Analysis and Correction of the Influence of Track Irregularity on the Antenna Pointing

According to the influence mechanism of the antenna track irregularity on the telescope pointing accuracy, the distribution of the track errors and their influence on the pointing of the Urumqi Nanshan 26 m telescope are reanalyzed after the antenna track was reformed by using the whole-body welding technology, and hereby the pointing error model is correspondingly revised. By using the moving least-squares method, the measured height errors of the antenna track plane are fitted with a closed curve, and the tilt of the antenna azimuth axis caused by the track irregularity can be determined accordingly. Comparing it with the measured deviation of the antenna azimuth axis caused by the deformation of antenna pedestal, it can be found that both deviations are strongly correlated. A new pointing error model is established in view of the gravity deformation of antenna pedestal, which includes the north-south and east-west components, as well as the antenna track irregularity. Finally, by scanning a known calibration radio source at different positions in the sky, the measured pointing errors are fitted with the new pointing error model. The result shows that the sinusoidal component of the model error can be well constrained by the new pointing correction model, indicating that the new model can reflect very well the antenna pointing error, and can amend it to a certain extend.     

Autonomous software: Myth or magic?

We discuss work by the eSTAR project which demonstrates a fully closed loop autonomous system for the follow up of possible micro‐lensing anomalies. Not only are the initial micro‐lensing detections followed up in real time, but ongoing events are prioritised and continually monitored, with the returned data being analysed automatically. If the “smart software” running the observing campaign detects a planet‐like anomaly, further follow‐up will be scheduled autonomously and other telescopes and telescope networks alerted to the possible planetary detection.We further discuss the implications of this, and how such projects can be used to build more general autonomous observing and control systems. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Time‐sensitive astronomy in non‐robotic telescopes

Protocols for dealing with time‐sensitive observations have traditionally focused on robotic telescope networks and other types of automated dedicated facilities, mostly in the optical domain. Using UKIRT and JCMT as examples, which are infrared and sub‐millimetre telescopes with a traditional PI‐dominated user base, we discuss how such facilities can join a heterogeneous telescope network to their mutual advantage. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The eSTAR network – agent architectures for astronomy

The eSTAR Project uses intelligent agent technologies to carry out resource discovery, submit observation requests and analyze the reduced data returned from a meta‐network of robotic telescopes. Linking ground based telescopes with astronomical satellites, and using the emerging field of intelligent agent architectures to provide crucial autonomous decision making in software, the project has succeeded in combining data archives and research class telescopes, along with distributed computing nodes, to build an ad‐hoc peer‐to‐peer heterogeneous network of resources. We present the current operations paradigm of the eSTAR network and describe the direction in which the project intends to develop over the next few years. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

基于斩波轮技术的K波段接收机噪声校准研究

接收机是射电天文中用于探测微弱射电信号的重要接收设备.接收机的强度校准就是将接收机对射电源的响应转换为天文意义上的流量密度.常规方法就是使用经典的冷热负载法,将接收机自身的强度响应转换为一个等效的温度值,之后再据此对射电源做进一步标定.通过搭建基于斩波轮技术的K波段接收机强度校准平台,使用斩波轮法测试K波段常温接收机的噪声温度,并与传统冷热负载法的测试结果进行比对.结果显示,在晴好天气条件下,斩波轮法在30°、90°仰角下噪声温度的最大测试误差为7.5%和8.4%,可以很好地应用于实际噪声温度测试中;但在5°仰角测试中,由于过低仰角引入了地面噪声,使得斩波轮法的测试误差上升至20%–30%之间而无法使用.希望在此基础上进一步开展K波段天空亮温度的理论计算与实测,从而完善斩波轮技术的应用,使之可以满足在不同气象条件下的噪声校准测试需求.     

基于嵌入式人工智能设备的流星光学监测系统

流星光学监测网是定位陨石和观测火流星的基础科研设施. 流星光学监测系统利用光学相机高速采集天空图像, 使用嵌入式系统实时处理数据, 能够快速识别流星并获取流星位置和陨石落点信息, 是构成流星监测网的关键仪器. 为提高流星光学监测系统获取信息的实时性及准确性, 提出了一种基于嵌入式人工智能设备的流星光学监测系统. 该系统由软件及硬件部分组成: 硬件部分包括观测设备(商用高空抛物摄像头)以及数据处理设备(嵌入式人工智能设备); 软件部分运行于数据处理设备内, 主要包括控制界面模块、流星监测模块、数据管理模块. 实际工作时, 摄像头采集天空视频信息, 流星监测模块从视频流中实时监测流星并存储包含流星视频的数据, 数据管理模块将流星位置信息实时传回数据中心用于预警. 观测结束后, 将原始观测数据同步至数据中心用于后续科学研究. 在整个系统中, 流星监测模块决定了整个监测系统的实时性及准确性. 该系统采用嵌入式人工智能设备与人工智能算法结合的方法构建流星监测模块. 通过使用实测数据对搭载监测模块性能进行测试, 结果表明: 流星监测模块能够达到0.28%的低误检率以及100%的召回率, 且数据处理速度达到了Mobilenetv2的8倍. 进一步将包含监测模块的整个流星光学监测系统部署于太原理工大学-张壁古堡远程天文台, 通过实测表明流星光学监测系统实用中能达到100%的召回率和较低的误检率.     

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.     

A super-high angular resolution principle for coded-mask X-ray imaging beyond the diffraction limit of a single pinhole

High angular resolution X-ray imaging is always useful in astrophysics and solar physics. In principle, it can be performed by using coded-mask imaging with a very long mask-detector distance. Previously, the diffraction-interference effect was thought to degrade coded-mask imaging performance dramatically at the low energy end with its very long mask-detector distance. The diffraction-interference effect is described with numerical calculations, and the difffraction-interference cross correlation reconstruction method (DICC) is developed in order to overcome the imaging performance degradation. Based on the DICC, a super-high angular resolution principle (SHARP) for coded-mask X-ray imaging is proposed. The feasibility of coded mask imaging beyond the diffraction limit of a single pinhole is demonstrated with simulations. With the specification that the mask element size is 50 × 50 μm2 and the mask-detector distance is 50 m, the achieved angular resolution is 0.32arcsec above about 10keV and 0.36arcsec at 1.24keV (λ = 1 nm), where diffraction cannot be neglected. The on-axis source location accuracy is better than 0.02 arcsec. Potential applications for solar observations and wide-field X-ray monitors are also briefly discussed.     

Distributed intelligence in an astronomical Distributed Sensor Network

The Telescope Alert Operations Network System (TALONS) was designed and developed in the year 2000, around the architectural principles of a distributed sensor network. This network supported the original Rapid Telescopes for Optical Response (RAPTOR) project goals; however, only with further development could TALONS meet the goals of the larger Thinking Telescope Project. The complex objectives of the Thinking Telescope project required a paradigm shift in the software architecture – the centralised intelligence merged into the TALONS network operations could no longer meet all of the new requirements. The intelligence needed to be divorced from the network operations and developed as a series of peripheral intelligent agents, distributing the decision making and analytical processes based on the temporal volatility of the data. This paper is presented as only one part of the poster from the workshop and in it we will explore the details of this architecture and how that merges with the current Thinking Telescope system to meet our project goals. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

环焦天线口径面相位分析

环焦天线具有特殊的电磁特性和应用领域.对环焦天线的口径面相位误差进行了理论和仿真分析,推导了馈源和副面位置偏差引起的相位误差、主副面之间的补偿关系以及全息测量中天线转动引起的光程差.研究结果将对环焦天线的精确面形测量和补偿提供理论依据和参考.     

The SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey – II. Image detection, parametrization, classification and photometry

In this, the second in a series of three papers concerning the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey, we describe the methods for image detection, parametrization, classification and photometry. We demonstrate the internal and external accuracy of our object parameters. Using examples from the first release of data, the South Galactic Cap survey, we show that our image detection completeness is close to 100 per cent to within ∼1.5 mag of the nominal plate limits. We show that for the B _J survey data, the image classification is externally > 99 per cent reliable to B _J∼19.5 . Internally, the image classification is reliable at a level of > 90 per cent to B _J∼21 , R ∼19 . The photometric accuracy of our data is typically ∼0.3 mag with respect to external data for m >15 . Internally, the relative photometric accuracy in restricted position and magnitude ranges can be as accurate as ∼5 per cent for well-exposed stellar images. Colours are externally accurate to σ _{B − R , R − I} ∼0.07 at B _J∼16.5 , rising to σ _{B − R , R − I} ∼0.16 at B _J∼20 .     

Fast guiding and small telescopes in the 8-m era

Fast guiding may improve the images delivered by telescopes. It may be implemented fairly cheaply and offers an upgrade path to smaller telescopes, which will make them more useful in the 8-m era. However, the detailed performance of a fast guiding system must depend on many parameters and this makes it difficult to assess its precise scientific benefits. This paper provides a comprehensive mathematical framework for calculating the performance of fast guiding systems. A range of models has been calculated that illustrates the benefits for telescopes of various sizes in various wavelength ranges. Three measures of performance have been examined: FWHM, 50 per cent encircled energy diameter and energy concentration in a 0.35-arcsec aperture. Typical gains over natural seeing are found to be in the 20 to 40 per cent range at useful levels of sky coverage. Other things being equal, small telescopes do not benefit as much as large ones from fast guiding. The sensitivity of these benefits to assumptions has also been examined, and this highlights the need to operate in the correct wavelength range for the aperture in question. The largest perturbations to ideal models are likely to be the result of telescope windshake and the outer scale of turbulence. If there is appreciable windshake, fast guiding will yield larger benefits than expected from the natural seeing. A short outer scale (a few hundred metres) will, however, lose most of the gains.     

Scheduling for Robonet‐1 homogenous telescope network

The Robonet‐1 homogenous telescope network consists of 3 fully robotic 2 m class telescopes. I describe how the observation requests submitted by external users and automated user agents are selected for observation by the individual telescope schedulers. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Simulation Research on the Solar Hard X-Ray Imaging Telescope

The hard X-ray imaging telescope of the modulation collimator type is widely used in current solar observations. The spatial modulation telescope is the telescope which keeps its central axis not rotate, suitable for the satellite of 3-axis attitude stabilization. For the possible Chinese solar mission in the near future, we make a design of hard X-ray imaging telescope, and simulate the photon counting using the common simulation software GEANT4. Then we implement the image reconstruction with MATLAB, and compare the reconstructed image of the photons simulated by GEANT4 with that of the photons calculated by the geometric algorithm. The results show that the simulated one by GEANT4 is more closer to the reality than that obtained by the geometric algorithm. An executable design is also proposed at last.     

一种空间目标光电跟踪新方法

针对目前空间目标光电观测的自动跟踪过程中,容易受到恒星干扰等影响丢帧后失跟的问题,从概率观点分析了光电跟踪的两个环节:状态外推和实时采样.根据估计理论,建立了一种新的光电跟踪方法.方法利用卡尔曼滤波数据融合的本质提高外推的稳健性,通过均值漂移方法实现跟踪窗口的调整.仿真试验表明,新方法能够有效的降低跟踪中干扰的影响,提高跟踪的稳健性.     

Particle-mesh simulations of the Lyα forest

We have analysed short-exposure high-resolution images obtained on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), Big Telescope Azimuthal (BTA) and CanadaFranceHawaii Telescope (CFHT) in order to investigate mechanical vibrations that are capable of reducing the high angular resolution allowed by speckle-interferometric methods. After filtering the photon noise we have computed power spectra of the image centres of gravity. In these spectra we have found vibration features that differ from one telescope to another and that vary in particular with the zenith angle. In the case of the WHT we discuss these results in terms of possible causes and in terms of degradation of the transfer function. We present some means to improve the data.