990 research outputs found
Intersecting Branes in Matrix Theory
We construct BPS states in the matrix description of M-theory. Starting from
a set of basic M-theory branes, we study pair intersections which preserve
supersymmetry. The fractions of the maximal supersymmetry obtained in this way
are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 3/16 and 1/16. In explicit examples we establish that the
matrix BPS states correspond to (intersecting) brane configurations that are
obtained from the d=11 supersymmetry algebra. This correspondence for the 1/2
supersymmetric branes includes the precise relations between the charges.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX, no figures, minor changes, shortened version to be
published in Physics Letters
Extracting New Physics from the CMB
We review how initial state effects generically yield an oscillatory
component in the primordial power spectrum of inflationary density
perturbations. These oscillatory corrections parametrize unknown new physics at
a scale and are potentially observable if the ratio is
sufficiently large. We clarify to what extent present and future CMB data
analysis can distinguish between the different proposals for initial state
corrections.Comment: Invited talk by B. Greene at the XXII Texas Symposium on Relativistic
Astrophysics, Stanford University, 13-17 December 2004, (TSRA04-0001), 8
pages, LaTeX, some references added, added paragraph at the end of section 2
and an extra note added after the conclusions regarding modifications to the
large k power spectra deduced from galaxy survey
Oscillations in the bispectrum
There exist several models of inflation that produce primordial bispectra
that contain a large number of oscillations. In this paper we discuss these
models, and aim at finding a method of detecting such bispectra in the data. We
explain how the recently proposed method of mode expansion of bispectra might
be able to reconstruct these spectra from separable basis functions. Extracting
these basis functions from the data might then lead to observational
constraints on these models.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, submitted to JOP: Conference Series, PASCOS 201
Spacetime-Filling Branes and Strings with Sixteen Supercharges
We discuss branes whose worldvolume dimension equals the target spacetime
dimension, i.e. ``spacetime-filling branes''. In addition to the D9-branes,
there are 9-branes in the NS-NS sectors of both the IIA and IIB strings. The
worldvolume actions of these branes are constructed, via duality, from the
known actions of branes with codimension larger than zero. Each of these types
of branes is used in the construction of a string theory with sixteen
supercharges by modding out a type II string by an appropriate discrete
symmetry and adding 32 9-branes. These constructions are related by a web of
dualities and each arises as a different limit of the Horava-Witten
construction.Comment: 43 pages, LaTeX, 8 figures, uses html.sty, version to appear in Nucl.
Phys.
Holographic duals of the <i>N</i> = 1* gauge theory
We use the long-wavelength effective theory of black branes (blackfold approach) to perturbatively construct holographic duals of the vacua of the N = 1* supersymmetric gauge theory. Employing the mechanism of Polchinski and Strassler, we consider wrapped black five-brane probes with D3-brane charge moving in the perturbative supergravity back-grounds corresponding to the high- and low-temperature phases of the gauge theory. Our approach recovers the results for the brane potentials and equilibrium configurations known in the literature in the extremal limit, while away from extremality we find metastable black D3-NS5 configurations with horizon topology ℝ3 × S2 × S3 in certain regimes of parameter space, which cloak potential brane singularities. We uncover novel features of the phase diagram of the N = 1* gauge theory in different ensembles and provide further evidence for the appearance of metastable states in holographic backgrounds dual to confining gauge theories.</p
Multi-Level Visual Alphabets
A central debate in visual perception theory is the argument for indirect versus direct perception; i.e., the use of intermediate, abstract, and hierarchical representations versus direct semantic interpretation of images through interaction with the outside world. We present a content-based representation that combines both approaches. The previously developed Visual Alphabet method is extended with a hierarchy of representations, each level feeding into the next one, but based on features that are not abstract but directly relevant to the task at hand. Explorative benchmark experiments are carried out on face images to investigate and explain the impact of the key parameters such as pattern size, number of prototypes, and distance measures used. Results show that adding an additional middle layer improves results, by encoding the spatial co-occurrence of lower-level pattern prototypes
Optimising Human-AI Collaboration by Learning Convincing Explanations
Machine learning models are being increasingly deployed to take, or assist in
taking, complicated and high-impact decisions, from quasi-autonomous vehicles
to clinical decision support systems. This poses challenges, particularly when
models have hard-to-detect failure modes and are able to take actions without
oversight. In order to handle this challenge, we propose a method for a
collaborative system that remains safe by having a human ultimately making
decisions, while giving the model the best opportunity to convince and debate
them with interpretable explanations. However, the most helpful explanation
varies among individuals and may be inconsistent across stated preferences. To
this end we develop an algorithm, Ardent, to efficiently learn a ranking
through interaction and best assist humans complete a task. By utilising a
collaborative approach, we can ensure safety and improve performance while
addressing transparency and accountability concerns. Ardent enables efficient
and effective decision-making by adapting to individual preferences for
explanations, which we validate through extensive simulations alongside a user
study involving a challenging image classification task, demonstrating
consistent improvement over competing systems
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