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We study truthful mechanisms for approximating the Maximin-Share (MMS) allocation of agents with additive valuations for indivisible goods. Algorithmically, constant factor approximations exist for the problem for any number of agents. When adding incentives to the mix, a jarring result by Amanatidis, Birmpas, Christodoulou, and Markakis [EC 2017] shows that the best possible approximation for two agents and $m$ items is $\lfloor \frac{m}{2} \rfloor$. We adopt a learning-augmented framework to investigate what is possible when some prediction on the input is given. For two agents, we give a truthful mechanism that takes agents' ordering over items as prediction. When the prediction is accurate, we give a $2$-approximation to the MMS (consistency), and when the prediction is off, we still get an $\lceil \frac{m}{2} \rceil$-approximation to the MMS (robustness). We further show that the mechanism's performance degrades gracefully in the number of ``mistakes" in the prediction; i.e., we interpolate (up to constant factors) between the two extremes: when there are no mistakes, and when there is a maximum number of mistakes. We also show an impossibility result on the obtainable consistency for mechanisms with finite robustness. For the general case of $n\ge 2$ agents, we give a 2-approximation mechanism for accurate predictions, with relaxed fallback guarantees. Finally, we give experimental results which illustrate when different components of our framework, made to insure consistency and robustness, come into play.

The goal of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we provide a type-uniform formula for the torus complexity of the usual torus action on a Richardson variety, by developing the notion of algebraic dimensions of Bruhat intervals, strengthening a type $A$ result by Donten-Bury, Escobar and Portakal. In the process, we give an explicit description of the torus action on any Deodhar component as well as describe the root subgroups that comprise the component. Secondly, when a Levi subgroup in a reductive algebraic group acts on a Schubert variety, we exhibit a codimension preserving bijection between the Levi-Borel subgroup (a Borel subgroup in the Levi subgroup) orbits in the big open cell of that Schubert variety and torus orbits in the big open cell of a distinguished Schubert subvariety. This bijection has many applications including a type-uniform formula for the Levi-Borel complexity of the usual Levi-Borel subgroup action on a Schubert variety. We conclude by extending the Levi-Borel complexity results to a large class of Schubert varieties in the partial flag variety., Comment: 23 pages, corrections made to sections 4.1, 4.2

Quantum computing is currently hindered by hardware noise. We present a freestyle superconducting pulse optimization method, incorporating two-qubit channels, which enhances flexibility, execution speed, and noise resilience. A minimal 0.22 ns pulse is shown to determine the H2 groundstate to within chemical accuracy upon real-hardware, approaching the quantum speed limit. Similarly, a pulse significantly shorter than circuit-based counterparts is found for the LiH molecule, attaining state-of-the-art accuracy. The method is general and can potentially accelerate performance across various quantum computing components and hardware., Comment: 6 pages (main) + 6 pages (supplementary materials), 10 figures

Generalizing smooth volumetric growth to the singular case, using de Rham currents and flat chains, we demonstrate how regular boundaries of bodies may evolve to fractals.

It has been shown that the spontaneous emission rate of photons by free electrons, unlike stimulated emission, is independent of the shape or modulation of the quantum electron wavefunction (QEW). Nevertheless, here we show that the quantum state of the emitted photons is non-classical and does depend on the QEW shape. This non-classicality originates from the shape dependent off-diagonal terms of the photon density matrix. This is manifested in the Wigner distribution function and would be observable experimentally through Homodyne detection techniques as a squeezing effect. Considering a scheme of electrons interaction with a single microcavity mode, we present a QED formulation of spontaneous emission by multiple modulated QEWs through a build-up process. Our findings indicate that in the case of a density modulated QEWs beam, the phase of the off-diagonal terms of the photon state emitted by the modulated QEWs is the harbinger of bunched beam superradiance, where the spontaneous emission is proportional to N_e^2. This observation offers a potential for enhancement of other quantum electron interactions with quantum systems by a modulated QEWs beam carrying coherence and quantum properties of the modulation., Comment: 52 pages, 6 figures,Suppl. Mater. 25 pages, Suppl. Mater. 5 figures, 1 table

This paper offers an informal instructive introduction to some of the main notions of geometric continuum mechanics for the case of smooth fields. We use a metric invariant stress theory of continuum mechanics to formulate a simple generalization of the fields of electrodynamics and Maxwell's equations to general differentiable manifolds of any dimension, thus viewing generalized electrodynamics as a special case of continuum mechanics. The basic kinematic variable is the potential, which is represented as a $p$-form in an $n$-dimensional spacetime. The stress for the case of generalized electrodynamics is assumed to be represented by an $(n-p-1)$-form, a generalization of the Maxwell $2$-form.

The material structure of bodies undergoing growth is considered. In the geometric framework of a general differential manifold modeling the physical space and a fiber bundle modeling spacetime, body points may be defined for any extensive property for which a smooth flux field exists, even if the property is not conserved. Singular flux fields are considered using the notion of a de Rham current. Writing a generalized balance law using the boundary of the current corresponding to a singular flux field, surface growth is unified with volumetric growth., Comment: 5 figures

The Electron-Ion Collider~(EIC), a forthcoming powerful high-luminosity facility, represents an exciting opportunity to explore new physics. In this article, we study the potential of the EIC to probe the coupling between axion-like particles~(ALPs) and photons in coherent scattering. The ALPs can be produced via photon fusion and decay back to two photons inside the EIC detector. In a prompt-decay search, we find that the EIC can set the most stringent bound for $m_a \lesssim 20\,\GeV$ and probe the effective scales $\Lambda \lesssim 10^{5}\,$GeV. In a displaced-vertex search, which requires adopting an EM calorimeter technology that provides directionality, the EIC could probe ALPs with $m_a \lesssim 1\,\GeV$ at effective scales $\Lambda \lesssim 10^{7}\,\GeV$. Combining the two search strategies, the EIC can probe a significant portion of unexplored parameter space in the $0.2 < m_a <20\,\GeV$ mass range., Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures

The need for reliable and low-cost infrastructure is crucial in today's world. However, achieving both at the same time is often challenging. Traditionally, infrastructure networks are designed with a radial topology lacking redundancy, which makes them vulnerable to disruptions. As a result, network topologies have evolved towards a ring topology with only one redundant edge and, from there, to more complex mesh networks. However, we prove that large rings are unreliable. Our research shows that a sparse mesh network with a small number of redundant edges that follow some design rules can significantly improve reliability while remaining cost-effective. Moreover, we have identified key areas where adding redundant edges can impact network reliability the most by using the SAIDI index, which measures the expected number of consumers disconnected from the source node. These findings offer network planners a valuable tool for quickly identifying and addressing reliability issues without the need for complex simulations. Properly planned sparse mesh networks can thus provide a reliable and a cost-effective solution to modern infrastructure challenges.

We study how light scalar fields can change the stellar landscape by triggering a new phase of nuclear matter. Scalars coupled to nucleons can develop a non-trivial expectation value at finite baryon density. This sourcing of a scalar reduces the nucleon mass and provides an additional energy density and pressure source. Under generic conditions, a new ground state of nuclear matter emerges, with striking implications for the configuration of stellar remnants. Notably, neutron stars in the new ground state can be significantly heavier than QCD equations of state currently predict. We also find hybrid stellar compositions and stable self-bound objects with sizes as small as the Compton wavelength of the scalar. We discuss several specific realizations of this scenario: the QCD axion and lighter generalizations thereof and linearly or quadratically coupled scalar fields effectively equivalent to a class of scalar-tensor modification of gravity. Lastly, we explore phenomenological signatures relevant to electromagnetic and gravitational wave observations of neutron stars, such as atypical compactness and instability gaps in radii., Comment: 56 pages, 11 figures

Online allocation is a broad class of problems where items arriving online have to be allocated to agents who have a fixed utility/cost for each assigned item so to maximize/minimize some objective. This framework captures a broad range of fundamental problems such as the Santa Claus problem (maximizing minimum utility), Nash welfare maximization (maximizing geometric mean of utilities), makespan minimization (minimizing maximum cost), minimization of $\ell_p$-norms, and so on. We focus on divisible items (i.e., fractional allocations) in this paper. Even for divisible items, these problems are characterized by strong super-constant lower bounds in the classical worst-case online model. In this paper, we study online allocations in the {\em learning-augmented} setting, i.e., where the algorithm has access to some additional (machine-learned) information about the problem instance. We introduce a {\em general} algorithmic framework for learning-augmented online allocation that produces nearly optimal solutions for this broad range of maximization and minimization objectives using only a single learned parameter for every agent. As corollaries of our general framework, we improve prior results of Lattanzi et al. (SODA 2020) and Li and Xian (ICML 2021) for learning-augmented makespan minimization, and obtain the first learning-augmented nearly-optimal algorithms for the other objectives such as Santa Claus, Nash welfare, $\ell_p$-minimization, etc. We also give tight bounds on the resilience of our algorithms to errors in the learned parameters, and study the learnability of these parameters.

Only two types of Standard Model particles are able to propagate the $480\,$meters separating the ATLAS interaction point and FASER: neutrinos and muons. Furthermore, muons are copiously produced in proton collisions. We propose to use FASER$\nu$ as a muon fixed target experiment in order to search for new bosonic degrees of freedom coupled predominantly to muons. These muon force carriers are particularly interesting in light of the recent measurement of the muon anomalous magnetic moment. Using a novel analysis technique, we show that even in the current LHC run, FASER$\nu$ could potentially probe previously unexplored parts of the parameter space. In the high-luminosity phase of the LHC, we find that the improved sensitivity of FASER$\nu2$ will probe unexplored parameter space and may be competitive with dedicated search proposals., Comment: 13 pages + appendices, 11 figures

We prove a short, root-system uniform, combinatorial classification of Levi-spherical Schubert varieties for any generalized flag variety $G/B$ of finite Lie type. We apply this to the study of multiplicity-free decompositions of a Demazure module into irreducible representations of a Levi subgroup., Comment: 11 pages. Minor corrections made in v2. To appear in Advances in Mathematics

Abstract. We present a framework for the kinematics of a material body undergoing anelastic deformation. For such processes, the material structure of the body, as reflected by the geometric structure given to the set of body points, changes. The setting we propose may be relevant to phenomena such as plasticity, fracture, discontinuities, and non-injectivity of the deformations. In this framework, we construct an unambiguous decomposition into incompatible and compatible factors which includes the standard elastic-plastic decomposition in plasticity.

We study the effects of exceptionally light QCD axions on the stellar configuration of white dwarfs. At finite baryon density, the non-derivative coupling of the axion to nucleons displaces the axion from its in-vacuum minimum which implies a reduction of the nucleon mass. This dramatically alters the composition of stellar remnants. In particular, the modifications of the mass-radius relationship of white dwarfs allow us to probe large regions of unexplored parameter space without requiring that axions are dark matter., Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, added appendices, published version

We study the problem of real-time scheduling in a multi-hop millimeter-wave (mmWave) mesh. We develop a model-free deep reinforcement learning algorithm called Adaptive Activator RL (AARL), which determines the subset of mmWave links that should be activated during each time slot and the power level for each link. The most important property of AARL is its ability to make scheduling decisions within the strict time slot constraints of typical 5G mmWave networks. AARL can handle a variety of network topologies, network loads, and interference models, it can also adapt to different workloads. We demonstrate the operation of AARL on several topologies: a small topology with 10 links, a moderately-sized mesh with 48 links, and a large topology with 96 links. We show that for each topology, we compare the throughput obtained by AARL to that of a benchmark algorithm called RPMA (Residual Profit Maximizer Algorithm). The most important advantage of AARL compared to RPMA is that it is much faster and can make the necessary scheduling decisions very rapidly during every time slot, while RPMA cannot. In addition, the quality of the scheduling decisions made by AARL outperforms those made by RPMA.

We propose a hybrid model governed by the Blume-Emery-Griffiths (BEG) Hamiltonian with a mean-field-like interaction, where the spins are randomly quenched such that some of them are "pure" Ising and the others admit the BEG set of states. It is found, by varying the concentration of the Ising spins, that the model displays different phase portraits in concentration-temperature parameter space, within the canonical and the microcanonical ensembles. Phenomenological indications that these portraits are rich and rather unusual are provided., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) provide a robust solution-based approach to efficient solar cells, bright light-emitting devices, and quantum sources of light. Quantifying heterogeneity and understanding coupling between dots is critical for these applications. We use double-nanohole optical trapping to size individual dots and correlate to emission energy shifts from quantum confinement. We were able to assemble a second dot in the trap, which allows us to observe the coupling between dots. We observe a systematic red-shift of 1.1 $\pm$ 0.6 meV in the emission wavelength. Theoretical analysis shows that the observed shift is consistent with resonant energy transfer and is unusually large due to moderate-to-large quantum confinement in PQDs. This demonstrates the promise of PQDs for entanglement in quantum information applications. This work enables future in situ control of PQD growth as well as studies of the coupling between small PQD assemblies with quantum information applications in mind., Comment: Published in ACS Nano letters

Optical tweezers are tools made of light that enable contactless pushing, trapping, and manipulation of objects ranging from atoms to space light sails. Since the pioneering work by Arthur Ashkin in the 1970s, optical tweezers have evolved into sophisticated instruments and have been employed in a broad range of applications in life sciences, physics, and engineering. These include accurate force and torque measurement at the femtonewton level, microrheology of complex fluids, single micro- and nanoparticle spectroscopy, single-cell analysis, and statistical-physics experiments. This roadmap provides insights into current investigations involving optical forces and optical tweezers from their theoretical foundations to designs and setups. It also offers perspectives for applications to a wide range of research fields, from biophysics to space exploration., Comment: 181 pages, 61 figures

We present a fully quantum model for the excitation of a bound electron based on the free-electron bound-electron resonant interaction (FEBERI) scheme. The bound electron is modeled as a quantum two-level system (TLS) at any initial quantum (qubit) state, and the free electron is presented as a pre-shaped quantum electron wavepacket (QEW). In the case that the QEW is short or modulated at optical frequency, the TLS quantum state may be coherently controlled with multiple modulation-correlated QEWs. For this case, we derive the transition probability of the TLS due to interaction with a multi-particle beam based on an analytical approximate solution of the Schrodinger equation that amounts to using Born's probabilistic interpretation of the quantum electron wavefunction. We verify the credibility of the analytical model at its validity ranges using a fully quantum density matrix computation procedure. It is shown that the transition probability can grow quadratically with the number of correlated QEWs, and theoretically - exhibit full Rabi oscillation. The study indicates a possibility of engineering the quantum state of a TLS by utilizing a beam of shaped QEWs., Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures

A chaotic dynamics is typically characterized by the emergence of strange attractors with their fractal or multifractal structure. On the other hand, chaotic synchronization is a unique emergent self-organization phenomenon in nature. Classically, synchronization was characterized in terms of macroscopic parameters, such as the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents. Recently, however, we attempted a microscopic description of synchronization, called topological synchronization, and showed that chaotic synchronization is, in fact, a continuous process that starts in low-density areas of the attractor. Here we analyze the relation between the two emergent phenomena by shifting the descriptive level of topological synchronization to account for the multifractal nature of the visited attractors. Namely, we measure the generalized dimension of the system and monitor how it changes while increasing the coupling strength. We show that during the gradual process of topological adjustment in phase space, the multifractal structures of each strange attractor of the two coupled oscillators continuously converge, taking a similar form, until complete topological synchronization ensues. According to our results, chaotic synchronization has a specific trait in various systems, from continuous systems and discrete maps to high dimensional systems: synchronization initiates from the sparse areas of the attractor, and it creates what we termed as the zipper effect, a distinctive pattern in the multifractal structure of the system that reveals the microscopic buildup of the synchronization process. Topological synchronization offers, therefore, a more detailed microscopic description of chaotic synchronization and reveals new information about the process even in cases of high mismatch parameters.

We investigate the phenomenological implications of the recent $W$ mass measurement by the CDF collaboration, which exhibits tension with the standard model (SM) electroweak fit. Performing the fit to the electroweak observables within the SM effective field theory, we find that the new physics that contributes either to the determination of the electroweak vacuum expectation value, or to the oblique parameters, can improve the agreement with data. The best description is obtained from a fit where flavor universality is not required in the new physics operators, with 2 to 3 $\sigma$ indications for several nonzero Wilson coefficients. We point out that top partners with order TeV masses could lead to the observed shift in the $W$ mass., Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, 1 Table, version matching the published one

In this work, we propose a composite pulses scheme by modulating phases to achieve high fidelity population transfer in three-level systems. To circumvent the obstacle that not enough variables are exploited to eliminate the systematic errors in the transition probability, we put forward a cost function to find the optimal value. The cost function is independently constructed either in ensuring an accurate population of the target state, or in suppressing the population of the leakage state, or both of them. The results demonstrate that population transfer is implemented with high fidelity even when existing the deviations in the coupling coefficients. Furthermore, our composite pulses scheme can be extensible to arbitrarily long pulse sequences. As an example, we employ the composite pulses sequence for achieving the three-atom singlet state in an atom-cavity system with ultrahigh fidelity. The final singlet state shows robustness against deviations and is not seriously affected by waveform distortions. Also, the singlet state maintains a high fidelity under the decoherence environment., Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures

Multistage sequential decision-making scenarios are commonly seen in the healthcare diagnosis process. In this paper, an active learning-based method is developed to actively collect only the necessary patient data in a sequential manner. There are two novelties in the proposed method. First, unlike the existing ordinal logistic regression model which only models a single stage, we estimate the parameters for all stages together. Second, it is assumed that the coefficients for common features in different stages are kept consistent. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated in both a simulation study and a real case study. Compared with the baseline method where the data is modeled individually and independently, the proposed method improves the estimation efficiency by 62\%-1838\%. For both simulation and testing cohorts, the proposed method is more effective, stable, interpretable, and computationally efficient on parameter estimation. The proposed method can be easily extended to a variety of scenarios where decision-making can be done sequentially with only necessary information.

We study the on-shell version of the Higgs mechanism in effective theories (EFTs) containing particles of different spins, focusing on contact terms as a simple starting point. We derive the massive contact terms and their coefficients from the massless amplitudes of the EFT above the symmetry breaking scale, by covariantizing the massless contact terms under the massive little group. In the little-group-covariant massive-spinor formalism, this notationally amounts to bolding spinor labels. Mass-suppressed contributions to the contact-term coefficients arise from higher-point contact terms with additional soft Higgs legs. We apply this procedure to obtain massive four-point amplitudes featuring scalars, spin 1/2 fermions and vectors, in the standard-model EFT. The subleading helicity-flipped components of each massive contact term, which are dictated by little-group covariance, are associated with the residues of factorizable massless amplitudes. Extra "frozen" Higgses emitted from each leg of a massless contact term supply the additional light-like momentum component, needed to form a massive leg of the same polarization. As another application, we derive various components of massive three-point amplitudes from massless amplitudes with up to three additional Higgses, in a standard-model-like toy model., Comment: 29 pages, 6 figures, 4 appendices

We extend the notion of proper elements to all Coxeter groups. For all infinite families of finite Coxeter groups we prove that the probability a random element is proper goes to zero in the limit. This proves a conjecture of the third author and A. Yong regarding the proportion of Schubert varieties that are Levi spherical for all infinite families of Weyl groups. We also enumerate the proper elements in the exceptional Coxeter groups., Comment: 21 pages

We present a comprehensive theory for interrogation of the quantum state of a two-level system (TLS) based on a free-electron - bound-electron resonant interaction scheme. The scheme is based on free electrons, whose quantum electron wavefunction is pre-shaped or optically modulated by lasers in an electron microscope setup and then inelastically scattered by a quantum TLS target (e.g., atom, quantum dot, crystal defect center, etc.) upon traversing in proximity to the target. Measurement of the post-interaction energy spectrum of the electrons, probes and quantifies the full Bloch sphere parameters of a pre-excited TLS and enables coherent control of the qubit states. The exceptional advantage of this scheme over laser-based ones is the atomic-scale spatial resolution of addressing individual TLS targets. Thus, this scheme opens new horizons for electron microscopy in material interrogation and quantum information technology., Comment: 42 pages, 7 figures

Electrical resistance usually originates from lattice imperfections. However, even a perfect lattice has a fundamental resistance limit, given by the Landauer conductance caused by a finite number of propagating electron modes. This resistance, shown by Sharvin to appear at the contacts of electronic devices, sets the ultimate conductance limit of non-interacting electrons. Recent years have seen growing evidence of hydrodynamic electronic phenomena, prompting recent theories to ask whether an electronic fluid can radically break the fundamental Landauer-Sharvin limit. Here, we use single-electron transistor imaging of electronic flow in high-mobility graphene Corbino disk devices to answer this question. First, by imaging ballistic flows at liquid-helium temperatures, we observe a Landauer-Sharvin resistance that does not appear at the contacts but is instead distributed throughout the bulk. This underpins the phase-space origin of this resistance - as emerging from spatial gradients in the number of conduction modes. At elevated temperatures, by identifying and accounting for electron-phonon scattering, we reveal the details of the purely hydrodynamic flow. Strikingly, we find that electron hydrodynamics eliminates the bulk Landuer-Sharvin resistance. Finally, by imaging spiraling magneto-hydrodynamic Corbino flows, we reveal the key emergent length scale predicted by hydrodynamic theories - the Gurzhi length. These observations demonstrate that electronic fluids can dramatically transcend the fundamental limitations of ballistic electrons, with important implications for fundamental science and future technologies

It has long been realized that even a perfectly clean electronic system harbors a Landauer-Sharvin resistance, inversely proportional to the number of its conduction channels. This resistance is usually associated with voltage drops on the system's contacts to an external circuit. Recent theories have shown that hydrodynamic effects can reduce this resistance, raising the question of the lower bound of resistance of hydrodynamic electrons. Here we show that by a proper choice of device geometry, it is possible to spread the Landauer-Sharvin resistance throughout the bulk of the system, allowing its complete elimination by electron hydrodynamics. We trace the effect to the dynamics of electrons flowing in channels that terminate within the sample. For ballistic systems this termination leads to back-reflection of the electrons and creates resistance. Hydrodynamically, the scattering of these electrons off other electrons allows them to transfer to transmitted channels and avoid the resistance. Counter-intuitively, we find that in contrast to the ohmic regime, for hydrodynamic electrons the resistance of a device with a given width can decrease with its length, suggesting that a long enough device may have an arbitrarily small total resistance., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures for main text + 4 pages of supplemental material; revised version as published in PRL

We provide an algorithm that takes as an input a given parametric family of homogeneous polynomials, which is invariant under the action of the general linear group, and an integer $d$. It outputs the ideal of that family intersected with the space of homogeneous polynomials of degree $d$. Our motivation comes from open problems, which ask to find equations for varieties of cubic and quartic symmetroids. The algorithm relies on a database of specific Young tableaux and highest weight polynomials. We provide the database and the implementation of the database construction algorithm. Moreover, we provide a julia implementation to run the algorithm using the database, so that more varieties of homogeneous polynomials can easily be treated in the future.

Neural network quantization enables the deployment of models on edge devices. An essential requirement for their hardware efficiency is that the quantizers are hardware-friendly: uniform, symmetric, and with power-of-two thresholds. To the best of our knowledge, current post-training quantization methods do not support all of these constraints simultaneously. In this work, we introduce a hardware-friendly post training quantization (HPTQ) framework, which addresses this problem by synergistically combining several known quantization methods. We perform a large-scale study on four tasks: classification, object detection, semantic segmentation and pose estimation over a wide variety of network architectures. Our extensive experiments show that competitive results can be obtained under hardware-friendly constraints.

We present a randomized algorithm for generating standard set-valued tableaux by extending the Green-Nijenhuis-Wilf hook walk algorithm. In the case of asymptotically rank two partitions, we use this algorithm to give a fully polynomial almost uniform sampler (FPAUS) for standard set-valued tableaux. This FPAUS is then used to construct a fully polynomial randomized approximation scheme (FPRAS) for counting the number of standard set-valued tableaux for such shapes. We also construct a FPAUS and FPRAS for standard set-valued tableaux when either the size of the partition or the difference between the maximum value and the size of the partition is fixed. Our methods build on the work of Jerrum-Valiant-Vazirani and provide a framework for constructing FPAUS's and FPRAS's for other counting problems in algebraic combinatorics., Comment: 20 pages

In this paper, we consider the problem of covering a plane region with unit discs. We present an improved upper bound and the first nontrivial lower bound on the number of discs needed for such a covering, depending on the area and perimeter of the region. We provide algorithms for efficient covering of convex polygonal regions using unit discs. We show that the computational complexity of the algorithms is pseudo-polynomial in the size of the input and the output. We also show that these algorithms provide a constant factor approximation of the optimal covering of the region.

Journal classification into subject categories is an important aspect in scholarly research evaluation as well as in bibliometric analysis. However, this classification is not standardized, resulting in several different journal subject classification systems. In this study, we adopt a logical set theory-based definition of irregularities within a given classification system and discrepancies between systems and investigate their prevalence in the two most widely used indexing services of Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus. In both systems, we identify unusually sized categories, high overlap and incohesiveness between categories. In addition, across the two systems, journals are systematically classified to a different number of categories and most categories in either system are not adequately represented in the other system. Our findings suggest that these irregularities and discrepancies are, in fact, non-anecdotal and thus cannot be easily disregarded. Consequently, potentially misguided and/or inconsistent outcomes may be encountered when relying on these subject classification systems., Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, 3 tables

Many proteins undergo conformational changes during their activity. A full understanding of the function of these proteins can only be obtained if different conformations and transitions between them can be monitored in aqueous solution, with adequate temporal resolution and, ideally, on a single-molecule level. Interrogating conformational dynamics of single proteins remains, however, exquisitely challenging and typically requires site-directed chemical modification combined with rigorous minimization of possible artifacts. These obstacles limit the number of single-protein investigations. The work presented here introduces an approach that traps single unmodified proteins from solution in a plasmonic hotspot and makes it possible to assign changes in refractive index to changes in protein conformation while monitoring these changes for minutes to hours with a temporal resolution at least as fast as 40 microseconds. The resulting single molecule data reveals that adenylate kinase employs a hidden enzymatic sub-cycle during catalysis, that citrate synthase populates a previously unknown intermediate conformation, which is more important for its enzymatic activity than its well-known open conformation, that hemoglobin transitions in several steps from its deoxygenated and rigid T state to its oxygenated and flexible R state, and that apo-calmodulin thermally unfolds and refolds in steps that correspond to conformational changes of individual protein domains., Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures

Finite density effects can destabilize the metastable vacua in relaxion models. Focusing on stars as nucleation seeds, we derive the conditions that lead to the formation and runaway of a relaxion bubble of a lower energy minimum than in vacuum. The resulting late-time phase transition in the universe allows us to set new constraints on the parameter space of relaxion models. We also find that similar instabilities can be triggered by the large electromagnetic fields around rotating neutron stars., Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures and several appendices

The aim of the proposed CERN Gamma Factory is to produce $\sim 10^{17}$ photons per second with energies up to 400 MeV. The photon beam intensity is expected to be a factor of $\mathcal{O}(10^7)$ larger than that of the presently available photon beams in the MeV energy range. In this work, we explore its potential to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. In particular, we discuss searches for axion like particles (ALPs) with dominant couplings to photons and consider various production scenarios - fixed target, photon-photon collision, and conversion by a magnetic field and detection schemes - via decay to photons or back-conversion. We find that the Gamma Factory in a fixed target mode can probe ALPs with mass $m_a \lesssim \mathcal{O}(100\,\mathrm{MeV})$ and decay constants larger than $10^7$ GeV, improving by an order of magnitude the discovery potential of previous beam dump experiments., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures

We consider matter density effects in theories with a false ground state. Large and dense systems, such as stars, can destabilize a metastable minimum and allow for the formation of bubbles of the true minimum. We derive the conditions under which these bubbles form, as well as the conditions under which they either remain confined to the dense region or escape to infinity. The latter case leads to a phase transition in the universe at star formation. We explore the phenomenological consequences of such seeded phase transitions., Comment: 33 pages, 6 figures and several appendices

A hybrid Potts model where a random concentration $p$ of the spins assume $q_0$ states and a random concentration $1-p$ of the spins assume $q>q_0$ states is introduced. It is known that when the system is homogeneous, with an integer spin number $q_0$ or $q$, it undergoes a second or a first order transition, respectively. It is argued that there is a concentration $p^\ast$ such that the transition nature of the model is changed at $p^\ast$. This idea is demonstrated analytically and by simulations for two different types of interaction: the usual square lattice nearest neighboring and mean field all-to-all. Exact expressions for the second order critical line in concentration-temperature parameter space of the mean field model together with some other related critical properties, are derived., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

We consider the weighted completion time minimization problem for capacitated parallel machines, which is a fundamental problem in modern cloud computing environments. We study settings in which the processed jobs may have varying duration, resource requirements and importance (weight). Each server (machine) can process multiple concurrent jobs up to its capacity. Due to the problem's $\mathcal{NP}$-hardness, we study heuristic approaches with provable approximation guarantees. We first analyze an algorithm that prioritizes the jobs with the smallest volume-by-weight ratio. We bound its approximation ratio with a decreasing function of the ratio between the highest resource demand of any job to the server's capacity. Then, we use the algorithm for scheduling jobs with resource demands equal to or smaller than 0.5 of the server's capacity in conjunction with the classic weighted shortest processing time algorithm for jobs with resource demands higher than 0.5. We thus create a hybrid, constant approximation algorithm for two or more machines. We also develop a constant approximation algorithm for the case with a single machine. This research is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to propose a polynomial-time algorithm with a constant approximation ratio for minimizing the weighted sum of job completion times for capacitated parallel machines.

A Schubert variety in the complete flag manifold $GL_n/B$ is Levi-spherical if the action of a Borel subgroup in a Levi subgroup of a standard parabolic has a dense orbit. We give a combinatorial classification of these Schubert varieties. This establishes a conjecture of the latter two authors, and a new formulation in terms of standard Coxeter elements. Our proof uses the theory of key polynomials (type A Demazure module characters)., Comment: 30 pages

We discuss the recent results on the muon anomalous magnetic moment in the context of new physics models with light scalars. We propose a model in which the one-loop contributions to g-2 of a scalar and a pseudoscalar naturally cancel in the massless limit due to the symmetry structure of the model. This model allows to interpolate between two possible interpretations. In the first interpretation, the results provide a strong evidence of the existence of new physics, dominated by the positive contribution of a CP-even scalar. In the second one, supported by the recent lattice result, the data provides a strong upper bound on new physics, specifically in the case of (negative) pseudoscalar contributions. We emphasize that tree-level signatures of the new degrees of freedom of the model are enhanced relative to conventional explanations of the discrepancy. As a result, this model can be tested in the near future with accelerator-based experiments and possibly also at the precision frontier., Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures

We define and study proper permutations. Properness is a geometrically natural necessary criterion for a Schubert variety to be Levi-spherical. We prove the probability that a random permutation is proper goes to zero in the limit., Comment: 8 pages

Free-Electron Bound-Electron Resonant Interaction (FEBERI) is the resonant inelastic interaction of periodically density-bunched free electrons with a quantum two level system. We present a comprehensive relativistic quantum mechanical theory for this interaction in a model in which the electrons are represented as quantum electron wavepackets (QEW). The analysis reveals the wave-particle duality nature of the QEW, delineating the point-particle-like and wave-like interaction regimes, and manifesting the physical reality of the wavefunction dimensions and its density modulation characteristics in interaction with matter. The analysis comprehends the case of laser-beam-modulated multiple QEWs that are modulation-phase correlated. Based on the Born interpretation of the electron wavefunction we predict quantum transitions enhancement proportional to the number of electrons squared, analogous to superradiance., Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures, 1 table

We provide a non-recursive, combinatorial classification of multiplicity-free skew Schur polynomials. These polynomials are $GL_n$, and $SL_n$, characters of the skew Schur modules. Our result extends work of H. Thomas--A. Yong, and C. Gutschwager, in which they classify the multiplicity-free skew Schur functions., Comment: 45 pages