Quantum heat engines: limit cycles and exceptional points

We show that the inability of a quantum Otto cycle to reach a limit cycle is connected with the propagator of the cycle being non-compact. For a working fluid consisting of quantum harmonic oscillators, the transition point in parameter space where this instability occurs is associated with a non-hermitian degeneracy (exceptional point) of the eigenvalues of the propagator. In particular, a third-order exceptional point is observed at the transition from the region where the eigenvalues are complex numbers to the region where all the eigenvalues are real. Within this region we find another exceptional point, this time of second order, at which the trajectory becomes divergent. The onset of the divergent behavior corresponds to the modulus of one of the eigenvalues becoming larger than one. The physical origin of this phenomenon is that the hot and cold heat baths are unable to dissipate the frictional internal heat generated in the adiabatic strokes of the cycle. This behavior is contrasted with that of quantum spins as working fluid which have a compact Hamiltonian and thus no exceptional points. All arguments are rigorously proved in terms of the systems' associated Lie algebras

Topology optimized permanent magnet systems

Topology optimization of permanent magnet systems consisting of permanent magnets, high permeability iron and air is presented. An implementation of topology optimization for magnetostatics is discussed and three examples are considered. First, the Halbach cylinder is topology optimized with iron and an increase of 15% in magnetic efficiency is shown, albeit with an increase of 3.8 pp. in field inhomogeneity - a value compared to the inhomogeneity in a 16 segmented Halbach cylinder. Following this a topology optimized structure to concentrate a homogeneous field is shown to increase the magnitude of the field by 111% for the chosen dimensions. Finally, a permanent magnet with alternating high and low field regions is considered. Here a $\Lambda_\mathrm{cool}$ figure of merit of 0.472 is reached, which is an increase of 100% compared to a previous optimized design.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure

The Potential for Dickeya dianthicola to be Vectored by Two Common Insect Pests of Potatoes

Dickeya dianthicola (Samson) causing blackleg and soft rot was first detected in potatoes grown in Maine in 2014. Previous work has suggested that insects, particularly aphids, may be able to vector bacteria in this genus between plants, but no conclusive work has been done to confirm this theory. In order to determine whether insect-mediated transmission is likely to occur in potato fields, two model potato pests common in Maine were used: the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decimlineata Say) and the green peach aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer). Olfactometry and recruitment experiments evaluated if either insect discriminates between infected and uninfected foliage. To determine whether other insect species may display discriminatory recruitment, pitfall traps and adhesive trap cards were set up beside infected and uninfected plants placed in the field. In the laboratory, beetles and aphids were fed plants infected with Dickeya dianthicola and then transferred onto uninfected plants to determine if bacteria would be transmitted between plants. Both plants and insects were sampled and tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Dickeya spp. In 2017 and 2018, a single potato field was divided into five rows of four plots with randomly assigned insecticide treatments to selectively suppress aphids and/or Colorado potato beetles. Disease spread was monitored among plants in 2017, and tubers were harvested in both years to test for Dickeya. Neither Colorado potato beetles nor green peach aphids were attracted to infected foliage in either olfactometry or recruitment experiments. To the contrary, the presence of 2,3-butanediol, which is product of Dickeya fermentation, significantly reduced beetle attraction to the odor of potato foliage. Green peach aphids preferred uninfected foliage, but only when conspecifics were present. Flea beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae) captures by adhesive cards were affected by the infection status of provisioned potato plants, but the effect was inconsistent between the dates of trap deployment. Neither Colorado potato beetles nor green peach aphids acquired and transmitted D. dianthicola through feeding on infected plants in the laboratory. In the field, neither insect’s abundance correlated significantly with the spread of this disease. This study did not find indications that D. dianthicola is vectored by either Colorado potato beetles or green peach aphids. Therefore, controlling these pests is unlikely to prevent blackleg outbreaks in potato fields. Instead, the efforts to limit spread of this disease should focus on sanitation, water management, and seed screening

The submerged structure and stratal architecture of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) caldera, offshore the Campi Flegrei, (Eastern Tyrrhenian Margin): new insights from high resolution seismics and gravity core data

The Campi Flegrei is an active volcanic area defined by a quasi-circular depression that covers some 200 km2 of the coastal zone of SW Italy, a large part of which develops off the Naples (Pozzuoli) Bay (Fig. 1). The area has been active at least since 60 ka BP ( Pappalardo et al., 1999), and is structurally dominated by a caldera, 6 km in diameter, associated with the eruption of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT), a 40 km3 Dense Rock Equivalent (DRE) ignimbrite (Scarpati et al., 1993) dated at ca 15 ka BP (Deino et al., 2004), that covered the district now occupied by the city of Naples, the Campi Flegrei and a large area of the continental shelf off the Pozzuoli Bay. The volcanological evolution of the NYT caldera as been long described on the basis of outcrop and subsurface studies onland (Rosi & Sbrana, 1987; Orsi et al., 1996, 2004 and references therein; Di Vito et al., 1999; Perrotta et al., 2006; Fedele et al., 2011), but its offshore morphology, detailed structure and recent stratigraphic setting are still poorly understood. In this study we integrate geological and geophysical data of different resolution/penetration obtained from high-resolution reflection seismic profiles (Sparker and Chirp source) with gravity core and swath bathymetry to better constrain the shallow structure, stratigraphic architecture and latest Quaternary to Holocene evolution of the submerged sector of the NYT caldera off the Pozzuoli Bay. Our data clearly image, for the first time, the offshore geometry of the NYT caldera ring-fault zone, as well as the style and timing of volcano-tectonic deformation associated with the late stage evolution of the NYT inner caldera resurgence. Our interpretation suggests that since 15 ka the offshore sector of NYT inner caldera underwent significant deformation and uplift (with minor subsidence episodes) that occurred at almost the same rate as the post-glacial sea-level rise. Particularly, the inner Pozzuoli Bay started to deform soon after 15 ka BP, when sea-level rise was initially faster than uplift. This caused a general increase of the accommodation space that was progressively filled up by volcaniclastic sediments. Since ca. 8 ka BP, along with the mid Holocene decrease in the rate of the sea-level rise, the early NYT resurgent structure was then uplifted up to the sea-level or even to partial subaerial exposure. From ca. 8 to 5 ka BP two distinct layers of volcaniclastic resediments, mostly represented by gravity flow deposits, formed throughout the Bay. A significant post- Roman (post 2 ka BP) subsidence phase of ca 10 m is then recorded offshore Pozzuoli by the drowning of the infralittoral prograding wedge below the present-day fair-weather wave base. REFERENCES Deino AL, Orsi G, de Vita S, Piochi M (2004) The age of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff caldera-forming eruption (Campi Flegrei caldera—Italy) assessed by 40Ar/39Ar dating method. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 133, 157–170. Di Vito M., Isaia R., Orsi G., Southon J., de Vita S., D’Antonio M., Pappalardo L., Piochi M., 1999. Volcanism and deformation since 12,000 years at the Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy), J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 91 (2-4), 221-246. Fedele L., Insinga D.D., Calvert A.T., Morra V., Perrotta A., Scarpati C., 2011. 40Ar/39Ar dating of tuff vents in the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy): toward a new chronostratigraphic reconstruction of the Holocene volcanic activity. Bull. Volcanol. 73, 1323-1336. Orsi G, de Vita S, Di Vito M, 1996. The restless, resurgent Campi Flegrei nested caldera (Italy): constraints on its evolution and configuration. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 74, 179–214. Orsi G., Di Vito M.A. Isaia R., 2004. Volcanic hazard assessment at the restless Campi Flegrei caldera. Bull. Volcanol. 66, 514–530. Pappalardo L., Civetta L., D’Antonio M., Deino A., Di Vito M., Orsi G., Carandente A., de Vita S., Isaia R. & Piochi M., 1999. Chemical and Srisotopical evolution of the Phlegrean magmatic system before the Campanian Ignimbrite and the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff eruptions J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 91, 141-166. Perrotta A., Scarpati C., Luongo G., Morra V., 2006. The Campi Flegrei caldera boundary in the city of Naples. In: De Vivo B (ed) Volcanism in the Campania Plain: Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ignimbrites. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 85–96 (in the series Developments in Volcanology, 9) Scarpati C., Cole P., & Perrotta A., 1993. The Neapolitan Yellow Tuff- A large volume multiphase eruption from Campi Flegrei, Southern Italy. Bull. Volcan. 55, 343-35

Low cost external serial interface watchdog for SoCs and FPGAs automatic characterization tests

Manufacturers must characterize their design deeply when designing and producing devices like FPGAs and SoCs. Information collected through simulation and physical experiments is the primary data source for manufacturers that can then decide the optimal working ranges of multiple critical parameters such as operating voltage, frequency, temperatures, etc. With complex devices such as SoCs, and FPGAs with integrated PLLs and voltage regulators, each combination of voltage and frequency can be checked by communicating the desired parameters to the DUT, running a functional test, and observing the results. However once the ATE sends the desired parameters to the DUT through SPI or other serial interfaces, the DUT may freeze and stop to accept new commands entirely. This is particularly problematic for targeted characterization that may include a minimal number of boards and DUTs and where the ATE may simply be a simple laptop without any automatic DUT reset capabilities. This paper presents an external serial communication watchdog designed using an ESP32-based board. Our watchdog can detect the communications coming from the ATE, monitor the answers from the DUT, and restart it through power cycling in case of freezing

L'evoluzione del sistema di riparto di giurisdizione e la nullit\ue0 del provvedimento amministrativo.

Le origini e l'evoluzione del riparto di giurisdizione. Il riparto di giurisdizione nelle pronunce della Consulta degli inizi del XXI secolo. La nullit\ue0 del provvedimento amministrativo ed il riparto di giurisdizione