The High Energy X-ray telescope (HE) onboard the Insight-HXMT astronomy satellite

The Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope(Insight-HXMT) is a broadband X-ray and γ-ray(1-3000 ke V) astronomy satellite. One of its three main telescopes is the High Energy X-ray telescope(HE). The main detector plane of HE comprises 18 Na I(Tl)/Cs I(Na) phoswich detectors, where Na I(Tl) is used as the primary detector to measure ~ 20-250 ke V photons incident from the field of view(FOV) defined by collimators, and Cs I(Na) is used as the active shielding detector to Na I(Tl) by pulse shape discrimination. Additionally, Cs I(Na) is used as an omnidirectional γ-ray monitor. The HE collimators have a diverse FOV,i.e. 1.1°×5.7°(15 units), 5.7°×5.7°(2 units), and blocked(1 unit). Therefore, the combined FOV of HE is approximately5.7°×5.7°. Each HE detector has a diameter of 190 mm resulting in a total geometrical area of approximately 5100 cm2, and the energy resolution is ~15% at 60 ke V. For each recorded X-ray event by HE, the timing accuracy is less than 10 μs and the deadtime is less than 10 μs. HE is used for observing spectra and temporal variability of X-ray sources in the 20-250 ke V band either by pointing observations for known sources or scanning observations to unveil new sources. Additionally, HE is used for monitoring the γ-ray burst in 0.2-3 Me V band. This paper not only presents the design and performance of HE instruments but also reports results of the on-ground calibration experiments.     

The Low Energy X-ray telescope (LE) onboard the Insight-HXMT astronomy satellite

The Low Energy X-ray telescope(LE) is one of the three main instruments of the Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope(Insight-HXMT). It is equipped with Swept Charge Device(SCD) sensor arrays with a total geometrical area of 384 cm^2 and an energy band from 0.7 to 13 ke V. In order to evaluate the particle induced X-ray background and the cosmic X-ray background simultaneously, LE adopts collimators to define four types of Field Of Views(FOVs), i.e., 1.6°×6°, 4°×6°, 50°-60°×2°-6 oand the blocked ones which block the X-ray by an aluminum cover. LE is constituted of three detector boxes(LEDs) and an electric control box(LEB) and achieves a good energy resolution of 140 e V@5.9 ke V, an excellent time resolution of 0.98 ms, as well as an extremely low pileup(<1%@18000 cts/s). Detailed performance tests and calibration on the ground have been performed,including energy-channel relation, energy response, detection efficiency and time response.     

空间X射线观测确定脉冲星星历表参数精度分析

脉冲星星历表维持着脉冲星导航所需的时空基准, 其精度直接影响着航天器导航定位结果, 是脉冲星导航系统的基本要素. 本文分析了脉冲星空间观测精度的估计方法, 探索性地研究了基于空间X射线观测获取星历表参数的可行性. 通过建立星历表参数拟合模型, 采用大样本重复事件仿真分析了空间X射线观测精度, 研究了星历表参数确定精度与观测精度、观测时间及观测频次的关系. 研究结果表明, 空间X射线观测可以确定脉冲星星历表参数, 但受限于脉冲星信号特征及探测器技术水平, 当前高精度导航用脉冲星星历表难以通过空间X射线观测手段获得, 可通过地面射电观测技术较好地建立与维持, 提出了推进我国大口径射电望远镜建设的建议.     

A study of the pointed observation methods and sensitivity of HXMT

The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) is an X-ray astronomy satellite consisting of three slat-collimated instruments, the High Energy X-ray Instrument (HE), the Medium Energy X-ray Instrument (ME), and the Low Energy X-ray Instrument (LE). HXMT will carry out an all sky survey and make pointed observations in the 1-250 keV energy band. In order to get the source and background fluxes simultaneously in the pointed observations, two methods, i.e., the combined field of view (FOV) method and the off-axis pointing method are proposed in this paper. Comprehensive analyses of the sensitivities of the three instruments by using these two methods are presented, respectively. It is found that the off-axis pointing method has a higher sensitivity for HE and ME but a lower sensitivity for LE. Since the axes of the three instruments are aligned along the same direction, the off-axis pointing method is recommended as the main method in the pointed observation for HXMT; the combined FOV method can be used when LE is the most relevant instrument in order to satisfy the scientific objective of the observation.     

基于超光谱比值辐射仪的卫星自动化场地定标与分析

针对我国光学遥感卫星高频次和高精度定标的技术需求,以及目前人工方式进行定标的不足,调研国内外卫星定标的发展现状,研制了超光谱比值辐射仪自动化定标系统,并开展了卫星传感器自动化定标的试验。根据场地定标中的参数需求与自动化定标的目标,比值辐射仪设计积分球测量光谱总照度,并通过遮挡的方式实现了光谱漫照度测量,获得卫星定标中的漫总比数据;同时,辐射仪利用光学镜头的方式实现地面辐亮度测量,实现了大气-地表辐射特性的自动观测,同时仪器集成了定标数据实时预处理和远程传送等功能。在2015年敦煌辐射校正场试验中,辐射仪得到了理想的应用效果并获得了大气光学参数、地表反射率的数据,为卫星传感器的定标提供了数据支持。经过与传统测量仪器的对比,地表反射率的相对偏差在0.5%~1.5%,大气参数中光谱辐照度的绝对偏差小于5%,漫总比的绝对偏差不大于0.015%。采用辐照度基法利用测量的数据对Aqua MODIS光学遥感器的通道1～5进行了场地定标,通道1~4的对比相对偏差小于1%,通道5的偏差结果为7.24%,验证结果满足了卫星传感器自动化定标的初步需求。     

基于青海湖辐射校正场的FY3D/MERSI-Ⅱ卫星遥感器热红外波段在轨辐射定标

2018年8月在青海湖辐射校正场开展了针对FY3D/MERSI-Ⅱ卫星遥感器热红外通道的在轨绝对辐射定标试验.采用走航式测量的方式获取了青海湖水表光谱辐亮度数据,结合探空数据,并基于辐射传输模型计算出卫星过境时刻的入瞳辐亮度和亮温,实现了对FY3D/MERSI-Ⅱ卫星遥感器热红外通道24(10.26~11.26μm)和通道25(11.50~12.50μm)的在轨辐射定标.利用国际公认精度的AQUA/MODIS和NPP/VⅡRS卫星遥感器对在轨辐射定标方法进行精度评估,在10.26~11.26μm和11.50~12.50μm波段范围,通道亮温的平均偏差分别小于0.5K和1.0K,表明基于青海湖辐射定标场的在轨辐射定标方法具有较好的定标精度,获得的定标结果合理可靠.将利用青海湖进行的在轨定标结果与星上定标结果进行比较,在10.26~11.26μm和11.50~12.50μm波段范围,通道亮温的平均偏差分别小于0.5K和1.25K,表明FY3D/MERSI-Ⅱ在轨运行稳定.本次试验检验了FY3D/MERSI-Ⅱ星上定标结果,也为FY3D/MERSI-Ⅱ遥感数据的定量化应用提供了保障.     

利用QuickBird数据进行热红外遥感成像模拟的研究

针对基于机载热像仪图像或随机产生仿真场景的早期热红外成像模拟系统,提出了对高分辨率QuickBird图像进行星载热红外成像模拟的方法。基于高分辨率QuickBird图像,采用ISODATA法进行非监督分类,得到土地分类专题图,通过地物光谱数据库获得场景地物温度及发射率,从而可获得地面辐亮度图像;利用大气辐射传输软件MODTRAN对其进行大气修正,结合卫星遥感器辐射定标系数,最终可得到卫星遥感器输出图像。仿真结果表明,利用QuickBird进行热红外遥感成像模拟是一种全新而有益的尝试,对伪装效果检验等具有一定的参考价值。     

The Potential Energy Coefficients for Internal Rotation in CH(2)DSH and CHD(2)SH

An internal axis method (IAM) has been used to determine the potential energy coefficients V(1), V(2), and V(3) to internal rotation in CH(2)DSH and CHD(2)SH. Two torsional differences for the gauche ground states and one torsional difference for the excited states were used to fix the V's. A fourth term, K(varsigma), 3(e(2))-2(o(2)), determines the torsional state assignment for this Q-branch series as o(2) to e(2) that was not known previously. For CH(2)DSH, the potential energy coefficients are V(1) = 4.54 cm(-1), V(2) = -9.36 cm(-1), V(3) = 440.50 cm(-1); for CHD(2)SH, V(1) = -4.12 cm(-1), V(2) = 8.23 cm(-1), V(3) = 439.65 cm(-1). Nonrigidity coefficients have also been determined for both the trans and gauche conformations of the ground state. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

MBE[(GaAs)l(Ga1-λAlxAs)m]n/GaAS(001)一维超晶格的X射线双晶衍射测量

本文着重介绍了MBE[(GaAs)l(Ga1-xAlxAs)m]n/GaAs(001)一维超晶格的X射线双晶衍射测量方法。根据卫星峰的出现,证明超晶格的存在。基于超晶格的台阶模型和X射线衍射的运动学理论,推导出超晶格多结构参数的计算方法。并对X射线双晶给出的其他信息做了必要的讨论。     

Radiation effect of the Chelyabinsk bolide

A physical model of the action of radiation from a bolide on Earth’s lower ionosphere has been presented. The calculations within this model applied to the Chelyabinsk bolide on February 15, 2013, have reproduced the luminosity curves in the visible and infrared ranges in agreement with ground and satellite observations. The calculated disturbances of the lower ionosphere induced by the radiation of the bolide at the stage of the flight from an altitude of 60 to 30 km are in quantitative agreement with the results of processing of radar and satellite (GPS) observations in the Ural region.     

Super-Alfvénic propagation of substorm reconnection signatures and Poynting flux

The propagation of reconnection signatures and their associated energy are examined using kinetic particle-in-cell simulations and Cluster satellite observations. It is found that the quadrupolar out-of-plane magnetic field near the separatrices is associated with a kinetic Alfvén wave. For magnetotail parameters, the parallel propagation of this wave is super-Alfvénic (V(∥) ～ 1500-5500 km/s) and generates substantial Poynting flux (S ～ 10(-5)-10(-4) W/m(2)) consistent with Cluster observations of magnetic reconnection. This Poynting flux substantially exceeds that due to frozen-in ion bulk outflows and is sufficient to generate white light aurora in Earth's ionosphere.     

Application of a multiscale maximum entropy image restoration algorithm to HXMT observations

This paper introduces a multiscale maximum entropy(MSME) algorithm for image restoration of the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope(HXMT),which is a collimated scan X-ray satellite mainly devoted to a sensitive all-sky survey and pointed observations in the 1-250 keV range.The novelty of the MSME method is to use wavelet decomposition and multiresolution support to control noise amplification at different scales.Our work is focused on the application and modification of this method to restore diffuse sources detected by HXMT scanning observations.An improved method,the ensemble multiscale maximum entropy(EMSME) algorithm,is proposed to alleviate the problem of mode mixing exiting in MSME.Simulations have been performed on the detection of the diffuse source Cen A by HXMT in all-sky survey mode.The results show that the MSME method is adapted to the deconvolution task of HXMT for diffuse source detection and the improved method could suppress noise and improve the correlation and signal-to-noise ratio,thus proving itself a better algorithm for image restoration.Through one all-sky survey,HXMT could reach a capacity of detecting a diffuse source with maximum differential flux of 0.5 mCrab.     

Applications of two-way satellite time and frequency transfer in the BeiDou navigation satellite system

A two-way satellite time and frequency transfer(TWSTFT) device equipped in the BeiDou navigation satellite system(BDS)can calculate clock error between satellite and ground master clock. TWSTFT is a real-time method with high accuracy because most system errors such as orbital error, station position error, and tropospheric and ionospheric delay error can be eliminated by calculating the two-way pseudorange difference. Another method, the multi-satellite precision orbit determination(MPOD)method, can be applied to estimate satellite clock errors. By comparison with MPOD clock estimations, this paper discusses the applications of the BDS TWSTFT clock observations in satellite clock measurement, satellite clock prediction, navigation system time monitor, and satellite clock performance assessment in orbit. The results show that with TWSTFT clock observations, the accuracy of satellite clock prediction is higher than MPOD. Five continuous weeks of comparisons with three international GNSS Service(IGS) analysis centers(ACs) show that the reference time difference between BeiDou time(BDT) and golbal positoning system(GPS) time(GPST) realized IGS ACs is in the tens of nanoseconds. Applying the TWSTFT clock error observations may obtain more accurate satellite clock performance evaluation in the 104 s interval because the accuracy of the MPOD clock estimation is not sufficiently high. By comparing the BDS and GPS satellite clock performance, we found that the BDS clock stability at the 103 s interval is approximately 10.12, which is similar to the GPS IIR.     

超光谱成像仪在轨辐射定标及不确定性分析

介绍了超光谱成像仪的技术参量、成像原理、实验室定标和星上定标的方法,利用超光谱"图谱合一"的特点,对常规的反射率基法提出改进,实现了超光谱成像仪的辐射定标.分析了辐射定标过程中地表测量、大气参量及卫星图像产生的不确定性.结果表明:105个通道定标系数的不确定度优于7%,改进后的定标方法可以实现环境卫星超光谱成像仪的在轨辐射定标.     

一种聚焦型X射线探测器在轨性能标定方法

X射线探测器是X射线天文观测及脉冲星导航的核心器件,受发射振动、高能粒子辐射损伤及元器件老化等影响,X射线探测器空间观测性能会逐渐变化,X射线探测器在轨标定有利于观测天体X射线辐射信息的准确获取及精确建模.研究利用了脉冲星辐射能谱标定X射线探测器性能的方法,能较好地消除探测器本底及空间环境噪声的影响,通过处理脉冲星导航试验卫星(XPNAV-1卫星)的Crab脉冲星观测数据,评估了我国首款聚焦型X射线探测器的在轨性能.计算结果表明,XPNAV-1卫星上聚焦型X射线探测器的有效面积在0.6-1.9 keV能段内优于2 cm~2,其中在0.7 keV能量处取得最大值3.06 cm~2,探测效率约10%;有效面积随着探测能量增大而减小,在2—3.5 keV能段内有效面积约为1 cm~2,而大于5 keV能段的有效面积约为0.1 cm~2,且此能段估计精度明显受光子统计误差影响.同时研究了考虑能量响应矩阵的探测器有效面积标定新方法,利用地面性能测试中五个特征能谱处的能量分辨率重构其能量响应矩阵,重新标定了聚焦型X射线探测器有效面积,发现该能量响应矩阵对结果影响较小.最后建议观测某些超新星遗迹监测能量分辨率及能量线性等指标的变化.     

Simulation of the in-flight calibration of the collimator alignment and PSF for HXMT

The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) is an X-ray astronomical satellite in 1–250 keV, consisting of three collimated instruments. We present the in-flight calibration approach of the collimator alignment and Point Spread Function (PSF) for HXMT, using both the direct fitting method and the imaging method. According to observational simulations of the Crab Nebula, we find that these two methods produce almost the same calibration accuracy of the alignment, and with a one-day scanning observation, the alignment can be calibrated to better than 0.45′ and 0.1′ along the wide and narrow directions of the Field of View (FOV) for a detector module, which corresponds to a localization accuracy of better than 0.1′ and meets the scientific requirement.     

Remote sensing of surface reflective properties: Role of regularization and a priori knowledge

Linear kernel-driven bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) models have been used for mapping albedo with single field-of-view satellite measurements such as Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Due to limited samplings and poor angular configurations available from these satellite remotely sensed data, BRDF models inversion is often plagued by numerical instability. In order to overcome the ill-posedness of the BRDF model inversion and robustly estimate terrestrial surface albedo, a regularization technique is employed for the cases where the number of observations is insufficient, or the angular distribution is poor. Emphasis is also placed on the combination of a priori knowledge with the regularized inversion. Numerical performances and case study results with ground measurements and MODIS observations suggest that the method is sound and robust for ill-posed BRDF inverse problems. The method presented in this study is promising for land surface reflective parameters retrieval even for regions where only sparse observations are available.     

Coordinated observation of the massive system 4U1700+24=HD154791

Summary We report results from multifrequency observations of the X-ray source 4U1700+24/HD154791. This source was observed simultaneously with the EXOSAT and IUE satellites on March 25, 1985, and it is continuously monitored in the optical band at the Bologna Astronomical Observatory since July 1984. Our observations show source features which are different from those measured during previous observations. The X-ray spectrum is significantly softer than in previous measurements, and much more absorbed; high excitation lines in UV spectra (C IV and N V) have disappeared; the optical spectrum, despite a fairly good photometric stability of the M giant HD154791 in V and B bands also shows differences with respect to previous observations. We discuss our results in the framework of both a binary model and a coronal model. We point out that our observations strengthen the hypothesis that the X-ray emission is due to mass accretion onto a compact object orbiting around the M giant star HD154791. To speed up publication, the proofs were not sent to the authors and were supervised by the Scientific Committee.     

高分辨率光学遥感卫星小目标法在轨辐射定标

辐射定标是卫星遥感信息定量化的关键技术之一。高分辨率光学遥感卫星小目标法在轨定标将目标反射率的现场测量转换为实验室高精度测量,以实际测量代替气溶胶散射特性假设,通过简化辐射传输计算获取大气透过率与遥感器入瞳辐亮度,根据遥感器系统PSF检测结果将小目标的辐射响应与背景辐射相分离,降低对场区背景环境要求的同时提高了绝对辐射定标精度。试验结果分析表明,高分辨率光学遥感卫星传感器小目标法在轨辐射定标不确定度优于3%,与大面积辐射校正场或灰阶靶标法的定标结果差异3.65%,小目标法有望在全谱段范围实现高分辨率光学遥感卫星传感器的全动态范围定标与几何检校。     

云层对卫星遥感大气CO的影响与修正方法研究

研究云层对卫星遥感大气CO精度的影响,并以SCIAMACHY观测为例,详细论述一种云层影响的修正方法。修正过程中,采用朗伯云模型,全面考虑云层覆盖率、云顶高度和地面反射率的影响。将云层影响修正前后的卫星CO反演结果与地基FTIR测量值进行对比,发现修正云层影响后,两者的测量相关性明显提高。实验结果表明,提出的云层影响修正方法可明显提高卫星遥感大气CO的精度。