210 research outputs found
High precision hybrid RF and ultrasonic chirp-based ranging for low-power IoT nodes
Hybrid acoustic-RF systems offer excellent ranging accuracy, yet they typically come at a power consumption that is too high to meet the energy constraints of mobile IoT nodes. We combine pulse compression and synchronized wake-ups to achieve a ranging solution that limits the active time of the nodes to 1 ms. Hence, an ultra low-power consumption of 9.015 ”W for a single measurement is achieved. The operation time is estimated on 8.5 years on a CR2032 coin cell battery at a 1 Hz update rate, which is over 250 times larger than state-of-the-art RF-based positioning systems. Measurements based on a proof-of-concept hardware platform show median distance error values below 10 cm. Both simulations and measurements demonstrate that the accuracy is reduced at low signal-to-noise ratios and when reflections occur. We introduce three methods that enhance the distance measurements at a low extra processing power cost. Hence, we validate in realistic environments that the centimeter accuracy can be obtained within the energy budget of mobile devices and IoT nodes. The proposed hybrid signal ranging system can be extended to perform accurate, low-power indoor positioning
The hydrodynamics of swimming microorganisms
Cell motility in viscous fluids is ubiquitous and affects many biological
processes, including reproduction, infection, and the marine life ecosystem.
Here we review the biophysical and mechanical principles of locomotion at the
small scales relevant to cell swimming (tens of microns and below). The focus
is on the fundamental flow physics phenomena occurring in this inertia-less
realm, and the emphasis is on the simple physical picture. We review the basic
properties of flows at low Reynolds number, paying special attention to aspects
most relevant for swimming, such as resistance matrices for solid bodies, flow
singularities, and kinematic requirements for net translation. Then we review
classical theoretical work on cell motility: early calculations of the speed of
a swimmer with prescribed stroke, and the application of resistive-force theory
and slender-body theory to flagellar locomotion. After reviewing the physical
means by which flagella are actuated, we outline areas of active research,
including hydrodynamic interactions, biological locomotion in complex fluids,
the design of small-scale artificial swimmers, and the optimization of
locomotion strategies.Comment: Review articl
Huddle test measurement of a near Johnson noise limited geophone
In this paper, the sensor noise of two geophone configurations (L-22D and L-4C geophones from Sercel with custom built amplifiers) was measured by performing two huddle tests. It is shown that the accuracy of the results can be significantly improved by performing the huddle test in a seismically quiet environment and by using a large number of reference sensors to remove the seismic foreground signal from the data. Using these two techniques, the measured sensor noise of the two geophone configurations matched the calculated predictions remarkably well in the bandwidth of interest (0.01 Hzâ100 Hz). Low noise operational amplifiers OPA188 were utilized to amplify the L-4C geophone to give a sensor that was characterized to be near Johnson noise limited in the bandwidth of interest with a noise value of 10â11âm/HzâŻâŻâŻâŻâŻâ10â11âm/Hz at 1 Hz
Bicrossed products for finite groups
We investigate one question regarding bicrossed products of finite groups
which we believe has the potential of being approachable for other classes of
algebraic objects (algebras, Hopf algebras). The problem is to classify the
groups that can be written as bicrossed products between groups of fixed
isomorphism types. The groups obtained as bicrossed products of two finite
cyclic groups, one being of prime order, are described.Comment: Final version: to appear in Algebras and Representation Theor
Ordering of Energy Levels in Heisenberg Models and Applications
In a recent paper we conjectured that for ferromagnetic Heisenberg models the
smallest eigenvalues in the invariant subspaces of fixed total spin are
monotone decreasing as a function of the total spin and called this property
ferromagnetic ordering of energy levels (FOEL). We have proved this conjecture
for the Heisenberg model with arbitrary spins and coupling constants on a
chain. In this paper we give a pedagogical introduction to this result and also
discuss some extensions and implications. The latter include the property that
the relaxation time of symmetric simple exclusion processes on a graph for
which FOEL can be proved, equals the relaxation time of a random walk on the
same graph. This equality of relaxation times is known as Aldous' Conjecture.Comment: 20 pages, contribution for the proceedings of QMATH9, Giens,
September 200
Flow-to-fracture transition in a volcanic mush plug may govern normal eruptions at Stromboli
Stromboli is a model volcano for studying eruptions driven by degassing. The current paradigm posits that Strombolian eruptions represent the bursting of gas slugs ascending through meltâfilled conduits, but petrological observations show that magma at shallow depth is crystalline enough to form a threeâphase plug consisting of crystals, bubbles, and melt. We combine a 1âD model of gas flushing a crystalline mush with a 3âD stress model. Our results suggest that localized gas segregation establishes hot conduits of mobile magma within a stagnant plug. The plug is prone to tensile failure controlled by gas overpressure and tectonic stress, with failure most likely beneath the observed vent locations. We hence argue that Strombolian eruptions are related to plug failure rather than flow. Our proposed threeâphase model of the shallow plumbing system may provide a promising framework for integrating geophysical, petrological, and morphological observations at Stromboli and in openâsystem volcanism more generally
Hierarchical model for the scale-dependent velocity of seismic waves
Elastic waves of short wavelength propagating through the upper layer of the
Earth appear to move faster at large separations of source and receiver than at
short separations. This scale dependent velocity is a manifestation of Fermat's
principle of least time in a medium with random velocity fluctuations. Existing
perturbation theories predict a linear increase of the velocity shift with
increasing separation, and cannot describe the saturation of the velocity shift
at large separations that is seen in computer simulations. Here we show that
this long-standing problem in seismology can be solved using a model developed
originally in the context of polymer physics. We find that the saturation
velocity scales with the four-third power of the root-mean-square amplitude of
the velocity fluctuations, in good agreement with the computer simulations.Comment: 7 pages including 3 figure
Active Faulting in Lake Constance (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) Unraveled by Multi-Vintage Reflection Seismic Data
Probabilistic seismic hazard assessments are primarily based on instrumentally recorded and historically documented earthquakes. For the northern part of the European Alpine Arc, slow crustal deformation results in low earthquake recurrence rates and brings up the necessity to extend our perspective beyond the existing earthquake catalog. The overdeepened basin of Lake Constance (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland), located within the North-Alpine Molasse Basin, is investigated as an ideal (neo-) tectonic archive. The lake is surrounded by major tectonic structures and constrained via the North Alpine Front in the South, the Jura fold-and-thrust belt in the West, and the Hegau-Lake Constance Graben System in the North. Several fault zones reach Lake Constance such as the St. Gallen Fault Zone, a reactivated basement-rooted normal fault, active during several phases from the Permo-Carboniferous to the Mesozoic. To extend the catalog of potentially active fault zones, we compiled an extensive 445Â km of multi-channel reflection seismic data in 2017, complementing a moderate-size GI-airgun survey from 2016. The two datasets reveal the complete overdeepened Quaternary trough and its sedimentary infill and the upper part of the Miocene Molasse bedrock. They additionally complement existing seismic vintages that investigated the mass-transport deposit chronology and Mesozoic fault structures. The compilation of 2D seismic data allowed investigating the seismic stratigraphy of the Quaternary infill and its underlying bedrock of Lake Constance, shaped by multiple glaciations. The 2D seismic sections revealed 154 fault indications in the Obersee Basin and 39 fault indications in the Untersee Basin. Their interpretative linkage results in 23 and five major fault planes, respectively. One of the major fault planes, traceable to Cenozoic bedrock, is associated with a prominent offset of the lake bottom on the multibeam bathymetric map. Across this area, high-resolution single channel data was acquired and a transect of five short cores was retrieved displaying significant sediment thickness changes across the seismically mapped fault trace with a surface-rupture related turbidite, all indicating repeated activity of a likely seismogenic strike-slip fault with a normal faulting component. We interpret this fault as northward continuation of the St. Gallen Fault Zone, previously described onshore on 3D seismic data
A feasibility test of CMT inversion using regional network of broad-band strong-motion seismographs for near-distance large earthquakes
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