Interaction of an Erupting Filament with the Ambient Magnetoplasma and Escape of Electron Beams

A huge filament eruption of 12 September 2000 associated with a two-ribbon spotless flare is described. During the acceleration phase the shape of the filament changed, and signatures of topological restructuring of large-scale coronal magnetic fields were inferred by tracking changes of nearby coronal holes. At the same time electron beams associated with the flare impulsive phase escaped into interplanetary space. Based on the time–spatial relationships a hypothesis is put forward, according to which the reconnection between the arcade magnetic field and the ambient field provides a temporary link between the open field lines and the flare energy release site, enabling the escape of electron beams into interplanetary space.     

On the effect of lava viscosity on the magnetic fabric intensity in alkaline volcanic rocks

The degree of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of basaltic rocks, as is known from the large AMS database of these rocks, is generally very low, while in more acidic volcanic rocks such as andesites, trachytes and phonolites, which have been investigated much less frequently, it is in general much higher. In the present study, the AMS of various volcanic rocks including trachytic and phonolitic rocks was investigated in the Tertiary volcanic region of the eské stedohoí Mts. Viscosities of the respective lavas were calculated from the chemical composition using the KWARE program. A rough correlation was found between the degree of AMS and lava viscosities, probably resulting from different mechanisms orienting the magnetic minerals. In basaltic lava flows this mechanism is traditionally considered to be of a hydrodynamic nature, in trachytic and phonolitic bodies it can also be represented by quasi-intrusive flows resembling, at least partially, ductile flow deformation. This is in agreement with the AMS data predicted by the viscous (liquid flow) and line/plane (ductile flow) models.     

Heat-capacity measurements and absolute entropy of ɛ-Mg2PO4OH

The low-temperature heat capacity of -Mg₂PO₄OH was measured between 10 and 400 K by adiabatic calorimetry. No phase transition was observed over this temperature range. A relative enthalpy increment of 22,119 J mol^–1 and an absolute entropy value of 127.13±0.25 J mol^–1 K^–1 at 298.15 K are derived from the results. The low-temperature heat-capacity data are compared with the DSC data obtained from 143 K to 775 K and show marginal differences in the common temperature range. The latter data are fitted by the polynomial

Seasonal Variation of Gravity Wave Activity in the Lower Ionosphere in Central Europe

The seasonal variation of gravity wave activity at altitudes around 95 km is investigated using digital measurements of low-frequency nighttime radiowave absorption at Prhonice (50°N, 15°E) between 1989 and 1993. The analysis of 5 years of data allows two conclusions to be drawn: (1) under high solar activity conditions, there is no clearly detectable seasonal variation of gravity wave activity; (2) under medium solar activity conditions (1992, 1993), there is a tendency to a pronounced summer maximum.     

Photometry of the open cluster NGC 6996 in the North America Nebula

Thirty stars in the direction of the open cluster NGC 6996 are measured in the Vilnius photometric system. Photometric spectral types, absolute magnitudes, interstellar reddenings, extinctions, and distances are determined for most of them. Fifteen stars are suspected to be cluster members. Their mean distance is 620±30 pc and mean extinctionA _v is 1.74 mag. The extinction within the cluster is variable. The age of the cluster is of the order of 10⁸ yr and this excludes the possibility that it is evolutionary related with the North America and Pelican Nebulae complex. The distance of this complex 550 pc is confirmed.     

Fluid description of a collisionless plasma and electric current systems in cosmic plasmas

The large-scale structure of a collisonless, two-component plasma with a typical Larmor radius of ions ? and scale-lengthL is discussed using Maxwell transport equations. Special attention is paid to the situations in which the usual one-fluid model of plasma based on the expansion of the transport equations in the powers of the ratio ?/L is not a satisfactory approximation. The one-fluid model fails if the magnetic-field-aligned component of the mass velocity or the magnetic-field-aligned component of the typical random velocity of particles is much larger than the other components of the mass and random velocities. The model also fails if the component of the typical random velocity of particles, which is perpendicular to the field lines, substantially exceeds the mass velocity of particles across the field lines. A quasi-static plasma is discussed as an example of plasmas on which the expansion in the powers of ?/L is not applicable. The relation between the electric current flowing in a quasi-static plasma (or in a hot plasma streaming along the field lines) and the topology of the magnetic lines of force is analysed. There are two distinguishable currents of different origin in such a plasma. Magnetic field generated by the currents acquires a geometry in which one current flows in the surfaces perpendicular to the binormals to the field lines while the other current flows along the binormals.