A viable mechanism for the production of energy in active galactic nuclei

It is suggested that a collapsing supermassive object, which acts as an ultra-high energy particle accelerator, is the precursor of an active galactic nucleus and that the gravitational energy released during the collapse of the object is locked in the quark-gluon plasma permeated by leptons into which the entire matter in the core of the object is converted as a result of the collapse. It is also pointed out that the collapse of the object to a space-time singularity is inhibited by Pauli's exclusion principle as well as by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and that the object explodes, before it could collapse to a singularity, thereby releasing the enormous amount of energy locked in the quark-gluon plasma.     

H II regions and radio visibility of quasar nuclei

The core (injector) and the jet (relativistic plasma outflow) of AGN objects are surrounded by an ionized medium, an H II region observed in emission lines. The synchrotron radiation from the core and the jet is observed through a thin screen that cocoons the structure under consideration. The screen transparency depends on wavelength and distance from the injector. We consider the objects 3C 345 and 1803+784 whose core emission at decimeter wavelengths is absorption by more than 25 dB. The visible bright compact component is the bright nearby portion of the jet that extends outside the dense part of the screen. We explore the possibility of measuring the screen transparency from absorption in Hα recombination lines with different quantum numbers at centimeter wavelengths.     

Challenging a Paradigm: Do We Need Active and Inactive Areas to Account for Near-Nuclear Jet Activity?

We briefly describe an advanced 3D gas dynamical model developed for the simulation of theenvironment of active cometary nuclei. The model canhandle realistic nucleus shapes and alternative physical models for the gas and dust production mechanism.The inner gas coma structure is computed by solving self-consistently(a) near to the surface the Boltzman Equation(b) outside of it, Euler or Navier-Stokes equations.The dust distribution is computed from multifluid ``zero-temperature' Euler equations,extrapolated with the help of a Keplerian fountain model.The evolution of the coma during the nucleus orbital and spin motion,is computed as a succession of quasi-steady solutions. Earlier versions of the model using simple,``paedagogic' nuclei have demonstrated that the surface orographyand the surface inhomogeneity contribute similarly to structuring the near-nucleusgas and dust coma,casting a shadow on the automatic attribution of such structures to ``active areas'.The model was recently applied to comet P/Halley, for whichthe nucleus shape is available. In the companion paper of this volume,we show that most near-nucleus dust structuresobserved during the 1986 Halley flybys are reproduced, assuming that the nucleus is strictly homogeneous. Here, we investigate the effect of shape perturbations and homogeneityperturbations. We show that the near nucleus gas coma structure is robust vis-a-vissuch effects. In particular, a random distribution of active and inactive areaswould not affect considerably this structure, suggesting that such areas,even if present, could not be easily identified on images of the coma.     

Local potential analysis of MHD instability

In many astrophysical problems, the study of the stability of an atmosphere in the presence of a magnetic field is of importance. In most cases the MHD instabilities of atmospheres are studied by energy principle of Bernsteinet al. (1958). In this paper, a general method for studying the stability of a system subject to MHD equations of conditions has been proposed. This is based on the local potential concept put forward by Glansdorff and Prigogine (1964). The scheme for securing stability criteria has been demonstrated in two particular cases.     

Recharge and salinization in the Madrid Basin

The purpose of this work was to reinvestigate the existing hydrogeological conceptual model of the basin of Madrid, Spain. A cumulative chemical isotopic diagram which enabled the distinction between different groups of water as well as calculation of the mode of their blending was used for this investigation. It was found that the groups of discharge were lighter in their isotopic composition than that of recharge. The previous explanation of this fact, backed by carbon-14 dating, was the long residence time due to flow lines going down to depths of more than 1000 m. This flow model assumes homogenous conditions to these depths. This assumption can not be supported by evidence from deep wells. Thus a modified model is suggested which maintains homogenous conditions only to about 300 m and a deep confined aquifer below containing paleowater. The higher degree of depletion of this water has been explained by a colder climate on top of an altitude effect. Another interesting observation was the correlation between the isotopic composition of the rains, the month of the rain event and the composition of the recharge group groundwater. It could be seen that the winter rains resemble the groundwater composition, which shows that practically all the spring and summer rains were evapotranspirated.     

The stable isotope signature of kilometre-scale fracturedominated metamorphic fluid pathways, Mary Kathleen, Australia

Abstract Large calcite veins and pods in the Proterozoic Corella Formation of the Mount Isa Inlier provide evidence for kilometre-scale fluid transport during amphibolite facies metamorphism. These 10- to 100-m-scale podiform veins and their surrounding alteration zones have similar oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios throughout the 200 × 10-km Mary Kathleen Fold Belt, despite the isotopic heterogeneity of the surrounding wallrocks. The fluids that formed the pods and veins were not in isotopic equilibrium with the immediately adjacent rocks. The pods have δ¹³C_calcite values of –2 to –7% and δ¹⁸O_calcite values of 10.5 to 12.5%. Away from the pods, metadolerite wallrocks have δ¹⁸O_whole-rock values of 3.5 to 7%. and unaltered banded calc-silicate and marble wallrocks have δ¹³C_calcite of –1.6 to –0.6%, and δ¹⁸O_calcite of 18 to 21%. In the alteration zones adjacent to the pods, the δ¹⁸O values of both metadolerite and calc-silicate rocks approach those of the pods. Large calcite pods hosted entirely in calc-silicates show little difference in isotopic composition from pods hosted entirely in metadolerite. Thus, 100- to 500-m-scale isotopic exchange with the surrounding metadolerites and calc-silicates does not explain the observation that the δ¹⁸O values of the pods are intermediate between these two rock types. Pods hosted in felsic metavolcanics and metasiltstones are also isotopically indistinguishable from those hosted in the dominant metadolerites and calc-silicates. These data suggest the veins are the product of infiltration of isotopically homogeneous fluids that were not derived from within the Corella Formation at the presently exposed crustal level, although some of the spread in the data may be due to a relatively small contribution from devolatilization reactions in the calc-silicates, or thermal fluctuations attending deformation and metamorphism. The overall L-shaped trend of the data on plots of δ¹³C vs. δ¹⁸O is most consistent with mixing of large volumes of externally derived fluids with small volumes of locally derived fluid produced by devolatilization of calc-silicate rocks. Localization of the vein systems in dilatant sites around metadolerite/calc-silicate boundaries indicates a strong structural control on fluid flow, and the stable isotope data suggest fluid migration must have occurred at scales greater than at least 1 km. The ultimate source for the external fluid is uncertain, but is probably fluid released from crystallizing melts derived from the lower crust or upper mantle. Intrusion of magmas below the exposed crustal level would also explain the high geothermal gradient calculated for the regional metamorphism.     

Optimum merger time-scales and binary evolution

A study of galaxy mergers, on the basis of the collisional theory, using galaxy models without halos and considering the evolution of the proginator galaxies only from a time when the gravitational interaction between them is physically significant, indicates that most of the mergers are affected in 2 to 3 orbital periods for progenitors of comparable mass: shorter and longer time-scales being underabundant. These results have a bearing on the evolution of binary galaxies; indicating that once the relative orbit of a binary is circularized, the components will merge during the subsequent orbit or the next one (in a time-scale ~ 10⁸ years). These results are also indicative of the fact that binary evolution is very likely to cause a gradual evolution of the fundamental plane occupied by paired ellipticals from that of isolated ellipticals. After the merger, the remnant is very likely to define a fundamental plane with a slightly different slope.     

A Critical review of theoretical models of negatively polarized light scattered by atmosphereless solar system bodies

About a dozen physical mechanisms and models aspire to explain the negative polarization of light scattered by atmosphereless celestial bodies. This is too large a number for the reliable interpretation of observational data. Through a comparative analysis of the models, our main goal is to answer the question: Does any one model have an advantage over the others? Our analysis is based on new laboratory polarimetric and photometric data as well as on theoretical results. We show that the widely used models due to Hopfield and Wolff cannot realistically explain the phase-angle dependence of the degree of polarization observed at small phase angles. The so-called interference or coherent backscattering mechanism is the most promising model. Models based on that mechanism use well-defined physical parameters to explain both negative polarization and the opposition effect. They are supported by laboratory experiments, particularly those showing enhancement of negative polarization with decreasing particle size down to the wavelength of light. According to the interference mechanism, pronounced negative branches of polarization, like those of C-class asteroids, may indicate a high degree of optical inhomogeneity of light-scattering surfaces at small scales. The mechanism also seems appropriate for treating the negative polarization and opposition effects of cometary dust comae, planetary rings, and the zodiacal light.     

Numerical modelling of the impact crater depth-diameter dependence in an acoustically fluidized target

2D numerical modelling of impact cratering has been utilized to quantify an important depth-diameter relationship for different crater morphologies, simple and complex. It is generally accepted that the final crater shape is the result of a gravity-driven collapse of the transient crater, which is formed immediately after the impact. Numerical models allow a quantification of the formation of simple craters, which are bowl-shaped depressions with a lens of rock debris inside, and complex craters, which are characterized by a structural uplift. The computation of the cratering process starts with the first contact of the impactor and the planetary surface and ends with the morphology of the final crater. Using different rheological models for the sub-crater rocks, we quantify the influence on crater mechanics. To explain the formation of complex craters in accordance to the threshold diameter between simple and complex craters, we utilize the Acoustic Fluidization model. We carried out a series of simulations over a broad parameter range with the goal to fit the observed depth/diameter relationships as well as the observed threshold diameters on the Moon, Earth and Venus.     

Exposure dating and reinterpretation of coarse debris accumulations (‘rock glaciers’) in the Cairngorm Mountains,Scotland

Relict rock glaciers have considerable potential for contributing to palaeoclimatic reconstruction, but this potential is often undermined by lack of dating control and problems of interpretation. Here we reinvestigate and date four proposed ‘rock glaciers’ in the Cairngorm Mountains and show that the morphology of only one of these appears consistent with that of a true rock glacier produced by creep of underlying ice or ice‐rich sediment. All four features comprise rockslide or rock avalanche runout debris, and the possibility that all four represent unmodified runout accumulations cannot be discounted. Surface exposure dating of the four debris accumulations using cosmogenic ¹⁰Be produced uncertainty‐weighted mean ages of 15.4 ± 0.8 ka, 16.2 ± 1.0 ka, 12.1 ± 0.6 ka and 12.7 ± 0.8 ka. All four ages imply emplacement under cold stadial conditions, two prior to the Windermere Interstade of ca. 14.5–12.9 cal. ka BP and two during the Loch Lomond Stade of ca. 12.9–11.5 cal. ka BP. The above ages indicate that paraglacial rock‐slope failure on granite rockwalls occurred within a few millennia after deglaciation. The mean exposure ages obtained for runout debris at two sites – Strath Nethy (16.2 ± 1.0 ka) and Lairig Ghru (15.4 ± 0.8 ka) – are consistent with basal radiocarbon ages from Loch Etteridge, 22 km to the southwest (mean = 15.6 ± 0.3 cal. ka BP) and imply widespread deglaciation of the Cairngorms and adjacent valleys before 15 ka and possibly 16 ka. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.