Constraints on accretion column parameters for the intermediate polar LS Pegasi from the power spectrum of its optical light curve

The properties of the hot zone in the accretion flow near the surface of a magnetized white dwarf have been studied. For this purpose, the aperiodic optical variability of LS Peg, one of the brightest intermediate polars in the northern sky, has been investigated. The main radiation of the hot zone, which is then reemitted in the optical band, results from the radiation of an optically thin plasma heated during the passage of the accretion flow of a standing shock. Recently, Semena and Revnivtsev (2012) have shown that the aperiodic variability (flickering) of accreting magnetized white dwarfs should have a characteristic feature in the range of Fourier frequencies corresponding to the plasma cooling time in this hot region. The photometric brightness measurements for LS Peg made with the RTT-150 telescope using a high-speed ANDOR iXon CCD array have allowed the break frequency in the power spectrum of the source’s variability to be constrained. Constraints on the geometry of the accretion column for the white dwarf in LS Peg and on the plasma parameters in it have been obtained.     

Performances of Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Treatment of Olive Mill Wastewater

In the following study, two methods were employed in which olive mill wastewaters were treated by using reverse osmosis membranes (BW30 and XLE). In the first, wastewater was centrifuged and then passed through the reverse osmosis whereas in the second, an ultrafiltration was placed between the centrifuge and the reverse osmosis. The reverse osmosis experiments were conducted under 10, 15, 20, and 25 bar. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies under 25 bar were found to be 97.5% for both BW30 and XLE membranes. The highest conductivity removal rates obtained under 25 bar for BW30 and XLE membranes were found to be 95.6 and 96.2%, respectively. As for the highest permeation flux values obtained under 25 bar, they were separately determined for BW30 and XLE as 15.3 and 21.2 L m^?2 h^?1, respectively. The performances of the membranes were also evaluated in terms of their mass transfer coefficients. According to this, all mass transfer coefficients were found to be <1 and also in proximate to one another; this clearly reflects the results as COD and conductivity removals were approximate and there was a lack of any significant difference, whether ultrafiltration was applied or not.     

The spectroscopic orbits of three double-lined eclipsing binaries: I. BG Ind,IM Mon,RS Sgr

We present the spectroscopic orbit solutions of three double-lines eclipsing binaries, BG Ind, IM Mon and RS Sgr. The first precise radial velocities (RVs) of the components were determined using high resolution echelle spectra obtained at Mt. John University Observatory in New Zealand. The RVs of the components of BG Ind and RS Sgr were measured using Gaussian fittings to the selected spectral lines, whereas two-dimensional cross-correlation technique was preferred to determine the RVs of IM Mon since it has relatively short orbital period among the other targets and so blending of the lines is more effective. For all systems, the Keplerian orbital solution was used during the analysis and also circular orbit was adopted because the eccentricities for all targets were found to be negligible. The first precise orbit analysis of these systems gives the mass ratios of the systems as 0.894, 0.606 and 0.325, respectively for BG Ind, IM Mon and RS Sgr. Comparison of the mass ratio values, orbital sizes and minimum masses of the components of the systems indicates that all systems should have different physical, dynamical and probable evolutionary status.     

The age of cataclysmic variables: A kinematical study

Using available astrometric and radial velocity data, the space velocities of cataclysmic variables (CVs) with respect to Sun were computed and kinematical properties of various sub-groups of CVs were investigated. Although observational errors of systemic velocities (γ) are high, propagated errors are usually less than computed dispersions. According to the analysis of propagated uncertainties of the computed space velocities, available sample was refined by removing the systems with the largest propagated uncertainties so that the reliability of the space velocity dispersions was improved. Having a dispersion of $51\pm 7\mathrm{km}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ for the space velocities, CVs in the current refined sample (159 systems) are found to have 5 ± 1 Gyr mean kinematical age. After removing magnetic systems from the sample, it is found that non-magnetic CVs (134 systems) have a mean kinematical age of 4 ± 1 Gyr. According to 5 ± 1 and 4 ± 1 Gyr kinematical ages implied by 52 ± 8 and 45 ± 7 km s^?1 dispersions for non-magnetic systems below and above the period gap, CVs below the period gap are older than systems above the gap, which is a result in agreement with the standard evolution theory of CVs. Age difference between the systems below and above the gap is smaller than that expected from the standard theory, indicating a similarity of the angular momentum loss time scales in systems with low-mass and high-mass secondary stars. Assuming an isotropic distribution, $\gamma$ velocity dispersions of non-magnetic CVs below and above the period gap are calculated ${\sigma }_{\gamma }=30\pm 5\mathrm{km}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ and ${\sigma }_{\gamma }=26\pm 4\mathrm{km}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. The small difference of $\gamma$ velocity dispersions between the systems below and above the gap may imply that magnetic braking does not operate in the detached phase, during which the system evolves from the post-common envelope orbit into contact.     

New absolute magnitude calibrations for WUrsa Majoris type binaries

Parallaxes of W UMa stars in the Hipparcos catalogue have been analyzed. 31 W UMa stars, which have the most accurate parallaxes (σ_π /π < 0.15) which are neither associated with a photometric tertiary nor with evidence of a visual companion, were selected for re‐calibrating the Period‐Luminosity‐Color (PLC) relation of W UMa stars. Using the Lutz‐Kelker (LK) bias corrected (most probable) parallaxes, periods (0.26 < P < 0.87, P in days), and colors (0.04 < (B – V)₀ < 1.28) of the 31 selected W UMa, the PLC relation have been revised and re‐calibrated. The difference between the old (revised but not bias corrected) and the new (LK bias corrected) relations are almost negligible in predicting the distances of W UMa stars up to about 100 pc. But, it increases and may become intolerable as distances of stars increase. Additionally, using (J – H)₀ and (H – K_s)₀ colors from 2MASS (TwoMicron All Sky Survey) data, a PLC relation working with infrared data was derived. It can be used with infrared colors in the range –0.01 < (J – H)₀ < 0.58, and –0.10 < (H – K_s)₀ < 0.18. Despite of the fact that the 2MASS data refer to single epoch observations which are not guaranteed to be taken at maximum brightness of theWUMa stars, the established relation has been found surprisingly consistent and reliable in predicting LK corrected distances of W UMa stars (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

New absolute magnitude calibrations for detached binaries

Lutz‐Kelker bias corrected absolute magnitude calibrations for the detached binary systems with main‐sequence components are presented. The absolute magnitudes of the calibrator stars were derived at intrinsic colours of Johnson‐Cousins and 2MASS (Two Micron All Sky Survey) photometric systems. As for the calibrator stars, 44 detached binaries were selected from the Hipparcos catalogue, which have relative observed parallax errors smaller than 15% (σ_π/π ≤ 0.15). The calibration equations which provide the corrected absolute magnitude for optical and near‐infrared pass bands are valid for wide ranges of colours and absolute magnitudes: –0.18 < (B – V)₀ < 0.91, –1.6 < M_V < 5.5 and –0.15 < (J – H)₀ < 0.50, –0.02 < (H – K_s)₀ < 0.13, 0 < M_J < 4, respectively. The distances computed using the luminosity‐colours (LCs) relation with optical (BV) and near‐infrared (JHK_s) observations were compared to the distances found from various other methods. The results show that new absolute magnitude calibrations of this study can be used as a convenient statistical tool to estimate the true distances of detached binaries out of Hipparcos' distance limit. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Cloud Models for Solar Faculae

Assuming the clouds as plane parallel structures above the photosphere, center-to-limb contrast variations of various cloud models for solar faculae with approximations such as optically thin or thick, hot or cold, and with or without surface reflections, have been investigated. It has been found that the observed facular contrast data from Frazier (1971) and Taylor et al. (1998) at the 525 nm continuum is best represented by a cloud which is 230 K hotter than the undisturbed photosphere, with an optical depth =0.4283, and with isotropic surface reflections causing 11% of the background photons to be lost before penetrating into the cloud. This model and some other cloud models are shown to provide a fit better than the other physical and non-physical facular models presented previously.     

The atmospheric distribution of lead over a number of marine regions

A data base of 111 filter-collected marine atmospheric particulates is used to describe the distribution of lead over the North and South Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the northern and central Arabian Sea. The distribution of atmospheric Pb is assessed in terms of enrichment factor diagrams, and it is shown that over the marine regions studied in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres the distribution of Pb in the atmosphere is controlled by the mixing of a background component, or components, with crustal material within certain concentration limits. For the Northern Hemisphere samples used in the investigation there is a reasonably well-defined Pb concentration minimum of ～ 0.6 ng m^?3 of air; however, this will be severely decreased in more remote Northern Hemisphere marine regions. Geometric average Pb atmospheric concentrations vary from one marine region to another, ranging from ～ 0.98 ng m^?3 of air for the South Atlantic westerlies to ～ 15 ng m^?3 of air in the North Atlantic westerlies; although the latter reduces to ～ 7 ng m^?3 of air when ‘polluted’ samples are excluded. Lead sea-surface deposition fluxes are calculated on the basis of two deposition velocities (0.25 and 1 cm s^?1), the largest flux (220 ng Pb cm^?2 yr^?1) being found for the westerlies over the eastern margins of the North Atlantic. The distribution of lead over the North Atlantic is assessed in terms of the global lead budget and it is estimated that a maximum of ～ 24% of the total ‘natural’ lead injected annually into the World atmosphere, and ～ 3.5% of the anthropogenic lead injected annually into the Northern Hemisphere atmosphere, are deposited over the North Atlantic sea surface.     

Analytical methods to estimate the hydraulic conductivity of jointed rocks

Hydrogeology Journal - The hydraulic conductivity of jointed rocks is one of the main input parameters to predict water inflow to engineering structures that are located in the jointed rocks....