The Wolf-Rayet stars at high (spatial) resolution

The Wolf-Rayet stars represent an advanced stage of evolution of the most massive stars. Their next immediate stadium will be supernova explosion. The most striking property of this very rare but exceptionally hot and bright objects is their extreme mass loss, of the order of 10^-5 solar mass per year. In turn of evolution before and during the Wolf-Rayet phase such stars eject a lot of matter (∼ 10 M_⊙) with velocity up to 3000 km/s that surrounds the min the form of gas and dust. In the case of binary Wolf-Rayet star such expanding envelope may interact with a companion (usually hot OB star) wind forming a tail extended for ∼ 100 AU. This spectacular phenomenon as well as some other connected with Wolf-Rayet stars that can be studied with high spatial resolution instruments (both astrometric and imaging) are reviewed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

PRIMA for the VLTI – Science

The four main scientific objectives of PRIMA – the Phase-Referenced Imaging and Micro-arc second Astrometry facility for the VLTI – will be described:– extra-solar system characterization with astrometry, to detect planets and evaluate their mass, and imaging of the dust accretion disk,– galactic center study with astrometry(dynamics of the bulge stars) and imaging at 10μm (piercing the gas and dust clouds surrounding the galactic center),– observations of AGNs and other extra-galactic objects, too faint to be observed without PRIMA, for which partial imaging is needed to constrain their structuremodels,– micro-gravitational lensing event resolution (imaging and astrometry of their photo-center) in the Galactic Bulge and Magellanic Clouds, helping to determine directly the lens mass and distance. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Measuring the sizes of stars

The Chatterton Astronomy Department aims to apply interferometers with very high resolving power to optical astronomy. The programme of the stellar intensity interferometer at Narrabri Observatory was completed in 1972 and since then the work has been directed towards building a more sensitive instrument with higher resolving power. As a first step a much larger intensity interferometer was designed but was not built because it was large, expensive and not as sensitive as desired. Efforts are now being made to design a more sensitive and cheaper instrument. A version of Michelson’s stellar interferometer is being built using modern techniques. It is hoped that it will reach stars of magnitude +8 and will work reliably in the presence of atmospheric scintillation. It is expected to cost considerably less than an intensity interferometer of comparable performance. The pilot model of this new instrument is almost complete and should be ready for test in 1984. Text of an Academy Lecture delivered at the Raman Research Institute, Bangalore on January 27, 1984.     

DInSAR技术对不同方位形变的敏感性研究

以DEM数据为假想的地面目标,只考虑距离对相位的影响,模拟竖直向、距离向和方位向形变的干涉纹图,从而研究DInSAR技术对空间不同方位形变的敏感性。在所有模拟参数和形变位移大小都相同的情况下,三个不同方位形变所产生的相位从0到2π变化的完整干涉环的数目是各不相同的,揭示DInSAR技术对不同方位地表形变的敏感性存在差异,且敏感性由大到小依次为:竖直向、距离向和方位向。     

Mapping glacier velocities on Svalbard using ERS tandem DInSAR data

The results presented show how glacier velocities can be measured and calculated from Earth Resources Satellite (ERS) tandem interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data by the use of geographical information systems (GIS) and non-interferometric software. A semi-automatic algorithm using existing and newly implemented modules in ESRI's GIS software Arc has been developed to unwrap existing height differentiated interferometric SAR (DInSAR) data. The algorithm is applied to a data set covering glaciers from the arctic archipelago Svalbard. Estimated DInSAR velocities are decomposed into the glacier surface flow direction using a digital elevation model (DEM). Velocity fields for the glaciers Isachsenfonna, Akademikerbreen and Nordbreen on Svalbard are presented.     

时间序列InSAR技术中的形变模型研究

时间序列InSAR技术,包括PS-InSAR技术和小基线集InSAR技术, 能有效克服传统D-InSAR的失相干限制, 逐步成为形变测量中的实用化技术。但是, 现有时间序列InSAR技术主要采用线性函数对真实形变进行模拟, 在真实形变呈现强烈的非线性时, 这种处理将不能得到正确的形变结果。本文就时间序列InSAR的形变模型问题展开研究, 首先从干涉相位模型解算的方法入手, 深入分析了线性形变模型的不足, 当干涉点目标的密度不够并且真实形变的非线性较强时, 干涉相位方程的解将会发散。根据魏尔斯特拉斯逼近定理, 提出以高阶多项式取代线性形变模型, 并给出了基于多项式形变模型的干涉相位方程解算方法。 利用太原市2003-2009年的23景ENVISAT ASAR影像, 分别采用线性形变模型和三次多项式形变模型, 利用小基线集技术进行了形变反演。将这两种方法得到的结果分别与水准测量结果进行了比较。结果表明, 采用多项式形变模型不仅能取得更高的形变测量精度,而且能提高点目标的密度。由于高阶多项式总能比低阶多项式更准确地拟合连续函数, 因此本文提出的多项式形变模型在时间序列InSAR形变监测中具有广泛的应用价值。     

Using the quasar VLBI network for the fundamental time—positioning service of the GLONASS space system

Regular high-precision determinations of the Earth’s orientation parameters (EOPs) on the Quasar VLBI Network were begun in August 2006. The observations are performed within the framework of two national programs: daily sessions at three observatories of the Network to determine all five EOPs (the RU-E program) and 8-h sessions on the Zelenchukskaya-Badary and Svetloe-Badary baselines to determine the Universal Time (the RU-U program). The observations from August 2006 through May 2007 are analyzed. The rms deviations of the EOP values obtained in the RU-E program from the IERS C04 series are 1.1 mas for X _p and Y _p, 37 μs for UT1-UTC, and 0.7 and 0.6 mas for X _c and Y _c, respectively. These results closely match the prospective requirements of GLONASS. The rms deviations of the Universal Times obtained in the RU-U program from the IERS C04 series are 146 μs. We consider the immediate prospects for improving the accuracy of EOP determinations in daily sessions and for implementing the e-VLBI mode for an online determination of the Universal Time. Original Russian Text ? A.M. Finkelstein, E.A. Skurikhina, I.F. Surkis, A.V. Ipatov, I.A. Rakhimov, S.G. Smolentsev, 2008, published in Pis’ma v Astronomicheskiĭ Zhurnal, 2008, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 66–76.     

Review on InSAR based displacement monitoring of Indian Himalayas: issues,challenges and possible advanced alternatives

Natural and man-made disasters like earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, unplanned mining are some of the most serious factors responsible for earth surface displacement. These incidences can be harmful for the society due to loss of life and also threatful for future urban development. Therefore, continuous monitoring of disasters in terms of displacements is of fundamental importance in a modern well-organized society to understand its effects on the social and economic fabric. Availability of SAR data has been proved to be an excellent source for estimation of surface displacements with high accuracies. However, in India, SAR interferometry-related displacement measurement has still not gained appreciable momentum. More rigorous research needs to be carried out for the efficient use of this new generation technique. This review article is an attempt to discuss the issues related to SAR-based displacement studies so far conducted on Indian Himalayan region and possible advanced alternatives.     

利用小基线集技术(SBAS)监测泉州地区地表形变

差分干涉测量(DInSAR)技术可用于监测厘米级甚至毫米级的地表形变。文中选用2007—2011年期间19景日本ALOS1/PALSAR数据,采用短基线集技术(SBAS)获取了该地区的形变时间序列和平均沉降速率。研究结果表明:泉州东南部地区整体上呈抬升态势,上升速率为5mm/a左右,主要是受到亚欧板块和西太平洋板块互相挤压作用的结果;泉州东南部有多处出现地表沉降,沉降的结果与泉州市统计的地区地下水开采数据相当吻合,因此沉降主要与地下水过度开采相关。     

Observational support for radiative pumping of SiO masers in evolved stars

SiO maser emission in AGB stars is found to be systematically distributed in ring structures, displaying tangential linear polarization. Using the VLBA, we have performed observations of such SiO maser emission at 43 GHz in the circumstellar envelopes of several late-type stars. We simultaneously mapped the v=1 and v=2, J=1–0 transitions. Our new maps show, for most spots, a systematic spatial shift between both maser lines. We discuss the implication of these results on the possible pumping mechanisms, concluding that the existing data favour radiative pumping schemes.