Magnetic Cusp as a Source of Dust Swarms in the Near-Earth Space

Within the framework of the concept of steady-state flow of a flux of dust particles through the cusp channel of the Earth's magnetosphere, we develop the idea that the magnetic cusp is a generator of dust swarms in the near-Earth space. The analytical dependencies for the density (concentration) of dust particles in the cusp and near-Earth space region are obtained.     

Space weather and commercial airlines

Space weather phenomena can effect many areas of commercial airline operations including avionics, communications and GPS navigation systems. Of particular importance at present is the recently introduced EU legislation requiring the monitoring of aircrew radiation exposure, including any variations at aircraft altitudes due to solar activity. With the introduction of new ultra-long-haul “over-the-pole” routes, “more-electric” aircraft in the future, and the increasing use of satellites in the operation, the need for a better understanding of the space weather impacts on future airline operations becomes all the more compelling. This paper will present the various space weather effects, some provisional results of an ongoing 3-year study to monitor cosmic radiation in aircraft, and conclude by summarising some of the identified key operational issues, which must be addressed, with the help of the science community, if the airlines want to benefit from the availability of space weather services.     

Luni-solar perturbations in the extended phase space representation of the Vinti problem

Perturbation theory is applied to the Vinti problem—motion about an oblate spheroid—to include the gravitational effects of the sun and moon. The problem is formulated using the extended phase space method which introduces a new independent variable similar to the true anomaly. The disturbing Hamiltonian H₁ for third bodies is of order J₂² (second order) and the final goal is a theory including second order short and long period terms and third order secular terms. The current paper however carries the development only to the second order in the secular terms and the first order in the periodic terms. Problems of including the higher orders are discussed. Therefore, in the development of H₁ all terms of order 10^?9 or larger are retained. The lunar emphemeris retains terms to e′² in the lunar eccentricity. The perturbation analysis is carried out by means of Lie series and is developed through the first order only which is consistent with the final accuracy desired. The generating function W₁ is obtained and separated into the long period, short period and secular terms. From W₁ the coordinates are defined from the Lie series by means of a transformation equation. These coordinates are non-singular for small eccentricity and inclination. Because of the complexity of the equations all algebraic computations were accomplished by means of a computerized Poisson series manipulator developed at the Naval Research Laboratory.     

Effect of “Noisy” sun conditions on aircrew radiation exposure

In computer codes used to estimate the aircrew radiation exposure from galactic cosmic radiation, a quiet sun model is usually assumed. A revised computer code (PCAIRE ver. 8.0f) is used to calculate the impact of noisy sun conditions on aircrew radiation exposure. The revised code incorporates the effect of solar storm activity, which can perturb the geomagnetic field lines, altering cutoff rigidities and hence the shielding capability of the Earth’s magnetic field. The effect of typical solar storm conditions on aircrew radiation exposure is shown to be minimal justifying the usual assumptions.     

The impact of spherical symmetry assumption on radio occultation data inversion in the ionosphere: An assessment study

‘Onion-peeling’ is a very common technique used to invert Radio Occultation (RO) data in the ionosphere. Because of the implicit assumption of spherical symmetry for the electron density (N(e)) distribution in the ionosphere, the standard Onion-peeling algorithm could give erroneous concentration values in the retrieved electron density profile. In particular, this happens when strong horizontal ionospheric electron density gradients are present, like for example in the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) region during high solar activity periods. In this work, using simulated RO Total Electron Content (TEC) data computed by means of the NeQuick2 ionospheric electron density model and ideal RO geometries, we tried to formulate and evaluate an asymmetry level index for quasi-horizontal TEC observations. The asymmetry index is based on the electron density variation that a signal may experience along its path (satellite to satellite link) in a RO event and is strictly dependent on the occultation geometry (e.g. azimuth of the occultation plane). A very good correlation has been found between the asymmetry index and errors related to the inversion products, in particular those concerning the peak electron density NmF2 estimate and the Vertical TEC (VTEC) evaluation.     

UWB Radar for Human Being Detection

UWB radar for detection and positioning of human beings in a complex environment has been developed and manufactured. The novelty of the radar lies in its large operational bandwidth (11.7 GHz at -10 dB level) combined with high time stability. Detection of respiratory movement of a person in laboratory conditions has been demonstrated. Based on experimental results, human being radar return has been analysed in the frequency band from 1 GHz to 12 GHz. The novel principle of human being detection is considered and verified experimentally.     

Accuracy of source localization using multipath delays

The depth and range of underwater source can be estimated from measurements of propagation delay differences along multiple propagation paths. The accuracy of depth and range estimation using the Cramer-Rao lower bound is studied. The formulas derived can be used in conjunction with a propagation medium (nonconstant velocity profile). Explicit formulas for the bounds are derived for the case of homogeneous medium (constant velocity profile). Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the behavior of these bounds     

Single ion actions: the induction of micronuclei in V79 cells exposed to individual protons.

Understanding the effects of single-particles from conventional radiation biology experiments is problematic due to the stochastics of particle tracks. This complicates the determinations of risk associated with low doses. We have developed a charged particle microbeam, which allows individually counted particles to be delivered to precise cellular locations. The system is capable of delivering a single charged particle with > 99% efficiency. Of these particles 90% are delivered with a resolution of +/- 2 micrometers and 96% with a resolution of +/- 5 micrometers. We have carried out preliminary studies in Chinese hamster V79 cells to monitor the effectiveness of low energy protons at inducing cytological damage. We have used the micronucleus assay as a measure of predominantly lethal chromosome damage. The effects of a single 3.2 MeV proton delivered individually to cells could be measured, with less than 2% of the exposed cells producing micronuclei 24 hours later. The yield of micronuclei formation was essentially linear up to the highest dose (30 particles per cell nucleus) delivered. Ultimately, the ability to target particles to different parts of the cell nucleus may start to impact on models available for chromosome aberration formation and chromosomal Organisation and mechanisms underlying genomic instability.