Measurements of radial velocities of α and: A spotted HgMn star?

Measurements of radial velocities from the SiII 6347A and 6371Alines and the HeI 6678A line based on observations of 1989–1994 are examined. The variability of the line shapes over the 96.6-day orbital period is analyzed. Evidence for a second component is found from lines in the spectrum of And which correspond to the silicon lines 6347 and 6371A. The preliminary value for the rotational velocity of the secondary component is 100–120 km/sec. Analysis of the variability of the radial velocities of the HeI 6678A line during the night has given the rotational period of the star of P_rot=I^d.012344 and indicates an inhomogeneous distribution either of the helium abundance or of the physical conditions over the surface. Thus, we have the first evidence for the existence of spots on the surface of an HgMn star.Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 375–384, July–September, 1996.     

Properties of BL Lac Objects with Redshift≤0.2

1 INTRODUCTIONBlazars, including BL Lacertae objects and Optical Violently Variable (OVV) quasars,belong to a class of active ga1actic nuclei (AGNs), the spectrum of which is dominated bynontherma1 radiation from re1ativistic electrons in jets pointing at us (e.g. BlandfOrd & Rees1978; Urry & Padovani 1995). The entire electromagnetic spectraI energy distributions (SEDs)usually reveal two broad components, the low energy part, peaking in the IR to soft X-rayrange, and the high en…     

A distribution function calculation of the H α profiles of SNR filaments

In shocked media of high preshock ionisation, the lack of thermal contact between atoms in the neutral component of the gas can prevent the formation of a thermal equilibrium independent of the ionic component. The behaviour of the neutral gas in such a shock is dominated by the atomic processes driven by the postshock ionic component.A transport equation for the velocity distribution of the neutral gas is explicitly solved under the physical conditions of a 1D ionic shock transition. The resulting distributions are used to calculate predicted H line emission from such a system.     

HD 45583—a chemically peculiar star with an unusual curve of longitudinal magnetic field variations

The results of a complex study of the chemically peculiar star HD 45583 are reported. Observations were made using the Main Stellar Spectrograph equipped with a circular polarization analyzer and NES echelle spectrograph of the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Our measurements of Zeeman spectra show that the star exhibits unusual variations of the longitudinal component of magnetic field with a secondary minimum. The period of spectral and magnetic variability coincides with the rotation period, which is equal to 1.^d177000. Two possible causes of the secondary minimum are discussed: spots with higher than ambient content of some chemical elements on the star’s surface or complex structure of the stellar magnetic field. The parameters of the star’s atmosphere are determined (T _eff = 13000 K, log g = 4.0), as well as the abundances of some elements: the star shows a 1–2 dex overabundance of Fe, Si, and Cr, helium is underabundant by about 2 dex with respect to the Sun.     

Some new exact solutions with finite central parameters and?uniform radial motion of sound

We present three new categories of exact and spherically symmetric Solutions with finite central parameters of the general relativistic field equations. Two well behaved solutions in curvature coordinates first category are being studied extensively. These solutions describe perfect fluid balls with positively finite central pressure, positively finite central density; their ratio is less than one and causality condition is obeyed at the centre. The outmarch of pressure, density, pressure-density ratio and the adiabatic speed of sound is monotonically decreasing for these solutions. Keeping in view of well behaved nature of these solutions, one of the solution (I₁) is studied extensively. The solution (I₁) gives us wide range of Schwarzschild parameter u (0.138≤u≤0.263), for which the solution is well behaved hence, suitable for modeling of Neutron star. For this solution the mass of Neutron star is maximized with all degree of suitability and by assuming the surface density ρ _b =2×10¹⁴ g/cm³. Corresponding to u=0.263, the maximum mass of Neutron star comes out to be 3.369 M _Θ with linear dimension 37.77 km and central and surface redshifts are 4.858 and 0.4524 respectively. We also study some well known regular solutions (T-4, D-1, D-2, H, A, P) of Einstein’s field equations in curvature coordinates with the feature of constant adiabatic sound speed. We have chosen those values of Schwarzschild parameter u for which, these solutions describe perfect fluid balls realistic equations of state. However, except (P) solution, all these solutions have monotonically non-decreasing feature of adiabatic sound speed. Hence (P) solution is having a well behaved model for uniform radial motion of sound. Keeping in view of well behaved nature of the solution for this feature and assuming the surface density; ρ _b =2×10¹⁴ g/cm³, the maximum mass of Neutron star comes out to be 1.34 M _Θ with linear dimension 28.74 km. Corresponding central and surface redshifts are 1.002 and 0.1752 respectively.     

The inner～40 pc radial distribution of the star formation rate for a nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy M51

We investigate the spatially resolved specific star formation rate(SSFR)in the inner ～40 pc for a nearby Seyfert 2 galaxy, M51(NGC 5194) by analyzing spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope(HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph(STIS). We present 24 radial spectra measured along the STIS long slit in M51, extending ～ 1′′from the nucleus(i.e., –41.5 pc to 39.4 pc). By simple stellar population synthesis, the stellar contributions in these radial optical spectra are modeled. It is found that the mean flux fraction of young stellar populations(younger than24.5 Myr) is about 9%. Excluding some regions with zero young flux fraction near the center(from –6 pc to 2 pc), the mean mass fraction is about 0.09%. The young stellar populations are not required in the center inner ～8 pc in M51, suggesting a possible SSFR suppression in the circumnuclear region(～ 10 pc) from the feedback of active galactic nuclei(AGNs). The radial distribution of SSFR in M51 is not symmetrical with respect to the long slit in STIS. This unsymmetrical SSFR distribution is possibly due to the unsymmetrical AGN feedback in M51, which is related to its jet.     

A Deprojection Analysis of Abell 1650 with XMM-Newton

We revisit the XMM-Newton observation of the galaxy cluster Abell 1650 with a deprojection technique. We find that the radial deprojected spectra of Abell 1650 can be marginally fitted by a single-temperature model. In order to study the properties of the central gas, we fit the spectra of the central two regions with a two-temperature model. The fits then become significantly better and the cool gas about 1-2keV can be connected with the gas cooling. Fitting the central spectrum (r ≤ 1') by using a cooling flow model with an isothermal component yields a small mass deposition rate of 10-7 11 M⊙ yr-1, while the standard cooling flow model can not fit this spectrum satisfactorily except that there exists a cut-off temperature having a level of about 3 keV. From the isothermal model we derive the deprojected electron density profile ne(r), and then together with the deprojected temperature profile the total mass and gas mass fraction of cluster are also determined. We compare the properties of Abell 1650 with those of Abell 1835 (a large cooling flow cluster) and some other clusters, to explore the difference in properties between large and small cooling flow cluster, and what causes the difference in the cooling flow of different clusters. It has been shown that Abell 1835 has a steeper potential well and thus a higher electron density and a lower temperature in its center, indicating that the shape of the gravitational potential well in central region determines the cooling flow rates of clusters. We calculate the potential, internal and radiated energies of these two clusters, and find that the gas energies in both clusters are conserved during the collapsing stage.     

Outer Main Belt asteroids: Identification and distribution of four 3-μm spectral groups

This paper examines the distribution and the abundance of hydrated minerals (any mineral that contains H₂O or OH) on outer Main Belt asteroids spanning the 2.5 < a < 4.0 AU region. The hypothesis we are testing is whether planetesimals that accreted closer to the Sun experienced a higher degree of aqueous alteration. We would expect then to see a gradual decline of the abundance of hydrated minerals among the outer Main Belt asteroids with increasing heliocentric distance (2.5 < a < 4.0 AU). We measured spectra (0.8–2.5 μm and 1.9–4.1 μm) of 28 outer Main Belt asteroids using the SpeX spectrograph/imager at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). We identified four groups on the basis of the shape and the band center of the 3-μm feature. The first group, which we call “sharp”, exhibits a sharp 3-μm feature, attributed to hydrated minerals (phyllosilicates). Most asteroids in this group are located in the 2.5 < a < 3.3 AU region. The second group, which we call “Ceres-like”, consists of 10 Hygiea and 324 Bamberga. Like Asteroid Ceres, these asteroids exhibit a 3-μm feature with a band center of 3.05 ± 0.01 μm that is superimposed on a broader absorption feature from ～2.8 to 3.7 μm. The third group, which we call “Europa-like”, includes 52 Europa, 31 Euphrosyne, and 451 Patientia. Objects in this group exhibit a 3-μm feature with a band center of 3.15 ± 0.01 μm. Both the Ceres-like and Europa-like groups are concentrated in the 2.5 < a < 3.3 AU region. The fourth group, which we call “rounded”, is concentrated in the 3.4 < a < 4.0 AU region. Asteroids in this group are characterized by a rounded 3-μm feature, attributed to H₂O ice. A similar rounded 3-μm feature was also identified in 24 Themis and 65 Cybele. Unlike the sharp group, the rounded group did not experience aqueous alteration. Of the asteroids observed in this study, 140 Siwa, a P-type, is the only one that does not exhibit a 3-μm feature. These results are important to constrain the nature and the degree of aqueous alteration in outer Main Belt asteroids.     

A Model of The 2–4 μm Spectrum of Comet Halley

Recent observations of Halley's Comet show a broad absorption band centred at 3.4 μm and which can be explained on the basis of a bacterial grain model. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Latitudinal distribution of HDO abundance above Venus’ clouds by ground-based 2.3 μm spectroscopy

The abundance of HDO above the clouds in the dayside atmosphere of Venus was measured by ground-based 2.3 μm spectroscopy over 4 days. This is the first HDO observation above the clouds in this wavelength region corresponding to a new height region. The latitudinal distributions found show no clearly defined structure. The disk-averaged mixing ratio is 0.22 ± 0.03 ppm for a representative height region of 62–67 km. This is consistent with measurements found in previous studies. Based on previous H₂O measurements, the HDO/H₂O ratio is found to be 140 ± 20 times larger than the telluric ratio. This lies between the ratios of 120 ± 40 and 240 ± 25, respectively, reported for the 30–40 km region by ground-based nightside spectroscopy and for the 80–100 km region by solar occultation measurement on board the Venus Express.     

Properties of the Main Phases of the Super Geomagnetic Storms(ΔSYM-H ≤-250 nT) with Different Heliolongitudes

We studied the properties of the main phases of 24 super geomagnetic storms(SGSs)(ΔSYM-H ≤-250 nT)since 1981. We divided the SGSs into two subgroups: SGSs-Ⅰ(-400 nT <Δ SYM-H ≤-250 nT) and SGSs-Ⅱ(ΔSYM-H ≤-400 nT). Of the 24 SGSs, 16 are SGSs-Ⅰ and eight are SGSs-Ⅱ. The source locations of SGSs were distributed in the longitudinal scope of [E37, W66]. 95.8% of the SGSs were distributed in the longitudinal scope of [E37, W20]. East and west hemispheres of the Sun had 14 and 10 SGSs, respectively...     

Hemispherical distribution of CO above the Venus’ clouds by ground-based 2.3 μm spectroscopy

The abundance of carbon monoxide in the Venus’ dayside atmosphere above the clouds was measured by ground-based 2.3 μm spectroscopy for 4 days. The hemispherical distributions found show no significant latitudinal or longitudinal structure. The disc-averaged mixing ratio of 58 ± 17 ppm found at a representative height of 62-67 km is consistent with previous measurements. Such a flat distribution of CO abundance above the clouds seems to be controlled by an efficient horizontal eddy diffusion with a time scale of 30 days or shorter although the CO distribution below the clouds seems to be controlled by the meridional circulation. The pole-ward wind speed of the meridional circulation above the clouds is estimated to be 0.2 m s⁻¹ or less based on the difference between the CO mixing ratios above and below the clouds.     

2.8–3.6 μm Spectra of Micro-Organisms with Varying H2O Ice-Content

The extinction curves of bacterial grains on which variable mass fractions of water-ice are condensed are calculated. Because the ice band at 3.07 μm is stronger by a factor of about thirty than the OH and CH stretching bands in organic materials even a small mass fraction of ice condensed inside or on the surface of the particles modifies and tends to obscure the characteristic biological signature at ∼ 3.4 μm. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Study of the Molecular Cloud S64 with Multiple Lines of CO Isotopes

We report on a study of the molecular cloud S64 with observations at millimeter wavelengths of multiple molecular lines of CO isotopes.A weak outflow is found,and its physical parameters are estimated.The departure of the core of S64 from the S64 HII region indicates that there are still other star formation activities in that region.     

A Study of the Star-forming Dwarf Galaxy NGC 855 with Spitzer

We present a study of the dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 855 using the narrow-band Hα and Spitzer data. Both the Hα and Spitzer IRAC images confirm star-forming activity in the center of NGC 855. We obtained a star formation rate （SFR） of 0.022 and 0.025Mo yr^-1, respectively, from the Spitzer IRAC 8.0 μm and MIPS 24 #m emission data. The HI observation suggests that the star-forming activity might be triggered by a minor merger. We also find that there is a distinct IR emission region in 5.8 and 8.0 μm bands, located at about 10＂ away from the nucleus of NGC 855. Given the strong 8.0 μm but faint Hα emission, we expect that it is a heavily obscured star-forming region, which needs to be confirmed by further optical spectroscopic observations.     

A Statistical Study of Rapid Sunspot Structure Change Associated with Flares

We reported recently some rapid changes of sunspot structure in white-light(WL) associated with major flares.We extend the study to smaller events and present here results of a statistical study of this phenomenon.In total,we investigate 403 events from 1998 May 9 to 2004 July 17,including 40 X-class,174 M-class,and 189 C-class flares.By monitoring the structure of the flaring active regions using the WL observations from the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer(TRACE),we find that segments in the outer sunspot structure decayed rapidly right after many flares;and that,on the other hand,the central part of sunspots near the flare-associated magnetic neutral line became darkened.These rapid and permanent changes are evidenced in the time profiles of WL mean intensity and are not likely resulted from the flare emissions.Our study further shows that the outer sunspot structure decay as well as the central structure darkening are more likely to be detected in larger solar flares.For X-class flares,over 40% events show distinct sunspot structure change.For M-and C-class flares,this percentage drops to 17% and 10%,respectively.The results of this statistical study support our previously proposed reconnection picture,i.e.,the flare-related magnetic fields evolve from a highly inclined to a more vertical configuration.     

A determination of Jovian ammonia abundance based on a 2 μm spectrum

A spectrum of Jupiter in the two micron region has been analyzed to determine the Jovian ammonia abundance. The result is a ?4 cm - amagat, assuming an airmass factor η = 2.5 and a single effective reflecting layer for this wavelength. This is compared with the abundances observed at other wavelengths.     

A photometric study of faculae and sunspots between 1.2 and 1.6 μm

We investigate further the interpretation of dark magnetic faculae observed in previous imaging of the solar photosphere at 1.63 m. We show that their contrast at 1.63 m increases with magnetic flux beyond a threshold value of 2 × 10¹⁸ Mx and blends smoothly with the contrast vs flux relation measured at this wavelength for larger structures of sunspot size. Not all facular structures that are bright in Ca K are dark at 1.63 m, apparently because their magnetic flux is not large enough. After correction for blurring, the contrast of the dark faculae observed near the disc center at 1.63 m is approximately 4%. But our observations at 1.23 m, which probe slightly higher photospheric levels, do not show these dark faculae. These results indicate that magnetic flux tubes of diameter as small as 500 km significantly inhibit convective heat flow to the photosphere, much as do sunspot flux tubes of much larger diameter. They also suggest that, in even smaller flux tubes, the inhibition becomes rapidly less significant. Finally, we show that the sunspot-size dependence of umbral infrared contrast versus wavelength that we observe can probably be explained in terms of instrumental blurring. Observations with lower scattered light will be required to determine whether a real decrease of contrast with diameter also plays a role.     

Estimation of Stellar Atmospheric Parameters from LAMOST DR8 Low-resolution Spectra with 20 ≤ S/N < 30

The accuracy of the estimated stellar atmospheric parameter evidently decreases with the decreasing of spectral signal-to-noise ratio(S/N) and there are a huge amount of this kind observations, especially in case of S/N < 30.Therefore, it is helpful to improve the parameter estimation performance for these spectra and this work studied the(T_eff, log g, [Fe/H]) estimation problem for LAMOST DR8 low-resolution spectra with 20 ≤ S/N < 30. We proposed a data-driven method based on m...     

Spectral energy distribution similarity of the local galaxies and the 3.6 μm selected galaxies from the Spitzer Extended Deep Survey

The Spitzer Extended Deep Survey(SEDS)as a deep and wide mid-infrared(MIR)survey project provides a sample of 500 000+sources spreading 1.46 square degree and a...