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At least 1,009 records · Page 56

Flight test of passive wing/store flutter suppression

Flight tests were performed on an F-16 airplane carrying on each wing an AIM-9J wingtip missile, a GBU-8 bomb near midspan, and an external fuel tank. Baseline flights with the GBU-8 mounted on a standard pylon established that this configuration is characterized by an antisymmetric limited amplitude flutter oscillation within the operational envelope. The airplane was then flown with GBU-8 mounted on the decoupler pylon. The decoupler pylon is a NASA concept of passive wing-store flutter suppression achieved by providing a low store-pylon pitch frequency. The decoupler pylon successfully suppressed wing-store flutter throughout the flight envelope. A 37 percent increase in flutter velocity over the standard pylon was demonstrated. Maneuvers with load factors to 4g were performed. Although the static store displacements during maneuvers were not sufficiently large to be of concern, a store pitch alignment system was tested and performed successfully. One GBU-8 was ejected demonstrating that weapon separation from the decoupler pylon is normal.

Cazier, F. W., Jr.↗

Calibration, modeling, parameterization, and verification of the instrument transfer function of an interferometric microscope

Interferometric microscopes are used to measure surface roughness, from which the computed power spectral density function can be used to extract bandwidth-limited values of the various surface properties, such as root-mean-square (rms) height and slope errors. Measurements with a microscope equipped with different objectives that have an overlapping spatial frequency range usually give different rms results over the common frequency bandwidth. This is a result of different instrument transfer functions (ITFs) that attenuate spatial frequencies by different amounts over the overlapping range. We report on the use of binary pseudo-random array (BPRA) standards to characterize the ITF of an interferometric microscope with the various objectives. We use a simple model of a 1D binary Results show that the spectrum for an undersampled array is a cosine function, rather than a straight line, constant white noise spectrum. We have an analytical model of the ITF that includes the effects of an obscured aperture and defocus, in addition to the usual parameters of numerical aperture, wavelength, and sampling period. In addition, the model includes the effect of aliasing of spatial frequency components beyond the Nyquist back into the sub-Nyquist region. We compare the model PSD predictions to the measurements performed with different objectives. Departures of the measured PSDs from the model predictions indicate that there are higher-order ITF corrections yet to be identified and included in the model.

Takacs, PZ↗

The Statistical Loop Analyzer (SLA)

The statistical loop analyzer (SLA) is designed to automatically measure the acquisition, tracking and frequency stability performance characteristics of symbol synchronizers, code synchronizers, carrier tracking loops, and coherent transponders. Automated phase lock and system level tests can also be made using the SLA. Standard baseband, carrier and spread spectrum modulation techniques can be accomodated. Through the SLA's phase error jitter and cycle slip measurements the acquisition and tracking thresholds of the unit under test are determined; any false phase and frequency lock events are statistically analyzed and reported in the SLA output in probabilistic terms. Automated signal drop out tests can be performed in order to trouble shoot algorithms and evaluate the reacquisition statistics of the unit under test. Cycle slip rates and cycle slip probabilities can be measured using the SLA. These measurements, combined with bit error probability measurements, are all that are needed to fully characterize the acquisition and tracking performance of a digital communication system.

Lindsey, W. C.↗

Interconnection of Distributed Energy Resources in the Indian Context: IEEE 1547-2018 Adaptation for Locally-Appropriate Grid Code Development

The rapid growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) in India and ambitious renewable energy goals set forth by the Indian government have created the need for appropriate distribution interconnection standards to ensure continued system stability, reliability, and resilience. Existing DER interconnection codes in India, at the time of publishing this report, lack many of the critical grid support functionalities for DERs which may protect bulk system stability, such as event ride-through provisions, frequency droop control, or appropriate trip thresholds given the increasing importance of distributed generation. The formal adoption of IEEE 1547-2018 by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) marks a significant step towards achieving appropriate interconnection of DERs, though the implementation of such a standard must be accompanied with careful consideration of the current codes, regulations, and operation of the Indian power system. Studies on the performance of the functionalities within 1547-2018, which properly incorporate local operating conditions, can inform decisions related to the adoption and adaptation of the clauses present in the standard. This report outlines several of these key considerations for stakeholders and provides analyses illustrating the performance of grid support functionalities on typical Indian distribution feeders.

1547↗

Positive- and negative-frequency noise from an ensemble of two-level fluctuators

The analysis of charge noise based on the Bloch-Redfield treatment of an ensemble of dissipative two-level fluctuators generally results in a violation of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. The standard Markov approximation (when applied to the two-level fluctuators coupled to a bath) can be identified as the main origin of this failure. The resulting decoherence rates only involve the bath response at the fluctuator frequency, and thus completely neglect the effects of frequency broadening. A systematic and computationally convenient way to overcome this issue is to employ the spectator-qubit method: by coupling an auxiliary qubit to the two-level fluctuator ensemble, an analytical approximation for S(ω) fully consistent with the fluctuation-dissipation theorem can be obtained. We discuss the resulting characteristics of the noise which exhibits distinct behavior over several frequency ranges, including a 1/f to 1/f2 crossover with a T3 temperature dependence of the crossover frequency.

2-dimensional systems↗

Finite Difference Time Marching in the Frequency Domain: A Parabolic Formulation for Aircraft Acoustic Nacelle Design

An explicit finite difference iteration scheme is developed to study harmonic sound propagation in aircraft engine nacelles. To reduce storage requirements for large 3D problems, the time dependent potential form of the acoustic wave equation is used. To insure that the finite difference scheme is both explicit and stable, time is introduced into the Fourier transformed (steady-state) acoustic potential field as a parameter. Under a suitable transformation, the time dependent governing equation in frequency space is simplified to yield a parabolic partial differential equation, which is then marched through time to attain the steady-state solution. The input to the system is the amplitude of an incident harmonic sound source entering a quiescent duct at the input boundary, with standard impedance boundary conditions on the duct walls and duct exit. The introduction of the time parameter eliminates the large matrix storage requirements normally associated with frequency domain solutions, and time marching attains the steady-state quickly enough to make the method favorable when compared to frequency domain methods. For validation, this transient-frequency domain method is applied to sound propagation in a 2D hard wall duct with plug flow.

Baumeister, Kenneth J.↗

Finite Difference Time Marching in the Frequency Domain: A Parabolic Formulation for the Convective Wave Equation

An explicit finite difference iteration scheme is developed to study harmonic sound propagation in ducts. To reduce storage requirements for large 3D problems, the time dependent potential form of the acoustic wave equation is used. To insure that the finite difference scheme is both explicit and stable, time is introduced into the Fourier transformed (steady-state) acoustic potential field as a parameter. Under a suitable transformation, the time dependent governing equation in frequency space is simplified to yield a parabolic partial differential equation, which is then marched through time to attain the steady-state solution. The input to the system is the amplitude of an incident harmonic sound source entering a quiescent duct at the input boundary, with standard impedance boundary conditions on the duct walls and duct exit. The introduction of the time parameter eliminates the large matrix storage requirements normally associated with frequency domain solutions, and time marching attains the steady-state quickly enough to make the method favorable when compared to frequency domain methods. For validation, this transient-frequency domain method is applied to sound propagation in a 2D hard wall duct with plug flow.

Baumeister, K. J.↗

Importance learning estimator for the site-averaged turnover frequency of a disordered solid catalyst

For disordered catalysts such as atomically dispersed “single-atom” metals on amorphous silica, the active sites inherit different properties from their quenched-disordered local environments. The observed kinetics are site-averages, typically dominated by a small fraction of highly active sites. Standard sampling methods require expensive ab initio calculations at an intractable number of sites to converge on the siteaveraged kinetics. We present a new method that efficiently estimates the site-averaged turnover frequency (TOF). The new estimator uses the same importance learning algorithm [Vandervelden et al., React. Chem. Eng. 5, 77 (2020)] that we previously used to compute the siteaveraged activation energy. We demonstrate the method by computing the site-averaged TOF for a simple disordered lattice model of an amorphous catalyst. The results show that with the importance learning algorithm, the site-averaged TOF and activation energy can now be obtained concurrently with orders of magnitude reduction in required ab initio calculations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The effect of ICRH and NBI on tungsten transport in neon edge radiation cooled discharges in TEXTOR

Tungsten is planned to be the plasma-facing material for the main chamber and divertor in future devices like ITER, SPARC, and DTT. To address risks associated with tungsten, R&D is being carried out on various toroidal confinement devices. One particular research question is related to the optimum heating mix for ITER. To investigate the influence of the heating scheme on the release and transport of tungsten, a comparison of neutral beam injection (NBI) and ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating was carried out in TEXTOR tungsten test limiter experiments. The experiments were performed under standard L-mode conditions and in radiative improved-mode operation with neon seeding and boronized walls covering the graphite plasma-facing components. The plasma was heated with hydrogen or deuterium NBI alone or with deuterium NBI in combination with H-minority, ion cyclotron resonance heating. A movable solid tungsten limiter was inserted through a limiter lock system into the edge plasma. The impurity release from this limiter was evaluated from visible spectroscopy. The tungsten concentrations in the plasma core were determined by extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy and bolometry. With deuterium NBI alone, strong central radiation and accumulation of W was observed. This can, however, be avoided by adding ICRF heating.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A data-driven approach to sampling matrix selection for compressive sensing

Sampling is a fundamental aspect of any implementation of compressive sensing. Typically, the choice of sampling method is guided by the reconstruction basis. However, this approach can be problematic with respect to certain hardware constraints and is not responsive to domain-specific context. We propose a method for defining an order for a sampling basis that is optimal with respect to capturing variance in data, thus allowing for meaningful sensing at any desired level of compression. We focus on the Walsh-Hadamard sampling basis for its relevance to hardware constraints, but our approach applies to any sampling basis of interest. We illustrate the effectiveness of our method on the Physical Sciences Inc. Fabry-Perot interferometer sensor multispectral dataset, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab FTIR-based longwave infrared sensor hyperspectral dataset, and a Colorado State University Swiss Ranger depth image dataset. The spectral datasets consist of simulant experiments, including releases of chemicals such as GAA and SF6. We combine our sampling and reconstruction with the adaptive coherence estimator (ACE) and bulk coherence for chemical detection and we incorporate an algorithmic threshold for ACE values to determine the presence or absence of a chemical. We compare results across sampling methods in this context. We have successful chemical detection at a compression rate of 90%. For all three datasets, we compare our sampling approach to standard orderings of sampling basis such as random, sequency, and an analog of sequency that we term `frequency.' In one instance, the peak signal to noise ratio was improved by over 30% across a test set of depth images.

compressive sensing, hyperspectral imaging, Walsh-↗

The Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab: Precision Measurements and Nonlinear Beam Dynamics

The Muon g-2 Experiment has achieved a significant milestone by measuring the positive muon anomalous magnetic moment to an unprecedented accuracy of 0.20 ppm, paving the way to a better understanding of particle physics, including beyond-the-Standard-Model possibilities. In the experiment, muons are circulated within a storage ring, and their anomalous precession frequency — the spin precession relative to momentum — is determined from decay positron time and energy data, captured using calorimeters. In support of accurate storage ring simulations, we performed high-order calculations of the field of the experiment's high-voltage quadrupoles. We also carried out accurate, transfer map–based calculations of the storage ring's chromaticity. These calculations are essential for understanding the beam dynamics effects in the Muon g-2 storage ring.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Coherent reference generator phase stability

Approximate phase stability estimates for the coherent reference generator (CRG) unit in the DSN's Frequency and Timing Subsystem (FTS) are calculated. The method used involves estimating the phase noise introduced by CRG components based upon measurements made in the past on similar components in other parts of the FTS and obtaining the CRG phase noise from the component phase noises. Three estimates of phase stability are calculated: the fractional frequency change for a 5 C step in temperature, the phase noise spectral density, and the Allan standard deviation. It is found from these estimates that the CRG phase stability is better than that of the H-maser physics unit + receiver. Thus, the first step in improving FTS phase stability would be to make improvements in the H-maser physics unit + receiver. These results are corroborated by indirect clock stability estimates calculated from Doppler data.

Korwar, V. N.↗

Stochastic models for atomic clocks

For the atomic clocks used in the National Bureau of Standards Time Scales, an adequate model is the superposition of white FM, random walk FM, and linear frequency drift for times longer than about one minute. The model was tested on several clocks using maximum likelihood techniques for parameter estimation and the residuals were acceptably random. Conventional diagnostics indicate that additional model elements contribute no significant improvement to the model even at the expense of the added model complexity.

Barnes, J. A.↗

Comparative measurements using different particle size instruments

This paper discusses the measurement and comparison of particle size and velocity measurements in sprays. The general nature of sprays and the development of standard, consistent research sprays are described. The instruments considered in this paper are: pulsed laser photography, holography, television, and cinematography; laser anemometry and interferometry using visibility, peak amplitude, and intensity ratioing; and laser diffraction. Calibration is by graticule, reticle, powders with known size distributions in liquid cells, monosize sprays, and, eventually, standard sprays. Statistical analyses including spatial and temporal long-time averaging as well as high-frequency response time histories with conditional sampling are examined. Previous attempts at comparing instruments, the making of simultaneous or consecutive measurements with similar types and different types of imaging, interferometric, and diffraction instruments are reviewed. A program of calibration and experiments for comparing and assessing different instruments is presented.

Chigier, N.↗

Description of a 20 Kilohertz power distribution system

A single phase, 440 VRMS, 20 kHz power distribution system with a regulated sinusoidal wave form is discussed. A single phase power system minimizes the wiring, sensing, and control complexities required in a multi-sourced redundantly distributed power system. The single phase addresses only the distribution link; mulitphase lower frequency inputs and outputs accommodation techniques are described. While the 440 V operating potential was initially selected for aircraft operating below 50,000 ft, this potential also appears suitable for space power systems. This voltage choice recognizes a reasonable upper limit for semiconductor ratings, yet will direct synthesis of 220 V, 3 power. A 20 kHz operating frequency was selected to be above the range of audibility, minimize the weight of reactive components, yet allow the construction of single power stages of 25 to 30 kW. The regulated sinusoidal distribution system has several advantages. With a regulated voltage, most ac/dc conversions involve rather simple transformer rectifier applications. A sinusoidal distribution system, when used in conjunction with zero crossing switching, represents a minimal source of EMI. The present state of 20 kHz power technology includes computer controls of voltage and/or frequency, low inductance cable, current limiting circuit protection, bi-directional power flow, and motor/generator operating using standard induction machines. A status update and description of each of these items and their significance is presented.

Hansen, I. G.↗

Description of a 20 kilohertz power distribution system

A single phase, 440 VRMS, 20 kHz power distribution system with a regulated sinusoidal wave form is discussed. A single phase power system minimizes the wiring, sensing, and control complexities required in a multi-sourced redundantly distributed power system. The single phase addresses only the distribution links multiphase lower frequency inputs and outputs accommodation techniques are described. While the 440 V operating potential was initially selected for aircraft operating below 50,000 ft, this potential also appears suitable for space power systems. This voltage choice recognizes a reasonable upper limit for semiconductor ratings, yet will direct synthesis of 220 V, 3 power. A 20 kHz operating frequency was selected to be above the range of audibility, minimize the weight of reactive components, yet allow the construction of single power stages of 25 to 30 kW. The regulated sinusoidal distribution system has several advantages. With a regulated voltage, most ac/dc conversions involve rather simple transformer rectifier applications. A sinusoidal distribution system, when used in conjunction with zero crossing switching, represents a minimal source of EMI. The present state of 20 kHz power technology includes computer controls of voltage and/or frequency, low inductance cable, current limiting circuit protection, bi-directional power flow, and motor/generator operating using standard induction machines. A status update and description of each of these items and their significance is presented.

Hansen, I. G.↗

Description and availability of airborne Doppler radar data

An airborne, forward-looking, pulse, Doppler radar has been developed in conjunction with the joint FAA/NASA Wind Shear Program. This radar represents a first in an emerging technology. The radar was developed to assess the applicability of an airborne radar to detect low altitude hazardous wind shears for civil aviation applications. Such a radar must be capable of looking down into the ground clutter environment and extracting wind estimates from relatively low reflectivity weather targets. These weather targets often have reflectivities several orders of magnitude lower than the surrounding ground clutter. The NASA radar design incorporates numerous technological and engineering achievements in order to accomplish this task. The basic R/T unit evolved from a standard Collins 708 weather radar, which supports specific pulse widths of 1-7 microns and Pulse Repetition Frequencies (PRF) of less than 1-10 kHz. It was modified to allow for the output of the first IF signal, which fed a NASA developed receiver/detector subsystem. The NASA receiver incorporated a distributed, high-speed digital attenuator, producing a range bin to range bin automatic gain control system with 65 dB of dynamic range. Using group speed information supplied by the aircraft's navigation system, the radar signal is frequency demodulated back to base band (zero Doppler relative to stationary ground). The In-phase & Quadrature-phase (I/Q) components of the measured voltage signal are then digitized by a 12-bit A-D converter (producing an additional 36 dB of dynamic range). The raw I/Q signal for each range bin is then recorded (along with the current radar & aircraft state parameters) by a high-speed Kodak tape recorder.

Harrah, S. D.↗

Additional Twists on A Continuous Barber - Pole Illusion

The barber pole illusion is a well-known example of how the perceived direction of motion of an inherently ambiguous one-dimensional pattern is influenced by the shape of the area covered by the pattern. Similar effects may be observed for a stimulus which is restricted to a narrow band of spatial frequencies: when a sinusoidal grating is drifted behind a two-dimensional Gaussian contrast window having unequal standard deviations, the direction of perceived motion is biased in the direction of the major axis of the elliptical window (Mulligan, ARVO 1991). We have extended these results to provide insight into possible mechanisms responsible for the effect.

Mulligan, J. B.↗