380 research outputs found
Improving LLR Tests of Gravitational Theory
Accurate analysis of precision ranges to the Moon has provided several tests
of gravitational theory including the Equivalence Principle, geodetic
precession, parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) parameters and ,
and the constancy of the gravitational constant {\it G}. Since the beginning of
the experiment in 1969, the uncertainties of these tests have decreased
considerably as data accuracies have improved and data time span has
lengthened. We are exploring the modeling improvements necessary to proceed
from cm to mm range accuracies enabled by the new Apache Point Observatory
Lunar Laser-ranging Operation (APOLLO) currently under development in New
Mexico. This facility will be able to make a significant contribution to the
solar system tests of fundamental and gravitational physics. In particular, the
Weak and Strong Equivalence Principle tests would have a sensitivity
approaching 10, yielding sensitivity for the SEP violation parameter
of , general relativistic effects would
be tested to better than 0.1%, and measurements of the relative change in the
gravitational constant, , would be % the inverse age of the
universe. Having this expected accuracy in mind, we discusses the current
techniques, methods and existing physical models used to process the LLR data.
We also identify the challenges for modeling and data analysis that the LLR
community faces today in order to take full advantage of the new APOLLO ranging
station.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, talk presented at 2003 NASA/JPL Workshop on
Fundamental Physics in Space, April 14-16, 2003, Oxnard, C
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Development of advanced NO sub x control concepts for coal-fired utility boilers
CombiNO{sub x} is a NO{sub x} reduction process which incorporates three different NO{sub x} control technologies: reburning, selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR), and methanol injection. Gas reburning is a widely used technology that has been proven to reduce NO{sub x} up to 60% on full-scale applications. The specific goals of the CombiNO{sub x} project are: 70% NO{sub x} reduction at 20% of the cost of selective catalytic reduction; NO{sub x} levels at the stack of 60 ppm for ozone non-attainment areas; Demonstrate coal reburning; Identify all undesirable by-products of the process and their controlling parameters; Demonstrate 95% N0{sub 2} removal in a wet scrubber. Before integrating all three of CombiNO{sub x}'s technologies into a combined process, it is imperative that the chemistry of each individual process is well understood. Pilot-scale SNCR tests and the corresponding computer modeling were studied in detail and discussed in the previous quarterly report. This quarterly report will present the results obtained during the pilot-scale advanced reburning tests performed on EER's Boiler Simulation Facility (BSF). Since methanol injection is a relatively new NO{sub x} control technology, laboratory-scale tests were performed to better understand the conditions at which methanol is most effective. The experimental set-up and results from these tests will be discussed
Equations of motion according to the asymptotic post-Newtonian scheme for general relativity in the harmonic gauge
The asymptotic scheme of post-Newtonian approximation defined for general
relativity (GR) in the harmonic gauge by Futamase & Schutz (1983) is based on a
family of initial data for the matter fields of a perfect fluid and for the
initial metric, defining a family of weakly self-gravitating systems. We show
that Weinberg's (1972) expansion of the metric and his general expansion of the
energy-momentum tensor , as well as his expanded equations for the
gravitational field and his general form of the expanded dynamical equations,
apply naturally to this family. Then, following the asymptotic scheme, we
derive the explicit form of the expansion of for a perfect fluid, and
the expanded fluid-dynamical equations. (These differ from those written by
Weinberg.) By integrating these equations in the domain occupied by a body, we
obtain a general form of the translational equations of motion for a 1PN
perfect-fluid system in GR. To put them into a tractable form, we use an
asymptotic framework for the separation parameter , by defining a family
of well-separated 1PN systems. We calculate all terms in the equations of
motion up to the order included. To calculate the 1PN correction
part, we assume that the Newtonian motion of each body is a rigid one, and that
the family is quasi-spherical, in the sense that in all bodies the inertia
tensor comes close to being spherical as . Apart from corrections
that cancel for exact spherical symmetry, there is in the final equations of
motion one additional term, as compared with the Lorentz-Droste
(Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann) acceleration. This term depends on the spin of the
body and on its internal structure.Comment: 42 pages, no figure. Version accepted for publication in Physical
Review
Horizontal coherence of low-frequency fixed-path sound in a continental shelf region with internal-wave activity
Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 131 (2012): 1782-1797, doi:10.1121/1.3666003.Sound at 85 to 450 Hz propagating in approximately 80-m depth water from fixed sources to a joint horizontal/vertical line array (HLA/VLA) is analyzed. The data are from a continental shelf area east of Delaware Bay (USA) populated with tidally generated long- and short-wavelength internal waves. Sound paths are 19 km in the along-shore (along internal-wave crest) direction and 30 km in the cross-shore direction. Spatial statistics of HLA arrivals are computed as functions of beam steering angle and time. These include array gain, horizontally lagged spatial correlation function, and coherent beam power. These quantities vary widely in magnitude, and vary over a broad range of time scales. For example, correlation scale can change rapidly from forty to five wavelengths, and correlation-scale behavior is anisotropic. In addition, the vertical array can be used to predict correlation expected for adiabatic propagation with cylindrical symmetry, forming a benchmark. Observed variations are in concert with internal-wave activity. Temporal variations of three coherence measures, horizontal correlation length, array gain, and ratio of actual correlation length to predicted adiabatic-mode correlation length, are very strong, varying by almost a factor of ten as internal waves pass.This work was supported by Office of Naval Research
(ONR) Grants Nos. N00014-05-1-0482 and N00014-11-1-
0194 to T.F.D., ONR Grant No. N00014-04-1-0146 to
J.F.L., and an ONR Ocean Acoustics Postdoctoral Fellowship
awarded to J.M.C. under Professor William Carey at
Boston University
Prospects in the orbital and rotational dynamics of the Moon with the advent of sub-centimeter lunar laser ranging
Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) measurements are crucial for advanced exploration
of the laws of fundamental gravitational physics and geophysics. Current LLR
technology allows us to measure distances to the Moon with a precision
approaching 1 millimeter. As NASA pursues the vision of taking humans back to
the Moon, new, more precise laser ranging applications will be demanded,
including continuous tracking from more sites on Earth, placing new CCR arrays
on the Moon, and possibly installing other devices such as transponders, etc.
Successful achievement of this goal strongly demands further significant
improvement of the theoretical model of the orbital and rotational dynamics of
the Earth-Moon system. This model should inevitably be based on the theory of
general relativity, fully incorporate the relevant geophysical processes, lunar
librations, tides, and should rely upon the most recent standards and
recommendations of the IAU for data analysis. This paper discusses methods and
problems in developing such a mathematical model. The model will take into
account all the classical and relativistic effects in the orbital and
rotational motion of the Moon and Earth at the sub-centimeter level. The new
model will allow us to navigate a spacecraft precisely to a location on the
Moon. It will also greatly improve our understanding of the structure of the
lunar interior and the nature of the physical interaction at the core-mantle
interface layer. The new theory and upcoming millimeter LLR will give us the
means to perform one of the most precise fundamental tests of general
relativity in the solar system.Comment: 26 pages, submitted to Proc. of ASTROCON-IV conference (Princeton
Univ., NJ, 2007
Observations of sound-speed fluctuations on the New Jersey continental shelf in the summer of 2006
Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 131 (2012): 1733-1748, doi:10.1121/1.3666014.Environmental sensors moored on the New Jersey continental shelf tracked constant density surfaces (isopycnals) for 35 days in the summer of 2006. Sound-speed fluctuations from internal-wave vertical isopycnal displacements and from temperature/salinity variability along isopycnals (spiciness) are analyzed using frequency spectra and vertical covariance functions. Three varieties of internal waves are studied: Diffuse broadband internal waves (akin to waves fitting the deep water Garrett/Munk spectrum), internal tides, and, to a lesser extent, nonlinear internal waves. These internal-wave contributions are approximately distinct in the frequency domain. It is found that in the main thermocline spicy thermohaline structure dominates the root mean square sound-speed variability, with smaller contributions coming from (in order) nonlinear internal waves, diffuse internal waves, and internal tides. The frequency spectra of internal-wave displacements and of spiciness have similar form, likely due to the advection of variable-spiciness water masses by horizontal internal-wave currents, although there are technical limitations to the observations at high frequency. In the low-frequency, internal-wave band the internal-wave spectrum follows frequency to the −1.81 power, whereas the spice spectrum shows a −1.73 power. Mode spectra estimated via covariance methods show that the diffuse internal-wave spectrum has a smaller mode bandwidth than Garrett/Munk and that the internal tide has significant energy in modes one through three.This work was supported by the Office of Naval
Research, and Professor Colosi gratefully acknowledges his
additional support from the Naval Postgraduate School’s
Undersea Warfare Chair that he holds
Long distance passive localization of vocalizing sei whales using an acoustic normal mode approach
Author Posting. © Acoustical Society of America, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of Acoustical Society of America for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 131 (2012): 1814-1825, doi:10.1121/1.3666015.During a 2 day period in mid-September 2006, more than 200, unconfirmed but identifiable, sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) calls were collected as incidental data during a multidisciplinary oceanography and acoustics experiment on the shelf off New Jersey. Using a combined vertical and horizontal acoustic receiving array, sei whale movements were tracked over long distances (up to tens of kilometers) using a normal mode back propagation technique. This approach uses low-frequency, broadband passive sei whale call receptions from a single-station, two-dimensional hydrophone array to perform long distance localization and tracking by exploiting the dispersive nature of propagating normal modes in a shallow water environment. The back propagation approach is examined for accuracy and application to tracking the sei whale vocalizations identified in the vertical and horizontal array signals. This passive whale tracking, combined with the intensive oceanography measurements performed during the experiment, was also used to examine sei whale movements in relation to oceanographic features observed in this region.Office of Naval
Researc
A Survey of Air-to-Ground Propagation Channel Modeling for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs), particularly for small UAVs, due to their affordable
prices, ease of availability, and ease of operability. Existing and future
applications of UAVs include remote surveillance and monitoring, relief
operations, package delivery, and communication backhaul infrastructure.
Additionally, UAVs are envisioned as an important component of 5G wireless
technology and beyond. The unique application scenarios for UAVs necessitate
accurate air-to-ground (AG) propagation channel models for designing and
evaluating UAV communication links for control/non-payload as well as payload
data transmissions. These AG propagation models have not been investigated in
detail when compared to terrestrial propagation models. In this paper, a
comprehensive survey is provided on available AG channel measurement campaigns,
large and small scale fading channel models, their limitations, and future
research directions for UAV communication scenarios
Establishing Foundation Archives: A Reader and Guide to First Steps
This publication is an anthology of papers presented at a conference held at the Rockefeller Archive Center in January 1990, and sponsored by the Council on Foundations. This collaboration of the Archive Center and the Council provided a rare opponunity for foundations to learn both why preserving documents is imponant and how several foundations have approached finding a repository or setting up and managing an archives. Participants in the conference had the added privilege of conferring with experts and seeing an operating archive as they toured the Rockefeller Archive Center.Foundations are institutions that are shaping private initiatives for the public good, so documenting this aspect of American society falls uniquely under the stewardship of the organizations themselves. Foundation documents often provide the only surviving records of the important contributions of nonprofits and foundations to civic life. These records will help to inform future judgments and ensure that the history of the field is not lost. The publication of this volume was intended to make the information shared at the conference more widely available and to provide an entry point and a primer for foundations as they begin their records and archives journey
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