1,839 research outputs found
Estimating Mutual Information
We present two classes of improved estimators for mutual information
, from samples of random points distributed according to some joint
probability density . In contrast to conventional estimators based on
binnings, they are based on entropy estimates from -nearest neighbour
distances. This means that they are data efficient (with we resolve
structures down to the smallest possible scales), adaptive (the resolution is
higher where data are more numerous), and have minimal bias. Indeed, the bias
of the underlying entropy estimates is mainly due to non-uniformity of the
density at the smallest resolved scale, giving typically systematic errors
which scale as functions of for points. Numerically, we find that
both families become {\it exact} for independent distributions, i.e. the
estimator vanishes (up to statistical fluctuations) if . This holds for all tested marginal distributions and for all
dimensions of and . In addition, we give estimators for redundancies
between more than 2 random variables. We compare our algorithms in detail with
existing algorithms. Finally, we demonstrate the usefulness of our estimators
for assessing the actual independence of components obtained from independent
component analysis (ICA), for improving ICA, and for estimating the reliability
of blind source separation.Comment: 16 pages, including 18 figure
Mutual information rate and bounds for it
The amount of information exchanged per unit of time between two nodes in a
dynamical network or between two data sets is a powerful concept for analysing
complex systems. This quantity, known as the mutual information rate (MIR), is
calculated from the mutual information, which is rigorously defined only for
random systems. Moreover, the definition of mutual information is based on
probabilities of significant events. This work offers a simple alternative way
to calculate the MIR in dynamical (deterministic) networks or between two data
sets (not fully deterministic), and to calculate its upper and lower bounds
without having to calculate probabilities, but rather in terms of well known
and well defined quantities in dynamical systems. As possible applications of
our bounds, we study the relationship between synchronisation and the exchange
of information in a system of two coupled maps and in experimental networks of
coupled oscillators
The adaptive optics simulation analysis tool(kit) (AOSAT)
AOSAT is a python package for the analysis of single-conjugate adaptive optics (SCAO) simulation results. Python is widely used in the astronomical community these days, and AOSAT may be used stand-alone, integrated into a simulation environment, or can easily be extended according to a user's needs. Standalone operation requires the user to provide the residual wavefront frames provided by the SCAO simulation package used, the aperture mask (pupil) used for the simulation, and a custom setup file describing the simulation/analysis configuration. In its standard form, AOSAT's "tearsheet" functionality will then run all standard analyzers, providing an informative plot collection on properties such as the point-spread function (PSF) and its quality, residual tip-tilt, the impact of pupil fragmentation, residual optical aberration modes both static and dynamic, the expected high-contrast performance of suitable instrumentation with and without coronagraphs, and the power spectral density of residual wavefront errors. AOSAT fills the gap between the simple numerical outputs provided by most simulation packages, and the full-scale deployment of instrument simulators and data reduction suites operating on SCAO residual wavefronts. It enables instrument designers and end-users to quickly judge the impact of design or configuration decisions on the final performance of down-stream instrumentation.EPI
Protons in near earth orbit
The proton spectrum in the kinetic energy range 0.1 to 200 GeV was measured
by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) during space shuttle flight STS-91 at
an altitude of 380 km. Above the geomagnetic cutoff the observed spectrum is
parameterized by a power law. Below the geomagnetic cutoff a substantial second
spectrum was observed concentrated at equatorial latitudes with a flux ~ 70
m^-2 sec^-1 sr^-1. Most of these second spectrum protons follow a complicated
trajectory and originate from a restricted geographic region.Comment: 19 pages, Latex, 7 .eps figure
Search for antihelium in cosmic rays
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) was flown on the space shuttle
Discovery during flight STS-91 in a 51.7 degree orbit at altitudes between 320
and 390 km. A total of 2.86 * 10^6 helium nuclei were observed in the rigidity
range 1 to 140 GV. No antihelium nuclei were detected at any rigidity. An upper
limit on the flux ratio of antihelium to helium of < 1.1 * 10^-6 is obtained.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, 9 .eps figure
Study of Z Boson Pair Production in e+e- Collisions at LEP at \sqrt{s}=189 GeV
The pair production of Z bosons is studied using the data collected by the L3
detector at LEP in 1998 in e+e- collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 189
GeV. All the visible final states are considered and the cross section of this
process is measured to be 0.74 +0.15 -0.14 (stat.) +/- 0.04 (syst.) pb. Final
states containing b quarks are enhanced by a dedicated selection and their
production cross section is found to be 0.18 +0.09 -0.07 (stat.) +/- 0.02
(syst.) pb. Both results are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions.
Limits on anomalous couplings between neutral gauge bosons are derived from
these measurements
Search for Scalar Leptons in e+e- collisions at \sqrt{s}=189 GeV
We report the result of a search for scalar leptons in e+e- collisions at 189
GeV centre-of-mass energy at LEP. No evidence for such particles is found in a
data sample of 176 pb^{-1}. Improved upper limits are set on the production
cross sections for these new particles. New exclusion contours in the parameter
space of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model are derived, as well as new
lower limits on the masses of these supersymmetric particles. Under the
assumptions of common gaugino and scalar masses at the GUT scale, we set an
absolute lower limit on the mass of the lightest scalar electron of 65.5 Ge
Search for Low Scale Gravity Effects in e+e- Collisions at LEP
Recent theories propose that quantum gravity effects may be observable at LEP
energies via gravitons that couple to Standard Model particles and propagate
into extra spatial dimensions. The associated production of a graviton and a
photon is searched for as well as the effects of virtual graviton exchange in
the processes: e+e- -> gamma gamma, ZZ, WW, mu mu, tau tau, qq and ee No
evidence for this new interaction is found in the data sample collected by the
L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies up to 183 GeV. Limits close to 1
TeV on the scale of this new scenario of quantum gravity are set
Direct Observation of Longitudinally Polarised W Bosons
The three different helicity states of W bosons, produced in the reaction
e+e- -> W+W- -> l nu q q~ are studied using leptonic and hadronic W decays at
sqrt{s}=183GeV and 189GeV. The W polarisation is also measured as a function of
the scattering angle between the W- and the direction of the e- beam. The
analysis demonstrates that W bosons are produced with all three helicities, the
longitudinal and the two transverse states. Combining the results from the two
center-of-mass energies and with leptonic and hadronic W decays, the fraction
of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured to be 0.261 +/- 0.051(stat.)
+/- 0.016(syst.) in agreement with the expectation from the Standard Model
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