Duality, Monodromy and Integrability of Two Dimensional String Effective Action

The monodromy matrix, ${\hat{\cal M}}$, is constructed for two dimensional tree level string effective action. The pole structure of ${\hat{\cal M}}$ is derived using its factorizability property. It is found that the monodromy matrix transforms non-trivially under the non-compact T-duality group, which leaves the effective action invariant and this can be used to construct the monodromy matrix for more complicated backgrounds starting from simpler ones. We construct, explicitly, ${\hat{\cal M}}$ for the exactly solvable Nappi-Witten model, both when B=0 and $B\neq 0$, where these ideas can be directly checked. We consider well known charged black hole solutions in the heterotic string theory which can be generated by T-duality transformations from a spherically symmetric `seed' Schwarzschild solution. We construct the monodromy matrix for the Schwarzschild black hole background of the heterotic string theory.Comment: 20 pages, to be published in Physical Review

Self-Duality and the KdV Hierarchy

We derive the entire KdV hierarchy as well as the recursion relations from the self-duality condition on gauge fields in four dimensions.Comment: 7 page

Open Membranes, p-Branes and Noncommutativity of Boundary String Coordinates

We study the dynamics of an open membrane with a cylindrical topology, in the background of a constant three form, whose boundary is attached to p-branes. The boundary closed string is coupled to a two form potential to ensure gauge invariance. We use the action, due to Bergshoeff, London and Townsend, to study the noncommutativity properties of the boundary string coordinates. The constrained Hamiltonian formalism due to Dirac is used to derive the noncommutativity of coordinates. The chain of constraints is found to be finite for a suitable gauge choice, unlike the case of the static gauge, where the chain has an infinite sequence of terms. It is conjectured that the formulation of closed string field theory may necessitate introduction of a star product which is both noncommutative and nonassociative.Comment: 32page

Fuzzy logic control of telerobot manipulators

Telerobot systems for advanced applications will require manipulators with redundant 'degrees of freedom' (DOF) that are capable of adapting manipulator configurations to avoid obstacles while achieving the user specified goal. Conventional methods for control of manipulators (based on solution of the inverse kinematics) cannot be easily extended to these situations. Fuzzy logic control offers a possible solution to these needs. A current research program at SRI developed a fuzzy logic controller for a redundant, 4 DOF, planar manipulator. The manipulator end point trajectory can be specified by either a computer program (robot mode) or by manual input (teleoperator). The approach used expresses end-point error and the location of manipulator joints as fuzzy variables. Joint motions are determined by a fuzzy rule set without requiring solution of the inverse kinematics. Additional rules for sensor data, obstacle avoidance and preferred manipulator configuration, e.g., 'righty' or 'lefty', are easily accommodated. The procedure used to generate the fuzzy rules can be extended to higher DOF systems

Optimal pulse spacing for dynamical decoupling in the presence of a purely-dephasing spin-bath

Maintaining quantum coherence is a crucial requirement for quantum computation; hence protecting quantum systems against their irreversible corruption due to environmental noise is an important open problem. Dynamical decoupling (DD) is an effective method for reducing decoherence with a low control overhead. It also plays an important role in quantum metrology, where for instance it is employed in multiparameter estimation. While a sequence of equidistant control pulses (CPMG) has been ubiquitously used for decoupling, Uhrig recently proposed that a non-equidistant pulse sequence (UDD) may enhance DD performance, especially for systems where the spectral density of the environment has a sharp frequency cutoff. On the other hand, equidistant sequences outperform UDD for soft cutoffs. The relative advantage provided by UDD for intermediate regimes is not clear. In this paper, we analyze the relative DD performance in this regime experimentally, using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance. Our system-qubits are 13C nuclear spins and the environment consists of a 1H nuclear spin-bath whose spectral density is close to a normal (Gaussian) distribution. We find that in the presence of such a bath, the CPMG sequence outperforms the UDD sequence. An analogy between dynamical decoupling and interference effects in optics provides an intuitive explanation as to why the CPMG sequence performs superior to any non-equidistant DD sequence in the presence of this kind of environmental noise.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev. A. 15 pages, 16 figures. Presentation of the work was improved. One Figure and some Refs. were adde

Effects of curvature and interactions on the dynamics of the deconfinement phase transition

We study the dynamics of first-order cofinement-deconfinement phase transition through nucleation of hadronic bubbles in an expanding quark gluon plasma in the context of heavy ion collisions for interacting quark and hadron gas and by incorporating the effects of curvature energy. We find that the interactions reduce the delay in the phase transition whereas the curvature energy has a mixed behavior. In contrast to the case of early Universe phase transition, here lower values of surface tension increase the supercooling and slow down the hadronization process. Higher values of bag pressure tend to speed up the transition. Another interesting feature is the start of the hadronization process as soon as the QGP is created.Comment: LaTeX, 17 pages including 14 postscript figure

An Empirical Analysis of Internet Use by U.S. Farmers

The Internet may reduce constraints on a farmerÂ’s ability to receive and manage information, regardless of where the farm is located or when the information is used. Using a count data estimation procedure, this study attempts to examine the key farm, operator, regional, and household characteristics that influence the number of Internet applications used by farm households. Findings indicate that educational level of the farm operator, farm size, farm diversification, off-farm income, off-farm investments, and regional location of the farm have a significant impact on the number of Internet applications used.computers, count data method, education, farm households, Internet applications, Farm Management,

INTERNET USAGE BY FARMERS: EVIDENCE FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY

The Internet may reduce constraints on a farmer's ability to receive and manage information, regardless of where the farm is located or when the information is used. Using a Count data estimation procedure, this study attempts to examine the key farm, operator, regional, and household characteristics that influence the number of Internet applications used by farm households. Results indicate that educational level of the farm operator, farm size, farm diversification, off-farm income, off-farm investments, and regional location of the farm have significant impact on the number of Internet applications.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,