Helac-Phegas: A generator for all parton level processes

The updated version of the Helac-Phegas¹ event generator is presented. The matrix elements are calculated through Dyson-Schwinger recursive equations using color connection representation. Phase-space generation is based on a multichannel approach, including optimization. Helac-Phegas generates parton level events with all necessary information, in the most recent Les Houches Accord format, for the study of any process within the Standard Model in hadron and lepton colliders.

New version program summary

Program title: HELAC-PHEGASCatalogue identifier: ADMS_v2_0Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADMS_v2_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.htmlNo. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 35 986No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 380 214Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: FortranComputer: AllOperating system: LinuxClassification: 11.1, 11.2External routines: Optionally Les Houches Accord (LHA) PDF Interface library (http://projects.hepforge.org/lhapdf/)Catalogue identifier of previous version: ADMS_v1_0Journal reference of previous version: Comput. Phys. Comm. 132 (2000) 306Does the new version supersede the previous version?: Yes, partlyNature of problem: One of the most striking features of final states in current and future colliders is the large number of events with several jets. Being able to predict their features is essential. To achieve this, the calculations need to describe as accurately as possible the full matrix elements for the underlying hard processes. Even at leading order, perturbation theory based on Feynman graphs runs into computational problems, since the number of graphs contributing to the amplitude grows as n!.Solution method: Recursive algorithms based on Dyson-Schwinger equations have been developed recently in order to overcome the computational obstacles. The calculation of the amplitude, using Dyson-Schwinger recursive equations, results in a computational cost growing asymptotically as 3n, where n is the number of particles involved in the process. Off-shell subamplitudes are introduced, for which a recursion relation has been obtained allowing to express an n-particle amplitude in terms of subamplitudes, with 1-, 2-, …  up to (n−1) particles. The color connection representation is used in order to treat amplitudes involving colored particles. In the present version HELAC-PHEGAS can be used to efficiently obtain helicity amplitudes, total cross sections, parton-level event samples in LHA format, for arbitrary multiparticle processes in the Standard Model in leptonic, and pp collisions.Reasons for new version: Substantial improvements, major functionality upgrade.Summary of revisions: Color connection representation, efficient integration over PDF via the PARNI algorithm, interface to LHAPDF, parton level events generated in the most recent LHA format, k_⊥ reweighting for Parton Shower matching, numerical predictions for amplitudes for arbitrary processes for phase-space points provided by the user, new user interface and the possibility to run over computer clusters.Running time: Depending on the process studied. Usually from seconds to hours.References:

[1]

A. Kanaki, C.G. Papadopoulos, Comput. Phys. Comm. 132 (2000) 306.

[2]

C.G. Papadopoulos, Comput. Phys. Comm. 137 (2001) 247.

     

Design and implementation of an ERLS-based 3-D dynamic formulation for flexible-link robots

Modeling and dynamic analysis of robots with flexible-links are still an open field of research. Indeed, to design and control effective light robot manipulators and high-performance flexible mechanisms for efficient manufacturing systems, an accurate dynamic model representing the system behavior is necessary. In this work, a novel method for dynamic modeling of 3-D robots with large displacements and small elastic deformations is developed by means of an Equivalent Rigid Link System (ERLS) approach. Thanks to this, the kinematic equations of the Equivalent Rigid Link System and the compatibility equations of the displacements at the joints are always decoupled. After the theoretical development, the kinematic and dynamic models have been implemented on a Matlab^™${\mathrm{Matlab}}^{™}$ software simulator and validated.     

A fuzzy quality index for the environmental assessment of a restored wetland

This paper describes the feasibility study for the restoration of agricultural land with a tendency to become waterlogged into a natural wetland, conceived to mitigate floods and to remove nutrients from the water drained from the cultivated plots. The wetland model, developed in aquatox, includes the nutrient dynamics both in the water and in the sediment, and the vegetation that is expected to develop as a consequence of flooding. The model inputs were synthesized from historical time series of rainfall and chemical data collected over the last decade. The model outputs are used to compute a synthetic fuzzy quality index (FQI) to assess the removal efficiency of the wetland. This FQI is based on three main variables describing the ecosystem quality: chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen and total suspended solids. This index has the merit of being simple enough to be immediately grasped by non-technical people, like managers and stakeholders, to whom the restoration project is proposed. The simulations, performed under five differing loading scenarios demonstrate the feasibility of this solution, which is robust enough to accommodate a 50% increase in either nitrogen, phosphorous or organic matter.     

Controlling swimming and crawling in a fish robot using a central pattern generator

Online trajectory generation for robots with multiple degrees of freedom is still a difficult and unsolved problem, in particular for non-steady state locomotion, that is, when the robot has to move in a complex environment with continuous variations of the speed, direction, and type of locomotor behavior. In this article we address the problem of controlling the non-steady state swimming and crawling of a novel fish robot. For this, we have designed a control architecture based on a central pattern generator (CPG) implemented as a system of coupled nonlinear oscillators. The CPG, like its biological counterpart, can produce coordinated patterns of rhythmic activity while being modulated by simple control parameters. To test our controller, we designed BoxyBot, a simple fish robot with three actuated fins capable of swimming in water and crawling on firm ground. Using the CPG model, the robot is capable of performing and switching between a variety of different locomotor behaviors such as swimming forwards, swimming backwards, turning, rolling, moving upwards/downwards, and crawling. These behaviors are triggered and modulated by sensory input provided by light, water, and touch sensors. Results are presented demonstrating the agility of the robot and interesting properties of a CPG-based control approach such as stability of the rhythmic patterns due to limit cycle behavior, and the production of smooth trajectories despite abrupt changes of control parameters. The robot is currently used in a temporary 20-month long exhibition at the EPFL. We present the hardware setup that was designed for the exhibition, and the type of interactions with the control system that allow visitors to influence the behavior of the robot. The exhibition is useful to test the robustness of the robot for long term use, and to demonstrate the suitability of the CPG-based approach for interactive control with a human in the loop. This article is an extended version of an article presented at BioRob2006 the first IEEE/RAS-EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics.     

Finite-time state observation for non-linear uncertain systems via higher-order sliding modes

This article deals with the problem of finite-time state estimation for a class of non-linear systems possibly affected by modelling uncertainties and/or unknown inputs. The proposed method, based on the high-order sliding mode control approach, does not require the system to be transformed to any normal form, which can be difficult to achieve in the presence of model uncertainties. The sufficient conditions for observability are derived in terms of certain geometric restrictions imposed on the system's vector fields. Methods for the approximate and exact reconstruction of the unknown inputs are given and simulation results are provided and commented.     

Virtual reality as a communication process

In this work, we consider immersive Virtual Reality (VR) as a communication process between humans, mediated by computer systems, which uses interaction, visualization, and other sensory stimuli to convey information. From this viewpoint, it is relevant to understand how VR can solve a given communication problem, what is therefore the expressive power of VR system, i.e., its ability in establishing the communication, what are the guidelines to design an effective system, and what are the more relevant models of VR applications. Firstly, we try to clarify the notion of reality in Virtual Reality systems and conclude that reality is not an intrinsic characteristic of VR, rather the result of a conventional way of coding information. The purpose of coding is to lead the observer to the conclusion that the VR set is what is called in italian as verisimile (from Latin veri similis), i.e., ??similar-to-the-real-thing??. So the creation of an effective VR application is an artifice or an illusion. But in order to avoid an over-reliance on the creativity of the VR designer, we intend to identify a solid ground on which different kinds of VR solutions can be considered in terms of their ability to solve the desired communication objective. To this aim, we will rely on methods derived from rhetoric to semiotics.