Linking-Preserving Perturbations of Symmetric Functionals

We consider paths of functionals starting with one which is invariant under the action of an arbitrary group of symmetries. We give conditions for the existence of an unbounded sequence of critical values of the non-symmetric functional at the end of the path in terms of the growth of the critical values of the symmetric one. We apply this to obtain a multiplicity result for a system of elliptic equations whose symmetries are perturbed by a linear term and a non-homogeneous boundary condition.     

Partitioned state and parameter estimation for real-time flood forecasting

A new algorithm is developed for simultaneous state-parameter estimation in real-time flood-forecasting applications. Dubbed the partitioned state-parameter (PSP) algorithm, is it unusual in the way that the parameter filter is formulated explicitly in terms of the identifiable parameters in the transition and input coefficient matrices. By virtue of its parallel filter structure the algorithm is very fast, yet it has been designed so that essential error interactions between the forecasting and parameter filters are preserved. Furthermore, PSP is structured so that input coefficients are only updated when the corresponding inputs are actually applied. This feature is useful for systems subject to sporadic inputs. The algorithm is tested with real and synthesized daily rainfall-runoff data from the Hillsborough River in Florida. PSP is found to produce good forecasts and parameter estimates and is much faster than the extended Kalman filter.     

Optimizing a phase gate using quantum interference

A controlled interference is proposed to reduce, by two orders of magnitude, the decoherence of a quantum gate for which the gate fidelity is limited by coupling to states other than the /0> and /1> qubit states. This phenomenon is demonstrated in an ultracold neutral atom implementation of a phase gate using qubits based on motional states in individual wells of an optical lattice.     

Heisenberg characters, unitriangular groups, and Fibonacci numbers

Let Un(Fq) denote the group of unipotent n×n upper triangular matrices over a finite field with q elements. We show that the Heisenberg characters of Un+1(Fq) are indexed by lattice paths from the origin to the line x+y=n using the steps (1,0), (1,1), (0,1), (0,2), which are labeled in a certain way by nonzero elements of Fq. In particular, we prove for n?1 that the number of Heisenberg characters of Un+1(Fq) is a polynomial in q−1 with nonnegative integer coefficients and degree n, whose leading coefficient is the nth Fibonacci number. Similarly, we find that the number of Heisenberg supercharacters of Un(Fq) is a polynomial in q−1 whose coefficients are Delannoy numbers and whose values give a q-analogue for the Pell numbers. By counting the fixed points of the action of a certain group of linear characters, we prove that the numbers of supercharacters, irreducible supercharacters, Heisenberg supercharacters, and Heisenberg characters of the subgroup of Un(Fq) consisting of matrices whose superdiagonal entries sum to zero are likewise all polynomials in q−1 with nonnegative integer coefficients.     

Dirac index classes and the noncommutative spectral flow

We present a detailed proof of the existence-theorem for noncommutative spectral sections (see the noncommutative spectral flow, unpublished preprint, 1997). We apply this result to various index-theoretic situations, extending to the noncommutative context results of Booss–Wojciechowski, Melrose–Piazza and Dai–Zhang. In particular, we prove a variational formula, in K_*(C_r^*(Γ)), for the index classes associated to 1-parameter family of Dirac operators on a Γ-covering with boundary; this formula involves a noncommutative spectral flow for the boundary family. Next, we establish an additivity result, in K_*(C_r^*(Γ)), for the index class defined by a Dirac-type operator associated to a closed manifold M and a map r:M→BΓ when we assume that M is the union along a hypersurface F of two manifolds with boundary M=M_{+ F} M₋. Finally, we prove a defect formula for the signature-index classes of two cut-and-paste equivalent pairs (M₁,r₁:M₁→BΓ) and (M₂,r₂:M₂→BΓ), where

M₁=M_{+ (F,φ1)} M₋, M₂=M_{+ (F,φ2)} M₋

and φ_jDiff(F). The formula involves the noncommutative spectral flow of a suitable 1-parameter family of twisted signature operators on F. We give applications to the problem of cut-and-paste invariance of Novikov's higher signatures on closed oriented manifolds.     

Coupling of a multilevel fast multipole method and a microlocal discretization for the 3-D integral equations of electromagnetism

The aim of this work is to propose an accurate and efficient numerical approximation for high frequency diffraction of electromagnetic waves. In the context of the boundary integral equations presented in F. Collino and B. Després, to be published in J. Comput. Appl. Math., the strategy we propose combines the microlocal discretization (T. Abboud et al., in: Third International Conference on Mathematical Aspects of Wave Propagation Phenomena, SIAM, 1995, pp. 178–187) and the multilevel fast multipole method (J.M. Song, W.C. Chew, Microw. Opt. Tech. Lett. 10 (1) (1995) 14–19). This leads to a numerical method with a reduced complexity, of order O(N^4/3ln(N)+N_iterN^2/3), instead of the complexity O(N_iterN²) for a classical numerical iterative solution of integral equations. Computations on an academic geometry show that the new method improves the efficiency, for a solution with a good level of accuracy. To cite this article: A. Bachelot et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).     

Absolute fixed point sets for continuum-valued maps

The notion of an absolute fixed point set in the setting of continuum-valued maps will be defined and characterized.

     

Ultrahigh pressure equation of state of tantalum to 310 GPa

ABSTRACT

The isothermal compression of transition metal tantalum (Ta) was studied in a diamond anvil cell by X-ray diffraction utilizing rhenium (Re) and gold (Au) as internal X-ray pressure standards. The Re pressure marker was employed during non-hydrostatic compression to pressures up to 310?GPa while the Au pressure marker was used during quasi-hydrostatic compression in a neon pressure-transmitting medium to 80?GPa. Two ultra-high pressure experiments were conducted on Ta and Re mixtures utilizing focused-ion beam machined toroidal diamond anvils with central flats varying from 8 microns to 16 microns in diameter. The Ta metal was observed to be stable in the body-centered-cubic phase to a volume compression V/V₀?=?0.581. The measured equations of state (EOS) of Ta using two different calibrations of the Re pressure marker are compared with the ambient temperature isotherm derived from shock compression data. We provide a detailed analysis of EOS fit parameters for Ta under quasi-hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic conditions.     

Reverse lexicographic and lexicographic shifting

A short new proof of the fact that all shifted complexes are fixed by reverse lexicographic shifting is given. A notion of lexicographic shifting, Δ_lex—an operation that transforms a monomial ideal of S = K[x_i: i ∈ ℕ] that is finitely generated in each degree into a squarefree strongly stable ideal—is defined and studied. It is proved that (in contrast to the reverse lexicographic case) a squarefree strongly stable ideal I ⊂ S is fixed by lexicographic shifting if and only if I is a universal squarefree lexsegment ideal (abbreviated USLI) of S. Moreover, in the case when I is finitely generated and is not a USLI, it is verified that all the ideals in the sequence } are distinct. The limit ideal is well defined and is a USLI that depends only on a certain analog of the Hilbert function of I. Research partially supported by NSF grants DMS 0070571 and DMS 0100141.     

Uniqueness of H-surfaces in {\mathbb{H}}^2 \times \mathbb{R},{{\vert H\vert \leq 1/2}} , with boundary one or two parallel horizontal circles

We prove that a H-surface M in ${\mathbb{H}}^2 \times {\mathbb{R}} ,\vert H\vert \leq 1/2$ , inherits the symmetries of its boundary $\partial M,$ when $\partial M$ is either a horizontal curve with curvature greater than one or two parallel horizontal curves with curvature greater than one, whose distance is greater or equal to π. Furthermore we prove that the asymptotic boundary of a surface with mean curvature bounded away from zero consists of parts of straight lines, provided it is sufficiently regular.