A decentralized motion coordination strategy for dynamic target tracking

This paper presents a decentralized motion planning algorithm for the distributed sensing of a noisy dynamical process by multiple cooperating mobile sensor agents. This problem is motivated by localization and tracking tasks of dynamic targets. Our gradient-descent method is based on a cost function that measures the overall quality of sensing. We also investigate the role of imperfect communication between sensor agents in this framework, and examine the trade-offs in performance between sensing and communication. Simulations illustrate the basic characteristics of the algorithms

Quantum Multiobservable Control

We present deterministic algorithms for the simultaneous control of an arbitrary number of quantum observables. Unlike optimal control approaches based on cost function optimization, quantum multiobservable tracking control (MOTC) is capable of tracking predetermined homotopic trajectories to target expectation values in the space of multiobservables. The convergence of these algorithms is facilitated by the favorable critical topology of quantum control landscapes. Fundamental properties of quantum multiobservable control landscapes that underlie the efficiency of MOTC, including the multiobservable controllability Gramian, are introduced. The effects of multiple control objectives on the structure and complexity of optimal fields are examined. With minor modifications, the techniques described herein can be applied to general quantum multiobjective control problems.Comment: To appear in Physical Review

Charged Particle Production in Proton-, Deuteron-, Oxygen- and Sulphur-Nucleus Collisions at 200 GeV per Nucleon

The transverse momentum and rapidity distributions of net protons and negatively charged hadrons have been measured for minimum bias proton-nucleus and deuteron-gold interactions, as well as central oxygen-gold and sulphur-nucleus collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon. The rapidity density of net protons at midrapidity in central nucleus-nucleus collisions increases both with target mass for sulphur projectiles and with the projectile mass for a gold target. The shape of the rapidity distributions of net protons forward of midrapidity for d+Au and central S+Au collisions is similar. The average rapidity loss is larger than 2 units of rapidity for reactions with the gold target. The transverse momentum spectra of net protons for all reactions can be described by a thermal distribution with `temperatures' between 145 +- 11 MeV (p+S interactions) and 244 +- 43 MeV (central S+Au collisions). The multiplicity of negatively charged hadrons increases with the mass of the colliding system. The shape of the transverse momentum spectra of negatively charged hadrons changes from minimum bias p+p and p+S interactions to p+Au and central nucleus-nucleus collisions. The mean transverse momentum is almost constant in the vicinity of midrapidity and shows little variation with the target and projectile masses. The average number of produced negatively charged hadrons per participant baryon increases slightly from p+p, p+A to central S+S,Ag collisions.Comment: 47 pages, submitted to Z. Phys.

A tracker alignment framework for augmented reality

To achieve accurate registration, the transformations which locate the tracking system components with respect to the environment must be known. These transformations relate the base of the tracking system to the virtual world and the tracking system's sensor to the graphics display. In this paper we present a unified, general calibration method for calculating these transformations. A user is asked to align the display with objects in the real world. Using this method, the sensor to display and tracker base to world transformations can be determined with as few as three measurements