Phenomenology of a light scalar: the dilaton

We make use of the language of non-linear realizations to analyze electro-weak symmetry breaking scenarios in which a light dilaton emerges from the breaking of a nearly conformal strong dynamics, and compare the phenomenology of the dilaton to that of the well motivated light composite Higgs scenario. We argue that -- in addition to departures in the decay/production rates into massless gauge bosons mediated by the conformal anomaly -- characterizing features of the light dilaton scenario (as well as other scenarios admitting a light CP-even scalar not directly related to the breaking of the electro-weak symmetry) are off-shell events at high invariant mass involving two longitudinally polarized vector bosons and a dilaton, and tree-level flavor violating processes. Accommodating both electro-weak precision measurements and flavor constraints appears especially challenging in the ambiguous scenario in which the Higgs and the dilaton fields strongly mix. We show that warped higgsless models of electro-weak symmetry breaking are explicit and tractable realizations of this limiting case. The relation between the naive radion profile often adopted in the study of holographic realizations of the light dilaton scenario and the actual dynamical dilaton field is clarified in the Appendix.Comment: 21 page

Set-up of a multi wavelength polar photometer for off-line absorption coefficient measurements on 1-h resolved aerosol samples

In this paper, a polar photometer (PP_UniMI) was set up to measure the aerosol absorption coefficient (\u3c3ap) at four wavelengths (\u3bb) on 1-h resolved aerosol samples collected using a streaker sampler. Due to the characteristics of such samples (small deposit area, low aerosol load, and limited substrate thickness 12 10 \u3bcm), the main technical developments aimed at reaching suitable limits of detection (LODs). To this aim, multiple scattering between the sample and a suitable substrate were exploited to amplify the system sensitivity to absorbing particle load. In the paper, the development and test of this innovative approach is presented. LODs for \u3c3ap in the range 5.0\u201311.6 Mm 121 were reached, depending on the wavelength. Such values were suitable for the analysis of 1-hour resolved samples collected at an urban background site in Milan (Italy) during a test campaign of 1-week carried out in winter 2015. The methodology was validated comparing \u3c3ap measurements performed by PP_UniMI at \u3bb=635 nm on the streaker sample to the data obtained by a Multi-Angle Absorption Photometer (MAAP) operated in parallel. Agreement within 10% was found. To check the results obtained at other wavelengths, \uc5ngstr\uf6m Absorption Exponent (AAE) was calculated from \u3c3ap measurements at 4-\u3bb. The AAE values resulted in the range of expectations for aerosol emitted by fossil fuel combustion (0.8\u20131.2) and wood burning (0.9\u20133.5), which are the main sources contributing to absorbing aerosol in urban areas in winter. The analytical methodology can be extended to samples collected with high time resolution using other high-time resolution samplers (e.g. drum rotating impactors). This is \u2013 as far as we know \u2013 the first time that \u3c3ap measurements are performed on streaker samples collected with 1-h resolution. Our results thus set PP_UniMI as an important tool for the community performing high time resolved sampling to widen the characterisation of such samples and to further develop source apportionment studies

PIXE and ToF-SIMS analysis of streaker samplers filters

This paper presents methodological innovations introduced in the characterisation of urban aerosol collected in Italy in a recent campaign. Two complementary ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques were used to analyse Nuclepore filters used in continuous streaker samplers to collect airborne particles in four Italian towns. Na to Pb elemental concentrations were obtained by particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), while time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) produced, on the same samples, time trends for several elements and molecular fragments. In addition, light attenuation measurements were used as a tracer for black carbon. The data produced by these three techniques was merged into a unique data set to address the characterisation of particulate matter sources. Correlations between elemental concentration trends (PIXE) and relative trends for molecular fragments (ToF-SIMS) and black carbon (light attenuation) have been studied by cluster and principal component analysis

Distribution of Relaxation Times Based on Lasso Regression: A Tool for High-Resolution Analysis of IMPS Data in Photoelectrochemical Systems

Intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) has been largely employed in semiconductor characterization for solar energy conversion devices to probe the operando behavior with widely available facilities. However, the implementation of IMPS data analysis to complex structures, whether based on the physical rate constant model (RCM) or the assumption-free distribution of relaxation times (DRT), is generally limited to a semi-quantitative description of the charge carrier kinetics of the system. In this study, a new algorithm for the analysis of IMPS data is developed, providing unprecedented time resolution to the investigation of μs to s charge carrier dynamics in semiconductor-based systems used in photoelectrochemistry and photovoltaics. The algorithm, based on the previously developed DRT analysis, is herein modified with a Lasso regression method and available to the reader free of charge. A validation of this new algorithm is performed on a α-Fe2O3 photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting, identified as a standard platform in the field, highlighting multiple potential-dependent charge transfer paths, otherwise hidden in the conventional IMPS data analysis

Compressing deep-quaternion neural networks with targeted regularisation

In recent years, hyper-complex deep networks (such as complex-valued and quaternion-valued neural networks - QVNNs) have received a renewed interest in the literature. They find applications in multiple fields, ranging from image reconstruction to 3D audio processing. Similar to their real-valued counterparts, quaternion neural networks require custom regularisation strategies to avoid overfitting. In addition, for many real-world applications and embedded implementations, there is the need of designing sufficiently compact networks, with few weights and neurons. However, the problem of regularising and/or sparsifying QVNNs has not been properly addressed in the literature as of now. In this study, the authors show how to address both problems by designing targeted regularisation strategies, which can minimise the number of connections and neurons of the network during training. To this end, they investigate two extensions of l1and structured regularisations to the quaternion domain. In the authors' experimental evaluation, they show that these tailored strategies significantly outperform classical (realvalued) regularisation approaches, resulting in small networks especially suitable for low-power and real-time applications

Potential and challenges of improving photosynthesis in algae

Sunlight energy largely exceeds the energy required by anthropic activities, and therefore its exploitation represents a major target in the field of renewable energies. The interest in the mass cultivation of green microalgae has grown in the last decades, as algal biomass could be employed to cover a significant portion of global energy demand. Advantages of microalgal vs. plant biomass production include higher light‐use efficiency, efficient carbon capture and the valorization of marginal lands and wastewaters. Realization of this potential requires a decrease of the current production costs, which can be obtained by increasing the productivity of the most common industrial strains, by the identification of factors limiting biomass yield, and by removing bottlenecks, namely through domestication strategies aimed to fill the gap between the theoretical and real productivity of algal cultures. In particular, the light‐to‐biomass conversion efficiency represents one of the major constraints for achieving a significant improvement of algal cell lines. This review outlines the molecular events of photosynthesis, which regulate the conversion of light into biomass, and discusses how these can be targeted to enhance productivity through mutagenesis, strain selection or genetic engineering. This review highlights the most recent results in the manipulation of the fundamental mechanisms of algal photosynthesis, which revealed that a significant yield enhancement is feasible. Moreover, metabolic engineering of microalgae, focused upon the development of renewable fuel biorefineries, has also drawn attention and resulted in efforts for enhancing productivity of oil or isoprenoids

Central equatorial Pacific zonal currents. II: The seasonal cycle and the boreal spring surface eastward surge

The seasonally averaged zonal momentum equation tendencies at 140W are studied in a high-resolution primitive equation ocean general circulation model simulation of the tropical Pacific. The model experiment, forced by climatological monthly average wind-stress, reproduces well the observed boreal springtime eastward surge of the normally westward surface flow, as well as many features of the acceleration and deceleration between the surface and 200 m between January and October. We present each of the zonal momentum equation tendency terms for the depth range 0-160 m, but our discussion focuses on the behavior of the boreal springtime near-surface flow, perhaps the most distinctive feature of the seasonal cycle. The eastward surface surge in boreal spring depends crucially on the springtime weakening of the otherwise westward tendency from tropical instability waves (TIWs). The TIW effects, together with the eastward tendency from the seasonal weakening of the easterly wind-stress, drive the eastward surface current surge. Although the \u27negative viscosity\u27 effect of the TIWs is small in the annual mean, as we have previously shown, its seasonal variation is necessary to the surface flow reversal and eastward surge in this model. A series of experiments, each with weaker TIWs than its predecessor, shows a progressive weakening and eventual absence of springtime eastward surface flow, supporting the above analysis. The seasonal zonal velocity accelerations and decelerations are small compared with the terms in the zonal momentum equation; these terms must be known to an accuracy of at least 10 cm s-1 month-1 (2-5% of the largest terms) if a meaningful budget is to be obtained. This is a strong constraint that must be planned for in future observational studies. We find that nonlinear terms are O (1) in the vertically-integrated balance as well as the local balance, in contrast with some recent observational estimates. Extrapolated velocity errors, neglected terms, data processing assumptions, and crude finite-differencing in the observational studies may account for the differences, as appeared to be the case in the annual mean balances. The model dynamical balances cannot be reproduced if the methods used to analyze observational data are applied to the model output fields. Very near-surface currents must be measured rather than extrapolated if the ocean shear is similar to that of the model flows