Treatment of the background error in the statistical analysis of Poisson processes

The formalism that allows to take into account the error sigma_b of the expected mean background b in the statistical analysis of a Poisson process with the frequentistic method is presented. It is shown that the error sigma_b cannot be neglected if it is not much smaller than sqrt(b). The resulting confidence belt is larger that the one for sigma_b=0, leading to larger confidence intervals for the mean mu of signal events.Comment: 15 pages including 2 figures, RevTeX. Final version published in Phys. Rev. D 59 (1999) 11300

Sharpening of natural guide stars for low-order wavefront sensing using patrolling laser guide stars

A laser guide star (LGS) adaptive optics (AO) system generally requires additional tip/tilt information derived using a natural guide star (NGS), while multi-LGS systems will benefit from measurement of additional low-order wavefront modes using one or more NGS's. If we use AO sharpened NGS's, we can improve both the measurement accuracy and accessible sky fraction while also minimizing the observational overhead of faint NGS acquisition. Multi-object adaptive optics (MOAO) sharpening of NGS is possible where a good estimate of the NGS wavefront can be made, for example where tomographic wavefront information is available. We describe a new approach for high Strehl ratio sharpening, based on additional patrolling laser beacons, to eliminate generalized anisoplanatism and minimize tomography error in the NGS direction

Density-functional study of Cu atoms, monolayers, and coadsorbates on polar ZnO surfaces

The structure and electronic properties of single Cu atoms, copper monolayers and thin copper films on the polar oxygen and zinc terminated surfaces of ZnO are studied using periodic density-functional calculations. We find that the binding energy of Cu atoms sensitively depends on how charge neutrality of the polar surfaces is achieved. Bonding is very strong if the surfaces are stabilized by an electronic mechanism which leads to partially filled surface bands. As soon as the surface bands are filled (either by partial Cu coverage, by coadsorbates, or by the formation of defects), the binding energy decreases significantly. In this case, values very similar to those found for nonpolar surfaces and for copper on finite ZnO clusters are obtained. Possible implications of these observations concerning the growth mode of copper on polar ZnO surfaces and their importance in catalysis are discussed.Comment: 6 pages with 2 postscript figures embedded. Uses REVTEX and epsf macro

Data-driven efficient score tests for deconvolution problems

We consider testing statistical hypotheses about densities of signals in deconvolution models. A new approach to this problem is proposed. We constructed score tests for the deconvolution with the known noise density and efficient score tests for the case of unknown density. The tests are incorporated with model selection rules to choose reasonable model dimensions automatically by the data. Consistency of the tests is proved

O2 dissociation on M@Pt core-shell particles for 3d, 4d and 5d transition metals

Density functional theory calculations are performed to investigate oxygen dissociation on 38-atom truncated octahedron platinum-based particles. This study progresses our previous work (Jennings et al. Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 1153), where it was shown that flexibility of the outer Pt shell played a crucial role in facilitating fast oxygen dissociation. In this study, the effect of forming M@Pt (M core, Pt shell) particles for a range of metal cores (M = 3d, 4d, and 5d transition metals) is considered, with respect to O2 dissociation on the Pt(111) facets. We show that forming M@Pt particles with late transition metal cores results in favorable shell flexibility for very low O2 dissociation barriers. Conversely, alloying with early transition metals results in a more rigid Pt shell because of dominant M-Pt interactions, which prevent lowering of the dissociation barriers

First-principles calculation on the transport properties of molecular wires between Au clusters under equilibrium

Based on the matrix Green's function method combined with hybrid tight-binding / density functional theory, we calculate the conductances of a series of gold-dithiol molecule-gold junctions including benzenedithiol (BDT), benzenedimethanethiol (BDMT), hexanedithiol (HDT), octanedithiol (ODT) and decanedithiol (DDT). An atomically-contacted extended molecule model is used in our calculation. As an important procedure, we determine the position of the Fermi level by the energy reference according to the results from ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) experiments. After considering the experimental uncertainty in UPS measurement, the calculated results of molecular conductances near the Fermi level qualitatively agree with the experimental values measured by Tao et. al. [{\it Science} 301, 1221 (2003); {\it J. Am. Chem. Soc.} 125, 16164 (2003); {\it Nano. Lett.} 4, 267 (2004).]Comment: 12 pages,8 figure

Unbiased cut selection for optimal upper limits in neutrino detectors: the model rejection potential technique

We present a method for optimising experimental cuts in order to place the strongest constraints (upper limits) on theoretical signal models. The method relies only on signal and background expectations derived from Monte-Carlo simulations, so no bias is introduced by looking at actual data, for instance by setting a limit based on expected signal above the ``last remaining data event.'' After discussing the concept of the ``average upper limit,'' based on the expectation from an ensemble of repeated experiments with no true signal, we show how the best model rejection potential is achieved by optimising the cuts to minimise the ratio of this ``average upper limit'' to the expected signal from the model. As an example, we use this technique to determine the limit sensitivity of kilometre scale neutrino detectors to extra-terrestrial neutrino fluxes from a variety of models, e.g. active galaxies and gamma-ray bursts. We suggest that these model rejection potential optimised limits be used as a standard method of comparing the sensitivity of proposed neutrino detectors.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Astroparticle Physic

Wood Quality in Pine Stands Damaged by Industrial Pollutants in Poland

Information on the impact of industrial air pollutants on forest stands aid consequences on wood quality are a little mixed up and misleading. Some experiments made on pines 130-230 years old did not reveal serious changes of wood quality. In this work, we present results of investigations on wood from 60-year-old pine trees which were under the influence of air pollutants for about 40 years. Such pine stands, of an age near the mean for the present forests in Poland, were the basis for some evaluations of financial losses in Poland due to the effects of air pollution on forests. Detailed data on the properties of the pine wood, which were the basis of the above-mentioned calculations, are also presented. The factors influencing economic losses are given based on the findings presented

The Resolved Asteroid Program - Size, shape, and pole of (52) Europa

With the adaptive optics (AO) system on the 10 m Keck-II telescope, we acquired a high quality set of 84 images at 14 epochs of asteroid (52) Europa on 2005 January 20. The epochs covered its rotation period and, by following its changing shape and orientation on the plane of sky, we obtained its triaxial ellipsoid dimensions and spin pole location. An independent determination from images at three epochs obtained in 2007 is in good agreement with these results. By combining these two data sets, along with a single epoch data set obtained in 2003, we have derived a global fit for (52) Europa of diameters (379x330x249) +/- (16x8x10) km, yielding a volume-equivalent spherical-diameter of 315 +/- 7 km, and a rotational pole within 7 deg of [RA; Dec] = [257,+12] in an Equatorial J2000 reference frame (ECJ2000: 255,+35). Using the average of all mass determinations available forEuropa, we derive a density of 1.5 +/- 0.4, typical of C-type asteroids. Comparing our images with the shape model of Michalowski et al. (A&A 416, 2004), derived from optical lightcurves, illustrates excellent agreement, although several edge features visible in the images are not rendered by the model. We therefore derived a complete 3-D description of Europa's shape using the KOALA algorithm by combining our imaging epochs with 4 stellar occultations and 49 lightcurves. We use this 3-D shape model to assess these departures from ellipsoidal shape. Flat facets (possible giant craters) appear to be less distinct on (52) Europa than on other C-types that have been imaged in detail. We show that fewer giant craters, or smaller craters, is consistent with its expected impact history. Overall, asteroid (52) Europa is still well modeled as a smooth triaxial ellipsoid with dimensions constrained by observations obtained over several apparitions.Comment: Accepted for publication in Icaru