Effective Geometry

We introduce the concept of effective geometry by studying several systems in which it arises naturally. As an example of the power and conciseness of the method, it is shown that a flowing dielectric medium with a linear response to an external electric field can be used to generate an analog geometry that has many of the formal properties of a \Sch black hole for light rays, in spite of birefringence. The surface gravity of this analog black hole has a contribution that depends only on the dielectric properties of the fluid (in addition to the usual term dependent on the acceleration). This term may be give a hint to a new mechanism to increase the temperature of Hawking radiation.Comment: 13 pages, RevTex4, Contribution to the Proceedings of the Xth Brazilian School of Gravitation and Cosmology, to be published by AI

Physics at high Q^2 and p^2_t: Summary of DIS 2000

We summarize the experimental and theoretical results presented in the "Physics at the Highest Q^2 and p^2_t" working group at the DIS 2000 Workshop. High Q^2 and p^2_t processes measured at current and future colliders allow to improve our knowledge of Standard Model (SM) physics, by providing precise measurements of the SM parameters and, consequently, consistency checks of the SM. Moreover, they give information on key quantities for the calculation of the SM expectations in a yet unexplored domain, such as the parton densities of the proton or the photon. In addition to these experimental inputs, higher-order calculations are also needed to obtain precise expectations for SM processes, which are a key ingredient for the searches for new phenomena in high Q^2 and p^2_t processes at current and future experiments. The experimental and theoretical status of SM physics at high Q^2 and p^2_t is reviewed in the first part of this summary, with the remaining being dedicated to physics beyond the Standard Model.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Typos correcte

Evolution of Vacuum Bubbles Embeded in Inhomogeneous Spacetimes

We study the propagation of bubbles of new vacuum in a radially inhomogeneous background filled with dust or radiation, and including a cosmological constant, as a first step in the analysis of the influence of inhomogeneities in the evolution of an inflating region. We also compare the cases with dust and radiation backgrounds and show that the evolution of the bubble in radiation environments is notably different from that in the corresponding dust cases, both for homogeneous and inhomogeneous ambients, leading to appreciable differences in the evolution of the proper radius of the bubble.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (new version with a few cosmetic changes w.r.t. the published one

Large-area thin-film modules

The low cost potential of thin film solar cells can only be fully realized if large area modules can be made economically with good production yields. This paper deals with two of the critical challenges. A scheme is presented which allows the simple, economical realization of the long recognized, preferred module structure of monolithic integration. Another scheme reduces the impact of shorting defects and, as a result, increases the production yields. Analytical results demonstrating the utilization and advantages of such schemes are discussed

Multifractal properties of elementary cellular automata in a discrete wavelet approach of MF-DFA

In 2005, Nagler and Claussen (Phys. Rev. E 71 (2005) 067103) investigated the time series of the elementary cellular automata (ECA) for possible (multi)fractal behavior. They eliminated the polynomial background at^b through the direct fitting of the polynomial coefficients a and b. We here reconsider their work eliminating the polynomial trend by means of the multifractal-based detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) in which the wavelet multiresolution property is employed to filter out the trend in a more speedy way than the direct polynomial fitting and also with respect to the wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) procedure. In the algorithm, the discrete fast wavelet transform is used to calculate the trend as a local feature that enters the so-called details signal. We illustrate our result for three representative ECA rules: 90, 105, and 150. We confirm their multifractal behavior and provide our results for the scaling parametersComment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 21 reference

Multifractal properties of elementary cellular automata in a discrete wavelet approach of MF-DFA

In 2005, Nagler and Claussen (Phys. Rev. E 71 (2005) 067103) investigated the time series of the elementary cellular automata (ECA) for possible (multi)fractal behavior. They eliminated the polynomial background at^b through the direct fitting of the polynomial coefficients a and b. We here reconsider their work eliminating the polynomial trend by means of the multifractal-based detrended fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) in which the wavelet multiresolution property is employed to filter out the trend in a more speedy way than the direct polynomial fitting and also with respect to the wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) procedure. In the algorithm, the discrete fast wavelet transform is used to calculate the trend as a local feature that enters the so-called details signal. We illustrate our result for three representative ECA rules: 90, 105, and 150. We confirm their multifractal behavior and provide our results for the scaling parametersComment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 21 reference

The New Neighbors: A User's Guide to Data on Immigrants in U.S. Communities

Provides a guide for identifying characteristics, contributions, and needs of immigrant populations. Discusses national immigration trends, and addresses public policy questions. Includes a profile of the immigrant population in Providence, Rhode Island