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At least 235 records · Page 13

Illuminating the North Korean nuclear explosion test in 2017 using remote infrasound observations

North Korea conducted its sixth underground nuclear explosion test (mb 6.3) on 2017 September 3. The underground explosion produced substantial low-frequency atmospheric waves, which were detected by infrasound arrays located up to a distance of 566 km. These infrasound waves are formed by the conversion of seismic energy to acoustic energy across the lithosphere–atmosphere interface. While infrasound records at regional distances produce estimates of ground motion amplitude over spatially extended regions covering about 26 500 km 2 , 3-D full seismo-acoustic simulations within the lithosphere and atmosphere provide quantitative information about seismo-acoustic energy partitioning. Our results demonstrate the capability of remote infrasound observations combined with 3-D propagation modelling to further develop discrimination methods for underground sources. These results contribute to enhance the confidence of source identification and characterization in nuclear test monitoring research, which is essential for the enforcement of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Synchrophasor spoofing detection and remediation for wide-area damping control

Evolving cyber-attack threats put at risk automatic closed-loop systems to be incorporated in the smart grid. Wide-area control systems are particularly vulnerable to signal spoofing attacks due to sensor remoteness and dependence on satellite communication for time synchronization. A successful cyber-attack on a wide-area controller has the potential to reduce relative stability of the power system or worse, destabilize it. As such, detection algorithms must be deployed as defense against such attacks with the ability to autonomously correct for detected tampering or misoperation. The Spoof Catch and Restore Routine (SCR 2 ), a combination of three real-time spoof detectors, each requiring limited information about the plant, is reported here. Nonlinear simulations of a compromised wide-area control system deployed in the Western Interconnection show the effectiveness of SCR 2 in detecting both delay-type and counterfeit-type spoofing attacks on wide-area sensors.

42 ENGINEERING↗

PERSIANN-CCS-CDR, a 3-hourly 0.04° global precipitation climate data record for heavy precipitation studies

Accurate long-term global precipitation estimates, especially for heavy precipitation rates, at fine spatial and temporal resolutions is vital for a wide variety of climatological studies. Most of the available operational precipitation estimation datasets provide either high spatial resolution with short-term duration estimates or lower spatial resolution with long-term duration estimates. Furthermore, previous research has stressed that most of the available satellite-based precipitation products show poor performance for capturing extreme events at high temporal resolution. Therefore, there is a need for a precipitation product that reliably detects heavy precipitation rates with fine spatiotemporal resolution and a longer period of record. Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Cloud Classification System-Climate Data Record (PERSIANN-CCS-CDR) is designed to address these limitations. This dataset provides precipitation estimates at 0.04° spatial and 3-hourly temporal resolutions from 1983 to present over the global domain of 60°S to 60°N. Evaluations of PERSIANN-CCS-CDR and PERSIANN-CDR against gauge and radar observations show the better performance of PERSIANN-CCS-CDR in representing the spatiotemporal resolution, magnitude, and spatial distribution patterns of precipitation, especially for extreme events.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

minimpl (b1)

The micropulse lidar (MPL) is a ground-based, optical, remote-sensing system designed primarily to determine the altitude of clouds; however, it is also used for detection of atmospheric aerosols. The physical principle is the same as for radar. Pulses of energy are transmitted into the atmosphere; the energy scattered back to the transceiver is collected and measured as a time-resolved signal, thereby detecting clouds and aerosols in real time. From the time delay between each outgoing pulse and the backscattered signal, the distance to the scatterer is inferred. Post-processing of the lidar return characterizes the extent and properties of aerosols or other particles in a region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A Cybersecurity Testbed for Smart Buildings

Smart buildings are equipped with a plethora of cyber-physical systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices and building automation systems. These devices, especially in commercial buildings, use legacy communications and hardware that were not designed with cybersecurity in mind. With increasing cyber threats in recent years, smart buildings have become an increasing target for attacks, but not enough published data are available from these incidents to study or replicate the scenarios to defend buildings. As part of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded project focusing on developing the Building Intelligence with Layered Defense Using Security-Constrained Optimization and Security Risk Detection (BUILD-SOS) platform, we developed a cybersecurity test bed for smart buildings. This test bed includes a building simulation tool, virtual devices, emulated operational technology networks, and remote hardware-in-the-loop. Using this test bed, we performed different cyberattacks on the smart building model and collected both physical building data, to understand the impacts on the building, and network data, to aid in separating mechanical faults from cyberattacks during the detection. This test bed is a significant tool in protecting smart buildings from cyberattacks because it can aid in both cybersecurity analysis and the evaluation of other cyberattack detection tools by testing the tools in a secure environment without impacting the building operations.

cyber-physical systems↗

A Cybersecurity Testbed for Smart Buildings

Smart buildings are equipped with a plethora of cyber-physical systems, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices and building automation systems. These devices, especially in commercial buildings, use legacy communications and hardware that were not designed with cybersecurity in mind. With increasing cyber threats in recent years, smart buildings have become an increasing target for attacks, but not enough published data are available from these incidents to study or replicate the scenarios to defend buildings. As part of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded project focusing on developing the Building Intelligence with Layered Defense Using Security-Constrained Optimization and Security Risk Detection (BUILD-SOS) platform, we developed a cybersecurity test bed for smart buildings. This test bed includes a building simulation tool, virtual devices, emulated operational technology networks, and remote hardware-in-the-loop. Using this test bed, we performed different cyberattacks on the smart building model and collected both physical building data, to understand the impacts on the building, and network data, to aid in separating mechanical faults from cyberattacks during the detection. This test bed is a significant tool in protecting smart buildings from cyberattacks because they can aid in both cybersecurity analysis and the evaluation of cyberattack detection tools by testing the tools in a secure environment without impacting the building operations.

alfalfa↗

ARES IV: Probing the Atmospheres of the Two Warm Small Planets HD 106315c and HD 3167c with the HST/WFC3 Camera

We present an atmospheric characterization study of two medium-sized planets bracketing the radius of Neptune: HD 106315c (R {sub P} = 4.98 ± 0.23 R {sub ⊕}) and HD 3167c (R{sub P}=2.740{sub −0.100}{sup +0.106} R {sub ⊕}). We analyze spatially scanned spectroscopic observations obtained with the G141 grism (1.125–1.650 μm) of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We use the publicly available Iraclis pipeline and TauREx3 atmospheric retrieval code and detect water vapor in the atmosphere of both planets, with an abundance of log{sub 10}[H{sub 2}O]=−2.1{sub −1.3}{sup +0.7} (∼5.68σ) and log{sub 10}[H{sub 2}O]=−4.1{sub −0.9}{sup +0.9} (∼3.17σ) for HD 106315c and HD 3167c, respectively. The transmission spectrum of HD 106315c also shows possible evidence of ammonia absorption (log{sub 10}[NH{sub 3}]=−4.3{sub −2.0}{sup +0.7},∼1.97σ, even if it is not significant), while carbon dioxide absorption features may be present in the atmosphere of HD 3167c in the ∼1.1–1.6 μm wavelength range (log{sub 10}[CO{sub 2}]=−2.4{sub −1.0}{sup +0.7}, ∼3.28σ). However, the CO{sub 2} detection appears significant, and it must be considered carefully and put into perspective. Indeed, CO{sub 2} presence is not explained by 1D equilibrium chemistry models, and it could be due to possible systematics. The additional contributions of clouds, CO, and CH{sub 4} are discussed. HD 106315c and HD 3167c will be interesting targets for upcoming telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Chapter 8: Searching for Life Beyond Earth

The search for life beyond Earth necessitates a rigorous and comprehensive examination of biosignatures, the types of observable imprints that life produces. These imprints and our ability to detect them with advanced instrumentation hold the key to our understanding of the presence and abundance of life in the universe. Biosignatures are the chemical or physical features associated with past or present life and may include the distribution of elements and molecules, alone or in combination, as well as changes in structural components or physical processes that would be distinct from an abiotic background. The scientific and technical strategies used to search for life on other planets include those that can be conducted in situ to planetary bodies and those that could be observed remotely. Here this chapter discusses numerous strategies that can be employed to look for biosignatures directly on other planetary bodies using robotic exploration including those that have been deployed to other planetary bodies, are currently being developed for flight, or will become a critical technology on future missions. Search strategies for remote observations using current and planned ground-based and space-based telescopes are also described. Evidence from spectral absorption, emission, or transmission features can be used to search for remote biosignatures and technosignatures. Improving our understanding of biosignatures, their production, transformation, and preservation on Earth can enhance our search efforts to detect life on other planets.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

An integrated atom array-nanophotonic chip platform with background-free imaging

Arrays of neutral atoms trapped in optical tweezers have emerged as a leading platform for quantum information processing and quantum simulation due to their scalability, reconfigurable connectivity, and high-fidelity operations. Individual atoms are promising candidates for quantum networking due to their capability to emit indistinguishable photons that are entangled with their internal atomic states. Integrating atom arrays with photonic interfaces would enable distributed architectures in which nodes hosting many processing qubits could be efficiently linked together via the distribution of remote entanglement. However, many atom array techniques cease to work in close proximity to photonic interfaces, with atom detection via standard fluorescence imaging presenting a major challenge due to scattering from nearby photonic devices. Here, we demonstrate an architecture that combines atom arrays with up to 64 optical tweezers and a millimeter-scale photonic chip hosting more than 100 nanophotonic cavities. We achieve high-fidelity ( ~ 99.2%), background-free imaging in close proximity to nanofabricated cavities using a multichromatic excitation and detection scheme. The atoms can be imaged while trapped a few hundred nanometers above the dielectric surface, which we verify using Stark shift measurements of the modified trapping potential. Finally, we rearrange atoms into defect-free arrays and load them simultaneously onto the same or multiple devices.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Radar and lidar based cloud type product at the ARM ENA observatory

Following methods outlined in Remillard et al. (2012), we classify seven cloud types using radar reflectivity, best-estimated cloud base, and cloud-layer product from the Active Remotely Sensed Cloud Locations (ARSCL) product (Kollias et al. 2007). A cloud mask is created based on the detectable radar reflectivity (>-40 dBZ) combined with the best-estimated cloud base height. Each cloud object is analyzed individually as contiguous cloudy pixels, and its type is determined based on the cloud’s boundaries and duration. Focusing on marine boundary-layer clouds, low clouds are further classified into four types: shallow cumulus, broken stratocumulus (Sc) or cumulus clouds, single-layer Sc, and multi-layer Sc or Sc coupled with cumulus. The remaining three categories are middle clouds, high clouds, and deep convective clouds. For detailed definition of each cloud type, please refer to Zheng et al. (2024).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Evaluating cloud liquid detection against Cloudnet using cloud radar Doppler spectra in a pre-trained artificial neural network

Detection of liquid-containing cloud layers in thick mixed-phase clouds or multi-layer cloud situations from ground-based remote-sensing instruments still poses observational challenges, yet improvements are crucial since the existence of multi-layer liquid layers in mixed-phase cloud situations influences cloud radiative effects, cloud lifetime, and precipitation formation processes. Hydrometeor target classifications such as from Cloudnet that require a lidar signal for the classification of liquid are limited to the maximum height of lidar signal penetration and thus often lead to underestimations of liquid-containing cloud layers. Here we evaluate the Cloudnet liquid detection against the approach of Luke et al. (2010) which extracts morphological features in cloud-penetrating cloud radar Doppler spectra measurements in an artificial neural network (ANN) approach to classify liquid beyond full lidar signal attenuation based on the simulation of the two lidar parameters particle backscatter coefficient and particle depolarization ratio. We show that the ANN of Luke et al. (2010) which was trained under Arctic conditions can successfully be applied to observations at the mid-latitudes obtained during the 7-week-long ACCEPT field experiment in Cabauw, the Netherlands, in 2014. In a sensitivity study covering the whole duration of the ACCEPT campaign, different liquid-detection thresholds for ANN-predicted lidar variables are applied and evaluated against the Cloudnet target classification. Independent validation of the liquid mask from the standard Cloudnet target classification against the ANN-based technique is realized by comparisons to observations of microwave radiometer liquid-water path, ceilometer liquid-layer base altitude, and radiosonde relative humidity. In addition, a case-study comparison against the cloud feature mask detected by the space-borne lidar aboard the CALIPSO satellite is presented. Three conclusions were drawn from the investigation. First, it was found that the threshold selection criteria of liquid-related lidar backscatter and depolarization alone control the liquid detection considerably. Second, all threshold values used in the ANN framework were found to outperform the Cloudnet target classification for deep or multi-layer cloud situations where the lidar signal is fully attenuated within low liquid layers and the cloud radar is able to detect the microphysical fingerprint of liquid in higher cloud layers. Third, if lidar data are available, Cloudnet is at least as good as the ANN. The times when Cloudnet outperforms the ANN in liquid detections are often associated with situations where cloud dynamics smear the imprint of cloud microphysics on the radar Doppler spectra.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

WASP-117 b: An Eccentric Hot Saturn as a Future Complex Chemistry Laboratory

We present spectral analysis of the transiting Saturn-mass planet WASP-117 b, observed with the G141 grism of the Hubble Space Telescope's (HST) Wide Field Camera 3. We reduce and fit the extracted spectrum from the raw transmission data using the open-source software Iraclis before performing a fully Bayesian retrieval using the publicly available analysis suite TauREx 3.0. We detect water vapor alongside a layer of fully opaque cloud, retrieving a terminator temperature of T{sub term}=833{sub -156}{sup +260} K. In order to quantify the statistical significance of this detection, we employ the atmospheric detectability index (ADI), deriving a value of ADI = 2.30, which provides positive but not strong evidence against the flat-line model. Due to the eccentric orbit of WASP-117 b, it is likely that chemical and mixing timescales oscillate throughout orbit due to the changing temperature, possibly allowing warmer chemistry to remain visible as the planet begins transit, despite the proximity of its point of ingress to apastron. We present simulated spectra of the planet as would be observed by the future space missions such as the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey and the James Webb Space Telescope and show that, despite not being able to probe such chemistry with current HST data, these observatories should make it possible in the not too distant future.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Machine and Deep Learning: Artificial Intelligence Application in Biotic and Abiotic Stress Management in Plants

Biotic and abiotic stresses significantly affect plant fitness, resulting in a serious loss in food production. Biotic and abiotic stresses predominantly affect metabolite biosynthesis, gene and protein expression, and genome variations. However, light doses of stress result in the production of positive attributes in crops, like tolerance to stress and biosynthesis of metabolites, called hormesis. Advancement in artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled the development of high-throughput gadgets such as high-resolution imagery sensors and robotic aerial vehicles, i.e., satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), to overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. These High throughput (HTP) gadgets produce accurate but big amounts of data. Significant datasets such as transportable array for remotely sensed agriculture and phenotyping reference platform (TERRA-REF) have been developed to forecast abiotic stresses and early detection of biotic stresses. For accurately measuring the model plant stress, tools like Deep Learning (DL) and Machine Learning (ML) have enabled early detection of desirable traits in a large population of breeding material and mitigate plant stresses. In this review, advanced applications of ML and DL in plant biotic and abiotic stress management have been summarized.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

EcoSpec: Highly Equipped Tower-Based Hyperspectral and Thermal Infrared Automatic Remote Sensing System for Investigating Plant Responses to Environmental Changes

Despite an advanced ability to forecast ecosystem functions and climate at regional and global scales, little is known about relationships between local variations in water and carbon fluxes and large-scale phenomena. To enable data collection of local-scale ecosystem functions to support such investigations, we developed the EcoSpec system, a highly equipped remote sensing system that houses a hyperspectral radiometer (350–2500 nm) and five optical and infrared sensors in a compact tower. Its custom software controls the sequence and timing of movement of the sensors and system components and collects measurements at 12 locations around the tower. The data collected using the system was processed to remove sun-angle effects, and spectral vegetation indices computed from the data (i.e., the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), and Moisture Stress Index (MSI)) were compared with the fraction of photochemically active radiation (fPAR) and canopy temperature. The results showed that the NDVI, NDWI, and PRI were strongly correlated with fPAR; the MSI was correlated with canopy temperature at the diurnal scale. These correlations suggest that this type of near-surface remote sensing system would complement existing observatories to validate satellite remote sensing observations and link local and large-scale phenomena to improve our ability to forecast ecosystem functions and climate. The system is also relevant for precision agriculture to study crop growth, detect disease and pests, and compare traits of cultivars.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

A Self-Sustained CPS Design for Reliable Wildfire Monitoring

Continuous monitoring of areas nearby the electric grid is critical for preventing and early detection of devastating wildfires. Existing wildfire monitoring systems are intermittent and oblivious to local ambient risk factors, resulting in poor wildfire awareness. Ambient sensor suites deployed near the gridlines can increase the monitoring granularity and detection accuracy. However, these sensors must address two challenging and competing objectives at the same time. First, they must remain powered for years without manual maintenance due to their remote locations. Second, they must provide and transmit reliable information if and when a wildfire starts. The first objective requires aggressive energy savings and ambient energy harvesting, while the second requires continuous operation of a range of sensors. To the best of our knowledge, this paper presents the first self-sustained cyber-physical system that dynamically co-optimizes the wildfire detection accuracy and active time of sensors. The proposed approach employs reinforcement learning to train a policy that controls the sensor operations as a function of the environment (i.e., current sensor readings), harvested energy, and battery level. Here, the proposed cyber-physical system is evaluated extensively using real-life temperature, wind, and solar energy harvesting datasets and an open-source wildfire simulator. In long-term (5 years) evaluations, the proposed framework achieves 89% uptime, which is 46% higher than a carefully tuned heuristic approach. At the same time, it averages a 2-minute initial response time, which is at least 2.5× faster than the same heuristic approach. Furthermore, the policy network consumes 0.6 mJ per day on the TI CC2652R microcontroller using TensorFlow Lite for Micro, which is negligible compared to the daily sensor suite energy consumption.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The AGN-201 Digital Twin: A test bed for remotely monitoring nuclear reactors

Research reactors have historically provided researchers and scientists with a means for testing and understanding the workings of nuclear phenomena. With the lack of new research reactors built in the past decades, it is important now more than ever to utilize and provide evidence for the usefulness of research reactors. Here, this work explores the use of the AGN-201 research reactor at Idaho State University as a test bed for developing a digital twin (named the AGN-201 DT) to realize remote monitoring for nuclear reactors. The goal of the AGN-201 DT is to monitor the AGN-201 reactor and detect when undeclared events take place to provide information for a monitoring agency. The AGN-201 DT was able to detect (without a priori knowledge) when multiple undeclared experiments were placed in the core using on-the-fly machine learning and reactor physics analysis. The AGN-201 reactor provided a test bed for developing, deploying, and testing a digital twin for monitoring nuclear reactors.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗

Radiation Effects on Line Heat Detection Cable AP Hot Cells Fire Detection at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Hot cells are used to safely shield workers from high radiation environments while allowing a process to take place within the cell's shielded enclosure, often with the assistance of remote manipulators. The interior of a cell may not be accessible by personnel for years at a time, either due to the lingering radiation environment or due to the constant use of these specialized pieces of equipment. High radiation levels are known to cause undesirable effects and changes to different materials in varying degrees. Selecting equipment for a radiation environment requires an evaluation of materials used (preferably completed assembles), to ensure all interactions of materials are known and ensure that the equipment will have a high degree of reliability and functionality over the intended life of the facility. Hot cells contain systems to support the primary purpose of the enclosure. Fire detection is one such support system. Safety of hot cell operations often establish limits on the amounts of combustibles with the cells, but the presence of some combustible materials is unavoidable. Fire detection is provided to quickly detect a fire and summon manual intervention before damage is too great. Detection may also be used to initiate fire suppression systems. As a safety system, fire detection needs to remain functional to protect the facility throughout the facility's life. Equally important is that the false alarms from the fire detection are minimized to retain confidence in the alarm system and avoid unnecessary interruptions in the hot cell operations. There are many types of fire detection available with various pros and cons. Not all types of fire detection are suited for hot cell application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗