A statistical mechanics approach to autopoietic immune networks

The aim of this work is to try to bridge over theoretical immunology and disordered statistical mechanics. Our long term hope is to contribute to the development of a quantitative theoretical immunology from which practical applications may stem. In order to make theoretical immunology appealing to the statistical physicist audience we are going to work out a research article which, from one side, may hopefully act as a benchmark for future improvements and developments, from the other side, it is written in a very pedagogical way both from a theoretical physics viewpoint as well as from the theoretical immunology one. Furthermore, we have chosen to test our model describing a wide range of features of the adaptive immune response in only a paper: this has been necessary in order to emphasize the benefit available when using disordered statistical mechanics as a tool for the investigation. However, as a consequence, each section is not at all exhaustive and would deserve deep investigation: for the sake of completeness, we restricted details in the analysis of each feature with the aim of introducing a self-consistent model.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figur

Nonstandard analysis, deformation quantization and some logical aspects of (non)commutative algebraic geometry

This paper surveys results related to well-known works of B. Plotkin and V. Remeslennikov on the edge of algebra, logic and geometry. We start from a brief review of the paper and motivations. The first sections deal with model theory. In Section 2.1 we describe the geometric equivalence, the elementary equivalence, and the isotypicity of algebras. We look at these notions from the positions of universal algebraic geometry and make emphasis on the cases of the first order rigidity. In this setting Plotkin's problem on the structure of automorphisms of (auto)endomorphisms of free objects, and auto-equivalence of categories is pretty natural and important. Section 2.2 is dedicated to particular cases of Plotkin's problem. Section 2.3 is devoted to Plotkin's problem for automorphisms of the group of polynomial symplectomorphisms. This setting has applications to mathematical physics through the use of model theory (non-standard analysis) in the studying of homomorphisms between groups of symplectomorphisms and automorphisms of the Weyl algebra. The last two sections deal with algorithmic problems for noncommutative and commutative algebraic geometry. Section 3.1 is devoted to the Gr\"obner basis in non-commutative situation. Despite the existence of an algorithm for checking equalities, the zero divisors and nilpotency problems are algorithmically unsolvable. Section 3.2 is connected with the problem of embedding of algebraic varieties; a sketch of the proof of its algorithmic undecidability over a field of characteristic zero is given.Comment: In this review we partially used results of arXiv:1512.06533, arXiv:math/0512273, arXiv:1812.01883 and arXiv:1606.01566 and put them in a new contex

Interacting String Multi-verses and Holographic Instabilities of Massive Gravity

Products of large-N conformal field theories coupled by multi-trace interactions in diverse dimensions are used to define quantum multi-gravity (multi-string theory) on a union of (asymptotically) AdS spaces. One-loop effects generate a small O(1/N) mass for some of the gravitons. The boundary gauge theory and the AdS/CFT correspondence are used as guiding principles to study and draw conclusions on some of the well known problems of massive gravity - classical instabilities and strong coupling effects. We find examples of stable multi-graviton theories where the usual strong coupling effects of the scalar mode of the graviton are suppressed. Our examples require a fine tuning of the boundary conditions in AdS. Without it, the spacetime background backreacts in order to erase the effects of the graviton mass.Comment: 51 pages, 3 figures; v2 typos corrected, version published in NPB; v3 added appendix E on general class of fixed points in multi-trace deformation

Quantum information with continuous variables

Quantum information is a rapidly advancing area of interdisciplinary research. It may lead to real-world applications for communication and computation unavailable without the exploitation of quantum properties such as nonorthogonality or entanglement. We review the progress in quantum information based on continuous quantum variables, with emphasis on quantum optical implementations in terms of the quadrature amplitudes of the electromagnetic field.Comment: accepted for publication in Reviews of Modern Physic

Tight informationally complete quantum measurements

We introduce a class of informationally complete positive-operator-valued measures which are, in analogy with a tight frame, "as close as possible" to orthonormal bases for the space of quantum states. These measures are distinguished by an exceptionally simple state-reconstruction formula which allows "painless" quantum state tomography. Complete sets of mutually unbiased bases and symmetric informationally complete positive-operator-valued measures are both members of this class, the latter being the unique minimal rank-one members. Recast as ensembles of pure quantum states, the rank-one members are in fact equivalent to weighted 2-designs in complex projective space. These measures are shown to be optimal for quantum cloning and linear quantum state tomography.Comment: 20 pages. Final versio