A new type of a photoelectric magnetograph

The electro-optic deflector as an analyzer of circular polarization in the photoelectric magnetograph is described. The electro-optic deflector consists of an electro-optic crystal and a polarizing beamsplitter. The plane bifurcation of this beamsplitter coincides with the spectrograph dispersion direction. The beamsplitter bifurcates a spectral line in two components. The distance between them is ₀. The photometer slit is situated between these components. Both components of Zeeman splitting fall on the photometer slit but the distance between them varies from ₀ + 2 _H to ₀ – 2 _H (where _H is the Zeeman splitting) with the electric voltage frequency applied to the electro-optic crystal. The intensity variations at the photometer slit are proportional to 4 _H .     

The center-to-limb behavior of Ca i λ6573 and [Ca ii] λ7324

Center-to-limb measurements of the Ca i 6573 intercombination line and the Ca ii 7324 forbidden line are compared with synthetic profiles based on a simple representation of the non-LTE Ca-Ca⁺ ionization equilibrium. The effects of photoionizations from low lying excited states of neutral calcium are found to reduce the sensitivity of the 6573 center-to-limb behavior as a thermal structure diagnostic. The synthetic center-to-limb behavior is also sensitive to uncertainties in the nonthermal broadening. Nevertheless, the measured center-to-limb behavior of 6573 favors a cool photospheric model similar to the Vernazza, Avrett, and Loeser model M over hotter models based on the Ca ii K wings. The non-LTE calcium abundance obtained from the disk center equivalent widths of 6573 and 7324 using the best fit model is A _Ca2.1±0.2 × 10^-6 (by number relative to hydrogen). Applications of these lines as diagnostics of the Ca-Ca⁺ ionization equilibrium in other stars are briefly discussed.Visiting Astronomer, Kitt Peak National Observatory.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Understanding Solar Flare Waiting-Time Distributions

The observed distribution of waiting times t between X-ray solar flares of greater than C1 class listed in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) catalog exhibits a power-law tail (t) for large waiting times (t>10hours). It is shown that the power-law index varies with the solar cycle. For the minimum phase of the cycle the index is =–1.4±0.1, and for the maximum phase of the cycle the index is –3.2±0.2. For all years 1975–2001, the index is –2.2±0.1. We present a simple theory to account for the observed waiting-time distributions in terms of a Poisson process with a time-varying rate (t). A common approximation of slow variation of the rate with respect to a waiting time is examined, and found to be valid for the GOES catalog events. Subject to this approximation the observed waiting-time distribution is determined by f(), the time distribution of the rate . If f() has a power-law form for low rates, the waiting time-distribution is predicted to have a power-law tail (t)^–(3+) (>–3). Distributions f() are constructed from the GOES data. For the entire catalog a power-law index =–0.9±0.1 is found in the time distribution of rates for low rates (<0.1hours ^–1). For the maximum and minimum phases power-law indices =–0.1±0.5 and =–1.7±0.2, respectively, are observed. Hence, the Poisson theory together with the observed time distributions of the rate predict power-law tails in the waiting-time distributions with indices –2.2±0.1 (1975–2001), –2.9±0.5 (maximum phase) and –1.3±0.2 (minimum phase), consistent with the observations. These results suggest that the flaring rate varies in an intrinsically different way at solar maximum by comparison with solar minimum. The implications of these results for a recent model for flare statistics (Craig, 2001) and more generally for our understanding of the flare process are discussed.     

WR stars with the Ovi λλ3811, 3834 emission doublet

The catalog of the classical WR stars which have the emission doublet Ovi 3811, 3834 in their optical spectra (the catalog of the WR-Ovi stars) and the results of the spectroscopic investigations of the WR-Ovi stars HD 16523, HD 17638, and HD 192103 are presented. Rapid spectral variability of the emission doublet Ovi 3811, 3834 in the spectra of WR-Ovi stars HD 16523, HD 17638, and of the emission band 3680-3780 Å in the spectra of the WR-Ovi star HD 16523 is observed. It is shown that spectral sub-types of the stars HD 16523 and HD 17638 as estimated from different criteria are uncertain. We argue that the WR-Ovi stars HD 16523 and HD 17638, the optical spectra of which display emission doublet Ovi 3811, 3834, may be considered as WO5 stars. The sub-type WO5 is proposed for the first time. Classification criteria of the WO5 sub-type are represented. The possible contribution of the ions Heii to the emission at 3811 Å and 3834 Å is investigated. Thez-distributions of WR-Ovi stars and WR stars with the probable relativistic companions are found to be similar.     

Scanner observations of the Be starsν Gem,κ Ori,β Mon andω CMa

The photoelectric spectrophotometric scans of the Be stars Gem, Ori, Mon and CMa have been analyzed to find out few stellar parameters. The absolute energy distributions of these stars in the wavelength range 350–750 nm have been given. Their effective temperatures and gravities have been estimated from comparisons with non-LTE model atmospheres. The stars Gem and Mon have been found to have Balmer discontinuities in emission. The excess emission in the region 620–750 nm has been observed for Mon and CMa. The evolutionary aspects of these stars are discussed and their masses have been estimated.     

F07164+5301: an ESB source with WR features

We report on a new ESB source, as defined by Allenet al. (1991), with Wolf-Rayet (WR) bands in its optical spectrum. The WR bump at 4605-4686 is detected. The bump consists of broad HeII 4686, NV4605-4619, NIII4634-41, and possibly, CIII4647-52 emission. The narrow nebular lines are clearly discernable on our spectrum. The number of WR stars derived from the luminosity of HeII4686 is about 8100. The oxygen abundance is about 9.06×10^–4, greater than the solar value.     

Distribution of polarization and intensity of radiation across the stellar disk and numberical values of atmospheric characteristics governing this distribution

Computations of polarization and intensity of radiation from a unit stellar surface area are presented, as well as a study of the numerical characteristics of atmospheres — single-scattering albedo and the initial source function(), which define the polarization behaviour of atmospheres. The radiatively stable models of stellar atmospheres presented by Kuruczet al. (1974) and Kurucz (1979) have been used for calculations. Since the versus optical depth dependence is rather weak, it has been assumed that (=cost. With a fixed effective temperatureT _eff maximum values of are characteristic of stars featuring the lowest surface gravity accelerationg. Among stars with radiatively stable atmospheres, maximum values of (=5000 Å) 0.4–0.6 are exhibited by supergiants withT _eff=8000–20 000 K. The plot of () is characterized by discontinuities at the boundaries of spectral series for hydrogen and, sometimes, for helium. Maximum are attained in the Lyman region of =912–1200 Å, where can reach the value 0.7–0.9 for supergiants, this value being 0.3 for Main-Sequence stars. For stars withT _eff 35 000 K, high values of also are attained for <912 Å. Within the infrared region, is always small because of bremsstrahlung absorption.A rapid growth of the source functionB with < typical for ultraviolet range (within the Wien part of spectrum), together with high values of results in the strong polarization of emission from a unit stellar surface element, sometimes exceeding the values for the case of a pure electron scattering. For longer wavelengths, where the limb-darkening coefficient is smaller, the plane of polarization abruptly turns 90° in the central parts of the visible stellar disk.     

Scanner observations of comet P/Crommelin 18181

Spectral scans of the coma of comet P/Crommelin 1818. I have been obtained in the wavelength range 3200–6500 Å. Strong emission features of CN(3883 Å) and C₂ Swan bands (4695, 5165, and 5538 Å) have been identified. Some weak emission features of CH(3890 Å), C₃(4050 Å), CN(4200 »), and C₂ + CH(4358 ») were also detected. Sodium was found to be absent in this comet. An estimate of CN and C₂ abundances has been made and their production rate have been derived.     

Determination of Optical Spectra by a Modified Kramers Kronig Integral

A new modified Kramers Kronig Integral is derived and shown to produce excellent results when k data is only known over a limited range. By considering the effect of resonance features simulated using the Dirac-Delta function, the new integral is shown to be more rapidly converging than both the conventional Kramers Kronig integral and a modified (Subtractive Kramers Kronig – SKK) integral introduced by Ahrenkiel (1971). The new integral does not require extensive extrapolation of reflectance data outside the measured region in order to produce reliable results. By extending the above procedure to include n data points, it is shown that at wavelength ₀, \[ n(_0)=\sum_{i=1}^{\rm n}(-1)^{\rm n+1}\prod_{\stackrel{j=1}{j \not=i}}^{\rm n} \frac{(_j^2-_0^2)}{(_i^2- _j^2)}n(_i)+\frac{2}{\pi}P\int_{0}^{\infty}(-1)^{\rm n+1} \frac{\prod_{i=1}^{\rm n}(_i^2-_0^2)}{\prod_{i=0}^{\rm n}(^2-_i^2)} k()d \] with relative error given by, \[ R_n(_0)=\prod_{i=1}^{\rm n}\frac{_i^2- _0^2}{_^2-_i^2} . \] This n^th order expression should prove useful in establishing the internal self-consistency of data sets for which both optical coefficients have been theoretically derived.     

Spectrophotometry of Comet Bradfield (1980t) during post-perihelion period

Spectrum scans of the head of Comet Bradfield (1980t) covering the wavelength range 365–640 nm were made on two nights when the heliocentric distance of the comet varied from 0.55 to 0.58 AU. The emission features of the CN band at 388 nm and Swan band sequence of C₂ at 474 nm, 516 nm, and 563 nm are identified and absolute fluxes in these bands as well as in the continuum are derived. The continuum energy distribution curves of the comet have been compared with those of the Sun and the star Crv (G5 III). An estimate of the number of C₂ and CN molecules in the head of the comet has been made through the measured intensities of their respective bands lying in this region.     

A comparison of solar EUV intensities and K-coronameter measurements

Characteristics of the emission observed above the solar limb in four EUV lines, Sixii 499, Mgx 625, Neviii 770, and Ovi 1032 are discussed. The mean temperature of the corona derived from the ratios of the intensities of Sixii 499 and Mgx 625 is 1.8 million K. There do not appear to be significant temperature differences in regions with low EUV intensities and those with high EUV intensities, suggesting that the EUV emission from the lithium-like ions depends primarily on the integral of n _e ² along the line of sight.The EUV data are compared with K-coronameter measurements in order to yield new estimates of the abundances of Si, Mg, Ne and O relative to hydrogen. Within the uncertainties of the analysis, these coronal abundances are in agreement with the corresponding photospheric values.     

Observed oddities in the lines H,K, b and Hβ

We compare microphotometer intensity traces perpendicular to dispersion in simultaneous spectrograms of good spatial resolution traced at various 's in each of the lines. Cross correlations between the different traces show the following: (a) For each _K there is a corresponding _{b 1}at which the coefficient of correlation, r, is a maximum, usually > 0.8. (b) No such high correlations are found between H and H. (c) Comparison of traces in the continuum and at all observed 's in K, H, b₁, b₂ show a range of 's in each line over which r is very significantly negative, while H shows no such peculiarity.     

Cosmologic member λ in the light of present physical conceptions

In this paper, in a historical retrospect, the problem of the hypothetical cosmologic member is discussed. Under the assumption that the Universe is an ultrastable actual manifestation of a unique fundamental substance-physical vacuum, the extremality of actual properties of the Universe admits only of two values . In the de Sitter evolution phase, has an undetermined character. In the Friedmann one, =0.     

Variability of Circumstellar Emission from Dust Envelopes Around Carbon Stars

The main constituents of the dust, produced around late-type carbon stars, are thought to be carbon and silicon carbide (SiC), although their exact nature is not yet well established. This subject has been addressed by several authors and good fits of a large number of IRAS sources (chosen among the carbon stars exhibiting the SiC feature at about 11.3 m) were obtained. In this work we use the same procedure on a limited number of objects, of the same type, taking into account the variability of such sources and the changes induced in their IR spectra. For this purpose, the chosen stars have been observed with a spectral resolution higher than that available for the IRAS data (/ 50), using the CGS3 instrument of the UKIRT telescope, both in the low ( / 160) and in the high ( / 500) resolution configuration. The results are discussed and some preliminary conclusions are drawn.     

The ionization mechanism in low level emission galaxy nuclei: Shocks

We analyze the emission component of galaxy nuclei at very low intensity levels (W(H)2Å). This emission level is considerably lower than that of classical LINERS like NGC 1052. We have access to weaker emission lines by averaging spectra with similar line ratios for H [NII], and [SII]. From the resulting spectrum for very low level emission nuclei, the [SII] 6717, 6731/[SIII] 9069, 9532 line ratio criterion (Diazet al., 1985a) unambiguously shows that shock-wave heating is the mechanism responsible for the ionization in such objects.     

Oxygen abundances in old disc and halo stars of the Galaxy

Intermediate resolution (/ 25 000) CCD spectra of the oxygen triplet at 7770 Å have been analyzed to determine oxygen abundances in a sample of metal-deficient stars with metallicities covering the range –2.5[Fe/H]–0.2. Important oxygen overabundances ([O/Fe]1) are found in the more metal deficient stars of the sample. We briefly discuss the information that these observations provide about the early nucleosynthesis history and chemical evolution of the Galaxy.     

Theory of the Trojan asteroids

In the previously published Parts I and II of the paper, the author has constructed a formal long-periodic solution for the case of 11 resonance in the restricted problem of three bodies to 0(m ^3/2), wherem is the small mass parameter of the system. The time-dependencet(, ,m), where is the mean synodic longitude and is related to the Jacobi constant, has been expressed by ahyperelliptic integral. It is shown here that with the approximationm=0 in the integrand, the functiont(, , 0) can be expanded in a series involving standardelliptic functions. Then the problem of inversion can be formally solved, yielding the function (t, , 0).Similarly, the normalized period (,m) of the motion can be approximated by theHagihara hyperelliptic integral (, 0), corresponding tom=0. This integral is also expanded into elliptic functions. Asymptotic forms for (, 0) are derived for 0 and for 1, corresponding to the extreme members of thetadpole branch of the family of orbits.     

The observed limb effect in Fraunhofer lines,I

The absolute limb effect is presented for Fei lines 3767 and 3969; for five Tii lines of multiplet 42 near 4535 and one Tiii line at 4534; two lines of Mgi, 4571 and 5172; two lines of Baii at 5854 and 6497. The scattered light of the McMath solar telescope is illustrated by several figures but not applied to the limb-effect observations. It is suggested that the supergravity shift at the limb is the result of scattering of the atoms in anisotropic velocity field.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.     

Observation of far ultraviolet radiation from early-type stars

Rocket-borne photon counters sensitive to bands 1060–1180, 1230–1350, and 1350–1480 were used to measure the celestial ultraviolet radiation above the terrestrial atmosphere. The energy spectra of six objects, Leo, CMa, Ori, , , Ori (combined), Ori, and Tau were obtained. The comparison of them with those calculated with the stellar model atmospheres indicates the deficiency of about 1 mag. in the ultraviolet region, when corrected for interstellar extinction, for all stars except Tau. The observed spectrum of Tau agreed with the theoretical one for normal interstellar extinction. The effects of line blanketing were examined for B1 and B2 stars, and found to account for a part of the difference between the observed and the theoretical values.     

Intensity fluctuations in Fraunhofer lines

An expression is derived for the fluctuation (t) in emergent intensity (observed at some wavelength in a Fraunhofer line or the continuum) caused by a perturbation in temperature (z, t) in the Sun's atmosphere. If the contribution function for the observed intensity is single-peaked near z and if (z) and p(z) are not too rapidly varying, then (t) m (z , t)+N p(z , t) where m and N depend on the structure of the atmosphere. We compute M, N, and contribution functions for several values of and in the inner wings of the K line (13933 Caii).Presently on leave of absence from the Institute for Astronomy, Honolulu, Hawaii.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.