A fast 2D image reconstruction algorithm from 1D data for the Gaia mission

A fast 2-dimensional image reconstruction method is presented, which takes as input 1-dimensional data acquired from scans across a central source in different orientations. The resultant reconstructed images do not show artefacts due to non-uniform coverage in the orientations of the scans across the central source, and are successful in avoiding a high background due to contamination of the flux from the central source across the reconstructed image. Due to the weighting scheme employed this method is also naturally robust to hot pixels. This method was developed specifically with Gaia data in mind, but should be useful in combining data with mismatched resolutions in different directions.Comment: accepted (18 pages, 13 figures) will appear in Experimental Astronom

Conserving Approximations in Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory

In the present work we propose a theory for obtaining successively better approximations to the linear response functions of time-dependent density or current-density functional theory. The new technique is based on the variational approach to many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) as developed during the sixties and later expanded by us in the mid nineties. Due to this feature the resulting response functions obey a large number of conservation laws such as particle and momentum conservation and sum rules. The quality of the obtained results is governed by the physical processes built in through MBPT but also by the choice of variational expressions. We here present several conserving response functions of different sophistication to be used in the calculation of the optical response of solids and nano-scale systems.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, revised versio

From Hipparcos to Gaia

The measurement of the positions, distances, motions and luminosities of stars represents the foundations of modern astronomical knowledge. Launched at the end of the eighties, the ESA Hipparcos satellite was the first space mission dedicated to such measurements. Hipparcos improved position accuracies by a factor of 100 compared to typical ground-based results and provided astrometric and photometric multi-epoch observations of 118,000 stars over the entire sky. The impact of Hipparcos on astrophysics has been extremely valuable and diverse. Building on this important European success, the ESA Gaia cornerstone mission promises an even more impressive advance. Compared to Hipparcos, it will bring a gain of a factor 50 to 100 in position accuracy and of a factor of 10,000 in star number, collecting photometric, spectrophotometric and spectroscopic data for one billion celestial objects. During its 5-year flight, Gaia will measure objects repeatedly, up to a few hundred times, providing an unprecedented database to study the variability of all types of celestial objects. Gaia will bring outstanding contributions, directly or indirectly, to most fields of research in astrophysics, such as the study of our Galaxy and of its stellar constituents, the search for planets outside the solar system.Comment: 6 pages. New Horizons in Time Domain Astronomy Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 285, 2012, E. Griffin, B. Hanisch & R. Seaman, ed

On the Executability of Interactive Computation

The model of interactive Turing machines (ITMs) has been proposed to characterise which stream translations are interactively computable; the model of reactive Turing machines (RTMs) has been proposed to characterise which behaviours are reactively executable. In this article we provide a comparison of the two models. We show, on the one hand, that the behaviour exhibited by ITMs is reactively executable, and, on the other hand, that the stream translations naturally associated with RTMs are interactively computable. We conclude from these results that the theory of reactive executability subsumes the theory of interactive computability. Inspired by the existing model of ITMs with advice, which provides a model of evolving computation, we also consider RTMs with advice and we establish that a facility of advice considerably upgrades the behavioural expressiveness of RTMs: every countable transition system can be simulated by some RTM with advice up to a fine notion of behavioural equivalence.Comment: 15 pages, 0 figure

Many-body Green's function theory for electron-phonon interactions: the Kadanoff-Baym approach to spectral properties of the Holstein dimer

We present a Kadanoff-Baym formalism to study time-dependent phenomena for systems of interacting electrons and phonons in the framework of many-body perturbation theory. The formalism takes correctly into account effects of the initial preparation of an equilibrium state, and allows for an explicit time-dependence of both the electronic and phononic degrees of freedom. The method is applied to investigate the charge neutral and non-neutral excitation spectra of a homogeneous, two-site, two-electron Holstein model. This is an extension of a previous study of the ground state properties in the Hartree (H), partially self-consistent Born (Gd) and fully self-consistent Born (GD) approximations published in Ref. [arXiv:1403.2968]. We show that choosing a homogeneous ground state solution leads to unstable dynamics for a sufficiently strong interaction, and that allowing a symmetry-broken state prevents this. The instability is caused by the bifurcation of the ground state and understood physically to be connected with the bipolaronic crossover of the exact system. This mean-field instability persists in the partially self-consistent Born approximation but is not found for the fully self-consistent Born approximation. By understanding the stability properties, we are able to study the linear response regime by calculating the density-density response function by time-propagation. This functions amounts to a solution of the Bethe-Salpeter equation with a sophisticated kernel. The results indicate that none of the approximations is able to describe the response function during or beyond the bipolaronic crossover for the parameters investigated. Overall, we provide an extensive discussion on when the approximations are valid, and how they fail to describe the studied exact properties of the chosen model system.Comment: 12 figure

Wick Theorem for General Initial States

We present a compact and simplified proof of a generalized Wick theorem to calculate the Green's function of bosonic and fermionic systems in an arbitrary initial state. It is shown that the decomposition of the non-interacting $n$-particle Green's function is equivalent to solving a boundary problem for the Martin-Schwinger hierarchy; for non-correlated initial states a one-line proof of the standard Wick theorem is given. Our result leads to new self-energy diagrams and an elegant relation with those of the imaginary-time formalism is derived. The theorem is easy to use and can be combined with any ground-state numerical technique to calculate time-dependent properties.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure; extended version published in Phys. Rev.

Evaluation of three classifiers in mapping forest stand types using medium resolution imagery: a case study in the Offinso Forest District, Ghana

Loss of Ghana’s natural forests has been counteracted by plantation establishment and development. As at 2003, Ghana had a plantation area of about 97,000 hectares comprising different tree species. With the rapid expansion of plantations in the country, it is anticipated that major managerial challenges will arise due to insignificant technical personnel for monitoring and management. The application of GIS and remote sensing will be a powerful intervention and tool for monitoring and managing these forest resources in the area. The aim of this study was to determine a suitable method of mapping the different forest stand types using medium resolution images in the study area. Three classifiers were examined for their suitability in mapping the different forest stand types in the area (maximum likelihood, spectral angle mapper and decision tree). The results showed that using maximum likelihood classifier and ASTER imagery, different forest stand types can be accurately mapped with an overall accuracy of 88.50%.Key words: Geo-referenced, classification, algorithm, spectral, mapper

Land disputes and local conflict resolution mechanisms in Burundi

Over the year 2004, CED-CARITAS has been assisting the return of Burundian refugees and accompanied their reinsertion in their original communities. The progressive return of refugees accentuates the already existing pressure on agricultural land. Convinced that the question of land property is a key factor for sustainable peace, the Catholic Church of Burundi would like to start a project for ‘accompanying the peace process and reinsertion of victims in Burundi through the identification of land properties in dispute’. The first phase of the project consists of an identification and analysis of disputed land properties, to provide precise information on the nature and magnitude of the actually existing disputes about land. This research is meant to help decision takers in defining strategies for the prevention and peaceful resolution of disputes arising from the return of refugees. Hence, in cooperation with the Commission Episcopal Justice & Paix and its sub-offices in the communities, CED-Caritas has conducted a quantitative enquiry to identify all land problems and disputes existing in the different parishes of Burundi