A dual output polarimeter devoted to the study of the Cosmic Microwave Background

We have developed a correlation radiometer at 33 GHz devoted to the search for residual polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). The two instruments`s outputs are linear combination of two Stokes Parameters (Q and U or U and V). The instrument is therefore directly sensitive to the polarized component of the radiation (respectively linear and circular). The radiometer has a beam-width oif 7 or 14 deg, but it can be coupled to a telescope increasing the resolution. The expected CMB polarization is at most a part per milion. The polarimeter has been designed to be sensitive to this faint signal, and it has been optimized to improve its long term stability, observing from the ground. In this contribution the performances of the instrument are presented, together with the preliminary test and observations.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, in print on the Proc. SPIE Conf. - August 200

FEM analyses of a CVD diamond Brewster window

The Brewster window is a broadband window solution for H&CD applications. Its geometry is quite complex and involves brazing of diamond and copper, which have very different thermal expansion coefficients. In this paper, a study of its feasibility was carried out by FEM structural analyses

The ITER EC H&CD upper launcher: Seismic analysis

The electron cyclotron heating and current drive (EC H&CD) upper launcher (UL) is a component of the ITER tokamak machine devoted to inject localized high microwave power, in order to counteract plasma instabilities (MHD activity). The UL consists of an assembly of ex-vessel waveguides (with diamond windows and isolation valves) and an in-vessel port plug (PP). The PP, with length close to 6 m, is fixed by a support flange into the upper port of the vacuum vessel (VV) as a cantilevered structure and the nominal gap between PP and port is 25 mm only. During an earthquake, accelerations generated by seismic events cause oscillations of the PP which might be amplified in case of resonance with the natural frequencies. A seismic analysis is therefore required in order to check the response of the UL PP to earthquakes. This paper shows the procedure used for the seismic analysis of the UL PP and results are given in terms of displacements and stresses. The ITER reference earthquake named SL-2 seismic event was considered. The response spectrum method was used in the analysis and floor response spectra (plots of acceleration versus frequency) provided by ITER/F4E at the upper level of the tokamak were applied to the supports as load. A seismic analysis of the UL PP integrated in the upper port is also here reported. The natural frequencies of the PP are far from the frequencies of the peaks in the applied spectra, so no resonance condition occurs. The obtained displacements and stresses of the PP are relatively small. The maximum total displacement is lower than 2 mm and the maximum equivalent stress is below 30 MPa. Since the highest excitation is the vertical one, most part of the total displacement is in the vertical direction. Afterwards, these results due to the seismic loads must be combined with displacements and stresses due to other loads affecting the PP such as the electromagnetic loads

Mapping Patent Classifications: Portfolio and Statistical Analysis, and the Comparison of Strengths and Weaknesses

The Cooperative Patent Classifications (CPC) jointly developed by the European and US Patent Offices provide a new basis for mapping and portfolio analysis. This update provides an occasion for rethinking the parameter choices. The new maps are significantly different from previous ones, although this may not always be obvious on visual inspection. Since these maps are statistical constructs based on index terms, their quality--as different from utility--can only be controlled discursively. We provide nested maps online and a routine for portfolio overlays and further statistical analysis. We add a new tool for "difference maps" which is illustrated by comparing the portfolios of patents granted to Novartis and MSD in 2016.Comment: Scientometrics 112(3) (2017) 1573-1591; http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-017-2449-