Preface: Workshop on matter,astrophysics, gravitation,ions and cosmology—MAGIC23

We outline our experience in organizing the first edition of the Workshop on Matter, Astrophysics, Gravitation, Ions and Cosmology, held in virtual and in-person format, denominated MAGIC23, held from 6 to 10 March, 2023, in Praia do Rosa, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The event aimed to bring together leading academic scientists, professors, students, and research scholars for exchanging experiences and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, practical challenges, and experimental and theoretical solutions adopted in the investigation fields within the scope of the meeting. The workshop offered to the participants a platform for scientific and academic projects, partnerships, and presentation of high-quality research contributions describing original and unpublished results on topics related to matter, astrophysics, gravitation, ions, and cosmology.     

Influence of Thermal Effects on the Wind Field Within the Urban Environment

Micrometeorological conditions in the vicinity of urban buildings strongly influence the requirements that are imposed on building heating and cooling. The goal of the present study, carried out within the Advance Tools for Rational Energy Use towards Sustainability (ATREUS) European research network, is the evaluation of the wind field around buildings with walls heated by solar radiation. Two computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes were validated against extensive wind-tunnel observations to assess the influence of thermal effects on model performance. The code selected from this validation was used to simulate the wind and temperature fields for a summer day in a specific region of the city of Lisbon. For this study, the meteorological data produced by a non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model (MM5) were used as boundary conditions for a CFD code, which was further applied to analyze the effects of local roughness elements and thermodynamic conditions on the air flow around buildings. The CFD modelling can also provide the inflow parameters for a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, used to evaluate the building energy budgets and to predict performance of the air-conditioning system. The main finding of the present three-dimensional analyses is that thermal forcing associated with the heating of buildings can significantly modify local properties of the air flow.     

Spatial and temporal changes in dry-snow line altitude on the Antarctic Peninsula

Drastic changes were detected in glacial systems of the Antarctic Peninsula in the last decades. The observed phenomena comprise the disintegration of ice shelves, acceleration and thinning of glaciers, and retreat of glacier fronts. However, due to the lack of consistent systematic observations in particular of the higher parts of the glacial systems, it is difficult to predict further responses of the Antarctic Peninsula glaciers to climatic change. The present paper analyses spatial and temporal variations of changes in the dry-snow line altitude on the Antarctic Peninsula as extracted from a time series (1992–2005) of ERS-1/2 SAR and Envisat ASAR data. Upward changes in dry-snow line altitude were observed in general, and are attributed to extreme high-temperature events impacting the central plateaus of the Antarctic Peninsula and the increasing duration of warming periods. A mean decrease in dry-snow line altitude was detected on the west side of the peninsula and is identified as a response to recorded increase in precipitation and accumulation. These results validate the capability of SAR data for deriving superficial parameters of glaciers to be used as indicators of climatic changes in high-latitude regions where operational restrictions limit conventional meteorological observations.     

Spatial trends in heavy metals and nitrogen deposition in Navarra (Northern Spain) based on moss analysis

A biomonitoring survey using the moss species Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. was performed in the North of Navarra (Spain) in 2006. The levels of V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Zr, Cd, Hg and Pb, and the total nitrogen content were determined in the samples by means of ICP-MS, CV-AA, and the Kjeldahl method. PCA analysis showed a differentiation between lithogenic (V, Cr, Mn, Ni, As and Zr) and anthropogenic elements (Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb). Spatial distribution maps were drawn using the kriging method, in order to identify the most affected areas and the main pollution sources. A similar spatial distribution was observed for the elements belonging to each group separated by the PCA, showing an important contribution from metal industries located in the Basque Country, as well as influence of long-range transboundary pollution processes. Background levels were also determined for the study area, along with the contamination factor for the different elements analysed. Mosses seemed to be good biomonitors of N deposition in areas of accumulation.     

Massive cosmic strings in Bianchi type II

We study a massive cosmic strings with BII symmetries cosmological models in two contexts. The first of them is the standard one with a barotropic equation of state. In the second one we explore the possibility of taking into account variable “constants” (G and Λ). Both models are studied under the self-similar hypothesis. We put special emphasis in calculating the numerical values for the equations of state. We find that for ω∈(0,1], G, is a growing time function while Λ, behaves as positive decreasing time function. If ω=0, both “constants”, G and Λ, behave as true constants.     

Gas kinematics in the halo of the warm ULIRG PKS1345+12

We use long-slit spectra taken with the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma and high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope imaging to study the gas kinematic in the halo of the ultraluminous infrared/radio galaxy PKS1345+12 (z=0.122). Our long-slit spectra show line splitting at the locations of massive star clusters ( $10^{6}<M_{\mathrm{SSC}}^{\mathrm{YSP}}<10^{7}$ M_⊙), indicating that they are moving at up to 450 km?s^?1 with respect to the local ambient gas. Given their kinematics, it is plausible that these super star clusters have been formed either in fast-moving gas streams or tidal tails that are falling back into the nuclear regions as part of the merger process, or as a consequence of jet-induced star formation linked to the extended, diffuse radio emission detected in the halo of the galaxy.     

Assessment of Raman spectroscopy as a tool for the non-destructive identification of organic minerals and biomolecules for Mars studies

Several characteristic geological features found on the surface of Mars by planetary rovers suggest that a possible extinct biosphere could exist based on similar sources of energy as occurred on Earth. For this reason, analytical instrumental protocols for the detection of biomarkers in suitable geological matrices unequivocally have to be elaborated for future unmanned explorations including the forthcoming ESA ExoMars mission. As part of the Pasteur suite of analytical instrumentation on ExoMars, the Raman/LIBS instrument will seek elemental and molecular information about geological, biological and biogeological markers in the Martian record. A key series of experiments on terrestrial Mars analogues, of which this paper addresses a particularly important series of compounds, is required to obtain the Raman spectra of key molecules and crystals, which are characteristic for each biomarker. Here, we present Raman spectra of several examples of organic compounds which have been recorded non-destructively—higher n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carotenoids, salts of organic acids, pure crystalline terpenes as well as oxygen-containing organic compounds. In addition, the lower limit of β-carotene detection in sulphate matrices using Raman microspectroscopy was estimated.     

Baily’s Beads Atlas in 2005 – 2008 Eclipses

In the annular or total eclipses of 3 October 2005, 29 March 2006, 22 September 2006, and 1 August 2008, observational campaigns were organized to record the phenomenon of Baily’s beads. These campaigns were internationally coordinated through the International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) at both its American and European sections. From the stations in the northern and southern zones of grazing eclipse, the eclipses have been recorded on video. Afterward, as many beads as possible have been identified by analyzing the video data of each observing station. The atlas presented in this paper includes 598 data points, obtained by 23 observers operating at 28 different observing stations. The atlas lists the geographic positions of the observing stations and the observed time instants of disappearance or reappearance of beads, identified by an angle measured relative to the Moon’s axis of rotation. The atlas will serve as a basis for determining the solar diameter. Electronic Supplementary Material  The online version of this article () contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.