11,269 research outputs found
On characterising the variability properties of X-ray light curves from active galaxies
We review some practical aspects of measuring the amplitude of variability in
`red noise' light curves typical of those from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN).
The quantities commonly used to estimate the variability amplitude in AGN light
curves, such as the fractional rms variability amplitude, F_var, and excess
variance, sigma_XS^2, are examined. Their statistical properties, relationship
to the power spectrum, and uses for investigating the nature of the variability
processes are discussed. We demonstrate that sigma_XS^2 (or similarly F_var)
shows large changes from one part of the light curve to the next, even when the
variability is produced by a stationary process. This limits the usefulness of
these estimators for quantifying differences in variability amplitude between
different sources or from epoch to epoch in one source. Some examples of the
expected scatter in the variance are tabulated for various typical power
spectral shapes, based on Monte Carlo simulations. The excess variance can be
useful for comparing the variability amplitudes of light curves in different
energy bands from the same observation. Monte Carlo simulations are used to
derive a description of the uncertainty in the amplitude expected between
different energy bands (due to measurement errors). Finally, these estimators
are used to demonstrate some variability properties of the bright Seyfert 1
galaxy Markarian 766. The source is found to show a strong, linear correlation
between rms amplitude and flux, and to show significant spectral variability.Comment: 14 pages. 12 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
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A non-separable stochastic model for pulse-like ground motions
A phenomenological non-separable non-stationary stochastic model is proposed to represent near-fault pulse-like ground motions (PLGMs) by means of a parametrically defined evolutionary power spectrum (EPSD). Numerical data pertaining to ensembles of EPSD compatible realizations and considering statistical analysis of peak elastic and inelastic spectral ordinates demonstrate the applicability of the model to capture the salient effects of PLGMs to structural responses. To this aim, the model parameters are calibrated against a field recorded PLGM. Further numerical data considering stochastic processes compatible with the response spectrum of the European aseismic code (EC8) are furnished to demonstrate the potential of the proposed model for including near-fault effects to spectrum compatible representations of the seismic action. It is foreseen that this model can be a useful tool in accounting for the low-frequency content of PLGMs in both Monte Carlo simulation-based analyses and in statistical linearization based studies
XMM-Newton View of PKS 2155-304: Characterizing the X-ray Variability Properties with EPIC-PN
Starting from XMM-Newton EPIC-PN data, we present the X-ray variability
characteristics of PKS 2155-304 using a simple analysis of the excess variance,
\xs, and of the fractional rms variability amplitude, fvar. The scatter in \xs\
and \fvar, calculated using 500 s long segments of the light curves, is smaller
than the scatter expected for red noise variability. This alone does not imply
that the underlying process responsible for the variability of the source is
stationary, since the real changes of the individual variance estimates are
possibly smaller than the large scatters expected for a red noise process. In
fact the averaged \xs and \fvar, reducing the fluctuations of the individual
variances, chang e with time, indicating non-stationary variability. Moreover,
both the averaged \sqxs (absolute rms variability amplitude) and \fvar show
linear correlation with source flux but in an opposite sense: \sqxs correlates
with flux, but \fvar anti-correlates with flux. These correlations suggest that
the variability process of the source is strongly non-stationary as random
scatters of variances should not yield any correlation. \fvar spectra were
constructed to compare variability amplitudes in different energy bands. We
found that the fractional rms variability amplitude of the source, when
significant variability is observed, increases logarithmically with the photon
energy, indicating significant spectral variability. The point-to-point
variability amplitude may also track this trend, suggesting that the slopes of
the power spectral density of the source are energy-independent. Using the
normalized excess variance the black hole mass of \pks was estimated to be
about . This is compared and contrasted with the
estimates derived from measurements of the host galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
Time Series Analysis
We provide a concise overview of time series analysis in the time and frequency domains, with lots of references for further reading.time series analysis, time domain, frequency domain
Time Series Analysis
We provide a concise overview of time series analysis in the time and frequency domains, with lots of references for further reading.time series analysis, time domain, frequency domain, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,
Spectral Analysis Of Business Cycles In The Visegrad Group Countries
This paper examines the business cycle properties of Visegrad group countries. The main objective is to identify business cycles in these countries and to study the relationships between them. The author applies a modification of the Fourier analysis to estimate cycle amplitudes and frequencies. This allows for a more precise estimation of cycle characteristics than the traditional approach. The cross-spectral analysis of GDP cyclical components for the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia makes it possible to assess the degree of business cycle synchronization between the countries
The human ECG - nonlinear deterministic versus stochastic aspects
We discuss aspects of randomness and of determinism in electrocardiographic
signals. In particular, we take a critical look at attempts to apply methods of
nonlinear time series analysis derived from the theory of deterministic
dynamical systems. We will argue that deterministic chaos is not a likely
explanation for the short time variablity of the inter-beat interval times,
except for certain pathologies. Conversely, densely sampled full ECG recordings
possess properties typical of deterministic signals. In the latter case,
methods of deterministic nonlinear time series analysis can yield new insights.Comment: 6 pages, 9 PS figure
Intrinsic electromagnetic variability in celestial objects containing rapidly spinning black holes
Analytical studies have raised the concern that a mysterious expulsion of
magnetic field lines by a rapidly-spinning black hole (dubbed the black hole
Meissner effect) would shut down the Blandford-Znajek process and quench the
jets of active galactic nuclei and microquasars. This effect is however not
seen observationally or in numerical simulations. Previous attempts at
reconciling the predictions with observations have proposed several mechanisms
to evade the Meissner effect. In this paper, we identify a new evasion
mechanism and discuss its observational significance. Specifically, we show
that the breakdown of stationarity is sufficient to remove the expulsion of the
magnetic field at all multipole orders, and that the associated temporal
variation is likely turbulent due to the existence of efficient mechanisms for
sharing energy across different modes. Such an intrinsic (as opposed to being
driven externally by, e.g., changes in the accretion rate) variability of the
electromagnetic field can produce the recorded linear correlation between
microvariability amplitudes and mean fluxes, help create magnetic randomness
and seed sheared magnetic loops in jets, and lead to a better theoretical fit
to the X-ray microvariability power spectral density.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
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