The suevite of drill hole Yucatàn 6 in the Chicxulub impact crater

Abstract— The suevite breccia of the Chicxulub impact crater, Yucatàn, Mexico, is more variable and complex in terms of composition and stratigraphy than suevites observed at other craters. Detailed studies (microscope, electron microprobe, SEM, XRF) have been carried out on a noncontinuous set of samples from the drill hole Yucatàn 6 (Y6) located 50 km SW from the center of the impact structure. Three subunits can be distinguished in the suevite: the upper unit is a fine‐grained carbonate‐rich suevite breccia with few shocked basement clasts, mostly altered melt fragments, and formerly melted carbonate material; the middle suevite is a coarse‐grained suevite with shocked basement clasts and altered silicate melt fragments; the lower suevite unit is composed of shocked basement and melt fragments and large evaporite clasts. The matrix of the suevite is not clastic but recrystallized and composed mainly of feldspar and pyroxene. The composition of the upper members of the suevite is dominated by the sedimentary cover of the Yucatàn target rock. With depth in well Y6, the amount of carbonate decreases and the proportion of evaporite and silicate basement rocks increases significantly. Even at the thin section scale, melt phases of different chemistry can be identified, showing that no widespread homogenization of the melt took place. The melt compositions also reflect the heterogeneity of the deep Yucatàn basement. Calcite with characteristic feathery texture indicates the existence of formerly pure carbonate melt. The proportion of carbonate to evaporite clasts is less than 5:1, except in the lower suevite where large evaporite clasts are present. This proportion constrains the amount of CO₂ and SO_X released by the impact event.     

Afterglow light curves, viewing angle and the jet structure of γ-ray bursts

Gamma-ray bursts are often modelled as jet-like outflows directed towards the observer; the cone angle of the jet is then commonly inferred from the time at which there is a steepening in the power-law decay of the afterglow. We consider an alternative model in which the jet has a beam pattern where the luminosity per unit solid angle (and perhaps also the initial Lorentz factor) decreases smoothly away from the axis, rather than having a well-defined cone angle within which the flow is uniform. We show that the break in the afterglow light curve then occurs at a time that depends on the viewing angle. Instead of implying a range of intrinsically different jets – some very narrow, and others with a similar power spread over a wider cone – the data on afterglow breaks could be consistent with a standardized jet, viewed from different angles. We discuss the implication of this model for the luminosity function.     

Multi-Wavelength Analysis of the 29 September 2002 M2.6/2N Flare

Using TRACE EUV 171 Å line, Hα line, Zürich radio, RHESSI, and HXRS observations the 29 September 2002 flare (M2.6), which occurred in AR NOAA 0134, was analyzed. Flaring structures were compared with a potential magnetic field model (field lines and quasi-separatrix layers) made from SOHO/MDI full-disk magnetogram. Series of high-resolution SOHO/MDI magnetograms and TRACE white-light images were used to find changes in the active region at the photosphere during the flare. The flare began with a rising of a small dark loop followed by the flare brightening observed in 171 Å with TRACE and Hα lines. In radio wavelengths, first type III bursts were observed 5 min prior to the start of hard X-ray emission, indicating a pre-flare coronal activity. The main hard X-ray emission peak (at 06:36 UT) was associated with the second type III burst activity and several slowly negatively drifting features, all starting from one point on the radio spectrum (probably a shock propagating through structures with different plasma parameters). After this time a huge loop formed and three minutes later it became visible in absorption both in Hα and 171 Å EUV lines. The phase of huge dark loop formation was characterized by long-lasting, slowly negatively drifting pulsations and drifting continuum. Finally, considering this huge loop as a surge an evolution of the event under study is discussed.     

Sea Ice Leads Detection Using SARAL/AltiKa Altimeter

Sea ice leads play an essential role in ocean-ice-atmosphere exchange, in ocean circulation, geochemistry, and in ice dynamics. Their precise detection is crucial for altimetric estimations of sea ice thickness and volume. This study evaluates the performance of the SARAL/AltiKa (Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa) altimeter to detect leads and to monitor their spatio-temporal dynamics. We show that a pulse peakiness parameter (PP) used to detect leads by Envisat RA-2 and ERS-1,-2 altimeters is not suitable because of saturation of AltiKa return echoes over the leads. The signal saturation results in loss of 6–10% of PP data over sea ice. We propose a different parameter—maximal power of waveform—and define the threshold to discriminate the leads. Our algorithm can be applied from December until May. It detects well the leads of small and medium size from 200 m to 3–4 km. So the combination of the high-resolution altimetric estimates with low-resolution thermal infra-red or radiometric lead fraction products could enhance the capability of remote sensing to monitor sea ice fracturing.     

Study of Lake Baikal Ice Cover from Radar Altimetry and In–Situ Observations

Comparison of ENVISAT and SARAL missions data shows that AltiKa can be successfully used for ice discrimination methodology and extension of ice conditions time series. Due to shorter wavelength and large bandwidth (480 MHz) which leads to a higher sensitivity to different surface conditions, AltiKa shows more clearly the separation between open water and various ice types. We observe significant decrease of backscatter (25–30 dB) in late spring for both ENVISAT and SARAL and discuss it in the context of ice metamorphism. There is a clear need to continue and expand our dedicated field studies of lake Baikal ice cover to better assess influence of ice structure on altimetric signal.     

Intentional introduction of Artemia sinica (Anostraca) in the high-altitude Tibetan lake Dangxiong Co: the new population and consequences for the environment and for humans

The imbalance between supply and demand of Artemia cysts in China and around the world is increasing now.Salt lakes in Tibet may contribute to the solution of the problem.In Northern Tibet there are 26 saline lakes whose salinity and temperature may support Artemia survival at an altitude of 4 000–5 100 m.We found Artemia in 15 of these lakes.The saline lakes with Artemia populations mainly belong to the shallow basin lakes,and the majority of these lakes are small in area.The total area of lakes without Artemia is more than 1 000 km 2.Lake Dangxiong Co(Co means lake in Tibet) was chosen for the intentional introduction of Artemia sinica.In 2004,850 g of A.sinica cysts,originating from Qinghai,were introduced in the lake.Surveys in 2006–2014 showed that the average abundance of Artemia adults in the lake gradually increased from 20 ind./m 3 in 2006 to 1950 ind./m 3 in 2013.We assume that two subpopulations of A.sinica,separated by depth,may exist in the lake.The new Artemia population caused an increase in the number of species of phytoplankton and heterotrophic protozoa with a decrease of their total abundance.Water transparency also increased.Dominance in phytoplankton passed from cyanobacteria to diatoms.Changes occurred not only in the lake ecosystem;the number of water birds using the lakes also dramatically increased.Preliminary calculations showed that is it possible to harvest at least about 150 t cysts per year from the lake as well as 3.2 thousand tons of frozen or 350 t of dried biomass of adult Artemia.     

An optical view of BL Lacertae objects

BL Lac objects are active nuclei, hosted in massive elliptical galaxies, the emission of which is dominated by a relativistic jet closely aligned with the line of sight. This implies the existence of a parent population of sources with a misaligned jet that have been identified with low-power radiogalaxies. The spectrum of BL Lacs, dominated by non-thermal emission over the whole electromagnetic range, together with bright compact radio cores, high luminosities, rapid and large amplitude flux variability at all frequencies and strong polarization makes these sources an optimal laboratory for high energy astrophysics. A most distinctive characteristic of the class is the weakness or absence of spectral lines, that historically hindered the identification of their nature and ever thereafter proved to be a hurdle in the determination of their distance. In this paper, we review the main observational facts that contribute to the present basic interpretation of this class of active galaxies. We overview the history of the BL Lac objects research field and their population as it emerged from multi-wavelength surveys. The properties of the flux variability and polarization, compared with those at radio, X-ray and gamma-ray frequencies, are summarized together with the present knowledge of the host galaxies, their environments, and central black hole masses. We focus this review on the optical observations, which played a crucial role in the early phase of BL Lacs studies, and in spite of extensive radio, X-ray, and recently gamma-ray observations, could represent the future major contribution to the unveiling of the origin of these sources. In particular, they could provide a firm conclusion on the long debated issue of the cosmic evolution of this class of active galactic nuclei and on the connection between formation of supermassive black holes and relativistic jets.     

Vertical structure of hyper-accreting disks and consequences for gamma-ray burst outflows

We discuss the physics of the power source for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). There is a great variety of stellar systems proposed as progenitors of long and short GRBs, but any current model for the engine ultimately involves the formation of a hyper-accreting disk around a newly-formed black hole of a few solar masses. The study of such disks can shed light onto the burst composition and energy content. We present preliminary results from disk vertical structure calculations. These include neutrino transport, a height-dependent determination of the nuclear composition, and a simplified treatment of turbulent mixing. We find that vertical mixing is rapid enough to largely erase compositional gradients, and as a consequence the upper layers of the disk reflect the neutron-rich composition of the midplane close to the black hole. We review the implications of this for the nuclear composition of outflows in GRBs. Our models suggest an increasing role for pairs in the upper regions of the disk, and we speculate that a pair-driven wind could be a significant source of cooling. Elena M. Rossi is a Chandra Fellow     

How galaxies lose their angular momentum

The processes are investigated by which gas loses its angular momentum during the protogalactic collapse phase, leading to disc galaxies that are too compact with respect to the observations. High-resolution N -body/SPH simulations in a cosmological context are presented including cold gas and dark matter (DM). A halo with quiet merging activity since redshift   z ∼ 3.8  and with a high-spin parameter is analysed that should be an ideal candidate for the formation of an extended galactic disc. We show that the gas and the DM have similar specific angular momenta until a merger event occurs at   z ∼ 2  with a mass ratio of 5:1. All the gas involved in the merger loses a substantial fraction of its specific angular momentum due to tidal torques and dynamical friction processes falls quickly into the centre. In contrast, gas infall through small subclumps or accretion does not lead to catastrophic angular momentum loss. In fact, a new extended disc begins to form from gas that was not involved in the 5:1 merger event and that falls in subsequently. We argue that the angular momentum problem of disc galaxy formation is a merger problem: in cold dark matter cosmology substantial mergers with mass ratios of 1:1 to 6:1 are expected to occur in almost all galaxies. We suggest that energetic feedback processes could in principle solve this problem, however only if the heating occurs at the time or shortly before the last substantial merger event. Good candidates for such a coordinated feedback would be a merger-triggered starburst or central black hole heating. If a large fraction of the low angular momentum gas would be ejected, late-type galaxies could form with a dominant extended disc component, resulting from late infall, a small bulge-to-disc ratio and a low baryon fraction, in agreement with observations.