Cosmological molecular hydrogen and the distortion of the relict radiation spectrum

The distortions of the relict radiation spectrum in the region of the wavelength <120 are considered. These distortions are due to the emission of photons under the formation of molecular hydrogen in the expanding universe in the cosmological epoch 40z200. It is shown that the real intensity of the relict radiation in the region of the wavelength under consideration must significantly exceed Planck's intensity, with a radiation temperature amounting to 2.8 K.     

Cosmic ray intensity variations and two types of high speed solar streams

This study deals with the short-term variations of cosmic ray intensity during the interval 1973–78. Daily means of high latitude neutron and meson monitors from the same station and those of a low latitude neutron monitor have been analysed using the Chree method of superposed epochs. The zero epoch for the Chree analyses corresponds to the day of a substantial increase (V 200 km s^–1) in the solar wind speed to values of 550 km s^–1 and which persists at such high values for an interval of at least three days. The investigation reveals the existence of two types of cosmic ray intensity variations with distinctly different spectral characteristics. During the interval 1973–76, relative changes in the neutron and meson monitor rates are nearly equal indicating an almost flat rigidity spectrum of variation. During 1977–78, however, the spectrum acquires a negative spectral character similar to that observed for Forbush decreases. We suggest that events of the interval 1973–76 are essentially due to high speed streams associated with solar coronal holes and that events of the interval 1977–78 are due to fast streams from solar active regions with flare activity.     

On geological processes on venus: Analysis of the relationship between altitude and degree of surface roughness

Aiming to study the relationship between Venus surface heights and surface roughness, the Pioneer Venus surface altitude map and map of r.m.s. slope in m-dkm scale have been analy sed for the Beta and Ishtar regions using a system of digital image processing. To integrate the data obtained, the results of geomorphological analysis of Venera 9 and 10 TV panoramas as well as gamma-spectrometric and photometric measurements were used. The analysis gives proof that Venera 9 and 10 landing sites represent geologic-morphologic situations typical of Venus, thus enabling the results of observations made at landing sites to be extended to large provinces. Apparently this conclusion is also applicable to the Venera 8 landing site. No strong relationship exists between the roughness of the surface and its altitude or the amount of a regional slope; neither for the Beta nor for the Ishtar region. A weak direct correlation observable for roughness-altitude pairs for the Beta region and roughness-altitude, roughness-slope pairs for the Ishtar region are quite obviously a consequence of regional roughness control, i.e. of an overall character of geological structure. On Venus the factors contributing to higher surface roughness on the m-dkm scale are, obviously, mostly volcanic and tectonic in their nature whilst those responsible for smoothing-out of the surface are chiefly exogenic. The rate of exogenic transformation of the Cytherean surface may be fairly high. On Venus, similarly as on the Earth, active tectono-magmatic processes have possibly taken place in recent geological epochs. One of the places where they are manifest is an extensive zone running from north to south across the Beta, Phoebe and Themis highlands. Within its limits occur both the process of basaltic shield-type volcanism and areal basalt effusions at low hypsometric levels accounting for the formation of lowland plains at the expense of ancient rolling plains. The basalts of the shield volcano Beta show some differences in composition compared to those of areal effusions at low hypsometric levels. The overall character of Cytherean tectonics in the recent geologic epoch is apparently block-type with a predominance of vertical movements. Against the background of the sinking of some of the blocks the other ones are rising and, possibly, such compensation upheavals have been responsible for the formation of the Ishtar region.     

On eccentricity functions for eccentric orbits

Situations arise in celestial mechanics where orbital eccentricities are large and yet it is desirable to maintain the Darwin-Kaula Fourier decomposition of the perturbing function. Evaluation of the appropriate eccentricity functionsG _lpq (e) requires a double summation which, for practical purposes, must be truncated. In this note criteria have been established for truncation of the expansion for eccentricities 0.75.     

TREK: A cosmic-ray experiment on the Russian space station MIR

The goals of the TREK experiment, now in place on the MIR Space Station, are to resolve and measure the composition of both odd-Z and even-Z cosmic-ray nuclei up to uranium, to measure the isotopic composition of Fe-group nuclei, and to search for transuranic nucleic and exotic particles such as strangelets. To collect tracks of ultraheavy cosmic rays, exterior panels holding an array of BP-1 phosphate glass 1.2m² in area and 16 plates thick are now mounted outside the Kvant-2 module on MIR. Heaters and relays regulate the temperature of the glass at 25°±5°C. The detectors will record 10³ cosmic-ray tracks withZ50 during 2.5 years. An interior panel consisting of an array 0.09 m² in area and 32 plates thick and mounted on the inside wall of the Soyuz spacecraft (attached to the Space Station) will collect tracks of about 13000 Fe and 500 Ni nuclei.     

Ridge belt tectonics of Ganiki Planitia on Venus

The main major ridge belts of Ganiki Planitia on Venus (Lama, Ahsonnutli and Pandrosos Dorsa) are part of the fan-shaped ridge belt complex along the 200 parallel of longitude. These ridge belts with evidence of crustal shortening support the idea of a large-scale E-W compression. The ridge belt patterns indicate a N-S shear component. These forces are explained by a triangular planitia area which compressed by surrounding terrains. The crustal shortening and ridge belt formation indicates compressional plate movement stresses in the uppermost lithosphere.Three sizes of ridge belt structure are to be found within Ganiki Planitia. (1) The ridge belt spacing of 200–400 km can be used to estimate the depth of the major uppermost homogeneous layer of Venus. There are numerous volcanic coronae, paterae and montes located along the main ridge belts or at their junctions. (2) Mid-size ridge groups or subbelts are to be found within the major ridge belts. These are formed by more local responses to tectonic stresses in the stratified uppermost crust. A wavelength of 40–70 km can be seen as a result of bending of the crustal strata and may relate to its thickness. (3) Small individual ridges are connected with most local stresses, defining places where the surface layers broke along the crests of large ridge belts or mid-scale subbelts. Radial and concentric mare ridge-like structures around coronae indicate that corona formation was effective at a sufficiently close vicinity to fault the surface.     

Explosive hydrogen-burning model of solar flares

A model of solar flare is proposed, taking into account the high temperature (10⁹K) produced by the shock wave generated by the hydromagnetic wave at the junction of sunspot and the area just outside it and subsequent explosive hydrogen burning, producing the desired 10^28–29 ergs of a solar flare.     

Re-analysis of close binary systems

Line-forming regions around close binaries with strong winds ( /4r _* v 10^–4 g cm^–2) are large in extent compared with the stars, large enough to screen them. Their orbitally-modulated Doppler shifts can overestimate the mass function, because of a larger rotational lever arm. In particular, most of the black-hole candidates need not involve companions more massive than a neutron star.The solar-wind problem is reconsidered. An extrapolation to Wolf-Rayet stars suggests that their winds are centrifugally driven. Their mass-loss rates tend to have been overestimated.Seemingly single (massive) stars can hide a (compact) companion.     

A survey of coronal holes and their solar wind associations throughout sunspot cycle 20

To gain insight into the relationships between solar activity, the occurrence and variability of coronal holes, and the association of such holes with solar wind features such as high-velocity streams, a study of the period 1963–1974 was made. This period corresponds approximately with sunspot cycle 20. The primary data used for this work consisted of X-ray and XUV solar images obtained from rockets. The investigation revealed that:

1. The polar coronal holes prominent at solar minimum, decreased in area as solar activity increased and were small or absent at maximum phase. This evolution exhibited the same phase difference between the two hemispheres that was observed in other indicators of activity.
2. During maximum, coronal holes occurred poleward of the sunspot belts and in the equatorial region between them. The observed equatorial holes were small and persisted for one or two solar rotations only; some high latitude holes had lifetimes exceeding two solar rotations.
3. During 1963–74 whenever XUV or X-ray images were available, nearly all recurrent solar wind streams of speed ?500 km s^?1 were found associated with coronal holes at less than 40° latitude; however some coronal holes appeared to have no associated wind streams at the Earth.

     

A new model for X-ray emission from NGC 4151

We present an analysis of the reported spectral features of NGC 4151 in X-rays. It is shown that the origin of X-rays from the source is inconsistent with a single production mechanism. We suggest a new two-component model in which soft X-rays arise from the black-body emission of a tiny hot nucleus withT2×10⁷ K and the hard X-ray photons are generated in an extended region by inverse Compton scattering of electrons with the infrared photons.