scholarly journals Upgrade of electronics of neutron monitors DOMC and DOMB

2021 ◽  
pp. 167-171
Author(s):  
Stepan Poluianov ◽  
Ilya Usoskin ◽  
Roelf Du Toit Strauss
Keyword(s):  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
High Voltage Pulse ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Neutron Monitors ◽  
Standard Design ◽  
Neutron Multiplier

DOMC and DOMB neutron monitors (NM) operate at the Concordia research station (Dome C on the Antarctic plateau, 75 o 06’S, 123 o 23’E, 3233 m a.s.l.) since 2015. Their high elevation and proximity to the geomagnetic pole provide low atmospheric and geomagnetic cutoffs and, therefore, the exceptionally high sensitivity to low-ener- gy cosmic rays. The instruments are the so-called mini neutron monitors with BF 3 -filled counter tubes. DOMC has the standard design with a lead neutron multiplier and DOMB is a so-called “bare” (lead-free) unit. We report on a recent upgrade of the electronics heads of these instruments. The new heads have a modular architecture, built upon a single-board computer Raspberry Pi. The upgrade increases the capabilities of the instruments in two aspects: (1) measurements, particularly, of cosmic ray multiplicity; (2) remote control and monitoring. The new electronic heads register each pulse from a detector, giving a timestamp with microsecond precision, which is crucial for multiplicity measurements. Many important parameters (e.g., high voltage, pulse detection thres- holds) can be controlled and adjusted remotely with the new design. High computing power allows performing data processing on the fly. The upgrade increases the capability of DOMC and DOMB in cosmic ray measurements and improves control of the operation of the neutron monitors.

scholarly journals High-Temperature Chemistry in External Galaxies

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S332) ◽  
pp. 25-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanase Harada
Keyword(s):  
Black Holes ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Chemical Compositions ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Chemical Models ◽  
External Galaxies ◽  
Nearby Galaxies ◽  
High Temperature Chemistry

AbstractIn external galaxies, some galaxies have higher activities of star formation and central supermassive black holes. The interstellar medium in those galaxies can be heated by different mechanisms such as UV-heating, X-ray heating, cosmic-ray heating, and shock/mechanical heating. Chemical compositions can also be affected by those heating mechanisms. Observations of many molecular species in those nearby galaxies are now possible with the high sensitivity of Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA). Here I cover different chemical models for those heating mechanisms. In addition, I present recent ALMA results of extragalactic astrochemistry including our results of a face-on galaxy M83 and an infrared-luminous merger NGC 3256.

scholarly journals Simulating the Impact of Climate Change on the Hydrological Regimes of a Sparsely Gauged Mountainous Basin, Northern Pakistan

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saddique ◽  
Usman ◽  
Bernhofer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Climate Simulation ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Global Circulation Models ◽  
The Impact

Projected climate changes for the 21st century may cause great uncertainties on the hydrology of a river basin. This study explored the impacts of climate change on the water balance and hydrological regime of the Jhelum River Basin using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Two downscaling methods (SDSM, Statistical Downscaling Model and LARS-WG, Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator), three Global Circulation Models (GCMs), and two representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) for three future periods (2030s, 2050s, and 2090s) were used to assess the climate change impacts on flow regimes. The results exhibited that both downscaling methods suggested an increase in annual streamflow over the river basin. There is generally an increasing trend of winter and autumn discharge, whereas it is complicated for summer and spring to conclude if the trend is increasing or decreasing depending on the downscaling methods. Therefore, the uncertainty associated with the downscaling of climate simulation needs to consider, for the best estimate, the impact of climate change, with its uncertainty, on a particular basin. The study also resulted that water yield and evapotranspiration in the eastern part of the basin (sub-basins at high elevation) would be most affected by climate change. The outcomes of this study would be useful for providing guidance in water management and planning for the river basin under climate change.

scholarly journals Proposal for an Embedded System Architecture Using a GNDVI Algorithm to Support UAV-Based Agrochemical Spraying

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (24) ◽  
pp. 5397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maik Basso ◽  
Diego Stocchero ◽  
Renato Ventura Bayan Henriques ◽  
André Luis Vian ◽  
Christian Bredemeier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Embedded System ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
System Architecture ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Research Station ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Cpu Usage

An important area in precision agriculture is related to the efficient use of chemicals applied onto fields. Efforts have been made to diminish their use, aiming at cost reduction and fewer chemical residues in the final agricultural products. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) presents itself as an attractive and cheap alternative for spraying pesticides and fertilizers compared to conventional mass spraying performed by ordinary manned aircraft. Besides being cheaper than manned aircraft, small UAVs are capable of performing fine-grained instead of the mass spraying. Observing this improved method, this paper reports the design of an embedded real-time UAV spraying control system supported by onboard image processing. The proposal uses a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) algorithm to detect the exact locations in which the chemicals are needed. Using this information, the automated spraying control system performs punctual applications while the UAV navigates over the crops. The system architecture is designed to run on low-cost hardware, which demands an efficient NDVI algorithm. The experiments were conducted using Raspberry Pi 3 as the embedded hardware. First, experiments in a laboratory were conducted in which the algorithm was proved to be correct and efficient. Then, field tests in real conditions were conducted for validation purposes. These validation tests were performed in an agronomic research station with the Raspberry hardware integrated into a UAV flying over a field of crops. The average CPU usage was about 20% while memory consumption was about 70 MB for high definition images, with 4% CPU usage and 20.3 MB RAM being observed for low-resolution images. The average current measured to execute the proposed algorithm was 0.11 A. The obtained results prove that the proposed solution is efficient in terms of processing and energy consumption when used in embedded hardware and provides measurements which are coherent with the commercial GreenSeeker equipment.

Daily variation of cosmic rays during quiet and disturbed periods in 1965 and 1966

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S819-S822
Author(s):  
Pekka J. Tanskanen
Keyword(s):  
Daily Variation ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Ecliptic Plane ◽  
Neutron Monitors ◽  
Monthly Basis ◽  
Cosmic Ray Intensity ◽  
Variable Amplitude ◽  
Ecliptic Latitude ◽  
Streaming Velocity ◽  
Corrected Data

Data from super neutron monitors at Deep River, Churchill, Resolute, and Alert have been used to study the daily variation of cosmic-ray intensity during 1965 and 1966. Intensities have been examined on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis as a function of the asymptotic direction of vertically incident 7.5-BeV particles. The data have been analyzed in an earth-centered solar-ecliptic coordinate system in which daily (due to the earth's rotation) and seasonal (due to the inclination of the earth's axis to the ecliptic plane) variations of the asymptotic directions are considered.During undisturbed periods the daily variation has been examined by applying a digital filter to the pressure-corrected data and also to the data after subtraction of a variable-amplitude Parker–Axford theoretical diurnal variation. Particular attention has been paid to the dependence of the observed daily variation on the solar-ecliptic latitude of the asymptotic direction.Seventy-three percent of the weeks considered in 1965 and 1966 give the phase of the first harmonic in a direction 85° ± 35 °E. Sixty percent of the weekly periods show a daily variation as a function of solar-ecliptic latitude which is in agreement with the Parker–Axford "streaming-velocity" theory. During Forbush decreases the diurnal phase shifts towards earlier hours and the amplitude increases to two to three times the predecrease level.

THE EFFECTIVE DIRECTIONAL SENSITIVITY OF COSMIC-RAY NEUTRON MONITORS

1961 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 668-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Lapointe ◽  
D. C. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Neutron Monitor ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
The Other ◽  
Directional Sensitivity ◽  
Master Curves ◽  
Neutron Monitors ◽  
Atmospheric Absorption ◽  
Method Of Calculation ◽  
Set Of Points

The direction of maximum sensitivity of a neutron monitor is calculated numerically for a set of points on the same geomagnetic meridian but extending in latitude from the equator to the pole. This leads to two master curves, one for the longitude, the other for the latitude of this direction. From these curves this direction is obtained in geographic co-ordinates for some 20 cosmic-ray stations. The method of calculation is described taking into account atmospheric absorption and the energy spectrum of the incident particles. The aperture of the sensitive cone, or source width, is also calculated. Finally the accuracy of the results is discussed and the application of the concept of effective direction is described.

Diurnal cosmic-ray variation with the inclusion of the geometrical effects and the asymptotic cones of approach

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S809-S811 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. I. Dorman ◽  
S. Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Intensity Variation ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Neutron Monitors ◽  
Asymptotic Cones ◽  
Diurnal Anisotropy ◽  
Geometrical Effects

Employing the data from cosmic-ray neutron monitors at high latitude, the spatial distribution of the axis of the diurnal anisotropy is determined. The effects of the earth's revolution around the sun on the diurnal intensity variation is investigated. A new method for further investigation of the spatial distribution of the anisotropy and for the determination of its spectra in various directions has been proposed.

scholarly journals A portable cosmic ray detector for school education

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. P12008
Author(s):  
L. Bomben ◽  
S. Capelli ◽  
C. Fanzini ◽  
E. Lutsenko ◽  
V. Mascagna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Arrival Time ◽  
Plastic Scintillator ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Raspberry Pi ◽  
Detector Efficiency ◽  
School Students ◽  
Teaching Activities

Abstract This article describes the design, assembly and characterization of a portable cosmic ray detector, developed by the INSULAB group and suitable for teaching activities aimed at high school students. It consists of a compact aluminum suitcase containing three plastic scintillator modules coupled to photomultipliers, readout by a custom compact electronics chain and powered by a power bank. The modules operate in coincidence and the system records the arrival time of each particle and the time over threshold of the signal of each scintillator module. The data are acquired and processed by a Raspberry PI connected to a touch screen display for online monitoring. The procedure implemented for the determination of the detector efficiency is reported, along with the results of the measurements of the cosmic ray rate as a function of the altitude and the zenith angle, performed in the laboratory and in different locations outdoors.

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