Diffusion of elements in the interstellar medium in early-type galaxies

The role of diffusion in the redistribution of elements in the hot interstellar medium of earlytype galaxies is considered. It is well known that gravitational sedimentation can affect significantly the abundances of helium and heavy elements in the hot intergalactic gas of massive galaxy clusters. The universal temperature profile in cool-core clusters and the theoretical mass–temperature relation suggest that the maximum effect of sedimentation must take place in the most massive virialized objects in the Universe. However, observational data from the Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories demonstrate more complex scaling relations between the masses of early-type galaxies and other parameters, such as the mass fraction and temperature of the interstellar gas. An important fact is that the radial temperature profile can have both falling and rising patterns. We have calculated the diffusion based on the observed gas density and temperature distributions for 13 early-type galaxies that have different envelope types and cover a wide range of X-ray luminosities. To estimate the maximum effect of sedimentation and thermal diffusion, we have solved the full set of Burgers equations for a non-magnetized interstellar plasma. The results obtained demonstrate a considerable increase of the He/H ratio within one effective radius for all galaxies of our sample. For galaxies with a falling or constant temperature profile the average increase of the helium abundance is 60% in one billion years of diffusion. The revealed effect can introduce a significant bias into the metal abundance estimate based on X-ray spectroscopy and can affect the evolution of stars that could be formed from a gas with a high helium abundance.     

Identification of X-ray lines in the spectrum of the arcsec-scale precessing jets of SS 433

The extended X-ray emission observed at arcsec scales along the propagation trajectory of the precessing relativistic jets of the Galactic microquasar SS 433 features a broad emission line, with the position of the centroid being significantly different for the approaching and receding jets (≈7.3 and ≈6.4 keV, respectively). These observed line positions are at odds with the predictions of the kinematic model for any of the plausible bright spectral lines in this band, raising the question of their identification. Here we address this issue by taking into account time delays of the emission coming from the receding regions of the jets relative to that from the approaching ones, which cause a substantial phase shift and distortion of the predicted line positions for the extended (~10¹⁷ cm) emission compared to the X-ray and optical lines observed from the central source (emitted at distances ~10¹¹ and ~10¹⁵ cm, respectively). We demonstrate that the observed line positions are fully consistent with the Fe XXVI Lyα (E ₀ = 6.96 keV) line emerging from a region of size ~6 × 10¹⁶ cm along the jet. This supports the idea that intensive reheating of the jets up to temperatures >10 keV takes place at these distances, probably as a result of partial deceleration of the jets due to interaction with the surrounding medium, which might cause collisions between discrete dense blobs inside the jets.     

SPEXTRA: Optimal extraction code for long-slit spectra in crowded fields

We present a code for the optimal extraction of long-slit 2D spectra in crowded stellar fields. Its main advantage and difference from the existing spectrum extraction codes is the presence of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a convenient visualization system of data and extraction parameters. On the whole, the package is designed to study stars in crowded fields of nearby galaxies and star clusters in galaxies. Apart from the spectrum extraction for several stars which are closely located or superimposed, it allows the spectra of objects to be extracted with subtraction of superimposed nebulae of different shapes and different degrees of ionization. The package can also be used to study single stars in the case of a strong background. In the current version, the optimal extraction of 2D spectra with an aperture and the Gaussian function as PSF (point spread function) is proposed. In the future, the package will be supplemented with the possibility to build a PSF based on a Moffat function. We present the details of GUI, illustrate main features of the package, and show results of extraction of the several interesting spectra of objects from different telescopes.     

Three three-dipole stars

We analyzed magnetic-field structures of three three-dipole magnetic stars HD 18078, HD 37776, and HD 149438. The fact that the model and observed phase dependences B _e (Φ) and B _s (Φ) for HD 18078 computed with the same parameters of the dipoles agree with each other shows conclusively that global magnetic structures are formed by dipole structures. Magnetic poles show up conspicuously on Mercator maps of the distribution of magnetic field, the field strength there is maximal and equal to B _p = 3577, 10 700, and 275Gin the three stars mentioned above.Dipolemodelsmake it possible to analyze magnetic-field structure inside stars.     

Structure of the current sheets in the near-Mars magnetotail. Maven observations

During the last 15 years, the Current Sheets (CSs) have been intensively studied in the tail of the terrestrial magnetosphere, where protons are the dominated ion component. On the contrary, in the Martian magnetotail heavy ions (O⁺ and⁺ ₀) usually dominate while the abundance of protons can be negligible. Hence it is interesting to study the spatial structure and plasma characteristics of such “oxygen” CSs. MAVEN spacecraft (s/c) currently operating on the Martian orbit with a unique set of scientific instruments allows observation of the magnetic field and three-dimensional distribution functions of various ion components and electrons with a high time resolution. In this paper, we analyse nine intervals of the CSs observed by MAVEN in the near-Mars tail at the distances from the planet ~1.5–1R _M , where R _M is the radius of Mars. We analyse the spatial structure of the CSs and estimate their thickness for different magnetic configurations and relative abundance of the heavy and light ions in the sheets. It is shown that, similarly to the CSs in the Earth’s magnetotail, the thickness and complexity of the spatial structure of the Maritan CSs (i.e. the presence of embedded and / or peripheral current structures) depend on the magnetic configuration of the sheets, which, in turn, affects the fraction of the quasi-adiabatic particles in the CSs.     

Positional observations of small solar system bodies with the SBG telescope at the Astronomical Observatory of the Ural Federal University

The telescope SBG (D = 0.42 m, F = 0.76 m) at the Kourovka Astronomical Observatory of the Ural Federal University has undergone an upgrade in 2005–2006. A CCD camera (Apogee Alta U32) and a new drive system were installed, and a new system for telescope and observation control was implemented. This upgrade required verifying the astrometric quality of the telescope. The data processing approaches tested when searching for the optimum CCD image processing technique combined TYCHO2 and UCAC2 catalogues with various reduction models and methods for choosing reference stars. Lorentzian and Moffat profiles were used in the measurement of pixel coordinates. It was demonstrated that the accuracy of SBG observations of main-belt asteroids with precisely determined orbits depends on their brightness and varies from 0.06” (11.5 ^m ) to 0.4” (18.5 ^m ). Regular SBG observations of comets and asteroids (mostly near-Earth and potentially hazardous ones) have been performed since 2007. Coordinates of 8515 positions of 720 asteroids and more than 1000 positions of 40 comets were obtained. The RMS deviations of observed coordinates from their calculated values are typically smaller than 1”: the average deviations for asteroids are 0.33” (in right ascension) and 0.34” (in declination); the corresponding values for comets are 0.37” (in α) and 0.38” (in δ). The results of observations are sent to the Minor Planet Center and are used to determine orbits more accurately and solve other fundamental and applied problems.     

Catalog of equatorial coordinates and <Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis>-magnitudes of stars of the Kitab part of the FON project

The processing of the plates of the Kitab part of the FON project has been completed. In total, 1963 plates were processed. The catalog of equatorial coordinates α, δ, and B-magnitudes for 13 413268 stars and galaxies up to B ≤ 17.5 ^m for the epoch 1984.97 is compiled. The Epson Expression 10000XL scanner with a 1200 dpi scanning mode and a plate size of 30 × 30 cm or 13000 × 13000 pel was used to digitize astronegatives. Coordinates of stars and galaxies are obtained in the Tycho-2 catalog system and B-magnitudes are obtained in the photovoltaic system. The catalog internal accuracy for all objects is σ_α,δ = 0.23" and σ _B = 0.15 ^m (for stars in the range B = 5 ^m …14 ^m , errors are σ_α,δ = 0.085" and σ _B = 0.054 ^m ) for equatorial coordinates and stellar B-magnitudes, respectively. Convergence between the calculated and reference positions is σ_α,δ = 0.042", and convergence between photoelectric B-magnitudes is σ _B = 0.16 ^m . Coordinate errors with respect to the UCAC-4 catalog are σ_α,δ = 0.26" (9892697 or 73.75% of stars and galaxies were identified).     

Cloning and phylogenetic analysis of a fatty acid elongase gene from Nannochloropsis oculata CS179

Nannochloropsis oculata CS179, a unicellular marine microalga, is rich in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs). Elongase and desaturase play a key role in the biosynthesis of PUFAs. A new elongase gene, which encodes 322 amino acids, was identified via RT-PCR and 5′ and 3′ RACE. The sequence of the elongase gene was blast-searched in the NCBI GenBank and showed a similarity to those of the cryptosporidium. But the NJ-tree revealed that the N. oculata CS179 elongase clustered with those of the microalgae Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Ostreococcus tauri and Thalassiosira pseudonana.     

坚持土地节约集约利用促进文登经济和谐发展

文登市位于山东半岛东部,总面积1 779.84km2。辖14个镇、3个街道办事处、2处省级开发区,810个行政村、88个居委会,总人口64.25万人,其中农村人口46.2万人。全市耕地面积62 137.93hm2,人均耕地不足0.084 hm2,低于全国和全省的平均水平,土地供需矛盾日益突出。