Solar Variability and Clouds – Discussion Session 3c

Satellite observations have recently revealed a surprising imprint of the 11-year solar cycle on global low cloud cover. The cloud data suggest a correlation with the intensity of galactic cosmic rays. If this apparent connection between cosmic rays and clouds is real, variations of the cosmic ray flux caused by long-term changes in the solar wind could have a significant influence on the global energy radiation budget and the climate. However a direct link between cosmic rays and clouds has not been unambiguously established and, moreover, the microphysical mechanism is poorly understood. New experiments are being planned to find out whether cosmic rays can affect cloud formation, and if so how.     

A phase controlled antenna system for anti-jamming purposes

A phase controlled antenna system has been constructed for aircraft EW purposes. With only two radiating elements conventionally installed on top of the fuselage, the system is capable of introducing a 30 dB radiation pattern minimum to desired or optimized directions. The system uses computer controlled parallel down conversion technique, which gives the freedom to automatically adjust for any anomalies in the respective individual element patterns, normally caused by the airframe structures. The same computer can be used for active search-and-minimize procedures. Extensive tests have been performed with an F-18 scale model to verify the system performance