Retrieval of the quasi-optimal signal activating the excitable systems using preceding noise samples

We propose a method for obtaining a signal leading to the activation of an excitable dynamic system for a signal energy close to minimal. The efficiency of this technique, which is based on recording and processing of noise samples preceding the activation was tested using the FitzHugh–Nagumo, Hodgkin–Huxley, and Luo–Rudy models as examples. It is shown that the proposed procedure gives good results when the noise intensity is smaller than or close to the system activation energy. The criteria of “low” and “high” intensities of fluctuations are proposed. The method of increasing the stability of the excitable system with respect to “low-intensity” noise by filtering or another way of suppression of the spectral components that make the main contribution to the energetically optimal activation signal is justified. The relation between eigenvalues of the linearized system of the Hamiltonian equations, which describe the optimal trajectories and the activation signal, and eigenvalues of the excitable system linearized near the initial equilibroum state is found.     

Some distinctive features in the behavior of small-scale artificial ionospheric irregularities at mid-and high latitudes

We present the results of experimental studies of some features in the behavior of small-scale artificial irregularities (SSAIs) at mid-and high latitudes based on the “Sura” and EISCAT/HEATING HF facilities. Observations were performed by the method of aspect scattering using a network of diagnostic paths having a common reception point located near St. Petersburg. We found that an extremely long duration of the second (slow) stage of SSAI relaxation of up to 5 min occurs in the evening hours when the ionosphere above the “Sura” facility is illuminated by the Sun, but the solar terminator travels through the magnetically conjugated ionosphere. The conjecture is made that the processes initiated by the terminator are mostly responsible for secondary ionospheric turbulence maintaining the irregularities above “Sura.” A drastic increase in the Doppler spectra width of the scattered signals is revealed when the magnetically conjugate point of the ionosphere is located on the shade side of the terminator, but the ionosphere above the “Sura” facility is still lighted. It is assumed that the “ run away” of photoelectrons from the day to the night side could reduce the threshold of excitation of artificial irregularities, leading to an increase in their intensity. The presence of fairly intense scattered signals was detected from the “Sura” and EISCAT/HEATING experimental results both under conditions of pulsed HF heating after continuous heater-on periods and cycled HF heating by short pulses. In the case of pulsed heating by short pulses with duration τ_p < 100 ms and average radiated power P_a below the threshold power P_thr of the SSAI generation cutoff the irregularities can be maintained due only to striction parametric instabilities. The excitation of irregularites under the cycled HF pumping with the pulse duration τ_p = 384 ms for P_a comparable with P_thr was detected. The aspect-angle dependence, or the so-called magnetic zenith effect, was found in the SSAI intensity. The residual turbulence aftereffects played a significant role in the SSAI development. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 50, No. 8, pp. 678–694, August 2007.     

Tuning of tunneling current noise spectra singularities by localized states charging

We report the results of theoretical investigations of tunneling current noise spectra in a wide range of applied bias voltage. Localized states of individual impurity atoms play an important role in tunneling current noise formation. It was found that switching “on” and “off” of Coulomb interaction of conduction electrons with two charged localized states results in power law singularity of low-frequency tunneling current noise spectrum (1/f ^α) and also results on high frequency component of tunneling current spectra (singular peaks appear). The article is published in the original.     

Sura-wind radar: Studies of nonlinear effects using VHF-wave occultion of the ionosphere

We present experimental results on reception of VHF signals of the transmitting facility “Sura” of the Radiophysical Research Institute by the NASA spacecraft WIND. The experiments were performed during daytime during the summer seasons 1997–1998. The dependence of power and spectral characteristics of the VHF radio waves on the power of the sounding radiation is analyzed. We find that, in a wide range of effective powers of the VHF radiation from about 40 kW to 160 MW, the phenomena observed in the radiation received onboard WIND (such as focusing, scintillations, or frequency deviations of signals) does not usually depend on the operation mode of the “Sura” facility. At the same time, broadening of the radiation pattern of the facility and decrease of the mean level of the received signal by about 6 dB toward the direction of maximum of the radiation pattern were observed at the peak radiation power of the facility. The experimental results are compared to present concepts on effects of self-focusing instability and nonlinear defocusing of VHF radio waves in the ionospheric plasma. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 42, No. 8, pp. 799–809, August 1999.     

Impact of network activity on noise delayed spiking for a Hodgkin-Huxley model

In a Hodgkin-Huxley neuron model driven just above threshold, external noise can increase both jitter and latency of the first spike, an effect called “noise delayed decay” (NDD). This phenomenon is important when considering how neuronal information is represented, thus by the precise timing of spikes or by their rate. We examine how NDD can be affected by network activity by varying the model's membrane time constant, τ_m. We show that NDD is significant for small τ_m or high network activity, and decreases for large τ_m, or low network activity. Our results suggest that for inputs just above threshold, the activity of the network constrains the neuronal coding strategy due to, at least in part, the NDD effect.     

Selection of modes by time reversal in a shallow sea

Modes of the waveguide are selected from signals of individual receivers by time reversing them with the use of the frequency response of a plane wave. The experimental distribution of the modes on the “arrival time — mode number” plane corresponds to the model of an ideal waveguide, differing in that higher modes advance lower ones in the experiment. A modification of the frequency response, which eliminates that contradiction, is proposed, the modification accounting for the dependence of the effective thickness of the waveguide on the frequency. As a result, a method of determining the distance between the sound source and receiver is proposed and tested, and the interpretation of the noise immunity of signal reception on the basis of the time reversal is presented. The experimental data are obtained in the Barents Sea, at depths of about 100 m and distances of 7, 10.5, and 12 km, with the signals in a band of 100–300 Hz.     

Atom as a “dressed” nucleus

We show that the electrostatic potential of an atomic nucleus “seen” by a fast charged projectile at short distances is quantum mechanically smeared due to nucleus motion around the atomic center of inertia. For example, the size of the “positive charge cloud” in the Hydrogen ground state is much larger than the proper proton size. For target atoms in excited initial states, the effect is even larger. The elastic scattering at large angles is generally weaker than the Rutherford scattering since the effective potential at short distances is softer than the Colombian one due to a natural “cutoff”. In addition, the large-angle scattering leads to target atom excitations due to pushing the nucleus (⇒ inelastic processes). The Rutherford cross section is in fact inclusive rather than elastic. These results are analogous to those from QED. Non-relativistic atomic calculations are presented. The difference and the value of these calculations arise from nonperturbatively (exact) nucleus “dressing” that immediately leads to correct physical results and to significant technical simplifications. In these respects a nucleus bound in an atom is a simple but rather realistic model of a “dressed” charge in the QFT. This idea is briefly demonstrated on a real electron model (electronium) which is free from infinities.      

Forks in the road, on the way to quantum gravity

In seeking to arrive at a theory of “quantum gravity,” one faces several choices among alternative approaches. I list some of these “forks in the road” and offer reasons for taking one alternative over the other. In particular, I advocate the following: the sum-over-histories framework for quantum dynamics over the “observable and state-vector” framework; relative probabilities over absolute ones; spacetime over space as the gravitational “substance” (4 over 3+1); a Lorentzian metric over a Riemannian (“Euclidean”) one; a dynamical topology over an absolute one; degenerate metrics over closed timelike curves to mediate topology change; “unimodular gravity” over the unrestricted functional integral; and taking a discrete underlying structure (the causal set) rather than the differentiable manifold as the basis of the theory. In connection with these choices, I also mention some results from unimodular quantum cosmology, sketch an account of the origin of black hole entropy, summarize an argument that the quantum mechanical measurement scheme breaks down for quantum field theory, and offer a reason why the cosmological constant of the present epoch might have a magnitude of around 10⁻¹²⁰ in natural units. This paper is the text of a talk given at the symposium on Directions in General Relativity held at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, in May 1993 in honor of Dieter Brill and Charles Minser.     

Thermodynamic study on the composition of the gas phase over melts of an aluminum-scandium system

The vapor pressure of the gas phase components over Al-Sc melts was studied. The temperatures and the variation of the enthalpy upon “melt-gas” phase transformations were determined. The simulation was performed in an initial medium of argon at a total pressure of 10⁵ Pa and temperatures T = 1873−4000 K.     

The 11th International Symposium on Flow Visualization

The 11^th International Symposium on Flow Visualization (ISFV) was held at Notre Dame, IN, USA, August 8–12, 2004. The Symposium attracted 236 participants from around the world. The 52 Technical Sessions and two Poster Sessions covered a wide range of topics as indicated in the Keywords. Of the 182 submitted papers, 162 were presented. The presented papers included 8 invited lectures. Each morning and afternoon began with an invited lecture by an outstanding, recognized leader in the field. Toshio Kobayashi received the Leonardo da Vinci Award, an engraved plate, and presented the Leonardo da Vinci Memorial Lecture on “High-performance Computing and Visualization of Unsteady Turbulent Flows.” Toshio Kobayashi is very well known for his outstanding contributions in computational science and flow visualization as well as his leadership in organizing conferences, workshops, and symposia on flow visualization. Ronald J. Adrian discussed “Visualization in Extreme Environments,” Rolf H. Engler described “Pressure-sensitive Paints and Temperature-sensitive Paints in Quantitative Wind Tunnel Studies,” William K. Blake explained “Cavitation as Flow Visualization Seeding,” Giovanni M. Carlomagno discussed “The Use of Colors in Thermo-fluid Dynamic Studies,” Ajit Yoganathan presented “A Gallery of Cardiovascular Fluid Flow Fields: From Heart Valves to Congenital Heart Disease,” Richard B. Miles described “Flow Visualization by Filtered Molecular and Particular Scattering,” and Thomas C. Gruber Jr., displayed a technique for “Visualization of Foreign Gases in Atmospheric Air.” At the end of the last day, Jurgen Kompenhaus from DLR discussed the 12th ISFV to be held in Germany in 2006. After this presentation there was a tour of the Hessert Laboratory for Aerospace Research.     

Some results of measuring the characteristics of electromagnetic and plasma disturbances stimulated in the outer ionosphere by high-power high-frequency radio emission from the “Sura” facility

We present the results of measuring the characteristics of electromagnetic and plasma disturbances at altitudes of about 700 km, obtained by using the onboard equipment of the French microsatellite DEMETER during its passage through the magnetic tube resting upon the region of intense generation of artificial ionospheric turbulence created due to modification of the ionospheric F₂ region by high-power radio emission from the “Sura” facility. It is shown that an artificial density duct emerging from the disturbed region and extending to the Earth’s magnetosphere can be formed. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 50, No. 8, pp. 709–721, August 2007.     

Influence of background radiation on the composition of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays in propagating from their source to an earth-based facility

The composition of cosmic rays as they propagate from their source is noticeably distorted due to the photodisintegration of nuclei against the background cosmic radiation. We analyze the propagation of different nuclei groups of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays on the way from their source to an earth-based facility. Two types of sources are considered: “nearby” (within an area having a radius of ≈40 Mpc) and “remote” (at distances of hundreds of Mpc) active galactic nuclei. We show that within the accepted model, the composition of the particles incident on the facility depends on the source type.     

Reconstruction of the Fermi surface in the pseudogap state of cuprates

Reconstruction of the Fermi surface of high-temperature superconducting cuprates in the pseudogap state is analyzed within a nearly exactly solvable model of the pseudogap state, induced by short-range order fluctuations of the antiferromagnetic (AFM), spin-density wave (SDW), or a similar charge-density wave (CDW) order parameter, competing with the superconductivity. We explicitly demonstrate the evolution from “Fermi arcs” (on the “large” Fermi surface) observed in the ARPES experiments at relatively high temperatures (when both the amplitude and phase of the density waves fluctuate randomly) towards the formation of typical “small” electron and hole “pockets,” which are apparently observed in the de Haas-van Alphen and Hall resistance oscillation experiments at low temperatures (when only the phase of the density waves fluctuate and the correlation length of the short-range order is large enough). A qualitative criterion for the quantum oscillations in high magnetic fields to be observable in the pseudogap state is formulated in terms of the cyclotron frequency, the correlation length of fluctuations, and the Fermi velocity. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Thermodynamics of the HMF model with a magnetic field

We study the thermodynamics of the Hamiltonian mean field (HMF) model with an external potential playing the role of a “magnetic field”. If we consider only fully stable states, the caloric curve does not present any phase transition. However, if we take into account metastable states (for a restricted class of perturbations), we find a very rich phenomenology. In particular, the caloric curve displays a region of negative specific heat in the microcanonical ensemble in which the temperature decreases as the energy increases. This leads to ensembles inequivalence and to zeroth order phase transitions similar to the “gravothermal catastrophe” and to the “isothermal collapse” of self-gravitating systems. In the present case, they correspond to the reorganization of the system from an “anti-aligned” phase (magnetization pointing in the direction opposite to the magnetic field) to an “aligned” phase (magnetization pointing in the same direction as the magnetic field). We also find that the magnetic susceptibility can be negative in the microcanonical ensemble so that the magnetization decreases as the magnetic field increases. The magnetic curves can take various shapes depending on the values of energy or temperature. We describe first order phase transitions and hysteretic cycles involving positive or negative susceptibilities. We also show that this model exhibits gaps in the magnetization at fixed energy, resulting in ergodicity breaking.     

Radiation noise of an active interferometer

 An investigation of the behaviour of amplitude and frequency noise of radiation of an active interferometer in the regime of amplified optical bistability is presented. The phenomenon of non-amplification of external signal noise at sharp amplification of the external signal is established. The impact of strong amplitude fluctuations is studied. Our results have shown that the active interferometer allows an effective separation of the valid signal from the amplitude noise. The spectral density of a fluctuation of the field frequency in the active interferometer is shown to fall sharply in comparison with the “quantum limit”. The linewidth of radiation is determined by the spectral density at zero frequency and is equal to the natural linewidth of the external signal. The influence of quantum noise of the amplifying and absorbing media of the active interferometer is discussed. Received: 26 January 1996     

The impact of collisions on platelet distribution in the blood flow

The impact of platelet collisions on their distribution in a viscous liquid flow has been analyzed. It has been shown that platelet distribution in the flow perpendicular to current lines resulting from their collisions can be described as “shear” diffusion. In the wide physiological range of shear velocities specific for blood, the coefficient of “shear” diffusion is much larger than the coefficient of “Brownian” diffusion. For a parabolic fluid velocity profile (Poiseuille flow) in cylindrical vessel “shear” diffusion causes uneven radial distribution of platelets over the vessel radius. “Shear” diffusion causes platelet concentration to grow from the wall toward the center (vessel axis). This effect appears to be a consequence of the specific distribution of platelet collision frequency reaching its maximum at the vessel wall.     

Wavelet Denoising for Tomographically Reconstructed Image

We have developed a wavelet denoising (thresholding) method for a tomographically reconstructed image to which the conventional wavelet methods are not necessarily applicable because of their limitation of applicable noise models. The basic idea of our new method is that noise variance is, in general, spatially varying and the threshold must be adapted to it. Specifically, our algorithm includes two key steps: The first is to estimate local variances in image space to produce a “σ-map”. The second is to calculate the standard deviations of individual wavelet coefficients from the σ-map by a formula of “covariance propagation”. Spatially adaptive thresholds are then given as those proportional to the standard deviations. Our method is applicable to a wider range of noise models, and numerical experiments have shown that it can yield a denoised image with 10% less residual error than that in the boxcar smoothing or the median filtering.     

Polarization of the “Sura” facility radiation on oblique paths

We derived analytical expressions for the Stokes parameters of the “Sura” facility radiation. Results of the first experiments on studying the linearly polarized components of the facility radiation on oblique paths by the method of reception of signals on remote spacecraft are presented. The dominant contribution of the plasmasphere into the rotation measure of the radio-wave polarization plane in near-Earth space is noted. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 1–13, January 2009.     

Calculation of the vibronic transition moment when the geometries of the combining states of the molecules are significantly different

The concept of the adiabatic approximation is introduced from a few new standpoints, and the conditions are refined under which we can assume that the total energy of an electronic-vibrational (vibronic) state is the sum of the energies of the “electronic” and the “nuclear” problems and the wave function is represented as the product of the corresponding functions. An expression exactly corresponding to such an approximation is considered for the optical transition matrix element, and its individual terms are analyzed for any change in the geometric structure of the molecule upon optical excitation. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 290–293, May–June, 2006.