Symbiotic stars with spectral indication of bipolar ejection and stellar wind

Four out of a total of five symbiotic systems whose optical spectral lines contain satellite components indicating collimated ejection have an additional absorption of P Cyg type with different velocity. These systems are Z And, Hen 3‐1341, StHα 190, and BF Cyg. It is shown that the line profiles of every of these systems can be interpreted in the framework of a model of a collimated stellar wind from the hot compact component proposed initially to interpret the line profiles of Z And, observed during its last active phase after 2000. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Calibration of cosmogenic noble gas production based on 36Cl‐36Ar ages. Part 2. The 81Kr‐Kr dating technique

We calibrated the ⁸¹Kr‐Kr dating system for ordinary chondrites of different sizes using independent shielding‐corrected ³⁶Cl‐³⁶Ar ages. Krypton concentrations and isotopic compositions were measured in bulk samples from 14 ordinary chondrites of high petrologic type and the cosmogenic Kr component was obtained by subtracting trapped Kr from phase Q. The thus‐determined average cosmogenic ⁷⁸Kr/⁸³Kr, ⁸⁰Kr/⁸³Kr, ⁸²Kr/⁸³Kr, and ⁸⁴Kr/⁸³Kr ratiC(Lavielle and Marti 1988; Wieler 2002). The cosmogenic ⁷⁸Kr/⁸³Kr ratio is correlated with the cosmogenic ²²Ne/²¹Ne ratio, confirming that ⁷⁸Kr/⁸³Kr is a reliable shielding indicator. Previously, ⁸¹Kr‐Kr ages have been determined by assuming the cosmogenic production rate of ⁸¹Kr, P(⁸¹Kr)_c, to be 0.95 times the average of the cosmogenic production rates of ⁸⁰Kr and ⁸²Kr; the factor Y = 0.95 therefore accounts for the unequal production of the various Kr isotopes (Marti 1967a). However, Y should be regarded as an empirical adjustment. For samples whose ⁸⁰Kr and ⁸²Kr concentrations may be affected by neutron‐capture reactions, the shielding‐dependent cosmogenic (⁷⁸Kr/⁸³Kr)_c ratio has been used instead to calculate P(⁸¹Kr)/P(⁸³Kr), as for some lunar samples, this ratio has been shown to linearly increase with (⁷⁸Kr/⁸³Kr)_c (Marti and Lugmair 1971). However, the ⁸¹Kr‐Kr ages of our samples calculated with these methods are on average ~30% higher than their ³⁶Cl‐³⁶Ar ages, indicating that most if not all the ⁸¹Kr‐Kr ages determined so far are significantly too high. We therefore re‐evaluated both methods to determine P(⁸¹Kr)_c/P(⁸³Kr)_c. Our new Y value of 0.70 ± 0.04 is more than 25% lower than the value of 0.95 used so far. Furthermore, together with literature data, our data indicate that for chondrites, P(⁸¹Kr)_c/P(⁸³Kr)_c is rather constant at 0.43 ± 0.02, at least for the shielding range covered by our samples ([⁷⁸Kr/⁸³Kr]_c = 0.119–0.185; [²²Ne/²¹Ne]_c = 1.083–1.144), in contrast to the observations on lunar samples. As expected considering the method used, ⁸¹Kr‐Kr ages calculated either directly with this new P(⁸¹Kr)_c/P(⁸³Kr)_c value or with our new Y value both agree with the corresponding ³⁶Cl‐³⁶Ar ages. However, the average deviation of 2% indicates the accuracy of both new ⁸¹Kr‐Kr dating methods and the precision of the new dating systems of ~10% is demonstrated by the low scatter in the data. Consequently, this study indicates that the ⁸¹Kr‐Kr ages published so far are up to 30% too high.     

3XMM J185246.6+003317 as transient neutron star

We performed an X‐ray timing and spectral analysis of the variable source 3XMM J185246.6+003317 to investigate its physical nature. The data from all observations of 3XMMJ185246.6+003317 conducted by XMM‐Newton EPIC MOS1 and MOS2 with the same instrumental setup in 2004–2009 were reprocessed to form a homogenous data set of solar barycenter corrected photon arrival times and high S/N spectra of 3XMM J185246.6+003317. A Bayesian method for the search, detection, and estimation of the parameters of a periodic signal of unknown shape was employed, as developed by Gregory & Loredo (1992, 1993). The results show that 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is a transient neutron star with the genuine spin‐period of 23.11722 (23.11711–23.11727) s and its derivative of 5.3(0.3–5.5)×10^–11 s s^–1, implying a characteristic age of 7 (6–104) kyr, if the period derivative can be ascribed to the genuine spin‐down rate of the neutron star. The rotational‐phase averaged X‐ray spectra at the different brightness periods can be fitted with a highly absorbed blackbody model with different temperatures. The phase‐folded light curves in different energy bands with high S/N ratio show a double‐peaked profile; the variations depend on time and energy, indicating that radiation emerges from at least two emitting areas. The spectra at the phases corresponding to the maxima in the phase‐folded light curve show different spectral parameters of absorbed blackbody radiation, i.e. the hotter one has a smaller size. The source is detected only from September 2008 to April 2009 with persistently decreasing brightness, but not before, even though it was observed by XMM. Hence, it is a transient neutron star or a binary system hosting it. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Variable stars in the Bochum Galactic Disk Survey

We present a first overview of variable stars in the Bochum Galactic Disk Survey (GDS) with emphasis on eclipsing binaries (EBs). This ongoing survey is performed by a robotic twin refractor at the Universitätssternwarte Bochum located near Cerro Armazones in Chile. It comprises a mosaic of 268 fields in a stripe of Δb = ±3° along the Galactic plane observed once per month simultaneously in the Sloan r and i filters with a detection limit of r_s ∼ 16 mag and i_s ∼ 15 mag. The data from the first three years until the end of February 2014 yields a total of 41718 variable stars with variability amplitudes between 0.1–6 mag. A cross‐match with SIMBAD identified 11 465 of these variables unambiguously, while 2184 had multiple matches; most of the remaining stars could be matched with 2MASS objects. Among the SIMBAD‐listed objects with single matches, only 1982 turned out as known variables while a further 256 are suspected of variability. That leaves a total of 39480 potentially new variables. The group of known variables comprises 419 stars (21 %) that are classified as EBs while 443 (22%) are of other types; for the remaining 1120 catalogued variables (57 %) the type is unknown. Investigating variability as a function of spectral type, we find that SIMBAD provides spectral types for 2811 (25 %) of the identified stars. Spectral classes B (26 %), A (20 %), and M (25%) contain the most numerous variables, while all other classes contribute less than 10% each. More than half of the B (55 %) and A (56%) stars are designated as EBs, suggesting that hundreds of new B‐ and A‐type EBs may be contained in the GDS archive. In contrast, among the numerous M stars no EBs are known. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the propagation of chromospheric condensations in solar flares (II)

We study the evolution of the mass motion velocity in the chromospheric condensation, when it propagates into the deeper atmosphere. The condensation is represented by a shock-like structure. Its momentum equation can be solved after some approximations. The computations are carried out for two cases, i.e., the case that the gas pressure just behind the condensation front is constant and the case that the pressure increase at the top of the condensation is constant. The results show that the duration of the condensation in the second case is considerably longer than that in the first case. The most evident difference of the velocity evolution between the two cases appears in their later phase. A comparison of the results in this paper with the dynamic simulations indicates that the second case may be closer to the real situation.     

Examples of clustering around high redshift radio-galaxies

Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 677–680, October–December, 1995.     

A global 3-D simulation of interplanetary dynamics in June 1991

The global dynamics of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field in June 1991 is simulated based on a fully three-dimensional, time-dependent numerical MHD model. The numerical simulation includes eight transient disturbances associated with the major solar flares of June 1991. The unique features of the present simulation are: (i) the disturbances are originated at the coronal base (1R _s) and their propagation through inhomogeneous ambient solar wind is simulated out to 1.5 AU; (ii) as a background for the transients, the global steady-state solar wind structure inferred from the 3-D steady-state model (Usmanov, 1993c) is used. The parameters of the initial pulses are prescribed in terms of the near-Sun shock velocities (as inferred from the metric Type II radio burst observations) relative to the preshock steady-state flow parameters at the flare sites. The computed parameters at the Earth's location for the period 1–18 June, 1991 are compared with the available observations of the interplanetary magnetic field, solar wind velocity, density, and with variation of the geomagnetic activityK _pindex.     

Cosmological application of the New General Relativity

The field equations of the New General Relativity NGR, constructed by Hayashi and Shirafuji (1979), have been applied to two geometric structures, given by Robertson (1932), in the domain of cosmology. In the first application a family of models, involving two of the parameters characterizing the field equations of the NGR, is obtained. In the second application the models obtained are found to involve one parameter only. The cosmological parameters in both applications are calculated and some cosmological problems are discussed in comparison with the corresponding results of other field theories .     

Resonant interactions of modes in coronal magnetic flux tubes

Nonlinear resonant interactions of different kinds of fast magnetosonic (FMS) waves trapped in the inhomogeneity of a low- plasma density, stretched along a magnetic field (as, for example, in coronal loops) are investigated. A set of equations describing the amplitudes of interactive modes is derived for an arbitrary density profile. The quantitative characteristics of such interactions are found. The decay instability of the wave with highest frequency is possible in the system. If amplitudes of interactive modes have close values, the long-period temporal and spatial oscillations are in the system.For a quantitative illustration, the parabolic approximation of the transverse density profile has been chosen. Dispersion relations of FMS waves trapped in a low- plasma slab with a parabolic transverse density profile are found. The transverse structure of the waves in this case can be expressed through Hermitian polynomials. The interaction of kink and sausage waves is investigated. The sausage wave, with a sufficiently large amplitude, may be unstable with respect to the decay into two kink waves, in particular. The spatial scale of a standing wave structure and the time spectrum of radiation are formed due to the nonlinear interactions of loop modes which contain information about the parameters of the plasma slab.