11,795 research outputs found
Theory of controlled quantum dynamics
We introduce a general formalism, based on the stochastic formulation of
quantum mechanics, to obtain localized quasi-classical wave packets as
dynamically controlled systems, for arbitrary anharmonic potentials. The
control is in general linear, and it amounts to introduce additional quadratic
and linear time-dependent terms to the given potential. In this way one can
construct for general systems either coherent packets moving with constant
dispersion, or dynamically squeezed packets whose spreading remains bounded for
all times. In the standard operatorial framework our scheme corresponds to a
suitable generalization of the displacement and scaling operators that generate
the coherent and squeezed states of the harmonic oscillator.Comment: LaTeX, A4wide, 28 pages, no figures. To appear in J. Phys. A: Math.
Gen., April 199
IGR J14257-6117, a magnetic accreting white dwarf with a very strong X-ray orbital modulation
IGR J14257-6117 is an unclassified source in the hard X-ray catalogues.
Optical follow-ups suggest it could be a Cataclysmic Variable of the magnetic
type. We present the first high S/N X-ray observation performed by \XMM\ at
0.3--10 keV, complemented with 10--80 keV coverage by \Swift/BAT, aimed at
revealing the source nature. We detected for the first time a fast periodic
variability at 509.5\,s and a longer periodic variability at 4.05\,h, ascribed
to the white dwarf (WD) spin and binary orbital periods, respectively. These
unambiguously identify IGR J14257-6117 as a magnetic CV of the Intermediate
Polar (IP) type. The energy resolved light curves at both periods reveal
amplitudes decreasing with increasing energy, with the orbital modulation
reaching in the softest band. The energy spectrum shows optically
thin thermal emission with an excess at the iron complex, absorbed by two dense
media (), partially covering the X-ray
source. These are likely localised in the magnetically confined accretion flow
above the WD surface and at the disc rim, producing the energy dependent spin
and orbital variabilities, respectively. IGR J14257-6117, joins the group of
strongest orbitally modulated IPs now counting four systems. Drawing
similarities with low-mass X-ray binaries displaying orbital dips, these IPs
should be seen at large orbital inclinations allowing azimuthally extended
absorbing material fixed in the binary frame to intercept the line of sight.
For IGR J14257-6117, we estimate (). Whether
also the mass accretion rate plays a role in the large orbital modulations in
IPs cannot be established with the present data.Comment: Accepted for publication on MNRAS. 9 pages, 6 table, 5 figure
Constraining f(R) gravity with PLANCK data on galaxy cluster profiles
Models of gravity that introduce corrections to the Newtonian
potential in the weak field limit are tested at the scale of galaxy clusters.
These models can explain the dynamics of spiral and elliptical galaxies without
resorting to dark matter. We compute the pressure profiles of 579 galaxy
clusters assuming that the gas is in hydrostatic equilibrium within the
potential well of the modified gravitational field. The predicted profiles are
compared with the average profile obtained by stacking the data of our cluster
sample in the Planck foreground clean map SMICA. We find that the resulting
profiles of these systems fit the data without requiring a dominant dark matter
component, with model parameters similar to those required to explain the
dynamics of galaxies. Our results do not rule out that clusters are dynamically
dominated by Dark Matter but support the idea that Extended Theories of Gravity
could provide an explanation to the dynamics of self-gravitating systems and to
the present period of accelerated expansion, alternative to the concordance
cosmological model.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
ESR theory for interacting 1D quantum wires
We compute the electron spin resonance (ESR) intensity for one-dimensional
quantum wires in semiconductor heterostructures, taking into account
electron-electron interactions and spin-orbit coupling. The ESR spectrum is
shown to be very sensitive to interactions. While in the absence of
interactions, the spectrum is a flat band, characteristic threshold
singularities appear in the interacting limit. This suggests the practical use
of ESR to reveal spin dynamics in a Luttinger liquid.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. To be published in Europhys. Let
On the strategy frequency problem in batch Minority Games
Ergodic stationary states of Minority Games with S strategies per agent can
be characterised in terms of the asymptotic probabilities with which
an agent uses of his strategies. We propose here a simple and general
method to calculate these quantities in batch canonical and grand-canonical
models. Known analytic theories are easily recovered as limiting cases and, as
a further application, the strategy frequency problem for the batch
grand-canonical Minority Game with S=2 is solved. The generalization of these
ideas to multi-asset models is also presented. Though similarly based on
response function techniques, our approach is alternative to the one recently
employed by Shayeghi and Coolen for canonical batch Minority Games with
arbitrary number of strategies.Comment: 17 page
Earthquake‐induced landslide scenarios for seismic microzonation. Application to the Accumoli area (Rieti, Italy)
Scenarios of earthquake-induced landslides are necessary for seismic microzonation (SM) studies since they must be integrated with the mapping of instability areas. The PARSIFAL (Probabilistic Approach to pRovide Scenarios of earthquake‐Induced slope FAiLures) approach provides extensive analyses, over tens to thousands of square kilometers, and is designed as a fully comprehensive methodology to output expected scenarios which depend on seismic input and saturation conditions. This allows to attribute a rating, in terms of severity level, to the landslide-prone slope areas in view of future engineering studies and designs. PARSIFAL takes into account first-time rock- and earth-slides as well as re-activations of existing landslides performing slope stability analyses of different failure mechanisms. The results consist of mapping earthquake-induced landslide scenarios in terms of exceedance probability of critical threshold values of co-seismic displacements (P[D≥Dc|a(t),ay]). PARSIFAL was applied in the framework of level 3 SM studies over the municipality area of Accumoli (Rieti, Italy), strongly struck by the 2016 seismic sequence of Central Apennines. The use of the PARSIFAL was tested for the first time to screen the Susceptibility Zones (ZSFR) from the Attention Zones (ZAFR) in the category of the unstable areas, according to the guidelines by Italian Civil Protection. The results obtained were in a GIS-based mapping representing the possibility for a landslide to be induced by an earthquake (with a return period of 475 years) in three different saturation scenarios (i.e. dry, average, full). Only 41% of the landslide-prone areas in the Municipality of Accumoli are existing events, while the remaining 59% is characterized by first-time earth- or rock-slides. In dry conditions, unstable conditions or P[D≥Dc|a(t),ay]>0 were for 54% of existing landslides, 17% of first-time rock-slides and 1% of first-time earth- slides. In full saturation conditions, the findings are much more severe since unstable conditions or P[D≥Dc|a(t),ay]>0 were found for 58% of the existing landslides and for more than 80% of first-time rock- and earth-slides. Moreover, comparison of the total area of the ZAFR versus ZSFR, resulted in PARSIFAL screening reducing of 22% of the mapped ZAFR
Whole blood transcriptome profiling reveals positive effects of olive leaves-supplemented diet on cholesterol in goats
Agro-industrial by-products represent an important source of compounds credited with high biotechnological potential. In the last decade, considerable interest has developed toward the use of these matrices as dietary supplements in the zootechnical field, paying particular attention to the qualitative aspects associated with animal products. However, less is known about the effect of these matrices on gene expression and thus on animal metabolism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the whole blood transcriptome of lactating goats fed a dietary supplementation with 10% olive leaves (OL), one of the main by-products deriving from the olive oil chain supply. By applying a false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05 and a Log2 Fold change (Log2Fc) lower than −0.5 or higher than +0.5, it was possible to identify the differential regulation of gene coding for the apolipoprotein B (apoB) mRNA editing enzyme catalytic subunit 2 (APOBEC2), which showed downregulation in goats that received the dietary supplementation. An evaluation of both blood and milk cholesterol was performed, taking into account the strong association between plasma apoB and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Results showed significantly lower concentrations of circulating cholesterol and cholesterol released into the milk through the mammary gland, demonstrating positive effects of OL feeding on animal welfare and potential health benefits for consumers
On the transition to efficiency in Minority Games
The existence of a phase transition with diverging susceptibility in batch
Minority Games (MGs) is the mark of informationally efficient regimes and is
linked to the specifics of the agents' learning rules. Here we study how the
standard scenario is affected in a mixed population game in which agents with
the `optimal' learning rule (i.e. the one leading to efficiency) coexist with
ones whose adaptive dynamics is sub-optimal. Our generic finding is that any
non-vanishing intensive fraction of optimal agents guarantees the existence of
an efficient phase. Specifically, we calculate the dependence of the critical
point on the fraction of `optimal' agents focusing our analysis on three
cases: MGs with market impact correction, grand-canonical MGs and MGs with
heterogeneous comfort levels.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; contribution to the special issue "Viewing the
World through Spin Glasses" in honour of David Sherrington on the occasion of
his 65th birthda
Adaptive drivers in a model of urban traffic
We introduce a simple lattice model of traffic flow in a city where drivers
optimize their route-selection in time in order to avoid traffic jams, and
study its phase structure as a function of the density of vehicles and of the
drivers' behavioral parameters via numerical simulations and mean-field
analytical arguments. We identify a phase transition between a low- and a
high-density regime. In the latter, inductive drivers may surprisingly behave
worse than randomly selecting drivers.Comment: 7 pages, final versio
- …