Sunspots with the Strongest Magnetic Fields

The strongest observed solar magnetic fields are found in sunspot umbrae and associated light bridges. We investigate systematic measurements of approximately 32 000 sunspot groups observed from 1917 through 2004 using data from Mt. Wilson, Potsdam, Rome and Crimea observatories. Isolated observations from other observatories are also included. Corrections to Mt. Wilson measurements are required and applied. We found 55 groups (0.2%) with at least one sunspot with one magnetic field measurement of at least 4000 G including five measurements of at least 5000 G and one spot with a record field of 6100 G. Although typical strong-field spots are large and show complex structure in white light, others are simple in form. Sometimes the strongest fields are in light bridges that separate opposite polarity umbras. The distribution of strongest measured fields above 3 kG appears to be continuous, following a steep power law with exponent about −9.5. The observed upper limit of 5 – 6 kG is consistent with the idea that an umbral field has a more or less coherent structure down to some depth and then fragments. We find that odd-numbered sunspot cycles usually contain about 30% more total sunspot groups but 60% fewer >3 kG spots than preceding even-numbered cycles.     

Virial oscillations of celestial bodies: V. The structure of the potential and kinetic energies of a celestial body as a record of its creation history

The physical meaning of the terms of the potential and kinetic energy expressions, expanded by means of the density variation function for a nonuniform self-gravitating sphere, is discussed. The terms of the expansions represent the energy and the moment of inertia of the uniform sphere, the energy and the moment of inertia of the nonuniformities interacting with the uniform sphere, and the energy of the nonuniformities interacting with each other. It follows from the physical meaning of the above components of the energy structure, and also from the observational fact of the expansion of the Universe that the phase transition, notably, fusion of particles and nuclei and condensation of liquid and solid phases of the expanded matter accompanied by release of energy, must be the physical cause of initial thermal and gravitational instability of the matter. The released kinetic energy being constrained by the general motion of the expansion, develops regional and local turbulent (cyclonic) motion of the matter, which should be the second physical effect responsible for the creation of celestial bodies and their rotation.     

First results from the Gauribidanur Radio heliograph

Observations of the Sun at two frequencies (51 and 77 MHz) using the East-West arm of the Gauribidanur Radio heliograph are presented.     

First Byurakan Spectral Sky Survey. Late-type stars. VIII. Zone + 80 ≤ δ ≤ + 90°

The eighth list of late-type stars of spectral classes M and C detected on the plates of the First Byurakan Spectral Sky Survey (FBS) in the zone +80 +90° is presented. Of the 79 objects detected, 67 are new discoveries (66 M stars and one carbon star); 16 objects are unidentified IRAS sources. The equatorial coordinates, spectral classes, and magnitudes are given.Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp. 523–529, November, 1996.     

Anatomy of individual agglutinates from a lunar highland soil

Abstract— We report results of our investigation of the relationship between values of I_s/FeO (relative concentration of nanophase Fe⁰ divided by total FeO content), glass abundance, total Fe content, and degree of digestion of <20 μm clasts for 22 individual agglutinates (250–1000 μm) from the mature Apollo 16 soil 61181 (I_s/FeO = 82 units in the <250 μm fraction). Agglutinates are important products of space weathering on the Moon, and they influence spectral observations at visible and near-IR wavelengths. Values of I_s/FeO for individual agglutinates (250–1000 μm) within this single soil span a range from 3 to 262 units which is larger than the range observed for all Apollo 16 bulk soils (～0 to 110 units). No correlation was observed between I_s/FeO and glass abundance and FeO concentrations for either agglutinitic glass or whole agglutinate particles under investigation. Our results suggest that the variation in I_s/FeO for agglutinates from a single soil may be in part a consequence of natural mixing processes on the Moon that produce highly-variable environments (with respect to surface exposure) for agglutinate formation and in part to variable kinetics of reactions in an agglutinate melt, which are influenced by a variety of factors including melt composition, temperature, impactor velocity, and quench rate. We cannot exclude but do not see evidence for other processes including addition of exotic agglutinates, micrometeoritic bombardment into compositionally-diverse microtargets, recycling of agglutinates, preferential melting of very fine soil particles, and production of nanophase Fe⁰ in amorphous rims of very fine irradiated lunar grains contributing to the observed variation of I_s/FeO.     

3D Coronal Density Reconstruction and Retrieving the Magnetic Field Structure during Solar Minimum

Measurement of the coronal magnetic field is a crucial ingredient in understanding the nature of solar coronal phenomena at all scales. We employed STEREO/COR1 data obtained during a deep minimum of solar activity in February 2008 (Carrington Rotation CR 2066) to retrieve and analyze the three-dimensional (3D) coronal electron density in the range of heights from 1.5 to 4 R_⊙ using a tomography method. With this, we qualitatively deduced structures of the coronal magnetic field. The 3D electron-density analysis is complemented by the 3D STEREO/EUVI emissivity in the 195 Å band obtained by tomography for the same CR. A global 3D MHD model of the solar corona was used to relate the reconstructed 3D density and emissivity to open/closed magnetic-field structures. We show that the density-maximum locations can serve as an indicator of current-sheet position, while the locations of the density-gradient maximum can be a reliable indicator of coronal-hole boundaries. We find that the magnetic-field configuration during CR 2066 has a tendency to become radially open at heliocentric distances greater than 2.5 R_⊙. We also find that the potential-field model with a fixed source surface is inconsistent with the boundaries between the regions with open and closed magnetic-field structures. This indicates that the assumption of the potential nature of the coronal global magnetic field is not satisfied even during the deep solar minimum. Results of our 3D density reconstruction will help to constrain solar coronal-field models and test the accuracy of the magnetic-field approximations for coronal modeling.     

Center-to-limb variation of low-frequency Ca II line brightness oscillations in the solar chromosphere

The goal of this paper is a detailed statistical analysis of the low-frequency Ca II line intensity oscillations containing information about the dynamics of the lower and middle chromosphere. A pixel-by-pixel analysis of the observed parameters has been performed. The following results have been obtained. (1) The low-frequency chromospheric oscillations (periods >400 s) are seen much more frequently in networks than in chromospheric network cells. (2) The relative fraction of the low-frequency chromospheric intensity oscillations increases with height. (3) The occurrence distribution of intensity oscillations as a function of the frequency is subdivided at least into two types. (4) In contrast to the low-frequency photospheric oscillations, the phase differences between the Ca II K and 849.8 nm line intensity oscillations do not give grounds to identify the low-frequency chromospheric oscillations with internal gravity waves. (5) The spectral composition of the oscillations in the network chromosphere resembles that expected in magnetic flux tubes in the nonlinear regime of conversion of transverse MHD waves at lower levels of the atmosphere into longitudinal MHD waves in its upper layer.     

The Numerical Simulation of Aerodynamics of the Frontal Aerodynamic Screen of ExoMars Project Descent Vehicle and the Analysis of Flow Pattern in the Base Area and Near Wake

Solar System Research - Results of the numerical study of the flow past the frontal aerodynamic screen of the descent vehicle of the ExoMars project, the determination of aerodynamic...     

High-Resolution Optical Spectroscopy of the Post-AGB Supergiant V340 Ser ( $${\mathbf{=}}$$ IRAS 17279 $$\mathbf{-}$$ 1119)

Astronomy Letters - Evidence of wind variability and velocity stratification in the extended atmosphere has been found in the spectra of the supergiant V340 Ser ( $${=}$$ IRAS 17279 $$-$$ 1119)...     

On the periodical structures in populations of galaxies and of clusters of galaxies

Analysing the distribution of the redshift of clusters of galaxies, obtained from the catalogue of SCHMIDT (1986), two already known periodical structures were confirmed and both periods were extended by a number of periods — approximately by two times (We elucidated 5 new periods in the first structure and 4 in the second.). The statistical significance of these structures was estimated to 0.01 in the first case and to 0.02 in the second one. Particularly, the second structure may be the largest known object in the Universe (about 900 Mpc at H = 75 km s^-1 Mpc^-1). These results agree with the predictions of the axion-dominated early Universe. In addition, we discovered periodical structures of an another type — in luminosity functions of galaxies, which are members of rich clusters. Bei der Analyse des Katalogs von SCHMIDT (1986) wurden zwei periodische Strukturen in den Verteilungen der Rotverschiebungen von Galaxienhaufen festgestellt. In den beiden Strukturen wurden 5 bzw. 4 neue Perioden beobachtet, weshalb sich die Periodenzahl in jeder der beiden Strukturen etwa verdoppelt hat. Die statistische Signifikanzen dieser Strukturen wurden zu 0.01 und 0.02 abgeschätzt. Möglicherweise entspricht die zweite Struktur dem größten bekannten Objekt des Weltalls (etwa 900 Mpc bei H = 75 km s^-1 Mpc^-1). Diese Resultate stützen die Theorie eines axiondominierten frühen Universums. Außerdem wurden weitere periodische Strukturen in der Leuchtkraftfunktion von Galaxien aus reichen Galaxien-haufen entdeckt.