Search results for "satellites"

A New Look at Spitzer Primary Transit Observations of the Exoplanet HD 189733b

2014

Blind source separation techniques are used to reanalyse two exoplanetary transit lightcurves of the exoplanet HD189733b recorded with the IR camera IRAC on board the Spitzer Space Telescope at 3.6$\mu$m during the "cold" era. These observations, together with observations at other IR wavelengths, are crucial to characterise the atmosphere of the planet HD189733b. Previous analyses of the same datasets reported discrepant results, hence the necessity of the reanalyses. The method we used here is based on the Independent Component Analysis (ICA) statistical technique, which ensures a high degree of objectivity. The use of ICA to detrend single photometric observations in a self-consistent wa…

GrailQuest: hunting for atoms of space and time hidden in the wrinkle of Space-Time: A swarm of nano/micro/small-satellites to probe the ultimate str…

2021

AbstractGrailQuest(Gamma Ray Astronomy International Laboratory for QUantum Exploration of Space-Time) is a mission concept based on a constellation (hundreds/thousands) of nano/micro/small-satellites in low (or near) Earth orbits. Each satellite hosts a non-collimated array of scintillator crystals coupled with Silicon Drift Detectors with broad energy band coverage (keV-MeV range) and excellent temporal resolution (≤ 100 nanoseconds) each with effective area$\sim 100 \text {cm}^{2}$∼100cm2. This simple and robust design allows for mass-production of the satellites of the fleet. This revolutionary approach implies a huge reduction of costs, flexibility in the segmented launching strategy, …

Design of a Compact Dual Circular-Polarized Antenna for L-Band Satellite Applications

2020

In this paper, we propose the design of a dual circular-polarized antenna for L-band applications (1.1-1.6 GHz). The designed antenna has been developed by considering crossed-dipoles on top of which a circular patch has been placed to properly act on the mutual coupling between the dipoles. The dual circular polarization is achieved by feeding dipoles in quadrature. Moreover, to increase the antenna gain and polarization purity at high elevation angles, a fence of passive monopoles has been added. The proposed antenna can profitably used as primary feed of a low-frequency parabolic reflector.

The Joint SLR (Optical Range) and Radar-VLBI Satellite Observations using VIRAC Radio Telescope RT32, RT16 and SLR Station Riga

2020

Abstract Joint VLBI and SLR satellite tracking is a novel tracking approach to explore potential applications and to work out common procedures to coordinate observations between astronomical observatories in Latvia. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites equipped with laser retroreflectors have been chosen as test targets because they are accessible by both measuring techniques – satellite laser ranging (SLR) and Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI). The first Joint SLR and VLBI observations of selected GNSS satellites using three of Latvian large-scale astronomical utilities – VIRAC radio telescopes RT32 and RT16 (Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre of Ventspils U…

Formation Conditions of Titan's and Enceladus's Building Blocks in Saturn's Circumplanetary Disk

2021

Abstract The building blocks of Titan and Enceladus are believed to have formed in a late-stage circumplanetary disk (CPD) around Saturn. Evaluating the evolution of the abundances of volatile species in this disk as a function of the migration, growth, and evaporation of icy grains is then of primary importance to assess the origin of the material that eventually formed these two moons. Here we use a simple prescription of Saturn’s CPD in which the location of the centrifugal radius is varied, to investigate the time evolution of the icelines of water ice, ammonia hydrate, methane clathrate, carbon monoxide, and dinitrogen pure condensates. To match their compositional data, the building b…

M Stars in the TW Hya Association: Stellar X-rays and Disk Dissipation

2016

To investigate the potential connection between the intense X-ray emission from young, low-mass stars and the lifetimes of their circumstellar, planet-forming disks, we have compiled the X-ray luminosities ($L_X$) of M stars in the $\sim$8 Myr-old TW Hya Association (TWA) for which X-ray data are presently available. Our investigation includes analysis of archival Chandra data for the TWA binary systems TWA 8, 9, and 13. Although our study suffers from poor statistics for stars later than M3, we find a trend of decreasing $L_X/L_{bol}$ with decreasing $T_{eff}$ for TWA M stars wherein the earliest-type (M0--M2) stars cluster near $\log{(L_X/L_{bol})} \approx -3.0$ and then $\log{(L_X/L_{bol…

An automatic filtering algorithm for SURF-based registration of remote sensing images

2017

International audience; The registration of remote sensing images has been often a necessary step for further analyses of images taken at different times, different viewing geometry or with different sensors. For this task there exists many approaches. This paper focuses on the feature-based category of image registration methods. Particularly, we propose an improvement of the SURF algorithm on the point matching step. Indeed, in order to achieve a correct registration, a good matching of feature point is required. However The presence of outliers lead to a fail in the registration. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce an efficient method devoted to the detection and removal of such outli…

An investigation of the self- and inter-incompatibility of the olive cultivars 'Arbequina' and 'Koroneiki' in the Mediterranean climate of Sicily

2016

In this investigation, the self-(in)compatibility of the Spanish cultivar Arbequina and the Greek cultivar Koroneiki was studied for the first time in Sicily, where these low vigour cultivars were recently introduced in super-intensive olive groves. Self- (S.P.) and openpollination (O.P.) tests, observation of fruit set and paternity test of seeds with microsatellite (SSR) markers, were performed to ascertain whether these cultivars were self-fertile and/or inter-compatible. For S.P. tests, branches with flowers at the balloon stage were bagged. For the O.P. tests, flowers were left to pollinate under natural conditions. Fruits from S.P. and O.P. were collected in November and fruit set was…

Do island plant populations really have lower genetic variation than mainland populations? Effects of selection and distribution range on genetic div…

2015

Ecological and evolutionary studies largely assume that island populations display low levels of neutral genetic variation. However, this notion has only been formally tested in a few cases involving plant taxa, and the confounding effect of selection on genetic diversity (GD) estimates based on putatively neutral markers has typically been overlooked. Here, we generated nuclear microsatellite and plastid DNA sequence data in Periploca laevigata, a plant taxon with an island–mainland distribution area, to (i) investigate whether selection affects GD estimates of populations across contrasting habitats; and (ii) test the long-standing idea that island populations have lower GD than their mai…

THE INTERACTION OF THE STELLAR HIGH ENERGY RADIATION WITH THE CIRCUMSTELLAR MEDIUM

The purpose of this Thesis is to study how stellar high energy radiation affects exo- planetary atmospheres. High level of stellar high energy, X-rays and (vacuum end extreme) ultraviolet radiation may prevent planets’ habitability and limit the width of the habitability zone. Such radiation may ionize a star surrounding, affecting the chemistry and thermal bal- ance. The effects of X-rays can be wide ranging or relatively local. Soft X-rays are absorbed closer to the source than X-rays with energy greater than 1 keV. The absorption cross-section of hard X-rays are generally very small, so that such radiation may affect a whole galaxy to some extent. The product of photo-ionization is a cas…