660 research outputs found
A High-Order Kernel Method for Diffusion and Reaction-Diffusion Equations on Surfaces
In this paper we present a high-order kernel method for numerically solving
diffusion and reaction-diffusion partial differential equations (PDEs) on
smooth, closed surfaces embedded in . For two-dimensional
surfaces embedded in , these types of problems have received
growing interest in biology, chemistry, and computer graphics to model such
things as diffusion of chemicals on biological cells or membranes, pattern
formations in biology, nonlinear chemical oscillators in excitable media, and
texture mappings. Our kernel method is based on radial basis functions (RBFs)
and uses a semi-discrete approach (or the method-of-lines) in which the surface
derivative operators that appear in the PDEs are approximated using
collocation. The method only requires nodes at "scattered" locations on the
surface and the corresponding normal vectors to the surface. Additionally, it
does not rely on any surface-based metrics and avoids any intrinsic coordinate
systems, and thus does not suffer from any coordinate distortions or
singularities. We provide error estimates for the kernel-based approximate
surface derivative operators and numerically study the accuracy and stability
of the method. Applications to different non-linear systems of PDEs that arise
in biology and chemistry are also presented
A High-Order Radial Basis Function (RBF) Leray Projection Method for the Solution of the Incompressible Unsteady Stokes Equations
A new projection method based on radial basis functions (RBFs) is presented
for discretizing the incompressible unsteady Stokes equations in irregular
geometries. The novelty of the method comes from the application of a new
technique for computing the Leray-Helmholtz projection of a vector field using
generalized interpolation with divergence-free and curl-free RBFs. Unlike
traditional projection methods, this new method enables matching both
tangential and normal components of divergence-free vector fields on the domain
boundary. This allows incompressibility of the velocity field to be enforced
without any time-splitting or pressure boundary conditions. Spatial derivatives
are approximated using collocation with global RBFs so that the method only
requires samples of the field at (possibly scattered) nodes over the domain.
Numerical results are presented demonstrating high-order convergence in both
space (between 5th and 6th order) and time (up to 4th order) for some model
problems in two dimensional irregular geometries.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figure
A Radial Basis Function Method for Computing Helmholtz-Hodge Decompositions
A radial basis function (RBF) method based on matrix-valued kernels is presented and analyzed for computing two types of vector decompositions on bounded domains: one where the normal component of the divergence-free part of the field is specified on the boundary, and one where the tangential component of the curl-free part of the field specified. These two decompositions can then be combined to obtain a full Helmholtz-Hodge decomposition of the field, i.e. the sum of divergence-free, curl-free, and harmonic fields. All decompositions are computed from samples of the field at (possibly scattered) nodes over the domain, and all boundary conditions are imposed on the vector fields, not their potentials, distinguishing this technique from many current methods. Sobolev-type error estimates for the various decompositions are provided and demonstrated with numerical examples
NLRB Investigatory Records: Disclosure Under the Freedom of Information Act
A fundamental maxim of American political philosophy is the right of each citizen to know what his government is doing. Political leaders have repeatedly assured the American people that government activities are consistent with the ideals of a free and open society. Whatever confidence the American people may have bestowed upon their government as a result of such pronouncements, it was shattered by the revelations of Watergate, and other allegations of illegal activities attributed to several government agencies. Concurrent with these debilitating developments was the less visible bureaucratic obstruction of the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 (FOIA)
Comment on "Energetic particle sounding of the magnetospheric cusp with ISEE-1" by K. E. Whitaker et al., Ann. Geophys., 25, 1175–1182, 2007
No abstract available
LensPerfect: Gravitational Lens Massmap Reconstructions Yielding Exact Reproduction of All Multiple Images
We present a new approach to gravitational lens massmap reconstruction. Our
massmap solutions perfectly reproduce the positions, fluxes, and shears of all
multiple images. And each massmap accurately recovers the underlying mass
distribution to a resolution limited by the number of multiple images detected.
We demonstrate our technique given a mock galaxy cluster similar to Abell 1689
which gravitationally lenses 19 mock background galaxies to produce 93 multiple
images. We also explore cases in which far fewer multiple images are observed,
such as four multiple images of a single galaxy. Massmap solutions are never
unique, and our method makes it possible to explore an extremely flexible range
of physical (and unphysical) solutions, all of which perfectly reproduce the
data given. Each reconfiguration of the source galaxies produces a new massmap
solution. An optimization routine is provided to find those source positions
(and redshifts, within uncertainties) which produce the "most physical" massmap
solution, according to a new figure of merit developed here. Our method imposes
no assumptions about the slope of the radial profile nor mass following light.
But unlike "non-parametric" grid-based methods, the number of free parameters
we solve for is only as many as the number of observable constraints (or
slightly greater if fluxes are constrained). For each set of source positions
and redshifts, massmap solutions are obtained "instantly" via direct matrix
inversion by smoothly interpolating the deflection field using a recently
developed mathematical technique. Our LensPerfect software is straightforward
and easy to use and is made publicly available via our website.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figures, accepted by ApJ. Software and full-color
version of paper available at http://www.its.caltech.edu/~coe/LensPerfect
A Partition of Unity Method for Divergence-Free or Curl-Free Radial Basis Function Approximation
Divergence-free (div-free) and curl-free vector fields are pervasive in many areas of science and engineering, from fluid dynamics to electromagnetism. A common problem that arises in applications is that of constructing smooth approximants to these vector fields and/or their potentials based only on discrete samples. Additionally, it is often necessary that the vector approximants preserve the div-free or curl-free properties of the field to maintain certain physical constraints. Div/curl-free radial basis functions (RBFs) are a particularly good choice for this application as they are meshfree and analytically satisfy the div-free or curl-free property. However, this method can be computationally expensive due to its global nature. In this paper, we develop a technique for bypassing this issue that combines div/curl-free RBFs in a partition of unity framework, where one solves for local approximants over subsets of the global samples and then blends them together to form a div-free or curl-free global approximant. The method is applicable to div/curl-free vector fields in ℝ2 and tangential fields on two-dimensional surfaces, such as the sphere, and the curl-free method can be generalized to vector fields in ℝd. The method also produces an approximant for the scalar potential of the underlying sampled field. We present error estimates and demonstrate the effectiveness of the method on several test problems
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