A General Relativistic Calculation of Boundary Layer and Disc Luminosity for Accreting Non-magnetic Neutron Stars in Rapid Rotation

We calculate the disc and boundary layer luminosities for accreting rapidly rotating neutron stars with low magnetic fields in a fully general relativistic manner. Rotation increases the disc luminosity and decreases the boundary layer luminosity. A rapid rotation of the neutron star substantially modifies these quantities as compared with the static limit. For a neutron star rotating close to the centrifugal mass shed limit, the total luminosity has contribution only from the extended disc. For such maximal rotation rates, we find that well before the maximum stable gravitational mass configuration is reached, there exists a limiting central density, for which particles in the innermost stable orbit will be more tightly bound than those at the surface of the neutron star. We also calculate the angular velocity profiles of particles in Keplerian orbits around the rapidly rotating neutron star. The results are illustrated for a representative set of equation of state models of neutron star matter.     

Mass Balance Estimation of Dokriani Glacier in Central Indian Himalaya Using Remote Sensing Data

Dokriani Glacier is regarded as one of the important glaciers of Bhagirathi River basin, which fed river Ganges. The length of the glacier is about 4.6 km, and snout elevation is about 4028 m m.s.l. The mass balance of this glacier was calculated using field-based measurements for few years during 1994 to 2000. However, due to remote and poor accessibility, the field-based measurements could not continue; thus, remote sensing-based methods become useful tool to estimate the long-term mass balance of the glacier. In this study, glacier mass balance has been determined using accumulation area ratio (AAR) method. Remote sensing data sets, e.g. Landsat TM, ETM?+?and OLI, have been used to estimate AAR for different years from 1994 to 2014. An attempt has also been made to develop a mathematical relationship between remote sensing-derived AAR and field-observed mass balance data of the glacier. Further, this relationship has been used to estimate mass balance of the glacier for different years using remote sensing-derived AAR. Estimated mass balance was validated from ground-observed mass balance for few years. The field-observed and remote sensing-derived mass balance data are compared and showed high correlation. It has been observed that AAR for the Dokriani Glacier varies from 0.64 to 0.71. Mass balance of the glacier was observed between ??15.54 cm and ??50.95 cm during the study period. The study highlights the application of remote sensing in mass balance study of the glaciers and impact of climate change in glaciers of Central Indian Himalaya.     

Correction to: Stress shadow,stress triggering,and recent earthquake activity in the Kashmir Himalaya,India

Journal of Seismology -     

Probabilistic seismic hazard at the archaeological site of Gol Gumbaz in Vijayapura,south India

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is carried out for the archaeological site of Vijayapura in south India in order to obtain hazard consistent seismic input ground-motions for seismic risk assessment and design of seismic protection measures for monuments, where warranted. For this purpose the standard Cornell-McGuire approach, based on seismogenic zones with uniformly distributed seismicity is employed. The main features of this study are the usage of an updated and unified seismic catalogue based on moment magnitude, new seismogenic source models and recent ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) in logic tree framework. Seismic hazard at the site is evaluated for level and rock site condition with 10% and 2% probabilities of exceedance in 50 years, and the corresponding peak ground accelerations (PGAs) are 0.074 and 0.142 g, respectively. In addition, the uniform hazard spectra (UHS) of the site are compared to the Indian code-defined spectrum. Comparisons are also made with results from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA 2010), in terms of PGA and pseudo spectral accelerations (PSAs) at T = 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.25 s for 475- and 2475-yr return periods. Results of the present study are in good agreement with the PGA calculated from isoseismal map of the Killari earthquake, \({\hbox {M}}_{\mathrm{w}} = 6.4\) (1993). Disaggregation of PSHA results for the PGA and spectral acceleration (\({\hbox {S}}_{\mathrm{a}}\)) at 0.5 s, displays the controlling scenario earthquake for the study region as low to moderate magnitude with the source being at a short distance from the study site. Deterministic seismic hazard (DSHA) is also carried out by taking into account three scenario earthquakes. The UHS corresponding to 475-yr return period (RP) is used to define the target spectrum and accordingly, the spectrum-compatible natural accelerograms are selected from the suite of recorded accelerograms.     

Multi-year observations of the high mountain water cycle in the Langtang catchment,Central Himalaya

The Langtang catchment is a high mountain, third order catchment in the Gandaki basin in the Central Himalaya (28.2°N, 85.5°E), that eventually drains into the Ganges. The catchment spans an elevation range from 1400 to 7234 m a.s.l. and approximately one quarter of the area is glacierized. Numerous research projects have been conducted in the valley during the last four decades, with a strong focus on the cryospheric components of the catchment water balance. Since 2012 multiple weather stations and discharge stations provide measurements of atmospheric and hydrologic variables. Full weather stations are used to monitor at an hourly resolution all four radiation components (incoming and outgoing shortwave and longwave radiation; SW_in/out and LW_in/out), air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation, and cover an elevational range of 3862–5330 m a.s.l. Air temperature and precipitation are monitored along elevation gradients for investigations of the spatial variability of the high mountain meteorology. Dedicated point-scale observations of snow cover, depth and water equivalent as well as ice loss have been carried out over multiple years and complement the observations of the water cycle. All data presented is openly available in a database and will be updated annually.     

A critique on Drexler dark matter

Drexler dark matter is an alternate approach to dark matter that assumes that highly relativistic protons trapped in the halo of the galaxies could account for the missing mass. We look at various energetics involved in such a scenario such as the energy required to produce such particles and the corresponding lifetimes. Also we look at the energy losses from synchrotron and inverse Compton scattering and their signatures. The Coulomb repulsive instability due to the excess charge around the galaxies is also calculated. The above results lead us to conclude that such a model for DM is unfeasible.     

Indoor Air Background Levels of Volatile Organic Compounds and Air-Phase Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Office Buildings and Schools

A background indoor air study has been completed which includes the collection of indoor air samples from office buildings and schools. The anonymous study was designed with input from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The sampling was implemented in 2013, 2014, and 2015 and included the collection of 25 school building samples and 61 office building samples. The study generated 14,668 new indoor air background data points, with samples collected from buildings located in 26 cities in 18 states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Indoor air background concentrations of target compound volatile organic compounds (VOCs) ranged from less than the laboratory method reporting limit of 0.044 μg/m³ to concentrations up to 1190 μg/m³, with hydrocarbon ranges from less than the reporting method limit of 10 μg/m³ to concentrations up to 3000 μg/m³. Some VOCs were identified ubiquitously in indoor air background, and some were identified at concentrations which exceeded risk-based regulatory screening levels. These study results provide useful and updated information on indoor air background and air quality in offices and schools and can be used in future regulatory guidance update considerations, for further examination of relationships between these data and residential study data, in human health risk assessments and risk communication, and in planning future studies.