Apodized Lyot coronagraph for SPHERE/VLT

SPHERE (which stands for Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch) is a second-generation Very Large Telescope (VLT) instrument dedicated to high-contrast direct imaging of exoplanets which first-light is scheduled for 2011. Within this complex instrument one of the central components is the apodized Lyot coronagraph (ALC). The present paper reports on the most interesting aspects and results of the whole numerical study made during the design of the ALC for SPHERE/VLT. The method followed for this study is purely numerical, but with an end-to-end approach which is largely fed by a number of instrumental feedbacks. The results obtained and presented in this paper firstly permit to finalize the optical design before laboratory performance testing of the ALC being built for SPHERE/VLT (see paper II ??Laboratory tests and performances??), but will also hopefully help conceiving future other instruments alike, for example within the very promising extremely large telescope perspective.     

Morphology, dynamics and plasma parameters of plumes and inter-plume regions in solar coronal holes

Coronal plumes, which extend from solar coronal holes (CH) into the high corona and??possibly??into the solar wind (SW), can now continuously be studied with modern telescopes and spectrometers on spacecraft, in addition to investigations from the ground, in particular, during total eclipses. Despite the large amount of data available on these prominent features and related phenomena, many questions remained unanswered as to their generation and relative contributions to the high-speed streams emanating from CHs. An understanding of the processes of plume formation and evolution requires a better knowledge of the physical conditions at the base of CHs, in plumes and in the surrounding inter-plume regions. More specifically, information is needed on the magnetic field configuration, the electron densities and temperatures, effective ion temperatures, non-thermal motions, plume cross sections relative to the size of a CH, the plasma bulk speeds, as well as any plume signatures in the SW. In spring 2007, the authors proposed a study on ??Structure and dynamics of coronal plumes and inter-plume regions in solar coronal holes?? to the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern to clarify some of these aspects by considering relevant observations and the extensive literature. This review summarizes the results and conclusions of the study. Stereoscopic observations allowed us to include three-dimensional reconstructions of plumes. Multi-instrument investigations carried out during several campaigns led to progress in some areas, such as plasma densities, temperatures, plume structure and the relation to other solar phenomena, but not all questions could be answered concerning the details of plume generation process(es) and interaction with the SW.     

Energy Release During Slow Long-Duration Flares Observed by RHESSI

Slow long-duration events (SLDEs) are flares characterized by the long duration of their rising phase. In many such cases the impulsive phase is weak without typical short-lasting pulses. Instead, smooth, long-lasting hard X-ray (HXR) emission is observed. We analyzed hard X-ray emission and morphology of six selected SLDEs. In our analysis we utilized data from the RHESSI and GOES satellites. The physical parameters of HXR sources were obtained from imaging spectroscopy and were used for the energy balance analysis. The characteristic decay time of the heating rate, after reaching its maximum value, is very long, which explains the long rising phase of these flares.     

Landslide hazard and cascading effects following the extreme rainfall event on Madeira Island (February 2010)

Heavy rainfall on February 20, 2010, triggered numerous shallow rapid landslides across Madeira Island, a Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic. Two days after the extreme rainfall event, a field campaign was started which involved describing and mapping a variety of landslide types and the related losses at 120 different locations throughout the Island. Most of the failures started as debris slides or avalanches at high elevations and transformed into debris flows which rushed downslope into populated coastal areas. Over half of the mapped landslides were located in the central and southern area of the island. A further 1,257 landslide locations were revealed in these areas using remote sensing data which were then assembled in a spatial database. Due to anthropogenic influences caused by urban development and population expansion, the event demonstrated the increased vulnerability of the island??s infrastructure. In order to mitigate future losses, it is important to quantify the typical preparatory factors which contribute to rainfall-induced landslides. This increases our understanding of the hazards and associated risks. The analysis shows that based on their spatial frequency, distribution and in the context of the drainage system, three main factors contribute to the triggering of the landslides due to the heavy rainfall event in February 2010: the characteristic soil type, the land cover and the slope gradient. It can now be recognized that the distribution of landslides is highly dependent on the temporal and spatial distribution of these factors. Furthermore, the anthropogenic impact on the extent of the hazard becomes obvious due to poor settlement planning and drainage system modification.     

Risk reduction at the ��Last-Mile��: an attempt to turn science into action by the example of Padang, Indonesia

More than ever before, the last decade revealed the immense vulnerability of the world??s cities to natural hazards. Neither the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004, the hurricane Katrina in 2005, the cyclone Nargis in 2008 nor the earthquakes in Sichuan in 2008 or in Haiti 2010 found the people, the city administrations or the national or international organizations well prepared in the advent of anticipated but to a large extent disregarded natural disasters. It is evident that the lack of tailor-made disaster management plans and standard operational procedures are often the crucial point in proper risk reduction approaches. This study presents an approach to transfer knowledge of an extensive multidisciplinary scientific study on risk identification into recommendations for risk reduction strategies. The study has been conducted by means of a combination of experts from different scientific communities coming from civil and coastal engineering, remote sensing, social sciences, evacuation modelling and capacity development. The paper presents the results of this research approach and interweaves key findings with recent experiences from an eyewitness on a previous hazard event. Thus, necessary tsunami hazard and vulnerability information as well as valuable insights into preparedness activities have been derived for initiating updated infrastructural designs and practical recommendations for emergency management as well as strategic spatial planning activities at the local scale. The approach was applied in the context of tsunami early warning and evacuation planning in the coastal city of Padang, Western Sumatra, Republic of Indonesia.     

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The impact of weather variability on British outbound flows

Climate can be understood both as a resource and a motivation for tourism. This study focuses on the second issue trying to establish the sensitivity to weather anomalies of the outbound flows from United Kingdom, the third biggest international tourist spender country. Using transfer function models it is possible to analyze the significance of the short-term weather conditions in the determination of outbound British flows and simulate the effects of different climate change scenarios. Results show how mean temperature, heat waves, air frost and sunshine days are the weather variables that can be significantly related to the dynamics of the outbound British flows time series.     

The Role of Adsorbed Water on the Friction of a Layer of Submicron Particles

Anomalously low values of friction observed in layers of submicron particles deformed in simple shear at high slip velocities are explained as the consequence of a one nanometer thick layer of water adsorbed on the particles. The observed transition from normal friction with an apparent coefficient near ???=?0.6 at low slip speeds to a coefficient near ???=?0.3 at higher slip speeds is attributed to competition between the time required to extrude the water layer from between neighboring particles in a force chain and the average lifetime of the chain. At low slip speeds the time required for extrusion is less than the average lifetime of a chain so the particles make contact and lock. As slip speed increases, the average lifetime of a chain decreases until it is less than the extrusion time and the particles in a force chain never come into direct contact. If the adsorbed water layer enables the otherwise rough particles to rotate, the coefficient of friction will drop to ???=?0.3, appropriate for rotating spheres. At the highest slip speeds particle temperatures rise above 100°C, the water layer vaporizes, the particles contact and lock, and the coefficient of friction rises to ???=?0.6. The observed onset of weakening at slip speeds near 0.001?m/s is consistent with the measured viscosity of a 1?nm thick layer of adsorbed water, with a minimum particle radius of approximately 20?nm, and with reasonable assumptions about the distribution of force chains guided by experimental observation. The reduction of friction and the range of velocities over which it occurs decrease with increasing normal stress, as predicted by the model. Moreover, the analysis predicts that this high-speed weakening mechanism should operate only for particles with radii smaller than approximately 1???m. For larger particles the slip speed required for weakening is so large that frictional heating will evaporate the adsorbed water and weakening will not occur.