Editor's Choice: Fast Track Communications

I am very pleased to be the first section editor for Fast Track Communications: Short Innovative Papers (FTCs). This fresh article type presents the very best work in mathematical and theoretical physics, reporting the latest developments in the field.

FTCs cover the whole of the journal’s broad scope, with articles from complex systems to quantum mechanics. They are permanently free, so that your peers and the wider scientific community can read your work at any time. Thanks to the global visibility of this article type, extremely fast but fair peer review (only one report is needed, frequently received from an editorial board member), and there being no strict limit on length, FTCs are marking themselves as the venue of choice for new and outstanding results in mathematical physics.

Whilst other journals may dictate that their short article types are of ‘general interest’, FTCs do not, and we also welcome conjectural articles. The only criterion for FTCs is that the work must be reporting new and timely developments within the wide editorial scope of the journal.

To showcase the work already published through this new article type, I have chosen a selection of FTCs which highlight the breadth and wealth of high-quality research represented in this section, which I invite you to read here.

I hope you enjoy reading these articles and if you would like your work to sit alongside those of Adler, Ben-Naim, Dunne, Elizalde, Haake, Ruskai, Seligman, Wiegman and Zuber, to name but a few, you can submit your work here.

Best wishes,

Patrick Dorey

	Spontaneous symmetry breaking in a bridge model fed by junctions Vladislav Popkov, Martin R Evans and David Mukamel J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 43 (31 October 2008) 432002 (10pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (372 KB)  |  HTML
	Placing direct limits on the mass of earth-bound dark matter Stephen L Adler J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 41 (17 October 2008) 412002 (4pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (114 KB)  |  HTML
	Quantum hydrodynamics and nonlinear differential equations for degenerate Fermi gas Eldad Bettelheim, Alexander G Abanov and Paul B Wiegmann J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 39 (3 October 2008) 392003 (9pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (182 KB)  |  HTML
	The large-N limit of matrix integrals over the orthogonal group Jean-Bernard Zuber J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 38 (26 September 2008) 382001 (11pp) Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (276 KB)  |  HTML
	Freezing and extreme-value statistics in a random energy model with logarithmically correlated potential Yan V Fyodorov and Jean-Philippe Bouchaud J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 37 (19 September 2008) 372001 (12pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (299 KB)  |  HTML
	On particle creation in the flat FRW chart of de Sitter spacetime Jaume Haro and Emilio Elizalde J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 37 (19 September 2008) 372003 (11pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (280 KB)  |  HTML
	Quantum effects in classical systems having complex energy Carl M Bender, Dorje C Brody and Daniel W Hook J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 35 (5 September 2008) 352003 (15pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (988 KB)  |  HTML
	One-dimensional anyons with competing δ-function and derivative δ-function potentials M T Batchelor, X-W Guan and A Kundu J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 35 (5 September 2008) 352002 (8pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (440 KB)  |  HTML
	q-difference equations of KdV type and Chazy-type second-degree difference equations Chris M Field, Nalini Joshi and Frank W Nijhoff J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 33 (22 August 2008) 332005 (13pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (328 KB)  |  HTML
	The mesoscopic conductance of disordered rings, its random matrix theory and the generalized variable range hopping picture Alexander Stotland, Rangga Budoyo, Tal Peer, Tsampikos Kottos and Doron Cohen J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 26 (11 July 2008) 262001 (11pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (281 KB)  |  HTML
	Hierarchical regular small-world networks Stefan Boettcher, Bruno Gonçalves and Hasan Guclu J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 25 (27 June 2008) 252001 (7pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (278 KB)  |  HTML
	Soliton solutions for Q3 James Atkinson, Jarmo Hietarinta and Frank Nijhoff J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 14 (11 April 2008) 142001 (11pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (274 KB)  |  HTML
	On the ODE/IM correspondence for minimal models Patrick Dorey, Clare Dunning, Ferdinando Gliozzi and Roberto Tateo J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 13 (4 April 2008) 132001 (9pp) Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (176 KB)  |  HTML
	Markov-breaking and the emergence of long memory in Ornstein–Uhlenbeck systems Iddo Eliazar and Joseph Klafter J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 12 (28 March 2008) 122001 (8pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (197 KB)  |  HTML
	Decoherence bypass of macroscopic superpositions in quantum measurement Dominique Spehner and Fritz Haake J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 7 (22 February 2008) 072002 (9pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (242 KB)  |  HTML
	Geometric characterization of driven cofactor systems W Sarlet and W Vanbiervliet J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 4 (1 February 2008) 042001 (10pp) Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (224 KB)  |  HTML
	Dynamical Casimir effect and the black body spectrum Jaume Haro and Emilio Elizalde J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41 No 3 (25 January 2008) 032002 (9pp) Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (180 KB)  |  HTML
	A trivial observation on time reversal in random matrix theory L Kaplan, F Leyvraz, C Pineda and T H Seligman J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 49 (7 December 2007) F1063-F1068 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (423 KB)  |  HTML
	Statistics of partial minima E Ben-Naim, M B Hastings and D Izraelevitz J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 47 (23 November 2007) F1021-F1030 Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (239 KB)  |  HTML
	Topologically massive gauge theories and their dual factorized gauge-invariant formulation Bruno Bertrand and Jan Govaerts J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 46 (16 November 2007) F979-F986 Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (192 KB)  |  HTML
	Connecting N-representability to Weyl's problem: the one-particle density matrix for N = 3 and R = 6 Mary Beth Ruskai J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 45 (9 November 2007) F961-F967 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (134 KB)  |  HTML
	A note on the Pfaffian integration theorem Alexei Borodin and Eugene Kanzieper J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 36 (7 September 2007) F849-F855 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (161 KB)  |  HTML
	The first-passage area for drifted Brownian motion and the moments of the Airy distribution Michael J Kearney, Satya N Majumdar and Richard J Martin J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 36 (7 September 2007) F863-F869 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (163 KB)  |  HTML
	Gutzwiller's trace formula and vacuum pair production Dennis D Dietrich and Gerald V Dunne J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 34 (24 August 2007) F825-F830 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (146 KB)  |  HTML
	Percolation crossing formulae and conformal field theory Jacob J H Simmons, Peter Kleban and Robert M Ziff J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 31 (3 August 2007) F771-F784 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (495 KB)  |  HTML
	Solvable nonlinear evolution PDEs in multidimensional space involving elliptic functions F Calogero, J-P Françoise and M Sommacal J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 30 (27 July 2007) F705-F711 Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (177 KB)  |  HTML
	Nontrivial edge coupling from a Dirichlet network squeezing: the case of a bent waveguide Claudio Cacciapuoti and Pavel Exner J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 26 (29 June 2007) F511-F523 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (259 KB)  |  HTML
	Generalized measurement of the non-normal two-boson operator Matteo G A Paris, Giulio Landolfi and Giulio Soliani J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 26 (29 June 2007) F531-F537 Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (187 KB)  |  HTML
	Lattice Boltzmann method for quantum field theory Sauro Succi J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 26 (29 June 2007) F559-F567 Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (194 KB)  |  HTML
	The Tasaki–Crooks quantum fluctuation theorem Peter Talkner and Peter Hänggi J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 26 (29 June 2007) F569-F571 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (75.5 KB)  |  HTML
	A classical bound on quantum entropy Cosmas K Zachos J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 21 (25 May 2007) F407-F412 Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (138 KB)  |  HTML
	With a Cole–Hopf transformation to solutions of the noncommutative KP hierarchy in terms of Wronski matrices Aristophanes Dimakis and Folkert Müller-Hoissen J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 17 (27 April 2007) F321-F329 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (210 KB)  |  HTML
	The nonlinear fragmentation equation Matthieu H Ernst and Ignacio Pagonabarraga J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 17 (27 April 2007) F331-F337 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (156 KB)  |  HTML
	Fractal Lévy correlation cascades Iddo Eliazar and Joseph Klafter J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 16 (20 April 2007) F307-F314 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (168 KB)  |  HTML
	Higher order Morita approximations for random copolymer adsorption J Alvarez, E Orlandini, C E Soteros and S G Whittington J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 16 (20 April 2007) F289-F298 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (265 KB)  |  HTML
	Analytic determination of dynamical and mosaic length scales in a Kac glass model S Franz and A Montanari J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 11 (16 March 2007) F251-F257 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (282 KB)  |  HTML
	The survival probability of a diffusing particle constrained by two moving, absorbing boundaries Alan J Bray and Richard Smith J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 10 (9 March 2007) F235-F241 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (166 KB)  |  HTML
	Vortex-free complex landscapes and umbilic-free real landscapes M V Berry J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 8 (23 February 2007) F185-F192 Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (3.43 MB)  |  HTML
	Nonlinear dynamics of quantum systems and soliton theory E Bettelheim, A G Abanov and P Wiegmann J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 8 (23 February 2007) F193-F207 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (298 KB)  |  HTML
	Vacuum birefringence in a rotating magnetic field Stephen L Adler J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 5 (2 February 2007) F143-F152 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (290 KB)  |  HTML
	Random discrete Schrödinger operators from random matrix theory Jonathan Breuer, Peter J Forrester and Uzy Smilansky J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 5 (2 February 2007) F161-F168 Abstract  |  References Full text:  Acrobat PDF (169 KB)  |  HTML
	Complex trajectories of a simple pendulum Carl M Bender, Darryl D Holm and Daniel W Hook J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 3 (19 January 2007) F81-F89 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (596 KB)  |  HTML
	A Lax pair for a lattice modified KdV equation, reductions to q-Painlevé equations and associated Lax pairs Mike Hay, Jarmo Hietarinta, Nalini Joshi and Frank Nijhoff J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 2 (12 January 2007) F61-F73 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (238 KB)  |  HTML
	Bulk-induced boundary perturbations Stefan Fredenhagen, Matthias R Gaberdiel and Christoph A Keller J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 No 1 (5 January 2007) F17-F31 Abstract  |  References  |  Citing articles Full text:  Acrobat PDF (296 KB)  |  HTML

Patrick Dorey