Small cosmological constants in string theory

We construct supersymmetric AdS4 vacua of type IIB string theory in compactifications on orientifolds of Calabi-Yau threefold hypersurfaces. We first find explicit orientifolds and quantized fluxes for which the superpotential takes the form proposed by Kachru, Kallosh, Linde, and Trivedi. Given very mild assumptions on the numerical values of the Pfaffians, these compactifications admit vacua in which all moduli are stabilized at weak string coupling. By computing high-degree Gopakumar-Vafa invariants we give strong evidence that the α′ expansion is likewise well-controlled. We find extremely small cosmological constants, with magnitude < 10−123 in Planck units. The compactifications are large, but not exponentially so, and hence these vacua manifest hierarchical scale-separation, with the AdS length exceeding the Kaluza-Klein length by a factor of a googol.

Leaps and bounds towards scale separation

In a broad class of gravity theories, the equations of motion for vacuum compactifications give a curvature bound on the Ricci tensor minus a multiple of the Hessian of the warping function. Using results in so-called Bakry-Émery geometry, we put rigorous general bounds on the KK scale in gravity compactifications in terms of the reduced Planck mass or the internal diameter. We reexamine in this light the local behavior in type IIA for the class of supersymmetric solutions most promising for scale separation. We find that the local O6-plane behavior cannot be smoothed out as in other local examples; it generically turns into a formal partially smeared O4.

Non-supersymmetric AdS6 and the swampland

We discuss infinite families of non-supersymmetric AdS6 solutions in Type IIB string theory. They are siblings of supersymmetric solutions which are associated with (p, q) 5-brane webs and holographically dual to 5d SCFTs engineered by those brane webs. The non-supersymmetric backgrounds carry identical 5-brane charges and are connected to the supersymmetric ones by RG flows. We study the stability of the non-supersymmetric solutions, identifying perturbative and non-perturbative decay channels for all the backgrounds explicitly available. We also identify likely decay mechanisms for solutions that have not been constructed explicitly but may be expected to exist based on brane web considerations. Finally, we exclude scale separation by constructing universal spin 2 modes with masses comparable to the mass-scale of the cosmological constant.

Instability of a dusty Kolmogorov flow

Suspended particles can significantly alter the fluid properties and, in particular, can modify the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. We investigate the effect of heavy particle suspensions on the linear stability of the Kolmogorov flow by means of a multiple-scale expansion of the Eulerian model originally proposed by Saffman (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 13, issue 1, 1962, pp. 120–128). We find that, while at small Stokes numbers particles always destabilize the flow (as already predicted by Saffman in the limit of very thin particles), at sufficiently large Stokes numbers the effect is non-monotonic in the particle mass fraction and particles can both stabilize and destabilize the flow. Numerical analysis is used to validate the analytical predictions. We find that in a region of the parameter space the multiple-scale expansion overestimates the stability of the flow and that this is a consequence of the breakdown of the scale separation assumptions.

European VLBI Network Observations of the Proposed Dual AGN SDSS J101022.95+141300.9

During galaxy merger events, the supermassive black holes in the center of the galaxies may form a pair of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with kiloparsec-scale or even parsec-scale separation. Recently, optical observations revealed a promising dual-AGN candidate at the center of the galaxy SDSS J101022.95+141300.9 (hereafter J1010+1413). The presence of two distinct [O iii]-emitting point sources with a projected separation of ∼430 pc indicates a dual-AGN system. To search for AGN-dominated radio emission originating from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) point sources, we carried out very long baseline interferometry observations. We resolved the radio structure of J1010+1413 and detected a single feature offset from the HST point sources and also from the Gaia optical position of the object. Our multiwavelength analysis of J1010+1413 inferred two possible interpretations of the observed properties challenging its proposed dual-AGN classification.

Feature extraction with mel scale separation method on noise audio recordings

This paper focuses on improving the accuracy of noise audio recordings. High-quality audio recording, extraction using the mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) method produces high accuracy. While the low-quality is because of noise, the accuracy is low. Improved accuracy by investigating the effect of bandwidth on the mel scale. The proposed improvement uses the mel scale separation methods into two frequency channels (MFCC dual-channel). For the comparison method using the mel scale bandwidth without separation (MFCC single-channel). Feature analysis using k-mean clustering. The data uses a noise variance of up to -16 dB. Testing on the MFCC single-channel method for -16 dB noise has an accuracy of 47.5%, while the MFCC dual-channel method has an accuracy better of 76.25%. The next test used adaptive noise-canceling (ANC) to reduce noise before extraction. The result is that the MFCC single-channel method has an accuracy of 82.5% and the MFCC dual-channel method has an accuracy better of 83.75%. High-quality audio recording testing for the MFCC single-channel method has an accuracy of 92.5% and the MFCC dual-channel method has an accuracy better of 97.5%. The test results show the effect of mel scale bandwidth to increase accuracy. The MFCC dual-channel method has higher accuracy.

On the bias and stability of the results of comparative judgment

Comparative judgment is a method that allows measurement of a competence by comparison of items with other items. In educational measurement, where comparative judgment is becoming an increasingly popular assessment method, items are mostly students’ responses to an assignment or an examination. For assessments using comparative judgment, the Scale Separation Reliability (SSR) is used to estimate the reliability of the measurement. Previous research has shown that the SSR may overestimate reliability when the pairs to be compared are selected with certain adaptive algorithms, when raters use different underlying models/truths, or when the true variance of the item parameters is below one. This research investigated bias and stability of the components of the SSR in relation to the number of comparisons per item to increase understanding of the SSR. We showed that many comparisons are required to obtain an accurate estimate of the item variance, but that the SSR can be useful even when the variance of the items is overestimated. Lastly, we recommend adjusting the general guideline for the required number of comparisons per item to 41 comparisons per item. This recommendation partly depends on the number of items and the true variance in our simulation study and needs further investigation.

Interactions Obtained from Basic Mechanistic Principles: Prey Herds and Predators

We investigate four predator–prey Rosenzweig–MacArthur models in which the prey exhibit herd behaviour and only the individuals on the edge of the herd are subjected to the predators’ attacks. The key concept is the herding index, i.e., the parameter defining the characteristic shape of the herd. We derive the population equations from the individual state transitions using the mechanistic approach and time scale separation method. We consider one predator and one prey species, linear and hyperbolic responses and the occurrence of predators’ intraspecific competition. For all models, we study the equilibria and their stability and we give the bifurcation analysis. We use standard numerical methods and the software Xppaut to obtain the one-parameter and two-parameter bifurcation diagrams.

Waves in the gas centrifuge: asymptotic theory and similarities with the atmosphere

We study the stratified gas in a rapidly rotating centrifuge as a model for the Earth's atmosphere. Based on methods of perturbation theory, it is shown that in certain regimes, internal waves in the gas centrifuge have the same dispersion relation to leading order as their atmospheric siblings. Assuming an air filled centrifuge with a radius of around 50 cm, the optimal rotational frequency for realistic atmosphere-like waves is around 10 000 revolutions per minute. Using gases of lower heat capacities at constant pressure, such as xenon, the rotational frequencies can be even halved to obtain the same results. Similar to the atmosphere, it is feasible in the gas centrifuge to generate a clear scale separation of wave frequencies and therefore phase speeds between acoustic waves and internal waves. In addition to the centrifugal force, the Coriolis force acts in the same plane. However, its influence on axially homogeneous internal waves appears only as a higher-order correction. We conclude that the gas centrifuge provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate atmospheric internal waves experimentally with a compressible working fluid.