422 research outputs found
Plasma Sterilization Technology for Spacecraft Applications
The application of plasma gas technology to sterilization and decontamination of spacecraft components is considered. Areas investigated include: effective sterilizing ranges of four separate gases; lethal constituents of a plasma environment; effectiveness of plasma against a diverse group of microorganisms; penetrating efficiency of plasmas for sterilization; and compatibility of spacecraft materials with plasma environments. Results demonstrated that plasma gas, specifically helium plasma, is a highly effective sterilant and is compatible with spacecraft materials
Object-oriented Programming Laws for Annotated Java Programs
Object-oriented programming laws have been proposed in the context of
languages that are not combined with a behavioral interface specification
language (BISL). The strong dependence between source-code and interface
specifications may cause a number of difficulties when transforming programs.
In this paper we introduce a set of programming laws for object-oriented
languages like Java combined with the Java Modeling Language (JML). The set of
laws deals with object-oriented features taking into account their
specifications. Some laws deal only with features of the specification
language. These laws constitute a set of small transformations for the
development of more elaborate ones like refactorings
Probability distribution of arrival times in quantum mechanics
In a previous paper [V. Delgado and J. G. Muga, Phys. Rev. A 56, 3425 (1997)]
we introduced a self-adjoint operator whose eigenstates
can be used to define consistently a probability distribution of the time of
arrival at a given spatial point. In the present work we show that the
probability distribution previously proposed can be well understood on
classical grounds in the sense that it is given by the expectation value of a
certain positive definite operator which is nothing but a
straightforward quantum version of the modulus of the classical current. For
quantum states highly localized in momentum space about a certain momentum , the expectation value of becomes indistinguishable
from the quantum probability current. This fact may provide a justification for
the common practice of using the latter quantity as a probability distribution
of arrival times.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX, no figures; A Note added; To be published in Phys.
Rev.
Flexible Invariants Through Semantic Collaboration
Modular reasoning about class invariants is challenging in the presence of
dependencies among collaborating objects that need to maintain global
consistency. This paper presents semantic collaboration: a novel methodology to
specify and reason about class invariants of sequential object-oriented
programs, which models dependencies between collaborating objects by semantic
means. Combined with a simple ownership mechanism and useful default schemes,
semantic collaboration achieves the flexibility necessary to reason about
complicated inter-object dependencies but requires limited annotation burden
when applied to standard specification patterns. The methodology is implemented
in AutoProof, our program verifier for the Eiffel programming language (but it
is applicable to any language supporting some form of representation
invariants). An evaluation on several challenge problems proposed in the
literature demonstrates that it can handle a variety of idiomatic collaboration
patterns, and is more widely applicable than the existing invariant
methodologies.Comment: 22 page
Tunneling Time in the Landau-Zener Model
We give a general definition for the tunneling time in the Landau-Zener
model. This definition allows us to compute numerically the Landau-Zener
tunneling time at any sweeping rate without ambiguity. We have also obtained
analytical results in both the adiabatic limit and the sudden limit. Whenever
applicable, our results are compared to previous results and they are in good
agreement.Comment: 7pages, 9 figure
Possibility of the tunneling time determination
We show that it is impossible to determine the time a tunneling particle
spends under the barrier. However, it is possible to determine the asymptotic
time, i.e., the time the particle spends in a large area including the barrier.
We propose a model of time measurements. The model provides a procedure for
calculation of the asymptotic tunneling and reflection times. The model also
demonstrates the impossibility of determination of the time the tunneling
particle spends under the barrier. Examples for delta-form and rectangular
barrier illustrate the obtained results.Comment: 8 figure
Specifying Reusable Components
Reusable software components need expressive specifications. This paper
outlines a rigorous foundation to model-based contracts, a method to equip
classes with strong contracts that support accurate design, implementation, and
formal verification of reusable components. Model-based contracts
conservatively extend the classic Design by Contract with a notion of model,
which underpins the precise definitions of such concepts as abstract
equivalence and specification completeness. Experiments applying model-based
contracts to libraries of data structures suggest that the method enables
accurate specification of practical software
Strong quantum violation of the gravitational weak equivalence principle by a non-Gaussian wave-packet
The weak equivalence principle of gravity is examined at the quantum level in
two ways. First, the position detection probabilities of particles described by
a non-Gaussian wave-packet projected upwards against gravity around the
classical turning point and also around the point of initial projection are
calculated. These probabilities exhibit mass-dependence at both these points,
thereby reflecting the quantum violation of the weak equivalence principle.
Secondly, the mean arrival time of freely falling particles is calculated using
the quantum probability current, which also turns out to be mass dependent.
Such a mass-dependence is shown to be enhanced by increasing the
non-Gaussianity parameter of the wave packet, thus signifying a stronger
violation of the weak equivalence principle through a greater departure from
Gaussianity of the initial wave packet. The mass-dependence of both the
position detection probabilities and the mean arrival time vanish in the limit
of large mass. Thus, compatibility between the weak equivalence principle and
quantum mechanics is recovered in the macroscopic limit of the latter. A
selection of Bohm trajectories is exhibited to illustrate these features in the
free fall case.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
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