Physical analysis on improving the recovery accuracy of the Earth's gravity field by a combination of satellite observations in along-track and cross-track directions

The physical investigations on the accuracy improvement to the measurement of the Earth＇s gravity field recovery are carried out based on the next-generation Pendulum-A/B out-of-plane twin-satellite formation in this paper. Firstly, the Earth＇s gravity field complete up to degree and order 100 is, respectively, recovered by the collinear and pendulum satellite formations using the orbital parameters of the satellite and the matching accuracies of key payloads from the twin GRACE satellites. The research results show that the accuracy of the Earth＇s gravity field model from the Pendulum-A/B satellite formation is about two times higher than from the collinear satellite formation, and the further improvement of the determination accuracy of the Earth＇s gravity field model is feasible by the next-generation Pendulum-A/B out-of-plane twin-satellite formation. Secondly, the Earth＇s gravity field from Pendulum-A/B complete up to degree and order 100 is accurately recovered based on the orbital parameters of the satellite （e.g., an orbital altitude of 400 km, an intersatellite range of 100 km, an orbital inclination of 89° and an orbital eccentricity of 0.001）, the matching accuracies of space- borne instruments （e.g. 10-6 m in the intersatellite range, 10-3 m in the orbital position, 10-6 m/s in orbital velocity, and 10-11 m/s2 in non-conservative force）, an observation time of 30 days and a sampling interval of 10 s. The measurement accuracy of the Earth＇s gravity field from the next-generation Pendulum-A/B out-of-plane twin-satellite formation is full of promise for being improved by about l0 times compared with that from the current GRACE satellite formation. Finally, the physical requirements for the next-generation Pendulum-A/B out-of-plane twin-satellite formation are analyzed, and it is proposed that the satellite orbital altitude be preferably designed to be close to 400±50 km and the matching precision of key sensors from the Pendulum-A/B mission be about one order of magnitude higher than from the GRACE program.

Recent progress of physical failure analysis of GaN HEMTs

Gallium nitride(GaN)-based high-electron mobility transistors(HEMTs) are widely used in high power and high frequency application fields, due to the outstanding physical and chemical properties of the GaN material. However, GaN HEMTs suffer from degradations and even failures during practical applications, making physical analyses of post-failure devices extremely significant for reliability improvements and further device optimizations. In this paper, common physical characterization techniques for post failure analyses are introduced, several failure mechanisms and corresponding failure phenomena are reviewed and summarized, and finally device optimization methods are discussed.

Study and application of an improved four-dimensional variational assimilation system based on the physical-space statistical analysis for the South China Sea

The four-dimensional variational assimilation(4D-Var)has been widely used in meteorological and oceanographic data assimilation.This method is usually implemented in the model space,known as primal approach(P4D-Var).Alternatively,physical space analysis system(4D-PSAS)is proposed to reduce the computation cost,in which the 4D-Var problem is solved in physical space(i.e.,observation space).In this study,the conjugate gradient(CG)algorithm,implemented in the 4D-PSAS system is evaluated and it is found that the non-monotonic change of the gradient norm of 4D-PSAS cost function causes artificial oscillations of cost function in the iteration process.The reason of non-monotonic variation of gradient norm in 4D-PSAS is then analyzed.In order to overcome the non-monotonic variation of gradient norm,a new algorithm,Minimum Residual(MINRES)algorithm,is implemented in the process of assimilation iteration in this study.Our experimental results show that the improved 4D-PSAS with the MINRES algorithm guarantees the monotonic reduction of gradient norm of cost function,greatly improves the convergence properties of 4D-PSAS as well,and significantly restrains the numerical noises associated with the traditional 4D-PSAS system.

A preliminary analysis of physical mechanism of transformation process from a landed typhoon into an extratropical cyclone

A diagnostic study is performed in the paper on the process of typhoon Norris (1980) transforming into an ex-tratropical cyclone after its landing over Southeast China. The main findings are as follows:The changes of kinetic energy are mainly attributed to the generation due to non-divergent wind. During the early stage of the typhoon landing, there exits only a small quantity of kinetic energy exchanging with the environment. And after it is transformed into an extratropical cyclone, a large amount of kinetic energy is exported from the system toward the environment.The horizontal and vertical flux-divergence terms of eddy available potenlial energy are the prominent sinks in the budgets of eddy kinetic energy. The generations of eddy kinetic energy due to both the barotropic and baroclinic processes are source terms. The former is remarkable during the initial stage. But after the depression is transformed into an extratropical cyclone, the roles of the generation by the barotropic and baroclinic processes are reversed, 1. e. , the latter has become more significant than the former.Diabatic heating is the most dominant heat source. The terms of vertical heat flux by cumulus and large-scale motion are the major sinks. And the latter is prominent after the system is transformed into an extratropical cycfone.

Analysis of 1989/1990 main physical fields for air-sea coupled system in the tropical western Pacific

In this paper, the marine ship observation data sets in the seventh (October 16-December 4. 1989) and eighth (June 1-July 16, 1990) cruises of PRC -US tropical ocean and global atmosphere (TOGA) joint scientific investigation in the tropical western Pacific are used to analyze the elements such as sea surface temperature (SST), surface wind field, fluxes and net heat budget, which are important physical parameters of underlying earth's surface influencing the global mean circulation evolution on seasonal and interannual time scales. These diagnostic analyses are very beneficial to the understanding of the regional climate characteristics and the air-sea interaction mechanism, and the improving of surface flux parameterizations and regional or global climate model.

Physical Dynamics and the Influences of the Environment Built on Subbasins

The fields of engineering, architecture and urbanism ought to ponder on constructive changes to be employed in the environment. Environmental vulnerability usually reaches sites with greater abundance of water resources that are exposed to contaminable factors, which usually become residential expansion areas, and often extrapolate city boundaries. The general objective of this study is to assess physical characteristics of the subbasins of the Curtume and Agua Preta streams, located in the Paraiba do Sul watershed in the municipality of Pindamonhangaba, in the state of Sao Paulo （SP）, Brazil. The current situation regarding this environment, based on soil type and morphometric and physiographic attributes, is specifically sought to be identified. The results show the morphological and physiographic relationships with the hydrological data that determine the natural pattern of the site, associated with anthropic actions that characterize potentialities and vulnerabilities of the area, thus determining environmental dynamics. The results demonstrate that urban sprawl and residential constructions in subbasin conservation areas should occur in a planned and strategic manner, without advancing to water conservation areas.

Analysis of a Group of Weak Small-Scale Vortexes in the Planetary Boundary Layer in the Mei-yu Front

A mei-yu front process in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River on 23 June 1999 was simulated by using the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University-NCAR （PSU/NCAR） Mesoscale Model （MM5） with FDDA （Four Dimension Data Assimilation）. The analysis shows that seven weak small mesoscale vortexes of tens of kilometers, correspondent to surface low trough or mesoscale centers, in the planetary boundary layer （PBL） in the mei-yu front were heavily responsible for the heavy rainfall. Sometimes, several weak small-scale vortexes in the PBL could form a vortex group, some of which would weaken locally, and some would develop to be a meso-α-scale low vortex through combination. The initial dynamical triggering mechanism was related to two strong currents： one was the northeast flow in the PBL at the rear of the mei-yu front, the vortexes occurred exactly at the side of the northeast flow; and the other was the strong southwest low-level jet （LLJ） in front of the Mei-yu front, which moved to the upper of the vortexes. Consequently, there were notable horizontal and vertical wind shears to form positive vorticity in the center of the southwest LLJ. The development of mesoscale convergence in the PBL and divergence above, as well as the vertical positive vorticity column, were related to the small wind column above the nose-shaped velocity contours of the northeast flow embedding southwestward in the PBL, which intensified the horizontal wind shear and the positive vorticity column above the vortexes, baroclinicity and instability.

Analysis of A Heavy Rainstorm Process during Main Flood Season of 2009 in Hunan Province

Conventional observation data,precipitation data from regional automatic stations,1°×1° NCEP reanalysis data and TBB pictures of FY-2C geostationary meteorological satellite as well as Doppler radar,etc.were utilized to analyzing the heavy precipitation process in Hunan Province from June 8 to 10.The results indicated that this heavy precipitation process was caused under the condition of western Pacific subtropical high jumped northward and fell southward rapidly,maintained and swung the shear line of low and middle-level atmosphere over long periods,and configurated temperature-moisture energy.Through analysis we found that precipitation period and precipitation area had a good corresponding to radar product and satellite TBB image,the high potential pseudo-equivalent temperature(θse) of low level and high convergence available potential energy(CAPE) area as well as ascending area of strong convergence.With the extension of effective forecasted period,the forecast location of T639 and EC on the western ridge points of western Pacific subtropical high became more and more easterly and the intensity became weaker and weaker,which had some deviations for forecasting heavy precipitation area.

Physics Analysis and Optimization Studies for a Fusion Neutron Source Based on a Gas Dynamic Trap

To further investigate the fusion neutron source based on a gas dynamic trap （GDT）, characteristics of the GDT were analyzed and physics analyses were made for a fusion neutron source based on the GDT concept. The prior design of a GDT-based fusion neutron source was optimized based on a refreshed understanding of GDT operation. A two-step progressive development route of a GDT-based fusion neutron source was suggested. Potential applications of GDT are discussed. Preliminary analyses show that a fusion neutron source based on the GDT concept is suitable for plasma-material interaction research, fusion material and subcomponent testing, and capable of driving a proof-of-principle fusion fission hybrid experimental facility.

An Approach to Analyze Physical Memory Image File of Mac OS X

Memory analysis is one of the key techniques in computer live forensics. Especially,the analysis of a Mac OS X operating system's memory image file plays an important role in identifying the running status of an apple computer. However,how to analyze the image file without using extra"mach-kernel"file is one of the unsolved difficulties. In this paper,we firstly compare several approaches for physical memory acquisition and analyze the effects of each approach on physical memory. Then,we discuss the traditional methods for the physical memory file analysis of Mac OS X. A novel physical memory image file analysis approach without using extra"mach-kernel"file is proposed base on the discussion. We verify the performance of the new approach on Mac OS X 10. 8. 2. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is simpler and more practical than previous ones.

Storage Lifetime of Citrus CV ＂Siam＂ from Banyuwangi-East Java-Indonesia

Banyuwangi is one of the citrus centers in East Java, Indonesia with an estimated 27.7 million metric tons produced with growth in 12.804 hectares. The quality of the citrus will be decreased when the retention of storage is too long because of the physiological changes postharvest. The object of the research is to determine the relevancy of shelf life and quality of the citrus. The research was conducted at Laboratory of Mechanization and postharvest in AIAT East Java and the citrus was obtained in Banyuwangi. This experiment used randomized block design as the method, which the factors are temperature of storage （room temperature 27 ~C and cold temperature 15 ~C） and storage time （0, 5, 10, 15, 20 days） with five replication. The physical parameters in this research are weight, texture, flesh color and skin and the chemical parameters include sugar and acid content. The result of the chemical analysis showed that storage temperature had significant effect on sugar content, but did not have significant effect of acid contents. The storage life time have correlation with sugar and acid contents. Citrus that are storage in refrigerator produce a higher sugar content （14, 20 ~brix）, but the acid contents are same. The longer that citrus is stored the highest the sugar content. The highest acid content in citrus is storage for 10 days （0, 30%）. The physical analysis showed that storage temperature affects the weight of citrus, but does not affect the texture and color citrus skin. The result showed that citrus which stored in refrigerator is higher than the others. Storage 20 days at room temperature and storage lifetime has no effect on fruit flesh color. The brightness of the surface （L） that is storage 20 days in room temperature has a same value with citrus that is storage in refrigerator.

An overview of the thermography-based experimental studies on roadway excavation in stratified rock masses at CUMTB

This paper presents an overview of experimental investigations conducted at China University of Mining and Technology Beijing(CUMTB) on roadway excavation using large-scale geomechanical model tests.The simulated sedimentary rocks are composed by alternating layers of sandstone, mudstone and coal seam inclined at varied angles with respect to the horizontal including 0°, 45°, 60°, and 90°. During the excavation, infrared thermography was employed to detect the thermal response of the surrounding rocks under excavation. The obtained raw thermograms were processed using denoising algorithm, data reduction procedure and Fourier analysis. The infrared temperature(IRT) characterizes the overall rock response; the processed thermal images represent the structural behavior, and the Fourier spectrum describes damage development in the frequency domain. Deeper understanding was achieved by the comparative analyses of excavation in differently inclined rock masses using the image features of IRTs, thermal images and Fourier spectra.

Analysis of physical properties of gas hydrate-bearing unconsolidated sediment samples from the ultra-deepwater area in the South China Sea

Marine natural gas hydrate has recently attracted global attention as a potential new clean energy source. Laboratory measurements of various physical properties of gas hydrate-bearing marine sediments can provide valuable information for developing efficient and safe extraction technology of natural gas hydrates. This study presents comprehensive measurement results and analysis of drilled hydrate-bearing sediments samples recovered from Qiongdongnan Basin in the South China Sea. The results show that the gas hydrate in the core samples is mainly methane hydrate with a methane content of approximately 95%, and the other components are ethane and carbon dioxide. The saturation of the samples fluctuates from 2%–60%, the porosity is approximately 38%–43%, and the water content is approximately 30%–50%, which indicate that high water saturation means that timely drainage should be paid attention to during hydrate extraction. In addition, the median diameter of the sediment samples is mainly distributed in the range of 15 to 34 µm, and attention should be paid to the prevention and control of sand production in the mining process. Moreover, the thermal conductivity is distributed in the range of 0.75 to 0.96 W/(m·K) as measured by the flat plate heat source method. The relatively low thermal conductivity of hydrates at this study site indicates that a combined approach is encouraged for natural gas production technologies. It is also found that clay flakes and fine particles are attached to the surface of large particles in large numbers. Such characteristics will lead to insufficient permeability during the production process.

The Derivation of Skeleton Lines for Terrain Features

The geometric and physical analysis methods are conventional methods for the derivation of skeleton lines in the fields of cartography,digital photogrammetry,and related areas.This paper proposes a stepwise approach that uses the physical analysis method in the first stage and the geometric analysis method in the subsequent stage.The physical analysis method analyses the terrain globally to obtain a rough set of skeleton lines for a terrain surface.The rough skeleton lines help to structure the ordering of feature points by the geometric analysis method.

Advances in the kinetics of heat and mass transfer in near-continuous complex flows

The study of macro continuous flow has a long history.Simultaneously,the exploration of heat and mass transfer in small systems with a particle number of several hundred or less has gained significant interest in the fields of statistical physics and nonlinear science.However,due to absence of suitable methods,the understanding of mesoscale behavior situated between the aforementioned two scenarios,which challenges the physical function of traditional continuous fluid theory and exceeds the simulation capability of microscopic molecular dynamics method,remains considerably deficient.This greatly restricts the evaluation of effects of mesoscale behavior and impedes the development of corresponding regulation techniques.To access the mesoscale behaviors,there are two ways:from large to small and from small to large.Given the necessity to interface with the prevailing macroscopic continuous modeling currently used in the mechanical engineering community,our study of mesoscale behavior begins from the side closer to the macroscopic continuum,that is from large to small.Focusing on some fundamental challenges encountered in modeling and analysis of near-continuous flows,we review the research progress of discrete Boltzmann method(DBM).The ideas and schemes of DBM in coarse-grained modeling and complex physical field analysis are introduced.The relationships,particularly the differences,between DBM and traditional fluid modeling as well as other kinetic methods are discussed.After verification and validation of the method,some applied researches including the development of various physical functions associated with discrete and non-equilibrium effects are illustrated.Future directions of DBM related studies are indicated.

Chemical composition and physical properties of filter fly ashes from eight grate-fired biomass combustion plants

For the handling, treatment and utilization of fly ash from biomass combustion its chemical composition and physical properties are important. In this study eight filter fly ashes from different grate-fired biomass combustion plants were investigated. In fly ash from straw combustion high concentrations of（K） were found, whereas in the fly ash from wood combustion the concentrations of Ca and Mg were higher. The average concentration of PO3-4was similar in both types of fly ashes. In all wood fly ashes some measured heavy metal concentrations were above the limits for utilization. The straw fly ashes were much less contaminated and can be utilized. For wood fly ash most parameters showed little variation, except from one fly ash where the dust pre-separator is in poor condition. The average values were： mass median diameter 4.3 ± 0.8 μm, spread of particle size distribution19 ± 11, particle density 2620 ± 80 kg/m^3 and angle of repose 50°± 1°. The density of the straw fly ashes is lower（2260 ± 80 kg/m^3） and the spread of the size distribution is higher（72 ± 24）.For one straw combustion fly ash the values of the mass median diameter and the angle of repose were similar to the values of wood combustion fly ash, for the other straw fly ash the values differed considerably. While the particle size of this fly ash was much smaller,surprisingly the angle of repose was also lower. This can be attributed to the formation of small agglomerates in this fly ash, which were not disintegrated without a certain stress.

Physical vapor transport crystal growth of ZnO

Zinc oxide（ZnO） has a wide band gap, high stability and a high thermal operating range that makes it a suitable material as a semiconductor for fabricating light emitting diodes（LEDs） and laser diodes, photodiodes, power diodes and other semiconductor devices. Recently, a new crystal growth for producing ZnO crystal boules was developed, which was physical vapor transport（PVT）, at temperatures exceeding 1500 ？C under a certain system pressure. ZnO crystal wafers in sizes up to 50 mm in diameter were produced. The conditions of ZnO crystal growth, growth rate and the quality of ZnO crystal were analyzed. Results from crystal growth and material characterization are presented and discussed. Our research results suggest that the novel crystal growth technique is a viable production technique for producing ZnO crystals and substrates for semiconductor device applications.

Dynamic Mechanical Relaxation in Bulk Metallic Glasses:A Review

Metallic glasses have aroused considerable interest in the past decades because they exhibit fascinating properties. First, this article briefly outlines the mechanical, thermal properties and application of the metallic glasses. In addition, we focus on the dynamic mechanical relaxation behaviors, i.e. main （α） and secondary （β） relaxations, in metallic glasses. The mechanical relaxation behaviors are connected to the mechanical properties and physical properties in glassy materials. The main relaxation in glassy materials is related to the glass transition phenomenon and viscous flow. On the other hand, the β relaxation is linked to many fundamental issues in metallic glasses. In these materials relaxation processes are directly related to the plastic deformation mechanism. The mechanical relaxations, particularly, the β relaxation provides an excellent opportunity to design metallic glasses with desired physical and mechanical properties. We demonstrate the universal characteristics of main relaxation in metallic glasses. The phenomenological models and the physical theories are introduced to describe the main relaxation in metallic glasses. In parallel, we show the dependence of the α. and β relaxations on the thermal treatments in metallic glasses. Finally, we analyze the correlation between the atomic mobility and the thermo-mechanical treatments in metallic glasses. On the one hand, the atomic mobility in metallic glasses is reduced by physical aging or crystallization. On the other hand, the atomic mobility in metallic glass is enhanced by deformation （i.e. compression and cold rolling）. Importantly, to analyze the atomic mobility in amorphous materials, a physical theory is introduced. This model invokes the concept of quasi-point defects, which correspond to the density fluctuations in the glassy materials.

Notes and correspondence on ensemble-based three-dimensional variational filters

Several ensemble-based three-dimensional variational (3D-Var) filters are compared. These schemes replace the static background error covariance of the traditional 3D-Var with the ensemble forecast error covariance, but generate analysis ensemble anomalies (perturbations) in different ways. However, it is demonstrated in this paper that they are all theoretically equivalent to the ensemble transformation Kalman filter (ETKF). Furthermore, a new method named EnPSAS is presented. The analysis shows that EnPSAS has a small condition number and can apply covariance localization more easily than other ensemble-based 3D-Var methods.