Column densities of interstellar matter in the direction of the starκ Cas (B1 Ia)

We have studied the interstellar column densities in the direction of the star Cas with the IUE high resolution SWP spectrum so as to see the relations of element depletions with condensation temperature and compare our results with the interstellar column densities in the directions of the other B-type stars obtained with the COPERNICUS satellite.Based on the observations made by the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUEO, and collected at the Villafranca Satellite Tracking Station of European Space Agency.     

The Relation between the Critical Accretion Rate of Progenitors of SNe Ia and Metallicity

A carbon-oxygen white dwarf may explode in a Type Ia supernova by accreting matter from its companion via either Roche lobe overflow or from winds, but there exists a critical accretion rate of the progenitor system for the explosion. We study the relation between the critical accretion rate and the metallicity via an AGB star approach. The result indicates that the critical accretion rate depends not only on the hydrogen mass fraction and the white dwarf mass, but also on the metallicity. The effect of the metallicity is smaller than that of the white dwarf mass. We show that it is reasonable to use the model with stellar mass 1.6 M⊙for real white dwarfs.     

Ia超新星的几个问题

首先利用Ａｓｉａｇｏ 超新星星表对Ｉａ 超新星作了统计分析。其次用具有精确测光的Ｉａ 超新星对其均匀性及多样性进行了研究。旋涡星系中Ｉａ 超新星的产生率比椭圆星系的要高。最亮的Ｉａ 超新星只出现于晚型旋涡星系中;而旋涡星系及早型的椭圆星系都是暗Ｉａ 超新星的寄主星系。离星系中心越近Ｉａ 超新星的光度弥散有增加的趋势,但这一趋势对蓝Ｉａ 超新星不明显。利用色指数可将Ｉａ 超新星划分为蓝超新星及红超新星。蓝Ｉａ 超新星构成了相对均匀的Ｉａ 超新星样本,是较好的距离指示器;而红Ｉａ 超新星的存在则表明了Ｉａ 超新星整体多样性的特点。最后,我们还探讨了Ｉａ 超新星中碳点火的非线性问题。     

Ia型超新星的消光改正

Ia型超新星因其在宇宙学上起着标准烛光的作用而备受关注,正确的消光改正才能还原其本征亮度和颜色,然后才能在宇宙学中恰当地应用。综述了不同环境中的尘埃对Ia型超新星消光的影响,并讨论Ia型超新星绝对星等的校正和Rv值偏小的原因。Ia型超新星绝对星等的弥散主要受两个方面的影响,一是由前身星状态所导致的固有弥散,二是寄主星系内尘埃的消光。利用与距离无关的参数对绝对星等校正后,可以将弥散降低到0.1 mag以下。Ia型超新星的内禀色指数呈现出随时间演化的一致性,使得其红化比较容易计算。大量的观测和分析表明,Ia型超新星在寄主星系中的Rv值在低红化时,其情形比较接近银河系;而在红化严重时偏小,多在2.0以下,低于银河系的平均值3.1。一种可能的解释是Ia型超新星的星周尘埃对星光的多重散射,另一种可能是Ia型超新星寄主星系的尘埃与典型的银河系内星际尘埃的差异。     

Is the X-ray pulsating companion of HD 49798 a possible type Ia supernova progenitor?

HD 49798(a hydrogen depleted subdwarf O6 star) with its massive white dwarf(WD) companion has been suggested to be a progenitor candidate of a type Ia supernova(SN Ia). However, it is still uncertain whether the companion of HD 49798 is a carbon-oxygen(CO) WD or an oxygen-neon(ONe) WD. A CO WD will explode as an SN Ia when its mass grows and approaches the Chandrasekhar limit, but the outcome of an accreting ONe WD is likely to be a neutron star. We generated a series of Monte Carlo calculations that incorperate binary population synthesis to simulate the formation of ONe WD + He star systems. We found that there is almost no orbital period as large as HD 49798 with its WD companion in these ONe WD + He star systems based on our simulations, which means that the companion of HD 49798 might not be an ONe WD. We suggest that the companion of HD 49798 is most likely a CO WD, which can be expected to increase its mass to the Chandrasekhar limit by accreting He-rich material from HD 49798. Thus, HD 49798 and its companion may produce an SN Ia as a result of its future evolution.     

The Peak Luminosity of Type Ia Supernovae and its Implications for the Cosmic Expansion Rate

1 IN~DUCTIONInterest in take la supernovae (SNe la) has risen dramatically with their application to thecosmological problems since Kowal (1968). Their powerful capabilities as distance indicatorson the cosmic scale have pushed them into the limelight of cosmology. They now provide themain route to the current eXPansion rate and the deceleration of the adverse. (see Branch1998; Perlmutter et al. 1999; mess et al. 1998).SNe la are reversally accepted as the result of thermonuclear eXPlo…     

Do binaries in clusters form in the same way as in the field?

We examine the dynamical destruction of binary systems in star clusters of different densities. We find that at high densities  (10⁴– 10⁵ M_⊙ pc⁻³)  almost all binaries with separations  >10³  au are destroyed after a few crossing times. At low densities [     ], many binaries with separations  >10³  au are destroyed, and no binaries with separations  >10⁴  au survive after a few crossing times. Therefore, the binary separations in clusters can be used as a tracer of the dynamical age and past density of a cluster.
We argue that the central region of the Orion nebula cluster was ∼100 times denser in the past with a half-mass radius of only 0.1–0.2 pc as (i) it is expanding, (ii) it has very few binaries with separations  >10³  au and (iii) it is well mixed and therefore dynamically old.
We also examine the origin of the field binary population. Binaries with separations  <10²  au are not significantly modified in any cluster, therefore at these separations the field reflects the sum of all star formation. Binaries with separations in the range  10²– 10⁴  au are progressively more and more heavily affected by dynamical disruption in increasingly dense clusters. If most star formation is clustered, these binaries must be overproduced relative to the field. Finally, no binary with a separation  >10⁴  au can survive in any cluster and so must be produced by isolated star formation, but only if all isolated star formation produces extremely wide binaries.     

Ia超新星：理论与宇宙学

Ia超新星作为测量遥远星距离（从而测定宇宙膨胀速率）的“标准烛光”，已经成为具有重要意义的天体，主要介绍当前Ia超新星研究的理论和观测进展，光谱分光及测光证据表明，Ia超新星是由吸积碳氧白短星热核爆炸产生，但有关Ia超新星前身星双星系统及流体动力学模型仍是有争议的，蓝Ia超新星具有相对均匀的峰值光度，它是天文学家已的校准得最好的示距天体，近年来，人们在利用Ia超新星测量时空方面已取得了巨大进展。     

Ia型超新星多样性的观测研究

正通常认为Ia型超新星来自碳氧白矮星的热核爆炸,利用其光度可标准化的特性进行宇宙学距离测量,发现宇宙处于加速膨胀状态.然而Ia型超新星的研究仍存在一些基本问题没有解决.这些问题和Ia型超新星观测上的多样性密切相关.通过对处于爆发极早期的Ia型超新星进行观测,获得前身星系统的残留信息,是研究观测多样性起源、提高测距精度的关键环节.我们利用丽江2.4 m望远镜,从国     

Studying the errors in the estimation of the variation of energy by the “patched-conics” model in the three-dimensional swing-by

The swing-by maneuver is a technique used to change the energy of a spacecraft by using a close approach in a celestial body. This procedure was used many times in real missions. Usually, the first approach to design this type of mission is based on the “patched-conics” model, which splits the maneuver into three “two-body dynamics.” This approach causes an error in the estimation of the energy variations, which depends on the geometry of the maneuver and the system of primaries considered. Therefore, the goal of the present paper is to study the errors caused by this approximation. The comparison of the results are made with the trajectories obtained using the more realistic restricted three-body problem, assumed here to be the “real values” for the maneuver. The results shown here describe the effects of each parameter involved in the swing-by. Some examples using bodies in the solar system are used in this part of the paper. The study is then generalized to cover different mass parameters, and its influence is analyzed to give an idea of the amount of the error expected for a given system of primaries. The results presented here may help in estimating errors in the preliminary mission analysis using the “patched-conics” approach.     

Are Type Ia Supernovae Reliable Distance Indicators？

Recent applications of type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia)in cosmology have successfully revealed the accelerating expansion of the universe.However,as distance indicators used in measuring the expansion history of the universe and probing the nature of dark energy,these objects must pass more strict tests.We propose a K-S test to investigate if there exists any systematic bias when deriving the luminosity distances under the standard candle assumption. Two samples,one comprising 71 high-redshift SNe Ia and the other,44 nearby ones,are used in our investigation.We find that it is likely there exists a bias in the adopted samples,which is probably caused by a systematic error,e.g.in the color parameter used in the luminosity calibration and a bias may be caused by the SN evolution or by varying properties of the dust surrounding the SNe Ia.     

Kinematics of the Open Cluster System in the Galaxy

Absolute proper motions and radial velocities of 202 open clusters in the solar neighborhood, which can be used as tracers of the Galactic disk, are used to investigate the kinematics of the Galaxy in the solar vicinity, including the mean heliocentric velocity components (u_1,u_2,u_3) of the open cluster system, the characteristic velocity dispersions (σ_1,σ_2,σ_3), Oort constants (A, B) and the large-scale radial motion parameters (C,D) of the Galaxy. The results derived from the observational data of proper motions and radial velocities of a subgroup of 117 thin disk young open clusters by means of a maximum likelihood algorithm are: (u_1,u2,u3) = (-16.1±1.0, -7.9±1.4,-10.4±1.5) kms~(-1), (σ_1,σ_2,σ_3) = (17.0 ±0.7,12.2±0.9,8.0±1.3) kms~(-1),(A,B) = (14.8±1.0,-13.0±2.7) kms~(-1) kpc~(-1) ,and(C,D) = (1.5±0.7,-1.2±1.5) kms~(-1) kpc~(-1) . A discussion on the results and comparisons with what was obtained by other authors is given.     

Possible Streams of the Globular Clusters in the Galaxy

1 INTRODUCTION The globular cluster (GC hereafter), as the oldest star group in the universe, has been a target that astro- physics has paid close attention to all the time. The near-field (Galaxy) cosmology makes contacts with the far-field cosmology by …     

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.     

宇宙命运与Ia型超新星（上）

超新星是一些质量较大的恒星演化到晚期发生爆炸所产生的天体。它们在短时间内很明亮,一颗超新星的亮度可以相当于整个星系。超新星中有一类被称作Ia型超新星,     

Manifestations of the North – South Asymmetry in the Photosphere and in the Green Line Corona

The north – south asymmetries (NSA) of three solar activity indices are derived and mutually compared over a period of more than five solar cycles (1945 – 2001). A catalogue of the hemispheric sunspot numbers, the data set of the coronal green line brightness developed by us, and the magnetic flux derived from the NSO/KP data (1975 – 2001) are treated separately within the discrete low- and mid-latitude zones (5° – 30°, 35° – 60°). The calculated autocorrelations, cross-correlations, and regressions between the long-term NSA data sets reveal regularities in the solar activity phenomenon. Namely, the appearance of a distinct quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is evident in all selected activity indices. Nevertheless, a smooth behavior of QBO is derived only when sufficient temporal averaging is performed over solar cycles. The variation in the significance and periodicity of QBO allows us to conclude that the QBO is not persistent over the whole solar cycle. A similarity in the photospheric and coronal manifestations of the NSA implies that their mutual relation will also show the QBO. A roughly two-year periodicity is actually obtained, but again only after significant averaging over solar cycles. The derived cross-correlations are in fact variable in degree of correlation as well as in changing periodicity. A clear and significant temporal shift of 1 – 2 months in the coronal manifestation of the magnetic flux asymmetry relative to the photospheric manifestation is revealed as a main property of their mutual correlation. This shift can be explained by the delayed large-scale coronal manifestation in responding to the emergence of the magnetic flux in the photosphere. The reliability of the derived results was confirmed by numerical tests performed by selecting different numerical values of the used parameters.     

Does the ion cyclotron exist in the inner corona?

The present work is about the interpretation of the linear polarization of the O VI D₂ (λ1032) coronal line observed by SUMER/SoHO. We take into account the effect of the Doppler redistribution due to the scattering ions motion. We consider the cases of isotropic and anisotropic velocity field distributions. The latter can be interpreted by the ioncyclotron effect that affects heavy ions in the solar corona. The comparison of the numerical results with the observations yields constraints on the solar wind outflow speed and on the velocity field distribution of the O⁵⁺ ions at low coronal altitudes in the polar holes.     

Minicomets in the Solar system and in the Earth’s atmosphere and related phenomena

We consider the history of discovery and justify the existence in the Solar system of a new class of bodies—minicomets, i.e., bodies of cometary nature and composition but of low mass. Two classes of minicomets are distinguished: icy ones similar to the Tunguska meteorite, and snow ones, which break up at high altitudes.     

How old are SN Ia progenitor systems? New observational constraints on the distribution of time delays from GALEX

The time delay between the formation of the progenitor systems of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) and their detonation is a vital discriminant between the various progenitor scenarios that have been proposed for them. We use Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical and Galaxy Evolution Explorer ( GALEX ) ultraviolet observations of the early-type host galaxies of 21 nearby SNe Ia and quantify the presence or absence of any young stellar population to constrain the minimum time delay for each supernova. We find that early-type host galaxies lack 'prompt' SNe Ia with time delays of ≲100 Myr and that ∼70 per cent SNe Ia have minimum time delays of 275 Myr–1.25 Gyr, with a median of 650 Myr, while at least 20 per cent SNe Ia have minimum time delays of at least 1 Gyr at 95 per cent confidence and two of these four SNe Ia are likely older than 2 Gyr. The distribution of minimum time delays observed matches most closely the expectation for the single-degenerate channel with a main sequence donor. Furthermore, we do not find any evidence that subluminous SNe Ia are associated with long time delays.