Telescopic and Microscopic views of the magnetosphere: Multispacecraft observations

Space Science Reviews - The magnetospheric research community has long sought the capability to view the Sun-Earth system in a global way and to probe concurrently the microphysical details of key...     

Netted radar sensing

Future radar applications are beginning to stretch monostatic radar systems beyond their fundamental sensitivity and information limits. Networks of smaller radar systems can offer a route to overcome these limitations; for example, networks of radar sensors can counter stealth technology whilst simultaneously providing additional information for improved target classification. More generally, multiple independent sensors can provide an energetically more efficient collector of radar scatter. The relative merits of non-coherent and coherent networks are introduced and the balance between increased performance, complexity, and cost is discussed.     

Flower classification by bats: radar comparisons

In recent years, with the development of high-range resolution radars, the desire to identify targets under all weather and clutter conditions has become of great importance. This is an activity carried out with great success by echo-locating mammals such as nectar feeding bats that are able to detect and select flowers of bat-pollinated plants, even in a dense clutter environment. Herein, data consisting of acoustically-generated high-range resolution profiles of four bat-pollinated flower heads are analysed. Multi-perspective classification performance is assessed and compared with the radar case. There are close parallels that suggest lessons can be learnt from nature.     

The High Energy Telescope for STEREO

The IMPACT investigation for the STEREO Mission includes a complement of Solar Energetic Particle instruments on each of the two STEREO spacecraft. Of these instruments, the High Energy Telescopes (HETs) provide the highest energy measurements. This paper describes the HETs in detail, including the scientific objectives, the sensors, the overall mechanical and electrical design, and the on-board software. The HETs are designed to measure the abundances and energy spectra of electrons, protons, He, and heavier nuclei up to Fe in interplanetary space. For protons and He that stop in the HET, the kinetic energy range corresponds to ～13 to 40 MeV/n. Protons that do not stop in the telescope (referred to as penetrating protons) are measured up to ～100 MeV/n, as are penetrating He. For stopping He, the individual isotopes ³He and ⁴He can be distinguished. Stopping electrons are measured in the energy range ～0.7–6 MeV.     

May 1980 low energy gamma-ray observations with the ‘MISO’ telescope

During a balloon flight of the MISO telescope on 1980 May 17, the Crab Nebula and the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 were studied over the photon energy range 0.03 –16 MeV. The photon spectrum of the Crab Nebula was measured up to ～ 2 MeV. No gamma-ray emission from NGC 4151 was detected on this occasion.     

On Improving the Effectiveness of Large Telescopes

A family of two-mirror correctors has been devised in a more advanced form than that obtained by Paul in 1935. These correctors can be used in combination with any paraboloidal telescope of even the largest size and will yield a greatly enlarged photographic field without the need for refracting elements of any kind. Such correctors will be of particular use in the ultraviolet, and for space-borne telescopes into the far ultraviolet, with performance limited only by diffraction over angular fields appreciably larger than available heretofore.