Gamma-rays and cosmic rays from a pulsar in Cygnus OB2

We argue that γ-ray sources observed in the direction of the Cygnus OB2 association in the GeV and TeV energy range are due to a pulsar that was created by a supernova a few tens of thousands of years ago. The GeV emission is produced by a middle-aged pulsar, a factor of 2 older than the Vela pulsar. The TeV emission is produced by high-energy hadrons and/or leptons accelerated in pulsar wind nebulae. We suggest, moreover, that the excess of cosmic rays at ∼10¹⁸ eV observed from the direction of the Cygnus region can also be related to the appearance of this very energetic pulsar in the Cyg OB2 association. Some of the relativistic hadrons, captured in strong magnetic fields of a high-density region of Cyg OB2, produce neutrons and γ-rays in collisions with matter. These neutrons can arrive from Cyg OB2, creating an excess of cosmic rays.     

Chaotic Diffusion And Effective Stability of Jupiter Trojans

It has recently been shown that Jupiter Trojans may exhibit chaotic behavior, a fact that has put in question their presumed long term stability. Previous numerical results suggest a slow dispersion of the Trojan swarms, but the extent of the ‘effective’ stability region in orbital elements space is still an open problem. In this paper, we tackle this problem by means of extensive numerical integrations. First, a set of 3,200 fictitious objects and 667 numbered Trojans is integrated for 4 Myrs and their Lyapunov time, T_L, is estimated. The ones following chaotic orbits are then integrated for 1 Gyr, or until they escape from the Trojan region. The results of these experiments are presented in the form of maps of T_Land the escape time, T_E, in the space of proper elements. An effective stability region for 1 Gyr is defined on these maps, in which chaotic orbits also exist. The distribution of the numbered Trojans follows closely the T_E=1 Gyr level curve, with 86% of the bodies lying inside and 14% outside the stability region. This result is confirmed by a 4.5 Gyr integration of the 246 chaotic numbered Trojans, which showed that 17% of the numbered Trojans are unstable over the age of the solar system. We show that the size distributions of the stable and unstable populations are nearly identical. Thus, the existence of unstable bodies should not be the result of a size-dependent transport mechanism but, rather, the result of chaotic diffusion. Finally, in the large chaotic region that surrounds the stability zone, a statistical correlation between T_LandT_E is found.     

MONITORING THE DIFFUSION OF SUSPENDED SEDIMENTS AND STABILITY OF TIDAL RADIAL SAND RIDGES AREA USING MULTI-SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING DATA

Nine Landsat TM tapes and images and MSS images, 10 NOAA tapes and images and 1 SAR image from 1973 to 1997 were used to analyse the diffusion of suspended sediments and the change of tidal radial sand ridges in the northern part of the Changjiang River delta, the South Yellow Sea. The results showed that the diffusion of suspended sediments was controlled by the tide, net current, and submarine topography in this area. The distribution of suspended sediments had close relationship with thesubmarine topography. The old Huanghe River delta and the Changjiang River comprise the main sediment supply for the formation of radial sand ridges, whose evolution can be divided into three stages since the Huangbe River changed its course and flowed northward into the Bohai Sea.     

CygX—1硬态高能光子的时延

硬X射线和软射线光子的时延时研究主能辐射的一个重要方面，傅里叶交叉谱常常被用于教育处硬软光子之间的时延，但是交叉说示能在高于30Hz的傅里叶频率上从CygX-1测量到有统计意义的快速光变，由李惕培在时域上发展的交叉相关函方法能有效测量不同时间尺度上的时延，利用此交叉相关分析方法，讨论了不同观测时期CygX-1硬态高能光子时延 的性质，分析结果表明，CygX-1硬态在短的尺度（＜0．1秒）上存存在有意义的时间延迟，并将短时间尺度上的观测结果和各种CygX-1硬态模型进行了比较讨论。     

Distinct climate change synchronous with Heinrich event one, recorded by stable oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions in stalagmites from China

Uranium-series dating of oxygen and carbon isotope records for stalagmite SJ3 collected in Songjia Cave, central China, shows significant variation in past climate and environment during the period 20-10 ka. Stalagmite SJ3 is located more than 1000 km inland of the coastal Hulu Cave in East China and more than 700 km north of the Dongge Cave in Southwest China and, despite minor differences, displays a clear first-order similarity with the Hulu and Dongge records. The coldest climatic phase since the Last Glacial Maximum, which is associated with the Heinrich Event 1 in the North Atlantic region, was clearly recorded in SJ3 between 17.6 and 14.5 ka, in good agreement in timing, duration and extent with the records from Hulu and Dongge caves and the Greenland ice core. The results indicate that there have been synchronous and significant climatic changes across monsoonal China and strong teleconnections between the North Atlantic and East Asia regions during the period 20-10 ka. This is much different from the Holocene Optimum which shows a time shift of more than several thousands years from southeast coastal to inland China. It is likely that temperature change at northern high latitudes during glacial periods exerts stronger influence on the Asian summer monsoon relative to insolation and appears to be capable of perturbing large-scale atmospheric/oceanic circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere and thus monsoonal rainfall and paleovegetation in East Asia. Climatic signals in the North Atlantic region propagate rapidly to East Asia during glacial periods by influencing the winter land-sea temperature contrast in the East Asian monsoon region.     

First seismic record for intra-arc strike-slip tectonics along the Liquiñe-Ofqui fault zone at the obliquely convergent plate margin of the southern Andes

A temporal seismic network recorded local seismicity along a 130 km long segment of the transpressional dextral strike-slip Liquiñe-Ofqui fault zone (LOFZ) in southern Chile. Seventy five shallow crustal events with magnitudes up to M_w 3.8 and depths shallower than 25 km were observed in an 11-month period mainly occurring in different clusters. Those clusters are spatially related to the LOFZ, to the volcanoes Chaitén, Michinmahuida and Corcovado, and to active faulting on secondary faults. Further activity along the LOFZ is indicated by individual events located in direct vicinity of the surface expression of the LOFZ. Focal mechanisms were calculated using deviatoric moment tensor inversion of body wave amplitude spectra which mostly yield strike-slip mechanisms indicating a NE–SW direction of the P-axis for the LOFZ at this latitude. The seismic activity reveals the present-day activity of the fault zone. The recent M_w 6.2 event near Puerto Aysén, Southern Chile at 45.4°S on April 21, 2007 shows that the LOFZ is also capable of producing large magnitude earthquakes and therefore imposing significant seismic hazard to this region.     

Extensional Late Paleozoic deformation on the western margin of Pangea, Patlanoaya area, Acatlán Complex, southern Mexico

New mapping in the northern part of the Paleozoic Acatlán Complex (Patlanoaya area) records several ductile shear zones and brittle faults with normal kinematics (previously thought to be thrusts). These movement zones separate a variety of units that pass structurally upwards from: (i) blueschist-eclogitic metamorphic rocks (Piaxtla Suite) and mylonitic megacrystic granites (Columpio del Diablo granite ≡ Ordovician granites elsewhere in the complex); (ii) a gently E-dipping, listric, normal shear zone with top to the east kinematic indicators that formed under upper greenschist to lower amphibolite conditions; (iii) the Middle–Late Ordovician Las Minas quartzite (upper greenschist facies psammites with minor interbedded pelites intruded by mafic dikes and a leucogranite dike from the Columpio del Diablo granite) unconformably overlain by the Otate meta-arenite (lower greenschist facies psammites and pelites): roughly temporal equivalents are the Middle–Late Ordovician Mal Paso and Ojo de Agua units (interbedded metasandstone and slate, and metapelite and mafic minor intrusions, respectively) — some of these units are intruded by the massive, 461 ± 2 Ma, Palo Liso megacrystic granite: decussate, contact metamorphic muscovite yielded a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age of 440 ± 4 Ma; (iv) a steeply-moderately, E-dipping normal fault; (v) latest Devonian–Middle Permian sedimentary rocks (Patlanoaya Group: here elevated from formation status). The upward decrease in metamorphic grade is paralleled by a decrease in the number of penetrative fabrics, which varies from (i) three in the Piaxtla Suite, through (ii) two in the Las Minas unit (E-trending sheath folds deformed by NE-trending, subhorizontal folds with top to the southeast asymmetry, both associated with a solution cleavage), (iii) one in the Otate, Mal Paso, and Ojo de Agua units (steeply SE-dipping, NE–SW plunging, open-close folds), to (iv) none in the Patlanoaya Group. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analyses of muscovite from the earliest cleavage in the Las Minas unit yielded a plateau age of 347 ± 3 Ma and show low temperature ages of  260 Ma. Post-dating all of these structures and the Patlanoaya Group are NE-plunging, subvertical folds and kink bands. An E–W, vertical normal fault juxtaposes the low-grade rocks against the Anacahuite amphibolite that is cut by megacrystic granite sheets, both of which were deformed by two penetrative fabrics. Amphibole from this unit has yielded a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age of 299 ± 6 Ma, which records cooling through  490 °C and is probably related to a Permo-Carboniferous reheating event during exhumation. The extensional deformation is inferred to have started in the latest Devonian ( 360 Ma) during deposition of the basal Patlanoaya Group, lasting through the rapid exhumation of the Piaxtla Suite at  350–340 Ma synchronous with cleavage development in the Las Minas unit, deposition of the Patlanoaya Group with active fault-related exhumation suggested by Mississippian and Early Permian conglomerates ( 340 and 300 Ma, respectively), and continuing at least into the Middle Permian (≡ 260 Ma muscovite ages). The continuity of Mid-Continent Mississippian fauna from the USA to southern Mexico suggests that this extensional deformation occurred on the western margin of Pangea after closure of the Rheic Ocean.     

Magnetotelluric investigations for imaging electrical structure of Garhwal Himalayan corridor,Uttarakhand, India

Magnetotelluric investigations have been carried out in the Garhwal Himalayan corridor to delineate the electrical structure of the crust along a profile extending from Indo-Gangetic Plain to Higher Himalayan region in Uttarakhand, India. The profile passing through major Himalayan thrusts: Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFF), Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and Main Central Thrust (MCT), is nearly perpendicular to the regional geological strike. Data processing and impedance analysis indicate that out of 44 stations MT data recorded, only 27 stations data show in general, the validity of 2D assumption. The average geoelectric strike, N70°W, was estimated for the profile using tensor decomposition. 2D smooth geoelectrical model has been presented, which provides the electrical image of the shallow and deeper crustal structure. The major features of the model are (i) a low resistivity (<50Ωm), shallow feature interpreted as sediments of Siwalik and Indo-Gangetic Plain, (ii) highly resistive (> 1000Ωm) zone below the sediments at a depth of 6 km, interpreted as the top surface of the Indian plate, (iii) a low resistivity (< 10Ωm) below the depth of 6 km near MCT zone coincides with the intense micro-seismic activity in the region. The zone is interpreted as the partial melting or fluid phase at mid crustal depth. Sensitivity test indicates that the major features of the geoelectrical model are relevant and desired by the MT data.     

Quick-look assessments to identify optimal CO2 EOR storage sites

A newly developed, multistage quick-look methodology allows for the efficient screening of an unmanageably large number of reservoirs to generate a workable set of sites that closely match the requirements for optimal CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) storage. The objective of the study is to quickly identify miscible CO₂ EOR candidates in areas that contain thousands of reservoirs and to estimate additional oil recovery and sequestration capacities of selected top options through dimensionless modeling and reservoir characterization. Quick-look assessments indicate that the CO₂ EOR resource potential along the US Gulf Coast is 4.7 billion barrels, and CO₂ sequestration capacity is 2.6 billion metric tons. In the first stage, oil reservoirs are screened and ranked in terms of technical and practical feasibility for miscible CO₂ EOR. The second stage provides quick estimates of CO₂ EOR potential and sequestration capacities. In the third stage, a dimensionless group model is applied to a selected set of sites to improve the estimates of oil recovery and storage potential using appropriate inputs for rock and fluid properties, disregarding reservoir architecture and sweep design. The fourth stage validates and refines the results by simulating flow in a model that describes the internal architecture and fluid distribution in the reservoir. The stated approach both saves time and allows more resources to be applied to the best candidate sites.