3,484 research outputs found
Calculating the inherent visual structure of a landscape (inherent viewshed) using high-throughput computing
This paper describes a method of calculating the inherent visibility at all locations in a landscape (‘total viewshed’) by making use of redundant computer cycles. This approach uses a simplified viewshed program that is suitable for use within a distributed environment, in this case managed by the Condor system. Distributing the calculation in this way reduced the calculation time of our example from an estimated 34 days to slightly over 25 hours using a cluster of 43 workstations. Finally, we discuss the example ‘total viewshed’ raster for the Avebury region, and briefly highlight some of its implications
Reconnaissance of the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet system in the Lyman- line
The TRAPPIST-1 system offers the opportunity to characterize terrestrial,
potentially habitable planets orbiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star. We
performed a four-orbit reconnaissance with the Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph onboard the Hubble Space Telescope to study the stellar emission
at Lyman-, to assess the presence of hydrogen exospheres around the two
inner planets, and to determine their UV irradiation. We detect the
Lyman- line of TRAPPIST-1, making it the coldest exoplanet host star
for which this line has been measured. We reconstruct the intrinsic line
profile, showing that it lacks broad wings and is much fainter than expected
from the stellar X-ray emission. TRAPPIST-1 has a similar X-ray emission as
Proxima Cen but a much lower Ly- emission. This suggests that
TRAPPIST-1 chromosphere is only moderately active compared to its transition
region and corona. We estimated the atmospheric mass loss rates for all
planets, and found that despite a moderate extreme UV emission the total XUV
irradiation could be strong enough to strip the atmospheres of the inner
planets in a few billions years. We detect marginal flux decreases at the times
of TRAPPIST-1b and c transits, which might originate from stellar activity, but
could also hint at the presence of extended hydrogen exospheres. Understanding
the origin of these Lyman- variations will be crucial in assessing the
atmospheric stability and potential habitability of the TRAPPIST-1 planets.Comment: Published in A&A as a Letter to the Edito
K2 Variable Catalogue II: Machine Learning Classification of Variable Stars and Eclipsing Binaries in K2 Fields 0-4
We are entering an era of unprecedented quantities of data from current and
planned survey telescopes. To maximise the potential of such surveys, automated
data analysis techniques are required. Here we implement a new methodology for
variable star classification, through the combination of Kohonen Self
Organising Maps (SOM, an unsupervised machine learning algorithm) and the more
common Random Forest (RF) supervised machine learning technique. We apply this
method to data from the K2 mission fields 0-4, finding 154 ab-type RR Lyraes
(10 newly discovered), 377 Delta Scuti pulsators, 133 Gamma Doradus pulsators,
183 detached eclipsing binaries, 290 semi-detached or contact eclipsing
binaries and 9399 other periodic (mostly spot-modulated) sources, once class
significance cuts are taken into account. We present lightcurve features for
all K2 stellar targets, including their three strongest detected frequencies,
which can be used to study stellar rotation periods where the observed
variability arises from spot modulation. The resulting catalogue of variable
stars, classes, and associated data features are made available online. We
publish our SOM code in Python as part of the open source PyMVPA package, which
in combination with already available RF modules can be easily used to recreate
the method.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 16 pages, 13 figures. Updated with
proof corrections. Full catalogue tables available at
https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/armstrong/
or at the CD
Thermodynamically consistent equilibrium properties of normal-liquid Helium-3
The high-precision data for the specific heat C_{V}(T,V) of normal-liquid
Helium-3 obtained by Greywall, taken together with the molar volume V(T_0,P) at
one temperature T_0, are shown to contain the complete thermodynamic
information about this phase in zero magnetic field. This enables us to
calculate the T and P dependence of all equilibrium properties of normal-liquid
Helium-3 in a thermodynamically consistent way for a wide range of parameters.
The results for the entropy S(T,P), specific heat at constant pressure
C_P(T,P), molar volume V(T,P), compressibility kappa(T,P), and thermal
expansion coefficient alpha(T,P) are collected in the form of figures and
tables. This provides the first complete set of thermodynamically consistent
values of the equilibrium quantities of normal-liquid Helium-3. We find, for
example, that alpha(T,P) has a surprisingly intricate pressure dependence at
low temperatures, and that the curves alpha(T,P) vs T do not cross at one
single temperature for all pressures, in contrast to the curves presented in
the comprehensive survey of helium by Wilks.
Corrected in cond-mat/9906222v3: The sign of the coefficient d_0 was
misprinted in Table I of cond-mat/9906222v1 and v2. It now correctly reads
d_0=-7.1613436. All results in the paper were obtained with the correct value
of d_0. (We would like to thank for E. Collin, H. Godfrin, and Y. Bunkov for
finding this misprint.)Comment: 19 pages, 19 figures, 9 tables; published version; note added in
proof; v3: misprint correcte
PD-0430: Results from the radiotherapy quality assurance programme for the FAST-Forward breast trial
Symbolic Manipulators Affect Mathematical Mindsets
Symbolic calculators like Mathematica are becoming more commonplace among
upper level physics students. The presence of such a powerful calculator can
couple strongly to the type of mathematical reasoning students employ. It does
not merely offer a convenient way to perform the computations students would
have otherwise wanted to do by hand. This paper presents examples from the work
of upper level physics majors where Mathematica plays an active role in
focusing and sustaining their thought around calculation. These students still
engage in powerful mathematical reasoning while they calculate but struggle
because of the narrowed breadth of their thinking. Their reasoning is drawn
into local attractors where they look to calculation schemes to resolve
questions instead of, for example, mapping the mathematics to the physical
system at hand. We model the influence of Mathematica as an integral part of
the constant feedback that occurs in how students frame, and hence focus, their
work
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