Consensus problems for high-order linear time-invariant swarm systems

Consensus problems for high-order continuous-time linear time-invariant swarm systems with directed interaction topologies are investigated. A new method to deal with consensus problems is proposed based on state space decomposition. Two subspaces of a complex space are introduced, namely a consensus subspace and a complement consensus subspace. Based on this decomposition, necessary and sufficient conditions for consensus and consensualizability are presented respectively. An approach for determining and designing the consensus function which may be time-varying is shown. The applications of theoretical results in multi-agent supporting systems are studied.     

Consensus analysis and design for high-order linear swarm systems with time-varying delays

Consensus analysis and design problems for high-order linear time-invariant swarm systems with time-varying delays are dealt with. First, a consensus subspace and a complement consensus subspace are introduced. By the state projection onto the two subspaces, consensus problems are converted into simultaneous stabilization problems of multiple time-delayed subsystems with low dimensions, and a method to analyze and design the consensus function is given. Then, sufficient conditions for consensus and consensualization are presented, which include only four linear matrix inequality constraints. Finally, theoretical results are applied to deal with cooperative control problems of multi-agent supporting systems.     

Singular self-dual Zollfrei metrics and twistor correspondence

We construct examples of singular self-dual Zollfrei metrics explicitly, by patching a pair of Petean’s self-dual split-signature metrics. We prove that there is a natural one-to-one correspondence between these singular metrics and a certain set of embeddings of RP³$\mathbb{R}{\mathbb{P}}^3$ to CP³$\mathbb{C}{\mathbb{P}}^3$ which has one singular point. This embedding corresponds to an odd function on R$\mathbb{R}$ that is rapidly decreasing and pure imaginary valued. The one-to-one correspondence is explicitly given by using the Radon transform.     

Supercurrent coupling in the Faddeev–Skyrme model

Motivated by the sigma model limit of multicomponent Ginzburg–Landau theory, a version of the Faddeev–Skyrme model is considered in which the scalar field is coupled dynamically to a one-form field called the supercurrent. This coupled model is investigated in the general setting where physical space M$M$ is an oriented Riemannian manifold and the target space N$N$ is a Kähler manifold, and its properties are compared with the usual, uncoupled Faddeev–Skyrme model. In the case N=S²$N=S^2$, it is shown that supercurrent coupling destroys the familiar topological lower energy bound of Vakulenko and Kapitanski when M=R³$M={\mathbb{R}}^3$, and the less familiar linear bound when M$M$ is a compact 3-manifold. Nonetheless, local energy minimizers may still exist. The first variation formula is derived and used to construct three families of static solutions of the model, all on compact domains. In particular, a coupled version of the unit charge hopfion on a three-sphere of arbitrary radius is found. The second variation formula is derived, and used to analyze the stability of some of these solutions. In particular, it is shown that, in contrast to the uncoupled model, the coupled unit hopfion on the three-sphere of radius R$R$ is unstable   for all R$R$. This gives an explicit, exact example of supercurrent coupling destabilizing a stable solution of the usual Faddeev–Skyrme model, and casts doubt on the conjecture of Babaev, Faddeev and Niemi that knot solitons should exist in the low energy regime of two-component superconductors.     

Sharp existence and uniqueness theorems for non-Abelian multiple vortex solutions

Vortices in non-Abelian gauge field theory play essential roles in the mechanism of color confinement and are governed by systems of nonlinear elliptic equations of complicated structure. In this paper, we present a series of sharp existence and uniqueness theorems for multiple vortex solutions of the non-Abelian BPS equations over R²${\mathbb{R}}^2$ and on a doubly periodic domain. Our methods are based on calculus of variations which may be used to analyze more extended problems. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a unique solution in the doubly periodic situation are expressed in terms of physical parameters involved explicitly.     

Divergence of fermionic correlations under non-Markovian noise in a non-inertial frame

Non-Markovian dynamics of correlations of fermionic systems is investigated beyond the single-mode approximations in a non-inertial frame. Two well known correlation measures, quantum discord and geometric quantum discord, are analyzed for the fermionic states influenced by the non-Markovian noise. Persistence of discord is seen for longer times depending upon the level of mixedness of the fermionic system. The dynamics of the fermionic systems heavily depends upon the degree of white noise. It is shown that fermionic systems remain dependent upon the choice of Unruh modes (_qR$q_R$) beyond the single-mode approximations under non-Markovian noise. Quantum discord is found to be more robust as compared to the geometric quantum discord. Furthermore, the non-Markovian effects are more stronger than the acceleration of Bob, the accelerated partner.     

An introduction to the theory of generalized conics and their applications

A generalized conic is a set of points with the same average distance from the pointset Γ$\Gamma$ in the Euclidean coordinate space. The measuring of the average distance is realized via integration over Γ$\Gamma$ as the set of foci. Using generalized conics we give a process for constructing convex bodies which are invariant under a fixed subgroup G$G$ of the orthogonal group in Rⁿ${\mathbb{R}}^n$. The motivation is to present the existence of non-Euclidean Minkowski functionals with G⊂O(n)$G\subset O\left(n\right)$ in the linear isometry group provided that the closure of G$G$ is not transitive on the unit sphere. As an application, consider Rⁿ${\mathbb{R}}^n$ as the tangent space at a point of a connected Riemannian manifold M$M$ and G$G$ as the holonomy group. If the holonomy group is not transitive on the unit sphere in the tangent space, then the Lévi-Civita connection is (re)metrizable in the sense that there is a smooth collection of non-Euclidean Minkowski functionals on the tangent spaces such that it is invariant under parallel transport with respect to the Lévi-Civita connection (according to Berger’s list of possible Riemannian holonomy groups, all of them are transitive on the unit sphere in the tangent space except in the case where the manifold is a symmetric space of rank≥2). We present the (re)metrizability theorem in a more general context of metrical linear connections with a torsion tensor that is not necessarily vanishing. This allows us to declare eight classes of manifolds equipped with an invariant smooth collection of Minkowski functionals on the tangent spaces. They are called Berwald manifolds in a general sense.     

Effects of uniform rotational flow on predator–prey system

Rotational flow is often observed in lotic ecosystems, such as streams and rivers. For example, when an obstacle interrupts water flowing in a stream, energy dissipation and momentum transfer can result in the formation of rotational flow, or a vortex. In this study, I examined how rotational flow affects a predator–prey system by constructing a spatially explicit lattice model consisting of predators, prey, and plants. A predation relationship existed between the species. The species densities in the model were given as S$S$ (for predator), P$P$ (for prey), and G$G$ (for plant). A predator (prey) had a probability of giving birth to an offspring when it ate prey (plant). When a predator or prey was first introduced, or born, its health state was assigned an initial value of 20 that subsequently decreased by one with every time step. The predator (prey) was removed from the system when the health state decreased to less than zero. The degree of flow rotation was characterized by the variable, R$R$. A higher R$R$ indicates a higher tendency that predators and prey move along circular paths. Plants were not affected by the flow because they were assumed to be attached to the streambed. Results showed that R$R$ positively affected both predator and prey survival, while its effect on plants was negligible. Flow rotation facilitated disturbances in individuals’ movements, which consequently strengthens the predator and prey relationship and prevents death from starvation. An increase in S$S$ accelerated the extinction of predators and prey.     

Phase separation in polydisperse rod–coil block copolymers

The stability limits of the homogeneous state of melts of rod–coil RC$RC$, R_C2$R{C}_2$, and CRC$CRC$ polydisperse block copolymers have been investigated in the framework of the weak segregation theory. It was assumed that the number of units in either the rod-like R$R$ or the flexible C$C$ block is a random variable distributed by the Schulz–Zimm distribution. Inspection of the spinodal curves shows that the copolymer melts with polydisperse rigid blocks are less stable with respect to formation of the nematic state than melts with the monodisperse ones. If flexible C$C$ blocks are polydisperse the homogeneous state of a rod–coil melt is less stable against microphase separation than the homogeneous state of monodisperse melt of the same architecture.     

The effects of indium segregation on exciton binding energy and oscillator strength in GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells

We solve analytically the Schrödinger equation taking into account the shape changes of GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells due to indium segregation during the MBE growth by using transfer matrix method. The indium compositional profiles of the quantum wells are provided using the phenomenological model. The fundamental transition energy, binding energy and oscillator strength of excitons as a function of indium segregation coefficient R$R$ and well width are studied. For narrow wells (less than 40 ML), the exciton binding energy and oscillator strength decrease, but for wide wells (larger than 40 ML), increase with increasing the segregation coefficient R$R$. It is shown that indium segregation degrades the optical properties and results in a blue-shift of exciton transition energy in GaInAs/GaAs quantum wells.     

On interrelations of recurrences and connectivity trends between stock indices

Financial data has been extensively studied for correlations using Pearson’s cross-correlation coefficient ρ$\rho$ as the point of departure. We employ an estimator based on recurrence plots — the correlation of probability of recurrence (CPR$CPR$) — to analyze connections between nine stock indices spread worldwide. We suggest a slight modification of the CPR$CPR$ approach in order to get more robust results. We examine trends in CPR$CPR$ for an approximately 19-month window moved along the time series and compare them to trends in ρ$\rho$. Binning CPR$CPR$ into three levels of connectedness (strong, moderate, and weak), we extract the trends in number of connections in each bin over time. We also look at the behavior of CPR$CPR$ during the dot-com bubble by shifting the time series to align their peaks. CPR$CPR$ mainly uncovers that the markets move in and out of periods of strong connectivity erratically, instead of moving monotonically towards increasing global connectivity. This is in contrast to ρ$\rho$, which gives a picture of ever-increasing correlation. CPR$CPR$ also exhibits that time-shifted markets have high connectivity around the dot-com bubble of 2000. We use significance tests using twin surrogates to interpret all the measures estimated in the study.     

On the scaling ranges of detrended fluctuation analysis for long-term memory correlated short series of data

We examine the scaling regime for the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA)—the most popular method used to detect the presence of long-term memory in data and the fractal structure of time series. First, the scaling range for DFA is studied for uncorrelated data as a function of time series length L$L$ and the correlation coefficient of the linear regression R²$R^2$ at various confidence levels. Next, a similar analysis for artificial short series of data with long-term memory is performed. In both cases the scaling range λ$\lambda$ is found to change linearly—both with L$L$ and R²$R^2$. We show how this dependence can be generalized to a simple unified model describing the relation λ=λ(L,R²,H)$\lambda =\lambda (L,R^2,H)$ where H$H$ (1/2≤H≤1$1/2\le H\le 1$) stands for the Hurst exponent of the long range autocorrelated signal. Our findings should be useful in all applications of DFA technique, particularly for instantaneous (local) DFA where a huge number of short time series has to be analyzed at the same time, without possibility of checking the scaling range in each of them separately.     

String modular phases in Calabi–Yau families

We investigate the structure of singular Calabi–Yau varieties in moduli spaces that contain a Brieskorn–Pham point. Our main tool is a construction of families of deformed motives over the parameter space. We analyze these motives for general fibers and explicitly compute the L$L$-series for singular fibers for several families. We find that the resulting motivic L$L$-functions agree with the L$L$-series of modular forms whose weight depends both on the rank of the motive and the degree of the degeneration of the variety. Surprisingly, these motivic L$L$-functions are identical in several cases to L$L$-series derived from weighted Fermat hypersurfaces. This shows that singular Calabi–Yau spaces of non-conifold type can admit a string worldsheet interpretation, much like rational theories, and that the corresponding irrational conformal field theories inherit information from the Gepner conformal field theory of the weighted Fermat fiber of the family. These results suggest that phase transitions via non-conifold configurations are physically plausible. In the case of severe degenerations we find a dimensional transmutation of the motives. This suggests further that singular configurations with non-conifold singularities may facilitate transitions between Calabi–Yau varieties of different dimensions.     

Action-angle map and duality for the open Toda lattice in the perspective of Hamiltonian reduction

An alternative derivation of the known action-angle map of the standard open Toda lattice is presented based on its identification as the natural map between two gauge slices in the relevant symplectic reduction of the cotangent bundle of GL(n,R)$\mathit{GL}(n,\mathbb{R})$. This then permits to interpret Ruijsenaars? action-angle duality for the Toda system in the same group-theoretic framework which was established previously for Calogero type systems.     

Dark energy from modified gravity with Lagrange multipliers

We study scalar–tensor theory, k-essence and modified gravity with Lagrange multiplier constraint which role is to reduce the number of degrees of freedom. Dark Energy cosmology of different types (ΛCDM, unified inflation with DE, smooth non-phantom/phantom transition epoch) is reconstructed in such models. It is demonstrated that presence of Lagrange multiplier simplifies the reconstruction scenario. It is shown that mathematical equivalence between scalar theory and F(R)$F(R)$ gravity is broken due to presence of constraint. The cosmological evolution is defined by the second F₂(R)$F_2(R)$ function dictated by the constraint. The convenient F(R)$F(R)$ gravity sector is relevant for local tests. This opens the possibility to make originally non-realistic theory to be viable by adding the corresponding constraint. A general discussion on the role of Lagrange multipliers to make higher-derivative gravity canonical is developed.     

Separable quantizations of Stäckel systems

In this article we prove that many Hamiltonian systems that cannot be separably quantized in the classical approach of Robertson and Eisenhart can be separably quantized if we extend the class of admissible quantizations through a suitable choice of Riemann space adapted to the Poisson geometry of the system. Actually, in this article we prove that for every quadratic in momenta Stäckel system (defined on 2n$2n$ dimensional Poisson manifold) for which Stäckel matrix consists of monomials in position coordinates there exist infinitely many quantizations–parametrized by n$n$ arbitrary functions–that turn this system into a quantum separable Stäckel system.     

The extinction and persistence of the stochastic SIS epidemic model with vaccination

In this paper, we discuss the dynamics of a stochastic SIS epidemic model with vaccination. When the noise is large, the infective decays exponentially to zero regardless of the magnitude of _R0$R_0$. When the noise is small, sufficient conditions for extinction exponentially and persistence in the mean are established. The results are illustrated by computer simulations.     

SL(2,R) duality-symmetric action for electromagnetic theory with electric and magnetic sources

For the SL(2,R) duality-invariant generalization of Maxwell electrodynamics in the presence of both electric and magnetic sources, we formulate a local, manifestly duality-symmetric, Zwanziger-type action by introducing a pair of four-potentials A^μ$A^{\mu }$ and B^μ$B^{\mu }$ in a judicious way. On the two potentials A^μ$A^{\mu }$ and B^μ$B^{\mu }$ the SL(2,R) duality transformation acts in a simple linear manner. In quantum theory including charged source fields, this action can be recast as a SL(2,Z)-invariant action. Also given is a Zwanziger-type action for SL(2,R) duality-invariant Born–Infeld electrodynamics which can be important for D-brane dynamics in string theory.