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At least 793 records · Page 44

Skyfall: Signal Fusion from a Smartphone Falling from the Stratosphere

A smartphone plummeted from a stratospheric height of 36 km, providing a near-real-time record of its rapid descent and ground impact. An app recorded and streamed useful internal multi-sensor data at high sample rates. Signal fusion with external and internal sensor systems permitted a more detailed reconstruction of the Skyfall chronology, including its descent speed, rotation rate, and impact deceleration. Our results reinforce the potential of smartphones as an agile and versatile geophysical data collection system for environmental and disaster monitoring IoT applications. We discuss mobile environmental sensing capabilities and present a flexible data model to record and stream signals of interest. The Skyfall case study can be used as a guide to smartphone signal processing methods that are transportable to other hardware platforms and operating systems.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Bolide Infrasound Signal Morphology and Yield Estimates: A Case Study of Two Events Detected by a Dense Acoustic Sensor Network

Two bolides (2016 June 2 and 2019 April 4) were detected at multiple regional infrasound stations, with many of the locations receiving multiple detections. Analysis of the received signals was used to estimate the yield, location, and trajectory, as well as the type of shock that produced the received signal. The results from the infrasound analysis were compared with ground-truth information that was collected through other sensing modalities. This multimodal framework offers an expanded perspective on the processes governing bolide shock generation and propagation. The majority of signal features showed reasonable agreement between the infrasound-based interpretation and the other observational modalities, though the yield estimate from the 2019 bolide was significantly lower using the infrasound detections. There was also evidence suggesting that one of the detections was from a cylindrical shock that was initially propagating upward, which is unusual though not impossible.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Constraining Properties of the Next Nearby Core-collapse Supernova with Multimessenger Signals

With the advent of modern neutrino and gravitational wave (GW) detectors, the promise of multimessenger detections of the next galactic core-collapse supernova (CCSN) has become very real. Such detections will give insight into the CCSN mechanism and the structure of the progenitor star, and may resolve longstanding questions in fundamental physics. In order to properly interpret these detections, a thorough understanding of the landscape of possible CCSN events, and their multimessenger signals, is needed. We present detailed predictions of neutrino and GW signals from 1D simulations of stellar core collapse, spanning the landscape of core-collapse progenitors from 9 to 120 M ⊙ . In order to achieve explosions in 1D, we use the Supernova Turbulence In Reduced-dimensionality model, which includes the effects of turbulence and convection in 1D supernova simulations to mimic the 3D explosion mechanism. We study the GW emission from the 1D simulations using an astroseismology analysis of the protoneutron star. We find that the neutrino and GW signals are strongly correlated with the structure of the progenitor star and remnant compact object. Using these correlations, future detections of the first few seconds of neutrino and GW emission from a galactic CCSN may be able to provide constraints on stellar evolution independent of preexplosion imaging and the mass of the compact object remnant prior to fallback accretion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Vehicle Motions as Inferred from Radio-signal- Strength Records

Considerable data on various parameters of a satellite and its launching vehicle can be obtained from the received-signal-strength records at the various satellite receiver stations. The doppler shifts of the satellite can be used to determine the orbital characteristics quite accurately. (Ref. 1 discusses the rapid determination of these parameters.) Information concerning the velocity increment and direction of each stage can be obtained if doppler data are received by several stations during the high-speed staging. The variations in signal strength during launch can be used to find the spin rate of the satellite before, during, and after staging, and to find variations in attitude, including precession, during launch. With spin and precession frequencies available, any changes in the ratios of moments of inertia can be determined. In this paper the launchings of the Explorer satellites will be used as a basis for the generalized conclusions concerning utilization of radio-signal-strength records. The discussion includes a description of the Explorer launching system.

Pilkington, W. C.↗

System proportions fluid-flow in response to demand signals

Control system provides proportioned fluid flow rates in response to demand signals. It compares a digital signal, representing a flow demand, with a reference signal to yield a control voltage to one or more solenoid valves connected to orifices of a predetermined size.

Source record↗

MOSFET analog memory circuit achieves long duration signal storage

Memory circuit maintains the signal voltage at the output of an analog signal amplifier when the input signal is interrupted or removed. The circuit uses MOSFET /Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor/ devices as voltage-controlled switches, triggered by an external voltage-sensing device.

Source record↗

Acquisition of pseudonoise signals by sequential estimation

Rapid Acquisition by Sequential Estimation /RASE/ system is used in the receivers of tracking and communications systems to bring identical locally generated pseudonoise digital modulation signal into time synchronization with the incoming pseudonoise signal. This acquisition system is particularly suited for medium input signal-to-noise ratios.

Ward, R. B.↗

Estimation of signal-to-noise ratios

Statistical method estimates signal-to-noise ratios in an observed random voltage, such as the output of a telemetry receiver. Signals from a distant transmitting source, overlaid by noise signals, are monitored continuously.

Couvillon, L. A., Jr.↗

System converts slow-scan to standard fast-scan TV signals

Signal conversion system converts slow-scan video signals into standard fast-scan television signals that are required for reproduction of television pictures on American TV sets. This system permits conversion of TV pictures produced in accordance with the standards of one country into the standards of another country.

Lipoma, P. C.↗

Analysis of signal to noise enhancement using a highly selective modulation tracking filter

Experiments are reported which utilize photodielectric effects in semiconductor loaded superconducting resonant circuits for suppressing noise in RF communication systems. The superconducting tunable cavity acts as a narrow band tracking filter for detecting conventional RF signals. Analytical techniques were developed which lead to prediction of signal-to-noise improvements. Progress is reported in optimization of the experimental variables. These include improved Q, new semiconductors, improved optics, and simplification of the electronics. Information bearing signals were passed through the system, and noise was introduced into the computer model.

Haden, C. R.↗

Pulsation phenomena observed in long-duration vlf whistler-mode signals.

Whistler-mode signals from station NAA (14.7 and 17.8 kHz), Cutler, Maine, show periodic fluctuations (?pulsations') in amplitude and bandwidth. The data were recorded at Eights station, Antarctica, during unmodulated (?key-down') transmissions from NAA lasting up to 2 min. In three of four instances, the pulsations consist of a series of moderate enhancements of the amplitude and bandwidth of the signal, each pulsation lasting about 50 msec. The fourth instance, however, was unusual in that the key-down signal exhibited remarkably regular and intense amplitude variations. In all four occurrences, the period of the pulsation was in the range from 0.3 to 0.6 sec. In three occurrences, this period was roughly the same as the one-hop whistler-mode delay along the field-line path; however, no demonstrable mechanism to explain this association could be found. An explanation of pulsations in terms of multipath fading effects could not be supported by the data. More likely explanations include intrinsic oscillation in the emission generation mechanism, natural oscillation in the energetic-particle population, or modulation of the VLF growth rate by Pc 1 micropulsations in the region of wave growth.

Bell, T. F.↗

Carrier synchronization and detection of polyphase signals.

Digital communication networks used for the distribution of high-speed digital information are currently the subject of design studies for many civil and military applications. This paper presents results that are useful in such studies as well as in network planning. In particular, the paper is concerned with the problems of carrier synchronization and noisy reference detection of polyphase signals. Reconstruction of coherent references for the detection of polyphase signals is considered and analyzed for three carrier reconstruction loops, namely, Nth power (multiply-and-divide) loops, generalized Costas (I-Q) loops, and extensions of data-aided (modulation wipeoff) loops. General expressions for the error probability are developed when the reconstructed reference signals are noisy.

Lindsey, W. C.↗

Isolated transfer of analog signals

Technique transfers analog signal levels across high isolation boundary without circuit performance being affected by magnetizing reactance or leakage inductance. Transfers of analog information across isolated boundary are made by interrupting signal flow, with switch, in such a manner as to produce alternating signal which is applied to transformer.

Bezdek, T.↗

Pseudonoise (PN) synchronization of data system with derivation of clock frequency from received signal for clocking receiver PN generator

A digital communicating system for automatically synchronizing signals for data detection is described. The systems consists of biphase modulating a subcarrier frequency by the binary data and transmitting a carrier phase modulated by this signal to a receiver, where coherent phase detection is employed to recover the subcarrier. Data detection is achieved by providing, in the receiver, a demodulated reference which is in synchronism with the unmodulated subcarrier in transmitting system. The output of the detector is passed through a matched filter where the signal is integrated over a bit period. As a result, random noise components are averaged out, so that the probability of detecting the correct data transmitted is maximized.

Couvillon, L. A., Jr.↗

Signal-to-noise ratios in coherent soft limiters

Expressions for the output signal-to-noise power ratio of a bandpass soft limiter followed by a coherent detection device are presented and discussed. It is found that a significant improvement in the output signal-to-noise ratio at low input SNRs can be achieved by such soft limiters as compared to hard limiters. This indicates that the soft limiter may be of some use in the area of threshold extension. Approximation methods for determining output signal-to-noise spectral densities are also presented.

Lesh, J. R.↗

Comparing bandwidth requirements for digital baseband signals.

This paper describes the relative bandwidth requirements of the common digital baseband signaling techniques used for data transmission. Bandwidth considerations include the percentage of total power in a properly encoded PN sequence passed at bandwidths of 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 times the reciprocal of the bit interval. The signals considered in this study are limited to the binary class. The study compares such signaling techniques as delay modulation, bipolar, biternary, duobinary, pair selected ternary and time polarity control in addition to the conventional NRZ, RZ and BI-phi schemes.

Houts, R. C.↗

A note on signal enhancement for dual magnetometer systems.

Demonstration of the value of cross-correlation signal enhancement achieved by means of a dual magnetometer system. A unique feature of a dual magnetometer system is, as pointed out by Ness et al. (1971), the opportunity it allows for signal enhancement by using cross-correlation techniques developed in statistical communication theory. Their use is shown to make it possible to overcome the limitations that the intrinsic sensor ambient noise and the measurement-contaminating spacecraft field fluctuations impose upon the signal detection performance of a single magnetometer.

Ness, N. F.↗