Molecular line mapping of the giant molecular cloud associated with RCW 106 – II. Column density and dynamical state of the clumps

We present a fully sampled C¹⁸O (1–0) map towards the southern giant molecular cloud (GMC) associated with the H  ii region RCW 106, and use it in combination with previous ¹³CO (1–0) mapping to estimate the gas column density as a function of position and velocity. We find localized regions of significant ¹³CO optical depth in the northern part of the cloud, with several of the high-opacity clouds in this region likely associated with a limb-brightened shell around the H  ii region G333.6−0.2. Optical depth corrections broaden the distribution of column densities in the cloud, yielding a lognormal distribution as predicted by simulations of turbulence. Decomposing the ¹³CO and C¹⁸O data cubes into clumps, we find relatively weak correlations between size and linewidth, and a more sensitive dependence of luminosity on size than would be predicted by a constant average column density. The clump mass spectrum has a slope near −1.7, consistent with previous studies. The most massive clumps appear to have gravitational binding energies well in excess of virial equilibrium; we discuss possible explanations, which include magnetic support and neglect of time-varying surface terms in the virial theorem. Unlike molecular clouds as a whole, the clumps within the RCW 106 GMC, while elongated, appear to show random orientations with respect to the Galactic plane.     

Newtonian non-linear hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics

We use covariant techniques to study the non-linear evolution of self-gravitating, non-relativistic media. The formalism is first applied to imperfect fluids, aiming at the kinematic effects of viscosity, before extended to inhomogeneous magnetized environments. The non-linear electrodynamic formulae are derived and successively applied to electrically resistive and to highly conductive fluids. By nature, the covariant equations isolate the magnetic effects on the kinematics and the dynamics of the medium, combining mathematical transparency and physical clarity. Employing the Newtonian analogue of the relativistic 1 + 3 covariant treatment also facilitates the direct comparison with the earlier relativistic studies and helps to identify the differences in an unambiguous way. The purpose of this work is to set the framework and take a first step towards the detailed analytical study of complex non-linear systems, like non-relativistic astrophysical plasmas and collapsing protogalactic clouds.     

Covariance of dark energy parameters and sound speed constraints from large H i surveys

An interesting probe of the nature of dark energy is the measure of its sound speed, c _s. We review the significance for constraining sound speed models of dark energy using large neutral hydrogen (H  i ) surveys with the square kilometre array (SKA). Our analysis considers the effect on the sound speed measurement that arises from the covariance of c _s with the dark energy density, Ω_de, and a time-varying equation of state,   w ( a ) = w ₀+ (1 − a ) w _a   . We find that the approximate degeneracy between dark energy parameters that arises in power spectrum observations is lifted through redshift tomography of the H  i -galaxy angular power spectrum, resulting in sound speed constraints that are not severely degraded. The cross-correlation of the galaxy and the integrated Sachs Wolfe (ISW) effect spectra contributes approximately 10 per cent of the information that is needed to distinguish variations in the dark energy parameters, and most of the discriminating signal comes from the galaxy auto-correlation spectrum. We also find that the sound speed constraints are weakly sensitive to the H  i bias model. These constraints do not improve substantially for a significantly deeper H  i survey since most of the clustering sensitivity to sound speed variations arises from   z ≲ 1.5  . A detection of models with sound speeds close to zero,   c _s≲ 0.01,  is possible for dark energy models with   w ≳−0.9  .     

Stability of mid-latitude snowpacks on Mars

Christensen [2003. Nature 422, 45-48] suggested that runoff from melting snowpacks on martian slopes might be responsible for carving gullies. He also suggested that snowpacks currently exist on Mars, for example on the walls of Dao Valles (approximately 33° S). Such snowpacks were presumably formed during the last obliquity cycle, which occurred about 70,000 years ago. In this paper we investigate a specific scenario under conditions we believe are favorable for snowpack melting. We model the rate at which a snowpack located at 33° S on a poleward-facing slope sublimates and melts on Mars, as well as the temperature profile within the snowpack. Our model includes the energy and mass balance of a snowpack experiencing diurnal variations in insolation. Our results indicate that a dirty snowpack would quickly sublimate and melt under current martian climate conditions. For example a 1 m thick dusty snowpack of moderate density (550 kg/m³) and albedo (0.39) would sublimate in less than two seasons, producing a small amount of meltwater runoff. Similarly, a cleaner snowpack (albedo 0.53) would disappear in less than 9 seasons. These results suggest that the putative snowpack almost certainly could not have survived for 70,000 years. For most of the parameter settings snowpack interior temperatures at this latitude and slope do reach the melting point. Under most conditions melting occurs when the snowpack is less than 10 cm thick. The modeled snowpack will not melt if it is covered by a 1 cm dust lag. In general, these findings raise interesting possibilities regarding gully formation, but perhaps mostly during a past climate regime when snowfall was expected to have occurred. If there currently are exposed snowpacks on martian mid-latitude slopes, then these ice sheets cannot last long. Hence they might be time variable features on Mars and should be searched for.     

Experimental test of a radiative transfer model of the optical effects of space weathering

We compare laboratory measurements of the optical effects of nanophase iron on near-IR reflectance spectra of transparent silica gel infused with small iron particles [Noble, S.K., Pieters, C.M., Keller, L.P., 2007. Icarus 192, 629-642] with a radiative transfer model of the process [Hapke, B., 2001. J. Geophys. Res. 106 (E5), 10039-10074]. We find that the measurements exhibit reddening and darkening effects of nanophase (<50 nm) iron particles, a darkening effect of somewhat larger particles (>50 nm) and mixing effects of silica gel particles of varying total iron abundance. The radiative transfer model reproduces the effects of nanophase iron within the experimental uncertainties.     

Spin rate distribution of small asteroids

The spin rate distribution of main belt/Mars crossing (MB/MC) asteroids with diameters 3-15 km is uniform in the range from f=1 to 9.5 d⁻¹, and there is an excess of slow rotators with f<1 d⁻¹. The observed distribution appears to be controlled by the Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) effect. The magnitude of the excess of slow rotators is related to the residence time of slowed down asteroids in the excess and the rate of spin rate change outside the excess. We estimated a median YORP spin rate change of ≈0.022 d⁻¹/Myr for asteroids in our sample (i.e., a median time in which the spin rate changes by 1 d⁻¹ is ≈45 Myr), thus the residence time of slowed down asteroids in the excess is ≈110 Myr. The spin rate distribution of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) with sizes in the range 0.2-3 km (∼5 times smaller in median diameter than the MB/MC asteroids sample) shows a similar excess of slow rotators, but there is also a concentration of NEAs at fast spin rates with f=9-10 d⁻¹. The concentration at fast spin rates is correlated with a narrower distribution of spin rates of primaries of binary systems among NEAs; the difference may be due to the apparently more evolved population of binaries among MB/MC asteroids.     

The Venusian induced magnetosphere: A case study of plasma and magnetic field measurements on the Venus Express mission

Plasma and magnetic field measurements made onboard the Venus Express on June 1, 2006, are analyzed and compared with predictions of a global model. It is shown that in the orbit studied, the plasma and magnetic field observations obtained near the North Pole under solar minimum conditions were qualitatively and, in many cases also, quantitatively in agreement with the general picture obtained using a global numerical quasi-neutral hybrid model of the solar wind interaction (HYB-Venus). In instances where the orbit of Venus Express crossed a boundary referred to as the magnetic pileup boundary (MPB), field line tracing supports the suggestion that the MPB separates the region that is magnetically connected to the fluctuating magnetosheath field from a region that is magnetically connected to the induced magnetotail lobes.     

Investigation on piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate detector bombarded obliquely with hypervelocity iron particles

A cosmic dust detector for use onboard a satellite is currently being constructed from piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT). The characteristics of the PZT detector were studied by bombarding it with hypervelocity iron particles, which were supplied by a Van de Graaff accelerator. There was a linear relationship between the rise time of the signal observed from the detector and the particle's velocity, which was above 10 km/s on impact. It was also found that the rise time was almost independent of the collisional angle between the particles and the PZT surface within the limits of the particle's parameters used in this experiment.     

Bianchi type VI0 magnetized bulk viscous massive string cosmological model in General Relativity

The paper consists of some exact solutions for a homogeneous Bianchi type VI₀ universe. The material distribution is taken to be a magnetized bulk viscous fluid in presence of massive cosmological string. We assume that current is flowing along x-direction. Therefore, the magnetic field is in yz-plane. For deterministic model of the universe, we assume that shear (σ) is proportional to the expansion (θ) and ζ θ=constant=ξ where ζ the coefficient of bulk viscosity and θ the expansion in the model. The physical and kinematical parameters of the models thus formed are discussed.