3,624 research outputs found
Long term frequency stability analysis of the GPS NAVSTAR 6 Cesium clock
Time domain measurements, taken between the NAVSTAR 6 Spacecraft Vehicle (SV) and the Vandenberg Global Positioning System (GPS) Monitor Site, by a pseudo random noise receiver, were collected over an extended period of time and analyzed to estimate the long term frequency stability of the NAVSTAR 6 onboard frequency standard, referenced to the Vandenberg MS frequency standard. The technique employed separates the clock offset from the composite signal by first applying corrections for equipment delays, ionospheric delay, tropospheric delay, Earth rotation and the relativistic effect. The data are edited and smoothed using the predicted SV ephemeris to calculate the geometric delay. Then all available passes from each of the four GPS monitor stations, are collected at 1-week intervals and used to calculate the NAVSTAR orbital elements. The procedure is then completed by subtracting the corrections and the geometric delay, using the final orbital elements, from the composite signal, thus leaving the clock offset and random error
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Anisotropy Induced by Cosmic Strings
We report on a current investigation of the anisotropy pattern induced by
cosmic strings on the cosmic microwave background radiation (MBR). We have
numerically evolved a network of cosmic strings from a redshift of to
the present and calculated the anisotropies which they induce. Based on a
limited number of realizations, we have compared the results of our simulations
with the observations of the COBE-DMR experiment. We have obtained a
preliminary estimate of the string mass-per-unit-length in the cosmic
string scenario.Comment: 8 pages of TeX - [Color] Postscript available by anonymous ftp at
ftp://fnas08.fnal.gov:/pub/Publications/Conf-94-197-A, FERMILAB-Conf-94/197-
A Demonstration of LISA Laser Communication
Over the past few years questions have been raised concerning the use of
laser communications links between sciencecraft to transmit phase information
crucial to the reduction of laser frequency noise in the LISA science
measurement. The concern is that applying medium frequency phase modulations to
the laser carrier could compromise the phase stability of the LISA fringe
signal. We have modified the table-top interferometer presented in a previous
article by applying phase modulations to the laser beams in order to evaluate
the effects of such modulations on the LISA science fringe signal. We have
demonstrated that the phase resolution of the science signal is not degraded by
the presence of medium frequency phase modulations.Comment: minor corrections found in the CQG versio
Evaluation of Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Corn Production in Brookings County
The evaluation of irrigated corn production requires crop water production functions which are time and location specific. This analysis evaluated irrigated and non-irrigated corn production from 1984 to 1993 in Brookings County. The CERES-Maize crop simulation model generated agronomic data which was representative of Brookings County. Crop budgets were created to establish production costs associated with the study area. Net returns for each of the production methods were compared
Primordial Non-Gaussianity: Baryon Bias and Gravitational Collapse of Cosmic String Wakes
I compute the 3-D non-linear evolution of gas and dark matter fluids in the
neighbourhood of cosmic string wakes which are formed at high redshift
() for a ``realistic'' scenario of wake formation. These wakes
are the ones which stand out most prominently as cosmological sheets and are
expected to play a dominant r\^ole in the cosmic string model of structure
formation. Employing a high-resolution 3-D hydrodynamics code to evolve these
wakes until the present day yields results for the baryon bias generated in the
inner wake region. I find that today, wakes would be Mpc thick and
contain a 70% excess in the density of baryons over the dark matter density in
their centre. However, high density peaks in the wake region do not inherit a
baryon enhancement. I propose a mechanism for this erasure of the baryon excess
in spherically collapsed objects based on the geometry change around the
collapsing region. Further, I present heuristic arguments for the consequences
of this work for large scale structure in the cosmic string model and conclude
that the peculiarities of wake formation are unlikely to have significant
import on the discrepancy between power spectrum predictions and observations
in this model. If one invokes the nucleosynthesis bound on this
could be seen as strengthening the case against or for low Hubble
constants.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, prepared with the AASTeX package.
Minor modifications, results unchanged. ApJ in press, scheduled for Vol. 50
Demonstration of the Zero-Crossing Phasemeter with a LISA Test-bed Interferometer
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is being designed to detect and
study in detail gravitational waves from sources throughout the Universe such
as massive black hole binaries. The conceptual formulation of the LISA
space-borne gravitational wave detector is now well developed. The
interferometric measurements between the sciencecraft remain one of the most
important technological and scientific design areas for the mission.
Our work has concentrated on developing the interferometric technologies to
create a LISA-like optical signal and to measure the phase of that signal using
commercially available instruments. One of the most important goals of this
research is to demonstrate the LISA phase timing and phase reconstruction for a
LISA-like fringe signal, in the case of a high fringe rate and a low signal
level. We present current results of a test-bed interferometer designed to
produce an optical LISA-like fringe signal previously discussed in the
literature.Comment: find minor corrections in the CQG versio
Primordial Gravity Waves and Weak Lensing
Inflation produces a primordial spectrum of gravity waves in addition to the
density perturbations which seed structure formation. We compute the signature
of these gravity waves in the large scale shear field. In particular, the shear
can be divided into a gradient mode (G or E) and a curl mode (C or B). The
former is produced by both density perturbations and gravity waves, while the
latter is produced only by gravity waves, so the observations of a non-zero
curl mode could be seen as evidence for inflation. We find that the expected
signal from inflation is small, peaking on the largest scales at
at and falling rapidly there after. Even for
an all-sky deep survey, this signal would be below noise at all multipoles.
Part of the reason for the smallness of the signal is a cancellation on large
scales of the standard line-of-sight effect and the effect of ``metric shear.''Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Acceleration disturbances due to local gravity gradients in ASTROD I
The Astrodynamical Space Test of Relativity using Optical Devices (ASTROD)
mission consists of three spacecraft in separate solar orbits and carries out
laser interferometric ranging. ASTROD aims at testing relativistic gravity,
measuring the solar system and detecting gravitational waves. Because of the
larger arm length, the sensitivity of ASTROD to gravitational waves is
estimated to be about 30 times better than Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
(LISA) in the frequency range lower than about 0.1 mHz. ASTROD I is a simple
version of ASTROD, employing one spacecraft in a solar orbit. It is the first
step for ASTROD and serves as a technology demonstration mission for ASTROD. In
addition, several scientific results are expected in the ASTROD I experiment.
The required acceleration noise level of ASTROD I is 10^-13 m s^-2 Hz^{-1/2} at
the frequency of 0.1 mHz. In this paper, we focus on local gravity gradient
noise that could be one of the largest acceleration disturbances in the ASTROD
I experiment. We have carried out gravitational modelling for the current
test-mass design and simplified configurations of ASTROD I by using an
analytical method and the Monte Carlo method. Our analyses can be applied to
figure out the optimal designs of the test mass and the constructing materials
of the spacecraft, and the configuration of compensation mass to reduce local
gravity gradients.Comment: 6 pages, presented at the 6th Edoardo Amaldi Conference (Okinawa
Japan, June 2005); to be published in Journal of Physics: Conference Serie
- …