LULUCF-based CDM: too much ado for…a small carbon market

Abstract

The Bonn agreement reached in July at the sixth conference of the parties (COP) to the FCCC states “that for the first commitment period, the total of additions to and subtractions from the assigned amount of a party resulting from eligible LULUCF activities under Article 12 (i.e. CDM), shall not exceed 1% of base-year emissions of that party, times five”. The most probable size of this LULUCF-CDM market is analyzed in light of each Annex I party's actual and projected emissions and policies. Results show that the market size would be only about 110 Mt CO₂ eq. for 2000–2012, representing a maximum global market value of about US$ 876 million.     

Commitments through financial options: an alternative for delivering climate change obligations

Governments willing to commit themselves to maintain carbon prices at or above a certain level face the challenge that their commitments need to be credible both for investors in low-carbon technology and for foreign governments. This article argues that governments can make such commitments by issuing long-term put option contracts on the price of CO₂ allowances. This mechanism gives investors the right, but not the obligation, to sell allowances to the government at the strike price. From the investors' point of view, a government is therefore fully committed to a price floor for allowances in the future. This proposed approach alters the incentives that a government faces when considering noncompliance and serves to prevent non-compliance. The proposal fares well when assessed against criteria to determine its suitability in legitimacy, enforcement, proportionality, lack of interference from other contracting States, and transparency. It also allows for fine-tuning through the number and duration of issued options and the strike price. A robust contract structure is proposed to protect against government interference that might threaten the credibility of commitments.     

Different Features of Jets and Isotropic Fireballs in Gamma-ray Burst Phase

We investigated physical quantities including the spectrum,emission lines and pulse profiles expected from a uniform jet,a spherical fireball and the 1/Γ region (the portion of the spherical fireball with opening angle 1/Γ)in the prompt emission phase,after taking into consideration of the Doppler effect under the fireball frame- work.Our study shows that:a)for these physical quantities the spherical fireball and the uniform jets do not present obvious differences,so we cannot use these to distinguish a spherical fireball from a uniform jet;b)for the spherical fireball and a uniform jet,the observed quantities mainly come from the 1/Г region,so we can simply use the 1/Г region in approximate calculations;c)broadening of emission lines is a general phenomena,which mainly comes from the curvature effect;d)the 1/Γ region plays different roles in different frequency ranges,and the radiation from the 1/Γ region is greater in the higher than in the lower frequencies.     

More Emission Cones: Multi-frequency Simulation of the Pulse Profiles of PSR J0437-4715

Pulsar radio emission beams have been studied observationally for a long time, and the suggestion is that they consist of the so-called core and conal components. To reproduce these components is a challenge for any emission model, and that the pulse profile of pulsars changes with frequency presents even a greater challenge. Assuming a local surface magnetic structure (to produce the core or central beam) and a global dipole magnetic field (to produce the conal beams), Gil & Krawczyk (1997) applied curvature radiation to the pulse profile simulation of PSR J0437-4715 (hereafter the GK model). Here we present an alternative multi-frequency simulation of the same profiles within the framework of the Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS) model. It is obtained from our simulation (1) that besides the core, the inner cone and the outer cone, there is an outer-outer cone; (2) that the emission components of the core and cones evolve strongly with frequency. Some important differences between the ICS model and the     

Gamma-ray burst efficiency and possible physical processes shaping the early afterglow

The discovery by Swift that a good fraction of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have a slowly decaying X-ray afterglow phase led to the suggestion that energy injection into the blast wave takes place several hundred seconds after the burst. This implies that right after the burst the kinetic energy of the blast wave was very low and in turn the efficiency of production of γ-rays during the burst was extremely high, rendering the internal shocks model unlikely. We re-examine the estimates of kinetic energy in GRB afterglows and show that the efficiency of converting the kinetic energy into γ-rays is moderate and does not challenge the standard internal shock model. We also examine several models, including in particular energy injection, suggested to interpret this slow decay phase. We show that with proper parameters, all these models give rise to a slow decline lasting several hours. However, even those models that fit all X-ray observations, and in particular the energy injection model, cannot account self-consistently for both the X-ray and the optical afterglows of well-monitored GRBs such as GRB 050319 and GRB 050401. We speculate about a possible alternative resolution of this puzzle.     

The flat synchrotron spectra of partially self-absorbed jets revisited

Flat radio spectra with large brightness temperatures at the core of active galactic nuclei and X-ray binaries are usually interpreted as the partially self-absorbed bases of jet flows emitting synchrotron radiation. Here we extend previous models of jets propagating at large angles to our line of sight to self-consistently include the effects of energy losses of the relativistic electrons due to the synchrotron process itself and the adiabatic expansion of the jet flow. We also take into account energy gains through self-absorption. Two model classes are presented. The ballistic jet flows, with the jet material travelling along straight trajectories, and adiabatic jets. Despite the energy losses, both scenarios can result in flat emission spectra; however, the adiabatic jets require a specific geometry. No re-acceleration process along the jet is needed for the electrons. We apply the models to observational data of the X-ray binary Cygnus X-1. Both models can be made consistent with the observations. The resulting ballistic jet is extremely narrow with a jet opening angle of only 5 arcsec. Its energy transport rate is small compared to the time-averaged jet power and therefore suggests the presence of non-radiating protons in the jet flow. The adiabatic jets require a strong departure from energy equipartition between the magnetic field and the relativistic electrons. These models also imply a jet power of two orders of magnitude higher than the Eddington limiting luminosity of a  10-M_⊙  black hole. The models put strong constraints on the physical conditions in the jet flows on scales well below achievable resolution limits.     

On the Multiplicity of the O-Star Cyg OB2 #8a and its Contribution to the γ-ray Source 3EG J2033+4118

We present the results of an intensive spectroscopic campaign in the optical waveband revealing that Cyg OB2 #8A is an O6+O5.5 binary system with a period of about 21.9 days. Cyg OB2 #8A is a bright X-ray source, as well as a non-thermal radio emitter. We discuss the binarity of this star in the framework of a campaign devoted to the study of non-thermal emitters, from the radio waveband to γ-rays. In this context, we attribute the non-thermal radio emission from this star to a population of relativistic electrons, accelerated by the shock of the wind-wind collision. These relativistic electrons could also be responsible for a putative γ-ray emission through inverse Compton scattering of photospheric UV photons, thus contributing to the yet unidentified EGRET source 3EG J2033+4118. Based partly on data Obtained at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France.