Deducing Electron Properties from Hard X-ray Observations

X-radiation from energetic electrons is the prime diagnostic of flare-accelerated electrons. The observed X-ray flux (and polarization state) is fundamentally a convolution of the cross-section for the hard X-ray emission process(es) in question with the electron distribution function, which is in turn a function of energy, direction, spatial location and time. To address the problems of particle propagation and acceleration one needs to infer as much information as possible on this electron distribution function, through a deconvolution of this fundamental relationship. This review presents recent progress toward this goal using spectroscopic, imaging and polarization measurements, primarily from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). Previous conclusions regarding the energy, angular (pitch angle) and spatial distributions of energetic electrons in solar flares are critically reviewed. We discuss the role and the observational evidence of several radiation processes: free-free electron-ion, free-free electron-electron, free-bound electron-ion, photoelectric absorption and Compton backscatter (albedo), using both spectroscopic and imaging techniques. This unprecedented quality of data allows for the first time inference of the angular distributions of the X-ray-emitting electrons and improved model-independent inference of electron energy spectra and emission measures of thermal plasma. Moreover, imaging spectroscopy has revealed hitherto unknown details of solar flare morphology and detailed spectroscopy of coronal, footpoint and extended sources in flaring regions. Additional attempts to measure hard X-ray polarization were not sufficient to put constraints on the degree of anisotropy of electrons, but point to the importance of obtaining good quality polarization data in the future.     

Telerobotics: problems and research needs

With major emphasis on simulation, a university laboratory telerobotics facility permits problems to be approached by groups of graduate students. Helmet-mounded displays provide realism; the slaving of the display to the human operator's viewpoint gives a sense of `telepresence' that may be useful for prolonged tasks. Using top-down 3-D model control of distant images allows distant images to be reduced to a few parameters to update the model used for display to the human operator in a preview model to circumvent, in part, the communication delay. Also, the model can be used as a format for supervisory control and permit short-term local autonomous operations. Image processing algorithms can be made simpler and faster without trying to construct sensible images from the bottom. Control studies of telerobots lead to preferential manual control modes and, in this university environment, to basic paradigms for human motion and thence, perhaps, to redesign of robotic control, trajectory path planning, and rehabilitation prosthetics. Speculation as to future industrial drives for this telerobotic field suggests efficient roles for government agencies such as NASA     

Time-frequency hop codes based upon extended quadratic congruences

Time-frequency hop codes are developed that can be used for coherent multiuser echolocation and asynchronous spread spectrum communication systems. They represent a compromise between Costas codes, which have nearly ideal autoambiguity but not so good cross-ambiguity properties, and linear congruential codes, which have nearly ideal cross-ambiguity but unattractive autoambiguity properties. Extended quadratic congruential code words are shown to have reasonably good autoambiguity and cross-ambiguity properties across the whole class of code sets considered. A uniform upper bound is placed on the entire cross-ambiguity function surface, and bounds are placed on the position and amplitude of spurious peaks in the autoambiguity function. These bounds depend on the time/bandwidth product and code length exclusively and lead naturally to a discussion of the design tradeoffs for these two parameters. Examples of typical autoambiguity and cross-ambiguity functions are given to illustrate the performance of the new codes     

The Cassini Visual And Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (Vims) Investigation

The Cassini visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) investigation is a multidisciplinary study of the Saturnian system. Visual and near-infrared imaging spectroscopy and high-speed spectrophotometry are the observational techniques. The scope of the investigation includes the rings, the surfaces of the icy satellites and Titan, and the atmospheres of Saturn and Titan. In this paper, we will elucidate the major scientific and measurement goals of the investigation, the major characteristics of the Cassini VIMS instrument, the instrument calibration, and operation, and the results of the recent Cassini flybys of Venus and the Earth–Moon system.This revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Multibaseline ATI-SAR for robust ocean surface velocity estimation

An open problem of along-track interferometry (ATI) for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensing of ocean surface currents is the need of ancillary wind information for inversion of Doppler centroid measurements, that have to be compensated for the propagation velocity of advancing and/or receding Bragg scatterers. We propose three classes of estimators which exploit multibaseline (MB) ATI acquisition and Doppler resolution for robust data inversion under different degrees of a priori information about the wind direction and the value of the characteristic Bragg frequency. Performance analysis and comparison with conventional ATI show that the proposed MB estimators can produce accurate velocity estimates in the absence of detailed ancillary data.     

Real-time translational control of a MEMS comb resonator

Closed-loop control has been successfully applied to a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) lateral comb resonator device in real-time to perform impulse disturbance damping and sinusoidal position control, enabled by the use of a through-wafer optical microprobe to obtain position feedback. This result leverages the application of lifetime, in-situ control of MEMS in order to provide quality assurance of microsystems in safety critical applications. A position feedback signal produced by a through-wafer optical microprobe has been used for comb resonator system model identification by two independent methods to accurately determine the effective mass, damping, and spring constant values of the device. After accurate determination of system parameters, closed-loop impulse disturbance damping and proportional-integral-differential (PID) translational control were applied. Closed-loop control results presented indicate controllability of such microstructures and response times on the order of the natural frequency of the device.     

空间高阶差分近似对三维ADI-FDTD数值色散的影响

研究采用空间高阶差分近似的三维交替方向隐式时域有限差分法(ADI-FDTD,Alternating-Direction Implicit Finite-Difference Time-Domain)数值色散问题,首先推导了采用空间高阶差分近似的数值色散迭代公式,分别对最小相速方向和最大相速方向进行二阶、四阶、六阶、十阶空间差分数值色散误差的数值计算和比较,并分析数值色散对空间差分阶数的依赖关系,最后发现在均匀网格中采用四阶空间差分能得到较好的效果.     

捷联式天线稳定平台动力学建模与仿真分析

对于体积有限制的战术导弹应用,导引头天线伺服系统的体积受到严格限制,传统的速率陀螺稳定平台的应用受到挑战,为此提出采用捷联稳定方式来解决视线稳定问题.根据弹载捷联式天线平台的结构特点及稳定原理,应用坐标变换方法,完整地建立了两自由度捷联式天线平台的运动学与动力学模型.通过分析平台框架运动学耦合关系,表明捷联稳定方式与速率陀螺稳定方式的基本区别在于信息的获取和控制方式上,速率陀螺稳定方式是一种直接硬件稳定方法,而捷联稳定方式是一种软件补偿方法.在此基础上,对框架动力学耦合特性进行了数值仿真,结果表明:弹体对框架的耦合较强,需要进行弹体解耦,而框架之间的交叉耦合相对较弱,实际设计时可以忽略.所得结果为进一步研究捷联式天线稳定平台提供了理论基础,也为小型化导引头视线稳定平台系统的工程设计提供了一种解决方案.     

遗传算法综合阵列的幅度和相位方向图

分析了阵列方向图分别为对称、实的或实的且对称时所对应的单元激励关系,简要介绍了遗传算法,并将其用于阵列方向图综合.遗传算法是一种自适应全局优化概率搜索算法,它直接以目标函数作为搜索信息.通过合理地设计目标函数,遗传算法不仅可以综合幅度方向图,还可以综合相位,适合于需要进行幅度和相位补偿的情况,以及多目标的情况.最后,结合平顶波束方向图与抛物面天线初级馈源的正割平方方向图进行综合,证明了遗传算法的有效性和灵活性,说明使用遗传算法时尽量利用方向图的实的或对称特性,可以减少待优化变量的数目,加快收敛.并提出将传统遗传算法与传统方向图综合方法相结合,可以进一步减少得到最优解所需要的进化代数.     

New multifrequency measurements of the spectrum of the cosmic background radiation

New measurements of the Cosmic Background Radiation temperature at 12 cm, 6.3 cm, 3 cm, 0.9 cm and 0.3 cm have made in July 1982 from the White Mountain High Altitude Research Station. The results are presented and the existence of spectral distortions discussed.