29,624 research outputs found
Helioseismic Holography of an Artificial Submerged Sound Speed Perturbation and Implications for the Detection of Pre-Emergence Signatures of Active Regions
We use a publicly available numerical wave-propagation simulation of Hartlep
et al. 2011 to test the ability of helioseismic holography to detect signatures
of a compact, fully submerged, 5% sound-speed perturbation placed at a depth of
50 Mm within a solar model. We find that helioseismic holography as employed in
a nominal "lateral-vantage" or "deep-focus" geometry employing quadrants of an
annular pupil is capable of detecting and characterizing the perturbation. A
number of tests of the methodology, including the use of a plane-parallel
approximation, the definition of travel-time shifts, the use of different
phase-speed filters, and changes to the pupils, are also performed. It is found
that travel-time shifts made using Gabor-wavelet fitting are essentially
identical to those derived from the phase of the Fourier transform of the
cross-covariance functions. The errors in travel-time shifts caused by the
plane-parallel approximation can be minimized to less than a second for the
depths and fields of view considered here. Based on the measured strength of
the mean travel-time signal of the perturbation, no substantial improvement in
sensitivity is produced by varying the analysis procedure from the nominal
methodology in conformance with expectations. The measured travel-time shifts
are essentially unchanged by varying the profile of the phase-speed filter or
omitting the filter entirely. The method remains maximally sensitive when
applied with pupils that are wide quadrants, as opposed to narrower quadrants
or with pupils composed of smaller arcs. We discuss the significance of these
results for the recent controversy regarding suspected pre-emergence signatures
of active regions
Testing Helioseismic-Holography Inversions for Supergranular Flows Using Synthetic Data
Supergranulation is one of the most visible length scales of solar convection
and has been studied extensively by local helioseismology. We use synthetic
data computed with the Seismic Propagation through Active Regions and
Convection (SPARC) code to test regularized-least squares (RLS) inversions of
helioseismic holography measurements for a supergranulation-like flow. The code
simulates the acoustic wavefield by solving the linearized three-dimensional
Euler equations in Cartesian geometry. We model a single supergranulation cell
with a simple, axisymmetric, mass-conserving flow.
The use of simulated data provides an opportunity for direct evaluation of
the accuracy of measurement and inversion techniques. The RLS technique applied
to helioseismic-holography measurements is generally successful in reproducing
the structure of the horizontal flow field of the model supergranule cell. The
errors are significant in horizontal-flow inversions near the top and bottom of
the computational domain as well as in vertical-flow inversions throughout the
domain. We show that the errors in the vertical velocity are due largely to
cross talk from the horizontal velocity.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figues, accepted for publication in Solar Physic
Modern Aerocapture Guidance to Enable Reduced-Lift Vehicles at Neptune
Aerocapture is covered extensively in the literature as means of achieving orbital insertion with dramatic mass-saving results compared to fully-propulsive systems. One of the primary obstacles facing aerocapture is the inherent uncertainty associated with passing through a planets upper atmosphere. In-flight dispersions due to delivery errors, environment variables, and aerodynamic performance impose a large flight envelope. System studies for aerocapture often select high lift-to-drag ratios to compensate for these uncertainties. However, modern predictor-corrector guidance strategies have shown promise in recent years to provide robust control schemes in-situ. These algorithms do not rely on a pre-calculated reference trajectory and instead employ a numerical optimizer to continuously solve nonlinear equations of motion each guidance cycle. Numerical predictor-corrector strategies may provide considerable accuracy over heritage guidance schemes. The goal of this study is reproduce a landmark study of Neptune aerocapture and apply modern guidance to illustrate relative performance improvements and cost-saving potential. Capture constraints based on the theoretical corridor width are considered. Results indicate that heritage vehicles with moderate lift-to-drag ratios, lower than previous studies have indicated, may prove viable for aerocapture at Neptune
Production of Strange Clusters and Strange Matter in Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions at the AGS
Production probabilities for strange clusters and strange matter in Au+Au
collisions at AGS energy are obtained in the thermal fireball model. The only
parameters of the model, the baryon chemical potential and temperature, were
determined from a description of the rather complete set of hadron yields from
Si+nucleus collisions at the AGS. For the production of light nuclear fragments
and strange clusters the results are similar to recent coalescence model
calculations. Strange matter production with baryon number larger than 10 is
predicted to be much smaller than any current experimental sensitivities.Comment: 9 Pages (no figures
Fluctuations of the number of participants and binary collisions in AA interactions at fixed centrality in the Glauber approach
In the framework of the classical Glauber approach, the analytical
expressions for the variance of the number of wounded nucleons and binary
collisions in AA interactions at a given centrality are presented. Along with
the optical approximation term, they contain additional contact terms arising
only in the case of nucleus-nucleus collisions. The magnitude of the additional
contributions, e.g., for PbPb collisions at SPS energies, is larger than the
contribution of the optical approximation at some values of the impact
parameter. The sum of the additional contributions is in good agreement with
the results of independent Monte Carlo simulations of this process. Due to
these additional terms, the variance of the total number of participants for
peripheral PbPb collisions and the variance of the number of collisions at all
values of the impact parameter exceed several multiples of the Poisson
variances. The correlator between the numbers of participants in colliding
nuclei at fixed centrality is also analytically calculated.Comment: updated version; as published by Phys. Rev.
Drift velocity and gain in argon- and xenon-based mixtures
We present measurements of drift velocities and gains in gas mixtures based
on Ar and Xe, with CO2, CH4, and N2 as quenchers, and compare them with
calculations. In particular, we show the dependence of Ar- and Xe-CO2 drift
velocities and gains on the amount of nitrogen contamination in the gas, which
in real experiments may build up through leaks. A quantification of the Penning
mechanism which contributes to the Townsend coefficients of a given gas mixture
is proposed.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Nucl.Instrum.Meth.
A. Data files available at http://www-alice.gsi.de/tr
Transverse momentum distributions and their forward- backward correlations in the percolating colour string approach
The forward-backward correlations in the distributions, which present a
clear signature of non-linear effects in particle production, are studied in
the model of percolating colour strings. Quantitative predictions are given for
these correlations at SPS, RHIC and LHC energies. Interaction of strings also
naturally explains the flattening of distributions and increase of
with energy and atomic number for nuclear collisionsComment: 6 pages in LaTex, 3 figures in Postscrip
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