Laboratory of Astrophysical Apparatus - Overview

Full text: In 2009 the Laboratory of Astrophysical Apparatus (LAA) continued work on three main scientific projects: 1. The '' π of the Sky '' experiment (http://grb.fuw.edu.pl) has been carried out in our institute for many years in collaboration with several national and foreign institutes with the aim of detecting short optical counterparts (so called afterglows) of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and other short time scale (of the order of a few seconds) optical astrophysical phenomena. The continuous observations are carried out with the use of robotised equipment remotely controlled over the Internet. The new and archival data are systematically analysed. The work done in 2010 allowed for: · Improvement of photometric measurement accuracy from the original precision of 0.05 m to 0.015 m, · Implementation of a procedure for improving the precision of light curves from the '' Pi of the Sky '' star catalogue, · Estimation of the usefulness of '' Pi of the Sky '' apparatus for the detection of space debris. The instrumentation used in the project is systematically developed. In 2010: · In cooperation with Warsaw University, Centre of Cosmic Research and the CREOTECH firm the production and testing of 24 cameras, 6 robots and Ethernet controlled power supply systems was continued, · The new observation site at the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aerospacial (INTA) station, in southern Spain was put into operation (http://grb.fuw.edu.pl/pi/index.htmlatpiinta_site.htm) · The removal of the apparatus localized in Chile from Las Campanas to San Pedro de Atacama was initiated (http://grb.fuw.edu.pl/pi/index.htmlatspda_site.htm), · In order to improve the system reliability the data acquisition software was modified and improved. 2. The LAA is involved in a series of international observational projects aiming to understand the evolution of the Large Scale Structure of the Universe and its relation to the evolution of galaxies. · The VIMOS-VLT Deep Survey (VVDS, http://www.oamp.fr/virmos/) is an extensive imaging and spectroscopic survey of the deep universe, covering a redshift range between 0 and 5. The observations are already finished and most of the data (more than 50 000 redshifts) have already been made public (http://cencosnew.oamp.fr/). The detailed analysis of these data is still on-going. In 2010 we published, among other work, a catalog of groups of galaxies in the VVDS (Cucciati et al. 2010) and an analysis of the evolution in the halo occupation number in a range of z between 1 and 0 (Abbas et al. 2010). · In 2010 the spectroscopic observations of the new, yet larger, galaxy survey VIPERS (VIMOS Public Extragalactic Redshift Survey) were continued. This survey is aims to map the Universe at z ∼ 1 in an unprecedented volume, measuring redshifts of ∼ 100 000 galaxies over an area of 24 square degrees. With these figures, the VIPERS data sets will be the z ∼ 1 equivalent of current state-of-the-art local surveys such as the 2dFGRS, allowing us to compare measurements at these two different epochs on an equal statistical footing. The VIPERS scientific investigations will focus on measurements of large-scale structure and cosmological parameters at an epoch when the Universe was about half its current age. In 2010 the observations and measurements of the first-epoch data sample, with ∼ 20 000 redshifts, were finished. The next observations are on-going, and the scientific results from the first epochdata are expected soon. · Yet another important collaboration is that with the AKARI project (http://www.ir.isas.jaxa.jp/ASTRO-F/Outreach/index_e.html , a satellite performing a sky survey in the infrared. In 2010, the first catalogues of AKARI point sources from all the sky, from the near to far infrared, were released to the scientific community. The release of the data was accompanied by a number of international and local press releases (e.g. http://www.ipj.gov.pl/pl/news /97.htm; http://www.ipj.gov.pl/pl/news/88.htm). The first scientific results from the project appeared in a dedicated issue of Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A 2010, 514): among others, a new method to separate galaxies from stars in far-infrared color-color diagrams (Pollo, Rybka (and) Takeuchi 2010). 3. The LAA takes part in the POLAR international project (http://isdc.unige.ch/polar/). POLAR is a space instrument devoted to the measurement of the polarization of gamma rays. It is optimised for measurements of the polarization of gamma photons coming from GRBs. Within the project in 2010: · the optical properties of scintillator bars manufactured with the use of injection technology were examined, · a new series of plastic scintillator bars was manufactured, tested and delivered to PDI Zurich, · the development of a demo model of control electronics constructed for the polarimeter was continued in Swierk and at Geneva University. In parallel to its scientific activity in 2010 the LAA participated in two other R&D projects: · Partially supported by EU project POIG01.01.02-14@12/08-00 '' Development of specialized systems using accelerators and detectors of ionizing radiation for medical therapy and detection of dangerous materials and toxic wastes '', where LAA took part in work on fast neutron activation, radiographic imaging and electronic design. · 7 FP European project EuCard with LAA contribution to the development of accelerator control equipment. (author)