Has the crab pulsar magnetic field grown after its birth?

We investigate the evolution of rotation period and spindown age of a pulsar whose surface magnetic field undergoes a phase of growth. Application of these results to the Crab pulsar strongly indicates that its parameters cannot be accounted for by the field growth theories.     

The magnetic field of an infinite plane current sheet uniform except for two circular insertions of different uniform conductivities

Summary. The electrical system of currents excited by a uniform electric field of arbitrary direction in an infinite plane sheet of uniform conductivity except for two non-overlapping circular areas is obtained analytically. Using the method introduced by Ashour, the magnetic field of the system is also obtained. The components of this additional field are expressed as line integrals which are suitable for computation. The results reduce, in the special case of one insertion, to those obtained earlier by Ashour & Chapman.
As an illustration, numerical results are obtained for the special case of two equal insertions of zero conductivity.
The analysis and results obtained are useful in estimating the modification of the currents flowing in an ocean and their magnetic field by two islands.     

EVIDENCE OF HIGH COSMIC DUST CONCENTRATIONS IN LATE PLEISTOCENE POLAR ICE (20,000–14,000 YEARS BP)

Dust filtered from the lower portion of the Camp Century ice core (77°10'N, 61°08'W) has been analyzed for the presence of the cosmic dust indicators iridium and nickel using the neutron activation analysis technique. This study was carried out to test the hypothesis that the climatic change toward the end of the Last Ice Age was triggered by an incursion of nebular material into the Solar System. The analytical results are consistent with this hypothesis. Concentrations of Ir and Ni in the ice were one to two orders of magnitude higher during the latter portion of the Last Ice Age (19,700-14,200 years BP) as compared with current levels. Ir and Ni levels in 6 out of 8 samples suggest a total cosmic dust influx rate of about 0.5?3 times 10⁷ tons/yr to the Earth's surface as compared with about 1?7 x× 10⁵ tons/yr for the current influx. Elemental concentrations in 6 of the 8 dust samples ranged from 6? 96 ppb for Ir and < 60 to 3200 ppm for Ni. It is concluded that a major fraction of this invading dust would have been of submicron size in which case the concentration of light scattering particles would have been sufficient to significantly alter the light transmission properties of the Solar System and substantially affect the Earth's climate. These results mark the first time that cosmic dust deposition rates have been estimated for prehistoric times using the polar ice record.     

On the structure of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (northern Italy) and its implications for present-day lower continental crust geometry

The Ivrea-Verbano Zone in northern Italy represents a section through the lower continental crust which has been tilted and emplaced into its present position during the Alpine orogeny. Recent and on-going structurally-oriented geological mapping in this region is providing new information about the geometry of the complex. The central part of the zone is dominated by a large basic complex (the 'mafic formation') which is intrusive into the surrounding gneisses. The foliation within the envelope of gneisses is deflected around the intrusive complex as if by ballooning, but in the region south-west of Monte Capio both units are folded together into a tight to isoclinal steeply plunging fold with an amplitude of c. 10 km. This fold locally inverts the stratigraphy of the layered basic group of the complex, and is thought to be the result of gravitational collapse following intrusion and inflation of a large magma body into the lower crust.
Several high-temperature shear zones have now been traced within the country rock for distances up to 20 km. The geometry of these, and their relationship to the basic complex suggests that at least some of the extensional collapse of the mafic body is related to uplift caused by intrusion of this body.
Close parallels can be drawn between the observed structure in the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (after removing the effects of late, low-temperature faulting and folding related to emplacement of the rocks into their present position), and those inferred from deep seismic reflection profiling in areas of current extension such as parts of the US Basin and Range province.     

Stable isotope geochemistry and structural elements of the Sabina region (Central Apennines, Italy)

Various tectonic features are present in the Meso-Cenozoic basin units of the Sabina region (Central Apennines, Italy): Mio-Pliocene northeasterly verging thrusts are followed by Plio-Pleistocene, N-S oriented right-lateral strike-slip faults. Stable isotope geochemistry and examination of meso- and microstructures show that strain conditions differed through the course of tectonic history. Carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of the calate-filled extensional fractures, the sigmoidal veins present between stylolitic cleavage surfaces, and fault plane surfaces with differing motion, demonstrate those different geneses.
The "C/'" C of the older calcite-filling fractures (present both in the thrust and the strike-slip systems) suggests a deposition from shallow, fresh water circulation. Furthermore, the calcite fill of en echelon systems, that occur in the southernmost Plio-Pleistocene units, is clearly the result of a more recent, right-lateral strike-slip movement, connected with shallow water circulation within Mesozoic limestones.
The sigmoidal vein fills are derived from solid-state pressure solution processes which were the result of strike-slip movement. The deformation pattern related to the older thrust system is similar, but less intense; this also demonstrates general recrystallization processes in a closed system.
This suggests that the total shortening of the deformed sections is lower than that obtained on the basis of solution on stylolitic planes, because a sigruficant volume of dissolved carbonates remained in the system.
Stable isotope analysis also confirms that the deformational history of strongly cleaved rocks in the Sabina region took place in two phases and that extensional fractures formed before stylolithic planes, as suggested by structural and field observations.     

Astrometry from space: GAIA and planet detection

The proposed baseline GAIA mission will be able to detect the astrometric signature of Jupiter-size planets around of the order of a million stars, using either global or narrow-angle astrometry. If the mission can realize the higher astrometric accuracy that photon statistics allows for bright stars, lower-mass planets (from Earth size to ten times larger) can be found around ten to a few hundred stars.     

石英砂扫描电镜在漓江“泥砾”成因中的应用

本文根据扫描电镜对从漓江河谷钻孔中的泥砾层取得的481粒石英砂表面形态特证研究结果:石英砂多数颗粒保持棱角状外形并遭受不同程度的磨蚀,具阶状贝壳断口,平直或弧形刮削面和多向擦痕,沿解理面破碎呈“V”字形沟和撞击碟形坑,以及微溶蚀孔、隙、蜂窝状溶孔群和SiO_2再沉积等表面形态结构特征。认为它是在第四纪古地理湿热气候条件下泥石流沉积的产物,物源可能来自境内或周边的泥盆系砂岩和境外的花岗岩。     

Influence of viscous dissipation on a hydromagnetic field

The effect of a transverse magnetic field and of the viscosity diffusion on the free-convection flow of an electrically-conducting incompressible fluid past a uniformally accelerated vertical plate is discussed. A finite difference method has been used to obtain a numerical solution. The influence of the various parameters on the flow field is discussed.