Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Scattering from chaotic cavities: Exploring the random coupling model in the time and frequency domains(2009) Hart, James Aamodt; Ott, Edward; Antonsen, Thomas M; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Scattering waves off resonant structures, with the waves coupling into and out of the structure at a finite number of locations (`ports'), is an extremely common problem both in theory and in real-world applications. In practice, solving for the scattering properties of a particular complex structure is extremely difficult and, in real-world applications, often impractical. In particular, if the wavelength of the incident wave is short compared to the structure size, and the dynamics of the ray trajectories within the scattering region are chaotic, the scattering properties of the cavity will be extremely sensitive to small perturbations. Thus, mathematical models have been developed which attempt to determine the statistical, rather than specific, properties of such systems. One such model is the Random Coupling Model. The Random Coupling Model was developed primarily in the frequency domain. In the first part of this dissertation, we explore the implications of the Random Coupling Model in the time domain, with emphasis on the time-domain behavior of the power radiated from a single-port lossless cavity after the cavity has been excited by a short initial external pulse. In particular, we find that for times much larger than the cavity's Heisenberg time (the inverse of the average spacing between cavity resonant frequencies), the power from a single cavity decays as a power law in time, following the decay rate of the ensemble average, but eventually transitions into an exponential decay as a single mode in the cavity dominates the decay. We find that this transition from power-law to exponential decay depends only on the shape of the incident pulse and a normalized time. In the second part of this dissertation, we extend the Random Coupling Model to include a broader range of situations. Previously, the Random Coupling Model applied only to ensembles of scattering data obtained over a sufficiently large spread in frequency or sufficiently different ensemble of configurations. We find that by using the Poisson Kernel, it is possible to obtain meaningful results applicable to situations which vary much less radically in configuration and frequency. We find that it is possible to obtain universal statistics by redefining the radiation impedance parameter of the previously developed Random Coupling Model to include the average effects of certain classical trajectories within the resonant structure. We test these results numerically and find good agreement between theory and simulation.Item Sound Localization by Echolocating Bats(2007-05-14) Aytekin, Murat; Moss, Cynthia F.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Echolocating bats emit ultrasonic vocalizations and listen to echoes reflected back from objects in the path of the sound beam to build a spatial representation of their surroundings. Important to understanding the representation of space through echolocation are detailed studies of the cues used for localization, the sonar emission patterns and how this information is assembled. This thesis includes three studies, one on the directional properties of the sonar receiver, one on the directional properties of the sonar transmitter, and a model that demonstrates the role of action in building a representation of auditory space. The general importance of this work to a broader understanding of spatial localization is discussed. Investigations of the directional properties of the sonar receiver reveal that interaural level difference and monaural spectral notch cues are both dependent on sound source azimuth and elevation. This redundancy allows flexibility that an echolocating bat may need when coping with complex computational demands for sound localization. Using a novel method to measure bat sonar emission patterns from freely behaving bats, I show that the sonar beam shape varies between vocalizations. Consequently, the auditory system of a bat may need to adapt its computations to accurately localize objects using changing acoustic inputs. Extra-auditory signals that carry information about pinna position and beam shape are required for auditory localization of sound sources. The auditory system must learn associations between extra-auditory signals and acoustic spatial cues. Furthermore, the auditory system must adapt to changes in acoustic input that occur with changes in pinna position and vocalization parameters. These demands on the nervous system suggest that sound localization is achieved through the interaction of behavioral control and acoustic inputs. A sensorimotor model demonstrates how an organism can learn space through auditory-motor contingencies. The model also reveals how different aspects of sound localization, such as experience-dependent acquisition, adaptation, and extra-auditory influences, can be brought together under a comprehensive framework. This thesis presents a foundation for understanding the representation of auditory space that builds upon acoustic cues, motor control, and learning dynamic associations between action and auditory inputs.