On the Radar Echo from Aircraft

The nonstationarity of the low-frequency radar echo envelope observed from an aircraft is shown and a simple model of the echo is suggested. This model, devised specifically for simulation studies using computers, reproduces the characteristics of the observed envelope, demonstrating the correlation between the observed nonstationarity and aircraft motion relative to the receiver.     

Random Characteristics of the Type II Phase-Locked Loop

The results of a study of the characteristics of the second-order Type II phase-locked loop with a Gaussian noise input, and obtained by digital computer simulation, are presented. The digital simulation is described and the random state variables are defined such that their characteristics can be interpreted in terms of existing phase portraits of autonomous phase-locked loops. The statistics associated with the state variables, which are phase error and a measure of frequency error, and those associated with the number of cycles skipped and the mean time to unlock, are given.     

Delay-Doppler Ambiguity Function for Wideband Signals

The conventional ambiguity function is extended to include the Doppler distortions of the modulation function. The distinctive features of the extension are the use of the complex notation for wideband signals, and inclusion of the Doppler effect on the signal amplitude. The result is an ambiguity function from which Woodward's form can be found by inspection. It is shown that the well-known volume constraint also applies, in unchanged form, to the generalized ambiguity function. For the volume to be constant, it is not required that the distortions of the modulation function be neglected. Rather, the volume constancy is related to the sinusoidal fluctuations of a modulated carrier-type signal and thus is strictly a matter of the percentage bandwidth of the signal.     

Structure,luminosity, and dynamics of the Venus thermosphere

We review here observations and models related to the chemical and thermal structures, airglow and auroral emissions and dynamics of the Venus thermosphere, and compare empirical models of the neutral densities based in large part on in situ measurements obtained by the Pioneer Venus spacecraft. Observations of the intensities of emissions are important as a diagnostic tool for understanding the chemical and physical processes taking place in the Venus thermosphere. Measurements, ground-based and from rockets, satellites, and spacecraft, and model predictions of atomic, molecular and ionic emissions, are presented and the most important sources are elucidated. Coronas of hot hydrogen and hot oxygen have been observed to surround the terrestrial planets. We discuss the observations of and production mechanisms for the extended exospheres and models for the escape of lighter species from the atmosphere. Over the last decade and a half, models have attempted to explain the unexpectedly cold temperatures in the Venus thermosphere; recently considerable progress has been made, although some controversies remain. We review the history of these models and discuss the heating and cooling mechanisms that are presently considered to be the most important in determining the thermal structure. Finally, we discuss major aspects of the circulation and dynamics of the thermosphere: the sub-solar to anti-solar circulation, superrotation, and turbulent processes.     

Genesis on-board determination of the solar wind flow regime

Some of the objectives of the Genesis mission require the separate collection of solar wind originating in different types of solar sources. Measurements of the solar wind protons, alpha particles, and electrons are used on-board the spacecraft to determine whether the solar-wind source is most likely a coronal hole, interstream flow, or a coronal mass ejection. A simple fuzzy logic scheme operating on measurements of the proton temperature, the alpha-particle abundance, and the presence of bidirectional streaming of suprathermal electrons was developed for this purpose. Additional requirements on the algorithm include the ability to identify the passage of forward shocks, reasonable levels of hysteresis and persistence, and the ability to modify the algorithm by changes in stored constants rather than changes in the software. After a few minor adjustments, the algorithm performed well during the initial portion of the mission. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Heliosphere-Geosphere Interactions Using Low Energy Neutral Atom Imaging

Development of the low energy neutral atom (LENA) imager was originally motivated by a need to remotely sense plasma heating in the topside ionosphere, with the goal of greatly enhanced temporal resolution of an otherwise familiar phenomenon. During ground test and calibration, the LENA imager was found to respond to neutral atoms with energies well above its nominal energy range of 10–750 eV, up to at least 3–4 keV, owing to sputtering interactions with its conversion surface. On orbit, LENA has been found to respond to a ubiquitous neutral atom component of the solar wind, to the neutral atoms formed by magnetosheath interactions with the geocorona during periods of high solar wind pressure, and to the interstellar neutral atoms flowing through the heliosphere during the season of maximal relative wind velocity between spacecraft and interstellar medium. LENA imaging has thus emerged as a promising new tool for studying the interplanetary medium and its interaction with the magnetosphere, in addition to the ionospheric heating and outflow that result from this interaction. LENA emissions from the ionosphere consist of a fast component that can be observed at high altitudes, and slower components that evidently create a quasi-trapped extended superthermal exosphere. The more energetic emissions are responsive to solar wind energy inputs on time scales of a few minutes.     

Detection in correlated Gaussian plus impulsive noise

A detector which is designed to operate in a correlated Gaussian-plus-impulsive-noise environment is presented. The detector whitens the data robustly and then uses a two-sided threshold test to determine the presence of impulsive samples. The impulsive samples are discarded, and the remaining samples are used to detect the presence or absence of a signal using a matched filter. An approximate analysis is presented, and simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach     

Doppler imaging based on radar target precession

A unique form of target motion reminiscent of the precession of a rotating top is investigated. Images are generated with the radar looking either along the precession axis or orthogonally to it. Features of the two methods are discussed and demonstrated by imaging simulated point target scenes     

A Twin-CME Scenario for Ground Level Enhancement Events

Ground Level Enhancement (GLEs) events are extreme Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events. Protons in these events often reach ～GeV/nucleon. Understanding the underlying particle acceleration mechanism in these events is a major goal for Space Weather studies. In Solar Cycle 23, a total of 16 GLEs have been identified. Most of them have preceding CMEs and in-situ energetic particle observations show some of them are enhanced in ICME or flare-like material. Motivated by this observation, we discuss here a scenario in which two CMEs erupt in sequence during a short period of time from the same Active Region (AR) with a pseudo-streamer-like pre-eruption magnetic field configuration. The first CME is narrower and slower and the second CME is wider and faster. We show that the magnetic field configuration in our proposed scenario can lead to magnetic reconnection between the open and closed field lines that drape and enclose the first CME and its driven shock. The combined effect of the presence of the first shock and the existence of the open close reconnection is that when the second CME erupts and drives a second shock, one finds both an excess of seed population and an enhanced turbulence level at the front of the second shock than the case of a single CME-driven shock. Therefore, a more efficient particle acceleration will occur. The implications of our proposed scenario are discussed.