Impulsively generated MHD waves and their detectability in solar coronal loops

Impulsively generated magnetohydrodynamic waves in solar coronal loops, with arbitrary plasma , are studied numerically by a flux-corrected transport algorithm. Numerical results show that the total reflection which occurs in the region of low Alfvén speed leads to trapped fast kink magnetosonic waves. These waves propagate along the slab and exhibit periodic, quasi-periodic, and decay phases. As a consequence of the difference in wave propagation speeds, the time signatures of the slow magnetosonic waves are delayed in time in comparison to the time signatures of the fast magnetosonic and Alfvén waves. An interaction between the waves can generate a longer lasting and complex quasi-periodic phase of the fast wave. We discuss also the observational detectability of such MHD waves in optical, radio, and soft X-ray wavelenghts.     

The D-CIXS X-ray mapping spectrometer on SMART-1

The D-CIXS Compact X-ray Spectrometer will provide high quality spectroscopic mapping of the Moon, the primary science target of the ESA SMART-1 mission. D-CIXS consists of a high throughput spectrometer, which will perform spatially localised X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. It will also carry a solar monitor, to provide the direct calibration needed to produce a global map of absolute lunar elemental abundances, the first time this has been done. Thus it will achieve ground breaking science within a resource envelope far smaller than previously thought possible for this type of instrument, by exploiting two new technologies, swept charge devices and micro-structure collimators. The new technology does not require cold running, with its associated overheads to the spacecraft. At the same time it will demonstrate a radically novel approach to building a type of instrument essential for the BepiColombo mission and potential future planetary science targets.     

Numerical modelling of the impact crater depth-diameter dependence in an acoustically fluidized target

2D numerical modelling of impact cratering has been utilized to quantify an important depth-diameter relationship for different crater morphologies, simple and complex. It is generally accepted that the final crater shape is the result of a gravity-driven collapse of the transient crater, which is formed immediately after the impact. Numerical models allow a quantification of the formation of simple craters, which are bowl-shaped depressions with a lens of rock debris inside, and complex craters, which are characterized by a structural uplift. The computation of the cratering process starts with the first contact of the impactor and the planetary surface and ends with the morphology of the final crater. Using different rheological models for the sub-crater rocks, we quantify the influence on crater mechanics. To explain the formation of complex craters in accordance to the threshold diameter between simple and complex craters, we utilize the Acoustic Fluidization model. We carried out a series of simulations over a broad parameter range with the goal to fit the observed depth/diameter relationships as well as the observed threshold diameters on the Moon, Earth and Venus.     

Star-Driven Wind and Jet Models

We outline some main results from recent analytical modelling of axisymmetric jets from the coronae of young stars and compare them to disk-wind and X-wind models. We emphazise the roles of the magnetic rotator and the disk in the formation and the evolution of the jet. We conjecture that with time both the efficiency of the magnetic rotator and the role of the disk as a primary source for the wind decline.     

Time‐series photometric spot modelling – VI. A new computer code and its application to 23 years of photometry of the active giant IM Pegasi

We present and apply a new computer program named SpotModeL to analyze single and multiple bandpass photometric data of spotted stars. It is based on the standard analytical formulae from Budding and Dorren. The program determines the position, size, and temperature of up to three spots by minimizing the fit residuals with the help of the Marquardt‐Levenberg non‐linear least‐squares algorithm. We also expand this procedure to full time‐series analysis of differential data, just as real observations would deliver. If multi‐bandpass data are available, all bandpasses can be treated simultaneously and thus the spot temperature is solved for implicitly. The program may be downloaded and used by anyone. In this paper, we apply our code to an ≈23 year long photometric dataset of the spotted RS CVn giant IM Peg. We extracted and modelled 33 individual light curves, additionally, we fitted the entire V dataset in one run. The resulting spot parameters reflect the long term light variability and reveal two active longitudes on the substellar point and on the antipode. The radius and longitude of the dominant spot show variations with 29.8 and 10.4 years period, respectively. Our multicolour data suggests that the spot temperature is increasing with the brightening of the star. The average spot temperature from V, I_C is 3550 ± 150 K or approximately 900 K below the effective temperature of the star.     

A Model of the Spraying of Drops from the Molten Surface of a Meteoroid in the Process of Ablation

An additional investigation has been carried out of the rational model (Aslanov, 2000) of the separation of drops from the tops of the unstable wave formation on the molten surface of a meteoroid. The ratio of the wavelength of unstable hydrodynamic disturbances to the diameter of drops has been calculated in a mathematically closed form. Particular theoretical estimates of the size of the region of spraying of molten drops agree with prevailing sizes given in the known classification of the forms of meteoroid fragmentation.     

The dynamical structure of dwarf elliptical galaxies

Deep imaging and long-slit spectroscopy was obtained for a sample of dwarf ellipticals in the Fornax cluster, NGC 5044 and NGC 5898 groups using the ESO VLT. The observational data extend out to typically 1.5–2 effective radii and indicate a kinematic dichotomy in the family of ellipticals. The observed stellar kinematics indicate a luminosity–velocity dispersion relation largely supporting Supernova-driven stellar mass loss scenarios for the formation of dwarf ellipticals. Stellar dynamical models favour dark matter halos with typical mass-to-light ratios in the range of 3 to 9 solar units. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Extreme Ultraviolet Emission Lines of ca xv in Solar and Laboratory Spectra

New R-matrix calculations of electron impact excitation rates in Caxv are used to derive theoretical electron density diagnostic emission line intensity ratios involving 2s ²2p ²–2s2p ³ transitions, specifically R ₁=I(208.70 Å)/I(200.98 Å), R ₂=I(181.91 Å)/I(200.98 Å), and R ₃=I(215.38 Å)/I(200.98 Å), for a range of electron temperatures (T _e=10^6.4–10^6.8 K) and densities (N _e=10⁹–10¹³ cm^–3) appropriate to solar coronal plasmas. Electron densities deduced from the observed values of R ₁, R ₂, and R ₃ for several solar flares, measured from spectra obtained with the Naval Research Laboratory's S082A spectrograph on board Skylab, are found to be consistent. In addition, the derived electron densities are in excellent agreement with those determined from line ratios in Caxvi, which is formed at a similar electron temperature to Caxv. These results provide some experimental verification for the accuracy of the line ratio calculations, and hence the atomic data on which they are based. A set of eight theoretical Caxv line ratios involving 2s ²2p ²–2s2p ³ transitions in the wavelength range 140–216 Å are also found to be in good agreement with those measured from spectra of the TEXT tokamak plasma, for which the electron temperature and density have been independently determined. This provides additional support for the accuracy of the theoretical line ratios and atomic data.     

A search for high-redshift molecular absorption lines towards millimetre-loud, optically faint quasars

We describe initial results of a search for redshifted molecular absorption towards four millimetre-loud, optically faint quasars. A wide frequency bandwidth of up to 23 GHz per quasar was scanned using the Swedish–ESO Submillimetre Telescope at La Silla. Using a search list of commonly detected molecules, we obtained nearly complete redshift coverage up to   z _abs= 5  . The sensitivity of our data is adequate to have revealed absorption systems with characteristics similar to those seen in the four known redshifted millimetre-band absorption systems, but none were found. Our frequency-scan technique nevertheless demonstrates the value of wide-band correlator instruments for searches such as these. We suggest that a somewhat larger sample of similar observations should lead to the discovery of new millimetre-band absorption systems.     

Opposition Effects in Brightness,Color, and Polarization of Comet 1P/Halley: Comparison with Atmosphereless Solar System Bodies

Systematic and uniform sets of photometric and polarimetric observations of comet 1P/Halley have been analyzed. The phase dependence of brightness for comet Halley was obtained at phase angles α ranging from 1.4° ≤ α ≤ 65°. The following parameters were determined: the amplitude of the opposition effect Δm = 0.75^m ± 0.06^m; the half-width at a half-maximum of intensity HWHM = 6.4° ± 1.6°; the linear phase coefficient β = 0.0045 ± 0.0001 mag/deg for α from 30° ≤ α ≤ 65°; and the phase angle at which a nonlinear increase in brightness starts, α _opp ≈ 31°. For the first time, the phase-angle dependence was obtained for the color of the dust of comet Halley: the color index BC-RC systematically decreases with increasing phase angle. Such a phase behavior of the dust color can be caused by the decrease in the mean size of dust particles that occurs when the comet approaches the Sun. For comet Halley, the negative polarization branch is almost symmetric; the minimal value of polarization is P _min = −1.54% at a phase angle α_min = 10.5°, and the inversion angle is α_inv = 21.7°. A comparative analysis of the phase functions of brightness and polarization has been performed for the cometary dust and atmosphereless bodies. Among the latter are low-albedo asteroids of the P and C types (102 Miriam and 47 Aglaja, respectively), as well as Deimos; high-albedo objects, such as the E-type asteroid 64 Angelina and the icy satellite of Jupiter Europa; and the Moon with its intermediate albedo. The possibility of a weak depression in the negative polarization branch of comets Halley and 47P/Ashbrook-Jackson at phase angles smaller than 2° is discussed.__________Translated from Astronomicheskii Vestnik, Vol. 39, No. 4, 2005, pp. 353–363.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Rosenbush.