8,265 research outputs found
Dynamic filtering of static dipoles in magnetoencephalography
We consider the problem of estimating neural activity from measurements
of the magnetic fields recorded by magnetoencephalography. We exploit
the temporal structure of the problem and model the neural current as a
collection of evolving current dipoles, which appear and disappear, but whose
locations are constant throughout their lifetime. This fully reflects the physiological
interpretation of the model.
In order to conduct inference under this proposed model, it was necessary
to develop an algorithm based around state-of-the-art sequential Monte
Carlo methods employing carefully designed importance distributions. Previous
work employed a bootstrap filter and an artificial dynamic structure
where dipoles performed a random walk in space, yielding nonphysical artefacts
in the reconstructions; such artefacts are not observed when using the
proposed model. The algorithm is validated with simulated data, in which
it provided an average localisation error which is approximately half that of
the bootstrap filter. An application to complex real data derived from a somatosensory
experiment is presented. Assessment of model fit via marginal
likelihood showed a clear preference for the proposed model and the associated
reconstructions show better localisation
The Effect of the LISA Response Function on Observations of Monochromatic Sources
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is expected to provide the
largest observational sample of binary systems of faint sub-solar mass compact
objects, in particular white-dwarfs, whose radiation is monochromatic over most
of the LISA observational window. Current astrophysical estimates suggest that
the instrument will be able to resolve about 10000 such systems, with a large
fraction of them at frequencies above 3 mHz, where the wavelength of
gravitational waves becomes comparable to or shorter than the LISA arm-length.
This affects the structure of the so-called LISA transfer function which cannot
be treated as constant in this frequency range: it introduces characteristic
phase and amplitude modulations that depend on the source location in the sky
and the emission frequency. Here we investigate the effect of the LISA transfer
function on detection and parameter estimation for monochromatic sources. For
signal detection we show that filters constructed by approximating the transfer
function as a constant (long wavelength approximation) introduce a negligible
loss of signal-to-noise ratio -- the fitting factor always exceeds 0.97 -- for
f below 10mHz, therefore in a frequency range where one would actually expect
the approximation to fail. For parameter estimation, we conclude that in the
range 3mHz to 30mHz the errors associated with parameter measurements differ
from about 5% up to a factor of 10 (depending on the actual source parameters
and emission frequency) with respect to those computed using the long
wavelength approximation.Comment: replacement version with typos correcte
Conchoidal transform of two plane curves
The conchoid of a plane curve is constructed using a fixed circle in
the affine plane. We generalize the classical definition so that we obtain a
conchoid from any pair of curves and in the projective plane. We
present two definitions, one purely algebraic through resultants and a more
geometric one using an incidence correspondence in \PP^2 \times \PP^2. We
prove, among other things, that the conchoid of a generic curve of fixed degree
is irreducible, we determine its singularities and give a formula for its
degree and genus. In the final section we return to the classical case: for any
given curve we give a criterion for its conchoid to be irreducible and we
give a procedure to determine when a curve is the conchoid of another.Comment: 18 pages Revised version: slight title change, improved exposition,
fixed proof of Theorem 5.3 Accepted for publication in Appl. Algebra Eng.,
Commun. Comput
Free energy landscape of mechanically unfolded model proteins: extended Jarzinsky versus inherent structure reconstruction
The equilibrium free energy landscape of off-lattice model heteropolymers as
a function of an internal coordinate, namely the end-to-end distance, is
reconstructed from out-of-equilibrium steered molecular dynamics data. This
task is accomplished via two independent methods: by employing an extended
version of the Jarzynski equality (EJE) and the inherent structure (IS)
formalism. A comparison of the free energies estimated with these two schemes
with equilibrium results obtained via the umbrella sampling technique reveals a
good quantitative agreement among all the approaches in a range of temperatures
around the ``folding transition'' for the two examined sequences. In
particular, for the sequence with good foldability properties, the mechanically
induced structural transitions can be related to thermodynamical aspects of
folding. Moreover, for the same sequence the knowledge of the landscape profile
allows for a good estimation of the life times of the native configuration for
temperatures ranging from the folding to the collapse temperature. For the
random sequence, mechanical and thermal unfolding appear to follow different
paths along the landscape.Comment: Latex manuscript, 20 pages, 23 figures, submitted to Physical Review
Magneto-elastic effects and magnetization plateaus in two dimensional systems
We show the importance of both strong frustration and spin-lattice coupling
for the stabilization of magnetization plateaus in translationally invariant
two-dimensional systems. We consider a frustrated spin-1/2 Heisenberg model
coupled to adiabatic phonons under an external magnetic field. At zero
magnetization, simple structures with two or at most four spins per unit cell
are stabilized, forming dimers or plaquettes, respectively. A much
richer scenario is found in the case of magnetization , where larger
unit cells are formed with non-trivial spin textures and an analogy with the
corresponding classical Ising model is detectable. Specific predictions on
lattice distortions and local spin values can be directly measured by X-rays
and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance experiments.Comment: 4 pages and 4 figure
Anisotropic dynamics of a vicinal surface under the meandering step instability
We investigate the nonlinear evolution of the Bales-Zangwill instability,
responsible for the meandering of atomic steps on a growing vicinal surface. We
develop an asymptotic method to derive, in the continuous limit, an evolution
equation for the two-dimensional step flow. The dynamics of the crystal surface
is greatly influenced by the anisotropy inherent to its geometry, and is
characterized by the coarsening of undulations along the step direction and by
the elastic relaxation in the mean slope direction. We demonstrate, using
similarity arguments, that the coalescence of meanders and the step flow follow
simple scaling laws, and deduce the exponents of the characteristic length
scales and height amplitude. The relevance of these results to experiments is
discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev.
Volume elements and torsion
We reexamine here the issue of consistency of minimal action formulation with
the minimal coupling procedure (MCP) in spaces with torsion. In Riemann-Cartan
spaces, it is known that a proper use of the MCP requires that the trace of the
torsion tensor be a gradient, , and that the modified
volume element be
used in the action formulation of a physical model. We rederive this result
here under considerably weaker assumptions, reinforcing some recent results
about the inadequacy of propagating torsion theories of gravity to explain the
available observational data. The results presented here also open the door to
possible applications of the modified volume element in the geometric theory of
crystalline defects.Comment: Revtex, 8 pages, 1 figure. v2 includes a discussion on
-symmetr
On the relativistic L-S coupling
The fact that the Dirac equation is linear in the space and time derivatives
leads to the coupling of spin and orbital angular momenta that is of a pure
relativistic nature. We illustrate this fact by computing the solutions of the
Dirac equation in an infinite spherical well, which allows to go from the
relativistic to the non-relativistic limit by just varying the radius of the
well.Comment: LateX2e, 12 pages, 1 figure, accepted in Eur. J. Phy
Is the Cepheus E Outflow driven by a Class 0 Protostar?
New early release observations of the Cepheus E outflow and its embedded
source, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope, are presented. We show the
driving source is detected in all 4 IRAC bands, which suggests that traditional
Class 0 classification, although essentially correct, needs to accommodate the
new high sensitivity infrared arrays and their ability to detected deeply
embedded sources. The IRAC, MIPS 24 and 70 microns new photometric points are
consistent with a spectral energy distribution dominated by a cold, dense
envelope surrounding the protostar. The Cep E outflow, unlike its more famous
cousin the HH 46/47 outflow, displays a very similar morphology in the near and
mid-infrared wavelengths, and is detected at 24 microns. The interface between
the dense molecular gas (where Cep E lies) and less dense interstellar medium,
is well traced by the emission at 8 and 24 microns, and is one of the most
exotic features of the new IRAC and MIPS images. IRS observations of the North
lobe of the flow confirm that most of the emission is due to the excitation of
pure H2 rotational transitions arising from a relatively cold (Tex~700 K) and
dense (N{H}~9.6E20 cm-2 molecular gas.Comment: 14 pages (pre-print format), including 6 figures. Published in ApJ
Special Spitzer Issue (2004
Time Optimal Unitary Operations
Extending our previous work on time optimal quantum state evolution, we
formulate a variational principle for the time optimal unitary operation, which
has direct relevance to quantum computation. We demonstrate our method with
three examples, i.e. the swap of qubits, the quantum Fourier transform and the
entangler gate, by choosing a two-qubit anisotropic Heisenberg model.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. References adde
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