VLBI数据软件相关处理方法研究

VLBI技术是20世纪60年代后期发展起来射电干涉新技术，自20世纪70年代至今VLBI数据预处理主要采用硬件相关处理机。近年来随着通用计算机性能的大幅度提高，利用软件方法对VLBI数据进行相关处理逐渐成为可能。介绍了国内外VLBI软件相关处理机的研究进展情况和VLBI数据相关处理的基本数学模型。针对实际软件相关处理方法研究中数学模型应用和各类参数选取等情况作了详细介绍。根据现有数据处理精度和处理速度，进一步分析了提高软件相关处理速度的可能性。     

脉冲星信号VLBI软件相关处理方法研究

脉冲星自发现以来一直是天文学家们关注的对象,甚长基线干涉测量(very long baseline interferometer,VLBI)更是以极高的角分辨率和灵敏度成为脉冲星研究的重要手段。为了使上海天文台现有的中国VLBI网(Chinese VLBI network,CVN)软件处理机能够处理脉冲星信号,讨论了用频率通道间时延补偿的方法实现非相干消色散,并通过加入矩形脉冲门同步信号,提取有效脉冲,提高了信噪比。然后改进现有CVN处理机结构,实现脉冲星信号的相关处理。最后,对脉冲位置搜索和脉冲星数据分箱(pulsar binning)技术做了初步分析与探索。VLBI数据处理结果表明此方法正确可行,能够消除色散,并获得脉冲星信号的相关处理条纹。     

基于卫星DOR信号的VLBI相时延解算方法研究

VLBI技术是深空探测中主要的测角手段,其对与视线垂直方向上卫星的轨道和位置变化有很高的灵敏度.基于DOR信号的VLBI观测量一般是群时延,其精度一般为纳秒量级,在约2000 km的基线长度上,月球探测器的位置测量误差达近百米,对深空探测器来说位置测量误差会更大.为了提高卫星测定轨测定位精度,研究了含微小偏倚量的VLBI相时延的解算算法,并利用嫦娥—号△DOR观测数据对连续观测和间断观测时的算法进行了验证.结果表明:两种观测模式下皆可行.经过比较,相时延的随机误差大幅降低.     

地球卫星VLBI观测研究进展

随着地球卫星在资源、导航定位、授时、跟踪以及数据中继等经济和军事领域的作用不断增强,传统的测距测速技术已无法满足对卫星定位精度的实际需求。由于VLBI技术具有高精度角分辨率的特点,人们尝试将其应用于人造地球卫星的观测。针对卫星VLBI观测方面,首先介绍了卫星VLBI观测技术的基本原理及其与传统河外射电源VLBI观测的差异,然后介绍了中外学者应用VLBI技术进行地球卫星观测的研究进展及相关成果,最后对以往近地卫星VLBI观测研究存在的问题进行总结,并讨论了目前以及将来可能的解决方案。     

河外低频射电变源研究的新进展

大多数低频变源的变化是由于星际媒质不均匀性引起的星际闪烁所造成的:少数是由于内部因素引起的。VLBI观测指出:未曾发现前者有结构变化;后者的结构变化及相关的其他变化似乎需要一个超光速现象或其他相对论性现象来解释。宽频带上变化相:关的低频变源绝大部分为视超光速源及其遴选者,这为我们寻找超光速源提供了一条重要的线索。     

射电源结构的研究和VLBI

在短短十九年里,VLBI技术已经发展为具有毫角秒高分辨率成图观测能力的独一无二的技术,对天体物理研究作出了相当大的贡献。VLBI系统将成为今后十到十五年里最有希望和最重要的射电天文观测设备。 本文从回顾射电望远镜发展的简史出发,说明VLBI已日益成为射电观测手段的主要发展方向之一;文章总结了VLBI功能发展的现状及其在主要探测领域——致密射电源的研究中所得到的观测结果的概貌,阐明在这样的背景和基础上,VLBI进一步发展的方向;最后简单介绍今后十来年里可能发展或建成的VLBI系统。     

类星体3C286在λ18厘米的联合阵图像

本文给出类星体3C286在λ18厘米的MERLIN图像、VLBI图像和MERLIN＋VLBI图像．呈现在MERLIN图像上的低亮度的结构在MERLIN VLBI联合阵的图像上基本被分解，仅留下一些支离破碎的痕迹．MERLIN＋VLBI图像的中央部分比VLBI图像有更长的延伸．MERLIN＋VLBI图像的动态范围好于1000：1，但没有搜索到反向喷流．我们提出了几种可能的模式对所得到的结构进行解释．     

两颗致密射电源的327MHz VLBI观测

1989年6月，对两颗射电源（3C345和3C454.3）作了327MHz VLBI观测。本文给出两颗源的模型拟合参数，并就结构作了分析和讨论。VLBI数据的相关处理和分析是在上海天文台VLBI系统上完成的。     

VLBI技术新进展

阐述了VLBI设备的现状;在20世纪70、80年代建造起来的一些VLBI观测设备已较陈旧，部分技术已经过时。随着现代技术的快速发展以及科学研究的更高目标，发展VLBI新技术是一项重要任务；给出了VLBI各方面新技术的进展情况；新科学项目的实施是新技术发展的重要环节，所以同时也介绍了VLBI的一些新科学计划的最新情况。     

VLBI数据软件相关处理方法研究

VLBI技术是 2 0世纪 6 0年代后期发展起来射电干涉新技术 ,自 2 0世纪 70年代至今VLBI数据预处理主要采用硬件相关处理机。近年来随着通用计算机性能的大幅度提高 ,利用软件方法对VLBI数据进行相关处理逐渐成为可能。介绍了国内外VLBI软件相关处理机的研究进展情况和VLBI数据相关处理的基本数学模型。针对实际软件相关处理方法研究中数学模型应用和各类参数选取等情况作了详细介绍。根据现有数据处理精度和处理速度 ,进一步分析了提高软件相关处理速度的可能性。     

FAST VLBI: current status and future plans

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST)is the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world,and is now being commissioned after the first light in September 2016.Very long baseline interferometry(VLBI)is among the key science topics according to the original design.The FAST VLBI system has been established,and the first VLBI fringe has been successfully obtained.FAST will significantly improve the sensitivity of the existing VLBI networks in the future,and some science projects in need of high sensitivity will benefit from its participation.     

Preface:Planning the scientific applications of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST) is by far the largest telescope of any kind ever built. FAST produced its first light in September 2016 and it is now under commissioning, with normal operation to commence in late 2019. During testing and early science operation, FAST has started making astronomical discoveries, particularly pulsars of various kinds, including millisecond pulsars, binaries, gamma-ray pulsars, etc. The papers in this mini-volume propose ambitious observational projects to advance our knowledge of astronomy, astrophysics and fundamental physics in many ways.Although it may take FAST many years to achieve all the goals explained in these papers, taken together they define a powerful strategic vision for the next decade.     

1-Gbps VLBI, The First Detection of Fringes

We report on the detection of VLBI fringes from quasars by a new VLBI system operating at 1 Gbps (1024 Mbits-per-second). Newly developed 1024 Msps (mega sample-per-second) AD samplers and 1024 Mbps recorders were used for the observations. A correlator with external buffers was used for the 1024 Mbps correlation processing of the tapes data.Our new VLBI system enabled 1024 Mbps VLBI, and this allowed the sampling of a 512 MHz bandwidth from a radio telescope receiver. This is the highest sampling speed ever used for VLBI, and the widest bandwidth used for VLBI observation. Initial sensitivity as evaluated by SNR comparison with earlier VLBI systems produced results to matched the expanded bandwidth. In our first observations, simultaneous optical fibre linked real-time VLBI observations were made to check the validity of data and precisely detemine the clock offsets among the radio telescopes.     

乌鲁木齐25m射电望远镜的 单天线观测研究

自1993年乌鲁木齐天文站25m射电望远镜建成以来,除了不断完善VLBI观测系统外,还选择发展了具有科学价值的单天线天体物理观测课题。其中基于常温接收机的脉冲星脉冲到达时间观测系统已经于1999年5～6月间建成。该系统建立在25m射电天线的18cm波段上,消色散采用了2×128×2．5MHz多通道滤波器和数字化器,并由PC机完成数据采集。同时进行的脉冲星工作还有92cm及其它波段的脉冲轮廓监测,对0329+54的多波段观测得到了它的频谱。在25m天线的1．3cm波段上建立了基于声表面波频谱仪和频率综合器的分子谱线观测系统,对水脉泽的观测已经发现了十几个可能的水脉泽源,观测结果正在认证当中。     

实时VLBI技术

随着通信技术的发展出现了用数据通讯网络代替磁带记录与传输 ,将数据直接传至数据中心处理的实时VLBI技术 ,它包括准实时和真实时VLBI两个技术层次 ,是VLBI技术的一次飞跃。实时VLBI除具备传统VLBI的高精度、高灵敏度和全天候、全天时被动观测能力以外 ,还具有设备简化、自动化程度高、实时性、易于利用现代通信技术获得宽带能力与高灵敏度等突出特点。它在VLBI台站检测、航天器精密跟踪、UT1加强观测和传统的测地和天文学观测领域均有重要的科学意义和实用价值。     

East Asian VLBI Network observations of active galactic nuclei jets:imaging with KaVA+Tianma+Nanshan

The East Asian Very Long Baseline Interferometry(VLBI) Network(EAVN) is a rapidly evolving international VLBI array that is currently promoted under joint efforts among China, Japan and Korea. EAVN aims at forming a joint VLBI Network by combining a large number of radio telescopes distributed over East Asian regions. After the combination of the Korean VLBI Network(KVN) and the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry(VERA) into Ka VA, further expansion with the joint array in East Asia is actively promoted. Here we report the first imaging results(at 22 and 43 GHz) of bright radio sources obtained with Ka VA connected to Tianma 65-m and Nanshan 26-m Radio Telescopes in China. To test the EAVN imaging performance for different sources, we observed four active galactic nuclei(AGN) having different brightness and morphology. As a result, we confirmed that the Tianma 65-m Radio Telescope(TMRT) significantly enhances the overall array sensitivity, a factor of 4 improvement in baseline sensitivity and 2 in image dynamic range compared to the case of Ka VA only. The addition of the Nanshan 26-m Radio Telescope(NSRT) further doubled the east-west angular resolution. With the resulting high-dynamic-range,high-resolution images with EAVN(Ka VA+TMRT+NSRT), various fine-scale structures in our targets,such as the counter-jet in M87, a kink-like morphology of the 3 C 273 jet and the weak emission in other sources are successfully detected. This demonstrates the powerful capability of EAVN to study AGN jets and to achieve other science goals in general. Ongoing expansion of EAVN will further enhance the angular resolution, detection sensitivity and frequency coverage of the network.     

活动星系和类星体中的喷流（Ⅱ）

喷流的研究是天文学和天体物理学中最使人兴趣的课题之一。在本文中，陈述了河外射电源中喷流在现阶段的观测阶段，讨论了某些典型的高能天体中喷流的特性。第一部分所涉及的内容包括喷流的定义，产生和传播；也包括喷流的不对称性和统一的解释模式的讨论。     

致密射电核

活动星系统的多波段观测和研究，早已成为天体物理学最热门的前沿之一。在射电天文学中，按其观测形态又常将ＡＧＮ和致密射电核等同看待。对ＡＮＧ及ＣＲＣ的含义、分类、总的频谱特征、射电结构和射电性质，模型研究及ＶＬＢＩ的重要作用、最新的观测结果、问题和前景作一评述。评述中将侧重于用射电天文手段观测研究ＣＲＣ的结果。     

Wide-field VLBI imaging

We discuss the technique of Wide-field imaging as it applies to Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). In the past VLBI data sets were usually averaged so severely that the field-of-view was typically restricted to regions extending a few hundred milliarcseconds from the phase centre of the field. Recent advances in data analysis techniques, together with increasing data storage capabilities, and enhanced computer processing power, now permit VLBI images to be made whose angular size represents a significant fraction of an individual antenna's primary beam. This technique has recently been successfully applied to several large separation gravitational lens systems, compact Supernova Remnants in the starburst galaxy M82, and two faint radio sources located within the same VLA FIRST field. It seems likely that other VLBI observing programmes might benefit from this wide-field approach to VLBI data analysis. With the raw sensitivity of global VLBI set to improve by a factor 4–5 over the coming few years, the number of sources that can be detected in a given field will rise considerably. In addition, a continued progression in VLBI's ability to image relatively faint and extended low brightness temperature features (such as hot-spots in large-scale astrophysical jets) is also to be expected. As VLBI sensitivity approaches the μJy level, a wide-field approach to data analysis becomes inevitable.     

VLBI标准接口的发展

VLBI标准接口是近年来在VLBI技术中诞生的一个新概念,它旨在解决多年来各VLBI数据传输系统不兼容的问题．该文阐述了VLBI数据传输系统的发展历史,包括传统的记录／回放系统和新兴的网络数据传输两方面的内容;说明了VLBI标准接口的作用和意义;并分别介绍了VLBI标准接口规范3方面的内容:VLBI标准接口件规范(VSI-H)、VLBI标准接口软件规范(VSI-S)和VLBI标准接口网络规范(VSI-E)．