Analysis of queuing behavior of automatic ESM systems

Radar electronic support measures (ESM) systems detect active emitters in a given area and determine their identities and bearings. The high arrival rate of radar pulses in dense emitter environments demands fast automatic processing of arriving pulses so that the ESM system can fulfill its functions properly in real time. Yet, the performance analysis of automatic ESM system in real life Is difficult since both pulse arrivals and widths can be specified only probabilistically. The success of queuing theory in many applications such as computer communication networks and flow-control has encouraged designers to utilize queuing theory in qualifying and judging the performance of automatic ESM systems in dense emitter environments. The queuing behavior of these systems is analytically evaluated under different service disciplines and elaborate computer simulations validate the results. The analysis involves statistical modeling of arrival and departure processes as well as distribution of service times. It permits estimating the blocking probability due to high arrival rates of intercepted radar pulses or due to limited speed of the deinterleaver processor. Queuing analysis is shown to be quite useful to quantitatively assess tradeoffs in ESM systems design     

Millimeter wave radar with clutter measurements

A portable millimeter wave test radar system, also suitable for battery operation, gives interesting possibilities for clutter recordings at hard-to-reach sites. The designed system covers all common radar frequencies from the Ka- to V-bands and enables spatial detection of targets or clutter elements within an adjustable time gate, whereby spatial clutter profiles of rain can be analyzed. The construction allows full operation with non-scanning antennas as well. This is advantageous when measuring temporal RCS variations of selected targets or surface clutter from snow dunes.     

Time-dependent thermal X-ray afterglows from GRBS

Time-dependent thermal X-ray spectra are calculated from physically plausible conditions around GRB. It is shown that account for time-dependent ionization processes strongly affects the observed spectra of hot rarefied plasma. These calculations may provide an alternative explanation to the observed X-ray lines of early GRBs afterglows (such as GRB 011211). Our technique will allow one to obtain independent constraints on the GRB collimation angle and on the clumpiness of circumstellar matter.     

The Fine Structure of the AKR Electromagnetic Field as Measured by the Interball-2 Satellite

The fine structure of the Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR) is studied using multicomponent measurements of the electric component of the electromagnetic field in the frequency band 4 kHz–1 MHz (the POLRAD experiment onboard the INTERBALL-2 satellite). Special attention is paid to the measurements near the source of the AKR: under conditions when the lower boundary of the emission range descended sufficiently low, down to the local gyrofrequency of electrons. From the analysis of the electric field structure the conclusion is drawn that the bulk of the AKR power is carried by the signal component fast variable in time and frequency (flickering component). The power of a constant component (continuum) is lower by at least an order of magnitude. During strong bursts of the AKR, the relative contribution of the flickering component increases. The spatial structure of the zone of generation has at least three characteristic scales along and across the magnetic field.     

Energetic Particles Investigation (EPI)

The Energetic Particles Investigation (EPI) instrument operates during the pre-entry phase of the Galileo Probe. The major science objective is to study the energetic particle population in the innermost regions of the Jovian magnetosphere — within 4 radii of the cloud tops — and into the upper atmosphere. To achieve these objectives the EPI instrument will make omnidirectional measurements of four different particle species — electrons, protons, alpha-particles, and heavy ions (Z > 2). Intensity profiles with a spatial resolution of about 0.02 Jupiter radii will be recorded. Three different energy range channels are allocated to both electrons and protons to provide a rough estimate of the spectral index of the energy spectra. In addition to the omnidirectional measurements, sectored data will be obtained for certain energy range electrons, protons, and alpha-particles to determine directional anisotropies and particle pitch angle distributions. The detector assembly is a two-element telescope using totally depleted, circular silicon surfacebarrier detectors surrounded by a cylindrical tungsten shielding with a wall thickness of 4.86 g cm^-2. The telescope axis is oriented normal to the spherical surface of the Probe's rear heat shield which is needed for heat protection of the scientific payload during the Probe's entry into the Jovian atmosphere. The material thickness of the heat shield determines the lower energy threshold of the particle species investigated during the Probe's pre-entry phase. The EPI instrument is combined with the Lightning and Radio Emission Detector (LRD) such that the EPI sensor is connected to the LRD/EPI electronic box. In this way, both instruments together only have one interface of the Probe's power, command, and data unit.     

Aperture error mitigation via local-state estimation for frequency-based emitter location

This paper considers the problem of locating a stationary coherent emitter via a single moving platform making frequency measurements in the presence of aperture state uncertainty. It is shown that the estimated emitter location is most sensitive to the receiving aperture velocity uncertainty. The required aperture velocity accuracy is determined through a noninfinitesimal perturbation analysis. A solution to location accuracy enhancement with a minimal hardware addition is attempted. It is shown that this can be achieved by mounting a high-resolution tri-axis microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer at the aperture to measure its velocity, which can deviate significantly from that estimated by the on-board navigation system. The Doppler shifts of the GPS signal carrier frequency, whenever it can be acquired through the aperture, are also considered as a way to aid the aperture velocity measurement. A decentralized, federated processing method for the aperture velocity estimate referenced at the aperture, integrating all measurement data, is presented. An upper bound for the error of aperture velocity estimate is derived. The potential for significant accuracy enhancement for emitter location is demonstrated.     

Removing autocorrelation sidelobes by overlaying orthogonal coding on any train of identical pulses

A coherent train of identical linear FM (LFM) pulses is used extensively in radar because of its good range and Doppler resolution. Its relatively high autocorrelation function (ACF) sidelobes are sometimes reduced through spectrum shaping (e.g., nonlinear FM, or intrapulse weighting on receive). We show how to completely remove most of the ACF sidelobes about the mainlobe peak, without any increase to the mainlobe width, by diversifying the pulses through overlaying them with orthonormal coding. A helpful byproduct of this design is reduced ACF recurrent lobes. The overlaid signal also results in reduced Doppler tolerance, which can be considered as a drawback for some applications. The method is applied to several trains of identical pulses (LFM and others) using several orthonormal codes. The effect on the three important properties of the radar signal: ACF, ambiguity function (AY), and frequency spectrum is presented. The effect on Doppler tolerance is studied, and implementation issues are discussed. The new design is also compared with complementary and sub-complementary pulse trains and is shown to be superior in many aspects.     

Power anomaly effects and costs in low-voltage mobile power systems

Electric power anomalies or disturbances can disrupt the normal operation of equipment, accelerate aging, or even cause outright failures thus resulting in increased costs of maintenance and reduced system reliability. Past research on the effects caused by power anomalies has been mostly focused on industrial, commercial, or residential systems, or on power distribution equipment. A literature survey reveals that there is no comprehensive review related to low-voltage (LV) power systems and utilization equipment applicable to military combat vehicles, such as aircraft and ships. This paper summarizes the results of a new literature survey that focused on the causes, effects, and mitigation methods for power anomalies typical of LV mobile power systems. Electric power anomaly cost data collected from the literature are also presented, from which the costs of anomalies to the national defense are estimated using some simple rationales.     

Operational testing of valve regulated lead acid batteries incommercial aircraft

Valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries provide electrical performance that is virtually identical to sintered plate nickel-cadmium battery systems. In addition, the VRLA batteries offer the user a no-maintenance battery and other enhanced features that make this a very desirable battery for aircraft applications. In field trials, where VRLA batteries were substituted for nickel-cadmium batteries, the VRLA provided the user with a high reliability turbine engine starting battery under a wide variety of climatic conditions     

Relationship between daily variation of cosmogenic nuclide Be-7 concentration in atmosphere and solar activities

Daily Be-7 concentrations in air at the height of 15 m are continuously observed at 38°15.2′N, 140°20.9′E, between 2000 and 2001. The average concentration and the relative standard deviation were 4.0 mBq/m³ and 50% in 2000–2001, respectively. The Be-7 concentrations increased 2.5% with the decrease in the sunspot numbers by 6.7% for the term of two years. From the power spectral analysis, the periodicity of 26 days is shown for the daily Be-7 concentrations. The folding analysis indicates that the time variation of the Be-7 concentration is similar to that of the ground-based neutron counting rate, and the phase delay for the minimum portion of Be-7 concentration was roughly 8 days to the maximum sunspot number. These results indicate that the Be-7 concentrations in the air at ground level have 26 day periodicity as a component of time variations and the time variation is caused by the solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays, which corresponds to the variation of the sunspot number due to the rotation of the sun.