New stellar and substellar candidate members of the Coma Berenices open star cluster

We present the results of a survey of the open star cluster Melotte 111 in Coma Berenices, undertaken using the USNO‐B1.0 and 2MASS Point Source catalogues. On the basis of their astrometric and photometric properties, we have identified 60 new candidate members with masses in the range 1.007 < M < 0.269 M_⊙. We estimate a membership probability for each by extracting control clusters from the proper motion vector diagram. All 60 are found to have greater than 60 per cent probability of being cluster members, which if they are confirmed as members, more than doubles the number of known cluster members. We also have I and Z photometry for 100 low mass candidate members of the cluster, 13 of which we suggest may be brown dwarfs. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The lower mass function of young open clusters: clues to (sub)stellar formation

We report the present day mass functions (PDMFs) of 4 young open clusters over a mass range from 30 Jupiter masses to 3M_ . Three of these clusters have been chosen to have a similar age of ∼100 Myr. Their PDMFs are remarkably similar and are comparable to the field mass function. This suggests little impact of initial conditions (stellar density, metallicity) on the mass distribution and raises some issues concerning the currently debated star and brown dwarf formation theories. The fourth cluster is older (600 Myr) which allow us to investigate the effect of the cluster dynamical evolution on the shape of the mass function. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Using GIS for analysis of urban systems

It is recognized that the spatial organization of urban system can be abstracted as three main components: a set of points, which describes the structural characteristics such as social and economic properties of individual city; a set of lines, which indicates the patterns of interaction among the cities; a set of spheres, which indicates how and to which extent each city affects the area around it. Even if such substance of urban system coincides with the main purpose of GIS for spatial or geometric data types such as point, line and region, little attention has been given to this point. By an evidence analysis of China, the application of potential analytical capabilities of GIS for urban system is attempted in this study. We find GIS acts as an efficient tool not only for the spatial structure analysis of urban system, which including potential distribution of cities, extraction of principal linkages among cities, and delimitation of subsystems; but also for the verification of socio-economic attributes and dynamics of urban system. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

利用伴随法优化非线性潮汐模型的开边界条件Ⅰ．伴随方程的建立及“孪生"数值试验

本研究采用基于最优控制理论的伴随法,把观测资料同化到陆架海域潮汐数值模型中去,优化开边界条件,提高数值预报的精度．潮汐模型的控制方程为考虑平流项、非线性底摩擦和侧向涡动粘性项的非线性浅水方程组;采用Lagrange乘子法建立了伴随模型．研究分两部分：第一部分即本文,建立非线性浅水方程模型的伴随方程、给出目标函数的梯度,并实现“孪生”数值试验;第二部分另文给出．     

Praesepe – two merging clusters?

A membership catalogue for Praesepe was compiled and split into four mass bins. A contour plot indicates the presence of a subcluster some 3 pc from the centre of the cluster, of approximately 30 M_⊙. A tidally truncated King profile was fitted to the remainder of the cluster and the tidal radius is found to be 12.1 pc; the mass of the cluster (excluding the subcluster) is 630 M_⊙. From the calculated velocity dispersions we find that the cluster appears to have too much kinetic energy and should be rapidly disintegrating. X-ray data suggest that there may be an age spread between the main core stars and the subcluster stars. This leads us to the conclusion that Praesepe is two merging clusters.     

The region of Collinder 121

The distribution of bright B-type stars in a field with a radius of 5° centred at the Galactic open cluster Cr 121 is studied utilizing Strömgren and H β photometry. All PPM stars earlier than spectral type A0 are used, revealing a loose nearby structure at a distance of 660–730 pc, and a compact more distant group, which appears to be a genuine cluster: Cr 121. Based on similar coordinates, distances and positions on the colour–magnitude (CM) and Hertzsprung–Russell (HR) diagrams, 11 photometric cluster members are selected at a mean distance of 1085(±41 standard error) pc. The results are discussed in the light of both classical and Hipparcos points of view.     

Star formation in the Cepheus Flare region – II. A-type stars associated with IRAS sources

In order to reveal the star-forming history of the molecular cloud complex we studied the intermediate mass stellar population in the Cepheus Flare region. (Paper I dealt with the distance and the young stellar object candidates of the region.) Correlating the IRAS Point Source Catalogue and Faint Source Catalogue positions with those of 1214 B8–A8 and 1760 F0–F5 type stars brighter than     and classified during an objective prism survey, we identified 19 stars showing far-infrared excess emission in the Cepheus Flare region. In addition to the 16 stars whose counterparts are given in the IRAS catalogues, we found three more stars with infrared excess not recognized before. In order to identify the young medium-mass stars associated with the Cepheus Flare molecular clouds we observed the optical spectra of the IR-excess stars, and using published optical photometry and the IRAS data we examined their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and IRAS two-colour diagram. The observations resulted in the discovery of a new Herbig Ae/Be star, BD +68°1118, coinciding with IRAS 21169+6842. More evolved HAe/Be stars may be SAO 19953, BD +67°1314 and BD +69°1231, whose H α lines showed weak emission components. Possible β Pictoris- or Vega-type stars may be HD 203854, HD 212826 and HD 216486, whereas the far-infrared fluxes at the positions of BD +72°1018, HD 210806 and HD 217903 can be attributed to the heating of the interstellar environment. We used distances and radial velocities of the stars derived from the spectroscopy and published optical photometry as indicators of their relations to the clouds. Information on the environment of the observed stars deduced from the diffuse interstellar band at λ 6613 is briefly discussed.     

Period–luminosity relations for red supergiant variables – I.The calibration

We present CCD photometry of red supergiant long-period variables (LPVs) in the Per OB1 association, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and M33. The photometry was obtained in the Kron–Cousins R and I bandpasses and in a narrow bandpass ( λ ₀=8250 Å, FWHM=300 Å) chosen to avoid TiO bands in the spectral energy distribution of the LPVs. Because the strength of the TiO bands varies greatly with temperature, which varies with the phase of an LPV, avoiding TiO reduces the amplitude of the photometric variations seen in LPVs. The result is a lower dispersion and a well defined period–luminosity (PL) relation.
For the LMC sample we find an rms dispersion of 0.27 mag in the narrow-band PL relation and slightly larger dispersions for the LPVs in Per OB1 and M33. This dispersion is comparable to that of the Cepheid PL relation at similar wavelengths. Adopting a distance modulus of 18.5±0.1 mag for the LMC, we obtain distance moduli of 11.68±0.15 mag for Per OB1 and 24.85±0.13 mag for M33. These distances agree well with those based on main sequence fitting for Per OB1 and the Cepheid distance for M33. Since LPVs are ∼ 5 times more common than Cepheids and have a well defined PL relation, LPVs provide a promising method for estimating Galactic and extra galactic distances.     

A population of very young brown dwarfs and free-floating planets in Orion

We describe the results of a very deep imaging survey of the Trapezium cluster in the IJH bands, using the UKIRT high-resolution camera UFTI. Approximately 32 per cent of the 515 point sources detected are brown dwarf candidates, including several free-floating objects with masses below the deuterium-burning (planetary) threshold at 0.013 M_⊙, which are detectable because of their extreme youth. We have confidence that almost all the sources detected are cluster members, since foreground contamination is minimal in the 33-arcmin² area surveyed, and the dense backdrop of OMC-1 obscures all background stars at these wavelengths. Extinction is calculated from the ( J − H ) colours, permitting accurate luminosity estimates, and temperatures are derived from the dereddened ( I − J ) colours. There is some evidence for a cut-off in the luminosity function below the level corresponding to several Jupiter masses, which may represent the bottom end of the initial mass function . Since star formation is complete in the Trapezium, this limit could have wide significance, if confirmed. However, it could well be an effect of the dispersal of the molecular cloud by the central O-type stars, a process for which the time-scale will vary between star formation regions.     

澳门单站气象资料变化趋势的预报模型之比较

以澳门单站年和四季降水和温度两个气象要素的气象资料(1952~2001年)为主要研究对象,利用3种统计预报模型(谐波分析外推模型、开环门限自回归模型和主分量因子的逐步回归模型)进行拟合及试报,对澳门的降水及温度的变化做较深入的分析及预测,比较3种统计预报模型在研究澳门单站气象资料的变化趋势中的优劣。结果发现,3种预报模型在预报年和四季平均气温的方面都比较理想,但对降水量变化序列做拟合及试报则差异较大。总体而言,气候场的主分量逐步回归法对相同的气候资料建模做拟合及试报,结果拟合率是三者中最高的,复相关为0.821~0.911,预报效果除秋季较差外,其余都非常好。