Limit-Cycle Behaviour of Thermally Unstable Accretion Flows on to Black Holes

Non-linear time-dependent calculations are being carried out in order to study the evolution of vertically integrated models of non-self-gravitating, transonic accretion discs around black holes. In this paper we present results from a new calculation for a high-α model similar to one studied previously by Honma, Matsumoto &38; Kato who found evidence for limit-cycle behaviour connected with thermal instability. Our results are in substantial agreement with theirs but, in our calculation, the disc material does not always remain completely optically thick and we include a suitable treatment for this. We followed the evolution for several cycles and determined the period of the cycle as being about 780 s. Advective cooling is dominant in the region just behind the outward-moving peak of surface density. The behaviour of this model is significantly different from what we saw earlier for low-α models (which we discussed in a previous paper) and we contrast and compare the two situations.     

Discovery of Two New Peculiar Subgenera and Two New Species of Tipula Linnaeus, 1758(Diptera,Tipulidae) from Baltic Amber

Two new fossil subgenera and two new fossil species of the genus Tipula Linnaeus, 1758, Tipula (Succinica) berendti subgen. and sp. n. and Tipula (Gedanica) adamowiczi subgen. and sp. n., are described from Baltic amber and compared with other species of Tipula known from the Eocene. The two new subgenera and species described herein are an excellent bridge between recent specimens and those preserved in sedimentary rocks, and thus enrich knowledge on the evolution of the family.     

Trace metals distribution pattern in floodplain sediments of a lowland river in relation to contemporary valley bottom morphodynamics

The distribution of trace metals in alluvial sediments depends on their natural background concentrations, and on the dynamics of contemporary depositional and erosional (mainly flood‐induced) processes. Geological and geochemical investigations were carried out in the valley of Vistula River near Magnuszew (central Poland). Sediment samples were collected from a depth of 35 cm and comprise sediments of all defined geomorphological features. Identification and geological interpretation of the morphodynamic sediment features was supported by aerial photographs and high‐resolution satellite images. These studies revealed that the distribution of trace metals is closely linked to the morphogenesis of the alluvial floodplain. The highest concentrations of Cu, Co, Zn, V, Cr and Ni were observed in crevasse‐splays deposits. By contrast, Sr, Pb and As were concentrated in deposits which fill oxbow lakes (partly infilled with organic deposits). The lowest concentrations of trace metals were detected in flood sediments deposited within erosional troughs. The geomorphological and sedimentological history of the fluvial features explains the pattern of heavy metal distribution on the current floodplain surface. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long-term variability of occurrence of precipitation forms in winter in Kraków, Poland

The paper discusses long-term change in snowfall, rainfall and mixed precipitation viewed in conjunction with air temperature and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in winter (December–February). In the study of contemporary climate change and its effect on the hydrological cycle it is useful to focus on winter precipitation forms. A 146-year secular observation series from Kraków, spanning the period 1863–2008, was used to extract data on the number of days with precipitation and on precipitation amount broken down by form. Statistically significant trends were found in total and mixed precipitation, but not in snowfall and rainfall. The climate warming effect has contributed to a material decrease in the snowfall to total winter precipitation ratio during the second half of the 20th c. The highest impact of air temperature was found in the wintertime variation in number of days with snowfall while the NAO had a significant influence on the frequency and amount of both rainfall and snowfall.     

Distribution of Selected Critical Elements in the Carboniferous Coal-bearing Series of the Upper Silesian and Lublin Coal Basins (Poland)

The distribution of selected critical elements in the sedimentary rocks of the Carboniferous coal-bearing series within the Polish Coal Basins is presented.Critical elements such as Be,Mg,Si,P,Sc,V,Co,Y,Nb,In,Sb,La,Ce,Hf,Ta,W,Bi were analysed using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP/MS).Concentrations of elements such as Sb,Bi,In and,to a slightly lesser extent,Nb,as well as Sc,show average concentrations higher than those from the upper continental crust.The average concentrations of elements like Hf,Mg,P,Y,La,and Ce are slightly lower than in the upper continental crust.Other elements,such as Be,Co,Si,Ta,W and V have average concentrations that are similar,but slightly enriched or slightly depleted,relative to the upper continental crust.The research showed enrichment of some critical elements in the analysed samples,but not high enough that extraction would be economically viable.Statistical methods,which include correlation coefficients between elements and cluster analysis,reveal a strong positive correlation between elements like Be,Bi,Nb,Sc,Ta,W and V.Very high,almost total,positive correlation is also noted between La and Ce.     

Dark matter distribution in dwarf spheroidal galaxies

We study the distribution of dark matter in dwarf spheroidal galaxies by modelling the moments of their line-of-sight velocity distributions. We discuss different dark matter density profiles, both cuspy and possessing flat density cores. The predictions are made in the framework of standard dynamical theory of two-component (stars and dark matter) spherical systems with different velocity distributions. We compare the predicted velocity dispersion profiles to observations in the case of Fornax and Draco dwarfs. For isotropic models the dark haloes with cores are found to fit the data better than those with cusps. Anisotropic models are studied by fitting two parameters, dark mass and velocity anisotropy, to the data. In this case all profiles yield good fits, but the steeper the cusp of the profile, the more tangential is the velocity distribution required to fit the data. To resolve this well-known degeneracy of density profile versus velocity anisotropy, we obtain predictions for the kurtosis of the line-of-sight velocity distribution for models found to provide best fits to the velocity dispersion profiles. It turns out that profiles with cores typically yield higher values of kurtosis which decrease more steeply with distance than the cuspy profiles, which will allow us to discriminate between the profiles once the kurtosis measurements become available. We also show that with present quality of the data the alternative explanation of velocity dispersions in terms of Modified Newtonian Dynamics cannot yet be ruled out.     

Spectral variability in transonic discs around black holes

Transonic discs with accretion rates relevant to intrinsically bright Galactic X-ray sources ( L ≈10³⁸–10³⁹ erg s⁻¹) exhibit a time-dependent cyclic behaviour due to the onset of a thermal instability driven by radiation pressure. In this paper we calculate radiation spectra emitted from thermally unstable discs to provide detailed theoretical predictions for observationally relevant quantities. The emergent spectrum has been obtained by solving self-consistently the vertical structure and radiative transfer in the disc atmosphere. We focus on four particular stages of the disc evolution, the maximal evacuation stage and three intermediate stages during the replenishment phase. The disc is found to undergo rather dramatic spectral changes during the evolution, emitting mainly in the 1–10 keV band during outburst and in the 0.1–1 keV band off-outburst. Local spectra, although different in shape from a blackbody at the disc effective temperature, may be characterized in terms of a hardening factor f . We have found that f is more or less constant, both in radius and in time, with a typical value ∼ 1.65.     

Velocity dispersions of dwarf spheroidal galaxies: dark matter versus MOND

We present predictions for the line-of-sight velocity dispersion profiles of dwarf spheroidal galaxies and compare them to observations in the case of the Fornax dwarf. The predictions are made in the framework of standard dynamical theory of spherical systems with different velocity distributions. The stars are assumed to be distributed according to Sérsic laws with parameters fitted to observations. We compare predictions obtained assuming the presence of dark matter haloes (with density profiles adopted from N -body simulations) with those resulting from Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). If the anisotropy of velocity distribution is treated as a free parameter, observational data for Fornax are reproduced equally well by models with dark matter and with MOND. If stellar mass-to-light ratio of 1 M_⊙/L_⊙ is assumed, the required mass of the dark halo is     , two orders of magnitude larger than the mass in stars. The derived MOND acceleration scale is     . In both cases a certain amount of tangential anisotropy in the velocity distribution is needed to reproduce the shape of the velocity dispersion profile in Fornax.