Why are halo coronal mass ejections faster?

Halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have been to be significantly faster than normal CMEs, which is a long-standing puzzle. In order to solve the puzzle, we first investigate the observed properties of 31 limb CMEs that clearly display loopshaped frontal loops. The observational results show a strong tendency that slower CMEs are weaker in white-light intensity. Then, we perform a Monte Carlo simulation of 20000 artificial limb CMEs that have an average velocity of ～523km s -1. The Thomson scattering of thes...     

Cosmic-ray positrons: are there primary sources?

Galactic cosmic rays consist of primary and secondary particles. Primary cosmic rays are thought to be energized by first order Fermi acceleration processes at supernova shock fronts within our Galaxy. The cosmic rays that eventually reach the Earth from this source are mainly protons and atomic nuclei, but also include electrons. Secondary cosmic rays are created in collisions of primary particles with the diffuse interstellar gas. They are relatively rare but carry important information on the Galactic propagation of the primary particles. The secondary component includes a small fraction of antimatter particles, positrons and antiprotons. In addition, positrons and antiprotons may also come from unusual sources and possibly provide insight into new physics. For instance, the annihilation of heavy supersymmetric dark matter particles within the Galactic halo could lead to positrons or antiprotons with distinctive energy signatures. With the High-Energy Antimatter Telescope (HEAT) balloon-borne instrument, we have measured the abundances of positrons and electrons at energies between 1 and 50 GeV. The data suggest that indeed a small additional antimatter component may be present that cannot be explained by a purely secondary production mechanism. Here we describe the signature of the effect and discuss its possible origin.     

Why are spicules absent over plages and long under coronal holes?

One-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations are performed in order to examine the influence of initial atmospheric structures on the dynamics of spicules. This is an extended version of our previous spicule theory: spicules are produced by the shock wave (MHD slow mode shock) which originates from a bright point appearance (sudden pressure increase) at the network in the photosphere or in the low chromosphere. Simulation results well reproduce the observational facts that spicules are absent over plages and long under coronal holes. The physical reason is that the growth of a shock wave during its propagation through the chromosphere is small in plage regions and large in coronal hole regions, since the growth of a shock is determined by the density ratio ( _{h 0}/ _c ) between the bright point and the corona. An empirical formula H _max ( _{h 0}/ _c )^0.46 is obtained, where H _max is the maximum height of spicules above the transition region. The cross-section of the vertical magnetic flux tube is assumed to be constant in the numerical simulations.     

Why image Uranus?

A review of visual and photographic data on the appearance of Uranus indicates that markings frequently occur on the planet. The featureless images obtained by the Stratoscope II balloon telescope are possibly the result of the broad spectral band that was used. Difference, or ratio, picture techniques which enhance color or polarization contrasts are proposed as the basis for Uranus imagery on the '79 MJU Mission. An attempt is made to predict the aspect of Uranus at high resolution on the basis of what is currently known about the Uranus atmosphere. The planet should have no visible surface, the tops of a thick NH₃ cloud layer should exist near the 3–4 bar level and there is a very uncertain possibility of a thin, broken CH₄ cloud layer near 300 mbar. It is proposed that if the choice of an MJU imaging system rests on Uranus objectives alone (i.e., excluding the satellites) then the system should emphasize photo-polarimetric observations between 5500 and 10 000 Å. If, however, the total mission objectives are the basis of choice then a high resolution imaging system, based on the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn system, but including a solid state silicon array would be a more suitable choice. The performance of such a system at Uranus is analyzed.     

Why exobiology on Mars?

Processing of organic molecules by liquid water was probably an essential requirement towards the emergence of terrestrial primitive life. According to Oparin's hypothesis, organic building blocks required for early life were produced from simple organic molecules formed in a primitive reducing atmosphere. Geochemists favour now a less reducing atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide. In such an atmosphere, very few building blocks are formed. Import of extraterrestrial organic molecules may represent an alternative supply. Experimental support for such an alternative scenario is examined in comets, meteorites and micrometeorites. The early histories of Mars and Earth clearly show similarities. Liquid water was once stable on the surface of Mars attesting the presence of an atmosphere capable of decelerating C-rich micro-meteorites. Therefore, primitive life may have developed on Mars, as well. Liquid water disappeared from the surface of Mars very early, about 3.8 Ga ago. The Viking missions did not find, at the surface of the Martian soil, any organic molecules or clear-cut evidence for microbial activities such as photosynthesis, respiration or nutrition. The results can be explained referring to an active photochemistry of Martian soil driven by the high influx of solar UV. These experiments do not exclude the existence of organic molecules and fossils of micro-organisms which developed on early Mars until liquid water disappeared. Mars may store below its surface some well preserved clues of a still hypothetical primitive life.     

Why does the radio activity accompanying the flares in the two large active regions of June 1982 differ so much?

An attempt is presented to explain the large difference in the intensity, frequency range and number of radio-activity events following the large flares in the two complex active regions of June 1982 (NOAA 3763 and NOAA 3776). The topology of their local magnetic fields in relation to the global solar field is discussed as one of the main factors causing this effect. The development of a specific, magnetically bipolar super-region is described.     

What are solar faculae?

Results are presented of observations of the facula area near the solar disc center. Observations were performed at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope of the Observatorio del Teide (Tenerife) with the simultaneous use of two instruments, i.e., TESOS in the Ba IIλ 455.4 nm line to measure intensity variations in the photosphere and, at the same time, TIP in the Fe I (λλ 1564.3–1565.8 nm) line to measure Stokes parameters. Using the Fourier filtering technique, we separated the convective and wave components of the intensity field. Stokes parameters Fe I λ 1564.8 nm and λ 1565.2 nm were inverted by the SIR inversion code to estimate the magnetic field strength. We found that the contrast of intergranular lines of the facula in the continuum is almost independent of the magnetic field strengh (in the range from 30 to 160 mT). This result casts doubt on the assertion that solar faculae are a cluster of magnetic flux tubes. Most likely, due to the decrease of transparency of the matter in a strong (approximately 1 kilogauss) magnetic field, we can see the hot walls of granules.     

Is there methane on Mars?

There have been several reports of methane on Mars at the 10-60 ppbv level. Most suggest that methane is both seasonally and latitudinally variable. Here we review why variable methane on Mars is physically and chemically implausible, and then we critically review the published reports. There is no known mechanism for destroying methane chemically on Mars. But if there is one, methane oxidation would deplete the O₂ in Mars’s atmosphere in less than 10,000 years unless balanced by an equally large unknown source of oxidizing power. Physical sequestration does not raise these questions, but adsorption in the regolith or condensation in clathrates ignore competition for adsorption sites or are inconsistent with clathrate stability, respectively. Furthermore, any mechanism that relies on methane’s van der Waals’ attraction is inconsistent with the continued presence of Xe in the atmosphere at the 60 ppbv level. We then use the HITRAN database and transmission calculations to identify and characterize the absorption lines that would be present on Earth or Mars at the wavelengths of the published observations. These reveal strong competing telluric absorption that is most problematic at just those wavelengths where methane’s signature seems most clearly seen from Earth. The competing telluric lines must be removed with models. The best case for martian methane was made for the ¹²CH₄ν₃ R0 and R1 lines seen in blueshift when Mars was approaching Earth in early 2003 (Mumma, M.J., Villanueva, G.L., Novak, R.E., Hewagama, T., Bonev, B.P., DiSanti, M.A., Mandell, A.M., Smith, M.D. [2009]. Science 323, 1041-1045). For these the Doppler shift moves the two martian lines into near coincidence with telluric ¹³CH₄ν₃ R1 and R2 lines that are 10-50× stronger than the inferred martian lines. By contrast, the ¹²CH₄ν₃ R0 and R1 lines when observed in redshift do not contend with telluric ¹³CH₄. For these lines, Mumma et al.’s observations and analyses are consistent with an upper limit on the order of 3 ppbv.     

Where are the halo stars?

In the usual and most widespread textbook picture of the Milky Way Galaxy, disk stars like the Sun are referred to as Population I, the spheroidal or halo component in turn as Population II. The latter is thought of as the pressure-supported, metal-poor relic of the early Galaxy, with renewed interest in recent years in the search for dark matter via microlensing. Modelling the putative massive compact halo objects however, faces the problem that the stellar halo is generally considered to consist of only a few billion solar masses. Here we present observational evidence that even this low budget may be a factor ten too high. If so, this immediately implies that the classical population II of halo stars is fairly irrelevant, not only in the dark matter context, but, in particular, in models of the formation and evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy.     

How semiregular are irregular variables?

We investigate the question whether there is a real difference in the light change between stars classified as semiregular (SRV) or irregular (Lb) variables by analysing photometric light curves of 12 representatives of each class. Using Fourier analysis we try to find a periodic signal in each light curve and determine the S/N of this signal. For all stars, independent of their variability class we detect a period above the significance threshold. No difference in the measured S/N between the two classes could be found. We propose that the Lb stars can be seen as an extension of the SRVs towards shorter periods and smaller amplitudes. This is in agreement with findings from other quantities which also showed no marked difference between the two classes (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Where are the Uranus Trojans?

The area of stable motion for fictitious Trojan asteroids around Uranus’ equilateral equilibrium points is investigated with respect to the inclination of the asteroid’s orbit to determine the size of the regions and their shape. For this task we used the results of extensive numerical integrations of orbits for a grid of initial conditions around the points L ₄ and L ₅, and analyzed the stability of the individual orbits. Our basic dynamical model was the Outer Solar System (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune). We integrated the equations of motion of fictitious Trojans in the vicinity of the stable equilibrium points for selected orbits up to the age of the Solar system of 5 × 10⁹ years. One experiment has been undertaken for cuts through the Lagrange points for fixed values of the inclinations, while the semimajor axes were varied. The extension of the stable region with respect to the initial semimajor axis lies between 19.05 ≤ a ≤ 19.3 AU but depends on the initial inclination. In another run the inclination of the asteroids’ orbit was varied in the range 0° < i < 60° and the semimajor axes were fixed. It turned out that only four ‘windows’ of stable orbits survive: these are the orbits for the initial inclinations 0° < i < 7°, 9° < i < 13°, 31° < i < 36° and 38° < i < 50°. We postulate the existence of at least some Trojans around the Uranus Lagrange points for the stability window at small and also high inclinations.     

Where are the rings of Neptune?

Stable rings can exist at inclinations of 0–15°, 165°–180°, or ～90° to Neptune's equator, but perturbations due to the massive satellite Triton would produce a severe “warping” of the ring plane. If Neptune possesses rings, they may not lie in the plane of its equator.     

How common are Earth-Moon planetary systems?

The Earth’s comparatively massive moon, formed via a giant impact on the proto-Earth, has played an important role in the development of life on our planet, both in the history and strength of the ocean tides and in stabilizing the chaotic spin of our planet. Here we show that massive moons orbiting terrestrial planets are not rare. A large set of simulations by Morishima et al. (Morishima, R., Stadel, J., Moore, B. [2010]. Icarus. 207, 517-535), where Earth-like planets in the habitable zone form, provides the raw simulation data for our study. We use limits on the collision parameters that may guarantee the formation of a circumplanetary disk after a protoplanet collision that could form a satellite and study the collision history and the long term evolution of the satellites qualitatively. In addition, we estimate and quantify the uncertainties in each step of our study. We find that giant impacts with the required energy and orbital parameters for producing a binary planetary system do occur with more than 1 in 12 terrestrial planets hosting a massive moon, with a low-end estimate of 1 in 45 and a high-end estimate of 1 in 4.     

Proper elements: What are they?

The general ideas about the calculation of proper elements are given here, followed by a comparison of the hypotheses and simplifications made in three different theories: YKM theory, composition of the contributions of Yuasa, Kneevi and Milani, W theory corresponding to Williams's work and HLM theory, paper of Lemaitre and Morbidelli, based on Henrard's semi numerical method. Some short numerical comparisons conclude the paper.     

Why do Trojan ASCs (not) Escape?

The orbits of 12 Trojan asteroids, which have Lyapunov times T _L10⁵ years and were previously classified as ASCs(=asteroids in stable chaos), are integrated for 50 Myrs, along with a group of neighbouring initial conditions for each nominal orbit. About 40% of the orbits present strong instabilities in the inclination, which may be attributed primarily to the action of the ₁₆ secular resonance; two escapes are also recorded. Higher-order secular resonances, involving the nodes of the outer planets, are also found to be responsible for chaotic motion. Orbital stability depends critically on the choice of initial conditions and, thus, these objects can be regarded as being on the edge of strong chaos.     

Ultrarapid chondrite formation by hot chondrule accretion? Evidence from unequilibrated ordinary chondrites

Abstract– Unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOCs) of all groups (H, L, LL) contain unique chondrite clasts, which are characterized by a close‐fit texture of deformed and indented chondrules. These clasts, termed “cluster chondrites,” occur in 41% of the investigated samples with modal abundances between 5 and 90 vol% and size variations between <1 mm and 10 cm. They show the highest chondrule abundances compared with all chondrite classes (82–92 vol%) and only low amounts of fine‐grained interchondrule matrix and rims (3–9 vol%). The mean degree of chondrule deformation varies between 11% and 17%, compared to 5% in the clastic portions of their host breccias and to values of 3–5% found in UOC literature, respectively. The maximum deformation of individual chondrules is about 50%, a value which seemingly cannot be exceeded due to geometric limitations. Both viscous and brittle chondrule deformation is observed. A model for cluster chondrite formation is proposed where hot and deformable chondrules together with only small amounts of co‐accreting matrix formed a planetesimal or reached the surface of an already existing body within hours to a few days after chondrule formation. They deformed in a hot stage, possibly due to collisional compression by accreting material. Later, the resulting rocks were brecciated by impact processes. Thus, cluster chondrite clasts are interpreted as relicts of primary accretionary rocks of unknown original dimensions. If correct, this places a severe constraint on chondrule‐forming conditions. Cluster chondrites would document local chondrule formation, where chondrule‐forming heating events and the accretion of chondritic bodies were closely linked in time and space.