An X-Ray Study of Lobe-Dominated Radio-Loud Quasars with XMM-Newton

We report on our results of X-ray spectral analysis for a sample of radio-loud quasars covering a wide range of the radio core-dominance parameter, R, from core-dominated to lobe-dominated objects, using data obtained mostly with the XMM-Newton Observatory. We find that the spectral shape of the underlying power-law continuum is flat even for the lobe-dominated objects (average photon index ～ 1.5), indistinguishable from that of core-dominated quasars. For lobe-dominated objects, contribution of X-rays from the jets is expected to be very small based on previous unification schemes, more than one order of magnitude lower than the observed X-ray luminosities. Assuming that radio-loud quasars follow the same X-ray-UV/optical luminosity relation for the disk-corona emission as found for radio-quiet quasars, we estimate the X-ray flux contributed by the disk-corona component from the optical/UV continuum. We find that neither the luminosity, nor the spectral shape, of the disk-corona X-ray emission can account for the bulk of the observed X-ray properties. Thus in lobe-dominated quasars, either the disk-corona X-ray emission is much enhanced in strength and flatter in spectral shape (photon index～1.5) compared to normal radio-quiet quasars, or their jet X-ray emission is much enhanced compared to their weak radio core-jet emission. If the latter is the case, our result may imply that the jet emission in X-rays is less Doppler beamed than that in the radio. As a demonstrating example, we test this hypothesis by using a specific model in which the X-ray jet has a larger opening angle than the radio jet.     

Application of Accelerometer Data in Precise Orbit Determination of GRACE -A and -B

We investigate how well the GRACE satellite orbits can be determined using the onboard GPS data combined with the accelerometer data.The preprocessing of the accelerometer data and the methods and models used in the orbit determination are presented.In order to assess the orbit accuracy,a number of tests are made,including external orbit comparison,and through Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) residuals and K-band ranging (KBR) residuals.It is shown that the standard deviations of the position differences between the so-called precise science orbits (PSO) produced by GFZ,and the single-difference (SD) and zero-difference (ZD) dynamic orbits are about 7 cm and 6 cm,respectively.The independent SLR validation indicates that the overall root-mean-squared (RMS) errors of the SD solution for days 309-329 of 2002 are about 4.93cm and 5.22cm,for GRACE-A and B respectively; theoverall RMS errors of the ZD solution are about 4.25 cm and 4.71 cm,respectively.The relative accuracy between the two GRACE satellites is validated by the KBR data to be on a level of 1.29 cm for the SD,and 1.03 cm for the ZD solution.     

Formation of Transient Coronal Holes during the Eruption of a Quiescent Filament and its Overlying Sigmoid

By using Hα, He I 10830, EUV and soft X-ray (SXR) data, we examined a filament eruption that occurred on a quiet-sun region near the center of the solar disk on 2006 January 12, which disturbed a sigmoid overlying the filament channel observed by the GOES-12 SXR Imager (SXI), and led to the eruption of the sigmoid. The event was associated with a partial halo coronal mass ejection (CME) observed by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraphs (LASCO) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and resulted in the formation of two flare-like ribbons, post-eruption coronal loops, and two transient coronal holes (TCHs), but there were no significantly recorded GOES or Hα flares corresponding to the eruption. The two TCHs were dominated by opposite magnetic polarities and were located on the two ends of the eruptive sigmoid. They showed similar locations and shapes in He Ⅰ 10830, EUV and SXR observations. During the early eruption phase, brightenings first appeared on the locations of the two subsequent TCHs, which could be clearly identified on He Ⅰ 10830, EUV and SXR images. This eruption could be explained by the magnetic flux rope model, and the two TCHs were likely to be the feet of the flux rope.     

The Structure of Narrow-Line Region in LINERs

Low-ionization nuclear emission regions (LINERs) are present in a large fraction of local galaxies, while their connection to the more luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN) remains elusive. We analyze the narrow band images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in Hα [NⅡ] and/or [OⅢ] band for 23 LINERs and low luminosity Seyfert galaxies in the sample of the Palomar Optical Spectroscopic Survey of nearby galaxies in an attempt to resolve the structure of Narrow Emission Line Regions (NLRs) of these objects. In all cases, NLRs are well resolved and their morphology differs from object to object. Clumps, linear structure, spiral arms or a ring are detected in a large fraction of the objects, while there is no significant difference between Seyfert galaxies and LINERs. We find that the NLR size and the narrow line luminosity are strongly correlated for both LINERs and low luminosity Seyfert galaxies, and that the size of Hα [NⅡ] emission line region scales with Hα luminosity as RNLR∞L0.4±0.06Hα, consistent with an extension of the NLR size-luminosity relation defined for luminous Seyfert galaxies and quasars, to two orders of magnitude lower in luminosity and to lower activity levels. Our results suggest that NLRs in LINERs are similar to those of Seyfert galaxies, and they are powered by the central active galactic nucleus.     

A GRB Follow-up System at the Xinglong Observatory and Detection of the High-Redshift GRB 060927

A gamma-ray burst (GRB) optical photometric follow-up system at the Xinglong Observatory of National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) has been constructed. It uses the 0.8-m Tsinghua-NAOC Telescope (TNT) and the 1-m EST telescope, and can au-tomatically respond to GRB Coordinates Network (GCN) alerts. Both telescopes slew rela-tively fast, being able to point to a new target field within ～ 1 min upon a request. Whenever available, the 2.16-m NAOC telescope is also used. In 2006 the system responded to 15 GRBs and detected seven early afterglows. In 2007 six GRBs have been detected among 18 follow-up observations. TNT observations of the second most distant GRB 060927 (z = 5.5) are shown, which started as early as 91 s after the GRB trigger. The afterglow was detected in the combined image of the first 19 × 20 s unfiltered exposures. This GRB follow-up system has joined the East-Asia GRB Follow-up Observation Network (EAFON).     

从IAU168学术讨论会彗星物理未来发展：1998年5月18—22日,南京

在南京召开的国际天文学联合会第１６８次学术讨论会《空间和时间中的彗核》反映了当前国际丰硕彗星领域取得的生大成果,研究倾向以及未来发展趋势,彗星物理各个领域的很多重要的成果,包括对海尔－波普彗 星的最新研究成果,未来空间彗星探索计划等,都在此次会议上发表。可以说,未来的一,二十年中,慧 物理的最重要的发展将在于空间研究,人类将可直接取得彗星样口在实验室内进行分析和实验它必将有助于弄清发生于彗星内部分     

《天文学报》征稿简则

1.《天文学报》是中国天文学会主办、中国科学院紫金山天文台承办的学术期刊,发表现代天文学各分支学科具有创新性的、高学术水平的、有重要意义的科研成果.2.为及时反映我国天文学各领域具创新性的、高水平的最新科研成果,本刊设有《快讯》栏目.要求文字简洁,不超过4000字(不包括英文摘要).     

《天文学报》征稿简则

1.《天文学报》是中国天文学会主办、中国科学院紫金山天文台承办的学术期刊,发表现代天文学各分支学科具有创新性的、高学术水平的、有重要意义的科研成果.2.为及时反映我国天文学各领域具创新性的、高水平的最新科研成果,本刊设有《快讯》栏目.要求文字简洁,不超过4000字(不包括英文摘要).     

GALEX证实暗能量的性质

15年来,国际天文学界对遥远星系中超新星的观测,除了得出宇宙加速膨胀的结论外,还推测出宇宙组成的成分：暗能量约占74％、暗物质约占22％、而包括原子、组成生物体、行星和恒星等的正常物质只占4％。