The formation of mixed germanium–cobalt carbonyl clusters: an electrospray mass spectrometric study, and the structure of a high-nuclearity [Ge₂Co₁₀(CO)₂₄]²⁻ anion

The reaction of [µ₄-Ge{Co₂(CO)₇}₂] with [Co(CO)₄]⁻ has been monitored by electrospray mass spectrometry to detect the cluster anions generated. Conditions giving known mixed Ge–Co carbonyl clusters were established, and a new high nuclearity cluster anion, [Ge₂Co₁₀(CO)₂₄]²⁻ was detected. Conditions for its formation were optimised and it was subsequently isolated as its [Et₄N]⁺ salt and characterised by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The Ge₂Co₁₀ cluster core has a novel geometry with the two germanium atoms in semi-encapsulated positions, forming seven formal Ge–Co bonds. There are also eighteen formal Co–Co bonds. Corresponding reactions of [µ₄-Si{Co₂(CO)₇}₂] with [Co(CO)₄]⁻ were also investigated

Towards gravitationally assisted negative refraction of light by vacuum

Propagation of electromagnetic plane waves in some directions in gravitationally affected vacuum over limited ranges of spacetime can be such that the phase velocity vector casts a negative projection on the time-averaged Poynting vector. This conclusion suggests, inter alia, gravitationally assisted negative refraction by vacuum.Comment: 6 page

Prediction of the Atomization Energy of Molecules Using Coulomb Matrix and Atomic Composition in a Bayesian Regularized Neural Networks

Exact calculation of electronic properties of molecules is a fundamental step for intelligent and rational compounds and materials design. The intrinsically graph-like and non-vectorial nature of molecular data generates a unique and challenging machine learning problem. In this paper we embrace a learning from scratch approach where the quantum mechanical electronic properties of molecules are predicted directly from the raw molecular geometry, similar to some recent works. But, unlike these previous endeavors, our study suggests a benefit from combining molecular geometry embedded in the Coulomb matrix with the atomic composition of molecules. Using the new combined features in a Bayesian regularized neural networks, our results improve well-known results from the literature on the QM7 dataset from a mean absolute error of 3.51 kcal/mol down to 3.0 kcal/mol.Comment: Under review ICANN 201

Those who left/are left behind : Schrödinger's refugee and the ethics of complementarity

“Those left behind” was a recurring emphasis of media depictions of the emotions surrounding the departure of those who left Afghanistan. The relationship between “those who left” and “those left behind,” which is characteristic of any context of forced displacement, relates to potentials, compelled by life and death questions. A decision to leave or stay is on the surface a binary choice, defined by the physical impossibility of doing both. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the ethical questions change when placed in a framework of quantum complementarity, by which phenomena, defined by what they are not, are also, in important respects, that which they are not, that is, the polar opposite. The first section develops Schrödinger's thought experiment and problematizes his focus on life and death as physical states of the cat, and the separateness of the observer, as a misrepresentation of the Copenhagen School arguments from which the thought experiment arose, and complementarity in particular. The second section examines the relationship between “those who left,” “those left behind,” and external observers in terms of a duality of matter and consciousness, which is complementary and mutually constituted. The third section examines the liminality that arises from a series of nested “boxes” and the various positions from which the forcefully displaced are observed within a holographic world. The final section then unpacks the ethical implications of quantum complementarity and ungrieved grief as they relate to forced displacement.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Doubled CO2 Experiments With the Global Change Research Center Two-Dimensional Statistical Dynamical Climate Model

The zonally averaged response of the Global Change Research Center two-dimensional statistical dynamical climate model (GCRC 2-D SDCM) to a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide (350 parts per million by volume (ppmv) to 700 ppmv) is reported. The model solves the two-dimensional primitive equations in finite difference form (mass continuity, Newton\u27s second law, and the first law of thermodynamics) for the prognostic variables: zonal mean density, zonal mean zonal velocity, zonal mean meridional velocity, and zonal mean temperature on a grid that has 18 nodes in latitude and 9 vertical nodes (plus the surface). The equation of state, p=rhoRT, and an assumed hydrostatic atmosphere, Deltap=rhogDeltaz, are used to diagnostically calculate the zonal mean pressure and vertical velocity for each grid node, and the moisture balance equation is used to estimate the precipitation rate. The model includes seasonal variations in solar intensity, including the effects of eccentricity, and has observed land and ocean fractions set for each zone. Seasonally varying values of cloud amounts, relative humidity profiles, ozone, and sea ice are all prescribed in the model. Equator to pole ocean heat transport is simulated in the model by turbulent diffusion

A global information system for the conservation and sustainable use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA)

Poster presented at 2008 Annual Meeting of TD WG-Biodiversity Information Standards. Fremantle ( Australia), 19-24 Oct 200

Experimental Extraction of Secure Correlations from a Noisy Private State

We report experimental generation of a noisy entangled four-photon state that exhibits a separation between the secure key contents and distillable entanglement, a hallmark feature of the recently established quantum theory of private states. The privacy analysis, based on the full tomographic reconstruction of the prepared state, is utilized in a proof-of-principle key generation. The inferiority of distillation-based strategies to extract the key is exposed by an implementation of an entanglement distillation protocol for the produced state.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, final versio

Inference and Optimization of Real Edges on Sparse Graphs - A Statistical Physics Perspective

Inference and optimization of real-value edge variables in sparse graphs are studied using the Bethe approximation and replica method of statistical physics. Equilibrium states of general energy functions involving a large set of real edge-variables that interact at the network nodes are obtained in various cases. When applied to the representative problem of network resource allocation, efficient distributed algorithms are also devised. Scaling properties with respect to the network connectivity and the resource availability are found, and links to probabilistic Bayesian approximation methods are established. Different cost measures are considered and algorithmic solutions in the various cases are devised and examined numerically. Simulation results are in full agreement with the theory.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, major changes: Sections IV to VII updated, Figs. 1 to 3 replace

Justification of the coupled-mode approximation for a nonlinear elliptic problem with a periodic potential

Coupled-mode systems are used in physical literature to simplify the nonlinear Maxwell and Gross-Pitaevskii equations with a small periodic potential and to approximate localized solutions called gap solitons by analytical expressions involving hyperbolic functions. We justify the use of the one-dimensional stationary coupled-mode system for a relevant elliptic problem by employing the method of Lyapunov--Schmidt reductions in Fourier space. In particular, existence of periodic/anti-periodic and decaying solutions is proved and the error terms are controlled in suitable norms. The use of multi-dimensional stationary coupled-mode systems is justified for analysis of bifurcations of periodic/anti-periodic solutions in a small multi-dimensional periodic potential.Comment: 18 pages, no figure