Kinematics of solar neighborhood stars and its dependence on age and metallicity

We have constructed a catalog containing the best available astrometric,photometric, radial velocity and astrophysical data for mainly F-type and G-type stars(called the Astrometric Catalog associated with Astrophysical Data, ACAD). This contains 27 553 records and is used for the purpose of analyzing stellar kinematics in the solar neighborhood. Using the Lindblad-Oort model and compiled ACAD, we calculated the solar motion and Oort constants in different age–metallicity bins. The evolution of kinematical parameters with stellar age and metallicity was investigated directly. The results show that the component of the solar motion in the direction of Galactic rotation(denoted S2) linearly increases with age, which may be a consequence of the scattering processes, and its value for a dynamical cold disk was found to be 8.0 ± 1.2 km s-1. S2 also linearly increases with metallicity, which indicates that radial migration is correlated to the metallicity gradient. On the other hand, the rotational velocity of the Sun around the Galactic center has no clear correlation with ages or metallicities of stars used in the estimation.     

Kinematics of solar prominences

Two sequences of OSO-4 spectroheliograms in Mg x and Si xii obtained during October–November 1967 and covering the intervals of 83 and 22 hr, respectively, have been analyzed to reveal quasi-periodic oscillations of EUV flux from solar sources with a periodicity of 5–14 hr. The oscillation periods of the emission flux from local sources over sunspots and magnetic field enhancements in plages without spots have been investigated in correlation with characteristics of the respective AR and plages. The greatest periods (> 8 hr) are shown to be peculiar of small sunspots or sunspot groups at the initial or final stage of their development, whereas the smallest periods ( 5–6 hr) are observed in the case of large well-developed groups at the maximum stage of development. In quiet regions on the Sun and plages without spots, the oscillation periods are 6–8 hr. The surface areas in which the oscillations are synchronous and coincide in phase have typical dimensions of 1 in quiet and 1 to 5 in active regions. These areas form a spatial structure similar to the chromospheric network and supergranules. The characteristic lifetime of the structure elements is 1.5–2 days.     

Kinematics and history of the solar neighbourhood revisited

We use proper motions and parallaxes from the new reduction of Hipparcos data and Geneva–Copenhagen radial velocities for a complete sample of  ∼15 000  main-sequence and subgiant stars, and new Padova isochrones to constrain the kinematics and star formation history of the solar neighbourhood. We rederive the solar motion and the structure of the local velocity ellipsoids. When the principal velocity dispersions are assumed to increase with time as   t ^β  , the index β is larger for  σ _W (β _W ≈ 0.45  ) than for  σ _U (β _U ≈ 0.31)  . For the three-dimensional velocity dispersion, we obtain  β= 0.35  . We exclude saturation of disc heating after  ∼3 Gyr  as proposed by Quillen & Garnett. Saturation after  ≳4 Gyr  combined with an abrupt increase in velocity dispersion for the oldest stars cannot be excluded. For all our models, the star formation rate (SFR) is declining, being a factor of 2–7 lower now than it was at the beginning. Models in which the SFR declines exponentially favour very high disc ages between 11.5 and 13 Gyr and exclude ages below  ∼10.5 Gyr  as they yield worse fits to the number density and velocity dispersion of red stars. Models in which the SFR is the sum of two declining exponentials representing the thin and thick discs favour ages between 10.5 and 12 Gyr with a lower limit of  ∼10.0 Gyr  . Although in our models the SFR peaked surprisingly early, the mean formation time of solar-neighbourhood stars is later than in ab initio models of galaxy formation, probably on account of weaknesses in such models.     

Stellar analogs of solar magnetic activity

The techniques and principal results of observational studies of stellar activity are summarized. Both chromospheric and coronal emission clearly track surface magnetic field properties, but it is not well known how the detailed relation between the emission and surface magnetic fields varies with spectral type. For lower Main-Sequence stars of the same spectral type, there is clear evidence of a close relationship between mean activity level and rotation period P _rot. There is also less definitive evidence for a similar dependence on convective overturn time _c , such that activity depends on the single parameter Ro = P _rot/ _c . For single stars, stellar rotation, and magnetic activity both decline smoothly with age. This implies a feedback between angular momentum loss rate and activity level. Temporal variations in mean stellar activity level mimic the solar cycle only for old stars like the Sun, being much more irregular for younger stars. The characteristic timescale of the variations (the cycle period) appears to depend on Ro for old stars, but shows no clear dependence on either rotation rate or spectral type for younger stars. Further data on mean activity and its variation for a large number of lower Main-Sequence stars should contribute significantly to our understanding of the causes of stellar magnetic activity.     

Sensitivity of solar eigenfrequencies to the age of the sun

The increasing central concentration of the Sun with age modifies the acoustic eigenfrequencies. In particular, the frequency separation d _l =3(2l+3)^–1v _n,l –v _n–1,l+2 for modes with l + 1/2 n decreases as nuclear reactions augment the molecular-weight gradient in the energy-generating core. If, for example, the Sun were older than is generally believed, one might therefore expect d _l to be smaller than current theoretical predictions. On the other hand, to ensure that the luminosity is consistent with observations, the presumed initial hydrogen abundance would need to be enhanced, thereby reducing the resultant molecular-weight gradient. Thus there is some degree of cancellation of the two major factors that determine d _l .Various authors have either reported directly on the sensitivity of d _l , or have provided the information from which it can be calculated. We have added our own computations. There is broad agreement amongst the results: d _l diminishes with the presumed age of the Sun at the rate of about 1 Hz per Gy for l = 0; the magnitude of the rate appears to decline with increasing l.     

Observations of solar filaments at 8, 15, 22 and 43 GHz

On April 3, 4, 6, and 8, 1978, solar observations were made using the Haystack 120 ft telescope at 8, 15, 22, and 43 GHz. H filtergrams obtained at the Sacramento Peak Observatory on the same days showed an average of more than 30 filaments or filament fragments (per day) on the disk. Most of these appeared as depressions in brightness temperature at 15 and 22 GHz. Because of the relatively low spatial resolution at 8 GHz, only a few appeared at that frequency, and presumably because of lower opacity in filaments at higher frequencies, few depressions were visible at 43 GHz. At 15 and 22 GHz, more depressions appeared than H filaments, but virtually all the radio depressions overlay magnetic neutral lines. Taking the data sets for each day as independent samples, we found that at 22 GHz, 46 of the 77 radio depressions were associated with H filaments; at 15 GHz the correlation was smaller; only 27 out of 48 being associated with the H filaments. The data imply that the microwave depression features are the result of absorption by filaments and perhaps also the result of other effects of the associated filament channel, but not necessarily coronal depletion. The effects of filament absorption are, statistically, about twice as effective as other phenomena (such as absorption by material invisible in H, for example) in creating the radio depression. A center-to-limb study of a single large filament clearly showed that at 15 and 22 GHz the absorption by cool hydrogen supported above the neutral line was the predominant factor in producing the observed depression at radio frequencies.     

Kinematics and galactic orbits of globular clusters. I. Kinematics

The spatial velocities of 24 globular clusters have been determined. Correlations among the velocities of the clusters, their positions in the Galaxy, and their metallicity indices are investigated. The mean velocity ellipsoid is determined, which proves to be nearly spherical. Clusters belonging to different groups of blue horizontal-branch stars in accordance with Mironov, Rastorguev, and Samus’ are considered separately. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 259-268, April–June, 2000.     

具有哈勃流的相对论抛射运动学(II)15个超光速源解的应用

研究超光速运动的要点是求出正喷流和反喷流的多普勒因子．在传统方法中，反喷流的方向取为正喷流的反方向，其流速相等．正确的方法是先从由局部抛射和哈勃流组成的正喷流中，用狭义相对论的合速公式分解出局部抛射速度，然后从哈勃流和反方向的局部抛射速度导出反喷流的速度和方向．这就是本文所求出的结果．本文的主要目的是比较用传统方法和本文方法所得的反喷流的多普勒因子的值．最后解得１５个超光速源，其结果显示传统方法所得的反喷流多普勒因子的值，除以红移ｚ的函数，ｆ（ｚ）＝１．０１０ｚ２＋１．９９２ｚ＋０．９９３，就得到本文所得的反喷流多普勒因子的值；在ｚ＝０．０５６９－２．３６７范围内，上式的标准误差为０００８２８．应用本文方法，若有足够多的超光速和亚光速源的数据，有可能提供测定哈勃常数Ｈ０和在活动类星体中寻找蓝移吸收线．     

Dependence of kinematics on the age of stars in the solar neighborhood

The variations of kinematic parameters with age are considered for a sample of 15 402 thin-disk O-F stars with accurate ??, ??, ??, and ?? > 3 mas from the Hipparcos catalogue and radial velocities from the PCRV catalogue. The ages have been calculated from the positions of the stars on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram relative to the isochrones from the Padova database by taking into account the extinction from the previously constructed 3D analytical model and extinction coefficient R _V from the 3D map of its variations. Smooth, mutually reconciled variations of the velocity dispersions ??(U), ??(V), ??(W), solar motion components U _??, V _??, W _??, Ogorodnikov-Milne model parameters, Oort constants, and vertex deviation l _xy consistent with all of the extraneous results for which the stellar ages were determined have been found. The velocity dispersion variations are well fitted by power laws the deviations from which are explained by the influence of predominantly radial stellar streams: Sirius, Hyades, ?? Cet/Wolf 630, and Hercules. The accuracy of determining the solar motion relative to the local standard of rest is shown to be fundamentally limited due to these variations of stellar kinematics. The deviations of our results from those of Dehnen and Binney (1998), the Geneva-Copenhagen survey of dwarfs, and the Besan con model of the Galaxy are explained by the use of PCRV radial velocities with corrected systematic errors.     

Kinematics of quasars and AGN

The VLBA has been used over a period of four years to study the internal motions within a sample of quasars and AGN. In most sources, features appear to propagate away from the central engine along a well collimated radio jet with apparent transverse velocities between zero and 10c, with some evidence for apparent accelerations and decelerations. The distribution of apparent velocity is not consistent with any simple ballistic model and appears to require either a spread in intrinsic velocity or a difference between the bulk velocity and pattern velocity. The dependence of apparent angular velocity with redshift is consistent with standard Friedmann world models. Further observations of a larger source sample, especially at large redshift may lead to meaningful constraints on world models.     

Observations of solar X-ray bursts in the energy range 5–15 keV

We simultaneously solve the equations of radiative transfer and statistical equilibrium for a model hydrogen atom including Lyman-, Lyman-, Balmer- and the Lyman, Balmer and Paschen continua. The model atmospheres we use are the results of Nakagawa et al. (1973) for a kinematic model of the chromospheric solar flare.We find that the models adequately predict the total intensity of B, its wing broadening, the presence of a red-shifted wing, the maximum electron density, the total line-of-sight second-level population and the narrowness in height of the B emitting region. The profile of B is strongly self-reversed, however, and agrees with observations only in the presence of 40–70 km s^–1 macroturbulent motion.We find that Nakagawa et al. (1973) seriously overestimate the radiative loss function, which will have a large effect on their models. Proper radiative loss calculations must be included in any physically realistic model.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Fermi paradox and alternative strategies for seti programs: The Anthropic Principle and the search for close solar analogs

The Anthropic Principle, a new trend of modern cosmology, claims that the origin of life and the development of intelligent beings on the Earth is the result of highly selective biological processes, strictly tuned in the fundamental physical characteristics of the Universe. This principle could account for the failure of some programs of search for extraterrestrial intelligences (SETI) and suggests the search for strict solar analogs as a primary target for SETI strategies. In this connection, we have selected 22 solar analogs and discussed their choice.     

Multiple loop activations and continuous energy release in the solar flare of June 15, 1973

The spatial and temporal evolution of the high temperature plasma in the flare of 1973 June 15 has been studied using the flare images photographed by the NRL XUV spectroheliograph on Skylab.The overall event involves the successive activations of a number of different loops and arches bridging the magnetic neutral line. The spatial shifts and brightenings observed in the Fe xxiii–xxiv lines are interpreted as the activation of new structures. These continued for four or five minutes after the end of the microwave burst phase, implying additional energy-release unrelated to the nonthermal phase of the flare. A shear component observed in the coronal magnetic field may be a factor in the storage and release of the flare energy.The observed Fe xxiii–xxiv intensities define a post-burst heating phase during which the temperature remained approximately constant at 13 × 10⁶ K while the Fe xxiv intensity and 0–3 Å flux rose to peak values. This phase coincided with the activation of the densest structure (N _e = 2 × 10¹¹ cm^–3). Heating of higher loops continued into the decay phase, even as the overall temperature and flux declined with the fading of the lower Fe xxiv arches.The observed morphology of individual flaring arches is consistent with the idea of energy release at altitude in the arch (coincident with a bright, energetic core in the Fe xxiv image) and energy flow downward into the ribbons. The Doppler velocity of the Fe xxi 1354 Å line is less than 5 km s^–1, indicating that the hot plasma region is stationary.The relation of this flare to the larger class of flares associated with filament eruptions and emerging magnetic flux is discussed.     

Detection of high-energy solar neutrons and protons by ground level detectors on April 15, 2001

In association with the large solar flare of April 15, 2001, the Chacaltaya neutron monitor observed a 3.6σ enhancement of the counting rate between 13:51 and 14:15 UT. Since the enhancement was observed beginning 11 min before the GLE, solar neutrons must be involved in this enhancement. The integral energy spectrum of solar neutrons can be expressed by a simple power law in energy with the index γ=-3.0±1.0. On the other hand, an integral energy spectrum of solar protons has been obtained in the energy range between 650 MeV and 12 GeV. The spectrum can also be expressed by a power law with the power index γ=-2.75±0.15. The flux of solar protons observed at Chacaltaya (at 12 GeV) was already one order less than the flux of the galactic cosmic rays. It may be the first simultaneous observation of the energy spectra of both high-energy protons and neutrons. Comparing the Yohkoh soft X-ray telescope images with the observed particle time profiles, an interesting picture of the particle acceleration mechanism has been deduced.     

Kinematics of nearby Subdwarfs

A sample of subdwarfs with accurate space velocities and standarized metallicities is presented. This was constructed by combining Hipparcos parallaxes and proper motions with radial velocities and metallicities from Carney et al. (1994; CLLA). The accurate Hipparcos parallaxes lead to an – upward – correction factor of 11% of the photometric distance scale of CLLA. The kinematical behaviour of the subdwarfs is discussed in particular in relation to their metallicities. Most of the stars turn out to be thick disk stars, but the sample contains also many genuine halo stars. While the extreme metal poor halo does not rotate, a population of subdwarfs with metallicities in the range −1.6≤ [Fe/H] ≤ −1.0 dex appears to rotate around the galactic center with a mean rotation speed of about 100 km s^-1. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Kinematics and Origin of smr Stars

Ages and kinematics are revised for SMR stars ([M/H] >+0.30) common to NLTT and HIPPARCOS catalogues. The origin of MR to SMR stars appears heterogeneous: part of them, of intermediate age, were formed few kpc inside the solar orbit, from slowly enriched gas, whereas the oldest SMRs were born early, closer to the galactic center where the metal-enrichment had been fast. Perturbations by the galactic bar explain the peculiar motions of local SMRs as well as their outwards migration. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Kinematics and Mass Modelling of NGC 1068

We present the kinematics of the ionized gas over the inner 140″ (10 kpc) from observations with the HIFI Fabry-Perot interferometer. There is clear evidence for density wave streaming and bar-driven streaming across the field, with bi-symmetric arms that penetrate to within 200 pc of the nucleus. CO maps show linear structures along (although slightly offset from) the bar consistent with a strong shock. Along the spiral arms which encircle the bar, the H II regions lie downstream of the CO gas in the rest frame of the bar, as do the dust lanes, only if the gas outruns the stellar bar. As a first step towards understanding the details of the gas kinematics, and attempting to determine the mass inflow rate towards the nucleus, we build a mass model for the central disk constrained by near-infrared images. We plan to use this model as gravitational background potential for hydrodynamical simulations of the gas response to the bar. Comparing these with the data presented should enable us to constrain various quantities such as pattern speed, stellar mass-to-light ratio, central mass concentration, and gas fueling rate. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Kinematics and Flare Properties of Radio-Loud CMEs

A detailed analysis of the characteristics of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and flares associated with decameter-hectometer wavelength type-II radio bursts (hereafter DH-type-II radio bursts, DH-CMEs or radio-loud CMEs) observed in the period 1997??C?2008 is presented. A sample of 61 limb events is divided into two populations based on the residual acceleration: accelerating CMEs (a _r>0) and decelerating CMEs (a _r<0). We found that average speed (residual acceleration) of all limb DH-CMEs (called radio-loud CMEs) is nearly three (two) times greater than the average speed of the general population CMEs (radio-quiet CMEs). While the initial acceleration (a _i) of the accelerating DH-CMEs is smaller than that of decelerating DH-CMEs (0.79 and 1.62 km?s^?2, respectively), the average speed and magnitude of residual acceleration of the accelerating and decelerating DH-CMEs are similar (??V _CME??: 1254 km?s^?1 and 1303 km?s^?1; ??a _r??: 0.026 km?s^?2 and 0.028 km?s^?2, respectively). The accelerating DH-CMEs attain their peak speed at larger heights than decelerating DH-CMEs. A good positive and negative linear correlation for accelerating and decelerating DH-CMEs (R _a=0.74 and R _d=?0.77, respectively) is found. The flares associated with accelerating DH-CME events have longer rise times and decay times than flares of decelerating DH-CME. The accelerating and decelerating DH-CMEs events associated with DH-type-II bursts have similar ending frequencies. The analysis of time lags between DH-type-II start and the flare onset shows that the delays are longer in accelerating DH-CMEs than decelerating DH-CMEs (P??7 %). However, the time lags between the DH-type-II start and the CMEs onset are similar.