Improved Algorithms for Radar-based Reconstruction of Asteroid Shapes

We describe our implementation of a global-parameter optimizer and Square Root Information Filter (SRIF) into the asteroid-modelling software SHAPE. We compare the performance of our new optimizer with that of the existing sequential optimizer when operating on various forms of simulated data and actual asteroid radar data. In all cases, the new implementation performs substantially better than its predecessor: it converges faster, produces shape models that are more accurate, and solves for spin axis orientations more reliably. We discuss potential future changes to improve SHAPE's fitting speed and accuracy.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure

Non-equilibrium heat capacity of polytetrafluoroethylene at room temperature

Polytetrafluoroethylene can be considered as a model for calorimetric studies of complex systems with thermodynamics transitions at ambient temperature. This polymer exhibits two phase transitions of different nature at 292 K and 303 K. We show that sensitive ac-calorimetry measurements allow us to study the thermodynamic behaviour of polytetrafluoroethylene when it is brought out of thermodynamic equilibrium. Thanks to the thermal modelisation of our calorimetric device, the frequency dependent complex heat capacity of this polymer is extracted. The temperature and frequency variations of the real and imaginary parts of the complex heat capacity are obtained when polytetrafluoroethylene undergoes its first-order structural phase transition at 292 K

Prospects of dynamical determination of General Relativity parameter beta and solar quadrupole moment J2 with asteroid radar astronomy

We evaluated the prospects of quantifying the parameterized post-Newtonian parameter beta and solar quadrupole moment J2 with observations of near-Earth asteroids with large orbital precession rates (9 to 27 arcsec century$^{-1}$). We considered existing optical and radar astrometry, as well as radar astrometry that can realistically be obtained with the Arecibo planetary radar in the next five years. Our sensitivity calculations relied on a traditional covariance analysis and Monte Carlo simulations. We found that independent estimates of beta and J2 can be obtained with precisions of $6\times10^{-4}$ and $3\times10^{-8}$, respectively. Because we assumed rather conservative observational uncertainties, as is the usual practice when reporting radar astrometry, it is likely that the actual precision will be closer to $2\times10^{-4}$ and $10^{-8}$, respectively. A purely dynamical determination of solar oblateness with asteroid radar astronomy may therefore rival the helioseismology determination.Comment: The astrophysical journal (ApJ), in pres

The hydrogen atom in electric and magnetic fields : Pauli's 1926 article

The results obtained by Pauli, in his 1926 article on the hydrogen atom, made essential use of the dynamical so(4) symmetry of the bound states. Pauli used this symmetry to compute the perturbed energy levels of an hydrogen atom in a uniform electric field (Stark effect) and in uniform electric and magnetic fields. Although the experimental check of the single Stark effect on the hydrogen atom has been studied experimentally, Pauli's results in mixed fields have been studied only for Rydberg states of rubidium atoms in crossedfields and lithium atoms in parallel fields.Comment: 11 pages, latex file, 2 figure

The Role of Agriculture in Reducing Poverty in Tanzania: A Household Perspective from Rural Kilimanjaro and Ruvuma

This paper explores how farm productivity affects poverty, and how various factor market constraints affect farm productivity. The empirical analysis draws on representative surveys of farm households in Kilimanjaro and Ruvuma, two cash crop growing regions in Tanzania. We find that poorer households do not only possess fewer assets, but are also much less productive. We find that agricultural productivity directly affects household consumption and hence overall poverty and welfare. Stochastic production frontier analysis indicates that many farmers are farming well below best practice in the region. Analysis of allocative efficiency suggests that family labour is substantially over utilized, a sign of considerable excess labour supply. Use of intermediate inputs on the other hand is well below what is commensurate with the estimated value of their marginal productivities. An important reason for low input use is lack of credit to purchase inputs, but difficult access to the inputs themselves, being connected to the economy, and food security and self insurance considerations are also important impediments. Easy access to credit is positively associated with being a member of a savings association or being in a contractual arrangement with a cooperative or firm. The findings support a continuing emphasis on increasing agricultural productivity in designing poverty reduction policies. Better agronomic practices and increased input use will be crucial in this strategy. Financial constraints might be relieved through fostering institutional arrangements facilitating contract enforcement and institutions that facilitate saving by the households themselves. They may also be relieved by the provision of more adequate consumption safety nets.Agricultural development, Factor markets, Rural poverty, Farm productivity, Food Security and Poverty, O13, O120, Q120,

The Importance of Broadband Provision to Knowledge Intensive Firm Location

Despite the volume of literature afforded knowledge work and innovations in information and communications technologies (ICTs), few studies have examined the importance of ICTs to firms in knowledge industries. This study will develop spatial econometric models to examine the relative importance of the level of broadband provision to knowledge intensive firms in select U.S.  metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Results demonstrate the need for both a spatial econometric and a metropolitan area specific evaluation of this relationship. They also suggest potential spillover effects to knowledge intensive firm location, which may explain why some regional economies are relatively more successful at stimulating firm growth in this increasingly important sector of the U.S economy.

Near-BPS Skyrmions: Non-shell configurations and Coulomb effects

The relatively small binding energy in nuclei suggests that they may be well represented by near-BPS Skyrmions since their mass is roughly proportional to the baryon number $A.$ For that purpose, we propose a generalization of the Skyrme model with terms up to order six in derivatives of the pion fields and treat the nonlinear $\sigma$ and Skyrme terms as small perturbations. For our special choice of mass term (or potential) $V$, we obtain well-behaved analytical BPS-type solutions with non-shell configurations for the baryon density, as opposed to the more complex shell-like configurations found in most extensions of the Skyrme model . Along with static and (iso)rotational energies, we add to the mass of the nuclei the often neglected Coulomb energy and isospin breaking term. Fitting the four model parameters, we find a remarkable agreement for the binding energy per nucleon $B/A$ with respect to experimental data. These results support the idea that nuclei could be near-BPS Skyrmions.Comment: Correction of minors errors, references adde

The Dunkl oscillator in the plane I : superintegrability, separated wavefunctions and overlap coefficients

The isotropic Dunkl oscillator model in the plane is investigated. The model is defined by a Hamiltonian constructed from the combination of two independent parabosonic oscillators. The system is superintegrable and its symmetry generators are obtained by the Schwinger construction using parabosonic creation/annihilation operators. The algebra generated by the constants of motion, which we term the Schwinger-Dunkl algebra, is an extension of the Lie algebra u(2) with involutions. The system admits separation of variables in both Cartesian and polar coordinates. The separated wavefunctions are respectively expressed in terms of generalized Hermite polynomials and products of Jacobi and Laguerre polynomials. Moreover, the so-called Jacobi-Dunkl polynomials appear as eigenfunctions of the symmetry operator responsible for the separation of variables in polar coordinates. The expansion coefficients between the Cartesian and polar bases (overlap coefficients) are given as linear combinations of dual -1 Hahn polynomials. The connection with the Clebsch-Gordan problem of the sl_{-1}(2) algebra is explained.Comment: 25 pages; Added references; Added appendix on anti-Hermicity of the Dunkl derivativ

The Dunkl oscillator in the plane II : representations of the symmetry algebra

The superintegrability, wavefunctions and overlap coefficients of the Dunkl oscillator model in the plane were considered in the first part. Here finite-dimensional representations of the symmetry algebra of the system, called the Schwinger-Dunkl algebra sd(2), are investigated. The algebra sd(2) has six generators, including two involutions and a central element, and can be seen as a deformation of the Lie algebra u(2). Two of the symmetry generators, J_3 and J_2, are respectively associated to the separation of variables in Cartesian and polar coordinates. Using the parabosonic creation/annihilation operators, two bases for the representations of sd(2), the Cartesian and circular bases, are constructed. In the Cartesian basis, the operator J_3 is diagonal and the operator J_2 acts in a tridiagonal fashion. In the circular basis, the operator J_2 is block upper-triangular with all blocks 2x2 and the operator J_3 acts in a tridiagonal fashion. The expansion coefficients between the two bases are given by the Krawtchouk polynomials. In the general case, the eigenvectors of J_2 in the circular basis are generated by the Heun polynomials and their components are expressed in terms of the para-Krawtchouk polynomials. In the fully isotropic case, the eigenvectors of J_2 are generated by little -1 Jacobi or ordinary Jacobi polynomials. The basis in which the operator J_2 is diagonal is then considered. In this basis, the defining relations of the Schwinger-Dunkl algebra imply that J_3 acts in a block tridiagonal fashion with all blocks 2x2. The matrix elements of J_3 in this basis are given explicitly.Comment: 33 page