Magneto-optical effects and the interpretation of linearly polarized intensity distributions observed with a vector magnetograph

Linearly polarized intensity distributions observed in sunspots with the Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) vector magnetograph are interpreted taking into account magneto-optical effects. It is shown that these effects can be responsible for the observed spiral configuration in the pattern of linear polarization, even if a purely radial, conventional sunspot model is used.On leave from: Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi, 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

The first and second order moments of the polarization profiles of hydrogen lines

The main properties of the first- and second-order moments of polarized hydrogen lines, forming in the presence of stationary electric and magnetic fields, are reviewed. The analytical results presented here apply directly to the case of optically-thin emission lines in the LTE regime. Some applications of such results to electric- and magnetic-field diagnostics in (solar) plasmas are then briefly considered.On leave from the Dipartimento di Astronomia e Scienza dello Spazio, Università di Firenze, Largo E. Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze, Italy     

Propagation characteristics of hydromagnetic waves in a cold plasma mixed with a hot plasma and right-hand polarized Pc1 and Pc5

Propagation characteristics of hydromagnetic waves in a cold plasma mixed with a hot plasma under a uniform static magnetic field are investigated. The existence of cold plasma seriously affects the polarization properties of the waves. The results are applied to the interpretation of Pcl and Pc5 with righthand polarizations guided along the geomagnetic field line.     

Charged particle motion on and off the equatorial plane of a magnetic star in Rosen's bimetric gravity

In this paper we have studied in detail (numerically) the trajectories of charged particles in a magnetic field (dipolar at infinity) associated with a static star in the framework of Rosen's bimetric theory of gravity. It was found that there do exist potential wells that allow possible trapping of particles in stable orbits both on and off the equatorial plane. A particularly interesting feature that has shown up is the fact that the characteristics of the effective potential wellV _eff depend on the ratio of the magnetic field strength parameter λ, and the angular momentumL of the charged particle. For values lower than a critical (λ/L) _c the potential well lies within the regionr≤2m.     

A first order analysis of variations of the limb darkening and the shapes for solar Fraunhofer lines

New center-to-limb measurements in FeI lines show changes in both the line profiles and the limb darkening curves that appear to be characteristic of many other solar lines. Here we seek the constraints placed on the atmospheric model by these effects. We find that in addition to a depth varying source function we must also allow the ratio of the continuous absorption coefficient to the total absorption coefficient to pass through a minimum in the mid-photosphere. Such an effect is consistent with inward increases of the Doppler width and damping constant in the upper photosphere and an inward increase of the ionization for both iron and hydrogen in the low photosphere.The National Center for Atmospheric Research and Kitt Peak National Observatory are sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Periodic attitudes and bifurcations of a rigid spacecraft in the second degree and order gravity field of a uniformly rotating asteroid

In this work, periodic attitudes and bifurcations of periodic families are investigated for a rigid spacecraft moving on a stationary orbit around a uniformly rotating asteroid. Under the second degree and order gravity field of an asteroid, the dynamical model of attitude motion is formulated by truncating the integrals of inertia of the spacecraft at the second order. In this dynamical system, the equilibrium attitude has zero Euler angles. The linearised equations of attitude motion are utilised to study the stability of equilibrium attitude. It is found that there are three fundamental types of periodic attitude motions around a stable equilibrium attitude point. We explicitly present the linear solutions around a stable equilibrium attitude, which can be used to provide the initial guesses for computing the true periodic attitudes in the complete model. By means of a numerical approach, three fundamental families of periodic attitudes are studied, and their characteristic curves, distribution of eigenvalues, stability curves and stability distributions are determined. Interestingly, along the characteristic curves of the fundamental families, some critical points are found to exist, and these points correspond to tangent and period-doubling bifurcations. By means of a numerical approach, the bifurcated families of periodic attitudes are identified. The natural and bifurcated families constitute networks of periodic attitude families.     

A type of second order linear ordinary differential equations with periodic coefficients for which the characteristic exponents have exact expressions

It is shown that the characteristic exponents can be exactly expressed for a type of second order linear ordinary differential equations with periodic coefficients (Hill's equation) which appear as the variational equations of certain periodic solutions of dynamical systems. Key points are the transformation of the equation to the Gauss' hypergeometric differential equation, and evaluation of the trace of monodormy matrix in the complex plane of the independent variable. Two simple examples are given for which the stability of periodic solutions is rigorously analyzed.     

Kp index correlations with solar-wind parameters during the first and second stages of a recurrent geomagnetic storm

The dependence of geomagnetic activity during a recurrent magnetic storm on the solar-wind magnetic field and plasma parameters has been studied. According to variations of solar-wind magnetic field strength B, a recurrent magnetic storm is divided into two stages: the first proceeding during the peak of B, and the second proceeding after the return of B to quiet level. The K_p index vs solar-wind parameters scattering diagrams for stages I and II differ significantly. In particular, the random scattering for stage I is much larger than for stage II. It was found that for stage I the K_p index correlates with B, with the sign and value of northsouth field component B_z and with the magnitude ΔB of field fluctuations, the situation being similar to that during sporadic magnetic storms, though the scale of the event is smaller. For stage II, the K_p index does not correlate with B, but strongly correlates with ΔB and weaker—with B_z. So geomagnetic activity at stage II is supported mainly by solar-wind magnetic field fluctuations. The dependence of the K_p index on plasma parameters (concentration of protons n, bulk velocity v and temperature T) is weak for both stages.     

The complete solution for the scattering of polarized light in a Rayleigh and isotropically scattering atmosphere

TheF _N method is used to solve, in a concise manner, the complete problem concerning the diffusion of polarized light in a plane-parallel Rayleigh and isotropically scattering atmosphere.     

First frequency analysis for three new members of the group of eclipsing binaries with a pulsating component

We present the first light curves and pulsation analysis results for V729 Aql and two newly discovered eclipsing binaries, namely USNO-A2.0 0975-17281677 and USNO-A2.0 1200-03937339. Frequency search was applied on the residuals of their light curves and the results showed that their primary components pulsate in multiperiodic modes and lie well inside the frequency and temperature range of δ Scuti stars. Moreover, for USNO-A2.0 1200-03937339 two frequencies inside the γ Dor frequency range were also detected, but their origin is discussed. The photometric models of USNO-A2.0 1200-03937339 and V729 Aql are also presented, while their absolute parameters as well as the evolutionary status of their components were roughly estimated.     

The effects on the flow field of retaining the Joule heating and viscous dissipation term in the energy equation for the hydromagnetic free-convective oscillatory flow past a porous limiting surface,II

As the mean steady flow has been presented in Part I, only the solutions for the transient velocity profiles, transient induced magnetic field, and transient temperature profiles and the related to them quantities are presented in this work. The influence of the various parameters entering into the problem, especially of the Eckert numberE, which represents the contribution of heat in the boundary layer due to viscous dissipation and to Joule heat, is extensively discussed.     

The effects on the flow field of retaining the Joule heating and viscous dissipation term in the energy equation for the hydromagnetic free-convective oscillatory flow past a porous limiting surface,I

With viscous dissipation and Joule heating taking into account the hydromagnetic two-dimensional oscillating free-convection flow, of a viscous, incompressible and electrically conducting fluid, past an infinite vertical porous limiting surface, is studied. For the solution of the problem it is considered that, the free-stream velocity, the plate temperature and the induced magnetic field are oscillating in the time about constant mean values. The flow is subjected to a constant suction velocity, through the porous surface, and a magnetic field of uniform strength is applied transversely to the direction of the flow. Analytical expressions for the flow field are obtained by solving the coupled non-linear system of equations which describe the flow. The influence of the various parameters entering into the problem is also extensively discussed signifying the importance of retaining the Joule heating and viscous dissipation term in the energy equation.     

First high dynamic range and high resolution images of the sky obtained with a diffractive Fresnel array telescope

This paper presents high contrast images of sky sources, obtained from the ground with a novel optical concept: Fresnel arrays. We demonstrate the efficiency of a small 20?cm prototype Fresnel array for making images with high brightness ratios, achieving contrasts up to 4 × 10⁵ on sky sources such as Mars and its satellites, and the Sirius?A?CB couple. These validation results are promising for future applications in space, for example the 4 m array we have proposed to ESA in the frame of the ??Call for a Medium-size mission opportunity for a launch in 2022??. Fresnel imagers are the subject of a topical issue of Experimental Astronomy published in 2011, but only preliminary results were presented at the time. Making images of astronomical bodies requires an optical component to focus light. This component is usually a mirror or a lens, the quality of which is critical for sharp and high contrast images. However, reflection on a mirror and refraction through a lens are not the only ways to focus light: an alternative is provided by diffraction through binary masks (opaque foils with multiple precisely etched sub-apertures). Our Fresnel arrays are such diffractive focusers, they offer weight, price and size advantages over traditional optics in space-based astronomical instruments. This novel approach requires only void apertures of special shapes in an opaque material to form sharp images, thus avoiding the wavefront distortion, diffusion and spectral absorption associated with traditional optical media. In our setup, lenses and/or mirrors are involved only downstream (at small sizes) for focal instrumentation and chromatic correction. Fresnel arrays produce high contrast images, the resolution of which reaches the theoretical limit of diffraction. Unlike mirrors, they do not require high precision polishing or positioning, and can be used in a large domain of wavelengths from far IR to far UV, enabling the study of many science cases in astrophysics from exoplanet surfaces and atmospheres to galaxy evolution.     

Exact solution of the transport equation in finite media with a plane and uniform point source and flux normally incident at the faces from outside

In this paper we apply the Wiener-Hopf technique combined with the method of the Laplace transform, to derive an exact solution of the transport equation for neutron diffusion in an isotropically scattering plane-parallel medium of finite thickness in which are situated a plane source at the middle and a uniformly distributed point source, there being flux of beams normally incident from outside on the two extreme parallel surfaces of the medium.     

A First Comparison of the Surface Brightness Fluctuation Survey Distances with the Galaxy Density Field: Implications for H0 and Omega

We compare the peculiar velocities measured in the surface brightness fluctuation survey of galaxy distances with the predictions from the density fields of the IRAS 1.2 Jy flux-limited redshift survey and the optical redshift survey (ORS) to derive simultaneous constraints on the Hubble constant H0 and the density parameter beta=Omega0.6&solm0;b, where b is the linear bias. We find that betaI=0.42+0.10-0.06 and betaO=0.26+/-0.08 for the IRAS and ORS comparisons, respectively, and that H0=74+/-4 km s-1 Mpc (with an additional 9% uncertainty due to the Cepheids themselves). The match between predicted and observed peculiar velocities is good for these values of H0 and beta, and although there is covariance between the two parameters, our results clearly point toward low-density cosmologies. Thus, the unresolved discrepancy between the "velocity-velocity" and "density-density" measurements of beta continues.     

The solar particle event of July 16–19, 1966 and its possible association with a flare on the invisible solar hemisphere

An energetic solar proton and electron event was observed by particle detectors aboard Explorer 33 (AIMP-1) and OGO-3 during the period July 16–19, 1966. Optical and radio observations of the sun suggest that these particles were produced by a flare which may have occurred on July 16 near the central meridian of the invisible hemisphere. The active region to which the flare is assigned is known to have produced the energetic particle events of July 7 and 28, 1966. The propagation of the particles in the July 16–19 event over the 180° extent of solar longitude from the flare to the earth is discussed, and it is concluded that there must exist a means of rapidly distributing energetic particles over a large area of the sun. Several possible mechanisms are suggested.     

高精度测定外行星位置-可行性及实验

大行星位置的测量是天体测量学中的一项长期而重要的任务。如何在当前形势下高精度测定行星的位置是本文研究方向的最终目标。鉴于太阳系内行星和木星都有新技术进行高精度的位置观测,作者探讨了如何用光学手段高精度测定外行星（土星,天王星和海王星）的位置,提出了用长焦距望远镜ＣＣＤ观测行星卫星和用中天望远镜ＣＣＤ观测暗恒星相配合的思路。因此,对长焦距望远镜ＣＣＤ观测外行星卫星和中天望远镜ＣＣＤ相对观测恒星进行了系统调研,同时也对外行星卫星的理论从观测验证的角度进行了介绍。本文重点介绍了在长焦距望远镜上相对于天王星卫星高精度测定暗恒星的位置。结果表明,相对于天王星卫星确实可以精确测定同一ＣＣＤ视场中暗恒星的位置,位置测量的精度和国外最好的天王星卫星位置测量的精度相当或更高。还介绍了与观测资料的归算有关的天王星和卫星的位置历算。最后,分析了我国从事高精度大行星位置测量的可行性     

Finite-difference analysis of the MHD stokes problem for a vertical plate with Hall and ion-slip currents

An explicit finite-difference method is employed to study the MHD free convection heat generating fluid past an impulsively started vertical infinite plate when a strong magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the plate. The velocity and temperature profiles are shown on graphs and the results are discussed in terms of the non-dimensional parameters _e (Hall parameter), _i (ionslip parameter), (heat source parameter), and Gr (Grashof number).