2,857 research outputs found
Performance of convolutional codes on fading channels typical of planetary entry missions
The performance of convolutional codes in fading channels typical of the planetary entry channel is examined in detail. The signal fading is due primarily to turbulent atmospheric scattering of the RF signal transmitted from an entry probe through a planetary atmosphere. Short constraint length convolutional codes are considered in conjunction with binary phase-shift keyed modulation and Viterbi maximum likelihood decoding, and for longer constraint length codes sequential decoding utilizing both the Fano and Zigangirov-Jelinek (ZJ) algorithms are considered. Careful consideration is given to the modeling of the channel in terms of a few meaningful parameters which can be correlated closely with theoretical propagation studies. For short constraint length codes the bit error probability performance was investigated as a function of E sub b/N sub o parameterized by the fading channel parameters. For longer constraint length codes the effect was examined of the fading channel parameters on the computational requirements of both the Fano and ZJ algorithms. The effects of simple block interleaving in combatting the memory of the channel is explored, using the analytic approach or digital computer simulation
Radiative accretion shocks along nonuniform stellar magnetic fields in classical T Tauri stars
(abridged) AIMS. We investigate the dynamics and stability of post-shock
plasma streaming along nonuniform stellar magnetic fields at the impact region
of accretion columns. We study how the magnetic field configuration and
strength determine the structure, geometry, and location of the shock-heated
plasma. METHODS. We model the impact of an accretion stream onto the
chromosphere of a CTTS by 2D axisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Our
model takes into account the gravity, the radiative cooling, and the
magnetic-field-oriented thermal conduction. RESULTS. The structure, stability,
and location of the shocked plasma strongly depend on the configuration and
strength of the magnetic field. For weak magnetic fields, a large component of
B may develop perpendicular to the stream at the base of the accretion column,
limiting the sinking of the shocked plasma into the chromosphere. An envelope
of dense and cold chromospheric material may also develop around the shocked
column. For strong magnetic fields, the field configuration determines the
position of the shock and its stand-off height. If the field is strongly
tapered close to the chromosphere, an oblique shock may form well above the
stellar surface. In general, a nonuniform magnetic field makes the distribution
of emission measure vs. temperature of the shocked plasma lower than in the
case of uniform magnetic field. CONCLUSIONS. The initial strength and
configuration of the magnetic field in the impact region of the stream are
expected to influence the chromospheric absorption and, therefore, the
observability of the shock-heated plasma in the X-ray band. The field strength
and configuration influence also the energy balance of the shocked plasma, its
emission measure at T > 1 MK being lower than expected for a uniform field. The
above effects contribute in underestimating the mass accretion rates derived in
the X-ray band.Comment: 11 pages, 11 Figures; accepted for publication on A&A. Version with
full resolution images can be found at
http://www.astropa.unipa.it/~orlando/PREPRINTS/sorlando_accretion_shocks.pd
The Sun as an X-ray Star: III. Flares
In previous works we have developed a method to convert solar X-ray data,
collected with the Yohkoh/SXT, into templates of stellar coronal observations.
Here we apply the method to several solar flares, for comparison with stellar
X-ray flares. Eight flares, from weak (GOES class C5.8) to very intense ones
(X9) are selected as representative of the flaring Sun. The emission measure
distribution vs. temperature, EM(T), of the flaring regions is derived from
Yohkoh/SXT observations in the rise, peak and decay of the flares. The EM(T) is
rather peaked and centered around K for most of the time.
Typically, it grows during the rise phase of the flare, and then it decreases
and shifts toward lower temperatures during the decay, more slowly if there is
sustained heating. The most intense flare we studied shows emission measure
even at very high temperature ( K). Time-resolved X-ray spectra
both unfiltered and filtered through the instrumental responses of the
non-solar instruments ASCA/SIS and ROSAT/PSPC are then derived. Synthesized
ASCA/SIS and ROSAT/PSPC spectra are generally well fitted with single thermal
components at temperatures close to that of the EM(T) maximum, albeit two
thermal components are needed to fit some flare decays. ROSAT/PSPC spectra show
that solar flares are in a two-orders of magnitude flux range (
erg cm s) and a narrow PSPC hardness ratio range, however higher
than that of typical non-flaring solar-like stars.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures, 3 table
A possible route to spontaneous reduction of the heat conductivity by a temperature gradient driven instability in electron-ion plasmas
We have shown that there exists low-frequency growing modes driven by a
global temperature gradient in electron and ion plasmas, by linear perturbation
analysis within the frame work of plasma Kinetic theory. The driving force of
the instability is the local deviation of the distribution function from the
Maxwell-Boltzmann due to global temperature gradient. Application to the
intracluster medium shows that scattering of the particles due to waves excited
by the instability is possible to reduce mean free paths of electron and ion
down to five to seven order of magnitude than the mean free paths due to
Coulomb collisions. This may provide a hint to explain why hot and cool gas can
co-exist in the intracluster medium in spite of the very short evaporation time
scale due to thermal conduction if the conductivity is the classical Spitzer
value. Our results suggest that the realization of the global thermal
equilibrium is postponed by the local instability which is induced for quicker
realization of local thermal equilibrium state in plasmas. The instability
provides a new possibility to create and grow cosmic magnetic fields without
any seed magnetic field.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ: 16 pages, 1figur
Hurricane Forecasts with a Global Mesoscale-resolving Model on the NASA Columbia Supercomputer Preliminary Simulations of Hurricane Katrina (2005)
It is known that the General Circulation Models (GCMs) have sufficient resolution to accurately simulate hurricane near-eye structure and intensity. To overcome this limitation, the mesoscale-resolving finite-element GCM (fvGCM) has been experimentally deployed on the NASA Columbia supercomputer, and its performance is evaluated choosing hurricane Katrina as an example in this study. On late August 2005 Katrina underwent two stages of rapid intensification and became the sixth most intense hurricane in the Atlantic. Six 5-day simulations of Katrina at both 0.25 deg and 0.125 deg show comparable track forecasts, but the 0,125 deg runs provide much better intensity forecasts, producing center pressure with errors of only +/- 12 hPa. The 0.125 deg simulates better near-eye wind distributions and a more realistic average intensification rate. A convection parameterization (CP) is one of the major limitations in a GCM, the 0.125 deg run with CP disabled produces very encouraging results
3D YSO accretion shock simulations: a study of the magnetic, chromospheric and stochastic flow effects
The structure and dynamics of young stellar object (YSO) accretion shocks depend strongly on the local magnetic field strength and configuration, as well as on the radiative transfer effects responsible for the energy losses. We present the first 3D YSO shock simulations of the interior of the stream, assuming a uniform background magnetic field, a clumpy infalling gas, and an acoustic energy flux flowing at the base of the chromosphere. We study the dynamical evolution and the post-shock structure as a function of the plasma-beta (thermal pressure over magnetic pressure). We find that a strong magnetic field (~hundreds of Gauss) leads to the formation of fibrils in the shocked gas due to the plasma confinement within flux tubes. The corresponding emission is smooth and fully distinguishable from the case of a weak magnetic field (~tenths of Gauss) where the hot slab demonstrates chaotic motion and oscillates periodicall
Magneto-Acoustic Waves of Small Amplitude in Optically Thin Quasi-Isentropic Plasmas
The evolution of quasi-isentropic magnetohydrodynamic waves of small but
finite amplitude in an optically thin plasma is analyzed. The plasma is assumed
to be initially homogeneous, in thermal equilibrium and with a straight and
homogeneous magnetic field frozen in. Depending on the particular form of the
heating/cooling function, the plasma may act as a dissipative or active medium
for magnetoacoustic waves, while Alfven waves are not directly affected. An
evolutionary equation for fast and slow magnetoacoustic waves in the single
wave limit, has been derived and solved, allowing us to analyse the wave
modification by competition of weakly nonlinear and quasi-isentropic effects.
It was shown that the sign of the quasi-isentropic term determines the scenario
of the evolution, either dissipative or active. In the dissipative case, when
the plasma is first order isentropically stable the magnetoacoustic waves are
damped and the time for shock wave formation is delayed. However, in the active
case when the plasma is isentropically overstable, the wave amplitude grows,
the strength of the shock increases and the breaking time decreases. The
magnitude of the above effects depends upon the angle between the wave vector
and the magnetic field. For hot (T > 10^4 K) atomic plasmas with solar
abundances either in the interstellar medium or in the solar atmosphere, as
well as for the cold (T < 10^3 K) ISM molecular gas, the range of temperature
where the plasma is isentropically unstable and the corresponding time and
length-scale for wave breaking have been found.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures. To appear in ApJ January 200
3D numerical modeling of YSO accretion shocks
The dynamics of YSO accretion shocks is determined by radiative processes as well as the strength and structure of the magnetic field. A quasi-periodic emission signature is theoretically expected to be observed, but observations do not confirm any such pattern. In this work, we assume a uniform background field, in the regime of optically thin energy losses, and we study the multi-dimensional shock evolution in the presence of perturbations, i.e. clumps in the stream and an acoustic energy flux flowing at the base of the chromosphere. We perform 3D MHD simulations using the PLUTO code, modelling locally the impact of the infalling gas onto the chromosphere. We find that the structure and dynamics of the post-shock region is strongly dependent on the plasma-beta (thermal over magnetic pressure), different values of which may give distinguishable emission signatures, relevant for observations. In particular, a strong magnetic field effectively confines the plasma inside its flux tubes and leads to the formation of quasi-independent fibrils. The fibrils may oscillate out of phase and hence the sum of their contributions in the emission results in a smooth overall profile. On the contrary, a weak magnetic field is not found to have any significant effect on the shocked plasma and the turbulent hot slab that forms is found to retain its periodic signature
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