7,367 research outputs found
Measurements of antenna polar diagrams and efficiencies using a phase-switched interferometer
It is desirable to know antenna polar patterns and efficiencies accurately. In the past, calibration measurements have been made using balloons and aircraft and more recently satellites. These techniques are usually very expensive. It is shown that under certain circumstances it is possible to use a simpler and inexpensive technique by connecting together the antenna under test with another antenna to form a phase switched interferometer as first described by Ryle (1952). The technique does require a suitable radio source which gives measurable powers when using small antennas and since dipoles have broad patterns, radio sources with similar right ascensions but different declinations to the primary source can be a problem. These problems can partly be overcome by filtering the interference pattern
Mark 4A antenna control system data handling architecture study
A high-level review was conducted to provide an analysis of the existing architecture used to handle data and implement control algorithms for NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas and to make system-level recommendations for improving this architecture so that the DSN antennas can support the ever-tightening requirements of the next decade and beyond. It was found that the existing system is seriously overloaded, with processor utilization approaching 100 percent. A number of factors contribute to this overloading, including dated hardware, inefficient software, and a message-passing strategy that depends on serial connections between machines. At the same time, the system has shortcomings and idiosyncrasies that require extensive human intervention. A custom operating system kernel and an obscure programming language exacerbate the problems and should be modernized. A new architecture is presented that addresses these and other issues. Key features of the new architecture include a simplified message passing hierarchy that utilizes a high-speed local area network, redesign of particular processing function algorithms, consolidation of functions, and implementation of the architecture in modern hardware and software using mainstream computer languages and operating systems. The system would also allow incremental hardware improvements as better and faster hardware for such systems becomes available, and costs could potentially be low enough that redundancy would be provided economically. Such a system could support DSN requirements for the foreseeable future, though thorough consideration must be given to hard computational requirements, porting existing software functionality to the new system, and issues of fault tolerance and recovery
A GPU based real-time software correlation system for the Murchison Widefield Array prototype
Modern graphics processing units (GPUs) are inexpensive commodity hardware
that offer Tflop/s theoretical computing capacity. GPUs are well suited to many
compute-intensive tasks including digital signal processing.
We describe the implementation and performance of a GPU-based digital
correlator for radio astronomy. The correlator is implemented using the NVIDIA
CUDA development environment. We evaluate three design options on two
generations of NVIDIA hardware. The different designs utilize the internal
registers, shared memory and multiprocessors in different ways. We find that
optimal performance is achieved with the design that minimizes global memory
reads on recent generations of hardware.
The GPU-based correlator outperforms a single-threaded CPU equivalent by a
factor of 60 for a 32 antenna array, and runs on commodity PC hardware. The
extra compute capability provided by the GPU maximises the correlation
capability of a PC while retaining the fast development time associated with
using standard hardware, networking and programming languages. In this way, a
GPU-based correlation system represents a middle ground in design space between
high performance, custom built hardware and pure CPU-based software
correlation.
The correlator was deployed at the Murchison Widefield Array 32 antenna
prototype system where it ran in real-time for extended periods. We briefly
describe the data capture, streaming and correlation system for the prototype
array.Comment: 11 pages, to appear in PAS
Spin detection at elevated temperatures using a driven double quantum dot
We consider a double quantum dot in the Pauli blockade regime interacting
with a nearby single spin. We show that under microwave irradiation the average
electron occupations of the dots exhibit resonances that are sensitive to the
state of the nearby spin. The system thus acts as a spin meter for the nearby
spin. We investigate the conditions for a non-demolition read-out of the spin
and find that the meter works at temperatures comparable to the dot charging
energy and sensitivity is mainly limited by the intradot spin relaxation.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
The Adelaide VHF radar: Capabilities and future plans
The VHF radar at Buckland Park, South Australia commenced operation in January, 1984. The radar is located adjacent to the 2-MHz ionospheric radar. The routine method for measuring horizontal wind velocity is the space antenna technique (SA) while the Doppler technique is used to measure vertical velocities. It is possible to swing the transmitting beam in the east-west plane, allowing Doppler measurements of the EW wind component
Exact semi-relativistic model for ionization of atomic hydrogen by electron impact
We present a semi-relativistic model for the description of the ionization
process of atomic hydrogen by electron impact in the first Born approximation
by using the Darwin wave function to describe the bound state of atomic
hydrogen and the Sommerfeld-Maue wave function to describe the ejected
electron. This model, accurate to first order in in the relativistic
correction, shows that, even at low kinetic energies of the incident electron,
spin effects are small but not negligible. These effects become noticeable with
increasing incident electron energies. All analytical calculations are exact
and our semi-relativistic results are compared with the results obtained in the
non relativistic Coulomb Born Approximation both for the coplanar asymmetric
and the binary coplanar geometries.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, Revte
Hearing new voices: re-viewing youth justice policy through practitioners’ relationships with young people
The relationship between young people and practitioners is the centrepiece of youth justice provision, yet little research-based knowledge has accumulated on its minutiae. After reviewing reforms affecting professional discretion, the article draws on the concepts of dyadic relationships and praxis to reinvigorate a research agenda aimed at delineating a more nuanced understanding of practice relationships. Drawing on practice wisdom from across related social work fields, we argue that centralizing the practitioner-young person relationship remains the key to successful practice and thus needs greater, more detailed research attention. These claims are supported with a number of pilot interviews with youth justice workers about successful interventions that complement and extend related studies. The article concludes with suggestions for research to enable joint activity between young people and practitioners to ‘rethink’ youth justice
Nucleation and Growth of GaN/AlN Quantum Dots
We study the nucleation of GaN islands grown by plasma-assisted
molecular-beam epitaxy on AlN(0001) in a Stranski-Krastanov mode. In
particular, we assess the variation of their height and density as a function
of GaN coverage. We show that the GaN growth passes four stages: initially, the
growth is layer-by-layer; subsequently, two-dimensional precursor islands form,
which transform into genuine three-dimensional islands. During the latter
stage, island height and density increase with GaN coverage until the density
saturates. During further GaN growth, the density remains constant and a
bimodal height distribution appears. The variation of island height and density
as a function of substrate temperature is discussed in the framework of an
equilibrium model for Stranski-Krastanov growth.Comment: Submitted to PRB, 10 pages, 15 figure
Probabilistic Analysis of Cost-Effectiveness Models: Choosing between Treatment Strategies for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
The HI gas content of galaxies around Abell 370, a galaxy cluster at z = 0.37
We used observations from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope to measure the
atomic hydrogen gas content of 324 galaxies around the galaxy cluster Abell 370
at a redshift of z = 0.37 (a look-back time of ~4 billion years). The HI 21-cm
emission from these galaxies was measured by coadding their signals using
precise optical redshifts obtained with the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The
average HI mass measured for all 324 galaxies is (6.6 +- 3.5)x10^9 solar
masses, while the average HI mass measured for the 105 optically blue galaxies
is (19.0 +- 6.5)x10^9 solar masses. The significant quantities of gas found
around Abell 370, suggest that there has been substantial evolution in the gas
content of galaxy clusters since redshift z = 0.37. The total amount of HI gas
found around Abell 370 is up to ~8 times more than that seen around the Coma
cluster, a nearby galaxy cluster of similar size. Despite this higher gas
content, Abell 370 shows the same trend as nearby clusters, that galaxies close
to the cluster core have lower HI gas content than galaxies further away. The
Abell 370 galaxies have HI mass to optical light ratios similar to local galaxy
samples and have the same correlation between their star formation rate and HI
mass as found in nearby galaxies. The average star formation rate derived from
[OII] emission and from de-redshifted 1.4 GHz radio continuum for the Abell 370
galaxies also follows the correlation found in the local universe. The large
amounts of HI gas found around the cluster can easily be consumed by the
observed star formation rate in the galaxies over the ~4 billion years (from z
= 0.37) to the present day.Comment: accepted by MNRA
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