1,765 research outputs found
Maximum entropy approach to power-law distributions in coupled dynamic-stochastic systems
Statistical properties of coupled dynamic-stochastic systems are studied
within a combination of the maximum information principle and the
superstatistical approach. The conditions at which the Shannon entropy
functional leads to a power-law statistics are investigated. It is demonstrated
that, from a quite general point of view, the power-law dependencies may appear
as a consequence of "global" constraints restricting both the dynamic phase
space and the stochastic fluctuations. As a result, at sufficiently long
observation times the dynamic counterpart is driven into a non-equilibrium
steady state whose deviation from the usual exponential statistics is given by
the distance from the conventional equilibrium
Prospects for discovering supersymmetric long-lived particles with MoEDAL
We present a study on the possibility of searching for long-lived
supersymmetric partners with the MoEDAL experiment at the LHC. MoEDAL is
sensitive to highly ionising objects such as magnetic monopoles or massive
(meta)stable electrically charged particles. We focus on prospects of directly
detecting long-lived sleptons in a phenomenologically realistic model which
involves an intermediate neutral long-lived particle in the decay chain. This
scenario is not yet excluded by the current data from ATLAS or CMS, and is
compatible with astrophysical constraints. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we
compare the sensitivities of MoEDAL versus ATLAS in scenarios where MoEDAL
could provide discovery reach complementary to ATLAS and CMS, thanks to looser
selection criteria combined with the virtual absence of background. It is also
interesting to point out that, in such scenarios, in which charged staus are
the main long-lived candidates, the relevant mass range for MoEDAL is
compatible with a potential role of Supersymmetry in providing an explanation
for the anomalous events observed by the ANITA detector.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures; preliminary results presented in
arXiv:1903.11022; matches published version in EPJ
Universal Power Law in the Noise from a Crumpled Elastic Sheet
Using high-resolution digital recordings, we study the crackling sound
emitted from crumpled sheets of mylar as they are strained. These sheets
possess many of the qualitative features of traditional disordered systems
including frustration and discrete memory. The sound can be resolved into
discrete clicks, emitted during rapid changes in the rough conformation of the
sheet. Observed click energies range over six orders of magnitude. The measured
energy autocorrelation function for the sound is consistent with a stretched
exponential C(t) ~ exp(-(t/T)^{b}) with b = .35. The probability distribution
of click energies has a power law regime p(E) ~ E^{-a} where a = 1. We find the
same power law for a variety of sheet sizes and materials, suggesting that this
p(E) is universal.Comment: 5 pages (revtex), 10 uuencoded postscript figures appended, html
version at http://rainbow.uchicago.edu/~krame
Cortical Auditory Adaptation in the Awake Rat and the Role of Potassium Currents
Responses to sound in the auditory cortex are influenced by the preceding history of firing. We studied the time course of auditory adaptation in primary auditory cortex (A1) from awake, freely moving rats. Two identical stimuli were delivered with different intervals ranging from 50 ms to 8 s. Single neuron recordings in the awake animal revealed that the response to a sound is influenced by sounds delivered even several seconds earlier, the second one usually yielding a weaker response. To understand the role of neuronal intrinsic properties in this phenomenon, we obtained intracellular recordings from rat A1 neurons in vitro and mimicked the same protocols of adaptation carried out in awake animals by means of depolarizing pulses of identical duration and intervals. The intensity of the pulses was adjusted such that the first pulse would evoke a similar number of spikes as its equivalent in vivo. A1 neurons in vitro adapted with a similar time course but less than in awake animals. At least two potassium currents participated in the in vitro adaptation: a Na +-dependent K + current and an apamin-sensitive K + current. Our results suggest that potassium currents underlie at least part of cortical auditory adaptation during the awake state.Fil: Abolafia, Juan M.. INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES BIOMEDICAS AUGUST PI I SUNYER (IDIBAPS);Fil: Vergara, Ramiro Oscar. INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES BIOMEDICAS AUGUST PI I SUNYER (IDIBAPS); . Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Neurociencia de Alicante; España. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Arnold, M. M.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Neurociencia de Alicante; España. INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES BIOMEDICAS AUGUST PI I SUNYER (IDIBAPS);Fil: Reig, R.. INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES BIOMEDICAS AUGUST PI I SUNYER (IDIBAPS);Fil: Sanchez Vives, M. V.. INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES BIOMEDICAS AUGUST PI I SUNYER (IDIBAPS)
On the athermal character of structural phase transitions
The significance of thermal fluctuations on nucleation in structural
first-order phase transitions has been examined. The prototype case of
martensitic transitions has been experimentally investigated by means of
acoustic emission techniques. We propose a model based on the mean
first-passage time to account for the experimental observations. Our study
provides a unified framework to establish the conditions for isothermal and
athermal transitions to be observed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. Let
SUSY discovery prospects with MoEDAL
We present a preliminary study on the possibility to search for massive
long-lived electrically charged particles at the MoEDAL detector. MoEDAL is
sensitive to highly ionising objects such as magnetic monopoles or massive
(meta-)stable electrically charged particles and we focus on the latter in this
paper. Requirements on triggering or reducing the cosmic-ray and cavern
background, applied in the ATLAS and CMS analyses for long-lived particles, are
not necessary at MoEDAL, due to its completely different detector design and
extremely low background. On the other hand, MoEDAL requires slow-moving
particles, resulting in sensitivity to massive states with typically small
production cross sections. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we compare the
sensitivities of MoEDAL versus ATLAS/CMS for various long-lived particles in
supersymmetric models, and we seek a scenario where MoEDAL can provide
discovery reach complementary to ATLAS and CMS.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures; invited talk in 6th Symposium on Prospects in the
Physics of Discrete Symmetries (DISCRETE 2018), 26-30 Nov 2018, Vienna,
Austria, presented by V.A.M.; minor changes matching published versio
Capillary condensation in disordered porous materials: hysteresis versus equilibrium behavior
We study the interplay between hysteresis and equilibrium behavior in
capillary condensation of fluids in mesoporous disordered materials via a
mean-field density functional theory of a disordered lattice-gas model. The
approach reproduces all major features observed experimentally. We show that
the simple van der Waals picture of metastability fails due to the appearance
of a complex free-energy landscape with a large number of metastable states. In
particular, hysteresis can occur both with and without an underlying
equilibrium transition, thermodynamic consistency is not satisfied along the
hysteresis loop, and out-of-equilibrium phase transitions are possible.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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