Igor N. Nikitin

Sceptre: an infrared laser tracking system for virtual environments

In this paper a 3D tracking system for Virtual Environments is presented which utilizes infrared (IR) laser technology. Invisible laser patterns are projected from the user(s) to the screen via the input device Sceptre or the appending headtracking device. IR-sensible cameras which are placed near the projectors in a backprojection setup recognize the pattern. That way position and orientation of the input devices is reconstructed. The infrared laser is not seen by human eye and therefore does not disturb the immersion.

Exotic solutions in string theory

SummarySolutions of classical string theory, corresponding to the world sheets, mapped in Minkowski space with a fold, are considered. Typical processes for them are creation of strings from vacuum, their recombination and annihilation. These solutions violate positiveness of square of mass and Regge condition. In quantum string theory these solutions correspond to physical states |DDF〉 + |sp〉 with non-zero spurious component.

Visualization in topology: assembling the projective plane

Assembling the projective plane in 3D space from a Mobius band and a disc is animated. Various properties and representations of the projective plane are visualized.

Visualization in string theory

Abstract The tools for visualization of relativistic string dynamics in various topological classes are developed. New theoretical results, obtained with the aid of these tools, are described.

METHODS OF NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL TWO-BODY PROBLEM IN WHEELER-FEYNMAN ELECTRODYNAMICS

Numerical methods for solutions of differential equations with deviating arguments describing one-dimensional ultra-relativistic scattering of two identical charged particles in Wheeler-Feynman electrodynamics with half-retarded/half-advanced interaction are developed. Utilization of the methods for the physical problem analysis leads to the discovery of a bifurcation of solutions and breaking of their reflectional symmetry for particles asymptotic velocity v>0.937c in their center-of-mass frame.

Numerical modeling of relativistic networks

In this paper, we consider a model of relativistic networks, a topological extension of the model of relativistic particles. Numerical experiments are performed to study thermodynamical properties of the model and their relationship with explicit symmetry of solutions under time reversal. An efficient algorithm is constructed, allowing to generate numerical solutions of high complexity in the given model. The algorithm includes a generator of random topology, an optimal choice of stiffness coefficients for the network and a solver for constrained optimization problem, describing an equilibrium of the network. A system, studied in the given paper, contains about 100 thousands of equations and inequalities. Possible extensions of the algorithm are discussed, necessary for processing of relativistic networks of higher complexity, containing millions of equations.

StarWatch 2.0: RFI Filter for SETI Signals

We extend our system for radio astronomical monitoring by a cross-validation filter, separating near Earth radio frequency interference (RFI) from deep space signals. The filter searches for similar signals in a nearby frequency band, coming from a different spatial direction than the tested signal. The filter passes the signals which do not have such duplicates. We apply this technique to a database of SETI Institute (setilive.org), containing 1.5 millions of sky observations in a frequency range 0.5-11.2 GHz, where our primary selection identified 28 strong signals possessing extraterrestrial (ET) signature. Crossvalidation allows to filter out 24 of those signals as satellite RFI. We present parameters for the remaining 4 signals and discuss statistical significance of these findings.

Virtual planetarium in cyberstage

We describe an educational application in virtual environment, intended for teaching and demonstration of basics of astronomy. The application includes 3D models of 30 objects in the Solar System, 3200 nearby stars, a large database, containing textual descriptions of all objects in a scene, interactive map of constellations and tools for search and navigation. The methods, needed for visualization of different scale astronomical objects in virtual environment, are described.

Visualization of complex phenomena in string theory

A visualization approach to the study of singularities on the world sheets of strings is presented. A representation of the world sheet in terms of specified supporting curve is discussed, which enables effective use of the visualization techniques for its study. The desirable ways of future research using computer animation and virtual reality are discussed.<<ETX>>

StarWatch 3.0: Visualizing Wave Patterns of Phased Array Radio Telescopes

We extend our system for radio astronomical monitoring by a module for numerical modeling of real antennas, based on the laws of wave optics. We use far field approximation, suitable for phased array radio telescopes, searching deep space signals. We have implemented the main computation on GPU, achieving acceleration factor 52 and providing real time performance of the module. Visualization of the resulting wave patterns helps to separate true deep space signals from the near Earth satellite radio interference. In particular, we model in detail a scenario of a satellite signal coming through the side lobe of SETI ATA-42 telescope. Such signals can be responsible for the false alarms in monitoring procedures, used in searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. We also analyze a scenario of searching pulsar signals with BSA/LPI radio telescope and their separation from background radio interference.