A search for absorption of Mg and Ca compounds in molecular clouds towards Galactic continuum sources

Absorption lines of MgH and CaH N  = 1 − 0 transitions were searched for in foreground molecular clouds towards the continuum sources associated with Sgr B2 (M) and W49A (N). None of these lines was detected with our sensitivity level of ∼20 mK. Millimetric absorption lines of MgO, MgOH, CaO and CaOH were also searched for towards Sgr B2 (M) without success. The fractional abundances relative to molecular hydrogen are ≲ 1.0 × 10⁻¹¹ for MgH, ≲ 7.9 × 10⁻¹³ for MgO, ≲ 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ for MgOH, ≲ 1.6 × 10⁻⁹ for CaH, ≲ 2.0 × 10⁻¹² for CaO, and ≲ 2.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ for CaOH, respectively. The low abundances measured in absorption indicate that a significant fraction of interstellar magnesium and calcium cannot be tied up in their monohydrides, monoxides and monohydroxides. The low abundance of MgH also implies that grain-surface chemistry involving magnesium is not efficient and that magnesium is depleted on to grains to a factor of ≳ 10^2.5 in well-shielded molecular clouds.     

Physical properties of the outflow sources in taurus

We have searched for CO outflows in eight embedded IRAS sources located in the Taurus molecular cloud using the 45m telescope of Nobeyama Radio Observatory. We have detected CO wing emission in four of these sources. CO outflow associated with TMC1A (04365+2535) is strong and spatially compact (radius 0.04 pc). The dynamical timescale of 2.5 × 10³ yr suggests this outflow is the youngest one in Taurus.We have combined our data with previously published survey data and have analyzed the physical properties of the outflow sources. We found that 12 out of 16 embedded sources ( 75 %) have CO outflows associated with them; this indicates that almost all stars experience a phase of molecular outflow in their embedded stage. The IRAS color of the outflow sources suggests that the outflows appear in considerably early phase of the evolution of YSOs, that is, as early as YSOs became observable with IRAS and that visible outflow sources are in a transient phase of evolution between embedded sources and visible T Tauri stars without outflow. Visible outflow sources are systematically more luminous than visible no-outflow sources, while embedded outflow sources have comparable luminosities with visible no-outflow sources. Such luminosity function suggests that the YSOs with outflow undergo mass accretion and increase their stellar mass as they progress from embedded sources to visible outflow sources. Typical mass accretion rate derived from the bolometric luminosity is 2 ×10^–6 M _yr ^–1. The timescale for mass accretion to acquire typical stellar mass, 0.5 – 0.8M , is 2.5 – 4 × 10⁵ yr.     

Tomographic imaging of seismic velocity structure in and around the Onikobe volcanic area, northeastern Japan: implications for fluid distribution

We estimated three-dimensional P- (V_p) and S-wave velocity (V_s) and V_p/V_s structures in and around the Onikobe volcanic area, northeastern Japan, by local travel time tomography. We used travel time data from source and receiver pairs located within and outside the study area, which plays an important role in obtaining the optimum ray coverage and in elucidating the deeper structure more accurately. Detailed information on deeper structures is essential for imaging the complete volcanic system from the magmatic source zone through areas of shallow hydrothermal circulation. More than 50 000 travel time data for the P-waves and 35 000 for the S-waves were used to image the velocity structure. Our results show the following dominant features: (1) two conduits in the upper crust with low V_p and low V_s indicative of H₂O-rich fluid pathways: one lying beneath Naruko volcano, the other beneath the focal area of the 1962 Northern Miyagi earthquake (M6.5); (2) an underlying broad region in the lower crust with low V_p, low V_s and high V_p/V_s, suggestive of a zone of partial melt, from which the fluids in (1) are derived; and (3) low V_p/V_s areas near the surface of the Sanzugawa and Onikobe calderas, suggesting a diffuse vapor-saturated cap.     

Frequency-dependence of velocity and attenuation of elastic waves in granite under uniaxial compression

Velocity as well as attenuation factorQ ^–1 ofP-wave in a dry granitic rock sample under uniaxial compressions were measured in the range of frequency between 100 kHz and 710 kHz by using the pulse transmission technique. Above the stress of 0.5 _f , where _f is the fracture stress, theP-wave velocity decreases with increasing axial stress, whereasQ ^–1 increases. Particularly, the change ofQ ^–1 is greater for high frequency than for low frequency. At a given stress level, the higher the frequency, the higher theP-wave velocity and the largerQ ^–1. This result means that the velocity decrease with increasing stress is smaller for higher frequency. Because of this frequency-dependence of velocity decrease, theP-wave in the rock under dilatant state shows dispersion. The body wave dispersion is more remarkable at higher stress, and is not found in a homogeneous material with no cracks. Thus the disperison is attributed to the generation of cracks. When the frequency-dependence ofQ ^–1 is approximated asf ⁿ in the present frequency range, the exponentn takes a value from 0.63 to 0.77.     

Processes causing the chlorophylla maximum in the tidal front in Iyo-nada,japan

A field survey was undertaken to reveal the structure of the tidal front in Iyo-nada. An obvious tidal front was found between the mixed region around Hayasui Straits and the stratified region in Iyo-Nada. Its structure was typical in the eastern part and was influenced by the river discharge in the western part. An intense chlorophylla maximum was found in the subsurface layer of the eastern typical front. Analysis using TS diagram suggested that, around the eastern front, there was an intrusion from the mixed water to the middle layer of the stratified water. This intrusion was supposed to be an important process supplying nutrients from the mixed water to the subsurface of the frontal region and causing the intense chlorophylla maximum.     

Structure of the Tsushima warm current in the northeastern Japan Sea

By using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements with the four round-trips method to remove diurnal/semidiurnal tidal currents, the detailed current structure and volume transport of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) along the northwestern Japanese coast in the northeastern Japan Sea were examined in the period September–October 2000. The volume transport of the First Branch of the TWC (FBTWC) east of the Noto Peninsula was estimated as approximately 1.0 Sv (10⁶ m³/s), and the FBTWC continued to flow along the Honshu Island to the south of the Oga Peninsula. To the north of the Oga Peninsula, the Second Branch of Tsushima Warm Current and the eastward current established by the subarctic front were recombined with the FBTWC and the total volume transport increased to 1.9 Sv. The water properties at each ADCP line strongly suggested that most of the upper portion of the TWC with high temperature and low salinity flowed out to the North Pacific as the Tsugaru Warm Current. In the north of the Tsugaru Strait, the volume transport of the northward current was observed to be as almost 1 Sv. However, the component of the TWC water was small (approximately 0.3 Sv).     

Pressure-induced alteration in fatty acid composition of barotolerant deep-sea bacterium

Barotolerant bacterium was isolated from sediment sample which was obtained from the depth of 4033 m in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench. The physiological property, growth characteristics and fatty acid composition were examined. The strain was a psychrotrophic and barotolerant bacterium, and was identified as species in the genusAlteromonas. The fatty acids of the strain were from C12 to C18. As the growth pressure increased, the portion of unsaturated fatty acid in membrane fraction increased due to an increase in the portion of C171 and C181, while the relative portion of C160 and C161 decreased. On the other hand, as the growth temperature decreased, the portion of unsaturated fatty acid increased due to the increase in the portion of C161 and C181.