Supertyphoon Hagibis action in the ionosphere on 6–13 October 2019: Results from multi-frequency multiple path sounding at oblique incidence

The purpose of the present paper is to describe the observations of the variations in the parameters of HF radio waves propagating through the ionosphere when the action of the super typhoon Hagibis on 6–13 October 2019 occurred. The observations have been made with the Harbin Engineering University (the People's Republic of China) multi-frequency multiple path radio system involving the software-defined technology. The action of the super typhoon has been shown to be accompanied by enhanced atmospheric wave activity acting to generate wave processes with periods of 10 to 120 min. Coupling in the atmosphere–upper-atmosphere–ionosphere system has been confirmed to be carried out with atmospheric gravity waves. The ionosphere underwent the greatest impact on those days when the supertyphoon had maximum energy, on 8, 10, and especially 9 October 2019, and when it was found to be in an ～2,500–3,000-km distance range from the propagation path midpoints. Under the action of wave processes, the height of the reflection region was observed to oscillate within the ±(30–90 km) limits. The amplitude of the quasi-periodic variations in the ionospheric F-region electron density was estimated to be 10–12% for periods of ～20 min, and 30–60% for periods of ～60–120 min. The joint action of the dusk terminator and the supertyphoon has been confirmed to enhance wave activity in the ionosphere. Similar effects for the dawn terminator have not been detected.     

On classification of RHESSI flares

Based on the light curves and images of RHESSI flares, we tried to make a preliminary classification of solar flares. Three basic types of flares seem to be existed: accordantly gradual flares, accordantly impulsive flares, and early impulsive flares. The proportion for each type is given. The possible physical meaning related to different types is discussed.     

Software approach to access UWB interference on GPS receivers

Ever since the FCC approved the use of UWB devices in commercial and federal bands, various agencies whose operations and/or products rely on the integrity of signals within certain "restricted" radio frequency bands have voiced concerns over the potential impact of the UWB interference. GPS signals are among these "restricted" bands. Several groups in the GPS community have conducted experimental studies concerning the impact of UWB interference on the performance of various grades of commercial and aviation GPS receivers. In this paper, we present a software approach to simulate and evaluate UWB interference on GPS receivers. The software approach provides greater flexibility in the design of testing scenarios, such as the inclusion of a large number of aggregated UWB devices, the generation of new UWB signals and modulation schemes, and the possibility of extending the study to new GPS signals. The paper discusses a general framework for developing algorithms to evaluate UWB and GPS interference under a wide variety of hardware and software conditions. This framework consists of three classes of components: input, processing, and analysis. The input components are responsible for the generation of UWB signal waveforms and modulation schemes, and GPS signals. The processing components include a simulated model of GPS RF front end and software implementation of GPS processing blocks, such as acquisition, tracking, and post-processing. The analysis components focus on the study of specific receiver processing component outputs. Both real and simulated UWB signals can be used in the study. The real UWB signals are primarily used to validate the simulation procedure, whereas the simulated UWB signals are used to allow the immediate incorporation of new UWB waveforms and modulations in the evaluations. This paper presents details of the software components developed and the preliminary results achieved     

Two energy release processes for CMEs: MHD catastrophe and magnetic reconnection

It remains an open question how magnetic energy is rapidly released in the solar corona so as to create solar explosions such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Recent studies have confirmed that a system consisting of a flux rope embedded in a background field exhibits a catastrophic behavior, and the energy threshold at the catastrophic point may exceed the associated open field energy. The accumulated free energy in the corona is abruptly released when the catastrophe takes place, and it probably serves as the main means of energy release for CMEs at least in the initial phase. Such a release proceeds via an ideal MHD process in contrast with nonideal ones such as magnetic reconnection. The catastrophe results in a sudden formation of electric current sheets, which naturally provide proper sites for fast magnetic reconnection. The reconnection may be identified with a solar flare associated with the CME on one hand, and produces a further acceleration of the CME on the other. On this basis, several preliminary suggestions are made for future observational investigations, especially with the proposed Kuafa satellites, on the roles of the MHD catastrophe and magnetic reconnection in the magnetic energy release associated with CMEs and flares.     

VLBI for better gravimetry in SELENE

The Japanese lunar explorer SELENE (SElenological and Engineering Explorer), to be launched in 2007, will for the first time utilize VLBI observations in lunar gravimetry investigations. This will particularly improve the accuracy to which the low degree gravitational harmonics and the gravity field near the limb can be measured, and when combined with Doppler measurements will enable three-dimensional information to be extracted. Differential VLBI Radio sources called VRAD experiment involves two on-board sub-satellites, Rstar and Vstar. These will be observed using differential VLBI to measure the trajectories of the satellites with the Japanese network named VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry) and an international VLBI network.     

SMESE (SMall Explorer for Solar Eruptions): A microsatellite mission with combined solar payload

The SMESE (SMall Explorer for Solar Eruptions) mission is a microsatellite proposed by France and China. The payload of SMESE consists of three packages: LYOT (a Lyman α imager and a Lyman α coronagraph), DESIR (an Infra-red Telescope working at 35–80 and 100–250 μm), and HEBS (a High Energy Burst Spectrometer working in X- and gamma-rays).     

The gravitational field and brain function.

The frontal cortex is recognized as the highest adaptive control center of the human brain. The principle of the "frontalization" of human brain function offers new possibilities for brain research in space. There is evolutionary and experimental evidence indicating the validity of the principle, including it's role in nervous response to gravitational stimulation. The gravitational field is considered here as one of the more constant and comprehensive factors acting on brain evolution, which has undergone some successive crucial steps: "encephalization", "corticalization", "lateralization" and "frontalization". The dominating effects of electrical responses from the frontal cortex have been discovered 1) in experiments under gravitational stimulus; and 2) in processes potentially relating to gravitational adaptation, such as memory and learning, sensory information processing, motor programing, and brain state control. A brain research experiment during space flight is suggested to test the role of the frontal cortex in space adaptation and it's potentiality in brain control.     

Current distribution control for parallel connected converters. I

For pt.II, see ibid., vol.28, no.3, p.841-851 (1992). A master-slave control scheme for a uniform current distribution among converter modules in a parallel connected system is presented. In this technique, inner current loops are introduced to the system to achieve output current equalization. The current distribution error is used as a criterion for judging system performance. Using this control scheme, the current distribution error can be reduced greatly even with nonidentical converters in the system. To optimize system efficiency and facilitate the fault-tolerant algorithm realization, this technique is refined so that only the necessary number of converters are activated for different load conditions     

Direction finding with a four-element Adcock-Butler matrix antennaarray

The conventional analog Adcock-Butler matrix (ABM) antenna array direction finder suffers from systemic errors, component matching problems, and bandwidth limitations. Three digital bearing estimators are developed as candidates to replace the analog signal processing portion of the ABM. Using the same antenna array, they perform all signal processing in the frequency domain, thereby benefitting from the computational efficiency of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm. The first estimator requires two analog-to-digital converters (A-D) and three antenna elements. It multiplies the difference between the discrete Fourier transforms (DFTs) of the output signals from two antenna elements with that from a third antenna element. At each frequency component, the phase of this product is a function of the bearing. A weighted least squares (LS) fit through all the phase components then gives a bearing estimate. The second estimator is similar to the first but uses three A-D and all four antenna elements. The output signal from the additional antenna element provides an independent estimate of the weights for the LS fit, giving an improvement in accuracy. The third estimator applies the physical constraint existing between the time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) of a signal intercepted by two perpendicular sets of antenna elements. This yields a better estimator than simple averaging of the bearing from each set of antenna elements. The simulation studies used sinusoids and broadband signals to corroborate the theoretical treatment and demonstrate the accuracy achievable with these estimators. All three direction finders have superior performance in comparison with the analog ABM