128 research outputs found
Revisiting the Tradespace Exploration Paradigm: Structuring the Exploration Process
A number of case applications of tradespace exploration have further extended the types of analyses and knowledge insights that can be gained about tradeoffs between design choices and perceived utility and cost of alternatives. These extensions include application beyond its heritage aerospace domain to the transportation domain, comparing distinct concepts on a common tradespace, considering the impact of changing needs and contexts over time, evaluation of alternatives in a “light effort” manner. In parallel with these case applications, a formalization of the tradespace exploration process has emerged, using a question-driven approach to ensure the knowledge generated is practical and useful to decision makers. These questions are introduced and applied to three example space systems in order to illustrate insights gained in answering the questions. The insights include identifying “good” designs, the strengths and weakness of selected alternatives across a tradespace, limiting constraints and requirements that could allow for less expensive solutions. Additionally, advanced insights include understanding the sensitivities of designs to changes in contexts and needs, and consideration of the differential impact of uncertainty across a set of alternatives with potential opportunities for risk mitigation.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering Systems Division (Systems Engineering Advancement Research Initiative (SEAri)
Lattice fusion rules and logarithmic operator product expansions
The interest in Logarithmic Conformal Field Theories (LCFTs) has been growing
over the last few years thanks to recent developments coming from various
approaches. A particularly fruitful point of view consists in considering
lattice models as regularizations for such quantum field theories. The
indecomposability then encountered in the representation theory of the
corresponding finite-dimensional associative algebras exactly mimics the
Virasoro indecomposable modules expected to arise in the continuum limit. In
this paper, we study in detail the so-called Temperley-Lieb (TL) fusion functor
introduced in physics by Read and Saleur [Nucl. Phys. B 777, 316 (2007)]. Using
quantum group results, we provide rigorous calculations of the fusion of
various TL modules. Our results are illustrated by many explicit examples
relevant for physics. We discuss how indecomposability arises in the "lattice"
fusion and compare the mechanisms involved with similar observations in the
corresponding field theory. We also discuss the physical meaning of our lattice
fusion rules in terms of indecomposable operator-product expansions of quantum
fields.Comment: 54pp, many comments adde
Associative algebraic approach to logarithmic CFT in the bulk: the continuum limit of the gl(1|1) periodic spin chain, Howe duality and the interchiral algebra
We develop in this paper the principles of an associative algebraic approach
to bulk logarithmic conformal field theories (LCFTs). We concentrate on the
closed spin-chain and its continuum limit - the symplectic
fermions theory - and rely on two technical companion papers, "Continuum limit
and symmetries of the periodic gl(1|1) spin chain" [Nucl. Phys. B 871 (2013)
245-288] and "Bimodule structure in the periodic gl(1|1) spin chain" [Nucl.
Phys. B 871 (2013) 289-329]. Our main result is that the algebra of local
Hamiltonians, the Jones-Temperley-Lieb algebra JTL_N, goes over in the
continuum limit to a bigger algebra than the product of the left and right
Virasoro algebras. This algebra, S - which we call interchiral, mixes the left
and right moving sectors, and is generated, in the symplectic fermions case, by
the additional field , with
a symmetric form and conformal weights (1,1). We discuss in details
how the Hilbert space of the LCFT decomposes onto representations of this
algebra, and how this decomposition is related with properties of the finite
spin-chain. We show that there is a complete correspondence between algebraic
properties of finite periodic spin chains and the continuum limit. An important
technical aspect of our analysis involves the fundamental new observation that
the action of JTL_N in the spin chain is in fact isomorphic to an
enveloping algebra of a certain Lie algebra, itself a non semi-simple version
of . The semi-simple part of JTL_N is represented by ,
providing a beautiful example of a classical Howe duality, for which we have a
non semi-simple version in the full JTL image represented in the spin-chain. On
the continuum side, simple modules over the interchiral algebra S are
identified with "fundamental" representations of .Comment: 69 pp., 10 figs, v2: the paper has been substantially modified - new
proofs, new refs, new App C with inductive limits construction, et
Haptography: Capturing and Recreating the Rich Feel of Real Surfaces
Haptic interfaces, which allow a user to touch virtual and remote environments through a hand-held tool, have opened up exciting new possibilities for applications such as computer-aided design and robot-assisted surgery. Unfortunately, the haptic renderings produced by these systems seldom feel like authentic re-creations of the richly varied surfaces one encounters in the real world. We have thus envisioned the new approach of haptography, or haptic photography, in which an individual quickly records a physical interaction with a real surface and then recreates that experience for a user at a different time and/or place. This paper presents an overview of the goals and methods of haptography, emphasizing the importance of accurately capturing and recreating the high frequency accelerations that occur during tool-mediated interactions. In the capturing domain, we introduce a new texture modeling and synthesis method based on linear prediction applied to acceleration signals recorded from real tool interactions. For recreating, we show a new haptography handle prototype that enables the user of a Phantom Omni to feel fine surface features and textures
Star Formation and Dynamics in the Galactic Centre
The centre of our Galaxy is one of the most studied and yet enigmatic places
in the Universe. At a distance of about 8 kpc from our Sun, the Galactic centre
(GC) is the ideal environment to study the extreme processes that take place in
the vicinity of a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Despite the hostile
environment, several tens of early-type stars populate the central parsec of
our Galaxy. A fraction of them lie in a thin ring with mild eccentricity and
inner radius ~0.04 pc, while the S-stars, i.e. the ~30 stars closest to the
SMBH (<0.04 pc), have randomly oriented and highly eccentric orbits. The
formation of such early-type stars has been a puzzle for a long time: molecular
clouds should be tidally disrupted by the SMBH before they can fragment into
stars. We review the main scenarios proposed to explain the formation and the
dynamical evolution of the early-type stars in the GC. In particular, we
discuss the most popular in situ scenarios (accretion disc fragmentation and
molecular cloud disruption) and migration scenarios (star cluster inspiral and
Hills mechanism). We focus on the most pressing challenges that must be faced
to shed light on the process of star formation in the vicinity of a SMBH.Comment: 68 pages, 35 figures; invited review chapter, to be published in
expanded form in Haardt, F., Gorini, V., Moschella, U. and Treves, A.,
'Astrophysical Black Holes'. Lecture Notes in Physics. Springer 201
Pulsar-wind nebulae and magnetar outflows: observations at radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths
We review observations of several classes of neutron-star-powered outflows:
pulsar-wind nebulae (PWNe) inside shell supernova remnants (SNRs), PWNe
interacting directly with interstellar medium (ISM), and magnetar-powered
outflows. We describe radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray observations of PWNe,
focusing first on integrated spectral-energy distributions (SEDs) and global
spectral properties. High-resolution X-ray imaging of PWNe shows a bewildering
array of morphologies, with jets, trails, and other structures. Several of the
23 so far identified magnetars show evidence for continuous or sporadic
emission of material, sometimes associated with giant flares, and a few
possible "magnetar-wind nebulae" have been recently identified.Comment: 61 pages, 44 figures (reduced in quality for size reasons). Published
in Space Science Reviews, "Jets and Winds in Pulsar Wind Nebulae, Gamma-ray
Bursts and Blazars: Physics of Extreme Energy Release
Orbital anastomoses of the anterior deep temporal artery
The anterior deep temporal artery may provide a major collateral pathway to the intracranial circulation through anastomoses with branches of the ophthalmic artery. Review of carotid angiograms in 26 patients with internal carotid artery occlusive disease revealed anterior deep temporal to ophthalmic artery anastomoses in 16 cases. This route of collateral blood flow was associated in most instances with total occlusion of the cervical portion of the internal carotid artery. Three cases demonstrating the angiographic anatomy of the anterior deep temporal artery and its potential anastomoses with branches of the ophthalmic artery are presented. L'artère temporale profonde antérieure peut être à l'origine de circulation colatérale grâce à ses anastomoses avec l'artère ophtalmique. Une telle anastomose a été constatée 16 fois sur 26 cas de thrombose de l'artère carotide interne. Über die A. temporalis anterior ist über Anastomosen zu den Ästen der A. ophthalmica ein Kollateral-Kreislauf zu den intracraniellen Gefäßabschnitten möglich. Bei 26 Patienten mit einem A. carotis interna-Verschluß zeigte sich dieser Kreislauf in 16 Fällen. Es wird über 3 Fälle ausführlich berichtet, bei denen die angiographische Anatomie der A. temporalis anterior und die möglichen Anastomosen mit Ästen der A. ophthalmica besprochen wird.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46672/1/234_2004_Article_BF00335020.pd
CANDELS : constraining the AGN-merger connection with host morphologies at z ~ 2
Using Hubble Space Telescope/WFC3 imaging taken as part of the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey, we examine the role that major galaxy mergers play in triggering active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity at z ~ 2. Our sample consists of 72 moderate-luminosity (L X ~ 1042-44 erg s-1) AGNs at 1.5 < z < 2.5 that are selected using the 4 Ms Chandra observations in the Chandra Deep Field South, the deepest X-ray observations to date. Employing visual classifications, we have analyzed the rest-frame optical morphologies of the AGN host galaxies and compared them to a mass-matched control sample of 216 non-active galaxies at the same redshift. We find that most of the AGNs reside in disk galaxies (51.4+5.8 - 5.9%), while a smaller percentage are found in spheroids (27.8+5.8 - 4.6%). Roughly 16.7+5.3 - 3.5% of the AGN hosts have highly disturbed morphologies and appear to be involved in a major merger or interaction, while most of the hosts (55.6+5.6 - 5.9%) appear relatively relaxed and undisturbed. These fractions are statistically consistent with the fraction of control galaxies that show similar morphological disturbances. These results suggest that the hosts of moderate-luminosity AGNs are no more likely to be involved in an ongoing merger or interaction relative to non-active galaxies of similar mass at z ~ 2. The high disk fraction observed among the AGN hosts also appears to be at odds with predictions that merger-driven accretion should be the dominant AGN fueling mode at z ~ 2, even at moderate X-ray luminosities. Although we cannot rule out that minor mergers are responsible for triggering these systems, the presence of a large population of relatively undisturbed disk-like hosts suggests that the stochastic accretion of gas plays a greater role in fueling AGN activity at z ~ 2 than previously thought
Kazhdan-Lusztig equivalence and fusion of Kac modules in Virasoro logarithmic models
The subject of our study is the Kazhdan-Lusztig (KL) equivalence in the
context of a one-parameter family of logarithmic CFTs based on Virasoro
symmetry with the (1,p) central charge. All finite-dimensional indecomposable
modules of the KL-dual quantum group - the "full" Lusztig quantum sl(2) at the
root of unity - are explicitly described. These are exhausted by projective
modules and four series of modules that have a functorial correspondence with
any quotient or a submodule of Feigin-Fuchs modules over the Virasoro algebra.
Our main result includes calculation of tensor products of any pair of the
indecomposable modules. Based on the Kazhdan-Lusztig equivalence between
quantum groups and vertex-operator algebras, fusion rules of Kac modules over
the Virasoro algebra in the (1,p) LCFT models are conjectured.Comment: 40pp. V2: a new introduction, corrected typos, some explanatory
comments added, references adde
Observations of the High Redshift Universe
(Abridged) In these lectures aimed for non-specialists, I review progress in
understanding how galaxies form and evolve. Both the star formation history and
assembly of stellar mass can be empirically traced from redshifts z~6 to the
present, but how the various distant populations inter-relate and how stellar
assembly is regulated by feedback and environmental processes remains unclear.
I also discuss how these studies are being extended to locate and characterize
the earlier sources beyond z~6. Did early star-forming galaxies contribute
significantly to the reionization process and over what period did this occur?
Neither theory nor observations are well-developed in this frontier topic but
the first results presented here provide important guidance on how we will use
more powerful future facilities.Comment: To appear in `First Light in Universe', Saas-Fee Advanced Course 36,
Swiss Soc. Astrophys. Astron. in press. 115 pages, 64 figures (see
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~rse/saas-fee.pdf for hi-res figs.) For lecture
ppt files see
http://obswww.unige.ch/saas-fee/preannouncement/course_pres/overview_f.htm
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