Computing the nearest polynomial with a zero in a given domain by using piecewise rational functions

For a real univariate polynomial f and a closed complex domain D whose boundary C is a simple curve parameterized by a univariate piecewise rational function, a rigorous method is given for finding a real univariate polynomial such that has a zero in D and is minimal. First, it is proved that the minimum distance between f and polynomials having a zero at α∈C is a piecewise rational function of the real and imaginary parts of α. Thus, on C, the minimum distance is a piecewise rational function of a parameter obtained through the parameterization of C. Therefore, can be constructed by using the property that has a zero on C and computing the minimum distance on C. We analyze the asymptotic bit complexity of the method and show that it is of polynomial order in the size of the input.     

The Kolmogorov Expression Complexity of Logics

The purpose of the paper is to propose a completely new notion of complexity of logics in finite-model theory. It is the Kolmogorov variant of the Vardi'sexpression complexity. We define it by considering the value of the Kolmogorov complexityC(L[]) of the infinite stringL[] of all truth values of sentences ofLin . The higher is this value, the more expressive is the logicLin . If is a class of finite models, then the value ofC(L[]) over all ∈ is a measure of expressive power ofLin . Unboundedness ofC(L[])−C(L′[]) for ∈ implies nonexistence of a recursive interpretation ofLinL′. A version of this statement with complexities modulo oracles implies the nonexistence of any interpretation ofLinL′. Thus the valuesC(L[]) modulo oracles constitute an invariant of the expressive power of logics over finite models, depending on their real (absolute) expressive power, and not on the syntax. We investigate our notion for fragments of the infinitary logic ^ω_∞ω: least fixed point logic (LFP) and partial fixed point logic (PFP). We prove a precise characterization of 0–1 laws for these logics in terms of a certain boundedness condition placed onC(L[]). We get an extension of the notion of a 0–1 law by imposing an upper bound on the value ofC(L[]) growing not too fast with cardinality of , which still implies inexpressibility results similar to those implied by 0–1 laws. We also discuss classes in whichC(PFP^k[]) is very high. It appears that then PFP or its simple extension can define all the PSPACE subsets of .     

Nonlinear minimum-time control with pre- and post-actuation

This article studies the time-optimal output transition problem to change the system output, from an initial value (for all time ) to a final value (for all time ), for invertible nonlinear systems. The main contribution of the article is to show that the use of pre- and post-actuation input outside the transition interval I_T=[0,T] can reduce the transition time T beyond the standard bang–bang-type inputs for optimal state transition. The advantage of using pre- and post-actuation is demonstrated with an illustrative nonlinear example.     

Narrowing power vs efficiency in synchronous set agreement: Relationship, algorithms and lower bound

The k-set agreement problem is a generalization of the uniform consensus problem: each process proposes a value, and each non-faulty process has to decide a value such that a decided value is a proposed value, and at most k different values are decided. It has been shown that any algorithm that solves the k-set agreement problem in synchronous systems that can suffer up to t crash failures requires rounds in the worst case. It has also been shown that it is possible to design early deciding algorithms where no process decides and halts after rounds, where f is the number of actual crashes in a run (0≤f≤t).This paper explores a new direction to solve the k-set agreement problem in a synchronous system. It considers that the system is enriched with base objects (denoted has [m,?]_SA objects) that allow solving the ?-set agreement problem in a set of m processes (m<n). The paper makes several contributions. It first proposes a synchronous k-set agreement algorithm that benefits from such underlying base objects. This algorithm requires rounds, more precisely, rounds, where . The paper then shows that this bound, that involves all the parameters that characterize both the problem (k) and its environment (t, m and ?), is a lower bound. The proof of this lower bound sheds additional light on the deep connection between synchronous efficiency and asynchronous computability. Finally, the paper extends its investigation to the early deciding case. It presents a k-set agreement algorithm that directs the processes to decide and stop by round . These bounds generalize the bounds previously established for solving the k-set agreement problem in pure synchronous systems.     

Resonance states of Ps using correlated wave functions

We have investigated the resonance states of positronium negative ion below the N=3, 4 and 5 Ps thresholds using highly correlated exponential wave functions. Resonance parameters (positions and widths) are extracted employing both the stabilization method and the complex-coordinate rotation method. In addition to many Feshbach resonances below the various Ps thresholds, we have identified two shape resonances with one each lying above the N=3 and N=5 thresholds, respectively. We have also identified three shape resonances with one lying above the N=3 threshold and two lying above N=4 threshold. The shape resonances associated with N=3 Ps threshold and some other Feshbach resonances are reported for the first time in the literature.     

On Bézier surfaces in three-dimensional Minkowski space

In this paper, we study Bézier surfaces in three-dimensional Minkowski space. In particular, we focus on timelike and spacelike cases for Bézier surfaces. We also deal with the Plateau–Bézier problem in , obtaining conditions over the control net to be extremal of the Dirichlet function for both timelike and spacelike Bézier surfaces. Moreover, we provide interesting examples showing the behavior of the Plateau–Bézier problem in and illustrating the relationship between it and the corresponding Plateau–Bézier problem in the Euclidean space R³.