5,304 research outputs found
The crustal dynamics intelligent user interface anthology
The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) has initiated an Intelligent Data Management (IDM) research effort which has, as one of its components, the development of an Intelligent User Interface (IUI). The intent of the IUI is to develop a friendly and intelligent user interface service based on expert systems and natural language processing technologies. The purpose of such a service is to support the large number of potential scientific and engineering users that have need of space and land-related research and technical data, but have little or no experience in query languages or understanding of the information content or architecture of the databases of interest. This document presents the design concepts, development approach and evaluation of the performance of a prototype IUI system for the Crustal Dynamics Project Database, which was developed using a microcomputer-based expert system tool (M. 1), the natural language query processor THEMIS, and the graphics software system GSS. The IUI design is based on a multiple view representation of a database from both the user and database perspective, with intelligent processes to translate between the views
NLTE Strontium and Barium in metal poor red giant stars
We present atmospheric models of red giant stars of various metallicities,
including extremely metal poor (XMP, [Fe/H]<-3.5) models, with many chemical
species, including, significantly, the first two ionization stages of Strontium
(Sr) and Barium (Ba), treated in Non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (NLTE)
with various degrees of realism. We conclude that 1) for all lines that are
useful Sr and Ba abundance diagnostics the magnitude and sense of the computed
NLTE effect on the predicted line strength is metallicity dependent, 2) the
indirect NLTE effect of overlap between Ba and Sr transitions and transitions
of other species that are also treated in NLTE non-negligibly enhances NLTE
abundance corrections for some lines, 3) the indirect NLTE effect of NLTE
opacity of other species on the equilibrium structure of the atmospheric model
is not significant, 4) the computed NLTE line strengths differ negligibly if
collisional b-b and b-f rates are an order of magnitude smaller or larger than
those calculated with standard analytic formulae, and 5) the effect of NLTE
upon the resonance line of Ba II at 4554.03 AA is independent of whether that
line is treated with hyperfine splitting. As a result, the derivation of
abundances of Ba and Sr for metal-poor red giant stars with LTE modeling that
are in the literature should be treated with caution.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in April 2006
Astrophysical Journa
A stab in the dark: chick killing by brood parasitic honeyguides
The most virulent avian brood parasites obligately kill host young soon after hatching, thus ensuring their monopoly of host parental care. While the host eviction behaviour of cuckoos (Cuculidae) is well documented, the host killing behaviour of honeyguide (Indicatoridae) chicks has been witnessed only once, 60 years ago, and never in situ in host nests. Here, we report from the Afrotropical greater honeyguide the first detailed observations of honeyguides killing host chicks with their specially adapted bill hooks, based on repeated video recordings (available in the electronic supplementary material). Adult greater honeyguides puncture host eggs when they lay their own, but in about half of host nests at least one host egg survived, precipitating chick killing by the honeyguide hatchling. Hosts always hatched after honeyguide chicks, and were killed within hours. Despite being blind and in total darkness, honeyguides attacked host young with sustained biting, grasping and shaking motions. Attack time of 1–5 min was sufficient to cause host death, which took from 9 min to over 7 h from first attack. Honeyguides also bit unhatched eggs and human hands, but only rarely bit the host parents feeding them
Full density matrix dynamics for large quantum systems: Interactions, Decoherence and Inelastic effects
We develop analytical tools and numerical methods for time evolving the total
density matrix of the finite-size Anderson model. The model is composed of two
finite metal grains, each prepared in canonical states of differing chemical
potential and connected through a single electronic level (quantum dot or
impurity). Coulomb interactions are either excluded all together, or allowed on
the dot only. We extend this basic model to emulate decoherring and inelastic
scattering processes for the dot electrons with the probe technique. Three
methods, originally developed to treat impurity dynamics, are augmented to
yield global system dynamics: the quantum Langevin equation method, the well
known fermionic trace formula, and an iterative path integral approach. The
latter accommodates interactions on the dot in a numerically exact fashion. We
apply the developed techniques to two open topics in nonequilibrium many-body
physics: (i) We explore the role of many-body electron-electron repulsion
effects on the dynamics of the system. Results, obtained using exact path
integral simulations, are compared to mean-field quantum Langevin equation
predictions. (ii) We analyze aspects of quantum equilibration and
thermalization in large quantum systems using the probe technique, mimicking
elastic-dephasing effects and inelastic interactions on the dot. Here, unitary
simulations based on the fermionic trace formula are accompanied by quantum
Langevin equation calculations
Actions of the braid group, and new algebraic proofs of results of Dehornoy and Larue
This article surveys many standard results about the braid group with
emphasis on simplifying the usual algebraic proofs.
We use van der Waerden's trick to illuminate the Artin-Magnus proof of the
classic presentation of the algebraic mapping-class group of a punctured disc.
We give a simple, new proof of the Dehornoy-Larue braid-group trichotomy,
and, hence, recover the Dehornoy right-ordering of the braid group.
We then turn to the Birman-Hilden theorem concerning braid-group actions on
free products of cyclic groups, and the consequences derived by Perron-Vannier,
and the connections with the Wada representations. We recall the very simple
Crisp-Paris proof of the Birman-Hilden theorem that uses the Larue-Shpilrain
technique. Studying ends of free groups permits a deeper understanding of the
braid group; this gives us a generalization of the Birman-Hilden theorem.
Studying Jordan curves in the punctured disc permits a still deeper
understanding of the braid group; this gave Larue, in his PhD thesis,
correspondingly deeper results, and, in an appendix, we recall the essence of
Larue's thesis, giving simpler combinatorial proofs.Comment: 51`pages, 13 figure
Filling some black holes: modeling the connection between urbanization, infrastructure, and global service intensity
This empirical article combines insights from previous research on the level of knowledge-intensive service in metropolitan areas with the aim to develop an understanding of the spatial structure of the global service economy. We use a stepwise regression model with the Globalization and World Cities research network's measure of globalized service provisioning as the dependent variable and a range of variables focusing on population, infrastructure, urban primacy, and national regulation as independent variables. The discussion of the results focuses on model parameters as well as the meaning of outliers and is used to explore some avenues for future research
Practical Implementations of Twirl Operations
Twirl operations, which convert impure singlet states into Werner states,
play an important role in many schemes for entanglement purification. In this
paper we describe strategies for implementing twirl operations, with an
emphasis on methods suitable for ensemble quantum information processors such
as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantum computers. We implement our twirl
operation on a general two-spin mixed state using liquid state NMR techniques,
demonstrating that we can obtain the singlet Werner state with high fidelity.Comment: 6 pages RevTex4 including 2 figures (fig 1 low quality to save space
A generalized quantum microcanonical ensemble
We discuss a generalized quantum microcanonical ensemble. It describes
isolated systems that are not necessarily in an eigenstate of the Hamilton
operator. Statistical averages are obtained by a combination of a time average
and a maximum entropy argument to resolve the lack of knowledge about initial
conditions. As a result, statistical averages of linear observables coincide
with values obtained in the canonical ensemble. Non-canonical averages can be
obtained by taking into account conserved quantities which are non-linear
functions of the microstate.Comment: improved version, new titl
Nonclassical Interference Effects In The Radiation From Coherently Driven Uncorrelated Atoms
We demonstrate the existence of new nonclassical correlations in the
radiation of two atoms, which are coherently driven by a continuous laser
source. The photon-photon-correlations of the fluorescence light show a spatial
interferene pattern not present in a classical treatment. A feature of the new
phenomenon is, that bunched and antibunched light is emitted in different
spatial directions. The calculations are performed analytically. It is pointed
out, that the correlations are induced by state reduction due to the
measurement process when the detection of the photons does not distinguish
between the atoms. It is interesting to note, that the phenomena show up even
without any interatomic interaction.Comment: 4 pages, 6 Figure
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