D\cal D pseudo-bosons in quantum models

We show how some recent models of PT-quantum mechanics perfectly fit into the settings of $\cal D$ pseudo-bosons, as introduced by one of us. Among the others, we also consider a model of non-commutative quantum mechanics, and we show that this model too can be described in terms of $\cal D$ pseudo-bosons.Comment: In press in Physics Letters

Creating Interdisciplinarity: Grounded Definitions from the College and University Faculty

Definitions of interdisciplinarity often focus on the integration of disciplinary concepts or perspectives. Few definitions, however, are grounded in the work of faculty who conduct interdisciplinary scholarship. To better understand the practice of interdisciplinarity in research and teaching, and its implications for academics' professional lives, I interviewed college and university faculty affiliated with a variety of liberal arts and sciences disciplines in four U.S. institutions of varying size and mission. The study explored how interviewees practiced interdisciplinarity; how institutional, departmental, and disciplinary locations affected their scholarly identities, professional associations, and work lives; and the kinds of rewards they reaped from interdisciplinary work. In this article, I analyze a subset of the interviews, examining explicit and implied definitions of interdisciplinarity and their relationship to faculty members' understandings of disciplinarity and scholarly work. The analysis reveals that definitions of interdisciplinarity that emphasize integration exclude some forms of interdisciplinary work. I therefore suggest an alternative, more inclusive conceptualization that strives to encompass a range of interdisciplinary practices. Further study of interdisciplinary research and teaching might confirm that all interdisciplinary scholarship can be categorized according to the typology described here - or it might provide evidence of additional forms of interdisciplinarity

Non-Hermitian Hamiltonian for a Modulated Jaynes-Cummings Model with PT Symmetry

We consider a two-level system such as a two-level atom, interacting with a cavity field mode in the rotating wave approximation, when the atomic transition frequency or the field mode frequency is periodically driven in time. We show that in both cases, for an appropriate choice of the modulation parameters, the state amplitudes in a generic $n${-}excitation subspace obey the same equations of motion that can be obtained from a \emph{static} non-Hermitian Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian with ${\mathcal PT}$ symmetry, that is with an imaginary coupling constant. This gives further support to recent results showing the possible physical interest of ${\mathcal PT}$ symmetric non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. We also generalize the well-known diagonalization of the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian to the non-Hermitian case in terms of pseudo-bosons and pseudo-fermions, and discuss relevant mathematical and physical aspects.Comment: 9 page

An architectural generative design process

The paper discusses about architectural and urban design tools, and reports a prototype of parametric application that allows the designer to handle the architectural shape by using urban regulations. It is a Decision Support System (DSS), useful at the early stage of city planning as well as at the early stage of architectural design. The System integrates two different research topics: modelling in geo-referenced environment and modelling through constraints. Compared to the related works (Building Modelling on geo-referenced environment), our application is the first Generative System based on the urban regulation. Three case studies are presented to test the System

Van der Waals and resonance interactions between accelerated atoms in vacuum and the Unruh effect

We discuss different physical effects related to the uniform acceleration of atoms in vacuum, in the framework of quantum electrodynamics. We first investigate the van der Waals/Casimir-Polder dispersion and resonance interactions between two uniformly accelerated atoms in vacuum. We show that the atomic acceleration significantly affects the van der Waals force, yielding a different scaling of the interaction with the interatomic distance and an explicit time dependence of the interaction energy. We argue how these results could allow for an indirect detection of the Unruh effect through dispersion interactions between atoms. We then consider the resonance interaction between two accelerated atoms, prepared in a correlated Bell-type state, and interacting with the electromagnetic field in the vacuum state, separating vacuum fluctuations and radiation reaction contributions, both in the free-space and in the presence of a perfectly reflecting plate. We show that nonthermal effects of acceleration manifest in the resonance interaction, yielding a change of the distance dependence of the resonance interaction energy. This suggests that the equivalence between temperature and acceleration does not apply to all radiative properties of accelerated atoms. To further explore this aspect, we evaluate the resonance interaction between two atoms in non inertial motion in the coaccelerated (Rindler) frame and show that in this case the assumption of an Unruh temperature for the field is not required for a complete equivalence of locally inertial and coaccelerated points of views.Comment: 8 pages, Proceedings of the Eighth International Workshop DICE 2016 Spacetime - Matter - Quantum Mechanic

Non-thermal effects of acceleration in the resonance interaction between two uniformly accelerated atoms

We study the resonance interaction between two uniformly accelerated identical atoms, one excited and the other in the ground state, prepared in a correlated (symmetric or antisymmetric) state and interacting with the scalar field or the electromagnetic field in the vacuum state. In this case (resonance interaction), the interatomic interaction is a second-order effect in the atom-field coupling. We separate the contributions of vacuum fluctuations and radiation reaction to the resonance energy shift of the system, and show that only radiation reaction contributes, while Unruh thermal fluctuations do not affect the resonance interaction. We also find that beyond a characteristic length scale related to the atomic acceleration, non-thermal effects in the radiation reaction contribution change the distance-dependence of the resonance interaction. Finally, we find that previously unidentified features appear, compared with the scalar field case, when the interaction with the electromagnetic field is considered, as a consequence of the peculiar nature of the vacuum quantum noise of the electromagnetic field in a relativistically accelerated background.Comment: 10 page

The Urban Agriculture Programme of the Municipality of Rosario, Argentina

El Programa de Agricultura Urbana de Rosario (en adelante PAU) surge como política municipal en respuesta a la crisis argentina de 2001. Desde entonces ha vivido distintas etapas de desarrollo, hasta su consolidación como política pública de desarrollo municipal y su inserción en el plan de ordenamiento territorial. En este proceso, el PAU ha creado nuevos espacios públicos socio-productivos para la ciudad como Parques Huertas, corredores verdes de las vías y Huertas jardines saludables. A continuación se explican las etapas vividas por el PAU desde su creación hasta la actualidad, así como las actuales línea de trabajo

America's Overlooked Engineers: Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education

16-page report on the community college as a potential pathway to engineeringIn 2004, the National Academy of Engineering published Educating the Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. The report foresees a world of dynamic technological change requiring future engineers to have, in addition to strong analytical skills, an understanding of complex societal, global, and professional contexts; creativity and practical ingenuity; communications, management, and leadership skills; high ethical standards and professionalism; and agility, resilience, and interdisciplinary thinking and teamwork. The Academy’s report inspired “The Engineer of 2020” project, a National Science Foundation-supported set of interrelated studies of engineering education. Prototype to Production: Conditions and Processes for Educating the Engineer of 2020 (NSF-EEC-0550608), or “P2P,” sought to benchmark undergraduate engineering education in the U.S. against the attributes the National Academy report believes future engineers will need in order to be effective. NAE’s report also called attention to the rapid population growth both globally and among minorities in the U.S. Such changes, the report stressed, have “major implications for the future of engineering, a profession where minorities and women remain underrepresented” (p. 4). Because of the urgency of increasing the representation of historically nderrepresented groups in engineering schools and in the workforce expressed by the Academy and numerous others, and given growing calls to capitalize on the nation’s community colleges as potentially fruitful grounds for recruiting diverse students to engineering, the Engineer of 2020 project included a survey of community college students planning to transfer into a four-year engineering program.1 This summary of findings from the Engineer of 2020 project surveys is intended to assist engineering deans, department heads, faculty members, associations and professional societies, industry, and public policy makers in their efforts to diversifying engineering education and better prepare engineers to function effectively in the near- and long-term future.National Science Foundation (NSF-EEC-0550608)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/4/E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/1/America's Overlooked Engineers - Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107460/8/Americas Overlooked Engineers FINAL.pdfDescription of Americas Overlooked Engineers FINAL.pdf : America's Overlooked EngineersDescription of E2020 Study Methods 6.26.14.pdf : Summary of E2020 Study MethodsDescription of America's Overlooked Engineers - Community Colleges and Diversity in Engineering Education.pdf : Report on the Community College as a pathway to engineering career