Circumstellar dust and circumstellar extinction curves

We have calculated the circumstellar extinction curves produced by dust grains which absorb and scatter the stellar radiation in the shells of pre-main-sequence stars. A Monte Carlo method was used to model the radiative transfer in non-spherical shells. The dependence on the particle size distribution and the dust shell parameters has been examined.The application of the theoretical results to explain the extinction and polarization of the Herbig Be star HD 45677 shows that the dust shell is not disk-like and that very small grains are absent in it.     

A primordial cosmological scenario with two scalar fields and matter

The presence of matter in its different forms in a hexadimensional space-time, where gravitation is coupled to a conformal field, generates a class of cosmological solutions with very peculiar features: the initial proper distance between any two points of the space-time is infinite, following successive contraction and expansion phases in the evolution of the Universe. This behaviour defines a Anti-Big Bang Singular Cosmology. In this article we analyze this primordial cosmological scenario considering different matter forms and the effects of a Conformal Transformation on the metric.     

On the Structure of Symplectic Mappings. The Fast Lyapunov Indicator: a Very Sensitive Tool

It is already known (Froeschlé, Lega and Gonczi, 1997) that the Fast Lyapunov Indicator (FLI), that is the computation on a relatively short time of the largest Lyapunov indicator, allows to discriminate between ordered and weak chaotic motion. We have found that, under certain conditions, the FLI also discriminates between resonant and non-resonant orbits, not only for two-dimensional symplectic mappings but also for higher dimensional ones. Using this indicator, we present an example of the Arnold web detection for four and six-dimensional symplectic maps. We show that this method allows to detect the global transition of the system from an exponentially stable Nekhoroshevs like regime to the diffusive Chirikovs one.     

The Universe behind the Milky Way

Summary. Due to the foreground extinction of the Milky Way, galaxies appear increasingly fainter the closer they lie to the Galactic Equator, creating a “zone of avoidance” of about 25% in the distribution of optically visible galaxies. A “whole-sky” map of galaxies is essential, however, for understanding the dynamics in our local Universe, in particular the peculiar velocity of the Local Group with respect to the Cosmic Microwave Background and velocity flow fields such as in the Great Attractor region. Various dynamically important structures behind the Milky Way have only recently been made “visible” through dedicated deep surveys at various wavelengths. The wide range of observational searches (optical, near infrared, far infrared, radio and X-ray) for galaxies in the Zone of Avoidance are reviewed, including a discussion on the limitations and selection effects of these partly complementary approaches. The uncovered and suspected large-scale structures are summarized. Reconstruction methods of the density field in the Zone of Avoidance are described and the resulting predictions compared with observational evidence. The comparison between reconstructed density fields and the observed galaxy distribution allow derivations of the density and biasing parameters and b. Received 4 April 2000 / Published online 18 July 2000     

A 20 cm2 CCD mosaic camera for a dark matter search part I : Mechanics,optics and cryogeny

A 20cm ² CCD mosaic camera has been especially built to search for dark galactic halo objects by the gravitational microlensing effect. The sensitive area is made of 16 edge-buttable CCDs developped by Thomson-CTS, with 23×23 µm ² pixels. The 35 kg camera housing and mechanical equipment is presented. The associated electronics and data acquisition system are described in a separate paper. The camera resides at the focal plane of a 40 cm, f/10, Ferson reflector. The instrument has been in operation since December 1991 at the La Silla Observatory (ESO).     

The Scattered Disk Population and the Oort Cloud

The trans-Neptunian belt has been subject to a strong depletion that has reduced its primordial population by a factor of one hundred over the solar system's age. One by-product of such a depletion process is the existence of a scattered disk population in transit from the belt to other places, such as the Jupiter zone, the Oort cloud or interstellar space. We have integrated the orbits of the scattered disk objects (SDOs) so far discovered by 2500 Myr to study their dynamical time scales and the probability of falling in each of the end states mentioned above, paying special attention to their contribution to the Oort cloud. We found that their dynamical half-time is close to 2.5 Gyr and that about one third of the SDOs end up in the Oort cloud.     

Symmetric horseshoe periodic orbits in the general planar three-body problem

We present some families of horseshoe periodic orbits in the general planar three-body problem for the case of two equal masses. The considered system is a symmetric version of the one formed by Saturn, Janus and Epimetheus. We use a mass ratio equal to 35×10⁻⁵, corresponding to 10⁵ times the Saturn-Janus mass parameter of the restricted case; for this mass ratio the satellites have a significantly bigger influence on the planet than in the classical Saturn, Janus and Epimetheus system. To obtain periodic orbits, we search those horseshoe orbits passing through two reversible configurations. A particular kind of periodic orbits where the minor bodies follow the same path is discussed.     

Periodic orbits of an electric charge in a magnetic dipole field

Periodic orbits in the Stormer problem are studied using the symmetry lines of the Poincaré map introduced by De Vogelaere. Many known facts are explained by mean of these lines. The dynamics of four special symmetry lines when the Stormer parameter ₁ changes is presented, and we obtain a clear global view of the structure of the simple periodic orbits and their bifurcations, including the asymmetrical ones. New asymmetrical multiple periodic orbits are obtained.     

Reionization and the Cosmic Dawn with the Square Kilometre Array

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will have a low frequency component (SKA-low) which has as one of its main science goals the study of the redshifted 21 cm line from the earliest phases of star and galaxy formation in the Universe. This 21 cm signal provides a new and unique window both on the time of the formation of the first stars and accreting black holes and the subsequent period of substantial ionization of the intergalactic medium. The signal will teach us fundamental new things about the earliest phases of structure formation, cosmology and even has the potential to lead to the discovery of new physical phenomena. Here we present a white paper with an overview of the science questions that SKA-low can address, how we plan to tackle these questions and what this implies for the basic design of the telescope.     

Scheduling the EChO survey with known exoplanets

The Exoplanet Characterization Observatory (EChO) is a concept of a dedicated space telescope optimized for low-resolution transit and occultation spectroscopy to study the exoplanet diversity through the composition of their atmospheres. The scope of this paper is to answer the following question: Can we schedule a nominal EChO mission, with targets known today (in mid 2013), given the science requirements, realistic performances and operational constraints? We examine this issue from the point of view of duration of the mission and the scheduling restrictions with a sample of exoplanet systems known nowadays. We choose different scheduling algorithms taking into account the science and operational constraints and we verified that it is fairly straightforward to schedule a mission scenario over the lifetime of EChO compliant with the science requirements. We identified agility as a critical constraint that reduces significantly the efficiency of the survey. We conclude that even with known targets today the EChO science objectives can be reached in the 4.5 years duration of the mission. We also show that it is possible to use gaps between exoplanet observations, to fit the required calibration observations, data downlinks and station keeping operations or even to observe more exoplanet targets to be discovered in the coming years.