On Probabilistic Applicative Bisimulation and Call-by-Value λ\lambda-Calculi (Long Version)

Probabilistic applicative bisimulation is a recently introduced coinductive methodology for program equivalence in a probabilistic, higher-order, setting. In this paper, the technique is applied to a typed, call-by-value, lambda-calculus. Surprisingly, the obtained relation coincides with context equivalence, contrary to what happens when call-by-name evaluation is considered. Even more surprisingly, full-abstraction only holds in a symmetric setting.Comment: 30 page

What happens when a researcher wants to publish differently?

Research publication is one of the threshold concepts of research practice, and therefore of teaching research. The notion of publishing one's research is constantly shifting in response to technological and philosophical debates. From the Medieval studia generalia, in which prospective applicants had to orally defend themselves against vocal members of the audience, through to the current REF processes that puts impact value on individual research publications, research publication is in constant flux. The OECD redefinition of research in 2002 to include performative work was just another critical incident in a constantly changing notion of what counts as research publication. As with other educational practice, the hegemony associated with research and research publication often inhibits creativity. Students may need to be encouraged to constantly question the unchallenged assumptions associated with both research and research publication. This presentation, in a performative mode of a 40 minute cabaret, models one of the creative ways in which research and in fact any topic can be disseminated or taught. 'My idea of academic cabaret involves a spoken monologue around a specific topic interspersed with songs chosen to advance the central theme of the cabaret topic through their lyrics' (Hill, 2015, 153)

Asymptotic behaviour of rational curves

We investigate the asympotic behaviour of the moduli space of morphisms from the rational curve to a given variety when the degree becomes large. One of the crucial tools is the homogeneous coordinate ring of the variey. First we explain in details what happens in the toric case. Then we examine the general case.Comment: This is a revised and slightly expanded version of notes for a course delivered during the summer school on rational curves held in June 2010 at Institut Fourier, Grenobl

Emergent gravitational dynamics from multi-BEC hydrodynamics?

In this paper, we examine the possibility to implement some form of emergent Newtonian gravity in a generic multi-component Bose--Einstein condensate. Parallely to what happens for the emergence of low energy Lorentz invariance, strong requirements have to be imposed on the underlying condensed matter model. We will show, within a simplified model, that the presence of a global symmetry alleviates the problems associated to Lorentz violation, allows the presence of a long range potential, to which the analogue matter fields (the quasi-particles) are coupled following a weaker form of equivalence principle.Comment: revtex4, 23 page

On the matching method and the Goldstone theorem in holography

We study the transition of a scalar field in a fixed $AdS_{d+1}$ background between an extremum and a minimum of a potential. We compute analytically the solution to the perturbation equation for the vev deformation case by generalizing the usual matching method to higher orders and find the propagator of the boundary theory operator defined through the AdS-CFT correspondence. We show that, contrary to what happens at the leading order of the matching method, the next-to-leading order presents a simple pole at $q^2=0$ in accordance with the Goldstone theorem applied to a spontaneously broken dilatation invariance.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, published versio

Vector Manifestation and Fate of Vector Mesons in Dense Matter

We describe in-medium properties of hadrons in dense matter near chiral restoration using a Wilsonian matching to QCD of an effective field theory with hidden local symmetry at the chiral cutoff $\Lambda$. We find that chiral symmetry is restored in vector manifestation \`a la Harada and Yamawaki at a critical matter density $n_c$. We express the critical density in terms of QCD correlators in dense matter at the matching scale. In a manner completely analogous to what happens at the critical $N_f^c$ and at the critical temperature $T^c$, the vector meson mass is found to vanish (in the chiral limit) at chiral restoration. This result provides a support for Brown-Rho scaling predicted a decade ago.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure