37,558 research outputs found

    Permutations Containing Many Patterns

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    It is shown that the maximum number of patterns that can occur in a permutation of length nn is asymptotically 2n2^n. This significantly improves a previous result of Coleman

    Prospects for detecting the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect of Earth-like planets: the test case of TRAPPIST-1b and c

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    The Rossiter-McLaughlin effect is the principal method of determining the sky-projected spin--orbit angle (β\beta) of transiting planets. Taking the example of the recently discovered TRAPPIST-1 system, we explore how ultracool dwarfs facilitate the measurement of the spin--orbit angle for Earth-sized planets by creating an effect that can be an order of magnitude more ample than the Doppler reflex motion caused by the planet if the star is undergoing rapid rotation. In TRAPPIST-1's case we expect the semi-amplitudes of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect to be 40−5040-50 m/s for the known transiting planets. Accounting for stellar jitter expected for ultracool dwarfs, instrumental noise, and assuming radial velocity precisions both demonstrated and anticipated for upcoming near-infrared spectrographs, we quantify the observational effort required to measure the planets' masses and spin--orbit angles. We conclude that if the planetary system is well-aligned then β\beta can be measured to a precision of ≲10∘\lesssim 10^{\circ} if the spectrograph is stable at the level of 2 m/s. We also investigate the measure of Δβ\Delta \beta, the mutual inclination, when multiple transiting planets are present in the system. Lastly, we note that the rapid rotation rate of many late M-dwarfs will amplify the Rossiter-McLaughlin signal to the point where variations in the chromatic Rossiter-McLaughlin effect from atmospheric absorbers should be detectable.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. Accepted to MNRAS. Comments welcom

    "The War for the Fare": How Driver Compensation Affects Bus System Performance

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    Two systems of bus driver compensation exist in Santiago, Chile. Most drivers are paid per passenger transported, while a second system compensates other drivers with a fixed wage. Compared with fixed-wage drivers, per-passenger drivers have incentives to engage in "La Guerra por el Boleto" ("The War for the Fare"), in which drivers change their driving patterns to compete for passengers. This paper takes advantage of a natural experiment provided by the coexistence of these two compensation schemes on similar routes in the same city. Using data on intervals between bus arrivals, we find that the fixed-wage contract leads to more bunching of buses, and hence longer average passenger wait times. The per-passenger drivers are assisted by a group of independent information intermediaries called "sapos" who earn their living by standing at bus stops, recording arrival times, and selling the information to subsequent drivers who drive past. We find that a typical bus passenger in Santiago waits roughly 10% longer for a bus on a fixed-wage route relative to an incentive-contract route. However, the incentives also lead drivers to drive noticeably more aggressively, causing approximately 67% more accidents per kilometer driven. Our results have implications for the design of incentives in public transportation systems.

    Nematic Order by Disorder in Spin-2 BECs

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    The effect of quantum and thermal fluctuations on the phase diagram of spin-2 BECs is examined. They are found to play an important role in the nematic part of the phase diagram, where a mean-field treatment of two-body interactions is unable to lift the accidental degeneracy between nematic states. Quantum and thermal fluctuations resolve this degeneracy, selecting the uniaxial nematic state, for scattering lengths a4>a2a_4>a_2, and the square biaxial nematic state for a4<a2a_4<a_2. Paradoxically, the fluctuation induced order is stronger at higher temperatures, for a range of temperatures below TcT_c. For the experimentally relevant cases of spin-2 87^{87}Rb and 23^{23}Na, we argue that such fluctuations could successfully compete against other effects like the quadratic Zeeman field, and stabilize the uniaxial phase for experimentally realistic conditions. A continuous transition of the Ising type from uniaxial to square biaxial order is predicted on raising the magnetic field. These systems present a promising experimental opportunity to realize the `order by disorder' phenomenon.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; 1 reference and 1 minor correctio
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