Evolution of the Protosolar Nebula and Formation of the Giant Planets

The formation of planetary systems is intimately tied to the question of the evolution of the gas and solid material in the early nebula. Current models of evolution of circumstellar disks are reviewed here with emphasis on the so-called “alpha models” in which angular momentum is transported outward by turbulent viscosity, parameterized by an dimensionless parameter α. A simple 1D model of protoplanetary disks that includes gas and embedded particles is used to introduce key questions on planetesimal formation. This model includes the aerodynamic properties of solid ice and rock grains to calculate their migration and growth. We show that the evolution of the nebula and migration and growth of its solids proceed on timescales that are generally not much longer than the timescale necessary to fully form the star-disk system from the molecular cloud. Contrary to a widely used approach, planet formation therefore can neither be studied in a static nebula nor in a nebula evolving from an arbitrary initial condition. We propose a simple approach to both account for sedimentation from the molecular cloud onto the disk, disk evolution and migration of solids. Giant planets have key roles in the history of the forming Solar System: they formed relatively early, when a significant amount of hydrogen and helium were still present in the nebula, and have a mass that is a sizable fraction of the disk mass at any given time. Their composition is also of interest because when compared to the solar composition, their enrichment in elements other than hydrogen and helium is a witness of sorting processes that occured in the protosolar nebula. We review likely scenarios capable of explaining both the presence of central dense cores in Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and their global composition. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Model-based spacecraft pose estimation and motion prediction using a photonic mixer device camera

Determination of relative distances and orientations, as well as motion identification is essential in rendezvous and docking and formation flying tasks. A 3D-image generated by a PMD (photonic mixer device) camera, which employs a phase shift measurement of emitted modulated light to derive distance and color information on each pixel, provides in this contribution the basis for near range motion detection and prediction. A novel algorithm based on rotation- and scale-invariant features commonly used for scan matching in high-resolution images is presented. The performance of the PMD camera and of the proposed data processing is characterized in scenarios, considering factors like relative velocities, rotation dynamics, illumination and optical properties of target surface materials, which are major effects for disturbances in this context.     

Measurement of night sky brightness in southern Australia

Night sky brightness is a major source of noise both for Cherenkov telescopes as well as for wide-angle Cherenkov detectors. Therefore, it is important to know the level of night sky brightness at potential sites for future experiments.