Relevance of Abelian Symmetry and Stochasticity in Directed Sandpiles

We provide a comprehensive view on the role of Abelian symmetry and stochasticity in the universality class of directed sandpile models, in context of the underlying spatial correlations of metastable patterns and scars. It is argued that the relevance of Abelian symmetry may depend on whether the dynamic rule is stochastic or deterministic, by means of the interaction of metastable patterns and avalanche flow. Based on the new scaling relations, we conjecture critical exponents for avalanche, which is confirmed reasonably well in large-scale numerical simulations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; published versio

Universality classes and crossover behaviors in non-Abelian directed sandpiles

We study universality classes and crossover behaviors in non-Abelian directed sandpile models, in terms of the metastable pattern analysis. The non-Abelian property induces spatially correlated metastable patterns, characterized by the algebraic decay of the grain density along the propagation direction of an avalanche. Crossover scaling behaviors are observed in the grain density due to the interplay between the toppling randomness and the parity of the threshold value. In the presence of such crossovers, we show that the broadness of the grain distribution plays a crucial role in resolving the ambiguity of the universality class. Finally, we claim that the metastable pattern analysis is important as much as the conventional analysis of avalanche dynamics.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, 1 table; published in PRE as the full paper of PRL v101, 218001 (2008

Determining White Noise Forcing From Eulerian Observations in the Navier Stokes Equation

The Bayesian approach to inverse problems is of paramount importance in quantifying uncertainty about the input to and the state of a system of interest given noisy observations. Herein we consider the forward problem of the forced 2D Navier Stokes equation. The inverse problem is inference of the forcing, and possibly the initial condition, given noisy observations of the velocity field. We place a prior on the forcing which is in the form of a spatially correlated temporally white Gaussian process, and formulate the inverse problem for the posterior distribution. Given appropriate spatial regularity conditions, we show that the solution is a continuous function of the forcing. Hence, for appropriately chosen spatial regularity in the prior, the posterior distribution on the forcing is absolutely continuous with respect to the prior and is hence well-defined. Furthermore, the posterior distribution is a continuous function of the data. We complement this theoretical result with numerical simulation of the posterior distribution

ON DEMAND: CROSS-COUNTRY EVIDENCE FROM COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ASSET MARKETS

Using over 25 years of quarterly U.S. and Japanese time series data, this paper examines the determinants of demand for an important class of real assets: commercial real estate. We specify a structural model of market equilibrium that considers direct effects of real investment on built asset price. Our empirical findings are consistent across countries and produce several new results. First, we find that real investment exerts a significant positive direct effect on asset price, which in turn feeds back to impact investment decisions. Second, idiosyncratic risk is found to be strongly positively related to asset price, and to complement supply effects. Third, systematic risk is priced as expected, where the strength of the relation between asset price and systematic risk is found to be higher than in previous studies of capital asset prices. Fourth, lagged values of price determinants (of up to two years) are consistently important in real asset demand estimation. Alternative explanations for our findings are analyzed and discussed. Implications for asset pricing model specification and interpretation are also considered.equity REIT; IPO; interest-rate sensitivity; risk-adjusted return performance

Large magnetoresistance using hybrid spin filter devices

A magnetic "spin filter" tunnel barrier, sandwiched between a non-magnetic metal and a magnetic metal, is used to create a new magnetoresistive tunnel device, somewhat analogous to an optical polarizer-analyzer configuration. The resistance of these trilayer structures depends on the relative magnetization orientation of the spin filter and the ferromagnetic electrode. The spin filtering in this configuration yields a previously unobserved magnetoresistance effect, exceeding 100%.Comment: 3.5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Appl. Phys. Let

Non-equilibrium melting of colloidal crystals in confinement

We report on a novel and flexible experiment to investigate the non-equilibrium melting behaviour of model crystals made from charged colloidal spheres. In a slit geometry polycrystalline material formed in a low salt region is driven by hydrostatic pressure up an evolving gradient in salt concentration and melts at large salt concentration. Depending on particle and initial salt concentration, driving velocity and the local salt concentration complex morphologic evolution is observed. Crystal-melt interface positions and the melting velocity are obtained quantitatively from time resolved Bragg- and polarization microscopic measurements. A simple theoretical model predicts the interface to first advance, then for balanced drift and melting velocities to become stationary at a salt concentration larger than the equilibrium melting concentration. It also describes the relaxation of the interface to its equilibrium position in a stationary gradient after stopping the drive in different manners. We further discuss the influence of the gradient strength on the resulting interface morphology and a shear induced morphologic transition from polycrystalline to oriented single crystalline material before melting

Test code for the assessment and improvement of Reynolds stress models

An existing two-dimensional, compressible flow, Navier-Stokes computer code, containing a full Reynolds stress turbulence model, was adapted for use as a test bed for assessing and improving turbulence models based on turbulence simulation experiments. To date, the results of using the code in comparison with simulated channel flow and over an oscillating flat plate have shown that the turbulence model used in the code needs improvement for these flows. It is also shown that direct simulation of turbulent flows over a range of Reynolds numbers are needed to guide subsequent improvement of turbulence models