurs in a wide class of systems, and we
treat, in a unified way, the entropy-driven phase behavior of arbitrary shapes
incorporating the well-known works of Kirkwood, Onsager, and Asakura and
Oosawa.

categories: cond-mat.soft cond-mat.mtrl-sci cond-mat.stat-mech physics.bio-ph physics.chem-ph


title: Curing black hole singularities with local scale invariance

abstract:
  We show that Weyl-invariant dilaton gravity provides a description of black
holes without classical spacetime singularities. Singularities appear due to
ill-behaviour of gauge fixing conditions, one example being the gauge in which
theory is classically equivalent to standard General Relativity. The main
conclusions of our analysis are: (1) singularities signal a phase transition
from broken to unbroken phase of Weyl symmetry, (2) instead of a singularity
there is a "baby-universe" or a white hole inside a black hole, (3) in the baby
universe scenario there is a critical mass after which reducing mass makes
black hole larger as viewed by outside observers, (4) if a black hole could be
connected with white hole through the "singularity", this would require
breakdown of (classical) geometric description, (5) the singularity of
Schwarzschild BH solution is non-generic and so it is dangerous to rely on it
in deriving general results. Our results may have important consequences for
resolving issues related to information-loss puzzle. The theory we use is
basically a completion of General Relativity, containing neither additional
physical excitations nor higher-derivative terms, but requires physical scalar
field such as Higgs field of Standard Model. Though quantum effects are still
crucial and may change the proposed classical picture, a position of building
quantum theory around essentially regular classical solutions normally provides
a much better starting point.


title:
A current driven electromagnetic mode in sheared and toroidal
  configurations

abstract:
  The induced electric field in a tokamak drives a parallel electron current
flow. In an inhomogeneous, finite beta plasma, when this electron flow is
comparable to the ion thermal speed, the Alfven mode wave solutions of the
electromagnetic gyrokinetic equation can become nearly purely growing kink
modes. Using the new "low-flow" version of the gyrokinetic code GS2 developed
for momentum transport studies [Barnes et al 2013 Phys. Rev. Lett. 111,
055005], we are able to model the effect of the induced parallel electric field
on the electron distribution to study the destabilizing influence of current on
stability. We identify high mode number kink modes in GS2 simulations and make
comparisons to analytical theory in sheared magnetic geometry. We demonstrate
reassuring agreement with analytical results both in terms of parametric
dependences of mode frequencies and growth rates, and regarding the radial mode
structure.


title:
Large deviations for 2D-fractional stochastic Navier-Stokes equation on
  the torus -Short Proof-

abstract:
  In this note, we prove the large deviation principle for the 2D-fractional
stochastic Navier-Stokes equation on the torus under the dissipation order $
\alpha \in [\frac43, 2]$.


title: The Dynamics of Galaxy Pairs in a Cosmological Setting

abstract:
  We use the Millennium Simulation, and an abundance-matching framework, to
investigate the dynamical behaviour of galaxy pairs embedded in a cosmological
context. Our main galaxy-pair sample, selected to have separations under 250
kpc/h, consists of over 1.3 million pairs at redshift z = 0, with stellar
masses greater than 10^9 Msun, probing mass ratios down to 1:1000. We use dark
matter halo membership and energy to classify our galaxy pairs. In terms of
halo membership, central-satellite pairs tend to be in isolation (in relation
to external more massive galaxies), are energetically- bound to each other, and
are also weakly-bound to a neighbouring massive galaxy. Satellite-satellite
pairs, instead, inhabit regions in close proximity to a more massive galaxy,
are energetically-unbound, and are often bound to that neighbour. We find that
60% of our paired galaxies are bound to both their companion and to a third
external object. Moreover, only 9% of our pairs resemble the kind of systems
described by idealised binary merger simulations in complete isolation. In sum,
we demonstrate the importance of properly connecting galaxy pairs to the rest
of the Universe.


title: Fourteen years of R/qtl: Just barely sustainable

abstract:
  R/qtl is an R package for mapping quantitative trait loci (genetic loci that
contribute to variation in quantitative traits) in experimental crosses. Its
development began in 2000. There have been 38 software releases since 2001. The
latest release contains 35k lines of R code and 24k lines of C code, plus 15k
lines of code for the documentation. Challenges in the development and
maintenance of the software are discussed. A key to the success of R/qtl is
that it remains a central tool for the chief developer's own research work, and
so its maintenance is of selfish importance.


title:
Confidence-constrained joint sparsity recovery under the Poisson noise
  model

abstract:
  Our work is focused on the joint sparsity recovery problem where the common
sparsity pattern is corrupted by Poisson noise. We formulate the
confidence-constrained optimization problem in both least squares (LS) and
maximum likelihood (ML) frameworks and study the conditions for perfect
reconstruction of the original row sparsity and row sparsity pattern. However,
the confidence-constrained optimization problem is non-convex. Using convex
relaxation, an alternative convex reformulation of the problem is proposed. We
evaluate the performance of the proposed approach using simulation results on
synthetic data and show the effectiveness of proposed row sparsity and row
sparsity pattern recovery framework.


title: Some Options for L1-Subspace Signal Processing

abstract:
  We describe ways to define and calculate $L_1$-norm signal subspaces which
are less sensitive to outlying data than $L_2$-calculated subspaces. We focus
on the computation of the $L_1$ maximum-projection principal component of a
data matrix containing N signal samples of dimension D and conclude that the
general problem is formally NP-hard in asymptotically large N, D. We prove,
however, that the case of engineering interest of fixed dimension D and
asymptotically large sample support N is not and we present an optimal
algorithm of complexity $O(N^D)$. We generalize to multiple
$L_1$-max-projection components and present an explicit optimal $L_1$ subspace
calculation algorithm in the form of matrix nuclear-norm evaluations. We
conclude with illustrations of $L_1$-subspace signal processing in the fields
of data dimensionality reduction and direction-of-arrival estimation.


title: Real structures on moduli spaces of Higgs bundles

abstract:
  We construct triples of commuting real structures on the moduli space of
Higgs bundles, whose fixed loci are branes of type (B, A, A), (A, B, A) and (A,
A, B). We study the real points through the associated spectral data and
describe the topological invariants involved using KO, KR and equivariant
K-theory.


title:
Multifocality and recurrence risk: a quantitative model of field
  cancerization

abstract:
  Primary tumors often emerge within genetically altered fields of premalignant
cells that appear histologically normal but have a high chance of progression
to malignancy. Clinical observations have suggested that these premalignant
fields pose high risks for emergence of secondary recurrent tumors if left
behind after surgical removal of the primary tumor. In this work, we develop a
spatio-temporal stochastic model of epithelial carcinogenesis, combining
cellular reproduction and death dynamics with a general framework for
multi-stage genetic progression to cancer. Using this model, we investigate how
macroscopic features (e.g. size and geometry of premalignant fields) depend on
microscopic cellular properties of the tissue (e.g.\ tissue renewal rate,
mutation rate, selection advantages conferred by genetic events leading to
cancer, etc). We develop methods to characterize how clinically relevant
quantities such as waiting time until emergence of second field tumors and
recurrence risk after tumor resection. We also study the clonal relatedness of
recurrent tumors to primary tumors, and analyze how these phenomena depend upon
specific characteristics of the tissue and cancer type. This study contributes
to a growing literature seeking to obtain a quantitative understanding of the
spatial dynamics in cancer initiation.


title: Is the mean free path the mean of a distribution?

abstract:
  We bring attention to the fact that Maxwell's mean free path for a dilute
hard-sphere gas in thermal equilibrium, $(\sqrt{2}\sigma n)^{-1}$, which is
ordinarily obtained by multiplying the average speed by the average time
between collisions, is also the statistical mean of the distribution of free
path lengths in such a gas.


title: The pro-\'etale topology for schemes

abstract:
  We give a new definition of the derived category of constructible $\ell$-adic
sheaves on a scheme, which is as simple as the geometric intuition behind them.
Moreover, we define a refined fundamental group of schemes, which is large
enough to see all lisse $\ell$-adic sheaves, even on non-normal schemes. To
accomplish these tasks, we define and study the pro-\'etale topology, which is
a Grothendieck topology on schemes that is closely related to the \'etale
topology, and yet better suited for infinite constructions typically
encountered in $\ell$-adic cohomology. An essential foundational result is that
this site is locally contractible in a well-defined sense.


title:
Experiences with Automated Build and Test for Geodynamics Simulation
  Codes

abstract:
  The Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (CIG) is an NSF funded
project that develops, supports, and disseminates community-accessible software
for the geodynamics research community. CIG software supports a variety of
computational geodynamic research from mantle and core dynamics, to crustal and
earthquake dynamics, to magma migration and seismology. To support this type of
project a backend computational infrastructure is necessary.
  Part of this backend infrastructure is an automated build and testing system
to ensure codes and changes to them are compatible with multiple platforms and
that the changes do not significantly affect the scientific results. In this
paper we describe the build and test infrastructure for CIG based on the BaTLab
system, how it is organized, and how it assists in operations. We demonstrate
the use of this type of testing for a suite of geophysics codes, show why codes
may compile on one platform but not on another, and demonstrate how minor
changes may alter the computed results in unexpected ways that can influence
the scientific interpretation. Finally, we examine result comparison between
platforms and show how the compiler or operating system may affect results.


title:
Cooperative Access in Cognitive Radio Networks: Stable Throughput and
  Delay Tradeoffs

abstract:
  In this paper, we study and analyze fundamental throughput-delay tradeoffs in
cooperative multiple access for cognitive radio systems. We focus on the class
of randomized cooperative policies, whereby the secondary user (SU) serves
either the queue of its own data or the queue of the primary user (PU) relayed
data with certain service probabilities. The proposed policy opens room for
trading the PU delay for enhanced SU delay. Towards this objective, stability
conditions for the queues involved in the system are derived. Furthermore, a
moment generating function approach is employed to derive closed-form
expressions for the average delay encountered by the packets of both users.
Results reveal that cooperation expands the stable throughput region of the
system and significantly reduces the delay at both users. Moreover, we quantify
the gain obtained in terms of the SU delay under the proposed policy, over
conventional relaying that gives strict priority to the relay queue.


title:
Singer invariants and strongly curvature homogeneous manifolds of type
  (1,3)

abstract:
  We extend the definition of curvature homogeneity of type (1,3) to include
the possibility that there is a homothety between any two points of a manifold
preserving the first r covariant derivatives of the curvature operator
simultaneously; we call this strong curvature homogeneity of type (1,3) up to
order r. We characterize these properties in terms of model spaces. In
addition, we also present two families of three-dimensional Lorentzian metrics
on Euclidean space to exhibit the behavior of this property. The first example
is curvature homogeneous of type (1,3) of all orders, but is not locally
homogeneous. Within this first family, being strongly curvature homogeneous of
type (1,3) up to order 1 implies local homogeneity. The second example is
strongly curvature homogeneous of type (1,3) up to order one, and is not
locally homogeneous, showing that this new definition is not a trivial one.
Within this family, being strongly curvature homogeneous of type (1,3) up to
order 2 implies local homogeneity.


title:
A Joint Model Of X-ray And Infrared Backgrounds. II. Compton-Thick AGN
  Abundance

abstract:
  We estimate the abundance of Compton-thick (CT) active galactic nuclei (AGN)
based on our joint model of X-ray and infrared backgrounds. At L_{rest 2-10
keV} > 10^42 erg/s, the CT AGN density predicted by our model is a few 10^-4
Mpc^-3 from z=0 up to z=3. CT AGN with higher luminosity cuts (> 10^43, 10^44 &
10^45 erg/s) peak at higher z and show a rapid increase in the number density
from z=0 to z~2-3. The CT to all AGN ratio appears to be low (2-5%) at
f_{2-10keV} > 10^-15 erg/s/cm^2 but rises rapidly toward fainter flux levels.
The CT AGN account for ~ 38% of the total accreted SMBH mass and contribute ~
25% of the cosmic X-ray background spectrum at 20 keV. Our model predicts that
the majority (90%) of luminous and bright CT AGN (L_{rest 2-10 keV} > 10^44
erg/s or f_{2-10keV} > 10^-15 erg/s/cm^2) have detectable hot dust 5-10 um
emission which we associate with a dusty torus. The fraction drops for fainter
objects, to around 30% at L_{rest 2-10 keV} > 10^42 erg/s or f_{2-10keV} >
10^-17 erg/s/cm^2. Our model confirms that heavily-obscured AGN (N_HI > 10^23
cm^-2) can be separated from unobscured and mildly-obscured ones (N_HI < 10^23
cm^-2) in the plane of observed-frame X-ray hardness vs. mid-IR/X-ray ratio.


title: Bounding the entanglement of N qubits with only four measurements

abstract:
  We introduce a new measure for the genuinely N-partite (all-party)
entanglement of N-qubit states using the trace distance metric, and find an
algebraic formula for the GHZ-diagonal states. We then use this formula to show
how the all-party entanglement of experimentally produced GHZ states of an
arbitrary number of qubits may be bounded with only four measurements.


title: Achieving High Performance with Unified Residual Evaluation

abstract:
  We examine residual evaluation, perhaps the most basic operation in numerical
simulation. By raising the level of abstraction in this operation, we can
eliminate specialized code, enable optimization, and greatly increase the
extensibility of existing code.


title:
Nonhydrostatic Effects and the Determination of Icy Satellites' Moment
  of Inertia

abstract:
  We compare the moment of inertia (MOI) of a simple hydrostatic, two layer
body as determined by the Radau-Darwin Approximation (RDA) to its exact
hydrostatic MOI calculated to first order in the parameter q = w^2R^3/GM, where
w, R, and M are the spin angular velocity, radius, and mass of the body, and G
is the gravitational constant. RDA is in error by less than 1% for many
configurations of core sizes and layer densities congruent with those of solid
bodies in the Solar System. We determine the error in the MOI of icy satellites
calculated with the RDA due to nonhydrostatic effects by using a simple model
in which the core and outer shell have slight degree 2 distortions away from
their expected hydrostatic shapes. Since the hydrostatic shape has an
associated stress of order pw^2R^2 (where p is density) it follows that the
importance of nonhydrostatic effects scales with the dimensionless number
s/pw^2R^2, where s is the nonhydrostatic stress. This highlights the likely
importance of this error for slowly rotating bodies (e.g., Titan and Callisto)
and small bodies (e.g., Saturn moons other than Titan). We apply this model to
Titan, Callisto, and Enceladus and find that the RDA-derived MOI can be 10%
greater than the actual MOI for nonhydrostatic stresses as small as ~0.1 bars
at the surface or ~1 bar at the core-mantle boundary, while for Ganymede the
stresses necessary to produce the same MOI errors are an order of magnitude
greater due to its faster rotation. If satellites can reorient to the lowest
energy state then RDA will always give an overestimate of the true MOI.
Observations have shown that small nonhydrostatic gravity anomalies exist on
Ganymede and Titan. We conclude that nonhydrostatic effects could be present to
an extent that allows Callisto and Titan to be fully differentiated.


title: Lattice Gauge Theories at the Energy Frontier

abstract:
  This White Paper has been prepared as a planning document for the Division of
High Energy Physics of the U. S. Department of Energy. Recent progress in
lattice-based studies of physics beyond the standard model is summarized, and
major current goals of USQCD research in this area are presented. Challenges
and opportunities associated with the recently discovered 126 GeV Higgs-like
particle are highlighted. Computational resources needed for reaching important
goals are described. The document was finalized on February 11, 2013 with
references that are not aimed to be complete, or account for an accurate
historical record of the field.


title:
Loop erased random walk on a percolation cluster is compatible with
  Schramm-Loewner evolution

abstract:
  We study the scaling limit of planar loop erased random walk (LERW) on the
percolation cluster, with occupation probability $p\geq p_c$. We numerically
demonstrate that the scaling limit of planar LERW$_p$ curves, for all $p>p_c$,
can be described by Schramm-Loewner Evolution (SLE) with a single parameter
$\kappa$ which is close to normal LERW in Euclidean lattice. However our
results reveal that the LERW on critical incipient percolation clusters is
compatible with SLE, but with another diffusivity coefficient $\kappa$. Several
geometrical tests are applied to ascertain this. All calculations are
consistent with $\mathrm{SLE}_{\kappa}$, where $\kappa=1.732\pm0.016$. This
value of the diffusivity coefficient is outside of the well-known duality range
$2\leq \kappa\leq 8$. We also investigate how the winding angle of the LERW$_p$
crosses over from {\it Euclidean} to {\it fractal} geometry by gradually
decreasing the value of the parameter $p$ from 1 to $p_c$. For finite systems,
two crossover exponents and a scaling relation can be derived. We believe that
this finding should, to some degree, help us to understand and predict the
existence of conformal invariance in disordered and fractal landscapes.


title:
Resource Allocation in a Network-Based Cloud Computing Environment:
  Design Challenges

abstract:
  Cloud computing is an increasingly popular computing paradigm, now proving a
necessity for utility computing services. Each provider offers a unique service
portfolio with a range of resource configurations. Resource provisioning for
cloud services in a comprehensive way is crucial to any resource allocation
model. Any model should consider both computational resources and network
resources to accurately represent and serve practical needs. Another aspect
that should be considered while provisioning resources is energy consumption.
This aspect is getting more attention from industry and governments parties.
Calls of support for the green clouds are gaining momentum. With that in mind,
resource allocation algorithms aim to accomplish the task of scheduling virtual
machines on data center servers and then scheduling connection requests on the
network paths available while complying with the problem constraints. Several
external and internal factors that affect the performance of resource
allocation models are introduced in this paper. These factors are discussed in
detail and research gaps are pointed out. Design challenges are discussed with
the aim of providing a reference to be used when designing a comprehensive
energy aware resource allocation model for cloud computing data centers.


title: Spin-phonon coupling in Gd(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3 perovskite

abstract:
  We have investigated the temperature-dependent Raman-active phonons and the
magnetic properties of Gd(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3 perovskite ceramics in the temperature
range from 40 K to 300 K. The samples crystallized in an orthorhombic distorted
simple perovskite, whose symmetry belongs to the Pnma space group. The data
reveals spin-phonon coupling near the ferromagnetic transition occurring at
around 120 K. The correlation of the Raman and magnetization data suggests that
the structural order influences the magnitude of the spin-phonon coupling.


title: DGP Cosmological model with generalized Ricci dark energy

abstract:
  The braneworld model proposed by Dvali, Gabadadze and Porrati (DGP) leads to
an accelerated universe without cosmological constant or other form of dark
energy for the positive branch $(\epsilon =+1)$. For the negative branch
$(\epsilon =-1)$ we have investigated the behavior of a model with an
holographic Ricci-like dark energy and dark matter, where the IR cutoff takes
the form $\alpha H^2 + \beta \dot{H}$, being $H$ the Hubble parameter and
$\alpha$, $\beta$ positive constants of the model. We perform an analytical
study of the model in the late-time dark energy dominated epoch, where we
obtain a solution for $r_cH(z)$, where $r_c$ is the leakage scale of gravity
into the bulk, and conditions for the negative branch on the holographic
parameters $\alpha$ and $\beta$, in order to hold the conditions of weak energy
and accelerated universe. On the other hand, we compare the model versus the
late-time cosmological data using the latest type Ia supernova sample of the
Joint Light-curve Analysis (JLA), in order to constraint the holographic
parameters in the negative branch, as well as $r_cH_0$ in the positive branch,
where $H_0$ is the Hubble constant. We find that the model has a good fit to
the data and that the most likely values for $(r_cH_0, \alpha, \beta)$ lie in
the permitted region found from an analytical solution in a dark energy
dominated universe. We give a justification to use holographic cut-off in 4D
for the dark energy in the 5 dimensional DGP model. Finally, using the Bayesian
Information Criterion we find that this model it is disfavored compared with
the flat $\Lambda$CDM model.


title:
Pullback Attractors of Non-autonomous Stochastic Degenerate Parabolic
  Equations on Unbounded Domains

abstract:
  This paper is concerned with pullback attractors of the stochastic p-Laplace
equation defined on the entire space R^n. We first establish the asymptotic
compactness of the equation in L^2(R^n) and then prove the existence and
uniqueness of non-autonomous random attractors. This attractor is pathwise
periodic if the non-autonomous deterministic forcing is time periodic. The
difficulty of non-compactness of Sobolev embeddings on R^n is overcome by the
uniform smallness of solutions outside a bounded domain.


title: Effects of L\'evy Noise on a bistable Duffing System

abstract:
  This paper numerically investigates the mean first passage time (MFPT) and
phase transition of a bistable Duffing system driven by L\'evy stable noise,
which can reduce to the common Gaussian noise with the stability index 2. We
obtain the stationary probability density functions by using Monte Carlo method
to describe the change in distribution law and the influences of L\'evy noise
parameters on the stationary probability densities are discussed. The results
indicate that the stability index, noise intensity and skewness parameter of
L\'evy noise can induce the phase transition behaviors (namely, the qualitative
change of stationary probability density function). Furthermore, the MFPT is
calculated as functions of different parameters, which implies that the effects
of the stability index, noise intensity and the skewness parameter on MFPT are
quite different, and apparent distinctions between L\'evy and Gaussian noise
can be observed.


title: 5d gauge theories on orbifolds and 4d 't Hooft line indices

abstract:
  We study indices for 5d gauge theories on S^1 \times S^4/Z_n. In the large
orbifold limit, n \rightarrow \infty, we find evidence that the indices become
4d indices in the presence of a 't Hooft line operator. The non-perturbative
part of the index poses some subtleties when being compared to the 4d monopole
bubbling which happens in the presence of 't Hooft line operators. We study
such monopole bubbling indices and find an interesting connection to the
Hilbert series of the moduli space of instantons on an auxiliary ALE space.


title:
Time-Reversal-Symmetry-Broken State in the BCS Formalism for a
  Multi-Band Superconductor

abstract:
  In three-band BCS superconductors with repulsive interband interactions,
frustration between the bands can lead to an inherently complex gap function,
arising out of a phase difference between the bands in the range 0 and {\pi}.
Since the complex conjugate of this state is also a solution, the ground state
is degenerate, and there appears a time-reversal-symmetry-broken state. In this
paper we investigate the existence of this state as a function of interband
coupling strength and show how a new phase transition appears between the TRSB
and conventional BCS states.


title:
Contribution of twist-3 fragmentation function to single transverse-spin
  asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering

abstract:
  We study the contribution of the twist-3 fragmentation function to the
single-transverse spin asymmetry in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering
within the framework of the collinear factorization. Making use of the
Ward-Takahashi identity in QCD, we establish the formalism in the Feynman gauge
to calculate the non-pole contribution of the twist-3 fragmentation function to
the asymmetry and derive the complete cross-section formula in the leading
order QCD perturbation theory. The obtained twist-3 hadronic tensor is shown to
satisfy the electromagnetic gauge-invariance. The behavior in the small
transverse- momentum region for the five structure functions is also given.


title: PALM-3000: Exoplanet Adaptive Optics for the 5-meter Hale Telescope

abstract:
  We describe and report first results from PALM-3000, the second-generation
astronomical adaptive optics facility for the 5.1-m Hale telescope at Palomar
Observatory. PALM-3000 has been engineered for high-contrast imaging and
emission spectroscopy of brown dwarfs and large planetary mass bodies at
near-infrared wavelengths around bright stars, but also supports general
natural guide star use to V ~ 17. Using its unique 66 x 66 actuator deformable
mirror, PALM-3000 has thus far demonstrated residual wavefront errors of 141 nm
RMS under 1 arcsecond seeing conditions. PALM-3000 can provide phase
conjugation correction over a 6.4 x 6.4 arcsecond working region at an
observing wavelength of 2.2 microns, or full electric field (amplitude and
phase) correction over approximately one half of this field. With optimized
back-end instrumentation, PALM-3000 is designed to enable as high as 10e-7
contrast at ~1 arc second angular separation, after including post-observation
speckle suppression processing. While optimization of the adaptive optics
system is ongoing, we have already successfully commissioned five back-end
science instruments and begun a major exoplanet characterization survey,
Project 1640, with our partners at American Museum of Natural History and Jet
Propulsion Laboratory.


title:
Hubble Space Telescope and Ground-Based Observations of V455 Andromedae
  Post-Outburst

abstract:
  Hubble Space Telescope spectra obtained in 2010 and 2011, three and four
years after the large amplitude dwarf nova outburst of V455 And, were combined
with optical photometry and spectra to study the cooling of the white dwarf,
its spin, and possible pulsation periods after the outburst. The modeling of
the ultraviolet (UV) spectra show that the white dwarf temperature remains ~600
K hotter than its quiescent value at three years post outburst, and still a few
hundred degrees hotter at four years post outburst. The white dwarf spin at
67.6 s and its second harmonic at 33.8 s are visible in the optical within a
month of outburst and are obvious in the later UV observations in the shortest
wavelength continuum and the UV emission lines, indicating an origin in high
temperature regions near the accretion curtains. The UV light curves folded on
the spin period show a double-humped modulation consistent with two-pole
accretion. The optical photometry two years after outburst shows a group of
frequencies present at shorter periods (250-263 s) than the periods ascribed to
pulsation at quiescence, and these gradually shift toward the quiescent
frequencies (300-360 s) as time progresses past outburst. The most surprising
result is that the frequencies near this period in the UV data are only
prominent in the emission lines, not the UV continuum, implying an origin away
from the white dwarf photosphere. Thus, the connection of this group of periods
with non-radial pulsations of the white dwarf remains elusive.


title: Optimal Ternary Cyclic Codes with Minimum Distance Four and Five

abstract:
  Cyclic codes are an important subclass of linear codes and have wide
applications in data storage systems, communication systems and consumer
electronics. In this paper, two families of optimal ternary cyclic codes are
presented. The first family of cyclic codes has parameters $[3^m-1, 3^m-1-2m,
4]$ and contains a class of conjectured cyclic codes and several new classes of
optimal cyclic codes. The second family of cyclic codes has parameters $[3^m-1,
3^m-2-2m, 5]$ and contains a number of classes of cyclic codes that are
obtained from perfect nonlinear functions over $\fthreem$, where $m>1$ and is a
positive integer.


title: Frames of subspaces in Hilbert spaces with $W$-metrics

abstract:
  If $\left(\h,\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle\right)$ is a Hilbert space and on it
we consider the sesquilinear form $\langle\,W\cdot,\cdot\rangle$ so-called
$W$-metric, where $W^{*}=W\in\BH$, and $\ker\,W=\{0\}$, then the space
$\left(\h,\langle\,W\cdot,\cdot\rangle\right)$ is called Hilbert space with
$W$-metric or simply $W$-space. In this paper we investigate the dynamic of
frames of subspace on these spaces, where the sense of dynamics refers to the
behavior of frames of subspace in $\h_{W}$ (the completion of
$\left(\h,\langle\,W\cdot,\cdot\rangle\right)$) comparing with $\h$ and vice
versa. This work is based on the study made in \cite{KEFER,GMMM} on frames in
Krein spaces. In a similar way, Casazza and Kutyniok obtained some results in
the context of Hilbert spaces, see \cite{CG}.
  We take tools of theory of $C^{*}$-algebra, and properties of $\BH$, to show
that every Hilbert space with $W$-metric $\h_{W}$ with $0\in\sigma(W)$ has a
decomposition $$\h_{W}=\bigoplus_{n\in\N\cup\{\infty\}}\h_{\psi_{n}}^{W},$$
where $\h_{\psi_{n}}^{W}\simeq \Ele(\sigma(W),x\,d\mu_{n}(x))$ are Krein
spaces, for every $n\in\N\cup\{\infty\}$. Moreover, we investigate the dynamics
of frames of subspace when the self-adjoint operator $W$ is unbounded.