55,472 research outputs found
Sequence-based Anytime Control
We present two related anytime algorithms for control of nonlinear systems
when the processing resources available are time-varying. The basic idea is to
calculate tentative control input sequences for as many time steps into the
future as allowed by the available processing resources at every time step.
This serves to compensate for the time steps when the processor is not
available to perform any control calculations. Using a stochastic Lyapunov
function based approach, we analyze the stability of the resulting closed loop
system for the cases when the processor availability can be modeled as an
independent and identically distributed sequence and via an underlying Markov
chain. Numerical simulations indicate that the increase in performance due to
the proposed algorithms can be significant.Comment: 14 page
Contrast Interferometry Using Bose-Einstein Condensates to Measure h/m and the Fine Structure Constant
The kinetic energy of an atom recoiling due to absorption of a photon was
measured as a frequency using an interferometric technique called ``contrast
interferometry''. Optical standing wave pulses were used as atom-optical
elements to create a symmetric three-path interferometer with a Bose-Einstein
condensate. The recoil phase accumulated in different paths was measured using
a single-shot detection technique. The scheme allows for additional photon
recoils within the interferometer and its symmetry suppresses several random
and systematic errors including those from vibrations and ac Stark shifts. We
have measured the photon recoil frequency of sodium to ppm precision, using
a simple realization of this scheme. Plausible extensions should yield a
sufficient precision to bring within reach a ppb-level determination of
and the fine structure constant
Reactor for simulation and acceleration of solar ultraviolet damage
An environmental test chamber providing acceleration of UV radiation and precise temperature control (+ or -)1 C was designed, constructed and tested. This chamber allows acceleration of solar ultraviolet up to 30 suns while maintaining temperature of the absorbing surface at 30 C - 60 C. This test chamber utilizes a filtered medium pressure mercury arc as the source of radiation, and a combination of selenium radiometer and silicon radiometer to monitor solar ultraviolet (295-340 nm) and total radiant power output, respectively. Details of design and construction and operational procedures are presented along with typical test data
Chi_1 and Polarisation Asymmetries for Quarkonia at High Orders in Non-relativistic QCD
We study doubly polarised asymmetries of c-cbar and b-bbar mesons in hadro-
and photo-production at low transverse momentum in non-relativistic QCD to high
orders in the relative velocity of the pair, v. We give the complete set of
expressions required for the asymmetries up to order v^9. The asymmetries in
the production of eta_{c,b} states are a stable measure of the polarised gluon
densities. The asymmetries for chi_{c,b}, J/psi, psi', and the various Upsilon
states are stringent tests of the NRQCD scaling relations.Comment: 21 pages LaTeX including 2 figure
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The role of hydrograph indices in parameter estimation of rainfall-runoff models
A reliable prediction of hydrologic models, among other things, requires a set of plausible parameters that correspond with physiographic properties of the basin. This study proposes a parameter estimation approach, which is based on extracting, through hydrograph diagnoses, information in the form of indices that carry intrinsic properties of a basin. This concept is demonstrated by introducing two indices that describe the shape of a streamflow hydrograph in an integrated manner. Nineteen mid-size (223-4790 km2) perennial headwater basins with a long record of streamflow data were selected to evaluate the ability of these indices to capture basin response characteristics. An examination of the utility of the proposed indices in parameter estimation is conducted for a five-parameter hydrologic model using data from the Leaf River, located in Fort Collins, Mississippi. It is shown that constraining the parameter estimation by selecting only those parameters that result in model output which maintains the indices as found in the historical data can improve the reliability of model predictions. These improvements were manifested in (a) improvement of the prediction of low and high flow, (b) improvement of the overall total biases, and (c) maintenance of the hydrograph's shape for both long-term and short-term predictions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
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