School of modern astrophysics 2010

We present a brief account of lectures presented at the nuclear astrophysics school that took place on June 5–16, 2010 at the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory of the Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Academy of Sciences).     

The 41st Tectonic Conference of the Interagency Tectonic Committee, Division of Earth Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences

The 41st Tectonic Conference on General and Regional Problems of Geotectonics and Geodynamics was held January 29–February 2, 2008 by the Interagency Tectonic Committee, Division of Earth Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The Geological Institute, RAS, and the Faculty of Geology, Moscow State University (MSU), participated in the organization of the conference.     

Intraday variability of three flat-spectrum radio sources

Searches for intraday variability in the flat-spectrum radio sources J0527+0331, J0721+0406, and J1728+0427 have been carried out at 3.5 cm using the 32-m radio telescope of the Zelenchuk Observatory of the Kvazar-KVO complex of the Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (located near the Zelenchuk Village, Karachaevo-Cherkesskaya Republic). Intraday variabiility with characteristic time scales from one to five hours was detected in all three sources.     

Monitoring compact extragalactic radio sources at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz using the 32-m radio telescope of the Svetloe Radio Astronomy Observatory

We present the results of monitoring of the integrated fluxes of variable extragalactic sources at 4.8 and 8.6 GHz at the Svetloe Radio Astronomy Observatory (Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences) from 1999 up to the present. More than 1000 observations of 36 sources have been carried out over this monitoring interval. We describe some of the most interesting flares detected in a number of sources, including the well-known objects 0851+202, 3C 345, and BL Lac. Even observations of variability at two frequencies can be very useful for planning astrophysical and astrometric observations. We briefly discuss the possibility of enhancing the effectiveness of the monitoring by expanding the range of frequencies to 22 GHz and adding polarization observations.     

Optical variability of the blazar S4 0954+658 in 2008–2012

The results of multi-color photometric and polarization observations of the blazar S4 0954+658 carried out mainly in the Astronomical Institute of St. Petersburg State University and the Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2008–2012 are analyzed. Individual variable components that are responsible for the activity are distinguished; the power-law spectrum and high degree of polarization confirm that the emission is synchrotron radiation. Modeling the observed dependences between the parameters of the polarization and intensity is used to derive parameters of both the constant and the variable components of the radiation. The observed color variability (“the brighter, the bluer”) can be explained by the superposition of a red constant component and a bluer variable component with a constant relative spectral energy distribution.     

Analysis of the “Ulitka” noise background as an anti-coincidence filter for the OGRAN gravitational-wave antenna

An analysis of experimental data from the ??Ulitka?? high-frequency gravitational-gradient meter installed in the underground Baksan Neutrino Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences is presented, focusing on the planned use of this instrument as an ??anti-coincidence filter?? for the OGRAN gravitational-wave antenna. The statistics of the Ulitka noise background over a year??s observing are analyzed, and compared with the background measured earlier when Ulitka was located on the territory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute in Moscow. A reduction in the rate of occurrence of large nonthermal spikes is noted. We have found associations between earthquakes and excitations of the seismically isolated high-frequency mode of the longitudinal oscillations of Ulitka.     

Variability of the radio flux density of the Blazar S5 0716+714 on time scales less than a month

Results of a study of the variability of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714 are reported. The data were obtained in 150 daily observations on the RATAN-600 radio telescope at six frequencies from 0.97 to 21.7 GHz and 13 day-long sessions at a wavelength of 6.2 cm on the 32 m radio telescopes of the Zelenchukskaya, Svetloe, and Badary observatories (Quasar-KVO complex, Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences). The RATAN-600 observations detected three “anti-flares,” or eclipses, when the flux density decreased from an initially constant level and then returned to this level. The eclipse time scales obtained from an analysis of light curves, structure functions, and autocorrelation functions are 12–20 days; the eclipse spectra were determined. Intraday variability (IDV) with time scales of 10–12 hours was detected in three sessions on the 32-m radio telescopes.     

Monitoring of the Blazar J0238+1636 with the RATAN-600 and RT-32 in 2014−2019

The presented observation results of the blazar J0238+1636 were obtained in: 2014–2019 with the RATAN-600 radio telescope from the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at 2.3, 4.8, 8.2, 11.2, and 21.7 GHz; and 2015–2017 with the 32-m Zelenchuk and Badary radio telescopes of the Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences at 4.84 and 8.57 GHz. Two flares were detected on the long-term light curve. The time scale for variability on the rising branch of the first flare is τvar = 0.5 year, and the upper limit for the linear and angular sizes of the emitting region at 21.7 GHz are 0.3 pc and 0.05 mas, respectively. The brightness temperature is Tb ≥ 2.6 × 1013 K, and the Doppler factor is δ ≥ 3. In three sets of the source’s daily observations, which lasted up to three months each, no significant variability on the day-to-day scale was found after subtracting the long-term variability. In the RT-32 data, the intraday variability (IDV) was found at a frequency of 4.84 GHz in three out of 15 sessions and at 8.57 GHz in two out of 13 sessions. The characteristic times for variability are 4−5 hours.     

Konstantin Vladislavovich Kuimov

The conference “Modern Astrometry 2017,” which took place on Octobr 23–25, 2017 at the Sternberg Astronomical Institute of Lomonosov Moscow State University, was dedicated to the memory of the eminent astrometrist, teacher, and outstanding scientist and Doctor of Physical–Mathematical Siences Konstantin Vladslavovich Kuimov, who worked at the Sternberg Astronomical Institute during 1962–2017. This article is based on a presentation made at this conference.     

Radio flux variations of the quasar J1159+2914 (S5 1156+295) in 2010–2013

Results of the observations of the blazar J1159+2914 (S1156+295) in 2010–2013 are reported. The observations were carried out on the RATAN-600 radio telescope (Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences) at 4.85, 7.7, 11.1, and 21.7 GHz and the 32-m Zelenchuk and Badary radio telescopes of the Quasar-KVO Complex (Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences) at 4.85 and 8.57 GHz. A flare peaked in August 2010, after which the flux density decreased monotonically at all studied frequencies. Variability on a timescale of 7 days was detected at 7.7 and 11.1 GHz near the flare maximum. The delay in the maximum at 7.7 GHz relative to the maximum at 11.1 GHz was 1.5 d, implying a Lorentz factor γ = 55 and angle of the jet to the line of sight θ ≈ 2° since mid-2011. Searches for intraday variability (IDV) were undertaken by the 32-m telescopes, mostly since mid-2011. Intraday variability was confidently detected only at the Badary station on November 10–11, 2012 at 4.85 GHz: the IDV timescale was τ _acf = 6 h, the modulation index was m = 1.4%, and the flux density of the variable component was S _var = 126 mJy.     

General Stratigraphic Scale of Russia: State of the art and problems

The history of the development of the General Stratigraphic Scale (GSS), its significance, purpose, and difference from the International Stratigraphic Chart (ISC) are briefly reported. The most global achievements in the GSS refinement based on the Proceedings of the All-Russian conference at the Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (May 2013) are considered. The main problems related to the GSS improvement are formulated: the structure of the Precambrian and Quaternary stratigraphic scales, the location of the Vendian System in the GSS, formal substantiation of the “Russian” stages of the Cambrian, Carboniferous, and Permian Systems, and the significance of the regional limitotypes of the ISC subdivisions.     

华北克拉通北缘西段宝音图群片岩中石榴子石变斑晶成分特征及其动力学意义

石榴子石变斑晶微结构和成分特征对构造和变质作用研究有重要作用。本文以华北克拉通北缘西段宝音图群石榴子石云母片岩中的石榴子石变斑晶为研究对象,通过扫描电子显微镜搭载的二次电子(SE)显微结构形貌观测,背散射电子(BSE)成分分析、能谱仪(EDS)和电子探针(EPMA)分析,得到石榴子石变斑晶组构和化学成分信息,揭示出石榴子石晶界具有化学非均质性。在MnNCFMASHO体系下采用石榴子石云母石英片岩的全岩成分计算的锰铝榴石、钙铝榴石等值线图基础上,建立了石榴子石变斑晶的p-t轨迹,反映出石榴子石变斑晶在变质峰期后经历了一个近等温降压的地质动力学过程。     

Features of the Distribution of Abnormal Gasgeochemical Fields in the Red River Rift (Gulf of Tonkin,South China Sea)

Doklady Earth Sciences - This paper reports the results of the third Russian–Vietnamese expedition (V.I. Il'ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of...     

Radio emission of the magnetar SGR 1806-20: Evolution of the magnetic field in the region of the radio afterglow

The results of radio observations of the afterglow produced by a giant gamma-ray flare from the magnetar SGR 1806-20 on December 27, 2004 are reported. The observations were carried out on the 32-m radio telescope of the Zelenchuk Observatory of the Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences, at a wavelength of 3.5 cm. The observations confirm the enhanced radio brightness of the nebula around the magnetar in the period from 25 to 31 days after the flare. A comparison of the Zelenchuk observations with other data have enabled us to estimate the magnetic-field intensity in the radio-afterglow region using a model of synchrotron radiation with self-absorption in a relativistic plasma. The kinetic energy of the blast wave produced by the giant explosion of the magnetar is estimated.     

Structural and geological characteristics of a “seismic gap” in the central part of the Kuril Island Arc

The results of the cruise of R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrentiev conducted by the Pacific Institute of Oceanology, Far East Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences in August to September 2005 are considered. The aim of the works was to specify the tectonic structure, seismogenic potential, and tsunamigenic hazard of the central segment of the Kuril Island Arc. The complex studies involved single-channel seismic profiling, gravimetry, magnetometry, detailed bathymetry, dredge sampling of sea-floor rocks and sediments, and gas geochemistry. Geophysical and geological data are reported. It was demonstrated that the target area is an active tectonic destruction zone, the zone boundaries were outlined, and the main internal structural and compositional heterogeneities were identified.     

Relationship between the Frequency of the Fundamental Mode 0S2 and the Speed of the Earth’s Rotation

Doklady Earth Sciences - Based on the results of instrumental observations of geomagnetic variations at the Mikhnevo Observatory of the Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences,...     

Variability of the blazar 3C 454.3 during 2007–2010

Results are presented of multicolor observations of the blazar 3C 454.3 carried out at the Astronomical Institute of St. Petersburg State University and the Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2007–2010. The color variability of the blazar is analyzed. Several outbursts were observed. The existence of two variable synchrotron sources is inferred. The first is responsible for the small-amplitude flux variability, and the second for flares. In each flare, the relative spectral energy distribution (SED) of the variable source is found to be constant. All the SEDs are power laws, but with different spectral indexes in different flares. This indicates the impossibility of explaining the global variability only via a difference in Doppler boosting due to variations of the angle between the line of sight and the velocity of the electrons responsible for the synchrotron radiation. The polarimetric and photometric observations are used to derive the absolute SED of constant component. A comparison of the observed SEDs for different brightness levels with the SED of the constant componentmakes it possible to explain the observed color variability as due to the superposition of a bluer variable source with a constant SED and variable flux onto the constant component.     

Rapid variability of the radio flux density of the blazar J0721+7120 (S5 0716+714) in 2010

Results of a study of the variability of the blazar J0721+7120 carried out on the RATAN-600 based on daily observations from March 5, 2010 to April 30, 2010 at five frequencies from 2.3 to 21.7 GHz are reported. In the same time interval, 13 observing sessions at 37 GHz were carried out on the 14-m radio telescope of the Mets?hovi Radio Astronomy Observatory of the Aalto University School of Technology (Finland). From March 19, 2010 to October 20, 2010, 16 daily sessions at 6.2 cm and five sessions at 3.5 cm were conducted on the 32-m radio telescope of the Zelenchukskaya Observatory (Quasar-KVO complex of the Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences). A powerful flare was detected during the observations, with a time scale of approximately 20 days, derived from an analysis of the light curves and the structure and autocorrelation functions. The flare spectrum has been determined. In five sessions on the 32-m Zelenchukskaya telescope at 6.2 cm, intraday variability with time scales 8-16 h was detected; in four sessions, trends with time scales longer than a day were observed. In three sessions at 3.5 cm, intraday variability with a time scale of approximately 5 h was detected.     

Observation of the powerful solar flare of October 27, 2002 on the far side of the sun

Observations of the hard X-ray and radio event of October 27, 2002 are analyzed. This flare was observed from near-Martian orbit by the HEND instrument developed at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and installed on the Mars Odyssey satellite. Although this powerful flare was observed far over the eastern solar limb, the extended source associated with the flare was detected by RHESSI at energies up to about 60 keV. The eruptive event was observed in the radio at the Nobeyama Radio Observatory. The properties of the X-ray radiation are used to calculate the spectrum of the accelerated electrons responsible for the observed radiation, assuming that the target is thick for a Martian observer and thin for a terrestrial observer. The results are compared with the results of radio observations. The conditions for electron propagation in the corona are discussed.     

Contourites in the Derbent Basin,Caspian Sea (Geophysical Data)

Doklady Earth Sciences - A high resolution seismic survey carried out by the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences in 2004–2012 near the foot of the continental slopes...