Spintronics 2001: International Conference on Novel Aspects of Spin-Polarized Transport and Spin Dynamics

Introduction

Spintronics 2001: International Conference on Novel Aspects of Spin-Polarized Transport and Spin Dynamics     

Angle- and size-dependent characteristics of incoherent Raman and fluorescent scattering by microspheres. 1. General expressions

A dipole model is used to simulate incoherent Raman and fluorescent scattering by microspheres. The use of the addition theorem for spherical harmonics circumvents the need to evaluate double sums in the final formulas, thereby drastically reducing computational effort. Special attention is paid to consideration of backscattering geometry, which is important for lidar applications. The formulas derived for backscattering geometry decrease the computation time for size parameter x approdximately 100 by a factor of 200 compared with the time for calculations performed at other angles.     

Inversion with regularization for the retrieval of tropospheric aerosol parameters from multiwavelength lidar sounding

We present an inversion algorithm for the retrieval of particle size distribution parameters, i.e., mean (effective) radius, number, surface area, and volume concentration, and complex refractive index from multiwavelength lidar data. In contrast to the classical Tikhonov method, which accepts only that solution for which the discrepancy reaches its global minimum, in our algorithm we perform the averaging of solutions in the vicinity of this minimum. This averaging stabilizes the underlying ill-posed inverse problem, particularly with respect to the retrieval of number concentration. Results show that, for typical tropospheric particles and 10% error in the optical data, the mean radius could be retrieved to better than 20% from a lidar on the basis of a Nd:YAG laser, which provides a combination of backscatter coefficients at 355, 532, and 1064 nm and extinction coefficients at 355 and 532 nm. The accuracy is improved if the lidar is also equipped with a hydrogen Raman shifter. In this case two additional backscatter coefficients at 416 and 683 nm are available. The combination of two extinction coefficients and five backscatter coefficients then allows one to retrieve not only averaged aerosol parameters but also the size distribution function. There was acceptable agreement between physical particle properties obtained from the evaluation of multiwavelength lidar data taken during the Lindenberg Aerosol Characterization Experiment in 1998 (LACE 98) and in situ data, which were taken aboard aircraft.     

3D Visualization on mobile devices

This paper discusses current status and recent advancements of 3D graphics on mobile platforms and describes open issues concerning its usage in different applications. We have treated two particular application fields. Firstly, we deal with problems of visualization of complex data structures on mobile devices. The implementation of a 3D visualization renderer on the Symbian platform for mobile devices is written as a C++ application and based on the DieselEngine^® as a rendering engine. 3D visualization of data is generated in the form of a Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) file meaning that actually any kind of 3D content written in VRML file format can be rendered on such a device. It was the result of a project the objective of which was to provide a user interface on a mobile platform displaying visualization of hierarchical Grid monitoring data. Secondly, we describe the system that brings face animation to embedded platforms. Face animation is considered to be one of the toughest tasks in computer animation today and its delivery to mobile platforms brings possibilities for development of new innovative and attractive services for the mobile market.     

Sparse Approximations of the LMMSE Channel Estimation in OFDM with Transmitter Diversity

The linear minimum mean-squared error (LMMSE) channel estimation for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems requires a large number of complex multiplications. We evaluate a simplified LMMSE channel estimation algorithm in a transmit diversity environment by applying a significant weight catching (SWC) technique to the LMMSE fixed weighting matrix. The SWC technique itself is based on modifying the smoothing matrix by leaving the Γ largest values in each row and turning the rest to zeros. This allows the computational complexity of the full LMMSE processor to be reduced by more than 50%. In the well known LMMSE by singular value decomposition (SVD) technique the sparse approximation is accomplished by zeroing out all but the r largest singular values. LMMSE by SVD is the preferred approximation technique for low delay spread channels. However, in channels with large delay spreads, LMMSE by SWC is a better choice in terms of computational complexity and estimation accuracy Igor Tolochkoreceived his Dipl.-Eng. Degree in Electrical Engineering from Polytechnic Institute, Riga, Latvia in 1987 and PhD from Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia in 2005. He was a senior and later principal design engineer in mobile communications at the Riga Semiconductor Institute Alpha (1988 – 1993). During 1993 – 1998, he was involved in research and development activities in communications with different companies in Riga and Melbourne, Australia. From 1998 to 2002, he was with Ericsson Australia as a senior design engineer. Currently, he works for NEC Australia Pty. Ltd. as a senior design engineer in 3G Mobile Department. His current research interests include digital signal processing, indoor and outdoor wireless communications and error control coding. Michael Faulkner(M'84) received the B.Sc. (Eng) from Queen Mary College, London University, UK, in 1970, the M.E. degree from the University of New South Wales, Australia in 1978, and the PhD from University of Technology Sydney in 1993. From 1972 to 1975 he was with STC (now Alcatel) Australia. From 1975 to 1977 he as with the University of New South Wales, and since then as a lecturer and now professor at Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia where he is director of the Telecommunications and Micro-electronics research centre. Between 1988 and 2000 he spent four periods at Lund University, Sweden. He was co-recipient of the IEE's 1997 IERE prize for a paper on amplifier linearisation. His current interests are, signal processing, radio technology, radio systems and MIMO/OFDM.     

Possibilistic uncertainty handling for answer set programming

In this work, we introduce a new framework able to deal with a reasoning that is at the same time non monotonic and uncertain. In order to take into account a certainty level associated to each piece of knowledge, we use possibility theory to extend the non monotonic semantics of stable models for logic programs with default negation. By means of a possibility distribution we define a clear semantics of such programs by introducing what is a possibilistic stable model. We also propose a syntactic process based on a fix-point operator to compute these particular models representing the deductions of the program and their certainty. Then, we show how this introduction of a certainty level on each rule of a program can be used in order to restore its consistency in case of the program has no model at all. Furthermore, we explain how we can compute possibilistic stable models by using available softwares for Answer Set Programming and we describe the main lines of the system that we have developed to achieve this goal.     

Diffusion of Impurity Excitations in Superfluid and Solid 3He–4He Mixtures

Starting from the system of linearized kinetic equations, the exact expressions for the spin and mass diffusion coefficients and thermal diffusion ratio in quantum mixtures of helium isotopes with any degree of degeneration is obtained. From the general expression the various limiting expressions have been obtained, which are determined by various relations between collision rates of quasiparticles. The results of the calculations are compared with available experimental data. It is shown that in the low-temperature region, where an impuriton gas is one-component, the relaxation of concentration of ³ He in superfluid ³ He– ⁴ He mixtures is determined by the acoustic and dissipative collective modes with an effective diffusion coefficient. From the general relation, the expression for a spin diffusion coefficient in solid ³ He– ⁴ He quantum mixtures is derived. The comparison of the results obtained with the experimental data makes it possible to find a numerical value for the width of the impuriton energy zone.     

Influence of Processing Additives on Adhesive Properties of Surface‐Modified Low‐Density Polyethylene

Summary: The paper deals with the surface and adhesive properties of low‐density polyethylene modified by corona discharge, which appear during the long‐term hydrophobic recovery of the modified polymer. The study was aimed at the change in polarity during aging of low‐density polyethylene modified by corona discharge reducing the surface free energy, its polar component and the mechanical work of adhesion. During the long‐term hydrophobization of low‐density polyethylene the main decrease of the surface properties appeared within the first 30 d after modification. In the course of further aging the hydrophobic recovery of the polymer proceeded more slowly. It has been found that the value of the surface and adhesive properties of low‐density polyethylene after modification with corona discharge as well as the dynamics of their decrease during the aging is to a great extent dependent on the presence of the processing additives in the polymer.

Mechanical work of adhesion of LDPE modified by corona discharge to poly(vinyl acetate) during hydrophobic recovery: a) additive‐free LDPE, b) LDPE with additives.     

The effect of levitated water on fermentation kinetics

The rate of anaerobic glucose fermentation by baker's yeast is found to be altered when tap water is replaced with "levitated" (i.e., hydrodynamically processed) water. To analyze the effect in more detail, we developed a fermentation kinetics model that differentiates between (i) nutrient transport into the cell, (ii) the "catabolic" and (iii) the "anabolic" reactions. As a result, the levitated water affects specifically the glucose uptake kinetics, whereas the other kinetic parameters remain unchanged. Remarkably, the sign of the effect changes with the water used to prepare the culture. When levitated water is used for both the culture preparation and the fermentation, the rate constant of glucose transport is increased by (67+/-25)%, relative to ordinary tap-water. When the culture is prepared in ordinary water and only the fermentation is performed in levitated water, the rate constant of glucose transport decreased by (50+/-12)%. Three-week old levitated water has no discernable effect any more.