Development of the HEFT and NuSTAR focusing telescopes

Hard X-ray/soft gamma-ray astrophysics is on the verge of a major advance with the practical realization of technologies capable of efficiently focusing X-rays above 10 keV. Hard X-ray focusing telescopes can achieve orders of magnitude improvements in sensitivity compared to the instruments based on coded apertures and collimated detectors that have traditionally been employed in this energy band. Compact focal planes enable high-performance detectors with good spectral resolution to be employed in efficient, low-background configurations. We have developed multilayer coated grazing incidence optics and solid state Cadmium Zinc Telluride focal plane systems for the High Energy Focusing Telescope (HEFT) balloon-borne experiment, and for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) Small Explorer satellite. In this paper we describe the technologies, telescope designs, and performance of both experiments.     

Comparison of centroid computation algorithms in a Shack–Hartmann sensor

Analytical theory is combined with extensive numerical simulations to compare different flavours of centroiding algorithms: thresholding, weighted centroid, correlation, quad cell (QC). For each method, optimal parameters are defined in function of photon flux, readout noise and turbulence level. We find that at very low flux the noise of QC and weighted centroid leads the best result, but the latter method can provide linear and optimal response if the weight follows spot displacements. Both methods can work with average flux as low as 10 photons per subaperture under a readout noise of three electrons. At high-flux levels, the dominant errors come from non-linearity of response, from spot truncations and distortions and from detector pixel sampling. It is shown that at high flux, centre of gravity approaches and correlation methods are equivalent (and provide better results than QC estimator) as soon as their parameters are optimized. Finally, examples of applications are given to illustrate the results obtained in the paper.     

Remote sensing observations of biological material by LANDSAT along a tidal thermal front and their relevancy to the available field data

Two images recorded on two successive summer days by LANDSAT satellite over the western approaches to the English Channel show bright pattern of complex shape the origin of which is puzzling. Among the wavelength bands available on LANDSAT's multispectral scanner, these patterns are apparent only in the green region of the spectrum, and they are located towards the stratified side of a well marked tidal thermal front. Spectral signature analysis and available knowledge on hydrography and plankton in the area are used to derive a proposed interpretation. Phytoplankton would accordingly be the best candidate for being responsible for the observed patterns.     

Pseudo-infinite guide stars for multi-conjugated adaptive optics on extremely large telescopes

We introduce a novel concept to sense the wavefront for adaptive optics purposes in astronomy using a conventional laser beacon. The concept we describe involves treating the light scattered in the mesospheric sodium layer as if it comes from multiple rings located at infinity. Such a concept resembles an inverse Bessel beam and is particularly suitable for multi-conjugated adaptive optics on extremely large telescopes. In fact, as the sensing process uses light apparently coming from infinity, some problems linked to the finite distance and vertical extent of the guide source are solved. Since such a technique is able to sense a wavefront solely in the radial direction, we propose furthermore a novel wavefront sensor by combining the inverse Bessel beam approach with the recently introduced z -invariant technique for a pseudo-infinite guide star sensor.     

GALACSI – The ground layer adaptive optics system for MUSE

MUSE, the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, is an adaptive optics (AO)-assisted Integral Field Spectrograph, currently in the Preliminary Design Phase as a second generation instrument for the VLT. MUSE will feature two modes, each with an associated AO mode. The first mode is the wide field mode, mainly aiming at the study of high redshift galaxies. For this mode, the AO system has to deliver an improvement of at least a factor of two over the full 1′ × 1′ field of view. The second mode, the narrow field mode, aims at the high-resolution spectroscopy of nearby extended objects, for example, galaxies and globular clusters. For this mode, the AO system will have to deliver near-diffraction limited performance over a small field of view. In this paper, we discuss the trade-offs in the current design of GALACSI – the MUSE AO system – and illustrate with a number of simulations the expected performance in the wide- and narrow field modes.     

新疆戈壁地区近地面大气折射率结构常数观测对比

利用大口径闪烁仪和QHTP-2型温度脉动仪对新疆戈壁地区近地面大气折射率结构常数进行对比观测。结果表明：两种仪器测量所得大气折射率结构常数具有较好的相关性,皮尔森相关系数达0.68。大口径闪烁仪所测结果符合新疆戈壁地区近地面大气湍流强度日变化特征,与温度脉动仪测量结果随时间变化趋势基本一致。两种仪器测量结果在数量级上存在的差异,可能是由测量原理、测量高度、大气稳定状态等因素造成的。     

Laue diffraction lenses for astrophysics: Theoretical concepts

Beyond the present technologies, Laue diffraction lenses are very promising tools in the field of gamma-ray astrophysics. The theoretical concepts of this kind of instruments are based on the Laue diffraction in crystals, discovered almost 100 years ago. Though they are commonly used in crystallography, their application to γ-ray focusing in astrophysics requires some specific developments, e.g. in terms of energy and imaging responses. The present article describes the physics of X-ray diffraction in crystals. In the context of the Darwin model of mosaic crystals, some peculiar aspects, relevant to the astrophysical observation, are discussed. The evaluation and optimization of diffraction efficiency are discussed, especially with rigards to the crystal’s mosaicity and thickness, its spatial extent and deviations to the “ideally imperfect” Darwin model. PACS 95.55.Ka, 61.50.Ah, 61.10.−i, 41.50.+h     

多层湍流大气相位屏的数值模拟

高分辨图像重建技术可以有效消除湍流大气的影响,重建目标的接近望远镜衍射极限的图像。但是当目标的视场角比较大时,大气—望远镜综合系统不再是线性空不变的,给图像重建带来新的困难,它是大气性质中的一个重要特性,对大气相位屏的模拟应该满足这一特性。提出了一种可以模拟等晕区效应的多层大气相位屏的数值模拟方法,这种方法可以应用于等晕区对高分辨统计重建方法的影响的研究中。利用该数值模拟方法模拟了5″和8″的双星的斑点图,用斑点干涉术对模拟的双星进行了重建,并与实测的双星的斑点干涉术重建结果进行了比较。比较结果表明该数值模拟方法所产生的等晕区效应与实际的等晕区效应相似。