Small hypervelocity particles captured in aerogel collectors: Location,extraction, handling and storage

Abstract— It has now been about a decade since the first demonstrations that hypervelocity particles could be captured, partially intact, in aerogel collectors. But the initial promise of a bonanza of partially‐intact extraterrestrial particles, collected in space, has yet to materialize. One of the difficulties that investigators have encountered is that the location, extraction, handling and analysis of very small (10 μm and less) grains, which constitute the vast majority of the captured particles, is challenging and burdensome. Furthermore, current extraction techniques tend to be destructive over large areas of the collectors. Here we describe our efforts to alleviate some of these difficulties. We have learned how to rapidly and efficiently locate captured particles in aerogel collectors, using an automated microscopic scanning system originally developed for experimental nuclear astrophysics. We have learned how to precisely excavate small access tunnels and trenches using an automated micromanipulator and glass microneedles as tools. These excavations are only destructive to the collector in a very small area—this feature may be particularly important for excavations in the precious Stardust collectors. Using actuatable silicon microtweezers, we have learned how to extract and store “naked” particles—essentially free of aerogel—as small as 3 μm in size. We have also developed a technique for extracting particles, along with their terminal tracks, still embedded in small cubical aerogel blocks. We have developed a novel method for storing very small particles in etched nuclear tracks. We have applied these techniques to the extraction and storage of grains captured in aerogel collectors (Particle Impact Experiment, Orbital Debris Collector Experiment, Comet‐99) in low Earth orbit.     

A multi-proxy approach for revealing recent climatic changes in the Russian Altai

For the first time we present a multi-proxy data set for the Russian Altai, consisting of Siberian larch tree-ring width (TRW), latewood density (MXD), δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in cellulose chronologies obtained for the period 1779–2007 and cell wall thickness (CWT) for 1900–2008. All of these parameters agree well between each other in the high-frequency variability, while the low-frequency climate information shows systematic differences. The correlation analysis with temperature and precipitation data from the closest weather station and gridded data revealed that annual TRW, MXD, CWT, and δ¹³C data contain a strong summer temperature signal, while δ¹⁸O in cellulose represents a mixed summer and winter temperature and precipitation signal. The temperature and precipitation reconstructions from the Belukha ice core and Teletskoe lake sediments were used to investigate the correspondence of different independent proxies. Low frequency patterns in TRW and δ¹³C chronologies are consistent with temperature reconstructions from nearby Belukha ice core and Teletskoe lake sediments showing a pronounced warming trend in the last century. Their combination could be used for the regional temperature reconstruction. The long-term δ¹⁸O trend agrees with the precipitation reconstruction from the Teletskoe lake sediment indicating more humid conditions during the twentieth century. Therefore, these two proxies could be combined for the precipitation reconstruction.     

Current Atmospheric Deposition Loads and Their Trends in the Czech Republic Determined by Mapping the Distribution of Moss Element Contents

Biomonitoring of atmospheric deposition loads of 13, 14 and 35 elements and their compounds through moss analysis was carried out in the Czech Republic (CZ) in 1991, 1995 and 2000, respectively. The last biomonitoring campaign revealed very high contents of typical soil elements and lanthanides in southern Moravia. The variations in current element contents in moss, which can be explained by the action of six factors, were correlated with altitude, with total biennial precipitation, and with the bedrock types in the sampling plots. The element contents in moss samples repeatedly collected from the identical plots showed a steady decrease in atmospheric deposition loads in the CZ in the last decade of the 20th century. The main reasons for this phenomenon are listed. The results of cluster analyses and PCAs have found no substantial changes in the qualitative element composition of atmospheric deposition in CZ in recent years. Isoline maps are presented, which document changes in the distribution of Cd, Pb and S contents in moss in 1995 and 2000. An estimate of absolute deposition loads (g m^–2 year^–1) for given areas of the CZ can be made, using the list of bulk deposition indices.     

Were merely storm-landslides driven by the 2015-2016 Niño in the Mendoza River valley?

Since Holocene time, above-mean precipitations recorded during the El Niño warm ENSO phase have been linked to the occurrence of severe debris flows in the arid Central Andes. The 2015–2016 El Niño, for its unusual strength, began driving huge and dangerous landslides in the Central Andes (32°) in the recent South Hemisphere summer. The resulting damages negatively impacted the regional economy. Despite this, causes of these dangerous events were ambiguously reported. For this reason, a multidisciplinary study was carried out in the Mendoza River valley. Firstly, a geomorphological analysis of affected basins was conducted, estimating morphometric parameters of recorded events such as velocity, stream flow, and volume. Atmospheric conditions during such events were analyzed, considering precipitations, snow cover, temperature range, and the elevation of the zero isotherm. Based on our findings, the role of El Niño on the slope instability in the Central Andes is more complex in the climate change scenario. Even though some events were effectively triggered by intense summer rainstorm following expectations, the most dangerous events were caused by the progressive uplifting of the zero isotherm in smaller basins where headwaters are occupied by debris rock glaciers. Our research findings give light to the dynamic coupled system ENSO–climate change–landslides (ECCL) at least in this particular case study of the Mendoza River valley. Landslide activity in this Andean region is driven by wetter conditions linked to the ENSO warm phase, but also to progressive warming since the twentieth century in the region. This fact emphasizes the future impact of the natural hazards on Andean mountain communities.     

Seasonal variability of surface and internal M<Subscript>2</Subscript> tides in the Arctic Ocean

The modeling results of surface and internal M₂ tides for summer and winter periods in the Arctic Ocean (AO) are presented. We employed a modified version of the three-dimensional finite-element hydrothermodynamic model QUODDY-4 differing from the original model by using a rotated (instead of spherical) coordinate system and by considering the equilibrium-tide effects. It has been shown that the modeling results for the surface tide differs little from the results obtained earlier by other authors. According to these results, the amplitudes of internal tidal waves (ITWs) in the AO are significantly lower than in other oceans and the ITWs proper have the character of trapped waves. Their source of generation is located at the continental slope northwest of the New Siberian Islands. Our results are consistent with the fields of average (over a tidal cycle) and integral (by depth) densities of baroclinic tidal energy, the maximum baroclinic tidal velocity, and the coefficient of diapycnic mixing. The local rate of baroclinic tidal energy dissipation at the AO ridges increases as it approaches the bottom, as was observed on Mid-Atlantic and Hawaii ridges (but merely within the bottom boundary layer) and is two to three orders of magnitude lower than in other oceans. The ITW degeneration scale in the AO is several hundreds of kilometers in summer and winter, remaining within the range of its values between 100 and 1000 km in mid- and low-latitude oceans. In both seasons, the integral (over the AO area) rate of baroclinic tidal energy dissipation is two orders of magnitude lower than the global estimate (2.5 × 10¹² W).     

Structure Inclination Angles in the Convective Atmospheric Surface Layer

Two-point correlations of the fluctuating streamwise velocity are examined in the atmospheric surface layer over the salt flats of Utah’s western desert, and corresponding structure inclination angles are obtained for neutral, stable and unstable conditions. The neutral surface-layer results supplement evidence for the invariance of the inclination angle given in Marusic and Heuer (Phys Rev Lett 99:114504, 2007). In an extension of those results it is found that the inclination angle changes drastically under different stability conditions in the surface layer, varying systematically with the Monin–Obukhov stability parameter in the unstable regime. The variation is parametrized and subsequently can be used to improve existing near-wall models in the large-eddy simulation of the atmospheric surface layer.     

The photoelectron spectra of some Tl-Sb sulphosalts

The results of X-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiments on several phases of the ternary system Tl-Sb-S are reported. The binding energies of the inner S, Sb and Tl electrons increase with increasing quantities of Sb and decreasing amounts of Tl in these compounds. This is explained by the influences of the proportions of the bonded metals on the effective electron affinity of S. The higher proportions of the more electronegative element bonded to S cause the increase of its effective electron affinity. The results for Tl₂S (carlinite), Tl₃SbS₃, TlSbS₂ (weissbergite), TlAsS₂ (lorandite) and Sb₂S₃ (antimonite) can be interpreted in this way. The results for Tl₄S₃ suggest a predominantly covalent character of bonding for both Tl(III) and Tl(I), which are present in this sulfide. From comparison with Tl₃SbS₄ it could be supposed that Tl(III)-S bond has a more covalent character than Sb(V)-S bond. The results for Tl₃SbS₄ are in agreement with crystal structure data and the results of Moessbauer spectroscopy. For AsS (realgar) the binding energies of the inner electrons of As and S significantly increase, showing that the electrons in molecular orbitals are less strongly bonded to individual atoms, as compared to pure elements. The results for the amorphous TlSb₅S₈ (corresponding in composition to parapierrotite) suggest that in amorphous compound the Tl-S bonding is stronger and the coordination of Tl more regular than in a crystalline one.     

Coupling multipoint flux mixed finite element methodswith continuous Galerkin methods for poroelasticity

We study the numerical approximation on irregular domains with general grids of the system of poroelasticity, which describes fluid flow in deformable porous media. The flow equation is discretized by a multipoint flux mixed finite element method and the displacements are approximated by a continuous Galerkin finite element method. First-order convergence in space and time is established in appropriate norms for the pressure, velocity, and displacement. Numerical results are presented that illustrate the behavior of the method.