Fermion Generations and Mixing from Dualized Standard Model

We review a possible solution to the fermion generation puzzle based on a nonabelian generalization of electric--magnetic duality derived some years ago. This nonabelian duality implies the existence of another SU(3) symmetry dual to colour, which is necessarily broken when colour is confined and so can play the role of the ``horizontal'' symmetry for fermion generations. When thus identified, dual colour then predicts 3 and only 3 fermion generations, besides suggesting a special Higgs mechanism for breaking the generation symmetry. A phenomenological model with a Higgs potential and a Yukawa coupling constructed on these premises is shown to explain immediately all the salient qualitative features of the fermion mass hierarchy and mixing pattern, excepting for the moment CP-violation. Calculations already carried out to 1-loop order is shown to give with only 3 adjustable parameters the following quantities all to within present experimental error: all 9 CKM matrix elements $|V_{rs}|$ for quarks, the neutrino oscillation angles or the MNS lepton mixing matrix elements $|U_{\mu 3}|, |U_{e 3}|$, and the mass ratios $m_c/m_t, m_s/m_b, m_\mu/m_\tau$. The special feature of this model crucial for deriving the above results is a fermion mass matrix which changes its orientation (rotates) in generation space with changing energy scale, a feature which is shown to have direct empirical support.Comment: updated version of course of lectures given at the 42nd Cracow School of Theoretical Physics, 2002, Polan

A Solution of the Strong CP Problem Transforming the theta-angle to the KM CP-violating Phase

It is shown that in the scheme with a rotating fermion mass matrix (i.e. one with a scale-dependent orientation in generation space) suggested earlier for explaining fermion mixing and mass hierarchy, the theta-angle term in the QCD action of topological origin can be eliminated by chiral transformations, while giving still nonzero masses to all quarks. Instead, the effects of such transformations get transmitted by the rotation to the CKM matrix as the KM phase giving, for $\theta$ of order unity, a Jarlskog invariant typically of order $10^{-5}$ as experimentally observed. Strong and weak CP violations appear then as just two facets of the same phenomenon.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure

The evaluation of partial binocular overlap on car maneuverability: A pilot study

An engineering approach to enlarge the helmet mounted display (HMD) field of view (FOV) and maintain resolution and weight by partially overlapping the binocular FOV has received renewed interest among human factors scientists. It is evident, based on the brief literature review, that any panoramic display with a binocular overlap, less than a minimum amount, annoys the viewer, degrades performance, and elicits undesirable behavior. The major finding is that across the 60 deg conditions, subjects moved their heads a greater distance (by about 5 degs on each side) than in the 180 deg condition, presumably to compensate for the lack of FOV. It is quite clear that the study, based on simple car maneuverability and two subjects, reveals differences in FOV, but nothing significant between binocular overlap levels and configurations. This tentatively indicates that some tradeoffs of binocular vision for a larger overall display FOV are acceptable

New Angle on the Strong CP and Chiral Symmetry Problems from a Rotating Mass Matrix

It is shown that when the mass matrix changes in orientation (rotates) in generation space for changing energy scale, then the masses of the lower generations are not given just by its eigenvalues. In particular, these masses need not be zero even when the eigenvalues are zero. In that case, the strong CP problem can be avoided by removing the unwanted $\theta$ term by a chiral transformation in no contradiction with the nonvanishing quark masses experimentally observed. Similarly, a rotating mass matrix may shed new light on the problem of chiral symmetry breaking. That the fermion mass matrix may so rotate with scale has been suggested before as a possible explanation for up-down fermion mixing and fermion mass hierarchy, giving results in good agreement with experiment.Comment: 14 page

Web-based Remote Sensing Applications and Java Tools for Environmental Monitoring

This paper introduces a web-based remote sensing application which can provide advanced image comparison and processing functions for natural habitat conservation and environmental monitoring. This project is one of several NASA Affiliated Research Center (ARC) projects being developed at San Diego State University in response to NASA\u27s Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) Focus Area program. This project utilized Java programming and commercial Internet Map Server technology to provide integrated web-based analytical capabilities to regional government agencies and park services. A prototype website (http://map.sdsu.edu/arc) was established to demonstrate the on-line analytical functions and potential operational applications for environmental monitoring and habitat managers. The web-based prototype was tested and evaluated by several user groups, including park rangers, graduate students, and GIS professionals. Users\u27 feedback indicated that the Java-based tools and Internet Map Servers can provide a flexible way to access both remote sensing data and geospatial analytical tools for environmental monitoring tasks

On the Corner Elements of the CKM and PMNS Matrices

Recent experiments show that the top-right corner element ($U_{e3}$) of the PMNS, like that ($V_{ub}$) of the CKM, matrix is small but nonzero, and suggest further via unitarity that it is smaller than the bottom-left corner element ($U_{\tau 1}$), again as in the CKM case ($V_{ub} < V_{td}$). An attempt in explaining these facts would seem an excellent test for any model of the mixing phenomenon. Here, it is shown that if to the assumption of a universal rank-one mass matrix, long favoured by phenomenologists, one adds that this matrix rotates with scale, then it follows that (A) by inputting the mass ratios $m_c/m_t, m_s/m_b, m_\mu/m_\tau$, and $m_2/m_3$, (i) the corner elements are small but nonzero, (ii) $V_{ub} < V_{td}$, $U_{e 3} < U_{\tau 1}$, (iii) estimates result for the ratios $V_{ub}/V_{td}$ and $U_{e 3}/U_{\tau 1}$, and (B) by inputting further the experimental values of $V_{us}, V_{tb}$ and $U_{e2},U_{\mu 3}$, (iv) estimates result for the values of the corner elements themselves. All the inequalities and estimates obtained are consistent with present data to within expectation for the approximations made.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, updated with new experimental data and more detail

Closed-loop carrier phase synchronization techniques motivated by likelihood functions

This article reexamines the notion of closed-loop carrier phase synchronization motivated by the theory of maximum a posteriori phase estimation with emphasis on the development of new structures based on both maximum-likelihood and average-likelihood functions. The criterion of performance used for comparison of all the closed-loop structures discussed is the mean-squared phase error for a fixed-loop bandwidth