CP violation effects in the diphoton spectrum of heavy scalars

In a class of new physics models, an extended Higgs sector and new CP-violating sources are simultaneously present in order to explain the baryon asymmetry in the Universe. The aim of this work is to study the implications of beyond the Standard Model (SM) CP violation for the searches of heavy scalars at the LHC. In particular, we focus on the diphoton channel searches in the CP-violating two-Higgs-doublet model (CPV 2HDM). To have a sizable CPV in the scalar sector, the two heavy neutral scalars in 2HDM tend to be nearly degenerate. The theoretical constraints of unitarity, perturbativity and vacuum stability are considered, which requires that the heavy scalars $M_H \lesssim 1$ TeV in a large region of the parameter space. The experimental limits are also taken into account, including the direct searches of heavy neutral scalars in the final state of the SM $h$, $W$ and $Z$ bosons, the differential $t\bar{t}$ data, those from the charged scalar sector which is implied by the oblique $T$ parameter, as well as the precise measurements of the electric dipole moments of electron and mercury. The quantum interference effects between the resonances and the SM background are crucially important for the diphoton signals, and the CPV mixing of the quasi-degenerate heavy scalars could enhance significantly the resonance peak. With an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb$^{-1}$ at the LHC, almost the whole parameter space of CPV 2HDM could be probed in the diphoton channel, and the CPV could also be directly detected via the diphoton spectrum.Comment: 32 pages (two columns), 20 figures, 1 table, minor changes, version to appear in PR

D-type Minimal Conformal Matter: Quantum Curves, Elliptic Garnier Systems, and the 5d Descendants

We study the quantization of the 6d Seiberg-Witten curve for D-type minimal conformal matter theories compactified on a two-torus. The quantized 6d curve turns out to be a difference equation established via introducing codimension two and four surface defects. We show that, in the Nekrasov-Shatashvili limit, the 6d partition function with insertions of codimension two and four defects serve as the eigenfunction and eigenvalues of the difference equation, respectively. We further identify the quantum curve of D-type minimal conformal matters with an elliptic Garnier system recently studied in the integrability community. At last, as a concrete consequence of our elliptic quantum curve, we study its RG flows to obtain various quantum curves of 5d ${\rm Sp}(N)+N_f \mathsf{F},N_f\leq 2N+5$ theories.Comment: 36+6 page

Single-Source-Precursor Containing Derived Transition Metal Compounds Carbon Hybrid Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Applications

Advanced catalysts for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are required in the future to further develop an efficient and up-scalable water splitting process. Among all the potential candidates, carbon-supported transition metal-based nanomaterials are of great interest due to their low cost, high durability, and promising functional performance. This dissertation presents an innovative and cost-effective approach to synthesize carbon shell-encapsulated transition metal alloys or phosphide nanoparticles supported on in-situ formed defective N-doped carbon/carbon nanotube hybrids, which are derived from novel single-source-precursors (SSPs). The precursor is synthesized by a facile one-pot reaction using cheap and environmentally friendly carbon and phosphorus sources. The obtained core-shell structured hybrids perform as highly active and durable electrocatalysts for HER and/or OER, benefiting from the following common features: (1) A synergistic electronic effect among transition metal compounds, heteroatom-doped carbon, and entangled carbon nanotubes. (2) Promotion of electrolyte penetration towards the active sites through the porous structure of the formed mesoporous carbon clusters. (3) The unique core-shell nanostructure of the hybrid material effectively curbs the degradation of the electrocatalyst by protecting the active nanoparticles from harsh electrolyte. The present studies propose various strategies to enhance the electrocatalytic properties, utilizing both morphology-controlled and composition-controlled methods. Additionally, the studies also focus on the relationship between structure and property, which ultimately determines the electrocatalytic activity for the HER and OER. These findings may offer valuable insights for future applications in the field of electrochemical water splitting. Furthermore, the thesis aims to provide a cost-effective and straightforward approach for synthesizing hybrid materials comprised of transition metal compounds and carbon, with the goal of facilitating their potential utilization in energy storage and conversion applications

Failure Analysis

Two approaches to failure analysis are explained: analysis of individual failures and statistical analysis. Various criteria for failure sorting and classification are presented, as well as the main causes and mechanisms of failures. The text is accompanied by figures with characteristic fracture patterns. The chapter is complemented by an example of computer aided sorting of failures in railway driving vehicles

Scalable Multi-Robot Collaboration with Large Language Models: Centralized or Decentralized Systems?

A flurry of recent work has demonstrated that pre-trained large language models (LLMs) can be effective task planners for a variety of single-robot tasks. The planning performance of LLMs is significantly improved via prompting techniques, such as in-context learning or re-prompting with state feedback, placing new importance on the token budget for the context window. An under-explored but natural next direction is to investigate LLMs as multi-robot task planners. However, long-horizon, heterogeneous multi-robot planning introduces new challenges of coordination while also pushing up against the limits of context window length. It is therefore critical to find token-efficient LLM planning frameworks that are also able to reason about the complexities of multi-robot coordination. In this work, we compare the task success rate and token efficiency of four multi-agent communication frameworks (centralized, decentralized, and two hybrid) as applied to four coordination-dependent multi-agent 2D task scenarios for increasing numbers of agents. We find that a hybrid framework achieves better task success rates across all four tasks and scales better to more agents. We further demonstrate the hybrid frameworks in 3D simulations where the vision-to-text problem and dynamical errors are considered. See our project website https://yongchao98.github.io/MIT-REALM-Multi-Robot/ for prompts, videos, and code.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure

Numerical study on aerodynamic noise performances of axial spacing in a contra-rotating axial fan

In order to study the effect of axial spacing on behaviors of aerodynamic performance and aerodynamic noises in a contra-rotating fan, the steady/unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are solved by the numerical method in conjunction with a SST turbulence model, and the effects of axial spacing on performance and aerodynamic characteristics are investigated. Furthermore, BEM is adopted to compute the radiation noise of the contra-rotating fan caused by unsteady pressure fluctuations. The results show that axial spacing is an important factor which can affect the aerodynamic performance of contra-rotating fan. As a whole, the effect of axial spacing on the blade loading of Rotor 2 is significantly greater than that of Rotor 1. For Rotor 2, the smaller axial spacing leads to the large secondary flow loss, and the larger axial spacing leads to the strong mixing loss. With the increase of axial spacing, the radiation noise at the characteristic frequency decreases, but showed different changing degrees. With consideration of the aerodynamic performance and aerodynamic noises of the contra-rotating fan, the optimal comprehensive performance appears at the axial spacing of 0.5 chord

A Novel SVPWM Algorithm Considering Neutral-Point Potential Balancing for Three-Level NPC Inverter

For three-level inverter, complexity of control strategy and neutral-point potential imbalance problem of DC side is the bottleneck restricting its application. In order to solve the problem, a simplified implementation of three-level space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) considering neutral-point potential balancing is proposed in this paper. The proposed SVPWM algorithm is based on judging of three phase voltages and voltage-second balance principle, which does not need to perform the sine and cosine calculations, and thus it is more convenient and effective than traditional SVPWM algorithm. Also, the neutral-point potential balancing can be realized conveniently and effectively. The proposed algorithm can not only effectively simplify the calculation and reduce calculation time greatly, but also achieve the same control effect as traditional SVPWM. It has certain reference significance and can be used to shorten sampling time and improve the inverter performance. Finally, the proposed SVPWM algorithm is verified by simulation and experimental results

Synergistic and Independent Actions of Multiple Terminal Nucleotidyl Transferases in the 3’ Tailing of Small RNAs in Arabidopsis

All types of small RNAs in plants, piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in animals and a subset of siRNAs in Drosophila and C. elegans are subject to HEN1 mediated 3’ terminal 2’-Omethylation. This modification plays a pivotal role in protecting small RNAs from 3’ uridylation, trimming and degradation. In Arabidopsis, HESO1 is a major enzyme that uridylates small RNAs to trigger their degradation. However, U-tail is still present in null hen1 heso1 mutants, suggesting the existence of (an) enzymatic activities redundant with HESO1. Here, we report that UTP: RNA uridylyltransferase (URT1) is a functional paralog of HESO1. URT1 interacts with AGO1 and plays a predominant role in miRNA uridylation when HESO1 is absent. Uridylation of miRNA is globally abolished in a hen1 heso1 urt1 triple mutant, accompanied by an extensive increase of 3’-to-5’ trimming. In contrast, disruption of URT1 appears not to affect the heterochromatic siRNA uridylation. This indicates the involvement of additional nucleotidyl transferases in the siRNA pathway. Analysis of miRNA tailings in the hen1 heso1 urt1 triple mutant also reveals the existence of previously unknown enzymatic activities that can add non-uridine nucleotides. Importantly, we show HESO1 may also act redundantly with URT1 in miRNA uridylation when HEN1 is fully competent. Taken together, our data not only reveal a synergistic action of HESO1 and URT1 in the 3’ uridylation of miRNAs, but also independent activities of multiple terminal nucleotidyl transferases in the 3’ tailing of small RNAs and an antagonistic relationship between uridylation and trimming. Our results may provide further insight into the mechanisms of small RNA 3’ end modification and stability control