天文CCD片内放大器的噪声特性及其抑制方法

分析了低光度天文应用时CCD器件的主要噪声源的噪声特性和三种典型CCD读出信号处理方式的噪声抑制效果;提出了天文CCD读出信号的相关多次采样(CMS)处理新方法,并分析了四次采样抑制CCD读出噪声的实验结果。     

两种快速星像匹配算法的比较

星像的位置和亮度等信息对天文研究和空间导航具有基础意义。人们常常需要快速匹配从密集星场CCD图像中提取的信息来获取与星表中对应的信息(如位置、光度等),因此开发出了多种星像匹配算法。重点比较了两种最新的星像匹配算法:i)基于向量的方法;ii)基于径向和环向特征的方法。通过对云南天文台1m望远镜观测的CCD图像进行实际匹配,结果表明基于向量的方法更优,它是一种快速的、接近常数时间的匹配算法。     

CCD图像拼接试验

为了获得大视场的高精度天文图像,实施了一种望远镜CCD图像的拼接方法。从原始图像到最终合成图像的坐标转换采用了结合星表UCAC4的六常数模型。不同于硬件级的拼接,使用逐个像素的灰度值再分配的方案进行图像融合。进一步采用云南天文台2.4 m望远镜拍摄的CCD图像进行了试验。结果表明,该算法可以产生较高质量的大视场CCD图像,可以直观地发现运动目标,暗星信噪比有显著改善。高精度的图像拼接还与原始数据扭曲改正的预处理密不可分。与未做扭曲改正相比,图像拼接的位置精度提高了约一倍(约0.02 pixel)。     

基于WCS的FITS图像天球定位综述及通用可视化研究

求取FITS(Flexible Image Transport System)文件头中以键/值对形式记录的坐标参数是FITS图像在天球参考系中定位的关键,研究坐标参数求解的一般过程具有重要意义.通过结合观测相机相关参数、天文照相图片识别算法以及WCS(World Coordinate System)理论能够有效实现坐标参数的求解,其中,CCD参数可确定图像对应天区在星表中的坐标范围,从而与星表结合可构建区域星表;天文照相图片识别完成了图像与区域星表间的匹配,得到一定数量恒星的CCD平面坐标与其天球坐标的对应表;WCS根据球面到平面不同投影方式建立两个坐标系之间的传递函数,选择其中一种并代入对应表中数据,解算函数的转换参数从而确定图像像素及其对应的天球坐标.FITS图像作为天文领域科学数据传输与分析的主流数据格式,仅限于在专业天文软件中进行查看、编辑及分析,在天文科普教育中存在局限性.因此,研究一种通用的图像可视化方法意义非凡.通过对FITS与PNG或JPEG图像进行格式转换,以AVM(Astronomy Visualization Metadata)的形式将FITS文件头中的坐标参数转换为元数据并添加到PNG或JPEG的文件头中,能够满足天文爱好者在非天文软件平台下查看及分析天文图像的一般需求.整体设计流程通过java编程实现并通过SExtractor、虚拟天文台可视化工具WWT、图片查看器等软件进行了相关测试.     

光学系统参数确定带宽约束的天文图像盲反卷积

大气湍流极大限制了地基大口径望远镜观测天文目标图像的空间分辨率.根据最大似然估计原理,提出了用实际光学带宽约束的可有效减小天文观测图像中大气湍流影响的盲反卷积方法,通过共轭梯度优化算法使卷积误差函数趋向最小.建立了望远镜光学系统参数和图像频域带宽的关系,采用变量正性约束、点扩散函数带宽有限约束,提高算法的收敛性.为避免图像处理中有效傅立叶变换频率超出截止频率,要求采集望远镜焦面图像时单个成像单元(如CCD像素单元)应小于四分之一衍射斑直径.算法中未用目标支持域约束,所提出的方法适用于全视场天文图像恢复.用计算机模拟和对实际天文目标双鱼座图像数据的恢复结果验证了所提出方法的有效性.     

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.     

适用于大视场的快速星像匹配算法

基于CCD图像的天文观测中,星像匹配是一项基本的任务。提出一种基于k-d树和k-means聚类算法的星像匹配算法,应用三角形不变性元组对相似三角形进行盲匹配,算法可以间接计算CCD图像的比例尺。三次使用k-d树优化计算,并使用k-means聚类算法对图像进行分割,提高星像匹配的精度。使用云南天文台1 m望远镜拍摄的稀疏星场和2.4 m望远镜拍摄的密集星场进行了星像匹配算法的测试。实验结果表明,该方法能较好地自适应图像比例尺的微小变化,同时提高星像匹配的精度。     

温度等因素对CCD数据采集电路性能影响的研究

CCD以其诸多优点，在天文观测中得到广泛应用。为了提高CCD性能，在实验室条件下，对国家天文台已有的CCD控制系统BIRAC，进行了温度对CCD采集电路性能影响的实验，以及板上A／D转换器误差校正，参考电压对噪声影响的研究。根据实验数据，得到上述各因素对CCD最终输出结果的影响程度，并提出与之对应的解决和优化方法。     

基于定标和图像处理的数字相机串扰图像修正方法

针对多通道数字相机因信号串扰导致的输出图像重叠问题,基于自行研制的四通道CCD数字相机系统数据,对串扰系数进行了追踪测试,发现串扰系数与输入信号强度和系统读出速度有特定的规律。对于这类系统噪声类串扰,提出了一种基于定标和图像处理的串扰图像修正方法。该方法通过定标建立串扰比例系数与像素数字编码(Digital Number, DN)的关系,再由串扰通道反推被串扰通道的干扰量,通过还原算法进行系统差修正,最终消除串扰。测试结果表明,经过该方法修正后的图像,串扰程度可降至基底白噪声量级,图像质量得到大幅改善。该方法对成像系统中因硬件工艺缺陷造成的固定图案噪声的消除有显著效果,对系统噪声类干扰也有抑制作用,在实际应用中可以作为一般成像系统优化图像质量的补充。     

CCD图像中宇宙线μ子甄选技术

电荷耦合器件(Charge Coupled Device, CCD)图像中的宇宙线是来自外太空的高能粒子,它穿过大气层,与大气层中的粒子发生相互作用形成次级粒子,最后落在CCD上。μ子是大气层宇宙线的主要成分,为了研究这些μ子的性质和变化规律,首先需要对图像中的μ子进行甄选。介绍一种快速有效地从图像中甄选μ子的方法,采用拉普拉斯边缘检测法从图像中提取宇宙线候选像素列表,去除其中的坏像素和噪声,然后使用凝聚层次聚类算法将宇宙线像素聚类成宇宙线事件,对宇宙线事件进行特征提取和分类,从中甄选宇宙线μ子。最后对甄选结果进行总结分析。     

Instructions for authors

正Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics publishes original research papers and reviews on all branches of astronomy and astrophysics.Reviews are by invitation only.Important new results that require rapid publication can be submitted as a Letter(Letters must be restricted in length to 6 printed pages).Authors who submit a paper are expected to be able to certify that the paper is original work,     

Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics CONTENTS

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Instructions for authors

正Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics publishes original research papers and reviews 011 all liranchcs of astronoiriy and astrophysics.Reviews arc by invitation only.Important new results that require rapid publication can be submitted as a Letter(Letters must be restricted in length     

Alkali and halogen chemistry in volcanic gases on Io

We use chemical equilibrium calculations to model the speciation of alkalis and halogens in volcanic gases emitted on Io. The calculations cover wide temperature (500-2000 K) and pressure (10⁻⁶ to 10⁺¹ bars) ranges, which overlap the nominal conditions at Pele (T=1760 K, P=0.01 bars). About 230 compounds of 11 elements (O, S, Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, F, Cl, Br, I) are considered. The elemental abundances for O, S, Na, K, and Cl are based upon observations. CI chondritic elemental abundances relative to sulfur are used for the other alkalis and halogens (as yet unobserved on Io). We predict the major alkali species in Pele-like volcanic gases and the percentage distribution of each alkali are LiCl (73%), LiF (27%); NaCl (81%), Na (16%), NaF (3%); KCl (91%), K (5%), KF (4%); RbCl (93%), Rb (4%), RbF (3%); CsCl (92%), CsF (6%), Cs (2%). Likewise the major halogen species and the percentage distribution of each halogen are NaF (88%), KF (10%), LiF (2%); NaCl (89%), KCl (11%); NaBr (89%), KBr (10%), Br (1%); NaI (61%), I (30%), KI (9%). We predict the major halogen condensates and their condensation temperatures at P=0.01 bar are NaF (1115 K), LiF (970 K); NaCl (1050 K), KCl (950 K); KBr (750 K), RbBr (730 K), CsBr (645 K); and solid I₂ (200 K). We also model disequilibrium chemistry of the alkalis and halogens in the volcanic plume. Based on this work and our prior modeling for Na, K, and Cl in a volcanic plume, we predict the major loss processes for the alkali halide gases are photolysis and/or condensation onto grains. Their estimated photochemical lifetimes range from a few minutes for alkali iodides to a few hours for alkali fluorides. Condensation is apparently the only loss process for elemental iodine. On the basis of elemental abundances and photochemical lifetimes, we recommend searching for gaseous KCl, NaF, LiF, LiCl, RbF, RbCl, CsF, and CsCl around volcanic vents during eruptions. Based on abundance considerations and observations of brown dwarfs we also recommend a search of Io's extended atmosphere and the Io plasma torus for neutral and ionized Li, Cs, Rb, and F.     

The climatic and physiographic controls of the eastern Mediterranean over the late Pleistocene climates in the southern Levant and its neighboring deserts

Modern-day synoptic-scale eastern Mediterranean climatology provides a useful context to synthesize the diverse late Pleistocene (60–12 ka) paleohydrologic and paleoenvironmental indicators of past climatic conditions in the Levant and the deserts to its south and east. We first critically evaluate, extract, and summarize paleoenvironmental and paleohydrologic records. Then, we propose a framework of eastern Mediterranean atmospheric circulation features interacting with the morphology and location of the southeast Mediterranean coast. Together they strongly control the spatial distribution of rainfall and wind pattern. This cyclone–physiography interaction enforces the observed rainfall patterns by hampering rainfall generation south and southeast of the latitude of the north Sinai coast, currently at 31°15′.The proposed framework explains the much-increased rains in Lebanon and northern Israel and Jordan as deduced from pollen, rise and maintenance of Lake Lisan, and speleothem formation in areas currently arid and semiarid. The proposed framework also accounts for the southward and eastward transition into semiarid, arid, and hyperarid deserts as expressed in thick loess accumulation at the deserts' margins, dune migration from west to east in the Sinai and the western Negev, and the formation of hyperarid (< 80 mm yr^− 1) gypsic–salic soils in the southern Negev and Sinai. Our climatic synthesis explains the hyperarid condition in the southern Negev, located only 200–250 km south of the much-increased rains in the north, probably reflecting a steeper rainfall gradient than the present-day gradient from the wetter Levant into its bordering southern and eastern deserts.At present, the rainiest winter seasons in Lebanon and northern and central Israel are associated with more frequent (+ 20%), deeper Cyprus Lows traversing the eastern Mediterranean at approximately the latitude of southern Turkey. Even these wettest years in northern Israel do not yield above average annual rainfall amounts in the hyperarid southern Negev. This region is mainly influenced by the Active Red Sea Troughs that produce only localized rains. The eastern Mediterranean Cyprus Lows also produce more dust storms and transport higher amounts of suspended dust to the loess area than any other atmospheric pattern. Concurrent rainfall and dust are essential to the late Pleistocene formation of the elongated thick loess zone along the desert northern margin. Even with existing dust storms, the lack of rain and very sparse vegetation account for the absence of late Pleistocene loess sequences from the southern Negev and the formation of hyperarid soils.When the north Sinai coast shifted 30–70 km northwest due to last glacial global sea level lowering, the newly exposed coastal areas supplied the sand and dust to these active eastern Mediterranean cyclones. This enforced the latitude of the northern boundary of the loess zone to be directly due east of the LGM shoreline. This shift of coast to the northwest inhibited rainfall in the southern Levant deserts and maintained their hyperaridity. Concurrently, frequent deep eastern Mediterranean Cyprus Lows were funneled along the northern Mediterranean increasing (probably doubling) the rains in central and northern Israel, Lebanon, southwestern Syria and northern Jordan. These storms and rains formed lakes, forests, and speleothems only a short distance north of the deserts in the southern Levant.     

Study on the Stressed Mirror Polishing with a Continuous Polishing Machine for Large Aperture Off-axis Aspheric Mirrors

A special stressed annular polishing technique is proposed to mill the off-axis aspheric sub-mirrors of a large segmented mirror with an annular polishing machine. Based on the basic principle of stressed annular polishing technique, a set of special stressing mechanisms are designed to convert milling the aspheric surfaces of sub-mirrors with different off-axis distances into milling the spherical surfaces with identical radii of curvature, so that they can be pol- ished simultaneously on a continuous polishing machine. It took about contin- uous 40 hours to polish a scaled-down mirror of the planning Chinese Future Giant Telescope (CFGT) using this technique. This mirror has the 330 mm di- ameter, 3.6 m off-axis distance, and the 21.6 m radius of curvature, and its max- imum asphericity is 16 micron. The experiment shows that this method has a high effciency, suits batch manufacturing, especially the batch manufacturing of aspheric sub-mirrors of the segmented primary mirror of an extremely large aperture telescope.     

Active hot star shells

Interferometry in the visible provides milliarcsecond spatial resolution and thus has been used for studying the circumstellar environment of active hot stars. In this paper I will illustrate how the visibility modulus and phase can be used to better constrain the physics of Be disks through results from the VLA, the MkII and the GI2T interferometers. I will insist on the importance and the potential of coupling high angular resolution with high spectral resolution to the study of Be shells. Finally I will present a possible study of the circumstellar disk of Be stars using the VLTI. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Fitting X-ray Afterglow Light curves of Gamma-ray Bursts by Using the Magnetar Energy Injection Model

The central compact object for some gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) may be a strongly magnetized millisecond pulsar. It can inject energy to the outer shock of the GRB by through the magnetic dipole radiation, and therefore causes the shallow decay of the early afterglow. Recently, from a large number of GRB X-ray afterglows observed by Swift/XRT(X-ray telescope), it is revealed that many of them exhibit the shallow decay about 10²∼10⁴ s after the burst prompt emission. We have fitted the X-ray afterglow light curves of 11 GRBs by using the energy injection model of a magnetar with the rotation period in the millisecond order of magnitude. The obtained result shows the validity and universality of the magnetar energy injection model in explaining the shallow decay of afterglows, and simultaneously provides some constraints on the magnetic field strength and rotation period of the central magnetar.     

我国新一代VLBI数字基带转换器研制进展

数字化是目前设备研制发展的趋势,介绍了中国科学院上海天文台利用超大规模集成电路结合软件无线电技术,自主研发的我国新一代VLBI数字基带转换器(Chinese Data Acquisition System,简称CDAS).文中描述了设备的工作原理及其组成,并以VLBI观测实验数据证明其可行性.与原有的模拟设备(Anal...