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Planets and stars are expected to be compositionally linked because they accrete from the same material reservoir. However, astronomical observations revealed the existence of exoplanets whose bulk density is far higher than what is expected from host-stars' composition. A commonly-invoked theory is that these high-density exoplanets are the metallic cores of super-Earth-sized planets whose rocky mantles were stripped by giant impacts. Here, by combining orbital dynamics and impact physics, we show that mantle-stripping giant impacts between super-Earths are unlikely to occur at rates sufficient to explain the observed size and currently estimated abundance of the high-density exoplanets. We explain this as the interplay of two main factors: the parent super-Earths being in most cases smaller than 2 Earth radii; and the efficiency of mantle stripping decreasing with increasing planetary size. We conclude that most of the observed high-density exoplanets are unlikely to be metal-rich giant-impact remnants., Comment: 48 pages, 15 figures

In this note we give a fairly direct proof of a recent theorem of Gorska, Lemanczyk and de la Rue which characterises the class of measure preserving transformations that are disjoint from every ergodic measure preserving transformation. Our proof works just as well for any countable acting group.

We consider non-homogeneous random walks on the positive quadrant in two dimensions. In the 1960's the following question was asked: is it true if such a random walk $X$ is recurrent and $Y$ is another random walk that at every point is more likely to go down and more likely to go left than $Y$, then $Y$ is also recurrent? We provide an example showing that the answer is negative. We also show that if either the random walk $X$ or $Y$ is sufficiently homogeneous then the answer is in fact positive., Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure

We consider an intermediate factor situation in two categories: probability measure preserving ergodic theory and compact topological dynamics. In the first we prove a master-key theorem and examine a wide range of applications. In the second we treat the case when one of the systems is distal and then provide some counterexamples.

Let $(X,T)$ and $(Y,S)$ be two topological dynamical systems, where $(X,T)$ has the weak specification property. Let $\xi$ be an invariant measure on the product system $(X\times Y, T\times S)$ with marginals $\mu$ on $X$ and $\nu$ on $Y$, with $\mu$ ergodic. Let $y\in Y$ be quasi-generic for $\nu$. Then there exists a point $x\in X$ generic for $\mu$ such that the pair $(x,y)$ is quasi-generic for $\xi$. This is a generalization of a similar theorem by T.\ Kamae, in which $(X,T)$ and $(Y,S)$ are full shifts on finite alphabets., Comment: 15 pages

Our main result is to show that every infinite, countable, residually finite group $G$ admits a Hausdorff group topology which is neither discrete nor precompact.

Some icy moons and small bodies in the solar system are believed to host subsurface liquid water oceans. The interaction of these saline, electrically conductive oceans with time-varying external magnetic fields generates induced magnetic fields. Magnetometry observations of these induced fields in turn enable the detection and characterization of these oceans. We present a framework for characterizing the interiors of icy moons using multi-frequency induction and Bayesian inference applied to magnetometry measurements anticipated from the upcoming Europa Clipper mission. Using simulated data from the Europa Clipper Magnetometer (ECM), our approach can accurately retrieve a wide range of plausible internal structures for Europa. In particular, the ocean conductivity is recovered to within ${\pm}50\%$ for all internal structure scenarios considered and the ocean thickness can be retrieved to within ${\pm}25~\mathrm{km}$ for five out of seven scenarios. Characterization of the ice shell thickness to ${\pm}50\%$ is possible for six of seven scenarios. Our recovery of the ice shell thickness is highly contingent on accurate modeling of magnetic fields arising from the interaction of Europa with the ambient magnetospheric plasma, while the ocean thickness is more modestly affected and the ocean conductivity retrieval is largely unchanged. Furthermore, we find that the addition of a priori constraints (e.g., static gravity measurements) can yield improved ocean characterization compared to magnetometry alone, suggesting that multi-instrument techniques can play a key role in revealing the interiors of Europa and other ocean worlds., Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Planetary Science Journal

An ergodic dynamical system $\mathbf{X}$ is called dominant if it is isomorphic to a generic extension of itself. It was shown in an earlier paper by Glasner, Thouvenot and Weiss that Bernoulli systems with finite entropy are dominant. In this work we show first that every ergodic system with positive entropy is dominant, and then that if $\mathbf{X}$ has zero entropy then it is not dominant.

Astronomical observations and isotopic measurements of meteorites suggest that substructures are common in protoplanetary disks and may even have existed in the solar nebula. Here, we conduct paleomagnetic measurements of chondrules in CO carbonaceous chondrites to investigate the existence and nature of these disk sub-structures. We show that the paleomagnetism of chondrules in CO carbonaceous chondrites indicates the presence of a 101 $\pm$ 48 $\mu$T field in the solar nebula in the outer solar system ($\sim$3 to 7 AU from the Sun). The high intensity of this field relative to that inferred from inner solar system ($\lesssim$3 AU) meteorites indicates a factor of $\sim$5 to 150 mismatch in nebular accretion between the two reservoirs. This suggests substantial mass loss from the disk associated with a major disk substructure, possibly due to a magnetized disk wind., Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, published in Science Advances

The classical theorem of Jewett and Krieger gives a strictly ergodic model for any ergodic measure preserving system. An extension of this result for non-ergodic systems was given many years ago by George Hansel. He constructed, for any measure preserving system, a strictly uniform model, i.e. a compact space which admits an upper semicontinuous decomposition into strictly ergodic models of the ergodic components of the measure. In this note we give a new proof of a stronger result by adding the condition of purity, which controls the set of ergodic measures that appear in the strictly uniform model., Comment: 5 figures

We review recent advances in our understanding of magnetism in the solar nebular and protoplanetary disks (PPDs). We discuss the implications of theory, meteorite measurements, and astronomical observations for planetary formation and nebular evolution. Paleomagnetic measurements indicate the presence of fields of 0.54$\pm$0.21 G at $\sim$1 to 3 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun and $\gtrsim$0.06 G at 3 to 7 AU until >1.22 and >2.51 million years (Ma) after solar system formation, respectively. These intensities are consistent with those predicted to enable typical astronomically-observed protostellar accretion rates of $\sim$10$^{-8}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, suggesting that magnetism played a central role in mass and angular momentum transport in PPDs. Paleomagnetic studies also indicate fields <0.006 G and <0.003 G in the inner and outer solar system by 3.94 and 4.89 Ma, respectively, consistent with the nebular gas having dispersed by this time. This is similar to the observed lifetimes of extrasolar protoplanetary disks., Comment: Revised version published in Science Advances

We establish connections between several properties of topological dynamical systems, such as: - every point is generic for an ergodic measure, - the map sending points to the measures they generate is continuous, - the system splits into uniquely (alternatively, strictly) ergodic subsystems, - the map sending ergodic measures to their topological supports is continuous, - the Cesaro means of every continuous function converge uniformly., Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures

Using the "statite," or static-satelite, concept -- an artificial satellite capable of hovering in place using a solar sail -- this work proposes to create a dynamic orbital slingshot in anticipation of Interstellar Objects (ISOs) passing through our solar system. The existence of these ISOs offers a unique scientific opportunity to answer fundamental scientific questions about the origin of solar system volatiles, the compositions of exo-solar systems, and the transfer rates of material between solar systems. However, due to their high heliocentric velocities and relatively short lead time, it may be extremely difficult to visit ISOs with current satellite propulsion systems. This work investigates the statite concept as applied to ISO missions and demonstrates potential configurations for optimal ISO flyby and rendezvous missions., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, white paper

Construction sequences are a general method of building symbolic shifts that capture cut-and-stack constructions and are general enough to give symbolic representations of Anosov-Katok diffeomorphisms. We show here that any finite entropy system that has an odometer factor can be represented as a special class of construction sequences, the odometer based construction sequences which correspond to those cut-and-stack constructions that do not use spacers. We also show that any additional property called the "small word condition" can also be satisfied in a uniform way.

We answer positively a question of Ryzhikov, namely we show that being a relatively weakly mixing extension is a comeager property in the Polish group of measure preserving transformations. We study some related classes of ergodic transformations and their interrelations. In the second part of the paper we show that for a fixed ergodic T with property A, a generic extension $\hat{T}$ of T also has the property A. Here A stands for each of the following properties: (i) having the same entropy as T, (ii) Bernoulli, (iii) K, and (iv) loosely Bernoulli., Comment: Corrections to the proof of Theorem 6.1

We prove that the maximal infinite step pro-nilfactor $X_\infty$ of a minimal dynamical system $(X,T)$ is the topological characteristic factor in a certain sense. Namely, we show that by an almost one to one modification of $\pi:X \rightarrow X_\infty$, the induced open extension $\pi^*:X^* \rightarrow X^*_\infty$ has the following property: for $x$ in a dense $G_\delta$ set of $X^*$, the orbit closure $L_x=\overline{{\mathcal{O}}}((x,x,\ldots,x), T\times T^2\times \ldots \times T^d)$ is $(\pi^*)^{(d)}$-saturated, i.e. $L_x=((\pi^*)^{(d)})^{-1}(\pi^*)^{(d)}(L_x)$. Using results derived from the above fact, we are able to answer several open questions: (1) if $(X,T^k)$ is minimal for some $k\ge 2$, then for any $d\in {\mathbb N}$ and any $0\le j

We show the existence, over an arbitrary infinite ergodic $\mathbb{Z}$-dynamical system, of a generic ergodic relatively distal extension of arbitrary countable rank and arbitrary infinite compact extending groups (or more generally, infinite quotients of compact groups) in its canonical distal tower., Comment: Improved presentation and corrected misprints

QoE is traditionally evaluated by using short stimuli usually representing parts or single usage episodes. This opens the question on how the overall service perception involving multiple} usage episodes can be evaluated---a question of high practical relevance to service operators. Despite initial research on this challenging aspect of multi-episodic perceived quality, the question of the underlying quality formation processes and its factors are still to be discovered. We present a multi-episodic experiment of an Audio on Demand service over a usage period of 6~days with 93 participants. Our work directly extends prior work investigating the impact of time between usage episodes. The results show similar effects---also the recency effect is not statistically significant. In addition, we extend prediction of multi-episodic judgments by accounting for the observed saturation., Comment: To appear at IEEE QoMEX 2020

A set $P\subset \mathbb N$ is called predictive if for any zero entropy finite-valued stationary process $(X_i)_{i\in \mathbb Z}$, $X_0$ is measurable with respect to $(X_i)_{i\in P}$. We know that $\mathbb N$ is a predictive set. In this paper we give sufficient conditions and necessary ones for a set to be predictive. We also discuss linear predictivity, predictivity among Gaussian processes and relate these to Riesz sets which arise in harmonic analysis., Comment: 28 Pages, changed bibliography style

In this paper we give explicit characterizations, based on the cutting and spacer parameters, of (a) which rank-one transformations factor onto a given finite cyclic permutation, (b) which rank-one transformations factor onto a given odometer, and (c) which rank-one transformations are isomorphic to a given odometer. These naturally yield characterizations of (d) which rank-one transformations factor onto some (unspecified) finite cyclic permutation, (d') which rank-one transformations are totally ergodic, (e) which rank-one transformations factor onto some (unspecified) odometer, and (f) which rank-one transformations are isomorphic to some (unspecified) odometer.

Metallic microstructures in slowly-cooled iron-rich meteorites reflect the thermal and magnetic histories of their parent planetesimals. Of particular interest is the cloudy zone, a nanoscale intergrowth of Ni-rich islands within a Ni-poor matrix that forms below 350{\deg}C by spinodal decomposition. The sizes of the islands have long been recognized as reflecting the low-temperature cooling rates of meteorite parent bodies. However, a model capable of providing quantitative cooling rate estimates from island sizes has been lacking. Moreover, these islands are also capable of preserving a record of the ambient magnetic field as they grew, but some of the key physical parameters required for recovering reliable paleointensity estimates from magnetic measurements of these islands have been poorly constrained. To address both of these issues, we present a numerical model of the structural and compositional evolution of the cloudy zone as a function of cooling rate and local composition. Our model produces island sizes that are consistent with present-day measured sizes. This model enables a substantial improvement in the calibration of paleointensity estimates and associated uncertainties. In particular, we can now accurately quantify the statistical uncertainty associated with the finite number of islands and the uncertainty on their size at the time of the record. We use this new understanding to revisit paleointensities from previous pioneering paleomagnetic studies of cloudy zones. We show that these could have been overestimated but nevertheless still require substantial magnetic fields to have been present on their parent bodies. Our model also allows us to estimate absolute cooling rates for meteorites that cooled slower than 10000{\deg}C My-1. We demonstrate how these cooling rate estimates can uniquely constrain the low-temperature thermal history of meteorite parent bodies., Comment: Manuscript resubmitted after revisions

Generalizing a result of Furstenberg, we show that for every infinite discrete group $G$, the Bernoulli flow $2^G$ is disjoint from every minimal $G$-flow. From this, we deduce that the algebra generated by the minimal functions $\mathfrak{A}(G)$ is a proper subalgebra of $\ell^\infty(G)$ and that the enveloping semigroup of the universal minimal flow $M(G)$ is a proper quotient of the universal enveloping semigroup $\beta G$. When $G$ is countable, we also prove that for any metrizable, minimal $G$-flow, there exists a free, minimal flow disjoint from it and that there exist continuum many mutually disjoint minimal, free, metrizable $G$-flows. Finally, improving a result of Frisch, Tamuz, and Vahidi Ferdowsi and answering a question of theirs, we show that if $G$ is a countable icc group, then it admits a free, minimal, proximal flow., Comment: 28 pages; some details added, minor corrections

In his seminal 1967 paper "Disjointness in ergodic theory, minimal sets, and a problem in Diophantine approximation" Furstenberg introduced the notion of disjointness of dynamical systems, both topological and measure preserving. In this paper he showed that for actions of the integers the Bernoulli system $\Omega = \{0, 1\}^\mathbb{Z}$, is disjoint from every minimal system, and that the subring $R_0$, over the field $\mathbb{Z}_2 =\{0, 1\}$, generated by the minimal functions in $\Omega$, is a proper subset of $\Omega$. He conjectured that a similar result holds in general and in our 1983 work "Interpolation sets for subalgebras of $l^\infty(\mathbb{Z})$" we confirmed this by showing that the closed subalgebra $\mathfrak{A}$ of $l^\infty(\mathbb{Z})$, generated by the minimal functions, is a proper subalgebra of $l^\infty(\mathbb{Z})$. In this work we generalize these results to a large class of groups. We call a countable group $G$ a DJ group if for every metrizable minimal action of $G$ there exists an essentially free minimal action disjoint from it. We show that amenable groups are DJ and that the DJ property is preserved under direct products. We define a simple dynamical condition DDJ on minimal systems, which is a strengthening of the Gottchalk-Hedlund property, and we say that a group $G$ is DDJ if every minimal $G$-system has this property. The DJ property implies DDJ and by means of an intricate construction we show that every finitely generated DDJ group is also DJ. Residually finite, maximally almost periodic and $C^*$-simple groups are all DDJ. Finally we show that Furstenberg's conjecture holds for every DDJ group., Comment: This work is now superseded by arXiv:1901.03406