2,091 research outputs found
Towards operational measures of computer security
Ideally, a measure of the security of a system should capture quantitatively the intuitive notion of ‘the ability of the system to resist attack’. That is, it should be operational, reflecting the degree to which the system can be expected to remain free of security breaches under particular conditions of operation (including attack). Instead, current security levels at best merely reflect the extensiveness of safeguards introduced during the design and development of a system. Whilst we might expect a system developed to a higher level than another to exhibit ‘more secure behaviour’ in operation, this cannot be guaranteed; more particularly, we cannot infer what the actual security behaviour will be from knowledge of such a level. In the paper we discuss similarities between reliability and security with the intention of working towards measures of ‘operational security’ similar to those that we have for reliability of systems. Very informally, these measures could involve expressions such as the rate of occurrence of security breaches (cf rate of occurrence of failures in reliability), or the probability that a specified ‘mission’ can be accomplished without a security breach (cf reliability function). This new approach is based on the analogy between system failure and security breach. A number of other analogies to support this view are introduced. We examine this duality critically, and have identified a number of important open questions that need to be answered before this quantitative approach can be taken further. The work described here is therefore somewhat tentative, and one of our major intentions is to invite discussion about the plausibility and feasibility of this new approach
Thermal Rounding of the Charge Density Wave Depinning Transition
The rounding of the charge density wave depinning transition by thermal noise
is examined. Hops by localized modes over small barriers trigger
``avalanches'', resulting in a creep velocity much larger than that expected
from comparing thermal energies with typical barriers. For a field equal to the
depinning field, the creep velocity is predicted to have a {\em
power-law} dependence on the temperature ; numerical computations confirm
this result. The predicted order of magnitude of the thermal rounding of the
depinning transition is consistent with rounding seen in experiment.Comment: 12 pages + 3 Postscript figure
Patterns of coexisting superconducting and particle-hole condensates
We have studied systematically the influence of particle-hole symmetric and
asymmetric kinetic terms on the ordered phases that we may observe competing or
coexisting in a tetragonal system. We show that there are precise patterns of
triplets of ordered phases that are accessible (i.e. it is impossible to
observe two of them without the third one). We found a systematic way to
predict these patterns of states and tested it by identifying at least 16
different patterns of three order parameters that necessarily coexist in the
presence of the kinetic terms. We show that there are two types of general
equations governing the competition of all these triplets of order parameters
and we provide them.Comment: Published versio
Unit hydrograph characterization of flow regimes leading to a streamflow estimation in ungauged catchments (regionalization)
Quantum Monte Carlo results for bipolaron stability in quantum dots
Bipolaron formation in a two-dimensional lattice with harmonic confinement,
representing a simplified model for a quantum dot, is investigated by means of
quantum Monte Carlo simulations. This method treats all interactions exactly
and takes into account quantum lattice fluctuations. Calculations of the
bipolaron binding energy reveal that confinement opposes bipolaron formation
for weak electron-phonon coupling, but abets a bound state at intermediate to
strong coupling. Tuning the system from weak to strong confinement gives rise
to a small reduction of the minimum Frohlich coupling parameter for the
existence of a bound state.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, final version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Angular distribution of photoluminescence as a probe of Bose Condensation of trapped excitons
Recent experiments on two-dimensional exciton systems have shown the excitons
collect in shallow in-plane traps. We find that Bose condensation in a trap
results in a dramatic change of the exciton photoluminescence (PL) angular
distribution. The long-range coherence of the condensed state gives rise to a
sharply focussed peak of radiation in the direction normal to the plane. By
comparing the PL profile with and without Bose Condensation we provide a simple
diagnostic for the existence of a Bose condensate. The PL peak has strong
temperature dependence due to the thermal order parameter phase fluctuations
across the system. The angular PL distribution can also be used for imaging
vortices in the trapped condensate. Vortex phase spatial variation leads to
destructive interference of PL radiation in certain directions, creating nodes
in the PL distribution that imprint the vortex configuration.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
High-pressure spin shifts in the pseudogap regime of superconducting YBa2Cu4O8 as revealed by 17O NMR
A new NMR anvil cell design is used for measuring the influence of high
pressure on the electronic properties of the high-temperature superconductor
YBaCuO above the superconducting transition temperature . It is found that pressure increases the spin shift at all temperatures in
such a way that the pseudo-gap feature has almost disappeared at 63 kbar. This
change of the temperature dependent spin susceptibility can be explained by a
pressure induced proportional decrease (factor of two) of a temperature
dependent component, and an increase (factor of 9) of a temperature independent
component, contrary to the effects of increasing doping. The results
demonstrate that one can use anvil cell NMR to investigate the tuning of the
electronic properties of correlated electronic materials with pressure.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Magnetic polarons and magnetoresistance in EuB6
EuB6 is a low carrier density ferromagnet which exhibits large
magnetoresistance, positive or negative depending on temperature. The formation
of magnetic polarons just above the magnetic critical temperature has been
suggested by spin-flip Raman scattering experiments. We find that the fact that
EuB6 is a semimetal has to be taken into account to explain its electronic
properties, including magnetic polarons and magnetoresistance.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur
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