High-frequency QPO modulation in neutron-star and black-hole sources

After twelve years have past since the discovery of the first high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation in Sco X-1, an enormous progress has been made on the observational side and on the field of data analysis. Equal amount of effort has been devoted also to the theoretical aspect of the QPO problem. However, so far no model is able to sufficiently fully explain the mechanism of QPO production. There are two aspects: the question of the QPO origin; and the question of its modulation. In this article, I am focusing solely on the second issue – I discuss ways of how the outgoing flux can be modulated at a level sufficient to match the observational rms amplitudes. Some more space is devoted to my own work in the field.     

Radio-loudness of active galaxies and the black hole evolution

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) form two distinct sequences on the radio-loudness–Eddington ratio plane. The ‘upper’ sequence contains radio selected AGNs, the ‘lower’ sequence is composed mainly of optically selected AGNs. The sequences mark the upper bounds for the radio-loudness of two distinct populations of AGNs, hosted, respectively, by elliptical and disk galaxies. Both sequences show the same dependence of the radio-loudness on the Eddington ratio (an increase with decreasing Eddington ratio), which suggests that another parameter in addition to the accretion rate must play a role in determining the efficiency of jet production in AGNs. We speculate that this additional parameter is the spin of the black hole, assuming that black holes in giant elliptical galaxies have (on average) much larger spins than black holes in disc galaxies. Possible evolutionary scenarios leading to such a spin dichotomy are discussed. The galaxy-morphology related radio dichotomy breaks down at high accretion rates where the dominant fraction of luminous quasars being hosted by giant ellipticals is radio-quiet. This indicates that the production of powerful jets at high accretion rates is in most cases suppressed and, in analogy to X-ray binary systems (XRB) during high and very high states, may be intermittent. Such intermittency can be caused by switches between two different accretion modes, assuming that only during one of them an outflow from the central engine is sufficiently collimated to form a relativistic jet.     

New theoretical approaches to black holes

Quite recently, some new mathematical approaches to black holes have appeared in the literature. They do not rely on the classical concept of event horizon—which is very global, but on the local concept of hypersurfaces foliated by trapped surfaces. After a brief introduction to these new horizons, we focus on a viscous fluid analogy that can be developed to describe their dynamics, in a fashion similar to the membrane paradigm introduced for event horizons in the seventies, but with a significant change of sign of the bulk viscosity.     

Glacier response to the change in atmospheric circulation in the eastern Mediterranean during the Last Glacial Maximum

In this study, we document glacial deposits and reconstruct the glacial history in the Karagöl valley system in the eastern Uludağ in northwestern Turkey based on 42 cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure ages from boulders and bedrock. Our results suggest the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) advance prior to 20.4 ± 1.2 ka and at least three re-advances until 18.6 ± 1.2 ka during the global LGM within Marine Isotope Stage-2. In addition, two older advances of unknown age are geomorphologically well constrained, but not dated due to the absence of suitable boulders. Glaciers advanced again two times during the Lateglacial. The older is exposure dated to not later than 15.9 ± 1.1 ka and the younger is attributed to the Younger Dryas (YD) based on field evidence. The timing of the glaciations in the Karagöl valley correlates well with documented archives in the Anatolian and Mediterranean mountains and the Alps. These glacier fluctuations may be explained by the change in the atmospheric circulation pattern during the different phases of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) winter indices.     

大气模式估算的东亚区域人为硫酸盐和黑碳气溶胶辐射强迫及其时间变化特征

本文利用大气环流模式及大气化学模式所得气溶胶资料,估算了相对1850s时期硫酸盐和黑碳气溶胶引起的全球及东亚区域人为辐射强迫,重点分析其在东亚区域的季节和长期变化特征.结果表明,就当前全球年平均全天空而言,人为硫酸盐气溶胶对大气顶的直接和云反照率强迫分别为-0.37和-0.98 W·m-2,黑碳气溶胶对大气顶和整层大气的辐射强迫值为0.16和0.47 W·m-2;中国东部区域是目前上述气溶胶辐射强迫最强的区域,硫酸盐的直接和间接辐射强迫分别超过-2.0和-4.0 W·m-2,黑碳对大气顶和整层大气的直接辐射强迫分别可达2.0和5.0W·m-2;估算的东亚区域上述气溶胶辐射强迫仍在不断增强,峰值预计出现在2010s时段,而且中国东部较强的辐射强迫还可能维持至2030s左右;在未来中、高排放情景下,东亚区域以上两种气溶胶预计对全球气溶胶辐射强迫有更大的贡献.分析还表明,夏季东亚区域较强的水汽会增强吸湿性硫酸盐气溶胶的光学厚度和晴空直接辐射强迫;云的作用一方面会强化东亚区域全天空条件下大气顶黑碳的辐射强迫,另一方面会影响硫酸盐气溶胶间接云反照率强迫的季节变化;上述气候特征的差异使得东亚区域的气溶胶辐射强迫表现出与欧美区域有所不同的特征.本文所用的气溶胶资料与模式气象场的偏差会给气溶胶辐射强迫计算带来一些不确定性,进一步改进气候模式中气溶胶过程、水汽和云等气象场的模拟将有助于获得更为合理的区域气溶胶辐射强迫估算结果.     

Environmental variabilities and the distribution of octocorals and black corals in Hong Kong

A recent comprehensive survey covering 125 sites in Hong Kong waters recorded 29 soft coral species in 14 genera, 38 species of gorgonians in 19 genera and six species of black corals in two genera. Environmental variabilities based on water quality data collected by Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department were analyzed using multivariate statistics to find variables that are significantly correlated with coral distribution patterns. Eleven water quality zones with similar environmental variabilities were recognized, which could further be classified into five groups, namely Inner Bay, Outer Bay, Eastern, Western and Southern waters. LINKTREE analysis provided an overall trend indicating the importance of salinity, sediment and nutrient loadings in affecting octocoral and black coral distribution from west to east of Hong Kong waters, and from inner to outer bays. Furthermore, water turbidity and wave exposure could also affect the coral distribution patterns from north, northeast to southern waters.     

Quasinormal modes of a black hole with quintessence-like matter and a deficit solid angle: scalar and gravitational perturbations

In the previous paper (Li et al. in Phys. Lett. B 666:125–130, 2008), we show the solutions of Einstein equations with static spherically-symmetric quintessence-like matter surrounding a global monopole. Furthermore, this monopole become a black hole with quintessence-like matter and a deficit solid angle when it is swallowed by an ordinary black hole. We study its quasinormal modes by WKB method in this paper. The numerical results show that both the real part of the quasinormal frequencies and the imaginary part decrease as the state parameter w, for scalar and gravitational perturbations. And we also show variations of quasinormal frequencies of scalar and gravitational fields via different ε (deficit solid angel parameter) and different ρ ₀ (density of static spherically-symmetric quintessence-like matter at r=1), respectively.     

Aerosol light absorption, black carbon, and elemental carbon at the Fresno Supersite, California

Particle light absorption (b_ap), black carbon (BC), and elemental carbon (EC) measurements at the Fresno Supersite during the summer of 2005 were compared to examine the equivalency of current techniques, evaluate filter-based b_ap correction methods, and determine the EC mass absorption efficiency (σ_ap) and the spectral dependence of b_ap. The photoacoustic analyzer (PA) was used as a benchmark for in-situ b_ap. Most b_ap measurement techniques were well correlated (r ≥ 0.95). Unadjusted Aethalometer (AE) and Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP) b_ap were up to seven times higher than PA b_ap at similar wavelengths because of absorption enhancement by backscattering and multiple scattering. Applying published algorithms to correct for these effects reduced the differences to 24 and 17% for the AE and PSAP, respectively, at 532 nm. The Multi-Angle Absorption Photometer (MAAP), which accounts for backscattering effects, overestimated b_ap relative to the PA by 51%. BC concentrations determined by the AE, MAAP, and Sunset Laboratory semi-continuous carbon analyzer were also highly correlated (r ≥ 0.93) but differed by up to 57%. EC measured with the IMPROVE/STN thermal/optical protocols, and the French two-step thermal protocol agreed to within 29%. Absorption efficiencies determined from PA b_ap and EC measured with different analytical protocols averaged 7.9 ± 1.5, 5.4 ± 1.1, and 2.8 ± 0.6 m²/g at 532, 670, and 1047 nm, respectively. The Angström exponent (α) determined from adjusted AE and PA b_ap ranged from 1.19 to 1.46. The largest values of α occurred during the afternoon hours when the organic fraction of total carbon was highest. Significant biases associated with filter-based measurements of b_ap, BC, and EC are method-specific. Correcting for these biases must take into account differences in aerosol concentration, composition, and sources.     

中国地区黑碳气溶胶的第一间接辐射强迫与气候效应

将区域气候模式（RegCM3）与对流层大气化学模式（TACM）耦合, 建立区域气候化学模拟系统（RegCCMS）, 用以模拟研究中国地区黑碳气溶胶的空间分布、 第一间接辐射强迫及其气候效应。利用RegCCMS模式对2003年1月和7月进行模拟, 结果表明, 我国黑碳气溶胶主要集中在四川、 河北、 山东等地, 1月份浓度最高值中心在四川, 达到4 μg·m-3; 而在7月则出现在华中地区, 高值中心值为3.5 μg·m-3。地面浓度的季节差异不是很明显。1月和7月由黑碳气溶胶所造成的第一间接辐射强迫全国平均值分别为-0.389 W·m-2和-1.18 W·m-2, 局部地区达到-4～-4.5 W·m-2。敏感性试验结果表明, 考虑黑碳气溶胶的第一间接气候效应后, 使得近地面气温下降, 降水减少, 1月变化的平均值分别为-0.025K和-0.0027 mm·d-1, 7月变化的平均值分别为-0.16K和-0.095 mm·d-1, 在不同季节和地区, 气温和降水的变化存在明显差异。     

南京北郊黑碳气溶胶的浓度观测及辐射强迫研究

利用2008年南京大学浦口校区气溶胶采样数据对碳气溶胶的浓度变化特征进行了分析,建立了由气溶胶光学参量计算模块(OPAC)和辐射传输模型(TUV)组成的箱模式,并结合实际观测资料,利用该模式对南京北郊黑碳气溶胶的光学厚度及辐射强迫进行了评估。结果表明:南京北郊黑碳气溶胶(BC)的年平均浓度为6.7±4.6μg/m3,有机碳气溶胶(OC)的年平均浓度为21.3±13.3μg/m3,有机碳与黑碳气溶胶浓度的平均比值为3.4。黒碳气溶胶浓度具有夏季低、冬春季高的特点。由箱模式计算得到的黒碳气溶胶的年均光学厚度为0.07,年均吸收系数为44 Mm–1。白天正午晴空条件下黑碳所造成的最大瞬时地面辐射强迫可达-22.9±14.3 W/m2,在大气层顶造成的最大瞬时辐射强迫为12.5±7.3 W/m2。