An imaging spectrometric observatory for spacelab

The capability to measure nearly simultaneously the entire spectrum of atmospheric emission from the extreme ultraviolet to the near infrared, with relatively high spectral resolution and high sensitivity, while also obtaining global and altitude coverage, would provide a database from which significant advances could be made in our current understanding of the atmosphere and its processes. The large payload capacity of the shuttle orbiter offers the first opportunity to put such instrumentation into space. The Imaging Spectrometric Observatory (ISO) comprises an array of five spectrometers designed to make full use of the shuttle as an observing platform for remote sensing of the atmosphere. ISO covers the wavelength range 300–12000 Å at 2–7 Å resolution. Use of area array detectors (intensified-CCD's) permits simultaneous measurements of ～1000 Å at a time. The instrument is capable of scanning the entire wavelength range in less than 20 s, or dwelling on weaker features for longer periods of time. The detectors are two dimensional and permit spectral imaging in one direction and spatial imaging in the other. The spatial imaging and spatial scanning features permit measurement of altitude profiles, or mapping of strongly spatially varying features such as aurorae. The instrument is designed to allow versatility. The various functions are programmable and software controlled. The key subsystems are modular for convenient replacement or upgrading. It is anticipated that the instrument will have applications not only in the area of atmospheric science, but also in studies of the ionosphere and magnetosphere, and in support of active experiments to be performed in space.     

Period-luminosities relation of classical Cepheids

A new PL-relation (10) — Figure 2 for the Cepheids in the Galaxy, the Magellanic Clouds and M31 has been constructed. On deriving this relation both the period-radius (3) and period-colour relations (7), (8) and (9) are essentially used. The PC-relation (7) determined after the colours of 88 galactic cepheids (Table I), which are obtained from the colour-spectrum relation (6) — Figure 1, common for Cepheids and non-variable supergiants, are used also for the M31 Cepheids, whereas (8) and (9) are for the Large and Small MC Cepheids, respectively, all three PC-relations having a common slope. The comparison of the relations (8) and (9) with (7) shows that the LMC and SMC Cepheids are bluer than the galactic ones with 0^m.04 and 0^m.19, respectively, probably because of their metal-poor abundance. The places of thes-Cepheids in Figure 2 show that these Cepheids possess a dissimilar PL-relation with a different slope. The reason for such a difference is that thes-Cepheids are first harmonic pulsators. The distance moduli of the three galaxies under discussion are obtained from the PL-relation (10). The colour-coefficient of period-colour-luminosity-relation is briefly discussed. The general conclusion based on a comparison of the PL-relation in the present paper with those by other authors (Table V) is that our PL-relation differs in the zero-point by less than 0^m.2; therefore, the manner of constructing the PL-relation by means of PR and PC-relations is reasonable and useful.     

Heat and mass transfer in convective flow of an incompressible rarefied visco-elastic fluid in presence of transverse magnetic field

Analytical study is performed to examine heat and mass transfer characteristics of natural convection flow of an incompressible, rarefied visco-elastic fluid past an infinite vertical porous plate with constant suction in the presence of transverse magnetic field under combined buoyancy force effects of thermal and mass diffusion. The effects of various parameters on mean velocity and mean skin-friction are shown graphically followed by a comparative study of Newtonian and non-Newtonian (visco-elastic). rarefied states.     

Discovery of a flare star near Sirius

The discovery of a flare star (R.A. (1950)=6^h43^m6^s.07, Decl.(1950)=?16°45′24″) located about 6 arc min south of Sirius is reported. During photometric observations on the night of 13 January, 1982, using the 102 cm telescope at Kavalur, India, the star was seen to brighten by 2.55 mag. inV band over a duration of about 200 s. Observations on this object for a duration of about 10.5 hr spread over seven more nights indicate the star to be variable. The results of these observations are presented.     

Cosmic-ray antimatter: A primary origin hypothesis

We examine the possibility that the observed cosmic-ray protons are of primary extragalactic origin. The present \(\bar p\) data are consistent with a primary extragalactic component having \(\bar p\) /p?3.2±0.7 x 10^-4 independent of energy. Following the suggestion that most extragalactic cosmic rays are from active galaxies, we propose that most of the observed \(\bar p\) 's are alos from the same sites. This would imply the possibility of destroying the corresponding \(\bar \alpha \) 'sat the source, thus leading to a flux ratio \(\bar \alpha \) /α< \(\bar p\) /p. We further predict an estimate for \(\bar \alpha \) α～10^-5, within the range of future cosmic-ray detectors. the cosmological implications of this proposal are discussed.     

Regularization and linearization of the equations of motion in central force-fields

Within the framework of linear and regular celestial mechanics, a wide class of central force field problems are considered. We take as potential function a polynomial whose variable is the reciprocal of the distance from the origin, and, as regularizing function the square root of a certain reciprocal polynomial, related to the potential function. The relations between the coefficients of both functions, in order to arrive to linear equations, are given. In particular, the case of a quintic polynomial is analyzed, and an application is made to artificial earth satellites considering harmonicsJ ₂,J ₃,J ₄.     

The 12C/13C ratio in jupiter from the Voyager infrared investigation

The ¹²C/¹³C ratio in Jupiter has been derived from the analysis of the ν₄ band of CH₄ in the spectra recorded by the Voyager 1 IRIS experiment. It is found to be 160_?55⁺⁴⁰, i.e., 1.8_?0.6^+0.4 times the terrestrial value. Instrumental noise as well as systematic sources of error were taken into account for the estimate of the uncertainty. No plausible theory predicts such a difference between the values of the ¹²C/¹³C ratio in the inner solar system and in Jupiter. However, values of this ratio in the solar neighborhood 4.5 by ago inferred—through the use of models of chemical evolution of the Galaxy —from recent interstellar medium measurements are compatible with the present determination in Jupiter. The Jovian value, rather than the terrestrial one, could then be representative of the ratio in the primitive solar nebula.     

Three-dimensional coronal structures using clark lake observations

We have undertaken a study of coronal features observed at meter-decameter wavelengths using the Clark Lake radioheliograph. Among the coronal structures we have studied are the radio manifestations of coronal streamers on the solar disk and above the solar limb. We have analyzed the radio data quantitatively, using ray-tracing models for comparison with the maps. Our study provides information about the streamers' three-dimensional shapes, scales, and density profiles, for comparison with related observations using white-light coronagraphs.