Calibration of the ART-XC mirror modules at MSFC

The Astronomical Röntgen Telescope X-ray Concentrator (ART-XC) is a hard X-ray telescope with energy response up to 30 keV, to be launched on board the Spectrum Röntgen Gamma (SRG) spacecraft in 2018. ART-XC consists of seven identical co-aligned mirror modules. Each mirror assembly is coupled with a CdTe double-sided strip (DSS) focal-plane detector. Eight X-ray mirror modules (seven flight and one spare units) for ART-XC were developed and fabricated at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), NASA, USA. We present results of testing procedures performed with an X-ray beam facility at MSFC to calibrate the point spread function (PSF) of the mirror modules. The shape of the PSF was measured with a high-resolution CCD camera installed in the focal plane with defocusing of 7 mm, as required by the ART-XC design. For each module, we performed a parametrization of the PSF at various angular distances Θ. We used a King function to approximate the radial profile of the near on-axis PSF (Θ < 9 arcmin) and an ellipse fitting procedure to describe the morphology of the far off-axis angular response (9 < Θ < 24 arcmin). We found a good agreement between the seven ART-XC flight mirror modules at the level of 10%. The on-axis angular resolution of the ART-XC optics varies between 27 and 33 arcsec (half-power diameter), except for the spare module.     

Lead and Mg isotopic age constraints on the evolution of the HED parent body

The large collection of howardite‐eucrite‐diogenite (HED) meteorites allows us to study the initial magmatic differentiation of a planetesimal. We report Pb‐Pb ages of the unequilibrated North West Africa (NWA) 4215 and Dhofar 700 diogenite meteorites and their mass‐independent ²⁶Mg isotope compositions (²⁶Mg*) to better understand the timing of differentiation and crystallization of their source reservoir(s). NWA 4215 defines a Pb‐Pb age of 4484.5 ± 7.9 Myr and has a ²⁶Mg* excess of +2.3 ± 1.6 ppm whereas Dhofar 700 has a Pb‐Pb age of 4546.4 ± 4.7 Myr and a ²⁶Mg* excess of +25.5 ± 1.9 ppm. We interpret the young age of NWA 4215 as a thermal overprint, but the age of Dhofar 700 is interpreted to represent a primary crystallization age. Combining our new data with published Mg isotope and trace element data suggests that approximately half of the diogenites for which such data are available crystallized within the first 1–2 Myr of our solar system, consistent with a short‐lived, early‐formed magma ocean undergoing convective cooling. The other half of the diogenites, including both NWA 4215 and Dhofar 700, are best explained by their crystallization in slowly cooled isolated magma chambers lasting over at least ~20 Myr.     

An improved model of radiative transfer for the NLTE problem in the NIR bands of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CO molecules in the daytime atmosphere of Mars. 2. Population of vibrational states

The near-infrared (NIR) emission of the Martian atmosphere in the CO2 bands at 4.3, 2.7, 2.0, 1.6, 1.4, 1.3, 1.2, and 1.05 µm and in the CO bands at 4.7, 2.3, 1.6, and 1.2 µm is mainly generated under nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) conditions for vibrational states, the transitions from which form the specified bands. The paper presents the results of simulations of the population of these states under NLTE for daytime conditions. In the cold high-latitude troposphere, the NLTE takes place much lower than in the troposphere under typical temperature conditions. If the NIR-radiation reflection from the surface is ignored, the population of high vibrational states substantially decreases, at least, in some layer of the lower atmosphere. However, inelastic collisions of CO₂ and CO molecules with O atoms produce no considerable influence on the values of populations. The population of vibrational states, the transitions from which form NIR bands, is also almost insensitive to possible large values of the quenching-in-collision rate constants of vibrational states higher than CO₂(00⁰1). However, very large errors in the estimates of the population of vibrational states of the CO₂ molecule (rather than the CO molecule!) can be caused by the uncertainty in the values of the rate constant of exchange between CO² molecules by the energy quantum of the asymmetric stretching vibrational mode. For this intermolecular exchange, we recommend a possible way to restrict the vibrational excitation degree of the molecule that is a collision partner and to maintain simultaneously a sufficiently high accuracy in the population estimate.     

Comparison of some characteristics of comets 1P/Halley and 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko from the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vega</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosetta</Emphasis> mission data

On March 6 and 9, 1986, for the first time in the history of science, the Russian spacecraft Vega-1 and -2 approached the nucleus of comet 1P/Halley and flew by at a small distance. A while later, on March 14, 1986, the Giotto spacecraft (European Space Agency (ESA)) followed them. Together with the Japanese spacecraft Suisei (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)), they obtained spaceborne investigations of cometary nuclei. Direct studies of cometary bodies that bear traces of the Solar System formation were continued in the next missions to comets. Starting from 2014 and up to 2016 September, the Rosetta spacecraft (ESA), being in a low orbit around the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, has performed extremely sophisticated investigations of this comet. Here, we compare some results of these missions. The paper is based on the reports presented at the memorial conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Vega mission, which took place at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in March, 2016, and does not pretend to comprehensively cover the problems of cometary physics.     

Positional observations of small solar system bodies with the SBG telescope at the Astronomical Observatory of the Ural Federal University

The telescope SBG (D = 0.42 m, F = 0.76 m) at the Kourovka Astronomical Observatory of the Ural Federal University has undergone an upgrade in 2005–2006. A CCD camera (Apogee Alta U32) and a new drive system were installed, and a new system for telescope and observation control was implemented. This upgrade required verifying the astrometric quality of the telescope. The data processing approaches tested when searching for the optimum CCD image processing technique combined TYCHO2 and UCAC2 catalogues with various reduction models and methods for choosing reference stars. Lorentzian and Moffat profiles were used in the measurement of pixel coordinates. It was demonstrated that the accuracy of SBG observations of main-belt asteroids with precisely determined orbits depends on their brightness and varies from 0.06” (11.5 ^m ) to 0.4” (18.5 ^m ). Regular SBG observations of comets and asteroids (mostly near-Earth and potentially hazardous ones) have been performed since 2007. Coordinates of 8515 positions of 720 asteroids and more than 1000 positions of 40 comets were obtained. The RMS deviations of observed coordinates from their calculated values are typically smaller than 1”: the average deviations for asteroids are 0.33” (in right ascension) and 0.34” (in declination); the corresponding values for comets are 0.37” (in α) and 0.38” (in δ). The results of observations are sent to the Minor Planet Center and are used to determine orbits more accurately and solve other fundamental and applied problems.     

Observations of a Radio-Quiet Solar Preflare

The preflare phase of the flare SOL2011-08-09T03:52 is unique in its long duration, in that it was covered by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) and the Nobeyama Radioheliograph, and because it showed three well-developed soft X-ray (SXR) peaks. No hard X-rays (HXR) are observed in the preflare phase. Here we report that no associated radio emission at 17 GHz was found either, despite the higher sensitivity of the radio instrument. The ratio between the SXR peaks and the upper limit of the radio peaks is higher by more than one order of magnitude than the ratio in regular flares. The result suggests that the ratio between acceleration and heating in the preflare phase was different than in regular flares. Acceleration to relativistic energies, if any, occurred with lower efficiency.     

Comparative Study of the Three-Dimensional Thermodynamical Structure of the Inner Corona of Solar Minimum Carrington Rotations 1915 and 2081

Using differential emission measure tomography (DEMT) based on time series of EUV images, we carry out a quantitative comparative analysis of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the electron density and temperature of the inner corona (\(r<1.25\,\mathrm{R}_{\odot}\)) between two specific rotations selected from the last two solar minima, namely Carrington Rotations (CR)1915 and CR-2081. The analysis places error bars on the results because of the systematic uncertainty of the sources. While the results for CR-2081 are characterized by a remarkable north–south symmetry, the southern hemisphere for CR-1915 exhibits higher densities and temperatures than the northern hemisphere. The core region of the streamer belt in both rotations is found to be populated by structures whose temperature decreases with height (called “down loops” in our previous articles). They are characterized by plasma \(\beta\gtrsim1\), and may be the result of the efficient dissipation of Alfvén waves at low coronal heights. The comparative analysis reveals that the low latitudes of the equatorial streamer belt of CR-1915 exhibit higher densities than for CR-2081. This cannot be explained by the systematic uncertainties. In addition, the southern hemisphere of the streamer belt of CR-1915 is characterized by higher temperatures and density scale heights than for CR-2081. On the other hand, the coronal hole region of CR-1915 shows lower temperatures than for CR-2081. The reported differences are in the range \({\approx}\,10\,\mbox{--}\,25\%\), depending on the specific physical quantity and region that is compared, as fully detailed in the analysis. For other regions and/or physical quantities, the uncertainties do not allow assessing the thermodynamical differences between the two rotations. Future investigation will involve a DEMT analysis of other Carrington rotations selected from both epochs, and also a comparison of their tomographic reconstructions with magnetohydrodynamical simulations of the inner corona.     

Estimates of the radii,masses, and luminosities of LAMOST stars

Based on the spectral observations of the LAMOST (DR2) survey, the radii, masses, and luminosities of 700 481 stars were estimated. These stars belong to spectral types A, F, G, and K, and have metallicities between ?0.845 and 0.0. To determine the properties of the stars, we used up-to-date models of the stellar interior structure, computed with account for the stellar evolution rate and the initial mass function. The use of evolutionary estimates for two types of stars—with and without rotation—allowed us to account for the uncertainty associated with the lack of data on the rotation velocity of the stars under consideration. The obtained stellar radii, together with the photometric estimates of interstellar extinction and angular diameters can be used to study the dependence of interstellar extinction on distance as well as to estimate the stellar distances.     

Stars with discrepant <Emphasis Type="Italic">v</Emphasis> sin <Emphasis Type="Italic">i</Emphasis> as derived from the Ca II 3933 and Mg II 4481 Å lines. VI. HD 199892 — an SB2 spectroscopic binary

We analyzed the spectra of a well known SB1 binary HD199892 for which the projected rotational velocity v sin i, introduced in the literature, significantly differs when determined from the lines of Ca II at 3933 Å and ofMg II at 4481 Å. Contrary to the former findings, we discovered the signs of spectral lines of a companion star in the profile of Hβ as well as weak metallic lines in the high resolution high S/N spectra covering the most of the visual region. We estimated the secondary star to be a main sequence A4V star with a mass of 2.2M _⊙ and derived its radial velocity which resulted in the mass of the primary M = 4.6M _⊙. Short sections of the spectra in the Mg II 4481 Å and Ca II 3933 Å regions are analyzed as well.     

SPEXTRA: Optimal extraction code for long-slit spectra in crowded fields

We present a code for the optimal extraction of long-slit 2D spectra in crowded stellar fields. Its main advantage and difference from the existing spectrum extraction codes is the presence of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a convenient visualization system of data and extraction parameters. On the whole, the package is designed to study stars in crowded fields of nearby galaxies and star clusters in galaxies. Apart from the spectrum extraction for several stars which are closely located or superimposed, it allows the spectra of objects to be extracted with subtraction of superimposed nebulae of different shapes and different degrees of ionization. The package can also be used to study single stars in the case of a strong background. In the current version, the optimal extraction of 2D spectra with an aperture and the Gaussian function as PSF (point spread function) is proposed. In the future, the package will be supplemented with the possibility to build a PSF based on a Moffat function. We present the details of GUI, illustrate main features of the package, and show results of extraction of the several interesting spectra of objects from different telescopes.