Monitoring GOCE gradiometer calibration parameters using accelerometer and star sensor data: methodology and first results

The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite, launched on 17 March 2009, is designed to measure the Earth’s mean gravity field with unprecedented accuracy at spatial resolutions down to 100?km. The accurate calibration of the gravity gradiometer on-board GOCE is of utmost importance for achieving the mission goals. ESA’s baseline method for the calibration uses star sensor and accelerometer data of a dedicated calibration procedure, which is executed every 2?months. In this paper, we describe a method for monitoring the evolution of calibration parameter during that time. The method works with star sensor and accelerometer data and does not require gravity field models, which distinguishes it from other existing methods. We present time series of calibration parameters estimated from GOCE data from 1 November 2009 to 17 May 2010. The time series confirm drifts in the calibration parameters that are present in the results of other methods, including ESA’s baseline method. Although these drifts are very small, they degrade the gravity gradients, leading to the conclusion that the calibration parameters of the ESA’s baseline method need to be linearly interpolated. Further, we find a correction of ?36 × 10^?6 for one calibration parameter (in-line differential scale factor of the cross-track gradiometer arm), which improves the gravity gradient performance. The results are validated by investigating the trace of the calibrated gravity gradients and comparing calibrated gravity gradients with reference gradients computed along the GOCE orbit using the ITG-Grace-2010s gravity field model.     

STAGES: the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey

We present an overview of the Space Telescope A901/2 Galaxy Evolution Survey (STAGES). STAGES is a multiwavelength project designed to probe physical drivers of galaxy evolution across a wide range of environments and luminosity. A complex multicluster system at   z ∼ 0.165  has been the subject of an 80-orbit F606W Hubble Space Telescope (HST) /Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) mosaic covering the full     span of the supercluster. Extensive multiwavelength observations with XMM–Newton , GALEX, Spitzer , 2dF, Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and the 17-band COMBO-17 photometric redshift survey complement the HST imaging. Our survey goals include simultaneously linking galaxy morphology with other observables such as age, star formation rate, nuclear activity and stellar mass. In addition, with the multiwavelength data set and new high-resolution mass maps from gravitational lensing, we are able to disentangle the large-scale structure of the system. By examining all aspects of an environment we will be able to evaluate the relative importance of the dark matter haloes, the local galaxy density and the hot X-ray gas in driving galaxy transformation. This paper describes the HST imaging, data reduction and creation of a master catalogue. We perform the Sérsic fitting on the HST images and conduct associated simulations to quantify completeness. In addition, we present the COMBO-17 photometric redshift catalogue and estimates of stellar masses and star formation rates for this field. We define galaxy and cluster sample selection criteria, which will be the basis for forthcoming science analyses, and present a compilation of notable objects in the field. Finally, we describe the further multiwavelength observations and announce public access to the data and catalogues.     

Constraints on black hole accretion in V Puppis

In light of the recent suggestion that the nearby eclipsing binary star system V Puppis has a dark companion on a long orbit, we present the results of radio and X-ray observations of it. We find an upper limit on its radio flux of about 300 μJy and a detection of it in the X-rays with a luminosity of about  3 × 10³¹  erg s⁻¹, a value much lower than what had been observed in some of the low angular resolution surveys of the past. These data are in good agreement with the idea that the X-ray emission from V Puppis comes from mass transfer between the two B stars in the system, but can still accommodate the idea that the X-ray emission comes from the black hole accreting stellar wind from one or both of the B stars.     

Bayesian photometric redshifts with empirical training sets

We combine in a single framework the two complementary benefits of  χ²  template fits and empirical training sets used e.g. in neural nets:  χ²  is more reliable when its probability density functions (PDFs) are inspected for multiple peaks, while empirical training is more accurate when calibration and priors of query data and training set match. We present a  χ²  empirical method that derives PDFs from empirical models as a subclass of kernel regression methods, and apply it to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 sample of >75 000 quasi-stellar objects, which is full of ambiguities. Objects with single-peak PDFs show <1 per cent outliers, rms redshift errors <0.05 and vanishing redshift bias. At   z > 2.5  , these figures are two times better. Outliers result purely from the discrete nature and limited size of the model, and rms errors are dominated by the intrinsic variety of object colours. PDFs classed as ambiguous provide accurate probabilities for alternative solutions and thus weights for using both solutions and avoiding needless outliers. E.g. the PDFs predict 78.0 per cent of the stronger peaks to be correct, which is true for 77.9 per cent of them. Redshift incompleteness is common in faint spectroscopic surveys and turns into a massive undetectable outlier risk above other performance limitations, but we can quantify residual outlier risks stemming from size and completeness of the model. We propose a matched  χ²  error scale for noisy data and show that it produces correct error estimates and redshift distributions accurate within Poisson errors. Our method can easily be applied to future large galaxy surveys, which will benefit from the reliability in ambiguity detection and residual risk quantification.     

Dynamics of planets in retrograde mean motion resonance

In a previous paper (Gayon and Bois 2008a), we have shown the general efficiency of retrograde resonances for stabilizing compact planetary systems. Such retrograde resonances can be found when two-planets of a three-body planetary system are both in mean motion resonance and revolve in opposite directions. For a particular two-planet system, we have also obtained a new orbital fit involving such a counter-revolving configuration and consistent with the observational data. In the present paper, we analytically investigate the three-body problem in this particular case of retrograde resonances. We therefore define a new set of canonical variables allowing to express correctly the resonance angles and obtain the Hamiltonian of a system harboring planets revolving in opposite directions. The acquiring of an analytical “rail” may notably contribute to a deeper understanding of our numerical investigation and provides the major structures related to the stability properties. A comparison between our analytical and numerical results is also carried out.     

Satellite attitude dynamics and estimation with the implicit midpoint method

We describe the application of the implicit midpoint integrator to the problem of attitude dynamics for low-altitude satellites without the use of quaternions. Initially, we consider the satellite to rotate without external torques applied to it. We compare the numerical solution with the exact solution in terms of Jacobi’s elliptic functions. Then, we include the gravity-gradient torque, where the implicit midpoint integrator proves to be a fast, simple and accurate method. Higher-order versions of the implicit midpoint scheme are compared to Gauss–Legendre Runge–Kutta methods in terms of accuracy and processing time. Finally, we investigate the performance of a parameter-adaptive Kalman filter based on the implicit midpoint integrator for the determination of the principal moments of inertia through observations.     

Tracing glacier wastage in the Northern Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan/Central Asia) over the last 40 years

The status and dynamics of glaciers are crucial for agriculture in semiarid parts of Central Asia, since river flow is characterized by major runoff in spring and summer, supplied by glacier- and snowmelt. Ideally, this coincides with the critical period of water demand for irrigation. The present study shows a clear trend in glacier retreat between 1963 and 2000 in the Sokoluk watershed, a catchment of the Northern Tien Shan mountain range in Kyrgyzstan. The overall area loss of 28% observed for the period 1963–2000, and a clear acceleration of wastage since the 1980s, correlate with the results of previous studies in other regions of the Tien Shan as well as the Alps. In particular, glaciers smaller than 0.5 km² have exhibited this phenomenon most starkly. While they registered a medium decrease of only 9.1% for 1963–1986, they lost 41.5% of their surface area between 1986 and 2000. Furthermore, a general increase in the minimum glacier elevation of 78 m has been observed over the last three decades. This corresponds to about one-third of the entire retreat of the minimum glacier elevation in the Northern Tien Shan since the Little Ice Age maximum.     

Twentieth-century trends in the thermal growing season in the Greater Baltic Area

Phenological data have shown an increase of ca. 10 days in European growing season length in the latter part of the twentieth century. In general, these changes have been associated with global warming. Here we present a study of thermal growing season (GS) trends in the Greater Baltic Area, northern Europe. Yearly dates for the start, end and length of the GS were computed for 49 stations in the studied area, using daily mean temperature measurements. Trends and tendencies of the GS parameters were analysed within the twentieth century. We also examined GS trends in long records (starting before 1850) from the region. The results show a general increase of the length of the GS of ca one week since 1951 in the area, where the most considerable change has occurred in spring (starting ∼6 days earlier). The largest increases were found at stations adjacent to the Baltic Sea and North Sea, where some Danish stations showed significant increasing trends in the length of the GS of more than 20 days. The only tendency for a shorter GS was found in Archangelsk, north western Russia. The three longest records displayed large inter-annual and decadal variability, with tendencies for increased frequencies of longer growing seasons since the 1950s.     

River discharge and freshwater runoff to the Barents Sea under present and future climate conditions

River discharge forms a major freshwater input into the Arctic Ocean, and as such it has the potential to influence the oceanic circulation. As the hydrology of Arctic river basins is dominated by cryospheric processes such as snow accumulation and snowmelt, it may also be highly sensitive to a change in climate. Estimating the water balance of these river basins is therefore important, but it is complicated by the sparseness of observations and the large uncertainties related to the measurement of snowfalls. This study aims at simulating the water balance of the Barents Sea drainage basin in Northern Europe under present and future climate conditions. We used a regional climate model to drive a large-scale hydrological model of the area. Using simulated precipitation derived from a climate model led to an overestimation of the annual discharge in most river basins, but not in all. Under the B2 scenario of climate change, the model simulated a 25% increase in freshwater runoff, which is proportionally larger than the projected precipitation increase. As the snow season is 30–50 day shorter, the spring discharge peak is shifted by about 2–3 weeks, but the hydrological regime of the rivers remains dominated by snowmelt.