Showing papers on "Noise (radio) published in 2012"

High-efficiency Cooper pair splitting demonstrated by two-particle conductance resonance and positive noise cross-correlation

Abstract: Entanglement is at the heart of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, where the non-locality is a necessary ingredient. Cooper pairs in superconductors can be split adiabatically, thus forming entangled electrons. Here, we fabricate such an electron splitter by contacting an aluminium superconductor strip at the centre of a suspended InAs nanowire. The nanowire is terminated at both ends with two normal metallic drains. Dividing each half of the nanowire by a gate-induced Coulomb blockaded quantum dot strongly impeds the flow of Cooper pairs due to the large charging energy, while still permitting passage of single electrons. We provide conclusive evidence of extremely high efficiency Cooper pair splitting via observing positive two-particle correlations of the conductance and the shot noise of the split electrons in the two opposite drains of the nanowire. Moreover, the actual charge of the injected quasiparticles is verified by shot noise measurements.

Body-wave imaging of Earth's mantle discontinuities from ambient seismic noise.

Abstract: Ambient seismic noise correlations are widely used for high-resolution surface-wave imaging of Earth’s lithosphere. Similar observations of the seismic body waves that propagate through the interior of Earth would provide a window into the deep Earth. We report the observation of the mantle transition zone through noise correlations of P waves as they are reflected by the discontinuities associated with the top [410 kliometers (km)] and the bottom (660 km) of this zone. Our data demonstrate that high-resolution mapping of the mantle transition zone is possible without using earthquake sources.

Antennas for the detection of radio emission pulses from cosmic-ray induced air showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory

Abstract: The Pierre Auger Observatory is exploring the potential of the radio detection technique to study extensive air showers induced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) addresses both technological and scientific aspects of the radio technique. A first phase of AERA has been operating since September 2010 with detector stations observing radio signals at frequencies between 30 and 80 MHz. In this paper we present comparative studies to identify and optimize the antenna design for the final configuration of AERA consisting of 160 individual radio detector stations. The transient nature of the air shower signal requires a detailed description of the antenna sensor. As the ultra-wideband reception of pulses is not widely discussed in antenna literature, we review the relevant antenna characteristics and enhance theoretical considerations towards the impulse response of antennas including polarization effects and multiple signal reflections. On the basis of the vector effective length we study the transient response characteristics of three candidate antennas in the time domain. Observing the variation of the continuous galactic background intensity we rank the antennas with respect to the noise level added to the galactic signal.

New measurements of the cosmic infrared background fluctuations in deep spitzer/irac survey data and their cosmological implications

Abstract: We extend the previous measurements of CIB fluctuations to angular scales of less than or equal to 1 degree new data obtained in the course of the 2,000+ hour Spitzer Extended Deep Survey. Two fields with completed observations of approximately equal to 12 hr/pixel are analyzed for source-subtracted CIB fluctuations at 3.6 and 4.5 micrometers. The fields, EGS and UDS, cover a total area of approximately 0.25 deg and lie at high Galactic and Ecliptic latitudes, thus minimizing cirrus and zodiacal light contributions to the fluctuations. The observations have been conducted at 3 distinct epochs separated by about 6 months. As in our previous studies, the fields were assembled using the self-calibration method which is uniquely suitable for probing faint diffuse backgrounds. The assembled fields were cleaned off the bright sources down to the low shot noise levels corresponding to AB mag approximately equal to 25, Fourier-transformed and their power spectra evaluated. The noise was estimated from the time-differenced data and subtracted from the signal isolating the fluctuations remaining above the noise levels. The power spectra of the source-subtracted fields remain identical (within the observational uncertainties) for the three epochs of observations indicating that zodiacal light contributes negligibly to the fluctuations. By comparing to the measurements for the same regions at 8 micrometers we demonstrate that Galactic cirrus cannot account for the levels of the fluctuations either. The signal appears isotropically distributed on the sky as required by its origin in the CIB fluctuations. This measurement thus extends our earlier results to the important range of sub-degree scales. We find that the CIB fluctuations continue to diverge to more than 10 times those of known galaxy populations on angular scales out to less than or equal to 1 degree. The low shot noise levels remaining in the diffuse maps indicate that the large scale fluctuations arise from spatial clustering of faint sources well within the confusion noise. The spatial spectrum of these fluctuations is in reasonable agreement with simple fitting assuming that they originate in early populations spatially distributed according to the standard cosmological model (ACDM) at epochs coinciding with the first stars era. The alternative to this identification would require a new population never observed before, nor expected on theoretical grounds, but if true this would represent an important discovery in its own right.

The Effects of Altimeter Instrument Noise on the Estimation of the Wavenumber Spectrum of Sea Surface Height

Abstract: The wavenumber spectrum of sea surface height (SSH) observed by satellite altimetry was analyzed by Xu and Fu. The spectral shape in the wavelength range of 70‐250 km was approximated by a power law, representing a regime governed by geostrophic turbulence theories. The effects of altimeter instrument noise were assumed insignificant at wavelengths longer than 70 km. The authors reexamined the assumption in the study. Using nearly simultaneous observations made by Jason-1 and Jason-2 during their cross-calibration phase, this study found that the white noise level of altimetry measurement was best estimated from the spectral values at wavelengths from 25 to 35 km. After removing a white noise level based on such estimate from the SSH spectrum, the spectral slope values changed significantly over most of the oceans. A keyfinding is that the spectral slopes are generally steeper than k 22 (k is wavenumber) poleward of the 208 latitudes, where flatter spectral slopes in some regions have previously caused problems for dynamic interpretations. The new results indicate that the spectral slopes in the core regions of the major ocean current systems have values between the original geostrophic turbulence theory and the surface quasigeostrophic theory. The near k 24 spectrum suggests that the sea surface height variability at these wavelengths in the high eddy energy regions might be governed by frontogenesis.

Noise Radiation from Single and Multiple Rod Configurations

Abstract: Acoustic measurements were performed on single and multiple rod configurations to study the effect of Reynolds number, surface roughness, freestream turbulence, proximity and wake interference on the radiated noise. The Reynolds number ranged from 3.8 × 103 to 105. Directivity measurements were performed to determine how well the dipole assumption for the radiation of vortex shedding noise holds for the different model configurations tested. The dependence of the peak Sound Pressure Level on velocity was also examined. Several concepts for the reduction of the noise radiating from cylindrical rods were tested. It was shown that wire wraps and collar distributions could be used to significantly reduce the noise radiating from rods in tandem configurations.

Modelling long-term seismic noise in various environments

Abstract: SUMMARY The strongest seismic noise, called secondary microseisms, is generated by ocean wave interactions and we model this noise using the theory of Longuet-Higgins generalized to random ocean gravity waves. Noise sources are computed with an ocean wave model that takes into account coastal reflections. Variations of the source locations are consistent with seasonal variations of seismic noise spectra. Noise spectra are modelled over many years for stations representative of various environments such as continent, island and polar area to constrain, for each environment, the parameters involved in the modelling. For each station, we quantify the trade-off between ocean wave coastal reflection and seismic wave attenuation that both affect the amplitude of the seismic spectrum. We show their adjustment and the need, at some stations, for an extra parameter representing the three-dimensional (3-D) seismic wave propagation effects. The long-term analysis demonstrates the stability of the fitted parameters which can be used in future noise studies. The modelling enables to reproduce the frequency content and amplitude of the different noise peaks of seismic spectra. The strongest peaks are generated by deep ocean sources whereas coastal reflections generate numerous smaller sources that contribute to the background noise level. Coastal reflection effects can be neglected only for the Pacific island station PPT. The modelling also reproduces the peculiar noise spectrum variation in Antarctica (station DRV) which is related to the presence of sea ice around the stations.

Balanced homodyne detection of optical quantum states at audio-band frequencies and below

Abstract: The advent of stable, highly squeezed states of light has generated great interest in the gravitational wave community as a means for improving the quantum-noise-limited performance of advanced interferometric detectors. To confidently measure these squeezed states, it is first necessary to measure the shot-noise across the frequency band of interest. Technical noise, such as non-stationary events, beam pointing, and parasitic interference, can corrupt shot-noise measurements at low Fourier frequencies, below tens of kilo-hertz. In this paper we present a qualitative investigation into all of the relevant noise sources and the methods by which they can be identified and mitigated in order to achieve quantum noise limited balanced homodyne detection. Using these techniques, flat shot-noise down to Fourier frequencies below 0.5 Hz is produced. This enables the direct observation of large magnitudes of squeezing across the entire audio-band, of particular interest for ground-based interferometric gravitational wave detectors. 11.6 dB of shot-noise suppression is directly observed, with more than 10 dB down to 10 Hz.

Jet-Surface Interaction Test: Far-Field Noise Results

Abstract: Many configurations proposed for the next generation of aircraft rely on the wing or other aircraft surfaces to shield the engine noise from the observers on the ground. However, the ability to predict the shielding effect and any new noise sources that arise from the high-speed jet flow interacting with a hard surface is currently limited. Furthermore, quality experimental data from jets with surfaces nearby suitable for developing and validating noise prediction methods are usually tied to a particular vehicle concept and, therefore, very complicated. The Jet/Surface Interaction Test was intended to supply a high quality set of data covering a wide range of surface geometries and positions and jet flows to researchers developing aircraft noise prediction tools. During phase one, the goal was to measure the noise of a jet near a simple planar surface while varying the surface length and location in order to: (1) validate noise prediction schemes when the surface is acting only as a jet noise shield and when the jet/surface interaction is creating additional noise, and (2) determine regions of interest for more detailed tests in phase two. To meet these phase one objectives, a flat plate was mounted on a two-axis traverse in two distinct configurations: (1) as a shield between the jet and the observer (microphone array) and (2) as a reflecting surface on the opposite side of the jet from the observer. The surface was moved through axial positions 2 ≤ xTE/Dj ≤ 20 (measured at the surface trailing edge, xTE, and normalized by the jet diameter, Dj) and radial positions 1 ≤ h/Dj ≤ 20. Far-field and phased array noise data were acquired at each combination of axial and radial surface location using two nozzles and at 8 different jet exit conditions across several flow regimes (subsonic cold, subsonic hot, underexpanded, ideally expanded, and overexpanded supersonic cold). The far-field noise results, discussed here, show where the surface shields some of the jet noise and, depending on the location of the surface and the observer, where scrubbing and trailing edge noise sources are created as a surface extends downstream and approaches the jet plume.

The characterization of Virgo data and its impact on gravitational-wave searches

Abstract: Between 2007 and 2010 Virgo collected data in coincidence with the LIGO and GEO gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. These data have been searched for GWs emitted by cataclysmic phenomena in the universe, by non-axisymmetric rotating neutron stars or from a stochastic background in the frequency band of the detectors. The sensitivity of GW searches is limited by noise produced by the detector or its environment. It is therefore crucial to characterize the various noise sources in a GW detector. This paper reviews the Virgo detector noise sources, noise propagation, and conversion mechanisms which were identified in the three first Virgo observing runs. In many cases, these investigations allowed us to mitigate noise sources in the detector, or to selectively flag noise events and discard them from the data. We present examples from the joint LIGO-GEO-Virgo GW searches to show how well noise transients and narrow spectral lines have been identified and excluded from the Virgo data. We also discuss how detector characterization can improve the astrophysical reach of GW searches.

Interferometers as probes of Planckian quantum geometry

Abstract: A theory of position of massive bodies is proposed that results in an observable quantum behavior of geometry at the Planck scale, ${t}_{P}$. Departures from classical world lines in flat spacetime are described by Planckian noncommuting operators for position in different directions, as defined by interactions with null waves. The resulting evolution of position wave functions in two dimensions displays a new kind of directionally coherent quantum noise of transverse position. The amplitude of the effect in physical units is predicted with no parameters, by equating the number of degrees of freedom of position wave functions on a 2D space-like surface with the entropy density of a black hole event horizon of the same area. In a region of size $L$, the effect resembles spatially and directionally coherent random transverse shear deformations on time scale $\ensuremath{\approx}L/c$ with typical amplitude $\ensuremath{\approx}\sqrt{c{t}_{P}L}$. This quantum-geometrical ``holographic noise'' in position is not describable as fluctuations of a quantized metric, or as any kind of fluctuation, dispersion or propagation effect in quantum fields. In a Michelson interferometer the effect appears as noise that resembles a random Planckian walk of the beam splitter for durations up to the light-crossing time. Signal spectra and correlation functions in interferometers are derived, and predicted to be comparable with the sensitivities of current and planned experiments. It is proposed that nearly colocated Michelson interferometers of laboratory scale, cross-correlated at high frequency, can test the Planckian noise prediction with current technology.

Coastal wave reflection, directional spread, and seismoacoustic noise sources

Abstract: [1] Coastal reflection is introduced in a phase-averaged numerical wave model, first with a constant coefficient, and then with a reflection coefficient defined from the shoreface slope and that depends on the incident wave height and mean frequency. This parameterization is used in both regular and unstructured grids. The calibration involves a site-specific shoreface slope that is associated with the local geomorphology of the shoreline. Using wave buoy data off Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast, it is found that coastal reflection is necessary to reproduce observed directional properties of coastal sea states. Errors on the mean directional spread are reduced by up to 30% for the frequency band 0.04 to 0.30 Hz with, at most locations, very little impact on the mean direction and energy levels. The most accurate results are obtained using the parameterization based on the shoreface slope, provided that this slope is estimated accurately. These parameterizations are validated using seismic noise data. Using data from the U.S. West Coast it is shown that the reflection defined from the shoreface slope can improve the correlation between measured and modeled seismic noise.

Airfoil noise reduction by edge treatments

Abstract: The general aim of this thesis is to investigate experimentally airfoil trailing edge noise reduction using various trailing edge geometries. The work presented in this thesis is part of the FP7 European Project FLOCON. This thesis focuses on sawtooth serrations and a detailed study is conducted in which thirty seven sawtooth trailing edges are tested for reducing the noise at various flow velocities and angles of attack. Broadband noise reductions of up to 5 dB are obtained below some critical frequency above which the noise is increased. The mechanisms by which the noise is changed in the presence of sawtooth serrations are also investigated experimentally by measuring the changes introduced in the unsteady surface pressure near the edge, the turbulence in the boundary layer and in the near wake, and also using Howe's model [66] as a reference for comparisons. Generally, it is shown that noise reductions occur due to an attenuation of the interaction between incident and scattered pressures, which results in a decrease of up to a half of the phase speed along the edges compared with the corresponding straight edge. The noise increase is shown to be caused by a cross-flow being forced through the valleys of the serrations by the pressure difference between the two sides of the airfoil near the trailing edge. Four novel trailing edge geometries are also tested to address the high frequency noise increase observed with sawtooth serrations. These are the slits, the sawtooth with holes, the slitted sawtooth and the random trailing edges. The slitted sawtooth are shown to provide a good alternative to sawtooth serrations, and afford similar levels of noise reductions while limiting the high frequency noise increase to no more than 1 dB. Random trailing edges also show reasonable levels of broadband noise reductions of up to 3 dB and no increase at high frequencies. Finally, serrations are used simultaneously at the trailing edge of an upstream airfoil and at the leading edge of a downstream airfoil to reduce trailing edge noise and interaction noise of the airfoils in a tandem configuration. Broadband reductions of up to 8.5 dB are obtained using the slitted sawtooth trailing edge and the leading edge serrations designed by ONERA. It is shown that most of the noise reduction is provided by a reduction of the airfoil leading edge response due to the leading edge serrations, but that sawtooth slitted serrations provide up to about 3.5 dB additional broadband noise reductions due to a reduction in its wake turbulence.

Coherent amplification and noise in gain-enhanced nanoplasmonic metamaterials: a Maxwell-Bloch Langevin approach.

Abstract: Nanoplasmonic metamaterials are an exciting new class of engineered media that promise a range of important applications, such as subwavelength focusing, cloaking, and slowing/stopping of light. At optical frequencies, using gain to overcome potentially not insignificant losses has recently emerged as a viable solution to ultra-low-loss operation that may lead to next-generation active metamaterials. Maxwell-Bloch models for active nanoplasmonic metamaterials are able to describe the coherent spatiotemporal and nonlinear gain-plasmon dynamics. Here, we extend the Maxwell-Bloch theory to a Maxwell-Bloch Langevin approach-a spatially resolved model that describes the light field and noise dynamics in gain-enhanced nanoplasmonic structures. Using the example of an optically pumped nanofishnet metamaterial with an embedded laser dye (four-level) medium exhibiting a negative refractive index, we demonstrate the transition from loss-compensation to amplification and to nanolasing. We observe ultrafast relaxation oscillations of the bright negative-index mode with frequencies just below the THz regime. The influence of noise on mode competition and the onset and magnitude of the relaxation oscillations is elucidated, and the dynamics and spectra of the emitted light indicate that coherent amplification and lasing are maintained even in the presence of noise and amplified spontaneous emission.

Weak solutions of the stochastic landau-lifshitz-gilbert equation

Abstract: The Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation perturbed by a multiplicative space- dependent noise is considered for a ferromagnet filling a bounded three-dimensional do- main. We show the existence of weak martingale solutions taking values in a sphere S 2 . The regularity of weak solutions is also discussed. Some of the regularity results are new even for the deterministic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Data Characterization and Map Making

Abstract: We present a description of the data reduction and mapmaking pipeline used for the 2008 observing season of the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). The data presented here at 148 GHz represent 12% of the 90 TB collected by ACT from 2007 to 2010. In 2008 we observed for 136 days, producing a total of 1423 hours of data (11 TB for the 148 GHz band only), with a daily average of 10.5 hours of observation. From these, 1085 hours were devoted to a 850 deg^2 stripe (11.2 hours by 9.1 deg) centered on a declination of -52.7 deg, while 175 hours were devoted to a 280 deg^2 stripe (4.5 hours by 4.8 deg) centered at the celestial equator. We discuss sources of statistical and systematic noise, calibration, telescope pointing, and data selection. Out of 1260 survey hours and 1024 detectors per array, 816 hours and 593 effective detectors remain after data selection for this frequency band, yielding a 38% survey efficiency. The total sensitivity in 2008, determined from the noise level between 5 Hz and 20 Hz in the time-ordered data stream (TOD), is 32 micro-Kelvin sqrt{s} in CMB units. Atmospheric brightness fluctuations constitute the main contaminant in the data and dominate the detector noise covariance at low frequencies in the TOD. The maps were made by solving the least-squares problem using the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient method, incorporating the details of the detector and noise correlations. Cross-correlation with WMAP sky maps, as well as analysis from simulations, reveal that our maps are unbiased at multipoles ell > 300. This paper accompanies the public release of the 148 GHz southern stripe maps from 2008. The techniques described here will be applied to future maps and data releases.

New measurements of the cosmic infrared background fluctuations in deep Spitzer/IRAC survey data and their cosmological implications

Abstract: We extend previous measurements of cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations to ~ 1 deg using new data from the Spitzer Extended Deep Survey. Two fields, with depths of ~12 hr/pixel over 3 epochs, are analyzed at 3.6 and 4.5 mic. Maps of the fields were assembled using a self-calibration method uniquely suitable for probing faint diffuse backgrounds. Resolved sources were removed from the maps to a magnitude limit of AB mag ~ 25, as indicated by the level of the remaining shot noise. The maps were then Fourier-transformed and their power spectra were evaluated. Instrumental noise was estimated from the time-differenced data, and subtracting this isolates the spatial fluctuations of the actual sky. The power spectra of the source-subtracted fields remain identical (within the observational uncertainties) for the three epochs indicating that zodiacal light contributes negligibly to the fluctuations. Comparing to 8 mic power spectra shows that Galactic cirrus cannot account for the fluctuations. The signal appears isotropically distributed on the sky as required for an extragalactic origin. The CIB fluctuations continue to diverge to > 10 times those of known galaxy populations on angular scales out to < 1 deg. The low shot noise levels remaining in the diffuse maps indicate that the large scale fluctuations arise from the spatial clustering of faint sources well below the confusion noise. The spatial spectrum of these fluctuations is in reasonable agreement with an origin in populations clustered according to the standard cosmological model (LCDM) at epochs coinciding with the first stars era.

The characterization of Virgo data and its impact on gravitational-wave searches

Abstract: Between 2007 and 2010 Virgo collected data in coincidence with the LIGO and GEO gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. These data have been searched for GWs emitted by cataclysmic phenomena in the universe, by non-axisymmetric rotating neutron stars or from a stochastic background in the frequency band of the detectors. The sensitivity of GW searches is limited by noise produced by the detector or its environment. It is therefore crucial to characterize the various noise sources in a GW detector. This paper reviews the Virgo detector noise sources, noise propagation, and conversion mechanisms which were identified in the three first Virgo observing runs. In many cases, these investigations allowed us to mitigate noise sources in the detector, or to selectively flag noise events and discard them from the data. We present examples from the joint LIGO-GEO-Virgo GW searches to show how well noise transients and narrow spectral lines have been identified and excluded from the Virgo data. We also discuss how detector characterization can improve the astrophysical reach of gravitational-wave searches.

Impurities as a source of 1/f noise in graphene

Abstract: We experimentally study the effect of different scattering potentials on the $1/f$ noise generated in graphene devices on silica substrates. The noise in nominally identical devices is seen to behave in two distinct ways as a function of carrier concentration, changing either monotonically or nonmonotonically. We attribute this to the interplay between long- and short-range scattering mechanisms. Water is found to significantly enhance the noise magnitude and change the type of noise behavior. By using a simple model, we show that water is a source of long-range scattering.

Performance of a cold-atom gravimeter with an active vibration isolator

Abstract: A cold rubidium atom fountain interferometry gravimeter with an active vibration isolator is demonstrated. The natural resonance frequency of the active vibration isolator is 0.016 Hz, and the vertical vibration noise is greatly reduced by a factor of 100 from 0.1 to 1 Hz. After substantial suppression of the vibration noise, the gravimeter reaches a sensitivity of ${5.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ g/Hz${}^{1/2}$. We measured the local gravitational acceleration $g$ by this sensitive gravimeter with a resolution of ${6.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ g after 60 s and ${1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ g after 2000 s integration time, which is comparable to the resolution of state-of-the-art atom gravimeters.

Quantum-enhanced magnetometer with low-frequency squeezing

Abstract: We report the demonstration of a magnetometer with noise-floor reduction below the shot-noise level. This magnetometer, based on a nonlinear magneto-optical rotation effect, is enhanced by the injection of a squeezed vacuum state into its input. The noise spectrum shows squeezed noise reduction of about $2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.35$ dB spanning from close to 100 Hz to several megahertz. We also report on the observation of two different regimes of operation of such a magnetometer: one in which the detection noise is limited by the quantum noise of the light probe only, and one in which we see additional noise originating from laser noise which is rotated into the vacuum polarization.

Noise generation in the solid Earth, oceans, and atmosphere, from non-linear interacting surface gravity waves in finite depth

Abstract: Oceanic pressure measurements, even in very deep water, and atmospheric pressure or seismic records, from anywhere on Earth, contain noise with dominant periods between 3 and 10 seconds, that is believed to be excited by ocean surface gravity waves. Most of this noise is explained by a nonlinear wave-wave interaction mechanism, and takes the form of surface gravity waves, acoustic or seismic waves. Previous theoretical works on seismic noise focused on surface (Rayleigh) waves, and did not consider finite depth effects on the generating wave kinematics. These finite depth effects are introduced here, which requires the consideration of the direct wave-induced pressure at the ocean bottom, a contribution previously overlooked in the context of seismic noise. That contribution can lead to a considerable reduction of the seismic noise source, which is particularly relevant for noise periods larger than 10 s. The theory is applied to acoustic waves in the atmosphere, extending previous theories that were limited to vertical propagation only. Finally, the noise generation theory is also extended beyond the domain of Rayleigh waves, giving the first quantitative expression for sources of seismic body waves. In the limit of slow phase speeds in the ocean wave forcing, the known and well-verified gravity wave result is obtained, which was previously derived for an incompressible ocean. The noise source of acoustic, acoustic-gravity and seismic modes are given by a mode-specific amplification of the same wave-induced pressure field near the zero wavenumber.

Effect of Initial Boundary-Layer State on Subsonic Jet Noise

Abstract: Significant differences in subsonic jet noise databases have been reported in recent review papers. Specifically, university-type facilities involving higher contraction ratios andpossibly cleanerflows are noted to yield higher levels of noise relative to data from industrial-type facilities. An experimental investigation is carried out in an attempt to understand the sources of the anomaly. It is inferred that differences in jet core turbulencemay not be the source. An observation in a previous study is confirmed showing that two nozzles of the same diameter but different internal geometry can produce a difference in subsonic jet noise. The present measurements demonstrate that the noisier nozzle involves a highly disturbed laminar, or nominally laminar, boundary-layer state as opposed to a turbulent state with the other. The former boundary-layer state with the noisier nozzle is actuallymarked by larger turbulence intensities, consistent with the higher radiated noise. Although the boundary-layer characteristics were not reported with the earlier databases, the present results suggest that differences therein might be a source of the anomaly.

Examining ambient noise using colocated measurements of rotational and translational motion

Abstract: In the past decade, a number of studies have reported the observation of rotational motion associated with seismic events. We report a first observation of rotational motion in the microseismic ambient noise band. A striking feature of rotational motion measurements is that the information about the seismic phase velocity and source back azimuth is contained in the amplitude ratio of a point measurement of rotation rate and transverse acceleration. We investigate the possibility of applying this method to ambient noise measured with a ring laser and a broadband seismometer at the Wettzell Geodetic Observatory in Germany. Using data in the secondary microseismic band, we recover local phase velocities as well as the back azimuth of the strongest noise source for two different time periods. In order to confirm these findings, we additionally compare the results with classical array processing techniques of the Grafenberg array located nearby.

From seismic noise to ocean wave parameters: General methods and validation

Abstract: [1] Seismic noise is an indirect source of information on ocean waves. Using a model of noise generation and propagation, seismic stations can be separated into those that are mostly sensitive to local sea states, and those that integrate sources from a large oceanic area. The model also provides a classification of noise-generating sea states into three classes. The analysis of Central California seismic noise data, well correlated with local waves, reveals that class I events dominate in summer, caused by a single wind-sea system, and for which ocean wave spectral levels are proportional to seismic spectral levels to an exponentb ≃ 0.9. In winter, noise is dominated by class II generation, for which coastal reflection is important, with a wave spectral density roughly proportional to the seismic spectral density to an exponent b ≃ 0.7. Sporadic events of class III probably produce some of the strongest noise events in Central California and need to be properly screened. These events are caused by opposed wave systems that are usually the wind-sea and a swell. This noise classification can be used to improve on the correlation between measured and estimated wave heights (up tor = 0.93 for daily averages). For other locations, where remote oceanic sources are recorded, a significant wave height estimated from the seismic noise compares well with area-averaged satellite data or wave model results (r > 0.85 for daily averages). These analyses pave the way for quantitative uses of seismic records, including the reconstruction of past wave climates, and the calibration of wave hindcasts.

Crackle Noise in Heated Supersonic Jets

Abstract: Crackle noise from heated supersonic jets is characterized by the presence of strong positive pressure impulses resulting in a strongly skewed far-field pressure signal. These strong positive pressure impulses are associated with “N-shaped” waveforms involving a shock-like compression, and thus is very annoying to observers when it occurs. Unlike broadband shock-associated noise which dominates at upstream angles, crackle reaches a maximum at downstream angles associated with the peak jet noise directivity. Recent experiments [1] have shown that the addition of chevrons to the nozzle lip can significantly reduce crackle, especially in full-scale high-power tests. Because of these observations, it was conjectured that crackle is associated with coherent large scale flow structures produced by the baseline nozzle, and that the formation of these structures are interrupted by the presence of the chevrons, which leads to noise reduction. In particular, shocklets attached to large eddies are postulated as a possible aerodynamic mechanism for the formation of crackle. In this paper, we test this hypothesis through high-fidelity Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) of a hot supersonic jet of Mach number 1.56 and total temperature temperature ratio of 3.65. We use the LES solver “CharLES,” developed by Cascade Technologies, Inc., to capture the turbulent jet plume on fully-unstructured meshes.Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Light emission probing quantum shot noise and charge fluctuations at a biased molecular junction.

Abstract: The emission of plasmonic light from a single ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ molecule on Cu(111) is probed in a scanning tunneling microscope from the weak-coupling, tunneling range to strong coupling of the molecule to the electrodes at contact. At positive sample voltage the photon yield decreases owing to shot-noise suppression in an increasingly transparent quantum contact. At reversed bias an unexpected nonlinear increase occurs. First-principles transport calculations reveal that ultrafast charge fluctuations on the molecule give rise to additional noise at optical frequencies beyond the shot noise of the current that is injected to the tip.