An analytical proof of Hardy-like inequalities related to the Dirac operator

We prove some sharp Hardy-type inequalities related to the Dirac operator by elementary, direct methods. Some of these inequalities have been obtained previously using spectral information about the Dirac-Coulomb operator. Our results are stated under optimal conditions on the asymptotics of the potentials near zero and near infinity.     

Filter products of C0-semigroups and ultraproduct representations for Lie groups

We provide a new approach to filter products of C₀-semigroups and prove a spectral theorem for the generator and its filter product. In a similar fashion, we construct ultraproducts of strongly continuous unitary representations of locally compact groups and study spectral theoretic connections between the representations and their ultraproducts. In the case of Lie groups, our investigations are extended to the infinitesimal representation.     

Elliptic fibers over non-perfect residue fields

Kodaira and Néron classified and described the geometry of the special fibers of the Néron model of an elliptic curve defined over a discrete valuation ring with a perfect residue field. Tate described an algorithm to determine the special fiber type by manipulating the Weierstrass equation. In the case of non-perfect residue fields, we discover new fiber types which are not on the Kodaira-Néron list. We describe these new types and extend Tate's algorithm to deal with all discrete valuation rings. Specifically, we show how to translate a Weierstrass equation into a form where the reduction type may be easily determined. Having determined the special fiber type, we construct the regular model of the curve with explicit blow-up calculations. We also provide tables that serve as a simple reference for the algorithm and which succinctly summarize the results.     

Unsupervised constrained radar imaging of low resolution targets

A linear spectral estimation technique, the PDFT algorithm, is used as part of a nonlinear iterative reconstruction scheme to obtain improved radar images. The iterative PDFT algorithm is used to address the limited resolution problem inherent to imaging objects buried in soil and hidden under foliage. This is achieved by subsequent application of two properties of the PDFT algorithm: the energy parameter of the PDFT algorithm is used to determine the target shape, while the shape information in turn is used to obtain super-resolved images. We describe algorithms able to exploit both properties automatically and without manual intervention. Two methods are investigated in particular, one iteratively optimizing the constraints by monitoring the energy parameter, the other method computing energy values for all points, from which a weighted prior function is determined. In addition, we discuss variants of both algorithm which provide an optimized trade-off between computation time and performance. Additional attention is given to situations, where a known target is embedded in an unknown background. Imaging results are presented for both synthetic and measured data.     

The emergence of a giant component in random subgraphs of pseudo‐random graphs

Let G be a d‐regular graph G on n vertices. Suppose that the adjacency matrix of G is such that the eigenvalue λ which is second largest in absolute value satisfies λ = o(d). Let G_p with p = α/d be obtained from G by including each edge of G independently with probability p. We show that if α < 1, then whp the maximum component size of G_p is O(log n) and if α > 1, then G_p contains a unique giant component of size Ω(n), with all other components of size O(log n). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2004     

Recent developments in the characterisation of microemulsions

Microemulsions are becoming increasingly complex systems by containing more sophisticated surfactants, polymers, biomolecules, inorganic nanoparticles, etc. The detailed understanding of such more complex systems requires increasingly more refined and comprehensive characterisation. This is typically done by the combination of complementary techniques and is aided by the fact that several experimental methods have been improved (such as electron microscopy) in recent times, new ones have become available (such as fluorescence correlation spectroscopy), and the theoretical understanding of structural data is advancing.     

Weak Attractive Ligand–Polymer and Related Interactions in Catalysis and Reactivity: Impact,Applications, and Modeling

The notion of weak attractive ligand–polymer interactions is introduced, and its potential application, importance, and conceptual links with “cooperative” ligand–substrate interactions are discussed. Synthetic models of weak attractive ligand–polymer interactions are described, in which intramolecular weak C? H???F? C interactions (the existence of which remains contentious) have been detected by NMR spectroscopy and neutron and X‐ray diffraction experiments. These C? H???F? C interactions carry important implications for the design of catalysts for olefin polymerization, because they provide support for the practical feasibility of ortho‐F???H_β ligand–polymer contacts proposed for living Group 4 fluorinated phenoxyimine catalysts. The notion of weak attractive noncovalent interactions between an “active” ligand and the growing polymer chain is a novel concept in polyolefin catalysis.