14,892 research outputs found
A Method for the Combination of Stochastic Time Varying Load Effects
The problem of evaluating the probability that a structure becomes unsafe under a
combination of loads, over a given time period, is addressed. The loads and load effects
are modeled as either pulse (static problem) processes with random occurrence time, intensity and a specified shape or intermittent continuous (dynamic problem) processes which
are zero mean Gaussian processes superimposed 'on a pulse process. The load coincidence
method is extended to problems with both nonlinear limit states and dynamic responses,
including the case of correlated dynamic responses. The technique of linearization of a
nonlinear limit state commonly used in a time-invariant problem is investigated for timevarying
combination problems, with emphasis on selecting the linearization point. Results
are compared with other methods, namely the method based on upcrossing rate, simpler
combination rules such as Square Root of Sum of Squares and Turkstra's rule. Correlated
effects among dynamic loads are examined to see how results differ from correlated static
loads and to demonstrate which types of load dependencies are most important, i.e., affect'
the exceedance probabilities the most.
Application of the load coincidence method to code development is briefly discussed.National Science Foundation Grants CME 79-18053 and CEE 82-0759
Hierarchical search strategy for the detection of gravitational waves from coalescing binaries: Extension to post-Newtonian wave forms
The detection of gravitational waves from coalescing compact binaries would
be a computationally intensive process if a single bank of template wave forms
(i.e., a one step search) is used. In an earlier paper we had presented a
detection strategy, called a two step search}, that utilizes a hierarchy of
template banks. It was shown that in the simple case of a family of Newtonian
signals, an on-line two step search was about 8 times faster than an on-line
one step search (for initial LIGO). In this paper we extend the two step search
to the more realistic case of zero spin 1.5 post-Newtonian wave forms. We also
present formulas for detection and false alarm probabilities which take
statistical correlations into account. We find that for the case of a 1.5
post-Newtonian family of templates and signals, an on-line two step search
requires about 1/21 the computing power that would be required for the
corresponding on-line one step search. This reduction is achieved when signals
having strength S = 10.34 are required to be detected with a probability of
0.95, at an average of one false event per year, and the noise power spectral
density used is that of advanced LIGO. For initial LIGO, the reduction achieved
in computing power is about 1/27 for S = 9.98 and the same probabilities for
detection and false alarm as above.Comment: 30 page RevTeX file and 17 figures (postscript). Submitted to PRD Feb
21, 199
Confidence limits of evolutionary synthesis models. IV Moving forward to a probabilistic formulation
Synthesis models predict the integrated properties of stellar populations.
Several problems exist in this field, mostly related to the fact that
integrated properties are distributed. To date, this aspect has been either
ignored (as in standard synthesis models, which are inherently deterministic)
or interpreted phenomenologically (as in Monte Carlo simulations, which
describe distributed properties rather than explain them). We approach
population synthesis as a problem in probability theory, in which stellar
luminosities are random variables extracted from the stellar luminosity
distribution function (sLDF). We derive the population LDF (pLDF) for clusters
of any size from the sLDF, obtaining the scale relations that link the sLDF to
the pLDF. We recover the predictions of standard synthesis models, which are
shown to compute the mean of the sLDF. We provide diagnostic diagrams and a
simplified recipe for testing the statistical richness of observed clusters,
thereby assessing whether standard synthesis models can be safely used or a
statistical treatment is mandatory. We also recover the predictions of Monte
Carlo simulations, with the additional bonus of being able to interpret them in
mathematical and physical terms. We give examples of problems that can be
addressed through our probabilistic formalism. Though still under development,
ours is a powerful approach to population synthesis. In an era of resolved
observations and pipelined analyses of large surveys, this paper is offered as
a signpost in the field of stellar populations.Comment: Accepted by A&A. Substantially modified with respect to the 1st
draft. 26 pages, 14 fig
Spectral Methods from Tensor Networks
A tensor network is a diagram that specifies a way to "multiply" a collection
of tensors together to produce another tensor (or matrix). Many existing
algorithms for tensor problems (such as tensor decomposition and tensor PCA),
although they are not presented this way, can be viewed as spectral methods on
matrices built from simple tensor networks. In this work we leverage the full
power of this abstraction to design new algorithms for certain continuous
tensor decomposition problems.
An important and challenging family of tensor problems comes from orbit
recovery, a class of inference problems involving group actions (inspired by
applications such as cryo-electron microscopy). Orbit recovery problems over
finite groups can often be solved via standard tensor methods. However, for
infinite groups, no general algorithms are known. We give a new spectral
algorithm based on tensor networks for one such problem: continuous
multi-reference alignment over the infinite group SO(2). Our algorithm extends
to the more general heterogeneous case.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figure
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