Identification of “small” dust impacts in the Ulysses dust detector data

Since October 1990, 3 weeks after the launch of the Ulysses spacecraft, the dust detector onboard recorded impacts of cosmic dust particles. Besides dust impacts, the detector recorded noise from a variety of sources. So far, a very rigid scheme had been applied to eliminate noise from impact data. The data labeled “big” dust impacts previously led to the identification of interstellar dust and of dust streams from Jupiter. The analysis presented here is concerned with data of signals of small amplitudes which are strongly contaminated by noise. Impacts identified in this data set are called “small” impacts. It is shown that dust impacts can be clearly distinguished from noise for most of the events due to the multi-coincidence characteristics of the instrument. 516 “small” impacts have been identified. For an additional 119 events, strong arguments can be given that they are probably small dust impacts. Thereby, the total number of dust impacts increases from 333 to 968 in the time period from 28 October 1990 to 31 December 1992. This increase permits a better statistical analysis, especially of the Jupiter dust streams which consist mostly of small and fast particles. Additional dust streams have been identified between the already known streams before and after Jupiter flyby. The dependence of the deflection from the Jupiter direction, the stream intensity and width on Jupiter distance support the assertion that they have been emitted from the Jovian system. The masses of the 635 “small” dust particles range from 6 × 10⁻¹⁷ to 3 × 10⁻¹⁰ g with a mean value of 1 × 10⁻¹² g, which compares to a range from 1 × 10⁻¹⁶ to 4 × 10⁻⁹ g with a mean value of 2 × 10⁻¹¹ g for the previously identified 333 “big” dust particles.     

Lymanα Blobs: Discussions in Heidelberg

Lyα Blobs (LAB), large, extended Lyα emitters, are enigmatic objects that calls on much attention in the field of galaxy formation and evolution. So far, discovery of more than twenty giant (>60 kpc) LABs have been reported and new searches are on-going. Many of the groups who study LABs attended the workshop in Heidelberg, “Understanding Lyα Emitters”, 2008 October 6–10. We had useful discussions on the various important aspects of LABs including the search or detection methods, origins of the extended Lyα emission, and their physical properties.     

All you ever wanted to know about optical long baseline stellar interferometry, but were too shy to ask your adviser

I try to present a small view of the properties and issues related to astronomical interferometry observations. I recall a bit of history of the technique, give some basic assessments to the principle of interferometry, and finally, describe physical processes and limitations that affect optical long baseline interferometry and which are, in general, very useful for everyday work. Therefore, this text is not intended to perform strong demonstrations and show accurate results, but rather to transmit the general “feeling” one needs to have to not be destabilised by the first contact to real world interferometry.     

Electronic Multi-beam Radio Astronomy Concept: Embrace a Demonstrator for the European SKA Program

ASTRON has demonstrated the capabilities of a 4 m², dense phased array antenna (Bij de Vaate et al., 2002) for radio astronomy, as part of the Thousand Element Array project (ThEA). Although it proved the principle, a definitive answer related to the viability of the dense phased array approach for the SKA could not be given, due to the limited collecting area of the array considered. A larger demonstrator has therefore been defined, known as “Electronic Multi-Beam Radio Astronomy Concept”, EMBRACE, which will have an area of 625 m², operate in the band 0.4–1.550 GHz and have at least two independent and steerable beams. With this collecting area EMBRACE can function as a radio astronomy instrument whose sensitivity is comparable to that of a 25-m diameter dish. The collecting area also represents a significant percentage area (∼10%) of an individual SKA “station.” This paper presents the plans for the realisation of the EMBRACE demonstrator.     

Photometric studies of three Be stars

From 1978 December to 1979 May, we made spectrographic observations of φPer, ζTau and κDra using our Schmidt cassegrain grating spectrograph. Values of electron density, rotational speed and variation have been obtained and a comparison between ζTau and the supergiant βOri carried out. We found that, over our observed period, θPer showed clear shell activities, ζTau was in a relatively calm phase, its shell slowly expanding, while κDra had all the signs of a “classical” Be star.     

How peculiar are GRS 1915+105 and GRO J1655−40?

The X-ray properties of the two galactic microquasars GRS 1915+105 and GRO J1655−40 are rather perculiar. In particular, GRS 1915+105 displays a richness of variability never observed in any other source. Nevertheless, many characteristics of these two sources are not unlike those expected from black-hole candidates on the basis of other known sources. I discuss these similarities and suggest that the connection between these and other more “conventional” systems can potentially lead to a better understanding of accretion around black holes.     

Ground temperature histories in eastern and central Canada from geothermal measurements: evidence of climatic change

Inverse and direct methods have been used to analyze a large number of borehole temperature logs in order to infer past climatic changes. Results indicate a warming of 1–2°C in eastern and central Canada during the past 150 years. A period of cooling between 500 and 200 years before present, corresponding to the time of the “Little Ice Age”, has also been identified in the same areas. A regional ground temperature history is estimated for eastern and central Canada from the simultaneous inversion of several temperature logs. The inferred temperature changes appear correlated with the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide as reported from a Greenland ice core, and agree with existing meteorological and dendrochronological records for the area.     

TeV scale quantum gravity and mirror supernovae as sources of gamma-ray bursts

Mirror matter models have been suggested recently as an explanation of neutrino puzzles and microlensing anomalies. We show that mirror supernovae can be a copious source of energetic gamma rays if one assumes that the quantum gravity scale is in the TeV range. We show that under certain assumptions plausible in the mirror models, the gamma energies could be degraded to the 10 MeV range (and perhaps even further) so as to provide an explanation of observed gamma-ray bursts. This mechanism for the origin of the gamma-ray bursts has the advantage that it neatly avoids the “baryon load problem”.     

Study of the primary cosmic radiation mass composition near the “knee” from EAS data

A string-decay cascade phenomenological model that conservatively extrapolates accelerator data has been adapted to cosmic ray-air collisions. Monte Carlo simulations of extensive air showers (EAS) initiated by primary protons and nuclei have been performed. The best agreement between the predictions of this model and experimental data on spectra of electron sizes (N_e) for vertical incidence at different altitudes is found for a heavy mass composition of the cosmic rays (above the “knee” energy).     

On the ‘Divergence Problem’ in Northern Forests: A review of the tree-ring evidence and possible causes

An anomalous reduction in forest growth indices and temperature sensitivity has been detected in tree-ring width and density records from many circumpolar northern latitude sites since around the middle 20th century. This phenomenon, also known as the “divergence problem”, is expressed as an offset between warmer instrumental temperatures and their underestimation in reconstruction models based on tree rings. The divergence problem has potentially significant implications for large-scale patterns of forest growth, the development of paleoclimatic reconstructions based on tree-ring records from northern forests, and the global carbon cycle. Herein we review the current literature published on the divergence problem to date, and assess its possible causes and implications. The causes, however, are not well understood and are difficult to test due to the existence of a number of covarying environmental factors that may potentially impact recent tree growth. These possible causes include temperature-induced drought stress, nonlinear thresholds or time-dependent responses to recent warming, delayed snowmelt and related changes in seasonality, and differential growth/climate relationships inferred for maximum, minimum and mean temperatures. Another possible cause of the divergence described briefly herein is ‘global dimming’, a phenomenon that has appeared, in recent decades, to decrease the amount of solar radiation available for photosynthesis and plant growth on a large scale. It is theorized that the dimming phenomenon should have a relatively greater impact on tree growth at higher northern latitudes, consistent with what has been observed from the tree-ring record. Additional potential causes include “end effects” and other methodological issues that can emerge in standardization and chronology development, and biases in instrumental target data and its modeling. Although limited evidence suggests that the divergence may be anthropogenic in nature and restricted to the recent decades of the 20th century, more research is needed to confirm these observations.     

Search for TeV gamma-rays from Geminga pulsar

We present the results of observation of the Geminga pulsar carried out in the TeV energy band during the 6 year period spanning 2000–2006 using the Pachmarhi Array of Cherenkov Telescopes (PACT). A long stretch of data, new computer codes and the “Tempo” package have been used in the present analysis. We have searched for evidence of pulsed emission of γ-rays from the Geminga pulsar using the post-glitch pulsar elements obtained by Jackson and Halpern from X-ray/γ-ray satellite data. We do not see any significant evidence for pulsed emission from the Geminga pulsar at a threshold energy of 825 GeV. In this paper we present our results on the light curve in the TeV energy band, set an upper limit on the time averaged flux of γ-rays, and compare our results with other ground based observations.     

The GLARE Survey – II. Faint z≈ 6 Lyα line emitters in the HUDF

The galaxy population at   z ≈ 6  has been the subject of intense study in recent years, culminating in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) – the deepest imaging survey yet. A large number of high-redshift galaxy candidates have been identified within the HUDF, but until now analysis of their properties has been hampered by the difficulty of obtaining spectroscopic redshifts for these faint galaxies. Our 'Gemini Lyman-Alpha at Reionization Era' (GLARE) project has been designed to undertake spectroscopic follow-up of faint  ( z ' < 28.5)  i '-drop galaxies at   z ≈ 6  in the HUDF. In a previous paper we presented preliminary results from the first 7.5 h of data from GLARE. In this paper we detail the complete survey. We have now obtained 36 h of spectroscopy on a single GMOS slitmask from Gemini-South, with a spectral resolution of  λ/Δλ_FWHM≈ 1000  . We identify five strong Lyα emitters at   z > 5.5  , and a further nine possible line emitters with detections at lower significance. We also place tight constraints on the equivalent width of Lyα emission for a further ten i '-drop galaxies and examine the equivalent width distribution of this faint spectroscopic sample of   z ≈ 6  galaxies. We find that the fraction of galaxies with little or no emission is similar to that at   z ≈ 3  , but that the   z ≈ 6  population has a tail of sources with high rest-frame equivalent widths. Possible explanations for this effect include a tendency towards stronger line emission in faint sources, which may arise from extreme youth or low metallicity in the Lyman-break population at high redshift, or possibly a top-heavy initial mass function.     

The Ricker Hills Tillite provides evidence of Oligocene warm-based glaciation in Victoria Land, Antarctica

The relationship between the Ricker Hills Tillite (RHT), which represents the northernmost outcrop of lithified continental glacial deposits in Victoria Land, is discussed with respect to the glacial landscape assemblage of the Ricker Hills, a nunatak at the internal border of the Transantarctic Mountains. A warm-based ice sheet deposited the tillite and induced syn- to post-depositional glacial deformation under wet conditions both of the tillite and of the bedrock. The thickness of the ice sheet on the nunatak is estimated to have been 600 m, at most. The area had been deeply eroded before deposition of the RHT as documented by the low elevation of tillite outcrops located in overdeepened depressions of the nunatak. Micropaleontological analysis evidences only the presence of Permian to Jurassic palynomorphs. X-ray diffraction and SEM–EDS analyses of clay minerals in the RHT indicate continental chemical weathering under wet conditions after the RHT deposition. As documented by clay mineral assemblage variation in CRP drillholes, the progressive cooling of the Antarctic continent allowed chemical weathering in “warm” conditions until the Late Oligocene period in southern Victoria Land, leading to a chronological constrain for RHT deposition. Conservatively estimating the sea level to have been between the tillite outcrops and the erosional trimline limiting horns in the Ricker Hills, at the time of RHT deposition, we suggest that the maximum uplift of the area would not have exceeded 900–1500 m since at least Late Oligocene.     

Extragalactic background light absorption signal in the TeV γ-ray spectra of blazars

Recent observations of the TeV γ-ray spectra of the two closest active galactic nuclei (AGNs), Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) and Markarian 421 (Mrk 421), by the Whipple and HEGRA collaborations have stimulated efforts to estimate or limit the spectral energy density (SED) of extragalactic background light (EBL) which causes attenuation of TeV photons via pair-production when they travel cosmological distances. In spite of the lack of any distinct cutoff-like feature in the spectra of Mrk 501 and Mrk 421 (in the interval 0.26–10 TeV) which could clearly indicate the presence of such a photon absorption mechanism, we demonstrate that a strong EBL attenuation signal (survival probability of 10 TeV photon <10⁻²) may still be present in the spectra of these AGNs. This attenuation could escape detection due to ambiguity of spectra interpretation between intrinsic properties of the sources and absorption by EBL. By estimating the minimal and maximal opacity of the universe to TeV γ-ray photons, we calculate the visibility range for current and future γ-ray observatories, and show that the Whipple γ-ray telescope should be able to detect (in 10 hours at a 5σ confidence level) a BL Lac object with properties similar to Mrk 501 during its peak activity located at distances up to z=0.12. The proposed atmospheric Cherenkov telescope array VERITAS should be able to see such an object at least as far as z=0.3. Finally, we show that the proposed experiments, VERITAS, HESS, and MAGIC, may even be able to actually measure the EBL SED because their observations extend to the critical 75–150 GeV regime. In this transition region a distinct “knee-like” feature should exist in the spectra of blazars, which is invariant with respect to their intrinsic properties. The change of the spectral index and flux amplitude across this knee, if observed for several blazars, will provide missing pieces of information needed to measure EBL in the wavelength range 0.1–30 μm.     

Microwave emission from aligned dust

Polarized microwave emission from dust is an important foreground that may contaminate polarized CMB studies unless carefully accounted for. We discuss potential difficulties associated with this foreground, namely, the existence of different grain populations with very different emission/polarization properties and variations of the polarization yield with grain temperature. In particular, we discuss observational evidence in favor of rotational emission from tiny PAH particles with dipole moments, i.e. “spinning dust”, and also consider magneto-dipole emission from strongly magnetized grains. We argue that in terms of polarization, the magneto-dipole emission may dominate even if its contribution to total emissivity is subdominant. Addressing polarized emission at frequencies larger than 100 GHz, we discuss the complications arising from the existence of dust components with different temperatures and possibly different alignment properties.     

Decadal to millennial cyclicity in varves and turbidites from the Arabian Sea: hypothesis of tidal origin

We have analyzed a Late Holocene record, almost 5000 years long, consisting of varved sediments deposited in the oxygen-minimum zone (OMZ) off Pakistan. We searched for cyclicity in the series of varve thickness (“varve” cycles), of unusually large excursions in varve thickness (“agitation” cycles), and of abundance of turbidites (“turbidite” cycles). We found the following high-frequency cycles (periods between 10 and 100 years) in one or several of the three types of series as follows: near 12.4, 14–15, 16.8, 18.6 (strong, agitation), 25–26 (strong, turbidite), 29–31 (strong, agitation), 39 (varve), 44 (strong, turbidite), 51–54 (strong, agitation), 56 (strong, varve), 64 (strong, turbidite), 69, 77 (strong, turbidite), 82 (very strong, agitation), and 95 years (strong, varve). Low-frequency cycles center around 99–115, 125 (very strong, varve), 164, 177, 202, 242–255 (strong, agitation and turbidite), 280 (strong, varve; doubled, turbidite), 340–370 and 460–490 years.Some cycles of varve thickness match the cyclicity of turbidite frequency (12.3, 14–15, 25–26, 245–255 years) but similarities between spectra are not striking. Taken as a whole, however, the sequence of cycles detected (by autocorrelation and standard Fourier analysis) seems to contain a large proportion of multiples of the basic tidal cycles 4.425 (lunar perigee cycle) and 9.3 years (lunar half-nodal cycle). This impression is supported by testing the three binned spectra for whole-number multiples and fractions as well as whole-number beat structure. We therefore propose that a large proportion of the cyclicity detected can be ascribed to tidal action. Our record also contains evidence for the presence of the 1470-year cycle previously reported from the glacial-age Greenland ice record. The main harmonics of this Greenland cycle can be tied to the pattern of periods seen in the varved sediments. We hypothesize that tidal action produces the cycle, and that the reason for its great length is the requirement that maximum tidal activity has to fall into a narrow seasonal window to be geologically effective.     

Helioseismology and the solar interior dynamics

The inversion of helioseismic modes leads to the sound velocity inside the Sun with a precision of about 0.1 per cent. Comparisoons of solar models with the &amp;#x201C;seismic sun&amp;#x201D; represent powerful tools to test the physics: depth of the convection zone, equation of state, opacities, element diffusion processes and mixing inside the radiative zone. We now have evidence that microscopic diffusion (element segregation) does occur below the convection zone, leading to a mild helium depletion in the solar outer layers. Meanwhile this process must be slowed down by some macroscopic effect, presumably rotation-induced mixing. The same mixing is also responsible for the observed lithium depletion. On the other hand, the observations of beryllium and helium 3 impose specific constraints on the depth of this mildly mixed zone. Helioseismology also gives information on the internal solar rotation: while differential rotation exists in the convection zone, solid rotation prevails in the radiative zone, and the transition layer (the so-called &amp;#x201C;tachocline&amp;#x201D;) is very small. These effects are discussed, together with the astrophysical constraints on the solar neutrino fluxes.     

Separating E from B

In a microwave background polarization map that covers only part of the sky, it is impossible to separate the E and B components perfectly. This difficulty in general makes it more difficult to detect the B component in a data set. Any polarization map can be separated in a unique way into “pure E”, “pure B” and “ambiguous” components. Power that resides in the pure E(B) component is guaranteed to be produced by E(B) modes, but there is no way to tell whether the ambiguous component comes from E or B modes. A polarization map can be separated into the three components either by finding an orthonormal basis for each component, or directly in real space by using Green functions or other methods.     

Growth patterns of the last ice age coral terraces at Huon Peninsula

At Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea, prolific coral growth during the last-glacial was episodic and in response to a series of sea-level rises. The resultant step-like coral terraces are currently situated from 20 m up to 140 m above sea-level due to continuous tectonic uplift of the Peninsula. The sea-level rises were in response to periodic partial disintegration of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets associated with severe climate swings and occurred within decadal timescales. The relatively rapid 15 m to 35 m rise in sea-levels exposed new head-room for corals to colonize. The resulting terrace structures contain individual corals that do not appear to have grown sequentially in time and with elevation. Additionally, following the peak, sea level fell relatively slowly over several thousand years and corals grew and filled in the flanks of the terrace such that younger corals now occupy lower elevations. We have labeled these structures “pack-up” reefs. This is in contrast to coral terraces formed during major sea-level rises from glacial to interglacial or glacial to interstadial transitions where the rate of sea level rise is commensurate with coral growth rates and corals can keep up with sea-level rise by growing on top of each other in a time orderly sequence. Deriving sea-level information from pack-up terraces is difficult and is likely to be ambiguous. The periodic fluctuations in climate were associated with atmospheric radiocarbon swings that seem to have varied smoothly with time. The same corals that show a scatter in stratigraphic temporal ordering appear regularly distributed in time and with radiocarbon content attesting to the veracity of the age measurements and at the same time confirm the disordered distribution of corals in “pack-up” type reefs.