Few projections astrotomography: radio astronomical approach to 3D reconstruction

We develop a radio astronomical approach to 3D‐reconstruction in few projections tomography. It is based on the 2‐CLEAN DSA method which consists of two clean algorithms by using a synthesized beam. In complex cases two extreme solutions are used for the analysis of the image structure. These solutions determine the limits of permissible energy redistribution on the image among the components of small and large scales. Two variants of 3D‐reconstruction proceeding from a set of two‐dimensional projections (3D_2D) and from a set of one‐dimensional ones (3D_1D) are considered. It is shown that the quality of 3D_2D‐reconstruction should be similar to the quality of 2D_1D‐reconstruction if the same number of equally spaced scans is used. But a doubled number of projections is required for 3D_1D‐reconstruction. We have simulated 3D‐reconstruction of an optically thin emitting object. The present technique is a component of astrotomography and it has good prospects for a wide range of remote sensing. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A new algorithm for differential photometry: computing anoptimum artificial comparison star

Our new algorithm for differential photometry solves the problem of identifying proper comparison stars without a prior detailed study of the field of view. The comparison stars' variability is determined in a self‐consistent way, and their weighted average is used as a reference level. The maximum error in differential photometry using objects and reference stars of different spectral types is estimated. The results from these calculations show that the photometric band chosen greatly determines the level of accuracy achieved. Finally, an important application of high‐precision differential photometry are planetary transits. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

关于"太阳线性无力场评注和快速傅氏分析法的应用"的评论

“太阳线性无力场评注和快速傅氏分析法的应用”一文对太阳线性无力场的工作做了一些评注,在此基础上对快速傅立叶方法的应用提出了改进的计算方法．该文的某些观点值得商榷,有必要对其中存在的问题予以澄清．另外,对该文关于快速傅氏分析法的工作从理论的角度提出看法．     

On the mixing rules for astrophysical inhomogeneous grains

We present the computation of effective refractive coefficients for inhomogeneous two-component grains with three kinds of inclusions with   m _incl= 3.0 + 4.0i, 2.0 + 1.0i, 2.5 + 0.0001i  and a matrix with   m_m = 1.33 + 0.01i  for 11 volume fractions of inclusions from 0 to 50 per cent and wavelengths  λ= 0.5  , 1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 μm. The coefficients of extinction for these grains have been computed using a discrete dipole approximation. Computation of the extinction by the same method for grains composed of a matrix material with randomly embedded inclusions has been carried out for different volume fractions of inclusions. A comparison of extinction coefficients obtained for both models of grain material allows one to choose the best mixing rule for a mixture. In cases of inclusions with   m _incl= 2.0 + 1.0i  and 2.5 + 0.0001i the best fit for the whole wavelength range and volume fractions of inclusions from 0 to 50 per cent has been obtained for the Lichtenecker mixing rule. In the case of   m _incl= 3.0 + 4.0i  the fit for the whole wavelength range and volume fractions of inclusions from 0 to 50 per cent is not very significant but the best fit has been obtained for the Hanai rule. For volume fractions of inclusions from 0 to 15 per cent a very good fit has been obtained for the whole wavelength range for Rayleigh and Maxwell-Garnett mixing rules.     

A new algorithm for the detection of intercluster galaxy filaments using galaxy orientation alignments

We present a new algorithm for detecting intercluster galaxy filaments based upon the assumption that the orientations of constituent galaxies along such filaments are non-isotropic. We apply the algorithm to the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey catalogue and find that it readily detects many straight filaments between close cluster pairs. At large intercluster separations  (≫15  h ⁻¹ Mpc)  , we find that the detection efficiency falls quickly, as it also does with more complex filament morphologies. We explore the underlying assumptions and suggest that it is only in the case of close cluster pairs that we can expect galaxy orientations to be significantly correlated with filament direction.     

Final analysis of ELAIS 15-μm observations: method, reduction and catalogue

We present the final analysis of the European Large Area Infrared Space Observatory ( ISO ) Survey (ELAIS) 15-μm observations, carried out with the ISO Camera (ISOCAM) instrument on board the ISO .
The data-reduction method, known as the Lari Method, is based on a mathematical model of the behaviour of the detector and was specifically designed for the detection of faint sources in ISOCAM/ISO Photopolarimeter (ISOPHOT) data. The method is fully interactive and leads to very reliable and complete source lists.
The resulting catalogue includes 1923 sources detected with signal-to-noise ratio of  > 5  in the 0.5–100 mJy flux range and over an area of 10.85 deg² split into four fields, making it the largest non-serendipitous extragalactic source catalogue obtained to date from the ISO data.
This paper presents the concepts underlying the data-reduction method together with its latest enhancements. The data-reduction process, the production and basic properties of the resulting catalogue are discussed. The catalogue quality is assessed by means of detailed simulations, optical identifications and comparison with previous analyses.     

Constraining black hole masses from stellar kinematics by summing over all possible distribution functions

When faced with the task of constraining a galaxy's potential given limited stellar kinematical information, what is the best way of treating the galaxy's unknown distribution function (DF)? Using the example of estimating black hole (BH) masses, I argue that the correct approach is to consider all possible DFs for each trial potential, marginalizing the DF using an infinitely divisible prior. Alternative approaches, such as the widely used maximum-penalized likelihood method, neglect the huge degeneracies inherent in the problem and simply identify a single, special DF for each trial potential.
Using simulated observations of toy galaxies with realistic amounts of noise, I find that this marginalization procedure yields significantly tighter constraints on BH masses than the conventional maximum-likelihood method, although it does pose a computational challenge which might be solved with the development of a suitable algorithm for massively parallel machines. I show that in practice the conventional maximum-likelihood method yields reliable BH masses with well-defined minima in their χ² distributions, contrary to claims made by Valluri, Merritt & Emsellem.