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Abstract: Approximately one hundred sources of very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays are known in the Milky Way, detected with a combination of targeted observations and surveys. A survey of the entire Galactic Plane in the energy range from a few tens of GeV to a few hundred TeV has been proposed as a Key Science Project for the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). This article presents the status of the studies towards the Galactic Plane Survey (GPS). We build and make publicly available a sky model that combines data from recent observations of known gamma-ray emitters with state-of-the-art physically-driven models of synthetic populations of the three main classes of established Galactic VHE sources (pulsar wind nebulae, young and interacting supernova remnants, and compact binary systems), as well as of interstellar emission from cosmic-ray interactions in the Milky Way. We also perform an optimisation of the observation strategy (pointing pattern and scheduling) based on recent estimations of the instrument performance. We use the improved sky model and observation strategy to simulate GPS data corresponding to a total observation time of 1620 hours spread over ten years. Data are then analysed using the methods and software tools under development for real data. Under our model assumptions and for the realisation considered, we show that the GPS has the potential to increase the number of known Galactic VHE emitters by almost a factor of five. This corresponds to the detection of more than two hundred pulsar wind nebulae and a few tens of supernova remnants at average integral fluxes one order of magnitude lower than in the existing sample above 1 TeV, therefore opening the possibility to perform unprecedented population studies. The GPS also has the potential to provide new VHE detections of binary systems and pulsars, to confirm the existence of a hypothetical population of gamma-ray pulsars with an additional TeV emission component, and to detect bright sources capable of accelerating particles to PeV energies (PeVatrons). Furthermore, the GPS will constitute a pathfinder for deeper follow-up observations of these source classes. Finally, we show that we can extract from GPS data an estimate of the contribution to diffuse emission from unresolved sources, and that there are good prospects of detecting interstellar emission and statistically distinguishing different scenarios. Thus, a survey of the entire Galactic plane carried out from both hemispheres with CTAO will ensure a transformational advance in our knowledge of Galactic VHE source populations and interstellar emission.
Keywords: very-high-energy gamma rays, Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory, CTAO Galactic Plane Survey, galactic cosmic rays, pulsar wind nebulae, supernova remnants, galactic PeVatrons, binary systems, diffuse emission
Published in RUNG: 28.10.2024; Views: 814; Downloads: 4
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Abstract: Living at a time when the stress level is growing every year, or even day by day, the ecological situation is deteriorating, wars, pandemics, economic recession, racism, and nationalism. It is very important to find a way to connect with yourself and nature. Find a way to tap into spirituality. Find a way to improve our mental state so that later life will be in better ecological and mental conditions. If every person made himself happy, the world would be populated by happy people. With similar roots in spirituality, psychology, linguistics, and philosophy, this thesis mindset is about bringing people's mental health into balance while also understanding the structure and the research behind an audio-meditative installation "Breath of the Wind" based on the Bora wind. This work follows the interrelationship between body, mind, and spirit with a focus on breathing "Breath of the Wind" is a composition, meditative musical landscape, with spatialized sound samples driven by input from nature and digitally processed with MAX/MSP software
Keywords: Wind, atmosphere, air, spirituality, awareness, meditation, breathing, attention, music.
Published in RUNG: 20.12.2022; Views: 2642; Downloads: 66
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Abstract: Strong and gusty north-east wind called Bora is common in south-west regions of Slovenia, as well as along the Adriatic coast. Its intermittent behavior, related to variable strength, frequency and duration, has brought out scientific curiosity for decades. Bora affects human life and causes problems for structures built in Bora affected areas. In Slovenia, Bora is the strongest in the Vipava valley. The motivation for this research is the need to evaluate Bora wind effects on structures, commonly found in the Vipava valley region, using a high resolution computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling approach. To date, there are several experimental and computational constraints for accurate representation of Bora in a CFD model, therefore, the main aim of this dissertation is to build foundations for Bora wind simulations using CFD and its method of finite volumes. The dissertation incorporates the analysis of experimental measurements of Bora wind, as well as numerical modeling studies. Vertical mean wind speed profile characteristics of Bora were analyzed based on experimental measurements at Razdrto just above the Vipava valley. The obtained results contributed to the choice of Bora mean wind profiles applied at the inflow of computational models. Guidelines regarding the choice of the associated wind profile parameters were given and a new relationship between these parameters was found. As orographic barriers to the north of the Vipava valley are known to give rise to Bora and to define the specific properties of the Bora flow, numerical modeling studies were in the first place focused on the implementation of the real-scale complex terrain into a CFD model. Simulation of wind flow over orographic barrier in Vipava valley was performed using Raynolds averaged Navier-Stokes approach, providing a first estimation of the flow field over a small hill of Zemono. As resolving the turbulence characteristics of Bora is very important for the estimation of wind loads on structures, modeling studies converged towards a more appropriate approach - Large eddy simulations (LES). A crucial step in setting up an accurate LES is the generation of appropriate inflow, which was investigated for the case of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) flow. The synthetic method PRFG^3 for the generation of unsteady inflow was tested and adapted as a source of an ABL flow with desired turbulence flow properties. Based on its performance, in particular on adequate reproduction of target turbulence intensities and length scales, it was found that PRFG^3 method may be used to generate velocity inflow with desired turbulence properties in LES. Finally, simulations of wind flow coming from Bora direction over the Vipava valley were performed with the aim to depict the effects of underlying orography on the flow within and above the valley. Modeling results were found to be comparable with the results of lidar based remote sensing of vertical atmospheric structures within and above the valley.
Keywords: Vipava valley, Bora wind, Wind profile, Orography, Atmospheric boundary layer, Computational fluid dynamics, Numerical simulations
Published in RUNG: 17.06.2020; Views: 8213; Downloads: 69
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Abstract: Bora is cold and gusty downslope wind with variable gust frequency and duration, appearing on the lee side of Dinaric Alps. Its flow characteristics are unique and theoretically still not fully described, especially for modeling purposes. We present an analysis of the wind speed vertical profiles at Razdrto, which lies in a gap between the Nanos and Javorniki plateau in southwest Slovenia and is strongly exposed to Bora. An analysis of the vertical wind speed profiles during Bora episodes is based on experimental wind data, provided by Helikopter energija, for six Bora events of different duration, appearing between April 2010 and May 2011. Average wind speed in 10-minute intervals was collected at four different heights (20, 31, 40 and 41.7 m above the ground)at the wind turbine site in Razdrto using cup anemometers. Wind direction data with same temporal resolution was obtained from a single wind vane placed at 40.9 m above the ground. Based on the collected data, the applicability of the empirical power-law and the logarithmic law profiles, commonly used for the description of neutrally stratified atmosphere, was investigated for the case of Bora. The parameters for the power-law and logarithmic law were obtained by fitting the wind speed data using linear regression method and are compared to standard values for that particular type of terrain. The quality of fits was very good with r2 above 0.9, indicating that both power-law and logarithmic law adequately describe mean horizontal Bora wind. The median value of the power-law coefficient was found to be 0.16±0.03, which is consistent with standard value for neutral atmosphere (0.143). The aerodynamic roughness varied from 0.003 m to 0.22 m with the median value of 0.09±0.07, which describes open level country terrain with some trees. The event in November 2010 with large roughness is expected to be due to specific wind direction and surface conditions.
Keywords: Bora wind, Wind speed vertical profile, Logarithmic law, Power law
Published in RUNG: 07.02.2019; Views: 5502; Downloads: 29
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Abstract: The Vipava valley in Slovenia is well known for the appearance of strong, gusty North-East Bora winds, which occur as a result of air flows over an adjacent orographic barrier. There are three revealing wind directions within the valley which were found to give rise to specific types of atmospheric structures. These structures were investigated using a Mie scattering lidar operating at 1064 nm, which provided high temporal and spatial resolution backscatter data on aerosols, which were used as tracers for atmospheric flows. Wind properties were monitored at the bottom of the valley and at the rim of the barrier using two ultrasonic anemometers. Twelve time periods between February and April 2015 were selected when lidar data was available. The periods were classified according to the wind speed and direction and investigated in terms of appearance of atmospheric structures. In two periods with strong or moderate Bora, periodic atmospheric structures in the lidar data were observed at heights above the mountain barrier and are believed to be Kelvin–Helmholtz waves, induced by wind shear. No temporal correlation was found between these structures and wind gusts at the ground level. The influence of the wind on the height of the planetary boundary layer was studied as well. In periods with low wind speeds, the vertical evolution of the planetary boundary layer was found to be governed by solar radiation and clouds. In periods with strong or moderate Bora wind, convection within the planetary boundary layer was found to be much weaker due to strong turbulence close to the ground, which inhibited mixing through the entire layer.
Keywords: Downslope wind Lidar observations Kelvin–Helmholtz waves Bora
Published in RUNG: 06.01.2017; Views: 6749; Downloads: 0
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