Solar wind test of the de Broglie-Proca's massive photon with Cluster multi-spacecraft data

Our understanding of the universe at large and small scales relies largely on electromagnetic observations. As photons are the messengers, fundamental physics has a concern in testing their properties, including the absence of mass. We use Cluster four spacecraft data in the solar wind at 1 AU to estimate the mass upper limit for the photon. We look for deviations from Amp\`ere's law, through the curlometer technique for the computation of the magnetic field, and through the measurements of ion and electron velocities for the computation of the current. We show that the upper bound for $m_\gamma$ lies between $1.4 \times 10^{-49}$ and $3.4 \times 10^{-51}$ kg, and thereby discuss the currently accepted lower limits in the solar wind.Comment: The paper points out that actual photon mass upper limits (in the solar wind) are too optimistic and model based. We instead perform a much more experiment oriented measurement. This version matches that accepted by Astroparticle Physic

Evaluation of Management System Effectiveness in the Preparation of the Aircraft for Flight in Faulty Conditions

"jats:p" Most flight delays in aviation enterprises are related to air traffic management and technical centers. This can happen for various reasons: untimely removal of defects, lack of spare parts, deficiencies in maintenance scheduling, etc. Another reason may be inefficient management in the system of preparing the aircraft for departure. The article suggests a possible option of such an assessment as well as the results obtained from the use of this methodology applied to a specific airline. Document type: Articl

Numerical Study on the Validity of the Taylor Hypothesis in Space Plasmas

In situ heliospheric measurements allow us to resolve fluctuations as a function of frequency. A crucial point is to describe the power spectral density as a function of the wavenumber, in order to understand the energy cascade through the scales in terms of plasma turbulence theories. The most favorable situation occurs when the average wind speed is much higher than the phase speed of the plasma modes, equivalent to the fact that the fluctuations' dynamical times are much longer than their typical crossing period through the spacecraft (frozen-in Taylor approximation). Using driven compressible Hall-magneothydrodynamics simulations, in which an "imaginary" spacecraft flies across a time-evolving turbulence, here we explore the limitations of the frozen-in assumption. We find that the Taylor hypothesis is robust down to sub-proton scales, especially for flows with mean velocities typical of the fast solar wind. For slow mean flows (i.e., speeds of the order of the Alfven speed) power spectra are subject to an amplitude shift throughout the scales. At small scales, when dispersive decorrelation mechanisms become significant, the frozen-in assumption is generally violated, in particular for k-vectors almost parallel to the average magnetic field. A discussion in terms of the spacetime autocorrelation function is proposed. These results might be relevant for the interpretation of the observations, in particular for existing and future space missions devoted to very high-resolution measurements

Downstream high-speed plasma jet generation as a direct consequence of shock reformation

Shocks are one of nature's most powerful particle accelerators and have been connected to relativistic electron acceleration and cosmic rays. Upstream shock observations include wave generation, wave-particle interactions and magnetic compressive structures, while at the shock and downstream, particle acceleration, magnetic reconnection and plasma jets can be observed. Here, using Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) we show in-situ evidence of high-speed downstream flows (jets) generated at the Earth's bow shock as a direct consequence of shock reformation. Jets are observed downstream due to a combined effect of upstream plasma wave evolution and an ongoing reformation cycle of the bow shock. This generation process can also be applicable to planetary and astrophysical plasmas where collisionless shocks are commonly found. Several mechanisms exist for formation of jets observed in Earth's magnetosheath. Here, the authors show evidence of high-speed downstream flows generated at the Earth's bow shock as a direct consequence of shock reformation, which is different than the proposed mechanisms.Peer reviewe

Evaluation of Management System Effectiveness in the Preparation of the Aircraft for Flight in Faulty Conditions

Most flight delays in aviation enterprises are related to air traffic management and technical centers. This can happen for various reasons: untimely removal of defects, lack of spare parts, deficiencies in maintenance scheduling, etc. Another reason may be inefficient management in the system of preparing the aircraft for departure. The article suggests a possible option of such an assessment as well as the results obtained from the use of this methodology applied to a specific airline

A Model of Interconnection Between Aircraft Equipment Failures and Aircraft “States” in Flight

The article presents a semiotic model of “aircraft conditions” in flight and multilevel structures of an aircraft. The hierarchical structure of abstract models is divided into blocks and levels that make them more compact by applying a mathematical apparatus corresponding to the goals sated. The above models were tested on the basis of statistical data on TU-154 aircraft failures for 10 years. Various aircraft functional system failures in flight were examined. The state of the aircraft is identified by normative indicators recorded in the “Aircraft Technical Operation Manual”