“BASS 300 PARACOM”: a “model” underwaterparametric communication system

Parametric transduction offers valuable advantages for underwater acoustic communications. Perhaps the most significant benefit is the fact that high directivity is achieved by means of a physically small transmit transducer. This feature may, ultimately, be employed to permit long-range, low-frequency communication using a compact source. The high directivity is desirable to combat multipath propagation and to achieve data communications in water which is shallow by comparison with range. A real-time, high data-rate “model” differential phase shift keying (DPSK) communication system has been constructed and demonstrated. This system uses parametric transduction, with a 300-kHz primary frequency and a 50-kHz secondary frequency. Experimental results show that the system can be employed to combat multipath propagation in shallow water and can achieve high data-rate text and color image transmission at 10 and 20 kb s^-1 for 2-DPSK and 4-DPSK, respectively, through a transmission bandwidth of 10 kHz. The “model” system was developed to confirm performance predictions for a future, operational long-range link employing a 50-kHz primary frequency and a 5-kHz secondary frequency     

Wavelet Spectrum Analysis Of Eit/Soho Images

The extreme ultraviolet imaging telescope (EIT) of SOHO offers a unique record of the solar atmosphere for its sampling in temperature, field of view, resolution, duration, and cadence. To investigate globally and locally its topology and evolution during the solar cycle, we consider a multi-scale approach, and more precisely we use the wavelet spectrum. We present three results among the applications of such a procedure. First, we estimate the typical dimension of the supergranules as seen in the 30.4 nm passband, and we show that the evolution of the characteristic network scale is almost in phase with the solar cycle. Second, we build pertinent time series that give the evolution of the signal energy present in the corona at different scales. We propose a method that detects eruptions and post-flaring activity in EUV image sequences. Third, we introduce a new way to extract active regions in EIT images, with perspectives in, e.g., long-term irradiance analysis.     

Evidence in a glassy cosmic spherule from Antarctica for grazing incidence encounters with the Earth's atmosphere

Abstract— Cosmic dust accreted by the Earth can be extensively reprocessed during atmospheric encounters. The textures and compositions of reprocessed material provide important constraints by which the processes affecting extraterrestrial matter in the Earth's atmosphere can be better understood. Here we report results on an unusual Antarctic glassy cosmic spherule that demonstrates strong textural evidence for at least two grazing incidence encounters with the Earth's atmosphere prior to final reentry. The particle consists of a central glassy core with four peripheral glass lobes that transect a silicate particle rim. The texture of the particle confirms previous theoretical speculations that some high velocity, low incidence angle interplanetary particles experience numerous encounters with the Earth's atmosphere and also indicates that micrometeorites demonstrating multiple melting episodes should be interpreted with caution.     

Possible meteoroid streams associated with (69230) Hermes and 2002 SY50

The orbits of (69230) Hermes and 2002 SY₅₀ are similar and the Earth approaches both of them twice: at the end of October the local orbital minimum distances are smaller than 0.007 AU, and at the end of April the distances are smaller than 0.04 AU. This gives us opportunities to observe the meteors associated with these asteroids. Using the geocentric parameters of the orbital close encounters (the theoretical radiants) and our D _N distance function (Valsecchi et al. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 304 (1999) 743), we searched for meteoroids originated by Hermes and 2002 SY₅₀. A search among 1830 good quality photographic meteors gave negative results: we found no meteor dynamically similar to Hermes or 2002 SY₅₀. In a second search, done in a set of 62150 radio meteors, we applied two methods (M1, M2) and in both cases we found two streams; the streams found with the M1 method had 43 and 30 members, those found with the M2 method had 39 and 14 members. However, these results do not look convincing, due to the small number of common members in the corresponding streams. We therefore conclude that amongst the IAU meteors used in our search there are no compact streams associated with Hermes and 2002 SY₅₀.     

A measurement of the 362 GHz absorption line of Mars atmospheric H2O2

The 362.156 GHz absorption spectrum of H₂O₂ in the Mars atmosphere was observed on September 4 of 2003, employing the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) sub-millimeter facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Radiative transfer analysis of this line absorption yields an average volume mixing ratio of 18±0.4 ppbv within the lower (0-30 km) Mars atmosphere, in general accordance with standard photochemical models (e.g., Nair et al., 1994, Icarus 111, 124-150). Our derived H₂O₂ abundance is roughly three times greater than the upper limit retrieved by Encrenaz et al. (2002, Astron. Astrophys. 396, 1037-1044) from infrared spectroscopy, although part of this discrepancy may result from the different solar longitudes (L_s) of observation. Aphelion-to-perihelion thermal forcing of the global Mars hygropause generates substantial (>200%) increases in HO_x abundances above ∼10 km altitudes between the L_s=112° period of the Encrenaz et al. upper limit measurement and the current L_s=250° period of detection (Clancy and Nair, 1996, J. Geophys. Res. 101, 12785-12590). The observed H₂O₂ line absorption weakens arguments for non-standard homogeneous (Encrenaz et al., 2002, Astron. Astrophys. 396, 1037-1044) or heterogeneous (Krasnopolsky, 2003a, J. Geophys. Res. 108; 2003b, Icarus 165, 315-325) chemistry, which have been advocated partly on the basis of infrared (8 μm) non-detections for Mars H₂O₂. Observation of Mars H₂O₂ also represents the first measurement of a key catalytic specie in a planetary atmosphere other than our own.