303 research outputs found
The discretised harmonic oscillator: Mathieu functions and a new class of generalised Hermite polynomials
We present a general, asymptotical solution for the discretised harmonic
oscillator. The corresponding Schr\"odinger equation is canonically conjugate
to the Mathieu differential equation, the Schr\"odinger equation of the quantum
pendulum. Thus, in addition to giving an explicit solution for the Hamiltonian
of an isolated Josephon junction or a superconducting single-electron
transistor (SSET), we obtain an asymptotical representation of Mathieu
functions. We solve the discretised harmonic oscillator by transforming the
infinite-dimensional matrix-eigenvalue problem into an infinite set of
algebraic equations which are later shown to be satisfied by the obtained
solution. The proposed ansatz defines a new class of generalised Hermite
polynomials which are explicit functions of the coupling parameter and tend to
ordinary Hermite polynomials in the limit of vanishing coupling constant. The
polynomials become orthogonal as parts of the eigenvectors of a Hermitian
matrix and, consequently, the exponential part of the solution can not be
excluded. We have conjectured the general structure of the solution, both with
respect to the quantum number and the order of the expansion. An explicit proof
is given for the three leading orders of the asymptotical solution and we
sketch a proof for the asymptotical convergence of eigenvectors with respect to
norm. From a more practical point of view, we can estimate the required effort
for improving the known solution and the accuracy of the eigenvectors. The
applied method can be generalised in order to accommodate several variables.Comment: 18 pages, ReVTeX, the final version with rather general expression
Replication, Communication, and the Population Dynamics of Scientific Discovery
Many published research results are false, and controversy continues over the
roles of replication and publication policy in improving the reliability of
research. Addressing these problems is frustrated by the lack of a formal
framework that jointly represents hypothesis formation, replication,
publication bias, and variation in research quality. We develop a mathematical
model of scientific discovery that combines all of these elements. This model
provides both a dynamic model of research as well as a formal framework for
reasoning about the normative structure of science. We show that replication
may serve as a ratchet that gradually separates true hypotheses from false, but
the same factors that make initial findings unreliable also make replications
unreliable. The most important factors in improving the reliability of research
are the rate of false positives and the base rate of true hypotheses, and we
offer suggestions for addressing each. Our results also bring clarity to verbal
debates about the communication of research. Surprisingly, publication bias is
not always an obstacle, but instead may have positive impacts---suppression of
negative novel findings is often beneficial. We also find that communication of
negative replications may aid true discovery even when attempts to replicate
have diminished power. The model speaks constructively to ongoing debates about
the design and conduct of science, focusing analysis and discussion on precise,
internally consistent models, as well as highlighting the importance of
population dynamics
Improving Science That Uses Code
As code is now an inextricable part of science it should be supported by competent Software Engineering, analogously to statistical claims being properly supported by competent statistics.If and when code avoids adequate scrutiny, science becomes unreliable and unverifiable because results — text, data, graphs, images, etc — depend on untrustworthy code.Currently, scientists rarely assure the quality of the code they rely on, and rarely make it accessible for scrutiny. Even when available, scientists rarely provide adequate documentation to understand or use it reliably.This paper proposes and justifies ways to improve science using code:1. Professional Software Engineers can help, particularly in critical fields such as public health, climate change and energy.2. ‘Software Engineering Boards,’ analogous to Ethics or Institutional Review Boards, should be instigated and used.3. The Reproducible Analytic Pipeline (RAP) methodology can be generalized to cover code and Software Engineering methodologies, in a generalization this paper introduces called RAP+. RAP+ (or comparable interventions) could be supported and or even required in journal, conference and funding body policies.The paper’s Supplemental Material provides a summary of Software Engineering best practice relevant to scientific research, including further suggestions for RAP+ workflows.‘Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer.’ Donald E. Knuth in A=B [ 1]‘I have to write to discover what I am doing.’ Flannery O’Connor, quoted in Write for your life [ 2]‘Criticism is the mother of methodology.’ Robert P. Abelson in Statistics as Principled Argument [ 3]‘From its earliest times, science has operated by being open and transparent about methods and evidence, regardless of which technology has been in vogue.’ Editorial in Nature [4
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