Solar torsional oscillations and the grand activity cycle

Some consequences of a nonlinear coupling between magnetic field and rotation are studied within a solar type 2D dynamo model for a spherical convective shell. The magnetic feedback on the rotation law produces two main effects. First, the torsional oscillations are excited. Second, a long-term amplitude modulation of the dynamo cycles is produced. The latter may be identified with the grand cycle of solar activity. The dynamo model seems to be in accord with the phase relations between the torsional and magnetic activity oscillations observed in the 11-year cycle as well as in the 55-year grand cycle. It, however, fails to reproduce the observationally suggested global decreasing trend in the equatorial rotation rate.     

APEX-SZ a Sunyaev–Zel’dovich galaxy cluster survey

The APEX-SZ experiment is a sky survey designed to discover galaxy clusters via the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect at millimeter wavelengths. We describe the components of the instrument, including the 12 m Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope, optics, Transition-edge sensor bolometer array and SQUID readout. APEX-SZ will begin observations in 2004.     

MAXIPOL: a balloon-borne experiment for measuring the polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation

We discuss MAXIPOL, a bolometric balloon-borne experiment designed to measure the E-mode polarization anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) on angular scales of 10^′ to 2°. MAXIPOL is the first CMB experiment to collect data with a polarimeter that utilizes a rotating half-wave plate and fixed wire-grid polarizer. We present the instrument design, elaborate on the polarimeter strategy and show the instrument performance during flight with some time domain data. Our primary dataset was collected during a 26 h turnaround flight that was launched from the National Scientific Ballooning Facility in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico in May 2003. During this flight five regions of the sky were mapped. Data analysis is in progress.     

Strange stars and their cooling with positron electrical neutralization of quark matter

Questions of the equilibrium, stability, and observational manifestations of strange stars are considered, in which electrical neutralization of the quark matter is provided by positrons, as occurs for some sets of bag parameters resulting in a stiffer equation of state. Such models consist entirely of self-contained, strange quark matter and their maximum mass reaches 2.4–2.5 M_⊙ with a radius of 13–14 km. The cooling of such strange quark stars both in the absence and in the presence of mass accretion is investigated. It is shown that in the absence of mass accretion onto the strange star, the dependence of temperature (T, K) on age (t, yr) depends very little on the mass of the configuration and has the form T ≈ 2.3·10⁸r^−1/5. If the star’s initial temperature is sufficiently high (T₀≥2·10¹⁰K), then the total number of electron-positron pairs emitted does not depend on it and is determined only by the total mass of the configuration. In the case of accretion, the annihilation of electrons of the infalling fatter with positrons of the strange quark matter results in the emission of γ-rays with an energy of∼0.5 MeV, by observing which one can distinguish candidates for strange stars. The maximum temperature of strange stars with mass accretion is calculated. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 617–630, October–December, 1999.     

The massive double-lined O-type binary HD 165052

We present a new optical spectroscopic study of the O-type binary HD 165052 based on high- and intermediate-resolution CCD observations. We re-investigated the spectral classification of the binary components, obtaining spectral types of O6.5 V and O7.5 V for the primary and secondary, respectively, finding that both stars display weak C  iii λ 5696 emission in their spectra. We also determined a radial-velocity orbit for HD 165052 with a period of  2.95510±0.00001 d  , and semi-amplitudes of 94.8 and  104.7±0.5 km s^-1  , resulting in a mass ratio   Q =0.9  . From a comparison with previous radial-velocity determinations, we found evidence of apsidal motion in the system. Several signatures of wind–wind collision, such as phase-locked variability of the X-ray flux and the Struve–Sahade effect, are also considered. It was also found that the reddening in the region should be normal, in contrast with previous determinations.