Three-Prong Distribution of Massive Narrow QCD Jets

We study the planar-flow distributions of narrow, highly boosted, massive QCD jets. Using the factorization properties of QCD in the collinear limit, we compute the planar-flow jet function from the one-to-three splitting function at tree-level. We derive the leading-log behavior of the jet function analytically. We also compare our semi-analytic jet function with parton-shower predictions using various generators.Comment: 59 pages, 9 figure

The effective string spectrum in the orthogonal gauge

The low-energy effective action on long string-like objects in quantum field theory, such as confining strings, includes the Nambu-Goto action and then higher-derivative corrections. This action is diffeomorphism-invariant, and can be analyzed in various gauges. Polchinski and Strominger suggested a specific way to analyze this effective action in the orthogonal gauge, in which the induced metric on the worldsheet is conformally equivalent to a flat metric. Their suggestion leads to a specific term at the next order beyond the Nambu-Goto action. We compute the leading correction to the Nambu-Goto spectrum using the action that includes this term, and we show that it agrees with the leading correction previously computed in the static gauge. This gives a consistency check for the framework of Polchinski and Strominger, and helps to understand its relation to the theory in the static gauge.Comment: 21 page

Are Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Initially Attuned to Object Function Rather Than Shape for Word Learning?

We investigate the function bias-generalising words to objects with the same function-in typically developing (TD) children, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and children with other developmental disorders. Across four trials, a novel object was named and its function was described and demonstrated. Children then selected the other referent from a shape match (same shape, different function) and function match (same function, different shape) object. TD children and children with ASD were 'function biased', although further investigation established that having a higher VMA facilitated function bias understanding in TD children, but having a lower VMA facilitated function bias understanding in children with ASD. This suggests that children with ASD are initially attuned to object function, not shape