Planck pre-launch status: HFI ground calibration

Context. The Planck satellite was successfully launched on May 14th 2009. We have completed the pre-launch calibration measurements of the High Frequency Instrument (HFI) on board Planck and their processing. Aims. We present the results of the pre-launch calibration of HFI in which we have multiple objectives. First, we determine instrumental parameters that cannot be measured in-flight and predict parameters that can. Second, we take the opportunity to operate and understand the instrument under a wide range of anticipated operating conditions. Finally, we estimate the performance of the instrument built. Methods. We obtained our pre-launch calibration results by characterising the component and subsystems, then by calibrating the focal plane at IAS (Orsay) in the Saturne simulator, and later from the tests at the satellite level carried out in the CSL (Liège) cryogenic vacuum chamber. We developed models to estimate the instrument pre-launch parameters when no measurement could be performed. Results. We reliably measure the Planck-HFI instrument characteristics and behaviour, and determine the flight nominal setting of all parameters. The expected in-flight performance exceeds the requirements and is close or superior to the goal specifications

Evidence of joint commitment in great apes’ natural joint actions

Human joint action seems special, as it is grounded in joint commitment—a sense of mutual obligation participants feel towards each other. Comparative research with humans and non-human great apes has typically investigated joint commitment by experimentally interrupting joint actions to study subjects’ resumption strategies. However, such experimental interruptions are human-induced, and thus the question remains of how great apes naturally handle interruptions. Here, we focus on naturally occurring interruptions of joint actions, grooming and play, in bonobos and chimpanzees. Similar to humans, both species frequently resumed interrupted joint actions (and the previous behaviours, like grooming the same body part region or playing the same play type) with their previous partners and at the previous location. Yet, the probability of resumption attempts was unaffected by social bonds or rank. Our data suggest that great apes experience something akin to joint commitment, for which we discuss possible evolutionary origins

First Astronomical Use of Multiplexed Transition Edge Bolometers

We present performance results based on the first astronomical use of multiplexed superconducting bolometers. The Fabry-Perot Interferometer Bolometer Research Experiment (FIBRE) is a broadband submillimeter spectrometer that achieved first light in June 2001 at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). FIBRE'S detectors are superconducting transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers read out by a SQUID multiplexer. The Fabry-Perot uses a low resolution grating to order sort the incoming light. A linear bolometer array consisting of 16 elements detects this dispersed light, capturing 5 orders simultaneously from one position on the sky. With tuning of the Fabry-Perot over one free spectral range, a spectrum covering Δλ/λ= 1/7 at a resolution of δλ/λ ≈ 1/1200 can be acquired. This spectral resolution is sufficient to resolve Doppler-broadened line emission from external galaxies. FIBRE operates in the 350 µm and 450 µm bands. These bands cover line emission from the important star formation tracers neutral carbon [Cl] and carbon monoxide (CO). We have verified that the multiplexed bolometers are photon noise limited even with the low power present in moderate resolution spectrometry

Continuum millimetre observations of high-redshift radio-quiet QSOs. II. Five new detections at z > 4

We have performed a sensitive (σ ~ 1.5mJy) systematic study of the 1.25 mm emission of ~22 radio-quiet QSOs at z ≳ 4, with the IRAM 30m telescope equipped with bolometer arrays. Five radio-quiet QSOs at z > 4 have been detected at a 5-σ level in addition to the initial detection of the z = 4.7 QSO BR1202-0725 reported in McMahon et al. (1994). The detected fluxes range from 2.5 to 10 mJy. All the reported detections were independently confirmed at the 3-σ level on at least three different nights. In addition 10 other QSOs from the Cambridge APM survey sample and 6 others QSOs from the literature were searched for millimetre emission but not detected with 2-σ upper limits of 3-4 mJy. From this systematic study of about half of the known optically selected z > 4 QSOs, some general trends of their millimetre emission can be inferred. All the QSOs we have detected pertain to the APM sample and are among those which have the largest UV rest-frame luminosities. The detection rate within the APM sample is 6 out of 16 observed, compared with zero in the remaining 6. Two of the four APM broad absorption line QSOs observed were detected and four of the seven weak lined APM QSOs were detected, whereas none of the five strong lined APM QSOs were detected. Thus there is evidence for enhanced millimetre emission from luminous QSOs with weak broad emission lines or broad absorption lines. There is one clear case known of strong lensing amongst the six millimetre detected objects with z > 4. In light of the fact that both previously known objects with confirmed strong millimetre emission at z>2 are gravitationally lensed, i.e. H1413+ 117 and IRAS F10214+4724, sensitive high resolution observations of these z > 4 QSOs are required to determine whether gravitational lensing effects need to be taken into account. Assuming that the millimetre wave continuum emission is due to dust emission, the very large amount of dust implied, ~ 10^8 h^(-2) M_⊙ , means that the host galaxies of these QSOs have undergone a substantial phase of star formation. If the gas-to-dust ratio in these galaxies is similar to that in lower redshift objects, the total gas mass would be ~ 10^(11) M_⊙. We have begun to explore the 1.25 mm emission of bright radio-quiet QSOs in the redshift range 1.5 to 3.5, using criteria which seem to favor millimetre detections, established from our z > 4 detections. One source was detected at z = 2.70. We have also observed three QSOs with z > 3 that were previously studied at 1.25mm by Andreani et al. (1993) who reported detections at a level higher than 3σ. We have been unable to confirm any of these reported detections. In particular we have a 3σ upper limit of 3.2 mJy for the z = 3.19 QSO PC2132+0126 for which Andreani et al. reported a flux of 11.5 ± 1. 7 mJy. Either this source has substantially varied during the period between the two sets of observations or the single channel bolometer observations were affected by systematic errors

Submillimeter mapping and analysis of cold dust condensations in the Orion M42 star forming complex

We present here the continuum submillimeter maps of the molecular cloud around the M42 Nebula in the Orion region. These have been obtained in four wavelength bands (200, 260, 360 and 580 microns) with the ProNaOS two meter balloon-borne telescope. The area covered is 7 parsecs wide (50 arcmin at a distance of 470 pc) with a spatial resolution of about 0.4 parsec. Thanks to the high sensitivity to faint surface brightness gradients, we have found several cold condensations with temperatures ranging from 12 to 17 K, within 3 parsecs of the dense ridge. The statistical analysis of the temperature and spectral index spatial distribution shows an evidence of an inverse correlation between these two parameters. Being invisible in the IRAS 100 micron survey, some cold clouds are likely to be the seeds for future star formation activity going on in the complex. We estimate their masses and we show that two of them have masses higher than their Jeans masses, and may be gravitationally unstable.Comment: 4 figures, The Astrophysical Journal, Main Journal, in pres

Geometry and quantum delocalization of interstitial oxygen in silicon

The problem of the geometry of interstitial oxygen in silicon is settled by proper consideration of the quantum delocalization of the oxygen atom around the bond-center position. The calculated infrared absorption spectrum accounts for the 517 and 1136 cm$^{-1}$ bands in their position, character, and isotope shifts. The asymmetric lineshape of the 517 cm$^{-1}$ peak is also well reproduced. A new, non-infrared-active, symmetric-stretching mode is found at 596 cm$^{-1}$. First-principles calculations are presented supporting the nontrivial quantum delocalization of the oxygen atom.Comment: uuencoded, compressed postscript file for the whole. 4 pages (figures included), accepted in PR

Planck pre-launch status: HFI beam expectations from the optical optimisation of the focal plane

Planck is a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite, launched in May 2009, which will map the cosmic microwave background anisotropies in intensity and polarisation with unprecedented detail and sensitivity. It will also provide full-sky maps of astrophysical foregrounds. An accurate knowledge of the telescope beam patterns is an essential element for a correct analysis of the acquired astrophysical data. We present a detailed description of the optical design of the High Frequency Instrument (HFI) together with some of the optical performances measured during the calibration campaigns. We report on the evolution of the knowledge of the pre-launch HFI beam patterns when coupled to ideal telescope elements, and on their significance for the HFI data analysis procedure

The NIKA instrument: results and perspectives towards a permanent KID based camera for the Pico Veleta observatory

The New IRAM KIDs Array (NIKA) is a pathfinder instrument devoted to millimetric astronomy. In 2009 it was the first multiplexed KID camera on the sky; currently it is installed at the focal plane of the IRAM 30-meters telescope at Pico Veleta (Spain). We present preliminary data from the last observational run and the ongoing developments devoted to the next NIKA-2 kilopixels camera, to be commissioned in 2015. We also report on the latest laboratory measurements, and recent improvements in detector cosmetics and read-out electronics. Furthermore, we describe a new acquisition strategy allowing us to improve the photometric accuracy, and the related automatic tuning procedure.Comment: 24th International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology, ISSTT 2013, April 8 to 10, 2013, Groningen, the Netherland