Poisson geometry from a Dirac perspective

We present proofs of classical results in Poisson geometry using techniques from Dirac geometry. This article is based on mini-courses at the Poisson summer school in Geneva, June 2016, and at the workshop Quantum Groups and Gravity at the University of Waterloo, April 2016.     

Heterotic string from a higher dimensional perspective

The (abelian bosonic) heterotic string effective action, equations of motion and Bianchi identity at order α^′ in ten dimensions, are shown to be equivalent to a higher dimensional action, its derived equations of motion and Bianchi identity. The two actions are the same up to the gauge fields: the latter are absorbed in the higher dimensional fields and geometry. This construction is inspired by heterotic T-duality, which becomes natural in this higher dimensional theory.We also prove the equivalence of the heterotic string supersymmetry conditions with higher dimensional geometric conditions. Finally, some known Kähler and non-Kähler heterotic solutions are shown to be trivially related from this higher dimensional perspective, via a simple exchange of directions. This exchange can be encoded in a heterotic T-duality, and it may also lead to new solutions.     

Light scalar tetraquarks from a holographic perspective

We discuss how a dominant tetraquark component of the lightest scalar mesons may emerge in AdS/QCD gravity duals. In particular, we show that the exceptionally strong binding required to render the tetraquark ground state lighter than the lowest-lying scalar quark–antiquark nonet can be holographically encoded into bulk-mass corrections for the tetraquark's dual mode. The latter are argued to originate from the anomalous dimension of the corresponding four-quark interpolator. To provide a concrete example, we implement this mechanism into the dilaton soft-wall dual for holographic QCD. Preventing the lowest-lying dual mode from collapsing into the AdS boundary then establishes a rather generic lower bound on the tetraquark mass (which may be overcome in the presence of additional background fields). We further demonstrate that the higher tetraquark excitations can become heavier than their quark–antiquark counterparts and are thus likely to dissolve into the multiparticle continuum.     

Silicon photonics: from a microresonator perspective

Silicon photonics leverages the optical, electrical and material properties of silicon and the mature complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor (CMOS) nanofabrication technique to develop on‐chip photonic integration, which has been making significant impacts in various frontiers including next‐generation optical communications networks, on‐chip optical interconnects for high‐speed energy‐efficient computing and biosensing. Among many optical structures fabricated on silicon chips, microresonators due to their high‐Q resonances and small footprints play important roles in various devices including lasers, filters, modulators, switches, routers, delays, detectors and sensors. This paper reviews from a microresonator perspective some of the latest progress in the field, summarizes design considerations in various applications and points out key challenges and potentials.     

Solar Particle Events from a risk management perspective

Solar Particle Events pose a health risk to astronauts in space. Today, SPE forecasts are inadequate to provide advance warning with sufficient credibility to lead operators to initiate protective measures. However, research on SPEs and Coronal Mass Ejections suggests that the space weather community is on the verge of substantial improvements in understanding solar energetic particle acceleration and propagation. This paper describes the impact of SPEs, reviews the physics of SPEs, discusses current SPE forecast tools, and describes an approach to provide the comprehensive space weather data necessary to implement physics-based SPE risk management.     

Reactive ion scattering from ice in a molecular dynamics perspective

This is a study into the scattering dynamics of the alkaline ions Cs⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, and Li⁺ from an ice surface, and the process of abstracting water molecules by the scattered ions to form ion–water clusters as a result of the ion–dipole attraction. In a classical molecular dynamics computer simulation a semi-empirical ion–water interaction potential and a modified version of the TIP3P ice model are employed.The thickness of the ice structure at the surface greatly affects the abstraction efficiency. From a thin ice overlayer all alkaline ions exhibit similar scattering probabilities, but Cs⁺ abstracts water molecules most efficiently; its lower speed facilitates a mechanism where the Cs⁺ in its outgoing trajectory pulls water molecules out of the ice structure. From a thick ice structure the scattering probabilities decrease dramatically due to an effective energy transfer to the ice structure. A more grazing angle of incidence reduces the energy transfer and enhances the scattering probabilities for the lighter alkaline ions. The deprived formation of ion–water clusters in the simulations confirms that from thick ice the cluster formation probability is reduced by at least three orders of magnitude.     

Quantum phase transitions in Bose-Einstein condensates from a Bethe ansatz perspective

We investigate two solvable models for Bose-Einstein condensates and extract physical information by studying the structure of the solutions of their Bethe ansatz equations. A careful observation of these solutions for the ground state of both models, as we vary some parameters of the Hamiltonian, suggests a connection between the behavior of the roots of the Bethe ansatz equations and the physical behavior of the models. Then, by the use of standard techniques for approaching quantum phase transition - gap, entanglement and fidelity - we find that the change in the scenery in the roots of the Bethe ansatz equations is directly related to a quantum phase transition, thus providing an alternative method for its detection.     

Spectrum and dynamics of the BCS-BEC crossover from a few-body perspective

The spectrum of two spin-up and two spin-down fermions in a trap is calculated using a correlated Gaussian basis throughout the range of the BCS-BEC crossover. These accurate calculations provide a few-body solution to the crossover problem. This solution is used to study the time evolution of the system as the scattering length is changed, mimicking experiments with Fermi gases near Fano-Feshbach resonances. The structure of avoiding crossings in the spectrum allow us to understand the dynamics of the system as a sequence of Landau-Zener transitions. Finally, we propose a ramping scheme to study atom-molecule coherence.     

Ultrasound applications in drying of fruits from a sustainable development goals perspective

This review focuses on the many contributions of ultrasound technologies for fruit drying toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Along this review, several aspects attained from the application of ultrasound technologies are correlated with the SDGs. The main ultrasonic technologies applied for fruit drying, such as ultrasonic bath, probe ultrasound, air-borne ultrasound air-drying, and ultrasound-assisted contact air-drying, are presented. An in-depth discussion on ultrasound contributions, its advantages, disadvantages, and limitations are made. The effects of ultrasound on water diffusivity in several fruits are presented by correlating this effect with drying time and cost of energy. Ultrasound-assisted fruit drying, like other food processing technologies, directly impacts Zero Hunger, but ultrasound technologies contribute to much more than delivering long shelf-life food. This technology can be used to produce healthy foods and provide well-being, which will be discussed by correlating the effects of ultrasound-assisted air-drying with the concentration of nutritional compounds. Ultrasound-assisted fruit drying reduces wastewater toxicity and energy consumption and improves productivity, potentially improving workplaces and salaries. A walk through the technology is presented from Zero Hunger to No Poverty.     

Optimal design of resonant piezoelectric buzzer from a perspective of vibration-absorber theory

In this paper, an optimization technique is presented for the design of piezoelectric buzzers. This design technique aims at finding the optimal configuration of the coupled cavity and diaphragm structure to maximize the sound pressure output. Instead of measuring the material constants of the piezoelectric ceramic and the metal diaphragm, an "added-mass method" is developed to estimate the equivalent electromechanical parameters of the system on which an analogous circuit can be established. The electrical impedance and on-axis sound pressure level of the piezoelectric buzzer can be simulated by solving the loop equations of the electromechanoacoustical analogous circuit. An interesting finding of this research is that the nature of the piezoelectric buzzer bears remarkable resemblance to that in the dynamic vibration absorber theory. Much physical insight can be gained by exploiting this resemblance in search of the optimal configuration. According to the system characteristic equation, a design chart was devised to "lock" the critical frequency at which the system delivers the maximal output. On the basis of the analogous circuit and the vibration absorber theory, an optimal design was found with constrained optimization formalism. Experiments were conducted to justify the optimal design. The results showed that the performance was significantly improved using the optimal design over the original design. Design guidelines for the piezoelectric buzzers are summarized.