4,521 research outputs found
o-Positronium scattering off H and He
Exploiting an approach similar to the R-matrix theory, the diffusion Monte
Carlo method is employed to compute phase shifts and threshold cross sections
for the elastic scattering of o-positronium off light atoms. Results are
obtained for Ps-H and Ps-He as representative cases of open and closed shell
targets. The method allows for an exact treatment of both correlation and
exchange interactions, and represents the most promising approach to deal with
these effects in more complicated targets. In particular the Ps-He threshold
cross section, computed in a many body framework for the first time, represents
a standard by which past and future numerical and experimental estimates can be
judged.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
2-vertex Lorentzian Spin Foam Amplitudes for Dipole Transitions
We compute transition amplitudes between two spin networks with dipole
graphs, using the Lorentzian EPRL model with up to two (non-simplicial)
vertices. We find power-law decreasing amplitudes in the large spin limit,
decreasing faster as the complexity of the foam increases. There are no
oscillations nor asymptotic Regge actions at the order considered, nonetheless
the amplitudes still induce non-trivial correlations. Spin correlations between
the two dipoles appear only when one internal face is present in the foam. We
compute them within a mini-superspace description, finding positive
correlations, decreasing in value with the Immirzi parameter. The paper also
provides an explicit guide to computing Lorentzian amplitudes using the
factorisation property of SL(2,C) Clebsch-Gordan coefficients in terms of SU(2)
ones. We discuss some of the difficulties of non-simplicial foams, and provide
a specific criterion to partially limit the proliferation of diagrams. We
systematically compare the results with the simplified EPRLs model, much faster
to evaluate, to learn evidence on when it provides reliable approximations of
the full amplitudes. Finally, we comment on implications of our results for the
physics of non-simplicial spin foams and their resummation.Comment: 27 pages + appendix, many figures. v2: one more numerical result,
plus minor amendment
Creation and counting of defects in a temperature quenched Bose-Einstein Condensate
We study the spontaneous formation of defects in the order parameter of a
trapped ultracold bosonic gas while crossing the critical temperature for
Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) at different rates. The system has the shape
of an elongated ellipsoid, whose transverse width can be varied to explore
dimensionality effects. For slow enough temperature quenches we find a
power-law scaling of the average defect number with the quench rate, as
predicted by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism. A breakdown of such a scaling is found
for fast quenches, leading to a saturation of the average defect number. We
suggest an explanation for this saturation in terms of the mutual interactions
among defects.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figure
Dynamical area coverage by mobile sensor networks. Analysis, Modeling and Control
The thesis is a theoretical study of the problem of collecting data from a given field of interest with a team of mobile sensors communicating over an ad-hoc network.
It is related with problems of optimal control, ad-hoc networking, distributed computation, computational geometry
Caffeine. cognitive and physical performance enhancer or psychoactive drug?
Caffeine use is increasing worldwide. The underlying motivations are mainly concentration and memory enhancement and physical performance improvement. Coffee and caffeine-containing products affect the cardiovascular system, with their positive inotropic and chronotropic effects, and the central nervous system, with their locomotor activity stimulation and anxiogenic-like effects. Thus, it is of interest to examine whether these effects could be detrimental for health. Furthermore, caffeine abuse and dependence are becoming more and more common and can lead to caffeine intoxication, which puts individuals at risk for premature and unnatural death. The present review summarizes the main findings concerning caffeine's mechanisms of action (focusing on adenosine antagonism, intracellular calcium mobilization, and phosphodiesterases inhibition), use, abuse, dependence, intoxication, and lethal effects. It also suggests that the concepts of toxic and lethal doses are relative, since doses below the toxic and/or lethal range may play a causal role in intoxication or death. This could be due to caffeine's interaction with other substances or to the individuals' preexisting metabolism alterations or diseases
Observation of Solitonic Vortices in Bose-Einstein Condensates
We observe solitonic vortices in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate after
free expansion. Clear signatures of the nature of such defects are the twisted
planar density depletion around the vortex line, observed in absorption images,
and the double dislocation in the interference pattern obtained through
homodyne techniques. Both methods allow us to determine the sign of the
quantized circulation. Experimental observations agree with numerical
simulations. These solitonic vortices are the decay product of phase defects of
the BEC order parameter spontaneously created after a rapid quench across the
BEC transition in a cigar-shaped harmonic trap and are shown to have a very
long lifetime.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Solitonic Vortices in Bose-Einstein Condensates
We analyse, theoretically and experimentally, the nature of solitonic
vortices (SV) in an elongated Bose-Einstein condensate. In the experiment, such
defects are created via the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, when the temperature of a
gas of sodium atoms is quenched across the BEC transition, and are imaged after
a free expansion of the condensate. By using the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we
calculate the in-trap density and phase distributions characterizing a SV in
the crossover from an elongate quasi-1D to a bulk 3D regime. The simulations
show that the free expansion strongly amplifies the key features of a SV and
produces a remarkable twist of the solitonic plane due to the quantized
vorticity associated with the defect. Good agreement is found between
simulations and experiments.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
From banks' strategies to financial (in)stability
This paper aims to shed light on the emergence of systemic risk in credit systems. By developing an interbank market with heterogeneous financial institutions granting loans on different network structures, we investigate which market architecture is more resilient to liquidity shocks and how the risk spreads over the modeled system. In our model, credit linkages evolve endogenously via a fitness measure based on different banks' strategies. Each financial institution, in fact, applies a strategy based on a low interest rate, a high supply of liquidity or a combination of them. Interestingly, the choice of the strategy influences both the banks' performance and the network topology. In this way, we are able to identify the most effective tactics adapt to contain contagion and the corresponding network topology. Our analysis shows that, when financial institutions combine the two strategies, the interbank network does not condense and this generates the most efficient scenario in case of shocks.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European
Union, Seventh Framework Programme FP7, under grant agreement
MATHEMACS, n0 : 318723 and FinMaP n0 : 612955. The authors are
grateful for funding this research from the Universitat Jaume I under the
project P11B2012 27
From banks' strategies to financial (in)stability
This paper aims to shed light on the emergence of systemic risk in credit systems. By developing an interbank market with heterogeneous financial institutions granting loans on different network structures, we investigate what market architecture is more resilient to liquidity shocks and how the risk spreads over the modeled system. In our model, credit linkages evolve endogenously via a fitness measure based on different banks strategies. Each financial institution, in fact, applies a strategy based on a low interest rate, a high supply of liquidity or a combination of them. Interestingly, the choice of the strategy in uences both the banks' performance and the network topology. In this way, we are able to identify the most effective tactics adapt to contain contagion and the corresponding network topology. Our analysis shows that, when financial institutions combine the two strategies, the interbank network does not condense and this generates the most efficient scenario in case of shocks
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