Velocity-Resolved Observations of Hα Emission From Comet C/1995 O1 (Hale–Bopp)

We present hydrogen Balmer-α spectra of comet C/1995 O1(Hale–Bopp) recorded on 5 nights from 1997 February 1 to April 19 by ahigh-resolution (Δ v = 5 km s^-1) Fabry–Pérot spectrometer for a4'.1 (∼2.7 × 10⁵ km) FOV centered 5' sunwardof the nucleus. The Hα line profile is an important diagnostic ofphotolytic heating in cometary atmospheres. Extraction of the spectrafrom the Fabry–Pérot ring images was complicated by obscuration of the telescope FOV due to Hale–Bopp's low elevation, but the measuredH-α line widths of 11–13 km s^-1 (FWHM) are insensitive to the spectral extraction technique. The line widths are consistent withestimates derived from a successful model of Hale–Bopp's hydrogenLyman-α coma assuming the inner coma is opaque to Hα. Wediscuss methods for improving the spectral extraction technique andderiving a precise instrument profile which will allow the detailedshape of the line profile to constrain coma models.     

Estimation of baseflow residence times in watersheds from the runoff hydrograph recession: method and application in the Neversink watershed,Catskill Mountains,New York

A method for estimation of mean baseflow residence time in watersheds from hydrograph runoff recession characteristics was developed. Runoff recession characteristics were computed for the period 1993–96 in the 2 km² Winnisook watershed, Catskill Mountains, southeastern New York, and were used to derive mean values of subsurface hydraulic conductivity and the storage coefficient. These values were then used to estimate the mean baseflow residence time from an expression of the soil contact time, based on watershed soil and topographic characteristics. For comparison, mean baseflow residence times were calculated for the same period of time through the traditional convolution integral approach, which relates rainfall δ¹⁸O to δ¹⁸O values in streamflow. Our computed mean baseflow residence time was 9 months by both methods. These results indicate that baseflow residence time can be calculated accurately using recession analysis, and the method is less expensive than using environmental and/or artificial tracers. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Meteoritical Bulletin,No. 80, 1996 July

Abstract— The Meteoritical Bulletin No. 80 lists data for 178 meteorites. Noteworthy are 3 HED meteorites (ALH 88102, Hammadah al Hamra (HaH) 059, and Monticello); 3 ureilites (HaH 064, HaH 126, and Dar al Gani (DaG) 084); 4 irons (Baygorria (IAB), Ste. Croix (IIIAB), Sargiin Gobi (IAB), and Tarahumara (IIE)); an unusual metal-rich meteorite (Vermillion); 8 carbonaceous chondrites (HaH 043 (C03), HaH 073 (C4), DaG 055 (C3) and 5 C03 chondrites (probably paired) from DaG); an R chondrite (DaG 013); and 6 unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (ALH 88105 (L3), Camel Donga 016 (L3), HaH 093 (LL3.9), HaH 096 (LL(L)3), Richfield (LL3.7), and Sarir Quattusah (LL(L)3)). Three recent falls of ordinary chondrites (Coleman (LL5), St. Robert (H5), and Tsukuba (H5-6)) are described.     

Spaxel analysis: probing the physics of star formation in ultraluminous infrared galaxies

This paper presents a detailed spectral pixel (spaxel) analysis of the ten Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) previously observed with the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS), an integral field spectrograph mounted on the ANU 2.3 m telescope, and for which an abundance gradient analysis has already been presented by Rich et al. (Astrophys. J., 753:5, 2012). Here we use the strong emission line analysis techniques developed by Dopita et al. (Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser., accepted, 2013) to measure the ionisation parameter and the oxygen abundance in each spaxel. In addition, we use the observed Hα flux to determine the surface rate of star formation ( $\mathrm {M}_{\odot }{\rm yr}^{-1}$ kpc^?2) and use the [S II] λλ6717/6731 ratio to estimate the local pressure in the ionised plasma. We discuss the correlations discovered between these physical quantities, and use them to infer aspects of the physics of star formation in these extreme star forming environments. In particular, we find a correlation between the star formation rate and the inferred ionisation parameter. We examine the possible reasons for this correlation, and determine that the most likely explanation is that the more active star forming regions have a different distribution of molecular gas which favour higher ionisation parameters in the ionised plasma.     

The ultraviolet radiation environment in the habitable zones around low-mass exoplanet host stars

The EUV (200–911 Å), FUV (912–1750 Å), and NUV (1750–3200 Å) spectral energy distribution of exoplanet host stars has a profound influence on the atmospheres of Earth-like planets in the habitable zone. The stellar EUV radiation drives atmospheric heating, while the FUV (in particular, Lyα) and NUV radiation fields regulate the atmospheric chemistry: the dissociation of H₂O and CO₂, the production of O₂ and O₃, and may determine the ultimate habitability of these worlds. Despite the importance of this information for atmospheric modeling of exoplanetary systems, the EUV/FUV/NUV radiation fields of cool (K and M dwarf) exoplanet host stars are almost completely unconstrained by observation or theory. We present observational results from a Hubble Space Telescope survey of M dwarf exoplanet host stars, highlighting the importance of realistic UV radiation fields for the formation of potential biomarker molecules, O₂ and O₃. We conclude by describing preliminary results on the characterization of the UV time variability of these sources.     

Episodic intraplate deformation of stable continental margins: evidence from Late Neogene and Quaternary marine terraces,Cape Liptrap,Southeastern Australia

The Waratah Fault is a northeast trending, high angle, reverse fault in the Late Paleozoic Lachlan Fold Belt at Cape Liptrap on the Southeastern Australian Coast. It is susceptible to reactivation in the modern intraplate stress field in Southeast Australia and exhibits Late Pliocene to Late Pleistocene reactivation. Radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), and cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) dating of marine terraces on Cape Liptrap are used to constrain rates of displacement across the reactivated Waratah Fault. Six marine terraces, numbered Qt₆–Tt₁ (youngest to oldest), are well developed at Cape Liptrap with altitudes ranging from ～1.5 m to ～170 m amsl, respectively. On the lowest terrace, Qt₆, barnacles in wave-cut notches ～1.5 m amsl, yielded a radiocarbon age of 6090–5880 Cal BP, and reflect the local mid-Holocene sea level highstand. Qt₅ yielded four OSL ages from scattered locations around the cape ranging from ～80 ka to ～130 ka. It formed during the Last Interglacial sea level highstand (MIS 5e) at ～125 ka. Inner edge elevations (approximate paleo high tide line) for Qt₅ occur at distinctly different elevations on opposite sides of the Waratah Fault. Offsets of the inner edges across the fault range from 1.3 m to 5.1 m with displacement rates ranging from 0.01 mm/a to 0.04 mm/a. The most extensive terrace, Tt₄, yielded four Early Pleistocene cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) ages: two apparent burial ages of 0.858 Ma ± 0.16 Ma and 1.25 Ma ± 0.265 Ma, and two apparent exposure ages of 1.071 Ma ± 0.071 Ma (¹⁰Be) and 0.798 Ma ± 0.066 Ma (²⁶Al). Allowing for muonic production effects from insufficient burial depths, the depth corrected CRN burial ages are 1.8 Ma ± 0.56 Ma and 2.52 Ma ± 0.88 Ma, or Late Pliocene. A Late Pliocene age is our preferred age. Offsets of Tt₄ across the Waratah Fault range from a minimum of ～20 m for terrace surface treads to a maximum of ～70 m for terrace bedrock straths. Calculated displacement rates for Tt₄ range from 0.01 mm/a to 0.04 mm/a (using a Late Pliocene age, ～2 Ma), identical to the rates calculated for the Last Interglacial terrace, Qt₅. This indicates that deformation at Cape Liptrap has been ongoing at similar time-averaged rates at least since the Late Pliocene. The upper terraces in the sequence, Tt₃ (～110 m amsl), Tt₂ (～140 m) and Tt₁ (～180 m) are undated, but most likely correlate to sea level highstands in the Neogene. Terraces Tt1–Tt4 show an increasing northward tilt with age.The Waratah Fault forms a prominent structural boundary in the Lachlan Fold Belt discernible from airborne magnetic and bouger gravity anomalies. Seismicity and deformation are episodic. Episodic movement on the Waratah Fault may be coincident with sea level highstands since the Late Pliocene, possibly from increased loading and elevated pore pressure within the fault zone. This suggests that intervals between major seismic events could be on the order of 100 ka.     

Possible ancient giant basin and related water enrichment in the Arabia Terra province, Mars

A circular albedo feature in the Arabia Terra province was first hypothesized as an ancient impact basin using Viking-era information. To test this unpublished hypothesis, we have analyzed the Viking era-information together with layers of new data derived from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Odyssey (MO) missions. Our analysis indicates that Arabia Terra is an ancient geologic province of Mars with many distinct characteristics, including predominantly Noachian materials, a unique part of the highland-lowland boundary, a prominent paleotectonic history, the largest region of fretted terrain on the planet, outflow channels with no obvious origins, extensive exposures of eroded layered sedimentary deposits, and notable structural, albedo, thermal inertia, gravity, magnetic, and elemental signatures. The province also is marked by special impact crater morphologies, which suggest a persistent volatile-rich substrate. No one characteristic provides definitive answers to the dominant event(s) that shaped this unique province. Collectively the characteristics reported here support the following hypothesized sequence of events in Arabia Terra: (1) an enormous basin, possibly of impact origin, formed early in martian history when the magnetic dynamo was active and the lithosphere was relatively thin, (2) sediments and other materials were deposited in the basin during high erosion rates while maintaining isostatic equilibrium, (3) sediments became water enriched during the Noachian Period, and (4) basin materials were uplifted in response to the growth of the Tharsis Bulge, resulting in differential erosion exposing ancient stratigraphic sequences. Parts of the ancient basin remain water-enriched to the present day.     

Tracking UVCS/SOHO Responsivity with Observations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">ζ</Emphasis> Tau

We have tracked the spectral responsivity of the ultraviolet channels of the UVCS (Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer) instrument on SOHO by repeated observations of a stable hot star. We demonstrate first that the ultraviolet spectral irradiance of the Be star ζ Tau (HD 37202) for the 100- to 125-nm wavelength range has been sufficiently constant for our purposes when measured periodically over the course of the SOHO mission. We then use ζ Tau as a radiometric transfer standard to determine an average decrease beginning in November of 1998 of 13.0% per year in the responsivity of the UVCS O vi channel for wavelengths near H i Ly α and for a particular UVCS unvignetted aperture used for science observations. The calibration tracking method involves separating two ζ Tau spectral regions that are overlapped on part of the detector. The change in the responsivity of UVCS/SOHO began in late 1998 as determined by comparison of simultaneous observations of the corona carried out with UVCS/SOHO and the freshly-calibrated UVCS instrument on the Spartan 201 satellite in early November of 1998. B. Valcu now at BrainLAB, Inc, 3 Westbrook Corporate Ctr., Tower 3, Suite 400, Westchester, IL 60154, USA, e-mail: bogdan.valcu@brainlab.com or Bogdan_valcu@hotmail.com     

Key problems in cool-star astrophysics

Selected key problems in cool-star astrophysics are reviewed, with emphasis on the importance of new ultraviolet missions to tackle the unresolved issues.UV spectral signatures are an essential probe of critical physical processes related to the production and transport of magnetic energy in astrophysical plasmas ranging, for example, from stellar coronae, to the magnetospheres of magnetars, and the accretion disks of protostars and Active Galactic Nuclei. From an historical point of view, our comprehension of such processes has been closely tied to our understanding of solar/stellar magnetic activity, which has its origins in a poorly understood convection-powered internal magnetic dynamo. The evolution of the Sun's dynamo, and associated magnetic activity, affected the development of planetary atmospheres in the early solar system, and the conditions in which life arose on the primitive Earth. The gradual fading of magnetic activity as the Sun grows old likewise will have profound consequences for the future heliospheric environment. Beyond the Sun, the magnetic activity of stars can influence their close-in companions, and vice versa.Cool star outer atmospheres thus represent an important laboratory in which magnetic activity phenomena can be studied under a wide variety of conditions, allowing us to gain insight into the fundamental processes involved. The UV range is especially useful for such studies because it contains powerful diagnostics extending from warm (∼ 10⁴ K) chromospheres out to hot (1–10 MK) coronae, and very high-resolution spectroscopy in the UV has been demonstrated by the GHRS and STIS instruments on HST but has not yet been demonstrated in the higher energy EUV and X-ray bands. A recent example is the use of the hydrogen Lyα resonance line—at 110 000 resolution with HST STIS—study, for the first time, coronal winds from cool stars through their interaction with the interstellar gas. These winds cannot be detected from the ground, for lack of suitable diagnostics; or in the X-rays, because the outflowing gas is too thin.A 2m class UV space telescope with high resolution spectroscopy and monitoring capabilities would enable important new discoveries in cool-star astronomy among the stars of the solar neighborhood out to about 150 pc. A larger aperture facility (4–6 m) would reach beyond the 150 pc horizon to fainter objects including young brown dwarfs and pre-main sequence stars in star-forming regions like Orion, and magnetic active stars in distant clusters beyond the Pleiades and α Persei. This would be essential, as well, to characterize the outer atmospheres of stars with planets, that will be discovered by future space missions like COROT, Kepler, and Darwin.Deceased October 23, 2005     

Long-term Evolution of the Outgassing of Comet Hale-Bopp From Radio Observations

C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) has been observed on a regular basis since August 1995 at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths using IRAM, JCMT, CSO and SEST radio telescopes. The production rates of eight molecular species (CO, HCN, CH₃OH, H₂CO,H₂S, CS, CH₃CN,HNC) have been monitored as a function of heliocentric distance(r_h from 7 AU pre-perihelion to 4 AU post-perihelion. As comet Hale-Bopp approached and receded from the Sun, these species displayed different behaviours. Far from the Sun, the most volatile species were found in general relatively more abundant in the coma. In comparison to other species, HNC, H₂CO and CS showed a much steeper increase of the production rate with decreasing r_h. Less than 1.5 AU from the Sun, the relative abundances were fairly stable and approached those found in other comets near 1 AU. The kinetic temperature of the coma, estimated from the relative intensities of the CH₃OH and CO lines, increased with decreasing r_h, from about10 K at 7 AU to 110 K around perihelion. The expansion velocity of the gaseous species, derived from the line shapes, also increased with a law close tor_h ³. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.