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The pentagram map is a discrete dynamical system on planar polygons. By definition, the image of a polygon $P$ under the pentagram map is the polygon $P'$ whose vertices are the intersection points of consecutive shortest diagonals of $P$. The pentagram map was introduced by R. Schwartz in 1992, and is now one of the most renowned discrete integrable systems. Several authors proposed generalizations of the pentagram map to other geometries, in particular to Grassmannians, where the role of points and lines is played by higher-dimensional subspaces, as well to skewer geometry, where both points and lines are affine lines in the three-dimensional Euclidean space. In the present paper, we develop a common framework for these kinds of generalizations. Specifically, we show that those maps can be viewed as pentagram maps in the projective plane over an appropriate ring. In general, those rings need not be division rings or commutative. We show that the Grassmannian pentagram map corresponds to the ring of matrices, while the skewer map is the pentagram map over the ring of dual numbers. Furthermore, we prove that the pentagram map remains integrable for any stably finite ground ring $R$., Comment: 27 pages, 1 figure

We review several constructions of integrable systems with an underlying cluster algebra structure, in particular the Gekhtman-Shapiro-Tabachnikov-Vainshtein construction based on perfect networks and the Goncharov-Kenyon approach based on the dimer model. We also discuss results of Galashin and Pylyavskyy on integrability of T-systems., Comment: Written for Encyclopedia of Mathematical Physics (2nd edition). 26 pages, 14 figures

The general linear group $GL_{n}$, along with its adjoint simple group $PGL_n$, can be described by means of weighted planar networks. In this paper we give a network description for simple Lie groups of types $B$ and $C$. The corresponding networks are axially symmetric modulo a sequence of cluster mutations along the axis of symmetry. We extend to this setting the result of Gekhtman, Shapiro, and Vainshtein on the Poisson property of Postnikov's boundary measurement map. We also show that $B$ and $C$ type networks with positive weights parametrize the totally nonnegative part of the respective group. Finally, we construct network parametrizations of double Bruhat cells in symplectic and odd-dimensional orthogonal groups, and identify the corresponding face weights with Fock-Goncharov cluster coordinates., Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures

We give a classification of generic coadjoint orbits for the group of area-preserving diffeomorphisms of a closed non-orientable surface. This completes V. Arnold's program of studying invariants of incompressible fluids in 2D. As an auxiliary problem, we also classify simple Morse pseudo-functions on non-orientable surfaces up to area-preserving diffeomorphisms., Comment: 27 pages, 3 figures; final version, to appear in Journal of Symplectic Geometry

The circumcenter of mass of a simplicial polytope $P$ is defined as follows: triangulate $P$, assign to each simplex its circumcenter taken with weight equal to the volume of the simplex, and then find the center of mass of the resulting system of point masses. The so obtained point is independent of the triangulation. The aim of the present note is to give a definition of the circumcenter of mass that does not rely on a triangulation. To do so we investigate how volumes of polytopes change under M\"{o}bius transformations., Comment: 4 pages

We employ the Poisson-Lie group of pseudo-difference operators to define lattice analogs of classical $W_m$-algebras. We then show that the so-constructed algebras coincide with the ones given by discrete Drinfeld-Sokolov type reduction., Comment: 28 pages

The Euler equation of an ideal (i.e. inviscid incompressible) fluid can be regarded, following V.Arnold, as the geodesic flow of the right-invariant $L^2$-metric on the group of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms of the flow domain. In this paper we describe the common origin and symmetry of generalized flows, multiphase fluids (homogenized vortex sheets), and conventional vortex sheets: they all correspond to geodesics on certain groupoids of multiphase diffeomorphisms. Furthermore, we prove that all these problems are Hamiltonian with respect to a Poisson structure on a dual Lie algebroid, generalizing the Hamiltonian property of the Euler equation on a Lie algebra dual., Comment: 30 pages, 4 figures. To appear in Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1705.01603

The new neutron-deficient isotope $^{249}$No was synthesized for the first time in the fusion-evaporation reaction $^{204}$Pb($^{48}$Ca,3n)$^{249}$No. After separation, using the kinematic separator SHELS, the new isotope was identified with the GABRIELA detection system through genetic correlations with the known daughter and granddaughter nuclei $^{245}$Fm and $^{241}$Cf. The alpha-decay activity of $^{249}$No has an energy of 9129(22)$~$keV and half-life 38.3(2.8) ms. An upper limit of 0.2\% was measured for the fission branch of $^{249}$No. Based on the present data and recent information on the decay properties of $^{253}$Rf and aided by Geant4 simulations, the ground state of $^{249}$No is assigned the 5/2$^+$[622] neutron configuration and a partial decay scheme from $^{253}$Rf to $^{245}$Fm could be established. The production cross-section was found to be $\sigma$(3n)=0.47(4) nb at a mid-target beam energy of 225.4 MeV, which corresponds to the maximum of the calculated excitation function. Correlations of the $^{249}$No alpha activity with subsequent alpha decays of energy 7728(20) keV and half-life $1.2_{-0.4}^{+1.0}$ min provided a firm measurement of the electron-capture or $\beta^{+}$ branch of $^{245}$Fm to $^{245}$Es. The excitation function for the 1n, 2n and 3n evaporation channels was measured. In the case of the 2n-evaporation channel $^{250}$No, a strong variation of the ground state and isomeric state populations as a function of bombarding energy could be evidenced.

An experiment on the study of the $^{246}$Fm spontaneous fission was conducted using the SHELS separator. The isotope was synthesized in the complete fusion reaction of $^{40}$Ar beam ions and $^{208}$Pb target nuclei. The neutron yields of $^{246}$Fm spontaneous fission ($\overline{\nu} = 3.79\pm0.30$, $\sigma^{2}_{\nu} = 2.1$) were obtained using the SFiNx detector system. The multiplicity distribution of emitted prompt neutrons was restored using the Tikhonov method of statistical regularisation ($\overline{\nu}_{r} = 3.79\pm0.20$, $\sigma^{2}_{\nu r} = 2.8$). The spontaneous fission branching ratio ($b_{SF} = 0.061\pm0.005$) and the half-life ($T_{1/2} = 1.50^{+0.08}_{-0.07}$ s) of the isotope were determined. The experimental data were compared with scission point model predictions. Excellent convergence was observed in the average number of neutrons per spontaneous fission process. However, the forms of the experimental and model prompt neutron multiplicity distributions differ significantly.

The pentagram map on polygons in the projective plane was introduced by R. Schwartz in 1992 and is by now one of the most popular and classical discrete integrable systems. In the present paper we introduce and prove integrability of long-diagonal pentagram maps on polygons in $\mathbb{R}\mathrm{P}^d$, encompassing all known integrable cases. We also establish an equivalence of long-diagonal and bi-diagonal maps and present a simple self-contained construction of the Lax form for both. Finally, we prove the continuous limit of all these maps is equivalent to the $ (2,d+1)$-KdV equation, generalizing the Boussinesq equation for $d=2$., Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures; final version accepted to Bulletin of the LMS

An analysis of recent experimental data [J. Khuyagbaatar et al., Phys. Rev. C 104, L031303 (2021)] has established the existence of two fissioning states in $^{253}$Rf: the ground state and a low-lying isomeric state, most likely involving the same neutron single-particle configurations as in the lighter isotone $^{251}$No. The ratio of fission half-lives measured in $^{253}$Rf was used to predict the fission properties of the 1/2$^{+}$ isomeric state in $^{251}$No and draw conclusions as to the stability against fission of even lighter Rf systems. This paper focusses again on the fission properties of $^{253}$Rf and their impact on the stability of other neutron deficient isotopes, using new and improved data collected from two experiments performed at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in Dubna, Russia. Two fission activities with half-lives of 52.8(4.4)$~\mu$s and 9.9(1.2) ms were measured in the case of $^{253}$Rf, confirming the results of J. Kkuyagbaatar et al. A third state, at much higher excitation energy, was also observed through the detection of its electromagnetic decay to the 52.8$~\mu$s state. This observation leads to the opposite quantum-configuration assignments for the fissioning states as compared to the ones established by J. Khuyagbaatar et al., namely that the higher-spin state has the shortest fission half-life. This inversion of the ratio of fission hindrances between the low and high-spin states is corroborated in the isotone $^{251}$No by the non observation of any substantial fission branch from the low-spin isomer.

Recutting is an operation on planar polygons defined by cutting a polygon along a diagonal to remove a triangle, and then reattaching the triangle along the same diagonal but with opposite orientation. Recuttings along different diagonals generate an action of the affine symmetric group on the space of polygons. We show that this action is given by cluster transformations and is completely integrable. The integrability proof is based on interpretation of recutting as refactorization of quaternionic polynomials., Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures; final version to appear in Selecta Math

We prove that the class of cluster integrable systems constructed by Goncharov and Kenyon out of the dimer model on a torus coincides with the one defined by Gekhtman, Shapiro, Tabachnikov, and Vainshtein using Postnikov's perfect networks. To that end we express the characteristic polynomial of a perfect network's boundary measurement matrix in terms of the dimer partition function of the associated bipartite graph. Our main tool is flat geometry. Namely, we show that if a perfect network is drawn on a flat torus in such a way that the edges of the network are Euclidian geodesics, then the angles between the edges endow the associated bipartite graph with a canonical fractional Kasteleyn orientation. That orientation is then used to relate the partition function to boundary measurements., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures

The decay properties of the ground state and excited states of $^{257}$Rf have been investigated with the detector array GABRIELA at the FLNR, Dubna. The electromagnetic decay of a new excited state in $^{253}$No has been observed. The state lies 750 keV above the ground state and is favourably populated in the alpha decay of the low-lying spin isomer of $^{257}$Rf. It decays to the 9/2$^-$ ground state by an M1 transition and is assigned the 11/2$^-$[725] Nilsson configuration. The presence of this state suggests a possible reinterpretation of the decay of the high-K isomer in $^{253}$No., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures

Consider the map $S$ which sends a planar polygon $P$ to a new polygon $S(P)$ whose vertices are the intersection points of second nearest sides of $P$. This map is the inverse of the famous pentagram map. In this paper we investigate the dynamics of the map $S$. Namely, we address the question of whether a convex polygon stays convex under iterations of $S$. Computer experiments suggest that this almost never happens. We prove that indeed the set of polygons which remain convex under iterations of $S$ has measure zero, and moreover it is an algebraic subvariety of codimension two. We also discuss the equations cutting out this subvariety, as well as their geometric meaning in the case of pentagons., Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures

The pentagram map takes a planar polygon $P$ to a polygon $P'$ whose vertices are the intersection points of consecutive shortest diagonals of $P$. The orbit of a convex polygon under this map is a sequence of polygons which converges exponentially to a point. Furthermore, as recently proved by Glick, coordinates of that limit point can be computed as an eigenvector of a certain operator associated with the polygon. In the present paper we show that Glick's operator can be interpreted as the infinitesimal monodromy of the polygon. Namely, there exists a certain natural infinitesimal perturbation of a polygon, which is again a polygon but in general not closed; what Glick's operator measures is the extent to which this perturbed polygon does not close up., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures; final version accepted to IMRN

Highly automated, cooperative driving vehicles will allow for a more fluid flow of traffic, resulting in more efficient, eco-friendly and safe traffic situations. The automotive industry however, is safety critical and current safety standards were not designed to deal with cooperative driving. In this paper, we apply a modern safety analysis method, Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis, in the context of cooperative driving as part of the Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge (GCDC) and present our reflections on the method.

Fully automated vehicles will require new functionalities for perception, navigation and decision making -- an Autonomous Driving Intelligence (ADI). We consider architectural cases for such functionalities and investigate how they integrate with legacy platforms. The cases range from a robot replacing the driver -- with entire reuse of existing vehicle platforms, to a clean-slate design. Focusing on Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs), we assess these cases from the perspectives of business, safety, dependability, verification, and realization. The original contributions of this paper are the classification of the architectural cases themselves and the analysis that follows. The analysis reveals that although full reuse of vehicle platforms is appealing, it will require explicitly dealing with the accidental complexity of the legacy platforms, including adding corresponding diagnostics and error handling to the ADI. The current fail-safe design of the platform will also tend to limit availability. Allowing changes to the platforms, will enable more optimized designs and fault-operational behaviour, but will require initial higher development cost and specific emphasis on partitioning and control to limit the influences of safety requirements. For all cases, the design and verification of the ADI will pose a grand challenge and relate to the evolution of the regulatory framework including safety standards.

The pentagram map takes a planar polygon $P$ to a polygon $P'$ whose vertices are the intersection points of consecutive shortest diagonals of $P$. This map is known to interact nicely with Poncelet polygons, i.e. polygons which are simultaneously inscribed in a conic and circumscribed about a conic. A theorem of R. Schwartz says that if $P$ is a Poncelet polygon, then the image of $P$ under the pentagram map is projectively equivalent to $P$. In the present paper we show that in the convex case this property characterizes Poncelet polygons: if a convex polygon is projectively equivalent to its pentagram image, then it is Poncelet. The proof is based on the theory of commuting difference operators, as well as on properties of real elliptic curves and theta functions., Comment: 36 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, 1 appendix; final version accepted to Compositio Math

The pentagram map was introduced by R. Schwartz in 1992 and is now one of the most renowned discrete integrable systems. In the present paper we prove that this map, as well as all its known integrable multidimensional generalizations, can be seen as refactorization-type mappings in the Poisson-Lie group of pseudo-difference operators. This brings the pentagram map into the rich framework of Poisson-Lie groups, both describing new structures and simplifying and revealing the origin of its known properties. In particular, for multidimensional pentagram maps the Poisson-Lie group setting provides new Lax forms with a spectral parameter and, more importantly, invariant Poisson structures in all dimensions, the existence of which has been an open problem since the introduction of those maps. Furthermore, for the classical pentagram map our approach naturally yields its combinatorial description in terms of weighted directed networks and cluster algebras., Comment: 33 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; final version accepted to Adv. Math

We study focus-focus singularities (also known as nodal singularities, or pinched tori) of Lagrangian fibrations on symplectic $4$-manifolds. We show that, in contrast to elliptic and hyperbolic singularities, there exist homeomorphic focus-focus singularities which are not diffeomorphic. Furthermore, we obtain an algebraic description of the moduli space of focus-focus singularities up to smooth equivalence, and show that for double pinched tori this space is one-dimensional. Finally, we apply our construction to disprove Zung's conjecture which says that any non-degenerate singularity can be smoothly decomposed into an almost direct product of standard singularities., Comment: Final version accepted to Journal of Symplectic Geometry; 25 pages, 2 figures

In 1966 V.Arnold suggested a group-theoretic approach to ideal hydrodynamics in which the motion of an inviscid incompressible fluid is described as the geodesic flow of the right-invariant $L^2$-metric on the group of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms of the flow domain. Here we propose geodesic, group-theoretic, and Hamiltonian frameworks to include fluid flows with vortex sheets. It turns out that the corresponding dynamics is related to a certain groupoid of pairs of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms with common interface. We also develop a general framework for Euler-Arnold equations for geodesics on groupoids equipped with one-sided invariant metrics., Comment: Final version accepted to Advances in Mathematics; 46 pages, 6 figures

We describe a complete list of Casimirs for 2D Euler hydrodynamics on a surface without boundary: we define generalized enstrophies which, along with circulations, form a complete set of invariants for coadjoint orbits of area-preserving diffeomorphisms on a surface. We also outline a possible extension of main notions to the boundary case and formulate several open questions in that setting., Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures

The pentagram map is a discrete integrable system on the moduli space of planar polygons. The corresponding first integrals are so-called monodromy invariants $E_1, O_1, E_2, O_2,\dots$ By analyzing the combinatorics of these invariants, R.Schwartz and S.Tabachnikov have recently proved that for polygons inscribed in a conic section one has $E_k = O_k$ for all $k$. In this paper we give a simple conceptual proof of the Schwartz-Tabachnikov theorem. Our main observation is that for inscribed polygons the corresponding monodromy satisfies a certain self-duality relation. From this we also deduce that the space of inscribed polygons with fixed values of the monodromy invariants is an open dense subset in the Prym variety (i.e., a half-dimensional torus in the Jacobian) of the spectral curve. As a byproduct, we also prove another conjecture of Schwartz and Tabachnikov on positivity of monodromy invariants for convex polygons., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures