Methane hydrate formation comparisons in media with and without a water source supply

Water is a necessary element during gas hydrate formations. Therefore, by analyzing water depletion changes in media, the reaction characteristics of methane hydrate in media can be studied. In this study, two water sources supplying some liquid water which may be consumed by the methane hydrate formation reactions were designed and assembled. Using them, the full formation processes of methane hydrate was studied. Experimental results show the following： If heat released from nucleation reaction of methane hydrate is diffused rapidly, the nucleation ratios will be enhanced discernibly. While the hydrate is formed, a force is generated that sucks fresh water from the source into the vicinity of the hydrate, slowing down the cementation process and causing some hydrate grain dissociation. As a result of cementation differences, the hydrate reaction processes with different water sources present linear or quadratic equation characteristics. After a few repeated dissociation and formation processes of some hydrate grains caused by the fresh water, the gas amounts contained in hydrate will be significantly enhanced.     

Canonical Modelling of Relative Spacecraft Motion Via Epicyclic Orbital Elements

This paper presents a Hamiltonian approach to modelling spacecraft motion relative to a circular reference orbit based on a derivation of canonical coordinates for the relative state-space dynamics. The Hamiltonian formulation facilitates the modelling of high-order terms and orbital perturbations within the context of the Clohessy–Wiltshire solution. First, the Hamiltonian is partitioned into a linear term and a high-order term. The Hamilton–Jacobi equations are solved for the linear part by separation, and new constants for the relative motions are obtained, called epicyclic elements. The influence of higher order terms and perturbations, such as Earth’s oblateness, are incorporated into the analysis by a variation of parameters procedure. As an example, closed-form solutions for J₂-invariant orbits are obtained.     

An observational constraint on the existence of proto-superclusters at z =3.3

Observations have been conducted using the Ooty Radio Telescope in order to place constraints on the evolutionary scenario leading to the formation of the present day superclusters. The experiment attempted to detect 21 cm emission from massive neutral hydrogen condensates at a redshift ofz = 3.3. In an Einstein de-Sitter universe with baryon density Ω = 0.05, about ten condensates were expected in the volume surveyed if superclusters, having H I masses ≃5 × 10₁₅ M _⊙, were the first objects to separate out of the Hubble expansion. The sensitivity of our experiment rules out the existence of these condensates atz = 3.3 unless their lifetimes are less than one-tenth the dispersion in their epoch of formation or the proto-superclusters subtend angles greater than 6 arcmin. The result indicates that superclusters form at z > 3.3 if indeed they were the first objects to condense out of the Hubble flow. An erratum to this article is available at .     

High-redshift galaxies, their active nuclei and central black holes

We demonstrate that the luminosity function of the recently detected population of actively star-forming galaxies at redshift z  = 3 and the B -band luminosity function of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) at the same redshift can both be matched with the mass function of dark matter haloes predicted by standard variants of hierarchical cosmogonies for lifetimes of optically bright QSOs anywhere in the range 10⁶ to 10⁸ yr. There is a strong correlation between the lifetime and the required degree of non-linearity in the relation between black hole and halo mass. We suggest that the mass of supermassive black holes may be limited by the back-reaction of the emitted energy on the accretion flow in a self-gravitating disc. This would imply a relation of black hole to halo mass of the form M _bh ∝  v ⁵_halo ∝  M ^5/3_halo and a typical duration of the optically bright QSO phase of a few times 10⁷ yr. The high integrated mass density of black holes inferred from recent black hole mass estimates in nearby galaxies may indicate that the overall efficiency of supermassive black holes for producing blue light is smaller than previously assumed. We discuss three possible accretion modes with low optical emission efficiency: (i) accretion at far above the Eddington rate, (ii) accretion obscured by dust, and (iii) accretion below the critical rate leading to an advection-dominated accretion flow lasting for a Hubble time. We further argue that accretion with low optical efficiency might be closely related to the origin of the hard X-ray background and that the ionizing background might be progressively dominated by stars rather than QSOs at higher redshift.     

常德1631年大震事件的多场点群发式构造模型

根据对常德1631年地震事件的史料鉴别,尤其是江陵为典型七度震害这一事实,运用震声传播方向和地光物理场以及地震烈度衰减关系,拟合推断此地震事件的序列主要由安乡北6 3/4级地震、常德北太阳山7级地震、澧县6级地震、大庸6级地震和澧县—安乡6 1/2级地震组成,相应的地震地质背景是江汉—洞庭地区晚更新世以来的剩余形变呈四象限分布。若考虑地震-构造相关分布为“Z”字型,则该地震事件的主控构造——太阳山断裂带东断裂具左旋走滑的力学机制。根据区域地震—构造相关发展过程,常德大震事件可视为1668年郯城8 1/2级地震的前震序列组成部分。     

The black hole mass–galaxy age relation

We present evidence that there is a significant correlation between the fraction of the mass of a galaxy that lies in its central black hole and the age of the galactic stellar population. Since the absorption-line indices that are used to estimate the age are luminosity-weighted, they essentially measure the time since the last significant episode of star formation in the galaxy. The existence of this correlation is consistent with several theories of galaxy formation, including the currently favoured hierarchical picture of galaxy evolution, which predicts just such a relation between the black hole mass and the time since the last burst of merger-induced star formation. It is not consistent with models in which the massive black hole is primordial, and hence uncoupled from the stellar properties of the galaxy.     

平阳矾山明矾石矿床岩石学特征及其成因浅析

在野外地质工作的基础上，通过对浙江平阳研山明矾石矿床的岩石学及地球化学特征进行认真的研究，进一步证实了矾山明矾山矿床是酸性火山气热液与中酸性火山碎屑岩内的碱性长石的交代中形成的。为了解释矿床的均一性，成矿的周期性和矿床单向依变分带等重要特征，我们重点研究了矿床中明矾石化和叶蜡石化的热力学性质，得出了K 活度和pH值是控制交代产物的重要因素的新结论，提出了该矿床交代成矿作用的新模型，并据此成功地解释了矿床的一些重要特征。     

三江平原中东部沼泽湿地形成及其演化趋势的探讨

三江平原中东部是沼泽湿地集中连片分布地区。研究区有阶地沼泽和河漫滩沼泽两大类型沼泽分布,进一步可划分为4个沼泽体,即小叶章（Calamagrostis angustifolia）—毛苔草（Carex lasiocarpa）沼泽;毛苔草沼泽;睡菜（Menyanthes trifoliata）—水木贼（Equisetum limosum）沼泽;漂筏苔草（Carex pseudocuraica）—毛苔草沼泽。研究区沼泽湿地形成的主要自然因素为：①新构造运动的大面积沉降;②地势低平,坡降平缓、河道变迁,复杂的微地貌,易于积水,促使沼泽湿地的大面积形成;③厚3～17m的第四纪粘土层沉积地表,使地表渗透性差;④气候因素,研究区处于温带大陆性湿润季风气候区,雨量集中于夏季,且多秋雨,冬季积雪深度大,封冻期长,季节性冻土层厚;⑤水文因素,河流比降小,糙率大,流速缓,多为沼泽性河流,春汛与夏汛之间只出现平水不出现枯水,洪水期间,洼地和河流受松花江、黑龙江等大河、大江的洪水顶托,研究区的承泄条件差,内水不能外排,长期积蓄地表。目前研究区沼泽有变干的趋向。