Kinematic Analysis of Near and Far Stars in the Hipparcos Catalog

The proper motions of stars in the main sequence and of luminosity class III giants are analyzed kinematically. A new method has been used for reliably separating all the parameters of the Ogorodnikov-Milne model based on representing the proper motions of the stars in coordinate systems whose poles lie on each of the three principal axes of the galactic trihedron. Solutions for stars in different spectral classes are obtained. The main sequence is found to subdivide into two zones (near and far stars) with a fairly sharp boundary at B-V=0.5. It is shown that the Parenago effect may be related to the different distances from the sun of the main sequence stars.     

Evolution of the Radio Luminosities of the Tycho and Kepler Supernovae Remnants

Radio emission of the historical supernovae remnants Tycho (SNR1572) and Kepler (SNR1604) and evolution of their luminosity are considered. Measurement data of secular luminosity decrease rate, obtained earlier by the authors, were corrected with account of variation in time of the flux density of the reference sources. As a result, it is found that the SNR1604 luminosity at 1667 MHz is weakening with an annual mean rate equal to (0.2 ± 0.07)%. The corresponding rate for SNR1572 is (0.47 ± 0.05)%. Since the radio luminosity evolution, as well as energy densities of magnetic field and relativistic electrons inside SNR1604 and SNR1572 are essentially different, these remnants should be considered as different types of supernovae. Bandiera classified SN1604 as type SNIb or SNII.     

Computer Simulation of Sputtering of Lunar Regolith by Solar Wind Protons: Contribution to Change of Surface Composition and to Hydrogen Flux at the Lunar Poles

A computer simulation of the sputtering of lunar soil by solar wind protons was performed with the TRIM program. The rate of the sputtering-induced erosion of regolith particles was shown to be less than 0.2 Å per year. A preferential sputtering of Ca, Mg, and O was found along with a less intense sputtering of Fe, Si, and Ti. However, with no other selection mechanisms, surface concentrations of the atoms would differ from the volume ones by no more than 6 %. The enrichment of rims of regolith particles with iron occurs as a result of selective removal of lighter atoms from the lunar surface because of different energies of escape from the Moon's gravity. The energy distributions proved to be the same for all sorts of the sputtered atoms, except for implanted hydrogen; thus, a greater fraction of the atoms left on the lunar surface corresponds to heavier elements. According to simulation results, the concentration of reduced iron observed in the mature regolith could be attained during the time of regolith particle exposure to the present flux of solar wind (10⁵ years). Thus, sputtering can provide the concentration of Fe₀ observed in regolith. On periphery of a cloud of impact vapor the temperature is too low for an irreversible selective removal of evaporation products; thus, a meteoritic bombardment contributes to the formation of composition of the rims of regolith particles mainly through enrichment of the rims with elements from the bulk of the particles. The estimates of fluxes of backscattered solar wind protons and of sputtered protons, earlier implanted to the regolith, demonstrated that their contribution to the proton flux near the poles is only 10⁴ cm^–2 s^–1. This is by two orders of magnitude smaller than the proton flux from the Earth's magnetosphere which is, therefore, the main source of protons for permanently shaded polar craters of the Moon.     

A Method for the Determination of an Intermediate Orbit from Three Positions of the Small Body on the Celestial Sphere

A new method is suggested for finding the preliminary orbit from three complete measurements of the angular coordinates of a celestial body developed by analogy with the classic Lagrange–Gauss method. The proposed method uses the intermediate orbit that we had constructed in an earlier paper based on two position vectors and the corresponding time interval. This intermediate orbit allows for most of the perturbations in the motion of the body. Using the orbital motion of asteroid 1566 Icarus as an example, we compare the results obtained by applying the classic and the new method. The comparison shows the new method to be highly efficient for studying perturbed motion. It is especially efficient if applied to high-precision observational data covering short orbital arcs.     

Late Quaternary vegetation changes around Lake Rutundu,Mount Kenya,East Africa: evidence from grass cuticles,pollen and stable carbon isotopes

Woody, subalpine shrubs and grasses currently surround Lake Rutundu, Mount Kenya. Multiple proxies, including carbon isotopes, pollen and grass cuticles, from a 755‐cm‐long core were used to reconstruct the vegetation over the past 38 300 calendar years. Stable carbon‐isotope ratios of total organic carbon and terrestrial biomarkers from the lake sediments imply that the proportion of terrestrial plants using the C₄ photosynthetic pathway was greater during the Late Pleistocene than in the Holocene. Pollen data show that grasses were a major constituent of the vegetation throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The proportion of grass pollen relative to the pollen from other plants was greatest at the last glacial maximum (LGM). Grass cuticles confirm evidence that C₄ grass taxa were present at the LGM and that the majority followed the cold‐tolerant NADP‐MEC₄ subpathway. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Three-dimensional calculations of high- and low-mass planets embedded in protoplanetary discs

We analyse the non-linear, three-dimensional response of a gaseous, viscous protoplanetary disc to the presence of a planet of mass ranging from 1 Earth mass (1 M_⊕) to 1 Jupiter mass (1 M_J) by using the zeus hydrodynamics code. We determine the gas flow pattern, and the accretion and migration rates of the planet. The planet is assumed to be in a fixed circular orbit about the central star. It is also assumed to be able to accrete gas without expansion on the scale of its Roche radius. Only planets with masses   M _p≳ 0.1 M_J  produce significant perturbations in the surface density of the disc. The flow within the Roche lobe of the planet is fully three-dimensional. Gas streams generally enter the Roche lobe close to the disc mid-plane, but produce much weaker shocks than the streams in two-dimensional models. The streams supply material to a circumplanetary disc that rotates in the same sense as the orbit of the planet. Much of the mass supply to the circumplanetary disc comes from non-coplanar flow. The accretion rate peaks with a planet mass of approximately 0.1 M_J and is highly efficient, occurring at the local viscous rate. The migration time-scales for planets of mass less than 0.1 M_J, based on torques from disc material outside the Roche lobes of the planets, are in excellent agreement with the linear theory of type I (non-gap) migration for three-dimensional discs. The transition from type I to type II (gap) migration is smooth, with changes in migration times of about a factor of 2. Starting with a core which can undergo runaway growth, a planet can gain up to a few M_J with little migration. Planets with final masses of the order of 10 M_J would undergo large migration, which makes formation and survival difficult.     

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.