2,865 research outputs found
Random Oracles in a Quantum World
The interest in post-quantum cryptography - classical systems that remain
secure in the presence of a quantum adversary - has generated elegant proposals
for new cryptosystems. Some of these systems are set in the random oracle model
and are proven secure relative to adversaries that have classical access to the
random oracle. We argue that to prove post-quantum security one needs to prove
security in the quantum-accessible random oracle model where the adversary can
query the random oracle with quantum states.
We begin by separating the classical and quantum-accessible random oracle
models by presenting a scheme that is secure when the adversary is given
classical access to the random oracle, but is insecure when the adversary can
make quantum oracle queries. We then set out to develop generic conditions
under which a classical random oracle proof implies security in the
quantum-accessible random oracle model. We introduce the concept of a
history-free reduction which is a category of classical random oracle
reductions that basically determine oracle answers independently of the history
of previous queries, and we prove that such reductions imply security in the
quantum model. We then show that certain post-quantum proposals, including ones
based on lattices, can be proven secure using history-free reductions and are
therefore post-quantum secure. We conclude with a rich set of open problems in
this area.Comment: 38 pages, v2: many substantial changes and extensions, merged with a
related paper by Boneh and Zhandr
A First Search for Cosmogenic Neutrinos with the ARIANNA Hexagonal Radio Array
The ARIANNA experiment seeks to observe the diffuse flux of neutrinos in the
10^8 - 10^10 GeV energy range using a grid of radio detectors at the surface of
the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica. The detector measures the coherent Cherenkov
radiation produced at radio frequencies, from about 100 MHz to 1 GHz, by
charged particle showers generated by neutrino interactions in the ice. The
ARIANNA Hexagonal Radio Array (HRA) is being constructed as a prototype for the
full array. During the 2013-14 austral summer, three HRA stations collected
radio data which was wirelessly transmitted off site in nearly real-time. The
performance of these stations is described and a simple analysis to search for
neutrino signals is presented. The analysis employs a set of three cuts that
reject background triggers while preserving 90% of simulated cosmogenic
neutrino triggers. No neutrino candidates are found in the data and a
model-independent 90% confidence level Neyman upper limit is placed on the all
flavor neutrino+antineutrino flux in a sliding decade-wide energy bin. The
limit reaches a minimum of 1.9x10^-23 GeV^-1 cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1 in the 10^8.5 -
10^9.5 GeV energy bin. Simulations of the performance of the full detector are
also described. The sensitivity of the full ARIANNA experiment is presented and
compared with current neutrino flux models.Comment: 22 pages, 22 figures. Published in Astroparticle Physic
Performance of the ARIANNA Hexagonal Radio Array
Installation of the ARIANNA Hexagonal Radio Array (HRA) on the Ross Ice Shelf
of Antarctica has been completed. This detector serves as a pilot program to
the ARIANNA neutrino telescope, which aims to measure the diffuse flux of very
high energy neutrinos by observing the radio pulse generated by
neutrino-induced charged particle showers in the ice. All HRA stations ran
reliably and took data during the entire 2014-2015 austral summer season. A new
radio signal direction reconstruction procedure is described, and is observed
to have a resolution better than a degree. The reconstruction is used in a
preliminary search for potential neutrino candidate events in the data from one
of the newly installed detector stations. Three cuts are used to separate radio
backgrounds from neutrino signals. The cuts are found to filter out all data
recorded by the station during the season while preserving 85.4% of simulated
neutrino events that trigger the station. This efficiency is similar to that
found in analyses of previous HRA data taking seasons.Comment: Proceedings from the 34th ICRC2015, http://icrc2015.nl/ . 8 pages, 6
figure
Almost uniform sampling via quantum walks
Many classical randomized algorithms (e.g., approximation algorithms for
#P-complete problems) utilize the following random walk algorithm for {\em
almost uniform sampling} from a state space of cardinality : run a
symmetric ergodic Markov chain on for long enough to obtain a random
state from within total variation distance of the uniform
distribution over . The running time of this algorithm, the so-called {\em
mixing time} of , is , where
is the spectral gap of .
We present a natural quantum version of this algorithm based on repeated
measurements of the {\em quantum walk} . We show that it
samples almost uniformly from with logarithmic dependence on
just as the classical walk does; previously, no such
quantum walk algorithm was known. We then outline a framework for analyzing its
running time and formulate two plausible conjectures which together would imply
that it runs in time when is
the standard transition matrix of a constant-degree graph. We prove each
conjecture for a subclass of Cayley graphs.Comment: 13 pages; v2 added NSF grant info; v3 incorporated feedbac
Livetime and sensitivity of the ARIANNA Hexagonal Radio Array
The ARIANNA collaboration completed the installation of the hexagonal radio
array (HRA) in December 2014, serving as a pilot program for a planned high
energy neutrino telescope located about 110 km south of McMurdo Station on the
Ross Ice Shelf near the coast of Antarctica. The goal of ARIANNA is to measure
both diffuse and point fluxes of astrophysical neutrinos at energies in excess
of 1016 eV. Upgraded hardware has been installed during the 2014 deployment
season and stations show a livetime of better than 90% between commissioning
and austral sunset. Though designed to observe radio pulses from neutrino
interactions originating within the ice below each detector, one station was
modified to study the low-frequency environment and signals from above. We
provide evidence that the HRA observed both continuous emission from the Galaxy
and a transient solar burst. Preliminary work on modeling the (weak) Galactic
signal confirm the absolute sensitivity of the HRA detector system.Comment: Proceedings from the 34th ICRC2015, http://icrc2015.nl/, 8 pages, 6
figure
Observation of classically `forbidden' electromagnetic wave propagation and implications for neutrino detection
Ongoing experimental efforts in Antarctica seek to detect ultra-high energy
neutrinos by measurement of radio-frequency (RF) Askaryan radiation generated
by the collision of a neutrino with an ice molecule. An array of RF antennas,
deployed either in-ice or in-air, is used to infer the properties of the
neutrino. To evaluate their experimental sensitivity, such experiments require
a refractive index model for ray tracing radio-wave trajectories from a
putative in-ice neutrino interaction point to the receiving antennas; this
gives the degree of signal absorption or ray bending from source to receiver.
The gradient in the density profile over the upper 200 meters of Antarctic ice,
coupled with Fermat's least-time principle, implies ray "bending" and the
existence of "forbidden" zones for predominantly horizontal signal propagation
at shallow depths. After re-deriving the formulas describing such shadowing, we
report on experimental results that, somewhat unexpectedly, demonstrate the
existence of electromagnetic wave transport modes from nominally shadowed
regions. The fact that this shadow-signal propagation is observed both at South
Pole and the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica suggests that the effect may be a
generic property of polar ice, with potentially important implications for
experiments seeking to detect neutrinos.Comment: 33 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in JCA
Optical Properties of Deep Ice at the South Pole - Absorption
We discuss recent measurements of the wavelength-dependent absorption
coefficients in deep South Pole ice. The method uses transit time distributions
of pulses from a variable-frequency laser sent between emitters and receivers
embedded in the ice. At depths of 800 to 1000 m scattering is dominated by
residual air bubbles, whereas absorption occurs both in ice itself and in
insoluble impurities. The absorption coefficient increases approximately
exponentially with wavelength in the measured interval 410 to 610 nm. At the
shortest wavelength our value is about a factor 20 below previous values
obtained for laboratory ice and lake ice; with increasing wavelength the
discrepancy with previous measurements decreases. At around 415 to 500 nm the
experimental uncertainties are small enough for us to resolve an extrinsic
contribution to absorption in ice: submicron dust particles contribute by an
amount that increases with depth and corresponds well with the expected
increase seen near the Last Glacial Maximum in Vostok and Dome C ice cores. The
laser pulse method allows remote mapping of gross structure in dust
concentration as a function of depth in glacial ice.Comment: 26 pages, LaTex, Accepted for publication in Applied Optics. 9
figures, not included, available on request from [email protected]
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The quality and diagnostic value of open narratives in verbal autopsy: a mixed-methods analysis of partnered interviews from Malawi
Background
Verbal autopsy (VA), the process of interviewing a deceased’s family or caregiver about signs and symptoms leading up to death, employs tools that ask a series of closed questions and can include an open narrative where respondents give an unprompted account of events preceding death. The extent to which an individual interviewer, who generally does not interpret the data, affects the quality of this data, and therefore the assigned cause of death, is poorly documented. We aimed to examine inter-interviewer reliability of open narrative and closed question data gathered during VA interviews.
Methods
During the introduction of VA data collection, as part of a larger study in Mchinji district, Malawi, we conducted partner interviews whereby two interviewers independently recorded open narrative and closed questions during the same interview. Closed questions were collected using a smartphone application (mobile-InterVA) and open narratives using pen and paper. We used mixed methods of analysis to evaluate the differences between recorded responses to open narratives and closed questions, causes of death assigned, and additional information gathered by open narrative.
Results
Eighteen partner interviews were conducted, with complete data for 11 pairs. Comparing closed questions between interviewers, the median number of differences was 1 (IQR: 0.5–3.5) of an average 65 answered; mean inter-interviewer concordance was 92 % (IQR: 92–99 %). Discrepancies in open narratives were summarized in five categories: demographics, history and care-seeking, diagnoses and symptoms, treatment and cultural. Most discrepancies were seen in the reporting of diagnoses and symptoms (e.g., malaria diagnosis); only one pair demonstrated no clear differences. The average number of clinical symptoms reported was 9 in open narratives and 20 in the closed questions. Open narratives contained additional information on health seeking and social issues surrounding deaths, which closed questions did not gather.
Conclusions
The information gleaned during open narratives was subject to inter-interviewer variability and contained a limited number of symptom indicators, suggesting that their use for assigning cause of death is questionable. However, they contained rich information on care-seeking, healthcare provision and social factors in the lead-up to death, which may be a valuable source of information for promoting accountable health services
The AMANDA Neutrino Telescope and the Indirect Search for Dark Matter
With an effective telescope area of order 10^4 m^2, a threshold of ~50 GeV
and a pointing accuracy of 2.5 degrees, the AMANDA detector represents the
first of a new generation of high energy neutrino telescopes, reaching a scale
envisaged over 25 years ago. We describe its performance, focussing on the
capability to detect halo dark matter particles via their annihilation into
neutrinos.Comment: Latex2.09, 16 pages, uses epsf.sty to place 15 postscript figures.
Talk presented at the 3rd International Symposium on Sources and Detection of
Dark Matter in the Universe (DM98), Santa Monica, California, Feb. 199
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