ASTRON’s Post

📃Scientific paper: All People, One Sky: A Foundation for IAU CPS Community Engagement Abstract: This report first describes the status quo regarding the emerging deployment of very large groups of low-Earth-orbit satellites in the late 2010s, the concerns raised by the international astronomy community, and steps the community took to address the issue. We then describe the results of a series of four conferences held in 2020-21 that considered the impacts of large satellite constellations as it impacted a number of stakeholders, and how those outcomes resulted in the establishment of both the IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (IAU CPS) and its Community Engagement (CE) Hub. We finish with a brief description of CE Hub's initial plans and activities, flowing from the recommendations of those conferences. ;Comment: 18 pages Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/c91fU ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

📃Scientific paper: Optimisation-based alignment of wideband integrated superconducting spectrometers for sub-mm astronomy Abstract: Integrated superconducting spectrometers (ISSs) for wideband sub-mm astronomy utilise quasi-optical systems for coupling radiation from the telescope to the instrument. Misalignment in these systems is detrimental to the system performance. The common method of using an optical laser to align the quasi-optical components requires accurate alignment of the laser to the sub-mm beam coming from the instrument, which is not always guaranteed to a sufficient accuracy. We develop an alignment strategy for wideband ISSs directly utilising the sub-mm beam of the wideband ISS. The strategy should be applicable in both telescope and laboratory environments. Moreover, the strategy should deliver similar quality of the alignment across the spectral range of the wideband ISS. We measure misalignment in a quasi-optical system operating at sub-mm wavelengths using a novel phase and amplitude measurement scheme, capable of simultaneously measuring the complex beam patterns of a direct-detecting ISS across a harmonic range of frequencies. The direct detection nature of the MKID detectors in our device-under-test, DESHIMA 2.0, necessitates the use of this measurement scheme. Using geometrical optics, the measured misalignment, a mechanical hexapod, and an optimisation algorithm, we follow a numerical approach to optimise the positioning of corrective optics with respect to a given cost function. Laboratory measurements of the complex beam patterns are taken across a harmonic range b... Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/Z8E ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

Opportunity

📃Scientific paper: HST/JWST Long-Term Monitoring Working Group Final Report Abstract: The Astro2020 Decadal Survey recognizes time-domain astronomy as a key science area over the next decade and beyond. With over 30 years of HST data and the potential for 20 years of JWST operations, these flagship observatories offer an unparalleled prospect for a half-century of space-based observations in the time domain. To take best advantage of this opportunity, STScI charged a working group to solicit community input and formulate strategies to maximize the science return in time-domain astronomy from these two platforms. Here, the HST/JWST Long-Term Monitoring Working Group reports on the input we received and presents our recommendations to enhance the scientific return for time-domain astronomy from HST and JWST. We suggest changes in policies to enable and prioritize long-term science programs of high scientific value. As charged, we also develop recommendations based on community input for a JWST Director's Discretionary Time program to observe high-redshift transients. ;Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures, minor typos corrected, working group information at https://lnkd.in/eb52FKjw Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/XbG ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

Five years ago to this day, #EUfunded researchers unveiled the first ever image of a black hole! This major achievement provided the first direct visual evidence of the existence of black holes, pushing the boundaries of modern science. The groundbreaking picture was generated by the Event Horizon Telescope, a global scientific collaboration involving European scientists. Combining radio telescopes around the world, the international team of astronomers succeeded in zooming into a supermassive #blackhole at the center of galaxy Messier 87. Read more 👉 europa.eu/!nC87U The ERC awarded 14 million euro in funding to the team of scientists involved in the underlying BlackHoleCam project: Profs Heino Falcke of Radboud University, Michael Kramer of the Max Planck Society and Luciano Rezzolla of the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt. More on the #BlackHoleCam team 👉 https://europa.eu/!tMDjWX As a result, the overall Event Horizon Telescope team went on to win the 2020 #Breakthrough Prize and Heino Falcke won the 2022 #Balzan Prize. #FrontierResearch #RealBlackHole #EHTBlackHole EU Science, Research and Innovation

📃Scientific paper: Long Short-Term Memory for Early Warning Detection of Gravitational Waves Abstract: The pre-merger detection of gravitational waves from the early inspiral phase of compact binary coalescence events would allow the observation of the earlier stages of the merger in the electromagnetic band. This would significantly impact multi-messenger astronomy, giving astronomers potential access to rich new information. Here, we introduce a proof-of-concept deep-learning-based approach to produce pre-merger early-warning alerts for binary black hole systems. We show the possibility of using a Long Short-Term Memory network trained on the whitened detector strain in the time domain to detect and classify compact binary events. In this work, we consider a single advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detector at design sensitivity and make approximate sensitivity and early warning capability comparisons with approximations to traditional matched filtering approaches. We find that our model is competitive in both aspects, and when applied to a simulated test dataset was able to produce an early alert up to four seconds before the merger. ;Comment: 20 pages , 16 figures Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/16Rx ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.

Janelia scientists adapt astronomy method to unblur microscopy images: https://ow.ly/r9Xl50Sh9tE Published in #OPG_Optica, the study introduces a rapid, sensitive, and robust wavefront sensing scheme based on phase diversity, a method successfully deployed in astronomy but underused in microscopy. To implement the method, they adapted the astronomy algorithm for use in microscopy, validated it with simulations, built a microscope with a deformable mirror and improved the software used to carry out the phase diversity correction. #microscopy #imaging #scienceandtechnology

So how can a bunch of antennas perform cutting-edge radio astronomy and what problems do we need to solve in their electromagnetic performance? Seems that the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is the key-project in addressing these questions.. Yesterday, I defended my PhD thesis 'Assessment and optimization of electromagnetic performance of low-frequency antenna arrays (SKA) by means of numerical methods', supervised by Dr. Pietro Bolli and Dr. Marco Romoli, as a candidate of the 36th cycle of the 'Physics and Astronomy' PhD programme at the Università degli Studi di Firenze. This result has also been made possible in collaboration with inaf osservatorio di arcetri, where I worked as a research fellow ('assegnista di ricerca'). Upon evaluation by the examination committee, I was awarded the PhD title with an 'Excellent' mark :) If I am to choose a single piece of 'advice' from my experience in this PhD programme, it would be to encourage controversial and interdisciplinary research topics: if correct guidance and supervision, financial and institutional support is there, do not hesitate to start your journey and you will figure out your path one step at a time. If some research is just 'trendy' but does not empassion you, be cautious in undertaking it!

I’m thrilled to share that my first research paper, titled “Higher-dimensional MOG dark compact object: shadow behaviour in the light of EHT observations”, has been published in the European Physical Journal C! 📚✨ In this study, we explore the intriguing effects of extra spatial dimensions on modified theories of gravity, specifically focusing on the shadow behavior of higher-dimensional dark compact objects within the framework of Scalar-Tensor-Vector Gravity (STVG). By deriving a higher-dimensional metric and analyzing photon orbits, we compare our findings with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations of the supermassive black hole M87*. Our results reveal fascinating insights into how extra dimensions influence the shadow size of these cosmic objects. https://lnkd.in/dqCxzyyh

📃Scientific paper: Atmospheric dispersion corrector for a multi-object spectroscopic mode of HROS-TMT Abstract: Highly multiplexed spectroscopic surveys have changed the astronomy landscape in recent years. However, these surveys are limited to low and medium spectral resolution. High spectral resolution spectroscopy is often photon starved and will benefit from a large telescope aperture. Multiplexed high-resolution surveys require a wide field of view and a large aperture for a suitable large number of bright targets. This requirement introduces several practical difficulties, especially for large telescopes, such as the future ELTs. Some of the challenges are the need for a wide field atmospheric dispersion corrector and to deal with the curved non-telecentric focal plane. Here, we present a concept of Multi-Object Spectroscopy (MOS) mode for TMT High-Resolution Optical Spectrograph (HROS), we have designed an atmospheric dispersion corrector for individual objects that fit inside a fiber positioner. We present the ZEMAX design and the performance of the atmospheric dispersion corrector for all elevations accessible by TMT. Continued on ES/IODE ➡️ https://etcse.fr/5T48 ------- If you find this interesting, feel free to follow, comment and share. We need your help to enhance our visibility, so that our platform continues to serve you.