Novel Quenched Disorder Fixed Point in a Two-Temperature Lattice Gas

We investigate the effects of quenched randomness on the universal properties of a two-temperature lattice gas. The disorder modifies the dynamical transition rates of the system in an anisotropic fashion, giving rise to a new fixed point. We determine the associated scaling form of the structure factor, quoting critical exponents to two-loop order in an expansion around the upper critical dimension d$_c=7$. The close relationship with another quenched disorder fixed point, discovered recently in this model, is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, no figures, RevTe

Exact solutions for a mean-field Abelian sandpile

We introduce a model for a sandpile, with N sites, critical height N and each site connected to every other site. It is thus a mean-field model in the spin-glass sense. We find an exact solution for the steady state probability distribution of avalanche sizes, and discuss its asymptotics for large N.Comment: 10 pages, LaTe

Scientific productivity as a random walk

The expectation that scientific productivity follows regular patterns over a career underpins many scholarly evaluations, including hiring, promotion and tenure, awards, and grant funding. However, recent studies of individual productivity patterns reveal a puzzle: on the one hand, the average number of papers published per year robustly follows the "canonical trajectory" of a rapid rise to an early peak followed by a graduate decline, but on the other hand, only about 20% of individual researchers' productivity follows this pattern. We resolve this puzzle by modeling scientific productivity as a parameterized random walk, showing that the canonical pattern can be explained as a decrease in the variance in changes to productivity in the early-to-mid career. By empirically characterizing the variable structure of 2,085 productivity trajectories of computer science faculty at 205 PhD-granting institutions, spanning 29,119 publications over 1980--2016, we (i) discover remarkably simple patterns in both early-career and year-to-year changes to productivity, and (ii) show that a random walk model of productivity both reproduces the canonical trajectory in the average productivity and captures much of the diversity of individual-level trajectories. These results highlight the fundamental role of a panoply of contingent factors in shaping individual scientific productivity, opening up new avenues for characterizing how systemic incentives and opportunities can be directed for aggregate effect

Structure of wavefunctions in (1+2)-body random matrix ensembles

Abstrtact: Random matrix ensembles defined by a mean-field one-body plus a chaos generating random two-body interaction (called embedded ensembles of (1+2)-body interactions) predict for wavefunctions, in the chaotic domain, an essentially one parameter Gaussian forms for the energy dependence of the number of principal components NPC and the localization length {\boldmath l}_H (defined by information entropy), which are two important measures of chaos in finite interacting many particle systems. Numerical embedded ensemble calculations and nuclear shell model results, for NPC and {\boldmath l}_H, are compared with the theory. These analysis clearly point out that for realistic finite interacting many particle systems, in the chaotic domain, wavefunction structure is given by (1+2)-body embedded random matrix ensembles.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures (1a-c, 2a-b, 3a-c), prepared for the invited talk given in the international conference on `Perspectives in Theoretical Physics', held at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad during January 8-12, 200

Stability of a Nonequilibrium Interface in a Driven Phase Segregating System

We investigate the dynamics of a nonequilibrium interface between coexisting phases in a system described by a Cahn-Hilliard equation with an additional driving term. By means of a matched asymptotic expansion we derive equations for the interface motion. A linear stability analysis of these equations results in a condition for the stability of a flat interface. We find that the stability properties of a flat interface depend on the structure of the driving term in the original equation.Comment: 14 pages Latex, 1 postscript-figur

Review of the k-Body Embedded Ensembles of Gaussian Random Matrices

The embedded ensembles were introduced by Mon and French as physically more plausible stochastic models of many--body systems governed by one--and two--body interactions than provided by standard random--matrix theory. We review several approaches aimed at determining the spectral density, the spectral fluctuation properties, and the ergodic properties of these ensembles: moments methods, numerical simulations, the replica trick, the eigenvector decomposition of the matrix of second moments and supersymmetry, the binary correlation approximation, and the study of correlations between matrix elements.Comment: Final version. 29 pages, 4 ps figures, uses iopart.st

Tritium supply and use: a key issue for the development of nuclear fusion energy

Full power operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) has been delayed and will now begin in 2035. Delays to the ITER schedule may affect the availability of tritium for subsequent fusion devices, as the global CANDU-type fission reactor fleet begins to phase out over the coming decades. This study provides an up to date account of future tritium availability by incorporating recent uncertainties over the life extension of the global CANDU fleet, as well as considering the potential impact of tritium demand by other fusion efforts. Despite the delays, our projections suggest that CANDU tritium remains sufficient to support the full operation of ITER. However, whether there is tritium available for a DEMO reactor following ITER is largely uncertain, and is subject to numerous uncontrollable externalities. Further tritium demand may come from any number of private sector “compact fusion” start-ups which have emerged in recent years, all of which aim to accelerate the development of fusion energy. If the associated technical challenges can be overcome, compact fusion programmes have the opportunity to use tritium over the next two decades whilst it is readily available, and before full power DT operation on ITER starts in 2035. Assuming a similar level of performance is achievable, a compact fusion development programme, using smaller reactors operating at lower fusion power, would require smaller quantities of tritium than the ITER programme, leaving sufficient tritium available for multiple concepts to be developed concurrently. The development of concurrent fusion concepts increases the chances of success, as it spreads the risk of failure. Additionally, if full tritium breeding capability is not expected to be demonstrated in DEMO until after 2050, an opportunity exists for compact fusion programmes to incorporate tritium breeding technology in nearer-term devices. DD start-up, which avoids the need for external tritium for reactor start-up, is dependent upon full tritium breeding capability, and may be essential for large-scale commercial roll-out of fusion energy. As such, from the standpoint of availability and use of external tritium, a compact route to fusion energy may be more advantageous, as it avoids longer-term complications and uncertainties in the future supply of tritium

Top-down control is not lost in the attentional blink: evidence from intact endogenous cuing.

The attentional blink (AB) refers to the finding that performance on the second of two targets (T1 and T2) is impaired when the targets are presented at a target onset asynchrony (TOA) of less than 500 ms. One account of the AB assumes that the processing load of T1 leads to a loss of top-down control over stimulus selection. The present study tested this account by examining whether an endogenous spatial cue that indicates the location of a following T2 can facilitate T2 report even when the cue and T2 occur within the time window of the AB. Results from three experiments showed that endogenous cuing had a significant effect on T2 report, both during and outside of the AB; this cuing effect was modulated by both the cue-target onset asynchrony and by cue validity, while it was invariant to the AB. These results suggest that top-down control over target selection is not lost during the AB. © 2007 Springer-Verlag

Role of the Subunits Interactions in the Conformational Transitions in Adult Human Hemoglobin: an Explicit Solvent Molecular Dynamics Study

Hemoglobin exhibits allosteric structural changes upon ligand binding due to the dynamic interactions between the ligand binding sites, the amino acids residues and some other solutes present under physiological conditions. In the present study, the dynamical and quaternary structural changes occurring in two unligated (deoxy-) T structures, and two fully ligated (oxy-) R, R2 structures of adult human hemoglobin were investigated with molecular dynamics. It is shown that, in the sub-microsecond time scale, there is no marked difference in the global dynamics of the amino acids residues in both the oxy- and the deoxy- forms of the individual structures. In addition, the R, R2 are relatively stable and do not present quaternary conformational changes within the time scale of our simulations while the T structure is dynamically more flexible and exhibited the T\rightarrow R quaternary conformational transition, which is propagated by the relative rotation of the residues at the {\alpha}1{\beta}2 and {\alpha}2{\beta}1 interface.Comment: Reprinted (adapted) with permission from J. Phys. Chem. B DOI:10.1021/jp3022908. Copyright (2012) American Chemical Societ