\Lambda_b Lifetime from the HQET Sum Rule

The HQET sum rule analysis for the \Lambda_b matrix element of the four-quark operator relevant to its lifetime is reported. Our main conclusion is that the lifetime ratio \tau(\Lambda_b)/\tau(B^0) can be as low as 0.91.Comment: 5 pages, latex, no figures, uses sprocl.sty (included). Talk by C. Liu at Int. Conf. on Flavor Phys., Zhang-Jia-Jie, 31/5-6/6 200

Two-Dimensional Sparse Arrays with Hole-Free Coarray and Reduced Mutual Coupling

Two-dimensional sparse arrays with hole-free difference coarrays, like billboard arrays and open box arrays, can identify O(N^2) uncorrelated source directions (DOA) using N sensors. These arrays contain some dense ULA segments, leading to many sensor pairs separated by λ/2. The DOA estimation performance often suffers degradation due to mutual coupling between such closely-spaced sensor pairs. This paper introduces a new 2D array called the half open box array. For a given N, this array has the same hole-free coarray as an open box array. At the same time, the number of sensor pairs with small separation is significantly reduced

Super Nested Arrays: Sparse arrays with Less Mutual Coupling than Nested Arrays

In array processing, mutual coupling between sensors has an adverse effect on the estimation of parameters (e.g., DOA). Sparse arrays, such as nested arrays, coprime arrays, and minimum redundancy arrays (MRAs), have reduced mutual coupling compared to uniform linear arrays (ULAs). With N denoting the number of sensors, these sparse arrays offer O(N^2) freedoms for source estimation because their difference coarrays have O(N^2)-long ULA segments. These arrays have different shortcomings: coprime arrays have holes in the coarray, MRAs have no closed-form expressions, and nested arrays have relatively large mutual coupling. This paper introduces a new array called the super nested array, which has all the good properties of the nested array, and at the same time reduces mutual coupling significantly. For fixed N, the super nested array has the same physical aperture, and the same hole-free coarray as does the nested array. But the number of sensor pairs with separation λ/2 is significantly reduced. Many theoretical properties are proved and simulations are included to demonstrate the superior performance of these arrays

Novel Algorithms for Analyzing the Robustness of Difference Coarrays to Sensor Failures

Sparse arrays have drawn attention because they can identify O(N²) uncorrelated source directions using N physical sensors, whereasuniform linear arrays (ULA) find at most N−1 sources. The main reason is that the difference coarray, defined as the set of differences between sensor locations, has size of O(N²) for some sparse arrays. However, the performance of sparse arrays may degrade significantly under sensor failures. In the literature, the k-essentialness property characterizes the patterns of k sensor failures that change the difference coarray. Based on this concept, the k-essential family, the k-fragility, and the k-essential Sperner family provide insights into the robustness of arrays. This paper proposes novel algorithms for computing these attributes. The first algorithm computes the k-essential Sperner family without enumerating all possible k-essential subarrays. With this information, the second algorithm finds the k-essential family first and the k-fragility next. These algorithms are applicable to any 1-D array. However, for robust array design, fast computation for the k-fragility is preferred. For this reason, a simple expression associated with the k-essential Sperner family is proposed to be a tighter lower bound for the k-fragility than the previous result. Numerical examples validate the proposed algorithms and the presented lower bound