Potential of bias correction for downscaling passive microwave and soil moisture data

Science.gov (United States)

Passive microwave satellites such as SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) or SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) observe brightness temperature (TB) and retrieve soil moisture at a spatial resolution greater than most hydrological processes. Bias correction is proposed as a simple method to disag...

Commercial microwave space power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siambis, J.; Gregorwich, W.; Walmsley, S.; Shockey, K.; Chang, K.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on central commercial space power, generating power via large scale solar arrays, and distributing power to satellites via docking, tethering or beamed power such as microwave or laser beams, that is being investigated as a potentially advantageous alternative to present day technology where each satellite carries its own power generating capability. The cost, size and weight for electrical power service, together with overall mission requirements and flexibility are the principal selection criteria, with the case of standard solar array panels based on the satellite, as the reference point. This paper presents and investigates a current technology design point for beamed microwave commercial space power. The design point requires that 25 kW be delivered to the user load with 30% overall system efficiency. The key elements of the design point are: An efficient rectenna at the user end; a high gain, low beam width, efficient antenna at the central space power station end, a reliable and efficient cw microwave tube. Design trades to optimize the proposed near term design point and to explore characteristics of future systems were performed. Future development for making the beamed microwave space power approach more competitive against docking and tethering are discussed

TRMM MICROWAVE IMAGER (TMI) WENTZ OCEAN PRODUCTS V3

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) is a 5-channel, dual-polarized, passive microwave radiometer. Microwave radiation is emitted by the Earth's surface and by water...

Improved Passive Microwave Algorithms for North America and Eurasia

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, James; Chang, Alfred; Hall, Dorothy

1997-01-01

Microwave algorithms simplify complex physical processes in order to estimate geophysical parameters such as snow cover and snow depth. The microwave radiances received at the satellite sensor and expressed as brightness temperatures are a composite of contributions from the Earth's surface, the Earth's atmosphere and from space. Owing to the coarse resolution inherent to passive microwave sensors, each pixel value represents a mixture of contributions from different surface types including deep snow, shallow snow, forests and open areas. Algorithms are generated in order to resolve these mixtures. The accuracy of the retrieved information is affected by uncertainties in the assumptions used in the radiative transfer equation (Steffen et al., 1992). One such uncertainty in the Chang et al., (1987) snow algorithm is that the snow grain radius is 0.3 mm for all layers of the snowpack and for all physiographic regions. However, this is not usually the case. The influence of larger grain sizes appears to be of more importance for deeper snowpacks in the interior of Eurasia. Based on this consideration and the effects of forests, a revised SMMR snow algorithm produces more realistic snow mass values. The purpose of this study is to present results of the revised algorithm (referred to for the remainder of this paper as the GSFC 94 snow algorithm) which incorporates differences in both fractional forest cover and snow grain size. Results from the GSFC 94 algorithm will be compared to the original Chang et al. (1987) algorithm and to climatological snow depth data as well.

Rain detection over land surfaces using passive microwave satellite data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bauer, P.; Burose, D.; Schulz, J.

2002-01-01

An algorithm is presented for the detection of surface rainfall using passive microwave measurements by satellite radiometers. The technique consists of a two-stage approach to distinguish precipitation signatures from other effects: (1) Contributions from slowly varying parameters (surface type and

Analyzing the inundation pattern of the Poyang Lake floodplain by passive microwave data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shang, H.; Li, J.; Menenti, M.

2015-01-01

The soil wetness condition is a useful indicator of inundation hazard in floodplains, such as the Poyang Lake floodplain. Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) passive microwave data were used to monitor water-saturated soil and open water areas of the Poyang Lake floodplain from 2001 to 2008,

Bias correction for rainrate retrievals from satellite passive microwave sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Short, David A.

1990-01-01

Rainrates retrieved from past and present satellite-borne microwave sensors are affected by a fundamental remote sensing problem. Sensor fields-of-view are typically large enough to encompass substantial rainrate variability, whereas the retrieval algorithms, based on radiative transfer calculations, show a non-linear relationship between rainrate and microwave brightness temperature. Retrieved rainrates are systematically too low. A statistical model of the bias problem shows that bias correction factors depend on the probability distribution of instantaneous rainrate and on the average thickness of the rain layer.

HTS thin films: Passive microwave components and systems integration issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miranda, F.A.; Chorey, C.M.; Bhasin, K.B.

1994-01-01

The excellent microwave properties of the High-Temperature-Superconductors (HTS) have been amply demonstrated in the laboratory by techniques such as resonant cavity, power transmission and microstrip resonator measurements. The low loss and high Q passive structures made possible with HTS, present attractive options for applications in commercial, military and space-based systems. However, to readily insert HTS into these systems improvement is needed in such areas as repeatability in the deposition and processing of the HTS films, metal-contact formation, wire bonding, and overall film endurance to fabrication and assembly procedures. In this paper we present data compiled in our lab which illustrate many of the problems associated with these issues. Much of this data were obtained in the production of a space qualified hybrid receiver-downconverter module for the Naval Research Laboratory's High Temperature Superconductivity Space Experiment II (HTSSE-II). Examples of variations observed in starting films and finished circuits will be presented. It is shown that under identical processing the properties of the HTS films can degrade to varying extents. Finally, we present data on ohmic contacts and factors affecting their adhesion to HTS films, strength of wire bonds made to such contacts, and aging effects

Wideband Radio Frequency Interference Detection for Microwave Radiometer Subsystem

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Anthropogenic Radio-Frequency Interference (RFI) is threatening the quality and utility of multi-frequency passive microwave radiometry. The GPM Microwave Imager...

NOAA/NSIDC Climate Data Record of Passive Microwave Sea Ice Concentration

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set provides a Climate Data Record (CDR) of sea ice concentration from passive microwave data. It provides a consistent, daily and monthly time series of...

AMSR-E/Aqua Monthly Global Microwave Land Surface Emissivity

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This data set is a global land emissivity product using passive microwave observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System...

Reprocessing the Historical Satellite Passive Microwave Record at Enhanced Spatial Resolutions using Image Reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman, M.; Brodzik, M. J.; Long, D. G.; Paget, A. C.; Armstrong, R. L.

2015-12-01

Beginning in 1978, the satellite passive microwave data record has been a mainstay of remote sensing of the cryosphere, providing twice-daily, near-global spatial coverage for monitoring changes in hydrologic and cryospheric parameters that include precipitation, soil moisture, surface water, vegetation, snow water equivalent, sea ice concentration and sea ice motion. Currently available global gridded passive microwave data sets serve a diverse community of hundreds of data users, but do not meet many requirements of modern Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) or Climate Data Records (CDRs), most notably in the areas of intersensor calibration, quality-control, provenance and consistent processing methods. The original gridding techniques were relatively primitive and were produced on 25 km grids using the original EASE-Grid definition that is not easily accommodated in modern software packages. Further, since the first Level 3 data sets were produced, the Level 2 passive microwave data on which they were based have been reprocessed as Fundamental CDRs (FCDRs) with improved calibration and documentation. We are funded by NASA MEaSUREs to reprocess the historical gridded data sets as EASE-Grid 2.0 ESDRs, using the most mature available Level 2 satellite passive microwave (SMMR, SSM/I-SSMIS, AMSR-E) records from 1978 to the present. We have produced prototype data from SSM/I and AMSR-E for the year 2003, for review and feedback from our Early Adopter user community. The prototype data set includes conventional, low-resolution ("drop-in-the-bucket" 25 km) grids and enhanced-resolution grids derived from the two candidate image reconstruction techniques we are evaluating: 1) Backus-Gilbert (BG) interpolation and 2) a radiometer version of Scatterometer Image Reconstruction (SIR). We summarize our temporal subsetting technique, algorithm tuning parameters and computational costs, and include sample SSM/I images at enhanced resolutions of up to 3 km. We are actively

Error characterisation of global active and passive microwave soil moisture datasets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. A. Dorigo

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Understanding the error structures of remotely sensed soil moisture observations is essential for correctly interpreting observed variations and trends in the data or assimilating them in hydrological or numerical weather prediction models. Nevertheless, a spatially coherent assessment of the quality of the various globally available datasets is often hampered by the limited availability over space and time of reliable in-situ measurements. As an alternative, this study explores the triple collocation error estimation technique for assessing the relative quality of several globally available soil moisture products from active (ASCAT and passive (AMSR-E and SSM/I microwave sensors. The triple collocation is a powerful statistical tool to estimate the root mean square error while simultaneously solving for systematic differences in the climatologies of a set of three linearly related data sources with independent error structures. Prerequisite for this technique is the availability of a sufficiently large number of timely corresponding observations. In addition to the active and passive satellite-based datasets, we used the ERA-Interim and GLDAS-NOAH reanalysis soil moisture datasets as a third, independent reference. The prime objective is to reveal trends in uncertainty related to different observation principles (passive versus active, the use of different frequencies (C-, X-, and Ku-band for passive microwave observations, and the choice of the independent reference dataset (ERA-Interim versus GLDAS-NOAH. The results suggest that the triple collocation method provides realistic error estimates. Observed spatial trends agree well with the existing theory and studies on the performance of different observation principles and frequencies with respect to land cover and vegetation density. In addition, if all theoretical prerequisites are fulfilled (e.g. a sufficiently large number of common observations is available and errors of the different

Precipitation and Latent Heating Distributions from Satellite Passive Microwave Radiometry. Part 1; Improved Method and Uncertainties

Science.gov (United States)

Olson, William S.; Kummerow, Christian D.; Yang, Song; Petty, Grant W.; Tao, Wei-Kuo; Bell, Thomas L.; Braun, Scott A.; Wang, Yansen; Lang, Stephen E.; Johnson, Daniel E.;

An equivalent method of mixed dielectric constant in passive microwave/millimeter radiometric measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Jinlong; Tian, Yan; Hu, Fei; Gui, Liangqi; Cheng, Yayun; Peng, Xiaohui

2017-10-01

Dielectric constant is an important role to describe the properties of matter. This paper proposes This paper proposes the concept of mixed dielectric constant(MDC) in passive microwave radiometric measurement. In addition, a MDC inversion method is come up, Ratio of Angle-Polarization Difference(RAPD) is utilized in this method. The MDC of several materials are investigated using RAPD. Brightness temperatures(TBs) which calculated by MDC and original dielectric constant are compared. Random errors are added to the simulation to test the robustness of the algorithm. Keywords: Passive detection, microwave/millimeter, radiometric measurement, ratio of angle-polarization difference (RAPD), mixed dielectric constant (MDC), brightness temperatures, remote sensing, target recognition.

CW 100MW microwave power transfer in space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takayama, K.; Hiramatsu, S.; Shiho, M.

1991-01-01

A proposal is made for high-power microwave transfer in space. The concept consists in a microwave power station integrating a multistage microwave free-electron laser and asymmetric dual-reflector system. Its use in space is discussed. 9 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

An Evaluation of Antarctica as a Calibration Target for Passive Microwave Satellite Missions with Climate Data Record Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Edward

2011-01-01

Passive microwave remote sensing at L-band (1.4 GHz) is sensitive to soil moisture and sea surface salinity, both important climate variables. Science studies involving these variables can now take advantage of new satellite L-band observations. The first mission with regular global passive microwave observations at L-band is the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS), launched November, 2009. A second mission, NASA's Aquarius, was launched June, 201 I. A third mission, NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) is scheduled to launch in 2014. Together, these three missions may provide a decade-long data record-provided that they are intercalibrated. The intercalibration is best performed at the radiance (brightness temperature) level, and Antarctica is proving to be a key calibration target. However, Antarctica has thus far not been fully characterized as a potential target. This paper will present evaluations of Antarctica as a microwave calibration target for the above satellite missions. Preliminary analyses have identified likely target areas, such as the vicinity of Dome-C and larger areas within East Antarctica. Physical sources of temporal and spatial variability of polar firn are key to assessing calibration uncertainty. These sources include spatial variability of accumulation rate, compaction, surface characteristics (dunes, micro-topography), wind patterns, and vertical profiles of density and temperature. Using primarily SMOS data, variability is being empirically characterized and attempts are being made to attribute observed variability to physical sources. One expected outcome of these studies is the potential discovery of techniques for remotely sensing--over all of Antarctica-parameters such as surface temperature.

HTS thin films: Passive microwave components and systems integration issues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miranda, F.A.; Chorey, C.M.; Bhasin, K.B. [National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (United States)

1994-12-31

The excellent microwave properties of the High-Temperature-Superconductors (HTS) have been amply demonstrated in the laboratory by techniques such as resonant cavity, power transmission and microstrip resonator measurements. The low loss and high Q passive structures made possible with HTS, present attractive options for applications in commercial, military and space-based systems. However, to readily insert HTS into these systems improvement is needed in such areas as repeatability in the deposition and processing of the HTS films, metal-contact formation, wire bonding, and overall film endurance to fabrication and assembly procedures. In this paper we present data compiled in our lab which illustrate many of the problems associated with these issues. Much of this data were obtained in the production of a space qualified hybrid receiver-downconverter module for the Naval Research Laboratory`s High Temperature Superconductivity Space Experiment II (HTSSE-II). Examples of variations observed in starting films and finished circuits will be presented. It is shown that under identical processing the properties of the HTS films can degrade to varying extents. Finally, we present data on ohmic contacts and factors affecting their adhesion to HTS films, strength of wire bonds made to such contacts, and aging effects.

Rocket experiment METS - Microwave Energy Transmission in Space

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.; Akiba, R.

A Microwave Energy Transmission in Space (METS) rocket experiment is being planned by the Solar Power Satellite Working Group at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science in Japan for the forthcoming International Space Year, 1992. The METS experiment is an advanced version of the previous MINIX rocket experiment (Matsumoto et al., 1990). This paper describes a conceptual design of the METS rocket experiment. It aims at verifying a newly developed microwave energy transmission system for space use and to study nonlinear effects of the microwave energy beam in the space plasma environment. A high power microwave of 936 W will be transmitted by the new phased-array antenna from a mother rocket to a separated target (daughter rocket) through the ionospheric plasma. The active phased-array system has a capability of focusing the microwave energy around any spatial point by controlling the digital phase shifters individually.

Rocket experiment METS Microwave Energy Transmission in Space

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.; Akiba, R.

A METS (Microwave Energy Transmission in Space) rocket experiment is being planned by the SPS (Solar Power Satellite) Working Group at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) in Japan for the forthcoming International Space Year (ISY), 1992. The METS experiment is an advanced version of our MINIX rocket experiment. This paper describes the conceptual design for the METS rocket experiment. Aims are to verify the feasibility of a newly developed microwave energy transmission system designed for use in space and to study nonlinear effects of the microwave energy beam on space plasma. A high power microwave (936 W) will be transmitted by a new phase-array antenna from a mother rocket to a separate target (daughter rocket) through the Earth's ionospheric plasma. The active phased-array system has the capability of being able to focus the microwave energy at any spatial point by individually controlling the digital phase shifters.

Impact of Missing Passive Microwave Sensors on Multi-Satellite Precipitation Retrieval Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Yong

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The impact of one or two missing passive microwave (PMW input sensors on the end product of multi-satellite precipitation products is an interesting but obscure issue for both algorithm developers and data users. On 28 January 2013, the Version-7 TRMM Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA products were reproduced and re-released by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center because the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-B (AMSU-B and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager-Sounder-F16 (SSMIS-F16 input data were unintentionally disregarded in the prior retrieval. Thus, this study investigates the sensitivity of TMPA algorithm results to missing PMW sensors by intercomparing the “early” and “late” Version-7 TMPA real-time (TMPA-RT precipitation estimates (i.e., without and with AMSU-B, SSMIS-F16 sensors with an independent high-density gauge network of 200 tipping-bucket rain gauges over the Chinese Jinghe river basin (45,421 km2. The retrieval counts and retrieval frequency of various PMW and Infrared (IR sensors incorporated into the TMPA system were also analyzed to identify and diagnose the impacts of sensor availability on the TMPA-RT retrieval accuracy. Results show that the incorporation of AMSU-B and SSMIS-F16 has substantially reduced systematic errors. The improvement exhibits rather strong seasonal and topographic dependencies. Our analyses suggest that one or two single PMW sensors might play a key role in affecting the end product of current combined microwave-infrared precipitation estimates. This finding supports algorithm developers’ current endeavor in spatiotemporally incorporating as many PMW sensors as possible in the multi-satellite precipitation retrieval system called Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement mission (IMERG. This study also recommends users of satellite precipitation products to switch to the newest Version-7 TMPA datasets and

Evaluation of multichannel Wiener filters applied to fine resolution passive microwave images of first-year sea ice

Science.gov (United States)

Full, William E.; Eppler, Duane T.

1993-01-01

The effectivity of multichannel Wiener filters to improve images obtained with passive microwave systems was investigated by applying Wiener filters to passive microwave images of first-year sea ice. Four major parameters which define the filter were varied: the lag or pixel offset between the original and the desired scenes, filter length, the number of lines in the filter, and the weight applied to the empirical correlation functions. The effect of each variable on the image quality was assessed by visually comparing the results. It was found that the application of multichannel Wiener theory to passive microwave images of first-year sea ice resulted in visually sharper images with enhanced textural features and less high-frequency noise. However, Wiener filters induced a slight blocky grain to the image and could produce a type of ringing along scan lines traversing sharp intensity contrasts.

AMSR-E/Aqua Monthly Global Microwave Land Surface Emissivity, Version 1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This data set is a global land emissivity product using passive microwave observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System...

NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of Passive Microwave Sea Ice Concentration, Version 2

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Passive Microwave Sea Ice Concentration Climate Data Record (CDR) dataset is generated using daily gridded brightness temperatures from the Defense...

A data-driven and physics-based single-pass retrieval of active-passive microwave covariation and vegetation parameters for the SMAP mission

Science.gov (United States)

Entekhabi, D.; Jagdhuber, T.; Das, N. N.; Baur, M.; Link, M.; Piles, M.; Akbar, R.; Konings, A. G.; Mccoll, K. A.; Alemohammad, S. H.; Montzka, C.; Kunstmann, H.

2016-12-01

The active-passive soil moisture retrieval algorithm of NASA's SMAP mission depends on robust statistical estimation of active-passive covariation (β) and vegetation structure (Γ) parameters in order to provide reliable global measurements of soil moisture on an intermediate level (9km) compared to the native resolution of the radiometer (36km) and radar (3km) instruments. These parameters apply to the SMAP radiometer-radar combination over the period of record that was cut short with the end of the SMAP radar transmission. They also apply to the current SMAP radiometer and Sentinel 1A/B radar combination for high-resolution surface soil moisture mapping. However, the performance of the statistically-based approach is directly dependent on the selection of a representative time frame in which these parameters can be estimated assuming dynamic soil moisture and stationary soil roughness and vegetation cover. Here, we propose a novel, data-driven and physics-based single-pass retrieval of active-passive microwave covariation and vegetation parameters for the SMAP mission. The algorithm does not depend on time series analyses and can be applied using minimum one pair of an active-passive acquisition. The algorithm stems from the physical link between microwave emission and scattering via conservation of energy. The formulation of the emission radiative transfer is combined with the Distorted Born Approximation of radar scattering for vegetated land surfaces. The two formulations are simultaneously solved for the covariation and vegetation structure parameters. Preliminary results from SMAP active-passive observations (April 13th to July 7th 2015) compare well with the time-series statistical approach and confirms the capability of this method to estimate these parameters. Moreover, the method is not restricted to a given frequency (applies to both L-band and C-band combinations for the radar) or incidence angle (all angles and not just the fixed 40° incidence

Microwave Photonic Imaging Radiometer, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Passive Microwave Remote Sensing is currently utilized by NASA, NOAA, and USGIS to conduct Earth Science missions, including weather forecasting, early warning...

Cosmic microwave background, where next?

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2009-01-01

Ground-based, balloon-borne and space-based experiments will observe the Cosmic Microwave Background in greater details to address open questions about the origin and the evolution of the Universe. In particular, detailed observations the polarization pattern of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation have the potential to directly probe physics at the GUT scale and illuminate aspects of the physics of the very early Universe.

Synergistic use of active and passive microwave in soil moisture estimation

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neill, P.; Chauhan, N.; Jackson, T.; Saatchi, S.

1992-01-01

Data gathered during the MACHYDRO experiment in central Pennsylvania in July 1990 have been utilized to study the synergistic use of active and passive microwave systems for estimating soil moisture. These data sets were obtained during an eleven-day period with NASA's Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) and Push-Broom Microwave Radiometer (PBMR) over an instrumented watershed which included agricultural fields with a number of different crop covers. Simultaneous ground truth measurements were also made in order to characterize the state of vegetation and soil moisture under a variety of meteorological conditions. A combination algorithm is presented as applied to a representative corn field in the MACHYDRO watershed.

Hybrid Active-Passive Microwave Photonic Filter with High Quality Factor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

En-Ming, Xu; Xin-Liang, Zhang; Li-Na, Zhou; Yu, Zhang; De-Xiu, Huang

2009-01-01

A hybrid high quality factor (Q-factor) microwave photonic filter with a cascaded active filter and a passive filter is presented and experimentally demonstrated. The active infinite impulse response filter is realized by a recirculating delay line loop with a semiconductor optical amplifier, and a much narrower 3 dB bandwidth of response peaks can be achieved. A passive finite impulse response filter is realized by an unbalance Mach–Zehnder interferometer, and it is cascaded to select the desired filter frequencies and to suppress the intermediate peaks. Compared with the purely active filter scheme, the free spectrum range and the Q-factor of the hybrid structure can be doubled. Stable operation and a high Q-factor of 362 are experimentally demonstrated

NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of Passive Microwave Sea Ice Concentration, Version 1.0

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset version has been superseded by version 2. This data set provides a Climate Data Record (CDR) of passive microwave sea ice concentration based on the...

Calibration of passive remote observing optical and microwave instrumentation; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 3-5, 1991

Science.gov (United States)

Guenther, Bruce W.

Various papers on the calibration of passive remote observing optical and microwave instrumentation are presented. Individual topics addressed include: on-board calibration device for a wide field-of-view instrument, calibration for the medium-resolution imaging spectrometer, cryogenic radiometers and intensity-stabilized lasers for EOS radiometric calibrations, radiometric stability of the Shuttle-borne solar backscatter ultraviolet spectrometer, ratioing radiometer for use with a solar diffuser, requirements of a solar diffuser and measurements of some candidate materials, reflectance stability analysis of Spectralon diffuse calibration panels, stray light effects on calibrations using a solar diffuser, radiometric calibration of SPOT 23 HRVs, surface and aerosol models for use in radiative transfer codes. Also addressed are: calibrated intercepts for solar radiometers used in remote sensor calibration, radiometric calibration of an airborne multispectral scanner, in-flight calibration of a helicopter-mounted Daedalus multispectral scanner, technique for improving the calibration of large-area sphere sources, remote colorimetry and its applications, spatial sampling errors for a satellite-borne scanning radiometer, calibration of EOS multispectral imaging sensors and solar irradiance variability. (For individual items see A93-23576 to A93-23603)

MAPSM: A Spatio-Temporal Algorithm for Merging Soil Moisture from Active and Passive Microwave Remote Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sat Kumar Tomer

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Availability of soil moisture observations at a high spatial and temporal resolution is a prerequisite for various hydrological, agricultural and meteorological applications. In the current study, a novel algorithm for merging soil moisture from active microwave (SAR and passive microwave is presented. The MAPSM algorithm—Merge Active and Passive microwave Soil Moisture—uses a spatio-temporal approach based on the concept of the Water Change Capacity (WCC which represents the amplitude and direction of change in the soil moisture at the fine spatial resolution. The algorithm is applied and validated during a period of 3 years spanning from 2010 to 2013 over the Berambadi watershed which is located in a semi-arid tropical region in the Karnataka state of south India. Passive microwave products are provided from ESA Level 2 soil moisture products derived from Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS satellite (3 days temporal resolution and 40 km nominal spatial resolution. Active microwave are based on soil moisture retrievals from 30 images of RADARSAT-2 data (24 days temporal resolution and 20 m spatial resolution. The results show that MAPSM is able to provide a good estimate of soil moisture at a spatial resolution of 500 m with an RMSE of 0.025 m3/m3 and 0.069 m3/m3 when comparing it to soil moisture from RADARSAT-2 and in-situ measurements, respectively. The use of Sentinel-1 and RISAT products in MAPSM algorithm is envisioned over other areas where high number of revisits is available. This will need an update of the algorithm to take into account the angle sampling and resolution of Sentinel-1 and RISAT data.

Calibrated, Enhanced-Resolution Brightness Temperature Earth System Data Record: A New Era for Gridded Passive Microwave Data

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman, M.; Brodzik, M. J.; Long, D. G.

2017-12-01

Since 1978, the satellite passive microwave data record has been a mainstay of remote sensing of the cryosphere, providing twice-daily, near-global spatial coverage for monitoring changes in hydrologic and cryospheric parameters that include precipitation, soil moisture, surface water, vegetation, snow water equivalent, sea ice concentration and sea ice motion. Up until recently, the available global gridded passive microwave data sets have not been produced consistently. Various projections (equal-area, polar stereographic), a number of different gridding techniques were used, along with various temporal sampling as well as a mix of Level 2 source data versions. In addition, not all data from all sensors have been processed completely and they have not been processed in any one consistent way. Furthermore, the original gridding techniques were relatively primitive and were produced on 25 km grids using the original EASE-Grid definition that is not easily accommodated in modern software packages. As part of NASA MEaSUREs, we have re-processed all data from SMMR, all SSM/I-SSMIS and AMSR-E instruments, using the most mature Level 2 data. The Calibrated, Enhanced-Resolution Brightness Temperature (CETB) Earth System Data Record (ESDR) gridded data are now available from the NSIDC DAAC. The data are distributed as netCDF files that comply with CF-1.6 and ACDD-1.3 conventions. The data have been produced on EASE 2.0 projections at smoothed, 25 kilometer resolution and spatially-enhanced resolutions, up to 3.125 km depending on channel frequency, using the radiometer version of the Scatterometer Image Reconstruction (rSIR) method. We expect this newly produced data set to enable scientists to better analyze trends in coastal regions, marginal ice zones and in mountainous terrain that were not possible with the previous gridded passive microwave data. The use of the EASE-Grid 2.0 definition and netCDF-CF formatting allows users to extract compliant geotiff images and

Convective climatology over the southwest U.S. and Mexico from passive microwave and infrared data

Science.gov (United States)

Negri, Andrew J.; Howard, Kenneth W.; Keehn, Peter R.; Maddox, Robert A.; Adler, Robert F.

1992-01-01

Passive microwave data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) were used to estimate the amount of rainfall in the June-August season for the regions of the southwest U.S. and Mexico, and the results are compared to rain-gauge observations and to IR climatologies of Maddox et al. (1992), using both the hourly IR data and IR data sampled at the time of the overpass of the SSM/I. A comparison of the microwave climatology with monthly rainfall measured by the climatological gage network over several states of western Mexico resulted in a 0.63 correlation and a large (482 mm) bias, due to sampling and the incongruity of rain gages and satellite estimates. A comparison between the IR and microwave data showed that the IR tended toward higher percentages along the coast compared to the microwave.

Error Characterisation and Merging of Active and Passive Microwave Soil Moisture Data Sets

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Wolfgang; Gruber, Alexander; de Jeu, Richard; Parinussa, Robert; Chung, Daniel; Dorigo, Wouter; Reimer, Christoph; Kidd, Richard

2015-04-01

As part of the Climate Change Initiative (CCI) programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) a data fusion system has been developed which is capable of ingesting surface soil moisture data derived from active and passive microwave sensors (ASCAT, AMSR-E, etc.) flown on different satellite platforms and merging them to create long and consistent time series of soil moisture suitable for use in climate change studies. The so-created soil moisture data records (latest version: ESA CCI SM v02.1 released on 5/12/2014) are freely available and can be obtained from http://www.esa-soilmoisture-cci.org/. As described by Wagner et al. (2012) the principle steps of the data fusion process are: 1) error characterisation, 2) matching to account for data set specific biases, and 3) merging. In this presentation we present the current data fusion process and discuss how new error characterisation methods, such as the increasingly popular triple collocation method as discussed for example by Zwieback et al. (2012) may be used to improve it. The main benefit of an improved error characterisation would be a more reliable identification of the best performing microwave soil moisture retrieval(s) for each grid point and each point in time. In case that two or more satellite data sets provides useful information, the estimated errors can be used to define the weights with which each satellite data set are merged, i.e. the lower its error the higher its weight. This is expected to bring a significant improvement over the current data fusion scheme which is not yet based on quantitative estimates of the retrieval errors but on a proxy measure, namely the vegetation optical depth (Dorigo et al., 2015): over areas with low vegetation passive soil moisture retrievals are used, while over areas with moderate vegetation density active retrievals are used. In transition areas, where both products correlate well, both products are being used in a synergistic way: on time steps where only one of

Combining Passive Microwave Sounders with CYGNSS information for improved retrievals: Observations during Hurricane Harvey

Science.gov (United States)

Schreier, M. M.

2017-12-01

The launch of CYGNSS (Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System) has added an interesting component to satellite observations: it can provide wind speeds in the tropical area with a high repetition rate. Passive microwave sounders that are overpassing the same region can benefit from this information, when it comes to the retrieval of temperature or water profiles: the uncertainty about wind speeds has a strong impact on emissivity and reflectivity calculations with respect to surface temperature. This has strong influences on the uncertainty of retrieval of temperature and water content, especially under extreme weather conditions. Adding CYGNSS information to the retrieval can help to reduce errors and provide a significantly better sounder retrieval. Based on observations during Hurricane Harvey, we want to show the impact of CYGNSS data on the retrieval of passive microwave sensors. We will show examples on the impact on the retrieval from polar orbiting instruments, like the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) and AMSU-A/B on NOAA-18 and 19. In addition we will also show the impact on retrievals from HAMSR (High Altitude MMIC Sounding Radiometer), which was flying on the Global Hawk during the EPOCH campaign. We will compare the results with other observations and estimate the impact of additional CYGNSS information on the microwave retrieval, especially on the impact in error and uncertainty reduction. We think, that a synergetic use of these different data sources could significantly help to produce better assimilation products for forecast assimilation.

High-temperature superconducting passive microwave devices, filters and antennas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohshima, S.

2000-01-01

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) passive microwave devices, such as filters and antennas, are promising devices. In particular, HTS filters may be successfully marketed in the near future. Cross-coupled filters, ring filters, and coplanar waveguide filters are good options to reduce filter size. On the other hand, HTS patch antennas which can be cooled by a cryo-cooler are also promising devices as well, since they show higher efficiency than normal antennas. This paper examines the design process and filter properties of HTS filters as well as the gains, directivity, and cooling system of HTS patch antennas. (author)

Microwave integrated circuits for space applications

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard, Regis F.; Romanofsky, Robert R.

1991-01-01

Monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC), which incorporate all the elements of a microwave circuit on a single semiconductor substrate, offer the potential for drastic reductions in circuit weight and volume and increased reliability, all of which make many new concepts in electronic circuitry for space applications feasible, including phased array antennas. NASA has undertaken an extensive program aimed at development of MMICs for space applications. The first such circuits targeted for development were an extension of work in hybrid (discrete component) technology in support of the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS). It focused on power amplifiers, receivers, and switches at ACTS frequencies. More recent work, however, focused on frequencies appropriate for other NASA programs and emphasizes advanced materials in an effort to enhance efficiency, power handling capability, and frequency of operation or noise figure to meet the requirements of space systems.

Measuring the global distribution of intense convection over land with passive microwave radiometry

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, R. W.; Santek, D. A.

1985-01-01

The global distribution of intense convective activity over land is shown to be measurable with satellite passive-microwave methods through a comparison of an empirical rain rate algorithm with a climatology of thunderstorm days for the months of June-August. With the 18 and 37 GHz channels of the Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR), the strong volume scattering effects of precipitation can be measured. Even though a single frequency (37 GHz) is responsive to the scattering signature, two frequencies are needed to remove most of the effect that variations in thermometric temperatures and soil moisture have on the brightness temperatures. Because snow cover is also a volume scatterer of microwave energy at these microwavelengths, a discrimination procedure involving four of the SMMR channels is employed to separate the rain and snow classes, based upon their differences in average thermometric temperature.

A method for combining passive microwave and infrared rainfall observations

Science.gov (United States)

Kummerow, Christian; Giglio, Louis

1995-01-01

Because passive microwave instruments are confined to polar-orbiting satellites, rainfall estimates must interpolate across long time periods, during which no measurements are available. In this paper the authors discuss a technique that allows one to partially overcome the sampling limitations by using frequent infrared observations from geosynchronous platforms. To accomplish this, the technique compares all coincident microwave and infrared observations. From each coincident pair, the infrared temperature threshold is selected that corresponds to an area equal to the raining area observed in the microwave image. The mean conditional rainfall rate as determined from the microwave image is then assigned to pixels in the infrared image that are colder than the selected threshold. The calibration is also applied to a fixed threshold of 235 K for comparison with established infrared techniques. Once a calibration is determined, it is applied to all infrared images. Monthly accumulations for both methods are then obtained by summing rainfall from all available infrared images. Two examples are used to evaluate the performance of the technique. The first consists of a one-month period (February 1988) over Darwin, Australia, where good validation data are available from radar and rain gauges. For this case it was found that the technique approximately doubled the rain inferred by the microwave method alone and produced exceptional agreement with the validation data. The second example involved comparisons with atoll rain gauges in the western Pacific for June 1989. Results here are overshadowed by the fact that the hourly infrared estimates from established techniques, by themselves, produced very good correlations with the rain gauges. The calibration technique was not able to improve upon these results.

Microwave Power Beaming Infrastructure for Manned Lightcraft Operations: Part 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myrabo, Leik N.

2008-01-01

In the past ∼7 years, microwave gyrotron technology has rapidly evolved to a critical threshold wherein ultra-energetic space launch missions based on beamed energy propulsion (BEP) now appear eminently feasible. Over the next 20 years, hundred megawatt-class microwave power-beaming stations could be prototyped on high deserts and 3- to 4 km mountain peaks before migrating into low Earth orbit, along with their passive microwave relay satellites. Described herein is a 20 GW rechargeable nuclear power satellite and microwave power-beaming infrastructure designed for manned space launch operations in the year 2025. The technological readiness of 2500 GJ superconducting magnetic energy storage 'batteries', 433-m ultralight space structures, 100 MW liquid droplet radiators, 1-6+ MW gyrotron sources, and mega-scale arrays (e.g., 3000 phase-locked units) is addressed. Microwave BEP is 'breakthrough' technology with the very real potential to radically reduce space access costs by factors of 100 to 1000 in the forseeable future

Passive Microwave Components and Antennas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

State-of-the-art microwave systems always require higher performance and lower cost microwave components. Constantly growing demands and performance requirements of industrial and scientific applications often make employing traditionally designed components impractical. For that reason, the design...... and development process remains a great challenge today. This problem motivated intensive research efforts in microwave design and technology, which is responsible for a great number of recently appeared alternative approaches to analysis and design of microwave components and antennas. This book highlights...... techniques. Modelling and computations in electromagnetics is a quite fast-growing research area. The recent interest in this field is caused by the increased demand for designing complex microwave components, modeling electromagnetic materials, and rapid increase in computational power for calculation...

Effect of Passivation on Microwave Power Performances of AlGaN/GaN/Si HEMTs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. MOSBAHI

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on the use of plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs grown on silicon substrate. Surface passivation effects on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs were studied using SiO2/SiN dielectric layers grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The direct current measurement, pulsed characteristics and microwave small-signal characteristics were studied before and after passivation. An improvement of drain-source current density and the extrinsic transconductance was observed on the passivated HEMTs when compared with the unpassivated HEMTs. An enhancement of cut-off frequency (ft and maximum power gain (fmax was also observed for the devices with full SiO2/SiN passivation. A good correlation is found between pulsed and power measurements.

Combining Passive Microwave Rain Rate Retrieval with Visible and Infrared Cloud Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Shawn William

The relation between cloud type and rain rate has been investigated here from different approaches. Previous studies and intercomparisons have indicated that no single passive microwave rain rate algorithm is an optimal choice for all types of precipitating systems. Motivated by the upcoming Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), an algorithm which combines visible and infrared cloud classification with passive microwave rain rate estimation was developed and analyzed in a preliminary manner using data from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere-Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA-COARE). Overall correlation with radar rain rate measurements across five case studies showed substantial improvement in the combined algorithm approach when compared to the use of any single microwave algorithm. An automated neural network cloud classifier for use over both land and ocean was independently developed and tested on Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. The global classifier achieved strict accuracy for 82% of the test samples, while a more localized version achieved strict accuracy for 89% of its own test set. These numbers provide hope for the eventual development of a global automated cloud classifier for use throughout the tropics and the temperate zones. The localized classifier was used in conjunction with gridded 15-minute averaged radar rain rates at 8km resolution produced from the current operational network of National Weather Service (NWS) radars, to investigate the relation between cloud type and rain rate over three regions of the continental United States and adjacent waters. The results indicate a substantially lower amount of available moisture in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains than in the Midwest or in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Multifrequency passive microwave observations of soil moisture in an arid rangeland environment

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, T. J.; Schmugge, T. J.; Parry, R.; Kustas, W. P.; Ritchie, J. C.; Shutko, A. M.; Khaldin, A.; Reutov, E.; Novichikhin, E.; Liberman, B.

1992-01-01

A cooperative experiment was conducted by teams from the U.S. and U.S.S.R. to evaluate passive microwave instruments and algorithms used to estimate surface soil moisture. Experiments were conducted as part of an interdisciplinary experiment in an arid rangeland watershed located in the southwest United States. Soviet microwave radiometers operating at wavelengths of 2.25, 21 and 27 cm were flown on a U.S. aircraft. Radio frequency interference limited usable data to the 2.25 and 21 cm systems. Data have been calibrated and compared to ground observations of soil moisture. These analyses showed that the 21 cm system could produce reliable and useful soil moisture information and that the 2.25 cm system was of no value for soil moisture estimation in this experiment.

Temporal observations of surface soil moisture using a passive microwave sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, T.J.; O'Neill, P.

1987-01-01

A series of 10 aircraft flights was conducted over agricultural fields to evaluate relationships between observed surface soil moisture and soil moisture predicted using passive microwave sensor observations. An a priori approach was used to predict values of surface soil moisture for three types of fields: tilled corn, no-till corn with soybean stubble, and idle fields with corn stubble. Acceptable predictions were obtained for the tilled corn fields, while poor results were obtained for the others. The source of error is suspected to be the density and orientation of the surface stubble layer; however, further research is needed to verify this explanation. Temporal comparisons between observed, microwave predicted, and soil water-simulated moisture values showed similar patterns for tilled well-drained fields. Divergences between the observed and simulated measurements were apparent on poorly drained fields. This result may be of value in locating and mapping hydrologic contributing areas

Ramifications of a potential gap in passive microwave data for the long-term sea ice climate record

Science.gov (United States)

Meier, W.; Stewart, J. S.

2017-12-01

The time series of sea ice concentration and extent from passive microwave sensors is one of the longest satellite-derived climate records and the significant decline in Arctic sea ice extent is one of the most iconic indicators of climate change. However, this continuous and consistent record is under threat due to the looming gap in passive microwave sensor coverage. The record started in late 1978 with the launch of the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) and has continued with a series of Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager and Sounder (SSMIS) instruments on U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites. The data from the different sensors are intercalibrated at the algorithm level by adjusting algorithm coefficients so that the output sea ice data is as consistent as possible between the older and the newer sensor. A key aspect in constructing the time series is to have at least two sensors operating simultaneously so that data from the older and newer sensor can be obtained from the same locations. However, with recent losses of the DMSP F19 and F20, the remaining SSMIS sensors are all well beyond their planned mission lifetime. This means that risk of failure is not small and is increasing with each day of operation. The newest passive microwave sensor, the JAXA Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 (AMSR2), is a potential contributor to the time series (though it too is now beyond it's planned 5-year mission lifetime). However, AMSR2's larger antenna and higher spatial resolution presents a challenge in integrating its data with the rest of the sea ice record because the ice edge is quite sensitive to the sensor resolution, which substantially affects the total sea ice extent and area estimates. This will need to be adjusted for if AMSR2 is used to continue the time series. Here we will discuss efforts at NSIDC to integrate AMSR2 estimates into the sea ice climate record if needed. We

Forward modeling of space-borne gravitational wave detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubbo, Louis J.; Cornish, Neil J.; Poujade, Olivier

2004-01-01

Planning is underway for several space-borne gravitational wave observatories to be built in the next 10 to 20 years. Realistic and efficient forward modeling will play a key role in the design and operation of these observatories. Space-borne interferometric gravitational wave detectors operate very differently from their ground-based counterparts. Complex orbital motion, virtual interferometry, and finite size effects complicate the description of space-based systems, while nonlinear control systems complicate the description of ground-based systems. Here we explore the forward modeling of space-based gravitational wave detectors and introduce an adiabatic approximation to the detector response that significantly extends the range of the standard low frequency approximation. The adiabatic approximation will aid in the development of data analysis techniques, and improve the modeling of astrophysical parameter extraction

Snow Cover Mapping at the Continental to Global Scale Using Combined Visible and Passive Microwave Satellite Data

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, R. L.; Brodzik, M.; Savoie, M. H.

2007-12-01

Over the past several decades both visible and passive microwave satellite data have been utilized for snow mapping at the continental to global scale. Snow mapping using visible data has been based primarily on the magnitude of the surface reflectance, and in more recent cases on specific spectral signatures, while microwave data can be used to identify snow cover because the microwave energy emitted by the underlying soil is scattered by the snow grains resulting in a sharp decrease in brightness temperature and a characteristic negative spectral gradient. Both passive microwave and visible data sets indicate a similar pattern of inter-annual variability, although the maximum snow extents derived from the microwave data are consistently less than those provided by the visible satellite data and the visible data typically show higher monthly variability. We describe the respective problems as well as the advantages and disadvantages of these two types of satellite data for snow cover mapping and demonstrate how a multi-sensor approach is optimal. For the period 1978 to present we combine data from the NOAA weekly snow charts with snow cover derived from the SMMR and SSM/I brightness temperature data. For the period since 2002 we blend NASA EOS MODIS and AMSR-E data sets. Our current product incorporates MODIS data from the Climate Modelers Grid (CMG) at approximately 5 km (0.05 deg.) with microwave-derived snow water equivalent (SWE) at 25 km, resulting in a blended product that includes percent snow cover in the larger grid cell whenever the microwave SWE signal is absent. Validation of AMSR-E at the brightness temperature level is provided through the comparison with data from the well-calibrated heritage SSM/I sensor over large homogeneous snow-covered surfaces (e.g. Dome C region, Antarctica). We also describe how the application of the higher frequency microwave channels (85 and 89 GHz)enhances accurate mapping of shallow and intermittent snow cover.

SPACE-BORNE LASER ALTIMETER GEOLOCATION ERROR ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Wang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the development of space-borne laser altimetry technology over the past 40 years. Taking the ICESAT satellite as an example, a rigorous space-borne laser altimeter geolocation model is studied, and an error propagation equation is derived. The influence of the main error sources, such as the platform positioning error, attitude measurement error, pointing angle measurement error and range measurement error, on the geolocation accuracy of the laser spot are analysed by simulated experiments. The reasons for the different influences on geolocation accuracy in different directions are discussed, and to satisfy the accuracy of the laser control point, a design index for each error source is put forward.

RFI and Remote Sensing of the Earth from Space

Science.gov (United States)

Le Vine, D. M.; Johnson, J. T.; Piepmeier, J.

2016-01-01

Passive microwave remote sensing of the Earth from space provides information essential for understanding the Earth's environment and its evolution. Parameters such as soil moisture, sea surface temperature and salinity, and profiles of atmospheric temperature and humidity are measured at frequencies determined by the physics (e.g. sensitivity to changes in desired parameters) and by the availability of suitable spectrum free from interference. Interference from manmade sources (radio frequency interference) is an impediment that in many cases limits the potential for accurate measurements from space. A review is presented here of the frequencies employed in passive microwave remote sensing of the Earth from space and the associated experience with RFI.

Remote detection and ecological monitoring of the industrial and natural nuclei activity of radioactive elements based on passive microwave radiometry

Science.gov (United States)

Chistyakova, Liliya K.; Chistyakov, Vyacheslav Y.; Losev, Dmitry V.; Penin, Sergei T.; Tarabrin, Yurij K.; Yakubov, Vladimir P.; Yurjev, Igor A.

1998-12-01

The passive remote method of microwave radiometry and its instrumental realization for express diagnostics of radioactive elements in the atmosphere have been discussed. Analysis of the microwave radiation due to ionization and dissociation of atmospheric components interacting with radioactive elements is carried out. The photochemical processes resulting in background microwave radiation power have been discussed. As an example, the results of natural experiment of detecting the atomic hydrogen radiation in the plume of emissions of nuclear cycle processing plants have been presented.

Pushbroom microwave radiometer results from HAPEX-MOBILHY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nichols, W.E.; Cuenca, R.H.; Schmugge, T.J.; Wang, J.R.

1993-01-01

The NASA C-130 remote sensing aircraft was in Toulouse, France from 25 May through 4 July 1986, for participation in the HAPEX-MOBILHY program. Spectral and radiometric data were collected by C-130 borne sensors in the visible, infrared, and microwave wavelengths. These data provided information on the spatial and temporal variations of surface parameters such as vegetation indices, surface temperature, and surface soil moisture. The Pushbroom Microwave Radiometer (PBMR) was used to collect passive microwave brightness temperature data. This four-beam sensor operates at the 21-cm wavelength, providing cross-track coverage approximately 1.2 times the aircraft altitude. Observed brightness temperatures for the period were high, ranging from above 240 K about 290 K. Brightness temperature images appeared to correspond well to spatial and temporal soil moisture variation. Previous research has demonstrated that an approximately linear relationship exists between the surface emissivity and surface soil moisture. For these data, however, regression analysis did not indicate a strong linear relationship (r 2 = 0.32 and r 2 = 0.42 respectively) because of the limited range of soil moisture conditions encountered and the small number of ground measurements. When results from wetter soil conditions encountered in another experiment were included, the regression improved dramatically. Based on similar research with the PBMR and an understanding of the ground data collection program, this result was examined to produce recommendations for improvements to future passive microwave research and data collection programs. Examples of surface soil moisture maps generated with PBMR data are presented which appear to be representative of the actual soil moisture conditions

Cosmic microwave background anisotropies in multiconnected flat spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riazuelo, Alain; Weeks, Jeffrey; Uzan, Jean-Philippe; Lehoucq, Roland; Luminet, Jean-Pierre

2004-01-01

This article investigates the signature of the seventeen multiconnected flat spaces in cosmic microwave background (CMB) maps. For each such space it recalls a fundamental domain and a set of generating matrices, and then goes on to find an orthonormal basis for the set of eigenmodes of the Laplace operator on that space. The basis eigenmodes are expressed as linear combinations of eigenmodes of the simply connected Euclidean space. A preceding work, which provides a general method for implementing multiconnected topologies in standard CMB codes, is then applied to simulate CMB maps and angular power spectra for each space. Unlike in the 3-torus, the results in most multiconnected flat spaces depend on the location of the observer. This effect is discussed in detail. In particular, it is shown that the correlated circles on a CMB map are generically not back to back, so that negative search of back-to-back circles in the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe data does not exclude a vast majority of flat or nearly flat topologies

CDRD and PNPR passive microwave precipitation retrieval algorithms: verification study over Africa and Southern Atlantic

Science.gov (United States)

Panegrossi, Giulia; Casella, Daniele; Cinzia Marra, Anna; Petracca, Marco; Sanò, Paolo; Dietrich, Stefano

2015-04-01

The ongoing NASA/JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM) requires the full exploitation of the complete constellation of passive microwave (PMW) radiometers orbiting around the globe for global precipitation monitoring. In this context the coherence of the estimates of precipitation using different passive microwave radiometers is a crucial need. We have developed two different passive microwave precipitation retrieval algorithms: one is the Cloud Dynamics Radiation Database algorithm (CDRD), a physically ¬based Bayesian algorithm for conically scanning radiometers (i.e., DMSP SSMIS); the other one is the Passive microwave Neural network Precipitation Retrieval (PNPR) algorithm for cross¬-track scanning radiometers (i.e., NOAA and MetOp¬A/B AMSU-¬A/MHS, and NPP Suomi ATMS). The algorithms, originally created for application over Europe and the Mediterranean basin, and used operationally within the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Support to Operational Hydrology and Water Management (H-SAF, http://hsaf.meteoam.it), have been recently modified and extended to Africa and Southern Atlantic for application to the MSG full disk area. The two algorithms are based on the same physical foundation, i.e., the same cloud-radiation model simulations as a priori information in the Bayesian solver and as training dataset in the neural network approach, and they also use similar procedures for identification of frozen background surface, detection of snowfall, and determination of a pixel based quality index of the surface precipitation retrievals. In addition, similar procedures for the screening of not ¬precipitating pixels are used. A novel algorithm for the detection of precipitation in tropical/sub-tropical areas has been developed. The precipitation detection algorithm shows a small rate of false alarms (also over arid/desert regions), a superior detection capability in comparison with other widely used screening algorithms, and it is applicable

Precipitation and Latent Heating Distributions from Satellite Passive Microwave Radiometry. Part 2; Evaluation of Estimates Using Independent Data

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Song; Olson, William S.; Wang, Jian-Jian; Bell, Thomas L.; Smith, Eric A.; Kummerow, Christian D.

2004-01-01

Rainfall rate estimates from space-borne k&ents are generally accepted as reliable by a majority of the atmospheric science commu&y. One-of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRh4M) facility rain rate algorithms is based upon passive microwave observations fiom the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). Part I of this study describes improvements in the TMI algorithm that are required to introduce cloud latent heating and drying as additional algorithm products. Here, estimates of surface rain rate, convective proportion, and latent heating are evaluated using independent ground-based estimates and satellite products. Instantaneous, OP5resolution estimates of surface rain rate over ocean fiom the improved TMI algorithm are well correlated with independent radar estimates (r approx. 0.88 over the Tropics), but bias reduction is the most significant improvement over forerunning algorithms. The bias reduction is attributed to the greater breadth of cloud-resolving model simulations that support the improved algorithm, and the more consistent and specific convective/stratiform rain separation method utilized. The bias of monthly, 2.5 deg. -resolution estimates is similarly reduced, with comparable correlations to radar estimates. Although the amount of independent latent heating data are limited, TMI estimated latent heating profiles compare favorably with instantaneous estimates based upon dual-Doppler radar observations, and time series of surface rain rate and heating profiles are generally consistent with those derived from rawinsonde analyses. Still, some biases in profile shape are evident, and these may be resolved with: (a) additional contextual information brought to the estimation problem, and/or; (b) physically-consistent and representative databases supporting the algorithm. A model of the random error in instantaneous, 0.5 deg-resolution rain rate estimates appears to be consistent with the levels of error determined from TMI comparisons to collocated radar

Arctic multiyear ice classification and summer ice cover using passive microwave satellite data

Science.gov (United States)

Comiso, J. C.

1990-08-01

The ability to classify and monitor Arctic multiyear sea ice cover using multispectral passive microwave data is studied. Sea ice concentration maps during several summer minima have been analyzed to obtain estimates of ice surviving the summer. The results are compared with multiyear ice concentrations derived from data the following winter, using an algorithm that assumes a certain emissivity for multiyear ice. The multiyear ice cover inferred from the winter data is approximately 25 to 40% less than the summer ice cover minimum, suggesting that even during winter when the emissivity of sea ice is most stable, passive microwave data may account for only a fraction of the total multiyear ice cover. The difference of about 2×106 km2 is considerably more than estimates of advection through Fram Strait during the intervening period. It appears that as in the Antarctic, some multiyear ice floes in the Arctic, especially those near the summer marginal ice zone, have first-year ice or intermediate signatures in the subsequent winter. A likely mechanism for this is the intrusion of seawater into the snow-ice interface, which often occurs near the marginal ice zone or in areas where snow load is heavy. Spatial variations in melt and melt ponding effects also contribute to the complexity of the microwave emissivity of multiyear ice. Hence the multiyear ice data should be studied in conjunction with the previous summer ice data to obtain a more complete characterization of the state of the Arctic ice cover. The total extent and actual areas of the summertime Arctic pack ice were estimated to be 8.4×106 km2 and 6.2×106 km2, respectively, and exhibit small interannual variability during the years 1979 through 1985, suggesting a relatively stable ice cover.

Microwave energy transmission test toward the SPS using the space station

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.; Miyatake, S.; Kimura, I.; Nagatomo, M.

1986-12-01

An outline of a project METT (Microwave Energy Transmission Test) using the Space Station is described. The objectives of the METT are to develop and test the technology of microwave energy transmission for the future Solar Power Satellite (SPS), and to estimate the environmental effects of the high power microwaves on the ionosphere and the atmosphere. Energy generated with solar cells is transmitted from a transmitting antenna on the bus platform near the Space Station to a rectenna on the sub-satellite or the ground station in order to test the total efficiency and the functions of the developed system of the energy transmission. Plasma similar to that in the D and E layers in the ionosphere is produced in a large balloon opened on the sub-satellite in order to investigate possible interactions between the SPS microwave and the ionospheric plasma and to determine the maximum power density of the microwave beam which passes through the ionosphere.

A 1DVAR-based snowfall rate retrieval algorithm for passive microwave radiometers

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Huan; Dong, Jun; Ferraro, Ralph; Yan, Banghua; Zhao, Limin; Kongoli, Cezar; Wang, Nai-Yu; Zavodsky, Bradley

2017-06-01

Snowfall rate retrieval from spaceborne passive microwave (PMW) radiometers has gained momentum in recent years. PMW can be so utilized because of its ability to sense in-cloud precipitation. A physically based, overland snowfall rate (SFR) algorithm has been developed using measurements from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A/Microwave Humidity Sounder sensor pair and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder. Currently, these instruments are aboard five polar-orbiting satellites, namely, NOAA-18, NOAA-19, Metop-A, Metop-B, and Suomi-NPP. The SFR algorithm relies on a separate snowfall detection algorithm that is composed of a satellite-based statistical model and a set of numerical weather prediction model-based filters. There are four components in the SFR algorithm itself: cloud properties retrieval, computation of ice particle terminal velocity, ice water content adjustment, and the determination of snowfall rate. The retrieval of cloud properties is the foundation of the algorithm and is accomplished using a one-dimensional variational (1DVAR) model. An existing model is adopted to derive ice particle terminal velocity. Since no measurement of cloud ice distribution is available when SFR is retrieved in near real time, such distribution is implicitly assumed by deriving an empirical function that adjusts retrieved SFR toward radar snowfall estimates. Finally, SFR is determined numerically from a complex integral. The algorithm has been validated against both radar and ground observations of snowfall events from the contiguous United States with satisfactory results. Currently, the SFR product is operationally generated at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and can be obtained from that organization.

Detection Thresholds of Falling Snow From Satellite-Borne Active and Passive Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Skofronick-Jackson, Gail M.; Johnson, Benjamin T.; Munchak, S. Joseph

2013-01-01

There is an increased interest in detecting and estimating the amount of falling snow reaching the Earths surface in order to fully capture the global atmospheric water cycle. An initial step toward global spaceborne falling snow algorithms for current and future missions includes determining the thresholds of detection for various active and passive sensor channel configurations and falling snow events over land surfaces and lakes. In this paper, cloud resolving model simulations of lake effect and synoptic snow events were used to determine the minimum amount of snow (threshold) that could be detected by the following instruments: the W-band radar of CloudSat, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR)Ku- and Ka-bands, and the GPM Microwave Imager. Eleven different nonspherical snowflake shapes were used in the analysis. Notable results include the following: 1) The W-band radar has detection thresholds more than an order of magnitude lower than the future GPM radars; 2) the cloud structure macrophysics influences the thresholds of detection for passive channels (e.g., snow events with larger ice water paths and thicker clouds are easier to detect); 3) the snowflake microphysics (mainly shape and density)plays a large role in the detection threshold for active and passive instruments; 4) with reasonable assumptions, the passive 166-GHz channel has detection threshold values comparable to those of the GPM DPR Ku- and Ka-band radars with approximately 0.05 g *m(exp -3) detected at the surface, or an approximately 0.5-1.0-mm * h(exp -1) melted snow rate. This paper provides information on the light snowfall events missed by the sensors and not captured in global estimates.

IRIS - A concept for microwave sensing of soil moisture and ocean salinity

Science.gov (United States)

Moghaddam, M.; Njoku, E.

1997-01-01

A concept is described for passive microwave sensing of soil moisture and ocean salinity from space. The Inflatable Radiometric Imaging System (IRIS) makes use of a large-diameter, offset-fed, parabolic-torus antenna with multiple feeds, in a conical pushbroom configuration.

Born's reciprocity principle in stochastic phase space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prugovecki, E.

1981-01-01

It is shown that the application of Born's reciprocity principle to relativistic quantum mechanics in stochastic phase space (by the requirement that the proper wave functions of extended particles satisfy the Born-Lande as well as the Klein-Gordon equation) leads to the unique determination of these functions for any given value of their rms radius. The resulting particle propagators display not only Lorentz but also reciprocal invariance. This feature remains true even in the case of mass-zero particles, such as photons, when their localization is achieved by means of extended test particles whose proper wave functions obey the reciprocity principle. (author)

Classification of Active Microwave and Passive Optical Data Based on Bayesian Theory and Mrf

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, F.; Li, H. T.; Han, Y. S.; Gu, H. Y.

2012-08-01

A classifier based on Bayesian theory and Markov random field (MRF) is presented to classify the active microwave and passive optical remote sensing data, which have demonstrated their respective advantages in inversion of surface soil moisture content. In the method, the VV, VH polarization of ASAR and all the 7 TM bands are taken as the input of the classifier to get the class labels of each pixel of the images. And the model is validated for the necessities of integration of TM and ASAR, it shows that, the total precision of classification in this paper is 89.4%. Comparing with the classification with single TM, the accuracy increase 11.5%, illustrating that synthesis of active and passive optical remote sensing data is efficient and potential in classification.

CLASSIFICATION OF ACTIVE MICROWAVE AND PASSIVE OPTICAL DATA BASED ON BAYESIAN THEORY AND MRF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Yu

2012-08-01

Full Text Available A classifier based on Bayesian theory and Markov random field (MRF is presented to classify the active microwave and passive optical remote sensing data, which have demonstrated their respective advantages in inversion of surface soil moisture content. In the method, the VV, VH polarization of ASAR and all the 7 TM bands are taken as the input of the classifier to get the class labels of each pixel of the images. And the model is validated for the necessities of integration of TM and ASAR, it shows that, the total precision of classification in this paper is 89.4%. Comparing with the classification with single TM, the accuracy increase 11.5%, illustrating that synthesis of active and passive optical remote sensing data is efficient and potential in classification.

Leveraging GeoTIFF Compatibility for Visualizing a New EASE-Grid 2.0 Global Satellite Passive Microwave Climate Record

Science.gov (United States)

Paget, A. C.; Brodzik, M. J.; Long, D. G.; Hardman, M.

2016-02-01

The historical record of satellite-derived passive microwave brightness temperatures comprises data from multiple imaging radiometers (SMMR, SSM/I-SSMIS, AMSR-E), spanning nearly 40 years of Earth observations from 1978 to the present. Passive microwave data are used to monitor time series of many climatological variables, including ocean wind speeds, cloud liquid water and sea ice concentrations and ice velocity. Gridded versions of passive microwave data have been produced using various map projections (polar stereographic, Lambert azimuthal equal-area, cylindrical equal-area, quarter-degree Platte-Carree) and data formats (flat binary, HDF). However, none of the currently available versions can be rendered in the common visualization standard, geoTIFF, without requiring cartographic reprojection. Furthermore, the reprojection details are complicated and often require expert knowledge of obscure software package options. We are producing a consistently calibrated, completely reprocessed data set of this valuable multi-sensor satellite record, using EASE-Grid 2.0, an improved equal-area projection definition that will require no reprojection for translation into geoTIFF. Our approach has been twofold: 1) define the projection ellipsoid to match the reference datum of the satellite data, and 2) include required file-level metadata for standard projection software to correctly render the data in the geoTIFF standard. The Calibrated, Enhanced Resolution Brightness Temperature (CETB) Earth System Data Record (ESDR), leverages image reconstruction techniques to enhance gridded spatial resolution to 3 km and uses newly available intersensor calibrations to improve the quality of derived geophysical products. We expect that our attention to easy geoTIFF compatibility will foster higher-quality analysis with the CETB product by enabling easy and correct intercomparison with other gridded and in situ data.

Sea Surface Salinity and Wind Retrieval Algorithm Using Combined Passive-Active L-Band Microwave Data

Science.gov (United States)

Yueh, Simon H.; Chaubell, Mario J.

2011-01-01

Aquarius is a combined passive/active L-band microwave instrument developed to map the salinity field at the surface of the ocean from space. The data will support studies of the coupling between ocean circulation, the global water cycle, and climate. The primary science objective of this mission is to monitor the seasonal and interannual variation of the large scale features of the surface salinity field in the open ocean with a spatial resolution of 150 kilometers and a retrieval accuracy of 0.2 practical salinity units globally on a monthly basis. The measurement principle is based on the response of the L-band (1.413 gigahertz) sea surface brightness temperatures (T (sub B)) to sea surface salinity. To achieve the required 0.2 practical salinity units accuracy, the impact of sea surface roughness (e.g. wind-generated ripples and waves) along with several factors on the observed brightness temperature has to be corrected to better than a few tenths of a degree Kelvin. To the end, Aquarius includes a scatterometer to help correct for this surface roughness effect.

Soil moisture inversion from aircraft passive microwave observations during SMEX04 using a single-frequency algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, J Y; Li, Z; Chen, Q; Bi, H Y

2014-01-01

Soil moisture plays a key role in global water cycles. In the study, soil moisture retrievals from airborne microwave radiometer observations using a single-frequency algorithm were presented. The algorithm is based on a simplified radiative transfer (tau-omega) model and the influence of both the roughness and vegetation is combined into a single parameter in the algorithm. The microwave polarization difference index (MPDI) is used to eliminate the effects of temperature. Then soil moisture is obtained through a nonlinear iterative procedure by making the absolute value of the differences between the simulated and observed MPDI minimum. The algorithm was validated with aircraft passive microwave data from the Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR) at the Arizona during the Soil Moisture Experiment 2004 (SMEX04). The results show that the soil moisture retrieved by the algorithm is in good agreement with ground measurements with a small bias and an overall accuracy of 0.037m 3 m −3

An Uncertainty Data Set for Passive Microwave Satellite Observations of Warm Cloud Liquid Water Path

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwald, Thomas J.; Bennartz, Ralf; Lebsock, Matthew; Teixeira, João.

2018-04-01

The first extended comprehensive data set of the retrieval uncertainties in passive microwave observations of cloud liquid water path (CLWP) for warm oceanic clouds has been created for practical use in climate applications. Four major sources of systematic errors were considered over the 9-year record of the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E): clear-sky bias, cloud-rain partition (CRP) bias, cloud-fraction-dependent bias, and cloud temperature bias. Errors were estimated using a unique merged AMSR-E/Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Level 2 data set as well as observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization and the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar. To quantify the CRP bias more accurately, a new parameterization was developed to improve the inference of CLWP in warm rain. The cloud-fraction-dependent bias was found to be a combination of the CRP bias, an in-cloud bias, and an adjacent precipitation bias. Globally, the mean net bias was 0.012 kg/m2, dominated by the CRP and in-cloud biases, but with considerable regional and seasonal variation. Good qualitative agreement between a bias-corrected AMSR-E CLWP climatology and ship observations in the Northeast Pacific suggests that the bias estimates are reasonable. However, a possible underestimation of the net bias in certain conditions may be due in part to the crude method used in classifying precipitation, underscoring the need for an independent method of detecting rain in warm clouds. This study demonstrates the importance of combining visible-infrared imager data and passive microwave CLWP observations for estimating uncertainties and improving the accuracy of these observations.

Glacial Boundary Features Delineated Using Enhanced-resolution Passive-microwave Data to Determine Melt Season Variation of the Vatnajokull Ice Cap, Iceland

Science.gov (United States)

Marzillier, D. M.; Ramage, J. M.

2017-12-01

Temperate glaciers such as those seen in Iceland experience high annual mass flux, thereby responding to small scale changes in Earth's climate. Decadal changes in the glacial margins of Iceland's ice caps are observable in the Landsat record, however twice daily AMSR-E Calibrated Enhanced-Resolution Passive Microwave Daily EASE-Grid 2.0 Brightness Temperature (CETB) Earth System Data Record (ESDR) allow for observation on a daily temporal scale and a 3.125 km spatial scale, which can in turn be connected to patterns seen over longer periods of time. Passive microwave data allow for careful observation of melt onset and duration in Iceland's glacial regions by recording changes in emissivity of the ice surface, known as brightness temperature (TB), which is sensitive to fluctuations in the liquid water content of snow and ice seen during melting in glaciated regions. Enhanced resolution of this data set allows for a determination of a threshold that defines the melting season. The XPGR snowmelt algorithm originally presented by Abdalati and Steffen (1995) is used as a comparison with the diurnal amplitude variation (DAV) values on Iceland's Vatnajokull ice cap located at 64.4N, -16.8W. Ground-based air temperature data in this region, digital elevation models (DEMs), and river discharge dominated by glacial runoff are used to confirm the glacial response to changes in global climate. Results show that Iceland glaciers have a bimodal distribution of brightness temperature delineating when the snow/ice is melting and refreezing. Ground based temperatures have increased on a decadal trend. Clear glacial boundaries are visible on the passive microwave delineating strong features, and we are working to understand their variability and contribution to glacier evolution. The passive microwave data set allows connections to be made between observations seen on a daily scale and the long term glacier changes observed by the Landsat satellite record that integrates the

Long-Duration, Balloon-Borne Observations of Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

Funds from this grant were used to support the continuing development of BOOMERANG, a 1.3 m, balloon-borne, attitude-stabilized telescope designed to measure the anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) on angular scales of 12 min to 10 degrees. By the end of the funding period covered by this grant, the fabrication of most of the BOOMERANG sub-systems was completed, and integration and test of the payload at Caltech had begun. The project was continued under a new grant from NASA and continuing funding from the NSF. Payload integration and test was completed in April, 1997. A campaign to Palestine, Texas, resulted in two test flights during 1997. A flight on August 12, 1997 was terminated on ascent due to a leaky balloon. The payload was successfully recovered, refurbished, and flown again on August 29, 1997. The second flight was completely successful, and qualified the payload for an LDB flight from McMurdo Stn., Antarctica, in December 1998.

Objective Characterization of Snow Microstructure for Microwave Emission Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Durand, Michael; Kim, Edward J.; Molotch, Noah P.; Margulis, Steven A.; Courville, Zoe; Malzler, Christian

2012-01-01

Passive microwave (PM) measurements are sensitive to the presence and quantity of snow, a fact that has long been used to monitor snowcover from space. In order to estimate total snow water equivalent (SWE) within PM footprints (on the order of approx 100 sq km), it is prerequisite to understand snow microwave emission at the point scale and how microwave radiation integrates spatially; the former is the topic of this paper. Snow microstructure is one of the fundamental controls on the propagation of microwave radiation through snow. Our goal in this study is to evaluate the prospects for driving the Microwave Emission Model of Layered Snowpacks with objective measurements of snow specific surface area to reproduce measured brightness temperatures when forced with objective measurements of snow specific surface area (S). This eliminates the need to treat the grain size as a free-fit parameter.

CMORPH 8 Km: A Method that Produces Global Precipitation Estimates from Passive Microwave and Infrared Data at High Spatial and Temporal Resolution

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A new technique is presented in which half-hourly global precipitation estimates derived from passive microwave satellite scans are propagated by motion vectors...

Practical microwave electron devices

CERN Document Server

Meurant, Gerard

2013-01-01

Practical Microwave Electron Devices provides an understanding of microwave electron devices and their applications. All areas of microwave electron devices are covered. These include microwave solid-state devices, including popular microwave transistors and both passive and active diodes; quantum electron devices; thermionic devices (including relativistic thermionic devices); and ferrimagnetic electron devices. The design of each of these devices is discussed as well as their applications, including oscillation, amplification, switching, modulation, demodulation, and parametric interactions.

Development of a modified two-scale electromagnetic model simulating both active and passive microwave measurements: Comparison to data remotely sensed over the ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Boukabara, S. A.; Eymard, L.; Guillou, C.; Lemaire, D.; Sobieski, P.; Guissard, A.

2002-08-01

Spaceborne microwave remote sensing allows the determination of oceanic and atmospheric parameters. Operational payloads such as ERS-1 and ERS-2 and TOPEX/Poseidon as well as missions such as Jason (from NASA-Centre National d'Etudes) or Envisat (from the European Space Agency), have contained or contain paired microwave instruments looking at the nadir direction. This combination consists of microwave radiometers and a radar-altimeter. For the frequencies chosen in oceanographic satellite payloads, the active mode signal is mostly dependent on the surface state through its reflectivity and thus used for the near-surface wind speed retrieval. The active mode can also be attenuated by the atmosphere. On the other hand, the passive mode is related to the surface emissivity and the atmospheric radiation through the radiative transfer equation. Until now, the oceanic and atmospheric parameters have been retrieved separately, the latter being used to correct radar measurements. However, the reflectivity and the emissivity of a target are not independent quantities; hence the synergistic use of these two kinds of microwave measurements should allow one to improve the retrieval quality of the sea and atmosphere parameters. For this purpose, a unified model has been developed for the simulation of both the microwave backscattering coefficient σ° (active measurement) and the microwave emissivity, an important factor for the brightness temperature TB simulation, for every configuration (incidence angles, frequency, polarizations), taking into account the fact that the reflectivity and the emissivity are complementary to unity. The atmospheric absorption is computed following a widely used model from the literature. This paper gives a description and a first attempt of validation of this approach through a comparison with real data. The performance of the model is assessed by comparing the simulations to both brightness temperatures and backscattering coefficients from ERS

Microwave metamaterials—from passive to digital and programmable controls of electromagnetic waves

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Tie Jun

2017-08-01

Since 2004, my group at Southeast University has been carrying out research into microwave metamaterials, which are classified into three catagories: metamaterials based on the effective medium model, plasmonic metamaterials for spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), and coding and programmable metamaterials. For effective-medium metamaterials, we have developed a general theory to accurately describe effective permittivity and permeability in semi-analytical forms, from which we have designed and realized a three dimensional (3D) wideband ground-plane invisibility cloak, a free-space electrostatic invisibility cloak, an electromagnetic black hole, optical/radar illusions, and radially anisotropic zero-index metamaterial for omni-directional radiation and a nearly perfect power combination of source array, etc. We have also considered the engineering applications of microwave metamaterials, such as a broadband and low-loss 3D transformation-optics lens for wide-angle scanning, a 3D planar gradient-index lens for high-gain radiations, and a random metasurface for reducing radar cross sections. In the area of plasmonic metamaterials, we proposed an ultrathin, narrow, and flexible corrugated metallic strip to guide SPPs with a small bending loss and radiation loss, from which we designed and realized a series of SPP passive devices (e.g. power divider, coupler, filter, and resonator) and active devices (e.g. amplifier and duplexer). We also showed a significant feature of the ultrathin SPP waveguide in overcoming the challenge of signal integrity in traditional integrated circuits, which will help build a high-performance SPP wireless communication system. In the area of coding and programmable metamaterials, we proposed a new measure to describe a metamaterial from the viewpoint of information theory. We have illustrated theoretically and experimentally that coding metamaterials composed of digital units can be controlled by coding sequences, leading to different

Snowmelt Pattern and Lake Ice Phenology around Tibetan Plateau Estimated from Enhanced Resolution Passive Microwave Data

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, C.; Shi, J.; Wang, T.

2017-12-01

Snow and ice is very sensitive to the climate change. Rising air temperature will cause the snowmelt time change. In contrast, the change in snow state will have feedback on climate through snow albedo. The snow melt timing is also correlated with the associated runoff. Ice phenology describes the seasonal cycle of lake ice cover and includes freeze-up and breakup periods and ice cover duration, which is an important weather and climate indicator. It is also important for lake-atmosphere interactions and hydrological and ecological processes. The enhanced resolution (up to 3.125 km) passive microwave data is used to estimate the snowmelt pattern and lake ice phenology on and around Tibetan Plateau. The enhanced resolution makes the estimation of snowmelt and lake ice phenology in more spatial detail compared to previous 25 km gridded passive microwave data. New algorithm based on smooth filters and change point detection was developed to estimate the snowmelt and lake ice freeze-up and break-up timing. Spatial and temporal pattern of snowmelt and lake ice phonology are estimated. This study provides an objective evidence of climate change impact on the cryospheric system on Tibetan Plateau. The results show significant earlier snowmelt and lake ice break-up in some regions.

A space-qualified experiment integrating HTS digital circuits and small cryocoolers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silver, A.; Akerling, G.; Auten, R.

1996-01-01

High temperature superconductors (HTS) promise to achieve electrical performance superior to that of conventional electronics. For application in space systems, HTS systems must simultaneously achieve lower power, weight, and volume than conventional electronics, and meet stringent space qualification and reliability requirements. Most effort to date has focused on passive RF/microwave applications. However, incorporation of active microwave components such as amplifiers, mixers, and phase shifters, and on-board high data rate digital signal processing is limited by the power and weight of their spacecraft electronic and support modules. Absence of data on active HTS components will prevent their utilization in space. To validate the feasibility in space of HTS circuits and components based on Josephson junctions, one needs to demonstrate HTS circuits and critical supporting technologies, such as space-qualified packaging and interconnects, closed-cycle cryocooling, and interface electronics. This paper describes the packaging, performance, and space test plan of an integrated, space-qualified experimental package consisting of HTS Josephson junction circuits and all the supporting components for NRL's high temperature superconductor space experiment (HTSSE-II). Most of the technical challenges and approaches are equally applicable to passive and active RF/microwave and digital electronic components, and this experiment will provide valuable validation data

Modeling Sub-500MHz Space-Borne Radar Signal Propagation in Complex Media

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Space-borne radar platforms are becoming increasingly prevalent in current and planned missions by NASA and partner organizations (e.g. the European Space Agency...

A multi-sensor data-driven methodology for all-sky passive microwave inundation retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Takbiri, Zeinab; Ebtehaj, Ardeshir M.; Foufoula-Georgiou, Efi

2017-06-01

We present a multi-sensor Bayesian passive microwave retrieval algorithm for flood inundation mapping at high spatial and temporal resolutions. The algorithm takes advantage of observations from multiple sensors in optical, short-infrared, and microwave bands, thereby allowing for detection and mapping of the sub-pixel fraction of inundated areas under almost all-sky conditions. The method relies on a nearest-neighbor search and a modern sparsity-promoting inversion method that make use of an a priori dataset in the form of two joint dictionaries. These dictionaries contain almost overlapping observations by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager and Sounder (SSMIS) on board the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F17 satellite and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Aqua and Terra satellites. Evaluation of the retrieval algorithm over the Mekong Delta shows that it is capable of capturing to a good degree the inundation diurnal variability due to localized convective precipitation. At longer timescales, the results demonstrate consistency with the ground-based water level observations, denoting that the method is properly capturing inundation seasonal patterns in response to regional monsoonal rain. The calculated Euclidean distance, rank-correlation, and also copula quantile analysis demonstrate a good agreement between the outputs of the algorithm and the observed water levels at monthly and daily timescales. The current inundation products are at a resolution of 12.5 km and taken twice per day, but a higher resolution (order of 5 km and every 3 h) can be achieved using the same algorithm with the dictionary populated by the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) products.

A multi-sensor data-driven methodology for all-sky passive microwave inundation retrieval

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Takbiri

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We present a multi-sensor Bayesian passive microwave retrieval algorithm for flood inundation mapping at high spatial and temporal resolutions. The algorithm takes advantage of observations from multiple sensors in optical, short-infrared, and microwave bands, thereby allowing for detection and mapping of the sub-pixel fraction of inundated areas under almost all-sky conditions. The method relies on a nearest-neighbor search and a modern sparsity-promoting inversion method that make use of an a priori dataset in the form of two joint dictionaries. These dictionaries contain almost overlapping observations by the Special Sensor Microwave Imager and Sounder (SSMIS on board the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP F17 satellite and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS on board the Aqua and Terra satellites. Evaluation of the retrieval algorithm over the Mekong Delta shows that it is capable of capturing to a good degree the inundation diurnal variability due to localized convective precipitation. At longer timescales, the results demonstrate consistency with the ground-based water level observations, denoting that the method is properly capturing inundation seasonal patterns in response to regional monsoonal rain. The calculated Euclidean distance, rank-correlation, and also copula quantile analysis demonstrate a good agreement between the outputs of the algorithm and the observed water levels at monthly and daily timescales. The current inundation products are at a resolution of 12.5 km and taken twice per day, but a higher resolution (order of 5 km and every 3 h can be achieved using the same algorithm with the dictionary populated by the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM Microwave Imager (GMI products.

Analysis of the electromagnetic radiation generated by a multipactor discharge occurring within a microwave passive component

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jimenez, M; Quesada, F; Alvarez, A [Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Technical University of Cartagena, Cartagena (Murcia) (Spain); Gimeno, B [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada y Electromagnetismo-ICMUV, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia (Spain); Miquel-Espanya, C; Raboso, D [European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC), Noordwijk (Netherlands); Anza, S; Vicente, C; Gil, J [Aurora Software and Testing S.L., Valencia, Valencia (Spain); Taroncher, M; Reglero, M; Boria, V E, E-mail: benito.gimeno@uv.e [Departamento de Comunicaciones-ITEAM, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (Spain)

2010-10-06

Multipactoring is a non-linear phenomenon that appears in high-power microwave equipment operating under vacuum conditions and causes several undesirable effects. In this paper, a theoretical and experimental study of the RF spectrum radiated by a multipactor discharge, occurring within a realistic microwave component based on rectangular waveguides, is reported. The electromagnetic coupling of a multipactor current to the fundamental propagative mode of a uniform waveguide has been analysed in the context of the microwave network theory. The discharge produced under a single-carrier RF voltage regime has been approached as a shunt current source exciting such a mode in a transmission-line gap region. By means of a simple equivalent circuit, this model allows prediction of the harmonics generated by the discharge occurring in a realistic passive waveguide component. Power spectrum radiated by a third-order multipactor discharge has been measured in an E-plane silver-plated waveguide transformer, thus validating qualitatively the presented theory to simulate the noise generated by a single-carrier multipactor discharge.

Methane Emissions from Bangladesh: Bridging the Gap Between Ground-based and Space-borne Estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, C.; Bennartz, R.; Hornberger, G. M.

2015-12-01

Gaining an understanding of methane (CH4) emission sources and atmospheric dispersion is an essential part of climate change research. Large-scale and global studies often rely on satellite observations of column CH4 mixing ratio whereas high-spatial resolution estimates rely on ground-based measurements. Extrapolation of ground-based measurements on, for example, rice paddies to broad region scales is highly uncertain because of spatio-temporal variability. We explore the use of ground-based river stage measurements and independent satellite observations of flooded area along with satellite measurements of CH4 mixing ratio to estimate the extent of methane emissions. Bangladesh, which comprises most of the Ganges Brahmaputra Meghna (GBM) delta, is a region of particular interest for studying spatio-temporal variation of methane emissions due to (1) broadscale rice cultivation and (2) seasonal flooding and atmospheric convection during the monsoon. Bangladesh and its deltaic landscape exhibit a broad range of environmental, economic, and social circumstances that are relevant to many nations in South and Southeast Asia. We explore the seasonal enhancement of CH4 in Bangladesh using passive remote sensing spectrometer CH4 products from the SCanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The seasonal variation of CH4 is compared to independent estimates of seasonal flooding from water gauge stations and space-based passive microwave water-to-land fractions from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager (TRMM-TMI). Annual cycles in inundation (natural and anthropogenic) and atmospheric CH4 concentrations show highly correlated seasonal signals. NOAA's HYSPLIT model is used to determine atmospheric residence time of ground CH4 fluxes. Using the satellite observations, we can narrow the large uncertainty in extrapolation of ground-based CH4 emission estimates from rice paddies

Satellite passive microwave rain measurement techniques for land and ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, R. W.

1985-01-01

Multiseasonal rainfall was found to be measurable over land with satellite passive microwave data, based upon comparisons between Nimbus 7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMME) brightness temperatures (T sub B) and operational WSR-57 radar rain rates. All of the SMMR channels (bipolarized 37, 21, 18, 10.7, and 6.6. GHz T sub B) were compared to radar reflectivities for 25 SMMR passes and 234 radar scans over the U.S. during the spring, summer, and fall of 1979. It was found that the radar rain rates were closely related to the difference between 37 and 21 GHz T sub B. This result is due to the volume scattering effects of precipitation which cause emissivity decreases with frequency, as opposed to emissive surfaces (e.g., water) whose emissivities increase with frequency. Two frequencies also act to reduce the effects of thermometric temperature variations on T sub B to a miminum. During summer and fall, multiple correlation coefficients of 0.80 and 0.75 were obtained. These approach the limit of correlation that can be expected to exist between two very different data sources, especially in light of the errors attributable to manual digitization of PPI photographs of variable quality from various operational weather radar not calibrated for research purposes. During the spring, a significantly lower (0.63) correlation was found. This poorer performance was traced to cases of wet, unvegetated soil being sensed at the lower frequencies through light rain, partly negating the rain scattering signal.

DMSP SSM/I- Microwave Imager

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The SSM/I is a seven-channel, four frequency, linearly-polarized, passive microwave radiometric system which measures atmospheric, ocean and terrain microwave...

Simulating cosmic microwave background maps in multiconnected spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riazuelo, Alain; Uzan, Jean-Philippe; Lehoucq, Roland; Weeks, Jeffrey

2004-01-01

This paper describes the computation of cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies in a universe with multiconnected spatial sections and focuses on the implementation of the topology in standard CMB computer codes. The key ingredient is the computation of the eigenmodes of the Laplacian with boundary conditions compatible with multiconnected space topology. The correlators of the coefficients of the decomposition of the temperature fluctuation in spherical harmonics are computed and examples are given for spatially flat spaces and one family of spherical spaces, namely, the lens spaces. Under the hypothesis of Gaussian initial conditions, these correlators encode all the topological information of the CMB and suffice to simulate CMB maps

Mapping global precipitation with satellite borne microwave radiometer and infrared radiometer using Kalman filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noda, S.; Sasashige, K.; Katagami, D.; Ushio, T.; Kubota, T.; Okamoto, K.; Iida, Y.; Kida, S.; Shige, S.; Shimomura, S.; Aonashi, K.; Inoue, T.; Morimoto, T.; Kawasaki, Z.

2007-01-01

Estimates of precipitation at a high time and space resolution are required for many important applications. In this paper, a new global precipitation map with high spatial (0.1 degree) and temporal (1 hour) resolution using Kalman filter technique is presented and evaluated. Infrared radiometer data, which are available globally nearly everywhere and nearly all the time from geostationary orbit, are used with the several microwave radiometers aboard the LEO satellites. IR data is used as a means to move the precipitation estimates from microwave observation during periods when microwave data are not available at a given location. Moving vector is produced by computing correlations on successive images of IR data. When precipitation is moved, the Kalman filter is applied for improving the moving technique in this research. The new approach showed a better score than the technique without Kalman filter. The correlation coefficient was 0.1 better than without the Kalman filter about 6 hours after the last microwave overpasses, and the RMS error was improved about 0.1 mm/h with the Kalman filter technique. This approach is unique in that 1) the precipitation estimates from the microwave radiometer is mainly used, 2) the IR temperature in every hour is also used for the precipitation estimates based on the Kalman filter theory

Engineering aspect of the microwave ionosphere nonlinear interaction experiment (MINIX) with a sounding rocket

Science.gov (United States)

Nagatomo, Makoto; Kaya, Nobuyuki; Matsumoto, Hiroshi

The Microwave Ionosphere Nonlinear Interaction Experiment (MINIX) is a sounding rocket experiment to study possible effects of strong microwave fields in case it is used for energy transmission from the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) upon the Earth's atmosphere. Its secondary objective is to develop high power microwave technology for space use. Two rocket-borne magnetrons were used to emit 2.45 GHz microwave in order to make a simulated condition of power transmission from an SPS to a ground station. Sounding of the environment radiated by microwave was conducted by the diagnostic package onboard the daughter unit which was separated slowly from the mother unit. The main design drivers of this experiment were to build such high power equipments in a standard type of sounding rocket, to keep the cost within the budget and to perform a series of experiments without complete loss of the mission. The key technology for this experiment is a rocket-borne magnetron and high voltage converter. Location of position of the daughter unit relative to the mother unit was a difficult requirement for a spin-stabilized rocket. These problems were solved by application of such a low cost commercial products as a magnetron for microwave oven and a video tape recorder and camera.

A Long-Term and Reproducible Passive Microwave Sea Ice Concentration Data Record for Climate Studies and Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, G.; Meier, W. N.; Scott, D. J.; Savoie, M. H.

2013-01-01

A long-term, consistent, and reproducible satellite-based passive microwave sea ice concentration climate data record (CDR) is available for climate studies, monitoring, and model validation with an initial operation capability (IOC). The daily and monthly sea ice concentration data are on the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) polar stereographic grid with nominal 25 km × 25 km grid cells in both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere polar regions from 9 July 1987 to 31 December 2007. The data files are available in the NetCDF data format at http://nsidc.org/data/g02202.html and archived by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the satellite climate data record program (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdr/operationalcdrs.html). The description and basic characteristics of the NOAA/NSIDC passive microwave sea ice concentration CDR are presented here. The CDR provides similar spatial and temporal variability as the heritage products to the user communities with the additional documentation, traceability, and reproducibility that meet current standards and guidelines for climate data records. The data set, along with detailed data processing steps and error source information, can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.7265/N5B56GN3.

Use of active and passive microwave remote sensing for soil moisture estimation through corn

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Neill, P.E.; Chauhan, N.S.; Jackson, T.J.

1996-01-01

Over the past several years NASA, USDA, and Princeton University have collaborated to conduct hydrology field experiments in instrumented research watersheds in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma with a goal of characterizing the spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture using microwave sensors. As part of these experiments, L-band radar data from both truck and aircraft sensors were used to validate the performance of a vegetation scattering model in which discrete scatter random media techniques were employed to calculate vegetation transmissivity and scattering. These parameters were then used in a soil moisture prediction algorithm based on a radiative transfer approach utilizing aircraft passive microwave data from the L-band PBMR and ESTAR radiometers. Soil moisture was predicted in both experiments for several large corn fields which represented the densest vegetation canopies of all the test fields. Over the 20 per cent change in soil moisture encountered in the experiments, the match of predicted to measured soil moisture was excellent, with an average absolute error of about 0 · 02 cm 3 cm −3 . (author)

Microwave transmission system for space power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dickinson, R M [Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, Calif. (USA)

1976-09-01

A small total system model and a large subsystem element similar to those that could be eventually used for wireless power transmission experiments in space have been successfully demonstrated by NASA. The short range, relatively low-power laboratory system achieved a dc-to-dc transmission efficiency of 54%. A separate high-power-level receiving subsystem, tested over a 1.54-km range at Goldstone, California, has achieved the transportation of over 30 kW of dc output power. Both tests used 12-cm wave-length microwaves.

Feasibility Study on Passive-radar Detection of Space Targets Using Spaceborne Illuminators of Opportunity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Tie-zhen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Space target surveillance generally uses active radars. To take full advantage of passive radars, the idea of using spaceborne illuminators of opportunity for space target detection is presented in this paper. Analysis of the detectable time and direct wave suppression shows that passive radar using spaceborne illuminators of opportunity can effectively detect a Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO target. Meanwhile, Ku and L band bi-static radar cross section of passive radars that use spaceborne illuminators of opportunity are presented by simulation, providing the basis of choosing space target forward scatter. Finally the key parameters, mainly system gain, accumulation time and radiation source selection are studied. Results show that system size using satellite TV signals as illuminators of opportunity is relatively small. These encouraging results should stimulate the development of passive radar detection of space targets using spaceborne illuminators of opportunity.

Application of microwave ablation in treatment of solid space-occupying lesions in the liver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DU Lei

2017-10-01

Full Text Available With the development of science and technology, many therapies for hepatic space-occupying lesions have emerged, such as surgical operation, chemotherapy, intervention, and biological therapy. In recent years, microwave technique for the treatment of hepatic space-occupying lesions has attracted more and more attention because of its small trauma, low expense, marked clinical effect, and few complications. This article reviews the advances in the application of microwave in the treatment of liver cancer, hepatic hemangioma, hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, and other benign hepatic space-occupying lesions.

Modelling the passive microwave signature from land surfaces: a review of recent results and application to the SMOS & SMAP soil moisture retrieval algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Two passive microwave missions are currently operating at L-band to monitor surface soil moisture (SM) over continental surfaces. The SMOS sensor, based on an innovative interferometric technology enabling multi-angular signatures of surfaces to be measured, was launched in November 2009....

Development of radio frequency interference detection algorithms for passive microwave remote sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, Sidharth

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) signals are man-made sources that are increasingly plaguing passive microwave remote sensing measurements. RFI is of insidious nature, with some signals low power enough to go undetected but large enough to impact science measurements and their results. With the launch of the European Space Agency (ESA) Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite in November 2009 and the upcoming launches of the new NASA sea-surface salinity measuring Aquarius mission in June 2011 and soil-moisture measuring Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission around 2015, active steps are being taken to detect and mitigate RFI at L-band. An RFI detection algorithm was designed for the Aquarius mission. The algorithm performance was analyzed using kurtosis based RFI ground-truth. The algorithm has been developed with several adjustable location dependant parameters to control the detection statistics (false-alarm rate and probability of detection). The kurtosis statistical detection algorithm has been compared with the Aquarius pulse detection method. The comparative study determines the feasibility of the kurtosis detector for the SMAP radiometer, as a primary RFI detection algorithm in terms of detectability and data bandwidth. The kurtosis algorithm has superior detection capabilities for low duty-cycle radar like pulses, which are more prevalent according to analysis of field campaign data. Most RFI algorithms developed have generally been optimized for performance with individual pulsed-sinusoidal RFI sources. A new RFI detection model is developed that takes into account multiple RFI sources within an antenna footprint. The performance of the kurtosis detection algorithm under such central-limit conditions is evaluated. The SMOS mission has a unique hardware system, and conventional RFI detection techniques cannot be applied. Instead, an RFI detection algorithm for SMOS is developed and applied in the angular domain. This algorithm compares

CW 100MW microwave power transfer in space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takayama, K.; Hiramatsu, S.; Shiho, M.

1991-01-01

A linear multistage MFEL has been considered as a possible power source for future linear colliders; however, the single-stage experiment cannot be straightforwardly extrapolated to the multistage MFEL. Nevertheless, extensive theoretical and computational studies have demonstrated the feasibility of multistaging. Based on the authors current understanding of the MFEL, they developed the idea of a circular microwave power station (MPS) driven with a single high current beam where many FEL stages are placed along a circle and the remarkable high power of microwave (mw) is generated at each stage. The total power produced is linearly proportional to the number of FEL stages. This huge mw power can be emitted from a large parabola antenna; propagates in space and can be received by a receiver such as parabola antenna or rectenna

Passive longitudinal phase space linearizer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Craievich

2010-03-01

Full Text Available We report on the possibility to passively linearize the bunch compression process in electron linacs for the next generation x-ray free electron lasers. This can be done by using the monopole wakefields in a dielectric-lined waveguide. The optimum longitudinal voltage loss over the length of the bunch is calculated in order to compensate both the second-order rf time curvature and the second-order momentum compaction terms. Thus, the longitudinal phase space after the compression process is linearized up to a fourth-order term introduced by the convolution between the bunch and the monopole wake function.

A Null Space Control of Two Wheels Driven Mobile Manipulator Using Passivity Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Shibata, Tsuyoshi; Murakami, Toshiyuki

This paper describes a control strategy of null space motion of a two wheels driven mobile manipulator. Recently, robot is utilized in various industrial fields and it is preferable for the robot manipulator to have multiple degrees of freedom motion. Several studies of kinematics for null space motion have been proposed. However stability analysis of null space motion is not enough. Furthermore, these approaches apply to stable systems, but they do not apply unstable systems. Then, in this research, base of manipulator equips with two wheels driven mobile robot. This robot is called two wheels driven mobile manipulator, which becomes unstable system. In the proposed approach, a control design of null space uses passivity based stabilizing. A proposed controller is decided so that closed-loop system of robot dynamics satisfies passivity. This is passivity based control. Then, control strategy is that stabilizing of the robot system applies to work space observer based approach and null space control while keeping end-effector position. The validity of the proposed approach is verified by simulations and experiments of two wheels driven mobile manipulator.

Near-Space Microwave Radar Remote Sensing: Potentials and Challenge Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qicong Peng

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Near-space, defined as the region between 20 km and 100 km, offers many new capabilities that are not accessible to low earth orbit (LEO satellites and airplanes, because it is above storm and not constrained by either the orbital mechanics of satellites or the high fuel consumption of airplanes. By placing radar transmitter/receiver in near-space platforms, many functions that are currently performed with satellites or airplanes could be performed in a cheaper way. Inspired by these advantages, this paper introduces several near-space vehicle-based radar configurations, such as near-space passive bistatic radar and high-resolution wide-swath (HRWS synthetic aperture radar (SAR. Their potential applications, technical challenges and possible solutions are investigated. It is shown that near-space is a satisfactory solution to some specific remote sensing applications. Firstly, near-space passive bistatic radar using opportunistic illuminators offers a solution to persistent regional remote sensing, which is particularly interest for protecting homeland security or monitoring regional environment. Secondly, near-space provides an optimal solution to relative HRWS SAR imaging. Moreover, as motion compensation is a common technical challenge for the described radars, an active transponder-based motion compensation is also described.

Electromagnetic modelling of a space-borne far-infrared interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

Donohoe, Anthony; O'Sullivan, Créidhe; Murphy, J. Anthony; Bracken, Colm; Savini, Giorgio; Pascale, Enzo; Ade, Peter; Sudiwala, Rashmi; Hornsby, Amber

2016-02-01

In this paper I will describe work done as part of an EU-funded project `Far-infrared space interferometer critical assessment' (FISICA). The aim of the project is to investigate science objectives and technology development required for the next generation THz space interferometer. The THz/FIR is precisely the spectral region where most of the energy from stars, exo-planetary systems and galaxy clusters deep in space is emitted. The atmosphere is almost completely opaque in the wave-band of interest so any observation that requires high quality data must be performed with a space-born instrument. A space-borne far infrared interferometer will be able to answer a variety of crucial astrophysical questions such as how do planets and stars form, what is the energy engine of most galaxies and how common are the molecule building blocks of life. The FISICA team have proposed a novel instrument based on a double Fourier interferometer that is designed to resolve the light from an extended scene, spectrally and spatially. A laboratory prototype spectral-spatial interferometer has been constructed to demonstrate the feasibility of the double-Fourier technique at far infrared wavelengths (0.15 - 1 THz). This demonstrator is being used to investigate and validate important design features and data-processing methods for future instruments. Using electromagnetic modelling techniques several issues related to its operation at long baselines and wavelengths, such as diffraction, have been investigated. These are critical to the design of the concept instrument and the laboratory testbed.

Evaluating multiple causes of persistent low microwave backscatter from Amazon forests after the 2005 drought

Science.gov (United States)

Steve Frolking; Stephen Hagen; Bobby Braswell; Tom Milliman; Christina Herrick; Seth Peterson; Dar Roberts; Michael Keller; Michael Palace; Krishna Prasad Vadrevu

2017-01-01

Amazonia has experienced large-scale regional droughts that affect forest productivity and biomass stocks. Space-borne remote sensing provides basin-wide data on impacts of meteorological anomalies, an important complement to relatively limited ground observations across the Amazon’s vast and remote humid tropical forests. Morning overpass QuikScat Ku-band microwave...

Passive Optical Link Budget for LEO Space Surveillance

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, P.; Hasenohr, T.; Hampf, D.; Sproll, F.; Humbert, L.; Rodmann, J.; Riede, W.

The rising space debris population is becoming an increasing risk for space assets. Even objects with the size of 10mm can cause major damages to active spacecraft. Especially the orbits around 800km high are densely populated with space debris objects. To assess the risk of collisions with active satellites, the Earth orbits need to be surveyed permanently. Space debris laser ranging systems for example can deliver highly accurate positional data for precise orbit determination. Therefor a priori information about the objects coarse trajectory is needed. Such initial orbit information can be provided by wide angle optical sensors. The Institute of Technical Physics at the German Aerospace Center in Stuttgart runs an observatory to perform passive as well as laser optical measurements to LEO objects. In order to detect unknown objects, a wide-angle imaging system with a field of view in the range of 5° to 15° equipped with an astronomical CCD camera and a commercial off the shelf (COTS) lens was designed to continuously observe the night sky for LEO objects. This paper presents the passive optical link budget for observing LEO objects to show the benefits and limits of the physical performance of an optical surveillance system. A compact COTS system is able to detect objects with a couple of decimeters in size while a large aperture telescope can detect objects with diameters below 10cm. Additionally, data captured by a passive optical staring system with a 10 cm aperture was analyzed. It is shown that 90% of all objects with a radar cross section larger than 2m² are detected with such a system during twilight conditions. The smallest detected LEO object with this system has a size of 0.32m x 0.32m x 0.26m. These measurements are compared to the developed link budget which allows an estimation of the performance of larger systems.

High-Sensitivity Semiconductor Photocathodes for Space-Born UV Photon-Counting and Imaging, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Many UV photon-counting and imaging applications, including space-borne astronomy, missile tracking and guidance, UV spectroscopy for chemical/biological...

On-Chip Microwave Quantum Hall Circulator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. C. Mahoney

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Circulators are nonreciprocal circuit elements that are integral to technologies including radar systems, microwave communication transceivers, and the readout of quantum information devices. Their nonreciprocity arises from the interference of microwaves over the centimeter scale of the signal wavelength, in the presence of bulky magnetic media that breaks time-reversal symmetry. Here, we realize a completely passive on-chip microwave circulator with size 1/1000th the wavelength by exploiting the chiral, “slow-light” response of a two-dimensional electron gas in the quantum Hall regime. For an integrated GaAs device with 330  μm diameter and about 1-GHz center frequency, a nonreciprocity of 25 dB is observed over a 50-MHz bandwidth. Furthermore, the nonreciprocity can be dynamically tuned by varying the voltage at the port, an aspect that may enable reconfigurable passive routing of microwave signals on chip.

Abnormal Winter Melting of the Arctic Sea Ice Cap Observed by the Spaceborne Passive Microwave Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seongsuk Lee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The spatial size and variation of Arctic sea ice play an important role in Earth’s climate system. These are affected by conditions in the polar atmosphere and Arctic sea temperatures. The Arctic sea ice concentration is calculated from brightness temperature data derived from the Defense Meteorological Satellite program (DMSP F13 Special Sensor Microwave/Imagers (SSMI and the DMSP F17 Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS sensors. Many previous studies point to significant reductions in sea ice and their causes. We investigated the variability of Arctic sea ice using the daily and monthly sea ice concentration data from passive microwave observations to identify the sea ice melting regions near the Arctic polar ice cap. We discovered the abnormal melting of the Arctic sea ice near the North Pole even during the summer and the winter. This phenomenon is hard to explain only surface air temperature or solar heating as suggested by recent studies. We propose a hypothesis explaining this phenomenon. The heat from the deep sea in Arctic Ocean ridges and/or the hydrothermal vents might be contributing to the melting of Arctic sea ice. This hypothesis could be verified by the observation of warm water column structure below the melting or thinning arctic sea ice through the project such as Coriolis dataset for reanalysis (CORA.

Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Emission Rates from strong Point Sources by Space-borne IPDA Lidar Measurements: Results from a Sensitivity Analysis Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ehret, G.; Kiemle, C.; Rapp, M.

2017-12-01

The practical implementation of the Paris Agreement (COP21) vastly profit from an independent, reliable and global measurement system of greenhouse gas emissions, in particular of CO2, in order to complement and cross-check national efforts. Most fossil-fuel CO2 emitters emanate from large sources such as cities and power plants. These emissions increase the local CO2 abundance in the atmosphere by 1-10 parts per million (ppm) which is a signal that is significantly larger than the variability from natural sources and sinks over the local source domain. Despite these large signals, they are only sparsely sampled by the ground-based network which calls for satellite measurements. However, none of the existing and forthcoming passive satellite instruments, operating in the NIR spectral domain, can measure CO2 emissions at night time or in low sunlight conditions and in high latitude regions in winter times. The resulting sparse coverage of passive spectrometers is a serious limitation, particularly for the Northern Hemisphere, since these regions exhibit substantial emissions during the winter as well as other times of the year. In contrast, CO2 measurements by an Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) Lidar are largely immune to these limitations and initial results from airborne application look promising. In this study, we discuss the implication for a space-borne IPDA Lidar system. A Gaussian plume model will be used to simulate the CO2-distribution of large power plants downstream to the source. The space-borne measurements are simulated by applying a simple forward model based on Gaussian error distribution. Besides the sampling frequency, the sampling geometry (e.g. measurement distance to the emitting source) and the error of the measurement itself vastly impact on the flux inversion performance. We will discuss the results by incorporating Gaussian plume and mass budget approaches to quantify the emission rates.

Handbook of RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave components

CERN Document Server

Smolskiy, Sergey M; Kochemasov, Victor N

2012-01-01

This unique and comprehensive resource offers you a detailed treatment of the operations principles, key parameters, and specific characteristics of active and passive RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave components. The book covers both linear and nonlinear components that are used in a wide range of application areas, from communications and information sciences, to avionics, space, and military engineering. This practical book presents descriptions and clear examples and of the best materials and products used in the field, including laminates, prepregs, substrates; microstrip, coaxial and wa

The Space Station as a Construction Base for Large Space Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Gates, R. M.

1985-01-01

The feasibility of using the Space Station as a construction site for large space structures is examined. An overview is presented of the results of a program entitled Definition of Technology Development Missions (TDM's) for Early Space Stations - Large Space Structures. The definition of LSS technology development missions must be responsive to the needs of future space missions which require large space structures. Long range plans for space were assembled by reviewing Space System Technology Models (SSTM) and other published sources. Those missions which will use large space structures were reviewed to determine the objectives which must be demonstrated by technology development missions. The three TDM's defined during this study are: (1) a construction storage/hangar facility; (2) a passive microwave radiometer; and (3) a precision optical system.

The Use of Digital Educational Technology and Third Spaces with Foreign-Born Latinos

Science.gov (United States)

Guerra-Nunez, Oscar

2017-01-01

This article addresses the concept of educational third spaces that move beyond the paternalistic concept of a teacher as a font of knowledge filling the empty vessels of the students' minds, especially for foreign-born Latino (FBL) students. These students often struggle and lag behind their native-born peers as they master the new language of…

Theory and Design of Tunable and Reconfigurable Microwave Passive Components on Partially Magnetized Ferrite Substrate

KAUST Repository

Ghaffar, Farhan A.

2016-11-01

Typical microwave components such as antennas are large in size and occupy considerable space. Since multiple standards are utilized in modern day systems and thus multiple antennas are required, it is best if a single component can be reconfigured or tuned to various bands. Similarly phase shifters to provide beam scanning and polarization reconfigurable antennas are important for modern day congested wireless systems. Tunability of antennas or phase shifting between antenna elements has been demonstrated using various techniques which include magnetically tunable components on ferrite based substrates. Although this method has shown promising results it also has several issues due to the use of large external electromagnets and operation in the magnetically saturated state. These issues include the device being bulky, inefficient, non-integrable and expensive. In this thesis, we have tried to resolve the above mentioned issues of large size and large power requirement by replacing the large electromagnets with embedded bias windings and also by operating the ferrites in the partially magnetized state. New theoretical models and simulation methodology have been used to evaluate the performance of the microwave passive components in the partially magnetized state. A multilayer ferrite Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic (LTCC) tape system has been used to verify the performance experimentally. There exists a good agreement between the theoretical, simulation and measurement results. Tunable antennas with tuning range of almost 10 % and phase shifter with an FoM of 83.2/dB have been demonstrated in this work, however the major contribution is that this has been achieved with bias fields that are 90 % less than the typically reported values in the literature. Finally, polarization reconfigurability has also been demonstrated for a circular patch antenna using a low cost additive manufacturing technique. The results are promising and indicate that highly integrated

Thermal analysis of a prototype cryogenic polarization modulator for use in a space-borne CMB polarization experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Iida, T.; Sakurai, Y.; Matsumura, T.; Sugai, H.; Imada, H.; Kataza, H.; Ohsaki, H.; Hazumi, M.; Katayama, N.; Yamamoto, R.; Utsunomiya, S.; Terao, Y.

2017-12-01

We report a thermal analysis of a polarization modulator unit (PMU) for use in a space-borne cosmic microwave background (CMB) project. A measurement of the CMB polarization allows us to probe the physics of early universe, and that is the best method to test the cosmic inflation experimentally. One of the key instruments for this science is to use a halfwave plate (HWP) based polarization modulator. The HWP is required to rotate continuously at about 1 Hz below 10 K to minimize its own thermal emission to a detector system. The rotating HWP system at the cryogenic environment can be realized by using a superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB) without significant heat dissipation by mechanical friction. While the SMB achieves the smooth rotation due to the contactless bearing, an estimation of a levitating HWP temperature becomes a challenge. We manufactured a one-eighth scale prototype model of PMU and built a thermal model. We verified our thermal model with the experimental data. We forecasted the projected thermal performance of PMU for a full-scale model based on the thermal model. From this analysis, we discuss the design requirement toward constructing the full-scale model for use in a space environment such as a future CMB satellite mission, LiteBIRD.

Machine Learning on Images: Combining Passive Microwave and Optical Data to Estimate Snow Water Equivalent

Science.gov (United States)

Dozier, J.; Tolle, K.; Bair, N.

2014-12-01

We have a problem that may be a specific example of a generic one. The task is to estimate spatiotemporally distributed estimates of snow water equivalent (SWE) in snow-dominated mountain environments, including those that lack on-the-ground measurements. Several independent methods exist, but all are problematic. The remotely sensed date of disappearance of snow from each pixel can be combined with a calculation of melt to reconstruct the accumulated SWE for each day back to the last significant snowfall. Comparison with streamflow measurements in mountain ranges where such data are available shows this method to be accurate, but the big disadvantage is that SWE can only be calculated retroactively after snow disappears, and even then only for areas with little accumulation during the melt season. Passive microwave sensors offer real-time global SWE estimates but suffer from several issues, notably signal loss in wet snow or in forests, saturation in deep snow, subpixel variability in the mountains owing to the large (~25 km) pixel size, and SWE overestimation in the presence of large grains such as depth and surface hoar. Throughout the winter and spring, snow-covered area can be measured at sub-km spatial resolution with optical sensors, with accuracy and timeliness improved by interpolating and smoothing across multiple days. So the question is, how can we establish the relationship between Reconstruction—available only after the snow goes away—and passive microwave and optical data to accurately estimate SWE during the snow season, when the information can help forecast spring runoff? Linear regression provides one answer, but can modern machine learning techniques (used to persuade people to click on web advertisements) adapt to improve forecasts of floods and droughts in areas where more than one billion people depend on snowmelt for their water resources?

Microwave engineering concepts and fundamentals

CERN Document Server

Khan, Ahmad Shahid

2014-01-01

Detailing the active and passive aspects of microwaves, Microwave Engineering: Concepts and Fundamentals covers everything from wave propagation to reflection and refraction, guided waves, and transmission lines, providing a comprehensive understanding of the underlying principles at the core of microwave engineering. This encyclopedic text not only encompasses nearly all facets of microwave engineering, but also gives all topics—including microwave generation, measurement, and processing—equal emphasis. Packed with illustrations to aid in comprehension, the book: •Describes the mathematical theory of waveguides and ferrite devices, devoting an entire chapter to the Smith chart and its applications •Discusses different types of microwave components, antennas, tubes, transistors, diodes, and parametric devices •Examines various attributes of cavity resonators, semiconductor and RF/microwave devices, and microwave integrated circuits •Addresses scattering parameters and their properties, as well a...

Sensitivity of Support Vector Machine Predictions of Passive Microwave Brightness Temperature Over Snow-covered Terrain in High Mountain Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, J. A.; Forman, B. A.

2017-12-01

High Mountain Asia (HMA) serves as a water supply source for over 1.3 billion people, primarily in south-east Asia. Most of this water originates as snow (or ice) that melts during the summer months and contributes to the run-off downstream. In spite of its critical role, there is still considerable uncertainty regarding the total amount of snow in HMA and its spatial and temporal variation. In this study, the NASA Land Information Systems (LIS) is used to model the hydrologic cycle over the Indus basin. In addition, the ability of support vector machines (SVM), a machine learning technique, to predict passive microwave brightness temperatures at a specific frequency and polarization as a function of LIS-derived land surface model output is explored in a sensitivity analysis. Multi-frequency, multi-polarization passive microwave brightness temperatures as measured by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) over the Indus basin are used as training targets during the SVM training process. Normalized sensitivity coefficients (NSC) are then computed to assess the sensitivity of a well-trained SVM to each LIS-derived state variable. Preliminary results conform with the known first-order physics. For example, input states directly linked to physical temperature like snow temperature, air temperature, and vegetation temperature have positive NSC's whereas input states that increase volume scattering such as snow water equivalent or snow density yield negative NSC's. Air temperature exhibits the largest sensitivity coefficients due to its inherent, high-frequency variability. Adherence of this machine learning algorithm to the first-order physics bodes well for its potential use in LIS as the observation operator within a radiance data assimilation system aimed at improving regional- and continental-scale snow estimates.

Passive Microwave Precipitation Retrieval Uncertainty Characterized based on Field Campaign Data over Complex Terrain

Science.gov (United States)

Derin, Y.; Anagnostou, E. N.; Anagnostou, M.; Kalogiros, J. A.; Casella, D.; Marra, A. C.; Panegrossi, G.; Sanò, P.

2017-12-01

Difficulties in representation of high rainfall variability over mountainous areas using ground based sensors make satellite remote sensing techniques attractive for hydrologic studies over these regions. Even though satellite-based rainfall measurements are quasi global and available at high spatial resolution, these products have uncertainties that necessitate use of error characterization and correction procedures based upon more accurate in situ rainfall measurements. Such measurements can be obtained from field campaigns facilitated by research quality sensors such as locally deployed weather radar and in situ weather stations. This study uses such high quality and resolution rainfall estimates derived from dual-polarization X-band radar (XPOL) observations from three field experiments in Mid-Atlantic US East Coast (NASA IPHEX experiment), the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State (NASA OLYMPEX experiment), and the Mediterranean to characterize the error characteristics of multiple passive microwave (PMW) sensor retrievals. The study first conducts an independent error analysis of the XPOL radar reference rainfall fields against in situ rain gauges and disdrometer observations available by the field experiments. Then the study evaluates different PMW precipitation products using the XPOL datasets (GR) over the three aforementioned complex terrain study areas. We extracted matchups of PMW/GR rainfall based on a matching methodology that identifies GR volume scans coincident with PMW field-of-view sampling volumes, and scaled GR parameters to the satellite products' nominal spatial resolution. The following PMW precipitation retrieval algorithms are evaluated: the NASA Goddard PROFiling algorithm (GPROF), standard and climatology-based products (V 3, 4 and 5) from four PMW sensors (SSMIS, MHS, GMI, and AMSR2), and the precipitation products based on the algorithms Cloud Dynamics and Radiation Database (CDRD) for SSMIS and Passive microwave Neural network

A miniature bird-borne passive air sampler for monitoring halogenated flame retardants.

Science.gov (United States)

Sorais, Manon; Rezaei, Ali; Okeme, Joseph O; Diamond, Miriam L; Izquierdo, Ricardo; Giroux, Jean-François; Verreault, Jonathan

2017-12-01

Birds have been used intensively as biomonitors of halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), and several studies have reported elevated tissue concentrations and inter-individual variability for these contaminants. While diet is known to be an important exposure pathway for HFRs in birds, it has been suggested that exposure through air may represent an underestimated source of HFRs for certain species. However, a method was not available for measuring the atmospheric exposure of individual birds to HFRs or other semi-volatile contaminants. The goal of this study was to develop a bird-borne passive air sampler (PAS) enabling the determination of individual atmospheric exposure to gas- and particle-phase HFRs using the ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) nesting in the Montreal area (QC, Canada). The new miniaturized elliptical-shaped PAS (mean weight: 2.72g) was tested using two sorbent types during three exposure periods (one, two and three weeks). Results showed that PAS using polyurethane foam (PUF) combined with a glass fiber filter collected all major polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and exhibited better performance for collecting highly hydrophobic DecaBDE mixture congeners compared to the PAS using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Emerging HFRs including hexabromobenzene, Dechlorane 604 Component B, and Dechlorane plus (DP) isomers also were sampled by the PUF-based PAS. Sampling rates for most HFRs were comparable between the three exposure periods. This novel bird-borne PAS provides valuable information on the non-dietary exposure of free-ranging birds to HFRs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Microwave Radiometer Radio-Frequency Interference (RFI) Mitigation: Initial On-Orbit Results

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Priscilla N.; Piepmeier, Jeffrey R.; Johnson, Joel T.; Aksoy, Mustafa; Bringer, Alexandra

2015-01-01

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, launched in January 2015, provides global measurements of soil moisture using a microwave radiometer. SMAPs radiometer passband lies within the passive frequency allocation. However, both unauthorized in-band transmitters as well as out-of-band emissions from transmitters operating at frequencies adjacent to this allocated spectrum have been documented as sources of radio frequency interference (RFI) to the L-band radiometers on SMOS and Aquarius. The spectral environment consists of high RFI levels as well as significant occurrences of low level RFI equivalent to 0.1 to 10 K. The SMAP ground processor reports the antenna temperature both before and after RFI mitigation is applied. The difference between these quantities represents the detected RFI level. The presentation will review the SMAP RFI detection and mitigation procedure and discuss early on-orbit RFI measurements from the SMAP radiometer. Assessments of global RFI properties and source types will be provided, as well as the implications of these results for SMAP soil moisture measurements.

High-performance flexible microwave passives on plastic

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Zhenqiang; Seo, Jung-Hun; Cho, Sang June; Zhou, Weidong

2014-06-01

We report the demonstration of bendable inductors, capacitors and switches fabricated on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate that can operate at high microwave frequencies. By employing bendable dielectric and single crystalline semiconductor materials, spiral inductors and metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors with high quality factors and high resonance frequencies and single-pole, single-throw (SPST) switches were archived. The effects of mechanical bending on the performance of inductors, capacitors and switches were also measured and analyzed. We further investigated the highest possible resonance frequencies and quality factors of inductors and capacitors and, high frequency responses and insertion loss. These demonstrations will lead to flexible radio-frequency and microwave systems in the future.

Monolithic microwave integrated circuit technology for advanced space communication

Science.gov (United States)

Ponchak, George E.; Romanofsky, Robert R.

1988-01-01

Future Space Communications subsystems will utilize GaAs Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMIC's) to reduce volume, weight, and cost and to enhance system reliability. Recent advances in GaAs MMIC technology have led to high-performance devices which show promise for insertion into these next generation systems. The status and development of a number of these devices operating from Ku through Ka band will be discussed along with anticipated potential applications.

Snowmelt on the Greenland Ice Sheet as Derived From Passive Microwave Satellite Data

Science.gov (United States)

Abdalati, Waleed; Steffen, Konrad

1997-01-01

The melt extent of the snow on the Greenland ice sheet is of considerable importance to the ice sheet's mass and energy balance, as well as Arctic and global climates. By comparing passive microwave satellite data to field observations, variations in melt extent have been detected by establishing melt thresholds in the cross-polarized gradient ratio (XPGR). The XPGR, defined as the normalized difference between the 19-GHz horizontal channel and the 37-GHz vertical channel of the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), exploits the different effects of snow wetness on different frequencies and polarizations and establishes a distinct melt signal. Using this XPGR melt signal, seasonal and interannual variations in snowmelt extent of the ice sheet are studied. The melt is found to be most extensive on the western side of the ice sheet and peaks in late July. Moreover, there is a notable increasing trend in melt area between the years 1979 and 1991 of 4.4% per year, which came to an abrupt halt in 1992 after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. A similar trend is observed in the temperatures at six coastal stations. The relationship between the warming trend and increasing melt trend between 1979 and 1991 suggests that a 1 C temperature rise corresponds to an increase in melt area of 73000 sq km, which in general exceeds one standard deviation of the natural melt area variability.

Environmental Controls on Snow Cover Thickness and Water Equivalent in Two Sub-Arctic Mountain Catchments

OpenAIRE

Cosgrove, Christopher

2015-01-01

The spatial variability of snow cover characteristics (depth, density, and snow water equivalent [SWE]) has paramount importance for the management of water resources in mountain environments. Passive microwave (PM) inference of SWE from space-borne instrumentation is increasingly used but the reliability of this technique remains limited in mountainous areas. Complex topography and the transition between forest and alpine tundra vegetation zones create large spatial heterogeneities in the sn...

High-performance passive microwave survey on Josephson junctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Denisov, A.G.; Radzikhovsky, V.N.; Kudeliya, A.M. [State Research Center of Superconductive Radioelectronics, Kiev (Ukraine)

1994-12-31

The quasi-optical generations of image of objects with their internal structure in millimeter (MM) and submillimeter (SMM) bands is one of the prime problems of modern radioelectronics. The main advantage of passive MM imaging systems in comparison with visible and infrared (IR) systems is small attenuation of signals in fog, cloud, smoke, dust and other obscurants. However at a panoramic scanning of space the observation time lengthens and thereby the information processing rate becomes restricted. So that single-channel system cannot image in real time. Therefore we must use many radiometers in parallel to reduce the observation time. Such system must contain receiving sensors as pixels in multibeam antenna. The use of Josephson Junctions (JJ) for this purpose together with the cryoelectronic devices like GaAs FET or SQUIDS for signal amplifications after JJ is of particular interest in this case.

High-performance passive microwave survey on Josephson junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denisov, A.G.; Radzikhovsky, V.N.; Kudeliya, A.M.

1994-01-01

The quasi-optical generations of image of objects with their internal structure in millimeter (MM) and submillimeter (SMM) bands is one of the prime problems of modern radioelectronics. The main advantage of passive MM imaging systems in comparison with visible and infrared (IR) systems is small attenuation of signals in fog, cloud, smoke, dust and other obscurants. However at a panoramic scanning of space the observation time lengthens and thereby the information processing rate becomes restricted. So that single-channel system cannot image in real time. Therefore we must use many radiometers in parallel to reduce the observation time. Such system must contain receiving sensors as pixels in multibeam antenna. The use of Josephson Junctions (JJ) for this purpose together with the cryoelectronic devices like GaAs FET or SQUIDS for signal amplifications after JJ is of particular interest in this case

Microwave remote sensing of sea ice in the AIDJEX Main Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, W.J.; Wayenberg, J.; Ramseyer, J.B.; Ramseier, R.O.; Vant, M.R.; Weaver, R.; Redmond, A.; Arsenaul, L.; Gloersen, P.; Zwally, H.J.; Wilheit, T.T.; Chang, T.C.; Hall, D.; Gray, L.; Meeks, D.C.; Bryan, M.L.; Barath, F.T.; Elachi, C.; Leberl, F.; Farr, Tom

1978-01-01

During the AIDJEX Main Experiment, April 1975 through May 1976, a comprehensive microwave sensing program was performed on the sea ice of the Beaufort Sea. Surface and aircraft measurements were obtained during all seasons using a wide variety of active and passive microwave sensors. The surface program obtained passive microwave measurements of various ice types using four antennas mounted on a tracked vehicle. In three test regions, each with an area of approximately 1.5 ?? 104 m2, detailed ice crystallographic, dielectric properties, and brightness temperatures of first-year, multiyear, and first-year/multiyear mixtures were measured. A NASA aircraft obtained passive microwave measurements of the entire area of the AIDJEX manned station array (triangle) during each of 18 flights. This verified the earlier reported ability to distinguish first-year and multiyear ice types and concentration and gave new information on ways to observe ice mixtures and thin ice types. The active microwave measurements from aircraft included those from an X- and L-band radar and from a scatterometer. The former is used to study a wide variety of ice features and to estimate deformations, while both are equally usable to observe ice types. With the present data, only the scatterometer can be used to distinguish positively multiyear from first-year and various types of thin ice. This is best done using coupled active and passive microwave sensing. ?? 1978 D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Classification of sea ice types with single-band (33.6 GHz) airborne passive microwave imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Eppler, Duane T.; Farmer, L. Dennis; Lohanick, Alan W.; Hoover, Mervyn

1986-09-01

During March 1983 extensive high-quality airborne passive Ka band (33.6 GHz) microwave imagery and coincident high-resolution aerial photography were obtained of ice along a 378-km flight line in the Beaufort Sea. Analysis of these data suggests that four classes of winter surfaces can be distinguished solely on the basis of 33.6-GHz brightness temperature: open water, frazil, old ice, and young/first-year ice. New ice (excluding frazil) and nilas display brightness temperatures that overlap the range of temperatures characteristic of old ice and, to a lesser extent, young/first-year ice. Scenes in which a new ice or nilas are present in appreciable amounts are subject to substantial errors in classification if static measures of Ka band radiometric brightness temperature alone are considered. Textural characteristics of nilas and new ice, however, differ significantly from textural features characteristic of other ice types and probably can be used with brightness temperature data to classify ice type in high-resolution single-band microwave images. In any case, open water is radiometrically the coldest surface observed in any scene. Lack of overlap between brightness temperatures characteristic of other surfaces indicates that estimates of the areal extent of open water based on only 33.6-GHz brightness temperatures are accurate.

Assessment of the use of space technology in the monitoring of oil spills and ocean pollution: Technical volume. Executive summary

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarado, U. R. (Editor); Chafaris, G.; Chestek, J.; Contrad, J.; Frippel, G.; Gulatsi, R.; Heath, A.; Hodara, H.; Kritikos, H.; Tamiyasu, K.

1980-01-01

The potential of space systems and technology for detecting and monitoring ocean oil spills and waste pollution was assessed as well as the impact of this application on communication and data handling systems. Agencies charged with responsibilities in this area were identified and their measurement requirements were ascertained in order to determine the spatial resolution needed to characterize operational and accidental discharges. Microwave and optical sensors and sensing techniques were evaluated as candidate system elements. Capabilities are described for the following: synthetic aperture radar, microwave scatterometer, passive microwave radiometer, microwave altimeter, electro-optical sensors currently used in airborne detection, existing space-based optical sensors, the thematic mapper, and the pointable optical linear array.

Pre-launch simulation experiment of microwave-ionosphere nonlinear interaction rocket experiment in the space plasma chamber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaya, N. (Kobe University, Kobe, Japan); Tsutsui, M. (Kyoto University, Uji, Japan); Matsumoto, H. (Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan)

1980-09-01

A pre-flight test experiment of a microwave-ionosphere nonlinear interaction rocket experiment (MINIX) has been carried out in a space plasma simulation chamber. Though the first rocket experiment ended up in failure because of a high voltage trouble, interesting results are observed in the pre-flight experiment. A significant microwave heating of plasma up to 300% temperature increase is observed. Strong excitations of plasma waves by the transmitted microwaves in the VLF and HF range are observed as well. These microwave effects may have to be taken into account in solar power satellite projects in the future.

Goddard Technology Efforts to Improve Space Borne Laser Reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Heaps, William S.

2006-01-01

In an effort to reduce the risk, perceived and actual, of employing instruments containing space borne lasers NASA initiated the Laser Risk Reduction Program (LRRP) in 2001. This program managed jointly by NASA Langley and NASA Goddard and employing lasers researchers from government, university and industrial labs is nearing the conclusion of its planned 5 year duration. This paper will describe some of the efforts and results obtained by the Goddard half of the program.

Analytical Retrieval of Global Land Surface Emissivity Maps at AMSR-E passive microwave frequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Norouzi, H.; Temimi, M.; Khanbilvardi, R.

2009-12-01

Land emissivity is a crucial boundary condition in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) modeling. Land emissivity is also a key indicator of land surface and subsurface properties. The objective of this study, supported by NOAA-NESDIS, is to develop global land emissivity maps using AMSR-E passive microwave measurements along with several ancillary data. The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) database has been used to obtain several inputs for the proposed approach such as land surface temperature, cloud mask and atmosphere profile. The Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM) has been used to estimate upwelling and downwelling atmospheric contributions. Although it is well known that correction of the atmospheric effect on brightness temperature is required at higher frequencies (over 19 GHz), our preliminary results have shown that a correction at 10.7 GHz is also necessary over specific areas. The proposed approach is based on three main steps. First, all necessary data have been collected and processed. Second, a global cloud free composite of AMSR-E data and corresponding ancillary images is created. Finally, monthly composting of emissivity maps has been performed. AMSR-E frequencies at 6.9, 10.7, 18.7, 36.5 and 89.0 GHz have been used to retrieve the emissivity. Water vapor information obtained from ISCCP (TOVS data) was used to calculate upwelling, downwelling temperatures and atmospheric transmission in order to assess the consistency of those derived from the CRTM model. The frequent land surface temperature (LST) determination (8 times a day) in the ISCCP database has allowed us to assess the diurnal cycle effect on emissivity retrieval. Differences in magnitude and phase between thermal temperature and low frequencies microwave brightness temperature have been noticed. These differences seem to vary in space and time. They also depend on soil texture and thermal inertia. The proposed methodology accounts for these factors and

Estimating Global Ecosystem Isohydry/Anisohydry Using Active and Passive Microwave Satellite Data

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan; Guan, Kaiyu; Gentine, Pierre; Konings, Alexandra G.; Meinzer, Frederick C.; Kimball, John S.; Xu, Xiangtao; Anderegg, William R. L.; McDowell, Nate G.; Martinez-Vilalta, Jordi; Long, David G.; Good, Stephen P.

2017-12-01

The concept of isohydry/anisohydry describes the degree to which plants regulate their water status, operating from isohydric with strict regulation to anisohydric with less regulation. Though some species level measures of isohydry/anisohydry exist at a few locations, ecosystem-scale information is still largely unavailable. In this study, we use diurnal observations from active (Ku-Band backscatter from QuikSCAT) and passive (X-band vegetation optical depth (VOD) from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on EOS Aqua) microwave satellite data to estimate global ecosystem isohydry/anisohydry. Here diurnal observations from both satellites approximate predawn and midday plant canopy water contents, which are used to estimate isohydry/anisohydry. The two independent estimates from radar backscatter and VOD show reasonable agreement at low and middle latitudes but diverge at high latitudes. Grasslands, croplands, wetlands, and open shrublands are more anisohydric, whereas evergreen broadleaf and deciduous broadleaf forests are more isohydric. The direct validation with upscaled in situ species isohydry/anisohydry estimates indicates that the VOD-based estimates have much better agreement than the backscatter-based estimates. The indirect validation with prior knowledge suggests that both estimates are generally consistent in that vegetation water status of anisohydric ecosystems more closely tracks environmental fluctuations of water availability and demand than their isohydric counterparts. However, uncertainties still exist in the isohydry/anisohydry estimate, primarily arising from the remote sensing data and, to a lesser extent, from the methodology. The comprehensive assessment in this study can help us better understand the robustness, limitation, and uncertainties of the satellite-derived isohydry/anisohydry estimates. The ecosystem isohydry/anisohydry has the potential to reveal new insights into spatiotemporal ecosystem response to droughts.

Microwave energy transmission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumoto, Hiroshi [Kyoto Univ. (Japan)

1989-03-05

Laying stress on the technological problems and effect on the environment of microwave energy transmission, recent scientific and engineering problems and related subjects are described. Because no fuel is required for the solar power generation, the power generation system can not be considered as an expensive one when the unit cost of energy is taken into consideration. Some of the important technological problems in the microwave energy transmission are accurate microwave beam control technology to receiving stations and improvement in the efficiency of transmission system. Microwave energy beam has effects on living bodies, communication, and plasma atmosphere of the earth. Microwave energy transmission using a space flyer unit is scheduled. Its objective is the development of microwave wireless transmission technology and the study of the correlation between high power microwave and ionosphere plasma. Experiments on such a small scale application as a microwave driven space ship to bring results seem also important. 12 refs., 13 figs.

A Prototype Physical Database for Passive Microwave Retrievals of Precipitation over the US Southern Great Plains

Science.gov (United States)

Ringerud, S.; Kummerow, C. D.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.

2015-01-01

An accurate understanding of the instantaneous, dynamic land surface emissivity is necessary for a physically based, multi-channel passive microwave precipitation retrieval scheme over land. In an effort to assess the feasibility of the physical approach for land surfaces, a semi-empirical emissivity model is applied for calculation of the surface component in a test area of the US Southern Great Plains. A physical emissivity model, using land surface model data as input, is used to calculate emissivity at the 10GHz frequency, combining contributions from the underlying soil and vegetation layers, including the dielectric and roughness effects of each medium. An empirical technique is then applied, based upon a robust set of observed channel covariances, extending the emissivity calculations to all channels. For calculation of the hydrometeor contribution, reflectivity profiles from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Precipitation Radar (TRMM PR) are utilized along with coincident brightness temperatures (Tbs) from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI), and cloud-resolving model profiles. Ice profiles are modified to be consistent with the higher frequency microwave Tbs. Resulting modeled top of the atmosphere Tbs show correlations to observations of 0.9, biases of 1K or less, root-mean-square errors on the order of 5K, and improved agreement over the use of climatological emissivity values. The synthesis of these models and data sets leads to the creation of a simple prototype Tb database that includes both dynamic surface and atmospheric information physically consistent with the land surface model, emissivity model, and atmospheric information.

New Approach for Monitoring Seismic and Volcanic Activities Using Microwave Radiometer Data

Science.gov (United States)

Maeda, Takashi; Takano, Tadashi

Interferograms formed from the data of satellite-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) enable us to detect slight land-surface deformations related to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Currently, however, we cannot determine when land-surface deformations occurred with high time resolution since the time lag between two scenes of SAR used to form interferograms is longer than the recurrent period of the satellite carrying it (several tens of days). In order to solve this problem, we are investigating new approach to monitor seismic and vol-canic activities with higher time resolution from satellite-borne sensor data, and now focusing on a satellite-borne microwave radiometer. It is less subject to clouds and rainfalls over the ground than an infrared spectrometer, so more suitable to observe an emission from land sur-faces. With this advantage, we can expect that thermal microwave energy by increasing land surface temperatures is detected before a volcanic eruption. Additionally, laboratory experi-ments recently confirmed that rocks emit microwave energy when fractured. This microwave energy may result from micro discharges in the destruction of materials, or fragment motions with charged surfaces of materials. We first extrapolated the microwave signal power gener-ated by rock failures in an earthquake from the experimental results and concluded that the microwave signals generated by rock failures near the land surface are strong enough to be detected by a satellite-borne radiometer. Accordingly, microwave energy generated by rock failures associated with a seismic activity is likely to be detected as well. However, a satellite-borne microwave radiometer has a serious problem that its spatial res-olution is too coarse compared to SAR or an infrared spectrometer. In order to raise the possibility of detection, a new methodology to compensate the coarse spatial resolution is es-sential. Therefore, we investigated and developed an analysis method to detect local

Multiscale comparison of GPM radar and passive microwave precipitation fields over oceans and land: effective resolution and global/regional/local diagnostics for improving retrieval algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Guilloteau, C.; Foufoula-Georgiou, E.; Kummerow, C.; Kirstetter, P. E.

2017-12-01

A multiscale approach is used to compare precipitation fields retrieved from GMI using the last version of the GPROF algorithm (GPROF-2017) to the DPR fields all over the globe. Using a wavelet-based spectral analysis, which renders the multi-scale decompositions of the original fields independent of each other spatially and across scales, we quantitatively assess the various scales of variability of the retrieved fields, and thus define the spatially-variable "effective resolution" (ER) of the retrievals. Globally, a strong agreement is found between passive microwave and radar patterns at scales coarser than 80km. Over oceans the patterns match down to the 20km scale. Over land, comparison statistics are spatially heterogeneous. In most areas a strong discrepancy is observed between passive microwave and radar patterns at scales finer than 40-80km. The comparison is also supported by ground-based observations over the continental US derived from the NOAA/NSSL MRMS suite of products. While larger discrepancies over land than over oceans are classically explained by land complex surface emissivity perturbing the passive microwave retrieval, other factors are investigated here, such as intricate differences in the storm structure over oceans and land. Differences in term of statistical properties (PDF of intensities and spatial organization) of precipitation fields over land and oceans are assessed from radar data, as well as differences in the relation between the 89GHz brightness temperature and precipitation. Moreover, the multiscale approach allows quantifying the part of discrepancies caused by miss-match of the location of intense cells and instrument-related geometric effects. The objective is to diagnose shortcomings of current retrieval algorithms such that targeted improvements can be made to achieve over land the same retrieval performance as over oceans.

Extended phase space thermodynamics and P-V criticality: Brans-Dicke-Born-Infeld vs. Einstein-Born-Infeld-dilaton black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendi, S.H. [Shiraz University, Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), P. O. Box 55134-441, Maragha (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Tad, R.M.; Armanfard, Z.; Talezadeh, M.S. [Shiraz University, Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-05-15

Motivated by a thermodynamic analogy of black holes and Van der Waals liquid/gas systems, in this paper, we study P-V criticality of both dilatonic Born-Infeld black holes and their conformal solutions, Brans-Dicke-Born-Infeld solutions. Due to the conformal constraint, we have to neglect the old Lagrangian of dilatonic Born-Infeld theory and its black hole solutions, and introduce a new one. We obtain spherically symmetric nonlinearly charged black hole solutions in both Einstein and Jordan frames and then we calculate the related conserved and thermodynamic quantities. After that, we extend the phase space by considering the proportionality of the cosmological constant and thermodynamical pressure. We obtain critical values of the thermodynamic coordinates through numerical methods and plot the relevant P-V and G-T diagrams. Investigation of the mentioned diagrams helps us to study the thermodynamical phase transition. We also analyze the effects of varying different parameters on the phase transition of black holes. (orig.)

Passive Wireless Sensor System for Space and Structural Health Monitoring, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Aviana Molecular (Aviana) and the University of Central Florida (UCF) propose to develop a Passive Wireless Sensor System (PWSS) for Structural Health Monitoring...

Research on the space-borne coherent wind lidar technique and the prototype experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Long; Tao, Yuliang; An, Chao; Yang, Jukui; Du, Guojun; Zheng, Yongchao

2016-10-01

Space-borne coherent wind lidar technique is considered as one of the most promising and appropriate remote Sensing methods for successfully measuring the whole global vector wind profile between the lower atmosphere and the middle atmosphere. Compared with other traditional methods, the space-borne coherent wind lidar has some advantages, such as, the all-day operation; many lidar systems can be integrated into the same satellite because of the light-weight and the small size, eye-safe wavelength, and being insensitive to the background light. Therefore, this coherent lidar could be widely applied into the earth climate research, disaster monitoring, numerical weather forecast, environment protection. In this paper, the 2μm space-borne coherent wind lidar system for measuring the vector wind profile is proposed. And the technical parameters about the sub-system of the coherent wind lidar are simulated and the all sub-system schemes are proposed. For sake of validating the technical parameters of the space-borne coherent wind lidar system and the optical off-axis telescope, the weak laser signal detection technique, etc. The proto-type coherent wind lidar is produced and the experiments for checking the performance of this proto-type coherent wind lidar are finished with the hard-target and the soft target, and the horizontal wind and the vertical wind profile are measured and calibrated, respectively. For this proto-type coherent wind lidar, the wavelength is 1.54μm, the pulse energy 80μJ, the pulse width 300ns, the diameter of the off-axis telescope 120mm, the single wedge for cone scanning with the 40°angle, and the two dualbalanced InGaAs detector modules are used. The experiment results are well consisted with the simulation process, and these results show that the wind profile between the vertical altitude 4km can be measured, the accuracy of the wind velocity and the wind direction are better than 1m/s and +/-10°, respectively.

Development of reaction-sintered SiC mirror for space-borne optics

Science.gov (United States)

Yui, Yukari Y.; Kimura, Toshiyoshi; Tange, Yoshio

2017-11-01

We are developing high-strength reaction-sintered silicon carbide (RS-SiC) mirror as one of the new promising candidates for large-diameter space-borne optics. In order to observe earth surface or atmosphere with high spatial resolution from geostationary orbit, larger diameter primary mirrors of 1-2 m are required. One of the difficult problems to be solved to realize such optical system is to obtain as flat mirror surface as possible that ensures imaging performance in infrared - visible - ultraviolet wavelength region. This means that homogeneous nano-order surface flatness/roughness is required for the mirror. The high-strength RS-SiC developed and manufactured by TOSHIBA is one of the most excellent and feasible candidates for such purpose. Small RS-SiC plane sample mirrors have been manufactured and basic physical parameters and optical performances of them have been measured. We show the current state of the art of the RS-SiC mirror and the feasibility of a large-diameter RS-SiC mirror for space-borne optics.

Terahertz Harmonic Operation of Microwave Fresnel Zone Plate Lens and Antenna: Frequency Filtering and Space Resolution Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hristo D. Hristov

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the binary Fresnel zone plate (FZP lens frequency-harmonic and space-resolution focusing, and its application as a FZP lens antenna. A microwave FZP lens antenna (FZPA radiates both at design (90 GHz and terahertz (THz odd harmonic frequencies. Frequency and space domain antenna operation are studied analytically by use of the vector diffraction integral applied to a realistic printed FZPA. It is found that all harmonic gain peaks are roughly identical in form, bandwidth, and top values. At each harmonic frequency, the FZPA has a beamwidth that closely follows the Rayleigh resolution criterion. If the lens/antenna resolution is of prime importance and the small aperture efficiency is a secondary problem the microwave-design FZP lens antenna can be of great use at much higher terahertz frequencies. Important feature of the microwave FZP lens is its broader-zone construction compared to the equal in resolution terahertz-design FZP lens. Thus, unique and expensive microtechnology for the microwave FZP lens fabrication is not required. High-order harmonic operation of the FZP lens or lens antenna could find space resolution and frequency filtering applications in the terahertz and optical metrology, imaging tomography, short-range communications, spectral analysis, synchrotron facilities, and so on.

Handbook of microwave component measurements with advanced VNA techniques

CERN Document Server

Dunsmore, Joel P

2012-01-01

This book provides state-of-the-art coverage for making measurements on RF and Microwave Components, both active and passive. A perfect reference for R&D and Test Engineers, with topics ranging from the best practices for basic measurements, to an in-depth analysis of errors, correction methods, and uncertainty analysis, this book provides everything you need to understand microwave measurements. With primary focus on active and passive measurements using a Vector Network Analyzer, these techniques and analysis are equally applicable to measurements made with Spectrum Analyzers or Noise Figure

Balanced microwave filters

CERN Document Server

Hong, Jiasheng; Medina, Francisco; Martiacuten, Ferran

2018-01-01

This book presents and discusses strategies for the design and implementation of common-mode suppressed balanced microwave filters, including, narrowband, wideband, and ultra-wideband filters This book examines differential-mode, or balanced, microwave filters by discussing several implementations of practical realizations of these passive components. Topics covered include selective mode suppression, designs based on distributed and semi-lumped approaches, multilayer technologies, defect ground structures, coupled resonators, metamaterials, interference techniques, and substrate integrated waveguides, among others. Divided into five parts, Balanced Microwave Filters begins with an introduction that presents the fundamentals of balanced lines, circuits, and networks. Part 2 covers balanced transmission lines with common-mode noise suppression, including several types of common-mode filters and the application of such filters to enhance common-mode suppression in balanced bandpass filters. Next, Part 3 exa...

Towards a climatology of tropical cyclone morphometric structures using a newly standardized passive microwave satellite dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Cossuth, J.; Hart, R. E.

2013-12-01

storm's rainband and eyewall organization. Ultimately, this project develops a consistent climatology of TC structures using a new database of research-quality historical TC satellite microwave observations. Not only can such data sets more accurately study TC structural evolution, but they may facilitate automated TC intensity estimates and provide methods to enhance current operational and research products, such as at the NRL TC webpage (http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/TC.html). The process of developing the dataset and possible objective definitions of TC structures using passive microwave imagery will be described, with preliminary results suggesting new methods to identify TC structures that may interrogate and expand upon physical and dynamical theories. Structural metrics such as threshold analysis of the outlines of the TC shape as well as methods to diagnose the inner-core size, completion, and magnitude will be introduced.

Application of a plane-stratified emission model to predict the effects of vegetation in passive microwave radiometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Lee

2002-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the application to vegetation canopies of a coherent model for the propagation of electromagnetic radiation through a stratified medium. The resulting multi-layer vegetation model is plausibly realistic in that it recognises the dielectric permittivity of the vegetation matter, the mixing of the dielectric permittivities for vegetation and air within the canopy and, in simplified terms, the overall vertical distribution of dielectric permittivity and temperature through the canopy. Any sharp changes in the dielectric profile of the canopy resulted in interference effects manifested as oscillations in the microwave brightness temperature as a function of canopy height or look angle. However, when Gaussian broadening of the top and bottom of the canopy (reflecting the natural variability between plants was included within the model, these oscillations were eliminated. The model parameters required to specify the dielectric profile within the canopy, particularly the parameters that quantify the dielectric mixing between vegetation and air in the canopy, are not usually available in typical field experiments. Thus, the feasibility of specifying these parameters using an advanced single-criterion, multiple-parameter optimisation technique was investigated by automatically minimizing the difference between the modelled and measured brightness temperatures. The results imply that the mixing parameters can be so determined but only if other parameters that specify vegetation dry matter and water content are measured independently. The new model was then applied to investigate the sensitivity of microwave emission to specific vegetation parameters. Keywords: passive microwave, soil moisture, vegetation, SMOS, retrieval

Measures for minimizing radiation hazardous to the environment in the advent of large-scale space commercialization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murthy, S.N.

1990-01-01

The nature of hazardous effects from radio-frequency (RF), light, infrared, and nuclear radiation on human and other biological species in the advent of large-scale space commercialization is considered. Attention is focused on RF/microwave radiation from earth antennas and domestic picture phone communication links, exposure to microwave radiation from space solar-power satellites, and the continuous transmission of information from spacecraft as well as laser radiation from space. Measures for preventing and/or reducing these effects are suggested, including the use of interlocks for cutting off radiation toward ground, off-pointing microwave energy beams in cases of altitude failure, limiting the satellite off-axis gain data-rate product, the use of reflective materials on buildings and in personnel clothing to protect from space-borne lasers, and underwater colonies in cases of high-power lasers. For nuclear-power satellites, deposition in stable points in the solar system is proposed. 12 refs

A Robust Algorithm to Determine the Topology of Space from the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

OpenAIRE

Weeks, Jeffrey R.

2001-01-01

Satellite measurements of the cosmic microwave back-ground radiation will soon provide an opportunity to test whether the universe is multiply connected. This paper presents a new algorithm for deducing the topology of the universe from the microwave background data. Unlike an older algorithm, the new algorithm gives the curvature of space and the radius of the last scattering surface as outputs, rather than requiring them as inputs. The new algorithm is also more tolerant of erro...

Sea Ice Concentration Estimation Using Active and Passive Remote Sensing Data Fusion

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y.; Li, F.; Zhang, S.; Zhu, T.

2017-12-01

In this abstract, a decision-level fusion method by utilizing SAR and passive microwave remote sensing data for sea ice concentration estimation is investigated. Sea ice concentration product from passive microwave concentration retrieval methods has large uncertainty within thin ice zone. Passive microwave data including SSM/I, AMSR-E, and AMSR-2 provide daily and long time series observations covering whole polar sea ice scene, and SAR images provide rich sea ice details with high spatial resolution including deformation and polarimetric features. In the proposed method, the merits from passive microwave data and SAR data are considered. Sea ice concentration products from ASI and sea ice category label derived from CRF framework in SAR imagery are calibrated under least distance protocol. For SAR imagery, incident angle and azimuth angle were used to correct backscattering values from slant range to ground range in order to improve geocoding accuracy. The posterior probability distribution between category label from SAR imagery and passive microwave sea ice concentration product is modeled and integrated under Bayesian network, where Gaussian statistical distribution from ASI sea ice concentration products serves as the prior term, which represented as an uncertainty of sea ice concentration. Empirical model based likelihood term is constructed under Bernoulli theory, which meets the non-negative and monotonically increasing conditions. In the posterior probability estimation procedure, final sea ice concentration is obtained using MAP criterion, which equals to minimize the cost function and it can be calculated with nonlinear iteration method. The proposed algorithm is tested on multiple satellite SAR data sets including GF-3, Sentinel-1A, RADARSAT-2 and Envisat ASAR. Results show that the proposed algorithm can improve the accuracy of ASI sea ice concentration products and reduce the uncertainty along the ice edge.

Passive and active RF-microwave circuits course and exercises with solutions

CERN Document Server

Jarry, Pierre

2015-01-01

Microwave and radiofrequency (RF) circuits play an important role in communication systems. Due to the proliferation of radar, satellite, and mobile wireless systems, there is a need for design methods that can satisfy the ever increasing demand for accuracy, reliability, and fast development times. This book explores the principal elements for receiving and emitting signals between Earth stations, satellites, and RF (mobile phones) in four parts; the theory and realization of couplers, computation and realization of microwave and RF filters, amplifiers and microwave and RF oscillators. Pas

A microcontroller-based microwave free-space measurement system for permittivity determination of lossy liquid materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasar, U C

2009-05-01

A microcontroller-based noncontact and nondestructive microwave free-space measurement system for real-time and dynamic determination of complex permittivity of lossy liquid materials has been proposed. The system is comprised of two main sections--microwave and electronic. While the microwave section provides for measuring only the amplitudes of reflection coefficients, the electronic section processes these data and determines the complex permittivity using a general purpose microcontroller. The proposed method eliminates elaborate liquid sample holder preparation and only requires microwave components to perform reflection measurements from one side of the holder. In addition, it explicitly determines the permittivity of lossy liquid samples from reflection measurements at different frequencies without any knowledge on sample thickness. In order to reduce systematic errors in the system, we propose a simple calibration technique, which employs simple and readily available standards. The measurement system can be a good candidate for industrial-based applications.

Estimation of areal soil water content through microwave remote sensing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oevelen, van P.J.

2000-01-01

In this thesis the use of microwave remote sensing to estimate soil water content is investigated. A general framework is described which is applicable to both passive and active microwave remote sensing of soil water content. The various steps necessary to estimate areal soil water content

Discrimination of Mineral Aerosols From Clouds With Passive Multi-channel Space-borne Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Darmenov, A.; Sokolik, I. N.

2005-12-01

Reliable discrimination of aerosols from clouds is critical for retrieving both aerosol and cloud properties as well as other atmospheric characteristics. Using MODIS data for the period 2000-2004, this study examines several techniques that were proposed for discriminating mineral dust from clouds. A number of representative cases of dust plumes mixed with clouds over oceans were analyzed. Selected cases represent the main dust sources located in East and South Asia, Middle East, Northern Africa, and Australia. For each case, we examine the performance of the commonly used 3x3 1km pixel standard deviation approach and compare it against other improved methods that account for the scale of the variable used in the variability analysis. We also tested the techniques based on brightness temperature differences. Our study demonstrates various limitations of existing methods and stresses the need for improved techniques. A new technique that uses ratios of VIS and NIR channels is being tested on a regional basis. The results will be presented and implications for the discrimination of dust from clouds with passive sensors planned for the NPOESS mission will be discussed.

Ionization steps and phase-space metamorphoses in the pulsed microwave ionization of highly excited hydrogen atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayfield, J.E.; Luie, S.Y.; Perotti, L.C.; Skrzypkowski, M.P.

1996-01-01

As the peak electric field of the microwave pulse is increased, steps in the classical microwave ionization probability of the highly excited hydrogen atom are produced by phase-space metamorphosis. They arise from new layers of Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM) islands being exposed as KAM surfaces are destroyed. Both quantum numerical calculations and laboratory experiments exhibit the ionization steps, showing that such metamorphoses influence pulsed semiclassical systems. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) Sensor Data Record (SDR) in netCDF

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) is a series of passive microwave conically scanning imagers and sounders onboard the DMSP satellites beginning...

Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) Temperature Data Record (TDR) in netCDF

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) is a series of passive microwave conically scanning imagers and sounders onboard the DMSP satellites beginning...

High temperature superconductivity space experiment (HTSSE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nisenoff, M.; Gubser, D.V.; Wolf, S.A.; Ritter, J.C.; Price, G.

1991-01-01

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is exploring the feasibility of deploying high temperature superconductivity (HTS) devices and components in space. A variety of devices, primarily passive microwave and millimeter wave components, have been procured and will be integrated with a cryogenic refrigerator system and data acquisition system to form the space package, which will be launched late in 1992. This Space Experiment will demonstrate that this technology is sufficiently robust to survive the space environment and has the potential to significantly improved space communications systems. The devices for the initial launch (HTSSE-I) have been received by NRL and evaluated electrically, thermally and mechanically and will be integrated into the final space package early in 1991. In this paper the performance of the devices are summarized and some potential applications of HTS technology in space system are outlined

Space chamber experiments of ohmic heating by high power microwave from the solar power satellite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.

1981-12-01

It is quantitatively predicted that a high power microwave from the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) nonlinearly interacts with the ionospheric plasma. The possible nonlinear interactions are ohmic heating, self-focusing and parametric instabilities. A rocket experiment called MINIX (Microwave-Ionosphere Nonlinear Interaction Experiment) has been attempted to examine these effects, but is note reported here. In parallel to the rocket experiment, a laboratory experiment in a space plasma simulation chamber has been carried out in order to examine ohmic heating in detail and to develop a system of the rocket experiment. Interesting results were observed and these results were utilized to revise the system of the rocket experiments. A significant microwave heating of plasma up to 150% temperature increase was observed with little electron density decrease. It was shown that the temperature increase is not due to the RF breakdown but to the ohmic heating in the simulated ionospheric plasma. These microwave effects have to be taken into account in the SPS Project in the future.

Usability and Interoperability Improvements for an EASE-Grid 2.0 Passive Microwave Data Product Using CF Conventions

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman, M.; Brodzik, M. J.; Long, D. G.

2017-12-01

Beginning in 1978, the satellite passive microwave data record has been a mainstay of remote sensing of the cryosphere, providing twice-daily, near-global spatial coverage for monitoring changes in hydrologic and cryospheric parameters that include precipitation, soil moisture, surface water, vegetation, snow water equivalent, sea ice concentration and sea ice motion. Historical versions of the gridded passive microwave data sets were produced as flat binary files described in human-readable documentation. This format is error-prone and makes it difficult to reliably include all processing and provenance. Funded by NASA MEaSUREs, we have completely reprocessed the gridded data record that includes SMMR, SSM/I-SSMIS and AMSR-E. The new Calibrated Enhanced-Resolution Brightness Temperature (CETB) Earth System Data Record (ESDR) files are self-describing. Our approach to the new data set was to create netCDF4 files that use standard metadata conventions and best practices to incorporate file-level, machine- and human-readable contents, geolocation, processing and provenance metadata. We followed the flexible and adaptable Climate and Forecast (CF-1.6) Conventions with respect to their coordinate conventions and map projection parameters. Additionally, we made use of Attribute Conventions for Dataset Discovery (ACDD-1.3) that provided file-level conventions with spatio-temporal bounds that enable indexing software to search for coverage. Our CETB files also include temporal coverage and spatial resolution in the file-level metadata for human-readability. We made use of the JPL CF/ACDD Compliance Checker to guide this work. We tested our file format with real software, for example, netCDF Command-line Operators (NCO) power tools for unlimited control on spatio-temporal subsetting and concatenation of files. The GDAL tools understand the CF metadata and produce fully-compliant geotiff files from our data. ArcMap can then reproject the geotiff files on-the-fly and work

Mapping Daily and Maximum Flood Extents at 90-m Resolution During Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Using Passive Microwave Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Galantowicz, J. F.; Picton, J.; Root, B.

2017-12-01

Passive microwave remote sensing can provided a distinct perspective on flood events by virtue of wide sensor fields of view, frequent observations from multiple satellites, and sensitivity through clouds and vegetation. During Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, we used AMSR2 (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2, JAXA) data to map flood extents starting from the first post-storm rain-free sensor passes. Our standard flood mapping algorithm (FloodScan) derives flooded fraction from 22-km microwave data (AMSR2 or NASA's GMI) in near real time and downscales it to 90-m resolution using a database built from topography, hydrology, and Global Surface Water Explorer data and normalized to microwave data footprint shapes. During Harvey and Irma we tested experimental versions of the algorithm designed to map the maximum post-storm flood extent rapidly and made a variety of map products available immediately for use in storm monitoring and response. The maps have several unique features including spanning the entire storm-affected area and providing multiple post-storm updates as flood water shifted and receded. From the daily maps we derived secondary products such as flood duration, maximum flood extent (Figure 1), and flood depth. In this presentation, we describe flood extent evolution, maximum extent, and local details as detected by the FloodScan algorithm in the wake of Harvey and Irma. We compare FloodScan results to other available flood mapping resources, note observed shortcomings, and describe improvements made in response. We also discuss how best-estimate maps could be updated in near real time by merging FloodScan products and data from other remote sensing systems and hydrological models.

The effects of passive humidifier dead space on respiratory variables in paralyzed and spontaneously breathing patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, R S; Davis, K; Johannigman, J A; Branson, R D

2000-03-01

Passive humidifiers have gained acceptance in the intensive care unit because of their low cost, simple operation, and elimination of condensate from the breathing circuit. However, the additional dead space of these devices may adversely affect respiratory function in certain patients. This study evaluates the effects of passive humidifier dead space on respiratory function. Two groups of patients were studied. The first group consisted of patients recovering from acute lung injury and breathing spontaneously on pressure support ventilation. The second group consisted of patients who were receiving controlled mechanical ventilation and were chemically paralyzed following operative procedures. All patients used 3 humidification devices in random order for one hour each. The devices were a heated humidifier (HH), a hygroscopic heat and moisture exchanger (HHME) with a dead space of 28 mL, and a heat and moisture exchanger (HME) with a dead space of 90 mL. During each measurement period the following were recorded: tidal volume, minute volume, respiratory frequency, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, ratio of dead space volume to tidal volume (VD/VT), and blood gases. In the second group, intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure was also measured. Addition of either of the passive humidifiers was associated with increased VD/VT. In spontaneously breathing patients, VD/VT increased from 59 +/- 13 (HH) to 62 +/- 13 (HHME) to 68 +/- 11% (HME) (p < 0.05). In these patients, constant alveolar ventilation was maintained as a result of increased respiratory frequency, from 22.1 +/- 6.6 breaths/min (HH) to 24.5 +/- 6.9 breaths/min (HHME) to 27.7 +/- 7.4 breaths/min (HME) (p < 0.05), and increased minute volume, from 9.1 +/- 3.5 L/min (HH) to 9.9 +/- 3.6 L/min (HHME) to 11.7 +/- 4.2 L/min (HME) (p < 0.05). There were no changes in blood gases or carbon dioxide production. In the paralyzed patient group, VD/VT increased from 54 +/- 12% (HH) to 56 +/- 10% (HHME

Four Decades of Space-Borne Radio Sounding

Science.gov (United States)

Benson, Robert F.

2010-01-01

A review is given of the 38 rocket, satellite, and planetary payloads dedicated to ionospheric/magnetospheric radio sounding since 1961. Between 1961 and 1995, eleven sounding-rocket payloads from four countries evolved from proof-of-concept flights to sophisticated instruments. Some involved dual payloads, with the sounder transmitter on one and the sounder receiver on the other. The rocket sounders addressed specific space-plasma-wave questions, and provided improved measurements of ionospheric electron-density (N(sub e)) field-aligned irregularities (FAI). Four countries launched 12 ionospheric topside-sounder satellites between 1962 and 1994, and an ionospheric sounder was placed on the Mir Space Station in 1998. Eleven magnetospheric radio sounders, most of the relaxation type, were launched from 1977 to 2000. The relaxation sounders used low-power transmitters, designed to stimulate plasma resonances for accurate local Ne determinations. The latest magnetospheric sounder designed for remote sensing incorporated long antennas and digital signal processing techniques to overcome the challenges posed by low Ne values and large propagation distances. Three radio sounders from three countries were included on payloads to extraterrestrial destinations from 1990 to 2003. The scientific accomplishments of space-borne radio sounders included (1) a wealth of global N(sub e) information on the topside ionosphere and magnetosphere, based on vertical and magnetic-field-aligned N(sub e) profiles; (2) accurate in-situ N(sub e) values, even under low-density conditions; and (3) fundamental advances in our understanding of the excitation and propagation of plasma waves, which have even led to the prediction of a new plasma-wave mode.

English/Russian terminology on radiometric calibration of space-borne optoelectronic sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Privalsky, V.; Zakharenkov, V.; Humpherys, T.; Sapritsky, V.; Datla, R.

The efficient use of data acquired through exo-atmospheric observations of the Earth within the framework of existing and newly planned programs requires a unique understanding of respective terms and definitions. Yet, the last large-scale document on the subject - The International Electrotechnical Vocabulary - had been published 18 years ago. This lack of a proper document, which would reflect the changes that had occurred in the area since that time, is especially detrimental to the developing international efforts aimed at global observations of the Earth from space such as the Global Earth Observations Program proposed by the U.S.A. at the 2003 WMO Congress. To cover this gap at least partially, a bi-lingual explanatory dictionary of terms and definitions in the area of radiometric calibration of space-borne IR sensors is developed. The objectives are to produce a uniform terminology for the global space-borne observations of the Earth, establish a unique understanding of terms and definitions by the radiometric communities, including a correspondence between the Russian and American terms and definitions, and to develop a formal English/Russian reference dictionary for use by scientists and engineers involved in radiometric observations of the Earth from space. The dictionary includes close to 400 items covering basic concepts of geometric, wave and corpuscular optics, remote sensing technologies, and ground-based calibration as well as more detailed treatment of terms and definitions in the areas of radiometric quantities, symbols and units, optical phenomena and optical properties of objects and media, and radiometric systems and their properties. The dictionary contains six chapters: Basic Concepts, Quantities, Symbols, and Units, Optical phenomena, Optical characteristics of surfaces and media, Components of Radiometric Systems, Characteristics of radiometric system components, plus English/Russian and Russian/Inglish indices.

Tunable microwave signal generation based on an Opto-DMD processor and a photonic crystal fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Tao; Sang Xin-Zhu; Yan Bin-Bin; Li Yan; Song Fei-Jun; Zhang Xia; Wang Kui-Ru; Yuan Jin-Hui; Yu Chong-Xiu; Ai Qi; Chen Xiao; Zhang Ying; Chen Gen-Xiang; Xiao Feng; Kamal Alameh

2014-01-01

Frequency-tunable microwave signal generation is proposed and experimentally demonstrated with a dual-wavelength single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) erbium-doped fiber ring laser based on a digital Opto-DMD processor and four-wave mixing (FWM) in a high-nonlinear photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The high-nonlinear PCF is employed for the generation of the FWM to obtain stable and uniform dual-wavelength oscillation. Two different short passive sub-ring cavities in the main ring cavity serve as mode filters to make SLM lasing. The two lasing wavelengths are electronically selected by loading different gratings on the Opto-DMD processor controlled with a computer. The wavelength spacing can be smartly adjusted from 0.165 nm to 1.08 nm within a tuning accuracy of 0.055 nm. Two microwave signals at 17.23 GHz and 27.47 GHz are achieved. The stability of the microwave signal is discussed. The system has the ability to generate a 137.36-GHz photonic millimeter signal at room temperature

Assimilation of a knowledge base and physical models to reduce errors in passive-microwave classifications of sea ice

Science.gov (United States)

Maslanik, J. A.; Key, J.

1992-01-01

An expert system framework has been developed to classify sea ice types using satellite passive microwave data, an operational classification algorithm, spatial and temporal information, ice types estimated from a dynamic-thermodynamic model, output from a neural network that detects the onset of melt, and knowledge about season and region. The rule base imposes boundary conditions upon the ice classification, modifies parameters in the ice algorithm, determines a `confidence' measure for the classified data, and under certain conditions, replaces the algorithm output with model output. Results demonstrate the potential power of such a system for minimizing overall error in the classification and for providing non-expert data users with a means of assessing the usefulness of the classification results for their applications.

Single-Mode, High Repetition Rate, Compact Ho:YLF Laser for Space-Borne Lidar Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Yingxin; Yu, Jirong; Wong, Teh-Hwa; Chen, Songsheng; Petros, Mulugeta; Singh, Upendra N.

2014-01-01

A single transverse/longitudinal mode, compact Q-switched Ho:YLF laser has been designed and demonstrated for space-borne lidar applications. The pulse energy is between 34-40 mJ for 100-200 Hz operation. The corresponding peak power is >1 MW.

Dodecahedral space topology as an explanation for weak wide-angle temperature correlations in the cosmic microwave background.

Science.gov (United States)

Luminet, Jean-Pierre; Weeks, Jeffrey R; Riazuelo, Alain; Lehoucq, Roland; Uzan, Jean-Philippe

2003-10-09

The current 'standard model' of cosmology posits an infinite flat universe forever expanding under the pressure of dark energy. First-year data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) confirm this model to spectacular precision on all but the largest scales. Temperature correlations across the microwave sky match expectations on angular scales narrower than 60 degrees but, contrary to predictions, vanish on scales wider than 60 degrees. Several explanations have been proposed. One natural approach questions the underlying geometry of space--namely, its curvature and topology. In an infinite flat space, waves from the Big Bang would fill the universe on all length scales. The observed lack of temperature correlations on scales beyond 60 degrees means that the broadest waves are missing, perhaps because space itself is not big enough to support them. Here we present a simple geometrical model of a finite space--the Poincaré dodecahedral space--which accounts for WMAP's observations with no fine-tuning required. The predicted density is Omega(0) approximately 1.013 > 1, and the model also predicts temperature correlations in matching circles on the sky.

Extended Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) Temperature Data Record (TDR) in netCDF

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) is a seven-channel linearly polarized passive microwave radiometer that operates at frequencies of 19.36 (vertically and...

Extended Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) Sensor Data Record (SDR) in netCDF

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) is a seven-channel linearly polarized passive microwave radiometer that operates at frequencies of 19.36 (vertically and...

High-Q microwave photonic filter with a tuned modulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Capmany, J; Mora, J; Ortega, B; Pastor, D

2005-09-01

We propose the use of tuned electro-optic or electroabsorption external modulators to implement high-quality (high-Q) factor, single-bandpass photonic filters for microwave signals. Using this approach, we experimentally demonstrate a transversal finite impulse response with a Q factor of 237. This is to our knowledge the highest value ever reported for a passive finite impulse-response microwave photonic filter.

Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Gasparetto

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In the space environment the absence of gravity calls for constant safe attachment of any loose object, but the low-pressure conditions prohibit the use of glue-type adhesives. The attachment system of freely hunting spiders, e.g. Evarcha arcuata, employs van der Waals forces and mechanical interlocking. Furthermore, detachment is achieved passively and requires little force. Hence, the spider serves as a model for a versatile legged robot for space applications, e.g. on the outer surface of a space station. In this paper, we analyse the dry attachment systems of E. arcuata and geckos as well as the kinematics of freely hunting spiders. We generalise the results of biological studies on spider locomotion and mobility, including the major movement and the position constraints set by the dry adhesion system. From these results, we define a simplified spider model and study the overall kinematics of the legs both in flight and in contact with the surface. The kinematic model, the data on spider gait characteristics and the adhesion constraints are implemented in a kinematic simulator. The simulator results confirm the principal functionality of our concept.

AsteroidFinder - the space-borne telescope to search for NEO Asteroids

Science.gov (United States)

Hartl, M.; Mosebach, H.; Schubert, J.; Michaelis, H.; Mottola, S.; Kührt, E.; Schindler, K.

2017-11-01

This paper presents the mission profile as well as the optical configuration of the space-borne AsteroidFinder telescope. Its main objective is to retrieve asteroids with orbits interior to the earth's orbit. The instrument requires high sensitivity to detect asteroids with a limiting magnitude of equal or larger than 18.5mag (V-Band) and astrometric accuracy of 1arcsec (1σ). This requires a telescope aperture greater than 400cm2, high image stability, detector with high quantum efficiency (peak > 90%) and very low noise, which is only limited by zodiacal background. The telescope will observe the sky between 30° and 60° in solar elongation. The telescope optics is based on a Cook type TMA. An effective 2°×2° field of view (FOV) is achieved by a fast F/3.4 telescope with near diffraction-limited performance. The absence of centre obscuration or spiders in combination with an accessible intermediate field plane and exit pupil allow for efficient stray light mitigation. Design drivers for the telescope are the required point spread function (PSF) values, an extremely efficient stray light suppression (due to the magnitude requirement mentioned above), the detector performance, and the overall optical and mechanical stability for all orientations of the satellite. To accommodate the passive thermal stabilization scheme and the necessary structural stability, the materials selection for the telescope main structure and the mirrors are of vital importance. A focal plane with four EMCCD detectors is envisaged. The EMCCD technology features shorter integration times, which is in favor regarding the pointing performance of the satellite. The launch of the mission is foreseen for the year 2013 with a subsequent mission lifetime of at least 1 year.

Enhanced hemispheric-scale snow mapping through the blending of optical and microwave satellite data

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, R. L.; Brodzik, M. J.; Savoie, M.; Knowles, K.

2003-04-01

Snow cover is an important variable for climate and hydrologic models due to its effects on energy and moisture budgets. Seasonal snow can cover more than 50% of the Northern Hemisphere land surface during the winter resulting in snow cover being the land surface characteristic responsible for the largest annual and interannual differences in albedo. Passive microwave satellite remote sensing can augment measurements based on visible satellite data alone because of the ability to acquire data through most clouds or during darkness as well as to provide a measure of snow depth or water equivalent. Global snow cover fluctuation can now be monitored over a 24 year period using passive microwave data (Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) 1978-1987 and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), 1987-present). Evaluation of snow extent derived from passive microwave algorithms is presented through comparison with the NOAA Northern Hemisphere weekly snow extent data. For the period 1978 to 2002, both passive microwave and visible data sets show a similar pattern of inter-annual variability, although the maximum snow extents derived from the microwave data are consistently less than those provided by the visible satellite data and the visible data typically show higher monthly variability. Decadal trends and their significance are compared for the two data types. During shallow snow conditions of the early winter season microwave data consistently indicate less snow-covered area than the visible data. This underestimate of snow extent results from the fact that shallow snow cover (less than about 5.0 cm) does not provide a scattering signal of sufficient strength to be detected by the algorithms. As the snow cover continues to build during the months of January through March, as well as throughout the melt season, agreement between the two data types continually improves. This occurs because as the snow becomes deeper and the layered structure more complex, the

Distress detection, location, and communications using advanced space technology. [satellite-borne synthetic aperture radar

Science.gov (United States)

Sivertson, W. E., Jr.

1977-01-01

This paper briefly introduces a concept for low-cost, global, day-night, all-weather disaster warning and assistance. Evolving, advanced space technology with passive radio frequency reflectors in conjunction with an imaging synthetic aperture radar is employed to detect, identify, locate, and provide passive communication with earth users in distress. This concept evolved from a broad NASA research on new global search and rescue techniques. Appropriate airborne radar test results from this research are reviewed and related to potential disaster applications. The analysis indicates the approach has promise for disaster communications relative to floods, droughts, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and severe storms.

End-of-Mission Passivation: Successes and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Nicholas; Matney, Mark

2012-01-01

The passivation of spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages at end-of-mission has been a principal space debris mitigation measure world-wide since the 1980 s. Space vehicle passivation includes the removal of stored energies, especially those associated with propulsion and electrical power systems. Prior to 2007 the breakup of non-functioning, non-passivated space vehicles was the major source of hazardous debris in Earth orbit. The United Nations and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee have both included passivation in their formal space debris mitigation guidelines. This often simple countermeasure has been adopted by many spacefaring countries and organizations and has undoubtedly prevented numerous major satellite breakups. For some existing space vehicle designs, passivation requires changes in hardware, software, and/or operational procedures. Questions about the permissible degree of passivation for both current and future space vehicles have arisen and are addressed herein. An important element to be considered is the potentially long period in which the space vehicle will remain in orbit, i.e., up to 25 years after mission termination in LEO and for centuries in orbits above LEO. Finally, the issue of passivation of space vehicles which have failed prematurely is addressed.

Advanced Microwave Circuits and Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

This book is based on recent research work conducted by the authors dealing with the design and development of active and passive microwave components, integrated circuits and systems. It is divided into seven parts. In the first part comprising the first two chapters, alternative concepts...... amplifier architectures. In addition, distortion analysis and power combining techniques are considered. Another key element in most microwave systems is a signal generator. It forms the heart of all kinds of communication and radar systems. The fourth part of this book is dedicated to signal generators...... push currently available technologies to the limits. Some considerations to meet the growing requirements are provided in the fifth part of this book. The following part deals with circuits based on LTCC and MEMS technologies. The book concludes with chapters considering application of microwaves...

A passive on-chip, superconducting circulator using rings of tunnel junctions

OpenAIRE

Müller, Clemens; Guan, Shengwei; Vogt, Nicolas; Cole, Jared H.; Stace, Thomas M.

2017-01-01

We present the design of a passive, on-chip microwave circulator based on a ring of superconducting tunnel junctions. We investigate two distinct physical realisations, based on either Josephson junctions (JJ) or quantum phase slip elements (QPS), with microwave ports coupled either capacitively (JJ) or inductively (QPS) to the ring structure. A constant bias applied to the center of the ring provides the symmetry breaking (effective) magnetic field, and no microwave or rf bias is required. W...

Estimation of Hydraulic properties of a sandy soil using ground-based active and passive microwave remote sensing

KAUST Repository

Jonard, François

2015-06-01

In this paper, we experimentally analyzed the feasibility of estimating soil hydraulic properties from 1.4 GHz radiometer and 0.8-2.6 GHz ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data. Radiometer and GPR measurements were performed above a sand box, which was subjected to a series of vertical water content profiles in hydrostatic equilibrium with a water table located at different depths. A coherent radiative transfer model was used to simulate brightness temperatures measured with the radiometer. GPR data were modeled using full-wave layered medium Green\\'s functions and an intrinsic antenna representation. These forward models were inverted to optimally match the corresponding passive and active microwave data. This allowed us to reconstruct the water content profiles, and thereby estimate the sand water retention curve described using the van Genuchten model. Uncertainty of the estimated hydraulic parameters was quantified using the Bayesian-based DREAM algorithm. For both radiometer and GPR methods, the results were in close agreement with in situ time-domain reflectometry (TDR) estimates. Compared with radiometer and TDR, much smaller confidence intervals were obtained for GPR, which was attributed to its relatively large bandwidth of operation, including frequencies smaller than 1.4 GHz. These results offer valuable insights into future potential and emerging challenges in the development of joint analyses of passive and active remote sensing data to retrieve effective soil hydraulic properties.

Space-based passive microwave soil moisture retrievals and the correction for a dynamic open water fraction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. T. Gouweleeuw

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The large observation footprint of low-frequency satellite microwave emissions complicates the interpretation of near-surface soil moisture retrievals. While the effect of sub-footprint lateral heterogeneity is relatively limited under unsaturated conditions, open water bodies (if not accounted for cause a strong positive bias in the satellite-derived soil moisture retrieval. This bias is generally assumed static and associated with large, continental lakes and coastal areas. Temporal changes in the extent of smaller water bodies as small as a few percent of the sensor footprint size, however, can cause significant and dynamic biases. We analysed the influence of such small open water bodies on near-surface soil moisture products derived from actual (non-synthetic data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E for three areas in Oklahoma, USA. Differences between on-ground observations, model estimates and AMSR-E retrievals were related to dynamic estimates of open water fraction, one retrieved from a global daily record based on higher frequency AMSR-E data, a second derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS and a third through inversion of the radiative transfer model, used to retrieve soil moisture. The comparison demonstrates the presence of relatively small areas (<0.05 of open water in or near the sensor footprint, possibly in combination with increased, below-critical vegetation density conditions (optical density <0.8, which contribute to seasonally varying biases in excess of 0.2 (m³ m⁻³ soil water content. These errors need to be addressed, either through elimination or accurate characterisation, if the soil moisture retrievals are to be used effectively in a data assimilation scheme.

An RFI Detection Algorithm for Microwave Radiometers Using Sparse Component Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed-Tano, Priscilla N.; Korde-Patel, Asmita; Gholian, Armen; Piepmeier, Jeffrey R.; Schoenwald, Adam; Bradley, Damon

2017-01-01

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) is a threat to passive microwave measurements and if undetected, can corrupt science retrievals. The sparse component analysis (SCA) for blind source separation has been investigated to detect RFI in microwave radiometer data. Various techniques using SCA have been simulated to determine detection performance with continuous wave (CW) RFI.

Microwave Remote Sensing Modeling of Ocean Surface Salinity and Winds Using an Empirical Sea Surface Spectrum

Science.gov (United States)

Yueh, Simon H.

2004-01-01

Active and passive microwave remote sensing techniques have been investigated for the remote sensing of ocean surface wind and salinity. We revised an ocean surface spectrum using the CMOD-5 geophysical model function (GMF) for the European Remote Sensing (ERS) C-band scatterometer and the Ku-band GMF for the NASA SeaWinds scatterometer. The predictions of microwave brightness temperatures from this model agree well with satellite, aircraft and tower-based microwave radiometer data. This suggests that the impact of surface roughness on microwave brightness temperatures and radar scattering coefficients of sea surfaces can be consistently characterized by a roughness spectrum, providing physical basis for using combined active and passive remote sensing techniques for ocean surface wind and salinity remote sensing.

Spectroscopic study of microwave induced plasmas : exploration of active and passive methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vries, de N.

2008-01-01

Microwave induced plasmas (MIPs) are used for a number of high-tech applications like material processing, light generation, gas cleaning and spectrochemical analysis. Especially the feature that MIPs can be operated remotely and that the propagation of the microwaves can be manipulated with slits,

Soil Moisture Retrieval Using Convolutional Neural Networks: Application to Passive Microwave Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Z.; Xu, L.; Yu, B.

2018-04-01

A empirical model is established to analyse the daily retrieval of soil moisture from passive microwave remote sensing using convolutional neural networks (CNN). Soil moisture plays an important role in the water cycle. However, with the rapidly increasing of the acquiring technology for remotely sensed data, it's a hard task for remote sensing practitioners to find a fast and convenient model to deal with the massive data. In this paper, the AMSR-E brightness temperatures are used to train CNN for the prediction of the European centre for medium-range weather forecasts (ECMWF) model. Compared with the classical inversion methods, the deep learning-based method is more suitable for global soil moisture retrieval. It is very well supported by graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration, which can meet the demand of massive data inversion. Once the model trained, a global soil moisture map can be predicted in less than 10 seconds. What's more, the method of soil moisture retrieval based on deep learning can learn the complex texture features from the big remote sensing data. In this experiment, the results demonstrates that the CNN deployed to retrieve global soil moisture can achieve a better performance than the support vector regression (SVR) for soil moisture retrieval.

SOIL MOISTURE RETRIEVAL USING CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS: APPLICATION TO PASSIVE MICROWAVE REMOTE SENSING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Hu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available A empirical model is established to analyse the daily retrieval of soil moisture from passive microwave remote sensing using convolutional neural networks (CNN. Soil moisture plays an important role in the water cycle. However, with the rapidly increasing of the acquiring technology for remotely sensed data, it's a hard task for remote sensing practitioners to find a fast and convenient model to deal with the massive data. In this paper, the AMSR-E brightness temperatures are used to train CNN for the prediction of the European centre for medium-range weather forecasts (ECMWF model. Compared with the classical inversion methods, the deep learning-based method is more suitable for global soil moisture retrieval. It is very well supported by graphics processing unit (GPU acceleration, which can meet the demand of massive data inversion. Once the model trained, a global soil moisture map can be predicted in less than 10 seconds. What's more, the method of soil moisture retrieval based on deep learning can learn the complex texture features from the big remote sensing data. In this experiment, the results demonstrates that the CNN deployed to retrieve global soil moisture can achieve a better performance than the support vector regression (SVR for soil moisture retrieval.

The cosmic microwave background: past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silk, Joseph

2007-01-01

The cosmic microwave background has provided an unprecedented cosmological window on the very early universe for probing the initial conditions from which structure evolved. Infinitesimal variations in temperature on the sky, first predicted in 1967 but only discovered in the 1990s, provide the fossil fluctuations that seeded the formation of the galaxies. The cosmic microwave background radiation has now been mapped with ground-based, balloon-borne and satellite telescopes. I describe its current status and future challenges

Nonlinear interaction of strong microwave beam with the ionosphere MINIX rocket experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.; Miyatake, S.; Kimura, I.; Nagatomo, M.; Obayashi, T.

1986-01-01

A rocket-borne experiment called MINIX was carried out to investigate the nonlinear interaction of a strong microwave energy beam with the ionosphere. The MINIX stands for Microwave-Ionosphere Nonlinear Interaction Experiment and was carried out on August 29, 1983. The objectives of the MINIX is to study possible impacts of the SPS microwave energy beam on the ionosphere such as the Ohmic heating and plasma wave excitation. The experiment showed that the microwave with f = 2.45 GHz nonlinearly excites various electrostatic plasma waves, though no Ohmic heating effects were detected. 4 figures.

Nonlinear interaction of strong microwave beam with the ionosphere MINIX rocket experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.; Miyatake, S.; Kimura, I.; Nagatomo, M.

A rocket-borne experiment called 'MINIX' was carried out to investigate the nonlinear interaction of a strong microwave energy beam with the ionosphere. The MINIX stands for Microwave-Ionosphere Nonlinear Interaction eXperiment and was carried out on August 29, 1983. The objective of the MINIX is to study possible impacts of the SPS microwave energy beam on the ionosphere, such as the ohmic heating and plasma wave excitation. The experiment showed that the microwave with f = 2.45 GHz nonlinearly excites various electrostatic plasma waves, though no ohmic heating effects were detected.

Nonlinear interaction of strong microwave beam with the ionosphere MINIX rocket experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaya, N.; Matsumoto, H.; Miyatake, S.; Kimura, I.; Nagatomo, M.; Obayashi, T.

1986-01-01

A rocket-borne experiment called MINIX was carried out to investigate the nonlinear interaction of a strong microwave energy beam with the ionosphere. The MINIX stands for Microwave-Ionosphere Nonlinear Interaction Experiment and was carried out on August 29, 1983. The objectives of the MINIX is to study possible impacts of the SPS microwave energy beam on the ionosphere such as the Ohmic heating and plasma wave excitation. The experiment showed that the microwave with f = 2.45 GHz nonlinearly excites various electrostatic plasma waves, though no Ohmic heating effects were detected. 4 figures

Advances in microwaves 3

CERN Document Server

Young, Leo

2013-01-01

Advances in Microwaves, Volume 3 covers the advances and applications of microwave signal transmission and Gunn devices. This volume contains six chapters and begins with descriptions of ground-station antennas for space communications. The succeeding chapters deal with beam waveguides, which offer interesting possibilities for transmitting microwave energy, as well as with parallel or tubular beams from antenna apertures. A chapter discusses the electron transfer mechanism and the velocity-field characteristics, with a particular emphasis on the microwave properties of Gunn oscillators. The l

Recent advances in processing and applications of microwave ferrites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, Vincent G.; Geiler, Anton; Chen Yajie; Yoon, Soack Dae; Wu Mingzhong; Yang, Aria; Chen Zhaohui; He Peng; Parimi, Patanjali V.; Zuo Xu; Patton, Carl E.; Abe, Manasori; Acher, Olivier

2009-01-01

Next generation magnetic microwave devices will be planar, smaller, weigh less, and perform well beyond the present state-of-the-art. For this to become a reality advances in ferrite materials must first be realized. These advances include self-bias magnetization, tunability of the magnetic anisotropy, low microwave loss, and volumetric and weight reduction. To achieve these goals one must turn to novel materials processing methods. Here, we review recent advances in the processing of microwave ferrites. Attention is paid to the processing of ferrite films by pulsed laser deposition, liquid phase epitaxy, spin spray ferrite plating, screen printing, and compaction of quasi-single crystals. Conventional and novel applications of ferrite materials, including microwave non-reciprocal passive devices, microwave signal processing, negative index metamaterial-based electronics, and electromagnetic interference suppression are discussed.

SMRT: A new, modular snow microwave radiative transfer model

Science.gov (United States)

Picard, Ghislain; Sandells, Melody; Löwe, Henning; Dumont, Marie; Essery, Richard; Floury, Nicolas; Kontu, Anna; Lemmetyinen, Juha; Maslanka, William; Mätzler, Christian; Morin, Samuel; Wiesmann, Andreas

2017-04-01

Forward models of radiative transfer processes are needed to interpret remote sensing data and derive measurements of snow properties such as snow mass. A key requirement and challenge for microwave emission and scattering models is an accurate description of the snow microstructure. The snow microwave radiative transfer model (SMRT) was designed to cater for potential future active and/or passive satellite missions and developed to improve understanding of how to parameterize snow microstructure. SMRT is implemented in Python and is modular to allow easy intercomparison of different theoretical approaches. Separate modules are included for the snow microstructure model, electromagnetic module, radiative transfer solver, substrate, interface reflectivities, atmosphere and permittivities. An object-oriented approach is used with carefully specified exchanges between modules to allow future extensibility i.e. without constraining the parameter list requirements. This presentation illustrates the capabilities of SMRT. At present, five different snow microstructure models have been implemented, and direct insertion of the autocorrelation function from microtomography data is also foreseen with SMRT. Three electromagnetic modules are currently available. While DMRT-QCA and Rayleigh models need specific microstructure models, the Improved Born Approximation may be used with any microstructure representation. A discrete ordinates approach with stream connection is used to solve the radiative transfer equations, although future inclusion of 6-flux and 2-flux solvers are envisioned. Wrappers have been included to allow existing microwave emission models (MEMLS, HUT, DMRT-QMS) to be run with the same inputs and minimal extra code (2 lines). Comparisons between theoretical approaches will be shown, and evaluation against field experiments in the frequency range 5-150 GHz. SMRT is simple and elegant to use whilst providing a framework for future development within the

EBEX: A Balloon-Borne Telescope for Measuring Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Daniel

2015-05-01

EBEX is a long-duration balloon-borne (LDB) telescope designed to probe polarization signals in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). It is designed to measure or place an upper limit on the inflationary B-mode signal, a signal predicted by inflationary theories to be imprinted on the CMB by gravitational waves, to detect the effects of gravitational lensing on the polarization of the CMB, and to characterize polarized Galactic foreground emission. The payload consists of a pointed gondola that houses the optics, polarimetry, detectors and detector readout systems, as well as the pointing sensors, control motors, telemetry sytems, and data acquisition and flight control computers. Polarimetry is achieved with a rotating half-wave plate and wire grid polarizer. The detectors are sensitive to frequency bands centered on 150, 250, and 410 GHz. EBEX was flown in 2009 from New Mexico as a full system test, and then flown again in December 2012 / January 2013 over Antarctica in a long-duration flight to collect scientific data. In the instrumentation part of this thesis we discuss the pointing sensors and attitude determination algorithms. We also describe the real-time map making software, "QuickLook", that was custom-designed for EBEX. We devote special attention to the design and construction of the primary pointing sensors, the star cameras, and their custom-designed flight software package, "STARS" (the Star Tracking Attitude Reconstruction Software). In the analysis part of this thesis we describe the current status of the post-flight analysis procedure. We discuss the data structures used in analysis and the pipeline stages related to attitude determination and map making. We also discuss a custom-designed software framework called "LEAP" (the LDB EBEX Analysis Pipeline) that supports most of the analysis pipeline stages.

Verification of shielding effect by the water-filled materials for space radiation in the International Space Station using passive dosimeters

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kodaira, S.; Tolochek, R. V.; Ambrožová, Iva; Kawashima, H.; Yasuda, N.; Kurano, M.; Kitamura, H.; Uchihori, Y.; Kobayashi, I.; Hakamada, H.; Suzuki, A.; Kartsev, I. S.; Yarmanova, E. N.; Nikolaev, I. V.; Shurshakov, V. A.

2014-01-01

Roč. 53, č. 1 (2014), s. 1-7 ISSN 0273-1177 Institutional support: RVO:61389005 Keywords : space radiation dosimetry * water shield * dose reduction * passive dosimeters * CR-39 * TLD Subject RIV: BG - Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Colliders Impact factor: 1.358, year: 2014

On-line measurement of moisture content of powdered food using microwave free-space transmission technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ki Bok; Park, Seong Un; Kim, Ji Yeon; Kim, Jong Heon; Lee, ChanJoo

2006-01-01

The moisture content of food is not only the most important quality factor but also one of the essential parameters affecting their physical and chemical properties related to storage, capability of processing and quality control. The moisture measurement technique using microwave is very attractive because that method has merits of rapid and accurate measurement in the wider range of moisture content, simple implementation and inexpensive compared with other methods. In this study, microwave free-space transmission technique was applied to measure the moisture content of powdered food. The on-line measurement system consisting of microwave system with 2.5 GHz, 7.0 GHz and 10.5 GHz, conveying device to move the food samples, inlet and outlet of the food samples, guide plate to control the thickness of the food samples, temperature sensing nit, taco-meter and central processing unit having analog to digital convert and microprocessor was constructed and its performance was evaluated.

Thermal Analysis of MIRIS Space Observation Camera for Verification of Passive Cooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duk-Hang Lee

2012-09-01

Full Text Available We conducted thermal analyses and cooling tests of the space observation camera (SOC of the multi-purpose infrared imaging system (MIRIS to verify passive cooling. The thermal analyses were conducted with NX 7.0 TMG for two cases of attitude of the MIRIS: for the worst hot case and normal case. Through the thermal analyses of the flight model, it was found that even in the worst case the telescope could be cooled to less than 206°K. This is similar to the results of the passive cooling test (~200.2°K. For the normal attitude case of the analysis, on the other hand, the SOC telescope was cooled to about 160°K in 10 days. Based on the results of these analyses and the test, it was determined that the telescope of the MIRIS SOC could be successfully cooled to below 200°K with passive cooling. The SOC is, therefore, expected to have optimal performance under cooled conditions in orbit.

The performance of the new enhanced-resolution satellite passive microwave dataset applied for snow water equivalent estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, J.; Durand, M. T.; Jiang, L.; Liu, D.

2017-12-01

The newly-processed NASA MEaSures Calibrated Enhanced-Resolution Brightness Temperature (CETB) reconstructed using antenna measurement response function (MRF) is considered to have significantly improved fine-resolution measurements with better georegistration for time-series observations and equivalent field of view (FOV) for frequencies with the same monomial spatial resolution. We are looking forward to its potential for the global snow observing purposes, and therefore aim to test its performance for characterizing snow properties, especially the snow water equivalent (SWE) in large areas. In this research, two candidate SWE algorithms will be tested in China for the years between 2005 to 2010 using the reprocessed TB from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E), with the results to be evaluated using the daily snow depth measurements at over 700 national synoptic stations. One of the algorithms is the SWE retrieval algorithm used for the FengYun (FY) - 3 Microwave Radiation Imager. This algorithm uses the multi-channel TB to calculate SWE for three major snow regions in China, with the coefficients adapted for different land cover types. The second algorithm is the newly-established Bayesian Algorithm for SWE Estimation with Passive Microwave measurements (BASE-PM). This algorithm uses the physically-based snow radiative transfer model to find the histogram of most-likely snow property that matches the multi-frequency TB from 10.65 to 90 GHz. It provides a rough estimation of snow depth and grain size at the same time and showed a 30 mm SWE RMS error using the ground radiometer measurements at Sodankyla. This study will be the first attempt to test it spatially for satellite. The use of this algorithm benefits from the high resolution and the spatial consistency between frequencies embedded in the new dataset. This research will answer three questions. First, to what extent can CETB increase the heterogeneity in the mapped SWE? Second, will

Applications of Microwave Photonics in Radio Astronomy and Space Communication

Science.gov (United States)

D'Addario, Larry R.; Shillue, William P.

2006-01-01

An overview of narrow band vs wide band signals is given. Topics discussed included signal transmission, reference distribution and photonic antenna metrology. Examples of VLA, ALMA, ATA and DSN arrays are given. . Arrays of small antennas have become more cost-effective than large antennas for achieving large total aperture or gain, both for astronomy and for communication. It is concluded that emerging applications involving arrays of many antennas require low-cost optical communication of both wide bandwidth and narrow bandwidth; development of round-trip correction schemes enables timing precision; and free-space laser beams with microwave modulation allow structural metrology with approx 100 micrometer precision over distances of 200 meters.

A monolithic integrated photonic microwave filter

Science.gov (United States)

Fandiño, Javier S.; Muñoz, Pascual; Doménech, David; Capmany, José

2017-02-01

Meeting the increasing demand for capacity in wireless networks requires the harnessing of higher regions in the radiofrequency spectrum, reducing cell size, as well as more compact, agile and power-efficient base stations that are capable of smoothly interfacing the radio and fibre segments. Fully functional microwave photonic chips are promising candidates in attempts to meet these goals. In recent years, many integrated microwave photonic chips have been reported in different technologies. To the best of our knowledge, none has monolithically integrated all the main active and passive optoelectronic components. Here, we report the first demonstration of a tunable microwave photonics filter that is monolithically integrated into an indium phosphide chip. The reconfigurable radiofrequency photonic filter includes all the necessary elements (for example, lasers, modulators and photodetectors), and its response can be tuned by means of control electric currents. This is an important step in demonstrating the feasibility of integrated and programmable microwave photonic processors.

The Passive Microwave Neural Network Precipitation Retrieval (PNPR) for AMSU/MHS and ATMS cross-track scanning radiometers

Science.gov (United States)

Sano', Paolo; Casella, Daniele; Panegrossi, Giulia; Cinzia Marra, Anna; Dietrich, Stefano

2016-04-01

Spaceborne microwave cross-track scanning radiometers, originally developed for temperature and humidity sounding, have shown great capabilities to provide a significant contribution in precipitation monitoring both in terms of measurement quality and spatial/temporal coverage. The Passive microwave Neural network Precipitation Retrieval (PNPR) algorithm for cross-track scanning radiometers, originally developed for the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit/Microwave Humidity Sounder (AMSU-A/MHS) radiometers (on board the European MetOp and U.S. NOAA satellites), was recently newly designed to exploit the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) on board the Suomi-NPP satellite and the future JPSS satellites. The PNPR algorithm is based on the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach. The main PNPR-ATMS algorithm changes with respect to PNPR-AMSU/MHS are the design and implementation of a new ANN able to manage the information derived from the additional ATMS channels (respect to the AMSU-A/MHS radiometer) and a new screening procedure for not-precipitating pixels. In order to achieve maximum consistency of the retrieved surface precipitation, both PNPR algorithms are based on the same physical foundation. The PNPR is optimized for the European and the African area. The neural network was trained using a cloud-radiation database built upon 94 cloud-resolving simulations over Europe and the Mediterranean and over the African area and radiative transfer model simulations of TB vectors consistent with the AMSU-A/MHS and ATMS channel frequencies, viewing angles, and view-angle dependent IFOV sizes along the scan projections. As opposed to other ANN precipitation retrieval algorithms, PNPR uses a unique ANN that retrieves the surface precipitation rate for all types of surface backgrounds represented in the training database, i.e., land (vegetated or arid), ocean, snow/ice or coast. This approach prevents different precipitation estimates from being inconsistent with one

Passive radiation shielding considerations for the proposed space elevator

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, A. M.; Patamia, S. E.; Gassend, B.

2007-02-01

The Earth's natural van Allen radiation belts present a serious hazard to space travel in general, and to travel on the space elevator in particular. The average radiation level is sufficiently high that it can cause radiation sickness, and perhaps death, for humans spending more than a brief period of time in the belts without shielding. The exact dose and the level of the related hazard depends on the type or radiation, the intensity of the radiation, the length of exposure, and on any shielding introduced. For the space elevator the radiation concern is particularly critical since it passes through the most intense regions of the radiation belts. The only humans who have ever traveled through the radiation belts have been the Apollo astronauts. They received radiation doses up to approximately 1 rem over a time interval less than an hour. A vehicle climbing the space elevator travels approximately 200 times slower than the moon rockets did, which would result in an extremely high dose up to approximately 200 rem under similar conditions, in a timespan of a few days. Technological systems on the space elevator, which spend prolonged periods of time in the radiation belts, may also be affected by the high radiation levels. In this paper we will give an overview of the radiation belts in terms relevant to space elevator studies. We will then compute the expected radiation doses, and evaluate the required level of shielding. We concentrate on passive shielding using aluminum, but also look briefly at active shielding using magnetic fields. We also look at the effect of moving the space elevator anchor point and increasing the speed of the climber. Each of these mitigation mechanisms will result in a performance decrease, cost increase, and technical complications for the space elevator.

RF and microwave engineering fundamentals of wireless communications

CERN Document Server

Gustrau, Frank

2012-01-01

This book provides a fundamental and practical introduction to radio frequency and microwave engineering and physical aspects of wireless communication In this book, the author addresses a wide range of radio-frequency and microwave topics with emphasis on physical aspects including EM and voltage waves, transmission lines, passive circuits, antennas, radio wave propagation. Up-to-date RF design tools like RF circuit simulation, EM simulation and computerized smith charts, are used in various examples to demonstrate how these methods can be applied effectively in RF engineering

Multifrequency passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture and roughness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paloscia, S.; Pampaloni, P.; Chiarantini, L.; Coppo, P.; Gagliani, S.; Luzi, G.

1993-01-01

The accuracy achievable in the surface soil moisture measurement of rough bare and vegetated soils, typical of the Italian landscape, has been investigated by using microwave experimental data collected by means of a multi-band sensor package (L, X, Ka and infrared bands). The thickness of soil that mainly affects the emission at the three microwave frequencies has been assessed. The sensitivity of L band emission to the moisture content of a soil layer about 5 cm thick has been confirmed, as well as the attenuation effect due to the surface roughness and presence of vegetation. A correction criterion based on the sensitivity to roughness and crop parameters of the highest frequencies (X and Ka bands) is proposed in order to increase the precision in soil moisture measurements

Coupling the snow thermodynamic model SNOWPACK with the microwave emission model of layered snowpacks for subarctic and arctic snow water equivalent retrievals

Science.gov (United States)

Langlois, A.; Royer, A.; Derksen, C.; Montpetit, B.; Dupont, F.; GoïTa, K.

2012-12-01

Satellite-passive microwave remote sensing has been extensively used to estimate snow water equivalent (SWE) in northern regions. Although passive microwave sensors operate independent of solar illumination and the lower frequencies are independent of atmospheric conditions, the coarse spatial resolution introduces uncertainties to SWE retrievals due to the surface heterogeneity within individual pixels. In this article, we investigate the coupling of a thermodynamic multilayered snow model with a passive microwave emission model. Results show that the snow model itself provides poor SWE simulations when compared to field measurements from two major field campaigns. Coupling the snow and microwave emission models with successive iterations to correct the influence of snow grain size and density significantly improves SWE simulations. This method was further validated using an additional independent data set, which also showed significant improvement using the two-step iteration method compared to standalone simulations with the snow model.

Microwave energy transmission system for solar power station

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumoto, Hiroshi

1988-05-05

This paper deals with a microwave wireless energy transmission system which will be required for a solar power station under investigation, particularly, it describes its foundation and future investigation. It is supposed that for realization of microwave wireless transmission techniques, it is most important to investigate the effect of strong microwave beams on a plasma environment, establish control techniques for microwave beams in which a retro-directive system is combined with a computer control system, and develop a semiconductor transmission module. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Japan) made an experiment on the effect of microwaves on ionospheric plasma by using an observatory rocket. The institute has planned to make an experiment on a microwave energy transmission system which is to be mounted to a small-scale space flyer unit in order to examine the control of microwave beams and 10 KW power transmission, in addition to investigation on the interaction of microwave energy beams with a plasma environment. (4 figs, 3 tabs, 20 refs)

Antartic sea ice, 1973 - 1976: Satellite passive-microwave observations

Science.gov (United States)

Zwally, H. J.; Comiso, J. C.; Parkinson, C. L.; Campbell, W. J.; Carsey, F. D.; Gloersen, P.

1983-01-01

Data from the Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR) on the Nimbus 5 satellite are used to determine the extent and distribution of Antarctic sea ice. The characteristics of the southern ocean, the mathematical formulas used to obtain quantitative sea ice concentrations, the general characteristics of the seasonal sea ice growth/decay cycle and regional differences, and the observed seasonal growth/decay cycle for individual years and interannual variations of the ice cover are discussed. The sea ice data from the ESMR are presented in the form of color-coded maps of the Antarctic and the southern oceans. The maps show brightness temperatures and concentrations of pack ice averaged for each month, 4-year monthly averages, and month-to-month changes. Graphs summarizing the results, such as areas of sea ice as a function of time in the various sectors of the southern ocean are included. The images demonstrate that satellite microwave data provide unique information on large-scale sea ice conditions for determining climatic conditions in polar regions and possible global climatic changes.

The pupal body temperature and inner space temperature of cocoon under microwave irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kagawa, T.

1996-01-01

The temperature of pupal surface,body and inner space of cocoon on cocoon drying of microwave irradiation was investigated to make clear the effect of temperature with pupa and cocoon shell. After pupal surface temperature and body temperature were risen rapidly in early irradiation and slowly thereafter, these were done fast again. Then these rising degrees fell. The variation of inner space temperature consists three terms: as the first stage of rapidly rising on early irradiation, the second stage of slowly doing and the third stage of fast doing again in temperature. In the first stage and the second stage, the higher the temperature of sending air during irradiation was, the shorter the term was and the higher the reached temperature was. The surface, pupal body and inner space have reached higher temperature than the sending air before cocoon drying was over

Hoar crystal development and disappearance at Dome C, Antarctica: observation by near-infrared photography and passive microwave satellite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Champollion

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Hoar crystals episodically cover the snow surface in Antarctica and affect the roughness and reflective properties of the air–snow interface. However, little is known about their evolution and the processes responsible for their development and disappearance despite a probable influence on the surface mass balance and energy budget. To investigate hoar evolution, we use continuous observations of the surface by in situ near-infrared photography and by passive microwave remote sensing at Dome C in Antarctica. From the photography data, we retrieved a daily indicator of the presence/absence of hoar crystals using a texture analysis algorithm. The analysis of this 2 yr long time series shows that Dome C surface is covered almost half of the time by hoar. The development of hoar crystals takes a few days and seems to occur whatever the meteorological conditions. In contrast, the disappearance of hoar is rapid (a few hours and coincident with either strong winds or with moderate winds associated with a change in wind direction from southwest (the prevailing direction to southeast. From the microwave satellite data, we computed the polarisation ratio (i.e. horizontal over vertical polarised brightness temperatures, an indicator known to be sensitive to hoar in Greenland. Photography data and microwave polarisation ratio are correlated, i.e. high values of polarisation ratio which theoretically correspond to low snow density values near the surface are associated with the presence of hoar crystals in the photography data. Satellite data over nearly ten years (2002–2011 confirm that a strong decrease of the polarisation ratio (i.e. signature of hoar disappearance is associated with an increase of wind speed or a change in wind direction from the prevailing direction. The photography data provides, in addition, evidence of interactions between hoar and snowfall. Further adding the combined influence of wind speed and wind direction results in a

Compact Microwave Fourier Spectrum Analyzer

Science.gov (United States)

Savchenkov, Anatoliy; Matsko, Andrey; Strekalov, Dmitry

2009-01-01

A compact photonic microwave Fourier spectrum analyzer [a Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer, (FTMWS)] with no moving parts has been proposed for use in remote sensing of weak, natural microwave emissions from the surfaces and atmospheres of planets to enable remote analysis and determination of chemical composition and abundances of critical molecular constituents in space. The instrument is based on a Bessel beam (light modes with non-zero angular momenta) fiber-optic elements. It features low power consumption, low mass, and high resolution, without a need for any cryogenics, beyond what is achievable by the current state-of-the-art in space instruments. The instrument can also be used in a wide-band scatterometer mode in active radar systems.

ANALYSIS OF RADAR AND OPTICAL SPACE BORNE DATA FOR LARGE SCALE TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPPING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Tampubolon

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Normally, in order to provide high resolution 3 Dimension (3D geospatial data, large scale topographical mapping needs input from conventional airborne campaigns which are in Indonesia bureaucratically complicated especially during legal administration procedures i.e. security clearance from military/defense ministry. This often causes additional time delays besides technical constraints such as weather and limited aircraft availability for airborne campaigns. Of course the geospatial data quality is an important issue for many applications. The increasing demand of geospatial data nowadays consequently requires high resolution datasets as well as a sufficient level of accuracy. Therefore an integration of different technologies is required in many cases to gain the expected result especially in the context of disaster preparedness and emergency response. Another important issue in this context is the fast delivery of relevant data which is expressed by the term “Rapid Mapping”. In this paper we present first results of an on-going research to integrate different data sources like space borne radar and optical platforms. Initially the orthorectification of Very High Resolution Satellite (VHRS imagery i.e. SPOT-6 has been done as a continuous process to the DEM generation using TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X data. The role of Ground Control Points (GCPs from GNSS surveys is mandatory in order to fulfil geometrical accuracy. In addition, this research aims on providing suitable processing algorithm of space borne data for large scale topographical mapping as described in section 3.2. Recently, radar space borne data has been used for the medium scale topographical mapping e.g. for 1:50.000 map scale in Indonesian territories. The goal of this on-going research is to increase the accuracy of remote sensing data by different activities, e.g. the integration of different data sources (optical and radar or the usage of the GCPs in both, the optical and the

A kilo-pixel imaging system for future space based far-infrared observatories using microwave kinetic inductance detectors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baselmans, J.J.A.; Bueno, J.; Yates, Stephen J.C.; Yurduseven, O.; Llombart Juan, N.; Karatsu, K.; Baryshev, A. M.; Ferrarini, L; Endo, A.; Thoen, D.J.; de Visser, P.J.; Janssen, R.M.J.; Murugesan, V.; Driessen, E.F.C.; Coiffard, G.; Martin-Pintado, J.; Hargrave, P.; Griffin, M.

2017-01-01

Aims. Future astrophysics and cosmic microwave background space missions operating in the far-infrared to millimetre part of the spectrum will require very large arrays of ultra-sensitive detectors in combination with high multiplexing factors and efficient low-noise and low-power readout systems.

A kilo-pixel imaging system for future space based far-infrared observatories using microwave kinetic inductance detectors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baselmans, J. J. A.; Bueno, J.; Yates, S. J. C.; Yurduseven, O.; Llombart, N.; Karatsu, K.; Baryshev, A. M.; Ferrari, L.; Endo, A.; Thoen, D. J.; de Visser, P. J.; Janssen, R. M. J.; Murugesan, V.; Driessen, E. F. C.; Coiffard, G.; Martin-Pintado, J.; Hargrave, P.; Griffin, M.

Aims: Future astrophysics and cosmic microwave background space missions operating in the far-infrared to millimetre part of the spectrum will require very large arrays of ultra-sensitive detectors in combination with high multiplexing factors and efficient low-noise and low-power readout systems.

Microwave Radiometry in Remote Sensing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gudmandsen, Preben

1982-01-01

Microwave radiometry has shown its capabilities of observing and monitoring large-scale geophysical observables from space. Examples are sea surface temperature and surface wind over the ocean, sea ice extent, concentration and category and snow cover extent and water content. At low microwave fr...

Passivity and Evolutionary Game Dynamics

KAUST Repository

Park, Shinkyu; Shamma, Jeff S.; Martins, Nuno C.

2018-01-01

This paper investigates an energy conservation and dissipation -- passivity -- aspect of dynamic models in evolutionary game theory. We define a notion of passivity using the state-space representation of the models, and we devise systematic methods to examine passivity and to identify properties of passive dynamic models. Based on the methods, we describe how passivity is connected to stability in population games and illustrate stability of passive dynamic models using numerical simulations.

Passivity and Evolutionary Game Dynamics

KAUST Repository

Park, Shinkyu

2018-03-21

This paper investigates an energy conservation and dissipation -- passivity -- aspect of dynamic models in evolutionary game theory. We define a notion of passivity using the state-space representation of the models, and we devise systematic methods to examine passivity and to identify properties of passive dynamic models. Based on the methods, we describe how passivity is connected to stability in population games and illustrate stability of passive dynamic models using numerical simulations.

Atmospheric water distribution in cyclones as seen with Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometers (SMMR)

Science.gov (United States)

Katsaros, K. B.; Mcmurdie, L. A.

1983-01-01

Passive microwave measurements are used to study the distribution of atmospheric water in midlatitude cyclones. The integrated water vapor, integrated liquid water, and rainfall rate are deduced from the brightness temperatures at microwave frequencies measured by the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMRR) flown on both the Seasat and Nimbus 7 satellites. The practical application of locating fronts by the cyclone moisture pattern over oceans is shown, and the relationship between the quantity of coastal rainfall and atmospheric water content is explored.

Monolithic microwave integrated circuit with integral array antenna

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stockton, R.J.; Munson, R.E.

1984-01-01

A monolithic microwave integrated circuit including an integral array antenna. The system includes radiating elements, feed network, phasing network, active and/or passive semiconductor devices, digital logic interface circuits and a microcomputer controller simultaneously incorporated on a single substrate by means of a controlled fabrication process sequence

The Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, C. L.

1994-12-01

The properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation provide unique constraints on the history and evolution of the universe. The first detection of anisotropy of the microwave radiation was reported by the COBE Team in 1992, based on the first year of flight data. The latest analyses of the first two years of COBE data are reviewed in this talk, including the amplitude of the microwave anisotropy as a function of angular scale and the statistical nature of the fluctuations. The two-year results are generally consistent with the earlier first year results, but the additional data allow for a better determination of the key cosmological parameters. In this talk the COBE results are compared with other observational anisotropy results and directions for future cosmic microwave anisotropy observations will be discussed. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) is responsible for the design, development, and operation of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE). Scientific guidance is provided by the COBE Science Working Group.

Efficient and compact hyperspectral imager for space-borne applications

Science.gov (United States)

Pisani, Marco; Zucco, Massimo

2017-11-01

In the last decades Hyperspectral Imager (HI) have become irreplaceable space-borne instruments for an increasing number of applications. A number of HIs are now operative onboard (e.g. CHRIS on PROBA), others are going to be launched (e.g. PRISMA, EnMAP, HyspIRI), many others are at the breadboard level. The researchers goal is to realize HI with high spatial and spectral resolution, having low weight and contained dimensions. The most common HI technique is based on the use of a dispersive mean (a grating or a prism) or on the use of band pass filters (tunable or linear variable). These approaches have the advantages of allowing compact devices. Another approach is based on the use of interferometer based spectrometers (Michelson or Sagnac type). The advantage of the latter is a very high efficiency in light collection because of the well-known Felgett and Jaquinot principles.

In-situ Microwave Brightness Temperature Variability from Ground-based Radiometer Measurements at Dome C in Antarctica Induced by Wind-formed Features

Science.gov (United States)

Royer, A.; Picard, G.; Arnaud, L.; Brucker, L.; Fily, M..

2014-01-01

Space-borne microwave radiometers are among the most useful tools to study snow and to collect information on the Antarctic climate. They have several advantages over other remote sensing techniques: high sensitivity to snow properties of interest (temperature, grain size, density), subdaily coverage in the polar regions, and their observations are independent of cloud conditions and solar illumination. Thus, microwave radiometers are widely used to retrieve information over snow-covered regions. For the Antarctic Plateau, many studies presenting retrieval algorithms or numerical simulations have assumed, explicitly or not, that the subpixel-scale heterogeneity is negligible and that the retrieved properties were representative of whole pixels. In this presentation, we investigate the spatial variations of brightness temperature over arange of a few kilometers in the Dome C area (Antarctic Plateau).

Soil moisture extremes drive tree canopy death in 2011 Texas drought: multispectral (Landsat, NAIP) and L-band passive microwave remote sensing (SMOS-IC)

Science.gov (United States)

Swenson, J. J.; Schwantes, A. M.; Johnson, D. M.; Domec, J. C.; Wigneron, J. P.

2017-12-01

Climate change is bringing more frequent and intense droughts that are causing broad scale tree mortality events. Detecting regional drought stress is now more frequently monitored with passive microwave satellite sensing of soil moisture (SM) and vegetation water status (through the vegetation optical depth (VOD) index), that can be validated with in-situ measurements of soil moisture or corroborated with satellite multispectral indices of greenness. The detection of canopy death however marks the passing of a definitive physiological threshold. We compare soil moisture from the L-band SMOS-IC passive microwave product (2010-20176) to an accurate and detailed (30-m spatial resolution) map of canopy loss across the US state of Texas during the record breaking 2011 drought. The SMOS-IC product (25 km) is a new and simpler product of soil moisture and VOD that has been shown to be more accurate than past SMOS products and it is independent of ancillary data. Canopy loss was mapped from Landsat imagery trained with 186, 41 km2 subplots of classified National Agriculture Inventory Program color infrared aerial imagery recorded before and after the drought. Bringing these two datasets of disparate spatial resolution together and averaging them across the state, we find that areas with at least 25% tree cover that experienced the most canopy loss (highest quartile) had lower soil moisture compared to areas with less canopy loss in 2011. These areas with the most loss, experienced up to 9 weeks of the growing season at stress as well as the effects of topography, soil, and climate. Having more information on plant hydraulic limits would lend itself to modeling and prediction of die offs based on satellite tracked SM.

Microwave processing of radioactive materials-I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, T.L.; Berry, J.B.

1989-01-01

This paper is the first of two papers that reviews the major past and present applications of microwave energy for processing radioactive materials, with particular emphasis on processing radioactive wastes. Microwave heating occurs through the internal friction produced inside a dielectric material when its molecules vibrate in response to an oscillating microwave field. For this presentation, we shall focus on the two FCC-approved microwave frequencies for industrial, scientific, and medical use, 915 and 2450 MHz. Also, because of space limitations, we shall postpone addressing plasma processing of hazardous wastes using microwave energy until a later date. 13 refs., 4 figs

Assessing the relationship between microwave vegetation optical depth and gross primary production

Science.gov (United States)

Teubner, Irene E.; Forkel, Matthias; Jung, Martin; Liu, Yi Y.; Miralles, Diego G.; Parinussa, Robert; van der Schalie, Robin; Vreugdenhil, Mariette; Schwalm, Christopher R.; Tramontana, Gianluca; Camps-Valls, Gustau; Dorigo, Wouter A.

2018-03-01

At the global scale, the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by terrestrial ecosystems through photosynthesis is commonly estimated through vegetation indices or biophysical properties derived from optical remote sensing data. Microwave observations of vegetated areas are sensitive to different components of the vegetation layer than observations in the optical domain and may therefore provide complementary information on the vegetation state, which may be used in the estimation of Gross Primary Production (GPP). However, the relation between GPP and Vegetation Optical Depth (VOD), a biophysical quantity derived from microwave observations, is not yet known. This study aims to explore the relationship between VOD and GPP. VOD data were taken from different frequencies (L-, C-, and X-band) and from both active and passive microwave sensors, including the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT), the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observation System (AMSR-E) and a merged VOD data set from various passive microwave sensors. VOD data were compared against FLUXCOM GPP and Solar-Induced chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2). FLUXCOM GPP estimates are based on the upscaling of flux tower GPP observations using optical satellite data, while SIF observations present a measure of photosynthetic activity and are often used as a proxy for GPP. For relating VOD to GPP, three variables were analyzed: original VOD time series, temporal changes in VOD (ΔVOD), and positive changes in VOD (ΔVOD≥0). Results show widespread positive correlations between VOD and GPP with some negative correlations mainly occurring in dry and wet regions for active and passive VOD, respectively. Correlations between VOD and GPP were similar or higher than between VOD and SIF. When comparing the three variables for relating VOD to GPP, correlations with GPP were higher for the original VOD time

Nuclear-microwave-electric propulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nordley, G.D.; Brown, W.C.

1986-01-01

Electric propulsion can move more mass through space than chemical propulsion by virtue of the higher exhaust velocities achieved by electric propulsion devices. This performance is achieved at the expense of very heavy power sources or very long trip times, which in turn create technical and economic penalties of varying severity. These penalties include: higher operations costs, delayed availability of the payload, and increased exposure to Van Allen Belt radiation. It is proposed to reduce these penalties by physically separating the power source from the propulsion and use microwave energy beaming technology, recently explored and partially developed/tested for Solar Power Satellite concept studies, as an extension cord. This paper summarizes the state of the art of the technology needed for space based beam microwave power cost/performance trades involved with the use beamed microwave/electric propulsion for some typical orbit transfer missions and offers some suggestions for additional work

Tests of the gravitational redshift effect in space-born and ground-based experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Vavilova, I. B.

2018-02-01

This paper provides a brief overview of experiments as concerns with the tests of the gravitational redshift (GRS) effect in ground-based and space-born experiments. In particular, we consider the GRS effects in the gravitational field of the Earth, the major planets of the Solar system, compact stars (white dwarfs and neutron stars) where this effect is confirmed with a higher accuracy. We discuss availabilities to confirm the GRS effect for galaxies and galaxy clusters in visible and X-ray ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Handbook of RF, Microwave, and Millimeter-Wave Components. Edited by Leonid A. Belov, Sergey M. Smolskiy and Victor N. Kochemasov, Artech House, 2012; 504 pages. Price: £119.00, ISBN 978-1-60807-209-5

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shu-Kun Lin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This unique and comprehensive resource offers you a detailed treatment of the operations principles, key parameters, and specific characteristics of active and passive RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave components. The book covers both linear and nonlinear components that are used in a wide range of application areas, from communications and information sciences, to avionics, space, and military engineering.

Microwave and millimeter-wave remote sensing for security applications

CERN Document Server

Nanzer, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

Microwave and millimeter-wave remote sensing techniques are fast becoming a necessity in many aspects of security as detection and classification of objects or intruders becomes more difficult. This groundbreaking resource offers you expert guidance in this burgeoning area. It provides you with a thorough treatment of the principles of microwave and millimeter-wave remote sensing for security applications, as well as practical coverage of the design of radiometer, radar, and imaging systems. You learn how to design active and passive sensors for intruder detection, concealed object detection,

Concept research on general passive system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Xu; Yang Yanhua; Zheng Mingguang

2009-01-01

This paper summarized the current passive techniques used in nuclear power plants. Through classification and analysis, the functional characteristics and inherent identification of passive systems were elucidated. By improving and extending the concept of passive system, the general passive concept was proposed, and space and time relativity was discussed and assumption of general passive system were illustrated. The function of idealized general passive system is equivalent with the current passive system, but the design of idealized general passive system is more flexible. (authors)

Adaptive suppression of passive intermodulation in digital satellite transceivers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu TIAN

2017-06-01

Full Text Available For the performance issues of satellite transceivers suffering passive intermodulation interference, a novel and effective digital suppression algorithm is presented in this paper. In contrast to analog approaches, digital passive intermodulation (PIM suppression approaches can be easily reconfigured and therefore are highly attractive for future satellite communication systems. A simplified model of nonlinear distortion from passive microwave devices is established in consideration of the memory effect. The multiple high-order PIM products falling into the receiving band can be described as a bilinear predictor function. A suppression algorithm based on a bilinear polynomial decorrelated adaptive filter is proposed for baseband digital signal processing. In consideration of the time-varying characteristics of passive intermodulation, this algorithm can achieve the rapidness of online interference estimation and low complexity with less consumption of resources. Numerical simulation results show that the algorithm can effectively compensate the passive intermodulation interference, and achieve a high signal-to-interference ratio gain.

Precipitation and Latent Heating Distributions from Satellite Passive Microwave Radiometry. Part II: Evaluation of Estimates Using Independent Data

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Song; Olson, William S.; Wang, Jian-Jian; Bell, Thomas L.; Smith, Eric A.; Kummerow, Christian D.

2006-01-01

Rainfall rate estimates from spaceborne microwave radiometers are generally accepted as reliable by a majority of the atmospheric science community. One of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) facility rain-rate algorithms is based upon passive microwave observations from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI). In Part I of this series, improvements of the TMI algorithm that are required to introduce latent heating as an additional algorithm product are described. Here, estimates of surface rain rate, convective proportion, and latent heating are evaluated using independent ground-based estimates and satellite products. Instantaneous, 0.5 deg. -resolution estimates of surface rain rate over ocean from the improved TMI algorithm are well correlated with independent radar estimates (r approx. 0.88 over the Tropics), but bias reduction is the most significant improvement over earlier algorithms. The bias reduction is attributed to the greater breadth of cloud-resolving model simulations that support the improved algorithm and the more consistent and specific convective/stratiform rain separation method utilized. The bias of monthly 2.5 -resolution estimates is similarly reduced, with comparable correlations to radar estimates. Although the amount of independent latent heating data is limited, TMI-estimated latent heating profiles compare favorably with instantaneous estimates based upon dual-Doppler radar observations, and time series of surface rain-rate and heating profiles are generally consistent with those derived from rawinsonde analyses. Still, some biases in profile shape are evident, and these may be resolved with (a) additional contextual information brought to the estimation problem and/or (b) physically consistent and representative databases supporting the algorithm. A model of the random error in instantaneous 0.5 deg. -resolution rain-rate estimates appears to be consistent with the levels of error determined from TMI comparisons with collocated

Comparing and Combining Remotely Sensed Land Surface Temperature Products for Improved Hydrological Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert M. Parinussa

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Land surface temperature (LST is an important variable that provides a valuable connection between the energy and water budget and is strongly linked to land surface hydrology. Space-borne remote sensing provides a consistent means for regularly observing LST using thermal infrared (TIR and passive microwave observations each with unique strengths and weaknesses. The spatial resolution of TIR based LST observations is around 1 km, a major advantage when compared to passive microwave observations (around 10 km. However, a major advantage of passive microwaves is their cloud penetrating capability making them all-weather sensors whereas TIR observations are routinely masked under the presence of clouds and aerosols. In this study, a relatively simple combination approach that benefits from the cloud penetrating capacity of passive microwave sensors was proposed. In the first step, TIR and passive microwave LST products were compared over Australia for both anomalies and raw timeseries. A very high agreement was shown over the vast majority of the country with R2 typically ranging from 0.50 to 0.75 for the anomalies and from 0.80 to 1.00 for the raw timeseries. Then, the scalability of the passive microwave based LST product was examined and a pixel based merging approach through linear scaling was proposed. The individual and merged LST products were further compared against independent LST from the re-analysis model outputs. This comparison revealed that the TIR based LST product agrees best with the re-analysis data (R2 0.26 for anomalies and R2 0.76 for raw data, followed by the passive microwave LST product (R2 0.16 for anomalies and R2 0.66 for raw data and the combined LST product (R2 0.18 for anomalies and R2 0.62 for raw data. It should be noted that the drop in performance comes with an increased revisit frequency of approximately 20% compared to the revised frequency of the TIR alone. Additionally, this comparison against re

Development of transition edge superconducting bolometers for the SAFARI Far-Infrared spectrometer on the SPICA space-borne telescope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mauskopf, P.; Morozov, D.; Glowacka, D.; Goldie, D.; Withington, S.; Bruijn, M.; De Korte, P.; Hoevers, H.; Ridder, M.; Van der Kuur, J.; Gao, J.R.

2008-01-01

We describe the optimization of transition edge superconducting (TES) detectors for use in a far-infrared (FIR) Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) mounted on a cryogenically cooled space-borne telescope (e.g. SPICA). The required noise equivalent power (NEP) of the detectors is approximately 10?19

The 1988-2003 Greenland ice sheet melt extent using passive microwave satellite data and a regional climate model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fettweis, Xavier; Ypersele, Jean-Pascal van [Universite Catholique de Louvain, Institut d' Astronomie et de Geophysique de G. Lemaitre, Louvain-La-Neuve (Belgium); Gallee, Hubert [CNRS, Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Geophysique de l' Environnement, Grenoble (France); Lefebre, Filip [Vito-IMS (Flemish Institute for Technological Research-Integral Environmental Studies), Mol (Belgium)

2006-10-15

Measurements from ETH-Camp and JAR1 AWS (West Greenland) as well as coupled atmosphere-snow regional climate simulations have highlighted flaws in the cross-polarized gradient ratio (XPGR) technique used to identify melt from passive microwave satellite data. It was found that dense clouds (causing notably rainfall) on the ice sheet severely perturb the XPGR melt signal. Therefore, the original XPGR melt detection algorithm has been adapted to better incorporate atmospheric variability over the ice sheet and an updated melt trend for the 1988-2003 period has been calculated. Compared to the original algorithm, the melt zone area increase is eight times higher (from 0.2 to 1.7% year{sup -1}). The increase is higher with the improved XPGR technique because rainfall also increased during this period. It is correlated to higher atmospheric temperatures. Finally, the model shows that the total ice sheet runoff is directly proportional to the melt extent surface detected by satellites. These results are important for the understanding of the effect of Greenland melting on the stability of the thermohaline circulation. (orig.)

GHRSST L2P Gridded Global Subskin Sea Surface Temperature from the Tropical Rainfall Mapping Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) (GDS version 1)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) is a well calibrated passive microwave radiometer, similar to SSM/I, that contains lower...

Passive Microwave Observation of Soil Water Infiltration

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Thomas J.; Schmugge, Thomas J.; Rawls, Walter J.; ONeill, Peggy E.; Parlange, Marc B.

1997-01-01

Infiltration is a time varying process of water entry into soil. Experiments were conducted here using truck based microwave radiometers to observe small plots during and following sprinkler irrigation. Experiments were conducted on a sandy loam soil in 1994 and a silt loam in 1995. Sandy loam soils typically have higher infiltration capabilities than clays. For the sandy loam the observed brightness temperature (TB) quickly reached a nominally constant value during irrigation. When the irrigation was stopped the TB began to increase as drainage took place. The irrigation rates in 1995 with the silt loam soil exceeded the saturated conductivity of the soil. During irrigation the TB values exhibited a pattern that suggests the occurrence of coherent reflection, a rarely observed phenomena under natural conditions. These results suggested the existence of a sharp dielectric boundary (wet over dry soil) that was increasing in depth with time.

The influence of microwave irradiation on rocks for microwave-assisted underground excavation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferri Hassani

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Demand is growing for explosive-free rock breakage systems for civil and mining engineering, and space industry applications. This paper highlights the work being undertaken in the Geomechanics Laboratory of McGill University to make a real application of microwave-assisted mechanical rock breakage to full-face tunneling machines and drilling. Comprehensive laboratory tests investigated the effect of microwave radiation on temperature profiles and strength reduction in hard rocks (norite, granite, and basalt for a range of exposure times and microwave power levels. The heating rate on the surface of the rock specimens linearly decreased with distance between the sample and the microwave antenna, regardless of microwave power level and exposure time. Tensile and uniaxial compressive strengths were reduced with increasing exposure time and power level. Scanning electron micrographs (SEMs highlighted fracture development in treated basalt. It was concluded that the microwave power level has a strong positive influence on the amount of heat damage induced to the rock surface. Numerical simulations of electric field intensity and wave propagation conducted with COMSOL Multiphysics® software generated temperature profiles that were in close agreement with experimental results.

Space evaluation of optical modulators for microwave photonic on-board applications

Science.gov (United States)

Le Kernec, A.; Sotom, M.; Bénazet, B.; Barbero, J.; Peñate, L.; Maignan, M.; Esquivias, I.; Lopez, F.; Karafolas, N.

2017-11-01

Since several years, perspectives and assets offered by photonic technologies compared with their traditional RF counterparts (mass and volume reduction, transparency to RF frequency, RF isolation), make them particularly attractive for space applications [1] and, in particular, telecommunication satellites [2]. However, the development of photonic payload concepts have concurrently risen and made the problem of the ability of optoelectronic components to withstand space environment more and more pressing. Indeed, photonic components used in such photonic payloads architectures come from terrestrial networks applications in order to benefit from research and development in this field. This paper presents some results obtained in the frame of an ESA-funded project, carried out by Thales Alenia Space France, as prime contractor, and Alter Technology Group Spain (ATG) and Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), as subcontractors, one objective of which was to assess commercial high frequency optical intensity modulators for space use through a functional and environmental test campaign. Their potential applications in microwave photonic sub-systems of telecom satellite payloads are identified and related requirements are presented. Optical modulator technologies are reviewed and compared through, but not limited to, a specific figure of merit, taking into account two key features of these components : optical insertion loss and RF half-wave voltage. Some conclusions on these different technologies are given, on the basis of the test results, and their suitability for the targeted applications and environment is highlighted.

High quality silicon-based substrates for microwave and millimeter wave passive circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Belaroussi, Y.; Rack, M.; Saadi, A. A.; Scheen, G.; Belaroussi, M. T.; Trabelsi, M.; Raskin, J.-P.

2017-09-01

Porous silicon substrate is very promising for next generation wireless communication requiring the avoidance of high-frequency losses originating from the bulk silicon. In this work, new variants of porous silicon (PSi) substrates have been introduced. Through an experimental RF performance, the proposed PSi substrates have been compared with different silicon-based substrates, namely, standard silicon (Std), trap-rich (TR) and high resistivity (HR). All of the mentioned substrates have been fabricated where identical samples of CPW lines have been integrated on. The new PSi substrates have shown successful reduction in the substrate's effective relative permittivity to values as low as 3.7 and great increase in the substrate's effective resistivity to values higher than 7 kΩ cm. As a concept proof, a mm-wave bandpass filter (MBPF) centred at 27 GHz has been integrated on the investigated substrates. Compared with the conventional MBPF implemented on standard silicon-based substrates, the measured S-parameters of the PSi-based MBPF have shown high filtering performance, such as a reduction in insertion loss and an enhancement of the filter selectivity, with the joy of having the same filter performance by varying the temperature. Therefore, the efficiency of the proposed PSi substrates has been well highlighted. From 1994 to 1995, she was assistant of physics at (USTHB), Algiers . From 1998 to 2011, she was a Researcher at characterization laboratory in ionized media and laser division at the Advanced Technologies Development Center. She has integrated the Analog Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits team as Researcher since 2011 until now in Microelectronic and Nanotechnology Division at Advanced Technologies Development Center (CDTA), Algiers. She has been working towards her Ph.D. degree jointly at CDTA and Ecole Nationale Polytechnique, Algiers, since 2012. Her research interest includes fabrication and characterization of microwave passive devices on porous

Potential of Space-Borne Hyperspectral Data for Biomass Quantification in an Arid Environment: Advantages and Limitations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harald Zandler

2015-04-01

Full Text Available In spite of considerable efforts to monitor global vegetation, biomass quantification in drylands is still a major challenge due to low spectral resolution and considerable background effects. Hence, this study examines the potential of the space-borne hyperspectral Hyperion sensor compared to the multispectral Landsat OLI sensor in predicting dwarf shrub biomass in an arid region characterized by challenging conditions for satellite-based analysis: The Eastern Pamirs of Tajikistan. We calculated vegetation indices for all available wavelengths of both sensors, correlated these indices with field-mapped biomass while considering the multiple comparison problem, and assessed the predictive performance of single-variable linear models constructed with data from each of the sensors. Results showed an increased performance of the hyperspectral sensor and the particular suitability of indices capturing the short-wave infrared spectral region in dwarf shrub biomass prediction. Performance was considerably poorer in the area with less vegetation cover. Furthermore, spatial transferability of vegetation indices was not feasible in this region, underlining the importance of repeated model building. This study indicates that upcoming space-borne hyperspectral sensors increase the performance of biomass prediction in the world’s arid environments.

A Direct Comparison of Passive Polarimetry and Scatterometry Under Low- and High-Wind Conditions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Swift, Calvin

1997-01-01

The University of Massachusetts Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory (MIRSL) gathered coincident active and passive measurements of the ocean surface from the NASA Wallops P3 during the Ocean Wind Imaging (OWI) Experiment...

Main principles of passive devices based on graphene and carbon films in microwave-THz frequency range

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzhir, Polina P.; Paddubskaya, Alesia G.; Volynets, Nadezhda I.; Batrakov, Konstantin G.; Kaplas, Tommi; Lamberti, Patrizia; Kotsilkova, Rumiana; Lambin, Philippe

2017-07-01

The ability of thin conductive films, including graphene, pyrolytic carbon (PyC), graphitic PyC (GrPyC), graphene with graphitic islands (GrI), glassy carbon (GC), and sandwich structures made of all these materials separated by polymer slabs to absorb electromagnetic radiation in microwave-THz frequency range, is discussed. The main physical principles making a basis for high absorption ability of these heterostructures are explained both in the language of electromagnetic theory and using representation of equivalent electrical circuits. The idea of using carbonaceous thin films as the main working elements of passive radiofrequency (RF) devices, such as shields, filters, polarizers, collimators, is proposed theoretically and proved experimentally. The important advantage of PyC, GrI, GrPyC, and GC is that, in contrast to graphene, they either can be easily deposited onto a dielectric substrate or are strong enough to allow their transfer from the catalytic substrate without a shuttle polymer layer. This opens a new avenue toward the development of a scalable protocol for cost-efficient production of ultralight electromagnetic shields that can be transferred to commercial applications. A robust design via finite-element method and design of experiment for RF devices based on carbon/graphene films and sandwiches is also discussed in the context of virtual prototyping.

Precise Orbit Solution for Swarm Using Space-Borne GPS Data and Optimized Pseudo-Stochastic Pulses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bingbing Zhang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Swarm is a European Space Agency (ESA project that was launched on 22 November 2013, which consists of three Swarm satellites. Swarm precise orbits are essential to the success of the above project. This study investigates how well Swarm zero-differenced (ZD reduced-dynamic orbit solutions can be determined using space-borne GPS data and optimized pseudo-stochastic pulses under high ionospheric activity. We choose Swarm space-borne GPS data from 1–25 October 2014, and Swarm reduced-dynamic orbits are obtained. Orbit quality is assessed by GPS phase observation residuals and compared with Precise Science Orbits (PSOs released by ESA. Results show that pseudo-stochastic pulses with a time interval of 6 min and a priori standard deviation (STD of 10−2 mm/s in radial (R, along-track (T and cross-track (N directions are optimized to Swarm ZD reduced-dynamic precise orbit determination (POD. During high ionospheric activity, the mean Root Mean Square (RMS of Swarm GPS phase residuals is at 9–11 mm, Swarm orbit solutions are also compared with Swarm PSOs released by ESA and the accuracy of Swarm orbits can reach 2–4 cm in R, T and N directions. Independent Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR validation indicates that Swarm reduced-dynamic orbits have an accuracy of 2–4 cm. Swarm-B orbit quality is better than those of Swarm-A and Swarm-C. The Swarm orbits can be applied to the geomagnetic, geoelectric and gravity field recovery.

Microwave Triggered Laser Ionization of Air

Science.gov (United States)

Vadiee, Ehsan; Prasad, Sarita; Jerald Buchenauer, C.; Schamiloglu, Edl

2012-10-01

The goal of this work is to study the evolution and dynamics of plasma expansion when a high power microwave (HPM) pulse is overlapped in time and space on a very small, localized region of plasma formed by a high energy laser pulse. The pulsed Nd:YAG laser (8 ns, 600mJ, repetition rate 10 Hz) is focused to generate plasma filaments in air with electron density of 10^17/cm^3. When irradiated with a high power microwave pulse these electrons would gain enough kinetic energy and further escalate avalanche ionization of air due to elastic electron-neutral collisions thereby causing an increased volumetric discharge region. An X-band relativistic backward wave oscillator(RBWO) at the Pulsed Power,Beams and Microwaves laboratory at UNM is constructed as the microwave source. The RBWO produces a microwave pulse of maximum power 400 MW, frequency of 10.1 GHz, and energy of 6.8 Joules. Special care is being given to synchronize the RBWO and the pulsed laser system in order to achieve a high degree of spatial and temporal overlap. A photodiode and a microwave waveguide detector will be used to ensure the overlap. Also, a new shadowgraph technique with a nanosecond time resolution will be used to detect changes in the shock wave fronts when the HPM signal overlaps the laser pulse in time and space.

Investigation of pulse shape analyzers for phoswich detectors in space-borne hard X-ray experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bleeker, J A.M.; Overtoom, J M [Huygens Lab., Leiden (Netherlands). Cosmic Ray Working Group

1979-12-01

A low-background telescope for hard X-ray astronomy (15-250 keV), comprising arrays of NaI(Tl)/CsI(Na) phoswiches as photon collectors, was recently developed. The background rejection efficiency of such a telescope, and hence the minimum source in a given time, critically depends on the performance of the phoswich pulse shape analyzer (PSA) in a space radiation environment. Results from theoretical and experimental work on analyzer configurations based on zero-crossing detection are presented. This led to the selection of an optimum configuration for space application. The in-situ performance of this analyzer was evaluated in a balloon-borne hard X-ray experiment, showing excellent discrimination efficiency throughout the entire energy regime.

Balloon measurements of the cosmic microwave background strongly favor a flat cosmos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwarzschild, Bertram

2000-01-01

In 1998 two related but independent groups sent balloon-borne microwave telescopes aloft to study fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at fine angular resolution. In August of that year, the Maxima telescope spent one night at 40 km above Texas. And at the end of the year, its ''sister'' telescope, called Boomerang, took advantage of the steady circumpolar winds of the austral summer to complete a 10-day stratospheric circumnavigation of Antarctica. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

Plasma wave excitation by intense microwave transmission from a space vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, I.; Matsumoto, H.; Kaya, N.; Miyatake, S.

An impact of intense microwave upon the ionospheric plasma was empirically investigated by an active rocket experiment (MINIX). The rocket carried two high-power (830W) transmitters of 2.45 GHz microwave on the mother section of the rocket. The ionospheric plasma response to the intense microwave was measured by a diagnostic package installed on both mother and daughter sections. The daughter section was separated from the mother with a slow speed of 15 cm/sec. The plasma wave analyzers revealed that various plasma waves are nonlinearly excited by the microwave. Among them, the most intense are electron cyclotron waves, followed by electron plasma waves. Extremely low frequency waves (several tens of Hz) are also found. The results of the data analysis as well as comparative computer simulations are given in this paper.

Combined Active and Passive Solar Space Heating and Solar Hot Water Systems for an Elementary School in Boise, Idaho.

Science.gov (United States)

Smull, Neil A.; Armstrong, Gerald L.

1979-01-01

Amity Elementary School in Boise, Idaho, features a solar space heating and domestic hot water system along with an earth covering to accommodate the passive aspects of energy conservation. (Author/MLF)

Use of microwaves to improve nutritional value of soybeans for future space inhabitants

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, G.

1983-01-01

Whole soybeans from four different varieties at different moisture contents were microwaved for varying times to determine the conditions for maximum destruction of trypsin inhibitor and lipoxygenase activities, and optimal growth of chicks. Microwaving 150 gm samples of soybeans (at 14 to 28% moisture) for 1.5 min was found optimal for reduction of trypsin inhibitor and lipoxygenase activities. Microwaving 1 kgm samples of soybeans for 9 minutes destroyed 82% of the trypsin inhibitor activity and gave optimal chick growth. It should be pointed out that the microwaving time would vary according to the weight of the sample and the power of the microwave oven. The microwave oven used in the above experiments was rated at 650 watts 2450 MHz.

Passive shielding effect on space profile of magnetic field emissions for wireless power transfer to vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batra, T.; Schaltz, E.

2015-01-01

Magnetic fields emitted by wireless power transfer systems are of high importance with respect to human safety and health. Aluminum and ferrite are used in the system to reduce the fields and are termed as passive shielding. In this paper, the influence of these materials on the space profile has been investigated with the help of simulations on Comsol for the four possible geometries—no shielding, ferrite, aluminum, and full shielding. As the reflected impedance varies for the four geometries, the primary current is varied accordingly to maintain constant power transfer to the secondary side. Surrounding magnetic field plots in the vertical direction show that maxima's of the two coils for the no shielding geometry are centered at the respective coils and for the remaining three are displaced closer to each other. This closeness would lead to more effective addition of the two coil fields and an increase in the resultant field from space point of view. This closeness varies with distance in the horizontal direction and vertical gap between the coils and is explained in the paper. This paper provides a better understanding of effect of the passive shielding materials on the space nature of magnetic fields for wireless power transfer for vehicle applications

Passive shielding effect on space profile of magnetic field emissions for wireless power transfer to vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Batra, T., E-mail: tba@et.aau.dk; Schaltz, E. [Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg 9220 (Denmark)

2015-05-07

Magnetic fields emitted by wireless power transfer systems are of high importance with respect to human safety and health. Aluminum and ferrite are used in the system to reduce the fields and are termed as passive shielding. In this paper, the influence of these materials on the space profile has been investigated with the help of simulations on Comsol for the four possible geometries—no shielding, ferrite, aluminum, and full shielding. As the reflected impedance varies for the four geometries, the primary current is varied accordingly to maintain constant power transfer to the secondary side. Surrounding magnetic field plots in the vertical direction show that maxima's of the two coils for the no shielding geometry are centered at the respective coils and for the remaining three are displaced closer to each other. This closeness would lead to more effective addition of the two coil fields and an increase in the resultant field from space point of view. This closeness varies with distance in the horizontal direction and vertical gap between the coils and is explained in the paper. This paper provides a better understanding of effect of the passive shielding materials on the space nature of magnetic fields for wireless power transfer for vehicle applications.

Development of micro-mirror slicer integral field unit for space-borne solar spectrographs

Science.gov (United States)

Suematsu, Yoshinori; Saito, Kosuke; Koyama, Masatsugu; Enokida, Yukiya; Okura, Yukinobu; Nakayasu, Tomoyasu; Sukegawa, Takashi

2017-12-01

We present an innovative optical design for image slicer integral field unit (IFU) and a manufacturing method that overcomes optical limitations of metallic mirrors. Our IFU consists of a micro-mirror slicer of 45 arrayed, highly narrow, flat metallic mirrors and a pseudo-pupil-mirror array of off-axis conic aspheres forming three pseudo slits of re-arranged slicer images. A prototype IFU demonstrates that the final optical quality is sufficiently high for a visible light spectrograph. Each slicer micro-mirror is 1.58 mm long and 30 μm wide with surface roughness ≤1 nm rms, and edge sharpness ≤ 0.1 μm, etc. This IFU is small size and can be implemented in a multi-slit spectrograph without any moving mechanism and fore optics, in which one slit is real and the others are pseudo slits from the IFU. The IFU mirrors were deposited by a space-qualified, protected silver coating for high reflectivity in visible and near IR wavelength regions. These properties are well suitable for space-borne spectrograph such as the future Japanese solar space mission SOLAR-C. We present the optical design, performance of prototype IFU, and space qualification tests of the silver coating.

Determination of water vapor and ozone profiles in the middle atmosphere by microwave-spectroscopy. Bestimmung von Wasserdampf- und Ozonprofilen in der mittleren Atmosphaere durch Millimeterwellenspektroskopie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Puliafito, S.E.

1989-10-17

This work was performed at the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Aeronomie (F.R.G.) and treats the following points: 1. Satellite borne microwave radiometry. Principles for a real-time evaluation of the MAS-Limb-Sounding measurements. (MAS: Millimeter Wave Atmospheric Sounder from Space Shuttle as part of the NASA ATLAS Missions, 1991-1997). (a) Deconvolution of the 60 GHz-antenna. (b) Test of different inversion proceedings. A detailed study of the boundary conditions and 'error influence' as well as a discussion of the radiometer specifications. (c) Near real time inversion of microwave spectral lines of the Earth atmosphere. i. The possibility of a (near) real time evaluation (retrieval of the profiles of the atmospheric components) was proved for the first time with a space proof microprocessor. ii. Data reduction of about a factor > 10{sup 3} in comparison with other methods. 2. Airborne and ground based microwave radiometry. (a) Study of the possibilities of ground- and aircraft based measurements for validation and cross calibration of the satellite measurements. (b) Study of the possibilities of ground based radiometric measurements of water vapour in the Artic or Antartica. Precise boundary conditions were given for the first time in order to perform ground based millimeter radiometric measurements in these areas. (orig.).

Generation of “gigantic” ultra-short microwave pulses based on passive mode-locking effect in electron oscillators with saturable absorber in the feedback loop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginzburg, N. S.; Denisov, G. G.; Vilkov, M. N.; Zotova, I. V.; Sergeev, A. S.

2016-01-01

A periodic train of powerful ultrashort microwave pulses can be generated in electron oscillators with a non-linear saturable absorber installed in the feedback loop. This method of pulse formation resembles the passive mode-locking widely used in laser physics. Nevertheless, there is a specific feature in the mechanism of pulse amplification when consecutive energy extraction from different fractions of a stationary electron beam takes place due to pulse slippage over the beam caused by the difference between the wave group velocity and the electron axial velocity. As a result, the peak power of generated “gigantic” pulses can exceed not only the level of steady-state generation but also, in the optimal case, the power of the driving electron beam.

DSS 13 phase 2 pedestal room microwave layout

Science.gov (United States)

Cwik, T.; Chen, J. C.

1991-01-01

The design and predicted performance is described of the microwave layout for three band operation of the beam waveguide antenna Deep Space Station 13. Three pedestal room microwave candidate layout designs were produced for simultaneous X/S and X/Ka band operation. One of the three designs was chosen based on given constraints, and for this design the microwave performance was estimated.

Citric Acid Passivation of Stainless Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Yasensky, David; Reali, John; Larson, Chris; Carl, Chad

2009-01-01

Passivation is a process for cleaning and providing corrosion protection for stainless steel. Currently, on Kennedy Space Center (KSC), only parts passivated with nitric acid are acceptable for use. KSC disposes of approximately 125gal of concentrated nitric acid per year, and receives many parts from vendors who must also dispose of used nitric acid. Unfortunately, nitric acid presents health and environmental hazards. As a result, several recent industry studies have examined citric acid as an alternative. Implementing a citric acid-based passivation procedure would improve the health and environmental safety aspects of passivation process. However although there is a lack of published studies that conclusively prove citric acid is a technically sound passivation agent. In 2007, NASA's KSC Materials Advisory Working Group requested the evaluation of citric acid in place of nitric acid for passivation of parts at KSC. United Space Alliance Materials & Processes engineers have developed a three-phase test plan to evaluate citric acid as an alternative to nitric acid on three stainless steels commonly used at KSC: UNS S30400, S41000, and S17400. Phases 1 and 2 will produce an optimized citric acid treatment based on results from atmospheric exposure at NASA's Beach Corrosion Facility. Phase 3 will compare the optimized solution(s) with nitric acid treatments. If the results indicate that citric acid passivates as well or better than nitric acid, NASA intends to approve this method for parts used at the Kennedy Space Center.

Gas Discharge Produced by Strong Microwaves of Nanosecond Duration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vikharev, A.L.

2000-01-01

The results of the investigation of nanosecond microwave discharge are reviewed. Nanosecond microwave discharge is a new branch of gas discharge physics. The paper lists base types of microwave generators used to produce nanosecond discharge and classifies the discharges relative to their base parameters: the way the discharge gets localized in a limited space, amplitude and frequency of microwave field, gas pressure, duration of microwave pulses. The laboratory experiments performed and the new effects which appear in nanosecond microwave discharge are briefly summarized. Different applications of such a discharge are analyzed on the basis of the experimental modelling. (author)

Passive band-gap reconfiguration born from bifurcation asymmetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard, Brian P; Mann, Brian P

2013-11-01

Current periodic structures are constrained to have fixed energy transmission behavior unless active control or component replacement is used to alter their wave propagation characteristics. The introduction of nonlinearity to generate multiple stable equilibria is an alternative strategy for realizing distinct energy propagation behaviors. We investigate the creation of a reconfigurable band-gap system by implementing passive switching between multiple stable states of equilibrium, to alter the level of energy attenuation in response to environmental stimuli. The ability to avoid potentially catastrophic loads is demonstrated by tailoring the bandpass and band-gap regions to coalesce for two stable equilibria and varying an external load parameter to trigger a bifurcation. The proposed phenomenon could be utilized in remote or autonomous applications where component modifications and active control are impractical.

The TopHat experiment: A balloon-borne instrument for mapping millimeter and submillimeter emission

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Silverberg, R.F.; Cheng, E.S.; Aguirre, J.E.

2005-01-01

The TopHat experiment was designed to measure the anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation on angular scales from 0.degrees 3 to 30 degrees and the thermal emission from both Galactic and extragalactic dust. The balloon-borne instrument had five spectral bands spanning frequencies ...

Reactionless robust finite-time control for manipulation of passive objects by free-floating space robots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Sheng-Peng; Li Dong-Xu; Meng Yun-He; Fan Cai-Zhi

2014-01-01

On-orbit servicing requires efficient techniques for manipulating passive objects. The paper aims at developing a reactionless control method that drives the manipulator to manipulate passive objects with high precision, while inducing no disturbances to its base attitude. To this end, decomposition of the target dynamics from the base dynamics is discussed, so that they can be considered as two independent subsystems. A reactionless nonlinear controller is presented, which ensures high-precision manipulation of the targets and that the base orientation is unchanged. This is achieved by combining the robust finite-time control with the reaction null space. Finally, the performance of the proposed method is examined by comparing it with that of a reactionless PD controller and a pure finite-time controller. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Passive Shielding Effect on Space Profile of Magnetic Field Emissions for Wireless Power Transfer to Vehicles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Batra, Tushar; Schaltz, Erik

2015-01-01

Magnetic fields emitted by wireless power transfer systems are of high importance with respect to human safety and health. Aluminum and ferrite are used in the system to reduce the fields and are termed as passive shielding. In this paper, the influence of these materials on the space profile has...... fields for wireless power transfer for vehicle applications....

GHRSST Level 2P Regional Subskin Sea Surface Temperature from the Tropical Rainfall Mapping Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) for the Atlantic Ocean (GDS version 1)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) is a well calibrated passive microwave radiometer, similar to SSM/I, that contains lower...

NRT AMSR2 UNIFIED L2B HALF-ORBIT 25 KM EASE-GRID SURFACE SOIL MOISTURE V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) instrument on the Global Change Observation Mission - Water 1 (GCOM-W1) provides global passive microwave...

GHRSST Level 2P Global Subskin Sea Surface Temperature from TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) onboard Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) satellite (GDS versions 1 and 2)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — GDS2 Version -The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) is a well calibrated passive microwave radiometer, similar to the Special Sensor...

On-chip microwave circulators using quantum Hall plasmonics

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, Alice; Colless, James; Pauka, Sebastian; Hornibrook, John; Doherty, Andrew; Reilly, David; Peeters, Lucas; Fox, Eli; Goldhaber-Gordon, David; Kou, Xuefeng; Pan, Lei; Wang, Kang; Watson, John; Gardner, Geoffrey; Manfra, Michael

Circulators are directional circuit elements integral to technologies including radar systems, microwave communication transceivers and the readout of quantum information devices. Their non-reciprocity commonly arises from the interference of microwaves over the centimetre-scale of the signal wavelength in the presence of bulky magnetic media that breaks time-reversal symmetry. We present a completely passive on-chip microwave circulator with size 1/1000th the wavelength by exploiting the chiral, `slow-light' response of a GaAs/AlGaAs 2-dimensional electron gas in the quantum Hall regime. Further, by implementing this circulator design on a thin film of a magnetic topological insulator (Cr0.12(Bi0.26Sb0.62)2Te3), we show that similar non-reciprocity can be achieved at zero magnetic field. This additional mode of operation serves as a non-invasive probe of edge states in the quantum anomalous Hall effect, while also extending the possibility for integration with superconducting devices.

Estimating snow depth of alpine snowpack via airborne multifrequency passive microwave radiance observations: Colorado, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, R. S.; Durand, M. T.; Li, D.; Baldo, E.; Margulis, S. A.; Dumont, M.; Morin, S.

2017-12-01

This paper presents a newly-proposed snow depth retrieval approach for mountainous deep snow using airborne multifrequency passive microwave (PM) radiance observation. In contrast to previous snow depth estimations using satellite PM radiance assimilation, the newly-proposed method utilized single flight observation and deployed the snow hydrologic models. This method is promising since the satellite-based retrieval methods have difficulties to estimate snow depth due to their coarse resolution and computational effort. Indeed, this approach consists of particle filter using combinations of multiple PM frequencies and multi-layer snow physical model (i.e., Crocus) to resolve melt-refreeze crusts. The method was performed over NASA Cold Land Processes Experiment (CLPX) area in Colorado during 2002 and 2003. Results showed that there was a significant improvement over the prior snow depth estimates and the capability to reduce the prior snow depth biases. When applying our snow depth retrieval algorithm using a combination of four PM frequencies (10.7,18.7, 37.0 and 89.0 GHz), the RMSE values were reduced by 48 % at the snow depth transects sites where forest density was less than 5% despite deep snow conditions. This method displayed a sensitivity to different combinations of frequencies, model stratigraphy (i.e. different number of layering scheme for snow physical model) and estimation methods (particle filter and Kalman filter). The prior RMSE values at the forest-covered areas were reduced by 37 - 42 % even in the presence of forest cover.

On the Ability of Space-Based Passive and Active Remote Sensing Observations of CO2 to Detect Flux Perturbations to the Carbon Cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Crowell, Sean M. R.; Randolph Kawa, S.; Browell, Edward V.; Hammerling, Dorit M.; Moore, Berrien; Schaefer, Kevin; Doney, Scott C.

2018-01-01

Space-borne observations of CO2 are vital to gaining understanding of the carbon cycle in regions of the world that are difficult to measure directly, such as the tropical terrestrial biosphere, the high northern and southern latitudes, and in developing nations such as China. Measurements from passive instruments such as GOSAT and OCO-2, however, are constrained by solar zenith angle limitations as well as sensitivity to the presence of clouds and aerosols. Active measurements such as those in development for the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission show strong potential for making measurements in the high-latitude winter and in cloudy regions. In this work we examine the enhanced flux constraint provided by the improved coverage from an active measurement such as ASCENDS. The simulation studies presented here show that with sufficient precision, ASCENDS will detect permafrost thaw and fossil fuel emissions shifts at annual and seasonal time scales, even in the presence of transport errors, representativeness errors, and biogenic flux errors. While OCO-2 can detect some of these perturbations at the annual scale, the seasonal sampling provided by ASCENDS provides the stronger constraint.

Development of a long-slot microwave plasma source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuwata, Y., E-mail: euo1304@mail4.doshisha.ac.jp; Kasuya, T.; Miyamoto, N.; Wada, M. [Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321 (Japan)

2016-02-15

A 20 cm long 10 cm wide microwave plasma source was realized by inserting two 20 cm long 1.5 mm diameter rod antennas into the plasma. Plasma luminous distributions around the antennas were changed by magnetic field arrangement created by permanent magnets attached to the source. The distributions appeared homogeneous in one direction along the antenna when the spacing between the antenna and the source wall was 7.5 mm for the input microwave frequency of 2.45 GHz. Plasma density and temperature at a plane 20 cm downstream from the microwave shield were measured by a Langmuir probe array at 150 W microwave power input. The measured electron density and temperature varied over space from 3.0 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −3} to 5.8 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −3}, and from 1.1 eV to 2.1 eV, respectively.

A simple algorithm to retrieve soil moisture and vegetation biomass using passive microwave measurements over crop fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wigneron, J.P.; Chanzy, A.; Calvet, J.C.; Bruguier, N.

1995-01-01

A simple algorithm to retrieve sail moisture and vegetation water content from passive microwave measurements is analyzed in this study. The approach is based on a zeroth-order solution of the radiative transfer equations in a vegetation layer. In this study, the single scattering albedo accounts for scattering effects and two parameters account for the dependence of the optical thickness on polarization, incidence angle, and frequency. The algorithm requires only ancillary information about crop type and surface temperature. Retrievals of the surface parameters from two radiometric data sets acquired over a soybean and a wheat crop have been attempted. The model parameters have been fitted in order to achieve best match between measured and retrieved surface data. The results of the inversion are analyzed for different configurations of the radiometric observations: one or several look angles, L-band, C-band or (L-band and C-band). Sensitivity of the retrievals to the best fit values of the model parameters has also been investigated. The best configurations, requiring simultaneous measurements at L- and C-band, produce retrievals of soil moisture and biomass with a 15% estimated precision (about 0.06 m 3 /m 3 for soil moisture and 0.3 kg/m 2 for biomass) and exhibit a limited sensitivity to the best fit parameters. (author)

Mapping Greenland's Firn Aquifer using L-band Microwave Radiometry

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, J.; Bringer, A.; Jezek, K. C.; Johnson, J. T.; Scambos, T. A.; Long, D. G.

2016-12-01

Greenland's recently discovered firn aquifer is one of the most interesting, yet still mysterious, components of the ice sheet system. Many open questions remain regarding timescales of refreezing and/or englacial drainage of liquid meltwater, and the connections of firn aquifers to the subglacial hydrological system. If liquid meltwater production at the surface of the Greenland ice sheet continues to increase, subsequent increases in the volume of mobile liquid meltwater retained within Greenland's firn aquifer may increase the possibility of crevasse-deepening via hydrofracture. Hydrofracture is an important component of supraglacial lake drainage leading to at least temporary accelerated flow velocities and ice sheet mass balance changes. Firn aquifers may also support hydrofracture-induced drainage and thus are potentially capable of significantly influencing ice sheet mass balance and sea level rise. Spaceborne L-band microwave radiometers provide an innovative tool for ice-sheet wide mapping of the spatiotemporal variability of Greenland's firn aquifer. Both refreezing and englacial drainage may be observable given the sensitivity of the microwave response to the upper surface of liquid meltwater retained within snow and firn pore space as well as the ability of L band instruments to probe the ice sheet from the surface to the firn-ice transition at pore close-off depth. Here we combine L-band (1.4 GHz) brightness temperature observations from multiple sources to demonstrate the potential of mapping firn aquifers on ice sheets using L-band microwave radiometry. Data sources include the interferometric MIRAS instrument aboard ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite mission and the radiometer aboard NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission. We will also present mulit-frequency L-band brightness temperature data (0.5-2 GHz) that will be collected over several firn aquifer areas on the Greenland ice sheet by the Ohio State

Studies on space charge neutralization and emittance measurement of beam from microwave ion source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Misra, Anuraag; Goswami, A.; Sing Babu, P.; Srivastava, S.; Pandit, V. S., E-mail: pandit@vecc.gov.in, E-mail: vspandit12@gmail.com [Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, 1-AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700 064 (India)

2015-11-15

A 2.45 GHz microwave ion source together with a beam transport system has been developed at VECC to study the problems related with the injection of high current beam into a compact cyclotron. This paper presents the results of beam profile measurement of high current proton beam at different degrees of space charge neutralisation with the introduction of neon gas in the beam line using a fine leak valve. The beam profiles have been measured at different pressures in the beam line by capturing the residual gas fluorescence using a CCD camera. It has been found that with space charge compensation at the present current level (∼5 mA at 75 keV), it is possible to reduce the beam spot size by ∼34%. We have measured the variation of beam profile as a function of the current in the solenoid magnet under the neutralised condition and used these data to estimate the rms emittance of the beam. Simulations performed using equivalent Kapchinsky-Vladimirsky beam envelope equations with space charge neutralization factor are also presented to interpret the experimental results.

Antenna for passive RFID tags

Science.gov (United States)

Schiopu, Paul; Manea, Adrian; Cristea, Ionica; Grosu, Neculai; Vladescu, Marian; Craciun, Anca-Ileana; Craciun, Alexandru

2015-02-01

Minuscule devices, called RFID tags are attached to objects and persons and emit information which positioned readers may capture wirelessly. Many methods of identification have been used, but that of most common is to use a unique serial number for identification of person or object. RFID tags can be characterized as either active or passive [1,2]. Traditional passive tags are typically in "sleep" state until awakened by the reader's emitted field. In passive tags, the reader's field acts to charge the capacitor that powers the badge and this can be a combination of antenna and barcodes obtained with SAW( Surface Acoustic Wave) devices [1,2,3] . The antenna in an RFID tag is a conductive element that permits the tag to exchange data with the reader. The paper contribution are targeted to antenna for passive RFID tags. The electromagnetic field generated by the reader is somehow oriented by the reader antenna and power is induced in the tag only if the orientation of the tag antenna is appropriate. A tag placed orthogonal to the reader yield field will not be read. This is the reason that guided manufacturers to build circular polarized antenna capable of propagating a field that is alternatively polarized on all planes passing on the diffusion axis. Passive RFID tags are operated at the UHF frequencies of 868MHz (Europe) and 915MHz (USA) and at the microwave frequencies of 2,45 GHz and 5,8 GHz . Because the tags are small dimensions, in paper, we present the possibility to use circular polarization microstrip antenna with fractal edge [2].

Inkjet Printed Radio Frequency Passive Components

KAUST Repository

McKerricher, Garret

2015-12-01

Inkjet printing is a mature technique for colourful graphic arts. It excels at customized, large area, high resolution, and small volume production. With the developments in conductive, and dielectric inks, there is potential for large area inkjet electronics fabrication. Passive radio frequency devices can benefit greatly from a printing process, since the size of these devices is defined by the frequency of operation. The large size of radio frequency passives means that they either take up expensive space “on chip” or that they are fabricated on a separate lower cost substrate and somehow bonded to the chips. This has hindered cost-sensitive high volume applications such as radio frequency identification tags. Substantial work has been undertaken on inkjet-printed conductors for passive antennas on microwave substrates and even paper, yet there has been little work on the printing of the dielectric materials aimed at radio frequency passives. Both the conductor and dielectric need to be integrated to create a multilayer inkjet printing process that is capable of making quality passives such as capacitors and inductors. Three inkjet printed dielectrics are investigated in this thesis: a ceramic (alumina), a thermal-cured polymer (poly 4 vinyl phenol), and a UV-cured polymer (acrylic based). For the conductor, both a silver nanoparticle ink as well as a custom in-house formulated particle-free silver ink are explored. The focus is on passives, mainly capacitors and inductors. Compared to low frequency electronics, radio frequency components have additional sensitivity regarding skin depth of the conductor and surface roughness, as well as dielectric constant and loss tangent of the dielectric. These concerns are investigated with the aim of making the highest quality components possible and to understand the current limitations of inkjet-fabricated radio frequency devices. An inkjet-printed alumina dielectric that provides quality factors of 200 and high

Sensitivity Analysis of b-factor in Microwave Emission Model for Soil Moisture Retrieval: A Case Study for SMAP Mission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dugwon Seo

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Sensitivity analysis is critically needed to better understand the microwave emission model for soil moisture retrieval using passive microwave remote sensing data. The vegetation b-factor along with vegetation water content and surface characteristics has significant impact in model prediction. This study evaluates the sensitivity of the b-factor, which is function of vegetation type. The analysis is carried out using Passive and Active L and S-band airborne sensor (PALS and measured field soil moisture from Southern Great Plains experiment (SGP99. The results show that the relative sensitivity of the b-factor is 86% in wet soil condition and 88% in high vegetated condition compared to the sensitivity of the soil moisture. Apparently, the b-factor is found to be more sensitive than the vegetation water content, surface roughness and surface temperature; therefore, the effect of the b-factor is fairly large to the microwave emission in certain conditions. Understanding the dependence of the b-factor on the soil and vegetation is important in studying the soil moisture retrieval algorithm, which can lead to potential improvements in model development for the Soil Moisture Active-Passive (SMAP mission.

UAV-Borne Profiling Radar for Forest Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuwei Chen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Microwave Radar is an attractive solution for forest mapping and inventories because microwave signals penetrates into the forest canopy and the backscattering signal can provide information regarding the whole forest structure. Satellite-borne and airborne imaging radars have been used in forest resources mapping for many decades. However, their accuracy with respect to the main forest inventory attributes substantially varies depending on the wavelength and techniques used in the estimation. Systems providing canopy backscatter as a function of canopy height are, practically speaking, missing. Therefore, there is a need for a radar system that would enable the scientific community to better understand the radar backscatter response from the forest canopy. Consequently, we undertook a research study to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV-borne profiling (i.e., waveform radar that could be used to improve the understanding of the radar backscatter response for forestry mapping and inventories. A frequency modulation continuous waveform (FMCW profiling radar, termed FGI-Tomoradar, was introduced, designed and tested. One goal is the total weight of the whole system is less than 7 kg, including the radar system and georeferencing system, with centimetre-level positioning accuracy. Achieving this weight goal would enable the FGI-Tomoradar system to be installed on the Mini-UAV platform. The prototype system had all four linear polarization measuring capabilities, with bistatic configuration in Ku-band. In system performance tests in this study, FGI-Tomoradar was mounted on a manned helicopter together with a Riegl VQ-480-U laser scanner and tested in several flight campaigns performed at the Evo site, Finland. Airborne laser scanning data was simultaneously collected to investigate the differences and similarities of the outputs for the same target area for better understanding the penetration of the microwave signal into the forest canopy

Microwave Powered Gravitationally Independent Medical Grade Water Generation, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — An innovative microwave system is proposed for the continuous production of medical grade water. This system will utilize direct absorption of microwave radiation to...

On-board event processing algorithms for a CCD-based space borne X-ray spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun, H.J.; Bowles, J.A.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Gowen, R.A.

1996-01-01

This paper describes two alternative algorithms which are applied to reduce the telemetry requirements for a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) based, space-borne, X-ray spectrometer by on-board reconstruction of the X-ray events split over two or more adjacent pixels. The algorithms have been developed for the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on the X-ray multi-mirror (XMM) mission, the second cornerstone project in the European Space Agency's Horizon 2000 programme. The overall instrument and some criteria which provide the background of the development of the algorithms, implemented in Tartan ADA on an MA31750 microprocessor, are described. The on-board processing constraints and requirements are discussed, and the performances of the algorithms are compared. Test results are presented which show that the recursive implementation is faster and has a smaller executable file although it uses more memory because of its stack requirements. (orig.)

Foreword to the Special Issue on the 11th Specialist Meeting on Microwave Radiometry and Remote Sensing Applications (MicroRad 2010)

Science.gov (United States)

Le Vine, David M; Jackson, Thomas J.; Kim, Edward J.; Lang, Roger H.

2011-01-01

The Specialist Meeting on Microwave Radiometry and Remote Sensing of the Environment (MicroRad 2010) was held in Washington, DC from March 1 to 4, 2010. The objective of MicroRad 2010 was to provide an open forum to report and discuss recent advances in the field of microwave radiometry, particularly with application to remote sensing of the environment. The meeting was highly successful, with more than 200 registrations representing 48 countries. There were 80 oral presentations and more than 100 posters. MicroRad has become a venue for the microwave radiometry community to present new research results, instrument designs, and applications to an audience that is conversant in these issues. The meeting was divided into 16 sessions (listed in order of presentation): 1) SMOS Mission; 2) Future Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Missions; 3) Theory and Physical Principles of Electromagnetic Models; 4) Field Experiment Results; 5) Soil Moisture and Vegetation; 6) Snow and Cryosphere; 7) Passive/Active Microwave Remote Sensing Synergy; 8) Oceans; 9) Atmospheric Sounding and Assimilation; 10) Clouds and Precipitation; 11) Instruments and Advanced Techniques I; 12) Instruments and Advanced Techniques II; 13) Cross Calibration of Satellite Radiometers; 14) Calibration Theory and Methodology; 15) New Technologies for Microwave Radiometry; 16) Radio Frequency Interference.

Unidirectional Wave Vector Manipulation in Two-Dimensional Space with an All Passive Acoustic Parity-Time-Symmetric Metamaterials Crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tuo; Zhu, Xuefeng; Chen, Fei; Liang, Shanjun; Zhu, Jie

2018-03-01

Exploring the concept of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians respecting parity-time symmetry with classical wave systems is of great interest as it enables the experimental investigation of parity-time-symmetric systems through the quantum-classical analogue. Here, we demonstrate unidirectional wave vector manipulation in two-dimensional space, with an all passive acoustic parity-time-symmetric metamaterials crystal. The metamaterials crystal is constructed through interleaving groove- and holey-structured acoustic metamaterials to provide an intrinsic parity-time-symmetric potential that is two-dimensionally extended and curved, which allows the flexible manipulation of unpaired wave vectors. At the transition point from the unbroken to broken parity-time symmetry phase, the unidirectional sound focusing effect (along with reflectionless acoustic transparency in the opposite direction) is experimentally realized over the spectrum. This demonstration confirms the capability of passive acoustic systems to carry the experimental studies on general parity-time symmetry physics and further reveals the unique functionalities enabled by the judiciously tailored unidirectional wave vectors in space.

Opto-microwave, Butler matrixes based front-end for a multi-beam large direct radiating array antenna

Science.gov (United States)

Piqueras, M. A.; Mengual, T.; Navasquillo, O.; Sotom, M.; Caille, G.

2017-11-01

The evolution of broadband communication satellites shows a clear trend towards beam forming and beamswitching systems with efficient multiple access schemes with wide bandwidths, for which to be economically viable, the communication price shall be as low as possible. In such applications, the most demanding antenna concept is the Direct Radiating Array (DRA) since its use allows a flexible power allocation between beams and may afford failures in their active chains with low impact on the antenna radiating pattern. Forming multiple antenna beams, as for `multimedia via satellite' missions, can be done mainly in three ways: in microwave domain, by digital or optical processors: - Microwave beam-formers are strongly constrained by the mass and volume of microwave devices and waveguides - the bandwidth of digital processors is limited due to power consumption and complexity constraints. - The microwave photonics is an enabling technology that can improve the antenna feeding network performances, overcoming the limitations of the traditional technology in the more demanding scenarios, and may overcome the conventional RF beam-former issues, to generate accurately the very numerous time delays or phase shifts required in a DRA with a large number of beams and of radiating elements. Integrated optics technology can play a crucial role as an alternative technology for implementing beam-forming structures for satellite applications thanks to the well known advantages of this technology such as low volume and weight, huge electrical bandwidth, electro-magnetic interference immunity, low consumption, remote delivery capability with low-attenuation (by carrying all microwave signals over optical fibres) and the robustness and precision that exhibits integrated optics. Under the ESA contract 4000105095/12/NL/RA the consortium formed by DAS Photonics, Thales Alenia Space and the Nanophotonic Technology Center of Valencia is developing a three-dimensional Optical Beamforming

Source analysis of spaceborne microwave radiometer interference over land

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Li; Zhang, Sibo

2016-03-01

Satellite microwave thermal emissions mixed with signals from active sensors are referred to as radiofrequency interference (RFI). Based on Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) observations from June 1 to 16, 2011, RFI over Europe was identified and analyzed using the modified principal component analysis algorithm in this paper. The X band AMSR-E measurements in England and Italy are mostly affected by the stable, persistent, active microwave transmitters on the surface, while the RFI source of other European countries is the interference of the reflected geostationary TV satellite downlink signals to the measurements of spaceborne microwave radiometers. The locations and intensities of the RFI induced by the geostationary TV and communication satellites changed with time within the observed period. The observations of spaceborne microwave radiometers in ascending portions of orbits are usually interfered with over European land, while no RFI was detected in descending passes. The RFI locations and intensities from the reflection of downlink radiation are highly dependent upon the relative geometry between the geostationary satellite and the measuring passive sensor. Only these fields of view of a spaceborne instrument whose scan azimuths are close to the azimuth relative to the geostationary satellite are likely to be affected by RFI.

Ferns are less dependent on passive dilution by cell expansion to coordinate leaf vein and stomatal spacing than angiosperms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madeline R Carins Murphy

Full Text Available Producing leaves with closely spaced veins is a key innovation linked to high rates of photosynthesis in angiosperms. A close geometric link between veins and stomata in angiosperms ensures that investment in enhanced venous water transport provides the strongest net carbon return to the plant. This link is underpinned by "passive dilution" via expansion of surrounding cells. However, it is not known whether this 'passive dilution' mechanism is present in plant lineages other than angiosperms and is another key feature of the angiosperms' evolutionary success. Consequently, we sought to determine whether the 'passive dilution' mechanism is; (i exclusive to the angiosperms, (ii a conserved mechanism that evolved in the common ancestor of ferns and angiosperms, or (iii has evolved continuously over time. To do this we first we assessed the plasticity of vein and stomatal density and epidermal cell size in ferns in response to light environment. We then compared the relationships between these traits found among ferns with modelled relationships that assume vein and stomatal density respond passively to epidermal cell expansion, and with those previously observed in angiosperms. Vein density, stomatal density and epidermal cell size were linked in ferns with remarkably similar relationships to those observed in angiosperms, except that fern leaves had fewer veins per stomata. However, plasticity was limited in ferns and stomatal spacing was dependent on active stomatal differentiation as well as passive cell expansion. Thus, ferns (like angiosperms appear to coordinate vein and stomatal density with epidermal cell expansion to some extent to maintain a constant ratio between veins and stomata in the leaf. The different general relationships between vein density and stomatal density in ferns and angiosperms suggests the groups have different optimum balances between the production of vein tissue dedicated to water supply and stomatal tissue for gas

Anomalous scaling of passive scalars in rotating flows.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez Imazio, P; Mininni, P D

2011-06-01

We present results of direct numerical simulations of passive scalar advection and diffusion in turbulent rotating flows. Scaling laws and the development of anisotropy are studied in spectral space, and in real space using an axisymmetric decomposition of velocity and passive scalar structure functions. The passive scalar is more anisotropic than the velocity field, and its power spectrum follows a spectral law consistent with ~ k[Please see text](-3/2). This scaling is explained with phenomenological arguments that consider the effect of rotation. Intermittency is characterized using scaling exponents and probability density functions of velocity and passive scalar increments. In the presence of rotation, intermittency in the velocity field decreases more noticeably than in the passive scalar. The scaling exponents show good agreement with Kraichnan's prediction for passive scalar intermittency in two dimensions, after correcting for the observed scaling of the second-order exponent.

Mapping Palaeohydrography in Deserts: Contribution from Space-Borne Imaging Radar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Paillou

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR has the capability to image subsurface features down to several meters in arid regions. A first demonstration of this capability was performed in the Egyptian desert during the early eighties, thanks to the first Shuttle Imaging Radar mission. Global coverage provided by recent SARs, such as the Japanese ALOS/PALSAR sensor, allowed the mapping of vast ancient hydrographic systems in Northern Africa. We present a summary of palaeohydrography results obtained using PALSAR data over large deserts such as the Sahara and the Gobi. An ancient river system was discovered in eastern Lybia, connecting in the past the Kufrah oasis to the Mediterranean Sea, and the terminal part of the Tamanrasett river was mapped in western Mauritania, ending with a large submarine canyon. In southern Mongolia, PALSAR images combined with topography analysis allowed the mapping of the ancient Ulaan Nuur lake. We finally show the potentials of future low frequency SAR sensors by comparing L-band (1.25 GHz and P-band (435 MHz airborne SAR acquisitions over a desert site in southern Tunisia.

On the Modern History of Passive Solar Architecture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marsh, Rob

2017-01-01

This article examines the paradox of passive solar architecture within the Nordic context of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Regulative developments to reduce space heating demand since the 1970s oil crisis are explored, highlighting architectural responses and the rise in prom-inence of passive solar...... design. An empirical study of passive solar housing schemes docu-ments architectural strategy, energy savings and extensive problems with overheating. A theo-retical study examines how passive solar was seen as advantageous when viewed with the 1985-2005 space heating paradigm, but actually resulted...... of Nordic modernism meant that passive solar architecture became the de-facto visual, aesthetic and functional expression of environmental design at that time. The article concludes by explor-ing the implications of the environmental paradigm for the architectural profession. By positing the architectural...

Converting a Microwave Oven into a Plasma Reactor: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor J. Law

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the use of domestic microwave ovens as plasma reactors for applications ranging from surface cleaning to pyrolysis and chemical synthesis. This review traces the developments from initial reports in the 1980s to today’s converted ovens that are used in proof-of-principle manufacture of carbon nanostructures and batch cleaning of ion implant ceramics. Information sources include the US and Korean patent office, peer-reviewed papers, and web references. It is shown that the microwave oven plasma can induce rapid heterogeneous reaction (solid to gas and liquid to gas/solid plus the much slower plasma-induced solid state reaction (metal oxide to metal nitride. A particular focus of this review is the passive and active nature of wire aerial electrodes, igniters, and thermal/chemical plasma catalyst in the generation of atmospheric plasma. In addition to the development of the microwave oven plasma, a further aspect evaluated is the development of methodologies for calibrating the plasma reactors with respect to microwave leakage, calorimetry, surface temperature, DUV-UV content, and plasma ion densities.

A high-brightness thermionic microwave electron gun

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borland, Michael [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

1991-02-01

In a collaborative effort by SSRL, AET Associates, and Varian Associates, a high-brightness microwave electron gun using a thermionic cathode has been designed, built, tested, and installed for use with the SSRL 150 MeV linear accelerator. This thesis discusses the physics behind the design and operation of the gun and associated systems, presenting predictions and experimental tests of the gun`s performance. The microwave gun concept is of increasing interest due to its promise of providing higher-current, lower-emittance electron beams than possible from conventional, DC gun technology. In a DC guns, accelerating gradients are less than 8 MV/m, while those in a microwave gun can exceed 100 MV/m, providing much more rapid initial acceleration, thereby reducing the deleterious effects of space-charge. Microwave guns produce higher momentum beams than DC guns, thus lessening space-charge effects during subsequent beam transport. Typical DC guns produce kinetic energies of 80--400 KeV, compared to 2--3 MeV for the SSRL microwave gun. ``State-of-the-art`` microwave gun designs employ laser-driven photocathodes, providing excellent performance but with greater complexity and monetary costs. A thermionic microwave gun with a magnetic bunching system is comparable in cost and complexity to a conventional system, but provides performance that is orders of magnitude better. Simulations of the SSRL microwave gun predict a normalized RMS emittance at the gun exist of < 10 π • m_ec • μm for a beam consisting of approximately 50% of the particles emitted from the gun, and having a momentum spread ±10%. These emittances are for up to 5 x 10⁹e^- per bunch. Chromatic aberrations in the transport line between the gun and linear accelerator increase this to typically < 30 π • m_e • μm.

A high-brightness thermionic microwave electron gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borland, M.

1991-02-01

In a collaborative effort by SSRL, AET Associates, and Varian Associates, a high-brightness microwave electron gun using a thermionic cathode has been designed, built, tested, and installed for use with the SSRL 150 MeV linear accelerator. This thesis discusses the physics behind the design and operation of the gun and associated systems, presenting predictions and experimental tests of the gun's performance. The microwave gun concept is of increasing interest due to its promise of providing higher-current, lower-emittance electron beams than possible from conventional, DC gun technology. In a DC guns, accelerating gradients are less than 8 MV/m, while those in a microwave gun can exceed 100 MV/m, providing much more rapid initial acceleration, thereby reducing the deleterious effects of space-charge. Microwave guns produce higher momentum beams than DC guns, thus lessening space-charge effects during subsequent beam transport. Typical DC guns produce kinetic energies of 80--400 KeV, compared to 2--3 MeV for the SSRL microwave gun. ''State-of-the-art'' microwave gun designs employ laser-driven photocathodes, providing excellent performance but with greater complexity and monetary costs. A thermionic microwave gun with a magnetic bunching system is comparable in cost and complexity to a conventional system, but provides performance that is orders of magnitude better. Simulations of the SSRL microwave gun predict a normalized RMS emittance at the gun exist of e c · μm for a beam consisting of approximately 50% of the particles emitted from the gun, and having a momentum spread ±10%. These emittances are for up to 5 x 10 9 e - per bunch. Chromatic aberrations in the transport line between the gun and linear accelerator increase this to typically e · μm

Synergistic estimation of surface parameters from jointly using optical and microwave observations in EOLDAS

Science.gov (United States)

Timmermans, Joris; Gomez-Dans, Jose; Lewis, Philip; Loew, Alexander; Schlenz, Florian

2017-04-01

The large amount of remote sensing data nowadays available provides a huge potential for monitoring crop development, drought conditions and water efficiency. This potential however not been realized yet because algorithms for land surface parameter retrieval mostly use data from only a single sensor. Consequently products that combine different low-level observations from different sensors are hard to find. The lack of synergistic retrieval is caused because it is easier to focus on single sensor types/footprints and temporal observation times, than to find a way to compensate for differences. Different sensor types (microwave/optical) require different radiative transfer (RT) models and also require consistency between the models to have any impact on the retrieval of soil moisture by a microwave instrument. Varying spatial footprints require first proper collocation of the data before one can scale between different resolutions. Considering these problems, merging optical and microwave observations have not been performed yet. The goal of this research was to investigate the potential of integrating optical and microwave RT models within the Earth Observation Land Data Assimilation System (EOLDAS) synergistically to derive biophysical parameters. This system uses a Bayesian data assimilation approach together with observation operators such as the PROSAIL model to estimate land surface parameters. For the purpose of enabling the system to integrate passive microwave radiation (from an ELBARRA II passive microwave radiometer), the Community Microwave Emission Model (CMEM) RT-model, was integrated within the EOLDAS system. In order to quantify the potential, a variety of land surface parameters was chosen to be retrieved from the system, in particular variables that a) impact only optical RT (such as leaf water content and leaf dry matter), b) only impact the microwave RT (such as soil moisture and soil temperature), and c) Leaf Area Index (LAI) that impacts both

Hyperparameter Classification of Arctic Sea Ice and Snow Based on Aerial Laser Data, Passive Microwave Data and Field Data

Science.gov (United States)

Herzfeld, U. C.; Maslanik, J.; Williams, S.; Sturm, M.; Cavalieri, D.

2006-12-01

In the past year, the Arctic sea-ice cover has been shrinking at an alarming rate. Remote-sensing technologies provide opportunities for observations of the sea ice at unprecedented repetition rates and spatial resolutions. The advance of new observational technologies is not only fascinating, it also brings with it the challenge and necessity to derive adequate new geoinformatical and geomathematical methods as a basis for analysis and geophysical interpretation of new data types. Our research includes validation and analysis of NASA EOS data, development of observational instrumentation and advanced geoinformatics. In this talk we emphasize the close linkage between technological development and geoinformatics along case studies of sea-ice near Point Barrow, Alaska, based on the following data types: AMSR-E and PSR passive microwave data, RADARSAT and ERS SAR data, manually-collected snow-depth data and laser-elevation data from unmanned aerial vehicles. The hyperparameter concept is introduced to facilitate characterization and classification of the same sea-ice properties and spatial structures from these data sets, which differ with respect to spatial resolution, measured parameters and observed geophysical variables. Mathematically, this requires parameter identification in undersampled, oversampled or overprinted situations.

Topological magnetoelectric effects in microwave far-field radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berezin, M.; Kamenetskii, E. O.; Shavit, R. [Microwave Magnetic Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva (Israel)

2016-07-21

Similar to electromagnetism, described by the Maxwell equations, the physics of magnetoelectric (ME) phenomena deals with the fundamental problem of the relationship between electric and magnetic fields. Despite a formal resemblance between the two notions, they concern effects of different natures. In general, ME-coupling effects manifest in numerous macroscopic phenomena in solids with space and time symmetry breakings. Recently, it was shown that the near fields in the proximity of a small ferrite particle with magnetic-dipolar-mode (MDM) oscillations have the space and time symmetry breakings and the topological properties of these fields are different from the topological properties of the free-space electromagnetic fields. Such MDM-originated fields—called magnetoelectric (ME) fields—carry both spin and orbital angular momenta. They are characterized by power-flow vortices and non-zero helicity. In this paper, we report on observation of the topological ME effects in far-field microwave radiation based on a small microwave antenna with a MDM ferrite resonator. We show that the microwave far-field radiation can be manifested with a torsion structure where an angle between the electric and magnetic field vectors varies. We discuss the question on observation of the regions of localized ME energy in far-field microwave radiation.

Interior design for passive solar homes

Science.gov (United States)

Breen, J. C.

1981-07-01

The increasing emphasis on refinement of passive solar systems brought recognition to interior design as an integral part of passive solar architecture. Interior design can be used as a finetuning tool minimizing many of the problems associated with passive solar energy use in residential buildings. In addition, treatment of interior space in solar model homes may be a prime factor in determining sales success. A new style of interior design is evolving in response to changes in building from incorporating passive solar design features. The psychology behind passive solar architecture is reflected in interiors, and selection of interior components increasingly depends on the functional suitably of various interior elements.

Interior design for passive solar homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Breen, J. C.

1981-07-01

The increasing emphasis on refinement of passive solar systems has brought recognition to interior design as an integral part of passive solar architecture. Interior design can be used as a finetuning tool minimizing many of the problems associated with passive solar energy use in residential buildings. In addition, treatment of interior space in solar model homes may be a prime factor in determining sales success. A new style of interior design is evolving in response to changes in building form incorporating passive solar design features. The psychology behind passive solar architecture is reflected in interiors, and selection of interior components increasingly depends on the functional suitability of various interior elements.

Merging thermal and microwave satellite observations for a high-resolution soil moisture data product

Science.gov (United States)

Many societal applications of soil moisture data products require high spatial resolution and numerical accuracy. Current thermal geostationary satellite sensors (GOES Imager and GOES-R ABI) could produce 2-16km resolution soil moisture proxy data. Passive microwave satellite radiometers (e.g. AMSR...

Application of a passivity based control methodology for flexible joint robots to a simplified Space Shuttle RMS

Science.gov (United States)

Sicard, Pierre; Wen, John T.

1992-01-01

A passivity approach for the control design of flexible joint robots is applied to the rate control of a three-link arm modeled after the shoulder yaw joint of the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The system model includes friction and elastic joint couplings modeled as nonlinear springs. The basic structure of the proposed controller is the sum of a model-based feedforward and a model-independent feedback. A regulator approach with link state feedback is employed to define the desired motor state. Passivity theory is used to design a motor state-based controller to stabilize the error system formed by the feedforward. Simulation results show that greatly improved performance was obtained by using the proposed controller over the existing RMS controller.

AQUARIUS: A Passive/Active Microwave Sensor to Monitor Sea Surface Salinity Globally from Space

Science.gov (United States)

LeVine, David; Lagerloef, Gary S. E.; Colomb, F. Raul; Chao, Yi

2004-01-01

Salinity is important for understanding ocean dynamics, energy exchange with the atmosphere and the global water cycle. Existing data is limited and much of the ocean has never even been sampled. Sea surface salinity can be measured remotely by satellite and a three year mission for this purpose called AquariudSAC-D has recently been selected by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program. The objective is to map the salinity field globally with a spatial resolution of 100 km and a monthly average accuracy of 0.2 psu. The mission, scheduled for launch in 2008, is a partnership of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) and the Argentine Comision National de Actividades Epaciales (CONAE).

Time-delay interferometric ranging for space-borne gravitational-wave detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinto, Massimo; Vallisneri, Michele; Armstrong, J.W.

2005-01-01

Space-borne interferometric gravitational-wave detectors, sensitive in the low-frequency (mHz) band, will fly in the next decade. In these detectors, the spacecraft-to-spacecraft light-travel times will necessarily be unequal and time varying, and (because of aberration) will have different values on up- and down-links. In such unequal-armlength interferometers, laser-phase noise will be canceled by taking linear combinations of the laser-phase observables measured between pairs of spacecraft, appropriately time shifted by the light propagation times along the corresponding arms. This procedure, known as time-delay interferometry (TDI), requires an accurate knowledge of the light-time delays as functions of time. Here we propose a high-accuracy technique to estimate these time delays, and we study its use in the context of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. We refer to this ranging technique, which relies on the TDI combinations themselves, as time-delay interferometric ranging (TDIR). For every TDI combination, we show that, by minimizing the rms power in that combination (averaged over integration times ∼10 4 s) with respect to the time-delay parameters, we obtain estimates of the time delays accurate enough to cancel laser noise to a level well below the secondary noises. Thus TDIR allows the implementation of TDI without the use of dedicated interspacecraft ranging systems, with a potential simplification of the LISA design. In this paper we define the TDIR procedure formally, and we characterize its expected performance via simulations with the Synthetic LISA software package

Comparative assessment of alignment efficiency and space closure of active and passive self-ligating vs conventional appliances in adolescents: a single-center randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Songra, Goldie; Clover, Matthew; Atack, Nikki E; Ewings, Paul; Sherriff, Martyn; Sandy, Jonathan R; Ireland, Anthony J

2014-05-01

The aim of this study was to compare the time to initial alignment and extraction space closure using conventional brackets and active and passive self-ligating brackets. One hundred adolescent patients 11 to 18 years of age undergoing maxillary and mandibular fixed appliance therapy after the extraction of 4 premolars were randomized with stratification of 2 age ranges (11-14 and 15-18 years) and 3 maxillomandibular plane angles (high, medium, and low) with an allocation ratio of 1:2:2. Restrictions were applied using a block size of 10. Allocation was to 1 of 3 treatment groups: conventional brackets, active self-ligating, or passive self-ligating brackets. All subjects were treated with the same archwire sequence and space-closing mechanics in a district general hospital setting. The trial was a 3-arm parallel design. Labial-segment alignment and space closure were measured on study models taken every 12 weeks throughout treatment. All measurements were made by 1 operator who was blinded to bracket type. The patients and other operators were not blinded to bracket type during treatment. Ninety-eight patients were followed to completion of treatment (conventional, n = 20; active self-ligating brackets, n = 37; passive self-ligating brackets, n = 41). The data were analyzed using linear mixed models and demonstrated a significant effect of bracket type on the time to initial alignment (P = 0.001), which was shorter with the conventional brackets than either of the self-ligating brackets. Sidak's adjustment showed no significant difference in effect size (the difference in average response in millimeters) between the active and passive self-ligating brackets (the results are presented as effect size, 95% confidence intervals, probabilities, and intraclass correlation coefficients) (-0.42 [-1.32, 0.48], 0.600, 0.15), but the conventional bracket was significantly different from both of these (-1.98 [-3.19, -0.76], 0.001, 0.15; and -1.56 [-2.79, -0.32], 0.001, 0

Large area mapping of soil moisture using the ESTAR passive microwave radiometer in Washita'92

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, T.J.; Le Vine, D.M.; Swift, C.T.; Schmugge, T.J.; Schiebe, F.R.

1995-01-01

Washita'92 was a large-scale study of remote sensing and hydrology conducted on the Little Washita watershed in southwest Oklahoma. Data collection during the experiment included passive microwave observations using an L-band electronically scanned thinned array radiometer (ESTAR) and surface soil moisture observations at sites distributed over the area. Data were collected on 8 days over a 9-day period in June 1992. The watershed was saturated with a great deal of standing water at the outset of the study. During the experiment there was no rainfall and surface soil moisture observations exhibited a drydown pattern over the period. Significant variations in the level and rate of change in surface soil moisture were noted over areas dominated by different soil textures. ESTAR data were processed to produce brightness temperature maps of a 740 sq. km. area on each of the 8 days. These data exhibited significant spatial and temporal patterns. Spatial patterns were clearly associated with soil textures and temporal patterns with drainage and evaporative processes. Relationships between the ground sampled soil moisture and the brightness temperatures were consistent with previous results. Spatial averaging of both variables was analyzed to study scaling of soil moisture over a mixed landscape. Results of these studies showed that a strong correlation is retained at these scales, suggesting that mapping surface moisture for large footprints may provide important information for regional studies. (author)

Environmental assessment for the Satellite Power System (SPS) Concept Development and Evaluation Program (CDEP). [Microwave and non-microwave health and ecological assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valentino, A.R.

1980-08-01

In the satellite power system (SPS), satellites in geosynchronous earth orbit would collect solar energy in space, convert it to microwaves, and transmit the microwaves to receiving antennas (rectennas) on earth. At the rectennas, the microwave energy would be converted to electricity. This SPS environmental assessment considers the microwave and nonmicrowave effects on the terrestrial environment and human health, atmospheric effects, and effects on electromagnetic systems. No environmental problem has been identified that would preclude the continued study of SPS technology. To increase the certainty of the assessment, some research has been initiated and long-term research is being planned.

Space power transmission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuribayashi, Shizuma [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Tokyo, (Japan)

1989-10-05

There being a conception to utilize solar energy by use of a space power station (SPS), a method to bring that universal grace to mankind is wireless energy transmission. The wireless energy transmission is regarded to be microwave transmission or laser beam transmission. The microwave transmission is to transmit 2.45GHz band microwave from the SPS to a receiving station on the ground to meet power demand on earth. The microwave, as small in attenuation in atmosphere and resistant against rain and cloud, is made candidate and, however, problematic in influence on organism, necessary large area of receiving antenna and many other points to be studied. While the laser transmission, as more convergent of beam than the microwave transmission, is advantageous with enabling the receiving area to be small and, however, disadvantageous with being not resistant against dust, rain and cloud, if used for the energy transmission between the space and earth. 2 refs., 2 figs.

Microwave radiative transfer intercomparison study for 3-D dichroic media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battaglia, A.; Davis, C.P.; Emde, C.; Simmer, C.

2007-01-01

Three different numerical methods capable of solving the radiative transfer of microwave radiation within 3-D dichroic media are compared. A case study, represented by an intense rain shaft populated by perfectly oriented oblate raindrops, is analysed in detail, including a discussion of the behaviour of all four Stokes components. Results demonstrate an acceptable agreement between all Monte Carlo methods. The method based on a discrete ordinates scheme agrees only qualitatively with the Monte Carlo outputs. Because of its lower computational cost the backward Monte Carlo technique based on importance sampling represents the most efficient way to face passive microwave radiative transfer problems related to optically thick 3-D structured clouds including non-spherical preferentially oriented hydrometeors

Calibrating passive sampling and passive dosing techniques to lipid based concentrations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mayer, Philipp; Schmidt, Stine Nørgaard; Annika, A.

2011-01-01

Equilibrium sampling into various formats of the silicone polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is increasingly used to measure the exposure of hydrophobic organic chemicals in environmental matrices, and passive dosing from silicone is increasingly used to control and maintain their exposure in laboratory...... coated vials and with Head Space Solid Phase Microextraction (HS-SPME) yielded lipid based concentrations that were in good agreement with each other, but about a factor of two higher than measured lipid-normalized concentrations in the organisms. Passive dosing was applied to bioconcentration...

Noncommutative black-body radiation: Implications on cosmic microwave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fatollahi, A.H.; Hajirahimi, M.

2006-01-01

Including loop corrections, black-body radiation in noncommutative space is anisotropic. A direct implication of possible space non-commutativity on the cosmic microwave background map is argued. (authors)

Microwave emission measurements of sea surface roughness, soil moisture, and sea ice structure

Science.gov (United States)

Gloersen, P.; Wilheit, T. T.; Schmugge, T. J.

1972-01-01

In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the microwave radiometers to be carried aboard the Nimbus 5 and 6 satellites and proposed for one of the earth observatory satellites, remote measurements of microwave radiation at wavelengths ranging from 0.8 to 21 cm have been made of a variety of the earth's surfaces from the NASA CV-990 A/C. Brightness temperatures of sea water surfaces of varying roughness, of terrain with varying soil moisture, and of sea ice of varying structure were observed. In each case, around truth information was available for correlation with the microwave brightness temperature. The utility of passive microwave radiometry in determining ocean surface wind speeds, at least for values higher than 7 meters/second has been demonstrated. In addition, it was shown that radiometric signatures can be used to determine soil moisture in unvegetated terrain to within five percentage points by weight. Finally, it was demonstrated that first year thick, multi-year, and first year thin sea ice can be distinguished by observing their differing microwave emissivities at various wavelengths.

Microwave Frequency Multiplier

Science.gov (United States)

Velazco, J. E.

2017-02-01

High-power microwave radiation is used in the Deep Space Network (DSN) and Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) for uplink communications with spacecraft and for monitoring asteroids and space debris, respectively. Intense X-band (7.1 to 8.6 GHz) microwave signals are produced for these applications via klystron and traveling-wave microwave vacuum tubes. In order to achieve higher data rate communications with spacecraft, the DSN is planning to gradually furnish several of its deep space stations with uplink systems that employ Ka-band (34-GHz) radiation. Also, the next generation of planetary radar, such as Ka-Band Objects Observation and Monitoring (KaBOOM), is considering frequencies in the Ka-band range (34 to 36 GHz) in order to achieve higher target resolution. Current commercial Ka-band sources are limited to power levels that range from hundreds of watts up to a kilowatt and, at the high-power end, tend to suffer from poor reliability. In either case, there is a clear need for stable Ka-band sources that can produce kilowatts of power with high reliability. In this article, we present a new concept for high-power, high-frequency generation (including Ka-band) that we refer to as the microwave frequency multiplier (MFM). The MFM is a two-cavity vacuum tube concept where low-frequency (2 to 8 GHz) power is fed into the input cavity to modulate and accelerate an electron beam. In the second cavity, the modulated electron beam excites and amplifies high-power microwaves at a frequency that is a multiple integer of the input cavity's frequency. Frequency multiplication factors in the 4 to 10 range are being considered for the current application, although higher multiplication factors are feasible. This novel beam-wave interaction allows the MFM to produce high-power, high-frequency radiation with high efficiency. A key feature of the MFM is that it uses significantly larger cavities than its klystron counterparts, thus greatly reducing power density and arcing

On the Ability of Space- Based Passive and Active Remote Sensing Observations of CO2 to Detect Flux Perturbations to the Carbon Cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Crowell, Sean M. R.; Kawa, S. Randolph; Browell, Edward V.; Hammerling, Dorit M.; Moore, Berrien; Schaefer, Kevin; Doney, Scott C.

2018-01-01

Space-borne observations of CO2 are vital to gaining understanding of the carbon cycle in regions of the world that are difficult to measure directly, such as the tropical terrestrial biosphere, the high northern and southern latitudes, and in developing nations such as China. Measurements from passive instruments such as GOSAT (Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite) and OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2), however, are constrained by solar zenith angle limitations as well as sensitivity to the presence of clouds and aerosols. Active measurements such as those in development for the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission show strong potential for making measurements in the high-latitude winter and in cloudy regions. In this work we examine the enhanced flux constraint provided by the improved coverage from an active measurement such as ASCENDS. The simulation studies presented here show that with sufficient precision, ASCENDS will detect permafrost thaw and fossil fuel emissions shifts at annual and seasonal time scales, even in the presence of transport errors, representativeness errors, and biogenic flux errors. While OCO-2 can detect some of these perturbations at the annual scale, the seasonal sampling provided by ASCENDS provides the stronger constraint. Plain Language Summary: Active and passive remote sensors show the potential to provide unprecedented information on the carbon cycle. With the all-season sampling, active remote sensors are more capable of constraining high-latitude emissions. The reduced sensitivity to cloud and aerosol also makes active sensors more capable of providing information in cloudy and polluted scenes with sufficient accuracy. These experiments account for errors that are fundamental to the top-down approach for constraining emissions, and even including these sources of error, we show that satellite remote sensors are critical for understanding the carbon cycle.

Resonant and Ground Experimental Study on the Microwave Plasma Thruster

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Juan; He, Hongqing; Mao, Genwang; Qu, Kun; Tang, Jinlan; Han, Xianwei

2002-01-01

chemistry. Therefore, the application of EP for the attitude control and station keeping of satellite, the propulsion of deep space exploration craft allows to reduce substantially the mass of on-board propellant and the launching cost. The EP research is now receiving high interest everywhere. microwave generating subsystem, the propellant supplying subsystem and the resonator (the thruster). Its principle is that the magnetron of the microwave generating subsystem transfers electric energy into microwave energy at given frequency which is introduced into a resonant cavity. Microwave will resonate within the cavity when it is adjusted. When the propellant gas (N2, Ar, He, NH3 or H2) is put into the cavity and coupled with microwave energy at the maximal electric intensity place, it will be broken down to form free-floating plasma, which flows from nozzle with high speed to produce thrust. Its characteristic is high efficiency, simple power supply and without electrode ablation, its specific impulse is greater than arcjet. 2450MHz, have been developed. The microwave generating subsystem and resonator of lower power MPT, 70-200W, are coaxial. The resonator with TEM resonating mode is section of coaxial wave-guide, of which one end is shorted, another is semi-opened. The maximal electric intensity field is in the lumped capacity formed between the end surface of inner conductor, retracting in the cavity, and the semi-opened surface of outer conductor. It provides favorable condition for gas breakdown. The microwave generating system and resonator of middle power MPT, 500-1,000W, are wave-guide cavity. The resonator with TM011 resonating mode is cylinder wave-guide cavity, of which two end surface are shorted. The distribution of electromagnetic field is axial symmetry, its maximal electric intensity field locates on the axis and closes to the exit of nozzle, where the propellant gas is breakdown to form free floating plasma. The plasma is free from the wall of

Born reciprocity in string theory and the nature of spacetime

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freidel, Laurent, E-mail: lfreidel@perimeterinstitute.ca [Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline St., N, Ontario N2L 2Y5, Waterloo (Canada); Leigh, Robert G., E-mail: rgleigh@uiuc.edu [Department of Physics, University of Illinois, 1110 West Green St., Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Minic, Djordje, E-mail: dminic@vt.edu [Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States)

2014-03-07

After many years, the deep nature of spacetime in string theory remains an enigma. In this Letter we incorporate the concept of Born reciprocity in order to provide a new point of view on string theory in which spacetime is a derived dynamical concept. This viewpoint may be thought of as a dynamical chiral phase space formulation of string theory, in which Born reciprocity is implemented as a choice of a Lagrangian submanifold of the phase space, and amounts to a generalization of T-duality. In this approach the fundamental symmetry of string theory contains phase space diffeomorphism invariance and the underlying string geometry should be understood in terms of dynamical bi-Lagrangian manifolds and an apparently new geometric structure, somewhat reminiscent of para-quaternionic geometry, which we call Born geometry.

Born reciprocity in string theory and the nature of spacetime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freidel, Laurent; Leigh, Robert G.; Minic, Djordje

2014-01-01

After many years, the deep nature of spacetime in string theory remains an enigma. In this Letter we incorporate the concept of Born reciprocity in order to provide a new point of view on string theory in which spacetime is a derived dynamical concept. This viewpoint may be thought of as a dynamical chiral phase space formulation of string theory, in which Born reciprocity is implemented as a choice of a Lagrangian submanifold of the phase space, and amounts to a generalization of T-duality. In this approach the fundamental symmetry of string theory contains phase space diffeomorphism invariance and the underlying string geometry should be understood in terms of dynamical bi-Lagrangian manifolds and an apparently new geometric structure, somewhat reminiscent of para-quaternionic geometry, which we call Born geometry.

Monitoring soil wetness variations by means of satellite passive microwave observations: the HYDROPTIMET study cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Lacava

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Soil moisture is an important component of the hydrological cycle. In the framework of modern flood warning systems, the knowledge of soil moisture is crucial, due to the influence on the soil response in terms of infiltration-runoff. Precipitation-runoff processes, in fact, are related to catchment's hydrological conditions before the precipitation. Thus, an estimation of these conditions is of significant importance to improve the reliability of flood warning systems. Combining such information with other weather-related satellite products (i.e. rain rate estimation might represent a useful exercise in order to improve our capability to handle (and possibly mitigate or prevent hydro-geological hazards. Remote sensing, in the last few years, has supported several techniques for soil moisture/wetness monitoring. Most of the satellite-based techniques use microwave data, thanks to the all-weather and all-time capability of these data, as well as to their high sensitivity to water content in the soil. On the other hand, microwave data are unfortunately highly affected by the presence of surface roughness or vegetation coverage within the instantaneous satellite field of view (IFOV. Those problems, consequently, strongly limit the efficiency and the reliability of traditional satellite techniques. Recently, using data coming from AMSU (Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, flying aboard NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites, a new methodology for soil wetness estimation has been proposed. The proposed index, called Soil Wetness Variation Index (SWVI, developed by a multi-temporal analysis of AMSU records, seems able to reduce the problems related to vegetation and/or roughness effects. Such an approach has been tested, with promising results, on the analysis of some flooding events which occurred in Europe in the past. In this study, results achieved for the HYDROPTIMET test cases will be analysed and discussed in detail

Low Power FPGA Based Spectrometer, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to design a general purpose reconfigurable wide bandwidth spectrometer for use in NASA's passive microwave missions, deep space network and radio...

Evaluation of Passive Multilayer Cloud Detection Using Preliminary CloudSat and CALIPSO Cloud Profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Minnis, P.; Sun-Mack, S.; Chang, F.; Huang, J.; Nguyen, L.; Ayers, J. K.; Spangenberg, D. A.; Yi, Y.; Trepte, C. R.

2006-12-01

During the last few years, several algorithms have been developed to detect and retrieve multilayered clouds using passive satellite data. Assessing these techniques has been difficult due to the need for active sensors such as cloud radars and lidars that can "see" through different layers of clouds. Such sensors have been available only at a few surface sites and on aircraft during field programs. With the launch of the CALIPSO and CloudSat satellites on April 28, 2006, it is now possible to observe multilayered systems all over the globe using collocated cloud radar and lidar data. As part of the A- Train, these new active sensors are also matched in time ad space with passive measurements from the Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - EOS (AMSR-E). The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) has been developing and testing algorithms to detect ice-over-water overlapping cloud systems and to retrieve the cloud liquid path (LWP) and ice water path (IWP) for those systems. One technique uses a combination of the CERES cloud retrieval algorithm applied to MODIS data and a microwave retrieval method applied to AMSR-E data. The combination of a CO2-slicing cloud retireval technique with the CERES algorithms applied to MODIS data (Chang et al., 2005) is used to detect and analyze such overlapped systems that contain thin ice clouds. A third technique uses brightness temperature differences and the CERES algorithms to detect similar overlapped methods. This paper uses preliminary CloudSat and CALIPSO data to begin a global scale assessment of these different methods. The long-term goals are to assess and refine the algorithms to aid the development of an optimal combination of the techniques to better monitor ice 9and liquid water clouds in overlapped conditions.

Microwave effects in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dardalhon, M.; Averbeck, D.; Berteaud, A.J.

1979-01-01

Experiments were set up to investigate the effects of open space microwave irradiation of the millimeter (73 GHz) and the centimeter (17 GHz) range in Drosophila melanogaster. We used the wild type strain Paris and the strain delta carrying melanitic tumors in the 3rd larval stage, in the pupae and the adults. The power densities were up to 100mW.cm -2 for 73 GHz and about 60 mW.cm -2 for microwaves at 17 GHz. After 2h exposure to microwaves of 17 GHz or 73 GHz the hatching of the irradiated eggs and their development were normal. In a few cases there was a tendency towards a diminution of the survival of eggs treated at different stages, of larvae treated in the stages 1, 2 and 3 and of treated pupae. However, this was not always statistically significant. The microwave treatment did not induce teratological changes in the adults. A statistical analysis brought about slight diminutions in the incidence and multiplicity of tumors in adult flies. When wild type females were exposed to microwaves of 17 GHz for 16 or 21 h and crossed with untreated males we observed a marked increase in fertility as compared to untreated samples. The viability and tumor incidence in the offspring was not affected. Similar results were obtained when microwaves treated males were crossed with untreated females

Satellite passive microwave rain rate measurement over croplands during spring, summer and fall

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, R.W.

1984-01-01

Rain rate algorithms for spring, summer and fall that have been developed from comparisons between the brightness temperatures measured by the Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) and rain rates derived from operational WSR-57 radars over land are described. Data were utilized from a total of 25 SMMR passes and 234 radars, resulting in ∼12 000 observations of ∼1600 km 2 areas. Multiple correlation coefficients of 0.63, 0.80 and 0.75 are achieved for the spring, summer and fall algorithms, respectively. Most of this information is in the form of multifrequency contrast in brightness temperature, which is interpreted as a measurement of the degree to which the land-emitted radiation is attenuated by the rain systems. The SMMR 37 GHz channel has more information on rain rate than any other channel. By combining the lower frequency channels with the 37 GHz observations, variations in land and precipitation thermometric temperatures can be removed, leaving rain attenuation as the major effect on brightness temperature. Polarization screening at 37 GHz is found to be sufficient to screen out cases of wet ground, which is only important when the ground is relatively vegetation free. Heavy rain cases are found to be a significant part of the algorithms' success, because of the strong microwave signatures (low brightness temperatures) that result from the presence of precipitation-sized ice in the upper portions of heavily precipitating storms. If IR data are combined with the summer microwave data, an improved (0.85) correlation with radar rain rates is achieved

Rain-on-snow and ice layer formation detection using passive microwave radiometry: An arctic perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Langlois, A.; Royer, A.; Montpetit, B.; Johnson, C. A.; Brucker, L.; Dolant, C.; Richards, A.; Roy, A.

2015-12-01

With the current changes observed in the Arctic, an increase in occurrence of rain-on-snow (ROS) events has been reported in the Arctic (land) over the past few decades. Several studies have established that strong linkages between surface temperatures and passive microwaves do exist, but the contribution of snow properties under winter extreme events such as rain-on-snow events (ROS) and associated ice layer formation need to be better understood that both have a significant impact on ecosystem processes. In particular, ice layer formation is known to affect the survival of ungulates by blocking their access to food. Given the current pronounced warming in northern regions, more frequent ROS can be expected. However, one of the main challenges in the study of ROS in northern regions is the lack of meteorological information and in-situ measurements. The retrieval of ROS occurrence in the Arctic using satellite remote sensing tools thus represents the most viable approach. Here, we present here results from 1) ROS occurrence formation in the Peary caribou habitat using an empirically developed ROS algorithm by our group based on the gradient ratio, 2) ice layer formation across the same area using a semi-empirical detection approach based on the polarization ratio spanning between 1978 and 2013. A detection threshold was adjusted given the platform used (SMMR, SSM/I and AMSR-E), and initial results suggest high-occurrence years as: 1981-1982, 1992-1993; 1994-1995; 1999-2000; 2001-2002; 2002-2003; 2003-2004; 2006-2007; 2007-2008. A trend in occurrence for Banks Island and NW Victoria Island and linkages to caribou population is presented.

Fast New Method for Temporary Chemical Passivation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marek Solčanský

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The main material parameter of silicon, that influences the effectiveness of photovoltaic cells, is the minority carrier bulk lifetime.It may change in the technological process especially during high temperature operations. Monitoring of the carrier bulk-lifetimeis necessary for modifying the whole technological process of production. For the measurement of the minority carrier bulk-lifetimethe characterization method MW PCD (Microwave Photoconductance Decay is used, where the result of measurement is the effectivecarrier lifetime, which is very dependent on the surface recombination velocity and therefore on the quality of a silicon surfacepassivation.This work deals with an examination of a different solution types for the chemical passivation of a silicon surface. Varioussolutions are tested on silicon wafers for their consequent comparison. The main purpose of this work is to find optimal solution, whichsuits the requirements of a time stability and start-up velocity of passivation, reproducibility of the measurements and a possibilityof a perfect cleaning of a passivating solution remains from a silicon surface. Another purpose of this work is to identify the parametersof other quinhydrone solutions with different concentrations as compared with the quinhydrone solution in methanol witha concentration of 0.07 mol/dm³ marked QM007 (referential solution.The method of an effective chemical passivation with a quinhydrone in methanol solution was suggested. The solution witha concentration of 0.07 mol /dm3 fulfills all required criteria. The work also confirms the influence of increased concentrationquinhydrone on the temporal stability of the passivation layer and the effect for textured silicon wafers. In conclusion, the influenceof an illumination and the temperature on the properties of the passivating solution QM007 is discussed.

Estimation of improved resolution soil moisture in vegetated areas using passive AMSR-E data

Science.gov (United States)

Moradizadeh, Mina; Saradjian, Mohammad R.

2018-03-01

Microwave remote sensing provides a unique capability for soil parameter retrievals. Therefore, various soil parameters estimation models have been developed using brightness temperature (BT) measured by passive microwave sensors. Due to the low resolution of satellite microwave radiometer data, the main goal of this study is to develop a downscaling approach to improve the spatial resolution of soil moisture estimates with the use of higher resolution visible/infrared sensor data. Accordingly, after the soil parameters have been obtained using Simultaneous Land Parameters Retrieval Model algorithm, the downscaling method has been applied to the soil moisture estimations that have been validated against in situ soil moisture data. Advance Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS BT data in Soil Moisture Experiment 2003 region in the south and north of Oklahoma have been used to this end. Results illustrated that the soil moisture variability is effectively captured at 5 km spatial scales without a significant degradation of the accuracy.

Observing the Global Water Cycle from Space

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrand, P. H.

2004-01-01

This paper presents an approach to measuring all major components of the water cycle from space. Key elements of the global water cycle are discussed in terms of the storage of water-in the ocean, air, cloud and precipitation, in soil, ground water, snow and ice, and in lakes and rivers, and in terms of the global fluxes of water between these reservoirs. Approaches to measuring or otherwise evaluating the global water cycle are presented, and the limitations on known accuracy for many components of the water cycle are discussed, as are the characteristic spatial and temporal scales of the different water cycle components. Using these observational requirements for a global water cycle observing system, an approach to measuring the global water cycle from space is developed. The capabilities of various active and passive microwave instruments are discussed, as is the potential of supporting measurements from other sources. Examples of space observational systems, including TRMM/GPM precipitation measurement, cloud radars, soil moisture, sea surface salinity, temperature and humidity profiling, other measurement approaches and assimilation of the microwave and other data into interpretative computer models are discussed to develop the observational possibilities. The selection of orbits is then addressed, for orbit selection and antenna size/beamwidth considerations determine the sampling characteristics for satellite measurement systems. These considerations dictate a particular set of measurement possibilities, which are then matched to the observational sampling requirements based on the science. The results define a network of satellite instrumentation systems, many in low Earth orbit, a few in geostationary orbit, and all tied together through a sampling network that feeds the observations into a data-assimilative computer model.

A Prognostic Methodology for Precipitation Phase Detection using GPM Microwave Observations —With Focus on Snow Cover

Science.gov (United States)

Takbiri, Z.; Ebtehaj, A.; Foufoula-Georgiou, E.; Kirstetter, P.

2017-12-01

Improving satellite retrieval of precipitation requires increased understanding of its passive microwave signature over different land surfaces. Passive microwave signals over snow-covered surfaces are notoriously difficult to interpret because they record both emission from the land below and absorption/scattering from the liquid/ice crystals. Using data from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core satellite, we demonstrate that the microwave brightness temperatures of rain and snowfall shifts from a scattering to an emission regime from summer to winter, due to expansion of the less emissive snow cover underneath. We present evidence that the combination of low- (10-19 GHz) and high-frequency (89-166 GHz) channels provides the maximum amount of information for snowfall detection. The study also examines a prognostic nearest neighbor matching method for the detection of precipitation and its phase from passive microwave observations using GPM data. The nearest neighbor uses the weighted Euclidean distance metric to search through an a priori database that is populated with coincident GPM radiometer and radar data as well as ancillary snow cover fraction. The results demonstrate prognostic capabilities of the proposed method in detection of terrestrial snowfall. At the global scale, the average probability of hit and false alarm reaches to 0.80 and remains below 0.10, respectively. Surprisingly, the results show that the snow cover may help to better detect precipitation as the detection rate of terrestrial precipitation is increased from 0.75 (no snow cover) to 0.84 (snow-covered surfaces). For solid precipitation, this increased rate of detection is larger than its liquid counterpart by almost 8%. The main reasons are found to be related to the multi-frequency capabilities of the nearest neighbor matching that can properly isolate the atmospheric signal from the background emission and the fact that the precipitation can exhibit an emission-like (warmer

Columbia County Habitat for Humanity Passive Townhomes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2016-03-01

Columbia County Habitat for Humanity (CCHH) (New York, Climate Zone 5A) built a pair of townhomes to Passive House Institute U.S. (PHIUS+ 2015) criteria to explore approaches for achieving Passive House performance (specifically with respect to exterior wall, space-conditioning, and ventilation strategies) within the labor and budget context inherent in a Habitat for Humanity project. CCHH’s goal is to eventually develop a cost-justified Passive House prototype design for future projects.

N-parameter retrievals from L-band microwave observations acquired over a variety of crop fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pardé, M.; Wigneron, J-P.; Waldteufel, P.

2004-01-01

A number of studies have shown the feasibility of estimating surface soil moisture from L-band passive microwave measurements. Such measurements should be acquired in the near future by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. The SMOS measurements will be done at many incidence angles...

Calibration methods for ECE systems with microwave sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tubbing, B.J.D.; Kissel, S.E.

1987-01-01

The authors investigated the feasibility of two methods for calibration of electron cyclotron emission (ECE) systems, both based on the use of a microwave source. In the first method -called the Antenna Pattern Integration (API) method - the microwave source is scanned in space, so as to simulate a large - area - blackbody -source. In the second method -called the Untuned Cavity (UC) method -an untuned cavity, fed by the microwave source, is used to simulate a blackbody. For both methods, the hardware required to perform partly automated calibrations was developed. The microwave based methods were compared with a large area blackbody calibration on two different ECE systems, a Michelson interferometer and a grating polychromator. The API method was found to be more successful than the UC method. (author)

Developing Instrumentation for Ground and Balloon-Borne Observing Platforms

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In my research I will focus on developing hardware and software technology for two instruments searching for polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)....

Microwave amplifier and active circuit design using the real frequency technique

CERN Document Server

Jarry, Pierre

2016-01-01

This book focuses on the authors' Real Frequency Technique (RFT) and its application to a wide variety of multi-stage microwave amplifiers and active filters, and passive equalizers for radar pulse shaping and antenna return loss applications. The first two chapters review the fundamentals of microwave amplifier design and provide a description of the RFT. Each subsequent chapter introduces a new type of amplifier or circuit design, reviews its design problems, and explains how the RFT can be adapted to solve these problems. The authors take a practical approach by summarizing the design steps and giving numerous examples of amplifier realizations and measured responses. Provides a complete description of the RFT as it is first used to design multistage lumped amplifiers using a progressive optimization of the equalizers, leading to a small umber of parameters to optimize simultaneously Presents modifications to the RFT to design trans-impedance microwave amplifiers that are used for photodiodes acti...

C-band Joint Active/Passive Dual Polarization Sea Ice Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, M. R.; Gifford, C. M.; Winstead, N. S.; Walton, W. C.; Dietz, J. E.

2017-12-01

A technique for synergistically-combining high-resolution SAR returns with like-frequency passive microwave emissions to detect thin (Radar (SAR) is high resolution (5-100m) but because of cross section ambiguities automated algorithms have had difficulty separating thin ice types from water. The radiometric emissivity of thin ice versus water at microwave frequencies is generally unambiguous in the early stages of ice growth. The method, developed using RADARSAT-2 and AMSR-E data, uses higher-ordered statistics. For the SAR, the COV (coefficient of variation, ratio of standard deviation to mean) has fewer ambiguities between ice and water than cross sections, but breaking waves still produce ice-like signatures for both polarizations. For the radiometer, the PRIC (polarization ratio ice concentration) identifies areas that are unambiguously water. Applying cumulative statistics to co-located COV levels adaptively determines an ice/water threshold. Outcomes from extensive testing with Sentinel and AMSR-2 data are shown in the results. The detection algorithm was applied to the freeze-up in the Beaufort, Chukchi, Barents, and East Siberian Seas in 2015 and 2016, spanning mid-September to early November of both years. At the end of the melt, 6 GHz PRIC values are 5-10% greater than those reported by radiometric algorithms at 19 and 37 GHz. During freeze-up, COV separates grease ice (cross-pol/co-pol SAR ratio corrects for COV deficiencies. In general, the dual-sensor detection algorithm reports 10-15% higher total ice concentrations than operational scatterometer or radiometer algorithms, mostly from ice edge and coastal areas. In conclusion, the algorithm presented combines high-resolution SAR returns with passive microwave emissions for automated ice detection at SAR resolutions.

Microwave Inspection Nondestructive Imaging Array, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — To address the NASA need for advanced NDE sensor technologies for structural materials, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Microwave...

Methodology of satellite microwave diagnostics of latitudinal-zonal and seasonal variations of frozen soil and sea ice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Melentiev

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the frame of the work we have had investigated the utility of 6.9GHz dual polarization passive microwave data from the sensor AMSR-E for quantitative assessment of spatial and temporal variations of permafrost, seasonally frozen grounds and sea ice properties along the transect 70° E in 2005–2008 years. Analysis of the factors which could be detected with using study of the spatial-temporal variations of the microwave emissivity (brightness temperatures of the system «Earth-atmosphere» was carried out with using in situ data obtained from meteorological stations situated along the investigated transect of the Western Siberia and geocryologic station Marre-Sale (Yamal Peninsula. A new method of visualization of the brightness temperatures in spatial-temporal dimensions was suggested and practical applied. Eight latitudinal zones with intrinsic peculiarities of the spatial and seasonal variability of the brightness temperatures were revealed and investigated in many details. Comparison of the location of these zones with geographic distribution of biomes in Western Siberia was provided and it shows that satellite passive microwave information can be used for classification of the territories inside biomes. In frame of this study the annual brightness temperatures course for tundra zone area has been strictly divided into four periods (seasons characterized by different types of microwave emissivity variations. For boreal needle-leaved forest zone these seasons are manifested weaker. Comprehensive analysis of the satellite microwave survey data and corresponding the in situ data has shown satisfactory correlation between the brightness temperatures of the tundra areas on the Yamal Peninsula and their thermodynamic ground-trough temperatures at the square of geocryologic station Marre-Sale during winter period of stable frozen conditions and vegetation period. In these periods one-channel satellite microwave survey could be applied for the

Microwave-assisted one-step patterning of aqueous colloidal silver.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, G; Zhou, Y W; Guo, Z R; Wan, Y; Ding, Q; Bai, T T; Wang, C L; Gu, N

2012-07-05

A new approach of utilizing microwave to pattern gradient concentric silver nanoparticle ring structures has been presented. The width and height of a single ring and the space between adjacent rings can be adjusted by changing the silver colloidal concentration and the microwave output power. By simply enhancing the ambient vapour pressure to the saturated value during microwave-assisted evaporation, sub-100 nm rings can be deposited in between adjacent micro-rings over a distance of millimetres. Combined with microwave sintering, this approach can also create conductive silver tracks in a single step, showing huge potential in fabricating micro- and nano-electronic devices in an ultra-fast and cost-effective fashion.

Variations in global land surface phenology: a comparison of satellite optical and passive microwave data

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, X.; Tian, F.; Brandt, M.; Zhang, W.; Liu, Y.; Fensholt, R.

2017-12-01

Changes in vegetation phenological events are among the most sensitive biological responses to climate change. In last decades, facilitating by satellite remote sensing techniques, land surface phenology (LSP) have been monitored at global scale using proxy approaches as tracking the temporal change of a satellite-derived vegetation index. However, the existing global assessments of changes in LSP are all established on the basis of leaf phenology using NDVI derived from optical sensors, being responsive to vegetation canopy cover and greenness. Instead, the vegetation optical depth (VOD) parameter from passive microwave sensors, which is sensitive to the aboveground vegetation water content by including as well the woody components in the observations, provides an alternative, independent and comprehensive means for global vegetation phenology monitoring. We used the unique long-term global VOD record available for the period 1992-2012 to monitoring the dynamics of LSP metrics (length of season, start of season and end of season) in comparison with the dynamics of LSP metrics derived from the latest GIMMS NDVI3G V1. We evaluated the differences in the linear trends of LSP metrics between two datasets. Currently, our results suggest that the level of seasonality variation of vegetation water content is less than the vegetation greenness. We found significant phenological changes in vegetation water content in African woodlands, where has been reported with little leaf phenological change regardless of the delays in rainfall onset. Therefore, VOD might allow us to detect temporal shifts in the timing difference of vegetation water storage vs. leaf emergence and to see if some ecophysiological thresholds seem to be reached, that could cause species turnover as climate change-driven alterations to the African monsoon proceed.

Global-scale assessment and combination of SMAP with ASCAT (Active) and AMSR2 (Passive) soil moisture products

Science.gov (United States)

Global-scale surface soil moisture (SSM) products retrieved from active and passive microwave remote sensing provide an effective method for monitoring near-real-time SSM content with nearly daily temporal resolution. In the present study, we first inter-compared global-scale error patterns and comb...

Urban rainfall estimation employing commercial microwave links

Science.gov (United States)

Overeem, Aart; Leijnse, Hidde; Uijlenhoet, Remko; ten Veldhuis, Marie-claire

2015-04-01

Urban areas often lack rainfall information. To increase the number of rainfall observations in cities, microwave links from operational cellular telecommunication networks may be employed. Although this new potential source of rainfall information has been shown to be promising, its quality needs to be demonstrated more extensively. In the Rain Sense kickstart project of the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), sensors and citizens are preparing Amsterdam for future weather. Part of this project is rainfall estimation using new measurement techniques. Innovative sensing techniques will be utilized such as rainfall estimation from microwave links, umbrellas for weather sensing, low-cost sensors at lamp posts and in drainage pipes for water level observation. These will be combined with information provided by citizens in an active way through smartphone apps and in a passive way through social media posts (Twitter, Flickr etc.). Sensor information will be integrated, visualized and made accessible to citizens to help raise citizen awareness of urban water management challenges and promote resilience by providing information on how citizens can contribute in addressing these. Moreover, citizens and businesses can benefit from reliable weather information in planning their social and commercial activities. In the end city-wide high-resolution rainfall maps will be derived, blending rainfall information from microwave links and weather radars. This information will be used for urban water management. This presentation focuses on rainfall estimation from commercial microwave links. Received signal levels from tens of microwave links within the Amsterdam region (roughly 1 million inhabitants) in the Netherlands are utilized to estimate rainfall with high spatial and temporal resolution. Rainfall maps will be presented and compared to a gauge-adjusted radar rainfall data set. Rainfall time series from gauge(s), radars and links will be compared.

Relationship between birth order, birth weight, colostrum intake, acquisition of passive immunity and pre-weaning mortality of piglets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean Le Dividich

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the relation between birth order (BO, birth weight (BW0, colostrum intake (CI, level of passive immunity and pre-weaning mortality of piglets. The animals used were 551 cross-bred piglets [Piétrain × (Large-White × Landrace] born from 40 sows. Colostrum immunoglobulins G (IgG determinations were made from 17 sows. Colostrum samples were obtained at birth of the first piglet then at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 h later, and on the first-two and the last-two piglets born. Serum IgG determinations from 68 piglets were made at 2d of age and at weaning. Individual CI was estimated from body weight gain. Relative birth order (RBO and BW0 within-litter were weakly (R20.10 but increased by 26 ± 1.6 g per 100 g increase in BW0 (p0.10. It was concluded that despite last-born piglets obtained less passive immunity than first-born, they were not at higher risk of dying before weaning. Major causes of mortality were low birth weight and insufficient colostrum (energy intake.

Science with Future Cosmic Microwave Background Observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernardis, P. de; Calvo, M.; Giordano, C.; Masi, S.; Nati, F.; Piacentini, F.; Schillaci, A. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Roma La Sapienza, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma (Italy)

2009-10-15

After the successful measurements of many ground based, balloon-borne and satellite experiments, which started the era of 'Precision Cosmology', Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations are now focusing on two targets: the precision measurement of B-modes in the polarization field, and the measurement of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect in distant clusters of galaxies. Polarization measurements represent the best way to probe the very early universe, and the energy scale of inflation. Fine-scale anisotropy measurements, possibly with spectral capabilities, can provide important information on dark matter and dark energy. Here we describe original approaches to these measurements.

Science with Future Cosmic Microwave Background Observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernardis, P. de; Calvo, M.; Giordano, C.; Masi, S.; Nati, F.; Piacentini, F.; Schillaci, A.

2009-01-01

After the successful measurements of many ground based, balloon-borne and satellite experiments, which started the era of 'Precision Cosmology', Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations are now focusing on two targets: the precision measurement of B-modes in the polarization field, and the measurement of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect in distant clusters of galaxies. Polarization measurements represent the best way to probe the very early universe, and the energy scale of inflation. Fine-scale anisotropy measurements, possibly with spectral capabilities, can provide important information on dark matter and dark energy. Here we describe original approaches to these measurements.

Microwave Plasma Propulsion Systems for Defensive Counter-Space

Science.gov (United States)

2007-09-01

microwave/ECR-based propulsion system. No electron cathode or neutralizer is needed. There are no electrodes to erode, sputter or damage. Measurement of...without the need for a cathode neutralizer, a wide range of performance parameters can be achieved by selecting the size and length of the resonance...EC • Earth Coverage Antenna NCA • Narrow coverege Antenna LNA • Low Noise Amplifier Rx • Receive Tx =Transmit IV IV TI.IO CMOI Figure 53

Passive House Solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strom, I.; Joosten, L.; Boonstra, C. [DHV Sustainability Consultants, Eindhoiven (Netherlands)

2006-05-15

PEP stands for 'Promotion of European Passive Houses' and is a consortium of European partners, supported by the European Commission, Directorate General for Energy and Transport. In this working paper an overview is given of Passive House solutions. An inventory has been made of Passive House solutions for new build residences applied in each country. Based on this, the most common basic solutions have been identified and described in further detail, including the extent to which solutions are applied in common and best practice and expected barriers for the implementation in each country. An inventory per country is included in the appendix. The analysis of Passive House solutions in partner countries shows high priority with regard to the performance of the thermal envelope, such as high insulation of walls, roofs, floors and windows/ doors, thermal bridge-free construction and air tightness. Due to the required air tightness, special attention must be paid to indoor air quality through proper ventilation. Finally, efficient ((semi-)solar) heating systems for combined space and DHW heating still require a significant amount of attention in most partner countries. Other basic Passive House solutions show a smaller discrepancy with common practice and fewer barriers have been encountered in partner countries. In the next section, the general barriers in partner countries have been inventoried. For each type of barrier a suggested approach has been given. Most frequently encountered barriers in partner countries are: limited know-how; limited contractor skills; and acceptation of Passive Houses in the market. Based on the suggested approaches to overcoming barriers, this means that a great deal of attention must be paid to providing practical information and solutions to building professionals, providing practical training to installers and contractors and communication about the Passive House concept to the market.

Design and characteristics of L-C thin films filter at microwave frequency band

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, In-Sung; Min, Bok-Ki; Song, Jae-Sung

2005-12-01

Multifunction corresponding to multimedia age has furthermore required high integration to the devices at microwave band, so more evolution for multi-layer integration like system on chip(SoC) becomes to be necessary. In wireless mobile communication, portable mobile phones grew up to a huge market. Microwave devices have played an important role in the wireless communication systems. One challenge in the implementation of circuit integration is in the design of micro wave band pass filter with thin film MOM capacitor and spiral inductor. In this paper, Cu and TaO thin film with RF sputtering was deposited for inductor and capacitor on the SiO II/Si(100) substrate. MIM capacitor and spiral inductor was fabricated for L-C band pass filter by sputtering and lift-off. We are analyzed and designed thin films L-C passive components for band pass filter at 900 MHz and 1.8 GHz, an important devices for mobile communication. Based on the high-Q values of passive components, MIM capacitor and spiral inductors for L-C band pass filter, a low insertion loss of L-C passive components can be realized with a minimized chip area. The insertion loss was 3 dB for a 1.8 GHz filter, and was 5 dB for a 900 MHz filter. This paper also discusses a theoretical analysis and practical design to L-C band pass filter.

Wave function of a microwave-driven Bose-Einstein magnon condensate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rezende, Sergio M.

2010-01-01

It has been observed experimentally that a magnon gas in a film of yttrium-iron garnet at room temperature driven by a microwave field exhibits Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) when the driving power exceeds a critical value. In a previous paper we presented a model for the dynamics of the magnon system in wave-vector space that provides firm theoretical support for the formation of the BEC. Here we show that the wave function of the magnon condensate in configuration space satisfies a Gross-Pitaevskii equation similarly to other BEC systems. The theory is consistent with the previous model in wave-vector space, and its results are in qualitative agreement with recent measurements of the spatial distribution of the magnon condensate driven by a nonuniform microwave field.

Microwave radiation - Biological effects and exposure standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindsay, I.R.

1980-06-01

The thermal and nonthermal effects of exposure to microwave radiation are discussed and current standards for microwave exposure are examined in light of the proposed use of microwave power transmission from solar power satellites. Effects considered include cataractogenesis at levels above 100 mW/sq cm, and possible reversible disturbances such as headaches, sleeplessness, irritability, fatigue, memory loss, cardiovascular changes and circadian rhythm disturbances at levels less than 10 mW/sq cm. It is pointed out that while the United States and western Europe have adopted exposure standards of 10 mW/sq cm, those adopted in other countries are up to three orders of magnitude more restrictive, as they are based on different principles applied in determining safe limits. Various aspects of the biological effects of microwave transmissions from space are considered in the areas of the protection of personnel working in the vicinity of the rectenna, interactions of the transmitted radiation with cardiac pacemakers, and effects on birds. It is concluded that thresholds for biological effects from short-term microwave radiation are well above the maximal power density of 1 mW/sq cm projected at or beyond the area of exclusion of a rectenna.

Hybrid Active-Passive Radiation Shielding System

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A radiation shielding system is proposed that integrates active magnetic fields with passive shielding materials. The objective is to increase the shielding...

Heat engines for dilatonic Born-Infeld black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhamidipati, Chandrasekhar; Yerra, Pavan Kumar [Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, School of Basic Sciences, Bhubaneswar (India)

2017-08-15

In the context of dilaton coupled Einstein gravity with a negative cosmological constant and a Born-Infeld field, we study heat engines where a charged black hole is the working substance. Using the existence of a notion of thermodynamic mass and volume (which depend on the dilaton coupling), the mechanical work takes place via the pdV terms present in the first law of extended gravitational thermodynamics. The efficiency is analyzed as a function of dilaton and Born-Infeld couplings, and the results are compared with analogous computations in the related conformal solutions in the Brans-Dicke-Born-Infeld theory and black holes in anti-de Sitter space-time. (orig.)

Construction and testing of a space ready rectenna

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Alan M.

1993-01-01

In Feb. 1993, the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) Working Group from ISAS, Japan will launch a sounding rocket into low earth orbit to perform two activities: collect scientific information on the high power microwave-ionosphere interaction, and demonstrate microwave power transmission in space at 2.45 GHz. The SPS Working Group announced an open invitation to international agencies willing to collaborate with the Microwave Energy Transmission in Space (METS) experiment in a number of categories. Under the sponsorship of the NASA's Lewis Research Center, the Center for Space Power located at Texas A&M University joined the experiment by producing a microwave rectifying receiving antenna (rectenna). The rectenna is a special type of receiving antenna with unique properties and characteristics. The rectenna's main purpose is to efficiently convert microwave power into DC power. The rectenna is an advanced component in microwave power beaming technology developed for 2.45 GHz. The state-of-the-art rectenna for this frequency consists of dipole antennas, filter circuits, and transmission lines etched on a thin layer of Kapton film. The format of the thin film rectenna is ideally suited for space applications. Thin film rectennas have a low specific mass of approximately 1 kg/kW. The main component of the rectenna is the rectifying diode. High conversion efficiencies (90 percent) in microwave to DC power are capable with special Schottky barrier diodes correctly located in the rectenna circuitry. The theory of operation of the 2.45 GHz rectenna is explained. Experimental test results on the METS rectenna are presented. The packaging of the rectenna is also discussed to meet space qualifications.

Microwave Radiometry and Radiometers for Ocean Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skou, Niels

2008-01-01

The microwave radiometer system measures, within its bandwidth, the naturally emitted radiation – the brightness temperature – of substances within its antenna’s field of view. Thus a radiometer is really a sensitive and calibrated microwave receiver. The radiometer can be a basic total power....../antenna size, and the problem: scanning antenna/space- craft stability. In many cases good compromises have been reached, as evident recalling the many successful missions throughout the recent 30 years. But in some cases the situation calls for special solutions, like the push-broom system or the synthetic...

Cryogenic microwave channelized receiver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rauscher, C.; Pond, J.M.; Tait, G.B.

1996-01-01

The channelized receiver being presented demonstrates the use of high temperature superconductor technology in a microwave system setting where superconductor, microwave-monolithic-integrated-circuit, and hybrid-integrated-circuit components are united in one package and cooled to liquid-nitrogen temperatures. The receiver consists of a superconducting X-band four-channel demultiplexer with 100-MHz-wide channels, four commercial monolithically integrated mixers, and four custom-designed hybrid-circuit detectors containing heterostructure ramp diodes. The composite receiver unit has been integrated into the payload of the second-phase NRL high temperature superconductor space experiment (HTSSE-II). Prior to payload assembly, the response characteristics of the receiver were measured as functions of frequency, temperature, and drive levels. The article describes the circuitry, discusses the key issues related to design and implementation, and summarizes the experimental results

Performance simulation of the JPL solar-powered distiller. Part 1: Quasi-steady-state conditions. [for cooling microwave equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Yung, C. S.; Lansing, F. L.

1983-01-01

A 37.85 cu m (10,000 gallons) per year (nominal) passive solar powered water distillation system was installed and is operational in the Venus Deep Space Station. The system replaced an old, electrically powered water distiller. The distilled water produced with its high electrical resistivity is used to cool the sensitive microwave equipment. A detailed thermal model was developed to simulate the performance of the distiller and study its sensitivity under varying environment and load conditions. The quasi-steady state portion of the model is presented together with the formulas for heat and mass transfer coefficients used. Initial results indicated that a daily water evaporation efficiency of 30% can be achieved. A comparison made between a full day performance simulation and the actual field measurements gave good agreement between theory and experiment, which verified the model.

A microwave powered sensor assembly for microwave ovens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2016-01-01

The present invention relates to a microwave powered sensor assembly for micro- wave ovens. The microwave powered sensor assembly comprises a microwave antenna for generating an RF antenna signal in response to microwave radiation at a predetermined excitation frequency. A dc power supply circuit...... of the microwave powered sensor assembly is operatively coupled to the RF antenna signal for extracting energy from the RF antenna signal and produce a power supply voltage. A sensor is connected to the power supply voltage and configured to measure a physical or chemical property of a food item under heating...... in a microwave oven chamber....

Microwave engineering

CERN Document Server

Pozar, David M

2012-01-01

The 4th edition of this classic text provides a thorough coverage of RF and microwave engineering concepts, starting from fundamental principles of electrical engineering, with applications to microwave circuits and devices of practical importance.  Coverage includes microwave network analysis, impedance matching, directional couplers and hybrids, microwave filters, ferrite devices, noise, nonlinear effects, and the design of microwave oscillators, amplifiers, and mixers. Material on microwave and RF systems includes wireless communications, radar, radiometry, and radiation hazards. A large

International Space Station Passive Thermal Control System Analysis, Top Ten Lessons-Learned

Science.gov (United States)

Iovine, John

2011-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) has been on-orbit for over 10 years, and there have been numerous technical challenges along the way from design to assembly to on-orbit anomalies and repairs. The Passive Thermal Control System (PTCS) management team has been a key player in successfully dealing with these challenges. The PTCS team performs thermal analysis in support of design and verification, launch and assembly constraints, integration, sustaining engineering, failure response, and model validation. This analysis is a significant body of work and provides a unique opportunity to compile a wealth of real world engineering and analysis knowledge and the corresponding lessons-learned. The analysis lessons encompass the full life cycle of flight hardware from design to on-orbit performance and sustaining engineering. These lessons can provide significant insight for new projects and programs. Key areas to be presented include thermal model fidelity, verification methods, analysis uncertainty, and operations support.

Study of additive manufactured microwave cavities for pulsed optically pumped atomic clock applications

Science.gov (United States)

Affolderbach, C.; Moreno, W.; Ivanov, A. E.; Debogovic, T.; Pellaton, M.; Skrivervik, A. K.; de Rijk, E.; Mileti, G.

2018-03-01

Additive manufacturing (AM) of passive microwave components is of high interest for the cost-effective and rapid prototyping or manufacture of devices with complex geometries. Here, we present an experimental study on the properties of recently demonstrated microwave resonator cavities manufactured by AM, in view of their applications to high-performance compact atomic clocks. The microwave cavities employ a loop-gap geometry using six electrodes. The critical electrode structures were manufactured monolithically using two different approaches: Stereolithography (SLA) of a polymer followed by metal coating and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) of aluminum. The tested microwave cavities show the desired TE011-like resonant mode at the Rb clock frequency of ≈6.835 GHz, with a microwave magnetic field highly parallel to the quantization axis across the vapor cell. When operated in an atomic clock setup, the measured atomic Rabi oscillations are comparable to those observed for conventionally manufactured cavities and indicate a good uniformity of the field amplitude across the vapor cell. Employing a time-domain Ramsey scheme on one of the SLA cavities, high-contrast (34%) Ramsey fringes are observed for the Rb clock transition, along with a narrow (166 Hz linewidth) central fringe. The measured clock stability of 2.2 × 10-13 τ-1/2 up to the integration time of 30 s is comparable to the current state-of-the-art stabilities of compact vapor-cell clocks based on conventional microwave cavities and thus demonstrates the feasibility of the approach.

Awareness-based game-theoretic space resource management

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Genshe; Chen, Huimin; Pham, Khanh; Blasch, Erik; Cruz, Jose B., Jr.

2009-05-01

Over recent decades, the space environment becomes more complex with a significant increase in space debris and a greater density of spacecraft, which poses great difficulties to efficient and reliable space operations. In this paper we present a Hierarchical Sensor Management (HSM) method to space operations by (a) accommodating awareness modeling and updating and (b) collaborative search and tracking space objects. The basic approach is described as follows. Firstly, partition the relevant region of interest into district cells. Second, initialize and model the dynamics of each cell with awareness and object covariance according to prior information. Secondly, explicitly assign sensing resources to objects with user specified requirements. Note that when an object has intelligent response to the sensing event, the sensor assigned to observe an intelligent object may switch from time-to-time between a strong, active signal mode and a passive mode to maximize the total amount of information to be obtained over a multi-step time horizon and avoid risks. Thirdly, if all explicitly specified requirements are satisfied and there are still more sensing resources available, we assign the additional sensing resources to objects without explicitly specified requirements via an information based approach. Finally, sensor scheduling is applied to each sensor-object or sensor-cell pair according to the object type. We demonstrate our method with realistic space resources management scenario using NASA's General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) for space object search and track with multiple space borne observers.

The Association between active and passive smoking and latent tuberculosis infection in adults and children in the united states: results from NHANES.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan P Lindsay

Full Text Available Few studies assessing the relationship between active and passive smoking and tuberculosis have used biomarkers to measure smoke exposure. We sought to determine the association between active and passive smoking and LTBI in a representative sample of US adults and children.We used the 1999-2000 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES dataset with tuberculin skin test (TST data to assess the association between cotinine-confirmed smoke exposure and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI among adults ages ≥20 years (n = 3598 and children 3-19 years (n = 2943 and estimate the prevalence of smoke exposure among those with LTBI. Weighted multivariate logistic regression was used to measure the associations between active and passive smoking and LTBI.LTBI prevalence in 1999-2000 among cotinine-confirmed active, passive, and non-smoking adults and children was 6.0%, 5.2%, 3.3% and 0.3%, 1.0%, 1.5%, respectively. This corresponds to approximately 3,556,000 active and 3,379,000 passive smoking adults with LTBI in the US civilian non-institutionalized population in 1999-2000. Controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic status, race, birthplace (US vs. foreign-born, household size, and having ever lived with someone with TB, adult active smokers were significantly more likely to have LTBI than non-smoking adults (AOR = 2.31 95% CI 1.17-4.55. Adult passive smokers also had a greater odds of LTBI compared with non-smokers, but this association did not achieve statistical significance (AOR = 2.00 95% CI 0.87-4.60. Neither active or passive smoking was associated with LTBI among children. Among only the foreign-born adults, both active (AOR = 2.56 (95% CI 1.20-5.45 and passive smoking (AOR = 2.27 95% CI 1.09-4.72 were significantly associated with LTBI.Active adult smokers and both foreign-born active and passive smokers in the United States are at elevated risk for LTBI. Targeted smoking prevention and cessation

Microwave absorption properties of the core/shell-type iron and nickel nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, B.; Dong, X. L.; Huang, H.; Zhang, X. F.; Zhu, X. G.; Lei, J. P.; Sun, J. P.

Iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) nanoparticles were prepared by the DC arc-discharge method in a mixture of hydrogen and argon gases, using bulk metals as the raw materials. The microstructure of core/shell (metal/metal oxide) in nanoparticle formed after in situ passivation process. The complex electromagnetic parameters (permittivity ɛ=ɛr'+iɛr″ and permeability μ=μr'+iμr″) of the paraffin-mixed nanocomposite samples (paraffin:nanoparticles=1:1 in mass ratio) were measured in the frequency range of 2-18 GHz. The polarization mechanisms of the space charge and dipole coexist in both the Fe and Ni nanoparticles. The orientational polarization is a particular polarization for Fe nanoparticles and brings a relatively higher dielectric loss. Natural resonance is the main reason for magnetic loss and the corresponding frequencies are 11.6 and 5.2 GHz for the Fe and Ni nanoparticles, respectively. The paraffin composite with Fe nanoparticles provided excellent microwave absorption properties (reflection loss <-20 dB) in the range 6.8-16.6 GHz over the absorber thickness of 1.1-2.3 mm.

L2-gain and passivity techniques in nonlinear control

CERN Document Server

van der Schaft, Arjan

2017-01-01

This standard text gives a unified treatment of passivity and L2-gain theory for nonlinear state space systems, preceded by a compact treatment of classical passivity and small-gain theorems for nonlinear input-output maps. The synthesis between passivity and L2-gain theory is provided by the theory of dissipative systems. Specifically, the small-gain and passivity theorems and their implications for nonlinear stability and stabilization are discussed from this standpoint. The connection between L2-gain and passivity via scattering is detailed. Feedback equivalence to a passive system and resulting stabilization strategies are discussed. The passivity concepts are enriched by a generalised Hamiltonian formalism, emphasising the close relations with physical modeling and control by interconnection, and leading to novel control methodologies going beyond passivity. The potential of L2-gain techniques in nonlinear control, including a theory of all-pass factorizations of nonlinear systems, and of parametrization...

MMIC technology for advanced space communications systems

Science.gov (United States)

Downey, A. N.; Connolly, D. J.; Anzic, G.

The current NASA program for 20 and 30 GHz monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology is reviewed. The advantages of MMIC are discussed. Millimeter wavelength MMIC applications and technology for communications systems are discussed. Passive and active MMIC compatible components for millimeter wavelength applications are investigated. The cost of a millimeter wavelength MMIC's is projected.

MMIC technology for advanced space communications systems

Science.gov (United States)

Downey, A. N.; Connolly, D. J.; Anzic, G.

1984-01-01

The current NASA program for 20 and 30 GHz monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology is reviewed. The advantages of MMIC are discussed. Millimeter wavelength MMIC applications and technology for communications systems are discussed. Passive and active MMIC compatible components for millimeter wavelength applications are investigated. The cost of a millimeter wavelength MMIC's is projected.

A synthetic aperture microwave radiometer to measure soil moisture and ocean salinity from space

Science.gov (United States)

Le Vine, D. M.; Hilliard, L. M.; Swift, C. T.; Ruf, C. S.; Garrett, L. B.

1991-01-01

A concept is presented for a microwave radiometer in space to measure soil moisture and ocean salinity as part of an 'Earth Probe' mission. The measurements could be made using an array of stick antennas. The L-band channel (1.4 GHz) would be the primary channel for determining soil moisture, with the S-band (2.65-GHz) and C-band (5.0-GHz) channels providing ancillary information to help correct for the effects of the vegetation canopy and possibly to estimate a moisture profile. A preliminary study indicates that an orbit at 450 km would provide coverage of better than 95 percent of the earth every 3 days. A 10-km resolution cell (at nadir) requires stick antennas about 9.5-m long at L-band. The S-band and C-band sticks would be substantially shorter (5 m and 2.7 m, respectively).

Space solar power - An energy alternative

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, R. W.

1978-01-01

The space solar power concept is concerned with the use of a Space Power Satellite (SPS) which orbits the earth at geostationary altitude. Two large symmetrical solar collectors convert solar energy directly to electricity using photovoltaic cells woven into blankets. The dc electricity is directed to microwave generators incorporated in a transmitting antenna located between the solar collectors. The antenna directs the microwave beam to a receiving antenna on earth where the microwave energy is efficiently converted back to dc electricity. The SPS design promises 30-year and beyond lifetimes. The SPS is relatively pollution free as it promises earth-equivalence of 80-85% efficient ground-based thermal power plant.

The Microwave Properties of Simulated Melting Precipitation Particles: Sensitivity to Initial Melting

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, B. T.; Olson, W. S.; Skofronick-Jackson, G.

2016-01-01

A simplified approach is presented for assessing the microwave response to the initial melting of realistically shaped ice particles. This paper is divided into two parts: (1) a description of the Single Particle Melting Model (SPMM), a heuristic melting simulation for ice-phase precipitation particles of any shape or size (SPMM is applied to two simulated aggregate snow particles, simulating melting up to 0.15 melt fraction by mass), and (2) the computation of the single-particle microwave scattering and extinction properties of these hydrometeors, using the discrete dipole approximation (via DDSCAT), at the following selected frequencies: 13.4, 35.6, and 94.0GHz for radar applications and 89, 165.0, and 183.31GHz for radiometer applications. These selected frequencies are consistent with current microwave remote-sensing platforms, such as CloudSat and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. Comparisons with calculations using variable-density spheres indicate significant deviations in scattering and extinction properties throughout the initial range of melting (liquid volume fractions less than 0.15). Integration of the single-particle properties over an exponential particle size distribution provides additional insight into idealized radar reflectivity and passive microwave brightness temperature sensitivity to variations in size/mass, shape, melt fraction, and particle orientation.

2-D Fused Image Reconstruction approach for Microwave Tomography: a theoretical assessment using FDTD Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Bindu, G; Semenov, S

2013-01-01

This paper describes an efficient two-dimensional fused image reconstruction approach for Microwave Tomography (MWT). Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) models were created for a viable MWT experimental system having the transceivers modelled using thin wire approximation with resistive voltage sources. Born Iterative and Distorted Born Iterative methods have been employed for image reconstruction with the extremity imaging being done using a differential imaging technique. The forward solver in the imaging algorithm employs the FDTD method of solving the time domain Maxwell's equations with the regularisation parameter computed using a stochastic approach. The algorithm is tested with 10% noise inclusion and successful image reconstruction has been shown implying its robustness.

Active and passive cooling methods for dwellings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oropeza-Perez, Ivan; Østergaard, Poul Alberg

2018-01-01

In this document a review of three active as well as ten passive cooling methods suitable for residential buildings is carried out. The review firstly addresses how the various technologies cool the space according to the terms of the building heat balance, under what technical conditions...... ventilation, controlled ventilation, roof coating and eco-evaporative cooling are the most suitable passive methods for an extensive use in this country....

A study of multilayer passive components for uniplanar MMICs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gokdemir, T.

2000-01-01

This thesis is concerned with the modelling, design, and characterisation of passive components on Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and silicon substrates at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. The passive components are a vital part of all monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) because they are used as building blocks to design much larger and more complicated circuits which may employ many active devices. The initial building blocks not only shape the overall performance but also contribute to the final layout and cost depending on how compact these components are. Therefore, this thesis looks at techniques that can be used to achieve higher levels of integration of microwave circuitry and to overcome the need for through-substrate via holes and related back-face processing steps. Topics such as coplanar waveguide (CPW) and multilayer techniques have been covered with this aim. This work begins with an introduction to MMIC design. This is followed by a look at how computer aided design (CAD) packages can be used to enhance circuit design at microwave frequencies. A detailed practical investigation into multilayer structures on GaAs and silicon substrates is undertaken. In order to analyse these structures test masks have been prepared and fabricated. These structures have been characterised and verified with measurements where possible. For the first time, two types of novel multilayer 14-36 GHz MMIC CPW coupled-line 3 dB directional couplers have been realised by using a three metal level MMIC process. The couplers incorporate both broadside and edge coupling in order to obtain a tight coupling. A new method of realising compact baluns at millimeter-wave frequencies is presented and its operation is explained. The analysis has been verified with practical baluns which employed multilayer CPW directional couplers. An alternative balun for lower frequencies has also been proposed and successfully demonstrated experimentally using compact spiral couplers

AMI OBSERVATIONS OF THE ANOMALOUS MICROWAVE EMISSION IN THE PERSEUS MOLECULAR CLOUD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tibbs, C. T.; Scaife, A. M. M.; Dickinson, C.; Davies, R. D.; Davis, R. J.; Watson, R. A.; Paladini, R.; Grainge, K. J. B.

2013-01-01

We present observations of the known anomalous microwave emission region, G159.6–18.5, in the Perseus molecular cloud at 16 GHz performed with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Small Array. These are the highest angular resolution observations of G159.6–18.5 at microwave wavelengths. By combining these microwave data with infrared observations between 5.8 and 160 μm from the Spitzer Space Telescope, we investigate the existence of a microwave-infrared correlation on angular scales of ∼2'. We find that the overall correlation appears to increase toward shorter infrared wavelengths, which is consistent with the microwave emission being produced by electric dipole radiation from small, spinning dust grains. We also find that the microwave-infrared correlation peaks at 24 μm (6.7σ), suggesting that the microwave emission is originating from a population of stochastically heated small interstellar dust grains rather than polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Constructing passive houses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oehler, S. [Oehler Faigle Archkom Solar Architektur, Bretten (Germany)

2005-07-01

Everybody can learn to build energy-efficient. It needs theoretical and practical experience. 1997 we built the first freestanding Passive House in Europe, the Passive House Oehler. There had been a lot of questions, starting with the insecurity, whether the calculation program of the Passive House Institute, the PHPP, is working properly in our case. Nobody knew at that time because nobody tried it out before. It took us a lot of time to find out and every detail of the construction hat to be invented to meet the very high demand of thermal quality. All the following houses needed less time and had fewer open questions, adding one piece of experience with every building. 2002 we realised the biggest Passive House, the office building Energon Ulm with 420 working spaces. In the meantime we have learned a lot like how to produce prefabricated timber elements for the facades, providing good insulation, air tightness and avoiding serious thermal bridges. We have proofed, that any kind of building type can be a Passive House. And with increasing experience the freedom of design and construction is growing. Even the economical efficiency increased. The Energon Ulm is providing a much better indoor climate than any other office building and was build 10 % cheaper than an average German office building. At present the Passive House Standard is the most efficient solution for the user to live in the desired comfort zone between 20 C and 25 C. This zone of individual feeling-well can be described with the term ''operative temperature''. This term is defined by factors like air temperature, radiation temperature of warm and cold surfaces, air speed and humidity. The result of all these factors has to be within 18 C to 25 C without accepting one of the factors getting extreme.

SPIDER: CMB Polarimetry from the Edge of Space

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gualtieri, R.; et al.

2017-11-28

SPIDER is a balloon-borne instrument designed to map the polarization of the millimeter-wave sky at large angular scales. SPIDER targets the B-mode signature of primordial gravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), with a focus on mapping a large sky area with high fidelity at multiple frequencies. SPIDER's first longduration balloon (LDB) flight in January 2015 deployed a total of 2400 antenna-coupled Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) at 90 GHz and 150 GHz. In this work we review the design and in-flight performance of the SPIDER instrument, with a particular focus on the measured performance of the detectors and instrument in a space-like loading and radiation environment. SPIDER's second flight in December 2018 will incorporate payload upgrades and new receivers to map the sky at 285 GHz, providing valuable information for cleaning polarized dust emission from CMB maps.

Phase 2 microwave concrete decontamination results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, T.L.; Foster, D. Jr.; Wilson, C.T.; Schaich, C.R.

1995-01-01

The authors report on the results of the second phase of a four-phase program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop a system to decontaminate concrete using microwave energy. The microwave energy is directed at the concrete surface through the use of an optimized wave guide antenna, or applicator, and this energy rapidly heats the free water present in the interstitial spaces of the concrete matrix. The resulting steam pressure causes the surface to burst in much the same way popcorn pops in a home microwave oven. Each steam explosion removes several square centimeters of concrete surface that are collected by a highly integrated wave guide and vacuum system. The authors call this process the microwave concrete decontamination, or MCD, process. In the first phase of the program the principle of microwaves concrete removal concrete surfaces was demonstrated. In these experiments, concrete slabs were placed on a translator and moved beneath a stationary microwave system. The second phase demonstrated the ability to mobilize the technology to remove the surfaces from concrete floors. Area and volume concrete removal rates of 10.4 cm 2 /s and 4.9 cm 3 /S, respectively, at 18 GHz were demonstrated. These rates are more than double those obtained in Phase 1 of the program. Deeper contamination can be removed by using a longer residence time under the applicator to create multiple explosions in the same area or by taking multiple passes over previously removed areas. Both techniques have been successfully demonstrated. Small test sections of painted and oil-soaked concrete have also been removed in a single pass. Concrete with embedded metal anchors on the surface has also been removed, although with some increased variability of removal depth. Microwave leakage should not pose any operational hazard to personnel, since the observed leakage was much less than the regulatory standard

Microwave Power for Smart Membrane Actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sang H.; Song, Kyo D.; Golembiewski, Walter T.; Chu, Sang-Hyon; King, Glen C.

2002-01-01

The concept of microwave-driven smart membrane actuators is envisioned as the best option to alleviate the complexity associated with hard-wired control circuitry. A large, ultra-light space structure, such as solar sails and Gossamer spacecrafts, requires a distribution of power into individual membrane actuators to control them in an effective way. A patch rectenna array with a high voltage output was developed to drive smart membrane actuators. Networked patch rectenna array receives and converts microwave power into a DC power for an array of smart actuators. To use microwave power effectively, the concept of a power allocation and distribution (PAD) circuit is developed and tested for networking a rectenna/actuator patch array. For the future development, the PAD circuit could be imbedded into a single embodiment of rectenna and actuator array with the thin-film microcircuit embodiment. Preliminary design and fabrication of PAD circuitry that consists of a sixteen nodal elements were made for laboratory testing.

A Wireless Fully Passive Neural Recording Device for Unobtrusive Neuropotential Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiourti, Asimina; Lee, Cedric W L; Chae, Junseok; Volakis, John L

2016-01-01

We propose a novel wireless fully passive neural recording device for unobtrusive neuropotential monitoring. Previous work demonstrated the feasibility of monitoring emulated brain signals in a wireless fully passive manner. In this paper, we propose a novel realistic recorder that is significantly smaller and much more sensitive. The proposed recorder utilizes a highly efficient microwave backscattering method and operates without any formal power supply or regulating elements. Also, no intracranial wires or cables are required. In-vitro testing is performed inside a four-layer head phantom (skin, bone, gray matter, and white matter). Compared to our former implementation, the neural recorder proposed in this study has the following improved features: 1) 59% smaller footprint, 2) up to 20-dB improvement in neuropotential detection sensitivity, and 3) encapsulation in biocompatible polymer. For the first time, temporal emulated neuropotentials as low as 63 μVpp can be detected in a wireless fully passive manner. Remarkably, the high-sensitivity achieved in this study implies reading of most neural signals generated by the human brain. The proposed recorder brings forward transformational possibilities in wireless fully passive neural detection for a very wide range of applications (e.g., epilepsy, Alzheimer's, mental disorders, etc.).

Antarctic Iceberg Tracking Based on Time Series of Aqua AMSRE Microwave Brightness Temperature Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Blonski, Slawomir; Peterson, Craig

2006-01-01

(Rapid Prototyping Capability) of NASA s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Applied Science Program to demonstrate that passive microwave brightness temperature measurements acquired by AMSR-E can be effectively used to track iceberg movement around Antarctica. The RPC s robust computation environment enabled processing of terabytes of data products available from the NASA Distributed Active Archive Center at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Iceberg tracking based on the AMSR-E Level 2A data product was compared with records from the National Ice Center for currently existing icebergs. Some icebergs as small as roughly 10 km in size were easily observed, but tracking of many others, even larger ones, was obscured by presence of sea ice surrounding the icebergs. The best results, such as for the large iceberg A22A, were achieved when an iceberg was in open ocean.

Passive Wireless SAW Humidity Sensors, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This proposal describes the preliminary development of passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) based humidity sensors for NASA application to distributed...

Microfabricated Low-Loss Microwave Switch Integration Technology, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Nuvotronics has developed and optimized the PolyStrataTM process for the fabrication of intricate microwave and millimeter-wave devices. These devices have primarily...

NASA and ESA Collaboration on Alternative to Nitric Acid Passivation: Parameter Optimization of Citric Acid Passivation for Stainless Steel Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Kessel, Kurt R.

2016-01-01

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters chartered the Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation Principal Center (TEERM) to coordinate agency activities affecting pollution prevention issues identified during system and component acquisition and sustainment processes. The primary objectives of NASA TEERM are to: Reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous materials or hazardous processes at manufacturing, remanufacturing, and sustainment locations. Avoid duplication of effort in actions required to reduce or eliminate hazardous materials through joint center cooperation and technology sharing. Corrosion is an extensive problem that affects the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The damaging effects of corrosion result in steep costs, asset downtime affecting mission readiness, and safety risks to personnel. Consequently, it is vital to reduce corrosion costs and risks in a sustainable manner. NASA and ESA have numerous structures and equipment that are fabricated from stainless steel. The standard practice for protection of stainless steel is a process called passivation. Passivation is defined by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language as to treat or coat (a metal) in order to reduce the chemical reactivity of its surface. Passivation works by forming a shielding outer (metal oxide) layer that reduces the impact of destructive environmental factors such as air or water. Consequently, this process necessitates a final product that is very clean and free of iron and other contaminants. Typical passivation procedures call for the use of nitric acid; however, there are a number of environmental, worker safety, and operational issues associated with its use. Citric acid is an alternative to nitric acid for the passivation of stainless steels. Citric acid offers a variety of benefits including increased safety for personnel, reduced environmental impact, and

NPR and ANSI Containment Study Using Passive Cooling Techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, J. J.; Iotti, R. C.; Wright, R. F.

1993-01-01

Passive containment cooling study of NPR (New Production Reactor) and ANSI (Advanced Neutron Source) following postulated loss of coolant accident with a coincident station blackout due to total loss of all alternating current power are studied analytically and experimentally. All the reactor and containment cooling under this condition would rely on the passive cooling system which removes reactor decay heat and provides emergency core and containment cooling. Containment passive emergency core and containment cooling. Containment passive cooling for this study takes place in the annulus between containment steel shell and concrete shield building by natural convection air flow and concrete shield building by natural convection air flow and thermal radiation. Various heat transfer coefficients inside annular air space were investigated by running the modified Contempt code Contempt-Npr. In order to verify proper heat transfer coefficient, temperature, heat flux and velocity profiles were measured inside annular air space of the test facility which is a 24 foot (7.3m) high, steam heated inner cylinder of three foot (.91m) diameter and five and halt foot (1.7m) diameter outer cylinder. Comparison of Contempt-Npr and WGOTHIC was done for reduced scale Npr. It is concluded that Npr and ANSI containments can be passively cooled with air alone without extended cooling surfaces or passive water spray

Precision Foreground Removal in Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Maps

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The most promising method for detecting primordial gravitational waves lies in the B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background, or CMB. A measurement of...

Microwave imaging

CERN Document Server

Pastorino, Matteo

2010-01-01

An introduction to the most relevant theoretical and algorithmic aspects of modern microwave imaging approaches Microwave imaging-a technique used in sensing a given scene by means of interrogating microwaves-has recently proven its usefulness in providing excellent diagnostic capabilities in several areas, including civil and industrial engineering, nondestructive testing and evaluation, geophysical prospecting, and biomedical engineering. Microwave Imaging offers comprehensive descriptions of the most important techniques so far proposed for short-range microwave imaging-in

Climate-Specific Passive Building Standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, Graham S. [Passive House Inst., Westford, MA (United States); Klingenberg, Katrin [Passive House Inst., Westford, MA (United States)

2015-07-01

Passive design principles (super insulation, airtight envelopes, elimination of thermal bridges, etc.) - pioneered in North America in the 70s and 80s and refined in Europe in the 90s have proven to be universally effective to significantly reduce heating and cooling loads. However, a single, rigid performance metric developed in Germany has led to limited uptake of passive building principles in many regions of the United States. It has also, in many cases, promoted some design decisions that had negative effects on economic feasibility and thermal comfort. This study's main objective is to validate (in a theoretical sense) verifiable, climate-specific passive standards and space conditioning criteria that retain ambitious, environmentally-necessary energy reduction targets and are economically feasible, such standards provide designers an ambitious but achievable performance target on the path to zero.

Passive cooling containment study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, J.J.; Iotti, R.C.; Wright, R.F.

1993-01-01

Pressure and temperature transients of nuclear reactor containment following postulated loss of coolant accident with a coincident station blackout due to total loss of all alternating current power are studied analytically and experimentally for the full scale NPR (New Production Reactor). All the reactor and containment cooling under this condition would rely on the passive cooling system which removes reactor decay heat and provides emergency core and containment cooling. Containment passive cooling for this study takes place in the annulus between containment steel shell and concrete shield building by natural convection air flow and thermal radiation. Various heat transfer coefficients inside annular air space were investigated by running the modified CONTEMPT code CONTEMPT-NPR. In order to verify proper heat transfer coefficient, temperature, heat flux, and velocity profiles were measured inside annular air space of the test facility which is a 24 foot (7.3m) high, steam heated inner cylinder of three foot (.91m) diameter and five and half foot (1.7m) diameter outer cylinder. Comparison of CONTEMPT-NPR and WGOTHIC was done for reduced scale NPR

Microwave systems applications in deep space telecommunications and navigation - Space Exploration Initiative architectures

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Justin R.; Hastrup, Rolf C.; Bell, David J.

1992-06-01

The general support requirements of a typical SEI mission set, along with the mission operations objectives and related telecommunications, navigation, and information management (TNIM) support infrastructure options are described. Responsive system architectures and designs are proposed, including a Mars orbiting communications relay satellite system and a Mars-centered navigation capability for servicing all Mars missions. With the TNIM architecture as a basis, key elements of the microwave link design are proposed. The needed new technologies which enable these designs are identified, and current maturity is assessed.

Long-distance power transmission technology. Microwave power transmission; Denryoku no chokyori yuso gijutsu. Micro ha musen soden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaya, N [Kobe University, Kobe (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1994-11-05

This paper explains the principles of microwave power transmission as a long-distance power transmission technology, and the status of its development. Under an assumption of using a wave length of 12 cm (2.45 GHz) and a transmission distance of 1 km, an ideal wireless power transmission can realize transmitting the power at an efficiency of 95% or higher if transmitting and receiving antennas with a radius of 8.8 m are used. What remains as important requirements is raising the efficiency of conversion from power supply into microwaves, and the efficiency of rectification after the power has been received. By using microwave energy sent from a transmission antenna installed on the roof of an automobile, a model airplane with a receiving antenna installed at its rear flew successfully for 40 seconds under the microwave lifted airplane experiment (MILAX). In an experiment of transmitting microwave power in space, power was successfully transmitted to the child rocket as an event under the International Space Year - Microwave Energy Transmission in Space (ISY-METS). The microwave wireless power transmission on the ground would have a possibility of taking over the overhead line transmission into islands. An attempt is scheduled to send power of 5 kW by using transmission and receiving antennas with a diameter of 3 m to investigate effects on transmission efficiency, and communications and electromagnetic environments, and to collect basic data. 3 refs., 3 figs.

The non-linear fitting method to analyze the measured M-S plots of bipolar passive films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Ruijing; Chen Changfeng; Zheng Shuqi

2010-01-01

Mott-Schottky (M-S) analysis is an effective approach to investigate the electronic property of passive films of metals, and it is well suitable for the passive film with single space charge capacitance. But there is no proper method to analyze the C sc -2 vs. V m plots of passive films with several space charge capacitances in series connection, such as bipolar passive films. In this paper, the relationship between the space charge capacitance of the bipolar passive film and the applied potential was deduced and the features of corresponding plots were given out simultaneously. Accordingly, a non-linear fitting method was presented to analyze the C sc -2 vs. V m plots of bipolar passive films. Then the method was used to study the semiconductor characteristics of bipolar passive films formed on the surface of Nickel base alloy after being corroded in the environments with high temperatures and high partial pressures of H 2 S/CO 2 . The fitting results indicate that the non-linear fitting of M-S plots can well help to understand the anti-corrosion mechanism of bipolar passive films.

Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Remote Sensing for Security Applications. By Jeffrey A. Nanzer, Artech House, 2012; 372 pages. Price £109.00, ISBN 978-1-60807-172-2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shu-Kun Lin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Microwave and millimeter-wave remote sensing techniques are fast becoming a necessity in many aspects of security as detection and classification of objects or intruders becomes more difficult. This groundbreaking resource offers you expert guidance in this burgeoning area. It provides you with a thorough treatment of the principles of microwave and millimeter-wave remote sensing for security applications, as well as practical coverage of the design of radiometer, radar, and imaging systems. You learn how to design active and passive sensors for intruder detection, concealed object detection, and human activity classification. This detailed book presents the fundamental concepts practitioners need to understand, including electromagnetic wave propagation in free space and in media, antenna theory, and the principles of receiver design. You find in-depth discussions on the interactions of electromagnetic waves with human tissues, the atmosphere and various building and clothing materials. This timely volume explores recently developed detection techniques, such as micro-Doppler radar signatures and correlation radiometry. The book is supported with over 200 illustrations and 1,135 equations.

Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization and Inflation

Science.gov (United States)

Chuss, David T.

2011-01-01

Measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) offer a means to explore the universe at a very early epoch. Specifically, if the universe went through a brief period of exponential expansion called inflation as current data suggest, gravitational waves from this period would polarize the CMB in a specific pattern. At GSFC, we are currently working towards two experiments that work in concert to measure this polarization pattern in search of evidence for inflation. The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) will measure the polarization at frequencies between 40 and 150 GHz from the Atacama Desert in Chile. The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a balloon-borne experiment that will make similar measurements at frequencies between 200 and 600 GHz.

Surface-Borne Time-of-Reception Measurements (STORM), Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Invocon proposes the Surface-borne Time-Of-Reception Measurements (STORM) system as a method to locate the position of lightning strikes on aerospace vehicles....

Microwave plasma source having improved switching operation from plasma ignition phase to normal ion extraction phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakudo, N.; Abe, K.; Koike, H.; Okada, O.; Tokiguchi, K.

1985-01-01

In a microwave plasma source, a discharge space supplied with a microwave electric field is supplied with a DC magnetic field. A material to be ionized is introduced into the discharge space to produce plasma, whereby ions are extracted through an ion extracting system. A switch is provided for effecting through switching operation the change-over of the magnetic field applied to the discharge space from the intensity for the ignition of plasma to the intensity for ion extraction in succession to completion of the plasma ignition

Passive scalar transport in peripheral regions of random flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernykh, A.; Lebedev, V.

2011-01-01

We investigate statistical properties of the passive scalar mixing in random (turbulent) flows assuming its diffusion to be weak. Then at advanced stages of the passive scalar decay, its unmixed residue is primarily concentrated in a narrow diffusive layer near the wall and its transport to the bulk goes through the peripheral region (laminar sublayer of the flow). We conducted Lagrangian numerical simulations of the process for different space dimensions d and revealed structures responsible for the transport, which are passive scalar tongues pulled from the diffusive boundary layer to the bulk. We investigated statistical properties of the passive scalar and of the passive scalar integrated along the wall. Moments of both objects demonstrate scaling behavior outside the diffusive boundary layer. We propose an analytic scheme for the passive scalar statistics, explaining the features observed numerically.

Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Estimates Derived from SSMI Microwave Remote Sensing and NLDN

Science.gov (United States)

Winesett, Thomas; Magi, Brian; Cecil, Daniel

2015-01-01

Lightning observations are collected using ground-based and satellite-based sensors. The National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) in the United States uses multiple ground sensors to triangulate the electromagnetic signals created when lightning strikes the Earth's surface. Satellite-based lightning observations have been made from 1998 to present using the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, and from 1995 to 2000 using the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) on the Microlab-1 satellite. Both LIS and OTD are staring imagers that detect lightning as momentary changes in an optical scene. Passive microwave remote sensing (85 and 37 GHz brightness temperatures) from the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) has also been used to quantify characteristics of thunderstorms related to lightning. Each lightning detection system has fundamental limitations. TRMM satellite coverage is limited to the tropics and subtropics between 38 deg N and 38 deg S, so lightning at the higher latitudes of the northern and southern hemispheres is not observed. The detection efficiency of NLDN sensors exceeds 95%, but the sensors are only located in the USA. Even if data from other ground-based lightning sensors (World Wide Lightning Location Network, the European Cooperation for Lightning Detection, and Canadian Lightning Detection Network) were combined with TRMM and NLDN, there would be enormous spatial gaps in present-day coverage of lightning. In addition, a globally-complete time history of observed lightning activity is currently not available either, with network coverage and detection efficiencies varying through the years. Previous research using the TRMM LIS and Microwave Imager (TMI) showed that there is a statistically significant correlation between lightning flash rates and passive microwave brightness temperatures. The physical basis for this correlation emerges because lightning in a thunderstorm occurs where ice is first

Soil Moisture ActivePassive (SMAP) L-Band Microwave Radiometer Post-Launch Calibration

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Jinzheng; Piepmeier, Jeffrey R.; Misra, Sidharth; Dinnat, Emmanuel P.; Hudson, Derek; Le Vine, David M.; De Amici, Giovanni; Mohammed, Priscilla N.; Yueh, Simon H.; Meissner, Thomas

2016-01-01

The SMAP microwave radiometer is a fully-polarimetric L-band radiometer flown on the SMAP satellite in a 6 AM/ 6 PM sun-synchronous orbit at 685 km altitude. Since April, 2015, the radiometer is under calibration and validation to assess the quality of the radiometer L1B data product. Calibration methods including the SMAP L1B TA2TB (from Antenna Temperature (TA) to the Earth’s surface Brightness Temperature (TB)) algorithm and TA forward models are outlined, and validation approaches to calibration stability/quality are described in this paper including future work. Results show that the current radiometer L1B data satisfies its requirements.

Alternative to Nitric Acid Passivation

Science.gov (United States)

Kessel, Kurt R.

2016-01-01

Corrosion is an extensive problem that affects the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA). The deleterious effects of corrosion result in steep costs, asset downtime affecting mission readiness, and safety risks to personnel. It is vital to reduce corrosion costs and risks in a sustainable manner. The primary objective of this effort is to qualify citric acid as an environmentally-preferable alternative to nitric acid for passivation of stainless steel alloys.

High Tc superconductors at microwave frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruener, G.

1991-01-01

The author discusses various experiments conducted in the micro- and millimeter wave spectral range on thin film and single crystal specimens of the high temperature oxide superconductors. For high quality film the surface resistance R s is, except at low temperatures, due to thermally excited carriers, with extrinsic effects playing only a secondary role. Because of the low loss various passive microwave components, such as resonators, delay lines and filters, with performance far superior to those made of normal metals can be fabricated. The conductivity measured at millimeter wave frequencies displays a peak below T c . Whether this is due to coherence factors or due to the change of the relaxation rate when the materials enter the superconducting state remains to be seen

Monitoring of "all-weather" evapotranspiration using optical and passive microwave remote sensing imagery over the River Source Region in Southwest China

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Y.; Liu, S.

2017-12-01

Accurate estimation of surface evapotranspiration (ET) with high quality is one of the biggest obstacles for routine applications of remote sensing in eco-hydrological studies and water resource management at basin scale. However, many aspects urgently need to deeply research, such as the applicability of the ET models, the parameterization schemes optimization at the regional scale, the temporal upscaling, the selecting and developing of the spatiotemporal data fusion method and ground-based validation over heterogeneous land surfaces. This project is based on the theoretically robust surface energy balance system (SEBS) model, which the model mechanism need further investigation, including the applicability and the influencing factors, such as local environment, and heterogeneity of the landscape, for improving estimation accuracy. Due to technical and budget limitations, so far, optical remote sensing data is missing due to frequent cloud contamination and other poor atmospheric conditions in Southwest China. Here, a multi-source remote sensing data fusion method (ESTARFM: Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Adaptive Reflectance Fusion Model) method will be proposed through blending multi-source remote sensing data acquired by optical, and passive microwave remote sensors on board polar satellite platforms. The accurate "all-weather" ET estimation will be carried out for daily ET of the River Source Region in Southwest China, and then the remotely sensed ET results are overlapped with the footprint-weighted images of EC (eddy correlation) for ground-based validation.

TU-C-17A-12: Towards a Passively Optimized Phase-Space Monte Carlo (POPMC) Treatment Planning Method: A Proof of Principle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Y M; Bednarz, B; Zankowski, C; Svatos, M

2014-01-01

Purpose: The advent of on-line/off-line adaptive, and biologically-conformal radiation therapy has led to a need for treatment planning solutions that utilize voxel-specific penalties, requiring optimization over a large solution space that is performed quickly, and the dose in each voxel calculated accurately. This work proposes a “passive” optimization framework, which is executed concurrently during Monte Carlo dose calculation, evaluating the cost/benefit of each history during transport, and creates a passively optimized fluence map. Methods: The Monte Carlo code Geant4 v9.6 was used for this study. The standard voxel geometry implementation was modified to support the passive optimization framework, with voxel-specific optimization parameters. Dose-benefit functions, which will increase a particle history’s weight upon dose deposition, were defined in a central collection of voxels to effectively create target structures. Histories that deposit energy to voxels are reweighted based on a voxel’s dose multiplied by its cost/benefit value. Upon full termination of each history, the dose contributions of that history are reweighted to reflect a contribution proportional to the history’s final weight. A parallel-planar 1.25 MeV photon fluence is transported through the geometry, and re-weighted at each dose deposition step. The resulting weight is tallied with the incident spatial and directional coordinates in a phase-space distribution. Results: A uniform incident fluence was reweighted during MC dose calculations to create an optimized fluence map which would generate dose profiles in target volumes that exhibit the same dose characteristics as the prescribed optimization parameters. An optimized dose profile, calculated concurrently with the phase-space, reflects the resulting dose distribution. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the feasibility of passively optimizing an incident fluence map during Monte Carlo dose calculations. The flexibility of

The effects of vegetation and soil hydraulic properties on passive microwave sensing of soil moisture: Data report for the 1982 fiels experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Oneill, P.; Jackson, T.; Blanchard, B. J.; Vandenhoek, R.; Gould, W.; Wang, J.; Glazar, W.; Mcmurtrey, J., III

1983-01-01

Field experiments to (1) study the biomass and geometrical structure properties of vegetation canopies to determine their impact on microwave emission data, and (2) to verify whether time series microwave data can be related to soil hydrologic properties for use in soil type classification. Truck mounted radiometers at 1.4 GHz and 5 GHz were used to obtain microwave brightness temperatures of bare vegetated test plots under different conditions of soil wetness, plant water content and canopy structure. Observations of soil moisture, soil temperature, vegetation biomass and other soil and canopy parameters were made concurrently with the microwave measurements. The experimental design and data collection procedures for both experiments are documented and the reduced data are presented in tabular form.

Parametric Amplifiers for Microwave Kinectic Inductance Detector (MKID) Readout

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Build a microwave amplifier with near quantum-limited sensitivity, octave or greater bandwidth, gain > 20 dB for input signals in the frequency range 1 – 10 GHz,...

The freely localized microwave discharge in air in the focused beam of the electromagnetic energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandrov, A.F.; Kuzovnikov, A.A.; Shibkov, V.M.

1995-01-01

The successfull use of the microwave discharge in many applications make it necessary to research the physics of a new kind of discharge - the electrodeless microwave discharge in the focused beam, in the free space and to search for ways to optimize this discharge parameters. The breakdown was performed in a discharge chamber at approximately free space conditions: R/λ much-gt 1, where R = 1 m is the discharge chamber's dimension, λ = 2 divided-by 10 cm is the wavelength of the microwave radiation. The focused electromagnetic beam was formed by a trumped-lens antenna. The electric field E≤6 kV/cm, the density of energy flow S≤10 5 W/cm 2 , the wave is linearity polarized. The microwave pulse duration could be changed from 1 μs to 1 ms. The gas pressure (nitrogen, air) is varied from 1 to 760 torr

Automated Hybrid Microwave Heating for Lunar Surface Solidification, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This SBIR project addresses the need for a system that will provide automated lunar surface stabilization via hybrid microwave heating. Surface stabilization is...

Microwave Ovens

Science.gov (United States)

... Products and Procedures Home, Business, and Entertainment Products Microwave Ovens Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing ... 1030.10 - Microwave Ovens Required Reports for the Microwave Oven Manufacturers or Industry Exemption from Certain Reporting ...

The effect of row structure on soil moisture retrieval accuracy from passive microwave data.

Science.gov (United States)

Xingming, Zheng; Kai, Zhao; Yangyang, Li; Jianhua, Ren; Yanling, Ding

2014-01-01

Row structure causes the anisotropy of microwave brightness temperature (TB) of soil surface, and it also can affect soil moisture retrieval accuracy when its influence is ignored in the inversion model. To study the effect of typical row structure on the retrieved soil moisture and evaluate if there is a need to introduce this effect into the inversion model, two ground-based experiments were carried out in 2011. Based on the observed C-band TB, field soil and vegetation parameters, row structure rough surface assumption (Q p model and discrete model), including the effect of row structure, and flat rough surface assumption (Q p model), ignoring the effect of row structure, are used to model microwave TB of soil surface. Then, soil moisture can be retrieved, respectively, by minimizing the difference of the measured and modeled TB. The results show that soil moisture retrieval accuracy based on the row structure rough surface assumption is approximately 0.02 cm(3)/cm(3) better than the flat rough surface assumption for vegetated soil, as well as 0.015 cm(3)/cm(3) better for bare and wet soil. This result indicates that the effect of row structure cannot be ignored for accurately retrieving soil moisture of farmland surface when C-band is used.

The AMSR2 Satellite-based Microwave Snow Algorithm (SMSA) to estimate regional to global snow depth and snow water equivalent

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, R. E. J.; Saberi, N.; Li, Q.

2017-12-01

With moderate to high spatial resolution (observation approaches yet to be fully scoped and developed, the long-term satellite passive microwave record remains an important tool for cryosphere-climate diagnostics. A new satellite microwave remote sensing approach is described for estimating snow depth (SD) and snow water equivalent (SWE). The algorithm, called the Satellite-based Microwave Snow Algorithm (SMSA), uses Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - 2 (AMSR2) observations aboard the Global Change Observation Mission - Water mission launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in 2012. The approach is unique since it leverages observed brightness temperatures (Tb) with static ancillary data to parameterize a physically-based retrieval without requiring parameter constraints from in situ snow depth observations or historical snow depth climatology. After screening snow from non-snow surface targets (water bodies [including freeze/thaw state], rainfall, high altitude plateau regions [e.g. Tibetan plateau]), moderate and shallow snow depths are estimated by minimizing the difference between Dense Media Radiative Transfer model estimates (Tsang et al., 2000; Picard et al., 2011) and AMSR2 Tb observations to retrieve SWE and SD. Parameterization of the model combines a parsimonious snow grain size and density approach originally developed by Kelly et al. (2003). Evaluation of the SMSA performance is achieved using in situ snow depth data from a variety of standard and experiment data sources. Results presented from winter seasons 2012-13 to 2016-17 illustrate the improved performance of the new approach in comparison with the baseline AMSR2 algorithm estimates and approach the performance of the model assimilation-based approach of GlobSnow. Given the variation in estimation power of SWE by different land surface/climate models and selected satellite-derived passive microwave approaches, SMSA provides SWE estimates that are independent of real or near real

Imprints of spherical nontrivial topologies on the cosmic microwave background.

Science.gov (United States)

Niarchou, Anastasia; Jaffe, Andrew

2007-08-24

The apparent low power in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropy power spectrum derived from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe motivated us to consider the possibility of a nontrivial topology. We focus on simple spherical multiconnected manifolds and discuss their implications for the CMB in terms of the power spectrum, maps, and the correlation matrix. We perform a Bayesian model comparison against the fiducial best-fit cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant based both on the power spectrum and the correlation matrix to assess their statistical significance. We find that the first-year power spectrum shows a slight preference for the truncated cube space, but the three-year data show no evidence for any of these spaces.

NewSpace: The Emerging Commercial Space Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Gary

2016-01-01

A lecture to students at the International Space University. Topics include: - We are at a turning point in the history of space exploration and development the cusp of a revolution, new industries are being born that use space in many non-traditional ways - The established military industrial space sector is no longer the only game in town - Increased competition and new capabilities will change the marketplace forever - Everyone interested in working in the space sector will be affected.

Tracking reliability for space cabin-borne equipment in development by Crow model.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, J D; Jiao, S J; Sun, H L

2001-12-01

Objective. To study and track the reliability growth of manned spaceflight cabin-borne equipment in the course of its development. Method. A new technique of reliability growth estimation and prediction, which is composed of the Crow model and test data conversion (TDC) method was used. Result. The estimation and prediction value of the reliability growth conformed to its expectations. Conclusion. The method could dynamically estimate and predict the reliability of the equipment by making full use of various test information in the course of its development. It offered not only a possibility of tracking the equipment reliability growth, but also the reference for quality control in manned spaceflight cabin-borne equipment design and development process.

Near-Real-Time DMSP SSM/I-SSMIS Daily Polar Gridded Sea Ice Concentrations

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This data set provides a near-real-time (NRT) map of sea ice concentrations for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The near-real-time passive microwave...

Soil Moisture Mapping sUAS, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The overall technical goal of this SBIR is the development of a commercially viable, small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) with a passive microwave sensor to enable...

Design Concept for the Microwave Interrogation Structure in PARCS

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dick, G. J; Klipstein, W. M; Heavner, T. P; Jefferts, S. R

2002-01-01

In this paper we will describe key aspects of the conceptual design of the microwave interrogation structure in the laser-cooled cesium frequency standard that is part of the Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS) experiment...

The application of microwave techniques to temperature measurement in biotelemetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glajchen, M.

1984-01-01

The use of a microwave dielectric resonator for temperature measurement in Biotelemetry offers the advantage that a passive temperature telemeter can be used. The telemeter is powered by a source remote from the host creature, thus permitting greater miniaturisation of the implant than is possible with conventional techniques. This is essential, especially for application to small animals where the telemeter size and weight become critical. The design of the telemeter which is based upon a novel microwave technique, and the associated practical considerations are discussed. Included in this work is a criticism of initially promising ideas which after an in-depth investigation had to be disregarded. Although the transponder could not be built in its final form due to the unavailability of certain key materials, the transponder operation was tested and found to be successful. A specification of the transponder and transmitter requirements for a working system are included. A theoretical and experimental appraisal of dielectric resonators as miniature microwave filters, also forms a large part of this work. Dielectric resonators offer a significant volume reduction compared to air-filled metallic cavities, and simple coupling to microstrip combined with ease of tuning permits incorporation into Microwave Integrated Circuits. A computer program which can form the basis for a dielectric resonator filter design is provided, and some unusual results of tests on dielectric resonators are presented. It is believed that this will help to popularise and increase understanding of the dielectric resonator - which is an exciting, yet still emerging technology

Demonstration of Passive Fuel Cell Thermal Management Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Kenneth A.; Jakupca, Ian; Colozza, Anthony; Wynne, Robert; Miller, Michael; Meyer, Al; Smith, William

2012-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center is developing advanced passive thermal management technology to reduce the mass and improve the reliability of space fuel cell systems for the NASA Exploration program. The passive thermal management system relies on heat conduction within highly thermally conductive cooling plates to move the heat from the central portion of the cell stack out to the edges of the fuel cell stack. Using the passive approach eliminates the need for a coolant pump and other cooling loop components within the fuel cell system which reduces mass and improves overall system reliability. Previous development demonstrated the performance of suitable highly thermally conductive cooling plates and integrated heat exchanger technology to collect the heat from the cooling plates (Ref. 1). The next step in the development of this passive thermal approach was the demonstration of the control of the heat removal process and the demonstration of the passive thermal control technology in actual fuel cell stacks. Tests were run with a simulated fuel cell stack passive thermal management system outfitted with passive cooling plates, an integrated heat exchanger and two types of cooling flow control valves. The tests were run to demonstrate the controllability of the passive thermal control approach. Finally, successful demonstrations of passive thermal control technology were conducted with fuel cell stacks from two fuel cell stack vendors.

Satellite passive microwaves for monitoring deforestation and drought-induced carbon losses in sub-Saharan Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, M.; Wigneron, J. P.; Chave, J.; Tagesson, T.; Penuelas, J.; Ciais, P.; Rasmussen, K.; Tian, F.; Mbow, C.; Al-Yaari, A.; Rodriguez-Fernandez, N.; Zhang, W.; Kerr, Y. H.; Tucker, C. J.; Mialon, A.; Verger, A.; Fensholt, R.

2017-12-01

The African continent is facing one of the driest periods in the past three decades and continuing deforestation. These disturbances threaten vegetation carbon (C) stocks and highlight the need for an operational tool for monitoring carbon stock dynamics. Knowledge of the amount, distribution, and turnover of carbon in African vegetation is crucial for understanding the effects of human pressure and climate change, but the shortcomings of optical and radar satellite products and the lack of systematic field inventories have led to considerable uncertainty in documenting patterns and dynamics of carbon stocks, in particular for drylands. Static carbon maps have been developed, but the temporal dynamics of carbon stocks cannot be derived from the benchmark maps, impeding timely, repeated, and reliable carbon assessments. The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission launched in 2009 was the first passive microwave-based satellite system operating at L-band (1.4 GHz) frequency. The low frequencies allow the satellite to sense deep within the canopy layer with less influence by the green non-woody plant components. The vegetation optical depth (VOD) derived from SMOS, henceforth L-VOD, is thus less sensitive to saturation effects, marking an important step forward in the monitoring of carbon as a natural resource. In this study, we apply for the first time L-VOD to quantify the inter-annual dynamics of aboveground carbon stocks for the period 2010-2016. We use this new technique to document patterns of carbon gains and losses in sub-Saharan Africa with a focus of dryland response to recent dry years. Results show that drylands lost carbon at a rate of -0.06 Pg C y-1 associated with drying trends, while humid areas lost only -0.02 Pg C y-1. These trends reflect a high inter-annual variability with a very wet (2011) and a very dry year (2016) associated with carbon gains and losses respectively. This study demonstrates, first, the operational applicability of L

Space-borne observation of mesospheric bore by Visible and near Infrared Spectral Imager onboard the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Hozumi, Y.; Saito, A.; Sakanoi, T.; Yamazaki, A.; Hosokawa, K.

2017-12-01

Mesospheric bores were observed by Visible and near Infrared Spectral Imager (VISI) of the ISS-IMAP mission (Ionosphere, Mesosphere, upper Atmosphere and Plasmasphere mapping mission from the International Space Station) in O2 airglow at 762 nm wavelength. The mesospheric bore is moving front of sharp jump followed by undulations or turbulence in the mesopause region. Since previous studies of mesospheric bore were mainly based on ground-based airglow imaging that is limited in field-of-view and observing site, little is known about its horizontal extent and global behavior. Space-borne imaging by ISS-IMAP/VISI provides an opportunity to study the mesospheric bore with a wide field-of-view and global coverage. A mesospheric bore was captured by VISI in two consecutive paths on 9 July 2015 over the south of African continent (48ºS - 54ºS and 15ºE). The wave front aligned with south-north direction and propagated to west. The phase velocity and wave length of the following undulation were estimated to 100 m/s and 30 km, respectively. Those parameters are similar to those reported by previous studies. 30º anti-clockwise rotation of the wave front was recognized in 100 min. Another mesospheric bore was captured on 9 May 2013 over the south Atlantic ocean (35ºS - 43ºS and 24ºW - 1ºE) with more than 2,200 km horizontal extent of wave front. The wave front aligned with southeast-northwest direction. Because the following undulation is recognized in the southwest side of the wave front, it is estimated to propagate to northeast direction. The wave front was modulated with 1,000 km wave length. This modulation implies inhomogeneity of the phase velocity.

Polar Stereographic Valid Ice Masks Derived from National Ice Center Monthly Sea Ice Climatologies, Version 1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — These valid ice masks provide a way to remove spurious ice caused by residual weather effects and land spillover in passive microwave data. They are derived from the...

Microwave absorption properties of the core/shell-type iron and nickel nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, B.; Dong, X.L.; Huang, H.; Zhang, X.F.; Zhu, X.G.; Lei, J.P.; Sun, J.P.

2008-01-01

Iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) nanoparticles were prepared by the DC arc-discharge method in a mixture of hydrogen and argon gases, using bulk metals as the raw materials. The microstructure of core/shell (metal/metal oxide) in nanoparticle formed after in situ passivation process. The complex electromagnetic parameters (permittivity ε r =ε r ' +iε r '' and permeability μ r =μ r ' +iμ r '' ) of the paraffin-mixed nanocomposite samples (paraffin:nanoparticles=1:1 in mass ratio) were measured in the frequency range of 2-18 GHz. The polarization mechanisms of the space charge and dipole coexist in both the Fe and Ni nanoparticles. The orientational polarization is a particular polarization for Fe nanoparticles and brings a relatively higher dielectric loss. Natural resonance is the main reason for magnetic loss and the corresponding frequencies are 11.6 and 5.2 GHz for the Fe and Ni nanoparticles, respectively. The paraffin composite with Fe nanoparticles provided excellent microwave absorption properties (reflection loss <-20 dB) in the range 6.8-16.6 GHz over the absorber thickness of 1.1-2.3 mm

Quantum gravitational contributions to the cosmic microwave background anisotropy spectrum.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiefer, Claus; Krämer, Manuel

2012-01-13

We derive the primordial power spectrum of density fluctuations in the framework of quantum cosmology. For this purpose we perform a Born-Oppenheimer approximation to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for an inflationary universe with a scalar field. In this way, we first recover the scale-invariant power spectrum that is found as an approximation in the simplest inflationary models. We then obtain quantum gravitational corrections to this spectrum and discuss whether they lead to measurable signatures in the cosmic microwave background anisotropy spectrum. The nonobservation so far of such corrections translates into an upper bound on the energy scale of inflation.

Assessment of space sensors for ocean pollution monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarado, U. R.; Tomiyasu, K.; Gulatsi, R. L.

1980-01-01

Several passive and active microwave, as well as passive optical remote sensors, applicable to the monitoring of oil spills and waste discharges at sea, are considered. The discussed types of measurements relate to: (1) spatial distribution and properties of the pollutant, and (2) oceanic parameters needed to predict the movement of the pollutants and their impact upon land. The sensors, operating from satellite platforms at 700-900 km altitudes, are found to be useful in mapping the spread of oil in major oil spills and in addition, can be effective in producing wind and ocean parameters as inputs to oil trajectory and dispersion models. These capabilities can be used in countermeasures.

Active and Passive Microwave Determination of the Circulation and Characteristics of Weddell and Ross Sea Ice

Science.gov (United States)

Drinkwater, Mark R.; Liu, Xiang

2000-01-01

A combination of satellite microwave data sets are used in conjunction with ECMWF (Medium Range Weather Forecasts) and NCEP (National Center for Environment Prediction) meteorological analysis fields to investigate seasonal variability in the circulation and sea-ice dynamics of the Weddell and Ross Seas. Results of sea-ice tracking using SSM/I (Special Sensor Microwave Imager), Scatterometer and SAR images are combined with in-situ data derived from Argos buoys and GPS drifters to validate observed drift patterns. Seasonal 3-month climatologies of ice motion and drift speed variance illustrate the response of the sea-ice system to seasonal forcing. A melt-detection algorithm is used to track the onset of seasonal melt, and to determine the extent and duration of atmospherically-led surface melting during austral summer. Results show that wind-driven drift regulates the seasonal distribution and characteristics of sea-ice and the intensity of the cyclonic Gyre circulation in these two regions.

SHIELDING OF A UNIFORM ALTERNATING MAGNETIC FIELD USING A CIRCULAR PASSIVE LOOP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. S. Grinchenko

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The magnetic and electromagnetic shields are used to reduce the magnetic field in local spaces. Usually these shields are implemented in the form of a box or a cylinder. At the same time the magnetic field reduction in local spaces by means of passive loops is not considered in detail yet. So, the present study considers shielding capabilities of a circular passive loop. The authors have performed an analytical and numerical modeling of a process of a uniform harmonic magnetic field shielding. The simulated results permit to find out the spatial distribution of the shielded magnetic field. Dependencies of shielding effectiveness on the passive loop radius and cross-section are determined. Moreover, the non-monotonic behavior of the loop radius dependence is shown. We have substantiated that the shielded volume of a circular passive loop is advisable to limit by the sphere with a half loop radius. Presented results give parameters of the circular passive loop that reduces the rms value of the magnetic flux density by 30 %.

Differential bare field drainage properties from airborne microwave observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, R.; Soars, J.V.; Vidal-Madjar, D.

1986-01-01

Time variations of the surface soil moisture can be monitored using active microwave remote sensing. With the existence of airborne systems, it is now possible to estimate this variable on a regional scale. Data from a helicopter-borne scatterometer show that the surface water content reductions during a 9-day period are quite different from one field to another. A simple model describing the water budget of the soil surface layer due to evaporation and drainage is applied. From this model, a pseudo diffusivity can be calculated for each field using only the remotely sensed data. This new parameter gives a quantitative estimate of the observed drying heterogeneities. (author)

Generation of nanosecond S band microwave pulses based on superradiance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginzburg, N.S.; Zotova, I.V.; Rozental, R.M.

2002-01-01

Modeling carried out demonstrates possibility of generation of gigawatt power level S band microwave pulse with duration of several nanoseconds using superradiation of short electron beam moving along slow-wave periodical structure. A 10 ns / 500 keV / 5 kA accelerator of Kanazawa University can be used in such experiments. It is shown that significant increasing peak power can be obtained by optimization of voltage and current pulses waveforms. Required increasing of electron energy and current by the end of electron pulse can be achieved by using self-acceleration of a short beam passing through a system of passive cavities. (author)

Generation of nanosecond S band microwave pulses based on superradiance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ginzburg, N.S.; Zotova, I.V.; Rozental, R.M. [Russian Academy of Science, Institute of Applied Physics, Nizhny Novgorod (RU)] [and others

2002-06-01

Modeling carried out demonstrates possibility of generation of gigawatt power level S band microwave pulse with duration of several nanoseconds using superradiation of short electron beam moving along slow-wave periodical structure. A 10 ns / 500 keV / 5 kA accelerator of Kanazawa University can be used in such experiments. It is shown that significant increasing peak power can be obtained by optimization of voltage and current pulses waveforms. Required increasing of electron energy and current by the end of electron pulse can be achieved by using self-acceleration of a short beam passing through a system of passive cavities. (author)

Analysis of mixed mode microwave distribution manifolds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, T.L.

1982-09-01

The 28-GHz microwave distribution manifold used in the ELMO Bumpy Torus-Scale (EBT-S) experiments consists of a toroidal metallic cavity, whose dimensions are much greater than a wavelength, fed by a source of microwave power. Equalization of the mixed mode power distribution ot the 24 cavities of EBT-S is accomplished by empirically adjusting the coupling irises which are equally spaced around the manifold. The performance of the manifold to date has been very good, yet no analytical models exist for optimizing manifold transmission efficiency or for scaling this technology to the EBT-P manifold design. The present report develops a general model for mixed mode microwave distribution manifolds based on isotropic plane wave sources of varying amplitudes that are distributed toroidally around the manifold. The calculated manifold transmission efficiency for the most recent EBT-S coupling iris modification is 90%. This agrees with the average measured transmission efficiency. Also, the model predicts the coupling iris areas required to balance the distribution of microwave power while maximizing transmission efficiency, and losses in waveguide feeds connecting the irises to the cavities of EBT are calculated using an approach similar to the calculation of mainfold losses. The model will be used to evaluate EBT-P manifold designs

Microwave Thermal Propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Parkin, Kevin L. G.; Lambot, Thomas

2017-01-01

We have conducted research in microwave thermal propulsion as part of the space exploration access technologies (SEAT) research program, a cooperative agreement (NNX09AF52A) between NASA and Carnegie Mellon University. The SEAT program commenced on the 19th of February 2009 and concluded on the 30th of September 2015. The DARPA/NASA Millimeter-wave Thermal Launch System (MTLS) project subsumed the SEAT program from May 2012 to March 2014 and one of us (Parkin) served as its principal investigator and chief engineer. The MTLS project had no final report of its own, so we have included the MTLS work in this report and incorporate its conclusions here. In the six years from 2009 until 2015 there has been significant progress in millimeter-wave thermal rocketry (a subset of microwave thermal rocketry), most of which has been made under the auspices of the SEAT and MTLS programs. This final report is intended for multiple audiences. For researchers, we present techniques that we have developed to simplify and quantify the performance of thermal rockets and their constituent technologies. For program managers, we detail the facilities that we have built and the outcomes of experiments that were conducted using them. We also include incomplete and unfruitful lines of research. For decision-makers, we introduce the millimeter-wave thermal rocket in historical context. Considering the economic significance of space launch, we present a brief but significant cost-benefit analysis, for the first time showing that there is a compelling economic case for replacing conventional rockets with millimeter-wave thermal rockets.

Security for safety critical space borne systems

Science.gov (United States)

Legrand, Sue

1987-01-01

The Space Station contains safety critical computer software components in systems that can affect life and vital property. These components require a multilevel secure system that provides dynamic access control of the data and processes involved. A study is under way to define requirements for a security model providing access control through level B3 of the Orange Book. The model will be prototyped at NASA-Johnson Space Center.

Passive, Collapsible Contingency Urinal for Human Space Flight

Science.gov (United States)

Jenson, Ryan

2015-01-01

Fluid transport systems for spacecraft face acute challenges because of the persistently unfamiliar and unforgiving low-gravity environment. IRPI, LLC, has developed a contingency wastewater collection and processing device that provides passive liquid collation, containment, bubble separation, and droplet coalescence functions. The lightweight, low-volume, low-cost, and potentially disposable device may be used for subsequent sampling, metering, storage, disposal, and/or reuse. The approach includes a fractal wetting design that incorporates smart capillary fluidics. This work could have a broad impact on capillary-based fluid management on spacecraft and on Earth.

Rydberg states in a microwave field: regularity and chaos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchleitner, A.

1993-12-01

We develop a theoretical formalism which provides a powerful tool for the detailed numerical analysis of the interaction of three-dimensional hydrogen atoms with an intense radiation field. The application of this approach to the microwave ionization of Rydberg states of hydrogen provides the most realistic numerical experiments ever made in this area. A thorough analysis of ionization signals and thresholds, of level dynamics and of the phase space projections of associated wave functions is provided for a one-dimensional model of the atom. The comparison to the ionization of three-dimensional atoms confirms the validity of the one-dimensional model for extended initial states and, hence, dynamical localization theory, as far as the ionization threshold is concerned. Three classes of three-dimensional initial states with distinct symmetries are identified and they appear to be more or less adapted to the symmetries of the eigenstates of the microwave problem. 'Scarred' wavefunctions of the three-dimensional hydrogen atom exposed to microwave field are shown. Finally, the dynamics of a circular state in a microwave and in an intense laser field are compared. (author)

Microwave Detection of Laser Ultrasonic for Non-Destructive Testing, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In this proposal, we describe a program to develop a high-performance, cost-effective and robust microwave receiver prototype for multi-purpose Non-Destructive...

Review on Microwave-Matter Interaction Fundamentals and Efficient Microwave-Associated Heating Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jing; Wang, Wenlong; Yue, Qinyan

2016-01-01

Microwave heating is rapidly emerging as an effective and efficient tool in various technological and scientific fields. A comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of microwave–matter interactions is the precondition for better utilization of microwave technology. However, microwave heating is usually only known as dielectric heating, and the contribution of the magnetic field component of microwaves is often ignored, which, in fact, contributes greatly to microwave heating of some aqueous electrolyte solutions, magnetic dielectric materials and certain conductive powder materials, etc. This paper focuses on this point and presents a careful review of microwave heating mechanisms in a comprehensive manner. Moreover, in addition to the acknowledged conventional microwave heating mechanisms, the special interaction mechanisms between microwave and metal-based materials are attracting increasing interest for a variety of metallurgical, plasma and discharge applications, and therefore are reviewed particularly regarding the aspects of the reflection, heating and discharge effects. Finally, several distinct strategies to improve microwave energy utilization efficiencies are proposed and discussed with the aim of tackling the energy-efficiency-related issues arising from the application of microwave heating. This work can present a strategic guideline for the developed understanding and utilization of the microwave heating technology. PMID:28773355

Space-borne clear air lidar measurements in the presence of broken cloud

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Astin

Full Text Available A number of proposed lidar systems, such as ESA’s AEOLUS (formerly ADM and DIAL missions (e.g. WALES are to make use of lidar returns in clear air. However, on average, two-thirds of the globe is covered in cloud. Hence, there is a strong likelihood that data from these instruments may be contaminated by cloud. Similarly, optically thick cloud may not be penetrated by a lidar pulse, resulting in unobservable regions that are overshadowed by the cloud. To address this, it is suggested, for example, in AEOLUS, that a number of consecutive short sections of lidar data (between 1 and 3.5 km in length be tested for cloud contamination or for overshadowing and only those that are unaffected by cloud be used to derive atmospheric profiles. The prob-ability of obtaining profiles to near ground level using this technique is investigated both analytically and using UV air-borne lidar data recorded during the CLARE’98 campaign. These data were measured in the presence of broken cloud on a number of flights over southern England over a four-day period and were chosen because the lidar used has the same wavelength, footprint and could match the along-track spacing of the proposed AEOLUS lidar.

Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (aerosols and particles Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (instruments and techniques; general circulation

Josephson flux-flow oscillators in nonuniform microwave fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salerno, Mario; Samuelsen, Mogens Rugholm

2000-01-01

We present a simple theory for Josephson flux-flow oscillators in the presence of nonuniform microwave fields. In particular we derive an analytical expression for the I-V characteristic of the oscillator from which we show that satellite steps are spaced around the main flux-flow resonance by only...

A completely passive continuous flow solar water purification system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duff, William S.; Hodgson, David A. [Dept. of Mechanical Enginnering, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States)

2008-07-01

Water-borne pathogens in developing countries cause several billion cases of disease and up to 10 million deaths each year, at least half of which are children. Solar water pasteurization is a potentially cost-effective, robust and reliable solution to these problems. A completely passively controlled solar water pasteurization system with a total collector area of 0.45 m{sup 2} has been constructed. The system most recently tested produced 337 litres per m{sup 2} of collector area of treated water on a sunny day. We developed our completely passive density-driven solar water pasteurization system over a five year span so that it now achieves reliable control for all possible variations in solar conditions. We have also substantially increased its daily pure water production efficiency over the same period. We will discuss the performance of our water purification system and provide an analyses that demonstrates that the system insures safe purified water production at all times. (orig.)

Radar sensing via a Micro-UAV-borne system

Science.gov (United States)

Catapano, Ilaria; Ludeno, Giovanni; Gennarelli, Gianluca; Soldovieri, Francesco; Rodi Vetrella, Amedeo; Fasano, Giancarmine

2017-04-01

In recent years, the miniaturization of flight control systems and payloads has contributed to a fast and widespread diffusion of micro-UAV (Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle). While micro-UAV can be a powerful tool in several civil applications such as environmental monitoring and surveillance, unleashing their full potential for societal benefits requires augmenting their sensing capability beyond the realm of active/passive optical sensors [1]. In this frame, radar systems are drawing attention since they allow performing missions in all-weather and day/night conditions and, thanks to the microwave ability to penetrate opaque media, they enable the detection and localization not only of surface objects but also of sub-surface/hidden targets. However, micro-UAV-borne radar imaging represents still a new frontier, since it is much more than a matter of technology miniaturization or payload installation, which can take advantage of the newly developed ultralight systems. Indeed, micro-UAV-borne radar imaging entails scientific challenges in terms of electromagnetic modeling and knowledge of flight dynamics and control. As a consequence, despite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging is a traditional remote sensing tool, its adaptation to micro-UAV is an open issue and so far only few case studies concerning the integration of SAR and UAV technologies have been reported worldwide [2]. In addition, only early results concerning subsurface imaging by means of an UAV-mounted radar are available [3]. As a contribution to radar imaging via autonomous micro-UAV, this communication presents a proof-of-concept experiment. This experiment represents the first step towards the development of a general methodological approach that exploits expertise about (sub-)surface imaging and aerospace systems with the aim to provide high-resolution images of the surveyed scene. In details, at the conference, we will present the results of a flight campaign carried out by using a single radar

Thin-shell wormholes with a generalized Chaplygin gas in Einstein-Born-Infeld theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eiroa, Ernesto F. [Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Universidad de Buenos Aires, Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Figueroa Aguirre, Griselda [Instituto de Astronomia y Fisica del Espacio, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2012-11-15

We construct spherically symmetric thin-shell wormholes supported by a generalized Chaplygin gas in Born-Infeld electrodynamics coupled to Einstein gravity, and we analyze their stability under radial perturbations. For different values of the Born-Infeld parameter and the charge, we compare the results with those obtained in a previous work for Maxwell electrodynamics. The stability region in the parameter space reduces and then disappears as the value of the Born-Infeld parameter is modified in the sense of a larger departure from Maxwell theory. (orig.)

Thin-shell wormholes with a generalized Chaplygin gas in Einstein-Born-Infeld theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eiroa, Ernesto F.; Figueroa Aguirre, Griselda

2012-01-01

We construct spherically symmetric thin-shell wormholes supported by a generalized Chaplygin gas in Born-Infeld electrodynamics coupled to Einstein gravity, and we analyze their stability under radial perturbations. For different values of the Born-Infeld parameter and the charge, we compare the results with those obtained in a previous work for Maxwell electrodynamics. The stability region in the parameter space reduces and then disappears as the value of the Born-Infeld parameter is modified in the sense of a larger departure from Maxwell theory. (orig.)

Developing Advanced Broadband Microwave Detectors for Next-Generation CMB Polarization Studies

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The photons of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) stream toward us from the boundary of the observable universe and arrive with information about both their point...

Fast microwave assisted pyrolysis of biomass using microwave absorbent.

Science.gov (United States)

Borges, Fernanda Cabral; Du, Zhenyi; Xie, Qinglong; Trierweiler, Jorge Otávio; Cheng, Yanling; Wan, Yiqin; Liu, Yuhuan; Zhu, Rongbi; Lin, Xiangyang; Chen, Paul; Ruan, Roger

2014-03-01

A novel concept of fast microwave assisted pyrolysis (fMAP) in the presence of microwave absorbents was presented and examined. Wood sawdust and corn stover were pyrolyzed by means of microwave heating and silicon carbide (SiC) as microwave absorbent. The bio-oil was characterized, and the effects of temperature, feedstock loading, particle sizes, and vacuum degree were analyzed. For wood sawdust, a temperature of 480°C, 50 grit SiC, with 2g/min of biomass feeding, were the optimal conditions, with a maximum bio-oil yield of 65 wt.%. For corn stover, temperatures ranging from 490°C to 560°C, biomass particle sizes from 0.9mm to 1.9mm, and vacuum degree lower than 100mmHg obtained a maximum bio-oil yield of 64 wt.%. This study shows that the use of microwave absorbents for fMAP is feasible and a promising technology to improve the practical values and commercial application outlook of microwave based pyrolysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GPM GROUND VALIDATION ADVANCED MICROWAVE RADIOMETER RAIN IDENTIFICATION (ADMIRARI) GCPEX V1

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The GPM Ground Validation Advanced Microwave Radiometer Rain Identification (ADMIRARI) GCPEx dataset measures brightness temperature at three frequencies (10.7, 21.0...

Design of a microwave calorimeter for the microwave tokamak experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinak, M.

1988-01-01

The initial design of a microwave calorimeter for the Microwave Tokamak Experiment is presented. The design is optimized to measure the refraction and absorption of millimeter rf microwaves as they traverse the toroidal plasma of the Alcator C tokamak. Techniques utilized can be adapted for use in measuring high intensity pulsed output from a microwave device in an environment of ultra high vacuum, intense fields of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and intense magnetic fields. 16 refs

Passive Wireless Temperature Sensor for Harsh Environments, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Wireless Sensor Technologies has for several years been developing a passive Wireless Temperature Sensor (WTS) for gas turbine engine and other harsh environment...

Broad Bandwidth Metamaterial Antireflection Coatings for Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) contains a number of faint signals that, if measured, could revolutionize our understandings of the Universe and fundamental...

Improved Microwave Photonic Links via Receive-Side Nonlinear Signal Processing, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to significantly enhance the state-of-the-art of photonically-assisted microwave measurement and distribution systems by incorporating a highly efficient...

Microwave power engineering applications

CERN Document Server

Okress, Ernest C

2013-01-01

Microwave Power Engineering, Volume 2: Applications introduces the electronics technology of microwave power and its applications. This technology emphasizes microwave electronics for direct power utilization and transmission purposes. This volume presents the accomplishments with respect to components, systems, and applications and their prevailing limitations in the light of knowledge of the microwave power technology. The applications discussed include the microwave heating and other processes of materials, which utilize the magnetron predominantly. Other applications include microwave ioni

Observation planning algorithm of a Japanese space-borne sensor: Hyperspectral Imager SUIte (HISUI) onboard International Space Station (ISS) as platform

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawa, Kenta; Konno, Yukiko; Yamamoto, Satoru; Matsunaga, Tsuneo; Tachikawa, Tetsushi; Komoda, Mako

2017-09-01

Hyperspectral Imager Suite (HISUI) is a Japanese future space-borne hyperspectral instrument being developed by Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI). HISUI will be launched in 2019 or later onboard International Space Station (ISS) as platform. HISUI has 185 spectral band from 0.4 to 2.5 μm with 20 by 30 m spatial resolution with swath of 20 km. Swath is limited as such, however observations in continental scale area are requested in HISUI mission lifetime of three years. Therefore we are developing a scheduling algorithm to generate effective observation plans. HISUI scheduling algorithm is to generate observation plans automatically based on platform orbit, observation area maps (we say DAR; "Data Acquisition Request" in HISUI project), their priorities, and available resources and limitation of HISUI system such as instrument operation time per orbit and data transfer capability. Then next we need to set adequate DAR before start of HISUI observation, because years of observations are needed to cover continental scale wide area that is difficult to change after the mission started. To address these issues, we have developed observation simulator. The simulator's critical inputs are DAR and the ISS's orbit, HISUI limitations in observation minutes per orbit, data storage and past cloud coverage data for term of HISUI observations (3 years). Then the outputs of simulator are coverage map of each day. Areas with cloud free image are accumulated for the term of observation up to three years. We have successfully tested the simulator and tentative DAR and found that it is possible to estimate coverage for each of requests for the mission lifetime.

Advances in microwaves 8

CERN Document Server

Young, Leo

2013-01-01

Advances in Microwaves, Volume 8 covers the developments in the study of microwaves. The book discusses the circuit forms for microwave integrated circuits; the analysis of microstrip transmission lines; and the use of lumped elements in microwave integrated circuits. The text also describes the microwave properties of ferrimagnetic materials, as well as their interaction with electromagnetic waves propagating in bounded waveguiding structures. The integration techniques useful at high frequencies; material technology for microwave integrated circuits; specific requirements on technology for d

A passive wireless ultrasound pitch–catch system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahedi, F; Yao, J; Huang, H

2015-01-01

This paper exploits amplitude modulation and demodulation to achieve a passive wireless ultrasound pitch–catch system consisting of a wireless interrogator and a combination of a wireless actuator and a sensor mounted on a structure. The wireless interrogator operates in two modes, i.e. the generation and sensing modes. At the generation mode, the interrogator transmits two microwave signals; one is amplitude modulated with the ultrasound excitation signal while the other is a continuous-wave carrier signal. Once received by the wireless actuator, the amplitude modulated signal is demodulated using the carrier signal to recover the ultrasound excitation signal, which is then supplied to a piezoelectric wafer actuator for ultrasound generation. Subsequently, the interrogator is switched to the sensing mode by transmitting a carrier signal with a different frequency. Once received by the wireless sensor, this carrier signal is modulated with the ultrasound sensing signal acquired by the piezoelectric wafer sensor to produce an amplitude modulated microwave signal, which can then be wirelessly transmitted and demodulated by the interrogator to recover the original ultrasound sensing signal. The principle and implementation of the wireless ultrasound pitch–catch system as well as the data processing of the wirelessly received sensing signal are described. Experiment results validating wireless ultrasound generation and sensing from a distance of 0.5 m are presented. (paper)

Birth Order, Age-Spacing, IQ Differences, and Family Relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfouts, Jane H.

1980-01-01

Very close age spacing was an obstacle to high academic performance for later borns. In family relations and self-esteem, first borns scored better and performed in school as well as their potentially much more able younger siblings, regardless of age spacing. (Author)

Development of a Microwave Regenerative Sorbent-Based Hydrogen Purifier

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Richard R., Jr.; Dewberry, Ross H.; McCurry, Bryan D.; Abney, Morgan B.; Greenwood, Zachary W.

2016-01-01

This paper describes the design and fabrication of a Microwave Regenerative Sorbent-based Hydrogen Purifier (MRSHP). This unique microwave powered technology was developed for the purification of a hydrogen stream produced by the Plasma Pyrolysis Assembly (PPA). The PPA is a hydrogen recovery (from methane) post processor for NASA's Sabatier-based carbon dioxide reduction process. Embodied in the Carbon dioxide Reduction Assembly (CRA), currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Sabatier reaction employs hydrogen to catalytically recover oxygen, in the form of water, from respiratory carbon dioxide produced by the crew. This same approach is base-lined for future service in the Air Revitalization system on extended missions into deep space where resupply is not practical. Accordingly, manned exploration to Mars may only become feasible with further closure of the air loop as afforded by the greater hydrogen recovery permitted by the PPA with subsequent hydrogen purification. By utilizing the well-known high sorbate loading capacity of molecular sieve 13x, coupled with microwave dielectric heating phenomenon, MRSHP technology is employed as a regenerative filter for a contaminated hydrogen gas stream. By design, freshly regenerated molecular sieve 13x contained in the MRSHP will remove contaminants from the effluent of a 1-CM scale PPA for several hours prior to breakthrough. By reversing flow and pulling a relative vacuum the MRSHP prototype then uses 2.45 GHz microwave power, applied through a novel coaxial antenna array, to rapidly heat the sorbent bed and drive off the contaminants in a short duration vacuum/thermal contaminant desorption step. Finally, following rapid cooling via room temperature cold plates, the MRSHP is again ready to serve as a hydrogen filter.

Observation of the exhaust plume from the space shuttle main engines using the microwave limb sounder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. C. Pumphrey

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A space shuttle launch deposits 700 tonnes of water in the atmosphere. Some of this water is released into the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere where it may be directly detected by a limb sounding satellite instrument. We report measurements of water vapour plumes from shuttle launches made by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS on the Aura satellite. Approximately 50%–65% of shuttle launches are detected by MLS. The signal appears at a similar level across the upper 10 km of the MLS limb scan, suggesting that the bulk of the observed water is above the top of the scan. Only a small fraction at best of smaller launches (Ariane 5, Proton are detected. We conclude that the sensitivity of MLS is only just great enough to detect a shuttle sized launch, but that a suitably designed instrument of the same general type could detect the exhausts from a large proportion of heavy-lift launches.

Assimilation of ice and water observations from SAR imagery to improve estimates of sea ice concentration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Andrea Scott

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the assimilation of binary observations calculated from synthetic aperture radar (SAR images of sea ice is investigated. Ice and water observations are obtained from a set of SAR images by thresholding ice and water probabilities calculated using a supervised maximum likelihood estimator (MLE. These ice and water observations are then assimilated in combination with ice concentration from passive microwave imagery for the purpose of estimating sea ice concentration. Due to the fact that the observations are binary, consisting of zeros and ones, while the state vector is a continuous variable (ice concentration, the forward model used to map the state vector to the observation space requires special consideration. Both linear and non-linear forward models were investigated. In both cases, the assimilation of SAR data was able to produce ice concentration analyses in closer agreement with image analysis charts than when assimilating passive microwave data only. When both passive microwave and SAR data are assimilated, the bias between the ice concentration analyses and the ice concentration from ice charts is 19.78%, as compared to 26.72% when only passive microwave data are assimilated. The method presented here for the assimilation of SAR data could be applied to other binary observations, such as ice/water information from visual/infrared sensors.

A search for anisotrophy in the cosmic microwave background on intermediate angular scales

Science.gov (United States)

Alsop, D. C.; Cheng, E. S.; Clapp, A. C.; Cottingham, D. A.; Fischer, M. L.; Gundersen, J. O.; Kreysa, E.; Lange, A. E.; Lubin, P. M.; Meinhold, P. R.

1992-01-01

The results of a search for anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background on angular scales near 1 deg are presented. Observations were simultaneously performed in bands centered at frequencies of 6, 9, and 12 per cm with a multifrequency bolometric receiver mounted on a balloon-borne telescope. The statistical sensitivity of the data is the highest reported to date at this angular scale, which is of critical importance for understanding the formation of structure in the universe. Signals in excess of random were observed in the data. The experiment, data analysis, and interpretation are described.

Antarctic Iceberg Tracking Based on Time Series of Aqua AMSR-E Microwave Brightness Temperature Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Blonski, S.; Peterson, C. A.

2006-12-01

) of NASA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Applied Science Program to demonstrate that passive microwave brightness temperature measurements acquired by AMSR-E can be effectively used to track iceberg movement around Antarctica. The RPC's robust computation environment enabled processing of terabytes of data products available from the NASA Distributed Active Archive Center at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Iceberg tracking based on the AMSR-E Level 2A data product was compared with records from the National Ice Center for currently existing icebergs. Some icebergs as small as roughly 10 km in size were easily observed, but tracking of many others, even larger ones, was obscured by presence of sea ice surrounding the icebergs. The best results, such as for the large iceberg A22A, were achieved when an iceberg was in open ocean. Outcomes of this RPC experiment can be presented to other government agencies to explore possibilities for incorporation of these NASA Earth science research results into the decision support environments of the other agencies. The most promising is the option to extend current operational observations to areas north of the 60°S parallel. Moreover, because of similarity of spatial resolution characteristics between 89-GHz channels of AMSR-E and the future GMI (GPM Microwave Imager) radiometer from the core satellite of the GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) mission, this experiment also indicates potential operational uses of upcoming NASA Earth observation data products.

Development of an Internally-Calibrated Wide-Band Airborne Microwave Radiometer to Provide High-Resolution Wet-Tropospheric Path Delay Measurements for SWOT (HAMMR - High-frequency Airborne Microwave and Millimeter-wave Radiometer)

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Development of an Internally-Calibrated Wide-Band Airborne Microwave Radiometer to Provide High-Resolution Wet-Tropospheric Path Delay Measurements for SWOT (HAMMR -...

Monolithic microwave integrated circuit devices for active array antennas

Science.gov (United States)

Mittra, R.

1984-01-01

Two different aspects of active antenna array design were investigated. The transition between monolithic microwave integrated circuits and rectangular waveguides was studied along with crosstalk in multiconductor transmission lines. The boundary value problem associated with a discontinuity in a microstrip line is formulated. This entailed, as a first step, the derivation of the propagating as well as evanescent modes of a microstrip line. The solution is derived to a simple discontinuity problem: change in width of the center strip. As for the multiconductor transmission line problem. A computer algorithm was developed for computing the crosstalk noise from the signal to the sense lines. The computation is based on the assumption that these lines are terminated in passive loads.

Microwave undulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batchelor, K.

1986-03-01

The theory of a microwave undulator utilizing a plane rectangular waveguide operating in the TE/sub 10n/ mode and other higher order modes is presented. Based on this, a possible undulator configuration is analyzed, leading to the conclusion that the microwave undulator represents a viable option for undulator wavelength down to about 1 cm where peak voltage and available microwave power considerations limit effectiveness. 4 refs., 4 figs

Microwave Impedance Measurement for Nanoelectronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Randus

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The rapid progress in nanoelectronics showed an urgent need for microwave measurement of impedances extremely different from the 50Ω reference impedance of measurement instruments. In commonly used methods input impedance or admittance of a device under test (DUT is derived from measured value of its reflection coefficient causing serious accuracy problems for very high and very low impedances due to insufficient sensitivity of the reflection coefficient to impedance of the DUT. This paper brings theoretical description and experimental verification of a method developed especially for measurement of extreme impedances. The method can significantly improve measurement sensitivity and reduce errors caused by the VNA. It is based on subtraction (or addition of a reference reflection coefficient and the reflection coefficient of the DUT by a passive network, amplifying the resulting signal by an amplifier and measuring the amplified signal as a transmission coefficient by a common vector network analyzer (VNA. A suitable calibration technique is also presented.

Exploring the Large Scale Anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation at 170 GHz

Science.gov (United States)

Ganga, Kenneth Matthew

1994-01-01

In this thesis, data from the Far Infra-Red Survey (FIRS), a balloon-borne experiment designed to measure the large scale anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation, are analyzed. The FIRS operates in four frequency bands at 170, 280, 480, and 670 GHz, using an approximately Gaussian beam with a 3.8 deg full-width-at-half-maximum. A cross-correlation with the COBE/DMR first-year maps yields significant results, confirming the DMR detection of anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background radiation. Analysis of the FIRS data alone sets bounds on the amplitude of anisotropy under the assumption that the fluctuations are described by a Harrison-Peebles-Zel'dovich spectrum and further analysis sets limits on the index of the primordial density fluctuations for an Einstein-DeSitter universe. Galactic dust emission is discussed and limits are set on the magnitude of possible systematic errors in the measurement.

Vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting laser based digital coherent detection for multigigabit long reach passive optical links

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rodes Lopez, Roberto; Jensen, Jesper Bevensee; Zibar, Darko

2011-01-01

We report on experimental demonstration of digital coherent detection based on a directly modulated vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting laser with bit rate up to 10 Gbps. This system allows a cooler‐less, free running, and unamplified transmission without optical dispersion compensation up to 105 km...... at 5 Gbps long reach passive optical links. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 53:2462–2464, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26331...

Variable frequency microwave heating apparatus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bible, D.W.; Lauf, R.J.; Johnson, A.C.; Thigpen, L.T.

1999-10-05

A variable frequency microwave heating apparatus (10) designed to allow modulation of the frequency of the microwaves introduced into a multi-mode microwave cavity (34) for testing or other selected applications. The variable frequency microwave heating apparatus (10) includes a microwave signal generator (12) and a high-power microwave amplifier (20) or a high-power microwave oscillator (14). A power supply (22) is provided for operation of the high-power microwave oscillator (14) or microwave amplifier (20). A directional coupler (24) is provided for detecting the direction and amplitude of signals incident upon and reflected from the microwave cavity (34). A first power meter (30) is provided for measuring the power delivered to the microwave furnace (32). A second power meter (26) detects the magnitude of reflected power. Reflected power is dissipated in the reflected power load (28).

Analysis of microwave amplifier and frequency multiplier tube with a multipactor electron gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokoo, Kuniyoshi; Ono, Shoichi; Tai, Dong-Zhe.

1983-01-01