85 Peg A: what age for a low-metallicity solar-like star?

We explore the possible evolutionary status of the primary component of the binary 85 Pegasi, listed as a target for asteroseismic observations by the MOST satellite. In spite of the assessed 'subdwarf' status, and of the accurate distance determination from the Hipparcos data, the uncertainties in the metallicity and age, coupled with the uncertainty in the theoretical models, lead to a range of predictions on the oscillation frequency spectrum. Nevertheless, the determination of the ratio between the small separation in frequency modes, and the large separation as suggested by Roxburgh, provides a very good measure of the star age, quite independent of the metallicity in the assumed uncertainty range. In this range, the constraint on the dynamical mass and the further constraint provided by the assumption that the maximum age is 14 Gyr limits the mass of 85 Peg A to the range from 0.75 to  0.82 M_⊙  . This difference of a few hundredths of a solar mass leads to well detectable differences both in the evolutionary stage (age) and in the asteroseismic properties. We show that the age determination which will be possible through the asteroseismic measurements for this star is independent either of the convection model adopted or the microscopic metal diffusion. The latter conclusion is strengthened by the fact that, although metal diffusion is still described in an approximate way, recent observations suggest that real stars suffer a smaller metal sedimentation compared with the models.     

Protogalactic explosions and intracluster chemical enrichment

Using a hydrodynamic model of protogalactic evolution, we explain the amount of iron in rich clusters, deduced from X-ray observations. In fact, our calculations show that a strong shock wave originates in the first violent collapse phase and leaves the protogalaxy, carrying out a substantial fraction of its mass, with roughly solar metallicity and high temperature (10⁷–10⁸ K). We also show that hot material ejected from proto-cD galaxies can probably explain the observed X-ray emission in clusters.     

Non-integrability of the problem of motion around an oblate planet

We provide a result of non-analytic integrability of the so-called J ₂-problem. Precisely by using the Lerman theorem we are able to prove the existence of a region of the phase space, where the dynamical system exhibits chaotic motions.     

Far-infrared observations of main sequence stars surrounded by dust shells

We present 50 and 100µm photometry and size information for several main sequence stars surrounded by dust shells. The observations from NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory include the Vega-like stars, Beta Pic, Fomalhaut, as well as four stars suggested by Walker and Wolstencroft to belong possibly to the same class. The results of our observations are best interpreted as upper limits to the far-infrared sizes of the dust clouds around all of the stars except Fomalhaut and Beta Pic. We have also fit simple, optically thin models to the Beta Pic data to explore the range of shell parameters consistent with our limits and with previous observations.     

Internal rotation of the Sun as inferred from GONG observations

Helioseismology is a direct and most informative method of studying the structure and dynamics of the Sun. Determining the internal differential rotation of the Sun requires that the frequencies of its eigentones be estimated with a high accuracy, which is possible only on the basis of continuous long-term observations. The longest quasi-continuous series of data have been obtained by the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG). The parameters of each individual mode of solar acoustic oscillations with low spherical degrees l=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are determined by using 1260-day-long series of GONG observations. The mean frequency splitting by rotation for the modes of each radial order n is calculated by using all possible combinations between the eigenfrequencies in multiplets. As a result, it has become possible to statistically estimate the splitting and its measurement errors for the modes of each radial order. The mean splitting for each given degree l=1–6 is presented under the assumption of its independence of oscillation frequency, which holds for the achieved accuracy. The frequencies and splittings for the modes with low spherical degrees l, together with the MDI group results for higher degrees l, are used to invert the radial profile of solar angular velocity. Using the SOLA method to solve the inverse problem of restoring the rotation profile has yielded solutions sensitive to the deepest stellar interiors. Our results indicate that the solar core rotates faster than the surface, and there may be a local minimum in angular velocity at its boundary.     

Design of a high update-rate star sensor for arcsec-level attitude determination from balloon-borne X/γ astronomy platforms

This paper describes the design of a star sensor based upon a high dynamic range CCD in order to reach an arcsec-level attitude determination in balloon-borne missions. A custom star identification software was developed and laboratory-tested on a prototype assembled using commercial components. A set of numerical simulations have been carried out to study the dependence on the pointing precision of the centroid position accuracy, the number of detected stars and the effect of the image focusing. Moreover, the role of the electronic noise and the discrete pixel structure on the light signals is identified by the analysis of numerical simulations. Laboratory tests confirm that the arcsec pointing accuracy with a 1 Hz update rate can be achieved with our combination of custom-developed software and selected hardware components.     

Optimal two-impulse rendezvous using constrained multiple-revolution Lambert solutions

A solution to the fixed-time minimum-fuel two-impulse rendezvous problem for the general non-coplanar elliptical orbits is provided. The optimal transfer orbit is obtained using the constrained multiple-revolution Lambert solution. Constraints consist of lower bound for perigee altitude and upper bound for apogee altitude. The optimal time-free two-impulse transfer problem between two fixed endpoints implies finding the roots of an eighth order polynomial, which is done using a numerical iterative technique. The set of feasible solutions is determined by using the constraints conditions to solve for the short-path and long-path orbits semimajor axis ranges. Then, by comparing the optimal time-free solution with the feasible solutions, the optimal semimajor axis for the two fixed-endpoints transfer is identified. Based on the proposed solution procedure for the optimal two fixed-endpoints transfer, a contour of the minimum cost for different initial and final coasting parameters is obtained. Finally, a numerical optimization algorithm (e.g., evolutionary algorithm) can be used to solve this global minimization problem. A numerical example is provided to show how to apply the proposed technique.     

On the design of the PEPSI spectropolarimeter for the LBT

We present the design concept of the spectropolarimeter for the high‐resolution echelle spectrograph PEPSI tobe installed at the 2 × 8.4 m Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) in Arizona. We discuss the optical key elements, the principles of operations of the instrument and its instrumental polarization effects (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The visible and near infrared module of EChO

The Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) is one of the modules of EChO, the Exoplanets Characterization Observatory proposed to ESA for an M-class mission. EChO is aimed to observe planets while transiting by their suns. Then the instrument had to be designed to assure a high efficiency over the whole spectral range. In fact, it has to be able to observe stars with an apparent magnitude M_v?=?9–12 and to see contrasts of the order of 10^?4–10^?5 necessary to reveal the characteristics of the atmospheres of the exoplanets under investigation. VNIR is a spectrometer in a cross-dispersed configuration, covering the 0.4–2.5 μm spectral range with a resolving power of about 330 and a field of view of 2 arcsec. It is functionally split into two channels respectively working in the 0.4–1.0 μm and 1.0–2.5 μm spectral ranges. Such a solution is imposed by the fact the light at short wavelengths has to be shared with the EChO Fine Guiding System (FGS) devoted to the pointing of the stars under observation. The spectrometer makes use of a HgCdTe detector of 512 by 512 pixels, 18 μm pitch and working at a temperature of 45 K as the entire VNIR optical bench. The instrument has been interfaced to the telescope optics by two optical fibers, one per channel, to assure an easier coupling and an easier colocation of the instrument inside the EChO optical bench.