IMPACT: an implicit time integration scheme for chemical species and families

The implicit time integration scheme of Stott and Harwood (1993) was proposed as an efficient scheme for use in three-dimensional chemical models of the atmosphere. The scheme was designed for chemistry schemes using chemical families, in which species with short lifetimes are grouped into longer-lived families. Further study with more complex chemistry, more species and reactions showed the scheme to be non-convergent and unstable under certain conditions; particularly for the perturbed chemical scenarios of polar stratospheric winters. In this work the scheme has been improved by revising the treatment of families and the convergence properties of the scheme. The new scheme has been named IMPACT (IMPlicit Algorithm for Chemical Time-stepping). It remains easy to implement and produces simulations that compare well with integrations using more accurate higher order schemes.     

X-ray binary unified analysis: pulse/RV application to Vela X1: GP Velorum

A procedure for simultaneous analysis of multiple kinds of observations is developed for binaries that contain X-ray pulsars. A wide variety of observation types might be included, although we consider only velocity: pulse and light: velocity: pulse cases at present. The model operates with equipotentials and can accommodate non-synchronous rotation and eccentric orbits. The duration condition imposed by observed X-ray eclipses is incorporated as an embedded constraint, so that only solutions consistent with the eclipse duration are found. Relations needed for the method of differential corrections in least-squares solutions are specified, and we apply the Marquardt scheme for improvement of solution convergence. Parameters of Vela X1: GP Velorum are obtained from seven combinations of pulse and radial velocity data. The estimated masses are thereby put into some perspective, especially for the neutron star. The mass of the supergiant ( m  sin³  i ) now ranges only ±5 per cent from the mean of seven results, although the uncertainty in i makes the actual mass range larger. We discuss the determinacy of certain parameters and their historical consistency. For example, the systemic radial velocity differs among spectroscopic data sets by more than 20 km s⁻¹. We show that, contrary to published assertions, the orbital inclinations of high-mass X-ray binaries are essentially indeterminable by the usual methods, although lower limits to inclination may be meaningful for some examples.     

TRIFFID Photometry of Globular Cluster Cores — I. Photometric Techniques and Variable Stars in M15

The Galway/DIAS Image Sharpening Camera, TRIFFID, has been used to make observations in two colours of the centre of the post-core-collapse globular cluster M15. We present here our analysis of the photometry in B over two seasons. We have combined the complementary qualities of the HST 's high astrometric precision and TRIFFID's extended coverage and photometric precision, to perform crowded-field photometry in the innermost region of M15. Our technique virtually eliminates the problem of extreme crowding which has hitherto hampered studies of the variable star populations in globular cluster cores, and thereby provides an extension of the HST 's capability. Candidate variables detected with the HST have been confirmed and monitored over longer periods. We show that most of these are RR Lyrae stars, and that one is a short-period Type II Cepheid (the third to be discovered in M15). Our photometric study also produced evidence of a similar number of new variables. These also appear to be RR Lyrae stars, except for a possible eclipsing system. Further data from an upgraded version of TRIFFID have recently been obtained to help to refine the light curves of all these objects.     

傅立叶变换红外光谱联用技术在化石燃料分析中的应用

对傅立叶变换红外光谱联用技术在化石燃料分析中的应用进行了较全面的总结评述,重点介绍了气相色谱／红外光谱联机、高压液相色谱／红外光谱联机、薄层色谱／红外光谱联机、超临界流体色谱／红外光谱联机、裂解色谱／红外光谱联机、热重分析／红外光谱联机、气相色谱／红外光谱／质谱三机联用技术等在化石燃料的结构组分分析、成因机理研究及其勘探等诸方面的重要应用,尤其是在芳香族化合物和几何异构体的分离鉴定方面发挥出的突出功效。引用文献５９篇。     

泥石流的结构两相流模型：I.理论

泥石流的运动既有类似于固液两相流之处,又在很程度上不同于固液两相流。在泥石流滨汉体模型,膨胀体模型,粘塑体模型及颗粒流模型研究的基础上,本文提出了一种新的模型－泥石流的“结构两相流模型”这种模具有以往各类模型的优点,同时又便于对不同类型的泥石流进行描述,在理论上,它比现行各类模型更加严密,在应用上,它较现行各类模式更加方便,能够适用于更加广泛的各类条件,泥石流的结构两相流模型中将现行模型的作为特例     

Sodium beacon tip–tilt determination with Rayleigh-aided auxiliary telescope technique

The usefulness of tracking the Rayleigh portion of a mesospheric sodium laser guide star as reference for absolute tip–tilt recovery in the frame of the auxiliary telescopes technique is shown. This approach leads to the reduction of the ground occupation needed to attain a given sky coverage by more than one order of magnitude. Speed, tracking precision, and the number of auxiliary telescopes are also reduced, making this new approach a more attractive one. The use of a low-altitude Rayleigh spot reinforces the fundamental limitations affecting this and other techniques, thus degrading significantly the quality of the recovered tip–tilt. However, it is shown that, provided adequate care is taken in the collection and treatment of data, an interesting tilt signal can still be retrieved.     

Interferometer phase calibration sources — II. The region 0° ≤ δB1950≤ +20°

We present a catalogue of 781 compact radio sources in the declination range 0° ≤ δ_B1950≤ +20° whose positions have been measured to an rms accuracy of about 14 mas with the Very Large Array (VLA). These sources are primarily intended for use as phase calibration sources for the Jodrell Bank MERLIN. However, they will also be suitable as phase calibrators for the VLA and can be considered as candidate phase calibrators for very long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) networks.     

技术方法的进步与地球科学的发展

地球科学作为自然科学的一大门类,其发展速度十分惊人。地球科学的迅速发展一方面反映了人类生产的发展对资源和环境方面愈来愈高的要求,一方面得益于科学技术的普遍发展为地球科学研究提供的越来越有利的条件。关于技术方法对地球科学研究的推动作用,人们早有认识,而现在更为深刻。当今对地球科学研究影响最大的关键技术,包括空间技术,深部探测技术,高新分析测试技术和数据综合分析技术,均来源于现代科学技术的最新发展。为了推动地球科学研究,不但要注意引进各种高新技术,还要注意将这些技术与地学研究相结合,发展和创造适合于地学研究的高新技术,并善于综合应用它们,使它们在地学研究中发挥最有效的作用。     

On the frequency and amplitude variations of the δ Scuti star CD−24 7599 (=XX Pyx)

We present 132 h of new time-series photometric observations of the δ Scuti star CD−24 7599 acquired during 86 nights from 1993 to 1996 to study its frequency and amplitude variations. By using all published observations we demonstrate that the three dominating pulsation modes of the star can change their photometric amplitudes within one month at certain times, while the amplitudes can remain constant within the measurement errors at other times. CD−24 7599 also exhibits frequency variations, which do not show any correspondence between the different modes.   The typical time-scale for the amplitude variations is found to be several hundred days, which is of the same order of magnitude as the inverse linear growth rates of a selected model. We find no evidence for periodic amplitude modulation of two of the investigated modes ( f ₂ and f ₃), but f ₁ may exhibit periodic modulation. The latter result could be spurious and requires confirmation. The observed frequency variations may either be continuous or reflect sudden frequency jumps. No evidence for cyclical period changes is obtained.   We exclude precession of the pulsation axis and oblique pulsation for the amplitude variations. Beating of closely spaced frequencies cannot explain the amplitude modulations of two of the modes, while it is possible for the third. Evolutionary effects, binarity, magnetic field changes or avoided crossings cannot be made responsible for the observed period changes. Only resonance between different modes may be able to explain the observations. However, at this stage a quantitative comparison is not possible. More observations, especially data leading to a definite mode identification and further measurements of the temporal behaviour of the amplitudes and frequencies of CD−24 7599, are required.     

'Stokes imaging' of the accretion region in magnetic cataclysmic variables — I. Conception and realization

Modelling the polarized cyclotron emission from magnetic cataclysmic variables has been a pivotal technique for determining the structure of the accretion zones on the white dwarf. To date, model solutions have been obtained from trial fits to the intensity and polarization data, which have been constructed from emission regions (for example arcs and spots) put in by hand. These models were all inferred indirectly from arguments based on the polarization and X-ray light curves.   We present a more analytical and objective technique using optimization by a genetic algorithm, Tikhonov regularization and Powell's method that robustly models the details of polarized emission.   To demonstrate the success of this technique, we show the results of several simulations in which we calculated the intensity and polarization curves from arbitrarily shaped emission regions on the surface of a sphere and then applied our code to these curves to recover the original test data. We also show how adding artificial noise affects the outcome of the optimization technique.