基于分布式执行框架的低频射电干涉阵列成像管线优化

平方公里阵列(Square Kilometre Array,SKA)项目是建设全球最大射电望远镜的国际合作项目,其灵敏度和测量速度将比当前所有的射电望远镜都要高出一个数量级.连续谱巡天是SKA的主要观测模式之一,基于连续谱成像建立巡天区域的标准星图,将能为后续天文科学研究奠定重要基础.银河系与河外星系全天默奇森宽场阵列拓展巡天(GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array survey eXtended,GLEAM-X)是2018—2020年利用SKA先导望远镜默奇森宽场阵列(Murchison Wide-field Array,MWA)二期拓展阵列开展的新的射电连续谱巡天项目,观测期间积累了大量的低频巡天观测数据.海量观测数据的自动化、大批量处理是SKA望远镜项目所面临的的最大挑战和难题之一,基于分布式执行框架的成像管线优化经验将有助于解决海量数据处理问题.详细介绍了GLEAM-X成像管线并对其进行整合和改进,在中国SKA区域中心原型机(China SKA Regional Centre Prototype,...     

图像移位堆叠方法用于暗天然卫星的天体测量

暗弱天然卫星与主带小行星相比,具有亮度低、速度变化快的特点.在观测这类天体时,不能简单地延长曝光时间来提高其信噪比.尝试观测多幅短曝光的CCD (chargecoupled device)图像,采用移位堆叠(shift-and-add)方法,希望提高目标成像的信噪比,获得暗弱天然卫星的精确测量结果.使用2018年4月9—12日夜间,中国科学院云南天文台1 m望远镜(1 m望远镜)拍摄的木星5颗暗卫星的229幅CCD图像,实施了移位堆叠试验.为了验证结果的正确性,与相近日期中国科学院云南天文台2.4 m望远镜(2.4 m望远镜)观测的相同木卫图像的测量结果进行了比较和分析.位置归算采用了JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)历表.结果表明,对CCD图像使用移位堆叠方法,通过叠加约10幅曝光时间100 s的图像, 1 m望远镜能观测暗至19等星的不规则天然卫星,而且测量的准确度与2.4 m望远镜的测量结果有良好的一致性.     

ASTROD-GW时间迟延干涉

ASTROD-GW (ASTROD [Astrodynamical Space Test of Relativity using Optical Devices] optimized for Gravitation Wave detection)是ASTROD专注于引力波探测的优化方案,组成任务的3个航天器分别位于日地拉格朗日点L3、L4和L5点附近,组成臂长为2.6× 108 km的干涉阵列.根据优化得到的ASTROD-GW 20 yr任务轨道,利用CGC2.7 (CGC:Center for Gravitation and Cosmology)星历,采用适当数值计算的方法,对引力波探测中所用到的时间迟延干涉路径进行分析和计算.     

基于VGOS单基线的UT1测定能力评估

对2021年VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry)全球观测系统(VLBI Global Observing System,VGOS)单基线开展的1 h世界时(Universal Time, UT1)加强观测数据进行分析,结果表明, VGOS单基线测得的UT1与IERS (International Earth Rotation Service) C04序列提供的UT1之差的RMS (Root Mean Square)为25.3μs,优于传统S/X双频段UT1加强观测(Intensive observation, INT1)试验的28.2μs,且UT1的平均形式精度提高1倍.因VGOS单基线1 h观测数目比INT1多1倍,其测得的UT1受极移误差的影响更加稳定,每100μas的极移误差将对UT1引入2.8μs的偏移.此外分析了VGOS 30 min观测数据,除平均形式精度变差外, UT1测量结果与1 h结果相当,表明VGOS单基线30 min观测可用于UT1的超快速服务.同时分析和评估了2021年国内佘山与南山13 m VGOS基线的UT1加强观...     

恒星干涉测量中光的偏振效应

恒星光学干涉仪中两光路的偏振特性是影响其干涉条纹对比度的主要因素之一。偏振效应包括由于反射产生的位相延迟和光的振动方向的旋转，并可能严重降低干涉条纹对比度，本文分析了偏振效应的产生原因和对干涉仪的影响，给出了三种典型的干涉仪光路布置，这些布置具有最小的条纹对比度损失。     

吉林天文观测基地光学观测环境及相关研究进展

地基光学天文望远镜是人类探索与研究宇宙的重要手段, 对已有地基光学台址的光学观测环境进行监测分析, 可以为后期设备针对性改造以及观测者调整观测策略提供参考依据, 对提升地基光学设备的观测效能具有重要的意义. 吉林天文观测基地(简称``基地'')隶属于中国科学院国家天文台长春人造卫星观测站, 位于吉林省吉林市大绥河镇小绥河村南沟约5 km处(东经126.3^\circ, 北纬43.8^\circ, 海拔高度313m). 基地大气视宁度均值范围约为1.3$''$--1.4$''$、天顶附近V波段的天光背景亮度为20.64magcdotarcsec^-2、年晴夜数最高可达270余天, 具有良好的天文观测条件. 吉林天文观测基地于2016年投入运行, 现有1.2m光电望远镜、迷你光电阵列望远镜、大视场光电望远镜阵列、新型多功能阵列结构光电探测平台等多台(套)光电望远镜设备. 利用上述设备, 主要围绕空间目标探测与识别、精密轨道确定、光电探测新方法以及变源天体的多色测光等开展相关研究工作, 与多家国内高校及科研院所保持着良好的合作关系.     

基于精密光程差调制的时域干涉信号闭合相位检测方法研究

闭合相位法是实现长基线恒星光干涉高分辨成像的重要技术手段之一,获得精确的闭合相位信息是进行光干涉图像重构的先决条件.提出一种基于精密光程差调制的时域干涉信号闭合相位检测方法,在3路干涉臂上进行非冗余精密光程调制,并通过多次干涉测量结合数据拟合的方法消除光程差调制中存在的正弦误差,使得光程调制的精度达到20 nm以内.引入高速探测器件提升时域干涉信号的采样频率,对探测器上获得的时域干涉信号进行傅立叶变换处理,获得3路干涉臂精确的闭合相位信息.室内实验结果表明,基于精密光程调制的时域信号闭合相位计算精度可以达到1/50波长以内.     

天文卫星下传数据处理系统的规划

天文卫星获取的数据需要经过卫星下传数据处理系统的一系列加工,生成可以分析的数据产品,这些产品及相应软件要发布给国内外用户,同时数据处理系统还要监测载荷状态、数据质量及天体源爆发等。这样,下传数据处理系统的建设直接关系到物理成果的获取,规划该系统就变得非常有意义。从数据产品定义、子系统规划、数据流程等方面介绍卫星下传数据处理系统的规划,并提出以模块化开发方式从整体上协调各个子系统的开发,使各个系统及其软件相互配合,共同促进科学产出。     

天文选址中的地理信息处理

地理信息是地面望远镜天文选址研究中的重要内容.尤其是对现有地理信息系统(Geographic Information System,GIS)的有效利用,已成为现代选址中远程分析阶段最重要的手段之一.天文址点的考虑在地理条件上应遵循以下原则:相对落差较大、交通可行、尽量远离人口集中的区域.从未来建站维护和人员长期驻站的角度考虑,天文址点以海拔处于3000～5000 m的范围、距离城镇大本营1 h左右车程为最佳.以云南省大姚县百草岭地区为选址研究对象,展示了GIS数据处理能够为全面了解一个候选区域3维地形地貌、江川河流、道路村落、电力分布以及预测该地区未来人口和城市化发展趋势等方面内容提供准确、直观、定量的参考数据.通过基于GIS数据的科学分析,发现海拔3 600多米的大百草岭山顶平坦而又干旱、周围人口稀少、道路便利、无工厂污染源,是地方政府重要自然保护区;它与直线距离10 km外的乡镇之间的相对落差超过了1 500 m,与50km外的县城的相对落差达到1 800 m,是滇中彝州坝区一座名副其实的孤峰.因此,GIS数据分析对于远程选址十分有益,GIS技术是现代天文选址不可或缺的重要手段.     

地面稳相频标传输系统设计和测试

设计了一款1.5 GHz的稳相频标传输装置,具有实时和事后补偿能力,并且兼容了同轴电缆和光纤两种传输介质.对装置的稳相原理和性能进行了分析和评估,然后对同轴电缆稳相系统的性能进行了测试.结果表明,基于目前的测试环境,与未稳相时相比,实时补偿模式可以改善相位变化112倍以上,积分时间长于7 s时,频率稳定度明显提升,长于60s的频率稳定度有1个数量级的改善;事后补偿模式可以改善40倍相位波动,积分时间长于2.5 s频率稳定度明显提升,长于40 s的频率稳定度有1个数量级的改善.对于更长时间积分的频率稳定度,实时和事后补偿模式均可以改善1.5个数量级以上,装置能有效抑制因传输介质的温度系数等因素导致的缓慢伸缩效应.     

Numerical simulations of pinhole and single-mode fibre spatial filters for optical interferometers

We use a numerical simulation to investigate the effectiveness of pinhole spatial filters for optical/IR interferometers and to compare them with single-mode optical fibre spatial filters and interferometers without spatial filters. We show that fringe visibility measurements in interferometers containing spatial filters are much less affected by changing seeing conditions than equivalent measurements without spatial filters. This reduces visibility calibration uncertainties, and hence can reduce the need for frequent observations of separate astronomical sources for calibration of visibility measurements. We also show that spatial filters can increase the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of visibility measurements and that pinhole filters give SNRs within 17 per cent of the values obtained with single-mode fibres for aperture diameters up to 3 r ₀. Given the simplicity of the use of pinhole filters we suggest that it represents a competitive, if not optimal, technique for spatial filtering in many current and next generation interferometers.     

Estimating statistics of sky brightness using radio interferometric observations

Radio interferometers are used to construct high resolution images of the sky at radio frequencies and are the key instruments for accessing the statistical properties of the evolution of neutral hydrogen over cosmic time. Here we use simulated observations of the model sky to assess the efficacy of different estimators of the large-scale structure and power spectrum of the sky brightness distribution. We find that while the large-scale distribution can be reasonably estimated using the reconstructed image from interferometric data, estimates of the power spectrum of the intensity fluctuations calculated from the image are generally biased. This bias is found to be more pronounced for diffuse emission. The visibility based power spectrum estimator, however, gives an unbiased estimate of the true power spectrum. This work demonstrates that for an observation with diffuse emission the reconstructed image can be used to estimate the large-scale distribution of the intensity, while to estimate the power spectrum, visibility based methods should be preferred.With the upcoming experiments aimed at measuring the evolution of the power spectrum of the neutral hydrogen distribution, this is a very important result.     

Maximum-likelihood astrometric geometry calibration of interferometric telescopes: application to the Very Small Array

Interferometers require accurate determination of the array configuration in order to produce reliable observations. A method is presented for finding the maximum-likelihood estimate of the telescope geometry, and of other instrumental parameters, astrometrically from the visibility timelines obtained from observations of celestial calibrator sources. The method copes systematically with complicated and unconventional antenna and array geometries, with electronic bandpasses that are different for each antenna radiometer, and with low signal-to-noise ratios for the calibrators. The technique automatically focuses on the geometry errors that are most significant for astronomical observation. We apply this method to observations made with the Very Small Array and constrain some 450 telescope parameters, such as the antenna positions, effective observing frequencies and correlator amplitudes and phaseshifts; this requires only ∼1 h of CPU time on a typical workstation.     

Diffraction losses in ground-based optical interferometers

We present a numerical analysis of free-space propagation of the beams inside a long-baseline optical/infrared interferometer. Unlike the models of beam propagation used in most previous studies, our analysis incorporates the effects of atmospheric seeing on the wavefronts entering the interferometer. We derive results for the changes in throughput, coherence loss and fringe-detection signal-to-noise ratio arising from diffraction along the propagation path. Our results for conditions of moderate seeing show that although the flux throughput decreases with propagation distance for a given beam diameter, the fringe contrast increases at the same time. In this case it becomes possible for diffraction to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the fringe measurements. Previous studies have only considered an arrangement where all the apertures in the beam-propagation system have the same diameter. If the light at the end of the propagation path is collected with a fixed size aperture, we find that in many cases the signal-to-noise ratio for fringe detection is maximized when the initial beam diameter is approximately 30 per cent smaller than the final collector diameter. We discuss the implications of our results in the context of future interferometer designs.     

Detection and measurement from narrow-band tunable filter scans

The past 5 years have seen a rapid rise in the use of tunable filters in many diverse fields of astronomy, through Taurus Tunable Filter (TTF) instruments at the Anglo-Australian and William Herschel Telescopes. Over this time we have continually refined aspects of operation and developed a collection of special techniques to handle the data produced by these novel imaging instruments. In this paper, we review calibration procedures and summarize the theoretical basis for Fabry–Perot photometry that is central to effective tunable imaging. Specific mention is made of object detection and classification from deep narrow-band surveys containing several hundred objects per field. We also discuss methods for recognizing and dealing with artefacts (scattered light, atmospheric effects, etc.), which can seriously compromise the photometric integrity of the data if left untreated. Attention is paid to the different families of ghost reflections encountered, and the strategies used to minimize their presence. In our closing remarks, future directions for tunable imaging are outlined and contrasted with the Fabry–Perot technology employed in the current generation of tunable imagers.     

An active fiber sensor for mirror vibration metrology in astronomical interferometers

We present a fiber sensor based on an active integrated component which could be effectively used to measure the longitudinal vibration modes of telescope mirrors in an interferometric array. We demonstrate the possibility to measure vibrations with frequencies up to ⋍100 Hz with a precision better than 10 nm (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)