Spectrophotometric observations of variable stars

We present the results of our visual and near-infrared spectrophotometric observations for 77 variable stars obtained during 1971–1991 in Chile, Armenia, and Bolivia. The quasi-monochromatic, extraatmospheric fluxes from the stars are given in absolute energy units (W m^?2 m^?1) at all wavelengths of the spectral range at 2.5-nm intervals.     

Evolving Photospheric Flux Concentrations and Filament Dynamic Changes

We analyze the role of weak photospheric flux concentrations that evolve in a filament channel, in the triggering of dynamic changes in the shape of a filament. The high polarimetric sensitivity of THEMIS allowed us to detect weak flux concentrations (few Gauss) associated with the filament development. The synoptic instruments (MDI, SOLIS) even if their sensitivity is much less than THEMIS were useful to follow any subsequent strengthening of these flux concentrations after their identification in the THEMIS magnetograms. We found that (1) the northern part of the filament develops an Hα barb at the same time that weak minority polarity elements develop near a plage; (2) a section in the southern part of the Hα filament gradually disappears and later reforms at the same time that several mixed-polarity magnetic elements appear, then subsequently cancel or spread away from each other. These changes correspond to increases in EUV emission, as observed by TRACE, EIT, and CDS. This suggests that the plasma is temporarily heated along the filament spine. An idealized sequence of force-free models of this filament channel, based on plasma-supporting magnetic dips occurring in the windings of a very weakly twisted flux tube, naturally explains the evolution of its southern part as being due to changes in the topology of the coronal magnetic field as the photospheric flux concentrations evolve.     

Late Cenozoic depositional history of the western Svalbard continental shelf, controlled by subsidence and climate

Based on a grid of high resolution, single channel seismic lines, this paper addresses the Late Cenozoic evolution of the western Svalbard continental shelf. The seismic structure of the shelf includes at least 16 erosional unconformities, each representing a glacial advance. The evolution during the last approximately one million years has been divided into six main erosional and depositional phases. Differential margin subsidence around a hinge zone is an important controlling mechanism for the accumulation of the sedimentary wedge at the outer shelf. The most significant depositional change appears to be related to a general climatic shift, globally recorded to be centred around 1 Ma. At this level, corresponding to the Upper Regional Unconformity (URU) on the shelf, the depositional regime changed from net erosion to net deposition and shelf aggradation. Of major significance is probably a shift from thick, eroding glaciers with steep ice profiles, to low profile fast flowing ice streams maintained by an increased amount of interglacial and interstadial sediments. The relationship between climatic fluctuations, glacial dynamics and depositional regime is discussed.     

Photospheric Magnetic Field: Relationship Between North–South Asymmetry and Flux Imbalance

Photospheric magnetic fields were studied using the Kitt Peak synoptic maps for 1976?–?2003. Only strong magnetic fields (B>100 G) of the equatorial region were taken into account. The north–south asymmetry of the magnetic fluxes was considered as well as the imbalance between positive and negative fluxes. The north–south asymmetry displays a regular alternation of the dominant hemisphere during the solar cycle: the northern hemisphere dominated in the ascending phase, the southern one in the descending phase during Solar Cycles 21?–?23. The sign of the imbalance did not change during the 11 years from one polar-field reversal to the next and always coincided with the sign of the Sun’s polar magnetic field in the northern hemisphere. The dominant sign of leading sunspots in one of the hemispheres determines the sign of the magnetic-flux imbalance. The sign of the north–south asymmetry of the magnetic fluxes and the sign of the imbalance of the positive and the negative fluxes are related to the quarter of the 22-year magnetic cycle where the magnetic configuration of the Sun remains constant (from the minimum where the sunspot sign changes according to Hale’s law to the magnetic-field reversal and from the reversal to the minimum). The sign of the north–south asymmetry for the time interval considered was determined by the phase of the 11-year cycle (before or after the reversal); the sign of the imbalance of the positive and the negative fluxes depends on both the phase of the 11-year cycle and on the parity of the solar cycle. The results obtained demonstrate the connection of the magnetic fields in active regions with the Sun’s polar magnetic field in the northern hemisphere.     

3D Coronal Density Reconstruction and Retrieving the Magnetic Field Structure during Solar Minimum

Measurement of the coronal magnetic field is a crucial ingredient in understanding the nature of solar coronal phenomena at all scales. We employed STEREO/COR1 data obtained during a deep minimum of solar activity in February 2008 (Carrington Rotation CR 2066) to retrieve and analyze the three-dimensional (3D) coronal electron density in the range of heights from 1.5 to 4 R_⊙ using a tomography method. With this, we qualitatively deduced structures of the coronal magnetic field. The 3D electron-density analysis is complemented by the 3D STEREO/EUVI emissivity in the 195 Å band obtained by tomography for the same CR. A global 3D MHD model of the solar corona was used to relate the reconstructed 3D density and emissivity to open/closed magnetic-field structures. We show that the density-maximum locations can serve as an indicator of current-sheet position, while the locations of the density-gradient maximum can be a reliable indicator of coronal-hole boundaries. We find that the magnetic-field configuration during CR 2066 has a tendency to become radially open at heliocentric distances greater than 2.5 R_⊙. We also find that the potential-field model with a fixed source surface is inconsistent with the boundaries between the regions with open and closed magnetic-field structures. This indicates that the assumption of the potential nature of the coronal global magnetic field is not satisfied even during the deep solar minimum. Results of our 3D density reconstruction will help to constrain solar coronal-field models and test the accuracy of the magnetic-field approximations for coronal modeling.     

Precursor heating and acceleration by Langmuir waves: The type II Supernova case

The effect of shock wave propagation is investigated with respect to precursor heating and acceleration, upstream, with the aim of explaining Supernova (SN) observations.A model is presented, where two different sources of Langmuir waves produce upstream heating and acceleration: (1) Langmuir waves excited by resonance beam particles, that are accelerated through the shock front by Bell's mechanism; and (2) Langmuir waves, created in the post-shock turbulent zone.The most important processes considered in the calculations are: (1) the heating efficiency of beam particles of different velocity; (2) Bell's acceleration efficiency; (3) the spectrum of Langmuir waves created in a turbulent regime; (4) the effects of density, and of the density gradient in the medium, where the shock propagates.The calculations are applied to type II SN. The results show that temperatures of 10⁵–10⁶ K, obtained in the preshock region, can explain P-Cygni observed line profiles. Moreover, accelerations of the plasma in front of the shock up tov10⁸ cm s^–1 by momentum exchange, are in good agreement with observations.Partially supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Technológico (CNPq) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP).     

Critical inclination in the main problem of a massive satellite

The classical problem of the critical inclination in artificial satellite theory has been extended to the case when a satellite may have an arbitrary, significant mass and the rotation momentum vector is tilted with respect to the symmetry axis of the planet. If the planet’s potential is restricted to the second zonal harmonic, according to the assumptions of the main problem of the satellite theory, two various phenomena can be observed: a critical inclination that asymptotically tends to the well known negligible mass limit, and a critical tilt that can be attributed to the effect of transforming the gravity field harmonics to a different reference frame. Stability of this particular solution of the two rigid bodies problem is studied analytically using a simple pendulum approximation.     

Identification of Possible Intense Historical Solar Storms During the Years 1781–1788 Inferred from Aurorae and Geomagnetic Observations in Rio De Janeiro

The reconstruction of solar activity during the late 18th century is a puzzle for researchers due to the scarcity of sunspot observations in that epoch. In this work, we analyse some details of the solar activity during the years 1781–1788, inferred from geomagnetic measurements and visual observations of aurorae performed by the Portuguese scientist Bento Sanches Dorta from Rio de Janeiro. We describe in greater detail four large solar storms that induced large changes in daily values of geomagnetic declination and, simultaneously, correspond to visual observations of aurorae described by Sanches Dorta.