The MetaCapitalism Cult.

Qu’il s’agisse de notre vie professionnelle ou de notre vie personnelle, la promesse d’immortalité exerce le même pouvoir de séduction. La promesse de salut délivrée à l’entreprise ne diffère guère de la promesse faite aux êtres humains. Cet idéal de salut, qui a exercé sa fascination sur toutes les époques, les religions ont promis de le réaliser. Les entreprises de conseil s’inscrivent dans la même logique, dans la mesure où elles constituent, pour les entreprises, l’équivalent contemporain d’une expérience religieuse. Les prophètes du conseil s’emploient à générer ce genre de sentiments en utilisant tout un vocabulaire symbolique tel que « reconfiguration des processus », « meilleures pratiques », etc, dans un rituel baptisé MétaCapitalisme, impliquant une communauté de croyants, en l’occurrence leurs clients. Ce rituel, par le biais du Culte du conseil, a des conséquences qui vont bien au-delà des seules entreprises clientes et affectent de manière importante de nombreux groupes de personnes et d’institutions dans notre société devenue globale. Ce constat justifie de procéder à un examen critique de ses mérites. Notre recherche explore la performance du MétaCapitalisme, un terme forgé par le géant du conseil, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC), pour décrire sa vision de la « nouvelle économie », qui traite de l’utilisation des e-markets, des échanges en ligne et des communautés d’affaires en réseau, et a eu pour effet de démultiplier l’impact des développements technologiques et des principales améliorations de la vie des affaires issues des années 1990. Le MétaCapitalisme peut être appréhendé en analysant la conversion des leaders du MétaCapitalisme au modèle prôné. Notre étude, en appliquant des techniques de régression à un certain nombre d’indicateurs clés, identifie les tendances relatives à la performance de ces leaders et les compare avec les tendances observées pour les 100 premières entreprises du groupe Fortune. Il en ressort que les entreprises du MétaCapitalisme ont été incapables de maintenir la transformation apparemment brillante qu’elles avaient opérée en 1999 et que sur de nombreux points, les tendances présentent des retournements imprévus par rapport au maintien de la structure idéale du MétaCapitalisme. Une évaluation critique de ces observations est effectuée de manière à valider la possibilité de généralisation du modèle, afin d’être en mesure d’éviter une expérimentation sociale continue et préjudiciable. En conclusion, la stratégie du MétaCapitalisme présente d’indéniables similitudes avec les cultes religieux, ce qui amène à la question suivante : le MétaCapitalisme aura-t-il le même destin que la plupart de ces cultes, à savoir, le désenchantement est lié à des espérances déçues ?

The Timing System of LIGO Discoveries

LIGO's mission critical timing system has enabled gravitational wave and multi-messenger astrophysical discoveries as well as the rich science extracted. Achieving optimal detector sensitivity, detecting transient gravitational waves, and especially localizing gravitational wave sources, the underpinning of multi-messenger astrophysics, all require proper gravitational wave data time-stamping. Measurements of the relative arrival times of gravitational waves between different detectors allow for coherent gravitational wave detections, localization of gravitational wave sources, and the creation of skymaps. The carefully designed timing system achieves these goals by mitigating phase noise to avoid signal up-conversion and maximize gravitational wave detector sensitivity. The timing system also redundantly performs self-calibration and self-diagnostics in order to ensure reliable, extendable, and traceable time stamping. In this paper, we describe and quantify the performance of these core systems during the latest O3 scientific run of LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA. We present results of the diagnostic checks done to verify the time-stamping for individual gravitational wave events observed during O3 as well as the timing system performance for all of O3 in LIGO Livingston and LIGO Hanford. We find that, after 3 observing runs, the LIGO timing system continues to reliably meet mission requirements of timing precision below 1 $\mu$s with a significant safety margin.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

After-ripening alters the gene expression pattern of oxidases involved in the ethylene and gibberellin pathways during early imbibition of Sisymbrium officinale L. seeds

After-ripening (AR) in Sisymbrium officinale seeds altered SoACS7, SoACO2, SoGA20ox2, SoGA3ox2, and SoGA2ox6 gene expression. Except for SoGA20ox2 expression, which sharply diminished, the expression of the other genes rose during development, particularly that of SoACS7. In contrast, only the SoACO2 and SoGA2ox6 transcripts increased with seed desiccation; the others decreased. AR increased the SoGA3ox2 transcript in dry seed, but dramatically decreased the SoACS7 transcript. At the onset of imbibition, AR inhibited SoACS7 and SoACO2 expression and stimulated that of SoGA20ox2, SoGA3ox2, and SoGA2ox6, demonstrating that the participation of ethylene (ET) and gibberellins (GAs) differs in after-ripened and non-after-ripened seeds. The inhibition of SoACO2 expression in the presence of GA4+7, paclobutrazol (PB), inhibitors of ET synthesis and signalling (IESS), and notably ET+GA4+7 indicated ET–GA cross-talk in non-after-ripened seeds. A positive effect of AR in reversing this inhibition was found. The idea of ET–GA cross-talk is also supported by the effect of ET on SoGA3ox2 expression, notably induced by the AR process. In contrast, SoGA20ox2 expression did not appear to be susceptible to AR. SoGA2ox6 expression, poorly known in seeds, suggests that AR prompted an up-regulation under all treatments studied, whereas in non-after-ripened seeds expression was down-regulated. On the other hand, the β-mannanase (MAN) activity dramatically increased in dry after-ripened seed, being significantly boosted by ET. The absence of MAN inhibition by IESS suggests that although ET seems to be one of the factors controlling MAN, its presence did not appear to be essential. GA4+7 only increased MAN in seeds wich were after-ripened. Here, it is proposed that ET and GAs participate actively in establishing the AR process

LIGO’s quantum response to squeezed states

Gravitational Wave interferometers achieve their profound sensitivity by combining a Michelson interferometer with optical cavities, suspended masses, and now, squeezed quantum states of light. These states modify the measurement process of the LIGO, VIRGO and GEO600 interferometers to reduce the quantum noise that masks astrophysical signals; thus, improvements to squeezing are essential to further expand our gravitational view of the universe. Further reducing quantum noise will require both lowering decoherence from losses as well more sophisticated manipulations to counter the quantum back-action from radiation pressure. Both tasks require fully understanding the physical interactions between squeezed light and the many components of km-scale interferometers. To this end, data from both LIGO observatories in observing run three are expressed using frequency-dependent metrics to analyze each detector's quantum response to squeezed states. The response metrics are derived and used to concisely describe physical mechanisms behind squeezing's simultaneous interaction with transverse-mode selective optical cavities and the quantum radiation pressure noise of suspended mirrors. These metrics and related analysis are broadly applicable for cavity-enhanced optomechanics experiments that incorporate external squeezing, and -- for the first time -- give physical descriptions of every feature so far observed in the quantum noise of the LIGO detectors

Sensitivity and performance of the Advanced LIGO detectors in the third observing run

On April 1st, 2019, the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (aLIGO), joined by the Advanced Virgo detector, began the third observing run, a year-long dedicated search for gravitational radiation. The LIGO detectors have achieved a higher duty cycle and greater sensitivity to gravitational waves than ever before, with LIGO Hanford achieving angle-averaged sensitivity to binary neutron star coalescences to a distance of 111 Mpc, and LIGO Livingston to 134 Mpc with duty factors of 74.6% and 77.0% respectively. The improvement in sensitivity and stability is a result of several upgrades to the detectors, including doubled intracavity power, the addition of an in-vacuum optical parametric oscillator for squeezed-light injection, replacement of core optics and end reaction masses, and installation of acoustic mode dampers. This paper explores the purposes behind these upgrades, and explains to the best of our knowledge the noise currently limiting the sensitivity of each detector

Point absorbers in Advanced LIGO

Small, highly absorbing points are randomly present on the surfaces of the main interferometer optics in Advanced LIGO. The resulting nanometer scale thermo-elastic deformations and substrate lenses from these micron-scale absorbers significantly reduce the sensitivity of the interferometer directly though a reduction in the power-recycling gain and indirect interactions with the feedback control system. We review the expected surface deformation from point absorbers and provide a pedagogical description of the impact on power buildup in second generation gravitational wave detectors (dual-recycled Fabry–Perot Michelson interferometers). This analysis predicts that the power-dependent reduction in interferometer performance will significantly degrade maximum stored power by up to 50% and, hence, limit GW sensitivity, but it suggests system wide corrections that can be implemented in current and future GW detectors. This is particularly pressing given that future GW detectors call for an order of magnitude more stored power than currently used in Advanced LIGO in Observing Run 3. We briefly review strategies to mitigate the effects of point absorbers in current and future GW wave detectors to maximize the success of these enterprises

Environmental Noise in Advanced LIGO Detectors

The sensitivity of the Advanced LIGO detectors to gravitational waves can be affected by environmental disturbances external to the detectors themselves. Since the transition from the former initial LIGO phase, many improvements have been made to the equipment and techniques used to investigate these environmental effects. These methods have aided in tracking down and mitigating noise sources throughout the first three observing runs of the advanced detector era, keeping the ambient contribution of environmental noise below the background noise levels of the detectors. In this paper we describe the methods used and how they have led to the mitigation of noise sources, the role that environmental monitoring has played in the validation of gravitational wave events, and plans for future observing runs

Sensitivity and Performance of the Advanced LIGO Detectors in the Third Observing Run

On April 1st, 2019, the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (aLIGO), joined by the Advanced Virgo detector, began the third observing run, a year-long dedicated search for gravitational radiation. The LIGO detectors have achieved a higher duty cycle and greater sensitivity to gravitational waves than ever before, with LIGO Hanford achieving angle-averaged sensitivity to binary neutron star coalescences to a distance of 111 Mpc, and LIGO Livingston to 134 Mpc with duty factors of 74.6% and 77.0% respectively. The improvement in sensitivity and stability is a result of several upgrades to the detectors, including doubled intracavity power, the addition of an in-vacuum optical parametric oscillator for squeezed-light injection, replacement of core optics and end reaction masses, and installation of acoustic mode dampers. This paper explores the purposes behind these upgrades, and explains to the best of our knowledge the noise currently limiting the sensitivity of each detector.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures. v2 edits: minor wording changes, author additions, and grayscale-friendly figure