Conceptual design studies of the 5 m terahertz antenna for Dome A,Antarctica

As the highest, coldest and driest place in Antarctica, Dome A provides exceptionally good observing conditions for ground-based observations over terahertz wavebands. The 5 m Dome A Terahertz Explorer （DATES） has been proposed to explore new terahertz windows, primarily over wavelengths between 350 and 200 pm. DATE5 will be an open-air, fully-steerable telescope that can function by unmanned operation with remote control. The telescope will be able to endure the harsh polar environment, including high altitude, very low temperature and very low air pressure. The unique specifications, including high accuracies for surface shape and pointing and fully automatic year-around remote operation, along with a stringent limit on the periods of on-site assembly, testing and maintenance, bring a number of challenges to the design, construction, assembly and operation of this telescope. This paper intro- duces general concepts related to the design of the DATE5 antenna. Beginning from an overview of the environmental and operational limitations, the design specifications and requirements of the DATE5 antenna are listed. From these, major aspects on the conceptual design studies, including the antenna optics, the backup structure, the pan- els, the subreflector, the mounting and the antenna base structure, are explained. Some critical issues of performance are justified through analyses that use computational fluid dynamics, thermal analysis and de-icing studies, and the proposed approaches for test operation and on-site assembly. Based on these studies, we conclude that the specifications of the DATE5 antenna can generally be met by using enhanced technological approaches.     

The importance of source positions during radio fine structure observations

The measurement of positions and sizes of radio sources in the observations of the fine structure of solar radio bursts is a determining factor for the selection of the radio emission mechanism. The identical parameters describing the radio sources for zebra structures（ZSs） and fiber bursts confirm there is a common mechanism for both structures. It is very important to measure the size of the source in the corona to determine if it is distributed along the height or if it is point-like. In both models of ZSs（the double plasma resonance（DPR） and the whistler model） the source must be distributed along the height, but by contrast to the stationary source in the DPR model, in the whistler model the source should be moving. Moreover, the direction of the space drift of the radio source must correlate with the frequency drift of stripes in the dynamic spectrum. Some models of ZSs require a local source, for example,the models based on the Bernstein modes, or on explosive instability. The selection of the radio emission mechanism for fast broadband pulsations with millisecond duration also depends on the parameters of their radio sources.     

Relations between stellar mass and electron temperature-based metallicity for star-forming galaxies in a wide mass range

We select 947 star-forming galaxies from SDSS-DR7 with [O III]λ4363emission lines detected at a signal-to-noise ratio larger than 5σ. Their electron temperatures and direct oxygen abundances are then determined. We compare the results from different methods. t2, the electron temperature in the low ionization region, estimated from t3, that in the high ionization region, is compared using three analysis relations between t2- t3. These show obvious differences, which result in some different ionic oxygen abundances. The results of t3, t2, O++/H+and O+/H+derived by using methods from IRAF and literature are also compared. The ionic abundances O++/H+are higher than O+/H+for most cases. The different oxygen abundances derived from Teand the strong-line ratios show a clear discrepancy, which is more obvious following increasing stellar mass and strong-line ratio R23. The sample of galaxies from SDSS with detected [O III]λ4363 have lower metallicites and higher star formation rates, so they may not be typical representatives of the whole population of galaxies. Adopting data objects from Andrews Martini, Liang et al. and Lee et al. data, we derive new relations of stellar mass and metallicity for star-forming galaxies in a much wider stellar mass range: from 106 M to 1011 M.     

New upper limits on deviation from the inverse-square law of gravity in the solar system： a Yukawa parameterization

New physics beyond the standard model of particles might cause deviation from the inverse-square law of gravity. In many theoretical models of modified gravity, it is parameterized by the Yukawa correction to the Newtonian gravitational force in terms of two parameters α and λ. Here α is a dimensionless strength parameter and A is a length scale. Using the supplementary advances in perihelia provided by INPOP10a and EPM2011 ephemerides, we obtain new upper limits on the deviation from the inverse-square law when the uncertainty of the Sun＇s quadrupole moment is taken into account. We find that INPOP10a yields the upper limits as α =- 3.1× 10-11 and λ= 0.15 au, and EPM2011 gives α = 5.2 × 10-11 and λ=- 0.21 au. In both of them, α is at least 10 times less than the previous results.     

New upper limit on the cosmological constant from solar system dynamics

The cosmological constantΛis the simplest model for explaining the dark energy which supposedly drives the observed accelerated expansion rate of the Universe.Together with the concept of cold dark matter,it satisfactorily accommodates a wealth of observations related to cosmology.Due to its assumed constancy throughout the Universe,Λmight also affect the dynamics of the planets in the solar system,although with extremely small effects.However,modern high-precision ephemerides provide a promising tool for constraining it.Using the supplementary advances in the perihelia provided by current INPOP10a and EPM2011 ephemerides,we obtain a new upper limit onΛin the solar system when the Lense-Thirring effect due to the Sun’s angular momentum and the uncertainty of the Sun’s quadrupole moment are properly taken into account.These two factors were mostly absent in previous works dealing withΛ.We find that INPOP10a yields an upper limit ofΛ=(0.26±1.45)×10-43m-2and EPM2011 givesΛ=(-0.44±8.93)×10-43m-2.Such bounds are about 10 times less than previously estimated results.     

潮汐效应、系统自转效应对双星物质交换过程的影响

现今双星演化理论中,以子星的半径等于临界洛希瓣半径,作为双星中发生物质交换过程的判据,仅仅是一个为了将三维计算简化为一维计算而引入的近似判据．它在理论上是不严格的．本文给出了一个理论严格而又能一维计算的判据．并用新的判据和用子星半径等于临界洛希瓣半径的判据,对一个由９Ｍ和６Ｍ恒星组成的双星系统,进行了情况Ａ的演化计算（即物质交换过程发生在主星中心氢燃烧阶段）．结果证明,用新的判据时,双星中发生物质交换过程的起始时间提前,快速物质交换过程变短,平均物质交换率增大,但慢速物质交换过程变长．在物质交换过程结束时,主星和次星的质量、双星系统的轨道周期以及主星在赫罗图中的位置,都与采用子星半径等于相应洛希瓣半径作为判据的计算结果明显不同．这说明,发生物质交换过程的判据是否严格,对于双星演化的影响是不可忽略的．     

A New Formulation for General Relativistic Force-Free Electrodynamics and Its Applications

We formulate the general relativistic force-free electrodynamics in a new 3 ＋ 1 language. In this formulation, when we have properly defined electric and magnetic fields, the covariant Maxwell equations could be cast in the traditional form with new vacuum constitutive constraint equations. The fundamental equation governing a stationary, axisymmetric force-free black hole magnetosphere is derived using this formulation which recasts the Grad-Shafranov equation in a simpler way. Compared to the classic 3＋1 system of Thorne and MacDonald, the new system of 3＋1 equations is more suitable for numerical use for it keeps the hyperbolic structure of the electrodynamics and avoids the singularity at the event horizon. This formulation could be readily extended to non-relativistic limit and find applications in fiat spacetime. We investigate its application to disk wind, black hole magnetosphere and solar physics in both fiat and curved spacetime.     

Equilibria of a charged artificial satellite subject to gravitational and Lorentz torques

The attitude dynamics of a rigid artificial satellite subject to a gravity gradient and Lorentz torques in a circular orbit are considered. Lorentz torque is developed on the basis of the electrodynamic effects of the Lorentz force acting on the charged satellite's surface. We assume that the satellite is moving in a Low Earth Orbit in the geomagnetic field, which is considered to be a dipole. Our model of torque due to the Lorentz force is developed for an artificial satellite with a general shape, and the nonlinear differential equations of Euler are used to describe its attitude orientation. All equilibrium positions are determined and conditions for their existence are obtained.The numerical results show that the charge q and radius ρ0of the center of charge for the satellite provide a certain type of semi-passive control for the attitude of the satellite. The technique for this kind of control would be to increase or decrease the electrostatic screening on the satellite. The results obtained confirm that the change in charge can affect the magnitude of the Lorentz torque, which can also affect control of the satellite. Moreover, the relationship between magnitude of the Lorentz torque and inclination of the orbit is investigated.     

Electromagnetic effects on the orbital motion of a charged spacecraft

This paper deals with the effects of electromagnetic forces on the orbital motion of a spacecraft.The electrostatic charge which a spacecraft generates on its surface in the Earth’s magnetic field will be subject to a perturbative Lorentz force.A model incorporating all Lorentz forces as a function of orbital elements has been developed on the basis of magnetic and electric fields.This Lorentz force can be used to modify or perturb the spacecraft’s orbits.Lagrange’s planetary equations in the Gauss variational form are derived using the Lorentz force as a perturbation to a Keplerian orbit.Our approach incorporates orbital inclination and the true anomaly.The numerical results of Lagrange’s planetary equations for some operational satellites show that the perturbation in the orbital elements of the spacecraft is a second order perturbation for a certain value of charge.The effect of the Lorentz force due to its magnetic component is three times that of the Lorentz force due to its electric component.In addition,the numerical results confirm that the strong effects are due to the Lorentz force in a polar orbit,which is consistent with realistic physical phenomena that occur in polar orbits.The results confirm that the magnitude of the Lorentz force depends on the amount of charge.This means that we can use artificial charging to create a force to control the attitude and orbital motion of a spacecraft.     

A statistical study of the interdependence of solar wind parameters

Correlation analysis of solar wind parameters, namely solar wind velocity, pro- ton density, proton temperature and mean interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) from the ACE spacecraft data near Earth, was done. To our best knowledge, this study is a novel one since we consider here only the parameters inside the solar wind, including the mean IMF and, hence, the solar wind is a self consistent system. We have proposed a Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model for the prediction of the response variable (solar wind velocity) using the parameters proton density, proton temperature and mean IMF mea- sured as dally averages. About 60% of the observed value can be predicted using this model. It is shown that, in general, the correlation between solar wind parameters is sig- nificant. A deviation from the prediction at the solar maximum is interpreted. These results are verified by a graphical method.