2,056 research outputs found
Photon-propagation model with random background field: Length scales and Cherenkov limits
We present improved experimental bounds on typical length scales of a
photon-propagation model with a frozen (time-independent) random background
field, which could result from anomalous effects of a static, multiply
connected spacetime foam.Comment: 6 pages with revtex4; v3: final versio
Precise analysis of pion-pion scattering data from Roy equations and forward dispersion relations
We review our recent analysis of pion-pion scattering data in terms of Roy
equations and Forward Dispersion Relations, and present some preliminary
results in terms of a new set of once-subtracted coupled equations for partial
waves. The first analysis consists of independent fits to the different
pion-pion channels that satisfies rather well the dispersive representation. In
the second analysis we constrain the fit with the dispersion relations. The
latter provides a very precise and model independent description of data using
just analyticity, causality and crossing.Comment: 6 pages, two figures. To appear in the proceedings of the Workshop on
Scalar Mesons and Related Topics, Lisbon, Portugal, 11-16 Feb 200
Combining brain-computer interfaces and assistive technologies: state-of-the-art and challenges
In recent years, new research has brought the field of EEG-based Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI) out of its infancy and into a phase of relative maturity through many demonstrated prototypes such as brain-controlled wheelchairs, keyboards, and computer games. With this proof-of-concept phase in the past, the time is now ripe to focus on the development of practical BCI technologies that can be brought out of the lab and into real-world applications. In particular, we focus on the prospect of improving the lives of countless disabled individuals through a combination of BCI technology with existing assistive technologies (AT). In pursuit of more practical BCIs for use outside of the lab, in this paper, we identify four application areas where disabled individuals could greatly benefit from advancements in BCI technology, namely,âCommunication and Controlâ, âMotor Substitutionâ, âEntertainmentâ, and âMotor Recoveryâ. We review the current state of the art and possible future developments, while discussing the main research issues in these four areas. In particular, we expect the most progress in the development of technologies such as hybrid BCI architectures, user-machine adaptation algorithms, the exploitation of usersâ mental states for BCI reliability and confidence measures, the incorporation of principles in human-computer interaction (HCI) to improve BCI usability, and the development of novel BCI technology including better EEG devices
Sphalerons, spectral flow, and anomalies
The topology of configuration space may be responsible in part for the
existence of sphalerons. Here, sphalerons are defined to be static but unstable
finite-energy solutions of the classical field equations. Another manifestation
of the nontrivial topology of configuration space is the phenomenon of spectral
flow for the eigenvalues of the Dirac Hamiltonian. The spectral flow, in turn,
is related to the possible existence of anomalies. In this review, the
interconnection of these topics is illustrated for three particular sphalerons
of SU(2) Yang-Mills-Higgs theory.Comment: 35 pages with revtex4; invited paper for the August special issue of
JMP on "Integrability, topological solitons and beyond
Relativistic three-particle scattering equations
We derive a set of relativistic three-particle scattering equations in the
three-particle c.m. frame employing a relativistic three-particle propagator
suggested long ago by Ahmadzadeh and Tjon in the c.m. frame of a two-particle
subsystem. We make the coordinate transformation of this propagator from the
c.m. frame of the two-particle subsystem to the three-particle c.m. frame. We
also point out that some numerical applications of the Ahmadzadeh and Tjon
propagator to the three-nucleon problem use unnecessary nonrelativistic
approximations which do not simplify the computational task, but violate
constraints of relativistic unitarity and/or covariance.Comment: 5pages, text and one ps figure (in revtex) include
Images in Christmas Balls
We describe light-reflection properties of spherically curved mirrors, like
balls in the Christmas tree. In particular, we study the position of the image
which is formed somewhere beyond the surface of a spherical mirror, when an eye
observes the image of a pointlike light source. The considered problem,
originally posed by Abu Ali Hasan Ibn al-Haitham -- alias Alhazen -- more than
a millennium ago, turned out to have the now well known analytic solution of a
biquadratic equation, being still of great relevance, e.g. for the
aberration-free construction of telescopes. We do not attempt to perform an
exhaustive survey of the rich historical and engineering literature on the
subject, but develop a simple pedagogical approach to the issue, which we
believe to be of continuing interest in view of its maltreating in many
high-school textbooks.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures plain LaTeX; Also see
http://cft.fis.uc.pt/eef/mirrors.htm, revised version has simplified
formulas, more transparent for a wider audience, one reference adde
Relativistic Effect on Low-Energy Nucleon-Deuteron Scattering
The relativistic effect on differential cross sections, nucleon-to-nucleon
and nucleon-to-deuteron polarization transfer coefficients, and the spin
correlation function, of nucleon-deuteron elastic scattering is investigated
employing several three-dimensional relativistic three-body equations and
several nucleon-nucleon potentials. The polarization transfer coefficients are
found to be sensitive to the details of the nucleon-nucleon potentials and the
relativistic dynamics employed, and prefer trinucleon models with the correct
triton binding energy. (To appear in Phys. Rev. C)Comment: pages: 21, LaTex text + 7 ps-figures at the en
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