On the Path of a Quasi-static Crack in Mode III

A method for finding the path of a quasi-static crack growing in a brittle body is presented. The propagation process is modelled by a sequence of discrete steps optimizing the elastic energy released. An explicit relationship between the optimal growing direction and the parameters defining the local elastic field around the tip is obtained for an anti-plane field. This allows to describe a simple algorithm to compute the crack path. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000) 74R05, 74B05, 74G70.Gerardo E. Oleaga: Supported by EU-Project Front Singularities University of Leipzig and the Max Planck Institute MIS. Partial support was also provided by the Spanish DGES project BFM2000-0605.     

On the Convergence Behaviour of Variable Stepsize Multistep Methods for Singularly Perturbed Problems

In this note, we investigate the convergence behaviour of linear multistep discretizations for singularly perturbed systems, emphasising the features of variable stepsizes. We derive a convergence result for A()-stable linear multistep methods and specify a refined error estimate for backward differentiation formulas. Important ingredients in our convergence analysis are stability bounds for non-autonomous linear problems that are obtained by perturbation techniques.     

Common complements of two subspaces of a Hilbert space

In this paper we find a necessary and sufficient condition for two closed subspaces, and , of a Hilbert space to have a common complement, i.e. a subspace having trivial intersection with and and such that .Unlike the finite-dimensional case the condition is significantly more subtle than simple equalities of dimensions and codimensions, and non-trivial examples of subspaces without a common complement are possible.     

Safe bounds in linear and mixed-integer linear programming

Current mixed-integer linear programming solvers are based on linear programming routines that use floating-point arithmetic. Occasionally, this leads to wrong solutions, even for problems where all coefficients and all solution components are small integers. An example is given where many state-of-the-art MILP solvers fail. It is then shown how, using directed rounding and interval arithmetic, cheap pre- and postprocessing of the linear programs arising in a branch-and-cut framework can guarantee that no solution is lost, at least for mixed-integer programs in which all variables can be bounded rigorously by bounds of reasonable size. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000):primary 90C11, secondary 65G20     

A superlinearly convergent predictor-corrector method for degenerate LCP in a wide neighborhood of the central path with -iteration complexity

An interior point method for monotone linear complementarity problems acting in a wide neighborhood of the central path is presented. The method has -iteration complexity and is superlinearly convergent even when the problem does not possess a strictly complementary solution. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 49M15, 65K05, 90C33 Work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0139701. An erratum to this article is available at.     

Early Gravity-Wave Detection Experiments, 1960-1975

I discuss the experiments of Joseph Weber (1919-2000) of the University of Maryland between 1960 and 1973 that were aimed at the detection of gravity waves. He used throughout a quadratic detector to demodulate his antenna signal, which I analyze and compare to a linear detector.The latter was used by all of the other groups that entered the field. Of these, Richard Garwin and I at IBM were one of the first groups to publish, and I discuss in detail our experiments between 1973 and 1975. I then discuss the experiments that were carried out at Bell Labs-Rochester, Glasgow, Munich-Frascati,Moscow, and Tokyo. I compare the results, all of which were negative, with Webers claimed detection of large numbers of gravity-wave events, as many as seven per day. I conclude that these were not in fact gravity waves, but artifacts of his extremely hands-on data-analysis procedures, which I discuss in detail. Finally, I speculate on how this came about.     

Robust H ∞ Filtering for a Class of Nonlinear Discrete-Time Markovian Jump Systems

This paper considers the problem of the robust H filtering for a class of nonlinear discrete-time Markovian jump systems with real time-varying norm-bounded parameter uncertainty. For each mode, the nonlinearity is assumed to satisfy the global Lipschitz conditions and appears in both the state and measured output equations. The problem that we address is the design of a nonlinear filter which ensures robust stochastic stability and a prescribed H performance level of the filtering error system for all admissible uncertainties. A sufficient condition for the solvability of this problem is obtained in terms of a set of linear matrix inequalities; an explicit expression of a desired nonlinear H filter is also given. Finally, an example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

A Solution to a Problem of Jacobson,Kézdy and Lehel

We solve a problem proposed by Jacobson, Kézdy, and Lehel [4] concerning the existence of forbidden induced subgraph characterizations of line graphs of linear k-uniform hypergraphs with sufficiently large minimal edge-degree. Actually, we prove that for each k3 there is a finite set Z(k) of graphs such that each graph G with minimum edge-degree at least 2k²–3k+1 is the line graph of a linear k-uniform hypergraph if and only if G is a Z(k)-free graph.Acknowledgments. We thank the anonymous referees, whose suggestions helped to improve the presentation of the paper.Winter 2002/2003 DIMACS Award is gratefully acknowledged2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 05C65 (05C75, 05C85)     

Stabilization and H{infty} control of two-dimensional Markovian jump systems

This paper extends the results obtained for one-dimensionalMarkovian jump systems, to investigate the problems of stochasticstabilization and H control of two-dimensional (2D) systemswith Markovian jump parameters. The mathematical model of 2Djump systems is established upon the well-known Roesser model,and sufficient conditions are obtained for the existence ofdesired controllers in terms of linear matrix inequalities,which can be readily solved by available numerical software.These obtained results are further extended to more generalcases whose system matrices also contain parameter uncertaintiesrepresented by either polytopic or norm-bounded approaches.A numerical example is provided to show the applicability ofthe proposed theories.