Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Carlos Castro

Publications and source records attributed to Carlos Castro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Characterization of Dirichlet-to-Neumann maps via the Born approximation

The problem of identifying the set of Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN) maps arising from conductivities on a smooth domain, among operators acting on functions on the boundary, is a challenging issue in the mathematical analysis of the Calder\'on inverse problem. This question is also relevant in specific applications since, as the inverse problem is ill-posed, numerically reconstructing a conductivity from the knowledge of its DtN map is particularly delicate. In this article, we address this issue by proving that any DtN map arising from a radial conductivity in the unit ball of $\mathbb{R}^d$ admits an exact representation as a linearized DtN map for a uniquely determined integrable function, that we call the Born approximation. This gives a strong necessary condition for an operator to be a DtN map arising from a radial conductivity. In particular, our results are a starting point towards developing a rigorous foundation for numerous linearization-based methods that are commonly used in the numerical solution of the Calder\'on inverse problem. We also characterize the Born approximation as a solution to a generalized moment problem that is formally well-defined even for non-radial conductivities. We investigate the uniqueness and structure of general non-radial solutions to this moment problem on the unit disk and provide an algorithm to numerically reconstruct the Born approximation in this setting. We provide numerical experiments to test the resolution and robustness of the Born approximation in different situations.

math.NA↗
arXiv2025

A mixed finite elements approximation of inverse source problems for the wave equation with variable coefficients using observability

We consider an inverse problem for the linear one-dimensional wave equation with variable coefficients consisting in determining an unknown source term from a boundary observation. A method to obtain approximations of this inverse problem using a space discretization based on a mixed finite element method is proposed and analyzed. Its stability and convergence relay on a new uniform boundary observability property with respect to the discretization parameter.

math.NA↗
arXiv2024

Inequalities in Computational Thinking Among Incoming Students in an STEM Chilean University

While computational thinking arises as an essential skill worldwide, formal primary and secondary education in Latin America rarely incorporates mechanisms to develop it in their curricula. The extent to which students in the region acquire computational thinking skills remains largely unknown. To start addressing this void, this article presents findings from a cross-sectional study that characterizes the computational thinking abilities of incoming students at a Chilean university with a strong emphasis on STEM disciplines. Based on more than 500 responses, this study provides evidence of significant inequalities in computational thinking across gender, type of school (private or no), and prior programming knowledge. The discussion offers insights into how these disparities relate to contextual factors of the country, such as a highly socio-economically segregated educational system, public policies focused mainly on technology access, and heavy reliance on voluntary initiatives, to develop computational thinking. The findings can enlighten upcoming research endeavors and formulate strategies to create a more equitable field for students entering STEM degrees in nations facing similar circumstances.

cs.CY↗
arXiv2023

Uniform boundary observability for the spectral collocation of the linear elasticity system

A well-known boundary observability inequality for the elasticity system establishes that the energy of the system can be estimated from the solution on a sufficiently large part of the boundary for a sufficiently large time. This inequality is relevant in different contexts as the exact boundary controllability, boundary stabilization, or some inverse source problems. Here we show that a corresponding boundary observability inequality for the spectral collocation approximation of the linear elasticity system in a d-dimensional cube also holds, uniformly with respect to the discretization parameter. This property is essential to prove that natural numerical approaches to the previous problems based on replacing the elasticity system by collocation discretization will give successful approximations of the continuous counterparts.

math.NA↗
arXiv2023

Numerical approximation of the boundary control for the wave equation with a spectral collocation method

We propose a spectral collocation method to approximate the exact boundary control of the wave equation in a square domain. The idea is to introduce a suitable approximate control problem that we solve in the finite-dimensional space of polynomials of degree N in space. We prove that we can choose a sequence of discrete controls depending on the parameter N associated with the approximate control problem in such a way that they converge, as N goes to infinity, to a control of the continuous wave equation. Unlike other numerical approximations tried in the literature, this one does not require regularization techniques and can be easily adapted to other equations and systems where the controllability of the continuous model is known. The method is illustrated with several examples in 1-d and 2-d in a square domain. We also give numerical evidence of the highly accurate approximation inherent to spectral methods.

math.NA↗
arXiv2022

The Born approximation in the three-dimensional Calder\'on problem II: Numerical reconstruction in the radial case

In this work we illustrate a number of properties of the Born approximation in the three-dimensional Calder\'on inverse conductivity problem by numerical experiments. The results are based on an explicit representation formula for the Born approximation recently introduced by the authors. We focus on the particular case of radial conductivities in the ball $B_R \subset \mathbb{R}^3 $ of radius $R$, in which the linearization of the Calder\'on problem is equivalent to a Hausdorff moment problem. We give numerical evidences that the Born approximation is well defined for $L^{\infty}$ conductivities, and we present a novel numerical algorithm to reconstruct a radial conductivity from the Born approximation under a suitable smallness assumption. We also show that the Born approximation has depth-dependent uniqueness and approximation capabilities depending on the distance (depth) to the boundary $\partial B_R$. We then investigate how increasing the radius $R$ affects the quality of the Born approximation, and the existence of a scattering limit as $R\to \infty$. Similar properties are also illustrated in the inverse boundary problem for the Schr\"odinger operator $-\Delta +q$, and strong recovery of singularity results are observed in this case.

math.AP↗
arXiv2021

The Born approximation in the three-dimensional Calder\'on problem

Uniqueness and reconstruction in the three-dimensional Calder\'on inverse conductivity problem can be reduced to the study of the inverse boundary problem for Schr\"odinger operators $-\Delta +q $. We study the Born approximation of $q$ in the ball, which amounts to studying the linearization of the inverse problem. We first analyze this approximation for real and radial potentials in any dimension $d\ge 3$. We show that this approximation satisfies a closed formula that only involves the spectrum of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map associated to $-\Delta + q$, which is closely related to a particular moment problem. We then turn to general real and essentially bounded potentials in three dimensions and introduce the notion of averaged Born approximation, which captures the exact invariance properties of the inverse problem. We obtain explicit formulas for the averaged Born approximation in terms of the matrix elements of the Dirichlet to Neumann map in the basis spherical harmonics. To show that the averaged Born approximation does not destroy information on the potential, we also study the high-energy behavior of the matrix elements of the Dirichlet to Neumann map.

math.AP↗
arXiv2021

Achieving energy permutation of modes in the Schr\"odinger equation with moving Dirac potentials

In this work, we study the Schr\"odinger equation $i\partial_t\psi=-\Delta\psi+\eta(t)\sum_{j=1}^J\delta_{x=a_j(t)}\psi$ on $L^2((0,1),C)$ where $\eta:[0,T]\longrightarrow R^+$ and $a_j:[0,T]\longrightarrow (0,1)$, $j=1,...,J$. We show how to permute the energy associated to different eigenmodes of the Schr\"odinger equation via suitable choice of the functions $\eta$ and $a_j$. To the purpose, we mime the control processes introduced in [17] for a very similar equation where the Dirac potential is replaced by a smooth approximation supported in a neighborhood of $x=a(t)$. We also propose a Galerkin approximation that we prove to be convergent and illustrate the control process with some numerical simulations.

math.OC↗
arXiv2021

Numerical approximation of the scattering amplitude in elasticity

We propose a numerical method to approximate the scattering amplitudes for the elasticity system with a non-constant matrix potential in dimensions $d=2$ and $3$. This requires to approximate first the scattering field, for some incident waves, which can be written as the solution of a suitable Lippmann-Schwinger equation. In this work we adapt the method introduced by G. Vainikko in \cite{V} to solve such equations when considering the Lam\'e operator. Convergence is proved for sufficiently smooth potentials. Implementation details and numerical examples are also given.

math.NA↗
arXiv2021

A quantitative model for a nanoscale switch accurately predicts thermal actuation behavior

Manipulation of temperature can be used to actuate DNA origami nano-hinges containing gold nanoparticles. We develop a physical model of this system that uses partition function analysis of the interaction between the nano-hinge and nanoparticle to predict the probability that the nano-hinge is open at a given temperature. The model agrees well with experimental data and predicts experimental conditions that allow the actuation temperature of the nano-hinge to be tuned over a range of temperatures from $30$${}^{\circ}\mathrm{C}$ to $45$${}^{\circ}\mathrm{C}$. Additionally, the model reveals surprising physical constraints on the system. This combination of physical insight and predictive potential is likely to inform future designs that integrate nanoparticles into dynamic DNA origami structures. Furthermore, our modeling approach could be expanded to consider the incorporation, stability, and actuation of other types of functional elements or actuation mechanisms integrated into nucleic acid devices.

q-bio.BM↗
arXiv2020

Numerical approximation of the averaged controllability for the wave equation with unknown velocity of propagation

We propose a numerical method to approximate the exact averaged boundary control of a family of wave equations depending on an unknown parameter sigma. More precisely the control, independent of sigma, that drives an initial data to a family of final states at time t = T, whose average in sigma is given. The idea is to project the control problem in the finite dimensional space generated by the first N eigenfunctions of the Laplace operator. The resulting discrete control problem has solution whenever the continuous one has it, and we give a convergence result of the discrete controls to the continuous one. The method is illustrated with several examples in 1-d and 2-d in a square domain.

math.OC↗
arXiv2019

Development of Computational Thinking in High School Students: A Case Study in Chile

Most efforts to incorporate computational thinking in K-12 education have been focused on students in their first cycles of school education and have used visual tools, such as Scratch and Alice. Fewer research projects have studied the development of computational thinking in students in their last years of school, who usually have not had early formal preparation to acquire these skills. This study provides evidence of the effectiveness of teaching programming in C++ (a low-level language) to develop computational thinking in high school students in Chile. By applying a test before and after a voluntary C ++ programming workshop, the results show a significant improvement in computational thinking at the end of the workshop. However, we also observed that there was a tendency to drop out of the workshop among students with lower levels of initial computational thinking. Tenth-grade students obtained lower final scores than eleventh and twelfth-grade students. These results indicate that teaching a low-level programming language is useful, but it has high entry-barriers.

cs.CY↗
arXiv2019

Singular asymptotic expansion of the exact control for a linear model of the Rayleigh beam

The Petrowsky type equation $y_{tt}^\eps+\eps y_{xxxx}^\eps - y_{xx}^\eps=0$, $\eps>0$ encountered in linear beams theory is null controllable through Neumann boundary controls. Due to the boundary layer of size of order $\sqrt{\eps}$ occurring at the extremities, these boundary controls get singular as $\eps$ goes to $0$. Using the matched asymptotic method, we describe the boundary layer of the solution $y^\eps$ then derive a rigorous second order asymptotic expansion of the control of minimal $L^2-$norm, with respect to the parameter $\eps$. In particular, we recover that the leading term of the expansion is a null Dirichlet control for the limit hyperbolic wave equation, in agreement with earlier results due to J-.L. Lions in the eighties. Numerical experiments support the analysis.

math.OC↗
arXiv2018

Uniqueness for the inverse fixed angle scattering problem

We present a uniqueness result in dimensions $2$ and $3$ for the inverse fixed angle scattering problem associated to the Schr\"odinger operator $-\Delta+q$, where $q$ is a small real valued potential with compact support in the Sobolev space $W^{\beta,2}$ with $\beta>0.$ This result improves the known result, due to Stefanov, in the sense that almost no regularity is required for the potential. The uniqueness result still holds in dimension $4$, but for more regular potentials in $W^{\beta,2}$ with $\beta>2/3$.

math.AP↗
arXiv2018

A new convergent algorithm to approximate potentials from fixed angle scattering data

We introduce a new iterative method to recover a real compact supported potential of the Schr\"odinger operator from their fixed angle scattering data. The method combines a fixed point argument with a suitable approximation of the resolvent of the Schr\"odinger operator by partial sums associated to its Born series. Convergence is established for potentials with small norm in certain Sobolev spaces. As an application we show some numerical experiments that illustrate this convergence.

math.AP↗
arXiv2015

Image Classification with Rejection using Contextual Information

We introduce a new supervised algorithm for image classification with rejection using multiscale contextual information. Rejection is desired in image-classification applications that require a robust classifier but not the classification of the entire image. The proposed algorithm combines local and multiscale contextual information with rejection, improving the classification performance. As a probabilistic model for classification, we adopt a multinomial logistic regression. The concept of rejection with contextual information is implemented by modeling the classification problem as an energy minimization problem over a graph representing local and multiscale similarities of the image. The rejection is introduced through an energy data term associated with the classification risk and the contextual information through an energy smoothness term associated with the local and multiscale similarities within the image. We illustrate the proposed method on the classification of images of H&E-stained teratoma tissues.

cs.CV↗