Radio-silent isolated neutron stars as a new astronomical reality

Summary. As of today, seven X-ray sources have been tentatively identified as radio-quiet, isolated neutron stars. The family appears to be a rapidly growing one, although not all the objects have been identified with the same degree of certainty. The most convincing example of radio quiet pulsar is certainly Geminga, the neutron star nature of which, proposed in 1983 on the basis of its similarity with the Vela pulsar, has been firmly established with the discovery of its X and pulsation. Four more neutron star candidates, originally found in the Einstein data, have been confirmed by ROSAT, which has added to the list two more entries. All this is not the result of an unbiased search. The seven sources were not selected at random: four are inside supernova remnants, an obvious place to search for isolated neutron stars, while the remaining three were singled out because of some peculiarity. Intense -ray emission in the case of Geminga, very high X-ray counting rate for RXJ185635-3754, or being the brightest unidentified source in the Einstein medium sensitivity survey, MS 0317-6647. In spite of the limited number of objects and of the observational biases, these seven radio quiet neutron star candidates add valuable pieces of information to the observational panorama of known pulsars. Their properties, inferred from the X-ray emission, offer a coherent picture, pointing towards thermally emitting, cooling neutron stars. Received: April 1, 1996     

Increasing levels and biomagnification of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Antarctic biota

Representatives of the Antarctic food web (krill, cephalopod, fish, penguin, seal) of the area around Elephant Island and from the Weddell Sea were analysed for the most recalcitrant organochlorine compounds. Due to sorption of the compounds to sinking particles and accumulation in sediments, two benthic fish species (Gobionotothen gibberifrons, Chaenocephalus aceratus) feeding on benthos invertebrates and fish reflected significantly increasing concentrations within a decade (1987-1996), while a benthopelagic species (Champsocephalus gunnari) feeding on krill did not. In the pelagic food chain, lipid normalised concentrations of all compounds increased from Antarctic krill to fish proving that biomagnification of highly lipophilic pollutants (log octanol-water partition coefficient>5) occurs in water-breathing animals. As top predators Weddell and southern elephant seals (Leptonychotes weddellii, Mirounga leonina) biomagnified the persistent organic pollutants relative to krill 30-160 fold with the exception of hexachlorobenzene, the levels of which were lower than in fish indicating its intense specific elimination.     

The late Quaternary development of three ancient tarns on southwestern Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada: paleolimnological evidence from diatoms and sediment chemistry

Sediment diatom and chemical analyses of cores from three poorly buffered extra-glacial lakes on the northeastern margin of the Canadian Shield (Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island) record interactions between aquatic and terrestrial spheres that were influenced by late Quaternary climatic conditions. Although differences exist between each of the lakes, notably with regards to the intensity of pre-Holocene catchment erosion and the timing of the onset of organic sedimentation, an underlying pattern of lake ontogeny, common to all three lakes, is identified. Although intensified watershed erosion characterized the Late Wisconsinan and Neoglacial cold periods, the lakes nonetheless remained viable ecosystems at these times. Sudden catchment stabilization during the late-glacial to earliest Holocene is associated with incipient organic sedimentation. Lake-water pH increased at this time, likely in response both longer base cation residence times as lake flushing rates decreased, and enhanced alkalinity production from sediment biogeochemical reactions. Subsequently, as the catchments remained stable during the productive early Holocene (c.9–7 ka BP), then gradually received a renewed increase of minerogenic sedimentation, the breakdown of sources of lake alkalinity resulted in natural acidification. Burial of cation-rich mineral sediments and the loss of permanent sedimentary sinks for the products of microbial reduction likely impeded within-lake alkalinity production, and catchment-derived base cations appeared ineffective in curtailing pH declines. The general nature of the Holocene development of these lakes is similar to that observed elsewhere on crystalline terrains, following deglaciation. Our data therefore suggest that catchment glaciation is not a necessary precursor for models of lake development characterized by initial base cation enrichment and subsequent gradual acidification.     

From planetesimals to terrestrial planets: N-body simulations including the effects of nebular gas and giant planets

We present results from a suite of N-body simulations that follow the formation and accretion history of the terrestrial planets using a new parallel treecode that we have developed. We initially place 2000 equal size planetesimals between 0.5 and 4.0 AU and the collisional growth is followed until the completion of planetary accretion (>100 Myr). A total of 64 simulations were carried out to explore sensitivity to the key parameters and initial conditions. All the important effect of gas in laminar disks are taken into account: the aerodynamic gas drag, the disk-planet interaction including Type I migration, and the global disk potential which causes inward migration of secular resonances as the gas dissipates. We vary the initial total mass and spatial distribution of the planetesimals, the time scale of dissipation of nebular gas (which dissipates uniformly in space and exponentially in time), and orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. We end up with 1-5 planets in the terrestrial region. In order to maintain sufficient mass in this region in the presence of Type I migration, the time scale of gas dissipation needs to be 1-2 Myr. The final configurations and collisional histories strongly depend on the orbital eccentricity of Jupiter. If today’s eccentricity of Jupiter is used, then most of bodies in the asteroidal region are swept up within the terrestrial region owing to the inward migration of the secular resonance, and giant impacts between protoplanets occur most commonly around 10 Myr. If the orbital eccentricity of Jupiter is close to zero, as suggested in the Nice model, the effect of the secular resonance is negligible and a large amount of mass stays for a long period of time in the asteroidal region. With a circular orbit for Jupiter, giant impacts usually occur around 100 Myr, consistent with the accretion time scale indicated from isotope records. However, we inevitably have an Earth size planet at around 2 AU in this case. It is very difficult to obtain spatially concentrated terrestrial planets together with very late giant impacts, as long as we include all the above effects of gas and assume initial disks similar to the minimum mass solar nebular.