What we have not learned from the troubles with the Hubble

The Hubble space-based telescope is a great tribute to our progress in space. The ability to place an optical telescope at a significant distance from the Earth's surface, away from the interference of the planet's unsteady atmosphere, have already paid off by producing magnificent records of astronomical activities in the depths of outer space. In the past the problems with the alignment of the Hubble's optics were blamed on the manufacturers of it's optical components. The hastily set investigation concluded that the problem is a spherical aberration of the primary mirror (the primary mirror is said to be 2 microns too flat at the edges). It is suggested that the real culprit is the Parker Effect. Since the time of Galileo Galilei, all telescopes were built, aligned, and used on the Earth's surface. Hubble is the first telescope to be built and aligned on Earth for use in space. Because of this we have to consider the fundamental differences between the alignment of surface-based and space-based telescopes. For those who missed our article “The Parker Effect and Navigation in Space” published in the January issue. The Parker Effect describes the result of interaction between inertial bodies (anything that has mass) and non-inertial media (light or other E/M fields)     

Instrumentation for gamma-ray astronomy

There are three distinct energy ranges within the broad spectrum of gamma-ray astronomy, low energy (which in turn is subdivided), high energy, and very high and ultra-high energy. Each has its own unique type of instrumentation. Only in the very high-energy range do the telescopes bear any resemblence to optical telescopes; the rest appear more like instrumentation for high-energy physics. The low- and high-energy ranges are now primarly dependent on spaceflight, although some balloon altitude research is still being accomplished. Satellites planned to be launched in the next two years will carry telescopes with considerably more capability than those previously flown in space. In the very high and ultra-high energy realm, large ground based systems are used to detect the secondary radiation from interactions of the gamma radiation with the air. In all cases, software and data analysis are becoming increasingly important aspects of the subject as the data become ever greater and more complex. Beyond the telescopes to be flown in space or installed on the ground soon, instrumentation, taking advantage of new detector techniques which have come into being or older ones which now seem capable of being adapted to space, are being developed for the more distant future.     

空间目标地基光电探测与识别技术的发展

空间目标地基光电探测与识别技术是空间态势感知的主要技术手段之一。首先归纳了空间目标的典型光学特征,分析了用于轨道与光学特征探测与识别的两类光电望远镜特点,梳理了国外空间目标光电探测与识别技术的发展历程,简要总结了空间目标地基光电探测与识别技术和应用需求间的主要问题,展望了空间目标光电探测与识别技术的未来发展方向。     

Evaluation of Multipoint Interaction in the Design of a Thin Diffraction-Limited Active Mirror

Active control of a thin, deformable mirror is one approach to obtaining diffraction-limited performance from large orbiting telescopes. The control system design requires knowledge of the mirror reaction to the multiple forces used to maintain the desired mirror figure. A structural analysis program is used to obtain estimates of the static deflections of a point-loaded, thin, shallow, spherical primary mirror. The calculated deflections are compared to experimentally measured deflections for a specific configuration.     

X-ray,optical and UV observations of the AM Her system E2003+225

The AM Her type object E2003+225 was observed with EXOSAT, IUE and ground-based telescopes on 1983 Oct. 12. The brightness of the ultrasoft X-ray component allowed the Objective Grating Spectrometer (OGS) to be used, which gave a model-independent determination of the temperature of the blackbody spectrum. The star was observed again on 1984 July 24 by IUE with simultaneous optical spectrophotometry. The high resolution of this observation revealed complex line profiles, and a systematic velocity much smaller than previously reported. The composite energy distribution is presented.     

A pseedo random mask telescope tor Spacelab

A pair of pseudo-random mask telescopes is being constructed for Spacelab 2, mainly to observe the emission from galaxy clusters at energies from 2.5 to 25 keV. The main features and expected performance of the telescopes is described.     

Earthshine and Asteroseismology Telescope (East) Network

Several automated optical telescopes have been setup at appropriate longitudes around the globe to study earthshine variations and asteroseismology. The first telescope has been setup at Teide Observatory, Tenerife, Spain in October 2004. The intensity of earthshine relates to the average of Earth’s albedo, and in turn relates to the global temperature of the Earth. A global network is necessary because each site can measure the earthshine reflected from only a part of the Earth. The network will also be used for asteroseismology study. It can measure photometric variations of pulsating stars. The long-term and continuous measurements allow the accurate determination of mode frequencies of stellar pulsations, which provides information on the properties of stellar interior.     

Low threshold particle arrays

While atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes have a small field of view and a small duty fraction, arrays of particle detectors on ground have a 1 sr field of view and a 100% duty fraction. On the other hand, particle detector arrays have a much higher energy threshold and an inferior hadron rejection as compared to Cherenkov telescopes. Low threshold particle detector arrays would have potential advantages over Cherenkov telescopes in the search for episodic or unexpected sources of gamma rays in the multi-TeV energy range. Ways to improve the threshold and hadron rejection of arrays are shown, based on existing technology for the timing method (with scintillator or water Cherenkov counters) and the tracking method (with tracking detectors). The performance that could be achieved is shown by examples for both methods. At mountain altitude (about 4000 m or above) an energy threshold close to 1 TeV could be achieved. For any significant reduction of the hadronic background by selecting muon-poor showers a muon detection area of at least 1000 m² is required, even for a compact array.     

Future instrumental capabilities in the energy range of nuclear transitions

Gamma-ray lines are the fingerprints of nuclear transitions, carrying the memory of high energy processes in the universe. Setting out from what is presently known about line emission in gamma-ray astronomy, requirements for future telescopes are outlined. The inventory of observed line features shows that sources with a wide range of angular and spectral extent have to be handled: the scientific objectives for gamma-ray spectroscopy are spanning from compact objects as broad class annihilators, over longlived galactic radioisotopes with hotspots in the degree-range to the extremely extended galactic disk and bulge emission of the narrow e^-e⁺ line.The instrumental categories which can be identified in the energy range of nuclear astrophysics have their origins in the different concepts of light itself: geometrical optics is the base of coded aperture systems — these methods will continue to yield adequate performances in the near future. Beyond this, focusing telescopes and Compton telescopes, based on wave- and quantum- optics respectively, may be capable to further push the limits of resolution and sensitivity.     

The future of space infrared astronomy

Conclusion I can remember vividly when Tim Hawarden first came into my office about 7 years ago and talked very excitedly about passively-cooled space infrared telescopes. He was sufficiently persuasive that we even managed to get the idea into the various forward-look exercises in which the SERC indulges every year. The idea has evolved considerably since then and the climax of that activity was when Tim presented the case for POIROT to the European Space Agency a couple of years ago. The project did very well indeed as it passed through the peer-review committees and was unlucky just to miss being selected for further study.Since then, the momentum has continued largely through the enthusiasm of Tim and of Harley Thronson's advocacy in the USA. It is my view that the time has come when the agencies have to take these proposals very seriously indeed as the way forward for space infrared astronomy. Our goal over the next two days is to expose all the issues which have to be addressed to convert the concept into a realistic space mission.     

Background limited infrared and submillimeter instruments

The temperature and emissivity of infrared and submillimeter telescopes are basic parameters that drive the optical and thermal design of astronomical space projects. They determine also, among other parameters, the self-emission of the instrument and the photon noise produced by this radiation on the detectors. By comparing the telescope brightness with that of the sky in the 1m–1 cm wavelength range, general conditions for background limited photometry are derived. For <0.4 mm, temperature is the driving parameter, and for >0.4 mm, temperature and emissivity have equivalent importances. It can be shown on actual projects that these two regimes determine different optical and thermal concepts. Although based on a simplistic approach, this work intends to help designers to handle some basic system parameters of infrared and submillimeter instruments.     

Background in space-borne low-energy γ-ray telescopes

The scope of observational astronomy in the gamma-ray region of the spectrum is vast. The intimate relationship of these energetic photons with their parent particles and fields provides a direct probe of the high-energy physics phenomena which take place throughout the Universe. As an added bonus the gamma-ray domain contains a wealth of diagnostic information within discrete emission lines, which are derived from a variety of processes including nuclear de-excitation, cyclotron emission, and matter-antimatter annihilation. Consequently observational gamma-ray astronomy addresses directly some of the most fundamental problems in both physics and astrophysics. However, low-energy gamma-rays are the most penetrating photons encountered in nature, and, whilst this factor provides a deep probe of cosmic objects, it ensures that gamma-ray telescopes are massive, both in terms of the stopping power required in the detector systems as well as their shields. Furthermore, the intimate relationship of gamma-rays with nuclear de-excitations ensures that the telescope itself becomes a bright source of background noise, a factor which is aggravated by the necessity that gamma-ray telescopes are obliged to operate in regions pervaded by intense particle fluxes. The background noise experienced in gamma-ray telescopes is, therefore, both high and extremely complex in its origin, and due to the high-energy content of individual photons, their numbers which arrive from distant cosmic sources are necessarily low, even for those objects which radiate the bulk of their power at gamma-ray wavelengths. Current gamma-ray telescopes are thus obliged to operate under conditions of intrinsically low signal-to-noise ratio and it is vital that techniques are developed which reduce the background noise level to more acceptable levels, thus improving the sensitivity. To achieve such a goal, a thorough understanding of the sources of background noise is first required before effective measures can be taken for its reduction.In this paper the sources of background noise are reviewed with the aim to obtain a quantitative analysis of individual contributions, as derived from the various classes of irradiative particle fluxes. The estimated contributions from the individual sources are combined in order to evaluate the total background level of a given telescope in a specific radiation environment, which for practical considerations generally relates to the orbit choice and detailed design of the telescope. The published background noise spectra of a number of past missions are compared to the computed values so as to provide an assessment of the validity of the overall calculations. The level of agreement achieved indicates that a good understanding of the sources of background noise exists. Finally some possibilities for the improvement of the sensitivity of future gammaray telescopes, in terms of the reduction of the background noise, are discussed.     

极轴式望远镜系统误差修正方法研究

为提高极轴式望远镜的测量精度,借鉴地平式望远镜的系统误差修正方法,推导了基于轴系和球谐函数的极轴式望远镜系统误差修正模型,在分析2种误差修正模型误差项不足的基础上,探索性地提出了一种新的误差修正模型——改进球谐函数系统误差修正模型。对实际测星数据进行误差修正的结果表明,进行改进球谐函数系统误差修正后,精度在时角和赤纬方向上比其他方法提高了50%。     

Very Long Baseline Interferometry: Dependencies on Frequency Stability

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is a differential technique observing radiation of compact extra-galactic radio sources with pairs of radio telescopes. For these observations, the frequency standards at the telescopes need to have very high stability. In this article we discuss why this is, and we investigate exactly how precise the frequency standards need to be. Four areas where good clock performance is needed are considered: coherence, geodetic parameter estimation, correlator synchronization, and UT1 determination. We show that in order to ensure the highest accuracy of VLBI, stability similar to that of a hydrogen maser is needed for time-scales up to a few hours. In the article, we are considering both traditional VLBI where extra-galactic radio sources are observed, as well as observation of man-made artificial radio sources emitted by satellites or spacecrafts.     

Magnetic Fields, Relativistic Particles, and Shock Waves in Cluster Outskirts

It is only now, with low-frequency radio telescopes, long exposures with high-resolution X-ray satellites and γ-ray telescopes, that we are beginning to learn about the physics in the periphery of galaxy clusters. In the coming years, Sunyaev-Zel’dovich telescopes are going to deliver further great insights into the plasma physics of these special regions in the Universe. The last years have already shown tremendous progress with detections of shocks, estimates of magnetic field strengths and constraints on the particle acceleration efficiency. X-ray observations have revealed shock fronts in cluster outskirts which have allowed inferences about the microphysical structure of shocks fronts in such extreme environments. The best indications for magnetic fields and relativistic particles in cluster outskirts come from observations of so-called radio relics, which are megaparsec-sized regions of radio emission from the edges of galaxy clusters. As these are difficult to detect due to their low surface brightness, only few of these objects are known. But they have provided unprecedented evidence for the acceleration of relativistic particles at shock fronts and the existence of μG strength fields as far out as the virial radius of clusters. In this review we summarise the observational and theoretical state of our knowledge of magnetic fields, relativistic particles and shocks in cluster outskirts.     

Earth-Based Visible and Near-IR Imaging of Mercury

New planned orbiter missions to Mercury have prompted renewed efforts to investigate the surface of Mercury via ground-based remote sensing. While the highest resolution instrumentation optical telescopes (e.g., HST) cannot be used at angular distances close to the Sun, advanced ground-based astronomical techniques and modern analytical and software can be used to obtain the resolved images of the poorly known or unknown part of Mercury. Our observations of the planet presented here were carried out in many observatories at morning and evening elongation of the planet. Stacking the acquired images of the hemisphere of Mercury, which was not observed by the Mariner 10 mission (1974–1975), is presented. Huge features found there change radically the existing hypothesis that the “continental” character of a surface may be attributed to the whole planet. We present the observational method, the data analysis approach, the resulting images and obtained properties of the Mercury’s surface.     

Optical design and testing of a fast,large aperture,infrared space telescope

An optical design study for a next generation infrared space telescope has been performed. The concept is that of a passively cooled telescope of minium aperture 2.5 metre with an F/1.2 primary and wavelength coverage from = 2 to at least 40 m, and possibly to 100 m. Compactness, low thermal emission from the optics and structure, diffraction limited imaging at = 2 m, and sensitivity to misalignment aberrations and manufacturing errors were the main considerations for this study. Ray tracing results are presented showing the characteristics of the various designs considered. A preliminary investigation of stray light properties is also given. Special emphasis has been placed on the testing of such a fast primary, and optical systems using a lateral shearing interferometer are described for testing both the primary and the primary/secondary combination.     

单站发射多站接收的空间目标激光测距技术

激光测距作为空间目标测定轨精度最高的技术,对非合作目标的测量精度比微波雷达、光电探测等技术高1～2个数量级,非常有利于非合作目标的精密定位、轨道复核及精确编目,保障在轨空间飞行器的安全。激光在非合作目标表面会发生漫反射,返回光斑弥散、回波微弱,采用大口径望远镜接收系统是必要的。鉴于大口径望远镜研制难度大,提出基于单站发射多站接收的空间目标激光测距新方法,即采用多接收望远镜增加接收面积,实现目标测量能力提升。通过分析单站发射多站接收的激光测距技术特点,基于双望远镜系统开展空间合作目标测量实验,验证了多望远镜接收激光信号的可行性,为该测距技术发展奠定了实验基础。     

Wide angle air Cerenkov detectors

For a number of important questions in VHE/UHE cosmic ray physics wide angle air Cerenkov detectors offer superior performance compared to scintillator arrays or air Cerenkov telescopes. On hand of the HEGRA air Cerenkov detector AIROBICC the general principle and performance will be discussed. Ideas and prospects for a detector with an energy threshold around 1 to 3 TeV will be presented.     

掺杂物形状对混合粒子等效光学常数的影响

基于电磁场平均的概念,利用Maxwell-Garnett有效介质理论对含有椭球形掺杂物的混合粒子等效光学常数进行研究,分析了掺杂物形状比例参数和体积分数对混合粒子等效光学常数的影响.结果表明:掺杂物形状比例参数存在一个临界值,当形状比例参数小于临界值时,随着形状比例参数增加,含椭球形掺杂物的混合粒子等效光学常数与含球形掺杂物的混合粒子等效光学常数的差别增大;反之,形状比例参数对混合粒子等效光学常数的影响非常小.混合粒子的等效光学常数介于基体和掺杂物的光学常数之间,当掺杂物的体积分数增大时,混合粒子的等效光学常数趋向于掺杂物的光学常数.