The formation of planetary disks and winds: an ultraviolet view

Planetary systems are angular momentum reservoirs generated during star formation. This accretion process produces very powerful engines able to drive the optical jets and the molecular outflows. A fraction of the engine energy is released into heating thus the temperature of the engine ranges from the 3000 K of the inner disk material to the 10 MK in the areas where magnetic reconnection occurs. There are important unsolved problems concerning the nature of the engine, its evolution and the impact of the engine in the chemical evolution of the inner disk. Of special relevance is the understanding of the shear layer between the stellar photosphere and the disk; this layer controls a significant fraction of the magnetic field building up and the subsequent dissipative processes ougth to be studied in the UV. This contribution focus on describing the connections between 1 Myr old suns and the Sun and the requirements for new UV instrumentation to address their evolution during this period. Two types of observations are shown to be needed: monitoring programmes and high resolution imaging down to, at least, milliarsecond scales.     

WSO-UV—ultraviolet mission for the next decade

The World Space Observatory UltraViolet (WSO–UV) is an international space mission devoted to UV spectroscopy and imaging. The observatory includes a 170 cm aperture telescope capable of high-resolution and long slit low-resolution spectroscopy, and deep UV and optical imaging. The observatory is designed for observations in the ultraviolet domain where most of astrophysical processes can be efficiently studied with unprecedented capability.     

Multiwavelength study of M33's giant H ii regions NGC 588 and NGC 592

We present a detailed multiwavelength photometric study of giant H  ii regions NGC 592 and NGC 588 in the nearby small spiral galaxy M33. We use data taken with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on board the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ). We detect several massive stars in both ionizing clusters. Six Wolf–Rayet (WR) stars are known to exist within those regions and we are able to constrain their physical properties by comparing their photometry to the latest grid of model atmospheres for WR stars of the nitrogen sequence (WN subclass). We estimate the age and mass of both regions by fitting our photometry to models of integrated stellar populations.     

Transpressional tectonics and nappe stacking along the Southern Variscan Front of Morocco

The Southern Variscan Front in the Tinerhir area involves Palaeozoic allochthonous units (Ouaklim and Tilouine units) thrust onto the northern edge of the West African Craton during late Carboniferous time. Illite crystallinity data highlight an anchizonal grade for the Ouaklim Unit, and a diagenesis-anchizone transition for the Tilouine Unit during deformation phase D1. The tectonic stack is crosscut by major dextral reverse faults bounding E–W trending domains of dominant shortening deformation (central domain) and strike-slip deformation (northern and southern domains), later segmented by a network of post-Variscan faults. This complex deformation pattern is the result of kinematic partitioning of dextral transpression along the Southern Variscan Front, coeval with the Neovariscan (300–290 Ma) oblique convergence observed at the scale of the whole Moroccan Variscides. Partitioning of dextral transpression described in the Tinerhir area is consistent with dextral wrench faulting along the Tizi n’ Test Fault, and with Appalachian-style south-directed thrusting in the Tinerhir and Bechar-Bou Arfa areas.     

Plagioclase morphologies in assimilation experiments. Implications for disequilibrium melting in the generation of granodiorite rocks

Summary Assimilation experiments have been performed using a crustal contaminant and several basaltic compositions in order to study the morphologies of plagioclase crystals produced in the course of the assimilation reactions. A Crd-Bt anatectic gneiss was used as a crustal contaminant. Both a synthetic basaltic glass, with the composition of a high-Al ocean tholeiite, and a natural Hb gabbro were used as basaltic compositions. Experiments were carried out at temperatures in the range 900–1100 °C and at pressures of 4, 5 and 10 kbar. Plagioclase crystals with skeletal and honeycomb morphologies are produced in the assimilation experiments. These morphologies result from destabilisation of the crystal-melt interface caused by the disequilibrium production of a Ca-rich melt. The production of the Ca-rich metastable melt is the result of reaction between two compositionally dissimilar systems, pelite and basalt. This interpretation, based on the kinetics of plagioclase and melt production, may be applied to granodiorite rocks characterised by plagioclase with Ca-rich, skeletal cores.

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Zusammenfassung Plagioklas-Morphologie und Assimilations-Experimente: Die Bedeutung von Ungleichgewichts-Schmelzvorg?ngen bei der Entstehung von Granodioriten Assimilations-Experimente mit einer krustalen Komponente und verschiedenen basaltischen Zusammensetzungen wurden durchgeführt, um die Morphologien von Plagioklas-Kristallen, die im Laufe von Assimilations-Reaktionen entstehen, zu studieren. Ein CRD-PT anatektischer Gneis wurde als krustale Beimengung benützt. Ein synthetisches basaltisches Glas mit der Zusammensetzung eines Al-reichen ozeanischen Tholeiites und ein natürlicher Hb-Gabbro wurden als basaltische Zusammensetzungen verwendet. Die Experimente wurden bei Temperaturen zwischen 900 und 1.100° und bei Drucken von 4, 5 und 10 kb durchgeführt. Plagioklas-Kristalle mit skelettartigen und Bienenwaben-f?rmigen Morphologien entstehen bei den Assimilations-Experimenten. Diese Morphologien sind das Ergebnis der Destabilisation der Kristall-Schmelze-Kontaktfl?che, die durch die Entstehung einer im Ungleichgewicht befindlichen Ca-reichen Schmelze gef?rdert wird. Die Entstehung von Ca-reichen metastabilen Schmelzen geht auf die Reaktion zwischen zwei in der Zusammensetzung verschiedenen Systemen, Pelit und Basalt, zurück. Diese Interpretation, die auf der Kinetik von Plagioklas und Schmelz-Entstehung basiert, kann auf granodioritische Gesteine angewendet werden, die durch Plagioklasse mit Ca-reichen, skelettf?rmigen Kernen gekennzeichnet sind.

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Received December 7, 1999; revised version accepted April 14, 2000     

Neutral Flow Over A Series Of Rough Hills: A Laboratory Experiment

This paper presents laboratory experiments of aerodynamically fully rough, neutral flow over a series of sinusoidal hills. Two sets of hills, with maximum gradients (slopes) of 0.2 (10°) and 0.4 (20°), were considered.The flow remained attached in the former case while separation occurredin the latter. Characteristics of the mean flow and turbulence statistics are discussed and compared with profiles over a flat surface covered with the same roughness as the hills. Comparisons are made with linear theory predictions for the flow in the inner region and aloft. Accurate measurements of the surface pressure were also made, enabling the comparison between the measured pressure drag and predictions from theoretical and computational work with different turbulent closure schemes. Organised secondary flow in the spanwise direction, observed previously in both experimental and computational studies, was also observed here over the small hills.     

The stabilizing effect of Na2S on the collector coating of chrysocolla

The heterogeneous reaction between natural and sulphidized chrysocolla and potassium amyl xanthate in solution is investigated.It is found that, together with the consumption of large amounts of xanthate, particles composed of the reaction products are spontaneously released from the surface of chrysocolla giving rise to a colloidal dispersion. In principle the mechamism is related to the peptizing effect of the excess xanthate ions that are found when Cu²⁺ and X^? ions are made to react in a homogeneous phase.In sulphidized chrysocolla this phenomenon is markedly reduced, showing that Na₂S has a stabilizing effect on the collector coating.Flotation experiments performed with aqueous amyl dixanthogen emulsions show that stable adhesion occurs only on properly sulphidized chrysocolla. It is believed that the mechanism controlling adhesion in this case is similar to that which determines the stability of the collector layer.     

Effects of seismic wave propagation upon buried pipelines

The behaviour of long straight buried pipelines subjected to seismic wave propagation is investigated. Well-known relationships for determining upper bounds for the axial strain and curvature in the pipeline as well as relationships for relative displacement and rotation at the pipeline joints are discussed. The assumption that the seismic excitation can be modelled as a travelling wave having a shape which remains unchanged as it traverses the pipeline is examined in detail. It is shown that this assumption is unconservative when the effective propagation velocity of the seismic waves with respect to the pipeline is such that the actual time lag (separation distance between points divided by effective propagation velocity) is less than a ‘cross-over’ time lag. Cross-over time lags for 22 pairs of ground displacements recorded during the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake are presented in this paper. Finally, methods for estimating the propagation speed of the seismic waves along or with respect to the pipeline are discussed.