Improvements in the Determination of ISS Ca <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">ii</Emphasis> K Parameters

Measurements of the ionized Ca ii K line are one of the major resources for long-term studies of solar and stellar activity. They also play a critical role in many studies related to solar irradiance variability, particularly as a ground-based proxy to model the solar ultraviolet flux variation that may influence the Earth’s climate. Full disk images of the Sun in Ca ii K have been available from various observatories for more than 100 years and latter synoptic Sun-as-a-star observations in Ca ii K began in the early 1970s. One of these instruments, the Integrated Sunlight Spectrometer (ISS) has been in operation at Kitt Peak (Arizona) since late 2006. The ISS takes daily observations of solar spectra in nine spectra bands, including the Ca ii K and H lines. We describe recent improvements in data reduction of Ca ii K observations, and present time variations of nine parameters derived from the profile of this spectral line.     

<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">profit</Emphasis>: a new alternative for emission-line <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">pro</Emphasis>file <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">fit</Emphasis>ting

I briefly describe a simple routine for emission-line profile fitting by Gaussian curves or Gauss–Hermite series. The profit (line-profile fitting) routine represent a new alternative for use in fits data cubes, as the ones from Integral Field Spectroscopy or Fabry–Pérot Interferometry, and may be useful to better study the emission-line flux distributions and gas kinematics in distinct astrophysical objects, such as the central regions of galaxies and star forming regions. The profit routine is written in IDL language and is available at .     

The Solar Spectral Irradiance as a Function of the Mg <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">ii</Emphasis> Index for Atmosphere and Climate Modelling

We present a new method to reconstruct the solar spectrum irradiance in the Ly α – 400 nm region, and its variability, based on the Mg ii index and neutron-monitor measurements. Measurements of the solar spectral irradiance available in the literature have been made with different instruments at different times and different spectral ranges. However, climate studies require harmonised data sets. This new approach has the advantage of being independent of the absolute calibration and aging of the instruments. First, the Mg ii index is derived using solar spectra from Ly α (121 nm) to 410 nm measured from 1978 to 2010 by several space missions. The variability of the spectra with respect to a chosen reference spectrum as a function of time and wavelength is scaled to the derived Mg ii index. The set of coefficients expressing the spectral variability can be applied to the chosen reference spectrum to reconstruct the solar spectra within a given time frame or Mg ii index values. The accuracy of this method is estimated using two approaches: direct comparison with particular cases where solar spectra are available from independent measurements, and calculating the standard deviation between the measured spectra and their reconstruction. From direct comparisons with measurements we obtain an accuracy of about 1 to 2%, which degrades towards Ly α. In a further step, we extend our solar spectral-irradiance reconstruction back to the Maunder Minimum introducing the relationship between the Mg ii index and the neutron-monitor data. Consistent measurements of the Mg ii index are not available prior to 1978. However, we remark that over the last three solar cycles, the Mg ii index shows strong correlation with the modulation potential determined from the neutron-monitor data. Assuming that this correlation can be applied to the past, we reconstruct the Mg ii index from the modulation potential back to the Maunder Minimum, and obtain the corresponding solar spectral-irradiance reconstruction back to that period. As there is no direct measurement of the spectral irradiance for this period we discuss this methodology in light of the other proposed approaches available in the literature. The use of the cosmogenic-isotope data provides a major advantage: it provides information about solar activity over several thousands years. Using technology of today, we can calibrate the solar irradiance against activity and thus reconstruct it for the times when cosmogenic-isotope data are available. This calibration can be re-assessed at any time, if necessary.     

Observations of the Ca <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">ii</Emphasis> IR Triplet in High Luminosity Quasars: Exploring the Sample

We present a new spectroscopic sample of 11 quasars at intermediate redshift observed with the Infrared Spectrometer and Array Camera (ISAAC) on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT), covering O i λ8446 and the Ca ii triplet 8498, 8542, 8662. The new observations – that supplement the sample presented by Martínez-Aldama et al. (2015) – allow us to confirm the constraints on physical conditions and location of the region emitting the low ionization lines, as well as the relation between Ca ii and Fe ii.     

A Century of Solar Ca <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">ii</Emphasis> Measurements and Their Implication for Solar UV Driving of Climate

Spectroheliograms and disk-integrated flux monitoring in the strong resonance line of Ca ii (K line) provide the longest record of chromospheric magnetic plages. We compare recent reductions of the Ca ii K spectroheliograms obtained since 1907 at the Kodaikanal, Mt. Wilson, and US National Solar Observatories. Certain differences between the individual plage indices appear to be caused mainly by differences in the spectral passbands used. Our main finding is that the indices show remarkably consistent behavior on the multidecadal time scales of greatest interest to global warming studies. The reconstruction of solar ultraviolet flux variation from these indices differs significantly from the 20th-century global temperature record. This difference is consistent with other findings that, although solar UV irradiance variation may affect climate through influence on precipitation and storm tracks, its significance in global temperature remains elusive.     

Recalibration of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Soft X-Ray Telescope</Emphasis> Onboard <Emphasis Type="Italic">Yohkoh</Emphasis>

We present a new derivation of the X-ray spectral sensitivity of the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) experiment onboard Yohkoh. The recalibration is based upon the hypothesis that, during the first 15 months of the mission, an absorbing material gradually built up on the entrance filters of the telescope. We have also re-evaluated the times and sizes of ruptures of the SXT entrance filters. The impact of this recalibration on derived filter-ratio temperature, emission measure, and calculated spectral irradiance is substantial, especially for SXT data prior to November 1992.     

New agegraphic dark energy in <Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>) gravity

In this paper, we study a cosmological application of the new agegraphic dark energy density in the f(R) gravity framework. We employ the new agegraphic model of dark energy to obtain the equation of state for the new agegraphic energy density in a spatially flat universe. Our calculations show, taking n<0, that it is possible to have w _Λ crossing −1. This implies that one can generate a phantom-like equation of state from a new agegraphic dark energy model in a flat universe in the modified gravity cosmology framework. Also, we develop a reconstruction scheme for the modified gravity with f(R) action.     

<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">pacce</Emphasis>: Perl algorithm to compute continuum and equivalent widths

We present Perl Algorithm to Compute continuum and Equivalent Widths (pacce). We describe the methods used in the computations and the requirements for its usage. We compare the measurements made with pacce and “manual” ones made using iraf splot task. These tests show that for synthetic simple stellar population (SSP) models the equivalent widths strengths are very similar (differences ?0.2 Å) for both measurements. In real stellar spectra, the correlation between both values is still very good, but with differences of up to 0.5 Å. pacce is also able to determine mean continuum and continuum at line center values, which are helpful in stellar population studies. In addition, it is also able to compute the uncertainties in the equivalent widths using photon statistics. The code is made available for the community through the web at http://www.if.ufrgs.br/~riffel/software.html.     

A web of secondary resonances for large <Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis> geostationary debris

The dynamics of space debris with very high A/m near the geostationary orbit is dominated by the gravitational coefficient C ₂₂ and the solar radiation pressure. An analysis of the stability of the orbits by the chaos indicator MEGNO and frequency analysis map FAM shows chaotic layers around the separatrix and reveals a web of sub-structures associated to resonances with the annual period of the Sun. This succession of stable thin islands and chaotic layers can be reproduced and explained by a quite simple toy model, based on a pendulum approach, perturbed, through the eccentricity, by the external (Sun) frequency. The use of suitable action-angle variables in the circulation and libration regions of the pendulum allows to point out new resonances between the geostationary libration angle and the Sun’s longitude. They correspond very well (positions, shape, width) to the structures visible on the FAM representations.     

Plane Symmetric Cosmological Model with Quark and Strange Quark Matter in <Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis>) Theory of Gravity

We studied plane symmetric cosmological model in the presence of quark and strange quark matter with the help of f(R, T) theory. To decipher solutions of plane symmetric space-time, we used power law relation between scale factor and deceleration parameter. We considered the special law of variation of Hubble’s parameter proposed by Berman (Nuovo Cimento B74, 182, 1983) which yields constant deceleration parameter. We also discussed the physical behavior of the solutions by using some physical parameters.     

A Long-Term Decrease of the Mid-Size Segmentation Lengths Observed in the He <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">ii</Emphasis> (30.4 nm) Solar EUV Emission

Power spectra of segmentation-cell length (a dominant length scale of EUV emission in the transition region) from full-disk He?ii extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images observed by the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) during periods of quiet-Sun conditions for a time interval from 1996 to 2015 were analyzed. The spatial power as a function of the spatial frequency from about 0.04 to 0.27 (EIT) or up to 0.48 (AIA) Mm^?1 depends on the distribution of the observed segmentation-cell dimensions – a structure of the solar EUV network. The temporal variations of the spatial power reported by Didkovsky and Gurman (Solar Phys. 289, 153, 2014) were suggested as decreases at the mid-spatial frequencies for the compared spectra when the power curves at the highest spatial frequencies of 0.5 pix^?1 were adjusted to match each other. This approach has been extended in this work to compare spectral ratios at high spatial frequencies expressed in the solar spatial frequency units of Mm^?1. A model of EIT and AIA spatial responses allowed us to directly compare spatial spectral ratios at high spatial frequencies for five years of joint operation of EIT and AIA, from 2010 to 2015. Based on this approach, we represent these ratio changes as a long-term network transformation that may be interpreted as a continuous dissipation of mid-size network structures to the smaller-size structures in the transition region. In contrast to expected cycling of the segmentation-cell dimension structures and associated spatial power in the spectra with the solar cycle, the spectra demonstrate a significant and steady change of the EUV network. The temporal trend across these structural spectra is not critically sensitive to any long-term instrumental changes, e.g. degradation of sensitivity, but to the change of the segmentation-cell dimensions of the EUV network structure.     

Plane Symmetric Dark Energy Models in the Form of Wet Dark Fluid in <Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis>) Gravity

In this paper, we have investigated the plane symmetric space-time with wet dark fluid (WDF), which is a candidate for dark energy, in the framework of f (R,T) gravity Harko et al. 2011, Phys. Rev. D, 84, 024020), where R and T denote the Ricci scalar and the trace of the energy–momentum tensor respectively. We have used the equation of state in the form of WDF for the dark energy component of the Universe. It is modeled on the equation of state p = ω(ρ ? ρ ^?). The exact solutions to the corresponding field equations are obtained for power-law and exponential volumetric expansion. The geometrical and physical parameters for both the models are studied. Also, we have discussed the well-known astrophysical phenomena, namely the look-back time, proper distance, the luminosity distance and angular diameter distance with red shift.     

The Mn <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">I</Emphasis> 539.47 nm Line Variation in Solar Active Regions

It is a well-established fact that the Mn I 539.47 nm line exhibits significant cycle dependence similar to lines arising in the chromosphere which are affected by non-thermal heating in the chromospheric plages. Among these lines the case of the Mn I 539.47 nm line seems unique. It is of photospheric origin on the basis of theoretical calculations but its cyclic dependence hints at a chromospheric nature. The present work provides further evidence to both connections. The line exhibits asymmetry features and a center-to-limb variation as though influenced by the photospheric granulation. On the other hand an enhancement of the central intensity has been detected in a well identifiable Ca plage area. The line seems to be a promising candidate as an irradiance variation indicator.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">GALEX</Emphasis> and star formation

Wide-field far-UV (FUV, 1344–1786 Å) and near-UV (NUV, 1771–2831 Å) imaging from GALEX provides a deep, comprehensive view of the young stellar populations in hundreds of nearby galaxies, shedding new light on the process of star formation (SF) in different environments, and on the interplay between dust and SF. GALEX’s FUV-NUV color is extremely sensitive to stellar populations of ages up to a few hundred Myrs, unambiguously probing their presence and enabling age-dating and stellar mass estimate, together with the characterization of interstellar dust extinction. The deep sensitivity, combined with the wide field-of-view, made possible in particular the discovery and characterization of star formation in extremely low-density, diffuse gas environments such as outer galaxy disks, tidal tails, low-surface-brightness galaxies (LSB) and dwarf Irregular galaxies, and of rejuvenation episodes in early-type galaxies. Such results provide several missing links for interpreting galaxy classes in an evolutionary context, extend our knowledge of the star-formation process to previously unexplored conditions, constrain models of galaxy disk formation, and clarify the mutual role of dust and star formation. We review a variety of star-forming environments studied by GALEX, and provide some model analysis tools useful for interpretation of GALEX measurements, and potentially as basic science planning tools for next-generation UV instruments.     

Small-Scale Flux Emergence Observed Using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hinode</Emphasis>/SOT

The aim of this paper is to determine the flux emergence rate due to small-scale magnetic features in the quiet Sun using high-resolution Hinode SOT NFI data. Small-scale magnetic features are identified in the data using two different feature identification methods (clumping and downhill); then three methods are applied to detect flux emergence events. The distribution of the intranetwork peak emerged fluxes is determined. When combined with previous emergence results, from ephemeral regions to sunspots, the distribution of all fluxes are found to follow a power-law distribution which spans nearly seven orders of magnitude in flux (10¹⁶ – 10²³ Mx) and 18 orders of magnitude in frequency. The power-law fit to all these data is of the form

Dynamics of Sunspot Light Bridges as Revealed by High-Resolution Images from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hinode</Emphasis>

We present G-band and Ca ii H filtergrams of two sunspot light bridges in NOAA AR 10953 taken from the 50-cm Solar Optical Telescope onboard the Japanese space satellite Hinode on 1 May 2007. The two light bridges differ in structure, with one of them resembling the filamentary penumbra and the other possessing a dark central lane running along the axis of the bridge having a width of 170 km, which is close to the diffraction limit of the telescope. Velocity measurements of the light bridges using proper motion displacements of inhomogeneities, averaged over the entire time series, show a nonuniform flow with velocities peaking at 250 and 180 m s⁻¹ for the two bridges, respectively. We report observations of an archlike structure over one of the light bridges in the Ca images. Brightness enhancements are seen traveling along this arch as well as along the light bridge. Observations suggest that these enhancements over light bridges could possibly be a signature of lower chromospheric heating.     

Global-Mode Analysis of Full-Disk Data from the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Michelson Doppler Imager</Emphasis> and the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager</Emphasis>

Building upon our previous work, in which we analyzed smoothed and subsampled velocity data from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), we extend our analysis to unsmoothed, full-resolution MDI data. We also present results from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), in both full resolution and processed to be a proxy for the low-resolution MDI data. We find that the systematic errors that we saw previously, namely peaks in both the high-latitude rotation rate and the normalized residuals of odd \(a\)-coefficients, are almost entirely absent in the two full-resolution analyses. Furthermore, we find that both systematic errors seem to depend almost entirely on how the input images are apodized, rather than on resolution or smoothing. Using the full-resolution HMI data, we confirm our previous findings regarding the effect of using asymmetric profiles on mode parameters, and also find that they occasionally result in more stable fits. We also confirm our previous findings regarding discrepancies between 360-day and 72-day analyses. We further investigate a six-month period previously seen in \(f\)-mode frequency shifts using the low-resolution datasets, this time accounting for solar-cycle dependence using magnetic-field data. Both HMI and MDI saw prominent six-month signals in the frequency shifts, but we were surprised to discover that the strongest signal at that frequency occurred in the mode coverage for the low-resolution proxy. Finally, a comparison of mode parameters from HMI and MDI shows that the frequencies and \(a\)-coefficients agree closely, encouraging the concatenation of the two datasets.     

Single lunation <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-observation orbits

Initial orbit determination by least squares of N observations is essentially a linear problem if the coordinates x ₀ and x ₁ at two standard epochs are used as elements. The orbit of a main belt object is approximated within the observational errors by a third degree polynomial during a month. A 4-observation orbit is useful for the initial linking between two nights. Parallax is treated rigorously and future simultaneous space and Earth based observations determine the critical distance directly. The N-observation method is a great simplification of the classical 3-observation orbit followed by a differential correction by N observations.     

On-Orbit Performance of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager</Emphasis> Instrument onboard the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solar Dynamics Observatory</Emphasis>

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument is a major component of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft. Since commencement of full regular science operations on 1 May 2010, HMI has operated with remarkable continuity, e.g. during the more than five years of the SDO prime mission that ended 30 September 2015, HMI collected 98.4% of all possible 45-second velocity maps; minimizing gaps in these full-disk Dopplergrams is crucial for helioseismology. HMI velocity, intensity, and magnetic-field measurements are used in numerous investigations, so understanding the quality of the data is important. This article describes the calibration measurements used to track the performance of the HMI instrument, and it details trends in important instrument parameters during the prime mission. Regular calibration sequences provide information used to improve and update the calibration of HMI data. The set-point temperature of the instrument front window and optical bench is adjusted regularly to maintain instrument focus, and changes in the temperature-control scheme have been made to improve stability in the observable quantities. The exposure time has been changed to compensate for a 20% decrease in instrument throughput. Measurements of the performance of the shutter and tuning mechanisms show that they are aging as expected and continue to perform according to specification. Parameters of the tunable optical-filter elements are regularly adjusted to account for drifts in the central wavelength. Frequent measurements of changing CCD-camera characteristics, such as gain and flat field, are used to calibrate the observations. Infrequent expected events such as eclipses, transits, and spacecraft off-points interrupt regular instrument operations and provide the opportunity to perform additional calibration. Onboard instrument anomalies are rare and seem to occur quite uniformly in time. The instrument continues to perform very well.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">JHKLM</Emphasis> photometry for carbon stars

We discuss our JHKLM photometry for nine carbon Mira stars, eighteen carbon semiregular variables, and two oxygen Mira stars. For fourteen carbon stars, we present and analyze their infrared light and color curves. For all of the observed objects, we have estimated the optical depths of the circumstellar dust envelopes, the angular diameters of the stars, and their temperatures.