433 research outputs found
Constraints on the location of a possible 9th planet derived from the Cassini data
To explain the unusual distribution of Kuiper Belt objects, several authors
have advocated the existence of a super-Earth planet in the outer solar system.
It has recently been proposed that a 10 M object with an orbit of
700 AU semi major axis and 0.6 eccentricity can explain the observed
distribution of Kuiper Belt objects around Sedna. Here we use the INPOP
planetary ephemerides model as a sensor for testing for an additional body in
the solar system. We test the possibility of adding the proposed planet without
increasing the residuals of the planetary ephemerides, fitted over the whole
INPOP planetary data sample. We demonstrate that the presence of such an object
is not compatible with the most sensitive data set, the Cassini radio ranging
data, if its true anomaly is in the intervals or
. Moreover, we find that the addition of this object
can reduce the Cassini residuals, with a most probable position given by a true
anomaly .Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A; 4 pages, 6 figure
INPOP new release: INPOP13b
Based on the use of MESSENGER radiotracking data in the construction of new
Mercury ephemerides (Verma et al. 2014) a new planetary ephemerides INPOP13b
was built including Mercury improvements but also improvements on the Mars
orbit and on the tie of INPOP planetary ephemerides to ICRF in general.Comment: INPOP sources available http://www.imcce.fr/inpo
Tests of General relativity with planetary orbits and Monte Carlo simulations
Based on the new developped planetary ephemerides INPOP13c, determinations of
acceptable intervals of General Relativity violation in considering
simultaneously the PPN parameters , PPN , the flattening of the
sun and time variation of the gravitational mass of the sun
are obtained in using Monte Carlo simulation coupled with basic genetic
algorithm. Possible time variations of the gravitational constant G are also
deduced. Discussions are lead about the better choice of indicators for the
goodness-of-fit for each run and limits consistent with general relativity are
obtained simultaneously.Comment: submitte
Electron density distribution and solar plasma correction of radio signals using MGS, MEX and VEX spacecraft navigation data and its application to planetary ephemerides
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Mars Express (MEX), and Venus Express (VEX)
experienced several superior solar conjunctions. These conjunctions cause
severe degradations of radio signals when the line of sight between the Earth
and the spacecraft passes near to the solar corona region. The primary
objective of this work is to deduce a solar corona model from the spacecraft
navigation data acquired at the time of solar conjunctions and to estimate its
average electron density. The corrected or improved data are then used to fit
the dynamical modeling of the planet motions, called planetary ephemerides. We
analyzed the radio science raw data of the MGS spacecraft using the orbit
determination software GINS. The range bias, obtained from GINS and provided by
ESA for MEX and VEX, are then used to derive the electron density profile.
These profiles are obtained for different intervals of solar distances: from
12Rs to 215Rs for MGS, 6Rs to 152Rs for MEX, and form 12Rs to 154Rs for VEX.
They are acquired for each spacecraft individually, for ingress and egress
phases separately and both phases together, for different types of solar winds
(fast, slow), and for solar activity phases (minimum, maximum). We compared our
results with the previous estimations that were based on in situ measurements,
and on solar type III radio and radio science studies made at different phases
of solar activity and at different solar wind states. Our results are
consistent with estimations obtained by these different methods. Moreover,
fitting the planetary ephemerides including complementary data that were
corrected for the solar corona perturbations, noticeably improves the
extrapolation capability of the planetary ephemerides and the estimation of the
asteroids masses.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
San Joaquin Parks and Recreation Site-Specific Strategic Plan
The San Joaquin Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan (SJPRSP) outlines a road to success for parks, open space, and recreational amenities. Areas of improvement are identified, and local assessments of opportunities and strengths of San Joaquin are examined to curate a site-specific plan of what could be implemented regarding local parks and recreation and open space
Gravity tests with INPOP planetary ephemerides
In this paper, we present several gravity tests made in using the last
INPOP08 planetary ephemerides. We first propose two methods to estimate the PPN
parameter and its correlated value, the Sun J2 and we discuss the
correlation between the Sun J2 and the mass of the asteroid ring. We estimate
possible advance in the planet perihelia. In the end we show that no constant
acceleration larger than 1/4 the Pioneer anomaly can affect the planets of our
solar system.Comment: 11 pages. submitted to proceedings of IAU symposium 264 "Relativity
in Fundamental Astronomy: Dynamics, Reference Frames and Data analysis
Highly Scalable Multiplication for Distributed Sparse Multivariate Polynomials on Many-core Systems
We present a highly scalable algorithm for multiplying sparse multivariate
polynomials represented in a distributed format. This algo- rithm targets not
only the shared memory multicore computers, but also computers clusters or
specialized hardware attached to a host computer, such as graphics processing
units or many-core coprocessors. The scal- ability on the large number of cores
is ensured by the lacks of synchro- nizations, locks and false-sharing during
the main parallel step.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Optimization of the fixed-flexion knee radiograph
SummaryPurposeTo develop a user-friendly method of achieving optimal radiographs for measurement of joint space width of the knee with minimal radiation exposure. In order to accomplish this the X-ray technologist must (1) be able to identify the anterior and posterior rims of the tibial plateau at a variety of X-ray head angles and (2) be able to choose the direction to adjust the head angle to get a better view based on the criteria for acceptable radiographs.MethodsWe have developed a training manual and materials to instruct investigators and radiology technologists in a method that uses a commercially available Plexiglas positioning frame (Synaflexerâ„¢) and standard X-ray equipment to achieve optimal X-rays with regard to tibial plateau alignment of the knee. This should be accomplished with four or fewer radiographs.ResultsOptimized radiographs for joint space width measurements are achieved without the need for fluoroscopy or foot maps.ConclusionsThis method is readily understood and instituted by radiology technologists in the field
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