Particle acceleration in the 1981 April 1 flare

The large microwave burst of 1981 April 1, which was accompanied by both hard X-ray and γ-ray emissions, was analyzed to study the acceleration of particles in the impulsive phase. The analysis suggests the following results. (1) Electrons were accelerated up to energies of several hundred keV in a low loop. On the other hand, electrons were accelerated to relativistic energy without injection of pre-accelerated electrons near the top of a large loop where energetic ions were also probably accelerated. (2) The mechanism for accelerating electrons to relativistic energy and also ions was different from that for accelerating electrons up to energies of several hundred KeV and was closely related with upward motion of a flare loop.     

Gas capture and rare gas retention by accreting planets in the solar nebula

In this paper, the physico-chemical effects of the nebula gas on the planets are reviewed from a standpoint of planetary formation in the solar nebula.The proto-Earth growing in the nebula was surrounded by a primordial atmosphere with a solar chemical composition and solar isotopic composition. When the mass of the proto-Earth was greater than 0.3 times the present Earth mass, the surface was molten because of the blanketing effect of the atmosphere. Therefore, the primordial rare gasses contained in the primordial atmosphere dissolved into the molten Earth material without fractionation and in particular the dissolved neon is expected to be conserved in the present Earth material. Hence, if dissolved neon with a solar isotopic ratio is discovered in the Earth material, it will indicate that the Earth was formed in the nebula and that the dissolved rare gases were one of the sources which degassed to form the present atmosphere.     

The definition of the ecliptic

The ecliptic as a mean orbital plane of the Sun in Le Verrier's theory is a mean orbital plane determined from the secular parts of the longitude of the ascending node and the inclination of the Sun with respect to a reference plane. On the other hand, the ecliptic in Newcomb's theory is so chosen that the latitude with respect to his ecliptic does not have cosg nor sing whereg is the mean anomaly of the Sun. The two definitions are really different in spite of their apparent similarity. Standish (1981) defined the ecliptic from a kinematical point of view, and it is shown that the ecliptic defined by Standish (in the rotating sense) does coincide with the ecliptic defined by Newcomb.     

Location and parameters of a microwave millisecond spike event

A typical microwave millisecond spike event on November 2, 1997 was observed by the radio spectrograph of National Astronomical Observatories (NAOs) at 2.6–3.8 GHz with high time and frequency resolution. This event was also recorded by Nobeyama Radio Polarimeters (NoRP) at 1–35 GHz and Radio Heliograph (NoRH) at 17 GHz. The source at 17 GHz is located in one foot-point of a small bright coronal loop of YOHKOH SXT and SOHO EIT images with strong photospheric magnetic field in SOHO MDI magnetograph. It is assumed that the electron cyclotron maser instability and gyro-resonance absorption dominate, respectively, the rising and decay phase of the spike event. For different harmonic number of gyro-frequency or magnetic field strength, a fitting program with free plasma parameters is used to minimize the difference between the observational and theoretical values of the exponential growth and decay rates for a given spike. The plasma parameters at third harmonic number are more comparable to their typical values in solar corona. Hence, it is able to provide a diagnosis for the source parameters (magnetic field, density, and temperature), the properties of radiations (wave vector and propagation angle), and the properties of non-thermal electrons (density, pitch angle, and energy). The results are also comparable with the diagnosis of the gyro-synchrotron radiation model, the frequency drift rates and a dipole magnetic field model, as well as the YOHKOH SXT and SOHO MDI data. This study is supported by the NFSC project nos. 10333030 and 10273025, and “973” program with no. G2000078403.     

Comment on ‘Poisson Equations of Rotational Motion for a Rigid Triaxial Body with Application to a Tumbling Artificial Satellite’ by Liu and Fitzpatrick

Liu and Fitzpatrick (1975) discussed the secular and long-periodic behavior of a dynamical system by using improper time-averaged equations. The correct time-averaged equations are given in this note.     

Undrained dynamic-loading ring-shear apparatus and its application to landslide dynamics

Landslides are gravitational mass movements of rock, debris or earth. Some move very slowly, thus conforming to the field of statics, but some move rapidly. Study of the initiation and motion of rapid landslides needs to develop Landslide Dynamics involving dynamic loading and dynamic generation/dissipation of excess pore-water pressure. New developments in science can be facilitated by new technological advances. This study aimed to develop a new apparatus that can geotechnically simulate the formation of the shear zone and the following long and rapid shear displacement that occurs in high-velocity landslides. Professor K. Sassa and his colleagues at DPRI (Disaster Prevention Research Institute), Kyoto University, have worked to develop an undrained dynamic-loading ring-shear apparatus for this purpose. A series of different types of apparatus (DPRI-3, 4, 5, 6, 7) have been developed from 1992 to the present. This paper describes the development of this apparatus and its application to the study of earthquake-induced landslides and the latest landslide-triggered debris flow in Japan. Also, tests of the latest version (DPRI-7) with a transparent shear box for direct observation of the shear zone during a rapid shearing are described.     

Mesoscale structures of two types of cold-air outbreaks over the East China Sea and the effect of coastal sea surface temperature

Two types of cold-air outbreaks over the Yellow and East China Seas are investigated using a regional mesoscale model. Distinct patterns of surface turbulent heat fluxes and precipitation are identified between the two cases. The sea surface heat flux and frictional velocity are strongly influenced by mesoscale differences between high- and low-resolution datasets of sea surface temperature (SST). The influence of the SST difference on atmospheric water is spread to the downstream area of the outbreak with the phase transition of water. The air mass transformation around 800?hPa over the Kuroshio is partly influenced by the upstream SST difference. In particular, the SST difference near the mouth of the Yanzi River strongly modifies the air mass around Taiwan. Thus, in addition to the Kuroshio front, the mesoscale Chinese coastal SST structure is also important in the air mass transformation over the East China Sea.     

An empirical model for transient crater growth in granular targets based on direct observations

The present paper describes observations of crater growth up to the time of transient crater formation and presents a new empirical model for transient crater growth as a function of time. Polycarbonate projectiles were impacted vertically into soda-lime glass sphere targets using a single-stage light-gas gun. Using a new technique with a laser sheet illuminating the target [Barnouin-Jha, O.S., Yamamoto, S., Toriumi, T., Sugita, S., Matsui, T., 2007. Non-intrusive measurements of the crater growth. Icarus, 188, 506-521], we measured the temporal change in diameter of crater cavities (diameter growth). The rate of increase in diameter at early times follows a power law relation, but the data at later times (before the end of transient crater formation) deviates from the power law relation. In addition, the power law exponent at early times and the degree of deviation from a power law at later times depend on the target. In order to interpret these features, we proposed to modify Maxwell’s Z-model under the assumption that the strength of the excavation flow field decreases exponentially with time. We also derived a diameter growth model as: d(t)∝[1-exp(-βt)]^γ, where d(t) is the apparent diameter of the crater cavity at time t after impact, and β and γ are constants. We demonstrated that the diameter growth model could represent well the experimental data for various targets with different target material properties, such as porosity or angle of repose. We also investigated the diameter growth for a dry sand target, which has been used to formulate previous scaling relations. The obtained results showed that the dry sand target has larger degree of deviation from a power law, indicating that the target material properties of the dry sand target have a significant effect on diameter growth, especially at later times. This may suggest that the previously reported scaling relations should be reexamined in order to account for the late-stage behavior with the effect of target material properties.     

A 35 kyr record of organic matter composition and δ13C of n-alkanes in bog sediments close to Lake Baikal: Implications for paleoenvironmental studies

We characterized the compositions of organic compounds in a Cheremushka bog sediment core (deposited over the last 35 kyr), located at the eastern coast of Lake Baikal, to obtain basic information about the terrestrial organic matter (OM) which contributed to Lake Baikal sediments. The bog sediment was analyzed for the molecular composition of n-alkanes, lignin phenols and n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acids, as well as the carbon isotopic composition of plant wax derived n-C₂₇ to C₃₃ alkanes.Concentrations of lignin phenols [vanillyl (V) plus syringyl (S) phenols] normalized to total organic carbon (TOC) in the Holocene are twice those for the last glacial maximum (LGM), while concentrations of TOC-normalized n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acids do not change markedly in this period. Thus, the ratio of lignin phenols to n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acids increases from the LGM to the Holocene. This result is essentially consistent with pollen analysis indicating an expansion of woody plants in the Holocene and a prevailing herb-abundant environment for the LGM. The δ¹³C values of n-C₂₇ to C₃₃ alkanes (e.g. ?29‰ to ?33‰ for C₃₁) indicate the presence of C₃-dominant plants throughout the core.The contribution of terrestrial OM to Lake Baikal sediments was estimated using the biomarkers, on the assumption that the OM in the bog sediments is a representative of the terrestrial OM around the lake. Hence, the estimation using lignin phenol or n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acid parameters indicates that 11–24% of the TOC in the Academician Ridge sediments is land-derived for both the Holocene and the LGM, which is similar to the estimates from C/N values of bulk OM. However, the estimates for terrestrial OM using the n-C₂₇ to C₃₃ alkane parameter are generally higher than those using lignin phenol or n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acid parameters. The difference is thought to be associated with the difference in source and behavior of these biomarkers.