Charged isotropic model with conformal symmetry

We investigate the behaviour of a charged isotropic model with conformal symmetry. The relationship between the gravitational potentials arising from the conformal condition is used to generate a new class of exact solutions to the Einstein-Maxwell equations. A specific form of the electric field intensity and the metric potential is required to avoid a singularity at the centre. We can find simple elementary functions for the matter variables and the potentials with realistic profiles. The causality conditions, stability conditions and energy conditions are satisfied. Masses, radii, central densities and surface redshifts are generated, and the values are consistent with the compact stars 4U 1538-52 and PSR J1614-2230.     

Comets,Enceladus and panspermia

A growing body of evidence suggests the operation of life and life processes in comets as well in larger icy bodies in the solar system including Enceladus. Attempts to interpret such data without invoking active biology are beginning to look weak and flawed. The emerging new paradigm is that life is a cosmic phenomenon as proposed by Hoyle and Wickramasinghe (Lifecloud: the Origin of Life in the Galaxy, 1978) and first supported by astronomical spectroscopy (Wickramasinghe and Allen, Nature 287:518, 1980; Allen and Wickramasinghe, Nature 294:239, 1981; Wickramasinghe and Allen, Nature 323:44, 1986). Comets are the transporters and amplifiers of microbial life throughout the Universe and are also, according to this point of view, the carriers of viruses that contribute to the continued evolution of life. Comets brought life to Earth 4.2 billion years ago and they continue to do so. Space extrapolations of comets, Enceladus and possibly Pluto supports this point of view. Impacts of asteroids and comets on the Earth as well as on other planetary bodies leads to the ejection of life-bearing dust and rocks and a mixing of microbiota on a planetary scale and on an even wider galactic scale. It appears inevitable that the entire galaxy will be a single connected biosphere.     

Analysis of Design Characteristics of Snake-Type Atmospheric Probes (Vetrolets) for Studying the Atmosphere of Venus

In Russia, work aimed at designing a spacecraft for the long-term exploration of Venus is currently underway as part of the VENUS-D project. The R&D work proposes the concept of a snake-type atmospheric probe intended for exploring the atmosphere of Venus. This article describes the principles of flight, considers the main design features and engineering characteristics of the probes, and provides recommendations for engineering solutions.     

On the Trajectories of Asteroid Encounters with the Earth for 2015 RN35 and Apophis

A great number of probable encounters of asteroid 2015 RN35 with the Earth have been found; many of them were unknown earlier. The main characteristics and properties of the corresponding trajectories have been obtained. Probable impacts of the asteroid Apophis with the Earth are also discussed. The results suggest that the multitudes of potential impacts of hazardous asteroids with the Earth can be and must be analyzed in more detail. Such an analysis is required to plan and implement the measures on preventing the asteroid impact hazard.     

Creating an isotopically similar Earth–Moon system with correct angular momentum from a giant impact

The giant impact hypothesis is the dominant theory explaining the formation of our Moon. However, the inability to produce an isotopically similar Earth–Moon system with correct angular momentum has cast a shadow on its validity. Computer-generated impacts have been successful in producing virtual systems that possess many of the observed physical properties. However, addressing the isotopic similarities between the Earth and Moon coupled with correct angular momentum has proven to be challenging. Equilibration and evection resonance have been proposed as means of reconciling the models. In the summer of 2013, the Royal Society called a meeting solely to discuss the formation of the Moon. In this meeting, evection resonance and equilibration were both questioned as viable means of removing the deficiencies from giant impact models. The main concerns were that models were multi-staged and too complex. We present here initial impact conditions that produce an isotopically similar Earth–Moon system with correct angular momentum. This is done in a single-staged simulation. The initial parameters are straightforward and the results evolve solely from the impact. This was accomplished by colliding two roughly half-Earth-sized impactors, rotating in approximately the same plane in a high-energy, off-centered impact, where both impactors spin into the collision.     

Behaviour of physical parameters in extended gravity with hyperbolic function

In this paper, we have constructed the cosmological model of the universe in f(R, T) theory of gravity in a Bianchi type \(\mathrm{VI}_h\) universe for the functional f(R, T) in the form \(f(R,T)=\mu R+\mu T\), where R and T are respectively Ricci scalar and trace of energy momentum tensor and \(\mu \) is a constant. We have made use of the hyperbolic scale factor to find the physical parameters and metric potentials defined in the space-time. The physical parameters are constrained from different representative values to build up a realistic cosmological model aligned with the observational behaviour. The state finder diagnostic pair is found to be in the acceptable range. The energy conditions of the model are also studied.     

Transition between general relativity and quantum gravity using quark and strange quark matter with some kinematical test

Contemporary piece of writing devotes to the investigation of plane symmetric cosmological model with quark and strange quark matter in the deformations of the Einstein’s theory of General Relativity (GR). At small or large scales (ultraviolet or infrared gravity), deformations of the Einstein’s theory could provide a better handling of cosmic acceleration without magnetism (along with singularities). In particular, a proper deformation of GR in the ultraviolet regime could play the role of describing the transition between GR and quantum gravity. As a matter of fact, although with a different purpose in mind, it was Einstein himself who proposed in the 30’s the reformulation of GR by taking the field of orthonormal frames or tetrads as the dynamical variable instead of the metric tensor (Einstein, Phys. Math. Kl 217, 401, 1928). As per the observation, pressure and energy density of the model approaches the bag constant in negative and positive ways at \(t\rightarrow \infty \), i.e. \(p\rightarrow -B_c \) and \(\rho \rightarrow B_c \), the negative pressure due to the Dark Energy (DE) in the context of accelerated expansion of the universe. So the strange quark matter gives an idea of existence of dark energy in the universe and supports the observations of the SNe-I (Riess et al., Astron. J. 116,1009, 1998; Perlmutter et al., Astrophys. J. 517, 565, 1999). Also these results agree with the study of Aktas and Aygun (Chinese J. Phys. 55, 71, 2017) and Sahoo et al. (New. Astron. 60, 80, 2018).     

A new technique for understanding magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling using directional derivatives of SuperDARN convection flow

The purpose of this paper is to present and evaluate a new technique to better understand ionospheric convection and it’s magnetospheric drivers using convection maps derived from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN). We postulate that the directional derivative of the SuperDARN ionospheric convection flow can be used as a technique for understanding solar wind–magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling by identifying regions of strong acceleration/deceleration of plasma flow associated with drivers of magnetospheric convection such as magnetic reconnection. Thus, the technique may be used to identify the open–closed magnetic field line boundary (OCB) in certain circumstances. In this study, directional derivatives of the SuperDARN ionospheric convection flow over a four and a half hour interval on Nov. 04, 2001, is presented during which the interplanetary magnetic field was predominantly southward. At each one-minute time point in the interval the positive peak in the directional derivative of flow is identified and evaluated via comparison with known indicators of the OCB including the poleward boundary of ultraviolet emissions from three FUV detectors onboard the IMAGE spacecraft as well as the SuperDARN spectral widths. Good comparison is found between the location of the peak in the directional derivative of SuperDARN flow and the poleward boundary of ultraviolet emissions confirming that acceleration of ionospheric plasma flow is associated with magnetic reconnection and the open–closed boundary.     

Recurring coronal holes and their rotation rates during the solar cycles 22–24

Coronal holes (CHs) play a significant role in making the Earth geo-magnetically active during the declining and minimum phases of the solar cycle. In this study, we analysed the evolutionary characteristics of the Recurring CHs from the year 1992 to 2016. The extended minimum of Solar Cycle 23 shows unusual characteristics in the number of persistent coronal holes in the mid- and low-latitude regions of the Sun. Carrington rotation maps of He 10830 Å and EUV 195 Å observations are used to identify the Coronal holes. The latitude distribution of the RCHs shows that most of them are appeared between \(\pm 20^{\circ }\) latitudes. In this period, more number of recurring coronal holes appeared in and around \(100^{\circ }\) and \(200^{\circ }\) Carrington longitudes. The large sized coronal holes lived for shorter period and they appeared close to the equator. From the area distribution over the latitude considered, it shows that more number of recurring coronal holes with area \(<10^{21}~\mbox{cm}^{2}\) appeared in the southern latitude close to the equator. The rotation rates calculated from the RCHs appeared between \(\pm 60^{\circ }\) latitude shows rigid body characteristics. The derived rotational profiles of the coronal holes show that they have anchored to a depth well below the tachocline of the interior, and compares well with the helioseismology results.     

Fully nonlinear heavy ion-acoustic solitary waves in astrophysical degenerate relativistic quantum plasmas

Fully nonlinear features of heavy ion-acoustic solitary waves (HIASWs) have been investigated in an astrophysical degenerate relativistic quantum plasma (ADRQP) containing relativistically degenerate electrons and non-relativistically degenerate light ion species, and non-degenerate heavy ion species. The pseudo-energy balance equation is derived from the fluid dynamical equations by adopting the well-known Sagdeev-potential approach, and the properties of arbitrary amplitude HIASWs are examined. The small amplitude limit for the propagation of HIASWs is also recovered. The basic features (width, amplitude, polarity, critical Mach number, speed, etc.) of HIASWs are found to be significantly modified by the relativistic effect of the electron species, and also by the variation of the number density of electron, light ion, and heavy ion species. The basic properties of HIASWs, that may propagated in some realistic astrophysical plasma systems (e.g., in white dwarfs), are briefly discussed.