LU Vel (GJ 375): A M3.5Ve Flare and Double-Lined Spectroscopic Binary

High resolution echelle spectroscopic observations taken with the FEROS spectrograph at the 2.2 m telescope ESO confirm the binary nature of the flare M3.5V star LU Vel (GJ 375, RE J0958-462) previously reported by Christian and Mathioudakis (2002). Emission of similar intensity from both components is detected in the Balmer, Na i D₁&D₂, He i D₃, Ca ii H&K, and Ca ii IRT lines. We have determined precise radial velocities by cross correlation with radial velocity standard stars, which have allowed us to obtain for the first time the orbital solution of the system. The binary consists of two near-equal M3.5V components with an orbital period shorter than 2 days. We have analyzed the behaviour of the chromospheric activity indicators (variability and possible flares). In addition, we have determined its rotational velocity and kinematics.     

GEOGRAPHY ON THE PLANETS: GIFT OF REMOTE SENSING*

Extraterrestrial geography has become a reality, as we move from Earth's moon to the planets. A broad-scale regional physiography is being established on twenty planets and satellites through remote sensing techniques. Spacecraft images yield most of the information on Solar System landscapes. Topographic measurements are extracted by monoscopic image-processing, stereophotogrammetry, and radar analysis. Invisible parts of the spectrum furnish non-topographic data.     

Stray-light measurements at the Observatorio del Teide

A new procedure to separate the instrumental and atmospheric components of stray light is presented. It is based on the dependence of the aureole's atmospheric component on the air mass and is applied to measurements taken with the Vacuum Newton Telescope (VNT) at the Observatorio del Teide (Tenerife). The resulting instrumental part is independent of the air mass.The variation of both components with wavelength is also studied. The instrumental component shows no dependence on wavelength, in contrast to the atmospheric one which is greater in the blue than in the red.It is concluded that observations with air masses larger than two will probably be strongly affected by stray light.     

Summary of Conference

The recent apparition of comet Hale-Bopp has provided the first opportunity to study a truely “Great Comet” with modern observational equipment, from ground and from space. An enormous amount of data was gathered and is still in the process of being analysed. When compared with elaborate and realistic theoretical considerations, important new insights are now being obtained into the complex physical and chemical processes in the cometary environment. This summary highlights some of the main achievements of this work, as they were presented at the first major international conference on comet Hale-Bopp in February 1998. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Is 1220 Crocus a precessing,binary asteroid?

Photoelectric observations of asteroid 1220 Crocus (an Eos family member) show evidence for two distinct periods in its light variation: 30.7 days and 7.90 hr. The lightcurve amplitudes are 0.87 and 0.15 mag, respectively. The shorter period variation appears to be modulated over the longer period. Two periods are possible for a rigid body only if it is in a state of precession. The observations are shown to be compatible with a body in a forced precession state. This result leads us to hypothesize the existence of a satellite of Crocus as the source of the external torque. Calculations are presented which show that there are in fact dynamically possible “binary asteroid” solutions consistent with the observations. More photoelectric and perhaps direct (space telescope) observations are needed to resolve the true nature of this asteroid.     

Photometric Study of the W Uma-Type Eclipsing Binary System GSC 4832.400

We present a photometric analysis of the eclipsing binary systemGSC4832.400 based on 732 photometric observations obtained on sixteen clear nights during 1999–2000 in the V-Johnson and yb-Strömgren filters. The observed times of the minima yielded a linear ephemeris showing that the system has a constant period of 0.313150 ± 0.000002days. The light curve corresponds to a circular orbit for the system and clearly shows that GSC4832.400 has the defining characteristics of a W UMa-type eclipsing binary. It also shows a small O'Connell effect, which could be due to the presence of a hot spot in the primary star. A preliminary photometric solution based on the assumption of an over contact systemsatis factorily reproduced the observed light curve.     

Steady-state size distributions for collisional populations:: analytical solution with size-dependent strength

The steady-state population of bodies resulting from a collisional cascade depends on how material strength varies with size. We find a simple expression for the power-law index of the population, given a power law that describes how material strength varies with size. This result is extended to the case relevant for the asteroid belt and Kuiper belt, in which the material strength is described by 2 separate power laws—one for small bodies and one for larger bodies. We find that the power-law index of the small body population is unaffected by the strength law for the large bodies, and vice versa. Simple analytical expressions describe a wave that is superimposed on the large body population because of the transition between the two power laws describing the strength. These analytical results yield excellent agreement with a numerical simulation of collisional evolution. These results will help to interpret observations of the asteroids and KBOs, and constrain the strength properties of those objects.     

Cosmological tensor perturbations in brane world models

We discuss the problems faced in trying to deduce the evolution of cosmological perturbations in brane-world models. There are two natural ways to formulate the problem: one which makes the equations of motion simple and the other which makes the boundary condition simple. Unfortunately the problem is difficult to solve, even numerically, in either formalism. We present a more phenomenological approach which, while it does not solve the problem for any given model, illustrates some generic features one might expect to see in the tensor part of the cosmic microwave background power spectrum. We find that the observed scale invariance of the cosmic microwave background provides bounds on brane world models. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

REGIONAL DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED STATES

This paper analyzes the surprisingly great variation in demographic character across the states, utilizing data on fertility, mortality, age, sex, mobility, household character, abortion, race and ethnicity. A fairly simple regional pattern is revealed that is less related to levels of economic development than to long-standing historical cultural differences.