Molecular Line Emission from Accretion Disks Around YSOs

In this work, we model the expected molecular emission from protoplanetary disks, modifying different physical parameters, such as dust grain size, mass accretion rate, viscosity, and disk radius, to obtain observational signatures in these sources. Having in mind possible future observations, we study correlations between physical parameters and observational characteristics. Our aim is to determine the kind of observations that will allow us to extract information about the physical parameters of disks. We also present prospects for molecular line observations of protoplanetary disks, using millimeter and submillimeter interferometers (e.g., SMA or ALMA), based on our results.     

Mass-to-light ratio gradients in early-type galaxy haloes

Owing to the fact that the near future should see a rapidly expanding set of probes of the halo masses of individual early-type galaxies, we introduce a convenient parameter for characterizing the halo masses from both observational and theoretical results:  ∇_ℓϒ  , the logarithmic radial gradient of the mass-to-light ratio. Using halo density profiles from Λ-cold dark matter (CDM) simulations, we derive predictions for this gradient for various galaxy luminosities and star formation efficiencies  ε_SF  . As a pilot study, we assemble the available  ∇_ℓϒ  data from kinematics in early-type galaxies – representing the first unbiased study of halo masses in a wide range of early-type galaxy luminosities – and find a correlation between luminosity and  ∇_ℓϒ  , such that the brightest galaxies appear the most dark-matter dominated. We find that the gradients in most of the brightest galaxies may fit in well with the ΛCDM predictions, but that there is also a population of fainter galaxies whose gradients are so low as to imply an unreasonably high star formation efficiency  ε_SF > 1  . This difficulty is eased if dark haloes are not assumed to have the standard ΛCDM profiles, but lower central concentrations.     

On the spatio-temporal distribution of M 7.0+ worldwide seismicity with a non-parametric statistics

The aim of this paper is to provide some constrains on the time behavior of earthquake generation mechanism, through the usage of a non-parametric statistics that leads up to the empirical estimation of the hazard function. The results indicate that the most characterizing temporal feature for large (M 7.0+) worldwide shallow earthquake occurrence is a clustering lasting few years, indicating that the probability of earthquake occurrence is higher immediately after the occurrence of an event. After that, the process becomes almost time independent, as in a Poisson process. Remarkably, this time clustering is very similar to what previously found for different spatio-magnitude windows, and it does not seem to depend on the tectonic style of the region. This may support the hypothesis of an universal law for earthquake occurrence.     

Permian magmatism and metamorphism in the Dent Blanche nappe: constraints from field observations and geochronology

In the Dent Blanche Tectonic System, the Mont Morion biotite-bearing granite is a km-scale intrusion preserved in a low-strain volume. Zircon saturation thermometry suggests that it crystallised from a melt that reached about 800 °C. U–Pb zircon and allanite geochronology indicates crystallization of the magma in the Permian (290 ± 3 Ma; 280 ± 8 Ma, respectively). Migmatitic biotite-gneiss and amphibolite are found as xenoliths within the Mont Morion granite and constitute its country-rocks. In two samples of migmatitic biotite-gneiss zircon has metamorphic overgrowths that yield U–Pb ages of 285 ± 3 Ma and 281 ± 4 Ma, and are thus contemporaneous with the intrusion of the granite. The Mont Morion granite with its country-rocks of migmatitic biotite-bearing gneiss and amphibolite was thus emplaced at middle crustal levels while amphibolite facies metamorphism affected its country rocks. The magmatic and metamorphic record in the Mont Morion area reflects the high-temperature regime and lithospheric thinning of the Adriatic continental margin during Permian.     

Water-table and discharge changes associated with the 2016–2017 seismic sequence in central Italy: hydrogeological data and a conceptual model for fractured carbonate aquifers

A seismic sequence in central Italy from August 2016 to January 2017 affected groundwater dynamics in fractured carbonate aquifers. Changes in spring discharge, water-table position, and streamflow were recorded for several months following nine Mw 5.0–6.5 seismic events. Data from 22 measurement sites, located within 100 km of the epicentral zones, were analyzed. The intensity of the induced changes were correlated with seismic magnitude and distance to epicenters. The additional post-seismic discharge from rivers and springs was found to be higher than 9 m³/s, totaling more than 0.1 km³ of groundwater release over 6 months. This huge and unexpected contribution increased streamflow in narrow mountainous valleys to previously unmeasured peak values. Analogously to the L’Aquila 2009 post-earthquake phenomenon, these hydrogeological changes might reflect an increase of bulk hydraulic conductivity at the aquifer scale, which would increase hydraulic heads in the discharge zones and lower them in some recharge areas. The observed changes may also be partly due to other mechanisms, such as shaking and/or squeezing effects related to intense subsidence in the core of the affected area, where effects had maximum extent, or breaching of hydraulic barriers.

     

Large-Eddy Simulation of Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Flow Over Fluvial-Like Landscapes Using a Dynamic Roughness Model

A recently developed dynamic surface roughness model (Anderson and Meneveau, J Fluid Mech 679:288–314, 2011) for large-eddy simulation (LES) of atmospheric boundary-layer flow over multi-scale topographies is applied to boundary-layer flow over several types of fluvial-like landscapes. The landscapes are generated numerically with simulation of a modified Kardar–Parisi–Zhang equation (Passalacqua et al., Water Resour Res 42:WOD611, 2006). These surfaces possess the fractal-like channel network and anisotropic features often found in real terrains. The dynamic model is shown to lead to accurate flow predictions when the surface-height distributions exhibit power-law scaling (scale invariance) in the prevalent mean flow direction. In those cases, the LES provide accurate predictions (invariant to resolution) of mean velocity profiles. Conversely, some resolution dependence is found for applications in which the landscape’s streamwise spectra do not exhibit pure power-law scaling near wavenumbers corresponding to the LES grid resolution.     

Resistive instabilities in coronal conditions

Resistive instabilities in a context referring to the solar corona are rigorously investigated. Various equilibrium configurations are considered, differing, among other things, by their behaviour with respect to fast, ideal instabilities. The computations presented cover in a unified scheme all known regimes of resistive modes and allow one to determine the fastest timescale over which resistivity can play a role. Comparisons with previous work as well as possible extensions are presented.