A search for a consistent model for the electromagnetic spectrum of the Crab nebula

An attempt is made to search for a consistent model to explain the electromagnetic spectrum of the Crab nebula (Tau A). It is assumed that there is a continuous injection of electrons at the centre of the nebula with an energy spectrumE ^–1.54 as evidenced by radio data. This spectrum must steepen to a slope larger than 2 at some energyE _i in order to ensure that the energy input into electrons remains finite. The spectrum must also steepen beyond an energyE _c depending on the magnetic field because of synchrotron energy losses. Two types of models are considered: Class I, in which the whole nebula is characterised by a uniform magnetic field, and Class II, in which besides the general fieldH ₀, small filamentary regions of strong fieldH _s are postulated.In models of Class I, the best fit to the observed data is obtained whenE _t >E _c andH ₀5×10^–4 gauss. However, this predicts a decrease in X-ray source size beyond 40 KeV. There are two possibilities of Class II model depending on the residence time of electrons in strong field regions being small or large. The former case explains the flattening in the optical spectrum.Experiments to distinguish between the various models are indicated.Presented at the International Conference on Cosmic Rays, Budapest, 1969.     

Characteristics of aerosol optical depth and Ångström parameters over Mohal in the Kullu Valley of Northwest Himalayan Region,India

The measurements using a ground based multi wavelength radiometer (MWR) at Mohal (31°54′N, 77°07′E, 1154 m AMSL) in the Kullu valley of Northwestern Himalayan region show that the spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) and turbidity coefficient, β, are high in summer, moderate in monsoon season, low in winter and lowest in autumn, while wavelength exponent, α, has an opposite trend. Average annual value of AOD at 500 nm is 0.24±0.01, 0.43±0.02, and 0.28±0.02; that of β is 0.14±0.01, 0.22±0.02, and 0.17±0.03; and that of α is 1.06±0.09, 1.16±0.10, and 0.86±0.13, respectively, for clear, hazy and partially clear sky days. The considerably greater value of β on hazy days indicates more coarse particles in mountain haze. The fractional asymmetry factor (AF) is more negative in summer and autumn months. The AOD and β have significantly positive correlation with temperature and wind speed, suggesting high AODs and turbidity on hot and windy days.     

Monsoon rainfall extreme indices and tendencies from 1954–2003 in Kerala,India

Climate change has the potential ability to alter the occurrence and severity of extreme events. Though predicting changes of such extreme events is difficult, understanding them is important to determine the impacts of climate change in various sectors. This paper presents the change in rainfall extremes in the monsoon season in south-west Indian peninsula. Daily rainfall data were analysed for the entire Kerala state in India to determine if the extreme rainfall had changed over the 50-year period. Several indices were derived from the data to identify the extreme rainfalls. The trends of all the extreme indices were assessed by parametric ordinary least square regression technique, which were tested for significance at 95% level. Results showed significant decrease in monsoon rainfall extremes in Kerala that would affect the tendency of change in seasonal total rainfall. This study provides a comprehensive knowledge on extreme monsoon precipitation in Kerala, which could also be employed to study changing climate at local scale in other regions.     

Lidar observations of subvisual atmospheric phenomena: Research note

Abstract

The systematic error of a large ensemble of 72 ‐h forecasts, as produced by the Canadian Meteorological Centre's spectral model, is studied with particular emphasis on its seasonal and spatial character. By decomposing the error into wavenumber space, we show that most of the error manifests itself in the long planetary waves. We find that the model displays a large systematic error in zonal wavenumber one, which systematically moves westward during each integration.     

Petrochemical and petrotectonic characterisation of ophiolitic volcanics from Great Nicobar island Andaman-Sumatra belt

In Great Nicobar island ophiolite is restricted to the eastern coast of the island and occur as small isolated out crops in the terrain of Oligocene sediments. The ophiolitic rocks are represented by pillowed basalt, massive andesite and pyroclastic andesite. These volcanics represent dismembered members of the upper part of the ophiolite. Basalt is porphyritic in nature where phenocrysts of augite and plagioclase laths are set in a fine grained glassy to chloritic matrix. Andesites consists of phenocrysts of augite, altered feldspar and minor quartz which are set in ground mass of epidote-chlorite glass. Trace element and REE pattern suggests more fertile mantle source for andesite than that of basalt. Trace element characteristics indicate that the andesites and basalts were possibly derived from the same melt where andesite represents the more fractionated product.In Andaman Islands dismembered ophiolite with complete ophiolite stratigraphy are found only within the Eocene sediments. But the field disposition suggests that in Great Nicobar emplacement of the ophiolite continued even after the Oligocene sedimentation. The characters of the ophiolitic rocks in Great Nicobar island are similar to that of the Sunda outer arc ridge.     

Accretion flow behaviour during the evolution of the quasi-periodic oscillation frequency of XTE J1550−564 in 1998 outburst

Low and intermediate frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are thought to be due to oscillations of Comptonizing regions or hot regions embedded in Keplerian discs. Observational evidence of evolutions of QPOs would therefore be very important as they throw lights on the dynamics of the hotter region. Our aim is to find systems in which there is a well-defined correlation among the frequencies of the QPOs over a range of time so as to understand the physical picture. In this paper, we concentrate on the archival data of XTE J1550−564 obtained during 1998 outburst, and study the systematic drifts during the rising phase from the 1998 September 7 to the 1998 September 19, when the QPO frequency increased monotonically from 81 mHz to 13.1 Hz. Immediately after that, QPO frequency started to decrease and on the 1998 September 26, the QPO frequency became 2.62 Hz. After that, its value remained almost constant. This frequency drift can be modelled satisfactorily with a propagatory oscillating shock solution where the post-shock region behaves as the Comptonized region. Comparing with the nature of a more recent 2005 outburst of another black hole candidate GRO 1655−40, where QPOs disappeared at the end of the rising phase, we conjecture that this so-called 'outburst' may not be a full-fledged outburst.     

The effect of morphometric characteristics and geographic zonality on thermal stratification of lakes

Long-term data (1945–1989) collected during regular observations of water temperature on a network of Roshydromet stations in different types of water bodies in Northwestern European Russia are generalized. A number of mathematical expressions, which are relatively simple and acceptable for wide circles of researchers, are proposed for the assessment of the thermal state of water bodies. Empirical dependences of the thickness of epilimnion, the depth to thermocline, the type of thermal stratification, seasonal variations in the temperature of water surface, and individual characteristics of the “biological summer” on various geographic factors are established. Elements of thermal regime are calculated for the database of ecological-geographical typification of Karelian water bodies.     

Multidimensional six-stage model for flood emergency response in schools: a case study of Pakistan

Natural Hazards - Children spend more than two-thirds of their total daytime in schools and becoming more persuasive in shielding them from potential hazards. Schools have a responsibility to...