Gamma-Hadron Separation using Čerenkov Photon Density Fluctuations

In the atmospheric Čerenkov technique γ-rays are detected against the abundant background produced by hadronic showers. In order to improve the signal to noise ratio of theexperiment, it is necessary to reject a significant fraction of hadronic showers. Traditional background rejection methods based on image shape parameters have been extensively used for the data from imaging telescopes. However, non-imaging Čerenkov telescopes have to develop very different means of statistically identifying and removing cosmic ray events. Some of the parameters, which could be potentially important for non-imaging arrays, are the temporal and spectral differences, the lateral distributions and density fluctuations of Čerenkov photons generated by γ-ray and hadron primaries. Here we study the differences in fluctuations of Čerenkov photon density in the light pool at the observation level from showers initiated by photons and those initiated by protons or heavier nuclei. The database of simulated events for the PACT array has been used to evaluate the efficiency of the new technique. Various types of density fluctuations like the short range and medium range fluctuations as well as flatness parameter are studied. The estimated quality factors reflect the efficiencies with which the hadrons can be rejected from the data. Since some of these parameters are independent, the cuts may be applied in tandem and we demonstrate that the proton rejection efficiency of ∼90% can be achieved. Use of density fluctuations is particularly suited for wavefront sampling observations and it seems to be a good technique to improve the signal to noise ratio. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

冀北—辽西早白垩世沉积有机质特征与古气候环境演变

本文对冀北—辽西地区早白垩世沉积盆地富有机质沉积岩进行了初步有机地球化学分析研究。结果显示,冀北—辽西沉积盆沉积有机质特征在时间和空间上存在很大差异,代表白垩系早期沉积的滦平盆地大北沟组有机质丰度低,这不仅显示其所代表的沉积相带不利于有机质的聚集,也反映了当时生物不够繁盛;大店子组时期沉积相带发生了变化,有机质类型随着发生了变化,丰度有所增高,但总体上显示环境条件不利于生物的发育和繁盛。到了桥头组和义县组沉积岩有机质丰度大幅升高,表明生物界非常繁盛,古气候环境有利于有机质的大量生成和堆积,总体上反映了温湿的气候条件;但同时也存在较为频繁或交替性寒冷气候波动,具体的古气候环境状态尚需进一步深入研究。     

Biaxial test simulations using a packing of polygonal particles

The mechanical response of cohesionless granular materials under monotonic loading is studied by performing molecular dynamic simulations. The diversity of shapes of soil grains is modelled by using randomly generated convex polygons as granular particles. Results of the biaxial test obtained for dense and loose media show that samples achieve the same void ratio at large strains independent of their initial density state. This limit state resembles the so‐called critical state of soil mechanics, except for some stress fluctuations, which remain for large deformations. These fluctuations are studied at the micro‐mechanical level, by following the evolution of the co‐ordination number, force chains and the fraction of the sliding contacts of the sample. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

近2600年神农架大九湖泥炭的气候变化记录

神农架大九湖沼泽泥炭柱状样提供了分辨率为25a的约2600a来的气候变化记录。对样品进行了环境磁学参数测量、X射线荧光分析(XRF)、孢粉鉴定和统计建模，结果表明，大九湖气温的变化曲线与竺可桢中国东部的物候温度曲线以及格陵兰氧同位素变化曲线大体一致，与青藏高原东部希门错湖泊沉积物温度代用指标的变化曲线也十分相似。特别是550—1300AD间的相对温暖期，与竺可桢首次提出来的中国东部隋唐温暖期(约600-1000AD)和欧洲的中世纪暖期(930-1240AD)在时间跨度上大致对应。可划分为4个阶段：(1)600BC—550AD，气候相对冷湿；(2)550—1300AD，气候相对凉干；(3)1300—1900AD，气候又转变为冷湿，其中最冷期1400—1900AD可与欧洲的小冰期对应；(4)1900AD至今，气候又开始转向相对凉干。同时发现低频磁化率χlf与铁元素含量之比(χlf／Fe)的变化曲线与利用孢粉分析数据恢复的大九湖气候变化曲线对应得很好，特别是二者都清晰地显示了500—1300AD为一相对暖期。这预示着χlf／Fe可能是泥炭剖面的一个更好的气候记录代用指标。     

银川盆地中更新世以来的孢粉记录及古气候研究

银川盆地中更新世以来的孢粉记录及据此所重建的古气候参数，揭示了该区中更新世以来的古气候演变特征，其演变经过了温湿→凉湿→温和→冷湿→温干→凉较湿→冷湿→温干→凉润→温较干→温干的变化，并与新疆地区，黄土高原以及深海δ^18O曲线进行了对比，结果表明，各地的古环境变化大致同步，该区由于位置靠西，邻近沙漠，最近地质历史时期的区域性干旱特色明显。     

日本海古海洋环境的演化

基于近年来有关日本海的古海洋古环境研究成果，总结概述了日本海中新世以来的古气候和古海洋环境演化特征。日本海作为西北太平洋一个主要的边缘海，在全球气候变化过程中起着重要的作用。它的古气候古环境演化，与全球其他地区一样受控于地球轨道参数的变化，同时也发育一些由气候的不稳定性、海峡的开合与其他一些地球气候系统的非线性活动所驱动的突发性快速气候变化事件。日本海的古海平面、古海水温度、古洋流等因子的变化还受到冰盖扩张和退缩、构造运动、冰川性地壳均衡补偿、东亚季风等因素的影响，具有鲜明的区域特点。总体说来，目前对日本海的研究程度还不高，对它在全球气候变化中的作用过程、驱动和响应机制的了解还很有限，需要进一步深入研究。     

西菲律宾海沉积物铁族元素地球化学

本文对取自西菲律宾海区的三个柱状沉积物岩芯的铁族元素地球化学行为进行了系统的研究。从元素的含量及剖面变化、元素的相关性及组合特征,铁族元素与主元素的关系以及元素的赋存状态等方面探讨了物质来源、沉积作用和古气候,并据此进行了地层划分。沉积物有4种来源:海底火山源、生物源、自生源和陆源。海底火山物质提供了较多的铁族元素,相形之下,自生沉积作用较弱。元素地层学研究表明,在全新世温暖期和晚更新世寒冷期铁族元素表现出不同的地球化学行为,尤以Mn和亲生物(Ca)元素对气候的反映灵敏。WP_2孔和WP_(40)孔铁族元素特征相似,与WP_1孔差别较大。