11,323 research outputs found
A novel system architecture for real-time low-level vision
A novel system architecture that exploits the spatial locality in memory access that is found in most low-level vision algorithms is presented. A real-time feature selection system is used to exemplify the underlying ideas, and an implementation based on commercially available Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA’s) and synchronous SRAM memory devices is proposed. The peak memory access rate of a system based on this architecture is estimated at 2.88 G-Bytes/s, which represents a four to five times improvement with respect to existing reconfigurable computers
Characterization of classical Gaussian processes using quantum probes
We address the use of a single qubit as a quantum probe to characterize the
properties of classical noise. In particular, we focus on the characterization
of classical noise arising from the interaction with a stochastic field
described by Gaussian processes. The tools of quantum estimation theory allow
us to find the optimal state preparation for the probe, the optimal interaction
time with the external noise, and the optimal measurement to effectively
extract information on the noise parameter. We also perform a set of simulated
experiments to assess the performances of maximum likelihood estimator, showing
that the asymptotic regime, where the estimator is unbiased and efficient, is
approximately achieved after few thousands repeated measurements on the probe
system.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Lett.
Microcracking in piezoelectric materials by the Boundary Element Method
A 3D boundary element model for piezoelectric polycrystalline micro-cracking is discussed in this contribution. The model is based on the boundary integral representation of the electro-mechanical behavior of individual grains and on the use of a generalized cohesive formulation for inter-granular micro-cracking. The boundary integral formulation allows to address the electro-mechanical boundary value problem in terms of generalized grain boundary and inter-granular displacements and tractions only, which implies the natural inclusion of the cohesive laws in the formulation, the simplification of the analysis pre-processing stage, and the reduction of the number of degrees of freedom of the overall analysis with respect to other popular numerical methods
Use of natural resins in repairing damaged timber beams – An experimental investigation
Different techniques including the application of steel elements, composite materials and polymeric resins have been used in the past to repair damaged timber beams. However, there is a growing need to replace these materials with those with minimal environmental impact. In addition, stringent requirements of conservation authorities on the compatibility between repair and parent materials have also necessitated search for innovative repair materials for timber beams. Therefore, an increasing shift of focus towards the use of materials derived from natural sources in repairing and reinforcing timber structures is currently experienced. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study on the use of natural resins (rosin and bone glue) in repairing oak timber beams. 15 oak timber beams with cross section dimensions of 67 x 67 mm and 1100 mm in length were tested in four-point bending to failure. Undamaged, damaged (unrepaired) and damaged but repaired timber beams (with rosin and bone glue) were tested. The effectiveness of the repair material and technique was analysed based on the bending capacity and mid span deflection at failure. The initial results show negligible effectiveness of rosin in repairing timber beams. In fact, about 16% reduction (average) in load carrying capacity with a corresponding 5% decrease (average) in maximum displacement was recorded. Relatively higher level of effectiveness was recorded with the use of bone glue (about 10 % average increase in load carrying capacity). However, over 30% corresponding average increase in the maximum displacement was also recorded. Further work investigating different repair techniques and other natural resins is presently underway
Non-Markovian continuous-time quantum walks on lattices with dynamical noise
We address the dynamics of continuous-time quantum walks on one-dimensional
disordered lattices inducing dynamical noise in the system. Noise is described
as time-dependent fluctuations of the tunneling amplitudes between adjacent
sites, and attention is focused on non-Gaussian telegraph noise, going beyond
the usual assumption of fast Gaussian noise. We observe the emergence of two
different dynamical behaviors for the walker, corresponding to two opposite
noise regimes: slow noise (i.e. strong coupling with the environment) confines
the walker into few lattice nodes, while fast noise (weak coupling) induces a
transition between quantum and classical diffusion over the lattice. A phase
transition between the two dynamical regimes may be observed by tuning the
ratio between the autocorrelation time of the noise and the coupling between
the walker and the external environment generating the noise. We also address
the non-Markovianity of the quantum map by assessing its memory effects, as
well as evaluating the information backflow to the system. Our results suggest
that the non-Markovian character of the evolution is linked to the dynamical
behavior in the slow noise regime, and that fast noise induces a Markovian
dynamics for the walker.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
Quantum Probes for Ohmic Environments at Thermal Equilibrium
It is often the case that the environment of a quantum system may be
described as a bath of oscillators with Ohmic density of states. In turn, the
precise characterization of these classes of environments is a crucial tool to
engineer decoherence or to tailor quantum information protocols. Recently, the
use of quantum probes in characterizing Ohmic environments at zero-temperature
has been discussed, showing that a single qubit provides precise estimation of
the cutoff frequency. On the other hand, thermal noise often spoil quantum
probing schemes, and for this reason we here extend the analysis to complex
system at thermal equilibrium. In particular, we discuss the interplay between
thermal fluctuations and time evolution in determining the precision
{attainable by} quantum probes. Our results show that the presence of thermal
fluctuations degrades the precision for low values of the cutoff frequency,
i.e. values of the order (in natural units). For larger
values of decoherence is mostly due to the structure of environment,
rather than thermal fluctuations, such that quantum probing by a single qubit
is still an effective estimation procedure.Comment: Entropy, special issue on Open Quantum Systems (OQS) for quantum
technologies (S. Lorenzo and M. G. Palma, Eds
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