Is dark matter an illusion created by the gravitational polarization of the quantum vacuum?

Assuming that a particle and its antiparticle have the gravitational charge of the opposite sign, the physical vacuum may be considered as a fluid of virtual gravitational dipoles. Following this hypothesis, we present the first indications that dark matter may not exist and that the phenomena for which it was invoked might be explained by the gravitational polarization of the quantum vacuum by the known baryonic matter.     

Spindown of magnetars:quantum vacuum friction?

Magnetars are proposed to be peculiar neutron stars which could power their X-ray radiation by super-strong magnetic fields as high as 10~(14) G.However,no direct evidence for such strong fields has been obtained till now,and the recent discovery of low magnetic field magnetars even indicates that some more efficient radiation mechanism than magnetic dipole radiation should be included.In this paper,quantum vacuum friction(QVF) is suggested to be a direct consequence of super-strong surface fields,therefore the magnetar model could then be tested further through QVF braking.The high surface magnetic field of a pulsar interacting with the quantum vacuum results in a significantly high spindown rate(P).It is found that a QVF dominates the energy loss of pulsars when the pulsar's rotation period and its first derivative satisfy the relationship P~3P 0.63 ×10~(-16)ξ~(-4) s~2,whereξ is the ratio of the surface magnetic field over the dipole magnetic field.In the "QVF + magnetodipole" joint braking scenario,the spindown behavior of magnetars should be quite different from that in the pure magnetodipole model.We are expecting these results could be tested by magnetar candidates,especially low magnetic field cases,in the future.     

Which are the dwarfs in the Solar System?

The International Astronomical Union recently adopted a new definition of planets in our Solar System. A new category of objects was introduced: a “dwarf planet.” This is “a celestial body that has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape and has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.” In a footnote, the resolution says: “An IAU process will be established to assign borderline objects into either “dwarf planet” and other categories." In order to contribute to the establishment of this classification procedure, we analyze the problem of the minimum mass required to become a “dwarf planet,” either from the theoretical and the observational perspective. We propose classification criteria for “dwarf planets” based on the available information on the shape and size of asteroids and TNOs, principally the direct or indirect estimates of the diameter and the estimate of the shapes from the lightcurves. We compile the available observational data on large asteroids and TNOs. According to our classification scheme there is only one rocky “dwarf planet” and 12 icy “dwarf planets” among the already discovered objects.     

Quantum vacuum and virtual gravitational dipoles: the solution to the dark energy problem?

The cosmological constant problem is the principal obstacle in the attempt to interpret dark energy as the quantum vacuum energy. We suggest that the obstacle can be removed, i.e. that the cosmological constant problem can be resolved by assuming that the virtual particles and antiparticles in the quantum vacuum have the gravitational charge of the opposite sign. The corresponding estimates of the cosmological constant, dark energy density and the equation of state for dark energy are in the intriguing agreement with the observed values in the present day Universe. However, our approach and the Standard Cosmology lead to very different predictions for the future of the Universe; the exponential growth of the scale factor, predicted by the Standard Cosmology, is suppressed in our model.     

Can the Solar Cycle Amplitude Be Predicted Using the Preceding Solar Cycle Length?

In this work, the evolution of the relationship between Solar Cycle Length of solar cycle n (SCL _n ) and Solar Cycle Amplitude of the solar cycle n+1 (SCA _n+1) is studied by using the R _Z and R _G sunspot numbers. We conclude that this relationship is only strongly significant in a statistical sense during the first half of the historical record of R _Z sunspot number whereas it is considerably less significant for the R _G sunspot number. In this sense we assert that these simple lagged relationships should be avoided as a valid method to predict the following solar activity amplitude.     

Trojans’ Odyssey: Unveiling the early history of the Solar System

In our present understanding of the Solar System, small bodies (asteroids, Jupiter Trojans, comets and TNOs) are the most direct remnants of the original building blocks that formed the planets. Jupiter Trojan and Hilda asteroids are small primitive bodies located beyond the ‘snow line’, around respectively the L₄ and L₅ Lagrange points of Jupiter at ～5.2?AU (Trojans) and in the 2:3 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter near 3.9?AU (Hildas). They are at the crux of several outstanding and still conflicting issues regarding the formation and evolution of the Solar System. They hold the potential to unlock the answers to fundamental questions about planetary migration, the late heavy bombardment, the formation of the Jovian system, the origin and evolution of trans-neptunian objects, and the delivery of water and organics to the inner planets. The proposed Trojans’ Odyssey mission is envisioned as a reconnaissance, multiple flyby mission aimed at visiting several objects, typically five Trojans and one Hilda. It will attempt exploring both large and small objects and sampling those with any known differences in photometric properties. The orbital strategy consists in a direct trajectory to one of the Trojan swarms. By carefully choosing the aphelion of the orbit (typically 5.3?AU), the trajectory will offer a long arc in the swarm thus maximizing the number of flybys. Initial gravity assists from Venus and Earth will help reducing the cruise time as well as the ΔV needed for injection thus offering enough capacity to navigate among Trojans. This solution further opens the unique possibility to flyby a Hilda asteroid when leaving the Trojan swarm. During the cruise phase, a Main Belt Asteroid could be targeted if requiring a modest ΔV. The specific science objectives of the mission will be best achieved with a payload that will perform high-resolution panchromatic and multispectral imaging, thermal-infrared imaging/ radiometry, near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy, and radio science/mass determination. The total mass of the payload amounts to 50?kg (including margins). The spacecraft is in the class of Mars-Express or a down-scaled version of Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter. It will have a dry mass of 1200?kg, a total mass at launch of 3070?kg and a ΔV capability of 700?m/s (after having reached the first Trojan) and can be launched by a Soyuz rocket. The mission operations concept (ground segment) and science operations are typical of a planetary mission as successfully implemented by ESA during, for instance, the recent flybys of Main Belt asteroids Steins and Lutetia.     

Can we look inside a dynamo?

For a simple spherically symmetric mean‐field dynamo model we investigate the possibility of determining the radial dependence of the coefficient α. Growth rates for different magnetic field modes are assumed to be known by measurement. An evolutionary strategy (ES) is used for the solution of the inverse problem. Numerically, we find quite different α‐profiles giving nearly the same eigenvalues. The ES is also applied to find functions α(r) yielding zero growth rates for the lowest four magnetic field modes. Additionally, a slight modification of the ES is utilized for an “energetic” optimization of α²‐dynamos. The consequences of our findings for inverse dynamo theory and for the design of future dynamo experiments are discussed.     

Do Solar Coronal Holes Affect the Properties of Solar Energetic Particle Events?

The intensities and timescales of gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events at 1 AU may depend not only on the characteristics of shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), but also on large-scale coronal and interplanetary structures. It has long been suspected that the presence of coronal holes (CHs) near the CMEs or near the 1-AU magnetic footpoints may be an important factor in SEP events. We used a group of 41 E≈ 20 MeV SEP events with origins near the solar central meridian to search for such effects. First we investigated whether the presence of a CH directly between the sources of the CME and of the magnetic connection at 1 AU is an important factor. Then we searched for variations of the SEP events among different solar wind (SW) stream types: slow, fast, and transient. Finally, we considered the separations between CME sources and CH footpoint connections from 1 AU determined from four-day forecast maps based on Mount Wilson Observatory and the National Solar Observatory synoptic magnetic-field maps and the Wang–Sheeley–Arge model of SW propagation. The observed in-situ magnetic-field polarities and SW speeds at SEP event onsets tested the forecast accuracies employed to select the best SEP/CH connection events for that analysis. Within our limited sample and the three analytical treatments, we found no statistical evidence for an effect of CHs on SEP event peak intensities, onset times, or rise times. The only exception is a possible enhancement of SEP peak intensities in magnetic clouds.     

Can gravitational effects damp Alfvén waves?

We show that Alfvén-gravity waves propagating in a gravitationally stratified atmosphere do not suffer damping as a result of the rate of working of the gravity drift current on the electric field of the waves. A self-consistent treatment involving conservation of total energy, Poynting's theorem, and the rate of working of the various drift currents on the electric field demonstrates that dissipation only arises from real dissipative processes such as Ohmic heating or viscous effects, otherwise the system is adiabatic.     

Long-period observations of the solar wind plasma between 0.3 and 1.0 AU — Solar activity

Hourly interplanetary plasma data measured by Helios-1 satellite over the period 10 December 1974–31 December 1977 are analysed. This analysis showed that the slow solar wind first increases its speed with heliocentric distance and then becomes more or less constant; the mean speed in the range 0.3 to 1.0 AU is 350 km s^–1 for the slow solar plasma, while for the fast the mean value is between 650 and 700 km s^–1.It seems, particularly in the neighbourhood of the earth, that except for the two dominated types of solar wind (fast and slow) an additional (intermediate) appears at 450 km s^–1.During the phase of enhanced solar activity (11-yr solar cycle) the slow solar wind only is present, while at solar minimum all three types of the solar wind are equally represented.The dependence of the proton temperature on the solar wind speed, in the general solar wind, is the same irrespectively of the phase of solar activity. But, the same dependence is stronger during the compression at the leading edge than during the expansion at the trailing edge of a solar wind stream.     

How Accurately Can We Determine the Coronal Heating Mechanism in the Large-Scale Solar Corona?

In recent papers by Priest et al., the nature of the coronal heating mechanism in the large-scale solar corona was considered. The authors compared observations of the temperature profile along large coronal loops with simple theoretical models and found that uniform heating along the loop gave the best fit to the observed data. This then led them to speculate that turbulent reconnection is a likely method to heat the large-scale solar corona. Here we reconsider their data and their suggestion about the nature of the coronal heating mechanism. Two distinct models are compared with the observations of temperature profiles. This is done to determine the most likely form of heating under different theoretical constraints. From this, more accurate judgments on the nature of the coronal heating mechanism are made. It is found that, due to the size of the error estimates in the observed temperatures, it is extremely difficult to distinguish between some of the different heat forms. In the initial comparison the limited range of observed temperatures (T>1.5 MK) in the data sets suggests that heat deposited in the upper portions of the loop, fits the data more accurately than heat deposited in the lower portions. However if a fuller model temperature range (T<1.0 MK) is used results in contridiction to this are found. In light of this several improvements are required from the observations in order to produce theoretically meaningful results. This gives serious bounds on the accuracy of the observations of the large-scale solar corona in future satellite missions such a Solar-B or Stereo.     

Changes in the Sun’s mass and gravitational constant estimated using modern observations of planets and spacecraft

More than 635 thousand positional observations of planets and spacecraft of various types (mostly radiotechnical ones, 1961–2010) were used to estimate possible changes in the gravitational constant, Sun’s mass, and semi-major axes of planetary orbits, as well as the associated value of the astronomical unit. The observations were analyzed based on the EPM2010 ephemerides constructed at the Institute of Applied Astronomy (Russian Academy of Sciences) in a post-Newtonian approximation as a result of simultanious numerical integration of the equations of motion of nine major planets, the Sun, the Moon, asteroids, and trans-Neptunian objects. The heliocentric gravitational constant GM _⊙ was found to vary with a rate of (GṀ _⊙/GM _⊙ = (−5.0 ± 4.1)) × 10⁻¹⁴ per year (at the 3σ level). The positive secular changes in the semimajor axes ȧ _i /a _i were found for Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn provided by high-precision observations. These changes also correspond to the decrease in the heliocentric gravitational constant. The changing of GM _⊙, itself is probably caused by the loss of the mass M _⊙ of the Sun due to its radiation and solar wind; these effects are partly compensated by the material falling onto the Sun. Allowing for the maximum bounds on the possible change in the Sun’s mass M _⊙, it has been found from the change obtained in GM _⊙ that the annual change Ġ/G of the gravitational constant G falls within the interval −4.2 × 10⁻¹⁴ < ȧ/G < +7.5 × 10⁻¹⁴ with a 95% probability. The astronomical unit (AU) is connected by its definition only with the heliocentric gravitational constant. The decrease of GM _⊙ obtained in this paper should correspond to a secular decrease in the AU. It is shown, however, that the modern level of accuracy does not allow us to determine a change in the AU. The attained posibility of determining changes in GM _⊙ using high-accuracy observations encourages us to have a relation between GM _⊙ and the AU fixed for a certain moment in time, since it is inconvenient to have a time-dependent length for the AU.     

Test of the Hypothesis for an Unknown Distant Massive Planet in the Solar System Applying Tisserand’s Criterion to a System of Long-Period Comets

Earth, Moon, and Planets - One meter class telescopes could bring important contributions in the acquisition of lightcurves of near earth asteroids (NEAs), based on which rotations and other...     

Can We Constrain Solar Interior Physics by Studying the Gravity-Mode Asymptotic Signature?

Gravity modes are the best probes to infer the properties of the solar radiative zone, which represents 98% of the Sun’s total mass. It is usually assumed that high-frequency g modes give information about the structure of the solar interior whereas low-frequency g modes are more sensitive to the solar dynamics (the internal rotation). In this work, we develop a new methodology, based on the analysis of the almost constant separation of the dipole gravity modes, to introduce new constraints on the solar models. To validate this analysis procedure, several solar models – including different physical processes and either old or new chemical abundances (from, respectively, Grevesse and Noels (Origin and Evolution of the Elements 199, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 15, 1993) and Asplund, Grevesse, and Sauval (Cosmic Abundances as Records of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis CS-336, Astron. Soc. Pac., San Francisco, 25?–?38, 2005)) – have been compared to another model used as a reference. The analysis clearly shows that this methodology has enough sensitivity to distinguish among some of the models, in particular, among those with different compositions. The comparison of the models with the g-mode asymptotic signature detected in GOLF data favors the ones with old abundances. Therefore, the physics of the core – obtained through the analysis of the g-mode properties – is in agreement with the results obtained in the previous studies based on the acoustic modes, which are mostly sensitive to more external layers of the Sun.     

Experimental testing of relativistic effects,variability of the gravitational constant and topography of Mercury surface from radar observations 1964–1989

The new analysis of radar observations of inner planets for the time span 1964–1989 is described. The residuals show that Mercury topography is an important source of systematic errors which have not been taken into account up to now. The longitudinal and latitudinal variations of heights of Mercury surface were found and an approximate map of equatorial zone |?|≤120° was constructed. Including three values characterizing global nonsphericity of Mercury surface into the set of parameters under determination allowed to improve essentially all estimates. In particular, the variability of the gravitational constantG was evaluated: $$\dot G/G = (0.47 \pm 0.47) \times 10^{ - 11} yr^{ - 1} $$ . The correction to Mercury perihelion motion: $$\Delta \dot \pi = - 0''.017 \pm 0''.052 cy^{ - 1} $$ and linear combination of the parameters of PPN formalism: $$\upsilon = (2 + 2\gamma - \beta )/3 = 0.9995 \pm 0.0013$$ were determined; they are in a good agreement with General Relativity predictions. The obtained values Δ.π and ν correspond to the negligible solar oblateness, the estimate of solar quadrupole moment being: $$J_2 = ( - 0.13 \pm 0.41) \times 10^{ - 6} $$ .     

Does the gravitational “constant” increase?

The possibility that the gravitational coupling constantG is an increasing function of the cosmic timet is discussed.In Section 1 the Maximal Power Hypothesis (MPH) stating that no power in Nature can exceed the upper boundc ⁵/G (Gunn's luminosity) is advocated.In Sections 2, 3, and 4 the MPH is employed on the cosmological scale to support the idea of an increasingG. In Section 2 the increasingG is obtained by two assumptions - the MPH and the energy conservation law - and by nothing else.In Section 3 the increasingG follows naturally from the MPH in the Einstein-Cartan theory of gravity. The arguments proposed in Sections 2 and 3 lead todG(t)/dt > 0 but cannot specify the form ofG(t). In Section 4 the MPH is applied to the energy of the vacuum and leads to a relation betweenG and the cosmological term,G S ³, valid in a matter-dominated universe (S =S(t) is the expansion factor). This relation plus the time-dependence law (suggested by many authors) t ² = constant, plustH > 2/3 (suggested by observations on the age of globular clusters;H is the Hubble parameter) implies an increasingG. One finds also GU, whereU is the mass density of the universe, in agreement with other studies.     

Leonids 2006 observations of the tail of trails: Where is the comet fluff?

In 2006, Earth encountered a trail of dust left by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle two revolutions ago, in A.D. 1932. The resulting Leonid shower outburst was observed by low light level cameras from locations in Spain. The outburst peaked on 2006 Nov. 19d 04h39m ± 3m UT (predicted: 19d 04h50m ± 15m UT), with a FWHM of 43 ± 10 min (predicted: 38 min), at a peak rate of ZHR=80±10/h (predicted: 50-200 per hour). A low level background of older and brighter Filament Leonids (χ∼2.1) was also present, which dominated rates for Leonids brighter than magnitude +4. The 1932-dust outburst was detected among Leonids of +0 magnitude and brighter. These outburst Leonids were much brighter than expected, with a magnitude distribution index χ=2.60±0.15 (predicted: χ=3.47 and up). Trajectories and orbits of 24 meteors were calculated, most of which are part of the Filament component. Those that were identified as 1932-dust grains penetrated just as deep as Leonids in past encounters. We conclude that larger meteoroids than expected were present in the tail of the 1932-dust trail and meteoroids did not end up there because of low density. We also find that the radiant position of meteors in the Filament component scatter in a circle with radius 0.39°, which is wider than in 1998, when the diameter was 0.09°. This supports the hypothesis that the Filament component consists of meteoroids in mean-motion resonances.     

Does the Poleward Migration Rate of the Magnetic Fields Depend on the Strength of the Solar Cycle?

We present the pattern of the polar magnetic reversal for cycle 23 derived from H synoptic charts and have also included the reversals of the earlier cycles 18–22 for comparison. At the beginning of a new cycle (i.e., soon after the polar reversal) the zonal boundaries of unipolar magnetic regions of opposite polarities (seen as filament bands on the synoptic charts) appear close to and on either side of the equator continuing through the years of minimum indicating the onset of the cancellation of flux at these low latitudes. The cycle thus starts with cancellation of flux close to the equator and ends with the polar reversal or flux cancellation near the poles. The filament bands just below the polemost ones migrate and reach latitudes 35°–45° by the time of polar reversal and become the polemost, once the polar reversal has taken place. During the years of minimum that follow, these filament bands remain more or less stagnant at the latitudes 35°–45° except for occasional slow migration towards the equator. The migration to the poles starts at a low speed of 3 m s^–1 only when the spot activity has risen to a significant level and then it accelerates to 30 m s^–1 at the peak of the activity. It takes 3–4 years for the polemost bands to reach the poles moving at these high speeds. We quantify this possible cause and effect phenomenon by introducing the concept of the `strength of the solar cycle' and represent this by either of a set of three parameters. We show that the velocity of poleward migration is a linear function of the `strength of the solar cycle'.     

The Splitting Or Disappearance of the Solar 160-Min Mode?

The CrAO-WSO-network experiment was designed for detection of low-degree oscillations of the Sun representing either its normal g -modes or those driven by, e.g., rapid (hypothetical) rotation of the central solar core. The Doppler-shift measurements were made in 1974–1995 at both sites during about 13600 hr, in all. Taking into account the upper limit (0.08 m s^-1) for amplitudes of potential g-modes, attention is paid to the Sun's behaviour at frequencies near the 9th daily harmonic (period P 160.The two main issues follow from analysis of the combined CrAO-WSO data: (a) in 1974–1982 the primary period of solar pulsation was P ₀160.0099 ± 0.0016 ± 0.0016 min, but (b) during the last 13 yr it attained a new value, P ₁ 159.9654 ± 0.0010 min, which happens to be a near-annual sidelobe of P ₀. We find therefore that the phase stability of the 160-min mode is no longer present: it appears to be splitted at least into a pair of oscillations,P ₀ and P ₁, having perhaps different physical origins. But the most striking is the fair coincidence of the strongest peaks in the two data sets: CrAO (1974–1995): P = 159.9662 ±0.0006 min, WSO (1977–1994): P = 159.9663 ± 0.0007 min. The existence of two frequencies,P ^-1 ₀ and P ^-1 ₁, with their separation corresponding to 1-yr period, seems to be difficult to explain in terms of gravity g modes.