EISCAT/CRRES observations: nightside ionospheric ion outflow and oxygen-rich substorm injections

We present combined observations made near midnight by the EISCAT radar, all-sky cameras and the combined released and radiation efects satellite (CRRES) shortly before and during a substorm. In particular, we study a discrete, equatorward-drifting auroral arc, seen several degrees poleward of the onset region. The arc passes through the field-aligned beam of the EISCAT radar and is seen to be associated with a considerable upflow of ionospheric plasma. During the substorm, the CRRES satellite observed two major injections, 17 min apart, the second of which was dominated by O⁺ ions. We show that the observed are was in a suitable location in both latitude and MLT to have fed O⁺ ions into the second injection and that the upward flux of ions associated with it was sufficient to explain the observed injection. We interpret these data as showing that arcs in the nightside plasma-sheet boundary layer could be the source of O⁺ ions energised by a dipolarisation of the mid- and near-Earth tail, as opposed to ions ejected from the dayside ionosphere in the cleft ion fountain.     

Possible creep-related tilt precursors obtained in the Central Apennines (Italy) and in the Southern Caucasus (Georgia)

Daily averaged tilt component data from two sites of the Central Apennines (Italy) and of the Southern Caucasus (Georgia), respectively, revealed intermediate-term tilts as possible precursors to earthquakes (M=3.0÷4.7) which occurred in the above-mentioned seismic areas within a distance of 50 km from the sites. A good temporal correlation as well as a fair spatial correspondence between these residual tilts (with amplitude and duration of some microradians and months, respectively) and main shocks were pointed out, by removing both secular trends and seasonal thermoelastic effects from the raw tilts. An attempt was made to justify the above-mentioned results, based on the assumption that the observed intermediate-term preseismic tilts are the manifestation of aseismic creep episodes of comparable duration in the fault materials of thrust faults close to the tilt sites. The mechanism refers to a strain field slowly propagating from the preparation focal area to the tilt site, through crustal blocks separated by weak transition zones. This propagation is thought to be the cause of the local aseismic fault slip recorded by the tiltmeters. Previously, both discrete structures and strain propagation effects were revealed in the Central Apennines and are thought also to exist in the Southern Caucasus. As in the past, the rheological properties of fault materials are revealed as viscoelastic ones. In fact, creep equations obtained by applying several viscoelastic models on our data, proved to fit quite well some of the observed tilt precursors, producing viscosity and rigidity values very similar to those reported in literature.Professor Petr Viktorovich Manjgaladze died during the writing of this paper     

Binary stellar winds

Stellar winds from a binary star pair will interact with each other along a contact discontinuity. We discuss qualitatively the geometry of the flow and field resulting from this interaction in the simplest case where the stars and winds are identical. We consider the shape of the critical surface (defined as the surface where the flow speed is equal to the sound speed) as a function of stellar separation and the role of shock waves in the flow field. The effect of stellar spin and magnetic sectors on the field configuration is given. The relative roles of mass loss and magnetic torque in the evolution of orbital parameters are discussed.     

Measurements in N2-CH4(C2H2) discharges of reaction rates and thermochemical constants for Titan atmosphere study

The kinetic reactions in N2-xCH4(C2H2) gas discharges with x less than 1% have been studied by emission spectroscopy in the afterglow of D.C. discharges and by mass spectroscopy from radiolysis ionization using alpha particles. The pressure range is from several Torr to 100 Torr. At the end of N2 D.C. discharges at room temperature, for a residence time of about 10(-2) s, the dominant active species are the N atoms with density of 10(14)-10(15) cm-3 for N2 density of about 10(17) cm-3 (3 Torr), the N2(X,V) vibrational molecules with for example [N2(X,V = 10)] approximately 10(14) cm-3 and the electronic metastable molecules N2(A 3 sigma u +) with a density of 10(12) cm-3. In such conditions, the following kinetic reactions have been studied: N2(A) + N2(A) --> N2(C,B,V') + N2(X), N2(A) + N2(X,V>5) --> N2(X) + N2(B,V') in pure N2 post-discharges and N2(A) + CH4 --> products, C + N + M2 --> CN(B,V') + M2, N2(X,V>4) + CN --> N2(X) + CN(B,A,V'), in N2-1% CH4 post-discharges. The clustering reactions of N2-(1-5%)CH4(C2H2) gas mixtures after radiolysis ionization have been studied for the H2CN+ nN2 ions and the equilibrium constants have been determined in the temperature range T = 140-300 K.     

Preliminary Results from the Magnetic Field Measurements Using MAGDAS at Ilorin, Nigeria

MAGDAS, the Magnetic Data Acquisition System, was successfully installed at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria—an equatorial station—in August 2006. MAGDAS is an important component of the International Heliophysical Year, IHY. We examined the preliminary results obtained from the analysis of the geomagnetic data obtained from the MAGDAS measurement. Diurnal variations of the solar quiet daily variation in the three geomagnetic elements, H, D, Z were studied. The obtained signatures of the magnetic field variations were discussed in the context of the literature. The day-to-day variability of the horizontal and vertical intensities as well as the declination of the geomagnetic field were examined. The study justified the need for a partner magnetic field observatory along same meridian as Ilorin, north or south of it, to facilitate synthesis of the equatorial electrojet effect.     

An HLLC Riemann solver for relativistic flows – II. Magnetohydrodynamics

An approximate Riemann solver for the equations of relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD) is derived. The Harten–Lax–van Leer contact wave (HLLC) solver, originally developed by Toro, Spruce and Spears, generalizes the algorithm described in a previous paper to the case where magnetic fields are present. The solution to the Riemann problem is approximated by two constant states bounded by two fast shocks and separated by a tangential wave. The scheme is Jacobian-free, in the sense that it avoids the expensive characteristic decomposition of the RMHD equations and it improves over the HLL scheme by restoring the missing contact wave.
Multidimensional integration proceeds via the single step, corner transport upwind (CTU) method of Colella, combined with the constrained transport (CT) algorithm to preserve divergence-free magnetic fields. The resulting numerical scheme is simple to implement, efficient and suitable for a general equation of state. The robustness of the new algorithm is validated against one- and two-dimensional numerical test problems.