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In this paper, we present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the subluminous Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2012ij, which has an absolute B -band peak magnitude M B , max = âˆ' 17.95 ± 0.15 mag. The B -band light curve exhibits a fast postpeak decline with Î" m 15(B) = 1.86 ± 0.05 mag. All the R - and I / i -band light curves show a weak secondary peak/shoulder feature at about 3 weeks after the peak, like some transitional subclass of SNe Ia, which could result from an incomplete merger of near-infrared (NIR) double peaks. The spectra are characterized by Ti ii and strong Si ii λ 5972 absorption features that are usually seen in low-luminosity objects like SN 1999by. The NIR spectrum before maximum light reveals weak carbon absorption features, implying the existence of unburned materials. We compare the observed properties of SN 2012ij with those predicted by the sub-Chandrasekhar-mass and the Chandrasekhar-mass delayed-detonation models and find that both optical and NIR spectral properties can be explained to some extent by these two models. By comparing the secondary maximum features in the I and i bands, we suggest that SN 2012ij is a transitional object linking normal SNe Ia to typical 91bg-like ones. From the published sample of SNe Ia from the Carnegie Supernova Project II, we estimate that the fraction of SN 2012ijâ€"like SNe Ia is not lower than ∼2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In conventional continuous-variable quantum key distribution using single Gaussian modulation (SGM), it is usually necessary to reveal a portion of the raw keys to estimate the parameters of the quantum channel. In the double Gaussian modulation (DGM) protocol, parameter estimation is performed without consuming raw keys at the cost of having the estimated result be affected by more aggregated noise than the SGM protocol. In this paper, inspired by the idea of performing parameter estimation after error correction, we propose two improved DGM protocols, i.e., the Gaussian dense modulation protocol, and the Gaussian separate modulation protocol, to eliminate this cost. The two DGM protocols perform parameter estimation twice, once before and once after error correction, so that all raw keys can be used for both parameter estimation and key extraction. Therefore, when finite-size effects are considered, the optimal parameter estimation of the protocol is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metasurfaces have an excellent ability to manipulate an incident electromagnetic wave through single-layer nano-structures, and thus, they have been successfully used to achieve the integration and miniaturization of optical devices. However, most reported metasurfaces achieve the phase/amplitude modulation through discrete antennas, which affect the performances of meta-devices. In this paper, a quasi-continuous metasurface composed of all-dielectric nanostrips with spatially continuous distribution is proposed. A meta-hologram based on quasi-continuous nanostrips is designed, and the broadband and high-efficiency properties of the designed sample are further demonstrated numerically. Compared to discrete structures, this demonstrated scheme can greatly increase the working bandwidth and energy efficiency of the meta-hologram. The quasi-continuous design can also be extended to some other applications that are associated with metasurfaces, such as meta-mirror, meta-lens, Bessel beam, orbital angular momentum generator and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral double power laws are common in solar high-energy phenomena such as flares and interplanetary energetic-electron events. However, the physical mechanism that produces the changes in power-law index within a single spectrum is unclear. We developed a fully analytical method of forming single power-law spectra from sequential acceleration of particles orbiting inside and hopping between simulated large-scale magnetic islands formed by flare reconnection. Here, we extend the analytical method to the formation of double power-law spectra by assuming sequential acceleration in two successive regions with different acceleration and particle-transport rates. The resulting spectral distribution is continuous and smooth, with a flattening at low energies, two power-law regions at mid-energies, and a steep rollover at high energies. The model provides analytical expressions for the spectral indices, all energy breaks, and normalization constants as functions of just three physical parameters of each acceleration region: (1) the energy gain in each accelerator, (2) the percentage of particles transferred between accelerators, and (3) the number of accelerators visited. One of the most salient predictions of our work is that the spectral index at high (low) energies is determined by the parameters of the first "seed" (second) acceleration region. By constructing the spectral distribution through an iterative analytical process, the evolution toward a double power law is easily characterized and explained. Our analytical model provides tools to interpret space- and ground-based observations from RHESSI, FOXSI, NuSTAR, Solar Orbiter/STIX, EOVSA, and future high-energy missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-interferometric phase recovery method which is based on the transport of intensity equation is an important phase acquisition technique in microscopy imaging. In the actual operational process of this technology, at least three intensity images are needed to solve the equation. In the image acquisition process, the selection of the focused image is very important, but it is usually determined by subjective methods, thus causing inaccurate positioning of the in-focus, which further affects the precision of phase recovery result. A phase recovery algorithm based on edge detection and duty ratio is proposed. Firstly, a series of 'subjectively determined focused images' collected by the microscope are edge-extracted to obtain corresponding edge information points. Then the real in-focus position is found by calculating the duty ratio, and the corresponding defocused images are selected according to the position of the focused image. Finally, the high-precision phase recovery result is obtained by using these images of the accurate position to solve the equation. The algorithm does not require complex operations such as hardware modifications and can be applied to both discrete and continuous sample distributions. The experimental results effectively prove that the algorithm can accurately find the in-focus position, which improves the accuracy of phase recovery compared with the traditional method that is subjectively determined in-focus image position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we show how the generalized Cramér-Rao inequality for the estimation of a parameter, presented in a recent paper, can be extended to the multidimensional case with general norms on Rn, and to a wider context. As a particular case, we obtain a new multidimensional Cramér-Rao inequality which is saturated by generalized q-Gaussian distributions. We also give another related Cramér-Rao inequality, for a general norm, which is saturated as well by these distributions. Finally, we derive uncertainty relations from these Cramér-Rao inequalities. These uncertainty relations involve moments computed with respect to escort distributions, and we show that some of these relations are saturated by generalized q-Gaussian distributions. These results introduce extended versions of Fisher information, new Cramér-Rao inequalities, and new characterizations of generalized q-Gaussian distributions which are important in several areas of physics and mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relaxation spectrum of a viscoelastic material holds the key to describing its relaxation mechanisms at a molecular level. It also plays a fundamental role in accessing the molecular weight distribution, and in modelling the dynamics of complex fluids. The relaxation spectrum cannot be measured directly, but it may be locally determined from experimental measurements of viscoelastic response at a macroscopic level. In particular, the relaxation spectrum is a continuous distribution of relaxation times which may be recovered, at least locally, from measurements of the complex modulus of the material. Although mathematical expressions for the continuous spectrum have been known for well over a century, these were inaccessible to numerical implementation for decades. Regularization methods for approximating discrete line spectra were first introduced in the 1980s, but it was not until 2012 that methods for recovering continuous spectra in a mathematical framework were proposed. In this paper, we analyze spectrum recovery within the framework of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces and identify such spaces as natural homes for the complex modulus and spectrum. Theorems are proved establishing the convergence of inverse operators expressed as series of derivatives of the complex modulus. This enables a detailed characterization of the native spaces of the real and imaginary parts of the complex modulus, and leads to a further theorem which identifies a hierarchy of trial spaces for the spectrum. Homeomorphic trial spaces for data and spectra are then specified in detail, and their efficacy demonstrated by means of a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a method to improve transmission distance of continuous-variable quantum key distribution via a heralded hybrid linear amplifier (HLA), involving an ideal deterministic linear amplifier and a probabilistic noiseless linear amplifier. The phase-insensitive amplification of quantum light states may experience a degradation of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 3dB which can be surmounted by the probabilistic amplification process. The new hybrid amplifier allows one to tune between the regimes of high gain or high noise reduction and control the trade-off between the amplification coefficient and a finite heralding probability flexibly. Our equipment could clone unknown coherent states with fidelity surpassing the no-cloning limit by abandoning determinism and using probabilistic methods. The setup has a better compatibility with continuous variable protocols as it only uses Gaussian elements and a post-selection algorithm. The hybrid linear amplifier enhances the SNR and hence the transmission distance of the CVQKD protocol is extended. Both the asymptotic secret key rate and the secret key rate in a finite-size scenario are analyzed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In inertial confinement fusion (ICF), X-ray coded imaging is considered as the most potential means to diagnose the compressed core. The traditional Richardson—Lucy (RL) method has a strong ability to deblur the image where the noise follows the Poisson distribution. However, it always suffers from over-fitting and noise amplification, especially when the signal-to-noise ratio of image is relatively low. In this paper, we propose an improved deconvolution method for X-ray coded imaging. We model the image data as a set of independent Gaussian distributions and derive the iterative solution with a maximum-likelihood scheme. The experimental results on X-ray coded imaging data demonstrate that this method is superior to the RL method in terms of anti-overfitting and noise suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by our serendipitous discovery of six active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with varying broad-Hα fluxes over years from our search for intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), we conduct a systematic investigation of changing-look (CL) and large-variability AGNs. We collect all the CL AGNs at z < 0.15 and the reverberation-mapped AGNs with strongly variable broad Hα and perform careful decomposition fittings to both their images and spectra. We find two observational facts: (1) The host galaxies of local CL and large-variability AGNs, mainly being Seyferts, are in the red (gas-poor) tail of the general Seyfert galaxy population. (2) In contrast, there is a significant trend that their more luminous counterparts, namely CL and extremely variable quasars (CLQs and EVQs), are different: CLQs are generally in blue galaxies; in terms of the diagram of star formation rate and M*, local CL Seyfert galaxies are located in the green valley, whereas CLQ hosts are in the star-forming main sequence. We propose explanations for those strongly variable Seyferts and quasars, respectively, under the assumption that accretion disks broadly depend on nuclear fueling modes. Local large-variability and CL Seyferts are in nuclear famine mode, where cold-gas clumps can be formed stochastically in the fueling flow, and their episodic infall produces sharp peaks in the accretion-rate curve. CLQs and EVQs are in feast fueling mode, which may account for both their preference for blue galaxies and their variability pattern (high-amplitude tail of the continuous distribution). Lastly, we propose a new thinking: to search for IMBHs by optical variability in red galaxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although interstellar grains are known to be aspherical, their actual shapes remain poorly constrained. We assess whether three continuous distributions of ellipsoids (CDEs) from the literature are suitable for describing the shapes of interstellar grains. Randomly selected shapes from each distribution are shown as illustrations. The often-used Bohren–Huffman CDE includes a very large fraction of extreme shapes: fully 10% of random draws have axial ratio a3/a1 > 19.7, and 5% have a3/a1 > 33. The CDE2 distribution includes a much smaller fraction of extreme shapes, and appears to be the most realistic. For each of the three CDEs considered, we derive shape-averaged cross sections for extinction and polarization in the Rayleigh limit. Finally, we describe a method for "synthesizing" a dielectric function for an assumed shape or shape distribution if the actual absorption cross sections per grain volume in the Rayleigh limit are known from observations. This synthetic dielectric function predicts the wavelength dependence of polarization, which can then be compared to observations to constrain the grain shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common problem in electrostatics is determining the electrostatic potential due to a uniformly charged straight wire. The solution of this problem illustrates well the types of calculations that one must perform in order to obtain the electrostatic potential or field of a given continuous charge distribution. In this work, we reconsider and solve the problem of a uniformly charged straight wire via a new method that is different from the popular direct integration approach found in the majority of physics textbooks. The outcomes of the two methods are compared and the results suggest several interesting mathematical formulas involving special functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A top-illuminated circular mesa uni-traveling-carrier photodetector (UTC-PD) is proposed in this paper. By employing Gaussian graded doping in InGaAs absorption layer and InP depleted layer, the responsivity and high speed response characteristics of the device are optimized simultaneously. The responsivity up to 1.071 A/W (the external quantum efficiency of 86%) is obtained at 1550 nm with a 40-μm diameter device under 10-V reverse bias condition. Meanwhile, the dark current of 7.874 nA and the 3-dB bandwidth of 11 GHz are obtained with the same device at a reverse bias voltage of 3 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the statistics of the number of records Rn for a symmetric, n-step, discrete jump process on a 1D lattice. At a given step, the walker can jump by arbitrary lattice units drawn from a given symmetric probability distribution. This process includes, as a special case, the standard nearest neighbor lattice random walk. We derive explicitly the generating function of the distribution P(Rn) of the number of records, valid for arbitrary discrete jump distributions. As a byproduct, we provide a relatively simple proof of the generalized Sparre Andersen theorem for the survival probability of a random walk on a line, with discrete or continuous jump distributions. For the discrete jump process, we then derive the asymptotic large n behavior of P(Rn) as well as of the average number of records E(Rn). We show that unlike the case of random walks with symmetric and continuous jump distributions where the record statistics is strongly universal (i.e. independent of the jump distribution for all n), the record statistics for lattice walks depends on the jump distribution for any fixed n. However, in the large n limit, we show that the distribution of the scaled record number Rn/E(Rn) approaches a universal, half-Gaussian form for any discrete jump process. The dependence on the jump distribution enters only through the scale factor E(Rn), which we also compute in the large n limit for arbitrary jump distributions. We present explicit results for a few examples and provide numerical checks of our analytical predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neural system characterizes information in external stimulations by different spiking patterns. In order to examine how neural spiking patterns are related to acupuncture manipulations, experiments are designed in such a way that different types of manual acupuncture (MA) manipulations are taken at the ‘Zusanli’ point of experimental rats, and the induced electrical signals in the spinal dorsal root ganglion are detected and recorded. The interspike interval (ISI) statistical histogram is fitted by the gamma distribution, which has two parameters: one is the time-dependent firing rate and the other is a shape parameter characterizing the spiking irregularities. The shape parameter is the measure of spiking irregularities and can be used to identify the type of MA manipulations. The coefficient of variation is mostly used to measure the spike time irregularity, but it overestimates the irregularity in the case of pronounced firing rate changes. However, experiments show that each acupuncture manipulation will lead to changes in the firing rate. So we combine four relatively rate-independent measures to study the irregularity of spike trains evoked by different types of MA manipulations. Results suggest that the MA manipulations possess unique spiking statistics and characteristics and can be distinguished according to the spiking irregularity measures. These studies have offered new insights into the coding processes and information transfer of acupuncture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have considered the Abelian sandpile model on a small-world network. To obtain a small-world network, we have added a few long-ranged bonds to an ordinary square lattice. It is observed that the probability distribution of the avalanches has two distinct power-law regimes: one corresponding to the ordinary BTW model and another that emerges because of the small-world structure of the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the experimental studies on megaGauss magnetic field generation using a 35 femtosecond laser at relativistic intensities. The polarization change of the self-generated harmonics was recorded to estimate the magnetic field. A parameter scan was performed by varying the input laser intensity as well as the contrast ratio. External optical probing diagnostics were performed using the second harmonic of the incident laser. Additionally, the optical transition radiation from the rear of the target was also recorded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a stochastic description of multiple scattering of polarized waves in the regime of forward scattering. In this regime, if the source is polarized, polarization survives along a few transport mean free paths, making it possible to measure an outgoing polarization distribution. We consider thin scattering media illuminated by a polarized source and compute the probability distribution function of the polarization on the exit surface. We solve the direct problem using compound Poisson processes on the rotation group SO(3) and non-commutative harmonic analysis. We obtain an exact expression for the polarization distribution which generalizes previous works and design an algorithm solving the inverse problem of estimating the scattering properties of themedium from themeasured polarization distribution. This technique applies to thin disordered layers, spatially fluctuating media and multiple scattering systems and is based on the polarization but not on the signal amplitude. We suggest that it can be used as a non-invasive testing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present 81 near-infrared (NIR) spectra of 30 Type II supernovae (SNe II) from the Carnegie Supernova Project-II (CSP-II), the largest such data set published to date. We identify a number of NIR features and characterize their evolution over time. The NIR spectroscopic properties of SNe II fall into two distinct groups. This classification is first based on the strength of the He i λ1.083 μm absorption during the plateau phase; SNe II are either significantly above (spectroscopically strong) or below 50 Å (spectroscopically weak) in pseudo equivalent width. However, between the two groups other properties, such as the timing of CO formation and the presence of Sr ii, are also observed. Most surprisingly, the distinct weak and strong NIR spectroscopic classes correspond to SNe II with slow and fast declining light curves, respectively. These two photometric groups match the modern nomenclature of SNe IIP, which show a long duration plateau, and IIL, which have a linear declining light curve. Including NIR spectra previously published, 18 out of 19 SNe II follow this slow declining-spectroscopically weak and fast declining-spectroscopically strong correspondence. This is in apparent contradiction to the recent findings in the optical that slow and fast decliners show a continuous distribution of properties. The weak SNe II show a high-velocity component of helium that may be caused by a thermal excitation from a reverse shock created by the outer ejecta interacting with the red supergiant wind, but the origin of the observed dichotomy is not understood. Further studies are crucial in determining whether the apparent differences in the NIR are due to distinct physical processes or a gap in the current data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new reliable cellular automaon (CA) model designed to account for stochasticity in traffic flow induced by heterogeneity in driving behavior is presented. The proposed model differs from most existing CA models in that this new model focuses on describing traffic phenomena by coding into its rules the key idea that a vehicle’s moving state is directly determined by a driver stepping on the accelerator or on the brake (the vehicle’s acceleration). Acceleration obeys a deformed continuous distribution function when considering the heterogeneity in driving behavior and the safe distance, rather than equaling a fixed acceleration value with a probability, as is the rule in many existing CA models. Simulation results show that the new proposed model is capable of reproducing empirical findings in real traffic system. Moreover, this new model makes it possible to implement in-depth analysis of correlations between a vehicle’s state parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present observations of the CO isotopologues (12CO, 13CO, and C18O) toward the Galactic region with 169.°75 ≤ l ≤ 174.°75 and −0.°75 ≤ b ≤ 0.°5 using the Purple Mountain Observatory 13.7 m millimeter-wavelength telescope. Based on the 13CO (J = 1 − 0) data, we find five molecular clouds within the velocity range between −25 and 8 km s−1 that are all characterized by conspicuous filamentary structures. We have identified eight filaments with a length of 6.38–28.45 pc, a mean H2 column density of 0.70 × 1021–6.53 × 1021 cm−2, and a line mass of 20.24–161.91 M☉ pc−1, assuming a distance of ∼1.7 kpc. Gaussian fittings to the inner parts of the radial density profiles lead to a mean FWHM width of 1.13 ± 0.01 pc. The velocity structures of most filaments present continuous distributions with slight velocity gradients. We find that turbulence is the dominant internal pressure to support the fragmentation of filaments instead of thermal pressure. Most filaments have virial parameters smaller than 2; thus, they are gravitationally bound. Four filaments have an LTE line mass close to the virial line mass. We further extract dense clumps using the 13CO data and find that 64% of the clumps are associated with the filaments. According to the complementary IR data, most filaments have associated Class II young stellar objects. Class I objects are mainly found to be located in the filaments with a virial parameter close to 1. Within two virialized filaments, 12CO outflows have been detected, indicating ongoing star-forming activity therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a scheme to estimate Gaussian states of one-dimensional continuous variable systems, based on weak (unsharp) quantum measurements. The estimation of a Gaussian state requires us to find position (q), momentum (p) and their second order moments. We measure q weakly and follow it up with a projective measurement of p on half of the ensemble, and on the other half we measure p weakly followed by a projective measurement of q. In each case we use the state twice before discarding it. We compare our results with projective measurements and demonstrate that under certain conditions such weak measurement-based estimation schemes, where recycling of the states is possible, can outperform projective measurement-based state estimation schemes. We establish beyond statistical fluctuations that our method works better for small ensemble sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We numerically analyse the behavior of the full distribution of collective observables in quantum spin chains. While most of previous studies of quantum critical phenomena are limited to the first moments, here we demonstrate how quantum fluctuations at criticality lead to highly non-Gaussian distributions. Interestingly, we show that the distributions for different system sizes collapse on the same curve after scaling for a wide range of transitions: first and second order quantum transitions and transitions of the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless type. We propose and analyse the feasibility of an experimental reconstruction of the distribution using light–matter interfaces for atoms in optical lattices or in optical resonators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]