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At least 829 records · Page 46

New millimeter-wave diagnostics to locally probe internal density and magnetic field fluctuations in National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (invited)

A set of new millimeter-wave diagnostics will deliver unique measurement capabilities for National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade to address a variety of plasma instabilities believed to be important in determining thermal and particle transport, such as micro-tearing, global Alfvén eigenmodes, kinetic ballooning, trapped electron, and electron temperature gradient modes. These diagnostics include a new integrated intermediate-k Doppler backscattering (DBS) and cross-polarization scattering (CPS) system (four channels, 82.5–87 GHz) to measure density and magnetic fluctuations, respectively. The system can access reasonably large normalized wavenumbers k θ ρ s ranging from ≤0.5 to 15 (where ion sound gyroradius ρ s = 1 cm and k θ is the binormal density turbulence wavenumber). The system addresses the challenges for making useful DBS/CPS measurements with a remote control of launch polarization (X- or O-mode), probed wavenumber, polarization match of the launch beam with the edge magnetic field pitch angle, and beam steering of the launched beam for wave-vector alignment. In addition, a low-k DBS system consisting of eight fixed frequencies (34–52 GHz) and four tunable frequencies (55–75 GHz) for low-k density turbulence and fast ion physics will be located at a nearby port location. Finally, the combined systems cover the near LCFS and pedestal regions (34–52 GHz), the pedestal or mid-radius (50–75 GHz), and core plasmas (82.5–87 GHz).

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

A method for estimation of atmospheric water vapor profiles by microwave radiometry

Simultaneous measurements of microwave emission from the earth, in the oxygen band near 60 GHz, and the water vapor line near 183 GHz are conducted to determine the atmospheric temperature as a function of the pressure and the water vapor burden, and a combination of these two profiles yields a profile of water vapor burden versus pressure. Numerical simulations are developed by using temperature and water vapor profiles from subtropical and midlatitude radiosonde stations, and by assuming surface reflectivities typical of either land or ocean. Over a land surface, the residual rms errors in the estimated water vapor burden profile between 300 and 1000 mb are determined to range from 23 to 43% of the a priori standard deviation of water vapor burden for the corresponding climate. The relative humidity profile is also estimated and found to contain rms errors ranging from 4 to 17% of saturation. Over a seawater surface, using three additional channels of 18.5, 22.2, and 31.7 GHz, the corresponding results are found to be 3-46% of the a priori standard deviation for water vapor burden and 4-15% rms error for relative humidity.

Rosenkranz, P. W.↗

Precise Absolute Astrometry from the VLBA Imaging and Polarimetry Survey at 5 GHz

We present accurate positions for 857 sources derived from the astrometric analysis of 16 eleven-hour experiments from the Very Long Baseline Array imaging and polarimetry survey at 5 GHz (VIPS). Among the observed sources, positions of 430 objects were not previously determined at milliarcsecond-level accuracy. For 95% of the sources the uncertainty of their positions ranges from 0.3 to 0.9 mas, with a median value of 0.5 mas. This estimate of accuracy is substantiated by the comparison of positions of 386 sources that were previously observed in astrometric programs simultaneously at 2.3/8.6 GHz. Surprisingly, the ionosphere contribution to group delay was adequately modeled with the use of the total electron content maps derived from GPS observations and only marginally affected estimates of source coordinates.

Petrov, L.↗

Small Aperture Telescopes for the Simons Observatory

The Simons Observatory (SO) is an upcoming cosmic microwave background(CMB) experiment located on Cerro Toco, Chile, that will map the microwave sky in temperature and polarization in six frequency bands spanning 27 to 285 GHz. SO will consist of one 6-meter Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) fielding∼30,000 detectors and an array of three 0.42-meter Small Aperture Telescopes (SATs) fielding an additional 30,000 detectors. This synergy will allow for the extremely sensitive characterization of the CMB over an-gular scales ranging from an arcmin to tens of degrees, enabling a wide range of scientific output. Here we focus on the SATs targeting degree angular scales with successive dichroic instruments observing at Mid-Frequency (MF: 93/145 GHz), Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF:225/285 GHz), and Low-Frequency (LF: 27/39 GHz). The three SATs will be able to map∼10% of the sky to a noise level of∼2 μK-arcmin when combining 93 and 145 GHz. The multiple frequency bands will allow the CMB to be separated from galactic foregrounds (primarily synchrotron and dust), with the primary science goal of characterizing the primordial tensor-to-scalar ratio, r, at a target level ofσ(r)≈0.003.

Small aperature telescope↗

A search for 183-GHz emission from water in late-type stars

A search was made for 183 GHz line emission from water vapor in the direction of twelve Mira and two semiregular variables. Upper limits to the emission are in the range of 2000 to 5000 Jy. It is estimated that thermal emission from the inner regions of late type stellar envelopes will be on the order of ten Jy. Maser emission, according to one model, would be an order of magnitude stronger. From the limited set sampled, the possibility of very strong maser emission at 183 GHz cannot yet be ruled out.

Kuiper, T. B. H.↗

A search for 183 GHz emission from water in late-type stars

A search was made for 183 GHz line emission from water vapor in the direction of twelve Mira and two semiregular variables. Upper limits to the emission are in the range of 2000 to 5000 Jy. It is estimated that thermal emission from the inner regions of late type stellar envelopes will be on the order of ten Jy. Maser emission, according to one model, would be an order of magnitude stronger. From the limited set sampled, the possibility of very strong maser emission at 183 GHz cannot yet be ruled out.

Kuiper, T. B. H.↗

2nd Generation Airborne Precipitation Radar (APR-2)

Dual-frequency operation with Ku-band (13.4 GHz) and Ka-band (35.6 GHz). Geometry and frequencies chosen to simulate GPM radar. Measures reflectivity at co- and cross-polarizations, and Doppler. Range resolution is approx. 60 m. Horizontal resolution at surface is approx. 1 km. Reflectivity calibration is within 1.5 dB, based on 10 deg sigmaO at Ku-band and Mie scattering calculations in light rain at Ka-band. LDR measurements are OK to near -20 dB; LDR lower than this is likely contaminated by system cross-polarization isolation. Velocity is motion-corrected total Doppler, including particle fall speed. Aliasing can be seen in some places; can usually be dealiased with an algorithm. .

Ku-band (13.4 GHz)↗

Coherent terahertz radiation with 2.8-octave tunability through chip-scale photomixed microresonator optical parametric oscillation

High-spectral-purity frequency-agile room-temperature sources in the terahertz spectrum are foundational elements for imaging, sensing, metrology, and communications. Here we present a chip-scale optical parametric oscillator based on an integrated nonlinear microresonator that provides broadly tunable single-frequency and multi-frequency oscillators in the terahertz regime. Through optical-to-terahertz down-conversion using a plasmonic nanoantenna array, coherent terahertz radiation spanning 2.8-octaves is achieved from 330 GHz to 2.3 THz, with ≈20 GHz cavity-mode-limited frequency tuning step and ≈10 MHz intracavity-mode continuous frequency tuning range at each step. By controlling the microresonator intracavity power and pump-resonance detuning, tunable multi-frequency terahertz oscillators are also realized. Furthermore, by stabilizing the microresonator pump power and wavelength, sub-100 Hz linewidth of the terahertz radiation with 10 –15 residual frequency instability is demonstrated. The room-temperature generation of both single-frequency, frequency-agile terahertz radiation and multi-frequency terahertz oscillators in the chip-scale platform offers unique capabilities in metrology, sensing, imaging and communications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

2.6GHz SRF Cavity Tuner for DarkPhoton Experiment [Poster]

There are several experiments ongoing at FNAL that require frequency tuning of bare (undressed) SRF cavities when they are cooled down and operated inside dilution refrigerator. One of these experiments is for the search of dark photons using a 2.6 GHz SRF cavity. The limited heat capacity of a dilution refrigerator prevents using a stepper motor for an SRF cavity tuner. The tuner for the 2.6 GHz SRF cavity will be equipped with encapsulated piezo actuators that will deliver long and short-range frequency tuning. Design of the tuner and results of the testing cavity/tuner system at ambient environment and at T = 77 K will be presented.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The design of an ultra-low sidelobe offset-fed 1.22m antenna for use in the broadcasting satellite service

A feed design and reflector geometry were determined for an ultra low sidelobe offset fed 1.22 meter antenna suitable for use in the 12 GHz broadcasting satellite service. Arbitrary constraints used to evaluate the relative merits of the feed horns and range of f/D geometries are: minimum efficiency of 55 percent, -30 dB first sidelobe level (relative to on axis gain), a 0 dBi plateau beyond the near in sidelobe region, and a Chebyshev polynomial based envelope (borrowed from filter theory) for the region from the -3 dB beamwidth points to the 0 dBi plateau region. This envelope is extremely stringent but the results of this research effort indicate that two steps of corrugated feed and a cluster array of small 1 lambda horns do meet the constraints. A set of performance specifications and a mechanical design suitable for a consumer oriented market in the broadcasting satellite service was developed. Costs for production quantities of 10,000 units/yr. are estimated to be around $150.

Janky, J. M.↗

Development of components for submillimeter wave heterodyne radiometers at JPL

Components for the key elements of submillimeter wave heterodyne receivers are described. The devices and components are inherently space qualifiable having low power and mass needs and exhibiting robustness. Nb and NbN superconductor insulator superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions are selected for the nonlinear mixing element because of their robustness. NbN exhibits a large superconducting bandgap, allowing operation in excess of 1500 GHz. Both waveguide mounts, for the lower frequencies and planar antenna mixer mounts for the higher frequency range, are used. Quasi-optical components are used for frequency multiplexing and combining.

Frerking, Margaret A.↗

Radar measurements of melt zones on the Greenland Ice Sheet

Surface-based microwave radar measurements were performed at a location on the western flank of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Here, firn metamorphasis is dominated by seasonal melt, which leads to marked contrasts in the vertical structure of winter and summer firn. This snow regime is also one of the brightest radar targets on Earth with an average backscatter coefficient of 0 dB at 5.3 GHz and an incidence angle of 25 deg. By combining detailed observations of firn physical properties with ranging radar measurements we find that the glaciological mechanism associated with this strong electromagnetic response is summer ice lens formation within the previous winter's snow pack. This observation has important implications for monitoring and understanding changes in ice sheet volume using spaceborne microwave sensors.

Jezek, Kenneth C.↗

Polarimetric measurements of sea surface brightness temperatures using an aircraft K-band radiometer

This paper presents the first experimental evidence that the polarimetric brightness temperatures of sea surfaces are sensitive to ocean wind direction in the incidence angle range of 30 to 50 degrees. Our experimental data were collected by a K-band (19.35 GHz) polarimetric wind radiometer (WINDRAD) mounted on the NASA DC-8 aircraft. A set of aircraft radiometer flights was successfully completed in November 1993. We performed circle flights over National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) moored buoys deployed off the northern California coast, which provided ocean wind measurements. The first WINDRAD flight was made on November 4, 1993. There was clear weather with a wind speed of 12 m/s at 330 degrees around the Pt. Arena buoy. We circled the buoy at three incidence angles, and all data when plotted as functions of azimuth angles show clear modulations of several Kelvin. At 40 degrees incidence angle, there is a 5 Kelvin peak-to-peak signal in the second Stokes parameter Q and the third Stokes parameter U. The Q data maximum is in the upwind direction and U has a 45 degrees phase shift in azimuth as predicted by theory. There is also an up/downwind asymmetry of 2 Kelvin in the Q data, and 1 Kelvin in the U data. At 50 degrees incidence angle, the collected data show very similar wind direction signatures to the SSM/I model function. Additional flights were made on other days under cloudy conditions. Data taken at a wind speed of 8 m/s show that at 40 degrees incidence Q and U have a smaller azimuthal modulation of 3 Kelvin, probably due to the lower wind speed. Additionally, the simultaneously recorded video images of sea surfaces suggested that Q and U data were less sensitive to unpolarized geophysical variations, such as clouds and whitecaps, while the T(v) and T(h) increased by a few Kelvin when the radiometer beam crossed over clouds, or there was a sudden increase of whitecaps in the radiometer footprint. The results of our aircraft flights indicate that passive polarimetric radiometry has a strong potential for global ocean wind speed and direction measurements from space.

Yueh, Simon H.↗

The Effect of Clouds on Water Vapor Profiling from the Millimeter-Wave Radiometric Measurements

Simultaneous measurements with the millimeter-wave imaging radiometer (MIR), cloud lidar system (CLS), and the MODIS airborne simulator (MAS) were made aboard the NASA ER-2 aircraft over the western Pacific Ocean on 17-18 January 1993. These measurements were used to study the effects of clouds on water vapor profile retrievals based on millimeter-wave radiometer measurements. The CLS backscatter measurements (at 0.532 and 1.064 am) provided information on the heights and a detailed structure of cloud layers; the types of clouds could be positively identified. All 12 MAS channels (0.6-13 Am) essentially respond to all types of clouds, while the six MIR channels (89-220 GHz) show little sensitivity to cirrus clouds. The radiances from the 12-/Am and 0.875-gm channels of the MAS and the 89-GHz channel of the MIR were used to gauge the performance of the retrieval of water vapor profiles from the MIR observations under cloudy conditions. It was found that, for cirrus and absorptive (liquid) clouds, better than 80% of the retrieval was convergent when one of the three criteria was satisfied; that is, the radiance at 0.875 Am is less than 100 W/cm.sr, or the brightness at 12 Am is greater than 260 K, or brightness at 89 GHz is less than 270 K (equivalent to cloud liquid water of less than 0.04 g/cm). The range of these radiances for convergent retrieval increases markedly when the condition for convergent retrieval was somewhat relaxed. The algorithm of water vapor profiling from the MIR measurements could not perform adequately over the areas of storm-related clouds that scatter radiation at millimeter wavelengths.

Wang, J. R.↗

Determining the Cosmic Distance Scale from Interferometric Measurements of the Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich Effect

The distances to eighteen galaxy clusters are determined, with redshifts ranging from z approx. 0.14 to z approx. 0.78 from a maximum likelihood joint analysis of 30 GHz interferometric Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) and X-ray observations. We model the intracluster medium (ICM) using a spherical isothermal beta model. We quantify the statistical and systematic uncertainties inherent to these direct distance measurements, and we determine constraints on the Hubble parameter for three different cosmologies. These distances imply a Hubble constant of 60((sup +4+13)(sub -4-18)) km s(exp -1) megaparsec(exp -1) for an Omega(sub M) = 0.3, Omega(sub Lambda) = 0.7 cosmology, where the uncertainties correspond to statistical followed by systematic at 68% confidence. With a sample of eighteen clusters, systematic uncertainties clearly dominate. The systematics are observationally approachable and will be addressed in the coming years through the current generation of X-ray satellites (Chandra & XMIM-Newton) and radio observatories (OVRO (Owens Valley Radio Observatory), BIMA (Berkeley Illinois Maryland Association), & VLA (Very Large Array)). Analysis of high redshift clusters detected in future SZE and X-ray surveys will allow a determination of the geometry of the universe from SZE determined distances.

Reese, Erik D.↗

Testing of the 2.6 GHz SRF Cavity Tuner for the Dark Photon Experiment at 2 K

At FNAL two single cell 2.6 GHz SRF cavities are being used to search for dark photons, the experiment can be conducted at 2 K or in a dilution refrigerator. Precise frequency tuning is required for these two cavities so they can be matched in frequency. A cooling capacity constraint on the dilution refrigerator only allows piezo actuators to be part of the design of the 2.6 GHz cavity tuner. The tuner is equipped with three encapsulated piezos that deliver long and short-range frequency tuning. Modifications were implemented on the first tuner design due to the low forces on the piezos caused by the cavity. Three brass rods with Belleville washers were added to the design to increase the overall force on the piezos. The testing results at 2 K are presented with the original design tuner and with the modification.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Rapid spectral and flux time variations in a solar burst observed at various dm-mm wavelengths and at hard X-rays

A solar burst was observed with high sensitivity and time resolution at cm-mm wavelengths by two different radio observatories (Itapetinga and Algonquin), with high spectral time resolution at dm-mm wavelengths by patrol instruments (Sagamore Hill), and at hard X-rays (HXM Hinotori). At the onset of the major burst time structure there was a rapid rise in the spectral turnover frequency (from 5 to 15 GHz), in about 10s, coincident to a reduction of the spectral index in the optically thin part of the spectrum. The burst maxima were not time coincident at the optically thin radio frequencies and at the different hard X-ray energy ranges. The profiles at higher radio frequencies exhibited better time coincidence to the high energy X-rays. The hardest X-ray spectrum (-3) coincided with peak radio emission at the higher frequency (44 GHz). The event appeared to be built up by a first major injection of softer particles followed by other injections of harder particles. Ultrafast time structures were identified as superimposed on the burst emission at the cm-mm high sensitivity data at X-rays, with predominant repetition rates ranging from 2.0 to 3.5 Hz.

Zodivaz, A. M.↗

A SETI Search of Nearby Solar-Type Stars at the 203-GHz Positronium Hyperfine Resonance

The development of advanced millimeter-wave technology has made it possible to construct low-noise receivers and high-power transmitters comparable to those available at much lower frequencies. This technology, plus certain physical characteristics of the millimeter-wave spectrum, suggests possible advantages for use of this wavelength range for interstellar communications. As a result, a Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence(SETI) type search has been conducted for narrow-bandwidth signals at frequencies near the positronium hyperfine spectral line (203.385 GHz), a potential natural reference frequency. A total of 40 solar-type stars within 23 parsecs were observed, in addition to three locations near the galactic center. No detections were made at the detection threshold of 2.3 x 10(exp -19) W/sq m in each of two orthogonal linear polarizations Future observations will be made with a higher resolution Fast Fourier Transform Spectrum Analyzer (FFTSA), which should improve sensitivity by an order of magnitude and reduce required observing time.

Steffes, Paul G.↗