一种新型副镜调整机构的位姿误差分析与测试研究

为了满足望远镜副镜结构定位精度的要求,提出了一种固定杆长杆端轴向平移运动模式的六杆机构.根据六杆机构的结构和运动模式,对影响末端位姿的各项误差进行了分析,重点讨论了滑块运动误差对六杆机构运行精度的影响,最后通过搭建多自由度位姿检测平台对六杆机构进行了测试.测试结果显示:该副镜六杆机构在整个运动行程范围内平移轴测试精度好于0.25μm,旋转轴测试精度好于0.2′′,两维旋转轴最大重复定位精度好于1.4′′,引起3维平移轴最大变化量4μm,3维平移轴最大重复定位精度好于4.5μm,引起两维旋转轴最大变化量3.4′′.分析和实验结果表明:导轨直线度引起的滑块运动误差是影响精度的主要因素,该六杆机构可以满足实际望远镜观测需要,可为我国建造大口径光学红外望远镜提供可靠的技术支持.     

CCD图像数字定心算法的比较

从CCD采集的数字图像中提取天体的位置和光度信息对于天文研究具有基础意义.其中,恒星星像中心像素位置的精确测量对于天体测量至关重要.针对国际上常用的三种位置测量算法:修正矩方法、Gauss拟合法和中值法,利用实测的CCD图像进行了试验研究.具体地,采用云南天文台1m望远镜观测的CCD图像同时使用这些算法进行了实际测量,根据每幅图像中测得的像素位置,对这三类定心算法进行了比较和精度分析.可视化方法被用于不同阈值的选取和设定比较.实验数据表明,无阈值的二维Gauss拟合方法是一种精度相对较高的定心算法.     

一种天线副面位置快速重构方法研究

为了快速获取副反射面随天线俯仰角变化的位置,并通过调整机构对副面位置进行修正来提高天线综合性能,提出一种虚拟双目视觉测量方法.通过高速相机与平面镜组成的虚拟双目视觉系统对天线观测时副面位置进行模拟实验,获取被测物随实验平台空间移动产生的位置变化图像,并对图像进行预处理、去噪、边缘检测、特征点提取等操作,重建被测物随实验...     

基于CAN总线的主动光学镜面位姿驱动系统研究

为先进地基太阳望远镜(Advanced Ground-based Solar Telescope, AST-G)主镜支撑系统预研,设计了一套基于控制器局域网络(Controller Area Network, CAN)总线通信的主动光学镜面位姿调整驱动系统。首先,面向一个主动支撑样机实验平台,开展镜面运动学理论分析及位姿解算;然后,采用STM32设计了1个主节点和3个子节点,实现了镜面位姿驱动系统中位移促动器的分布式控制;最后,开展了基于CAN总线的位移促动器性能测试及镜面位姿调整实验验证。结果表明,位移促动器的控制精度的均方根误差优于1μm,镜面绕x,y轴的转动均方根误差优于1″,镜面z轴方向平动均方根误差优于1μm。基于CAN总线的位姿驱动系统研究为先进地基太阳望远镜主镜支撑系统的研制提供了技术探索,也可为其它主动光学应用系统提供参考。     

基于有效点扩散函数的高精度测光

介绍了利用有效点扩散函数拟合方法得到CCD图像中恒星仪器星等的过程。对国家天文台1 m望远镜观测的16幅CCD图像进行实际测量,结果表明:亮星的内部测量平均精度为0.015 mag,最高精度可达0.001 5 mag,而暗星则达到0.043 mag。与Gauss拟合测光方法相比平均精度提高了3倍多,精度标准偏差是0.005,说明该测量方法比较稳定,是一种更优的测光方法。     

基于应变的变形副反射面位姿形貌快速重构方法

随着双反射面天线口径的增大、工作频段的升高,天线对副反射面的精度要求也越来越高.当天线受到自重以及风荷、温度等外界因素的影响时,为了更好地保证满足天线的高指向精度等电性能要求,基于应变传感器和模态叠加原理,分别利用天线变形后副反射面支撑腿与副反射面自身结构的应变值来快速重构副反射面的位姿、形貌,便于副反射面调整机构对其进行实时修正,以实现更加精准的主副反射面位置匹配,降低因天线结构变形造成的波束指向误差和增益损失.     

基于数字摄影测量技术的13.7m毫米波天线面形检测

将工业数字摄影测量技术首次应用于13.7 m毫米波射电望远镜天线的面形精度检测中.为克服现场条件的限制,在测量中使用环形轨道输送相机,采用无线传输的方式进行现场摄影.采用回光材料制作人工的标志,利用编码标志完成摄站的自动定向和同名点匹配,用光束法平差的方法解算点的3D坐标.利用CAD面形转换法和自由拟合法计算面形偏差,最终480个调整点的面形CAD拟合后的偏差调整到了0.083 mm.验证了摄影测量在射电天文天线测量中的可行性和优越性.     

高精度恒星孔径测光注释

详细介绍了利用孔径测光方法得到CCD图像中恒星仪器星等的全过程,以及使用自己设计的程序对云南天文台1m望远镜观测的CCD图像进行实际测量的实验。测量结果表明:对亮星(约10mag)的内部测量精度能达到0.003mag,而对暗星(约17mag)达到0.2mag。同时,对相关问题进行深入讨论,总结了一些实验所得的经验,并与测光软件IRAF进行了内部精度的比较。     

ASO-S卫星基于太阳导行镜的高精度高稳定度姿态控制系统

先进天基太阳天文台(Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory, ASO-S)卫星姿控分系统的主要任务是实现高精度、高稳定度对日指向控制. ASO-S卫星的科学载荷中,白光望远镜(White-light Solar Telescope, WST)前端配置了太阳导行镜(Guide Telescope, GT)稳像系统,利用正交分布光电二极管组成的边缘探测器测量导行镜光轴与太阳中心的偏差角.提出了一种将GT测量值引入姿态控制闭环的控制方法:利用星敏陀螺定姿算法获得卫星-太阳方向姿态偏差, GT测量值确定非卫星-太阳方向姿态偏差;以4斜装反作用轮组为执行机构,进行三轴零动量稳定姿态控制.通过数学仿真验证,基于GT测量值的姿态控制器在非卫星-太阳方向的绝对指向精度优于2′′、相对姿态稳定度优于1′′/60 s,满足ASO-S卫星高精度高稳定度的对日指向要求.     

基于惯性测量的天线副面位姿测量系统的设计

以新疆天文台奇台110 m大型射电望远镜建设项目为背景,研发了一套基于惯性测量原理应用于大型射电望远镜的副面位姿精确测量系统。系统基于惯性测量和嵌入式技术,分别设计了信号采集终端和上位机处理软件,解决了超大型射电天线工作中副面位置摆动较大而无法确定精确位置,进而无法基于副面上六杆并联机器人对副面进行精确调节以提高观测效率的问题。该测量系统是射电望远镜副反射面控制系统构建成为闭环控制系统的关键模块。副反射面控制系统构建成为闭环控制链路以后,可以极大地提高射电望远镜的整体观测效率。     

An improved astrometric calibration technique for space debris observation

An optical survey is the main technique for detecting space debris. Due to the specific characteristics of observation, the pointing errors and tracking errors of the telescope as well as image degradation may be significant, which make it difficult for astrometric calibration. Here we present an improved method that corrects the pointing and tracking errors, and measures the image position precisely. The pipeline is tested on a number of CCD images obtained from a 1-m telescope administered by Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory while observing a GPS satellite. The results show that the position measurement error of the background stars is around 0.1 pixel, while the time cost for a single frame is about 7.5 s; hence the reliability and accuracy of our method are demonstrated. In addition, our method shows a versatile and feasible way to perform space debris observation utilizing non-dedicated telescopes, which means more sensors could be involved and the ability to perform surveys could be improved.     

The Cotton-Schwab Clean At Ultra-High Dynamic Range

We present a study of the dynamic range limitations in images produced with the proposed Square Kilometre Array (SKA) using the Cotton-Schwab CLEAN algorithm for data processing. The study is limited to the case of a small field of view and a snap-shot observation. A new modification of the Cotton-Schwab algorithm involving optimization of the position of clean components is suggested. This algorithm can reach a dynamic range as high as 10⁶ even if the point source lies between image grid points, in contrast to about 10³ for existing CLEAN-based algorithms in the same circumstances. It is shown that the positional accuracy of clean components, floating point precision and the w-term are extremely important at high dynamic range. The influence of these factors can be reduced if the variance of the gradient of the point spread function is minimized during the array design.     

Evolution of Planetesimal Velocities Based on Three-Body Orbital Integrations and Growth of Protoplanets

We obtain the viscous stirring and dynamical friction rates of planetesimals with a Rayleigh distribution of eccentricities and inclinations, using three-body orbital integration and the procedure described by Ohtsuki (1999, Icarus137, 152), who evaluated these rates for ring particles. We find that these rates based on orbital integrations agree quite well with the analytic results of Stewart and Ida (2000, Icarus 143, 28) in high-velocity cases. In low-velocity cases where Kepler shear dominates the relative velocity, however, the three-body calculations show significant deviation from the formulas of Stewart and Ida, who did not investigate the rates for low velocities in detail but just presented a simple interpolation formula between their high-velocity formula and the numerical results for circular orbits. We calculate evolution of root mean square eccentricities and inclinations using the above stirring rates based on orbital integrations, and find excellent agreement with N-body simulations for both one- and two-component systems, even in the low-velocity cases. We derive semi-analytic formulas for the stirring and dynamical friction rates based on our numerical results, and confirm that they reproduce the results of N-body simulations with sufficient accuracy. Using these formulas, we calculate equilibrium velocities of planetesimals with given size distributions. At a stage before the onset of runaway growth of large bodies, the velocity distribution calculated by our new formulas are found to agree quite well with those obtained by using the formulas of Stewart and Ida or Wetherill and Stewart (1993, Icarus106, 190). However, at later stages, we find that the inclinations of small collisional fragments calculated by our new formulas can be much smaller than those calculated by the previously obtained formulas, so that they are more easily accreted by larger bodies in our case. The results essentially support the previous results such as runaway growth of protoplanets, but they could enhance their growth rate by 10-30% after early runaway growth, where those fragments with low random velocities can significantly contribute to rapid growth of runaway bodies.     

Photographic observations of visual double stars at Pulkovo: Digitization,measurement, and calibration

We present the results of determining the relative positions of 359 pairs of stars. More than 6000 photographic plates were obtained in 1960–2007 at the 26-inch refractor of the Pulkovo Observatory. The plates have been digitized with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera and a long-focus Jupiter 21M lens; the scalewas 21 μm/pixel. Themeasurements have been calibrated using a template digitized with the Belgian high-precision ROB Digitizer. The results have been thoroughly investigated for systematic errors. We have studied the scale of the 26-inch refractor and revealed its temperature and time dependences. The application of a new digitization, measurement, and calibration technique has allowed the accuracy to be increased compared to the past measurements. The single-exposure measurement accuracy is within the range from 2 to 70 mas, on average, 28 mas in both coordinates. The errors of the yearly mean positions are, on average, 8.7 mas in the angular separation and 0.05?. in the position angle.     

High-speed flows in the vicinity of the Trapezium stars

[OIII] 5007 Å line profiles at high spectral and spatial resolution have been obtained at a single slit position near the Trapezium cluster in the Orion Nebula (M42, NGC1976) using the Manchester Echelle Spectrometer (MES). The very long integration time at this position confirms the earlier tentative identification of a shell on the nearside of the Trapezium cluster with a relative velocity of -100 kms^–1 and a radius of 1 arcminute. No receding counterpart is found. We believe this is the first detection of this feature at optical wavelengths, previous spectroscopic work (O' Dellet al., 1993),(Baldwinet al., 1991),(Castaneda, 1988) having concentrated on the main nebular material at relatively low velocities.     

The speckle polarimeter of the 2.5-m telescope: Design and calibration

The speckle polarimeter is a facility instrument of the 2.5-mSAIMSU telescope that combines the features of a speckle interferometer and a polarimeter. The speckle polarimeter is designed for observations in several visible bands in the following modes: speckle interferometry, polarimetry, speckle polarimetry, and polaroastrometry. In this paper we describe the instrument design and the procedures for determining the angular scale of the camera and the position angle of the camera and the polarimeter. Our measurements of the parameters for the binary star HD 9165 are used as an example to demonstrate the technique of speckle interferometry. For bright objects the accuracy of astrometry is limited by the error of the correction for the distortion caused by the atmospheric dispersion compensator. At zenith distances less than 45? the additional relative measurement error of the separation is 0.7%, while the additional error of the position angle is 0.3°. In the absence of a dispersion compensator the accuracy of astrometry is limited by the uncertainty in the scale and position angle of the camera, which are 0.15% and 0.06°, respectively. We have performed polarimetric measurements of unpolarized stars and polarization standards. The instrumental polarization at the Cassegrain focus in the V band does not exceed 0.01%. The instrumental polarization for the Nasmyth focus varies between 2 and 4% within the visible range; we have constructed its model and give a method for its elimination from the measurements. For stars with an intrinsic polarization of less than 0.2% during observations at the Cassegrain focus the error is determined mainly by the photon and readout noises and can reach 5 × 10^?5.     

A preliminary study on photogrammetry for the FAST main reflector measurement

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST) is the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world. In this paper, we apply photogrammetry to measure local area surface accuracy of the FAST main reflector. Contrast with the existing photogrammetric methods that need to stick the cooperation target on the panel. In this paper, we directly detect nodes according to their natural feature. Analyzing the FAST reflector composition, we propose a two-step Hough transform method for node detection. Due to the high similarity of the neighboring area around nodes, it is hard to match two images by the feature matching method. Therefore, we apply the nodes combination approach to obtain the homography matrix between two photos for nodes matching. After nodes detection and matching,triangulation and bundle adjustment algorithms are adopted for 3 D reconstruction. During the experiment,the adjusted node position deform a local area of the FAST main reflector into a spherical cap with a radius of 300 m. The experimental result shows that the measurement accuracy of the sphere with a radius of 300 m is 12.299 mm, indicating that it is feasible to apply photogrammetry for the FAST main reflector measurement.     

Search for point-like sources of cosmic rays with energies above 1018.5 eV in the HiRes-I monocular data set

We report the results of a search for point-like deviations from isotropy in the arrival directions of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in the northern hemisphere. In the monocular data set collected by the High-Resolution Fly’s Eye, consisting of 1525 events with energy exceeding 10^18.5 eV, we find no evidence for point-like excesses. We place a 90% c.l. upper limit of 0.8 hadronic cosmic rays/km² yr on the flux from such sources for the northern hemisphere and place tighter limits as a function of position in the sky.     

Image tube spectra of pluto and triton from 6800 to 9000 Å

To search for a possible atmosphere on Pluto and Triton, spectra of these objects as well as comparison stars were obtained with a three-stage Varo image tube for the spectral region from 6800 to 9000 Å. Ratio spectra indicate an absorption feature near 8900 Å, although the steeply diminishing response of the image tube at that wavelength casts some doubt on the reality of this feature. The feature appears more definitive in the spectrum of Pluto and less certain in the spectrum of Triton. The absorption was analyzed using our recently determined band-model parameters for methane. Under the assumption of a pressure higher than 0.01 atm an abundance of 3 m-amagat was determined. For pressures limited by the methane abundance itself, an abundance of 50 m-amagat and a pressure of 10^?3 atm was derived (using g = 0.20 g⊕ for both Pluto and Triton). This pressure is close to the pressure that can be expected from the equilibrium vapor pressure of a methane frost. If the absorption at 8900 Å is spurious, our analysis will be applicable as an upper limit for the presence of methane gas on Pluto or Triton.     

New photometric investigation of the Herbig Ae/Be star HD 52721, a close binary system: Evidence for the existence of large-scale azimuthal inhomogeneities

We present new results of our photometry for the Herbig Be star HD 52721 obtained from January 16 to March 25, 2013. A new data reduction technique is used. Using this technique, we have also reanalyzed the previous results of our photometry for this object pertaining to the period from March 7 to March 28, 2010. The Be star HD 52721 is known as an eclipsing variable with the period P = 1^d. 610. Two photometric minima observed during one period are a peculiarity of its photometric variability. They are separated in phase of the period P by 0.5 and differ from one another in depth by 0 ^m . 04. We have also detected additional minima observed at the phases of maximum brightness. We hypothesize that they can be associated with the existence of local azimuthal inhomogeneities rotating synchronously with the orbital motion of the binary component stars in the circumstellar envelope. When processing our CCD frames, we have applied an efficient CCD-frame rejection method that has allowed the accuracy of observations to be increased considerably. The CCD frames have been further processed using the Apex II software package, which is a universal software platform for astronomical image processing. We justify the need for additional photometric observations of HD 52721 in various color bands to confirm the hypothesis about the existence of azimuthal inhomogeneities in the program binary system and to analyze their physical properties.