On YM2 measures and area-preserving diffeomorphisms

For a given gauge group and compact Riemannian two-manifold, it is known that the associated Yang-Mills measure can be defined directly as a finitely additive measure on the space of connections, and this finitely additive measure is invariant with respect to SDiff, the group of all area-preserving diffeomorphisms of the surface. The first question we address is whether this symmetry essentially characterizes the projection of the Yang-Mills measure to the space of gauge equivalence classes. The proper formulation of this question entails the construction of an SDiff-equivariant equivariant completion of the space of continuous connections, such that the projection of the Yang-Mills measure to the space of gauge equivalence classes has a countably additive extension. We also consider the coupling of the Yang-Mills measure to determinants of Dirac operators. The basic problems are to prove that the coupled measure is absolutely continuous with respect to the background Yang-Mills measure, to find a reasonable formula for the Radon-Nikodym derivative, and to analyze the action of SDiff.     

On Some Methods for Unconditionally Secure Key Distribution and Broadcast Encryption

This paper provides an exposition of methods by which a trusted authority can distribute keys and/or broadcast a message over a network, so that each member of a privileged subset of users can compute a specified key or decrypt the broadcast message. Moreover, this is done in such a way that no coalition is able to recover any information on a key or broadcast message they are not supposed to know. The problems are studied using the tools of information theory, so the security provided is unconditional (i.e., not based on any computational assumption).We begin by surveying some useful schemes for key distribution that have been presented in the literature, giving background and examples (but not too many proofs). In particular, we look more closely at the attractive concept of key distribution patterns, and present a new method for making these schemes more efficient through the use of resilient functions. Then we present a general approach to the construction of broadcast schemes that combines key predistribution schemes with secret sharing schemes. We discuss the Fiat-Naor Broadcast Scheme, as well as other, new schemes that can be constructed using this approach.     

The decay of b quarks into ψ's

We calculate branching ratios for the decays of a b quark into ψ or η_c plus anything, using information on the ψ wave-function. Even assuming color suppression of these decays, we find branching ratios around 2% or 1%, respectively.     

Populations in the U.S. workforce who rely on voice as a primary tool of trade: a preliminary report

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources wereconsulted about the percentages of the working population that we identified as professional voice users. The largest percentage may be in sales and sales related occupations (13%), but the exact breakdown of those who approach their clients vocally rather than by mail is still uncertain. The second largest population is teachers, who comprise 4.2% percent of the U.S. workforce (1994 statistic). Teachers have been identified as having the greatest incidence of voice disorders. Population data are also given for professional voice users who could present a significant hazard to public safety if their vocal communication skills were severely impaired.     

Multiplicative structure of Kauffman bracket skein module quantizations

We describe, for a few small examples, the Kauffman bracket skein algebra of a surface crossed with an interval. If the surface is a punctured torus the result is a quantization of the symmetric algebra in three variables (and an algebra closely related to a cyclic quantization of )). For a torus without boundary we obtain a quantization of ``the symmetric homologies" of a torus (equivalently, the coordinate ring of the -character variety of ). Presentations are also given for the four-punctured sphere and twice-punctured torus. We conclude with an investigation of central elements and zero divisors.

     

Heat load of a GaAs photocathode in an SRF electron gun

A great deal of effort has been made over the last decades to develop a better polarized electron source for high energy physics. Several laboratories operate DC guns with a gallium arsenide photocathode, which yield a highly polarized electron beam. However, the beam's emittance might well be improved by using a superconducting radio frequency (SRF) electron gun, which delivers beams of a higher brightness than that from DC guns because the field gradient at the cathode is higher. SRF guns with metal and CsTe cathodes have been tested successfully. To produce polarized electrons, a Gallium-Arsenide photo-cathode must be used: an experiment to do so in a superconducting RF gun is under way at BNL. Since a bulk gallium arsenide (GaAs) photocathode is normal conducting, a problem arises from the heat load stemming from the cathode. We present our measurements of the electrical resistance of GaAs at cryogenic temperatures, a prediction of the heat load and verification by measuring the quality factor of the gun with and without the cathode at 2 K. We simulate heat generation and flow from the GaAs cathode using the ANSYS program. By following the findings with the heat load model, we designed and fabricated a new cathode holder (plug) to decrease the heat load from GaAs.