Related papers: Theoretical Limits of Star Sensor Accuracy
The miniaturization of electronics, sensors and actuators has enabled the growing use of CubeSats and sub-20 kg spacecraft. Their reduced mass and volume has the potential to translate into significant reductions in required propellant and…
The properties of matter at ultra-high densities, low temperatures, and with a significant asymmetry between protons and neutrons can be studied exclusively through astrophysical observations of neutron stars. We show that measurements of…
Neutron stars are the densest, directly observable stellar objects in the universe and serve as unique astrophysical laboratories to study the behavior of matter under extreme physical conditions. This book chapter is devoted to describing…
Spaceplates are novel flat-optic devices that implement the optical response of a free-space volume over a smaller length, effectively "compressing space" for light propagation. Together with flat lenses such as metalenses or diffractive…
It is well-known that the light curve of a transiting planet contains information about the planet's orbital period and size relative to the host star. More recently, it has been demonstrated that a tight constraint on an individual…
We analyze the properties of searches devoted to finding planetary transits by observing simple stellar systems, such as globular clusters, open clusters, and the Galactic bulge. We develop the analytic tools necessary to predict the number…
The site conditions that make astronomical observatories in space and on the ground so desirable -- cold and dark -- demand a physical remoteness that leads to limited data transmission capabilities. Such transmission limitations directly…
New measurements using radio and plasma-wave instruments in interplanetary space have shown that nanometer-scale dust, or nanodust, is a significant contributor to the total mass in interplanetary space. Better measurements of nanodust will…
The Astrodynamical Space Test of Relativity using Optical Devices (ASTROD) is a multi-purpose relativity mission concept. ASTROD's scientific goals are the measurement of relativistic and solar system parameters to unprecedented precision,…
The maximum mass limits of neutron stars in scalar-tensor gravity is discussed and compared with the limits set by general relativity. The limit is parametrized with respect to the combination of the nuclear saturation parameters and the…
Cosmological and astrophysical measurements provide powerful constraints on neutrino masses complementary to those from accelerators and reactors. Here we provide a guide to these different probes, for each explaining its physical basis,…
Accurate determinations of masses and radii in binary stars, along with estimates of the effective temperatures, metallicities, and other properties, have long been used to test models of stellar evolution. As might be expected,…
We present here a low-cost Raspberry Pi (RPi)-based star sensor StarberrySense using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components, developed and built for applications in small satellites and CubeSat-based missions. A star sensor is one of…
Occultations, the covering up of one celestial body by another celestial body, have been used in astronomy for millennia to learn about the sun and moon. Since 2018, VERITAS has implemented a program to detect predicted asteroid…
Aims. We investigate the maximum astrometric precision that can be reached on moving targets observed with digital-sensor arrays, and provide an estimate for its ultimate lower limit based on the Cram\'er-Rao bound. Methods. We extend…
High precision asteroseismic data provide a unique opportunity to test input microphysics such as stellar opacities, chemical composition or equation of state. These tests are possible because pulsational frequencies as well as amplitudes…
Measurement of at least three independent parameters, for example, mass, radius and spin frequency, of a neutron star is probably the only way to understand the nature of its supranuclear core matter. Such a measurement is extremely…
CubeSats are small satellites used for scientific experiments because they cost less than full sized satellites. Each CubeSat uses an on-board computer. The on-board computer performs sensor measurements, data processing, and CubeSat…
In ultra-fast astronomical observations featuring fast transients on sub-$\mu$s time scales, the conventional Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) threshold, often fixed at $5\sigma$, becomes inadequate as observational window timescales shorten,…
The main goal of this work is the analysis of new approaches to the study of the properties of astronomical sites. In particular, satellite data measuring aerosols have recently been proposed as a useful technique for site characterization…