Affine Hecke algebras and the Schubert calculus

Using a combinatorial approach that avoids geometry, this paper studies the structure of K_T(G/B), the T-equivariant K-theory of the generalized flag variety G/B. This ring has a natural basis (the double Grothendieck polynomials), where is the structure sheaf of the Schubert variety X_w. For rank two cases we compute the corresponding structure constants of the ring K_T(G/B) and, based on this data, make a positivity conjecture for general G which generalizes the theorems of M. Brion (for K(G/B)) and W. Graham (for H_T^*(G/B)). Let [X^λ]K_T(G/B) be the class of the homogeneous line bundle on G/B corresponding to the character of T indexed by λ. For general G we prove “Pieri–Chevalley formulas” for the products , , , and , where λ is dominant. By using the Chern character and comparing lowest degree terms the products which are computed in this paper also give results for the Grothendieck polynomials, double Schubert polynomials, and ordinary Schubert polynomials in, respectively K(G/B), H_T^*(G/B) and H^*(G/B).     

High energy physics in the atmosphere: phenomenology of cosmic ray air showers

The properties of cosmic rays with energies above 10⁶ GeV have to be deduced from the spacetime structure and particle content of the air showers which they initiate. In this review we summarize the phenomenology of these giant air showers. We describe the hadronic interaction models used to extrapolate results from collider data to ultra high energies, and discuss the prospects for insights into forward physics at the LHC. We also describe the main electromagnetic processes that govern the longitudinal shower evolution, as well as the lateral spread of particles. Armed with these two principal shower ingredients and motivation from the underlying physics, we provide an overview of some of the different methods proposed to distinguish primary species. The properties of neutrino interactions and the potential of forthcoming experiments to isolate deeply penetrating showers from baryonic cascades are also discussed. We finally venture into a terra incognita endowed with TeV-scale gravity and explore anomalous neutrino-induced showers.     

Investigating and ordering Quadrilaterals and their analogies in space—problem fields with various aspects

Problem fields with one or two generating problems and possibilities of varying existing problems give a good chance for self-activities of students and can be used for reaching different general aims. In this paper some topics concerning quadrilaterals will be presented. I hope they will animate teachers for more problem orientation in mathematics education. First we will reflect about different types of convex and non-convex quadrilaterals and possibilities of ordering them. Then we focus on middle-quadrilaterals and types of quadrilaterals with special middle-quadrilaterals as well as their logical ordering. Finally we investigate the analogies in space to the parallelogram and its sub-types and order them in the “house of parallelepipeds”.     

Nonadiabatic geometric phase in quaternionic Hilbert space

We develop the theory of the nonadiabatic geometric phase, in both the Abelian and non-Abelian cases, in quaternionic Hilbert space.