3,386 research outputs found
Domino Tatami Covering is NP-complete
A covering with dominoes of a rectilinear region is called \emph{tatami} if
no four dominoes meet at any point. We describe a reduction from planar 3SAT to
Domino Tatami Covering. As a consequence it is NP-complete to decide whether
there is a perfect matching of a graph that meets every 4-cycle, even if the
graph is restricted to be an induced subgraph of the grid-graph. The gadgets
used in the reduction were discovered with the help of a SAT-solver.Comment: 10 pages, accepted at The International Workshop on Combinatorial
Algorithms (IWOCA) 201
Aircraft and avionic related research required to develop an effective high-speed runway exit system
Research was conducted to increase airport capacity by studying the feasibility of the longitudinal separation between aircraft sequences on final approach. The multidisciplinary factors which include the utility of high speed exits for efficient runway operations were described along with recommendations and highlights of these studies
Characterization of Power Induced Heating and Damage in Fiber Optic Probes for Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy
Tip-induced sample heating in near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is studied for fiber optic probes fabricated using the chemical etching technique. To characterize sample heating from etched NSOM probes, the spectra of a thermochromic polymer sample are measured as a function of probe output power, as was previously reported for pulled NSOM probes. The results reveal that sample heating increases rapidly to ~55–60°C as output powers reach ~50 nW. At higher output powers, the sample heating remains approximately constant up to the maximum power studied of ~450 nW. The sample heating profiles measured for etched NSOM probes are consistent with those previously measured for NSOM probes fabricated using the pulling method. At high powers, both pulled and etched NSOM probes fail as the aluminum coating is damaged. For probes fabricated in our laboratory we find failure occurring at input powers of 3.4 ± 1.7 and 20.7 ± 6.9 mW for pulled and etched probes, respectively. The larger half-cone angle for etched probes (∼15° for etched and ~6° for pulled probes) enables more light delivery and also apparently leads to a different failure mechanism. For pulled NSOM probes, high resolution images of NSOM probes as power is increased reveal the development of stress fractures in the coating at a taper diameter of ~6μm. These stress fractures, arising from the differential heating expansion of the dielectric and the metal coating, eventually lead to coating removal and probe failure. For etched tips, the absence of clear stress fractures and the pooled morphology of the damaged aluminum coating following failure suggest that thermal damage may cause coating failure, although other mechanisms cannot be ruled out
Low Frequency Vibration Approach for Assessing Performance of Wood Floor Systems1
The primary means of inspecting buildings and other structures is to evaluate each structure member individually. This is a time-consuming and expensive process, particularly if sheathing or other covering materials must be removed to access the structural members. The objective of this study was to determine if a low frequency vibration method could be used to effectively assess the structural performance of wood floors as component systems. Twelve wood floors were constructed with solid sawn wood joists in the laboratory and tested with both vibration and static load methods. The results indicated that the forced vibration method was capable of measuring the fundamental natural frequency (bending mode) of the wood floors investigated. An analytical model derived from the flexural beam theory was found to fit the physics of the floor structures and can be used to correlate natural frequency to section modulus (EI product) of the floor systems
Atomic-scale Interaction Dynamics in Few-layer Hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN)
Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7-August 11, 201
Influence of Projection in Cluster Cosmology Studies
Projection tends to skew the mass-observable relation of galaxy clusters by
creating a small fraction of severely blended systems, those for which the
measured observable property of a cluster is strongly boosted relative to the
value of its primary host halo. We examine the bias in cosmological parameter
estimates caused by incorrectly assuming a Gaussian (projection-free)
mass-observable relation when the true relation is non-Gaussian due to
projection. We introduce a mixture model for projection and explore Fisher
forecasts for a survey of 5000 sq. deg. to z=1.1 and an equivalent mass
threshold of 10^13.7 h^-1 solar masses. Using a blended fraction motivated by
optical cluster finding applied to the Millennium Simulation and applying
Planck and otherwise weak priors, we find that the biases in Omega_DE and w are
significant, being factors of 2.8 and 2.4, respectively, times previous
forecast uncertainties. Incorporating eight new degrees of freedom to describe
cluster selection with projection increases the forecast uncertainty in
Omega_DE and w by similar factors. Knowledge of these additional parameters at
the 5% level limits degradation in dark energy constraints to <10% relative to
projection-free forecasts. We discuss strategies for using simulations and
complementary observations to characterize the fraction of blended clusters and
their mass selection properties.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures to be submitted to phys. rev.
The VLA Low-frequency Sky Survey
The Very Large Array (VLA) Low-frequency Sky Survey (VLSS) has imaged 95% of
the 3*pi sr of sky north of declination = -30 degrees at a frequency of 74 MHz
(4 meter wavelength). The resolution is 80" (FWHM) throughout, and the typical
RMS noise level is ~0.1 Jy/beam. The typical point-source detection limit is
0.7 Jy/beam and so far nearly 70,000 sources have been catalogued. This survey
used the 74 MHz system added to the VLA in 1998. It required new imaging
algorithms to remove the large ionospheric distortions at this very low
frequency throughout the entire ~11.9 degree field of view. This paper
describes the observation and data reduction methods used for the VLSS and
presents the survey images and source catalog. All of the calibrated images and
the source catalog are available online (http://lwa.nrl.navy.mil/VLSS) for use
by the astronomical community.Comment: 53 pages, including 3 tables and 15 figures. Has been accepted for
publication in the Astronomical Journa
Comparing strings in AdS(5)xS(5) to planar diagrams: an example
The correlator of a Wilson loop with a local operator in N=4 SYM theory can
be represented by a string amplitude in AdS(5)xS(5). This amplitude describes
an overlap of the boundary state, which is associated with the loop, with the
string mode, which is dual to the local operator. For chiral primary operators
with a large R charge, the amplitude can be calculated by semiclassical
techniques. We compare the semiclassical string amplitude to the SYM
perturbation theory and find an exact agrement to the first two non-vanishing
orders.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX; v2: typos corrected; v3: clarification of
boundary conditions at infinity adde
The 74MHz System on the Very Large Array
The Naval Research Laboratory and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
completed implementation of a low frequency capability on the VLA at 73.8 MHz
in 1998. This frequency band offers unprecedented sensitivity (~25 mJy/beam)
and resolution (~25 arcsec) for low-frequency observations. We review the
hardware, the calibration and imaging strategies, comparing them to those at
higher frequencies, including aspects of interference excision and wide-field
imaging. Ionospheric phase fluctuations pose the major difficulty in
calibrating the array. Over restricted fields of view or at times of extremely
quiescent ionospheric ``weather'', an angle-invariant calibration strategy can
be used. In this approach a single phase correction is devised for each
antenna, typically via self-calibration. Over larger fields of view or at times
of more normal ionospheric ``weather'' when the ionospheric isoplanatic patch
size is smaller than the field of view, we adopt a field-based strategy in
which the phase correction depends upon location within the field of view. This
second calibration strategy was implemented by modeling the ionosphere above
the array using Zernike polynomials. Images of 3C sources of moderate strength
are provided as examples of routine, angle-invariant calibration and imaging.
Flux density measurements indicate that the 74 MHz flux scale at the VLA is
stable to a few percent, and tied to the Baars et al. value of Cygnus A at the
5 percent level. We also present an example of a wide-field image, devoid of
bright objects and containing hundreds of weaker sources, constructed from the
field-based calibration. We close with a summary of lessons the 74 MHz system
offers as a model for new and developing low-frequency telescopes. (Abridged)Comment: 73 pages, 46 jpeg figures, to appear in ApJ
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