32,686 research outputs found
From 3D Point Clouds to Pose-Normalised Depth Maps
We consider the problem of generating either pairwise-aligned or pose-normalised depth maps from noisy 3D point clouds in a relatively unrestricted poses. Our system is deployed in a 3D face alignment application and consists of the following four stages: (i) data filtering, (ii) nose tip identification and sub-vertex localisation, (iii) computation of the (relative) face orientation, (iv) generation of either a pose aligned or a pose normalised depth map. We generate an implicit radial basis function (RBF) model of the facial surface and this is employed within all four stages of the process. For example, in stage (ii), construction of novel invariant features is based on sampling this RBF over a set of concentric spheres to give a spherically-sampled RBF (SSR) shape histogram. In stage (iii), a second novel descriptor, called an isoradius contour curvature signal, is defined, which allows rotational alignment to be determined using a simple process of 1D correlation. We test our system on both the University of York (UoY) 3D face dataset and the Face Recognition Grand Challenge (FRGC) 3D data. For the more challenging UoY data, our SSR descriptors significantly outperform three variants of spin images, successfully identifying nose vertices at a rate of 99.6%. Nose localisation performance on the higher quality FRGC data, which has only small pose variations, is 99.9%. Our best system successfully normalises the pose of 3D faces at rates of 99.1% (UoY data) and 99.6% (FRGC data)
Comparison of Absorption, Fluorescence, and Polarization Spectroscopy of Atomic Rubidium
An ongoing spectroscopic investigation of atomic rubidium utilizes a two-photon, single-laser excitation process. Transitions accessible with our tunable laser include 5P1/2 (F ′ ) ← 5S1/2 (F) and 5P3/2 (F ′ ) ← 5S1/2 (F). The laser is split into a pump and probe beam to allow for Doppler-free measurements of transitions between hyperfine levels. The pump and probe beams are overlapped in a counter-propagating geometry and the laser frequency scans over a transition. Absorption, fluorescence and polarization spectroscopy techniques are applied to this basic experimental setup. The temperature of the vapor cell and the power of the pump and probe beams have been varied to explore line broadening effects and signal-to-noise of each technique. This humble setup will hopefully grow into a more robust experimental arrangement in which double resonance, two-laser excitations are used to explore hyperfine state changing collisions between rubidium atoms and noble gas atoms. Rb-noble gas collisions can transfer population between hyperfine levels, such as 5P3/2 (F ′ = 3) Collision ←− 5P3/2 (F ′ = 2), and the probe beam couples 7S1/2 (F ′′ = 2) ← 5P3/2 (F ′ = 3). Polarization spectroscopy signal depends on the rate of population transfer due to the collision as well as maintaining the orientation created by the pump laser. Fluorescence spectroscopy relies only on transfer of population due to the collision. Comparison of these techniques yields information regarding the change of the magnetic sublevels, mF , during hyperfine state changing collisions
The Area Quantum and Snyder Space
We show that in the Snyder space the area of the disc and of the sphere can
be quantized. It is also shown that the area spectrum of the sphere can be
related to the Bekenstein conjecture for the area spectrum of a black hole
horizon.Comment: 7 pages, in Press, Physics Letters
Extending the ADM formalism to Weyl geometry
In order to treat quantum cosmology in the framework of Weyl spacetimes we
take the first step of extending the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner formalism to Weyl
geometry. We then obtain an expression of the curvature tensor in terms of
spatial quantities by splitting spacetime in (3+1)-dimensional form. We next
write the Lagrangian of the gravitation field based in Weyl-type gravity
theory. We extend the general relativistic formalism in such a way that it can
be applied to investigate the quantum cosmology of models whose spacetimes are
endowed with a Weyl geometrical structure.Comment: 10 page
Transient gamma-ray emission from Cygnus X-3
The high-mass microquasar Cygnus X-3 has been recently detected in a flaring
state by the gamma-ray satellites Fermi and Agile. In the present contribution,
we study the high-energy emission from Cygnus X-3 through a model based on the
interaction of clumps from the Wolf-Rayet wind with the jet. The clumps inside
the jet act as obstacles in which shocks are formed leading to particle
acceleration and non-thermal emission. We model the high energy emission
produced by the interaction of one clump with the jet and briefly discus the
possibility of many clumps interacting with the jet. From the characteristics
of the considered scenario, the produced emission could be flare-like due to
discontinuous clump penetration, with the GeV long-term activity explained by
changes in the wind properties.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of the 25th Texas Symposium on
Relativistic Astrophysics - TEXAS 2010, December 06-10, Heidelberg, German
High-energy flares from jet-clump interactions
High-mass microquasars are binary systems composed by a massive star and a
compact object from which relativistic jets are launched. Regarding the
companion star, observational evidence supports the idea that winds of hot
stars are formed by clumps. Then, these inhomogeneities may interact with the
jets producing a flaring activity. In the present contribution we study the
interaction between a jet and a clump of the stellar wind in a high-mass
microquasar. This interaction produces a shock in the jet, where particles may
be accelerated up to relativistic energies. We calculate the spectral energy
distributions of the dominant non-thermal processes: synchrotron radiation,
inverse Compton scattering, and proton-proton collisions. Significant levels of
X- and gamma-ray emission are predicted, with luminosities in the different
domains up to ~ 10^{34} - 10^{35} erg/s on a timescale of about ~ 1 h. Finally,
jet-clump interactions in high-mass microquasars could be detectable at high
energies. These phenomena may be behind the fast TeV variability found in some
high-mass X-ray binary systems, such as Cygnus X-1, LS 5039 and LS I+61 303. In
addition, our model can help to derive information on the properties of jets
and clumpy winds.Comment: Proceeding of the conference "High Energy Phenomena in Massive
Stars". Jaen (Spain), 2-5 February 200
Gamma rays from cloud penetration at the base of AGN jets
Dense and cold clouds seem to populate the broad line region surrounding the
central black hole in AGNs. These clouds could interact with the AGN jet base
and this could have observational consequences. We want to study the gamma-ray
emission produced by these jet-cloud interactions, and explore under which
conditions this radiation would be detectable. We investigate the
hydrodynamical properties of jet-cloud interactions and the resulting shocks,
and develop a model to compute the spectral energy distribution of the emission
generated by the particles accelerated in these shocks. We discuss our model in
the context of radio-loud AGNs, with applications to two representative cases,
the low-luminous Centaurus A, and the powerful 3C 273. Some fraction of the jet
power can be channelled to gamma-rays, which would be likely dominated by
synchrotron self-Compton radiation, and show typical variability timescales
similar to the cloud lifetime within the jet, which is longer than several
hours. Many clouds can interact with the jet simultaneously leading to fluxes
significantly higher than in one interaction, but then variability will be
smoothed out. Jet-cloud interactions may produce detectable gamma-rays in
non-blazar AGNs, of transient nature in nearby low-luminous sources like Cen A,
and steady in the case of powerful objects of FR II type.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A (9 pages, 7 figures
Jet-Cloud Interactions in AGNs
Active galactic nuclei present continuum and line emission. The former is
produced by the accretion disk and the jets, whereas the latter is originated
by gas located close to the super-massive black hole. The small region where
the broad lines are emitted is called the broad-line region. The structure of
this region is not well known, although it has been proposed that it may be
formed by small and dense ionized clouds surrounding the supermassive
black-hole. In this work, we study the interaction of one cloud from the broad
line region with the jet of the active galactic nuclei. We explore the
high-energy emission produced by this interaction close to the base of the jet.
The resulting radiation may be detectable for nearby non-blazar sources as well
as for powerful quasars, and its detection could give important information on
the broad line region and the jet itself.Comment: Proceeding of the conference "High-Energy Gamma-rays and Neutrinos
from Extra-Galactic Sources". Heidelberg, 13-16 January 200
Modeling TeV gamma-rays from LS 5039: An active OB star at the extreme
Perhaps the most extreme examples of "Active OB stars" are the subset of
high-mass X-ray binaries -- consisting of an OB star plus compact companion --
that have recently been observed by Fermi and ground-based Cerenkov telescopes
like HESS to be sources of very high energy (VHE; up to 30 TeV) gamma-rays.
This paper focuses on the prominent gamma-ray source, LS5039, which consists of
a massive O6.5V star in a 3.9-day-period, mildly elliptical (e = 0.24) orbit
with its companion, assumed here to be a black-hole or unmagnetized neutron
star. Using 3-D SPH simulations of the Bondi-Hoyle accretion of the O-star wind
onto the companion, we find that the orbital phase variation of the accretion
follows very closely the simple Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton (BHL) rate for the local
radius and wind speed. Moreover, a simple model, wherein intrinsic emission of
gamma-rays is assumed to track this accretion rate, reproduces quite well Fermi
observations of the phase variation of gamma-rays in the energy range 0.1-10
GeV. However for the VHE (0.1-30 TeV) radiation observed by the HESS Cerenkov
telescope, it is important to account also for photon-photon interactions
between the gamma-rays and the stellar optical/UV radiation, which effectively
attenuates much of the strong emission near periastron. When this is included,
we find that this simple BHL accretion model also quite naturally fits the HESS
light curve, thus making it a strong alternative to the pulsar-wind-shock
models commonly invoked to explain such VHE gamma-ray emission in massive-star
binaries.Comment: To appear in "Active OB Stars: Structure, Evolution, Mass Loss &
Critical Limits", Proceedings of IAUS 272, held July 2010 in Paris, France. 7
pages; 3 figures. This version 2 corrects an alignment error in figure
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