Issues in microwave power systems engineering

The key issues in microwave power system engineering are beam safety, frequency allocation, and affordability. These major issues are presented, discussed, and suggestions for resolving them are offered. The issue of beam safety can be captured in the phrase “Fear of Frying.” Can a properly engineered beamed power safety system allay the public perception of microwave radiation dangers? Openness, visibility, and education may be keys to resolving this issue satisfactorily. “Not in my Spectrum” is a phrase that is frequently encountered in connection with the issue of where can the microwave power beam frequency be located. International cooperation may provide a part of the solution to this issue. “Wow, that much!” is a phrase encountered when dealing with the issue of economic affordability of large beamed power systems. A phased engineering approach for multiple uses even during construction is presented to aid in garnering revenue during the system build phase. Also, dual mode DC-RF converters are encouraged for bi-directional power flow utility and economies of scale in production     

The case for like-sensor predetection fusion

There has been a great deal of theoretical study into decentralized detection networks composed of similar (often identical), independent sensors, and this has produced a number of satisfying theoretical results. At this point it is perhaps worth asking whether or not there is a great deal of point to such study-certainly two sensors can provide twice the illumination of one, but what does this really translate to in terms of performance? We take as our metric the ground area covered with a specified Neyman-Pearson detection performance. To be fair, the comparison will be of a multisensor network to a single-sensor system where both have the same aggregate transmitter power. The situations examined are by no means exhaustive but are, we believe, representative. Is there a case? The answer, as might be expected, is “sometimes.” When the statistical situation is well behaved there is very little benefit to a fused system; however, when the environment is hostile the gains can be significant. We see, depending on the situation, gains from colocation, gains from separation, optimal gains from operation at a “fusion range,” and sometimes no gains at all     

Elimination of electromagnetic radiation in plasma simulation: The Darwin or magneto inductive approximation

For many astrophysical and magnetic fusion applications, the purely electromagnetic modes generated by real as well as simulation “plasma” fluctuations are a source of high frequency radiation that is often irrelevant to the physics of interest. Unfortunately, a numerical CFL stability limit prevents either making c infinite or Δt large while using the usual explicit Maxwell's equations for the fields. A modification of Maxwell's equations, which provides implicitly the field components, circumvents this problem. The solution is to neglect retardation effects so that the electromagnetic propagation speed is effectively infinite. The purely electromagnetic modes in this limit evolve “instantly” to a time-asymptotic configuration about the macroscopic plasma configuration at each new time level. The Darwin or magnetoinduetive approximation effectively provides infinite propagation speeds for purely electromagnetic modes by converting Maxwell's equations from hyperbolic to elliptic in character. In practice, this is accomplished by neglecting the solenoidal part of the displacement current. The elimination of the CFL time step constraint more than offsets the substantially more complicated field solution that is required. The details of a numerical implementation of this model will be presented. Numerical examples will be given and extentions of the Darwin field solution to other plasma models also will be considered. This work was performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-Eng-48.     

On measurement of operational security

Ideally, a measure of the security of a system should capture quantitatively the intuitive notion of “the ability of the system to resist attack.” That is, it should be operational, reflecting the degree to which the system can be expected to remain free of security breaches under particular conditions of operation (including attack). Instead, current security levels at best merely reflect the extensiveness of safeguards introduced during the design and development of a system. Whilst we might expect a system developed to a higher level than another to exhibit “more secure behavior” in operation, this cannot be guaranteed; more particularly, we cannot infer what the actual security behavior will be from knowledge of such a level. In the paper we discuss similarities between reliability and security with the intention of working toward measures of “operational security” similar to those that we have for reliability of systems. Very informally, these measures could involve expressions such as the rate of occurrence of security breaches, or the probability that a specified “mission” can be accomplished without a security breach. This new approach is based on the analogy between system failure and security breach, but it raises several issues which invite empirical investigation. We briefly describe a pilot experiment that we have conducted to judge the feasibility of collecting data to examine these issues     

“定制”与“广义”概念下的指尖密封结构优化

 为了获得高性能的指尖密封结构型式，根据指尖密封的结构组成特点，提出了“定制”型线和“广义”型线概念下的指尖密封结构优化策略，以及反映指尖密封基本组成特征和具有“单元叠加”功能的最小优化单元。通过采用统一优化法和分步优化法对两类指尖密封结构的多目标优化问题进行了优化分析，研究结果表明，“定制”型线指尖密封结构优化和 “广义”型线指尖密封结构优化的策略和方法，可以达到同步降低指尖密封迟滞率和综合刚度的多目标优化目标，是获得具有良好综合性能的指尖密封结构的有效途径。从工程意义上讲，“广义”型线指尖密封结构优化技术更具选择指尖密封性能优化取向和程度的优势。     

The J-MASS Marketplace: a new way for DoD to do business

It is current DoD policy to use commercial off-the-shelf software whenever it meets DoD requirements. The application of this policy to modeling and simulation has resulted in the concept of “The Joint Modeling and Simulation System (J-MASS) Marketplace.” J-MASS is designed as an Open Systems Architecture with the capability for the Simulation Support Environment (SSE) to be expanded by the addition of site specific software. In the “J-MASS Marketplace” industry will build commercial tools to work with J-MASS and individual organizations will license what they need for their particular site. The J-MASS SSE is a framework or backplane into which everything else plugs. A J-MASS product release would have the core capabilities, but the unique needs of various organizations would be satisfied by industry. This paper addresses how the J-MASS Marketplace could work and how compliance can be defined. It will outline opportunities for industry in both building software for the Marketplace and in defining the Marketplace concept     

Neural control of smart electromagnetic structures [patch antennas]

Smart electromagnetic structures (SEMS) are capable of interacting with the surrounding electromagnetic field and responding to it. A system is “smart” when it integrates sensing, processing, and control elements (e.g. antennas, neural networks, diodes) in an autonomous manner. A SEMS capable of tuning frequency autonomously is described. Data are presented showing that the system can extend the useable bandwidth of a microstrip patch antenna in a frequency hop environment to more than twice the static value     

Aeronomical balloon experiments

Aeronomical balloon observations can be divided into two categories: in situ measurements of atmospheric constituents and other physical parameters, and measurements of the atmospheric transmission characteristics of the layers above the balloon. The optical experiments, in the infrared, the visible, the ultraviolet and the X-ray parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are discussed in detail whereas a brief review is given of in situ measurements of atmospheric composition, of the electric field and of cosmic dust.     

弓网电弧辐射特性及对机场下滑信标的影响

为获得弓网电弧辐射特性及从理论上分析其对机场下滑信标的影响。选择典型电气化动车线路,首先基于CISPR16-1标准,利用电磁干扰接收机对电分相和普通点处的弓网电弧电磁辐射进行点频测试,获得了其在下滑信标台频谱内的辐射特性,然后基于电波传播理论,以电气化轨道平行跑道为例,分析了弓网电弧电磁辐射对飞机导航的影响。结果表明：电弧电磁辐射具有一定的随机特性,普通点处产生的电磁辐射场强小于电分相处;普通点的电磁辐射不会对飞机的导航产生干扰;当轨道距跑道中心的距离分别为700、120和60 m时,电分相拉弧点距下滑信标台天线的距离应分别小于3 291、546和249 m时才不会对飞机的导航产生干扰。本结果能够为轨道电气化和民用航空这两大工业体系在机场区域的电磁兼容性设计提供依据。     

A sky high education

Getting an engineering education doesn't have to be restricted to a desk or terra firma. University students, and even some high school students, can participate in the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Program conducting experiments in zero gravity aboard the infamous “Vomit Comet.” This airplane was an unseen player in the Apollo 13 movie that provided weightlessness for star Tom Hanks in this outstanding film     

Circular array STAP

Traditionally, space-time adaptive processing (STAP) for airborne early warning (AEW) radar has been applied to uniform linear arrays (ULAs). However, when considering the overall radar system, electronically scanned circular arrays have advantages: a better combination of even and continual angular and temporal coverage, and mechanical simplicity because it does not need to rotate. This paper answers the question “How well does STAP perform when applied to a circular array?” This paper shows that for the AEW mission, circular arrays are indeed STAP compatible. However, when conventional STAP algorithms are used there may be a small loss in performance when compared with a ULA. With some care in the choice and implementation of the STAP algorithm, the majority of the degradation is at close ranges, where the target returns are relatively strong. At long ranges performance is barely affected. A STAP algorithm which compensates for the circular array environment and provides better performance than existing algorithms is presented     

Stochastic Acceleration of Energetic Particles in the Heliosphere

In this paper we assess possible roles of stochastic acceleration by random electric field and plasma motion in the production and transport of energetic particles in the heliosphere. Stochastic acceleration can occur in the presence of multiple small-scale magnetohydrodynamic waves propagating in different directions. Usually, this type of stochastic acceleration is closely related to particle pitch angle scattering or parallel diffusion. Given the values of the parallel diffusion coefficient inferred from the observations of cosmic ray modulation or other energetic particle phenomena in the heliosphere, stochastic acceleration by small-scale waves is much slower than acceleration by shock waves and it is also much slower than adiabatic cooling by the expansion of the solar wind; thus it is considered as inefficient for producing heliospheric energetic particles or for the modulation of cosmic rays. Another type of stochastic acceleration occurs when particles go through random compressions or expansions due to large-scale plasma motion. This acceleration mechanism could be very fast when the correlation time of the fluctuations in plasma compression is short compared to the diffusion time. Particle acceleration by an ensemble of small shock waves or intermittent long wavelength compressible turbulence belongs to this category. It tends to establish an asymptotic p ^?3 universal distribution function quickly if there is no or little large-scale adiabatic cooling. Such a particle distribution will contain an infinite amount of pressure. Back reaction from the pressure is expected to modify the amplitude of plasma waves to an equilibrium state. At that point, the pressure of accelerated particles must remain finite and the accelerated particles could approach a p ^?5 distribution function.     

The Parker effect and navigation in space

The two well known rules of physics are: “The laws of interaction between solid bodies”, or Newton's Laws; and Maxwell's laws discovered in the 19th century on the laws of electromagnetic radiation, particularly its constant speed of propagation, “c”, in a vacuum. The Parker effect describes the correlation between these two rules and is at the heart of a new navigational technology called NIRPS. The Navigational Independent Relative Positioning System (NIRPS) uses the relation between an inertial medium (its own body) and a non-inertial medium (light) to provide information on the velocity (speed and direction) with which it is travelling in three-dimensional space. When the system is set in motion, the contrasts in the properties of the media result in an apparent deflection of the light. At the core of NIRPS is an a opto-electronic device called a “velometer”. The velometer measures the magnitude and angle of the Parker effect, which directly represent the speed and direction, or velocity, of the system in space. Finally, from these results we can then interpret the present position of the system relative to its previous position     

Satellite communication-a continuing revolution

SATCOM technology has revolutionized communications over the last 40 years. Initial SATCOM systems provided trunk telephony through large, fixed stations; current systems offer many services to smaller, fixed and mobile terminals. Personal Communications Systems, when fully implemented, will allow individuals to communicate with “anyone, anywhere, anytime,” and thus transform the world into a truly global village. New systems (currently being planned) will offer innovative services, such as computer networking and multimedia to the expanding mass market at an affordable cost. The rate of SATCOM progress shows no sign of slowing, and this revolution is expected to continue well into the future     

Proposed airborne optical fiber asynchronous CDMA systems usingfully optical orthogonal codes for real-time avionic data distributionsand computer interconnects

We report the design of optical fiber asynchronous code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems using fully optical orthogonal codes (FOOCs), which can be employed to support future airborne real-time communication services. The use of incoherent optical CDMA (IO-CDMA) can result in lower complexity and more reliable implementation than that of the coherent version, so this makes IO-CDMA more adequate for operation in the severe aircraft environment. When FOOCs are used in the IO-CDMA systems, the peaks of all the cross-correlation functions and all the sidelobes of any auto-correlation function are then limited to “1” (i.e., the minimum correlation constraint for incoherent optical processing) in fully asynchronous transmissions. Moreover, proposed systems can effectively support multi-rate and variable-rate data communications with no violation of the minimum correlation constraint and no change of IO-CDMA encoders/decoders. This characteristic can be used to improve the system flexibility and availability. A basic experiment is also demonstrated to verify the characteristics of FOOCs     

电弧喷射推力器电磁场模拟

为了揭示电弧喷射推力器内部电磁场特征及其与高温电离气体间的相互作用机理,建立了比较完善的电磁场模型,详细讨论了电磁场数值模拟方法及其计算效果.模型同时考虑了电场力、洛仑兹力和电子压强梯度对传导电流的贡献,由电子动力学方程和粒子微观碰撞理论推导出电流方程,由麦克斯韦方程组推导出电磁场控制方程,采用包括强隐过程(SIP)迭代法在内的十种迭代方法求解离散的电磁场方程.研究表明,SIP迭代法是适用于电弧喷射推力器电磁场模拟的快速有效的方法,模型能够准确地反映推力器内部电磁场与高温电离气体间的相互作用机理.     

电磁混响室高强度辐射场下机载电台敏感度研究

机载电台作为飞机典型用频机载设备,对其进行高强度辐射场(HIRF)辐照效应试验研究具有重要意 义。为了解决混响室高强度辐射场环境的快速构建、快速调控及机载设备敏感度有效测试问题,依托混响室高 强度辐射场辐射敏感度测试系统,以某型直升机机载电台为试验对象,在400 MHz~2GHz频段内,通过改变 混响室内部场强,分别确定混响室连续与步进两种工作模式下机载电台的典型故障类型和敏感度阈值。结果 表明:在试验环境场强相同的条件下,相比步进工作模式,连续工作模式更容易测试出机载电台的敏感度阈值; 搅拌器连续工作模式下,搅拌速度越快测试得到的机载电台敏感度阈值越低,随脉冲波脉宽的增加其敏感度阈 值的测试结果呈下降趋势。     

Morgan phenomenon unravels the mysteries of the Universe

We readily convince ourselves that most achievements can be credited to the construction of powerful jet engines, which enable a spaceship to escape gravity. The principle of jet propulsion seems to work perfectly; jet engines can accelerate a rocket up to an incredible speed of 11 km/sec. Looks like there is nothing left to desire. However, from the physical point of view, 11 km/sec is not such a large value compared, for instance, to the speed of light. Would it be possible to attain half of that speed using gas jets? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Nevertheless, that is not the end of the story. The purpose of this article is to show that it is still possible to use the same principle to remove limitations on attainable speed if instead of gas jets, we employ ultrafast electron beams. The basic idea of our construction was inspired by the paper by H. Morgan (ibid., vol. 13, pp. 5-10, 1998). In that article he experimentally refuted the common premise that nothing can go faster than light and gave some theoretical arguments supporting his experimental data. Although the nature and underlying principles of the Morgan phenomenon are yet to be understood, we can already start thinking of its practical applications     

导弹电磁弹射器电磁兼容性研究

在导弹电磁弹射器发射过程中会产生强电磁场辐射,不仅会造成电磁能量的损耗,也会对系统中的电子设备产生干扰。因此,在电磁发射中需要采取一定的防护措施。文章分析了导弹电磁弹射系统的组成和工作原理,从发射线圈电磁屏蔽和电路中的抗干扰2个方面对电磁线圈的电磁兼容性设计进行研究,并进行了仿真分析,通过比对屏蔽前后的效果,给出了一种磁线圈弹射器电磁兼容性设计的解决方案。     

Using built-in-test to reduce TPS run times and improve TPSreliability

This paper addresses using information derived from Built-in-Test (BIT) to fault diagnose Units Under Test (UUTs), wherever possible. This philosophic approach to diagnostic testing is not new. It has been studied over the past 20 years under the visor of “Integrated Diagnostics”, but it has yet to be truly implemented in a “real life” military diagnostic test environment. The mindset of Test Program Set design engineering, along with customer and contractor management alike, remains “complete diagnostic testing based upon single catastrophic component failure modes”. If we are to generate cost efficient Test Program Sets (TPSs) under reduced military budget constraints, this will have to change! The test engineer must be encouraged to use methodologies to speed up development time and decrease TPS run times. Using present technology, this is possible now, and as the technology matures, will become a truly viable approach in the future. For the purpose of this paper, the author relies heavily on his extensive US Navy Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) and Test Program Set (TPS) experience, as well as on previous studies performed on using BIT to fault diagnose Unit Under Test failures on US Naval Air weapon systems