The spectra of three newly discovered high-redshift quasars

Spectra of three high-redshift quasars discovered on low-dispersion objective prism plates were obtained. We present the emission line identifications and redshifts of the objects. Equivalent widths, line widths and low-resolution line profiles are given characterizing the quasar emission region. The Lyα and CIV equivalent widths indicate that the considered quasars are luminous objects at high redshift. Both these equivalent widths are too low by a factor 4, whereas the N V/Lyα ratio is 5 times larger than predicted by the photoionisation models. The line profiles are compared with logarithmic, electron-scattering and Gaussian profiles. In all the spectra rich absorption line systems are evident.     

Flares,magnetic configurations,and magnetic energy release

Using a newly developed Aerospace digital videomagnetograph, three solar active regions are studied as to their magnetic configurations and their flare productivity. These three regions have very different types of magnetic configurations and different types of flare productivity. We review previous theoretical and experimental research on flares and magnetic energy storage, and discuss various ways to observe magnetic energy release due to flares. Results for six subflares are presented. Five showed no measurable magnetic energy change and one result is questionable.We show three counterexamples to Zirin's (1972) contention that as a rule H plage brightness is proportional to magnetic field strength. Each of these three cases involved two plage regions of the same polarity and equal field strengths with one of the plages adjacent to a neutral line. In all three cases the plage region nearer the neutral line was much brighter.     

Clarification in the identification of certain lines in the infrared solar spectrum

Forty-two unidentified spectral lines in Mohler's (1955) table of infrared solar spectrum wavelengths are shown to be solar, and three of these tentatively have been identified. One line, listed by Mohler as solar or telluric, is shown to be telluric.     

Use of Al xii and Mg xi lines as solar plasma diagnostics

We present three sets of observations of n = 1 to n = 2 lines due to helium-like aluminium (Alxii), made during two solar flares (25 August, 1980 and 19 October, 1986), using the X-Ray Polychromator on the SMM satellite. The observed temperature-sensitive line ratio G is shown to be consistent with the close-coupling calculations of Keenan and McCann (1987), although the ratio R, which is both temperature and density-sensitive for lower-Z elements, is not sufficiently well determined from these data to say more than that the observed values of R are not inconsistent with the theoretical calculations. This region of the spectrum also includes the helium-like magnesium (Mgxi) 1¹ S - 3¹ P line, and it is shown that the ratio of this line to the Alxii resonance (1¹ S - 2¹ P) line is a more sensitive indicator of electron temperature than are the Alxii G and R ratios. We demonstrate that the three ratios may be used together in order to derive values of emission measure, electron temperature and electron density during these flares.     

一个大质量恒星形成复合体的动力学性质

恒星形成于分子云之中, 分子外向流是恒星形成正在进行的重要动力学特征, 也是研究和认识恒星形成的重要契入点. 利用紫金山天文台青海观测站德令哈13.7m毫米波望远镜, 采用5种分子谱线探针(包括¹²CO、¹³CO、C¹⁸O、HCO$^+$ $J=1-0$和CS $J=2-1$, J为角动量量子数), 对一个包含IRAS 19230+1506、IRAS 19232+1504和G050.3179--00.4186这3个源的大质量恒星形成复合体进行了成图观测研究. 通过对以上分子谱线数据并结合红外波段巡天数据的分析, 在这3个源中首次探测到了分子外向流活动, 并确定了分子外向流的中心驱动源. 最后对这3个源进行了分子外向流相关物理量参数的计算, 分析了这些物理量参数之间的关系, 结果表明分子外向流的性质与中心驱动源的性质息息相关.     

Line profile analysis of an active region corona observed successively at the east and west limb

A systematic line profile analysis of Fexiv λ 5303 coronal line was carried out for a single active region successively observed both above the east and west solar limb (4, 18, and 19 October, 1974). Cross-correlations of the intensity, temperature and velocity structures among these three sets of observations show that although considerable variations are seen in intensity with accompanying some change in temperature, the velocity field can be stable as far as the magnetic field configuration remains stable. It is also pointed out that the standard wavelength of the green line would be 5302.81₅ Å which is somewhat shorter than the currently adopted value of 5302.86 Å, and that a ‘general’ flow from west to east might exist in this region superposed on the local velocity field.     

Green's function methods for potential magnetic fields

The Green's function method to calculate potential magnetic field on the Sun, which was first established by Schmidt (1964) in the case that the field component normal to a flat boundary plane is specified, is extended to the following three cases: (a) The field component along the line of sight, which is not generally normal to the flat boundary plane, is specified; (b) the line of sight component on a spherical boundary surface is specified; (c) the normal component on a spherical surface is specified, together with the condition that the field becomes approximately radial on an outer spherical surface (the so-called source surface). Properties of these Green's functions are examined, and the applicability of these methods to solar magnetic data is discussed.On leave of absence from Department of Astronomy, University of Tokyo.     

The oxygen‐isotopic record in enstatite meteorites

Abstract— Oxygen‐isotopic compositions were determined for a suite of enstatite chondrites and aubrites. In agreement with previous work (Clayton et al., 1984), most samples have O‐isotopic compositions close to the terrestrial fractionation line (TFL), and there appear to be no significant differences in O‐isotopic compositions between individual EH and EL chondrites and aubrites. Five enstatite meteorites have O‐isotopic compositions that are significantly different from the other samples and >0.2% away from the TFL. Two of these have petrographic evidence of brecciation and interaction between other meteorite types; for the other three, similar scenarios are suggested. There appears to be a systematic increase in δ¹⁸O from enstatite chondrites (both EH and EL) of petrologic type 3 to those of type 6. There is also good evidence that the EH meteorites do not fall along a mass fractionation line but along a line slope 0.66. At the present time, detailed understanding of the origin of these O‐isotopic systematics remain elusive but clearly point to a complex accretion history, parent‐body evolution, or both.     

Atomic oxygen in the comae of comets

We report on the detection of atomic oxygen lines in the spectra of 8 comets. These forbidden lines are a result of the photodissociation of the parent oxygen-bearing species directly into an excited state. We used high resolution spectra obtained at the McDonald Observatory 2.7 m telescope to resolve the cometary oxygen lines from the telluric oxygen lines and from other cometary emissions. We find that the relative intensities of the two red lines (6300.304 and 6363.776 Å) are consistent with theory. The green line (5577.339 Å) has an intensity which is about 10% of the sum of the intensities of the two red lines. We show that collisional quenching may be important in the inner coma. If we assume the relative excitation rates of potential parents which have appeared in the literature, then H₂O would be the parent of the cometary green oxygen line. However, those rates have been questioned. We measured the width of the three oxygen lines and find that the green line is wider than either of the two red lines. The finding of a wider line could imply a different parent for the green and red lines. However, the constancy of the green to red line flux ratio suggests the parent is the same for these lines but that the exciting photons have different energies.     

Giant pulsations in the plasmasphere

It has been generally accepted up to now that giant pulsations (Pg) are auroral zone phenomena but here we present observations of a sequence of three Pg events on successive days at three stations well within the plasmasphere. Field line resonance behaviour is exhibited with one of the events clearly resonating at L ? 2.8. From the resonant frequency (10.4 mHz) equatorial mass densities are calculated and from these, and the measured azimuthai polarization at resonance, the inference is drawn that Pgs are oscillations in the fundamental guided poloidal mode. We suggest that the drift wave instability of the compressional Alfvén wave may be the source mechanism for Pgs and speculate how conditions for the instability may have arisen.     

Contamination of the 5394 Å spectral region by telluric lines

The spectral region in the vicinity of 5394 Å contains three prominent photospheric spectral lines, which can be used as a solar plasma diagnostic tool. The occurrence of telluric lines in this region is a potential source of systematic and random errors in these solar spectral lines. The goal of our investigation was to determine the telluric line contamination of this interesting spectral region. Several series of high-resolution solar spectra within an interval of about 4 Å around the 5394 Å wavelength were observed at different zenith distances of the Sun. Comparison of these spectra has permitted identification of telluric lines in this spectral interval. The observations were carried out with the horizontal solar spectrograph of the Heliophysical Observatory in Debrecen. Telluric feature blending was identified in the blue and red wings of the Fe I 5393.2 Å line, and in the local continuum of the Mn I 5394.7 Å line. The blue wing of the Fe I 5395.2 Å line is contaminated by a weak telluric feature too. The red continuum of this line has a more prominent telluric contamination. A dozen of water vapor telluric lines that determined the observed telluric features were identified in this spectral interval. The profiles of three telluric lines that have a significant influence on both the profiles of solar spectral lines and the level of local continuum were derived, and the variation of their parameters (equivalent width and central depth) with air mass were analyzed.     

Spectroscopy of B and Be stars in the diffuse stellar clusters NGC 6871 and NGC 6913

This is a study of the population of B and Be stars in the young, relatively poor, diffuse stellar clusters NGC 6871 and NGC 6913. High resolution spectra are used to study the Hα line of eleven stars in order to detect emission. Emission profiles were found for three stars in the cluster NGC 6871; one of these is a known WR-star and the Be-star BD +35°3956 demonstrates the transition from the B to the Be phase. Spectra of seven of the B stars revealed no traces of emission in the Hα line. During the time of our observations, the Be star V1322 Cyg in the cluster NGC 6913 had a strong emission Hα line profile with substantial variability in intensity and equivalent width. Moderate resolution spectra of seven stars in the cluster NGC 6871 over wavelengths of 4420-4960 ? and ten stars in the cluster NGC 6913 over wavelengths of 4050-5100 ? are used to classify the series of B and Be stars spectrally and to estimate their T _eff and log g. It was found that three of the stars are not members of the clusters NGC 6871 or NGC 6913. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 257–274 (May 2009).     

Neutral hydrogen in nearby 3C radio galaxies

Observations of three nearby 3C radio galaxies, 3C430, 3C449, and 3C465, with the Nan?ay radio telescope (France) reveal for the first time the 21 cm absorption line of neutral hydrogen. The line is blue shifted by several hundred km/s in all three objects. This can probably be explained by an outflow of neutral hydrogen from the parent galaxies. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 535–542 (November 2008).     

General relativistic effects in the γ-ray radiation from pulsars

General relativistic and quantum-mechanical effects in the γ-ray radiation from neutron stars are studied in this paper. For three values of the magnetic dipole moment, we calculated the upper limit of the escaping energy of the γ-photon as a function of the angle between the line of sight and the magnetic axis, with and without these effects. We conclude that for low magnetic moments, the quantum-mechanical effects are unimportant but the general relativistic effects are to reduce significantly the upper limit. For high magnetic moments, the two effects nearly cancel out and the net effect is small. We discuss the implications of these results on the γ-ray spectrum.     

EUV observations of quiescent prominences from Skylab

We report measurements of line intensities and line widths for three quiescent prominences observed with the Naval Research Laboratory slit spectrograph on ATM/Skylab. The wavelengths of the observed lines cover the range 1175 Å to 1960 Å. The measured intensities have been calibrated to within approximately a factor 2 and are average intensities over a 2 arc sec by 60 arc sec slit. We derive nonthermal velocities from the measured line widths. The nonthermal velocity is found to increase with temperature in the prominence transition zone. Electron densities and pressures are derived from density sensitive line ratios. Electron pressures for two of the prominences are found to lie in the range 0.04–0.08 dyn cm^–2, while values for the third and most intense and active of the three prominences are in the range 0.07–0.22 dyn cm^–2.     

Spectral Diagnostics of the Magnetic Field Orientation in a Prominence Observed with SOHO/SUMER

During several campaigns focused on prominences we have obtained coordinated spectral observations from the ground and from space. The SOHO/SUMER spectrometer allows us to observe, among others, the whole Lyman series of hydrogen, while the Hα line was observed by the MSDP spectrograph at the VTT. For the Lyman lines, non-LTE radiative-transfer computations have shown the importance of the optical thickness of the prominence – corona transition region (PCTR) and its relation to the magnetic field orientation for the explanation of the observed line profiles. Moreover, Heinzel, Anzer, and Gunár (2005, Astron. Astrophys. 442, 331) developed a 2D magnetostatic model of prominence fine structures that demonstrates how the shapes of Lyman lines vary, depending on the orientation of the magnetic field with respect to the line of sight. To support this result observationally, we focus here on a round-shaped filament observed during three days as it was crossing the limb. The Lyman profiles observed on the limb are different from day to day. We interpret these differences as being due to the change of orientation of the prominence axis (and therefore the magnetic field direction) with respect to the line of sight. The Lyman lines are more reversed if the line of sight is across the prominence axis as compared to the case when it is aligned along its axis.     

An annular eclipse on May 31, 2003, observed in extreme ultraviolet

The CORONAS-F spacecraft crossed the zone of the ring solar eclipse three times on May 31, 2003. A considerable decrease in solar radiation was detected by the spacecraft instruments for these moments. The passages through the eclipse zone were registered by the VUSS instrument, which measured the shortwave solar radiation flux near the hydrogen Lyman alpha line, and by the DIFOS instrument, which was sensitive to infrared, visible, and near-ultraviolet radiation. The eclipse is also clearly seen in solar images obtained by the X-ray SPIRIT telescope. Some details of measurement results are discussed.     

Magnetic field configurations associated with polarity intrusion in a solar active region

This paper presents a new class of exact solutions describing the non-linear force-free field above a spatially localized photospheric bipolar magnetic region. An essential feature is the variation in all three Cartesian directions and this could not be modelled adequately with previously known symmetric force-free fields. Sequences of force-free fields are constructed and analyzed to simulate the slow growth of a pair of spots on the photosphere. The axis connecting the spots executes rotational motion, distorting the photospheric neutral line separating fluxes of opposite signs. We show directly from the analytic solutions that the resulting reversal of the positions of the spots relative to the background field is associated with (i) the creation of magnetic free energy, (ii) the severe shearing of localized low-lying loops in the vicinity where the photospheric transverse field aligns with the photospheric neutral line, and (iii) the emergence and disappearance of flux from the photosphere at these highly stressed regions. The model relates theoretically for the first time these different magnetic field features that have been suggested by observation and theoretical considerations to be flare precursors. A general formula, based on the virial theorem, is also given for the free energy of a force-free field, strictly in terms of the field value at the photosphere. This formula has obvious practical application.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Calibration of the Big Bear videomagnetograph

The Big Bear videomagnetograph is calibrated using three methods. Longitudinal magnetograms are calibrated by using the differences in radial velocity of the Sun caused by solar rotation, or by measuring the line profile in the Zeeman-sensitive 6103 line used by the magnetograph system. Transverse magnetograms can be calibrated by obtaining spectra in the more magnetically sensitive 5250 line which measure the total magnetic field and then subtracting the longitudinal component. The calibration of the transverse magnetograms is in agreement with that obtained by line profile measurements. Observations of an active region on 1993 March 8 with both the magnetograph system and with the BBSO spectrograph showed that good agreement was found between all three methods, provided the effect of seeing on the magnetograms is allowed for. Magnetograph saturation does not occur for magnetic fields below about 2100 G.     

Spatio-temporal fluctuations in HeI 10830 Å line parameters: Evidence for spicule formation

The equivalent width, line depth, line width, and Doppler shift of the He i 10830 Å line were extracted from two time series of spectra. Scatter plots of time-averaged line depth, line width, and Doppler shifts, as well as the root mean square temporal fluctuation of these quantities against the time-averaged equivalent width at a few hundred spatial locations were obtained. The statistical behaviour of these line parameters and their fluctuations was used to infer plausible reasons for the fluctuations. Examination of these results showed that the line parameter fluctuations could be caused by fluctuations in the coronal UV radiation (which could drive the spicules) or by the appearance of density inhomogeneities such as spicules within the line forming domain. In either case, the data can be interpreted as representing the initial phases of spicules.