Strategies for spectroscopy on Extremely Large Telescopes – II. Diverse-field spectroscopy

The fields of view of Extremely Large Telescopes will contain vast numbers of spatial sampling elements (spaxels) as their adaptive optics systems approach the diffraction limit over wide fields. Since this will exceed the detection capabilities of any realistic instrument, the field must be dilutely sampled to extract spectroscopic data from selected regions of interest. The scientific return will be maximized if the sampling pattern provides an adaptable combination of separated independent spaxels and larger contiguous subfields, seamlessly combining integral-field and multiple-object spectroscopy. We illustrate the utility of this diverse-field spectroscopy (DFS) to cosmological studies of galaxy assembly. We show how to implement DFS with an instrument concept: the Celestial Selector. This integrates highly multiplexed monolithic fibre systems and switching networks of the type currently available in the telecommunications industry. It avoids bulky moving parts, whose limitations were noted in Paper I. In Paper III, we will investigate the optimization of such systems by varying the input–output mapping.     

The hypocentral resolution of microearthquake surveys carried out at sea

Summary. The ability to locate the hypocentres of earthquakes occurring along ridge crests and fracture zones accurately is a prerequisite to solving several problems associated with seafloor tectonics and oceanic crustal formation. Such resolution has rarely been achieved in the past, often because the seismic networks deployed were inadequate for the task. We demonstrate that sea surface receivers are not useful in such studies, and that the minimum acceptable size for a seafloor network is five receivers, of which at least one must be capable of detecting shear waves unambiguously.     

Magnetorotational instability in a rotating liquid metal annulus

Although the magnetorotational instability (MRI) has been widely accepted as a powerful accretion mechanism in magnetized accretion discs, it has not been realized in the laboratory. The possibility of studying MRI in a rotating liquid metal annulus (Couette flow) is explored by local and global stability analysis. Stability diagrams are drawn in dimensionless parameters, and also in terms of the angular velocities at the inner and outer cylinders. It is shown that MRI can be triggered in a moderately rapidly rotating table-top apparatus, using easy-to-handle metals such as gallium. Practical issues of this proposed experiment are discussed.     

A sensitivity analysis for universal kriging

Universal kriging is an interpolation method for producing contour maps from irregularly spaced sample points, taking into account the trend (or polynomial drift), which is of known form. It assumes a known covariance model to express correlation of points a short distance apart. A sensitivity analysis examines how the fitted surface will change for given perturbations in the covariance model. We develop a simple approximate analysis in preference to exact analysis and show that it is adequate for small perturbations. For large data sets, a dramatic reduction in computer time is possible using approximate analysis. Possible extensions of this work are noted.     

Geomagnetic field analysis—IV. Testing the frozen-flux hypothesis

Summary. We present a model of the magnetic field at the core–mantle boundary, for epoch 1959.5, based on a large set of observatory and survey measurements. Formal error estimates for the radial field at the core are 50 μT, compared with 30 and 40 μT for our previous MAGSAT (1980) and POGO (1970) models.
Current work on the determination of the velocity of the core fluid relies on the assumption that the core behaves as a perfect conductor, so that the field lines remain frozen to the fluid at the core surface. This frozen-flux condition requires that the integrated flux over patches of the core surface bounded by contours of zero radial field remain constant in time. A new method is presented for constructing core fields that satisfy these frozen-flux constraints. The constraints are non-linear when applied to main field data, unlike the case of secular variation which was considered in an earlier paper. The method is applied to datasets from epochs 1969.5 and 1959.5 to produce fields with the same flux integrals as the 1980 model.
The frozen-flux hypothesis is tested by comparing the changes in the flux integrals between 1980/1969.5, 1969.5/1959.5 and 1980/1959.5 with their errors. We find that the hypothesis can be rejected with 95 per cent confidence. The main evidence for flux diffusion is in the South Atlantic region, where a new null flux curve appears between 1960 and 1970, and continues to grow at a rapid rate from 1970 to 1980. However, the statistical result depends critically on our error estimates for the field at the core surface, which are difficult to assess with any certainty; indeed, doubling the error estimates negates the statistical argument. The conclusion is therefore, at this stage, tentative, and requires further evidence, either from older data, if good enough, or from future satellite measurements.     

Cryogenic Tests of Volume-Phase Holographic Gratings: I. Results at 200 K

We present results from cryogenic tests of a Volume-Phase Holographic(VPH) grating at 200 K measured at near-infrared wavelengths. The aims of these tests were to see whether the diffraction efficiency and angular dispersion of a VPH grating are significantly different at a low temperature from those at a room temperature, and to see how many cooling and heating cycles the grating can withstand. We have completed 5 cycles between room temperature and 200 K, and find that the performance is nearly independent of temperature, at least over the temperature range which we are investigating. In future, we will not only try more cycles between these temperatures but also perform measurements at a much lower temperature (e.g., ∼80 K).     

Devensian glacigenic sedimentation and landscape evolution in the Cardigan area of southwest Wales

The depositional processes associated with late Devensian ice in areas bordering the Irish Sea basin have been the subject of considerable debate. Among the key areas around the Irish Sea, southwest Wales occupies a particularly crucial position because it is here that ice flowing from the north impinged upon the coast orthogonally and encroached inland. Two main hypotheses have emerged concerning deglaciation of the Irish Sea basin. The traditional hypothesis holds that sedimentation was ice‐marginal or subglacial, whereas an alternative hypothesis that emerged in the 1980s argued that sedimentation was glaciomarine. Southwest Wales is well‐placed to contribute to this debate. However, few detailed sedimentological studies, linked to topography, have been made previously in order to reconstruct glacial environments in this area. In this paper, evidence is presented from four boreholes drilled recently in the Cardigan area, combined with data from coastal and inland exposures in the lower Teifi valley and adjacent areas. A complex history of glaciation has emerged: (i) subglacial drainage channel formation in pre‐Devensian time, (ii) deposition of iron‐cemented breccias and conglomerates possibly during the last interglacial (or in the early/mid‐Devensian interstadial), (iii) late Devensian ice advance across the region, during which a glaciolacustrine sequence over 75 m thick accumulated, within a glacial lake known as Llyn Teifi, (iv) a second high‐level glaciolacustrine succession formed near Llandudoch, (v) outside the Teifi valley, ice‐marginal, subglacial and glaciofluvial sediments were also laid down, providing a near‐continuous cover of drift throughout the area. Glacial advance was characterized by reworking, deformation and sometimes erosion of the underlying sediments. The glaciomarine hypothesis is thus rejected for southwest Wales. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crustal lineament control on magmatism and mineralization in northwestern Argentina: geological, geophysical, and remote sensing evidence

The relationship between long-lived deep crustal lineaments and the locations of magmatic centers and associated mineral deposits has been investigated in the Puna region of northwestern Argentina, through the analysis of regional aeromagnetic surveys, Landsat images, and geological information. The good exposure and excellent preservation of basement and supracrustal geology in this region makes it particularly suitable for such a study. At a regional scale, several contrasting magnetic domains are recognized, which correlate with crustal geology. Two basement domains are separated by a NNE-trending boundary, which is believed to correlate with a Paleozoic suture zone between the Pampia (to the southeast) and Arequipa–Antofalla terranes (to the northwest). Locally overlying these basement terranes is the Cenozoic magmatic domain, which is best developed in the N–S-trending volcanic arc at the western edge of the Puna (the Cordillera Occidental). In addition, four southeast-trending volcanic zones extend for several hundred kilometers across the Puna. Many important mineral deposits and areas of hydrothermal alteration are associated with these volcanic breakouts, and we have selected three such areas for more detailed study: Bajo de la Alumbrera (Argentina's largest porphyry copper deposit), Cerro Galán (the largest ignimbrite caldera in Argentina, with associated hydrothermal alteration zones), and El Queva (a historic polymetallic district located within a major volcanic range). A comparison of lineament maps generated from aeromagnetic and Landsat TM images reveals broad correlation between these different remote sensing techniques, which respectively highlight subsurface magnetic and surface geological features. In addition, the locations of magmatic and hydrothermal centers can be related to the interpreted structural framework, and are seen to occur near the intersections of major lineament zones. It is suggested that in three dimensions, such intersection zones form trans-lithospheric columns of low strength and high permeability during transpressional or transtensional tectonic strain, and may thereby serve as conduits for magma ascent to the shallow crust. Pooling of large volumes of deeply derived magma in shallow crustal magma chambers may then result in voluminous devolatilization and the formation of hydrothermal mineral deposits. It is important to note that in this model, structural intersections serve as facilitators for magma ascent and volatile exsolution, but do not in themselves cause this process—other factors such as magma supply rate and tectonic stress are essential primary ingredients, and local magmatic and volcanic processes affect the ultimate potential for ore formation. Nevertheless, we suggest that lineament analysis provides a valuable framework for guiding the early stages of mineral exploration; other regional and local geological considerations must then be applied to identify priority targets within this framework.     

On the use of an externally deployed geophone package on an Ocean Bottom Seismometer

We describe a recent modification to the MIT Ocean Bottom Seismometer by which the geophones are housed in a separate package that is deployed on the sea floor about 1 m distance from the main unit several hours after the OBS reaches the ocean bottom. Records from deep-sea experiments and shallow-water tests show two improvements over records from geophones housed in the main instrument package. Signals recorded by the external geophones have a much better signal-to-noise ratio because tape recorder noise and instrument vibrations generated by water currents are effectively eliminated. As a result, the overall frequency response of the sensors to ground motion has a demonstrably smoother spectral shape. The second improvement is that the cross coupling of horizontal instrument motion to vertical ground motion is apparently greatly reduced because of the simpler design for the sensor package.