Transition times and stochastic resonance for multidimensional diffusions with time periodic drift: A large deviations approach

We consider potential type dynamical systems in finite dimensions with two meta-stable states. They are subject to two sources of perturbation: a slow external periodic perturbation of period $T$ and a small Gaussian random perturbation of intensity $\epsilon$, and, therefore, are mathematically described as weakly time inhomogeneous diffusion processes. A system is in stochastic resonance, provided the small noisy perturbation is tuned in such a way that its random trajectories follow the exterior periodic motion in an optimal fashion, that is, for some optimal intensity $\epsilon (T)$. The physicists' favorite, measures of quality of periodic tuning--and thus stochastic resonance--such as spectral power amplification or signal-to-noise ratio, have proven to be defective. They are not robust w.r.t. effective model reduction, that is, for the passage to a simplified finite state Markov chain model reducing the dynamics to a pure jumping between the meta-stable states of the original system. An entirely probabilistic notion of stochastic resonance based on the transition dynamics between the domains of attraction of the meta-stable states--and thus failing to suffer from this robustness defect--was proposed before in the context of one-dimensional diffusions. It is investigated for higher-dimensional systems here, by using extensions and refinements of the Freidlin--Wentzell theory of large deviations for time homogeneous diffusions. Large deviations principles developed for weakly time inhomogeneous diffusions prove to be key tools for a treatment of the problem of diffusion exit from a domain and thus for the approach of stochastic resonance via transition probabilities between meta-stable sets.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/105051606000000385 in the Annals of Applied Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aap/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Testing explosive bubbles with time-varying volatility

This paper considers the problem of testing for an explosive bubble in financial data in the presence of time-varying volatility. We propose a weighted least squares-based variant of the Phillips, Wu and Yu (2011) test for explosive autoregressive behaviour. We find that such an approach has appealing asymptotic power properties, with the potential to deliver substantially greater power than the established OLS-based approach for many volatility and bubble settings. Given that the OLS-based test can outperform the weighted least squares-based test for other volatility and bubble specifications, we also suggested a union of rejections procedure that succeeds in capturing the better power available from the two constituent tests for a given alternative. Our approach involves a nonparametric kernel-based volatility function estimator for computation of the weighted least squares-based statistic, together with the use of a wild bootstrap procedure applied jointly to both individual tests, delivering a powerful testing procedure that is asymptotically size-robust to a wide range of time-varying volatility specifications

Dirac-Surface-State-Dominated Spin to Charge Current Conversion in the Topological Insulator (Bi0.22Sb0.78)2Te3(Bi_{0.22}Sb_{0.78})_2Te_3 Films at Room Temperature

We report the spin to charge current conversation in an intrinsic topological insulator (TI) $(Bi_{0.22}Sb_{0.78})_2Te_3$ film at room temperature. The spin currents are generated in a thin layer of permalloy (Py) by two different processes, spin pumping (SPE) and spin Seebeck effects (SSE). In the first we use microwave-driven ferromagnetic resonance of the Py film to generate a SPE spin current that is injected into the TI $(Bi_{0.22}Sb_{0.78})_2Te_3$ layer in direct contact with Py. In the second we use the SSE in the longitudinal configuration in Py without contamination by the Nernst effect made possible with a thin NiO layer between the Py and $(Bi_{0.22}Sb_{0.78})_2Te_3$ layers. The spin-to-charge current conversion is attributed to the inverse Edelstein effect (IEE) made possible by the spin-momentum locking in the electron Fermi contours due to the Rashba field. The measurements by the two techniques yield very similar values for the IEE parameter, which are larger than the reported values in the previous studies on topological insulators.Comment: 18 pages and 7 figure

Antianginal Efficacy of Ranolazine When Added to Treatment With Amlodipine The ERICA (Efficacy of Ranolazine in Chronic Angina) Trial

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine if ranolazine improves angina in stable coronary patients with persisting symptoms despite maximum recommended dose of amlodipine.BackgroundRanolazine is a unique antianginal agent that has been effective in stable angina, but it has not been studied in the setting of maximum recommended doses of conventional antianginal agents.MethodsStable patients with coronary disease and ≥3 anginal attacks per week despite maximum recommended dosage of amlodipine (10 mg/day) were randomized to 1,000 mg ranolazine or placebo twice a day for 6 weeks. Primary end point was the frequency of angina episodes per week during the double-blind treatment phase. Efficacy was also assessed by nitroglycerin consumption per week and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ). Adjustment for multiple testing of secondary end points used a hierarchic closed testing procedure. Efficacy was assessed in subgroups based on baseline angina frequency, concomitant long-acting nitrate use, gender, and age. Safety was assessed by adverse events and electrocardiogram evaluations.ResultsA total of 565 patients were randomized: 281 patients to ranolazine and 284 patients to placebo. Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. At baseline, angina frequency averaged 5.63 ± 0.18 episodes/week, and nitroglycerin consumption averaged 4.72 ± 0.21 tablets/week. Compared with placebo, ranolazine significantly reduced frequency of angina episodes (2.88 ± 0.19 on ranolazine vs. 3.31 ± 0.22 on placebo; p = 0.028) and nitroglycerin consumption (2.03 ± 0.20 on ranolazine vs. 2.68 ± 0.22; p = 0.014), with treatment effect that appeared consistent across subgroups. The median angina weekly episode rate at baseline was 4.5 per week. Subgroup analysis showed statistically significant reductions of angina frequency, nitroglycerin use, and SAQ angina frequency for patients with a baseline frequency >4.5 per week but only of angina frequency for those with baseline frequency ≤4.5 per week. Patients with more frequent angina appeared to have a more pronounced treatment effect. No hemodynamic changes were observed. Ranolazine was well tolerated.ConclusionsRanolazine significantly reduced frequency of angina and nitroglycerin consumption compared with placebo and was well tolerated. (The ERICA [Efficacy of Ranolazine In Chronic Angina] Trial; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00091429

Environmental life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of triboelectric nanogenerators

As the world economy grows and industrialization of the developing countries increases, the demand for energy continues to rise. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been touted as having great potential for low-carbon, non-fossil fuel energy generation. Mechanical energies from, amongst others, body motion, vibration, wind and waves are captured and converted by TENGs to harvest electricity, thereby minimizing global fossil fuel consumption. However, only by ascertaining performance efficiency along with low material and manufacturing costs as well as a favorable environmental profile in comparison with other energy harvesting technologies, can the true potential of TENGs be established. This paper presents a detailed techno-economic lifecycle assessment of two representative examples of TENG modules, one with a high performance efficiency (Module A) and the other with a lower efficiency (Module B) both fabricated using low-cost materials. The results are discussed across a number of sustainability metrics in the context of other energy harvesting technologies, notably photovoltaics. Module A possesses a better environmental profile, lower cost of production, lower CO2 emissions and shorter energy payback period (EPBP) compared to Module B. However, the environmental profile of Module B is slightly degraded due to the higher content of acrylic in its architecture and higher electrical energy consumption during fabrication. The end of life scenario of acrylic is environmentally viable given its recyclability and reuse potential and it does not generate toxic gases that are harmful to humans and the environment during combustion processes due to its stability during exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Despite the adoption of a less optimum laboratory manufacturing route, TENG modules generally have a better environmental profile than commercialized Si based and organic solar cells, but Module B has a slightly higher energy payback period than PV technology based on perovskite-structured methyl ammonium lead iodide. Overall, we recommend that future research into TENGs should focus on improving system performance, material optimization and more importantly improving their lifespan to realize their full potential

Light scattering from an amplifying medium bounded by a randomly rough surface: A numerical study

We study by numerical simulations the scattering of $s$-polarized light from a rough dielectric film deposited on the planar surface of a semi-infinite perfect conductor. The dielectric film is allowed to be either active or passive, situations that we model by assigning negative and positive values, respectively, to the imaginary part $\epsilon_2$ of the dielectric constant of the film. We study the reflectance ${\cal R}$ and the total scattered energy ${\cal U}$ for the system as functions of both $\epsilon_2$ and the angle of incidence of the light. Furthermore, the positions and widths of the enhanced backscattering and satellite peaks are discussed. It is found that these peaks become narrower and higher when the amplification of the system is increased, and that their widths scale linearly with $\epsilon_2$. The positions of the backscattering peaks are found to be independent of $\epsilon_2$, while we find a weak dependence on this quantity in the positions of the satellite peaks.Comment: Revtex, 9 pages, 9 figure

Physical properties and chemical composition of the cores in the California molecular cloud

We aim to reveal the physical properties and chemical composition of the cores in the California molecular cloud (CMC), so as to better understand the initial conditions of star formation. We made a high-resolution column density map (18.2") with Herschel data, and extracted a complete sample of the cores in the CMC with the \textsl{fellwalker} algorithm. We performed new single-pointing observations of molecular lines near 90 GHz with the IRAM 30m telescope along the main filament of the CMC. In addition, we also performed a numerical modeling of chemical evolution for the cores under the physical conditions. We extracted 300 cores, of which 33 are protostellar and 267 are starless cores. About 51\% (137 of 267) of the starless cores are prestellar cores. Three cores have the potential to evolve into high-mass stars. The prestellar core mass function (CMF) can be well fit by a log-normal form. The high-mass end of the prestellar CMF shows a power-law form with an index $\alpha=-0.9\pm 0.1$ that is shallower than that of the Galactic field stellar mass function. Combining the mass transformation efficiency ($\varepsilon$) from the prestellar core to the star of $15\pm 1\%$ and the core formation efficiency (CFE) of 5.5\%, we suggest an overall star formation efficiency of about 1\% in the CMC. In the single-pointing observations with the IRAM 30m telescope, we find that 6 cores show blue-skewed profile, while 4 cores show red-skewed profile. [$\rm {HCO}^{+}$]/[HNC] and [$\rm {HCO}^{+}$]/$\rm [N_{2}H^{+}]$ in protostellar cores are higher than those in prestellar cores; this can be used as chemical clocks. The best-fit chemical age of the cores with line observations is $\sim 5\times 10^4$~years.Comment: Accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A

On the discrete spectrum of spin-orbit Hamiltonians with singular interactions

We give a variational proof of the existence of infinitely many bound states below the continuous spectrum for spin-orbit Hamiltonians (including the Rashba and Dresselhaus cases) perturbed by measure potentials thus extending the results of J.Bruening, V.Geyler, K.Pankrashkin: J. Phys. A 40 (2007) F113--F117.Comment: 10 pages; to appear in Russian Journal of Mathematical Physics (memorial volume in honor of Vladimir Geyler). Results improved in this versio