4,321 research outputs found
Effect of the length of inflation on angular TT and TE power spectra in power-law inflation
The effect of the length of inflation on the power spectra of scalar and
tensor perturbations is estimated using the power-law inflation model with a
scale factor of a(t) = t^q. Considering various pre-inflation models with
radiation-dominated or scalar matter-dominated periods before inflation in
combination with two matching conditions, the temperature angular power
spectrum (TT) and temperature-polarization cross-power spectrum (TE) are
calculated and a likelihood analysis is performed. It is shown that the
discrepancies between the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) data and
the LCDM model, such as suppression of the spectrum at l = 2,3 and oscillatory
behavior, may be explained by the finite length of inflation model if the
length of inflation is near 60 e-folds and q > 300. The proposed models retain
similar values of chi^2 to that achieved by the LCDM model with respect to fit
to the WMAP data, but display different characteristics of the angular TE power
spectra at l < 20.Comment: 41 pages, 11 figure
A Semantic Framework for the Security Analysis of Ethereum smart contracts
Smart contracts are programs running on cryptocurrency (e.g., Ethereum)
blockchains, whose popularity stem from the possibility to perform financial
transactions, such as payments and auctions, in a distributed environment
without need for any trusted third party. Given their financial nature, bugs or
vulnerabilities in these programs may lead to catastrophic consequences, as
witnessed by recent attacks. Unfortunately, programming smart contracts is a
delicate task that requires strong expertise: Ethereum smart contracts are
written in Solidity, a dedicated language resembling JavaScript, and shipped
over the blockchain in the EVM bytecode format. In order to rigorously verify
the security of smart contracts, it is of paramount importance to formalize
their semantics as well as the security properties of interest, in particular
at the level of the bytecode being executed.
In this paper, we present the first complete small-step semantics of EVM
bytecode, which we formalize in the F* proof assistant, obtaining executable
code that we successfully validate against the official Ethereum test suite.
Furthermore, we formally define for the first time a number of central security
properties for smart contracts, such as call integrity, atomicity, and
independence from miner controlled parameters. This formalization relies on a
combination of hyper- and safety properties. Along this work, we identified
various mistakes and imprecisions in existing semantics and verification tools
for Ethereum smart contracts, thereby demonstrating once more the importance of
rigorous semantic foundations for the design of security verification
techniques.Comment: The EAPLS Best Paper Award at ETAP
Enhancing the Performance of the T-Peel Test for Thin and Flexible Adhered Laminates
Symmetrically bonded thin and flexible T-peel specimens, when tested on
vertical travel machines, can be subject to significant gravitational loading;
with the associated asymmetry and mixed-mode failure during peeling. This can
cause erroneously high experimental peel forces to be recorded which leads to
uncertainty in estimating interfacial fracture toughness and failure mode. To
overcome these issues, a mechanical test fixture has been designed for use with
vertical test machines, that supports the unpeeled portion of the test specimen
and suppresses parasitic loads due to gravity from affecting the peel test. The
mechanism, driven by the test machine cross-head, moves at one-half of the
velocity of the cross-head such that the unpeeled portion always lies in the
plane of the instantaneous center of motion. Several specimens such as bonded
polymeric films, laminates, and commercial tapes were tested with and without
the fixture, and the importance of the proposed T-peel procedure has been
demonstrated
Determination of polarized parton distribution functions with recent data on polarization asymmetries
Global analysis has been performed within the next-to-leading order in
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) to determine polarized parton distributions with
new experimental data in spin asymmetries. The new data set includes JLab,
HERMES, and COMPASS measurements on spin asymmetry A_1 for the neutron and
deuteron in lepton scattering. Our new analysis also utilizes the double-spin
asymmetry for pi^0 production in polarized pp collisions, A_{LL}^{pi^0},
measured by the PHENIX collaboration. Because of these new data, uncertainties
of the polarized PDFs are reduced. In particular, the JLab, HERMES, and COMPASS
measurements are valuable for determining Delta d_v(x) at large x and Delta
qbar(x) at x~0.1. The PHENIX pi^0 data significantly reduce the uncertainty of
Delta g(x). Furthermore, we discuss a possible constraint on Delta g(x) at
large x by using the HERMES data on g_1^d in comparison with the COMPASS ones
at x~0.05.Comment: 11 pages, REVTeX, 13 eps files, Phys. Rev. D in pres
Anomalous magnetotransport in wide quantum wells
We present magneto transport experiments of quasi 3D PbTe wide quantum wells.
A plateau-like structure in the Hall resistance is observed, which corresponds
to the Shubnikov de Haas oscillations in the same manner as known from the
quantum Hall effect. The onsets of plateaux in Rxy do not correspond to 2D
filling factors but coincide with the occupation of 3D (bulk-) Landau levels.
At the same time a non-local signal is observed which corresponds to the
structure in Rxx and Rxy and fulfils exactly the Onsager-Casimir relation
(Rij,kl(B) = Rkl,ij(-B)). We explain the behaviour in terms of edge channel
transport which is controlled by a permanent backscattering across a system of
"percolative EC - loops" in the bulk region. Long range potential fluctuations
with an amplitude of the order of the subband splitting are explained to play
an essential role in this electron system.Comment: postscript file including 3 figs, 5 page
A Matrix Approach to Numerical Solution of the DGLAP Evolution Equations
A matrix-based approach to numerical integration of the DGLAP evolution
equations is presented. The method arises naturally on discretisation of the
Bjorken x variable, a necessary procedure for numerical integration. Owing to
peculiar properties of the matrices involved, the resulting equations take on a
particularly simple form and may be solved in closed analytical form in the
variable t=ln(alpha_0/alpha). Such an approach affords parametrisation via data
x bins, rather than fixed functional forms. Thus, with the aid of the full
correlation matrix, appraisal of the behaviour in different x regions is
rendered more transparent and free of pollution from unphysical
cross-correlations inherent to functional parametrisations. Computationally,
the entire programme results in greater speed and stability; the matrix
representation developed is extremely compact. Moreover, since the parameter
dependence is linear, fitting is very stable and may be performed analytically
in a single pass over the data values.Comment: 13 pages, no figures, typeset with revtex4 and uses packages:
acromake, amssym
Sequent Calculus in the Topos of Trees
Nakano's "later" modality, inspired by G\"{o}del-L\"{o}b provability logic,
has been applied in type systems and program logics to capture guarded
recursion. Birkedal et al modelled this modality via the internal logic of the
topos of trees. We show that the semantics of the propositional fragment of
this logic can be given by linear converse-well-founded intuitionistic Kripke
frames, so this logic is a marriage of the intuitionistic modal logic KM and
the intermediate logic LC. We therefore call this logic
. We give a sound and cut-free complete sequent
calculus for via a strategy that decomposes
implication into its static and irreflexive components. Our calculus provides
deterministic and terminating backward proof-search, yields decidability of the
logic and the coNP-completeness of its validity problem. Our calculus and
decision procedure can be restricted to drop linearity and hence capture KM.Comment: Extended version, with full proof details, of a paper accepted to
FoSSaCS 2015 (this version edited to fix some minor typos
Discrete Convex Functions on Graphs and Their Algorithmic Applications
The present article is an exposition of a theory of discrete convex functions
on certain graph structures, developed by the author in recent years. This
theory is a spin-off of discrete convex analysis by Murota, and is motivated by
combinatorial dualities in multiflow problems and the complexity classification
of facility location problems on graphs. We outline the theory and algorithmic
applications in combinatorial optimization problems
Effect of polarized gluon distribution on spin asymmetries for neutral and charged pion production
A longitudinal double spin asymmetry for \pi^0 production has been measured
by the PHENIX collaboration. The asymmetry is sensitive to the polarized gluon
distribution and is indicated to be positive by theoretical predictions. We
study a correlation between behavior of the asymmetry and polarized gluon
distribution in neutral and charged pion production at RHIC.Comment: 7 pages, 5 eps figures, section added, typos corrected. to be
published in PR
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