Demonstration of the use of the Doppler Orbitography and Radio positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) measurements to validate GPS ionospheric imaging

There is a lack of independent ionospheric data that can be used to validate GPS imaging results at mid latitudes over severe storm times. Doppler Orbitography and Radio positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS), a global network of dual-frequency ground to satellite observations, provides this missing data and here is employed as verification to show the accuracy of the ionospheric GPS images in terms of the total electron content (TEC). In this paper, the large-scale ionospheric structures that appeared during the strong geomagnetic storm of 20 November 2003 are reconstructed with a GPS tomographic algorithm, known as MIDAS, and validated with DORIS TEC measurements. The main trough shown in an extreme equatorward position in the ionospheric imaging over mainland Europe is confirmed by DORIS satellite measurements. Throughout the disturbed day, the variations of relative slant TECs between DORIS data and MIDAS results agree quite well, with the average of the mean differences about 2 TECu. We conclude that as a valuable supplement to GPS data, DORIS ionospheric measurements can be used to analyse TEC variations with a relatively high resolution, ∼10 s in time and tens of kilometres in space. This will be very helpful for identification of some highly dynamic structures in the ionosphere found at mid-latitudes, such as the main trough, TID (Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances) and SED (Storm Enhanced Density), and could be used as a valuable auxiliary data source in ionospheric imaging.     

Solar wind interaction with lunar crustal magnetic anomalies

Using Lunar Prospector data, we review the magnetic field and electron signatures of solar wind interaction with lunar crustal magnetic sources. Magnetic field amplifications, too large to represent direct measurements of crustal fields, appear in the solar wind over strong crustal sources, with the chance of observing these amplifications depending on upstream solar wind parameters. We often observe increases in low-energy (?100 eV) electron energy fluxes simultaneously with large magnetic field amplifications, consistent with an increase in plasma density across a shock surface. We also often observe low frequency wave activity in the magnetic field data (both broadband turbulence and monochromatic waves), often associated with electron energization, sometimes up to keV energies. Electron energization appears to be correlated more closely with wave activity than with magnetic amplifications. Detailed studies of the interaction region will be necessary in order to understand the physics of the Moon–solar wind interaction. At present, the Moon represents the only natural laboratory available to us to study solar wind interaction with small-scale crustal magnetic fields, though simulation results and theoretical work can also help us understand the physical processes at work.     

A Sequential Detector

The PRSD detector improves radar performance by controlling the distribution of energy in space, thus making a radar adaptive to its environment. An increase in performance over classical detectors may be realized in any of several ways: 1) greater maximum range; 2) smaller minimum detectable targets; 3) higher data rates; 4) lower average transmitted power, which allows smaller size and weight of equipment. The model of the PRSD detector described herein was tested with a semi-agile beam radar, and gave measured field performance improvement (for this particular radar) equivalent to an S/N increase ranging from 5 to 22 dB with a mean of 9.5 dB. This increase is greater than the 5-dB improvement predicted for the system in a white noise environment because many of the field tests were at locations subjected to heavy interference. The PRSD detector was extremely effective reducing the interference. In this paper, we will briefly review the theory of operation, describe the equipment and the method of test, and present experimental data. The data presented here are essential to a complete understanding of sequential detection since a rigorous theory encompassing multiple range bin radar has not been developed at this time. Finally, an extensive bibliography is appended.     

A 12 year comparison of MIDAS and IRI 2007 ionospheric Total Electron Content

Data assimilation in conventional meteorological applications uses measurements in conjunction with a physical model. In the case of the ionised region of the upper atmosphere, the ionosphere, assimilation techniques are much less mature. The empirical model known as the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) could be used to augment data-sparse regions in an ionospheric now-cast and forecast system. In doing so, it is important that it does not introduce systematic biases to the result. Here, the IRI model is compared to ionospheric observations from the Global Positioning System satellites over Europe and North America. Global Positioning System data are processed into hour-to-hour monthly averages of vertical Total Electron Content using a tomographic technique. A period of twelve years, from January 1998 to December 2009, is analysed in order to capture variations over the whole solar cycle. The study shows that the IRI model underestimates Total Electron Content in the daytime at solar maximum by up to 37% compared to the monthly average of GPS tomographic images, with the greatest differences occurring at the equinox. IRI shows good agreement at other times. Errors in TEC are likely due to peak height and density inaccuracies. IRI is therefore a suitable model for specification of monthly averages of Total Electron Content and can be used to initialise a data assimilation process at times away from solar maximum. It may be necessary to correct for systematic deviations from IRI at solar maximum, and to incorporate error estimation into a data assimilation scheme.     

Impulse Response Determination by Cross Correlation

This paper describes the design of a digital cross correlator and its application in determining the impulse response in linear systems. The output of the cross correlator, which correlates the input and the output of a linear system excited by noise, is the same as the response of the linear system to a pulse which is identical to the noise autocorrelation. The impulse response error is defined as the normalized mean-square deviation of the actual from the true impulse response. A digital computer simulation confirms that the conventional technique yields the same impulse error as the correlation technique, when the width of the input rectangular pulse is equivalent to the width of the noise autocorrelation function. The operation and design of the digital correlator are discussed. An advantage of the specially designed digital correlator over a general-purpose digital computer is to operate in real time without problems of software and storage. The presented experimental and digitally computed results show that the digital correlator can accurately determine the impulse response, even in presence of perturbations. Only the correlation technique allows measurement of system impulse response without disturbing normal operation. Suggestions are made to simplify the design and improve the speed (bandwidth capability).     

Recursive Methods for Computing Detection Probabilities

Recursive methods are drived for computing detection probabilities for general fluctuating targets in Gaussian noise. For the generalized chi-square family of fluctuating targets, very simple and convenient recursive algrithms result. The methods are also extended to cell-averaging CFAR. Although the detection probability is expressed iw: terms of an infinite series, a convenient expression is derived for the resulting error when the series is truncated. Cell-averaging CFAR results are computed for nonfluctuating, Swering case I, and Swerling case II fluctuating targets.     

Anthropogenic and natural causes of twentieth century temperature change

We analyse spatio-temporal patterns of near-surface temperature change to provide an attribution of twentieth century climate change. We apply an ``optimal detection' methodology to seasonal and annual data averaged over a range of spatial and temporal scales. We find that solar effects may have contributed significantly to the warming in the first half of the century although this result is dependent on the reconstruction of total solar irradiance that is used. In the latter half of the century, we find that anthropogenic increases in greenhouses gases are largely responsible for the observed warming, balanced by some cooling due to anthropogenic sulphate aerosols, with no evidence for significant solar effects.     

IBEX—Interstellar Boundary Explorer

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is a small explorer mission that launched on 19 October 2008 with the sole, focused science objective to discover the global interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium. IBEX is designed to achieve this objective by answering four fundamental science questions: (1) What is the global strength and structure of the termination shock, (2) How are energetic protons accelerated at the termination shock, (3) What are the global properties of the solar wind flow beyond the termination shock and in the heliotail, and (4) How does the interstellar flow interact with the heliosphere beyond the heliopause? The answers to these questions rely on energy-resolved images of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), which originate beyond the termination shock, in the inner heliosheath. To make these exploratory ENA observations IBEX carries two ultra-high sensitivity ENA cameras on a simple spinning spacecraft. IBEX’s very high apogee Earth orbit was achieved using a new and significantly enhanced method for launching small satellites; this orbit allows viewing of the outer heliosphere from beyond the Earth’s relatively bright magnetospheric ENA emissions. The combination of full-sky imaging and energy spectral measurements of ENAs over the range from ～10 eV to 6 keV provides the critical information to allow us to achieve our science objective and understand this global interaction for the first time. The IBEX mission was developed to provide the first global views of the Sun’s interstellar boundaries, unveiling the physics of the heliosphere’s interstellar interaction, providing a deeper understanding of the heliosphere and thereby astrospheres throughout the galaxy, and creating the opportunity to make even greater unanticipated discoveries.