Radiative and hybrid cooling of infrared space telescopes

The designs of cold space telescopes, cryogenic and radiatively cooled, are similar in most elements and both benefit from orbits distant from the Earth. In particular such orbits allow the anti-sunward side of radiatively-cooled spacecraft to be used to provide large cooling radiators for the individual radiation shields. Designs incorporating these features have predictedT _tel near 20 K. The attainability of such temperatures is supported by limited practical experience (IRAS, COBE). Supplementary cooling systems (cryogens, mechanical coolers) can be advantageously combined with radiative cooling in hybrid designs to provide robustness against deterioration and yet lower temperatures for detectors, instruments, and even the whole telescope. The possibility of such major additional gains is illustrated by the Very Cold Telescope option under study forEdison, which should offerT _tel5 K for a little extra mechanical cooling capacity.     

Energetic particles at high latitudes

We review work on diffusion coefficients of energetic particles with an attempt to extract implications on their behaviour at high latitudes. In the ecliptic plane results from solar energetic particle propagation between the Sun and about 5 AU can be described by an effective radial mean free path _r which is approximately constant as a function of distancer. When particle propagation in three dimensions in the heliosphere is considered it is not sufficient to consider _r only. Jovian electrons can be used as probes to determine the parameters of three-dimensional diffusion. In the polar regions diffusion is dominated by its parallel component. Some predictions how should vary with latitude are discussed. For different choices of this variation we present expectations for intensity-time profiles of solar particle events during the Ulysses polar passages.     

Ulysses out-of-ecliptic observations of “27-day” variations in high energy cosmic ray intensity

We report the discovery that for latitudes above 40°S, the observed recurring modulation of cosmic rays and anomalous nuclei occurs without the detection byUlysses of the solar wind velocity and magnetic field recurring enhancements that have, heretofore at lower latitudes, defined corotating interaction regions—i.e., the mechanism producing the recurring intensity variations >40°S appears to be located beyond the radial range ofUlysses.     

Analysis and design of (LC)(LC)-type series-parallel resonantconverter

A series-parallel resonant converter employing (LC)(LC)-type tank circuit operating in lagging power factor (PF) mode is presented and analyzed using complex ac circuit analysis. Design curves are obtained and the converter is optimized under certain constraints. Detailed Space Integrated Control Experiment (SPICE) simulation results are presented to evaluate the performance of the designed converter under varying load conditions. Results obtained from an experimental converter are also presented. The results obtained from the theory, SPICE simulation, and the experimental converter are compared. The proposed converter has high efficiency from full load to very light load (<10%). Switching frequency variation required for a wide change in the load (near load open circuit to full load) is narrow compared with the series resonant converter (SRC)     

Computer simulation of IGBT losses in PFC circuits

An analysis is presented that forms the basis for an algorithm for calculating the IGBT losses in a power factor correction (PFC) circuit. The method employs experimental data from an off-line test circuit that closely resembles the switching conditions in the actual PFC. This technique provides calculated values of both the conduction and switching losses of the main transistor in a boost-type PFC circuit. Results for a 6 kW PFC are included     

Neural controllers for systems with unknown dynamics

This study presents a methodology for specifying a neural controller for a system about which no a priori model information is available. The neural design presumes that a finite duration input/output (I/O) histogram on the system is available. The design procedure extracts from the histogram sufficient information to specify the neural feedback controller. The resultant controller will drive the system along a general output reference profile (unknown during the design). The resultant controller also exhibits the capability of disturbance rejection and the capacity to stabilize unstable plants     

Wind asymmetries in massive stars

We are in the process of surveying the linear polarization in luminous, early-type stars. We here report on new observations of the B [e] stars S 18 and R 50, and of the Luminous Blue Variables HR Car, R 143, and HD 160529. Together with previously published data, these observations provide clear evidence for the presence of intrinsic polarization in 1 B[e] star (HD 34664) and in 5 LBVs ( Car, P Cyg, R 127, AG Car, and HR Car). The data indicate that anisotropic stellar winds are a common occurrence among massive stars in these particular evolutionary stages. For such stars, mass-loss rates estimated using the assumption of a spherical, homogeneous and stationary outflow may be in error.     

The impact of semi-convection and overshooting on the surface abundances in massive stars

We analyse the effects of semi-convection and overshooting on the predicted surface abundances after the first and second dredge-ups in 15 and 20 M Pop. I stars. Overshooting is applied either to the core boundary or to the boundaries of all convective zones. It is shown that the surface abundances are sensitive to the mixing scheme adopted in the interior. The models including semi-convection lead to lower¹²C/¹³C ratios than the other mixing schemes, while models with overshooting predict higher enhancements of sodium at the surface.     

On phased-array radar tracking and parameter control

Based on a simple model of a ground-based phased-array radar used for a multiple-target surveillance task, beam scheduling, positioning, and radar parameters like signal-to-noise ratio, track sharpness, and detection threshold have been optimized with respect to the radar/computer load induced by tracking. From this the minimum energy necessary for track maintenance during surveillance can be derived     

Optimal multiple level decision fusion with distributed sensors

A data fusion model consisting of several levels of parallel decision fusions is considered. Global optimization of such a model is discussed to obtain the fusion rules for overall optimal performance. The reliability analysis of the proposed model is carried out to establish its superiority over the existing parallel and serial fusion models