The role of antiprotons in cosmic-ray physics

Though success eluded experimentalists from detecting cosmic-ray antiprotons over a long period of time, the study of cosmic-ray antiprotons has now become a fascinating field of research. In this review, we have attempted to elucidate the excitement in this area of research since the discovery of antiprotons in the laboratory. We have described the experiments carried out so far to measure the energy spectrum of antiprotons, from about 200 MeV to about 15 GeV, and summarised the results. The observed spectrum, with the limited data, appears to be very hard and is different from other components of cosmic radiation. Upper limits to the fraction of antiprotons in cosmic-rays have also been derived at higher energies, using the observed spectra of cosmic-ray primary and secondary particles at different depths in the atmosphere. We have described various physical processes by which antiprotons could be produced, such as high-energy interactions, neutron oscillations, evaporation of Mini Black Holes, decay of super symmetric particles, etc. The energy spectrum of antiprotons, which are produced through the above processes, undergoes modifications during propagation in the Galaxy. We have examined in detail the propagation models which have been employed to explain the observed data. It is shown that no single model could predict correctly the observed energy spectrum of antiprotons over the entire energy region. However, many models are able to explain the data at relativistic energies. It is difficult at this stage to make a choice among these models. The implications of these models for other components of cosmic-rays, such as positrons, deuterium, and He, have been discussed. We have examined the production of gamma rays in the Galaxy from sources, which produce the observed antiprotons through high-energy interactions. We have also briefly indicated the effect of possible re-acceleration during their confinement in the Galaxy. We finally emphasized the need for more detailed measurements of the spectral shape of cosmic-ray antiprotons to further refine speculations of their origin. Similarly, we have shown that detailed observation of the energy spectra of positrons, deuterium, and He at relativistic energies are crucial to test various propagation models.     

Range Sidelobe Suppression for Barker Codes

The utility of Barker-type phase-reversal codes is extended by the use of sidelobe suppression techniques that can be easily implemented in digital form. It is shown that sidelobe suppression techniques can be found where the tapped delay line used to reduce the sidelobes has only a few distinct tap weights, in which case the complexity of the digital processor is greatly reduced. An example is given where the technique is applied to Barker codes with positive sidelobes, specifically, the 13-element Barker code. If higher pulse compression factors are desired than are obtainable with Barker codes, multistage Barker codes may be used. The sidelobes then may be suppressed for any one or all of the different coding stages.     

Experimental limit on low energy antiprotons in the cosmic radiation

We report results from the Low Energy Antiproton Experiment (LEAP), a balloon-borne instrument which was flown in August, 1987. We find no evidence of antiproton fluxes in the kinetic energy range 120 MeV to 360 MeV, top of the atmosphere. The 90 percent confidence upper limit on the antiproton/proton ratio in this energy range is 3.5 × 10⁻⁵. In particular, this new experiment places an upper limit on the flux almost an order of magnitude below the reported flux of Buffington et al.     

Clutter Performance of Coherent Pulse Trains for Targets with Range Acceleration

The clutter performance of coherent pulse trains is examined when the duration of the pulse train is increased to values for which range acceleration effects must be taken into account. The problem of target detection against a clutter background with differential Doppler is studied in terms of the range acceleration effects on the conventional Doppler response. Specifically considered are the consequences on the sidelobe level and width of the main Doppler lobe. The analysis shows that the sidelobe level remains essentially unchanged when the range acceleration mismatch becomes significant. However, the main Doppler response broadens in proportion to the magnitude of the acceleration mismatch. Thus, an increase of the signal duration for better Doppler resolution is useful only until acceleration effects spread the Doppler spectrum of the clutter and eliminate the differential Doppler between targets and clutter.     

Extragalactic origin of antiprotons

We have studied the effect of Galactic modulation on cosmic rays entering the Galaxy from outside for two different models for the confinement of cosmic rays, using one dimensional transport equation. From this study, the role of extragalactic cosmic rays has been examined critically in the context of the recent data on antiprotons. We have arrived at the conclusion that they are not a significant source of cosmic ray antiprotons. However, determination of the energy spectrum of Ps at least up to a few tens of GeV would provide information on the modulation of cosmic rays, while entering the Galaxy from outside.     

Resolution Performance of Pulse Trains with Large Time-Bandwidth Products

The coherent pulse train has good clutter suppression performance because the energy in its matched-filter response is essentially concentrated within sharp ambiguous spikes. However, this is so only when the Doppler distortions are neglected, so that the Doppler effect is taken as a simple translation of the carrier frequency. This paper analyzes the consequences of Doppler distortions on the resolution performance of pulse trains. It is found that Doppler distortions widen the Doppler ambiguities of the pulse train response, with the widening factor proportional to the order of the Doppler ambiguity. This reduces the interval between Doppler ambiguities, and hence the Doppler width of a clutter space that can be accommodated without severe clutter interference. For an operation in a Doppler-ambiguous mode, it also degrades nominal Doppler resolution performance. A detailed analysis of the effects is presented, and numerical results on the widening of the Doppler ambiguities are obtained.     

Multi-cell satellite for the communications of year 2000

The multi-cell communication satellite concept allows an efficient use of the geostationary orbit and a large reduction of the bit transmission cost, as a Bell-type (phased array), multiple mobile narrow beams arrangement with SS-TDMA.It has a flat hexagonal flying-saucer shape, being erected in a low altitude orbit, through an automatic assembly process of a large number of quasi-identical hexagonal cells. Each cell has independent power supply, thrusters, RF modules etc….Total assembly requires 10 ARIANE V or 4 SHUTTLE launches. An automatic tooling assembly using simple iterative manoeuvers is used to obtain the final shape, from initial cylindrical packages.Transfer into geostationary orbit is provided by low-thrust bi-propellant units attached to the cells, and released after burn-out. Assembly and transfer duration is about 6 months.Total traffic to 1000–2000 towns being 100 Gbits/s, the expected reduction of bit-transmission cost relative to year 1981 is 75–100 fold.     

A Note on the Effects of the Ionosphere on Satellite Orbital Corrections in Near-Real Time

The influence of ionospheric irregularities,e.g., sudden increase of electron content, onthe accurate determination of the position ofa satellite is being investigated. In this note amethod is presented whereby these effects areeasily accounted for in near-real time withoutthe need to know their detail structure.