On the two approaches to the data analysis of the Cassini interplanetary relativity experiment

We compare two theoretical approaches to the data analysis of the Cassini relativity experiment based on the Doppler tracking and the time delay technique that were published correspondingly by Kopeikin et al in Phys. Lett. A 367, 276 (2007) and by Bertotti et al in Class. Quant. Grav. 25, 045013 (2008). Bertotti et al believed that they found a discrepancy with our paper and claimed that our analysis was erroneous. The present paper elucidates, however, that the discrepancy is illusory and does not exist. The two techniques give the same result making it evident that the numerical value of the PPN parameter 'gamma' measured in the Cassini experiment is indeed affected by the orbital motion of the Sun around the barycenter of the solar system.Comment: 6 pages, no figures. Accepted for publication to Physics Letters

Economic inequality and mobility in kinetic models for social sciences

Statistical evaluations of the economic mobility of a society are more difficult than measurements of the income distribution, because they require to follow the evolution of the individuals' income for at least one or two generations. In micro-to-macro theoretical models of economic exchanges based on kinetic equations, the income distribution depends only on the asymptotic equilibrium solutions, while mobility estimates also involve the detailed structure of the transition probabilities of the model, and are thus an important tool for assessing its validity. Empirical data show a remarkably general negative correlation between economic inequality and mobility, whose explanation is still unclear. It is therefore particularly interesting to study this correlation in analytical models. In previous work we investigated the behavior of the Gini inequality index in kinetic models in dependence on several parameters which define the binary interactions and the taxation and redistribution processes: saving propensity, taxation rates gap, tax evasion rate, welfare means-testing etc. Here, we check the correlation of mobility with inequality by analyzing the mobility dependence from the same parameters. According to several numerical solutions, the correlation is confirmed to be negative.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures. Proceedings of the Sigma-Phi Conference on Statistical Physics, Rhodes, 201

Accurate light-time correction due to a gravitating mass

This work arose as an aftermath of Cassini's 2002 experiment \cite{bblipt03}, in which the PPN parameter $\gamma$ was measured with an accuracy $\sigma_\gamma = 2.3\times 10^{-5}$ and found consistent with the prediction $\gamma =1$ of general relativity. The Orbit Determination Program (ODP) of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which was used in the data analysis, is based on an expression for the gravitational delay which differs from the standard formula; this difference is of second order in powers of $m$ -- the sun's gravitational radius -- but in Cassini's case it was much larger than the expected order of magnitude $m^2/b$, where $b$ is the ray's closest approach distance. Since the ODP does not account for any other second-order terms, it is necessary, also in view of future more accurate experiments, to systematically evaluate higher order corrections and to determine which terms are significant. Light propagation in a static spacetime is equivalent to a problem in ordinary geometrical optics; Fermat's action functional at its minimum is just the light-time between the two end points A and B. A new and powerful formulation is thus obtained. Asymptotic power series are necessary to provide a safe and automatic way of selecting which terms to keep at each order. Higher order approximations to the delay and the deflection are obtained. We also show that in a close superior conjunction, when $b$ is much smaller than the distances of A and B from the Sun, of order $R$, say, the second-order correction has an \emph{enhanced} part of order $m^2R/b^2$, which corresponds just to the second-order terms introduced in the ODP. Gravitational deflection of the image of a far away source, observed from a finite distance from the mass, is obtained to $O(m^2)$.Comment: 4 figure

Correlation between Gini index and mobility in a stochastic kinetic model of economic exchange

Starting from a class of stochastically driven kinetic models of economic exchange, here we present results highlighting the correlation of the Gini inequality index with the social mobility rate, close to dynamical equilibrium. Except for the ”canonical-additive case”, our numerical results consistently indicate negative values of the correlation coefficient, in agreement with empirical evidence. This confirms that growing inequality is not conducive to social mobility which then requires an “external source” to sustain its dynamics. On the other hand, the sign of the correlation between inequality and total income in the canonical ensemble depends on the way wealth enters or leaves the system. At a technical level, the approach involves a generalization of a stochastic dynamical system formulation, that further paves the way for a probabilistic formulation of perturbed economic exchange models

Discretized kinetic theory on scale-free networks

The network of interpersonal connections is one of the possible heterogeneous factors which affect the income distribution emerging from micro-to-macro economic models. In this paper we equip our model discussed in [1,2] with a network structure. The model is based on a system of $n$ differential equations of the kinetic discretized-Boltzmann kind. The network structure is incorporated in a probabilistic way, through the introduction of a link density $P(\alpha)$ and of correlation coefficients $P(\beta|\alpha)$, which give the conditioned probability that an individual with $\alpha$ links is connected to one with $\beta$ links. We study the properties of the equations and give analytical results concerning the existence, normalization and positivity of the solutions. For a fixed network with $P(\alpha)=c/\alpha^q$, we investigate numerically the dependence of the detailed and marginal equilibrium distributions on the initial conditions and on the exponent $q$. Our results are compatible with those obtained from the Bouchaud-Mezard model and from agent-based simulations, and provide additional information about the dependence of the individual income on the level of connectivity.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Proceedings of the Sigma-Phi Conference on Statistical Physics, Rhodes, 201

Mathematical models describing the effects of different tax evasion behaviors

Microscopic models describing a whole of economic interactions in a closed society are considered. The presence of a tax system combined with a redistribution process is taken into account, as well as the occurrence of tax evasion. In particular, the existence is postulated, in relation to the level of evasion, of different individual taxpayer behaviors. The effects of the mentioned different behaviors on shape and features of the emerging income distribution profile are investigated qualitatively and quantitatively. Numerical solutions show that the Gini inequality index of the total population increases when the evasion level is higher, but does not depend significantly on the evasion spread. For fixed spread, the relative difference between the average incomes of the worst evaders and honest taxpayers increases approximately as a quadratic function of the evasion level.Comment: To appear in J. of Economic Interaction and Coordinatio

Stochastic Dynamics in Quenched-in Disorder and Hysteresis

The conditions under which relaxation dynamics in the presence of quenched-in disorder lead to rate-independent hysteresis are discussed. The calculation of average hysteresis branches is reduced to the solution of the level-crossing problem for the stochastic field describing quenched-in disorder. Closed analytical solutions are derived for the case where the disorder is characterized by Wiener-Levy statistics. This case is shown to be equivalent to the Preisach model and the associated Preisach distribution is explicitly derived, as a function of the parameters describing the original dynamic problem.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, MMM Conference, to be published on J.Appl.Phy