149 research outputs found
Visible camera cryostat design and performance for the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS)
We describe the design and performance of the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph
(PFS) visible camera cryostats. SuMIRe PFS is a massively multi-plexed
ground-based spectrograph consisting of four identical spectrograph modules,
each receiving roughly 600 fibers from a 2394 fiber robotic positioner at the
prime focus. Each spectrograph module has three channels covering wavelength
ranges 380~nm -- 640~nm, 640~nm -- 955~nm, and 955~nm -- 1.26~um, with the
dispersed light being imaged in each channel by a f/1.07 vacuum Schmidt camera.
The cameras are very large, having a clear aperture of 300~mm at the entrance
window, and a mass of 280~kg. In this paper we describe the design of the
visible camera cryostats and discuss various aspects of cryostat performance
Confirmation of a dynamical model for the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanetary system
We present a new transit of TRAPPIST-1 d from 2021 August 25. The measured mid-point of this transit agrees with the prediction from a recently published dynamical model for the TRAPPIST-1 system and differs significantly from a naive prediction from a simple linear ephemeris. This difference underlines the importance for using dynamical models to predict future transit times in the TRAPPIST-1 system.Published versio
The Perkins INfrared Exosatellite Survey (PINES) II. Transit Candidates and Implications for Planet Occurrence around L and T Dwarfs
We describe a new transit detection algorithm designed to detect single
transit events in discontinuous Perkins INfrared Exosatellite Survey (PINES)
observations of L and T dwarfs. We use this algorithm to search for transits in
131 PINES light curves and identify two transit candidates: 2MASS
J18212815+1414010 (2MASS J1821+1414) and 2MASS J08350622+1953050 (2MASS
J0835+1953). We disfavor 2MASS J1821+1414 as a genuine transit candidate due to
the known variability properties of the source. We cannot rule out the
planetary nature of 2MASS J0835+1953's candidate event and perform follow-up
observations in an attempt to recover a second transit. A repeat event has yet
to be observed, but these observations suggest that target variability is an
unlikely cause of the candidate transit. We perform a Markov chain Monte Carlo
simulation of the light curve and estimate a planet radius ranging from
to , depending on the
host's age. Finally, we perform an injection and recovery simulation on our
light curve sample. We inject planets into our data using measured M dwarf
planet occurrence rates and attempt to recover them using our transit search
algorithm. Our detection rates suggest that, assuming M dwarf planet occurrence
rates, we should have roughly a 1 chance of detecting a candidate that
could cause the transit depth we observe for 2MASS J0835+1953. If 2MASS
J0835+1953 b is confirmed, it would suggest an enhancement in the occurrence of
short-period planets around L and T dwarfs in comparison to M dwarfs, which
would challenge predictions from planet formation models.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figures, accepted to A
Detectors and cryostat design for the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS)
We describe the conceptual design of the camera cryostats, detectors, and
detector readout electronics for the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS)
being developed for the Subaru telescope. The SuMIRe PFS will consist of four
identical spectrographs, each receiving 600 fibers from a 2400 fiber robotic
positioner at the prime focus. Each spectrograph will have three channels
covering wavelength ranges 3800 {\AA} - 6700 {\AA}, 6500 {\AA} - 10000 {\AA},
and 9700 {\AA} - 13000 {\AA}, with the dispersed light being imaged in each
channel by a f/1.10 vacuum Schmidt camera. In the blue and red channels a pair
of Hamamatsu 2K x 4K edge-buttable CCDs with 15 um pixels are used to form a 4K
x 4K array. For the IR channel, the new Teledyne 4K x 4K, 15 um pixel,
mercury-cadmium-telluride sensor with substrate removed for short-wavelength
response and a 1.7 um cutoff will be used. Identical detector geometry and a
nearly identical optical design allow for a common cryostat design with the
only notable difference being the need for a cold radiation shield in the IR
camera to mitigate thermal background. This paper describes the details of the
cryostat design and cooling scheme, relevant thermal considerations and
analysis, and discusses the detectors and detector readout electronics
The Perkins INfrared Exosatellite Survey (PINES) I. survey overview, reduction pipeline, and early results
We describe the Perkins INfrared Exosatellite Survey (PINES), a near-infrared photometric search for short-period transiting planets and moons around a sample of 393 spectroscopically confirmed L- and T-type dwarfs. PINES is performed with Boston University’s 1.8 m Perkins Telescope Observatory, located on Anderson Mesa, Arizona. We discuss the observational strategy of the survey, which was designed to optimize the number of expected transit detections, and describe custom automated observing procedures for performing PINES observations. We detail the steps of the PINES Analysis Toolkit (PAT), software that is used to create light curves from PINES images. We assess the impact of second-order extinction due to changing precipitable water vapor on our observations and find that the magnitude of this effect is minimized in Mauna Kea Observatories J band. We demonstrate the validity of PAT through the recovery of a transit of WASP-2 b and known variable brown dwarfs, and use it to identify a new variable L/T transition object: the T2 dwarf WISE J045746.08-020719.2. We report on the measured photometric precision of the survey and use it to estimate our transit-detection sensitivity. We find that for our median brightness targets, assuming contributions from white noise only, we are sensitive to the detection of 2.5 R
⊕ planets and larger. PINES will test whether the increase in sub-Neptune-sized planet occurrence with decreasing host mass continues into the L- and T-dwarf regime.https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ac64aa/pdfPublished versio
SCAMP:standardised, concentrated, additional macronutrients, parenteral nutrition in very preterm infants: a phase IV randomised, controlled exploratory study of macronutrient intake, growth and other aspects of neonatal care
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infants born <29 weeks gestation are at high risk of neurocognitive disability. Early postnatal growth failure, particularly head growth, is an important and potentially reversible risk factor for impaired neurodevelopmental outcome. Inadequate nutrition is a major factor in this postnatal growth failure, optimal protein and calorie (macronutrient) intakes are rarely achieved, especially in the first week. Infants <29 weeks are dependent on parenteral nutrition for the bulk of their nutrient needs for the first 2-3 weeks of life to allow gut adaptation to milk digestion. The prescription, formulation and administration of neonatal parenteral nutrition is critical to achieving optimal protein and calorie intake but has received little scientific evaluation. Current neonatal parenteral nutrition regimens often rely on individualised prescription to manage the labile, unpredictable biochemical and metabolic control characteristic of the early neonatal period. Individualised prescription frequently fails to translate into optimal macronutrient delivery. We have previously shown that a standardised, concentrated neonatal parenteral nutrition regimen can optimise macronutrient intake.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We propose a single centre, randomised controlled exploratory trial of two standardised, concentrated neonatal parenteral nutrition regimens comparing a standard macronutrient content (maximum protein 2.8 g/kg/day; lipid 2.8 g/kg/day, dextrose 10%) with a higher macronutrient content (maximum protein 3.8 g/kg/day; lipid 3.8 g/kg/day, dextrose 12%) over the first 28 days of life. 150 infants 24-28 completed weeks gestation and birthweight <1200 g will be recruited. The primary outcome will be head growth velocity in the first 28 days of life. Secondary outcomes will include a) auxological data between birth and 36 weeks corrected gestational age b) actual macronutrient intake in first 28 days c) biomarkers of biochemical and metabolic tolerance d) infection biomarkers and other intravascular line complications e) incidence of major complications of prematurity including mortality f) neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years corrected gestational age</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current controlled trials: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN76597892">ISRCTN76597892</a>; EudraCT Number: 2008-008899-14</p
Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) for the Subaru Telescope: Overview, recent progress, and future perspectives
PFS (Prime Focus Spectrograph), a next generation facility instrument on the
8.2-meter Subaru Telescope, is a very wide-field, massively multiplexed,
optical and near-infrared spectrograph. Exploiting the Subaru prime focus, 2394
reconfigurable fibers will be distributed over the 1.3 deg field of view. The
spectrograph has been designed with 3 arms of blue, red, and near-infrared
cameras to simultaneously observe spectra from 380nm to 1260nm in one exposure
at a resolution of ~1.6-2.7A. An international collaboration is developing this
instrument under the initiative of Kavli IPMU. The project is now going into
the construction phase aiming at undertaking system integration in 2017-2018
and subsequently carrying out engineering operations in 2018-2019. This article
gives an overview of the instrument, current project status and future paths
forward.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Proceeding of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and
Instrumentation 201
ACCESS: Design and Sub-System Performance
Establishing improved spectrophotometric standards is important for a broad range of missions and is relevant to many astrophysical problems. ACCESS, "Absolute Color Calibration Experiment for Standard Stars", is a series of rocket-borne sub-orbital missions and ground-based experiments designed to enable improvements in the precision of the astrophysical flux scale through the transfer of absolute laboratory detector standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to a network of stellar standards with a calibration accuracy of 1% and a spectral resolving power of 500 across the 0.35 -1.7 micrometer bandpass
Brief Report: Question-Asking and Collateral Language Acquisition in Children with Autism
The literature suggests children with autism use communication primarily for requests and protests, and almost never for information-seeking. This study investigated whether teaching “Where” questions using intrinsic reinforcement procedures would produce the generalized use of the question, and whether concomitant improvements in related language structures, provided as answers to the children’s questions, would occur. In the context of a multiple baseline across participants design, data showed that the children could rapidly acquire and generalize the query, and that there were collateral improvements in the children’s use of language structures corresponding to the answers to the questions the children asked. The results are discussed in the context of teaching child initiations to improve linguistic competence in children with autism
- …