Particle swarm optimization and gravitational wave data analysis: Performance on a binary inspiral testbed
The detection and estimation of gravitational wave signals belonging to a parameterized family of waveforms requires, in general, the numerical maximization of a data-dependent function of the signal parameters. Because of noise in the data, the function to be maximized is often highly multimodal with numerous local maxima. Searching for the global maximum then becomes computationally expensive, which in turn can limit the scientific scope of the search. Stochastic optimization is one possible approach to reducing computational costs in such applications. We report results from a first investigation of the particle swarm optimization method in this context. The method is applied to a test bed motivated by the problem of detection and estimation of a binary inspiral signal. Our results show that particle swarm optimization works well in the presence of high multimodality, making it a viable candidate method for further applications in gravitational wave data analysis.

title: The Mock LISA data challenges: from challenge 1B to challenge 3
abstract: The Mock LISA Data Challenges are a programme to demonstrate and encourage the development of LISA data-analysis capabilities, tools and techniques. At the time of this workshop, three rounds of challenges had been completed, and the next was about to start. In this paper we provide a critical analysis of the entries to the latest completed round, Challenge 1B. The entries confirm the consolidation of a range of data-analysis techniques for galactic and massive-black-hole binaries, and they include the first convincing examples of detection and parameter estimation of extreme-mass-ratio inspiral sources. In this paper we also introduce the next round, Challenge 3. Its data sets feature more realistic waveform models (e.g., galactic binaries may now chirp, and massive-black-hole binaries may precess due to spin interactions), as well as new source classes (bursts from cosmic strings, isotropic stochastic backgrounds) and more complicated nonsymmetric instrument noise.

title: A scientific case study of an advanced LISA mission
abstract: A brief status report of an ongoing scientific case study of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Antenna (ALIA) mission is presented. Key technology requirements and primary science objectives of the mission are covered in the study. Possible descope options for the mission and the corresponding compromise in science are also considered and compared. Our preliminary study indicates that ALIA holds promise in mapping out the mass and spin distribution of intermediate mass black holes possibly present in dense star clusters at low redshift as well as in shedding important light on the structure formation in the early Universe.

title: DUSTY DISKS AROUND WHITE DWARFS. I. ORIGIN OF DEBRIS DISKS
abstract: A significant fraction of the mature FGK stars have cool dusty disks at least an order of magnitude brighter than the solar system's outer zodiacal light. Since such dusts must be continually replenished, they are generally assumed to be the collisional fragments of residual planetesimals analogous to the Kuiper-Belt objects. At least 10% of solar-type stars also bear gas giant planets. The fraction of stars with known gas giants or detectable debris disks (or both) appears to increase with the stellar mass. Here, we examine the dynamical evolution of systems of long-period gas giant planets and residual planetesimals as their host stars evolve off the main sequence, lose mass, and form planetary nebula around remnant white dwarf cores. The orbits of distant gas giant planets and super-km-size planetesimals expand adiabatically. During the most intense asymptotic giant branch mass-loss phase, sub-meter-size particles migrate toward their host stars due to the strong hydrodynamical drag by the intense stellar wind. Along their migration paths, gas giant planets capture and sweep up sub-km-size planetesimals onto their mean-motion resonances. These planetesimals also acquire modest eccentricities which are determined by the mass of the perturbing planets, and the rate and speed of stellar mass loss. The swept-up planetesimals undergo disruptive collisions which lead to the production of grains with an extended size range. The radiation drag on these particles is ineffective against the planets' resonant barrier and they form 30-50 AU size rings which can effectively reprocess the stellar irradiation in the form of FIR continuum. We identify the recently discovered dust ring around the white dwarf WD 2226-210 at the center of the Helix nebula as a prototype of such disks and suggest such rings may be common.

title: First stage of LISA data processing: Clock synchronization and arm-length determination via a hybrid-extended Kalman filter
abstract: In this paper, we describe a hybrid-extended Kalman filter algorithm to synchronize the clocks and to precisely determine the inter-spacecraft distances for space-based gravitational wave detectors, such as (e)LISA. According to the simulation, the algorithm has significantly improved the ranging accuracy and synchronized the clocks, making the phase-meter raw measurements qualified for time- delay interferometry algorithms.

title: Quantum Wave Equation of Photon
abstract: In this paper, we give the quantum wave equations of single photon when it is in the vacuum and medium. With these wave equations, we can study light interference and diffraction with the approach of quantum theory, and also can study the quantum property of photon when it is in a general crystal and photonic crystal. Otherwise, it can be applied in quantum optics and condensed matter feld.

title: Position Space CMB Anomalies from Multi-Stream Inflation
abstract: Temporary domain walls are produced during the bifurcation era of multi-stream inflation. The observational effects from such a domain wall to spectator field perturbations are calculated, and we expect the inflationary perturbations share similarities with the case of spectator field. A domain wall induces a preferred direction in the sky, affecting the angular distribution of perturbations. A correlated suppression of multipoles together with an alignment of multipole moments on the preferred direction are generated. Other observational aspects of multi-stream inflation, including hemispherical asymmetry and cold spot are also briefly reviewed.

title: BESII detector simulation
abstract: A Monte Carlo program based on GEANT3 has been developed for BESII detector simulation. The organization of the program is outlined, and the digitization procedure for simulating the response of various sub-detectors is described. Comparisons with data show that the performance of the program is generally satisfactory.

title: Some issues concerning holographic dark energy
abstract: We study the perturbation of holographic dark energy and find it to be stable. We study the fate of the universe when interacting holographic dark energy is present, and discuss a simple phenomenological classification of the interacting holographic dark energy models. We also discuss the cosmic coincidence problem in the context of holographic dark energy. We find that the coincidence problem cannot be completely solved by adding an interacting term. Inflation may provide a better solution of the coincidence problem.

title: EXPLORATION OF PARALLEL OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES FOR ACCELERATOR DESIGN
abstract: Optimization through simulation is one of the most timeconsuming tasks in accelerator design, especially for highdimensional problems. We explored several parallel optimization techniques, including parallel genetic algorithm (PGA), parallel hybrid simplex (PHS), and parallel particle swarm optimization (PPSO), to solve some real-world optimization problems. The serial version of the simplex method in elegant [1] is used as a benchmark to compare with the newly developed parallel optimization algorithms in Pelegant . Our experimental results show almost all of the tested parallel optimization methods converge to an equal or better optimization result compared with the serial simplex method, which indicates the serial version of the simplex method could be easily trapped to a local optimum for some applications. The PPSO method is reliable for global optimization and is well suited for parallel computing. The optimization time for a coupling minimization problem was reduced significantly from more than six hours with serial simplex to about twenty minutes on a BlueGene/P supercomputer at the Argonne Leadership Computer Facility (ALCF). The HPS method requires much less time than other optimization algorithms for an experiment where the optimal solution is very close to the initial point for the optimization. These parallel optimization methods not only make the optimization result more reliable but also provide a feasible approach to on-demand accelerator optimization.

title: Cosmological constant and advanced gravitational wave detectors
abstract: Interferometric gravitational wave detectors could measure the frequency sweep of a binary inspiral (characterized by its chirp mass) to high accuracy. The observed chirp mass is the intrinsic chirp mass of the binary source multiplied by (1+z), where z is the redshift of the source. Assuming a nonzero cosmological constant, we compute the expected redshift distribution of observed events for an advanced LIGO detector. We find that the redshift distribution has a robust and sizable dependence on the cosmological constant; the data from advanced LIGO detectors could provide an independent measurement of the cosmological constant.