The particle background of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">X-IFU</Emphasis> instrument

In this paper we are going to review the latest estimates for the particle background expected on the X-IFU instrument onboard of the ATHENA mission. The particle background is induced by two different particle populations: the so called “soft protons” and the Cosmic rays. The first component is composed of low energy particles (< 100s keV) that get funnelled by the mirrors towards the focal plane, losing part of their energy inside the filters and inducing background counts inside the instrument sensitivity band. The latter component is induced by high energy particles (> 100 MeV) that possess enough energy to cross the spacecraft and reach the detector from any direction, depositing a small fraction of their energy inside the instrument. Both these components are estimated using Monte Carlo simulations and the latest results are presented here.     

Southern elephant seal trajectories, fronts and eddies in the Brazil/Malvinas Confluence

This study describes the association between transient, mesoscale hydrographic features along the axis of the Brazil–Malvinas Confluence, in the SW Atlantic, and the foraging behavior of 2–3-year-old (focal) juvenile southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, from Península Valdés, Argentina. Departing from the dominant pattern of foraging on predictable bathymetric fronts on the Patagonian shelf and slope, three females out of 12 satellite-tracked juveniles remained at the edge of young warm-core eddies and near the outer core of cold-core eddies, coinciding with the most productive areas of these temperature fronts. Seal trajectories along high-temperature gradients were always consistent with the speed and direction of surface currents inferred from the temperature distribution and confirmed by surface drifters. Movements of foraging seals were compared with those of surface drifters, coinciding in time and space and yielding independent and consistent data on regional water circulation parameters. The diving pattern recorded for one focal seal yielded shallower dives and a loose diel pattern in the eddy, and a marked diurnal cycle compatible with foraging on vertically migrating prey in the cold waters of the Malvinas Current. Pre-reproductive females that use the mesoscale fronts of the Argentine Basin as an alternative foraging area would benefit from lower competition with more experienced seals and with other top predators that reproduce along the coast of Patagonia.     

Symmetries and Rank Deficiency in the Orbit Determination Around Another Planet

We study the possible degeneracies for the normal matrix of the observations from the Earth of the motion of a satellite around a planet, and give the possible solutions to the loss of precision in the orbit determination caused by the rank deficiency. Finally we discuss the methods available to control the instability in the orbit determination resulting from the degeneracy.     

Genesis of zeolites in the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff: geological, volcanological and mineralogical evidence

 The study proposes a model by which a thick succession of volcanic tuffs can be zeolitized by alteration of pyroclastic material in the presence of sufficient eruptive water and at temperatures close to water vapour condensation. In the case of phreatomagmatic products, the model simplifies interpretation of problematic deposits that exhibit pronounced vertical and lateral variation in lithification grade. A major feature of the model is that thick zeolitized tuffs can be formed during emplacement of pyroclastic products, in marked contrast to later alteration in an open hydrologic system. Geological, volcanological and mineralogical data for the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff, a widespread trachytic pyroclastic deposit outcropping around Campi Flegrei (Southern Italy), have been used to infer the physico-chemical conditions that determined mineral genesis. This tuff shows a reduction in lithification grade towards the base, top and with distance from the vent and very variable zeolitization within the lithified portion. We suggest that during initial emplacement the erupted products chilled against the ground, inhibiting zeolite crystallization. During rapid deposition of the thick, wet succession thermal insulation allowed the persistence of elevated temperatures for a time sufficient for enhancement of hydration-dissolution processes in the volcanic glass. The highly reactive alkali-trachytic glass quickly buffered the acid pH of the system, favouring phillipsite crystallization followed by chabazite nucleation. The variable zeolite content reflects fluctuating emplacement conditions (e.g. changes in water content and temperature). Cooling of the upper and relatively thin distal deposits inhibited the zeolitization process, thereby preserving the primary unlithified deposit. Received: 25 May 1999 / Accepted: 28 October 1999     

A cosmological study of the star formation history in the solar neighbourhood

We use a cosmological galactic evolutionary approach to model the Milky Way. A detailed treatment of the mass aggregation and dynamical history of the growing dark halo is included, together with a self-consistent physical treatment for the star formation processes within the growing galactic disc. This allows us to calculate the temporal evolution of star and gas surface densities at all galactic radii, in particular, the star formation history (SFH) at the solar radius. A large range of cosmological mass aggregation histories (MAHs) is capable of producing a galaxy with the present-day properties of the Milky Way. The resulting SFHs for the solar neighbourhood bracket the available observational data for this feature, the most probable MAH yielding the optimal comparison with these observations. We also find that the rotation curve for our Galaxy implies the presence of a constant density core in its dark-matter halo.     

Geometric interpretation for the spectral stability in the charged three-body problem

We present a geometric interpretation of the spectral stability of the triangular libration points in the charged three-body problem. We obtain that the spectral stability varies with the position of the center of mass of the three charges with respect to the circumcenter of the triangle configuration, which does not depend directly of the charges. If the center of mass is outside or on the circumference of a well defined radius ??, then spectral stability occurs. In addition, we analyze the existence of resonances within the spectral region of stability under this geometric interpretation, determining resonance curves of order 2, 3, 4, . . ., some of them with multiple resonances.     

N-body simulations for testing the stability of triaxial galaxies in MOND

We perform a stability test of triaxial models in Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) using N -body simulations. The triaxial models considered here have densities that vary with   r ⁻¹  in the centre and   r ⁻⁴  at large radii. The total mass of the model varies from 10⁸ to  10¹⁰ M_⊙  , representing the mass scale of dwarfs to medium-mass elliptical galaxies, respectively, from deep MOND to quasi-Newtonian gravity. We build triaxial galaxy models using the Schwarzschild technique, and evolve the systems for 200 Keplerian dynamical times (at the typical length-scale of 1.0 kpc). We find that the systems are virial overheating, and in quasi-equilibrium with the relaxation taking approximately 5 Keplerian dynamical times (1.0 kpc). For all systems, the change of the inertial (kinetic) energy is less than 10 per cent (20 per cent) after relaxation. However, the central profile of the model is flattened during the relaxation and the (overall) axis ratios change by roughly 10 per cent within 200 Keplerian dynamical times (at 1.0 kpc) in our simulations. We further find that the systems are stable once they reach the equilibrium state.     

Current confinement in solar coronal loops

In this paper solar coronal loops are regarded as regions of localized current flows. The main purpose is to investigate the consequences of current confinement rather than to produce a model. The physical and observational basis for this assumption are presented as well as the connection with previous studies on loop structure. A proper choice of the current profile allows us to treat quantitatively the equilibrium structure of the loops and their MHD and resistive stability properties. Regions of absolute stability against ideal kink modes are found. Explicit growth rates for the tearing-mode instability are computed. The possible relevance of other resistive effects is also discussed and the crucial importance of the small-scale geometry of the magnetic field outlined.     

Vertical distribution features of atmospheric water vapour in the Po valley area

Two sets of radiosounding measurements, taken at different hours from some stations in the Po Valley area, were examined in order to obtain the values of precipitable waterw and determine the shapes of the vertical distribution curves of absolute humidity. From these curves, we calculated the bestfit values of scale heightsH ₁ andH ₂ in the 0÷5 km and 5÷10 km altitude intervals, respectively. The analysis of the radiosounding data clearly shows that parametersw andH ₁ are closely related to the evolutionary features of the meteorological conditions on synoptic scale and are influenced, to a lesser extent, by the diurnal variations in the atmospheric ground layer. Seasonal average curves of temperature and absolute humidity, as functions of altitude, were also defined from the radiosounding measurements taken at various hours of the day. Moreover, interpolation methods in time (applied to a 12-hour range) and in space (range of about 300 km) were proposed for determining parametersw andH ₁ from the radiosounding measurements taken at different hours from the same station or from different stations at the same hour. Reliability tests, made by comparing the same station or from different stations at the same hour. Reliability tests, made by comparing the values given by the interpolation methods with those directly obtained from the radiosounding measurements, show that these evaluations ofw andH ₁ are affected by standard errors of estimate, which are comparable to the errors usually made in analyzing the radiosounding data.     

A numerical method for the study of shear band propagation in soft rocks

This paper investigates the possibility of interpreting progressive shear failure in hard soils and soft rocks as the result of shear propagation of a pre‐existing natural defect. This is done through the application of the principles of fracture mechanics, a slip‐weakening model (SWM) being used to simulate the non‐linear zone at the tips of the discontinuity. A numerical implementation of the SWM in a computation method based on the boundary element technique of the displacement discontinuity method (DDM) is presented. The crack and the non‐linear zone at the advancing tip are represented through a set of elements, where the displacement discontinuity (DD) in the tangential direction is determined on the basis of a friction law. A residual friction angle is assumed on the crack elements. Shear resistance decreases on elements in the non‐linear zone from a peak value at the tip, which is characteristic of intact material, to the residual value. The simulation of a uniaxial compressive test in plane strain conditions is carried out to exemplify the numerical methodology. The results emphasize the role played by the critical DD on the mechanical behaviour of the specimen. A validation of the model is shown through the back analysis of some experimental observations. The results of this back analysis show that a non‐linear fracture mechanics approach seems very promising to simulate experimental results, in particular with regards to the shear band evolution pattern. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.