Chaotic dynamics in a storage-ring Free Electron Laser

The temporal dynamics of a storage-ring Free Electron Laser is here investigated with particular attention to the case in which an external modulation is applied to the laser-electron beam detuning. The system is shown to produce bifurcations, multi-furcations as well as chaotic regimes. The peculiarities of this phenomenon with respect to the analogous behavior displayed by conventional laser sources are pointed out. Theoretical results, obtained by means of a phenomenological model reproducing the evolution of the main statistical parameters of the system, are shown to be in a good agreement with experiments carried out on the Super-ACO Free Electron Laser.Comment: submitted to Europ Phys. Journ.

Pion Generalized Parton Distributions within a fully covariant constituent quark model

We extend the investigation of the Generalized Parton Distribution for a charged pion within a fully covariant constituent quark model, in two respects: (i) calculating the tensor distribution and (ii) adding the treatment of the evolution, needed for achieving a meaningful comparison with both the experimental parton distribution and the lattice evaluation of the so-called generalized form factors. Distinct features of our phenomenological covariant quark model are: (i) a 4D Ansatz for the pion Bethe-Salpeter amplitude, to be used in the Mandelstam formula for matrix elements of the relevant current operators, and (ii) only two parameters, namely a quark mass assumed to hold $m_q=~220$ MeV and a free parameter fixed through the value of the pion decay constant. The possibility of increasing the dynamical content of our covariant constituent quark model is briefly discussed in the context of the Nakanishi integral representation of the Bethe-Salpeter amplitude.Comment: Pages 20, figure 11 and table 8. Minor changes. To be published in EPJ

Non-Gaussian fluctuations in stochastic models with absorbing barriers

The dynamics of a one-dimensional stochastic model is studied in presence of an absorbing boundary. The distribution of fluctuations is analytically characterized within the generalized van Kampen expansion, accounting for higher order corrections beyond the conventional Gaussian approximation. The theory is shown to successfully capture the non Gaussian traits of the sought distribution returning an excellent agreement with the simulations, for {\it all times} and arbitrarily {\it close} to the absorbing barrier. At large times, a compact analytical solution for the distribution of fluctuations is also obtained, bridging the gap with previous investigations, within the van Kampen picture and without resorting to alternative strategies, as elsewhere hypothesized.Comment: 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Can a microscopic stochastic model explain the emergence of pain cycles in patients?

A stochastic model is here introduced to investigate the molecular mechanisms which trigger the perception of pain. The action of analgesic drug compounds is discussed in a dynamical context, where the competition with inactive species is explicitly accounted for. Finite size effects inevitably perturb the mean-field dynamics: Oscillations in the amount of bound receptors spontaneously manifest, driven by the noise which is intrinsic to the system under scrutiny. These effects are investigated both numerically, via stochastic simulations and analytically, through a large-size expansion. The claim that our findings could provide a consistent interpretative framework to explain the emergence of cyclic behaviors in response to analgesic treatments, is substantiated.Comment: J. Stat. Mech. (Proceedings UPON2008

Stochastic Turing Patterns on a Network

The process of stochastic Turing instability on a network is discussed for a specific case study, the stochastic Brusselator model. The system is shown to spontaneously differentiate into activator-rich and activator-poor nodes, outside the region of parameters classically deputed to the deterministic Turing instability. This phenomenon, as revealed by direct stochastic simulations, is explained analytically, and eventually traced back to the finite size corrections stemming from the inherent graininess of the scrutinized medium.Comment: The movies referred to in the paper are provided upon request. Please send your requests to Duccio Fanelli ([email protected]) or Francesca Di Patti ([email protected]

Inside and outside the boardroom: Collaborative practices in the performing arts sector

Collaboration is crucial in the arts sector, where forms of collaborative governance (CG) – the inclusion of private partners in the decision-making process – have been implemented in order to overcome scarcity of resources and to engage with stakeholders. The governance of performing arts organizations today must be based on constant collaboration between public and private entities in order to generate greater value. The purpose of this study is to identify the drivers of CG in performing arts organizations by means of a case study of I Teatri Foundation of Reggio-Emilia, one of the first theatres in Italy to include private partners in governance. The methodology is based on both documentary analysis and interviews. The findings show that CG should be applied at micro and meso levels (inside and outside the boardroom), as both levels contribute to the creation of value for the audience

Inside and outside the boardroom: Collaborative practices in the performing arts sector

Collaboration is crucial in the arts sector, where forms of collaborative governance (CG) – the inclusion of private partners in the decision-making process – have been implemented in order to overcome scarcity of resources and to engage with stakeholders. The governance of performing arts organizations today must be based on constant collaboration between public and private entities in order to generate greater value. The purpose of this study is to identify the drivers of CG in performing arts organizations by means of a case study of I Teatri Foundation of Reggio-Emilia, one of the first theatres in Italy to include private partners in governance. The methodology is based on both documentary analysis and interviews. The findings show that CG should be applied at micro and meso levels (inside and outside the boardroom), as both levels contribute to the creation of value for the audience

Low complexity secant quasi-Newton minimization algorithms for nonconvex functions

In this work some interesting relations between results on basic optimization and algorithms for nonconvex functions (such as BFGS and secant methods) are pointed out. In particular, some innovative tools for improving our recent secant BFGS-type and LQN algorithms are described in detail