Isotopes of magnesium in the solar atmosphere

We have analysed MgH A ² -X ²(0.0), (1.1), (2.2), (0.1) and (1.2) absorption bands in a sunspot spectrum. By two different methods, which are almost independent of the estimated value of the correction for stray light, we have determined the solar isotopic ratios of magnesium. These ratios are equal to the terrestrial ones - ²⁴Mg²⁵Mg²⁶Mg = 801010.     

Spectroscopic Data for the 6it s6it p 3 P1 level of Lu+ for the Determination of the Solar Lutetium Abundance

We report spectroscopic measurements on the 6s6p ³P₁ level of Lu⁺ at 28503.16 cm^-1. The radiative lifetime of this level was measured to be 37.4 ± 1.9 ns using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence of a slow ion beam. Branching fractions were determined from Lu spectra recorded using the 1.0 m Fourier transform spectrometer at the National Solar Observatory. Thelog(gf) values determined by combining the radiative lifetime and branching fractions for the 3507.39, 5983.90, and 6221.87 (air wavelengths) lines are - 1.16 ± 0.03, - 1.16 ± 0.06, and -0.76 ± 0.04, respectively. The 6221.87 line has been identified by Bord, Cowley, and Mirijanian (1997) as the best candidate for the determination of the solar lutetium abundance because it is only slightly blended in the solar spectrum. The present 6221.87 transition probability measurement brings their solar lutetium abundance into good agreement with the CI chondrite abundance.     

Echelle-mepsicron time-resolved spectroscopy of the dwarf nova SS Cygni

High dispersion time-resolved spectrograms of the dwarf nova SS Cygni, obtained with the Echelle-Mepsicron system, show double peaked emission lines with a complex profile. The intensity of the H line appears to be modulated by the orbital period. Radial velocity measurements of the wings of H and of the absorption line system of the late-type star yield semiamplitude values of K_em=101±6 km s^–1 and K_ab=151±7 km s^–1, respectively. Radial velocity measurements of the blue and red peaks and of the central absorption of H reveal a synchronous movement with the broad wings, although there is some evidence of a narrow component probably associated with a hot spot in the disk or a chromospheric emission line from the secondary star. The H modulation, the double profile and recently discovered UBV light variations support an inclination angle i 50°. The masses of the primary are M_p=0.60 M and M_s=0.40 M, respectively. A detailed analysis of the absorption lines reveals a spectral type of K2V.Paper presented at the IAU Colloquium No. 93 Cataclysmic Variables. Recent Multi-Frequency Observations and Theoretical Developments, held at Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte Bamberg, F.R.G., 16–19 June, 1986.     

The center-limb behavior of solar molecular lines

The center-limb behavior of C₂, CH, CN, CO, and MgH lines have been analyzed using five photospheric models. A three-stream model developed by G. Elste gave the most satisfactory results, providing evidence for the existence of inhomogeneities in the photospheric layers - 2.5 log 5000 -0.5.     

Estimation of the clear sky and the ground emissivity in Bahrain

The clear sky emissivity ₀ and the ground emissivity _g in Bahrain is studied. The study reveals that the annual value of ₀ is 0.88 ± 0.039 relating to the maximum and the minimum values in August and February, respectively. Meanwhile, the annual value of _g is 0.338 ± 0.228, where the maximum and the minimum values are in July and January, respectively. These two parameters are related to the transmittance factor .     

Search for the matter clumps in scalesZ ~ 1

The diagramV - log(1 +z _e ) as function of (, ) is considered for the quasars. HereV is the apparent visual magnitude,z _e is the emission line redshift, and are the equatorial coordinates. Two opposite extreme spots NE and SE are observed on the sky, where the inclination of the straight line fitting the dependenceV - log(1 +z _e ) is maximum and minimum. The coordinates of the centres of these extreme spots are ( _NE, _NE) = (282°, +42°) and ( _SE, _SE) = (70°, -38°) with errors 5°. A hypothesis of the Superattractor (SA) is proposed to explain such an effect. Two independent tests of this hypothesis are realized. First, the dependence or the frequency a of the absorbers in QSO spectra on (, ) is investigated. A region of the larger a is found. The coordinates of its centre are (, ) = (82°, - 10°) with error 5°. Second, the cases ofz _a >z _e are plotted in the Mercatorial projection (, ). The most of the casesz -z _e > 0.02 are concentrated within the circle with radiusR = 34° and centre (, ) = (50°, - 15°). The both anomalous regions overlap the Southern extreme spot around SE. The SA direction is (, ) = (67°, -21°) with errors about 12°. The redshift of SA isz _SA = 1.7 ± 0.3 that corresponds to the distancer _SA = (3100 ± 300)h ^–1 Mpc for the Hubble constantH ₀ = 75h kms^–1 Mpc^–1. The SA mass isM _SA ~ 10¹⁸-10²⁰ M . The orientation of the normal to the quasiperiodical large-scale sheet structure on the sky occurs near SA.     

Annihilation radiation from a power-law distributed electron-positron plasma on the ground Landau level: the case of low magnetic fields

Intensity, polarization, and cooling rate of the two-photon annihilation radiation are studied in detail in the case of one-dimensional power-law distributions of electrons and positrons, assuming that they occupy the ground Landau level in a strong magnetic fieldB10¹⁰–10¹² G. Simple analytical expressions for limiting cases are obtained and results of numerical calculations of radiation characteristics are presented. Power-lawe ^± distributions _{± ±} ^–k are shown to generate power-law spectra of the annihilation radiation atEmc ² andEmc ², with indices depending on the direction of radiation. The annihilation spectra at =0 show the largest blue-shifts of their maxima and the hardest high-energy tailsI(Emc ², =0)E ^–(k–1). The blue-shifts reduce, and the hard tials steepen, with increasing . At >(2mc ²/E)^1/2 the slopes of the high-energy tails rapidly transform to that at =2,I(Emc ², =/2)E ^–(2k+3). The direction-integrated spectraS(E) also display the power-law tials at low and high energies,S(Emc ²)E ^–(k+1). The total annihilation rate and energy losses decrease with decreasingk, being higher than for the isotropice ^± power-law distributions at the samek. The radiation is linearly polarized in the plane formed by the magnetic field and wave-vector. The polarization degreeP is maximum atEmc ²:P _max0.6 for =/2. Annihilation features and power-law-like hard tails observed in many gamma-ray burst spectra may be associated with the annihilation radiation of the magnetized power-law distributed plasma near neutron stars. Comparison of the observed and theoretical spectra allows one to estimate the power-law index of thee ^– e ⁺-distribution and the gravitational redshift factor in the radiating region.     

Spectrophotometry of the corona and a quiescent prominence based on observations of the total solar eclipse of 7 March, 1970 in Mexico

Slit spectrograms of a quiescent prominence and the inner corona (h2.5 arc min) in the range 3400–7000 Å (dispersion 6–10 Å/mm) were obtained. From an analysis of the Stark effect on the Balmer lines (up to number 36) the electron density in the prominence n _e = (7 ± 3) × 10¹⁰ cm^–3 was deduced. The kinetic temperature T _k and the non-thermal velocities _t, found from a simultaneous consideration of the Balmer and metal lines, are T _k 10 000 K and v _t6 km/s. Also the emission measure of the prominence along the line-of-sight was found: ME = 10³¹ cm^–5.In the coronal spectrum 24 coronal lines were found. Thirteen of these lines were identified and measured photometrically to get their absolute intensities, profiles and halfwidths. For nine lines the intensities as a function of the height were studied and on this basis the coronal lines were divided into a few groups. The line-of-sight and non-thermal velocities are _r 10 km/s and _t 25 km/s. The coronal lines originate in at least three types of regions with different temperatures. The emission measure as a function of the ionization temperature was determined. The abundances of four elements of the iron group (V, Cr, Mn, Co) were estimated. The abundances of the other elements of the same group (A, Ca, Fe, Ni), found from EUV-data, are in a good agreement with our observations. The degree of inhomogeneity in the corona was estimated: .     

Solar isotopic composition and abundance of europium

High resolution spectra of six photospheric Eu ii lines have been studied using the method of spectrum synthesizing. The isotope ratio is found to be Eu₁₅₃/Eu₁₅₁ = (48 ± 6)/(52 6) and the solar abundance of europium equals log _Eu = 0.7 ± 0.2 in the log _H = 12.00 scale.     

The photometric solution of cc com by use of the

The contact binary system CC Com (=12^h09^m33^s.8, =+22°4339, (1950);V _max=11.31, (B-V)_max=1.24) is a W UMa-type system with the shortest known period. The photometric solution of CC Com is presented using the Wilson and Devinney method. The results show that the CC Com belongs to the late-type eclipsing binary with the spectral type K5V and K6V, low temperatureT ₁=4300 K,T ₂=4265 K, the mass ratioq=0.5873±0.0021, and the inclinationi=87°.719±1°.44. The best regions of the gravity darkening exponents , the bolomotric albedov, and the limb-darkening coefficients are tested. It is found that 0.1250.065, 0.1v0.5, =0.5 are better regions for CC Com. The third body ofl ₃ is not found to be significant. The results are combined with the spectroscopic results of Rucinski to provide an estimate of the absolute parameters.     

Effects of mass transfer on the unsteady free convection flow past an accelerated vertical porous plate with variable suction

An exact analysis of the effects of mass transfer on the flow of a viscous incompressible fluid past an uniformly accelerated vertical porous and non-porous plate has been presented on taking into account the free convection currents. The results are discussed with the effects of the Grashof number Gr, the modified Grashof number Sc, the Schmidt number Sc, and the suction parametera for Pr (the Prandtl number)=0.71 representating air at 20°C.Nomenclature a suction parameter - C species concentration - C species concentration at the free stream - g acceleration due gravity - Gc modified Grashof number (vg^*(C –C )/U ₀ ³ ) - Pr Prandtl number (C _p/K) - T temperature of the fluid near the plate - T dimensionless temperature near the plate ((T-T )/(T -T )) - U(t) dimensionless velocity of the plate (U/U ₀) - v normal velocity component - v ₀ suction/injection velocity - x, y coordinate along and normal to the plate - v kinematic viscosity (/gr) - C _p specific heat at constant pressure - C _w species concentration at the plate - C non-dimensional species concentration ((C-C )/(C _w -C )) - Gr Grashof number (g(T _w -T )/U ₀ ³ ) - D chemical molecular diffusivity - K thermal conductivity - Sc Schmidt number (/D) - T _w temperature of the plate - T free stream temperature - t time variable - t dimensionless time (tU ₀ ² /) - U ₀ reference velocity - u velocity of the fluid near the plate - u non-dimensional velocity (u/U ₀) - v dimensionless velocity (v/U ₀) - v ₀ non-dimensionalv ₀ (v ₀ /U₀)=–at^–1/2 - y dimensionless ordinate (yU ₀/) - density of the fluid - coefficient of viscosity     

The generalized compton effect in the spectrum of Canopus

The redshift _c caused by the scattering of photons in the chromosphere of Canopus and in the interstellar matter is obtained from the measurements of wavelength, intensity and equivalent width of 191 spectral lines published in 1942. The result is _c with a new radial velocityV _r =–3.3±2.4 km s^–1. The reliability of the results is briefly discussed.     

EUV arcades: Signatures of filament instability

We have examined seven active regions of the Skylab period in the EUV (Harvard College Observatory), and in H and K₃ (Observatoire de Meudon, spectroheliograms and patrols) in order to elucidate the magnetic geometry in the coronal environment of filaments. We have also looked for signatures of magnetic reconfigurations associated with instabilities (i.e. velocities or disappearances) of filaments. Out of sixteen H filaments observed, six were stable (lifetime 48^h). All the filaments lay within coronal cavities as seen in lines formed above 1.5 × 10⁶ K (Mgx 625, Sixii 521, Fexvi 417, Fexv 361). None of the stable filaments had arcades or arches spanning the cavities except (sometimes) at the ends of the filaments. On the other hand, most (8/10) of the unstable filaments (having concurrent Doppler shifts or a subsequent DB within 24^h) had arcades or single arches spanning their cavities. The arches were observed in EUV lines with formation temperatures as low as 2–4 × 10⁵ K (Oiv 554, Ovi 1032, Ne vii 465), as well as in hotter lines. A statistical test shows that the arcade/instability vs non-arcade/stability association is significant at the 99% confidence level. We suggest 2 types of scenario relating arcades to instabilities. The more preferable scenario is closely related to the Kuperus/Van Tend model of filament disruptions.     

Statistical survey of planetary nebulae: Distances,masses, and distribution in the galaxy

On the basis of empirical (D)-dependency at the frequency of 5 GHz constructed using 15 planetary nebulae with the independently measured distances (10^–171×10^–20 W m^–2 Hz^–1 ster^–1), we evaluated distances of 335 objects. Independent evidence of the correctness of the accepted scale are given. Then(D)-dependency is constructed and it is shown that atD<0.08 pc the mean electron density is higher than the one determined by the Seaton method. We showed that the filling factor diminishes with the increase of the PN diameter (1 atD0.08 pc and 0.2 atD0.4 pc). the ionized mass of 33 PNs is determined. With the diameter increase the ionized mass grows and atD0.4 pc reaches the valueM0.07M . We used the new distance scale when investigating the space distribution of PNs. The mean scale height =130±15 pc and the mean gradient of the change of surface densitym=0.37, which allowed us to estimate the total number of nebulae in the GalaxyN4×10⁴. We divided the PNs according to their velocities (withV _LSR>35 km s^–1 andV _LSR<35 km s^–1) and permitted us to confirm that the PN belong to different sub-systems of the Galaxy. The estimated local formation rate of PNs [=(4.6±2.2)×10^–12 pc^–3 yr^–1] is a little higher than the one of the white dwarfs. That can be explained by a large number of PNs having binary cores, which used in our sample. The statistical estimation of PN expansion velocity showed thatV _ex increases from 5–7 km s^–1 (atD0.03 pc) to 40–50 km s^–1 (atD0.8 pc).     

A prominence model based on spectral observations

Intensities and profiles of the H, H, H, K, and D₃ lines are measured in a solar prominence. From the profiles of these lines we estimate T = 6400 K and _t = 5.7 km s^–1. We construct a simple isothermal model which explains the H intensity and profile for an assumed total particle density n _T = 3 × 10¹¹ cm^–3, and a filling factor, = 1/6.From this model we find that the source function in the H line is nearly constant through the prominence. We estimate from the model that the radiative energy loss at the center of the prominence is of the order of 10⁷ erg s^–1 g^–1.     

Spectroscopic Studies of the Solar Corona – V. Physical Properties of Coronal Structures

Spectra around the 6374 Å [Fex] and 7892 Å [Fexi] emission lines were obtained simultaneously with the 25-cm coronagraph at Norikura Observatory covering an area of 200 ×500 of the solar corona. The line width, peak intensity and line-of-sight velocity for both the lines were computed using Gaussian fits to the observed line profiles at each location (4 ×4 ) of the observed coronal region. The line-width measurements show that in steady coronal structures the FWHM of the 6374 Å emission line increases with height above the limb with an average value of 1.02 mÅ arc sec^–1. The FWHM of the 7892 Å line also increases with height but at a smaller average value of 0.55 mÅ arc sec^–1. These observations agree well with our earlier results obtained from observations of the red, green, and infrared emission lines that variation of the FWHM of the coronal emission lines with height in steady coronal structures depends on plasma temperatures they represent. The FWHM gradient is negative for high-temperature emission lines, positive for relatively low-temperature lines and smaller for emission lines in the intermediate temperature range. Such a behaviour in the variation of the FWHM of coronal emission lines with height above the limb suggests that it may not always be possible to interpret an increase in the FWHM of emission line with height as an increase in the nonthermal velocity, and hence rules out the existence of waves in steady coronal structures.     

Quantum effects in cyclotron plasma absorption

It is shown that X-ray radiation of neutron stars with magnetic fieldsB=10¹¹–10¹³ G near cyclotron resonances=s _B (s=1,2,...) is deeply affected by such quantum effects as electron-positron vacuum polarization (significant at V=3×10²⁸ n _e ^–1 (B/B _C ⁴)1, whereB _C =4.4×10¹³G), the quantizing character of the magnetic field (significant atV=3 x 10²⁸ n _e ^–1 (B/B _c)⁴1 whereB _c =4.4 x 10¹³G), the non-harmonic character of the Landau levels, and the quantum recoil of electrons. The latter two factors shift the resonances by the frequency –s ² _B (B/2B _c )sin², being the angle between the direction of radiation propagation and the magnetic field. IfVV ₀ (for 1,V ₀^–1=(mc ²/2T)^1/2), the normal mode (NM) polarizations, as well as the absorption coefficientk ₁ of the extraordinary NM in the Doppler core of the first resonance (|–| _B cos ), is only slightly affected by varyingb and/orV, whereas for the ordinary NM (at 1)k ₂k ₁ ²[b + (3 + tan²–2V)²]k ₁. For sufficiently largeb and/orV the quantum effects amplify resonant absorption of the ordinary NM at _B , with spin-flip transitions playing a major role atb1+V ². IfVV ₀, the coefficientsk ₁ andk ₂ in the Doppler core of the resonance are of the same order and acquire some peculiar features (shifts, intersections, etc.), with the NM polarizations depending sharply on and being strongly non-orthogonal. AtVV ₀,k ₂=k ₁(cos² +B/2B _C ) and the polarizations are almost linear. Near high resonances (s2), as a rule,k _1,2(1 + b) ^{s–1 2s–3} i.e., absorption increases withb due to replacement of the thermal energy of the transverse motion of electron,T, by the magnetic energy _B . The above effects should be taken into account for an interpretation of observational data on X-ray pulsars (e.g., Her X-1) and other X-ray sources associated with neutron stars.     

Observational study of the ‘post’-flare loops on June 4, 1991

A limb, two-ribbon H flare on June 4, 1991, associated with a white-light flare and followed by an emission spray and post-flare loops, is studied. A region of rapidly enhanced brightness at the bottom of the H ribbon above the white-light flare is revealed. The energy released by the white-light flare at _eff = 4100 is estimated to be about 1.5 × 10²⁸ erg s^–1.     

Lower hybrid wave model for aurora

In the framework of non-linear fluid theory we use a lower hybrid (LH) wave of the form as a pump which interacts with the small fluctuations with the low-frequency vibrations _i or =0, where _i , is the hydrogen ion-cyclotron (HIC) gyrofrequency. The ponderomotive force generated by the beating of the high-frequency pump wave ₀ and the sideband LH waves (±₀) produces a non-linear coupling between the high- and low-frequency motions of electrons and ions. Under certain conditions the HIC waves and the zero-frequency waves both become parametrically unstable and start to grow. These excited waves then heat the ions by stochastic acceleration in the transverse direction, thus explaining the formation of ion comics along the auroral field lines. Electrons would be heated in the parallel direction directly by the pump field as well as by low-frequency waves. Thus a single mechanism can explain the existence of ion-cyclotron waves, zero-frequency waves, ion conics, and energetic electrons along the auroral field lines.     

Large-amplitude low-frequency electromagnetic waves in pulsar magnetospheres

Nonlinear propagation of strong low-frequency waves, as emitted by pulsars or compact galactic nuclei at their rotation frequencies, in a magnetized plasma is investigated. It is shown that even rather small amplitude waves can drive electrons to ultrarelativistic energies. In the limit when the electrons are ultrarelativistic but the ions are immobile, two types of circularly polarized waves (i.e., ^± modes) are excited. In the wave zone of the Crab pulsar, both the electric field ( 3 V m^–1) and the wavelength (10⁸ m) of the ^- mode are larger, by an order of magnitude, than those of the ⁺ wave mode. Both ^± modes can become modulationally unstable due to their nonlinear interaction with density fluctuations induced by the electrostatic waves.