Source and loss processes in the magnetotail

Space Science Reviews -     

UVCS/SOHO Observations of H I Lyman Alpha Line Profiles in Coronal Holes at Heliocentric Heights Above 3.0 R⊙

The Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has been used to measure spectral line profiles for H I Lyα in the south polar coronal hole at projected heliocentric heights from 3.5 to 6.0 R_⊙ during 1998 January 5–11. Observations from 1.5 to 2.5 R_⊙ were made for comparison. The H I Lyα profile is the only one observable with UVCS above 3.5 R_⊙ in coronal holes. Within this region the outflowing coronal plasma becomes nearly collisionless and the ionization balance is believed to become frozen. In this paper, the 1/e half widths of the coronal velocity distributions are provided for the observed heights. The velocity distributions include all motions contributing to the velocities along the line of sight (LOS). The observations have been corrected for instrumental effects and interplanetary H I Lyα. The half widths were found to increase with projected heliographic height from 1.5 to 2.5 R_⊙ and decrease with height from 3.5 to 5 R_⊙. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Plasma transfer processes at the magnetopause

Space Science Reviews -     

The ionospheres and plasma tails of comets

The present understanding of cometary ionospheres and plasma tails is critically evaluated. Following a brief introduction of the significance of the study of cometary ionospheres and tails (Section 1), the observational statistics and spectroscopic observations are summarized in Sections 2 and 3.The complicated and time varying morphology of the plasma tail and the ionosphere as revealed both by photographs as well as visual drawings is discussed in Section 4.The evidence for a strong comet-solar wind interaction, the possible nature of this interaction and also the use of comets as probes of the solar wind are considered in the next 3 sections (5, 6, 7). This is followed by a discussion of the various processes so far proposed for the ionization of cometary gases and their limitations (Section 8).Hydrodynamic models of the solar wind-comet interaction, which refers essentially to the region outside the tangential discontinuity, are presented and evaluated in Section 9. A discussion of the ion chemistry and structure of the region inside the tangential discontinuity (which is here referred to as the cometary ionosphere) follows in Section 10.The largely indirect evidence for the existence of substantial magnetic fields in cometary ionospheres and type 1 tails is evaluated and their likely origin is considered in Section 11. The associated electric currents; their size and closure as well as their importance as sources of ionization in the inner coma are also discussed.Finally in Section 12, some of the directions in which future research should progress, in order to provide a more complete and secure knowledge of cometary ionospheres and plasma tails, are stressed.     

Measurements of low energy electrons and ions during long-lived solar particle events

Following a solar flare in April 1979, a stream of ions and electrons appeared in interplanetary space for about 8 days. The ions follow a classic ESP pattern. Large fluxes of low energy (2–11 keV) electrons are also present throughout the event. Several distinct populations of these electrons can be identified in association with filaments of interplanetary magnetic field. The electron energy spectrum is remarkably well fit by a power law exponent -2.7 during most of the event.The pitch angle distribution of the low energy electrons are complex and undergo many changes. Weak pitch angle scattering and adiabatic effects play a role in shaping these distributions. The low energy electron fluxes increase following the strong interplanetary shock on 5 April 1979.An invited paper presented at STIP Workshop on Shock Waves in the Solar Corona and Interplanetary Space, 15–19 June, 1980, Smolenice, Czechoslovakia.Physics Department and Space Sciences Laboratory.Space Sciences Laboratory.     

Estimation of Spectra from Speckled Images

The effect of coherent speckling on the spectra of images and other signals is investigated. A method for estimating the spectrum of the unspeckled image is developed, and the errors inherent in such an estimate are analyzed. It is found that the error decreases when number of looks, number of averaged spectra, and contrast increase, and when spectral width decreases.     

CTD MTI Radar Filter with Charge-Transfer Inefficiency Compensation

The design and implementation of a second-order nonrecursive moving target indication (MTI) radar filter using commercially available charge-transfer devices as delay lines are described. A simple technique is included to compensate for the device charge-transfer in-efficiency and its sensitivity is analyzed. Experimental laboratory tests and results in an operating radar system are reported showing the good performance of the realized MTI radar filter.     

A Logarithmic Frequency Allocation Algorithm for Wideband Discrete Frequency Pulse Trains

It is shown that signal waveforms utilizing discrete frequency modulation (DFM) which are generated using a narrowband or frequency shift algorithm have ambiguity sidelobe distortion which is caused by the approximation of time compression by frequency shift. A logarithmic frequency allocation algorithm is presented which couches the signal design problem in terms of band and step ratios, rather than in terms of bandwidth and frequency steps, and is consistent with the wideband formulation of the ambiguity function. The algorithm makes use of the same basic code generating sequence used for narrowband frequency allocation, but the resulting signal will have invariant ambiguity sidelobe positions for any receiver realization in the delay-time compression plane.     

Position error bound for UWB localization in dense cluttered environments

For most outdoor applications, systems such as global positioning system (GPS) provide users with accurate location estimates. However, similar range-only localization techniques in dense cluttered environments typically lack accuracy and reliability due, notably, to dense multipath, line-of-sight (LOS) blockage and excess propagation delays through materials. In particular, range measurements between a receiver and a transmitter are often positively biased. Furthermore, the quality of the range measurement degrades with distance, and the geometric configuration of the beacons also affects the localization accuracy. In this paper we derive a fundamental limit of localization accuracy for an ultrawide bandwidth (UWB) system operating in such environments, which we call the position error bound (PEB). The impact of different ranging estimation errors due to beacons distance and biases on the best positioning accuracy is investigated. The statistical characterization of biases coming from measurement campaigns can easily be incorporated into this analysis. We show that the relative importance of information coming from different beacons varies depending on the propagation conditions, such as whether the beacon is LOS or non-line-of-sight (NLOS). We show, in particular, that any a priori information knowledge on NLOS beacons can significantly improve the localization accuracy, especially in dense cluttered environments. Finally we put forth the concept of localization outage probability and epsi-localization accuracy outage, and use them to characterize the quality of localization throughout the area.     

The Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) Instrument Aboard New Horizons

The Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument on New Horizons will measure the interaction between the solar wind and ions created by atmospheric loss from Pluto. These measurements provide a characterization of the total loss rate and allow us to examine the complex plasma interactions at Pluto for the first time. Constrained to fit within minimal resources, SWAP is optimized to make plasma-ion measurements at all rotation angles as the New Horizons spacecraft scans to image Pluto and Charon during the flyby. To meet these unique requirements, we combined a cylindrically symmetric retarding potential analyzer with small deflectors, a top-hat analyzer, and a redundant/coincidence detection scheme. This configuration allows for highly sensitive measurements and a controllable energy passband at all scan angles of the spacecraft.