White-light enhancements and small-scale chromospheric activities in an active region

A microflare or a group of Ellerman bombs was found to be associated with several points of white-light enhancements. These points had similar sizes as facular points (d 0.3 arc sec). Temporal evolution of these activities is described. Origins of these activities are discussed to be deeply seated excess heating in chromospheric and photospheric levels.     

Small-scale clusters of photospheric network bright points and their dependence on the solar cycle phase

The tendency of network bright points (NBPs) to form in their surface distribution non-random, small-scale clusters is studied by a 2-D nearest-neighbours test, based on observational data for the distance between separate NBPs. High-resolution photographs taken from long time series obtained at4308 with the 50-cm refractor of Pic du Midi Observatory are used. Three different epochs of the solar cycle were chosen. The results obtained suggest that the degree of clustering depends on the solar cycle phase. Supposing that the NBPs are good tracers of the kilogauss small-scale magnetic field, we use them to obtain information about the subphotospheric small-scale magnetic field organisation and its dependence on the solar cycle phase.     

Distribution of isomorphous cations within octahedral sheets in montmorillonite from Camp-Bertaux

 Ni-saturated montmorillonite from Camp-Bertaux heated at different temperatures has been studied by X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray absorption (EXAFS) and vibration IR spectroscopy. Analysis of the experimental data has shown that heating of samples at temperatures higher than 150° C was accompanied by migration of Ni cations into vacant cis-octahedra of 2:1 layers. In the octahedral sheet the Ni cation has two “heavy” (Fe) and four “light” (Al and Mg) nearest octahedral cations. A model for the octahedral cation distribution in Camp-Bertaux montmorillonite was proposed in which Fe and Mg octahedral cations are segregated in small clusters. Received July 7, 1996 / Revised, accepted August 23, 1996     

Coastal neotectonics in Southern Central Andes: uplift and deformation of marine terraces in Northern Chile (27°S)

Neotectonic observations allow a new interpretation of the recent tectonic behaviour of the outer fore arc in the Caldera area, northern Chile (27°S). Two periods of deformation are distinguished, based on large-scale Neogene to Quaternary features of the westernmost part of the Coastal Cordillera: Late Miocene to Early Pliocene deformations, characterized by a weak NE–SW to E–W extension is followed by uppermost Pliocene NW–SE to E–W compression. The Middle Pleistocene to Recent time is characterized by vertical uplift and NW–SE extension. These deformations provide clear indications of the occurrence of moderate to large earthquakes. Microseismic observations, however, indicate a lack of shallow crustal seismicity in coastal zone. We propose that both long-term brittle deformation and uplift are linked to the subduction seismic cycle.     

Socioeconomic vulnerability and electric power restoration timelines in Florida: the case of Hurricane Irma

Large-scale damage to the power infrastructure from hurricanes and high-wind events can have devastating ripple effects on infrastructure, the broader economy, households, communities, and regions. Using Hurricane Irma’s impact on Florida as a case study, we examined: (1) differences in electric power outages and restoration rates between urban and rural counties; (2) the duration of electric power outages in counties exposed to tropical storm force winds versus hurricane Category 1 force winds; and (3) the relationship between the duration of power outage and socioeconomic vulnerability. We used power outage data for the period September 9, 2017–September 29, 2017. At the peak of the power outages following Hurricane Irma, over 36% of all accounts in Florida were without electricity. We found that the rural counties, predominantly served by rural electric cooperatives and municipally owned utilities, experienced longer power outages and much slower and uneven restoration times. Results of three spatial lag models show that large percentages of customers served by rural electric cooperatives and municipally owned utilities were a strong predictor of the duration of extended power outages. There was also a strong positive association across all three models between power outage duration and urban/rural county designation. Finally, there is positive spatial dependence between power outages and several social vulnerability indicators. Three socioeconomic variables found to be statistically significant highlight three different aspects of vulnerability to power outages: minority groups, population with sensory, physical and mental disability, and economic vulnerability expressed as unemployment rate. The findings from our study have broader planning and policy relevance beyond our case study area, and highlight the need for additional research to deepen our understanding of how power restoration after hurricanes contributes to and is impacted by the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of communities.     

New observations and transit solutions of the inflated exoplanets HAT-P-40b and HAT-P-51b

We present high-precision photometric observations of the transiting exoplanets HAT-P-40 b and HAT-P-51 b by the Rozhen 2-m telescope.The newly-observed transit of HAT-P-40 b is the first one with a complete curve.The orbital periods of the two targets were improved.We modeled the observed transits and found bigger stellar radii than those derived from the stellar models.The planet radii of HATP-40 b and HAT-P-51 b obtained from our transit solutions are bigger than the values calculated by the empirical relations for Jupiter-mass and Saturn-mass planets respectively.Their values reveal the highlyinflated nature of the two targets,especially that of HAT-P-51 b.We established that the best transit solutions correspond to a quadratic limb-darkening law.The fitted limb-darkening coefficients of HAT-P-40 are close to the theoretical ones while those of HAT-P-51 are a little different.The precise astrometric Gaia distances of the two targets are smaller by 6%–7%than the calculated values from the stellar models.We propose the Gaia distances to be used for improvement of the stellar models as well as for more reliable calculation of the parameters of the known exoplanets.