Gravitational instability of suprathermal hydromagnetic plasma

The paper models the suprathermal plasma as the concatenation of two different gravitating fluids each having its own separate density and pressure. One of the fluids has isotropic pressure while the other has an anisotropic pressure. The system is subjected to a uniform magnetic field which is frozen with the fluids. The gravitational instability of the model for low frequency plane waves has been investigated in a linear framework for plasma parameters relevant to the spiral arms of the galaxy and the cosmic gas clouds. The analysis shows that the wavelength of the instability is strongly dependent upon the anisotropy of the non-thermal plasma.     

Nonlinearly selected frequencies in coronal loops

A nonlinear process for the resonant generation of low-frequency fast magnetosonic kink waves in coronal loops is discussed. The efficiency of the process is strongly enhanced due to the existence of a nonlinearly selected frequency produced by a constant frequency difference in the dispersion curves in the short wavelength limit. The kink wave with the selected frequency interacts with high-frequency kink and sausage waves. The efficiency of such interaction does not require coherence in the interactive waves. In a loop of width 2 × 10³ km, field strength 50 G and number density 5 × 10¹⁵ m^–3, the nonlinearly selected frequency is of order 46 mHz (period 21.8 s), but this may range through 11 mHz to 184 mHz (periods 86.5 s to 5.4 s) for typical coronal conditions.     

Chronology and evolution of the northern Iceland Plateau

New aeromagnetic data, K-Ar age determinations of dredged marine igneous rocks, as well as other geophysical evidence have shed light on the chronology, nature and evolution of the northern Iceland Plateau. Correspondence between seismic refraction profiles taken on the Jan Mayen Ridge and westward through Jan Mayen Island, suppressed aeromagnetic anomalies, earthquake surface wave studies, and ages of dredged igneous rocks suggest these strata may form an extended region of thickened crust, possibly of Caledonian age, extending westward toward the Kolbeinsey Ridge and northwest to the south wall of the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone.     

Results from the Whole Earth Telescope — Indian contributions

The Indian team at ISRO has been part of the Whole Earth Telescope (WET) team since 1988 when we first participated in the campaign on V471 Tau. We have been part of many other observing campaigns over the last decade. This presentation traces the circumstances leading to our joining the WET team and how useful the coverage from the Indian longitude has been. The results of several pulsators from the WET runs during which we participated are also described. These include PG1159-035 the prototype of the GW Vir type of stars, RE J 0751+14 a cataclysmic variable, PG 1336-018 a binary with an sdB pulsator and finally HR 1217 a roAp star. The paper concludes with what the limitations are in our observations and how we can overcome them in the future.     

Modeling X-Ray Photoionized Plasmas Produced at the Sandia Z-Facility

In experiments at the high-power Z-facility at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we have been able to produce a low density photoionized laboratory plasma of Fe mixed with NaF. The conditions in the experiment allow a meaningful comparison with X-ray emission from astrophysical sources. The charge state distributions of Fe, Na and F are determined in this plasma using high resolution X-ray spectroscopy. Independent measurements of the density and radiation flux indicate unprecedented values for the ionization parameter ξ = 20–25 erg cm s⁻¹ under nearly steady-state conditions. First comparisons of the measured charge state distributions with X-ray photoionization models show reasonable agreement, although many questions remain.     

Characterization of soil's structural crust by spectral reflectance in the SWIR region (1.2–2.5 μm)

Structural crust is a thin layer formed on the soil surface after a rainstorm. The crust is the result of a physical segregation and rearrangement of soil particles in a way that affects some of the soil properties, such as infiltration, runoff and soil erosion. In practice, there is no rapid, in situ method for monitoring, assessing and mapping crust intensity and quality. In this study, a controlled spectral investigation of the structural crust across the NIR–SWIR spectral region was conducted on three selected Israeli soils, to study the potential of reflectance radiation to detect structural crust in soils. Two major factors served as the driving forces for this study: (1) there is no valid method for in situ assessment of the crust's characteristics in the agriculture field, and (2) the crust might bias thematic remote sensing of soils, because the thin layer of crust blocks photon–matter interaction, which represents the relevant soil body. Through the use of a laboratory rainfall simulator and a sensitive spectrometer, it was revealed that for three selected soils, significant spectral differences occurred between the crust and its bulk soil. The spectral information was found to be related to changes in particle size distribution and texture at the surface of the soil. This conclusion was based on indications of absorption of OH in clay lattice, OH in adsorbed water and CO₃ in carbonates. It was concluded that the structural crust is a phenomenon that should not be ignored by remote-sensing users. In fact, in the field of agriculture, the spectral properties of crust can be used as tools for estimating the crust's intensity.