4,849 research outputs found
Optimal search strategies of space-time coupled random walkers with finite lifetimes
We present a simple paradigm for detection of an immobile target by a
space-time coupled random walker with a finite lifetime. The motion of the
walker is characterized by linear displacements at a fixed speed and
exponentially distributed duration, interrupted by random changes in the
direction of motion and resumption of motion in the new direction with the same
speed. We call these walkers "mortal creepers". A mortal creeper may die at any
time during its motion according to an exponential decay law characterized by a
finite mean death rate . While still alive, the creeper has a finite
mean frequency of change of the direction of motion. In particular, we
consider the efficiency of the target search process, characterized by the
probability that the creeper will eventually detect the target. Analytic
results confirmed by numerical results show that there is an
-dependent optimal frequency that maximizes the
probability of eventual target detection. We work primarily in one-dimensional
() domains and examine the role of initial conditions and of finite domain
sizes. Numerical results in domains confirm the existence of an optimal
frequency of change of direction, thereby suggesting that the observed effects
are robust to changes in dimensionality. In the case, explicit
expressions for the probability of target detection in the long time limit are
given. In the case of an infinite domain, we compute the detection probability
for arbitrary times and study its early- and late-time behavior. We further
consider the survival probability of the target in the presence of many
independent creepers beginning their motion at the same location and at the
same time. We also consider a version of the standard "target problem" in which
many creepers start at random locations at the same time.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures. The title has been changed with respect to the
one in the previous versio
Wheel Design and Tension Analysis for the Tethered Axel Rover on Extreme Terrain
As the Mars Exploration rovers have reaffirmed,
some of the most interesting sites for scientists to explore on planetary surfaces lie in terrains that are currently
inaccessible to state-of-the art rovers. We have been
developing the Axel rover as a robotic platform to access
steep and challenging terrain. We will summarize the recent
mechanical upgrades since we introduced the tethered Axel
concept last year
Dipolar condensates confined in a toroidal trap: ground state and vortices
We study a Bose-Einstein condensate of 52Cr atoms confined in a toroidal trap
with a variable strength of s-wave contact interactions. We analyze the effects
of the anisotropic nature of the dipolar interaction by considering the
magnetization axis to be perpendicular to the trap symmetry axis. In the
absence of a central repulsive barrier, when the trap is purely harmonic, the
effect of reducing the scattering length is a tuning of the geometry of the
system: from a pancake-shaped condensate when it is large, to a cigar-shaped
condensate for small scattering lengths. For a condensate in a toroidal trap,
the interaction in combination with the central repulsive Gaussian barrier
produces an azimuthal dependence of the particle density for a fixed radial
distance. We find that along the magnetization direction the density decreases
as the scattering length is reduced but presents two symmetric density peaks in
the perpendicular axis. For even lower values of the scattering length we
observe that the system undergoes a dipolar-induced symmetry breaking
phenomenon. The whole density becomes concentrated in one of the peaks,
resembling an origin-displaced cigar-shaped condensate. In this context we also
analyze stationary vortex states and their associated velocity field, finding
that this latter also shows a strong azimuthal dependence for small scattering
lengths. The expectation value of the angular momentum along the z direction
provides a qualitative measure of the difference between the velocity in the
different density peaks.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figure
Three-dimensional flow structure and bed morphology in large elongate meander loops with different outer bank roughness characteristics
© 2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Few studies have examined the three-dimensional flow structure and bed morphology within elongate loops of large meandering channels. The present study focuses on the spatial patterns of three-dimensional flow structure and bed morphology within two elongate meander loops and examines how differences in outer bank roughness influence near-bank flow characteristics. Three-dimensional velocities were measured during two different events—a near-bankfull flow and an overbank event. Detailed data on channel bathymetry and bed form geometry were obtained during a near-bankfull event. Flow structure within the loops is characterized by strong topographic steering by the point bar, by the development of helical motion associated with flow curvature, and by acceleration of flow where bedrock is exposed along the outer bank. Near-bank velocities during the overbank event are less than those for the near-bankfull flow, highlighting the strong influence of the point bar on redistribution of mass and momentum of the flow at subbankfull stages. Multiple outer bank pools are evident within the elongate meander loop with low outer bank roughness, but are not present in the loop with high outer bank roughness, which may reflect the influence of abundant large woody debris on near-bank velocity characteristics. The positions of pools within both loops can be linked to spatial variations in planform curvature. The findings indicate that flow structure and bed morphology in these large elongate loops is similar to that in small elongate loops, but differs somewhat from flow structure and bed morphology reported for experimental elongate loops
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