Analysis of Satellite Drag and Spin Decay Data

Work was begun as an effort to obtain satellite drag and upper atmospheric wind data from a spinning spherical satellite to be launched from the space shuttle scheduled for the STS-11 flight. The satellite was an inflated sphere having high area-to-mass ratio which would result in measurable orbital decay due to aerodynamic drag forces experienced by the satellite in the Earth's upper atmosphere. The satellite would also experience a spin decay due to the aerodynamic torque acting to slow the satellite spinning. The original proposal was to develop data analysis procedures to be employed to extract the desired information. Work was performed concerning the data analysis procedure prior to the STS-11 launch; however, the major effort was to begin after the data had been obtained. Unfortunately, the launch of the inflatable sphere on STS-11 was a failure in that the sphere did not inflate properly and no data was obtained. The emphasis of the work planned under this effort was then changed to develop a proposal for a series of experiments similar to the one originally planned for STS-11

Adaptive Process Control with Fuzzy Logic and Genetic Algorithms

Researchers at the U.S. Bureau of Mines have developed adaptive process control systems in which genetic algorithms (GA's) are used to augment fuzzy logic controllers (FLC's). GA's are search algorithms that rapidly locate near-optimum solutions to a wide spectrum of problems by modeling the search procedures of natural genetics. FLC's are rule based systems that efficiently manipulate a problem environment by modeling the 'rule-of-thumb' strategy used in human decision-making. Together, GA's and FLC's possess the capabilities necessary to produce powerful, efficient, and robust adaptive control systems. To perform efficiently, such control systems require a control element to manipulate the problem environment, an analysis element to recognize changes in the problem environment, and a learning element to adjust to the changes in the problem environment. Details of an overall adaptive control system are discussed. A specific laboratory acid-base pH system is used to demonstrate the ideas presented

Vibrational spectroscopy of H2+: precise evaluation of the Zeeman effect

We present an accurate computation of the g-factors of the hyperfine states of the hydrogen molecular ion H2+. The results are in good agreement with previous experiments, and can be tested further by rf spectroscopy. Their implication for high-precision two-photon vibrational spectroscopy of H2+ is also discussed. It is found that the most intense hyperfine components of two-photon lines benefit from a very small Zeeman splitting

Stark quenching of rovibrational states of H2+ due to motion in a magnetic field

The motional electric field experienced by an H2+ ion moving in a magnetic field induces an electric dipole, so that one-photon dipole transitions between rovibrational states become allowed. Field induced spontaneous decay rates are calculated for a wide range of states. For an ion stored in a high-field (B ~ 10 T) Penning trap, it is shown that the lifetimes of excited rovibrational states can be shortened by typically 1-3 orders of magnitude by placing the ion in a large cyclotron orbit. This can greatly facilitate recently proposed [E. G. Myers, Phys. Rev. A 98, 010101 (2018)] high-precision spectroscopic measurements on H2+ and its antimatter counterpart for tests of CPT symmetry

Calculation of the relativistic Bethe logarithm in the two-center problem

We present a variational approach to evaluate relativistic corrections of order \alpha^2 to the Bethe logarithm for the ground electronic state of the Coulomb two center problem. That allows to estimate the radiative contribution at m\alpha^7 order in molecular-like three-body systems such as hydrogen molecular ions H_2^+ and HD^+, or antiprotonic helium atoms. While we get 10 significant digits for the nonrelativistic Bethe logarithm, calculation of the relativistic corrections is much more involved especially for small values of bond length R. We were able to achieve a level of 3-4 significant digits starting from R=0.2 bohr, that will allow to reach 10^{-10} relative uncertainty on transition frequencies.Comment: 19 pages, 5 tables, 7 figure

Theoretical transition frequencies beyond 0.1 ppb accuracy in H2+_2^+, HD+^+, and antiprotonic helium

We present improved theoretical calculations of transition frequencies for the fundamental transitions $(L\!=\!0,v\!=\!1)\to(L'\!=\!0,v'\!=\!0)$ in the hydrogen molecular ions H$_2^+$ and HD$^+$ with a relative uncertainty $4\cdot10^{-11}$ and for the two-photon transitions in the antiprotonic helium atom with a relative uncertainty $10^{-10}$. To do that, the one-loop self-energy correction of order $\alpha(Z\alpha)^6$ is derived in the two Coulomb center approximation, and numerically evaluated in the case of the aforementioned transitions. The final results also include a complete set of other spin-independent corrections of order $m\alpha^7$. The leading order corrections of $\alpha^2\ln^3(Z\alpha)^{-2}(Z\alpha)^6$ are also considered that allows to estimate a magnitude of yet uncalculated contributions.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure, to be submitted to PR

Pattern-Based Genetic Algorithm for Airborne Conflict Resolution

NASA has developed the Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP) airborne decision support tool to explore advanced air traffic control concepts that include delegating separation authority to aircraft. A key element of the AOP is its strategic conflict resolution (CR) algorithm, which must resolve conflicts while maintaining conformance with traffic flow management constraints. While a previous CR algorithm, which focused on broader flight plan optimization objectives as a part of conflict resolution, had successfully been developed, new research has identified the need for resolution routes the users find more acceptable (i.e., simpler and more intuitive). A new CR algorithm is presented that uses a combination of pattern-based maneuvers and a genetic algorithm to achieve these new objectives. Several lateral and vertical maneuver patterns are defined and the application of the genetic algorithm explained. A new approach to defining a conflicted fitness function using estimates of the local conflict region around a conflicted trajectory is also presented. Preliminary performance characteristics of the implemented algorithm are provided

Resonances in two-electron atoms below the critical charge

The critical nuclear charge Zc required for a heliumlike atom to have at least one bound state was recently determined with high accuracy from variational calculations. Analysis of the wave functions further suggested that the bound state changes smoothly into a shape resonance as Z crosses the critical value. Using variational calculations combined with the complex coordinate rotation method, we study the energy and width of the resonance for Z \textless{} Zc, thus providing direct evidence of the validity of this hypothesis. The variation of the resonance width with Z is found to be in good agreement with a model derived from analysis of the 1/Z perturbation series