Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Network telescope'

The Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) Experiment established a standardized set of observation procedures and 72 volunteer observation teams with identical equipment along the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse. CATE successfully imaged the solar corona from 66 of the 72 observation sites resulting in a high dynamic range animation of 90 minutes of solar corona data collected by volunteer citizen science teams. A subgroup of CATE began work in the fall of 2017 to evaluate use of the standard CATE observation setup for exoplanet transit observations. Light curves and analysis of data using AstroImageJ of two well know transiting exoplanets, HD209458b (V = 7.65, depth = 1.5%) and HD189733b (V= 7.67, depth=2.4%) are presented along with modifications to CATE telescopes required for successful exoplanet follow up observations.

The use of Network Telescope systems has become increasingly popular amongst security researchers in recent years. This study provides a framework for the utilisation of this data. The research is based on a primary dataset of 40 million events spanning 50 months collected using a small (/24) passive network telescope located in African IP space. This research presents a number of differing ways in which the data can be analysed ranging from low level protocol based analysis to higher level analysis at the geopolitical and network topology level. Anomalous traffic and illustrative anecdotes are explored in detail and highlighted. A discussion relating to bogon traffic observed is also presented. Two novel visualisation tools are presented, which were developed to aid in the analysis of large network telescope datasets. The first is a three-dimensional visualisation tool which allows for live, near-realtime analysis, and the second is a two-dimensional fractal based plotting scheme which allows for plots of the entire IPv4 address space to be produced, and manipulated. Using the techniques and tools developed for the analysis of this dataset, a detailed analysis of traffic recorded as destined for port 445/tcp is presented. This includes the evaluation of traffic surrounding the outbreak of the Conficker worm in November 2008. A number of metrics relating to the description and quantification of network telescope configuration and the resultant traffic captures are described, the use of which it is hoped will facilitate greater and easier collaboration among researchers utilising this network security technology. The research concludes with suggestions relating to other applications of the data and intelligence that can be extracted from network telescopes, and their use as part of an organisation’s integrated network security systems

Careful examination of the composition and concentration of malicious traffic in transit on the channels of the Internet provides network administrators with a means of understanding and predicting damaging attacks directed towards their networks. This allows for action to be taken to mitigate the effect that these attacks have on the performance of their networks and the Internet as a whole by readying network defences and providing early warning to Internet users. One approach to malicious traffic monitoring that has garnered some success in recent times, as exhibited by the study of fast spreading Internet worms, involves analysing data obtained from network telescopes. While some research has considered using measures derived from network telescope datasets to study large scale network incidents such as Code-Red, SQLSlammer and Conficker, there is very little documented discussion on the merits and weaknesses of approaches to analyzing network telescope data. This thesis is an introductory study in network telescope analysis and aims to consider the variables associated with the data received by network telescopes and how these variables may be analysed. The core research of this thesis considers both novel and previously explored analysis techniques from the fields of security metrics, baseline analysis, statistical analysis and technical analysis as applied to analysing network telescope datasets. These techniques were evaluated as approaches to recognize unusual behaviour by observing the ability of these techniques to identify notable incidents in network telescope datasets

This work focuses on detection of denial of service (DoS) attacks which utilize random spoofing of source IP address in attack packets. These types of attacks lead to generation of side effect in a form of backscatter that can be used to identify victims of such attacks. Backscatter analysis has so far been limited to unused address space ranges referred to as network telescopes. This work therefore proposes a new method of DoS attack detection via backscatter outside of network telescope environment where legitimate user traffic is also present. Furthermore proposed approach uses only abstracted traffic in a form of network flows. Presented method was implemented as part of NEMEA system and tested on real flow data capture provided by CESNET.

In this thesis the use of widefield imaging techniques and VLBI observations with a limited number of antennas are explored. I present techniques to efficiently and accurately image extremely large UV datasets. Very large VLBI datasets must be reduced into multiple, smaller datasets if today’s imaging algorithms are to be used to image them. I present a procedure for accurately shifting the phase centre of a visibility dataset. This procedure has been thoroughly tested and found to be almost two orders of magnitude more accurate than existing techniques. Errors have been found at the level of one part in 1.1 million. These are unlikely to be measurable except in the very largest UV datasets. Results of a four-station VLBI observation of a field containing multiple sources are presented. A 13 gigapixel image was constructed to search for sources across the entire primary beam of the array by generating over 700 smaller UV datasets. The source 1320+299A was detected and its astrometric position with respect to the calibrator J1329+3154 is presented. Various techniques for phase calibration and imaging across this field are explored including using the detected source as an in-beam calibrator and peeling of distant confusing sources from VLBI visibility datasets. A range of issues pertaining to wide-field VLBI have been explored including; parameterising the wide-field performance of VLBI arrays; estimating the sensitivity across the primary beam both for homogeneous and heterogeneous arrays; applying techniques such as mosaicing and primary beam correction to VLBI observations; quantifying the effects of time-average and bandwidth smearing; and calibration and imaging of wide-field VLBI datasets. The performance of a computer cluster at the Istituto di Radioastronomia in Bologna has been characterised with regard to its ability to correlate using the DiFX software correlator. Using existing software it was possible to characterise the network speed particularly for MPI applications. The capabilities of the DiFX software correlator, running on this cluster, were measured for a range of observation parameters and were shown to be commensurate with the generic performance parameters measured. The feasibility of an Italian VLBI array has been explored, with discussion of the infrastructure required, the performance of such an array, possible collaborations, and science which could be achieved. Results from a 22 GHz calibrator survey are also presented. 21 out of 33 sources were detected on a single baseline between two Italian antennas (Medicina to Noto). The results and discussions presented in this thesis suggest that wide-field VLBI is a technique whose time has finally come. Prospects for exciting new science are discussed in the final chapter.

Monitoring unused IP address space by using network telescopes provides a favourable environment for researchers to study and detect malware, worms, denial of service and scanning activities. Research in the field of network telescopes has progressed over the past decade resulting in the development of an increased number of overlapping datasets. Rhodes University's network of telescope sensors has continued to grow with additional network telescopes being brought online. At the time of writing, Rhodes University has a distributed network of five relatively small /24 network telescopes. With five network telescope sensors, this research focuses on comparative and correlation analysis of traffic activity across the network of telescope sensors. To aid summarisation and visualisation techniques, time series' representing time-based traffic activity, are constructed. By employing an iterative experimental process of captured traffic, two natural categories of the five network telescopes are presented. Using the cross- and auto-correlation methods of time series analysis, moderate correlation of traffic activity was achieved between telescope sensors in each category. Weak to moderate correlation was calculated when comparing category A and category B network telescopes' datasets. Results were significantly improved by studying TCP traffic separately. Moderate to strong correlation coefficients in each category were calculated when using TCP traffic only. UDP traffic analysis showed weaker correlation between sensors, however the uniformity of ICMP traffic showed correlation of traffic activity across all sensors. The results confirmed the visual observation of traffic relativity in telescope sensors within the same category and quantitatively analysed the correlation of network telescopes' traffic activity.

The recent advancements in computing and sensor technologies, coupled with improvements in embedded system design methodologies, have resulted in the novel paradigm called the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is essentially a network of small embedded devices enabled with sensing capabilities that can interact with multiple entities to relay information about their environments. This sensing information can also be stored in the cloud for further analysis, thereby reducing storage requirements on the devices themselves. The above factors, coupled with the ever increasing needs of modern society to stay connected at all times, has resulted in IoT technology penetrating all facets of modern life. In fact IoT systems are already seeing widespread applications across multiple industries such as transport, utility, manufacturing, healthcare, home automation, etc. Although the above developments promise tremendous benefits in terms of productivity and efficiency, they also bring forth a plethora of security challenges. Namely, the current design philosophy of IoT devices, which focuses more on rapid prototyping and usability, results in security often being an afterthought. Furthermore, one needs to remember that unlike traditional computing systems, these devices operate under the assumption of tight resource constraints. As such this makes IoT devices a lucrative target for exploitation by adversaries. This inherent flaw of IoT setups has manifested itself in the form of various distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that have achieved massive throughputs without the need for techniques such as amplification, etc. Furthermore, once exploited, an IoT device can also function as a pivot point for adversaries to move laterally across the network and exploit other, potentially more valuable, systems and services. Finally, vulnerable IoT devices operating in industrial control systems and other critical infrastructure setups can cause sizable loss of property and in some cases even lives, a very sobering fact. In light of the above, this dissertation research presents several novel strategies for identifying known and zero-day attacks against IoT devices, as well as identifying infected IoT devices present inside a network along with some mitigation strategies. To this end, network telescopes are leveraged to generate Internet-scale notions of maliciousness in conjunction with signatures that can be used to identify such devices in a network. This strategy is further extended by developing a taxonomy-based methodology which is capable of categorizing unsolicited IoT behavior by leveraging machine learning (ML) techniques, such as ensemble learners, to identify similar threats in near-real time. Furthermore, to overcome the challenge of insufficient (malicious) training data within the IoT realm, a generative adversarial network (GAN) based framework is also developed to identify known and unseen attacks on IoT devices. Finally, a software defined networking (SDN) based solution is proposed to mitigate threats from unsolicited IoT devices.

Atmospheric turbulence causes severe degradation of the resolving and signal-to-noise properties of present optical telescopes. Diffraction-limited resolution can be recovered through the use of a deformable ('adaptive') optical element to correct the atmospheric wavefront error. An adaptive optics system operating in the near infrared (1.7 - 3.5 μm) has been developed for use at the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT), an array of six co-mounted 1.8 m telescopes, in which six flat mirrors are used to correct the wavefront tilt across each aperture, and the phase differences between apertures. This can reduce the error sufficiently to achieve a diffraction-limited image with a central peak of 0.06 arcseconds full width at half maximum at 2.2 μm wavelength. A number of algorithms are used to drive the adaptive mirror in a closed servo loop, including a trained artificial neural network which deduces the wavefront aberration from a pair of simultaneous in- and out-of-focus images of a star, taken at the combined focal plane of the telescope. Computer simulations have shown that the net is capable of deriving the wavefront for the full six-mirror aperture, and in practice, the net has been demonstrated in the lab to maintain two- and three-aperture diffraction-limited beam profiles in the presence of distorting effects. On the sky, with a real star, the net has successfully restored the diffraction limit for two adjacent MMT segments. High resolution images have been obtained of various objects with a wide-field camera looking in the field around the wavefront reference star. Work has also been carried out to characterise the wavefront aberration at the MMT, which confirms the Kolmogorov model of turbulence. Finally, a new algorithm is discussed which shows great promise for correction of phase errors in array telescopes.

Observando-se as diversas aplicações de robôs na área de serviços é possível perceber uma crescente busca por manipulação de ferramentas em lugares elevados utilizando dispositivos robóticos, visto que tais tarefas exigem a utilização de diversos equipamentos de segurança e apresentam um alto risco à presença humana. Os exemplos mais comuns desse tipo de tarefa são: inspeção de: máquinas de grande porte, tanques de armazenamento, silos, postes, linhas de transmissão e distribuição de energia elétrica, etc. Com o intuito de aplicar robôs a essas tarefas, e consequentemente aumentar a segurança e eficiência dessas operações, foi realizado, primeiramente neste trabalho, um estudo sobre as classes de robôs manipuladores existentes. Para tanto adotou-se uma classificação que separa os robôs de acordo com o número de juntas, o que gera uma divisão em três diferentes grupos, robôs discretos, robôs do tipo serpente e robôs contínuos. Ao analisar as três classes, observa-se que os robôs contínuos possuem mais graus de liberdade que os outros grupos, apresentando como estrutura uma coluna vertebral continuamente deformável, que em oposição aos tradicionais manipuladores robóticos elo/junta/elo, possuem mecanismos mais simplificados, controle menos complexo devido ao menor número de atuadores e podem interagir com obstáculos encontrados em seu ambiente sem criar grandes forças de contato. Ao utilizar configurações extrínsecas, ou seja, posicionando os atuadores fora da estrutura do robô, e transmitindo o movimento utilizando cabos, é possível construir robôs com alta isolação elétrica, o que é de grande utilidade para operações que envolvem tarefas nas proximidades de redes elétricas de alta tensão. Apesar das diversas vantagens, não foram encontradas na literatura aplicações de robôs contínuos na realização de tarefas em alturas elevadas. Levando em consideração as vantagens oferecidas pelos robôs contínuos, este trabalho propõe o estudo e a aplicação de um robô do tipo contínuo que possua uma arquitetura mais adequada para realizar trabalhos a alturas elevadas. Com o intuito de demonstrar as vantagens oferecidas por essa arquitetura, será realizado um estudo de caso no qual o objeto a ser inspecionado são as cruzetas de madeira em postes de distribuição de energia elétrica. Em uma segunda etapa, elabora-se o projeto mecânico do robô contínuo proposto, onde são detalhados os mecanismos propostos e são feitas simulações utilizando o método dos elementos finitos para analisar o comportamento da estrutura quando submetida a carregamentos. Em uma terceira etapa, adotando-se uma estratégia de controle seqüencial é elaborado o projeto de controle. Em uma ultima etapa, com o intuito de analisar o funcionamento do robô é construído um protótipo, com o qual são feitos os testes.
Among several applications of robots in the service field, it is possible to percept an increasing interest in manipulate tools in higher positions using automatic devices, due to the fact that such activities are high risked operations and demands the use of several safety equipments. The most common examples of this kind of activity are the inspection of machines, silos, electrical distribution poles, etc. With the aim of apply robots to these activities and increase the safety and efficiency in these operations, as a first step in this work is done the study of different kinds of manipulators. Adopting a classification based on the number of joints, it is possible to separate robots in three different classes: discrete robots, snake-like robots and continuum robots. By analyzing these classes, it is possible to say that continuum robots have more degrees of freedom than the robots of others groups; Compared with the classic discrete robots, continuum robots have simplified mechanisms, simpler control scheme due to the small number of actuators and, in the case of an obstacle, they can contour the obstacle without generating high contact forces. By positioning the actuators out of the robot structure and transferring the motion using cables, i.e., adopting an extrinsic actuation, it is possible to build continuum robots with high electric insulation that is important in applications in which the robot must work near of an electrical distribution network. Despite these advantages, no previous works concerning the use of continuum robots to work in higher positions were found in the literature. Considering the advantages offered by continuum robots, this work proposes a study and application of a continuum robot that uses a more suitable architecture to work in higher positions. Aiming to demonstrate the advantages provided by this architecture, It will be used a case study, in which, the object to be inspected is the wood cross-arms of an electrical poles used in the electrical distribution networks. In a second step, it is done the mechanical project of the robot, where the proposed mechanisms are explained and structural simulations using the finite element method are performed in order to analyze how the structure would react to loads. In a third step, by adopting a strategy of sequential control, it is done the control project. In the last step, with the aim of analyze the robot in practical situation, a prototype is built, which is used to perform the tests.

La thèse porte sur le développement d’un petit prototype de télescope Compton pour l'astronomie gamma spatiale dans la gamme d’énergie du MeV (0.1-100 MeV). Nous avons étudié de nouveaux modules de détection destinés à l'imagerie Compton. Nous avons assemblé et testé deux détecteurs à scintillation, l'un avec un cristal de bromure de lanthane dopé au cérium (LaBr₃:Ce) et l'autre avec un cristal de bromure de cérium (CeBr₃). Les deux cristaux sont couplés à des photomultiplicateurs multi-anodes 64 voies sensibles à la position. Notre objectif est d’optimiser la résolution en énergie en même temps que la résolution en position du premier impact d'un rayon gamma incident dans le détecteur. Les deux informations sont vitales pour la reconstruction d'une image avec le prototype de télescope à partir de l’effet Compton. Nous avons développé un banc de test pour étudier expérimentalement les deux modules, avec une électronique de lecture et un système d'acquisition de données dédiés. Nous avons entrepris un étalonnage précis du dispositif et effectué de nombreuses mesures avec différentes sources radioactives. En outre, nous avons réalisé une simulation numérique détaillée de l'expérience avec le logiciel GEANT4 et effectué une étude paramétrique extensive pour modéliser au mieux la propagation des photons ultraviolet de scintillation et les propriétés optiques des surfaces à l'intérieur du détecteur. Nous avons alors développé une méthode originale de reconstruction de la position d’impact en 3D, en utilisant un réseau de neurones artificiels entrainé avec des données simulées. Nous présentons dans ce travail tous les résultats expérimentaux obtenus avec les deux modules, les résultats de la simulation GEANT4, ainsi que l'algorithme basé sur le réseau de neurones. En plus, nous donnons les premiers résultats sur l'imagerie Compton obtenus avec le prototype de télescope et les comparons avec des performances simulées. Enfin, nous concluons en donnant un aperçu des perspectives d'avenir pour l'imagerie gamma Compton et considérons une application possible en discutant d’un concept de télescope spatial semblable à notre prototype
The thesis aims to develop a small prototype of a Compton telescope for future space instrumentation for gamma-ray astronomy. Telescope’s main target is the MeV range (0.1-100MeV). We studied novel detector modules intended for Compton imaging. We assembled and tested 2 modules, one with a cerium-doped lanthanum(III) bromide (LaBr₃:Ce) crystal and the other with cerium(III) bromide (CeBr₃). Both modules are coupled to and read out by 64-channel multi-anode PMTs. Our goals are to obtain the best possible energy resolution and position resolution in 3D on the first impact of an incident gamma-ray within the detector. Both information are vital for successful reconstruction of a Compton image with the telescope prototype. We developed a test bench to experimentally study both modules and have utilized a customized readout electronics and data acquisition system. We conducted a precise calibration of the system and performed experimental runs utilizing different radioactive sources. Furthermore, we have written a detailed GEANT4 simulation of the experiment and performed an extensive parametric study on defining the surfaces and types of scintillation propagation within the scintillator. We utilized simulated data to train an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm to create a simplified 3D impact position reconstruction method and in addition developed an approximation routine to estimate the standard deviations for the method. We show all experimental results obtained by both modules, results from the GEANT4 simulation runs and from the ANN algorithm. In addition, we give the first results on Compton imaging with the telescope prototype and compare them with simulated performance. We analyzed and discussed the performance of the modules, specifically spectral and position reconstruction capabilities. We conclude by giving an overview of the future prospects for gamma-ray imaging and consider possible applications showing a concept of a space telescope based on our prototype

This thesis is concerned with methods for Bayesian inference and their applications in astrophysics. We principally discuss two related themes: advances in nested sampling (Chapters 3 to 5), and Bayesian sparse reconstruction of signals from noisy data (Chapters 6 and 7). Nested sampling is a popular method for Bayesian computation which is widely used in astrophysics. Following the introduction and background material in Chapters 1 and 2, Chapter 3 analyses the sampling errors in nested sampling parameter estimation and presents a method for estimating them numerically for a single nested sampling calculation. Chapter 4 introduces diagnostic tests for detecting when software has not performed the nested sampling algorithm accurately, for example due to missing a mode in a multimodal posterior. The uncertainty estimates and diagnostics in Chapters 3 and 4 are implemented in the $\texttt{nestcheck}$ software package, and both chapters describe an astronomical application of the techniques introduced. Chapter 5 describes dynamic nested sampling: a generalisation of the nested sampling algorithm which can produce large improvements in computational efficiency compared to standard nested sampling. We have implemented dynamic nested sampling in the $\texttt{dyPolyChord}$ and $\texttt{perfectns}$ software packages. Chapter 6 presents a principled Bayesian framework for signal reconstruction, in which the signal is modelled by basis functions whose number (and form, if required) is determined by the data themselves. This approach is based on a Bayesian interpretation of conventional sparse reconstruction and regularisation techniques, in which sparsity is imposed through priors via Bayesian model selection. We demonstrate our method for noisy 1- and 2-dimensional signals, including examples of processing astronomical images. The numerical implementation uses dynamic nested sampling, and uncertainties are calculated using the methods introduced in Chapters 3 and 4. Chapter 7 applies our Bayesian sparse reconstruction framework to artificial neural networks, where it allows the optimum network architecture to be determined by treating the number of nodes and hidden layers as parameters. We conclude by suggesting possible areas of future research in Chapter 8.

Cherenkov-Teleskope sind in der Lage, das schwache Cherenkovlicht aus Teilchenschauern zu detektieren, die von kosmischen Teilchen mit Energien von ca. 100 GeV bis 100 TeV in der Erdatmosphäre initiiert werden. Das Ziel ist die Detektion von Cherenkovlicht aus Schauern, die von Gammastrahlen erzeugt wurden, der größte Teil der Schauer stammt jedoch von geladenen Teilchen. Im Jahr 2012 wurde das H.E.S.S.-Observatorium in Namibia, bis dahin bestehend aus vier Teleskopen mit 100 m²-Spiegeln, um ein fünftes Teleskop mit einer Spiegelfläche von ca. 600 m² ergänzt. Aufgrund der großen Spiegelfläche besitzt dieses Teleskop die niedrigste Energieschwelle aller Teleskope dieser Art. In dieser Dissertation wird ein schneller Algorithmus namens MonoReco präsentiert, der grundlegende Eigenschaften der Gammastrahlen wie ihre Energien und Richtungen rekonstruieren kann. Dieser Algorithmus kann weiterhin unterscheiden, ob Schauer von Gammastrahlen oder von geladenen Teilchen der kosmischen Strahlung initiiert wurden. Diese Aufgaben werden mit mithilfe von künstlichen neuronalen Netzwerken erfüllt, welche ausschließlich die Momente der Intensitätsverteilungen in der Kamera des neuen Teleskops analysieren. Eine Energieschwelle von 59 GeV und Richtungsauflösungen von 0.1°-0.3° werden erreicht. Das Energiebias liegt bei wenigen Prozent, die Energieauflösung bei 20-30%. Unter anderem mit dem MonoReco-Algorithmus wurden Daten, die in der Zeit um das Periastron des Binärsystems PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 im Jahre 2014 genommen wurden, analysiert. Es handelt sich hierbei um einen Neutronenstern, der sich in einem 3,4-Jahres-Orbit um einen massereichen Stern mit einer den Stern umgebenden Scheibe aus Gas und Plasmen befindet. Zum ersten Mal konnte H.E.S.S. das Gammastrahlenspektrum dieses Systems bei Energien unterhalb von 200 GeV messen. Weiterhin wurde bei erstmaligen Beobachtungen zur Zeit des Periastrons ein lokales Flussminimum gemessen. Sowohl vor dem ersten als auch nach dem zweiten Transit des Neutronensterns durch die Scheibe wurden hohe Flüsse gemessen. Im zweiten Fall wurden Beobachtungen erstmals zeitgleich mit dem Fermi-LAT-Experiment durchgeführt, das wiederholt sehr hohe Flüsse in diesem Teil des Orbits messen konnte. Ein Vergleich der gemessenen Flüsse mit Vorhersagen eines leptonischen Modells zeigt gute Übereinstimmungen.
Cherenkov telescopes can detect the faint Cherenkov light emitted by air showers that were initiated by cosmic particles with energies between approximately 100 GeV and 100 TeV in the Earth's atmosphere. Aiming for the detection of Cherenkov light emitted by gamma ray-initiated air showers, the vast majority of all detected showers are initiated by charged cosmic rays. In 2012 the H.E.S.S. observatory, until then comprising four telescopes with 100 m² mirrors each, was extended by adding a much larger fifth telescope with a very large mirror area of 600 m². Due to the large mirror area, this telescope has the lowest energy threshold of all telescopes of this kind. In this dissertation, a fast algorithm called MonoReco is presented that can reconstruct fundamental properties of the primary gamma rays like their direction or their energy. Furthermore, this algorithm can distinguish between air showers initiated either by gamma rays or by charged cosmic rays. Those tasks are accomplished with the help of artificial neural networks, which analyse moments of the intensity distributions in the camera of the new telescope exclusively. The energy threshold is 59 GeV and angular resolutions of 0.1°-0.3° are achieved. The energy reconstruction bias is at the level of a few percent, the energy resolution is at the level of 20-30%. Data taken around the 2014 periastron passage of the gamma-ray binary PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 were analysed with, among others, the MonoReco algorithm. This binary system comprises a neutron star in a 3.4 year orbit around a massive star with a circumstellar disk consisting of gas and plasma. For the first time the gamma-ray spectrum of this system could be measured by H.E.S.S. down to below 200 GeV. Furthermore, a local flux minimum could be measured during unprecedented measurements at the time of periastron. High fluxes were measured both before the first and after the second transit of the neutron star through the disk. In the second case measurements could be performed for the first time contemporaneously with the Fermi-LAT experiment, which has repeatedly detected very high fluxes at this part of the orbit. A good agreement between measured fluxes and predictions of a leptonic model is found.