WorldWideScience

Sample records for nontrivial phase information

  1. Nontrivial Berry phase in magnetic BaMnSb2 semimetal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Silu; Kim, Jisun; Shelton, W. A.; Plummer, E. W.; Jin, Rongying

    2017-06-01

    The subject of topological materials has attracted immense attention in condensed-matter physics because they host new quantum states of matter containing Dirac, Majorana, or Weyl fermions. Although Majorana fermions can only exist on the surface of topological superconductors, Dirac and Weyl fermions can be realized in both 2D and 3D materials. The latter are semimetals with Dirac/Weyl cones either not tilted (type I) or tilted (type II). Although both Dirac and Weyl fermions have massless nature with the nontrivial Berry phase, the formation of Weyl fermions in 3D semimetals require either time-reversal or inversion symmetry breaking to lift degeneracy at Dirac points. Here we demonstrate experimentally that canted antiferromagnetic BaMnSb2 is a 3D Weyl semimetal with a 2D electronic structure. The Shubnikov-de Hass oscillations of the magnetoresistance give nearly zero effective mass with high mobility and the nontrivial Berry phase. The ordered magnetic arrangement (ferromagnetic ordering in the ab plane and antiferromagnetic ordering along the c axis below 286 K) breaks the time-reversal symmetry, thus offering us an ideal platform to study magnetic Weyl fermions in a centrosymmetric material.

  2. Renormalization group improved computation of correlation functions in theories with nontrivial phase diagram

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Codello, Alessandro; Tonero, Alberto

    2016-01-01

    We present a simple and consistent way to compute correlation functions in interacting theories with nontrivial phase diagram. As an example we show how to consistently compute the four-point function in three dimensional Z2-scalar theories. The idea is to perform the path integral by weighting...... the momentum modes that contribute to it according to their renormalization group (RG) relevance, i.e. we weight each mode according to the value of the running couplings at that scale. In this way, we are able to encode in a loop computation the information regarding the RG trajectory along which we...

  3. Orbifolds, quantum cosmology, and nontrivial topology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fagundes, Helio V.; Vargas, Teofilo

    2006-01-01

    In order to include nontrivial topologies in the problem of quantum creation of a universe, it seems to be necessary to generalize the sum over compact, smooth 4-manifolds to a sum over finite-volume, compact 4-orbifolds. We consider in detail the case of a 4-spherical orbifold with a cone-point singularity. This allows for the inclusion of a nontrivial topology into the semiclassical path integral approach to quantum cosmology, in the context of a Robertson-Walker minisuperspace. (author)

  4. Nontrivial asymptotically nonfree gauge theories and dynamical unification of couplings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubo, J.

    1995-01-01

    Evidence for the nontriviality of asymptotically nonfree (ANF) Yang-Mills theories is found on the basis of optimized perturbation theory. It is argued that these theories with matter couplings can be made nontrivial by means of the reduction of couplings, leading to the idea of the dynamical unification of couplings (DUC). The second-order reduction of couplings in the ANF SU(3)-gauged Higgs-Yukawa theory, which is assumed to be nontrivial here, is carried out to motivate independent investigations on its nontriviality and DUC

  5. Bounded rationality, information, legal protection, and non-trivial contractual problems: Their influence on interorganizational relations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koch, Carsten Allan

    This paper attempts to generalize findings of the traditional literature of transaction cost economics (Willamson, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1985; Ouchi, 1980; Williamson & Ouchi 1981) by introducing more general factors or variables. Two of the most important of these are that asset specificity is repla......This paper attempts to generalize findings of the traditional literature of transaction cost economics (Willamson, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1985; Ouchi, 1980; Williamson & Ouchi 1981) by introducing more general factors or variables. Two of the most important of these are that asset specificity...... is replaced by a more general condition, vulnerability, and that the so-called market failure condition is replaced by a condition called contractual non-triviality. Sufficient conditions for non-triviality are found in terms of specific set of values for the basic set of factors....

  6. Exploring topological phases with quantum walks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitagawa, Takuya; Rudner, Mark S.; Berg, Erez; Demler, Eugene

    2010-01-01

    The quantum walk was originally proposed as a quantum-mechanical analog of the classical random walk, and has since become a powerful tool in quantum information science. In this paper, we show that discrete-time quantum walks provide a versatile platform for studying topological phases, which are currently the subject of intense theoretical and experimental investigations. In particular, we demonstrate that recent experimental realizations of quantum walks with cold atoms, photons, and ions simulate a nontrivial one-dimensional topological phase. With simple modifications, the quantum walk can be engineered to realize all of the topological phases, which have been classified in one and two dimensions. We further discuss the existence of robust edge modes at phase boundaries, which provide experimental signatures for the nontrivial topological character of the system.

  7. Assessing the impact of safety monitoring on the efficacy analysis in large Phase III group sequential trials with non-trivial safety event rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Yanqiu; Palesch, Yuko Y; DeSantis, Stacia M; Zhao, Wenle

    2016-01-01

    In Phase III clinical trials for life-threatening conditions, some serious but expected adverse events, such as early deaths or congestive heart failure, are often treated as the secondary or co-primary endpoint, and are closely monitored by the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC). A naïve group sequential design (GSD) for such a study is to specify univariate statistical boundaries for the efficacy and safety endpoints separately, and then implement the two boundaries during the study, even though the two endpoints are typically correlated. One problem with this naïve design, which has been noted in the statistical literature, is the potential loss of power. In this article, we develop an analytical tool to evaluate this negative impact for trials with non-trivial safety event rates, particularly when the safety monitoring is informal. Using a bivariate binary power function for the GSD with a random-effect component to account for subjective decision-making in safety monitoring, we demonstrate how, under common conditions, the power loss in the naïve design can be substantial. This tool may be helpful to entities such as the DSMCs when they wish to deviate from the prespecified stopping boundaries based on safety measures.

  8. Nontrivial correlation between the CKM and MNS matrices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xing Zhizhong

    2005-01-01

    We point out that the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) quark mixing matrix V CKM and the Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata (MNS) lepton mixing matrix V MNS can naturally be correlated in a class of seesaw models if the Dirac neutrino mass matrix and the up-type quark mass matrix are symmetric and identical, but the texture of their correlation matrix F ν is rather nontrivial. The bimaximal mixing pattern of F ν is disfavored by current data, and other special forms of F ν may suffer from fine-tuning of the free phase parameters in fitting the so-called quark-lepton complementarity relation. A straightforward calculation of F ν in terms of V CKM and V MNS reveals a striking feature of F ν : its (1,3) element cannot be zero or too small, no matter whether the (1,3) elements of V CKM and V MNS are vanishing or not. We also add some brief comments on possible radiative corrections to V CKM and V MNS

  9. Supersymmetric quantum mechanics: another nontrivial quantum superpotential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cervero, J.M.

    1991-01-01

    A nontrivial example of a quantum superpotential in the framework of supersymmetric quantum mechanics is constructed using integrable soliton-like functions. The model is shown to be fully solvable and some consequences regarding the physical properties of the model such as transparence and boundary effects are discussed. (orig.)

  10. Nontrivial ac spin response in the effective Luttinger model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Liangbin; Zhong Jiansong; Hu Kaige

    2006-01-01

    Based on the three-dimensional effective Luttinger Hamiltonian and the exact Heisenberg equations of motion and within a self-consistent semiclassical approximation, we present a theoretical investigation on the nontrivial ac spin responses due to the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling of holes in p-doped bulk semiconductors. We show that the nontrivial ac spin responses induced by the combined action of an ac external electric field and the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling of holes may lead to the generation of a nonvanishing ac spin Hall current in a p-doped bulk semiconductor, which shares some similarities with the dissipationless dc spin Hall current conceived previously and also exhibits some interesting new features that was not found before

  11. Self-ordering of nontrivial topological polarization structures in nanoporous ferroelectrics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Lich, Le; Shimada, Takahiro; Wang, Jie; Kitamura, Takayuki

    2017-10-19

    Topological field structures, such as skyrmions, merons, and vortices, are important features found in ordered systems with spontaneously broken symmetry. A plethora of topological field structures have been discovered in magnetic and ordered soft matter systems due to the presence of inherent chiral interactions, and this has provided a fruitful platform for unearthing additional groundbreaking functionalities. However, despite being one of the most important classes of ordered systems, ferroelectrics scarcely form topological polarization structures due to their lack of intrinsic chiral interactions. In the present study, we demonstrate using multiphysics phase-field modelling based on the Ginzburg-Landau theory that a rich assortment of nontrivial topological polarization structures, including hedgehogs, antivortices, multidirectional vortices, and vortex arrays, can be spontaneously formed in three-dimensional nanoporous ferroelectric structures. We realize that confining ferroelectrics to trivial geometries that are incompatible with the orientation symmetry may impose extrinsic frustration to the polarization field through the enhancement of depolarization fields at free porous surfaces. This frustration gives rise to symmetry breaking, resulting in the formation of nontrivial topological polarization structures as the ground state. We further topologically characterize the local accommodation of polarization structures by viewing them in a new perspective, in which polarization ordering can be mapped on the order parameter space, according to the topological theory of defects and homotopy theory. The results indicate that the nanoporous structures contain composite topological objects composed of two or more elementary topological polarization structures. The present study therefore offers a playground for exploring novel physical phenomena in ferroelectric systems as well as a novel nanoelectronics characterization platform for future topology

  12. NMR Evidence for the Topologically Nontrivial Nature in a Family of Half-Heusler Compounds

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Xiaoming

    2016-03-16

    Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is expected to partly determine the topologically nontrivial electronic structure of heavy half-Heusler ternary compounds. However, to date, attempts to experimentally observe either the strength of SOC or how it modifies the bulk band structure have been unsuccessful. By using bulk-sensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy combined with first-principles calculations, we reveal that 209Bi NMR isotropic shifts scale with relativity in terms of the strength of SOC and average atomic numbers, indicating strong relativistic effects on NMR parameters. According to first-principles calculations, we further claim that nuclear magnetic shieldings from relativistic p1/2 states and paramagnetic contributions from low-lying unoccupied p3/2 states are both sensitive to the details of band structures tuned by relativity, which explains why the hidden relativistic effects on band structure can be revealed by 209Bi NMR isotropic shifts in topologically nontrivial half-Heusler compounds. Used in complement to surface-sensitive methods, such as angle resolved photon electron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy, NMR can provide valuable information on bulk electronic states.

  13. NMR Evidence for the Topologically Nontrivial Nature in a Family of Half-Heusler Compounds

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Xiaoming; Hou, Zhipeng; Wang, Yue; Xu, Guizhou; Shi, Chenglong; Liu, EnKe; Xi, Xuekui; Wang, Wenhong; Wu, Guangheng; Zhang, Xixiang

    2016-01-01

    Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is expected to partly determine the topologically nontrivial electronic structure of heavy half-Heusler ternary compounds. However, to date, attempts to experimentally observe either the strength of SOC or how it modifies the bulk band structure have been unsuccessful. By using bulk-sensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy combined with first-principles calculations, we reveal that 209Bi NMR isotropic shifts scale with relativity in terms of the strength of SOC and average atomic numbers, indicating strong relativistic effects on NMR parameters. According to first-principles calculations, we further claim that nuclear magnetic shieldings from relativistic p1/2 states and paramagnetic contributions from low-lying unoccupied p3/2 states are both sensitive to the details of band structures tuned by relativity, which explains why the hidden relativistic effects on band structure can be revealed by 209Bi NMR isotropic shifts in topologically nontrivial half-Heusler compounds. Used in complement to surface-sensitive methods, such as angle resolved photon electron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy, NMR can provide valuable information on bulk electronic states.

  14. Generalized hedgehog ansatz and Gribov copies in regions with nontrivial topologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canfora, Fabrizio; Salgado-Rebolledo, Patricio

    2013-02-01

    In this paper the arising of Gribov copies both in Landau and Coulomb gauges in regions with nontrivial topologies but flat metric, (such as closed tubes S1×D2, or R×T2) will be analyzed. Using a novel generalization of the hedgehog ansatz beyond spherical symmetry, analytic examples of Gribov copies of the vacuum will be constructed. Using such ansatz, we will also construct the elliptic Gribov pendulum. The requirement of absence of Gribov copies of the vacuum satisfying the strong boundary conditions implies geometrical constraints on the shapes and sizes of the regions with nontrivial topologies.

  15. Quantization ambiguity and non-trivial vacuum structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rothe, H.J.; Swieca, J.A.

    1978-01-01

    It is pointed out that there is an ambiguity in quantization of any system whose configuration space has a non-trivial topology characterized by a Chern number. In field theories this ambiguity manifests itself through the existence of theta-sectors. The point of view adopted gives a simple interpretation of the difference between the temporal and Coulomb gauge descriptions of instantons. The general ideas are exemplified in the O(3) non-linear sigma-model in two dimensions [pt

  16. Quantum theories on noncommutative spaces with nontrivial topology: Aharonov-Bohm and Casimir effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaichian, M.; Tureanu, A.; Demichev, A.; Presnajder, P.; Sheikh-Jabbari, M.M.

    2001-02-01

    After discussing the peculiarities of quantum systems on noncommutative (NC) spaces with nontrivial topology and the operator representation of the *-product on them, we consider the Aharonov-Bohm and Casimir effects for such spaces. For the case of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, we have obtained an explicit expression for the shift of the phase, which is gauge invariant in the NC sense. The Casimir energy of a field theory on a NC cylinder is divergent, while it becomes finite on a torus, when the dimensionless parameter of noncommutativity is a rational number. The latter corresponds to a well-defined physical picture. Certain distinctions from other treatments based on a different way of taking the noncommutativity into account are also discussed. (author)

  17. Quantum anomalous Hall phase in a one-dimensional optical lattice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Sheng; Shao, L. B.; Hou, Qi-Zhe; Xue, Zheng-Yuan

    2018-03-01

    We propose to simulate and detect quantum anomalous Hall phase with ultracold atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice, with the other synthetic dimension being realized by modulating spin-orbit coupling. We show that the system manifests a topologically nontrivial phase with two chiral edge states which can be readily detected in this synthetic two-dimensional system. Moreover, it is interesting that at the phase transition point there is a flat energy band and this system can also be in a topologically nontrivial phase with two Fermi zero modes existing at the boundaries by considering the synthetic dimension as a modulated parameter. We also show how to measure these topological phases experimentally in ultracold atoms. Another model with a random Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling strength is also found to exhibit topological nontrivial phase, and the impact of the disorder to the system is revealed.

  18. Nontrivial Periodic Solutions for Nonlinear Second-Order Difference Equations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tieshan He

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the existence of nontrivial periodic solutions and positive periodic solutions to a nonlinear second-order difference equation. Under some conditions concerning the first positive eigenvalue of the linear equation corresponding to the nonlinear second-order equation, we establish the existence results by using the topological degree and fixed point index theories.

  19. Spin model for nontrivial types of magnetic order in inverse-perovskite antiferromagnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mochizuki, Masahito; Kobayashi, Masaya; Okabe, Reoya; Yamamoto, Daisuke

    2018-02-01

    Nontrivial magnetic orders in the inverse-perovskite manganese nitrides are theoretically studied by constructing a classical spin model describing the magnetic anisotropy and frustrated exchange interactions inherent in specific crystal and electronic structures of these materials. With a replica-exchange Monte Carlo technique, a theoretical analysis of this model reproduces the experimentally observed triangular Γ5 g and Γ4 g spin-ordered patterns and the systematic evolution of magnetic orders. Our Rapid Communication solves a 40-year-old problem of nontrivial magnetism for the inverse-perovskite manganese nitrides and provides a firm basis for clarifying the magnetism-driven negative thermal expansion phenomenon discovered in this class of materials.

  20. Quantum oscillation and nontrivial transport in the Dirac semimetal Cd_3As_2 nanodevice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Haiyang; Wei, Zhongxia; Zhao, Bo; Song, Fengqi; Wang, Baigeng; Zhang, Kang; Gao, Ming; Wang, Xuefeng; Zhang, Rong; Wang, Jue; Han, Min; Pi, Li

    2016-01-01

    Here, we report on the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillation in high-quality Cd_3As_2 nanowires grown by a chemical vapor deposition approach. The dominant transport of topological Dirac fermions is evident by the nontrivial Berry phase in the Landau Fan diagram. The quantum oscillations rise at a small field of 2 T and preserves up to 100 K, revealing a sizeable Landau level gap and a device mobility of 2138 cm"2" V"−"1" s"−"1. The angle-variable oscillations indicate the isotropy of the bulk Dirac transport. The large estimated mean free path makes the Cd_3As_2 nanowire a promising platform for the one-dimensional transport of Dirac semimetals.

  1. Nontrivial effects of high-frequency excitation for strongly damped mechanical systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fidlin, Alexander; Thomsen, Jon Juel

    Some nontrivial effects are investigated, which can occur if strongly damped mechanical systems are subjected to strong high-frequency (HF) excitation. The main result is a theoretical prediction, supported by numerical simulation, that for such systems the (quasi-)equilibrium states can change...... that can be substantial (depending on the strength of the HF excitation) for finite values of the damping. The analysis is focused on the differences between the classic results for weakly damped systems, and new effects for which the strong damping terms are responsible. The analysis is based...... on a slightly modified averaging technique, and includes an elementary example of an elliptically excited pendulum for illustration, alongside with a generalization to a broader class of strongly damped dynamical systems with HF excitation. As an application example, the nontrivial behavior of a classical...

  2. Nontrivial Solution of Fractional Differential System Involving Riemann-Stieltjes Integral Condition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ge-Feng Yang

    2012-01-01

    differential system involving the Riemann-Stieltjes integral condition, by using the Leray-Schauder nonlinear alternative and the Banach contraction mapping principle, some sufficient conditions of the existence and uniqueness of a nontrivial solution of a system are obtained.

  3. Nontrivial effects of high-frequency excitation for strongly damped mechanical systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fidlin, Alexander; Thomsen, Jon Juel

    2008-01-01

    Some non-trivial effects are investigated, which can occur if strongly damped mechanical systems are subjected to strong high-frequency (HF) excitation. The main result is a theoretical prediction, supported by numerical simulation, that for such systems the (quasi-)equilibrium states can change...... that can be substantial depending on the strength of the HF excitation) for finite values of the damping. The analysis is focused on the differences between the classic results for weakly damped systems, and new effects for which the strong damping terms are responsible. The analysis is based on a slightly...... modified averaging technique, and includes an elementary example of an elliptically excited pendulum for illustration, alongside with a generalization to a broader class of strongly damped dynamical systems with HF excitation. As an application example, the nontrivial behavior of a classical optimally...

  4. Programming Non-Trivial Algorithms in the Measurement Based Quantum Computation Model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alsing, Paul [United States Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; Fanto, Michael [United States Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; Lott, Capt. Gordon [United States Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; Tison, Christoper C. [United States Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

    2014-01-01

    We provide a set of prescriptions for implementing a quantum circuit model algorithm as measurement based quantum computing (MBQC) algorithm1, 2 via a large cluster state. As means of illustration we draw upon our numerical modeling experience to describe a large graph state capable of searching a logical 8 element list (a non-trivial version of Grover's algorithm3 with feedforward). We develop several prescriptions based on analytic evaluation of cluster states and graph state equations which can be generalized into any circuit model operations. Such a resulting cluster state will be able to carry out the desired operation with appropriate measurements and feed forward error correction. We also discuss the physical implementation and the analysis of the principal 3-qubit entangling gate (Toffoli) required for a non-trivial feedforward realization of an 8-element Grover search algorithm.

  5. Yang-Lee zeros for a Potts model of helix-coil transition with nontrivial topology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ananikian, N.; Ananikyan, L.; Artuso, R.; Sargsyan, K.

    2007-07-01

    The Yang-Lee partition function zeros of the Q-state Potts model on a zigzag ladder are studied by a transfer-matrix approach. This Q-state model has a non-trivial topology induced by three-site interactions on a zigzag ladder and is proposed as a description of helix-coil transition in homo-polymers. The Yang-Lee zeros are associated to complex values of the solvent-related coupling constant K (magnetic field) and they are exactly derived for arbitrary values of the system parameters: Q, J (coupling constant of hydrogen binding) and temperature. It is shown that there is only a quasi-phase transition for all temperatures. The densities of the Yang-Lee zeros are singular at the edge singularity points and the critical exponent σ = -1/2. (author)

  6. Fractals as objects with nontrivial structures at all scales

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lacan, Francis; Tresser, Charles

    2015-01-01

    Toward the middle of 2001, the authors started arguing that fractals are important when discussing the operational resilience of information systems and related computer sciences issues such as artificial intelligence. But in order to argue along these lines it turned out to be indispensable to define fractals so as to let one recognize as fractals some sets that are very far from being self similar in the (usual) metric sense. This paper is devoted to define (in a loose sense at least) fractals in ways that allow for instance all the Cantor sets to be fractals and that permit to recognize fractality (the property of being fractal) in the context of the information technology issues that we had tried to comprehend. Starting from the meta-definition of a fractal as an “object with non-trivial structure at all scales” that we had used for long, we ended up taking these words seriously. Accordingly we define fractals in manners that depend both on the structures that the fractals are endowed with and the chosen sets of structure compatible maps, i.e., we approach fractals in a category-dependent manner. We expect that this new approach to fractals will contribute to the understanding of more of the fractals that appear in exact and other sciences than what can be handled presently

  7. Symmetry protected topological Luttinger liquids and the phase transition between them

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    2018-01-01

    We show that a doped spin-1/2 ladder with antiferromagnetic intra-chain and ferromagnetic inter-chain coupling is a symmetry protected topologically non-trivial Luttinger liquid. Turning on a large easy-plane spin anisotropy drives the system to a topologically-trivial Luttinger liquid. Both phases have full spin gaps and exhibit power-law superconducting pair correlation. The Cooper pair symmetry is singlet $d_{xy}$ in the non-trivial phase and triplet $S_z=0$ in the trivial phase. The topologically non-trivial Luttinger liquid exhibits gapless spin excitations in the presence of a boundary, and it has no non-interacting or mean-field theory analog even when the fluctuating phase in the charge sector is pinned. As a function of the strength of spin anisotropy there is a topological phase transition upon which the spin gap closes. We speculate these Luttinger liquids are relevant to the superconductivity in metalized integer spin ladders or chains.

  8. Therapy Provider Phase Information

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Therapy Provider Phase Information dataset is a tool for providers to search by their National Provider Identifier (NPI) number to determine their phase for...

  9. Slavnov-Taylor constraints for nontrivial backgrounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Binosi, D.; Quadri, A.

    2011-01-01

    We devise an algebraic procedure for the evaluation of Green's functions in SU(N) Yang-Mills theory in the presence of a nontrivial background field. In the ghost-free sector the dependence of the vertex functional on the background is shown to be uniquely determined by the Slavnov-Taylor identities in terms of a certain 1-PI correlator of the covariant derivatives of the ghost and the antighost fields. At nonvanishing background this amplitude is shown to encode the quantum deformations to the tree-level background-quantum splitting. The approach only relies on the functional identities of the model (Slavnov-Taylor identities, b-equation, antighost equation) and thus it is valid beyond perturbation theory, and, in particular, in a lattice implementation of the background field method. As an example of the formalism we analyze the ghost two-point function and the Kugo-Ojima function in an instanton background in SU(2) Yang-Mills theory, quantized in the background Landau gauge.

  10. Electroweak chiral Lagrangian from the topcolor-assisted technicolor model with nontrivial technicolor fermion condensation and walking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ge Fengjun; Jiang Shaozhou; Wang Qing

    2011-01-01

    The electroweak chiral Lagrangian for the topcolor-assisted technicolor model proposed by K. Lane, which uses nontrivial patterns of techniquark condensation and walking, was investigated in this study. We found that the features of the model are qualitatively similar to those of Lane's previous natural topcolor-assisted technicolor prototype model, but there is no limit on the upper bound of the Z ' mass. We discuss the phase structure and possible walking behavior of the model. We obtained the values of all coefficients of the electroweak chiral Lagrangian up to an order of p 4 . We show that although the walking effect reduces the S parameter to half its original value, it maintains an order of 2. Moreover, a special hypercharge arrangement is needed to achieve further reductions in its value.

  11. Magnetically charged calorons with non-trivial holonomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Takumi; Nakamula, Atsushi; Takesue, Koki

    2018-06-01

    Instantons in pure Yang-Mills theories on partially periodic space R^3× {S}^1 are usually called calorons. The background periodicity brings on characteristic features of calorons such as non-trivial holonomy, which plays an essential role for confinement/deconfinement transition in pure Yang-Mills gauge theory. For the case of gauge group SU(2), calorons can be interpreted as composite objects of two constituent "monopoles" with opposite magnetic charges. There are often the cases that the two monopole charges are unbalanced so that the calorons possess net magnetic charge in R3. In this paper, we consider several mechanism how such net magnetic charges appear for certain types of calorons through the ADHM/Nahm construction with explicit examples. In particular, we construct analytically the gauge configuration of the (2 , 1)-caloron with U(1)-symmetry, which has intrinsically magnetic charge.

  12. Quasilinear Elliptic Equations with Hardy-Sobolev Critical Exponents: Existence and Multiplicity of Nontrivial Solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guanwei Chen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the existence of positive solutions and multiplicity of nontrivial solutions for a class of quasilinear elliptic equations by using variational methods. Our obtained results extend some existing ones.

  13. Incomplete information and fractal phase space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Qiuping A.

    2004-01-01

    The incomplete statistics for complex systems is characterized by a so called incompleteness parameter ω which equals unity when information is completely accessible to our treatment. This paper is devoted to the discussion of the incompleteness of accessible information and of the physical signification of ω on the basis of fractal phase space. ω is shown to be proportional to the fractal dimension of the phase space and can be linked to the phase volume expansion and information growth during the scale refining process

  14. Valley Topological Phases in Bilayer Sonic Crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jiuyang; Qiu, Chunyin; Deng, Weiyin; Huang, Xueqin; Li, Feng; Zhang, Fan; Chen, Shuqi; Liu, Zhengyou

    2018-03-01

    Recently, the topological physics in artificial crystals for classical waves has become an emerging research area. In this Letter, we propose a unique bilayer design of sonic crystals that are constructed by two layers of coupled hexagonal array of triangular scatterers. Assisted by the additional layer degree of freedom, a rich topological phase diagram is achieved by simply rotating scatterers in both layers. Under a unified theoretical framework, two kinds of valley-projected topological acoustic insulators are distinguished analytically, i.e., the layer-mixed and layer-polarized topological valley Hall phases, respectively. The theory is evidently confirmed by our numerical and experimental observations of the nontrivial edge states that propagate along the interfaces separating different topological phases. Various applications such as sound communications in integrated devices can be anticipated by the intriguing acoustic edge states enriched by the layer information.

  15. Nontrivial paths and periodic orbits of the T-fractal billiard table

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapidus, Michel L.; Miller, Robyn L.; Niemeyer, Robert G.

    2016-07-01

    We introduce and prove numerous new results about the orbits of the T-fractal billiard. Specifically, in section 3, we give a variety of sufficient conditions for the existence of a sequence of compatible periodic orbits. In section 4, we examine the limiting behavior of particular sequences of compatible periodic orbits. Additionally, sufficient conditions for the existence of particular nontrivial paths are given in section 4. The proofs of two results of Lapidus and Niemeyer (2013 The current state of fractal billiards Fractal Geometry and Dynamical Systems in Pure and Applied Mathematics II: Fractals in Applied Mathematics (Contemporary Mathematics vol 601) ed D Carfi et al (Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society) pp 251-88 (e-print: arXiv:math.DS.1210.0282v2, 2013) appear here for the first time, as well. In section 5, an orbit with an irrational initial direction reaches an elusive point in a way that yields a nontrivial path of finite length, yet, by our convention, constitutes a singular orbit of the fractal billiard table. The existence of such an orbit seems to indicate that the classification of orbits may not be so straightforward. A discussion of our results and directions for future research is then given in section 6.

  16. Topological Phase Diagrams of Bulk and Monolayer TiS2−xTex

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Zhiyong

    2013-02-12

    With the use of ab initio calculations, the topological phase diagrams of bulk and monolayer TiS2−xTex are established. Whereas bulk TiS2−xTex shows two strong topological phases [1;(000)] and [1;(001)] for 0.44nontrivial for 0.48nontrivial nature survives down to a monolayer, TiS2−xTex is a unique system for studying topological phases in three and two dimensions simultaneously.

  17. Topological Phase Diagrams of Bulk and Monolayer TiS2−xTex

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Zhiyong; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2013-01-01

    With the use of ab initio calculations, the topological phase diagrams of bulk and monolayer TiS2−xTex are established. Whereas bulk TiS2−xTex shows two strong topological phases [1;(000)] and [1;(001)] for 0.44nontrivial for 0.48nontrivial nature survives down to a monolayer, TiS2−xTex is a unique system for studying topological phases in three and two dimensions simultaneously.

  18. Analyticity of event horizons of five-dimensional multi-black holes with nontrivial asymptotic structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, Masashi

    2008-01-01

    We show that there exist five-dimensional multi-black hole solutions which have analytic event horizons when the space-time has nontrivial asymptotic structure, unlike the case of five-dimensional multi-black hole solutions in asymptotically flat space-time.

  19. Aspects of Berry phase in QFT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baggio, Marco [Institute for Theoretical Physics, KU Leuven,Celestijnenlaan 200D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Niarchos, Vasilis [Department of Mathematical Sciences and Center for Particle Theory, Durham University,South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Papadodimas, Kyriakos [Theory Group, Physics Department, CERN,CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity, University of Groningen,Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen (Netherlands)

    2017-04-11

    When continuous parameters in a QFT are varied adiabatically, quantum states typically undergo mixing — a phenomenon characterized by the Berry phase. We initiate a systematic analysis of the Berry phase in QFT using standard quantum mechanics methods. We show that a non-trivial Berry phase appears in many familiar QFTs. We study a variety of examples including free electromagnetism with a theta angle, and certain supersymmetric QFTs in two and four spacetime dimensions. We also argue that a large class of QFTs with rich Berry properties is provided by CFTs with non-trivial conformal manifolds. Using the operator-state correspondence we demonstrate in this case that the Berry connection is equivalent to the connection on the conformal manifold derived previously in conformal perturbation theory. In the special case of chiral primary states in 2d N=(2,2) and 4d N=2 SCFTs the Berry phase is governed by the tt{sup ∗} equations. We present a technically useful rederivation of these equations using quantum mechanics methods.

  20. Manipulation resolves non-trivial structure of corrole monolayer on Ag(111)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tebi, Stefano; Serrano, Giulia; Koch, Reinhold; Müllegger, Stefan; Aldahhak, Hazem; Rauls, Eva; Schmidt, Wolf Gero; Schöfberger, Wolfgang

    2016-01-01

    Non-trivial arrangement of molecules within a molecular network complicates structure determination due to interdigitation, partial overlap, or stacking. We demonstrate that combined imaging and lateral manipulation with a scanning tunneling microscope resolves the intricate structure of a molecular network in two-dimensions in a straightforward manner. The network, formed by a monolayer of 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)-corrole molecules on Ag(111), is manipulated for the first time with single-molecule precision. Our results reveal a shingle-like packing of partially overlapping corrole molecules. Density functional theory calculations support our findings. (paper)

  1. Multiple-stage pure phase encoding with biometric information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wen

    2018-01-01

    In recent years, many optical systems have been developed for securing information, and optical encryption/encoding has attracted more and more attention due to the marked advantages, such as parallel processing and multiple-dimensional characteristics. In this paper, an optical security method is presented based on pure phase encoding with biometric information. Biometric information (such as fingerprint) is employed as security keys rather than plaintext used in conventional optical security systems, and multiple-stage phase-encoding-based optical systems are designed for generating several phase-only masks with biometric information. Subsequently, the extracted phase-only masks are further used in an optical setup for encoding an input image (i.e., plaintext). Numerical simulations are conducted to illustrate the validity, and the results demonstrate that high flexibility and high security can be achieved.

  2. The combined use of EBSD and EDX analyses for the identification of complex intermetallic phases in multicomponent Al-Si piston alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, C.-L.; Thomson, R.C.

    2010-01-01

    Multicomponent Al-Si based casting alloys are used for a variety of engineering applications, including for example, piston alloys. Properties include good castability, high strength, light weight, good wear resistance and low thermal expansion. In order for such alloys to continue operation to increasingly higher temperatures, alloy element modifications are continually being made to further enhance the properties. Improved mechanical and physical properties are strongly dependent upon the morphologies, type and distribution of the second phases, which are in turn a function of alloy composition and cooling rate. The presence of additional elements in the Al-Si alloy system allows many complex intermetallic phases to form, which make characterisation non-trivial. These include, for example, CuAl 2 , Al 3 Ni 2 , Al 7 Cu 4 Ni, Al 9 FeNi and Al 5 Cu 2 Mg 8 Si 6 phases, all of which may have some solubility for additional elements. Identification is often non-trivial due to the fact that some of the phases have either similar crystal structures or only subtle changes in their chemistries. A combination of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) has therefore been used for the identification of the various phases. This paper will present comparisons of phase identification methodologies using EBSD alone, and in combination with chemical information, either directly or through post processing.

  3. Imprints of spherical nontrivial topologies on the cosmic microwave background.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niarchou, Anastasia; Jaffe, Andrew

    2007-08-24

    The apparent low power in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropy power spectrum derived from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe motivated us to consider the possibility of a nontrivial topology. We focus on simple spherical multiconnected manifolds and discuss their implications for the CMB in terms of the power spectrum, maps, and the correlation matrix. We perform a Bayesian model comparison against the fiducial best-fit cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant based both on the power spectrum and the correlation matrix to assess their statistical significance. We find that the first-year power spectrum shows a slight preference for the truncated cube space, but the three-year data show no evidence for any of these spaces.

  4. NON-TRIVIALITY OF THE RESULTS OF MILGRAM FIELD EXPERIMENT IN MOSCOW AND NEW YORK SUBWAY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga V Mitina

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Non-triviality of the results of the field experiment conducted on Stanley Milgram’s methodology in the New York and Moscow subway have been studied. The statistical significance of the difference between empirical and predicted results has been taken as the non-triviality criterion. 208 respondents (psychologists and students studying psychology were asked to predict an experimental result in dependence on an experimenter’s and subject’s gender, a subject’s age, and a city where the experiment was carried out. The obtained results have confirmed our hypothesis on non-triviality of the experiments in subways: it has been showed that there is a statistically significant difference between real behavior of subway passengers (in New York and in Moscow and predictions made by Moscow and Tashkent respondents. Practically in most cases the predicted probability that a subject gives a seat after request of experimenter (young woman or young man is much less than in reality. The structural equation modeling (SEM has been used to analyze the data by constructing the model taking account of all factors mentioned above. The model fit the experimental data well (CFI = 0.919. It has been found that predicted results depend not only on gender, age, and residence of a respondent but also on the degree of familiarity with the research. The obtained data give an important material for a further study of the role of situational (an experiment design and individual (respondent characteristics factors in predicted results; they contribute to further understanding of the problem of creation and support of non-formal social norms in various cultures and show new aspects of research carried out on experimental methodology of Stanley Milgram.

  5. Moving walls and geometric phases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Facchi, Paolo, E-mail: paolo.facchi@ba.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica and MECENAS, Università di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy); Garnero, Giancarlo, E-mail: giancarlo.garnero@uniba.it [Dipartimento di Fisica and MECENAS, Università di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy); Marmo, Giuseppe [Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche and MECENAS, Università di Napoli “Federico II”, I-80126 Napoli (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Napoli, I-80126 Napoli (Italy); Samuel, Joseph [Raman Research Institute, 560080 Bangalore (India)

    2016-09-15

    We unveil the existence of a non-trivial Berry phase associated to the dynamics of a quantum particle in a one dimensional box with moving walls. It is shown that a suitable choice of boundary conditions has to be made in order to preserve unitarity. For these boundary conditions we compute explicitly the geometric phase two-form on the parameter space. The unboundedness of the Hamiltonian describing the system leads to a natural prescription of renormalization for divergent contributions arising from the boundary.

  6. Role of space--time topology in quantum phenomena: Superselection of charge and emergence of nontrivial vacua

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashtekar, A.; Sen, A.

    1980-01-01

    Schwarzschild--Kruskal space--time admits a two-parameter family of everywhere regular, static, source-free Maxwell fields. It is shown that there exists a corresponding two-parameter family of unitarily inequivalent representations of the canonical commutation relations. Elements of the underlying Hilbert space may be interpreted as ''quantum fluctuations of the Maxwell field off nontrivial classical vacua.'' The representation corresponding to the ''trivial'' sector: i.e., the zero classical solution: is the usual Fock representation. All others are ''non-Fock.'' In particular, in all other sectors, the Maxwell field develops a nonzero vacuum expectation value. The parameters labelling the family can be interpreted as electric and magnetic charges. Therefore, unitary inequivalence naturally leads to superselection rules for these charges. These features arise in spite of the linearity of field equations only because the space--time topology is ''nontrivial.'' Also, because of linearity, an exact analysis is possible at the quantum level; recourse to perturbation theory is unnecessary

  7. High-order noise filtering in nontrivial quantum logic gates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Todd; Uys, Hermann; Biercuk, Michael J

    2012-07-13

    Treating the effects of a time-dependent classical dephasing environment during quantum logic operations poses a theoretical challenge, as the application of noncommuting control operations gives rise to both dephasing and depolarization errors that must be accounted for in order to understand total average error rates. We develop a treatment based on effective Hamiltonian theory that allows us to efficiently model the effect of classical noise on nontrivial single-bit quantum logic operations composed of arbitrary control sequences. We present a general method to calculate the ensemble-averaged entanglement fidelity to arbitrary order in terms of noise filter functions, and provide explicit expressions to fourth order in the noise strength. In the weak noise limit we derive explicit filter functions for a broad class of piecewise-constant control sequences, and use them to study the performance of dynamically corrected gates, yielding good agreement with brute-force numerics.

  8. Strange metals and quantum phase transitions from gauge/gravity duality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hong

    2011-03-01

    Metallic materials whose thermodynamic and transport properties differ significantly from those predicted by Fermi liquid theory, so-called non-Fermi liquids, include the strange metal phase of cuprate superconductors, and heavy fermion systems near a quantum phase transition. We use gauge/gravity duality to identify a class of non-Fermi liquids. Their low-energy behavior is governed by a nontrivial infrared fixed point which exhibits non-analytic scaling behavior only in the temporal direction. Some representatives of this class have single-particle spectral functions and transport behavior similar to those of the strange metals, with conductivity inversely proportional to the temperature. Such holographic systems may also exhibit novel ``magnetic instabilities'', where the quantum critical behavior near the transition involves a nontrivial interplay between local and bulk physics, with the local physics again described by a similar infrared fixed point. The resulting quantum phase transitions do not obey the standard Landau-Ginsburg-Wilson paradigm and resemble those of the heavy fermion quantum critical points.

  9. Predicting a new phase (T'') of two-dimensional transition metal di-chalcogenides and strain-controlled topological phase transition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Fengxian; Gao, Guoping; Jiao, Yalong; Gu, Yuantong; Bilic, Ante; Zhang, Haijun; Chen, Zhongfang; Du, Aijun

    2016-02-01

    Single layered transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted tremendous research interest due to their structural phase diversities. By using a global optimization approach, we have discovered a new phase of transition metal dichalcogenides (labelled as T''), which is confirmed to be energetically, dynamically and kinetically stable by our first-principles calculations. The new T'' MoS2 phase exhibits an intrinsic quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect with a nontrivial gap as large as 0.42 eV, suggesting that a two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator can be achieved at room temperature. Most interestingly, there is a topological phase transition simply driven by a small tensile strain of up to 2%. Furthermore, all the known MX2 (M = Mo or W; X = S, Se or Te) monolayers in the new T'' phase unambiguously display similar band topologies and strain controlled topological phase transitions. Our findings greatly enrich the 2D families of transition metal dichalcogenides and offer a feasible way to control the electronic states of 2D topological insulators for the fabrication of high-speed spintronics devices.Single layered transition metal dichalcogenides have attracted tremendous research interest due to their structural phase diversities. By using a global optimization approach, we have discovered a new phase of transition metal dichalcogenides (labelled as T''), which is confirmed to be energetically, dynamically and kinetically stable by our first-principles calculations. The new T'' MoS2 phase exhibits an intrinsic quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect with a nontrivial gap as large as 0.42 eV, suggesting that a two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator can be achieved at room temperature. Most interestingly, there is a topological phase transition simply driven by a small tensile strain of up to 2%. Furthermore, all the known MX2 (M = Mo or W; X = S, Se or Te) monolayers in the new T'' phase unambiguously display similar band topologies and strain controlled topological

  10. Generalized phase retrieval algorithm based on information measures

    OpenAIRE

    Shioya, Hiroyuki; Gohara, Kazutoshi

    2006-01-01

    An iterative phase retrieval algorithm based on the maximum entropy method (MEM) is presented. Introducing a new generalized information measure, we derive a novel class of algorithms which includes the conventionally used error reduction algorithm and a MEM-type iterative algorithm which is presented for the first time. These different phase retrieval methods are unified on the basis of the framework of information measures used in information theory.

  11. Chiral Floquet Phases of Many-Body Localized Bosons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hoi Chun Po

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available We construct and classify chiral topological phases in driven (Floquet systems of strongly interacting bosons, with finite-dimensional site Hilbert spaces, in two spatial dimensions. The construction proceeds by introducing exactly soluble models with chiral edges, which in the presence of many-body localization (MBL in the bulk are argued to lead to stable chiral phases. These chiral phases do not require any symmetry and in fact owe their existence to the absence of energy conservation in driven systems. Surprisingly, we show that they are classified by a quantized many-body index, which is well defined for any MBL Floquet system. The value of this index, which is always the logarithm of a positive rational number, can be interpreted as the entropy per Floquet cycle pumped along the edge, formalizing the notion of quantum-information flow. We explicitly compute this index for specific models and show that the nontrivial topology leads to edge thermalization, which provides an interesting link between bulk topology and chaos at the edge. We also discuss chiral Floquet phases in interacting fermionic systems and their relation to chiral bosonic phases.

  12. Zak Phase in Discrete-Time Quantum Walks

    OpenAIRE

    Puentes, G.; Santillán, O.

    2015-01-01

    We report on a simple scheme that may present a non-trivial geometric Zak phase ($\\Phi_{Zak}$) structure, which is based on a discrete-time quantum walk architecture. By detecting the Zak phase difference between two trajectories connecting adjacent Dirac points where the quasi-energy gap closes for opposite values of quasi-momentum ($k$), it is possible to identify geometric invariants. These geometric invariants correspond to $|\\Phi_{Zak}^{+(-)}-\\Phi_{Zak}^{-(+)}|=\\pi$ and $|\\Phi_{Zak}^{+(-...

  13. Radiative seesaw-type mechanism of fermion masses and non-trivial quark mixing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arbelaez, Carolina; Hernandez, A.E.C.; Kovalenko, Sergey; Schmidt, Ivan [Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Centro Cientifico-Tecnologico de Valparaiso-CCTVal, Valparaiso (Chile)

    2017-06-15

    We propose a predictive inert two-Higgs doublet model, where the standard model (SM) symmetry is extended by S{sub 3} x Z{sub 2} x Z{sub 12} and the field content is enlarged by extra scalar fields, charged exotic fermions and two heavy right-handed Majorana neutrinos. The charged exotic fermions generate a non-trivial quark mixing and provide one-loop-level masses for the first- and second-generation charged fermions. The masses of the light active neutrinos are generated from a one-loop-level radiative seesaw mechanism. Our model successfully explains the observed SM fermion mass and mixing pattern. (orig.)

  14. Two-phase semilinear free boundary problem with a degenerate phase

    KAUST Repository

    Matevosyan, Norayr

    2010-10-16

    We study minimizers of the energy functional ∫D[{pipe}∇u{pipe}2 + λ(u+)p]dx for p ∈ (0, 1) without any sign restriction on the function u. The distinguished feature of the problem is the lack of nondegeneracy in the negative phase. The main result states that in dimension two the free boundaries Γ+ = ∂{u > 0} ∩ D andΓ- = ∂{u < 0} ∩ D are C1,α-regular, provided 1 - ∈0 < p < 1. The proof is obtained by a careful iteration of the Harnack inequality to obtain a nontrivial growth estimate in the negative phase, compensating for the apriori unknown nondegeneracy. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.

  15. Phase diagram and topological phases in the triangular lattice Kitaev-Hubbard model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Kai; Yu, Shun-Li; Gu, Zhao-Long; Li, Jian-Xin

    2016-09-01

    We study the half-filled Hubbard model on a triangular lattice with spin-dependent Kitaev-like hopping. Using the variational cluster approach, we identify five phases: a metallic phase, a non-coplanar chiral magnetic order, a 120° magnetic order, a nonmagnetic insulator (NMI), and an interacting Chern insulator (CI) with a nonzero Chern number. The transition from CI to NMI is characterized by the change of the charge gap from an indirect band gap to a direct Mott gap. Based on the slave-rotor mean-field theory, the NMI phase is further suggested to be a gapless Mott insulator with a spinon Fermi surface or a fractionalized CI with nontrivial spinon topology, depending on the strength of the Kitaev-like hopping. Our work highlights the rising field in which interesting phases emerge from the interplay between band topology and Mott physics.

  16. Dirac fermions in nontrivial topology black hole backgrounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gozdz, Marek; Nakonieczny, Lukasz; Rogatko, Marek

    2010-01-01

    We discuss the behavior of the Dirac fermions in a general spherically symmetric black hole background with a nontrivial topology of the event horizon. Both massive and massless cases are taken into account. We will conduct an analytical study of intermediate and late-time behavior of massive Dirac hair in the background of a black hole with a global monopole and dilaton black hole pierced by a cosmic string. In the case of a global monopole swallowed by a static black hole, the intermediate late-time behavior depends on the mass of the Dirac field, the multiple number of the wave mode, and the global monopole parameter. The late-time behavior is quite independent of these factors and has a decay rate proportional to t -5/6 . As far as the black hole pierced by a cosmic string is concerned, the intermediate late-time behavior depends only on the hair mass and the multipole number of the wave mode, while the late-time behavior dependence is the same as in the previous case. The main modification stems from the topology of the S 2 sphere pierced by a cosmic string. This factor modifies the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator acting on the transverse manifold.

  17. Future foam: Nontrivial topology from bubble collisions in eternal inflation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bousso, Raphael; Freivogel, Ben; Yang, I-S.; Sekino, Yasuhiro; Shenker, Stephen; Susskind, Leonard; Yeh, C.-P.

    2008-01-01

    We study pocket universes which have zero cosmological constant and nontrivial boundary topology. These arise from bubble collisions in eternal inflation. Using a simplified dust model of collisions we find that boundaries of any genus can occur. Using a radiation shell model we perform analytic studies in the thin-wall limit to show the existence of geometries with a single toroidal boundary. We give plausibility arguments that higher genus boundaries can also occur. In geometries with one boundary of any genus a timelike observer can see the entire boundary. Geometries with multiple disconnected boundaries can also occur. In the spherical case with two boundaries the boundaries are separated by a horizon. Our results suggest that the holographic dual description for eternal inflation, proposed by Freivogel, Sekino, Susskind and Yeh, should include summation over the genus of the base space of the dual conformal field theory. We point out peculiarities of this genus expansion compared to the string perturbation series.

  18. Phase structure of lattice QCD for general number of flavors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwasaki, Y.; Kanaya, K.; Yoshie, T.; Kaya, S.; Sakai, S.

    2004-01-01

    We investigate the phase structure of lattice QCD for the general number of flavors in the parameter space of gauge coupling constant and quark mass, employing the one-plaquette gauge action and the standard Wilson quark action. Performing a series of simulations for the number of flavors N F =6-360 with degenerate-mass quarks, we find that when N F ≥7 there is a line of a bulk first order phase transition between the confined phase and a deconfined phase at a finite current quark mass in the strong coupling region and the intermediate coupling region. The massless quark line exists only in the deconfined phase. Based on these numerical results in the strong coupling limit and in the intermediate coupling region, we propose the following phase structure, depending on the number of flavors whose masses are less than Λ d which is the physical scale characterizing the phase transition in the weak coupling region: When N F ≥17, there is only a trivial IR fixed point and therefore the theory in the continuum limit is free. On the other hand, when 16≥N F ≥7, there is a nontrivial IR fixed point and therefore the theory is nontrivial with anomalous dimensions, however, without quark confinement. Theories which satisfy both quark confinement and spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in the continuum limit exist only for N F ≤6

  19. Replication of Non-Trivial Directional Motion in Multi-Scales Observed by the Runs Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yura, Yoshihiro; Ohnishi, Takaaki; Yamada, Kenta; Takayasu, Hideki; Takayasu, Misako

    Non-trivial autocorrelation in up-down statistics in financial market price fluctuation is revealed by a multi-scale runs test(Wald-Wolfowitz test). We apply two models, a stochastic price model and dealer model to understand this property. In both approaches we successfully reproduce the non-stationary directional price motions consistent with the runs test by tuning parameters in the models. We find that two types of dealers exist in the markets, a short-time-scale trend-follower and an extended-time-scale contrarian who are active in different time periods.

  20. Effects of phase lag on the information rate of a bistable Duffing oscillator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perkins, Edmon; Balachandran, Balakumar

    2015-01-01

    To utilize noise for systems, which are transmitting or receiving information, the information rate is a necessary metric to consider. The phase lag, which is the difference between the sender (applied forcing) and receiver (the oscillator) phases, has a significant effect on the information rate. However, this phase lag is a nonlinear function of the noise level. Here, the effects of phase lag on the information rate for a Duffing oscillator are examined and comparative discussions are made with phase lag from linear response theory. The phase lag is shown to be an important variable in calculating the information rate. - Highlights: • Simulations and Fokker–Planck analysis for Duffing oscillator response are performed. • The phase lag is found to be a nonlinear function of the noise level. • The phase lag is shown to be important for calculating the information rate metric

  1. Effects of phase lag on the information rate of a bistable Duffing oscillator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perkins, Edmon, E-mail: edmon@umd.edu; Balachandran, Balakumar, E-mail: balab@umd.edu

    2015-02-06

    To utilize noise for systems, which are transmitting or receiving information, the information rate is a necessary metric to consider. The phase lag, which is the difference between the sender (applied forcing) and receiver (the oscillator) phases, has a significant effect on the information rate. However, this phase lag is a nonlinear function of the noise level. Here, the effects of phase lag on the information rate for a Duffing oscillator are examined and comparative discussions are made with phase lag from linear response theory. The phase lag is shown to be an important variable in calculating the information rate. - Highlights: • Simulations and Fokker–Planck analysis for Duffing oscillator response are performed. • The phase lag is found to be a nonlinear function of the noise level. • The phase lag is shown to be important for calculating the information rate metric.

  2. Array-Enhanced Coherence Resonance: Nontrivial Effects of Heterogeneity and Spatial Independence of Noise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Changsong; Kurths, Juergen; Hu, Bambi

    2001-01-01

    We demonstrate the effect of coherence resonance in a heterogeneous array of coupled Fitz Hugh--Nagumo neurons. It is shown that coupling of such elements leads to a significantly stronger coherence compared to that of a single element. We report nontrivial effects of parameter heterogeneity and spatial independence of noise on array-enhanced coherence resonance; especially, we find that (i) the coherence increases as spatial correlation of the noise decreases, and (ii) inhomogeneity in the parameters of the array enhances the coherence. Our results have the implication that generic heterogeneity and background noise can play a constructive role to enhance the time precision of firing in neural systems

  3. Grand unified theory precursors and nontrivial fixed points in higher-dimensional gauge theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dienes, Keith R.; Dudas, Emilian; Gherghetta, Tony

    2003-01-01

    Within the context of traditional logarithmic grand unification at M GUT ≅10 16 GeV, we show that it is nevertheless possible to observe certain GUT states such as X and Y gauge bosons at lower scales, perhaps even in the TeV range. We refer to such states as 'GUT precursors'. These states offer an interesting alternative possibility for new physics at the TeV scale, and could be used to directly probe GUT physics even though the scale of gauge coupling unification remains high. Our results also give rise to a Kaluza-Klein realization of nontrivial fixed points in higher-dimensional gauge theories

  4. Computing a Non-trivial Lower Bound on the Joint Entropy between Two Images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perumalla, Kalyan S. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-03-01

    In this report, a non-trivial lower bound on the joint entropy of two non-identical images is developed, which is greater than the individual entropies of the images. The lower bound is the least joint entropy possible among all pairs of images that have the same histograms as those of the given images. New algorithms are presented to compute the joint entropy lower bound with a computation time proportional to S log S where S is the number of histogram bins of the images. This is faster than the traditional methods of computing the exact joint entropy with a computation time that is quadratic in S .

  5. Patient information in phase I trials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gad, Katrine Toubro; Lassen, Ulrik; Mau-Sørensen, Morten

    2018-01-01

    for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses.” A systematic search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, and PsycInfo databases, supplemented by a search for unpublished literature. Results: We identified 37 studies for inclusion in this review. Patients' decisions to participate in a phase 1 trial were influenced....... Studies performing analyses of the dialog demonstrated that the language of the physicians was incomplete. The relatives' perceptions of such information remain unexplored. Most studies had a comprehensive risk of bias. Conclusions: Patients' decisions regarding participation in phase 1 trials are based...

  6. Phase diagram and quench dynamics of the cluster-XY spin chain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montes, Sebastián; Hamma, Alioscia

    2012-08-01

    We study the complete phase space and the quench dynamics of an exactly solvable spin chain, the cluster-XY model. In this chain, the cluster term and the XY couplings compete to give a rich phase diagram. The phase diagram is studied by means of the quantum geometric tensor. We study the time evolution of the system after a critical quantum quench using the Loschmidt echo. The structure of the revivals after critical quantum quenches presents a nontrivial behavior depending on the phase of the initial state and the critical point.

  7. Decoding English Alphabet Letters Using EEG Phase Information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YiYan Wang

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Increasing evidence indicates that the phase pattern and power of the low frequency oscillations of brain electroencephalograms (EEG contain significant information during the human cognition of sensory signals such as auditory and visual stimuli. Here, we investigate whether and how the letters of the alphabet can be directly decoded from EEG phase and power data. In addition, we investigate how different band oscillations contribute to the classification and determine the critical time periods. An English letter recognition task was assigned, and statistical analyses were conducted to decode the EEG signal corresponding to each letter visualized on a computer screen. We applied support vector machine (SVM with gradient descent method to learn the potential features for classification. It was observed that the EEG phase signals have a higher decoding accuracy than the oscillation power information. Low-frequency theta and alpha oscillations have phase information with higher accuracy than do other bands. The decoding performance was best when the analysis period began from 180 to 380 ms after stimulus presentation, especially in the lateral occipital and posterior temporal scalp regions (PO7 and PO8. These results may provide a new approach for brain-computer interface techniques (BCI and may deepen our understanding of EEG oscillations in cognition.

  8. Berry phase dependent quantum trajectories of electron-hole pairs in semiconductors under intense terahertz fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Fan; Liu, Ren-Bao

    2013-03-01

    Quantum evolution of particles under strong fields can be approximated by the quantum trajectories that satisfy the stationary phase condition in the Dirac-Feynmann path integrals. The quantum trajectories are the key concept to understand strong-field optics phenomena, such as high-order harmonic generation (HHG), above-threshold ionization (ATI), and high-order terahertz siedeband generation (HSG). The HSG in semiconductors may have a wealth of physics due to the possible nontrivial ``vacuum'' states of band materials. We find that in a spin-orbit-coupled semiconductor, the cyclic quantum trajectories of an electron-hole pair under a strong terahertz field accumulates nontrivial Berry phases. We study the monolayer MoS2 as a model system and find that the Berry phases are given by the Faraday rotation angles of the pulse emission from the material under short-pulse excitation. This result demonstrates an interesting Berry phase dependent effect in the extremely nonlinear optics of semiconductors. This work is supported by Hong Kong RGC/GRF 401512 and the CUHK Focused Investments Scheme.

  9. Lattice quantum phase space and Yang-Baxter equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Djemai, A.E.F.

    1995-04-01

    In this work, we show that it is possible to construct the quantum group which preserves the quantum symplectic structure introduced in the context of the matrix Hamiltonian formalism. We also study the braiding existing behind the lattice quantum phase space, and present another type of non-trivial solution to the resulting Yang-Baxter equation. (author). 20 refs, 1 fig

  10. Effective action of heterotic compactification on K3 with non-trivial gauge bundles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schasny, Martin

    2012-10-01

    In this thesis we study the heterotic string compactified on K3 with non-trivial gauge bundles. We focus on two backgrounds, the well-known standard embedding and abelian line bundles. Using a Kaluza-Klein reduction, the six-dimensional effective action is computed up to terms of order α' 2 with special attention on the hypermultiplet sector. We compute the moduli dependent couplings of the matter fields and analyze the geometry of the hyperscalar sigma model. Moreover, we prove the consistency with six-dimensional supergravity and derive the appropriate D-term scalar potential. For the line bundle backgrounds we show that the gauge flux stabilizes some geometrical moduli and renders some abelian vector multiplets massive.

  11. Effective action of heterotic compactification on K3 with non-trivial gauge bundles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schasny, Martin

    2012-10-15

    In this thesis we study the heterotic string compactified on K3 with non-trivial gauge bundles. We focus on two backgrounds, the well-known standard embedding and abelian line bundles. Using a Kaluza-Klein reduction, the six-dimensional effective action is computed up to terms of order {alpha}'{sup 2} with special attention on the hypermultiplet sector. We compute the moduli dependent couplings of the matter fields and analyze the geometry of the hyperscalar sigma model. Moreover, we prove the consistency with six-dimensional supergravity and derive the appropriate D-term scalar potential. For the line bundle backgrounds we show that the gauge flux stabilizes some geometrical moduli and renders some abelian vector multiplets massive.

  12. Analyzing phase diagrams and phase transitions in networked competing populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Y.-C.; Yin, H. P.; Xu, C.; Hui, P. M.

    2011-03-01

    Phase diagrams exhibiting the extent of cooperation in an evolutionary snowdrift game implemented in different networks are studied in detail. We invoke two independent payoff parameters, unlike a single payoff often used in most previous works that restricts the two payoffs to vary in a correlated way. In addition to the phase transition points when a single payoff parameter is used, phase boundaries separating homogeneous phases consisting of agents using the same strategy and a mixed phase consisting of agents using different strategies are found. Analytic expressions of the phase boundaries are obtained by invoking the ideas of the last surviving patterns and the relative alignments of the spectra of payoff values to agents using different strategies. In a Watts-Strogatz regular network, there exists a re-entrant phenomenon in which the system goes from a homogeneous phase into a mixed phase and re-enters the homogeneous phase as one of the two payoff parameters is varied. The non-trivial phase diagram accompanying this re-entrant phenomenon is quantitatively analyzed. The effects of noise and cooperation in randomly rewired Watts-Strogatz networks are also studied. The transition between a mixed phase and a homogeneous phase is identify to belong to the directed percolation universality class. The methods used in the present work are applicable to a wide range of problems in competing populations of networked agents.

  13. Design of Collaborative Information Agents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jonker, C.M.; Klusch, M.; Treur, J.; Klusch, M.; Kerschberg, L.

    2000-01-01

    Effective development of nontrivial systems of collaborative information agents requires that an in-depth analysis is made resulting in (1) specification of requirements at different levels of the system, (2) specification of design structures, and (3) a systematic verification. To support a

  14. Walking pattern classification and walking distance estimation algorithms using gait phase information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jeen-Shing; Lin, Che-Wei; Yang, Ya-Ting C; Ho, Yu-Jen

    2012-10-01

    This paper presents a walking pattern classification and a walking distance estimation algorithm using gait phase information. A gait phase information retrieval algorithm was developed to analyze the duration of the phases in a gait cycle (i.e., stance, push-off, swing, and heel-strike phases). Based on the gait phase information, a decision tree based on the relations between gait phases was constructed for classifying three different walking patterns (level walking, walking upstairs, and walking downstairs). Gait phase information was also used for developing a walking distance estimation algorithm. The walking distance estimation algorithm consists of the processes of step count and step length estimation. The proposed walking pattern classification and walking distance estimation algorithm have been validated by a series of experiments. The accuracy of the proposed walking pattern classification was 98.87%, 95.45%, and 95.00% for level walking, walking upstairs, and walking downstairs, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed walking distance estimation algorithm was 96.42% over a walking distance.

  15. Remarks on surfaces with $c_1^2 =2\\chi -1$ having non-trivial 2-torsion

    OpenAIRE

    MURAKAMI, Masaaki

    2013-01-01

    We shall show that any complex minimal surface of general type with $c_1^2 = 2\\chi -1$ having non-trivial 2-torsion divisors, where $c_1^2$ and $\\chi$ are the first Chern number of a surface and the Euler characteristic of the structure sheaf respectively, has the Euler characteristic $\\chi$ not exceeding 4. Moreover, we shall give a complete description for the surfaces of the case $\\chi =4$, and prove that the coarse moduli space for surfaces of this case is a unirational variety of dimensi...

  16. Anomalous phase shift in a twisted quantum loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taira, Hisao; Shima, Hiroyuki

    2010-01-01

    The coherent motion of electrons in a twisted quantum ring is considered to explore the effect of torsion inherent to the ring. Internal torsion of the ring composed of helical atomic configuration yields a non-trivial quantum phase shift in the electrons' eigenstates. This torsion-induced phase shift causes novel kinds of persistent current flow and an Aharonov-Bohm-like conductance oscillation. The two phenomena can occur even when no magnetic flux penetrates inside the twisted ring, thus being in complete contrast with the counterparts observed in untwisted rings.

  17. Topologically non-trivial electronic and magnetic states in doped copper Kagome lattices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guterding, Daniel; Jeschke, Harald O.; Valenti, Roser

    We present a theoretical investigation of doped copper kagome materials based on natural minerals Herbertsmithite [ZnCu3(OH)6Cl2] and Barlowite[Cu4(OH)6FBr]. Using ab-initio density functional theory calculations we estimate the stability of the hypothetical compounds against structural distortions and analyze their electronic and magnetic properties. We find that materials based on Herbertsmithite present an ideal playground for investigating the interplay of non-trivial band-topology and strong electronic correlation effects. In particular, we propose candidates for the Quantum Spin Hall effect at filling 4/3 and the Quantum Anomalous Hall effect at filling 2/3. For the Barlowite system we point out a route to realize a Quantum Spin Liquid. This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under Grant No. SFB/TR 49 and the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHY11-25915.

  18. Nonlinear perturbations of differential operators with nontrivial kernel and applications to third order periodic boundary value problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afuwape, A.U.; Omari, P.

    1987-11-01

    This paper deals with the solvability of the nonlinear operator equations in normed spaces Lx=EGx+f, where L is a linear map with possible nontrivial kernel. Applications are given to the existence of periodic solutions for the third order scalar differential equation x'''+ax''+bx'+cx+g(t,x)=p(t), under various conditions on the interaction of g(t,x)/x with spectral configurations of a, b and c. (author). 48 refs

  19. Phase space view of quantum mechanical systems and Fisher information

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagy, Á., E-mail: anagy@madget.atomki.hu

    2016-06-17

    Highlights: • Phase-space Fisher information coming from the canonical distribution is derived for the ground state of quantum mechanical systems. • Quantum mechanical phase-space Fisher information contains an extra term due to the position dependence of the temperature. • A complete analogy to the classical case is demonstrated for the linear harmonic oscillator. - Abstract: Pennini and Plastino showed that the form of the Fisher information generated by the canonical distribution function reflects the intrinsic structure of classical mechanics. Now, a quantum mechanical generalization of the Pennini–Plastino theory is presented based on the thermodynamical transcription of the density functional theory. Comparing to the classical case, the phase-space Fisher information contains an extra term due to the position dependence of the temperature. However, for the special case of constant temperature, the expression derived bears resemblance to the classical one. A complete analogy to the classical case is demonstrated for the linear harmonic oscillator.

  20. Phase space view of quantum mechanical systems and Fisher information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagy, Á.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Phase-space Fisher information coming from the canonical distribution is derived for the ground state of quantum mechanical systems. • Quantum mechanical phase-space Fisher information contains an extra term due to the position dependence of the temperature. • A complete analogy to the classical case is demonstrated for the linear harmonic oscillator. - Abstract: Pennini and Plastino showed that the form of the Fisher information generated by the canonical distribution function reflects the intrinsic structure of classical mechanics. Now, a quantum mechanical generalization of the Pennini–Plastino theory is presented based on the thermodynamical transcription of the density functional theory. Comparing to the classical case, the phase-space Fisher information contains an extra term due to the position dependence of the temperature. However, for the special case of constant temperature, the expression derived bears resemblance to the classical one. A complete analogy to the classical case is demonstrated for the linear harmonic oscillator.

  1. Phase dynamics of low critical current density YBCO Josephson junctions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Massarotti, D., E-mail: dmassarotti@na.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli (Italy); CNR-SPIN UOS Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli (Italy); Stornaiuolo, D. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli (Italy); Rotoli, G. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell’Informazione, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (CE) (Italy); Carillo, F. [Nest, Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56126 Pisa (Italy); Galletti, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli (Italy); CNR-SPIN UOS Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli (Italy); Longobardi, L. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell’Informazione, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (CE) (Italy); American Physical Society, 1 Research Road, Ridge, NY 11961 (United States); Beltram, F. [Nest, Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56126 Pisa (Italy); Tafuri, F. [CNR-SPIN UOS Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, Via Cinthia, 80126 Napoli (Italy); Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale e dell’Informazione, Seconda Università di Napoli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa (CE) (Italy)

    2014-08-15

    Highlights: • We study the phase dynamics of YBaCuO Josephson junctions using various tools. • We derive information on the dissipation in a wide range of transport parameters. • Dissipation in such devices can be described by a frequency dependent damping model. • The use of different substrates allows us to tune the shell circuit. - Abstract: High critical temperature superconductors (HTS) based devices can have impact in the study of the phase dynamics of Josephson junctions (JJs) thanks to the wide range of junction parameters they offer and to their unconventional properties. Measurements of current–voltage characteristics and of switching current distributions constitute a direct way to classify different regimes of the phase dynamics and of the transport, also in nontrivial case of the moderately damped regime (MDR). MDR is going to be more and more common in JJs with advances in nanopatterning superconductors and synthesizing novel hybrid systems. Distinctive signatures of macroscopic quantum tunneling and of thermal activation in presence of different tunable levels of dissipation have been detected in YBCO grain boundary JJs. Experimental data are supported by Monte Carlo simulations of the phase dynamics, in a wide range of temperatures and dissipation levels. This allows us to quantify dissipation in the MDR and partially reconstruct a phase diagram as guideline for a wide range of moderately damped systems.

  2. Method of bistable optical information storage using antiferroelectric phase PLZT ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Land, Cecil E.

    1990-01-01

    A method for bistable storage of binary optical information includes an antiferroelectric (AFE) lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) layer having a stable antiferroelectric first phase and a ferroelectric (FE) second phase obtained by applying a switching electric field across the surface of the device. Optical information is stored by illuminating selected portions of the layer to photoactivate an FE to AFE transition in those portions. Erasure of the stored information is obtained by reapplying the switching field.

  3. Aligning Business Process Quality and Information System Quality

    OpenAIRE

    Heinrich, Robert

    2013-01-01

    Business processes and information systems mutually affect each other in non-trivial ways. Frequently, the business process design and the information system design are not well aligned. This means that business processes are designed without taking the information system impact into account, and vice versa. Missing alignment at design time often results in quality problems at runtime, such as large response times of information systems, large process execution times, overloaded information s...

  4. The Path Resistance Method for Bounding the Smallest Nontrivial Eigenvalue of a Laplacian

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guattery, Stephen; Leighton, Tom; Miller, Gary L.

    1997-01-01

    We introduce the path resistance method for lower bounds on the smallest nontrivial eigenvalue of the Laplacian matrix of a graph. The method is based on viewing the graph in terms of electrical circuits; it uses clique embeddings to produce lower bounds on lambda(sub 2) and star embeddings to produce lower bounds on the smallest Rayleigh quotient when there is a zero Dirichlet boundary condition. The method assigns priorities to the paths in the embedding; we show that, for an unweighted tree T, using uniform priorities for a clique embedding produces a lower bound on lambda(sub 2) that is off by at most an 0(log diameter(T)) factor. We show that the best bounds this method can produce for clique embeddings are the same as for a related method that uses clique embeddings and edge lengths to produce bounds.

  5. Dirac Cones, Topological Edge States, and Nontrivial Flat Bands in Two-Dimensional Semiconductors with a Honeycomb Nanogeometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Kalesaki

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We study theoretically two-dimensional single-crystalline sheets of semiconductors that form a honeycomb lattice with a period below 10 nm. These systems could combine the usual semiconductor properties with Dirac bands. Using atomistic tight-binding calculations, we show that both the atomic lattice and the overall geometry influence the band structure, revealing materials with unusual electronic properties. In rocksalt Pb chalcogenides, the expected Dirac-type features are clouded by a complex band structure. However, in the case of zinc-blende Cd-chalcogenide semiconductors, the honeycomb nanogeometry leads to rich band structures, including, in the conduction band, Dirac cones at two distinct energies and nontrivial flat bands and, in the valence band, topological edge states. These edge states are present in several electronic gaps opened in the valence band by the spin-orbit coupling and the quantum confinement in the honeycomb geometry. The lowest Dirac conduction band has S-orbital character and is equivalent to the π-π^{⋆} band of graphene but with renormalized couplings. The conduction bands higher in energy have no counterpart in graphene; they combine a Dirac cone and flat bands because of their P-orbital character. We show that the width of the Dirac bands varies between tens and hundreds of meV. These systems emerge as remarkable platforms for studying complex electronic phases starting from conventional semiconductors. Recent advancements in colloidal chemistry indicate that these materials can be synthesized from semiconductor nanocrystals.

  6. webXice: an Infrastructure for Information Commerce on the WWW

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wombacher, Andreas; Kostaki, Paraskevi; Aberer, Karl

    Systems for information commerce on the WWW have to support flexible business models if they should be able to cover a wide range of requirements imposed by the different types of information businesses. This leads to non-trivial functional and security requirements both on the provider and consumer

  7. Phase retrieval from diffraction data utilizing pre-determined partial information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S.S.; Marathe, S.; Kim, S.N.; Kang, H.C.; Noh, D.Y.

    2007-01-01

    We developed a phase retrieval algorithm that utilizes pre-determined partial phase information to overcome insufficient oversampling ratio in diffraction data. Implementing the Fourier modulus projection and the modified support projection manifesting the pre-determined information, a generalized difference map and HIO (Hybrid Input-Output) algorithms are developed. Optical laser diffraction data as well as simulated X-ray diffraction data are used to illustrate the validity of the proposed algorithm, which revealed the strength and the limitations of the algorithm. The proposed algorithm can expand the applicability of the diffraction based image reconstruction

  8. Dynamics of the Josephson multi-junction system with junctions characterized by non-sinusoidal current - phase relationship

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abal'osheva, I.; Lewandowski, S.J.

    2004-01-01

    It is shown that the inclusion of junctions characterized by non-sinusoidal current - phase relationship in the systems composed of multiple Josephson junctions - results in the appearance of additional system phase states. Numerical simulations and stability considerations confirm that those phase states can be realized in practice. Moreover, spontaneous formation of the grain boundary junctions in high-T c superconductors with non-trivial current-phase relations due to the d-wave symmetry of the order parameter is probable. Switching between the phase states of multiple grain boundary junction systems can lead to additional 1/f noise in high-T c superconductors. (author)

  9. The new electromagnetic tetrads, infinite tetrad nesting and the non-trivial emergence of complex numbers in real theories of gravitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garat, Alcides

    How complex numbers get into play in a non-trivial way in real theories of gravitation is relevant since in a unified structure they should be able to relate in a natural way with quantum theories. For a long time this issue has been lingering on both relativistic formulations and quantum theories. We will analyze this fundamental subject under the light of new group isomorphism theorems linking local internal groups of transformations and local groups of spacetime transformations. The bridge between these two kinds of transformations is represented by new tetrads introduced previously. It is precisely through these local tetrad structures that we will provide a non-trivial answer to this old issue. These new tetrads have two fundamental building components, the skeletons and the gauge vectors. It is these constructive elements that provide the mathematical support that allows to prove group isomorphism theorems. In addition to this, we will prove a unique new property, the infinite tetrad nesting, alternating the nesting with non-Abelian tetrads in the construction of the tetrad gauge vectors. As an application we will demonstrate an alternative proof of a new group isomorphism theorem.

  10. Adaptive DSPI phase denoising using mutual information and 2D variational mode decomposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Qiyang; Li, Jian; Wu, Sijin; Li, Weixian; Yang, Lianxiang; Dong, Mingli; Zeng, Zhoumo

    2018-04-01

    In digital speckle pattern interferometry (DSPI), noise interference leads to a low peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and measurement errors in the phase map. This paper proposes an adaptive DSPI phase denoising method based on two-dimensional variational mode decomposition (2D-VMD) and mutual information. Firstly, the DSPI phase map is subjected to 2D-VMD in order to obtain a series of band-limited intrinsic mode functions (BLIMFs). Then, on the basis of characteristics of the BLIMFs and in combination with mutual information, a self-adaptive denoising method is proposed to obtain noise-free components containing the primary phase information. The noise-free components are reconstructed to obtain the denoising DSPI phase map. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively reduce noise interference, giving a PSNR that is higher than that of two-dimensional empirical mode decomposition methods.

  11. Monocular deprivation of Fourier phase information boosts the deprived eye's dominance during interocular competition but not interocular phase combination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Jianying; Dong, Xue; He, Sheng; Bao, Min

    2017-06-03

    Ocular dominance has been extensively studied, often with the goal to understand neuroplasticity, which is a key characteristic within the critical period. Recent work on monocular deprivation, however, demonstrates residual neuroplasticity in the adult visual cortex. After deprivation of patterned inputs by monocular patching, the patched eye becomes more dominant. Since patching blocks both the Fourier amplitude and phase information of the input image, it remains unclear whether deprivation of the Fourier phase information alone is able to reshape eye dominance. Here, for the first time, we show that removing of the phase regularity without changing the amplitude spectra of the input image induced a shift of eye dominance toward the deprived eye, but only if the eye dominance was measured with a binocular rivalry task rather than an interocular phase combination task. These different results indicate that the two measurements are supported by different mechanisms. Phase integration requires the fusion of monocular images. The fused percept highly relies on the weights of the phase-sensitive monocular neurons that respond to the two monocular images. However, binocular rivalry reflects the result of direct interocular competition that strongly weights the contour information transmitted along each monocular pathway. Monocular phase deprivation may not change the weights in the integration (fusion) mechanism much, but alters the balance in the rivalry (competition) mechanism. Our work suggests that ocular dominance plasticity may occur at different stages of visual processing, and that homeostatic compensation also occurs for the lack of phase regularity in natural scenes. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Layer-by-layer assembly of patchy particles as a route to nontrivial structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patra, Niladri; Tkachenko, Alexei V.

    2017-08-01

    We propose a strategy for robust high-quality self-assembly of nontrivial periodic structures out of patchy particles and investigate it with Brownian dynamics simulations. Its first element is the use of specific patch-patch and shell-shell interactions between the particles, which can be implemented through differential functionalization of patched and shell regions with specific DNA strands. The other key element of our approach is the use of a layer-by-layer protocol that allows one to avoid the formation of undesired random aggregates. As an example, we design and self-assemble in silico a version of a double diamond lattice in which four particle types are arranged into bcc crystal made of four fcc sublattices. The lattice can be further converted to cubic diamond by selective removal of the particles of certain types. Our results demonstrate that by combining the directionality, selectivity of interactions, and the layer-by-layer protocol, a high-quality robust self-assembly can be achieved.

  13. CP-odd Phase Correlations and Electric Dipole Moments

    CERN Document Server

    Olive, Keith A; Ritz, A; Santoso, Y; Olive, Keith A.; Pospelov, Maxim; Ritz, Adam; Santoso, Yudi

    2005-01-01

    We revisit the constraints imposed by electric dipole moments (EDMs) of nucleons and heavy atoms on new CP-violating sources within supersymmetric theories. We point out that certain two-loop renormalization group corrections induce significant mixing between the basis-invariant CP-odd phases. In the framework of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM), the CP-odd invariant related to the soft trilinear A-phase at the GUT scale, theta_A, induces non-trivial and distinct CP-odd phases for the three gaugino masses at the weak scale. The latter give one-loop contributions to EDMs enhanced by tan beta, and can provide the dominant contribution to the electron EDM induced by theta_A. We perform a detailed analysis of the EDM constraints within the CMSSM, exhibiting the reach, in terms of sparticle spectra, which may be obtained assuming generic phases, as well as the limits on the CP-odd phases for some specific parameter points where detailed phenomenological studies are available. We also i...

  14. Higgs phase in non-Abelian gauge theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaymakcalan, O.S.

    1981-06-01

    A non-Abelian gauge theory involving scalar fields with non-tachyonic mass terms in the Lagrangian is considered, in order to construct a finite energy density trial vacuum for this theory. The usual scalar potential arguments suggest that the vacuum of such a theory would be in the perturbative phase. However, the obvious choices for a vacuum in this phase, the Axial gauge and the Coulomb gauge bare vacua, do not have finite energy densities even with an ultraviolet cutoff. Indeed, it is a non-trivial problem to construct finite energy density vacua for non-Abelian gauge theories and this is intimately connected with the gauge fixing degeneracies of these theories. Since the gauge fixing is achieved in the Unitary gauge, this suggests that the Unitary gauge bare vacuum might be a finite energy trial vacuum and, despite the form of the scalar potential, the vacuum of this theory might be in a Higgs phase rather than the perturbative phase

  15. CHARACTERIZATION OF PHASES IN SECONDARY AlZn10Si8Mg CAST ALLOY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Tillová

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Using recycled aluminium cast alloys is profitable in many aspects. Requiring only 5 % of the energy to produce secondary metal as compared to primary metal and generates only 5 % of the green house gas emissions, the recycling of aluminium is therefore beneficial of both environmental and economical point of view. Secondary AlZn10Si8Mg (UNIFONT® - 90 cast alloy are used for engine and vehicle constructions, hydraulic unit and mouldmaking without heat treatment. Properties include good castability, very good mechanical strength and elongation, light weight, good wear resistance, low thermal expansion and very good machining. Improved mechanical properties are strongly dependent upon the morphologies, type and distribution of the secondary phases, which are in turn a function of alloy composition and cooling rate. The presence of additional elements as Mg, Mn, Fe, or Cu allows many complex intermetallic phases to form, which make characterisation non-trivial. These include, for example, Mg2Si, Al2CuMg and AlFeMn phases, all of which may have some solubility for additional elements. Phase’s identification in aluminium alloys is often non-trivial due to the fact that some of the phases have either similar crystal structures or only subtle changes in their chemistries. A combination different analytical techniques (light microscopy upon black-white and colour etching, scanning electron microscopy (SEM upon deep etching, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX and HV 0.01 microhardness measurement were therefore been used for the identification of the various phase.

  16. Quantum rewinding via phase estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabia, Gelo Noel

    2015-03-01

    In cryptography, the notion of a zero-knowledge proof was introduced by Goldwasser, Micali, and Rackoff. An interactive proof system is said to be zero-knowledge if any verifier interacting with an honest prover learns nothing beyond the validity of the statement being proven. With recent advances in quantum information technologies, it has become interesting to ask if classical zero-knowledge proof systems remain secure against adversaries with quantum computers. The standard approach to show the zero-knowledge property involves constructing a simulator for a malicious verifier that can be rewinded to a previous step when the simulation fails. In the quantum setting, the simulator can be described by a quantum circuit that takes an arbitrary quantum state as auxiliary input but rewinding becomes a nontrivial issue. Watrous proposed a quantum rewinding technique in the case where the simulation's success probability is independent of the auxiliary input. Here I present a more general quantum rewinding scheme that employs the quantum phase estimation algorithm. This work was funded by institutional research grant IUT2-1 from the Estonian Research Council and by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.

  17. Partial information, market efficiency, and anomalous continuous phase transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Guang; Zheng, Wenzhi; Huang, Jiping

    2014-01-01

    It is a common belief in economics and social science that if there is more information available for agents to gather in a human system, the system can become more efficient. The belief can be easily understood according to the well-known efficient market hypothesis. In this work, we attempt to challenge this belief by investigating a complex adaptive system, which is modeled by a market-directed resource-allocation game with a directed random network. We conduct a series of controlled human experiments in the laboratory to show the reliability of the model design. As a result, we find that even under a small information concentration, the system can still almost reach the optimal (balanced) state. Furthermore, the ensemble average of the system’s fluctuation level goes through a continuous phase transition. This behavior means that in the second phase if too much information is shared among agents, the system’s stability will be harmed instead, which differs from the belief mentioned above. Also, at the transition point, the ensemble fluctuations of the fluctuation level remain at a low value. This phenomenon is in contrast to the textbook knowledge about continuous phase transitions in traditional physical systems, namely, fluctuations will rise abnormally around a transition point since the correlation length becomes infinite. Thus, this work is of potential value to a variety of fields, such as physics, economics, complexity science, and artificial intelligence. (paper)

  18. Partial information, market efficiency, and anomalous continuous phase transition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Guang; Zheng, Wenzhi; Huang, Jiping

    2014-04-01

    It is a common belief in economics and social science that if there is more information available for agents to gather in a human system, the system can become more efficient. The belief can be easily understood according to the well-known efficient market hypothesis. In this work, we attempt to challenge this belief by investigating a complex adaptive system, which is modeled by a market-directed resource-allocation game with a directed random network. We conduct a series of controlled human experiments in the laboratory to show the reliability of the model design. As a result, we find that even under a small information concentration, the system can still almost reach the optimal (balanced) state. Furthermore, the ensemble average of the system’s fluctuation level goes through a continuous phase transition. This behavior means that in the second phase if too much information is shared among agents, the system’s stability will be harmed instead, which differs from the belief mentioned above. Also, at the transition point, the ensemble fluctuations of the fluctuation level remain at a low value. This phenomenon is in contrast to the textbook knowledge about continuous phase transitions in traditional physical systems, namely, fluctuations will rise abnormally around a transition point since the correlation length becomes infinite. Thus, this work is of potential value to a variety of fields, such as physics, economics, complexity science, and artificial intelligence.

  19. Friction forces on phase transition fronts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mégevand, Ariel

    2013-01-01

    In cosmological first-order phase transitions, the microscopic interaction of the phase transition fronts with non-equilibrium plasma particles manifests itself macroscopically as friction forces. In general, it is a nontrivial problem to compute these forces, and only two limits have been studied, namely, that of very slow walls and, more recently, ultra-relativistic walls which run away. In this paper we consider ultra-relativistic velocities and show that stationary solutions still exist when the parameters allow the existence of runaway walls. Hence, we discuss the necessary and sufficient conditions for the fronts to actually run away. We also propose a phenomenological model for the friction, which interpolates between the non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic values. Thus, the friction depends on two friction coefficients which can be calculated for specific models. We then study the velocity of phase transition fronts as a function of the friction parameters, the thermodynamic parameters, and the amount of supercooling

  20. Effects of phase transition induced density fluctuations on pulser dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagchi, Partha; Das, Arpan; Srivastava, Ajit M.; Layek, Biswanath

    2016-01-01

    We show that density fluctuations during phase transitions in pulsar cores may have non-trivial effects on pulsar timings, and may also possibly account for glitches and anti-glitches. These density fluctuations invariably lead to non-zero off-diagonal components of the moment of inertia, leading to transient wobbling of star. Thus, accurate measurements of pulsar timing and intensity modulations (from wobbling) may be used to identify the specific pattern of density fluctuations, hence the particular phase transition, occurring inside the pulsar core. Changes in quadrupole moment from rapidly evolving density fluctuations during the transition, with very short time scales, may provide a new source for gravitational waves. (author)

  1. Effects of phase transition induced density fluctuations on pulsar dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Partha Bagchi

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available We show that density fluctuations during phase transitions in pulsar cores may have non-trivial effects on pulsar timings, and may also possibly account for glitches and anti-glitches. These density fluctuations invariably lead to non-zero off-diagonal components of the moment of inertia, leading to transient wobbling of star. Thus, accurate measurements of pulsar timing and intensity modulations (from wobbling may be used to identify the specific pattern of density fluctuations, hence the particular phase transition, occurring inside the pulsar core. Changes in quadrupole moment from rapidly evolving density fluctuations during the transition, with very short time scales, may provide a new source for gravitational waves.

  2. The investigation of topological phase of Gd1-xYxAuPb (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) alloys under hydrostatic pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saeidi, Parviz; Nourbakhsh, Zahra

    2018-04-01

    Topological phase of Gd1-xYxAuPb (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) alloys have been studied utilizing density function theory by WIEN2k code. The generalized gradient approximation (GGA), generalized gradient approximation plus Hubbard parameter (GGA + U), Modified Becke and Johnson (MBJ) and GGA Engel-vosko in the presence of spin orbit coupling have been used to investigate the topological band structure of Gd1-xYxAuPb alloys at zero pressure. The topological phase and band order of these alloys within GGA and GGA + U approaches under hydrostatic pressure are also investigated. We find that under hydrostatic pressure in some percentages of Gd1-xYxAuPb (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) alloys in both GGA and GGA + U approaches, the trivial topological phase is converted into nontrivial topological phase. In addition, the band inversion strength versus lattice constant of these alloys is studied. Moreover, the schematic plan is represented in order to show the trivial and nontrivial topological phase of Gd1-xYxAuPb (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) alloys in both GGA and GGA + U approaches.

  3. Group Lifting Structures For Multirate Filter Banks, II: Linear Phase Filter Banks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brislawn, Christopher M [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2008-01-01

    The theory of group lifting structures is applied to linear phase lifting factorizations for the two nontrivial classes of two-channel linear phase perfect reconstruction filter banks, the whole-and half-sample symmetric classes. Group lifting structures defined for the reversible and irreversible classes of whole-and half-sample symmetric filter banks are shown to satisfy the hypotheses of the uniqueness theorem for group lifting structures. It follows that linear phase lifting factorizations of whole-and half-sample symmetric filter banks are therefore independent of the factorization methods used to compute them. These results cover the specification of user-defined whole-sample symmetric filter banks in Part 2 of the ISO JPEG 2000 standard.

  4. Complex-based OCT angiography algorithm recovers microvascular information better than amplitude- or phase-based algorithms in phase-stable systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jingjiang; Song, Shaozhen; Li, Yuandong; Wang, Ruikang K

    2017-12-19

    Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is increasingly becoming a popular inspection tool for biomedical imaging applications. By exploring the amplitude, phase and complex information available in OCT signals, numerous algorithms have been proposed that contrast functional vessel networks within microcirculatory tissue beds. However, it is not clear which algorithm delivers optimal imaging performance. Here, we investigate systematically how amplitude and phase information have an impact on the OCTA imaging performance, to establish the relationship of amplitude and phase stability with OCT signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), time interval and particle dynamics. With either repeated A-scan or repeated B-scan imaging protocols, the amplitude noise increases with the increase of OCT SNR; however, the phase noise does the opposite, i.e. it increases with the decrease of OCT SNR. Coupled with experimental measurements, we utilize a simple Monte Carlo (MC) model to simulate the performance of amplitude-, phase- and complex-based algorithms for OCTA imaging, the results of which suggest that complex-based algorithms deliver the best performance when the phase noise is  algorithm delivers better performance than either the amplitude- or phase-based algorithms for both the repeated A-scan and the B-scan imaging protocols, which agrees well with the conclusion drawn from the MC simulations.

  5. 25 CFR 1000.168 - Is it mandatory to go through the information phase before initiating the negotiation phase?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Is it mandatory to go through the information phase before initiating the negotiation phase? 1000.168 Section 1000.168 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ANNUAL FUNDING AGREEMENTS UNDER THE TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN...

  6. Medical information, communication, and archiving system (MICAS): Phase II integration and acceptance testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Edward M.; Wandtke, John; Robinson, Arvin E.

    1999-07-01

    The Medical Information, Communication and Archive System (MICAS) is a multi-modality integrated image management system that is seamlessly integrated with the Radiology Information System (RIS). This project was initiated in the summer of 1995 with the first phase being installed during the first half of 1997 and the second phase installed during the summer of 1998. Phase II enhancements include a permanent archive, automated workflow including modality worklist, study caches, NT diagnostic workstations with all components adhering to Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards. This multi-vendor phased approach to PACS implementation is designed as an enterprise-wide PACS to provide images and reports throughout our healthcare network. MICAS demonstrates that aa multi-vendor open system phased approach to PACS is feasible, cost-effective, and has significant advantages over a single vendor implementation.

  7. Informed consent for phase I studies: evaluation of quantity and quality of information provided to patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomamichel, M; Sessa, C; Herzig, S; de Jong, J; Pagani, O; Willems, Y; Cavalli, F

    1995-04-01

    The process by which patients are informed and their consent is obtained in phase I trials has thus far been only marginally studied. Since 1986 we have followed an oral procedure, consisting of three consecutive conversations in which the investigator responsible for phase I studies, the research nurse and the patients' relatives and/or friends also participate, followed by the patients signing of a written consent form. It is required that six items of information considered essential by our staff be conveyed to patients by the responsible investigator. Meerwein's model, which defines three main dimensions of the informing process (the information itself, the emotional and interactive aspects), has been studied to ascertain whether it can be applied to evaluate the quality of the information proffered. Thirty-two conversations were taped, transcribed and evaluated by one psychiatrist and one psychologist. A quantitative analysis of information was performed by calculating the number of patients to whom the essential items of information had been conveyed. The qualitative analysis was performed by rating on a five-point scoring system, from 1 (very bad) to 5 (excellent), the three dimensions of the informing process for each patient and by calculating for each dimension the mean score of the constituent items. Complete information about the characteristics of the phase I drug and the modalities of the treatment and follow up was given to almost 80% of the patients. All but one of the items of the information dimension scored 3.5 or higher, with the one related to the assessment by the doctor of the patient's understanding at the end of the consultation scoring less than 3 in 53% of the patients. All items of the emotional dimension scored higher than 3.5. Greater difficulty was encountered by the physician with the interactive dimension, the lowest mean scores being reported on the items related to the doctor's awareness of the indirectly expressed anxieties of

  8. Phase Transitions of the Polariton Condensate in 2D Dirac Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ki Hoon; Lee, Changhee; Min, Hongki; Chung, Suk Bum

    2018-04-13

    For the quantum well in an optical microcavity, the interplay of the Coulomb interaction and the electron-photon (e-ph) coupling can lead to the hybridizations of the exciton and the cavity photon known as polaritons, which can form the Bose-Einstein condensate above a threshold density. Additional physics due to the nontrivial Berry phase comes into play when the quantum well consists of the gapped two-dimensional Dirac material such as the transition metal dichalcogenide MoS_{2} or WSe_{2}. Specifically, in forming the polariton, the e-ph coupling from the optical selection rule due to the Berry phase can compete against the Coulomb electron-electron (e-e) interaction. We find that this competition gives rise to a rich phase diagram for the polariton condensate involving both topological and symmetry breaking phase transitions, with the former giving rise to the quantum anomalous Hall and the quantum spin Hall phases.

  9. Phase Transitions of the Polariton Condensate in 2D Dirac Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ki Hoon; Lee, Changhee; Min, Hongki; Chung, Suk Bum

    2018-04-01

    For the quantum well in an optical microcavity, the interplay of the Coulomb interaction and the electron-photon (e -ph) coupling can lead to the hybridizations of the exciton and the cavity photon known as polaritons, which can form the Bose-Einstein condensate above a threshold density. Additional physics due to the nontrivial Berry phase comes into play when the quantum well consists of the gapped two-dimensional Dirac material such as the transition metal dichalcogenide MoS2 or WSe2 . Specifically, in forming the polariton, the e -ph coupling from the optical selection rule due to the Berry phase can compete against the Coulomb electron-electron (e -e ) interaction. We find that this competition gives rise to a rich phase diagram for the polariton condensate involving both topological and symmetry breaking phase transitions, with the former giving rise to the quantum anomalous Hall and the quantum spin Hall phases.

  10. Plasmon Geometric Phase and Plasmon Hall Shift

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Li-kun; Song, Justin C. W.

    2018-04-01

    The collective plasmonic modes of a metal comprise a simple pattern of oscillating charge density that yields enhanced light-matter interaction. Here we unveil that beneath this familiar facade plasmons possess a hidden internal structure that fundamentally alters its dynamics. In particular, we find that metals with nonzero Hall conductivity host plasmons with an intricate current density configuration that sharply departs from that of ordinary zero Hall conductivity metals. This nontrivial internal structure dramatically enriches the dynamics of plasmon propagation, enabling plasmon wave packets to acquire geometric phases as they scatter. At boundaries, these phases accumulate allowing plasmon waves that reflect off to experience a nonreciprocal parallel shift. This plasmon Hall shift, tunable by Hall conductivity as well as plasmon wavelength, displaces the incident and reflected plasmon trajectories and can be readily probed by near-field photonics techniques. Anomalous plasmon geometric phases dramatically enrich the nanophotonics toolbox, and yield radical new means for directing plasmonic beams.

  11. Assessing the efficiency of information protection systems in the computer systems and networks

    OpenAIRE

    Nachev, Atanas; Zhelezov, Stanimir

    2015-01-01

    The specific features of the information protection systems in the computer systems and networks require the development of non-trivial methods for their analysis and assessment. Attempts for solutions in this area are given in this paper.

  12. Hydrodynamics of phase transition fronts and the speed of sound in the plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leitao, Leonardo; Mégevand, Ariel

    2015-01-01

    The growth of bubbles in cosmological first-order phase transitions involves nontrivial hydrodynamics. For that reason, the study of the propagation of phase transition fronts often requires several approximations. A frequently used approximation consists in describing the two phases as being composed only of radiation and vacuum energy (the so-called bag equation of state). We show that, in realistic models, the speed of sound in the low-temperature phase is generally smaller than that of radiation, and we study the hydrodynamics in such a situation. We find in particular that a new kind of hydrodynamical solution may be possible, which does not arise in the bag model. We obtain analytic results for the efficiency of the transfer of latent heat to bulk motions of the plasma, as a function of the speed of sound in each phase

  13. Hydrodynamics of phase transition fronts and the speed of sound in the plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leitao, Leonardo, E-mail: lleitao@mdp.edu.ar; Mégevand, Ariel, E-mail: megevand@mdp.edu.ar

    2015-02-15

    The growth of bubbles in cosmological first-order phase transitions involves nontrivial hydrodynamics. For that reason, the study of the propagation of phase transition fronts often requires several approximations. A frequently used approximation consists in describing the two phases as being composed only of radiation and vacuum energy (the so-called bag equation of state). We show that, in realistic models, the speed of sound in the low-temperature phase is generally smaller than that of radiation, and we study the hydrodynamics in such a situation. We find in particular that a new kind of hydrodynamical solution may be possible, which does not arise in the bag model. We obtain analytic results for the efficiency of the transfer of latent heat to bulk motions of the plasma, as a function of the speed of sound in each phase.

  14. Magnonic quantum spin Hall state in the zigzag and stripe phases of the antiferromagnetic honeycomb lattice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ki Hoon; Chung, Suk Bum; Park, Kisoo; Park, Je-Geun

    2018-05-01

    We investigated the topological property of magnon bands in the collinear magnetic orders of zigzag and stripe phases for the antiferromagnetic honeycomb lattice and identified Berry curvature and symmetry constraints on the magnon band structure. Different symmetries of both zigzag and stripe phases lead to different topological properties, in particular, the magnon bands of the stripe phase being disentangled with a finite Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) term with nonzero spin Chern number. This is corroborated by calculating the spin Nernst effect. Our study establishes the existence of a nontrivial magnon band topology for all observed collinear antiferromagnetic honeycomb lattices in the presence of the DM term.

  15. Fermi points and topological quantum phase transitions in a multi-band superconductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puel, T O; Sacramento, P D; Continentino, M A

    2015-10-28

    The importance of models with an exact solution for the study of materials with non-trivial topological properties has been extensively demonstrated. The Kitaev model plays a guiding role in the search for Majorana modes in condensed matter systems. Also, the sp-chain with an anti-symmetric mixing among the s and p bands is a paradigmatic example of a topological insulator with well understood properties. Interestingly, these models share the same universality class for their topological quantum phase transitions. In this work we study a two-band model of spinless fermions with attractive inter-band interactions. We obtain its zero temperature phase diagram, which presents a rich variety of phases including a Weyl superconductor and a topological insulator. The transition from the topological to the trivial superconducting phase has critical exponents different from those of Kitaev's model.

  16. Phase space and jet definitions in soft-collinear effective theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheung, William Man-Yin; Luke, Michael; Zuberi, Saba

    2009-01-01

    We discuss consistent power counting for integrating soft and collinear degrees of freedom over arbitrary regions of phase space in the soft-collinear effective theory, and illustrate our results at one-loop with several jet algorithms: JADE, Sterman-Weinberg and k perpendicular . Consistently applying soft-collinear effective theory power counting in phase space, along with nontrivial zero-bin subtractions, prevents double counting of final states. The resulting phase space integrals over soft and collinear regions are individually ultraviolet divergent, but the phase space ultraviolet divergences cancel in the sum. Whether the soft and collinear contributions are individually infrared safe depends on the jet definition. We show that while this is true at one-loop for JADE and Sterman-Weinberg, the k perpendicular algorithm does not factorize into individually infrared safe soft and collinear pieces in dimensional regularization. We point out that this statement depends on the ultraviolet regulator, and that in a cutoff scheme the soft functions are infrared safe.

  17. Intelligent Information Processing for Enhanced Safety in the NAS, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Our Phase I work focused on how improved information flow between actors in a flight deck environment can improve safety performance. An operational prototype was...

  18. A new method for information retrieval in two-dimensional grating-based X-ray phase contrast imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Zhi-Li; Gao Kun; Chen Jian; Ge Xin; Tian Yang-Chao; Wu Zi-Yu; Zhu Pei-Ping

    2012-01-01

    Grating-based X-ray phase contrast imaging has been demonstrated to be an extremely powerful phase-sensitive imaging technique. By using two-dimensional (2D) gratings, the observable contrast is extended to two refraction directions. Recently, we have developed a novel reverse-projection (RP) method, which is capable of retrieving the object information efficiently with one-dimensional (1D) grating-based phase contrast imaging. In this contribution, we present its extension to the 2D grating-based X-ray phase contrast imaging, named the two-dimensional reverse-projection (2D-RP) method, for information retrieval. The method takes into account the nonlinear contributions of two refraction directions and allows the retrieval of the absorption, the horizontal and the vertical refraction images. The obtained information can be used for the reconstruction of the three-dimensional phase gradient field, and for an improved phase map retrieval and reconstruction. Numerical experiments are carried out, and the results confirm the validity of the 2D-RP method

  19. Chaotic weak chimeras and their persistence in coupled populations of phase oscillators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bick, Christian; Ashwin, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Nontrivial collective behavior may emerge from the interactive dynamics of many oscillatory units. Chimera states are chaotic patterns of spatially localized coherent and incoherent oscillations. The recently-introduced notion of a weak chimera gives a rigorously testable characterization of chimera states for finite-dimensional phase oscillator networks. In this paper we give some persistence results for dynamically invariant sets under perturbations and apply them to coupled populations of phase oscillators with generalized coupling. In contrast to the weak chimeras with nonpositive maximal Lyapunov exponents constructed so far, we show that weak chimeras that are chaotic can exist in the limit of vanishing coupling between coupled populations of phase oscillators. We present numerical evidence that positive Lyapunov exponents can persist for a positive measure set of this inter-population coupling strength. (paper)

  20. Information hiding based on double random-phase encoding and public-key cryptography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheng, Yuan; Xin, Zhou; Alam, Mohammed S; Xi, Lu; Xiao-Feng, Li

    2009-03-02

    A novel information hiding method based on double random-phase encoding (DRPE) and Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) public-key cryptosystem is proposed. In the proposed technique, the inherent diffusion property of DRPE is cleverly utilized to make up the diffusion insufficiency of RSA public-key cryptography, while the RSA cryptosystem is utilized for simultaneous transmission of the cipher text and the two phase-masks, which is not possible under the DRPE technique. This technique combines the complementary advantages of the DPRE and RSA encryption techniques and brings security and convenience for efficient information transmission. Extensive numerical simulation results are presented to verify the performance of the proposed technique.

  1. Transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced global propagation of transient phase resetting associated with directional information flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masahiro eKawasaki

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Electroencephalogram (EEG phase synchronization analyses can reveal large-scale communication between distant brain areas. However, it is not possible to identify the directional information flow between distant areas using conventional phase synchronization analyses. In the present study, we applied transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS to the occipital area in subjects who were resting with their eyes closed, and analyzed the spatial propagation of transient TMS-induced phase resetting by using the transfer entropy (TE, to quantify the causal and directional flow of information. The time-frequency EEG analysis indicated that the theta (5 Hz phase locking factor (PLF reached its highest value at the distant area (the motor area in this study, with a time lag that followed the peak of the transient PLF enhancements of the TMS-targeted area at the TMS onset. PPI (phase-preservation index analyses demonstrated significant phase resetting at the TMS-targeted area and distant area. Moreover, the TE from the TMS-targeted area to the distant area increased clearly during the delay that followed TMS onset. Interestingly, the time lags were almost coincident between the PLF and TE results (152 vs. 165 ms, which provides strong evidence that the emergence of the delayed PLF reflects the causal information flow. Such tendencies were observed only in the higher-intensity TMS condition, and not in the lower-intensity or sham TMS conditions. Thus, TMS may manipulate large-scale causal relationships between brain areas in an intensity-dependent manner. We demonstrated that single-pulse TMS modulated global phase dynamics and directional information flow among synchronized brain networks. Therefore, our results suggest that single-pulse TMS can manipulate both incoming and outgoing information in the TMS-targeted area associated with functional changes.

  2. CP-odd phase correlations and electric dipole moments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olive, Keith A.; Pospelov, Maxim; Ritz, Adam; Santoso, Yudi

    2005-01-01

    We revisit the constraints imposed by electric dipole moments (EDMs) of nucleons and heavy atoms on new CP-violating sources within supersymmetric theories. We point out that certain two-loop renormalization group corrections induce significant mixing between the basis-invariant CP-odd phases. In the framework of the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model, the CP-odd invariant related to the soft trilinear A-phase at the grand unified theory (GUT) scale, θ A , induces nontrivial and distinct CP-odd phases for the three gaugino masses at the weak scale. The latter give one-loop contributions to EDMs enhanced by tanβ, and can provide the dominant contribution to the electron EDM induced by θ A . We perform a detailed analysis of the EDM constraints within the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model, exhibiting the reach, in terms of sparticle spectra, which may be obtained assuming generic phases, as well as the limits on the CP-odd phases for some specific parameter points where detailed phenomenological studies are available. We also illustrate how this reach will expand with results from the next generation of experiments which are currently in development

  3. Shifts of Gamma Phase across Primary Visual Cortical Sites Reflect Dynamic Stimulus-Modulated Information Transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besserve, Michel; Lowe, Scott C; Logothetis, Nikos K; Schölkopf, Bernhard; Panzeri, Stefano

    2015-01-01

    Distributed neural processing likely entails the capability of networks to reconfigure dynamically the directionality and strength of their functional connections. Yet, the neural mechanisms that may allow such dynamic routing of the information flow are not yet fully understood. We investigated the role of gamma band (50-80 Hz) oscillations in transient modulations of communication among neural populations by using measures of direction-specific causal information transfer. We found that the local phase of gamma-band rhythmic activity exerted a stimulus-modulated and spatially-asymmetric directed effect on the firing rate of spatially separated populations within the primary visual cortex. The relationships between gamma phases at different sites (phase shifts) could be described as a stimulus-modulated gamma-band wave propagating along the spatial directions with the largest information transfer. We observed transient stimulus-related changes in the spatial configuration of phases (compatible with changes in direction of gamma wave propagation) accompanied by a relative increase of the amount of information flowing along the instantaneous direction of the gamma wave. These effects were specific to the gamma-band and suggest that the time-varying relationships between gamma phases at different locations mark, and possibly causally mediate, the dynamic reconfiguration of functional connections.

  4. Mutual information and phase dependencies: measures of reduced nonlinear cardiorespiratory interactions after myocardial infarction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyer, Dirk; Leder, Uwe; Hoyer, Heike; Pompe, Bernd; Sommer, Michael; Zwiener, Ulrich

    2002-01-01

    The heart rate variability (HRV) is related to several mechanisms of the complex autonomic functioning such as respiratory heart rate modulation and phase dependencies between heart beat cycles and breathing cycles. The underlying processes are basically nonlinear. In order to understand and quantitatively assess those physiological interactions an adequate coupling analysis is necessary. We hypothesized that nonlinear measures of HRV and cardiorespiratory interdependencies are superior to the standard HRV measures in classifying patients after acute myocardial infarction. We introduced mutual information measures which provide access to nonlinear interdependencies as counterpart to the classically linear correlation analysis. The nonlinear statistical autodependencies of HRV were quantified by auto mutual information, the respiratory heart rate modulation by cardiorespiratory cross mutual information, respectively. The phase interdependencies between heart beat cycles and breathing cycles were assessed basing on the histograms of the frequency ratios of the instantaneous heart beat and respiratory cycles. Furthermore, the relative duration of phase synchronized intervals was acquired. We investigated 39 patients after acute myocardial infarction versus 24 controls. The discrimination of these groups was improved by cardiorespiratory cross mutual information measures and phase interdependencies measures in comparison to the linear standard HRV measures. This result was statistically confirmed by means of logistic regression models of particular variable subsets and their receiver operating characteristics.

  5. Charmless B{sub s}{yields}PP, PV, VV decays based on the six-quark effective Hamiltonian with strong phase effects II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Su, Fang [Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics China, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Beijing (China); Huazhong Normal University, Institute of Particle Physics, Wuhan, Hubei (China); Wu, Yue-Liang; Zhuang, Ci [Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics China, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Beijing (China); Yang, Yi-Bo [Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics China, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Beijing (China); Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of High Energy Physics, Beijing (China)

    2012-03-15

    We provide a systematic study of charmless B{sub s}{yields}PP, PV, VV decays (P and V denote pseudoscalar and vector mesons, respectively) based on an approximate six-quark operator effective Hamiltonian from QCD. The calculation of the relevant hard-scattering kernels is carried out, the resulting transition form factors are consistent with the results of QCD sum-rule calculations. By taking into account important classes of power corrections involving ''chirally enhanced'' terms and the vertex corrections as well as weak annihilation contributions with non-trivial strong phase, we present predictions for the branching ratios and CP asymmetries of B{sub s} decays into PP, PV and VV final states, and also for the corresponding polarization observables in VV final states. It is found that the weak annihilation contributions with non-trivial strong phase have remarkable effects on the observables in the color-suppressed and penguin-dominated decay modes. In addition, we discuss the SU(3) flavor symmetry and show that the symmetry relations are generally respected. (orig.)

  6. Nonlocal optical response in topological phase transitions in the graphene family

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez-Lopez, Pablo; Kort-Kamp, Wilton J. M.; Dalvit, Diego A. R.; Woods, Lilia M.

    2018-01-01

    We investigate the electromagnetic response of staggered two-dimensional materials of the graphene family, including silicene, germanene, and stanene, as they are driven through various topological phase transitions using external fields. Utilizing Kubo formalism, we compute their optical conductivity tensor taking into account the frequency and wave vector of the electromagnetic excitations, and study its behavior over the full electronic phase diagram of the materials. In particular, we find that the resonant behavior of the nonlocal Hall conductivity is strongly affected by the various topological phases present in these materials. We also consider the plasmon excitations in the graphene family and find that nonlocality in the optical response can affect the plasmon dispersion spectra of the various phases. We find a regime of wave vectors for which the plasmon relations for phases with trivial topology are essentially indistinguishable, while those for phases with nontrivial topology are distinct and are redshifted as the corresponding Chern number increases. The expressions for the conductivity components are valid for the entire graphene family and can be readily used by others.

  7. Dynamic phase transition in diffusion-limited reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tauber, U.C.

    2002-01-01

    Many non-equilibrium systems display dynamic phase transitions from active to absorbing states, where fluctuations cease entirely. Based on a field theory representation of the master equation, the critical behavior can be analyzed by means of the renormalization group. The resulting universality classes for single-species systems are reviewed here. Generically, the critical exponents are those of directed percolation (Reggeon field theory), with critical dimension d c = 4. Yet local particle number parity conservation in even-offspring branching and annihilating random walks implies an inactive phase (emerging below d c = 4/3) that is characterized by the power laws of the pair annihilation reaction, and leads to different critical exponents at the transition. For local processes without memory, the pair contact process with diffusion represents the only other non-trivial universality class. The consistent treatment of restricted site occupations and quenched random reaction rates are important open issues (Author)

  8. The vortex free energy in the screening phase of the Z(2) Higgs model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, H.

    1983-06-01

    The vortex free energy was proposed to distinguish between the confinement - and the Higgs phase (in the sense of 't Hooft) in lattice gauge theory, when matter fields are present that transform according to an arbitrary representation of the gauge group. In this paper I consider the Z(2) Higgs model and calculate the vortex free energy in the screening part of the confining/screening phase of Fradkin and Shenker. The result does not agree with the expected behavior that corresponds to the structure of the phase diagram. Therefore the vortex free energy is no longer a good indicator for confinement when matter fields transform nontrivially under the center of the gauge group (such as Z(2) Higgs scalars). (orig.)

  9. Topological phases of interacting fermions in one-dimensional superconductor - normal metal geometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meidan, Dganit [Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105 (Israel); Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems and Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universitaet Berlin, 14195 Berlin (Germany); Romito, Alessandro; Brouwer, Piet W. [Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105 (Israel)

    2015-07-01

    One-dimensional superconductors can be in non-trivial topological phases harboring Majorana end-states, which possess non-abelian statistics. It has been recently established that in the presence of interactions the classification of topological superconducting phases can be significantly altered. Specifically, for one-dimensional superconductors possessing a time reversal symmetry (BDI class), interactions reduce the infinitely many non-interacting phases (Z topological index) to eight distinct ones (Z{sub 8} topological index). In this talk I will consider multi-mode superconducting wires in such BDI class when probed by an external contact, and discuss their low temperature and voltage bias transport properties. I will first show that the Andreev reflection component of the scattering matrix of the probing lead provides a topological index, r=-4,.., 4, which distinguish the eight topological phases. The two topologically equivalent phases with r= 4,-4 support emergent many-body end states, which are identified to be a topologically protected Kondo-like resonance. The path in phase space that connects these equivalent phases crosses a non-fermi liquid fixed point where a multiple channel Kondo effect develops.

  10. Emergence of topological and topological crystalline phases in TlBiS2 and TlSbS2

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Qingyun

    2015-02-11

    Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the band structure evolution and topological phase transitions in TlBiS2 and TlSbS2 under hydrostatic pressure as well as uniaxial and biaxial strain. The phase transitions are identified by parity analysis and by calculating the surface states. Zero, one, and four Dirac cones are found for the (111) surfaces of both TlBiS2 and TlSbS2 when the pressure grows, which confirms trivial-nontrivial-trivial phase transitions. The Dirac cones at the (M) over bar points are anisotropic with large out-of-plane component. TlBiS2 shows normal, topological, and topological crystalline insulator phases under hydrostatic pressure, thus being the first compound to exhibit a phase transition from a topological to a topological crystalline insulator.

  11. Emergence of topological and topological crystalline phases in TlBiS2 and TlSbS2

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Qingyun; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2015-01-01

    Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the band structure evolution and topological phase transitions in TlBiS2 and TlSbS2 under hydrostatic pressure as well as uniaxial and biaxial strain. The phase transitions are identified by parity analysis and by calculating the surface states. Zero, one, and four Dirac cones are found for the (111) surfaces of both TlBiS2 and TlSbS2 when the pressure grows, which confirms trivial-nontrivial-trivial phase transitions. The Dirac cones at the (M) over bar points are anisotropic with large out-of-plane component. TlBiS2 shows normal, topological, and topological crystalline insulator phases under hydrostatic pressure, thus being the first compound to exhibit a phase transition from a topological to a topological crystalline insulator.

  12. Phase diagram of the disordered Bose-Hubbard model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gurarie, V.; Pollet, L.; Prokof'ev, N. V.; Svistunov, B. V.; Troyer, M.

    2009-01-01

    We establish the phase diagram of the disordered three-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model at unity filling which has been controversial for many years. The theorem of inclusions, proven by Pollet et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 140402 (2009)] states that the Bose-glass phase always intervenes between the Mott insulating and superfluid phases. Here, we note that assumptions on which the theorem is based exclude phase transitions between gapped (Mott insulator) and gapless phases (Bose glass). The apparent paradox is resolved through a unique mechanism: such transitions have to be of the Griffiths type when the vanishing of the gap at the critical point is due to a zero concentration of rare regions where extreme fluctuations of disorder mimic a regular gapless system. An exactly solvable random transverse field Ising model in one dimension is used to illustrate the point. A highly nontrivial overall shape of the phase diagram is revealed with the worm algorithm. The phase diagram features a long superfluid finger at strong disorder and on-site interaction. Moreover, bosonic superfluidity is extremely robust against disorder in a broad range of interaction parameters; it persists in random potentials nearly 50 (!) times larger than the particle half-bandwidth. Finally, we comment on the feasibility of obtaining this phase diagram in cold-atom experiments, which work with trapped systems at finite temperature.

  13. Stability conditions and phase diagrams for two-component Fermi gases with population imbalance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Qijin; He Yan; Chien, C.-C.; Levin, K.

    2006-01-01

    Superfluidity in atomic Fermi gases with population imbalance has recently become an exciting research focus. There is considerable disagreement in the literature about the appropriate stability conditions for states in the phase diagram throughout the BCS to Bose-Einstein condensation crossover. Here we discuss these stability conditions for homogeneous polarized superfluid phases, and compare with recent alternative proposals. The requirement of a positive second-order partial derivative of the thermodynamic potential with respect to the fermionic excitation gap Δ (at fixed chemical potentials) is demonstrated to be equivalent to the positive definiteness of the particle number susceptibility matrix. In addition, we show the positivity of the effective pair mass constitutes another nontrivial stability condition. These conditions determine the (local) stability of the system towards phase separation (or other ordered phases). We also study systematically the effects of finite temperature and the related pseudogap on the phase diagrams defined by our stability conditions

  14. Various oscillation patterns in phase models with locally attractive and globally repulsive couplings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Katsuhiko; Shima, Shin-ichiro

    2015-10-01

    We investigate a phase model that includes both locally attractive and globally repulsive coupling in one dimension. This model exhibits nontrivial spatiotemporal patterns that have not been observed in systems that contain only local or global coupling. Depending on the relative strengths of the local and global coupling and on the form of global coupling, the system can show a spatially uniform state (in-phase synchronization), a monotonically increasing state (traveling wave), and three types of oscillations of relative phase difference. One of the oscillations of relative phase difference has the characteristic of being locally unstable but globally attractive. That is, any small perturbation to the periodic orbit in phase space destroys its periodic motion, but after a long time the system returns to the original periodic orbit. This behavior is closely related to the emergence of saddle two-cluster states for global coupling only, which are connected to each other by attractive heteroclinic orbits. The mechanism of occurrence of this type of oscillation is discussed.

  15. Informing Early-Phase Technology Decisions in Paradigmatic Innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Ole Kjeldal; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema

    2010-01-01

    their knowledge-world in such a radical manner, they start facing problems with making efficient decisions as knowledge generated through experience is mainly useful when the future mimics the past, which is not the case for such radical changes. Therefore, a 3 year long research project within this industry has......The innovation activities of a company facing paradigmatic change with regard to both technology and business model includes taking many decisions, where the information available, as well as the decision makers’ ability to understand this information, is limited. Technology decisions in the very...... early phases of innovation have been explored in a Scandinavian energy-utilities company facing exactly these paradigmatic changes. In the company there are 5500 employees, with the major footprint in Denmark. The company has activities in the full energy value-chain including: production & trade of oil...

  16. Weak antilocalization effect and noncentrosymmetric superconductivity in a topologically nontrivial semimetal LuPdBi

    KAUST Repository

    Xu, Guizhou; Wang, Wenhong; Zhang, Xiaoming; Du, Yin; Liu, Enke; Wang, Shouguo; Wu, Guangheng; Liu, Zhongyuan; Zhang, Xixiang

    2014-01-01

    A large number of half-Heusler compounds have been recently proposed as three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs) with tunable physical properties. However, no transport measurements associated with the topological surface states have been observed in these half-Heusler candidates due to the dominating contribution from bulk electrical conductance. Here we show that, by reducing the mobility of bulk carriers, a two-dimensional (2D) weak antilocalization (WAL) effect, one of the hallmarks of topological surface states, was experimentally revealed from the tilted magnetic field dependence of magnetoconductance in a topologically nontrivial semimetal LuPdBi. Besides the observation of a 2D WAL effect, a superconducting transition was revealed at T c ∼ 1.7â.K in the same bulk LuPdBi. Quantitative analysis within the framework of a generalized BCS theory leads to the conclusion that the noncentrosymmetric superconductivity of LuPdBi is fully gapped with a possibly unconventional pairing character. The co-existence of superconductivity and the transport signature of topological surface states in the same bulk alloy suggests that LuPdBi represents a very promising candidate as a topological superconductor.

  17. Weak antilocalization effect and noncentrosymmetric superconductivity in a topologically nontrivial semimetal LuPdBi

    KAUST Repository

    Xu, Guizhou

    2014-07-21

    A large number of half-Heusler compounds have been recently proposed as three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs) with tunable physical properties. However, no transport measurements associated with the topological surface states have been observed in these half-Heusler candidates due to the dominating contribution from bulk electrical conductance. Here we show that, by reducing the mobility of bulk carriers, a two-dimensional (2D) weak antilocalization (WAL) effect, one of the hallmarks of topological surface states, was experimentally revealed from the tilted magnetic field dependence of magnetoconductance in a topologically nontrivial semimetal LuPdBi. Besides the observation of a 2D WAL effect, a superconducting transition was revealed at T c ∼ 1.7â.K in the same bulk LuPdBi. Quantitative analysis within the framework of a generalized BCS theory leads to the conclusion that the noncentrosymmetric superconductivity of LuPdBi is fully gapped with a possibly unconventional pairing character. The co-existence of superconductivity and the transport signature of topological surface states in the same bulk alloy suggests that LuPdBi represents a very promising candidate as a topological superconductor.

  18. A non-classical phase diagram for virus-bacterial co-evolution mediated by CRISPR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Pu; Deem, Michael

    CRISPR is a newly discovered prokaryotic immune system. Bacteria and archaea with this system incorporate genetic material from invading viruses into their genomes, providing protection against future infection by similar viruses. Due to the cost of CRISPR, bacteria can lose the acquired immunity. We will show an intriguing phase diagram of the virus extinction probability, which when the rate of losing the acquired immunity is small, is more complex than that of the classic predator-prey model. As the CRISPR incorporates genetic material, viruses are under pressure to evolve to escape the recognition by CRISPR, and this co-evolution leads to a non-trivial phase structure that cannot be explained by the classical predator-prey model.

  19. Materials Information for Science and Technology (MIST): Project overview: Phase 1 and 2 and general considerations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grattidge, W.; Westbrook, J.; McCarthy, J.; Northrup, C. Jr.; Rumble, J. Jr.

    1986-11-01

    The National Bureau of Standards and the Department of Energy have embarked on a program to build a demonstration computerized materials data system called Materials Information for Science and Technology (MIST). This report documents the first two phases of the project. The emphasis of the first phase was on determining what information was needed and how it could impact user productivity. The second phase data from the Aerospace Metal Handbook on a set of alloys was digitized and incorporated in the system.

  20. Imaging resolution signal-to-noise ratio in transverse phase amplification from classical information theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    French, Doug; Huang Zun; Pao, H.-Y.; Jovanovic, Igor

    2009-01-01

    A quantum phase amplifier operated in the spatial domain can improve the signal-to-noise ratio in imaging beyond the classical limit. The scaling of the signal-to-noise ratio with the gain of the quantum phase amplifier is derived from classical information theory

  1. Systematic comparison of crystalline and amorphous phases: Charting the landscape of water structures and transformations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pietrucci, Fabio; Martoňák, Roman

    2015-01-01

    Systematically resolving different crystalline phases starting from the atomic positions, a mandatory step in algorithms for the prediction of structures or for the simulation of phase transitions, can be a non-trivial task. Extending to amorphous phases and liquids which lack the discrete symmetries, the problem becomes even more difficult, involving subtle topological differences at medium range that, however, are crucial to the physico-chemical and spectroscopic properties of the corresponding materials. Typically, system-tailored order parameters are devised, like global or local symmetry indicators, ring populations, etc. We show that a recently introduced metric provides a simple and general solution to this intricate problem. In particular, we demonstrate that a map can be traced displaying distances among water phases, including crystalline as well as amorphous states and the liquid, consistently with experimental knowledge in terms of phase diagram, structural features, and preparation routes

  2. Universal scattering response across the type-II Weyl semimetal phase diagram

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rüßmann, P.; Weber, A. P.; Glott, F.; Xu, N.; Fanciulli, M.; Muff, S.; Magrez, A.; Bugnon, P.; Berger, H.; Bode, M.; Dil, J. H.; Blügel, S.; Mavropoulos, P.; Sessi, P.

    2018-02-01

    The discovery of Weyl semimetals represents a significant advance in topological band theory. They paradigmatically enlarged the classification of topological materials to gapless systems while simultaneously providing experimental evidence for the long-sought Weyl fermions. Beyond fundamental relevance, their high mobility, strong magnetoresistance, and the possible existence of even more exotic effects, such as the chiral anomaly, make Weyl semimetals a promising platform to develop radically new technology. Fully exploiting their potential requires going beyond the mere identification of materials and calls for a detailed characterization of their functional response, which is severely complicated by the coexistence of surface- and bulk-derived topologically protected quasiparticles, i.e., Fermi arcs and Weyl points, respectively. Here, we focus on the type-II Weyl semimetal class in which we find a stoichiometry-dependent phase transition from a trivial to a nontrivial regime. By exploring the two extreme cases of the phase diagram, we demonstrate the existence of a universal response of both surface and bulk states to perturbations. We show that quasiparticle interference patterns originate from scattering events among surface arcs. Analysis reveals that topologically nontrivial contributions are strongly suppressed by spin texture. We also show that scattering at localized impurities can generate defect-induced quasiparticles sitting close to the Weyl point energy. These give rise to strong peaks in the local density of states, which lift the Weyl node, significantly altering the pristine low-energy spectrum. Remarkably, by comparing the WTe2 and the MoTe2 cases we found that scattering response and topological transition are not directly linked. Visualizing the existence of a universal microscopic response to scattering has important consequences for understanding the unusual transport properties of this class of materials. Overall, our observations provide

  3. Phase transition in a quark-gluon plasma and hydrodynamic theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chernavskaya, O.D.; Chernavskij, D.S.

    1988-01-01

    A wide range of problem concerning the phase transition of a quark-gluon plasma to the hadron matter is considered in connection with the hardronization problem within the frame of the hydrodynamical theory of ultra-relativistic collisions. A short review of the present hadron models and possible mechanisms of thermalization is given. The character of the phase transition within the bag model is analysed, effects of the surface interaction result in a nontrivial character of the phase transition: the metastable states of matter become possible. The review of the possible scenaria of hadronization of the cooling hydrodynamical matter is given, the choice between them is determined by a kinetic analysis. The systems with the energy density near the critical point (∼ 4 GeV/Fm 3 ) are shown to be hadronized by the mechanism based on a strong plasma supercooling (with a considerable transverse momentum increase). The traditional hadronization mechanism (mixed phase) is preferable for more hot systems. Theoretical estimations are compared with the JACEE (cosmic rays) data

  4. Radiation phase of a dipole field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shunovsky, A.S.

    1998-01-01

    In the case of a dipole electromagnetic radiation, the operator of the 'radiation phase' is defined. It is shown that this operator has a discrete spectrum with eigenvalues, lying in the segment [0,2π]. Some properties of the radiation phase and polarization are discussed. Seventy years of investigation of the problem of quantum phase led to the conclusion that there is no unique quantum variable, determining universally the measured phase properties of electromagnetic radiation. The operator constructions, describing cosine and sine of the phase, could be different schemes of measurement. This fact has accurately been confirmed by a number of recent experiments. Thus, it seems to be quite plausible that the quantum phase properties of an electromagnetic radiation are determined by interaction photons with a macroscopic detecting device. It is pertinent to ask the following question. Are the quantum phase properties of radiation completely determined by such an interaction or the photons have their own inherent phase properties which might be measured even if they are modified by interaction with a detecting device? The universally recognized fact is that the vacuum state of field is degenerated with respect to phase. If a quantum radiation has its inherent phase properties, it means that the degeneration is taken off in the process of generation which is an interaction of the vacuum field with excited states of atoms or molecules. By virtue of this picture proposed in, what all one can expect is that the inherent quantum phase properties of radiation are completely determined by a source via the conservation laws, describing the generation process. Even in this way, it seems to determine a unique quantum phase of radiation. As a matter of fact, there are two conservation laws, admitting a nontrivial angular dependence

  5. Bayesian Statistics at Work: the Troublesome Extraction of the CKM Phase {alpha}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charles, J. [CPT, Luminy Case 907, F-13288 Marseille Cedex 9 (France); Hoecker, A. [CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Lacker, H. [TU Dresden, IKTP, D-01062 Dresden (Germany); Le Diberder, F.R. [LAL, CNRS/IN2P3, Universite Paris-Sud 11, Bat. 200, BP 34, F-91898 Orsay Cedex (France); T' Jampens, S. [LAPP, CNRS/IN2P3, Universite de Savoie, 9 Chemin de Bellevue, BP 110, F-74941 Annecy-le-Vieux Cedex (France)

    2007-04-15

    In Bayesian statistics, one's prior beliefs about underlying model parameters are revised with the information content of observed data from which, using Bayes' rule, a posterior belief is obtained. A non-trivial example taken from the isospin analysis of B {yields} PP (P = {pi} or {rho}) decays in heavy-flavor physics is chosen to illustrate the effect of the naive 'objective' choice of flat priors in a multi- dimensional parameter space in presence of mirror solutions. It is demonstrated that the posterior distribution for the parameter of interest, the phase {alpha}, strongly depends on the choice of the parameterization in which the priors are uniform, and on the validity range in which the (un-normalizable) priors are truncated. We prove that the most probable values found by the Bayesian treatment do not coincide with the explicit analytical solutions, in contrast to the frequentist approach. It is also shown in the appendix that the {alpha} {yields} 0 limit cannot be consistently treated in the Bayesian paradigm, because the latter violates the physical symmetries of the problem. (authors)

  6. Bayesian Statistics at Work: the Troublesome Extraction of the CKM Phase α

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charles, J.; Hoecker, A.; Lacker, H.; Le Diberder, F.R.; T'Jampens, S.

    2007-04-01

    In Bayesian statistics, one's prior beliefs about underlying model parameters are revised with the information content of observed data from which, using Bayes' rule, a posterior belief is obtained. A non-trivial example taken from the isospin analysis of B → PP (P = π or ρ) decays in heavy-flavor physics is chosen to illustrate the effect of the naive 'objective' choice of flat priors in a multi- dimensional parameter space in presence of mirror solutions. It is demonstrated that the posterior distribution for the parameter of interest, the phase α, strongly depends on the choice of the parameterization in which the priors are uniform, and on the validity range in which the (un-normalizable) priors are truncated. We prove that the most probable values found by the Bayesian treatment do not coincide with the explicit analytical solutions, in contrast to the frequentist approach. It is also shown in the appendix that the α → 0 limit cannot be consistently treated in the Bayesian paradigm, because the latter violates the physical symmetries of the problem. (authors)

  7. The pure phases, the irreducible quantum fields, and dynamical symmetry breaking in Symanzik--Nelson positive quantum field theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frohlich, J.

    1976-01-01

    We prove that a Symanzik--Nelson positive quantum field theory, i.e., a quantum field theory derived from a Euclidean field theory, has a unique decomposition into pure phases which preserves Symanzik--Nelson positivity and Poincare covariance. We derive useful sufficient conditions for the breakdown of an internal symmetry of such a theory in its pure phases, for the self-adjointness and nontrivially (in the sense of Borchers classes) of its quantum fields, and the existence of time-ordered and retarded products. All these general results are then applied to the P (phi) 2 and the phi 3 4 quantum field models

  8. Quantum phase transitions between a class of symmetry protected topological states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsui, Lokman; Jiang, Hong-Chen; Lu, Yuan-Ming; Lee, Dung-Hai

    2015-07-01

    The subject of this paper is the phase transition between symmetry protected topological states (SPTs). We consider spatial dimension d and symmetry group G so that the cohomology group, Hd+1(G,U(1)), contains at least one Z2n or Z factor. We show that the phase transition between the trivial SPT and the root states that generate the Z2n or Z groups can be induced on the boundary of a (d+1)-dimensional View the MathML source-symmetric SPT by a View the MathML source symmetry breaking field. Moreover we show these boundary phase transitions can be “transplanted” to d dimensions and realized in lattice models as a function of a tuning parameter. The price one pays is for the critical value of the tuning parameter there is an extra non-local (duality-like) symmetry. In the case where the phase transition is continuous, our theory predicts the presence of unusual (sometimes fractionalized) excitations corresponding to delocalized boundary excitations of the non-trivial SPT on one side of the transition. This theory also predicts other phase transition scenarios including first order transition and transition via an intermediate symmetry breaking phase.

  9. Imaginary geometric phases of quantum trajectories in high-order terahertz sideband generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Fan; Liu, Ren-Bao

    2014-03-01

    Quantum evolution of particles under strong fields can be described by a small number of quantum trajectories that satisfy the stationary phase condition in the Dirac-Feynmann path integral. The quantum trajectories are the key concept to understand the high-order terahertz siedeband generation (HSG) in semiconductors. Due to the nontrivial ``vacuum'' states of band materials, the quantum trajectories of optically excited electron-hole pairs in semiconductors can accumulate geometric phases under the driving of an elliptically polarized THz field. We find that the geometric phase of the stationary trajectory is generally complex with both real and imaginary parts. In monolayer MoS2, the imaginary parts of the geometric phase leads to a changing of the polarization ellipticity of the sideband. We further show that the imaginary part originates from the quantum interference of many trajectories with different phases. Thus the observation of the polarization ellipticity of the sideband shall be a good indication of the quantum nature of the stationary trajectory. This work is supported by Hong Kong RGC/GRF 401512 and the CUHK Focused Investments Scheme.

  10. Two-color quark matter: U(1)A restoration, superfluidity, and quarkyonic phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brauner, Tomas; Fukushima, Kenji; Hidaka, Yoshimasa

    2009-01-01

    We discuss the phase structure of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) with two colors and two flavors of light quarks. This is motivated by the increasing interest in the QCD phase diagram as follows: (1) The QCD critical point search has been under intensive dispute and its location and existence suffer from uncertainty of effective U(1) A symmetry restoration. (2) A new phase called quarkyonic matter is drawing theoretical and experimental attention but it is not clear whether it can coexist with diquark condensation. We point out that two-color QCD is nontrivial enough to contain essential ingredients for (1) and (2) both, and most importantly, is a system without the sign problem in numerical simulations on the lattice. We adopt the two-flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model extended with the two-color Polyakov loop and make quantitative predictions that can be tested by lattice simulations.

  11. An Exploratory Study of Informal Learning and Team Performance in the Pre-Consulting Phase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sibarani, Roza Marsaulina

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports the process of informal learning in the pre-consulting phase in management-consulting firms in Indonesia. As the consulting industry significantly grows in Indonesia, more organisations use consultant services to improve their business. Pre-consulting is an important phase to define the right solutions, which involves a lot of…

  12. Non-completion and informed consent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wertheimer, Alan

    2014-02-01

    There is a good deal of biomedical research that does not produce scientifically useful data because it fails to recruit a sufficient number of subjects. This fact is typically not disclosed to prospective subjects. In general, the guidance about consent concerns the information required to make intelligent self-interested decisions and ignores some of the information required for intelligent altruistic decisions. Bioethics has worried about the 'therapeutic misconception', but has ignored the 'completion misconception'. This article argues that, other things being equal, prospective subjects should be informed about the possibility of non-completion as part of the standard consent process if (1) it is or should be anticipatable that there is a non-trivial possibility of non-completion and (2) that information is likely to be relevant to a prospective subject's decision to consent. The article then considers several objections to the argument, including the objection that disclosing non-completion information would make recruitment even more difficult.

  13. Inherited textures in the bcc phase furnish information about the type of transformation from the fcc phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, V.

    1982-07-01

    Drawing annealed cylindric 18/8 Cr Ni steels, which are originally free of textures, produces the transformed phases - hcp and bcc - both showing major texture contributions with increasing stretching of the cylindric specimens. After stretching the original fcc-phase shows two orientations: [100]fcc vertical stroke vertical stroke cylinder axis and [111]fcc vertical stroke vertical stroke cylinder axis, i.e. direction of stress. In both cases the martensitic phase is produced by gliding and shear in the sequence fcc → hcp → bcc by Nishiyama-Wasserman (N-W) or Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) transformation in the (111)fcc planes, which enclose a small angle with direction of stress, i.e. cylinder axis. The calculated orientation distributions of the (110)bcc reflex are compared with the distribution measured by neutron diffraction to get information on the bulk material. The special K-S transformation with only 6 (110)bcc orientations shows relatively good agreement with the measured distribution, except at small angles ω between the cylinder axis and the scattering vector. This might be caused by the isotropic fraction of the fcc phase producing an anisotropic (110)bcc orientation distribution. (orig.) [de

  14. Long-Term Information Management (LTIM) of Safeguards Data at Repositories: Phase II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haddal, Risa N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2016-10-01

    One of the challenges of implementing safeguards for geological repositories will be the long-term preservation of safeguards-related data for 100 years or more. While most countries considering the construction and operation of such facilities agree that safeguards information should be preserved, there are gaps with respect to standardized requirements, guidelines, timescales, and approaches. This study analyzes those gaps and explores research to clarify stakeholder needs, identify current policies, approaches, best practices and international standards, and explores existing safeguards information management infrastructure. The study also attempts to clarify what a safeguards data classification system might look like, how long data should be retained, and how information should be exchanged between stakeholders at different phases of a repository’s life cycle. The analysis produced a variety of recommendations on what information to preserve, how to preserve it, where to store it, retention options and how to exchange information in the long term. Key findings include the use of the globally recognized international records management standard, ISO15489, for guidance on the development of information management systems, and the development of a Key Information File (KIF). The KIF could be used to identify only the most relevant, high-level safeguards information and the history of decision making about the repository. The study also suggests implementing on-site and off-site records storage in digital and physical form; developing a safeguards data classification system; long-term records retention with periodic reviews every 5 to 10 years during each phase of the repository life cycle; and establishing transition procedures well in advance so that data shepherds and records officers can transfer information with incoming facility managers effectively and efficiently. These and other recommendations are further analyzed in this study.

  15. Long-Term Information Management (LTIM) of Safeguards Data at Repositories: Phase II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haddal, Risa N.

    2016-01-01

    One of the challenges of implementing safeguards for geological repositories will be the long-term preservation of safeguards-related data for 100 years or more. While most countries considering the construction and operation of such facilities agree that safeguards information should be preserved, there are gaps with respect to standardized requirements, guidelines, timescales, and approaches. This study analyzes those gaps and explores research to clarify stakeholder needs, identify current policies, approaches, best practices and international standards, and explores existing safeguards information management infrastructure. The study also attempts to clarify what a safeguards data classification system might look like, how long data should be retained, and how information should be exchanged between stakeholders at different phases of a repository's life cycle. The analysis produced a variety of recommendations on what information to preserve, how to preserve it, where to store it, retention options and how to exchange information in the long term. Key findings include the use of the globally recognized international records management standard, ISO15489, for guidance on the development of information management systems, and the development of a Key Information File (KIF). The KIF could be used to identify only the most relevant, high-level safeguards information and the history of decision making about the repository. The study also suggests implementing on-site and off-site records storage in digital and physical form; developing a safeguards data classification system; long-term records retention with periodic reviews every 5 to 10 years during each phase of the repository life cycle; and establishing transition procedures well in advance so that data shepherds and records officers can transfer information with incoming facility managers effectively and efficiently. These and other recommendations are further analyzed in this study.

  16. Boundary induced phase transition with stochastic entrance and exit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitra, Mithun Kumar; Chatterjee, Sakuntala

    2014-01-01

    We study an open-chain totally asymmetric exclusion process (TASEP) with stochastic gates present at the two boundaries. The gating dynamics has been modeled with the physical system of ion-channel gating in mind. These gates can randomly switch between an open state and a closed state. In the open state, the gates are highly permeable such that any particle arriving at the gate immediately passes through. In the closed state, a particle becomes trapped at the gate and cannot pass through until the gate switches open again. We calculate the phase-diagram of the system and find important and non-trivial differences with the phase-diagram of a regular open-chain TASEP. In particular, depending on the switching rates of the two gates, the system may or may not admit a maximal current phase. Our analytic calculations within mean-field theory capture the main qualitative features of our Monte Carlo simulation results. We also perform a refined mean-field calculation where the correlations at the boundaries are taken into account. This theory shows significantly better quantitative agreement with our simulation results. (paper)

  17. Applications of Canonical transformations and nontrivial vacuum solutions to flavor mixing and critical phenomena in quantum field theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mishchenko, Yuriy

    2004-01-01

    MISHCHENKO, YURIY. Applications of Canonical Transformations and Nontrivial Vacuum Solutions to flavor mixing and critical phenomena in Quantum Field Theory. (Under the direction of Chueng-Ryong Ji.) In this dissertation we consider two recent applications of Bogoliubov Transformation to the phenomenology of quantum mixing and the theory of critical phenomena. In recent years quantum mixing got in the focus of the searches for New Physics due to its unparalleled sensitivity to SM parameters and indications of neutrino mixing. It was recently suggested that Bogoliubov Transformation may be important in proper definition of the flavor states that otherwise results in problems in perturbative treatment. As first part of this dissertation we investigate this conjecture and develop a complete formulation of such a mixing field theory involving introduction of general formalism, analysis of space-time conversion and phenomenological implications. As second part of this dissertati

  18. Applications of Canonical transformations and nontrivial vacuum solutions to flavor mixing and critical phenomena in quantum field theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mishchenko, Yuriy [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)

    2004-12-01

    MISHCHENKO, YURIY. Applications of Canonical Transformations and Nontrivial Vacuum Solutions to flavor mixing and critical phenomena in Quantum Field Theory. (Under the direction of Chueng-Ryong Ji.) In this dissertation we consider two recent applications of Bogoliubov Transformation to the phenomenology of quantum mixing and the theory of critical phenomena. In recent years quantum mixing got in the focus of the searches for New Physics due to its unparalleled sensitivity to SM parameters and indications of neutrino mixing. It was recently suggested that Bogoliubov Transformation may be important in proper definition of the flavor states that otherwise results in problems in perturbative treatment. As first part of this dissertation we investigate this conjecture and develop a complete formulation of such a mixing field theory involving introduction of general formalism, analysis of space-time conversion and phenomenological implications. As second part of this dissertati

  19. Dual-wavelength phase-shifting digital holography selectively extracting wavelength information from wavelength-multiplexed holograms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tahara, Tatsuki; Mori, Ryota; Kikunaga, Shuhei; Arai, Yasuhiko; Takaki, Yasuhiro

    2015-06-15

    Dual-wavelength phase-shifting digital holography that selectively extracts wavelength information from five wavelength-multiplexed holograms is presented. Specific phase shifts for respective wavelengths are introduced to remove the crosstalk components and extract only the object wave at the desired wavelength from the holograms. Object waves in multiple wavelengths are selectively extracted by utilizing 2π ambiguity and the subtraction procedures based on phase-shifting interferometry. Numerical results show the validity of the proposed technique. The proposed technique is also experimentally demonstrated.

  20. Information geometric analysis of phase transitions in complex patterns: the case of the Gray-Scott reaction–diffusion model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Har-Shemesh, Omri; Quax, Rick; Hoekstra, Alfons G; Sloot, Peter M A

    2016-01-01

    The Fisher–Rao metric from information geometry is related to phase transition phenomena in classical statistical mechanics. Several studies propose to extend the use of information geometry to study more general phase transitions in complex systems. However, it is unclear whether the Fisher–Rao metric does indeed detect these more general transitions, especially in the absence of a statistical model. In this paper we study the transitions between patterns in the Gray-Scott reaction–diffusion model using Fisher information. We describe the system by a probability density function that represents the size distribution of blobs in the patterns and compute its Fisher information with respect to changing the two rate parameters of the underlying model. We estimate the distribution non-parametrically so that we do not assume any statistical model. The resulting Fisher map can be interpreted as a phase-map of the different patterns. Lines with high Fisher information can be considered as boundaries between regions of parameter space where patterns with similar characteristics appear. These lines of high Fisher information can be interpreted as phase transitions between complex patterns. (paper: disordered systems, classical and quantum)

  1. Characterizing the information content of cloud thermodynamic phase retrievals from the notional PACE OCI shortwave reflectance measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coddington, O. M.; Vukicevic, T.; Schmidt, K. S.; Platnick, S.

    2017-08-01

    We rigorously quantify the probability of liquid or ice thermodynamic phase using only shortwave spectral channels specific to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, and the notional future Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem imager. The results show that two shortwave-infrared channels (2135 and 2250 nm) provide more information on cloud thermodynamic phase than either channel alone; in one case, the probability of ice phase retrieval increases from 65 to 82% by combining 2135 and 2250 nm channels. The analysis is performed with a nonlinear statistical estimation approach, the GEneralized Nonlinear Retrieval Analysis (GENRA). The GENRA technique has previously been used to quantify the retrieval of cloud optical properties from passive shortwave observations, for an assumed thermodynamic phase. Here we present the methodology needed to extend the utility of GENRA to a binary thermodynamic phase space (i.e., liquid or ice). We apply formal information content metrics to quantify our results; two of these (mutual and conditional information) have not previously been used in the field of cloud studies.

  2. Linear information retrieval method in X-ray grating-based phase contrast imaging and its interchangeability with tomographic reconstruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Z.; Gao, K.; Wang, Z. L.; Shao, Q. G.; Hu, R. F.; Wei, C. X.; Zan, G. B.; Wali, F.; Luo, R. H.; Zhu, P. P.; Tian, Y. C.

    2017-06-01

    In X-ray grating-based phase contrast imaging, information retrieval is necessary for quantitative research, especially for phase tomography. However, numerous and repetitive processes have to be performed for tomographic reconstruction. In this paper, we report a novel information retrieval method, which enables retrieving phase and absorption information by means of a linear combination of two mutually conjugate images. Thanks to the distributive law of the multiplication as well as the commutative law and associative law of the addition, the information retrieval can be performed after tomographic reconstruction, thus simplifying the information retrieval procedure dramatically. The theoretical model of this method is established in both parallel beam geometry for Talbot interferometer and fan beam geometry for Talbot-Lau interferometer. Numerical experiments are also performed to confirm the feasibility and validity of the proposed method. In addition, we discuss its possibility in cone beam geometry and its advantages compared with other methods. Moreover, this method can also be employed in other differential phase contrast imaging methods, such as diffraction enhanced imaging, non-interferometric imaging, and edge illumination.

  3. Phase transition and information cascade in a voting model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hisakado, M [Standard and Poor' s, Marunouchi 1-6-5, Chiyoda ku, Tokyo 100-0005 (Japan); Mori, S, E-mail: masato_hisakado@standardandpoors.co, E-mail: mori@sci.kitasato-u.ac.j [Department of Physics, School of Science, Kitasato University, Kitasato 1-15-1, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555 (Japan)

    2010-08-06

    In this paper, we introduce a voting model that is similar to a Keynesian beauty contest and analyse it from a mathematical point of view. There are two types of voters-copycat and independent-and two candidates. Our voting model is a binomial distribution (independent voters) doped in a beta binomial distribution (copycat voters). We find that the phase transition in this system is at the upper limit of t, where t is the time (or the number of the votes). Our model contains three phases. If copycats constitute a majority or even half of the total voters, the voting rate converges more slowly than it would in a binomial distribution. If independents constitute the majority of voters, the voting rate converges at the same rate as it would in a binomial distribution. We also study why it is difficult to estimate the conclusion of a Keynesian beauty contest when there is an information cascade.

  4. Phase transition and information cascade in a voting model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hisakado, M; Mori, S

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce a voting model that is similar to a Keynesian beauty contest and analyse it from a mathematical point of view. There are two types of voters-copycat and independent-and two candidates. Our voting model is a binomial distribution (independent voters) doped in a beta binomial distribution (copycat voters). We find that the phase transition in this system is at the upper limit of t, where t is the time (or the number of the votes). Our model contains three phases. If copycats constitute a majority or even half of the total voters, the voting rate converges more slowly than it would in a binomial distribution. If independents constitute the majority of voters, the voting rate converges at the same rate as it would in a binomial distribution. We also study why it is difficult to estimate the conclusion of a Keynesian beauty contest when there is an information cascade.

  5. Phase transition and information cascade in a voting model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hisakado, M.; Mori, S.

    2010-08-01

    In this paper, we introduce a voting model that is similar to a Keynesian beauty contest and analyse it from a mathematical point of view. There are two types of voters—copycat and independent—and two candidates. Our voting model is a binomial distribution (independent voters) doped in a beta binomial distribution (copycat voters). We find that the phase transition in this system is at the upper limit of t, where t is the time (or the number of the votes). Our model contains three phases. If copycats constitute a majority or even half of the total voters, the voting rate converges more slowly than it would in a binomial distribution. If independents constitute the majority of voters, the voting rate converges at the same rate as it would in a binomial distribution. We also study why it is difficult to estimate the conclusion of a Keynesian beauty contest when there is an information cascade.

  6. Rules for Phase Shifts of Quantum Oscillations in Topological Nodal-Line Semimetals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Cequn; Wang, C. M.; Wan, Bo; Wan, Xiangang; Lu, Hai-Zhou; Xie, X. C.

    2018-04-01

    Nodal-line semimetals are topological semimetals in which band touchings form nodal lines or rings. Around a loop that encloses a nodal line, an electron can accumulate a nontrivial π Berry phase, so the phase shift in the Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillation may give a transport signature for the nodal-line semimetals. However, different experiments have reported contradictory phase shifts, in particular, in the WHM nodal-line semimetals (W =Zr /Hf , H =Si /Ge , M =S /Se /Te ). For a generic model of nodal-line semimetals, we present a systematic calculation for the SdH oscillation of resistivity under a magnetic field normal to the nodal-line plane. From the analytical result of the resistivity, we extract general rules to determine the phase shifts for arbitrary cases and apply them to ZrSiS and Cu3 PdN systems. Depending on the magnetic field directions, carrier types, and cross sections of the Fermi surface, the phase shift shows rich results, quite different from those for normal electrons and Weyl fermions. Our results may help explore transport signatures of topological nodal-line semimetals and can be generalized to other topological phases of matter.

  7. UIS BW environmental information system Baden-Wuerttemberg. R+D project INOVUM. Innovative environmental information systems. Phase I 2014/16

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weissenbach, Kurt; Schillinger, Wolfgang; Weidemann, Rainer

    2016-01-01

    The R and D project INOVUM of the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Baden-Wuerttemberg relies on a wide cooperation with partners from government, science and industry to jointly develop governmental environmental information systems. In the focus of this project phase were, e.g. a revision of the framework concept for the Environmental Information System Baden-Wuerttemberg, service-based applications, the development of environmental portals, mobile applications and map services.

  8. Drift flux model as approximation of two fluid model for two phase dispersed and slug flow in tube

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nigmatulin, R.I.

    1995-01-01

    The analysis of one-dimensional schematizing for non-steady two-phase dispersed and slug flow in tube is presented. Quasi-static approximation, when inertia forces because of the accelerations of the phases may be neglected, is considered. Gas-liquid bubbly and slug vertical upward flows are analyzed. Non-trivial theoretical equations for slip velocity for these flows are derived. Juxtaposition of the derived equations for slip velocity with the famous Zuber-Findlay correlation as cross correlation coefficients is criticized. The generalization of non-steady drift flux Wallis theory taking into account influence of wall friction on the bubbly or slug flows for kinematical waves is considered

  9. Drift flux model as approximation of two fluid model for two phase dispersed and slug flow in tube

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nigmatulin, R.I.

    1995-09-01

    The analysis of one-dimensional schematizing for non-steady two-phase dispersed and slug flow in tube is presented. Quasi-static approximation, when inertia forces because of the accelerations of the phases may be neglected, is considered. Gas-liquid bubbly and slug vertical upward flows are analyzed. Non-trivial theoretical equations for slip velocity for these flows are derived. Juxtaposition of the derived equations for slip velocity with the famous Zuber-Findlay correlation as cross correlation coefficients is criticized. The generalization of non-steady drift flux Wallis theory taking into account influence of wall friction on the bubbly or slug flows for kinematical waves is considered.

  10. Nonequilibrium phase transitions in a model with social influence of inflexible units

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Luo-luo; Hua, Da-yin; Chen, Ting

    2007-01-01

    In many social, economical and biological systems, the evolution of the states of interacting units cannot be simply treated with a physical law in the realm of traditional statistical mechanics. We propose a simple binary-state model to discuss the effect of the inflexible units on the dynamical behavior of a social system, in which a unit may have a chance to keep its state with a probability 1 - q even though its state is different from those of the majority of its interacting neighbors. It is found that the effect of these inflexible units can lead to a nontrivial phase diagram

  11. Nonequilibrium phase transitions in a model with social influence of inflexible units

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Luo-luo; Hua, Da-yin; Chen, Ting [Physics Department, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211 (China)

    2007-09-14

    In many social, economical and biological systems, the evolution of the states of interacting units cannot be simply treated with a physical law in the realm of traditional statistical mechanics. We propose a simple binary-state model to discuss the effect of the inflexible units on the dynamical behavior of a social system, in which a unit may have a chance to keep its state with a probability 1 - q even though its state is different from those of the majority of its interacting neighbors. It is found that the effect of these inflexible units can lead to a nontrivial phase diagram.

  12. Tunable topological phases in photonic and phononic crystals

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Zeguo

    2018-02-18

    Topological photonics/phononics, inspired by the discovery of topological insulators, is a prosperous field of research, in which remarkable one-way propagation edge states are robust against impurities or defect without backscattering. This dissertation discusses the implementation of multiple topological phases in specific designed photonic and phononic crystals. First, it reports a tunable quantum Hall phase in acoustic ring-waveguide system. A new three-band model focused on the topological transitions at the Γ point is studied, which gives the functionality that nontrivial topology can be tuned by changing the strengths of the couplings and/or the broken time-reversal symmetry. The resulted tunable topological edge states are also numerically verified. Second, based on our previous studied acoustic ring-waveguide system, we introduce anisotropy by tuning the couplings along different directions. We find that the bandgap topology is related to the frequency and directions. We report our proposal on a frequency filter designed from such an anisotropic topological phononic crystal. Third, motivated by the recent progress on quantum spin Hall phases, we propose a design of time-reversal symmetry broken quantum spin Hall insulators in photonics, in which a new quantum anomalous Hall phase emerges. It supports a chiral edge state with certain spin orientations, which is robust against the magnetic impurities. We also report the realization of the quantum anomalous Hall phase in phononics.

  13. Phase behavior of charged colloids on spherical surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelleher, Colm; Guerra, Rodrigo; Chaikin, Paul

    For a broad class of 2D materials, the transition from isotropic fluid to crystalline solid is described by the theory of melting due to Kosterlitz, Thouless, Halperin, Nelson and Young. According to this theory, long-range order is achieved via elimination of the topological defects which proliferate in the fluid phase. However, many natural and man-made 2D systems posses spatial curvature and/or non-trivial topology, which require the presence of defects, even at T = 0 . In principle, the presence of these defects could profoundly affect the phase behavior of such a system. In this presentation, we describe experiments and simulations we have performed on repulsive particles which are bound to the surface of a sphere. We observe spatial structures and inhomogeneous dynamics that cannot be captured by the measures traditionally used to describe flat-space phase behavior. We show that ordering is achieved by a novel mechanism: sequestration of topological defects into freely-terminating grain boundaries (``scars''), and simultaneous spatial organization of the scars themselves on the vertices of an icosahedron. The emergence of icosahedral order coincides with the localization of mobility into isolated ``lakes'' of fluid or glassy particles, situated at the icosahedron vertices.

  14. Electrically controlled band gap and topological phase transition in two-dimensional multilayer germanane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi, Jingshan; Li, Xiao; Qian, Xiaofeng

    2016-01-01

    Electrically controlled band gap and topological electronic states are important for the next-generation topological quantum devices. In this letter, we study the electric field control of band gap and topological phase transitions in multilayer germanane. We find that although the monolayer and multilayer germananes are normal insulators, a vertical electric field can significantly reduce the band gap of multilayer germananes owing to the giant Stark effect. The decrease of band gap eventually leads to band inversion, transforming them into topological insulators with nontrivial Z_2 invariant. The electrically controlled topological phase transition in multilayer germananes provides a potential route to manipulate topologically protected edge states and design topological quantum devices. This strategy should be generally applicable to a broad range of materials, including other two-dimensional materials and ultrathin films with controlled growth.

  15. Dynamics of a photorefractive response and competition of nonlinear processes in self-pumping double phase-conjugate mirrors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mogaddam, Mehran Wahdani; Shuvalov, Vladimir V

    2005-01-01

    The dynamics of formation of a nonlinear response of a double phase-conjugate (PC) BaTiO 3 mirror is calculated. It is shown that because of competition between processes of different types (related to the presence of several PC channels, the local and nonlocal components of the photorefractive nonlinearity), the transient and dynamic lasing regimes for this mirror can be substantially different. It is found that the development of lasing begins with the successive formation and phasing of dynamic holograms of two different types (two PC channels). It is shown that even under optimal conditions, the lasing regime is not stationary due to competition between processes of different types, and the parameters of output fields fluctuate in time in a nontrivial way (due to the presence of the in-phase and out-of-phase components). Several scenarios of transition to the dynamic chaos are described. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

  16. Optically secured information retrieval using two authenticated phase-only masks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaogang; Chen, Wen; Mei, Shengtao; Chen, Xudong

    2015-10-23

    We propose an algorithm for jointly designing two phase-only masks (POMs) that allow for the encryption and noise-free retrieval of triple images. The images required for optical retrieval are first stored in quick-response (QR) codes for noise-free retrieval and flexible readout. Two sparse POMs are respectively calculated from two different images used as references for authentication based on modified Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm (GSA) and pixel extraction, and are then used as support constraints in a modified double-phase retrieval algorithm (MPRA), together with the above-mentioned QR codes. No visible information about the target images or the reference images can be obtained from each of these authenticated POMs. This approach allows users to authenticate the two POMs used for image reconstruction without visual observation of the reference images. It also allows user to friendly access and readout with mobile devices.

  17. Geographic information system for Long Island: An epidemiologic systems approach to identify environmental breast cancer risks on Long Island. Phase 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barancik, J.I.; Kramer, C.F.; Thode, H.C. Jr.

    1995-12-01

    BNL is developing and implementing the project ``Geographic Information System (GIS) for Long Island`` to address the potential relationship of environmental and occupational exposures to breast cancer etiology on Long Island. The project is divided into two major phases: The four month-feasibility project (Phase 1), and the major development and implementation project (Phase 2). This report summarizes the work completed in the four month Phase 1 Project, ``Feasibility of a Geographic Information System for Long Island.`` It provides the baseline information needed to further define and prioritize the scope of work for subsequent tasks. Phase 2 will build upon this foundation to develop an operational GIS for the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP).

  18. Geographic information system for Long Island: An epidemiologic systems approach to identify environmental breast cancer risks on Long Island. Phase 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barancik, J.I.; Kramer, C.F.; Thode, H.C. Jr.

    1995-01-01

    BNL is developing and implementing the project ''Geographic Information System (GIS) for Long Island'' to address the potential relationship of environmental and occupational exposures to breast cancer etiology on Long Island. The project is divided into two major phases: The four month-feasibility project (Phase 1), and the major development and implementation project (Phase 2). This report summarizes the work completed in the four month Phase 1 Project, ''Feasibility of a Geographic Information System for Long Island.'' It provides the baseline information needed to further define and prioritize the scope of work for subsequent tasks. Phase 2 will build upon this foundation to develop an operational GIS for the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP)

  19. Information about robustness, reliability and safety in early design phases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marini, Vinicius Kaster

    methods, and an industrial case to assess how the use of information about robustness, reliability and safety as practised by current methods influences concept development. Current methods cannot be used in early design phases due to their dependence on detailed design information for the identification...... alternatives. This prompts designers to reuse working principles that are inherently flawed, as they are liable to disturbances, failures and hazards. To address this issue, an approach based upon individual records of early design issues consists of comparing failures and benefits from prior working...... principles, before making a decision, and improving the more suitable alternatives through this feedback. Workshops were conducted with design practitioners to evaluate the potential of the approach and to simulate decision-making and gain feedback on a proof-of-concept basis. The evaluation has demonstrated...

  20. Seeking informed consent to Phase I cancer clinical trials: identifying oncologists' communication strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Richard; Bylund, Carma L; Siminoff, Laura A; Slovin, Susan F

    2011-04-01

    Phase I clinical trials are the gateway to effective new cancer treatments. Many physicians have difficulty when discussing Phase I clinical trials. Research demonstrates evidence of suboptimal communication. Little is known about communication strategies used by oncologists when recruiting patients for Phase I trials. We analyzed audio recorded Phase I consultations to identify oncologists' communication strategies. Subjects were consecutive cancer patients from six medical oncologists attending one of three outpatient clinics at a major Cancer Center in the United States. Sixteen patients signed informed consent for audio recording of their consultations in which a Phase I study was discussed. These were transcribed in full and analyzed to identify communication strategies. Six communication themes emerged from the analysis: (1) orienting, (2) educating patients, (3) describing uncertainty and prognosis, (4) persuading, (5) decision making, and (6) making a treatment recommendation. As expected, although there was some common ground between communication in Phase I and the Phase II and III settings, there were distinct differences. Oncologists used persuasive communication, made explicit recommendations, or implicitly expressed a treatment preference and were choice limiting. This highlights the complexity of discussing Phase I trials and the need to develop strategies to aid oncologists and patients in these difficult conversations. Patient centered communication that values patient preferences while preserving the oncologist's agenda can be a helpful approach to these discussions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. Link between the photonic and electronic topological phases in artificial graphene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lannebère, Sylvain; Silveirinha, Mário G.

    2018-04-01

    In recent years the study of topological phases of matter has emerged as a very exciting field of research, both in photonics and in electronics. However, up to now the electronic and photonic properties have been regarded as totally independent. Here we establish a link between the electronic and the photonic topological phases of the same material system and theoretically demonstrate that they are intimately related. We propose a realization of the Haldane model as a patterned two-dimensional electron gas and determine its optical response using the Kubo formula. It is shown that the electronic and photonic phase diagrams of the patterned electron gas are strictly related. In particular, the system has a trivial photonic topology when the inversion symmetry is the prevalent broken symmetry, whereas it has a nontrivial photonic topology for a dominant broken time-reversal symmetry, similar to the electronic case. To confirm these predictions, we numerically demonstrate the emergence of topologically protected unidirectional electromagnetic edge states at the interface with a trivial photonic material.

  2. Echoes of inflationary first-order phase transitions in the CMB

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Hongliang, E-mail: hjiangag@connect.ust.hk [Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong); Liu, Tao, E-mail: taoliu@ust.hk [Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong); Sun, Sichun, E-mail: sichun@uw.edu [Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong); Wang, Yi, E-mail: phyw@ust.hk [Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong)

    2017-02-10

    Cosmological phase transitions (CPTs), such as the Grand Unified Theory (GUT) and the electroweak (EW) ones, play a significant role in both particle physics and cosmology. In this letter, we propose to probe the first-order CPTs, by detecting gravitational waves (GWs) which are generated during the phase transitions through the cosmic microwave background (CMB). If happened around the inflation era, the first-order CPTs may yield low-frequency GWs due to bubble dynamics, leaving imprints on the CMB. In contrast to the nearly scale-invariant primordial GWs caused by vacuum fluctuation, these bubble-generated GWs are scale dependent and have non-trivial B-mode spectra. If decoupled from inflaton, the EWPT during inflation may serve as a probe for the one after reheating where the baryon asymmetry could be generated via EW baryogenesis (EWBG). The CMB thus provides a potential way to test the feasibility of the EWBG, complementary to the collider measurements of Higgs potential and the direct detection of GWs generated during EWPT.

  3. Contractions without non-trivial invariant subspaces satisfying a positivity condition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bhaggy Duggal

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract An operator A ∈ B ( H $A\\in B(\\mathcal{H}$ , the algebra of bounded linear transformations on a complex infinite dimensional Hilbert space H $\\mathcal{H}$ , belongs to class A ( n $\\mathcal{A}(n$ (resp., A ( ∗ − n $\\mathcal{A}(*-n$ if | A | 2 ≤ | A n + 1 | 2 n + 1 $\\vert A\\vert^{2}\\leq\\vert A^{n+1}\\vert^{\\frac{2}{n+1}}$ (resp., | A ∗ | 2 ≤ | A n + 1 | 2 n + 1 $\\vert A^{*}\\vert^{2}\\leq \\vert A^{n+1}\\vert^{\\frac{2}{n+1}}$ for some integer n ≥ 1 $n\\geq1$ , and an operator A ∈ B ( H $A\\in B(\\mathcal{H}$ is called n-paranormal, denoted A ∈ P ( n $A\\in \\mathcal{P}(n$ (resp., ∗ − n $*-n$ -paranormal, denoted A ∈ P ( ∗ − n $A\\in \\mathcal{P}(*-n$ if ∥ A x ∥ n + 1 ≤ ∥ A n + 1 x ∥ ∥ x ∥ n $\\Vert Ax\\Vert ^{n+1}\\leq \\Vert A^{n+1}x\\Vert \\Vert x\\Vert ^{n}$ (resp., ∥ A ∗ x ∥ n + 1 ≤ ∥ A n + 1 x ∥ ∥ x ∥ n $\\Vert A^{*}x\\Vert ^{n+1}\\leq \\Vert A^{n+1}x\\Vert \\Vert x\\Vert ^{n}$ for some integer n ≥ 1 $n\\geq 1$ and all x ∈ H $x \\in\\mathcal{H}$ . In this paper, we prove that if A ∈ { A ( n ∪ P ( n } $A\\in\\{\\mathcal{A}(n\\cup \\mathcal{P}(n\\}$ (resp., A ∈ { A ( ∗ − n ∪ P ( ∗ − n } $A\\in\\{\\mathcal{A}(*-n\\cup \\mathcal{P}(*-n\\}$ is a contraction without a non-trivial invariant subspace, then A, | A n + 1 | 2 n + 1 − | A | 2 $\\vert A^{n+1}\\vert^{\\frac{2}{n+1}}-\\vert A\\vert^{2}$ and | A n + 1 | 2 − n + 1 n | A | 2 + 1 $\\vert A^{n+1}\\vert^{2}- {\\frac{n+1}{n}}\\vert A\\vert^{2}+ 1$ (resp., A, | A n + 1 | 2 n + 1 − | A ∗ | 2 $\\vert A^{n+1}\\vert^{\\frac{2}{n+1}}-\\vert A^{*}\\vert^{2}$ and | A n + 2 | 2 − n + 1 n | A | 2 + 1 ≥ 0 $\\vert A^{n+2}\\vert^{2}- {\\frac{n+1}{n}}\\vert A\\vert^{2}+ 1\\geq0$ are proper contractions.

  4. Exotic topological insulator states and topological phase transitions in Sb2Se3-Bi2Se3 heterostructures

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Qianfan

    2012-03-27

    Topological insulator is a new state of matter attracting tremendous interest due to its gapless linear dispersion and spin momentum locking topological states located near the surface. Heterostructures, which have traditionally been powerful in controlling the electronic properties of semiconductor devices, are interesting for topological insulators. Here, we studied the spatial distribution of the topological state in Sb 2Se 3-Bi 2Se 3 heterostructures by first-principle simulation and discovered that an exotic topological state exists. Surprisingly, the state migrates from the nontrivial Bi 2Se 3 into the trivial Sb 2Se 3 region and spreads across the entire Sb 2Se 3 slab, extending beyond the concept of "surface" state while preserving all of the topological surface state characteristics. This unusual topological state arises from the coupling between different materials and the modification of electronic structure near Fermi energy. Our study demonstrates that heterostructures can open up opportunities for controlling the real-space distribution of the topological state and inducing quantum phase transitions between topologically trivial and nontrivial states. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

  5. The geometric phase in quantum systems foundations, mathematical concepts, and applications in molecular and condensed matter physics

    CERN Document Server

    Böhm, Arno; Koizumi, Hiroyasu; Niu, Qian; Zwanziger, Joseph

    2003-01-01

    Aimed at graduate physics and chemistry students, this is the first comprehensive monograph covering the concept of the geometric phase in quantum physics from its mathematical foundations to its physical applications and experimental manifestations It contains all the premises of the adiabatic Berry phase as well as the exact Anandan-Aharonov phase It discusses quantum systems in a classical time-independent environment (time dependent Hamiltonians) and quantum systems in a changing environment (gauge theory of molecular physics) The mathematical methods used are a combination of differential geometry and the theory of linear operators in Hilbert Space As a result, the monograph demonstrates how non-trivial gauge theories naturally arise and how the consequences can be experimentally observed Readers benefit by gaining a deep understanding of the long-ignored gauge theoretic effects of quantum mechanics and how to measure them

  6. Direction of coupling from phases of interacting oscillators: An information-theoretic approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paluš, Milan; Stefanovska, Aneta

    2003-05-01

    A directionality index based on conditional mutual information is proposed for application to the instantaneous phases of weakly coupled oscillators. Its abilities to distinguish unidirectional from bidirectional coupling, as well as to reveal and quantify asymmetry in bidirectional coupling, are demonstrated using numerical examples of quasiperiodic, chaotic, and noisy oscillators, as well as real human cardiorespiratory data.

  7. Triply degenerate nodal points and topological phase transitions in NaCu3Te2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Yunyouyou; Li, Gang

    2017-12-01

    Quasiparticle excitations of free electrons in condensed-matter physics, characterized by the dimensionality of the band crossing, can find their elementary-particle analogs in high-energy physics, such as Majorana, Weyl, and Dirac fermions, while crystalline symmetry allows more quasiparticle excitations and exotic fermions to emerge. Using symmetry analysis and ab initio calculations, we propose that the three-dimensional honeycomb crystal NaCu3Te2 hosts triply degenerate nodal points (TDNPs) residing at the Fermi level. Furthermore, in this system we find a tunable phase transition between a trivial insulator, a TDNP phase, and a weak topological insulator (TI), triggered by a symmetry-allowed perturbation and the spin-orbital coupling (SOC). Such a topological nontrivial ternary compound not only serves as a perfect candidate for studying three-component fermions, but also provides an excellent playground for understanding the topological phase transitions between TDNPs, TIs, and trivial insulators, which distinguishes this system from other TDNP candidates.

  8. Best practices of Building Information Modelling (BIM) implementation in design phase for construction project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasim, N.; Zainal Abidin, N. A.; Zainal, R.; Sarpin, N.; Rahim, M. H. I. Abd; Saikah, M.

    2017-11-01

    Implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) was expected to bring improvement in current practices of Malaysian construction industry. In the design phase, there is a lack of a ready pool of skilled workers who are able to develop BIM strategic plan and effectively utilise it. These create boundaries for BIM nature in Malaysian construction industry specifically in the design phase to achieve its best practices. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to investigate the current practices of BIM implementation in the design phase as well as the best practices factors of BIM implementation in the design phase. The qualitative research approach is carried out through semi-structured interviews with the designers of different organisations which adopt BIM in the design phase. Data collection is analysed by executing content analysis method. From the findings, the best practices factors of BIM implementation in design phase such as the incentive for BIM training, formal approach to monitoring automated Level of Detailing (LOD), run a virtual meeting and improve Industry Foundation Class (IFC). Thus, best practices factors which lead to practices improvements in the design phase of project development which subsequently improves the implementation of BIM in the design phase of Malaysian construction industry.

  9. Strain-induced topological magnon phase transitions: applications to kagome-lattice ferromagnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owerre, S. A.

    2018-06-01

    A common feature of topological insulators is that they are characterized by topologically invariant quantity such as the Chern number and the index. This quantity distinguishes a nontrivial topological system from a trivial one. A topological phase transition may occur when there are two topologically distinct phases, and it is usually defined by a gap closing point where the topologically invariant quantity is ill-defined. In this paper, we show that the magnon bands in the strained (distorted) kagome-lattice ferromagnets realize an example of a topological magnon phase transition in the realistic parameter regime of the system. When spin–orbit coupling (SOC) is neglected (i.e. no Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction), we show that all three magnon branches are dispersive with no flat band, and there exists a critical point where tilted Dirac and semi-Dirac point coexist in the magnon spectra. The critical point separates two gapless magnon phases as opposed to the usual phase transition. Upon the inclusion of SOC, we realize a topological magnon phase transition point at the critical strain , where D and J denote the perturbative SOC and the Heisenberg spin exchange interaction respectively. It separates two distinct topological magnon phases with different Chern numbers for and for . The associated anomalous thermal Hall conductivity develops an abrupt change at , due to the divergence of the Berry curvature in momentum space. The proposed topological magnon phase transition is experimentally feasible by applying external perturbations such as uniaxial strain or pressure.

  10. Databases in welding engineering - definition and starting phase of the integrated welding engineering information system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barthelmess, H.; Queren, W.; Stracke, M.

    1989-01-01

    The structure and function of the Information AAssociation for Welding Engineering, newly established by the Deutscher Verband fuer Schweisstechnik, are presented. Examined are: special literature for welding techniques - value and prospects; databases accessible to the public for information on welding techniques; concept for the Information Association for Welding Engineering; the four phases to establish databasis for facts and expert systems of the Information Association for Welding Engineering; the pilot project 'MVT-Data base' (hot crack data base for data of modified varestraint-transvarestraint tests). (orig./MM) [de

  11. Architecture, des normes et des systèmes d'information libres, phase ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Architecture, des normes et des systèmes d'information libres, phase II (OASIS II) - Renforcement des capacités dans l'ensemble de l'Afrique. Sur presque tout le continent africain, la prestation des services de santé est limitée en raison des maigres ressources disponibles et de la charge de morbidité de plus en plus ...

  12. Two-phase semilinear free boundary problem with a degenerate phase

    KAUST Repository

    Matevosyan, Norayr; Petrosyan, Arshak

    2010-01-01

    states that in dimension two the free boundaries Γ+ = ∂{u > 0} ∩ D andΓ- = ∂{u < 0} ∩ D are C1,α-regular, provided 1 - ∈0 < p < 1. The proof is obtained by a careful iteration of the Harnack inequality to obtain a nontrivial growth estimate

  13. Extremal rotating black holes in the near-horizon limit: Phase space and symmetry algebra

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Compère

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available We construct the NHEG phase space, the classical phase space of Near-Horizon Extremal Geometries with fixed angular momenta and entropy, and with the largest symmetry algebra. We focus on vacuum solutions to d dimensional Einstein gravity. Each element in the phase space is a geometry with SL(2,R×U(1d−3 isometries which has vanishing SL(2,R and constant U(1 charges. We construct an on-shell vanishing symplectic structure, which leads to an infinite set of symplectic symmetries. In four spacetime dimensions, the phase space is unique and the symmetry algebra consists of the familiar Virasoro algebra, while in d>4 dimensions the symmetry algebra, the NHEG algebra, contains infinitely many Virasoro subalgebras. The nontrivial central term of the algebra is proportional to the black hole entropy. The conserved charges are given by the Fourier decomposition of a Liouville-type stress-tensor which depends upon a single periodic function of d−3 angular variables associated with the U(1 isometries. This phase space and in particular its symmetries can serve as a basis for a semiclassical description of extremal rotating black hole microstates.

  14. Advances in intelligent process-aware information systems concepts, methods, and technologies

    CERN Document Server

    Oberhauser, Roy; Reichert, Manfred

    2017-01-01

    This book provides a state-of-the-art perspective on intelligent process-aware information systems and presents chapters on specific facets and approaches applicable to such systems. Further, it highlights novel advances and developments in various aspects of intelligent process-aware information systems and business process management systems. Intelligence capabilities are increasingly being integrated into or created in many of today’s software products and services. Process-aware information systems provide critical computing infrastructure to support the various processes involved in the creation and delivery of business products and services. Yet the integration of intelligence capabilities into process-aware information systems is a non-trivial yet necessary evolution of these complex systems. The book’s individual chapters address adaptive process management, case management processes, autonomically-capable processes, process-oriented information logistics, process recommendations, reasoning over ...

  15. On the effect of the lattice asymmetry parameter on the phase structure of SU(N) pure gauge theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Averchenkova, L.A.; Petrov, K.V.; Petrov, V.K.; Zinovjev, G.M.

    1998-01-01

    The role of the lattice asymmetry parameter ξ in the phase structure description of the SU(2) and SU(3) gluodynamics at finite temperature has been studied analytically in the SU(N)∼Z(N) approach. The properties of thermodynamic quantities have been investigated near the physical border. The effective action which includes the first non-trivial order from the space-like part allows estimates to be made of the phase structure not only close to the physical border but in the whole area of couplings. We find that thermodynamic quantities depend on ξ and this dependence may be strong enough, up to discontinuity over this parameter for some of them. The Hamiltonian formulation of the SU(2) gauge theory on the asymmetric lattice is presented. (orig.)

  16. Reentrant phase transitions and defensive alliances in social dilemmas with informed strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szolnoki, Attila; Perc, Matjaž

    2015-05-01

    Knowing the strategy of an opponent in a competitive environment conveys obvious evolutionary advantages. But this information is costly, and the benefit of being informed may not necessarily offset the additional cost. Here we introduce social dilemmas with informed strategies, and we show that this gives rise to two cyclically dominant triplets that form defensive alliances. The stability of these two alliances is determined by the rotation velocity of the strategies within each triplet. A weaker strategy in a faster rotating triplet can thus overcome an individually stronger competitor. Fascinating spatial patterns favor the dominance of a single defensive alliance, but enable also the stable coexistence of both defensive alliances in very narrow regions of the parameter space. A continuous reentrant phase transition reveals before unseen complexity behind the stability of strategic alliances in evolutionary social dilemmas.

  17. Topologically nontrivial black holes in Lovelock-Born-Infeld gravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farhangkhah, N.

    2018-04-01

    We present the black hole solutions possessing horizon with nonconstant-curvature and additional scalar restrictions on the base manifold in Lovelock gravity coupled to Born-Infeld (BI) nonlinear electrodynamics. The asymptotic and near origin behavior of the metric is presented and we analyze different behaviors of the singularity. We find that, in contrast to the case of black hole solutions of BI-Lovelock gravity with constant curvature horizon and Maxwell-Lovelock gravity with non constant horizon which have only timelike singularities, spacelike, and timelike singularities may exist for BI-Lovelock black holes with nonconstant curvature horizon. By calculating the thermodynamic quantities, we study the effects of nonlinear electrodynamics via the Born-Infeld action. Stability analysis shows that black holes with positive sectional curvature, κ , possess an intermediate unstable phase and large and small black holes are stable. We see that while Ricci flat Lovelock-Born-Infeld black holes having exotic horizons are stable in the presence of Maxwell field or either Born Infeld field with large born Infeld parameter β , unstable phase appears for smaller values of β , and therefore nonlinearity brings in the instability.

  18. Scaling of quantum Fisher information close to the quantum phase transition in the XY spin chain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye, En-Jia, E-mail: yeenjia@jiangnan.edu.cn [Jiangsu Provincial Research Center of Light Industrial Optoelectronic Engineering and Technology, School of Science, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China); Hu, Zheng-Da [Jiangsu Provincial Research Center of Light Industrial Optoelectronic Engineering and Technology, School of Science, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122 (China); Wu, Wei [Zhejiang Institute of Modern Physics and Physics Department, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)

    2016-12-01

    The quantum phase transition of an XY spin chain is investigated by employing the quantum Fisher information encoded in the ground state. It is shown that the quantum Fisher information is an effective tool for characterizing the quantum criticality. The quantum Fisher information, its first and second derivatives versus the transverse field display the phenomena of sudden transition, sudden jump and divergence, respectively. Besides, the analysis of finite size scaling for the second derivative of quantum Fisher information is performed.

  19. Anomaly constraints on deconfinement and chiral phase transition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Hiroyuki; Yonekura, Kazuya

    2018-05-01

    We study the constraints on thermal phase transitions of SU (Nc) gauge theories by using the 't Hooft anomaly involving the center symmetry and chiral symmetry. We consider two cases of massless fermions: (i) adjoint fermions and (ii) Nf flavors of fundamental fermions with a nontrivial greatest common divisor, gcd (Nc,Nf)≠1 . For the first case (i), we show that the chiral symmetry restoration in terms of the standard Landau-Ginzburg effective action is impossible at a temperature lower than that of deconfinement. For the second case (ii), we introduce a modified version of the center symmetry, which we call center-flavor symmetry, and draw similar conclusions under a certain definition of confinement. Moreover, at zero temperature, our results give a partial explanation of the appearance of dual magnetic gauge groups in (supersymmetric) QCD when gcd (Nc,Nf)≠1 .

  20. Topological superconductivity in the extended Kitaev-Heisenberg model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Johann; Scherer, Daniel D.; Black-Schaffer, Annica M.

    2018-01-01

    We study superconducting pairing in the doped Kitaev-Heisenberg model by taking into account the recently proposed symmetric off-diagonal exchange Γ . By performing a mean-field analysis, we classify all possible superconducting phases in terms of symmetry, explicitly taking into account effects of spin-orbit coupling. Solving the resulting gap equations self-consistently, we map out a phase diagram that involves several topologically nontrivial states. For Γ breaking chiral phase with Chern number ±1 and a time-reversal symmetric nematic phase that breaks the rotational symmetry of the lattice. On the other hand, for Γ ≥0 we find a time-reversal symmetric phase that preserves all the lattice symmetries, thus yielding clearly distinguishable experimental signatures for all superconducting phases. Both of the time-reversal symmetric phases display a transition to a Z2 nontrivial phase at high doping levels. Finally, we also include a symmetry-allowed spin-orbit coupling kinetic energy and show that it destroys a tentative symmetry-protected topological order at lower doping levels. However, it can be used to tune the time-reversal symmetric phases into a Z2 nontrivial phase even at lower doping.

  1. Understanding Interdependency Through Complex Information Sharing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Rosas

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The interactions between three or more random variables are often nontrivial, poorly understood and, yet, are paramount for future advances in fields such as network information theory, neuroscience and genetics. In this work, we analyze these interactions as different modes of information sharing. Towards this end, and in contrast to most of the literature that focuses on analyzing the mutual information, we introduce an axiomatic framework for decomposing the joint entropy that characterizes the various ways in which random variables can share information. Our framework distinguishes between interdependencies where the information is shared redundantly and synergistic interdependencies where the sharing structure exists in the whole, but not between the parts. The key contribution of our approach is to focus on symmetric properties of this sharing, which do not depend on a specific point of view for differentiating roles between its components. We show that our axioms determine unique formulas for all of the terms of the proposed decomposition for systems of three variables in several cases of interest. Moreover, we show how these results can be applied to several network information theory problems, providing a more intuitive understanding of their fundamental limits.

  2. Probing emergent geometry through phase transitions in free vector and matrix models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amado, Irene; Sundborg, Bo [The Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University,AlbaNova, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Thorlacius, Larus [The Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University,AlbaNova, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, 107 Reykjavik (Iceland); Wintergerst, Nico [The Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, Department of Physics, Stockholm University,AlbaNova, 106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)

    2017-02-01

    Boundary correlation functions provide insight into the emergence of an effective geometry in higher spin gravity duals of O(N) or U(N) symmetric field theories. On a compact manifold, the singlet constraint leads to nontrivial dynamics at finite temperature and large N phase transitions even at vanishing ’t Hooft coupling. At low temperature, the leading behavior of boundary two-point functions is consistent with propagation through a bulk thermal anti de Sitter space. Above the phase transition, the two-point function shows significant departure from thermal AdS space and the emergence of localized black hole like objects in the bulk. In adjoint models, these objects appear at length scales of order of the AdS radius, consistent with a Hawking-Page transition, but in vector models they are parametrically larger than the AdS scale. In low dimensions, we find another crossover at large distances beyond which the correlation function again takes a thermal AdS form, albeit with a temperature dependent normalization factor.

  3. Fourier phasing with phase-uncertain mask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fannjiang, Albert; Liao, Wenjing

    2013-01-01

    Fourier phasing is the problem of retrieving Fourier phase information from Fourier intensity data. The standard Fourier phase retrieval (without a mask) is known to have many solutions which cause the standard phasing algorithms to stagnate and produce wrong or inaccurate solutions. In this paper Fourier phase retrieval is carried out with the introduction of a randomly fabricated mask in measurement and reconstruction. Highly probable uniqueness of solution, up to a global phase, was previously proved with exact knowledge of the mask. Here the uniqueness result is extended to the case where only rough information about the mask’s phases is assumed. The exponential probability bound for uniqueness is given in terms of the uncertainty-to-diversity ratio of the unknown mask. New phasing algorithms alternating between the object update and the mask update are systematically tested and demonstrated to have the capability of recovering both the object and the mask (within the object support) simultaneously, consistent with the uniqueness result. Phasing with a phase-uncertain mask is shown to be robust with respect to the correlation in the mask as well as the Gaussian and Poisson noises. (paper)

  4. Tensor Network Wavefunctions for Topological Phases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ware, Brayden Alexander

    intrinsically fermionic topological phases, i.e. topological phases contructed out of fermions with a nontrivial response to fermion parity defects. A zero correlation length wavefunction and a commuting projector Hamiltonian that realizes this wavefunction as its ground state are constructed. Using an appropriate generalization of the minimally entangled states method for extraction of topological order from the ground states on a torus to the intrinsically fermionic case, we fully characterize the corresponding topological order as Ising x (px - ipy). We argue that this phase can be captured using fermionic tensor networks, expanding the applicability of tensor network methods.

  5. UIS BW environmental information system Baden-Wuerttemberg. R+D project INOVUM. Innovative environmental information systems. Phase I 2014/16; UIS BW Umweltinformationssystem Baden-Wuerttemberg. F+E-Vorhaben INOVUM. Innovative Umweltinformationssysteme. Phase I 2014/16

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weissenbach, Kurt [Ministerium fuer Umwelt, Klima und Energiewirtschaft Baden-Wuerttemberg, Stuttgart (Germany); Schillinger, Wolfgang [Landesanstalt fuer Umwelt, Messungen und Naturschutz Baden-Wuerttemberg (LUBW), Karlsruhe (Germany); Weidemann, Rainer (ed.) [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (Germany). Inst. fuer Angewandte Informatik

    2016-07-01

    The R and D project INOVUM of the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Baden-Wuerttemberg relies on a wide cooperation with partners from government, science and industry to jointly develop governmental environmental information systems. In the focus of this project phase were, e.g. a revision of the framework concept for the Environmental Information System Baden-Wuerttemberg, service-based applications, the development of environmental portals, mobile applications and map services.

  6. Echoes of inflationary first-order phase transitions in the CMB

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongliang Jiang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Cosmological phase transitions (CPTs, such as the Grand Unified Theory (GUT and the electroweak (EW ones, play a significant role in both particle physics and cosmology. In this letter, we propose to probe the first-order CPTs, by detecting gravitational waves (GWs which are generated during the phase transitions through the cosmic microwave background (CMB. If happened around the inflation era, the first-order CPTs may yield low-frequency GWs due to bubble dynamics, leaving imprints on the CMB. In contrast to the nearly scale-invariant primordial GWs caused by vacuum fluctuation, these bubble-generated GWs are scale dependent and have non-trivial B-mode spectra. If decoupled from inflaton, the EWPT during inflation may serve as a probe for the one after reheating where the baryon asymmetry could be generated via EW baryogenesis (EWBG. The CMB thus provides a potential way to test the feasibility of the EWBG, complementary to the collider measurements of Higgs potential and the direct detection of GWs generated during EWPT.

  7. Search for new ternary Al, Ga or In containing phases using information forecasting system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiseleva, N.N.; Burkhanov, G.S.

    1989-01-01

    Automated system of search for regularities in the formation of crystal phases and forecasting of new compounds with required properties, comprising data base on the properties of ternary inorganic compounds and cybernetic forecasting system, has been developed. General principles of operation of the developed information-forecasting system are considered. Efficiency of the system operation is shown, using as an example the search for new ternary compounds with aluminium, gallium and indium, crystallized in ZrNiAl, TiNiSi, ThCr 2 Si 2 , CaAl 2 Si 2 structural types. Results of the above-mentioned phases forecasting are shown

  8. Geometric structure and information change in phase transitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Eun-jin; Hollerbach, Rainer

    2017-06-01

    We propose a toy model for a cyclic order-disorder transition and introduce a geometric methodology to understand stochastic processes involved in transitions. Specifically, our model consists of a pair of forward and backward processes (FPs and BPs) for the emergence and disappearance of a structure in a stochastic environment. We calculate time-dependent probability density functions (PDFs) and the information length L , which is the total number of different states that a system undergoes during the transition. Time-dependent PDFs during transient relaxation exhibit strikingly different behavior in FPs and BPs. In particular, FPs driven by instability undergo the broadening of the PDF with a large increase in fluctuations before the transition to the ordered state accompanied by narrowing the PDF width. During this stage, we identify an interesting geodesic solution accompanied by the self-regulation between the growth and nonlinear damping where the time scale τ of information change is constant in time, independent of the strength of the stochastic noise. In comparison, BPs are mainly driven by the macroscopic motion due to the movement of the PDF peak. The total information length L between initial and final states is much larger in BPs than in FPs, increasing linearly with the deviation γ of a control parameter from the critical state in BPs while increasing logarithmically with γ in FPs. L scales as |lnD | and D-1 /2 in FPs and BPs, respectively, where D measures the strength of the stochastic forcing. These differing scalings with γ and D suggest a great utility of L in capturing different underlying processes, specifically, diffusion vs advection in phase transition by geometry. We discuss physical origins of these scalings and comment on implications of our results for bistable systems undergoing repeated order-disorder transitions (e.g., fitness).

  9. Phase synchronization of delta and theta oscillations increase during the detection of relevant lexical information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Enzo eBrunetti

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available During monitoring of the discourse, the detection of the relevance of incoming lexical information could be critical for its incorporation to update mental representations in memory. Because, in these situations, the relevance for lexical information is defined by abstract rules that are maintained in memory, results critical to understand how an abstract level of knowledge maintained in mind mediates the detection of the lower-level semantic information. In the present study, we propose that neuronal oscillations participate in the detection of relevant lexical information, based on ‘kept in mind’ rules deriving from more abstract semantic information. We tested our hypothesis using an experimental paradigm that restricted the detection of relevance to inferences based on explicit information, thus controlling for ambiguities derived from implicit aspects. We used a categorization task, in which the semantic relevance was previously defined based on the congruency between a kept in mind category (abstract knowledge, and the lexical-semantic information presented. Our results show that during the detection of the relevant lexical information, phase synchronization of neuronal oscillations selectively increases in delta and theta frequency bands during the interval of semantic analysis. These increments were independent of the semantic category maintained in memory, had a temporal profile specific for each subject, and were mainly induced, as they had no effect on the evoked mean global field power. Also, recruitment of an increased number of pairs of electrodes was a robust observation during the detection of semantic contingent words. These results are consistent with the notion that the detection of relevant lexical information based on a particular semantic rule, could be mediated by increasing the global phase synchronization of neuronal oscillations, which may contribute to the recruitment of an extended number of cortical regions.

  10. Phase synchronization of delta and theta oscillations increase during the detection of relevant lexical information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunetti, Enzo; Maldonado, Pedro E; Aboitiz, Francisco

    2013-01-01

    During monitoring of the discourse, the detection of the relevance of incoming lexical information could be critical for its incorporation to update mental representations in memory. Because, in these situations, the relevance for lexical information is defined by abstract rules that are maintained in memory, a central aspect to elucidate is how an abstract level of knowledge maintained in mind mediates the detection of the lower-level semantic information. In the present study, we propose that neuronal oscillations participate in the detection of relevant lexical information, based on "kept in mind" rules deriving from more abstract semantic information. We tested our hypothesis using an experimental paradigm that restricted the detection of relevance to inferences based on explicit information, thus controlling for ambiguities derived from implicit aspects. We used a categorization task, in which the semantic relevance was previously defined based on the congruency between a kept in mind category (abstract knowledge), and the lexical semantic information presented. Our results show that during the detection of the relevant lexical information, phase synchronization of neuronal oscillations selectively increases in delta and theta frequency bands during the interval of semantic analysis. These increments occurred irrespective of the semantic category maintained in memory, had a temporal profile specific for each subject, and were mainly induced, as they had no effect on the evoked mean global field power. Also, recruitment of an increased number of pairs of electrodes was a robust observation during the detection of semantic contingent words. These results are consistent with the notion that the detection of relevant lexical information based on a particular semantic rule, could be mediated by increasing the global phase synchronization of neuronal oscillations, which may contribute to the recruitment of an extended number of cortical regions.

  11. Tomographic image reconstruction using x-ray phase information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momose, Atsushi; Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji; Hirano, Keiichi

    1996-04-01

    We have been developing phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography (CT) to make possible the observation of biological soft tissues without contrast enhancement. Phase-contrast x-ray CT requires for its input data the x-ray phase-shift distributions or phase-mapping images caused by an object. These were measured with newly developed fringe-scanning x-ray interferometry. Phase-mapping images at different projection directions were obtained by rotating the object in an x-ray interferometer, and were processed with a standard CT algorithm. A phase-contrast x-ray CT image of a nonstained cancerous tissue was obtained using 17.7 keV synchrotron x rays with 12 micrometer voxel size, although the size of the observation area was at most 5 mm. The cancerous lesions were readily distinguishable from normal tissues. Moreover, fine structures corresponding to cancerous degeneration and fibrous tissues were clearly depicted. It is estimated that the present system is sensitive down to a density deviation of 4 mg/cm3.

  12. Noise enhances information transfer in hierarchical networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czaplicka, Agnieszka; Holyst, Janusz A; Sloot, Peter M A

    2013-01-01

    We study the influence of noise on information transmission in the form of packages shipped between nodes of hierarchical networks. Numerical simulations are performed for artificial tree networks, scale-free Ravasz-Barabási networks as well for a real network formed by email addresses of former Enron employees. Two types of noise are considered. One is related to packet dynamics and is responsible for a random part of packets paths. The second one originates from random changes in initial network topology. We find that the information transfer can be enhanced by the noise. The system possesses optimal performance when both kinds of noise are tuned to specific values, this corresponds to the Stochastic Resonance phenomenon. There is a non-trivial synergy present for both noisy components. We found also that hierarchical networks built of nodes of various degrees are more efficient in information transfer than trees with a fixed branching factor.

  13. Risks, Information and Short-Run Timber Supply

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesca Rinaldi

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Efforts to increase wood mobilization have highlighted the need to appraise drivers of short-run timber supply. The current study aims to shed further light on harvesting decisions of private forest owners, by investigating optimal harvesting under uncertainty, when timber revenues are invested on financial markets and uncertainty is mitigated by news releases. By distinguishing between aggregate economic risk and sector specific risks, the model studies in great detail optimal harvesting-investment decisions, with particular emphasis on the non-trivial transmission of risk on optimal harvesting, and on the way private forest owners react to news and information. The analysis of the role played by information in harvesting decisions is a novelty in forest economic theory. The presented model is highly relevant from a policy—information is a commonly used forest policy instrument—as well as a practical perspective, since the mechanism of risk transmission is at the basis of timber pricing.

  14. Two Phase Non-Rigid Multi-Modal Image Registration Using Weber Local Descriptor-Based Similarity Metrics and Normalized Mutual Information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Yang

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Non-rigid multi-modal image registration plays an important role in medical image processing and analysis. Existing image registration methods based on similarity metrics such as mutual information (MI and sum of squared differences (SSD cannot achieve either high registration accuracy or high registration efficiency. To address this problem, we propose a novel two phase non-rigid multi-modal image registration method by combining Weber local descriptor (WLD based similarity metrics with the normalized mutual information (NMI using the diffeomorphic free-form deformation (FFD model. The first phase aims at recovering the large deformation component using the WLD based non-local SSD (wldNSSD or weighted structural similarity (wldWSSIM. Based on the output of the former phase, the second phase is focused on getting accurate transformation parameters related to the small deformation using the NMI. Extensive experiments on T1, T2 and PD weighted MR images demonstrate that the proposed wldNSSD-NMI or wldWSSIM-NMI method outperforms the registration methods based on the NMI, the conditional mutual information (CMI, the SSD on entropy images (ESSD and the ESSD-NMI in terms of registration accuracy and computation efficiency.

  15. Approximate Riemann solvers and flux vector splitting schemes for two-phase flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toumi, I.; Kumbaro, A.; Paillere, H.

    1999-01-01

    These course notes, presented at the 30. Von Karman Institute Lecture Series in Computational Fluid Dynamics, give a detailed and through review of upwind differencing methods for two-phase flow models. After recalling some fundamental aspects of two-phase flow modelling, from mixture model to two-fluid models, the mathematical properties of the general 6-equation model are analysed by examining the Eigen-structure of the system, and deriving conditions under which the model can be made hyperbolic. The following chapters are devoted to extensions of state-of-the-art upwind differencing schemes such as Roe's Approximate Riemann Solver or the Characteristic Flux Splitting method to two-phase flow. Non-trivial steps in the construction of such solvers include the linearization, the treatment of non-conservative terms and the construction of a Roe-type matrix on which the numerical dissipation of the schemes is based. Extension of the 1-D models to multi-dimensions in an unstructured finite volume formulation is also described; Finally, numerical results for a variety of test-cases are shown to illustrate the accuracy and robustness of the methods. (authors)

  16. Fabrication and in situ compression testing of Mg micropillars with a nontrivial cross section: Influence of micropillar geometry on mechanical properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bočan, Jiří [Laboratory of Nanostructures and Nanomaterials, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 1999/2, CZ-12821 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Tsurekawa, Sadahiro [Division of Materials Science, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto 860-8555 (Japan); Jäger, Aleš, E-mail: aljag@seznam.cz [Laboratory of Nanostructures and Nanomaterials, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 1999/2, CZ-12821 Praha 8 (Czech Republic)

    2017-02-27

    Micropillars with a nontrivial cross-sectional shape but constant cross-sectional area were fabricated from a pure magnesium single crystal with (0001) orientation by a focused gallium ion beam using a modified annular milling method. The basic mechanical properties (compressive modulus, strength at different plastic strain levels and hardening exponent) of those structures were determined under compression by means of in situ nanoindentation in scanning electron microscope and correlated by the micropillar cross-sectional circumference. It was observed that the modulus and strength increased with increasing circumference. The values of the modulus for the complex cross sectional shapes are on average higher by 5%, and the yield strength, ranging between 274 MPa and 342 MPa, is on average higher by 20% relative to micropillars with a simple circular or polygonal cross section. Surprisingly, the hardening exponent remains nearly constant regardless of the micropillar cross section.

  17. Information needs about palliative care and euthanasia: A survey of patients in different phases of their cancer trajectory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beernaert, Kim; Haverbeke, Chloë; Van Belle, Simon; Deliens, Luc; Cohen, Joachim

    2018-01-01

    We assessed information provision and information needs about illness course, treatments, palliative care and euthanasia in cancer patients. Cancer patients consulting a university hospital (N=620) filled out a questionnaire. Their cancer related data were collected through the treating oncologist. This study is performed in Belgium, where "palliative care for all" is a patient's right embedded in the law and euthanasia is possible under certain conditions. Around 80% received information about their illness course and treatments. Ten percent received information about palliative care and euthanasia. Most information about palliative care and euthanasia was given when the patient had a life expectancy of less than six months. However, a quarter of those in earlier phases in their illness trajectory, particularly those who experienced high pain, fatigue or nausea requested more information on these topics. Many patients want more information about palliative care and euthanasia than what is currently provided, also those in an earlier than terminal phase of their disease. Healthcare professionals should be more responsive, already from diagnosis, to the information needs about palliative care and possible end-of-life decisions. This should be patient-tailored, as some patients want more and some patients want less information. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Connecting Majorana phases to the geometric parameters of the Majorana unitarity triangle in a neutrino mass matrix model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Surender; Bhardwaj, Shankita

    2018-05-01

    We have investigated a possible connection between the Majorana phases and geometric parameters of Majorana unitarity triangle (MT) in two-texture zero neutrino mass matrix. Such analytical relations can, also, be obtained for other theoretical models viz. hybrid textures, neutrino mass matrix with vanishing minors and have profound implications for geometric description of C P violation. As an example, we have considered the two-texture zero neutrino mass model to obtain a relation between Majorana phases and MT parameters that may be probed in various lepton number violating processes. In particular, we find that Majorana phases depend on only one of the three interior angles of the MT in each class of two-texture zero neutrino mass matrix. We have also constructed the MT for class A , B , and C neutrino mass matrices. Nonvanishing areas and nontrivial orientations of these Majorana unitarity triangles indicate nonzero C P violation as a generic feature of this class of mass models.

  19. Phase transition with trivial quantum criticality in an anisotropic Weyl semimetal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xin; Wang, Jing-Rong; Liu, Guo-Zhu

    2018-05-01

    When a metal undergoes continuous quantum phase transition, the correlation length diverges at the critical point and the quantum fluctuation of order parameter behaves as a gapless bosonic mode. Generically, the coupling of this boson to fermions induces a variety of unusual quantum critical phenomena, such as non-Fermi liquid behavior and various emergent symmetries. Here, we perform a renormalization group analysis of the semimetal-superconductor quantum criticality in a three-dimensional anisotropic Weyl semimetal. Surprisingly, distinct from previously studied quantum critical systems, the anomalous dimension of anisotropic Weyl fermions flows to zero very quickly with decreasing energy, and the quasiparticle residue takes a nonzero value. These results indicate that the quantum fluctuation of superconducting order parameter is irrelevant at low energies, and a simple mean-field calculation suffices to capture the essential physics of the superconducting transition. We thus obtain a phase transition that exhibits trivial quantum criticality, which is unique comparing to other invariably nontrivial quantum critical systems. Our theoretical prediction can be experimentally verified by measuring the fermion spectral function and specific heat.

  20. Floquet engineering of Haldane Chern insulators and chiral bosonic phase transitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plekhanov, Kirill; Roux, Guillaume; Le Hur, Karyn

    2017-01-01

    The realization of synthetic gauge fields has attracted a lot of attention recently in relation to periodically driven systems and the Floquet theory. In ultracold atom systems in optical lattices and photonic networks, this allows one to simulate exotic phases of matter such as quantum Hall phases, anomalous quantum Hall phases, and analogs of topological insulators. In this paper, we apply the Floquet theory to engineer anisotropic Haldane models on the honeycomb lattice and two-leg ladder systems. We show that these anisotropic Haldane models still possess a topologically nontrivial band structure associated with chiral edge modes. Focusing on (interacting) boson systems in s -wave bands of the lattice, we show how to engineer through the Floquet theory, a quantum phase transition (QPT) between a uniform superfluid and a Bose-Einstein condensate analog of Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov states, where bosons condense at nonzero wave vectors. We perform a Ginzburg-Landau analysis of the QPT on the graphene lattice, and compute observables such as chiral currents and the momentum distribution. The results are supported by exact diagonalization calculations and compared with those of the isotropic situation. The validity of high-frequency expansion in the Floquet theory is also tested using time-dependent simulations for various parameters of the model. Last, we show that the anisotropic choice for the effective vector potential allows a bosonization approach in equivalent ladder (strip) geometries.

  1. Two applications of Berry's phase in fermionic field theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goff, W.E.

    1989-01-01

    When quantized fermions are coupled to a background field, nontrivial effects may arise due to the geometry and/or topology of the space of background field configurations. In this thesis, two examples of Berry's geometrical phase in a fermionic sea are studied: the anomalous commutator in gauge field theory and the intrinsic orbital angular momentum in superfluid 3 He-A. Chapter 1 is a brief introduction. Chapter 2 reviews Berry's Phase and several toy models. Effective actions are calculated for two models in gradient expansions and the role of a geometric term is discussed. Chapter 3 investigates the anomalous commutator in the generators of gauge symmetry in field theory. Using an idea introduced by Sonoda, the Berry phase of the vacuum state is found to be the sum of the Berry phases of the individual states in the sea plus a piece due to the infinite nature of the Dirac sea. The latter is the anomalous commutator. Also found is a relative minus sign between the commutator of the total gauge symmetry generators and the commutator of the fermionic charge generators. Examples are given. In Chapter 4, a geometric way of deriving the intrinsic orbital angular momentum term in the 3 He-A equations of motion is presented. Homogeneous, adiabatically evolving textures at zero temperature are found to pick up a nonzero groundstate Berry phase, where the ground state is taken to be a filled sea of Bogoliubov quasiparticles. Interpreting the phase as a Wess-Zumino effective action for the condensate provides a geometric origin for the intrinsic angular momentum. The idea of a ground-state phase is then extended to other gap functions and a more general result is obtained. Chapter 5 concludes with a discussion of the possibility of unifying the two problems in a more general framework and directions for further work

  2. Non-local correlations via Wigner-Yanase skew information in two SC-qubit having mutual interaction under phase decoherence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed, Abdel-Baset A.

    2017-10-01

    An analytical solution of the master equation that describes a superconducting cavity containing two coupled superconducting charge qubits is obtained. Quantum-mechanical correlations based on Wigner-Yanase skew information, as local quantum uncertainty and uncertainty-induced quantum non-locality, are compared to the concurrence under the effects of the phase decoherence. Local quantum uncertainty exhibits sudden changes during its time evolution and revival process. Sudden death and sudden birth occur only for entanglement, depending on the initial state of the two coupled charge qubits, while the correlations of skew information does not vanish. The quantum correlations of skew information are found to be sensitive to the dephasing rate, the photons number in the cavity, the interaction strength between the two qubits, and the qubit distribution angle of the initial state. With a proper initial state, the stationary correlation of the skew information has a non-zero stationary value for a long time interval under the phase decoherence, that it may be useful in quantum information and computation processes.

  3. Chiral and color-superconducting phase transitions with vector interaction in a simple model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitazawa, Masakiyo; Koide, Tomoi; Kunihiro, Teiji; Nemoto, Yukio

    2002-01-01

    We investigate effects of the vector interaction on chiral and color superconducting (CSC) phase transitions at finite density and temperature in a simple Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. It is shown that the repulsive density-density interaction coming from the vector term, which is present in the effective chiral models but has been omitted, enhances the competition between the chiral symmetry breaking (χSB) and CSC phase transition, and thereby makes the thermodynamic potential have a shallow minimum over a wide range of values of the correlated chiral and CSC order parameters. We find that when the vector coupling is increased, the first order transition between the χSB and CSC phases becomes weaker, and the coexisting phase in which both the chiral and color-gauge symmetry are dynamically broken comes to exist over a wider range of the density and temperature. We also show that there can exist two endpoints, which are tricritical points in the chiral limit, along the critical line of the first order transition in some range of values of the vector coupling. Although our analysis is based on a simple model, the nontrivial interplay between the χSB and CSC phases induced by the vector interaction is expected to be a universal phenomenon and might give a clue to understanding results obtained with two-color QCD on the lattice. (author)

  4. Phase transition and field effect topological quantum transistor made of monolayer MoS2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simchi, H.; Simchi, M.; Fardmanesh, M.; Peeters, F. M.

    2018-06-01

    We study topological phase transitions and topological quantum field effect transistor in monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) using a two-band Hamiltonian model. Without considering the quadratic (q 2) diagonal term in the Hamiltonian, we show that the phase diagram includes quantum anomalous Hall effect, quantum spin Hall effect, and spin quantum anomalous Hall effect regions such that the topological Kirchhoff law is satisfied in the plane. By considering the q 2 diagonal term and including one valley, it is shown that MoS2 has a non-trivial topology, and the valley Chern number is non-zero for each spin. We show that the wave function is (is not) localized at the edges when the q 2 diagonal term is added (deleted) to (from) the spin-valley Dirac mass equation. We calculate the quantum conductance of zigzag MoS2 nanoribbons by using the nonequilibrium Green function method and show how this device works as a field effect topological quantum transistor.

  5. Collapse of the random-phase approximation: Examples and counter-examples from the shell model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, Calvin W.; Stetcu, Ionel

    2009-01-01

    The Hartree-Fock approximation to the many-fermion problem can break exact symmetries, and in some cases by changing a parameter in the interaction one can drive the Hartree-Fock minimum from a symmetry-breaking state to a symmetry-conserving state (also referred to as a 'phase transition' in the literature). The order of the transition is important when one applies the random-phase approximation (RPA) to the of the Hartree-Fock wave function: if first order, RPA is stable through the transition, but if second-order, then the RPA amplitudes become large and lead to unphysical results. The latter is known as 'collapse' of the RPA. While the difference between first- and second-order transitions in the RPA was first pointed out by Thouless, we present for the first time nontrivial examples of both first- and second-order transitions in a uniform model, the interacting shell-model, where we can compare to exact numerical results.

  6. Crystallographic information of intermediate phases in binary Mg–X (X=Sn, Y, Sc, Ag alloys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongyan Liu

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The compositions and structures of thermodynamically stable or metastable precipitations in binary Mg-X (X=Sn, Y, Sc, Ag alloys are predicted using ab-initio evolutionary algorithm. The geometry optimizations of the predicted intermetallic compounds are carried out in the framework of density functional theory (DFT [1]. A complete list of the optimized crystallographic information (in cif format of the predicted intermetallic phases is presented here. The data is related to “Predictions on the compositions, structures, and mechanical properties of intermediate phases in binary Mg–X (X=Sn, Y, Sc, Ag alloys” by Liu et al. [2].

  7. The Coordination Dynamics of Observational Learning: Relative Motion Direction and Relative Phase as Informational Content Linking Action-Perception to Action-Production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchanan, John J

    2016-01-01

    The primary goal of this chapter is to merge together the visual perception perspective of observational learning and the coordination dynamics theory of pattern formation in perception and action. Emphasis is placed on identifying movement features that constrain and inform action-perception and action-production processes. Two sources of visual information are examined, relative motion direction and relative phase. The visual perception perspective states that the topological features of relative motion between limbs and joints remains invariant across an actor's motion and therefore are available for pickup by an observer. Relative phase has been put forth as an informational variable that links perception to action within the coordination dynamics theory. A primary assumption of the coordination dynamics approach is that environmental information is meaningful only in terms of the behavior it modifies. Across a series of single limb tasks and bimanual tasks it is shown that the relative motion and relative phase between limbs and joints is picked up through visual processes and supports observational learning of motor skills. Moreover, internal estimations of motor skill proficiency and competency are linked to the informational content found in relative motion and relative phase. Thus, the chapter links action to perception and vice versa and also links cognitive evaluations to the coordination dynamics that support action-perception and action-production processes.

  8. Rényi entropy measure of noise-aided information transmission in a binary channel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapeau-Blondeau, François; Rousseau, David; Delahaies, Agnès

    2010-05-01

    This paper analyzes a binary channel by means of information measures based on the Rényi entropy. The analysis extends, and contains as a special case, the classic reference model of binary information transmission based on the Shannon entropy measure. The extended model is used to investigate further possibilities and properties of stochastic resonance or noise-aided information transmission. The results demonstrate that stochastic resonance occurs in the information channel and is registered by the Rényi entropy measures at any finite order, including the Shannon order. Furthermore, in definite conditions, when seeking the Rényi information measures that best exploit stochastic resonance, then nontrivial orders differing from the Shannon case usually emerge. In this way, through binary information transmission, stochastic resonance identifies optimal Rényi measures of information differing from the classic Shannon measure. A confrontation of the quantitative information measures with visual perception is also proposed in an experiment of noise-aided binary image transmission.

  9. Quantifying Complexity in Quantum Phase Transitions via Mutual Information Complex Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdez, Marc Andrew; Jaschke, Daniel; Vargas, David L; Carr, Lincoln D

    2017-12-01

    We quantify the emergent complexity of quantum states near quantum critical points on regular 1D lattices, via complex network measures based on quantum mutual information as the adjacency matrix, in direct analogy to quantifying the complexity of electroencephalogram or functional magnetic resonance imaging measurements of the brain. Using matrix product state methods, we show that network density, clustering, disparity, and Pearson's correlation obtain the critical point for both quantum Ising and Bose-Hubbard models to a high degree of accuracy in finite-size scaling for three classes of quantum phase transitions, Z_{2}, mean field superfluid to Mott insulator, and a Berzinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless crossover.

  10. Quantifying Complexity in Quantum Phase Transitions via Mutual Information Complex Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valdez, Marc Andrew; Jaschke, Daniel; Vargas, David L.; Carr, Lincoln D.

    2017-12-01

    We quantify the emergent complexity of quantum states near quantum critical points on regular 1D lattices, via complex network measures based on quantum mutual information as the adjacency matrix, in direct analogy to quantifying the complexity of electroencephalogram or functional magnetic resonance imaging measurements of the brain. Using matrix product state methods, we show that network density, clustering, disparity, and Pearson's correlation obtain the critical point for both quantum Ising and Bose-Hubbard models to a high degree of accuracy in finite-size scaling for three classes of quantum phase transitions, Z2, mean field superfluid to Mott insulator, and a Berzinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless crossover.

  11. Photoinduced Topological Phase Transitions in Topological Magnon Insulators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owerre, S A

    2018-03-13

    Topological magnon insulators are the bosonic analogs of electronic topological insulators. They are manifested in magnetic materials with topologically nontrivial magnon bands as realized experimentally in a quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) kagomé ferromagnet Cu(1-3, bdc), and they also possess protected magnon edge modes. These topological magnetic materials can transport heat as well as spin currents, hence they can be useful for spintronic applications. Moreover, as magnons are charge-neutral spin-1 bosonic quasiparticles with a magnetic dipole moment, topological magnon materials can also interact with electromagnetic fields through the Aharonov-Casher effect. In this report, we study photoinduced topological phase transitions in intrinsic topological magnon insulators in the kagomé ferromagnets. Using magnonic Floquet-Bloch theory, we show that by varying the light intensity, periodically driven intrinsic topological magnetic materials can be manipulated into different topological phases with different sign of the Berry curvatures and the thermal Hall conductivity. We further show that, under certain conditions, periodically driven gapped topological magnon insulators can also be tuned to synthetic gapless topological magnon semimetals with Dirac-Weyl magnon cones. We envision that this work will pave the way for interesting new potential practical applications in topological magnetic materials.

  12. Diffractive generalized phase contrast for adaptive phase imaging and optical security

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Palima, Darwin; Glückstad, Jesper

    2012-01-01

    We analyze the properties of Generalized Phase Contrast (GPC) when the input phase modulation is implemented using diffractive gratings. In GPC applications for patterned illumination, the use of a dynamic diffractive optical element for encoding the GPC input phase allows for onthe- fly optimiza...... security applications and can be used to create phasebased information channels for enhanced information security....

  13. Phase diagrams of exceptional and supersymmetric lattice gauge theories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wellegehausen, Bjoern-Hendrik

    2012-07-10

    In this work different strongly-coupled gauge theories with and without fundamental matter have been studied on the lattice with an emphasis on the confinement problem and the QCD phase diagram at nonvanishing net baryon density as well as on possible supersymmetric extensions of the standard model of particle physics. In gauge theories with a non-trivial centre symmetry, as for instance SU(3)-Yang-Mills theory, confinement is intimately related to the centre of the gauge group, and the Polyakov loop serves as an order parameter for confinement. In QCD, this centre symmetry is explicitly broken by quarks in the fundamental representation of the gauge group. But still quarks and gluons are confined in mesons, baryons and glueballs at low temperatures and small densities, suggesting that centre symmetry is not responsible for the phenomenon of confinement. Therefore it is interesting to study pure gauge theories without centre symmetry. In this work this has been done by replacing the gauge group SU(3) of the strong interaction with the exceptional Lie group G{sub 2}, that has a trivial centre. To investigate G{sub 2} gauge theory on the lattice, a new and highly efficient update algorithm has been developed, based on a local HMC algorithm. Employing this algorithm, the proposed and already investigated first order phase transition from a confined to a deconfined phase has been confirmed, showing that indeed a first order phase transition without symmetry breaking or an order parameter is possible. In this context, also the deconfinement phase transition of the exceptional Lie groups F4 and E6 in three spacetime dimensions has been studied. It has been shown that both theories also possess a first order phase transition.

  14. Phase diagrams of exceptional and supersymmetric lattice gauge theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wellegehausen, Bjoern-Hendrik

    2012-01-01

    In this work different strongly-coupled gauge theories with and without fundamental matter have been studied on the lattice with an emphasis on the confinement problem and the QCD phase diagram at nonvanishing net baryon density as well as on possible supersymmetric extensions of the standard model of particle physics. In gauge theories with a non-trivial centre symmetry, as for instance SU(3)-Yang-Mills theory, confinement is intimately related to the centre of the gauge group, and the Polyakov loop serves as an order parameter for confinement. In QCD, this centre symmetry is explicitly broken by quarks in the fundamental representation of the gauge group. But still quarks and gluons are confined in mesons, baryons and glueballs at low temperatures and small densities, suggesting that centre symmetry is not responsible for the phenomenon of confinement. Therefore it is interesting to study pure gauge theories without centre symmetry. In this work this has been done by replacing the gauge group SU(3) of the strong interaction with the exceptional Lie group G 2 , that has a trivial centre. To investigate G 2 gauge theory on the lattice, a new and highly efficient update algorithm has been developed, based on a local HMC algorithm. Employing this algorithm, the proposed and already investigated first order phase transition from a confined to a deconfined phase has been confirmed, showing that indeed a first order phase transition without symmetry breaking or an order parameter is possible. In this context, also the deconfinement phase transition of the exceptional Lie groups F4 and E6 in three spacetime dimensions has been studied. It has been shown that both theories also possess a first order phase transition.

  15. Aligning business processes and information systems new approaches to continuous quality engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Heinrich, Robert

    2014-01-01

    Business processes and information systems mutually affect each other in non-trivial ways. Frequently, processes are designed without taking the systems' impact into account, and vice versa. Missing alignment at design-time results in quality problems at run-time. Robert Heinrich gives examples from research and practice for an integrated design of process and system quality. A quality reference-model characterizes process quality and a process notation is extended to operationalize the model. Simulation is a powerful means to predict the mutual quality impact, to compare design alternatives,

  16. Nonequilibrium Physics and Phase-Field Modeling of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Juanes, Ruben [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

    2016-09-01

    The overarching goal of this project was to develop a new continuum theory of multiphase flow in porous media. The theory follows a phase-field modeling approach, and therefore has a sound thermodynamical basis. It is a phenomenological theory in the sense that its formulation is driven by macroscopic phenomena, such as viscous instabilities during multifluid displacement. The research agenda was organized around a set of hypothesis on hitherto unexplained behavior of multiphase flow. All these hypothesis are nontrivial, and testable. Indeed, a central aspect of the project was testing each hypothesis by means of carefully-designed laboratory experiments, therefore probing the validity of the proposed theory. The proposed research places an emphasis on the fundamentals of flow physics, but is motivated by important energy-driven applications in earth sciences, as well as microfluidic technology.

  17. Hybrid iterative phase retrieval algorithm based on fusion of intensity information in three defocused planes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Fa; Tan, Qiaofeng; Yan, Yingbai; Jin, Guofan

    2007-10-01

    Study of phase retrieval technology is quite meaningful, for its wide applications related to many domains, such as adaptive optics, detection of laser quality, precise measurement of optical surface, and so on. Here a hybrid iterative phase retrieval algorithm is proposed, based on fusion of the intensity information in three defocused planes. First the conjugate gradient algorithm is adapted to achieve a coarse solution of phase distribution in the input plane; then the iterative angular spectrum method is applied in succession for better retrieval result. This algorithm is still applicable even when the exact shape and size of the aperture in the input plane are unknown. Moreover, this algorithm always exhibits good convergence, i.e., the retrieved results are insensitive to the chosen positions of the three defocused planes and the initial guess of complex amplitude in the input plane, which has been proved by both simulations and further experiments.

  18. Topological phases in superconductor-noncollinear magnet interfaces with strong spin-orbit coupling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Menke, H.; Schnyder, A.P. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 1, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Toews, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 1, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada)

    2016-07-01

    Majorana fermions are predicted to emerge at interfaces between conventional s-wave superconductors and non-collinear magnets. In these heterostructures, the spin moments of the non-collinear magnet induce a low-energy band of Shiba bound states in the superconductor. Depending on the type of order of the magnet, the band structure of these bound states can be topologically nontrivial. Thus far, research has focused on systems where the influence of spin-orbit coupling can be neglected. Here, we explore the interplay between non-collinear (or non-coplanar) spin textures and Rashba-type spin-orbit interaction. This situation is realized, for example, in heterostructures between helical magnets and heavy elemental superconductors, such as Pb. Using a unitary transformation in spin space, we show that the effects of Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling are equivalent to the effects of the non-collinear spin texture of the helical magnet. We explore the topological phase diagram as a function of spin-orbit coupling, spin texture, and chemical potential, and find many interesting topological phases, such as p{sub x}-, (p{sub x} + p{sub y})-, and (p{sub x} + i p{sub y})-wave states. Conditions for the formation and the nature of Majorana edge channels are examined. Furthermore, we study the topological edge currents of these phases.

  19. Forced phase-locked states and information retrieval in a two-layer network of oscillatory neurons with directional connectivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kazantsev, Victor; Pimashkin, Alexey

    2007-01-01

    We propose two-layer architecture of associative memory oscillatory network with directional interlayer connectivity. The network is capable to store information in the form of phase-locked (in-phase and antiphase) oscillatory patterns. The first (input) layer takes an input pattern to be recognized and their units are unidirectionally connected with all units of the second (control) layer. The connection strengths are weighted using the Hebbian rule. The output (retrieved) patterns appear as forced-phase locked states of the control layer. The conditions are found and analytically expressed for pattern retrieval in response on incoming stimulus. It is shown that the system is capable to recover patterns with a certain level of distortions or noises in their profiles. The architecture is implemented with the Kuramoto phase model and using synaptically coupled neural oscillators with spikes. It is found that the spiking model is capable to retrieve patterns using the spiking phase that translates memorized patterns into the spiking phase shifts at different time scales

  20. Accounting for the contributions of topological excitations in phase transitions through dual actions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, Rudnei O.

    2006-01-01

    Topological excitations are believed to play an important role in different areas of physics. For example, cases of topical interest are the study of contributions of nonhomogeneous field configurations, in particular those of topological nature (like kinks, vortices and monopoles) in phase transitions associated to spontaneous symmetry breaking, the use of topological excitations in dual models of QCD to understand properties of its vacuum and confinement through the condensation of magnetic monopoles and vortices and also the relevance of these nonhomogeneous type of configurations in cosmology, again associated to possible phase transitions that are expected to have happened in the early universe. Here we show a derivation of a model dual to the scalar Abelian Higgs model where its topological excitations, namely vortex-strings, become manifest and can be treated in a quantum field theory way. The contribution of these nontrivial vacuum excitations in the phase transition for the scalar Abelian Higgs model in a thermal background is then studied and the results interpreted from the computation of the partition function taking into account the vortice-strings in the functional integration. This is made possible from the derived dual action. The relevance of the obtained results in cosmology, the analogy with phase transitions in superconductors, the relevance also for the study of confinement and other extensions of our calculations are briefly discussed here. (author)

  1. KIT/KPS of Qinshan phase-II and a discussion on integrated information management and automatic control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Changhui

    2001-01-01

    Centralized Data Processing and Safety Panel (KIT/KPS) of Qinshan Phase-II power project is described, and the necessity and engineering scheme is presented of integrated information management and automatic control that would achieve in power plant according to the technology scheme and technology trait of KIT/KPS

  2. Quantum corrections to holographic mutual information

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agón, Cesar A. [Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University,Waltham, MA 02453 (United States); Faulkner, Thomas [University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,Urbana, IL 61801-3080 (United States)

    2016-08-22

    We compute the leading contribution to the mutual information (MI) of two disjoint spheres in the large distance regime for arbitrary conformal field theories (CFT) in any dimension. This is achieved by refining the operator product expansion method introduced by Cardy http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1751-8113/46/28/285402. For CFTs with holographic duals the leading contribution to the MI at long distances comes from bulk quantum corrections to the Ryu-Takayanagi area formula. According to the FLM proposal http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2013)074 this equals the bulk MI between the two disjoint regions spanned by the boundary spheres and their corresponding minimal area surfaces. We compute this quantum correction and provide in this way a non-trivial check of the FLM proposal.

  3. Quantum corrections to holographic mutual information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agón, Cesar A.; Faulkner, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    We compute the leading contribution to the mutual information (MI) of two disjoint spheres in the large distance regime for arbitrary conformal field theories (CFT) in any dimension. This is achieved by refining the operator product expansion method introduced by Cardy http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1751-8113/46/28/285402. For CFTs with holographic duals the leading contribution to the MI at long distances comes from bulk quantum corrections to the Ryu-Takayanagi area formula. According to the FLM proposal http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2013)074 this equals the bulk MI between the two disjoint regions spanned by the boundary spheres and their corresponding minimal area surfaces. We compute this quantum correction and provide in this way a non-trivial check of the FLM proposal.

  4. The complete information for phenomenal distributed parameter control of multicomponent chemical processes in gas, fluid and solid phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niemiec, W.

    1985-01-01

    A constitutive mathematical model of distributed parameters of multicomponent chemical processes in gas, fluid and solid phase is utilized to the realization of phenomenal distributed parameter control of these processes. Original systems of partial differential constitutive state equations, in the following derivative forms /I/, /II/ and /III/ are solved in this paper from the point of view of information for phenomenal distributed parameter control of considered processes. Obtained in this way for multicomponent chemical processes in gas, fluid and solid phase: -dynamical working space-time characteristics/analytical solutions in working space-time of chemical reactors/, -dynamical phenomenal Green functions as working space-time transfer functions, -statical working space characteristics /analytical solutions in working space of chemical reactors/, -statical phenomenal Green functions as working space transfer functions, are applied, as information for realization of constitutive distributed parameter control of mass, energy and momentum aspects of above processes. Two cases are considered by existence of: A/sup o/ - initial conditions, B/sup o/ - initial and boundary conditions, for multicomponent chemical processes in gas, fluid and solid phase

  5. Effects of the phase periodicity on the quantum dynamics of a resistively shunted Josephson junction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zwerger, W.; Dorsey, A.T.; Fisher, M.P.A.

    1986-01-01

    A phenomenological model is introduced for the dissipative quantum dynamics of the phase phi across a current-biased Josephson junction. The model is invariant under phi→phi+2π. This enables us to restrict phi to the interval 0 to 2π, equating phi+2π with phi, and study the role played by the resulting nontrivial topology. Using Feynman's influence functional theory it is shown that the dissipation suppresses interference between paths with different winding numbers. For Ohmic dissipation this interference is completely destroyed, and phi can effectively be treated as an extended coordinate. This justifies the use of the usual washboard potential description of a current-biased junction even in the quantum case, provided an Ohmic dissipation mechanism is present

  6. Higher-order phase transitions on financial markets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasprzak, A.; Kutner, R.; Perelló, J.; Masoliver, J.

    2010-08-01

    Statistical and thermodynamic properties of the anomalous multifractal structure of random interevent (or intertransaction) times were thoroughly studied by using the extended continuous-time random walk (CTRW) formalism of Montroll, Weiss, Scher, and Lax. Although this formalism is quite general (and can be applied to any interhuman communication with nontrivial priority), we consider it in the context of a financial market where heterogeneous agent activities can occur within a wide spectrum of time scales. As the main general consequence, we found (by additionally using the Saddle-Point Approximation) the scaling or power-dependent form of the partition function, Z(q'). It diverges for any negative scaling powers q' (which justifies the name anomalous) while for positive ones it shows the scaling with the general exponent τ(q'). This exponent is the nonanalytic (singular) or noninteger power of q', which is one of the pilar of higher-order phase transitions. In definition of the partition function we used the pausing-time distribution (PTD) as the central one, which takes the form of convolution (or superstatistics used, e.g. for describing turbulence as well as the financial market). Its integral kernel is given by the stretched exponential distribution (often used in disordered systems). This kernel extends both the exponential distribution assumed in the original version of the CTRW formalism (for description of the transient photocurrent measured in amorphous glassy material) as well as the Gaussian one sometimes used in this context (e.g. for diffusion of hydrogen in amorphous metals or for aging effects in glasses). Our most important finding is the third- and higher-order phase transitions, which can be roughly interpreted as transitions between the phase where high frequency trading is most visible and the phase defined by low frequency trading. The specific order of the phase transition directly depends upon the shape exponent α defining the stretched

  7. Classical solutions with nontrivial holonomy in SU(2) LGT at T ≠ 0

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ilgenfritz, E.-M.; Martemyanov, B.V.; Mueller-Preussker, M.; Veselov, A.I.

    2002-01-01

    We generate SU(2) lattice gauge fields at finite temperature and cool them in order to characterize the two phases by the occurrence of specific classical solutions. We apply two kinds of spatial boundary conditions: fixed holonomy and standard periodic b.c. For T c our findings concerning classical configurations semi-quantitatively agree for both types of boundary conditions. We find in the confinement phase a mixture of undissociated calorons with lumps of positive or negative half-integer topological charges

  8. Phases and phase transitions of S=1 bosons

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    smukerjee

    Quantum phases and phase transitions of bosons. Subroto Mukerjee. Dept. of Physics & Centre for Quantum. Information and Quantum Computing (CQIQC). Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. 77th annual meeting of the IAS, Nov. 20 2011, PRL Ahmedabad ...

  9. Multiple-image authentication with a cascaded multilevel architecture based on amplitude field random sampling and phase information multiplexing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Desheng; Meng, Xiangfeng; Wang, Yurong; Yang, Xiulun; Pan, Xuemei; Peng, Xiang; He, Wenqi; Dong, Guoyan; Chen, Hongyi

    2015-04-10

    A multiple-image authentication method with a cascaded multilevel architecture in the Fresnel domain is proposed, in which a synthetic encoded complex amplitude is first fabricated, and its real amplitude component is generated by iterative amplitude encoding, random sampling, and space multiplexing for the low-level certification images, while the phase component of the synthetic encoded complex amplitude is constructed by iterative phase information encoding and multiplexing for the high-level certification images. Then the synthetic encoded complex amplitude is iteratively encoded into two phase-type ciphertexts located in two different transform planes. During high-level authentication, when the two phase-type ciphertexts and the high-level decryption key are presented to the system and then the Fresnel transform is carried out, a meaningful image with good quality and a high correlation coefficient with the original certification image can be recovered in the output plane. Similar to the procedure of high-level authentication, in the case of low-level authentication with the aid of a low-level decryption key, no significant or meaningful information is retrieved, but it can result in a remarkable peak output in the nonlinear correlation coefficient of the output image and the corresponding original certification image. Therefore, the method realizes different levels of accessibility to the original certification image for different authority levels with the same cascaded multilevel architecture.

  10. Additional phase information from UV damage of selenomethionine labelled proteins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanctis, Daniele de [ESRF, Structural Biology Group, 6 rue Jules Horowitz, 38043 Grenoble Cedex (France); Tucker, Paul A.; Panjikar, Santosh, E-mail: panjikar@embl-hamburg.de [EMBL Hamburg Outstation, c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, D-22603 Hamburg (Germany)

    2011-05-01

    Successful examples of ultraviolet radiation-damage-induced phasing with anomalous scattering from selenomethionine protein crystals have been demonstrated. Currently, selenium is the most widely used phasing vehicle for experimental phasing, either by single anomalous scattering or multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) procedures. The use of the single isomorphous replacement anomalous scattering (SIRAS) phasing procedure with selenomethionine containing proteins is not so commonly used, as it requires isomorphous native data. Here it is demonstrated that isomorphous differences can be measured from intensity changes measured from a selenium labelled protein crystal before and after UV exposure. These can be coupled with the anomalous signal from the dataset collected at the selenium absorption edge to obtain SIRAS phases in a UV-RIPAS phasing experiment. The phasing procedure for two selenomethionine proteins, the feruloyl esterase module of xylanase 10B from Clostridium thermocellum and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis chorismate synthase, have been investigated using datasets collected near the absorption edge of selenium before and after UV radiation. The utility of UV radiation in measuring radiation damage data for isomorphous differences is highlighted and it is shown that, after such measurements, the UV-RIPAS procedure yields comparable phase sets with those obtained from the conventional MAD procedure. The results presented are encouraging for the development of alternative phasing approaches for selenomethionine proteins in difficult cases.

  11. Multi-phase simultaneous segmentation of tumor in lung 4D-CT data with context information.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhengwen Shen

    Full Text Available Lung 4D computed tomography (4D-CT plays an important role in high-precision radiotherapy because it characterizes respiratory motion, which is crucial for accurate target definition. However, the manual segmentation of a lung tumor is a heavy workload for doctors because of the large number of lung 4D-CT data slices. Meanwhile, tumor segmentation is still a notoriously challenging problem in computer-aided diagnosis. In this paper, we propose a new method based on an improved graph cut algorithm with context information constraint to find a convenient and robust approach of lung 4D-CT tumor segmentation. We combine all phases of the lung 4D-CT into a global graph, and construct a global energy function accordingly. The sub-graph is first constructed for each phase. A context cost term is enforced to achieve segmentation results in every phase by adding a context constraint between neighboring phases. A global energy function is finally constructed by combining all cost terms. The optimization is achieved by solving a max-flow/min-cut problem, which leads to simultaneous and robust segmentation of the tumor in all the lung 4D-CT phases. The effectiveness of our approach is validated through experiments on 10 different lung 4D-CT cases. The comparison with the graph cut without context constraint, the level set method and the graph cut with star shape prior demonstrates that the proposed method obtains more accurate and robust segmentation results.

  12. Hysteresis, phase transitions, and dangerous transients in electrical power distribution systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duclut, Charlie; Backhaus, Scott; Chertkov, Michael

    2013-06-01

    The majority of dynamical studies in power systems focus on the high-voltage transmission grids where models consider large generators interacting with crude aggregations of individual small loads. However, new phenomena have been observed indicating that the spatial distribution of collective, nonlinear contribution of these small loads in the low-voltage distribution grid is crucial to the outcome of these dynamical transients. To elucidate the phenomenon, we study the dynamics of voltage and power flows in a spatially extended distribution feeder (circuit) connecting many asynchronous induction motors and discover that this relatively simple 1+1 (space+time) dimensional system exhibits a plethora of nontrivial spatiotemporal effects, some of which may be dangerous for power system stability. Long-range motor-motor interactions mediated by circuit voltage and electrical power flows result in coexistence and segregation of spatially extended phases defined by individual motor states, a "normal" state where the motors' mechanical (rotation) frequency is slightly smaller than the nominal frequency of the basic ac flows and a "stalled" state where the mechanical frequency is small. Transitions between the two states can be initiated by a perturbation of the voltage or base frequency at the head of the distribution feeder. Such behavior is typical of first-order phase transitions in physics, and this 1+1 dimensional model shows many other properties of a first-order phase transition with the spatial distribution of the motors' mechanical frequency playing the role of the order parameter. In particular, we observe (a) propagation of the phase-transition front with the constant speed (in very long feeders) and (b) hysteresis in transitions between the normal and stalled (or partially stalled) phases.

  13. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Phase transition in a random fragmentation problem with applications to computer science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dean, David S.; Majumdar, Satya N.

    2002-08-01

    We study a fragmentation problem where an initial object of size x is broken into m random pieces provided x > x0 where x0 is an atomic cut-off. Subsequently, the fragmentation process continues for each of those daughter pieces whose sizes are bigger than x0. The process stops when all the fragments have sizes smaller than x0. We show that the fluctuation of the total number of splitting events, characterized by the variance, generically undergoes a nontrivial phase transition as one tunes the branching number m through a critical value m = mc. For m mc they are anomalously large and non-Gaussian. We apply this general result to analyse two different search algorithms in computer science.

  14. What is the phase variable in superconductors ?: theory of superconductivity based on the spin-vortex formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koizumi, Hiroyasu

    2013-01-01

    When Schrödinger solved the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom, he assumed the single-valuedness of the electronic wave function. Thereafter, this assumption has been one of the fundamental postulates of quantum mechanics. When wave functions are multi-component, however, the imposing of the single-valued condition may become nontrivial. The spin-degree-of-freedom of electron makes electronic wave functions two-component. When spin-vortices are created by the conduction electrons and they move in the self-consistent field with the spin-vortices, the twisting of the spin basis occurs; then, the imposing of the single-valued condition becomes nontrivial, and a vector potential is induced. As a consequence, the effective vector potential becomes the sum of the vector potential from the induced one and that originates from the electric current. This effective vector potential is gauge invariant and the persistent current is generated by it. In the present work, we argue that if interactions that are omitted in the BCS reduced Hamiltonian are included, spin-vortices may be generated upon the application of a magnetic field. Then, the vector potential is induced and provides with the phase variable, θ, of the electron pair amplitude. The appearance of the spin-vortex provides with a new origin of θ; it originates from the induced gauge potential. This origin is compatible with the superselection rule for charge in contrast to the currently-accepted origin.

  15. Phase behavior of charged hydrophobic colloids on flat and spherical surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelleher, Colm P.

    For a broad class of two-dimensional (2D) materials, the transition from isotropic fluid to crystalline solid is described by the theory of melting due to Kosterlitz, Thouless, Halperin, Nelson and Young (KTHNY). According to this theory, long-range order is achieved via elimination of the topological defects which proliferate in the fluid phase. However, many natural and man-made 2D systems posses spatial curvature and/or non-trivial topology, which require the presence of topological defects, even at T=0. In principle, the presence of these defects could profoundly affect the phase behavior of such a system. In this thesis, we develop and characterize an experimental system of charged colloidal particles that bind electrostatically to the interface between an oil and an aqueous phase. Depending on how we prepare the sample, this fluid interface may be flat, spherical, or have a more complicated geometry. Focusing on the cases where the interface is flat or spherical, we measure the interactions between the particles, and probe various aspects of their phase behavior. On flat interfaces, this phase behavior is well-described by KTHNY theory. In spherical geometries, however, we observe spatial structures and inhomogeneous dynamics that cannot be captured by the measures traditionally used to describe flat-space phase behavior. We show that, in the spherical system, ordering is achieved by a novel mechanism: sequestration of topological defects into freely-terminating grain boundaries ("scars"), and simultaneous spatial organization of the scars themselves on the vertices of an icosahedron. The emergence of icosahedral order coincides with the localization of mobility into isolated "lakes" of fluid or glassy particles, situated at the icosahedron vertices. These lakes are embedded in a rigid, connected "continent" of locally crystalline particles.

  16. Yukawa multipole electrostatics and nontrivial coupling between electrostatic and dispersion interactions in electrolytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kjellander, Roland; Ramirez, Rosa

    2008-01-01

    An exact treatment of screened electrostatics in electrolyte solutions is presented. In electrolytes the anisotropy of the exponentially decaying electrostatic potential from a molecule extends to the far field region. The full directional dependence of the electrostatic potential from a charged or uncharged molecule remains in the longest range tail (i.e. from all multipole moments). In particular, the range of the potential from an ion and that from an electroneutral polar particle is generally exactly the same. This is in contrast to the case in vacuum or pure polar liquids, where the potential from a single charge is longer ranged than that from a dipole, which is, itself, longer ranged than the one from a quadrupole etc. The orientational dependence of the exponentially screened electrostatic interaction between two molecules in electrolytes is therefore rather complex even at long distances. These facts are formalized in Yukawa multipole expansions of the electrostatic potential and the pair interaction free energy based on the Yukawa function family exp(-κr)/r m , where r is the distance, κ is a decay parameter and m is a positive integer. The expansion is formally exact for electrolytes with molecular solvent and in the primitive model, provided the non-Coulombic interactions between the particles are sufficiently short ranged. The results can also be applied in the Poisson-Boltzmann approximation. Differences and similarities to the ordinary multipole expansion of electrostatics are pointed out. On the other hand, when the non-Coulombic interactions between the constituent particles of the electrolyte solution contain a dispersion 1/r 6 potential, the electrostatic potential from a molecule decays like a power law for long distances rather than as a Yukawa function. This is due to nontrivial coupling between the electrostatic and dispersion interactions. There remains an exponentially decaying component in the electrostatic potential, but it becomes

  17. The topological Anderson insulator phase in the Kane-Mele model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orth, Christoph P.; Sekera, Tibor; Bruder, Christoph; Schmidt, Thomas L.

    2016-04-01

    It has been proposed that adding disorder to a topologically trivial mercury telluride/cadmium telluride (HgTe/CdTe) quantum well can induce a transition to a topologically nontrivial state. The resulting state was termed topological Anderson insulator and was found in computer simulations of the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model. Here, we show that the topological Anderson insulator is a more universal phenomenon and also appears in the Kane-Mele model of topological insulators on a honeycomb lattice. We numerically investigate the interplay of the relevant parameters, and establish the parameter range in which the topological Anderson insulator exists. A staggered sublattice potential turns out to be a necessary condition for the transition to the topological Anderson insulator. For weak enough disorder, a calculation based on the lowest-order Born approximation reproduces quantitatively the numerical data. Our results thus considerably increase the number of candidate materials for the topological Anderson insulator phase.

  18. On the role of spatial phase and phase correlation in vision, illusion, and cognition

    OpenAIRE

    Gladilin, Evgeny; Eils, Roland

    2015-01-01

    Numerous findings indicate that spatial phase bears an important cognitive information. Distortion of phase affects topology of edge structures and makes images unrecognizable. In turn, appropriately phase-structured patterns give rise to various illusions of virtual image content and apparent motion. Despite a large body of phenomenological evidence not much is known yet about the role of phase information in neural mechanisms of visual perception and cognition. Here, we are concerned with a...

  19. On the role of spatial phase and phase correlation in vision, illusion and cognition

    OpenAIRE

    Evgeny eGladilin; Roland eEils; Roland eEils

    2015-01-01

    Numerous findings indicate that spatial phase bears an important cognitive information. Distortion of phase affects topology of edge structures and makes images unrecognizable. In turn, appropriately phase-structured patterns give rise to various illusions of virtual image content and apparent motion. Despite a large body of phenomenological evidence not much is known yet about the role of phase information in neural mechanisms of visual perception and cognition. Here, we are concerned with a...

  20. Jensen divergence based on Fisher’s information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sánchez-Moreno, P; Zarzo, A; Dehesa, J S

    2012-01-01

    The measure of Jensen–Fisher divergence between probability distributions is introduced and its theoretical grounds set up. This quantity, in contrast to the remaining Jensen divergences, grasps the fluctuations of the probability distributions because it is controlled by the (local) Fisher information, which is a gradient functional of the distribution. So it is appropriate and informative when studying the similarity of distributions, mainly for those having oscillatory character. The new Jensen–Fisher divergence shares with the Jensen–Shannon divergence the following properties: non-negativity, additivity when applied to an arbitrary number of probability densities, symmetry under exchange of these densities, vanishing under certain conditions and definiteness even when these densities present non-common zeros. Moreover, the Jensen–Fisher divergence is shown to be expressed in terms of the relative Fisher information as the Jensen–Shannon divergence does in terms of the Kullback–Leibler or relative Shannon entropy. Finally, the Jensen–Shannon and Jensen–Fisher divergences are compared for the following three large, non-trivial and qualitatively different families of probability distributions: the sinusoidal, generalized gamma-like and Rakhmanov–Hermite distributions, which are closely related to the quantum-mechanical probability densities of numerous physical systems. (paper)

  1. Thermodynamics of SU(N) Yang-Mills theories in 2+1 dimensions II. The Deconfined phase

    CERN Document Server

    Caselle, Michele; Feo, Alessandra; Gliozzi, Ferdinando; Gursoy, Umut; Panero, Marco; Schafer, Andreas

    2012-01-01

    We present a non-perturbative study of the equation of state in the deconfined phase of Yang-Mills theories in D=2+1 dimensions. We introduce a holographic model, based on the improved holographic QCD model, from which we derive a non-trivial relation between the order of the deconfinement phase transition and the behavior of the trace of the energy-momentum tensor as a function of the temperature T. We compare the theoretical predictions of this holographic model with a new set of high-precision numerical results from lattice simulations of SU(N) theories with N=2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 colors. The latter reveal that, similarly to the D=3+1 case, the bulk equilibrium thermodynamic quantities (pressure, trace of the energy-momentum tensor, energy density and entropy density) exhibit nearly perfect proportionality to the number of gluons, and can be successfully compared with the holographic predictions in a broad range of temperatures. Finally, we also show that, again similarly to the D=3+1 case, the trace of the en...

  2. Phase information of time-frequency transforms as a key feature for classification of atrial fibrillation episodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ortigosa, Nuria; Fernández, Carmen; Galbis, Antonio; Cano, Óscar

    2015-01-01

    Patients suffering from atrial fibrillation can be classified into different subtypes, according to the temporal pattern of the arrhythmia and its recurrence. Nowadays, clinicians cannot differentiate a priori between the different subtypes, and patient classification is done afterwards, when its clinical course is available. In this paper we present a comparison of classification performances when differentiating paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation episodes by means of support vector machines. We analyze short surface electrocardiogram recordings by extracting modulus and phase features from several time-frequency transforms: short-time Fourier transform, Wigner–Ville, Choi–Williams, Stockwell transform, and general Fourier-family transform. Overall, accuracy higher than 81% is obtained when classifying phase information features of real test ECGs from a heterogeneous cohort of patients (in terms of progression of the arrhythmia and antiarrhythmic treatment) recorded in a tertiary center. Therefore, phase features can facilitate the clinicians’ choice of the most appropriate treatment for each patient by means of a non-invasive technique (the surface ECG). (paper)

  3. Absorbing phase transitions in deterministic fixed-energy sandpile models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Su-Chan

    2018-03-01

    We investigate the origin of the difference, which was noticed by Fey et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 145703 (2010), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.145703], between the steady state density of an Abelian sandpile model (ASM) and the transition point of its corresponding deterministic fixed-energy sandpile model (DFES). Being deterministic, the configuration space of a DFES can be divided into two disjoint classes such that every configuration in one class should evolve into one of absorbing states, whereas no configurations in the other class can reach an absorbing state. Since the two classes are separated in terms of toppling dynamics, the system can be made to exhibit an absorbing phase transition (APT) at various points that depend on the initial probability distribution of the configurations. Furthermore, we show that in general the transition point also depends on whether an infinite-size limit is taken before or after the infinite-time limit. To demonstrate, we numerically study the two-dimensional DFES with Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld toppling rule (BTW-FES). We confirm that there are indeed many thresholds. Nonetheless, the critical phenomena at various transition points are found to be universal. We furthermore discuss a microscopic absorbing phase transition, or a so-called spreading dynamics, of the BTW-FES, to find that the phase transition in this setting is related to the dynamical isotropic percolation process rather than self-organized criticality. In particular, we argue that choosing recurrent configurations of the corresponding ASM as an initial configuration does not allow for a nontrivial APT in the DFES.

  4. Phase space information in a non-linear quantum system containing a Kerr-like medium through Su(1, 1)-algebraic treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed, Abdel-Baset A.

    2018-05-01

    Analytical description for a Su(2)-quantum system interacting with a damped Su(1, 1)-cavity, which is filled with a non-linear Kerr medium, is presented. The dynamics of non-classicality of Su(1, 1)-state is investigated via the negative part of the Wigner function. We show that the negative part depends on the unitary interaction and the Kerr-like medium and it can be disappeared by increasing the dissipation rate and the detuning parameter. The phase space information of the Husimi function and its Wehrl density is very sensitive not only to the coupling to the environment and the unitary interaction but also to the detuning as well as to the Kerr-like medium. The phase space information may be completely erased by increasing the coupling to the environment. The coherence loss of the Su(2)-state is investigated via the Husimi Wehrl entropy. If the effects of the detuning parameter or/and of the Kerr-like medium are combined with the damping effect, the damping effect of the coupling to the environment may be weaken, and the Wehrl entropy is delayed to reach its steady-state value. At the steady-state value, the phase space information and the coherence are quickly lost.

  5. On the non-equilibrium phase transition in evaporation–deposition models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Connaughton, Colm; Zaboronski, Oleg; Rajesh, R

    2010-01-01

    We study a system of diffusing–aggregating particles with deposition and evaporation of monomers. By combining theoretical and numerical methods, we establish a clearer understanding of the non-equilibrium phase transition known to occur in such systems. The transition is between a growing phase in which the total mass increases for all time and a non-growing phase in which the total mass is bounded. In addition to deriving rigorous bounds on the position of the transition point, we show that the growing phase is in the same universality class as diffusion–aggregation models with deposition but no evaporation. In this regime, the flux of mass in mass space becomes asymptotically constant (as a function of mass) at large times. The magnitude of this flux depends on the evaporation rate but the fact that it is asymptotically constant does not. The associated constant flux relation exactly determines the scaling of the two-point mass correlation function with mass in all dimensions while higher order mass correlation functions exhibit nonlinear multi-scaling in dimension less than two. If the deposition rate is below some critical value, a different stationary state is reached at large times characterized by a global balance between evaporation and deposition with a scale-by-scale balance between the mass fluxes due to aggregation and evaporation. Both the mass distribution and the flux decay exponentially in this regime. Finally, we develop a scaling theory of the model near the critical point, which yields non-trivial scaling laws for the critical two-point mass correlation function with mass. These results are well supported by numerical measurements

  6. A method for identifying gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns on the basis of wavelet packet multi-scale information entropy and HMM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Yunlong; Zhang Xueqing; Gao Yunpeng; Cheng Yue

    2009-01-01

    For studying flow regimes of gas/liquid two-phase in a vertical upward pipe, the conductance fluctuation information of four typical flow regimes was collected by a measuring the system with self-made multiple conductivity probes. Owing to the non-stationarity of conductance fluctuation signals of gas-liquid two-phase flow, a kind of' flow regime identification method based on wavelet packet Multi-scale Information Entropy and Hidden Markov Model (HMM) was put forward. First of all, the collected conductance fluctuation signals were decomposed into eight different frequency bands signals. Secondly, the wavelet packet multi-scale information entropy of different frequency bands signals were regarded as the input characteristic vectors of all states HMM which had been trained. In the end the regime identification of' the gas-liquid two-phase flow could be performed. The study showed that the method that HMM was applied to identify the flow regime was superior to the one that BP neural network was used, and the results proved that the method was efficient and feasible. (authors)

  7. A phased translation function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Read, R.J.; Schierbeek, A.J.

    1988-01-01

    A phased translation function, which takes advantage of prior phase information to determine the position of an oriented mulecular replacement model, is examined. The function is the coefficient of correlation between the electron density computed with the prior phases and the electron density of the translated model, evaluated in reciprocal space as a Fourier transform. The correlation coefficient used in this work is closely related to an overlap function devised by Colman, Fehlhammer and Bartels. Tests with two protein structures, one of which was solved with the help of the phased translation function, show that little phase information is required to resolve the translation problem, and that the function is relatively insensitive to misorientation of the model. (orig.)

  8. On the role of spatial phase and phase correlation in vision, illusion, and cognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gladilin, Evgeny; Eils, Roland

    2015-01-01

    Numerous findings indicate that spatial phase bears an important cognitive information. Distortion of phase affects topology of edge structures and makes images unrecognizable. In turn, appropriately phase-structured patterns give rise to various illusions of virtual image content and apparent motion. Despite a large body of phenomenological evidence not much is known yet about the role of phase information in neural mechanisms of visual perception and cognition. Here, we are concerned with analysis of the role of spatial phase in computational and biological vision, emergence of visual illusions and pattern recognition. We hypothesize that fundamental importance of phase information for invariant retrieval of structural image features and motion detection promoted development of phase-based mechanisms of neural image processing in course of evolution of biological vision. Using an extension of Fourier phase correlation technique, we show that the core functions of visual system such as motion detection and pattern recognition can be facilitated by the same basic mechanism. Our analysis suggests that emergence of visual illusions can be attributed to presence of coherently phase-shifted repetitive patterns as well as the effects of acuity compensation by saccadic eye movements. We speculate that biological vision relies on perceptual mechanisms effectively similar to phase correlation, and predict neural features of visual pattern (dis)similarity that can be used for experimental validation of our hypothesis of "cognition by phase correlation."

  9. On the role of spatial phase and phase correlation in vision, illusion and cognition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evgeny eGladilin

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Numerous findings indicate that spatial phase bears an important cognitive information. Distortion of phase affects topology of edge structures and makes images unrecognizable. In turn, appropriately phase-structured patterns give rise to various illusions of virtual image content and apparent motion. Despite a large body of phenomenological evidence not much is known yet about the role of phase information in neural mechanisms of visual perception and cognition. Here, we are concerned with analysis of the role of spatial phase in computational and biological vision, emergence of visual illusions and pattern recognition. We hypothesize that fundamental importance of phase information for invariant retrieval of structural image features and motion detection promoted development of phase-based mechanisms of neural image processing in course of evolution of biological vision. Using an extension of Fourier phase correlation technique, we show that the core functions of visual system such as motion detection and pattern recognition can be facilitated by the same basic mechanism. Our analysis suggests that emergence of visual illusions can be attributed to presence of coherently phase-shifted repetitive patterns as well as the effects of acuity compensation by saccadic eye movements. We speculate that biological vision relies on perceptual mechanisms effectively similar to phase correlation, and predict neural features of visual pattern (dissimilarity that can be used for experimental validation of our hypothesis of 'cognition by phase correlation'.

  10. Analysis of geometric phase effects in the quantum-classical Liouville formalism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryabinkin, Ilya G; Hsieh, Chang-Yu; Kapral, Raymond; Izmaylov, Artur F

    2014-02-28

    We analyze two approaches to the quantum-classical Liouville (QCL) formalism that differ in the order of two operations: Wigner transformation and projection onto adiabatic electronic states. The analysis is carried out on a two-dimensional linear vibronic model where geometric phase (GP) effects arising from a conical intersection profoundly affect nuclear dynamics. We find that the Wigner-then-Adiabatic (WA) QCL approach captures GP effects, whereas the Adiabatic-then-Wigner (AW) QCL approach does not. Moreover, the Wigner transform in AW-QCL leads to an ill-defined Fourier transform of double-valued functions. The double-valued character of these functions stems from the nontrivial GP of adiabatic electronic states in the presence of a conical intersection. In contrast, WA-QCL avoids this issue by starting with the Wigner transform of single-valued quantities of the full problem. As a consequence, GP effects in WA-QCL can be associated with a dynamical term in the corresponding equation of motion. Since the WA-QCL approach uses solely the adiabatic potentials and non-adiabatic derivative couplings as an input, our results indicate that WA-QCL can capture GP effects in two-state crossing problems using first-principles electronic structure calculations without prior diabatization or introduction of explicit phase factors.

  11. Analysis of geometric phase effects in the quantum-classical Liouville formalism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ryabinkin, Ilya G.; Izmaylov, Artur F. [Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4 (Canada); Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6 (Canada); Hsieh, Chang-Yu; Kapral, Raymond [Chemical Physics Theory Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6 (Canada)

    2014-02-28

    We analyze two approaches to the quantum-classical Liouville (QCL) formalism that differ in the order of two operations: Wigner transformation and projection onto adiabatic electronic states. The analysis is carried out on a two-dimensional linear vibronic model where geometric phase (GP) effects arising from a conical intersection profoundly affect nuclear dynamics. We find that the Wigner-then-Adiabatic (WA) QCL approach captures GP effects, whereas the Adiabatic-then-Wigner (AW) QCL approach does not. Moreover, the Wigner transform in AW-QCL leads to an ill-defined Fourier transform of double-valued functions. The double-valued character of these functions stems from the nontrivial GP of adiabatic electronic states in the presence of a conical intersection. In contrast, WA-QCL avoids this issue by starting with the Wigner transform of single-valued quantities of the full problem. As a consequence, GP effects in WA-QCL can be associated with a dynamical term in the corresponding equation of motion. Since the WA-QCL approach uses solely the adiabatic potentials and non-adiabatic derivative couplings as an input, our results indicate that WA-QCL can capture GP effects in two-state crossing problems using first-principles electronic structure calculations without prior diabatization or introduction of explicit phase factors.

  12. G2 holonomy, mirror symmetry and phases of N = 1 SYM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosomichi, Kazuo; Page, David C.

    2005-01-01

    We study the phase structure of four-dimensional N = 1 super Yang-Mills theories realized on D6-branes wrapping the RP 3 of a Z 2 orbifold of the deformed conifold. The non-trivial fundamental group of RP 3 allows for the gauge group to be broken to various product groups by Z 2 Wilson lines. We study the classical moduli space of theories in various pictures related by dualities including an M-theory lift. The quantum moduli space is analyzed in a dual IIB theory, where a complex curve contained in the target space plays a key role. We find that the quantum moduli space is made up of several branches, characterized by the presence or absence of a low energy U(1) gauge symmetry, which are connected at points of monopole condensation. The resulting picture of the quantum moduli space shows how the various gauge theories with different product gauge groups are connected to one another

  13. Phase alteration compensation in reflection digital holography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rincon, O; Amezquita, R; Monroy, F

    2011-01-01

    The phase maps obtained from digital holographic microscopy techniques carry information about the axial lengths of the object under study. Additionally, these phase maps have information of tilt and curvatures with origin in the off-axis geometry and the magnification lenses system, respectively. Only a complete compensation of these extra phases allows a correct interpretation of the phase information. In this article a numerical strategy to compensate for these alterations is designed, using a phase mask located in different planes. This strategy is applied in the measurement of a phase steps plate using a digital holography setup.

  14. Using phase information to enhance speckle noise reduction in the ultrasonic NDE of coarse grain materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lardner, Timothy; Gachagan, Anthony [Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XW (United Kingdom); Li, Minghui [School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ (United Kingdom)

    2014-02-18

    Materials with a coarse grain structure are becoming increasingly prevalent in industry due to their resilience to stress and corrosion. These materials are difficult to inspect with ultrasound because reflections from the grains lead to high noise levels which hinder the echoes of interest. Spatially Averaged Sub-Aperture Correlation Imaging (SASACI) is an advanced array beamforming technique that uses the cross-correlation between images from array sub-apertures to generate an image weighting matrix, in order to reduce noise levels. This paper presents a method inspired by SASACI to further improve imaging using phase information to refine focusing and reduce noise. A-scans from adjacent array elements are cross-correlated using both signal amplitude and phase to refine delay laws and minimize phase aberration. The phase-based and amplitude-based corrected images are used as inputs to a two-dimensional cross-correlation algorithm that will output a weighting matrix that can be applied to any conventional image. This approach was validated experimentally using a 5MHz array a coarse grained Inconel 625 step wedge, and compared to the Total Focusing Method (TFM). Initial results have seen SNR improvements of over 20dB compared to TFM, and a resolution that is much higher.

  15. Using phase information to enhance speckle noise reduction in the ultrasonic NDE of coarse grain materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lardner, Timothy; Li, Minghui; Gachagan, Anthony

    2014-02-01

    Materials with a coarse grain structure are becoming increasingly prevalent in industry due to their resilience to stress and corrosion. These materials are difficult to inspect with ultrasound because reflections from the grains lead to high noise levels which hinder the echoes of interest. Spatially Averaged Sub-Aperture Correlation Imaging (SASACI) is an advanced array beamforming technique that uses the cross-correlation between images from array sub-apertures to generate an image weighting matrix, in order to reduce noise levels. This paper presents a method inspired by SASACI to further improve imaging using phase information to refine focusing and reduce noise. A-scans from adjacent array elements are cross-correlated using both signal amplitude and phase to refine delay laws and minimize phase aberration. The phase-based and amplitude-based corrected images are used as inputs to a two-dimensional cross-correlation algorithm that will output a weighting matrix that can be applied to any conventional image. This approach was validated experimentally using a 5MHz array a coarse grained Inconel 625 step wedge, and compared to the Total Focusing Method (TFM). Initial results have seen SNR improvements of over 20dB compared to TFM, and a resolution that is much higher.

  16. Quantifying interactions between real oscillators with information theory and phase models: Application to cardiorespiratory coupling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yenan; Hsieh, Yee-Hsee; Dhingra, Rishi R.; Dick, Thomas E.; Jacono, Frank J.; Galán, Roberto F.

    2013-02-01

    Interactions between oscillators can be investigated with standard tools of time series analysis. However, these methods are insensitive to the directionality of the coupling, i.e., the asymmetry of the interactions. An elegant alternative was proposed by Rosenblum and collaborators [M. G. Rosenblum, L. Cimponeriu, A. Bezerianos, A. Patzak, and R. Mrowka, Phys. Rev. EPLEEE81063-651X10.1103/PhysRevE.65.041909 65, 041909 (2002); M. G. Rosenblum and A. S. Pikovsky, Phys. Rev. EPLEEE81063-651X10.1103/PhysRevE.64.045202 64, 045202 (2001)] which consists in fitting the empirical phases to a generic model of two weakly coupled phase oscillators. This allows one to obtain the interaction functions defining the coupling and its directionality. A limitation of this approach is that a solution always exists in the least-squares sense, even in the absence of coupling. To preclude spurious results, we propose a three-step protocol: (1) Determine if a statistical dependency exists in the data by evaluating the mutual information of the phases; (2) if so, compute the interaction functions of the oscillators; and (3) validate the empirical oscillator model by comparing the joint probability of the phases obtained from simulating the model with that of the empirical phases. We apply this protocol to a model of two coupled Stuart-Landau oscillators and show that it reliably detects genuine coupling. We also apply this protocol to investigate cardiorespiratory coupling in anesthetized rats. We observe reciprocal coupling between respiration and heartbeat and that the influence of respiration on the heartbeat is generally much stronger than vice versa. In addition, we find that the vagus nerve mediates coupling in both directions.

  17. Information performances and illative sequences: Sequential organization of explanations of chemical phase equilibrium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Nathaniel James Swanton

    While there is consensus that conceptual change is surprisingly difficult, many competing theories of conceptual change co-exist in the literature. This dissertation argues that this discord is partly the result of an inadequate account of the unwritten rules of human social interaction that underlie the field's preferred methodology---semi-structured interviewing. To better understand the contributions of interaction during explanations, I analyze eight undergraduate general chemistry students as they attempt to explain to various people, for various reasons, why phenomena involving chemical phase equilibrium occur. Using the methods of interaction analysis, I characterize the unwritten, but systematic, rules that these participants follow as they explain. The result is a description of the contributions of interaction to explaining. Each step in each explanation is a jointly performed expression of a subject-predicate relation, an interactive accomplishment I call an information performance (in-form, for short). Unlike clauses, in-forms need not have a coherent grammatical structure. Unlike speaker turns, in-forms have the clear function of expressing information. Unlike both clauses and speaker turns, in-forms are a co-construction, jointly performed by both the primary speaker and the other interlocutor. The other interlocutor strongly affects the form and content of each explanation by giving or withholding feedback at the end of each in-form, moments I call feedback-relevant places. While in-forms are the bricks out of which the explanation is constructed, they are secured by a series of inferential links I call an illative sequence. Illative sequences are forward-searching, starting with a remembered fact or observation and following a chain of inferences in the hope it leads to the target phenomenon. The participants treat an explanation as a success if the illative sequence generates an in-form that describes the phenomenon. If the illative sequence does

  18. Optical image-hiding method with false information disclosure based on the interference principle and partial-phase-truncation in the fractional Fourier domain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, Chaoqing; Wang, Xiaogang; Zhou, Guoquan; Chen, Junlang

    2014-01-01

    An image-hiding method based on the optical interference principle and partial-phase-truncation in the fractional Fourier domain is proposed. The primary image is converted into three phase-only masks (POMs) using an analytical algorithm involved partial-phase-truncation and a fast random pixel exchange process. A procedure of a fake silhouette for a decryption key is suggested to reinforce the encryption and give a hint of the position of the key. The fractional orders of FrFT effectively enhance the security of the system. In the decryption process, the POM with false information and the other two POMs are, respectively, placed in the input and fractional Fourier planes to recover the primary image. There are no unintended information disclosures and iterative computations involved in the proposed method. Simulation results are presented to verify the validity of the proposed approach. (letters)

  19. Quantitative metrics for evaluating the phased roll-out of clinical information systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, David; Wu, Nicolas; Watkinson, Peter

    2017-09-01

    We introduce a novel quantitative approach for evaluating the order of roll-out during phased introduction of clinical information systems. Such roll-outs are associated with unavoidable risk due to patients transferring between clinical areas using both the old and new systems. We proposed a simple graphical model of patient flow through a hospital. Using a simple instance of the model, we showed how a roll-out order can be generated by minimising the flow of patients from the new system to the old system. The model was applied to admission and discharge data acquired from 37,080 patient journeys at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford between April 2013 and April 2014. The resulting order was evaluated empirically and produced acceptable orders. The development of data-driven approaches to clinical Information system roll-out provides insights that may not necessarily be ascertained through clinical judgment alone. Such methods could make a significant contribution to the smooth running of an organisation during the roll-out of a potentially disruptive technology. Unlike previous approaches, which are based on clinical opinion, the approach described here quantitatively assesses the appropriateness of competing roll-out strategies. The data-driven approach was shown to produce strategies that matched clinical intuition and provides a flexible framework that may be used to plan and monitor Clinical Information System roll-out. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Spline based iterative phase retrieval algorithm for X-ray differential phase contrast radiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilchian, Masih; Wang, Zhentian; Thuering, Thomas; Unser, Michael; Stampanoni, Marco

    2015-04-20

    Differential phase contrast imaging using grating interferometer is a promising alternative to conventional X-ray radiographic methods. It provides the absorption, differential phase and scattering information of the underlying sample simultaneously. Phase retrieval from the differential phase signal is an essential problem for quantitative analysis in medical imaging. In this paper, we formalize the phase retrieval as a regularized inverse problem, and propose a novel discretization scheme for the derivative operator based on B-spline calculus. The inverse problem is then solved by a constrained regularized weighted-norm algorithm (CRWN) which adopts the properties of B-spline and ensures a fast implementation. The method is evaluated with a tomographic dataset and differential phase contrast mammography data. We demonstrate that the proposed method is able to produce phase image with enhanced and higher soft tissue contrast compared to conventional absorption-based approach, which can potentially provide useful information to mammographic investigations.

  1. Spatiotemporal Wave Patterns: Information Dynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mikhail Rabinovich; Lev Tsimring

    2006-01-20

    Pattern formation has traditionally been studied in non-equilibrium physics from the viewpoint of describing the basic structures and their interactions. While this is still an important area of research, the emphasis in the last few years has shifted towards analysis of specific properties of patterns in various complex media. For example, diverse and unexpected phenomena occur in neuro-like media that are characterized by highly non-trivial local dynamics. We carried out an active research program on analysis of spatio-temporal patterns in various physical systems (convection, oscillating fluid layer, soap film), as well as in neuro-like media, with an emphasis on informational aspects of the dynamics. Nonlinear nonequilibrium media and their discrete analogs have a unique ability to represent, memorize, and process the information contained in spatio-temporal patterns. Recent neurophysiological experiments demonstrated a certain universality of spatio-temporal representation of information by neural ensembles. Information processing is also revealed in the spatio-temporal dynamics of cellular patterns in nonequilibrium media. It is extremely important for many applications to study the informational aspects of these dynamics, including the origins and mechanisms of information generation, propagation and storage. Some of our results are: the discovery of self-organization of periodically oscillatory patterns in chaotic heterogeneous media; the analysis of the propagation of the information along a chaotic media as function of the entropy of the signal; the analysis of wave propagation in discrete non-equilibrium media with autocatalytic properties, which simulates the calcium dynamics in cellular membranes. Based on biological experiments we suggest the mechanism by which the spatial sensory information is transferred into the spatio-temporal code in the neural media. We also found a new mechanism of self-pinning in cellular structures and the related phenomenon

  2. Materials information for science and technology (MIST): Project overview: Phases I and II and general considerations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grattidge, W.; Westbrook, J.; McCarthy, J.; Northrup, C. Jr.; Rumble, J. Jr.

    1986-01-01

    This report documents the initial phases of the Materials Information for Science and Technology (MIST) project jointly supported by the Department of Energy and the National Bureau of Standards. The purpose of MIST is to demonstrate the power and utility of computer access to materials property data. The initial goals include: to exercise the concept of a computer network of materials databases and to build a demonstration of such a system suitable for use as the core of operational systems in the future. Phases I and II are described in detail herein. In addition, a discussion is given of the expected usage of the system. The primary MIST prototype project is running on an IBM 3084 under STS at the Stanford University's Information Technology Services (ITS). Users can access the Stanford system via ARPANET, TELENET, and TYMNET, as well as via commercial telephone lines. For fastest response time and use of the full screen PRISM interface, direct connection using a 2400 baud modem with the MNP error-correcting protocol over standard telephone lines gives the best results - though slower speed connections and a line-oriented interface are also available. This report gives detailed plans regarding the properties to be enterend and the materials to be entered into the system.

  3. For information - Geneva University

    CERN Multimedia

    A. Cervera Villanueva

    2004-01-01

    Ecole de physique Département de physique nucléaire et corspusculaire 24, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 1211 GENEVE 4 TéL: (022) 379 62 73 Fax: (022) 379 69 92 Wednesday 3 November 2004 PARTICLE PHYSICS SEMINAR at 17.00 hrs – Stückelberg Auditorium Tools for Electroweak physics at LHC by Pr. Stanislaw JADACH, Department of Particle Theory, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Cracow, Poland Experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will provide a large amount of high quality data on the production of the W and Z bosons. It will be a highly nontrivial task to exploit fully these data in order to measure precisely the mass of the W boson and its anomalous couplings. Other challenges are to measure with high precision parton luminosities and to find the presence of new physics at multi-TeV scales. For this purpose one needs a new generation of Monte Carlo tools that must include QCD, QED and Electroweak calculations beyond-the-leading-order. Information : http://dp...

  4. Construction of the Lyapunov Spectrum in a Chaotic System Displaying Phase Synchronization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carlo, Leonardo De, E-mail: neoleodeo@gmail.com [Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) (Italy); Gentile, Guido, E-mail: gentile@mat.uniroma3.it; Giuliani, Alessandro, E-mail: giuliani@mat.uniroma3.it [Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica (Italy)

    2016-06-15

    We consider a three-dimensional chaotic system consisting of the suspension of Arnold’s cat map coupled with a clock via a weak dissipative interaction. We show that the coupled system displays a synchronization phenomenon, in the sense that the relative phase between the suspension flow and the clock locks to a special value, thus making the motion fall onto a lower dimensional attractor. More specifically, we construct the attractive invariant manifold, of dimension smaller than three, using a convergent perturbative expansion. Moreover, we compute via convergent series the Lyapunov exponents, including notably the central one. The result generalizes a previous construction of the attractive invariant manifold in a similar but simpler model. The main novelty of the current construction relies in the computation of the Lyapunov spectrum, which consists of non-trivial analytic exponents. Some conjectures about a possible smoothening transition of the attractor as the coupling is increased are also discussed.

  5. Algebraic formulas for some nontrivial U/sub n/ 6j symbols and U/sub m/n contains U/sub m/ x U/sub n/ 3jm symbols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haase, R.W.; Butler, P.H.

    1985-01-01

    We give tables of algebraic formulas for some nontrivial 6j symbols and 3jm symbols of the unitary groups. The tables demonstrate that the building-up method can be used successfully to obtain the rank dependence of unitary group j and jm symbols. To emphasize the rank-dependent nature of this calculation, we have employed the composite Young tableaux notation (or back-to-back notation) to label the unitary group irreps. In using this notation, the transpose conjugate symmetry of the corresponding composite Young diagram leads to a new symmetry of the unitary group 6j and 3jm symbols. The transposition of the groups U/sub m/ and U/sub n/ gives rise to a further symmetry of the 3jm symbols of U/sub m/n contains U/sub m/ x U/sub n/

  6. Topological quantum phase transitions in the spin–singlet superconductor with Rashba and Dresselhaus (110) spin–orbit couplings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    You, Jia-Bin, E-mail: jiabinyou@gmail.com [Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 117543 (Singapore); Chan, A.H. [Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 117542 (Singapore); Oh, C.H., E-mail: phyohch@nus.edu.sg [Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 117543 (Singapore); Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 117542 (Singapore); Vedral, Vlatko [Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 117543 (Singapore); Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 117542 (Singapore); Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, OX1 3PU (United Kingdom)

    2014-10-15

    We examine the topological properties of a spin–singlet superconductor with Rashba and Dresselhaus (110) spin–orbit couplings. We demonstrate that there are several topological invariants in the Bogoliubov–de Gennes (BdG) Hamiltonian by symmetry analysis. In particular, the Pfaffian invariant P for the particle–hole symmetry can be used to demonstrate all the possible phase diagrams of the BdG Hamiltonian. We find that the edge spectrum is either Dirac cone or flat band which supports the emergence of the Majorana fermion in this system. For the Majorana flat bands, an edge index, namely the Pfaffian invariant P(k{sub y}) or the winding number W(k{sub y}), is needed to make them topologically stable. These edge indices can also be used in determining the location of the Majorana flat bands. - Highlights: • Majorana fermion can emerge in the spin–orbit coupled singlet superconductor. • Pfaffian invariant and 1D winding number can be used to identify the nontrivial topological phase where Majorana flat band exists. • All the possible phase diagrams in the spin–orbit coupled singlet superconductor are demonstrated. • Majorana flat band only exists in the y direction in our model. • Majorana flat band has a significant experimental signature in the tunneling conductance measurement.

  7. Binding by asynchrony: the neuronal phase code

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoltan Nadasdy

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Neurons display continuous subthreshold oscillations and discrete action potentials. When action potentials are phase-locked to the subthreshold oscillation, we hypothesize they represent two types of information: the presence/absence of a sensory feature and the phase of subthreshold oscillation. If subthreshold oscillation phases are neuron-specific, then the sources of action potentials can be recovered based on the action potential times. If the spatial information about the stimulus is converted to action potential phases, then action potentials from multiple neurons can be combined into a single axon and the spatial configuration reconstructed elsewhere. For the reconstruction to be successful, we introduce two assumptions: that a subthreshold oscillation field has a constant phase gradient and that coincidences between action potentials and intracellular subthreshold oscillations are neuron-specific as defined by the "interference principle." Under these assumptions, a phase coding model enables information transfer between structures and reproduces experimental phenomenons such as phase precession, grid cell architecture, and phase modulation of cortical spikes. This article reviews a recently proposed neuronal algorithm for information encoding and decoding from the phase of action potentials (Nadasdy 2009. The focus is given to the principles common across different systems instead of emphasizing system specific differences.

  8. Uganda Health Information Network (UHIN) - Phase IV | IDRC ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    ... reports on drug supplies and use, and continuing education materials. This phase aims to fully integrate the Network into the Ministry of Health district and national ... IWRA/IDRC webinar on climate change and adaptive water management.

  9. Using phase for radar scatterer classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Linda J.; Rigling, Brian D.; Penno, Robert P.; Zelnio, Edmund G.

    2017-04-01

    Traditional synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems tend to discard phase information of formed complex radar imagery prior to automatic target recognition (ATR). This practice has historically been driven by available hardware storage, processing capabilities, and data link capacity. Recent advances in high performance computing (HPC) have enabled extremely dense storage and processing solutions. Therefore, previous motives for discarding radar phase information in ATR applications have been mitigated. First, we characterize the value of phase in one-dimensional (1-D) radar range profiles with respect to the ability to correctly estimate target features, which are currently employed in ATR algorithms for target discrimination. These features correspond to physical characteristics of targets through radio frequency (RF) scattering phenomenology. Physics-based electromagnetic scattering models developed from the geometrical theory of diffraction are utilized for the information analysis presented here. Information is quantified by the error of target parameter estimates from noisy radar signals when phase is either retained or discarded. Operating conditions (OCs) of signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) and bandwidth are considered. Second, we investigate the value of phase in 1-D radar returns with respect to the ability to correctly classify canonical targets. Classification performance is evaluated via logistic regression for three targets (sphere, plate, tophat). Phase information is demonstrated to improve radar target classification rates, particularly at low SNRs and low bandwidths.

  10. Rotational symmetry breaking and topological phase transition in the exciton-polariton condensate of gapped 2D Dirac material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ki Hoon; Lee, Changhee; Jeong, Jae-Seung; Min, Hongki; Chung, Suk Bum

    For the quantum well in an optical microcavity, the interplay of the Coulomb interaction and the electron-photon coupling can lead to the emergence of bosonic quasiparticles consisting of the exciton and the cavity photon known as polariton, which can form the Bose-Einstein condensate above a threshold density. Additional physics due to the nontrivial Berry phase comes into play when the quantum well consists of the gapped Dirac material such as the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) MoS2 or WTe2. Specifically, in forming excitons, the electron-photon coupling from the optical selection rule due to the Berry phase competes against, rather than cooperates with, the Coulomb interaction. We find that this competition gives rise to the spontaneous breaking of the rotational symmetry in the polariton condensate and also drives topological phase transition, both novel features in polariton condensation. We also investigate the possible detection of this competition through photoluminescence. This work was supported in part by the Institute for Basic Science of Korea (IBS) under Grant IBS-R009-Y1 and by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) under the Basic Science Research Program Grant No. 2015R1D1A1A01058071.

  11. Novel information theory-based measures for quantifying incongruence among phylogenetic trees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salichos, Leonidas; Stamatakis, Alexandros; Rokas, Antonis

    2014-05-01

    Phylogenies inferred from different data matrices often conflict with each other necessitating the development of measures that quantify this incongruence. Here, we introduce novel measures that use information theory to quantify the degree of conflict or incongruence among all nontrivial bipartitions present in a set of trees. The first measure, internode certainty (IC), calculates the degree of certainty for a given internode by considering the frequency of the bipartition defined by the internode (internal branch) in a given set of trees jointly with that of the most prevalent conflicting bipartition in the same tree set. The second measure, IC All (ICA), calculates the degree of certainty for a given internode by considering the frequency of the bipartition defined by the internode in a given set of trees in conjunction with that of all conflicting bipartitions in the same underlying tree set. Finally, the tree certainty (TC) and TC All (TCA) measures are the sum of IC and ICA values across all internodes of a phylogeny, respectively. IC, ICA, TC, and TCA can be calculated from different types of data that contain nontrivial bipartitions, including from bootstrap replicate trees to gene trees or individual characters. Given a set of phylogenetic trees, the IC and ICA values of a given internode reflect its specific degree of incongruence, and the TC and TCA values describe the global degree of incongruence between trees in the set. All four measures are implemented and freely available in version 8.0.0 and subsequent versions of the widely used program RAxML.

  12. Quantum critical matter. Quantum phase transitions with multiple dynamics and Weyl superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng, Tobias

    2012-01-01

    In this PhD thesis, the physics of quantum critical matter and exotic quantum state close to quantum phase transitions is investigated. We will focus on three different examples that highlight some of the interesting phenomena related to quantum phase transitions. Firstly, we discuss the physics of quantum phase transitions in quantum wires as a function of an external gate voltage when new subbands are activated. We find that at these transitions, strong correlations lead to the formation of an impenetrable gas of polarons, and identify criteria for possible instabilities in the spin- and charge sectors of the model. Our analysis is based on the combination of exact resummations, renormalization group techniques and Luttinger liquid approaches. Secondly, we turn to the physics of multiple divergent time scales close to a quantum critical point. Using an appropriately generalized renormalization group approach, we identify that the presence of multiple dynamics at a quantum phase transition can lead to the emergence of new critical scaling exponents and thus to the breakdown of the usual scaling schemes. We calculate the critical behavior of various thermodynamic properties and detail how unusual physics can arise. It is hoped that these results might be helpful for the interpretation of experimental scaling puzzles close to quantum critical points. Thirdly, we turn to the physics of topological transitions, and more precisely the physics of Weyl superconductors. The latter are the superconducting variant of the topologically non-trivial Weyl semimetals, and emerge at the quantum phase transition between a topological superconductor and a normal insulator upon perturbing the transition with a time reversal symmetry breaking perturbation, such as magnetism. We characterize the topological properties of Weyl superconductors and establish a topological phase diagram for a particular realization in heterostructures. We discuss the physics of vortices in Weyl

  13. The Cost of Enforcing Building Energy Codes: Phase 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Williams, Alison [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Price, Sarah K. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Vine, Ed [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2014-10-15

    The purpose of this study is to present key findings regarding costs associated with enforcing building energy code compliance–primarily focusing on costs borne by local government. Building codes, if complied with, have the ability to save a significant amount of energy. However, energy code compliance rates have been significantly lower than 100%. Renewed interest in building energy codes has focused efforts on increasing compliance, particularly as a result of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) requirement that in order for states to receive additional energy grants, they must have “a plan for the jurisdiction achieving compliance with the building energy code…in at least 90 percent of new and renovated residential and commercial building space” by 2017 (Public Law 111-5, Section 410(2)(C)). One study by the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) estimated the costs associated with reaching 90% compliance to be $810 million, or $610 million in additional funding over existing expenditures, a non-trivial value. [Majersik & Stellberg 2010] In this context, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) conducted a study to better pinpoint the costs of enforcement through a two-phase process.

  14. Spatio-temporal phase retrieval in speckle interferometry with Hilbert transform and two-dimensional phase unwrapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiangyu; Huang, Zhanhua; Zhu, Meng; He, Jin; Zhang, Hao

    2014-12-01

    Hilbert transform (HT) is widely used in temporal speckle pattern interferometry, but errors from low modulations might propagate and corrupt the calculated phase. A spatio-temporal method for phase retrieval using temporal HT and spatial phase unwrapping is presented. In time domain, the wrapped phase difference between the initial and current states is directly determined by using HT. To avoid the influence of the low modulation intensity, the phase information between the two states is ignored. As a result, the phase unwrapping is shifted from time domain to space domain. A phase unwrapping algorithm based on discrete cosine transform is adopted by taking advantage of the information in adjacent pixels. An experiment is carried out with a Michelson-type interferometer to study the out-of-plane deformation field. High quality whole-field phase distribution maps with different fringe densities are obtained. Under the experimental conditions, the maximum number of fringes resolvable in a 416×416 frame is 30, which indicates a 15λ deformation along the direction of loading.

  15. Phase-amplitude coupling supports phase coding in human ECoG

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watrous, Andrew J; Deuker, Lorena; Fell, Juergen; Axmacher, Nikolai

    2015-01-01

    Prior studies have shown that high-frequency activity (HFA) is modulated by the phase of low-frequency activity. This phenomenon of phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) is often interpreted as reflecting phase coding of neural representations, although evidence for this link is still lacking in humans. Here, we show that PAC indeed supports phase-dependent stimulus representations for categories. Six patients with medication-resistant epilepsy viewed images of faces, tools, houses, and scenes during simultaneous acquisition of intracranial recordings. Analyzing 167 electrodes, we observed PAC at 43% of electrodes. Further inspection of PAC revealed that category specific HFA modulations occurred at different phases and frequencies of the underlying low-frequency rhythm, permitting decoding of categorical information using the phase at which HFA events occurred. These results provide evidence for categorical phase-coded neural representations and are the first to show that PAC coincides with phase-dependent coding in the human brain. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07886.001 PMID:26308582

  16. Robust information encryption diffractive-imaging-based scheme with special phase retrieval algorithm for a customized data container

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Yi; Wang, Zhipeng; Wang, Hongjuan; Gong, Qiong; Zhou, Nanrun

    2018-06-01

    The diffractive-imaging-based encryption (DIBE) scheme has aroused wide interesting due to its compact architecture and low requirement of conditions. Nevertheless, the primary information can hardly be recovered exactly in the real applications when considering the speckle noise and potential occlusion imposed on the ciphertext. To deal with this issue, the customized data container (CDC) into DIBE is introduced and a new phase retrieval algorithm (PRA) for plaintext retrieval is proposed. The PRA, designed according to the peculiarity of the CDC, combines two key techniques from previous approaches, i.e., input-support-constraint and median-filtering. The proposed scheme can guarantee totally the reconstruction of the primary information despite heavy noise or occlusion and its effectiveness and feasibility have been demonstrated with simulation results.

  17. Inverse problems with non-trivial priors: efficient solution through sequential Gibbs sampling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Thomas Mejer; Cordua, Knud Skou; Mosegaard, Klaus

    2012-01-01

    Markov chain Monte Carlo methods such as the Gibbs sampler and the Metropolis algorithm can be used to sample solutions to non-linear inverse problems. In principle, these methods allow incorporation of prior information of arbitrary complexity. If an analytical closed form description of the prior...... is available, which is the case when the prior can be described by a multidimensional Gaussian distribution, such prior information can easily be considered. In reality, prior information is often more complex than can be described by the Gaussian model, and no closed form expression of the prior can be given....... We propose an algorithm, called sequential Gibbs sampling, allowing the Metropolis algorithm to efficiently incorporate complex priors into the solution of an inverse problem, also for the case where no closed form description of the prior exists. First, we lay out the theoretical background...

  18. Pressure controlled transition into a self-induced topological superconducting surface state

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Zhiyong; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2014-01-01

    Ab-initio calculations show a pressure induced trivial-nontrivial-trivial topological phase transition in the normal state of 1T-TiSe2. The pressure range in which the nontrivial phase emerges overlaps with that of the superconducting ground state. Thus, topological superconductivity can be induced in protected surface states by the proximity effect of superconducting bulk states. This kind of self-induced topological surface superconductivity is promising for a realization of Majorana fermions due to the absence of lattice and chemical potential mismatches. For appropriate electron doping, the formation of the topological superconducting surface state in 1T-TiSe 2 becomes accessible to experiments as it can be controlled by pressure.

  19. Pressure controlled transition into a self-induced topological superconducting surface state

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Zhiyong

    2014-02-07

    Ab-initio calculations show a pressure induced trivial-nontrivial-trivial topological phase transition in the normal state of 1T-TiSe2. The pressure range in which the nontrivial phase emerges overlaps with that of the superconducting ground state. Thus, topological superconductivity can be induced in protected surface states by the proximity effect of superconducting bulk states. This kind of self-induced topological surface superconductivity is promising for a realization of Majorana fermions due to the absence of lattice and chemical potential mismatches. For appropriate electron doping, the formation of the topological superconducting surface state in 1T-TiSe 2 becomes accessible to experiments as it can be controlled by pressure.

  20. Smooth Phase Interpolated Keying

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borah, Deva K.

    2007-01-01

    Smooth phase interpolated keying (SPIK) is an improved method of computing smooth phase-modulation waveforms for radio communication systems that convey digital information. SPIK is applicable to a variety of phase-shift-keying (PSK) modulation schemes, including quaternary PSK (QPSK), octonary PSK (8PSK), and 16PSK. In comparison with a related prior method, SPIK offers advantages of better performance and less complexity of implementation. In a PSK scheme, the underlying information waveform that one seeks to convey consists of discrete rectangular steps, but the spectral width of such a waveform is excessive for practical radio communication. Therefore, the problem is to smooth the step phase waveform in such a manner as to maintain power and bandwidth efficiency without incurring an unacceptably large error rate and without introducing undesired variations in the amplitude of the affected radio signal. Although the ideal constellation of PSK phasor points does not cause amplitude variations, filtering of the modulation waveform (in which, typically, a rectangular pulse is converted to a square-root raised cosine pulse) causes amplitude fluctuations. If a power-efficient nonlinear amplifier is used in the radio communication system, the fluctuating-amplitude signal can undergo significant spectral regrowth, thus compromising the bandwidth efficiency of the system. In the related prior method, one seeks to solve the problem in a procedure that comprises two major steps: phase-value generation and phase interpolation. SPIK follows the two-step approach of the related prior method, but the details of the steps are different. In the phase-value-generation step, the phase values of symbols in the PSK constellation are determined by a phase function that is said to be maximally smooth and that is chosen to minimize the spectral spread of the modulated signal. In this step, the constellation is divided into two groups by assigning, to information symbols, phase values

  1. Topologically nontrivial quantum layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carron, G.; Exner, P.; Krejcirik, D.

    2004-01-01

    Given a complete noncompact surface Σ embedded in R 3 , we consider the Dirichlet Laplacian in the layer Ω that is defined as a tubular neighborhood of constant width about Σ. Using an intrinsic approach to the geometry of Ω, we generalize the spectral results of the original paper by Duclos et al. [Commun. Math. Phys. 223, 13 (2001)] to the situation when Σ does not possess poles. This enables us to consider topologically more complicated layers and state new spectral results. In particular, we are interested in layers built over surfaces with handles or several cylindrically symmetric ends. We also discuss more general regions obtained by compact deformations of certain Ω

  2. Intrinsic Dirac half-metal and quantum anomalous Hall phase in a hexagonal metal-oxide lattice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shou-juan; Zhang, Chang-wen; Zhang, Shu-feng; Ji, Wei-xiao; Li, Ping; Wang, Pei-ji; Li, Sheng-shi; Yan, Shi-shen

    2017-11-01

    The quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect has attracted extensive attention due to time-reversal symmetry broken by a staggered magnetic flux emerging from ferromagnetic ordering and spin-orbit coupling. However, the experimental observations of the QAH effect are still challenging due to its small nontrivial bulk gap. Here, based on density functional theory and Berry curvature calculations, we propose the realization of intrinsic QAH effect in two-dimensional hexagonal metal-oxide lattice, N b2O3 , which is characterized by the nonzero Chern number (C =1 ) and chiral edge states. Spin-polarized calculations indicate that it exhibits a Dirac half-metal feature with temperature as large as TC=392 K using spin-wave theory. When the spin-orbit coupling is switched on, N b2O3 becomes a QAH insulator. Notably, the nontrivial topology is robust against biaxial strain with its band gap reaching up to Eg=75 meV , which is far beyond room temperature. A tight-binding model is further constructed to understand the origin of nontrivially electronic properties. Our findings on the Dirac half-metal and room-temperature QAH effect in the N b2O3 lattice can serve as an ideal platform for developing future topotronics devices.

  3. Quantum anomalous Hall effect and topological phase transition in two-dimensional antiferromagnetic Chern insulator NiOsCl6

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wei-Wei; Li, Lei; Zhao, Jing-Sheng; Liu, Xiao-Xiong; Deng, Jian-Bo; Tao, Xiao-Ma; Hu, Xian-Ru

    2018-05-01

    By doing calculations based on density functional theory, we predict that the two-dimensional anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) NiOsCl6 as a Chern insulator can realize the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect. We investigate the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energies in different magnetic configurations and the Néel AFM configuration is proved to be ground state. When considering spin–orbit coupling (SOC), this layered material with spins perpendicular to the plane shows properties as a Chern insulator characterized by an inversion band structure and a nonzero Chern number. The nontrivial band gap is 37 meV and the Chern number C  =  ‑1, which are induced by a strong SOC and AFM order. With strong SOC, the NiOsCl6 system performs a continuous topological phase transition from the Chern insulator to the trivial insulator upon the increasing Coulomb repulsion U. The critical U c is indicated as 0.23 eV, at which the system is in a metallic phase with . Upon increasing U, the E g reduces linearly with C  =  ‑1 for 0    U c . At last we analysis the QAH properties and this continuous topological phase transition theoretically in a two-band model. This AFM Chern insulator NiOsCl6 proposes not only a promising way to realize the QAH effect, but also a new material to study the continuous topological phase transition.

  4. CrowdPhase: crowdsourcing the phase problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jorda, Julien; Sawaya, Michael R.; Yeates, Todd O.

    2014-01-01

    possible to extract meaningful information in cases where limited resolution might otherwise prevent initial phasing

  5. CrowdPhase: crowdsourcing the phase problem

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jorda, Julien; Sawaya, Michael R. [Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, 611 Charles Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Yeates, Todd O., E-mail: yeates@mbi.ucla.edu [Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, 611 Charles Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); Molecular Biology Institute, 611 Charles Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States); University of California, 611 Charles Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States)

    2014-06-01

    possible to extract meaningful information in cases where limited resolution might otherwise prevent initial phasing.

  6. Isotropic differential phase contrast microscopy for quantitative phase bio-imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hsi-Hsun; Lin, Yu-Zi; Luo, Yuan

    2018-05-16

    Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has been investigated to retrieve optical phase information of an object and applied to biological microscopy and related medical studies. In recent examples, differential phase contrast (DPC) microscopy can recover phase image of thin sample under multi-axis intensity measurements in wide-field scheme. Unlike conventional DPC, based on theoretical approach under partially coherent condition, we propose a new method to achieve isotropic differential phase contrast (iDPC) with high accuracy and stability for phase recovery in simple and high-speed fashion. The iDPC is simply implemented with a partially coherent microscopy and a programmable thin-film transistor (TFT) shield to digitally modulate structured illumination patterns for QPI. In this article, simulation results show consistency of our theoretical approach for iDPC under partial coherence. In addition, we further demonstrate experiments of quantitative phase images of a standard micro-lens array, as well as label-free live human cell samples. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Novel topological effects in dense QCD in a magnetic field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrer, E. J.; de la Incera, V.

    2018-06-01

    We study the electromagnetic properties of dense QCD in the so-called Magnetic Dual Chiral Density Wave phase. This inhomogeneous phase exhibits a nontrivial topology that comes from the fermion sector due to the asymmetry of the lowest Landau level modes. The nontrivial topology manifests in the electromagnetic effective action via a chiral anomaly term θFμνF˜μν, with a dynamic axion field θ given by the phase of the Dual Chiral Density Wave condensate. The coupling of the axion with the electromagnetic field leads to several macroscopic effects that include, among others, an anomalous, nondissipative Hall current, an anomalous electric charge, magnetoelectricity, and the formation of a hybridized propagating mode known as an axion polariton. Connection to topological insulators and Weyls semimetals, as well as possible implications for heavy-ion collisions and neutron stars are all highlighted.

  8. Simulation of phase structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lawson, J.

    1995-01-01

    This memo outlines a procedure developed by the author to extract information from phase measurements and produce a simulated phase structure for use in modeling optical systems, including characteristic optics for the Beamlet and NIF laser systems. The report includes an IDL program listing

  9. Phase-Modulated Optical Communication Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Ho, Keang-Po

    2005-01-01

    Fiber-optic communication systems have revolutionized our telecommunication infrastructures – currently, almost all telephone land-line, cellular, and internet communications must travel via some form of optical fibers. In these transmission systems, neither the phase nor frequency of the optical signal carries information – only the intensity of the signal is used. To transmit more information in a single optical carrier, the phase of the optical carrier must be explored. As a result, there is renewed interest in phase-modulated optical communications, mainly in direct-detection DPSK signals for long-haul optical communication systems. When optical amplifiers are used to maintain certain signal level among the fiber link, the system is limited by amplifier noises and fiber nonlinearities. Phase-Modulated Optical Communication Systems surveys this newly popular area, covering the following topics: The transmitter and receiver for phase-modulated coherent lightwave systems Method for performance analysis o...

  10. Subtle role of latency for information diffusion in online social networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Fei; Wang Xi-Meng; Cheng Jun-Jun

    2016-01-01

    Information diffusion in online social networks is induced by the event of forwarding information for users, and latency exists widely in user spreading behaviors. Little work has been done to reveal the effect of latency on the diffusion process. In this paper, we propose a propagation model in which nodes may suspend their spreading actions for a waiting period of stochastic length. These latent nodes may recover their activity again. Meanwhile, the mechanism of forwarding information is also introduced into the diffusion model. Mean-field analysis and numerical simulations indicate that our model has three nontrivial results. First, the spreading threshold does not correlate with latency in neither homogeneous nor heterogeneous networks, but depends on the spreading and refractory parameter. Furthermore, latency affects the diffusion process and changes the infection scale. A large or small latency parameter leads to a larger final diffusion extent, but the intrinsic dynamics is different. Large latency implies forwarding information rapidly, while small latency prevents nodes from dropping out of interactions. In addition, the betweenness is a better descriptor to identify influential nodes in the model with latency, compared with the coreness and degree. These results are helpful in understanding some collective phenomena of the diffusion process and taking measures to restrain a rumor in social networks. (paper)

  11. Flavor and CP symmetries for leptogenesis and 0νββ decay

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hagedorn, Claudia; Molinaro, Emiliano

    2017-01-01

    We perform a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenology of leptonic low and high energy CP phases in a scenario with three heavy right-handed neutrinos in which a flavor and a CP symmetry are non-trivially broken. All CP phases as well as lepton mixing angles are determined by the properties...... of the flavor and CP symmetry and one free real parameter. We focus on the generation of the baryon asymmetry YB of the Universe via unflavored leptogenesis and the predictions of mee, the quantity measurable in neutrinoless double beta decay. We show that the sign of YB can be fixed and the allowed parameter...... range of mee can be strongly constrained. We argue on general grounds that the CP asymmetries ϵi are dominated by the contribution associated with one Majorana phase and that in cases in which only the Dirac phase is non-trivial the sign of YB depends on further parameters. In addition, we comment...

  12. A Two-Radius Circular Array Method: Extracting Independent Information on Phase Velocities of Love Waves From Microtremor Records From a Simple Seismic Array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tada, T.; Cho, I.; Shinozaki, Y.

    2005-12-01

    We have invented a Two-Radius (TR) circular array method of microtremor exploration, an algorithm that enables to estimate phase velocities of Love waves by analyzing horizontal-component records of microtremors that are obtained with an array of seismic sensors placed around circumferences of two different radii. The data recording may be done either simultaneously around the two circles or in two separate sessions with sensors distributed around each circle. Both Rayleigh and Love waves are present in the horizontal components of microtremors, but in the data processing of our TR method, all information on the Rayleigh waves ends up cancelled out, and information on the Love waves alone are left to be analyzed. Also, unlike the popularly used frequency-wavenumber spectral (F-K) method, our TR method does not resolve individual plane-wave components arriving from different directions and analyze their "vector" phase velocities, but instead directly evaluates their "scalar" phase velocities --- phase velocities that contain no information on the arrival direction of waves --- through a mathematical procedure which involves azimuthal averaging. The latter feature leads us to expect that, with our TR method, it is possible to conduct phase velocity analysis with smaller numbers of sensors, with higher stability, and up to longer-wavelength ranges than with the F-K method. With a view to investigating the capabilities and limitations of our TR method in practical implementation to real data, we have deployed circular seismic arrays of different sizes at a test site in Japan where the underground structure is well documented through geophysical exploration. Ten seismic sensors were placed equidistantly around two circumferences, five around each circle, with varying combinations of radii ranging from several meters to several tens of meters, and simultaneous records of microtremors around circles of two different radii were analyzed with our TR method to produce

  13. Phase Contrast Imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Menk, Ralf Hendrik

    2008-01-01

    All standard (medical) x-ray imaging technologies, rely primarily on the amplitude properties of the incident radiation, and do not depend on its phase. This is unchanged since the discovery by Roentgen that the intensity of an x-ray beam, as measured by the exposure on a film, was related to the relative transmission properties of an object. However, recently various imaging techniques have emerged which depend on the phase of the x-rays as well as the amplitude. Phase becomes important when the beam is coherent and the imaging system is sensitive to interference phenomena. Significant new advances have been made in coherent optic theory and techniques, which now promise phase information in medical imaging. The development of perfect crystal optics and the increasing availability of synchrotron radiation facilities have contributed to a significant increase in the application of phase based imaging in materials and life sciences. Unique source characteristics such as high intensity, monochromaticity, coherence and high collimating provide an ideal source for advanced imaging. Phase contrast imaging has been applied in both projection and computed tomography modes, and recent applications have been made in the field of medical imaging. Due to the underlying principle of X-ray detection conventional image receptors register only intensities of wave fields and not their phases. During the last decade basically five different methods were developed that translate the phase information into intensity variations. These methods are based on measuring the phase shift φ directly (using interference phenomena), the gradient ∇ φ , or the Laplacian ∇ 2 φ. All three methods can be applied to polychromatic X-ray sources keeping in mind that the native source is synchrotron radiation, featuring monochromatic and reasonable coherent X-ray beams. Due to the vast difference in the coefficients that are driven absorption and phase effects (factor 1,000-10,000 in the energy

  14. Two-phase flow models in unbounded two-phase critical flows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Celata, G.P.; Cumo, M.; Farello, G.E.

    1985-01-01

    With reference to a Loss-of-Coolant Accident in Light Water Reactors, an analysis of the unbounded two-phase critical flow (i.e. the issuing two-phase jet) has been accomplished. Considering jets external shape, obtained by means of photographic pictures; pressure profiles inside the jet, obtained by means of a movable ''Pitot;'' and jet phases distribution information, obtained by means of X-rays pictures; a characterization of the flow pattern in the unbounded region of a two-phase critical flow is given. Jets X-ray pictures show the existence of a central high density ''core'' gradually evaporating all around, which gives place to a characteristic ''dartflow'' the length of which depends on stagnation thermodynamic conditions

  15. Liquid-phase turbulence measurements in air-water two-phase flows over a wide range of void fractions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Xinquan [Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Sun, Xiaodong, E-mail: sun.200@osu.edu [Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, 201 W. 19th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Liu, Yang [Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, 635 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States)

    2016-12-15

    This paper focuses on liquid-phase turbulence measurements in air-water two-phase flows over a wide range of void fractions and flow regimes, spanning from bubbly, cap-bubbly, slug, to churn-turbulent flows. The measurements have been conducted in two test facilities, the first one with a circular test section and the second one with a rectangular test section. A particle image velocimetry-planar laser-induced fluorescence (PIV-PLIF) system was used to acquire local liquid-phase turbulence information, including the time-averaged velocity and velocity fluctuations in the streamwise and spanwise directions, and Reynolds stress. An optical phase separation method using fluorescent particles and optical filtration technique was adopted to extract the liquid-phase velocity information. An image pre-processing scheme was imposed on the raw PIV images acquired to remove noise due to the presence of bubble residuals and optically distorted particles in the raw PIV images. Four-sensor conductivity probes and high-speed images were also used to acquire the gas-phase information, which was aimed to understand the flow interfacial structure. The highest area-averaged void fraction covered in the measurements for the circular and rectangular test sections was about 40%.

  16. Liquid-phase turbulence measurements in air-water two-phase flows over a wide range of void fractions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Xinquan; Sun, Xiaodong; Liu, Yang

    2016-01-01

    This paper focuses on liquid-phase turbulence measurements in air-water two-phase flows over a wide range of void fractions and flow regimes, spanning from bubbly, cap-bubbly, slug, to churn-turbulent flows. The measurements have been conducted in two test facilities, the first one with a circular test section and the second one with a rectangular test section. A particle image velocimetry-planar laser-induced fluorescence (PIV-PLIF) system was used to acquire local liquid-phase turbulence information, including the time-averaged velocity and velocity fluctuations in the streamwise and spanwise directions, and Reynolds stress. An optical phase separation method using fluorescent particles and optical filtration technique was adopted to extract the liquid-phase velocity information. An image pre-processing scheme was imposed on the raw PIV images acquired to remove noise due to the presence of bubble residuals and optically distorted particles in the raw PIV images. Four-sensor conductivity probes and high-speed images were also used to acquire the gas-phase information, which was aimed to understand the flow interfacial structure. The highest area-averaged void fraction covered in the measurements for the circular and rectangular test sections was about 40%.

  17. Phase retrieval for X-ray in-line phase contrast imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scattarella, F.; Bellotti, R.; Tangaro, S.; Gargano, G.; Giannini, C.

    2011-01-01

    A review article about phase retrieval problem in X-ray phase contrast imaging is presented. A simple theoretical framework of Fresnel diffraction imaging by X-rays is introduced. A review of the most important methods for phase retrieval in free-propagation-based X-ray imaging and a new method developed by our collaboration are shown. The proposed algorithm, Combined Mixed Approach (CMA) is based on a mixed transfer function and transport of intensity approach, and it requires at most an initial approximate estimate of the average phase shift introduced by the object as prior knowledge. The accuracy with which this initial estimate is known determines the convenience speed of algorithm. The new proposed algorithm is based on the retrieval of both the object phase and its complex conjugate. The results obtained by the algorithm on simulated data have shown that the obtained reconstructed phase maps are characterized by particularly low normalized mean square errors. The algorithm was also tested on noisy experimental phase contrast data, showing a good efficiency in recovering phase information and enhancing the visibility of details inside soft tissues.

  18. Security-enhanced phase encryption assisted by nonlinear optical correlation via sparse phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Wen; Chen, Xudong; Wang, Xiaogang

    2015-01-01

    We propose a method for security-enhanced phase encryption assisted by a nonlinear optical correlation via a sparse phase. Optical configurations are established based on a phase retrieval algorithm for embedding an input image and the secret data into phase-only masks. We found that when one or a few phase-only masks generated during data hiding are sparse, it is possible to integrate these sparse masks into those phase-only masks generated during the encoding of the input image. Synthesized phase-only masks are used for the recovery, and sparse distributions (i.e., binary maps) for generating the incomplete phase-only masks are considered as additional parameters for the recovery of secret data. It is difficult for unauthorized receivers to know that a useful phase has been sparsely distributed in the finally generated phase-only masks for secret-data recovery. Only when the secret data are correctly verified can the input image obtained with valid keys be claimed as targeted information. (paper)

  19. Rule-based Information Integration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Keijzer, Ander; van Keulen, Maurice

    2005-01-01

    In this report, we show the process of information integration. We specifically discuss the language used for integration. We show that integration consists of two phases, the schema mapping phase and the data integration phase. We formally define transformation rules, conversion, evolution and

  20. Phase-only optical encryption based on the zeroth-order phase-contrast technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pizolato, José Carlos; Neto, Luiz Gonçalves

    2009-09-01

    A phase-only encryption/decryption scheme with the readout based on the zeroth-order phase-contrast technique (ZOPCT), without the use of a phase-changing plate on the Fourier plane of an optical system based on the 4f optical correlator, is proposed. The encryption of a gray-level image is achieved by multiplying the phase distribution obtained directly from the gray-level image by a random phase distribution. The robustness of the encoding is assured by the nonlinearity intrinsic to the proposed phase-contrast method and the random phase distribution used in the encryption process. The experimental system has been implemented with liquid-crystal spatial modulators to generate phase-encrypted masks and a decrypting key. The advantage of this method is the easy scheme to recover the gray-level information from the decrypted phase-only mask applying the ZOPCT. An analysis of this decryption method was performed against brute force attacks.

  1. Real-Time Traffic Information for Emergency Evacuation Operations: Phase A Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Franzese, Oscar [ORNL; Zhang, Li [Mississippi State University (MSU); Mahmoud, Anas M. [Mississippi State University (MSU); Lascurain, Mary Beth [ORNL; Wen, Yi [Mississippi State University (MSU)

    2010-05-01

    There are many instances in which it is possible to plan ahead for an emergency evacuation (e.g., an explosion at a chemical processing facility). For those cases, if an accident (or an attack) were to happen, then the best evacuation plan for the prevailing network and weather conditions would be deployed. In other cases (e.g., the derailment of a train transporting hazardous materials), there may not be any previously developed plan to be implemented and decisions must be made ad-hoc on how to proceed with an emergency evacuation. In both situations, the availability of real-time traffic information plays a critical role in the management of the evacuation operations. To improve public safety during a vehicular emergency evacuation it is necessary to detect losses of road capacity (due to incidents, for example) as early as possible. Once these bottlenecks are identified, re-routing strategies must be determined in real-time and deployed in the field to help dissipate the congestion and increase the efficiency of the evacuation. Due to cost constraints, only large urban areas have traffic sensor deployments that permit access to some sort of real-time traffic information; any evacuation taking place in any other areas of the country would have to proceed without real-time traffic information. The latter was the focus of this SERRI/DHS (Southeast Region Research Initiative/Department of Homeland Security) sponsored project. That is, the main objective on the project was to improve the operations during a vehicular emergency evacuation anywhere by using newly developed real-time traffic-information-gathering technologies to assess traffic conditions and therefore to potentially detect incidents on the main evacuation routes. Phase A of the project consisted in the development and testing of a prototype system composed of sensors that are engineered in such a way that they can be rapidly deployed in the field where and when they are needed. Each one of these sensors

  2. On the structure of critical energy levels for the cubic focusing NLS on star graphs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adami, Riccardo; Noja, Diego; Cacciapuoti, Claudio; Finco, Domenico

    2012-01-01

    We provide information on a non-trivial structure of phase space of the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) on a three-edge star graph. We prove that, in contrast to the case of the standard NLS on the line, the energy associated with the cubic focusing Schrödinger equation on the three-edge star graph with a free (Kirchhoff) vertex does not attain a minimum value on any sphere of constant L 2 -norm. We moreover show that the only stationary state with prescribed L 2 -norm is indeed a saddle point. (fast track communication)

  3. Approximate Riemann solvers and flux vector splitting schemes for two-phase flow; Solveurs de Riemann approches et schemas de decentrement de flux pour les ecoulements diphasiques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Toumi, I.; Kumbaro, A.; Paillere, H

    1999-07-01

    These course notes, presented at the 30. Von Karman Institute Lecture Series in Computational Fluid Dynamics, give a detailed and through review of upwind differencing methods for two-phase flow models. After recalling some fundamental aspects of two-phase flow modelling, from mixture model to two-fluid models, the mathematical properties of the general 6-equation model are analysed by examining the Eigen-structure of the system, and deriving conditions under which the model can be made hyperbolic. The following chapters are devoted to extensions of state-of-the-art upwind differencing schemes such as Roe's Approximate Riemann Solver or the Characteristic Flux Splitting method to two-phase flow. Non-trivial steps in the construction of such solvers include the linearization, the treatment of non-conservative terms and the construction of a Roe-type matrix on which the numerical dissipation of the schemes is based. Extension of the 1-D models to multi-dimensions in an unstructured finite volume formulation is also described; Finally, numerical results for a variety of test-cases are shown to illustrate the accuracy and robustness of the methods. (authors)

  4. Fisher information and statistical inference for phase-type distributions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bladt, Mogens; Esparza, Luz Judith R; Nielsen, Bo Friis

    2011-01-01

    This paper is concerned with statistical inference for both continuous and discrete phase-type distributions. We consider maximum likelihood estimation, where traditionally the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm has been employed. Certain numerical aspects of this method are revised and we...

  5. Phase Referencing in Optical Interferometry

    OpenAIRE

    Filho, Mercedes E.; Garcia, Paulo; Duvert, Gilles; Duchene, Gaspard; Thiebaut, Eric; Young, John; Absil, Olivier; Berger, Jean-Phillipe; Beckert, Thomas; Hoenig, Sebastian; Schertl, Dieter; Weigelt, Gerd; Testi, Leonardo; Tatuli, Eric; Borkowski, Virginie

    2008-01-01

    One of the aims of next generation optical interferometric instrumentation is to be able to make use of information contained in the visibility phase to construct high dynamic range images. Radio and optical interferometry are at the two extremes of phase corruption by the atmosphere. While in radio it is possible to obtain calibrated phases for the science objects, in the optical this is currently not possible. Instead, optical interferometry has relied on closure phase techniques to produce...

  6. Global paths of time-periodic solutions of the Benjamin-Ono equation connecting arbitrary traveling waves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ambrose, David M.; Wilkening, Jon

    2008-12-11

    We classify all bifurcations from traveling waves to non-trivial time-periodic solutions of the Benjamin-Ono equation that are predicted by linearization. We use a spectrally accurate numerical continuation method to study several paths of non-trivial solutions beyond the realm of linear theory. These paths are found to either re-connect with a different traveling wave or to blow up. In the latter case, as the bifurcation parameter approaches a critical value, the amplitude of the initial condition grows without bound and the period approaches zero. We propose a conjecture that gives the mapping from one bifurcation to its counterpart on the other side of the path of non-trivial solutions. By experimentation with data fitting, we identify the form of the exact solutions on the path connecting two traveling waves, which represents the Fourier coefficients of the solution as power sums of a finite number of particle positions whose elementary symmetric functions execute simple orbits in the complex plane (circles or epicycles). We then solve a system of algebraic equations to express the unknown constants in the new representation in terms of the mean, a spatial phase, a temporal phase, four integers (enumerating the bifurcation at each end of the path) and one additional bifurcation parameter. We also find examples of interior bifurcations from these paths of already non-trivial solutions, but we do not attempt to analyze their algebraic structure.

  7. A method to extract quantitative information in analyzer-based x-ray phase contrast imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pagot, E.; Cloetens, P.; Fiedler, S.; Bravin, A.; Coan, P.; Baruchel, J.; Haertwig, J.; Thomlinson, W.

    2003-01-01

    Analyzer-based imaging is a powerful phase-sensitive technique that generates improved contrast compared to standard absorption radiography. Combining numerically two images taken on either side at ±1/2 of the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the rocking curve provides images of 'pure refraction' and of 'apparent absorption'. In this study, a similar approach is made by combining symmetrical images with respect to the peak of the analyzer rocking curve but at general positions, ±α·FWHM. These two approaches do not consider the ultrasmall angle scattering produced by the object independently, which can lead to inconsistent results. An accurate way to separately retrieve the quantitative information intrinsic to the object is proposed. It is based on a statistical analysis of the local rocking curve, and allows one to overcome the problems encountered using the previous approaches

  8. Primordial non-Gaussianities in single field inflationary models with non-trivial initial states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bahrami, Sina; Flanagan, Éanna É., E-mail: sb933@cornell.edu, E-mail: eef3@cornell.edu [Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

    2014-10-01

    We compute the non-Gaussianities that arise in single field, slow roll inflationary models arising from arbitrary homogeneous initial states, as well as subleading contributions to the power spectrum. Non Bunch-Davies vacuum initial states can arise if the transition to the single field, slow roll inflation phase occurs only shortly before observable modes left the horizon. They can also arise from new physics at high energies that has been integrated out. Our general result for the bispectrum exhibits several features that were previously seen in special cases.

  9. Phase gradient algorithm based on co-axis two-step phase-shifting interferometry and its application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yawei; Zhu, Qiong; Xu, Yuanyuan; Xin, Zhiduo; Liu, Jingye

    2017-12-01

    A phase gradient method based on co-axis two-step phase-shifting interferometry, is used to reveal the detailed information of a specimen. In this method, the phase gradient distribution can only be obtained by calculating both the first-order derivative and the radial Hilbert transformation of the intensity difference between two phase-shifted interferograms. The feasibility and accuracy of this method were fully verified by the simulation results for a polystyrene sphere and a red blood cell. The empirical results demonstrated that phase gradient is sensitive to changes in the refractive index and morphology. Because phase retrieval and tedious phase unwrapping are not required, the calculation speed is faster. In addition, co-axis interferometry has high spatial resolution.

  10. Matching time and spatial scales of rapid solidification: dynamic TEM experiments coupled to CALPHAD-informed phase-field simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perron, Aurelien; Roehling, John D.; Turchi, Patrice E. A.; Fattebert, Jean-Luc; McKeown, Joseph T.

    2018-01-01

    A combination of dynamic transmission electron microscopy (DTEM) experiments and CALPHAD-informed phase-field simulations was used to study rapid solidification in Cu-Ni thin-film alloys. Experiments—conducted in the DTEM—consisted of in situ laser melting and determination of the solidification kinetics by monitoring the solid-liquid interface and the overall microstructure evolution (time-resolved measurements) during the solidification process. Modelling of the Cu-Ni alloy microstructure evolution was based on a phase-field model that included realistic Gibbs energies and diffusion coefficients from the CALPHAD framework (thermodynamic and mobility databases). DTEM and post mortem experiments highlighted the formation of microsegregation-free columnar grains with interface velocities varying from ˜0.1 to ˜0.6 m s-1. After an ‘incubation’ time, the velocity of the planar solid-liquid interface accelerated until solidification was complete. In addition, a decrease of the temperature gradient induced a decrease in the interface velocity. The modelling strategy permitted the simulation (in 1D and 2D) of the solidification process from the initially diffusion-controlled to the nearly partitionless regimes. Finally, results of DTEM experiments and phase-field simulations (grain morphology, solute distribution, and solid-liquid interface velocity) were consistent at similar time (μs) and spatial scales (μm).

  11. Two phase sampling

    CERN Document Server

    Ahmad, Zahoor; Hanif, Muhammad

    2013-01-01

    The development of estimators of population parameters based on two-phase sampling schemes has seen a dramatic increase in the past decade. Various authors have developed estimators of population using either one or two auxiliary variables. The present volume is a comprehensive collection of estimators available in single and two phase sampling. The book covers estimators which utilize information on single, two and multiple auxiliary variables of both quantitative and qualitative nature. Th...

  12. Interventions for supporting informal caregivers of patients in the terminal phase of a disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Candy, Bridget; Jones, Louise; Drake, Robyn; Leurent, Baptiste; King, Michael

    2011-06-15

    Patients in the terminal phase of a disease may have complex needs. It is often family and friends who play a central role in providing support, despite health professional input and regardless of whether the patient is at home or elsewhere. Such informal caring may involve considerable physical, psychological, and economic stresses. A range of supportive programmes for caregivers is being developed including psychological support and practical assistance. To assess the effects of supportive interventions that aim to improve the psychological and physical health of informal caregivers of patients in the terminal phase of their illness. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 2 2010); MEDLINE (1950 to May 2010); EMBASE (1980 to May 2010); PsycINFO (1872 to May 2010); CINAHL (1937 to May 2010); National Health Service Research Register (2000 to November 2008) and Dissertation Abstracts (1716 to May 2010). We searched the reference lists of relevant studies; contacted experts; and handsearched journals. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions to support adults who were caring for a friend or relative with a disease in the terminal phase. Interventions could include practical and emotional support and/or the facilitation of coping skills. Interventions could support caregivers indirectly via patient care. Two authors independently screened citations against the selection criteria. Data were extracted by one author and checked by another. This included extraction of any adverse effects. Risk of bias assessment was undertaken by two authors. We contacted trial authors to obtain missing information. Trial data were combined, where appropriate, on the review's primary outcomes. We included eleven RCTs involving 1836 caregiver participants. Nine interventions were delivered directly to the caregiver. Seven of these provided support in the caring role, another involved a family life review, and one

  13. Improved specimen reconstruction by Hilbert phase contrast tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barton, Bastian; Joos, Friederike; Schröder, Rasmus R

    2008-11-01

    The low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in images of unstained specimens recorded with conventional defocus phase contrast makes it difficult to interpret 3D volumes obtained by electron tomography (ET). The high defocus applied for conventional tilt series generates some phase contrast but leads to an incomplete transfer of object information. For tomography of biological weak-phase objects, optimal image contrast and subsequently an optimized SNR are essential for the reconstruction of details such as macromolecular assemblies at molecular resolution. The problem of low contrast can be partially solved by applying a Hilbert phase plate positioned in the back focal plane (BFP) of the objective lens while recording images in Gaussian focus. Images recorded with the Hilbert phase plate provide optimized positive phase contrast at low spatial frequencies, and the contrast transfer in principle extends to the information limit of the microscope. The antisymmetric Hilbert phase contrast (HPC) can be numerically converted into isotropic contrast, which is equivalent to the contrast obtained by a Zernike phase plate. Thus, in-focus HPC provides optimal structure factor information without limiting effects of the transfer function. In this article, we present the first electron tomograms of biological specimens reconstructed from Hilbert phase plate image series. We outline the technical implementation of the phase plate and demonstrate that the technique is routinely applicable for tomography. A comparison between conventional defocus tomograms and in-focus HPC volumes shows an enhanced SNR and an improved specimen visibility for in-focus Hilbert tomography.

  14. Constraints on γ and strong phases from B → πK decays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buras, Andrzej J.; Fleischer, Robert

    2001-01-01

    As we pointed out recently, the neutral decays B d → π - + K± and B d → π 0 K may provide non-trivial bounds on the CKM angle γ. Here we reconsider this approach in the light of recent CLEO data, which look very interesting. In particular, the results for the corresponding CP-averaged branching ratios are in favour of strong constraints on γ, where the second quadrant is preferred. Such a situation would be in conflict with the standard analysis of the unitarity triangle. Moreover, constraints on a CO-conserving strong phase δ n are in favour of a negative value of cosδ n , which would be in conflict with the factorization expectation. In addition, there seems to be an interesting discrepancy with the bounds that are implied by the charged B → πK system: whereas these decays favour a range for γ that is similar to that of the neutral modes, they point towards a positive value of cosδ c , which would be in conflict with the expectation of equal signs for cosδ n and cosδ c . (author)

  15. Constraints on γ and strong phases from B → πK decays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buras, A.J.

    2000-08-01

    As we pointed out recently, the neutral decays B d → π -+ K ± and B d → π 0 K may provide non-trivial bounds on the CKM angle γ. Here we reconsider this approach in the light of recent CLEO data, which look very interesting. In particular, the results for the corresponding CP-averaged branching ratios are in favour of strong constraints on γ, where the second quadrant is preferred. Such a situation would be in conflict with the standard analysis of the unitarity triangle. Moreover, constraints on a CP-conserving strong phase δ n are in favour of a negative value of cos δ n , which would be in conflict with the factorization expectation. In addition, there seems to be an interesting discrepancy with the bounds that are implied by the charged B → π K system: whereas these decays favour a range for γ that is similar to that of the neutral modes, they point towards a positive value of cos δ c , which would be in conflict with the expectation of equal signs for cos δ n and cos δ c . (orig.)

  16. Development of phase lock loop system for synchronisation of a ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Phase locked loop (PLL) is an important part of the control unit of the grid connected power converter. The method of zero crossing detection (ZCD) does not produce accurate phase information when grid is non-ideal. In this work, a synchronous reference frame (SRF) PLL method to obtain accurate phase information when ...

  17. The single-phase multiferroic oxides: from bulk to thin film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prellier, W; Singh, M P; Murugavel, P

    2005-01-01

    Complex perovskite oxides exhibit a rich spectrum of properties, including magnetism, ferroelectricity, strongly correlated electron behaviour, superconductivity and magnetoresistance, which have been research areas of great interest among the scientific and technological community for decades. There exist very few materials which exhibit multiple functional properties; one such class of materials is called the multiferroics. Multiferroics are interesting because they exhibit simultaneously ferromagnetic and ferroelectric polarizations and a coupling between them. Due to the nontrivial lattice coupling between the magnetic and electronic domains (the magnetoelectric effect), the magnetic polarization can be switched by applying an electric field; likewise the ferroelectric polarization can be switched by applying a magnetic field. As a consequence, multiferroics offer rich physics and novel devices concepts, which have recently become of great interest to researchers. In this review article the recent experimental status, for both the bulk single phase and the thin film form, has been presented. Current studies on the ceramic compounds in the bulk form including Bi(Fe,Mn)O 3 , REMnO 3 and the series of REMn 2 O 5 single crystals (RE = rare earth) are discussed in the first section and a detailed overview on multiferroic thin films grown artificially (multilayers and nanocomposites) is presented in the second section. (topical review)

  18. Using the phase-space imager to analyze partially coherent imaging systems: bright-field, phase contrast, differential interference contrast, differential phase contrast, and spiral phase contrast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, Shalin B.; Sheppard, Colin J. R.

    2010-05-01

    Various methods that use large illumination aperture (i.e. partially coherent illumination) have been developed for making transparent (i.e. phase) specimens visible. These methods were developed to provide qualitative contrast rather than quantitative measurement-coherent illumination has been relied upon for quantitative phase analysis. Partially coherent illumination has some important advantages over coherent illumination and can be used for measurement of the specimen's phase distribution. However, quantitative analysis and image computation in partially coherent systems have not been explored fully due to the lack of a general, physically insightful and computationally efficient model of image formation. We have developed a phase-space model that satisfies these requirements. In this paper, we employ this model (called the phase-space imager) to elucidate five different partially coherent systems mentioned in the title. We compute images of an optical fiber under these systems and verify some of them with experimental images. These results and simulated images of a general phase profile are used to compare the contrast and the resolution of the imaging systems. We show that, for quantitative phase imaging of a thin specimen with matched illumination, differential phase contrast offers linear transfer of specimen information to the image. We also show that the edge enhancement properties of spiral phase contrast are compromised significantly as the coherence of illumination is reduced. The results demonstrate that the phase-space imager model provides a useful framework for analysis, calibration, and design of partially coherent imaging methods.

  19. Teaching the Concept of Gibbs Energy Minimization through Its Application to Phase-Equilibrium Calculation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Privat, Romain; Jaubert, Jean-Noe¨l; Berger, Etienne; Coniglio, Lucie; Lemaitre, Ce´cile; Meimaroglou, Dimitrios; Warth, Vale´rie

    2016-01-01

    Robust and fast methods for chemical or multiphase equilibrium calculation are routinely needed by chemical-process engineers working on sizing or simulation aspects. Yet, while industrial applications essentially require calculation tools capable of discriminating between stable and nonstable states and converging to nontrivial solutions,…

  20. An Accurate Estimate of the Free Energy and Phase Diagram of All-DNA Bulk Fluids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emanuele Locatelli

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available We present a numerical study in which large-scale bulk simulations of self-assembled DNA constructs have been carried out with a realistic coarse-grained model. The investigation aims at obtaining a precise, albeit numerically demanding, estimate of the free energy for such systems. We then, in turn, use these accurate results to validate a recently proposed theoretical approach that builds on a liquid-state theory, the Wertheim theory, to compute the phase diagram of all-DNA fluids. This hybrid theoretical/numerical approach, based on the lowest-order virial expansion and on a nearest-neighbor DNA model, can provide, in an undemanding way, a parameter-free thermodynamic description of DNA associating fluids that is in semi-quantitative agreement with experiments. We show that the predictions of the scheme are as accurate as those obtained with more sophisticated methods. We also demonstrate the flexibility of the approach by incorporating non-trivial additional contributions that go beyond the nearest-neighbor model to compute the DNA hybridization free energy.

  1. STM Studies of Spin-­Orbit Coupled Phases in Real-­ and Momentum-­Space

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Madhavan, Vidya [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States)

    2016-10-17

    The recently discovered class of spin-orbit coupled materials with interesting topological character are fascinating both from fundamental as well as application point of view. Two striking examples are 3D topological insulators (TIs) and topological crystalline insulators (TCIs). These materials host linearly dispersing (Dirac like) surface states with an odd number of Dirac nodes and are predicted to carry a quantized half-integer value of the axion field. The non-trivial topological properties of TIs and TCIs arise from strong spin-orbit coupling leading to an inverted band structure; which also leads to the chiral spin texture in momentum space. In this project we used low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) to study materials with topological phases in real- and momentum-space. We studied both single crystals and thin films of topological materials which are susceptible to being tuned by doping, strain or gating, allowing us to explore their physical properties in the most interesting regimes and set the stage for future technological applications. .

  2. Microcanonical thermodynamics and statistical fragmentation of dissipative systems. The topological structure of the N-body phase space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, D. H. E.

    1997-01-01

    This review is addressed to colleagues working in different fields of physics who are interested in the concepts of microcanonical thermodynamics, its relation and contrast to ordinary, canonical or grandcanonical thermodynamics, and to get a first taste of the wide area of new applications of thermodynamical concepts like hot nuclei, hot atomic clusters and gravitating systems. Microcanonical thermodynamics describes how the volume of the N-body phase space depends on the globally conserved quantities like energy, angular momentum, mass, charge, etc. Due to these constraints the microcanonical ensemble can behave quite differently from the conventional, canonical or grandcanonical ensemble in many important physical systems. Microcanonical systems become inhomogeneous at first-order phase transitions, or with rising energy, or with external or internal long-range forces like Coulomb, centrifugal or gravitational forces. Thus, fragmentation of the system into a spatially inhomogeneous distribution of various regions of different densities and/or of different phases is a genuine characteristic of the microcanonical ensemble. In these cases which are realized by the majority of realistic systems in nature, the microcanonical approach is the natural statistical description. We investigate this most fundamental form of thermodynamics in four different nontrivial physical cases: (I) Microcanonical phase transitions of first and second order are studied within the Potts model. The total energy per particle is a nonfluctuating order parameter which controls the phase which the system is in. In contrast to the canonical form the microcanonical ensemble allows to tune the system continuously from one phase to the other through the region of coexisting phases by changing the energy smoothly. The configurations of coexisting phases carry important informations about the nature of the phase transition. This is more remarkable as the canonical ensemble is blind against these

  3. Phase transition phenomenon: A compound measure analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Bo Soo; Park, Chanhi; Ryu, Doojin; Song, Wonho

    2015-06-01

    This study investigates the well-documented phenomenon of phase transition in financial markets using combined information from both return and volume changes within short time intervals. We suggest a new measure for the phase transition behaviour of markets, calculated as a return distribution conditional on local variance in volume imbalance, and show that this measure successfully captures phase transition behaviour under various conditions. We analyse the intraday trade and quote dataset from the KOSPI 200 index futures, which includes detailed information on the original order size and the type of each initiating investor. We find that among these two competing factors, the submitted order size yields more explanatory power on the phenomenon of market phase transition than the investor type.

  4. Ultrafast quantum computation in ultrastrongly coupled circuit QED systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yimin; Guo, Chu; Zhang, Guo-Qiang; Wang, Gangcheng; Wu, Chunfeng

    2017-01-01

    The latest technological progress of achieving the ultrastrong-coupling regime in circuit quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems has greatly promoted the developments of quantum physics, where novel quantum optics phenomena and potential computational benefits have been predicted. Here, we propose a scheme to accelerate the nontrivial two-qubit phase gate in a circuit QED system, where superconducting flux qubits are ultrastrongly coupled to a transmission line resonator (TLR), and two more TLRs are coupled to the ultrastrongly-coupled system for assistant. The nontrivial unconventional geometric phase gate between the two flux qubits is achieved based on close-loop displacements of the three-mode intracavity fields. Moreover, as there are three resonators contributing to the phase accumulation, the requirement of the coupling strength to realize the two-qubit gate can be reduced. Further reduction in the coupling strength to achieve a specific controlled-phase gate can be realized by adding more auxiliary resonators to the ultrastrongly-coupled system through superconducting quantum interference devices. We also present a study of our scheme with realistic parameters considering imperfect controls and noisy environment. Our scheme possesses the merits of ultrafastness and noise-tolerance due to the advantages of geometric phases. PMID:28281654

  5. Phase extracting algorithms analysis in the white-light spectral interferometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Tong; Li, Bingtong; Li, Minghui; Chen, Jinping; Fu, Xing; Hu, Xiaotang

    2018-01-01

    As an optical testing method, white-light spectral interferometry has the characteristics of non-contact, high precision. The phase information can be obtained by analyzing the spectral interference signal of the tested sample, and then the absolute distance is calculated. Fourier transform method, temporal phase-shifting method, spatial phase-shifting method and envelope method can be used to extract the phase information of the spectral interference signal. In this paper, the performance of four methods to extract phase information is simulated and analyzed by using the ideal spectral interference signal. It turns out that temporal phase-shifting method has the performance of high precision, the results of Fourier transform method and envelop method are distorted at the edge of the signal, and spatial phase-shifting method has the worst precision. Adding different levels of white noise to the ideal signal, temporal phase-shifting method is most accurate, while Fourier transform method and envelope method are relatively poor. Finally, the absolute distance measurement experiment is carried out on the constructed test system, and the results are consistent with the simulation ones.

  6. Asynchronous Multiparty Computation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Geisler, Martin; Krøigaard, Mikkel

    2009-01-01

    guarantees termination if the adversary allows a preprocessing phase to terminate, in which no information is released. The communication complexity of this protocol is the same as that of a passively secure solution up to a constant factor. It is secure against an adaptive and active adversary corrupting...... less than n/3 players. We also present a software framework for implementation of asynchronous protocols called VIFF (Virtual Ideal Functionality Framework), which allows automatic parallelization of primitive operations such as secure multiplications, without having to resort to complicated...... multithreading. Benchmarking of a VIFF implementation of our protocol confirms that it is applicable to practical non-trivial secure computations....

  7. Equations of State and Phase Diagrams of Ammonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glasser, Leslie

    2009-01-01

    We present equations of state relating the phases and a three-dimensional phase diagram for ammonia with its solid, liquid, and vapor phases, based on fitted authentic experimental data and including recent information on the high-pressure solid phases. This presentation follows similar articles on carbon dioxide and water published in this…

  8. GeneNotes – A novel information management software for biologists

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wong Wing H

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Collecting and managing information is a challenging task in a genome-wide profiling research project. Most databases and online computational tools require a direct human involvement. Information and computational results are presented in various multimedia formats (e.g., text, image, PDF, word files, etc., many of which cannot be automatically processed by computers in biologically meaningful ways. In addition, the quality of computational results is far from perfect and requires nontrivial manual examination. The timely selection, integration and interpretation of heterogeneous biological information still heavily rely on the sensibility of biologists. Biologists often feel overwhelmed by the huge amount of and the great diversity of distributed heterogeneous biological information. Description We developed an information management application called GeneNotes. GeneNotes is the first application that allows users to collect and manage multimedia biological information about genes/ESTs. GeneNotes provides an integrated environment for users to surf the Internet, collect notes for genes/ESTs, and retrieve notes. GeneNotes is supported by a server that integrates gene annotations from many major databases (e.g., HGNC, MGI, etc.. GeneNotes uses the integrated gene annotations to (a identify genes given various types of gene IDs (e.g., RefSeq ID, GenBank ID, etc., and (b provide quick views of genes. GeneNotes is free for academic usage. The program and the tutorials are available at: http://bayes.fas.harvard.edu/genenotes/. Conclusions GeneNotes provides a novel human-computer interface to assist researchers to collect and manage biological information. It also provides a platform for studying how users behave when they manipulate biological information. The results of such study can lead to innovation of more intelligent human-computer interfaces that greatly shorten the cycle of biology research.

  9. Image fusion in x-ray differential phase-contrast imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haas, W.; Polyanskaya, M.; Bayer, F.; Gödel, K.; Hofmann, H.; Rieger, J.; Ritter, A.; Weber, T.; Wucherer, L.; Durst, J.; Michel, T.; Anton, G.; Hornegger, J.

    2012-02-01

    Phase-contrast imaging is a novel modality in the field of medical X-ray imaging. The pioneer method is the grating-based interferometry which has no special requirements to the X-ray source and object size. Furthermore, it provides three different types of information of an investigated object simultaneously - absorption, differential phase-contrast and dark-field images. Differential phase-contrast and dark-field images represent a completely new information which has not yet been investigated and studied in context of medical imaging. In order to introduce phase-contrast imaging as a new modality into medical environment the resulting information about the object has to be correctly interpreted. The three output images reflect different properties of the same object the main challenge is to combine and visualize these data in such a way that it diminish the information explosion and reduce the complexity of its interpretation. This paper presents an intuitive image fusion approach which allows to operate with grating-based phase-contrast images. It combines information of the three different images and provides a single image. The approach is implemented in a fusion framework which is aimed to support physicians in study and analysis. The framework provides the user with an intuitive graphical user interface allowing to control the fusion process. The example given in this work shows the functionality of the proposed method and the great potential of phase-contrast imaging in medical practice.

  10. Geometric phase effects in low-energy dynamics near conical intersections: A study of the multidimensional linear vibronic coupling model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joubert-Doriol, Loïc; Ryabinkin, Ilya G.; Izmaylov, Artur F.

    2013-01-01

    In molecular systems containing conical intersections (CIs), a nontrivial geometric phase (GP) appears in the nuclear and electronic wave functions in the adiabatic representation. We study GP effects in nuclear dynamics of an N-dimensional linear vibronic coupling (LVC) model. The main impact of GP on low-energy nuclear dynamics is reduction of population transfer between the local minima of the LVC lower energy surface. For the LVC model, we proposed an isometric coordinate transformation that confines non-adiabatic effects within a two-dimensional subsystem interacting with an N − 2 dimensional environment. Since environmental modes do not couple electronic states, all GP effects originate from nuclear dynamics within the subsystem. We explored when the GP affects nuclear dynamics of the isolated subsystem, and how the subsystem-environment interaction can interfere with GP effects. Comparing quantum dynamics with and without GP allowed us to devise simple rules to determine significance of the GP for nuclear dynamics in this model

  11. Working memory activation of neural networks in the elderly as a function of information processing phase and task complexity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charroud, Céline; Steffener, Jason; Le Bars, Emmanuelle; Deverdun, Jérémy; Bonafe, Alain; Abdennour, Meriem; Portet, Florence; Molino, François; Stern, Yaakov; Ritchie, Karen; Menjot de Champfleur, Nicolas; Akbaraly, Tasnime N

    2015-11-01

    Changes in working memory are sensitive indicators of both normal and pathological brain aging and associated disability. The present study aims to further understanding of working memory in normal aging using a large cohort of healthy elderly in order to examine three separate phases of information processing in relation to changes in task load activation. Using covariance analysis, increasing and decreasing neural activation was observed on fMRI in response to a delayed item recognition task in 337 cognitively healthy elderly persons as part of the CRESCENDO (Cognitive REServe and Clinical ENDOphenotypes) study. During three phases of the task (stimulation, retention, probe), increased activation was observed with increasing task load in bilateral regions of the prefrontal cortex, parietal lobule, cingulate gyrus, insula and in deep gray matter nuclei, suggesting an involvement of central executive and salience networks. Decreased activation associated with increasing task load was observed during the stimulation phase, in bilateral temporal cortex, parietal lobule, cingulate gyrus and prefrontal cortex. This spatial distribution of decreased activation is suggestive of the default mode network. These findings support the hypothesis of an increased activation in salience and central executive networks and a decreased activation in default mode network concomitant to increasing task load. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Preparation and characterization of a new microwave immobilized poly(2-phenylpropyl)methylsiloxane stationary phase for reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Begnini, Fernanda R; Jardim, Isabel C S F

    2013-07-05

    A new reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) stationary phase was prepared and its chromatographic and physical-chemical properties were evaluated. The new stationary phase was prepared with a silica support and poly(2-phenylpropyl)methylsiloxane (PPPMS), a phenyl type polysiloxane copolymer. Since this is a new copolymer and there is little information in the literature, it was submitted to physical-chemical characterization by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry. The chromatographic phase was prepared through sorption and microwave immobilization of the copolymer onto a silica support. The chromatographic performance was evaluated by employing test procedures suggested by Engelhardt and Jungheim, Tanaka and co-workers, Neue, and Szabó and Csató. These test mixtures provide information about the hydrophobic selectivity, silanophilic activity, ion-exchange capacity, shape selectivity and interaction with polar analytes of the new Si-PPPMS reversed phase. Stability tests were developed using accelerated aging tests under both basic and acidic conditions to provide information about the lifetime of the packed columns. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Phase-sensitive flow cytometer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steinkamp, J.A.

    1992-12-31

    This report describes phase-sensitive flow cytometer (FCM) which provides additional FCM capability to use the fluorescence lifetime of one or more fluorochromes bound to single cells to provide additional information regarding the cells. The resulting fluorescence emission can be resolved into individual fluorescence signals if two fluorochromes are present or can be converted directly to a decay lifetime from a single fluorochrome. The excitation light for the fluorochromes is modulated to produce an amplitude modulated fluorescence pulse as the fluorochrome is excited in the FCM. The modulation signal also forms a reference signal that is phase-shifted a selected amount for subsequent mixing with the output modulated fluorescence intensity signal in phase-sensitive detection circuitry. The output from the phase-sensitive circuitry is then an individual resolved fluorochrome signal or a single fluorochrome decay lifetime, depending on the applied phase shifts.

  14. Phase sensitive multichannel OCT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trasischker, W.

    2015-01-01

    The main aim of this thesis was to develop and improve phase sensitive, multichannel methods for optical coherence tomography (OCT) using light in the 840 nm and 1040 nm regime. Conventional OCT provides purely structural information by illuminating the sample by one beam and recording the backscattered signal with one detection channel. Combination of this approach with a raster scan enables the acquisition of 2D and 3D structural information with a resolution in the micrometer regime. However, sometimes additional image contrast or information is desired. Amongst other approaches, this can be provided by a phase sensitive analysis of the interference pattern. Combining phase sensitivity with the illumination of the sample by more than one beam and/or by recording the data using more than one data acquisition channel allows for even more enhanced imaging. While phase sensitive OCT gives access to additional contrast and information, multichannel OCT can provide higher imaging speed, scan eld size and exible dierential measurements. Amongst the dierential, phase sensitive approaches, Doppler OCT (DOCT) and polarization sensitive OCT (PS-OCT) are two of the most promising OCT modalities. While the former targets information on the movement of backscattering particles, the latter measures alterations of the polarization state of the light induced by the sample. Both techniques provide additional image contrast and are, due to the non-invasive and fast character of OCT, well suited for in vivo imaging of the human eye. In the course of this thesis, two dierent multichannel, phase sensitive OCT systems will be presented. First, a D-OCT system with three dierent sampling beams is described. With a central wavelength of 840 nm these three beams are emitted by three individual laser sources. This eectively eliminates any cross talk and provides the full depth range for each channel. Furthermore, by illuminating the sample from three dierent directions, the absolute

  15. Unveiling the Role of CNTs on the Phase Formation of 1D Ferroelectrics

    KAUST Repository

    Mahajan, Amit

    2015-05-21

    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have the potential to act as templates or bottom electrodes for three dimension (3D) capacitor arrays, which utilise one dimension (1D) ferroelectric nanostructures to increase memory size and density. However, growing a ferroelectric on the surface of CNTs is non-trivial. Here, we demonstrate that multi-walled (MW) CNTs decrease the time and temperature for formation of lead zirconium titanate Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 (PZT) by ~100 ºC commensurate with a decrease in activation energy from 68±15 kJ/mol to 27±2 kJ/mol. As a consequence, monophasic PZT was obtained at 575 ºC for MWCNTs/PZT whereas for pure PZT traces of pyrochlore were still present at 650 ºC, where PZT phase formed due to homogeneous nucleation. The piezoelectric nature of MWCNT/PZT synthesised at 500 ºC for 1 h was proved. Although further work is required to prove the concept of 3D capacitor arrays, our result suggests that it is feasible to utilise MWCNTs as templates/electrodes for the formation of 1D PZT nano ferroelectrics.

  16. Synchronization of coupled active rotators by common noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolmatova, Anastasiya V.; Goldobin, Denis S.; Pikovsky, Arkady

    2017-12-01

    We study the effect of common noise on coupled active rotators. While such a noise always facilitates synchrony, coupling may be attractive (synchronizing) or repulsive (desynchronizing). We develop an analytical approach based on a transformation to approximate angle-action variables and averaging over fast rotations. For identical rotators, we describe a transition from full to partial synchrony at a critical value of repulsive coupling. For nonidentical rotators, the most nontrivial effect occurs at moderate repulsive coupling, where a juxtaposition of phase locking with frequency repulsion (anti-entrainment) is observed. We show that the frequency repulsion obeys a nontrivial power law.

  17. Nontrivial Pfaffian forms in cosmology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lukacs, B.; Paal, G.

    1989-01-01

    The compatibility of possible continuous cosmological particle production with thermodynamics was studied. It was found that with the usual K=2 Pfaffian (dQ=TdS) the compatibility held only in very special cases. K≥3 Pfaffians could easily be reconciled with continuous production. Since in this case the full thermodynamic state space was accessible by quasistatic adiabatic processes, such systems showed local rather than global irreversibility. This fact may prevent Heat Death even in indefinitely old model Universes. (author) 36 refs

  18. Information flow through the disaster circle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egedorf, Maren Marie; Villanueva Holm-Nielsen, Pablo

    The traditional view of the disaster circle is phase based. Disaster and development professionals recognize that the actions carried out in the various phases of the disaster management cycle are overlapping and build upon each other, having resilience as the overall goal. However information does...... not necessarily flow across the phases of the circle in an effective manner. This is particularly true for the information that crosses the disaster point of the circle. Organisations carry out assessments, surveys and baselines for various purposes, at various points of time in the disaster circle. Output...

  19. Phase diagrams and Hofstadter butterflies in the strongly correlated bosonic systems on the lattices with Dirac points

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajna, A. S.; Polak, T. P.

    2018-06-01

    Gauge potentials with different configurations have been recently realized in the optical lattice experiments. It is remarkable that one of the simplest gauge potential can generate particle energy spectrum with the self-similar structure known as a Hofstadter butterfly. We investigate theoretically the impact of strong on-site interaction on such a spectrum in the bosonic Mott insulator within Bose-Hubbard model. In particular, it is shown that the fractal structure is encoded in the quasi-particle and hole bosonic branches for different lattice backgrounds. For example a square lattice and other structures (brick-wall and staggered magnetic flux lattice) which contain Dirac points in energy dispersions are considered. This shows that single-particle physics is still present even in the strong interaction limit for whole Hofstadter spectrum. Additionally we observe, that although in brick-wall and staggered flux lattices the quasi-particle densities of states look qualitatively similar, the corresponding Hofstadter butterfly assumes different forms. In particular, we use a superposition of two different synthetic gauge fields which appears to be a generator of non-trivial phenomena in the optical lattice systems. We also discuss the consequences of these phenomena on the phase diagrams between bosonic Mott insulator and superfluid phase. The analysis is carried out within the strong coupling expansion method on the finite size lattices and also at finite temperatures which are relevant for the currently made experiments.

  20. UPVG phase 2 report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-08-01

    The Utility PhotoVoltaic Group (UPVG), supported by member dues and a grant from the US Department of Energy, has as its mission the acceleration of the use of cost-effective small-scale and emerging large-scale applications of photovoltaics for the benefit of electric utilities and their customers. Formed in October, 1992, with the support of the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the UPVG currently has 90 members from all sectors of the electric utility industry. The UPVG`s efforts as conceived were divided into four phases: Phase 0--program plan; Phase 1--organization and strategy development; Phase 2--creating market assurance; and Phase 3--higher volume purchases. The Phase 0 effort developed the program plan and was completed early in 1993. The Phase 1 goal was to develop the necessary background information and analysis to lead to a decision as to which strategies could be undertaken by utilities to promote greater understanding of PV markets and achieve increased volumes of PV purchases. This report provides the details of the UPVG`s Phase 2 efforts to initiate TEAM-UP, its multiyear, 50-MW hardware initiative.

  1. UPVG phase 2 report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-08-01

    The Utility PhotoVoltaic Group (UPVG), supported by member dues and a grant from the US Department of Energy, has as its mission the acceleration of the use of cost-effective small-scale and emerging large-scale applications of photovoltaics for the benefit of electric utilities and their customers. Formed in October, 1992, with the support of the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the UPVG currently has 90 members from all sectors of the electric utility industry. The UPVG's efforts as conceived were divided into four phases: Phase 0--program plan; Phase 1--organization and strategy development; Phase 2--creating market assurance; and Phase 3--higher volume purchases. The Phase 0 effort developed the program plan and was completed early in 1993. The Phase 1 goal was to develop the necessary background information and analysis to lead to a decision as to which strategies could be undertaken by utilities to promote greater understanding of PV markets and achieve increased volumes of PV purchases. This report provides the details of the UPVG's Phase 2 efforts to initiate TEAM-UP, its multiyear, 50-MW hardware initiative

  2. Quantitative phase imaging and differential interference contrast imaging for biological TEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allman, B.E.; McMahon, P.J.; Barone-Nugent, E.D.; Nugent, E.D.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Phase microscopy is a central technique in science. An experienced microscopist uses this effect to visualise (edge) structure within transparent samples by slightly defocusing the microscope. Although widespread in optical microscopy, phase contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has not been widely adopted. TEM for biological specimens has largely relied on staining techniques to yield sufficient contrast. We show here a simple method for quantitative TEM phase microscopy that quantifies this phase contrast effect. Starting with conventional, digital, bright field images of the sample, our algorithm provides quantitative phase information independent of the sample's bright field intensity image. We present TEM phase images of a range of stained and unstained, biological and material science specimens. This independent phase and intensity information is then used to emulate a range of phase visualisation images familiar to optical microscopy, e.g. differential interference contrast. The phase images contain features not visible with the other imaging modalities. Further, if the TEM samples have been prepared on a microtome to a uniform thickness, the phase information can be converted into refractive index structure of the specimen. Copyright (2002) Australian Society for Electron Microscopy Inc

  3. Nanoscale phase change memory materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldwell, Marissa A; Jeyasingh, Rakesh Gnana David; Wong, H-S Philip; Milliron, Delia J

    2012-08-07

    Phase change memory materials store information through their reversible transitions between crystalline and amorphous states. For typical metal chalcogenide compounds, their phase transition properties directly impact critical memory characteristics and the manipulation of these is a major focus in the field. Here, we discuss recent work that explores the tuning of such properties by scaling the materials to nanoscale dimensions, including fabrication and synthetic strategies used to produce nanoscale phase change memory materials. The trends that emerge are relevant to understanding how such memory technologies will function as they scale to ever smaller dimensions and also suggest new approaches to designing materials for phase change applications. Finally, the challenges and opportunities raised by integrating nanoscale phase change materials into switching devices are discussed.

  4. Information technology: management issues in outsource contracts.

    OpenAIRE

    2008-01-01

    This study concerns the investigation of management issues within information technology outsourcing contracts. The information technology outsourcing life cycle is used as the flow structure for the investigation. The associated user expectations that occur in each of the phases of the information technology outsourcing life cycle are identified. Following the identification of the management and user expectation issues in each phase of the outsource life cycle, the “Coetzee solution framewo...

  5. Enthalpy of phase transition and prediction of phase Equilibria in systems of glycols and glycol ethers

    OpenAIRE

    Esina, Zoya; Miroshnikov, Aleksandr; Korchuganova, Margarita

    2014-01-01

    The PCEAS model was used to study the liquid-solid and liquid-vapor phase transitions at constant pressure in systems containing glycols and glycol ethers. This method is based on minimizing the excess Gibbs energy over the solvation parameter, which takes into account the processes of association of molecules in various phases. To compute the diagrams, the data on enthalpy and phase transition temperatures of pure components are required, while the information about the interactions in the b...

  6. Processing of chromatic information in a deep convolutional neural network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flachot, Alban; Gegenfurtner, Karl R

    2018-04-01

    Deep convolutional neural networks are a class of machine-learning algorithms capable of solving non-trivial tasks, such as object recognition, with human-like performance. Little is known about the exact computations that deep neural networks learn, and to what extent these computations are similar to the ones performed by the primate brain. Here, we investigate how color information is processed in the different layers of the AlexNet deep neural network, originally trained on object classification of over 1.2M images of objects in their natural contexts. We found that the color-responsive units in the first layer of AlexNet learned linear features and were broadly tuned to two directions in color space, analogously to what is known of color responsive cells in the primate thalamus. Moreover, these directions are decorrelated and lead to statistically efficient representations, similar to the cardinal directions of the second-stage color mechanisms in primates. We also found, in analogy to the early stages of the primate visual system, that chromatic and achromatic information were segregated in the early layers of the network. Units in the higher layers of AlexNet exhibit on average a lower responsivity for color than units at earlier stages.

  7. Two-dimensional phase fraction charts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morral, J.E.

    1984-01-01

    A phase fraction chart is a graphical representation of the amount of each phase present in a system as a function of temperature, composition or other variable. Examples are phase fraction versus temperature charts used to characterize specific alloys and as a teaching tool in elementary texts, and Schaeffler diagrams used to predict the amount of ferrite in stainless steel welds. Isothermal-transformation diagrams (TTT diagrams) are examples that give phase (or microconstituent) amount versus temperature and time. The purpose of this communication is to discuss the properties of two-dimensional phase fraction charts in more general terms than have been reported before. It is shown that they can represent multi-component, multiphase equilibria in a way which is easier to read and which contains more information than the isotherms and isopleths of multi-component phase diagrams

  8. Local gas- and liquid-phase measurements for air-water two-phase flows in a rectangular channel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, X.; Sun, X.; Williams, M.; Fu, Y.; Liu, Y.

    2014-01-01

    Local gas- and liquid-phase measurements of various gas-liquid two-phase flows, including bubbly, cap-bubbly, slug, and churn-turbulent flows, were performed in an acrylic vertical channel with a rectangular cross section of 30 mm x 10 mm and height of 3.0 m. All the measurements were carried out at three measurement elevations along the flow channel, with z/D h = 9, 72, and 136, respectively, to study the flow development. The gas-phase velocity, void fraction, and bubble number frequency were measured using a double-sensor conductivity probe. A high-speed imaging system was utilized to perform the flow regime visualization and to provide additional quantitative information of the two-phase flow structure. An image processing scheme was developed to obtain the gas-phase velocity, void fraction, Sauter mean diameter, bubble number density, and interfacial area concentration. The liquid-phase velocity and turbulence measurements were conducted using a particle image velocimetry-planar laser-induced fluorescence (PIV-PLIF) system, which enables whole-field and high-resolution data acquisition. An optical phase separation method, which uses fluorescent particles and optical filtration technique, is adopted to extract the velocity information of the liquid phase. An image pre-processing scheme is imposed on the raw PIV images acquired to remove noises due to the presence of bubble residuals and optically distorted particles in the images captured by the PIV-PLIF system. Due to the better light access and less bubble distortion in the narrow rectangular channel, the PIV-PLIF system were able to perform reasonably well in flows of even higher void fractions as compared to the situations with circular pipe test sections. The flow conditions being studied covered various flow regime transitions, void fractions, and liquid-phase flow Reynolds numbers. The obtained experimental data can also be used to validate two-phase CFD results. (author)

  9. Properties of hadronic matter near the phase transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noronha-Hostler, Jacquelyn

    2010-01-01

    According to Hagedorn, hadrons should follow an exponential mass spectrum, which the known hadrons follow only up to masses of M∼2 GeV. Beyond this point the mass spectrum is flat, which indicates that there are ''missing'' hadrons, that could potentially contribute significantly to experimental observables. In this thesis I investigate the influence of these ''missing'' Hagedorn states on various experimental signatures of QGP. Strangeness enhancement is considered a signal for QGP because hadronic interactions (even including multi-mesonic reactions) underpredict the hadronic yields (especially for strange particles) at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, RHIC. We show here that the missing Hagedorn states provide extra degrees of freedom that can contribute to fast chemical equilibration times for a hadron gas. We develop a dynamical scheme in which possible Hagedorn states contribute to fast chemical equilibration times of X anti X pairs (where X=p, K, Λ, or Ω) inside a hadron gas and just below the critical temperature. Within this scheme, we use master equations and derive various analytical estimates for the chemical equilibration times. Applying a Bjorken picture to the expanding fireball, the hadrons can, indeed, quickly chemically equilibrate for both an initial overpopulation or underpopulation of Hagedorn resonances. Our hadron resonance gas model, including the additional Hagedorn states, is used to obtain an upper bound on the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio, η/s, of hadronic matter near T c that is close to 1/(4/π). We show how the measured particle ratios can be used to provide non-trivial information about T c of the QCD phase transition. This is obtained by including the effects of highly massive Hagedorn resonances on statistical models, which are generally used to describe hadronic yields. The inclusion of the ''missing'' Hagedorn states creates a dependence of the thermal fits on the Hagedorn temperature, T H , and leads to a

  10. Public information and education in Canada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Macpherson, J.A.

    1993-01-01

    The history of providing public information on nuclear energy in Canada for more than 40 years is described. Information centers are part of all nuclear power plants and they receive many thousands of visitors each year. Until the 1970s public information programs were relatively easy. There was a lot of interest in nuclear energy, and there was little debate about it or opposition to it. But times have changed, and Canadian public information strategies and tactics have evolved to meet challenge of answering increasing public concerns. In the past 20 years Canada has gone through three phases in relationship with the public: information, communication, participation. Activities on implementation of these phases are outlined

  11. Quantum Walks on the Line with Phase Parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villagra, Marcos; Nakanishi, Masaki; Yamashita, Shigeru; Nakashima, Yasuhiko

    In this paper, a study on discrete-time coined quantum walks on the line is presented. Clear mathematical foundations are still lacking for this quantum walk model. As a step toward this objective, the following question is being addressed: Given a graph, what is the probability that a quantum walk arrives at a given vertex after some number of steps? This is a very natural question, and for random walks it can be answered by several different combinatorial arguments. For quantum walks this is a highly non-trivial task. Furthermore, this was only achieved before for one specific coin operator (Hadamard operator) for walks on the line. Even considering only walks on lines, generalizing these computations to a general SU(2) coin operator is a complex task. The main contribution is a closed-form formula for the amplitudes of the state of the walk (which includes the question above) for a general symmetric SU(2) operator for walks on the line. To this end, a coin operator with parameters that alters the phase of the state of the walk is defined. Then, closed-form solutions are computed by means of Fourier analysis and asymptotic approximation methods. We also present some basic properties of the walk which can be deducted using weak convergence theorems for quantum walks. In particular, the support of the induced probability distribution of the walk is calculated. Then, it is shown how changing the parameters in the coin operator affects the resulting probability distribution.

  12. Fundamentals of ultrasonic phased arrays

    CERN Document Server

    Schmerr, Lester W

    2014-01-01

    This book describes in detail the physical and mathematical foundations of ultrasonic phased array measurements.?The book uses linear systems theory to develop a comprehensive model of the signals and images that can be formed with phased arrays. Engineers working in the field of ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) will find in this approach a wealth of information on how to design, optimize and interpret ultrasonic inspections with phased arrays. The fundamentals and models described in the book will also be of significant interest to other fields, including the medical ultrasound and

  13. Canonical path integral measures for Holst and Plebanski gravity: I. Reduced phase space derivation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engle, Jonathan; Han Muxin; Thiemann, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    An important aspect in defining a path integral quantum theory is the determination of the correct measure. For interacting theories and theories with constraints, this is non-trivial, and is normally not the heuristic 'Lebesgue measure' usually used. There have been many determinations of a measure for gravity in the literature, but none for the Palatini or Holst formulations of gravity. Furthermore, the relations between different resulting measures for different formulations of gravity are usually not discussed. In this paper we use the reduced phase technique in order to derive the path-integral measure for the Palatini and Holst formulation of gravity, which is different from the Lebesgue measure up to local measure factors which depend on the spacetime volume element and spatial volume element. From this path integral for the Holst formulation of general relativity we can also give a new derivation of the Plebanski path integral and discover a discrepancy with the result due to Buffenoir, Henneaux, Noui and Roche whose origin we resolve. This paper is the first in a series that aims at better understanding the relation between canonical loop quantum gravity and the spin-foam approach.

  14. Characterizing the correlations between local phase fractions of gas���liquid two-phase flow with wire-mesh sensor

    OpenAIRE

    Tan, C.; Liu, W. L.; Dong, F.

    2016-01-01

    Understanding of flow patterns and their transitions is significant to uncover the flow mechanics of two-phase flow. The local phase distribution and its fluctuations contain rich information regarding the flow structures. A wire-mesh sensor (WMS) was used to study the local phase fluctuations of horizontal gas���liquid two-phase flow, which was verified through comparing the reconstructed three-dimensional flow structure with photographs taken during the experiments. Each crossing point of t...

  15. Do men with prostate cancer and their partners receive the information they need for optimal illness self-management in the immediate post-diagnostic phase?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levesque, Janelle V; Lambert, Sylvie D; Girgis, Afaf; Turner, Jane; McElduff, Patrick; Kayser, Karen

    2015-01-01

    To (a) determine whether the information provided to men with prostate cancer and their partners in the immediate postdiagnostic phase met their needs; and (b) examine patient and partner satisfaction with the information received. Pre-intervention survey data from a pilot randomized controlled trial of a self-directed coping skills intervention involving 42 patients with prostate cancer, and their partners were collected to examine their psychosocial concerns/needs. The main concerns for patients and partners were psychosocial in nature such as managing emotions, concern about the future, and losing control. Overall, patients and partners received most information about tests and treatment options. Partners reported receiving significantly less information about support services ( P = 0.03) and self-care strategies ( P = 0.03) compared to patients. Partners also reported being significantly less satisfied with the information they received ( P = 0.007). Whereas medical information is routinely given, patients and partners may benefit from greater information about psychosocial issues arising from cancer. Despite increased recognition of partner's information needs these still remain unmet.

  16. Do men with prostate cancer and their partners receive the information they need for optimal illness self-management in the immediate post-diagnostic phase?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janelle V Levesque

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To (a determine whether the information provided to men with prostate cancer and their partners in the immediate postdiagnostic phase met their needs; and (b examine patient and partner satisfaction with the information received. Methods: Pre-intervention survey data from a pilot randomized controlled trial of a self-directed coping skills intervention involving 42 patients with prostate cancer, and their partners were collected to examine their psychosocial concerns/needs. Results: The main concerns for patients and partners were psychosocial in nature such as managing emotions, concern about the future, and losing control. Overall, patients and partners received most information about tests and treatment options. Partners reported receiving significantly less information about support services (P = 0.03 and self-care strategies (P = 0.03 compared to patients. Partners also reported being significantly less satisfied with the information they received (P = 0.007. Conclusions: Whereas medical information is routinely given, patients and partners may benefit from greater information about psychosocial issues arising from cancer. Despite increased recognition of partner′s information needs these still remain unmet.

  17. Phase measurements of very-low-frequency signals from the magnetosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paschal, E.V.

    1988-01-01

    The usual methods of spectrum analysis applied to analog tape recordings of very low frequency (VLF) signals extract only magnitude information and ignore phase information. A digital signal-processing system using a recorded constant-frequency pilot tone was developed that can correct tape errors due to wow and flutter, and reconstruct the signal phases. Frequency shifts are corrected during analysis by interpolating between spectral points in the windowed Fourier transform, and the output phases of the synthesized filters are corrected for timing errors. Having signal-component phases as well as magnitudes doubles the available information. Whistler-mode signals from the VLF transmitter at Siple Station, Antarctica, were analyzed as received at Roberval, Quebec. The phase of a non-growing signal is found to give a less-noisy measure of duct motion than Doppler frequency shift, with improved time resolution. Correlations are seen between variations in the whistler-mode phase delay and the earth's magnetic field component D. They are interpreted as Pc 2 micropulsation transients, short compared to the length of the field line, which propagate from equator to ground as Alfven waves

  18. RPPAML/RIMS: a metadata format and an information management system for reverse phase protein arrays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanislaus, Romesh; Carey, Mark; Deus, Helena F; Coombes, Kevin; Hennessy, Bryan T; Mills, Gordon B; Almeida, Jonas S

    2008-12-22

    Reverse Phase Protein Arrays (RPPA) are convenient assay platforms to investigate the presence of biomarkers in tissue lysates. As with other high-throughput technologies, substantial amounts of analytical data are generated. Over 1,000 samples may be printed on a single nitrocellulose slide. Up to 100 different proteins may be assessed using immunoperoxidase or immunoflorescence techniques in order to determine relative amounts of protein expression in the samples of interest. In this report an RPPA Information Management System (RIMS) is described and made available with open source software. In order to implement the proposed system, we propose a metadata format known as reverse phase protein array markup language (RPPAML). RPPAML would enable researchers to describe, document and disseminate RPPA data. The complexity of the data structure needed to describe the results and the graphic tools necessary to visualize them require a software deployment distributed between a client and a server application. This was achieved without sacrificing interoperability between individual deployments through the use of an open source semantic database, S3DB. This data service backbone is available to multiple client side applications that can also access other server side deployments. The RIMS platform was designed to interoperate with other data analysis and data visualization tools such as Cytoscape. The proposed RPPAML data format hopes to standardize RPPA data. Standardization of data would result in diverse client applications being able to operate on the same set of data. Additionally, having data in a standard format would enable data dissemination and data analysis.

  19. RPPAML/RIMS: A metadata format and an information management system for reverse phase protein arrays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hennessy Bryan T

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Reverse Phase Protein Arrays (RPPA are convenient assay platforms to investigate the presence of biomarkers in tissue lysates. As with other high-throughput technologies, substantial amounts of analytical data are generated. Over 1000 samples may be printed on a single nitrocellulose slide. Up to 100 different proteins may be assessed using immunoperoxidase or immunoflorescence techniques in order to determine relative amounts of protein expression in the samples of interest. Results In this report an RPPA Information Management System (RIMS is described and made available with open source software. In order to implement the proposed system, we propose a metadata format known as reverse phase protein array markup language (RPPAML. RPPAML would enable researchers to describe, document and disseminate RPPA data. The complexity of the data structure needed to describe the results and the graphic tools necessary to visualize them require a software deployment distributed between a client and a server application. This was achieved without sacrificing interoperability between individual deployments through the use of an open source semantic database, S3DB. This data service backbone is available to multiple client side applications that can also access other server side deployments. The RIMS platform was designed to interoperate with other data analysis and data visualization tools such as Cytoscape. Conclusion The proposed RPPAML data format hopes to standardize RPPA data. Standardization of data would result in diverse client applications being able to operate on the same set of data. Additionally, having data in a standard format would enable data dissemination and data analysis.

  20. Single-Receiver GPS Phase Bias Resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertiger, William I.; Haines, Bruce J.; Weiss, Jan P.; Harvey, Nathaniel E.

    2010-01-01

    Existing software has been modified to yield the benefits of integer fixed double-differenced GPS-phased ambiguities when processing data from a single GPS receiver with no access to any other GPS receiver data. When the double-differenced combination of phase biases can be fixed reliably, a significant improvement in solution accuracy is obtained. This innovation uses a large global set of GPS receivers (40 to 80 receivers) to solve for the GPS satellite orbits and clocks (along with any other parameters). In this process, integer ambiguities are fixed and information on the ambiguity constraints is saved. For each GPS transmitter/receiver pair, the process saves the arc start and stop times, the wide-lane average value for the arc, the standard deviation of the wide lane, and the dual-frequency phase bias after bias fixing for the arc. The second step of the process uses the orbit and clock information, the bias information from the global solution, and only data from the single receiver to resolve double-differenced phase combinations. It is called "resolved" instead of "fixed" because constraints are introduced into the problem with a finite data weight to better account for possible errors. A receiver in orbit has much shorter continuous passes of data than a receiver fixed to the Earth. The method has parameters to account for this. In particular, differences in drifting wide-lane values must be handled differently. The first step of the process is automated, using two JPL software sets, Longarc and Gipsy-Oasis. The resulting orbit/clock and bias information files are posted on anonymous ftp for use by any licensed Gipsy-Oasis user. The second step is implemented in the Gipsy-Oasis executable, gd2p.pl, which automates the entire process, including fetching the information from anonymous ftp

  1. Computational Phase Imaging for Biomedical Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Tan Huu

    When a sample is illuminated by an imaging field, its fingerprints are left on the amplitude and the phase of the emerging wave. Capturing the information of the wavefront grants us a deeper understanding of the optical properties of the sample, and of the light-matter interaction. While the amplitude information has been intensively studied, the use of the phase information has been less common. Because all detectors are sensitive to intensity, not phase, wavefront measurements are significantly more challenging. Deploying optical interferometry to measure phase through phase-intensity conversion, quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has recently gained tremendous success in material and life sciences. The first topic of this dissertation describes our effort to develop a new QPI setup, named transmission Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (tSLIM), that uses the twisted nematic liquid-crystal (TNLC) modulators. Compared to the established SLIM technique, tSLIM is much less expensive to build than its predecessor (SLIM) while maintaining significant performance. The tSLIM system uses parallel aligned liquid-crystal (PANLC) modulators, has a slightly smaller signal-to-noise Ratio (SNR), and a more complicated model for the image formation. However, such complexity is well addressed by computing. Most importantly, tSLIM uses TNLC modulators that are popular in display LCDs. Therefore, the total cost of the system is significantly reduced. Alongside developing new imaging modalities, we also improved current QPI imaging systems. In practice, an incident field to the sample is rarely perfectly spatially coherent, i.e., plane wave. It is generally partially coherent; i.e., it comprises of many incoherent plane waves coming from multiple directions. This illumination yields artifacts in the phase measurement results, e.g., halo and phase-underestimation. One solution is using a very bright source, e.g., a laser, which can be spatially filtered very well. However, the

  2. Agent review phase one report.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zubelewicz, Alex Tadeusz; Davis, Christopher Edward; Bauer, Travis LaDell

    2009-12-01

    This report summarizes the findings for phase one of the agent review and discusses the review methods and results. The phase one review identified a short list of agent systems that would prove most useful in the service architecture of an information management, analysis, and retrieval system. Reviewers evaluated open-source and commercial multi-agent systems and scored them based upon viability, uniqueness, ease of development, ease of deployment, and ease of integration with other products. Based on these criteria, reviewers identified the ten most appropriate systems. The report also mentions several systems that reviewers deemed noteworthy for the ideas they implement, even if those systems are not the best choices for information management purposes.

  3. Thermal stability and phase transformation of metastable phases in Zr-Nb

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aurelio, G.; Fernandez Guillermet, Armando

    2003-01-01

    The lattice parameters of the bcc (β) and (Ω) phases occurring metastability in a series of Zr-rich Zr-Nb alloys have been determined at and above room temperature (TR) using neutron diffraction techniques. In the first place, the effect of temperature changes upon the lattice parameters of the β and Ω phases in alloys with 10 and 18 at. % Nb was monitored using neutron thermo-diffraction. A method of analysis is applied to the data, which involve a confrontation between the observed structural properties and an idealized -or 'reference'- behavior (RB) which admits a simple mathematical description. A generalized form of the law of Vegard is adopted as RB for the β phase, whereas a specific RB is proposed for the Ω structure. The experimental data are well accounted for by this interpretation scheme, leading to a picture of the isothermal reactions occurring at high temperature, which involves the transfer of Nb from the Ω to the β phase. Finally, the neutron diffraction data on the Ω phase is combined with an electron microscopy study for the alloy with 10 at. % Nb aged at 773 K, which provides information on the composition of this phase and its evolution towards thermodynamic equilibrium. (author)

  4. Phase analysis of NK-bar scattering and Λ-hyperon magnetic moment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikitiu, F.

    1987-01-01

    The NK-bar-scattering S matrix is suggested to have the P 01 -channel pole which corresponds to Λ-hyperon. The Λ-hyperon magnetic moment is calculated. Its value ''arises'' only due to nucleon magnetic moments and N and K-bar nontrivial relativistic coupling in the P 01 -channel. This is one more method to the quark model methods. The calculations are in agreement with the experimental value of μΛ

  5. X-ray qualitative analysis of low concentration phases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brusilovskii, B.A.; Khaet, L.G.

    1993-01-01

    The identification of low concentration phases (LCP) situated at the detection limit of x-ray analysis have not been examined sufficiently. The authors have developed a method of qualitative x-ray analysis of LCPs of the first order (carbides and certain intermetallic compounds) in a multiphase system. X-ray examination of the LCPs consists of analysis of a priori information and formation of the information data on the basis of the profile of the diffraction line with subsequent processing using the F-criterion (Fischer's criterion). If the phase is not detected, consecutive analysis with build up of information is pursued. Results are presented of a successive qualitative phase analysis of a region of quenched layer of a roll situated 10 mm from the surface. Carbide phases were identified in the quenched layer of the roll up to 15 mm deep and in the transition zone 15-35 mm. The proposed method was justified physically and statistically, recommendations for practice were given, and the method was tested and is regarded as promising for detecting weak lines in qualitative diffractometric analysis. 12 refs., 3 tabs

  6. Crichton ambiguities with infinitely many partial waves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Atkinson, D.; Kok, L.P.; de Roo, M.

    We construct families of spin less two-particle unitary cross sections that possess a nontrivial discrete phase-shift ambiguity, with in general an infinite number of nonvanishing partial waves. A numerical investigation reveals that some of the previously known finite Crichton ambiguities are

  7. Demonstration of two-phase Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) methods potentiality to give information to averaged models: application to bubbles column

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magdeleine, S.

    2009-11-01

    This work is a part of a long term project that aims at using two-phase Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) in order to give information to averaged models. For now, it is limited to isothermal bubbly flows with no phase change. It could be subdivided in two parts: Firstly, theoretical developments are made in order to build an equivalent of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) for two phase flows called Interfaces and Sub-grid Scales (ISS). After the implementation of the ISS model in our code called Trio U , a set of various cases is used to validate this model. Then, special test are made in order to optimize the model for our particular bubbly flows. Thus we showed the capacity of the ISS model to produce a cheap pertinent solution. Secondly, we use the ISS model to perform simulations of bubbly flows in column. Results of these simulations are averaged to obtain quantities that appear in mass, momentum and interfacial area density balances. Thus, we processed to an a priori test of a complete one dimensional averaged model.We showed that this model predicts well the simplest flows (laminar and monodisperse). Moreover, the hypothesis of one pressure, which is often made in averaged model like CATHARE, NEPTUNE and RELAP5, is satisfied in such flows. At the opposite, without a polydisperse model, the drag is over-predicted and the uncorrelated A i flux needs a closure law. Finally, we showed that in turbulent flows, fluctuations of velocity and pressure in the liquid phase are not represented by the tested averaged model. (author)

  8. Grating-based x-ray differential phase contrast imaging with twin peaks in phase-stepping curves—phase retrieval and dewrapping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Yi; Xie, Huiqiao; Tang, Xiangyang, E-mail: xiangyang.tang@emory.edu [Imaging and Medical Physics, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 1701 Uppergate Dr., C-5018, Atlanta, Georgia 30322 (United States); Cai, Weixing [Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Mao, Hui [Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 1841 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30329 (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: X-ray differential phase contrast CT implemented with Talbot interferometry employs phase-stepping to extract information of x-ray attenuation, phase shift, and small-angle scattering. Since inaccuracy may exist in the absorption grating G{sub 2} due to an imperfect fabrication, the effective period of G{sub 2} can be as large as twice the nominal period, leading to a phenomenon of twin peaks that differ remarkably in their heights. In this work, the authors investigate how to retrieve and dewrap the phase signal from the phase-stepping curve (PSC) with the feature of twin peaks for x-ray phase contrast imaging. Methods: Based on the paraxial Fresnel–Kirchhoff theory, the analytical formulae to characterize the phenomenon of twin peaks in the PSC are derived. Then an approach to dewrap the retrieved phase signal by jointly using the phases of the first- and second-order Fourier components is proposed. Through an experimental investigation using a prototype x-ray phase contrast imaging system implemented with Talbot interferometry, the authors evaluate and verify the derived analytic formulae and the proposed approach for phase retrieval and dewrapping. Results: According to theoretical analysis, the twin-peak phenomenon in PSC is a consequence of combined effects, including the inaccuracy in absorption grating G{sub 2}, mismatch between phase grating and x-ray source spectrum, and finite size of x-ray tube’s focal spot. The proposed approach is experimentally evaluated by scanning a phantom consisting of organic materials and a lab mouse. The preliminary data show that compared to scanning G{sub 2} over only one single nominal period and correcting the measured phase signal with an intuitive phase dewrapping method that is being used in the field, stepping G{sub 2} over twice its nominal period and dewrapping the measured phase signal with the proposed approach can significantly improve the quality of x-ray differential phase contrast imaging in both

  9. Binary multiplexing and the phase-retrieval problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghiglia, D.C.

    1982-01-01

    A binary-mask multiplexing method is developed that provides a means of recovering phase information unambiguously from measurements of the modulus of masked complex waves in the object and image planes, respectively. The technique is developed from Fourier-transform theory and combinatorial analysis and is derived for both the continuous case (optical-digital-hybrid implementation) and the totally discrete case (digital computer simulation). Computer simulations provide unambiguous recovery of phase information and indicate that the matrix equations are reasonably well conditioned for cases of practical significance

  10. Compact, common path quantitative phase microscopic techniques ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-01-05

    refractive index information as a change in intensity). ... phase imaging method which provides information about the optical thickness of live .... index values of the material of the glass bead and the surrounding medium was ...

  11. Environmental information volume: Liquid Phase Methanol (LPMEOH{trademark}) project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-05-01

    The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the commercial viability of the Liquid Phase Methanol Process using coal-derived synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This report describes the proposed actions, alternative to the proposed action, the existing environment at the coal gasification plant at Kingsport, Tennessee, environmental impacts, regulatory requirements, offsite fuel testing, and DME addition to methanol production. Appendices include the air permit application, solid waste permits, water permit, existing air permits, agency correspondence, and Eastman and Air Products literature.

  12. Environmental information volume: Liquid Phase Methanol (LPMEOH trademark) project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-05-01

    The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the commercial viability of the Liquid Phase Methanol Process using coal-derived synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This report describes the proposed actions, alternative to the proposed action, the existing environment at the coal gasification plant at Kingsport, Tennessee, environmental impacts, regulatory requirements, offsite fuel testing, and DME addition to methanol production. Appendices include the air permit application, solid waste permits, water permit, existing air permits, agency correspondence, and Eastman and Air Products literature

  13. Quench dynamics of topological maximally entangled states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Ming-Chiang; Jhu, Yi-Hao; Chen, Pochung; Mou, Chung-Yu

    2013-07-17

    We investigate the quench dynamics of the one-particle entanglement spectra (OPES) for systems with topologically nontrivial phases. By using dimerized chains as an example, it is demonstrated that the evolution of OPES for the quenched bipartite systems is governed by an effective Hamiltonian which is characterized by a pseudospin in a time-dependent pseudomagnetic field S(k,t). The existence and evolution of the topological maximally entangled states (tMESs) are determined by the winding number of S(k,t) in the k-space. In particular, the tMESs survive only if nontrivial Berry phases are induced by the winding of S(k,t). In the infinite-time limit the equilibrium OPES can be determined by an effective time-independent pseudomagnetic field Seff(k). Furthermore, when tMESs are unstable, they are destroyed by quasiparticles within a characteristic timescale in proportion to the system size.

  14. Identification method of gas-liquid two-phase flow regime based on image wavelet packet information entropy and genetic neural network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Yunlong; Chen Fei; Sun Bin

    2008-01-01

    Based on the characteristic that wavelet packet transform image can be decomposed by different scales, a flow regime identification method based on image wavelet packet information entropy feature and genetic neural network was proposed. Gas-liquid two-phase flow images were captured by digital high speed video systems in horizontal pipe. The information entropy feature from transformation coefficients were extracted using image processing techniques and multi-resolution analysis. The genetic neural network was trained using those eigenvectors, which was reduced by the principal component analysis, as flow regime samples, and the flow regime intelligent identification was realized. The test result showed that image wavelet packet information entropy feature could excellently reflect the difference between seven typical flow regimes, and the genetic neural network with genetic algorithm and BP algorithm merits were with the characteristics of fast convergence for simulation and avoidance of local minimum. The recognition possibility of the network could reach up to about 100%, and a new and effective method was presented for on-line flow regime. (authors)

  15. Computational Power of Symmetry-Protected Topological Phases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephen, David T; Wang, Dong-Sheng; Prakash, Abhishodh; Wei, Tzu-Chieh; Raussendorf, Robert

    2017-07-07

    We consider ground states of quantum spin chains with symmetry-protected topological (SPT) order as resources for measurement-based quantum computation (MBQC). We show that, for a wide range of SPT phases, the computational power of ground states is uniform throughout each phase. This computational power, defined as the Lie group of executable gates in MBQC, is determined by the same algebraic information that labels the SPT phase itself. We prove that these Lie groups always contain a full set of single-qubit gates, thereby affirming the long-standing conjecture that general SPT phases can serve as computationally useful phases of matter.

  16. The theta/gamma discrete phase code occuring during the hippocampal phase precession may be a more general brain coding scheme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisman, John

    2005-01-01

    In the hippocampus, oscillations in the theta and gamma frequency range occur together and interact in several ways, indicating that they are part of a common functional system. It is argued that these oscillations form a coding scheme that is used in the hippocampus to organize the readout from long-term memory of the discrete sequence of upcoming places, as cued by current position. This readout of place cells has been analyzed in several ways. First, plots of the theta phase of spikes vs. position on a track show a systematic progression of phase as rats run through a place field. This is termed the phase precession. Second, two cells with nearby place fields have a systematic difference in phase, as indicated by a cross-correlation having a peak with a temporal offset that is a significant fraction of a theta cycle. Third, several different decoding algorithms demonstrate the information content of theta phase in predicting the animal's position. It appears that small phase differences corresponding to jitter within a gamma cycle do not carry information. This evidence, together with the finding that principle cells fire preferentially at a given gamma phase, supports the concept of theta/gamma coding: a given place is encoded by the spatial pattern of neurons that fire in a given gamma cycle (the exact timing within a gamma cycle being unimportant); sequential places are encoded in sequential gamma subcycles of the theta cycle (i.e., with different discrete theta phase). It appears that this general form of coding is not restricted to readout of information from long-term memory in the hippocampus because similar patterns of theta/gamma oscillations have been observed in multiple brain regions, including regions involved in working memory and sensory integration. It is suggested that dual oscillations serve a general function: the encoding of multiple units of information (items) in a way that preserves their serial order. The relationship of such coding to

  17. SmartTopo Intelligent Real-Time Topographic Information Collection System, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The SmartTopo SBIR phase I program resulted in the creation of the first technology designed to provide robotic vehicles with the ability to "learn and remember" the...

  18. Tilt shift determinations with spatial-carrier phase-shift method in temporal phase-shift interferometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Qian; Wang, Yang; He, Jianguo; Ji, Fang; Wang, Baorui

    2014-01-01

    An algorithm is proposed to deal with tilt-shift errors in temporal phase-shift interferometry (PSI). In the algorithm, the tilt shifts are detected with the spatial-carrier phase-shift (SCPS) method and then the tilt shifts are applied as priori information to the least-squares fittings of phase retrieval. The algorithm combines the best features of the SCPS and the temporal PSI. The algorithm could be applied to interferograms of arbitrary aperture without data extrapolation for the Fourier transform is not involved. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. The statistics of simulation results show a satisfied accuracy in detecting tilt-shift errors. Comparisons of the measurements with and without environmental vibration show that the proposed algorithm could compensate tilt-shift errors and retrieve wavefront phase accurately. The algorithm provides an approach to retrieve wavefront phase for the temporal PSI in vibrating environment. (paper)

  19. Enhanced phase contrast transfer using ptychography combined with a pre-specimen phase plate in a scanning transmission electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Hao; Ercius, Peter [Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Nellist, Peter D. [Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PH (United Kingdom); Ophus, Colin, E-mail: clophus@lbl.gov [Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

    2016-12-15

    The ability to image light elements in both crystalline and noncrystalline materials at near atomic resolution with an enhanced contrast is highly advantageous to understand the structure and properties of a wide range of beam sensitive materials including biological specimens and molecular hetero-structures. This requires the imaging system to have an efficient phase contrast transfer at both low and high spatial frequencies. In this work we introduce a new phase contrast imaging method in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) using a pre-specimen phase plate in the probe forming aperture, combined with a fast pixelated detector to record diffraction patterns at every probe position, and phase reconstruction using ptychography. The phase plate significantly enhances the contrast transfer of low spatial frequency information, and ptychography maximizes the extraction of the phase information at all spatial frequencies. In addition, the STEM probe with the presence of the phase plate retains its atomic resolution, allowing simultaneous incoherent Z-contrast imaging to be obtained along with the ptychographic phase image. An experimental image of Au nanoparticles on a carbon support shows high contrast for both materials. Multislice image simulations of a DNA molecule shows the capability of imaging soft matter at low dose conditions, which implies potential applications of low dose imaging of a wide range of beam sensitive materials. - Highlights: • This work demonstrates a phase contrast imaging method by combining a pre-specimen phase plate with ptychogrpahy. • This method is shown to have a high phase contrast transfer efficiency at both low and high spatial frequencies. • Unlike CTEM which uses a heavy defocus to gain contrast, the phase plate gives a linear phase contrast at zero defocus aberrations. • Image simulations of DNA suggest this method is highly attractive for imaging beam sensitive materials at a low dose.

  20. PhasePApy: A robust pure Python package for automatic identification of seismic phases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chen; Holland, Austin

    2016-01-01

    We developed a Python phase identification package: the PhasePApy for earthquake data processing and near‐real‐time monitoring. The package takes advantage of the growing number of Python libraries including Obspy. All the data formats supported by Obspy can be supported within the PhasePApy. The PhasePApy has two subpackages: the PhasePicker and the Associator, aiming to identify phase arrival onsets and associate them to phase types, respectively. The PhasePicker and the Associator can work jointly or separately. Three autopickers are implemented in the PhasePicker subpackage: the frequency‐band picker, the Akaike information criteria function derivative picker, and the kurtosis picker. All three autopickers identify picks with the same processing methods but different characteristic functions. The PhasePicker triggers the pick with a dynamic threshold and can declare a pick with false‐pick filtering. Also, the PhasePicker identifies a pick polarity and uncertainty for further seismological analysis, such as focal mechanism determination. Two associators are included in the Associator subpackage: the 1D Associator and 3D Associator, which assign phase types to picks that can best fit potential earthquakes by minimizing root mean square (rms) residuals of the misfits in distance and time, respectively. The Associator processes multiple picks from all channels at a seismic station and aggregates them to increase computational efficiencies. Both associators use travel‐time look up tables to determine the best estimation of the earthquake location and evaluate the phase type for picks. The PhasePApy package has been used extensively for local and regional earthquakes and can work for active source experiments as well.

  1. Financial time series analysis based on effective phase transfer entropy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Pengbo; Shang, Pengjian; Lin, Aijing

    2017-02-01

    Transfer entropy is a powerful technique which is able to quantify the impact of one dynamic system on another system. In this paper, we propose the effective phase transfer entropy method based on the transfer entropy method. We use simulated data to test the performance of this method, and the experimental results confirm that the proposed approach is capable of detecting the information transfer between the systems. We also explore the relationship between effective phase transfer entropy and some variables, such as data size, coupling strength and noise. The effective phase transfer entropy is positively correlated with the data size and the coupling strength. Even in the presence of a large amount of noise, it can detect the information transfer between systems, and it is very robust to noise. Moreover, this measure is indeed able to accurately estimate the information flow between systems compared with phase transfer entropy. In order to reflect the application of this method in practice, we apply this method to financial time series and gain new insight into the interactions between systems. It is demonstrated that the effective phase transfer entropy can be used to detect some economic fluctuations in the financial market. To summarize, the effective phase transfer entropy method is a very efficient tool to estimate the information flow between systems.

  2. Secure quantum private information retrieval using phase-encoded queries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Olejnik, Lukasz [CERN, 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland and Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center, Noskowskiego 12/14, PL-61-704 Poznan (Poland)

    2011-08-15

    We propose a quantum solution to the classical private information retrieval (PIR) problem, which allows one to query a database in a private manner. The protocol offers privacy thresholds and allows the user to obtain information from a database in a way that offers the potential adversary, in this model the database owner, no possibility of deterministically establishing the query contents. This protocol may also be viewed as a solution to the symmetrically private information retrieval problem in that it can offer database security (inability for a querying user to steal its contents). Compared to classical solutions, the protocol offers substantial improvement in terms of communication complexity. In comparison with the recent quantum private queries [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 230502 (2008)] protocol, it is more efficient in terms of communication complexity and the number of rounds, while offering a clear privacy parameter. We discuss the security of the protocol and analyze its strengths and conclude that using this technique makes it challenging to obtain the unconditional (in the information-theoretic sense) privacy degree; nevertheless, in addition to being simple, the protocol still offers a privacy level. The oracle used in the protocol is inspired both by the classical computational PIR solutions as well as the Deutsch-Jozsa oracle.

  3. Secure quantum private information retrieval using phase-encoded queries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olejnik, Lukasz

    2011-01-01

    We propose a quantum solution to the classical private information retrieval (PIR) problem, which allows one to query a database in a private manner. The protocol offers privacy thresholds and allows the user to obtain information from a database in a way that offers the potential adversary, in this model the database owner, no possibility of deterministically establishing the query contents. This protocol may also be viewed as a solution to the symmetrically private information retrieval problem in that it can offer database security (inability for a querying user to steal its contents). Compared to classical solutions, the protocol offers substantial improvement in terms of communication complexity. In comparison with the recent quantum private queries [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 230502 (2008)] protocol, it is more efficient in terms of communication complexity and the number of rounds, while offering a clear privacy parameter. We discuss the security of the protocol and analyze its strengths and conclude that using this technique makes it challenging to obtain the unconditional (in the information-theoretic sense) privacy degree; nevertheless, in addition to being simple, the protocol still offers a privacy level. The oracle used in the protocol is inspired both by the classical computational PIR solutions as well as the Deutsch-Jozsa oracle.

  4. Quantification of flexoelectricity in PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattice polar vortices using machine learning and phase-field modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Q; Nelson, C T; Hsu, S-L; Damodaran, A R; Li, L-L; Yadav, A K; McCarter, M; Martin, L W; Ramesh, R; Kalinin, S V

    2017-11-13

    Flexoelectricity refers to electric polarization generated by heterogeneous mechanical strains, namely strain gradients, in materials of arbitrary crystal symmetries. Despite more than 50 years of work on this effect, an accurate identification of its coupling strength remains an experimental challenge for most materials, which impedes its wide recognition. Here, we show the presence of flexoelectricity in the recently discovered polar vortices in PbTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 superlattices based on a combination of machine-learning analysis of the atomic-scale electron microscopy imaging data and phenomenological phase-field modeling. By scrutinizing the influence of flexocoupling on the global vortex structure, we match theory and experiment using computer vision methodologies to determine the flexoelectric coefficients for PbTiO 3 and SrTiO 3 . Our findings highlight the inherent, nontrivial role of flexoelectricity in the generation of emergent complex polarization morphologies and demonstrate a viable approach to delineating this effect, conducive to the deeper exploration of both topics.

  5. Analysis of mineral phases in coal utilizing factor analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roscoe, B.A.; Hopke, P.K.

    1982-01-01

    The mineral phase inclusions of coal are discussed. The contribution of these to a coal sample are determined utilizing several techniques. Neutron activation analysis in conjunction with coal washability studies have produced some information on the general trends of elemental variation in the mineral phases. These results have been enhanced by the use of various statistical techniques. The target transformation factor analysis is specifically discussed and shown to be able to produce elemental profiles of the mineral phases in coal. A data set consisting of physically fractionated coal samples was generated. These samples were analyzed by neutron activation analysis and then their elemental concentrations examined using TTFA. Information concerning the mineral phases in coal can thus be acquired from factor analysis even with limited data. Additional data may permit the resolution of additional mineral phases as well as refinement of theose already identified

  6. Use of phase-locking value in sensorimotor rhythm-based brain-computer interface: zero-phase coupling and effects of spatial filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jian, Wenjuan; Chen, Minyou; McFarland, Dennis J

    2017-11-01

    Phase-locking value (PLV) is a potentially useful feature in sensorimotor rhythm-based brain-computer interface (BCI). However, volume conduction may cause spurious zero-phase coupling between two EEG signals and it is not clear whether PLV effects are independent of spectral amplitude. Volume conduction might be reduced by spatial filtering, but it is uncertain what impact this might have on PLV. Therefore, the goal of this study was to explore whether zero-phase PLV is meaningful and how it is affected by spatial filtering. Both amplitude and PLV feature were extracted in the frequency band of 10-15 Hz by classical methods using archival EEG data of 18 subjects trained on a two-target BCI task. The results show that with right ear-referenced data, there is meaningful long-range zero-phase synchronization likely involving the primary motor area and the supplementary motor area that cannot be explained by volume conduction. Another novel finding is that the large Laplacian spatial filter enhances the amplitude feature but eliminates most of the phase information seen in ear-referenced data. A bipolar channel using phase-coupled areas also includes both phase and amplitude information and has a significant practical advantage since fewer channels required.

  7. Power inverter implementing phase skipping control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Somani, Utsav; Amirahmadi, Ahmadreza; Jourdan, Charles; Batarseh, Issa

    2016-10-18

    A power inverter includes a DC/AC inverter having first, second and third phase circuitry coupled to receive power from a power source. A controller is coupled to a driver for each of the first, second and third phase circuitry (control input drivers). The controller includes an associated memory storing a phase skipping control algorithm, wherein the controller is coupled to receive updating information including a power level generated by the power source. The drivers are coupled to control inputs of the first, second and third phase circuitry, where the drivers are configured for receiving phase skipping control signals from the controller and outputting mode selection signals configured to dynamically select an operating mode for the DC/AC inverter from a Normal Control operation and a Phase Skipping Control operation which have different power injection patterns through the first, second and third phase circuitry depending upon the power level.

  8. Anticipatory phase correction in sensorimotor synchronization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Repp, Bruno H; Moseley, Gordon P

    2012-10-01

    Studies of phase correction in sensorimotor synchronization often introduce timing perturbations that are unpredictable with regard to direction, magnitude, and position in the stimulus sequence. If participants knew any or all of these parameters in advance, would they be able to anticipate perturbations and thus regain synchrony more quickly? In Experiment 1, we asked musically trained participants to tap in synchrony with short isochronous tone sequences containing a phase shift (PS) of -100, -40, 40, or 100 ms and provided advance information about its direction, position, or both (but not about its magnitude). The first two conditions had little effect, but in the third condition participants shifted their tap in anticipation of the PS, though only by about ±40 ms on average. The phase correction response to the residual PS was also enhanced. In Experiment 2, we provided complete advance information about PSs of various magnitudes either at the time of the immediately preceding tone ("late") or at the time of the tone one position back ("early") while also varying sequence tempo. Anticipatory phase correction was generally conservative and was impeded by fast tempo in the "late" condition. At fast tempi in both conditions, advancing a tap was more difficult than delaying a tap. The results indicate that temporal constraints on anticipatory phase correction resemble those on reactive phase correction. While the latter is usually automatic, this study shows that phase correction can also be controlled consciously for anticipatory purposes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Assessment of autonomous phase unwrapping of isochromatic ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    An excellent summary of phase unwrapping techniques applied to ... to fully exploit the advantage of these new developments, in this paper, ..... Madhu K R, Ramesh K 2007 New boundary information encoding and auto ... Ramesh K, Mangal S K 1999 Phase-shifting calculations in 2-D photoelasticity: revisited. J. Aero-.

  10. Majorana bound states in two-channel time-reversal-symmetric nanowire systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gaidamauskas, Erikas; Paaske, Jens; Flensberg, Karsten

    2014-01-01

    We consider time-reversal-symmetric two-channel semiconducting quantum wires proximity coupled to a conventional s-wave superconductor. We analyze the requirements for a non-trivial topological phase, and find that necessary conditions are 1) the determinant of the pairing matrix in channel space...

  11. SGA Phase 2 Assessed Reaches

    Data.gov (United States)

    Vermont Center for Geographic Information — The stream geomorphic assessment (SGA) is a physical assessment competed by geomorphologists to determine the condition and sensitivity of a stream. The Phase 2 SGA...

  12. SGA Phase 1 Assessed Reaches

    Data.gov (United States)

    Vermont Center for Geographic Information — The stream geomorphic assessment (SGA) is a physical assessment competed by geomorphologists to determine the condition and sensitivity of a stream. The Phase 1 SGA...

  13. Majorana splitting from critical currents in Josephson junctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cayao, Jorge; San-Jose, Pablo; Black-Schaffer, Annica M.; Aguado, Ramón; Prada, Elsa

    2017-11-01

    A semiconducting nanowire with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling and coupled to a superconductor can be tuned by an external Zeeman field into a topological phase with Majorana zero modes. Here we theoretically investigate how this exotic topological superconductor phase manifests in Josephson junctions based on such proximitized nanowires. In particular, we focus on critical currents in the short junction limit (LN≪ξ , where LN is the junction length and ξ is the superconducting coherence length) and show that they contain important information about nontrivial topology and Majoranas. This includes signatures of the gap inversion at the topological transition and a unique oscillatory pattern that originates from Majorana interference. Interestingly, this pattern can be modified by tuning the transmission across the junction, thus providing complementary evidence of Majoranas and their energy splittings beyond standard tunnel spectroscopy experiments, while offering further tunability by virtue of the Josephson effect.

  14. What types of investors generate the two-phase phenomenon?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryu, Doojin

    2013-12-01

    We examine the two-phase phenomenon described by Plerou, Gopikrishnan, and Stanley (2003) [1] in the KOSPI 200 options market, one of the most liquid options markets in the world. By analysing a unique intraday dataset that contains information about investor type for each trade and quote, we find that the two-phase phenomenon is generated primarily by domestic individual investors, who are generally considered to be uninformed and noisy traders. In contrast, our empirical results indicate that trades by foreign institutions, who are generally considered informed and sophisticated investors, do not exhibit two-phase behaviour.

  15. Power Based Phase-Locked Loop Under Adverse Conditions with Moving Average Filter for Single-Phase System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Menxi Xie

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available High performance synchronization methord is citical for grid connected power converter. For single-phase system, power based phase-locked loop(pPLL uses a multiplier as phase detector(PD. As single-phase grid voltage is distorted, the phase error information contains ac disturbances oscillating at integer multiples of fundamental frequency which lead to detection error. This paper presents a new scheme based on moving average filter(MAF applied in-loop of pPLL. The signal characteristic of phase error is dissussed in detail. A predictive rule is adopted to compensate the delay induced by MAF, thus achieving fast dynamic response. In the case of frequency deviate from nomimal, estimated frequency is fed back to adjust the filter window length of MAF and buffer size of predictive rule. Simulation and experimental results show that proposed PLL achieves good performance under adverse grid conditions.

  16. Source reconstruction using phase space beam summation technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graubart, Gideon.

    1990-10-01

    In this work, the phase-space beam summation technique (PSBS), is applied to back propagation and inverse source problems. The PSBS expresses the field as a superposition of shifted and tilted beams. This phase space spectrum of beams is matched to the source distribution via an amplitude function which expresses the local spectrum of the source function in terms of a local Fourier transform. In this work, the emphasis is on the phase space processing of the data, on the information content of this data and on the back propagation scheme. More work is still required to combine this back propagation approach in a full, multi experiment inverse scattering scheme. It is shown that the phase space distribution of the data, computed via the local spectrum transform, is localized along lines that define the local arrival direction of the wave data. We explore how the choice of the beam width affects the compactification of this distribution, and derive criteria for choosing a window that optimizes this distribution. It should be emphasized that compact distribution implies fewer beams in the back propagation scheme and therefore higher numerical efficiency and better physical insight. Furthermore it is shown how the local information property of the phase space representation can be used to improve the performance of this simple back propagation problem, in particular with regard to axial resolution; the distance to the source can be determined by back propagating only the large angle phase space beams that focus on the source. The information concerning transverse distribution of the source, on the other hand, is contained in the axial phase space region and can therefore be determined by the corresponding back propagating beams. Because of the global nature of the plane waves propagators the conventional plane wave back propagation scheme does not have the same 'focusing' property, and therefore suffers from lack of information localization and axial resolution. The

  17. Phase transition in finite systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chomaz, Ph.; Duflot, V.; Duflot, V.; Gulminelli, F.

    2000-01-01

    In this paper we present a review of selected aspects of Phase transitions in finite systems applied in particular to the liquid-gas phase transition in nuclei. We show that the problem of the non existence of boundary conditions can be solved by introducing a statistical ensemble with an averaged constrained volume. In such an ensemble the microcanonical heat capacity becomes negative in the transition region. We show that the caloric curve explicitly depends on the considered transformation of the volume with the excitation energy and so does not bear direct informations on the characteristics of the phase transition. Conversely, partial energy fluctuations are demonstrated to be a direct measure of the equation of state. Since the heat capacity has a negative branch in the phase transition region, the presence of abnormally large kinetic energy fluctuations is a signal of the liquid gas phase transition. (author)

  18. Phase relationships in Cu-rich corner of the Cu-Cr-Zr phase diagram

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeng, K.J.; Haemaelaeinen, M.; Lilius, K.

    1995-01-01

    In the available experimental information on the Cu-Cr-Zr ternary system, there exist different opinions concerning the phase relationships in the Cu-rich corner of Cu-Cr-Zr phase diagram. Glazov et al. and Zakharov et al. investigated the Cu-rich corner of the Cu-Cr-Zr phase diagram within the composition range up to 3.5 Cr and 3.5 Zr (wt. %). A quasi-eutectic reaction L → (Cu) + αCr 2 Zr was observed to occur at 1,020 C and several isothermal sections were constructed within the temperature range from 600 to 1,000 C to show the (Cu)-αCr 2 Zr two phase equilibrium. Therefore, a pseudobinary Cu-Cr 2 Zr system was supposed. Afterwards, Dawakatsu et al, Fedorov et al, and Kuznetsov et al studied the cu-rich corner of the phase diagram in a wider composition range up to 5 Cr and 20 Zr (at.%). Contrary to Glazov et al. and Zakharov et al., they found no Cr 2 Zr phase in their samples. Hence, the pseudobinary Cu-Cr 2 Zr system does not exist. In this study an experimental investigation is presented on the phase relationships in Cu-rich corner of the Cu-Cr-Zr phase diagram at 940 C in order to clear up the confusion

  19. High pressure phase transformations revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levitas, Valery I.

    2018-04-01

    theories, and (d) to couple experimental, theoretical, and computational studies of the behavior of a tested sample to extract information about fields of stress and strain tensors and concentration of high pressure phase, transformation criteria and kinetics. The ideal characterization should contain complete information which is required for simulation of the same experiments.

  20. High pressure phase transformations revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levitas, Valery I

    2018-04-25

    theories, and (d) to couple experimental, theoretical, and computational studies of the behavior of a tested sample to extract information about fields of stress and strain tensors and concentration of high pressure phase, transformation criteria and kinetics. The ideal characterization should contain complete information which is required for simulation of the same experiments.

  1. Determination of electron bunch shape using transition radiation and phase-energy measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crosson, E.R.; Berryman, K.W.; Richman, B.A.

    1995-01-01

    We present data comparing microbunch temporal information obtained from electron beam phase-energy measurements with that obtained from transition radiation auto-correlation measurements. The data was taken to resolve some of the ambiguities in previous transition radiation results. By measuring the energy spectrum of the electron beam as a function of its phase relative to the accelerating field, phase-energy information was extracted. This data was analyzed using tomographic techniques to reconstruct the phase-space distribution assuming an electron energy dependence of E(var-phi) = E o + E acc cos(var-phi), where E o is the energy of an electron entering the field, E acc is the peak energy gain, and var-phi is the phase between the crest of the RF wave and an electron. Temporal information about the beam was obtained from the phase space distribution by taking the one dimensional projection along the time axis. We discuss the use of this technique to verify other transition radiation analysis methods

  2. Determination of electron bunch shape using transition radiation and phase-energy measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crosson, E.R.; Berryman, K.W.; Richman, B.A. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)] [and others

    1995-12-31

    We present data comparing microbunch temporal information obtained from electron beam phase-energy measurements with that obtained from transition radiation auto-correlation measurements. The data was taken to resolve some of the ambiguities in previous transition radiation results. By measuring the energy spectrum of the electron beam as a function of its phase relative to the accelerating field, phase-energy information was extracted. This data was analyzed using tomographic techniques to reconstruct the phase-space distribution assuming an electron energy dependence of E({var_phi}) = E{sub o} + E{sub acc}cos({var_phi}), where E{sub o} is the energy of an electron entering the field, E{sub acc} is the peak energy gain, and {var_phi} is the phase between the crest of the RF wave and an electron. Temporal information about the beam was obtained from the phase space distribution by taking the one dimensional projection along the time axis. We discuss the use of this technique to verify other transition radiation analysis methods.

  3. Hybrid Reactor Simulation and 3-D Information Display of BWR Out-of-Phase Oscillation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edwards, Robert; Huang, Zhengyu

    2001-01-01

    The real-time hybrid reactor simulation (HRS) capability of the Penn State TRIGA reactor has been expanded for boiling water reactor (BWR) out-of-phase behavior. During BWR out-of-phase oscillation half of the core can significantly oscillate out of phase with the other half, while the average power reported by the neutronic instrumentation may show a much lower amplitude for the oscillations. A description of the new HRS is given; three computers are employed to handle all the computations required, including real-time data processing and graph generation. BWR out-of-phase oscillation was successfully simulated. By adjusting the reactivity feedback gains from boiling channels to the TRIGA reactor and to the first harmonic mode power simulation, limit cycle can be generated with both reactor power and the simulated first harmonic power. A 3-D display of spatial power distributions of fundamental mode, first harmonic, and total powers over the reactor cross section is shown

  4. Fast-forward scaling theory for phase imprinting on a BEC: creation of a wave packet with uniform momentum density and loading to Bloch states without disturbance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masuda, Shumpei; Nakamura, Katsuhiro; Nakahara, Mikio

    2018-02-01

    We study phase imprinting on Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with the fast-forward scaling theory revealing a nontrivial scaling property in quantum dynamics. We introduce a wave packet with uniform momentum density (WPUM) which has peculiar properties but is short-lived. The fast-forward scaling theory is applied to derive the driving potential for creation of the WPUMs in a predetermined time. Fast manipulation is essential for the creation of WPUMs because of the instability of the state. We also study loading of a BEC into a predetermined Bloch state in the lowest band from the ground state of a periodic potential. Controlled linear potential is not sufficient for creation of the Bloch state with large wavenumber because the change in the amplitude of the order parameter is not negligible. We derive the exact driving potential for creation of predetermined Bloch states using the obtained theory.

  5. Glare Spot Phase Doppler Anemometry

    OpenAIRE

    Hespel, Camille; Ren, Kuan Fang; Gréhan, Gérard; Onofri, Fabrice

    2006-01-01

    International audience; The Phase Doppler anemometry has been developed to measure simultaneously the velocity and the size of droplets. The measurement of the refractive index is also necessary since it depends on the temperature and the composition of the particle and its measurement permits both to increase the quality of the diameter measurement and to obtain information on the temperature and/or the composition of the droplets. In this paper, we introduce a Glare Spot Phase Doppler Anemo...

  6. Final Report: Sensorpedia Phase 3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gorman, Bryan L [ORNL; Resseguie, David R [ORNL

    2011-02-01

    This report is a summary of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory s (ORNL s) Phase 3 development of Sensorpedia, a sensor information sharing platform. Sensorpedia is ORNL s Wikipedia for Sensors. The overall goal of Sensorpedia is to enable global scale sensor information sharing for scientific research, national security and defense, public health and safety, emergency preparedness and response, and general community awareness and outreach.

  7. Dual Aharonov-Casher effect and persistent dipole current

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, J.; Jeon, G.S.; Choi, M.Y.

    1995-01-01

    An electric dipole moving in a magnetic field acquires a nontrivial quantum phase in the appropriate configuration. It is shown that this phase is manifested by the persistent dipole current induced on a ring pierced by a line of magnetic monopoles. Such a current depends on the statistics of the dipoles, which may have interesting implications for experiments. It is also pointed out that the dipole current cannot be self-sustained

  8. Fractional Fourier domain optical image hiding using phase retrieval algorithm based on iterative nonlinear double random phase encoding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaogang; Chen, Wen; Chen, Xudong

    2014-09-22

    We present a novel image hiding method based on phase retrieval algorithm under the framework of nonlinear double random phase encoding in fractional Fourier domain. Two phase-only masks (POMs) are efficiently determined by using the phase retrieval algorithm, in which two cascaded phase-truncated fractional Fourier transforms (FrFTs) are involved. No undesired information disclosure, post-processing of the POMs or digital inverse computation appears in our proposed method. In order to achieve the reduction in key transmission, a modified image hiding method based on the modified phase retrieval algorithm and logistic map is further proposed in this paper, in which the fractional orders and the parameters with respect to the logistic map are regarded as encryption keys. Numerical results have demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.

  9. Phase-space topography characterization of nonlinear ultrasound waveforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dehghan-Niri, Ehsan; Al-Beer, Helem

    2018-03-01

    Fundamental understanding of ultrasound interaction with material discontinuities having closed interfaces has many engineering applications such as nondestructive evaluation of defects like kissing bonds and cracks in critical structural and mechanical components. In this paper, to analyze the acoustic field nonlinearities due to defects with closed interfaces, the use of a common technique in nonlinear physics, based on a phase-space topography construction of ultrasound waveform, is proposed. The central idea is to complement the "time" and "frequency" domain analyses with the "phase-space" domain analysis of nonlinear ultrasound waveforms. A nonlinear time series method known as pseudo phase-space topography construction is used to construct equivalent phase-space portrait of measured ultrasound waveforms. Several nonlinear models are considered to numerically simulate nonlinear ultrasound waveforms. The phase-space response of the simulated waveforms is shown to provide different topographic information, while the frequency domain shows similar spectral behavior. Thus, model classification can be substantially enhanced in the phase-space domain. Experimental results on high strength aluminum samples show that the phase-space transformation provides a unique detection and classification capabilities. The Poincaré map of the phase-space domain is also used to better understand the nonlinear behavior of ultrasound waveforms. It is shown that the analysis of ultrasound nonlinearities is more convenient and informative in the phase-space domain than in the frequency domain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Loss-resistant unambiguous phase measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinani, Hossein T.; Berry, Dominic W.

    2014-08-01

    Entangled multiphoton states have the potential to provide improved measurement accuracy, but are sensitive to photon loss. It is possible to calculate ideal loss-resistant states that maximize the Fisher information, but it is unclear how these could be experimentally generated. Here we propose a set of states that can be obtained by processing the output from parametric down-conversion. Although these states are not optimal, they provide performance very close to that of optimal states for a range of parameters. Moreover, we show how to use sequences of such states in order to obtain an unambiguous phase measurement that beats the standard quantum limit. We consider the optimization of parameters in order to minimize the final phase variance, and find that the optimum parameters are different from those that maximize the Fisher information.

  11. Isomorphism of critical and off-critical operator spaces in two-dimensional quantum field theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Delfino, G. [International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste (Italy)]|[INFN sezione di Trieste (Italy); Niccoli, G. [Univ. de Cergy-Pontoise (France). LPTM

    2007-12-15

    For the simplest quantum field theory originating from a non-trivial fixed point of the renormalization group, the Lee-Yang model, we show that the operator space determined by the particle dynamics in the massive phase and that prescribed by conformal symmetry at criticality coincide. (orig.)

  12. Information asymmetries, information externalities, oil companies strategies and oil exploration information efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nyouki, E.

    1998-07-01

    Both for economics (in general) and energy economics matters, it is important to reach oil exploration efficiency. To achieve this aim, a pragmatic approach is to use the concept of information efficiency which means that the different tracts have to be drilled in the decreasing order of estimated profitabilities, estimations being made on the basis of the best (in the sense of reliability) available information. What does 'best available information' mean? It corresponds either to the information held by the most experienced oil companies (due to the existence of information asymmetries to the profit of these companies), or to information revealed by the drilling and which allows to revise probabilities of success on neighboring tracts with similar geological features (due to the existence of information externalities). In consideration of these information asymmetries and externalities, we will say that exploration is information efficient when. -- on the one hand, initial exploration choices are directed by the most experienced companies, - and, on the other hand, during the drilling phase, in the face of the information externality, companies adopt a sequential drilling, i.e. excluding both over-investment and strategic under-investment. The topic we deal with in this thesis is then to know if oil companies, when they are put in normal competition conditions, are likely to make emerge a state of information efficiency in exploration, the analysis being conducted theoretically and empirically. (author)

  13. Photogrammetry, Digital mapping and Land Informations Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frederiksen, Poul

    1998-01-01

    Monitoring activities on photogrammetry, digital mapping and land information systems in State Land Service in Latvia in relation to the EU Phare Project Phase II, Technical Assistance to land Privatisation and registration in Latvia.......Monitoring activities on photogrammetry, digital mapping and land information systems in State Land Service in Latvia in relation to the EU Phare Project Phase II, Technical Assistance to land Privatisation and registration in Latvia....

  14. Changing stress levels through gaining information on stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.N. Madu

    2002-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this research was to find out the effect of the Information Phase of a Stress Management Program (SMP on the perceptions of participants about their stress levels. Method: A total sample of 100 workers (nursing staff, private business men and women, laboratory assistants, the protective services [foreman and security staff], as well as people in human resources departments took part in this study. All the participants were from the Northern and Gauteng Provinces in South Africa. The Combined Hassles and Uplifts Scale (Folkman & Lazarus, 1989 was used as an instrument to measure the perceived stress level of participants in a SMP. Result: A significant reduction in stress levels was achieved among those who received the Information Phase of the SMP only, as well as those who received the whole stress management techniques. There was no significant difference between the amount of reduction in perceived stress-levels achieved among those that received the Information Phase of the SMP only, compared to that of those who received the whole techniques. Conclusion: The authors conclude that where the resources are limited, only the information phase of a SMP may be given to desiring clients. That should help to save time and money spent on participating in SMPs. This should however not discourage the use of the whole SPM, where affordable. Keywords: Stress Management Programs, Information Phase, Perception, Stress Level.

  15. Phase mapping of iron-based rapidly quenched alloys using precession electron diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Svec, P.; Janotova, I.; Hosko, J.; Matko, I.; Janickovic, D.; Svec, P. Sr.; Kepaptsoglou, D. M.

    2013-01-01

    The present contribution is focused on application of PED and phase/orientation mapping of nanocrystals of bcc-Fe formed during the first crystallization stage of amorphous Fe-Co-Si-B ribbon. Using precession electron diffraction and phase/orientation mapping the formation of primary crystalline phase, bcc-Fe, from amorphous Fe-Co-Si-B has been analyzed. Important information about mutual orientation of the phase in individual submicron grains as well as against the sample surface has been obtained. This information contributes to the understanding of micromechanisms controlling crystallization from amorphous rapidly quenched structure and of the structure of the original amorphous state. The presented technique due to its high spatial resolution, speed and information content provided complements well classical techniques, especially in nanocrystalline materials. (authors)

  16. Broadband metasurface holograms: toward complete phase and amplitude engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qiu; Zhang, Xueqian; Xu, Yuehong; Gu, Jianqiang; Li, Yanfeng; Tian, Zhen; Singh, Ranjan; Zhang, Shuang; Han, Jiaguang; Zhang, Weili

    2016-09-12

    As a revolutionary three-dimensional imaging technique, holography has attracted wide attention for its ability to photographically record a light field. However, traditional phase-only or amplitude-only modulation holograms have limited image quality and resolution to reappear both amplitude and phase information required of the objects. Recent advances in metasurfaces have shown tremendous opportunities for using a planar design of artificial meta-atoms to shape the wave front of light by optimal control of both its phase and amplitude. Inspired by the concept of designer metasurfaces, we demonstrate a novel amplitude-phase modulation hologram with simultaneous five-level amplitude modulation and eight-level phase modulation. Such a design approach seeks to turn the perceived disadvantages of the traditional phase or amplitude holograms, and thus enable enhanced performance in resolution, homogeneity of amplitude distribution, precision, and signal-to-noise ratio. In particular, the unique holographic approach exhibits broadband characteristics. The method introduced here delivers more degrees of freedom, and allows for encoding highly complex information into designer metasurfaces, thus having the potential to drive next-generation technological breakthroughs in holography.

  17. The Spacetime Memory of Geometric Phases and Quantum Computing

    CERN Document Server

    Binder, B

    2002-01-01

    Spacetime memory is defined with a holonomic approach to information processing, where multi-state stability is introduced by a non-linear phase-locked loop. Geometric phases serve as the carrier of physical information and geometric memory (of orientation) given by a path integral measure of curvature that is periodically refreshed. Regarding the resulting spin-orbit coupling and gauge field, the geometric nature of spacetime memory suggests to assign intrinsic computational properties to the electromagnetic field.

  18. Investigating mechanically induced phase response of the tissue by using high-speed phase-resolved optical coherence tomography (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Yuye; Hendon, Christine P.

    2017-02-01

    Phase-resolved optical coherence tomography (OCT), a functional extension of OCT, provides depth-resolved phase information with extra contrast. In cardiology, changes in the mechanical properties have been associated with tissue remodeling and disease progression. Here we present the capability of profiling structural deformation of the sample in vivo by using a highly stable swept source OCT system The system, operating at 1300 nm, has an A-line acquisition rate of 200 kHz. We measured the phase noise floor to be 6.5 pm±3.2 pm by placing a cover slip in the sample arm, while blocking the reference arm. We then conducted a vibrational frequency test by measuring the phase response from a polymer membrane stimulated by a pure tone acoustic wave from 10 kHz to 80 kHz. The measured frequency response agreed with the known stimulation frequency with an error < 0.005%. We further measured the phase response of 7 fresh swine hearts obtained from Green Village Packing Company through a mechanical stretching test, within 24 hours of sacrifice. The heart tissue was cut into a 1 mm slices and fixed on two motorized stages. We acquired 100,000 consecutive M-scans, while the sample is stretched at a constant velocity of 10 um/s. The depth-resolved phase image presents linear phase response over time at each depth, but the slope varies among tissue types. Our future work includes refining our experiment protocol to quantitatively measured the elastic modulus of the tissue in vivo and building a tissue classifier based on depth-resolved phase information.

  19. Spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry in topological insulators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karnaukhov, Igor N., E-mail: karnaui@yahoo.com

    2017-06-21

    Highlights: • Proposed a new approach for description of phase transitions in topological insulators. • Considered the mechanism of spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry in topological insulators. • The Haldane model can be implemented in real compounds of the condensed matter physics. - Abstract: The system of spinless fermions on a hexagonal lattice is studied. We have considered tight-binding model with the hopping integrals between the nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor lattice sites, that depend on the direction of the link. The links are divided on three types depending on the direction, the hopping integrals are defined by different phases along the links. The energy of the system depends on the phase differences, the solutions for the phases, that correspond to the minimums of the energy, lead to a topological insulator state with the nontrivial Chern numbers. We have analyzed distinct topological states and phase transitions, the behavior of the chiral gapless edge modes, have defined the Chern numbers. The band structure of topological insulator (TI) is calculated, the ground-state phase diagram in the parameter space is obtained. We propose a novel mechanism of realization of TI, when the TI state is result of spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry due to nontrivial stable solutions for the phases that determine the hopping integrals along the links and show that the Haldane model can be implemented in real compounds of the condensed matter physics.

  20. Apparatus and method for optimal phase balancing using dynamic programming with spatial consideration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertazzi, Thomas G.; Skiena, Steven; Wang, Kai

    2017-08-08

    Provided are an apparatus and method for load-balancing of a three-phase electric power distribution system having a multi-phase feeder, including obtaining topology information of the feeder identifying supply points for customer loads and feeder sections between the supply points, obtaining customer information that includes peak customer load at each of the points between each of the feeder sections, performing a phase balancing analysis, and recommending phase assignment at the customer load supply points.

  1. Electron Holography: phases matter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lichte, Hannes

    2013-06-01

    Essentially, all optics is wave optics, be it with light, X-rays, neutrons or electrons. The information transfer from the object to the image can only be understood in terms of waves given by amplitude and phase. However, phases are difficult to measure: for slowly oscillating waves such as sound or low-frequency electromagnetic waves, phases can be measured directly; for high frequencies this has to be done by heterodyne detection, i.e. superposition with a reference and averaging over time. In optics, this is called interferometry. Because interference is mostly very difficult to achieve, phases have often been considered 'hidden variables' seemingly pulling the strings from backstage, only visible by their action on the image intensity. This was almost the case in conventional Electron Microscopy with the phase differences introduced by an object. However, in the face of the urgent questions from solid state physics and materials science, these phases have to be determined precisely, because they encode the most dominant object properties, such as charge distributions and electromagnetic fields. After more than six decades of very patient advancement, electron interferometry and holography offer unprecedented analytical facilities down to an atomic scale. Akira Tonomura has prominently contributed to the present state.

  2. Standardization of Alternative Fuels. Phase 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2004-08-15

    March 2003 the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency's Implementing Agreement on Advanced Motor fuels (IEA/AMF) decided to continue annex XXVII 'Standardization of alternative fuels' with a second phase. The purpose of the second phase was to go further in the contacts with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as well as the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and their technical committees, to better understand their needs and to investigate how IEA/AMF could contribute to their work. It was also scheduled to put forward proposals on how IEA/AMF could cooperate with CEN and ISO and their technical committees (TC: s), primarily ISO/TC 28 'Petroleum Products and Lubricants' and CEN/TC 19 'Petroleum Products, Lubricants and Related Products'. The main part of the work in IEA/AMF annex XXVII phase two has focused on personal contacts within CEN/TC 19 and ISO/TC 28, but also on data and information collection from websites and written information. Together with the analysis of this information, the internal organization of a cooperation between IEA/AMF and ISO/TC 28 and of a cooperation between IEA/AMF and CEN/TC 19 have also been discussed and analysed.

  3. A Quasi-Type-1 Phase-Locked Loop Structure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Golestan, Saeed; Fernandez, Francisco Daniel Freijedo; Vidal, Ana

    2014-01-01

    The grid voltage phase and frequency are crucial information in control of most grid connected power electronic based equipment. Most often, a phase-locked loop (PLL) is employed for this purpose. A PLL is a closed-loop feedback control system that the phase of its output signal is related...... to the phase of its input signal. Arguably, the simplest PLL is a type-1 PLL. The type-1 PLLs are characterized by having only one integrator in their control loop and therefore having a high stability margin. However, they suffer from a serious drawback: they cannot achieve zero average steady-state phase...

  4. Fringe pattern information retrieval using wavelets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sciammarella, Cesar A.; Patimo, Caterina; Manicone, Pasquale D.; Lamberti, Luciano

    2005-08-01

    Two-dimensional phase modulation is currently the basic model used in the interpretation of fringe patterns that contain displacement information, moire, holographic interferometry, speckle techniques. Another way to look to these two-dimensional signals is to consider them as frequency modulated signals. This alternative interpretation has practical implications similar to those that exist in radio engineering for handling frequency modulated signals. Utilizing this model it is possible to obtain frequency information by using the energy approach introduced by Ville in 1944. A natural complementary tool of this process is the wavelet methodology. The use of wavelet makes it possible to obtain the local values of the frequency in a one or two dimensional domain without the need of previous phase retrieval and differentiation. Furthermore from the properties of wavelets it is also possible to obtain at the same time the phase of the signal with the advantage of a better noise removal capabilities and the possibility of developing simpler algorithms for phase unwrapping due to the availability of the derivative of the phase.

  5. Methods, systems, and apparatus for storage, transfer and/or control of information via matter wave dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vestergaard Hau, Lene (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    Methods, systems and apparatus for generating atomic traps, and for storing, controlling and transferring information between first and second spatially separated phase-coherent objects, or using a single phase-coherent object. For plural objects, both phase-coherent objects have a macroscopic occupation of a particular quantum state by identical bosons or identical BCS-paired fermions. The information may be optical information, and the phase-coherent object(s) may be Bose-Einstein condensates, superfluids, or superconductors. The information is stored in the first phase-coherent object at a first storage time and recovered from the second phase-coherent object, or the same first phase-coherent object, at a second revival time. In one example, an integrated silicon wafer-based optical buffer includes an electrolytic atom source to provide the phase-coherent object(s), a nanoscale atomic trap for the phase-coherent object(s), and semiconductor-based optical sources to cool the phase-coherent object(s) and provide coupling fields for storage and transfer of optical information.

  6. Extended inflation from higher-dimensional theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holman, R.; Kolb, E.W.; Vadas, S.L.; Wang, Y.

    1991-01-01

    We consider the possibility that higher-dimensional theories may, upon reduction to four dimensions, allow extended inflation to occur. We analyze two separate models. One is a very simple toy model consisting of higher-dimensional gravity coupled to a scalar field whose potential allows for a first-order phase transition. The other is a more sophisticated model incorporating the effects of nontrivial field configurations (monopole, Casimir, and fermion bilinear condensate effects) that yield a nontrivial potential for the radius of the internal space. We find that extended inflation does not occur in these models. We also find that the bubble nucleation rate in these theories is time dependent unlike the case in the original version of extended inflation

  7. Modification of electronic structure, magnetic structure, and topological phase of bismuthene by point defects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadioglu, Yelda; Kilic, Sevket Berkay; Demirci, Salih; Aktürk, O. Üzengi; Aktürk, Ethem; Ciraci, Salim

    2017-12-01

    This paper reveals how the electronic structure, magnetic structure, and topological phase of two-dimensional (2D), single-layer structures of bismuth are modified by point defects. We first showed that a free-standing, single-layer, hexagonal structure of bismuth, named h-bismuthene, exhibits nontrivial band topology. We then investigated interactions between single foreign adatoms and bismuthene structures, which comprise stability, bonding, electronic structure, and magnetic structures. Localized states in diverse locations of the band gap and resonant states in band continua of bismuthene are induced upon the adsorption of different adatoms, which modify electronic and magnetic properties. Specific adatoms result in reconstruction around the adsorption site. Single vacancies and divacancies can form readily in bismuthene structures and remain stable at high temperatures. Through rebondings, Stone-Whales-type defects are constructed by divacancies, which transform into a large hole at high temperature. Like adsorbed adatoms, vacancies induce also localized gap states, which can be eliminated through rebondings in divacancies. We also showed that not only the optical and magnetic properties, but also the topological features of pristine h-bismuthene can be modified by point defects. The modification of the topological features depends on the energies of localized states and also on the strength of coupling between point defects.

  8. Understanding cognitive processes behind acceptance or refusal of phase I trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pravettoni, Gabriella; Mazzocco, Ketti; Gorini, Alessandra; Curigliano, Giuseppe

    2016-04-01

    Participation in phase I trials gives patients the chance to obtain control over their disease by trying an experimental therapy. The patients' vulnerability, the informed consent process aiming at understanding the purpose and potential benefits of the phase I trial, and the complexity of the studies may impact the patient's final decision. Emotionally difficult health conditions may induce patients to succumb to cognitive biases, allocating attention only on a part of the provided information. Filling the gap in patients' information process can foster the implementation of strategies to help physicians tailor clinical trials' communication providing personalized support and tailored medical information around patients' need, so avoiding cognitive biases in patients and improving informed shared decision quality. The aim of the present review article focuses on the analysis of cognitive and psychological factors that affect patients' decision to participate or not to early phase clinical trials. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  9. Glare Spot Phase Doppler Anemometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hespel, Camille; Ren, Kuanfang; Gréhan, Gérard; Onofri, Fabrice

    2007-06-01

    The Phase Doppler anemometry has been developed to measure simultaneously the velocity and the size of droplets. The measurement of the refractive index would be also interesting since it depends on the temperature and the composition of the particle and its measurement permits both to increase the quality of the diameter measurement and to obtain information on the temperature and/or the composition of the droplets. In this paper, we introduce a Glare Spot Phase Doppler Anemometry which uses two large beams. In this case, the images of the particle formed by the reflected and refracted light, known as glare spots, are separated in space. When a particle passes in the probe volume, the two parts in a signal obtained by a detector in forward direction are then separated in time. If two detectors are used the phase differences between two signals, the distance and the intensity ratio of reflected and refracted parts can be obtained and they provide rich information about the particle diameter and its refractive index, as well as its velocity. This paper is devoted to the numerical study of such a configuration with two theoretical models: geometrical optics and rigorous electromagnetism solution.

  10. Weak-light phase locking for LISA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNamara, Paul W

    2005-01-01

    The long armlengths of the LISA interferometer, and the finite aperture of the telescope, lead to an optical power attenuation of ∼10 -10 of the transmitted to received light. Simple reflection at the end of the arm is therefore not an optimum interferometric design. Instead, a local laser is offset phase locked to the weak incoming beam, transferring the phase information of the incoming to the outgoing light. This paper reports on an experiment to characterize a weak-light phase-locking scheme suitable for LISA in which a diode-pumped, Nd:YAG, non-planar ring oscillator (NPRO) is offset phase locked to a low-power (13 pW) frequency stabilized master NPRO. Preliminary results of the relative phase noise of the slave laser shows shot noise limited performance above 0.4 Hz. Excess noise is observed at lower frequencies, most probably due to thermal effects in the optical arrangement and phase-sensing electronics

  11. Cloud Computing for Complex Performance Codes.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Appel, Gordon John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hadgu, Teklu [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Klein, Brandon Thorin [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Miner, John Gifford [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-02-01

    This report describes the use of cloud computing services for running complex public domain performance assessment problems. The work consisted of two phases: Phase 1 was to demonstrate complex codes, on several differently configured servers, could run and compute trivial small scale problems in a commercial cloud infrastructure. Phase 2 focused on proving non-trivial large scale problems could be computed in the commercial cloud environment. The cloud computing effort was successfully applied using codes of interest to the geohydrology and nuclear waste disposal modeling community.

  12. Clean conditions during the erection phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koschel, P.

    1977-01-01

    Following the basic requirements of the Regulatory Guide 1.37 and ANSI 45.2.1 - Standard on Cleaning of Fluid Systems and Associated Components during the Construction Phase of Nuclear Power Plants as a guideline, the implementation of cleaning operations in the pre-installation phase, the installation phase and the maintenance of clean conditions until the operational phase is covered. Specific information will be given from the practical experience point of view with the work execution under clean conditions of piping and components at the semi-finished product manufacturer, the prefabrication workshop and the on-site installation with specific reference to the various detailed procedures required by individual system builders for nuclear power plants in Germany and abroad. (orig.) [de

  13. Topological phase transitions in an inverted InAs/GaSb quantum well driven by tilted magnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Hsiu-Chuan; Jhang, Min-Jyun; Chen, Tsung-Wei; Guo, Guang-Yu

    2017-05-01

    The helical edge states in a quantum spin Hall insulator are presumably protected by time-reversal symmetry. However, even in the presence of magnetic field which breaks time-reversal symmetry, the helical edge conduction can still exist, dubbed as pseudo quantum spin Hall effect. In this paper, the effects of the magnetic fields on the pseudo quantum spin Hall effect and the phase transitions are studied. We show that an in-plane magnetic field drives a pseudo quantum spin Hall state to a metallic state at a high field. Moreover, at a fixed in-plane magnetic field, an increasing out-of-plane magnetic field leads to a reentrance of pseudo quantum spin Hall state in an inverted InAs/GaSb quantum well. The edge state probability distribution and Chern numbers are calculated to verify that the reentrant states are topologically nontrivial. The origin of the reentrant behavior is attributed to the nonmonotonic bending of Landau levels and the Landau level mixing caused by the orbital effect induced by the in-plane magnetic field. The robustness to disorder is demonstrated by the numerically calculated quantized conductance for disordered nanowires within Landauer-Büttiker formalism.

  14. Phase transitions and quantum entropy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arrachea, L.; Canosa, N.; Plastino, A.; Portesi, M.; Rossignoli, R.

    1990-01-01

    An examination is made of the possibility to predict phase transitions of the fundamental state of finite quantum system, knowing the quantum entropy of these states, defined on the basis of the information theory. (Author). 7 refs., 3 figs

  15. Phase retrieval of diffraction from highly strained crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Newton, Marcus C.; Harder, Ross; Huang Xiaojing; Xiong Gang; Robinson, Ian K.

    2010-01-01

    An important application of phase retrieval methods is to invert coherent x-ray diffraction measurements to obtain real-space images of nanoscale crystals. The phase information is currently recovered from reciprocal-space amplitude measurements by the application of iterative projective algorithms that solve the nonlinear and nonconvex optimization problem. Various algorithms have been developed each of which apply constraints in real and reciprocal space on the reconstructed object. In general, these methods rely on experimental data that is oversampled above the Nyquist frequency. To date, support-based methods have worked well, but are less successful for highly strained structures, defined as those which contain (real-space) phase information outside the range of ±π/2. As a direct result the acquired experimental data is, in general, inadvertently subsampled below the Nyquist frequency. In recent years, a new theory of 'compressive sensing' has emerged, which dictates that an appropriately subsampled (or compressed) signal can be recovered exactly through iterative reconstruction and various routes to minimizing the l 1 norm or total variation in that signal. This has proven effective in solving several classes of convex optimization problems. Here we report on a 'density-modification' phase reconstruction algorithm that applies the principles of compressive sensing to solve the nonconvex phase retrieval problem for highly strained crystalline materials. The application of a nonlinear operator in real-space minimizes the l 1 norm of the amplitude by a promotion-penalization (or 'propenal') operation that confines the density bandwidth. This was found to significantly aid in the reconstruction of highly strained nanocrystals. We show how this method is able to successfully reconstruct phase information that otherwise could not be recovered.

  16. Improving the luteal phase after ovarian stimulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Claus Yding; Vilbour Andersen, K

    2014-01-01

    The human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) trigger used for final follicular maturation in connection with assisted reproduction treatment combines ovulation induction and early luteal-phase stimulation of the corpora lutea. The use of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) for final...... follicular maturation has, however, for the first time allowed a separation of the ovulatory signal from the early luteal-phase support. This has generated new information that may improve the currently employed luteal-phase support. Thus, combined results from a number of randomized controlled trials using...

  17. Non-cyclic phases for neutrino oscillations in quantum field theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blasone, Massimo; Capolupo, Antonio; Celeghini, Enrico; Vitiello, Giuseppe

    2009-01-01

    We show the presence of non-cyclic phases for oscillating neutrinos in the context of quantum field theory. Such phases carry information about the non-perturbative vacuum structure associated with the field mixing. By subtracting the condensate contribution of the flavor vacuum, the previously studied quantum mechanics geometric phase is recovered.

  18. Measurement of in-plane strain with dual beam spatial phase-shift digital shearography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie, Xin; Chen, Xu; Li, Junrui; Yang, Lianxiang; Wang, Yonghong

    2015-01-01

    Full-field in-plane strain measurement under dynamic loading by digital shearography remains a big challenge in practice. A phase measurement for in-plane strain information within one time frame has to be achieved to solve this problem. This paper presents a dual beam spatial phase-shift digital shearography system with the capacity to measure phase distribution corresponding to in-plane strain information within a single time frame. Two laser beams with different wavelengths are symmetrically arranged to illuminate the object under test, and two cameras with corresponding filters, which enable simultaneous recording of two shearograms, are utilized for data acquisition. The phase information from the recorded shearograms, which corresponds to the in-plane strain, is evaluated by the spatial phase-shift method. The spatial phase-shift shearography system realizes a measurement of the in-plane strain through the introduction of the spatial phase-shift technique, using one frame after the loading and one frame before loading. This paper presents the theory of the spatial phase-shift digital shearography for in-plane strain measurement and its derivation, experimental results, and the technique’s potential. (paper)

  19. TxDOT's pavement management information system : current status and future directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-12-01

    Phase 2 focuses on improving The Texas Pavement Management Information System (PMIS) implementation at the district level, the goal being to provide sufficient information to move from network to project level decision making. Phase 2 implementation ...

  20. Complex network analysis of phase dynamics underlying oil-water two-phase flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zhong-Ke; Zhang, Shan-Shan; Cai, Qing; Yang, Yu-Xuan; Jin, Ning-De

    2016-01-01

    Characterizing the complicated flow behaviors arising from high water cut and low velocity oil-water flows is an important problem of significant challenge. We design a high-speed cycle motivation conductance sensor and carry out experiments for measuring the local flow information from different oil-in-water flow patterns. We first use multivariate time-frequency analysis to probe the typical features of three flow patterns from the perspective of energy and frequency. Then we infer complex networks from multi-channel measurements in terms of phase lag index, aiming to uncovering the phase dynamics governing the transition and evolution of different oil-in-water flow patterns. In particular, we employ spectral radius and weighted clustering coefficient entropy to characterize the derived unweighted and weighted networks and the results indicate that our approach yields quantitative insights into the phase dynamics underlying the high water cut and low velocity oil-water flows. PMID:27306101

  1. Increasing the darkfield contrast-to-noise ratio using a deconvolution-based information retrieval algorithm in X-ray grating-based phase-contrast imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Thomas; Pelzer, Georg; Bayer, Florian; Horn, Florian; Rieger, Jens; Ritter, André; Zang, Andrea; Durst, Jürgen; Anton, Gisela; Michel, Thilo

    2013-07-29

    A novel information retrieval algorithm for X-ray grating-based phase-contrast imaging based on the deconvolution of the object and the reference phase stepping curve (PSC) as proposed by Modregger et al. was investigated in this paper. We applied the method for the first time on data obtained with a polychromatic spectrum and compared the results to those, received by applying the commonly used method, based on a Fourier analysis. We confirmed the expectation, that both methods deliver the same results for the absorption and the differential phase image. For the darkfield image, a mean contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) increase by a factor of 1.17 using the new method was found. Furthermore, the dose saving potential was estimated for the deconvolution method experimentally. It is found, that for the conventional method a dose which is higher by a factor of 1.66 is needed to obtain a similar CNR value compared to the novel method. A further analysis of the data revealed, that the improvement in CNR and dose efficiency is due to the superior background noise properties of the deconvolution method, but at the cost of comparability between measurements at different applied dose values, as the mean value becomes dependent on the photon statistics used.

  2. Binocular contrast-gain control for natural scenes: Image structure and phase alignment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Pi-Chun; Dai, Yu-Ming

    2018-05-01

    In the context of natural scenes, we applied the pattern-masking paradigm to investigate how image structure and phase alignment affect contrast-gain control in binocular vision. We measured the discrimination thresholds of bandpass-filtered natural-scene images (targets) under various types of pedestals. Our first experiment had four pedestal types: bandpass-filtered pedestals, unfiltered pedestals, notch-filtered pedestals (which enabled removal of the spatial frequency), and misaligned pedestals (which involved rotation of unfiltered pedestals). Our second experiment featured six types of pedestals: bandpass-filtered, unfiltered, and notch-filtered pedestals, and the corresponding phase-scrambled pedestals. The thresholds were compared for monocular, binocular, and dichoptic viewing configurations. The bandpass-filtered pedestal and unfiltered pedestals showed classic dipper shapes; the dipper shapes of the notch-filtered, misaligned, and phase-scrambled pedestals were weak. We adopted a two-stage binocular contrast-gain control model to describe our results. We deduced that the phase-alignment information influenced the contrast-gain control mechanism before the binocular summation stage and that the phase-alignment information and structural misalignment information caused relatively strong divisive inhibition in the monocular and interocular suppression stages. When the pedestals were phase-scrambled, the elimination of the interocular suppression processing was the most convincing explanation of the results. Thus, our results indicated that both phase-alignment information and similar image structures cause strong interocular suppression. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Communication complexity and information complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pankratov, Denis

    Information complexity enables the use of information-theoretic tools in communication complexity theory. Prior to the results presented in this thesis, information complexity was mainly used for proving lower bounds and direct-sum theorems in the setting of communication complexity. We present three results that demonstrate new connections between information complexity and communication complexity. In the first contribution we thoroughly study the information complexity of the smallest nontrivial two-party function: the AND function. While computing the communication complexity of AND is trivial, computing its exact information complexity presents a major technical challenge. In overcoming this challenge, we reveal that information complexity gives rise to rich geometrical structures. Our analysis of information complexity relies on new analytic techniques and new characterizations of communication protocols. We also uncover a connection of information complexity to the theory of elliptic partial differential equations. Once we compute the exact information complexity of AND, we can compute exact communication complexity of several related functions on n-bit inputs with some additional technical work. Previous combinatorial and algebraic techniques could only prove bounds of the form theta( n). Interestingly, this level of precision is typical in the area of information theory, so our result demonstrates that this meta-property of precise bounds carries over to information complexity and in certain cases even to communication complexity. Our result does not only strengthen the lower bound on communication complexity of disjointness by making it more exact, but it also shows that information complexity provides the exact upper bound on communication complexity. In fact, this result is more general and applies to a whole class of communication problems. In the second contribution, we use self-reduction methods to prove strong lower bounds on the information

  4. Projecting light beams with 3D waveguide arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crespi, Andrea; Bragheri, Francesca

    2017-01-01

    Free-space light beams with complex intensity patterns, or non-trivial phase structure, are demanded in diverse fields, ranging from classical and quantum optical communications, to manipulation and imaging of microparticles and cells. Static or dynamic spatial light modulators, acting on the phase or intensity of an incoming light wave, are the conventional choices to produce beams with such non-trivial characteristics. However, interfacing these devices with optical fibers or integrated optical circuits often requires difficult alignment or cumbersome optical setups. Here we explore theoretically and with numerical simulations the potentialities of directly using the output of engineered three-dimensional waveguide arrays, illuminated with linearly polarized light, to project light beams with peculiar structures. We investigate through a collection of illustrative configurations the far field distribution, showing the possibility to achieve orbital angular momentum, or to produce elaborate intensity or phase patterns with several singularity points. We also simulate the propagation of the projected beam, showing the possibility to concentrate light. We note that these devices should be at reach of current technology, thus perspectives are open for the generation of complex free-space optical beams from integrated waveguide circuits.

  5. Dare we rethink informed consent?

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2017-06-26

    Jun 26, 2017 ... the current phase of human societal development as fundamentally complex ... and informed decisions. This is ... contained or containable, packaged or like data on a memory stick/ ... Our intention is finally to promote patient autonomy ... verb 'to inform' (to shape, like a sculptor) illustrates the multifaceted,.

  6. SGA Phase 2 Reach Segment Breaks

    Data.gov (United States)

    Vermont Center for Geographic Information — The stream geomorphic assessment (SGA) is a physical assessment competed by geomorphologists to determine the condition and sensitivity of a stream. The SGA Phase 2...

  7. Properties of hadronic matter near the phase transition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noronha-Hostler, Jacquelyn

    2010-12-08

    According to Hagedorn, hadrons should follow an exponential mass spectrum, which the known hadrons follow only up to masses of M{approx}2 GeV. Beyond this point the mass spectrum is flat, which indicates that there are ''missing'' hadrons, that could potentially contribute significantly to experimental observables. In this thesis I investigate the influence of these ''missing'' Hagedorn states on various experimental signatures of QGP. Strangeness enhancement is considered a signal for QGP because hadronic interactions (even including multi-mesonic reactions) underpredict the hadronic yields (especially for strange particles) at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, RHIC. We show here that the missing Hagedorn states provide extra degrees of freedom that can contribute to fast chemical equilibration times for a hadron gas. We develop a dynamical scheme in which possible Hagedorn states contribute to fast chemical equilibration times of X anti X pairs (where X=p, K, {lambda}, or {omega}) inside a hadron gas and just below the critical temperature. Within this scheme, we use master equations and derive various analytical estimates for the chemical equilibration times. Applying a Bjorken picture to the expanding fireball, the hadrons can, indeed, quickly chemically equilibrate for both an initial overpopulation or underpopulation of Hagedorn resonances. Our hadron resonance gas model, including the additional Hagedorn states, is used to obtain an upper bound on the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio, {eta}/s, of hadronic matter near T{sub c} that is close to 1/(4/{pi}). We show how the measured particle ratios can be used to provide non-trivial information about T{sub c} of the QCD phase transition. This is obtained by including the effects of highly massive Hagedorn resonances on statistical models, which are generally used to describe hadronic yields. The inclusion of the ''missing'' Hagedorn states

  8. The CEBAF fiber optic phase reference system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crawford, K.; Simrock, S.; Hovater, C.; Krycuk, A.

    1995-01-01

    The specified phase stability of the CEBAF RF distribution system is 2.9 degree rms per linac. Stability is achieved through the use of a temperature and pressure regulated coaxial drive line. Purpose of the fiber optic phase reference system is to monitor the relative phase at the beginning and ending of this drive line, between linacs, injector and separator to determine drift due to ambient temperature fluctuations. The system utilizes an Ortel 1310 nm single mode laser driving Sumitumo optical fiber to distribute a reference signal at 1497 MHz. Phase of this reference signal is compared to the 1427 MHz (LO) and the 70 MHz (IF) via a 360 degree phase detector. The detected information is then routed to the CEBAF control system for display with a specified resolution of ±0.2 degree over a 20 degree phase delta

  9. 78 FR 76789 - Additional Connect America Fund Phase II Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-19

    ... inspection and copying during normal business hours in the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445... Phase I to Phase II. 2. Timing of Phase II Support Disbursements. In the USF/ICC Transformation Order... language in paragraph 180 of the USF/ICC Transformation Order. We now seek to more fully develop the record...

  10. SmartPark Technology Demonstration Project, Phase II: Final Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of FMCSA's SmartPark project was to determine the feasibility of a technology for providing truck parking space availability information in real time to truckers on the road. SmartPark consisted of two phases. Phase I was a field operatio...

  11. Fisher information at the edge of chaos in random Boolean networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, X Rosalind; Lizier, Joseph T; Prokopenko, Mikhail

    2011-01-01

    We study the order-chaos phase transition in random Boolean networks (RBNs), which have been used as models of gene regulatory networks. In particular we seek to characterize the phase diagram in information-theoretic terms, focusing on the effect of the control parameters (activity level and connectivity). Fisher information, which measures how much system dynamics can reveal about the control parameters, offers a natural interpretation of the phase diagram in RBNs. We report that this measure is maximized near the order-chaos phase transitions in RBNs, since this is the region where the system is most sensitive to its parameters. Furthermore, we use this study of RBNs to clarify the relationship between Shannon and Fisher information measures.

  12. An Investigation of the Academic Information Finding and Re-finding Behavior on the Web

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsiao-Tieh Pu

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Academic researchers often need and re-use relevant information found after a period of time. This preliminary study used various methods, including experiments, interviews, search log analysis, sequential analysis, and observation to investigate characteristics of academic information finding and re-finding behavior. Overall, the participants in this study entered short queries either in finding or re-finding phases. Comparatively speaking, the participants entered greater number of queries, modified more queries, browsed more web pages, and stayed longer on web pages in the finding phase. On the other hand, in the re-finding phase, they utilized personal information management tools to re-find instead of finding again using search engine, such as checking browsing history; moreover, they tend to input less number of queries and stayed shorter on web pages. In short, the participants interacted more with the retrieval system during the finding phase, while they increased the use of personal information management tools in the re-finding phase. As to the contextual clues used in re-finding phase, the participants used less clues from the target itself, instead, they used indirect clues more often, especially location-related information. Based on the results of sequential analysis, the transition states in the re-finding phase was found to be more complex than those in the finding phase. Web information finding and re-finding behavior is an important and novel area of research. The preliminary results would benefit research on Web information re-finding behavior, and provide useful suggestions for developing personal academic information management systems. [Article content in Chinese

  13. Crichton ambiguities with infinitely many partial waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atkinson, D.; Kok, L.P.; de Roo, M.

    1978-01-01

    We construct families of spinless two-particle unitary cross sections that possess a nontrivial discrete phase-shift ambiguity, with in general an infinite number of nonvanishing partial waves. A numerical investigation reveals that some of the previously known finite Crichton ambiguities are merely special cases of the newly constructed examples

  14. Crystal growth within a phase change memory cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sebastian, Abu; Le Gallo, Manuel; Krebs, Daniel

    2014-07-07

    In spite of the prominent role played by phase change materials in information technology, a detailed understanding of the central property of such materials, namely the phase change mechanism, is still lacking mostly because of difficulties associated with experimental measurements. Here, we measure the crystal growth velocity of a phase change material at both the nanometre length and the nanosecond timescale using phase-change memory cells. The material is studied in the technologically relevant melt-quenched phase and directly in the environment in which the phase change material is going to be used in the application. We present a consistent description of the temperature dependence of the crystal growth velocity in the glass and the super-cooled liquid up to the melting temperature.

  15. Characterisation of phase evolution under load by means of phase contrast imaging using synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Besseghini, S.; Stortiero, F.; Carcano, G.; Villa, E.; Mancini, L.; Tromba, G.; Zanini, F.; Montanari, F.; Airoldi, G.

    2003-01-01

    Phase contrast radiography (PCR) is a quite novel technique that is collecting increasing attention due to the possibility to obtain image information in presence of very small differences in the densities of the materials under analysis. Phase contrast imaging (PCI) has some specific advantage when compared with common microscopic techniques: (a) no special preparation of the sample is needed (b) the simultaneously investigated area is very large and (c) it allows the setting up of complex experimental apparatus. The results here presented are a good evidence of these three advantages. In this paper, we report on the application of phase contrast imaging in the study of the phase evolution during pseudoelastic transformation in the NiTiCu shape memory alloys (SMAs). The investigation was undertaken with the aim to identify some modification of the structure taking place at the end of the transformation plateau in the pseudoelastic behaviour of the alloy

  16. The impact of written information and counseling (WOMAN-PRO II Program) on symptom outcomes in women with vulvar neoplasia: A multicenter randomized controlled phase II study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raphaelis, Silvia; Mayer, Hanna; Ott, Stefan; Mueller, Michael D; Steiner, Enikö; Joura, Elmar; Senn, Beate

    2017-07-01

    To determine whether written information and/or counseling based on the WOMAN-PRO II Program decreases symptom prevalence in women with vulvar neoplasia by a clinically relevant degree, and to explore the differences between the 2 interventions in symptom prevalence, symptom distress prevalence, and symptom experience. A multicenter randomized controlled parallel-group phase II trial with 2 interventions provided to patients after the initial diagnosis was performed in Austria and Switzerland. Women randomized to written information received a predefined set of leaflets concerning wound care and available healthcare services. Women allocated to counseling were additionally provided with 5 consultations by an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) between the initial diagnosis and 6months post-surgery that focused on symptom management, utilization of healthcare services, and health-related decision-making. Symptom outcomes were simultaneously measured 5 times to the counseling time points. A total of 49 women with vulvar neoplasia participated in the study. Symptom prevalence decreased in women with counseling by a clinically relevant degree, but not in women with written information. Sporadically, significant differences between the 2 interventions could be observed in individual items, but not in the total scales or subscales of the symptom outcomes. The results indicate that counseling may reduce symptom prevalence in women with vulvar neoplasia by a clinically relevant extent. The observed group differences between the 2 interventions slightly favor counseling over written information. The results justify testing the benefit of counseling thoroughly in a comparative phase III trial. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Quantum spin Hall effect and topological phase transition in InN x Bi y Sb1-x-y /InSb quantum wells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Zhigang; Bose, Sumanta; Fan, Weijun; Zhang, Dao Hua; Zhang, Yan Yang; Shen Li, Shu

    2017-07-01

    Quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, a fundamentally new quantum state of matter and topological phase transitions are characteristics of a kind of electronic material, popularly referred to as topological insulators (TIs). TIs are similar to ordinary insulator in terms of their bulk bandgap, but have gapless conducting edge-states that are topologically protected. These edge-states are facilitated by the time-reversal symmetry and they are robust against nonmagnetic impurity scattering. Recently, the quest for new materials exhibiting non-trivial topological state of matter has been of great research interest, as TIs find applications in new electronics and spintronics and quantum-computing devices. Here, we propose and demonstrate as a proof-of-concept that QSH effect and topological phase transitions can be realized in {{InN}}x{{Bi}}y{{Sb}}1-x-y/InSb semiconductor quantum wells (QWs). The simultaneous incorporation of nitrogen and bismuth in InSb is instrumental in lowering the bandgap, while inducing opposite kinds of strain to attain a near-lattice-matching conducive for lattice growth. Phase diagram for bandgap shows that as we increase the QW thickness, at a critical thickness, the electronic bandstructure switches from a normal to an inverted type. We confirm that such transition are topological phase transitions between a traditional insulator and a TI exhibiting QSH effect—by demonstrating the topologically protected edge-states using the bandstructure, edge-localized distribution of the wavefunctions and edge-state spin-momentum locking phenomenon, presence of non-zero conductance in spite of the Fermi energy lying in the bandgap window, crossover points of Landau levels in the zero-mode indicating topological band inversion in the absence of any magnetic field and presence of large Rashba spin-splitting, which is essential for spin-manipulation in TIs.

  18. Weather Information Services supporting Civilian UAS Operations, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We build a system that supports the weather information needs of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) planning to fly in the National Airspace System (NAS). This weather...

  19. Electromagnetic response of non-trivially shaped superconductors in external magnetic fields and with applied currents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cabral, Leonardo Ribeiro Eulalio; Aguiar, Jose Albino Oliveira de

    2002-01-01

    Full text: The study of the electromagnetic response of high-T c superconductors is essential for future technological applications. Such materials are hard type II superconductors, where the mixed state (a state characterized by quantized normal flux tubes - also called vortices - immersed in a superconductor phase) occupies most of the phase diagram. Therefore, the electromagnetic properties are dictated by the vortex dynamics in these materials. One has also to consider the presence of structural defects and thermal effects, which turn the vortex dynamics very complex. These difficulties may be overcome throughout a macroscopic description, also known as continuum approximation, of the electromagnetic fields in superconductors, obtained from critical state models and constitutive relations E = E(j) and H = H(B) (where E is the electric field generated by moving vortices, j the current density, B the induction - related to the local density of vortices - and H the reversible magnetic field that is in equilibrium with B). In superconductors with negligible demagnetization factors, such as long cylinders and bars with applied magnetic fields and/or currents along their longer dimensions, the Meissner state and the flux penetration is quite well understood. However, the actual specimen shape plays an important role on the electromagnetic behavior of superconductors. Numerical methods are often employed, since such cases are hard to treat analytically. In this work we studied the electromagnetic response of superconductors with various shapes. The Meissner state is obtained for thin curved strips and long cylinders with arbitrary cross-section, in perpendicular field and with applied currents. The flux penetration is numerically calculated for thin curved strips for the Bean (j c =const.) and the Kim (j c (B) = j c0 /(1 + βB)) models. (author)

  20. Identifying product order with restricted Boltzmann machines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Wen-Jia; Li, Zhenyu; Zhu, Qiong; Luo, Mingxing; Wan, Xin

    2018-03-01

    Unsupervised machine learning via a restricted Boltzmann machine is a useful tool in distinguishing an ordered phase from a disordered phase. Here we study its application on the two-dimensional Ashkin-Teller model, which features a partially ordered product phase. We train the neural network with spin configuration data generated by Monte Carlo simulations and show that distinct features of the product phase can be learned from nonergodic samples resulting from symmetry breaking. Careful analysis of the weight matrices inspires us to define a nontrivial machine-learning motivated quantity of the product form, which resembles the conventional product order parameter.

  1. Informal information for web-based engineering catalogues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Richard D.; Culley, Stephen J.; Hicks, Ben J.

    2001-10-01

    Success is highly dependent on the ability of a company to efficiently produce optimal designs. In order to achieve this companies must minimize time to market and possess the ability to make fully informed decisions at the early phase of the design process. Such decisions may include the choice of component and suppliers, as well as cost and maintenance considerations. Computer modeling and electronic catalogues are becoming the preferred medium for the selection and design of mechanical components. In utilizing these techniques, the designer demands the capability to identify, evaluate and select mechanical components both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative decisions generally encompass performance data included in the formal catalogue representation. It is in the area of qualitative decisions that the use of what the authors call 'Informal Information' is of crucial importance. Thus, 'Informal Information' must often be incorporated into the selection process and selection systems. This would enable more informed decisions to be made quicker, without the need for information retrieval via discussion with colleagues in the design environment. This paper provides an overview of the use of electronic information in the design of mechanical systems, including a discussion of limitations of current technology. The importance of Informal Information is discussed and the requirements for association with web based electronic catalogues are developed. This system is based on a flexible XML schema and enables the storage, classification and recall of Informal Information packets. Furthermore, a strategy for the inclusion of Informal Information is proposed, and an example case is used to illustrate the benefits.

  2. Method and apparatus for bistable optical information storage for erasable optical disks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Land, Cecil E.; McKinney, Ira D.

    1990-01-01

    A method and an optical device for bistable storage of optical information, together with reading and erasure of the optical information, using a photoactivated shift in a field dependent phase transition between a metastable or a bias-stabilized ferroelectric (FE) phase and a stable antiferroelectric (AFE) phase in an lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT). An optical disk contains the PLZT. Writing and erasing of optical information can be accomplished by a light beam normal to the disk. Reading of optical information can be accomplished by a light beam at an incidence angle of 15 to 60 degrees to the normal of the disk.

  3. System identification on two-phase flow stability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Shaorong; Zhang Youjie; Wang Dazhong; Bo Jinghai; Wang Fei

    1996-01-01

    The theoretical principle, experimental method and results of interrelation analysis identification for the instability of two-phase flow are described. A completely new concept of test technology and method on two-phase flow stability was developed by using he theory of information science on system stability and system identification for two-phase flow stability in thermo-physics field. Application of this method would make it possible to identify instability boundary of two-phase flow under stable operation conditions of two-phase flow system. The experiment was carried out on the thermohydraulic test system HRTL-5. Using reverse repeated pseudo-random sequences of heating power as input signal sources and flow rate as response function in the test, the two-phase flow stability and stability margin of the natural circulation system are investigated. The effectiveness and feasibility of identifying two-phase flow stability by using this system identification method were experimentally demonstrated. Basic data required for mathematics modeling of two-phase flow and analysis of two-phase flow stability were obtained, which are useful for analyzing, monitoring of the system operation condition, and forecasting of two-phase flow stability in engineering system

  4. Second phase in steel AISI 316 tested at 8000C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silveira, V.L.A.; Monteiro, S.N.

    The nature of second phases in type 316 stainless steel samples tested in creep to rupture at 800 0 C has been discussed. These phases were identified by experimental techniques completed with the available information in the literature. The role of these phases in the creep properties of the type 316 steel at 800 0 C is analysed [pt

  5. Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI) - Phase II ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    The Regional Dialogue on the Information Society Network (DIRSI) is a ... the poorest sectors of society, the project will focus on innovative policy solutions ... their Impact on the Development of the Mobile Telecommunications Services Sector.

  6. Scale-Up Information for Gas-Phase Ammonia Treatment of Uranium in the Vadose Zone at the Hanford Site Central Plateau

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Truex, Michael J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Szecsody, James E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Zhong, Lirong [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Thomle, Jonathan N. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Johnson, Timothy C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2014-09-01

    Uranium is present in the vadose zone at the Hanford Central Plateau and is of concern for protection of groundwater. The Deep Vadose Zone Treatability Test Plan for the Hanford Central Plateau identified gas-phase treatment and geochemical manipulation as potentially effective treatment approaches for uranium and technetium in the Hanford Central Plateau vadose zone. Based on laboratory evaluation, use of ammonia vapor was selected as the most promising uranium treatment candidate for further development and field testing. While laboratory tests have shown that ammonia treatment effectively reduces the mobility of uranium, additional information is needed to enable deployment of this technology for remediation. Of importance for field applications are aspects of the technology associated with effective distribution of ammonia to a targeted treatment zone, understanding the fate of injected ammonia and its impact on subsurface conditions, and identifying effective monitoring approaches. In addition, information is needed to select equipment and operational parameters for a field design. As part of development efforts for the ammonia technology for remediation of vadose zone uranium contamination, field scale-up issues were identified and have been addressed through a series of laboratory and modeling efforts. This report presents a conceptual description for field application of the ammonia treatment process, engineering calculations to support treatment design, ammonia transport information, field application monitoring approaches, and a discussion of processes affecting the fate of ammonia in the subsurface. The report compiles this information from previous publications and from recent research and development activities. The intent of this report is to provide technical information about these scale-up elements to support the design and operation of a field test for the ammonia treatment technology.

  7. DATA MAYHEM VERSUS NIMBLE INFORMATION: TRANSFORMING HECTIC IMAGERY INTELLIGENCE DATA INTO ACTIONABLE INFORMATION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    organized intelligence with a comprehensive account of the information derived, validated by intelligence requirements tasking. Third Phase...AU/ACSC/MORALES/AY17 AIR COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE DISTANCE LEARNING AIR UNIVERSITY DATA MAYHEM VERSUS NIMBLE INFORMATION : TRANSFORMING...HECTIC IMAGERY INTELLIGENCE DATA INTO ACTIONABLE INFORMATION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS by Luis A. Morales, Major, USAF A Research

  8. Information support model and its impact on utility, satisfaction and loyalty of users

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sead Šadić

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In today’s modern age, information systems are of vital importance for successful performance of any organization. The most important role of any information system is its information support. This paper develops an information support model and presents the results of the survey examining the effects of such model. The survey was performed among the employees of Brčko District Government and comprised three phases. The first phase assesses the influence of the quality of information support and information on information support when making decisions. The second phase examines the impact of information support when making decisions on the perceived availability and user satisfaction with information support. The third phase examines the effects of perceived usefulness as well as information support satisfaction on user loyalty. The model is presented using six hypotheses, which were tested by means of a multivariate regression analysis. The demonstrated model shows that the quality of information support and information is of vital importance in the decision-making process. The perceived usefulness and customer satisfaction are of vital importance for continuous usage of information support. The model is universal, and if slightly modified, it can be used in any sphere of life where satisfaction is measured for clients and users of some service.

  9. Coupling effect on the Berry phase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lijing Tian

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The Berry phase has universal applications in various fields. Here, we explore the coupling effect on the Berry phase of a two-level system adiabatically driven by a rotating classical field and interacting with a single quantized mode. Our simulations clearly reveal that the Berry phase change is quadratic proportional to the coupling constant if it is less than the level spacing between neighboring instantaneous eigenstates. Remarkably, if the nearest neighbouring level spacing is comparable with the coupling constant, this simple quadratic dependence is lost. Around this resonance, the Berry phase can be significantly tuned by slightly adjusting the parameters, such as the coupling constant, the frequency of the quantized mode, and the transition frequency. These numerical results, agreeing well with the perturbation theory calculations, provide an alternative approach to tune the Berry phase near the resonance, which is useful in quantum information science, i.e. designing quantum logic gates.

  10. Benchtop phase-contrast X-ray imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gundogdu, O. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)], E-mail: o.gundogdu@surrey.ac.uk; Nirgianaki, E.; Che Ismail, E.; Jenneson, P.M.; Bradley, D.A. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

    2007-12-15

    Clinical radiography has traditionally been based on contrast obtained from absorption when X-rays pass through the body. The contrast obtained from traditional radiography can be rather poor, particularly when it comes to soft tissue. A wide range of media of interest in materials science, biology and medicine exhibit very weak absorption contrast, but they nevertheless produce significant phase shifts with X-rays. The use of phase information for imaging purposes is therefore an attractive prospect. Some of the X-ray phase-contrast imaging methods require highly monochromatic plane wave radiation and sophisticated X-ray optics. However, the propagation-based phase-contrast imaging method adapted in this paper is a relatively simple method to implement, essentially requiring only a microfocal X-ray tube and electronic detection. In this paper, we present imaging results obtained from two different benchtop X-ray sources employing the free space propagation method. X-ray phase-contrast imaging provides higher contrast in many samples, including biological tissues that have negligible absorption contrast.

  11. The information use environment of abused and neglected children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J.A. Hersberger

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. When children are adjudicated by a court of law as being maltreated, they are summarily removed from their homes, resulting in a disruption of their daily lives. This pilot study examines the context in which maltreated children seek and use information to cope with this stressful period of their lives. Method. This study applies Taylor's four components of information use environments to look at the user and the uses of information and the contexts within which those users make choices about what information is useful to them at particular times. Analysis. The characteristics of foster children as a population are examined and the settings in which such children seek information are described. The problems experienced by children, which are linked to information seeking, are articulated as are problem resolutions. Results. The most important finding of this study is the determination that there are three clearly differentiated phases of information needs and seeking corresponding to the three phases of adjustment the children experience. Conclusion. Understanding problem phases underpinning everyday life contexts in foster care environments afford support personnel who provide information to these children better insights into what helps and what results in increasing anxiety or causes more trauma.

  12. Ethics of phase 1 oncology studies: reexamining the arguments and data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Manish; Emanuel, Ezekiel J

    2003-08-27

    Phase 1 oncology trials are critical to improving the treatment of cancer. Critics have raised 2 fundamental ethical challenges about phase 1 cancer research: the paucity of benefits with substantial risks and poor-quality informed consent. Despite 3 decades of controversy about phase 1 oncology research, there is little critical analysis of the arguments or of the data relevant to these questions. Existing but old data reveal that about 5% of patients in phase 1 trials experience shrinkage of their tumor, with a 0.5% mortality rate. In some notable cases, patients in phase 1 trials have been cured or sustained long-term remissions. Limited data suggest that patients in phase 1 trials may have better quality of life than comparable patients receiving supportive care. More important, the risks and benefits of phase 1 trials are not clearly worse than risk-benefit ratios used by the US Food and Drug Administration to approve chemotherapeutic agents for clinical use. The objections based on informed consent are deficiencies of disclosure, understanding, and voluntariness. The available data do not support the claim that disclosure is deficient. Although studies evaluating patient understanding have substantial methodological problems, they demonstrate that more than 70% of patients understand that they may not directly benefit even when they hope they will personally benefit. Finally, a closer look at issues of voluntariness reveals that patients with advanced cancer who participate in phase 1 research may have a different set of values than do critics and are not coerced. Overall, it appears that phase 1 oncology trials satisfy the requirement for a favorable risk-benefit ratio and that patients who enroll provide adequate informed consent.

  13. Impact of the web on citation and information-seeking behaviour of academics

    OpenAIRE

    2012-01-01

    D.Litt. et Phil. This study investigated the impact of the Web on the information-seeking and citation behaviour of Unisa academics. The research study was executed in two phases. Phase 1 consisted of a Web citation analysis and phase 2 a questionnaire. Phase 1 explored how the availability of Web information resources affected the scholarly citation behaviour of Unisa academics by determining the relationship between Web-based references and non-Web-based references in the reference lists...

  14. Multi-stage phase retrieval algorithm based upon the gyrator transform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigo, José A; Duadi, Hamootal; Alieva, Tatiana; Zalevsky, Zeev

    2010-01-18

    The gyrator transform is a useful tool for optical information processing applications. In this work we propose a multi-stage phase retrieval approach based on this operation as well as on the well-known Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm. It results in an iterative algorithm able to retrieve the phase information using several measurements of the gyrator transform power spectrum. The viability and performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by means of several numerical simulations and experimental results.

  15. Multi-stage phase retrieval algorithm based upon the gyrator transform

    OpenAIRE

    Rodrigo Martín-Romo, José Augusto; Duadi, Hamootal; Alieva, Tatiana Krasheninnikova; Zalevsky, Zeev

    2010-01-01

    The gyrator transform is a useful tool for optical information processing applications. In this work we propose a multi-stage phase retrieval approach based on this operation as well as on the well-known Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm. It results in an iterative algorithm able to retrieve the phase information using several measurements of the gyrator transform power spectrum. The viability and performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by means of several numerical simulations and exp...

  16. Quantum Fisher information for a qubit system placed inside a dissipative cavity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berrada, K.; Abdel-Khalek, S.; Obada, A.-S.F.

    2012-01-01

    We study the time evolution of the quantum Fisher information of a system whose the dynamics is described by the phase-damped model. We discuss the correlation between the Fisher information and entanglement dynamics of a qubit and single-mode quantized field in a coherent state inside phase-damped cavity. Analytic results under certain parametric conditions are obtained, by means of which we analyze the influence of dissipation on the negativity and quantum Fisher information for different values of the estimator parameter. An interesting monotonic relation between the Fisher information and nonlocal correlation behavior is observed during the time evolution. -- Highlights: ► Relation between the Fisher information and nonlocal correlation dynamics. ► Definition of quantum Fisher information for the atomic density operator. ► Investigation of Fisher information and negativity for the phase-damped model. ► Analytic solution of the master equation for the atom-field system in cavity field. ► Quantum Fisher information may be helpful in quantum information tasks.

  17. Scaling and universality in binary fragmenting with inhibition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ploszajczak, M.; Botet, R.

    1994-01-01

    We investigate a new model of binary fragmentation with inhibition, driven by the white noise. In a broad range of fragmentation probabilities, the power-law spatio-temporal correlations ar found to arise due to self-organized criticality (SOC). We find in the SOC phase a non-trivial power spectrum of the temporal sequence of the fragmentation events. The 1/∫ behaviour is recovered in the irreversible, near-equilibrium part of this phase. (authors). 13 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  18. Scaling and universality in binary fragmenting with inhibition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ploszajczak, M [Grand Accelerateur National d` Ions Lourds (GANIL), 14 - Caen (France); Botet, R [Paris-11 Univ., 91 - Orsay (France). Lab. de Physique des Solides

    1994-12-31

    We investigate a new model of binary fragmentation with inhibition, driven by the white noise. In a broad range of fragmentation probabilities, the power-law spatio-temporal correlations ar found to arise due to self-organized criticality (SOC). We find in the SOC phase a non-trivial power spectrum of the temporal sequence of the fragmentation events. The 1/{integral} behaviour is recovered in the irreversible, near-equilibrium part of this phase. (authors). 13 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

  19. Interfering effects of retrieval in learning new information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finn, Bridgid; Roediger, Henry L

    2013-11-01

    In 7 experiments, we explored the role of retrieval in associative updating, that is, in incorporating new information into an associative memory. We tested the hypothesis that retrieval would facilitate incorporating a new contextual detail into a learned association. Participants learned 3 pieces of information-a person's face, name, and profession (in Experiments 1-5). In the 1st phase, participants in all conditions learned faces and names. In the 2nd phase, participants either restudied the face-name pair (the restudy condition) or were given the face and asked to retrieve the name (the test condition). In the 3rd phase, professions were presented for study just after restudy or testing. Our prediction was that the new information (the profession) would be more readily learned following retrieval of the face-name association compared to restudy of the face-name association. However, we found that the act of retrieval generally undermined acquisition of new associations rather than facilitating them. This detrimental effect emerged on both immediate and delayed tests. Further, the effect was not due to selective attention to feedback because we found impairment whether or not feedback was provided after the Phase 2 test. The data are novel in showing that the act of retrieving information can inhibit the ability to learn new information shortly thereafter. The results are difficult to accommodate within current theories that mostly emphasize benefits of retrieval for learning. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  20. Multiple-phase behavior and memory effect of polymer gel

    CERN Document Server

    Annaka, M; Nakahira, T; Sugiyama, M; Hara, K; Matsuura, T

    2002-01-01

    A poly(4-acrylamidosalicylic acid) gel (PASA gel) exhibits multiple phases as characterized by distinct degrees of swelling; the gel can take one of four different swelling values, but none of the intermediate values. The gel has remarkable memory: the phase behavior of the gel depends on whether the gel has experienced the most swollen phase or the most collapsed phase in the immediate past. The information is stored and reversibly erased in the form of a macroscopic phase transition behavior. The structure factors corresponding to these four phases were obtained by SANS, which indicated the presence of characteristic structures depending on pH and temperature, particularly in the shrunken state. (orig.)