Non-hermitian topology as a unifying framework for the Andreev versus Majorana states controversy

Zero-energy Andreev levels in hybrid semiconductor-superconductor nanowires mimic all expected Majorana phenomenology, including 2 e2∕ h conductance quantisation, even where band topology predicts trivial phases. This surprising fact has been used to challenge the interpretation of various transport experiments in terms of Majorana zero modes. Here we show that the Andreev versus Majorana controversy is clarified when framed in the language of non-Hermitian topology, the natural description for quantum systems open to the environment. This change of paradigm allows one to understand topological transitions and the emergence of zero modes in more general systems than can be described by band topology. This is achieved by studying exceptional point bifurcations in the complex spectrum of the system’s non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Within this broader topological classification, Majoranas from both conventional band topology and a large subset of Andreev levels at zero energy are in fact topologically equivalent, which explains why they cannot be distinguishedWe thank J. Cayao for useful discussions in the early stages of this work. Research supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through Grants PGC2018-097018-B-I00, FIS2015-65706-P, FIS2015-64654-P, FIS2016-80434-P (AEI/FEDER, EU), the FPI programme BES-2016-078122, the Ramón y Cajal programme Grants RYC-2011-09345, RYC-2013-14645, the María de Maeztu Programme for Units of Excellence in R&D (MDM-2014-0377), and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the FETOPEN Grant Agreement No. 828948. We also acknowledge support from CSIC Research Platform on Quantum Technologies PTI-00

Minimal model for calcium alternans due to SR release refractoriness

In the heart, rapid pacing rates may induce alternations in the strength of cardiac contraction, termed pulsus alternans. Often, this is due to an instability in the dynamics of the intracellular calcium concentration, whose transients become larger and smaller at consecutive beats. This alternation has been linked experimentally and theoretically to two different mechanisms: an instability due to (1) a strong dependence of calcium release on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) load, together with a slow calcium reuptake into the SR or (2) to SR release refractoriness, due to a slow recovery of the ryanodine receptors (RyR2) from inactivation. The relationship between calcium alternans and refractoriness of the RyR2 has been more elusive than the corresponding SR Ca load mechanism. To study the former, we reduce a general calcium model, which mimics the deterministic evolution of a calcium release unit, to its most basic elements. We show that calcium alternans can be understood using a simple nonlinear equation for calcium concentration at the dyadic space, coupled to a relaxation equation for the number of recovered RyR2s. Depending on the number of RyR2s that are recovered at the beginning of a stimulation, the increase in calcium concentration may pass, or not, over an excitability threshold that limits the occurrence of a large calcium transient. When the recovery of the RyR2 is slow, this produces naturally a period doubling bifurcation, resulting in calcium alternans. We then study the effects of inactivation, calcium diffusion, and release conductance for the onset of alternans. We find that the development of alternans requires a well-defined value of diffusion while it is less sensitive to the values of inactivation or release conductance.Postprint (author's final draft

Pressure dependence of the melting mechanism at the limit of overheating in Lennard-Jones crystals

We study the pressure dependence of the melting mechanism of a surface free Lennard-Jones crystal by constant pressure Monte Carlo simulation. The difference between the overheating temperature($T_{OH}$) and the thermodynamical melting point($T_M$) increase for increasing pressure. When particles move into the repulsive part of the potential the properties at $T_{OH}$ change. There is a crossover pressure where the volume jump becomes pressure-independent. The overheating limit is pre-announced by thermal excitation of big clusters of defects. The temperature zone where the system is dominated by these big clusters of defects increases with increasing pressure. Beyond the crossover pressure we find that excitation of defects and clusters of them start at the same temperature scale related with $T_{OH}$.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Deterministic Routing with HoL-Blocking-Awareness for Direct Topologies

AbstractRouting is a key design factor to obtain the maximum performance out of interconnection networks. Depending on the number of routing options that packets may use, routing algorithms are classified into two categories. If the packet can only use a single predetermined path, routing is deterministic, whereas if several paths are available, it is adaptive. It is well-known that adaptive routing usually outperforms deterministic routing. However, adaptive routers are more complex and introduces out-of-order delivery of packets. In this paper, we take up the challenge of developing a deterministic routing algorithm for direct topologies that can obtain a similar performance than adaptive routing, while providing the inherent advantages of deterministic routing such as in-order delivery of packets and implementation simplicity. The proposed deterministic routing algorithm is aware of the HoL-blocking effect, and it is designed to reduce it, which, as known, it is a key contributor to degrade interconnection network performance

Search Space Calculation to Improve Parameter Estimation of Excitation Control Systems

En este artículo se presenta un método para calcular el espacio de búsqueda de cada parámetro del modelo de un sistema de control de excitación. Con el espacio de búsqueda calculado se pretende reducir el número de conjuntos de parámetros solución que pueden ser encontrados por el algoritmo de estimación, reduciendo su tiempo de procesamiento. El método considera un rango de la constante de tiempo del generador sincrónico entre 4s y 10s, un índice de desempeño del sistema de control de excitación, una técnica de diseño de controladores y la estructura del modelo del sistema de control de excitación. Cuando se usa el espacio de búsqueda obtenido para estimar los parámetros, el algoritmo toma menos tiempo de procesamiento y los parámetros estimados son cercanos a los parámetros de referencia.A method to calculate the search space for each parameter in an excitation control system is presented in this paper. The calculated search space is intended to reduce the number of parameter solution sets that can be found by an estimation algorithm, reducing its processing time. The method considers a synchronous generator time constant range between 4s and 10s, an excitation control system performance index, a controller design technique, and the excitation control system model structure. When the obtained search space is used to estimate the parameters, less processing time is used by the algorithm. Also the estimated parameters are closer to the reference ones

MW and sin^2\theta_eff in Split SUSY: present and future expectations

We analyse the precision electroweak observables MW and sin^2\theta_eff and their correlations in the recently proposed Split SUSY model. We compare the results with the Standard Model and Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model predictions, and with present and future experimental accuracies. Present experimental accuracies in (MW, sin^2\theta_eff) do not allow constraints to be placed on the Split SUSY parameter space. We find that the shifts in (MW, sin^2\theta_eff) induced by Split SUSY can be larger than the anticipated accuracy of the GigaZ option of the International Linear Collider, and that the most sensitive observable is sin^2\theta_eff. These large shifts are possible also for large chargino masses in scenarios with small tan(\beta) =~ 1.Comment: LaTeX, 13 pages, 4 figures. Comments adde

Exploring correlations between sex steroids and fatty acids and their potential roles in the induced maturation of the male European eel

[EN] The present study was undertaken to evaluate the correlations between the fatty acids in the liver and testis and the plasma levels of the hormonal steroids used during eel spermatogenesis, in order to clarify the physiological roles fatty acids play in the spermatogenetic process. The stages of testis development (S1-S5) were assessed by histological observations in order to classify the different phases of hormonally-induced spermatogenesis and evaluate the possible relationships between the hormones and fatty acids in each stage. The highest plasma levels of 17 beta-estradiol (E2), testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) were found in S1, when spermatogonial proliferation occurs. A correlation was found between 17 alpha-20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3- one (DHP) levels and some fatty acids during the proliferation and growing phases (S1-2), suggesting that DHP might modulate lipid metabolism in the liver during early spermatogenesis. The DHP levels increased significantly during the growing phase (S2) and remained at high levels throughout the subsequent development stages (S3-S5). Similar to results found in mammals, our results show that in the eel there are regulatory mechanisms, including eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5-n3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6-n3, DHA), which act as modulators in the synthesis of androgens, particularly during the final phase of sperm maturation. Our results suggest that the fact that EPA, ARA and DHA concentrations in the eel testis remain constant/stable during spermiation could be related to the subsequent union of the spermatozoa and the egg. The findings from this research provide new insights for further studies about the possible effect of steroids on desaturase activity and highlight the importance of the effect of lipid metabolism during male eel spermatogenesis. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Funded by the European Community's 7th Framework Programme under the Theme 2 "Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology", grant agreement no. 245257 (PRO-EEL). D. S. P. had a contract co-financed by MICINN and UPV (PTA2011-4948-I) and received a Shortterm Scientific Mission grant from COST Office (Food and Agriculture COST Action FA1205: AQUAGAMETE) to carry out the steroids analyses in Norway.Baeza Ariño, R.; Peñaranda, D.; Vilchez Olivencia, MC.; Tveiten, H.; Pérez Igualada, LM.; Asturiano Nemesio, JF. (2015). Exploring correlations between sex steroids and fatty acids and their potential roles in the induced maturation of the male European eel. Aquaculture. 435:328-335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2014.10.016S32833543

Recommendations to Select Indices for Model Validation

En este artículo se presentan recomendaciones para seleccionar índices de error para validar modelos. Las recomendaciones se basan en la comparación de los índices usados para validar sistemas dinámicos. Se presentan y definen matemáticamente nueve índices de error y un índice de ajuste. Con base en el tipo de datos reportados en la literatura para validar modelos, se seleccionan la función escalón y la función seno, como señales patrón, para evaluar los resultados de los índices. Como resultado relevante de este artículo se presentan recomendaciones para seleccionar e interpretar índices de error cuando se validan modelos de sistemas físicos.A set of recommendations to select error indices to model validation is presented in this paper. The recommendations are based on the comparison of indices used to validate dynamic systems. Nine error indices and one fit index are presented and mathematically defined. Based on the data reported in literature to validate models, step function and sine function are selected, as patron signals, to evaluate the index results. As a relevant contribution of this paper, recommendations to select and interpret error indices during the validation of physical system models are given

Modeling of the Direct Current Generator Including the Magnetic Saturation and Temperature Effects

En este artículo se propone la inclusión del efecto de la temperatura sobre la resistencia de campo al modelo del generador de corriente directa DC1A valido para estudios de estabilidad. Se parte del modelo lineal del generador, luego se incluye el efecto de la saturación magnética y por último el cambio en la resistencia de campo debido a la temperatura producida por la corriente de campo. La metodología aplicada para validar el modelo es la comparación de resultados experimentales y simulaciones de los modelos. La comparación visual de los resultados simulados con resultados experimentales muestra el acierto del modelo propuesto, puesto que presenta el menor error de los modelos comparados. El acierto del modelo propuesto se observa a través del índice Suma Normalizada de Errores Cuadráticos Modificada igual a 3.8979%.In this paper the inclusion of temperature effect on the field resistance on the direct current generator model DC1A, which is valid to stability studies is proposed. First, the linear generator model is presented, after the effect of magnetic saturation and the change in the resistance value due to temperature produced by the field current are included. The comparison of experimental results and model simulations to validate the model is used. A direct current generator model which is a better representation of the generator is obtained. Visual comparison between simulations and experimental results shows the success of the proposed model, because it presents the lowest error of the compared models. The accuracy of the proposed model is observed via Modified Normalized Sum of Squared Errors index equal to 3.8979%

Modeling Calcium Dynamics in Human Atria

Abstract Mathematical models of cardiac electrophysiology are an important tool to investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible of arrhythmias. In particular, an important question is the origin of atrial fibrillation (AF). Often, AF initiation is preceded by action potential duration (APD) alternans, i.e., beat to beat oscillations in the APD, that arise at slower rates in patients with persistent AF than in those without AF or with paroxymal AF. Most of these arrhythmias appear as a consequence of malfunctions in calcium dynamics that produce oscillations in intracellular calcium, inducing subsequent APD alternans through electromechanical coupling. The aim of this work is to present a human atrial mathematical model that gives insight into the presence of calcium alternans. For that the model by Nygren et al was modified in order to reproduce calcium alternans at high pacing rhythms, as has been observed in experiments. The model reproduces the nonlinear dependence of gain and fractional SR Ca release upon SR Ca load. At fast pacing rates it presents alternans, due to slow recovery from inactivation of the RyR. Finally, we compare the results from this new model with other human atrial models well established in the literature