Spectra of the spreading layers on the neutron star surface and constraints on the neutron star equation of state

Spectra of the spreading layers on the neutron star surface are calculated on the basis of the Inogamov–Sunyaev model taking into account general relativity correction to the surface gravity and considering various chemical composition of the accreting matter. Local (at a given latitude) spectra are similar to the X-ray burst spectra and are described by a diluted blackbody. Total spreading layer spectra are integrated accounting for the light bending, gravitational redshift and the relativistic Doppler effect and aberration. They depend slightly on the inclination angle and on the luminosity. These spectra also can be fitted by a diluted blackbody with the colour temperature depending mainly on a neutron star compactness. Owing to the fact that the flux from the spreading layer is close to the critical Eddington, we can put constraints on a neutron star radius without the need to know precisely the emitting region area or the distance to the source. The boundary layer spectra observed in the luminous low-mass X-ray binaries, and described by a blackbody of colour temperature   T _c= 2.4 ± 0.1 keV  , restrict the neutron star radii to   R = 14.8 ± 1.5 km  (for a  1.4-M_⊙  star and solar composition of the accreting matter), which corresponds to the hard equation of state.     

Investigation of radio pulsar emission features using power spectra

Since 2013, round-the-clock monitoring of the sky has been carried out simultaneously in 96 beams using a high-sensitivity radio telescope called the Large Phased Array(LPA) at the frequency110.25 MHz. These observations are made under the program of interplanetary plasma investigation.The same data are used to search for pulsars by means of power spectra. To increase the sensitivity of the pulsar search, 500–600 power spectra corresponding to different days of observations are summed. In the integrated spectra of known pulsars, besides expected improvement in signal-to-noise(S/N) ratio for the frequency harmonics, some features are explored in this paper. We present the 27 strongest pulsars which are in a field with declination 21°-42°. The observable details in the integrated power spectra are connected with the presence of pulsar periods of the second(P_2) and third(P_3) class, which have been identified. Empirical relations for calculating these periods are obtained. The value P_2 is estimated for 26 pulsars, and for 15 sources it is made for the first time. The value P_3 is estimated for 13 pulsars,among them these values are given for five sources for the first time.     

Magmatic plumbing systems of the Koryakskii–Avacha Volcanic Cluster as inferred from observations of local seismicity and from the regime of adjacent thermal springs

An analysis of local seismicity within the Avacha–Koryakskii Volcanic Cluster during the 2000–2016 period revealed a sequence of plane-oriented earthquake clusters that we interpret as a process of dike and sill emplacement. The highest magmatic activity occurred in timing with the 2008–2009 steam–gas eruption of Koryakskii Volcano, with magma injection moving afterwards into the cone of Avacha Volcano (2010–2016). The geometry of the magma bodies reflects the NF geomechanical conditions (tension and normal faults, \(S_V>S_{H_{\text{max}}}>S_{h_{\text{min}}}\)) at the basement of Koryakskii Volcano dominated by vertical stresses S _v , with the maximum horizontal stress \(S_{h_{\text{max}}}\) pointing north. A CFRAC simulation of magma injection into a fissure under conditions that are typical of those in the basement of Koryakskii Volcano (the angle of dip is 60°, the size is 2 × 2 km², and the depth is –4 km abs.) showed that when the magma discharge is maintained at the level of 20000 kg/s during 24 hours the fissure separation increases to reach 0.3 m and the magma injection is accompanied by shear movements that occur at a rate as high as 2 × 10^–3 m/s, thus corresponding to the conditions of local seismic events with Mw below 4.5. We are thus able to conclude that the use of planeoriented clusters of earthquakes for identification of magma emplacement events is a physically sound procedure. The August 2, 2011 seismicity increase in the area of the Izotovskii hot spring (7 km from the summit of Koryakskii Volcano), which is interpreted as the emplacement of a dike, has been confirmed by an increase in the spring temperature by 10–12°C during the period from October 2011 to July 2012.     

Fusulinid biostratigraphy of the Lower Permian Zweikofel Formation (Rattendorf Group; Carnic Alps,Austria) and Lower Permian Tethyan chronostratigraphy

The Zweikofel Formation of the Rattendorf Group in the Carnic Alps (Austria) is 95–102 m thick and consists of a cyclic succession of thin‐ to thick‐bedded fossiliferous limestone and intercalated thin intervals of siliciclastic sediment. The siliciclastic intervals were deposited in a shallow marine nearshore environment. The variety of carbonate facies indicates deposition in a shallow neritic, normal‐saline, low‐ to high‐energy environment. The Zweikofel Formation is characterized by a paracyclic vertical arrangement of facies and represents sedimentary sequences that are not well understood elsewhere in the Tethys. Fusulinids and conodonts from the upper Grenzland and Zweikofel formations in the Carnic Alps clearly suggest that what has been called ‘Sakmarian’ in the Tethys includes both the Sakmarian and Artinskian stages of the Global Time scale. Fusulinids from the lower part of the Zweikofel Formation at Zweikofel closely resemble those of the Grenzland Formation and approximately correlate with the upper part of the Sakmarian and lower part of the Artinskian of the Global Time scale. The upper part of the Zweikofel Formation correlates approximately with the lower‐middle (?) parts of the Artinskian Stage of the Global Time scale. A new regional Hermagorian Stage of the Tethyan scale is proposed between the Asselian and Yakhtashian. The lower boundary of the Hermagorian Stage is proposed to be located at the base of bed 81 in the 1015 section of Darvaz (Tadzhikistan). The boundary between the Hermagorian and Yakhtashian stages is placed at the base of bed 73 in the Zweikofel section at Zweikofel, Carnic Alps. In the Darvaz region, Tadzhikistan, the type area for the Yakhtashian Stage, this boundary has never been precisely defined. The entire fusulinid assemblage of the upper part of the Grenzland and Zweikofel formations reported herein includes 62 species of 18 genera, of which one subgenus and 12 species and subspecies are new. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New data on tectonics of Mendeleev Ridge and adjacent geological structures

The comprehensive analysis of potential field data and recent seismic data revealed two systems of fractures bounding horsts and grabens in terms of the Mendeleev Ridge. The northern part of the ridge is marked by development of pull-apart structures indicating the former existence of oblique extension settings. The area between Mendeleev and Alpha ridges is occupied by a wide NW?SE–extending sinistral strike-slip zone. It is concluded that these ridges are of continental origin representing former parts of Arctida (Hyperborea) in the pre-Cretaceous time. The ridges were separated and their crust significantly altered during Cretaceous tectono-magmatic activation in the region.     

Perceived effects of climate change on profit efficiency among small scale chili pepper marketers in Benue State,Nigeria

GeoJournal - In the determination of the level of efficiency of an enterprise, the role of climate change cannot be overemphasized. However, some scholars are of the view that climate change might...     

Peculiarities of the Seismic Activation of Avacha Volcano in Late 2019

Doklady Earth Sciences - Seismic activation of Avacha volcano was observed from late October to late December 2019, when six swarm sequences of volcanic earthquakes of various types occurred in its...     

Snow measurement by GPS interferometric reflectometry: an evaluation at Niwot Ridge,Colorado

Snow is a critical storage component in the hydrologic cycle, but current measurement networks are sparse. In addition, the heterogeneity of snow requires surveying larger areas to measure the areal average. We presented snow measurements using GPS interferometric reflectometry (GPS‐IR). GPS‐IR measures a large area (~100 m²), and existing GPS installations around the world have the potential to expand existing snow measurement networks. GPS‐IR uses a standard, geodetic GPS installation to measure the snow surface via the reflected component of the signal. We reported GPS‐IR snow depth measurements made at Niwot Ridge, Colorado, from October 2009 through June 2010. This site is in a topographic saddle at 3500 m elevation with a peak snow depth of 1.7 m near the GPS antenna. GPS‐IR measurements are compared with biweekly snow surveys, a continuously operating scanning laser system and an airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) measurement. The GPS‐IR measurement of peak snowpack (1.36–1.76 m) matches manual measurements (0.95–1.7 m) and the scanning laser (1.16 m). GPS‐IR has RMS error of 13 cm (bias = 10 cm) compared with the laser, although differences between the measurement locations make comparison imprecise. Over the melt season, when the snowpack is more homogenous, the difference between the GPS‐IR and the laser is reduced (RMS = 9 cm, bias = 6 cm). In other locations, the GPS and the LIDAR agree on which areas have more or less snow, but the GPS estimates more snow on the ground on tracks to the west (1.58 m) than the LIDAR (1.14 m). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distribution of ejecta from small impact craters

The present study focuses both on the influence of impact scale on ejecta expansion and on specific features of ejecta deposits around relatively small craters (i.e., those a few kilometers in width). The numerical model is based on the SOVA multimaterial multidimensional hydrocode, considering subaerial vertical impacts only, applying a 2‐D version of the code to projectiles of 100, 300, and 1000 m diameter. Ejecta can roughly be divided into two categories: “ballistic” ejecta and “convective” ejecta; the ballistic ejecta are the ejecta with which the air interacts only slightly, while the convective ejecta motion is entirely defined by the air flow. The degree of particle/air interaction can be defined by the time/length of particle travel before deceleration. Ejecta size‐distributions for the impacts modeled can be described by the same power law, but the size of maximum fragment increases with scale. There is no qualitative difference between the 100 m diameter projectile case and the 300 m diameter projectile impact. In both cases, fine ejecta decelerate in the air at a small distance from launching point and then rise to the stratosphere by air flows induced by the impacts. In the 1000 m‐scale impact, the mass of ejecta is so large that it moves the atmosphere itself to high altitudes. Thus, the atmosphere cannot decelerate even the fine ejecta and they consequently expand to the rarefied upper atmosphere. In the upper atmosphere, even fine ejecta move more or less ballistically and therefore may travel to high altitudes.