173 research outputs found
Percolation transition and distribution of connected components in generalized random network ensembles
In this work, we study the percolation transition and large deviation
properties of generalized canonical network ensembles. This new type of random
networks might have a very rich complex structure, including high heterogeneous
degree sequences, non-trivial community structure or specific spatial
dependence of the link probability for networks embedded in a metric space. We
find the cluster distribution of the networks in these ensembles by mapping the
problem to a fully connected Potts model with heterogeneous couplings. We show
that the nature of the Potts model phase transition, linked to the birth of a
giant component, has a crossover from second to first order when the number of
critical colors in all the networks under study. These results shed
light on the properties of dynamical processes defined on these network
ensembles.Comment: 27 pages, 15 figure
Higher-order Connection Laplacians for Directed Simplicial Complexes
Higher-order networks encode the many-body interactions existing in complex systems, such as the brain, protein complexes, and social interactions. Simplicial complexes are higher-order networks that allow a comprehensive investigation of the interplay between topology and dynamics. However, simplicial complexes have the limitation that they only capture undirected higher-order interactions while in real-world scenarios, often there is a need to introduce the direction of simplices, extending the popular notion of direction of edges. On graphs and networks the Magnetic Laplacian, a special case of Connection Laplacian, is becoming a popular operator to treat edge directionality. Here we tackle the challenge of treating directional simplicial complexes by formulating Higher-order Connection Laplacians taking into account the configurations induced by the simplices' directions. Specifically, we define all the Connection Laplacians of directed simplicial complexes of dimension two and we discuss the induced higher-order diffusion dynamics by considering instructive synthetic examples of simplicial complexes. The proposed higher-order diffusion processes can be adopted in real scenarios when we want to consider higher-order diffusion displaying non-trivial frustration effects due to conflicting directionalities of the incident simplices
Production and relevance of cosmogenic radionuclides in NaI(Tl) crystals
The cosmogenic production of long-lived radioactive isotopes in materials is
an hazard for experiments demanding ultra-low background conditions. Although
NaI(Tl) scintillators have been used in this context for a long time, very few
activation data were available. We present results from two 12.5 kg NaI(Tl)
detectors, developed within the ANAIS project and installed at the Canfranc
Underground Laboratory. The prompt data taking starting made possible a
reliable quantification of production of some I, Te and Na isotopes with
half-lives larger than ten days. Initial activities underground were measured
and then production rates at sea level were estimated following the history of
detectors; a comparison of these rates with calculations using typical cosmic
neutron flux at sea level and a selected description of excitation functions
was also carried out. After including the contribution from the identified
cosmogenic products in the detector background model, we found that the
presence of 3H in the crystal bulk would help to fit much better our background
model and experimental data. We have analyzed the cosmogenic production of 3H
in NaI, and although precise quantification has not been attempted, we can
conclude that it could imply a very relevant contribution to the total
background below 15 keV in NaI detectors.Comment: Proceedings of the Low Radioactivity Techniques 2015 workshop, March
2015, Seattle (US
Preliminary results of ANAIS-25
The ANAIS (Annual Modulation with NaI(Tl) Scintillators) experiment aims at
the confirmation of the DAMA/LIBRA signal using the same target and technique
at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory. 250 kg of ultrapure NaI(Tl) crystals
will be used as a target, divided into 20 modules, each coupled to two
photomultipliers. Two NaI(Tl) crystals of 12.5 kg each, grown by Alpha Spectra
from a powder having a potassium level under the limit of our analytical
techniques, form the ANAIS-25 set-up. The background contributions are being
carefully studied and preliminary results are presented: their natural
potassium content in the bulk has been quantified, as well as the uranium and
thorium radioactive chains presence in the bulk through the discrimination of
the corresponding alpha events by PSA, and due to the fast commissioning, the
contribution from cosmogenic activated isotopes is clearly identified and their
decay observed along the first months of data taking. Following the procedures
established with ANAIS-0 and previous prototypes, bulk NaI(Tl) scintillation
events selection and light collection efficiency have been also studied in
ANAIS-25.Comment: 4 pages, 6 Figure
Background analysis and status of the ANAIS dark matter project
ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI Scintillators) is a project aiming to set
up at the new facilities of the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), a large
scale NaI(Tl) experiment in order to explore the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation
positive result using the same target and technique. Two 12.5 kg each NaI(Tl)
crystals provided by Alpha Spectra took data at the LSC in the ANAIS-25 set-up.
The comparison of the background model for the ANAIS-25 prototypes with the
experimental results is presented. ANAIS crystal radiopurity goals have been
achieved for Th-232 and U-238 chains, but a Pb-210 contamination
out-of-equilibrium was identified, whose origin has been studied. The high
light collection efficiency obtained with these prototypes allows to anticipate
an energy threshold of the order of 1 keVee. A new detector, with improved
performances, was received in March 2015 and very preliminary results are
shown.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Bulk NaI(Tl) scintillation low energy events selection with the ANAIS-0 module
Dark matter particles scattering off some target nuclei are expected to
deposit very small energies in form of nuclear recoils (below 100 keV). Because
of the low scintillation efficiency for nuclear recoils vs. electron recoils,
in most of the scintillating targets considered in the search for dark matter,
the region below 10 keVee concentrates most of the expected dark matter signal.
For this reason, very low energy threshold (at or below 2 keVee) and very low
background are required. This is the case of the ANAIS (Annual modulation with
NaI Scintillators) experiment. A good knowledge of the detector response
function for real scintillation events, a good characterization of other
anomalous or noise event populations contributing in that energy range, and the
development of convenient filtering procedures for the latter are mandatory to
achieve the required low background at such a low energy. In this work we will
present the specific protocols developed to select bulk scintillation events in
NaI(Tl), and its application to data obtained with the ANAIS-0 prototype.
Slight differences in time constants are expected in scintillation pulses
produced by nuclear or electron recoils in NaI(Tl), so in order to analyze the
effect of these filtering procedures in the case of a recoil population
attributable to dark matter, data from a neutron calibration have been used.Comment: 13 pages, 22 figure
Dynamics of condensation in growing complex networks
A condensation transition was predicted for growing technological networks
evolving by preferential attachment and competing quality of their nodes, as
described by the fitness model.
When this condensation occurs a node acquires a finite fraction of all the
links of the network. Earlier studies based on steady state degree distribution
and on the mapping to Bose-Einstein condensation, were able to identify the
critical point. Here we characterize the dynamics of condensation and we
present evidence that below the condensation temperature there is a slow down
of the dynamics and that a single node (not necessarily the best node in the
network) emerges as the winner for very long times. The characteristic time t*
at which this phenomenon occurs diverges both at the critical point and at when new links are attached deterministically to the highest quality node
of the network.Comment: (4 pages,3 figures
Study of scintillation in natural and synthetic quartz and methacrylate
Samples from different materials typically used as optical windows or light
guides in scintillation detectors were studied in a very low background
environment, at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory, searching for
scintillation. A positive result can be confirmed for natural quartz: two
distinct scintillation components have been identified, not being excited by an
external gamma source. Although similar effect has not been observed neither
for synthetic quartz nor for methacrylate, a fast light emission excited by
intense gamma flux is evidenced for all the samples in our measurements. These
results could affect the use of these materials in low energy applications of
scintillation detectors requiring low radioactive background conditions, as
they entail a source of background.Comment: Accepted for publication in Optical Material
Modeling microevolution in a changing environment: The evolving quasispecies and the Diluted Champion Process
Several pathogens use evolvability as a survival strategy against acquired
immunity of the host. Despite their high variability in time, some of them
exhibit quite low variability within the population at any given time, a
somehow paradoxical behavior often called the evolving quasispecies. In this
paper we introduce a simplified model of an evolving viral population in which
the effects of the acquired immunity of the host are represented by the
decrease of the fitness of the corresponding viral strains, depending on the
frequency of the strain in the viral population. The model exhibits evolving
quasispecies behavior in a certain range of its parameters, ans suggests how
punctuated evolution can be induced by a simple feedback mechanism.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. Figures redrawn, some additional clarifications
in the text. To appear in Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and
Experimen
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