Cosmological and astrophysical neutrino mass measurements

Cosmological and astrophysical measurements provide powerful constraints on neutrino masses complementary to those from accelerators and reactors. Here we provide a guide to these different probes, for each explaining its physical basis, underlying assumptions, current and future reach.     

运用STOMP数值模拟器进行多空介质中尿素水解以及方解石沉淀数值模拟

遍布于美国能源部所辖野外场地的地下放射性核素和痕量金属污染对美国能源部的长期监管职能提出了最严峻的挑战。目前较有前景的一个原地固化污染物方法是利用尿素酶催化尿素水解,进而推动方解石沉淀及与之共同沉淀。运用STOMP数值模拟器实施一系列反应性溶质数值模拟来研究系统中水流、运移、反应与反应导致的介质性质变化之间的紧密的非线性耦合,并在研究中系统性增加反应系统的复杂度和物理-化学的非均质性以考察模拟效果。通过调整反应速率表达式中尿素酶浓度和沉淀反应常数,对尿素水解和方解石沉淀速率进行了敏感度分析。结果显示:尿素水解速率是矿物沉淀总量的决定性因素,沉淀物的空间分布既取决于水解速率也取决于沉淀速率;在一维水流柱6个空隙体积的时间段模拟中,观察到了5%的最大空隙度减少;当二维模拟中考虑一个低渗透性包裹体时,被改变的流场重新对生成的沉淀组成物进行了分布,形成了扭曲的反应锋面。模拟结果也显示沉淀在低渗透性区域边界上形成,这说明位于这个区域里面的污染物可能被囊裹而从流线中被隔离起来。     

Sampling and Characterizing Rare Earth Elements in Groundwater in Deep-Lying Fractures in Granitoids Under In Situ High-Pressure and Low-Redox Conditions

Several countries are preparing to dispose of radioactive nuclear waste deep underground in crystalline rock. This type of bedrock is commonly extensively fractured and consequently carries groundwater that serves as a medium for transporting metals and radionuclides. A group of metals of particular interest in this context is the rare earth elements (REEs), because they are analogues of actinides contained within radioactive waste and are tracers of hydrological pathways and geochemical processes. Concentrations of REEs are commonly low in these groundwaters, leading to values below detection limits of standard monitoring methods, particularly for the heavy REEs. We present a new technical set-up for monitoring REEs (and other trace metals) in groundwater in fractured crystalline rock. The technique consists of passing the fracture groundwater, commonly under high pressure and containing reduced chemical species, through a device that maintains the physicochemical character of the groundwater. Within the device, diffusive gradient in thin-film (DGT) discs are installed in triplicate. With this set-up, we studied REEs in groundwater in fractures at depths of approximately ?144, ?280, and ?450 m in granitoids in the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in southern Sweden. The entire REE suite was detected (concentrations down to 0.1 ng L^?1) and was differently fractionated among the groundwaters. The shallowest groundwater, composed of dilute modern Baltic Sea water, was enriched in the heavy REEs, whereas the deeper groundwaters, dominated by old saline water, were depleted in the heavy REEs. Deployment periods varying from 1 to 4 weeks delivered similar REE concentrations, indicating stability and reproducibility of the experimental set-up. The study finds that 1 week of deployment may be enough. However, if the overall setting and construction allow for longer deployment times, 2–3 weeks will be optimal in terms of reaching reliable REE concentrations well above the detection limit while maintaining the performance of the DGT samplers.     

HD 9770, a southern active-chromosphere system

The visual triple system HD 9770 (BB Scl) has been the subject of a four-year programme of UVB ( RI )_C photometry and H α échelle spectroscopy. Analysis of the data obtained over that period shows that star B, and probably also star A, of HD 9770 is a binary. The A system comprises a K1V star, which may be in a binary system with another K dwarf. The B system is an eclipsing binary of the BY Dra type in which both stars are chromospherically active. An orbital period of 0.476 525±0.000 013 d has been derived from the light curve in V . Physical parameters derived from analysis of the light curves in UBV ( RI )_C are presented.     

EROS-II Variable Stars: Eclipsing Binaries in the EROS Microlensing Surveys

More than 10 years of microlensing survey observations by the EROS Collaboration have monitored several million stars, amongst them several thousand eclipsing binary stars. In this poster we present some of the difficulties and rewards of the study of this immense database.Based on observations made at ESO by the EROS collaboration     

Distribution characteristics and factors influencing microbial communities in the core soils of a seawater intrusion area in Longkou City,China

Microbes live throughout the soil profile. Microbial communities in subsurface horizons are impacted by a saltwater–freshwater transition zone formed by seawater intrusion (SWI) in coastal regions. The main purpose of this study is to explore the changes in microbial communities within the soil profile because of SWI. The study characterizes the depth-dependent distributions of bacterial and archaeal communities through high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons by collecting surface soil and deep core samples at nine soil depths in Longkou City, China. The results showed that although microbial communities were considerably impacted by SWI in both horizontal and vertical domains, the extent of these effects was variable. The soil depth strongly influenced the microbial communities, and the microbial diversity and community structure were significantly different (p < 0.05) at various depths. Compared with SWI, soil depth was a greater influencing factor for microbial diversity and community structure. Furthermore, soil microbial community structure was closely related to the environmental conditions, among which the most significant environmental factors were soil depth, pH, organic carbon, and total nitrogen.