Recursion relations for generalized Fresnel coefficients: Casimir force in a planar cavity

We emphasize and demonstrate that, besides using the usual recursion relations involving successive layers, generalized Fresnel coefficients of a multilayer can equivalently be calculated using the recursion relations involving stacks of layers, as introduced some time ago [M. S. Tomas, Phys. Rev. A 51, 2545 (1995)]. Moreover, since the definition of the generalized Fresnel coefficients employed does not imply properties of the stacks, these nonstandard recursion relations can be used to calculate Fresnel coefficients not only for local systems but also for a general multilayer consisting of various types (local, nonlocal, inhomogeneous etc.) of layers. Their utility is illustrated by deriving a few simple algorithms for calculating the reflectivity of a Bragg mirror and extending the formula for the Casimir force in a planar cavity to arbitrary media.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, slightly expande

Surface Impedance Determination via Numerical Resolution of the Inverse Helmholtz Problem

Assigning boundary conditions, such as acoustic impedance, to the frequency domain thermoviscous wave equations (TWE), derived from the linearized Navier-Stokes equations (LNSE) poses a Helmholtz problem, solution to which yields a discrete set of complex eigenfunctions and eigenvalue pairs. The proposed method -- the inverse Helmholtz solver (iHS) -- reverses such procedure by returning the value of acoustic impedance at one or more unknown impedance boundaries (IBs) of a given domain, via spatial integration of the TWE for a given real-valued frequency with assigned conditions on other boundaries. The iHS procedure is applied to a second-order spatial discretization of the TWEs on an unstructured staggered grid arrangement. Only the momentum equation is extended to the center of each IB face where pressure and velocity components are co-located and treated as unknowns. The iHS is finally closed via assignment of the surface gradient of pressure phase over the IBs, corresponding to assigning the shape of the acoustic waveform at the IB. The iHS procedure can be carried out independently for different frequencies, making it embarrassingly parallel, and able to return the complete broadband complex impedance distribution at the IBs in any desired frequency range to arbitrary numerical precision. The iHS approach is first validated against Rott's theory for viscous rectangular and circular ducts. The impedance of a toy porous cavity with a complex geometry is then reconstructed and validated with companion fully compressible unstructured Navier-Stokes simulations resolving the cavity geometry. Verification against one-dimensional impedance test tube calculations based on time-domain impedance boundary conditions (TDIBC) is also carried out. Finally, results from a preliminary analysis of a thermoacoustically unstable cavity are presented.Comment: As submitted to AIAA Aviation 201

Geomagnetic control of the <i>fo</i>F2 long-term trends

International audienceFurther development of the method proposed by Danilov and Mikhailov is presented. The method is applied to reveal the foF2 long-term trends on 30 Northern Hemisphere ionosonde stations. Most of them show significant foF2 trends. A pronounced dependence of trend magnitude on geomagnetic (invariant) latitude is confirmed. Periods of negative/positive foF2 trends corresponding to the periods of long-term increasing/decreasing geomagnetic activity are revealed for the first time. Pronounced diurnal variations of the foF2 trend magnitude are found. Strong positive foF2 trends in the post-midnight-early-morning LT sector and strong negative trends during daytime hours are found on the sub-auroral stations for the period with increasing geomagnetic activity. On the contrary middle and lower latitude stations demonstrate negative trends in the early-morning LT sector and small negative or positive trends during daytime hours for the same period. All the morphological features revealed of the foF2 trends may be explained in the framework of contemporary F2-region storm mechanisms. This newly proposed F2-layer geomagnetic storm concept casts serious doubts on the hypothesis relating the F2-layer parameter long-term trends to the thermosphere cooling due to the greenhouse effect

An interpretation of the <i>?o</i>F2 and <i>hm</i>F2 long-term trends in the framework of the geomagnetic control concept

International audienceEarlier revealed morphological features of the foF2 and hmF2 long-term trends are interpreted in the scope of the geomagnetic control concept based on the contemporary F2-layer storm mechanisms. The F2-layer parameter trends strongly depend on the long-term varying geomagnetic activity whose effects cannot be removed from the trends using conventional indices of geomagnetic activity. Therefore, any interpretation of the foF2 and hmF2 trends should consider the geomagnetic effects as an inalienable part of the trend analysis. Periods with negative and positive foF2 and hmF2 trends correspond to the periods of increasing or decreasing geomagnetic activity with the turning points around 1955, and the end of 1960s and 1980s, where foF2 and hmF2 trends change their signs. Such variations can be explained by neutral composition, as well as temperature and thermospheric wind changes related to geomagnetic activity variations. In particular, for the period of increasing geomagnetic activity (1965?1991) positive at lower latitudes, but negative at middle and high latitudes, foF2 trends may be explained by neutral composition and temperature changes, while soft electron precipitation determines nighttime trends at sub-auroral and auroral latitudes. A pronounced dependence of the foF2 trends on geomagnetic (invariant) latitude and the absence of any latitudinal dependence for the hmF2 trends are due to different dependencies of NmF2 and hmF2 on main aeronomic parameters. All of the revealed latitudinal and diurnal foF2 and hmF2 trend variations may be explained in the frame-work of contemporary F2-region storm mechanisms. The newly proposed geomagnetic storm concept used to explain F2-layer parameter long-term trends proceeds from a natural origin of the trends rather than an artificial one, related to the thermosphere cooling due to the greenhouse effect. Within this concept, instead of cooling, one should expect the thermosphere heating for the period of increasing geomagnetic activity (1965?1991)

Progressive search space reduction for human pose estimation

The objective of this paper is to estimate 2D human pose as a spatial configuration of body parts in TV and movie video shots. Such video material is uncontrolled and extremely challenging. We propose an approach that progressively reduces the search space for body parts, to greatly improve the chances that pose estimation will succeed. This involves two contributions: (i) a generic detector using a weak model of pose to substantially reduce the full pose search space; and (ii) employing ‘grabcut ’ initialized on detected regions proposed by the weak model, to further prune the search space. Moreover, we also propose (iii) an integrated spatiotemporal model covering multiple frames to refine pose estimates from individual frames, with inference using belief propagation. The method is fully automatic and self-initializing, and explains the spatio-temporal volume covered by a person moving in a shot, by soft-labeling every pixel as belonging to a particular body part or to the background. We demonstrate upper-body pose estimation by an extensive evaluation over 70000 frames from four episodes of the TV series Buffy the vampire slayer, and present an application to fullbody action recognition on the Weizmann dataset. 1

Reciprocal Relations Between Kinetic Curves

We study coupled irreversible processes. For linear or linearized kinetics with microreversibility, $\dot{x}=Kx$, the kinetic operator $K$ is symmetric in the entropic inner product. This form of Onsager's reciprocal relations implies that the shift in time, $\exp (Kt)$, is also a symmetric operator. This generates the reciprocity relations between the kinetic curves. For example, for the Master equation, if we start the process from the $i$th pure state and measure the probability $p_j(t)$ of the $j$th state ($j\neq i$), and, similarly, measure $p_i(t)$ for the process, which starts at the $j$th pure state, then the ratio of these two probabilities $p_j(t)/p_i(t)$ is constant in time and coincides with the ratio of the equilibrium probabilities. We study similar and more general reciprocal relations between the kinetic curves. The experimental evidence provided as an example is from the reversible water gas shift reaction over iron oxide catalyst. The experimental data are obtained using Temporal Analysis of Products (TAP) pulse-response studies. These offer excellent confirmation within the experimental error.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, the final versio

Scientific Integrity in the Forensic Sciences: Consumerism, Conflicts of Interest, and Transparency

The goal of this paper is to discuss scientific integrity, consumerism, conflicts of interest, and transparency within the context of forensic science. Forensic scientists play crucial roles within the legal system and are constantly under various pressures when performing analytical work, generating reports based on their analyses, or testifying to the content of these reports. Maintaining the scientific integrity of these actions is paramount to supporting a functional legal system and the practice of good science. Our goal is to discuss the importance of scientific integrity as well as the factors it may compromise, so that forensic practitioners may be better equipped to recognize and avoid conflicts of interest when they arise. In this discussion we define terms, concepts, and professional relationships as well as present three case studies to contextualize these ideas

Long-term <i>hm</i>F2 trends in the Eurasian longitudinal sector from the ground-based ionosonde observations

International audienceThe method earlier used for the foF2 long-term trends analysis is applied to reveal hmF2 long-term trends at 27 ionosonde stations in the European and Asian longitudinal sectors. Observed M(3000)F2 data for the last 3 solar cycles are used to derive hmF2 trends. The majority of the studied stations show significant hmF2 linear trends with a confidence level of at least 95% for the period after 1965, with most of these trends being positive. No systematic variation of the trend magnitude with latitude is revealed, but some longitudinal effect does take place. The proposed geomagnetic storm concept to explain hmF2 long-term trends proceeds from a natural origin of the trends rather than an artificial one related to the thermosphere cooling due to the greenhouse effect