cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulating the Formation of Galaxy Clusters

We study the effects of radiative cooling, star formation and stellar feedback on the properties and evolution of galaxy clusters using high-resolution Adaptive Mesh Refinement N-body+gasdynamics simulations of clusters forming in theCDM universe. Cooling leads to the condensation of gas in the inner regions of clusters, which in turn leads to steepening of the dark matter profile. The cooling gas is replaced by the higher-entropy gas from the outer regions, which raises the entropy and temperature of gas in the cluster core. The magnitude of these effects is likely overestimated in the current simulations because they suffer from the overcooling problem: a much larger fraction of baryons is in the form of cold gas and stars than is observed. We find that the thermal stellar feedback alone does not remedy this problem. Additional ad-hoc preheating can lower the amount of cold gas but a simple uniform preheating results in incorrect star formation history, as it delays the bulk of star formation until z < 1. Our analysis shows that the overcooling in a cluster as a whole is really the overcooling in the central galaxy and its progenitors at high redshifts. This indicates that an additional heating mechanism that can continuously heat the gas in the cluster core is required to reproduce the observed cluster properties. Energy injection by the Active Galactic Nuclei, which may provide such heating, may thus be an important missing ingredient in the current theoretical models of cluster formation. 1. Effects of Cooling, Star formation and Feedback Below, we highlight some of the important effects of gas cooling and star formation on the properties of galaxy clusters: • Gas cooling induces condensation of gas in the cluster core region (. 100kpc), and the baryon mass in the cluster core at z = 0 is dominated by the stars associated with the central galaxy. • The condensation of baryons causes contraction of dark matter and steepens the dark matter profile in the central region from r −1.5 in the adiabatic runs to r −2.0 in the simulations with cooling. • Gas cooling induces inflow of high-entropy gas from the outside and raises the level of entropy and gas temperature in the cluster core region. • Stellar feedback and/or additional preheating suppress the effects described above by regulating gas cooling. The magnitude of the effects on the distribution of dark matter, entropy and temperature of gas is, therefore, sensitive to the total fraction of baryons which cooled to form stars and cold gas clouds.
Cavity Attenuators for Superconducting Qubits

Improving qubit coherence times is fundamental to the development of quantum computing technology. In most experiments in circuit quantum electrodynamics, dephasing induced by residual thermal photons in the readout resonator limits the coherence times of superconducting qubits. The authors design and test a type of microwave cavity attenuator that can be well thermalized to the base stage of a dilution refrigerator. With these cavity attenuators, they reproducibly measure enhanced qubit coherence times and report very low thermal-photon populations in the readout mode. This invention is a useful addition to the toolbox for state-of-the-art quantum circuitry.
Pressure tuning the lattice and optical response of silver sulfide

Binary transition metal chalcogenides have attracted increasing attention for their unique structural and electronic properties. High pressure is a powerful tool for tuning the lattice and electronic structure of transition metal chalcogenides away from their pristine states. In this work, we systematically studied the in situ structural and optical behavior of silver sulfide (Ag2S) under pressure by synchrotron X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy measurements in a diamond anvil cell. Upon compression, Ag2S undergoes structural symmetrization accompanied by a series of structural transitions while the crystallographic inequivalence of the two Ag sites is maintained. Electronically, pressure effectively tunes the ambient semiconducting Ag2S into a metal at ∼22 GPa. Drude model analysis shows that the optical conductivity evolves significantly, reaching the highest value of 100 Ω−1 cm−1 at ∼40 GPa. Our results highlight the structural and electronic tunability of silver chalcogenides as a function o...
Chromospheric Nanoflares as a Source of Coronal Plasma. II. Repeating Nanoflares

The million degree plasma of the solar corona must be supplied by the underlying layers of the atmosphere. The mechanism and location of energy release, and the precise source of coronal plasma, remain unresolved. In earlier work we pursued the idea that warm plasma is supplied to the corona via direct heating of the chromosphere by nanoflares, contrary to the prevailing belief that the corona is heated in-situ and the chromosphere is subsequently energized and ablated by thermal conduction. We found that single (low-frequency) chromospheric nanoflares could not explain the observed intensities, Doppler-shifts, and red/blue asymmetries in Fe XII and XIV emission lines. In the present work we follow up on another suggestion that the corona could be powered by chromospheric nanoflares that repeat on a timescale substantially shorter than the cooling/draining timescale. That is, a single magnetic strand is re-supplied with coronal plasma before the existing plasma has time to cool and drain. We perform a series of hydrodynamic experiments and predict the Fe XII and XIV line intensities, Doppler-shifts, and red/blue asymmetries. We find that our predicted quantities disagree dramatically with observations and fully developed loop structures cannot be created by intermediate- or high-frequency chromospheric nanoflares. We conclude that the mechanism ultimately responsible for producing coronal plasma operates above the chromosphere, but this does not preclude the possibility of a similar mechanism powering the chromosphere; extreme examples of which may be responsible for heating chromospheric plasma to transition region temperatures (e.g. type II spicules).
High sensitivity, levitated microsphere apparatus for short-distance force measurements

A high sensitivity force sensor based on dielectric microspheres in vacuum, optically trapped by a single, upward-propagating laser beam, is described. Off-axis parabolic mirrors are used both to focus the 1064 nm trapping beam and to recollimate it to provide information on the horizontal position of the microsphere. The vertical degree of freedom is readout by forming an interferometer between the light retroreflected by the microsphere and a reference beam, hence eliminating the need for auxiliary beams. The focus of the trapping beam has a 1/E2 radius of 3.2 µm and small non-Gaussian tails, suitable for bringing devices close to the trapped microsphere without disturbing the optical field. Electrodes surrounding the trapping region provide excellent control of the electric field, which can be used to drive the translational degrees of freedom of a charged microsphere and the rotational degrees of freedom of a neutral microsphere, coupling to its electric dipole moment. With this control, the charge state can be determined with single electron precision, the mass of individual microspheres can be measured, and empirical calibrations of the force sensitivity can be made for each microsphere. A force noise of <1 × 10-17 N/Hz, which is comparable to previous reports, is measured on all three degrees of freedom for 4.7 µm diameter, 84 pg silica microspheres. Various devices have been brought within 1.6 µm of the surface of a trapped microsphere. Metrology in the trapping region is provided by two custom-designed microscopes providing views in the horizontal and one of the vertical planes. The apparatus opens the way to performing high sensitivity three-dimensional force measurements at a short distance.
Ideal Graphene/Silicon Schottky Junction Diodes

The proper understanding of semiconductor devices begins at the metal–semiconductor interface. The metal/semiconductor interface itself can also be an important device, as Schottky junctions often forms when the doping in the semiconductors is low. Here, we extend the analysis of metal–silicon Schottky junctions by using graphene, an atomically thin semimetal. We show that a fundamentally new transport model is needed to describe the graphene–silicon Schottky junction. While the current–voltage behavior follows the celebrated ideal diode behavior, the details of the diode characteristics is best characterized by the Landauer transport formalism, suggesting that the injection rate from graphene ultimately determines the transport properties of this new Schottky junction.
A STUDY OF THE X-RAYED OUTFLOW OF APM 08279+5255 THROUGH PHOTOIONIZATION CODES

We present new results from our study of the X-rayed outflow of the z = 3.91 gravitationally lensed broad absorption line quasar APM 08279+5255. These results are based on spectral fits to all the long exposure observations of APM 08279+5255 using a new quasar-outflow model. This model is based on CLOUDY 3 CLOUDY is a photoionization code designed to simulate conditions in interstellar matter under a broad range of conditions. We have used version 08.00 of the code last described by Ferland et al. (1998). The atomic database used by CLOUDY is described in Ferguson et al. (2001) and http://www.pa.uky.edu/~verner/atom.html. simulations of a near-relativistic quasar outflow. The main conclusions from our multi-epoch spectral re-analysis of Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku observations of APM 08279+5255 are the following. (1) In every observation, we confirm the presence of two strong features, one at rest-frame energies between 1-4 keV and the other between 7-18 keV. (2) We confirm that the low-energy absorption (1-4 keV rest frame) arises from a low-ionization absorber with and the high-energy absorption (7-18 keV rest frame) arises from highly ionized (3 log ξ 4, where ξ is the ionization parameter) iron in a near-relativistic outflowing wind. Assuming this interpretation, we find that the velocities on the outflow could get up to ~0.7c. (3) We confirm a correlation between the maximum outflow velocity and the photon index and find possible trends between the maximum outflow velocity and the X-ray luminosity, and between the total column density and the photon index. We performed calculations of the force multipliers of material illuminated by absorbed power laws and a Mathews-Ferland spectral energy distribution (SED). We found that variations of the X-ray and UV parts of the SEDs and the presence of a moderate absorbing shield will produce important changes in the strength of the radiative driving force. These results support the observed trend found between the outflow velocity and X-ray photon index in APM 08279+5255. If this result is confirmed it will imply that radiation pressure is an important mechanism in producing quasar outflows.
Advances in mean-field dynamo theory and applications to astrophysical turbulence

Recent advances in mean-field theory are reviewed and applications to the Sun, late-type stars, accretion disks, galaxies and the early Universe are discussed. We focus particularly on aspects of spatio-temporal non-locality, which provided some of the main new qualitative and quantitative insights that emerged from applying the test-field method to magnetic fields of different length and time scales. We also review the status of nonlinear quenching and the relation to magnetic helicity, which is an important observational diagnostic of modern solar dynamo theory. Both solar and some stellar dynamos seem to operate in an intermediate regime that has not yet been possible to model successfully. This regime is bracketed by antisolar-like differential rotation on one end and stellar activity cycles belonging to the superactive stars on the other. The difficulty in modelling this regime may be related to shortcomings in simulating solar/stellar convection. On galactic and extragalactic length scales, the observational constraints on dynamo theory are still less stringent and more uncertain, but recent advances both in theory and observations suggest that more conclusive comparisons may soon be possible also here. The possibility of inversely cascading magnetic helicity in the early Universe is particularly exciting in explaining the recently observed lower limits of magnetic fields on cosmological length scales. Such magnetic fields may be helical with the same sign of magnetic helicity throughout the entire Universe. This would be a manifestation of parity breaking.
Statistical Physics of Adaptation

Evolutionary adaptation is commonly thought of as arising from reproduction. A new thermodynamic perspective on self-organization far from thermal equilibrium links the biological world and other systems governed by the same general physical principles.
Beamforming Cancellation Design for Millimeter-Wave Full-Duplex

In recent years, there has been extensive research on millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication and on in-band full-duplex (FD) communication, but work on the combination of the two is relatively lacking. FD mmWave systems could offer increased spectral efficiency and decreased latency while also suggesting the redesign of existing mmWave applications. While FD technology has been well- explored for sub-6 GHz systems, the developed methods do not translate well to mmWave. This turns us to a method called beamforming cancellation (BFC), where the highly directional mmWave beams are steered to mitigate self-interference (SI) and enable simultaneous transmission and reception in- band. In this paper, we present BFC designs for two fully-connected hybrid beamforming scenarios, both of which sufficiently suppress the SI such that the sum spectral efficiency approaches that of a SI- free FD system. A simulation and its results are then used to verify our designs.
Global aspects of conformal symmetry and the ANEC in dS and AdS

Starting from the averaged null energy condition (ANEC) in Minkowski we show that conformal symmetry implies the ANEC for a conformal field theory (CFT) in a de Sitter and anti-de Sitter background. A similar and novel bound is also obtained for a CFT in the Lorentzian cylinder. Using monotonicity of relative entropy, we rederive these results for dS and the cylinder. As a byproduct we obtain the vacuum modular Hamiltonian and entanglement entropy associated to null deformed regions of CFTs in (A)dS and the cylinder. A third derivation of the ANEC in dS is shown to follow from bulk causality in AdS/CFT. Finally, we use the Tomita-Takesaki theory to show that Rindler positivity of Minkowski correlators generalizes to conformal theories defined in dS and the cylinder.
Partition zeta functions

We exploit transformations relating generalized q-series, infinite products, sums over integer partitions, and continued fractions, to find partition-theoretic formulas to compute the values of constants such as π, and to connect sums over partitions to the Riemann zeta function, multiple zeta values, and other number-theoretic objects.
Fault-tolerant preparation of approximate GKP states

Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) states appear to be amongst the leading candidates for correcting errors when encoding qubits into oscillators. However the preparation of GKP states remains a significant theoretical and experimental challenge. Until now, no clear definitions for fault-tolerantly preparing GKP states have been provided. Without careful consideration, a small number of faults can lead to large uncorrectable shift errors. After proposing a metric to compare approximate GKP states, we provide rigorous definitions of fault-tolerance and introduce a fault-tolerant phase estimation protocol for preparing such states. The fault-tolerant protocol uses one flag qubit and accepts only a subset of states in order to prevent measurement readout errors from causing large shift errors. We then show how the protocol can be implemented using circuit QED. In doing so, we derive analytic expressions which describe the leading order effects of the non-linear dispersive shift and Kerr non-linearity. Using these expressions, we show that to mitigate the non-linear dispersive shift and Kerr terms would require the protocol to be implemented on time scales four orders of magnitude longer than the time scales relevant to the protocol for physically motivated parameters. Despite these restrictions, we numerically show that a subset of the accepted states of the fault-tolerant phase estimation protocol maintain good error correcting capabilities even in the presence of noise.
Towards Gradually Typed Capabilities in the Pi-Calculus

Gradual typing is an approach to integrating static and dynamic typing within the same language, and puts the programmer in control of which regions of code are type checked at compile-time and which are type checked at run-time. In this paper, we focus on the pi-calculus equipped with types for the modeling of input-output capabilities of channels. We present our preliminary work towards a gradually typed version of this calculus. We present a type system, a cast insertion procedure that automatically inserts run-time checks, and an operational semantics of a pi-calculus that handles casts on channels. Although we do not claim any theoretical results on our formulations, we demonstrate our calculus with an example and discuss our future plans.
Frequency Fluctuations in Tunable and Nonlinear Microwave Cavities

We present a model for how frequency fluctuations comparable to the total cavity linewidth may arise in tunable and nonlinear microwave cavities and how these fluctuations affect the measurement of scattering-matrix elements. We apply this model to the specific case of a two-sided cavity and obtain closed-form expressions for the average scattering-matrix elements in several important cases. A key signature of our model is the subtle deformation of the trajectories swept out by scattering-matrix elements in the complex plane. Despite this signature, the fluctuating and nonfluctuating models are qualitatively similar enough to be mistaken for one another. In the case of tunable cavities, we show that if one fails to account for these fluctuations, then one finds damping rates that appear to depend on the tuning parameter, which is a common observation in such systems. In the case of a Kerr cavity, we show that there exists a fundamental lower bound to the scale of these frequency fluctuations in the steady state, imposed by quantum-mechanical uncertainty, which can appreciably affect the apparent damping rates of the cavity as the strength of the nonlinearity approaches the cavity linewidth. By using our model as a fitting function for experimental data, however, one can extract both the true damping rates of the cavity and the effective scale of these frequency fluctuations over the bandwidth of the scattering measurement. Lastly, we compare this method for observing frequency fluctuations to other methods, one of which we extend beyond the regime of small fluctuations, and we discuss how ringdown measurements can be performed accurately in the presence of frequency fluctuations.
Left orderable surgeries of double twist knots

A rational number $r$ is called a left orderable slope of a knot $K \subset S^3$ if the 3-manifold obtained from $S^3$ by $r$-surgery along $K$ has left orderable fundamental group. In this paper we consider the double twist knots $C(k, l)$ in the Conway notation. For any positive integers $m$ and $n$, we show that if $K$ is a double twist knot of the form $C(2m, -2n)$, $C(2m+1, 2n)$ or $C(2m+1, -2n)$ then there is an explicit unbounded interval $I$ such that any rational number $r \in I$ is a left orderable slope of $K$.
Application of the Titius-Bode Rule to the 55 Cancri System : Tentative Prediction of a Possibly Habitable Planet

Following the notion that the Titius-Bode rule (TBR) may also be applicable to some extra-solar planetary systems, although this number could be relatively small, it is applied to 55 Cancri, which is a G-type main-sequence star currently known to host five planets. Following a concise computational process, we tentatively identify four new hypothetical planetary positions given as 0.081, 0.41, 1.51 and 2.95 AU from the star. The likelihood that these positions are occupied by real existing planets is significantly enhanced for the positions of 1.51 and 2.95 AU in the view of previous simulations on planet formation and planetary orbital stability. For example, Raymond et al. (2008) [ApJ 689, 478] argued that additional planets would be possible between 55 Cnc f and 55 Cnc d, which would include planets situated at 1.51 and 2.95 AU. If two additional planets are assumed to exist between 55 Cnc f and 55 Cnc d, the deduced domains of stability would be given as 1.3-1.6 and 2.2-3.3 AU. The possible planet near 1.5 AU appears to be located at the outskirts of the stellar habitable zone, which is however notably affected by the stellar parameters as well as the adopted model of circumstellar habitability. We also compute the distance of the next possible outer planet in the 55 Cnc system, which if existing is predicted to be located between 10.9 and 12.2 AU, which is consistent with orbital stability constraints. The inherent statistical significance of the TBR is evaluated following the method by Lynch (2003) [MNRAS 341, 1174]. Yet it is up to future planetary search missions to verify or falsify the applicability of the TBR to the 55 Cnc system, and to attain information on additional planets, if existing.
High coherence superconducting microwave cavities with indium bump bonding

Low-loss cavities are important in building high-coherence superconducting quantum computers. Generating high-quality joints between parts is crucial for the realization of a scalable quantum computer using the circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) framework. In this paper, we adapt the technique of indium bump bonding to cQED to realize high-quality superconducting microwave joints between chips. We use this technique to fabricate compact superconducting cavities in the multilayer microwave integrated quantum circuit (MMIQC) architecture and achieve single photon quality factors over 300 × 106 or single-photon lifetimes approaching 5 ms. To quantify the performance of the resulting seam, we fabricate microwave stripline resonators in multiple sections connected by different numbers of bonds, resulting in a wide range of seam admittances. The measured quality factors combined with the designed seam admittances allow us to bound the conductance of the seam at g seam ≥ 2 × 1 0 10 / ( Ω m ). Such a conductance should enable the construction of micromachined superconducting cavities with a quality factor of at least a billion. These results demonstrate the capability to construct very high-quality microwave structures within the MMIQC architecture.
Asymptotic safety, hypergeometric functions, and the Higgs mass in spectral action models

We study the renormalization group flow for the Higgs self coupling in the presence of gravitational correction terms. We show that the resulting equation is equivalent to a singular linear ODE, which has explicit solutions in terms of hypergeometric functions. We discuss the implications of this model with gravitational corrections on the Higgs mass estimates in particle physics models based on the spectral action functional.
Reconstructing the shape of the correlation function

We develop an estimator for the correlation function which, in the ensemble average, returns the shape of the correlation function, even for signals that have significant correlations on the scale of the survey region. Our estimator is general and works in any number of dimensions. We develop versions of the estimator for both diffuse and discrete signals. As an application, we apply them to Monte Carlo simulations of X-ray background measurements. These include a realistic, spatially inhomogeneous population of spurious detector events. We discuss applying the estimator to the averaging of correlation functions evaluated on several small fields, and to other cosmological applications.
WFIRST coronagraph technology requirements: Status update and systems engineering approach

The Coronagraph Instrument (CGI) on the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will demonstrate technologies and methods for high-contrast direct imaging and spectroscopy of exoplanet systems in reflected light, including polarimetry of circumstellar disks. The WFIRST management and CGI engineering and science investigation teams have developed requirements for the instrument, motivated by the objectives and technology development needs of potential future flagship exoplanet characterization missions such as the NASA Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) and the Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR). The requirements have been refined to support recommendations from the WFIRST Independent External Technical/Management/Cost Review (WIETR) that the WFIRST CGI be classified as a technology demonstration instrument instead of a science instrument. This paper provides a description of how the CGI requirements flow from the top of the overall WFIRST mission structure through the Level 2 requirements, where the focus here is on capturing the detailed context and rationales for the CGI Level 2 requirements. The WFIRST requirements flow starts with the top Program Level Requirements Appendix (PLRA), which contains both high-level mission objectives as well as the CGI-specific baseline technical and data requirements (BTR and BDR, respectively). Captured in the WFIRST Mission Requirements Document (MRD), the Level 2 CGI requirements flow from the PLRA objectives, BTRs, and BDRs. There are five CGI objectives in the WFIRST PLRA, which motivate the four baseline technical/data requirements. There are nine CGI level 2 (L2) requirements presented in this work, which have been developed and validated using predictions from increasingly refined observatory and instrument performance models. We also present the process and collaborative tools used in the L2 requirements development and management, including the collection and organization of science inputs, an open-source approach to managing the requirements database, and automating documentation. The tools created for the CGI L2 requirements have the potential to improve the design and planning of other projects, streamlining requirement management and maintenance. The WFIRST CGI passed its System Requirements Review (SRR) and System Design Review (SDR) in May 2018. The SRR examines the functional requirements and performance requirements defined for the system and the preliminary program or project plan and ensures that the requirements and the selected concept will satisfy the mission, and the SDR examines the proposed system architecture and design and the flow down to all functional elements of the system
Hindman’s Theorem is only a Countable Phenomenon

We pursue the idea of generalizing Hindman’s Theorem to uncountable cardinalities, by analogy with the way in which Ramsey’s Theorem can be generalized to weakly compact cardinals. But unlike Ramsey’s Theorem, the outcome of this paper is that the natural generalizations of Hindman’s Theorem proposed here tend to fail at all uncountable cardinals.
Toward the classification of biangular harmonic frames

Abstract Equiangular tight frames (ETFs) and biangular tight frames (BTFs) – sets of unit vectors with basis-like properties whose pairwise absolute inner products admit exactly one or two values, respectively – are useful for many applications. A well-understood class of ETFs are those which manifest as harmonic frames – vector sets defined in terms of the characters of finite abelian groups – because they are characterized by combinatorial objects called difference sets. This work is dedicated to the study of the underlying combinatorial structures of harmonic BTFs. We show that if a harmonic frame is generated by a divisible difference set, a partial difference set or by a special structure with certain Gauss summing properties – all three of which are generalizations of difference sets that fall under the umbrella term “bidifference set” – then it is either a BTF or an ETF. However, we also show that the relationship between harmonic BTFs and bidifference sets is not as straightforward as the correspondence between harmonic ETFs and difference sets, as there are examples of bidifference sets that do not generate harmonic BTFs. In addition, we study another class of combinatorial structures, the nested divisible difference sets, which yields an example of a harmonic BTF that is not generated by a bidifference set.
Finite volume properly convex deformations of the figure-eight knot

In this paper we show that some open set of the representations of the fundamental group of figure-eight knot complement found in Ballas (2014) are the holonomies of a family of finite volume properly convex projective structures on the figure-eight knot complement.
The upside of noise: engineered dissipation as a resource in superconducting circuits

Historically, noise in superconducting circuits has been considered an obstacle to be removed. A large fraction of the research effort in designing superconducting circuits has focused on noise reduction, with great success, as coherence times have increased by four orders of magnitude in the past two decades. However, noise and dissipation can never be fully eliminated, and further, a rapidly growing body of theoretical and experimental work has shown that carefully tuned noise, in the form of engineered dissipation, can be a profoundly useful tool in designing and operating quantum circuits. In this article, I review important applications of engineered dissipation, including state generation, state stabilization, and autonomous quantum error correction, where engineered dissipation can mitigate the effect of intrinsic noise, reducing logical error rates in quantum information processing. Further, I provide a pedagogical review of the basic noise processes in superconducting qubits (photon loss and phase noise), and argue that any dissipative mechanism which can correct photon loss errors is very likely to automatically suppress dephasing. I also discuss applications for quantum simulation, and possible future research directions.
Design and demonstration of ultra-wide bandgap AlGaN tunnel junctions

Ultra violet light emitting diodes (UV LEDs) face critical limitations in both the injection efficiency and the light extraction efficiency due to the resistive and absorbing p-type contact layers. In this work, we investigate the design and application of polarization engineered tunnel junctions for ultra-wide bandgap AlGaN (Al mole fraction >50%) materials towards highly efficient UV LEDs. We demonstrate that polarization-induced three dimensional charge is beneficial in reducing tunneling barriers especially for high composition AlGaN tunnel junctions. The design of graded tunnel junction structures could lead to low tunneling resistance below 10−3 Ω cm2 and low voltage consumption below 1 V (at 1 kA/cm2) for high composition AlGaN tunnel junctions. Experimental demonstration of 292 nm emission was achieved through non-equilibrium hole injection into wide bandgap materials with bandgap energy larger than 4.7 eV, and detailed modeling of tunnel junctions shows that they can be engineered to have low res...
Characterization of water-based liquid scintillator for Cherenkov and scintillation separation

This paper presents measurements of the scintillation light yield and time profile for a number of concentrations of water-based liquid scintillator, formulated from linear alkylbenzene (LAB) and 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO). We find that the scintillation light yield is linear with the concentration of liquid scintillator in water between 1 and 10% with a slope of $$127.9\pm 17.0$$ ph/MeV/concentration and an intercept value of $$108.3\pm 51.0$$ ph/MeV, the latter being illustrative of non-linearities with concentration at values less than 1%. This is larger than expected from a simple extrapolation of the pure liquid scintillator light yield. The measured time profiles are consistently faster than that of pure liquid scintillator, with rise times less than 250 ps and prompt decay constants in the range of 2.1–2.85 ns. Additionally, the separation between Cherenkov and scintillation light is quantified using cosmic muons in the CHESS experiment for each formulation, demonstrating an improvement in separation at the centimeter scale. Finally, we briefly discuss the prospects for large-scale detectors.
Zygarde: Time-Sensitive On-Device Deep Inference and Adaptation on Intermittently-Powered Systems

We propose Zygarde --- which is an energy- and accuracy-aware soft real-time task scheduling framework for batteryless systems that flexibly execute deep learning tasks1 that are suitable for running on microcontrollers. The sporadic nature of harvested energy, resource constraints of the embedded platform, and the computational demand of deep neural networks (DNNs) pose a unique and challenging real-time scheduling problem for which no solutions have been proposed in the literature. We empirically study the problem and model the energy harvesting pattern as well as the trade-off between the accuracy and execution of a DNN. We develop an imprecise computing-based scheduling algorithm that improves the timeliness of DNN tasks on intermittently powered systems. We evaluate Zygarde using four standard datasets as well as by deploying it in six real-life applications involving audio and camera sensor systems. Results show that Zygarde decreases the execution time by up to 26% and schedules 9% -- 34% more tasks with up to 21% higher inference accuracy, compared to traditional schedulers such as the earliest deadline first (EDF).
Self-Locating Uncertainty and the Origin of Probability in Everettian Quantum Mechanics

A longstanding issue in attempts to understand the Everett (many-worlds) approach to quantum mechanics is the origin of the Born rule: why is the probability given by the square of the amplitude? Following Vaidman, we note that observers are in a position of self-locating uncertainty during the period between the branches of the wave function splitting via decoherence and the observer registering the outcome of the measurement. In this period, it is tempting to regard each branch as equiprobable, but we argue that the temptation should be resisted. Applying lessons from this analysis, we demonstrate (using methods similar to those of Zurek’s envariance-based derivation) that the Born rule is the uniquely rational way of apportioning credence in Everettian quantum mechanics. In doing so, we rely on a single key principle: changes to the environment alone do not affect the probabilities one ought to assign to measurement outcomes in a local subsystem. We arrive at a method for assigning probabilities in cases that involve both classical and quantum self-locating uncertainty. This method provides unique answers to quantum Sleeping Beauty problems, as well as a well-defined procedure for calculating probabilities in quantum cosmological multiverses with multiple similar observers.
Tuning the glass-forming ability of metallic glasses through energetic frustration

The design of multifunctional bulk metallic glasses is limited by the lack of a quantitative understanding of the variables that control the glass-forming ability of alloys. Both geometric frustration (e.g., differences in atomic radii) and energetic frustration (e.g., differences in the cohesive energies of the atomic species) contribute to the glass-forming ability. We perform molecular dynamics simulations of binary Lennard-Jones mixtures with only energetic frustration. We show that there is little correlation between the heat of mixing $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{H}_{\mathrm{mix}}$ and critical cooling rate ${R}_{c}$, below which the system crystallizes, except that $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{H}_{\mathrm{mix}}l0$. By removing the effects of geometric frustration, we show strong correlations between ${R}_{c}$ and the variables ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\ensuremath{-}}=({\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{BB}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{AA})/({\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{AA}+{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{BB})$ and ${\overline{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{AB}=2{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{AB}/({\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{AA}+{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{BB})$, where ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{AA}$ and ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{BB}$ are the cohesive energies of atoms $A$ and $B$ and ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{AB}$ is the pair interaction between $A$ and $B$ atoms. We identify a particular composition-dependent combination of ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\ensuremath{-}}$ and ${\overline{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{AB}$ that collapses the data for ${R}_{c}$ over nearly 4 orders of magnitude in cooling rate. By performing local structural analyses, we find that energetic frustration, even in the absence of geometric frustration, can induce short-range fivefold symmetric order that impedes crystallization. This result emphasizes that energetic frustration plays an important role in determining the glass-forming ability, and thus it should be taken into account in the design of new metallic glass formers.
Learning Differentiable Programs with Admissible Neural Heuristics

We study the problem of learning differentiable functions expressed as programs in a domain-specific language. Such programmatic models can offer benefits such as composability and interpretability; however, learning them requires optimizing over a combinatorial space of program "architectures". We frame this optimization problem as a search in a weighted graph whose paths encode top-down derivations of program syntax. Our key innovation is to view various classes of neural networks as continuous relaxations over the space of programs, which can then be used to complete any partial program. This relaxed program is differentiable and can be trained end-to-end, and the resulting training loss is an approximately admissible heuristic that can guide the combinatorial search. We instantiate our approach on top of the A-star algorithm and an iteratively deepened branch-and-bound search, and use these algorithms to learn programmatic classifiers in three sequence classification tasks. Our experiments show that the algorithms outperform state-of-the-art methods for program learning, and that they discover programmatic classifiers that yield natural interpretations and achieve competitive accuracy.
Correlation Functions of Minimal Models Coupled to Two-Dimensional Quantum Supergravity

We compute the three-point functions of Neveu-Schwarz primary fields of the minimal models on the sphere when coupled to supergravity in two dimensions. The results show that the three-point correlation functions are determined by the scaling dimensions of the fields, as in the bosonic case.
Defect-Driven Shape Instabilities of Bundles

Imperfections in the 2D packing of fibers packed in a bundle have a profound effect on the bundle's 3D shape, an insight that could be useful in the design of some nanoscale materials.
SDSS 0809+1729: Connections Between Extremely Metal-Poor Galaxies and Gamma-Ray Burst Hosts

We discuss the serendipitous discovery of an extremely metal-poor galaxy, SDSS 0809+1729, classified as a star in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The galaxy has a redshift z = 0.0441 and a B-band absolute magnitude MB = -17.1. With a metallicity of log(O/H) + 12 ~ 7.44 or ~1/20 solar, this galaxy is among the 10 most metal-poor emission-line galaxies known. SDSS 0809+1729 is a blue compact galaxy (BCG) with a stellar age of ~4.5 Myr, a star formation rate of 0.18 M⊙ yr-1, and a large gas-phase electron density (~367 cm-3). Similar values of these parameters are common among other extremely metal-poor galaxies, including I Zw 18. SDSS 0809+1729 is, however, unusual among BCGs because it lies in the same region of the luminosity-metallicity diagram as the two lowest metallicity long-duration gamma-ray burst (GRB) hosts. For a given B-band luminosity, both nearby GRB hosts and SDSS 0809+1729 have systematically lower metallicities than dwarf irregulars, the majority of BCGs, and normal star-forming galaxies. Because the star formation properties of SDSS 0809+1729 are similar to nearby long-duration GRB hosts, SDSS 0809+1729 may be a potential GRB host. Identification of larger samples of similar extremely metal-poor objects may provide important insights into the conditions required to produce long-duration GRBs.
Computation of linear comparison equations for stability analysis of interconnected systems

Sum-of-squares (SOS) methods have been shown to be very useful in computing polynomial Lyapunov functions for systems of reasonably small size. However for large scale systems it is necessary to use a scalable alternative using vector Lyapunov functions. Earlier works have shown that under certain conditions the stability of an interconnected system can be studied through suitable comparison equations. However finding such comparison equations can be non-trivial. In this work we propose an SOS based systematic procedure to directly compute the comparison equations for interconnected system with polynomial dynamics. With an example of interacting Van der Pol systems, we illustrate how this facilitates a scalable and parallel approach to stability analysis.
Identification of Spacer and Protospacer Sequence Requirements in the Vibrio cholerae Type I-E CRISPR/Cas System

The prokaryotic adaptive immune system CRISPR/Cas serves as a defense against bacteriophage and invasive nucleic acids. A type I-E CRISPR/Cas system has been detected in classical biotype isolates of Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the disease cholera. Experimental characterization of this system revealed a functional immune system that operates using a 5'-TT-3' protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) for interference. However, several designed spacers against the 5'-TT-3' PAM do not interfere as expected, indicating that further investigation of this system is necessary. In this study, we identified additional conserved sequences, including a pyrimidine in the 5' position of the spacer and a purine in the complementary position of the protospacer using 873 unique spacers and 2,267 protospacers mined from CRISPR arrays in deposited sequences of V. cholerae We present bioinformatic evidence that during acquisition the protospacer purine is captured in the prespacer and that a 5'-RTT-3' PAM is necessary for spacer acquisition. Finally, we demonstrate experimentally, by designing and manipulating spacer and cognate PAMs in a plasmid conjugation assay, that a 5'-RTT-3' PAM is necessary for CRISPR interference, and we discover functional consequences for spacer efficacy related to the identity of the 5' spacer pyrimidine.IMPORTANCE Bacterial CRISPR/Cas systems provide immunity by defending against phage and other invading elements. A thorough comprehension of the molecular mechanisms employed by these diverse systems will improve our understanding of bacteriophage-bacterium interactions and bacterial adaptation to foreign DNA. The Vibrio cholerae type I-E system was previously identified in an extinct classical biotype and was partially characterized for its function. Here, using both bioinformatic and functional assays, we extend that initial study. We have found that the type I-E system still exists in modern strains of V. cholerae Furthermore, we defined additional sequence elements both in the CRISPR array and in target DNA that are required for immunity. CRISPR/Cas systems are now commonly used as precise and powerful genetic engineering tools. Knowledge of the sequences required for CRISPR/Cas immunity is a prerequisite for the effective design and experimental use of these systems. Our results greatly facilitate the effective use of one such system. Furthermore, we provide a publicly available software program that assists in the detection and validation of CRISPR/Cas immunity requirements when such a system exists in a bacterial species.
Runtime configurable deep neural networks for energy-accuracy trade-off

We present a novel dynamic configuration technique for deep neural networks that permits step-wise energy-accuracy tradeoffs during runtime. Our configuration technique adjusts the number of channels in the network dynamically depending on response time, power, and accuracy targets. To enable this dynamic configuration technique, we co-design a new training algorithm, where the network is incrementally trained such that the weights in channels trained in earlier steps are fixed. Our technique provides the flexibility of multiple networks while storing and utilizing one set of weights. We evaluate our techniques using both an ASIC-based hardware accelerator as well as a low-power embedded GPGPU and show that our approach leads to only a small or negligible loss in the final network accuracy. We analyze the performance of our proposed methodology using three well-known networks for MNIST, CIFAR-10, and SVHN datasets, and we show that we are able to achieve up to 95% energy reduction with less than 1% accuracy loss across the three benchmarks. In addition, compared to prior work on dynamic network reconfiguration, we show that our approach leads to approximately 50% savings in storage requirements, while achieving similar accuracy.
Limitations of zT as a Figure of Merit for Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials

Thermoelectric properties of nanocomposites are numerically studied as a function of average grain size or nanoparticle density by simulating the measurements as they would be done experimentally. In accordance with previous theoretical and experimental results, we find that the Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and figure of merit, zT, can be increased by nanostructuring when energy barriers exist around the grain boundaries or embedded nanoparticles. When we simulate the performance of a thermoelectric cooler with the same material, however, we find that the maximum temperature difference, Δ T max, is much less than expected from the given zT. This occurs because the measurements are done in a way that minimizes Joule heating, but the Joule heating that occurs in operating devices has a large effect for these kinds of materials. The same nanocomposite but without energy barriers at the grain boundaries has a lower measured zT but a higher Δ T max. The physical reason for these results is explained. The results illustrate the limitations of zT as a figure of merit for nanocomposites with electrically active grain boundaries.
Optimization approach for optical absorption in three-dimensional structures including solar cells

The rigorous coupled-wave approach (RCWA) and the differential evolution algorithm (DEA) were coupled in a practicable approach to maximize absorption in optical structures with three-dimensional morphology. As a model problem, optimal values of four geometric parameters and the bandgaps of three i-layers were found for an amorphous-silicon, multiterminal, thin-film tandem solar cell comprising three p – i – n junctions with a metallic hexagonally corrugated backreflector. When the optical short-circuit current density was chosen as the figure of merit to be maximized, only the bandgap of the topmost i-layer was significant and the remaining six parameters played minor roles. While this configuration would absorb light very well, it would have poor electrical performance. This issue arises because the optimization problem allows for the thicknesses and bandgaps of the semiconductor layers to change. We therefore devised another figure of merit that takes into account bandgap changes by estimating the open-circuit voltage. The resulting configuration was found to be optimal with respect to all seven variable parameters. The RCWA + DEA optimization approach is applicable to other types of photovoltaic solar cells as well as optical absorbers, with the choice of the figure of merit being vital to a successful outcome.