62,980 research outputs found
Black-hole horizons as probes of black-hole dynamics I: post-merger recoil in head-on collisions
The understanding of strong-field dynamics near black-hole horizons is a
long-standing and challenging prob- lem in general relativity. Recent advances
in numerical relativity and in the geometric characterization of black- hole
horizons open new avenues into the problem. In this first paper in a series of
two, we focus on the analysis of the recoil occurring in the merger of binary
black holes, extending the analysis initiated in [1] with Robinson- Trautman
spacetimes. More specifically, we probe spacetime dynamics through the
correlation of quantities defined at the black-hole horizon and at null
infinity. The geometry of these hypersurfaces responds to bulk gravitational
fields acting as test screens in a scattering perspective of spacetime
dynamics. Within a 3 + 1 approach we build an effective-curvature vector from
the intrinsic geometry of dynamical-horizon sections and correlate its
evolution with the flux of Bondi linear momentum at large distances. We employ
this setup to study numerically the head-on collision of nonspinning black
holes and demonstrate its validity to track the qualita- tive aspects of recoil
dynamics at infinity. We also make contact with the suggestion that the
antikick can be described in terms of a "slowness parameter" and how this can
be computed from the local properties of the horizon. In a companion paper [2]
we will further elaborate on the geometric aspects of this approach and on its
relation with other approaches to characterize dynamical properties of
black-hole horizons.Comment: final version published on PR
A Framework for Evaluating Security in the Presence of Signal Injection Attacks
Sensors are embedded in security-critical applications from medical devices
to nuclear power plants, but their outputs can be spoofed through
electromagnetic and other types of signals transmitted by attackers at a
distance. To address the lack of a unifying framework for evaluating the
effects of such transmissions, we introduce a system and threat model for
signal injection attacks. We further define the concepts of existential,
selective, and universal security, which address attacker goals from mere
disruptions of the sensor readings to precise waveform injections. Moreover, we
introduce an algorithm which allows circuit designers to concretely calculate
the security level of real systems. Finally, we apply our definitions and
algorithm in practice using measurements of injections against a smartphone
microphone, and analyze the demodulation characteristics of commercial
Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs). Overall, our work highlights the
importance of evaluating the susceptibility of systems against signal injection
attacks, and introduces both the terminology and the methodology to do so.Comment: This article is the extended technical report version of the paper
presented at ESORICS 2019, 24th European Symposium on Research in Computer
Security (ESORICS), Luxembourg, Luxembourg, September 201
Generalization of form in visual pattern classification.
Human observers were trained to criterion in classifying compound Gabor signals with sym- metry relationships, and were then tested with each of 18 blob-only versions of the learning set. General- ization to dark-only and light-only blob versions of the learning signals, as well as to dark-and-light blob versions was found to be excellent, thus implying virtually perfect generalization of the ability to classify mirror-image signals. The hypothesis that the learning signals are internally represented in terms of a 'blob code' with explicit labelling of contrast polarities was tested by predicting observed generalization behaviour in terms of various types of signal representations (pixelwise, Laplacian pyramid, curvature pyramid, ON/OFF, local maxima of Laplacian and curvature operators) and a minimum-distance rule. Most representations could explain generalization for dark-only and light-only blob patterns but not for the high-thresholded versions thereof. This led to the proposal of a structure-oriented blob-code. Whether such a code could be used in conjunction with simple classifiers or should be transformed into a propo- sitional scheme of representation operated upon by a rule-based classification process remains an open question
Inpainting of long audio segments with similarity graphs
We present a novel method for the compensation of long duration data loss in
audio signals, in particular music. The concealment of such signal defects is
based on a graph that encodes signal structure in terms of time-persistent
spectral similarity. A suitable candidate segment for the substitution of the
lost content is proposed by an intuitive optimization scheme and smoothly
inserted into the gap, i.e. the lost or distorted signal region. Extensive
listening tests show that the proposed algorithm provides highly promising
results when applied to a variety of real-world music signals
A Low Cost Remote Sensing System Using PC and Stereo Equipment
A system using a personal computer, speaker, and a microphone is used to
detect objects, and make crude measurements using a carrier modulated by a
pseudorandom noise (PN) code. This system can be constructed using a personal
computer and audio equipment commonly found in the laboratory or at home, or
more sophisticated equipment that can be purchased at reasonable cost. We
demonstrate its value as an instructional tool for teaching concepts of remote
sensing and digital signal processing.Comment: Accepted for publication in American Journal of Physic
The Murchison Widefield Array: Design Overview
The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a dipole-based aperture array
synthesis telescope designed to operate in the 80-300 MHz frequency range. It
is capable of a wide range of science investigations, but is initially focused
on three key science projects. These are detection and characterization of
3-dimensional brightness temperature fluctuations in the 21cm line of neutral
hydrogen during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) at redshifts from 6 to 10,
solar imaging and remote sensing of the inner heliosphere via propagation
effects on signals from distant background sources,and high-sensitivity
exploration of the variable radio sky. The array design features 8192
dual-polarization broad-band active dipoles, arranged into 512 tiles comprising
16 dipoles each. The tiles are quasi-randomly distributed over an aperture
1.5km in diameter, with a small number of outliers extending to 3km. All
tile-tile baselines are correlated in custom FPGA-based hardware, yielding a
Nyquist-sampled instantaneous monochromatic uv coverage and unprecedented point
spread function (PSF) quality. The correlated data are calibrated in real time
using novel position-dependent self-calibration algorithms. The array is
located in the Murchison region of outback Western Australia. This region is
characterized by extremely low population density and a superbly radio-quiet
environment,allowing full exploitation of the instrumental capabilities.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in Proceedings
of the IEE
Propagation of weak shocks through a random medium
The propagation of weak shock waves (M_s = 1.007, 1.03 and 1.1) through a statistically uniform random medium has been investigated experimentally in a shock tube. The wave-from geometry, rise time and amplitude of initially plane shocks which have propagated through a random mixture of helium and refrigerant 12 are measured. The effect of shock propagation on the properties of the random medium is visualized with schlieren and shadow photography. The pressure histories of the distorted shock waves reflecting from a normal end wall are observed to be both peaked and rounded. In the rounded case the perturbed shock is found to be made up of a succession of weak, slightly curved fronts with a total effective rise time orders of magnitude greater than the classical Taylor thickness. The radius of curvature of the weakest shocks after propagating through the random medium is inferred from observations at two downstream stations to be about 7 times the integral scale of the gas inhomogeneities. It is concluded that the observed distortions of the wave fronts can best be explained in terms of random focusing and defocusing of the front by the inhomogeneities in the medium. A ray-tracing calculation has been used to interpret the experimental observations. It is found that geometrical considerations are sufficient to account for many of the effects observed on the shocks
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