Beyond-the-Standard-Model matrix elements with the gradient flow

At the Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) we have started a long-term program that aims to determine beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) matrix elements using the gradient flow, and to understand the impact of BSM physics in nucleon and nuclear observables. Using the gradient flow, we propose to calculate the QCD component of key beyond the Standard Model (BSM) matrix elements related to quark and strong theta CP violation and the strange content within the nucleon. The former set of matrix elements impacts our understanding of Electric Dipole Moments (EDMs) of nucleons and nuclei (a key signature of BSM physics), while the latter contributes to elastic recoil of Dark Matter particles off nucleons and nuclei. If successful, these results will lay the foundation for extraction of BSM observables from future low-energy, high-intensity and high-accuracy experimental measurements.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, presented at the 32nd International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2014). Correct version of proceedings. Different wording of few paragraphs and different notation on few formulas. Added 1 referenc

Water Ice in 2060 Chiron and its Implications for Centaurs and Kuiper Belt Objects

We report the detection of water ice in the Centaur 2060 Chiron, based on near-infrared spectra (1.0 - 2.5 micron) taken with the 3.8-meter United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) and the 10-meter Keck Telescope. The appearance of this ice is correlated with the recent decline in Chiron's cometary activity: the decrease in the coma cross-section allows previously hidden solid-state surface features to be seen. We predict that water ice is ubiquitous among Centaurs and Kuiper Belt objects, but its surface coverage varies from object to object, and thus determines its detectability and the occurrence of cometary activity.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, accepted by ApJ Letter

Expansion coefficient of the pseudo-scalar density using the gradient flow in lattice QCD

We use the Yang-Mills gradient flow to calculate the pseudo-scalar expansion coefficient $c_P^*(t_f)$. This quantity is a key ingredient to obtaining the chiral condensate and strange quark content of the nucleon using the Lattice QCD formulation, which can ultimately determine the spin independent (SI) elastic cross section of dark matter models involving WIMP-nucleon interactions. The goal, using the gradient flow, is to renormalize the chiral condensate and the strange content of the nucleon without a power divergent subtraction. Using Chiral symmetry and the small flow time expansion of the gradient flow, the scalar density at zero flow time can be related to the pseudo-scalar density at non zero flow time. By computing the flow time dependance of the pseudo-scalar density over multiple lattices box sizes, lattice spacings and pion masses, we can obtain the scalar density of the nucleon. Our lattice ensembles are $N_{f}=2+1$, PCAC-CS gauge field configurations, varying over $m_{\pi}\approx \{410,570,700\}$~MeV at $a=0.0907$~fm, with additional ensembles that vary $a\approx \{0.1095,0.0936,0.0684\}$~fm at $m_{\pi} \approx 700$~MeV

Population of the Scattered Kuiper Belt

We present the discovery of three new Scattered Kuiper Belt Objects (SKBOs) from a wide-field survey of the ecliptic. This continuing survey has to date covered 20.2 square degrees to a limiting red magnitude of 23.6. We combine the data from this new survey with an existing survey conducted at the University of Hawaii 2.2m telescope to constrain the number and mass of the SKBOs. The SKBOs are characterized by large eccentricities, perihelia near 35 AU, and semi-major axes > 50 AU. Using a maximum-likelihood model, we estimate the total number of SKBOs larger than 100 km in diameter to be N = 3.1 (+1.9/-1.3) x 10^4 (1 sigma) and the total mass of SKBOs to be about 0.05 Earth masses, demonstrating that the SKBOs are similar in number and mass to the Kuiper Belt inside 50 AU.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure

Extracting Scattering Phase-Shifts in Higher Partial-Waves from Lattice QCD Calculations

L\"uscher's method is routinely used to determine meson-meson, meson-baryon and baryon-baryon s-wave scattering amplitudes below inelastic thresholds from Lattice QCD calculations - presently at unphysical light-quark masses. In this work we review the formalism and develop the requisite expressions to extract phase-shifts describing meson-meson scattering in partial-waves with angular-momentum l<=6 and l=9. The implications of the underlying cubic symmetry, and strategies for extracting the phase-shifts from Lattice QCD calculations, are presented, along with a discussion of the signal-to-noise problem that afflicts the higher partial-waves.Comment: 79 pages, 41 figure

Two-Nucleon Systems in a Finite Volume: (II) 3S1-3D1 Coupled Channels and the Deuteron

The energy spectra of two nucleons in a cubic volume provide access to the two phase shifts and one mixing angle that define the S-matrix in the 3S1-3D1 coupled channels containing the deuteron. With the aid of recently derived energy quantization conditions for such systems, and the known scattering parameters, these spectra are predicted for a range of volumes. It is found that extractions of the infinite-volume deuteron binding energy and leading scattering parameters, including the S-D mixing angle at the deuteron pole, are possible from Lattice QCD calculations of two-nucleon systems with boosts of |P| <= 2pi sqrt{3}/L in volumes with 10 fm <~ L <~ 14 fm. The viability of extracting the asymptotic D/S ratio of the deuteron wavefunction from Lattice QCD calculations is discussed.Comment: 31 pages, 17 figure

Two-Baryon Systems with Twisted Boundary Conditions

We explore the use of twisted boundary conditions in extracting the nucleon mass and the binding energy of two-baryon systems, such as the deuteron, from Lattice QCD calculations. Averaging the results of calculations performed with periodic and anti-periodic boundary conditions imposed upon the light-quark fields, or other pair-wise averages, improves the volume dependence of the deuteron binding energy from ~exp(-kappa*L)/L to ~exp(-sqrt(2)kappa*L)/L. However, a twist angle of pi/2 in each of the spatial directions improves the volume dependence from ~exp(-kappa*L)/L to ~exp(-2kappa*L)/L. Twist averaging the binding energy with a random sampling of twist angles improves the volume dependence from ~exp^(-kappa*L)/L to ~exp(-2kappa*L)/L, but with a standard deviation of ~exp(-kappa*L)/L, introducing a signal-to-noise issue in modest lattice volumes. Using the experimentally determined phase shifts and mixing angles, we determine the expected energies of the deuteron states over a range of cubic lattice volumes for a selection of twisted boundary conditions.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figure

Exponential stability of stochastic evolution equations driven by small fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter in (1/2,1)(1/2,1)

This paper addresses the exponential stability of the trivial solution of some types of evolution equations driven by H\"older continuous functions with H\"older index greater than $1/2$. The results can be applied to the case of equations whose noisy inputs are given by a fractional Brownian motion $B^H$ with covariance operator $Q$, provided that $H\in (1/2,1)$ and ${\rm tr}(Q)$ is sufficiently small.Comment: 19 page

Investigating the size and value effect in determining performance of Australian listed companies: A neural network approach

This paper explores the size and value effect in influencing performance of individual companies using backpropagation neural networks. According to existing theory, companies with small market capitalization and high book to market ratios have a tendency to perform better in the future. Data from over 300 Australian Stock Exchange listed companies between 2000-2004 is examined and a neural network is trained to predict company performance based on market capitalization, book to market ratio, beta and standard deviation. Evidence for the value effect was found over longer time periods but there was less for the size effect. Poor company performance was also observed to be correlated with high risk. © 2006, Australian Computer Society, Inc