On the Terminal Location Uncertainty in Elliptical Footprints: Application in Air-to-Ground Links

Wireless transmitters (Txs) radiating directionally downwards often generate circular footprints on the ground. In certain scenarios, using elliptical cells can offer increased flexibility for providing user coverage, owing to the unique network characteristics. For instance, an elliptical footprint can be produced when a practical directional antenna with unequal azimuth and elevation half-power beamwidths is used in high-speed railway networks. Another common scenario involves the production of an elliptical footprint when an airborne Tx radiates at an angle by tilting its directional antenna by a few degrees. This paper aims to investigate, for the first time, the association between the random user location within an elliptical coverage area and the performance of a wireless communication link by considering these scenarios. We assume an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as a Tx, although a tall cellular base station tower could also be employed without losing generality. To better understand the impact of random location, we derive relevant distance metrics and investigate the outage probability of the link for the two scenarios, taking both random terminal location and fading impairments into account. The findings may provide valuable insights into the performance of similar wireless systems.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figure

Classical multivariate Hermite coordinate interpolation on n-dimensional grids

In this work, we study the Hermite interpolation on n-dimensional non-equally spaced, rectilinear grids over a field k of characteristic zero, given the values of the function at each point of the grid and the partial derivatives up to a maximum degree. First, we prove the uniqueness of the interpolating polynomial, and we further obtain a compact closed form that uses a single summation, irrespective of the dimensionality, which is algebraically simpler than the only alternative closed form for the n-dimensional classical Hermite interpolation [1]. We provide the remainder of the interpolation in integral form; moreover, we derive the ideal of the interpolation and express the interpolation remainder using only polynomial divisions, in the case of interpolating a polynomial function. Finally, we perform illustrative numerical examples to showcase the applicability and high accuracy of the proposed interpolant, in the simple case of few points, as well as hundreds of points on 3D-grids using a spline-like interpolation, which compares favorably to state-of-the-art spline interpolation methods

Degenerate solutions to the massless Dirac and Weyl equations and a proposed method for controlling the quantum state of Weyl particles

In a recent work we have shown that all solutions to the Weyl equation and a special class of solutions to the Dirac equation are degenerate, in the sense that they remain unaltered under the influence of a wide variety of different electromagnetic fields. In the present article our previous work is significantly extended, providing a wide class of degenerate solutions to the Dirac equation for massless particles. The electromagnetic fields corresponding to these solutions are calculated, giving also some examples regarding both spatially constant electromagnetic fields and electromagnetic waves. Further, some general forms of solutions to the Weyl equation are presented and the corresponding electromagnetic fields are calculated. Based on these results, a method for fully controlling the quantum state of Weyl particles through appropriate electromagnetic fields is proposed. Finally, the transition from degenerate to non-degenerate solutions as the particles acquire mass is discussed.Comment: Keywords: Dirac equation, Weyl equation, Degenerate solutions, Massless particles, Electromagnetic 4-potentials, Electromagnetic fields, Electromagnetic waves, Nearly degenerate solution

A general method for obtaining degenerate solutions to the Dirac and Weyl equations and a discussion on the experimental detection of degenerate states

In this work we describe a general method for obtaining degenerate solutions to the Dirac equation, corresponding to an infinite number of electromagnetic 4-potentials and fields, which are explicitly calculated. In more detail, using four arbitrary real functions, one can automatically construct a spinor which is solution to the Dirac equation for an infinite number of electromagnetic 4-potentials, defined by those functions. An interesting characteristic of these solutions is that, in the case of Dirac particles with non-zero mass, the degenerate spinors should be localized, both in space and time. Our method is also extended to the cases of massless Dirac and Weyl particles, where the localization of the spinors is no longer required. Finally, we propose two experimental methods for detecting the presence of degenerate states.Comment: In this version of the article we have added a discussion on the experimental detection of degenerate states, proposing two techniques based on electrical and optical measurement

A novel device for controlling the flow of information based on Weyl fermions and a method for manipulating the spatial distribution of Weyl particles

In this work we propose a novel device for controlling the flow of information using Weyl fermions. In more detail, based on a previous work of our group, we show that it is possible to fully control the flow of Weyl fermions on a sequence of different channels, by applying an electric field perpendicular to the direction of motion of the particles on each channel. In this way, we can transmit information, logical bits, depending on the existence or not of a Weyl current on each channel. We also show that the response time of this device is exceptionally low, less than 1 ps, for typical values of the parameters, providing the opportunity to control the flow of information at extremely high rates, of the order of 100 Pbps. This device also offers additional advantages, as low power consumption and robustness against electromagnetic perturbations, and is expected to find important applications in several fields, as telecommunications, signal processing, classical and quantum computing, etc. Finally, we demonstrate that Weyl fermions can be efficiently guided through the proposed device using appropriate magnetic fields

Roadmap on signal processing for next generation measurement systems

Signal processing is a fundamental component of almost any sensor-enabled system, with a wide range of applications across different scientific disciplines. Time series data, images, and video sequences comprise representative forms of signals that can be enhanced and analysed for information extraction and quantification. The recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning are shifting the research attention towards intelligent, data-driven, signal processing. This roadmap presents a critical overview of the state-of-the-art methods and applications aiming to highlight future challenges and research opportunities towards next generation measurement systems. It covers a broad spectrum of topics ranging from basic to industrial research, organized in concise thematic sections that reflect the trends and the impacts of current and future developments per research field. Furthermore, it offers guidance to researchers and funding agencies in identifying new prospects.AerodynamicsMicrowave Sensing, Signals & System

Efficient Implementation of Gaussian and Laplacian Kernels for Feature Extraction from IP Fisheye Cameras

The Gaussian kernel, its partial derivatives and the Laplacian kernel, applied at different image scales, play a very important role in image processing and in feature extraction from images. Although they have been extensively studied in the case of images acquired by projective cameras, this is not the case for cameras with fisheye lenses. This type of cameras is becoming very popular, since it exhibits a Field of View of 180 degrees. The model of fisheye image formation differs substantially from the simple projective transformation, causing straight lines to be imaged as curves. Thus the traditional kernels used for processing images acquired by projective cameras, are not optimal for fisheye images. This work uses the calibration of the acquiring fisheye camera to define a geodesic metric for distance between pixels in fisheye images and subsequently redefines the Gaussian kernel, its partial derivatives, as well as the Laplacian kernel. Finally, algorithms for applying in the spatial domain these kernels, as well as the Harris corner detector, are proposed, using efficient computational implementations. Comparative results are shown, in terms of correctness of image processing, efficiency of application for multi scale processing, as well as salient point extraction. Thus we conclude that the proposed algorithms allow the efficient application of standard processing and analysis techniques of fisheye images, in the spatial domain, once the calibration of the specific camera is available

Multi-pose Volume Reconstruction Across Arbitrary Trajectory from Multiple Fisheye Cameras

Part 1: Image Processing and AnalysisInternational audienceVolume reconstruction from silhouettes is a known subject in the case of projective cameras. The use of dioptric omni-directional cameras (fisheye) that exhibit semispheric Field of View (FoV) allows simultaneous imaging of the whole available space. In this work we employ two fisheye cameras in order to acquire silhouettes of humans that move within the imaged indoor space without any kind of restriction. We present the basic algorithm for reconstructing the volumetric model of a human in the case of using two images of its silhouette, acquired by the fisheye cameras. Then we extend this algorithm in the case of a human moving along any trajectory a) assuming no pose change and b) considering pose change during motion. Quantitative results from synthetic data indicate that volumes can be reconstructed with high accuracy (error of few cm), from a small number of positions using only two fisheye cameras. The proposed algorithm achieves the same level of accuracy in the case of recovering the volume of multiple poses under same conditions

Measurement and Modeling of Microbial Growth Using Timelapse Video

The development of timelapse videos for the investigation of growing microbial colonies has gained increasing interest due to its low cost and complexity implementation. In the present study, a simple experimental setup is proposed for periodic snapshot acquisition of a petri dish cultivating a fungus of the genus Candida SPP, thus creating a timelapse video. A computational algorithm, based on image processing techniques is proposed for estimating the microbial population and for extracting the experimental population curves, showing the time evolution of the population of microbes at any region of the dish. Likewise, a novel mathematical population evolution modeling approach is reported, which is based on the logistic function (LF). Parameter estimation of the aforementioned model is described and visually assessed, in comparison with the conventional and widely-used LF method. The effect of the image analysis parameterization is also highlighted. Our experiments take into account different area sizes, i.e., the number of pixels in the neighborhood, to generate population curves and calculate the model parameters. Our results reveal that, as the size of the area increases, the curve becomes smoother, the signal-to-noise-ratio increases and the estimation of model parameters becomes more accurate