Two Suns in The Sky: Stellar Multiplicity in Exoplanet Systems

We present results of a reconnaissance for stellar companions to all 131 radial-velocity-detected candidate extrasolar planetary systems known as of July 1, 2005. CPM companions were investigated using the multi-epoch DSS images, and confirmed by matching the trigonometric parallax distances of the primaries to companion distances estimated photometrically. We also attempt to confirm or refute companions listed in the Washington Double Star Catalog, the Catalogs of Nearby Stars, in Hipparcos results, and in Duquennoy & Mayor (1991). Our findings indicate that a lower limit of 30 (23%) of the 131 exoplanet systems have stellar companions. We report new stellar companions to HD 38529 and HD 188015, and a new candidate companion to HD 169830. We confirm many previously reported stellar companions, including six stars in five systems that are recognized for the first time as companions to exoplanet hosts. We have found evidence that 20 entries in the Washington Double Star Catalog are not gravitationally bound companions. At least three, and possibly five, of the exoplanet systems reside in triple star systems. Three exoplanet systems have potentially close-in stellar companions ~ 20 AU away from the primary. Finally, two of the exoplanet systems contain white dwarf companions. This comprehensive assessment of exoplanet systems indicates that solar systems are found in a variety of stellar multiplicity environments - singles, binaries, and triples; and that planets survive the post-main-sequence evolution of companion stars.Comment: 52 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Another Look at Some Isogeny Hardness Assumptions

The security proofs for isogeny-based undeniable signature schemes have been based primarily on the assumptions that the One-Sided Modified SSCDH problem and the One-More SSCDH problem are intractable. We challenge the validity of these assumptions, showing that both the decisional and computational variants of these problems can be solved in polynomial time. We further demonstrate an attack, applicable to two undeniable signature schemes, one of which was proposed at PQCrypto 2014. The attack allows to forge signatures in 24λ/5 steps on a classical computer. This is an improvement over the expected classical security of 2λ, where λ denotes the chosen security parameter.SCOPUS: cp.kinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedCryptographers Track at the RSA Conference, CT-RSA 2020; San Francisco; United States; 24 February 2020 through 28 February 2020ISBN: 978-303040185-

MV3: A new word based stream cipher using rapid mixing and revolving buffers

MV3 is a new word based stream cipher for encrypting long streams of data. A direct adaptation of a byte based cipher such as RC4 into a 32- or 64-bit word version will obviously need vast amounts of memory. This scaling issue necessitates a look for new components and principles, as well as mathematical analysis to justify their use. Our approach, like RC4's, is based on rapidly mixing random walks on directed graphs (that is, walks which reach a random state quickly, from any starting point). We begin with some well understood walks, and then introduce nonlinearity in their steps in order to improve security and show long term statistical correlations are negligible. To minimize the short term correlations, as well as to deter attacks using equations involving successive outputs, we provide a method for sequencing the outputs derived from the walk using three revolving buffers. The cipher is fast -- it runs at a speed of less than 5 cycles per byte on a Pentium IV processor. A word based cipher needs to output more bits per step, which exposes more correlations for attacks. Moreover we seek simplicity of construction and transparent analysis. To meet these requirements, we use a larger state and claim security corresponding to only a fraction of it. Our design is for an adequately secure word-based cipher; our very preliminary estimate puts the security close to exhaustive search for keys of size < 256 bits.Comment: 27 pages, shortened version will appear in "Topics in Cryptology - CT-RSA 2007

New Hipparcos-based Parallaxes for 424 Dim Stars

We present a catalog of 424 common proper motion companions to Hipparcos stars with good (>3 sigma) parallaxes, thereby effectively providing new parallaxes for these companions. Compared to stars in the Hipparcos catalog, these stars are substantially dimmer. The catalog includes 20 WDs and an additional 29 stars with M_V>14, the great majority of the latter being M dwarfs.Comment: Submitted to ApJS, 20 page

Resistance of diamondback moth to insecticides in selected cabbage farms in southern Ghana

Resistance of diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.) to insecticides applied for its control on cabbage was evaluated. DBM populations were tested for susceptibility to three pyrethroids (delatamethrin, lambdacyhalothrin, cypermethrin) and an organophosphate (chlorpyrifos-methyl) insecticide using larvaeimmersion dose-response technique. Non-specific carboxylesterase activity was used as a measure of DBM resistance. Partial characterization of carboxylesterase by zymogram studies was also undertaken usingpolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Susceptibility studies revealed that DBM was resistant to the four insecticides assayed. DBM was least susceptible to chlorpyrifos-methyl, but most susceptible to deltamethrin.Esterase zymogram studies revealed between 2 to 7 bands, each with different characteristics. Higher frequency of the slow-moving esterases associated with high resistance was recorded in Mampong DBMpopulation than the Accra suburbs. This finding confirmed results for carboxylesterase activity. Deltamethrin and cypermethrin demonstrated high negative correlation between fold resistance and carboxylesterase activity for â-isozyme. Chlorpyrifos-methyl, on the other hand showed positive correlation between fold resistance and á-carboxylesterase activity. The high carboxylesterase activities recorded for Mampong DBM, however, did not correlate with results of susceptibility studies. It is suggested that farmers should adopt an integrated approach using the IPM principles coupled with judicious use of biopesticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis.© 2010 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved

A High Angular Resolution Survey of Massive Stars in Cygnus OB2: Results from the Hubble Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensors

We present results of a high angular resolution survey of massive OB stars in the Cygnus OB2 association that we conducted with the Fine Guidance Sensor 1R (FGS1r) on the Hubble Space Telescope. FGS1r is able to resolve binary systems with a magnitude difference delta-V < 4 down to separations as small as 0.01 arcsec. The sample includes 58 of the brighter members of Cyg OB2, one of the closest examples of an environment containing a large number of very young and massive stars. We resolved binary companions for 12 targets and confirmed the triple nature of one other target, and we offer evidence of marginally resolved companions for two additional stars. We confirm the binary nature of 11 of these systems from complementary adaptive optics imaging observations. The overall binary frequency in our study is 22% to 26% corresponding to orbital periods ranging from 20 - 20,000 years. When combined with the known short-period spectroscopic binaries, the results supports the hypothesis that the binary fraction among massive stars is > 60%. One of the new discoveries is a companion to the hypergiant star MT 304 = Cyg OB2-12, and future measurements of orbital motion should provide mass estimates for this very luminous star.Comment: accepted for AJ, 84 pages, 61 figure