Relative ionizations in the nearest interstellar gas

We compare CLOUDY predictions for the equilibrium ionization in the interstellar cloud surrounding the solar system with pick-up ion data. The incident radiation field includes contributions from hot stars, the emission from the conductive cloud boundary and the diffuse FUV back-ground. To within the observational uncertainties, CLOUDY predictions for the ratios n(He)/n(O), n(N)/n(O), n(Ne)/n(O), and n(He)/n(Ne) are consistent with pick-up ion data, provided that O and N are filtered by 50% in the heliopause region and the outer heliosphere as predicted by others. Thus, the steady-state ionization model and assumed radiation field appear approximately valid. However, the youth and low intervening column density towards the Vela pulsar leave open the possibility that the parent supernova explosion 10,500 years ago, and 200 pc distant, may also have affected LISM ionization, although the mechanism is uncertain. Support for this last possibility is provided by the apparent signature of the Vela explosion in the terrestrial geological record.Abbreviations ISM Interstellar Medium - FUV Far Ultraviolet - EUV Extreme Ultraviolet - SNR SN remnant - SXRB SXR Background - LISM Local Interstellar Matter     

The MESSENGER Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer

A Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) instrument has been developed as part of the science payload for NASA’s Discovery Program mission to the planet Mercury. Mercury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) launched successfully in 2004 and will journey more than six years before entering Mercury orbit to begin a one-year investigation. The GRNS instrument forms part of the geochemistry investigation and will yield maps of the elemental composition of the planet surface. Major elements include H, O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, Fe, K, and Th. The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) portion detects gamma-ray emissions in the 0.1- to 10-MeV energy range and achieves an energy resolution of 3.5 keV full-width at half-maximum for ⁶⁰Co (1332 keV). It is the first interplanetary use of a mechanically cooled Ge detector. Special construction techniques provide the necessary thermal isolation to maintain the sensor’s encapsulated detector at cryogenic temperatures (90 K) despite the intense thermal environment. Given the mission constraints, the GRS sensor is necessarily body-mounted to the spacecraft, but the outer housing is equipped with an anticoincidence shield to reduce the background from charged particles. The Neutron Spectrometer (NS) sensor consists of a sandwich of three scintillation detectors working in concert to measure the flux of ejected neutrons in three energy ranges from thermal to ∼7 MeV. The NS is particularly sensitive to H content and will help resolve the composition of Mercury’s polar deposits. This paper provides an overview of the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer and describes its science and measurement objectives, the design and operation of the instrument, the ground calibration effort, and a look at some early in-flight data.     

The Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on the SWIFT Midex Mission

he burst alert telescope (BAT) is one of three instruments on the Swift MIDEX spacecraft to study gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The BAT first detects the GRB and localizes the burst direction to an accuracy of 1–4 arcmin within 20 s after the start of the event. The GRB trigger initiates an autonomous spacecraft slew to point the two narrow field-of-view (FOV) instruments at the burst location within 20–70 s so to make follow-up X-ray and optical observations. The BAT is a wide-FOV, coded-aperture instrument with a CdZnTe detector plane. The detector plane is composed of 32,768 pieces of CdZnTe (4×4×2 mm), and the coded-aperture mask is composed of ∼52,000 pieces of lead (5×5×1 mm) with a 1-m separation between mask and detector plane. The BAT operates over the 15–150 keV energy range with ∼7 keV resolution, a sensitivity of ∼10⁻⁸ erg s⁻¹ cm⁻², and a 1.4 sr (half-coded) FOV. We expect to detect > 100 GRBs/year for a 2-year mission. The BAT also performs an all-sky hard X-ray survey with a sensitivity of ∼2 m Crab (systematic limit) and it serves as a hard X-ray transient monitor.     

X射线衍射全谱拟合法测定碳/碳复合材料的点阵常数

利用X射线衍射仪,采用全谱拟含的方法,测定三种不同碳材料的点阵常数、石墨化度及微晶参数,测得三种碳材料(每个样品重复5次试验)六方晶系的a的标准偏差小于2.0×10~(-3),c的标准偏差小于1.4×10~(-3),石墨化度(g)的标准偏差小于1.5,微晶参数(L_(c002))的标准偏差小于0.5,是一种有效的测试碳材料晶体参数的方法.     

焊接接头典型缺陷的数字X射线尺寸测量技术

为了准确测量焊接接头典型缺陷的尺寸,提出了一种基于半波高法(HWH)的焊接接头缺陷数字射线尺寸测量技术。首先,分析了数字射线检测系统的调制传递函数(MTF),确定了检测系统的空间分辨率。其次,对焊接接头的典型缺陷进行模拟,通过半波高法测量其尺寸。结果表明:依据瑞利判据,运用双丝像质计测定该检测系统的空间分辨率为4.5 Lp/mm;运用该方法测量焊接接头缺陷尺寸,与实际尺寸基本相符,误差小于6.3%,该方法避免了人为因素的影响,精度可满足日常产品的检测需求。     

X射线脉冲星动态信号处理方法研究

X射线脉冲星导航是一种基于X射线脉冲星观测的新型天文自主导航方法,脉冲星在轨动态信号处理技术一直是脉冲星导航的难点和重点,特别是低轨高动态条件下的信号处理比高轨低动态情况更加困难。针对动态信号处理中实测数据信噪比偏低的问题,提出了一种适用于低轨高动态情况的脉冲星动态信号处理方法,并对其原理进行了分析,建立了相关数学模型,并使用HXMT卫星和XPNAV-1卫星的实测数据验证了算法性能,实验结果表明:该方法有效提高了导航观测量处理精度。     

太阳X射线耀斑特征参数预报方法研究

太阳耀斑是重要的空间天气事件, 有关太阳耀斑参数的预报对于电离层突然骚扰(SID)影响的评估具有实用意义. 本文采用GOES-8卫星上第23太阳周软X射线通量的数据, 通过数值拟合的方法对X级耀斑强度的峰值以及X级耀斑的结束时间进行预测. 利用这种方法对第23太阳周中的X级耀斑进行分析, 最多可以提前17min预测出X级耀斑的峰值, 在预测X级耀斑结束时间时, 预测的X级耀斑结束时间最多可以提前60min左右, 从预报结果来看, 预报方法具有一定的有效性和实用性.      

Nitric oxide density enhancements due to solar flares

A differential emission measure technique is used to determine flare spectra using solar observations from the soft X-ray instruments aboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics Dynamics and Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment satellites. We examine the effect of the solar flare soft X-ray energy input on the nitric oxide (NO) density in the lower thermosphere. The retrieved spectrum of the 28 October 2003 X18 flare is input to a photochemical thermospheric NO model to calculate the predicted flare NO enhancements. Model results are compared to Student Nitric Oxide Explorer Ultraviolet Spectrometer observations of this flare. We present results of this comparison and show that the model and data are in agreement. In addition, the NO density enhancements due to several flares are studied. We present results that show large solar flares can deposit the same amount of 0.1–2 and 0.1–7 nm energy to the thermosphere during a relatively short time as the Sun normally deposits in one day. The NO column density nearly doubles when the daily integrated energy above 5 J m⁻² is doubled.     

基于FPGA+DSP的X射线脉冲星导航原理样机的设计与实现

为了验证X射线脉冲星导航算法在星载计算机环境下的实时性和适用性,设计了基于FPGA+DSP架构的X射线脉冲星导航原理样机,导航原理样机中的FPGA用于系统的逻辑控制以及光子数据的存储;DSP则用于将接收到的光子数据进行转换、脉冲折叠、脉冲数据互相关处理、数据插值以及最小二乘滤波等算法。最后搭建了X射线脉冲星导航地面半物理仿真系统,系统以光子到达时间残差作为观测量,结合卫星轨道动力学模型,基于滤波算法实现航天器的导航定位。仿真结果表明,导航位置误差优于10 km,速度误差优于1 km/s。     

Pre-correction X-ray pulsar navigation algorithm based on asynchronous overlapping observation method

In order to shorten the data update period and further improve the accuracy, a pre-correction X-ray pulsar navigation algorithm based on asynchronous overlapping observation method is proposed. The asynchronous overlapping observation method partially overlaps the two adjacent observation periods, so that the data update period depends on the minimum pulsar observation period rather than the maximum like the other algorithms. The number of sampling points is also reduced to 2, which will effectively reduce the calculation burden. The proposed pre-correction extended Kalman filter uses observation data of adjacent sampling points to achieve a two-fold correction and makes up for the problem of insufficient observations on some sampling points caused by the observation method. Finally, simulations show that the proposed algorithm reduces the position and velocity errors by 21.55% and 19.13% compared to the EKF based on asynchronous observation method when using three detectors to observe the corresponding pulsars simultaneously. At the same time, the running time of one data update calculation is only 6.6% more than that of the EKF algorithm based on synchronous observation method.