The Soviet ASTRON mission: legacy

2013 marks the 30th anniversary since the launch of Soviet Spacecraft Astron that had been operated for 6 years as the largest ultraviolet telescope during its lifetime. The Astron orbital station was designed for the astrophysical observations. It was launched into orbit by Proton launch system on March 23, 1983. Astron had a 80 cm ultraviolet telescope with mass of 400 kg and a complex of X-ray spectrographs with mass of 300 kg on board as a payload. It’s high apogee orbit (with apogee 200000 km and perigee 2000 km) permitted the influences of the Earth’s umbra and radiation belts to be excluded from the measurements. The main astrophysical results are summarized in this paper.     

Radial distributions of gamma-ray bursts and type Ib/c supernovae in galaxies

Data on the positions of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in galaxies are used to construct the radial distributions of their surface density. The gradient in GRB surface density is shown to decrease sharply at a galactocentric distance equal to the effective galactic radius. In central galactic regions, the GRB density distribution agrees with the galactic surface-brightness distribution; in outer regions, the GRB density decreases more slowly than does the surface brightness. Based on improved statistics, we analyze the radial distribution of type Ib/c supernovae. We show that it differs insignificantly from the distributions of other types of supernova and exhibits a much closer similarity to the distribution of star-forming regions than do GRBs. Although the statistics for GRBs is poor, the deviation of their distribution from the distribution of active star-forming regions in nearby galaxies seems to have been firmly established. A correlation of GRBs with the distribution of dark matter in outer galactic regions is not ruled out.     

Spectra and light curves of GRB afterglows

We performed accurate numerical calculations of angle-, time-, and frequency-dependent radiative transfer for the relativistic motion of matter in gamma-ray burst (GRB) models. Our technique for solving the transfer equation, which is based on the method of characteristics, can be applied to the motion of matter with a Lorentz factor up to 1000. The effect of synchrotron self-absorption is taken into account. We computed the spectra and light curves from electrons with a power-law energy distribution in an expanding relativistic shock and compare them with available analytic estimates. The behavior of the optical afterglows from GRB 990510 and GRB 000301c is discussed qualitatively.     

Excitation of the solar oscillations by objects consisting of y-matter

Modern development of particle physics makes it probable that new, still undiscovered, particles exist interacting with the ordinary matter by means of gravitation only. Okun suggested to call such particles the y-particles and to call the matter consisting of them the y-matter. We show that planet-like object orbiting inside the Sun and consisting of y-matter may explain 160 min nonradial solar oscillations.     

The condensation origin of zoned metal grains in Queen Alexandra Range 94411: Implications for the formation of the Bencubbin‐like chondrites

Abstract— Thermodynamic analysis of the compositional profiles across large chemically‐zoned Fe, Ni metal grains in the Bencubbin‐like chondrite Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 94411 suggests that these grains formed by non‐equilibrium gas‐solid condensation under variable oxidizing conditions, isolation degree, and Cr depletion factors. The oxidizing conditions must have resulted from the complete vaporization of nebular regions with enhanced dust/gas ratios (～ 10–40 × solar). Because the origin of each of the metal grains studied requires different condensation parameters (dust/gas ratio, isolation degree, and Cr depletion factor), a high degree of heterogeneity in the formation region of the Bencubbin‐like chondrite metal is required. To preserve compositional zoning of the metal grains and prevent their melting and sulfidization, the grains must have been removed from the hot condensation region into cold regions where the accretion of the Bencubbin‐like asteroidal body took place.     

Paleomagnetic constraints on the paleogeography and oroclinal bending of the Devonian volcanic arc in Kazakhstan

Numerical modelling, incorporating coupling between surface processes and induced flow in the lower continental crust, is used to address the Quaternary evolution of the Gulf of Corinth region in central Greece. The post-Early Pleistocene marine depocentre beneath this Gulf overlies the northern margin of an older (Early Pleistocene and earlier) lacustrine basin, the Proto Gulf of Corinth Basin or PGCB. In the late Early Pleistocene, relief in this region was minimal but, subsequently, dramatic relief has developed, involving the creation of  900 m of bathymetry within the Gulf and the uplift by many hundreds of metres of the part of the PGCB, south of the modern Gulf, which forms the Gulf's main sediment supply. It is assumed that, as a result of climate change around 0.9 Ma, erosion of this sediment source region and re-deposition of this material within the Gulf began, both processes occurring at spatial average rates of  0.2 mm a^− 1. Modelling of the resulting isostatic response indicates that the local effective viscosity of the lower crust is  4 × 10¹⁹ Pa s, indicating a Moho temperature of  560 °C. It predicts that the  10 mm a^− 1 of extension across this  70 km wide model region, at an extensional strain rate of  0.15 Ma^− 1, is partitioned with  3 mm a^− 1 across the sediment source,  2 mm a^− 1 across the depocentre, and  5 mm a^− 1 across the ‘hinge zone’ in between, the latter value being an estimate of the extension rate on normal faults forming the major topographic escarpment at the southern margin of the Gulf. This modelling confirms the view, suggested previously, that coupling between this depocentre and sediment source by lower-crustal flow can explain the dramatic development in local relief since the late Early Pleistocene. The effective viscosity of the lower crust in this region is not particularly low; the strong coupling interpreted between the sediment source and depocentre results instead from their close proximity. In detail, the effective viscosity of the lower crust is expected to decrease northward across this model region, due to the northward increase in exposure of the base of the continental lithosphere to the asthenosphere; in the south the two are separated by the subducting Hellenic slab. The isostatic consequences of such a lateral variation in viscosity provide a natural explanation for why, since  0.9 Ma, the modern Gulf has developed asymmetrically over the northern part of the PGCB, leaving the rest of the PGCB to act as its sediment source.     

Metal Speciation in Water of the Flooded Mine “Arsenic” (Karelia,Russia): Equilibrium-Kinetic Modeling with a Focus on the Influence of Humic Substances

Equilibrium-kinetic modeling allows investigating metal behavior in the water–rock-organic matter system with time to evaluate anthropogenic effects on the environment. In the article, the interactions of stagnant mine drainage water of the flooded mine “Arsenic” with ore and gangue minerals were simulated using different organic matter incorporation approaches. If the model is closed to humic substances (no additional organic matter input), most fulvic acids are bound in the Fe fulvate complex. While under the removal of Fe fulvate from the model, the Cu fulvate becomes prevalent, the contribution of the fulvate complexes with Zn, Mg, and Ca also increases. This scenario simulates the organo-mineral complexes behavior well and allows identifying the sequence of metal binding to organic ligands as follows Fe?>?Cu?>?Zn?>?Mg?>?Ca. The second scenario imitates the constant input of organic matter to the model (open system regarding humic substances). The dissolved metal concentrations in the model solution are extremely high in comparison to the mine drainage water. This scenario demonstrates that excessive input of organic matter leads to the accumulation of the metals in a dissolved form and blocks the secondary mineral formation despite the faster dissolution of the primary minerals under a more acidic pH than in the first scenario. However, despite the differences between the model solution and the mine drainage water, this scenario is useful to address specific issues associated with changes in natural and anthropogenic conditions. Both scenarios show the importance of organic matter incorporation to the equilibrium-kinetic models.

     

Scientific program construction principles and time allocation scheme for the World Space Observatory—Ultraviolet mission

We present scientific program construction principles and a time allocation scheme developed for the World Space Observatory—Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) mission, which is an international space observatory for observation in UV spectral range 100–300 nm. The WSO-UV consists of a 1.7 m aperture telescope with instrumentation designed to carry out high resolution spectroscopy, long-slit low resolution spectroscopy and direct sky imaging. The WSO-UV Ground Segment is under development by Spain and Russia. They will coordinate the Mission and Science Operations and provide the satellite tracking stations for the project.     

Dynamics of intrathermocline vortices in a gyre flow over a seamount chain

The interaction of meddies with a complex distribution of seamounts is studied in a three-layer quasi-geostrophic model on the f-plane. This study aims at understanding if and how this seamount chain can represent a barrier to the propagation of these eddies and how it can be involved in their decay. The eddies are idealized as vortex patches in the middle layer, interacting with a regional cyclonic current and with ten idealized seamounts. The numerical code is based on the contour surgery technique. The initial position, radius, shape, number and polarity of the eddies are varied. The main results are the following: (1) Though they do not describe the unsteady flow, the streamlines of the regional and topographic flow provide a useful estimate of the vortex trajectories, in particular towards the major seamounts, where stronger velocity shears are expected. (2) The tallest and widest seamounts which have the largest vorticity reservoir are able to considerably erode the vortices, but also to draw anticyclones towards the seamount top. The ability of narrower seamounts to erode vortices is related to their multiplicity. (3) Only 1/3 of the anticyclones with about 30-km radius reach the southern boundary of the seamount chain, and their erosion is larger than 50 %. The other anticyclones are either completely eroded or trapped over a wide seamount top. Cyclones are less affected by seamounts because they oppose the topographic draft towards the seamount top and they drift along the side of the seamount. (4) Large vortices resist topographic erosion more efficiently. The rate of erosion grows from a few percent to about 35–50 % as the vortex radius decreases from about 60 to 30 km. Small cyclones are not eroded, contrary to small anticyclones (which completely decay), in relation with the different trajectories of these eddies in the vicinity of the seamounts. (5) The detailed vortex shape does not appear critical for their evolution, if they are close enough to the seamount chain initially. The interaction between a group of vortices initially north of the seamount chain can modify their trajectory to such an extent that they finally avoid collision with seamounts. (6) Finally, meddy trajectories across the Horseshoe Seamounts (data from the AMUSE experiment) show qualitative similarity with the vortex paths in the model. Several events of vortex decay also occur at comparable locations (in particular over the wide and tall seamounts) in the model and observations.