Riflessioni sul mito di Aiace e sulle interpolazioni tragiche in margine a un nuovo commento all\ub4 "Aiace" di Sofocle

Partendo dal nuovo commento di Finglass, vengono discussi numerosi passi dell\ub4 "Aiace" di Sofocle. Si cerca anche di determinare come il mito di Aiace si era diffuso ed era stato trattato nella letteratura greca arcaica e viene proposta l\ub4 ipotesi che buona parte della seconda parte della tragedia sofoclea sia in realta\ub4 profondamente interpolata

Il nuovo peana misterico-pitagorico da Selinunte

Nuova edizione critica commentata di un carme esametrico conservato su lamina di Selinunte del V sec. a. C., attualmente al Museo Getty (Malibu). Si propone di riconoscere nel testo in questione un peana pitagorico, forma letteraria testimoniata da alcune fonti antiche, ma di cui finora non si aveva documentazione diretta

Dorandis neue Ausgabe von Diogenes Laertios

Viene discussa la nuova ed. critica di Diogene Laerzio fatta da Dorandi: vengono precisati alcuni aspetti della tradizione manoscritta bizantina e vengono proposte alcune decine di nuove congetture

Detection and correction of the misplacement error in THz Spectroscopy by application of singly subtractive Kramers-Kronig relations

In THz reflection spectroscopy the complex permittivity of an opaque medium is determined on the basis of the amplitude and of the phase of the reflected wave. There is usually a problem of phase error due to misplacement of the reference sample. Such experimental error brings inconsistency between phase and amplitude invoked by the causality principle. We propose a rigorous method to solve this relevant experimental problem by using an optimization method based upon singly subtractive Kramers-Kronig relations. The applicability of the method is demonstrated for measured data on an n-type undoped (100) InAs wafer in the spectral range from 0.5 up to 2.5 THz.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Return levels of temperature extremes in southern Pakistan

Southern Pakistan (Sindh) is one of the hottest regions in the world and is highly vulnerable to temperature extremes. In order to improve rural and urban planning, it is useful to gather information about the recurrence of temperature extremes. In this work, return levels of the daily maximum temperature Tmax are estimated, as well as the daily maximum wet-bulb temperature TWmax extremes. We adopt the peaks over threshold (POT) method, which has not yet been used for similar studies in this region. Two main datasets are analyzed: temperatures observed at nine meteorological stations in southern Pakistan from 1980 to 2013, and the ERA-Interim (ECMWF reanalysis) data for the nearest corresponding locations. The analysis provides the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year return levels (RLs) of temperature extremes. The 90 % quantile is found to be a suitable threshold for all stations. We find that the RLs of the observed Tmax are above 50 °C at northern stations and above 45 °C at the southern stations. The RLs of the observed TWmax exceed 35 °C in the region, which is considered as a limit of survivability. The RLs estimated from the ERA-Interim data are lower by 3 to 5 °C than the RLs assessed for the nine meteorological stations. A simple bias correction applied to ERA-Interim data improves the RLs remarkably, yet discrepancies are still present. The results have potential implications for the risk assessment of extreme temperatures in Sindh

Testing the validity of THz reflection spectra by dispersion relations

Complex response function obtained in reflection spectroscopy at terahertz range is examined with algorithms based on dispersion relations for integer powers of complex reflection coefficient, which emerge as a powerful and yet uncommon tools in examining the consistency of the spectroscopic data. It is shown that these algorithms can be used in particular for checking the success of correction of the spectra by the methods of Vartiainen et al [1] and Lucarini et al [2] to remove the negative misplacement error in the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Stochastic resonance for nonequilibrium systems

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a prominent phenomenon in many natural and engineered noisy systems, whereby the response to a periodic forcing is greatly amplified when the intensity of the noise is tuned to within a specific range of values. We propose here a general mathematical framework based on large deviation theory and, specifically, on the theory of quasipotentials, for describing SR in noisy N -dimensional nonequilibrium systems possessing two metastable states and undergoing a periodically modulated forcing. The drift and the volatility fields of the equations of motion can be fairly general, and the competing attractors of the deterministic dynamics and the edge state living on the basin boundary can, in principle, feature chaotic dynamics. Similarly, the perturbation field of the forcing can be fairly general. Our approach is able to recover as special cases the classical results previously presented in the literature for systems obeying detailed balance and allows for expressing the parameters describing SR and the statistics of residence times in the two-state approximation in terms of the unperturbed drift field, the volatility field, and the perturbation field. We clarify which specific properties of the forcing are relevant for amplifying or suppressing SR in a system and classify forcings according to classes of equivalence. Our results indicate a route for a detailed understanding of SR in rather general systems

Predicting climate change using response theory: global averages and spatial patterns

The provision of accurate methods for predicting the climate response to anthropogenic and natural forcings is a key contemporary scientific challenge. Using a simplified and efficient open-source general circulation model of the atmosphere featuring O(105105) degrees of freedom, we show how it is possible to approach such a problem using nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. Response theory allows one to practically compute the time-dependent measure supported on the pullback attractor of the climate system, whose dynamics is non-autonomous as a result of time-dependent forcings. We propose a simple yet efficient method for predicting—at any lead time and in an ensemble sense—the change in climate properties resulting from increase in the concentration of CO22 using test perturbation model runs. We assess strengths and limitations of the response theory in predicting the changes in the globally averaged values of surface temperature and of the yearly total precipitation, as well as in their spatial patterns. The quality of the predictions obtained for the surface temperature fields is rather good, while in the case of precipitation a good skill is observed only for the global average. We also show how it is possible to define accurately concepts like the inertia of the climate system or to predict when climate change is detectable given a scenario of forcing. Our analysis can be extended for dealing with more complex portfolios of forcings and can be adapted to treat, in principle, any climate observable. Our conclusion is that climate change is indeed a problem that can be effectively seen through a statistical mechanical lens, and that there is great potential for optimizing the current coordinated modelling exercises run for the preparation of the subsequent reports of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change