Les naines brunes sont des objets astronomiques de faible masse ( 0.012 - 0.075 M_Sun ) et de basse température ( T < 3,500 K ). Bien qu’elles se forment comme des étoiles, c’est-à-dire par l’effondrement d’un nuage de gaz moléculaire, les naines brunes n’ont pas une masse suffisante pour entretenir des réactions de fusion nucléaire en leur coeur. Les naines brunes relativement chaudes (type L) sont recouvertes de nuages de poussière mais ces derniers disparaissent progressivement de l’atmosphère lorsque la température chute sous les 1,500 K (type T). Les naines brunes près de la transition L/T devraient donc être partiellement recouvertes de nuages. De par leur rotation relativement rapide (2 h - 12 h), le couvert nuageux inhomogène des naines brunes devrait produire une variabilité photométrique observable en bande J (1.2 um), la longueur d’onde à laquelle les nuages ont la plus forte opacité. Ce mémoire présente les résultats d’une recherche de variabilité photométrique infrarouge pour une dizaine de naines brunes de type spectral près de la transition L/T. Les observations, obtenues à l’Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, ont permis le suivi photométrique en bande J de neuf cibles. Une seule d’entre elles, SDSS J105213.51+442255.7 (T0.5), montre des variations périodiques sur une période d’environ 3 heures avec une amplitude pic-à-pic variant entre 40 et 80 mmag. Pour les huit autres cibles, on peut imposer des limites (3 sigma) de variabilité périodique à moins de 15 mmag pour des périodes entre 1 et 6 heures. Ces résultats supportent l’hypothèse qu’un couvert nuageux partiel existe pour des naines brunes près de la transition L/T mais ce phénomène demeure relativement peu fréquent. / Brown dwarfs are astronomical objects of low mass ( 0.012 - 0.075 M_Sun ) and low temperature ( T < 3,500 K ). While they do form like stars through gravitational collapse of a molecular gas cloud, they do not have sufficient mass to sustain nuclear fusion reactions in their core. Relatively hot brown dwarfs (type L) are covered by an homogeneous dust cloud cover that progressively disappears from their atmosphere when the temperature falls below 1,500 K (type T). Therefore, brown dwarfs near the L/T transition should be partially covered with clouds. Due to the fast rotation of brown dwarfs (2 h - 12 h), this inhomogeneous cloud cover should produce photometric variability observable in the J band (1.2 um), the wavelength at which the clouds have the strongest opacity. This thesis presents the results of a search for infrared photometric variability in brown dwarfs near the L/T transition. The observations, obtained at the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic, have allowed the photometric follow-up of nine targets in the J band. Only one of them, SDSS J105213.51+442255.7 (T0.5), showed periodic variations with a period of about 3 hours with a peak-to-peak amplitude ranging from 40 to 80 mmag. For the remaining eight targets, we can place upper limits (3 sigma) of 15 mmag for the amplitude of periodic variability over a period range betwen 1 and 6 hours. While these results support the hypothesis that partial dust cloud covers do exist among L/T dwarfs, this phenomenon is by no means ubiquitous.

The interstellar matter in the Galaxy is concentrated in a thin layer close to the galactic plane, mostly in spiral arms. Most of the interstellar matter is in a form of atomic and molecular gas and only 1% of its mass is in a form of small (0.01 – 0.1 µm) dust grains which absorb and scatter the light of stars and cause the interstellar extinction. A part of interstellar gas and dust are in a diffuse form and fill the space with density which exponentially decreases with the distance from the galactic plane. However, in the spiral arms gigantic molecular clouds are present which play an outstanding role in the evolution of the Galaxy, since in them star forming processes take place. Molecular and dust clouds, young star clusters and associations and other star forming regions are concentrated in the Milky Way plane. However, due to gravitational and radiation interactions between the molecular clouds and the young massive stars, some fragments of spiral arms deviate from the galactic plane. One of such deviating branches from the Local (Orion) spiral arm is a huge elongated system of molecular and dust clouds located in the Cepheus constellation which is known as the Cepheus Flare. Most of the objects investigated in this dissertation belong to this branch of the Local spiral arm. The objects selected for the investigation are star forming regions in the vicinity of the reflection nebula NGC 7023, a group of dark clouds TGU 619, the young open cluster NGC 7129 and the... [to full text] / Paukščių tako Galaktikoje didžioji dalis tarpžvaigždinės medžiagos yra susitelkusi į ploną sluoksnį Galaktikos plokštumoje, daugiausiai spiralinėse vijose. Didžiąją dalį tarpžvaigždinės medžiagos sudaro atominės ir molekulinės dujos ir tik maždaug 1% masės yra mažos (0.01 – 0.1 µm) dydžio dulkelės, kurios sugeria ir išsklaido šviesą ir sukelia tarpžvaigždinės ekstinkcijos reiškinį. Spiralinėse vijose esantys molekuliniai debesys yra svarbūs Galaktikos evoliucijos procese, nes juose vyksta aktyvūs žvaigždžių formavimosi procesai. Molekuliniai ir dulkių debesys, jaunų žvaigždžių spiečiai ir asociacijos bei kitos žvaigždžių susidarymo sritys dažniausiai yra Galaktikos plokštumoje. Tačiau dėl gravitacinės ir radiacinės sąveikos tarp jaunų didelės masės žvaigždžių ir molekulinių debesų kai kuriose Paukščių Tako srityse žvaigždėdaros rajonai nukrypsta nuo Galaktikos plokštumos. Viename iš tokių rajonų Cefėjo žvaigždyno kryptimi dalis tarpžvaigždinių debesų ir žvaigždėdaros rajonų yra nukrypę nuo Galaktikos plokštumos link šiaurinio dangaus poliaus ir sudaro Paukščių Tako atšaką, literatūroje žinomą kaip Cepheus Flare. Dauguma šioje disertacijoje tyrinėjamų objektų priklauso šiai Cefėjo atšakai. Šio darbo tikslas yra Cefėjo žvaigždėdaros rajonų, žinomų kaip atspindžio ūkas NGC 7023, tamsiųjų debesų kompleksas TGU 619 ir jaunas spiečius NGC 7129 fotometrinis tyrimas, siekiant nustatyti šių objektų nuotolį ir tarpžvaigždinę ekstinkciją, jauno spiečiaus NGC 7129 ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Paukščių Tako Galaktikoje didžioji dalis tarpžvaigždinės medžiagos yra susitelkusi į ploną sluoksnį Galaktikos plokštumoje, daugiausiai spiralinėse vijose. Didžiąją dalį tarpžvaigždinės medžiagos sudaro atominės ir molekulinės dujos ir tik maždaug 1% masės yra mažos (0.01 – 0.1 µm) dydžio dulkelės, kurios sugeria ir išsklaido šviesą ir sukelia tarpžvaigždinės ekstinkcijos reiškinį. Spiralinėse vijose esantys molekuliniai debesys yra svarbūs Galaktikos evoliucijos procese, nes juose vyksta aktyvūs žvaigždžių formavimosi procesai. Molekuliniai ir dulkių debesys, jaunų žvaigždžių spiečiai ir asociacijos bei kitos žvaigždžių susidarymo sritys dažniausiai yra Galaktikos plokštumoje. Tačiau dėl gravitacinės ir radiacinės sąveikos tarp jaunų didelės masės žvaigždžių ir molekulinių debesų kai kuriose Paukščių Tako srityse žvaigždėdaros rajonai nukrypsta nuo Galaktikos plokštumos. Viename iš tokių rajonų Cefėjo žvaigždyno kryptimi dalis tarpžvaigždinių debesų ir žvaigždėdaros rajonų yra nukrypę nuo Galaktikos plokštumos link šiaurinio dangaus poliaus ir sudaro Paukščių Tako atšaką, literatūroje žinomą kaip Cepheus Flare. Dauguma šioje disertacijoje tyrinėjamų objektų priklauso šiai Cefėjo atšakai. Šio darbo tikslas yra Cefėjo žvaigždėdaros rajonų, žinomų kaip atspindžio ūkas NGC 7023, tamsiųjų debesų kompleksas TGU 619 ir jaunas spiečius NGC 7129 fotometrinis tyrimas, siekiant nustatyti šių objektų nuotolį ir tarpžvaigždinę ekstinkciją, jauno spiečiaus NGC 7129 ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The interstellar matter in the Galaxy is concentrated in a thin layer close to the galactic plane, mostly in spiral arms. Most of the interstellar matter is in a form of atomic and molecular gas and only 1% of its mass is in a form of small (0.01 – 0.1 µm) dust grains which absorb and scatter the light of stars and cause the interstellar extinction. A part of interstellar gas and dust are in a diffuse form and fill the space with density which exponentially decreases with the distance from the galactic plane. However, in the spiral arms gigantic molecular clouds are present which play an outstanding role in the evolution of the Galaxy, since in them star forming processes take place. Molecular and dust clouds, young star clusters and associations and other star forming regions are concentrated in the Milky Way plane. However, due to gravitational and radiation interactions between the molecular clouds and the young massive stars, some fragments of spiral arms deviate from the galactic plane. One of such deviating branches from the Local (Orion) spiral arm is a huge elongated system of molecular and dust clouds located in the Cepheus constellation which is known as the Cepheus Flare. Most of the objects investigated in this dissertation belong to this branch of the Local spiral arm. The objects selected for the investigation are star forming regions in the vicinity of the reflection nebula NGC 7023, a group of dark clouds TGU 619, the young open cluster NGC 7129 and the... [to full text]

L’influence de la couleur dans les mécanismes perceptuels et attentionnels a été étudiée. Quatre couleurs (le rouge, le vert, le bleu et le jaune) ont été calibrées individuellement à travers la technique heterochromatic flicker photometry. Suivant cela, les participants ont déployé leur attention à une cible (un cercle de couleur avec une ligne orientée). Les données électrophysiologiques ont été enregistrées pendant que les sujets performaient la tâche de recherche visuelle, et les analyses ont été basées sur les potentiels évoqués (PÉs). Trois composantes des PÉs ont été examinées : la posterior contralateral positivity (Ppc); la N2pc, reflétant le déploiement de l’attention visuo-spatiale et la temporal and contralateral positivity (Ptc). Des conditions dans lesquelles la cible était bleu ou rouge, lorsque comparées à des conditions avec une cible jaune ou verte suscitaient une N2pc plus précoce. Une amplitude plus élevée est aussi observée pour les cibles rouges pour les composantes Ppc et Ptc, reflétant une sélectivité pré-attentionelle. Ces résultats suggèrent de la prudence dans l’interprétation de données comparant des cibles de différentes couleurs dans des tâches de PÉs, et ce même lorsque les couleurs sont équiluminantes. / We investigated how target color affected behavioral and electrophysiological results in a visual search task. Perceptual and attentional mechanisms were tracked using the N2pc component of the event-related potential and other lateralized components. Four colors (red, green, blue, or yellow) were calibrated for each participant for luminance through heterochromatic flicker photometry and equated to the luminance of grey distractors. Each visual display contained 10 circles, 1 colored and 9 grey, each of which contained an oriented line segment. The task required deploying attention to the colored circle, which was either in the left or right visual hemifield. Three lateralized ERP components relative to the side of the lateral colored circle were examined: a posterior contralateral positivity (Ppc) prior to N2pc, the N2pc, reflecting the deployment of visual spatial attention, and a temporal and contralateral positivity (Ptc) following N2pc. Red or blue stimuli, as compared to green or yellow, had an earlier N2pc. Both the Ppc and Ptc had higher amplitudes to red stimuli, suggesting particular selectivity for red. The results suggest that attention may be deployed to red and blue more quickly than to other colors and suggests special caution when designing ERP experiments involving stimuli in different colors, even when all colors are equiluminant.

Cette thèse traite de la reconstruction 3D par stéréophotométrie, qui consiste à utiliser plusieurs photographies d'une scène prises sous le même angle, mais sous différents éclairages. Nous nous intéressons dans un premier temps à des techniques robustes pour l'estimation des normales à la surface, et pour leur intégration en une carte de profondeur. Nous étudions ensuite deux situations où le problème est mal posé : lorsque les éclairages sont inconnus, ou lorsque seuls deux éclairages sont utilisés. La troisième partie est consacrée à l'étude de modèles plus réalistes, à la fois en ce qui concerne les éclairages et la réflectance de la surface. Ces trois premières parties nous amènent aux limites de la formulation classique de la stéréophotométrie : nous introduisons finalement, dans la partie 4, une reformulation variationnelle et différentielle du problème qui permet de dépasser ces limites. / This thesis tackles the photometric stereo problem, a 3D-reconstruction technique consisting in taking several pictures of a scene under different lightings. We first focus on robust techniques for estimating the normals to the surface, and for integrating these normals into a depth map. Then, we study two situations where the problem is ill-posed: when lightings are unknown and when only two images are used. Part 3 is devoted to more realistic models, in terms of lightings and of surface reflectance. These first three parts bring us to the limits of the usual formulation of photometric stereo: we eventually introduce in Part 4 a variational and differential reformulation of this problem which allows us to overcome these limits.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / In order to determine distances of Southern Galactic HII regions, we carried out spectroscopic and photometric observations of the stellar content of a set of these objects. We have chosen objects only visible in the South hemisphere, with no published or uncertain distances. In this work, we present spectral classification based on intermediate dispersion spectra with a very high signal to noise ratio and on stellar UBV photometry, so that the distances have been determined using the usual method, the spectroscopic parallax. We picked up the 2MASS infrared photometry and assessed the reddening individually for each star, using the color-difference method. This way, we have estimated the totalto-selective extinction ratio for the most of the classified stars, and so, we have found a mean value 21% higher than the mean value of RV calculated on the whole directions of the Galaxy. As a result, we have found distances in general smaller than those already published on the literature, although confirming several spectral classifications. Besides that, large fluctuations around the values normally adopted were also observed, which would result in larger discrepancies between the stellar distances. At last, we have also extracted nebulae spectra in order to estimate the kinematics distances, so that we could compare the distance measurement results by different methods. In general, we have found reasonably compatible distances. However, in some cases large differences was found, suggesting that some objects present deviations of the circular motion. / Com o objetivo de determinar distâncias de regiões HII Galácticas observáveis no Hemisfério Sul, realizamos observações espectroscópicas e fotométricas do conteúdo estelar de um conjunto desses objetos. Demos preferência para aqueles objetos cuja observação só é possível no Hemisfério Sul, sem publicações de distância encontrada ou com grande dispersão entre os valores publicados. Neste trabalho, apresentamos classificação espectral baseada em espectros de dispersão intermediária, com elevada razão sinal / ruído e, também, classificação espectral via fotometria UBV , ambas com o objetivo de determinar as distâncias das regiões HII via paralaxe espectroscópica de suas estrelas ionizantes. Nós também extraímos as magnitudes dessas estrelas no infravermelho próximo diretamente do catálogo 2MASS e calculamos o avermelhamento individualmente para cada estrela usando o método das diferenças de cores. Assim, a razão entre a extinção total e a seletiva a banda V (RV ) foi estimada para a maior parte das estrelas, de forma que encontramos um valor médio 21% maior que o valor médio de RV calculado sobre todas as direções da Galáxia e, por este motivo, nós encontramos distâncias heliocêntricas, em geral, menores do que aquelas encontradas na literatura, mesmo confirmando a maior parte das classificações espectrais dadas por esses autores. Além disso, grandes flutuações em torno do valor médio foram encontradas, o que acarretaria maiores discrepâncias entre as distâncias estelares. Por fim, extraímos espectros nebulares dos objetos, com o objetivo de estimar suas distâncias cinemáticas e comparar os resultados obtidos com diferentes métodos. Em geral, encontramos distâncias razoavelmente compatíveis. Contudo, em alguns casos, grandes diferenças foram encontradas, sugerindo que alguns objetos como RCW 88 e NGC 3503 apresentam desvios do movimento circular.

Un des modèles les plus simples de surface de réfraction est une surface plane. Bien que sa présence soit omniprésente dans notre monde sous la forme de vitres transparentes, de fenêtres, ou la surface d'eau stagnante, très peu de choses sont connues sur la géométrie multi-vues causée par la réfraction d'une telle surface. Dans la première partie de cette thèse, nous analysons la géométrie à vues multiple d'une surface réfractive. Nous considérons le cas où une ou plusieurs caméras dans un milieu (p. ex. l'air) regardent une scène dans un autre milieu (p. ex. l'eau), avec une interface plane entre ces deux milieux. Le cas d'une photo sous-marine, par exemple, correspond à cette description. Comme le modèle de projection perspectif ne correspond pas à ce scenario, nous dérivons le modèle de caméra et sa matrice de projection associée. Nous montrons que les lignes 3D de la scène correspondent à des courbes quartiques dans les images. Un point intéressant à noter à propos de cette configuration est que si l'on considère un indice de réfraction homogène, alors il existe une courbe unique dans l'image pour chaque ligne 3D du monde. Nous décrivons et développons ensuite des éléments de géométrie multi-vues telles que les matrices fondamentales ou d'homographies liées à la scène, et donnons des éléments pour l'estimation de pose des caméras à partir de plusieurs points de vue. Nous montrons également que lorsque le milieu est plus dense, la ligne d'horizon correspond à une conique qui peut être décomposer afin d'en déduire les paramètres de l'interface. Ensuite, nous étendons notre approche en proposant des algorithmes pour estimer la géométrie de plusieurs surfaces planes refractives à partir d'une seule image. Un exemple typique d'un tel scenario est par exemple lorsque l'on regarde à travers un aquarium. Nous proposons une méthode simple pour calculer les normales de telles surfaces étant donné divers scenari, en limitant le système à une caméra axiale. Cela permet dans notre cas d'utiliser des approches basées sur ransac comme l'algorithme “8 points” pour le calcul de matrice fondamentale, d'une manière similaire à l'estimation de distortions axiales de la littérature en vision par ordinateur. Nous montrons également que le même modèle peut être directement adapté pour reconstruire des surfaces réflectives sous l'hypothèse que les surfaces soient planes par morceaux. Nous présentons des résultats de reconstruction 3D encourageants, et analysons leur précision. Alors que les deux approches précédentes se focalisent seulement sur la reconstruction d'une ou plusieurs surfaces planes réfractives en utilisant uniquement l'information géométrique, les surfaces spéculaires modifient également la manière dont l'énergie lumineuse à la surface est redistribuée. Le modèle sous-jacent correspondant peut être expliqué par les équations de Fresnel. En exploitant à la fois cette information géométrique et photométrique, nous proposons une méthode pour reconstruire la forme de surfaces spéculaires arbitraires. Nous montrons que notre approche implique un scenario d'acquisition simple. Tout d'abord, nous analysons plusieurs cas minimals pour la reconstruction de formes, et en déduisons une nouvelle contrainte qui combine la géométrie et la théorie de Fresnel à propos des surfaces transparentes. Ensuite, nous illustrons la nature complémentaire de ces attributs qui nous aident à obtenir une information supplémentaire sur l'objet, qu'il est difficile d'avoir autrement. Finalement, nous proposons une discussion sur les aspects pratiques de notre algorithme de reconstruction, et présentons des résultats sur des données difficiles et non triviales. / The task of understanding, 3D reconstruction and analysis of the multiple view geometry related to transparent objects is one of the long standing challenging problems in computer vision. In this thesis, we look at novel approaches to analyze images of transparent surfaces to deduce their geometric and photometric properties. At first, we analyze the multiview geometry of the simple case of planar refraction. We show how the image of a 3D line is a quartic curve in an image, and thus derive the first imaging model that accounts for planar refraction. We use this approach to then derive other properties that involve multiple cameras, like fundamental and homography matrices. Finally, we propose approaches to estimate the refractive surface parameters and camera poses, given images. We then extend our approach to derive algorithms for recovering the geometry of multiple planar refractive surfaces from a single image. We propose a simple technique to compute the normal of such surfaces given in various scenarios, by equating our setup to an axial camera. We then show that the same model could be used to reconstruct reflective surfaces using a piecewise planar assumption. We show encouraging 3D reconstruction results, and analyse the accuracy of results obtained using this approach. We then focus our attention on using both geometric and photometric cues for reconstructing transparent 3D surfaces. We show that in the presence of known illumination, we can recover the shape of such objects from single or multiple views. The cornerstone of our approach are the Fresnel equations, and we both derive and analyze their use for 3D reconstruction. Finally, we show our approach could be used to produce high quality reconstructions, and discuss other potential future applications.

Submitted by Marco Antonio Oliveira da Silva (maosilva@ipen.br) on 2017-11-09T11:51:03Z No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-09T11:51:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / O tratamento utilizando Radioterapia em Arco Modulado Volumétrico é a modalidade mais moderna de radioterapia conformacional de forma que, com superposição de vários campos, as distribuições de dose forneçam uma perfeita conformação ao tumor, diminuindo a probabilidade de complicações nos tecidos normais adjacentes. Nesse sentido, muitos esforços estão sendo investidos para melhorar a conformidade de distribuição de dose, bem como a integração de técnicas de imagem para rastreamento de tumores e correção de variações inter e intrafração. Para isso, um intenso acompanhamento da qualidade dos processos e um programa de garantia de qualidade são fundamentais para a segurança dos pacientes e o cumprimento da legislação vigente; além do uso de diferentes metodologias de dosimetria para inter comparação e validação dos resultados. Este trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar e comparar o desempenho dos dosímetros OSL de óxido de alumínio (Al2O3:C) fabricados pela Landauer Inc. com os fabricados pela Rexon&trade; na dosimetria de feixes clínicos de fótons de energias altas empregados em radioterapia com tratamento em arco modulado volumétrico (VMAT) utilizando diferentes objetos simuladores. Os dosímetros foram caracterizados para radiação gama do 60Co e para feixes clínicos de fótons de 6 MV típicos de tratamentos por VMAT em condições de equilíbrio eletrônico e de dose máxima respectivamente. Testes de desempenho das leitoras TL e OSL utilizadas e repetibilidade das amostras foram avaliadas. Após realizados todos os testes, os dosímetros foram irradiados na simulação de diferentes tratamentos radioterápicos por VMAT e suas respostas comparadas ao sistema de planejamento. Todos os tipos de dosímetros apresentaram resultados satisfatórios na verificação das doses desse tipo de simulação de planejamento. Os dosímetros de Al2O3:C apresentaram resultados compatíveis entre si e validados pelos outros dosímetros e câmara de ionização. Em relação a melhor técnica, o sistema comercial OSL InLight apresenta maior praticidade e versatilidade para uso e aplicação na rotina clínica. / Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

A avaliação dos efeitos dos aerossóis em relação ao balanço radiativo local e global bem como o impacto sobre a saúde humana, principalmente em grandes centros urbanos, demanda que se conheça de forma precisa a sua concentração e distribuição espaço-temporal. Neste contexto, o monitoramento acurado de longo prazo por estações instaladas ao redor do mundo tornou-se um desafio e uma necessidade para várias áreas do conhecimento. Classicamente as estações utilizam a técnica de fotometria solar para inferir a concentração e a distribuição de tamanho dos aerossóis através da profundidade óptica do aerossol (POA) e do coeficiente de Ångström . No presente trabalho é sugerida uma metodologia para estimar POA e do coeficiente de Ångström através de quatro canais espectrais de radiômetros do tipo Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) que operam em São Paulo desde 1999. Estas estimativas foram avaliadas em relação à rede AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) entre os anos de 2004 a 2006. Os resultados mostram que, em termos de variabilidade temporal da POA, há boa concordância entre os diferentes instrumentos. Entretanto, são encontradas diferenças médias sistemáticas da ordem de 0,03 na magnitude da POA em três dos quatro canais analisados, enquanto que o valor sugerido pela OMM para uma atmosfera limpa é de no máximo 0,02. Este resultado aponta que a metodologia empregada nos MFRSR fornece valores de boa qualidade. Ainda neste trabalho, foram relacionadas variáveis meteorológicas coletadas pela Estação Meteorológica do IAG-USP com a POA e o do coeficiente de Ångström estimados neste trabalho. Observou-se uma relação linear entre o coeficiente de Ångström e a umidade relativa (UR), indicando um crescimento do tamanho médio dos aerossóis que integram um grupo com 0,20<POA<=0,60 no canal 415nm com o aumento da umidade relativa. Acredita-se que este grupo tenha predominância de aerossóis de fontes locais. As medidas de longo prazo permitiram também caracterizar, em conjunto com estimativas espaciais de POA pelo sensor Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) a bordo do satélite Terra, a influência do transporte de aerossóis de queimadas da região amazônica e do Brasil central em São Paulo, na série de dados analisados. Estes eventos contribuem para o aumento significativo da POA sobre a região metropolitana e trazem partículas ligeiramente menores que as emitidas por fontes locais. / The evaluation of the aerosol effects to the local and global radiation budget, as well as the impact on human health, particularly in large urban centers, demands knowing accurately their concentration and spatial-temporal distribution. In this context, the accurate long term monitoring from ground based stations installed around the world has become a challenge and a necessity for various areas of knowledge. Classically, the stations use the technique of Sun photometry to infer the concentration and size distribution of aerosols through the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Ångström coefficient . In this paper we suggest a methodology to estimate AOD and Ångström coefficient through four channels of Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSR) operating in Sao Paulo since 1999. These estimates were compared to the results of the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) between the years of 2004 to 2006. The results showed that the MFRSR can represent well the temporal variability of the AOD, but systematic differences were found with mean values of about 0.03 in AOD, in three of the four analyzed channels. The value suggested by WMO for clean air is at most 0.02. This result indicates that the methodology employed in MFRSR provides values of quality good. Also in this study, meteorological influences on the aerosol optical properties were analyzed. The meteorological variables were monitored at the Meteorological Station of the IAG-USP There was a linear relationship between Ångström coefficient and relative humidity (RH), indicating a growth of the average size of aerosols within a group with 0.20<AOD<=0.60, in the channel 415 nm, with increasing relative humidity. It is believed that this group has predominance of aerosols from local sources. Long term measurements also helped to characterize, together with spatial estimates of AOD by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Terra satellite, the influence of the transport of aerosol particles from biomass burning from the Amazon region to São Paulo. It was observed that these events contribute to significant increase in AOD on the metropolitan region and bring slightly smaller particles than the emitted by local sources.

More than 80% of the stars in the Universe are expected to have initial masses below eight to ten times the mass of our sun. These low mass stars, including our sun, become cool red giants during one of the final evolutionary stages of their life: the Asymptotic Giant Branch (or AGB) phase. AGB stars are among the main producers of carbon and heavy (s-process) elements in the Universe. These elements are synthesized inside the star and mixed to the stellar atmosphere where stellar winds are responsible for the loss of more than 50% of the stellar mass, hence, AGB stars are strong polluters of the interstellar medium. The ejected material can clump together into dusty particles which may serve as ingredients for the birth of new stars and planets. When most of the AGB stellar envelope is lost, the AGB star stops releasing nuclear energy from interior processes and swaps its giant face for a planetary nebulae look, whereafter it fades away as a white dwarf.<p><p>The dredge-up of carbon and s-process elements into the AGB atmosphere causes an important chemical anomaly among them: initial oxygen-rich stars (M stars) are transformed into carbon-rich stars (C stars). As a consequence, a group of oxygen-rich AGB stars exists which makes the transition between M and C stars. These transition stars are classified as S.<p><p>Although AGB stars are identified as producers of heavy elements, their nucleosynthesis and mixing processes are weakly constrained due to large uncertainties on their estimated temperature, gravity and chemical composition. Stronger constraints on the atmospheric parameter space, hence interior processes, of AGB stars can be obtained by investigating the atmosphere of S stars. Since they are transition objects on the AGB, they trace the rise of the s-process. S stars are less numerous than C stars, but their optical spectra are brighter making it easier to identify atomic and molecular lines. Therefore, S stars belong to the most interesting objects along the AGB to perform this task.<p><p><p><p>From a practical point of view, the spectra of S stars are extremely difficult to study since they are dominated by different, overlapping molecular bands, and the spectral shape may vary strongly from star to star due to their transition status. Therefore, tailored model atmospheres for S stars are of utmost importance to understand the spectroscopic, and even photometric, changes in terms of variations in the atmospheric parameters. A comparison between the models and observations aims not only at constraining the atmospheric parameter space of S stars, it will also test the reliability of 1D state-of-the-art model atmospheres for such complex stars.<p><p><p><p>From an evolutionary point of view, the S-star family is contaminated with stars who gained their atmospheric enrichment in heavy elements from a companion star. Evidences were found that these binary S stars are not at all located on the AGB, hence, they are labelled as extrinsic S stars while S stars on the AGB are labelled as intrinsic. The difference in evolutionary stages between intrinsic and extrinsic S stars was already found 20 years ago, however, a separation in terms of surface temperature, gravity and chemical composition is not well-established due to the lack of S-star model atmospheres. Such a distinction in atmospheric parameters will facilitate the discovery of these intruders and even help to calibrate stellar evolutionary models of single and binary stars.<p>To achieve these goals, the first step consists in the construction of a grid of model atmospheres for S stars. The grid will be used to quantify the influence of atmospheric parameters on the model structure and emergent flux. These results will be analyzed to derive precise atmospheric parameters of observed S stars, using a set of well-defined photometric and spectroscopic indices. Once the best model atmosphere has been selected for all observed S stars, their atmospheric parameters will be discussed in view of their evolutionary stage. The best-fitting model atmosphere will also be used to derive abundances from spectral syntheses. The abundance profiles are compared with stellar evolution model prediction to constrain nucleosynthesis and mixing processes inside S stars. Derived abundances of unstable elements will be used to estimate, for the first time, the age of AGB stars. Finally, their abundance profile will be discussed as a function of their time spent on the AGB. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished