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Air Force Institute of Technology

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Trust-Based Interactive Partially Observable Markov Decision Process, Richard S. Seymour Jun 2019

The Trust-Based Interactive Partially Observable Markov Decision Process, Richard S. Seymour

Theses and Dissertations

Cooperative agent and robot systems are designed so that each is working toward the same common good. The problem is that the software systems are extremely complex and can be subverted by an adversary to either break the system or potentially worse, create sneaky agents who are willing to cooperate when the stakes are low and take selfish, greedy actions when the rewards rise. This research focuses on the ability of a group of agents to reason about the trustworthiness of each other and make decisions about whether to cooperate. A trust-based interactive partially observable Markov decision process (TI-POMDP) is …


Methodology For Comparison Of Algorithms For Real-World Multi-Objective Optimization Problems: Space Surveillance Network Design, Troy B. Dontigney Jun 2019

Methodology For Comparison Of Algorithms For Real-World Multi-Objective Optimization Problems: Space Surveillance Network Design, Troy B. Dontigney

Theses and Dissertations

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is an activity vital to protecting national and commercial satellites from damage or destruction due to collisions. Recent research has demonstrated a methodology using evolutionary algorithms (EAs) which is intended to develop near-optimal Space Surveillance Network (SSN) architectures in the sense of low cost, low latency, and high resolution. That research is extended here by (1) developing and applying a methodology to compare the performance of two or more algorithms against this problem, and (2) analyzing the effects of using reduced data sets in those searches. Computational experiments are presented in which the performance of five …


Generating Dark And Antidark Beams Using The Genuine Cross-Spectral Density Function Criterion, Milo W. Hyde Iv, Svetlana Avramov-Zamurovic Jun 2019

Generating Dark And Antidark Beams Using The Genuine Cross-Spectral Density Function Criterion, Milo W. Hyde Iv, Svetlana Avramov-Zamurovic

Faculty Publications

In this work, we demonstrate how to generate dark and antidark beams—diffraction-free partially coherent sources—using the genuine cross-spectral density function criterion. These beams have been realized in prior work using the source’s coherent-mode representation and by transforming a J0-Bessel correlated partially coherent source using a wavefront-folding interferometer. We generalize the traditional dark and antidark beams to produce higher-order sources, which have not been realized. We simulate the generation of these beams and compare the results to the corresponding theoretical predictions. The simulated results are found to be in excellent agreement with theory, thus validating our analysis. We discuss …


Statistical Viability Analysis Of United States Air Force Estimating Cost Factor For Sustainable Construction, Philip A. Ramsey, Diedrich Prigge, Torrey J. Wagner, Alfred E. Thal Jr. May 2019

Statistical Viability Analysis Of United States Air Force Estimating Cost Factor For Sustainable Construction, Philip A. Ramsey, Diedrich Prigge, Torrey J. Wagner, Alfred E. Thal Jr.

Faculty Publications

Varying legislation and executive orders coupled with needs for energy resiliency have led the United States Air Force (USAF) to pursue sustainable construction. However, the limited understanding of initial costs to implement these changes have contributed to poor project cost estimating, resulting in 62 percent of USAF projects experiencing more than 5 percent cost growth. After reviewing 1628 USAF Military Construction (MILCON) construction projects in 922 category codes (CATCODEs), a twotailed t-test for populations with unequal variance was accomplished on the final normalized contract cost for 340 projects in 16 CATCODEs executed between 2002 and 2017. This analysis provides a …


Using Wind And Hydro Power To Sustain The Off-Grid Power Supply For A 50' Cruising Sailboat, Keisha Meyer, Torrey J. Wagner, Jada Williams May 2019

Using Wind And Hydro Power To Sustain The Off-Grid Power Supply For A 50' Cruising Sailboat, Keisha Meyer, Torrey J. Wagner, Jada Williams

Faculty Publications

Cruising sailboats operate with a power requirement modest enough to operate mostly or completely on renewable energy technology sources. Cruisers without renewable energy systems use the vessel’s diesel engine to charge the boat’s batteries; if the systems are operated at anchor, this dramatically decreases the time before the engine needs major overhaul. System users estimate a diesel engine can run approximately 8,000 hours underway before needing major overhaul, whereas operating 500 hours at anchor produces similar wear and tear on engine pistons. Although renewable energy systems have a high initial capital cost, these systems can provide the vessel’s electrical system …


Ergodicity For The 3d Stochastic Navier-Stokes Equations Perturbed By Lévy Noise, Manil T. Mohan, K. Sakthivel, Sivaguru S. Sritharan May 2019

Ergodicity For The 3d Stochastic Navier-Stokes Equations Perturbed By Lévy Noise, Manil T. Mohan, K. Sakthivel, Sivaguru S. Sritharan

Faculty Publications

In this work we construct a Markov family of martingale solutions for 3D stochastic Navier–Stokes equations (SNSE) perturbed by Lévy noise with periodic boundary conditions. Using the Kolmogorov equations of integrodifferential type associated with the SNSE perturbed by Lévy noise, we construct a transition semigroup and establish the existence of a unique invariant measure. We also show that it is ergodic and strongly mixing.
Abstract © Wiley.


Finding The Symmetry Group Of An Lp With Equality Constraints And Its Application To Classifying Orthogonal Arrays, Andrew J. Geyer, Dursun A. Bulutoglu, Kenneth J. Ryan May 2019

Finding The Symmetry Group Of An Lp With Equality Constraints And Its Application To Classifying Orthogonal Arrays, Andrew J. Geyer, Dursun A. Bulutoglu, Kenneth J. Ryan

Faculty Publications

Excerpt: For a given linear program (LP) a permutation of its variables that sends feasible points to feasible points and preserves the objective function value of each of its feasible points is a symmetry of the LP. The set of all symmetries of an LP, denoted by GLP, is the symmetry group of the LP. Margot (2010) described a method for computing a subgroup of the symmetry group GLP of an LP. This method computes GLP when the LP has only non-redundant inequalities and its feasible set satisfies no equality constraints.


The Lowest-Energy Isomer Of C2Si2H4 Is A Bridged Ring: Reinterpretation Of The Spectroscopic Data Based On Dft And Coupled-Cluster Calculations, Jesse J. Lutz, Larry W. Burggraf Apr 2019

The Lowest-Energy Isomer Of C2Si2H4 Is A Bridged Ring: Reinterpretation Of The Spectroscopic Data Based On Dft And Coupled-Cluster Calculations, Jesse J. Lutz, Larry W. Burggraf

Faculty Publications

The lowest-energy isomer of C2Si2H4 is determined by high-accuracy ab initio calculations to be the bridged four-membered ring 1,2-didehydro-1,3-disilabicyclo[1.1.0]butane (1), contrary to prior theoretical and experimental studies favoring the three-member ring silylsilacyclopropenylidene (2). These and eight other low-lying minima on the potential energy surface are characterized and ordered by energy using the CCSD(T) method with complete basis set extrapolation, and the resulting benchmark-quality set of relative isomer energies is used to evaluate the performance of several comparatively inexpensive approaches based on many-body perturbation theory and density functional theory (DFT). Double-hybrid DFT methods are found to …


Atmospheric Propagation Of High Energy Lasers: Thermal Blooming Simulation, Jonathan Gustafsson, Benjamin F. Akers, Jonah A. Reeger, Sivaguru S. Sritharan Apr 2019

Atmospheric Propagation Of High Energy Lasers: Thermal Blooming Simulation, Jonathan Gustafsson, Benjamin F. Akers, Jonah A. Reeger, Sivaguru S. Sritharan

Faculty Publications

High Energy Laser (HEL) propagation through turbulent atmosphere is examined via numerical simulation. The beam propagation is modeled with the paraxial equation, which in turn is written as a system of equations for a quantum fluid, via the Madelung transform. A finite volume solver is applied to the quantum fluid equations, which supports sharp gradients in beam intensity. The atmosphere is modeled via a coupled advection-diffusion equation whose initial data have Kolmogorov spectrum. In this model the combined effects of thermal blooming, beam slewing, and deep turbulence are simulated.


Austere Location Wind Turbine Energy System Analysis, Lukas Cowen, Douglas S. Dudis, Torrey J. Wagner Apr 2019

Austere Location Wind Turbine Energy System Analysis, Lukas Cowen, Douglas S. Dudis, Torrey J. Wagner

Faculty Publications

One promising technology to combat an energy shortage in austere locations is wind energy. In combination with battery storage and generator backup, we explore the feasibility of using a hybrid energy system to reduce the volume of diesel fuel required. Modeling the energy demands in austere locations will enable missions in remote settings to optimize their energy costs, increased their energy resiliency and assure their supply. For a modeled time-series energy requirement that varied between 2.4 MW and 5.1 MW, the optimal wind system size was 9.9 MW of installed wind power paired with a 741 kWh battery. Assuming an …


Carrington-Class Events As A Great Filter For Electronic Civilizations In The Drake Equation, Robert D. Loper Apr 2019

Carrington-Class Events As A Great Filter For Electronic Civilizations In The Drake Equation, Robert D. Loper

Faculty Publications

The Drake equation is a calculation providing an upper bound on the likely number of intelligent species in our galaxy. In order to reconcile a potentially high occurrence of intelligent extraterrestrial species with the current non-observation of them, we frequently resort to some Great Filter which represents some inevitable, cataclysmic fate (such as nuclear war, pandemic, or asteroid impact) that tends to await enough worlds to negate the expectation that the galaxy ought to be teeming with intelligent life. This paper is intended to examine one potential Great Filter for electronic-based civilizations, the impact of a Carrington-class coronal mass ejection …


Analyzing A Method To Determine The Utility Of Adding A Classification System To A Sequence For Improved Accuracy, Kevin S. Pamilagas Mar 2019

Analyzing A Method To Determine The Utility Of Adding A Classification System To A Sequence For Improved Accuracy, Kevin S. Pamilagas

Theses and Dissertations

Frequently, ensembles of classification systems are combined into a sequence in order to better enhance the accuracy in classifying objects of interest. However, there is a point in which adding an additional system to a sequence no longer enhances the system as either the increase in operational costs exceeds the benefit of improvements in classification or the addition of the system does not increase accuracy at all. This research will examine a utility measure to determine the valid or invalid nature of adding a classification system to a sequence of such systems based on the ratio of the change in …


A Generalized Phase Gradient Autofocus Algorithm, Aaron Evers Mar 2019

A Generalized Phase Gradient Autofocus Algorithm, Aaron Evers

Theses and Dissertations

The phase gradient autofocus (PGA) algorithm has seen widespread use and success within the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging community. However, its use and success has largely been limited to collection geometries where either the polar format algorithm (PFA) or range migration algorithm is suitable for SAR image formation. In this work, a generalized phase gradient autofocus (GPGA) algorithm is developed which is applicable with both the PFA and backprojection algorithm (BPA), thereby directly supporting a wide range of collection geometries and SAR imaging modalities. The GPGA algorithm preserves the four crucial signal processing steps comprising the PGA algorithm, while …


Designing Liquid Crystal For Optoacoustic Detection, Michael T. Dela Cruz Mar 2019

Designing Liquid Crystal For Optoacoustic Detection, Michael T. Dela Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

This research impacts the development of a cost-saving, on-chip device that can replace a wide range of costly, bulky sensors for commercial and defense applications. In particular, the goals of this work were to design and test a sensor that uses the optical properties of liquid crystal (LC) to detect acoustic waves. This began with developing a method to fine-tune the optical features of the liquid crystal. Statistical analysis of select experimental variables, or factors, lead to ideal settings of those variables when creating the sensor. A two-factor and three-factor experiment were separately conducted and analyzed as a preliminary demonstration …


Piezoelectric Sensor Crack Detection On Airframe Systems, Kevin J. Lin Mar 2019

Piezoelectric Sensor Crack Detection On Airframe Systems, Kevin J. Lin

Theses and Dissertations

In 2008, the Department of Defense published a guidebook for a methodology named Condition-Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+) which capabilities include improving productivity, shortening maintenance cycles, lowering costs, and increasing availability and reliability. This push replaces existing inspection criteria, often conducted as non-destructive testing (NDT), with structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. The SHM system addressed utilizes guided Lamb waves generated by piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) to detect the existence, size, and location of damage from through-thickness cracks around a rivet hole. The SHM field lacks an experiment testing how small changes in receiver sensor distances affect damage detection. In addition, …


Modeling The Distribution Of Lightning Strike Distances Outside A Preexisting Lightning Area, Dawn L. Sanderson Mar 2019

Modeling The Distribution Of Lightning Strike Distances Outside A Preexisting Lightning Area, Dawn L. Sanderson

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force Instruction 91-203 (AFI 91-203) directs that a lightning warning be issued when lightning is occurring or imminent within a 5 nautical mile (NM) radius of a predetermined location or activity. The 45 Weather Squadron (WS), located on the central eastern coast of Florida, balances the safety of personnel and space launch vehicles with lost productivity of taking shelter from lightning. The primary objective of this study investigates if this 5 NM safety radius can be reduced while maintaining a desired level of safety. The research uses processed Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) data to map the movement of …


Analysis Of The Gálvez-Davison Index For Convective Forecasting Over Africa Using The Galwem, William A. Hanson Mar 2019

Analysis Of The Gálvez-Davison Index For Convective Forecasting Over Africa Using The Galwem, William A. Hanson

Theses and Dissertations

From the hot, arid Sahara Desert to the humid, West African monsoon, Africa is a continent with vastly different weather and climate patterns from one region to the next. For this reason, thunderstorm forecasting over Africa has presented significant difficulty. The Gálvez-Davison Index (GDI) was developed for the Americas and provides a more accurate convective forecasting index than the conventional indices for thunderstorm forecasting, including the K, Total Totals, Showalter, and Lifted indices. Previous research using the GDI via the Global Forecasting System (GFS) model data over Africa showed promising results for areal coverage (Donndelinger 2018), especially during the spring …


Effects Of Sinusoidal Phase Modulation On Signal-To-Noise Ratio In A Digital Holography System, Davin Mao Mar 2019

Effects Of Sinusoidal Phase Modulation On Signal-To-Noise Ratio In A Digital Holography System, Davin Mao

Theses and Dissertations

Digital holography (DH) has been demonstrated to be an effective tool for tactical applications which involve in low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). In practice, DH uses a strong reference beam from a local oscillator (LO) to scale SNR, however since DH relies on the interference of a signal beam with a mutually coherent LO, the coherence properties of the master oscillator (MO) can degrade system SNR for long range engagements. In this thesis, a digital holography system in the off-axis image plane recording geometry was assembled and used to measure the effects of the coherence properties of the MO on SNR. …


The Non-Mechanical Beam Steering Of Light In Reflective Inverse Diffusion, Eric K. Nagamine Mar 2019

The Non-Mechanical Beam Steering Of Light In Reflective Inverse Diffusion, Eric K. Nagamine

Theses and Dissertations

Wavefront shaping is a technique that uses spatial light modulators to conjugate the phase of light incident on a rough surface, such that the light will refocus after reflection. This refocusing effect is called reflective inverse diffusion. There currently are two different approaches used to achieve reflective inverse diffusion: iterative methods and matrix methods. Iterative methods find one phase mask which allows for reflected light to be focused at a single, specific position, with results that are immediately available and continuously improving. Matrix methods calculate the complex matrix which describes the rough surface and allows for reflected light to be …


Variations Of Heavy Ion Abundances Relative To Proton Abundances In Large Solar Energetic Particle Events, Joseph F. Round Mar 2019

Variations Of Heavy Ion Abundances Relative To Proton Abundances In Large Solar Energetic Particle Events, Joseph F. Round

Theses and Dissertations

Past studies of heavy ions (Z>2) in large (E>10 MeV/nuc) gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events have focused on elemental abundances relative to those of a single element, such as Fe or O, and have often neglected ionized H (the primary element used for space weather purposes). This work analyzes SEP abundances in a group of 15 large gradual SEP events from 2000 to 2015 across the energy range of 13.5-50.7 MeV. Hourly flux averages of He, C, O, Mg and Fe from the Advanced Composition Explorer/Solar Isotope Spectrometer (ACE/SIS) are compared to two-hour averages of H flux …


Source Term Estimation Of Atmospheric Pollutants Using An Ensemble Of Hysplit Concentration Simulations, Casey L. Zoellick Mar 2019

Source Term Estimation Of Atmospheric Pollutants Using An Ensemble Of Hysplit Concentration Simulations, Casey L. Zoellick

Theses and Dissertations

In support of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) monitoring and nuclear event detection, this study works toward source term estimation (STE) of dispersive pollutants using a novel method|an ensemble of forward trajectory concentration simulations using a meteorology-coupled dispersion model. Traditionally a mathematically and physically rigorous problem, STE of a plume of atmospheric pollutants can be solved in a variety of ways depending on what is known regarding the emission, but little has been studied on the sensitivity between the horizontal resolution of the meteorology data in relation to the dispersion model and the results derived from known concentrations at multiple locations. …


Evaluating Machine Learning Techniques For Smart Home Device Classification, Angelito E. Aragon Jr. Mar 2019

Evaluating Machine Learning Techniques For Smart Home Device Classification, Angelito E. Aragon Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Smart devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) have transformed the management of personal and industrial spaces. Leveraging inexpensive computing, smart devices enable remote sensing and automated control over a diverse range of processes. Even as IoT devices provide numerous benefits, it is vital that their emerging security implications are studied. IoT device design typically focuses on cost efficiency and time to market, leading to limited built-in encryption, questionable supply chains, and poor data security. In a 2017 report, the United States Government Accountability Office recommended that the Department of Defense investigate the risks IoT devices pose to operations security, …


Performance Analysis Of Angle Of Arrival Algorithms Applied To Radiofrequency Interference Direction Finding, Taylor S. Barber Mar 2019

Performance Analysis Of Angle Of Arrival Algorithms Applied To Radiofrequency Interference Direction Finding, Taylor S. Barber

Theses and Dissertations

Radiofrequency (RF) interference threatens the functionality of systems that increasingly underpin the daily function of modern society. In recent years there have been multiple incidents of intentional RF spectrum denial using terrestrial interference sources. Because RF based systems are used in safety-of-life applications in both military and civilian contexts, there is need for systems that can quickly locate these interference sources. In order to meet this need, the Air Force Research Laboratory Weapons Directorate is sponsoring the following research to support systems that will be able to quickly geolocate RF interferers using passive angle-of-arrival estimation to triangulate interference sources. This …


Cyber-Attack Drone Payload Development And Geolocation Via Directional Antennae, Clint M. Bramlette Mar 2019

Cyber-Attack Drone Payload Development And Geolocation Via Directional Antennae, Clint M. Bramlette

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing capabilities of commercial drones have led to blossoming drone usage in private sector industries ranging from agriculture to mining to cinema. Commercial drones have made amazing improvements in flight time, flight distance, and payload weight. These same features also offer a unique and unprecedented commodity for wireless hackers -- the ability to gain ‘physical’ proximity to a target without personally having to be anywhere near it. This capability is called Remote Physical Proximity (RPP). By their nature, wireless devices are largely susceptible to sniffing and injection attacks, but only if the attacker can interact with the device via …


Confidence Inference In Defensive Cyber Operator Decision Making, Graig S. Ganitano Mar 2019

Confidence Inference In Defensive Cyber Operator Decision Making, Graig S. Ganitano

Theses and Dissertations

Cyber defense analysts face the challenge of validating machine generated alerts regarding network-based security threats. Operations tempo and systematic manpower issues have increased the importance of these individual analyst decisions, since they typically are not reviewed or changed. Analysts may not always be confident in their decisions. If confidence can be accurately assessed, then analyst decisions made under low confidence can be independently reviewed and analysts can be offered decision assistance or additional training. This work investigates the utility of using neurophysiological and behavioral correlates of decision confidence to train machine learning models to infer confidence in analyst decisions. Electroencephalography …


Imitating Human Responses Via A Dual-Process Model Approach, Matthew A. Grimm Mar 2019

Imitating Human Responses Via A Dual-Process Model Approach, Matthew A. Grimm

Theses and Dissertations

Human-autonomous system teaming is becoming more prevalent in the Air Force and in society. Often, the concept of a shared mental model is discussed as a means to enhance collaborative work arrangements between a human and an autonomous system. The idea being that when the models are aligned, the team is more productive due to an increase in trust, predictability, and apparent understanding. This research presents the Dual-Process Model using multivariate normal probability density functions (DPM-MN), which is a cognitive architecture algorithm based on the psychological dual-process theory. The dual-process theory proposes a bipartite decision-making process in people. It labels …


Near Real-Time Rf-Dna Fingerprinting For Zigbee Devices Using Software Defined Radios, Frankie A. Cruz Mar 2019

Near Real-Time Rf-Dna Fingerprinting For Zigbee Devices Using Software Defined Radios, Frankie A. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Network(s) (LR-WPAN) usage has increased as more consumers embrace Internet of Things (IoT) devices. ZigBee Physical Layer (PHY) is based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 specification designed to provide a low-cost, low-power, and low-complexity solution for Wireless Sensor Network(s) (WSN). The standard’s extended battery life and reliability makes ZigBee WSN a popular choice for home automation, transportation, traffic management, Industrial Control Systems (ICS), and cyber-physical systems. As robust and versatile as the standard is, ZigBee remains vulnerable to a myriad of common network attacks. Previous research involving Radio Frequency-Distinct Native Attribute …


Quantifying Uncertainty Of Ensemble Transport And Dispersion Simulations Using Hysplit, Daniel W. Bazemore Mar 2019

Quantifying Uncertainty Of Ensemble Transport And Dispersion Simulations Using Hysplit, Daniel W. Bazemore

Theses and Dissertations

Uncertainty associated with determining the source location of nuclear pollutants in the atmosphere after a nuclear fallout using a numerical model is difficult to determine. Uncertainty can originate from input data (meteorological and emissions), internal model error, physics parameterizations, and stochastic processes. This study uses the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model with data from the 1983 Cross Appalachian Tracer Experiment (CAPTEX) (Ferber et al. 1986) and simulating six nuclear detonations (Rolph et al. 2014) to quantify and communicate uncertainty in ensemble dispersion simulations. This is accomplished by utilizing an ensemble of forward trajectory simulations varying initial conditions …


Harmonic Equiangular Tight Frames Comprised Of Regular Simplices, Courtney A. Schmitt Mar 2019

Harmonic Equiangular Tight Frames Comprised Of Regular Simplices, Courtney A. Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations

An equiangular tight frame (ETF) is a sequence of equal-norm vectors in a Euclidean space whose coherence achieves equality in the Welch bound, and thus yields an optimal packing in a projective space. A regular simplex is a simple type of ETF in which the number of vectors is one more than the dimension of the underlying space. More sophisticated examples include harmonic ETFs, which are formed by restricting the characters of a finite abelian group to a difference set. Recently, it was shown that some harmonic ETFs are themselves comprised of regular simplices. In this thesis, we continue the …


Computational And Experimental Development Of 2d Anisotropic Photonic Crystal Metamaterials, James A. Ethridge Mar 2019

Computational And Experimental Development Of 2d Anisotropic Photonic Crystal Metamaterials, James A. Ethridge

Theses and Dissertations

The future of optical devices involves manipulation of nanoscale structure in order to achieve full control over the properties of the device. In fields as diverse as directed energy, remote sensing, optical communications and optical computing, these devices promise to greatly improve performance and efficiency. To advance this further, novel samples that incorporate both photonic crystal (PhC) structure and metamaterial properties, known as PhC metamaterials, are proposed. These PhC metamaterials allow for complete control over the directionality of the light-matter interaction to serve in these new applications. To develop this technology, first, metamaterials with no PhC structure are fabricated using …