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)     

Geomagnetic control of polar mesosphere summer echoes

Using observations with the ALOMAR SOUSY radar near Andenes (69.3°N, 16.0°E) from 1994 until 1997 polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) have been investigated in dependence on geomagnetic K indices derived at the Auroral Observatory Tromsø (69.66°N, 18.94°E). During night-time and morning hours a significant correlation between the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the radar results and the geomagnetic K indices could be detected with a maximum correlation near midnight. The correlation becomes markedly smaller in the afternoon and early evening hours with a minimum near 17 UT. This diurnal variation is in reasonable agreement with riometer absorption at Ivalo (68.55°N, 27.28°E) and can be explained by the diurnal variation of ionization due to precipitating high energetic particles. Therefore, a part of the diurnal PMSE variation is caused by this particle precipitation. The variability of the solar EUV variation, however, has no significant influence on the PMSE during the observation period.     

论砂岩储集岩相

储集岩相是以基本标志反映储集岩的沉积相、成岩变化以及油气显示面貌的。采用的标志包括：岩石学标志(沉积相、镜质体反射率),物性标志(三维孔喉比、配位数)以及有机地球化学标志(单有机包裹体光化学参数)。区分出的储集岩相类型不仅根据上述定量标志能进行自身评价,还可以编入相柱状图和古地理图进行预测和追索油气藏。依据由岩心或者岩屑制成双面抛光不加盖片的薄光片(岩心部分副样要浸注玫瑰红荧光剂并制成平行与垂直层理的三维薄光片),用显微镜光度法、显微付里叶红外谱和激光拉曼谱确定以上标志。     

沙纹弹道成因理论评析

运用风沙地貌蚀积原理对长期风靡于风沙地貌学研究领域的R·A·拜格诺跃移质冲击起动学说进行了评析,在肯定该学说正确方面和历史贡献的同时,对其中的沙纹弹道成因理论提出了异议。在分析弹道理论特点后认为,跃移质等量、等高、等距的三等特性是拜氏冲击起动学说在沙纹成因上的具体运用和观点的集中体现。分析认为沙粒跃移特性轨迹只存在于少量的跃移质中,且很少具有连续性;它不能取代普遍存在于风沙移动之中沙粒的3种运动形式,也无法体现沙粒两种起动的相互关系和沙粒在移动中所表现出来的高低不一,移距长短不同的差异性和分选性。评析强调沙粒起动和沙粒运移的多样性,在寻求它们的规律时,不应简化其多样性,或追求运动的单一性和特殊性。实验证明,沙纹无论在初始的形成阶段,还是在后续的演进阶段,均有风力起动和冲击起动的参与,而不是跃移质单一冲击的结果。沙纹有规则的排列主要是贴地夹沙气流周期性脉动的反映,而不是跃移质特性轨迹的重演。     

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON FALL VELOCITY OF NON-UNIFORM SEDIMENT IN FLOWING WATER

I INTRODUCTIONThe settlement of particles in fluid has been studied in many fields such as hydraulics, metallurgy andchemistry since the middle of 19 century because of its great importance. Although the settlement ofsingle particle and group settling velocity of uniform particles in still water are relatively well-studied, yetthe settlement of non-uniform particles in flowing water lacks understanding. For instance, Cunningham(1910), Richardson (1954) and Batchelor (1972), have obtained…     

Companions and interactions in the NGC 6946 system

We report the results of a survey of the H  i environment of NGC 6946 in a search for gas-rich companions to the galaxy. Such gas-rich companions could include material left over from the galaxy assembly process which could persist into the current day around an isolated galaxy such as NGC 6946. NGC 6946 is prolifically forming stars, has a nuclear starburst, and has widespread high-velocity clouds associated with the disc. All of these features could be explained by the accretion of low-mass H  i clouds by NGC 6946. Our survey recovered two previously detected dwarf galaxies associated with NGC 6946, but otherwise found no signatures of interactions in the NGC 6946 system. The companions are small enough, and distant enough from NGC 6946 that they should have minimal effect on the main galaxy. Some tidal debris may be expected due to interaction between the two dwarf galaxies, but none is observed. This could be because it is at low column densities, or because the dwarf galaxies are more separated than they appear on the sky. This study of the system suggests that NGC 6946 is a gravitationally bound system with two dwarf galaxies in stable orbits about the larger primary galaxy.     

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.