New papers on Telescopes & methods
52 new papers on telescopes & methods in the last 7 days, within Space & cosmos. These are the 50 Pipette rates most worth reading, with the main result in the authors' own words.
The best of the week
A Galactic-scale extreme-precision radial velocity survey
We describe the first Galactic-scale extreme-precision radial velocity (EPRV) survey and outline our goals of measuring Galactic accelerations and deriving constraints on the dark matter distribution in our Galaxy.
PreprintClaims a big stepProbing Millisecond Optical Timescales with Continuous-Readout Mode Observations from ZTF
We present the first results from continuous-readout mode data from the Zwicky Transient Facility.
PreprintClaims a big stepSilencing the stellar glare with kernel-nulling and active phase control on photonic chips
We present the first lab tests of a four-beam kernel-nuller made out of a single MMI coupler with active phase control: ABCD fringe-tracking and the characterization of the contrast detection limits of a four-beam kernel-nuller.
Preprint with a published versionDifferentiable astrophysics at scale: solving and differentiating ODE ensembles on the GPU
We introduce to the astronomical community GRADSOLVE, a JAX library that moves this computation to graphics processing units (GPUs): it integrates each member of the ensemble in its own GPU thread with its own step size and returns the derivatives with respect to the parameters in the same pass.
PreprintCode availableA Practical Primer on Software Citation in Research
We describe a seven-step workflow for citing software and a five-step workflow for making your software citeable, along with the community tools and resources that support each step.
PreprintEasy to readDETECT: Real-Time Identification of Transients with DESI Spectroscopic Redshift
We present DETECT (DESI--Transient Event Cross-matching Tool), a pipeline that turns each Transient Name Server (TNS) alert into a distance-informed candidate within an hour by placing it in the context of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) archive.
PreprintLenNet: Direct Detection and Localization of Strong Gravitational Lenses in Wide-Field Sky Survey Images
To overcome this limitation, we propose LenNet, an object detection model that identifies lenses directly within large, original survey images.
Preprint with a published versionEnergy estimation of direct and reflected cosmic-ray events aboard balloon-borne radio detectors
In this work, we present a comprehensive, simulation-based energy reconstruction framework tailored to the unique cosmic-ray event geometries observed by balloon payloads.
PreprintThe Sun can flip the shielding effect of added spacecraft mass
We find that the Sun can reverse the effect of adding that structure.
PreprintReal-world useFirst Trigonometric Parallax Measurements with the KVN and VERA Array (KaVA)
Trigonometric parallaxes of W3(OH) were successfully measured with all calibration strategies, including the first successful parallax measurement using JMA calibration.
Preprint with a published versionDevelopment of a Photonically Generated Frequency Reference for Space VLBI
We describe the implementation and experimental results of this system with a path to spaceflight, which demonstrates an Allan deviation of at 1 second, at 10 seconds, and at 30 seconds for the 100 MHz frequency reference signal, and show that this performance meets the needs of future sVLBI missions.
PreprintReal-world useA ready-to-deploy MLOps software platform for satellite and NEO detection at meter-class ground-based observatories
This paper presents the StreakMind Workbench, a framework that applies MLOps practices to bridge research-oriented machine-learning pipelines with routine observatory operations.
Preprint with a published versionReal-world useEmerging Technologies for Astrophysics Missions: Workshop Summary Report
The event successfully identified several high-priority emerging technologies (summarized in subsequent sections of this report).
PreprintEasy to readInitial modeling and testbed feasibility studies of WaveDriver: a laser guide star AO system for HWO
We report mission design analyses, initial testbed stability metrics, compare sensor performance, and present an optical model that quantifies LGS brightness, conjugation errors, and field errors arising from finite beacon separation.
PreprintAn Archival Calibration of JWST/MIRI Prism Wide-Field Slitless Spectroscopy: Methodology, Performance, and a Mid-Infrared Spectral Atlas of Galaxies at in the GOODS-N/S Fields
Using archival MIRI LRS data taken in the GOODS-N/S deep fields and calibration programs, we present a complete and precise calibration suite for MIRI WFSS through an AI-assisted agentic workflow under human supervision.
PreprintCode availableA report on the First Technology Demonstration mission of the Little UV Camera (LUVCam1)
Through LUVCam1, we demonstrated an approach leveraging new-space to qualify the latest COTS CMOS sensors for astronomy missions.
Preprint with a published versionFast and accurate astronomical source deblending with Density-Peak Clustering
These results show that ADP provides scientifically competitive deblending at substantially lower computational cost, making it a promising approach for large-scale astronomical imaging surveys.
PreprintInterference Meets Inference: Bayesian Time-Series Modeling of Radio-Frequency Interference
Overall, the mixture model provides similar and in some cases superior classification results while providing a complementary probabilistic description of RFI contamination and its uncertainty.
PreprintScale-Vector Alignment: A Scale-Aware Framework for Spatially Resolved Morphological Similarity in Astronomical Images
We propose scale-vector alignment, a scale-aware method based on Constrained Diffusion Decomposition (CDD).
PreprintCode availableFitting Moving Objects in Up-The-Ramp Data with Applications to the Roman Space Telescope and JWST
In this paper, we show how to fit a moving object's path across a detector as that detector is read out nondestructively.
PreprintCode availablePremature re-entry of the FACSAT-2 nanosatellite: orbital decay and attribution to the maximum of solar cycle 25
F10.7 averaged 170.8 sfu over the mission, against the 139 sfu of the environmental scenario derived from the official 2019 forecast, which lengthens the orbital lifetime by x1.52; two co-launched CubeSats give x1.50 and x1.57, a consistency check across objects rather than independent evidence.
PreprintOptions for Compression of radio interferometry data: lossy compression of visibilities and lossless compression of uv-visibility grids for the MHONGOOSE survey
Thus both compression methods are promising solutions, and we discuss considerations for their application.
PreprintReinforcement learning for post-coronagraphic wavefront control
We evaluate different observation representations and control strategies, and the method is validated on simplified simulations of a high-contrast imaging testbed, where it successfully creates dark holes, i.e., regions of the focal plane in which residual starlight is strongly suppressed, while approaching the performance of conventional wavefront control methods.
Preprint with a published versionData-driven Galaxy Population Prior for Photometric Redshifts
In this paper, we develop a purely data-driven approach for modelling the galaxy population prior based on learning the distribution of galaxy SEDs and evaluate its induced systematic uncertainties for photometric redshift calibration.
PreprintStatus and performance of the Asgard/NOTT cold nulling camera
We present the current status and performance of the NOTT cold nulling camera and cryostat assembly.
Preprint with a published versionSimultaneous PSF Matching via Dual Kernel Optimization
In this paper, we present a new algorithm, Dual Kernel Optimization (DKO), that simultaneously solves for two convolution kernels, one for each image, such that the PSFs match and the sizes of the kernels are minimized.
PreprintCode availableA method for enhanced gamma-proton discrimination with imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes
Furthermore, the likelihood ratio combining width yields substantially better performance than the conventional mean reduced scaled width: the improvement reaches roughly one order of magnitude near 1 TeV, and this enhancement remains above 50% for energies above 10 TeV.
PreprintIncreasing Sensitivity to Trailed Solar System Objects in Archival JWST NIRCam Imaging with Group Differencing
This method significantly increases the sensitivity of archival JWST surveys to trailed SSSBs.
PreprintCode availableBayesian classification of astronomical spectra with class uncertainties
The MCD on a CNN is found to be the most suitable; it boosts the point-estimate accuracies to 92.6% and 93.9%, while still providing fast training and sufficiently fast inference.
Preprint with a published versionIdentification of gravitational lenses obscured by foreground light in the KiDS dataset using U-Nets and ResNets
Applying this method to over 638,398 galaxy samples from the Kilo-Degree Survey Data Release 4 and conducting thorough inspections, we identify 88 Class A, 322 Class B, and 1,758 Class C candidates. *Conclusions.* This hybrid approach significantly enhances the completeness of existing strong gravitational lensing searches and shows great potential for improving future astronomical surveys.
Preprint with a published versionEPIMETHEUS: Effective PSF inferred from mosaics
To address this issue, we present EPIMETHEUS, an open-source Python library designed to manage the entire ePSF construction workflow, from initial star selection to final model generation.
PreprintReducing False Positives in Strong-Lens Searches with Generalized-Mean Consensus of Machine-Learning Ensembles in the Kilo-Degree Survey
Our results demonstrate that the generalized mean consensus of an ML ensemble strategy provides a practical route to reducing the visual inspection workload while preserving a high recovery rate of promising strong-lens candidates.
PreprintThe optical high-resolution spectral archive of the HERMES spectrograph mounted on the 1.2m Mercator telescope
With this contribution we review over 16 years of HERMES operations and we launch and introduce the archive to the interna- tional community at large.
PreprintFrom Observation to Ground Truth: Reconstruction Losses of Galaxy Imaging Under Heteroscedastic Noise
Over most of the evaluated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) range, the -trained model yields lower relative reconstruction errors than the MSE- and MAE-trained models, indicating that inverse-variance weighting improves galaxy-image reconstruction under the heteroscedastic noise considered here.
PreprintUber-calibration-based Two-level Radial-velocity Zero-point Correction for APOGEE
We infer and remove these zero points directly from the published per-visit RVs using an uber-calibration framework based on shared repeat observations.
PreprintTesting deep learning techniques for event reconstruction in pair-production gamma-ray telescopes
The results of this study indicate that graph neural network-based reconstruction is a promising approach for pair-production event reconstruction below 100 MeV when compared with standard reconstruction methods, with significant potential for further optimization.
Preprint with a published versionThe Auger Radio Infill SKALA Extension (ARISE): First Air-Shower Measurements
We present first measurements with ARISE and show the detection of radio pulses associated with extensive air showers.
Preprint with a published versionPSFSim: PhySics First Simulations for the Point Spread Function of the Roman Space Telescope
We present a new tool for generating simulated point spread functions (PSFs) in the Wide Field Instrument (WFI) of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
PreprintThe Simons Observatory: Commissioning of the Mid-Frequency Small Aperture Telescopes
In nominal observing conditions, the noise equivalent temperatures from both telescopes combined are at 90 GHz and at 150 GHz, substantially outperforming the baseline instantaneous sensitivity targets for the observatory.
PreprintJuice-SWI during the Lunar-Earth-Gravity-Assist (LEGA) - Part 2: Instrument operations
Among the various opportunities for calibration, including the Near-Earth Commissioning Phase and more than ten Payload Checkout Windows, the LEGA offers the means not only to improve the calibration of the instrument, but also to validate the operational strategy of future icy moon flybys.
Preprint with a published versionCluster Membership Probabilities: A Review of Methods and Gaia Applications
We review the historical development of membership assignment, compare the statistical assumptions of major methods, and explicitly examine the practical consequences of methodological choices on real Gaia data.
PreprintDifferential Double Blind Fourier Holography (diff-DBFH)
Here we introduce differential Double Blind Fourier Holography (diff-DBFH), a two-image variant of DBFH based on a small pupil-plane amplitude perturbation.
PreprintReal-world useDevelopment of a Temperature-Variable Cold Blackbody Calibrator for Millimeter and Submillimeter Wave Detectors
We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of a cryogenic blackbody calibrator intended for laboratory-based detector characterization, providing multi-temperature calibration of millimeter- and submillimeter-wave detectors over a temperature range of 4 K to ~10 K. The device employs a Stycast/SiC absorber shaped for uniform array illumination and mounted on a phosphor-bronze substrate with optimized thermal links.
Preprint with a published versionFlux Density Calibration of Radio Bursts Detected in the Sidelobes of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment
We conclude that uncertainties in the flux density calibration for transients in the CHIME sidelobes range from 20% to 42%, depending on the data used and the hour angle of the burst.
PreprintThe second Little UV Camera (LUVCam2) mission
We present the concept of operations, full system architecture, optomechanical, and electrical design for LUVCam2.
Preprint with a published versionThe shell around VY Canis Majoris in SPHEREx is likely an artifact
We report similar shells around other bright stars at similar locations in SPHEREx Band 1 images, suggesting that this shell is not astrophysical but instead a detector artifact.
PreprintDetection of metal absorption lines in quasar spectra: a neural network approach using U-Net
Our proposed U-Net architecture offers a competitive tool for the analysis of absorption lines in current and upcoming large spectroscopic surveys and is well-suited to the identification of any absorption line feature.
PreprintBold claims, read criticallyPushing high angular resolution and high contrast observations on the VLTI from Y to L band with the Asgard instrumental suite: integration status and plans
In this paper, we show an overview of the current progress of the integration of Asgard, the first results of the on-sky commissioning of HEIMDALLR and the future steps and observing policies for Asgard to serve the broader community.
Preprint with a published versionCalibration electronics for the 30 and 40 GHz instrument (TFGI) of the QUIJOTE experiment
A first version of the device has been built and tested, obtaining good results in accuracy and ease of use.
PreprintBold claims, read criticallyGIMLI: a toolkit connecting linear and non-linear magnetohydrodynamic regimes
In this work, we present the General Interface for MPI-AMRVAC / Legolas Interconnection (or GIMLI, for short) as a toolkit for in-depth (magneto)hydrodynamic studies combining linear and non-linear methods.
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