The features of auroral bulge expansion

The development of the auroral bulge during substorms is studied using all-sky data from the dense net of stations and also riometer data. A few features seem to be essential for the interpretation of the expansive phase mechanism. The first is the existence of low energy electron precipitation (auroral arcs with the lower border height near 140 km) polewards of the expanding bulge, suggesting that the bulge often arises and develops on closed field lines. Secondly only the localized bulges (with dimensions 2° and 40°Λ) are generated by the continuous deformation of the auroral arc. The greater expansions develop mainly at the expense of the new bright arc formations at the front of the expanding auroral bulge. During each new arc formation impulsive acceleration and precipitation of energetic electrons takes place and brief changes of plasma sheet geometry are sometimes observed at 18 R_E in the magnetotail. This apparently shows a re-distribution of plasma sheet current during the substorm expansive phase.     

Surface temperature of a rotating charged body

The surface temperature of a rotating, charged body is found separately under the Kerr-Newman metric and the vector graviton metric. Particular reference is made to pulsars. It is found that, 1) under the Kerr-Newman metric, the surface temperature rises from the poles to the equator, when the radius R of the body is greater than a certain critical value, r_n. When R= r_n, the surface temperature is uniform. When R < r_n, the above gradient is reversed. For pulsars, the equatorial temperature is some 3 × 10⁴ K higher than the polar temperature. 2) Under the Vector graviton field metric, a similar temperature differential exists, but it is much smaller in size.     

A study of the ultra-compact H-II region NGC 7538-IRS

From an analysis of VLBI observations of H₂CO and OH maser emission in the direction of the ultra-conpact HII region NGC 7538-IRS 1, the following model is proposed: The HII region is surrounded by a thick dusty shell which breaks open at the two poles and there is a bipolar outflow. Around it is a rotating gas/dust ring and matter falls from the ring onto the surface of the HII region. The whole system, HII region and the ring, moves with a sight line velocity of −61.0 km/s inside a large cloud which moves with a sight line velocity of −57 km/s. The H₂CO and OH masers occur near the poles of the HII region and within 0.2 R_HII of the surface. The positions of the H₂O maser and other line sources are discussed in term of this model.     

Lithium depletion in the solar atmosphere

Using a complete non-local convection theory, we carried out the theoretical calculations of ⁷Li depletion of the solar convective envelope models with different convective parameters c₁ and c₂, and got a model of the solar convection zone consistent with the observed ⁷Li abundance and the depth of the solar convection zone determined by helioseismic techniques. The overshooting distance of effective non-local convective mixing of ⁷Li is very extensive, which is about 1.07H_P or 0.09R. However, the super-radiative temperature zone is much narrower, and it is only 0.20H_P or 0.016R.     

Spectrum of the relic neutrino background from past supernovae and cosmological models

It is greatly expected that the relic neutrino background from past supernovae will be detected by Superkamiokande (SK) which is now under construction. We calculate the spectrum and the event rate at SK systematically by using the results of simulations of a supernova explosion and reasonable supernova rates. We also investigate the effect of a cosmological constant, Λ, on the spectrum, since some recent cosmological observations strongly suggest the existence of Λ. We find following results. (1) The spectrum has a peak at about 3 MeV, which is much lower than that of previous estimates (6–10 MeV). (2) The event rate at SK in the range from 10 MeV to 50 MeV, where the relic neutrinos from past supernovae are dominant, is about 25h₅₀²(R_SN/0.1 yr⁻¹)(n_Gh₅₀⁻³/0.02 Mpc⁻³) events per year, where R_SN is the supernova rate in a galaxy, n_G is the number density of galaxies, and h₅₀ = H₀/(50 km/s Mpc), where H₀ is the Hubble constant. (3) The event rate is almost insensitive to Λ. The flux increases in the low energy side (< 10 MeV) with increasing Λ, but decreases in the high energy side (> 10 MeV) in models in which the integrated number of supernovae in one galaxy is fixed.     

Measurements of low energy auroral ions

This paper summarizes ion meaurements in the energy range 0.1–30keV observed during the campaigns “Substorm Phenomena” and “Porcupine”. For a clear survey of the physical processes during extraordinary events, sometimes ion meaurements of higher energies are also taken into account. Generally, the pitch angle distributions were isotropic during all flights except some remarkable events. In general the ion and electron flux intensities correlated, but sometimes revealed a spectral anti-correlation.

Acceleration of the ions by an electrostatic field aligned parallel to the magnetic field could be identified accompanied by intense electron precipitation. On the other hand deceleration of the ions was observed in other field-aligned current sheets which are indicated by the electron and magnetic field measurements. Temporal successive monoenergetic ion variations pointed to energy dispersion and to the location of the source region at 9 R_E. Furthermore, ion fluxes higher than those of the electrons were measured at pitch angles parallel to the magnetic field. Each of the examples was observed during different flights. The integral down-going number and energy flux of the ions contributed to the total particle or energy influx between 65% and less than 7% and did not clearly characterize the geophysical launch conditions or auroral activities.     

The causes of recurrent geomagnetic storms

We studied the causes of recurrent geomagnetic activity by analyzing interplanetary magnetic field and plasma data from Earth-orbiting spacecraft in the interval from November 1973 to February 1974. This interval includes the start of two long sequences of geomagnetic activity and two corresponding corotating interplanetary streams. In general, the geomagnetic activity was related to an electric field which was primarily due to two factors: (1) the ordered, mesoscale pattern of the stream itself and (2) random, smaller-scale fluctuations in the southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field B_z. The geomagnetic activity in each recurrent sequence consisted of two successive stages. The first stage was usually the most intense and it occurred during the passage of the interaction region at the front of a stream. It was related to a V × B electric field which was large primarily because the amplitude of the fluctuations in B_z was large in the interaction region. It is suggested that these large amplitudes of B_z were primarily produced in the interplanetary medium by compression of ambient fluctuations as the stream steepened in transit to 1 A.U. The second stage of geomagnetic activity immediately following the first was associated with the highest speeds in the stream. It was, among other things, related to a V × B electric field which was large mainly because of the high speeds.     

Observations from space of the solar corona/inner zodical light

Observations, from the Apollo 16 Spacecraft, in lunar orbit, of the total radiance of the K + F corona, from 3 R to 55 R are presented and discussed.

The logarithmic slope of the K + F coronal radiance, in the region r > 20 R, is found to be n = 1.93, slightly less steep than previous determinations. The photometric axis of the radiance is found to be displaced 3 ± 1° north of the ecliptic, for the region r > 20 R, and this displacement is interpreted as an annual variation due to non-coincidence of the ecliptic and the symmetry axis of the zodiacal cloud.     

A rope-shaped solar filament and a IIIb flare

On September 14–18, 2000, a medium-small solar active region was observed at Ganyu Station of Purple Mountain Observatory. Its spots were not large, but it had a peculiar active filament. On Sep.16, a flare of importance III_b with rather intense geophysical effects was produced. Our computation of the magnetic structure of the active region reveals that the rope-shaped filament was concerned with a low magnetic arc close to magnetic neutral line. An intense shear of magnetic field occurred near magnetic rope. The QSL analysis shows that a 3-D magnetic reconnection might appear in the vicinity of filament, and this can be used to interpret the formation of a large flare.     

Spectroscopic orbits of eclipsing binaries: WX Cancri

We have determined for the first time a spectroscopic orbit for WX Cnc. The orbital elements are V₀ = +9.8 km/s, k₁ = 110.2 km/s, K₂ = 149.0 km/s, T_o = HJD 2446 480.0309. After combining with the published photometric results, we derive the the following absolute parameters: A = 6.32R, R₁ = 1.53R, R₂=1.18R, M₁ = 1.29 M, M₂ = 0.96M. The spectroscopic mass-ratio is q = 0.74.     

Particle acceleration by ultrarelativistic shocks: theory and simulations

We consider the acceleration of charged particles near ultrarelativistic shocks, with Lorentz factor     . We present simulations of the acceleration process and compare these with results from semi-analytical calculations. We show that the spectrum that results from acceleration near ultrarelativistic shocks is a power law,     , with a nearly universal value     for the slope of this power law.
We confirm that the ultrarelativistic equivalent of the Fermi acceleration at a shock differs from its non-relativistic counterpart by the occurrence of large anisotropies in the distribution of the accelerated particles near the shock. In the rest frame of the upstream fluid, particles can only outrun the shock when their direction of motion lies within a small loss cone of opening angle     around the shock normal.
We also show that all physically plausible deflection or scattering mechanisms can change the upstream flight direction of relativistic particles originating from downstream by only a small amount:     . This limits the energy change per shock crossing cycle to     , except for the first cycle where particles originate upstream. In that case the upstream energy is boosted by a factor     for those particles that are scattered back across the shock into the upstream region.     

ETON 6: A rocket measurement of the O2 Infrared Atmospheric (0-0) band in the nightglow

Co-ordinated rocket measurements of the O₂(a¹Δ_g−X³Σ_g⁻) Infrared Atmospheric (0-0) band emission profile and the atomic oxygen densities in an undisturbed night-time atmosphere are used to investigate the processes responsible for the excitation of O₂(a¹Δ_g) in the terrestrial nightglow. It is shown that three-body recombination of atomic oxygen, and subsequent energy transfer processes, can explain only part of the observed emission profile and that at least two other sources of O₂(a¹Δ_g) emission must exist. One of these additional sources, responsible for most of the emission observed below 90km, is identified as arising from the night-time residual of the very large dayglow ¹Δ_g population. The other additional source is required to explain most of the emission observed above 95km. The processes responsible for this high altitude component cannot be identified but the vertical distribution of the required source function strongly resembles the profile of the atomic oxygen density squared and suggests that a two-body radiative recombination process may be involved. However, the measured zenith emission rates can also be explained without the high altitude source of O₂(a¹Δ_g) if optical emission at 1.27 μm was induced by the rocket as it penetrated the nightglow layer.     

Effects of E-region electric fields on F-region parameters at the magnetic equator

The effects of E-region electric fields on F-region parameters like height of constant electron density contours (h_N) and semi-thickness, at an equatorial station, Trivandrum, are investigated. The E-region east-west electric field (E_y) has been deduced using the horizontal magnetic field values from the ground magnetograms. It is found that the semi-thickness parameter and h_N follow closely the E-region electric field (E_y) variations in the forenoon and noon periods. In the afternoon, it is shown that there is close association between h_N and E_y, when the electric field variations are large. On a day-to-day basis also, h_N and the E-region electric field show very good correlation in the forenoon and noon hours. It is also shown that higher levels are affected more than the lower levels in the F-region by E_y.     

The excitation and kinematical properties of H2 and [Fe ii] in the HH 46/47 bipolar outflow

Long-slit spectra of the molecular outflow Herbig–Haro (HH) 46/47 have been taken in the J and K near-infrared bands. The observed H₂ line emission confirms the existence of a bright and extended redshifted counter-jet outflow south-west of HH 46. In contrast with the optical appearance of this object, we show that this outflow seems to be composed of two different emission regions characterized by distinct heliocentric velocities. This implies an acceleration of the counter-jet.
The observed [Fe  ii ] emission suggests an average extinction of 7–9 visual magnitudes for the region associated with the counter-jet.
Through position–velocity diagrams, we show the existence of different morphologies for the H₂ and [Fe  ii ] emission regions in the northern part of the HH 46/47 outflow. We have detected for the first time high-velocity (−250 km s⁻¹) [Fe  ii ] emission in the region bridging HH 46 to HH 47A. The two strong peaks detected can be identified with the optical positions B8 and HH 47B.
The H₂ excitation diagrams for the counter-jet shock suggest an excitation temperature for the gas of T _ex≈2600 K . The lack of emission from the higher energy H₂ lines, such as the 4–3 S(3) transition, suggests a thermal excitation scenario for the origin of the observed emission. Comparison of the H₂ line ratios with various shock models yielded useful constraints about the geometry and type of these shocks. Planar shocks can be ruled out whereas curved or bow shocks (both J- and C-type) can be parametrized to fit our data.     

On the role of the motion of the photospheric footpoints of the magnetic field lines

By means of a simple relation between the velocity v of the fluid particle and the velocity v_f of the photospheric footpoint of the magnetic field line v_z and B_z being respectively the components of v and the magnetic field B normal to the photospheric surface, it is shown formally that through the phtospheric surface the transport of all the quantities attributed to the magnetic field, such as the magnetic flux, the magnetic energy and the helicity, is independent of v_z, and v_f is the only kinematical quantity on which the transport depends. In addition, in the neighborhood of the neutral line the velocity v_l of the moving curve of constant B_z is found to be equal approximately to the component of v or v_f in the direction of v_l. Since v_l can be measured or extimated, so can the components of v and v_f near the neutral line.     

Shock versus stochastic acceleration of impulsive solar flare protons

The two major candidates for proton acceleration in impulsive -ray producing flares, shock and stochastic acceleration, are considered in light of recent observations of mass motions and turbulence in flares. Starting with the basic problem of energies required, energy storage and the currents which must be involved, it is concluded that the primary energy release must occur close to the temperature minimum region. It is shown that energy can propagate upwards in the form of fast magnetosonic waves which become evanescent in the transition region, converting a large fraction of their energy to mass motions and turbulence. Present observations are mostly of rather coarse (7000 km) spatial resolution and it is quite possible that significantly higher velocities than those observed were present. Using the results of recent simulations of parallel shocks and the well tested theory of Lee (1983) for parallel shock acceleration in the interplanetary medium, it is shown that shock acceleration is a viable candidate at velocities slightly higher than present observations. It is also shown that shocks must be driven by a mass of material which would be visible in coronal lines such as Caxix for them to be energetically important in proton acceleration.Stochastic acceleration is examined using the hypothesis that there is an equipartition of energy between observed turbulence and magnetic field fluctuations. It is shown that this is a viable acceleration mechanism within a large range of presently observed turbulence provided that the above equipartition hypothesis is valid and the turbulent elements are of small scale (1–200 km). Since turbulence is observed in many flares without any evidence of -rays, one of the above conditions must not be satisfied in general. It is concluded that although present observations favor stochastic acceleration, no definitive conclusion can be made without higher spatial resolution observations and additional theoretical work.     

Galactic cosmic-ray anisotropy and its heliospheric modulation, inferred from the sidereal semidiurnal variations observed in the rigidity range 300–600 GV with multidirectional muon telescope at Sakashita underground station

The existence of sidereal semidiurnal variation of cosmic-ray intensity in a rigidity region 10²-10³ GV has been reported by many researchers, but there is no consensus of opinion on its origin. In this paper, using the observed semidiurnal variations in a rigidity range (300–600 GV) with 10 directional muon telescopes at Sakashita underground station (geog. lat. = 36°, long. = 138°E, DEPTH = 80 m.w.e.), the authors determine the magnitudes (η₁, η₂) and directions (a₁, a₂) of the first- and second-order anisotropies in the following galactic cosmic-ray intensity distribution (j)

jdp = j₀{1 + η₁P₁(cos χ₁) + η₂P₂(cos χ₂)}dp

, where P_nis the nth order spherical function and χ_n is the pitch angle of cosmic rays with respect to a_n. For the determination, the influence of cosmic-ray's heliomagnetospheric modulation, geomagnetic deflection and nuclear interaction with the terrestrial material and also of the geometric configuration of the telescopes are taken into account. Usually, the semidiurnal variation is produced by the second-order anisotropy. The present observation, however, requires also the first-order anisotropy which usually produces only the diurnal variation, but can produce also the semidiurnal variation as a result of the heliospheric modulation. The first- and second-order anisotropies are characterized with η₁) > 0 and η₂ < 0 have almost the same direction (a₁ a₂) specified by the right ascension ( 0.75 h) and declination (δ 50°S) and, therefore, they can be expressed, as a whole, by an axis-symmetric anisotropy of loss-cone type (i.e. deficit intensities in a cone). It is noteworthy that this anisotropy approximately coincides with that inferred from the air shower observation at Mt Norikura in the rigidity region 10⁴ GV.     

When do supernova neutrinos of different flavors have similar luminosities but different spectra?

Muon and tau neutrinos (ν_x) interact with protoneutron star matter only via neutral currents and exchange energy with the stellar gas predominantly by neutrino-electron scattering and neutrino-pair processes. In contrast, electron neutrinos and antineutrinos (ν_e and ) are frequently absorbed and produced in charged-current mediated reactions with nucleons. Therefore the emergent ν_e and originate from layers with lower temperatures further out in the star and are emitted with much lower characteristic spectral temperatures. In addition, a major contribution to the ν_e and opacities is due to absorptions, while the opacity of ν_x is strongly dominated by scattering reactions with nucleons and nuclei in which the ν_x energy is (essentially) conserved. Therefore the ν_x distribution is nearly isotropic when ν_x decouple energetically and their outward diffusion is slowed down. In a generalized form to include this effect, the Stefan-Boltzmann Radiation Law can account for both the facts that ν_e ( ) and ν_x emerge from the star with similar luminosities but with very different characteristic spectral temperatures. Simple analytical expressions to estimate the effect are given. If, as recently argued, even at densities significantly below nuclear matter density neutral-current scatterings were associated with considerable energy transfer between neutrino and target particle, one might expect spectral temperatures of ν_x much closer to those of ν_e and . This is of relevance for the detection of neutrino signals from supernovae.     

Synchrotron X-ray diagnostics of cutoff shape of nonthermal electron spectrum at young supernova remnants

Synchrotron X-rays can be a useful tool to investigate electron acceleration at young supernova remnants(SNRs).At present,since the magnetic field configuration around the shocks of SNRs is uncertain,it is not clear whether electron acceleration is limited by SNR age,synchrotron cooling,or even escape from the acceleration region.We study whether the acceleration mechanism can be constrained by the cutoff shape of the electron spectrum around the maximum energy.We derive analytical formulae of the cutoff shape in each case where the maximum electron energy is determined by SNR age,synchrotron cooling and escape from the shock.They are related to the energy dependence of the electron diffusion coefficient.Next,we discuss whether information on the cutoff shape can be provided by observations in the near future which will simply give the photon indices and the flux ratios in the soft and hard X-ray bands.We find that if the power-law index of the electron spectrum is independently determined by other observations,then we can constrain the cutoff shape by comparing theoretical predictions of the photon indices and/or the flux ratios with observed data which will be measured by NuSTAR and/or ASTRO-H.Such study is helpful in understanding the acceleration mechanism.In particular,it will supply another independent constraint on the magnetic field strength around the shocks of SNRs.     

The relation between low-latitude neutral density variations near 400 km and magnetic activity indices

Neutral density data were obtained near 400km (1600 LT) from a microphone density gauge on OGO-6 from 0°G to 40°N magnetic latitude for 25 September–3 October 1969. Several geomagnetic storms occurred during this period (a_p varied from 0 to 207). Least-squares fits were made to data points on density-a_p and density-D_st scatter diagrams, where the density values selected were delayed in time behind a_p and D_st. An equation representing the least-squares fit was computed for each delay time. The equation of best fit (and the corresponding time delay between the density and the magnetic index which resulted in this best fit) was found by choosing the equation that gave the minimum standard error. For example, the best fit at 10°N geomagnetic latitude occurred for a_p at t — 3 hr, where t is the time of the density values. The implications of the time differences associated with the best fits at various latitudes and longitudes are discussed with regard to the time delays involved in geomagnetic heating of the neutral upper atmosphere.

A low-latitude density bulge has been found between 0°N and 40°N whose magnitude varies with a_p. DeVries (1972b) has independently discovered this daytime phenomenon. If the bulge is a semi-permanent feature near the equinoxes because of the enhanced geomagnetic activity, this may help explain the semi-annual effect in density, which was uncovered first in the drag data from low inclination satellites.