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    {\small\rm\thepage\hfill
    \quad\quad ACTA ASTRONOMICA SINICA \hfill
    \hspace{2mm} Vol.44\vspace{2mm}}}} %%%%%%%
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    {\small\rm  suppl.\hfill J. Zhou et al.: Astrophysical Integrated Research Environment  %%（作者：题目名称）
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\zihao{5}\songti

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    Vol.44~ Suppl.
    \hfill\hspace{8mm} %%% if ``October/January'' then \hspace{8/10 mm} July
    \small ACTA ASTRONOMICA SINICA
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      Feb.,~2003 \\[-1.5 true mm] %%January
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\vs\vs\vs \bc {\Large\bf
Astrophysical Integrated Research Environment    %%（文题）
%\\[1ex]
%$\!\!^*$
}

\vs\vs{\normalsize Jianfeng Zhou\up{1},\hs\hs Rui Qi\up{2},
\hs\hs Junwei Si\up{1}\hs\&\hs Jianying Nie\up{1}}  %%（本文作者）

\vs ({\footnotesize 1~{\it Center for Astrophysics, Tsinghua
University, Beijing}~ 100084}) \\%%（本文作者单位）
 ({\footnotesize 2~{\it Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing}~ 100084})

\vs\vs \ec

\normalsize
\begin{quotation}

 \no{\bf A{\scriptsize\bf BSTRACT }}~~~\small
One big challenge that modern astrophysicists face is how to use
Terabytes (maybe Perabytes soon) of astrophysical data
effectively. The proposed AIRE (Astrophysical Integrated Research
Environment) plan is to help astrophysicists solve the problem.
The AIRE consists of three main parts: Data Archive Center (DAC)
which collects and manages public astrophysical data; a web-based
Data Processing Center (DPC) which enables astrophysicists to
process the data in a central server at any place and anytime; and
a Concurrent Research System (CRS) with which astrophysicists in
different fields can pursue a collaborative reserch efficiently.

 %\vn
 %\no{\bf Key words}~~  pulsar-mode  change-spectrum
\end{quotation}

%%%% 正文
 \para{\large\bf{1}~~ Introduction}

\vs\vs Since the application of digital apparatuses like CCD in
telescopes, astrophysical data have increased dramatically. At
present, the total amount of data is about several hundred
Terabytes. They cover from radio band to $\gamma$-ray band. In
near future, several next generation telescopes, such as LASST
(Large-Aperture Synoptic Survey Telescope), will be lunched. By
then, over 10 Terabytes of astrophysical data will be generated
each day. So, the total amount of data will exceed easily Perabyte
($1P = 10^{15}$).

Such huge data will probably lead to new discoveries in
astrophysics. However, how to mine the knowledge hidden in these
data is a big challenge for astrophysicists. Consequently, virtual
observatory concept has been proposed (Boroson et al. 2001,
Brunner et al. 2001). At present, there are several VO projects
around the world, including NVO (National Virtual Observatory) in
United States, AVO (Astrophysical Virtual Observatory) in Europe,
and Austrilian Virtual Observatory.

In China, we have no VO project yet. However, considering that
China is building LAMOST (Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber
Spectroscopic Telescope)  and will presumably launch HXMT (Hard
X-ray Modulation Telescope) and other space and ground telecopes
in future, it is worthwhile to develope some VO techniques in
advance. In order to facilitate the research work of Chinese
astrophysicists, it is urgent to collect public astrophysical data
as much as possible, and provide an internet based working
environment. Therefore, we proposed Astrophysical Integrated
Research Environment plan, abbreviated as AIRE.

Generally, AIRE consists of three parts: a Data Archive Center
(DAC), a web-based Data Processing Center (DPC), and a Concurrent
Research System (CRS). In the following of this paper, we will
describe them in detail.

\para{\large\bf{2}~~Data Archive Center}

\vs\vs At present, most astrophysical data are available online.
They can be accessed individually via http or ftp.  Users can also
query these data by integrated software like Browse or
AstroBrowse. However, due to the limited bandwidth of Internet, it
is wise to save some frequently used data locally. Thus, the main
aim of Data Archive Center is to collect and manage astrophysical
data.

The first thing  we should do for DAC is to buy computers to
accommodate astrophysical data. We have a SGI1450 server in
Tsinghua Center for Astrophysics (THCA) now. Because commercial
servers are quite expensive, aftertime we prefer to use PC
clusters which are much cheaper, easy to upgrade and expand. Next
is to install corresponding software. DAC use Linux operating
system, MySQL database and Apache web server which are all
open-source software, and free too. In order to download and
manage data automatically, we will use AstroBrowse which was
developed by HEASARC ({\it http://www.heasarc.nasa.gov/}) and
construct local data manage system. Such system is under debugging
now. Finally, we need to fill the DAC with astrophyscial data.
Till now, we have collected about 600GB data in our server.
Because the Tsinghua Center for Astrophysics concentrates on high
energy astrophysics, most of data now are in X-ray and
$\gamma$-ray bands. In future, we want to collect data in other
wavebands too. The current status of DAC is listed in Table

\bc{\small\bf

 Table 1~~   Current status of Data Archive Center
}\\[2mm]

\fns \tabcolsep 6mm
\begin{tabular}{ll}
\hline\\[-3.6mm]\hline
 {\bf Hardware} &
SGI1450 server with 4 PIII700 CPUs, \\
 &       1TB raid disk, 4GB memory. \\
 & PC cluster with 8 PCs, 16 PIII 1GHz CPUs, \\
 &  about 4TB raid disk, 4GB memory.($\clubsuit$) \\
\\

{\bf Software} &
Linux + MySQL + Apache Web Server \\
&  Local data manage system. ($\clubsuit$) \\
&  Astrobrowse (developed by HEASARC) ($\clubsuit$) \\
\\

 {\bf Data} &
ASCA, ROSAT, RXTE, BATSE... ($\sim$ 600GB)\\
&  Chandra, XMM, DSS ... ($\clubsuit$)\\
&  data in optical, radio, infrared band ($\clubsuit$)\\
 \hline\\[-3.6mm]\hline%\\[-4.5mm]\hline
 \end{tabular}
 \ec
{\footnotesize NOTE: $\clubsuit$ means that part is under
construction.}

\para{\large\bf{3}~~Data Processing Center}

\vs\vs Normally, an astrophysicist downloads data and the
corresponding software to his personal computer. It always costs
him a lot of time and effort to maintain his personal data
processing system.  If both data and processing software are in a
central server, things will be simple. AIRE will construct such
kind of Data Processing Center (DPC). In the central DPC server,
we will install routine astrophysical software like HEASOFT, CIAO,
AIPS, DIFMAP, IRAF, IDL, MATLAB, OCTAVE etc. What an
astrophysicist need is just a web browser and access to the
internet. He can use the above software, and process the data in
central server interactively in IE or Netscape.

Web based DPC has several advantages. Firstly, users do not need
to transfer huge raw data and install processing software. What
they need to transfer is the intermediate and final results with
amount of data much less than original data. Secondly, users from
different places around the world can access all the resoures in
DPC. If necessary they can pause their work in DPC, and then
continue it later, even at other places. DPC will keep the
previous working environment. Thirdly, international collaboraton
is practical in DPC. For example, if three astrophysicists, whose
research fields are in radio, optical and x-ray band respectively,
want to study the QPO properties of AGNs, then radio
astrophysicist can process the radio data in DPC, and optical and
x-ray astrophysicists process the optical and x-ray data too.
Finally, they can compare and disscuss their results, and write
their scientific papers in DPC.

\begin{figure}[h]
\center {\includegraphics [bb=0 0 1072 808,scale=0.3]{dpc.eps}}

   %\parbox[tb]{12cm}
   %{\hspace{3.5cm}
   {\center
   \footnotesize

      Fig.\,1~~ An example
of web-based Data Processing Center}

    \end{figure}

Currently, we have finished a tentative model of DPC (see Fig.1).
It will be improved for real use soon later.


\para{\large\bf{4}~~Concurrent Research System}

\vs\vs Astrophysical research associates tightly with computers.
Computers were used to control telescopes, and collect the data of
 objects. Special computer software is also needed
 to process
the observed data, and analyse the results. Even for theoretical
astrophysicists, computers are essential. They need software like
{\it Mathematica} to do some complex mathematical dedution.

Even with the help of computer, the power of one astrophysicist is
very limited. He/she may only master the background knowledge,
observation and data reduction techniques in one or two wave
bands. It is difficult for astrophysicists to master all the
background knowledge and techniques in many wave bands. Yet our
cosmos display its characters in panchromatic bands. Therefore, in
order to understand our cosmos further, astrophysicists in
different fields should have more effective collaboration.

Owing to the fast progress of internet, now international
collaborative research is more convenient than before. For
example, CVS (concurrent version system)  has been widely and
successfully applied in Linux development. Under the control of
CVS, computer scientists from different places can explore the
same software, although they are geometrically apart. CVS acts
like an excellent manager in collaboration.

In astrophysical research, now we also need CVS-like system. So we
proposed Concurrent Research System (CRS). CRS will take advantage
of CVS technique. It can  concert the research work of
astrophysicists from different fields as well as from different
places. Out of question, CRS will play an important role in the
new discoveries of astrophysics.

\para{\large\bf{5}~~Discussion}

\vs\vs  AIRE is in its early development stage. We intend to
finish a tentative version in summer 2003. Due to the security
reasons, now our servers are only accessible inside Tsinghua
university for test. After the tentative version is finished, they
will be open internationally.

\vspace{0.3cm}
\noindent This work is supported by the Special Funds for Major
State Basic Research Projects of China.

\bc {\bf References} \ec

\vspace{-4mm} \no \fns

 \nref Boroson T. et al., in ASP Conf. Ser.,
    Virtual Observatories of the Future, Brunner R.J.,
     Djorgovski S.G., Szalay A.S., eds., 2001, 225, 353
\nref Boroson T. et al., in ASP Conf. Ser.,
    Virtual Observatories of the Future, Brunner R.J.,
     Djorgovski S.G., Szalay A.S., eds., 2001, 225, 34\\

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