Metrics and isospectral partners for the most generic cubic PT-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonian

We investigate properties of the most general PT-symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonian of cubic order in the annihilation and creation operators as a ten parameter family. For various choices of the parameters we systematically construct an exact expression for a metric operator and an isospectral Hermitian counterpart in the same similarity class by exploiting the isomorphism between operator and Moyal products. We elaborate on the subtleties of this approach. For special choices of the ten parameters the Hamiltonian reduces to various models previously studied, such as to the complex cubic potential, the so-called Swanson Hamiltonian or the transformed version of the from below unbounded quartic -x^4-potential. In addition, it also reduces to various models not considered in the present context, namely the single site lattice Reggeon model and a transformed version of the massive sextic x^6-potential, which plays an important role as a toy modelto identify theories with vanishing cosmological constant.Comment: 21 page

PT-symmetry in quasi-integrable models

We reinforce the observations of almost stable scattering in nonintegrable models and show that $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry can be used as a guiding principle to select relevant systems also when it comes to integrability properties. We show that the presence of unbroken $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry in classical field theories produces quasi-integrable excitations with asymptotically conserved charges

Directional selection effects on patterns of phenotypic (co)variation in wild populations.

Phenotypic (co)variation is a prerequisite for evolutionary change, and understanding how (co)variation evolves is of crucial importance to the biological sciences. Theoretical models predict that under directional selection, phenotypic (co)variation should evolve in step with the underlying adaptive landscape, increasing the degree of correlation among co-selected traits as well as the amount of genetic variance in the direction of selection. Whether either of these outcomes occurs in natural populations is an open question and thus an important gap in evolutionary theory. Here, we documented changes in the phenotypic (co)variation structure in two separate natural populations in each of two chipmunk species (Tamias alpinus and T. speciosus) undergoing directional selection. In populations where selection was strongest (those of T. alpinus), we observed changes, at least for one population, in phenotypic (co)variation that matched theoretical expectations, namely an increase of both phenotypic integration and (co)variance in the direction of selection and a re-alignment of the major axis of variation with the selection gradient

Higgs Sector of the Left-Right Model with Explicit CP Violation

We explore the Higgs sector of the Minimal Left-Right (LR) Model based on the gauge group SU(2)_L x SU(2)_R x U(1)_{B-L} with explicit CP violation in the Higgs potential. Since flavour-changing neutral current experiments and the small scale of neutrino masses both place stringent constraints on the Higgs potential, we seek to determine whether minima of the Higgs potential exist that are consistent with current experimental bounds. We focus on the case in which the right-handed symmetry-breaking scale is only ``moderately'' large, of order 15-50 TeV. Unlike the case in which the Higgs potential is CP-invariant, the CP noninvariant case does yield viable scenarios, although these require a small amount of fine-tuning. We consider a LR model supplemented by an additional U(1) horizontal symmetry, which results in a Higgs sector consistent with current experimental constraints and a realistic spectrum of neutrino masses.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figure

Two novel evolutionary formulations of the graph coloring problem

We introduce two novel evolutionary formulations of the problem of coloring the nodes of a graph. The first formulation is based on the relationship that exists between a graph's chromatic number and its acyclic orientations. It views such orientations as individuals and evolves them with the aid of evolutionary operators that are very heavily based on the structure of the graph and its acyclic orientations. The second formulation, unlike the first one, does not tackle one graph at a time, but rather aims at evolving a `program' to color all graphs belonging to a class whose members all have the same number of nodes and other common attributes. The heuristics that result from these formulations have been tested on some of the Second DIMACS Implementation Challenge benchmark graphs, and have been found to be competitive when compared to the several other heuristics that have also been tested on those graphs.Comment: To appear in Journal of Combinatorial Optimizatio

Diagonal Ising susceptibility: elliptic integrals, modular forms and Calabi-Yau equations

We give the exact expressions of the partial susceptibilities $\chi^{(3)}_d$ and $\chi^{(4)}_d$ for the diagonal susceptibility of the Ising model in terms of modular forms and Calabi-Yau ODEs, and more specifically, $_3F_2([1/3,2/3,3/2],\, [1,1];\, z)$ and $_4F_3([1/2,1/2,1/2,1/2],\, [1,1,1]; \, z)$ hypergeometric functions. By solving the connection problems we analytically compute the behavior at all finite singular points for $\chi^{(3)}_d$ and $\chi^{(4)}_d$. We also give new results for $\chi^{(5)}_d$. We see in particular, the emergence of a remarkable order-six operator, which is such that its symmetric square has a rational solution. These new exact results indicate that the linear differential operators occurring in the $n$-fold integrals of the Ising model are not only "Derived from Geometry" (globally nilpotent), but actually correspond to "Special Geometry" (homomorphic to their formal adjoint). This raises the question of seeing if these "special geometry" Ising-operators, are "special" ones, reducing, in fact systematically, to (selected, k-balanced, ...) $_{q+1}F_q$ hypergeometric functions, or correspond to the more general solutions of Calabi-Yau equations.Comment: 35 page

On the Integrability and Chaos of an N=2 Maxwell-Chern-Simons-Higgs Mechanical Model

We apply different integrability analysis procedures to a reduced (spatially homogeneous) mechanical system derived from an off-shell non-minimally coupled N=2 Maxwell-Chern-Simons-Higgs model that presents BPS topological vortex excitations, numerically obtained with an ansatz adopted in a special - critical coupling - parametric regime. As a counterpart of the regularity associated to the static soliton-like solution, we investigate the possibility of chaotic dynamics in the evolution of the spatially homogeneous reduced system, descendant from the full N=2 model under consideration. The originally rich content of symmetries and interactions, N=2 susy and non-minimal coupling, singles out the proposed model as an interesting framework for the investigation of the role played by (super-)symmetries and parametric domains in the triggering/control of chaotic behavior in gauge systems. After writing down effective Lagrangian and Hamiltonian functions, and establishing the corresponding canonical Hamilton equations, we apply global integrability Noether point symmetries and Painleveproperty criteria to both the general and the critical coupling regimes. As a non-integrable character is detected by the pair of analytical criteria applied, we perform suitable numerical simulations, as we seek for chaotic patterns in the system evolution. Finally, we present some Comments on the results and perspectives for further investigations and forthcoming communications.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure