Impact of 3-Cyanopropionic Acid Methyl Ester on the Electrochemical Performance of ZnMn₂O₄ as Negative Electrode for Li-Ion Batteries

Due to their high theoretical capacity, transition metal oxide compounds are promising electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. However, one drawback is associated with relevant capacity fluctuations during cycling, widely observed in the literature. Such strong capacity variation can result in practical problems when positive and negative electrode materials have to be matched in a full cell. Herein, the study of ZnMn2O4 (ZMO) in a nonconventional electrolyte based on 3-cyanopropionic acid methyl ester (CPAME) solvent and LiPF6 salt is reported for the first time. Although ZMO in LiPF6/CPAME electrolyte displays a dramatic capacity decay during the first cycles, it shows promising cycling ability and a suppressed capacity fluctuation when vinylene carbonate (VC) is used as an additive to the CPAME-based electrolyte. To understand the nature of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), the electrochemical study is correlated to ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

Renormalisation group corrections to neutrino mixing sum rules

Neutrino mixing sum rules are common to a large class of models based on the (discrete) symmetry approach to lepton flavour. In this approach the neutrino mixing matrix $U$ is assumed to have an underlying approximate symmetry form \tildeU_\nu, which is dictated by, or associated with, the employed (discrete) symmetry. In such a setup the cosine of the Dirac CP-violating phase $\delta$ can be related to the three neutrino mixing angles in terms of a sum rule which depends on the symmetry form of \tildeU_\nu. We consider five extensively discussed possible symmetry forms of \tildeU_\nu: i) bimaximal (BM) and ii) tri-bimaximal (TBM) forms, the forms corresponding to iii) golden ratio type A (GRA) mixing, iv) golden ratio type B (GRB) mixing, and v) hexagonal (HG) mixing. For each of these forms we investigate the renormalisation group corrections to the sum rule predictions for $\delta$ in the cases of neutrino Majorana mass term generated by the Weinberg (dimension 5) operator added to i) the Standard Model, and ii) the minimal SUSY extension of the Standard Model

Statistical mechanics of voting

Decision procedures aggregating the preferences of multiple agents can produce cycles and hence outcomes which have been described heuristically as `chaotic'. We make this description precise by constructing an explicit dynamical system from the agents' preferences and a voting rule. The dynamics form a one dimensional statistical mechanics model; this suggests the use of the topological entropy to quantify the complexity of the system. We formulate natural political/social questions about the expected complexity of a voting rule and degree of cohesion/diversity among agents in terms of random matrix models---ensembles of statistical mechanics models---and compute quantitative answers in some representative cases.Comment: 9 pages, plain TeX, 2 PostScript figures included with epsf.tex (ignore the under/overfull \vbox error messages

Exact Scale Invariance in Mixing of Binary Candidates in Voting Model

We introduce a voting model and discuss the scale invariance in the mixing of candidates. The Candidates are classified into two categories $\mu\in \{0,1\}$ and are called as `binary' candidates. There are in total $N=N_{0}+N_{1}$ candidates, and voters vote for them one by one. The probability that a candidate gets a vote is proportional to the number of votes. The initial number of votes (`seed') of a candidate $\mu$ is set to be $s_{\mu}$. After infinite counts of voting, the probability function of the share of votes of the candidate $\mu$ obeys gamma distributions with the shape exponent $s_{\mu}$ in the thermodynamic limit $Z_{0}=N_{1}s_{1}+N_{0}s_{0}\to \infty$. Between the cumulative functions $\{x_{\mu}\}$ of binary candidates, the power-law relation $1-x_{1} \sim (1-x_{0})^{\alpha}$ with the critical exponent $\alpha=s_{1}/s_{0}$ holds in the region $1-x_{0},1-x_{1}<<1$. In the double scaling limit $(s_{1},s_{0})\to (0,0)$ and $Z_{0} \to \infty$ with $s_{1}/s_{0}=\alpha$ fixed, the relation $1-x_{1}=(1-x_{0})^{\alpha}$ holds exactly over the entire range $0\le x_{0},x_{1} \le 1$. We study the data on horse races obtained from the Japan Racing Association for the period 1986 to 2006 and confirm scale invariance.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, 2 table

Theory of Neutrino Physics -- Snowmass TF11 (aka NF08) Topical Group Report

This is the report for the topical group Theory of Neutrino Physics (TF11/NF08) for Snowmass 2021. This report summarizes the progress in the field of theoretical neutrino physics in the past decade, the current status of the field, and the prospects for the upcoming decade.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figure

Tau Neutrinos in the Next Decade: from GeV to EeV

Tau neutrinos are the least studied particle in the Standard Model. Thiswhitepaper discusses the current and expected upcoming status of tau neutrinophysics with attention to the broad experimental and theoretical landscapespanning long-baseline, beam-dump, collider, and astrophysical experiments.This whitepaper was prepared as a part of the NuTau2021 Workshop.<br

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering: Terrestrial and astrophysical applications

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) is a process in which neutrinos scatter on a nucleus which acts as a single particle. Though the total cross section is large by neutrino standards, CE$\nu$NS has long proven difficult to detect, since the deposited energy into the nucleus is $\sim$ keV. In 2017, the COHERENT collaboration announced the detection of CE$\nu$NS using a stopped-pion source with CsI detectors, followed up the detection of CE$\nu$NS using an Ar target. The detection of CE$\nu$NS has spawned a flurry of activities in high-energy physics, inspiring new constraints on beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics, and new experimental methods. The CE$\nu$NS process has important implications for not only high-energy physics, but also astrophysics, nuclear physics, and beyond. This whitepaper discusses the scientific importance of CE$\nu$NS, highlighting how present experiments such as COHERENT are informing theory, and also how future experiments will provide a wealth of information across the aforementioned fields of physics

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering: Terrestrial and astrophysical applications

Coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CE$\nu$NS) is a process inwhich neutrinos scatter on a nucleus which acts as a single particle. Thoughthe total cross section is large by neutrino standards, CE$\nu$NS has longproven difficult to detect, since the deposited energy into the nucleus is$\sim$ keV. In 2017, the COHERENT collaboration announced the detection ofCE$\nu$NS using a stopped-pion source with CsI detectors, followed up thedetection of CE$\nu$NS using an Ar target. The detection of CE$\nu$NS hasspawned a flurry of activities in high-energy physics, inspiring newconstraints on beyond the Standard Model (BSM) physics, and new experimentalmethods. The CE$\nu$NS process has important implications for not onlyhigh-energy physics, but also astrophysics, nuclear physics, and beyond. Thiswhitepaper discusses the scientific importance of CE$\nu$NS, highlighting howpresent experiments such as COHERENT are informing theory, and also how futureexperiments will provide a wealth of information across the aforementionedfields of physics.<br