17 research outputs found
Speckle Suppression with the Project 1640 Integral Field Spectrograph
Project 1640 is a high-contrast imaging instrument recently commissioned at
Palomar observatory. A combination of a coronagraph with an integral field
spectrograph (IFS), Project 1640 is designed to detect and characterize
extrasolar planets, brown dwarfs, and circumstellar material orbiting nearby
stars. In this paper, we present our data processing techniques for improving
upon instrument raw sensitivity via the removal of quasi-static speckles. Our
approach utilizes the chromatic image diversity provided by the IFS in
combination with the locally-optimized combination of images (LOCI) algorithm
to suppress the intensity of residual contaminating light in close angular
proximity to target stars. We describe the Project 1640 speckle suppression
pipeline (PSSP) and demonstrate the ability to detect companions with
brightness comparable to and below that of initial speckle intensities using
on-sky commissioning data. Our preliminary results indicate that suppression
factors of at least one order of magnitude are consistently possible, reaching
contrast levels of at 1\arcsec in the H-band in
20 minutes of on-source integration time when non-common-path errors are
reasonably well-calibrated. These results suggest that near-infrared contrast
levels of order at subarcsecond separations will soon be
possible for Project 1640 and similarly designed instruments that receive a
diffraction-limited beam corrected by adaptive optics (AO) systems employing
deformable mirrors with high actuator-density.Comment: accepted to Ap
High-Resolution Submillimeter and Near-Infrared Studies of the Transition Disk around Sz 91
To reveal the structures of a transition disk around a young stellar object
in Lupus, Sz 91, we have performed aperture synthesis 345 GHz continuum and
CO(3--2) observations with the Submillimeter Array (\sim1\arcsec--3\arcsec
resolution), and high-resolution imaging of polarized intensity at the
-band by using the HiCIAO instrument on the Subaru Telescope (0\farcs25
resolution). Our observations successfully resolved the inner and outer radii
of the dust disk to be 65 AU and 170 AU, respectively, which indicates that Sz
91 is a transition disk source with one of the largest known inner holes. The
model fitting analysis of the spectral energy distribution reveals an H
mass of M_\sun in the cold (30 K) outer part at
AU by assuming a canonical gas-to-dust mass ratio of 100, although a
small amount ( M_\sun) of hot (180 K) dust possibly
remains inside the inner hole of the disk. The structure of the hot component
could be interpreted as either an unresolved self-luminous companion body (not
directly detected in our observations) or a narrow ring inside the inner hole.
Significant CO(3--2) emission with a velocity gradient along the major axis of
the dust disk is concentrated on the Sz 91 position, suggesting a rotating gas
disk with a radius of 420 AU. The Sz 91 disk is possibly a rare disk in an
evolutionary stage immediately after the formation of protoplanets because of
the large inner hole and the lower disk mass than other transition disks
studied thus far
OpTIIX: An ISS-Based Testbed Paving the Roadmap Toward a Next Generation Large Aperture UV/Optical Space Telescope
The next generation large aperture UV/Optical space telescope will need a diameter substantially larger than even that of JWST in order to address some of the most compelling unanswered scientific quests. These quests include understanding the earliest phases of the Universe and detecting life on exo-planets by studying spectra of their atmospheres. Such 8-16 meter telescopes face severe challenges in terms of cost and complexity and are unlikely to be affordable unless a new paradigm is adopted for their design and construction. The conventional approach is to use monolithic or preassembled segmented mirrors requiring complicated and risky deployments and relying on future heavy-lift vehicles, large fairings and complex geometry. The new paradigm is to launch component modules on relatively small vehicles and then perform in-orbit robotic assembly of those modules. The Optical Testbed and Integration on ISS eXperiment (OpTIIX) is designed to demonstrate, at low cost by leveraging the infrastructure provided by ISS, telescope assembly technologies and end-to-end optical system technologies. The use of ISS as a testbed permits the concentration of resources on reducing the technical risks associated with robotically integrating the components. These include laser metrology and wavefront sensing and control (WFS&C) systems, an imaging instrument, lightweight, low-cost deformable primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror. These elements are then aligned to a diffraction-limited optical system in space. The capability to assemble the optical system and remove and replace components via the existing ISS robotic systems like the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), or by the ISS flight crew, allows for future experimentation, as well as repair
Application of a damped Locally Optimized Combination of Images method to the spectral characterization of faint companions using an Integral Field Spectrograph
High-contrast imaging instruments are now being equipped with integral field
spectrographs (IFS) to facilitate the detection and characterization of faint
substellar companions. Algorithms currently envisioned to handle IFS data, such
as the Locally Optimized Combination of Images (LOCI) algorithm, rely upon
aggressive point-spread-function (PSF) subtraction, which is ideal for
initially identifying companions but results in significantly biased photometry
and spectroscopy due to unwanted mixing with residual starlight. This
spectro-photometric issue is further complicated by the fact that algorithmic
color response is a function of the companion's spectrum, making it difficult
to calibrate the effects of the reduction without using iterations involving a
series of injected synthetic companions. In this paper, we introduce a new PSF
calibration method, which we call "damped LOCI", that seeks to alleviate these
concerns. By modifying the cost function that determines the weighting
coefficients used to construct PSF reference images, and also forcing those
coefficients to be positive, it is possible to extract companion spectra with a
precision that is set by calibration of the instrument response and
transmission of the atmosphere, and not by post-processing. We demonstrate the
utility of this approach using on-sky data obtained with the Project 1640 IFS
at Palomar. Damped-LOCI does not require any iterations on the underlying
spectral type of the companion, nor does it rely upon priors involving the
chromatic and statistical properties of speckles. It is a general technique
that can readily be applied to other current and planned instruments that
employ IFS's.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal Supplement
HIGH-RESOLUTION SUBMILLIMETER AND NEAR-INFRARED STUDIES OF THE TRANSITION DISK AROUND Sz 91
The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies,
expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling
for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least .
With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000
people realized that vision as the James Webb Space Telescope. A
generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of
the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the
scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000
team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image
quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief
history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing
program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite
detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space
Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure
Mesozoic ecosystems – climate and biotas
This issue of Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology is devoted to papers on Mesozoic ecosystems and is an outcome of the International Geoscience Program (IGCP) 632. IGCP is a joint operation by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), which promote interdisciplinary Earth science research among scientists internationally. Since its formation in 1972, IGCP has supported over 500 projects in about 150 countries.2015-04264 Utgör mass-utdöenden en driftkraft för evolutionen? Studier från krita-paleogengränsenSwedish Research Council 349-2007-8705 Lund University Carbon Cycle Centre (LUCCI
Significant transient pCO2 perturbation at the New Zealand Oligocene- Miocene transition recorded by fossil plant stomata
The reorganisation of Earth's climate system from the Oligocene to the Miocene was influenced by complex interactions between Tethyan tectonics, orbital parameters, oceanographic changes, and carbon cycle feedbacks, with climate modelling indicating that pCO2 was an important factor. Oscillating episodes of climate change during the Oligocene–Miocene transition (OMT) have however been difficult to reconcile with existing pCO2 records. Here we present a new pCO2 record from the OMT into the early Miocene, reconstructed using the stomatal proxy method with a database of fossil Lauraceae leaves from New Zealand. The leaf database derives from three relatively well-dated sites located in the South Island of New Zealand; Foulden Maar, Mataura River and Grey Lake. Atmospheric pCO2 values were obtained based on four separate calibrations with three nearest living equivalents, using the stomatal ratio method as well as transfer functions. Our results, based on the mean values of each of the four calibrations, indicate pCO2 ranging ~582–732 ppm (average 650 ppm) at the OMT, falling precipitously to mean values of ~430–538ppm (average 492ppm) for the earliest Miocene and ~454–542 ppm (average 502 ppm) in the early Miocene. The much higher values of pCO2 at the OMT indicate that pCO played an important role in climate dynamics during this time, potentially including the abrupt ter- mination of glaciations.