The first large format Si:Sb BIB arrays

The first 128×128 Si:Sb blocked impurity band (BIB) detectors, manufactured by Rockwell International, are sensitive detectors from 10 to at least 40 m. While further work is required to make these arrays suitable for the low backgrounds of space infrared telescopes, they can be used now for observations from the ground and aircraft.     

The JPL deep-well mid-infrared array camera

We describe the development of a mid-infrared camera intended for use at the Palomar 5-m telescope and at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. The camera is based on Rockwell's HF-16 128×128 Si:As BIB array. This array is unusual in that it has a well depth of approximately 30 million electrons; this will allow the use of traditional broadband astronomical filters (N and Q) while keeping a reasonable field-of-view. Measured array performance indicates that it has a read noise of 1100 electrons and shows non-linearities of <1% up to 65% of full well. In this paper, we discuss the array and its operating characteristics and we give a brief overview of the camera design.National Research Council research associate at JPLSummer Undergraduate Research Fellow at JPL     

The Infrared Spectrum of Comet Hele–Bopp as Seen by the Infrared Space Observatory

Spectra of comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) were obtained with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) at medium resolution with the grating spectrometer in the photometer (PHT-S) and/or at high resolution with the short wavelength spectrometer (SWS) and long wavelength spectrometer (LWS) in April 1996 (Crovisier et al., 1996), September–October 1996 (Crovisier et al., 1997a, b) and December 1997, at distances from the Sun of 4.6, 2.9 and 3.9 AU, respectively. For the first time, high-resolution spectra of a comet covering the entire 2.4 to 200 μm spectral range were obtained. The vibrational bands of H₂O, CO₂ and CO are detected in emission with PHT-S. Relative production rates of 100:22:70 are derived for H₂O:CO₂:CO at 3 AU pre-perihelion. H₂O is observed at high spectral resolution in the ν₃ group of bands around 2.7 μm and the ν₂ group around 6 μm with SWS, and in several rotational lines in the 100–180 μm region with LWS. The high signal-to-noise ratio of the ν₃ band observed on September–October 1996 allows accurate determinations of the water rotational temperature (28 K) and of its ortho-to-para ratio(2.45 ± 0.10, which significantly differs from the high temperature limit and corresponds to a spin temperature of 25 K). Longward of 6 μm the spectrum is dominated by dust thermal continuum emission, upon which broad emission features are superimposed. The wavelengths of the emission peaks correspond to those of Mg-rich crystalline olivine (forsterite). In the September–October 1996 spectra, emission features at 45 and 65 μm and possible absorption at 2.9–3.2 μm suggest that grains of water ice were present at 3 AU from the Sun. The observations made post-perihelion in late December 1997 led to the detections of H₂O, CO₂ and CO at 3.9 AU from the Sun (Figures 1 and 2). The production rates were ≈3.0 × 10²⁸,3.5 × 10²⁸ and ≈1.5 × 10²⁹ s^-1, respectively. This corresponds to H₂O:CO₂:CO = 100:110:500 and confirms that at such distances from the Sun, cometary activity is dominated by sublimation of CO and CO₂ rather than by H₂O. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Brazilian Decimetric Array (Phase-I)

An East – West, one-dimensional radio interferometer array consisting of five parabolic dish antennas has been set up at Cachoeira Paulista (longitude 45°0′20″ W, latitude 22°41′19″ S) for observations of the Sun and some of the strong sidereal sources by the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Brazil. This is Phase-I of the proposed Brazilian Decimetric Array and can be operated at any frequency in the range 1.2 – 1.7 GHz. The instrument has been in operation since November 2004 onwards at 1.6 GHz. The angular and temporal resolutions at this frequency are ∼3′ and 100 ms, respectively. Details of the array, analog/digital receiver system, and a preliminary East – West one-dimensional solar image at the 1.6 GHz are presented in this paper.     

Silicon-on-Insulator-Based Single-Chip Image Sensors: Low-Voltage Scientific Imaging

A low-voltage (≤3.3 V) imaging technology has been developed to enable scientific-grade imagers with low-power complex functions on chip. A 128 × 128 CCD imager with on-chip clocking and charge-domain analog-to-digital conversion, as well as an exploratory active pixel sensor have been demonstrated. A 640 × 960 CCD imager with optimized 12 bit charge-domain conversion and an improved active pixel sensor are presently in fabrication. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An ISO survey of possible water and hydroxyl IRASER transitions towards the star-forming regions W49, W3(OH) and Sgr B2M

We report ISO LWS observations towards the star-forming regions W49N, W3(OH) and Sgr B2M in LWS04 mode (high-resolution Fabry–Perot scans). Possible far-infrared laser emission was detected in a water line at 133.55 μm towards W49N, but the spectral resolution was inadequate to establish firmly the nature of the emission. An additional water line was marginally detected in absorption at the 3 σ level, also towards W49N, at 169.74 μm. No OH lines were detected towards Sgr B2M or W3(OH) at either 134.83 or 135.95 μm, either in emission or in absorption.     

The Visual Light Curve Of C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) From Discovery To Late 1997

We present a light curve of C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) compiledfrom more than 3000 visual observations of the comet made by members of the The Astronomer Group world-wide. These observations cover the period from discovery through to the end of 1997. The light curve shows that the rate of brightening of the comet varied widely at different times, with rapid rates of brightening at high heliocentric distance pre-perhelion and a comparably rapid post-perihelion fade. There is no evidence that the comet was suffering a large photometric outburst when first discovered, although a small outburst can be identified at perihelion. At least five difficult brightening regimes can be identified in the light curve between discovery and perihelion. From 2.5 AU to perihelion the rate of brightening with decreasing heliocentric distance was typical for “fairly” new comets(n ∼ 3.5, where “n” is the power law exponent of the heliocentric distance), although this was preceded by a period of very slow brightening with n ∼ 1 from r ∼ 4.0 AU to r ∼ 2.8 AU and followed by an initially more rapid brightening which appears to be related to the on-set of rapid water sublimation activity. We derive the light curve parameters at different stages of the comet's apparition. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Detection Of Soft X-Ray Emission From Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale–Bopp)

We report the detection of soft X-rays from comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) by the Low Energy Concentrator Spectrometer (LECS) on-board the X-ray satellite, BeppoSAX. The observations took place on 1996 September 10–11 approximately 1 day after a large dust outburst (Schulz et al., 1997–1999). After correcting for the comets motion, a 7σ enhancement was found centered (2.1 ± 1.3) x 10⁵ km from the position of the nucleus, in the general solar direction. The total X-ray luminosity in the 0.1–2.0 keV energy band is 5 x 10¹⁶ erg s⁻¹ which is at least a factor of ∼ 3 greater than measured by the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE)4 days later and suggests that the bulk of the emission measured by the LECS is related to the dust outburst. The extracted LECS spectrum is well fit by a thermal bremsstrahlung-like distribution of temperature of 0.29 ± 0.06 keV - consistent with that observed in other comets. We find no evidence for fluorescent carbon or oxygen emission and place 95% confidence limits of 1.0 x 10¹⁵ and 7.8 x 10¹⁵ erg s⁻¹ to narrow line emission at 0.28 and 0.53 keV, respectively. We calculate that if such lines are present, they constitute at most 18% of the 0.1–2.0 keV continuum luminosity. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The detector signal processing chain of the ISO long wavelength spectrometer

This paper describes the analogue signal processing chain for the detectors in the Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) to be flown on board the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) satellite. The satellite, its mission, and the on-board experiments are briefly reviewed, and the configuration of the LWS Detector Subsystem is described. Two possible signal readout and amplification schemes, based on the Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA) and the Integrating Amplifier (IA) are discussed. The reasons for the choice of the IA for the LWS are outlined. The design of the complete LWS detector signal chain is presented.     

A digital correlation receiver for the GEETEE radio telescope

A 128-channel digital correlation receiver has been built for the GEETEE 1, the low-frequency radio telescope situated at Gauribidanur, South India, (latitude 13°36′12′′ N). The receiver uses a modified doublesideband (DSB) technique. The quadrature samples required for a DSB system are obtained by sampling the digitized intermediate frequency (I.F.) signals by two clocks which are separated in time by one quarter of the period of the I.F. The visibilities required for one-dimensional synthesis are measured using one-bit correlators. A technique to measure amplitude information for the signal using a threshold detector and a one-bit correlator has been developed. The receiver has been successfully used for continuum, spectral-line and pulsar observations. The antenna system of GEETEE and its configuration for one dimensional synthesis are also described in this paper This telescope is jointly operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore and the Raman Research Institute, Bangalore.     

Radio Line Observations Of Molecular And Isotopic Species In Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp)

We present here a review of the radio observations of the remarkable comet Hale-Bopp C/1995 O1 in which most major radio astronomical facilities have been involved. These observations started in August 1995, soon after the discovery of the comet (it was then at ∼7 AU from the sun), and well before its perihelion on April 1st, 1997; they are still going on, hopefully up to end of 1998. Extended cartographies have been obtained using multibeam receivers and on-the-fly techniques. High spatial resolution (a few ″) has been achieved with interferometers. Submillimetric observations are playing an increasing role, and high resolution (R ∼ 10⁶−10⁷) spectroscopy of cometary lines is now performed from decimetric to submillimetric wavelengths. The number of species observed at radio wavelengths now reaches ∼28,when it was ∼14 for comet C/1996 B2 Hyakutake. Most of these species are parent molecules. However, ions have been observed for the first time at radio wavelengths, and their velocities measured. Several isotopic species (involving D,¹³C,³⁴S,¹⁵N) have been sought, allowing isotopic enrichment determinations. The abundances of cometary molecules present many similarities and some differences with the abundances of interstellar molecules in regions where grain mantles are believed to be evaporated to the gas phase (hot cores, bipolar flows). They will be discussed for their implications on the origin of cometary ices and of comets themselves. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

NGC 1624 (OCl 403, Cr 53) – A very young open cluster

We present the first CCD photometric UBVRI observations of the not-so-well-studied open cluster NGC 1624 (OCl 403, Cr 53; α₂₀₀₀ = 04 h 40 m 36 s; δ₂₀₀₀ = + 50^˚ 27^′ 42″ Trumpler class = I 2 p N). This cluster was observed on 01 February 2004 with the 2 m Himalayan Chandra Telescope at Hanle using a LN2 cooled 2k × 2k CCD. The cluster presents differential reddening with E(B-V) values ranging from 0.70 to 0.90 mag, which could be attributed to the presence of the HII region wherein the cluster is embedded. It is found to be at a distance of 6.025 ± 0.5 kpc and the age of this cluster is estimated to be ∼3.98 × 10⁶ years. In view of these parameters, it can be considered as a young enough cluster located in the direction of the Perseus constellation with the galactic coordinates of l = 155^˚.35 and b = + 02 ^˚.58. Thus it could also be used as a suitable candidate for tracing the Outer Perseus spiral arm of our Galaxy. The initial mass function slope is derived as 1.65 ± 0.25 by applying the corrections for field star contamination and data incompleteness. This is in good agreement with the Salpeter value within the limits of errors.     

The Rotational Parameters Of Hale–Bopp (C/1995 O1) From Observations Of The Dust Jets At Pic Du Midi Observatory

We observed comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) at Pic du Midi Observatory in 1997 from February 2.24 UT to March 31.89 UT with the 1.05-m telescope equipped with a CCD camera and broad- and narrow-band IHW filters. A total of 30000 images were acquired both during night- and day-time. The images were automatically reduced and all the images obtained within 10 min. were co-added to give a set of ∼1000 images used during the analysis. We can identify two jets on the images. The position angle of the brightest jet from February 2.24 UT to March 5.22 UT is measured using an automatic routine which searches for the averaged position angle of the maximum of brightness at a projected distance of 3200–6100 km from the optocenter. A preliminary model of nucleus rotation is used to fit the data and retrieve the rotational parameters of the nucleus. The best fit is found for a source located at a latitude of 64 ± 3°, a sidereal rotation period of 11.35 ± 0.04 h and a right ascension and declination of the North pole of 275 ± 10° and -57 ± 10°. This preliminary analysis shows no evidence for a precession. Grains with velocities of 450–600 m s⁻¹ and radii <;∼ 1 μm dominate the optical scattering cross section in the jets. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Image Stabilization System for Hinode (Solar-B) Solar Optical Telescope

The Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) is the first space-borne visible-light telescope that enables us to observe magnetic-field dynamics in the solar lower atmosphere with 0.2 – 0.3 arcsec spatial resolution under extremely stable (seeing-free) conditions. To achieve precise measurements of the polarization with diffraction-limited images, stable pointing of the telescope (<0.09 arcsec, 3σ) is required for solar images exposed on the focal plane CCD detectors. SOT has an image stabilization system that uses image displacements calculated from correlation tracking of solar granules to control a piezo-driven tip-tilt mirror. The system minimizes the motions of images for frequencies lower than 14 Hz while the satellite and telescope structural design damps microvibration in higher frequency ranges. It has been confirmed from the data taken on orbit that the remaining jitter is less than 0.03 arcsec (3σ) on the Sun. This excellent performance makes a major contribution to successful precise polarimetric measurements with 0.2 – 0.3 arcsec resolution. K. Kobayashi now at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812, USA.     

Discovery of 30-min oscillations in the Ap Sr(EuCr) star HD 75425

The Ap Sr(CrEu) star HD 75425 is shown to be pulsating with a 30- min period. This is unusually short for a δ Scuti star and about double the period of any known roAp star. The star is shown to be constant at the level of 0.35 mmag in the normal frequency regime of roAp pulsation (900≤ν≤ 2500 μHz). The pulsations in HD 75425 are modulated in amplitude, but the frequencies causing this modulation cannot be identified with the data in hand. HD 75425 is a very close visual double with an insecure Ap classification which needs to be reexamined. If the Ap classification of HD 75425 is correct, and the pulsations can be linked to the peculiar star, then this δ Scuti-like variability is of considerable interest. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The experiment with the fast X-ray monitor (BRM) instrument onboard the CORONAS-PHOTON satellite

The “Fast X-ray Monitor” (BRM) instrument operated in the complex of the scientific instruments onboard the CORONAS-PHOTON satellite from February 19, 2009, until December 1, 2009. The instrument is intended for the registration of the hard X-ray radiation of solar flares in the 20–600 keV energy range in six differential energy channels (20–30, 30–40, 40–50, 50–70, 70–130, and 130–600 keV) with temporal resolution to 1 ms. In the instrument, a detector based on the YAP: Ce scintillator is used; this detector is 70 mm in diameter and 10 mm thick (the decay time is about 28 ns). For the decrease of the back-ground charge of the detector, the collimator limiting the angle of view of the instrument of value 12° is mounted over the scintillator. The effective area of the detector amounts to 27.7 cm² (at the X-ray radiation energy 80 keV), and the dead time of the detector is 1 μs. Over the operation onboard the CORONAS-PHOTON satellite, the BRM instrument has registered gamma ray burst series and, perhaps, one solar flare of the class C1.3 on October 26, 2009.     

Ir Observations Of An Outburst In Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1)

The comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) has been observed in the infrared (1–2.5 μm) with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) equipped with the Arcetri NICMOS3 camera (ARNICA). Two observational campaigns, each one lasting about one week, were made when the comet heliocentric distance was about 3 AU. The first campaign was at the end of August and the second at the end of September 1996. During both runs two major outbursts were observed, the more intense of them started the day before the beginning of the second run. In the images recorded during the first three nights (24.8–26.8 Sept.) of the second run a dust shell expanding in the northern quadrant with a projected velocity of 0.14–0.28 km/s is clearly evident. The dust production rate increased by at least a factor ≈3 at the time of the outburst. Also evident on the first night is a change in the IR color that is well correlated with the dust shell. This is an indication that the material released by the outburst has a different composition and/or size distribution than that in the “quiescent” dust coma. In this paper we present preliminary results about the evolution and the photometric characteristics of the dust shell. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS)

This paper describes the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS) under construction at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) of the Australian National University (ANU) for the ANU 2.3 m telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory. WiFeS is a powerful integral field, double-beam, concentric, image-slicing spectrograph designed to deliver excellent throughput, wavelength stability, spectrophotometric performance and superb image quality along with wide spectral coverage throughout the 320–950 nm wavelength region. It provides a 25×38 arcsec field with 0.5 arcsec sampling along each of twenty five 38×1 arcsec slitlets. The output format is optimized to match the 4096×4096 pixel CCD detectors in each of two cameras individually optimized for the blue and the red ends of the spectrum, respectively. A process of “interleaved nod-and-shuffle” will be applied to permit quantum noise-limited sky subtraction. Using VPH gratings, spectral resolutions of 3000 and 7000 are provided. The full spectral range is covered in a single exposure at R=3000, and in two exposures in the R=7000 mode. The use of transmissive coated optics, VPH gratings and optimized mirror coatings ensures a throughput (including telescope atmosphere and detector) >30% over a wide spectral range. The concentric image-slicer design ensures an excellent and uniform image quality across the full field. To maximize scientific return, the whole instrument is configured for remote observing, pipeline data reduction, and the accumulation of calibration image libraries.     

Does the fine structure constant vary? A detailed investigation into systematic effects

We have previously presented 5.7 σ evidence for a smaller αat redshifts 0.2 < z_abs < 3.7 from a sample of 128 Keck/HIRES quasar absorption systems: Δα/α = (-0.57 ± 0.10) x10^-5. A non-zero <Δα/α manifests itself as a distinct pattern of shifts in the measured absorption line wavelengths. The statistical error is now small: we do detect small line shifts in the HIRES data. Whether these shifts are due to systematic errors or due to real variation in α is now the central question. Here we summarize the two potentially most important systematic effects: atmospheric dispersion and isotopic abundance evolution. Previously, these have been difficult to quantify/model but here we find that neither of them can explain our results. Furthermore, the HIRES spectra themselves contain no evidence for these effects. Independent measurements of Δα/α with a different telescope and spectrograph are now crucial if we are to rule out or confirm the present evidence for a variable α. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Discovery Of Mg-Rich Pyroxenes In Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp): Pristine Grains Revealed At Perihelion

The NASA Ames HIFOGS spectrometer observed comet C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) at epochs including 96 Oct 7–14 UT (2.8 AU), 97 Feb 14–15 UT (1.2 AU), 97 Apr 11 UT (0.93 AU), and 97 Jun 22, 25 UT (1.7 AU). The HIFOGS 7.5–13.5 μm spectrophotometry (R = 360 - 180) of the silicate feature at 2.8 AU is identical in shape to the ISO SWS spectra of comet Hale-Bopp (Crovisier et al., 1997); the strong 11.2 μm peak in the structured silicate feature is identified as olivine. Upon close passage to the sun, the HIFOGS spectra at 1.2 AU and 0.93 AU reveals strong peaks at 9.3 μm and 10.0 μm. The post-perihelion 10 μm silicate feature at 1.7 AU is weaker but has nearly the same shape as the pre-perihelion spectra at 1.2 AU, reverting to its pre-perihelion shape: there is no change in the dust chemistry by close passage to the sun. The appearance of the strong peaks at 9.3 μm and 10.0 μm at r_h ≲ 1.7 AU is attributed to the rise in the contribution of pryoxenes (clino-pyroxene and orthopyroxene crystals) to the shape of the feature, and leads to the hypothesis that the pyroxenes are significantly cooler than the olivines. The pyroxenes are radiating on the Wien side of the blackbody at 2.8 AU and transition to the Rayleigh-Jeans tail of the blackbody upon closer approach to the Sun. Composite fits to the observed 10 μm silicate features using IDPs and laboratory minerals shows that a good empirical fit to the spectra is obtained when the pryoxenes are about 150 K cooler than the olivines. The pyroxenes, because they are cooler and contribute signficantly at perihelion, are more abundant than the olivines. The perihelion temperature of the pyroxenes implies that the pyroxenes are more Mg-rich than the other minerals including the olivines, amorphous olivines, and amorphous pyroxenes. The PUMA-1 flyby measurements of comet P/Halley also indicated an overabundance of Mg-rich pryoxenes compared to olivines. Comet Hale-Bopp's pyroxenes are similar to pyroxere IDPs from the ’Spray‘ class, known for their D-richness and their unaltered morphologies: Hale-Bopp's Mg-rich pyroxenes may be pristine relic ISM grains. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.