双成分星际介质的折射闪烁

本文用比较严格的理论讨论了由连续介质和散射薄屏组成的星际介质对河外射电源的折射闪烁．对折射闪烁引起的流量变化的结构函数Ｄ（τ）（τ为迟后时间）的计算表明，结构函数的幂律部份的指数Ｐ（Ｄ（τ）（∝τＰ）依赖于上述两个成份的相对散射强度，即在连续介质散射为主的情况下；而在薄屏散射为主的情况下；若两个成份的散射可相比较时，１＜Ｐ＜２．因此本模型可以用于解释在河外射电源和脉冲星中观测到的折射闪烁的结构函数具有不同幂指数的情形，特别是Ｐ～１．５的情形．     

Advances in Numerical Modeling of Astrophysical and Space Plasmas

Advances in the simulation of astrophysical and cosmic plasmas are the direct result of advances in computational capabilities, today consisting of new techniques such as multilevel concurrent simulation, multi-teraflop computational platforms and experimental facilities for producing and diagnosing plasmas under extreme conditions for the benchmarking of simulations. Examples of these are the treatment of mesoscalic plasma and the scaling to astrophysical and cosmic dimensions and the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative whose goal is to construct petaflop (10¹⁵ floating operations per second) computers, and pulsed power and laser inertial confinement plasmas where megajoules of energy are delivered to highly-diagnosed plasmas. This paper concentrates on the achievements to date in simulating and experimentally producing plasmas scaled to both astrophysical and cosmic plasma dimensions. A previous paper (Part I, Peratt, 1997) outlines the algorithms and computational growth.     

Faraday rotation in the VLBI core of BL Lacertae

External Faraday rotation has been detected in both the core and the parsec-scale jet of BL Lac in a four-frequency very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) experiment. This unexpected result indicates the presence of significant amounts of thermal gas close to the nucleus of this object. The rotation measure (RM) in the jet components is constant, and differs from the currently accepted Galactic RM, indicating that this value (−205 rad m⁻²) is not applicable to the components in the parsec-scale jet. The similarity of the RM in these jet components leads us to suspect that the jet RM is caused by a foreground screen in our Galaxy, although we cannot rule out a combination of Galactic RM and RM local to the jet. If the jet RM is due solely to the Galaxy, this would mean that the currently accepted value of the foreground RM (−205 rad m⁻² ) is not correct, either because the value changed between 1982 and 1997, or because the assumption of no intrinsic source rotation was incorrect, as it was at our later epoch of observation. Our observations suggest a value of     .
After correcting for the foreground RM, the core value is −427 rad m⁻², which is unexpected since, owing to the weakness of their line emission, BL Lac objects are often assumed to be depleted in gas. The core RM appears to be variable, probably because of the presence of at least two polarized components close to the core the relative contributions of which vary with time.     

On the formation of cluster radio relics

In several merging clusters of galaxies so-called cluster radio relics have been observed. These are extended radio sources which do not seem to be associated with any radio galaxies. Two competing physical mechanisms to accelerate the radio-emitting electrons have been proposed: (i) diffusive shock acceleration and (ii) adiabatic compression of fossil radio plasma by merger shock waves. Here the second scenario is investigated. We present detailed three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of the passage of a radio plasma cocoon filled with turbulent magnetic fields through a shock wave. Taking into account synchrotron, inverse Compton and adiabatic energy losses and gains, we evolved the relativistic electron population to produce synthetic polarization radio maps. On contact with the shock wave the radio cocoons are first compressed and finally torn into filamentary structures, as is observed in several cluster radio relics. In the synthetic radio maps the electric polarization vectors are mostly perpendicular to the filamentary radio structures. If the magnetic field inside the cocoon is not too strong, the initially spherical radio cocoon is transformed into a torus after the passage of the shock wave. Very recent, high-resolution radio maps of cluster radio relics seem to exhibit such toroidal geometries in some cases. This supports the hypothesis that cluster radio relics are fossil radio cocoons that have been revived by a shock wave. For a late-stage relic the ratio of its global diameter to the filament diameter should correlate with the shock strength. Finally, we argue that the total radio polarization of a radio relic should be well correlated with the three-dimensional orientation of the shock wave that produced the relic.     

IERS综合河外射电源表的检验

本文对ＩＥＲＳ综合河外射电源表进行了检验，指出１９８８至１９９１各年度的ＩＥＲＳ综合河外射电源表中均存在坐标系统不一致问题，部分射电源的位置坐标中带有几个毫角秒的偏差，与公认精度不符。坐标系统不一致问题影响了ＩＥＲＳ综合表的指向维持，使此维持仅限于数学意义上的平均水平，失去了明确的物理意义。     

Variable 21-cm absorption at z=0.3127

We report multi-epoch Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) H  i observations of the z  = 0.3127 damped absorber towards the quasar PKS 1127−145, which reveal variability in both the absorption profile and the flux of the background source, over a time-scale of a few days.
The observed variations cannot be explained by simple interstellar scintillation (ISS) models where there are only one or two scintillating components and all of the ISS occurs in the Galaxy. More complicated models, where either there are more scintillating components or some of the ISS occurs in the interstellar medium of the z =0.3127 absorber, may be acceptable. However, the variability can probably be best explained in models incorporating motion (on sub-VLBI scales) of a component of the background continuum source, with or without some ISS.
All models producing the variable 21-cm absorption profile require small-scale variations in the 21-cm optical depth of the absorber. The length-scale for the opacity variations is ∼0.1 pc in pure superluminal motion models, and ∼10 pc in pure ISS models. Models involving subluminal motion, combined with scintillation of the moving component, require opacity variations on far smaller scales of ∼ 10–100 au .     

Using large radio telescopes at decametre wavelengths

With the aim of evaluating the actual possibilities of doing, from the ground, sensitive radio astronomy at decametre wavelengths (particularly below ), an extensive program of radio observations was carried out, in 1999–2002, by using digital spectral and waveform analysers (DSP) of new generation, connected to several of the largest, decametre radio telescopes in the world (i.e., the UTR-2 and URANs arrays in Ukraine, and the Nançay Decametre Array in France).

We report and briefly discuss some new findings, dealing with decametre radiation from Jupiter and the Solar Corona: namely the discovery of new kinds of hyper fine structures in spectrograms of the active Sun, and a new characterisation of Jupiter's “millisecond” radiation, whose waveform samples, with time resolution down to 40 ns, and correlated measurements, by using far distant antennas (3000 km), have been obtained. In addition, scattering effects, caused by the terrestrial ionosphere and the interplanetary medium, could be disentangled through high time resolution and wide-band analyses of solar, planetary and strong galactic radio sources. Consequences for decametre wavelength imaging at high spatial resolution (VLBI) are outlined. Furthermore, in spite of the very unfavourable electromagnetic environment in this frequency range, a substantial increase in the quality of the observations was shown to be provided by using new generation spectrometers, based on sophisticated digital techniques. Indeed, the available, high dynamic range of such devices greatly decreases the effects of artificial and natural radio interference. We give several examples of successful signal detection in the case of much weaker radio sources than Solar System ones, down to the intensity level.

In summary, we conclude that searching for sensitivity improvement at the decametre wavelength is scientifically quite justified, and is now technically feasible, in particular by building giant, phased antenna arrays of much larger collecting area (as in the LOFAR project). In this task, one must be careful of some specifics of this wavelength range—somewhat unusual in “classical” radio astronomy—i.e., very high level and density of radio interference (telecommunications) and the variable terrestrial ionosphere.