25,308 research outputs found
Pulsar timing analysis in the presence of correlated noise
Pulsar timing observations are usually analysed with least-square-fitting
procedures under the assumption that the timing residuals are uncorrelated
(statistically "white"). Pulsar observers are well aware that this assumption
often breaks down and causes severe errors in estimating the parameters of the
timing model and their uncertainties. Ad hoc methods for minimizing these
errors have been developed, but we show that they are far from optimal.
Compensation for temporal correlation can be done optimally if the covariance
matrix of the residuals is known using a linear transformation that whitens
both the residuals and the timing model. We adopt a transformation based on the
Cholesky decomposition of the covariance matrix, but the transformation is not
unique. We show how to estimate the covariance matrix with sufficient accuracy
to optimize the pulsar timing analysis. We also show how to apply this
procedure to estimate the spectrum of any time series with a steep red
power-law spectrum, including those with irregular sampling and variable error
bars, which are otherwise very difficult to analyse.Comment: Accepted by MNRA
PMU-Based ROCOF Measurements: Uncertainty Limits and Metrological Significance in Power System Applications
In modern power systems, the Rate-of-Change-of-Frequency (ROCOF) may be
largely employed in Wide Area Monitoring, Protection and Control (WAMPAC)
applications. However, a standard approach towards ROCOF measurements is still
missing. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of Phasor Measurement
Units (PMUs) deployment in ROCOF-based applications, with a specific focus on
Under-Frequency Load-Shedding (UFLS). For this analysis, we select three
state-of-the-art window-based synchrophasor estimation algorithms and compare
different signal models, ROCOF estimation techniques and window lengths in
datasets inspired by real-world acquisitions. In this sense, we are able to
carry out a sensitivity analysis of the behavior of a PMU-based UFLS control
scheme. Based on the proposed results, PMUs prove to be accurate ROCOF meters,
as long as the harmonic and inter-harmonic distortion within the measurement
pass-bandwidth is scarce. In the presence of transient events, the
synchrophasor model looses its appropriateness as the signal energy spreads
over the entire spectrum and cannot be approximated as a sequence of
narrow-band components. Finally, we validate the actual feasibility of
PMU-based UFLS in a real-time simulated scenario where we compare two different
ROCOF estimation techniques with a frequency-based control scheme and we show
their impact on the successful grid restoration.Comment: Manuscript IM-18-20133R. Accepted for publication on IEEE
Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement (acceptance date: 9 March
2019
Maximum likelihood, parametric component separation and CMB B-mode detection in suborbital experiments
We investigate the performance of the parametric Maximum Likelihood component
separation method in the context of the CMB B-mode signal detection and its
characterization by small-scale CMB suborbital experiments. We consider
high-resolution (FWHM=8') balloon-borne and ground-based observatories mapping
low dust-contrast sky areas of 400 and 1000 square degrees, in three frequency
channels, 150, 250, 410 GHz, and 90, 150, 220 GHz, with sensitivity of order 1
to 10 micro-K per beam-size pixel. These are chosen to be representative of
some of the proposed, next-generation, bolometric experiments. We study the
residual foreground contributions left in the recovered CMB maps in the pixel
and harmonic domain and discuss their impact on a determination of the
tensor-to-scalar ratio, r. In particular, we find that the residuals derived
from the simulated data of the considered balloon-borne observatories are
sufficiently low not to be relevant for the B-mode science. However, the
ground-based observatories are in need of some external information to permit
satisfactory cleaning. We find that if such information is indeed available in
the latter case, both the ground-based and balloon-borne experiments can detect
the values of r as low as ~0.04 at 95% confidence level. The contribution of
the foreground residuals to these limits is found to be then subdominant and
these are driven by the statistical uncertainty due to CMB, including E-to-B
leakage, and noise. We emphasize that reaching such levels will require a
sufficient control of the level of systematic effects present in the data.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 6 table
Wide-field LOFAR-LBA power-spectra analyses: Impact of calibration, polarization leakage and ionosphere
Contamination due to foregrounds (Galactic and Extra-galactic), calibration
errors and ionospheric effects pose major challenges in detection of the cosmic
21 cm signal in various Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiments. We present the
results of a pilot study of a field centered on 3C196 using LOFAR Low Band
(56-70 MHz) observations, where we quantify various wide field and calibration
effects such as gain errors, polarized foregrounds, and ionospheric effects. We
observe a `pitchfork' structure in the 2D power spectrum of the polarized
intensity in delay-baseline space, which leaks into the modes beyond the
instrumental horizon (EoR/CD window). We show that this structure largely
arises due to strong instrumental polarization leakage () towards
{Cas\,A} ( kJy at 81 MHz, brightest source in northern sky), which is
far away from primary field of view. We measure an extremely small ionospheric
diffractive scale ( m at 60 MHz) towards {Cas\,A}
resembling pure Kolmogorov turbulence compared to
km towards zenith at 150 MHz for typical ionospheric conditions. This is one of
the smallest diffractive scales ever measured at these frequencies. Our work
provides insights in understanding the nature of aforementioned effects and
mitigating them in future Cosmic Dawn observations (e.g. with SKA-low and HERA)
in the same frequency window.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Space Time MUSIC: Consistent Signal Subspace Estimation for Wide-band Sensor Arrays
Wide-band Direction of Arrival (DOA) estimation with sensor arrays is an
essential task in sonar, radar, acoustics, biomedical and multimedia
applications. Many state of the art wide-band DOA estimators coherently process
frequency binned array outputs by approximate Maximum Likelihood, Weighted
Subspace Fitting or focusing techniques. This paper shows that bin signals
obtained by filter-bank approaches do not obey the finite rank narrow-band
array model, because spectral leakage and the change of the array response with
frequency within the bin create \emph{ghost sources} dependent on the
particular realization of the source process. Therefore, existing DOA
estimators based on binning cannot claim consistency even with the perfect
knowledge of the array response. In this work, a more realistic array model
with a finite length of the sensor impulse responses is assumed, which still
has finite rank under a space-time formulation. It is shown that signal
subspaces at arbitrary frequencies can be consistently recovered under mild
conditions by applying MUSIC-type (ST-MUSIC) estimators to the dominant
eigenvectors of the wide-band space-time sensor cross-correlation matrix. A
novel Maximum Likelihood based ST-MUSIC subspace estimate is developed in order
to recover consistency. The number of sources active at each frequency are
estimated by Information Theoretic Criteria. The sample ST-MUSIC subspaces can
be fed to any subspace fitting DOA estimator at single or multiple frequencies.
Simulations confirm that the new technique clearly outperforms binning
approaches at sufficiently high signal to noise ratio, when model mismatches
exceed the noise floor.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures. Accepted in a revised form by the IEEE Trans.
on Signal Processing on 12 February 1918. @IEEE201
Development of an Analytic Nodal Diffusion Solver in Multigroups for 3D Reactor Cores with Rectangular or Hexagonal Assemblies.
More accurate modelling of physical phenomena involved in present and future nuclear reactors requires a multi-scale and multi-physics approach. This challenge can be accomplished by the coupling of best-estimate core-physics, thermal-hydraulics and multi-physics solvers. In order to make viable that coupling, the current trends in reactor simulations are along the development of a new generation of tools based on user-friendly, modular, easily linkable, faster and more accurate codes to be integrated in common platforms. These premises are in the origin of the NURESIM Integrated Project within the 6th European Framework Program, which is envisaged to provide the initial step towards a Common European Standard Software Platform for nuclear reactors simulations. In the frame of this project and to reach the above-mentioned goals, a 3-D multigroup nodal solver for neutron diffusion calculations called ANDES (Analytic Nodal Diffusion Equation Solver) has been developed and tested in-depth in this Thesis. ANDES solves the steady-state and time-dependent neutron diffusion equation in threedimensions and any number of energy groups, utilizing the Analytic Coarse-Mesh Finite-Difference (ACMFD) scheme to yield the nodal coupling equations. It can be applied to both Cartesian and triangular-Z geometries, so that simulations of LWR as well as VVER, HTR and fast reactors can be performed. The solver has been implemented in a fully encapsulated way, enabling it as a module to be readily integrated in other codes and platforms. In fact, it can be used either as a stand-alone nodal code or as a solver to accelerate the convergence of whole core pin-by-pin code systems. Verification of performance has shown that ANDES is a code with high order definition for whole core realistic nodal simulations. In this paper, the methodology developed and involved in ANDES is presented
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