Propagation of MHD body and surface waves in magnetically structured regions of the solar atmosphere

The fact that magnetically structured regions exist in the solar atmosphere has been known for a number of years. It has been suggested that different kinds of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves can be efficiently damped in these regions and that the dissipated wave energy may be responsible for the observed enhancement in radiative losses. From a theoretical point of view, an important task would be to investigate the propagation and dissipation of MHD waves in these highly structured regions of the solar atmosphere. In this paper, we study the behavior of MHD body and surface waves in a medium with either a single or double (slab) magnetic interface by use of a nonlinear, two-dimensional, time-dependent, ideal MHD numerical model constructed on the basis of a Lagrangean grid and semi-implicit scheme. The processes of wave confinement and wave energy leakage are discussed in detail. It is shown that the obtained results depend strongly on the type of perturbations imposed on the interface or slab and on the plasma parameter, . The relevance of the obtained results to the heating problem of the upper parts of the solar atmosphere is also discussed.     

Neutron stars in the multidimensional einstein theory of gravitation

The radius, mass, total number of baryons, and other parameters of static, spherically symmetric, superdense stars are calculated. A model with one Ricci-flat inner space of arbitrary dimensionality and the approximation p₁=?0.5ε + ap for additional components of the energy — momentum tensor are used (ε and ρ are the total energy density and the pressure of the stellar matter and a is a fitting parameter). In the case of white dwarfs, the results of the multidimensional theory do not depend on the dimensionality D of space-time for ?10 ? a ? 10 and coincide with the analogous data of the general theory of relativity (GTR). For neutron stars there is a dependence on D and a. For D>4, in particular, the greatest mass M_max of a neutron star as a function of a has a maximum at 3<a(D) ? 4, which exceeds the greatest mass M _max ⁰ =2.14 M_⊙ in the GTR. A comparison of theoretical results with observational data determines the allowable values of a. Data for PSR 1913 + 16 lead to 0.2 ≤ a ≤ 9.2 in the case of D=26, while the results of [P. C. Joss and S. A. Rappaport, Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys.,22, 537 (1984)] lead to the stricter limits 1 ≤ a ≤ 7.4.     

Carbon isotopic fractionation in lipids from methanotrophic bacteria: relevance for interpretation of the geochemical record of biomarkers

Experiments with cultured aerobic methane oxidising bacteria confirm that their biomarker lipids will be significantly depleted in 13C compared to the substrate. The methanotrophic bacteria Methylococcus capsulatus and Methylomonas methanica, grown on methane and using the RuMP cycle for carbon assimilation, show maximum 13C fractionation of approximately 30% in the resultant biomass. In M. capsulatus, the maximum fractionation is observed in the earliest part of the exponential growth stage and decreases to approximately 16% as cells approach stationary phase. This change may be associated with a shift from the particulate form to the soluble form of the methane monooxygenase enzyme. Less than maximum fractionation is observed when cells are grown with reduced methane availability. Biomass of M. capsulatus grown on methanol was depleted by 9% compared to the substrate. Additional strong 13C fractionation takes place during polyisoprenoid biosynthesis in methanotrophs. The delta 13C values of individual hopanoid and steroid biomarkers produced by these organisms were as much as l0% more negative than total biomass. In individual cultures, squalene was 13C-enriched by as much as 14% compared to the triterpane skeleton of bacteriohopaneaminopentol. Much of the isotopic dispersion in lipid metabolites could be attributed to shifts in their relative abundances, combined with an overall reduction in fractionation during the growth cycle. In cells grown on methanol, where there was no apparent effect of growth stage on overall fractionation there were still significant isotopic differences between closely related lipids including a 5.3% difference between the hopane and 3 beta-methylhopane skeletons. Hopane and sterane polyisoprenoids were also 13C-depleted compared to fatty acids. These observations have significant implications for the interpretation of specific compound isotopic signatures now being measured for hydrocarbons and other lipids present in sediments and petroleum. In particular, biomarker lipids produced by a single organism do not necessarily have the same carbon isotopic composition.     

Partitioning of silver,beryllium and molybdenum among chemical fractions in the sediments from the Labe (Elbe) river in Central Bohemia,Czech Rep.

Sequential extraction of the fine fraction (63 µm) of the bottom sediments of the Labe river in Central Bohemia indicates that the readily reducible sediment fraction is a major reservoir of silver for release into the aqueous phase. Molybdenum is preferentially mobilized by ion-exchange, while beryllium is accumulated in all the chemical fractions of the sediments, especially in the moderately reducible and the organic/sulphidic phases.Contamination of the aquatic system from anthropogenic sources is characterized by the formation of relatively unstable chemical forms and only a small portion of these elements remain in the stable residual fraction.     

Propagation and absorption of cyclotron maser radiation in solar microwave spike bursts

It has been argued that the loss-cone-driven electron cyclotron maser instability can account for the properties of millisecond microwave spike bursts observed during some solar flares. However, as it propagates outward from the corona, maser radiation undergoes gyroresonance absorption when its frequency is a harmonic of the local electron-cyclotron frequency. Existing analytical models using slab geometries predict that this absorption should be sufficiently strong to prevent the radiation from being seen at the observed levels, except under highly restrictive conditions or for unrealistic plasma parameters. A more comprehensive analysis is presented here to determine if and when maser radiation can escape to produce microwave spike bursts. This analysis employs numerical raytracing and incorporates propagation and absorption of fundamental maser emission in a realistic model of a coronal flux loop. It is found that ranges of physical conditions do exist under which maser radiation can escape to an observer and that these conditions are much more limiting for fundamental emission in the extraordinary ()-mode than in the ordinary (o)-mode. Detailed investigation implies that escaping radiation in the -mode is highly directional and chiefly observable toward the center of the solar disk, while escapingo-mode radiation is found to emerge from the corona over a much wider range of directions, with some cases corresponding to radiation observable near the solar limb.     

The effect of an optically thin region on stability of an accretion disk around a supermassive black hole

We analyse conditions of the innermost portion of an accretion disk and establish a set of equations for this region. A stable innermost region may exist, which can probably explain the observed UV and X-ray spectra, avoiding the unstable emission. We then discuss the detailed radial structure of a disk around a black hole for typical AGN parameters and obtain different kinds of- relationships for different regions of a disk. On the basis of this, we discuss the stability. A new type of cycle is present, which we call a double S shaped cycle. In this cycle, the extent of accretion rate variability is much larger than that in dwarf nova cycles. This probably solves the problem of violent variability of AGN. In the meantime, the very high accretion rate at the hottest state in limit cycles in the unstable region may provide continuous injection of matter to the jet and power the relativistic motion of the jet.     

On the internal structure and magnetic fields of

First, a sequence of four-zone models for the interior of Venus is constructed under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium. While the equation of state for each zone is taken to be the Bullen's relation with its coefficients consistent with the PREM Earth model (Dziewonski and Anderson, 1981), the position of core-mantle boundary is determined by matching solutions of the Emden's equation in different regions. The results of hydrostatic models indicate the presence of a reasonably large molten iron core in Venus, broadly similar to the Earth. It is also found that the position of the core-mantle interface is nearly model-independent. Second, we focus on the question why Venus does not possess a significant global magnetic field and on what we can learn from this fact. Solutions of magnetohydrodynamic equations appropriate for the molten core of Venus are discussed. It is argued that, because the Elsasser number measuring the relative importance of Coriolis and Lorentz forces satisfies 1, equations for the problem of thermal convection in the Venusian fluid core must be nearly uncoupled with the dynamo equation. The existence of a global magnetic field, though small, then suggests that the size of the magnetic Reynolds numberR _m must beR _m =O(10), sustaining a dynamo action near its marginal state but not an active dynamo in the Venusian molten core. On the basis of asymptotic relations for finite amplitude convection, a useful constraint on important physical parameters for the liquid core of Venus is derived and discussed.     

On the rotation of rigid Venus

According to A.A. Khentov Venus' rotation is in the quasi-stationary state as a result of the balance interaction of the solar tidal torque with the aerodynamical torque of the rotating Venus' atmosphere. In case of the nonconservative forces are negligible and the solar attraction is the stabilizing factor, the rotation of the rigid Venus may be assumed as the first approximation. The theory of the rotation of the rigid Venus in the coordinates,, had been constructed. It have been found that Venus rotates almost uniformly and the libration harmonics are negligible.     

Phenomenological theory of gravitational vacuum

An idea is developed that the vacuum in the gravitational field acquires properties of an elastic medium described by a definite tension _ik . The vacuum is stated to also participate in the formation of the space-time metric, together with the usual matter. So, the matter, vacuum and metric form a complex unity determined by the solution of the field equations. The vacuum may prove to play an essential role in the extremely strong fields existing in superdense celestial bodies. The tensor _ik is not to be identified with the pseudo-tensor of the energy-momentum of the gravitational field the idea of which is preserved.The problem of vacuum is investigated in the case of the central symmetry static field. A number of properties of the tensor _ik is found using the symmetry of the field and comparison with the post-Newton limit. The external and internal problems, as well as the procedure of joining the solutions on the surface of a celestial body, have been formulated. The stellar surface is determined in the usual way:P(r) = 0 whereP is the matter pressure. The theory includes three dimensionless parametersa=p/,b=p / (,p, p are the density of the vacuum energy and of its pressures in the radial and transverse directions) and determining the vacuum elastic properties. Generally speaking, they depend on the valueP/c² in the stellar centre where is the mass density. From general physical considerations it is shown that 0 1 + lim _P (l/q). The field equations are solved for the simple version of the theoryb=–a. There are solutions corresponding to superdense celestial bodies with masses considerably exceeding that of the Sun.     

Observations and interpretation of the close binary system CG Cyg

Photometric observations of the short-period (RS CVn-type) eclipsing binary system CG Cyg have been presented. Two sets of results, obtained from an analysis of theB, V andR light curves, represent ‘occultation’ and ‘transit’ solutions. The occultation solution is preferred as it gives a better fit to the colour curve. This hypothesis may also offer a more promising explanation of the observed peculiarities such as period changes and the light variation outside eclipses.