Aquila X--1: a low inclination soft X-ray transient

We have obtained I-band photometry of the neutron star X-ray transient Aql X--1 during quiescence. We find a periodicity at 2.487 cd-1, which we interpret as twice the orbital frequency (19.30+/-0.05 h). Folding the data on the orbital period, we model the light curve variations as the ellipsoidal modulation of the secondary star. We determine the binary inclination to be 20--31 degrees (90 per cent confidence) and also 95 per cent upper limits to the radial velocity semi-amplitude and rotational broadening of the secondary star to be 117 kms-1 and 50 kms-1 respectively.Comment: 4 pages text, 3 figures, to appear in MNRA

Low-Frequency Quantum Oscillations due to Strong Electron Correlations

The normal-state energy spectrum of the two-dimensional $t$-$J$ model in a homogeneous perpendicular magnetic field is investigated. The density of states at the Fermi level as a function of the inverse magnetic field $\frac{1}{B}$ reveals oscillations in the range of hole concentrations $0.08<x<0.18$. The oscillations have both high- and low-frequency components. The former components are connected with large Fermi surfaces, while the latter with van Hove singularities in the Landau subbands, which traverse the Fermi level with changing $B$. The singularities are related to bending the Landau subbands due to strong electron correlations. Frequencies of these components are of the same order of magnitude as quantum oscillation frequencies observed in underdoped cuprates.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, Proc. NSS-2013, Yalta. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1308.056

Experimental recovery of a qubit from partial collapse

We describe and implement a method to restore the state of a single qubit, in principle perfectly, after it has partially collapsed. The method resembles the classical Hahn spin-echo, but works on a wider class of relaxation processes, in which the quantum state partially leaves the computational Hilbert space. It is not guaranteed to work every time, but successful outcomes are heralded. We demonstrate using a single trapped ion better performance from this recovery method than can be obtained employing projection and post-selection alone. The demonstration features a novel qubit implementation that permits both partial collapse and coherent manipulations with high fidelity.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Nonextensive hydrodynamics for relativistic heavy-ion collisions

The nonextensive one-dimensional version of a hydrodynamical model for multiparticle production processes is proposed and discussed. It is based on nonextensive statistics assumed in the form proposed by Tsallis and characterized by a nonextensivity parameter $q$. In this formulation the parameter $q$ characterizes some specific form of local equilibrium which is characteristic for the nonextensive thermodynamics and which replaces the usual local thermal equilibrium assumption of the usual hydrodynamical models. We argue that there is correspondence between the perfect nonextensive hydrodynamics and the usual dissipative hydrodynamics. It leads to simple expression for dissipative entropy current and allows for predictions for the ratio of bulk and shear viscosities to entropy density, $\zeta/s$ and $\eta/s$, to be made.Comment: Final version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Relativistic diffusion

We discuss a relativistic diffusion in the proper time in an approach of Schay and Dudley. We derive (Langevin) stochastic differential equations in various coordinates.We show that in some coordinates the stochastic differential equations become linear. We obtain momentum probability distribution in an explicit form.We discuss a relativistic particle diffusing in an external electromagnetic field. We solve the Langevin equations in the case of parallel electric and magnetic fields. We derive a kinetic equation for the evolution of the probability distribution.We discuss drag terms leading to an equilibrium distribution.The relativistic analog of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process is not unique. We show that if the drag comes from a diffusion approximation to the master equation then its form is strongly restricted. The drag leading to the Tsallis equilibrium distribution satisfies this restriction whereas the one of the Juettner distribution does not. We show that any function of the relativistic energy can be the equilibrium distribution for a particle in a static electric field. A preliminary study of the time evolution with friction is presented. It is shown that the problem is equivalent to quantum mechanics of a particle moving on a hyperboloid with a potential determined by the drag. A relation to diffusions appearing in heavy ion collisions is briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages,some numerical factors correcte

New Talent Signals: Shiny New Objects or a Brave New World?

Almost 20 years after McKinsey introduced the idea of a war for talent, technology is disrupting the talent identification industry. From smartphone profiling apps to workplace big data, the digital revolution has produced a wide range of new tools for making quick and cheap inferences about human potential and predicting future work performance. However, academic industrial–organizational (I-O) psychologists appear to be mostly spectators. Indeed, there is little scientific research on innovative assessment methods, leaving human resources (HR) practitioners with no credible evidence to evaluate the utility of such tools. To this end, this article provides an overview of new talent identification tools, using traditional workplace assessment methods as the organizing framework for classifying and evaluating new tools, which are largely technologically enhanced versions of traditional methods. We highlight some opportunities and challenges for I-O psychology practitioners interested in exploring and improving these innovations

Anomalous electronic Raman scattering in Na_xCoO_2 H_2O

Raman scattering experiments on Na_{x}CoO_2 yH_2O single crystals show a broad electronic continuum with a pronounced peak around 100 cm-1 and a cutoff at approximately 560 cm-1over a wide range of doping levels. The electronic Raman spectra in superconducting and non-superconducting samples are similar at room temperature, but evolve in markedly different ways with decreasing temperature. For superconducting samples, the low-energy spectral weight is depleted upon cooling below T* sim 150K, indicating a opening of a pseudogap that is not present in non-superconducting materials. Weak additional phonon modes observed below T* suggest that the pseudogap is associated with charge ordering.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, for further information see www.peter-lemmens.d

Evidence for ammonium-bearing minerals in Ceres

Evidence for ammonium-bearing minerals was found on the surface of the largest asteroid Ceres. The presence of ammonium-bearing clays suggests that Ceres has experienced a period of alteration by substantial amounts of an ammonium-bearing fluid. The presence of the ammonium-bearing clays does not preclude Ceres maintaining a volatile inventory in the core or in a volatile-rich zone at some distance below the surface. Telescopic observations of Ceres, using the 3.0 meter NASA Infrared telescope facility prompted this reevaluation of its surface mineralogy

One-loop approximation for the Heisenberg antiferromagnet

We use the diagram technique for spin operators to calculate Green's functions and observables of the spin-1/2 quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a square lattice. The first corrections to the self-energy and interaction are taken into account in the chain diagrams. The approximation reproduces main results of Takahashi's modified spin-wave theory [Phys. Rev. B 40, 2494 (1989)] and is applicable in a wider temperature range. The energy per spin calculated in this approximation is in good agreement with the Monte Carlo and small-cluster exact-diagonalization calculations in the range 0 <= T < 1.2J where J is the exchange constant. For the static uniform susceptibility the agreement is good for T < 0.6J and becomes somewhat worse for higher temperatures. Nevertheless the approximation is able to reproduce the maximum in the temperature dependence of the susceptibility near T = 0.9J.Comment: 15 pages, 6 ps figure