Velocity-height relation for antimatter meteors

A general velocity-height relation for both antimatter and ordinary matter meteor is derived. This relation can be expressed as % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaWaaSaaaeaacq% aHfpqDdaWgaaWcbaGaamOEaaqabaaakeaacqaHfpqDdaWgaaWcbaGa% eyOhIukabeaaaaGccqGH9aqpcaqGLbGaaeiEaiaabchacaqGGaWaam% WaaeaacqGHsisldaWcaaqaaiaadkeaaeaacaWGHbaaaiaabwgacaqG% 4bGaaeiCaiaabIcacaqGTaGaamyyaiaadQhacaGGPaaacaGLBbGaay% zxaaGaeyOeI0YaaSaaaeaacaWGdbaabaGaamOqaiabew8a1naaBaaa% leaacqGHEisPaeqaaaaakmaacmaabaGaaGymaiabgkHiTiaabwgaca% qG4bGaaeiCamaadmaabaGaeyOeI0YaaSaaaeaacaWGcbaabaGaamyy% aaaacaqGLbGaaeiEaiaabchacaqGOaGaaeylaiaadggacaWG6bGaai% ykaaGaay5waiaaw2faaaGaay5Eaiaaw2haaiaacYcaaaa!64FD!\[\frac{{\upsilon _z }}{{\upsilon _\infty }} = {\text{exp }}\left[ { - \frac{B}{a}{\text{exp( - }}az)} \right] - \frac{C}{{B\upsilon _\infty }}\left\{ {1 - {\text{exp}}\left[ { - \frac{B}{a}{\text{exp( - }}az)} \right]} \right\},\]where _z is the velocity of the meteoroid at height z, its velocity before entrance into the Earth's atmosphere, is the scale-height, and C parameter proportional to the atom-antiatom annihilation cross- section, which is experimentally unknown. The parameter B (B = DA₀/m) is the well known parameter for koinomatter (ordinary matter) meteors, D is the drag factor, ₀ is the air density at sea level, A is the cross sectional area of the meteoroid and m its mass.When the annihilation cross-section is zero — in the case of ordinary meteors — the parameter C is also zero and the above derived equation becomes % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaWaaSaaaeaacq% aHfpqDdaWgaaWcbaGaamOEaaqabaaakeaacqaHfpqDdaWgaaWcbaGa% eyOhIukabeaaaaGccqGH9aqpcaqGLbGaaeiEaiaabchacaqGGaWaam% WaaeaacqGHsisldaWcaaqaaiaadkeaaeaacaWGHbaaaiaabwgacaqG% 4bGaaeiCaiaabIcacaqGTaGaamyyaiaadQhacaGGPaaacaGLBbGaay% zxaaGaaiilaaaa!4CF5!\[\frac{{\upsilon _z }}{{\upsilon _\infty }} = {\text{exp }}\left[ { - \frac{B}{a}{\text{exp( - }}az)} \right],\]which is the well known velocity-height relation for koinomatter meteors.In the case in which the Universe contains antimatter in compact solid structure, the velocity-height relation can be found useful.Work performed mainly at the Nuclear Physics Laboratory of the National University of Athens, Greece.     

Realisation of a celestial system based on VLBI geodynamics programs

The relative orientations of various VLBI celestial reference frames are evaluated on the basis of coordinate differences of common sources. It is shown that an accuracy better than 0.001 can be achieved. Possible regional deformations in the different catalogues are investigated; they are found to reach a few 0.001 in some restricted zones. The application of these studies to the realisation of a combined celestial reference frame consistent with the BIH Terrestrial System is outlined.     

Plasma acceleration,injection, and loss: Observational aspects

The sudden and dramatic acceleration of charged particles seems to be a universal phenomenon which occurs in plasmas occupying a wide range of spatial scales. These accelerations are typically accompanied by intrusions of the energized plasma into adjacent regions of space. A physical understanding of these processes can only be obtained by carefully coordinated experimental and theoretical studies which are designed to let nature display what is happening without imposing limitations associated with existing paradigms. Studies of the Earth's magnetosphere are hampered by the lack of adequate sampling in space and time. The feature matching technique of building magnetic and electric field models can help compensate for the extreme sparseness of experimental data but many future studies will still require large numbers of spacecraft placed in carefully coordinated orbits. History shows that magnetospheric research has sometimes faltered while various attractive conjectures were explored, but that direct observations play the role of a strict teacher who has little concern for the egos of scientists. Presumably this teacher will also discard the author's pet notion: that the ignition of portions of the auroral shell in association with Earth flares results in the heating of ionospheric particles (and some particles of solar origin) that are then convected inward to form the ring current. The author, of course, hopes that at least some aspects of this notion will surive and will help lead the way to a better understanding of the Earth's neighbourhood.Paper dedicated to Professor Hannes Alfvén on the occasion of his 80th birthday, 30 May 1988.     

Spectrophotometric study of Be stars

A large sample of Be stars has been studied spectrophotometrically in the visible region. The continuum energy distribution data for 23 Be stars included in the list of Harmanecet al. (1983) are presented and discussed in the wavelength range 3200 Å–8000 Å. For 15 Be stars the observations reported in the present work are new. By comparing the observed continua with models, the effective temperatures of these stars have been estimated. It is found that, in general, Be stars have lower effective temperature than the corresponding normal B stars. The present study shows that the early-Be stars (B0–B5) possess near-ultraviolet and near-infrared excess emissions more frequently than the late-Be stars (B5–B9). The seven new Be stars are detected to show pole-on characteristics.     

Further analysis of temperature and emission measure during the decay phase of solar flares derived from soft X-ray light curves

The light curves of soft X-ray lines, observed by the Flat Crystal Spectrometer on Solar Maximum Mission during eight solar flares are modeled to determine the plasma temperature and emission measure as functions of time using the method first presented by Bornmann (1985, Paper I), but modified to include a ² search routine. With this modification the technique becomes more general, more accurate, and applicable throughout the gradual phase of the flare. The model reproduces the light curves of the soft X-ray lines throughout these flares. Model fits were repeated for each flare using five different sets of published line emissivity calculations. The emissivities of Mewe and Gronenschild (1981) consistenly gave the best fits to the observed light curves for each flare.     

Upper limits on the total radiant energy of solar flares

We establish limits on the total radiant energy of solar flares during the period 1980 February – November, using the solar-constant monitor (ACRIM) on board the Solar Maximum Mission. Typical limits amount to 6 × 10²⁹ erg/s for a 32-second integration time, with 5σ statistical significance, for an impulsive emission; for a gradual component, about 4 × 10³² ergs total radiant energy. The limits lie about an order of magnitude higher than the total radiant energy estimated from the various known emission components, suggesting that no heretofore unknown dominant component of flare radiation exists.     

A dynamo theory of solar flares

It is proposed that the solar flare phenomenon can be understood as a manifestation of the electrodynamic coupling process of the photosphere-chromosphere-corona system as a whole. The system is coupled by electric currents, flowing along (both upward and downward) and across the magnetic field lines, powered by the dynamo process driven by the neutral wind in the photosphere and the lower chromosphere. A self-consistent formulation of the proposed coupling system is given. It is shown in particular that the coupling system can generate and dissipate the power of 10²⁹ erg s^#X2212;1 and the total energy of 10³² erg during a typical life time (10³ s) of solar flares. The energy consumptions include Joule heat production, acceleration of current-carrying particles along field lines, magnetic energy storage and kinetic energy of plasma convection. The particle acceleration arises from the development of field-aligned potential drops of 10–150 kV due to the loss-cone constriction effect along the upward field-aligned currents, causing optical, X-ray and radio emissions. The total number of precipitating electrons during a flare is shown to be of order 10³⁷–10³⁸.