Information systems playground—the target infrastructure

The Target infrastructure has been specially built as a storage and compute infrastructure for the information systems derived from Astro-WISE. This infrastructure will be used by several applications that collaborate in the area of information systems within the Target project. It currently consists of 10 PB of storage and thousands of computational cores. The infrastructure has been constructed based on the requirements of the applications. The storage is controlled by the Global Parallel File System of IBM. This file system takes care of the required flexibility by combining storage hardware with different characteristics into a single file system. It is also very scalable, which allows the system to be extended into the future, while replacing old hardware with new technology.     

用软件PSRCHIVE分析脉冲星数据

PSRCHIVE是一款开源的、面向对象的科学数据分析软件,是一套应用于脉冲星天文学研究的应用包。它通过一系列通用算法实现数据校准与积分、统计分析与模拟以及可视化处理过程,并在脉冲星测时、偏振测量、射频干扰、脉冲变化研究等方面得到了很好的应用。主要概述该软件包含的各种功能,特别是核心应用的各种界面。     

Using Java for distributed computing in the Gaia satellite data processing

In recent years Java has matured to a stable easy-to-use language with the flexibility of an interpreter (for reflection etc.) but the performance and type checking of a compiled language. When we started using Java for astronomical applications around 1999 they were the first of their kind in astronomy. Now a great deal of astronomy software is written in Java as are many business applications. We discuss the current environment and trends concerning the language and present an actual example of scientific use of Java for high-performance distributed computing: ESA’s mission Gaia. The Gaia scanning satellite will perform a galactic census of about 1,000 million objects in our galaxy. The Gaia community has chosen to write its processing software in Java. We explore the manifold reasons for choosing Java for this large science collaboration. Gaia processing is numerically complex but highly distributable, some parts being embarrassingly parallel. We describe the Gaia processing architecture and its realisation in Java. We delve into the astrometric solution which is the most advanced and most complex part of the processing. The Gaia simulator is also written in Java and is the most mature code in the system. This has been successfully running since about 2005 on the supercomputer “Marenostrum” in Barcelona. We relate experiences of using Java on a large shared machine. Finally we discuss Java, including some of its problems, for scientific computing.     

构建中国虚拟天文台的天文数据结点

随着天文观测数据的爆炸式增长以及数据网格技术等新兴IT技术的日趋成熟,虚拟天文台应运而生。虚拟天文台成为基于数据网格技术的解决复杂海量天文数据的访问和管理的一种有效手段。我们对现有中国虚拟天文台体系结构底层进行设计与实现,并完成了其核心部分一天文数据结点。天文数据结点可发布和管理异构的数据资源,为用户提供统一的数据访问接口,进而为天文学家实现对各种天文数据的无缝透明访问和处理提供了方便。本文重点介绍了我们设计的天文数据结点的体系结构,以及结点各部分的功能,并讨论了其关键技术的实现。     

Alternative Astronomical Software Packages

At a time when the United Nations, in collaboration with Wolfram Research, has selected the Mathematica software package to inform developing countries about available scientific tools, it is important to review other choices of software being used by active scientists around the world. For observational astronomers with large volumes of digital data to be analyzed, the main challenges are data reductions, image handling, model comparisons, interactive fits, data simulations and visualizations, etc. There are several good alternative software packages such as: AIPS, IRAF, MIDAS and IDL The first three packages can be obtained free of charge by contacting the sponsoring institutions. Information can be obtained, via the World Wide Web, from the URLs indicated in the footnotes. IDL is a commercial package that can be used in all kinds of computer platforms and is extensively used in space astronomy (e.g., main language of software reduction packages of missions like IUE, HST, ROSAT, SOHO, etc). All of these packages are able to handle some of the most common commercial and scientific data formats (FITS, CDF and HDF). These software packages provide general tools for image processing and data reduction with emphasis on, but not limited to, astronomical applications. All of these packages have good active customer support strategies, the most useful ones being periodic newsletters, related meetings (e.g., annual meeting on Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems), software user groups, bulletin board discussions, FAQs, etc. The purpose of this paper is to present the relative usefulness, available platforms, associated libraries, related resources, of these software packages and the many already existing and potential astronomical applications. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A New Approach for Scientific Data Dissemination in Developing Countries: A Case of Indonesia

This short paper is a progress report on our experiences in Indonesia of collecting, integrating and disseminating both global and local scientific data across the country through the web. Our recent efforts are concentrated on improving local public access to global scientific data, and encouraging local scientific data to be more accessible for global communities. We have maintained a well-connected infrastructure and web-based information management systems to realize these objectives. This paper is especially focused on introducing the ARSIP system for mirroring global data and sharing local scientific data, and the newly developed Indonesian Scientific Index for integrating local scientific data through an automated intelligent indexing system.     

Massive stars

We describe the present state of massive star research seen from the viewpoint of stellar evolution, with special emphasis on close binaries. Statistics of massive close binaries are reasonably complete for the Solar neighbourhood. We defend the thesis that within our knowledge, many scientific results where the effects of binaries are not included, have an academic value, but may be far from reality. In chapter I, we summarize general observations of massive stars where we focus on the HR diagram, stellar wind mass loss rates, the stellar surface chemistry, rotation, circumstellar environments, supernovae. Close binaries can not be studied separately from single stars and vice versa. First, the evolution of single stars is discussed (chapter I). We refer to new calculations with updated stellar wind mass loss rate formalisms and conclusions are proposed resulting from a comparison with representative observations. Massive binaries are considered in chapter II. Basic processes are briefly described, i.e. the Roche lobe overflow and mass transfer, the common envelope process, the spiral-in process in binaries with extreme mass ratio, the effects of mass accretion and the merging process, the implications of the (asymmetric) supernova explosion of one of the components on the orbital parameters of the binary. Evolutionary computations of interacting close binaries are discussed and general conclusions are drawn. The enormous amount of observational data of massive binaries is summarized. We separately consider the non-evolved and evolved systems. The latter class includes the semi-detached and contact binaries, the WR binaries, the X-ray binaries, the runaways, the single and binary pulsars. A general comparison between theoretical evolution and observations is combined with a discussion of specially interesting binaries: the evolved binaries HD 163181, HD 12323, HD 14633, HD 193516, HD 25638, HD 209481, Per and Sgr; the WR+OB binary V444 Cyg; the high mass X-ray binaries Vela X-1, Wray 977, Cyg X-1; the low mass X-ray binaries Her X-1 and those with a black hole candidate; the runaway Pup, the WR+compact companion candidates Cyg X-3, HD 50896 and HD 197406. We finally propose an overall evolutionary model of massive close binaries as a function of primary mass, mass ratio and orbital period. Chapter III deals with massive star population synthesis with a realistic population of binaries. We discuss the massive close binary frequency, mass ratio and period distribution, the observations that allow to constrain possible asymmetries during the supernova explosion of a massive star. We focuss on the comparison between observed star numbers (as a function of metallicity) and theoretically predicted numbers of stellar populations in regions of continuous star formation and in starburst regions. Special attention is given to the O-type star/WR star/red supergiant star population, the pulsar and binary pulsar population, the supernova rates. Received 17 July 1998     

A comparison of computed and observed line profiles and flash intensities in the photosphere-chromosphere transition region

This paper mainly deals with the development of a method for the interpretation of eclipse observations in the extreme limb - lower chromosphere transition region. We compute line profiles emitted by a column of 1 cm² cross section along the line of sight and, by integration, profiles and total (flash) intensities from a slice of 1 cm width beyond the Moon's edge, at various heights with respect to the solar limb. The solar models used are mentioned in Section 1; method and approximations are described in Section 2. Calculations have been made for some Fei lines with various equivalent widths (Table I); the results are discussed in Section 3. It appears that the method enables one to distinguish between the various models. Particularly line intensities just inside the limb are very important.We compared our computed results with some observations made by Houtgast (Section 4). The main conclusion is that a BCA-type temperature distribution alone does not agree with observations; we have to assume an excitation temperature of Holweger's type.Investigation performed at the Astronomical Institute, Utrecht; present address: Royal Belgian Observatory, 1180 Brussels.     

PHoToNs–A parallel heterogeneous and threads oriented code for cosmological N-body simulation

We introduce a new code for cosmological simulations, PHo To Ns, which incorporates features for performing massive cosmological simulations on heterogeneous high performance computer(HPC) systems and threads oriented programming. PHo To Ns adopts a hybrid scheme to compute gravitational force, with the conventional Particle-Mesh(PM) algorithm to compute the long-range force,the Tree algorithm to compute the short range force and the direct summation Particle-Particle(PP) algorithm to compute gravity from very close particles. A self-similar space filling a Peano-Hilbert curve is used to decompose the computing domain. Threads programming is advantageously used to more flexibly manage the domain communication, PM calculation and synchronization, as well as Dual Tree Traversal on the CPU+MIC platform. PHo To Ns scales well and efficiency of the PP kernel achieves68.6% of peak performance on MIC and 74.4% on CPU platforms. We also test the accuracy of the code against the much used Gadget-2 in the community and found excellent agreement.     

Radiative energy transfer in extended photospheres of the components of close binary systems

The aim of the present paper will be to set up, and solve, the equations governing transfer of radiation in semi-transparent envelopes of the stars; and, in order to do so, to employ a system of curvilinear (non-orthogonal) three-dimensional coordinates in which the radial coordinate has been identified with equipotential surfaces. Such coordinates are particularly suitable to a treatment of the problems arising in close binary systems, which render the outcome more than any other amenable to observable tests, but which has so far received but very scant attention.The introductory section of this paper will contain a statement of the problem; and its mathematical formulation in terms of Clairaut coordinates (cf. Kopal, 1980, 1989, Chapter V) will be outlined in Section 2; their methods in Section 3. Section 4 will then contain an application to the problem of distribution of surface brightness (limb-darkening) over the apparent discs of distorted components of close binary systems; while in Section 5 we shall do the same for radiative flux of distorted stars as a function of the phase (gravity darkening).The concluding Section 6 will then contain an outline of additional problems arising in this connection, to which we shall turn in successive parts of this series.     

Integrating advanced visualization technology into the planetary Geoscience workflow

Recent advances in computer visualization have allowed us to develop new tools for analyzing the data gathered during planetary missions, which is important, since these data sets have grown exponentially in recent years to tens of terabytes in size. As part of the Advanced Visualization in Solar System Exploration and Research (ADVISER) project, we utilize several advanced visualization techniques created specifically with planetary image data in mind. The Geoviewer application allows real-time active stereo display of images, which in aggregate have billions of pixels. The ADVISER desktop application platform allows fast three-dimensional visualization of planetary images overlain on digital terrain models. Both applications include tools for easy data ingest and real-time analysis in a programmatic manner. Incorporation of these tools into our everyday scientific workflow has proved important for scientific analysis, discussion, and publication, and enabled effective and exciting educational activities for students from high school through graduate school.     

BIT地面观测软件

本文介绍紫台30公分红外望远镜(BIT)地面观测所使用的软件系统。该软件是在BIT地面修复过程中以地面观测为使用目的而开发的。软件用于望远镜指向等系统参数显示和星场照相机控制显示,并预置了软件接口,可进一步实现对望远镜指向的计算机控制。软件已在BIT地面实验观测中使用,运行可靠,操作方便。     

Studying Sun–Planet Connections Using the Heliophysics Integrated Observatory (HELIO)

The Heliophysics Integrated Observatory (HELIO) is a software infrastructure involving a collection of web services, heliospheric data sources (e.g., solar, planetary, etc.), and event catalogues – all of which are accessible through a unified front end. In this paper we use the HELIO infrastructure to perform three case studies based on solar events that propagate through the heliosphere. These include a coronal mass ejection that intersects both Earth and Mars, a solar energetic particle event that crosses the orbit of Earth, and a high-speed solar wind stream, produced by a coronal hole, that is observed in situ at Earth (L1). A ballistic propagation model is run as one of the HELIO services and used to model these events, predicting if they will interact with a spacecraft or planet and determining the associated time of arrival. The HELIO infrastructure streamlines the method used to perform these kinds of case study by centralising the process of searching for and visualising data, indicating interesting features on the solar disk, and finally connecting remotely observed solar features with those detected by in situ solar wind and energetic particle instruments. HELIO represents an important leap forward in European heliophysics infrastructure by bridging the boundaries of traditional scientific domains.     

Organization of tests of integrated on-board spacecraft control system

The experience accumulated by a test organization of integrated on-board control systems of spacecraft for scientific purposes, which became the basis for all the latest developments at Lavochkin Research and Production Association in the implementation of advanced space programs, is analyzed. At this enterprise, the proposed methods of test organization have made it possible to take a step toward developing the technology of scientific spacecraft testing based on new principles of the modern development of electronic and software systems used as block and unit devices (BUDs) and separate on-board systems.     

Book Review

The aim of this book is to present techniques for the study of motion of solar system objects in highly eccentric orbits. Instead of using the usual anomalies (mean, true, eccentric), the authors define and use a new kind of anomaly, the elliptic anomaly.In this way, it is possible, in a theory using perturbation series expansions, to make the ratio: (accuracy)/(number of needed terms), higher than in the classical techniques. The book consists of six chapters. The first chapter deals with the elliptic anomaly in the two-body problem and the second chapter presents the general technique to construct first-order perturbation theory in elliptic function expansions. The next three chapters deal with applications of the new technique to artificial satellites and asteroids, in highly eccentric orbits. The last chapter describes the basic algorithms of the theory.The tools developed in the book demand the use of computer algebra, which is implemented by means of Mathematica 3.0.The book is well written and the new technique is clearly presented and related to the existing techniques, making it useful to all those who use analytical or semi-analytical methods for the study of highly eccentric motion. Celestial Mechanics at High Eccentricities, Gordon and Breach Publishers, US$95, GBP 59, EUR 79, ISBN 90-5699-212-0     

长波信号(BPL)自动监视系统的研制

介绍了新研制的长波信号 (呼号BPL)自动监视系统。着重从硬软件两方面分别阐述了该监视系统重要组成部分———监测仪的构成原理 ,同时也阐述了PC计算机软件的功能特点。     

The Science Operations Centre of MINISAT-01

The Scientific Operations Centre (C.O.C.) takes care of all aspects of theMinisat-01 Mission related to the payload and its scientific instruments. Operations planning, preparation of commands, monitoring of the scientific instruments and data processing and distribution are the daily tasks carried out at the COC. We review these tasks along the operational life of Minisat-01 and we present a summary of the science operations andsome statistics on the usage of the satellite.     

The visible spectra of three B stars: π Cet, 36 Lyn 134 Tau

We present an identification list for the visible spectra of three B stars: π Cet (B7V), 36 Lyn B8 IIIp (?)),and 134 Tau (B9 IV). Equivalent widths have been measured on medium dispersion plates (7.0 and 12.4 Å mm^?1) taken with the 152 cm coudé reflector at the Observatoire de Haute Provence (France). These results are also presented. The photographic plates were digitized by using a PDS 1010A microdensitometer. The spectroscopic data were reduced by means of a dedicated software package and an attempt was made to compute equivalent widths in a homogeneous way. T _eff and logg parameters were estimated by using the computer to compare automatically the spectroscopic data with the value of theoretical models.     

低纬子午环配备CCD的误差理论分析

本文对ＬＬＭＣ＋ＣＣＤ仪器系统的误差理论进行了综合性的探讨。文中所涉及的误差主要来自两方面：其一是来自仪器系统本身的误差，其二是来自仪器系统以外的误差。论文的第一章对ＣＣＤ器件的特性及其在天文学上的应用作了扼要介绍；第二章阐述了低纬子午环配备ＣＣＤ的观测方法，还简述了低纬子午环的结构及观测原理；第三章对十七种不同类型误差的测定或消除方法作了详尽的探讨和分析；第四章推导了星径曲率改正；第五章对小角度天体测量技术和大角度天体测量技术进行了评估。     

Methods for rapidly processing angular masks of next-generation galaxy surveys

As galaxy surveys become larger and more complex, keeping track of the completeness, magnitude limit and other survey parameters as a function of direction on the sky becomes an increasingly challenging computational task. For example, typical angular masks of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey contain about   N = 300 000  distinct spherical polygons. Managing masks with such large numbers of polygons becomes intractably slow, particularly for tasks that run in time     with a naive algorithm, such as finding which polygons overlap each other. Here we present a 'divide-and-conquer' solution to this challenge: we first split the angular mask into pre-defined regions called 'pixels', such that each polygon is in only one pixel, and then perform further computations, such as checking for overlap, on the polygons within each pixel separately. This reduces     tasks to     , and also reduces the important task of determining in which polygon(s) a point on the sky lies from     to     , resulting in significant computational speedup. Additionally, we present a method to efficiently convert any angular mask to and from the popular healpix format. This method can be generically applied to convert to and from any desired spherical pixelization. We have implemented these techniques in a new version of the mangle software package, which is freely available at http://space.mit.edu/home/tegmark/mangle/ , along with complete documentation and example applications. These new methods should prove quite useful to the astronomical community, and since mangle is a generic tool for managing angular masks on a sphere, it has the potential to benefit terrestrial mapmaking applications as well.