The Brightness Temperature of the Quiet Solar Chromosphere at 2.6 mm

The absolute brightness temperature of the Sun at millimeter wavelengths is an important diagnostic of the solar chromosphere. Because the Sun is so bright, measurement of this property usually involves the operation of telescopes under extreme conditions and requires a rigorous performance assessment of the telescope. In this study, we establish solar observation and calibration techniques at 2.6 mm wavelength for the Nobeyama 45 m telescope and accurately derive the absolute solar brightness temperature. We tune the superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) receiver by inducing different bias voltages onto the SIS mixer to prevent saturation. Then, we examine the linearity of the receiver system by comparing outputs derived from different tuning conditions. Furthermore, we measure the lunar filled beam efficiency of the telescope using the New Moon, and then derive the absolute brightness temperature of the Sun. The derived solar brightness temperature is \(7700 \pm 310~\mbox{K}\) at 115 GHz. The telescope beam pattern is modeled as a summation of three Gaussian functions and derived using the solar limb. The real shape of the Sun is determined via deconvolution of the beam pattern from the observed map. Such well-calibrated single-dish observations are important for high-resolution chromospheric studies because they provide the absolute temperature scale that is lacking from interferometer observations.     

Sediment trap comparison experiments

Four types of sediment traps which are different in their shapes were simultaneously deployed in Funka Bay, Hokkaido or open ocean, in order to compare the quantity and quality of settling particles collected at the same time. In Funka Bay, the larger total particulate fluxes were observed with the sediment traps having the larger height to width ratios. The settling particles collected with the narrower sediment traps were somewhat similar to suspended particle enriched in organic matter, phosphorus and Mn. These results suggest that the narrower sediment trap more effectively collects fine and light particles similar to suspended particles.     

Earthquake engineering research needs in light of lessons learned from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

Earthquake engineering research and development have received much attention since the first half of the twentieth century. This valuable research presented a huge step forward in understanding earthquake hazard mitigation,which resulted in appreciable reduction of the effects of past earthquakes. Nevertheless,the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the subsequent tsunami resulted in major damage. This paper presents the timeline of earthquake mitigation and recovery,as seen by the authors. Possible research directions where the authors think that many open questions still remain are identified. These are primarily based on the important lessons learned from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.     

Energy dissipation behaviour of shear panels made of low yield steel

This paper presents the results of a pilot test conducted for evaluating the energy dissipation behaviour of shear panels made of low yield steel whose 0.2 per cent offset yield stress is 120 MPa. A total of six full-scale shear panels were tested with the loading condition, stiffener spacing, and magnitude of axial force as test variables. The shear panels tested yielded at a shear force that is approximately 1/3 of the yield shear force of equivalent shear panels made of common mild steel. Shear panels with proper stiffener arrangement exhibited stable hysteresis, thus ensuring large energy dissipation capacity. Sufficient strain hardening was observed in the shear panels tested, with their energy dissipation capacity about 1.5 times larger than that of an equivalent linear-elastic and perfect-plastic system. Plate buckling did not lead the shear panels to immediate degradation in their energy dissipation capacity. Post-buckling resistance was found to be a subject that requires further studies for quantifying the performance of shear panels made of low yield stress steel as hysteretic dampers.     

Hydration of rhyolitic glass during weathering as characterized by IR microspectroscopy

The mechanism and rate of hydration of rhyolitic glass during weathering were studied. Doubly polished thin sections of two rhyolites with different duration of weathering (Ohsawa lava: 26,000 yr, Awanomikoto lava: 52,000 yr) were prepared. Optical microscope observation showed that altered layers had developed along the glass surfaces. IR spectral line profile analysis was conducted on the glass sections from the surface to the interior for a length of 250 μm and the contents of molecular H₂O (H₂O_m), OH species (OH) and total water (H₂O_t) were determined. The diffusion profile of H₂O_m in Ohsawa lava extends beyond the layer observed by optical microscope. The content of H₂O_m in the hydrated region is much higher than that of OH species. Thus, the reaction from H₂O_m to OH appears to be little and H₂O_m is the dominant water species moving into the glass during weathering. Based on the concentration profiles, the diffusion coefficients of H₂O_m(D_H2Om) and H₂O_t(D_H2Ot) were determined to be 2.8 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 3.4 × 10⁻¹⁰ μm² s⁻¹ for Ohsawa lava, and 5.2 × 10⁻¹¹ and 4.1 × 10⁻¹¹ μm² s⁻¹ for Awanomikoto lava, respectively. The obtained D_H2Om during weathering are more than 2-3 orders of magnitude larger than the diffusion coefficient at ∼20 °C that is extrapolated from the diffusivity data for >400 °C. This might suggest that the mechanism of water transport is different at weathering conditions and >400 °C.     

Metamorphic Environments around the Cretaceous Kurihashi Pluton in the Kitakami Mountains, NE Japan: in Comparison to the Ganidake Pluton - Kamaishi Skarn Metasomatism

Abstract. Many granitic plutons of Early Cretaceous age are intruded on various scales in the Kitakami Mountains. The stock‐type Ganidake pluton accompanies enormous Fe‐Cu mineralization of the Kamaishi deposits, whereas the Kurihashi pluton accompanies less mineralization. To elucidate the cause of these differences, the metamorphic conditions and redox state of the contact metamorphic aureole around the Kurihashi pluton have been examined by the petrochemical study and gas analysis of the metamorphic rocks. A typical mineral assemblage in the pelitic rocks in the lowest‐grade part is biotite‐muscovite‐chlorite‐quartz‐plagio‐clase‐graphite, which occur more than 2 km away from the contact point with the Kurihashi pluton. Graphite disappears at the 1550 m point, and cordierite and garnet appear in the middle and highest‐grade parts, respectively. A typical mineral assemblage in the tuffaceous rocks in the lower‐grade part is chlorite‐actinolite‐biotite‐quartz‐plagioclase. Actinolite changes into hornblende near to the pluton. The CO₂/CH₄ ratios obtained in measurements by gas chromatography exceeds 100 in the pelitic rocks at the contact point with the pluton. The ratios decrease and become less than 0.1 with distance from the pluton. Equilibrium temperatures calculated from a garnet‐biotite pair in the pelitic rock and a hornblende‐plagioclase pair in the tuffaceous rock are 640d? and 681 d?C at the contact point, respectively. The log?o₂ values among these metamorphic aureoles estimated from the CO₂/CH₄ ratios are slightly lower than the FMQ‐buffer. Redox states of the contact metamorphic aureole are kept in an intermediate condition between oxidized magma of the Kurihashi pluton and graphite‐bearing pelitic country rocks. Judging from these metamorphic conditions around the Kurihashi pluton and from the re‐evaluation of the previous knowledge about contact metasomatism around the Ganidake pluton, the Kurihashi metamorphism has occurred at higher temperatures and dry conditions than the Ganidake metasomatism. These differences in the metamorphic conditions and presence or absence of a large limestone mass around the pluton might be the principal reasons why the Kurihashi pluton accompanies less mineralization and the Ganidake pluton accompanies gigantic Kamaishi skarn mineralization.