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At least 37 records · Page 2

Reflected-wave maser

A number of traveling-wave, slow-wave maser structures, containing active maser material but absent the typical ferrite isolators, are immersed in a nonuniform magnetic field. The microwave signal to be amplified is inserted at a circulator which directs the signal to a slow-wave structure. The signal travels through the slow-wave structure, being amplified according to the distance traveled. The end of the slow-wave structure farthest from the circulator is arranged to be a point of maximum reflection of the signal traveling through the slow-wave structure. As a consequence, the signal to be amplified traverses the slow-wave structure again, in the opposite direction (towards the circulator) experiencing amplification equivalent to that achieved by a conventional traveling-wave maser having twice the length. The circulator directs the amplified signal to following like stages of amplification. Isolators are used in between stages to prevent signals from traveling in the wrong direction, between the stages. Reduced signal loss is experienced at each stage. The high gain produced by each slow-wave structure is reduced to a moderate value by use of a nonuniform magnetic field which also broadens the line width of the maser material. The resulting bandwidth can be exceptionally wide. Cascaded stages provide high gain, exceptionally wide bandwith and very low noise temperature.

Clauss, R. C.↗

A reflected-wave ruby maser with K-band tuning range and large instantaneous bandwidth

A novel maser concept is outlined and a unique design described which permits wide bandwidth and waveguide tuning range by employing four stages cascaded via cryogenically cooled circulators. Theoretical considerations for gain, bandwidth, gain ripple, and noise temperature are included. Operated on a closed-cycle helium refrigerator with a superconducting persistence-mode magnet, the four-stage amplifier is tunable from 18.3 to 26.6 GHz with 30 dB of net gain and achieves 240 MHz of 3-dB bandwidth near the center of this band. The measured noise temperature is 13 + or - 2 K referred to the room-temperature input flange. Applications are foreseen utilizing cooled parametric downconverters and upconverters with this amplifier at IF to extend the low-noise performance up to millimeter frequencies and down to L-band for radio astronomy and planetary spacecraft communications.

Moore, C. R.↗

On the optimum polarizations of incoherently reflected waves

The Stokes scattering operator is noted to be the most useful characterization of incoherent scattering in radar imaging; the polarization that would yield an optimum amount of power received from the scatterer is obtained by assuming a knowledge of the Stokes scattering operator instead of the 2x2 scattering matrix with complex elements. It is thereby possible to find the optimum polarizations for the case in which the scatterers can only be fully characterized by their Stokes scattering operator, and the case in which the scatterer can be fully characterized by the complex 2x2 scattering matrix. It is shown that the optimum polarizations reported in the literature form the solution for a subset of a more general class of problems, so that six optimum polarizations can exist for incoherent scattering.

Van Zyl, Jakob J.↗

Reflection of interannual Rossby waves at the maritime western boundary of the tropical Pacific

The Geosat altimetric sea level time sequences taken between November 1986 and August 1989 are examined for the evidence of interannual Rossby waves reflecting at the maritime western boundary of the tropical Pacific in the Northern Hemisphere. The analyses applied to the observations are similar to those used by White et al. (1990) but are extended to include an interpretation in terms of the linear theory of Rossby wave reflection. It is shown that the amplitude of the first-mode Rossby wave (i.e., mode 2) accounts for 70-80 percent of the Kelvin wave amplitude, and the second symmetric Rossby wave mode explains another 20-30 percent. The results are consistent with theoretical estimates of Rossby mode contributions to the reflected Kevin wave obtained by Kessler (1991).

White, Warren B.↗

Reflection of annual Rossby waves at the maritime western boundary of the tropical Pacific

Results are presented of an examination of altimetric sea level time series from the first 17 months of the Geosat Geodetic Mission. The examination provides the first direct evidence of the Rossby wave reflection process operating in both hemispheres at the maritime western boundary of the tropical Pacific, in regard to annual Rossby activity. It is demonstrated that the Philippines in the Northern Hemisphere and the Solomon, the Bismarck, and the New Guinea islands in the Southern Hemisphere reflected the incident baroclinic Rossby wave activity of the one-year period, generating equatorial Kelvin wave activity that emanated from the maritime western boundary of the tropical Pacific, conducting the annual baroclinic signal along the equator into the eastern equatorial Pacific.

White, Warren B.↗

Reflection and Refraction of Acoustic Waves by a Shock Wave

The presence of sound waves in one or the other of the fluid regions on either side of a shock wave is made apparent, in the region under superpressure, by acoustic waves (reflected or refracted according to whether the incident waves lie in the region of superpressure or of subpressure) and by thermal waves. The characteristics of these waves are calculated for a plane, progressive, and uniform incident wave. In the case of refraction, the refracted acoustic wave can, according to the incidence, be plane, progressive, and uniform or take the form of an 'accompanying wave' which remains attached to the front of the shock while sliding parallel to it. In all cases, geometrical constructions permit determination of the kinematic characteristics of the reflected or refractive acoustic waves. The dynamic relationships show that the amplitude of the reflected wave is always less than that of the incident wave. The amplitude of the refracted wave, whatever its type, may in certain cases be greater than that of the incident wave.

Brillouin, J.↗