A seasonal climate model of the atmospheres of the giant planets at the voyager encounter time: I. Saturn's stratosphere

A radiative seasonal model which incorporates a multilayer radiative transfer treatment at wave-lengths longward of 7 μm is presented and applied to Saturn's stratosphere. Opacities due to H₂-He, CH₄, C₂H₂, and C₂H₆ are included. Season-dependent insolation is shown to produce a strong hemispheric asymmetry decreasing with depth at the Voyager encounter times, and seasonal amplitudes of 30°K at the poles are predicted in the high stratosphere. The ring-modulated dependence of the insolation and the orbital eccentricity are shown to have a significant effect. Calculations agree closely with the Voyager 1 and 2 radio occultation ingress profiles recorded at 76°S and 36.5°S for CH₄/H₂ = 3.5 + 1.4/? 1.0 × 10^?3;the estimated errors include modeling systematic errors and uncertainties in the occultations profiles. The possible role of aerosols in the stratospheric heating is analyzed. The Voyager 2 egress profile recorded at 31°S cannot be reproduced by calculations. Some constraints on the C₂H₂ and C₂H₆ abundances are derived. The upper portion of the occultation profiles (p < 3mbar) can be matched for C₂H₂/H₂ = 1.0 + 1.3/?0.6 × 10^?7, C₂H₆/H₂ = 1.5 + 1.8/?0.9 × 10^?6 at 76°S and C₂H₂/H₂ = 4 + 6/?4 × 10^?8, C₂H₆/H₂ = 6 + 9/?6 × 10^?7 at 36.5°N. At the northern occultation latitude, the discrepancy with the concentrations derived from analysis of IRIS spectra by R. Courtin, D. Gautier, A. Marten, B. Bézard, and R. Hanel (1984, Astrophys. J.287) can be explained by a sharp variation of the mixing ratios of these gases with altitude in the upper stratosphere. Other interpretations are discussed.     

Fracture sealing of quartzite under a temperature gradient: experimental results

Veined lithologies are formed by fracturing and sealing processes, with the veins representing former fluid conduits through the rock. Although detailed fieldwork and numerical simulations have provided a better understanding of vein growth, few studies have attempted to seal fractures and generate veins experimentally. In this pilot study, we subjected fractured quartzite to temperature gradients of 45–125 °C under hydrothermal conditions in a static fluid, with the aim of precipitating secondary quartz in the cooler portions of the fracture. Results show that secondary quartz precipitates due to the imposed temperature gradient, causing the initial fracture to seal locally. Although no systematic sealing pattern was observed along the fracture, samples subjected to higher temperatures exhibit a smaller fracture width and appear to have reacted more extensively. Electron microprobe mapping visualizes the spatial distribution of secondary quartz, which contains elevated concentrations of aluminium.     

Dust-enshrouded super star-clusters

With the advent of either sensitive space-born infrared cameras, or their high-resolution ground-based siblings, we are uncovering a new category of star clusters: the dust-enshrouded super-star clusters. These manifest themselves only beyond a few microns, as their shroud of dust is able to block all light emitted by the stars themselves. Here we present our results on the spectacular cluster in SBS 0335-052, a very metal-poor galaxy. We also point to the growing number of galaxy analogs to SBS 0335-052, revealing the possibility that these clusters signal a major mode of star formation in starbursts. We conclude by listing a number of open points these clusters raise, in particular with respect to high-redshift counterparts. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Long-Period Variations of the Eccentricity Vector Valid also for Near Circular Orbits around a Non-Spherical Body

This paper studies the long period variations of the eccentricity vector of the orbit of an artificial satellite, under the influence of the gravity field of a central body. We use modified orbital elements which are non-singular at zero eccentricity. We expand the long periodic part of the corresponding Lagrange equations as power series of the eccentricity. The coefficients characterizing the differential system depend on the zonal coefficients of the geopotential, and on initial semi-major axis, inclination, and eccentricity. The differential equations for the components of the eccentricity vector are then integrated analytically, with a definition of the period of the perigee based on the notion of “free eccentricity”, and which is also valid for circular orbits. The analytical solution is compared to a numerical integration. This study is a generalization of (Cook, Planet. Space Sci., 14, 1966): first, the coefficients involved in the differential equations depend on all zonal coefficients (and not only on the very first ones); second, our method applies to nearly circular orbits as well as to not too eccentric orbits. Except for the critical inclination, our solution is valid for all kinds of long period motions of the perigee, i.e., circulations or librations around an equilibrium point.     

QUEST on DASI: a South Pole CMB polarization experiment

QUEST on DASI is a ground-based, high-sensitivity, high-resolution (ℓ_max2500) experiment designed to map CMB polarization at 100 and 150 GHz and to measure the power spectra from E-modes, B-modes from lensing of the CMB, and B-modes from primordial gravitational waves. The experiment comprises a 2.6 m Cassegrain optical system, equipped with an array of 62 polarization-sensitive bolometers (PSBs), located at the South Pole. The instrument is designed to minimize systematic effects; features include differencing of pairs of orthogonal PSBs within a single feed, a rotatable achromatic waveplate, and axisymmetric rotatable optics. In addition the South Pole location allows both repeatable and highly controlled observations. QUEST on DASI will commence operation in early 2005.     

Longitudinal dispersion compensation for the Very Large Telescope Interferometer

The Very Large Telescope Interferometer [1,13] will be operated in air which will introduce small optical path fluctuations due to internal turbulence [4,6] and dispersion effects. Both may contribute to fringe contrast decrease. Longitudinal dispersion effects can be corrected by inserting an appropriate glass of variable thickness in one arm of the interferometer [3,5,11,12]. This paper presents a new method applied to VLTI in order to select the optimum glass, according to both the observing wavelength and the spectral bandpath, and to calculate its thickness. Results are presented in terms of improvement on the fringe contrast.