51,105 research outputs found
Understanding Internet topology: principles, models, and validation
Building on a recent effort that combines a first-principles approach to modeling router-level connectivity with a more pragmatic use of statistics and graph theory, we show in this paper that for the Internet, an improved understanding of its physical infrastructure is possible by viewing the physical connectivity as an annotated graph that delivers raw connectivity and bandwidth to the upper layers in the TCP/IP protocol stack, subject to practical constraints (e.g., router technology) and economic considerations (e.g., link costs). More importantly, by relying on data from Abilene, a Tier-1 ISP, and the Rocketfuel project, we provide empirical evidence in support of the proposed approach and its consistency with networking reality. To illustrate its utility, we: 1) show that our approach provides insight into the origin of high variability in measured or inferred router-level maps; 2) demonstrate that it easily accommodates the incorporation of additional objectives of network design (e.g., robustness to router failure); and 3) discuss how it complements ongoing community efforts to reverse-engineer the Internet
Measurement Method for Evaluating the Probability Distribution of the Quality Factor of Mode-Stirred Reverberation Chambers
An original experimental method for determining the empirical probability
distribution function (PDF) of the quality factor (Q) of a mode-stirred
reverberation chamber is presented. Spectral averaging of S-parameters across a
relatively narrow frequency interval at a single pair of locations for the
transmitting and receiving antennas is applied to estimate the stored and
dissipated energy in the cavity, avoiding the need for spatial scanning to
obtain spatial volume or surface averages. The effective number of
simultaneously excited cavity modes per stir state, M, can be estimated by
fitting the empirical distribution to the parametrized theoretical
distribution. The measured results support a previously developed theoretical
model for the PDF of Q and show that spectral averaging over a bandwidth as
small as a few hundred kHz is sufficient to obtain accurate results.Comment: submitted for publicatio
Experimental Design for the LATOR Mission
This paper discusses experimental design for the Laser Astrometric Test Of
Relativity (LATOR) mission. LATOR is designed to reach unprecedented accuracy
of 1 part in 10^8 in measuring the curvature of the solar gravitational field
as given by the value of the key Eddington post-Newtonian parameter \gamma.
This mission will demonstrate the accuracy needed to measure effects of the
next post-Newtonian order (~G^2) of light deflection resulting from gravity's
intrinsic non-linearity. LATOR will provide the first precise measurement of
the solar quadrupole moment parameter, J2, and will improve determination of a
variety of relativistic effects including Lense-Thirring precession. The
mission will benefit from the recent progress in the optical communication
technologies -- the immediate and natural step above the standard radio-metric
techniques. The key element of LATOR is a geometric redundancy provided by the
laser ranging and long-baseline optical interferometry. We discuss the mission
and optical designs, as well as the expected performance of this proposed
mission. LATOR will lead to very robust advances in the tests of Fundamental
physics: this mission could discover a violation or extension of general
relativity, or reveal the presence of an additional long range interaction in
the physical law. There are no analogs to the LATOR experiment; it is unique
and is a natural culmination of solar system gravity experiments.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, invited talk given at ``The 2004 NASA/JPL
Workshop on Physics for Planetary Exploration.'' April 20-22, 2004, Solvang,
C
The Laser Astrometric Test of Relativity: Science, Technology, and Mission Design
The Laser Astrometric Test of Relativity (LATOR) experiment is designed to
explore general theory of relativity in the close proximity to the Sun -- the
most intense gravitational environment in the solar system. Using independent
time-series of highly accurate measurements of the Shapiro time-delay
(interplanetary laser ranging accurate to 3 mm at 2 AU) and interferometric
astrometry (accurate to 0.01 picoradian), LATOR will measure gravitational
deflection of light by the solar gravity with accuracy of 1 part in a billion
-- a factor ~30,000 better than currently available. LATOR will perform series
of highly-accurate tests in its search for cosmological remnants of scalar
field in the solar system. We present science, technology and mission design
for the LATOR mission.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. To appear in the proceedings of the
International Workshop "From Quantum to Cosmos: Fundamental Physics Research
in Space", 21-24 May 2006, Warrenton, Virginia, USA
http://physics.jpl.nasa.gov/quantum-to-cosmos
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