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At least 955 records · Page 53

Coding tradeoffs for improved performance of FH/MFSK systems in partial band noise

Partial band noise jamming can severely degrade the performance of frequency-hopped, M-ary frequency-shift keyed communciation systems. This paper illustrates the tradeoffs between channel coding, diversity, and block orthogonal (MFSK) modulation as a means of overcoming the advantage of worst case, non-adaptive (as opposed to repeat-back) partial band jamming. For ease of computation, the analysis relies on exponentially tight error bounds, and is based on a noncoherent detection metric that requires jamming state information for each hop. A more robust, less complex receiver structure which eliminates the jamming knowledge requirement is shown to degrade performance less than 2-1/2 dB. The coding tradeoffs discussed in this report are exemplified in the design of a hypothetical 32 kb/s military frequency-hopped communication link.

Levitt, B. K.↗

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor comparison characteristics

Advantages and limitations of the AVHRR multichannel sea surface temperature (MCSST) detecting technique using NOAA satellites are discussed. The error characteristics of MCSST's from statistical tables and regional AVHRR error characteristics from global anomaly charts are also discussed. Some soruces of errors and positive findings are reviewed.

Mcclain, E. P.↗

Robust detection, isolation and accommodation for sensor failures

The objective is to extend the recent advances in robust control system design of multivariable systems to sensor failure detection, isolation, and accommodation (DIA), and estimator design. This effort provides analysis tools to quantify the trade-off between performance robustness and DIA sensitivity, which are to be used to achieve higher levels of performance robustness for given levels of DIA sensitivity. An innovations-based DIA scheme is used. Estimators, which depend upon a model of the process and process inputs and outputs, are used to generate these innovations. Thresholds used to determine failure detection are computed based on bounds on modeling errors, noise properties, and the class of failures. The applicability of the newly developed tools are demonstrated on a multivariable aircraft turbojet engine example. A new concept call the threshold selector was developed. It represents a significant and innovative tool for the analysis and synthesis of DiA algorithms. The estimators were made robust by introduction of an internal model and by frequency shaping. The internal mode provides asymptotically unbiased filter estimates.The incorporation of frequency shaping of the Linear Quadratic Gaussian cost functional modifies the estimator design to make it suitable for sensor failure DIA. The results are compared with previous studies which used thresholds that were selcted empirically. Comparison of these two techniques on a nonlinear dynamic engine simulation shows improved performance of the new method compared to previous techniques

Emami-Naeini, A.↗

Optical Identification of Quasar 0917+7122 in the Direction of an Extreme-Ultraviolet Source

We report the optical identification of an R = 18.3 mag, z = 2.432 quasar at the position of a 6 cm radio source and a faint ROSAT PSPC X-ray source. The quasar lies within the error circles of unidentified extreme-UV (EUV) detections by the EUVE and ROSAT WFC all-sky surveys at approximately 400 A and approximately 150 A, respectively. A 21 cm H I emission measurement in the direction of the quasar with a 21'-diameter beam yields a total H I column density of N(sub H) = 3.3 x 10(exp 20) /sq cm, two orders of magnitude higher than the maximum allowed for transparency through the Galaxy in the EUV The source of the EUV flux is therefore probably nearby (approximately < 100 pc), and unrelated to the quasar.

Maoz, D.↗

Real-Time Imaging of Ground Cover: Relationships with Radiation Capture, Canopy Photosynthesis, and Daily Growth Rate

Cumulative absorbed radiation is highly correlated with crop biomass and yield. In this chapter we describe the use of a digital camera and commercial imaging software for estimating daily radiation capture, canopy photosynthesis, and relative growth rate. Digital images were used to determine percentage of ground cover of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) communities grown at five temperatures. Plants were grown in a steady-state, 10-chamber CO2 gas exchange system, which was used to measure canopy photosynthesis and daily carbon gain. Daily measurements of percentage of ground cover were highly correlated with daily measurements of both absorbed radiation (r(sup 2) = 0.99) and daily carbon gain (r(sup 2) = 0.99). Differences among temperature treatments indicated that these relationships were influenced by leaf angle, leaf area index, and chlorophyll content. An analysis of the daily images also provided good estimates of relative growth rates, which were verified by gas exchange measurements of daily carbon gain. In a separate study we found that images taken at hourly intervals were effective for monitoring real-time growth. Our data suggests that hourly images can be used for early detection of plant stress. Applications, limitations, and potential errors are discussed. We have long known that crop yield is determined by the efficiency of four component processes: (i) radiation capture, (ii) quantum yield, (iii) carbon use efficiency, and (iv) carbon partitioning efficiency (Charles-Edwards, 1982; Penning de Vries & van Laar, 1982; Thornley, 1976). More than one-half century ago, Watson (1947, 1952) showed that variation in radiation capture accounted for almost all of the variation in yield between sites in temperate regions, because the three other components are relatively constant when the crop is not severely stressed. More recently, Monteith (1977) reviewed the literature on the close correlation between radiation capture and yield. Bugbee and Monje (1992) demonstrated the close relationship between absorbed radiation and yield in an optimal environment.

Klassen, S. P.↗

Reliability Characterization of TaOx-Based Commercial ReRAM in Combination with Radiation

We present reliability data combined with total dose gamma radiation for one of the first commercially available resistive memory devices. These Tantalum Oxide (TaOX)-based resistive memory chips demonstrate operation in dynamic program and erase testing up to ~130 Krad(Si) of 60Co gamma dose. In static and unbiased conditions, the stored data in the memory cells were able to withstand up to 50Mrad(Si) of exposure. The access circuitry, though, seemed less robust to gamma radiation and was able to operate only up to a total dose of 3Mrad(Si). Post exposure reliability as indicated by endurance, cycling error rate, and data retention tests showed no detectable impact from the combination with prior gamma irradiation. Overall, the total dose radiation tolerance of the commercial TaOx-based resistive memory chip appears to be higher than flash memory chips and in agreement with prior tests conducted with single cell resistive memories.

total ionizing dose↗

Spacecraft Smoke Detector Characterization with Reference and Smoke Aerosols

Performance testing of consumer smoke detectors requires specific facilities and experiments with smoldering and flaming emissions from different fuels. Smoke detectors for use in spacecraft are tested using similar setups with representative fuel materials. To simplify smoke detector testing, this study explored the use of laboratory-generated reference aerosols as transfer standards to evaluate smoke detector performance. Among the three tested reference aerosols, mineral oil particles were reproducibly generated with a Gemini smoke detector tester, dioctyl sebacate (DOS) particles were generated with a wide concentration range and flexible size distributions using an atomizer, while polystyrene latex(PSL) particles were difficult to produce with the high concentrations needed for smoke detector testing. Reference aerosols generated from 1.5%–100% DOS solutions and mineral oil covered the response range of six types of smoke aerosols generated by oxidative pyrolysis of spacecraft-relevant materials. Although no single reference aerosol can be used to simulate the response of different smoke detection technologies to different smoke aerosols within ±10% error, the relationship between reference and smoke aerosols derived from this study can be used to predict smoke detector responses to combustion aerosols.

Smoke↗

Estimating Bare Earth in Sparse Boreal Forests With WorldView Stereo Imagery

Circumboreal forests are currently experiencing rapid climate warming which is altering their structure, productivity, and status as a carbon sink. Very-high resolution (VHR, <2 m) stereo derived digital surface models are available to monitor these forests, but, a similar resolution digital terrain model (DTM) is required to extract information about tree height, which is often used to estimate carbon content. To our knowledge, no openly available VHR DTM currently exists. To address this need, we developed approaches to extract DTMs by filtering VHR stereo point clouds (PCs) in sparse canopies of Alaska. Our evaluation consisted of two stereo processing methods with three PC search radii, at six different tree canopy cover (TCC) intervals. We found VHR DTMs were robust for estimating bare ground at TCC intervals less than 40% with vertical errors <1.6 m using airborne small footprint light detection and ranging (LiDAR) as reference.

Christopher S R Neigh↗

Estimating Bare Earth in Sparse Boreal Forests With WorldView Stereo Imagery

Circumboreal forests are currently experiencing rapid climate warming which is altering their structure, productivity, and status as a carbon sink. Very-high resolution (VHR, <2 m) stereo derived digital surface models are available to monitor these forests, but, a similar resolution digital terrain model (DTM) is required to extract information about tree height, which is often used to estimate carbon content. To our knowledge, no openly available VHR DTM currently exists. To address this need, we developed approaches to extract DTMs by filtering VHR stereo point clouds (PCs) in sparse canopies of Alaska. Our evaluation consisted of two stereo processing methods with three PC search radii, at six different tree canopy cover (TCC) intervals. We found VHR DTMs were robust for estimating bare ground at TCC intervals less than 40% with vertical errors <1.6 m using airborne small footprint light detection and ranging (LiDAR) as reference.

Christopher S. R. Neigh↗

How Well Will MODIS Measure Top of Atmosphere Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing?

The new generation of satellite sensors such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) will be able to detect and characterize global aerosols with an unprecedented accuracy. The question remains whether this accuracy will be sufficient to narrow the uncertainties in our estimates of aerosol radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere. Satellite remote sensing detects aerosol optical thickness with the least amount of relative error when aerosol loading is high. Satellites are less effective when aerosol loading is low. We use the monthly mean results of two global aerosol transport models to simulate the spatial distribution of smoke aerosol in the Southern Hemisphere during the tropical biomass burning season. This spatial distribution allows us to determine that 87-94% of the smoke aerosol forcing at the top of the atmosphere occurs in grid squares with sufficient signal to noise ratio to be detectable from space. The uncertainty of quantifying the smoke aerosol forcing in the Southern Hemisphere depends on the uncertainty introduced by errors in estimating the background aerosol, errors resulting from uncertainties in surface properties and errors resulting from uncertainties in assumptions of aerosol properties. These three errors combine to give overall uncertainties of 1.5 to 2.2 Wm-2 (21-56%) in determining the Southern Hemisphere smoke aerosol forcing at the top of the atmosphere. The range of values depend on which estimate of MODIS retrieval uncertainty is used, either the theoretical calculation (upper bound) or the empirical estimate (lower bound). Strategies that use the satellite data to derive flux directly or use the data in conjunction with ground-based remote sensing and aerosol transport models can reduce these uncertainties.

Remer, Lorraine A.↗

Trajectory Prediction Accuracy and Error Sources for Regional Jet Descents: Results of a 2010 Flight Trial at Denver International Airport using SkyWest Revenue Flights - Part II

The Efficient Descent Advisor (EDA) controller automation tool generates trajectory-based speed, path, and altitude-profile advisories to facilitate efficient, continuous descents into congested terminal airspace. While prior field trials have assessed the trajectory prediction accuracy for large jet (i.e., Boeing and Airbus) types, smaller (i.e., regional and business) jet types present unique challenges involving different descent procedures and Flight Management System (FMS) capabilities. This paper quantifies the trajectory prediction accuracy for small jet revenue flight descents based on SkyWest Canadair Regional Jet 200, 700, and 900 aircraft arrivals to Denver in the fall of 2010. Post flight test data analysis and SkyWest pilot interviews uncovered unexpected variation between flight crews due to different interpretations of (1) which fixed flight path angle (FPA) to fly based on the flight trial procedure and (2) how to fly the descent to achieve the target FPA. Pilot reports were used to select a subset of flights where pilots indicated an FPA according to the flight trial procedure to remove the unexpected variation due to (1) to focus on (2). Results for the subset for en-route descents, from prior to top of descent to the meter fix 30 to 130 nmi downstream, indicate that aircraft arrived to the meter fix six seconds early with about a twelve second standard deviation. Large FPA errors up to one degree relative to the EDA flight trial procedure were detected after the flight trial as a characteristic of the unexpected variation. It is recommended that quantitative validation be performed during future flight trials so that experimental procedures can be adjusted if unexpected results are detected.

Field Test Results↗

A Suzaku Observation of the Neutral Fe-line Emission from RCW 86

The newly operational X-ray satellite Suzaku observed the supernova remnant (SNR) RCW 86 in February 2006 to study the nature of the 6.4 keV emission line first detected with the Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astronomy (ASCA). The new data confirms the existence of the line, localizing it for the first time inside a low temperature emission region and not at the locus of the continuum hard X-ray emission. We also report the first detection of a 7.1 keV line that we interpret as the K(beta) emission from neutral or low-ionized iron. The Fe-K line features are consistent with a non-equilibrium plasma of Fe-rich ejecta with n(sub e) less than or approx. equal to 10(exp 9)/cu cm s and kT(sub e) > 1 keV. We found a sign that Fe K(alpha) line is intrinsically broadened 47 (35-57) eV (99% error region). Cr-K line is also marginally detected, which is supporting the ejecta origin for the Fe-K line. By showing that the hard continuum above 3 keV has different spatial distribution from the Fe-K line, we confirmed it to be synchrotron X-ray emission.

Ueno, Masaru↗

Modeling the Swift BAT Trigger Algorithm with Machine Learning

To draw inferences about gamma-ray burst (GRB) source populations based on Swift observations, it is essential to understand the detection efficiency of the Swift burst alert telescope (BAT). This study considers the problem of modeling the Swift BAT triggering algorithm for long GRBs, a computationally expensive procedure, and models it using machine learning algorithms. A large sample of simulated GRBs from Lien et al. (2014) is used to train various models: random forests, boosted decision trees (with AdaBoost), support vector machines, and artificial neural networks. The best models have accuracies of approximately greater than 97% (approximately less than 3% error), which is a significant improvement on a cut in GRB flux which has an accuracy of 89:6% (10:4% error). These models are then used to measure the detection efficiency of Swift as a function of redshift z, which is used to perform Bayesian parameter estimation on the GRB rate distribution. We find a local GRB rate density of eta(sub 0) approximately 0.48(+0.41/-0.23) Gpc(exp -3) yr(exp -1) with power-law indices of eta(sub 1) approximately 1.7(+0.6/-0.5) and eta(sub 2) approximately -5.9(+5.7/-0.1) for GRBs above and below a break point of z(sub 1) approximately 6.8(+2.8/-3.2). This methodology is able to improve upon earlier studies by more accurately modeling Swift detection and using this for fully Bayesian model fitting. The code used in this is analysis is publicly available online.

gamma rays: general↗

Fault Detection and Diagnosis in Spacecraft Electrical Power Systems

The ability to accurately identify and isolate failures in the electrical power system (EPS) is critical to ensure the reliability of spacecraft. This paper proposes a novel solution to the problem of fault detection and diagnosis in direct current (DC) electric power systems for spacecraft. Autonomous operation becomes essential during deep space missions that lack the ability to monitor and control the spacecraft from ground locations. The current state of EPS fault supervision is insufficient to guarantee highly reliable operation. To solve this issue, a combination of model-based and knowledge-based techniques are used in a hierarchical framework to improve the diagnostic performance of the system. Noise, disturbances, and modeling errors are considered in the design of the fault detection system. Practical considerations related to spacecraft flight hardware and software are accounted for in the system design for flight applications. To assess the functionality of the design, a wide array of failures are simulated in a series of experiments. The experiments showed that the technique improved the capability of the autonomous system by increasing the number of fault types diagnosed. The significance of this study is to provide a framework capable of advanced diagnostics of an EPS with little to no interaction from human operators.

Autonomous Power Systems↗

Multiple symbol partially coherent detection of MPSK

It is shown that by using the known (or estimated) value of carrier tracking loop signal to noise ratio (SNR) in the decision metric, it is possible to improve the error probability performance of a partially coherent multiple phase-shift-keying (MPSK) system relative to that corresponding to the commonly used ideal coherent decision rule. Using a maximum-likeihood approach, an optimum decision metric is derived and shown to take the form of a weighted sum of the ideal coherent decision metric (i.e., correlation) and the noncoherent decision metric which is optimum for differential detection of MPSK. The performance of a receiver based on this optimum decision rule is derived and shown to provide continued improvement with increasing length of observation interval (data symbol sequence length). Unfortunately, increasing the observation length does not eliminate the error floor associated with the finite loop SNR. Nevertheless, in the limit of infinite observation length, the average error probability performance approaches the algebraic sum of the error floor and the performance of ideal coherent detection, i.e., at any error probability above the error floor, there is no degradation due to the partial coherence. It is shown that this limiting behavior is virtually achievable with practical size observation lengths. Furthermore, the performance is quite insensitive to mismatch between the estimate of loop SNR (e.g., obtained from measurement) fed to the decision metric and its true value. These results may be of use in low-cost Earth-orbiting or deep-space missions employing coded modulations.

Simon, M. K.↗

Erratum to: Data Fusion to Support Integrated Nuclear Detonation Detection [Slides]

The original document (LA-UR-22-29547) contained minor equation errors that approximate correct equations that couple the multi-sensor, serial system detector thresholds for a seismic Rayleigh wave detector and an acoustic energy detector. Those errors appeared on slides 62-67. This erratum associates the following slides with the erroneous slides. The numbers of the erroneous slides are marked at the upper right in small text in orange. A result of those errors over-predict the performance of the two-sensor serial network, that is, the former document provides an optimistic estimate of system performance.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Precision measurement of relative γ-ray intensities from the decay of 61Cu

A discrepancy, well outside reported uncertainties, has been observed between the accepted and measured values of the intensity ratio of the two strongest γ-ray following 61 Cu β + decay. This discrepancy has significant impact since the nat Ni(d,x) 61 Cu reaction has historically been one of only a few IAEA recommendations for use as a deuteron flux monitor and a considerable number of published cross sections measured in ratio to that beam monitor cross section may depend on the choice of either the first or second strongest ray in those calculations. To determine the magnitude of this error most precisely, over a hundred separate measurements of the 283 keV to 656 keV γ-ray emission ratio were collected from seven experiments and a variety of detectors and detection geometries. A weighted average of all these measurements indicates an error in the value listed in the Nuclear Data Sheets of 11% in either the primary or second-highest intensity γ-ray of 61 Cu, potentially introducing an 11% error in 61 Cu production cross section measurements, cross sections using nickel activation as a deuteron beam current monitor, or in dose rates when 61 Cu is used in nuclear medicine. General agreement with the Data Sheets with ten other intensity ratios suggests the most probable error is in the secondary (656 keV) emission, which accordingly should be updated from 10.8% to 9.69%.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗