• Progress in Superconductivity
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2011

Measurement of magnetic signals generated from electric activity of myocardium provides useful information for the functional diagnosis of heart diseases. Key technical component of the magnetocardiography (MCG) technology is SQUID. To measure MCG signals with high signal-to-noise ratio, sensitive SQUID magnetic field sensors are needed. Present magnetic field sensors based on Nb SQUIDs have field sensitivity good enough to measure most of MCG signals. However, for accurate measurement of fine signal pattern or detection of local atrial fibrillation signals, we may need higher field sensitivity. In addition to field sensitivity, economic aspect of the SQUID system is also important. To simplify the SQUID readout electronics, the output voltage or flux-to-voltage transfer of SQUID should be large enough so that direct measurement of SQUID output can be done using room-temperature preamplifiers. Double relaxation oscillation SQUID (DROS), having about 10 times larger flux-to-voltage transfers than those of DC-SQUIDs, was shown to be a good choice to make the electronics compact. For effective cancellation of external noise inside a thin economic shielded room, first-order axial gradiometer with high balance, simple structure and long-baseline is needed. We developed a technology to make the axial gradiometer compact using direct bonding of superconductive wires between pickup coil and input coil. Conventional insert has mechanical support to hold the gradiometer array, and the dewar neck has equal diameter with the dewar bottom. Boiling of the liquid He can generate mechanical vibrations in the gradiometer array due to mechanical connection structure. Elimination of the mechanical support, and direct mounting of the gradiometer array into the dewar bottom can reduce the dewar neck diameter, resulting in the reduction of liquid He consumption.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.123.2-123.2
• /
• 2012

We investigate the solar flare occurrence rate and daily flare probability in terms of the sunspot classification supplemented with sunspot area and its changes. For this we use the NOAA active region data and GOES solar flare data for 15 years (from January 1996 to December 2010). We consider the most flare-productive eleven sunspot classes in the McIntosh sunspot group classification. Sunspot area and its changes can be a proxy of magnetic flux and its emergence/cancellation, respectively. We classify each sunspot group into two sub-groups by its area: "Large" and "Small". In addition, for each group, we classify it into three sub-groups according to sunspot area changes: "Decrease", "Steady", and "Increase". As a result, in the case of compact groups, their flare occurrence rates and daily flare probabilities noticeably increase with sunspot group area. We also find that the flare occurrence rates and daily flare probabilities for the "Increase" sub-groups are noticeably higher than those for the other sub-groups. In case of the (M+X)-class flares in the 'Dkc' group, the flare occurrence rate of the "Increase" sub-group is three times higher than that of the "Steady" sub-group. Our results statistically demonstrate that magnetic flux and its emergence enhance the occurrence of major solar flares.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.9-18
• /
• 1996

We have analyzed vector magnetograms and $H\beta$ filtergrams of two sunspot groups, one in a growing phase and the other in a decaying phase. In this study, the temporal evolution of their magnetic morphology has been investigated in association with solar activity. The morphological variations of the growing and decaying phase of these sunspots revealed in detail the coalescence of small spots into a large spot and the fragmentation of a large spot into many small spots, respectively. Numerous small flares were detected in the spot group during the decaying phase. This seems to be intimately associated with the shearing motions of many spots with different polarities created by fragmentation of a large sunspot. The magnetic flux and the average shear angle are found to be substantially reduced during the decaying phase, especially in the course of the flarings. This implies that the decaying phase of the sunspot is, to some degree, involved with magnetic field cancellation. The growing spot group has not shown any large activities, but numerous small spots have grown into a typical bipolar sunspot.

• Journal of Power Electronics
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.899-909
• /
• 2015

A dual-input boost-buck converter with coupled inductors (DIBBC-CI) is proposed as a thermoelectric generator (TEG) power conditioner with a wide input voltage range. The DIBBC-CI is built by cascading two boost cells and a buck cell with shared inverse coupled filter inductors. Low current ripple on both sides of the TEG and the battery are achieved. Reduced size and power losses of the filter inductors are benefited from the DC magnetic flux cancellation in the inductor core, leading to high efficiency and high power density. The operational principle, impact of coupled inductors, and design considerations for the proposed converter are analyzed in detail. Distributed maximum power point tracking, battery charging, and output control are implemented using a competitive logic to ensure seamless switching among operational modes. Both the simulation and experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed topology and control.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.41-53
• /
• 2004

It has been a big mystery what drives filament eruptions and flares. We have studied in detail an X1.8 flare and its associated filament eruption that occurred in NOAA Active Region 9236 on November 24,2000. For this work we have analyzed high temporal (about 1 minute) and spatial (about 1 arcsec) resolution images taken by Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, Hoc centerline and blue wing ($-0.6{\AA}$) images from Big Bear Solar Observatory, and 1600 ${\AA}$ UV images by the Transition Region and Corona Explorer (TRACE). We have found that there were several transient brightenings seen in H$\alpha$ and, more noticeably in TRACE 1600 ${\AA}$ images around the preflare phase. A closer look at the UV brightenings in 1600 ${\AA}$ images reveals that they took place near one end of the erupting filament, and are a kind of jets supplying mass into the transient loops seen in 1600 ${\AA}$. These brightenings were also associated with canceling magnetic features (CMFs) as seen in the MDI magnetograms. The flux variations of these CMFs suggest that the flux cancellation may have been driven by the emergence of the new flux. For this event, we have estimated the ejection speeds of the filament ranging from 10 to 160 km $s^{-1}$ for the first twenty minutes. It is noted that the initiation of the filament eruption (as defined by the rise speed less than 20 km $s^{-1}$) coincided with the preflare activity characterized by UV brightenings and CMFs. The speed of the associated LASCO CME can be well extrapolated from the observed filament speed and its direction is consistent with those of the disturbed UV loops associated with the preflare activity. Supposing the H$\alpha$/UV transient brightenings and the canceling magnetic features are due to magnetic reconnect ion in the low atmosphere, our results may be strong observational evidence supporting that the initiation of the filament eruption and the preflare phase of the associated flare may be physically related to low-atmosphere magnetic reconnection.

• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.89-106
• /
• 2003

Analyses of tidal observations and a numerical model of the $M_2$ and $M_4$ tides in the Uldolmok waterway located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula are described. This waterway is well known fer its strong tidal flows of up to more than 10 knots at the narrowest part of the channel. Harmonic analysis of the observed water level at five tidal stations reveals dramatic changes in the amplitude and phase of the shallow water constituents at the station near the narrowest part, while survey results show a decreasing trend in local mean sea levels toward the narrow section. It was also observed that the amplitudes of semi-diurnal constituents, $M_2$ and $S_2$ are diminishing toward the narrowest part of the waterway. Two-dimensional numerical modeling shows that the $M_2$ energy flux is dominated by the component coming from the eastern boundary. The $M_2$ energy is inward from both open boundaries and is transported toward the narrow region of the channel, where it is frictionally dissipated or transferred to other constituents due to a strong non-linear advection effect. It is also shown that the $M_4$ generation is strong around the narrow region, and the abrupt decrease in the M4 amplitude in the region is due to a cancellation of the locally generated M4 with the component propagated from open boundaries. The superposition of both propagated and generated M4 contributions also explains the discontinuity of the M4 phase lag in the region. The tide-induced residual sea level change and the regeneration effect of the $M_2$ tide through interaction with $M_4$ are also examined.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
• /
• v.45 no.11
• /
• pp.914-921
• /
• 2017

The experimental research on a high-altitude environment simulation of space launch vehicle is important for securing independent technologies with launching space vehicles and completing missions. This study selected an altitude of 65 km for the experiment environment where it exceeded Mach number of 6 after the launch of Korean Space Launch Vehicle(KSLV-II). Shock tunnel was used to replicate the flight condition. After flow establishment, in order to confirm aerodynamic characteristics and normal and oblique shockwaves, the flow verification was carried out by measuring stagnation pressure and heat flux of a forebody model, and shockwave stand-off distance of a hemispherical model. In addition, a shock-free technique to recover free-stream condition has been developed and verified. From the results of the three verification tests, it was confirmed that the flow was replicated with the error of about ${\pm}3%$. The error between the slope angle of inclined shockwave of the scaled down transition section model using the shock-free shape and the slope angle of the horizontal plate model, and between the theoretical and the experimental value of the static pressure of the model were confirmed to be 2% and 1%, respectively. As a result, the efficiency of the shockwave cancellation technique has been verified.