A photometric search for solar giant convection cells

We limit the photometric contrast of solar giant convection cells using 525.6 nm continuum images obtained on 15 days in May 1985. The r.m.s. of the giant cell intensity pattern must be less than or equal to the observed r.m.s. on spatial scales 80 to 240 Mm which is 0.023% or, equivalently, 0.33 K. However, the spatial scale and time-scale dependence of the variance demonstrate that giant cells are not the source of the observed variance. Consequently, a tighter constraint on the r.m.s. of the giant cell pattern may be placed, namely 0.016% or 0.23 K. This limit is consistent with temperature perturbations estimated from recent nonlinear simulations of global-scale solar convection. We use this limit on the r.m.s. of the giant cell pattern to estimate that the contribution of giant cells to the fluctuation of the solar irradiance on a one-month time-scale is less than 3 × 10^–5 S.     

Observations of tectonic microdisplacements in Europe in relation to the Iran 1997 and Turkey 1999 earthquakes

Long-term repeated measurements of microdisplacements in tectonic fault structures of various parts of Central Europe and the Balkan Mountains showed that displacement trends changed significantly at several points in the period from 1997 through 2000; afterward, long-term trends were restored. This phenomenon took place in the periods of strong (M > 7) earthquakes in Iran (1997) and in the North Anatolian fault zone in Turkey (1999). Two strong Izmit earthquakes of 1999 in Turkey at distances of 600 km from the Balkan Peninsula and 1400 km from observation points in Central Europe were the main seismic events of the period studied. Apparently, the crustal deformation due to the sources of the aforementioned earthquakes reaches the central part of the European craton. Anomalous displacements in some areas occurred due to deformation propagating for great distances in the heterogeneous block medium of the West European part of the Eurasian plate. Changes in stresses can be caused by impulsive deformations of various intensities acting on some structural units (fault segments) at various distances.     

塔里木盆地寒武系层状硅质岩与硅化岩的元素、δ30Si、δ18O地球化学研究

塔里木盆地寒武系发育层状硅质岩和硅化岩,层状硅质岩主要发育于塔东下寒武统深水沉积相区;硅化岩发育于塔东上寒武统斜坡沉积区与西部台地区寒武系白云岩中。根据显微结构特征,可将硅化岩分为放射状硅化岩与交代残余结构硅化岩两种。分析结果表明,层状硅质岩在Al—Fe-Mn三元图中位于正常海水沉积硅质岩区内,在微量元素平均地壳标准化图解上显示平缓右倾的特征;层状硅质岩Si同位素组成护。δ30Si为0．99‰～1．4‰,O同位素组成δ18O为21．4‰～24．4‰,与沉积型硅质岩相吻合,指示了正常海水沉积成因。硅化岩区别于层状硅质岩的典型特征是具有高U异常的特征;罗西斜坡放射状硅化岩具有较高的微量元素和稀土元素含量（∑REE为18．8～96．9μg／g）与较低的Si、O同位素值（δ18O和δ30Si值分别为15．8‰和1．7‰）;西部台地区交代残余结构硅化岩具有较低微量元素和稀土元素含量（∑REE为0．58～2．61μg／g）与较高的δ30Si（1．0‰～3．8‰）、δ18O（21．6‰～27．0‰）值特征。盆地东西部硅化岩的地球化学差异可能与硅化流体的温度差异有关,罗西斜坡放射状硅化岩硅化温度相对更高;另一方面,硅化过程对h430SiO4选择性较高,因而形成的交代石英具有较高的铲勘值。根据古城4井硅化岩包裹体均一温度与交代石英的O同位素值计算得到交代流体的δ18O值为9．1‰,该值与酸性岩浆水的δ18O值相似,指示了硅化流体可能来自于岩浆或变质水;以δ18O值（9．1‰）作为西部台地区硅化流体的O同位素值,计算得到西部台地区硅化岩硅化流体温度为101．3～158．5℃。根据石英O同位素温度计计算的硅化流体温度呈东高西低的趋势,指示了硅化流体可能来自台地东部。     

Rock displacement and thermal expansion study at historic heritage sites in Slovakia

The paper discusses the results of the research devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage carried out within last two decades in Slovakia. The aim of the study depended on monitoring of selected castle rocks showing instability problems due to extremely slow displacements of creep character. Apart from traditional methods of investigation at one test site (Spis Castle), authors implemented in their work the study of thermal expansion of the rocks as a result of seasonal periodic temperature changes having potential influence on displacements and numerical modeling in order to understand better the landslide failure mechanism. The results obtained from all study sites confirmed that even slow movements have to be implemented into preservation and stabilization works in order to safeguard the sites of great historic value.     

Photospheric limb-darkening signatures of global structure variations

Observations of short-term irradiance variations and consideration of mechanisms of the solar activity cycle suggest the possibility of long-term variation of the solar flux. Since the limb darkening is sensitive to effective temperature and convective efficiency, observations of the solar limb darkening may provide a useful means to detect and study long-term global variations. The limb-darkening responses to impulsive variation (in depth) of the source function, to effective temperature variation, and to convection variations are presented. For the variations considered, the limb-darkening variation is approximately linearly proportional to the associated parameters. The minimum detectable amplitude of those parametric variations is derived as a function of observational noise. Given our demonstrated errors of observation, single-parameter sensitivies are 3 K for effective temperature variation and 0.007 for local mixing-length variation for year to year changes at 99% confidence.     

A search for planets transiting the M-dwarf debris disc host, AU Microscopii

We present high-cadence, high-precision multiband photometry of the young, M1Ve, debris disc star, AU Microscopii. The data were obtained in three continuum filters spanning a wavelength range from 4500 to 6600 Å, plus Hα, over 28 nights in 2005. The light curves show intrinsic stellar variability due to star-spots with an amplitude in the blue band of 0.051 mag and a period of 4.847 d. In addition, three large flares were detected in the data which all occur near the minimum brightness of the star. We remove the intrinsic stellar variability and combine the light curves of all the filters in order to search for transits by possible planetary companions orbiting in the plane of the nearly edge-on debris disc. The combined final light curve has a sampling of 0.35 min and a standard deviation of 6.8 mmag. We performed Monte Carlo simulations by adding fake transits to the observed light curve and find with 95 per cent significance that there are no Jupiter mass planets orbiting in the plane of the debris disc on circular orbits with periods,   P ≤ 5  d. In addition, there are no young Neptune like planets (with radii 2.5 times smaller than the young Jupiter) on circular orbits with periods,   P ≤ 3  d.     

库车坳陷深浅构造变形与地震关系浅析

通过研究库车地区的地震活动性 ,由地震分布的规律性推断可能的基底断裂 ,并分析了基底活动断裂与地表构造的对应关系、盖层变形和基底变形特征的差异及成因。结果表明 :1)地震震中分布揭示库车坳陷内对应东、西秋里塔格背斜带位置上 ,基底中发育东秋里塔格深断裂和南、北秋里塔格深断裂 ;另外 ,依奇克里克背斜和亚肯背斜位置上也存在对应的深断裂 ,这表明地表构造的形成受深部构造的控制。 2 )依奇克里克构造西端至东秋 5井连线位置上发育 1条NE向走滑断裂 ,在拜城西侧发 1条NW走向的活动断裂 ,这 2条切穿构造走向的活动断裂是库车坳陷构造分段的主因。 3)基底和盖层变形特征的差异主要源于二者之间介质特性的差异。盆地基底岩石圈强度非常高 ,决定了其变形以脆性破裂———地震活动为主 ;而盖层中沉积岩层强度较弱 ,且存在煤和膏盐等极软弱的薄层 ,在构造挤压作用下 ,可以产生黏性或塑性流动大变形及顺层无震滑脱     

The Exo-Zodiacal Disk Mapper: A Space Interferometer to Detect and Map Zodiacal Dust Disks Around Nearby Stars

We present a concept for a space mission designed to make a mid-IR survey of potential zodiacal dust disks around nearby stars. We show that a two-aperture (0.6 m diameter), 10-m baseline, nulling interferometer located in a 1 × 4 AU, 4-yr solar orbit would allow for the survey of 400 stars in the solar neighborhood and permit a first-order determination of the disk inclination and radial dependences of density and temperature. The high dynamic range of the instrument may also be used to study additional astrophysical phenomena. Beyond its own scientific merit, such a mission would serve as a technological precursor to a larger interferometer of the type being considered for the detection of earth-like planets.     

Fluctuations of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet recorded in the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of periglacial loess from Ukraine

The azimuth of imbrication of minimum magnetic susceptibility axes in the youngest loess from Ukraine defines prevailing wind directions during aeolian sedimentation. It changes along the studied sections. These changes can be directly correlated with the fluctuations of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet. The northern and northeastern winds noted in the loess succession separated by a period when southwestern to southeastern winds were predominant may be correlated with two main phases of ice‐sheet advance during the Last Glacial Maximum. The ice‐sheet advances towards the areas of loess deposition generated katabatic winds that influenced aeolian sedimentation in the periglacial zone. A period of relatively stable wind directions during a younger phase of the Last Glacial Maximum was interrupted by periods with more chaotic wind regime most probably caused by fluctuations of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet during its retreat from the peri‐Baltic part of Europe. These intervals occur where initial soils developed. The distribution of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility axes defined along the periglacial loess sections from central and eastern Europe can serve to constrain fluctuations of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet.