A design for testability study on a high performance automatic gain control circuit.

A comprehensive testability study on a commercial automatic gain control circuit is presented which aims to identify design for testability (DfT) modifications to both reduce production test cost and improve test quality. A fault simulation strategy based on layout extracted faults has been used to support the study. The paper proposes a number of DfT modifications at the layout, schematic and system levels together with testability. Guidelines that may well have generic applicability. Proposals for using the modifications to achieve partial self test are made and estimates of achieved fault coverage and quality levels presente

Plug & Test at System Level via Testable TLM Primitives

With the evolution of Electronic System Level (ESL) design methodologies, we are experiencing an extensive use of Transaction-Level Modeling (TLM). TLM is a high-level approach to modeling digital systems where details of the communication among modules are separated from the those of the implementation of functional units. This paper represents a first step toward the automatic insertion of testing capabilities at the transaction level by definition of testable TLM primitives. The use of testable TLM primitives should help designers to easily get testable transaction level descriptions implementing what we call a "Plug & Test" design methodology. The proposed approach is intended to work both with hardware and software implementations. In particular, in this paper we will focus on the design of a testable FIFO communication channel to show how designers are given the freedom of trading-off complexity, testability levels, and cos

A Framework to Simultaneously Explain Tiny Neutrino Mass and Huge Missing Mass Problem of the Universe

Recently a minimalistic scenario has been developed to explain dark matter and tiny but nonzero neutrino masses. In this scenario, a new scalar called SLIM plays the role of the dark matter. Neutrinos achieve Majorana mass through a one-loop diagram. This scenario can be realized for both real and complex SLIM. Simultaneously explaining the neutrino mass and dark matter abundance constrains the scenario. In particular for real SLIM, an upper bound of a few MeV on the masses of the new particles and a lower bound on their coupling are obtained which make the scenario testable. The low energy scenario can be embedded within various $SU(2)\times U(1)$ symmetric models. I shall briefly review the scenario and a specific model that embeds the scenario, with special emphasis on the effects in the charged Kaon decay which might be observable at the KLOE and NA62 experiments.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

A Two-Tiered Correlation of Dark Matter with Missing Transverse Energy: Reconstructing the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle Mass at the LHC

We suggest that non-trivial correlations between the dark matter particle mass and collider based probes of missing transverse energy H_T^miss may facilitate a two tiered approach to the initial discovery of supersymmetry and the subsequent reconstruction of the LSP mass at the LHC. These correlations are demonstrated via extensive Monte Carlo simulation of seventeen benchmark models, each sampled at five distinct LHC center-of-mass beam energies, spanning the parameter space of No-Scale F-SU(5).This construction is defined in turn by the union of the Flipped SU(5) Grand Unified Theory, two pairs of hypothetical TeV scale vector-like supersymmetric multiplets with origins in F-theory, and the dynamically established boundary conditions of No-Scale Supergravity. In addition, we consider a control sample comprised of a standard minimal Supergravity benchmark point. Led by a striking similarity between the H_T^miss distribution and the familiar power spectrum of a black body radiator at various temperatures, we implement a broad empirical fit of our simulation against a Poisson distribution ansatz. We advance the resulting fit as a theoretical blueprint for deducing the mass of the LSP, utilizing only the missing transverse energy in a statistical sampling of >= 9 jet events. Cumulative uncertainties central to the method subsist at a satisfactory 12-15% level. The fact that supersymmetric particle spectrum of No-Scale F-SU(5) has thrived the withering onslaught of early LHC data that is steadily decimating the Constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model and minimal Supergravity parameter spaces is a prime motivation for augmenting more conventional LSP search methodologies with the presently proposed alternative.Comment: JHEP version, 17 pages, 9 Figures, 2 Table

Simple Left-Right Theory: Lepton Number Violation at the LHC

We propose a simple left-right symmetric theory where the neutrino masses are generated at the quantum level. In this context the neutrinos are Majorana fermions and the model has the minimal degrees of freedom in the scalar sector needed for symmetry breaking and mass generation. We discuss the lepton number violating signatures with two charged leptons of different flavor and missing energy at the Large Hadron Collider in order to understand the testability of the theory.Comment: to appear as a Rapid Communication in Physical Review

The Minimal Seesaw Model at the TeV Scale

We point out that the minimal seesaw model can provide a natural framework to accommodate tiny neutrino masses, while its experimental testability and notable predictiveness are still maintained. This possibility is based on the observation that two heavy right-handed Majorana neutrinos in the minimal seesaw model may naturally emerge as a pseudo-Dirac fermion. In a specific scenario, we show that the tri-bimaximal neutrino mixing can be produced, and only the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy is allowed. The low-energy phenomena, including non-unitarity effects in neutrino oscillations, neutrinoless double-beta decays and rare lepton-flavor-violating decays of charged leptons l_alpha to l_beta + gamma, have been explored. The collider signatures of the heavy singlet neutrino are also briefly discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure