Comet nuclei: Morphology and implied processes of surface modification

Surface morphology and related issues for nuclei of three comets: Halley, Borrelly and Wild 2, are considered in the paper. Joint consideration of publications and results of our analysis of the comets’ images led to conclusions, partly new, partly repeating conclusions published by other researchers. It was found that typical for all three nuclei is the presence of rather flat areas: floors of craters and other depressions, mesas and terraces. This implies that flattening surfaces or planation is a process typical for the comet nuclei. Planation seems to work through the sublimation-driven slope collapse and retreat. This requires effective sublimation so this process should work only when a comet is close to the Sun and if on the nucleus there are starting slopes, steep and high enough to support the “long-distance” avalanching of the collapsing material. If the surface had no starting slopes, then instead of planation, the formation of pitted-and-hilly surfaces should occur. An example of this could be the mottled terrain of the Borelly nucleus. Both ways of the sublimational evolution on the nucleus surface should lead to accumulation of cometary regolith. The thickness of the degassed regolith is not known, but it is obvious that in surface depressions, including the flat-floor ones, it should be larger compared with nondepression areas. This may have implications for the in situ study of comets by the Deep Impact and Rosetta missions.Our morphological analysis puts constraints on the applicability of the popular “rubble-pile comet nucleus” hypothesis (Weissman, 1986. Are cometery nuclei primordial rubble piles? Nature 320, 242-244.). We believe that the rubble pile hypothesis can be applicable to the blocky Halley nucleus. The Borelly and Wild 2 nuclei also could be rubble piles. But in these cases the “rubbles” have to be either smaller than 30-50 m (a requirement to keep lineament geometry close to ideal), or larger than 1-2 km (a requirement to form the rather extended smooth, flat surfaces of mesa tops and crater floors). Another option is that the Borelly and Wild 2 nuclei are not rubble piles.In relation to surface morphology we suggest that three end-member types of the comet nuclei may exist: (1) impact cratered “pristine” bodies, (2) non-cratered fragments of catastrophic disruption, and (3) highly Sun-ablated bodies. In this threefold classification, the Wild 2 nucleus is partially ablated primarily cratered body. Borrelly is significantly ablated and could be either primarily cratered or not-cratered fragment. Halley is certainly partially ablated but with the available images it is difficult to say if remnants of impact craters do exist on it.Recently published observations and early results of analysis of the Tempel 1 nucleus images taken by Deep Impact mission are in agreement with our conclusions on the processes responsible for the Halley, Borrelly and Wild 2 nuclei morphologies. In particular, we have now more grounds to suggest that decrease in crater numbers and increase of the role of smooth flat surfaces in the sequence Wild 2?Tempel 1?Borelli reflects a progress in the sublimational degradation of the nucleus surface during comet passages close to the Sun.     

由对FRⅡ射电星系的X射线观测试预言射电噪活动星系核的X射线喷流

在早期的文章中,基于耀变体(Blazar)的知识,我们预言了在射电噪活动星系核(AGN)中心10 kpc范围内X射线喷流的存在.钱得拉(Chandra)卫星最近对低功率射电星系的X射线观测与我们的预言相一致.在本文中我们研究了kpc尺度喷流中的电子加速,并建议通过对强的FR Ⅱ射电星系中所预言的X射线喷流的钱得拉卫星的X射线的观测,来研究红的耀变体中的康普顿冷却以及在内部致密喷流和大尺度延伸喷流间环境的不同.以上的研究可以进一步检验我们的关于射电噪活动星系核中kpc尺度X射线喷流的模型.     

Polarization observations of giant radio pulses from the millisecond pulsar B1937+21 at a frequency of 600 MHz

We performed polarization observations of giant radio pulses from the millisecond pulsar B1937+21. The observations were carried out in July 2002 with the 64-m Kalyazin radio telescope at a frequency of 600 MHz in two polarization channels with left-and right-hand circular polarizations (RCP and LCP). We used the S2 data acquisition system with a time resolution of 125 ns. The duration of an observing session was 20 min. We detected twelve giant radio pulses with peak flux densities higher than 1000 Jy; five and seven of these pulses appeared in the RCP and LCP channels, respectively. We found no event that exceeded the established detection threshold simultaneously in the two polarization channels. Thus, we may conclude that the detected giant pulses have a high degree of circular polarization, with the frequency of occurrence of RCP and LCP pulses being the same.     

Origin of short period comets

Reasons for interest in the origin of short-period comets and the difficulties of computing their long-term dynamcal evolution are reviewed. The relative advantages of a source region in an extended inner core of the Oort cloud or a compact comet belt just beyond the planetary system are finely balanced, and it is premature to consider the problem solved. A complication is that some comets belonging to the Jupiter family may be part of a time-dependent system, possibly the remains of a giant comet such as Chiron which could have been part of the system 104 yr ago. The origin of short-period comets plays a pivotal role in many areas of solar system science: planet formation, the source of water (possibly life) on the terrestrial planets, the cratering record on the terrestrial planets and satellites of the outer planets, and the environmental impact posed by massive bodies and their decay products in the Earth's near-space environment.     

水资源复杂适应配置系统的理论与模型

在对水资源配置系统的复杂性及其复杂适应机理分析的基础上，应用复杂适应系统理论的基本原理和方法，构架出了全新的水资源配置系统分析模型，同时对系统的动力机制、主体行为特性和系统状态的评价方法进行了描述，形成了一个较为完整的研究体系，用于分析水资源配置系统的演化规律，并应用这种分析方法对南水北调工程对受水区水资源配置的影响进行了简要的研究。     

Discussion on the feature of strong earthquake: Orderly distribution in time, space and intensity before the Western Kunlun Mountain Pass M=8.1 earthquake

Introduction The Western Kunlun Mountain Pass M=8.1 earthquake occurred on November 14, 2001 is the other M=8 earthquake occurred 50 years after Dangxiong, Tibet M=8.0 earthquake in Chinese mainland. The earthquake has caused the attention of the seismologists in the following aspects: 1) The fracture length is more than 400 km, which is far away from the estimated length by the statistic empirical function between the magnitude and the fracture length (WANG, et al, 2002); 2) The aftersh…     

联合古陆演化周期中超大型含煤及含油气盆地的形成

联合古陆———Ｐａｎｇｅａ的拼合与裂解反映了地球系统内部的巨大变革，这一过程根本上改变了浅部圈层的构造和环境。地史上超大型含煤盆地及含油气盆地与Ｐａｎｇｅａ的演化周期密切相关。在石炭纪及二叠纪拼合过程中形成了一系列超大型聚煤盆地；晚侏罗世Ｐａｎｇｅａ开始裂解，出现全球性裂陷作用期，大西洋张开，许多与裂陷有关的大型叠合盆地形成。在这些盆地中已发现十余个与晚侏罗世烃源岩有关的巨型含油气系统。上述情况表明Ｐａｎｇｅａ演化过程中出现了对能源资源聚集极为有利的古构造、古环境和古气候条件。     

会泽超大型铅锌矿床成矿时代研究

云南会泽超大型铅锌矿床由麒麟厂和矿山厂两个独立的铅锌矿床组成。利用两组同源矿物组合Rb Sr等时线方法测定了麒麟厂6号矿体的成矿时代,测定结果分别为(225 1±2 9)Ma和(225 9±3 1)Ma,根据已知的分布于该矿床北部和西南部分布的峨眉山玄武岩成岩时代为250Ma左右,有多个火山喷发旋回,显示多期次的喷发活动,认为川—滇—黔成矿区内铅锌成矿作用与峨眉山玄武岩岩浆活动存在成因联系。     

山东北部全新世的人地关系演变: 以海岸变迁和海盐生产为例

根据先秦考古遗址地理分布的分析和郭井子贝壳堤的发掘和调查,复原了6.5~5.0kaB.P. ,4.5~4.0kaB.P.和3.4~2.1kaB.P.的3条海岸线,它们大致与现代海岸线平行分布,年代自南向北逐渐年轻,揭示了山东北部地区全新世海侵和海退过程的主要环节,恢复了全新世海岸变迁的具体历程。对寿光大荒北央遗址出土盔形器内壁凝结物的XRF和XRD分析证明,本区沿海商周时期遗址出土的盔形器应是制盐器具,而沿海盔形器密集分布区与6.5~5.0kaB.P.的海岸线基本重合,表明商周时期海盐生产地域应在6.5~5.0kaB.P.和3.4~2.1kaB.P.的两条海岸线之间。本区的海盐生产与海岸变迁密切相关,人类适应环境和开发资源的主要手段就是从事海盐生产。在6.5~4.0kaB.P. ,人类在滨海地带有了初步的海盐生产,开始了适应环境和利用自然资源的最早尝试,在3.4~2.1kaB.P. ,人类又开始开采地下卤水生产海盐,使现今海拔9~10m以下的广阔地区成为产盐区。本区内陆的山前平原地带则是海盐的主要消费区,也是产盐区所需粮食和各种生产生活用品的供应区。这一分析对研究本区先秦时期的聚落功能演变具有重要意义,也是研究本区全新世人地关系演变的关键视角。     

2003年10～11月的大磁暴

分析了引起2003年10～11月发生的3个特大磁暴的太阳活动、行星际扰动以及中国东部地磁台链记录到的地面磁场变化。结果表明,这3个特别大的磁暴是由太阳质量抛射事件引起的。太阳向着地球喷发出的大量等离子体引起的强烈太阳风扰动和持续长时间的南向行星际磁场与磁层相互作用形成了特别大的磁暴。ACE卫星、GOES卫星以及地面地磁台站较完整地记录了这3次日地扰动传输过程。对于每一个磁暴,中国东部地磁台链记录到的H分量变化形态一致,纬度最高的满洲里地磁台H幅度最大,而其他台站的幅度与纬度无明显关系,这表明磁暴的发展不完全由赤道环电流引起,在这样强烈的磁暴期间,磁层内的电流体系非常复杂。