Unsteady MHD flow past a porous plate with step function change in suction at slip flow regime

Unsteady two-dimensional hydromagnetic flow of an electrically conducting viscous incompressible fluid past a semi-infinite porous flat plate with step function change in suction velocity is studied allowing a first order velocity slip at the boundary condition. The solution of the problem is obtained in closed form and the results are discussed with the aid of graphs for various parameters entering in the problem.Notations B intensity of magnetic field - H magnetic field parameter,H=(M+1/4)^1/2–1/2 - h rarefaction parameter - L ₁ slip coefficient; ;I, mean free path of gas molecules;f, Maxwell's reflection coefficient - M magnetic field parameter - r suction parameter - t time - t dimensionless time - u velocity of the fluid - u dimensionless velocity of the fluid - U velocity of the fluid at infinity - v suction velocity - v ₁ suction velocity att<=0 - v ₂ suction velocity att>0 - x distance parallel to the plate - y distance normal to the plate - y nondimensional distance normal to the plate - v kinematic viscosity - electric conductivity of the fluid - density of the fluid - shear stress at the wall - nondimensional shear stress at the wall - erf error function - erfc complementary error function     

Is there Aβ/L relation for any type of qso absorption line system?

The possible correlation noted between the intrinsic quasar luminosity and the absorption line expulsion velocity is re-examined using homogeneous data sets for metal and L only line systems. The method of analysis is chosen to enable any reasonable form of correlation to be found. No correlation is detected at a confidence level >10%.     

Gamma radiation and photospheric white-light flare continuum

Recent gamma-ray observations of solar flares have provided a better means for estimating the heating of the solar atmosphere by energetic protons. Such heating has been suggested as the explanation of the continuum emission of the white-light flare. We have analyzed the effects on the photosphere of high-energy particles capable of producing the intense gamma-ray emission observed in the 1978 July 11 flare. Using a simple energy-balance argument and taking into account hydrogen ionization, we have obtained the following conclusions:

1. Heating near τ₅₀₀₀ = 1 in the input HSRA model atmosphere is negligible, even for very high fluxes of energetic particles.
2. Energy deposition increases with height for the inferred proton spectra, and does not depend strongly upon the assumed angle of incidence. The computed energy inputs fall in the range 10–100 ergs (cm³ s)^?1 at the top of the photosphere.
3. H^? continuum dominates for column densities as small as 10²² cm^?3, but at greater heights hydrogen ionizes sufficiently for the higher continua to dominate the energy balance.
4. The total energy deposited in the ‘photospheric’ region of H^? dominance could be within a factor of 3 of the necessary energy deposition, by comparison with the white-light flare of 1972 August 7, but the emergent spectrum is quite red so that the intensity excess in the visible band is insufficient to explain the observations.

In summary, it remains energetically possible, within observational limits, that high-energy protons could cause sufficient heating of the upper photosphere to produce detectable excess continuum, but emission from the vicinity of τ = 1 is not significant.     

About the foreshortening effect on sunspot umbral dots

Using high-resolution pictures of the core of a unipolar sunspot observed with several cos values, we studied the center limb effect on the form of the bright umbral dots. The ratio of the apparent sizes in radial and tangential direction do not show the foreshortening effect typically observed in granular structures.On leave from University of Tabriz, Iran.Observational part of this work was done during a stay of S.K. at Sacramento Peak Observatory, U.S.A., as NRC Resident Research Associate.     

Vector magnetic field evolution,energy storage,and associated photospheric velocity shear within a flare-productive active region

The evolution of vector photospheric magnetic fields has been studied in concert with photospheric spot motions for a flare-productive active region. Over a three-day period (5–7 April, 1980), sheared photospheric velocity fields inferred from spot motions are compared both with changes in the orientation of transverse magnetic fields and with the flare history of the region. Rapid spot motions and high inferred velocity shear coincide with increased field alignment along the B _L= 0 line and with increased flare activity; a later decrease in velocity shear precedes a more relaxed magnetic configuration and decrease in flare activity. Crude energy estimates show that magnetic reconfiguration produced by the relative velocities of the spots could cause storage of 10³² erg day^–1, while the flares occurring during this time expended 10³¹ erg day^–1.Maps of vertical current density suggest that parallel (as contrasted with antiparallel) currents flow along the stressed magnetic loops. For the active region, a constant-, force-free magnetic field (J = B) at the photosphere is ruled out by the observations.Presently located at NASA/MSFC, Huntsville, Ala. 35812, U.S.A.     

Cosmic ray intensity variations and two types of high speed solar streams

This study deals with the short-term variations of cosmic ray intensity during the interval 1973–78. Daily means of high latitude neutron and meson monitors from the same station and those of a low latitude neutron monitor have been analysed using the Chree method of superposed epochs. The zero epoch for the Chree analyses corresponds to the day of a substantial increase (V 200 km s^–1) in the solar wind speed to values of 550 km s^–1 and which persists at such high values for an interval of at least three days. The investigation reveals the existence of two types of cosmic ray intensity variations with distinctly different spectral characteristics. During the interval 1973–76, relative changes in the neutron and meson monitor rates are nearly equal indicating an almost flat rigidity spectrum of variation. During 1977–78, however, the spectrum acquires a negative spectral character similar to that observed for Forbush decreases. We suggest that events of the interval 1973–76 are essentially due to high speed streams associated with solar coronal holes and that events of the interval 1977–78 are due to fast streams from solar active regions with flare activity.     

On geological processes on venus: Analysis of the relationship between altitude and degree of surface roughness

Aiming to study the relationship between Venus surface heights and surface roughness, the Pioneer Venus surface altitude map and map of r.m.s. slope in m-dkm scale have been analy sed for the Beta and Ishtar regions using a system of digital image processing. To integrate the data obtained, the results of geomorphological analysis of Venera 9 and 10 TV panoramas as well as gamma-spectrometric and photometric measurements were used. The analysis gives proof that Venera 9 and 10 landing sites represent geologic-morphologic situations typical of Venus, thus enabling the results of observations made at landing sites to be extended to large provinces. Apparently this conclusion is also applicable to the Venera 8 landing site. No strong relationship exists between the roughness of the surface and its altitude or the amount of a regional slope; neither for the Beta nor for the Ishtar region. A weak direct correlation observable for roughness-altitude pairs for the Beta region and roughness-altitude, roughness-slope pairs for the Ishtar region are quite obviously a consequence of regional roughness control, i.e. of an overall character of geological structure. On Venus the factors contributing to higher surface roughness on the m-dkm scale are, obviously, mostly volcanic and tectonic in their nature whilst those responsible for smoothing-out of the surface are chiefly exogenic. The rate of exogenic transformation of the Cytherean surface may be fairly high. On Venus, similarly as on the Earth, active tectono-magmatic processes have possibly taken place in recent geological epochs. One of the places where they are manifest is an extensive zone running from north to south across the Beta, Phoebe and Themis highlands. Within its limits occur both the process of basaltic shield-type volcanism and areal basalt effusions at low hypsometric levels accounting for the formation of lowland plains at the expense of ancient rolling plains. The basalts of the shield volcano Beta show some differences in composition compared to those of areal effusions at low hypsometric levels. The overall character of Cytherean tectonics in the recent geologic epoch is apparently block-type with a predominance of vertical movements. Against the background of the sinking of some of the blocks the other ones are rising and, possibly, such compensation upheavals have been responsible for the formation of the Ishtar region.     

Window technique for climate trend analysis

Climatic characteristics are affected by various systematic and occasional impacts: besides the changes in the observing system (locations of the stations of the meteorological network, instruments, observing procedures), the possible local-scale and global natural and antropogenic impacts on climatic conditions should be taken into account. Apart from the predictability problems, the phenomenological analysis of the climatic variability and the determination of past persistent climatic anomalies are significant problems, among other aspects, as evidence of the possible anomalous behavior of climate or for climate impact studies. In this paper, a special technique for the identification of such shifts in the observational series is presented. The existence of these significant shorter or longer term changes in the mean characteristics for the properly selected adjoining periods of time is the necessary condition for the formation of any more or less unidirectional climatic trends. Actually, the window technique is based on a complete set of orthogonal functions. The sensitivity of the proposed model on its main parameters is also investigated. This method is applied for hemispheric and Hungarian data series of the mean annual surface temperature.Contribution to Clima Locarno — Past and Present Climate Dynamics; Conference September 1990, Swiss Academy of Sciences — National Climate Program     

High-resolution numerical modelling of convective precipitation over Northern Italy

Summary A number of forecast experiments were performed in order to assess the capability of reproducing, by means of a limited-area numerical model, the highly structured mesoscale circulations occurring in the Po Valley of Northern Italy during a north-westerly cold front passage across the Alpine chain, with particular attention to the modelling of the effects of organized convection. The case-study occurred during summer 1987 and the model used throughout was the 1989 version of the UB/NMC Limited Area Model (University of Belgrade, National Meteorological Centre of Washington). The model was integrated both with eta, , and sigma, , as vertical coordinates and ECMWF initialized analyses were always used as initial conditions. ECMWF initialized analysis or operational forecast fields were also used for updating in time the lateral boundary conditions. Experiments show qualitative and quantitative agreement with observations, both in upper-air geopotential height fields, in MSLP and in cumulated precipitation. Several modelling issues were also investigated, e.g. sensitivity of the results to horizontal and vertical model resolution and to the influence of the lateral boundaries poitioning, finding large effects of the latter on quantitative precipitation fields. Difficulties in modelling very localized mesoscale phenomena, e.g. organized convective thunderstorms in the Po Valley and Alpine North Foehn in the Milan area, were generally encounted.     

Time resolved simulation of lightning by lip

In this letter, we report results of time resolved spectra of lightning simulation in air by laser-induced plasma (LIP). The measured electron temperatures varied from (1.7 +/- 0.1)X10(4) K at 600 ns to (1.2 +/- 0.1)X10(4)K at 4 microseconds after the ignition of the plasma. Electron densities in the plasma varied from (7.0 +/- 1.4)X10(17)/cm3 to (9.0 +/- 1.8)X10(16)/cm3 for the above times. We also present, for the first time, a comparison of state variables for LIP and natural lightning. We find that immediately following the ignition both natural lightning and LIP reach temperatures in excess of 16,000K and relax to ambient pressure with different rates. They are expected to approach 2000 - 4000 K temperature range, which is important to chemical synthesis, in an asymptotically similar fashion.