An Upper Limit on Nickel Overabundance in the Supercritical Accretion Disk Wind of SS 433 from X-ray Spectroscopy

We analyze a long (with a total exposure time of 120 ks) X-ray observation of the unique Galactic microquasar SS 433 carried out by the XMM-Newton space observatory with the goal of searching for the fluorescent line of neutral (or weakly ionized) nickel at energy 7.5 keV. We consider two models for the formation of fluorescent lines in the spectrum of SS 433: (1) through the reflection of radiation from a putative central X-ray source off the optically thick neutral gas of the supercritical disk “funnel” walls; and (2) due to the scattering of the radiation coming from the hottest parts of the jets in the optically thin wind of the system. We show that for these two cases the flux of the Ni I K_α fluorescent line is expected to be 0.45 of the flux of the Fe I K_α fluorescent line at 6.4 keV for the relative nickel overabundance Z_Ni/Z = 10 observed in the jets of SS 433. For the continuum model without the absorption edge of neutral iron, we have found an upper limit on the flux of the narrow Ni I K_α fluorescent line of 0.9 × 10^?5 phot s^?1 cm^?2 (90% confidence level). In the continuum model with the absorption edge we have determined an upper limit on the flux of the Ni I K_α line at the level of 2.5×10^?5 phot s^?1 cm^?2. At the same time, the flux of the fluorescent iron line has been measured to be 9.9 _8.4 ^11.2 × 10^?5 phot s^?1 cm^?2. This result implies that the nickel overabundance in the accretion disk wind should be at least a factor of 1.5 times smal than the corresponding nickel overabundance observed in the jets of SS 433.     

The formation of new quasi-stationary vortex patterns from the interaction of two identical vortices in a rotating fluid

Within the framework of the quasi-geostrophic approximation, the interactions of two identical initially circular vortex patches are studied using the contour dynamics/surgery method. The cases of barotropic vortices and of vortices in the upper layer of a two-layer fluid are considered. Diagrams showing the end states of vortex interactions and, in particular, the new regime of vortex triplet formation are constructed for a wide range of external parameters. This paper shows that, in the nonlinear evolution of two such (like-signed) vortices, the filaments and vorticity fragments surrounding the merged vortex often collapse into satellite vortices. Therefore, the conditions for the formation and the quasi-steady motions of a new type of triplet-shaped vortex structure are obtained.     

Optical Spectroscopy of Quasars Discovered by SRG/eROSITA with a 2.5-m Telescope at the Caucasus Mountain Observatory of SAI MSU

Astronomy Letters - Based on observations with the transient double-beam spectrograph (TDS) at the 2.5-m telescope of the Caucasus Mountain Observatory of SAI MSU, we have determined the redshifts...     

Nitrogen Mass Fraction and Stable Isotope Ratios for Fourteen Geological Reference Materials: Evaluating the Applicability of Elemental Analyser Versus Sealed Tube Combustion Methods

Thirteen commercially available silicate reference materials (RM) and one in‐house reference material, eleven of which have no previously published values, were analysed for nitrogen mass fraction and isotopic ratios with an Elemental Analyser (EA), and a Sealed Tube Combustion line, coupled to a continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). These materials ranged from < 10 μg g^?1 to 1% m/m nitrogen mass fractions and δ¹⁵N of ?0.5 to +19.8‰. Existing nitrogen RM BHVO‐2, MS#5 and SGR‐1b were used to assess the accuracy of the data from the sealed tube combustion line, which was found to be in good agreement with existing published values. In contrast, the EA‐IRMS failed to fully liberate nitrogen from all silicate rocks and minerals (achieving a mean of 44 ± 10% nitrogen yield) resulting in kinetic fractionation of isotope values by ?1.4‰ on average. Therefore, sealed tube combustion is better suited for analyses of silicate‐bound nitrogen. The EA worked reliably for organic samples, but care should be taken when using the EA for silicate nitrogen research. Moving forward, it is recommended that BHVO‐2, Biotite‐Fe, FK‐N and UB‐N be used as quality control materials as they appear to be most reproducible in terms of nitrogen mass fraction (relative error < 10%, 1s), and isotopic composition (< 0.6‰, 1s).     

A 640 kyr geomagnetic and palaeoclimatic record from Lake Baikal sediments

Magnetic remanence vectors for 1737 samples from two ∼100 m cores of Lake Baikal sediments are reported along with complete magnetic susceptibility profiles obtained from a pass-through system. Chronological control is established by means of two independent correlations; first, by matching susceptibility variations to the oceanic oxygen isotope record and second, by matching the relative palaeointensity variations to the SINT-800 global reference curve. These both imply an average deposition rate of 15 cm kyr^–1 and a basal age of ∼640 ka. Spectral analysis reveals the presence of Milankovitch signals at ∼100 kyr (eccentricity), ∼41 kyr (obliquity) and ∼23 and ∼19 kyr (precession). Stable remanence vectors are almost all of normal polarity. The few exceptions comprise brief intervals of low and/or negative inclinations which probably represent geomagnetic excursions. However, these are far less numerous than the high sedimentation rate would lead one to expect. Furthermore, only four of them can be readily matched to the—still poorly understood—global pattern. These are the Laschamp, the Albuquerque, the Iceland Basin and perhaps the West Eifel excursions which occurred at ∼38 000, ∼146 000, at 180 000–190 000 and at 480 000–495 000 yr ago, respectively.     

Geology of the Gorny Altai subduction–accretion complex, southern Siberia: Tectonic evolution of an Ediacaran–Cambrian intra-oceanic arc-trench system

The Gorny Altai region in southern Siberia is one of the key areas in reconstructing the tectonic evolution of the western segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). This region features various orogenic elements of Late Neoproterozoic–Early Paleozoic age, such as an accretionary complex (AC), high-P/T metamorphic (HP) rocks, and ophiolite (OP), all formed by ancient subduction–accretion processes. This study investigated the detailed geology of the Upper Neoproterozoic to Lower Paleozoic rocks in a traverse between Gorno-Altaisk city and Lake Teletskoy in the northern part of the region, and in the Kurai to Chagan-Uzun area in the southern part. The tectonic units of the studied areas consist of (1) the Ediacaran (=Vendian)–Early Cambrian AC, (2) ca. 630 Ma HP complex, (3) the Ediacaran–Early Cambrian OP complex, (4) the Cryogenian–Cambrian island arc complex, and (5) the Middle Paleozoic fore-arc sedimentary rocks. The AC consists mostly of paleo-atoll limestone and underlying oceanic island basalt with minor amount of chert and serpentinite. The basaltic lavas show petrochemistry similar to modern oceanic plateau basalt. The 630 Ma HP complex records a maximum peak metamorphism at 660 °C and 2.0 GPa that corresponds to 60 km-deep burial in a subduction zone, and exhumation at ca. 570 Ma. The Cryogenian island arc complex includes boninitic rocks that suggest an incipient stage of arc development. The Upper Neoproterozoic–Lower Paleozoic complexes in the Gorno-Altaisk city to Lake Teletskoy and the Kurai to Chagan-Uzun areas are totally involved in a subhorizontal piled-nappe structure, and overprinted by Late Paleozoic strike-slip faulting. The HP complex occurs as a nappe tectonically sandwiched between the non- to weakly metamorphosed AC and the OP complex. These lithologic assemblages and geologic structure newly documented in the Gorny Altai region are essentially similar to those of the circum-Pacific (Miyashiro-type) orogenic belts, such as the Japan Islands in East Asia and the Cordillera in western North America. The Cryogenian boninite-bearing arc volcanism indicates that the initial stage of arc development occurred in a transient setting from a transform zone to an incipient subduction zone. The less abundant of terrigenous clastics from mature continental crust and thick deep-sea chert in the Ediacaran–Early Cambrian AC may suggest that the southern Gorny Altai region evolved in an intra-oceanic arc-trench setting like the modern Mariana arc, rather than along the continental arc of a major continental margin. Based on geological, petrochemical, and geochronological data, we synthesize the Late Neoproterozoic to Early Paleozoic tectonic history of the Gorny Altai region in the western CAOB.     

Export fluxes of biogenic matter in the presence and absence of seasonal sea ice cover in the Chukchi Sea

Drifting sediment traps were deployed at 9 stations in May-June (ice-covered conditions) and July-August (ice-free conditions) 2004 in the Chukchi Sea to investigate the variability in export fluxes of biogenic matter in the presence and absence of sea ice cover. Measurements of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate nitrogen (PN), phytoplankton, zooplankton fecal pellets, and the stable carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) of the sinking material were performed along Barrow Canyon (BC) and a parallel shelf-to-basin transect from East Hanna Shoal (EHS) to the Canada Basin. POC export fluxes were similarly high in the presence (378±106 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) and in the absence of ice cover (442±203 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) at the BC stations, while fluxes were significantly higher in the absence (129±98 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) than in the presence of ice cover (44±29 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹) at the EHS stations. The C/N ratios and δ¹³C values of sinking organic particles indicated that POC export fluxes on the Chukchi continental shelf were mostly composed of freshly produced labile material, except at the EHS stations under ice cover where the exported matter was mostly composed of refractory material probably advected into the EHS region. Chl-a fluxes were higher under ice cover than in ice-free water, however, relatively low daily loss rates of Chl-a and similar phytoplankton carbon fluxes in ice-covered and ice-free water suggest the retention of phytoplankton in the upper water column. An increase in fecal pellet carbon fluxes in ice-free water reflected higher grazing pressure in the absence of ice cover. Elevated daily loss rates of POC at the BC stations confirmed other indications that Barrow Canyon is an important area of carbon export to the basin and/or benthos. These results support the conclusion that there are large spatial and temporal variations in export fluxes of biogenic matter on the Chukchi continental shelf, although export fluxes may be similar in the presence and in the absence of ice cover in highly productive regions.     

Evidence for spatially variable friction from tidal amplification and asymmetry in the Pertuis Breton (France)

The semi-diurnal tides are amplified and distorted as they propagate into the Pertuis Breton, a semi-enclosed shallow basin in the north-eastern part of Bay of Biscay, in France. This paper investigates the influence of bottom friction on amplification and phase lag of the tidal constituent M2 and its overtide M4 in the Pertuis Breton. A fine resolution two-dimensional (2D) numerical model is implemented to simulate tidal propagation. The model solves the depth-averaged shallow-water equations on a finite element grid using the TELEMAC 2D software. A two-zone parameterisation of friction coefficient is introduced to evaluate the impact of smooth mud flats on the tidal asymmetry and amplification in the Pertuis. Fitting the model to observed amplitudes and phases of M2 and M4 evaluates the decrease of Chezy friction coefficient from the mud flats to the rest of the Pertuis as 100:60. This conclusion is supported by the direct estimation based on morphology and composition of sea bed in the Pertuis Breton.     

Open source magnetic inversion programming framework and its practical applications

An Open Source C++ inversion framework for magnetic interpretation, including UXO applications, has been developed. The point dipole model is used to approximate a small magnetic object. However, alternative object models can be easily accommodated. Input data can be presented in a variety of formats and physical units including, but not limited to, profiles of the total magnetic field, uniform data grids, random data points, magnetic gradients, and finite magnetic difference measurements. Well-established external numerical optimization software modules such as the SLATEC (Common Mathematical Library, Los Alamos National Laboratory) package are used to solve numerical problems. Other software modules can easily be incorporated as they become available. Some practical examples of the application of the framework using total field data and vertical total field gradient data from a UXO test range are presented. We have decided to “open-source” the toolkit. It can be downloaded without charge under GNU Public License via anonymous FTP from ftp://geom.geometrics.com/pub/mag/Software/magtoolkit-1.0.zip.     

Colour variations with phase of selected regions of the lunar surface

The four colour photometric observations of 15 regions of the lunar surface are reported in this paper. They all confirm the reddening with increasing phase. Observed regions at wide range of phase show an appreciable colour opposition effect. Reddening factors obtained, are larger near full Moon, and smaller at larger phase angles.