47,353 research outputs found
Spitzer 70 and 160-micron Observations of the COSMOS Field
We present Spitzer 70 and 160 micron observations of the COSMOS Spitzer
survey (S-COSMOS). The data processing techniques are discussed for the
publicly released products consisting of images and source catalogs. We present
accurate 70 and 160 micron source counts of the COSMOS field and find
reasonable agreement with measurements in other fields and with model
predictions. The previously reported counts for GOODS-North and the
extragalactic First Look Survey are updated with the latest calibration, and
counts are measured based on the large area SWIRE survey to constrain the
bright source counts. We measure an extragalactic confusion noise level of
sigma_c = 9.4+/-3.3 mJy (q=5) for the MIPS 160-micron band based on the deep
S-COSMOS data and report an updated confusion noise level of sigma_c =
0.35+/-0.15 mJy (q=5) for the MIPS 70-micron band.Comment: Accepted AJ, 15 Aug. 2009. Data available at
http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/frayer/mycosmos/ until released by IRS
A Millimeter-Wave Galactic Plane Survey With The BICEP Polarimeter
In addition to its potential to probe the Inflationary cosmological paradigm,
millimeter-wave polarimetry is a powerful tool for studying the Milky Way
galaxy's composition and magnetic field structure. Towards this end, presented
here are Stokes I, Q, and U maps of the Galactic plane from the millimeter-wave
polarimeter BICEP covering the Galactic longitude range 260 - 340 degrees in
three atmospheric transmission windows centered on 100, 150, and 220 GHz. The
maps sample an optical depth 1 < AV < 30, and are consistent with previous
characterizations of the Galactic millimeter-wave frequency spectrum and the
large-scale magnetic field structure permeating the interstellar medium.
Polarized emission is detected over the entire region within two degrees of the
Galactic plane and indicates that the large-scale magnetic field is oriented
parallel to the plane of the Galaxy. An observed trend of decreasing
polarization fraction with increasing total intensity rules out the simplest
model of a constant Galactic magnetic field throughout the Galaxy. Including
WMAP data in the analysis, the degree-scale frequency spectrum of Galactic
polarization fraction is plotted between 23 and 220 GHz for the first time. A
generally increasing trend of polarization fraction with electromagnetic
frequency is found, which varies from 0.5%-1.5%at frequencies below 50 GHz to
2.5%-3.5%above 90 GHz. The BICEP and WMAP data are fit to a two-component
(synchrotron and dust) model showing that the higher frequency BICEP data are
necessary to tightly constrain the amplitude and spectral index of Galactic
dust. Furthermore, the dust amplitude predicted by this two-component fit is
consistent with model predictions of dust emission in the BICEP bands
Analysis of non ambiguous BOC signal acquisition performance Acquisition
The Binary Offset Carrier planned for future GNSS signal, including several GALILEO Signals as well as GPS M-code, presents a high degree of spectral separation from conventional signals. It also greatly improves positioning accuracy and enhances multipath rejection. However, with such a modulation, the acquisition process is made more complex. Specific techniques must be employed in order to avoid unacceptable errors. This paper assesses the performance of three method allowing to acquire and track BOC signal unambiguously : The Bump-jumping technique, The "BPSK-like" technique and the subcarrier Phase cancellation technique
A Millimeter-wave Galactic Plane Survey with the BICEP Polarimeter
In order to study inflationary cosmology and the Milky Way Galaxy's composition and magnetic field structure, Stokes I, Q, and U maps of the Galactic plane covering the Galactic longitude range 260° < ℓ < 340° in three atmospheric transmission windows centered on 100, 150, and 220 GHz are presented. The maps sample an optical depth 1 ≾ AV ≾ 30, and are consistent with previous characterizations of the Galactic millimeter-wave frequency spectrum and the large-scale magnetic field structure permeating the interstellar medium. The polarization angles in all three bands are generally perpendicular to those measured by starlight polarimetry as expected and show changes in the structure of the Galactic magnetic field on the scale of 60°. The frequency spectrum of degree-scale Galactic emission is plotted between 23 and 220 GHz (including WMAP data) and is fit to a two-component (synchrotron and dust) model showing that the higher frequency BICEP data are necessary to tightly constrain the amplitude and spectral index of Galactic dust. Polarized emission is detected over the entire region within two degrees of the Galactic plane, indicating the large-scale magnetic field is oriented parallel to the plane of the Galaxy. A trend of decreasing polarization fraction with increasing total intensity is observed, ruling out the simplest model of a constant Galactic magnetic field orientation along the line of sight in the Galactic plane. A generally increasing trend of polarization fraction with electromagnetic frequency is found, varying from 0.5%-1.5% at frequencies below 50 GHz to 2.5%-3.5% above 90 GHz. The effort to extend the capabilities of BICEP by installing 220 GHz band hardware is described along with analysis of the new band
Toward Early-Warning Detection of Gravitational Waves from Compact Binary Coalescence
Rapid detection of compact binary coalescence (CBC) with a network of
advanced gravitational-wave detectors will offer a unique opportunity for
multi-messenger astronomy. Prompt detection alerts for the astronomical
community might make it possible to observe the onset of electromagnetic
emission from (CBC). We demonstrate a computationally practical filtering
strategy that could produce early-warning triggers before gravitational
radiation from the final merger has arrived at the detectors.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, published in ApJ. Reformatted preprint with
emulateap
The ArT\'eMiS wide-field submillimeter camera: preliminary on-sky performances at 350 microns
ArTeMiS is a wide-field submillimeter camera operating at three wavelengths
simultaneously (200, 350 and 450 microns). A preliminary version of the
instrument equipped with the 350 microns focal plane, has been successfully
installed and tested on APEX telescope in Chile during the 2013 and 2014
austral winters. This instrument is developed by CEA (Saclay and Grenoble,
France), IAS (France) and University of Manchester (UK) in collaboration with
ESO. We introduce the mechanical and optical design, as well as the cryogenics
and electronics of the ArTeMiS camera. ArTeMiS detectors are similar to the
ones developed for the Herschel PACS photometer but they are adapted to the
high optical load encountered at APEX site. Ultimately, ArTeMiS will contain 4
sub-arrays at 200 microns and 2x8 sub-arrays at 350 and 450 microns. We show
preliminary lab measurements like the responsivity of the instrument to hot and
cold loads illumination and NEP calculation. Details on the on-sky
commissioning runs made in 2013 and 2014 at APEX are shown. We used planets
(Mars, Saturn, Uranus) to determine the flat-field and to get the flux
calibration. A pointing model was established in the first days of the runs.
The average relative pointing accuracy is 3 arcsec. The beam at 350 microns has
been estimated to be 8.5 arcsec, which is in good agreement with the beam of
the 12 m APEX dish. Several observing modes have been tested, like On-The-Fly
for beam-maps or large maps, spirals or raster of spirals for compact sources.
With this preliminary version of ArTeMiS, we concluded that the mapping speed
is already more than 5 times better than the previous 350 microns instrument at
APEX. The median NEFD at 350 microns is 600 mJy.s1/2, with best values at 300
mJy.s1/2. The complete instrument with 5760 pixels and optimized settings will
be installed during the first half of 2015.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Presented at SPIE Millimeter, Submillimeter,
and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VII, June 24,
2014. To be published in Proceedings of SPIE Volume 915
CMOS-3D smart imager architectures for feature detection
This paper reports a multi-layered smart image sensor architecture for feature extraction based on detection of interest points. The architecture is conceived for 3-D integrated circuit technologies consisting of two layers (tiers) plus memory. The top tier includes sensing and processing circuitry aimed to perform Gaussian filtering and generate Gaussian pyramids in fully concurrent way. The circuitry in this tier operates in mixed-signal domain. It embeds in-pixel correlated double sampling, a switched-capacitor network for Gaussian pyramid generation, analog memories and a comparator for in-pixel analog-to-digital conversion. This tier can be further split into two for improved resolution; one containing the sensors and another containing a capacitor per sensor plus the mixed-signal processing circuitry. Regarding the bottom tier, it embeds digital circuitry entitled for the calculation of Harris, Hessian, and difference-of-Gaussian detectors. The overall system can hence be configured by the user to detect interest points by using the algorithm out of these three better suited to practical applications. The paper describes the different kind of algorithms featured and the circuitry employed at top and bottom tiers. The Gaussian pyramid is implemented with a switched-capacitor network in less than 50 μs, outperforming more conventional solutions.Xunta de Galicia 10PXIB206037PRMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-12686, IPT-2011-1625-430000Office of Naval Research N00014111031
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