Observations of photometric profiles of two planetary nebulae

It is noted that the Abel integral of a Gaussian function is a Gaussian function. This special property is used in order to develop an analytic method for studying photometric profile in Planetary Nebulae. Monochromatic observations have been made at the Haute-Provence Observatory using the RCA-CCD (320×512 pixels) mounted at theF/6 Newtonian focus of the 1.2 m telescope. Among the observed nebulae, two of them (NGC 6778 and NGC 7354) are regular enough to test the photometric profile method. The nebular emissivity per volume unit is then obtained for H⁺ and O⁺⁺ ions.     

Secular contraction in extreme helium stars and the future of V4334 Sgr

Speculative connections have been made between Sakurai's Object andother hydrogen-deficient stars, principally the RCB stars and [WC]central stars of planetary nebulae. RCBs have also been postulated as the precursors of extreme helium stars (EHes). The question arises to whether Sakurai's Object will evolve down the [WC]-PG1159 evolution track, or the RCB-EHe-HesdO track. From a number of IUE observations, we have measured thesecular contraction rates and pulsation masses of several EHes. These are inconsistent with the predicted contraction rates for helium-shell burning giants produced by a final helium-shell flash (the [WC]-PG1159 track). Although there may be some similarities between Sakurai's Object and some RCBs, if the RCB-EHe conection is valid then these must be superficial rather than structural.     

Radial velocity variations of the pulsating subdwarf B star PG 1605+072

We present an analysis of high-speed spectroscopy of the pulsating subdwarf B star PG 1605+072. Periodic radial motions are detected at frequencies similar to those reported for photometric variations in the star, with amplitudes of up to 6 km s⁻¹. Differences between relative strengths for given frequency peaks for our velocity data and previously measured photometry are probably a result of shifting of power between modes over time. Small differences in the detected frequencies may also indicate mode-shifting. We report the detection of line-shape variations using the moments of the cross-correlation function profiles. It may be possible to use the moments to identify the pulsation modes of the star.     

What causes solar active region loops to exist at transition region temperatures?

High-lying, dynamic loops have been observed at transition region temperatures since Skylab observations. The nature of these loops has been debated for many years with several explanations having been put forward. These include that the loops are merely cooling from hotter coronal loops, that they are produced from siphon flows, or that they are loops heated only to transition region temperatures. In this paper we will make use of combined SOHO-MDI (Michelson-Doppler Imager), SOHO-CDS (Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer) and Yohkoh SXT (Soft X-ray Telescope) datasets in order to determine whether the appearance of transition region loops is related to small-scale flaring in the corona, and to estimate the magnetic configuration of the loops. The latter allows us to determine the direction of plasma flows in the transition region loops. We find that the appearance of the transition region loops is often related to small-scale flaring in the corona and in this case the transition region loops appear to be cooling with material draining down from the loop top.     

What causes solar active region loops to exist at transition region temperatures?

High-lying, dynamic loops have been observed at transition region temperatures since Skylab observations. The nature of these loops has been debated for many years with several explanations having been put forward. These include that the loops are merely cooling from hotter coronal loops, that they are produced from siphon flows, or that they are loops heated only to transition region temperatures. In this paper we will make use of combined SOHO-MDI (Michelson-Doppler Imager), SOHO-CDS (Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer) and Yohkoh SXT (Soft X-ray Telescope) datasets in order to determine whether the appearance of transition region loops is related to small-scale flaring in the corona, and to estimate the magnetic configuration of the loops. The latter allows us to determine the direction of plasma flows in the transition region loops. We find that the appearance of the transition region loops is often related to small-scale flaring in the corona and in this case the transition region loops appear to be cooling with material draining down from the loop top.     

Transmission of CO2 in the atmosphere of Venus for the spectral region near 7 microns

The transmission in the 7-μm “window” opf Venus was calculated for a 7-layer model atmosphere. The synthetic spectra show that radiation from the layer 20–30 km above the surface would reach the top of the atmosphere between 6.2 and 7.0 μm if there were no absorption besides the isotopic CO₂ bands; for the 7.0- to 8.2-μm region, the radiating level would be located 40–50 km above the surface of Venus. The brightness temperature for the entire region is 430°K; for the above two regions it is 494 and 341°K, respectively.     

On the long-term context of the 1997–2009 ‘Big Dry’ in South-Eastern Australia: insights from a 206-year multi-proxy rainfall reconstruction

This study presents the first multi-proxy reconstruction of rainfall variability from the mid-latitude region of south-eastern Australia (SEA). A skilful rainfall reconstruction for the 1783–1988 period was possible using twelve annually-resolved palaeoclimate records from the Australasian region. An innovative Monte Carlo calibration and verification technique is introduced to provide the robust uncertainty estimates needed for reliable climate reconstructions. Our ensemble median reconstruction captures 33% of inter-annual and 72% of decadal variations in instrumental SEA rainfall observations. We investigate the stability of regional SEA rainfall with large-scale circulation associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) over the past 206 years. We find evidence for a robust relationship with high SEA rainfall, ENSO and the IPO over the 1840–1988 period. These relationships break down in the late 18th–early 19th century, coinciding with a known period of equatorial Pacific Sea Surface Temperature (SST) cooling during one of the most severe periods of the Little Ice Age. In comparison to a markedly wetter late 18th/early 19th century containing 75% of sustained wet years, 70% of all reconstructed sustained dry years in SEA occur during the 20th century. In the context of the rainfall estimates introduced here, there is a 97.1% probability that the decadal rainfall anomaly recorded during the 1998–2008 ‘Big Dry’ is the worst experienced since the first European settlement of Australia.     

Relative roles of climate sensitivity and forcing in defining the ocean circulation response to climate change

The response of the ocean’s meridional overturning circulation (MOC) to increased greenhouse gas forcing is examined using a coupled model of intermediate complexity, including a dynamic 3-D ocean subcomponent. Parameters are the increase in CO₂ forcing (with stabilization after a specified time interval) and the model’s climate sensitivity. In this model, the cessation of deep sinking in the north “Atlantic” (hereinafter, a “collapse”), as indicated by changes in the MOC, behaves like a simple bifurcation. The final surface air temperature (SAT) change, which is closely predicted by the product of the radiative forcing and the climate sensitivity, determines whether a collapse occurs. The initial transient response in SAT is largely a function of the forcing increase, with higher sensitivity runs exhibiting delayed behavior; accordingly, high CO₂-low sensitivity scenarios can be assessed as a recovering or collapsing circulation shortly after stabilization, whereas low CO₂-high sensitivity scenarios require several hundred additional years to make such a determination. We also systemically examine how the rate of forcing, for a given CO₂ stabilization, affects the ocean response. In contrast with previous studies based on results using simpler ocean models, we find that except for a narrow range of marginally stable to marginally unstable scenarios, the forcing rate has little impact on whether the run collapses or recovers. In this narrow range, however, forcing increases on a time scale of slow ocean advective processes results in weaker declines in overturning strength and can permit a run to recover that would otherwise collapse.