Why do we see so few black holes in massive binaries?

We offer a simple explanation for the small number of black holes observed in pairs with massive stars. In detached massive binaries, spherically symmetric accretion takes place. This accretion could result in effective energy release in the hard band only if the equipartition of the gravitational and magnetic energy of plasma is established (Shvartsman’s theorem). However, we show that due to the magnetic exhaust effect this equilibrium is virtually never established for the actual magnetic fields observed on massive stars: Shvartsman’s theorem does not work. As a result, it is virtually impossible to detect black holes in detached massive binaries by currently available means (mainly, through X-ray observations).     

Variations in gaseous pollutants in the air basin of Moscow

Variations in the concentrations of gaseous pollutants in the air basin of Moscow are statistically analyzed. The basic statistical characteristics of variations in the concentrations of carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, formaldehyde, and a number of aromatic compounds are calculated. The main properties of intradiurnal, synoptic, seasonal, and interannual variations in the concentrations of gaseous pollutants are described. The power spectral densities of variations in the concentrations of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides are analyzed. The contributions made by variations in the concentration of carbon monoxide on different time scales to the total variance are calculated. The effect of the atmospheric air polluted with carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides on the ecological situation in the city is estimated. The probabilities of an excess over the single maximum allowable concentrations are determined for carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. The absorption of shortwave solar radiation by nitrogen dioxide in the atmospheric boundary layer is estimated.     

Finely dispersed brown carbon in a smoggy atmosphere

It is shown that the absorption capacity of smoke aerosol during mass forest and forest–peat fires is determined to a considerable degree by light absorbing organic compounds or brown carbon. According to the data from the AERONET global network of stations [1], the absorption spectra of smoke aerosol vary significantly if airborne particulate matter is contained in brown carbon. It is established that in several cases, the absorption spectra of smoke aerosol are approximated with satisfactory accuracy by exponents. It is shown that the finely dispersed (submicron) fraction of the smoke aerosol makes a major contribution to its optical characteristics in the 0.44–1.02 μm spectral region. Strong variation in the single scattering albedo is discovered in the presence of brown carbon in the smoke aerosol. It is shown that the optical characteristics of coarsely dispersed and finely dispersed fractions of smoke aerosol differ considerably.     

Dynamic planning of navigation determinations of airspace and missile objects in an automated flight test control system

This study considers an approach to planning navigation determinations of airspace and missile objects in the course of preparing for and carrying out an active flight test in an automated flight test control system. The approach is based on special information and mathematical software. The performance indices of the navigation determination subsystem are studied. Results of simulated modeling are provided.     

Non-monotonous character of single radio pulsar spin-down

Our paper is dedicated to the problem of anomalous values of braking indices n _obs and spin frequency second derivatives [(n)\ddot]\ddot \nu of isolated radio pulsars. Observations of these objects for over 40 years have shown that in addition to the complex short-term irregular component in the evolution of the pulsars’ frequency, secular values of its second derivative are orders of magnitude greater than the predicted theoretical ones, and in a good half of cases—they are even negative. We earlier attributed this behavior of secular values of the second derivative to the presence of a cyclic component in the secular evolution of ν(t), with a characteristic recurrence time of thousands to tens of thousand years. We continue to develop this hypothesis based on a more detailed statistical analysis of the characteristics of 297 isolated radio pulsars: we analyze the model of these objects spin-down, consisting of two components, monotonic and cyclic, and determine their parameters. We demonstrate that the monotonic spin-down component is described by the classical magnetodipolar power law with an braking index of about 3, while the large amplitude of the cyclic component causes a significant variation of the observed spin-down rate ([(n)\dot] )(\dot \nu ) (with respect to magnetodipolar one), and fully determines the anomalous values of [(n)\ddot]\ddot \nu and n _obs. An important consequence of the existence of a cyclic component of the pulsar rotational variations is the difference between their characteristic ages and respective secular values (by about 0.5–5 times). This allows to explainthe observed discrepancy of the characteristic and physical ages of some objects, as well as very large, up to 10⁸ years, characteristic ages of some old pulsars. The paper argues that the cyclic component of the observed spin-down is due to the long-term precession of neutron stars around their magnetic axes, which, in particular, may be driven by the anomalous braking torque. In the model of purely magnetodipolar braking this torque is a consequence of emission in the near field zone.     

Diamonds in lavas of the Tolbachik fissure eruption in Kamchatka

Diamond crystals 0.05–0.2 mm (rarely up to 0.7 mm) in size were found in lavas of the Tolbachik fissure eruption (TFE, Kamchatka, 2012–2013). The TFE basaltic lavas with diamonds in the pores are similar in chemical composition to the lavas of the Great Tolbachik Fissure Eruption (GTFE, Kamchatka, 1975–1976); however, the basalts of the new eruption contain slightly more SiO₂ and higher Fe relative to those of GTFE. Basalts of both eruptions are close in trace element composition. The diamonds were identified using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The crystals, as a rule, represent a combination of cubes and octahedrons, with rare rhombododecahedrons. The TFE diamond has a typical cubic cell with a cube edge a = 3.574 Å and belongs to the spatial group of Fd-3m. The X-ray diffraction pattern of some grains contain reflexes with fractional indices, which indicate the twinning of the diamond along the plane {111}, which is confirmed by crystal morphological analysis. The TFE diamond was formed at the early stage of eruption with typical intense gaseous-pyroclastic jets to a height of 250 m and more. The finding of diamonds in fresh products of basaltic eruption of an active volcano may be considered as evidence of its magmatic source. Such numerous (hundreds) diamond grains in lavas of the active volcano were found for the first time in the world.     

Vertical Distribution of Aleurite and Sand Particles in Windsand Flux over a Desertified Area

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Measurements in a desertified area in Astrakhan oblast at heights from 3 to 15 cm under almost nonintermittent saltation on August 23 and September 9,...     

Vertical Turbulent Dust-Aerosol Fluxes

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Vertical turbulent dust-aerosol fluxes over a desertificated area in Astrakhan oblast under almost quasicontinuous saltation conditions have been...     

Short time scale pulse stability of the Crab pulsar in the optical band

The fine structure and the variations of the optical pulse shape and phase of the Crab pulsar are studied on various time scales. The observations have been carried out on 4-m William Hershel and 6-m BTA telescopes with APD photon counter, photomultiplier based 4-channel photometer and PSD based panoramic spectrophotopolarimeter with 1 μs time resolution in 1994, 1999, 2003 and 2005–2006 years. The upper limit on the pulsar precession on Dec 2, 1999 is placed in the 10 s–2 hr time range. The evidence of a varying from set to set fine structure of the main pulse is found in the 1999 and 2003 years data. No such fine structure is detected in the integral pulse shape of 1994, 1999 and 2003 years. The drastic change of the pulse shape in the 2005–2006 years set is detected along with the pulse shape variability and quasi-periodic phase shifts. This work has been supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant No 04-02-17555), Russian Academy of Sciences (program “Evolution of Stars and Galaxies”), by the Russian Science Support Foundation, and by INTAS (grant No 04-78-7366).