Origin of the 330 nm absorption band and effect of doping Yb in LiYF4 crystals

The electronic structures of LiYF₄ (YLF) crystals containing F color center (YLF-F) and Yb doped YLF crystals (Yb³⁺:YLF, Yb²⁺:YLF) are systematically studied within the framework of the density functional theory. The calculated results indicate that the 330 nm absorption band originates from the F center in YLF crystals. Thus the doping of Yb³⁺ can weaken the 330 nm absorption band by competing with F vacancies in capturing free electrons arising after γ-irradiation and change to Yb². By analyzing the lattice relaxation and the electronic structure of YLF containing Yb²⁺, we can reasonably believe that once Yb²⁺ is formed in YLF crystal, its compensating hole will turn out to be shared by two F⁻ nearest to Yb²⁺ forming a diatomic fluoride molecular ion () perturbed by Yb²⁺, or to say V_F color center. According to the molecular-orbital linear combination of atomic orbital (MO-LCAOs) theory, compared to the alkali halides, e.g. LiF, the in V_F center in LiYF₄ peaks at about 340 nm, which is in agreement with the experimental results.     

Recovery rates in investment-grade pools of credit assets: A large deviations analysis

We consider the effect of recovery rates on a pool of credit assets. We allow the recovery rate to depend on the defaults in a general way. Using the theory of large deviations, we study the structure of losses in a pool consisting of a continuum of types. We derive the corresponding rate function and show that it has a natural interpretation as the favored way to rearrange recoveries and losses among the different types. Numerical examples are also provided.     

Exit time and invariant measure asymptotics for small noise constrained diffusions

Constrained diffusions, with diffusion matrix scaled by small ?>0, in a convex polyhedral cone G⊂R^k, are considered. Under suitable stability assumptions small noise asymptotic properties of invariant measures and exit times from domains are studied. Let B⊂G be a bounded domain. Under conditions, an “exponential leveling” property that says that, as ?→0, the moments of functionals of exit location from B, corresponding to distinct initial conditions, coalesce asymptotically at an exponential rate, is established. It is shown that, with appropriate conditions, difference of moments of a typical exit time functional with a sub-logarithmic growth, for distinct initial conditions in suitable compact subsets of B, is asymptotically bounded. Furthermore, as initial conditions approach 0 at a rate ?² these moments are shown to asymptotically coalesce at an exponential rate.     

Cube root extraction in medieval mathematics

The algorithms used in Arabic and medieval European mathematics for extracting cube roots are studied with respect to algebraic structure and use of external memory (dust board, table, paper). They can be separated into two distinct groups. One contains methods used in the eastern regions from the 11th century, closely connected to Chinese techniques, and very uniform in structure. The other group, showing much wider variation, contains early Indian methods and techniques developed in central and western parts of the Arabic areas and in Europe. This study supports hypotheses previously formulated by Luckey and Chemla on an early scientific connection between China and Persia.     

Global existence of solutions to the compressible Navier-Stokes equation around parallel flows

The initial boundary value problem for the compressible Navier-Stokes equation is considered in an infinite layer of Rn. It is proved that if n?3, then strong solutions to the compressible Navier-Stokes equation around parallel flows exist globally in time for sufficiently small initial perturbations, provided that the Reynolds and Mach numbers are sufficiently small. The proof is given by a variant of the Matsumura-Nishida energy method based on a decomposition of solutions associated with a spectral property of the linearized operator.     

Concerning some variants of C-embedding in pointfree topology

We study three types of quotient maps of frames which are closely related to C- and C^?-quotient maps. We call them C₁-, strong C₁-, and uplifting quotient maps. C₁-quotient maps are precisely those whose induced ring homomorphisms contract maximal ideals to maximal ideals. We show that every homomorphism onto a frame is a C₁-, a strong C₁-, or an uplifting quotient map iff the frame is pseudocompact, compact, or almost compact and normal, respectively. These quotient maps are used to characterize normality and also certain weaker forms of normality in a manner akin to the characterization of normal frames as those for which every closed quotient map is a C-quotient map. Under certain conditions, we show that the Stone extension of a quotient map is C₁-, strongly C₁- or uplifting if the map has the corresponding property.     

Lie point symmetries and some group invariant solutions of the quasilinear equation involving the infinity Laplacian

Using the classical Lie method we obtain the full Lie point symmetry group of the Aronsson equation in two independent variables. Some group invariant solutions of this equation are found and a conjecture on the Lie point symmetry group of the Aronsson equation in Rⁿ is presented.     

Ultrashort-pulse fiber ring lasers

Received: 18 February 1997/Revised version: 22 April 1997     

Limiting distribution of sums of nonnegative stationary random variables

Summary Let {X _n,j,−∞<j<∞∼,n≧1, be a sequence of stationary sequences on some probability space, with nonnegative random variables. Under appropriate mixing conditions, it is shown thatS _n=X_n,1+…+X _n,n has a limiting distribution of a general infinitely divisible form. The result is applied to sequences of functions {f _n(x)∼ defined on a stationary sequence {X _j∼, whereX _n.f=f_n(X_j). The results are illustrated by applications to Gaussian processes, Markov processes and some autoregressive processes of a general type. This paper represents results obtained at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, under the sponsorship of the National Sciences Foundation, Grant MCS 82-01119.