Solving Fuzzy Job-Shop Scheduling Problems with a Multiobjective Optimizer

International audienceIn real-world manufacturing environments, it is common to face a job-shop scheduling problem (JSP) with uncertainty. Among different sources of uncertainty, processing times uncertainty is the most common. In this paper, we investigate the use of a multiobjective genetic algorithm to address JSPs with uncertain durations. Uncertain durations in a JSP are expressed by means of triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs). Instead of using expected values as in other work, we consider all vertices of the TFN representing the overall completion time. As a consequence, the proposed approach tries to obtain a schedule that optimizes the three component scheduling problems (corresponding to the lowest, most probable, and largest durations) all at the same time. In order to verify the quality of solutions found by the proposed approach, an experimental study was carried out across different benchmark instances. In all experiments, comparisons with previous approaches that are based on a single-objective genetic algorithm were also performed

Astrophysical Axion Bounds

Axion emission by hot and dense plasmas is a new energy-loss channel for stars. Observational consequences include a modification of the solar sound-speed profile, an increase of the solar neutrino flux, a reduction of the helium-burning lifetime of globular-cluster stars, accelerated white-dwarf cooling, and a reduction of the supernova SN 1987A neutrino burst duration. We review and update these arguments and summarize the resulting axion constraints.Comment: Contribution to Axion volume of Lecture Notes in Physics, 20 pages, 3 figure

First measurement of Ωc0 production in pp collisions at s=13 TeV

The inclusive production of the charm–strange baryon 0 c is measured for the first time via its hadronic √ decay into −π+ at midrapidity (|y| <0.5) in proton–proton (pp) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy s =13 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The transverse momentum (pT) differential cross section multiplied by the branching ratio is presented in the interval 2 < pT < 12 GeV/c. The pT dependence of the 0 c-baryon production relative to the prompt D0-meson and to the prompt 0 c-baryon production is compared to various models that take different hadronisation mechanisms into consideration. In the measured pT interval, the ratio of the pT-integrated cross sections of 0 c and prompt + c baryons multiplied by the −π+ branching ratio is found to be larger by a factor of about 20 with a significance of about 4σ when compared to e+e− collisions

Elliptic flow of charged particles at midrapidity relative to the spectator plane in Pb–Pb and Xe–Xe collisions

Measurements of the elliptic flow coefficient relative to the collision plane defined by the spectator neutrons v2{ SP} in collisions of Pb ions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon–nucleon pair √ 2.76 TeV and Xe ions at √ sNN = sNN =5.44 TeV are reported. The results are presented for charged particles produced at midrapidity as a function of centrality and transverse momentum for the 5–70% and 0.2–6 GeV/c ranges, respectively. The ratio between v2{ SP} and the elliptic flow coefficient relative to the participant plane v2{4}, estimated using four-particle correlations, deviates by up to 20% from unity depending on centrality. This observation differs strongly from the magnitude of the corresponding eccentricity ratios predicted by the TRENTo and the elliptic power models of initial state fluctuations that are tuned to describe the participant plane anisotropies. The differences can be interpreted as a decorrelation of the neutron spectator plane and the reaction plane because of fragmentation of the remnants from the colliding nuclei, which points to an incompleteness of current models describing the initial state fluctuations. A significant transverse momentum dependence of the ratio v2{ SP}/v2{4} is observed in all but the most central collisions, which may help to understand whether momentum anisotropies at low and intermediate transverse momentum have a common origin in initial state f luctuations. The ratios of v2{ SP} and v2{4} to the corresponding initial state eccentricities for Xe–Xe and Pb–Pb collisions at similar initial entropy density show a difference of (7.0 ±0.9)%with an additional variation of +1.8% when including RHIC data in the TRENTo parameter extraction. These observations provide new experimental constraints for viscous effects in the hydrodynamic modeling of the expanding quark–gluon plasma produced in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC