Geometric modular action for disjoint intervals and boundary conformal field theory

In suitable states, the modular group of local algebras associated with unions of disjoint intervals in chiral conformal quantum field theory acts geometrically. We translate this result into the setting of boundary conformal QFT and interpret it as a relation between temperature and acceleration. We also discuss aspects ("mixing" and "charge splitting") of geometric modular action for unions of disjoint intervals in the vacuum state.Comment: Dedicated to John E. Roberts on the occasion of his 70th birthday; 24 pages, 3 figure

Carnot-Caratheodory metric and gauge fluctuation in Noncommutative Geometry

Gauge fields have a natural metric interpretation in terms of horizontal distance. The latest, also called Carnot-Caratheodory or subriemannian distance, is by definition the length of the shortest horizontal path between points, that is to say the shortest path whose tangent vector is everywhere horizontal with respect to the gauge connection. In noncommutative geometry all the metric information is encoded within the Dirac operator D. In the classical case, i.e. commutative, Connes's distance formula allows to extract from D the geodesic distance on a riemannian spin manifold. In the case of a gauge theory with a gauge field A, the geometry of the associated U(n)-vector bundle is described by the covariant Dirac operator D+A. What is the distance encoded within this operator ? It was expected that the noncommutative geometry distance d defined by a covariant Dirac operator was intimately linked to the Carnot-Caratheodory distance dh defined by A. In this paper we precise this link, showing that the equality of d and dh strongly depends on the holonomy of the connection. Quite interestingly we exhibit an elementary example, based on a 2 torus, in which the noncommutative distance has a very simple expression and simultaneously avoids the main drawbacks of the riemannian metric (no discontinuity of the derivative of the distance function at the cut-locus) and of the subriemannian one (memory of the structure of the fiber).Comment: published version with additional figures to make the proof more readable. Typos corrected in this ultimate versio

An algebraic Birkhoff decomposition for the continuous renormalization group

This paper aims at presenting the first steps towards a formulation of the Exact Renormalization Group Equation in the Hopf algebra setting of Connes and Kreimer. It mostly deals with some algebraic preliminaries allowing to formulate perturbative renormalization within the theory of differential equations. The relation between renormalization, formulated as a change of boundary condition for a differential equation, and an algebraic Birkhoff decomposition for rooted trees is explicited

Diamonds's Temperature: Unruh effect for bounded trajectories and thermal time hypothesis

We study the Unruh effect for an observer with a finite lifetime, using the thermal time hypothesis. The thermal time hypothesis maintains that: (i) time is the physical quantity determined by the flow defined by a state over an observable algebra, and (ii) when this flow is proportional to a geometric flow in spacetime, temperature is the ratio between flow parameter and proper time. An eternal accelerated Unruh observer has access to the local algebra associated to a Rindler wedge. The flow defined by the Minkowski vacuum of a field theory over this algebra is proportional to a flow in spacetime and the associated temperature is the Unruh temperature. An observer with a finite lifetime has access to the local observable algebra associated to a finite spacetime region called a "diamond". The flow defined by the Minkowski vacuum of a (four dimensional, conformally invariant) quantum field theory over this algebra is also proportional to a flow in spacetime. The associated temperature generalizes the Unruh temperature to finite lifetime observers. Furthermore, this temperature does not vanish even in the limit in which the acceleration is zero. The temperature associated to an inertial observer with lifetime T, which we denote as "diamond's temperature", is 2hbar/(pi k_b T).This temperature is related to the fact that a finite lifetime observer does not have access to all the degrees of freedom of the quantum field theory.Comment: One reference correcte

Decreasing Proportion of Recent Infections among Newly Diagnosed HIV-1 Cases in Switzerland, 2008 to 2013 Based on Line-Immunoassay-Based Algorithms.

BACKGROUND: HIV surveillance requires monitoring of new HIV diagnoses and differentiation of incident and older infections. In 2008, Switzerland implemented a system for monitoring incident HIV infections based on the results of a line immunoassay (Inno-Lia) mandatorily conducted for HIV confirmation and type differentiation (HIV-1, HIV-2) of all newly diagnosed patients. Based on this system, we assessed the proportion of incident HIV infection among newly diagnosed cases in Switzerland during 2008-2013. METHODS AND RESULTS: Inno-Lia antibody reaction patterns recorded in anonymous HIV notifications to the federal health authority were classified by 10 published algorithms into incident (up to 12 months) or older infections. Utilizing these data, annual incident infection estimates were obtained in two ways, (i) based on the diagnostic performance of the algorithms and utilizing the relationship 'incident = true incident + false incident', (ii) based on the window-periods of the algorithms and utilizing the relationship 'Prevalence = Incidence x Duration'. From 2008-2013, 3'851 HIV notifications were received. Adult HIV-1 infections amounted to 3'809 cases, and 3'636 of them (95.5%) contained Inno-Lia data. Incident infection totals calculated were similar for the performance- and window-based methods, amounting on average to 1'755 (95% confidence interval, 1588-1923) and 1'790 cases (95% CI, 1679-1900), respectively. More than half of these were among men who had sex with men. Both methods showed a continuous decline of annual incident infections 2008-2013, totaling -59.5% and -50.2%, respectively. The decline of incident infections continued even in 2012, when a 15% increase in HIV notifications had been observed. This increase was entirely due to older infections. Overall declines 2008-2013 were of similar extent among the major transmission groups. CONCLUSIONS: Inno-Lia based incident HIV-1 infection surveillance proved useful and reliable. It represents a free, additional public health benefit of the use of this relatively costly test for HIV confirmation and type differentiation

Relative entropy and the Bekenstein bound

Elaborating on a previous work by Marolf et al, we relate some exact results in quantum field theory and statistical mechanics to the Bekenstein universal bound on entropy. Specifically, we consider the relative entropy between the vacuum and another state, both reduced to a local region. We propose that, with the adequate interpretation, the positivity of the relative entropy in this case constitutes a well defined statement of the bound in flat space. We show that this version arises naturally from the original derivation of the bound from the generalized second law when quantum effects are taken into account. In this formulation the bound holds automatically, and in particular it does not suffer from the proliferation of the species problem. The results suggest that while the bound is relevant at the classical level, it does not introduce new physical constraints semiclassically.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, minor changes and references adde

Expected performance of the ASTRI-SST-2M telescope prototype

ASTRI (Astrofisica con Specchi a Tecnologia Replicante Italiana) is an Italian flagship project pursued by INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) strictly linked to the development of the Cherenkov Telescope Array, CTA. Primary goal of the ASTRI program is the design and production of an end-to-end prototype of a Small Size Telescope for the CTA sub-array devoted to the highest gamma-ray energy region. The prototype, named ASTRI SST-2M, will be tested on field in Italy during 2014. This telescope will be the first Cherenkov telescope adopting the double reflection layout in a Schwarzschild-Couder configuration with a tessellated primary mirror and a monolithic secondary mirror. The collected light will be focused on a compact and light-weight camera based on silicon photo-multipliers covering a 9.6 deg full field of view. Detailed Monte Carlo simulations have been performed to estimate the performance of the planned telescope. The results regarding its energy threshold, sensitivity and angular resolution are shown and discussed.Comment: In Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2013), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). All CTA contributions at arXiv:1307.223

Height and timing of growth spurt during puberty in young people living with vertically acquired HIV in Europe and Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe growth during puberty in young people with vertically acquired HIV. DESIGN: Pooled data from 12 paediatric HIV cohorts in Europe and Thailand. METHODS: One thousand and ninety-four children initiating a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or boosted protease inhibitor based regimen aged 1-10 years were included. Super Imposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) models described growth from age 8 years using three parameters (average height, timing and shape of the growth spurt), dependent on age and height-for-age z-score (HAZ) (WHO references) at antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. Multivariate regression explored characteristics associated with these three parameters. RESULTS: At ART initiation, median age and HAZ was 6.4 [interquartile range (IQR): 2.8, 9.0] years and -1.2 (IQR: -2.3 to -0.2), respectively. Median follow-up was 9.1 (IQR: 6.9, 11.4) years. In girls, older age and lower HAZ at ART initiation were independently associated with a growth spurt which occurred 0.41 (95% confidence interval 0.20-0.62) years later in children starting ART age 6 to 10 years compared with 1 to 2 years and 1.50 (1.21-1.78) years later in those starting with HAZ less than -3 compared with HAZ at least -1. Later growth spurts in girls resulted in continued height growth into later adolescence. In boys starting ART with HAZ less than -1, growth spurts were later in children starting ART in the oldest age group, but for HAZ at least -1, there was no association with age. Girls and boys who initiated ART with HAZ at least -1 maintained a similar height to the WHO reference mean. CONCLUSION: Stunting at ART initiation was associated with later growth spurts in girls. Children with HAZ at least -1 at ART initiation grew in height at the level expected in HIV negative children of a comparable age