先进多孔径视宁度廓线仪数值模拟研究

先进多孔径视宁度廓线仪(A-MASP)由两台小望远镜组成,通过望远镜观测太阳表面的米粒结构进行日间湍流廓线测量.两台望远镜之间的相对指向误差可以通过改进的湍流廓线测量公式消除.数值仿真研究表明,使用消除抖动的湍流廓线计算公式后,发现A-MASP对地表附近的湍流不敏感.当两台望远镜距离为0.4 m时,无法测量400 m以下的湍流.在A-MASP中,采样高度的不均匀分布会造成测量结果的失真,可通过等效采样高度的计算方法,对该失真进行修正.通过100层相位屏对大气湍流的仿真,结果表明当望远镜距离不同时,湍流廓线测量的结果各有侧重.当距离较近时(0.4 m),A-MASP对0.4–5 km的湍流廓线测量精度较高.当距离为1.2 m和2.0 m时,对5 km以上的湍流廓线测量较准确.     

A Review of Daytime Atmospheric Optical Turbulence Profile Detection Technology

Atmospheric turbulence has been confirmed as the primary source affecting the quality of ground-based telescope image. To reduce the effect of atmosphere, a good site should be selected, and adaptive optics (AO) should be installed for the telescope. In general, the daytime atmospheric turbulence is more intense than that at night under the effect of solar radiation. Numerous solar telescopes have built AO systems worldwide. Conventional AO is only capable of improving the image quality in a small field of view, whereas it cannot satisfy the needs of a large field of view. The novel wide field adaptive optical system is capable of achieving a large field of view and high-resolution images, whereas the atmospheric turbulence profile should be accurately detected, which is the prerequisite and key parameter of the novel AO system. Moreover, the astronomical high-resolution technology in accordance with the turbulence imaging theory requires more detailed detection of turbulence. Accordingly, a brief review about the latest detection technology of the daytime optical turbulence profile is valuable for astronomical observations. Besides, the parameters of atmospheric turbulence are briefly introduced. Subsequently, SNODAR, SHABAR, MOSP, DIMM+, A-MASP, and other detection technologies of the stratified atmospheric turbulence for daytime are primarily presented, and the advantages and disadvantages of the different technologies are summarized.     

Distribution of HCN in Titan’s upper atmosphere from Cassini/VIMS observations at 3 μm

Cassini/VIMS limb observations have been used to retrieve vertical profiles of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from its 3 μm emission in the region from 600 to 1100 km altitude at daytime. While the daytime emission is large up to about 1100 km, it vanishes at nighttime at very low altitudes, suggesting that the daytime emission originates under non-LTE conditions. The spectrally integrated radiances around 3.0 μm shows a monotonically decrease with tangent altitude, and a slight increase with solar zenith angle in the 40-80° interval around 800 km.A sophisticated non-LTE model of HCN energy levels has been developed in order to retrieve the HCN abundance. The population of the HCN 0 0⁰ 1 energy level, that contributes mostly to the 3.0 μm limb radiance, has been shown to change significantly with the solar zenith angle (SZA) and HCN abundance. Also its population varies with the collisional rate coefficients, whose uncertainties induced errors in the retrieved HCN of about 10% at 600-800 km and about 5% above. HCN concentrations have been retrieved from a set of spectra profiles, covering a wide range of latitudes and solar zenith angles, by applying a line-by-line inversion code. The results show a significant atmospheric variability above ∼800 km with larger values for weaker solar illumination. The HCN shows a very good correlation with solar zenith angles, irrespective of latitude and local time, suggesting that HCN at these high altitudes is in or close to photochemical equilibrium. A comparison with UVS and UVIS measurements show that these are close to the lower limit (smaller SZAs) of the VIMS observations above 750 km. However, they are in reasonable agreement when combining the rather large UV measurement errors and the atmospheric variability observed in VIMS. A comparison of the mean profile derived here with the widely used profile reported by Yelle and Griffith (Yelle R.V., Griffith, C.A. [2003]. Icarus 166, 107-115) shows a good agreement for altitudes ranging from 850 to 1050 km, while below these altitudes our result exhibits higher concentrations.     

地球大气边界层结构和天文视宁度

依据声雷达资料和其他边界层资料讨论了大气边界层结构、地形等对视宁度的影响和有关选址问题．     

High resolution spectroscopy of two young active late type stars within 20 parsecs of the Sun

We present high-resolution optical echell spectroscopy of HIP 544 and HIP 46843, two nearby solar like stars. The discovery of these young stars at such a close distance to the Sun is really a surprising phenomenon. It will help us to have a better understanding of the structure and evolutionary history of the Milky Way. The radial ve-locities (RV) of HIP 544 and HIP 46843 are measured to be -6.88±0.13km s-1 and 8.30±0.16km s-1, respectively, which are more accurate than before. The equivalent widths (EW) of the Li I 6707.8 A absorption line of HIP 544 and HIP 46843 are mea-sured to be 110±5mA and 195±5mA respectively. Based on these properties, HIP 544 is estimated to be 100-800Myr old and HIP 46843 30-100Myr old using three relatively creditable methods.     

Daytime valley in the F1-region observed by incoherent scatter

Incoherent scatter data obtained at Saint-Santin have been analyzed between 1969 and 1972 in the height interval 120–200 km. The summer daytime electron density profiles show a maximum around 150 km followed by a minimum around 165 km, when the solar activity is low. The seasonal and solar cycle variations of this phenomena are discussed. When the day-time valley exists, the maximum density is ca. 20–30 per cent greater than the minimum value. The phenomenon cannot be fully explained on the basis of photochemical equilibrium. A wind-shear mechanism could play an important role.     

Development of a three channel photometer for UPSO, Naini Tal

The design and performance of a portable three channel photometer installed at the Uttar Pradesh State Observatory (UPSO), Naini Tal is described. The photometer is modular and the whole unit can be disassembled as individual channels such that the system can also be used as a single channel or two channel photometer. The system also has provision to monitor a guide star. The instrument was put into operation since November 1999 on the 1m Sampurnanand telescope at UPSO, Naini Tal. Since then, it is used extensively for the ‘Survey of rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars in the northern sky’ from UPSO. Observational results using this new photometer in its initial phase of operation are discussed. The advantage of having continuous sky measurement is demonstrated.     

Measurements of the ambient photoelectron spectrum from atmosphere explorer: I. AE-E measurements below 300 km during solar minimum conditions

The ambient photoelectron spectrum below 300 km has been studied for a sample of 500 AE-E orbits taken during the period 13 December 1975 to 24 February 1976. During this solar minimum period, the average and maximum Σ K_p were 19 and 35 respectively. The agreement between the measured spectral shape and several recent calculations is extremely good. The daytime photoelectron spectrum below 300 km from 1 to 100 eV is illustrated by a number of spectra. Detailed 0–32 eV spectra are presented at various altitudes and solar zenith angles. High resolution 10–32eV spectra show the widths of the photoelectron lines in the spectrum and the variation of the linewidth and intensity with altitude. Data from the entire 500 orbit sample are combined into plots of the average flux over a number of altitude ranges up to 300 km at various local times and solar zenith angles. The data show that the photoelectron flux below 300 km is remarkably constant (typical variation less than ±50%) over a period of several months. The photoelectron lines between 20 and 30 eV are extremely sharp when the total plasma density is low but broaden significantly at high altitudes as the plasma density builds up during the day. The N₂ vibration-rotation excitation dip at 2.3 eV is strongest at the lowest altitudes and decreases with increasing altitude and plasma density. The absolute accuracy of the experiment is discussed in detail and a correction factor for previously published AE-E fluxes is given.     

Diurnal variations in the spectrum of lower-ionosphere plasma irregularities

We examined the variations caused in the spectrum of lower-ionosphere plasma irregularities by diurnal changes of ionospheric parameters. We demonstrate that at a height of 95 km, where the irregularities arise due to the turbulence of the neutral atmosphere, the expected level of plasma irregularity fluctuations at a constant turbulent mixing intensity is smaller in the daytime than at night. The one-dimensional spectrum which can be measured in experiments also changes, namely, the spectrum slope is greater at night.     

Rotation Profiles of Solar-like Stars with Magnetic Fields

We investigate the rotation profile of solar-like stars with magnetic fields. A diffu-sion coefficient of magnetic angular momentum transport is deduced. Rotating stellar models with different mass incorporating the coefficient are computed to give the rotation profiles. The total angular momentum of a solar model with only hydrodynamic instabilities is about 13 times larger than that of the Sun at the age of the Sun, and this model can not reproduce quasi-solid rotation in the radiative region. However, the solar model with magnetic fields not only can reproduce an almost uniform rotation in the radiative region, but also a total angular momentum that is consistent with the helioseismic result at the 3 σ level at the age of the Sun. The rotation of solar-like stars with magnetic fields is almost uniform in the radiative region, but for models of 1.2-1.5 M⊙, there is an obvious transition region between the convective core and the radiative region, where angular velocity has a sharp radial gradient, which is different from the rotation profile of the Sun and of massive stars with magnetic fields. The change of angular velocity in the transition region increases with increasing age and mass.     

Kinematics and age of 15 stars-photometric solar analogs

The radial and space velocities are inferred for 15 stars that are photometric analogs of the Sun. The space velocity components (U, V, W) of most of these stars lie within the 10–60 km/s interval. The star HD 225239, which in our previous papers we classified as a subgiant, has a space velocity exceeding 100 km/s, and belongs to the thick disk. The inferred fundamental parameters of the atmospheres of solar analogs are combined with published evolutionary tracks to estimate the masses and ages of the stars studied. The kinematics of photometric analogs is compared to the data for a large group of solar-type stars.     

Observation of mesospheric ozone at low latitudes

Stellar ultraviolet light near 2500 Å is attenuated in the Earth's upper atmosphere due to strong absorption in the Hartley continuum of ozone. The intensity of stars in the Hartley continuum region has been monitored by the University of Wisconsin stellar photometers aboard the OAO-2 satellite during occultation of the star by the Earth's atmosphere. These data have been used to determine the ozone number density profile at the occultation tangent point. The results of approximately 12 stellar occultations, obtained in low latitudes, are presented, giving the nighttime vertical number density profile of ozone in the 60- to 100-km region. The nighttime ozone number density has a bulge in its vertical profile with a peak of 1 to 2×10⁸ cm^?3 at approximately 83 km and a minimum near 75 km. The shape of the bulge in the ozone number density profile shows considerable variability with no apparent seasonal or solar cycle change. The ozone profiles obtained during a geomagnetic storm showed little variation at low latitudes.     

Latitudinal shear instability in the solar tachocline

In an attempt to explain the observed rotation profile in the solar radiative zone and the tachocline, Spiegel & Zahn proposed a model based on anisotropic turbulent angular momentum transport. Although very successful in reproducing some of the features of the solar tachocline, their model assumes without verification that the origin of the turbulence could be caused by latitudinal shear instability. This paper studies the weakly non-linear evolution of two-dimensional shear instability, in which the interaction between the global rotation profile and the Reynolds stresses can be described self-consistently. Provided that the initial rotation profile is sufficiently close to marginal stability (which is the case of the solar tachocline), the instability is shown to saturate and to relax to a marginally stable state, which differs very little from the observed rotation profile. It is therefore likely that the tachocline is in a state of marginal stability with respect to latitudinal shear instability, and shows that angular momentum transport in the tachocline is unlikely to be caused by shear-induced turbulence.     

SLODAR: measuring optical turbulence altitude with a Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor

This paper discusses the use of Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensors to determine the vertical distribution of atmospheric optical turbulence above large telescopes. It is demonstrated that the turbulence altitude profile can be recovered reliably from time-averaged spatial cross-correlations of the local wavefront slopes for Shack–Hartmann observations of binary stars. The method, which is referred to as SLODAR, is analogous to the well known SCIDAR scintillation profiling technique, and a calibration against contemporaneous SCIDAR observations is shown. Hardware requirements are simplified relative to the scintillation method, and the number of suitable target objects is larger. The implementation of a Shack–Hartmann based turbulence monitor for use at the William Herschel Telescope is described. The system will be used to optimize adaptive optical observations at the telescope and to characterize anisoplanatic variations of the corrected point spread function.     

The influence of turbulence pressure on the late stages of evolution of medium and small mass stars (I) Calculation of the turbulence pressure, equation of state and thermodynamic quantities

Using the mixing length theory we give expressions for turbulence pressure and the equation of state and various thermodynamic quantities when turbulence is included. On this basis we examined the size of turbulence in the evolution of two stars of masses 2.8 and 7.0M from the main sequence to the red giant and the AGB stages, Our results show that in the late stages the turbulence pressure near the surface of the star can be as much as 30% of the total pressure.     

Diamagnetic pumping near the base of a stellar convection zone

The property of inhomogeneous turbulence in conducting fluids to expel large‐scale magnetic fields in the direction of decreasing turbulence intensity is shown as important for the magnetic field dynamics near the base of a stellar convection zone. The downward diamagnetic pumping confines a fossil internal magnetic field in the radiative core so that the field geometry is appropriate for formation of the solar tachocline. For the stars of solar age, the diamagnetic confinement is efficient only if the ratio of turbulent magnetic diffusivity η_T of the convection zone to the (microscopic or turbulent) diffusivity η_in of the radiative interior is η_T/η_in ≥ 10⁵. Confinement in younger stars requires larger η_T/η_in. The observation of persistent magnetic structures on young solar‐type stars can thus provide evidence for the nonexistence of tachoclines in stellar interiors and on the level of turbulence in radiative cores. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

New challenges for adaptive optics: extremely large telescopes

The performance of an adaptive optics (AO) system on a 100-m diameter ground-based telescope working in the visible range of the spectrum is computed using an analytical approach. The target Strehl ratio of 60 per cent is achieved at 0.5 μm with a limiting magnitude of the AO guide source near R   magnitude~10, at the cost of an extremely low sky coverage. To alleviate this problem, the concept of tomographic wavefront sensing in a wider field of view using either natural guide stars (NGS) or laser guide stars (LGS) is investigated. These methods use three or four reference sources and up to three deformable mirrors, which increase up to 8-fold the corrected field size (up to 60 arcsec at 0.5 μm). Operation with multiple NGS is limited to the infrared (in the J band this approach yields a sky coverage of 50 per cent with a Strehl ratio of 0.2). The option of open-loop wavefront correction in the visible using several bright NGS is discussed. The LGS approach involves the use of a faint ( R ~22) NGS for low-order correction, which results in a sky coverage of 40 per cent at the Galactic poles in the visible.     

Atmospheric Parameters and Abundances of sdB Stars

We summarize recent results of quantitative spectral analyses using NLTE and metal line-blanketed LTE model atmospheres. Temperatures and gravities derived for hundreds of sdB stars are now available and allow us to investigate systematic uncertainties of T _e ff, log g scales and to test the theory of stellar evolution and pulsations. Surface abundance patterns of about two dozen sdB stars are surprisingly homogenous. In particular the iron abundance is almost solar for most sdBs. We highlight one iron-deficient and three super metal-rich sdBs, a challenge to diffusion theory. sdB stars are slowly rotating stars unless they are in close binary systems, which is hard to understand if the sdB stars were formed in merger events. The only exception is the pulsator PG 1605+072 rotating at vsin i= 39 km/s. Signatures of stellar winds from sdB stars may have been found.     

ULTRACAM: an ultrafast, triple-beam CCD camera for high-speed astrophysics

ULTRACAM is a portable, high-speed imaging photometer designed to study faint astronomical objects at high temporal resolutions. ULTRACAM employs two dichroic beamsplitters and three frame-transfer CCD cameras to provide three-colour optical imaging at frame rates of up to 500 Hz. The instrument has been mounted on both the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope on La Palma and the 8.2-m Very Large Telescope in Chile, and has been used to study white dwarfs, brown dwarfs, pulsars, black hole/neutron star X-ray binaries, gamma-ray bursts, cataclysmic variables, eclipsing binary stars, extrasolar planets, flare stars, ultracompact binaries, active galactic nuclei, asteroseismology and occultations by Solar System objects (Titan, Pluto and Kuiper Belt objects). In this paper we describe the scientific motivation behind ULTRACAM, present an outline of its design and report on its measured performance.