Palomar Testbed Interferometer Observations of Young Stellar Objects

We present observations of a sample of Herbig AeBe stars, as well as the FU Orionis object V1057 Cygni. Our K-band (2.2μm) observations from the Palomar Testbed Interferometer (PTI) used baselines of 110 m and 85 m, resulting in fringe spacings of ∼4 mas and 5 mas, respectively. Fringes were obtained for the first time on V1057 Cygnias well as V594 Cas. Additional measurements were made of MWC147, while upper limits to visibility-squared are obtained for MWC297, HD190073, and MWC614. These measurements are sensitive to the distribution of warm, circumstellar dust in these sources. If the circumstellar infrared emission comes from warm dust in a disk, the inclination of the disk to the line of sight implies that the observed interferometric visibilities should depend upon hour angle. Surprisingly, the observations of Millan-Gabet, Schloerb and Traub (2001)(hereafter MST) did not show significant variation with hour angle. However, limited sampling of angular frequencies on the sky was possible with the IOTA interferometer, motivating us to study a subset of their objects to further constrain these systems. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Potential of the VLTI for linking stellar frames to ICRF

The question of positioning the optical counterparts of the ICRF quasars is outlined in the perspective of future space astrometry missions, which ultimately will bring a new realization of the ICRS in the optical range. Ground-based interferometry with a dual-field observing mode (PRIMA/VLTI),together with the missions DIVA and FAME, will have a key role in building an extragalactic reference frame in the optical/near-IR range with about the same accuracy as that of the present (VLBI) primary frame. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

GENIE – The Darwin demonstrator

Darwin is a cornerstone mission of the Horizons 2000+ program of the European Space Agency. It has the express purpose of carrying out the first direct search for terrestrial exoplanets, and to achieve unprecedented spatial resolution in the infrared wavelength region. The detection and study of terrestrial exoplanets promises to usher in a new era in science and will affect a broad spectrum of disciplines. Further, the time line for implementation of such an instrument is now likely to be of the close order of 10 years, leading to possible answers to one of mankind's most fundamental questions in the second decade of the 21st century. It has been found that in order to realize am interferometer in space in the next 10–15 years, it is necessary to prepare the way through a number of intermediary steps – both on the ground and in space. In this context, we here describe GENIE – a ground based nulling interferometry experiment to be implemented at the VLTI in a partnership between ESA and ESO. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Optical interferometric observations of a transient event of 1986 March 13 in the coma of Comet Halley

During the recent apparition of Comet Halley in 1985-86 a transient ionic event in the form of a blob of H₂ O⁺ emission was recorded in thecoma at ～ 0^h UT on 1986 March 13. Observations were carried out using a special IHW filter for H₂ O⁺ emission at 7000 å/175 å, a 35 cm telescope, a Fabry-Perot interferometer and an image intensifier camera from Gurushikhar, Mt Abu. (24?39’N,72? 47’E). A Fabry-Perot inter-ferogram in Ha taken a few minutes later at the same location reveals strong hydrogen emission (Hα) associated with the blob. The velocity field in the blob is structured with relative velocities upto ～ 35km s^?1. The event is interpreted as arising due to the sector boundary crossing of the interplanetary magnetic field by the comet     

Environmental Investigation and Evaluation of Land Subsidence in the Datong Coalfield Based on InSAR Technology

Heavy mining of Jurassic and Carboniferous horizontal coal seams in the Datong coalfield has seriously affected the local geological environment, which is mainly manifested by such geohazards as soil avalanches, landslides, mudflows, surface subsidence, surface cracks, surface solid waste accumulation and surface deformation. More seriously, coal mining causes groundwater to leak. Overpumping of groundwater has resulted in substantial land subsidence of the urban area in Datong City. Based on the previous geo-environmental investigation in the work area, the authors used radar remote sensing techniques such as InSAR （synthetic aperture radar interferometry） and D-InSAR （differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry）, supplemented by the optical remote sensing method, for geo-environmental investigation to ascertain the geo-environmental background of the Datong Jurassic and Carboniferous-Permian coalfield and evaluate the effects of the geohazards, thus providing a basis for the geo-environmental protection, geohazard control and prevention, land improvement and optimization of the human environment. In this study 8 cog-nominal ERS-1/2 SAR data frames during 1992 to 2003 were used, but the following processing was made： （1） the multitemporal SAR magnitude images were used to interpret the geological structure, vegetation, microgeomorphology and drainage system; （2） the multi-temporal InSAR coherent images were used to make a classification of surface features and evaluate the coherence change due to coal mining; and （3） the multi-temporal cog-nominal SAR images were used to complete D-InSAR processing to remove the information of differential deformation areas （sites）. In the end, a ten-year time series of differential interferograms were obtained using the multi-temporal cog-nominal SAR images. In the tests, 84 deformed areas （sites） were obtained, belonging to those in 1993-1996, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1998-2001, 1998-2002 and 2001-2003 respectively. Of the 84 areas, 44 are m     

Permanent Scatterers for landslide investigations: outcomes from the ESA-SLAM project

Within the SLAM project (Service for Landslide Monitoring), launched in 2003 by the European Space Agency (ESA) the Permanent Scatterers (PS) technique, a multi-image interferometric approach, coupled with the interpretation of aerial-photos and optical satellite images, was carried out for landslide investigations. The PS analysis was applied at a regional scale as support for landslide inventory mapping and at local scale for the monitoring of single well-known slope movements. For the integration of the PS measurements within a landslide inventory the Arno river basin (Italy) was chosen as test site for the presence of a high number of mass movements (to date about 300 areas at high landslide risk and more than 27,000 individual landslides mapped by the institutional authorities). About 350 SAR images have been interferometrically processed by means of the PS technique, with the detection of about 600,000 PS. The use of optical images contributed spatial meaning to the point-wise information provided by the PS, making it easier to identify terrain features related to slope instability and the landslide boundaries. Here we describe the employed methodology and its impact in the updating of a preexisting landslide inventory. 6.8% of the total number of landslides were characterized by ground displacement measurements from the PS: 6.1% of already mapped landslides and 0.8% of new unstable areas detected through the PS analysis. Moreover, most of the PS are located in urban areas, showing that the proposed methodology is suitable for landslide mapping in areas with a quite high density of urbanization, but that over vegetated areas it still suffers from the limitations induced by the current space-borne SAR missions (e.g. temporal de-correlation). On the other hand, the use of InSAR for the monitoring of single slow landslides threatening built-up areas has provided satisfactory results, allowing the measurement of superficial deformations with high accuracy on the landslide sectors characterized by a good radar reflectivity and coherence.     

高分辨率PSI上海市沉降探测及分析

本文在改进的永久散射体(PS)探测方法基础上,应用高分辨率永久散射体雷达干涉(PSI)探测上海市地表沉降,并对沉降原因进行了详细分析。实验选取2008年4月至2010年1月间,由德国卫星TerraSAR-X(TSX)所获取的18幅X波段(波长为3.1 cm)高分辨率SAR影像为数据源,进行PS探测、PSI建模、形变提取和分析。实验结果表明,改进的PS探测方法探测出的PS点是合理和可靠的,且高分辨率SAR影像对地面硬目标识别能力较强,显著提高了PS点的密度和覆盖范围。沉降探测结果显示,最大相对沉降速率达30 mm/yr,平均沉降速率为11.5 mm/yr。     

中国东南部5—8月持续性强降水和环流异常的准双周振荡

利用1979—2009年夏季(5—8月)中国站点逐日降水资料、NCEP/NCAR大气再分析资料以及向外长波辐射(OLR)资料,分析了中国东南部夏季持续性强降水的低频特征及其伴随的低频大气环流形势,利用超前滞后合成的方法对该低频信号的来源和传播特征进行了研究。结果表明:中国东南部夏季降水存在明显的准双周低频振荡,低频降水事件(持续性强降水)在6月10日前后和7月1日前后发生的次数较多,持续5d的低频降水事件降水量占总低频降水事件的比例最大。在低频降水事件发生时期,中国东南部在低层是很强的低频气旋式环流,而在中国南海至西太平洋一带则是强大的低频反气旋,同时低频的水汽从孟加拉湾北部以及中国南海、菲律宾海一带输送到长江以南地区强烈辐合上升;此时在高层一个低频反气旋控制中国东北部地区,该低频反气旋与其西侧的低频反气旋以及位于中国东南沿海的低频气旋相互配合,使得长江以南地区高层强烈地辐散,加强了低层的上升运动。在超前低频降水7d左右时,大气低层在150°E洋面附近开始出现低频反气旋,逐渐加强并向西移动到达中国东南沿海,而在中国南海一带的低频气旋则向西北移动到长江以南地区,与此同时,副热带高压有一个明显的西伸过程,高低层相互配合最终导致低频降水的发生。     

基于DInSAR的洪河国家级自然保护区沼泽水位相对变化量监测研究

水文是沼泽形成、发育和演化的决定性因素.目前,沼泽水位的监测仍然以实地观测为主,需要花费大量的人力和物力.以洪河国家级自然保护区为研究区,利用2007年6?10月星载相控阵L波段合成孔径雷达(phase array type L-band synthetic aperture radar,L-band PALSAR)数...