有了前所未有的承诺，即欧盟支持的Eiscat3D雷达基础设施可用于研究近地空间现象，系统的准确性和效率至关重要。最近关闭的Eiscat3D_PFP项目成功证明了该计划的可行性，并将其启动到实施阶段。
Eiscat3D提供了一个强大的新研究基础设施，利用雷达观测来探索地球大气层如何与地球周围的空间耦合，并为太阳系和射电天文学提供更广泛的支持。使用多功能计算机技术，它还将帮助新的研究领域，例如微型晶体测量和小行星成像。
The项目“最近完成的实施阶段，称为Eiscat3D_PFP，已经为Eiscat3d建立了必要的方法，以对大气顶部的离子化部分进行详细的三维测量。
Eiscat3D工具的位置位于大气和空间之间的耦合最直接和动态的区域，这是Fenno-Scandinavian Arctic的夜间极光区。As project coordinator Dr. Craig Heinselman explains, “When we watch the aurora or measure it with optical instruments, we are seeing the effects of charged particles guided in part by the Earth’s magnetic field, as they deposit large amounts of energy and momentum to the top of the neutral atmosphere. While this is impressive to see, it is only part of the story because energy also goes into ionising the atmosphere.”
EISCAT3D will allow scientists to see the results of this atmospheric ionisation and to use the ions and electrons as tracers indicating the processes that drive it, such as electric fields. It is hoped that following the phenomena as it unfolds will lead to a better understanding of where the energy goes, how it interacts with the larger system and what impact this has.
该项目是使用分阶段阵列雷达设计的。改变雷达电子以进行传输和接收，导致它们非常迅速地改变方向。如果需要，它的设计使其可以每一秒钟的1/1000 the沿不同的方向看。这与更典型的盘状雷达形成鲜明对比，后者只能通过使用大型强大电动机移动其重型天线硬件来朝不同的方向展示。
Additionally, two of the EISCAT3D antennae will be receive-only, meaning that as well as following the rapid movement of the transmitter beam, they will be able to look in 100 different directions at the same time. This enables them to simultaneously see the transmitted signals at all altitudes, not only at a single altitude as is the case with some current operating systems.
一个th的重大挑战e EISCAT3D_PfP project was able to overcome was being able to development a system with sufficient computing capacity to fulfil the design brief. As Dr. Heinselman recalls, “When the design study was conducted it was simply not affordable to provide 100 simultaneous narrow beams on receive, so the initial design supported just seven. Fortunately, advances particularly in field programmable gate array technology, made the 100 beams practical and affordable.”
Given the accuracy of the measurements required, another challenge was that of building a system whose internal computer clocks wouldn’t generate noise which could overwhelm the signals it seeks to measure. An extremely intricate task given that the radar’s receiving signals, when combined, are approximately 20 orders of magnitude (0.000000000000000001 %) smaller than the signal transmitted. Achieving this project aim required not only careful design but also extensive testing on the part of the project team.
EISCAT3D_PfP has now demonstrated the feasibility of the EISCAT3D project goals and launched it into the implementation phase. EISCAT3D’s systems are anticipated to be available to scientists by the end of 2021.
Looking to the future Dr. Heinselman says, “As EISCAT3D is a scientific instrument for research it is difficult to say definitively where work will lead, but one very promising area is for the scientific underpinnings predicting Space Weather effects. These effects have, and will certainly continue to have, a growing impact on a society increasingly dependent on space-based technologies.”
Filed Under:航空航天 +防御
