A direct imaging search for close stellar and sub‐stellar companions to young nearby stars

A total of 28 young nearby stars (ages ≤60 Myr) have been observed in the K_s‐band with the adaptive optics imager Naos‐Conica of the Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. Among the targets are ten visual binaries and one triple system at distances between 10 and 130 pc, all previously known. During a first observing epoch a total of 20 faint stellar or sub‐stellar companion‐candidates were detected around seven of the targets. These fields, as well as most of the stellar binaries, were re‐observed with the same instrument during a second epoch, about one year later. We present the astrometric observations of all binaries. Their analysis revealed that all stellar binaries are co‐moving. In two cases (HD 119022 AB and FG Aqr B/C) indications for significant orbital motions were found. However, all sub‐stellar companion candidates turned out to be non‐moving background objects except PZ Tel which is part of this project but whose results were published elsewhere. Detection limits were determined for all targets, and limiting masses were derived adopting three different age values; they turn out to be less than 10 Jupiter masses in most cases, well below the brown dwarf mass range. The fraction of stellar multiplicity and of the sub‐stellar companion occurrence in the star forming regions in Chamaeleon are compared to the statistics of our search, and possible reasons for the observed differences are discussed. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

新型海洋微波遥感器技术研究进展

海洋微波遥感器是目前全球海洋动力环境参数观测、海上目标监测的重要手段。为克服现有微波遥感器在观测中存在的不足,发展新型的海洋微波遥感器是必然的。文中主要介绍了海浪波谱仪、成像高度计和盐度计三种新型海洋微波遥感器,在介绍其国内外研究现状的基础上,指出了下一步应研究的重点。     

静止卫星闪电探测中的虚假信号滤除

静止卫星闪电探测对强对流天气的实时监测和预警具有重要意义,然而大量虚假闪电信号的存在却对闪电探测结果造成了很大影响。文章主要研究静止卫星闪电探测中的虚假信号滤除算法,以提高闪电数据分析结果的准确性。根据虚假闪电信号产生的原因和形态特征,对现有滤除算法进行系统的分析、归纳和总结。研究表明,目前的算法有各自的针对性,不同算法通常针对特定的噪声源起到过滤作用。未来发展方向,一是从仪器本身特点及其工作环境出发,探索适合于我国静止卫星闪电成像仪的虚假信号滤除算法;二是设计更加通用高效的算法,保证闪电观测的实时性和连续性;三是重视算法精度评估,并以此不断改进和完善算法。     

相山铀矿岩芯HySpex成像高光谱数据蚀变矿物提取及其地质意义

成像高光谱遥感具有图谱合一的优势,能够根据光谱特征直接识别地物,是遥感领域的前沿方向。本文使用江西省相山铀矿田岩芯HySpex成像高光谱数据,采用基于专家知识的MTMF和波段运算方法开展了蚀变矿物填图,提取了赤铁矿、伊利石、绿泥石和方解石4种蚀变矿物,制作了铀矿岩芯高光谱蚀变矿物分布图。通过分析高光谱蚀变矿物类型、组合和分布规律,在岩芯中划分出中心蚀变带、近矿蚀变带和矿旁蚀变带,中心蚀变带蚀变矿物为赤铁矿+伊利石+绿泥石+方解石,近矿蚀变带为伊利石+方解石,矿旁蚀变带为零星分布的伊利石+方解石。其中,岩芯高光谱遥感提取出的绿泥石第二吸收峰位于2270 nm,光谱特征分析显示属于富铁绿泥石,与前人得出的与铀矿化密切相关的绿泥石主要为富铁绿泥石的结论一致。铀矿岩芯HySpex岩芯成像高光谱数据应用实践表明该数据在地质领域具有较好的应用效果和广泛前景。     

显微动态与功能CT-未来的21世纪CT

病理宏观肉眼诊断的空间分辨率为毫米数量级,而微观病理显微诊断的空间分辩为微米数量级。目前医学CT影像的空间分辨率已达到0.35mm已能满足宏观病理学诊断的要求。如果医学CT的空间分辩率再提高到微米水平,即可清晰显示细胞和组织的微细结构,从而满足现代医学临床病理诊断金标准的要求。目前工业CT(ICT)的空间分辨率已达到5－10微米,从而为提高医学CT的空间分辨率提供技术依据。本文给出用工业微焦点CT机首次对生物组织进行显微成像的结果。认为,应用微焦点X线源,以及采用钨酸镉集成电路CCD检测技术,进一步缩小检测器元件探头的尺寸和增加检测器探头的数目,可以提高医学CT的空间分辨率;应用电子束快速扫描技术,可以提高医学CT的时间分辨率,达到动态的水平：应用双能X线束扫描技术,可以进一步提高密度分辩率。如果未来医学CT的空间分辨率达到微米级(显微CT),时间分辨率达到毫秒级(动态CT),密度分辨率能观察到神经细胞有兴奋时胞内钙离子浓度的瞬态上升1000倍,即成为显微动态和功能CT,就可以观测人脑神经元在不同功能状态下的动态兴奋和时空编码过程,对进一步研究人脑的学习记忆和思维认知过程有重要意义。     

Tomography of stellar non‐radial pulsations

The stellar surface imaging technique is used for studying stellar non‐radial pulsations on the basis of inversions of time series of variable line profiles without making assumptions on the specific shape of the pulsations. The inversion results in an image of the stellar surface in which sectoral and tesseral modes can be distinguished in many cases and the pulsational degree and the azimuthal order can be determined. The capability of the technique is studied with simulated data. Then, the surface imaging technique is applied to high‐resolution spectra of the rapidly rotating Beta Cep‐type star ω¹ Sco, which shows strong line‐profile variations. Stellar surface imaging is concluded to be a useful technique for pulsation‐mode identification. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Development of a new photon diffraction imaging system for diagnostic nuclear medicine

The objective of this project is to develop and construct an innovative imaging system for nuclear medicine and molecular imaging that uses photon diffraction and is capable of generating 1–2 mm spatial resolution images in two or three dimensions. The proposed imaging system would be capable of detecting radiopharmaceuticals that emit 100–200 keV gamma rays which are typically used in diagnostic nuclear medicine and in molecular imaging. The system is expected to be optimized for the 140.6 keV gamma ray from a Tc-99m source, which is frequently used in nuclear medicine. This new system will focus the incoming gamma rays in a manner analogous to a magnifying glass focusing sunlight into a small focal point on a detector's sensitive area. Focusing gamma rays through photon diffraction has already been demonstrated with the construction of a diffraction lens telescope for astrophysics and a scaled-down lens for medical imaging, both developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). In addition, spatial resolutions of 3 mm have been achieved with a prototype medical lens. The proposed imaging system would be comprised of an array of photon diffraction lenses tuned to diffract a specific gamma ray energy (within 100–200 keV) emitted by a common source. The properties of photon diffraction make it possible to diffract only one specific gamma ray energy at a time, which significantly reduces scattering background. The system should be sufficiently sensitive to the detection of small concentrations of radioactivity that can reveal potential tumor sites at their initial stages of development. Moreover, the system's sensitivity would eliminate the need for re-injecting a patient with more radiopharmaceutical if this patient underwent a prior nuclear imaging scan. Detection of a tumor site at its inception could allow for an earlier initiation of treatment and wider treatment options, which can potentially improve the chances for cure.