3,987 research outputs found
Finding Approximate POMDP solutions Through Belief Compression
Standard value function approaches to finding policies for Partially
Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) are generally considered to be
intractable for large models. The intractability of these algorithms is to a
large extent a consequence of computing an exact, optimal policy over the
entire belief space. However, in real-world POMDP problems, computing the
optimal policy for the full belief space is often unnecessary for good control
even for problems with complicated policy classes. The beliefs experienced by
the controller often lie near a structured, low-dimensional subspace embedded
in the high-dimensional belief space. Finding a good approximation to the
optimal value function for only this subspace can be much easier than computing
the full value function. We introduce a new method for solving large-scale
POMDPs by reducing the dimensionality of the belief space. We use Exponential
family Principal Components Analysis (Collins, Dasgupta and Schapire, 2002) to
represent sparse, high-dimensional belief spaces using small sets of learned
features of the belief state. We then plan only in terms of the low-dimensional
belief features. By planning in this low-dimensional space, we can find
policies for POMDP models that are orders of magnitude larger than models that
can be handled by conventional techniques. We demonstrate the use of this
algorithm on a synthetic problem and on mobile robot navigation tasks
First Experimental Demonstration of Gate-all-around III-V MOSFET by Top-down Approach
The first inversion-mode gate-all-around (GAA) III-V MOSFETs are
experimentally demonstrated with a high mobility In0.53Ga0.47As channel and
atomic-layer-deposited (ALD) Al2O3/WN gate stacks by a top-down approach. A
well-controlled InGaAs nanowire release process and a novel ALD high-k/metal
gate process has been developed to enable the fabrication of III-V GAA MOSFETs.
Well-behaved on-state and off-state performance has been achieved with channel
length (Lch) down to 50nm. A detailed scaling metrics study (S.S., DIBL, VT)
with Lch of 50nm - 110nm and fin width (WFin) of 30nm - 50nm are carried out,
showing the immunity to short channel effects with the advanced 3D structure.
The GAA structure has provided a viable path towards ultimate scaling of III-V
MOSFETs.Comment: IEEE IEDM 2011 pp. 769-772; Structures are valuable for
low-dimensional physics stud
Self-Aligned Ballistic Molecular Transistors and Electrically Parallel Nanotube Arrays
Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors with structures and properties near
the scaling limit with short (down to 50 nm) channels, self aligned geometries,
palladium electrodes with low contact resistance and high-k dielectric gate
insulators are realized. Electrical transport in these miniature transistors is
near ballistic up to high biases at both room and low temperatures. Atomic
layer deposited (ALD) high-k films interact with nanotube sidewalls via van der
Waals interactions without causing weak localization at 4 K. New fundamental
understanding of ballistic transport, optical phonon scattering and potential
interfacial scattering mechanisms in nanotubes are obtained.Comment: Nano Letters, in pres
Determination of energy barrier profiles for high-k dielectric materials utilizing bias-dependent internal photoemission
We utilize bias-dependent internal photoemission spectroscopy to determine the metal/dielectric/silicon energy barrier profiles for Au/HfO2/Si and Au/Al2O3/Si structures. The results indicate that the applied voltage plays a large role in determining the effective barrier height and we attribute much of the variation in this case to image potential barrier lowering in measurements of single layers. By measuring current at both positive and negative voltages, we are able to measure the band offsets from Si and also to determine the flatband voltage and the barrier asymmetry at 0 V. Our SiO2 calibration sample yielded a conduction band offset value of 3.03+/-0.1 eV. Measurements on HfO2 give a conduction band offset value of 2.7+/-0.2 eV (at 1.0 V) and Al2O3 gives an offset of 3.3+/-0.1 (at 1.0 V). We believe that interfacial SiO2 layers may dominate the electron transport from silicon for these films. The Au/HfO2 barrier height was found to be 3.6+/-0.1 eV while the Au/Al2O3 barrier is 3.5+/-0.1 eV
Duration judgements in patients with schizophrenia
Background. The ability to encode time cues underlies many cognitive processes. In the light of schizophrenic patients' compromised cognitive abilities in a variety of domains, it is noteworthy that there are numerous reports of these patients displaying impaired timing abilities. However, the timing intervals that patients have been evaluated on in prior studies vary considerably in magnitude (e.g. 1 s, 1 min, 1 h etc.).
Method. In order to obviate differences in abilities in chronometric counting and place minimal demands on cognitive processing, we chose tasks that involve making judgements about brief durations of time (<1 s).
Results. On a temporal generalization task, patients were less accurate than controls at recognizing a standard duration. The performance of patients was also significantly different from controls on a temporal bisection task, in which participants categorized durations as short or long. Although time estimation may be closely intertwined with working memory, patients' working memory as measured by the digit span task did not correlate significantly with their performance on the duration judgement tasks. Moreover, lowered intelligence scores could not completely account for the findings.
Conclusions. We take these results to suggest that patients with schizophrenia are less accurate at estimating brief time periods. These deficits may reflect dysfunction of biopsychological timing processes
Density perturbations in the brane-world
In Randall-Sundrum-type brane-world cosmologies, density perturbations
generate Weyl curvature in the bulk, which in turn backreacts on the brane via
stress-energy perturbations. On large scales, the perturbation equations
contain a closed system on the brane, which may be solved without solving for
the bulk perturbations. Bulk effects produce a non-adiabatic mode, even when
the matter perturbations are adiabatic, and alter the background dynamics. As a
consequence, the standard evolution of large-scale fluctuations in general
relativity is modified. The metric perturbation on large-scales is not constant
during high-energy inflation. It is constant during the radiation era, except
at most during the very beginning, if the energy is high enough.Comment: Additional arguments and minor corrections; version accepted by Phys.
Rev.
Long-Term Stability of Ferri-/Ferrocyanide as an Electroactive Component for Redox Flow Battery Applications: On the Origin of Apparent Capacity Fade
We assess the suitability of potassium ferri-/ferrocyanide as an electroactive species for long-term utilization in aqueous organic redox flow batteries. A series of electrochemical and chemical characterization experiments was performed to distinguish between structural decomposition and apparent capacity fade of ferri-/ferrocyanide solutions used in the capacity-limiting side of a flow battery. Our results indicate that, in contrast with previous reports, no structural decomposition of ferri-/ferrocyanide occurs at tested pH values as high as 14 in the dark or in diffuse indoor light. Instead, an apparent capacity fade takes place due to a chemical reduction of ferricyanide to ferrocyanide, via chemical oxygen evolution reaction. We find that this parasitic process can be further exacerbated by carbon electrodes, with apparent capacity fade rates at pH 14 increasing with an increased ratio of carbon electrode surface area to ferricyanide in solution. Based on these results, we report a set of operating conditions that enables the long-duration cycling of alkaline ferri-/ferrocyanide electrolytes and demonstrate how apparent capacity fade rates can be engineered by the initial system setup. If protected from direct exposure to light, the structural stability of ferri-/ferrocyanide anions allows for their practical deployment as electroactive species in long duration energy storage applications. © 2023 The Author(s). Published on behalf of The Electrochemical Society by IOP Publishing Limited
Anisotropy dissipation in brane-world inflation
We examine the behavior of an anisotropic brane-world in the presence of
inflationary scalar fields. We show that, contrary to naive expectations, a
large anisotropy does not adversely affect inflation. On the contrary, a large
initial anisotropy introduces more damping into the scalar field equation of
motion, resulting in greater inflation. The rapid decay of anisotropy in the
brane-world significantly increases the class of initial conditions from which
the observed universe could have originated. This generalizes a similar result
in general relativity. A unique feature of Bianchi I brane-world cosmology
appears to be that for scalar fields with a large kinetic term the initial
expansion of the universe is quasi-isotropic. The universe grows more
anisotropic during an intermediate transient regime until anisotropy finally
disappears during inflationary expansion.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures; minor typo corrected in Eq. (16); matches version
to appear in Phy Rev
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