3,919 research outputs found
Quantum Fluctuations of Coulomb Potential as a Source of Flicker Noise. The Influence of External Electric Field
Fluctuations of the electromagnetic field produced by quantized matter in
external electric field are investigated. A general expression for the power
spectrum of fluctuations is derived within the long-range expansion. It is
found that in the whole measured frequency band, the power spectrum of
fluctuations exhibits an inverse frequency dependence. A general argument is
given showing that for all practically relevant values of the electric field,
the power spectrum of induced fluctuations is proportional to the field
strength squared. As an illustration, the power spectrum is calculated
explicitly using the kinetic model with the relaxation-type collision term.
Finally, it is shown that the magnitude of fluctuations produced by a sample
generally has a Gaussian distribution around its mean value, and its dependence
on the sample geometry is determined. In particular, it is demonstrated that
for geometrically similar samples, the power spectrum is inversely proportional
to the sample volume. Application of the obtained results to the problem of
flicker noise is discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure
How Neuroscience Relates to Hearing Aid Amplification
Hearing aids are used to improve sound audibility for people with hearing loss, but the ability to make use of the amplified signal, especially in the presence of competing noise, can vary across people. Here we review how neuroscientists, clinicians, and engineers are using various types of physiological information to improve the design and use of hearing aids
First order Mott transition at zero temperature in two dimensions: Variational plaquette study
The nature of the metal-insulator Mott transition at zero temperature has
been discussed for a number of years. Whether it occurs through a quantum
critical point or through a first order transition is expected to profoundly
influence the nature of the finite temperature phase diagram. In this paper, we
study the zero temperature Mott transition in the two-dimensional Hubbard model
on the square lattice with the variational cluster approximation. This takes
into account the influence of antiferromagnetic short-range correlations. By
contrast to single-site dynamical mean-field theory, the transition turns out
to be first order even at zero temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, version 2 with additional results for 8 bath
site
Volume CVI, Number 19, April 14, 1989
Institute of High Performance Computing, IHPC;University of Perugia, Italy;University of Calgary, Canada;University of Minnesota, MN, USA;Queen's University BelfastInternational Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications - ICCSA 2005 -- 9 May 2005 through 12 May 2005 -- 65625Discrete mathematics is one of the very basic mathematics courses in computer engineering (CE) and/or computer science (CS) departments. This course covers almost all of the basic concepts for many other courses in the curriculum and requires active learning of students. For this purpose, especially "propositions" concept, which cannot be understood well in prior years, should be covered with every detail. Previous studies show that learning by entertaining activities and competition has positive effect on student motivation. In this study, an Internet-based Discrete Mathematics Package (DMP) for "propositions" that can work in mobile devices and encourages competitive learning between students has been developed within related literature. Ā© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005
The brightest pure-H ultracool white dwarf
We report the identification of LSR J0745+2627 in the United Kingdom InfraRed
Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Large Area Survey (LAS) as a cool
white dwarf with kinematics and age compatible with the thick-disk/halo
population. LSR J0745+2627 has a high proper motion (890 mas/yr) and a high
reduced proper motion value in the J band (H_J=21.87). We show how the
infrared-reduced proper motion diagram is useful for selecting a sample of cool
white dwarfs with low contamination. LSR J0745+2627 is also detected in the
Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
(WISE). We have spectroscopically confirmed this object as a cool white dwarf
using X-Shooter on the Very Large Telescope. A detailed analysis of its
spectral energy distribution reveals that its atmosphere is compatible with a
pure-H composition model with an effective temperature of 3880+-90 K. This
object is the brightest pure-H ultracool white dwarf (Teff<4000 K) ever
identified. We have constrained the distance (24-45 pc), space velocities and
age considering different surface gravities. The results obtained suggest that
LSR J0745+2627 belongs to the thick-disk/halo population and is also one of the
closest ultracool white dwarfs.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Letter
Widely distributed breeding populations of Canada warbler (Cardellina canadensis) converge on migration through Central America
Background
To effectively conserve migratory species, the entire range encompassed by their annual life cycle needs to be considered. Most research on Nearctic-Neotropical migratory birds has focused on the breeding grounds resulting in a general lack of knowledge regarding the wintering and migratory periods. The Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) has declined by 71% from 1970 to 2012, at a rate of 2.9% per year, and is listed as Threatened in Canada. As with most Nearctic-Neotropical migrants, conservation efforts outside the breeding range are limited by a poor understanding of migration routes and the connectivity between specific breeding and wintering populations.
Results
To determine migratory routes of multiple breeding populations of Canada Warblers, we directly-tracked individuals using light-level geolocators deployed at four sites across the breeding range, spanning approximately 43 degrees in longitude (Alberta, Manitoba and QuĆ©bec, Canada, and New Hampshire, USA). Twenty-five geolocators with usable data were recovered from three sites and were analyzed using FlightR to determine fall migration routes (nā=ā18) and individual wintering sites (nā=ā25). Individuals from all breeding populations took a western fall migration route at the Gulf of Mexico; with 77.8% of birds funnelling into a narrow geographic space along the western side of the Gulf of Mexico (97Ā°W-99Ā°W). We found no evidence for population-specific, parallel migration routes. Most individuals (72%) overwintered in Colombia. The remaining individuals overwintered in Venezuela.
Conclusions
Our results demonstrate convergence of migratory routes around a migration barrier for individuals originating from widely distributed breeding areas. Further, we suggest the potential importance of habitat around the Gulf of Mexico during migration and Andean forest in Colombia as overwintering habitat for this threatened species. Future research should be directed at understanding how these areas are used by Canada Warblers
Increasing Dominance - the Role of Advertising, Pricing and Product Design
Despite the empirical relevance of advertising strategies in concentrated markets, the economics literature is largely silent on the effect of persuasive advertising
strategies on pricing, market structure and increasing (or decreasing) dominance. In a simple model of persuasive advertising and pricing with differentiated goods,
we analyze the interdependencies between ex-ante asymmetries in consumer appeal, advertising and prices. Products with larger initial appeal to consumers will
be advertised more heavily but priced at a higher level - that is, advertising and price discounts are strategic substitutes for products with asymmetric initial appeal.
We find that the escalating effect of advertising dominates the moderating effect of pricing so that post-competition market shares are more asymmetric than pre-competition differences in consumer appeal. We further find that collusive advertising (but competitive pricing) generates the same market outcomes, and that network effects lead to even more extreme market outcomes, both directly and via
the effect on advertising
Absolute Flux Calibration of the IRAC Instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope using Hubble Space Telescope Flux Standards
The absolute flux calibration of the James Webb Space Telescope will be based
on a set of stars observed by the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. In order
to cross-calibrate the two facilities, several A, G, and white dwarf (WD) stars
are observed with both Spitzer and Hubble and are the prototypes for a set of
JWST calibration standards. The flux calibration constants for the four Spitzer
IRAC bands 1-4 are derived from these stars and are 2.3, 1.9, 2.0, and 0.5%
lower than the official cold-mission IRAC calibration of Reach et al. (2005),
i.e. in agreement within their estimated errors of ~2%. The causes of these
differences lie primarily in the IRAC data reduction and secondarily in the
SEDs of our standard stars. The independent IRAC 8 micron band-4 fluxes of
Rieke et al. (2008) are about 1.5 +/- 2% higher than those of Reach et al. and
are also in agreement with our 8 micron result.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure
Theory of spin and charge fluctuations in the Hubbard model
A self-consistent theory of both spin and charge fluctuations in the Hubbard
model is presented. It is in quantitative agreement with Monte Carlo data at
least up to intermediate coupling . It includes both
short-wavelength quantum renormalization effects, and long-wavelength thermal
fluctuations which can destroy long-range order in two dimensions. This last
effect leads to a small energy scale, as often observed in high temperature
superconductors. The theory is conserving, satisfies the Pauli principle and
includes three-particle correlations necessary to account for the incipient
Mott transition.Comment: J1K 2R1 10 pages, Revtex 3.0, 4 uuencoded postscript figures, report#
CRPS-93-4
Dispersion of the odd magnetic resonant mode in near-optimally doped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d
We report a neutron scattering study of the spin excitation spectrum in the
superconducting state of slightly overdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d system (Tc=87 K).
We focus on the dispersion of the resonance peak in the superconducting state
that is due to a S=1 collective mode. The measured spin excitation spectrum
bears a strong similarity to the spectrum of the YBa2Cu3O6+x system for a
similar doping level i.e. x= 0.95-1), which consists of intersecting upward-
and downward-dispersing branches. A close comparison of the threshold of the
electron-hole spin flip continuum, deduced from angle resolved photo-emission
measurements in the same system, indicates that the magnetic response in the
superconducting state is confined, in both energy and momentum, below the
gapped Stoner continuum. In contrast to YBa2Cu3O6+x, the spin excitation
spectrum is broader than the experimental resolution. In the framework of an
itinerant-electron model, we quantitatively relate this intrinsic energy width
to the superconducting gap distribution observed in scanning tunnelling
microscopy experiments. Our study further suggests a significant in-plane
anisotropy of the magnetic response.Comment: 10 figure
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