On Crossing Event Formulas in Critical Two-Dimensional Percolation

Several formulas for crossing functions arising in the continuum limit of critical two-dimensional percolation models are studied. These include Watts's formula for the horizontal-vertical crossing probability and Cardy's new formula for the expected number of crossing clusters. It is shown that for lattices where conformal invariance holds, they simplify when the spatial domain is taken to be the interior of an equilateral triangle. The two crossing functions can be expressed in terms of an equianharmonic elliptic function with a triangular rotational symmetry. This suggests that rigorous proofs of Watts's formula and Cardy's new formula will be easiest to construct if the underlying lattice is triangular. The simplification in a triangular domain of Schramm's bulk Cardy's formula is also studied.     

Wavelet subspaces invariant under groups of translation operators

We study the action of translation operators on wavelet subspaces. This action gives rise to an equivalence relation on the set of all wavelets. We show by explicit construction that each of the associated equivalence classes is non-empty.     

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a detailed proof of the existence-theorem for noncommutative spectral sections (see the noncommutative spectral flow, unpublished preprint, 1997).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.     

Higher-order streamfunction-vorticity formulation of 2D steady-state Navier-Stokes equations

Based on regular boundary element method and a kind of linearity invariance under homotopy, a kind of numerical scheme of 2D steady-state Navier-Stokes equation in streamfunction-vorticity formulation is described. The flow inside a square cavity is used to illustrate this numerical scheme.     

Strongly confined semiconductor quantum dots: Pair excitations and optical properties

This paper reviews a microscopic model of basic electron-hole pair excitation processes in strongly confined semiconductor quantum dots (QD) and their influence on the optical QD properties. The effects of valence band mixing, Coulomb interaction, and surface polarization are taken into account. The exciton and biexciton wave functions and energies are obtained using a numerical diagonalization method. The computed optical spectra, such as absorption, gain, pump-probe, and two-photon absorption, agree well with experiments.     

Affine-Invariant Distances, Envelopes and Symmetry Sets

Affine invariant symmetry sets of planar curves are introduced and studied in this paper. Two different approaches are investigated. The first one is based on affine invariant distances, and defines the symmetry set as the closure of the locus of points on (at least) two affine normals and affine-equidistant from the corresponding points on the curve. The second approach is based on affine bitangent conics. In this case the symmetry set is defined as the closure of the locus of centers of conics with (at least) 3-point contact with the curve at two or more distinct points on the curve. This is equivalent to conic and curve having, at those points, the same affine tangent, or the same Euclidean tangent and curvature. Although the two analogous definitions for the classical Euclidean symmetry set are equivalent, this is not the case for the affine group. We present a number of properties of both affine symmetry sets, showing their similarities with and differences from the Euclidean case. We conclude the paper with a discussion of possible extensions to higher dimensions and other transformation groups, as well as to invariant Voronoi diagrams.     

Analysis of longitudinal multispin orders in strongly coupled spin systems

Longitudinal multispin orders provide an effective way for measurement of scalar couplings and also to probe molecular interactions and dynamics. Analysis of longitudinal orders has been made in strongly coupled AB and ABX spin systems to determine the dependence of strong coupling parameter on these orders. Experimental and simulated spectra of various longitudinal orders are illustrated for these spin systems. This general procedure can be extended to broad range of spin systems to understand the influence of strong coupling on longitudinal orders.     

The Brownian loop soup

We define a natural conformally invariant measure on unrooted Brownian loops in the plane and study some of its properties. We relate this measure to a measure on loops rooted at a boundary point of a domain and show how this relation gives a way to chronologically add Brownian loops to simple curves in the plane.Cornell University; Research supported in part by the National Science FoundationUniversité Paris-Sud and IUFMathematics Subject Classification (2000):60J65, 81T40     

Curves of positive solutions of boundary value problems on time-scales

Let TR be a time-scale, with a=infT, b=supT. We consider the nonlinear boundary value problem

(2)

(4)

u(a)=u(b)=0,