Precessing jets interacting with interstellar material as the origin for the light curves of gamma-ray bursts

We present an internal shock model with external characteristics for explaining the complicated light curves of gamma-ray bursts. Shocks produce gamma-rays in the interaction between a precessing beam of relativistic particles and the interstellar medium. Each time the particle beam passes the same line of sight with the observer the interstellar medium is pushed outward. Subsequent interactions between the medium and the beam are delayed by the extra distance to be travelled for the particles before the shock can form. This results in a natural retardation and leads to an intrinsic asymmetry in the light curves produced for gamma-ray bursts. In addition, we account for the cooling of the electron–proton plasma in the shocked region, which gives rise to an exponential decay in the gamma-ray flux. The combination of these effects and the precessing jet of ultrarelativistic particles produces light curves that can be directly compared with observed gamma-ray burst light curves. We illustrate the model by fitting a number of observed gamma-ray bursts that are difficult to explain with only a precessing jet. We develop a genetic algorithm to fit several observed gamma-ray bursts with remarkable accuracy. We find that for different bursts the observed fluence, assuming isotropic emission, easily varies over four orders of magnitude from the energy generated intrinsically.     

Nonsynchronous Rotation Evidence and Fracture History in the Bright Plains Region, Europa

A geologic map for the Bright Plains in the Conamara Chaos region of Europa is presented and is used to unravel a detailed fracture sequence using cross-cutting relationships and fracture mechanics principles. Fracture orientations in the Bright Plains region rotated with time, consistently in a clockwise sense. This conclusion agrees with the observations of other researchers' northern Europan hemisphere investigations and points strongly toward the fracture sequence being controlled by the effect of nonsynchronous rotation, whereby the outer ice crust of Europa rotates slightly faster than the satellite's interior. This is convincing evidence that Europa's crust has been decoupled from the interior, possibly due to the presence of a liquid ocean beneath the crust.Tidal stresses induced in the ice crust by the combined effects of nonsynchronous rotation and diurnal tidal flexing can be calculated using the assumption that the crust behaves elastically over relatively short time scales (i.e., no viscous relaxation of stresses). The fracture orientations in the Bright Plains area were compared to a global scale tidal stress field to determine the longitudes at which each fracture set developed. The fracture sequence points strongly to the Bright Plains region of the crust having rotated at least 720° (and perhaps up to 900°) with respect to the satellite's interior during the visible fracture history. This amount exceeds previously published estimates of nonsynchronous rotation. The orientations of the most recent surface fractures are incompatible with the current state of stress in the Bright Plains region, implying a period of a few thousand years since the most recent fracturing events based on existing nonsynchronous rotation rate estimates.     

An instrument to measure the solar spectrum from 170 to 3200 nm on board Spacelab

This instrument, at the present time in development, will fly on board Spacelab I in May 1983. Other flights are foreseen during the following missions. This instrument is composed by three double monochromators covering the range 170 to 3200 nm. The spectrometers have band-passes of 1 nm up to 900 nm and 20 nm from 850 to 3200 nm with an accuracy 10^–2 nm. Calibration lamps are included in the instrument to monitor any change of its sensitivity and wavelength scale.Proceedings of the 14th ESLAB Symposium on Physics of Solar Variations, 16–19 September 1980, Scheveningen, The Netherlands.Institut d'Aéronomie Spatiale de Belgique, 3, avenue Circulaire-B1180 Bruxelles, Belgique.Landessternwarte-Koenigstuhl, D6900 Heidelberg, F.R.G.Hamburger Sternwarte, Gojenbergsweg, D2050 Hamburg 80, F.R.G.     

Intercomparison of instruments for tropospheric measurements using differential optical absorption spectroscopy

The results of an intercomparison campaign of eight different long path UV-visible DOAS instruments measuring NO₂, O₃ and SO₂ concentrations in a moderately polluted urban site are presented. For effective optical path lengths of 230 and 780 m the overall spread of these measurements (±1) are 5×10¹⁰, 6×10¹⁰ and 1×10¹⁰ molec·cm^-3 (2.0, 2.4, and 0.4 ppb) for these molecules respectively when all instruments used a common set of absorption cross sections. The remaining differences are not completely random and the systematic differences are attributed to the different retrieval methods used for each instrument.     

Analysis of fossil pigments from algae and bacteria in meromictic Lake Fidler, Tasmania, and its application to lake management

Lake Fidler is an ectogenic meromictic lake with a monimolimnion maintained by periodic incursions of brackish water from the lower Gordon River estuary. A dam across the middle reaches of the Gordon River has restricted these incursions of brackish water and meromictic stability has rapidly declined. A palaeolimnological study was carried in order to assess the historical development of meromixis and the impact of the dam on the microbiological communities in the lake. Fossil pigments in a 17 m sediment core were analysed using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (rp-HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS). In addition, taphonomic studies of pigment production, deposition and degradation in the water column and surface sediments were used to identify planktonic and benthic pigment degradation processes and constrain the stratigraphic interpretation. Results comparing the pigment composition of pelagic sediment traps and littoral surface sediments indicated that the core from the centre of the lake would permit a historical reconstruction of planktonic bacterial and algal communities. Marked increases in prokaryotic pigments ca 3500 yr B.P. suggested the possible colonisation of a chemocline by phototrophic bacteria. Further changes in chlorophyll: carotenoid ratios and changes in relative abundances of both chlorophyll a and bacteriochlorophyll c derivatives also indicated that a change in the depositional environment had occurred; possibly due to altered stratification or anoxia. From this we infer the onset of either intermittent or permanent meromixis. Further increases in prokaryotic pigment abundance suggested that the present state of permanent meromixis was firmly established by 2070 ±50 ¹⁴C yr B.P., and diatom analysis confirmed the development of a stable mixolimnion. High resolution studies of the top 10 cm of sediments measured pigments in mean concentrations of 15.1 ng g^-1 with a mean S.D. of only 2.78 indicating little change in pigment abundance since the construction of the dam. Thus, Lake Fidler still retains most of the features of meromixis. However, evidence from nearby Lake Morrison and Sulphide Pool has shown that any further declines in meromictic stability will cause a rapid reversion to holomixis. Palaeolimnological evidence from the early stages of meromictic development of Lake Fidler suggests that such reversion to holomixis may not permanently eliminate all the microbiological communities, and that, given time, they may return and prosper with re-establishment of a suitable chemocline. These studies will guide recommendations for a management strategy to prevent the further decay of meromixis in the Gordon River lakes.     

Constraints on the initial conditions of globular clusters

N -body simulations are made with a variety of initial conditions, in particular clumpy and flattened distributions, to attempt to constrain the possible initial conditions of globular clusters, using the observations that young LMC globular clusters appear relaxed after only 20 to 40 Myr. It is found that violent relaxation is able to erase most of the initial substructure in only ≈ 6 crossing times. However, initially very clumpy distributions (≲ 100 clumps) form clusters that are too concentrated to resemble real globular clusters. Such clusters also often have large clumps in long-lasting (≳ 30 crossing times) orbits which do not appear in observed cluster profiles. It is also found that even modest amounts of initial flattening produce clusters that are too elliptical to resemble real globular clusters. In such a scenario, cloud–cloud collisions and similar energetic processes would be unlikely to produce sufficiently spherical globular clusters. It is suggested that globular clusters form from roughly spherical initial conditions with star formation occurring either smoothly or in many small clumps.     

Dark halo mergers and the formation of a universal profile

We argue that a universal density profile for dark matter haloes arises as a natural consequence of hierarchical structure formation: it is a fixed point in the process of repeated mergers. We present analytic and numerical arguments for the emergence of a particular form of the central cusp profile. At small radii, the density should vary as r ^−α, with α determined by the way in which the characteristic density of haloes scales with their mass. If small haloes are dense, then α is large. The mass–density relation can be related to the power spectrum of initial fluctuations, P ( k ), through 'formation time' arguments. Early structure formation leads to steep cusps. For P ( k ) ∼  k ⁿ we find α ≃ 3(3 +  n )/(5 +  n ). The universal profile is generated by tidal stripping of small haloes as they merge with larger objects.     

Spectral analysis of the high-gravity extreme helium star LS IV+6°2

The optical spectrum of the early B hydrogen-deficient star LS IV+6°2 has been analysed. With T _eff = 31000 K, log  g  = 4.05, n _H ∼ 10⁻⁴ and n _c ∼ 0.1 (relative abundances by number), it is the hottest high-gravity extreme helium star (EHe) yet studied. The He  i spectrum shows all predicted permitted and forbidden transitions in absorption. LS IV+6°2 is a comparatively metal-rich EHe star; abundances of C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Al and P are typical of other EHes, whilst Si and S are somewhat deficient. With the surface parameters given, LS IV+6°2 lies close to the boundary of the helium star pulsation instability finger near T _eff ∼ 27000 K. Available data indicate that the radial velocity is variable, but give no indication of amplitude or period.