Properties of Foreshocks and Aftershocks of the Non-Conservative SOC Olami-Feder-Christensen Model: Triggered or Critical Earthquakes?

Following Hergarten and Neugebauer [2002] who discovered aftershock and foreshock sequences in the Olami-Feder-Christensen (OFC) discrete block-spring earthquake model, we investigate to what degree the simple toppling mechanism of this model is sufficient to account for the properties of earthquake clustering in time and space. Our main finding is that synthetic catalogs generated by the OFC model share practically all properties of real seismicity at a qualitative level, with however significant quantitative differences. We find that OFC catalogs can be in large part described by the concept of triggered seismicity but the properties of foreshocks depend on the mainshock magnitude, in qualitative agreement with the critical earthquake model and in disagreement with simple models of triggered seismicity such as the Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model [Ogata, 1988]. Many other features of OFC catalogs can be reproduced with the ETAS model with a weaker clustering than real seismicity, i.e. for a very small average number of triggered earthquakes of first generation per mother-earthquake.Comment: revtex, 19 pages, 8 eps figure

Evidence for strong relations between the upper Tagus loess formation (central Iberia) and the marine atmosphere off the Iberian margin during the last glacial period

During glacial times, the North Atlantic region was affected by serious climate changes corresponding to Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles that were linked to dramatic shifts in sea temperature and moisture transfer to the continents. However, considerable efforts are still needed to understand the effects of these shifts on terrestrial environments. In this context, the Iberian Peninsula is particularly interesting because of its close proximity to the North Atlantic, although the Iberian interior lacks paleoenvironmental information so far because suitable archives are rare. Here we provide an accurate impression of the last glacial environmental developments in central Iberia based on comprehensive investigations using the upper Tagus loess record. A multi-proxy approach revealed that phases of loess formation during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 (and upper MIS 3) were linked to utmost aridity, coldness, and highest wind strengths in line with the most intense Greenland stadials also including Heinrich Events 3–1. Lack of loess deposition during the global last glacial maximum (LGM) suggests milder conditions, which agrees with less-cold sea surface temperatures (SST) off the Iberian margin. Our results demonstrate that geomorphological system behavior in central Iberia is highly sensitive to North Atlantic SST fluctuations, thus enabling us to reconstruct a detailed hydrological model in relation to marine–atmospheric circulation patterns

Reverse Detection of Short-Term Earthquake Precursors

We introduce a new approach to short-term earthquake prediction based on the concept of selforganization of seismically active fault networks. That approach is named "Reverse Detection of Precursors" (RDP), since it considers precursors in reverse order of their appearance. This makes it possible to detect precursors undetectable by direct analysis. Possible mechanisms underlying RDP are outlined. RDP is described with a concrete example: we consider as short-term precursors the newly introduced chains of earthquakes reflecting the rise of an earthquake correlation range; and detect (retrospectively) such chains a few months before two prominent Californian earthquakes - Landers, 1992, M = 7.6, and Hector Mine, 1999, M = 7.3, with one false alarm. Similar results (described elsewhere) are obtained by RDP for 21 more strong earthquakes in California (M >= 6.4), Japan (M >= 7.0) and the Eastern Mediterranean (M >= 6.5). Validation of the RDP approach requires, as always, prediction in advance for which this study sets up a base. We have the first case of advance prediction; it was reported before Tokachi-oki earthquake (near Hokkaido island, Japan), Sept. 25, 2003, M = 8.1. RDP has potentially important applications to other precursors and to prediction of other critical phenomena besides earthquakes. In particular, it might vindicate some short-term precursors, previously rejected as giving too many false alarms.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure

On the broken gauge, conformal and discrete symmetries in particle physics

Relationships between gauge, conformal and discrete symmetries in particle physics are analysed. We study also the effect of the electroweak mixing on the cancellation of SU(2) anomalous actions. It is shown that the relation theta_{W} = 2(theta_{12}+theta_{23}+theta_{13}) between the Weinberg angle and the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angles should be satisfied and this effect is completely defined by the mixing of Dirac fermions. We compare two mechanisms of the spontaneous breaking of gauge symmetry, discuss the renormalizability of theories, and argue for the existence of the Majorana fermions necessary to remove the SU(2) anomalous action. The fate of the majoron and the spontaneously broken lepton number is discussed. We also show the compatibility of the boson and fermion mixings with Dyson-Schwinger equations.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX style; v2: published version, two figures adde

Application of Jain and Munczek's bound-state approach to gamma gamma-processes of pi0, eta_c and eta_b

We point out the problems affecting most quark--antiquark bound state approaches when they are faced with the electromagnetic processes dominated by Abelian axial anomaly. However, these problems are resolved in the consistently coupled Schwinger-Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter approach. Using one of the most successful variants of this approach, we find the dynamically dressed propagators of the light u and d quarks, as well as the heavy c and b quarks, and find the Bethe-Salpeter amplitudes for their bound states pi0, eta_c and \eta_b. Thanks to incorporating the dynamical chiral symmetry breaking, the pion simultaneously appears as the (pseudo)Goldstone boson. We give the theoretical predictions for the gamma-gamma decay widths of pi0, eta_c and eta_b, and for the pi0 gamma* -> gamma transition form factor, and compare them with experiment. In the chiral limit, the axial-anomaly result for pi0->gamma-gamma is reproduced analytically in the consistently coupled Schwinger-Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter approach, provided that the quark-photon vertex is dressed consistently with the quark propagator, so that the vector Ward-Takahashi identity of QED is obeyed. On the other hand, the present approach is also capable of quantitatively describing systems of heavy quarks, concretely eta_c and possibly eta_b, and their gamma-gamma decays. We discuss the reasons for the broad phenomenological success of the bound-state approach of Jain and Munczek.Comment: RevTeX, 37 pages, 7 eps figures, submitted to Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Results from 730 kg days of the CRESST-II Dark Matter Search

The CRESST-II cryogenic Dark Matter search, aiming at detection of WIMPs via elastic scattering off nuclei in CaWO$_4$ crystals, completed 730 kg days of data taking in 2011. We present the data collected with eight detector modules, each with a two-channel readout; one for a phonon signal and the other for coincidently produced scintillation light. The former provides a precise measure of the energy deposited by an interaction, and the ratio of scintillation light to deposited energy can be used to discriminate different types of interacting particles and thus to distinguish possible signal events from the dominant backgrounds. Sixty-seven events are found in the acceptance region where a WIMP signal in the form of low energy nuclear recoils would be expected. We estimate background contributions to this observation from four sources: 1) "leakage" from the e/\gamma-band 2) "leakage" from the \alpha-particle band 3) neutrons and 4) Pb-206 recoils from Po-210 decay. Using a maximum likelihood analysis, we find, at a high statistical significance, that these sources alone are not sufficient to explain the data. The addition of a signal due to scattering of relatively light WIMPs could account for this discrepancy, and we determine the associated WIMP parameters.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figure

Dragon-kings: mechanisms, statistical methods and empirical evidence

This introductory article presents the special Discussion and Debate volume "From black swans to dragon-kings, is there life beyond power laws?" published in Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics in May 2012. We summarize and put in perspective the contributions into three main themes: (i) mechanisms for dragon-kings, (ii) detection of dragon-kings and statistical tests and (iii) empirical evidence in a large variety of natural and social systems. Overall, we are pleased to witness significant advances both in the introduction and clarification of underlying mechanisms and in the development of novel efficient tests that demonstrate clear evidence for the presence of dragon-kings in many systems. However, this positive view should be balanced by the fact that this remains a very delicate and difficult field, if only due to the scarcity of data as well as the extraordinary important implications with respect to hazard assessment, risk control and predictability.Comment: 20 page

The CRESST II Dark Matter Search

Direct Dark Matter detection with cryodetectors is briefly discussed, with particular mention of the possibility of the identification of the recoil nucleus. Preliminary results from the CREEST II Dark Matter search, with 730 kg-days of data, are presented. Major backgrounds and methods of identifying and dealing with them are indicated.Comment: Talk at DSU workshop, ITP Beijing, Oct. 2011. 9 figures, 2 table