Large Fluctuations in Locational Marginal Prices

This paper investigates large fluctuations of Locational Marginal Prices (LMPs) in wholesale energy markets caused by volatile renewable generation profiles. Specifically, we study events of the form ℙ(LMP∉∏ni=1[α−i,α+i]), where LMP is the vector of LMPs at the n power grid nodes, and α−,α+∈ℝn are vectors of price thresholds specifying undesirable price occurrences. By exploiting the structure of the supply-demand matching mechanism in power grids, we look at LMPs as deterministic piecewise affine, possibly discontinuous functions of the stochastic input process, modeling uncontrollable renewable generation. We utilize techniques from large deviations theory to identify the most likely ways for extreme price spikes to happen, and to rank the nodes of the power grid in terms of their likelihood of experiencing a price spike. Our results are derived in the case of Gaussian fluctuations and are validated numerically on the IEEE 14-bus test case

First Limits on Left-Right Symmetry Scale from LHC Data

We use the early Large Hadron Collider data to set the lower limit on the scale of Left-Right symmetry, by searching for the right-handed charged gauge boson $W_R$ via the final state with two leptons and two jets, for 33/pb integrated luminosity and 7 TeV center-of-mass energy. In the absence of a signal beyond the Standard Model background, we set the bound M_WR > 1.4 TeV at 95% C.L.. This result is obtained for a range of right-handed neutrino masses of the order of few 100 GeV, assuming no accidental cancelation in right-handed lepton mixings.Comment: 4 pages, added reference

Line failure probability bounds for power grids

We develop upper bounds for line failure probabilities in power grids, under the DC approximation and assuming Gaussian noise for the power injections. Our upper bounds are explicit, and lead to characterization of safe operational capacity regions that are convex and polyhedral, making our tools compatible with existing planning methods. Our probabilistic bounds are derived through the use of powerful concentration inequalities

A holistic approach to forecasting wholesale energy market prices

Electricity market price predictions enable energy market participants to shape their consumption or supply while meeting their economic and environmental objectives. By utilizing the basic properties of the supply-demand matching process performed by grid operators, known as Optimal Power Flow (OPF), we develop a methodology to recover energy market's structure and predict th

Type II Seesaw at LHC: the Roadmap

In this Letter we revisit the type-II seesaw mechanism based on the addition of a weak triplet scalar to the standard model. We perform a comprehensive study of its phenomenology at the LHC energies, complete with the electroweak precision constraints. We pay special attention to the doubly-charged component, object of collider searches for a long time, and show how the experimental bound on its mass depends crucially on the particle spectrum of the theory. Our study can be used as a roadmap for future complete LHC studies.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; added discussion on collider signatures including the impact on SM Higgs searches and accommodating Higgs to two photon rate, and references; latest version agrees with the published on

Supersymmetric SO(10) for fermion masses and mixings: rank-1 structures of flavour

We consider a supersymmetric SO(10) model with a SU(3) symmetry of flavour in which fermion masses emerge via the see-saw mixing with superheavy fermions in 16+16bar representations. In this model the dangerous D=5 operators of proton decay are naturally suppressed and flavour-changing supersymmetric effects are under control. The mass matrices for all fermion types (up and down quarks, charged leptons as well as neutrinos) appear in the form of combinations of three rank-1 matrices, common to all types of fermions, with different coefficients that are successive powers of small parameters, related to each other by SO(10) symmetry properties. Two versions of the model are considered, in which approximate grand unification of masses takes place between quarks and leptons of the first family (with very small \tan\beta) or for the ones of the second family (predicting moderate \tan\beta ~ 7-8). The second version exhibits an interesting mechanism of unification of the determinants of the Yukawa matrices of all types of fermions at the GUT scale and it provides a perfect fit of the known data for fermion masses, mixing and CP-violation. It predicts a hierarchical pattern of neutrino masses with non-zero theta_e3, within 2-7 degrees. In addition, it predicts the correct sign of the baryon asymmetry of the Universe via the leptogenesys scenario.Comment: 30 Pages, 3 figures. Clarified comments on neutrino scales and on universal seesaw, updated references. Version appeared on JHE

Doing descriptive phenomenological data collection in sport psychology research

Researchers in the field of sport psychology have begun to highlight the potential of phenomenological ap-proaches in recognising subjective experience and the essential structure of experience. Despite this, phenom-enology has been used inconsistently in the sport psychology literature thus far. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide theoretically informed practical guidelines for researchers who wish to employ the descrip-tive phenomenological interview in their studies. The recommended guidelines will be supported by under-pinning theory and brief personal accounts. An argument will also be presented for the potential that descrip-tive phenomenology holds in creating new knowledge through rich description. In doing so, it is hoped that this method will be utilised appropriately in future sport psychology research to not only strengthen and diver-sify the existing literature, but also the knowledge of practitioners working within the applied world of profes-sional sport

Soft SUSY breaking contributions to proton decay

We show that in supersymmetric grand unified theories new effective D=4 and D=5 operators for proton decay are induced by soft SUSY-breaking terms, when heavy GUT gauge bosons are integrated out, in addition to the standard D=6 ones. As a result, the proton lifetime in gauge mediated channels can be enhanced or even suppressed depending on the size of the heavy Higgses soft terms.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX, JHEP3 class, axodra