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At least 109 records · Page 6

Benchmark Problem for Autonomous Urban Air Mobility

This paper introduces a Community Benchmark Problem (CBP) for Intelligent Contingency Management (ICM) for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft. The CBP aims to provide a common framework for measuring and comparing the progress of autonomy solutions for UAM aircraft in handling emergency situations. The paper proposes a methodology for defining and quantifying five measures of complexity that capture the challenges and requirements of ICM for UAM: Mission, Environmental, Autonomy, Decision-Making, and Mission Fault. In addition, it proposes a methodology for defining and quantifying mission risk acceptability with the same goals: Contingency Management, Mission Success, Operational, Mission Redefinition, and Environmental. We describe how to use these measures to track progress of the development of ICM capability, as well as to create scenarios and evaluate the performance of different autonomy solutions.

autonomy↗

Community Benchmark Problem for Intelligent Contingency Management

This paper introduces a Community Benchmark Problem (CBP) for Intelligent Contingency Management (ICM) for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft. The CBP aims to provide a common framework for measuring and comparing the progress of autonomy solutions for UAM aircraft in handling emergency situations. The paper proposes a methodology for defining and quantifying five measures of complexity that capture the challenges and requirements of ICM for UAM: Mission, Environmental, Autonomy, Decision-Making, and Mission Fault. In addition, it proposes a methodology for defining and quantifying mission risk acceptability with the same goals: Contingency Management, Mission Success, Operational, Mission Redefinition, and Environmental. We describe how to use these measures to track progress of the development of ICM capability, as well as to create scenarios and evaluate the performance of different autonomy solutions.

autonomy↗

Automatic Detection of Large-scale Flux Ropes and Their Geoeffectiveness with a Machine-learning Approach

Detecting large-scale flux ropes (FRs) embedded in interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and assessing their geoeffectiveness are essential, since they can drive severe space weather. At 1 au, these FRs have an average duration of 1 day. Their most common magnetic features are large, smoothly rotating magnetic fields. Their manual detection has become a relatively common practice over decades, although visual detection can be time-consuming and subject to observer bias. Our study proposes a pipeline that utilizes two supervised binary classification machine-learning models trained with solar wind magnetic properties to automatically detect large-scale FRs and additionally determine their geoeffectiveness. The first model is used to generate a list of autodetected FRs. Using the properties of the southward magnetic field, the second model determines the geoeffectiveness of FRs. Our method identifies 88.6% and 80% of large-scale ICMEs (duration 1day) observed at 1au by the Wind and the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory missions, respectively. While testing with continuous solar wind data obtained from Wind, our pipeline detected 56 of the 64 large-scale ICMEs during the 2008–2014 period (recall = 0.875), but also many false positives (precision = 0.56), as we do not take into account any additional solar wind properties other than the magnetic properties. We find an accuracy of 0.88 when estimating the geoeffectiveness of the autodetected FRs using our method. Thus, in space-weather nowcasting and forecasting at L1 or any planetary missions, our pipeline can be utilized to offer a first-order detection of large-scale FRs and their geoeffectiveness.

Sanchita Pal↗

Ion-atom charge-transfer reactions and a hot intercloud medium

An investigation is conducted concerning the ionization equilibrium of carbon in a hot intercloud medium (ICM), taking into account various charge-transfer reactions. Attention is given to problems related to observations of carbon along the lines of sight to several unreddened stars. It is pointed out that the observed underabundance of C III and overabundance of C I can be consistent with the presence of a hot, partially ionized ICM, provided that two of the charge-transfer reactions considered are rapid at thermal energies.

Steigman, G.↗

Theory of the intercluster medium

A set of computer models for the evolution of intercluster matter (ICM) in expanding cosmologies which includes processes of electron impact ionization/excitation, radiative and dielectronic recombination, thermal bremsstrahlung, Compton scattering, and photoionization is presented. The thermal, ionization, and excitation histories of major constituents were found as functions of time, and predictions of emission spectra, the possible distortions of the cosmic 3 K microwave background, and optical depths of absorption troughs in QSO continua at various redshifts were obtained. It is concluded that the present Friedmann cosmology can be dominated by hot intercluster matter which would contain H and He in their cosmic ratio and traces of heavier elements. For a narrow range of parameters it is possible to generate cosmologies with a closure density of ICM which do not exceed the diffuse X-ray measurements. In open cosmologies distortion of the 3 K microwave background occurs, while closed cases show negligible change from the unperturbed spectrum.

Sherman, R. D.↗

Present status of the icy conglomerate model

A brief history of the ice comglomerate model (ICM) of the nuclei of comets is presented. Emphasis is given to the usefulness if the ICM in describing cometary behavior despite its vagueness with respect to the chemical composition and physical structure of cometry nuclei. Alternative theories concerning the relationship between the chemical composition of cometary ices and comet behavior are briefly discussed.

Whipple, F. L.↗

Heterogeneous distributed databases: A case study

Alternatives are reviewed for accessing distributed heterogeneous databases and a recommended solution is proposed. The current study is limited to the Automated Information Systems Center at the Naval Sea Combat Systems Engineering Station at Norfolk, VA. This center maintains two databases located on Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX computers running under the VMS operating system. The first data base, ICMS, resides on a VAX11/780 and has been implemented using VAX DBMS, a CODASYL based system. The second database, CSA, resides on a VAX 6460 and has been implemented using the ORACLE relational database management system (RDBMS). Both databases are used for configuration management within the U.S. Navy. Different customer bases are supported by each database. ICMS tracks U.S. Navy ships and major systems (anti-sub, sonar, etc.). Even though the major systems on ships and submarines have totally different functions, some of the equipment within the major systems are common to both ships and submarines.

Stewart, Tracy R.↗

Algorithms For Segmentation Of Complex-Amplitude SAR Data

Several algorithms implement improved method of segmenting highly speckled, high-resolution, complex-amplitude synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) digitized images into regions, within each backscattering characteristics similar or homogeneous from place to place. Method provides for approximate, deterministic solution by two alternative algorithms almost always converging to local minimums: one, Iterative Conditional Modes (ICM) algorithm, which locally maximizes posterior probability density of region labels; other, Maximum Posterior Marginal (MPM) algorithm, which maximizes posterior marginal density of region labels at each pixel location. ICM algorithm optimizes reconstruction of underlying scene. MPM algorithm minimizes expected number of misclassified pixels, possibly better in remote sensing of natural scenes.

Rignot, Eric J. M.↗

Numerical simulations of bent, disrupted radio jets

We present preliminary results from three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations designed to investigate the physics of jet bending and disruption. The specific scenario considered here involves a mildly supersonic jet crossing a contact discontinuity at the interface between the interstellar medium (ISM) and the intercluster medium (ICM) and then encountering a cross-wind in the ICM. The resultant morphologies show many of the features observed in radio sources including jet flaring, bending, and extended tails.

Loken, Chris↗

The detection of large amounts of cool, x ray absorbing gas in distant clusters of galaxies. What does this mean?

We present an x-ray spectral study of 12 distant (z = 0.17-0.54) rich clusters of galaxies observed with the Einstein Observatory Imaging Proportional Counter. These x-ray spectral data show evidence for substantial excess absorptions beyond those expected in the galaxy, indicating the presence of large amounts of x-ray absorbing cool gas in these distant clusters. The mean value of the excess absorptions corresponds to an absorbing gas column density approximately greater than 10(exp 21)/sq cm. We calculate the x-ray luminosities of the clusters with observed fluxes only in the 0.8-3.5 keV band where the fluxes are less effected by the absorptions, and use the temperature-to-luminosity correlation (known only for nearby clusters) to estimate the temperatures of the hot intracluster medium (ICM) in the distant clusters. These temperature estimates, together with the spectral fits, provide further constraints on the column densities in the individual clusters. For the cluster CL 0016+16, the lower limit on the column density is found to be 8 x 10(exp 20)/sq cm at the 99 percent confidence limit. We also show that the ratio of the temperature obtained from the spectral fit to the temperature expected from the correlation tends to decrease with increasing look-back time, indicating possible temperature evolution of the hot ICM in the recent past. The inclusion of this evolutionary effect further increases the absorptions required in fitting the spectra.

Wang, Qingde↗

What we learn about cooling flows through the study of the 10,000 K gas in clusters

The physical properties of the emission-line nebulae associated with central dominant galaxies in clusters are explored within the context of standard cooling-flow models of the hot ICM. It is pointed out that the properties of the 10,000 K gas are inconsistent with simple theories in which this gas has accreted out of the hot ICM in thermal instabilities within a standard cooling flow atmosphere. Several possible ramifications for our understanding of the properties of clusters and the hot intracluster medium are discussed.

Baum, Stefi A.↗

A shocked-Bz event caused by fast steady flow-slow transient flow interaction

We show that the 25 November 1978 shock pair was caused by the interaction of a fast steady flow with a slow coronal mass ejection in interplanetary space (ICME). It is suggested that the slow ICME may be disconnected from the sun. In addition, a new method to infer the shock angle and Mach number from the observed upstream plasma beta and the jump ratios of proton density and magnetic flux density across a shock is described.

Zhao, X.↗

An X-ray method for detecting substructure in galaxy clusters - Application to Perseus, A2256, Centaurus, Coma, and Sersic 40/6

We use the moments of the X-ray surface brightness distribution to constrain the dynamical state of a galaxy cluster. Using X-ray observations from the Einstein Observatory IPC, we measure the first moment FM, the ellipsoidal orientation angle, and the axial ratio at a sequence of radii in the cluster. We argue that a significant variation in the image centroid FM as a function of radius is evidence for a nonequilibrium feature in the intracluster medium (ICM) density distribution. In simple terms, centroid shifts indicate that the center of mass of the ICM varies with radius. This variation is a tracer of continuing dynamical evolution. For each cluster, we evaluate the significance of variations in the centroid of the IPC image by computing the same statistics on an ensemble of simulated cluster images. In producing these simulated images we include X-ray point source emission, telescope vignetting, Poisson noise, and characteristics of the IPC. Application of this new method to five Abell clusters reveals that the core of each one has significant substructure. In addition, we find significant variations in the orientation angle and the axial ratio for several of the clusters.

Mohr, Joseph J.↗

Searching for cluster magnetic fields in the cooling flows of 0745-191, A2029, and A4059

We have performed sensitive polarimetric radio observations with the Very Large Array (VLA) of three galaxies: PKS 0745-191, PKS 1508+059, and PKS 2354-350, embedded in x-ray cooling flow clusters. High sensitivity, multifrequency maps of all three, along with spectral index and Faraday rotation measure (RM) maps of PKS 1508+059 and PKS 2354-350 are presented. For PKS 1508+059 and PKS 2354-350 models of the electron density of the intracluster medium (ICM) have been used to set lower limits of 0.1 and 2.7 microG, respectively, on the magnetic field in the ICM based on the observed RMs. In an x-ray selected sample of cooling flow clusters with an associated radio source, 57% (8/14) are found to have absolute RMs in excess of 800 radians/sq m. This sample includes the three sources of this study and all the other high RM sources found to date at zeta less than 0.4. These facts are consistent with the high RM phenomenon being produced by magnetic fields associated with the relatively dense, hot x-ray gas in cooling flow clusters.

Taylor, Gregory B.↗

1919+479: Big WAT in a poor cluster

New x-ray, optical, and redshift data are presented for the cluster of galaxies associated with the giant, 1 Mpc diameter, wide-angle tailed (WAT) radio galaxy 1919+479. The ROSAT Position-Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) pointed observation shows an x-ray peak on the WAT and elongated diffuse emission tracing the galaxy distribution. In addition, an asymmetric extension of emission exists between the tails of the WAT. The fitting of a Raymond-Smith thermal model to the x-ray spectra suggests an approximately = 2 keV temperature intracluster medium (ICM). The cooling time and irregular morphology rule out a cluster-wide cooling flow. The x-ray luminosity and temperature are consistent with the velocity dispersion, 480 km/s, estimated from 31 galaxy velocities. However, this velocity distribution is significantly non-Gaussian, which along with the x-ray morphology, suggests incomplete virialization in the cluster. Substructure analysis does not reveal significant clumping in the velocities/positions; but, the spatial distribution of galaxies is very elongated. Also, the cD galaxy producing the WAT does not have a significant radial peculiar velocity with respect to the cluster centroid. These characteristics are consistent with a merger scenario in which a subcluster has crossed the cluster core in the plane of the sky and has dispersed. We compare this cluster with the post-merger cluster Abell 2634 (Pinkney et al., 1993), containing the prototype WAT, and with a recent N-Body/Hydro simulation of merging clusters. The similarities indicate that the cluster 1919+479 may be the poor extreme of a class of clusters in which the bulk motion in the ICM, caused by a subcluster merger, in shaping the central WAT.

Pinkney, Jason↗

A Multiphase Model for the Intracluster Medium

Constraints on the clustered mass density of the universe derived from the observed population mean intracluster gas fraction of x-ray clusters may be biased by reliance on a single-phase assumption for the thermodynamic structure of the intracluster medium (ICM). We propose a descriptive model for multiphase structure in which a spherically symmetric ICM contains isobaric density perturbations with a radially dependent variance. Fixing the x-ray emission and emission weighted temperature, we explore two independently observable signatures of the model in the parameter space. For bremsstrahlung dominated emission, the central Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) decrement in the multiphase case is increased over the single-phase case and multiphase x-ray spectra in the range 0.1-20 keV are flatter in the continuum and exhibit stronger low energy emission lines than their single-phase counterpart. We quantify these effects for a fiducial 10e8 K cluster and demonstrate how the combination of SZ and x-ray spectroscopy can be used to identify a preferred location in the plane of the model parameter space. From these parameters the correct value of mean intracluster gas fraction in the multiphase model results, allowing an unbiased estimate of clustered mass density to he recovered.

Nagai, Daisuke↗

X-Ray Spectroscopy of the Cluster of Galaxies Abell 1795 with XMM-Newton

The initial results from XMM-Newton observations of the rich cluster of galaxies Abell 1795 are presented. The spatially-resolved X-ray spectra taken by the European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC) show a temperature drop at a radius of - 200 kpc from the cluster center, indicating that the ICM is cooling. Both the EPIC and the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) spectra extracted from the cluster center can be described by an isothermal model with a temperature of approx. 4 keV. The volume emission measure of any cool component (less than 1 keV) is less than a few % of the hot component at the cluster center. A strong O VIII Lyman alpha line was detected with the RGS from the cluster core. The O abundance of the ICM is 0.2-0.5 times the solar value. The O to Fe ratio at the cluster center is 0.5 - 1.5 times the solar ratio.

Tamura, T.↗

Intermediate Element Abundances In Galaxy Clusters

We present the average abundances of the intermediate elements obtained by performing a stacked analysis of all the galaxy clusters in the archive of the X-ray telescope AKA. We determine the abundances of Fe, Si, S, and Ni as a function of cluster temperature (mass) from 1 - 10 keV, and place strong upper limits on the abundances of Ca and Ar. In general, Si and Ni are overabundant with respect to Fe, while Ar and Ca are very underabundant. The discrepancy between the abundances of Si, S , Ar, and Ca indicate that the alpha-elements do not behave homogeneously as a single group. We show that the abundances of the most well-determined elements Fe, Si, and S in conjunction with recent theoretical supernovae yields do not give a consistent solution for the fraction of material produced by Type Ia and Type II supernovae at any temperature or mass. The general trend is for higher temperature clusters to have more of their metals produced in Type II supernovae than in Type Ias. The inconsistency of our results with abundances in the Milky Way indicate that spiral galaxies are not the dominant metal contributors to the intracluster medium (ICM). The pattern of elemental abundances requires an additional source of metals beyond standard SNIa and SNII enrichment. The properties of this new source are well matched to those of Type II supernovae with very massive, metal-poor progenitor stars. These results are consistent with a significant fraction of the ICM metals produced by an early generation of population III stars.

White, Nicholas E.↗