7,229 research outputs found
Lazy Abstraction-Based Controller Synthesis
We present lazy abstraction-based controller synthesis (ABCS) for
continuous-time nonlinear dynamical systems against reach-avoid and safety
specifications. State-of-the-art multi-layered ABCS pre-computes multiple
finite-state abstractions of varying granularity and applies reactive synthesis
to the coarsest abstraction whenever feasible, but adaptively considers finer
abstractions when necessary. Lazy ABCS improves this technique by constructing
abstractions on demand. Our insight is that the abstract transition relation
only needs to be locally computed for a small set of frontier states at the
precision currently required by the synthesis algorithm. We show that lazy ABCS
can significantly outperform previous multi-layered ABCS algorithms: on
standard benchmarks, lazy ABCS is more than 4 times faster
Polarization state of the optical near-field
The polarization state of the optical electromagnetic field lying several
nanometers above complex dielectric structures reveals the intricate
light-matter interaction that occurs in this near-field zone. This information
can only be extracted from an analysis of the polarization state of the
detected light in the near-field. These polarization states can be calculated
by different numerical methods well-suited to near--field optics. In this
paper, we apply two different techniques (Localized Green Function Method and
Differential Theory of Gratings) to separate each polarisation component
associated with both electric and magnetic optical near-fields produced by
nanometer sized objects. The analysis is carried out in two stages: in the
first stage, we use a simple dipolar model to achieve insight into the physical
origin of the near-field polarization state. In the second stage, we calculate
accurate numerical field maps, simulating experimental near-field light
detection, to supplement the data produced by analytical models. We conclude
this study by demonstrating the role played by the near-field polarization in
the formation of the local density of states.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
A large local rotational speed for the Galaxy found from proper-motions: Implications for the mass of the Milky-Way
Predictions from a Galactic Structure and Kinematic model are compared to the
absolute proper-motions of about 30,000 randomly selected stars with derived from the Southern Proper-Motion Program (SPM) toward
the South Galactic Pole. The absolute nature of the SPM proper-motions allow us
to measure not only the relative motion of the Sun with respect to the local
disk, but also, and most importantly, the overall state of rotation of the
local disk with respect to galaxies. The SPM data are best fit by models having
a solar peculiar motion of +5 km~s in the V-component (pointing in the
direction of Galactic rotation), a large LSR speed of 270 km~s, and a
disk velocity ellipsoid that points towards the Galactic center. We stress,
however, that these results rest crucially on the assumptions of both
axisymmetry and equilibrium dynamics.
The absolute proper-motions in the U-component indicate a solar peculiar
motion of km~s, with no need for a local expansion or
contraction term.
The implications of the large LSR speed are discussed in terms of
gravitational mass of the Galaxy inferred from the most recent and accurate
determination for the proper-motion of the LMC. We find that our derived value
for the LSR is consistent both with the mass of the Galaxy inferred from the
motion of the Clouds ( to kpc), as well
as the timing argument, based on the binary motion of M31 and the Milky Way,
and Leo I and the Milky Way ( to
kpc).Comment: 7 pages (AAS Latex macro v4.0), 2 B&W postscript figures, accepted
for publication on ApJ, Letters sectio
Young stars in the periphery of the Large Magellanic Cloud
Despite their close proximity, the complex interplay between the two
Magellanic Clouds, the Milky Way, and the resulting tidal features, is still
poorly understood. Recent studies have shown that the Large Magellanic Cloud
(LMC) has a very extended disk strikingly perturbed in its outskirts. We search
for recent star formation in the far outskirts of the LMC, out to ~30 degrees
from its center. We have collected intermediate-resolution spectra of
thirty-one young star candidates in the periphery of the LMC and measured their
radial velocity, stellar parameters, distance and age. Our measurements confirm
membership to the LMC of six targets, for which the radial velocity and
distance values match well those of the Cloud. These objects are all young
(10-50 Myr), main-sequence stars projected between 7 and 13 degrees from the
center of the parent galaxy. We compare the velocities of our stars with those
of a disk model, and find that our stars have low to moderate velocity
differences with the disk model predictions, indicating that they were formed
in situ. Our study demonstrates that recent star formation occurred in the far
periphery of the LMC, where thus far only old objects were known. The spatial
configuration of these newly-formed stars appears ring-like with a radius of 12
kpc, and a displacement of 2.6 kpc from the LMC's center. This structure, if
real, would be suggestive of a star-formation episode triggered by an
off-center collision between the Small Magellanic Cloud and the LMC's disk.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Real-time information processing of environmental sensor network data using Bayesian Gaussian processes
In this article, we consider the problem faced by a sensor network operator who must infer, in real time, the value of some environmental parameter that is being monitored at discrete points in space and time by a sensor network. We describe a powerful and generic approach built upon an efficient multi-output Gaussian process that facilitates this information acquisition and processing. Our algorithm allows effective inference even with minimal domain knowledge, and we further introduce a formulation of Bayesian Monte Carlo to permit the principled management of the hyperparameters introduced by our flexible models. We demonstrate how our methods can be applied in cases where the data is delayed, intermittently missing, censored, and/or correlated. We validate our approach using data collected from three networks of weather sensors and show that it yields better inference performance than both conventional independent Gaussian processes and the Kalman filter. Finally, we show that our formalism efficiently reuses previous computations by following an online update procedure as new data sequentially arrives, and that this results in a four-fold increase in computational speed in the largest cases considered
Physics of a clumpy lensed galaxy at z=1.6
Observations have shown that massive star-forming clumps are present in the
internal structure of high-redshift galaxies. One way to study these clumps in
detail with a higher spatial resolution is by exploiting the power of strong
gravitational lensing which stretches images on the sky. In this work, we
present an analysis of the clumpy galaxy A68-HLS115 at , located
behind the cluster Abell 68, but strongly lensed by a cluster galaxy member.
Resolved observations with SINFONI/VLT in the near-infrared show Ha, Hb, [NII],
and [OIII] emission lines. Combined with images covering the B band to the
far-infrared and CO(2-1) observations, this makes this galaxy one of the only
sources for which such multi-band observations are available and for which it
is possible to study the properties of resolved star-forming clumps and to
perform a detailed analysis of the integrated properties, kinematics, and
metallicity. We obtain a stability of by
modeling the kinematics, which means that the galaxy is dominated by rotation,
but this ratio also indicates that the disk is marginally stable. We find a
high intrinsic velocity dispersion of km s that could be
explained by the high gas fraction of observed in this
galaxy. This high and the observed sSFR of
suggest that the disk turbulence and instabilities are mostly regulated by
incoming gas. The direct measure of the Toomre stability criterion of
could also indicate the presence of a quasi-stable thick disk.
Finally, we identify three clumps in the Ha map which have similar velocity
dispersions, metallicities, and seem to be embedded in the rotating disk. These
three clumps contribute together to on the SFR(Ha) of the galaxy and
show a SFR density about times higher than HII regions in the local
Universe.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 10 pages, 7 figure
Primary beam effects of radio astronomy antennas -- II. Modelling the MeerKAT L-band beam
After a decade of design and construction, South Africa's SKA-MID precursor
MeerKAT has begun its science operations. To make full use of the widefield
capability of the array, it is imperative that we have an accurate model of the
primary beam of its antennas. We have taken available L-band full-polarization
'astro-holographic' observations of three antennas and a generic
electromagnetic simulation and created sparse representations of the beams
using principal components and Zernike polynomials. The spectral behaviour of
the spatial coefficients has been modelled using discrete cosine transform. We
have provided the Zernike-based model over a diameter of 10 deg averaged over
the beams of three antennas in an associated software tool (EIDOS) that can be
useful in direction-dependent calibration and imaging. The model is more
accurate for the diagonal elements of the beam Jones matrix and at lower
frequencies. As we get more accurate beam measurements and simulations in the
future, especially for the cross-polarization patterns, our pipeline can be
used to create more accurate sparse representations of MeerKAT beams.Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF
of an article accepted for publication in MNRAS following peer review. The
version of record [K. M. B. Asad et al., 2021] is available online at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab10
Online and offline representations of biocultural diversity: A political ecology perspective on nature-based tourism and indigenous communities in the Brazilian Pantanal
The concept of biocultural diversity is confronted with contemporary changes that impact
on local communities, such as globalization and digital transformations. Engaging the conceptual
flexibility of ‘biocultural diversity’, we studied nature-based tourism at the intersection of indigenous
communities and the digital realm. We employed a political ecology perspective to examine online
and offline representations of biocultural diversity in the Brazilian Pantanal, one of the biggest
wetlands in the world, and home to groups of peoples known as the Pantaneiros. Data from
interviews with 48 stakeholders in the tourist sector were structured along three ‘myths’—the
Uncivilised, Unrestrained, and Unchanged—for which we have also constructed counter narratives.
Each myth denoted the primacy of biodiversity, and ignored broader dimensions of the Pantanal
as a bioculturally diverse landscape. The relationships of the Pantaneiros with their environment
were found to be intricate and had clear repercussions for tourism, but ironically, reference to the
Pantaneiro culture in nature-based tourism was superficial. Moreover, thriving on the myths, this
form of tourism perpetuates skewed power structures and social inequalities. Lower-class Pantaneiros
likely suffer most from this. We recommend stakeholder engagement with a biocultural design that
facilitates the integration of other-than-biodiversity values, and that thereby promotes sustainability
of the entire social-ecological system
Atomic diffraction from nanostructured optical potentials
We develop a versatile theoretical approach to the study of cold-atom
diffractive scattering from light-field gratings by combining calculations of
the optical near-field, generated by evanescent waves close to the surface of
periodic nanostructured arrays, together with advanced atom wavepacket
propagation on this optical potential.Comment: 8 figures, 10 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev.
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