Cosmic-ray propagation in compressible turbulent media

The influence of compressibility of media on both the statistical acceleration and the turbulent diffusion of cosmic-ray particles is investigated. The averaging over an ensemble of random velocity fields of the medium was performed in the kinetic equation. The kinetic coefficients, which are responsible for the particle acceleration, were obtained in the cases of weak and strong scattering due inhomogeneous magnetic fields.     

Can Brans-Dicke universes in five dimensions be interpreted as 4-dimensional general relativity cosmologies?

The 5-dimensional Jordan-Brans-Dicke cosmologies in vacuum are found for the Bianchi type I metric, their relation with general relativity cosmologies is studied. Two solutions are possible, both produce effective pressure and energy density in the 4-dimensional G.R.-universes. One is a power-law relation, with two cases, the first one is forp _eff=_eff and the other forp _eff=_eff(– 1 < < 1) has a behaviour as the open flat universe. The second solution is an exponential only valid forp _eff=–_eff. In all cases the three-space expansion reaches infinity ast and the fifth dimension can be made to decrease approaching zero. The scalar field can increase or decrease with time.     

Dynamical instability in accreting white dwarfs

We study the evolution of solid, CO white dwarfs after explosive carbon ignition at central densities around 10¹⁰ g cm^–3 triggered by steady accretion in a close binary system, in order to elucidate whether these stars can collapse to form a neutron star. We show that as long as the velocity of the burning front remains below a critical value of 0.006c _s (60 km s^–1), gravitational collapse is the final fate. These calculations support the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) scenario for the origin of a fraction of low-mass X-ray binaries.Paper presented at the 11th European Regional Astronomical Meetings of the IAU on New Windows to the Universe, held 3–8 July, 1989, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.     

Numerical continuation of families of frozen orbits in the zonal problem of artificial satellite theory

In the zonal problem of a satellite around the Earth, we continue numerically natural families of periodic orbits with the polar component of the angular momentum as the parameter. We found three families; two of them are made of orbits with linear stability while the third one is made of unstable orbits. Except in a neighborhood of the critical inclination, the stable periodic (or frozen) orbits have very small eccentricities even for large inclinations.     

Cosmic ray fluctuations in compressible turbulent medium

The influence of compressibility of the medium on cosmic ray (CR) fluctuations has been investigated. The CR transport equation has been used to obtain an equation for the second moment of CR particle density (correlation function of the particle density). It is shown that the effects due to the compressibility of the medium has an essential influence on CR fluctuations. The relations between CR power spectra and random velocity field have been determined. For the turbulence which is created by an ensemble of weak sound waves we have obtained the connection between the spectral indices of CR power spectra and the velocity field. It is shown that the spectral indices of CR power spectra and the velocity field of random sound waves coincide.     

Behaviour of the SMF method for the numerical integration of satellite orbits

The SMF algorithms were recently developed by the authors as a multistep generalization of the ScheifeleG-functions one-step method. Like the last, the proposed codes integrate harmonic oscillations without truncation error and the perturbing parameter appears as a factor of that error when integrating perturbed oscillations. Therefore they seemed to be convenient for the accurate integration of orbital problems after the application of linearizing transformations, such as KS or BF. In this paper we present several numerical experiments concerning the propagation of Earth satellite orbits, that illustrate the performance of the the SMF method. In general, it provides greater accuracy than the usual standard algorithms for similar computational cost.     

Solar radio pulsating structures during September 9, 2001 at meter wavelength

Pulsating structures recorded at 237 MHz that are associated to decimetric continuum enhancement during the September 9, 2001 solar radio burst are described. We analyzed the radiopolarimetric data recorded at the Trieste Solar Radio System (INAF—Trieste Astronomical Observatory—Basovizza Observing Station) with very high time resolution (1 ms) at metric frequencies. Two different types of pulsations that occur in about 4 minutes at the same frequency are described. The possible mechanisms are analyzed and some parameters of the associated magnetic structure are estimated.     

Determination of Meteoroid Orbits and Spatial Fluxes by Using High-Resolution All-Sky CCD Cameras

By using high-resolution, low-scan-rate, all-sky CCD cameras, the SPanish Meteor Network (SPMN) is currently monitoring meteor and fireball activity on a year round basis. Here are presented just a sampling of the accurate trajectory, radiant and orbital data obtained for meteors imaged simultaneously from two SPMN stations during the continuous 2006–2007 coverage of meteor and fireball monitoring. Typical astrometric uncertainty is 1–2 arc min, while velocity determination errors are of the order of 0.1–0.5 km/s, which is dependent on the distance of each event to the station and its particular viewing geometry. The cameras have demonstrated excellent performance for detecting meteor outbursts. The recent development of automatic detection software is also providing real-time information on the global meteor activity. Finally, some examples of the all-sky CCD cameras applications for detecting unexpected meteor activity are given.     

Molecular lines from protoplanetary nebulae: observations with ALMA

Planetary nebulae (PNe) are formed in a very fast process. In just about 1000 years, the nebula evolves from a spherical and slowly expanding AGB envelope to a PN, with usually axial symmetry and high axial velocities. Molecular lines are known to probe most of the nebular material in young PNe and protoplanetary nebulae (PPNe), and are therefore very useful to study such an impressive evolution. Many quantitative results on these objects have been so obtained, including general structure, total mass and density distribution, kinetic temperatures, velocity fields, etc. Existing observations probe both the gas accelerated by post-AGB shocks and the quiescent components. But the study of crucial regions to understand PN formation (recently shocked shells, regions heated by the stellar UV and inner rotating disks) requires observations at higher frequency and with better spatial resolution.