Formation Mechanism of Soft X-Ray Transient Trans-Equatorial Loop System

The Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) onboard Yohkoh often observed large-scale coronal loops connecting two active regions situated in opposite hemispheres. These are the trans-equatorial loop systems (TLSs). The formation mechanism of TLSs is not yet known. We analyzed a TLS observed simultaneously with Yohkoh/SXT and a coronagraph (SOHO/LASCO-C1). SOHO/LASCO-C1 observed loop expansion and eruption at the west solar limb. Yohkoh/SXT observed a rising motion (chromospheric evaporation) of hot and dense plasmas from the active regions located at the footpoints of the loop. Important results of our analyses are that (1) the loop eruption and the rising motion of the plasmas were simultaneous, (2) the TLS had a cusp-like appearance, and (3) the highest temperature region of the TLS was located above the bright loop seen in soft X rays. These observational results (loop expansion, eruption, and chromospheric evaporation) suggest that this bright (high-density) TLS was created by the same mechanism by which a solar flare occurs, namely, magnetic reconnection. In this paper, we propose a formation mechanism of the TLS that forms between two independent active regions.     

A type of second order linear ordinary differential equations with periodic coefficients for which the characteristic exponents have exact expressions

It is shown that the characteristic exponents can be exactly expressed for a type of second order linear ordinary differential equations with periodic coefficients (Hill's equation) which appear as the variational equations of certain periodic solutions of dynamical systems. Key points are the transformation of the equation to the Gauss' hypergeometric differential equation, and evaluation of the trace of monodormy matrix in the complex plane of the independent variable. Two simple examples are given for which the stability of periodic solutions is rigorously analyzed.     

Hill stability of the planar three-body problem: General and restricted cases

The equations of motion of the planar three-body problem split into two parts, called an external part and an internal part. When the third mass approaches zero, the first part tends to the equations of the Kepler motion of the primaries and the second part to the equations of motion of the restricted problem.We discuss the Hill stability from these equations of motion and the energy integral. In particular, the Jacobi integral for the circular restricted problem is seen as an infinitesimal-mass-order term of the Sundman function in this context.     

TeV γ-rays from old supernova remnants

We study the emission from an old supernova remnant (SNR) with an age of around 10⁵ yr and that from a giant molecular cloud (GMC) encountered by the SNR. When the SNR age is around 10⁵ yr, proton acceleration is efficient enough to emit TeV γ-rays both at the shock of the SNR and that in the GMC. The maximum energy of primarily accelerated electrons is so small that TeV γ-rays and X-rays are dominated by hadronic processes,  π⁰  -decay and synchrotron radiation from secondary electrons, respectively. However, if the SNR is older than several 10⁵ yr, there are few high-energy particles emitting TeV γ-rays because of the energy-loss effect and/or the wave-damping effect occurring at low-velocity isothermal shocks. For old SNRs or SNR–GMC interacting systems capable of generating TeV γ-ray emitting particles, we calculated the ratio of TeV γ-ray (1–10 TeV) to X-ray (2–10 keV) energy flux and found that it can be more than  ∼10²  . Such a source showing large flux ratio may be a possible origin of recently discovered unidentified TeV sources.     

Splitting of the subtropical gyre in the western North Pacific

Examined here is a hypothetical idea of the splitting of the subtropical gyre in the western North Pacific on the basis of two independent sources of data,i.e., the long-term mean geopotential-anomaly data compiled by the Japanese Oceanographic Data Center and the synoptic hydrographic (STD) data taken by the Hakuho Maru in the source region of the Kuroshio and the Subtropical Countercurrent in the period February and March 1974. Both of the synoptic and the long-term mean dynamic-topographic maps reveal three major ridges, which indicate that the western subtropical gyre is split into three subgyres. Each subgyre is made up of the pair of currents, the Kuroshio and the Kuroshio Countercurrent, the Subtropical Countercurrent and a westward flow lying just south of the Countercurrent (18°N–21°N), and the northern part of the North Fquatorial Current and an eastward flow at around 18°N. The subgyres are more or less composed of a train of anticyclonic eddies with meridional scales of between 300 and 600 km, so that the volume transport of the subgyres varies by a factor of two or more from section to section. The upper-water characteristics also support the splitting of the subtropical gyre; the water characteristics are fairly uniform within each subgyre, but markedly different between them. The northern rim of each subgyre appears as a sharp density front accompanied by an eastward flow. The bifurcations of the sharp density fronts across the western boundary current indicate that the major part of the surface waters in the North Equatorial Countercurrent is not brought into the Kuroshio. The western boundary current appears as a continuous feature of high speed, but the waters transported change discontinuously at some places.     

A steady model of typical non-large-meander paths of the Kuroshio Current

Conditions south of Cape Shiono-misaki for the nearshore and offshore non-large-meander (NLM) paths of the Kuroshio Current are studied using a two-layer reduced gravity model. A steady and non-diffusive state is assumed, and the conservation laws of Bernoulli's function and potential vorticity along the current axis are used. Spatial changes of velocity and depth of the current are imposed as boundary conditions south of Cape Shiono-misaki. These conditions are based on the facts that are ohserved south of the cape: abrupt acceleration of the Kuroshio and the spatial change of sea levels. The current paths east of the cape are computed.This model reproduces well the actual nearshore NLM paths. It also produces offshore NLM paths west of and over the Izu Ridge, but not east of the Izu Ridge. Diffusion of vorticity may be important for the eastern part of the offshore NLM path.An increase of velocity south of the cape is necessary for producing realistic NLM paths. The velocity increase accompanies a decrease of current depth owing to Bernoulli's conservation, and the depth decrease in turn diminishes the absolute vorticity owing to the potential vorticity conservation. The velocity increase, on the other hand, strengthens the negative velocity shear and diminishes the relative vorticity. If the decreases of the relative and absolute vorticities compensate each other, the path goes excessively southward owing to the negative curvature south of the cape. Dominance of the relative vorticity change over the absolute vorticity change prevents, the path from shifting southward and causes the realistic NLM paths.The NLM paths need different amplitudes of the changes south of the cape depending on the velocity and transport of the current, but in any case, the nearshore NLM path needs larger changes than the offshore NLM path. This property and the amplitude of the changes are consistent with observations.     

Spectral properties of sea level and time scales of Kuroshio path variations

Spectral properties of sea levels at Naze, Nishinoomote, Kushimoto, Uragami, Miyake-jima and HachijÔ-jima are examined for the non-large-meander (February 1964 – May 1975) and large-meander (October 1975 – December 1979) periods, and the periodicity of variation of the Kuroshio path is clarified.The large meander of the Kuroshio occurs with a primary period of about 20 years and secondary period of 7 to 8. 5 years. During the non-large-meander period, the Kuroshio alternately takes the nearshore and offshore non-large-meander paths with a primary period of 1. 6–1. 8 years. This variation is moreover composed of 110-day, around 195-day and annual periods. The 110-day variation of the Kuroshio path appears to have influence on the coastal sea levels between the Kii Peninsula and the Izu Ridge;i. e., the coastal sea levels rise and fall with one-month time lag after the Kuroshio has begun to approach and leave the Japanese coast. During the large-meander period, the 70 and 110-day variations are remarkable in sea levels south of Japan except Miyake-jima and HachijÔ-jima. The 70-day variation is highly coherent throughout the south coast of Japan; the coherent area of the 110-day variation seems to be smaller.The sea-level variations at Naze and Nishinoomote are not significantly coherent for any of the periods except for annual and semiannual cycles during both the non-large-meander and large-meander periods. That is, the sea-level variations are incoherent between the onshore and offshore sides of the Kuroshio, except for seasonal variation.     

The coastal undercurrent— A role of longshore scales in coastal upwelling dynamics

A simple three-dimensional model of a time-dependent coastal upwelling is discussed for time scales of several days to a week, with the linear, two-layer, flat-bottom and $\text{?-}\text{plane}$ approximation. Emphasis is placed on the effects of longshore scales determined by the longshore variabilities in the wind stress distributions. The responses of the inshore motions are shown to depend critically on the longshore scales. For a certain wide range of the scales, the system reveals dominantly baroclinic responses and a full development of the poleward coastal undercurrent without β effect. Somewhat detailed discussions are given on the coastal upwelling, the coastal jet and the poleward undercurrent, which are interpreted simply as the orbital velocities of the forced Kelvin-type waves.     

Attachment and feeding of pelagic copepods on larvacean houses

The attachment and feeding of pelagic copepods on discarded and occupied oikopleurid larvacean houses were investigated from May 1989 to August 1991 at an offshore station in the Nansei Islands, which is strongly influenced by the Kuroshio Current, and an inshore station in the central Seto Inland Sea.Oncaea spp.,Microsetella norvegica, and other calanoid and cyclopoid copepods were found attached onto discarded and occupied houses throughout the year at the offshore station, whereas neither discarded nor occupied houses, carried copepods at the inshore station at any time. The feeding behavior ofOncaea sp. in a discarded house was observed with a video tape recorder system.