The Loci of Satellite Positions: A Constellation Design Approach

In special cases in which satellite constellations can be described by a limited set of parameters, a correlation between the latter and the constellation characteristics (i.e. shape and kinematics of the satellite configurations) has been investigated. Such cases may be a useful starting point for designing more complex constellations in order to achieve better the desired performances. Therefore, this proves to be one way to fix an initial set of parameters once the desired behaviour of the constellation has been established on the basis of the operational purposes required. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An approach to folding kinematics from the analysis of folded oblique surfaces

Two-dimensional analysis of folded surfaces oblique to the mechanical layering can shed light on the kinematic mechanisms that operated during the development of folds. A new version of the program ‘FoldModeler’, developed in the Mathematica™ environment, is used to obtain the deformed configuration of an initial pattern of oblique surfaces deformed by any combination of the most common kinematic folding mechanisms: flexural flow, tangential longitudinal strain, with or without area change and heterogeneous simple shear. The layer can also undergo any form of homogeneous strain at any moment of the folding process. The outputs of the program provide complete information about the strain distribution in the folded layer that includes graphs of the angle between the oblique surfaces as a function of the inclination of the layering through the fold. These graphs can be very useful to discriminate between the mechanisms that operate in the development of natural folds, and they have been obtained and discussed for the most common combinations of strain patterns. The program is applied to obtain theoretical folds that give a good fit of some natural examples of folded oblique surfaces.     

Non-resonant grain acceleration in MHD turbulence

We discuss a new type of dust acceleration mechanism that acts in a turbulent magnetized medium. The magnetohydrodynamic turbulence can accelerate grains through resonant as well as non-resonant interactions. We show that the magnetic compression provides higher velocities for super-Alfvénic turbulence and can accelerate an extended range of grains in warm media compared to gyroresonance. While fast modes dominate the acceleration for the large grains, slow modes can be important for submicron grains. We provide comprehensive discussion of all the possible grain acceleration mechanisms in interstellar medium. We show that supersonic velocities are attainable for Galactic dust grains. We discuss the consequence of the acceleration. The implications for extinction curve, grain alignment, chemical abundance etc. are provided.     

The graininess of dark matter haloes

We use the recently completed one billion particle Via Lactea II Λ cold dark matter simulation to investigate local properties like density, mean velocity, velocity dispersion, anisotropy, orientation and shape of the velocity dispersion ellipsoid, as well as the structure in velocity space of dark matter haloes. We show that at the same radial distance from the halo centre, these properties can deviate by orders of magnitude from the canonical, spherically averaged values, a variation that can only be partly explained by triaxiality and the presence of subhaloes. The mass density appears smooth in the central relaxed regions but spans four orders of magnitude in the outskirts, both because of the presence of subhaloes as well as of underdense regions and holes in the matter distribution. In the inner regions, the local velocity dispersion ellipsoid is aligned with the shape ellipsoid of the halo. This is not true in the outer parts where the orientation becomes more isotropic. The clumpy structure in local velocity space of the outer halo cannot be well described by a smooth multivariate normal distribution. Via Lactea II also shows the presence of cold streams made visible by their high 6D phase space density. Generally, the structure of dark matter haloes shows a high degree of graininess in phase space that cannot be described by a smooth distribution function.     

北黄海盆地构造运动学解析

以最新的地质 地球物理资料和北黄海盆地构造几何学特征为基础,采用盆地反演模拟与宏观分析相结合的方法,系统解析了北黄海盆地的构造运动学特征。研究表明,北黄海盆地在中、新生代时期经历了水平伸展、水平挤压、相对平移(走滑)以及垂直差异升降等几种运动型式,其中,水平伸展运动和垂直差异升降运动是北黄海盆地构造运动及形成演化的主体。水平伸展运动可以划分为J3-K1、E2和E3三个主要“伸展事件”,并控制着盆地的成盆演化,其南北向伸展强度均东强西弱,东西向最大伸展强度自中生代到新生代由东向西迁移。水平挤压运动主要有晚白垩世和渐新世末-中新世初期两期。相对平移(走滑)运动伴随水平伸展运动和水平挤压运动发生,使多数NNE向、NW向断裂具有相对压扭或张扭平移(走滑)性质,其中尤以NNE向断裂更为明显。垂直差异升降运动具有“幕式”渐进之特点,晚侏罗世、早白垩世、始新世、渐新世以及中新世中晚期以来为沉降期,其中尤以始新世的沉降速率最大,晚白垩世、古新世、中新世早期为抬升剥蚀期;盆地的中、新生代沉降作用具有明显的自东向西迁移规律:东部坳陷以中生代沉降作用最为显著,中部坳陷主沉降期为始新世,而西部坳陷的快速沉降主要发生在始新世,并一直持续到渐新世。     

Three-dimensional Geometry and Kinematics of the Changning Anticline in the Southern Sichuan Basin

In this study, we aim to clarify the structural characteristics and deformation process of the Changning anticline. We carefully interpret 38 two-dimensional (2D) seismic profiles in the study area and establish three-dimensional (3D) geometric and quantitative kinematic models of the Changning anticline. This study shows that the basement fault controls the formation of the Changning anticline. The fault slope of the main fault in the basement shows ‘steep in the upper and gentle in the lower’ structural characteristics vertically, possessing obvious segmentary characteristics transversely and presents the overall characteristics of ‘steep in the east and gentle in the west’. Further analysis shows that the Changning anticline proceeds west and terminates at the boundary defined by current surface features but gradually disappears westward across the Mt. Huaying fault zone. Furthermore, we identified that deformation of the Changning anticline began during the early Yanshanian movement period. Under compressional stress from the southeast, the anticline slid forward along the basement fault until the end of the Yanshanian movement period, when the dominant WNW–ESE structure gradually emerged. Since the Himalayan movement period, a series of NE-trending structures have been formed in the anticline, owing to multi-directional compressive stress.