Application of asymptotic expansions of maximum likelihood estimators errors to gravitational waves from binary mergers: the single interferometer case

In this paper we describe a new methodology to calculate analytically the error for a maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) for physical parameters from Gravitational wave signals. All the existing litterature focuses on the usage of the Cramer Rao Lower bounds (CRLB) as a mean to approximate the errors for large signal to noise ratios. We show here how the variance and the bias of a MLE estimate can be expressed instead in inverse powers of the signal to noise ratios where the first order in the variance expansion is the CRLB. As an application we compute the second order of the variance and bias for MLE of physical parameters from the inspiral phase of binary mergers and for noises of gravitational wave interferometers . We also compare the improved error estimate with existing numerical estimates. The value of the second order of the variance expansions allows to get error predictions closer to what is observed in numerical simulations. It also predicts correctly the necessary SNR to approximate the error with the CRLB and provides new insight on the relationship between waveform properties SNR and estimation errors. For example the timing match filtering becomes optimal only if the SNR is larger than the kurtosis of the gravitational wave spectrum

Comparison of energy spreads induced by a wakefield in a cavity

The energy spread of a beam bunch induced in a linear accelerator can be reduced to a minimum if the amplitude and the phase of the RF voltage are optimized. The energy spread is induced by the longitudinal wakefield and by the sinusoidal profile of the accelerating voltage acting on the beam. The cavity shape, the bunch profile, and the charge in the bunch determine the wake function. Aiming to have an approximately constant net voltage acting across the beam bunch, we optimize the amplitude and the phase of the RF voltage. The minimum energy spread, the required RF voltage, and the required RF phase are calculated as a function of the net charge and the length of the bunch. To find out the effect of cavity shape on the minimum energy spread, the optimization was performed for several types of cavities. 4 refs., 8 figs

Self-assembly of magnetic biofunctional nanoparticles

Spherical, ferromagnetic FePt nanoparticles with a particle size of 3 nm were prepared by the simultaneous polyol reduction of Fe(acac)3Fe(acac)3 and Pt(acac)2Pt(acac)2 in phenyl ether in the presence of oleic acid and oleylamine. The oleic acid ligands can be replaced with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid, giving particles that can be dispersed in water. Both x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy indicated that FePt particles were not affected by ligands replacement. Dispersions of the FePt particles with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid ligands and ammonium counter ions gave self-assembled films consisting of highly ordered hexagonal arrays of particles.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87511/2/10Q901_1.pd

Comparison among five hydrodynamic codes with a diverging-converging nozzle experiment

A realistic open-cycle gas-core nuclear rocket simulation model must be capable of a self-consistent nozzle calculation in conjunction with coupled radiation and neutron transport in three spatial dimensions. As part of the development effort for such a model, five hydrodynamic codes were used to compare with a converging-diverging nozzle experiment. The codes used in the comparison are CHAD, FLUENT, KIVA2, RAMPANT, and VNAP2. Solution accuracy as a function of mesh size is important because, in the near term, a practical three-dimensional simulation model will require rather coarse zoning across the nozzle throat. In the study, four different grids were considered. (1) coarse, radially uniform grid, (2) coarse, radially nonuniform grid, (3) fine, radially uniform grid, and (4) fine, radially nonuniform grid. The study involves code verification, not prediction. In other words, the authors know the solution they want to match, so they can change methods and/or modify an algorithm to best match this class of problem. In this context, it was necessary to use the higher-order methods in both FLUENT and RAMPANT. In addition, KIVA2 required a modification that allows significantly more accurate solutions for a converging-diverging nozzle. From a predictive point of view, code accuracy with no tuning is an important result. The most accurate codes on a coarse grid, CHAD and VNAP2, did not require any tuning. Their main comparison among the codes was the radial dependence of the Mach number across the nozzle throat. All five codes yielded a very similar solution with fine, radially uniform and radially nonuniform grids. However, the codes yielded significantly different solutions with coarse, radially uniform and radially nonuniform grids. For all the codes, radially nonuniform zoning across the throat significantly increased solution accuracy with a coarse mesh. None of the codes agrees in detail with the weak shock located downstream of the nozzle throat, but all the codes indicated the presence of a weak downstream shock

A beamforming video recorder for integrated observations of dolphin behavior and vocalizations

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 117 (2005): 1005-1008, doi:10.1121/1.1831284.In this Letter we describe a beamforming video recorder consisting of a video camera at the center of a 16 hydrophone array. A broadband frequency-domain beamforming algorithm is used to estimate the azimuth and elevation of each detected sound. These estimates are used to generate a visual cue indicating the location of the sound source within the video recording, which is synchronized to the acoustic data. The system provided accurate results in both lab calibrations and a field test. The system allows researchers to correlate the acoustic and physical behaviors of marine mammals during studies of social interactions.This research was funded by NSF Ocean Sciences CAREER award 9733391

Estado actual de la investigación arqueometalúrgica prehistórica en la provincia de Málaga

The lack of data on prehistoric metallurgical activities in Málaga made local prehistorians think that all the metal artefacts recovered in the province were of non-local origin. As a result of a project funded by the Junta de Andalucía, new data have been collected and we can begin to outline the development and socioeconomic importance that metal technologies have in different parts of Málaga throughout prehistory.La práctica inexistencia de datos sobre actividades metalúrgicas prehistóricas en Málaga y el vacío investigador que sobre este aspecto existía en la provincia habían creado un estado de opinión entre los prehistoriadores locales tendente a considerar como de origen extraprovincial la totalidad de los artefactos metálicos prehistóricos recuperados. Como resultado de un proyecto subvencionado por la Junta de Andalucía, estos datos que faltaban comienzan ahora a ser recuperados, y se puede empezar a trazar un esbozo general del desarrollo e importancia socieconómica que este grupo de tecnologías tuvieron en los diversos ambientes geográficos de la provincia de Málaga durante la prehistoria

Estado actual de la investigación arqueometalúrgica prehistórica en la provincia de Málaga

The lack of data on prehistoric metallurgical activities in Málaga made local prehistorians think that all the metal artefacts recovered in the province were of non-local origin. 
 As a result of a project funded by the Junta de Andalucía, new data have been collected and we can begin to outline the development and socioeconomic importance that metal technologies have in different parts of Málaga throughout prehistory.<br><br>La práctica inexistencia de datos sobre actividades metalúrgicas prehistóricas en Málaga y el vacío investigador que sobre este aspecto existía en la provincia habían creado un estado de opinión entre los prehistoriadores locales tendente a considerar como de origen extraprovincial la totalidad de los artefactos metálicos prehistóricos recuperados. 
 Como resultado de un proyecto subvencionado por la Junta de Andalucía, estos datos que faltaban comienzan ahora a ser recuperados, y se puede empezar a trazar un esbozo general del desarrollo e importancia socieconómica que este grupo de tecnologías tuvieron en los diversos ambientes geográficos de la provincia de Málaga durante la prehistoria

Three-dimensional beam pattern of regular sperm whale clicks confirms bent-horn hypothesis

Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 117 (2005): 1473-1485, doi:10.1121/1.1828501.The three-dimensional beam pattern of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) tagged in the Ligurian Sea was derived using data on regular clicks from the tag and from hydrophones towed behind a ship circling the tagged whale. The tag defined the orientation of the whale, while sightings and beamformer data were used to locate the whale with respect to the ship. The existence of a narrow, forward-directed P1 beam with source levels exceeding 210 dBpeak re: 1 µPa at 1 m is confirmed. A modeled forward-beam pattern, that matches clicks >20° off-axis, predicts a directivity index of 26.7 dB and source levels of up to 229 dBpeak re: 1 µPa at 1 m. A broader backward-directed beam is produced by the P0 pulse with source levels near 200 dBpeak re: 1 µPa at 1 m and a directivity index of 7.4 dB. A low-frequency component with source levels near 190 dBpeak re: 1 µPa at 1 m is generated at the onset of the P0 pulse by air resonance. The results support the bent-horn model of sound production in sperm whales. While the sperm whale nose appears primarily adapted to produce an intense forward-directed sonar signal, less-directional click components convey information to conspecifics, and give rise to echoes from the seafloor and the surface, which may be useful for orientation during dives.This work was funded by grants from the Office of Naval Research Grants N00014-99-1-0819 and N00014-01-1-0705, and the Packard Foundation

Temperature equilibration in strongly coupled plasma

A laser-driven experiment investigating electron-ion equilibration in strongly coupled plasma was performed in 1995. At that time, standard estimates for the electron-ion equilibration time were two-to-three orders of magnitude faster than observed experimentally. As a result, the electron-ion equilibration time was taken as a fitting parameter to understand the experimental results. Based upon guidance from nonequilibrium molecular dynamics mixture calculations 121 and comparison with strongly coupled resistivity experiments, we have developed a consistent binary collision model to understand the electron-ion equilibration experiment. The model has been implemented in a newly developed multi-species, multi-temperature physics code, which was used for simulation of the experiment. The resulting electron-ion exchange rate is close to the experiment, which is about three orders-of-magnitude slower than given by standard estimates, most of which is the result of a modified coulomb logarithm

Characterization of Synaptically Connected Nuclei in a Potential Sensorimotor Feedback Pathway in the Zebra Finch Song System

Birdsong is a learned behavior that is controlled by a group of identified nuclei, known collectively as the song system. The cortical nucleus HVC (used as a proper name) is a focal point of many investigations as it is necessary for song production, song learning, and receives selective auditory information. HVC receives input from several sources including the cortical area MMAN (medial magnocellular nucleus of the nidopallium). The MMAN to HVC connection is particularly interesting as it provides potential sensorimotor feedback to HVC. To begin to understand the role of this connection, we investigated the physiological relation between MMAN and HVC activity with simultaneous multiunit extracellular recordings from these two nuclei in urethane anesthetized zebra finches. As previously reported, we found similar timing in spontaneous bursts of activity in MMAN and HVC. Like HVC, MMAN responds to auditory playback of the bird's own song (BOS), but had little response to reversed BOS or conspecific song. Stimulation of MMAN resulted in evoked activity in HVC, indicating functional excitation from MMAN to HVC. However, inactivation of MMAN resulted in no consistent change in auditory responses in HVC. Taken together, these results indicate that MMAN provides functional excitatory input to HVC but does not provide significant auditory input to HVC in anesthetized animals. We hypothesize that MMAN may play a role in motor reinforcement or coordination, or may provide modulatory input to the song system about the internal state of the animal as it receives input from the hypothalamus