Bursts of star formation caused by disk-halo mass exchange

It is well known that galaxies accumulating large quantities of gas undergo violent bursts of star formation. This is believed to be due to tidal interactions of galaxies leading to the infall of gas into their central regions. Bursts of star formation in this scenario are transitory phenomena and can be induced only by external sources.However, in some cases there is no direct evidence of tidal interactions in starburst galaxies.We discuss another possibility of bursting phenomena in galaxies connected with nonlinear feedback processes in mass-exchange between components of star-forming region. We consider a three-component model including cold clouds, warm gas and massive stars and take into account the delay processes in the transformation of hot gas ejected by massive stars and evaporated from cold phase, into the warm phase. Self-regulating mechanism of phase transition of small clouds into warm gas due to heating radiation of massive stars is also taken into account.The analysis of stability of the system shows that it could be unstable even in case of a small efficiency in the birth of massive stars. The evolution of unstable nonlinear perturbations leads to the development of self-sustained nonlinear oscillations of star formation.     

Thermal trigger for solar flares and coronal loops formation

A longitudinal stability is considered for the quasi-steady current sheet which is uniform along the current. In the MHD approximation, the stability problem is solved for the plane neutral sheet and small disturbances propagating along the current. The current sheet is shown to break-up into the system of cooler and more dense filaments due to radiative cooling. The filaments are parallel to magnetic field lines. This process corresponds to the condensation mode of a thermal instability and can play a trigger role for a solar flare. Moreover, at the nonlinear stage of development, it can lead to the formation of very dense cold filaments surrounded by high-temperature low-density plasma inside the current sheet. Flowing into the filaments, hot plasma is cooled by radiation and compressed. Then the cold dense plasma flows out from the current sheet along the filaments. We think that the process under consideration is responsible for the often observed picture of an arcade of cold loops in the solar corona.The text of this paper was written by B. V. Somov after the death of Prof. S. I. Syrovatskii.     

河外星际尘埃辐射对微波背景辐射的影响

本文借助于观测到的大、小麦哲伦云的星际尘埃辐射，估计总星系内的“冷”星际尘埃热再辐射对宇宙微波背景辐射的影响．结果表明：总星系内的星际“冷”尘埃的热辐射所形成的背景辐射对微波背景辐射的扰动强烈地依赖于宇宙减速因子和“冷”尘埃量，在宇宙背景探测者（ＣＯＢＥ）的观测结果的限制下，无论宇宙减速因子取何种值，“冷”尘埃所占的比例都是非常少的，如果Ｏｓｔｒｉｋｅｒ所作的平均每个星系内由尘埃产生的蓝光光深τＢ＝０．５的假定是合理的，那么星际尘埃量随温度的分布是非常不均匀的。     

Nonlinear properties of electron acoustic wave turbulence in the geomagnetic tail

The nonlinear properties of electron acoustic waves in a magnetized plasma consisting of hot electrons, hot ions, and cold electrons are investigated. Using a fluid-guiding center model for the cold electrons and Boltzmann distributions for the hot species, a set of nonlinear mode-coupling equations is derived. Monopole and dipole-vortex solutions are shown to exist for the system of nonlinear equations. Spectrum cascade by mode-coupling in the electron acoustic wave turbulence is investigated. Relevance of our investigation to broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) in the geomagnetic tail is discussed.     

Terrestrial myriametric radiation from the earth's plasmapause

Terrestrial myriametric radiation (non-thermal continuum) observed by the GEOS 1 spacecraft is used to determine the radial profile of plasma density at the equatorial plasmapause. The method utilises the properties of a radio window through which the radiation propagates. The radial density profile obtained by remote sensing is compared with that implied from natural electrostatic emissions as the spacecraft approaches the equatorial source region. The TMR profile appears to be that of the cold plasma whereas the frequencies of the intense non-equatorial emissions beyond the plasmapause are governed by the hot and cold components. Ray-tracing and polarisation computations indicate that a simplistic interpretation of direction-finding measurements using the spinning dipole technique could lead to erroneous source directions under certain circumstances. In such cases if the spacecraft orientation is known corrections can be applied to yield the true direction.     

Radio emission of fast cosmic ions

It is usually assumed that the ions of cosmic rays contribute nothing to the observable electromagnetic radiation. However, this is true only when these ions are moving in a vacuum or a quiet (nonturbulent) plasma. In the case of fast ions in a turbulent plasma, there is an effective nonlinear mechanism of radiation which is discussed in this paper. The fast ion (relativistic or nonrelativistic) moving in the plasma creates a polarization cloud around itself which also moves with the particles. The turbulent plasma waves may scatter on the moving electric field of this polarization cloud. In the process of this scattering an electromagnetic wave with frequency (2.7) is generated. Let ₁ and k₁ be the frequency and wave vector of turbulent plasma waves,V is the velocity of the ion, and is the angle between the wave vector of electromagnetic radiation and the direction of the ion velocity. The method of calculating the probability of the conversion of plasma waves (k₁) into electromagnetic waves (k) by scattering on an ion with velocityV is described in detal in Section 2 (Equation (2.14)).The spectral coefficients of spontaneous radiation in the case of scattering of plasma waves on polarization clouds created by fast nonrelativistic ions are given in (3.6) for an ion energy distribution function (3.4) and in (3.8) for more general evaluations. The Equations (3.9)–(3.13) describe the spectral coefficients of spontaneous emission for different modes of plasma turbulence (Langmuir (3.9), electron cyclotron in a weak (3.10) or strong (3.11) magnetic field and ion acoustic (3.12)–(3.13) waves). The coefficients of reabsorption or induced emission are given by Equations (3.14) and (3.16)–(3.19). There is a maser effect in the case of scattering of plasma waves on a stream of ions. The effective temperature of the spontaneous emission is given by Equation (3.15). The spectral coefficients of radiation due to scattering of plasma waves on relativistic ions are calculated in the same manner (Equations (4.14)–(4.15)). The total energy loss due to this radiation is given in Equations (4.23)–(4.25). The coefficients of induced emission are given in (4.26)–(4.28).The results are discussed in Section 5. It is shown that the loss of energy by nonlinear plasma radiation is much smaller than the ionization loss. However, the coefficients of synchrotron radiation of electrons and nonlinear radiation of ions under cosmic conditions may be comparable in the case of a weak magnetic field and fairly low frequencies (5.5)–(5.6). Usually the spectrum of nonlinear plasma radiation is steeper than in the case of synchroton radiation. Equation (5.10) gives the condition for nonlinear radiation to prevail over thermal radiation.Translated by D. F. Smith.     

Electrostatic electron acoustic solitons in electron-positron-ion plasma with superthermal electrons and positrons

Properties of fully nonlinear electron-acoustic solitary waves in an unmagnetized and collisionless electron-positron-ion plasma containing cold dynamical electrons, superthermal electrons and positrons obeying Cairns’ distribution have been analyzed in the stationary background of massive positive ions. A linear dispersion relation has been derived, from which it is found that even in the absence of superthermal electrons, the superthermal positron component can provide the restoring force to the cold inertial electrons to excite electron-acoustic waves. Moreover, superthermal electron and positron populations seem to enhance the electron acoustic wave phase speed. For nonlinear analysis, Korteweg-de Vries equation is obtained using the reductive perturbation technique. It is found that in the presence of positron both hump and dip type solitons appear to excite. The present work may be employed to explore and to understand the formation of electron acoustic soliton structures in the space and laboratory plasmas with nonthermal electrons and positrons.     

An exact analytical solution in radiation gas dynamics

The Brinkley-Kirkwood theory, as modified by Bhatnagar and Kushwaha for the inclusion of radiation pressure, is applied to obtain an exact analytical solution for radiation pressure, shock velocity, etc., when a strong explosion takes place in a cold undisturbed gas obeying an exponential density distribution. Cases involving spherical symmetry, axial symmetry or spheroidal symmetry are also considered.     

Polarized line formation by resonance scattering: Lorentz profile

Multiple resonance scattering of spectral line radiation is examined in atmospheres with uniformly distributed sources of unpolarized radiation. It is assumed that the profile of the absorption coefficient is lorentzian and that scattering involves complete frequency redistribution. The polarization characteristics of the emerging radiation are determined by iterative solution of a nonlinear Ambartsumyan-Chandrasekhar matrix integral equation. In particular, it is found that for pure scattering the maximum polarization at the limb of the disk is 5.421%. The polarization characteristics of the emerging radiation are compared for three different absorption profiles: Lorentz, Doppler, and rectangular (monochromatic radiation). __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 199–217 (May 2007).     

Modelling the Propagation of a Weak Fast-Mode MHD Shock Wave near a 2D Magnetic Null Point Using Nonlinear Geometrical Acoustics

We present the results of analytical modelling of fast-mode magnetohydrodynamic wave propagation near a 2D magnetic null point. We consider both a linear wave and a weak shock and analyse their behaviour in cold and warm plasmas. We apply the nonlinear geometrical acoustics method based on the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approximation. We calculate the wave amplitude, using the ray approximation and the laws of solitary shock wave damping. We find that a complex caustic is formed around the null point. Plasma heating is distributed in space and occurs at a caustic as well as near the null point due to substantial nonlinear damping of the shock wave. The shock wave passes through the null point even in a cold plasma. The complex shape of the wave front can be explained by the caustic pattern.     

Asymmetry of compton scattering by relativistic electrons with an isotropic velocity distribution: Astrophysical implications

The angular distribution of low-frequency radiation after a single scattering by relativistic electrons with an isotropic velocity distribution differs markedly from the Rayleigh angular function. In particular, the scattering by an ensemble of ultrarelativistic electrons is described by the law p=1?cosα, where α is the scattering angle. Thus, photons are mostly scattered backward. We discuss some consequences of this fact for astrophysical problems. We show that a hot atmosphere of scattering electrons is more reflective than a cold one: the fraction of incident photons reflected after a single scattering can be larger than that in the former case by up to 50%. This must affect the photon exchange between cold accretion disks and hot coronae (or advective flows) near relativistic compact objects, as well as the rate of cooling (through multiple inverse-Compton scattering of the photons supplied from outside) of optically thick clouds of relativistic electrons in compact radio sources. Scattering asymmetry also causes the spatial diffusion of photons to proceed more slowly in a hot plasma than in a cold one, which affects the shapes of Comptonization spectra and the time delay in the detection of soft and hard radiation from variable X-ray sources.     

The interpretation of spectral depressions in gamma-ray bursts: A constraint from the estimate of radiative pressure

The physical model (Wanget al., 1989) is considered of cyclotron absorption of GRB radiation in a layer of cold non-moving plasma taking into account the effect of radiative pressure.     

Alfvén Wave Phase Mixing as a Source of Fast Magnetosonic Waves

The nonlinear excitation of fast magnetosonic waves by phase mixing Alfvén waves in a cold plasma with a smooth inhomogeneity of density across a uniform magnetic field is considered. If initially fast waves are absent from the system, then nonlinearity leads to their excitation by transversal gradients in the Alfvén wave. The efficiency of the nonlinear Alfvén–fast magnetosonic wave coupling is strongly increased by the inhomogeneity of the medium. The fast waves, permanently generated by Alfvén wave phase mixing, are refracted from the region with transversal gradients of the Alfvén speed. This nonlinear process suggests a mechanism of indirect plasma heating by phase mixing through the excitation of obliquely propagating fast waves.     

Three-wave interaction in cold magnetized plasmas

The coupled equations for the resonant nonlinear interaction between three waves in cold magnetized plasmas are derived and written in a comparatively simple and symmetric form. The deficiencies of previous papers are pointed out and the possibility of explosive interactions in the solar corona is suggested.     

Volterra equation for the matrix source function at resonance scattering

A matrix transfer equation for multiple resonance scattering of radiation in a spectral line in a semiinfinite atmosphere with a uniform distribution of primary radiation sources is examined. A nonlinear matrix integral is obtained for this equation as a generalization of the Rybicki two-point Q-integral. One special case of the matrix [^(Q)] {\mathbf{\hat{Q}}} -integral is the Volterra equation for the matrix source function of the problem discussed here. The Volterra equation is solved numerically for a Doppler profile of the absorption coefficient. Several polarization characteristics of the emerging radiation are obtained.     

Polarization spectra of synchrotron radiation and the plasma composition of relativistic jets

We investigate the problem of determining the plasma composition of relativistic jets in blazars and microquasars from the polarization frequency spectra of their synchrotron radiation. The effect of plasma composition on this radiation is attributable to a change in the structure of the ordinary and extraordinary waves in plasma, depending on the presence of a nonrelativistic electron-proton component in it and on the type of relativistic particles (electrons, positrons). The structure of the normal waves determines the properties of the observed radiation and primarily the shape of the polarization frequency spectrum. Our analytic calculations of the polarization spectra for simple models of jets with a uniform magnetic field and with a magnetic-field shear revealed characteristic features in the polarization spectra. These features allow us to differentiate between the synchrotron radiation from an admixture of relativistic particles in a cold plasma and the radiation from a relativistic plasma. However, definitive conclusions regarding the relativistic plasma composition (electrons or electron-positron pairs) can be reached only by a detailed analysis of the polarization frequency spectra that will be obtained in future radioastronomical studies with high angular and frequency resolutions.     

Strong electromagnetic waves in a magnetized relativistic electron-positron plasma

It is shown that in a strongly magnetized relativistic electron-positron plasma, strongly localized large amplitude circularly polarized electromagnetic wave pulses exist. The localization is due to relativistic mass variation as well as ponderomotive force effects. Three types of pulses are found analytically: the sharply spiked pulse in a strongly magnetized cold plasma, the smooth pulse in a week magnetized warm plasma, and the moderately spiked pulse for a weakly magnetized cold plasma. The physical mechanisms giving rise to these pulses are distinct for each case. Possible implications of our investigation to pulsar radiation are discussed.     

Electron-acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized plasma with hot electrons featuring Tsallis distribution

Nonlinear dynamics of electron-acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized plasma whose constituents are cold magnetized electron fluid, hot electrons featuring Tsallis distribution, and stationary ions are examined. The nonlinear evolution equation (i.e., Zakharov–Kuznetsov (ZK) equation), governing the propagation of EAS waves in such plasma is derived and investigated analytically and numerically, for parameter regimes relevant to the dayside auroral zone. It is revealed that the amplitude, strength and nature of the nonlinear EAS waves are extremely sensitive to the degree of the hot electron nonextensivity. Furthermore, the obtained results are in good agreement with the observations made by the Viking satellite.     

The boundary-layer flow of a radiating gas by the integral equation method

The flow in the boundary layer of a very hot two-component plasma is analysed when the radiative heat flux is given by the exact integral equation expression. The basic nonlinear integro-differential equation is solved by perturbing it about the differential approximation for radiation. In this way some light is shed on the order of accuracy of the differential approximation of radiation. In fact an error of about 4% may be incurred by invoking the differential approximation.     

Solitary solution and energy for the Kadomstev–Petviashvili equation in two temperatures charged dusty grains

The nonlinear properties of small amplitude dust-acoustic solitary waves (DAWs) in a homogeneous unmagnetized plasma having electrons, singly charged ions, hot and cold dust species with Boltzmann distributions for electrons and ions have been investigated. A reductive perturbation method was employed to obtain the Kadomstev-Petviashvili (KP) equation. The effects of the presence of charged hot and cold dust grains on the nature of DAWs were discussed. Moreover, the energy of two temperatures charged dusty grains were computed. The present investigation can be of relevance to the electrostatic solitary structures observed in various space plasma environments.