High-energy γ-rays from globular clusters

It is expected that specific globular clusters (GCs) can contain up to a hundred of millisecond pulsars. These pulsars can accelerate leptons at the shock waves originated in collisions of the pulsar winds and/or inside the pulsar magnetospheres. Energetic leptons diffuse gradually through the GC Comptonizing stellar and microwave background radiation. We calculate the GeV–TeV γ-ray spectra for different models of injection of leptons and parameters of the GCs assuming reasonable, of the order of 1 per cent, efficiency of energy conversion from the pulsar winds into the relativistic leptons. It is concluded that leptons accelerated in the GC cores should produce well localized γ-ray sources which are concentric with these GCs. The results are shown for four specific GCs (47 Tuc, Ter 5, M13 and M15), in which significant population of millisecond pulsars have been already discovered. We argue that the best candidates, which might be potentially detected by the present Cherenkov telescopes and the planned satellite telescopes (AGILE, GLAST), are 47 Tuc on the Southern hemisphere, and M13 on the Northern hemisphere. We conclude that detection (or non-detection) of GeV–TeV γ-ray emission from GCs by these instruments put important constraints on the models of acceleration of leptons by millisecond pulsars.     

Study on the porosity of a metalliferous sediment core from the East Pacific Rise 13°N

研究了采自东太平洋海隆13°N（EPR13°N）的一个热液成因含金属箱式沉积物岩心E272的孔隙率变化特征。样品孔隙率在70．O％～85．2％之间,顶部层位比底部层位高14％左右。孔隙率随深度增加而指数式单调递减,平均递减梯度约为-0.31％／cm。该岩心上部层位呈红棕色,下部层位呈黄绿色,表明该岩心经历了显著的早期化学成岩作用。前人关于该岩心的元素地球化学,粒度和年代学数据,共同证明该岩心孔隙率随深度变化特征受稳态压缩过程控制。其孔隙率随深度的变化关系符合稳态压缩模型的经验拟合公式。E272顶部沉积物．水界面处溶解物质与海水的交换以离子扩散机制为主,而岩芯内部溶解物质的迁移则可能主要受自下而上的孔隙水流动机制控制,这与岩芯中活动元素含量上部高,下部低的分布模式一致。该研究对将来进一步讨论E272岩心在早期成岩作用中的化学过程具有指导意义。     

夏末秋初南海18°N断面混合层结构特征分析

基于2004-2012年8-9月份南海北部开放航次期间18°N断面的温盐深仪(Conductance Temperature Depth,CTD)观测资料,分析了夏末秋初沿18°N断面的温度、盐度和混合层结构特征及其影响因素。研究发现:南海18°N断面的温度、盐度和混合层特征具有显著的年际变化,并且混合层的深度和其倾斜程度与风速及风驱动的Ekman平流有关,而所有航次18°N断面东侧均出现等温线、等盐线下凹现象,这与夏末秋初吕宋岛西侧海域存在一个反气旋式涡旋活动有关。