On the Existence of XOR-Based Codes for Private Information Retrieval with Private Side Information

We consider the problem of Private Information Retrieval with Private Side Information (PIR-PSI), wherein the privacy of the demand and the side information are jointly preserved. Although the capacity of the PIR-PSI setting is known, we observe that the underlying capacity-achieving code construction uses Maximum Distance Separable (MDS) codes therefore contributing to high computational complexity when retrieving the demand. Pointing at this drawback of MDS-based PIR-PSI codes, we propose XOR-based PIR-PSI codes for a simple yet non-trivial setting of two non-colluding databases and two side information files at the user. Although our codes offer substantial reduction in complexity when compared to MDS-based codes, the code-rate marginally falls short of the capacity of the PIR-PSI setting. Nevertheless, we show that our code-rate is strictly higher than that of XOR-based codes for PIR with no side information. As a result, our codes can be useful when privately downloading a file especially after having downloaded a few other messages privately from the same database at an earlier time-instant.     

Finite-dimensional spin glass and quantum error correcting code

We study a variety of spin systems with randomness in order to investigate the performance of the quantum error correcting codes. We show that the duality formalism is useful to search the locations of the critical points for the random spin systems, which gives us the clue to the exact values of the accuracy thresholds for the topological error correcting codes.     

Stabilizer formalism for operator quantum error correction

Operator quantum error correction is a recently developed theory that provides a generalized and unified framework for active error correction and passive error avoiding schemes. In this Letter, we describe these codes using the stabilizer formalism. This is achieved by adding a gauge group to stabilizer codes that defines an equivalence class between encoded states. Gauge transformations leave the encoded information unchanged; their effect is absorbed by virtual gauge qubits that do not carry useful information. We illustrate the construction by identifying a gauge symmetry in Shor's 9-qubit code that allows us to remove 3 of its 8 stabilizer generators, leading to a simpler decoding procedure and a wider class of logical operations without affecting its essential properties. This opens the path to possible improvements of the error threshold of fault-tolerant quantum computing.     

Half-duplex relaying with serially concatenated low-density generator matrix (SCLDGM) codes

Recently, the integration of cooperation with coding has proven to be a very useful technique to enhance relay system performance. Relay systems based on low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes have the potential to approach the theoretical information limits very closely. However, LDPC codes have a disadvantage in that the encoding complexity is high. To solve this problem, serially concatenated low-density generator matrix (SCLDGM) codes are attracting attention owing to their low encoding complexity. However, the performance of SCLDGM coded relaying has not been investigated. In this paper, we apply SCLDGM codes to relay channel with the motivation of lowering the encoding complexity. Since SCLDGM codes are concatenated codes, we cannot use the same method as LDPC coded relaying. We propose a new relaying system and three cooperation protocols suited for SCLDGM codes. Computer simulation results show that the bit error rate (BER) performance of the proposed system is equal to that of conventional LDPC coded relaying system.     

与散裂中子靶物理相关的理论计算程序探讨 II厚靶计算

散裂中子靶是加速器驱动洁净核能系统的一个重要环节.相关的理论计算程序和蒙特 卡罗方法是研究该系统的散裂靶物理的一个重要手段.对相关程序进行了比对和介绍,并对SHIELD程序系统在中国的发展和在散裂靶物理上的应用作了介绍.     

EAST 装置反剪切放电的数值模拟

利用TSC+LSC 程序对EAST 装置反剪切位形进行了数值模拟,反剪切等离子体由偏轴分布的LHCD 来维持,并做了一系列的模拟来研究辅助加热投入时间对等离子体参数的影响。依据这些模拟,提出了一个新的控制安全因子分布的方案,这对托卡马克实验中的实时控制很有帮助。     

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利用TSC+LSC程序对EAST装置反剪切位形进行了数值模拟,反剪切等离子体由偏轴分布的LHCD来维持,并做了一系列的模拟来研究辅助加热投入时间对等离子体参数的影响。依据这些模拟,提出了一个新的控制安全因子分布的方案,这对托卡马克实验中的实时控制很有帮助。     

An iterative improvement algorithm for coherent codes

Coherent codes (arrays of 1 and -1 whose aperiodic autocorrelation approximateds the delta function) are of interest for several imaging applications. Analytic techniques of code generation have not had much impact on this class of codes. In practice, useful codes are found by hill-climbing searches accomplishing either code generation or improvement. One such improvement algorithm is described.     

Formulas for transverse ionization cooling in solenoidal focusing channels

Ionization cooling in solenoidal channels, such as that envisioned for the future muon colliders or neutrino factories, is studied. Assuming that the interaction with the ionization material is weak, the evolution of the transverse emittance and angular momentum can be determined analytically. Simple and practical formulas are derived for a general cooling configuration as well as for periodic channels. The prediction of these formulas agrees well with those obtained from simulation codes. The method developed here should be useful to other areas of beam physics involving solenoidal focusing.     

激光敌我识别

本文论述了协同式激光敌我识别的工作原理和回波信号调制方法。在这一系统中,激光发射和接收机安装在稳象转台上;激光探测和反射棱镜组是复眼式全方位探测系统,当它接收到询问方(友方)发来的询问码时,控制反射棱镜前方的调制器,由反射棱镜返回调制的识别码,再由询问方(友方)接收加以判别。本系统适用于空对空、空对地、地对地及海上运动目标间的敌我识别。     

Digital information encrypted in an image using binary encoding

This paper proposes a new type of encoding methods to encrypt hidden (covert) information in host images. The encrypted information can be plot, fax, word, or network data, and it must be encoded with binary codes. All the pixels in an encoded (overt) image modulated from a host image are classified into three groups. The first group of pixels is called identification codes, used to judge whether the overt image is encoded by a method proposed in this paper or not. The second group of pixels is called type codes, used to judge the encoding type. The third group of pixels is called information codes, used to decode the encoded information. Applying the proposed encoding methods is quite convenient, and host images are not needed for decoding. Decoding covert information from overt images is rather difficult for un-authorized persons, whereas it is very easy for designers or authorized persons. Therefore, the proposed methods are very useful.     

Standard form of qudit stabilizer groups

We investigate stabilizer codes with carrier qudits of equal dimension D, an arbitrary integer greater than 1. We prove that there is a direct relation between the dimension of a qudit stabilizer code and the size of its corresponding stabilizer, and this implies that the code and its stabilizer are dual to each other. We also show that any qudit stabilizer can be put in a canonical, or standard, form using a series of Clifford gates, and we provide an explicit efficient algorithm for doing this. Our work generalizes known results that were valid only for prime dimensional systems and may be useful in constructing efficient encoding/decoding quantum circuits for qudit stabilizer codes and better qudit quantum error correcting codes.     

Dosimetry and microdosimetry of 10–220 MeV proton beams with CR-39 and their verifications by calculation of reaction cross sections using ALICE,TALYS and GEANT4 codes

High- and intermediate-energy protons are not able to directly form a track in a CR-39 etch detector (TED). Such detectors, however, can be used for the detection and dosimetry of the beams of these particles through the registration of secondary charged particles with sufficiently high values of linear energy transfer (LET). High-energy protons (72–220 MeV) and Intermediate-energy protons (10–30 MeV) with low LET values ranging from 1.1 down to 0.4 keV/μm and 5.87 down to 2.40 keV/μm, respectively are considered in this study. It seems to be sufficient to create secondary particles, although the LET values are low. This phenomenon can modify the characteristics of the energy transfer process due to these particles, which should be taken into account when such particles are used for radiobiology studies or for radiotherapy. The importance of these secondary particles was investigated experimentally by means of an LET spectrometer based on a chemically etched track detector in which the tracks of the primary protons are not revealed. Experiments were performed with proton beams available at the Nuclear Research Center for Agriculture and Medicine (NRCAM) in Karaj, Iran and at the National Cancer Center (NCC) in Seoul, Korea with protons of primary energies of about 10–30 MeV and 72–220 MeV respectively. The contribution of the secondary particle dose increases as the proton energy decreases. The origin of the secondary particles in interactions with protons having high and intermediate energies due to various nuclear reactions was calculated by the both ALICE and TALYS computer codes. The secondary microdosimetry doses were also calculated by GEANT4 code. There is large discrepancy between experimental and calculated results in low proton energies. It has been verified that there is a good correlation between the experimentally obtained results and the reaction cross sections predicted by ALICE and TALYS codes.     

一种基于游程码的二值图像孔洞标记和表达方法

在考察多种二值图像连通区域标记方法的基础上,提出了一种新的基于图像填充和游程码的二值图像孔洞连通域的标记和表达方法。对二值图像进行一次扫描,得到所有可能构成孔洞的游程码,并将游程对应的区域基于特定标记值进行填充。通过判断每个游程与图像上一行像素点标记值的对应关系完成新连通域的建立、游程数据存储和连通区域的合并,判断每个游程与图像下一行像素点标记值的对应关系完成孔洞的筛选。由于仅需扫描图像一次,且对每个游程只须进行单独处理,标记算法的效率较高、复杂度较低。结果表明,可以快速有效地完成二值图像孔洞连通域的标记。同时,它还给出孔洞之间的包含关系,能够有效地实现二值图像的拓扑结构表达。     

Monte Carlo simulation of mini TEPC microdosimetric spectra: Influence of low energy electrons

In the past few years, miniaturized tissue-equivalent gas detectors (mini TEPCs) have been developed for application of microdosimetry in radiotherapy. These mini-TEPCs are characterised by millimetric dimensions. They are equipped neither with an internal calibration source nor with electric field tubes, which would properly define the sensitive volume hence the simulated site size. In spite of these lacks, mini TEPCs working in gas flow conditions have proven to be precise and reliable detectors. However, for future therapeutic plans including microdosimetric data, consistency between experimental and calculated data is important. Existing general-purpose Monte Carlo codes have proven to be very useful to calculate the energy deposition due to ionization in macroscopic targets, even in various complex radiation fields. However, theoretical models implemented in these codes for simulating electron transport and straggling are valid only for energies above a few keV. This restricts their applicability for simulating radiation transport at a micrometric level, where low-energy electrons play a dominant role. In this work, we calculate frequency distributions of deposited energy in a mini TEPC (with sizes equivalent to 1 and 2 μm) due to photons using the Monte Carlo code FLUKA. Comparisons between simulated and experimental data show a rather good agreement. Differences due to different FLUKA settings are discussed.     

A new family of two-dimensional codes for optical CDMA systems

The design of a new family of two-dimensional single pulse per column codes for optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) networks is reported. The 1-D modified pseudo-noise codes have been known to be orthogonal and their generation and system design based on these codes is rather simple. But their performance is limited due to the bandwidth constraints if the code length increases. Hence, using these 1-D modified pseudo-noise codes, modified 2-D pseudo-noise matrix codes (MPMCs) are generated. The system performance is evaluated for two, three and four simultaneous users using the link with all the sources responsible for degradation included: attenuation, chromatic dispersion, non-linear refractive effects, non-linear scattering and four-wave mixing. The effect of the non-linear and lossy dispersive medium over the system performance is shown by plotting the BER with respect to the link length for the systems designed using encoders/decoders base on 1-D modified pseudo-noise codes and our MPMCs. The performance is compared for the two types of codes by finding the crosstalk due to interfering users simultaneously operating in the network.     

The non-equilibrium Marshak wave problem

An analytic solution to a particular Marshak wave problem is given. The radiative transfer model used is the gray, non-equilibrium diffusion approximation which allows the radiation and material fields to be out of equilibrium. This solution should be useful as a reference problem for validating time-dependent radiative transfer computer codes, as well as investigating the convergence, as a function of space and time step size, for such codes. The coupling of the radiation field to the material field in a multigroup code, a difficult numerical problem, can also be tested against this solution. Typical numerical results are given for surface quantities, integral quantities, and the distribution of radiative energy and material temperature as a function of space and time.     

Defect-controlled numerical methods and shadowing for chaotic differential equations

It is well-known that chaotic ODE's are, in the classical sense, unstable or ill-conditioned. It is not clear that variable step-size codes based on local error control can solve such problems in a useful way. In particular, it is usually difficult to show that the apparent chaos in the resulting solution is not a numerical artifact. I show here that a defect-controlled method gives useful solutions for chaotic problems. A pragmatically modified definition of what it means for a dynamical system to be chaotic is also presented.     

Ab initio theory and calculations of X-ray spectra

There has been dramatic progress in recent years both in the calculation and interpretation of various x-ray spectroscopies. However, current theoretical calculations often use a number of simplified models to account for many-body effects, in lieu of first principles calculations. In an effort to overcome these limitations we describe in this article a number of recent advances in theory and in theoretical codes which offer the prospect of parameter free calculations that include the dominant many-body effects. These advances are based on ab initio calculations of the dielectric and vibrational response of a system. Calculations of the dielectric function over a broad spectrum yield system dependent self-energies and mean-free paths, as well as intrinsic losses due to multi-electron excitations. Calculations of the dynamical matrix yield vibrational damping in terms of multiple-scattering Debye–Waller factors. Our ab initio methods for determining these many-body effects have led to new, improved, and broadly applicable x-ray and electron spectroscopy codes. To cite this article: J.J. Rehr et al., C. R. Physique 10 (2009).