A null frame for spacetime positioning by means of pulsating sources

We introduce an operational approach to the use of pulsating sources, located at spatial infinity, for defining a relativistic positioning and navigation system, based on the use of four-dimensional bases of null four-vectors, in flat spacetime. As a prototypical case, we show how pulsars can be used to define such a positioning system. The reception of the pulses for a set of different sources whose positions in the sky and periods are assumed to be known allows the determination of the user’s coordinates and spacetime trajectory, in the reference frame where the sources are at rest. We describe our approach in flat Minkowski spacetime, and discuss the validity of this and other approximations we have considered.     

Track structure in biological models.

High-energy heavy ions in the galactic cosmic radiation (HZE particles) may pose a special risk during long term manned space flights outside the sheltering confines of the earth's geomagnetic field. These particles are highly ionizing, and they and their nuclear secondaries can penetrate many centimeters of body tissue. The three dimensional patterns of ionizations they create as they lose energy are referred to as their track structure. Several models of biological action on mammalian cells attempt to treat track structure or related quantities in their formulation. The methods by which they do this are reviewed. The proximity function is introduced in connection with the theory of Dual Radiation Action (DRA). The ion-gamma kill (IGK) model introduces the radial energy-density distribution, which is a smooth function characterizing both the magnitude and extension of a charged particle track. The lethal, potentially lethal (LPL) model introduces lambda, the mean distance between relevant ion clusters or biochemical species along the track. Since very localized energy depositions (within approximately 10 nm) are emphasized, the proximity function as defined in the DRA model is not of utility in characterizing track structure in the LPL formulation.     

卫星在轨太阳辐射热流的简化计算方法

针对卫星在轨太阳辐射热流计算过程中计算参数多,计算过程复杂的问题,提出了一种简化的计算方法。该方法在分析卫星、地球和太阳三者之间空间几何关系的基础上,建立了新的计算坐标系,在计算坐标系中对卫星、地球和太阳的位置进行了重新规定,并在此坐标系中推导了卫星太阳辐射热流的计算公式。运用此方法对卫星太阳辐射热流进行分析求解时,轨道参数之间的空间角度关系更为简单,仅需对7个主要参数进行计算,与传统方法相比较计算量减少了约2/3。     

Bound orbits of solar sails and general relativity

We study general relativistic effects on the bound orbits of solar sails. The combined effects of spacetime curvature and solar radiation pressure (SRP) lead to deviations from Kepler’s third law. Such kind of deviations also arise from frame dragging, the gravitational multipole moments of the sun, a net electric charge on the sun, and a positive cosmological constant. The SRP increases these deviations by several orders of magnitude, possibly rendering some of them detectable. We consider how the SRP modifies the perihelion shift of non-circular orbits, as well as the Lense-Thirring effect involving the precession of polar orbits. We investigate how the pitch angle for non-Keplerian orbits changes due to the partial absorption of light, general relativistic effects, and the oblateness of the sun. It is predicted that there is an analog of the Lense-Thirring effect for non-Keplerian orbits, in that the orbital plane precesses around the sun. We also consider the Poynting–Robertson effect and show that this effect can, in principle, be compensated for by an extremely small tilt of the solar sail.     

一组新的绳系卫星系统广义坐标

应用一组新的六维广义坐标,在一个统一的力学系统中,研究在外摄动力（地球非球形引力与大气阻力等）及系绳拉力的作用下,绳系系统质心在惯性空间的轨道运动,以及该系统相对于质心的相对运动。系绳模拟为具有质量的弹性连续体,系绳两端的空间飞行器假设为点质量。下列变量取为力学系统的广义坐标：系统质心的向径、赤经、赤纬,主星与子星之间的距离,以及系绳相对于系统质心子午面的两个欧拉角。经典的质心轨道根数,以及系绳在质心轨道面内与轨道面外的摆动角,均可由上述六个广义坐标及其广义速度确定。     

高光谱遥感地形影响建模与仿真

针对地形起伏对高光谱遥感图像几何变形和辐射变化的影响,建立高光谱遥感地形影响模型.该模型利用传感器位置、姿态和视场角建立模拟图像像元坐标和地面空间坐标之间的成像几何关系,利用地表反射率、数字高程模型等数据,考虑大气辐射传输过程,计算起伏地形下传感器入瞳辐亮度图像,并经过空间分辨率转换,生成最终遥感模拟图像,实现高光谱遥感地形影响精确建模.利用西藏驱龙地区Hyperion数据和其它相关数据进行仿真分析,将模拟图像和原始图像进行对比,结果比较吻合,表明该模型具有较好的模拟效果.     

Star Point Energy Center Correction of Star Simulator Based on Polar Coordinates

In this paper,various aberrations have been analyzed.Not only the effects of aberration on geometrical center position are taken into account,but also the deviation of displayed star position energy center caused by aberration is analyzed.These two aspects have been taken into comprehensive evaluation and star position correction.The correction method based on polar coordinates is proposed,and cumbersome partition correction and calculated quantity based on two-dimensional coordinates can be simplified.The experimental results show that the correction processing based on polar coordinates is simpler and easier compared with any other correction methods.In addition,the correction results are significantly more accurate.      

Impact of loading effects on determination of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame

The International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), as a realization of the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS), is represented by a set of station positions and linear velocities. They are intended to be used as regularized coordinates to which some corrections should be added to access instantaneous coordinates. The latest ITRS realization is the ITRF2005, which has integrated time series of station positions to form long-term solutions for the four space geodetic techniques. Currently, a purely linear model is used to parameterize station displacements in the estimation process, plus occasional discontinuities in case of earthquakes or equipment changes. However the input data have been derived without applying surface loading models and so surface loading effects are supposed to be embedded in the coordinates as measured quantities. We evaluate the effect of applying a posteriori loading corrections, which include the effect of atmospheric, non-tidal ocean, and continental water loading, to time series of positions estimated from Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), and Global Positioning System (GPS) data. We notice that they reduce about 50% or more of the annual signals in the translation and scale parameter time series of the SLR and VLBI techniques, except in SLR Z translation. In general, the estimated secular frame definition is negligibly affected and estimated positions and velocities are not significantly modified for stations that have accumulated a large number of observations. A multi-technique combination of such derived frames allows concluding that, for some cases, loading model corrections might degrade co-located station coordinates almost as much as they benefit them. However, most significant improvement of the estimated secular coordinates is observed for stations with less than 100 estimated positions as demonstrated with a multi-technique combination.     

Space radiation dosimetry using bubble detectors.

Bubble detectors--a new development in radiation detection--has only recently been used for radiation measurements in space. One important characteristic of the bubble detector is that it operates on a phenomenon which bears considerable resemblance to biological response. Recent experimental results from irradiating bubble detectors with high-energy heavy ions point to the need to re-examine the methodology used for assessing space radiation and the relevance of conventional quantities such as dose equivalent for space dosimetry. It may be that biological hazard associated with the intensely ionizing events--associated with nuclear fragmentation but delivering relatively small dose equivalent--may be much more important than that associated with lightly ionizing events which comprise the bulk of the conventional radiation dose equivalent.     

A new dynamical atmospheric ionizing radiation (AIR) model for epidemiological studies.

A new Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (AIR) model is currently being developed for use in radiation dose evaluation in epidemiological studies targeted to atmospheric flight personnel such as civilian airlines crewmembers. The model will allow computing values for biologically relevant parameters, e.g. dose equivalent and effective dose, for individual flights from 1945. Each flight is described by its actual three dimensional flight profile, i.e. geographic coordinates and altitudes varying with time. Solar modulated primary particles are filtered with a new analytical fully angular dependent geomagnetic cut off rigidity model, as a function of latitude, longitude, arrival direction, altitude and time. The particle transport results have been obtained with a technique based on the three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport code FLUKA, with a special procedure to deal with HZE particles. Particle fluxes are transformed into dose-related quantities and then integrated all along the flight path to obtain the overall flight dose. Preliminary validations of the particle transport technique using data from the AIR Project ER-2 flight campaign of measurements are encouraging. Future efforts will deal with modeling of the effects of the aircraft structure as well as inclusion of solar particle events.     

Passive remote sensing of aerosols from space now and in the future

Aerosols modify scattered solar radiation leaving the atmosphere and this fact will be exploited to determine the aerosol optical depth. The interaction processes between solar radiation and aerosol particles are outlined. A quasi-linear relationship (‘conversion curves’) between the radiance at the satellite, L_sat, and the aerosol optical depth, a_Dλ, is found from both numerical and empirical studies. Because L_sat is not only controlled by a_Dλ, but also by a series of other atmospheric parameters (perturbing quantities), the concept of ‘favourable viewing conditions’ is presented, where the effects of the perturbing quantities are minimal. The paper ends with some lines of thought on a concept for a turbidity satellite.     

Satellite orbits in Levi-Civita space

In this paper we consider satellite orbits in central force field with quadratic drag using two formalisms. The first using polar coordinates in which the satellite angular momentum plays a dominant role. The second is in Levi-Civita coordinates in which the energy plays a central role. We then merge these two formalisms by introducing polar coordinates in Levi-Civita space and derive a new equation for satellite orbits which unifies these two paradigms. In this equation energy and angular momentum appear on equal footing and thus characterize the orbit by its two invariants. Using this formalism we show that equatorial orbits around oblate spheroids can be expressed analytically in terms of Elliptic functions. In the second part of the paper we derive in Levi-Civita coordinates a linearized equation for the relative motion of two spacecrafts whose trajectories are in the same plane. We carry out also a numerical verification of these equations.     

Ground-based measurements of galactic cosmic ray fragmentation in shielding.

The mean free path for nuclear interactions of galactic cosmic-rays is comparable to shielding and tissue thicknesses present in human interplanetary exploration, resulting in a significant fraction of nuclear reaction products at depth. In order to characterize the radiation field, the energy spectrum, the angular distribution, and the multiplicity of each type of secondary particles must also be known as a function of depth. Reactions can take place anywhere in a thick absorber; therefore, it is necessary to know these quantities as a function of particle energy for all particles produced. HZE transport methods are used to predict the radiation field; they are dependent on models of the interaction of man-made systems with the space environment to an even greater extent than methods used for other types of radiation. Hence, there is a major need to validate these transport codes by comparison with experimental data. The most cost-effective method of validation is a comparison with ground-based experimental measurements. A research program to provide such validation measurements using neon, iron and other accelerated heavy ion beams will be discussed and illustrated using results from ongoing experiments and their comparison with current transport codes. The extent to which physical measurements yield radiobiological predictions will be discussed.     

利用人工神经网络快速计算木星系磁坐标

在木星辐射带研究中,从地理坐标向磁坐标的准确转换是建模基础.以往的建模中,磁壳参数L值的计算基于磁偶极场假设,该方法精确度较差.结合最新的高精度木星磁场模型JRM09,本文提出基于磁力线追踪法的木星磁坐标计算方法,并分析其合理性和必要性.要求精确度较高时,磁力线追踪法计算耗时很长.本文在磁力线追踪法的基础上进行改进,提出基于人工神经网络的磁坐标快速计算方法.该方法包括分类器和拟合器.分类器基于Adaboost算法的BP神经网络,用于预测某地理坐标是否在内磁层,如果在内磁层,则用拟合器计算L值.拟合器采用遗传算法优化BP神经网络.结果表明,分类器的分类错误率在3%以内,而拟合器的预测误差在7%以内.以Juno号一圈探测轨道为例,利用神经网络的磁坐标计算法比磁力线追踪计算法速度快3个数量级以上.基于人工神经网络的磁坐标快速计算方法可用于未来木星辐射带的研究.      

发动机燃气喷流红外辐射场的数值模拟

在高温流动中热辐射与流场是耦合的,但在发动机燃气喷流流场的温度范围内可以在流场计算中忽略热辐射的影响,于是流场与辐射场的模型方程可解耦.为此提出了模拟飞行器绕流流场红外辐射的解耦模型以及相应的算法.该算法首先采用总变差减小TVD(Total Variation Diminishing)格式对流场进行模拟,再引入有限体积概念,应用所取得的流场参数,在同一组网格上计算流场中的红外辐射特征.以轴对称喷管内N₂,O₂,CO₂,H₂O,CO,HCl,H₂等7组分高度欠膨胀冻结流与均匀绕流干扰流场为算例进行了验证性的模拟计算,并与已有试验和计算数据进行了对比,表明该算法是可靠的,可在较大幅度地降低计算量的情况下给出满足工程需要的结果.     

Recent advances in understanding stratospheric dynamics and transport processes: Application of satellite data to their interpretation

The present paper discusses the use of the transformed Eulerian (or “residual”) mean-flow formulation, the Eliassen-Palm flux, and Ertel's potential vorticity to provide an increased understanding of wave, mean-flow interactions, and constituent transport processes in the stratosphere. Temperature and ozone data retrieved from radiance profiles obtained by the LIMS instrument on the Nimbus 7 satellite are utilized in conjunction with these theoretical concepts for the interpretation of phenomena that occurred during the major and minor warmings of January-February 1979. The results illustrate the insight provided by these concepts and demonstrate that useful diagnostic quantities can be derived from global satellite temperature fields.     

Radiation measured during ISS-Expedition 13 with different dosimeters

Radiation in low Earth orbit (LEO) is mainly composed of galactic cosmic rays (GCR), solar energetic particles and particles in SAA (South Atlantic Anomaly). The biological impact of space radiation to astronauts depends strongly on the particles’ linear energy transfer (LET) and is dominated by high LET radiation. It is important to measure the LET spectrum for the space radiation field and to investigate the influence of radiation on astronauts. At present, the preferred active dosimeters sensitive to all LET are the tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) and the silicon detectors in various configurations; the preferred passive dosimeters are CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTDs) sensitive to high LET and thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs) as well as optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) sensitive to low LET. The TEPC, CR-39 PNTDs, TLDs and OSLDs were used to investigate the radiation field for the ISS mission Expedition 13 (ISS-12S) in LEO. LET spectra and radiation quantities (fluence, absorbed dose, dose equivalent and quality factor) were measured for the space mission with different dosimeters. This paper introduces the role of high LET radiation in radiobiology, the operational principles for the different dosimeters, the LET spectrum method using CR-39 detectors, the method to combine the results measured with TLDs/OSLDs and CR-39 PNTDs, and presents the LET spectra and the radiation quantities measured and combined.     

A comparison of quality factors and weighting factors for characterizing astronaut radiation exposures.

Radiation exposures are typically characterized by two quantities. The first is the absorbed dose, or the energy deposited per unit mass for specific types of radiation passing through specified materials. The same amount of energy deposited in material by two different types of radiation, however, can result in two different levels of risk. Because of this, for the purpose of radiation protection operations, absorbed dose is modified by a second factor intended to normalize the risk associated with a given exposure. We present here an inter-comparison of methods for this modification. First is the radiation quality factor (Q), as defined by ICRP publication 60. This quantity is related functionally to the unrestricted linear energy transfer (LET) of a given radiation, and is multiplied by the absorbed dose to derive the dose equivalent (H). The second method for modifying absorbed dose is the radiation weighting factor, also given in ICRP-60, or as modified in NCRP report 115. To implement the weighting factor, the absorbed dose resulting from incidence of a particular radiation is multiplied by a factor assigned to that type of radiation, giving the equivalent dose. We compare calculations done based on identical fields of radiation representative of that encountered by the MIR space station, applying each of these two methods.     

两轴稳定平台的过顶盲区问题

过顶盲区问题是目标在导弹的小离轴角附近区域运动时,由于框架角速率限制产生的稳定平台不能正常跟踪目标机动的一种现象.根据光电探测系统成像的几何关系,分别对直角坐标框架和极坐标框架稳定平台的目标成像关系进行了分析,进而给出极坐标框架稳定平台的过顶盲区的数学描述,并对这种盲区的成因进行了分析.结合三种情况的目标机动速度,在Matlab的Simulink环境下对极坐标框架稳定平台的过顶盲区现象进行了仿真.最后,基于分区域变参数的PID控制方法,给出了目标在过顶盲区内作垂直向上机动时的一种控制方案,并与普通PID控制进行了对比仿真研究.实际仿真结果表明,通过数学分析得到的极坐标框架稳定平台的过顶盲区模型与实际情况相符合,并且基于分区域变参数的PID控制方法能够改善极坐标框架稳定平台的跟踪特性.      

A VLBI baseline post-adjustment approach for station velocity estimation in Eurasian continent

Baseline lengths and their time-derivatives among 58 geodetic VLBI stations were fitted by using 4439 observing sessions from the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS). First, the velocities of eight stations in Eurasian continent were set as unknown quantities. Then, two standard global solutions from 3523 IVS sessions and 1110 sessions from database code XA, respectively, were applied prior to all-station coordinates and the non-estimated station velocities. Finally, from the relations among the coordinates, velocities, baseline length and its time-derivative, two types of baseline post-adjustment (BPA) were used to estimate the velocities of the eight stations. We discuss the data processing details, including the effect of different prior values for the stations and the optimal solution.