34,025 research outputs found
Universal Behavior in Large-scale Aggregation of Independent Noisy Observations
Aggregation of noisy observations involves a difficult tradeoff between
observation quality, which can be increased by increasing the number of
observations, and aggregation quality which decreases if the number of
observations is too large. We clarify this behavior for a protypical system in
which arbitrarily large numbers of observations exceeding the system capacity
can be aggregated using lossy data compression. We show the existence of a
scaling relation between the collective error and the system capacity, and show
that large scale lossy aggregation can outperform lossless aggregation above a
critical level of observation noise. Further, we show that universal results
for scaling and critical value of noise which are independent of system
capacity can be obtained by considering asymptotic behavior when the system
capacity increases toward infinity.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Minimizing Unsatisfaction in Colourful Neighbourhoods
Colouring sparse graphs under various restrictions is a theoretical problem
of significant practical relevance. Here we consider the problem of maximizing
the number of different colours available at the nodes and their
neighbourhoods, given a predetermined number of colours. In the analytical
framework of a tree approximation, carried out at both zero and finite
temperatures, solutions obtained by population dynamics give rise to estimates
of the threshold connectivity for the incomplete to complete transition, which
are consistent with those of existing algorithms. The nature of the transition
as well as the validity of the tree approximation are investigated.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figures, substantially revised with additional
explanatio
The Supershell-Molecular Cloud Connection in the Milky Way and Beyond
The role of large-scale stellar feedback in the formation of molecular clouds
has been investigated observationally by examining the relationship between HI
and 12CO(J=1-0) in supershells. Detailed parsec-resolution case studies of two
Milky Way supershells demonstrate an enhanced level of molecularisation over
both objects, and hence provide the first quantitative observational evidence
of increased molecular cloud production in volumes of space affected by
supershell activity. Recent results on supergiant shells in the LMC suggest
that while they do indeed help to organise the ISM into over-dense structures,
their global contribution to molecular cloud formation is of the order of only
~10%.Comment: Proceedings of IAUS 292 - Molecular Gas, Dust, and Star Formation in
Galaxies, eds. T. Wong & J. Ott. 4 pages, 3 figure
Spin-Electromagnetic Hydrodynamics and Magnetization Induced by Spin-Magnetic Interaction
The hydrodynamic model including the spin degree of freedom and the
electromagnetic field was discussed. In this derivation, we applied
electromagnetism for macroscopic medium proposed by Minkowski. For the equation
of motion of spin, we assumed that the hydrodynamic representation of the Pauli
equation is reproduced when the many-body effect is neglected. Then the
spin-magnetic interaction in the Pauli equation was converted to a part of the
magnetization. The fluid and spin stress tensors induced by the many-body
effect were obtained by employing the algebraic positivity of the entropy
production in the framework of the linear irreversible thermodynamics,
including the mixing effect of the irreversible currents. We further
constructed the constitutive equation of the polarization and the
magnetization. Our polarization equation is more reasonable compared to another
result obtained using electromagnetism for macroscopic medium proposed by de
Groot-Mazur.Comment: 24 pages, no figure, the discussion for the modifed thermodynamic
relation is added, several errors are corrected, accepted for publication in
PR
Supergiant Shells and Molecular Cloud Formation in the LMC
We investigate the influence of large-scale stellar feedback on the formation
of molecular clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Examining the
relationship between HI and 12CO(J=1-0) in supergiant shells (SGSs), we find
that the molecular fraction in the total volume occupied by SGSs is not
enhanced with respect to the rest of the LMC disk. However, the majority of
objects (~70% by mass) are more molecular than their local surroundings,
implying that the presence of a supergiant shell does on average have a
positive effect on the molecular gas fraction. Averaged over the full SGS
sample, our results suggest that ~12-25% of the molecular mass in supergiant
shell systems was formed as a direct result of the stellar feedback that
created the shells. This corresponds to ~4-11% of the total molecular mass of
the galaxy. These figures are an approximate lower limit to the total
contribution of stellar feedback to molecular cloud formation in the LMC, and
constitute one of the first quantitative measurements of feedback-triggered
molecular cloud formation in a galactic system.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Trajectory generation for road vehicle obstacle avoidance using convex optimization
This paper presents a method for trajectory generation using convex optimization to find a feasible, obstacle-free path for a road vehicle. Consideration of vehicle rotation is shown to be necessary if the trajectory is to avoid obstacles specified in a fixed Earth axis system. The paper establishes that, despite the presence of significant non-linearities, it is possible to articulate the obstacle avoidance problem in a tractable convex form using multiple optimization passes. Finally, it is shown by simulation that an optimal trajectory that accounts for the vehicle’s changing velocity throughout the manoeuvre is superior to a previous analytical method that assumes constant speed
How to Find More Supernovae with Less Work: Object Classification Techniques for Difference Imaging
We present the results of applying new object classification techniques to
difference images in the context of the Nearby Supernova Factory supernova
search. Most current supernova searches subtract reference images from new
images, identify objects in these difference images, and apply simple threshold
cuts on parameters such as statistical significance, shape, and motion to
reject objects such as cosmic rays, asteroids, and subtraction artifacts.
Although most static objects subtract cleanly, even a very low false positive
detection rate can lead to hundreds of non-supernova candidates which must be
vetted by human inspection before triggering additional followup. In comparison
to simple threshold cuts, more sophisticated methods such as Boosted Decision
Trees, Random Forests, and Support Vector Machines provide dramatically better
object discrimination. At the Nearby Supernova Factory, we reduced the number
of non-supernova candidates by a factor of 10 while increasing our supernova
identification efficiency. Methods such as these will be crucial for
maintaining a reasonable false positive rate in the automated transient alert
pipelines of upcoming projects such as PanSTARRS and LSST.Comment: 25 pages; 6 figures; submitted to Ap
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