Absorption features in the quasar HS 1603 + 3820 II. Distance to the absorber obtained from photoionisation modelling

We present the photoionisation modelling of the intrinsic absorber in the bright quasar HS 1603 + 3820. We constructed the broad-band spectral energy distribution using the optical/UV/X-ray observations from different instruments as inputs for the photoionisation calculations. The spectra from the Keck telescope show extremely high Civ to Hi ratios, for the first absorber in system A, named A1. This value, together with high column density of Civ ion, place strong constraints on the photoionisation model. We used two photoionisation codes to derive the hydrogen number density at the cloud illuminated surface. By estimating bolometric luminosity of HS 1603 + 3820 using the typical formula for quasars, we calculated the distance to A1. We could find one photoionization solution, by assuming either a constant density cloud (which was modelled using cloudy), or a stratified cloud (which was modelled using titan), as well as the solar abundances. This model explained both the ionic column density of Civ and the high Civ to Hi ratio. The location of A1 is 0.1 pc, and it is situated even closer to the nucleus than the possible location of the Broad Line Region in this object. The upper limit of the distance is sensitive to the adopted covering factor and the carbon abundance. Photoionisation modelling always prefers dense clouds with the number density n₀ = 10¹⁰ − 10¹² cm⁻³, which explains intrinsic absorption in HS 1603 + 3820. This number density is of the same order as that in the disk atmosphere at the implied distance of A1. Therefore, our results show that the disk wind that escapes from the outermost accretion disk atmosphere can build up dense absorber in quasars.     

基于动态子波估计的吸收系数提取方法

在基于褶积模型的子波提取中,大多假设地震子波为最小相位性质。虽然在地震资料处理中进行了相位转换和Q补偿处理,但从实际地震记录中提取的地震子波,大多也表现为混合相位性质。提取吸收系数大多采用地震记录谱模拟方法,即用地震记录振幅谱平滑代替子波振幅谱,这样就会存在一个误差项,给以常规方法提取的吸收系数地震剖面属性解释带来更多的不确定性。针对以上问题,在地震叠偏剖面上,动态计算地震子波的振幅谱和相位谱,可得到任意相位性质的地震子波,采用谱比法并应用相位项提取较准确的吸收系数。利用动态子波提取的吸收系数剖面,精细显示出储层中含油气和未含油气区域的明显差异,结合嘉陵江组一段动态吸收系数平面图分析,为工区储层的精细解释提供了一种精确的方法。     

水分子对硝酸根分子振动的影响

利用第一性原理计算硝酸根与1～3个水分子形成的水合物(NO3-.nH2O,n=1～3)的红外吸收谱,并与测量的硝酸钠水溶液的红外吸收谱进行了比较分析。计算结果表明硝酸根与水分子所形成的水合物具有多种稳定的结构,其中硝酸根与1个水分子结合的亚稳定结构,其硝酸根反对称伸缩振动的劈裂与硝酸钠水溶液中硝酸根的红外吸收谱结果一致,表明硝酸盐溶液中每一硝酸根与附近水分子的作用效果等效为NO3-.1H2O。     

Assessing the utility of 210Pb geochronology for estimating sediment accumulation rates on river floodplains in Fiji

Low‐energy gamma ray spectroscopy has been employed to estimate floodplain sedimentation rates using measurements of ²¹⁰Pb in floodplain alluvium. The utility of the technique is assessed through the analysis of excess (unsupported) ²¹⁰Pb profiles in three sediment cores taken from the floodplain of the Labasa River on Vanua Levu in northern Fiji. A low‐energy germanium spectrometer (LEGe) was used for the nondestructive determination of excess ²¹⁰Pb in a region cultivated intensively with sugarcane. Measured average historical (c. 25 years) vertical accretion rates are between 2.2 and 4.4 cm yr^?1. The findings are broadly comparable with published sedimentation rates from analyses of radionuclide profiles elsewhere in the tropical South Pacific Islands, but the rates are higher than those measured previously at the same Labasa River sites using ¹³⁷Cs profiles. Accelerated soil erosion owing to cane burning and land tillage seems to be largely responsible for sediment production, although flood‐related effects such as channel accretion by coarse bedload and the emplacement of large organic debris also influence floodplain sedimentation. However, application of the ²¹⁰Pb technique in Fiji (and perhaps neighbouring island countries) is found to have serious drawbacks compared to the more robust ¹³⁷Cs method, owing principally to the low ²¹⁰Pb concentrations in the sandy alluvial sediment tested.     

Spectral characterization of weathering products of elemental iron in a Martian atmosphere: Implications for Mars hyperspectral studies

Visible and near-infrared spectroscopic properties have been measured on elemental iron experimentally weathered in simulated Martian atmosphere and correlated to mineralogical compositions determined by X-ray diffraction. Two main features are observed in the reflectance spectra, corresponding to two deep bands located at 0.9 and 3.1 μm, respectively the iron band and the hydration band. In early weathering stages both Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ bands are identified. In addition, whereas the water band position does not change with time, the Fe²⁺ band disappears, and the Fe³⁺ band shifts towards longer wavelength (from 0.88 to 0.92 μm) because of transition from Fe²⁺ phases (siderite) to Fe³⁺ phases (ferrihydrite and goethite). Apart from these spectral signatures, other bands more specific of each phase are not clearly evidenced, especially for siderite. This is due to relatively low abundance of siderite (<20 wt%), but also to the very small grain size of secondary phase as well as surface coatings of iron (oxy)hydroxides. Therefore, our results suggest that carbonates, even if not detected, could be present in the form of very small grains in the surface of Mars.     

Spatial fluctuations in the spectral shape of the ultraviolet background at 2 < z < 3 and the reionization of helium

The low-density hydrogen and helium in the intergalactic medium (IGM) probed by quasi-stellar object (QSO) absorption lines is sensitive to the amplitude and spectral shape of the metagalactic ultraviolet (UV) background. We use realistic H  i and He  ii Lyα forest spectra, constructed from state-of-the-art hydrodynamical simulations of a Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) universe to confirm the reliability of using line profile fitting techniques to infer the ratio of the metagalactic H  i and He  ii ionization rates. We further show that the large spatial variations and the anticorrelation with H  i absorber density observed in the ratio of the measured He  ii to H  i column densities can be explained in a model where the H  i ionization rate is dominated by the combined UV emission from young star-forming galaxies and QSOs and the He  ii ionization rate is dominated by emission from QSOs only. In such a model the large fluctuations in the column density ratio are due to the small number of QSOs expected to contribute at any given point to the He  ii ionization rate. A significant contribution to UV emission at the He  ii photoelectric edge from hot gas in galaxies and galaxy groups would decrease the expected fluctuations in the column density ratio. Consequently, this model appears difficult to reconcile with the large increase in He  ii opacity fluctuations towards higher redshift. Our results further strengthen previous suggestions that observed He  ii Lyα forest spectra at z ∼ 2–3.5 probe the tail end of the reionization of He  ii by QSOs.     

A micro-Raman survey of 10 IDPs and 6 carbonaceous chondrites

This paper presents a micro-Raman survey of a set of 10 IDPs and 6 pristine carbonaceous chondrites. The higher sensitivity of the present micro-spectrometers allowed to record a dozen of spectra for each objects, whereas only one was available in previous studies. First, as in previous studies, the first-order carbon bands G and D were the only detected features, superimposed onto a fluorescence background of variable intensity, and the spectral characteristics of these bands point to a very disordered polyaromatic organic matter (OM). Nevertheless, these new data reveal that in IDPs, unlike chondrites, the presence of the Raman bands is not systematic, evidencing a much higher heterogeneity in the spatial distribution or the chemical composition of OM. Second, as a consequence, a single spectrum is not representative of a whole IDP, and the classification previously proposed by Wopenka [ 1988. Raman observations on individual interplanetary dust particules. Earth and Planet. Sci. Lett. 88, 221—231.] is no longer tenable. At last, this study shows that the fluorescence signal induced by the laser irradiation mostly originates from OM.