61,089 research outputs found
Preliminary estimates of vertical momentum flux
Preliminary results of themomentum flux and flux divergence during a transient episode, as a jet stream moved over the radar are given. The zonal and meridional momentum flux and flux divergences displayed remarkable continuity with altitude in time, increasing in intensity as lee waves and other gravity-wave activity developed while the jet stream approached. The momentum flux values observed compare favorably with aircraft measurements made over similar topography, at least during the early part of the day. The accelerations due to the momentum flux divergence seem rather large at first glance, especially for the late part of the day. However, there may be compensating forces due to effects not considered here, such as transverse circulations or, scales of motion to small to be resolved by these data
Radio Images of 3C 58: Expansion and Motion of its Wisp
New 1.4 GHz VLA observations of the pulsar-powered supernova remnant 3C 58
have resulted in the highest-quality radio images of this object to date. The
images show filamentary structure over the body of the nebula. The present
observations were combined with earlier ones from 1984 and 1991 to investigate
the variability of the radio emission on a variety of time-scales. No
significant changes are seen over a 110 day interval. In particular, the upper
limit on the apparent projected velocity of the wisp is 0.05c. The expansion
rate of the radio nebula was determined between 1984 and 2004, and is
0.014+/-0.003%/year, corresponding to a velocity of 630+/-70 km/s along the
major axis. If 3C 58 is the remnant of SN 1181, it must have been strongly
decelerated, which is unlikely given the absence of emission from the supernova
shell. Alternatively, the low expansion speed and a number of other arguments
suggest that 3C 58 may be several thousand years old and not be the remnant of
SN 1181.Comment: 12 pages; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Measurements of vertical velocity over flat terrain by ST radar and other related uses of the radar data set
The need to study vertical velocity measurements from an ST radar located on the plains, far from the mountains is pointed out, as all presently available clear-air radars are located in or near mountains. The construction and operation of a VHF Doppler (ST) radar in the midwestern part of the United States to make meteorological measurements is also discussed. While primary interest is in measuring the synoptic-scale vertical velocities in the troposphere and lower stratosphere, it should be stressed, however, that the radar data set generated during the radar experiment would have many other valuable uses of interest to us and others some of whom are listed below. The required radar parameters, approximate costs, and recommended mode of operation are also detailed
Gravity as elasticity of spacetime: a paradigm to understand horizon thermodynamics and cosmological constant
It is very likely that the quantum description of spacetime is quite
different from what we perceive at large scales, . The
long wave length description of spacetime, based on Einstein's equations, is
similar to the description of a continuum solid made of a large number of
microscopic degrees of freedom. This paradigm provides a novel interpretation
of coordinate transformations as deformations of "spacetime solid" and allows
one to obtain Einstein's equations as a consistency condition in the long
wavelength limit. The entropy contributed by the microscopic degrees of freedom
reduces to a pure surface contribution when Einstein's equations are satisfied.
The horizons arises as "defects" in the "spacetime solid" (in the sense of well
defined singular points) and contributes an entropy which is one quarter of the
horizon area. Finally, the response of the microstructure to vacuum energy
leads to a near cancellation of the cosmological constant, leaving behind a
tiny fluctuation which matches with the observed value.Comment: This essay received an ``honorable mention'' in the 2004 Essay
Competition of the Gravity Research Foundation; accepted for publication in
IJMP
Lifting Grobner bases from the exterior algebra
In the article "Non-commutative Grobner bases for commutative algebras",
Eisenbud-Peeva-Sturmfels proved a number of results regarding Grobner bases and
initial ideals of those ideals in the free associative algebra which contain
the commutator ideal. We prove similar results for ideals which contains the
anti-commutator ideal (the defining ideal of the exterior algebra). We define
one notion of generic initial ideals in the free assoicative algebra, and show
that gin's of ideals containing the commutator ideal, or the anti-commutator
ideal, are finitely generated.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX2
Software Implemented Fault-Tolerant (SIFT) user's guide
Program development for a Software Implemented Fault Tolerant (SIFT) computer system is accomplished in the NASA LaRC AIRLAB facility using a DEC VAX-11 to interface with eight Bendix BDX 930 flight control processors. The interface software which provides this SIFT program development capability was developed by AIRLAB personnel. This technical memorandum describes the application and design of this software in detail, and is intended to assist both the user in performance of SIFT research and the systems programmer responsible for maintaining and/or upgrading the SIFT programming environment
A comparison of vertical velocities measured from specular and nonspecular echoes by a VHF radar
For a number of years, there have been doubts about the accuracy of vertical wind velocities measured with quasi-specular reflections from mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) radar. The concern has been that the layers producing the quasi-specular reflection process this hypothetical tilt. Because of the quasi-specular reflection process, this hypothetical tilt would control the effective zenith angle of the radar antenna beam so that a small component of the horizontal velocity would be included in what was assumed to be a truly vertical beam. The purpose here is to test the hypothesis that there is an effect on the wind velocities measured on a vertical antenna beam due to a long-term tilting of the stable atmospheric layers that cause quasi-specular reflection. Gravity waves have been observed to cause short-term tilting of turbulent layers and specularly reflecting layers. In both cases, the effect was a wave-like deformation atmospheric layers with a period of a few minutes. This geometry is shown. Because of this influence of gravity waves, it was expected that there would be short-term variations in the vertical velocity
FIP Bias Evolution in a Decaying Active Region
Solar coronal plasma composition is typically characterized by first
ionization potential (FIP) bias. Using spectra obtained by Hinode's EUV Imaging
Spectrometer (EIS) instrument, we present a series of large-scale, spatially
resolved composition maps of active region (AR) 11389. The composition maps
show how FIP bias evolves within the decaying AR from 2012 January 4-6.
Globally, FIP bias decreases throughout the AR. We analyzed areas of
significant plasma composition changes within the decaying AR and found that
small-scale evolution in the photospheric magnetic field is closely linked to
the FIP bias evolution observed in the corona. During the AR's decay phase,
small bipoles emerging within supergranular cells reconnect with the
pre-existing AR field, creating a pathway along which photospheric and coronal
plasmas can mix. The mixing time scales are shorter than those of plasma
enrichment processes. Eruptive activity also results in shifting the FIP bias
closer to photospheric in the affected areas. Finally, the FIP bias still
remains dominantly coronal only in a part of the AR's high-flux density core.
We conclude that in the decay phase of an AR's lifetime, the FIP bias is
becoming increasingly modulated by episodes of small-scale flux emergence, i.e.
decreasing the AR's overall FIP bias. Our results show that magnetic field
evolution plays an important role in compositional changes during AR
development, revealing a more complex relationship than expected from previous
well-known Skylab results showing that FIP bias increases almost linearly with
age in young ARs (Widing Feldman, 2001, ApJ, 555, 426)
The correlation between water production rates and visual magnitudes in comets
From the visual magnitudes of the International Comet Quarterly data base and the OH radio lines measured at the Nancay radio telescope, the law log Q(H2O) = 30.74 (+/-0.02) - 0.240 (+/-.003) m(sub h) is derived from a sample of 13 comets
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