VLBI observations of weak extragalactic radio sources for the alignment of the future GAIA frame with the ICRF

The space astrometry mission GAIA will construct a dense optical QSO-based celestial reference frame. For consistency between the optical and radio positions, it will be important to align the GAIA frame and the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) with the highest accuracy. Currently, it is found that only 10% of the ICRF sources are suitable to establish this link, either because they are not bright enough at optical wavelengths or because they have significant extended radio emission which precludes reaching the highest astrometric accuracy. In order to improve the situation, we have initiated a VLBI survey dedicated to finding additional high-quality radio sources for aligning the two frames. The sample consists of about 450 sources, typically 20 times weaker than the current ICRF sources, which have been selected by cross-correlating optical and radio catalogues. This paper presents the observing strategy and includes preliminary results of observation of 224 of these sources with the European VLBI Network in June 2007

Iridoplasts as a photonic structure

Photonic structure is used extensively in nature to achieve colourful displays for visual signalling in diverse inter- and intra-specific relationships. This has been well studied for many animal and plant species with the use of structural colouration ranging from camouflage, signalling for warning, mating, seed dispersal, pollination and even social status. This research sets out to investigate the modified chloroplast found commonly in Begonia species which, using ordered multilayer structures acts as a photonic structure to manipulate its interaction with light. Crucially, whilst the photonic structure here does cause colouration which can be visible under specific conditions, it is not likely to be the primary purpose. Previous research has shown that the photonic structure in iridoplasts may contribute towards an increased photosynthetic yield in low light conditions. Here iridoplasts in Begonia species have been investigated using Fourier-plane microspectrometry, autofluorescence confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy to measure structural properties and compare optical modelling to measured spectra. Novel green-reflecting iridoplasts have been characterised and their optical properties compared to more common blue-reflecting iridoplasts showing that these structures may be far more common in nature as they are not visible to the naked eye. The response of iridoplast ultrastructure was tested in acclimation to different wavelengths of light showing that the photonic structure is conserved under greatly varying spectral quality, unlike mesophyll chloroplasts which show drastic ultrastructural changes. In one species iridoplasts grown under blue light showed a consistent structural response indicating some wavelength tuning is possible. The effects of natural disorder found in real iridoplast images was analysed and discussed in comparison to recent theoretical studies. The findings show that the optical characteristics are robust against even the highest levels of disorder and, in contrast to a recent theoretical study, this work finds no strong evidence for the presence of correlated disorder which may have implications for the way iridoplasts form

OER Evidence Report 2013-2014

The Open Educational Resources Research Hub (OER Research Hub) provides a focus for research, designed to give answers to the overall question ‘What is the impact of OER on learning and teaching practices?’ and identify the particular influence of openness. We do this by working in collaboration with projects across four education sectors (K12, college, higher education and informal) extending a network of research with shared methods and shared results. The project combines: – Targeted research collaboration with high profile OER projects – A programme of international fellowship – Global networking and expertise in OER implementation and evaluation – A hub for research data and excellence in practice This report is an interim review of evidence recorded against the key hypotheses that focus the research of the OER Research Hub project

Habitability of known exoplanetary systems based on measured stellar properties

At present, because of observational selection effects, we know of no exoplanetary systems with any planetary masses close to that of the Earth. We have therefore used computer models to see whether such planets could be dynamically stable in the presence of the more massive planets known to be present, and in particular whether planets with roughly an Earth mass could remain confined to the classical habitable zone (HZ) for long enough for life to have emerged. Measured stellar properties have been used to determine for each system the present location of the HZ. We have also determined the critical distances from the orbit of each giant planet within which an Earth-mass planet would suffer large orbital changes. We then evaluated the present habitability of each and every exoplanetary system by examining the penetration of these critical distances into the HZ. The critical distances can be obtained by extensive computer modelling of an exoplanetary system. This is far too time consuming to apply to all of the 150 or so systems already known, and to keep up with the latest discoveries. Therefore, in earlier work we studied a few systems in great detail, and developed a speedier means of obtaining the critical distances. We summarize this comparatively quick method here. We can then evaluate comparatively quickly the present habitability of each exoplanetary system by examining the penetration of the critical distance(s) into the HZ. The results are encouraging for astrobiology.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journal. A few revisions have been made following suggestions by the refere

Astrometric signal profile fitting for Gaia

A tool for representation of the one-dimensional astrometric signal of Gaia is described and investigated in terms of fit discrepancy and astrometric performance with respect to number of parameters required. The proposed basis function is based on the aberration free response of the ideal telescope and its derivatives, weighted by the source spectral distribution. The influence of relative position of the detector pixel array with respect to the optical image is analysed, as well as the variation induced by the source spectral emission. The number of parameters required for micro-arcsec level consistency of the reconstructed function with the detected signal is found to be 11. Some considerations are devoted to the issue of calibration of the instrument response representation, taking into account the relevant aspects of source spectrum and focal plane sampling. Additional investigations and other applications are also suggested.Comment: 13 pages, 21 figures, Accepted by MNRAS 2010 January 29. Received 2010 January 28; in original form 2009 September 3

First Astronomical Application of a Cryogenic TES Spectrophotometer

We report on the first astronomical observations with a photon counting pixel detector that provides arrival time- (delta t = 100ns) and energy- (delta E_gamma < 0.15eV) resolved measurements from the near IR through the near UV. Our test observations were performed by coupling this Transition Edge Sensor (TES) device to a 0.6m telescope; we have obtained the first simultaneous optical near-IR phase-resolved spectra of the Crab pulsar. A varying infrared turnover gives evidence of self-absorption in the pulsar plasma. The potential of such detectors in imaging arrays from a space platform are briefly described.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

First results of a cryogenic optical photon counting imaging spectrometer using a DROID array

Context. In this paper we present the first system test in which we demonstrate the concept of using an array of Distributed Read Out Imaging Devices (DROIDs) for optical photon detection. Aims. After the successful S-Cam 3 detector the next step in the development of a cryogenic optical photon counting imaging spectrometer under the S-Cam project is to increase the field of view using DROIDs. With this modification the field of view of the camera has been increased by a factor of 5 in area, while keeping the number of readout channels the same. Methods. The test has been performed using the flexible S-Cam 3 system and exchanging the 10x12 Superconducting Tunnel Junction array for a 3x20 DROID array. The extra data reduction needed with DROIDs is performed offline. Results. We show that, although the responsivity (number of tunnelled quasiparticles per unit of absorbed photon energy, e- /eV) of the current array is too low for direct astronomical applications, the imaging quality is already good enough for pattern detection, and will improve further with increasing responsivity. Conclusions. The obtained knowledge can be used to optimise the system for the use of DROIDs.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publicaiton in A&

Microstructure of the Local Interstellar Cloud and the Identification of the Hyades Cloud

We analyze high-resolution UV spectra of the Mg II h and k lines for 18 members of the Hyades Cluster to study inhomogeneity along these proximate lines of sight. The observations were taken by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Three distinct velocity components are observed. All 18 lines of sight show absorption by the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), ten stars show absorption by an additional cloud, which we name the Hyades Cloud, and one star exhibits a third absorption component. The LIC absorption is observed at a lower radial velocity than predicted by the LIC velocity vector derived by Lallement & Bertin (1992) and Lallement et al. (1995), (v(predicted LIC) - v(observed LIC) = 2.9 +/- 0.7 km/s), which may indicate a compression or deceleration at the leading edge of the LIC. We propose an extention of the Hyades Cloud boundary based on previous HST observations of other stars in the general vicinity of the Hyades, as well as ground-based Ca II observations. We present our fits of the interstellar parameters for each absorption component. The availability of 18 similar lines of sight provides an excellent opportunity to study the inhomogeneity of the warm, partially ionized local interstellar medium (LISM). We find that these structures are roughly homogeneous. The measured Mg II column densities do not vary by more than a factor of 2 for angular separations of < 8 degrees, which at the outer edge of the LIC correspond to physical separations of < 0.6 pc.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figures, AASTEX v.5.0 plus EPSF extensions in mkfig.sty; accepted by Ap

A Ring of Warm Dust in the HD 32297 Debris Disk

We report the detection of a ring of warm dust in the edge-on disk surrounding HD 32297 with the Gemini-N/MICHELLE mid-infrared imager. Our N'-band image shows elongated structure consistent with the orientation of the scattered-light disk. The Fnu(11.2 um) = 49.9+/-2.1 mJy flux is significantly above the 28.2+/-0.6 mJy photosphere. Subtraction of the stellar point spread function reveals a bilobed structure with peaks 0.5"-0.6" from the star. An analysis of the stellar component of the SED suggests a spectral type later than A0, in contrast to commonly cited literature values. We fit three-dimensional, single-size grain models of an optically thin dust ring to our image and the SED using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm in a Bayesian framework. The best-fit effective grain sizes are submicron, suggesting the same dust population is responsible for the bulk of the scattered light. The inner boundary of the warm dust is located 0.5"-0.7" (~65 AU) from the star, which is approximately cospatial with the outer boundary of the scattered-light asymmetry inward of 0.5". The addition of a separate component of larger, cooler grains that provide a portion of the 60 um flux improves both the fidelity of the model fit and consistency with the slopes of the scattered-light brightness profiles. Previous indirect estimates of the stellar age (~30 Myr) indicate the dust is composed of debris. The peak vertical optical depths in our models (~0.3-1 x 1e-2) imply that grain-grain collisions likely play a significant role in dust dynamics and evolution. Submicron grains can survive radiation pressure blow-out if they are icy and porous. Similarly, the inferred warm temperatures (130-200 K) suggest that ice sublimation may play a role in truncating the inner disk.Comment: ApJ accepted, 8 pages, 4 figure