Probing ultra-light axion dark matter from 21 cm tomography using Convolutional Neural Networks

We present forecasts on the detectability of Ultra-light axion-like particles (ULAP) from future 21 cm radio observations around the epoch of reionization (EoR). We show that the axion as the dominant dark matter component has a significant impact on the reionization history due to the suppression of small scale density perturbations in the early universe. This behavior depends strongly on the mass of the axion particle. Using numerical simulations of the brightness temperature field of neutral hydrogen over a large redshift range, we construct a suite of training data. This data is used to train a convolutional neural network that can build a connection between the spatial structures of the brightness temperature field and the input axion mass directly. We construct mock observations of the future Square Kilometer Array survey, SKA1-Low, and find that even in the presence of realistic noise and resolution constraints, the network is still able to predict the input axion mass. We find that the axion mass can be recovered over a wide mass range with a precision of approximately 20%, and as the whole DM contribution, the axion can be detected using SKA1-Low at 68% if the axion mass is M X < 1.86 × 10-20 eV although this can decrease to M X < 5.25 × 10-21 eV if we relax our assumptions on the astrophysical modeling by treating those astrophysical parameters as nuisance parameters.

Estimation of intensity of tropical cyclone over Bay of Bengal using microwave imagery

caxky dh [kkM+h esa o"kZ 2008&2010 esa ,Q- Mh- ih- vof/k ¼15 vDrwcj ls 30 uoEcj½ ds nkSjku vk, ik¡p pØokrksa ds lw{e rjaxh; es?k fcEckofy;ksa rFkk 85 fxxkgV~tZ vko`fÙk esa izkIr fd, x, mRiknksa dh tk¡p dh xbZ gS ftlls rkieku nhfIr] rkieku nhfIr esa vfu;ferrk] dsUnz dk LFkku] lrg ij vuojr cgus okyk vf/kdre iou ¼,e- ,l- MCY;w-½ rFkk pØokrksa ds fHkUu&fHkUu fLFkfr;ksa esa muds rhozhdj.k ls lacaf/kr djdksa tSls% vonkc ¼Mh-½] xgu vonkc ¼Mh- Mh-½] pØokrh; rwQku ¼lh- ,l-½] rhoz pØokrh; rwQku ¼,l-lh-,l-½] vfr rhoz pØokrh; rwQku ¼oh-,l-lh-,l-½ vkfn dk vkdfyr dsUnzh; nkc ¼bZ- lh- ih-½ dk vkdyu fd;k tk ldsA izf{kr fd, x, nhfIr rkieku vfu;ferrkvksa dh rqyuk lS)kafrd :i ls bZ-lh-ih- ds csLV VªSd vkdyu ij vk/kkfjr nhfIr rkieku vfu;ferrk ,oa bu pØokrksa ds ckgjh nkc ds lkFk Hkh dh xbZ gSA dsUnz ds LFkku] bZ-lh-ih- ,oa lw{erajxh; fcEckoyh ds vk/kkj ij vkdfyr ,e- ,l- MCY;w- dh rqyuk csLV VªSd ,oa Hkkjr ekSle foKku foHkkx ds Mh- oksjkWd ds vkdyu ls dh xbZ gS vkSj mldk fo’ys"k.k fd;k x;k gSA pØokrh; fo{kksHk ¼lh- Mh-½ ds dsUnz ds LFkku esa varZ tSlkfd lw{erjaxh fcEckofy;ksa rFkk csLV VªSd vkdyu ds }kjk vkdfyr fd;k x;k gS] fo{kksHkksa ds rhozhdj.k ds lkFk&lkFk de gksrk tkrk gS vkSj vonkc ¼Mh-½ dh fLFkfr esa yxHkx 25 fd-eh- ls vfr rhoz pØokrh; rwQku ¼oh-,l-lh-,l-½ dh fLFkfr esa 18 fd- eh ds chp cnyrk jgrk gSA tcfd ;g varj Mh oksjkWd ds vkdyu ls dkQh vf/kd gSA lw{erjaxh; vkdyuksa ij vk/kkfjr ,e- ,l- MCY;w- vkdyu oh-,l- lh- ,l- ds nkSjku csLV VªSd vkdyuksa ls yxHkx 28 ukWV~l vf/kd vkdfyr fd;k x;k gS vkSj vonkc ¼Mh-½@pØokrh; rwQku ¼lh-,l-½@rhoz pØokrh; rwQku ¼,l- lh- ,l-½ dh fLFkfr esa ;g 6&8 ukWV~l vkdfyr fd;k x;k gSA csLV VSªd vkdyuksa ls lkisf{kd varj dks ns[kus ls irk pyk gS fd lh-,l- vkSj ,l-lh- dh fLFkfr esa lw{e rajx esa ,e-,l-MCY;w- yxHkx 12&15 izfr’kr vkSj oh-,l-lh-,l- dh fLFkfr esa yxHkx 30 izfr’kr vf/kd vkdfyr gqvk gS tcfd Mh- oksjkWd dk ,e- ,l- MCY;w- vkdyu lh- ,l-] ,l- lh- ,l- vkSj oh- ,l- lh- ,l- dh fLFkfr;ksa esa 15&18 izfr’kr de gks x;k gSA caxky dh [kkM+h ds Åij 230 dsfYou dk nhfIr rkieku vonkc ds cuus ds fy, vuqdwy gksrk gS] 250 dsfYou dk rkieku bldks pØokrh rwQku esa 260 dsfYou rhoz pØokrh rwQku esa vkSj 270 dsfYou vfr izpaM+ pØokrh rwQku esa cny nsrk gSA nhfIr rkieku ds nsgyheku ¼FkszlksYM osY;w½ ds vfHkKku ¼fMVSD’ku½ ls bl iz.kkyh ds rhoz gksus dk iwokZuqeku nsus ds fy, iz;kIr vfxze le; fey ldrk gSA blh izdkj nhfIr rkieku folaxfr 3 dsfYou ls vf/kd gksus ij pØokrh; rwQku rhoz pØokrh; rwQku esa cny tkrk gS vkSj 8 dsfYou dk rkieku bls caxky dh [kkM+h esa vfr izpaM pØokrh; rwQku ds :i esa cny nsrk gSA Microwave cloud imageries and derived products in the frequency of 85 GHz have been examined for five cyclones that occurred during FDP period (15 October- 30 November) of 2008-2010 over the Bay of Bengal to estimate the brightness temperature, brightness temperature anomaly, location of centre, maximum sustained wind (MSW) at surface level and estimated central pressure (ECP) associated with cyclones in their different stages of intensification like depression (D), deep depression (DD), cyclonic storm (CS), severe cyclonic storm (SCS), very severe cyclonic storm (VSCS), etc. Also the observed brightness temperature anomalies are compared with theoretically derived brightness temperature anomalies based on the best track estimates of ECP and outermost pressure for these cyclones. The location of centre, ECP and MSW based on microwave imagery estimates have been compared with those available from the best track and Dvorak’s estimates of India Meteorological Department and analyzed. The difference in location of the centre of cyclonic disturbance (CD) as estimated by microwave imageries and best track estimates decreases with intensification of the disturbances and varies from about 25 km in depression (D) stage to 18 km in VSCS stage whereas the difference is significantly higher in case of Dvorak estimate compared to best track estimate. The MSW based on microwave estimates is higher than that of best track estimates by about 28 knots during VSCS and 6-8 knots during D, CS, SCS stage. Considering relative difference with respect to best track estimates, the MSW is overestimated in microwave by about 12-15% in case of CS and SCS stage and by about 30% in VSCS stage while Dvorak’s MSW overestimation reduced to 15-18% during CS, SCS and VSCS stages. Brightness temperature of the order of 230 K is favourable for genesis (formation of D), 250K for its intensification into CS, 260 K for intensification into SCS and 270K for its further intensification into VSCS stage over the Bay of Bengal. Detection of threshold value of brightness temperature may provide adequate lead time to forecast intensification of the system. Similarly, when brightness temperature anomaly exceeds 3K, CS intensify into SCS and 8K, it intensifies into a VSCS over Bay of Bengal.

Dependence of the Xe flash lamps’ UV radiation efficiency on the volumetric power density of the discharge

The study results of the peak and average electrical volumetric power density influence on the radiation efficiency and brightness temperature in the 200–300 nm bactericidal spectrum range are presented. A linear dependence of the radiation efficiency change in the 5.1–8.4 % range was obtained with the average volumetric power density increase from 177 to 390 kW/cm3. The brightness temperature dependence in the specified spectral region on the peak volumetric power density is a logarithmic character with decreasing growth rate when approaching 9 kK. This effect can be associated with both radiation blocking by vaporized quartz fumes and with UV light shielding by outer plasma layers

Classical Novae at Radio Wavelengths

We present radio observations (1–40 GHz) for 36 classical novae, representing data from over five decades compiled from the literature, telescope archives, and our own programs. Our targets display a striking diversity in their optical parameters (e.g., spanning optical fading timescales, t 2 = 1–263 days), and we find a similar diversity in the radio light curves. Using a brightness temperature analysis, we find that radio emission from novae is a mixture of thermal and synchrotron emission, with nonthermal emission observed at earlier times. We identify high brightness temperature emission (T B > 5 × 104 K) as an indication of synchrotron emission in at least nine (25%) of the novae. We find a class of synchrotron-dominated novae with mildly evolved companions, exemplified by V5589 Sgr and V392 Per, that appear to be a bridge between classical novae with dwarf companions and symbiotic binaries with giant companions. Four of the novae in our sample have two distinct radio maxima (the first dominated by synchrotron and the later by thermal emission), and in four cases the early synchrotron peak is temporally coincident with a dramatic dip in the optical light curve, hinting at a common site for particle acceleration and dust formation. We publish the light curves in a machine-readable table and encourage the use of these data by the broader community in multiwavelength studies and modeling efforts.

MOJAVE. XIX. Brightness Temperatures and Intrinsic Properties of Blazar Jets

We present multiepoch, parsec-scale core brightness temperature observations of 447 active galactic nucleus (AGN) jets from the MOJAVE and 2 cm Survey programs at 15 GHz from 1994 to 2019. The brightness temperature of each jet over time is characterized by its median value and variability. We find that the range of median brightness temperatures for AGN jets in our sample is much larger than the variations within individual jets, consistent with Doppler boosting being the primary difference between the brightness temperatures of jets in their median state. We combine the observed median brightness temperatures with apparent jet speed measurements to find the typical intrinsic Gaussian brightness temperature of 4.1( ± 0.6) × 1010 K, suggesting that jet cores are at or below equipartition between particle and magnetic field energy in their median state. We use this value to derive estimates for the Doppler factor for every source in our sample. For the 309 jets with both apparent speed and brightness temperature data, we estimate their Lorentz factors and viewing angles to the line of sight. Within the BL Lac optical class, we find that high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacs have smaller Doppler factors, lower Lorentz factors, and larger angles to the line of sight than intermediate and low-synchrotron-peaked BL Lacs. We confirm that AGN jets with larger Doppler factors measured in their parsec-scale radio cores are more likely to be detected in γ rays, and we find a strong correlation between γ-ray luminosity and Doppler factor for the detected sources.

An Improved Method Combining CNN and 1D-Var for the Retrieval of Atmospheric Humidity Profiles from FY-4A/GIIRS Hyperspectral Data

FY-4A/GIIRS (Geosynchronous Interferometric Infrared Sounder) is the first infrared hyperspectral atmospheric vertical detector in geostationary orbit. Compared to other similar instruments, it has the advantages of high temporal resolution and stationary relative to the ground. Based on the characteristics of GIIRS observation data, we proposed a humidity profile retrieval method. We fully utilized the information provided by the observation and forecast data, and used the two-dimensional brightness temperature data with the dimension of time and optical spectrum as the input of the CNN (convolution neural network model). Then, the obtained brightness temperature data were shown to be more suitable as the input for the physical retrieval method for humidity than the conventional correction method, improving the accuracy of humidity profile retrieval. We performed two comparative experiments. The first experiment results indicate that, compared to ordinary linear correction and ANN (artificial neural network algorithm) correction, our revised observed brightness temperature data are much closer to the simulated brightness temperature obtained by inputting ERA5 reanalysis data into RTTOV (Radiative Transfer for TOVS). The results of the second experiment indicate that the accuracy of the humidity profile retrieved by our method is higher than that of conventional ANN and 1D-Var (one-dimensional variational algorithm). With ERA5 reanalysis data as the reference value, the RMSE (Root Mean Squared Error) of the humidity profiles by our method is less than 8.2% between 250 and 600 hPa. Our method holds the unique advantage of the high temporal resolution of GIIRS, improves the accuracy of humidity profile retrieval, and proves that the combination of machine learning and the physical method is a compelling idea in the field of satellite atmospheric remote sensing worthy of further exploration.

ACCURACY ASSESSMENT OF FY-4A FIRE/HOTSPOT (FHS) PRODUCT IN WILDFIRE DETECTION

The Fengyun-4A (FY-4A) is a relatively new geostationary satellite launched by the National Satellite Meteorological Center of China in 2016. With its Advanced Geosynchronous Radiation Imager (AGRI) instrument, FY-4A was able to provide a Fire and Hotspot product (FHS). This study explored the use of the FHS product in detecting wildfires and was compared to the similar fire detection product of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) with the goal of assessing its effectiveness in the early detection and monitoring of wildfires. The FY-4A FHS and the VIIRS fire detection products have spatial resolutions of 2 km and 375 m, and temporal resolutions of 15 minutes and 12 hours, respectively. The results of the comparative study showed that the FY-4A FHS product generated false negative results for detecting wildfires smaller than 20 pixels of VIIRS data (∼2.82 km2), at less than 4 MW of radiative power, and brightness temperature lower than 330 K. The FY-4A FHS product was also shown to be 50% accurate (1 correct and 1 false negative out of 2 samples) in detecting large wildfires (>2.5 km2) with high radiative power (>4 MW) and high brightness temperature (>330 K). Lower accuracy may also be attributed to the presence of clouds that tend to obscure satellite images leading to an even lower accuracy of wildfire detection. For future studies, it is recommended that a comparison of the FY-4A FHS product be made with a more similar instrument, for example, the Advanced Himawari Imager 8/9 (AHI 8/9). It is also recommended to improve the fire and hotspot algorithm by incorporating a Normalized Brightness Temperature Difference Index (NBTDI) or by incorporating diurnal temperature cycle modelling for the older FY-2G data. Lastly, if available, a more reliable accuracy assessment can be done using FHS products of higher spatial resolution (at least 500 m).

Monitoring the brightness temperature of the Moon throughout the lunar cycle from radio observations in the Ku band

Within the spectrum of radio waves, the Ku band (12 - 18 GHz ) stands out for the wide range of instruments available and for its relative ease of acquisition, given that satellite television operates in this band. This situation offers a great opportunity for the development of radio astronomy in countries with unfavorable climatic conditions for optical astronomy, since this band is only affected by dense masses of water vapor. In this article we present a methodology for the calibration of the receiver system of compact Ku-band radio telescopes, and its application in the determination of the brightness temperature of the Moon. Our methodology involves modeling the influence of the atmosphere of the Earth on the response of the radioreceptor, which minimizes the error in the calculation of the brightness temperature of the observed object. We applied the proposed methodology in the monitoring of the Lunar cycle using the Ku-band radio telescope of the Observatorio Astronomico of Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Colombia (OAUTP). After observing during May, June, and July of 2021, we obtained an average temperature of 213.15 K, with maximum and minimum values of 275.55 K and 150.75 K, respectively. In addition, we evidenced a delay of 5.75 days between the phase in which the maximum temperature is presented and the phase of the full Moon, which is consistent with the frequency of observation. The results show that our methodology is useful to optimize the calibration of compact Ku-band radio telescopes, and expand the potential of this type of instrument for the scientific study of radio sources other than the Sun, in this case the Moon.