Temporal album

Transient synchronization has been used as a mechanism of recognizing auditory patterns using integrate-and-fire neural networks. We first extend the mechanism to vision tasks and investigate the role of spike dependent learning. We show that such a temporal Hebbian learning rule significantly improves accuracy of detection. We demonstrate how multiple patterns can be identified by a single pattern selective neuron and how a temporal album can be constructed. This principle may lead to multidimensional memories, where the capacity per neuron is considerably increased with accurate detection of spike synchronization

Confirmation of the 62 Day X-Ray Periodicity from M82

Using 400 days of new X-ray monitoring of M82, we confirm the 62 day periodicity previously reported. In the full data set spanning 1124 days, we find a period of 62.0 +/- 0.3 days and a coherence, Q = 22.3, that is consistent with a strictly periodic signal. We estimate that the probability of chance occurrence of our observed signal is 6E-7. The light curve folded at this period is roughly sinusoidal and has a peak to peak amplitude of (0.99 +/- 0.10) x 10^-11 erg cm^-2 s^-1. Confirmation of the periodicity strengthens our previous suggestion that the 62 day modulation is due to orbital motion within an X-ray binary.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in Ap

Asymmetric Dark Matter and Effective Operators

In order to annihilate in the early Universe to levels well below the measured dark matter density, asymmetric dark matter must possess large couplings to the Standard Model. In this paper, we consider effective operators which allow asymmetric dark matter to annihilate into quarks. In addition to a bound from requiring sufficient annihilation, the energy scale of such operators can be constrained by limits from direct detection and monojet searches at colliders. We show that the allowed parameter space for these operators is highly constrained, leading to non-trivial requirements that any model of asymmetric dark matter must satisfy.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure. V2 replacement: Citations added. Shading error in Fig. 1 (L_FV panel) corrected. Addition of direct detection bounds on m_chi <5 GeV added, minor alterations in text to reflect these change

Contextualising demography: the significance of local clusters of fertility in Scotland

This study links empirical analysis of geographical variations in fertility to ideas of contextualising demography. We examine whether there are statistically significant clusters of fertility in Scotland between 1981 and 2001, controlling for more general factors expected to influence fertility. Our hypothesis, that fertility patterns at a local scale cannot be explained entirely by ecological socio-economic variables, is supported. In fact, there are ‘unexplained’ local clusters of high and low fertility, which would be masked in analyses at a different scale. We discuss the demographic significance of local fertility clusters as contexts for fertility behaviour, including the role of the housing market and social interaction processes, and the residential sorting of those displaying or anticipating different fertility behaviour. We conclude that greater understanding of local geographical contexts is needed if we are to develop mid-level demographic theories and shift the focus of fertility research from events to processes.Scotland, fertility, geography

The angular spin current and its physical consequences

We find that in order to completely describe the spin transport, apart from spin current (or linear spin current), one has to introduce the angular spin current. The two spin currents respectively describe the translational and rotational motion of a spin. The definitions of these spin current densities are given and their physical properties are discussed. Both spin current densities appear naturally in the spin continuity equation. Moreover we predict that the angular spin current can also induce an electric field $\vec{E}$, and in particular $\vec{E}$ scales as $1/r^2$ at large distance $r$, whereas the $\vec{E}$ field generated from the linear spin current goes as $1/r^3$.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Global behavior of cosmological dynamics with interacting Veneziano ghost

In this paper, we shall study the dynamical behavior of the universe accelerated by the so called Veneziano ghost dark energy component locally and globally by using the linearization and nullcline method developed in this paper. The energy density is generalized to be proportional to the Hawking temperature defined on the trapping horizon instead of Hubble horizon of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universe. We also give a prediction of the fate of the universe and present the bifurcation phenomenon of the dynamical system of the universe. It seems that the universe could be dominated by dark energy at present in some region of the parameter space.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in JHE

Supersymmetry and the Anomalous Anomalous Magnetic Moment of the Muon

The recently reported measurement of the muon's anomalous magnetic moment differs from the standard model prediction by 2.6 standard deviations. We examine the implications of this discrepancy for supersymmetry. Deviations of the reported magnitude are generic in supersymmetric theories. Based on the new result, we derive model-independent upper bounds on the masses of observable supersymmetric particles. We also examine several model frameworks. The sign of the reported deviation is as predicted in many simple models, but disfavors anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Unusual identities for QCD at tree-level

We discuss a set of recently discovered quadratic relations between gauge theory amplitudes. Such relations give additional structural simplifications for amplitudes in QCD. Remarkably, their origin lie in an analogous set of relations that involve also gravitons. When certain gluon helicities are flipped we obtain relations that do not involve gravitons, but which refer only to QCD.Comment: Talk given at XIV Mexican School on Particles and Fields, Morelia, Nov. 201

Coulomb blockade in silicon based structures at temperatures up to 50 K

Coulomb blockade has been observed in the current-voltage characteristics of structures fabricated in silicon germanium delta-doped material at temperatures up to 50 K. This is consistent with the estimated effective tunnel capacitance of 10 aF which is significantly smaller than the reported capacitances of tunnel junctions made from Al or GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures