The cometary contribution to prebiotic chemistry.

Different estimates based on dynamical considerations, lunar cratering rates, Solar System chemical abundances, and the single-impact theory on the origin of the Earth-Moon system suggest that comets and other related small, volatile-rich primitive minor bodies captured by the Earth during the early Archean must have been a major source of volatiles on our planet. It is likely that a substantial fraction of the organic molecules present in the colliding cometary nuclei, which may have included nitrogen bases and the precursors of amino acids, were destroyed due to the high temperatures and shock wave energy associated with the collision. However, the presence of H2O, CN, CH, CO, CO2 and other carbon-bearing molecules and radicals in the atmosphere of the Sun and in circumstellar shells around carbon-rich stars suggests that at least simple carbon species could have survived the cometary collisions. Under the anoxic conditions thought to prevail in the prebiotic terrestrial paleoatmosphere, the post-collisional formation of a large number of excited molecules and radicals, and the rapid quenching of the expanding gaseous ball may have led, upon rapid cooling, to the formation of molecules of biogenic elements and to their eventual deposition in localized environments where complex organic compounds of biochemical significance may have been produced and accumulated.     

The contributions of the incoherent scatter radar technique to the development of thermospheric models

The contributions of the incoherent scatter radar technique to the development of thermospheric models is traced from the development of the radar technique in 1958. Emphasis is given to the qualitative information regarding thermospheric processes and behavior provided by the radar studies and the role that these results have played in the structural development of thermospheric models. The complementary nature of radar and satellite data in the development of recent models is stressed. In addition, a summary of pertinent radar developments over the past two years is presented. Primary among these are measurements made by high-latitude radars, multi-radar coordinated observations, the establishment of an incoherent scatter radar data base, and publication of a number of studies concerning high-latitude measurements, solar-cyle maximum results, long-term data sets, and lower thermosphere tides.     

末制导雷达检测接口标准化初探

在分析现役反舰导弹末制导雷达检测接口现状及存在问题的基础上,提出了末制导雷达检测接口标准化思想,并设计了一种能够覆盖我海军所有现役反舰导弹末制导雷达检测接口而且可扩展的末制导雷达标准检测接口。     

Detection of small radar cross-section orbital debris with the Haystack radar

NASA has been making statistical measurements of the orbital debris environment for more than a decade using the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Haystack radar. The goal has been to characterize the environment for debris sizes as small as possible. Like all sensors which operate in the presence of noise, the Haystack radar has limited sensitivity. As the returned energy from small targets begins to approach the sensitivity limit of the radar, the probability-of-detection decreases, eventually approaching zero. The slope of the cumulative size distribution of debris begins to flatten out. This paper explores the possibility of extending the cumulative size distribution to smaller sizes by adjusting the distribution for probability-of-detection.     

SVIRCO contribution to the world-wide network of cosmic ray detectors

Since 1954 a research team (called SVIRCO) has been performing measurements of cosmic rays in Rome at La Sapienza University till 1997 and then at Roma Tre University. The experimental work carried out over more than 50 years is summarized in this paper. It describes: the early history of SVIRCO, the evolution from SVIRCO station to SVIRCO observatory, land and sea cosmic-ray surveys and the mini-network of neutron monitors, operating inside the world-wide network of cosmic ray detectors.     

振幅相位误差对雷达性能的影响

从工程应用角度出发,分析了振幅误差和相位误差对雷达性能的影响。为了简化起见,只考虑地杂波和单频干扰,且不考虑接收机的热噪声,文中讨论了单脉冲测角精度,时间域中滤波器抑制杂波的能力和空间域中滤波器抑制有源干扰的能力等6个有关雷达设计中的具体问题,结论简明,并给出了曲线提供参考。     

Further evidence for the ionospheric contribution to convection within the plasmasphere

VLF goniometers have been used to study the direction of plasma convection in the evening plasmasphere. The results suggest that sometimes even for L values greater than 4 the electric field associated with the ionospheric dynamo may be the source which drives convection.     

Technology challenges for space interferometry: The option of mid-infrared integrated optics

Nulling interferometry is a technique providing high angular resolution which is the core of the space missions Darwin and TPF. The first objective is to reach a deep degree of starlight cancelation in the range 6–20 μm, in order to observe and to characterize the signal from an earth-like planet. Among the numerous technological challenges involved in these missions, the question of the beam combination and wavefront filtering has an important place. A single-mode integrated optics (IO) beam combiner could support both the functions of filtering and the interferometric combination, simplifying the instrumental design. Such a perspective has been explored in this work within the project Integrated Optics for Darwin (IODA), which aims at developing a first IO combiner in the mid-infrared. The solutions reviewed here to manufacture the combiner here are based on infrared dielectric materials on one side, and on metallic conductive waveguides on the other side. With this work, additional inputs are offered to pursue the investigation on mid-infrared photonics devices.     

VXI总线在雷达自动测试中的应用

简要介绍了由哈工大和航天总公司３５所研制的一种ＶＸＩ总线雷达自动测试系统。分别描述了该系统的关键技术和实现途径。还给出了系统的结构和主要技术指标。在该文中叙述了测试目标特性和主要测试功能。     

雷达对扩频通信系统干扰分析方法

针对雷达与扩频通信系统的电磁兼容问题,提出一种基于时域符号级的雷达干扰分析方法.首先详细分析了雷达对扩频通信系统电磁辐射干扰的机理,推导得出扩频通信系统在脉冲雷达干扰下的误码率公式和曲线;然后利用建立的雷达电磁干扰仿真模型,对扩频通信系统采用不同扩频因子以及不同频率隔离度时的受扰性能进行了仿真分析,验证了理论分析结果的合理性;最后利用所提方法计算给出了微波频段5种典型雷达与扩频通信系统的频率-距离隔离关系.研究结果表明:该方法对于在更深层次上揭示雷达辐射干扰的本质,提高频谱利用效率具有重要意义.     

反舰导弹导引头ATE装订电路的设计及应用

阐述了反舰导弹导引头“闭锁时间”装订精度和“距选波门”装订精度在导弹战术技术使用中的重要性。     

The bistatic radar capabilities of the Medicina radiotelescopes in space debris detection and tracking

An accurate measurement of the position and trajectory of the space debris fragments is of primary importance for the characterization of the orbital debris environment. The Medicina Radioastronomical Station is a radio observation facility that is here proposed as receiving part of a ground-based space surveillance system for detecting and tracking space debris at different orbital regions (from Low Earth Orbits up to Geostationary Earth Orbits). The proposed system consists of two bistatic radars formed by the existing Medicina receiving antennas coupled with appropriate transmitters. This paper focuses on the current features and future technical development of the receiving part of the observational setup. Outlines of possible transmitting systems will also be given together with the evaluation of the observation strategies achievable with the proposed facilities.     

目标表面对FMCW激光雷达拍频信号的影响分析

被测目标表面的粗糙度会影响调频连续波(FMCW, Frequency Modulated Continuous-Wave)相干激光雷达的拍频信号特性,进而影响雷达的测速测距精度.为衡量该影响以改善雷达的性能,通过对照射目标面的空间离散化,建立和分析了拍频信号的场强模型,并针对不同粗糙度的反射表面,进行了Monte Carlo模拟仿真及系统实验验证.仿真和实验结果表明:镜面目标反射面的倾斜将导致拍频信号交流分量强度的急剧衰减;而对于高斯型粗糙面目标,强度与粗糙面高度及波长的比值成负指数关系.实验结果与理论分析和模拟仿真结果一致,且系统的测距误差小于1 mm,静态速度稳定性优于0.1 mm/s.     

Possible contribution of different energy sources to the production of organics in Titan's atmosphere.

A quantitative comparison of the products arising from the irradiation of a Titan's simulated atmosphere is presented. The energy sources used represent some of the main events that occur in the satellite's atmosphere. All of the compounds identified are classified in the hydrocarbon and nitrile chemical families. Almost all of the detected compounds in Titan's atmosphere are produced by one or more energy sources. The compounds with the highest energy yields include the C2 hydrocarbons, methanonitrile and ethanonitrile. The possibility of using some of the produced organics as tracer compounds during the Huygens descend to identify the leading energy form in the different atmospheric levels remains open.     

The contribution of local gravimetric geoid models to the calibration of satellite altimetry data and an outlook of the latest GOCE GGM performance in Gavdos

The use of geoid heights has been one of the available methodologies utilized for the independent calibration/validation of altimeters on-board satellites. This methodology has been employed for long in the Gavdos dedicated cal/val facility (Crete, Greece), where calibration results for the Jason satellites have been estimated, both for ascending and descending passes. The present work gives a detailed overview of the methodology followed in order to estimate a high-resolution and accuracy gravimetric geoid model for the wider Gavdos area, in support of the on-going calibration work. To estimate the geoid model, the well-known remove-compute-restore method is used while residual geoid heights are estimated through least-squares collocation so that associated errors are determined as well. It is found that the estimated formal geoid errors from LSC along passes 018 and 109 of Jason satellites, used for the bias estimation, range between ±0.8–1.6 cm. The so-derived geoid heights are employed in the determination of the Jason-2 altimeter bias for all available cycles (cycles 1-114, spanning the period from July 2008 to August 2011) together with the RioMed DOT model. From the results acquired the Jason-2 bias has been estimated to be +196.1 ± 3.2 mm for pass 109 and +161.9 ± 5.1 mm for pass 018. Within the same frame, the GOCE/GRACE-based geopotential model GOCO02s has been used to estimate the mean dynamic ocean topography and the steady-state circulation in the area around Gavdos. The so-derived DOT model was used to estimate the Jason-2 bias in an effort to evaluate the performance of satellite-only geoid models and investigate whether their spatial resolution and accuracy provides some improvement w.r.t. traditional local gravimetric geoids. From the results acquired with geoid heights from GOCO02s, the estimated Jason-2 bias deviates significantly from that of the local gravimetric model, which can be attributed to a possible mean offset and the low resolution of GOCE-based GGMs. On the other hand, when the newly estimated GOCE-based DOT was employed with geoid heights from the local gravimetric geoid model, the Jason-2 bias has been estimated to be +185.1 ± 3.2 mm for pass 109 and +130.2 ± 5.1 mm for pass 018.     

Application of heterogeneous mesospheric ion-chemistry model to MST radar echoes over low latitude

MST radar studies at low latitude stations have documented regions in the mesosphere from where enhanced echoes (Low Latitude Mesospheric Echoes (LMEs)) are observed. Such echoes cannot, in general, be explained by considering the dynamical aspects (such as turbulence, winds, waves, etc.) of the region alone. Mesospheric dust/aerosols can enhance the radar echoes considerably and dust is known to exist at all heights and latitudes of the mesosphere. This study investigates the presence of dusty plasma in the mesosphere through the heterogeneous ion-chemistry of the region.Dust of meteoric origin is incorporated in the conventional ion chemistry scheme and the equilibrium height profiles of charged and neutral dust densities corresponding to effective dust sizes (radii) of 1, 10 and 30 nm are computed for the equatorial quiet daytime conditions.The model derived dust density profiles show structures with respect to dust size, height and season that are indicative of the possible role of mesospheric dust in the production/enhancement mechanisms of the LMEs observed over the equatorial station at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E), India.     

Magnetotail current contribution to the Dst Index Using the MT Index and the WINDMI model

In this paper, we have improved the capabilities of a low dimensional nonlinear dynamical model called WINDMI to determine the state of the global magnetosphere by employing the magnetotail (MT) index as a measurement constraint during large geomagnetic storms. The MT index is derived from particle precipitation measurements made by the NOAA/POES satellites. This index indicates the location of the nightside ion isotropic boundary, which is then used as a proxy for the strength of the magnetotail current in the magnetosphere. In Asikainen et al. (2010), the contribution of the tail current to the Dst index is estimated from an empirical relationship based on the MT index. Here the WINDMI model is used as a substitute to arrive at the tail current and ring current contribution to the Dst index, for comparison purposes. We run the WINDMI model on 7 large geomagnetic storms, while optimizing the model state variables against the Dst index, the MT index, and the AL index simultaneously. Our results show that the contribution from the geotail current produced by the WINDMI model and the MT index are strongly correlated, except during some periods when storm time substorms are observed. The inclusion of the MT index as an optimization constraint in turn increases our confidence that the ring current contribution to the Dst index calculated by the WINDMI model is correct during large geomagnetic storms.     

Observations of solar-flare ionization in the mesosphere using coherent-scatter radar

Observations of solar-flare ionization in the mesosphere can be made using coherent-scatter radar systems. The scattered power profiles they measure in the 60–90 km altitude region is a function of the ion concentration gradient and the intensity of turbulent mixing at each atltitude. By comparing the power profiles before, during and after a solar flare, it is possible to estimate the ion production rate during the flare as a function of altitude and time. This analysis is used to compare the ion production rates with generally accepted ion-chemical models. Comparisons are made with ion production rates estimated from the solar X-ray flux for the same flare made by geostationary satellites.