Methods for design and evaluation of integrated hardware-software systems for concurrent computation

Research activities and publications are briefly summarized. The major tasks reviewed are: (1) VAX implementation of the PISCES parallel programming environment; (2) Apollo workstation network implementation of the PISCES environment; (3) FLEX implementation of the PISCES environment; (4) sparse matrix iterative solver in PSICES Fortran; (5) image processing application of PISCES; and (6) a formal model of concurrent computation being developed

PISCES: An environment for parallel scientific computation

The parallel implementation of scientific computing environment (PISCES) is a project to provide high-level programming environments for parallel MIMD computers. Pisces 1, the first of these environments, is a FORTRAN 77 based environment which runs under the UNIX operating system. The Pisces 1 user programs in Pisces FORTRAN, an extension of FORTRAN 77 for parallel processing. The major emphasis in the Pisces 1 design is in providing a carefully specified virtual machine that defines the run-time environment within which Pisces FORTRAN programs are executed. Each implementation then provides the same virtual machine, regardless of differences in the underlying architecture. The design is intended to be portable to a variety of architectures. Currently Pisces 1 is implemented on a network of Apollo workstations and on a DEC VAX uniprocessor via simulation of the task level parallelism. An implementation for the Flexible Computing Corp. FLEX/32 is under construction. An introduction to the Pisces 1 virtual computer and the FORTRAN 77 extensions is presented. An example of an algorithm for the iterative solution of a system of equations is given. The most notable features of the design are the provision for several granularities of parallelism in programs and the provision of a window mechanism for distributed access to large arrays of data

A model for the distributed storage and processing of large arrays

A conceptual model for parallel computations on large arrays is developed. The model provides a set of language concepts appropriate for processing arrays which are generally too large to fit in the primary memories of a multiprocessor system. The semantic model is used to represent arrays on a concurrent architecture in such a way that the performance realities inherent in the distributed storage and processing can be adequately represented. An implementation of the large array concept as an Ada package is also described

On the engineering of crucial software

The various aspects of the conventional software development cycle are examined. This cycle was the basis of the augmented approach contained in the original grant proposal. This cycle was found inadequate for crucial software development, and the justification for this opinion is presented. Several possible enhancements to the conventional software cycle are discussed. Software fault tolerance, a possible enhancement of major importance, is discussed separately. Formal verification using mathematical proof is considered. Automatic programming is a radical alternative to the conventional cycle and is discussed. Recommendations for a comprehensive approach are presented, and various experiments which could be conducted in AIRLAB are described

Research in LMSS propagation

The Virginia Tech Satellite Communications Group has participated in the Land Mobile Satellite System (LMSS) program through JPL sponsorship since 1985. Involvement has mainly been in modeling and simulation of propagation characteristics and effects. Models developed to predict cummulative fade distributions for fading LMSS signals include LMSSMOD and the Simple Models which approximate LMSSMOD. Models to predict the mean and standard deviation of signal attenuation through roadside vegetation, namely the Average Path Model, were developed. In the area of simulation, efforts have centered around the development of a software simulator that uses data bases derived from experimental data to generate simulated data with arbitrary statistical behavior. This work has progressed to the development of an integrated analysis and simulation package, LIPS. The basic theory and results for the models and simulator have been previously documented in reports and papers. All LMSS activities are summarized and details of this year's efforts are given

Investigating the hard X-ray emission from the hottest Abell cluster A2163 with Suzaku

We present the results from Suzaku observations of the hottest Abell galaxy cluster A2163 at $z=0.2$. To study the physics of gas heating in cluster mergers, we investigated hard X-ray emission from the merging cluster A2163, which hosts the brightest synchrotron radio halo. We analyzed hard X-ray spectra accumulated from two-pointed Suzaku observations. Non-thermal hard X-ray emission should result from the inverse Compton (IC) scattering of relativistic electrons by the CMB photons. To measure this emission, the dominant thermal emission in the hard X-ray band must be modeled in detail. To this end, we analyzed the combined broad-band X-ray data of A2163 collected by Suzaku and XMM-Newton, assuming single- and multi-temperature models for thermal emission and the power-law model for non-thermal emission. From the Suzaku data, we detected significant hard X-ray emission from A2163 in the 12-60 keV band at the $28\sigma$ level (or at the $5.5\sigma$ level if a systematic error is considered). The Suzaku HXD spectrum alone is consistent with the single-T thermal model of gas temperature $kT=14$ keV. From the XMM data, we constructed a multi-T model including a very hot ($kT=18$ keV) component in the NE region. Incorporating the multi-T and the power-law models into a two-component model with a radio-band photon index, the 12-60 keV energy flux of non-thermal emission is constrained within $5.3 \pm 0.9 (\pm 3.8)\times 10^{-12}~{\rm erg\, s^{-1} cm^{-2}}$. The 90% upper limit of detected IC emission is marginal ($< 1.2\times 10^{-11}~{\rm erg\, s^{-1} cm^{-2}}$ in the 12-60 keV). The estimated magnetic field in A2163 is $B > 0.098~{\rm \mu G}$. While the present results represent a three-fold increase in the accuracy of the broad band spectral model of A2163, more sensitive hard X-ray observations are needed to decisively test for the presence of hard X-ray emission due to IC emission.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, A&A accepted. Minor correctio

Evaluation of experimental epoxy monomers

Future generation aircraft need higher performance polymer matrices to fully achieve the weight savings possible with composite materials. New resins are being formulated in an effort to understand basic polymer behavior and to develop improved resins. Some polymer/curing agent combinations that could be useful are difficult to process. In the area of epoxies, a major problem is that some components have physical properties which make them difficult to utilize as matrix resins. A previous study showed that the use of ultrasonic energy can be advantageous in the mixing of curing agents into a standard epoxy resin, such as MY 720 (Ciba-Geigy designation). This work is expanded to include three novel epoxides

Measurement of spin memory lengths in PdNi and PdFe ferromagnetic alloys

Weakly ferromagnetic alloys are being used by several groups in the study of superconducting/ferromagnetic hybrid systems. Because spin-flip and spin-orbit scattering in such alloys disrupt the penetration of pair correlations into the ferromagnetic material, it is desirable to have a direct measurement of the spin memory length in such alloys. We have measured the spin memory length at 4.2 K in sputtered Pd0.88Ni0.12 and Pd0.987Fe0.013 alloys using methods based on current-perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance. The alloys are incorporated into hybrid spin valves of various types, and the spin memory length is determined by fits of the Valet-Fert spin-transport equations to data of magnetoresistance vs. alloy thickness. For the case of PdNi alloy, the resulting values of the spin memory length are lsf(PdNi) = 2.8 +/- 0.5 nm and 5.4 +/- 0.6 nm, depending on whether or not the PdNi is exchange biased by an adjacent Permalloy layer. For PdFe, the spin memory length is somewhat longer, lsf(PdFe) = 9.6 +/- 2 nm, consistent with earlier measurements indicating lower spin-orbit scattering in that material. Unfortunately, even the longer spin memory length in PdFe may not be long enough to facilitate observation of spin-triplet superconducting correlations predicted to occur in superconducting/ferromagnetic hybrid systems in the presence of magnetic inhomogeneity.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Optical and ROSAT X-ray observations of the dwarf nova OY Carinae in superoutburst and quiescence

We present ROSAT X-ray and optical light curves of the 1994 February superoutburst of the eclipsing SU UMa dwarf nova OY Carinae. There is no eclipse of the flux in the ROSAT HRI light curve. Contemporaneous `wide B' band optical light curves show extensive superhump activity and dips at superhump maximum. Eclipse mapping of these optical light curves reveals a disc with a considerable physical flare, even three days into the superoutburst decline. We include a later (1994 July) ROSAT PSPC observation of OY Car that allows us to put constraints on the quiescent X-ray spectrum. We find that while there is little to choose between OY Car and its fellow high inclination systems with regard to the temperature of the emitting gas and the emission measure, we have difficulties reconciling the column density found from our X-ray observation with the column found in HST UV observations by Horne et al. (1994). The obvious option is to invoke time variability.Comment: 16 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Quantum-Statistical Correlations and Single Particle Distributions for Slowly Expanding Systems with Temperature Profile

Competition among particle evaporation, temperature gradient and flow is investigated in a phenomenological manner, based on a simultaneous analysis of quantum statistical correlations and momentum distributions for a non-relativistic, spherically symmetric, three-dimensionally expanding, finite source. The parameters of the model emission function are constrained by fits to neutron and proton momentum distributions and correlation functions in intermediate energy heavy-ion collisions. The temperature gradient is related to the momentum dependence of the radius parameters of the two-particle correlation function, as well as to the momentum-dependent temperature parameter of the single particle spectrum, while a long duration of particle evaporation is found to be responsible for the low relative momentum behavior of the two-particle correlations.Comment: 20 pages + 5 ps figures, ReVTeX, uses psfig.sty, the description is extended to include final state interactions, phenomenological evaporation and to fit intermediate energy heavy ion proton and neutron spectrum and correlation dat