Showing papers on "Scintillation published in 2014"

Defect Engineering in Ce-Doped Aluminum Garnet Single Crystal Scintillators

Abstract: Mg-codoped Lu3Al5O12:Ce single crystal scintillators were prepared by a micropulling down method in a wide concentration range from 0 to 3000 ppm of Mg codopant. Their structure and chemical composition were checked by X-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis techniques. Absorption and luminescence spectra, photoluminescence decays, and thermoluminescence glow curves were measured together with several other scintillation characteristics, namely, the scintillation decay, light yield, afterglow, and radiation damage to reveal the effect of Mg codoping. Several material characteristics manifest a beneficial effect of Mg codopant. We propose a model explaining the mechanism of material improvement which is based on the stabilization of a part of the cerium dopant in the tetravalent charge state. The stable Ce4+ center provides an additional fast radiative recombination pathway in the scintillation mechanism and efficiently competes with electron traps in garnet scintillators.

PandaX：a liquid xenon dark matter experiment at CJPL

Abstract: PandaX is a large liquid-xenon detector experiment usable for direct dark-matter detection and 136Xe double-beta decay search. The central vessel was designed to accommodate a staged target volume increase from initially 120 kg (stage I) to 0.5 t (stage II) and eventually to a multi-ton scale. The experiment is located in the Jinping Deep-Underground Laboratory in Sichuan, China. The detector operates in dual-phase mode, allowing detection of both prompt scintillation, and ionization charge through proportional scintillation. In this paper a detailed description of the stage I detector design and performance as well as results established during the commissioning phase are presented.

Scintillations of optical plane and spherical waves in underwater turbulence.

Abstract: The scintillation indices of optical plane and spherical waves propagating in underwater turbulent media are evaluated by using the Rytov method, and the variations in the scintillation indices are investigated when the rate of dissipation of mean squared temperature, the temperature and salinity fluctuations, the propagation distance, the wavelength, the Kolmogorov microscale length, and the rate of dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy are varied. Results show that as in the atmosphere, also in underwater media the plane wave is more affected by turbulence as compared to the spherical wave. The underwater turbulence effect becomes significant at 5-10 m for a plane wave and at 20-25 m for a spherical wave. The turbulence effect is relatively small in deep water and is large at the surface of the water. Salinity-induced turbulence strongly dominates the scintillations compared to temperature-induced turbulence.

Bit error rate of focused Gaussian beams in weak oceanic turbulence

Abstract: Formulation of the on-axis scintillation index of a focused Gaussian beam in weak oceanic turbulence is derived by using the Rytov method, and using this formulation, the average bit error rate (BER) is evaluated. The scintillation indices of collimated, focused Gaussian, plane, and spherical beams are compared. The scintillation index and BER versus the average signal-to-noise ratio is found by using the log-normal distributed intensity for the collimated and focused Gaussian beams, which are exhibited for various source sizes α(s), focal lengths F(s), rates of dissipation of the mean squared temperature χ(T), and rates of dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy per unit mass of fluid e. Focused beams are found to have important advantages over collimated beams. For the focused beam, as the source size increases, the scintillation index and BER decrease. When the focal length is equal to the propagation length, the BER is found to possess the smallest value. The BER is proportional to χ(T), but inversely proportional to e.

High Light Yield of Sr8(Si4O12)Cl8:Eu2+ under X-ray Excitation and Its Temperature-Dependent Luminescence Characteristics

Abstract: In this work, we first investigate the relationship between temperature and lattice parameters by means of Rietveld refinement and then demonstrate its impact on the luminescence peak position of Eu2+ in Sr8(Si4O12)Cl8. It is found that with increases in temperature, lattice expansion takes place without significant distortion of the coordination around Eu2+. As a result, the crystal field splitting of the Eu2+ 5d state decreases. At the same time, with the experimental data of the full width at half-maximum of Eu2+ emission at different temperatures and the infrared spectrum, the effective phonon frequency is evaluated and the main vibration motions are determined using first-principles calculation. Due to the high light yield under X-ray excitation and the excellent thermal stability of luminescence intensity and decay, a further optimized sample Sr7.7Eu0.3(Si4O12)Cl8 could be a potential scintillation material.

GPS scintillation effects associated with polar cap patches and substorm auroral activity: direct comparison

Abstract: We directly compare the relative GPS scintillation levels associated with regions of enhanced plasma irregularities called auroral arcs, polar cap patches, and auroral blobs that frequently occur in the polar ionosphere. On January 13, 2013 from Ny-Alesund, several polar cap patches were observed to exit the polar cap into the auroral oval, and were then termed auroral blobs. This gave us an unprecedented opportunity to compare the relative scintillation levels associated with these three phenomena. The blobs were associated with the strongest phase scintillation (σ ϕ ), followed by patches and arcs, with σ ϕ up to 0.6, 0.5, and 0.1 rad, respectively. Our observations indicate that most patches in the nightside polar cap have produced significant scintillations, but not all of them. Since the blobs are formed after patches merged into auroral regions, in space weather predictions of GPS scintillations, it will be important to enable predictions of patches exiting the polar cap.

PandaX: A Liquid Xenon Dark Matter Experiment at CJPL

Abstract: PandaX is a large upgradable liquid-xenon detector system that can be used for both direct dark-matter detection and $^{136}$Xe double-beta decay search. It is located in the Jinping Deep-Underground Laboratory in Sichuan, China. The detector operates in dual-phase mode, allowing detection of both prompt scintillation, and ionization charge through proportional scintillation. The central time projection chamber will be staged, with the first stage accommodating a target mass of about 120\,kg. In stage II, the target mass will be increased to about 0.5\,ton. In the final stage, the detector can be upgraded to a multi-ton target mass. In this paper a detailed description of the stage-I detector design and performance results established during the commissioning phase is presented.

Scintillation Efficiency Improvement by Mixed Crystal Use

Abstract: Analysis of the last years theoretical studies and track simulations to conclusion that primary stages (electron scattering and e-h thermalization) play the key role in the following scintillator efficiency. The long thermalization length comparing to Onsager radius is the main reason for geminate pair concentration decrease and later luminescence losses. The easiest way for thermalization length decrease is the scintillation crystal doping or even transfer to the mixed crystals (solid solution). The simple model of modification of electrons scattering and e-h pairs thermalization for the mixed crystals is proposed. It is shown that solid solutions have higher light output independently on the crystal type. Analysis of experimental data confirmed this conclusion. This phenomenon is found for halide, oxide and sulfates scintillators. The similar behavior is typical for mixed anion and/or cation systems. The key role of initial track formation stages is illustrated by the same trend for activated scintillators and pure crystal with intrinsic luminescence. These estimations and experimental data lead to the conclusion that the scintillation efficiency improvement by mixed crystal use can play an important role in the search and development of new scintillators.

Results for aliovalent doping of CeBr3 with Ca2

Abstract: Despite the outstanding scintillation performance characteristics of cerium tribromide (CeBr3) and cerium-activated lanthanum tribromide, their commercial availability and application are limited due to the difficulties of growing large, crack-free single crystals from these fragile materials. This investigation employed aliovalent doping to increase crystal strength while maintaining the optical properties of the crystal. One divalent dopant (Ca2+) was used as a dopant to strengthen CeBr3 without negatively impacting scintillation performance. Ingots containing nominal concentrations of 1.9% of the Ca2+ dopant were grown, i.e., 1.9% of the CeBr3 molecules were replaced by CaBr2 molecules, to match our target replacement of 1 out of 54 cerium atoms be replaced by a calcium atom. Precisely the mixture was composed of 2.26 g of CaBr2 added to 222.14 g of CeBr3. Preliminary scintillation measurements are presented for this aliovalently doped scintillator. Ca2+-doped CeBr3 exhibited little or no change in the peak fluorescence emission for 371 nm optical excitation for CeBr3. The structural, electronic, and optical properties of CeBr3 crystals were studied using the density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. Calculated lattice parameters are in agreement with the experimental data. The energy band structures and density of states were obtained. The optical properties of CeBr3, including the dielectric function, were calculated.

Ca2+-Doped CeBr3 Scintillating Materials

Abstract: Despite the outstanding scintillation performance characteristics of cerium tribromide (CeBr3) and cerium-activated lanthanum tribromide, their commercial availability and application are limited due to the difficulties of growing large, crack-free single crystals from these fragile materials. This investigation employed aliovalent doping to increase crystal strength while maintaining the optical properties of the crystal. One divalent dopant (Ca2+) was used as a dopant to strengthen CeBr3 without negatively impacting scintillation performance. Ingots containing nominal concentrations of 1.9% of the Ca2+ dopant were grown. Preliminary scintillation measurements are presented for this aliovalently doped scintillator. Ca2+-doped CeBr3 exhibited little or no change in the peak fluorescence emission for 371 nm optical excitation for CeBr3. The structural, electronic, and optical properties of CeBr3 crystals were studied using the density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. The calculated lattice parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data. The energy band structures and density of states were obtained. The optical properties of CeBr3, including the dielectric function, were calculated.

Time resolution deterioration with increasing crystal length in a TOF-PET system

Abstract: Highest time resolution in scintillator based detectors is becoming more and more important In medical detector physics L(Y)SO scintillators are commonly used for time of flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) Coincidence time resolutions (CTRs) smaller than 100 ps FWHM are desirable in order to improve the image signal to noise ratio and thus give benefit to the patient by shorter scanning times Also in high energy physics there is the demand to improve the timing capabilities of calorimeters down to 10 ps To achieve these goals it is important to study the whole chain, ie the high energy particle interaction in the crystal, the scintillation process itself, the scintillation light transfer in the crystal, the photodetector and the electronics Time resolution measurements for a PET like system are performed with the time-over-threshold method in a coincidence setup utilizing the ultra-fast amplifier-discriminator NINO With 2×2×3 mm3 LSO:Ce codoped 04%Ca crystals coupled to commercially available SiPMs (Hamamatsu S10931-050P MPPC) we achieve a CTR of 108±5 ps FWHM at an energy of 511 keV Under the same experimental conditions an increase in crystal length to 5 mm deteriorates the CTR to 123±7 ps FWHM, 10 mm to 143±7 ps FWHM and 20 mm to 176±7 ps FWHM This degradation in CTR is caused by the light transfer efficiency (LTE) and light transfer time spread (LTTS) in the crystal To quantitatively understand the measured values, we developed a Monte Carlo simulation tool in MATLAB incorporating the timing properties of the photodetector and electronics, the scintillation properties of the crystal and the light transfer within the crystal simulated by SLITRANI In this work, we show that the predictions of the simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data We conclude that for longer crystals the deterioration in CTR is mainly caused by the LTE, ie the ratio of photons reaching the photodetector to the total amount of photons generated by the scintillation whereas the LTTS influence is partly offset by the gamma absorption in the crystal

Stereo-SCIDAR: optical turbulence profiling with high sensitivity using a modified SCIDAR instrument

Abstract: The next generation of adaptive optics systems will require tomographic reconstruction techniques to map the optical refractive index fluctuations, generated by the atmospheric turbulence, along the line of sight to the astronomical target. These systems can be enhanced with data from an external atmospheric profiler. This is important for Extremely Large Telescope scale tomography. Here we propose a new instrument which utilizes the generalized Scintillation Detection And Ranging (SCIDAR) technique to allow high sensitivity vertical profiles of the atmospheric optical turbulence and wind velocity profile above astronomical observatories. The new approach, which we refer to as ‘stereo-SCIDAR’, uses a stereoscopic system with the scintillation pattern from each star of a double-star target incident on a separate detector. Separating the pupil images for each star has several advantages including increased magnitude difference tolerance for the target stars; negating the need for re-calibration due to the normalization errors usually associated with SCIDAR; an increase of at least a factor of 2 in the signal-to-noise ratio of the cross-covariance function and hence the profile for equal magnitude target stars and up to a factor of 16 improvement for targets of 3 mag difference and easier real-time reconstruction of the wind-velocity profile. Theoretical response functions are calculated for the instrument, and the performance is investigated using a Monte Carlo simulation. The technique is demonstrated using data recorded at the 2.5-m Nordic Optical Telescope and the 1.0-m Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope, both on La Palma.

Measuring pulse times of arrival from broad-band pulsar observations

Abstract: In recent years, instrumentation enabling pulsar observations with unprecedentedly high frac-tional bandwidth has been under development which can be used to substantially improve the precision of pulsar timing experiments. The traditional template-matching method used to calculate pulse times of arrival (ToAs) may not function effectively on these broad-band data due to a variety of effects such as diffractive scintillation in the interstellar medium, profile variation as a function of frequency, dispersion measure (DM) evolution, and so forth. In this paper, we describe the channelized discrete Fourier transform method that can greatly mitigate the influence of the aforementioned effects when measuring ToAs from broad-band timing data. The method is tested on simulated data, and its potential in improving timing precision is shown. We further apply the method to PSR J1909−3744 data collected at the Nancay Radio Telescope with the Nancay Ultimate Pulsar Processing Instrument. We demonstrate removal of systematics due to the scintillation effect as well as improvement on ToA measurement uncertainties. Our method also determines temporal variations in DM, which are consistent with multichannel timing approaches used earlier.

The iQID Camera: An Ionizing-Radiation Quantum Imaging Detector

Abstract: We have developed and tested a novel, ionizing-radiation Quantum Imaging Detector (iQID). This scintillation-based detector was originally developed as a high-resolution gamma-ray imager, called BazookaSPECT, for use in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Recently, we have investigated the detector's response and imaging potential with other forms of ionizing radiation including alpha, neutron, beta, and fission fragment particles. The confirmed response to this broad range of ionizing radiation has prompted its new title. The principle operation of the iQID camera involves coupling a scintillator to an image intensifier. The scintillation light generated by particle interactions is optically amplified by the intensifier and then re-imaged onto a CCD/CMOS camera sensor. The intensifier provides sufficient optical gain that practically any CCD/CMOS camera can be used to image ionizing radiation. The spatial location and energy of individual particles are estimated on an event-by-event basis in real time using image analysis algorithms on high-performance graphics processing hardware. Distinguishing features of the iQID camera include portability, large active areas, excellent detection efficiency for charged particles, and high spatial resolution (tens of microns). Although modest, iQID has energy resolution that is sufficient to discriminate between particles. Additionally, spatial features of individual events can be used for particle discrimination. An important iQID imaging application that has recently been developed is real-time, single-particle digital autoradiography. We present the latest results and discuss potential applications.

Measuring directionality in double-beta decay and neutrino interactions with kiloton-scale scintillation detectors

Abstract: Large liquid-scintillator-based detectors have proven to be exceptionally effective for low energy neutrino measurements due to their good energy resolution and scalability to large volumes. The addition of directional information using Cherenkov light and fast timing would enhance the scientific reach of these detectors, especially for searches for neutrino-less double-beta decay. In this paper, we propose a technique for extracting particle direction using the difference in arrival times for Cherenkov and scintillation light, and evaluate several detector advances in timing, photodetector spectral response, and scintillator emission spectra that could be used to make direction reconstruction a reality in a kiloton-scale detector.

Neutron response characterization for an EJ299-33 plastic scintillation detector

Abstract: Organic scintillation detectors have shown promise as neutron detectors for characterizing special nuclear materials in various arms-control and homeland-security applications. Recent advances have yielded a new plastic scintillator – EJ299-33 – with pulse-shape-discrimination (PSD) capability. Plastic scintillators would have a much-expanded range of deployment relative to liquids and crystals. Here, we present a full characterization of pulse-height response to fission-energy neutrons for an EJ299-33 detector with 7.62-by-7.62-cm cylindrical active volume, and compare with an EJ309 liquid scintillator in the same assembly. Scintillation light-output relations, energy resolutions, and response matrices are presented for both detectors. A continuous-spectrum neutron source, obtained via the bombardment of 27Al with 7.44-MeV deuterons at the Edwards Accelerator Facility at Ohio University, was used for the measurement. A new procedure for evaluating and comparing PSD performance is presented which accounts for the effect of the light-output relation on the ability to detect low-energy neutrons. The EJ299-33 is shown to have considerable deficit in matrix condition, and in PSD figure of merit when compared to EJ309, especially when neutron energy is taken into account. Nevertheless the EJ299 is likely to bring a modest PSD capability into a array of field applications that are not accessible to liquids or crystals.

GPS scintillation and irregularities at the front of an ionization tongue in the nightside polar ionosphere

Abstract: In this paper we study a tongue of ionization (TOI) on 31 October 2011 which stretched across the polar cap from the Canadian dayside sector to Svalbard in the nightside ionosphere. The TOI front arrived over Svalbard around 1930 UT. We have investigated GPS scintillation and irregularities in relation to this TOI front. This is the first study presenting such detailed multi-instrument data of scintillation and irregularities in relation to a TOI front. Combining data from an all-sky imager, the European Incoherent Scatter Svalbard Radar, the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network Hankasalmi radar, and three GPS scintillation and total electron content (TEC) monitors in Longyearbyen and Ny-Alesund, we observe bursts of phase scintillation and no amplitude scintillation in relation to the leading gradient of the TOI. Spectrograms of 50Hz phase measurements show highly localized and variable structuring of the TOI leading gradient, with no structuring or scintillation within the TOI or ahead of the TOI.

Pulsar scintillations from corrugated reconnection sheets in the interstellar medium

Abstract: We show that surface waves along interstellar current sheets closely aligned with the line of sight lead to pulsar scintillation properties consistent with those observed. This mechanism naturally produces the length and density scales of the ISM scattering lenses that are required to explain the magnitude and dynamical spectrum of the scintillations. In this picture, the parts of warm ionized interstellar medium that are responsible for the scintillations are relatively quiescent, with scintillation and scattering resulting from weak waves propagating along magnetic domain boundary current sheets, which are both expected from helicity conservation and have been observed in numerical simulations. The model statistically predicts the spacing and amplitudes of inverted parabolic arcs seen in Fourier-transformed dynamical spectra of strongly scintillating pulsars with only 3 parameters. Multi-frequency, multi-epoch low frequency VLBI observations can quantitatively test this picture. If successful, in addition to mapping the ISM, this may open the door to precise nanoarcsecond pulsar astrometry, distance measurements, and emission studies using these 10AU interferometers in the sky.

Low-latitude scintillation occurrences around the equatorial anomaly crest over Indonesia

Abstract: . We investigated low-latitude ionospheric scintillation in Indonesia using two GPS receivers installed at Bandung (107.6° E, 6.9° S; magnetic latitude 17.5° S) and Pontianak (109.3° E, 0.02° S; magnetic latitude 8.9° S). This study aimed to characterise climatological and directional ionospheric scintillation occurrences, which are useful not only for the physics of ionospheric irregularities but also for practical use in GNSS (global navigation satellite system)-based navigation. We used the deployed instrument's amplitude scintillation (S4 index) data from 2009, 2010, and 2011; the yearly SSN (sunspot-smoothed numbers) were 3.1, 16.5, and 55.9, respectively. In summary, (1) scintillation occurrences in the post-sunset period (18:00–01:00 LT) during equinox months (plasma bubble season) at the two sites can be ascribed to the plasma bubble; (2) using directional analyses of the two sites, we found that the distribution of scintillation occurrences is generally concentrated between the two sites, indicating the average location of the EIA (equatorial ionisation anomaly) crest; (3) scintillation occurrence enhancements for the two sites in field-aligned directions are herein reported for the first time by ground-based observation in a low-latitude region; (4) distribution of scintillation occurrences at Pontianak are concentrated in the southern sky, especially in the southwest direction, which is very likely associated with the plasma bubble tilted westward with increasing latitude; and (5) scintillation occurrence in the post-midnight period in the non-plasma-bubble season is the most intriguing variable occurring between the two sites (i.e. post-midnight scintillations are observed more at Bandung than Pontianak). Most of the post-midnight scintillations observed at Bandung are concentrated in the northern sky, with low elevation angles. This might be due to the amplitude of irregularities in certain directions, which may be effectively enhanced by background density enhancement by the EIA and because satellite–receiver paths are longer in the EIA crest region and in a field-aligned direction.

Boron-loaded plastic scintillator with neutron-γ pulse shape discrimination capability

Abstract: Development of the plastic scintillator with neutron sensitivity from thermal to multi-MeV and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) has been demonstrated. Incorporation of 10B-containing compounds into the plastic scintillator with PSD capability leads to detector improvement in regard to neutron detection efficiency while preserving the discrimination between neutrons and γ-rays. Effects of boron loading on scintillation and pulse shape discrimination properties are discussed. A PSD figure-of-merit value of 1.4±0.03 has been achieved for events in a thermal neutron energy domain, 50–100 keVee, for PSD plastic loaded with 5 wt.% of m-carborane.

Optical artefact characterization and correction in volumetric scintillation dosimetry.

Abstract: The goals of this study were (1) to characterize the optical artefacts affecting measurement accuracy in a volumetric liquid scintillator detector, and (2) to develop methods to correct for these artefacts. The optical artefacts addressed were photon scattering, refraction, camera perspective, vignetting, lens distortion, the lens point spread function, stray radiation, and noise in the camera. These artefacts were evaluated by theoretical and experimental means, and specific correction strategies were developed for each artefact. The effectiveness of the correction methods was evaluated by comparing raw and corrected images of the scintillation light from proton pencil beams against validated Monte Carlo calculations. Blurring due to the lens and refraction at the scintillator tank-air interface were found to have the largest effect on the measured light distribution, and lens aberrations and vignetting were important primarily at the image edges. Photon scatter in the scintillator was not found to be a significant source of artefacts. The correction methods effectively mitigated the artefacts, increasing the average gamma analysis pass rate from 66% to 98% for gamma criteria of 2% dose difference and 2 mm distance to agreement. We conclude that optical artefacts cause clinically meaningful errors in the measured light distribution, and we have demonstrated effective strategies for correcting these optical artefacts.

Impacts of Ionospheric Scintillation on the BIOMASS P-Band Satellite SAR

Abstract: The European Space Agency is conducting studies for a low-earth orbiting polarimetric synthetic aperture radar called BIOMASS to provide global measurements of forest biomass and tree height. Phase scintillation across the synthetic aperture caused by ionospheric irregularities can degrade the impulse response function (IRF) and cause squinting, and its temporal variation can cause decorrelation in repeat-pass interferometry. These effects are simulated for a range of conditions for the baseline BIOMASS system configuration using the Wideband model of scintillation, which predicts that for a dawn-dusk orbit, impacts of scintillation over forest regions are negligible under all conditions except at high latitudes in the North American sector under high sunspot activity. In this sector, single-look IRFs have mean integrated sidelobe ratios (ISLRs) and peak sidelobe ratios (PSLRs) better than 0 and -5 dB, respectively, at 90% confidence interval under median solar activity up to the northern tree line ( ~ 70° geomagnetic). Degradation in the mean 3-dB resolution of up to 10% is predicted, with mean absolute azimuth shifts of the IRF peak of up to 2 m, which increases to 5 m at high sunspot number. Similar values are found for the dawn and dusk sides, and seasonal variations are negligible for latitudes below the tree line. Repeat-pass interferometric image pairs maintain coherence up to 50 ° N under median sunspot conditions. Four-look processing improves the ISLR and PSLR by several decibels, but causes significant degradation of the 3-dB resolution due to incoherent averaging of images with different random azimuth shifts.

Modeling pulse characteristics in Xenon with NEST

Abstract: A comprehensive model for describing the characteristics of pulsed signals, generated by particle interactions in xenon detectors, is presented. An emphasis is laid on two-phase time projection chambers, but the models presented are also applicable to single phase detectors. In order to simulate the pulse shape due to primary scintillation light, the effects of the ratio of singlet and triplet dimer state populations, as well as their corresponding decay times, and the recombination time are incorporated into the model. In a two phase time projection chamber, when simulating the pulse caused by electroluminescence light, the ionization electron mean free path in gas, the drift velocity, singlet and triplet decay times, diffusion constants, and the electron trapping time, have been implemented. This modeling has been incorporated into a complete software package, which realistically simulates the expected pulse shapes for these types of detectors.

A promising high-density scintillator of GdTaO4 single crystal

Abstract: A crack-free GdTaO4 single crystal as a promising high-density scintillator is grown successfully by the Czochralski method. High crystalline quality of the as-grown crystal has been demonstrated by its X-ray rocking curve. Its density is 8.94 g cm−3, which is the highest among current inorganic single-crystal scintillators. The absolute light yield of GTO is about three times as that of PbWO4 and the scintillation decay consists of a fast component of 72.6 ns and a slow component of 1236.2 ns. Additionally, the photoluminescence measurements of GTO indicate a complicated mechanism. Its fundamental physical properties including hardness, density, and thermal properties are determined for the first time, which are very important for crystal growth and its applications.

High-latitude GPS phase scintillation and cycle slips during high-speed solar wind streams and interplanetary coronal mass ejections: a superposed epoch analysis

Abstract: Results of a superposed epoch (SPE) analysis of occurrence of phase scintillation and cycle slips at high latitudes keyed by arrival times of high-speed solar wind streams (HSS) and interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICME) for years 2008 to 2012 are presented. Phase scintillation index σ Φ is obtained in real time from L1 signal recorded at the rate of 50 Hz by specialized global positioning system (GPS) ionospheric scintillation and total electron content (TEC) monitors (GISTMs) deployed as a part of the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN). The phase scintillation, mapped as a function of magnetic latitude and magnetic local time, occurs predominantly on the dayside in the cusp and in the nightside auroral oval. The scintillation occurrence peaks on days of HSS or ICME impacts at the Earth's magnetosphere and tapers off a few days later, which is similar to day-to-day variability of geomagnetic activity and riometer absorption at high latitudes. ICMEs that are identified as magnetic clouds are significantly more geoeffective than HSSs and ICMEs with no or weak magnetic cloud characteristics. On their arrival day, magnetic clouds result in higher occurrence, and thus probability, of scintillation in the nightside auroral zone. The SPE analysis results are used to obtain cumulative probability distribution functions for the phase scintillation occurrence that can be employed in probabilistic forecast of phase scintillation at high latitudes.

Scintillations of the GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo signals at equatorial latitude

Abstract: Small scale ionospheric disturbances can lead to fluctuations of the received satellite signal, so-called signal scintillations. For global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) this reduces the positioning accuracy. Particular strong events can even lead to a loss of lock between satellite and receiver. All GNSS signals are affected by this phenomenon. The influence of the short scale disturbances on the different GNSS signals is expected to be different for each signal, since the signals are transmitted by different carrier frequencies and are constructed in different ways. In this paper, we compare the occurrence rate of signal scintillations between the different global navigation satellite systems and their different signal frequencies. In particular, we consider GPS L1, L2, and L5, GLONASS L1 and L2, and Galileo E1 and E5a. This analysis uses data from a high-rate GNSS station of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) placed in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia at 11°36′ N 37°23′ E. The station collects 50 Hz raw data from which the amplitude scintillation index S 4 is calculated. The data has been collected for the whole year 2013. Since the number of strong scintillation events with S 4 > 0.5 was smaller than expected, additionally weak scintillation events with S 4 ≥ 0.25 are taken into account. An algorithm is used that provides a soft barrier for S 4 ≥ 0.25. The resulting events are shown as daily and seasonal averages. Finally, the overall influence of short scale ionospheric disturbances in the form of signal scintillations on the GNSS signals is estimated.