A combined Raman lidar for low tropospheric studies

One of the main goals of laser sensing of the atmosphere was the development of techniques and facilities for remote determination of atmospheric meteorological and optical parameters. Of lidar techniques known at present the Raman-lidar technique occupies a specific place. On the one hand Raman lidar returns due to scattering on different molecular species are very simple for interpretation and for extracting the information on the atmospheric parameters sought, but, on the other hand, the performance of these techniques in a lidar facility is overburdened with some serious technical difficulties due to extremely low cross sections of Raman effect. Some results of investigations into this problem is presented which enables the construction of a combined Raman lidar capable of acquiring simultaneously the profiles of atmospheric temperature, humidity, and some optical characteristics in the ground atmospheric layer up to 1 km height. The operation of this system is briefly discussed

Enhancement of the Raman lidar sensitivity using overtones of vibrational-rotational Raman bands of oxygen or nitrogen as the reference signals

Influence of the vibrational-rotational Raman bands of molecules of the main components of the atmosphere (oxygen and nitrogen) on the sensitivity of Raman lidar is considered. A method is proposed of using the first overtones of the vibrational-rotational Raman bands of oxygen and nitrogen molecules as the reference signals for the measurement of low concentrations of chemicals in the atmosphere by the Raman method

Mathematical model of a two-stage process of laser fragmentation of nitrocompound molecules and subsequent laser-induced fluorescence of characteristic fragments

The paper presents a mathematical model describing the kinetics of the two-stage process of laser fragmentation of vapors of nitrocompounds and subsequent nitric oxide (NO-fragments) laser-induced fluorescence. The use of the developed model in the lidar equation for the case of fluorescent objects allows to calculate the expected value of the lidar signal for a particular nitrocompound on the basis of spectroscopic information about the object of detection, parameters of the radiation propagation medium, and transceiver equipment parameter

Post-Socialist Forms of Islam Caucasian Wahhabis

The vision of Islam as it is practised in the post-socialist context is very confused at the moment. It is associated either with 'the revival of local pre-modern traditions' and thus with the localization of postsocialist Muslim space, or with 'the spread of Islamism absolutely alien to local Muslim traditions', introduced to countries of the former socialist bloc from abroad and fraught with their Islamist globalization. Post-socialist forms of Islam are often thought of as an 'Islamic threat' opposing all non-Muslim cultures

Islamic Studies in Post-Soviet Russia: in Search of New Approaches

Research on pre-modern and modern Islam conducted in post-Soviet Russia, has been, and still is, very poorly known to scholars from abroad - both in the West and in the Muslim world. Despite the fall of the 'iron curtain' after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there is still an informational barrier separating post-Soviet and non-Soviet researchers. Many questions arise concerning what has happened in Islamic studies after the cease of religious persecution during the 'perestroika' years: What was the impact of the socalled 'Islamic revival' on research on Islam? Which academic schools training specialists in Islamic studies have survived since the pre-Soviet and Soviet times? To what extent do post-Soviet scholars know and share modern Western approaches and concepts in Islamic studies

The Beslan Massacre

Violence has severely affected Russian society with the increase of terrorist attacks since 1995. The school massacre in the Ossetian town of Beslan caused shock and awe in all of Russia and beyond. It culminated a series of terrorist attacks whose foundations were laid in the history of the two Chechen wars in which Russian troops brought havoc to Chechen society. Though terrorism is usually regarded as a violation of basic Islamic principles, today Islam is effectively used in Russia by radical nationalist factions to justify their political strategies

Gas Emission Control on Longwall Panels at the Vorkuta Coal Mines

The characteristics of geological conditions and mining technology at the coal mines of Coal Stock Company Vorkutaugol are given in the article. Information about longwall panel ventilation schemes and problems caused by high methane emission is also presented. The results of experiments at longwall panels using the methane emission control ventilation complex are described as well as ways of isolating gob methane removal. Other topics include the methane emission control ventilation complex consisted of drainage entry, an isolating wall with windows, mixing chambers and regulating stoppings. As results of experiments have shown, the most effective gas emission control methods were: the application of gas sucking fans for the isolated gob methane removal, and isolating walls at the line exposed to the gob. Encouraging results were obtained by use of two-entry mining system with yielding pillar between entries, homotropal ventilation and isolated methane removal from the gob

Remote detection of traces of high energetic materials

The possibility of remote detection of traces of high energetic materials using laser fragmentation/laser-induced fluorescence (LF/LIF) method is studied. Experimental data on the remote visualization of traces of trinitrotoluene, hexogen, composition B, octogen, and tetryl obtained at a distance of 5 m with a scanning lidar detector of traces of high energetic materials are presented