云南天文台1m红外望远镜的主镜热力学分析

云南天文台1m红外太阳望远镜是多功能、多波段的太阳望远镜,望远镜使用过程中主镜的热变形直接关系这系统的光学精度,建立光学系统的光机热结合的分析方法,可以直观的得到热辐射对光学系统的影响结果,使得望远镜的设计阶段就能评估热变形对系统的精度影响,确定光学元件是否满足要求.     

海量星表融合系统（XMaS_VO）的设计与开发

将不同波段的星表、特别是巡天项目产生的大型星表进行交叉证认,一直是进行多波段天文学研究,尤其是数据挖掘、统计分析研究的瓶颈.本文开发和实现了一个不依赖于特定数据库的海量星表融合系统(简称为XMaS_VO),用户能够方便地使用此系统的服务进行星表的上传及自动入库、交叉证认等工作.此外,XMaS_VO具备可移植性,如果用户需要进行很大数量的或者大型星表的交叉证认服务,可以自己建立数据库,方便地将此工具移植到自己的服务器上,自己使用或者开放服务给他人.随着该系统的进一步发展和应用.天文学家将可以轻松自如地获得他们需要的多波段融合数据,自由地选取参数和匹配的结果.从而可以更加有效地从事海量数据处理和分析工作.     

一种扩大FAST视场的方法

所有的大口径射电望远镜都存在这样一个问题：在其分辨率和灵敏度提高的同时，视场变小．而且口径越大，视场越小．这成为大口径望远镜不可回避的矛盾．要解决这个矛盾，可以在望远镜的焦平面上放置Ⅳ个分立馈源．让它们同时工作，这样可以看作把视场扩大了Ⅳ倍．望远镜的工作效率提高Ⅳ倍．但是这样做的缺点是——视场不连续．且馈源数目Ⅳ受到望远镜焦比(F／D)的限制．采用致密焦面阵(dense focal plane array)就可以很好地解决这个问题．致密焦面阵的单元不是喇叭口天线，而是无方向性的Vivaldi天线(Vivaldi antenna)．要把Vivaldi阵列应用到望远镜上，需要对单个Vivaldi天线和Vivaldi阵列的电性能有清楚的认识，并能根据需要来设计照明方向图．还要知道大望远镜的焦面上电磁场的分布情况，借此判断能否应用Vivaldi阵列，以及给出Vivaldi单元的分路赋权网络．主要给出了FAST的焦面场的分布情况．并说明应用Vivaldi阵列的可能性．     

中国虚拟天文台资源信息管理

信息技术的高速发展正在逐步影响着传统的科学研究领域,虚拟天文台(VO)就是其中的一个典型代表.它与当前最前沿的网格技术结合起来,以实现全球天文资源的共享,充分挖掘海量天文数据的科学潜能.在中国虚拟天文台的设计与实现过程中,我们采取了开放网格服务架构(OGSA)的体系结构,以服务的方式来组织和管理虚拟天文台中的资源.中国虚拟天文台资源管理系统的设计实现,资源信息的注册及发现是一个关键的问题,直接影响着整个系统的运行.本文以OGSA为基础,结合Globus Toolkit 3(GT3)的具体实现,阐述中国虚拟天文台资源信息管理系统的设计与实现.     

压强梯度与前身星模型Ws15M⊙超新星爆发

针对前身星模型Ws15M⊙,采用程序WLYW89数值模拟了超新星瞬时爆发过程;数值结果表明,在不增大压强的前提下,适当调节坍缩和反弹阶段的压强梯度,超新星瞬时爆发是可以获得成功的.在有限的引力释放能量的情况下,压强梯度的调整增加了对流传能机制,可以缩短瞬时爆发所用的时间,提高爆发能量,使得瞬时强爆炸能够成功.     

热亚矮星的研究进展

热亚矮星以其独特的性质受到人们日益关注.它们是年老椭圆星系中良好的紫外源,系统地研究热亚矮星的观测特征和形成机制可以帮助我们理解恒星演化、椭圆星系中"紫外超"现象的起源和球状星团的动力学演化.热亚矮星的形成模型主要包括单星模型和双星模型.双星模型包含三种渠道:公共包层抛射渠道、稳定的洛希瓣物质交流渠道和双氦白矮星并合渠道.该文系统地总结了热亚矮星的观测特征,并简要介绍了它们的形成机制.     

查尔斯·海登天文馆重张

2011年2月13日,美国马萨诸塞州波士顿科学馆的查尔斯·海登天文馆,重新向市民打开它的大门,为游客提供无与伦比的通往宇宙的旅程。这是目前新英格兰地区技术最先进的天文馆。查尔斯·海登天文馆开馆首演的原创节目是《寻找未知：探索太阳系以外的世界》。     

星系宜居区及恒星寿命

科学家公认“生命宜居带”是恒星周围的一个区域,其中液态水必须能够在一个类地行星的表面存在数十亿年之久;这个区域是环形的,它的内边界应该是行星围绕其母恒星运转而又不会使行星海洋的水散失到空间的最近一条轨道;在最极端的情况下,恶性发展的温室效应将占支配地位,结果使得海洋水蒸发殆尽（例如金星正是此种情况）。     

太空明星风采录：梅西叶（上）

查尔斯·梅西叶是18世纪法国著名天文学家。梅西叶热衷于彗星的搜寻,一生中共发现彗星13颗。其实,悔西叶留给后人的最宝贵的财富并不在于他发现的这10多颗彗星,而是他编制的《梅西叶星表》。星表是梅西叶寻彗工作的副产品,星表中包含了在北半球能看到的一批深空天体。这些天体被统称为悔西叶天体,梅西叶家乡的人自豪地说,“他的名字就刻在天上“。     

历法发展的一种模式

历法从起源到发展成熟完善的过程,首先是建立纪日制度,进而确立规范的纪月法,最后完成的才是纪年法.从3个少数民族历法发展的形态看,这种历法发展进程的模式,虽不能断言都必然如此,但至少这是一种发展模式.     

Structural analysis of periodic surface waves on the magnetospheric boundary

In situ observations of the flanks of the magnetospheric boundary (magnetopause and boundary layer) sometimes show periodic surface waves to be present. We propose a straightforward but powerful technique for analyzing such periodic boundary waves. The result of this analysis is a two-dimensional picture of the structure of the wave in a reference frame that travels tailward with the wave. We give a few examples of wave patterns that can be recovered from AMPTE/IRM data. We demonstrate that the proposed method is a valuable tool that can shed a new light on issues such as the value of the wave speed, the location of flow vortices in the boundary layer, the identification of the unstable surface in the case of a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and the non-sinusoidal form of surface waves.     

Production of vibrationally excited N2 by electron impact

Energy transfer from electrons to neutral gases and ions is one of the dominant electron cooling processes in the ionosphere, and the role of vibrationally excited N₂ in this is particularly significant. We report here the results from a new calculation of electron energy transfer rates (Q) for vibrational excitation of N₂, as a function of the electron temperature T_e. The present study was motivated by the development of a new cross-section compilation for vibrational excitation processes in N₂ which supercedes those used in the earlier calculations of the electron energy transfer rates. We show that the energy dependence and magnitude of these cross sections, particularly in the region of the well-known resonance in N₂, significantly affect the calculated values of Q. A detailed comparison between the current and previous calculated electron energy transfer rates is made and coefficients are provided so that these rates for transitions from level 0 to levels 1-10 can be calculated for electron temperatures less than .     

Planetary system formation through binary star merging

A scenario is considered for the formation of a planetary system through the merging of a binary star comprised of low-mass (0.5–1 M _⊙) stars in the stage of contracting towards the main sequence. According to our previous computations (Sirotkin and Karetnikov, 2006), under certain conditions, the destruction of the more massive component can result in the formation of a central star, an accretion disk, and an extended arm. The extended arm is fragmented to form clouds of planetary masses (<5M _J). The formed disk and clouds rotate in the same direction as the central star. The clouds are in elongated orbits (e > 0.3) lying in the orbital plane of the initial binary system. To test these earlier results, we repeated computations for the same system parameters but with higher accuracy. The new computations confirmed the earlier results and gave new information about the cloud and disk structure.     

Evidence of the complex structure of asteroid 21 Lutetia

We discuss the results of the analysis of three sets of observations of asteroid 21 Lutetia—spectrophotometry, simultaneous BVR photometry, and spectrometry—which show that the asteroid is not a monolithic body. The frequency analysis of the B-V and V-R color indices and the V values, which were obtained from simultaneous BVR measurements in 2004 and calculated from the spectrophotometric observations performed in 2000 (the synthetic values and the color indices), allowed us to demonstrate that the known rotation period of 8.^h172 of the asteroid does not exist at all. At a rather high confidence level, six new periods were found: 2.^h0, 2.^h93, 16.^h8, 1.^d25, 3.^d25, and 60^d. During spectral observations with a 1.25-m telescope at the southern laboratory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute in Nauchnyi (Crimea) in 2004, the spectra of two components spaced 2.8″ apart were registered. In the short-wavelength spectral range, quick variations of the reflectance of the components were observed. They show the changes in their spectral types from S to C. The analysis of the synthetic values of the color indices determined from the spectrophotometric observations in 2000 confirmed the presence of quick spectral variations. We conclude that asteroid 21 Lutetia is a complex satellite system. This statement is confirmed by the analysis of data published in different sources.     

Rayleigh-Taylor instability of a two-fluid layer under a general rotation field and a horizontal magnetic field

In this paper the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) of a two-fluid layer system under the simultaneous action of a general rotation field and a horizontal magnetic field is presented. An approximate and an exact solution of the eigenvalue equation are calculated. These solutions are important not only to understand more deeply the physical problem but also to determine the correct numerical solutions. Numerical calculations are done for an unstable density stratification in the cases of horizontal magnetic field parallel and perpendicular to the horizontal component of the angular velocity. For an adverse density stratification, it is shown that in comparison to previous works, the horizontal magnetic field creates new angular areas (of the angle of propagation of the perturbation) at which the perturbation is stable and propagates as traveling waves. It is also shown that the vertical component of the angular velocity has a destabilizing effect because it works to eliminate the stable angular areas.     

Separation of gamma and hadron initiated air showers with energies between 20 and 500 TeV

The discrimination between air showers initiated by γ rays and by hadrons is one of the fundamental problems in experimental cosmic-ray physics. The physics of this ‘γ/hadron separation’ is discussed in this paper. We restrict ourselves to the energy range from about 20 to 500 TeV, and take only the information contained in the lateral Čerenkov light distribution and the number of electrons at the detector level into consideration. An understanding of the differences between air showers generated by γ rays and those due to hadrons leads us to formulate suitable observables for the separation process. Angle integrating Čerenkov arrays (AICA) offer a promising new approach to ground-based γ-ray astronomy in the energy region from about 20 to 500 TeV. In order to establish this technique, an efficient suppression of the overwhelming hadronic background radiation is required. As an example for our general discussion, we present one method for γ/hadron separation in AICAs called ‘LES’. It is based on the simultaneous determination of the shower size and some characteristic parameters of the lateral distribution of the Čerenkov light. The potential inherent within this technique is demonstrated in quantitative detail for the existing ‘AIROBICC’ AICA. We also propose an objective measure of the intrinsic sensitivity of a detection scheme in ground-based γ-ray astronomy, the ‘reduced quality factor’. It is shown that AICAs may reach a sensitivity to γ-ray point sources in the high VHE range similar to that of the Čerenkov-telescope imaging technique in the low VHE region.     

Recombination of helium-like ions – I. Photoionization cross-sections and total recombination and cooling coefficients for atomic helium

A new calculation of photoionization cross-sections is described for the ground and excited states of atomic helium up to principal quantum number n =25 and angular momentum quantum number l =5. These cross-sections are used to calculate total recombination and cooling coefficients for atomic helium for electron temperatures given by log( T )=1(0.2)4.4. A comparison of the threshold photoionization cross-sections obtained here with extrapolations of the highly accurate bound–bound oscillator strength calculations by Drake shows that the new calculations are in error by no more than 1 per cent. The accuracy of the photoionization cross-sections used by previous workers to derive recombination coefficients is also discussed.     

Accuracy of meteoroid speeds determined using a Fresnel transform procedure

New methods of determining meteor speeds using radar are giving results with an accuracy of better that 1%. It is anticipated that this degree of precision will allow determinations of pre-atmospheric speeds of shower meteors as well as estimates of the density of the meteoroids. The next step is to determine under what conditions these new measurements are reliable.Errors in meteoroid speeds determined using a Fresnel transform procedure applied to radar meteor data are investigated. The procedure determines the reflectivity of a meteor trail as a function of position, by application of the Fresnel transform to the time series of a radar reflection from the trail observed at a single detection station. It has previously been shown that this procedure can be used to determine the speed of the meteoroid, by finding the assumed speed that gives a reflectivity image that best meets physical expectations. It has also been shown that speeds determined by this method agree with those from the well established “pre-t_o phase” method when applied to reflections with a high signal to noise ratio. However, there is a discrepancy between the two methods for weaker reflections. A method to investigate the discrepancy is described and applied, with the finding that the speed determined by using the Fresnel transform procedure is more accurate for weaker reflections than that given by the “pre-t_o phase” method.     

The Pribram,Lost City,Innisfree, and Neuschwanstein falls: An analysis of the atmospheric trajectories

To date, several meteorites have been found for which their flight in the atmosphere was recorded by special fireball camera networks. Because of this, a thorough analysis of the instrumentally registered falls is of current importance. For such fireballs, not only the high-quality photo images of the motion in the atmosphere exist, but also the density and the shape of the meteor body fragments reached the Earth’s surface are known for sure. In the present study, for the Innisfree, Lost City, and Pribram fireballs, new models of the entry to the atmosphere have been built. The values of the ballistic coefficient and the mass-loss parameter providing the best approximation for the observations of the luminous trajectory segment with the analytical solution of the meteor physics equations have been obtained. From recent results of the numerical experiments on the supersonic airflow of bodies of various shapes, the preatmospheric masses of the fireballs, as well as the dynamic estimates of the mass at the other trajectory points, were obtained. In particular, the terminal mass of the fireballs in the lower segment of the analyzed trajectories is in good agreement with the total mass of the meteorite material recovered in all of the cases considered. Moreover, to calculate the acceleration of the meteor bodies, a new analytical formula has been suggested, which allows the obtained theoretical time dependencies of the velocity and altitude to be compared with the observational data.     

The R asteroids reconsidered

JHK infrared photometry shows that R asteroids have two distinct infrared color domains. Most R asteroids have JHK and visual colors and albedos that fall amongst those observed for S asteroids, but a small subset is clearly different. These are designated as a new A class of asteroids.