MARTA: A high-energy cosmic-ray detector concept with high-accuracy muon measurement

A new concept for the direct measurement of muons in air showers is presented. The concept is based on resistive plate chambers (RPCs), which can directly measure muons with very good space and time resolution. The muon detector is shielded by placing it under another detector able to absorb and measure the electromagnetic component of the showers such as a water-Cherenkov detector, commonly used in air shower arrays. The combination of the two detectors in a single, compact detector unit provides a unique measurement that opens rich possibilities in the study of air showers.Comment: 11 page

On the Complexity of Recognizing Iterated Differences of Polyhedra

The iterated difference of polyhedra $V = P_1 \backslash ( P_2 \backslash (... P_k ) ... )$ has been proposed independently in [Zwie-Aart-Wess92] and [Shon93] as a sufficient condition for $V$ to be exactly computable by a two-layered neural network. An algorithm checking whether $V$ included in $R^d$ is an iterated difference of polyhedra is proposed in [Zwie-Aart-Wess92]. However, this algorithm is not practically usable because it has a high computational complexity and it was only conjectured to stop with a negative answer when applied to a region which is not an iterated difference of polyhedra. This paper sheds some light on the nature of iterated difference of polyhedra. The outcomes are\,: (i) an algorithm which always stops after a small number of iterations, (ii) sufficient conditions for this algorithm to be polynomial and (iii) the proof that an iterated difference of polyhedra can be exactly computed by a two-layered neural network using only essential hyperplanes

Effectiveness evaluation of data mining based IDS

Proceeding of: 6th Industrial Conference on Data Mining, ICDM 2006, Leipzig, Germany, July 14-15, 2006.Data mining has been widely applied to the problem of Intrusion Detection in computer networks. However, the misconception of the underlying problem has led to out of context results. This paper shows that factors such as the probability of intrusion and the costs of responding to detected intrusions must be taken into account in order to compare the effectiveness of machine learning algorithms over the intrusion detection domain. Furthermore, we show the advantages of combining different detection techniques. Results regarding the well known 1999 KDD dataset are shown.Publicad

A hybrid nonlinear-discriminant analysis feature projection technique

Feature set dimensionality reduction via Discriminant Analysis (DA) is one of the most sought after approaches in many applications. In this paper, a novel nonlinear DA technique is presented based on a hybrid of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and the Uncorrelated Linear Discriminant Analysis (ULDA). Although dimensionality reduction via ULDA can present a set of statistically uncorrelated features, but similar to the existing DA's it assumes that the original data set is linearly separable, which is not the case with most real world problems. In order to overcome this problem, a one layer feed-forward ANN trained with a Differential Evolution (DE) optimization technique is combined with ULDA to implement a nonlinear feature projection technique. This combination acts as nonlinear discriminant analysis. The proposed approach is validated on a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) problem and compared with other techniques. © 2008 Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Quantum Hall transitions: An exact theory based on conformal restriction

We revisit the problem of the plateau transition in the integer quantum Hall effect. Here we develop an analytical approach for this transition, based on the theory of conformal restriction. This is a mathematical theory that was recently developed within the context of the Schramm-Loewner evolution which describes the stochastic geometry of fractal curves and other stochastic geometrical fractal objects in 2D space. Observables elucidating the connection with the plateau transition include the so-called point-contact conductances (PCCs) between points on the boundary of the sample, described within the language of the Chalker-Coddington network model. We show that the disorder-averaged PCCs are characterized by classical probabilities for certain geometric objects in the plane (pictures), occurring with positive statistical weights, that satisfy the crucial restriction property with respect to changes in the shape of the sample with absorbing boundaries. Upon combining this restriction property with the expected conformal invariance at the transition point, we employ the mathematical theory of conformal restriction measures to relate the disorder-averaged PCCs to correlation functions of primary operators in a conformal field theory (of central charge $c=0$). We show how this can be used to calculate these functions in a number of geometries with various boundary conditions. Since our results employ only the conformal restriction property, they are equally applicable to a number of other critical disordered electronic systems in 2D. For most of these systems, we also predict exact values of critical exponents related to the spatial behavior of various disorder-averaged PCCs.Comment: Published versio

Depth of Field Analysis for Multilayer Automultiscopic Displays

With the re-emergence of stereoscopic displays, through polarized glasses for theatrical presentations and shuttered liquid crystal eyewear in the home, automultiscopic displays have received increased attention. Commercial efforts have predominantly focused on parallax barrier and lenticular architectures applied to LCD panels. Such designs suffer from reduced resolution and brightness. Recently, multilayer LCDs have emerged as an alternative supporting full-resolution imagery with enhanced brightness and depth of field. We present a signal-processing framework for comparing the depth of field for conventional automultiscopic displays and emerging architectures comprising multiple light-attenuating layers. We derive upper bounds for the depths of field, indicating the potential of multilayer configurations to significantly enhance resolution and depth of field, relative to conventional designs.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media LaboratoryMIT Camera Culture GroupNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant IIS-1116452)United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. MOSAIC ProgramUnited States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. SCENICC ProgramAlfred P. Sloan Foundation (Research Fellowship)United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (Young Faculty Award

Dissolved noble gases and stable isotopes as tracers of preferential fluid flow along faults in the Lower Rhine Embayment, Germany

Groundwater in shallow unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers close to the Bornheim fault in the Lower Rhine Embayment (LRE), Germany, has relatively low δ2H and δ18O values in comparison to regional modern groundwater recharge, and 4He concentrations up to 1.7 × 10−4 cm3 (STP) g–1 ± 2.2 % which is approximately four orders of magnitude higher than expected due to solubility equilibrium with the atmosphere. Groundwater age dating based on estimated in situ production and terrigenic flux of helium provides a groundwater residence time of ∼107 years. Although fluid exchange between the deep basal aquifer system and the upper aquifer layers is generally impeded by confining clay layers and lignite, this study’s geochemical data suggest, for the first time, that deep circulating fluids penetrate shallow aquifers in the locality of fault zones, implying  that sub-vertical fluid flow occurs along faults in the LRE. However, large hydraulic-head gradients observed across many faults suggest that they act as barriers to lateral groundwater flow. Therefore, the geochemical data reported here also substantiate a conduit-barrier model of fault-zone hydrogeology in unconsolidated sedimentary deposits, as well as corroborating the concept that faults in unconsolidated aquifer systems can act as loci for hydraulic connectivity between deep and shallow aquifers. The implications of fluid flow along faults in sedimentary basins worldwide are far reaching and of particular concern for carbon capture and storage (CCS) programmes, impacts of deep shale gas recovery for shallow groundwater aquifers, and nuclear waste storage sites where fault zones could act as potential leakage pathways for hazardous fluids

First principles theory of inelastic currents in a scanning tunneling microscope

A first principles theory of inelastic tunneling between a model probe tip and an atom adsorbed on a surface is presented, extending the elastic tunneling theory of Tersoff and Hamann. The inelastic current is proportional to the change in the local density of states at the center of the tip due to the addition of the adsorbate. We use the theory to investigate the vibrational heating of an adsorbate below an STM tip. We calculate the desorption rate of H from Si(100)-H(2$\times$1) as function of the sample bias and tunnel current, and find excellent agreement with recent experimental data.Comment: 5 pages, RevTeX, epsf file

Time Asymmetric Quantum Physics

Mathematical and phenomenological arguments in favor of asymmetric time evolution of micro-physical states are presented.Comment: Tex file with 2 figure