2,011 research outputs found
3D Face Reconstruction from Light Field Images: A Model-free Approach
Reconstructing 3D facial geometry from a single RGB image has recently
instigated wide research interest. However, it is still an ill-posed problem
and most methods rely on prior models hence undermining the accuracy of the
recovered 3D faces. In this paper, we exploit the Epipolar Plane Images (EPI)
obtained from light field cameras and learn CNN models that recover horizontal
and vertical 3D facial curves from the respective horizontal and vertical EPIs.
Our 3D face reconstruction network (FaceLFnet) comprises a densely connected
architecture to learn accurate 3D facial curves from low resolution EPIs. To
train the proposed FaceLFnets from scratch, we synthesize photo-realistic light
field images from 3D facial scans. The curve by curve 3D face estimation
approach allows the networks to learn from only 14K images of 80 identities,
which still comprises over 11 Million EPIs/curves. The estimated facial curves
are merged into a single pointcloud to which a surface is fitted to get the
final 3D face. Our method is model-free, requires only a few training samples
to learn FaceLFnet and can reconstruct 3D faces with high accuracy from single
light field images under varying poses, expressions and lighting conditions.
Comparison on the BU-3DFE and BU-4DFE datasets show that our method reduces
reconstruction errors by over 20% compared to recent state of the art
Current-flux characteristics in mesoscopic nonsuperconducting rings
We propose four different mechanisms responsible for paramagnetic or
diamagnetic persistent currents in normal metal rings and determine the
circumstances for change of the current from paramagnetic to diamagnetic ones
and {\it vice versa}. It might qualitatively reproduce the experimental results
of Bluhm et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 136802 (2009)).Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur
Probing 3D and NLTE models using APOGEE observations of globular cluster stars
Hydrodynamical (or 3D) and non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) effects
are known to affect abundance analyses. However, there are very few
observational abundance testsof 3D and NLTE models. We developed a new way of
testing the abundance predictions of 3D and NLTE models, taking advantage of
large spectroscopic survey data. We use a line-by-line analysis of the Apache
Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) spectra (H band) with
the Brussels Automatic Code for Characterizing High accUracy Spectra (BACCHUS).
We compute line-by-line abundances of Mg, Si, Ca, and Fe for a large number of
globular cluster K giants in the APOGEE survey. We compare this line-by-line
analysis against NLTE and 3D predictions. While the 1D-NLTE models provide
corrections in the right direction, there are quantitative discrepancies
between different models. We observe a better agreement with the data for the
models including reliable collisional cross-sections. The agreement between
data and models is not always satisfactory when the 3D spectra are computed in
LTE. However, we note that for a fair comparison, 3D corrections should be
computed with self-consistently derived stellar parameters, and not on 1D
models with identical stellar parameters. Finally, we focus on 3D and NLTE
effects on Fe lines in the H band, where we observe a systematic difference in
abundance relative to the value from the optical. Our results suggest that the
metallicities obtained from the H band are more accurate in metal-poor giants.
More atomic data and extended self-consistent 3D-NLTE computations need to be
made. The method we have developed for testing 3D and NLTE models could be
extended to other lines and elements, and is particularly suited for large
spectroscopic surveys.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted in A&
Semigroup evolution in Wigner Weisskopf pole approximation with Markovian spectral coupling
We establish the relation between the Wigner-Weisskopf theory for the
description of an unstable system and the theory of coupling to an environment.
According to the Wigner-Weisskopf general approach, even within the pole
approximation (neglecting the background contribution) the evolution of a total
system subspace is not an exact semigroup for the multi-channel decay, unless
the projectors into eigesntates of the reduced evolution generator are
orthogonal. In this case these projectors must be evaluated at different pole
locations . Since the orthogonality relation does not
generally hold at different values of , for example, when there is symmetry
breaking, the semigroup evolution is a poor approximation for the multi-channel
decay, even for a very weak coupling. Nevertheless, there exists a possibility
not only to ensure the orthogonality of the projectors regardless the
number of the poles, but also to simultaneously suppress the effect of the
background contribution. This possibility arises when the theory is generalized
to take into account interactions with an environment. In this case , and
hence its eigenvectors as well, are {\it independent} of , which corresponds
to a structure of the coupling to the continuum spectrum associated with the
Markovian limit.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
The cultural and geopolitical dimensions of nation-building in the Ukraine
Ukraine belongs among those young countries where the beginnings of democratisation and nation-building approximately coincided. While the development of nation states in Central Europe was usually preceded by the development of nations, the biggest dilemma in the Ukraine is whether a nation-state programme — parallel to the aim of state-building — is able to bring unfinished nation-building to completion. Ukraine sways between the EU and Russia with enormous amplitude. The alternating orientation between the West and the East can be ascribed to superpower ambitions reaching beyond Ukraine. Eventually, internal and external determinants are intertwined and mutually interact with one another. The aim of the paper is to explain the dilemmas arising from identity problems behind the Ukraine’s internal and external orientation
Connective neck evolution and conductance steps in hot point contacts
Dynamic evolution of the connective neck in Al and Pb mechanically
controllable break junctions was studied during continuous approach of
electrodes at bias voltages V_b up to a few hundred mV. A high level of power
dissipation (10^-4 - 10^-3 W) and high current density (j > 10^10 A/cm^2) in
the constriction lead to overheating of the contact area, electromigration and
current-enhanced diffusion of atoms out of the "hot spot". At a low electrode
approach rate (10 - 50 pm/s) the transverse dimension of the neck and the
conductance of the junction depend on V_b and remain nearly constant over the
approach distance of 10 - 30 nm. For V_b > 300 mV the connective neck consists
of a few atoms only and the quantum nature of conductance manifests itself in
abrupt steps and reversible jumps between two or more levels. These features
are related to an ever changing number of individual conductance channels due
to the continuous rearrangement in atomic configuration of the neck, the
recurring motion of atoms between metastable states, the formation and breaking
of isolated one-atom contacts and the switching between energetically
preferable neck geometries.Comment: 21 pages 10 figure
Quantum interference structures in the conductance plateaus of gold nanojunctions
The conductance of breaking metallic nanojunctions shows plateaus alternated
with sudden jumps, corresponding to the stretching of stable atomic
configurations and atomic rearrangements, respectively. We investigate the
structure of the conductance plateaus both by measuring the voltage dependence
of the plateaus' slope on individual junctions and by a detailed statistical
analysis on a large amount of contacts. Though the atomic discreteness of the
junction plays a fundamental role in the evolution of the conductance, we find
that the fine structure of the conductance plateaus is determined by quantum
interference phenomenon to a great extent.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Magnetic flux in mesoscopic rings: Quantum Smoluchowski regime
Magnetic flux in mesoscopic rings under the quantum Smoluchowski regime is
investigated. Quantum corrections to the dissipative current are shown to form
multistable steady states and can result in statistical enhancement of the
magnetic flux. The relevance of quantum correction effects is supported v ia
the entropic criterion. A possible application for a qutrit architecture of
quantum information is proposed.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Quantizing the damped harmonic oscillator
We consider the Fermi quantization of the classical damped harmonic
oscillator (dho). In past work on the subject, authors double the phase space
of the dho in order to close the system at each moment in time. For an
infinite-dimensional phase space, this method requires one to construct a
representation of the CAR algebra for each time. We show that unitary dilation
of the contraction semigroup governing the dynamics of the system is a logical
extension of the doubling procedure, and it allows one to avoid the
mathematical difficulties encountered with the previous method.Comment: 4 pages, no figure
New H-band Stellar Spectral Libraries for the SDSS-III/APOGEE survey
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey--III (SDSS--III) Apache Point Observatory
Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) has obtained high resolution (R
22,500), high signal-to-noise ratio ( 100) spectra in the Hband
(1.51.7 m) for about 146,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy. We
have computed spectral libraries with effective temperature ()
ranging from 3500 to 8000 K for the automated chemical analy\-sis of the survey
data. The libraries, used to derive stellar parameters and abundances from the
APOGEE spectra in the SDSS--III data release 12 (DR12), are based on ATLAS9
model atmospheres and the ASST spectral synthesis code. We present a
second set of libraries based on MARCS model atmospheres and the spectral
synthesis code Turbospectrum. The ATLAS9/ASST ( =
35008000 K) and MARCS/Turbospectrum ( = 35005500 K) grids
cover a wide range of metallicity (2.5 [M/H] 0.5 dex),
surface gravity (0 log 5 dex), microturbulence (0.5
8 km~s), carbon (1 [C/M] 1 dex),
nitrogen (1 [N/M] 1 dex), and -element (1
[/M] 1 dex) variations, having thus seven dimensions. We
compare the ATLAS9/ASST and MARCS/Turbospectrum libraries and apply
both of them to the analysis of the observed Hband spectra of the Sun and
the K2 giant Arcturus, as well as to a selected sample of well-known giant
stars observed at very high-resolution. The new APOGEE libraries are publicly
available and can be employed for chemical studies in the Hband using other
high-resolution spectrographs.Comment: 45 pages, 11 figures; accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
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