@inproceedings{9957, abstract = {The reflectance field of a face describes the reflectance properties responsible for complex lighting effects including diffuse, specular, inter-reflection and self shadowing. Most existing methods for estimating the face reflectance from a monocular image assume faces to be diffuse with very few approaches adding a specular component. This still leaves out important perceptual aspects of reflectance as higher-order global illumination effects and self-shadowing are not modeled. We present a new neural representation for face reflectance where we can estimate all components of the reflectance responsible for the final appearance from a single monocular image. Instead of modeling each component of the reflectance separately using parametric models, our neural representation allows us to generate a basis set of faces in a geometric deformation-invariant space, parameterized by the input light direction, viewpoint and face geometry. We learn to reconstruct this reflectance field of a face just from a monocular image, which can be used to render the face from any viewpoint in any light condition. Our method is trained on a light-stage training dataset, which captures 300 people illuminated with 150 light conditions from 8 viewpoints. We show that our method outperforms existing monocular reflectance reconstruction methods, in terms of photorealism due to better capturing of physical premitives, such as sub-surface scattering, specularities, self-shadows and other higher-order effects.}, author = {B R, Mallikarjun and Tewari, Ayush and Oh, Tae-Hyun and Weyrich, Tim and Bickel, Bernd and Seidel, Hans-Peter and Pfister, Hanspeter and Matusik, Wojciech and Elgharib, Mohamed and Theobalt, Christian}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition}, isbn = {978-166544509-2}, issn = {1063-6919}, location = {Nashville, TN, United States; Virtual}, pages = {4791--4800}, publisher = {IEEE}, title = {{Monocular reconstruction of neural face reflectance fields}}, doi = {10.1109/CVPR46437.2021.00476}, year = {2021}, } @article{9960, abstract = {The control of many-body quantum dynamics in complex systems is a key challenge in the quest to reliably produce and manipulate large-scale quantum entangled states. Recently, quench experiments in Rydberg atom arrays [Bluvstein et al. Science 371, 1355 (2021)] demonstrated that coherent revivals associated with quantum many-body scars can be stabilized by periodic driving, generating stable subharmonic responses over a wide parameter regime. We analyze a simple, related model where these phenomena originate from spatiotemporal ordering in an effective Floquet unitary, corresponding to discrete time-crystalline behavior in a prethermal regime. Unlike conventional discrete time crystals, the subharmonic response exists only for Néel-like initial states, associated with quantum scars. We predict robustness to perturbations and identify emergent timescales that could be observed in future experiments. Our results suggest a route to controlling entanglement in interacting quantum systems by combining periodic driving with many-body scars.}, author = {Maskara, N. and Michailidis, Alexios and Ho, W. W. and Bluvstein, D. and Choi, S. and Lukin, M. D. and Serbyn, Maksym}, issn = {1079-7114}, journal = {Physical Review Letters}, number = {9}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Discrete time-crystalline order enabled by quantum many-body scars: Entanglement steering via periodic driving}}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.090602}, volume = {127}, year = {2021}, } @article{9961, abstract = {The notion of Thouless energy plays a central role in the theory of Anderson localization. We investigate and compare the scaling of Thouless energy across the many-body localization (MBL) transition in a Floquet model. We use a combination of methods that are reliable on the ergodic side of the transition (e.g., spectral form factor) and methods that work on the MBL side (e.g., typical matrix elements of local operators) to obtain a complete picture of the Thouless energy behavior across the transition. On the ergodic side, Thouless energy decreases slowly with the system size, while at the transition it becomes comparable to the level spacing. Different probes yield consistent estimates of Thouless energy in their overlapping regime of applicability, giving the location of the transition point nearly free of finite-size drift. This work establishes a connection between different definitions of Thouless energy in a many-body setting and yields insights into the MBL transition in Floquet systems.}, author = {Sonner, Michael and Serbyn, Maksym and Papić, Zlatko and Abanin, Dmitry A.}, issn = {2469-9969}, journal = {Physical Review B}, number = {8}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Thouless energy across the many-body localization transition in Floquet systems}}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevB.104.L081112}, volume = {104}, year = {2021}, } @inproceedings{9969, abstract = {Payment channel networks are a promising approach to improve the scalability of cryptocurrencies: they allow to perform transactions in a peer-to-peer fashion, along multihop routes in the network, without requiring consensus on the blockchain. However, during the discovery of cost-efficient routes for the transaction, critical information may be revealed about the transacting entities. This paper initiates the study of privacy-preserving route discovery mechanisms for payment channel networks. In particular, we present LightPIR, an approach which allows a client to learn the shortest (or cheapest in terms of fees) path between two nodes without revealing any information about the endpoints of the transaction to the servers. The two main observations which allow for an efficient solution in LightPIR are that: (1) surprisingly, hub labelling algorithms – which were developed to preprocess “street network like” graphs so one can later efficiently compute shortest paths – also perform well for the graphs underlying payment channel networks, and that (2) hub labelling algorithms can be conveniently combined with private information retrieval. LightPIR relies on a simple hub labeling heuristic on top of existing hub labeling algorithms which leverages the specific topological features of cryptocurrency networks to further minimize storage and bandwidth overheads. In a case study considering the Lightning network, we show that our approach is an order of magnitude more efficient compared to a privacy-preserving baseline based on using private information retrieval on a database that stores all pairs shortest paths.}, author = {Pietrzak, Krzysztof Z and Salem, Iosif and Schmid, Stefan and Yeo, Michelle X}, isbn = {978-1-6654-4501-6}, issn = {1861-2288}, location = {Espoo and Helsinki, Finland}, publisher = {IEEE}, title = {{LightPIR: Privacy-preserving route discovery for payment channel networks}}, doi = {10.23919/IFIPNetworking52078.2021.9472205}, year = {2021}, } @article{9973, abstract = {In this article we introduce a complete gradient estimate for symmetric quantum Markov semigroups on von Neumann algebras equipped with a normal faithful tracial state, which implies semi-convexity of the entropy with respect to the recently introduced noncommutative 2-Wasserstein distance. We show that this complete gradient estimate is stable under tensor products and free products and establish its validity for a number of examples. As an application we prove a complete modified logarithmic Sobolev inequality with optimal constant for Poisson-type semigroups on free group factors.}, author = {Wirth, Melchior and Zhang, Haonan}, issn = {1432-0916}, journal = {Communications in Mathematical Physics}, keywords = {Mathematical Physics, Statistical and Nonlinear Physics}, pages = {761–791}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Complete gradient estimates of quantum Markov semigroups}}, doi = {10.1007/s00220-021-04199-4}, volume = {387}, year = {2021}, } @unpublished{9978, abstract = {Redox mediators could catalyse otherwise slow and energy-inefficient cycling of Li-S and Li-O 2 batteries by shuttling electrons/holes between the electrode and the solid insulating storage materials. For mediators to work efficiently they need to oxidize the solid with fast kinetics yet the lowest possible overpotential. Here, we found that when the redox potentials of mediators are tuned via, e.g., Li + concentration in the electrolyte, they exhibit distinct threshold potentials, where the kinetics accelerate several-fold within a range as small as 10 mV. This phenomenon is independent of types of mediators and electrolyte. The acceleration originates from the overpotentials required to activate fast Li + /e – extraction and the following chemical step at specific abundant surface facets. Efficient redox catalysis at insulating solids requires therefore carefully considering the surface conditions of the storage materials and electrolyte-dependent redox potentials, which may be tuned by salt concentrations or solvents.}, author = {Cao, Deqing and Shen, Xiaoxiao and Wang, Aiping and Yu, Fengjiao and Wu, Yuping and Shi, Siqi and Freunberger, Stefan Alexander and Chen, Yuhui}, booktitle = {Research Square}, issn = {2693-5015}, keywords = {Catalysis, Energy engineering, Materials theory and modeling}, pages = {21}, publisher = {Research Square}, title = {{Sharp kinetic acceleration potentials during mediated redox catalysis of insulators}}, doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-750965/v1}, year = {2021}, } @unpublished{9980, abstract = {Insufficient understanding of the mechanism that reversibly converts sulphur into lithium sulphide (Li2S) via soluble polysulphides (PS) hampers the realization of high performance lithium-sulphur cells. Typically Li2S formation is explained by direct electroreduction of a PS to Li2S; however, this is not consistent with the size of the insulating Li2S deposits. Here, we use in situ small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) to track the growth and dissolution of crystalline and amorphous deposits from atomic to sub-micron scales during charge and discharge. Stochastic modelling based on the SAXS data allows quantification of the chemical phase evolution during discharge and charge. We show that Li2S deposits predominantly via disproportionation of transient, solid Li2S2 to form primary Li2S crystallites and solid Li2S4 particles. We further demonstrate that this process happens in reverse during charge. These findings show that the discharge capacity and rate capability in Li-S battery cathodes are therefore limited by mass transport through the increasingly tortuous network of Li2S / Li2S4 / carbon pores rather than electron transport through a passivating surface film.}, author = {Prehal, Christian and Talian, Sara Drvarič and Vizintin, Alen and Amenitsch, Heinz and Dominko, Robert and Freunberger, Stefan Alexander and Wood, Vanessa}, booktitle = {Research Square}, keywords = {Li2S, Lithium Sulphur Batteries, SAXS, WAXS}, pages = {21}, title = {{Mechanism of Li2S formation and dissolution in Lithium-Sulphur batteries}}, doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-818607/v1}, year = {2021}, } @article{9981, abstract = {The numerical simulation of dynamical phenomena in interacting quantum systems is a notoriously hard problem. Although a number of promising numerical methods exist, they often have limited applicability due to the growth of entanglement or the presence of the so-called sign problem. In this work, we develop an importance sampling scheme for the simulation of quantum spin dynamics, building on a recent approach mapping quantum spin systems to classical stochastic processes. The importance sampling scheme is based on identifying the classical trajectory that yields the largest contribution to a given quantum observable. An exact transformation is then carried out to preferentially sample trajectories that are close to the dominant one. We demonstrate that this approach is capable of reducing the temporal growth of fluctuations in the stochastic quantities, thus extending the range of accessible times and system sizes compared to direct sampling. We discuss advantages and limitations of the proposed approach, outlining directions for further developments.}, author = {De Nicola, Stefano}, issn = {2666-9366}, journal = {SciPost Physics}, keywords = {General Physics and Astronomy}, number = {3}, publisher = {SciPost Foundation}, title = {{Importance sampling scheme for the stochastic simulation of quantum spin dynamics}}, doi = {10.21468/scipostphys.11.3.048}, volume = {11}, year = {2021}, } @article{9985, abstract = {AMPA receptor (AMPAR) abundance and positioning at excitatory synapses regulates the strength of transmission. Changes in AMPAR localisation can enact synaptic plasticity, allowing long-term information storage, and is therefore tightly controlled. Multiple mechanisms regulating AMPAR synaptic anchoring have been described, but with limited coherence or comparison between reports, our understanding of this process is unclear. Here, combining synaptic recordings from mouse hippocampal slices and super-resolution imaging in dissociated cultures, we compare the contributions of three AMPAR interaction domains controlling transmission at hippocampal CA1 synapses. We show that the AMPAR C-termini play only a modulatory role, whereas the extracellular N-terminal domain (NTD) and PDZ interactions of the auxiliary subunit TARP γ8 are both crucial, and each is sufficient to maintain transmission. Our data support a model in which γ8 accumulates AMPARs at the postsynaptic density, where the NTD further tunes their positioning. This interplay between cytosolic (TARP γ8) and synaptic cleft (NTD) interactions provides versatility to regulate synaptic transmission and plasticity.}, author = {Watson, Jake and Pinggera, Alexandra and Ho, Hinze and Greger, Ingo H.}, issn = {2041-1723}, journal = {Nature Communications}, number = {1}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{AMPA receptor anchoring at CA1 synapses is determined by N-terminal domain and TARP γ8 interactions}}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-021-25281-4}, volume = {12}, year = {2021}, } @article{9986, abstract = {Size control is a fundamental question in biology, showing incremental complexity in plants, whose cells possess a rigid cell wall. The phytohormone auxin is a vital growth regulator with central importance for differential growth control. Our results indicate that auxin-reliant growth programs affect the molecular complexity of xyloglucans, the major type of cell wall hemicellulose in eudicots. Auxin-dependent induction and repression of growth coincide with reduced and enhanced molecular complexity of xyloglucans, respectively. In agreement with a proposed function in growth control, genetic interference with xyloglucan side decorations distinctly modulates auxin-dependent differential growth rates. Our work proposes that auxin-dependent growth programs have a spatially defined effect on xyloglucan’s molecular structure, which in turn affects cell wall mechanics and specifies differential, gravitropic hypocotyl growth.}, author = {Velasquez, Silvia Melina and Guo, Xiaoyuan and Gallemi, Marçal and Aryal, Bibek and Venhuizen, Peter and Barbez, Elke and Dünser, Kai Alexander and Darino, Martin and Pӗnčík, Aleš and Novák, Ondřej and Kalyna, Maria and Mouille, Gregory and Benková, Eva and Bhalerao, Rishikesh P. and Mravec, Jozef and Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen}, issn = {1422-0067}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, keywords = {auxin, growth, cell wall, xyloglucans, hypocotyls, gravitropism}, number = {17}, publisher = {MDPI}, title = {{Xyloglucan remodeling defines auxin-dependent differential tissue expansion in plants}}, doi = {10.3390/ijms22179222}, volume = {22}, year = {2021}, } @inproceedings{9987, abstract = {Stateless model checking (SMC) is one of the standard approaches to the verification of concurrent programs. As scheduling non-determinism creates exponentially large spaces of thread interleavings, SMC attempts to partition this space into equivalence classes and explore only a few representatives from each class. The efficiency of this approach depends on two factors: (a) the coarseness of the partitioning, and (b) the time to generate representatives in each class. For this reason, the search for coarse partitionings that are efficiently explorable is an active research challenge. In this work we present RVF-SMC , a new SMC algorithm that uses a novel reads-value-from (RVF) partitioning. Intuitively, two interleavings are deemed equivalent if they agree on the value obtained in each read event, and read events induce consistent causal orderings between them. The RVF partitioning is provably coarser than recent approaches based on Mazurkiewicz and “reads-from” partitionings. Our experimental evaluation reveals that RVF is quite often a very effective equivalence, as the underlying partitioning is exponentially coarser than other approaches. Moreover, RVF-SMC generates representatives very efficiently, as the reduction in the partitioning is often met with significant speed-ups in the model checking task.}, author = {Agarwal, Pratyush and Chatterjee, Krishnendu and Pathak, Shreya and Pavlogiannis, Andreas and Toman, Viktor}, booktitle = {33rd International Conference on Computer-Aided Verification }, isbn = {978-3-030-81684-1}, issn = {1611-3349}, location = {Virtual}, pages = {341--366}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Stateless model checking under a reads-value-from equivalence}}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-81685-8_16}, volume = {12759 }, year = {2021}, } @article{9998, abstract = {We define quantum equivariant K-theory of Nakajima quiver varieties. We discuss type A in detail as well as its connections with quantum XXZ spin chains and trigonometric Ruijsenaars-Schneider models. Finally we study a limit which produces a K-theoretic version of results of Givental and Kim, connecting quantum geometry of flag varieties and Toda lattice.}, author = {Koroteev, Peter and Pushkar, Petr and Smirnov, Andrey V. and Zeitlin, Anton M.}, issn = {1420-9020}, journal = {Selecta Mathematica}, number = {5}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Quantum K-theory of quiver varieties and many-body systems}}, doi = {10.1007/s00029-021-00698-3}, volume = {27}, year = {2021}, } @article{9999, abstract = {The developmental strategies used by progenitor cells to endure a safe journey from their induction place towards the site of terminal differentiation are still poorly understood. Here we uncovered a progenitor cell allocation mechanism that stems from an incomplete process of epithelial delamination that allows progenitors to coordinate their movement with adjacent extra-embryonic tissues. Progenitors of the zebrafish laterality organ originate from the surface epithelial enveloping layer by an apical constriction process of cell delamination. During this process, progenitors retain long-term apical contacts that enable the epithelial layer to pull a subset of progenitors along their way towards the vegetal pole. The remaining delaminated progenitors follow apically-attached progenitors’ movement by a co-attraction mechanism, avoiding sequestration by the adjacent endoderm, ensuring their fate and collective allocation at the differentiation site. Thus, we reveal that incomplete delamination serves as a cellular platform for coordinated tissue movements during development. Impact Statement: Incomplete delamination serves as a cellular platform for coordinated tissue movements during development, guiding newly formed progenitor cell groups to the differentiation site.}, author = {Pulgar, Eduardo and Schwayer, Cornelia and Guerrero, Néstor and López, Loreto and Márquez, Susana and Härtel, Steffen and Soto, Rodrigo and Heisenberg, Carl Philipp and Concha, Miguel L.}, issn = {2050-084X}, journal = {eLife}, keywords = {cell delamination, apical constriction, dragging, mechanical forces, collective 18 locomotion, dorsal forerunner cells, zebrafish}, publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications}, title = {{Apical contacts stemming from incomplete delamination guide progenitor cell allocation through a dragging mechanism}}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.66483}, volume = {10}, year = {2021}, } @article{17384, abstract = {Basket weaving is a traditional craft for creating curved surfaces as an interwoven array of thin, flexible, and initially straight ribbons. The three-dimensional shape of a woven structure emerges through a complex interplay of the elastic bending behavior of the ribbons and the contact forces at their crossings. Curvature can be injected by carefully placing topological singularities in the otherwise regular weaving pattern. However, shape control through topology is highly non-trivial and inherently discrete, which severely limits the range of attainable woven geometries. Here, we demonstrate how to construct arbitrary smooth free-form surface geometries by weaving carefully optimized curved ribbons. We present an optimization-based approach to solving the inverse design problem for such woven structures. Our algorithm computes the ribbons' planar geometry such that their interwoven assembly closely approximates a given target design surface in equilibrium. We systematically validate our approach through a series of physical prototypes to show a broad range of new woven geometries that is not achievable by existing methods. We anticipate our computational approach to significantly enhance the capabilities for the design of new woven structures. Facilitated by modern digital fabrication technology, we see potential applications in material science, bio- and mechanical engineering, art, design, and architecture.}, author = {Ren, Yingying and Panetta, Julian and Chen, Tian and Isvoranu, Florin and Poincloux, Samuel and Brandt, Christopher and Martin, Alison and Pauly, Mark}, issn = {1557-7368}, journal = {ACM Transactions on Graphics}, number = {4}, pages = {1--15}, publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery}, title = {{3D weaving with curved ribbons}}, doi = {10.1145/3450626.3459788}, volume = {40}, year = {2021}, } @article{17422, abstract = {Inspired by motion patterns of some commercially available mobile robots, we investigate the power of robots that move forward in straight lines until colliding with an environment boundary, at which point they can rotate in place and move forward again; we visualize this as the robot “bouncing” off boundaries. We define bounce rules governing how the robot should reorient after reaching a boundary, such as reorienting relative to its heading prior to collision, or relative to the normal of the boundary. We then generate plans as sequences of rules, using the bounce visibility graph generated from a polygonal environment definition, while assuming we have unavoidable non-determinism in our actuation. Our planner can be queried to determine the feasibility of tasks such as reaching goal sets and patrolling (repeatedly visiting a sequence of goals). If the task is found feasible, the planner provides a sequence of non-deterministic interaction rules, which also provide information on how precisely the robot must execute the plan to succeed. We also show how to compute stable cyclic trajectories and use these to limit uncertainty in the robot’s position. }, author = {Nilles, Alexandra Q and Ren, Yingying and Becerra, Israel and LaValle, Steven M}, issn = {1741-3176}, journal = {The International Journal of Robotics Research}, number = {10-11}, pages = {1196--1211}, publisher = {SAGE Publications}, title = {{A visibility-based approach to computing non-deterministic bouncing strategies}}, doi = {10.1177/0278364921992788}, volume = {40}, year = {2021}, } @inproceedings{17505, abstract = {Given the central role that C continues to play in systems software, and the difficulty of writing safe and correct C code, it remains a grand challenge to develop effective formal methods for verifying C programs. In this paper, we propose a new approach to this problem: a type system we call RefinedC, which combines ownership types (for modular reasoning about shared state and concurrency) with refinement types (for encoding precise invariants on C data types and Hoare-style specifications for C functions). RefinedC is both automated (requiring minimal user intervention) and foundational (producing a proof of program correctness in Coq), while at the same time handling a range of low-level programming idioms such as pointer arithmetic. In particular, following the approach of RustBelt, the soundness of the RefinedC type system is justified semantically by interpretation into the Coq-based Iris framework for higher-order concurrent separation logic. However, the typing rules of RefinedC are also designed to be encodable in a new “separation logic programming” language we call Lithium. By restricting to a carefully chosen (yet expressive) fragment of separation logic, Lithium supports predictable, automatic, goal-directed proof search without backtracking. We demonstrate the effectiveness of RefinedC on a range of representative examples of C code.}, author = {Sammler, Michael Joachim and Lepigre, Rodolphe and Krebbers, Robbert and Memarian, Kayvan and Dreyer, Derek and Garg, Deepak}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 42nd ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation}, location = {virtual}, pages = {158--174}, publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery}, title = {{RefinedC: Automating the foundational verification of C code with refined ownership types}}, doi = {10.1145/3453483.3454036}, year = {2021}, } @article{17508, abstract = {This paper presents the ESA Voyage 2050 White Paper for a concept of TeraHertz Exploration and Zooming-in for Astrophysics (THEZA). It addresses the science case and some implementation issues of a space-borne radio interferometric system for ultra-sharp imaging of celestial radio sources at the level of angular resolution down to (sub-) microarcseconds. THEZA focuses at millimetre and sub-millimetre wavelengths (frequencies above 300 GHz), but allows for science operations at longer wavelengths too. The THEZA concept science rationale is focused on the physics of spacetime in the vicinity of supermassive black holes as the leading science driver. The main aim of the concept is to facilitate a major leap by providing researchers with orders of magnitude improvements in the resolution and dynamic range in direct imaging studies of the most exotic objects in the Universe, black holes. The concept will open up a sizeable range of hitherto unreachable parameters of observational astrophysics. It unifies two major lines of development of space-borne radio astronomy of the past decades: Space VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) and mm- and sub-mm astrophysical studies with “single dish” instruments. It also builds upon the recent success of the Earth-based Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) – the first-ever direct image of a shadow of the super-massive black hole in the centre of the galaxy M87. As an amalgam of these three major areas of modern observational astrophysics, THEZA aims at facilitating a breakthrough in high-resolution high image quality studies in the millimetre and sub-millimetre domain of the electromagnetic spectrum.}, author = {Gurvits, Leonid I. and Paragi, Zsolt and Casasola, Viviana and Conway, John and Davelaar, Jordy and Falcke, Heino and Fender, Rob and Frey, Sándor and Fromm, Christian M. and Miró, Cristina García and Garrett, Michael A. and Giroletti, Marcello and Goddi, Ciriaco and Gómez, José-Luis and van der Gucht, Jeffrey and Guirado, José Carlos and Haiman, Zoltán and Helmich, Frank and Humphreys, Elizabeth and Impellizzeri, Violette and Kramer, Michael and Lindqvist, Michael and Linz, Hendrik and Liuzzo, Elisabetta and Lobanov, Andrei P. and Mizuno, Yosuke and Rezzolla, Luciano and Roelofs, Freek and Ros, Eduardo and Rygl, Kazi L.J. and Savolainen, Tuomas and Schuster, Karl and Venturi, Tiziana and Wiedner, Martina C. and Zensus, J. Anton}, issn = {0922-6435}, journal = {Experimental Astronomy}, number = {3}, pages = {559--594}, publisher = {Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, title = {{THEZA: TeraHertz exploration and zooming-in for astrophysics}}, doi = {10.1007/s10686-021-09714-y}, volume = {51}, year = {2021}, } @article{17509, abstract = {The recently discovered gravitational wave sources GW190521 and GW190814 have shown evidence of BH mergers with masses and spins outside of the range expected from isolated stellar evolution. These merging objects could have undergone previous mergers. Such hierarchical mergers are predicted to be frequent in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) disks, where binaries form and evolve efficiently by dynamical interactions and gaseous dissipation. Here we compare the properties of these observed events to the theoretical models of mergers in AGN disks, which are obtained by performing one-dimensional N-body simulations combined with semi-analytical prescriptions. The high BH masses in GW190521 are consistent with mergers of high-generation (high-g) BHs where the initial progenitor stars had high metallicity, 2g BHs if the original progenitors were metal-poor, or 1g BHs that had gained mass via super-Eddington accretion. Other measured properties related to spin parameters in GW190521 are also consistent with mergers in AGN disks. Furthermore, mergers in the lower mass gap or those with low mass ratio as found in GW190814 and GW190412 are also reproduced by mergers of 2g–1g or 1g–1g objects with significant accretion in AGN disks. Finally, due to gas accretion, the massive neutron star merger reported in GW190425 can be produced in an AGN disk.}, author = {Tagawa, Hiromichi and Kocsis, Bence and Haiman, Zoltán and Bartos, Imre and Omukai, Kazuyuki and Samsing, Johan}, issn = {0004-637X}, journal = {The Astrophysical Journal}, number = {2}, publisher = {American Astronomical Society}, title = {{Mass-gap mergers in active galactic nuclei}}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/abd555}, volume = {908}, year = {2021}, } @article{17515, abstract = {The disks of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) have emerged as a rich environment for the evolution of stars and their compact remnants. The very dense medium favors rapid accretion, while torques and migration traps enhance binary formation and mergers. Both long and short gamma-ray bursts are hence expected. We show that AGN disks constitute an ideal environment for another interesting phenomenon: the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) of neutron stars (NSs) to black holes (BHs). Rapid accretion in the dense disks can cause NSs to grow to the point of exceeding the maximum mass allowed by their equation of state. General relativistic magnetohydrodynamical simulations have shown that electromagnetic signatures are expected if the NS is surrounded by a minidisk prior to collapse, which then rapidly accretes onto the BH, and/or if the NS is highly magnetized, from reconnection of the magnetosphere during collapse. Here we compute the rates of AICs and their locations within the disks for both isolated NSs and for (initially stable) NSs formed from NS-NS mergers. We find that the global AIC rates are ∼0.07–20 Gpc−3 yr−1, and we discuss their observable prospects and signatures as they emerge from the dense disk environments.}, author = {Perna, Rosalba and Tagawa, Hiromichi and Haiman, Zoltán and Bartos, Imre}, issn = {0004-637X}, journal = {The Astrophysical Journal}, number = {1}, publisher = {American Astronomical Society}, title = {{Accretion-induced collapse of neutron stars in the disks of active galactic nuclei}}, doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/abfdb4}, volume = {915}, year = {2021}, } @article{17516, abstract = {We study the effect of baryonic processes on weak lensing (WL) observables with a suite of mock WL maps, the κTNG, based on the cosmological hydrodynamic simulations IllustrisTNG. We quantify the baryonic effects on the WL angular power spectrum, one-point probability distribution function (PDF), and number counts of peaks and minima. We also show the redshift evolution of the effects, which is a key to distinguish the effect of baryons from fundamental physics such as dark energy, dark matter, and massive neutrinos. We find that baryonic processes reduce the small-scale power, suppress the tails of the PDF, peak and minimum counts, and change the total number of peaks and minima. We compare our results to existing semi-analytical models and hydrodynamic simulations, and discuss the source of discrepancies. The κTNG suite includes 10 000 realizations of $5 \times 5 \, \mathrm{deg}^2$ maps for 40 source redshifts up to zs = 2.6, well covering the range of interest for existing and upcoming WL surveys. We also produce the κTNG-Dark suite of maps, generated based on the corresponding dark matter-only IllustrisTNG simulations. Our mock maps are not only suitable for developing analytical models that incorporate the effect of baryons, but also particularly useful for studies that rely on mass maps, such as non-Gaussian statistics and machine learning with convolutional neural networks. The suite of mock maps is publicly available at Columbia Lensing (http://columbialensing.org).}, author = {Osato, Ken and Liu, Jia and Haiman, Zoltán}, issn = {0035-8711}, journal = {Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society}, number = {4}, pages = {5593--5602}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, title = {{κTNG: effect of baryonic processes on weak lensing with IllustrisTNG simulations}}, doi = {10.1093/mnras/stab395}, volume = {502}, year = {2021}, }