Bright photospheric areas surrounding sunspot groups at 5700 Å

Sunspot groups at various central angles were chosen to study what appears to be an enhanced surrounding area, even at small central angles. The continuous band of observation was 200 Å wide, centered at 5700 Å. The enhancement has been seen before, but only at higher frequencies, as by Jayanthan in the ultraviolet. Four years of sunspot pictures from March 1957 to March 1961, were inspected and no instance of the non-appearance of the enbancement was noted. An attempt to show proof was made by photometry and by high contrast prints of the areas around groups at different central angles. It was shown that more than half of the flux deficit reappears in this enhancement.     

Mineralogy and possible origin of an unusual Cr-rich inclusion in the Los Martinez (L6) chondrite

Abstract— During a petrological study of the previously unclassified ordinary chondrite Los Martínez, we discovered a highly unusual Cr-rich inclusion which we believe is unique in both extraterrestrial and terrestrial mineralogy. The inclusion is highly zoned both compositionally and optically, with a Ca-Al rich, cloudy core and an opaque, Cr-Na-rich rim (up to 24 wt.% Cr₂O₃). Detailed SEM and TEM studies show that the inclusion now consists of a highly zoned, single crystal of plagioclase intergrown with chromium-rich spinel. The spinel has a well-developed crystallographic orientation relationship with the host plagioclase, which indicates that it is the product of exsolution. Although superficially similar to a plagioclase feldspar in composition, in detail the inclusion is Si-deficient and Al-enriched relative to a stoichiometric feldspar. We have not been able to identify a viable precursor mineral phase to the plagioclase-chromite intergrowth and suggest that it may be an unknown metastable phase. The Cr-rich precursors of the inclusion probably have close affinities to the chromite-plagioclase chondrules observed by Ramdohr (1967) in several ordinary chondrites. Based on the zoning in the inclusion, we suggest that it is the product of fractional crystallization from a melt, which may have formed as a liquid condensate, or by melting of solid condensates, in the solar nebula. Subsequent cooling of this melt condensate resulted in crystallization of the, as yet, unidentified phase. After crystallization, the inclusion was probably incorporated into a parent body where it underwent metamorphism and was probably shocked to some degree. During this period of parent body metamorphism, exsolution and decomposition of the unknown precursor occurred to produce the observed intergrowth of plagioclase and chromite. Finally, we have classified Los Martínez as an L6 ordinary chondrite breccia.     

On the dynamics of the jovian ionosphere and thermosphere.: IV. Ion-neutral coupling

We use the fully coupled, three-dimensional, global circulation Jovian Ionospheric Model (JIM) to calculate the coupling between ions in the jovian auroral ovals and the co-existing neutral atmosphere. The model shows that ions subject to drift motion around the auroral oval, as a result of the E×B coupling between a meridional, equatorward electric field and the jovian magnetic field, generate neutral winds in the planetary frame of reference. Unconstrained by the magnetic field, these neutral winds have a greater latitudinal extent than the corresponding ion drifts. Values of the coupling coefficient, k(h), are presented as a function of altitude and cross-auroral electric field strength, for different incoming electron fluxes and energies. The results show that, with ion velocities of several hundred metres per second to over 1 km s⁻¹, k(h) can attain values greater than 0.5 at the ion production peak. This parameter is key to calculating the effective conductivities required to model magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling correctly. The extent to which angular momentum (and therefore energy) is transported vertically in JIM is much more limited than earlier, one-dimensional, studies have predicted.     

The dayside Venus ionosphere: I. Pioneer-Venus retarding potential analyzer experimental observations

The median values of the principal ionospheric quantities of the Venus dayside ionosphere are presented. The values are derived from the quantities measured by the Pioneer-Venus orbiter retarding potential analyzer over a period of two Earth yaers at solar cycle maximum. Quantities reported are total ion density, O⁺ density, O₂⁺ density, sum density (NO⁺ + N₂⁺ + CO⁺), CO₂⁺ density, ion temperature, electron temperature, and plasma particle pressure. The data are organized to reveal altitude, solar zenith angle, solar longitude, and latitude dependences. The O⁺ density exhibits both a solar longitude and a latitude dependence which we suggest is caused by superrotation of the thermosphere and/or ionosphere. Asymmetry between the dawn and dusk terminator regions in the behavior of other quantities is also descibed.     

II. Combined numerical model of ion and neutral composition above 120 km

A coupled neutral-ionic photochemical model has been used to interpret the ionic composition of the Venusian dayside ionosphere measured by the orbiter retarding potential analyser (ORPA) experiment on board the NASA Pioneer-Venus orbiter spacecraft. The electron and ion temperatures also measured by the ORPA are used for calculating the plasma-diffusion coefficients and scale heights for ions. The neutral temperature profiles and the densities of neutral constituents, particularly CO₂ and O, play key roles in the determination of the height profiles of the ionic constituents. All these quantities vary substantially in the Venusian thermosphere near the terminator; the models presented are representatives of the solar zenith angle ～65°. The predicted O₂⁺ densities below ～200km agree particularly well with observations by the ORPA, but the model values are significantly less than those measured by the orbiter ion mass spectrometer (OIMS). Models predict much smaller densities than observed values for all molecular ions above ～200km. The reason for the turn-up trend of the concentration gradient of molecular ions observed at these heights by both ORPA and OIMS is unknown. One of the models can predict O⁺ ion densities above ～200km compatible with observations, if an effective vertical escape flux (φ10⁸cm^?2sec^?1) is assumed at the ionopause. The neutral air density required to explain the observed ion composition is about 1.4 times larger than the values measured by the orbiter neutral mass spectrometer (ONMS).     

A unified presentation of the Voigt functions

This paper aims at presenting a unified study of the Voigt functionsK(x,y) andL(x,y) which play a rather important role in several diverse fields of physics such as astrophysical spectroscopy and the theory of neutron reactions. Explicit expressions for these functions are given in terms of relatively more familiar special functions of one and two variables; indeed, each of these representations will naturally lead to various other needed properties of the Voigt functions.