Observing Exoplanets with High-Dispersion Coronagraphy. II. Demonstration of an Active Single-Mode Fiber Injection Unit

High-dispersion coronagraphy (HDC) optimally combines high contrast imaging techniques such as adaptive optics/wavefront control plus coronagraphy to high spectral resolution spectroscopy. HDC is a critical pathway towards fully characterizing exoplanet atmospheres across a broad range of masses from giant gaseous planets down to Earth-like planets. In addition to determining the molecular composition of exoplanet atmospheres, HDC also enables Doppler mapping of atmosphere inhomogeneities (temperature, clouds, wind), as well as precise measurements of exoplanet rotational velocities. Here, we demonstrate an innovative concept for injecting the directly-imaged planet light into a single-mode fiber, linking a high-contrast adaptively-corrected coronagraph to a high-resolution spectrograph (diffraction-limited or not). Our laboratory demonstration includes three key milestones: close-to-theoretical injection efficiency, accurate pointing and tracking, on-fiber coherent modulation and speckle nulling of spurious starlight signal coupling into the fiber. Using the extreme modal selectivity of single-mode fibers, we also demonstrated speckle suppression gains that outperform conventional image-based speckle nulling by at least two orders of magnitude.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Ap

The SED Machine: a robotic spectrograph for fast transient classification

Current time domain facilities are finding several hundreds of transient astronomical events a year. The discovery rate is expected to increase in the future as soon as new surveys such as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and the Large Synoptic Sky Survey (LSST) come on line. At the present time, the rate at which transients are classified is approximately one order or magnitude lower than the discovery rate, leading to an increasing "follow-up drought". Existing telescopes with moderate aperture can help address this deficit when equipped with spectrographs optimized for spectral classification. Here, we provide an overview of the design, operations and first results of the Spectral Energy Distribution Machine (SEDM), operating on the Palomar 60-inch telescope (P60). The instrument is optimized for classification and high observing efficiency. It combines a low-resolution (R$\sim$100) integral field unit (IFU) spectrograph with "Rainbow Camera" (RC), a multi-band field acquisition camera which also serves as multi-band (ugri) photometer. The SEDM was commissioned during the operation of the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) and has already proved lived up to its promise. The success of the SEDM demonstrates the value of spectrographs optimized to spectral classification. Introduction of similar spectrographs on existing telescopes will help alleviate the follow-up drought and thereby accelerate the rate of discoveries.Comment: 21 pages, 20 figure

Cryoscope:A Cryogenic Infrared Survey Telescope in Antarctica

We present Cryoscope--a new 50 deg2 field-of-view, 1.2 m aperture, Kdark survey telescope to be located at Dome C, Antarctica. Cryoscope has an innovative optical-thermal design wherein the entire telescope is cryogenically cooled. Cryoscope also explores new detector technology to cost-effectively tile the full focal plane. Leveraging the dark Antarctic sky and minimizing telescope thermal emission, Cryoscope achieves unprecedented deep, wide, fast and red observations, matching and exceeding volumetric survey speeds from the Ultraviolet Explorer, Vera Rubin Observatory, Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, SPHEREx, and NEO Surveyor. By providing coverage beyond wavelengths of 2 μm, we aim to create the most comprehensive dynamic movie of the most obscured reaches of the Universe. Cryoscope will be a dedicated discovery engine for electromagnetic emission from coalescing compact binaries, Earth-like exoplanets orbiting cold stars, and multiple facets of time-domain, stellar and solar system science. In this paper, we describe the scientific drivers and technical innovations for this new discovery engine operating in the Kdark passband, why we choose to deploy it in Antarctica, and the status of a fifth-scale prototype designed as a Pathfinder to retire technological risks prior to full-scale implementation. We plan to deploy the Cryoscope Pathfinder to Dome C in December 2026 and the full-scale telescope by 2030

Identification of regulatory variants associated with genetic susceptibility to meningococcal disease.

Non-coding genetic variants play an important role in driving susceptibility to complex diseases but their characterization remains challenging. Here, we employed a novel approach to interrogate the genetic risk of such polymorphisms in a more systematic way by targeting specific regulatory regions relevant for the phenotype studied. We applied this method to meningococcal disease susceptibility, using the DNA binding pattern of RELA - a NF-kB subunit, master regulator of the response to infection - under bacterial stimuli in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. We designed a custom panel to cover these RELA binding sites and used it for targeted sequencing in cases and controls. Variant calling and association analysis were performed followed by validation of candidate polymorphisms by genotyping in three independent cohorts. We identified two new polymorphisms, rs4823231 and rs11913168, showing signs of association with meningococcal disease susceptibility. In addition, using our genomic data as well as publicly available resources, we found evidences for these SNPs to have potential regulatory effects on ATXN10 and LIF genes respectively. The variants and related candidate genes are relevant for infectious diseases and may have important contribution for meningococcal disease pathology. Finally, we described a novel genetic association approach that could be applied to other phenotypes

Application of videoconference technology in cross-border litigation

Uporaba videokonferenčne tehnologije v čezmejnih sodnih postopkih Ključnega pomena za neposredno pridobivanje dokazov sodišča v tujini je Uredba (ES) št. 1206/2001 o pridobivanju dokazov. V dokaznem postopku se sodišče, pred katerim poteka postopek, načeloma ravna po svojem nacionalnem pravu ter izvaja postopek v svojem jeziku brez udeležbe sodišča druge države članice, v kateri se izvaja dokazovanje. V okviru Uredbe (ES) št. 1206/2001 o pridobivanju dokazov avstrijsko pravo omogoča uporabo videokonferenčne tehnologije v čezmejnih sodnih postopkih. Predmet tega prispevka je njihova ureditev in prve praktične izkušnje pri njihovi izvedbi v okviru zadevne uredbe.Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 on taking of evidence is crucial for direct taking of evidence by foreign courts. The judge who has to give judgement follows the proceeding of taking evidence based on the rules of his own national law and language, without the involvement of a court of another Member State, in which the evidence is taken. In the framework of the Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 on taking of evidence the Austrian Law also makes the application of videoconference technologies possible. The following contribution deals with the legal regulation of videoconference technology and is pointing out first practical experiences in the field of use of the respective regulation

Einsatz der Videokonferenztechnologie bei grenzüberschreitenden Gerichtsverfahren

Application of Videoconference Technology in Cross-border Litigation. Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 on taking of evidence is crucial for direct taking of evidence by foreign courts. The judge who has to give judgement follows the proceeding of taking evidence based on the rules of his own national law and language, without the involvement of a court of another Member State, in which the evidence is taken. In the framework of the Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 on taking of evidence the Austrian Law also makes the application of videoconference technologies possible. The following contribution deals with the legal regulation of videoconference technology and is pointing out first practical experiences in the field of use of the respective regulation. Uporaba videokonferenčne tehnologije v čezmejnih sodnih postopkih. Ključnega pomena za neposredno pridobivanje dokazov sodišča v tujini je Uredba (ES) št. 1206/2001 o pridobivanju dokazov. V dokaznem postopku se sodišče, pred katerim poteka postopek, načeloma ravna po svojem nacionalnem pravu ter izvaja postopek v svojem jeziku brez udeležbe sodišča druge države članice, v kateri se izvaja dokazovanje. V okviru Uredbe (ES) št. 1206/2001 o pridobivanju dokazov avstrijsko pravo omogoča uporabo videokonferenčne tehnologije v čezmejnih sodnih postopkih. Predmet tega prispevka je njihova ureditev in prve praktične izkušnje pri njihovi izvedbi v okviru zadevne uredbe