Author name code: samain ADS astronomy entries on 2022-09-14 author:Samain, D. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Title: Recent Progress in Lunar Laser Ranging at Grasse Laser Ranging Station Authors: Chabé, Julien; Courde, Clément; Torre, Jean-Marie; Bouquillon, Sébastien; Bourgoin, Adrien; Aimar, Mourad; Albanèse, Dominique; Chauvineau, Bertrand; Mariey, Hervé; Martinot-Lagarde, Grégoire; Maurice, Nicolas; Phung, Duy-Hà; Samain, Etienne; Viot, Hervé Bibcode: 2020E&SS....700785C Altcode: Based on a fully passive space segment, the lunar laser ranging experiment is the last of the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package to operate. Observations from the Grasse lunar laser ranging station have been made on a daily basis since the first echoes obtained in 1981. In this paper, first, we review the principle and the technical aspects of lunar laser ranging. We then give a brief summary of the progress made at the Grasse laser ranging facility (Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Calern Plateau on the French Riviera) since the first echoes. The current performance, driven by the use of an infrared wavelength laser, is presented in the last section for the year 2018. Title: Intensity interferometry revival on the Côte d'Azur Authors: Lai, Olivier; Guerin, William; Vakili, Farrokh; Kaiser, Robin; Rivet, Jean Pierre; Fouché, Mathilde; Labeyrie, Guillaume; Chabé, Julien; Courde, Clément; Samain, Etienne; Vernet, David Bibcode: 2018SPIE10701E..21L Altcode: 2018arXiv181008023L Recent advances in photonics have revived the interest in intensity interferometry for astronomical applications. The success of amplitude interferometry in the early 1970s, which is now mature and producing spectacular astrophysical results (e.g. GRAVITY, MATISSE, CHARA, etc.), coupled with the limited sensitivity of intensity interferometry stalled any progress on this technique for the past 50 years. However, the precise control of the optical path difference in amplitude interferometry is constraining for very long baselines and at shorter wavelengths. Polarization measurements are also challenging in amplitude interferometry due to instrumental effects. The fortuitous presence of strong groups in astronomical interferometry and quantum optics at Université Côte d'Azur led to the development of a prototype experiment at Calern Observatory, allowing the measure of the temporal correlation g(2)(τ, r=0) in 2016 and of the spatial correlation g(2)(r) in 2017 with a gain in sensitivity (normalized in observing time and collecting area) of a factor 100 compared to Hanbury Brown and Twiss's original Narrabri Interferometer. We present possible ways to further develop this technique and point to. possible implementations on existing facilities, such as CTA, the VLTI ATs or the summit of Maunakea, which offer a unique scientific niche. Title: Temperature, radiation and aging analysis of the DORIS Ultra Stable Oscillator by means of the Time Transfer by Laser Link experiment on Jason-2 Authors: Belli, Alexandre; Exertier, P.; Samain, E.; Courde, C.; Vernotte, F.; Jayles, C.; Auriol, A. Bibcode: 2016AdSpR..58.2589B Altcode: The Time Transfer by Laser Link (T2L2) experiment on-board the Jason-2 satellite was launched in June 2008 at 1335 km altitude. It has been designed to use the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) space technique as an optical link between ground and space clocks. T2L2, as all the instruments aboard Jason-2, is referenced to the Ultra Stable Oscillator (USO) provided by the Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) system. A complex data processing has been developed in order to extract time & frequency products as the relative frequency bias of the USO from ground-to-space time transfer passages. The precision of these products was estimated of a few parts in 10-13 given the very good in-flight performance of T2L2 with a ground-to-space time stability of a few picoseconds (ps) over 100 s. Frequency bias from T2L2 were compared with results from operational orbit computation, notably with the DIODE (Détermination Immédiate d'Orbite par Doris Embarqué) outputs (see Jayles et al. (2016) same issue) at the level of 1 · 10-12.

The present paper is focusing on the main physical effects which drive the frequency variations of the Jason-2 USO during its flight, notably over the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) area. In addition to the effects of radiation we studied the effect of the residual temperature variations, in the range 8-11 °C (measured on-board). A model was established to represent these effects on the short term with empirical coefficients (sensitivities of the USO) to be adjusted. The results of fitting the model over ∼200 10-day periods, from 2008 to 2014, show the sensitivities of the Jason-2 USO to temperature and radiation. The analysis of the 6-year output series of empirical coefficients allows us to conclude that: (i) the temperature to frequency dependence is very stable along time at the level of around -1.2 · 10-12 per °C, (ii) the radiation effects are much lower than those previously detected on the Jason-1 USO with a factor > 10. The swept material used by manufacturers for the Jason-2 quartz oscillator has such properties to avoid non-linear effects >1-2 · 10-12, (iii) the model is available at 1 min or less over the Jason-2 mission, with a level of consistency of 5 · 10-13, which is the average RMS of the post-fit residuals. Title: First on-sky results of the CO-SLIDAR Cn2 profiler Authors: Voyez, Juliette; Robert, Clélia; Conan, Jean-Marc; Mugnier, Laurent M.; Samain, Etienne; Ziad, Aziz Bibcode: 2014OExpr..2210948V Altcode: 2014arXiv1402.4295V COupled SLope and scIntillation Detection And Ranging (CO-SLIDAR) is a recent profiling method of the vertical distribution of atmospheric turbulence strength ($C_n^2$ profile). It takes advantage of correlations of slopes and of scintillation, both measured with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor on a binary star. In this paper, we present the improved CO-SLIDAR reconstruction method of the $C_n^2$ profile and the first on-sky results of the CO-SLIDAR profiler. We examine CO-SLIDAR latest performance in simulation, taking into account the detection noise bias and estimating error bars along with the turbulence profile. The estimated $C_n^2$ profiles demonstrate the accuracy of the CO-SLIDAR method, showing sensitivity to both low and high altitude turbulent layers. CO-SLIDAR is tested on-sky for the first time, on the $1.5$~m MeO (Métrologie Optique) telescope at Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur (France). The reconstructed profiles are compared to turbulence profiles estimated from meteorological data and a good agreement is found. We discuss CO-SLIDAR's contribution in the $C_n^2$ profilers' landscape and we propose some improvements of the instrument. Title: Laser Ranging for Effective and Accurate Tracking of Space Debris in Low Earth Orbits Authors: Blanchet, Guillaume; Haag, Herve; Hennegrave, Laurent; Assemat, Francois; Vial, Sophie; Samain, Etienne Bibcode: 2013ESASP.723E..10B Altcode: The paper presents the results of preliminary design options for an operational laser ranging system adapted to the measurement of the distance of space debris. Thorough analysis of the operational parameters is provided with identification of performance drivers and assessment of enabling design options. Results from performance simulation demonstrate how the range measurement enables improvement of the orbit determination when combined with astrometry. Besides, experimental results on rocket-stage class debris in LEO were obtained by Astrium beginning of 2012, in collaboration with the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA), by operating an experimental laser ranging system supported by the MéO (Métrologie Optique) telescope. Title: First astrometric observations with the MéO telescope in view of space debris observations Authors: Laas-Bourez, Myrtille; Deleflie, Florent; Klotz, Alain; Albanese, Dominique; Samain, Etienne Bibcode: 2010cosp...38.3945L Altcode: 2010cosp.meet.3945L The MéO (for "Métrologie Optique") telescope is the Satellite and Lunar Laser Ranging dedicated telescope of Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (France), and located at "plateau de Calern" (43,7546336886111 N 6,9215750911111 E 1323,3480 U). The telescope is pointed by an altazimu-tale mount. The motorization, with a typical velocity of 5 deg/s allows to follow LEO satellites (from an altitude of 400 kilometers), as well as MEO and GEO satellites, and the Moon. The telescope has an aperture of 1.54m. It has Nasmyth focus equipped with an EMCCD camera. The field of view, defined by the equivalent focal length and the size of the camera, is actually 3 arcmin x 3 arcmin. The paper aims at presenting two methods that we will be developing to observe LEO and MEO satellites, and give very precise astrometrical positions in view of testing the capabilities of such an instrument to track space debris. In particular, the greater diameter than the ones usually used for space debris tracking should improve the current accu-racy of the observations within in the GEO region. In the LEO region, such a diameter should allow to observe trailing satellites with a high magnitude (to be quantified). The first method is "stellar reference" -based. It consists in identifying stars on the images sky background and in using an astrometrical catalog to calibrate the passage relations between image coordinates and celestial coordinates. The main difficulty comes from the possible lack of catalogued stars on every image, to exactly identify, for each track, the original epoch and positions of stellar trails. The second method is "telescope referenced" -based. It consists in relying the opto-mechanical chain of the telescope to assign the theoretical value read in the ephemeris file as the center of the images. So, we can calibrate the field blind. The difficulty consists hence in estimating the accuracy of pointing of the telescope. The feasibility of these two methods was demonstrated in January 2009. This paper presents the methods used and the difficulties encountered. In the second part we will introduce our first results obtained on LEO and MEO satellites. In particular, we give an estimation of the astrometrical error of the analysis scheme, by comparing for a couple of SLR geodetic satellites the coordinates deduced from the data reduction strategy, and the ones obtained from the orbit computation provided by the International Laser Ranging Service. Title: High-spectral-resolution solar irradiance in the 184.5 to 232.5 nm range from the SOLSPEC and UVSP spectrometers Authors: Tartag, A.; Bénilan, Y.; Samain, D.; Thuillier, G.; Bruston, P. Bibcode: 2001SoPh..201..253T Altcode: The study of the minor constituents of the planetary atmospheres from the analysis of the scattered light properties requires the knowledge of the absolute incident solar irradiance at high resolution. The data were obtained from the UVSP experiment on board the Solar Maximum Mission satellite in the 184.5-232.5 nm spectral range. We have reconstituted the solar spectrum measured in three different regions of the solar disk with a spectral resolution of 0.01 nm and a spatial resolution of 3 arc sec. The wavelength scale was determined with a standard deviation of 0.0025 nm. The comparison of the relative intensities in three locations of the solar disk with those obtained by other authors allowed us to determine these positions accurately and to derive the integrated spectrum of the whole disk. Finally, the resulting spectrum has been expressed in absolute units using the spectral irradiance by the SOLSPEC and SUSIM spectrometers, respectively operated with the ATLAS 1 mission and from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. We obtained the absolute solar irradiance with an accuracy of 10% in the 184.5-232.5 nm spectral range with a spectral resolution of 0.01 nm for the first time using data from space observations. Title: Millimetric Lunar Laser Ranging at OCA (Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur) Authors: Samain, E.; Mangin, J. F.; Veillet, C.; Torre, J. M.; Fridelance, P.; Chabaudie, J. E.; Feraudy, D.; Glentzlin, M.; Pham van, J.; Furia, M.; Journet, A.; Vigouroux, G. Bibcode: 1998A&AS..130..235S Altcode: The Lunar Laser Ranging station at the Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, France, permits to measure the Earth-Moon distance with millimetric precision. Applications in astronomy, lunar science, geodesy, and gravitation are summarised. Expected scientific results with millimetric Lunar Laser Ranging data are presented. A complete error budget is given, showing that the precision is mainly limited by the orientation and the size of the corner cube arrays placed on the Moon. The measurement accuracy is degraded by the bad knowledge of the air index. The time stability, computed from the lunar echoes, permits to extract the real precision of the Earth-Moon distance and to optimise the integration time of the normal points. Title: Erratum: "A high spectral resolution atlas of the balloon ultraviolet spectrum of the Sun: 1950 - 2000 Å" [Astron. Astrophys., Suppl. Ser., Vol. 113, No. 2, p. 237 - 255 (Oct 1995)]. Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1998A&AS..127..353S Altcode: No abstract at ADS Title: A high spectral resolution atlas of the balloon ultraviolet spectrum of the Sun: 1950-2000 A. Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1995A&AS..113..237S Altcode: An ultraviolet atlas of the solar spectrum with a spectral resolution of 15mA in the region 1948-2000A is presented. It is the first part of the spectra recorded on the quiet Sun between 1900 and 2130A. Measurements were performed from a balloon-borne instrumentation flown at an altitude of 39km. The wavelength atlas with a list of about 550 lines has been synthesized from data at center of the Sun (μ=1) and at μ=0.89, smoothed out over an area of 30 arcsec. The wavelength scale is given with respect to the average solar spectrum. Tracings are presented at μ=0.89, with an intensity scale adjusted in absolute values on the level of the continuum near 2000A. Title: VizieR Online Data Catalog: Ultraviolet Spectrum of the Sun (Samain, 1995) Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1995yCat..41130237S Altcode: An ultraviolet atlas of the solar spectrum with a spectral resolution of 15mA in the region 1948-2000A is presented. It is the first part of the spectra recorded on the quiet Sun between 1900 and 2130A. Measurements were performed from a balloon-borne instrumentation flown at an altitude of 39km. The wavelength atlas with a list of about 550 lines has been synthesized from data at center of the Sun (μ=1) and at μ=0.89, smoothed out over an area of 30 arcsec. The wavelength scale is given with respect to the average solar spectrum. Tracings are presented at μ=0.89, with an intensity scale adjusted in absolute values on the level of the continuum near 2000A. (1 data file). Title: A Preliminary Atlas of the Solar Balloon U. V. Spectrum of the Quiet Sun Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1994emsp.conf...99S Altcode: No abstract at ADS Title: High Resolution Measurements of the 273-293 nm Solar Spectrum from a Balloon Instrumentation Authors: Lemaire, P.; Briand, C.; Staath, E.; Samain, D. Bibcode: 1993BAAS...25.1221L Altcode: No abstract at ADS Title: Photospheric lines redshift from balloon ultraviolet spectra of the quiet Sun Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1991ESASP.317..363S Altcode: 1991erbp.symp..363S Wavelength shifts between solar photospheric lines observed in two quiet areas of the Sun and telluric O2 absorption lines of the Schulman-Runge bands were measured in the 1950 to 2000 A region. The results are deduced from high resolution spectra taken on board a balloon experiment at an altitude of 39 km. They show a systematic redshift of the solar lines relative to the reference telluric spectrum. After correction for the gravitational redshift and for all the known relative motions between Sun and observer, the average residual value is +7 mA, that corresponds in terms of velocity to an equivalent Doppler-Fizeau shift on the whole spectrum of about 1 km/s away from the observer. Whether the redshift has a solar origin or the O2 telluric lines are blueshifted in the terrestrial atmosphere is considered Title: Is the ultraviolet spectrum of the quiet sun redshifted? Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1991A&A...244..217S Altcode: A wavelength shift between the Fraunhofer spectrum observed in two quiet areas of the sun and the superimposed telluric absorption spectrum of the Schuman-Runge bands due to O2 has been measured in the wavelength region 1950-2000 A. The results deduced from high resolution spectra taken on board a balloon experiment at an altitude of 39 km are presented. They show a systematic redshift of the solar lines relative to the reference telluric spectrum. After correction for the gravitational redshift and for all the known relative motions between sun and observer, the average residual redshift is 7 mA and could be from 5 to 12 mA for some individual reference lines. This corresponds in terms of velocity to an equivalent Doppler-Fizeau shift on the whole spectrum of about 1 km/s away from the observer. Title: Fine structure observation in a solar prominence Authors: Lemaire, P.; Samain, D.; Vial, J. C. Bibcode: 1990AdSpR..10i.191L Altcode: 1990AdSpR..10..191L The high resolution balloon spectrograph (RASOLBA) has obtained ultraviolet prominence spectra during its September 19th, 1986, flight. The high resolution spectra (one arcsecond along the 30 arcseconds spectrograph slit length, and 0.0015 nm spectral resolution within the 20 nm wavelength band) have been recorded on film. The wavelength band was centered on the Mgll h and k (279.6 nm and 280.3 nm) resonance doublet lines inside the cross-dispersion echelle spectrograph.

The analysis of the prominence spectra shows evidence of sheared velocities (up to 20 km/s) which very within few arcseconds with the distance above the limb. This shear may appear inside magnetic loops confining the prominence material. We present the observations and a preliminary analysis of the data. Title: High resolution observations of the solar UV spectrum from balloon Authors: Lemaire, P.; Samain, D. Bibcode: 1989hsrs.conf..551L Altcode: No abstract at ADS Title: Solar Ultraviolet Spectrum Obtained from a Balloon Gondola Authors: Samain, D.; Lemaire, P. Bibcode: 1987ESASP.270..347S Altcode: 1987erbp.symp..347S A new flight of the L.P.S.P. balloon experiment on September 19, 1986 has permitted the recording of high resolution photographic spectra in the 2800 Å channel (1 arcsec and 15 mÅ). Several time sequences at Sun center, limb, intermediate location (μ = 0.5) and on a prominence have been performed; some of these results are presented. Data reduction of the high spectral resolution spectra recorded in 1982 has been completed for the region 1950-2000 Å, in which many features have been measured and tabulated; one of these detailed tracings is given and some results on wavelength shifts analysed. Title: Balloon-Borne Ultraviolet Solar Telescope and High Resolution Echelle Spectrograph - Instrumentation and First Results Authors: Samain, D.; Lemaire, P. Bibcode: 1985Ap&SS.115..227S Altcode: A description of the LPSP balloon-borne telescope — spectrograph combination is given. The payload comprises a one-axis stabilized platform carrying a two-axes equatorial pointing system; the instrumentation directed towards the Sun is a 300 mm telescope coupled with an echelle spectrograph and a slit jaw camera. The scientific objective of the experimental set-up is to observe spatial, spectral, and temporal variations of fine structures of the solar atmosphere, using ballon ultraviolet windows between 190 and 300 nm, with very high angular and spectral resolutions (0.5 arc sec and 1 pm). In the configuration of the first flight which successfully took place on 1 October, 1982 from Aire-sur'l'Adour (Landes), many stigmatic spectra of the Sun were recorded in the 190 213 and 272 293 nm ranges, with an angular resolution of 4 arc sec and a spectral resolution of 1.5 to 2 pm. Title: Solar High Resolution Balloon Spectra Obtained in the 190-300 nm Wavelength Band Authors: Samain, D.; Lemaire, P. Bibcode: 1985LNP...233..123S Altcode: 1985hrsp.proc..123S A balloon gondola with a solar telescope spectrograph has been launched from Aire/Adour (France) October 1, 1982. High quality spectra with a spectral resolution better than 1.5 pm and with a 4 - 5 arcseconds angular resolution have been recorded in the atmospheric window domains: 195 - 212 nm and 272 - 292 nm. Results from this first flight are discussed. Title: Solar high resolution balloon spectra obtained in the 190-300 nm wavelength band Authors: Lemaire, P.; Samain, D. Bibcode: 1984AdSpR...4h..37L Altcode: 1984AdSpR...4...37L To obtain solar high-resolution balloon spectra in the 190-300 nm wavelength range outside of the strong absorption ozone band, a new solar instrumentation and an equatorial mounting platform are developed. The instrumentation, which consists of a telescope-spectrograph combination, and its characteristics are described. Observations are made at an altitude of 38 km and two sequences of spectra are taken near sun center, one on a supergranular cell and the other one over an active network. The spectra recorded during the flight show an intensity variation related to the wavelength dependance of atmospheric transmission. The results obtained in two wavelength domains (190-210 nm and 272-283 nm) during the first balloon flight are presented and discussed. The spectral resolution is found to be better than 2 pm in the 200 nm range and better than 1.5 pm in the 280 nm range; and the angular resolution is found to be about 5 arcsec. Calibration in intensity is made by comparison to rocket spectra. Stigmatic line profiles illustrate the results. Title: A high-resolution ultraviolet solar telescope/spectrograph mounted on an equatorial balloon platform Authors: Samain, D.; Lemaire, P. Bibcode: 1983ESASP.183..401S Altcode: A balloon-borne 30 cm telescope-spectrograph combination was built to observe fine structures of the solar atmosphere with very high spectral and angular resolution in two atmospheric windows: 2700 to 2950 A and 1900 to 2300 A. Solar spectra with spectral resolution of 15 mA and angular resolution of 4 arcsec were recorded. Title: Solar ultraviolet continuum radiation - The photosphere, the low chromosphere, and the temperature-minimum region Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1980ApJS...44..273S Altcode: Solar disk-center intensity measurements are compared with theoretical values calculated for atmospheric models derived from the temperature distributions found by Vernazza et al (1976); generally good agreement is found with an atmospheric model having a minimum temperature of about 4150 K or possibly higher. Empirical opacity values including LTE departures and absorption coefficients which best represent the radiation field in the range 1460-2100 A are presented. It is shown that a contribution to the opacity from Fe I almost equal to the Si I opacity makes it possible to explain the observed center-to-limb contrast between 1525 and 1570 A and its fast change through 1570 A. However, the strong measured limb darkening as compared with the calculated variation from 1600 to 1682 A cannot completely be accounted for in terms of opacity and still preserve the agreement with the absolute center intensities. Title: Solar continuum data on absolute intensities, center to limb variations and Laplace inversion between 1400 and 2100 Å. Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1979A&A....74..225S Altcode: No abstract at ADS Title: Development of a High Resolution Ultraviolet Solar Spectrograph to BE Launched on a Balloon Equatorial Platform Authors: Lemaire, P.; Samain, D. Bibcode: 1978ESASP.135..283L Altcode: 1978esrb.rept..283L A telescope-spectrometer instrumentation to study the sun in the spectral ranges 1950-2200 A and 2650-2900 A is being developed to obtain spatial, spectral, and time information on quiet and active fine structures of the solar photosphere-chromosphere zone. To achieve these objectives, an instrumentation able to give 0.5 arcsec angular resolution on the solar surface and 0.01 A spectral resolution was studied. Title: Solar flux determination in the spectral range 150 210 nm Authors: Samain, D.; Simon, P. C. Bibcode: 1976SoPh...49...33S Altcode: Solar irradiation fluxes are determined between 150 and 210 nm from stigmatic spectra of the Sun obtained by means of a rocket-borne spectrograph. Absolute intensities at the disk center with a spectral resolution of 0.04 nm and a spatial resolution of 7 arc sec are presented. From center-to-limb intensity variations determined from the same spectra, mean full disk intensities of the quiet Sun can be deduced. In order to compare them with other measurements, the new solar fluxes have been averaged over a bandpass of 1 nm. Title: Stigmatic spectra of the sun between 1200 Å and 2100 Å. Authors: Samain, D.; Bonnet, R. M.; Gayet, R.; Lizambert, C. Bibcode: 1975A&A....39...71S Altcode: Stigmatic spectra of the sun from 1200 to 2100 A, with spatial resolution on the disk of 7 arc sec, have been obtained during a rocket flight on April 17, 1973 from Kourou, French Guiana. The mean spectral resolution achieved is 0.4A. Absolute intensities and center-to-limb variations of the solar UV continuum have been measured on both sides of the temperature minimum. They locate the position of this minimum around 1580 A with a value of 4430 (plus or minus 50) K. It is shown that these are upper limits and are not necessarily incompatible with infrared observations which lead to lower values. It is shown that an extra opacity is required to represent the observations down to, at least, 1580 A. Title: Observations de la raie d'émission de C I dans le spectre solaire à 1993.6 Å. Authors: Samain, D. Bibcode: 1971CRASB.273.1133S Altcode: No abstract at ADS