Image Quality of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

We describe the imaging quality of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) as measured during the ground calibration of the instrument. We describe the calibration techniques and report our results for the final configuration of HMI. We present the distortion, modulation transfer function, stray light, image shifts introduced by moving parts of the instrument, best focus, field curvature, and the relative alignment of the two cameras. We investigate the gain and linearity of the cameras, and present the measured flat field.     

The formation and stability of carbonic acid on outer Solar System bodies

The radiation chemistry, thermal stability, and vapor pressure of solid-phase carbonic acid (H₂CO₃) have been studied with mid-infrared spectroscopy. A new procedure for measuring this molecule’s radiation stability has been used to obtain intrinsic IR band strengths and half-lives for radiolytic destruction. We report, for the first time, measurements of carbonic acid’s vapor pressure (0.290-2.33 × 10⁻¹¹ bar for 240-255 K) and its enthalpy of sublimation (71 ± 9 kJ mol⁻¹). We also report the first observation of a chemical reaction involving solid-phase carbonic acid. Possible applications of these findings are discussed, with an emphasis on the outer Solar System icy surfaces.     

First Analysis of Ground-Level Enhancement (GLE) 72 on 10 September 2017: Spectral and Anisotropy Characteristics

Using data obtained with neutron monitors and space-borne instruments, we analyzed the second ground-level enhancement (GLE) of Solar Cycle 24, namely the event of 10 September 2017 (GLE 72), and derived the spectral and angular characteristics of associated GLE particles. We employed a new neutron-monitor yield function and a recently proposed model based on an optimization procedure. The method consists of simulating particle propagation in a model magnetosphere in order to derive the cutoff rigidity and neutron-monitor asymptotic directions. Subsequently, the rigidity spectrum and anisotropy of GLE particles are obtained in their dynamical evolution during the event on the basis of an inverse-problem solution. The derived angular distribution and spectra are discussed briefly.     

Complex crater formation: Insights from combining observations of shock pressure distribution with numerical models at the West Clearwater Lake impact structure

Large impact structures have complex morphologies, with zones of structural uplift that can be expressed topographically as central peaks and/or peak rings internal to the crater rim. The formation of these structures requires transient strength reduction in the target material and one of the proposed mechanisms to explain this behavior is acoustic fluidization. Here, samples of shock‐metamorphosed quartz‐bearing lithologies at the West Clearwater Lake impact structure, Canada, are used to estimate the maximum recorded shock pressures in three dimensions across the crater. These measurements demonstrate that the currently observed distribution of shock metamorphism is strongly controlled by the formation of the structural uplift. The distribution of peak shock pressures, together with apparent crater morphology and geological observations, is compared with numerical impact simulations to constrain parameters used in the block‐model implementation of acoustic fluidization. The numerical simulations produce craters that are consistent with morphological and geological observations. The results show that the regeneration of acoustic energy must be an important feature of acoustic fluidization in crater collapse, and should be included in future implementations. Based on the comparison between observational data and impact simulations, we conclude that the West Clearwater Lake structure had an original rim (final crater) diameter of 35–40 km and has since experienced up to ~2 km of differential erosion.     

On the occurrence and origin of anthropogenic radionuclides found in a fragment of the Chelyabinsk (LL5) meteorite

A piece of the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteorite was investigated for its content of anthropogenic radionuclides. In addition to traces of cesium‐137 that had been previously reported for this particular fragment, we found an unusually high amount of strontium‐90, which indicates that the source of this contamination was the Kyshtym accident (1957). A high Sr‐90/Cs‐137 activity ratio is characteristic for Kyshtym‐derived contaminations. Based on the cesium‐137 content in the soil from the finding site, it is estimated that the fragment was contaminated with soil particles in the milligram range upon impact. Investigation of the soil revealed very unusual ferromagnetic characteristics and an iron‐rich chemical composition. Mössbauer spectroscopy indicated the presence of steel components in this soil, suggesting that the investigated meteorite fragment was found in an industrial dumping site rather than natural soil.     

Porous,S‐bearing silica in metal‐sulfide nodules and in the interchondrule clastic matrix in two EH3 chondrites

Two new occurrences of porous, S‐bearing, amorphous silica are described within metal‐sulfide nodules (MSN) and as interchondrule patches in EH3 chondrites SAH 97072 and ALH 84170. This porous amorphous material, which was first reported from sulfide‐bearing chondrules, consists of sinewy SiO₂‐rich areas containing S with minor Na or Ca as well as Fe, Mg, and Al. Some pores contain minerals including pyrite, pyrrhotite, and anhydrite. Most pores appear vacant or contain unidentified material that is unstable under analytical conditions. Niningerite, olivine, enstatite, albite, and kumdykolite occur enclosed within porous silica patches. Porous silica is commonly interfingered with cristobalite suggesting its amorphous structure resulted from high‐temperature quenching. We interpret the S‐bearing porous silica to be a product of silicate sulfidation, and the Na, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Al detectable within this material are chemical residues of sulfidized silicates and metal. The occurrence of porous silica in the cores of MSN, which are considered to be pre‐accretionary objects, suggests the sulfidizing conditions occurred prior to final parent‐body solidification. Ubiquitous S‐bearing porous silica among sulfide‐bearing chondrules, MSN, and in the interchondrule clastic matrix, suggests that similar sulfidizing conditions affected all the constituents of these EH3 chondrites.     

An interdisciplinary study of weathering effects in ordinary chondrites from the Acfer region,Algeria

Abstract— Weathering effects on meteorite finds from the Acfer region were studied by various analytical techniques and in dependence on the depth of sampling. In thin sections of weathered meteorites, weathering effects usually decrease from the outside to the interior of the meteorite. The results of evolved gas analysis indicate that variation in weathering between surface and core is not significant in respect to the formation of Fe-oxyhydroxides. The secondary alteration effects in the noble gases are distributed unevenly throughout the specimens, as seen in the nonsystematic differences observed for the heavy noble gases. Chemical analyses show significant enrichment of Ba and Sr in the outer parts of the weathered samples due to element contamination through aqueous solution. Iron, Ni, and Co are partly flushed from the system as the metal oxidation proceeds. Oxygen isotopes show increases in δ¹⁸O and δ¹⁷O with increasing terrestrial age. For a set of H3 chondrites, the degree of weathering determined from the water content was correlated with terrestrial ages and is discussed with respect to possible weathering mechanisms.     

First results from video spectroscopy of 1998 Leonid meteors

Abstract— We report spectroscopic observations of meteors made from the FISTA aircraft on 1998 November 17 as a part of the Leonid multi-instrument aircraft campaign. Low-resolution spectra of 119 meteors of apparent visual magnitudes from +3 to ?4, corresponding to meteoroid masses from 10^?6 to 10^?3 kg, were obtained. After analyzing a representative sample of the spectra and comparing them to the spectra of Perseid meteors from the Ondrejov archive, the following conclusions were reached: Leonid meteoroids are very loose and disintegrate easily in the atmosphere. This leads to much faster evaporation of volatile Na than of other elements, an effect which is not observed in the Perseid meteors. Relative bulk abundances of Mg, Fe, Ca, and Na in Leonid meteors are nearly CI-chondritic within the uncertainty of the method (factor of 3). Smaller meteoroids tend to be poorer in Na, which is true also for Perseid meteors. Most meteoric vapor emissions could be reasonably well explained with the temperature of 4500 K. High-temperature meteoric emissions (Ca⁺, Mg⁺) are present only in bright meteors. Leonid spectra are very rich in atmospheric emissions of O, N, and N₂, even at high altitudes and in faint meteors. These emissions are therefore not connected with the meteor shock wave. Thermal continuum is also present in the spectra. Organic material was not revealed.     

An extension of the Planck galaxy cluster catalogue

We present a catalogue of galaxy clusters detected in the Planck all-sky Compton parameter maps and identified using data from the WISE and SDSS surveys. The catalogue comprises about 3000 clusters in the SDSS fields. We expect the completeness of this catalogue to be high for clusters with masses larger than M ₅₀₀ ≈ 3 × 10¹⁴ M _⊙, located at redshifts z < 0.7. At redshifts above z ≈ 0.4, the catalogue contains approximately an order of magnitude more clusters than the 2nd Planck Catalogue of Sunyaev-Zeldovich sources in the same fields of the sky. This catalogue can be used for identification of massive galaxy clusters in future large cluster surveys, such as the SRG/eROSITA all-sky X-ray survey.