Μm Band Research Articles

Finding of a Population of Active Galactic Nuclei Showing a Significant Luminosity Decline in the Past ∼103–104 yr

Recent observations have revealed an interesting active galactic nucleus (AGN) subclass that shows strong activity at large scales (∼1 kpc) but weaker at small scales (<10 pc), suggesting a strong change in the mass accretion rate of the central engine in the past 103–104 yr. We systematically search for such declining or fading AGNs by cross-matching the Sloan Digital Sky Survey type 1 AGN catalog at z < 0.4, covering the [O iii] λ5007 emission line, which is a tracer for the narrow-line region emission, with the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mid-infrared (MIR) catalog covering the emissions from the dusty tori. Out of the 7653 sources, we found 57 AGNs whose bolometric luminosities estimated from the MIR band are at least one order of magnitude fainter than those estimated from the [O iii] λ5007 emission line. This luminosity-declining AGN candidate population shows four important properties: (1) the past AGN activity estimated from the [O iii] λ5007 line reaches approximately the Eddington limit; (2) more than 30% of the luminosity-declining AGN candidates show a large absolute variability of ΔW1 > 0.45 mag in the previous ∼10 yr at the WISE 3.4 μm band; (3) the median ratio of log([N ii] λ6584/Hα λ6563) = −0.52, suggesting a lower gas metallicity and/or higher ionization parameter compared to other AGN populations; and (4) the second-epoch spectra of the population indicate a spectral type change for 15% of the sources. This population provides insights on the possible connection between the luminosity decline that started ∼103–104 yr ago and the decline in the recent 10 yr.

Photometric behavior of Ryugu’s NIR spectral parameters

Context. JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission rendezvoused the Ryugu asteroid for 1.5 years to clarify the carbonaceous asteroids’ record for Solar System origin and evolution. Aims. We studied the photometric behavior of the spectral parameters characterizing the near-infrared (NIR) spectra of Ryugu provided by the Hayabusa2/NIRS3 instrument, that is to say 1.9 µm reflectance, 2.7 and 2.8 µm band depths (ascribed to phyllosilicates), and NIR slope. Methods. For each parameter, we applied the following empirical approach: (1) retrieval of the equigonal albedo by applying the Akimov disk function (this step was only performed for the reflectance photometric correction); (2) retrieval of the median spectral parameter value at each phase angle bin; and (3) retrieval of the phase function by a linear fit. Results. Ryugu’s phase function shows a steepness similar to Ceres, according to the same taxonomy of the two asteroids. Band depths decrease with increasing phase angle: this trend is opposite to that observed on other asteroids explored by space missions and is ascribed to the very dark albedo. NIR and visible phase reddening are similar, contrary to other asteroids, where visible phase reddening is larger: this could be due to surface darkness or to particle smoothness. Albedo and band depths are globally uncorrelated, but locally anticorrelated. A correlation between darkening and reddening is observed.

Probing the surface environment of large T-type asteroids

Context. The thermal and radiative environments encountered by asteroids have shaped their surface features. Recent observations have focused on asteroids in the main belt and showed indications for ices and organics in the interiors of the asteroids that were likely significant on prebiotic Earth. They stand out in reflectance spectra as darker, redder colours than most colocated asteroids. Aims. We probe the surface environment of large (&gt;80km in diameter) T-type asteroids. This taxonomic type is relatively ill-constrained as an independent group. We discuss their place of origin based on our probing. Methods. We performed spectroscopic observations of two T-type asteroids, (96) Aegle and (570) Kythera, over the L band (2.8–4.0 µm) using the Subaru telescope. The spectra of other T-type asteroids are available in the literature, as are survey datasets. Based on this, we strove to find commonalities and global trends in this group. We also used the archival polarimetric data of the asteroids and meteorite spectra from laboratory experiments to constrain their surface texture and composition. Results. Our targets exhibit red L-band continuum slopes, (0.30±0.04) µm−1 for (96) Aegle and (0.31 ± 0.03) µm−1 for (570) Kythera, that are similar to those of (1) Ceres and 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, and have an OH-absorption feature with band centres &lt;2.8 µm. For (96) Aegle, we find an indication of a shallow N–H band near 3.1 µm and a C–H band of organic materials over 3.4–3.6 µm, whereas no diagnostic bands of water ice and other volatiles exceeding the noise of the data were seen for both asteroids. The large T-type asteroids except for (596) Scheila display spectral shapes similar to those of to our targets. About 50% of large T-type asteroids contain an absorption band near 0.6−0.65 µm that is likely associated with hydrated minerals. For T-type asteroids (except for Jupiter Trojans) of all sizes, we found a weak correlation that the smaller the diameter and the closer to the Sun, the redder the visible (0.5−0.8 µm) slope. Conclusions. The 2.9 µm band depths of large T-type asteroids suggest that they might have experienced aqueous alteration comparable to Ch-type asteroids, but that it was more intense than for most of the main-belt asteroids. The polarimetric phase curve of the T-type asteroids is well described by a particular surface structure. The 0.5−4.0 µm reflectance spectra of large T-type asteroids appear most similar to those of CI chondrites with grain sizes of ~25−35 µm. Taken as a whole, we propose that large T-type asteroids may have been dislodged roughly around 10 au in the early Solar System.

IR-stealth-gel based on low IR emissivity aluminum powder and high latent heat shape stabilized phase change material

• The latent heat is 140.6 J/g, and only 24.4 J/g loss compared to raw material. • IR emissivity in the 3–5 µm and 8–14 µm bands is 0.257 and 0.408, respectively. • Under heating at 100 °C, the radiation temperature is below 60 °C for 120 min. In this work, Infrared (IR)-stealth-gel based on low IR emissivity and high latent heat of melting shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM) were developed. The relevant tests showed that the IR-stealth-gel has good shape stability and its backbone material can load up to 322.15% of PCM. Further tests show that the latent heat of melting is 140.6 J/g, which has good heat absorption ability and only 24.4 J/g loss compared to pure PCM. Meanwhile, its average emissivity in the 3–5 µm and 8–14 µm bands is only 0.257 and 0.408, respectively. IR thermography shows that its radiation temperature can maintain below 60 °C in 120 min under continuous heating at 100 °C, reflecting a very good IR stealth effect.

Sublimation origin of active asteroid P/2018 P3

Context. Active asteroids show (typically transient) cometary activity, driven by a range of processes. A sub-set, sometimes called main-belt comets, may be driven by sublimation and so could be useful for tracing the present-day distribution of asteroid ice. Object P/2018 P3 has a Tisserand parameter 3.096 but a high eccentricity 0.415, placing it within the dynamical boundary between asteroids and comets. Aims. We aim to determine the cause of activity (sublimation or something else) and assess the dynamical stability of P3, in order to better constrain the intrinsic ice content in the main belt. Methods. We obtained Hubble Space Telescope images of P3 at the highest angular resolution. We compared the observations with a Monte Carlo model of dust dynamics. We identified and analyzed archival CFHT (2013) and NEOWISE (2018) data. In addition, we numerically integrated the orbits of P3 clones for 100 Myr. Results. Object P3 has been recurrently active near two successive perihelia (at 1.76 AU), indicative of a sublimation origin. The absence of 4.6 µm band excess indicates zero or negligible CO or CO2 gas production from P3. The properties of the ejected dust are remarkably consistent with those found in other main-belt comets (continuous emission of ~0.05–5 mm particles at 0.3–3 m s−1 speeds), with mass-loss rates of ≳2 kg s−1. The orbit of P3 is unstable on timescales ~ 10 Myr. Conclusions. We speculate that P3 has recently arrived from a more stable source (either the Kuiper Belt or elsewhere in the main belt) and has been physically aged at its current location, finally becoming indistinguishable from a weakly sublimating asteroid in terms of its dust properties. Whatever the source of P3, given the dynamical instability of its current orbit, P3 should not be used to trace the native distribution of asteroid ice.

Tying Spitzer’s IRS Calibration to IRAC: Observations of IRS Standard Stars

We present 3.6 and 4.5 μm photometry for a set of 61 standard stars observed by Spitzer’s Infrared Spectrograph (IRS). The photometry was obtained with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on Spitzer in order to help tie the calibration of IRAC and the IRS, which had been anchored to the calibration of the Multiband Infrared Photometer for Spitzer. The wavelength range of the IRS data only slightly overlaps with the IRAC 4.5 μm band and not at all with the 3.6 μm band. Therefore, we generated synthetic spectra from spectral templates of stars with the same spectral types and luminosity classes as our sample stars, normalized to the IRS data at 6–7 μm, and compared those to the observed photometry. The new IRAC observations of IRS standard stars demonstrate that the two instruments are calibrated to within 1% of each other.

Enhanced 3 μm luminescence in Ho3+/Yb3+ co-doped bismuth-tellurite glass by controlled structure network topology

Ho3+/Yb3+ co-doped bismuth-tellurite glasses (TeO2-Bi2O3-ZnO) have been investigated systematically according to the Raman, absorption, and mid-infrared luminescence spectra, contraposing 3 μm band. The evolution of luminescence and structure has been explored by modifying network topology based on the substitution of TeO2 with WO3 when the optimal concentration ratio of Ho3+/Yb3+ was determined in TBZ glass. The results show that WO3 entered the glass structure network as [WO4] and [WO6] units, contributing to the content of bridging oxygen and network connectivity increased, which can be enhanced effectively the luminescence properties. The gain cross-section is 1.51 × 10−20 cm2 (2884 nm) increasing by 11.85% compared with the glass without glass network modifiers. Moreover, the energy transfer micro-parameters have been calculated based on a spectral overlap method. The CD-A was augmented from 0.36 to 1.11 × 10−40 cm6/s. As mentioned above, the bismuth-tellurite glasses have the potential as the gain materials for mid-infrared fiber lasers.

VUV photoprocessing of oxygen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: iPEPICO study of the unimolecular dissociation of ionized benzofuran

Oxygen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs) are potential contributors to the 11.3 µm band in interstellar observations. To further explore their role in the interstellar medium, we investigated their fate after photoprocessing by VUV radiation; in particular, we studied the dissociative photoionization of the simplest OPAH, benzofuran, with imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence (iPEPICO) spectroscopy. Ionized benzofuran dissociates by loss of CO, followed by a sequential H-atom loss. The parallel HCO-loss channel, leading to the same bicyclic C7H5+ fragment ion, is not competitive at low excess energies above the ionization threshold. However, the collision-induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry results suggest that CO and HCO may be formed in parallel at higher energies. A Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus fragmentation model reproduced the iPEPICO data well, assuming the initial 1,2-H shift transition state to be rate determining to CO loss. The breakdown diagram and the measured dissociation rates agreed well at the CBS-QB3-calculated activation energy of 2.99 eV, which could be relaxed to 3.25 eV, and only a slight adjustment of the ab initio activation entropy. The model barrier to sequential H loss is larger than the computed H-loss threshold and the breakdown diagram rises less steeply than predicted, which indicates suprastatistical kinetic energy release after the tight H-transfer transition state of the first step. HCO cleavage is possible after a ring-opening transition state, which is looser than and isoenergetic with the CO-loss transition state. However, a subsequent ring formation transition state at 3.85 eV is moderately tight, which suppresses HCO loss at low excess energies.

An Unusual Reservoir of Water Emission in the VV CrA A Protoplanetary Disk

We present an analysis of an unusual pattern of water vapor emission from the ∼2 Myr old low-mass binary system VV CrA, as observed in IR spectra obtained with VLT-CRIRES, VLT-VISIR, and Spitzer-IRS. Each component of the binary shows emission from water vapor in both the L (∼3 μm) and N (∼12 μm) bands. The N-band and Spitzer spectra are similar to those previously observed from young stars with disks and are consistent with emission from an extended protoplanetary disk. Conversely, the CRIRES L-band data of VV CrA A show an unusual spectrum, which requires the presence of a water reservoir with high temperature (T ≳ 1500 K), column density (N H2O ∼ 3 × 1020 cm−2), and turbulent broadening (v ∼ 10 km s−1) but very small emitting area (A ≲ 0.005 au2). Similarity to previously observed water emission from V1331 Cyg and SVS 13 suggests that the presence of such a reservoir may be linked to evolutionary state, perhaps related to the presence of high accretion rates or winds. While the inner disk may harbor such a reservoir, simple Keplerian models do not match well with emitting line shapes, and alternative velocity fields must be considered. We also present a new idea, that the unusual emission could arise in a circumplanetary disk, embedded within the larger VV CrA A protoplanetary disk. Additional data are likely required to determine the true physical origin of this unusual spectral pattern.

SMC-Last Mosaic Images

We present mosaic images of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) observed with the Spitzer IRAC 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm bands over two epochs, 2017 August 25–2017 September 13 and 2017 November 24–2018 February 12. The survey region comprises ∼30 deg2 covering the SMC and the Bridge to the Large Magellanic Cloud. The region is covered by 52 ∼ 1.°1 × 1.°1 tiles, with each tile including images in each band for both separate and combined epochs. The mosaics are made in individual tangent projections in J2000 coordinates. The angular pixel size is 0.″6 with a resolution (FWHM) of ∼2.″0. We describe processing to correct or mitigate residual artifacts and remove background discontinuities. The mosaic images are publicly available at the Infrared Science Archive.

The mid-infrared aliphatic bands associated with complex hydrocarbons

Context. The mid-infrared emission features commonly attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) vary in profile and peak position. These profile variations form the basis of their classification: Classes A, B, C reflect profiles with increasing central wavelength while Class D has similar central wavelength as Class B but a similar broad shape as Class C. A well-known empirical relationship exists between the central wavelength of these emission features in circumstellar environments and the effective temperature of their central stars. One posited explanation is that the presence of aliphatic hydrocarbons contributes to the variations in the shapes and positions of the features. Aims. We aim to test this hypothesis by characterising the aliphatic emission bands at 6.9 and 7.25 µm and identifying relationships between these aliphatic bands and the aromatic features. Methods. We have examined 5–12 µm spectra of 63 astronomical sources exhibiting hydrocarbon emission which have been observed by ISO/SWS, Spitzer/IRS, and SOFIA/FORCAST. We measured the intensities and central wavelengths of the relevant features and classified the objects based on their 7–9 µm emission complex. We examined correlations between the intensities and central wavelengths of the features, both aliphatic and aromatic, and investigated the behaviour of the aliphatic features based on the object type and hydrocarbon emission class. Results. The presence of the 6.9 and 7.25 µm aliphatic bands depends on (aromatic) profile class, with aliphatic features detected in all Class D sources, 26% of the Class B sources, and no Class C sources. The peak position of the aliphatic features varies, with more variability seen in Class B sources than Class D sources, mimicking the degree of variability of the aromatic features in these classes. Variations are observed within Class D 6–9 µm profiles, but are significantly smaller than those in Class B. While a linear combination of Classes B and C emission can reproduce the Class D emission features at 6.2 and 7.7–8.6 µm, it cannot reproduce the aliphatic bands or the 11–14 µm hydrocarbon features. A correlation is found between the intensities of the two aliphatic bands at 6.9 and 7.25 µm, and between these aliphatic features and the 11.2 µm feature, indicating that conditions required for a population of neutral hydrocarbon particles are favourable for the presence of aliphatic material. A comparison with experimental data suggests a different assignment for the aliphatic 6.9 µm band in Class D and (some) Class B environments. Finally, we discuss evolutionary scenarios between the different classes.

Hydrogen ice within lunar polar craters

We might have overlooked the widespread presence of methanol on the Moon and hydrogen ice within lunar polar craters. Here we show that (1) US Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) cannot distinguish between hydroxyl radicals from lunar water and hydroxyl groups from lunar methanol because the absorption strengths of the two are all 2.9 μm, and there are no established methods to distinguish them using the 2.9 μm band. Water ice within lunar polar craters is worthy of renewed investigation. (2) The ‘surficial water’ illogically appears at the lunar equator based on M3 spectral detection, seriously shaking the credibility of M3 spectral data analysis. (3) Methanol and water brought about by the interstellar methanol ice react in lunar carbon-rich regolith using Ce/Cu/Zn–Al catalysts to produce massive molecular hydrogen. This molecular hydrogen escapes into the lunar exosphere and is transported to lunar cold traps, forming brown-black solid molecular hydrogen (hydrogen ice) that appears in snowflake patterns at the lowest temperature within lunar polar craters. (4) The author concludes with a model of the physico-chemical process chains on the lunar surface, which systematically elucidates the mechanism of lunar hydrogen ice formation. (5) Hydrogen ice within lunar polar craters can become a fuel base for interplanetary flight.

A High-Resolution MIR Echelle Grating Spectrometer with a Three-Mirror Anastigmatic System

With the emergence of high-performance infrared detectors and the latest progress in grating manufacturing technology, high-resolution and high-sensitivity infrared spectrometers provide new methods for application to many fields, including astronomy and remote sensing detection. Spectral detection has attracted considerable attention due to its advantages of noncontact and stability. To obtain the detailed features of the missile’s tail flame spectrum, traditional plane reflection gratings are used as the main dispersive element; however, the instrument’s volume will increase with increasing resolution, which is not conducive to remote sensing detection from airborne platforms. Such spectrometers cannot meet high-resolution spectroscopy requirements. To address this problem, this paper proposes an immersion echelle spectrometer combined with a three-mirror astigmatism optical system. High resolution and compact size were achieved. In this paper, a small high-resolution infrared echelle spectrometer optical system was created by combining an off-axis three-mirror anti-astigmatism system, a Littrow structure, and a concave grating Wadsworth imaging device. The optical system operated in the 3.7–4.8 μm band; the echelle grating worked under quasi-Littrow conditions, while the concave grating was used for auxiliary dispersion to separate overlapping orders. The resolution of the optical system in the entire working band was 23,000–45,000. The optical plane size of the spectrometer was around 360 mm × 165 mm. The results show that the Mid-IR echelle spectrometer achieved high spectral resolution, better than 0.25 cm−1, meeting missile tail flame detection requirements. This device has the potential for real-time long-range target detection when warheads are destroyed. While this study focuses on the mid-wave infrared band, its approach can also be extended to other infrared bands.

Methane's Solar Radiative Forcing

AbstractMethane (CH4) has significant absorption bands at wavelengths of 1.7, 2.3, 3.3 and 7.6 μm which absorb incoming solar ‘shortwave’ (SW) radiation and contribute to radiative forcing (RF). A comprehensive quantification of CH4 SW RF is presented using a narrow‐band radiative transfer model to calculate spatially and monthly resolved estimates of CH4 SW RF and its impact on longwave (LW) stratospheric temperature adjusted RF (SARF). These new calculations include satellite measurements of CH4 distribution and spectrally varying surface albedo, and include absorption of solar mid‐infrared radiation by methane's 7.6 μm band. These factors substantially influence methane's SW effect. For a 750–1,800 ppb perturbation, the all‐sky top‐of‐atmosphere SW instantaneous RF is 0.082 W m−2; at the tropopause it is 0.002 W m−2, considerably smaller than previous estimates. Including the impact of SW absorption on stratospheric temperature increases tropopause SARF by 0.039 W m−2 (or 7%) compared to the LW‐only SARF.

2.1 μm Band Dissipative Soliton Resonance Mode-Locked Ho-Doped Tunable Fiber Laser

We report a 2.1 μm band mode-locked holmium-doped fiber (HDF) laser with tunable wavelength and pulse width in dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) region for the first time to our knowledge. A piece of HDF is pumped by a home-made 1.9 μm band fiber source, and a nonlinear-amplifying-loop-mirror structure is used to realize mode-locking operation with net anomalous dispersion. The repetition rate of pulse is 8.97 MHz. The pulse duration can be adjusted from 1.16 to 3.93 ns with the increase of pump power, while maintains a constant peak power. At the maximum pump power of 2.1 W, the pulse energy is up to 2 nJ. Moreover, the central wavelength is in the tunable range from 2054.4 to 2076 nm by appropriately adjusting the polarization controllers. We also explore the nonlinear correlation characteristic of DSR pulse by changing the length of high nonlinear fiber.

Variability of Hydration Across the Southern Hemisphere of the Moon as Observed by Deep Impact

AbstractMeasurements of the 3 μm absorption feature, associated with the presence of hydroxyl and potentially molecular water, were first observed in 2009 by three separate spacecraft’ observations. Subsequent observations have revealed widespread but variable hydration over the sunlit regions of the Moon. The variability can help to disentangle the individual contributions of OH and H2O to the 3 μm absorption feature and provide insight into the mechanism of production and loss of OH/H2O on the lunar surface. We investigate the spatial and diurnal variations of hydration on the southern hemisphere of the Moon as observed by the Deep Impact spacecraft during the lunar flybys in 2009 at spatial scales of 30–70 km/pixel. For a subset of observations of across the lunar south polar region (∼2% of the lunar surface), repeat coverage includes three different times spanning half a lunar day, allowing for exploration of diurnal variability. We determine that OH/H2O is widespread but variable across the lunar south pole. At all but the lowest temperatures observed, highland regions have stronger hydration absorption features than the maria. Changes in band strength demonstrate variable loss rates controlled by surface temperatures with H2O lost quicker at higher temperatures. Observed variability in the band shape strongly suggests higher H2O abundance at low temperatures. These observations are strong evidence that the unique shape of the 3 μm band is due to both OH and H2O. The rapid diurnal evolution of the absorption feature implies that migration of these constituents occurs locally over short distances driven by temperature changes.

High Equivalent Width of Hα+[N ii] Emission in z ∼ 8 Lyman-break Galaxies from IRAC 5.8 μm Observations: Evidence for Efficient Lyman-continuum Photon Production in the Epoch of Reionization

We measure, for the first time, the median equivalent width (EW) of Hα+[N ii] in star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 8. Our estimate leverages the unique photometric depth of the Spitzer/IRAC 5.8 μm band mosaics (probing ≈5500–7100 Å at z ∼ 8) of the GOODS Reionization Era Wide Area Treasury from Spitzer (GREATS) program. We median-stacked the stamps of 102 Lyman-break galaxies in the 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm bands, after carefully removing potential contamination from neighboring sources. We infer an extreme rest-frame EW0(Hα+[N ii]) = Å from the measured red [3.6] − [5.8] = 0.82 ± 0.27 mag, consistent with young (≲107 yr) average stellar population ages at z ∼ 8. This implies an ionizing photon production efficiency of . Such a high value for photoproduction, similar to the highest values found at z ≲ 4, indicates that only modest escape fractions f esc ≲ 0.3 (at 2σ) are sufficient for galaxies brighter than M UV < −18 mag to reionize the neutral hydrogen at z ∼ 8. This requirement is relaxed even more to f esc ≤ 0.1 when considering galaxies brighter than M UV ≈ −13 mag, consistent with recent luminosity functions and as typically assumed in studies addressing reionization. These exceptional results clearly indicate that galaxies can be the dominant source of reionizing photons, and provide us with an exciting glimpse into what we might soon learn about the early universe, and particularly about the reionization epoch, from forthcoming JWST/MIRI and NIRCam programs.

Companion mass limits for 17 binary systems obtained with binary differential imaging and MagAO/Clio

ABSTRACT Improving direct detection capability close to the star through improved star subtraction and post-processing techniques is vital for discovering new low-mass companions and characterizing known ones at longer wavelengths. We present results of 17 binary star systems observed with the Magellan adaptive optics system (MagAO) and the Clio infrared camera on the Magellan Clay Telescope using binary differential imaging (BDI). BDI is an application of reference differential imaging (RDI) and angular differential imaging (ADI) applied to wide binary star systems (2 arcsec &amp;lt;Δρ &amp;lt; 10 arcsec) within the isoplanatic patch in the infrared. Each star serves as the point spread function (PSF) reference for the other, and we performed PSF estimation and subtraction using principal component analysis. We report contrast and mass limits for the 35 stars in our initial survey using BDI with MagAO/Clio in L′ and 3.95 µm bands. Our achieved contrasts varied between systems, and spanned a range of contrasts from 3.0 to 7.5 magnitudes and a range of separations from 0.2 to 2 arcsec. Stars in our survey span a range of masses, and our achieved contrasts correspond to late-type M-dwarf masses down to ∼10 MJup. We also report detection of a candidate companion signal at 0.2 arcsec (18 au) around HIP 67506 A (SpT G5V, mass ∼1.2 M⊙), which we estimate to be $\sim 60-90 \, \rm{M_{Jup}}$. We found that the effectiveness of BDI is highest for approximately equal brightness binaries in high-Strehl conditions.

20 watt-level single transverse mode narrow linewidth and tunable random fiber laser at 1.5 µm band.

High power 1.5 µm band fiber lasers are of great importance for many practical applications. Generally, the technical targets including high average output power, narrow linewidth, temporally suppressed intensity dynamics, high spectral purity, single transverse mode lasing, and excellent robustness are the major concerns when constructing a high-performance laser source. Here, we demonstrate the highest output power of a wavelength tunable 1.5 µm band random fiber laser based on the active fiber gain mechanism to the best of our knowledge. A master oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) configuration is employed to greatly boost the output power to 20 watt-level with a single transverse mode lasing and the same linewidth as the seed, benefiting from the spectral broadening free feature when employing the random fiber laser as the seed. This work not only enriches the progress of random fiber laser, but also provides an attractive alternative in realizing high performance lasing light source at 1.5 µm band.

JPSS VIIRS SST Reanalysis Version 3

The 3rd full-mission reanalysis (RAN3) of global sea surface temperature (SST) with a 750 m resolution at nadir is available from VIIRS instruments flown onboard two JPSS satellites: NPP (February 2012–present) and N20 (January 2018–present). Two SSTs, ‘subskin’ (sensitive to skin SST) and ‘depth’ (proxy for in situ SST at depth of 20 cm), were produced from brightness temperatures (BTs) in the VIIRS bands centered at 8.6, 11 and 12 µm during the daytime and an additional 3.7 µm band at night, using the NOAA Advanced Clear Sky Processor for Ocean (ACSPO) enterprise SST system. The RAN3 dataset is fully archived at NASA JPL PO.DAAC and NOAA CoastWatch, and routinely supplemented in near real time (NRT) with a latency of a few hours. Delayed mode (DM) processing with a 2 months latency follows NRT, resulting in a more uniform science quality SST record. This paper documents and evaluates the performance of the VIIRS RAN3 dataset. Comparisons with in situ SSTs from drifters and tropical moorings (D+TM) as well as Argo floats (AFs) (both available from the NOAA iQuam system) show good agreement, generally within the NOAA specifications for accuracy (±0.2 K) and precision (0.6 K), in a clear-sky domain covering 18–20% of the global ocean. The nighttime SSTs compare with in situ data more closely, as expected due to the reduced diurnal thermocline. The daytime SSTs are also generally within NOAA specs but show some differences between the (D+TM) and AF validations as well as residual drift on the order of −0.1 K/decade. BT comparisons between two VIIRSs and MODIS-Aqua show good consistency in the 3.7 and 12 µm bands. The 11 µm band, while consistent between NPP and N20, shows residual drift with respect to MODIS-Aqua. Similar analyses of the 8.6 µm band are inconclusive, as the performance of the MODIS band 29 centered at 8.6 µm is degraded and unstable in time and cannot be used for comparisons.