相干消色散脉冲星观测系统的研究

云南天文台射电天文研究团组利用从美国伯克利大学CASPER天文信号与电子学研究中心购买的现场可编程门阵列(Field-Programmable Gate Array,FPGA)接收机平台ROACH2,实现了512 MHz输入带宽,512 MHz带宽分为128通道输出(每个通道4 M带宽),8比特采样和双极化输入(1 024 MHz)的基带数据采集终端。海量数据传输方式通过SFP+万兆网口实现,利用编写的脚本文件调用DSPSR程序包实现数据的解码、相干消色散、偏振计算和折叠等处理。数据处理结果以PSRFITS格式存储。构建以ROACH2为基带数据采集终端和DSPSR为数据处理核心的脉冲星观测系统,相比于以VLBI观测终端为基础构建的观测系统,在观测模式、数据处理方法、运算效率和观测数据的通用性等方面具有更好的优越性。     

基于自适应滤波的干扰消除方法研究

射电天文信号非常微弱,电磁环境对射电望远镜观测至关重要,通常可以利用地形、建立无线电宁静区、进行电磁屏蔽与防护等手段来减小电磁干扰.然而,仍有一些干扰难以屏蔽.故提出了一种基于自适应滤波的干扰消除方法,可用于复杂噪声环境中天文信号的提取.该方法借助自适应横向滤波器,采用最小均方(Least Mean Square, LMS)误差算法,以系统误差和收敛性为评判标准,通过改变步长与阶数对滤波效果进行优化,仿真结果显示该滤波器能在保证算法收敛的前提下有效提取信号.为了检验该算法的有效性,选取了新疆天文台南山26 m射电望远镜和Parkes 64 m射电望远镜记录的观测数据,采用设计的滤波器分别对不同的实测数据进行测试,验证了该滤波器的有效性.理论分析与实验结果一致表明该方法能有效消除天文观测中的干扰信号,具有一定的实用性.     

Mark5B格式器及10G网络传输系统在VLBI中的应用

由于遥远的天体发出的无线电信号极其微弱,信噪比极低,VLBI系统要想得到较高的测量精度,必须尽量加大测量带宽和提高采样位数,但是这样会导致VLBI终端(比如数字基带转换器)产生的观测数据激增。传统的VLBI终端数据传输系统采用VSI接口,数据最高传输速率限制在2 Gbps,且数据记录设备必须采用定制的Mark5B设备,极其不灵活,因此已经不能适应现在VLBI系统的观测需求。为了提高数据传输速率,增加数据记录设备的灵活性,上海天文台新研制的基于多相滤波器组和快速傅里叶变换方式的数字基带转换器的数据传输系统采用了高速灵活的10 G网络接口。10 G网络系统中数据传输采用报文交换方式,因此数据到达接收端的时间不是精确可靠的,这要求数据在进入10 G网络接口之前必须已经具有标准的VLBI数据格式,所以在10 G网络前端设计了Mark5B格式器。详细介绍了基于现场可编程门阵列的Mark5B格式器及10 G网络传输系统的设计原理,并在文章的最后通过三组实验验证了其功能的正确性和性能的稳定性。     

应用于射电天文的高效实时管道数据流传输与处理技术

针对超宽带及多波束接收系统海量天文信号实时高效传输与处理问题,对基于现场可编程门阵列(Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA)+图形处理器(Graphics Processing Unit, GPU)的主流终端设备软件系统进行了测试分析。超宽带接收设备要求终端系统软件能够在更宽带宽、更高时间分辨率和频率分辨率的条件下,实现数据流实时传输与处理。结合大口径射电观测设备未来发展的方向,提出了利用高速并行环形缓冲区实现数据流缓存,基于图形处理器集群实现数据流实时处理,基于BeeGFS实现分布式并行数据存储,模块化构建射电天文信号传输管道软件的设计思路。     

基于Python-casacore的射电测量集文件生成方法

测量集(MeasurementSet, MS)是射电天文领域重要的文件格式,并逐渐成为射电天文数据存储、分析与共享的标准格式,得到越来越多的天文数据处理软件的支持,在阿塔卡玛大型毫米波天线阵(Atacama Large Millimeter Array, ALMA)、LOFAR等射电望远镜系统中已经深入应用。但长期以来,测量集格式在国内应用较少,介绍了测量集格式的基本概念、目录结构和字段设计,在此基础上讨论了利用Python-casacore调用底层Casacore生成测量集文件的方法,将实现程序集成到射电天文模拟校准成像库(Radio Astronomy Simulation, Calibration and Imaging Library, RASCIL),生成仿真观测测量集文件,并利用CASA(Common Astronomy Software Applications)软件加以验证。所完成的测量集文件生成软件在满足平方千米阵工程桥接阶段工作需要的同时,也为其后续的成像、观测模拟和文件存储提供了重要支撑,对我国射电天文数据处理工作有较高的参考价值。     

大规模脉冲星候选体信号的无监督聚类分析研究

随着500 m口径球面射电望远镜(Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope, FAST)等大型射电望远镜的建设和使用,脉冲星巡天数据进入PB时代.为解决如此大量高速采样的标量数据挖掘问题,促进新天文现象的发现,提出一种基于无监督聚类的脉冲星候选体筛选方案.该方案采用基于密度层次、划分方法的混合聚类算法,结合MapReduce/Spark并行计算模型和基于滑动窗口的分组策略,进而提高大量候选体信号筛选的效率.通过在脉冲星数据集HTRU2 (High Time Resolution Universe)上的对比实验,结果表明该算法能取得较高的精确度和召回率,分别是0.946和0.905,并且当并行节点足够时,该算法的时间复杂度相比串行执行明显下降.可见,该方法为脉冲星观测大数据的分析挖掘提供一种可行思路.     

基于小波变换的射频干扰消除方法的研究

在射电天文观测中,射频干扰(Radio Frequency Interference, RFI)会以多种形式混入望远镜接收系统,给观测带来误判或者降低观测信噪比.近年来国内国际射电天文快速发展,国内国际大型射电望远镜和阵列先后建设,观测灵敏度大为提高,射频干扰的影响尤为突出.随着科技发展和人类活动的加剧,射频干扰日益严重且不可逆转.提出利用2维离散小波变换的方法分析射电天文观测的数据,对望远镜系统输出的时间频率序列进行小波变换,根据小波系数分离出原始信号中各分量,每个分量统计得到相应的阈值,将各分量与阈值相比较识别干扰成分并标记去除.利用该方法对实际观测数据进行了处理,结果表明该方法能够很好地标记并消减干扰信号,且提高了观测的信噪比.     

空间VLBI数据记录格式RDF解析与数据解码

空间甚长基线干涉测量(Very Long Baseline Interferometry, VLBI)由于基线更长,在相同的观测频率下,可获得比地基甚长基线干涉测量更高的分辨率。我国正在推进空间甚长基线干涉测量科学与技术研究。俄罗斯RadioAstron空间甚长基线干涉测量项目于2018年结束,其成功经验可以借鉴。该项目采用不同于常规地面甚长基线干涉测量的专用数据格式RDF(RadioAstron Data Format)记录观测数据,利用配备的星载或地面上行氢原子频标提供频率基准,数据经采集量化后传输至地面站,打上时标并记录于硬盘。为处理RadioAstron数据,分析了RDF格式,完成了RDF数据解码及相关处理,然后对比分析了Mark5B、VDIF等地面甚长基线干涉测量通用数据格式和RDF格式的特点,为我国未来空间甚长基线干涉测量数据格式设计与处理积累经验。     

基于图像的天体搜索研究与自动化集成软件开发

天体搜索是天文数据处理流程的一个重要环节,也是以平方公里阵列射电望远镜(Square Kilometre Array, SKA)为代表的下一代射电望远镜在面向海量数据处理中的挑战之一.现今天体自动搜索算法、软件已日趋成熟并投入应用,不过在自动化、兼容性等方面仍具有提升空间.以更自动化、更适应海量数据需求的天体搜索算法研究为宗旨,以现有算法为研究基础,天体自动搜索软件系统得到设计和开发.该系统包含友好的交互式用户操作界面,具备可视化输出数据显示、兼容不同数据输入和输出并包含为实际应用服务的文件管理功能.该系统对于大天区图以及图像集,均能够很好地进行自动化处理.测试结果显示,上述方法对于天体搜索的改进有一定成效.后续将在此基础上对该集成系统做进一步的改进开发,以适应更多的需求.     

基于天文开源软件的卫星干涉测量数据处理系统

VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry)技术观测卫星需要对干涉测量数据进行相关和后处理,通过相关、时延校准、条纹搜索,最终得到卫星的基线几何时延.基于天文开源软件建立起一套卫星干涉测量数据处理系统.该系统可工作在实时和事后两种状态,实现相关、中性大气、电离层、钟模型以及仪器硬件的时延校准、条纹搜索、生成基线时延和时延率序列.使用该系统处理北斗GEO (Geosynchronous Earth Orbit)卫星的干涉测量试验数据,得到了精度在1–2 ns量级的卫星基线时延序列.     

Design of a multi-function high-speed digital baseband data acquisition system

A multi-function digital baseband data acquisition system is designed for the sampling,distribution and recording of wide-band multi-channel astronomical signals.The system hires a SNAP2board as a digital baseband converter to digitize,channelize and packetize the received signal.It can be configured dynamically from a single channel to eight channels with a maximum bandwidth of 4096 MHz.Eight parallel HASHPIPE instances run on four servers,each carrying two NVMe SSD cards,achieving a total continuous write rate of 8 GB s~(-1).Data are recorded in the standard VDIF file format.The system is deployed on a 25-meter radio telescope to verify its functionality based on pulsar observations.Our results indicate that during the 30-minute observation period,the system achieved zero data loss at a data recording rate of 1 GB s~(-1)on a single server.The system will serve as a verification platform for testing the functions of the QTT (Qi Tai radio Telescope) digital backend system.In addition,it can be used as a baseband/VLBI(Very Long Baseline Interferometry) recorder or D-F-engine of correlator/beamformer as well.     

基于100 nm砷化镓pHEMT工艺的C波段宽带低噪声放大器芯片

作为射电天文接收机系统的关键器件, 低噪声放大器的噪声和增益性能对接收机系统的灵敏度有重要影响. 采用100nm砷化镓赝配高电子迁移率晶体管(pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor, pHEMT)\lk工艺, 研制了一款可覆盖C波段(4--8GHz)的低噪声放大器(Low Noise Amplifier, LNA). 所设计的LNA采用3级共源级联放大拓扑结构, 栅极、漏极双电源供电. 常温下测试表明, 该LNA在4--8GHz频段内平均噪声温度为\lk60K, 在5GHz处获得最低噪声温度50K, 通带内增益($31\pm1.5$)dB, 输入输出回波损耗均优于10dB, 芯片面积为$2.1\times1.1$mm², 可以应用于C波段射电天文接收机以及卫星通信系统等.     

lbb-用于射电天文VLBI基带数据读写的库

Library for Baseband (lbb)是一个自研的用于读取解析甚长基线干涉测量(Very Long Baseline Interferometry, VLBI)基带数据的工具库,主要用于VLBI观测中对终端基带数据的读取、解析及输出结果分析.该软件库通过对基带数据的自动判断,自动实现读取不同数据格式的功能,并提供了各种各样的API (Application Programming Interface)功能供用户调用.目前lbb软件库已经成功应用在了探月工程VLBI测轨任务中的硬件相关处理机配置项和测地VLBI观测数据的预处理.文章详细介绍了lbb软件库的设计、功能及用法.     

Study of Radio Frequency Interference Mitigation Method Based on Wavelet Transform

In radio astronomy observations, radio frequency interference (RFI) is mixed into the telescope receiving system in various forms. The existence of RFI brings misjudgment to the observation or reduces the observational signal-to-noise ratio. In recent years, the domestic and overseas radio astronomy has developed rapidly. Large-scale radio telescopes and telescope arrays at home and abroad have been constructed successively. Observation sensitivity is greatly improved, and the influence of RFI is particularly prominent. With the development of science and technology and the intensification of human activities, the RFI has become increasingly serious and irreversible. We propose to use the two-dimensional discrete wavelet transform method to analyze the data of radio astronomy observations, and to perform wavelet transform on the time-frequency sequence output by the telescope system. According to the wavelet coefficients, the every component in the original signal is separated, and the corresponding threshold value is obtained by the statistics on each component. Each component is compared with the threshold to identify the interference component, and to mark it for removal. This method is used to process the actual observation data. The results show that this method can well mark and eliminate the interference signal, and improve the observational signal-to-noise ratio.     

Enhanced management of personal astronomical data with FITSManager

Although the roles of data centers and computing centers are becoming more and more important, and on-line research is becoming the mainstream for astronomy, individual research based on locally hosted data is still very common. With the increase of personal storage capacity, it is easy to find hundreds to thousands of FITS files in the personal computer of an astrophysicist. Because Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) is a professional data format initiated by astronomers and used mainly in the small community, data management toolkits for FITS files are very few. Astronomers need a powerful tool to help them manage their local astronomical data. Although Virtual Observatory (VO) is a network oriented astronomical research environment, its applications and related technologies provide useful solutions to enhance the management and utilization of astronomical data hosted in an astronomer’s personal computer. FITSManager is such a tool to provide astronomers an efficient management and utilization of their local data, bringing VO to astronomers in a seamless and transparent way. FITSManager provides fruitful functions for FITS file management, like thumbnail, preview, type dependent icons, header keyword indexing and search, collaborated working with other tools and on-line services, and so on. The development of the FITSManager is an effort to fill the gap between management and analysis of astronomical data.     

The Study on the Group Delay Jumping of CE-4 VLBI System

The phase delay software is a key component of VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) orbit determination system in CE-4 mission, which is critical to deep space exploration. When processing X-band DOR (Differential One-way Ranging) signals of probes in the past, the group delay jumping occasionally occurred in the observed scan. This paper consists of two parts. First, according to the VLBI station signal reception and VLBI center data processing steps, we analyzed the frequency, phase, power, and self-correlation spectrum of the signal, and located the influencing factor at the abnormal analog signal of Kunming (KM) station. Second, the group delay jumping was revised by the post-correction method, which was based on the analysis of the abnormal unwrap phase. We used the corrected phase to get the new group delay, and used orbit determination software to verify the effectiveness of the post-correction method, which upgraded the phase delay processing software.     

嫦娥四号VLBI群时延跳变研究

相时延处理软件是嫦娥四号(CE-4)任务甚长基线干涉测量(Very Long Baseline Interferometry,VLBI)测轨分系统软件配置项之一,利用其处理着陆巡视器X波段DOR(Differential One-way Ranging)信号时,观测弧段(scan)内偶尔存在残余群时延跳变问题.论文主要分为两部分:一是根据VLBI信号接收和数据处理流程,从相关相位、频率、幅度和功率方面进行分析,最终将影响因素定位在昆明测站模拟信号异常;二是以scan内时延跳变影响因素分析为基础,通过修正异常基线相关相位,研究残余群时延跳变事后改正方法,并利用定轨软件验证其有效性,升级了相时延处理软件.     

Array Signal Processing for Radio Astronomy

Radio astronomy forms an interesting application area for array signal processing techniques. Current synthesis imaging telescopes consist of a small number of identical dishes, which track a fixed patch in the sky and produce estimates of the time-varying spatial covariance matrix. The observations sometimes are distorted by interference, e.g., from radio, TV, radar or satellite transmissions. We describe some of the tools that array signal processing offers to filter out the interference, based on eigenvalue decompositions and factor analysis, which is a more general technique applicable to partially calibrated arrays. We consider detection of interference, spatial filtering techniques using projections, and discuss how a reference antenna pointed at the interferer can improve the performance. We also consider image formation and its relation to beamforming.     

基于卷积神经网络的恒星光谱型和光度型的分类模型

恒星光谱分类是天文学中一个重要的研究问题.对于已经采集到的海量高维恒星光谱数据的分类,采用模式匹配方法对光谱型分类较为成功,但其缺点在于标准恒星模版之间的差异性在匹配实际观测数据中不能体现出来,尤其是当需要进行光谱型和光度型的二元分类时模版匹配法往往会失败.而采用谱线特征测量的光度型分类强烈地依赖谱线拟合的准确性.为了解决二元分类的问题,介绍了一种基于卷积神经网络的恒星光谱型和光度型分类模型(Classification model of Stellar Spectral type and Luminosity type based on Convolution Neural Network, CSSL CNN).这一模型使用卷积神经网络来提取光谱的特征,通过注意力模块学习到了重要的光谱特征,借助池化操作降低了光谱的维度并压缩了模型参数的数量,使用全连接层来学习特征并对恒星光谱进行分类.实验中使用了大天区面积多目标光纤光谱天文望远镜(Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopy Telescope, LAMOST)公开数据集Data Release 5 (DR5,用了其中71282条恒星光谱数据,每条光谱包含了3000多维的特征)对该模型的性能进行验证与评估.实验结果表明,基于卷积神经网络的模型在恒星的光谱型分类上准确率达到92.04%,而基于深度神经网络的模型(Celestial bodies Spectral Classification Model, CSC Model)只有87.54%的准确率; CSSL CNN在恒星的光谱型和光度型二元分类上准确率达到83.91%,而模式匹配方法MKCLASS仅有38.38%的准确率且效率较低.