Forward-Modeling of Doppler Shifts in EUV Spectral Lines

The interpretation of red- and blueshifts in EUV spectral observations remains a challenge that could provide important clues to the heating processes in the solar atmosphere. Hinode/EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) observations near the footpoints of coronal loops show blueshifts for emission lines with temperatures above 1 MK and redshifts for lines below 1 MK. The implications are addressed through numerical modeling of loop dynamics. The simulation results are converted into synthetic EIS observations. A single one-dimensional loop cannot reproduce the observed behavior. However, persistent red- and blueshifts can be understood as a collective spectral signature of a bundle of 10 or more loops that have an average temperature of around 1 MK and evolve in a similar way: small-scale heating events occur randomly along each loop on a timescale of several minutes. Strong blueshifts are accompanied by low intensities. The power-law index of the energy distribution has a minor role in determining the average Doppler shifts.     

Revisiting Solar and Heliospheric 1.3-Year Signals during 1970 – 2007

We revisit the 1.3-year (yr) signals observed on the Sun, in the interplanetary space, and in the Earth’s magnetosphere to study the coupling among signals from the three regions for about 40 years (1970?–?2007) covering the three solar cycles 21, 22, and 23. For this, we make dynamic spectra of datasets including three different regions. From this, we estimate the peak frequency around 1.3 yr for each region and the corresponding band power. We found that coherent power only appears during 1987?–?1995 and the coherent behavior is found only in the interplanetary space and Earth, not in the Sun. Although the solar surface magnetic field shows significant power around 1.3 yr, their peak frequencies are statistically different from those of the outer regions, which make us dismiss the existence of coherence among the three regions. But it is notable that the peaks in band power corresponding to the 1.3-yr period are clearly simultaneous in the interplanetary space and Earth.     

A Multi-Observatory Inter-Comparison of Line-of-Sight Synoptic Solar Magnetograms

The observed photospheric magnetic field is a crucial parameter for understanding a range of fundamental solar and heliospheric phenomena. Synoptic maps, in particular, which are derived from the observed line-of-sight photospheric magnetic field and built up over a period of 27 days, are the main driver for global numerical models of the solar corona and inner heliosphere. Yet, in spite of 60 years of measurements, quantitative estimates remain elusive. In this study, we compare maps from seven solar observatories (Stanford/WSO, NSO/KPVT, NSO/SOLIS, NSO/GONG, SOHO/MDI, UCLA/MWO, and SDO /HMI) to identify consistencies and differences among them. We find that while there is a general qualitative consensus, there are also some significant differences. We compute conversion factors that relate measurements made by one observatory to another using both synoptic map pixel-by-pixel and histogram-equating techniques, and we also estimate the correlation between datasets. For example, Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO) synoptic maps must be multiplied by a factor of 3?–?4 to match Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) estimates. Additionally, we find no evidence that the MWO saturation correction factor should be applied to WSO data, as has been done in previous studies. Finally, we explore the relationship between these datasets over more than a solar cycle, demonstrating that, with a few notable exceptions, the conversion factors remain relatively constant. While our study was able to quantitatively describe the relationship between the datasets, it did not uncover any obvious “ground truth.” We offer several suggestions for how this may be addressed in the future.     

Probing the mass and anisotropy of the Milky Way gaseous halo: sight-lines toward Mrk 421 and PKS 2155-304

We recently found that the halo of the Milky Way contains a large reservoir of warm-hot gas that accounts for large fraction of the missing baryons from the Galaxy. The average physical properties of this circumgalactic medium (CGM) are determined by combining average absorption and emission measurements along several extragalactic sightlines. However, there is a wide distribution of both, the halo emission measure and the O?vii column density, suggesting that the Galactic warm-hot gaseous halo is anisotropic. We present Suzaku observations of fields close to two sightlines along which we have precise O?vii absorption measurements with Chandra. The column densities along these two sightlines are similar within errors, but we find that the emission measures are different: 0.0025±0.0006 cm^?6?pc near the Mrk 421 direction and 0.0042±0.0008 cm^?6?pc close to the PKS 2155-304 sightline. Therefore the densities and pathlengths in the two directions must be different, providing a suggestive evidence that the warm-hot gas in the CGM of the Milky Way is not distributed uniformly. However, the formal errors on derived parameters are too large to make such a claim. In the Mrk 421 direction we derive the density of \(1.6^{+2.6}_{-0.8} \times 10^{-4}~\mbox{cm}^{-3}\) and pathlength of \(334^{+685}_{-274}~\mbox{kpc}\) . In the PKS 2155-304 direction we measure the gas density of \(3.6^{+4.5}_{-1.8} \times10^{-4}~\mbox{cm}^{-3}\) and path-length of \(109^{+200}_{-82}~\mbox{kpc}\) . Thus the density and pathlength along these sightlines are consistent with each other within errors. The average density and pathlength of the two sightlines are similar to the global averages, so the halo mass is still huge, over 10 billion solar masses. With more such studies, we will be able to better characterize the CGM anisotropy and measure its mass more accurately. We can then compare the observational results with theoretical models and investigate if/how the CGM structure is related to the larger scale environment of the Milky Way. We also show that the Galactic disk makes insignificant contribution to the observed O?vii absorption; a similar conclusion was also reached by Henley and Shelton (2013) about the emission measure. We further argue that any density inhomogeneity in the warm-hot gas, be it from clumping, from the disk, or from a non-constant density gradient, would strengthen our result in that the Galactic halo path-length and the mass would become larger than what we estimate here. As such, our results are conservative and robust.     

Statistical properties of twin kilohertz quasi‐periodic oscillations in neutron star low‐mass X‐ray binaries

We collect the data of twin kilohertz quasi‐periodic oscillations (kHz QPOs) published before 2012 from 26 neutron star (NS) low‐mass X‐ray binary (LMXB) sources, then we analyze the centroid frequency (ν) distribution of twin kHz QPOs (lower frequency ν₁ and upper frequency ν₂) both for Atoll and Z sources. For the data without shift‐and‐add, we find that Atoll and Z sources show different distributions of ν₁, ν₂ and ν₂/ν₁, but the same distribution of Δν (difference of twin kHz QPOs), which indicates that twin kHz QPOs may share the common properties of LXMBs and have the same physical origins. The distribution of Δν is quite different from a constant value, so is ν 2/ν₁ from a constant ratio. The weighted mean values and maxima of ν₁ and ν₂ in Atoll sources are slightly higher than those in Z sources. We also find that shift‐and‐add technique can reconstruct the distributions of ν₁ and Δν. The K‐S test results of ν₁ and Δν between Atoll and Z sources from data with shift‐and‐add are quite different from those without it, and we think that this may be caused by the selection biases of the sample. We also study the properties of the quality factor (Q) and the root‐meansquared (rms) amplitude of 4U 0614+09 with data from the two observational methods, but the errors are too big to make a robust conclusion. The NS spin frequency (ν_s) distribution of 28 NS‐LMXBs show a bigger mean value (∼408 Hz) than that (∼281 Hz) of the radio binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs), which may be due to the lack of the spin detections from Z sources (systematically lower than 281 Hz). Furthermore, on the relations between the kHz QPOs and NS spin frequency ν_s, we find the approximate correlations of the mean values of Δν with NS spin and its half, respectively. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

副蝎蛉科化石（昆虫纲长翅目）在中国首次发现

报道了华夏三叠副蝎蛉Triasoparachorista huaxiaensis gen. et sp nov. (T2t)、吐孜沟准噶尔蝎蛉Junggarochorista tuzigouensis Hong. nom. nov. (J1b) 和1个新转移属——冀北直脉蝎蛉属Jibeiorthophlebia Hoing, 1983 (transl. nov.) (J2)及其2个种J. xiaofangzhangziensis Hong,1983 (transl. nov.)、J. internata Hong,1983 (transl. nov.) 在中国首次发现。根据它们的脉序特征,在分类上应当归于Parachoristidae Tillyard, 1937。这个科既具有二叠蝎蛉科(Permochoristidae) MP 带6支脉的特征,又有直脉蝎蛉科(Orthophlebiidae) Rs1至少带3支脉呈扇形排列的特征, 形成二叠蝎蛉科和直脉蝎蛉科之间的一种独特的过渡特征的中间类群,这个类群对它们之间的演变关系的研究有重要意义。副蝎蛉科化石在中国的发现很有意义：①填补了中国中三叠世、早侏罗世、中侏罗世副蝎蛉科的空白;②可以帮助我们追溯副蝎蛉科、直脉蝎蛉科和二叠蝎蛉科之间在不同地质背景中的演变关系;③关于中侏罗世燕辽生物群及其有关问题,笔者曾先后指出,燕辽生物群(Yanliao Biota)（J2）和热河生物群（K1）均起源于华北古陆（North China Paleocontinent）,燕辽地区（覆盖了新增加的内蒙古宁城地区）是它们的起源中心,尔后向外扩散与迁移,并向北覆盖到蒙古东部、俄罗斯外贝加尔等地区,形成东亚古陆（Eastern Asian Paleocontinent）中一个广阔的燕辽生物群和热河生物群的区系;④讨论了宁城地区地层层位的归属问题。     

新疆东准噶尔锡矿北花岗斑岩的锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb测年

对东准噶尔锡矿北花岗斑岩进行锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb测年,获得206Pb/238U加权平均年龄为(281±10)Ma,MSWD=9.3,206Pb/238U-207Pb/235U谐和曲线图中下交点年龄为(278±11)Ma,MSWD=7.5,两者在误差范围内完全一致,时代属于早二叠世。结果表明,锡矿北花岗斑岩形成的时代属于东准噶尔后碰撞深成岩浆活动的范围(330～265Ma),晚于东准噶尔乌伦古河碱性花岗岩和卡拉麦里碱性花岗岩的形成时代（300Ma左右）,以花岗斑岩为代表的晚古生代岩浆侵入活动延续到早二叠世晚期。     

基于土壤-小麦系统的河南黄淮平原As生态安全评价

在研究河南省黄淮平原经济区土壤As对小麦籽实As含量影响的基础上,分析了土壤及籽实As的数据特征,并利用单项污染指数法,对研究区小麦籽实As的安全状况进行了评价,发现研究区小麦籽实中As的含量远远低于不安全标准。还进一步研究了土壤As全量与小麦籽实As含量之间的响应关系,同时根据提供的资料,对小麦籽实的As含量与土壤中As的某些形态的含量建立多元线性回归模型,从而通过食品质量标准推算出土壤中As的安全临界浓度。     

Concordant Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Ar-Ar ages for Northwest Africa 1460: A 346 Ma old basaltic shergottite related to “lherzolitic” shergottites

Multiple lines of evidence show that the Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Ar-Ar isotopic systems individually give robust crystallization ages for basaltic (or diabasic) shergottite Northwest Africa (NWA) 1460. In contrast to other shergottites, NWA 1460 exhibits minimal evidence of excess ⁴⁰Ar, thus allowing an unambiguous determination of its Ar-Ar age. The concordant Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Ar-Ar results for NWA 1460 define its crystallization age to be 346 ± 17 Ma (2σ). In combination with petrographic and trace element data for this specimen and paired meteorite NWA 480, these results strongly refute the suggestion by others that the shergottites are ∼4.1 Ga old. Current crystallization and cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) age data permit identification of a maximum of nine ejection events for Martian meteorites (numbering more than 50 unpaired specimens as of 2008) and plausibly as few as five such events. Although recent high resolution imaging of the Martian surface has identified limited areas of sparsely cratered terrains, the meteorite data suggest that either these areas are representative of larger areas from which the meteorites might come, or that the cratering chronology needs recalibration. Time-averaged ⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr = 0.16 for the mantle source of the parent magma of NWA 1460/480 over the ∼4.56 Ga age of the planet is consistent with previously estimated values for bulk silicate Mars in the range 0.13-0.16, and similar to values of ∼0.18 for the “lherzolitic” shergottites. Initial ε_Nd for NWA 1460/480 at 350 ± 16 Ma ago was +10.6 ± 0.5, which implies a time-averaged ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd of 0.217 in the Martian mantle prior to mafic melt extraction, similar to values of 0.211-0.216 for the “lherzolitic” shergottites. These time-averaged values do not imply a simple two-stage mantle/melt evolution, but must result from multiple episodes of melt extractions from the source regions. Much higher “late-stage” ε_Nd values for the depleted shergottites imply similar processes carried to a greater degree. Thus, NWA 1460/480, the “lherzolitic” shergottites and perhaps EET 79001 give the best (albeit imperfect) estimate of the Sr- and Nd-isotopic characteristics of bulk silicate Mars.