aski: full-sky lensing map-making algorithms

Within the context of upcoming full-sky lensing surveys, the edge-preserving non-linear algorithm aski (All-Sky κ Inversion) is presented. Using the framework of Maximum A Posteriori inversion, it aims at recovering the optimal full-sky convergence map from noisy surveys with masks. aski contributes two steps: (i) CCD images of possibly crowded galactic fields are deblurred using automated edge-preserving deconvolution; (ii) once the reduced shear is estimated using standard techniques, the partially masked convergence map is also inverted via an edge-preserving method. The efficiency of the deblurring of the image is quantified by the relative gain in the quality factor of the reduced shear, as estimated by SExtractor. Cross-validation as a function of the number of stars removed yields an automatic estimate of the optimal level of regularization for the deconvolution of the galaxies. It is found that when the observed field is crowded, this gain can be quite significant for realistic ground-based 8-m class surveys. The most significant improvement occurs when both positivity and edge-preserving ℓ1−ℓ2 penalties are imposed during the iterative deconvolution. The quality of the convergence inversion is investigated on noisy maps derived from the horizon-4πN-body simulation with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) within the range ℓcut= 500-2500, with and without Galactic cuts, and quantified using one-point statistics (S3 and S4), power spectra, cluster counts, peak patches and the skeleton. It is found that (i) the reconstruction is able to interpolate and extrapolate within the Galactic cuts/non-uniform noise; (ii) its sharpness-preserving penalization avoids strong biasing near the clusters of the map; (iii) it reconstructs well the shape of the PDF as traced by its skewness and kurtosis; (iv) the geometry and topology of the reconstructed map are close to the initial map as traced by the peak patch distribution and the skeleton's differential length; (v) the two-point statistics of the recovered map are consistent with the corresponding smoothed version of the initial map; (vi) the distribution of point sources is also consistent with the corresponding smoothing, with a significant improvement when ℓ1−ℓ2 prior is applied. The contamination of B modes when realistic Galactic cuts are present is also investigated. Leakage mainly occurs on large scales. The non-linearities implemented in the model are significant on small scales near the peaks in the fiel

Polychromatic Laser Guide Star. Progress report and modeless laser

International audienceWe report the current status of the polychromatic laser guide star pro-gramme ELP-OA, and the new developments: the modeless laser allowinga continuous match of the laser FWHM with that of the Na D2 line in themesosphere, and ATTILA the ¯rst bench of the ELP-OA demonstrator

The Pulsation of Chi Cygni Imaged by Optical Interferometry; a Novel Technique to Derive Distance and Mass of Mira Stars

We present infrared interferometric imaging of the S-type Mira star Chi Cygni. The object was observed at four different epochs in 2005-2006 with the IOTA optical interferometer (H band). Images show up to 40% variation in the stellar diameter, as well as significant changes in the limb darkening and stellar inhomogeneities. Model fitting gave precise time-dependent values of the stellar diameter, and reveals presence and displacement of a warm molecular layer. The star radius, corrected for limb darkening, has a mean value of 12.1 mas and shows a 5.1mas amplitude pulsation. Minimum diameter was observed at phase 0.94+/-0.01. Maximum temperature was observed several days later at phase 1.02+/-0.02. We also show that combining the angular acceleration of the molecular layer with CO (Delta v = 3) radial velocity measurements yields a 5.9+/-1.5 mas parallax. The constant acceleration of the CO molecules -- during 80% of the pulsation cycle -- lead us to argument for a free-falling layer. The acceleration is compatible with a gravitational field produced by a 2.1(+1.5/-0.7) solar mass star. This last value is in agreement with fundamental mode pulsator models. We foresee increased development of techniques consisting in combining radial velocity with interferometric angular measurements, ultimately allowing total mapping of the speed, density, and position of the diverse species in pulsation driven atmospheres.Comment: 36 pages, accepted in Ap

The vertical structure of T Tauri accretion discs IV. Self-irradiation of the disc in the FU Orionis outburst phase

I investigate the self-irradiation of intensively accreting circumstellar discs (backwarmed discs). It is modelled using the two-layer disc approach by Lachaume et al. (2003) that includes heating by viscous dissipation and by an external source of radiation. The disc is made of a surface layer directly heated by the viscous luminosity of the central parts of the disc, and of an interior heated by viscosity as well as by reprocessed radiation from the surface. This model convincingly accounts for the infrared excess of some FU Orionis objects in the range 1-200 microns and supports the backwarmed disc hypothesis sometimes invoked to explain the mid- and far-infrared excesses whose origins are still under debate. Detailed simulation of the vertical radiative transfert in the presence of backwarming is still needed to corroborate these results and spectroscopically constrain the properties of intensively accreting discs.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic

First astronomical unit scale image of the GW Ori triple. Direct detection of a new stellar companion

Young and close multiple systems are unique laboratories to probe the initial dynamical interactions between forming stellar systems and their dust and gas environment. Their study is a key building block to understanding the high frequency of main-sequence multiple systems. However, the number of detected spectroscopic young multiple systems that allow dynamical studies is limited. GW Orionis is one such system. It is one of the brightest young T Tauri stars and is surrounded by a massive disk. Our goal is to probe the GW Orionis multiplicity at angular scales at which we can spatially resolve the orbit. We used the IOTA/IONIC3 interferometer to probe the environment of GW Orionis with an astronomical unit resolution in 2003, 2004, and 2005. By measuring squared visibilities and closure phases with a good UV coverage we carry out the first image reconstruction of GW Ori from infrared long-baseline interferometry. We obtain the first infrared image of a T Tauri multiple system with astronomical unit resolution. We show that GW Orionis is a triple system, resolve for the first time the previously known inner pair (separation $\rho\sim$1.4 AU) and reveal a new more distant component (GW Ori C) with a projected separation of $\sim$8 AU with direct evidence of motion. Furthermore, the nearly equal (2:1) H-band flux ratio of the inner components suggests that either GW Ori B is undergoing a preferential accretion event that increases its disk luminosity or that the estimate of the masses has to be revisited in favour of a more equal mass-ratio system that is seen at lower inclination. Accretion disk models of GW Ori will need to be completely reconsidered because of this outer companion C and the unexpected brightness of companion B.Comment: 5 pages, 9 figures, accepted Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters. 201

Imaging the dynamical atmosphere of the red supergiant Betelgeuse in the CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER

We present the first 1-D aperture synthesis imaging of the red supergiant Betelgeuse in the individual CO first overtone lines with VLTI/AMBER. The reconstructed 1-D projection images reveal that the star appears differently in the blue wing, line center, and red wing of the individual CO lines. The 1-D projection images in the blue wing and line center show a pronounced, asymmetrically extended component up to ~1.3 stellar radii, while those in the red wing do not show such a component. The observed 1-D projection images in the lines can be reasonably explained by a model in which the CO gas within a region more than half as large as the stellar size is moving slightly outward with 0--5 km s^-1, while the gas in the remaining region is infalling fast with 20--30 km s^-1. A comparison between the CO line AMBER data taken in 2008 and 2009 shows a significant time variation in the dynamics of the CO line-forming region in the photosphere and the outer atmosphere. In contrast to the line data, the reconstructed 1-D projection images in the continuum show only a slight deviation from a uniform disk or limb-darkened disk. We derive a uniform-disk diameter of 42.05 +/- 0.05 mas and a power-law-type limb-darkened disk diameter of 42.49 +/- 0.06 mas and a limb-darkening parameter of (9.7 +/- 0.5) x 10^{-2}. This latter angular diameter leads to an effective temperature of 3690 +/- 54 K for the continuum-forming layer. These diameters confirm that the near-IR size of Betelgeuse was nearly constant over the last 18 years, in marked contrast to the recently reported noticeable decrease in the mid-IR size. The continuum data taken in 2008 and 2009 reveal no or only marginal time variations, much smaller than the maximum variation predicted by the current 3-D convection simulations.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

LITpro: a model fitting software for optical interferometry

9 pagesInternational audienceLITpro is a software for fitting models on data obtained from various stellar optical interferometers, like the VLTI. As a baseline, for modeling the object, it provides a set of elementary geometrical and center-to-limb darkening functions, all combinable together. But it is also designed to make very easy the implementation of more specific models with their own parameters, to be able to use models closer to astrophysical considerations. So LITpro only requires the modeling functions to compute the Fourier transform of the object at given spatial frequencies, and wavelengths and time if needed. From this, LITpro computes all the necessary quantities as needed (e.g. visibilities, spectral energy distribution, partial derivatives of the model, map of the object model). The fitting engine, especially designed for this kind of optimization, is based on a modified Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and has been successfully tested on real data in a prototype version. It includes a Trust Region Method, minimizing a heterogeneous non-linear and non-convex criterion and allows the user to set boundaries on free parameters. From a robust local minimization algorithm and a starting points strategy, a global optimization solution is effectively achieved. Tools have been developped to help users to find the global minimum. LITpro is also designed for performing fitting on heterogeneous data. It will be shown, on an example, how it fits simultaneously interferometric data and spectral energy distribution, with some benefits on the reliability of the solution and a better estimation of errors and correlations on the parameters. That is indeed necessary since present interferometric data are generally multi-wavelengths

Milli-arcsecond astrophysics with VSI, the VLTI spectro-imager in the ELT era

Nowadays, compact sources like surfaces of nearby stars, circumstellar environments of stars from early stages to the most evolved ones and surroundings of active galactic nuclei can be investigated at milli-arcsecond scales only with the VLT in its interferometric mode. We propose a spectro-imager, named VSI (VLTI spectro-imager), which is capable to probe these sources both over spatial and spectral scales in the near-infrared domain. This instrument will provide information complementary to what is obtained at the same time with ALMA at different wavelengths and the extreme large telescopes.Comment: 8 pages. To be published in the proceedings of the ESO workshop "Science with the VLT in the ELT Era", held in Garching (Germany) on 8-12 October 2007, A. Moorwood edito

Imaging Young Stellar Objects with VLTi/PIONIER

OHP 2013: International Colloquium at Haute-Provence Observatory, France, 23-27 September 2013 - Improving the performances of current optical interferometers and future designsThis is the final version of the paper. Available from the publisher via the URL in this record.Optical interferometry imaging is designed to help us to reveal complex astronomical sources without a prior model. Among these complex objects are the young stars and their environments, which have a typical morphology with a point-like source, surrounded by circumstellar material with unknown morphology. To image them, we have developed a numerical method that removes completely the stellar point source and reconstructs the rest of the image, using the differences in the spectral behavior between the star and its circumstellar material. We aim to reveal the first Astronomical Units of these objects where many physical phenomena could interplay: the dust sublimation causing a puffed-up inner rim, a dusty halo, a dusty wind or an inner gaseous component. To investigate more deeply these regions, we carried out the first Large Program survey of HAeBe stars with two main goals: statistics on the geometry of these objects at the first astronomical unit scale and imaging their very close environment. The images reveal the environment, which is not polluted by the star and allows us to derivethe best fit for the flux ratio and the spectral slope. We present the first images from this survey and the application of the imaging method on other astronomical objects.This work is supported by the French ANR POLCA project (Processing of pOLychromatic interferometriC data for Astrophysics, ANR-10-BLAN-0511