The medical elective: A unique educational opportunity

No Abstract

Universal Distributions for Growth Processes in 1+1 Dimensions and Random Matrices

We develop a scaling theory for KPZ growth in one dimension by a detailed study of the polynuclear growth (PNG) model. In particular, we identify three universal distributions for shape fluctuations and their dependence on the macroscopic shape. These distribution functions are computed using the partition function of Gaussian random matrices in a cosine potential.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, RevTeX, revised version, accepted for publication in PR

Condensation of the roots of real random polynomials on the real axis

We introduce a family of real random polynomials of degree n whose coefficients a_k are symmetric independent Gaussian variables with variance = e^{-k^\alpha}, indexed by a real \alpha \geq 0. We compute exactly the mean number of real roots for large n. As \alpha is varied, one finds three different phases. First, for 0 \leq \alpha \sim (\frac{2}{\pi}) \log{n}. For 1 < \alpha < 2, there is an intermediate phase where grows algebraically with a continuously varying exponent, \sim \frac{2}{\pi} \sqrt{\frac{\alpha-1}{\alpha}} n^{\alpha/2}. And finally for \alpha > 2, one finds a third phase where \sim n. This family of real random polynomials thus exhibits a condensation of their roots on the real line in the sense that, for large n, a finite fraction of their roots /n are real. This condensation occurs via a localization of the real roots around the values \pm \exp{[\frac{\alpha}{2}(k+{1/2})^{\alpha-1} ]}, 1 \ll k \leq n.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

Random tree growth by vertex splitting

We study a model of growing planar tree graphs where in each time step we separate the tree into two components by splitting a vertex and then connect the two pieces by inserting a new link between the daughter vertices. This model generalises the preferential attachment model and Ford's $\alpha$-model for phylogenetic trees. We develop a mean field theory for the vertex degree distribution, prove that the mean field theory is exact in some special cases and check that it agrees with numerical simulations in general. We calculate various correlation functions and show that the intrinsic Hausdorff dimension can vary from one to infinity, depending on the parameters of the model.Comment: 47 page

Heteroepitaxial growth of ferromagnetic MnSb(0001) films on Ge/Si(111) virtual substrates

Molecular beam epitaxial growth of ferromagnetic MnSb(0001) has been achieved on high quality, fully relaxed Ge(111)/Si(111) virtual substrates grown by reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition. The epilayers were characterized using reflection high energy electron diffraction, synchrotron hard X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and magnetometry. The surface reconstructions, magnetic properties, crystalline quality, and strain relaxation behavior of the MnSb films are similar to those of MnSb grown on GaAs(111). In contrast to GaAs substrates, segregation of substrate atoms through the MnSb film does not occur, and alternative polymorphs of MnSb are absent

Expected length of the longest common subsequence for large alphabets

We consider the length L of the longest common subsequence of two randomly uniformly and independently chosen n character words over a k-ary alphabet. Subadditivity arguments yield that the expected value of L, when normalized by n, converges to a constant C_k. We prove a conjecture of Sankoff and Mainville from the early 80's claiming that C_k\sqrt{k} goes to 2 as k goes to infinity.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure, LaTe

An Anisotropic Ballistic Deposition Model with Links to the Ulam Problem and the Tracy-Widom Distribution

We compute exactly the asymptotic distribution of scaled height in a (1+1)--dimensional anisotropic ballistic deposition model by mapping it to the Ulam problem of finding the longest nondecreasing subsequence in a random sequence of integers. Using the known results for the Ulam problem, we show that the scaled height in our model has the Tracy-Widom distribution appearing in the theory of random matrices near the edges of the spectrum. Our result supports the hypothesis that various growth models in $(1+1)$ dimensions that belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class perhaps all share the same universal Tracy-Widom distribution for the suitably scaled height variables.Comment: 5 pages Revtex, 3 .eps figures included, new references adde

Kang-Redner Anomaly in Cluster-Cluster Aggregation

The large time, small mass, asymptotic behavior of the average mass distribution \pb is studied in a $d$-dimensional system of diffusing aggregating particles for $1\leq d \leq 2$. By means of both a renormalization group computation as well as a direct re-summation of leading terms in the small reaction-rate expansion of the average mass distribution, it is shown that \pb \sim \frac{1}{t^d} (\frac{m^{1/d}}{\sqrt{t}})^{e_{KR}} for $m \ll t^{d/2}$, where $e_{KR}=\epsilon +O(\epsilon ^2)$ and $\epsilon =2-d$. In two dimensions, it is shown that \pb \sim \frac{\ln(m) \ln(t)}{t^2} for $m \ll t/ \ln(t)$. Numerical simulations in two dimensions supporting the analytical results are also presented.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, Revtex

Real roots of Random Polynomials: Universality close to accumulation points

We identify the scaling region of a width O(n^{-1}) in the vicinity of the accumulation points $t=\pm 1$ of the real roots of a random Kac-like polynomial of large degree n. We argue that the density of the real roots in this region tends to a universal form shared by all polynomials with independent, identically distributed coefficients c_i, as long as the second moment \sigma=E(c_i^2) is finite. In particular, we reveal a gradual (in contrast to the previously reported abrupt) and quite nontrivial suppression of the number of real roots for coefficients with a nonzero mean value \mu_n = E(c_i) scaled as \mu_n\sim n^{-1/2}.Comment: Some minor mistakes that crept through into publication have been removed. 10 pages, 12 eps figures. This version contains all updates, clearer pictures and some more thorough explanation