Fullerenes, fulleranes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Allende meteorite

In this paper, we confirm our earlier observations of fullerenes (C60 and C70) in the Allende meteorite (Becker et al., 1994a, 1995). Fullerene C60 was also detected in two separate C-rich (approximately 0.5-1.0%) dark inclusions (Heymann et al., 1987) that were hand picked from the Allende sample. The amounts of C60 detected were approximately 5 and approximately 10 ppb, respectively, which is considerably less than what was detected in the Allende 15/21 sample (approximately 100 ppb; Becker et al., 1994a, 1995). This suggests that fullerenes are heterogeneously distributed in the meteorite. In addition, we present evidence for fulleranes, (C60Hx), detected in separate samples by laser desorption (reflectron) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (LDMS). The LDMS spectra for the Allende extracts were remarkably similar to the spectra generated for the synthetic fullerane mixtures. Several fullerane products were synthesized using a Rh catalyst (Becker et al., 1993a) and separated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were also observed ppm levels) that included benzofluoranthene and corannulene, a cup-shaped molecule that has been proposed as a precursor molecule to the formation of fullerenes in the gas phase (Pope et al., 1993).     

Lewis Cliff 86360: An Antarctic L-chondrite with a terrestrial age of 2.35 million years

Abstract— We measured the concentrations of the cosmogenic radionuclides ¹⁰Be (half-life = 1.51 × 10⁶ a), ²⁶Al (7.05 × 10⁵ a) and ³⁶Cl (3.01 × 10⁵ a) in Lewis Cliff (LEW) 86360, an L-chondrite from the Lewis Cliff stranding area, East Antarctica. In addition, the concentrations and isotopic compositions of He, Ne and Ar were measured. The combined results yield a terrestrial age of 2.35 ± 0.15 Ma. Only one other stony meteorite with a similar terrestrial age (～2 Ma) is known from the Allan Hills stranding area (ALH 88019), whereas all previously dated stony meteorites from Antarctica are younger than 1 Ma. We argue that LEW 86360 spent most of its terrestrial residence time deep inside the ice, near the base of the glacier, where ice flow rates are much lower than at the surface. The terrestrial ages of LEW 86360 and ALH 88019 are consistent with existing hypotheses concerning the stability and persistence of the East Antarctic ice sheet.     

Sobolev's Φ-function of radiative transfer in planar and spherical scattering media

In recent years Sobolev's -function of radiative transfer has been discussed in connection with the resolvent of Milne's integral equation such that it plays an important role in the determination of the radiation field in semi-infinite (or finite) atmospheres with internal sources (cf. Sobolev, 1963). In the present paper, the part of Sobolev's -function in plane-parallel and spherical, isotropically scattering, atmospheres with internal source distribution is investigated from analytical and numerical aspects. With the aid of invariant imbedding (cf. Bellmanet al., 1968), we computed Sobolev's -function of Milne's integral equation for the planar case by solving the Cauchy system for the auxiliary function and Chandrasekhar'sX- andY-functions. The corresponding -function for the spherical case is readily obtained from the for the planar case.Investigation supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. GP 29049, the Atomic Energy Commission, Division of Research under Contract No. AT(04-3)-113, Project 19, and the National Institutes of Health under Grant No. 16197-05.     

The coronal disturbance of 1972, August 12

Using the observed data for metric and hectometric type III radio bursts, the dependence of burst characteristics on the solar longitude has been examined over a wide frequency range. It is found that there exists an east-west asymmetry for the extension of metric type III bursts into hectometric wavelength range. In particular, hectometric bursts are rarely observed for solar flares associated with metric bursts eastward solar longitude 60°E. Furthermore, for eastern longitudes, the low frequency radio observations show a large dispersion in drift time interval.     

On lagrange solutions in the problem of three rigid bodies

The present paper is a direct continuation of the paper (Duboshin, 1973) in which was proved the existence of one kind of Lagrange (triangle) and Euler (rectilinear) solutions of the general problem of the motion of three finite rigid bodies assuming different laws of interaction between the elementary particles of the rigid bodies. In particular, Duboshin found that the general problem of three rigid bodies permits such solutions in which the centres of mass of the bodies always form an equilateral triangle or always remain on one straight line, and each body possesses an axial symmetry and a symmetry with respect to the plane of the centres of mass and rotates uniformly around its axis orthogonal to this plane. The conditions for the existence of such solutions have also been found. The results in Duboshin's paper have greatly interested the author of the present paper. In another paper (Kondurar and Shinkarik, 1972) considering a more special problem, when two of the three bodies are spheres, either homogeneous or possessing a spherically symmetric distribution of the densities or of the material points, and the third is an axially symmetrical body possessing equatorial symmetry, the present author obtained analogous solutions of the ‘float’ type describing the motion of the indicated dynamico-symmetrical body in assuming its passive gravitation. In the present paper new Lagrange solutions of the considered general problems of three rigid bodies of ‘level’ type are found when the axes of geometrical and mechanical symmetry of all three bodies always lie in the triangle plane, and the bodies themselves rotate inertially around the symmetry axis, independently of the parameters of the orbital motion of the centres of mass as in the ‘float’ case. The study of particular solutions of the general problem of the translatory-rotary motion of three rigid bodies, which are a generalization of Lagrange solutions, is in the author's opinion, a novelty of some interest for both theoretical and practical divisions of celestial mechanics. For example, in recent times the problem of the libration points of the Earth-Moon system has acquired new interest and value. A possible application which should be mentioned is that to the orbits of artificial satellites near the triangular libration points to serve as observation stations with the aim of specifying the physical parameters in the Earth-Moon system (e.g., the relation of the Earth's mass to the Moon's mass for investigating the orientation of the satellite, solar radiation, etc.).     

A search for posteclipse brightening of Io in 1973. I

Eight eclipse reappearances of the innermost Galilean satellite, Io, were observed during the fall of 1973. The measurements were made using photometers specially designed to cope with the problem of scattered light from Jupiter. Posteclipse brightening of Io was not detected and, if present, was less than our estimated detection threshold of about 0.02 mag.     

A synoptic investigation of particle precipitation dynamics for 60 substorms in IQSY (1964–1965) and IASY (1969)

Sixty auroral absorption substorms (30 in IQSY and 30 in IASY) have been analysed on the basis of riometer-recordings taken at some 40 stations distributed over auroral, subauroral and polar cap latitudes. Synoptic maps showing isoabsorption curves have been produced every 15 min (sometimes every 5 min) of the 60 substorms; 705 maps altogether.Some of the results of the analysis are as follows.Initiation of a substorm most frequently occurs near midnight but may occur anywhere between early evening and late morning. The time of onset becomes earlier and the latitude of onset moves equatorward as the level of magnetic activity increases.The longitude expansion velocities are contained in the range 0.7–7 km/sec except for a few extreme values which exceed 20 km/sec.The auroral absorption eastward expansion velocity is smaller than the corresponding velocity of the boundary of the region of activation of the visual aurora after break up by a factor $\text{14}\text{?12}$.The expansion velocity corresponds, in general, to drift velocities of electrons of energies in the range 50–300 keV but, for the extreme speeds, electron energies around 1 MeV are needed.Expansion of the absorption in the westward direction was seen in about half of the substorms studied. In about half of these, expansion along the auroral oval could be indentified, but in almost all of these cases some expansion in the auroral zone latitudes was also seen. In about an equal number of events, expansion was confined primarily to the auroral zone.The velocity of the westward expansion was about 1 km/sec along the auroral oval (i.e. approximately equal with the speed of the westward travelling surge) but about 2 km/sec along the auroral zone.The meridional expansion velocities found agree well with those measured for visual aurora (? 1 km/sec).The variability of the behaviour of different substorms is very large. To illuminate this the following may be mentioned, in addition to what has been stated above about the statistics.Although the absorption maximum practically always moves eastward from the initiation region, exceptions have been seen in which the maximum started moving west and in a later phase went eastward.Sometimes the absorption maximum stays in the injection area or very close to it, although in most cases it moves eastward into the dayside. In extreme eases it has been found to move more than 270° in the eastward direction.There are auroral absorption substorms in which injection seems to take place in more than one area simultaneously.The observations cannot all be understood in terms of gradient and curvature drift of electrons from a small area of injection only. A broad intrusion of hot plasma from the tail into the inner magnetosphere seems to be needed.No strong dependence of particle precipitation on the illumination of the upper ionosphere by sunlight was seen. The results do, therefore, not support the hypothesis of Brice and Lucas (1971) that cold plasma density increases, originating in the ionosphere, significantly increase the precipitation rate of energetic trapped particles.     

Measurement of nitric oxide in the stratosphere between 17·4 and 22·9 km

On 16 March 1973, the York U./U.S.U. chemiluminescent nitric oxide instrument was flown successfully from Hollomon Air Force Base, New Mexico, 32° 50·1′ N lat. The instrument was operated between 17:40 and 22:05UT. Most of the measurements were carried out during three ascent, float and descent cycles between 17·4 and 22·9 km. Within the uncertainty of the measurements no differences were seen among results obtained during ascent, float and descent mode, which indicated that there were no major sampling problems resulting from contamination of the atmosphere. The NO mixing ratio was found to be 0·1 ppb v/v with an accuracy of 60 per cent. No change was observed within this accuracy over the small altitude range investigated.     

Fluctuations of electron precipitation to the dayside auroral zone modulated by compression and expansion of the magnetosphere

Concurrent variations of CNA fluctuations and geomagnetic fluctuations are classified into Type 1 (substorm-type), Type 2 (Pc5-type), and Type 3 which is the object of the present study. Type 3 apparently has peculiar characteristics in that CNA fluctuations at a certain auroral-zone station show a pronounced positive correlation with magnetic fluctuations at distant low-latitude stations. The magnetic fluctuations of this type are identified to generalized Si which tends to take place much more frequently than the so-called Si. The CNA fluctuations of this type are found to take place on the dayside auroral zone only when preceded by a magnetic substorm on the night side. Considering the change of the growth rate of electron cyclotron instability and enhancement of pitch angle diffusion due to the change of magnetic field intensity, the following model is proposed to explain the occurrence mechanism of Type 3 concurrent variations. The CNA fluctuations take place only when two conditions are satisfied; generation of the accelerated electrons in association with substorm onset and modulation of the precipitation of the electrons by compression and expansion of the magnetosphere, in other words, by generalized Si.