INTEGRAL: Science Highlights and Future Prospects

ESA??s hard X-ray and soft gamma-ray observatory INTEGRAL is covering the 3 keV to 10 MeV energy band, with excellent sensitivity during long and uninterrupted observations of a large field of view (??100 square degrees), with ms time resolution and keV energy resolution. It links the energy band of pointed soft X-ray missions such as XMM-Newton with that of high-energy gamma-ray space missions such as Fermi and ground based TeV observatories. Key results obtained so far include the first sky map in the light of the 511 keV annihilation emission, the discovery of a new class of high mass X-ray binaries and detection of polarization in cosmic high energy radiation. For the foreseeable future, INTEGRAL will remain the only observatory allowing the study of nucleosynthesis in our Galaxy, including the long overdue next nearby supernova, through high-resolution gamma-ray line spectroscopy. Science results to date and expected for the coming mission years span a wide range of high-energy astrophysics, including studies of the distribution of positrons in the Galaxy; reflection of gamma-rays off clouds in the interstellar medium near the Galactic Centre; studies of black holes and neutron stars particularly in high- mass systems; gamma-ray polarization measurements for X-ray binaries and gamma-ray bursts, and sensitive detection capabilities for obscured active galaxies with more than 1000 expected to be found until 2014. This paper summarizes scientific highlights obtained since INTEGRAL??s launch in 2002, and outlines prospects for the INTEGRAL mission.     

A multiscale transform denoising method of the bionic polarized light compass for improving the unmanned aerial vehicle navigation accuracy

In recent years, the bionic polarized light compass has been widely studied for the unmanned aerial vehicle navigation. However, it is found from the obtained investigation results that a polarized light compass with a sensitive and high dynamic range polarimeter still provides inferior output precision of the heading angle due to the presence of the noise generating from the compass.The noise is existed not only in the angle of the polarization image acquired by polarimeters but also in the out...     

A Novel Method for Measuring the Polarization Angle of Satellite Radio Waves

One of the most important parameters for the study of the physics of the ionosphere is the columnar electron content. This can be obtained indirectly by measuring the Faraday rotation of signals emitted from satellites. Many different types of polarimeters have been developed for this purpose. Efforts to develop a new type of polarimeter, suitable for extensive network operation, led to a novel technique for measuring the polarization angle.     

Studies of target detection algorithms that use polarimetric radardata

Algorithms are described which make use of polarimetric radar information in the detection and discrimination of targets in a ground clutter background. The optimal polarimetric detector (OPD) is derived. This algorithm processes the complete polarization scattering matrix (PSM) and provides the best possible detection performance from polarimetric radar data. Also derived is the best linear polarimetric detector, the polarimetric matched filter (PMF), and the structure of this detector is related to simple polarimetric target types. New polarimetric target and clutter models are described and used to predict the performance of the OPD and the PME. The performance of these algorithms is compared with that of simpler detectors that use only amplitude information to detect targets. The ability to discriminate between target types by exploring differences in polarimetric properties is discussed     

Adaptive polarimetric target detection with coherent radar. I.Detection against Gaussian background

The derivation of a completely adaptive polarimetric coherent scheme to detect a radar target against a Gaussian background is presented. A previously proposed Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) polarimetric detector is extended to the case of a general number of channels; this exploits the polarimetric characteristics of the received radar echoes to improve the detection performance. Together with the fully adaptive scheme, a model-based detector is derived that has a lower estimation loss. A complete theoretical expression is derived for the detection performance of both proposed polarimetric detectors. They are shown to have Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) when operating against Gaussian clutter, but to be sensitive to deviations from the Gaussian statistic. The application to recorded radar data demonstrates the performance improvement achievable in practice     

Impacts of solar and auroral storms on power line systems

A sensitive search for pulsars inside a sample of gamma-ray source error boxes has been carried out using the Arecibo and Parkes radiotelescopes. The paper describes the motivation of this search and the characteristics of the experiments used. As a preliminary result, new pulsars have been discovered and some of them are possibly candidates to be the counterparts of the gamma-ray sources.     

Large-scale structure of the Galaxy and high-energy gamma-ray observations

Detailed information on the high-energy gamma-ray emission from our Galaxy has become available through the two dedicated satellite missions SAS-2 and COS-B. The consistency of the two datasets is discussed; while a satisfying general agreement is observed, a few distinct discrepancies point to possible time variations within the compact source component of the total galactic emission. The bulk of emission appears very well correlated to the column density of the total interstellar gas, as traced by radio observations of Hi and CO. The gamma-ray observations exclude the possibility that H₂ dominates in the inner Galaxy, its mass should not exceed the mass existing in the form of Hi. Neither a significant galactocentric gradient of the (high-energy) cosmic-ray flux density is suggested inside the solar circle (outside a decrease is needed), nor a linear coupling between the cosmic rays and the gas is indicated by the gamma-ray data. The systematic variation with longitude of the spectrum of the gamma-ray emission points to an increased flux of cosmic-ray electrons in the 100 MeV to 1 GeV energy range in regions where dense clouds are concentrated. The variation could as well be due to the largely unresolved population of compact gamma-ray objects.     

A Correlation Polarimeter for Noise-Like Signals

Optimum estimation (tracking) of the polarization plane of a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave is determined when the signal is a narrow-band Gaussian random process with a polarization plane angle which is also a Gaussian random process. This model is Compared to previous work and is applicable to space communication. The estimator performs a correlation operation similar to an amplitude -comparison monopulse angle tracker, giving the name correlation polarimeter. Under large signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the estimator is causal. Performance of the causal correlation polarimeter is evaluated for arbitrary SNR. Optimum precorrelation filtering is determined. With low SNR, the performance of this system is far better than that of previously developed systems. Practical implementation is discussed. A scheme is given to reduce the effect of linearly polarized noise.     

The polarization of celestial X-rays

The processes by which X-radiation may be emitted by celestial sources are investigated, and the net polarization such radiation would possess is predicted. The amount of polarization observed at the Earth would depend both on the mechanism producing the radiation and on the fractional extent of the source over which it is coherently polarized. Highly polarized X-radiation would suggest synchrotron emission as the source mechanism. Radiation whose polarization is low but nonzero would be produced by synchrotron emission from a source whose magnetic fields are inhomogeneous on a large scale, or by bremsstrahlung of electrons whose velocity vectors lie in one predominant direction. Nonobservable polarization would result from sources of synchrotron radiation whose magnetic fields show small-scale irregularities, from the bremsstrahlung of electrons whose velocity vectors are either random or spherically symmetric in direction over the entire source, or from sources whose mechanism of producing the radiation imparts no net polarization, e.g., thermal radiation from neutron stars, line radiation from electronic shell transitions within atoms, and the inverse Compton effect. Measurement of the net polarization of the X-rays from the several known celestial sources could thus lead to the specification of the mechanisms capable of producing the radiation from such sources.     

Spartan 201 white light coronagraph experiment

A white light coronagraph was launched into orbit aboard the space shuttle OV 103 (Discovery) on 7 April 1993. This device was one of two instruments included in the SPARTAN 201-1 payload, a completely autonomous sub-satellite deployed from the shuttle for a period of about 47 hours. The WLC system is an externally occulted coronagraph system which incorporates a rotating half-wave plate polarimeter, and the image data is used to infer the brightness, the polarized brightness and the degree of polarization of the white light emission from the solar corona. These data are in turn used to infer estimates of the K- and F-coronal brightnesses and density distributions. We shall present preliminary results of the electron density estimate in the coronal streamer and hole region and describe the methods employed.affiliated to USRA     

GLAST

A proposal for a new high energy gamma-ray space based detector using silicon strip technology is discussed. The detector is called GLAST for Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope. Results from Monte Carlo simulations are presented. The projected physics capabilities of GLAST are discussed in comparison to EGRET, currently in orbit on CGRO. Connections to the ground based gamma-ray observation program are explored.     

The Astrophysics of Galactic Cosmic Rays

Observations of cosmic rays and their related radio to gamma-ray signatures are surveyed and discussed critically, and compared to theoretical models of the cosmic-ray origin and propagation. The analogous heliospheric processes are included as a well-studied case of the principal physical processes of energetic particle acceleration and propagation. Reinforcements, or conflicts, in the interpretations of cosmic-ray spectral and compositional characteristics arise when cosmic-ray source and propagation models are confronted with astronomical information about the Galaxy as a whole and from potential source sites, i.e., supernova remnants or regions with high massive-star density. This volume represents the outcome of two workshops held at ISSI. In this chapter we summarize the introductory papers presented below, and include insights from the workshop discussions.     

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.     

The Role of Magnetic Fields in the Interstellar Medium of the Milky Way

Synchrotron radiation is generated throughout the Milky Way. It fills the sky, and carries with it the imprint of the magnetic field at the point of origin and along the propagation path. Observations of the diffuse polarized radio emission should be able to provide information on Galactic magnetic fields with detail matching the angular resolution of the telescope. I review what has been learned from existing data, but the full potential cannot be realized from current observations because they do not adequately sample the frequency structure of the polarized emission, or they lack information on large-scale structure. I discuss three surveys, each overcoming one of these limitations, and show how use of complementary data on other ISM tracers can help elucidate the role of magnetic fields in interstellar processes. The focus of this review is on the small-scale field, on sizes comparable with the various forms of interaction of stars with their surroundings. The future is bright for this field of research as new telescopes are being built, designed for the survey mode of observation, equipped for wideband, multichannel polarization observations.     

Improved target classification using optimum polarimetric SARsignatures

We present a new method for automatic target/object classification by using the optimum polarimetric radar signatures of the targets/objects of interest. The state-of-the-art in radar target recognition is based mostly either on the use of single polarimetric pairs or on the four preset pairs of orthogonal polarimetric signatures. Due to these limitations, polarimetric radar processing has been fruitful only in the area of noise suppression and target detection. The use of target separability criteria for the optimal selection of radar signal state of polarizations is addressed here. The polarization scattering matrix is used for the derivation of target signatures at arbitrary transmit and receive polarization states (arbitrary polarization inclination angles and ellipticity angles). Then, an optimization criterion that minimizes the within-class distance and maximizes the between-class metrics is used for the derivation of optimum sets of polarimetric states. The results of the application of this approach on real synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data of military vehicles are obtained. The results show that noticeable improvements in target separability and consequently target classification can be achieved by the use of the optimum over nonoptimum signatures     

The Galactic Halo from Microlensing

The status of the microlensing search for galactic dark matter in the form of massive astronomical compact halo objects (machos) is reviewed. Unresolved issues are discussed, as well as possible ways to solve these.     

Cosmic gamma-ray bursts

The observational characteristics of gamma-ray bursts are reviewed, concerning their spectra as well as their temporal structure and spatial distribution. From this data, it is suggested that the sources belong to a thick halo population (scale height > 3 kpc), and that the mean recurrence time for one source is greater than 5 yr. The implications of these results are discussed, concerning the future experimental perspectives of detection of gamma-ray bursts, and also the constraints on theoretical models.     

Optimal speckle reduction in polarimetric SAR imagery

Speckle is a major cause of degradation in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. With the availability of fully polarimetric SAR data, it is possible to use the three complex elements (HH, HV, VV) of the polarimetric scattering matrix to reduce speckle. The optimal method for combining the elements of the scattering matrix to minimize image speckle is derived, and the solution is shown to be a polarimetric whitening filter (PWF). A simulation of spatially correlated, K-distributed, fully polarimetric clutter is then used to compare the PWF with other, suboptimal speckle-reduction methods. Target detection performance of the PWF, span, and single-channel |HH|² detectors is compared with that of the optimal polarimetric detector (OPD). A novel, constant-false-alarm-rate (CFAR) detector (the adaptive PWF) is as a simple alternative to the OPD for detecting targets in clutter. This algorithm estimates the polarization covariance of the clutter, uses the covariance to construct the minimum-speckle image, and then tests for the presence of a target. An exact theoretical analysis of the adaptive PWF is presented; the algorithm is shown to have detection performance comparable with that of the OPD     

The Energy Spectra and Anisotropies of Cosmic Rays

The existing paradigm of the origin of Galactic cosmic rays places strong supernovae shocks as the acceleration site for this material. However, although the EGRET gamma-ray telescope has reported evidence for GeV gamma rays from some supernovae, it is still unclear if the signal is produced by locally intense cosmic rays. Although non-thermal X-ray emissions have been detected from supernova remnants and interpreted as synchrotron emission from locally intense electrons at energies up to 100 TeV, the inferred source energy spectral slopes seem much steeper than the electron source spectrum observed through direct measurements. It remains the case that simple energetics provide the most convincing argument that supernovae power the bulk of cosmic rays. Two characteristics which can be used to investigate this issue at high energy are the source energy spectra and the source composition derived from direct measurements.     

On the performance of polarimetric target detection algorithms

The performance of six polarimetric target detection algorithms is analyzed. The detection performance of the optimal polarimetric detector (OPD), the identity-likelihood-ratio-test (ILRT), the polarimetric whitening filter (PWF), the single-polarimetric channel detector, the span detector, and the power maximization synthesis (PMS) detector is compared. Results are presented for both probabilistic and deterministic targets in the presence of complex Gaussian clutter. The results indicate that the PWF and the ILRT typically achieve near optimal performance. The remaining detection algorithms typically yield performance that is degraded compared to the performance of the OPD, the PWF, and the ILRT