Cosmological Parameters: Where are we?

The present-day large increase of the amount of data relevant to cosmology, as well as their increasing accuracy, leads to the idea that the determination of cosmological parameters has been achieved with a rather good precision, may be of the order of 10%. There is a large consensus around the so-called concordance model. Indeed this model does fit an impressive set of independent data, the most impressives been: CMB C_l curve, most current matter density estimations, Hubble constant estimation from HST, apparent acceleration of the Universe, good matching of the power spectrum of matter fluctuations. However, the necessary introduction of a non zero cosmological constant is an extraordinary new mystery for physics, or more exactly the come back of one of the ghost of modern physics since its introduction by Einstein. Here, I would like to emphasize that some results are established beyond reasonable doubt, like the (nearly) flatness of the universe and the existence of a dark non-baryonic component of the Universe. But also that the evidence for a positive cosmological constant may not be as strong as needed for its existence to be considered as established beyond doubt. In this respect, I will argue that an Einstein-De Sitter universe might still be a viable option. Some observations do not fit the concordance picture. I discuss several of the claimed observational evidences supporting the concordance model and will focus more specifically on the observational properties of clusters which offer powerful constraints on various quantities of cosmological interest. They are particularly interesting in constraining the cosmological density parameter, nicely complementing the CMB result, which by its own does not request a non vanishing cosmological constant, contrary to what is sometimes claimed. Early, local, estimations based on the M/L ratio are now superseded by new tests that have been proposed during the last ten years which are globalin nature. Here, I will briefly discuss three of them: 1) the evolution of the abundance of clusters with redshift 2) the baryon fraction measured in local clusters 3) apparent evolution of the baryon fraction with redshift. I will show that these three independent tests lead to high matter density for the Universe in the range 0.6 — 1. I therefore conclude that the dominance of vacuum to the various density contributions to the Universeis presently a fascinating possibility, but it is still premature to consider it as an established scientific fact.     

Marine‐target craters on Mars? An assessment study

Abstract— Observations of impact craters on Earth show that a water column at the target strongly influences lithology and morphology of the resultant crater. The degree of influence varies with the target water depth and impactor diameter. Morphological features detectable in satellite imagery include a concentric shape with an inner crater inset within a shallower outer crater, which is cut by gullies excavated by the resurge of water. In this study, we show that if oceans, large seas, and lakes existed on Mars for periods of time, marine‐target craters must have formed. We make an assessment of the minimum and maximum amounts of such craters based on published data on water depths, extent, and duration of putative oceans within “contacts 1 and 2,” cratering rate during the different oceanic phases, and computer modeling of minimum impactor diameters required to form long‐lasting craters in the seafloor of the oceans. We also discuss the influence of erosion and sedimentation on the preservation and exposure of the craters. For an ocean within the smaller “contact 2” with a duration of 100,000 yr and the low present crater formation rate, only ?1–2 detectable marine‐target craters would have formed. In a maximum estimate with a duration of 0.8 Gyr, as many as 1400 craters may have formed. An ocean within the larger “contact 1‐Meridiani,” with a duration of 100,000 yr, would not have received any seafloor craters despite the higher crater formation rate estimated before 3.5 Gyr. On the other hand, with a maximum duration of 0.8 Gyr, about 160 seafloor craters may have formed. However, terrestrial examples show that most marine‐target craters may be covered by thick sediments. Ground penetrating radar surveys planned for the ESA Mars Express and NASA 2005 missions may reveal buried craters, though it is uncertain if the resolution will allow the detection of diagnostic features of marine‐target craters. The implications regarding the discovery of marine‐target craters on Mars is not without significance, as such discoveries would help address the ongoing debate of whether large water bodies occupied the northern plains of Mars and would help constrain future paleoclimatic reconstructions.     

The fresnel interferometric imager

The Fresnel Interferometric Imager has been proposed to the European Space Agency (ESA) Cosmic Vision plan as a class L mission. This mission addresses several themes of the CV Plan: Exoplanet study, Matter in extreme conditions, and The Universe taking shape. This paper is an abridged version of the original ESA proposal. We have removed most of the technical and financial issues, to concentrate on the instrumental design and astrophysical missions. The instrument proposed is an ultra-lightweight telescope, featuring a novel optical concept based on diffraction focussing. It yields high dynamic range images, while releasing constraints on positioning and manufacturing of the main optical elements. This concept should open the way to very large apertures in space. In this two spacecraft formation-flying instrument, one spacecraft holds the focussing element: the Fresnel interferometric array; the other spacecraft holds the field optics, focal instrumentation, and detectors. The Fresnel array proposed here is a 3.6 ×3.6 m square opaque foil punched with 10⁵ to 10⁶ void “subapertures”. Focusing is achieved with no other optical element: the shape and positioning of the subapertures (holes in the foil) is responsible for beam combining by diffraction, and 5% to 10% of the total incident light ends up into a sharp focus. The consequence of this high number of subapertures is high dynamic range images. In addition, as it uses only a combination of vacuum and opaque material, this focussing method is potentially efficient over a very broad wavelength domain. The focal length of such diffractive focussing devices is wavelength dependent. However, this can be corrected. We have tested optically the efficiency of the chromatism correction on artificial sources (500 < λ < 750 nm): the images are diffraction limited, and the dynamic range measured on an artificial double source reaches 6.2 10^− 6. We have also validated numerical simulation algorithms for larger Fresnel interferometric arrays. These simulations yield a dynamic range (rejection factor) close to 10^− 8 for arrays such as the 3.6 m one we propose. A dynamic range of 10^− 8 allows detection of objects at contrasts as high as than 10^− 9 in most of the field. The astrophysical applications cover many objects in the IR, visible an UV domains. Examples are presented, taking advantage of the high angular resolution and dynamic range capabilities of this concept.     

VLBI measurements of the parallax and proper motion of U Herculis

The OH 1667 maser in the circumstellar shell around the Mira variable U Her has been observed with the VLBA at 6 epochs, spread over 4 years. By using straightforward phase referencing techniques the stellar proper motion can be measured. Preliminary analysis indicates that the parallactic motion is also detected. An important question is whether the maser spots can be assumed to be fixed with respect to the star. The observations show both evidence supporting and contradicting the idea that one maser spot is the amplified stellar image.     

Modelling the influence of environmental factors on the physiological status of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in an estuarine embayment; The Baie des Veys (France)

It is well known that temporal changes in bivalve body mass are strongly correlated with temporal variations in water temperature and food supply. In order to study the influence of the year-to-year variability of environmental factors on oyster growth, we coupled a biogeochemical sub-model, which simulates trophic resources of oysters (i.e. phytoplankton biomass via chlorophyll a), and an ecophysiological sub-model, which simulates growth and reproduction (i.e. gametogenesis and spawning), using mechanistic bases. The biogeochemical sub-model successfully simulated phytoplankton dynamics using river nutrient inputs and meteorological factors as forcing functions. Adequate simulation of oyster growth dynamics requires a relevant food quantifier compatible with outputs of the biogeochemical sub-model (i.e. chlorophyll a concentration). We decided to use the phytoplankton carbon concentration as quantifier for food, as it is a better estimator of the energy really available to oysters. The transformation of chlorophyll a concentration into carbon concentration using a variable chlorophyll a to carbon ratio enabled us to improve the simulation of oyster growth especially during the starvation period (i.e. autumn and winter). Once validated, the coupled model was a suitable tool to study the influence of the year-to-year variability of phytoplankton dynamics and water temperature on the gonado-somatic growth of the Pacific oyster. Four years with highly contrasted meteorological conditions (river inputs, water temperature and light) 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, were simulated. The years were split into two groups, wet years (2000 and 2001) and dry years (2002 and 2003). Significant variability of the response of oysters to environmental conditions was highlighted between the four scenarios. In the wet years, an increase in loadings of river nutrients and suspended particulate matter led to a shift in the initiation and the magnitude of the phytoplanktonic spring bloom, and consequently to a shift in oyster growth patterns. In contrast, in the dry years, an increase in water temperature—especially during summer—resulted in early spawning. Thus, the gonado-somatic growth pattern of oysters was shown to be sensitive to variations in river loadings and water temperature. In this context, the physiological status of oysters is discussed using a relevant indicator of energy needs.     

Global effect of irrigation and its impact on the onset of the Indian summer monsoon

In a context of increased demand for food and of climate change, the water consumptions associated with the agricultural practice of irrigation focuses attention. In order to analyze the global influence of irrigation on the water cycle, the land surface model ORCHIDEE is coupled to the GCM LMDZ to simulate the impact of irrigation on climate. A 30-year simulation which takes into account irrigation is compared with a simulation which does not. Differences are usually not significant on average over all land surfaces but hydrological variables are significantly affected by irrigation over some of the main irrigated river basins. Significant impacts over the Mississippi river basin are shown to be contrasted between eastern and western regions. An increase in summer precipitation is simulated over the arid western region in association with enhanced evapotranspiration whereas a decrease in precipitation occurs over the wet eastern part of the basin. Over the Indian peninsula where irrigation is high during winter and spring, a delay of 6?days is found for the mean monsoon onset date when irrigation is activated, leading to a significant decrease in precipitation during May to July. Moreover, the higher decrease occurs in June when the water requirements by crops are maximum, exacerbating water scarcity in this region. A significant cooling of the land surfaces occurs during the period of high irrigation leading to a decrease of the land-sea heat contrast in June, which delays the monsoon onset.     

Comparison of several BHT correction methods: a case study on an Australian data set

Bottom-hole temperatures (BHT) from oil exploration provide useful constraints on the subsurface thermal regime, but they need to be corrected to obtain the equilibrium temperature. In this work, we introduce several BHT correction methods and compare them using a large Australian data set of more than 650 groups of multiple BHT measurements in about 300 oil exploration boreholes. Existing and suggested corrections are classified within a coherent framework, in which methods are divided into: line/cylinder source; instantaneous/continuous heat extraction; one/two component(s). Comparisons with reservoir test temperatures show that most of the corrections lead to reliable estimates of the formation equilibrium temperature within ±10 °C, but too few data exist to perform an intercomparison of the models based on this criterion. As expected, the Horner method diverges from its parent models for small elapsed times (or equivalently large radii). The mathematical expression of line source models suffers from an unphysical delay time that also restrains their domain of applicability. The model that takes into account the difference of thermal properties between circulating mud and surrounding rocks—that is the two-component model—is delicate to use because of its high complexity. For these reasons, our preferred correction methods are the cylindrical source models. We show that mud circulation time below 10 hr has a negligible effect. The cylindrical source models rely on one parameter depending on the thermal diffusivity and the borehole radius, which are poorly constrained, but the induced uncertainty on the extrapolations remains reasonably low.     

40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb SHRIMP dating of Aptian tuff cones in the Aisén Basin,Central Patagonian Cordillera

Surtseyan tuff cones of the Baño Nuevo Volcanic Complex erupted in shallow marine water during the waning stage of the Aisén Basin, the northern part of the Austral Basin of the Central Patagonian Cordillera. This volcanic complex was emplaced within the Hauterivian to early Aptian Apeleg Formation, the youngest sedimentary unit of this basin, whilst the sediments were still wet. Three new Ar/Ar dates (amphibole) and one U–Pb SHRIMP date (zircon) from this complex yielded concordant early Aptian ages of 122–121 Ma. These data agree with the contact relationships between the Apeleg Formation and the tuff cones. These dates also agree with those of early Aptian ammonites collected from the Apeleg Formation 100 km south of the study area, which represent the youngest fossils identified in this unit. Aptian to Albian subaerial volcanic rocks of the Divisadero Group, paraconformably overlie the Apeleg Formation. The emplacement of the Baño Nuevo Volcanic Complex pre-dates the disappearance of the Aisén Basin.