Combined color indices and photometric structures of the galaxies NGC 834 and NGC 1134

Surface BVRI photometry is presented for two spiral galaxies with a complex photometric structure: NGC 834 and NGC 1134. We propose to introduce the combined color indices Q _BVI and Q _VRI to investigate the photometric structure of the galaxies. These color indices depend only slightly on selective absorption, which allows them to be used to study the photometric structure of “dusty” galaxies. Evolutionary stellar-population models show that Q _BVI is most sensitive to the presence of blue stars, while Q _VRI depends on local Hα equivalent width. A ring with active star formation manifests itself on the Q _BVI map for NGC 834 at a distance of ～15 from its center, and a spiral structure shows up on the Q _VRI map for NGC 1134 in its inner region. The Q _BVI –Q _VRI diagram can provide information about the current stage of a star's formation in various galactic regions. A comparison of the color indices for the galaxies with their model values allows us to estimate the color excesses and extinction in various galactic regions.     

Investigations of AGNs by the interplanetary scintillation method

This is a brief review of investigations of AGNs by the interplanetary scintillation method made in Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the very-high-energy gamma-ray flux from the galaxy Mrk 421 in 2004

The galaxy Mrk 421 was observed with the GT-48 Cherenkov telescope in 2004. The observations revealed a very-high-energy gamma-ray flux at a confidence level of 4.8 σ. Comparison with the constant gamma-ray flux from the Crab Nebula yielded an estimate of the total flux from Mrk 421, 1.7 ± 0.7 Crab (E ≥ 1 TeV).     

旋涡星系密度波理论中Poisson积分的简化及应用

本文给出了旋涡星系密度波理论中Poisson积分的一种简化方法。这一简化的最重要应用在于利用它计算旋涡模式时可节省大量计算机时。此外本文还利用这种简化方法对一系列密度——引力势渐近关系进行了系统的数值检验。 用这一简化方法计算核函数比用未简化的核函数形式直接计算节省机时八十四倍。当在数值模式理论研究中大量计算Poisson积分时,应用本文提出的简化将有效地提高计算效率并保证足够高的精度。     

Quantifying rates of coastal progradation from sediment volume using GPR and OSL: the Holocene fill of Guichen Bay, south-east South Australia

Guichen Bay on the south‐east coast of South Australia faces west towards the prevailing westerly winds of the Southern Ocean. The bay is backed by a 4 km wide Holocene beach‐ridge plain with more than 100 beach ridges. The morphology of the Guichen Bay strandplain complex shows changes in the width, length, height and orientation of beach ridges. A combination of geomorphological interpretation, shallow geophysics and existing geochronology is used to interpret the Holocene fill of Guichen Bay. Six sets of beach ridges are identified from the interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs. The ridge sets are distinguished on the basis of beach‐ridge orientation and continuity. A 2·25 km ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) profile across the beach ridges reveals the sedimentary structures and stratigraphic units. The beach ridges visible in the surface topography are a succession of stabilized foredunes that overlie progradational foreshore and upper shoreface sediments. The beach progrades show multiple truncation surfaces interpreted as storm events. The GPR profile shows that there are many more erosion surfaces in the subsurface than beach ridges on the surface. The width and dip of preserved beach progrades imaged by GPR shows that the shoreface has steepened from around 2·9° to around 7·5°. The changes in beach slope are attributed to increasing wave energy associated with beach progradation into deeper water as Guichen Bay was infilled. At the same time, the thickness of the preserved beach progrades increases slightly as the beach prograded into deeper water. Using the surface area of the ridge sets measured from the orthophotography, and the average thickness of upper shoreface, foreshore and coastal dune sands interpreted from the GPR profile, the volume of Holocene sediments within three of the six sets of beach‐ridge accretion has been calculated. Combining optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages and volume calculations, rates of sediment accumulation for Ridge Sets 3, 4 and 5 have been estimated. Linear rates of beach‐ridge progradation appear to decrease in the mid‐Holocene. However, the rates of sediment accumulation calculated from beach volumes have remained remarkably consistent through the mid‐ to late Holocene. This suggests that sediment supply to the beach has been constant and that the decrease in the rate of progradation is due to increasing accommodation space as the beach progrades into deeper water. Changes in beach‐ridge morphology and orientation reflect environmental factors such as changes in wave climate and wind regime.     

Internal architecture and mobility of tidal sand ridges in the East China Sea

On the basis of bathymetric and seismic data and data from piston cores collected by the Chinese–French marine geology and geophysics investigation of 1996, we discuss the internal architecture and mobility of tidal sand ridges in the East China Sea (ECS). We characterized the sand ridges on the middle to outer shelf of the ECS as tide-dominated sand ridges with southwest dipping beds, indicating that the regional net sediment transport is toward the southwest. As the sand ridges gradually migrate toward the southwest, new sand ridges are continually replacing old ones, and several generations of sand ridges have developed in the study area.     

东太平洋海隆13°N 附近洋中脊玄武岩微量元素特征

对33件采自东太平洋海隆(EPR)13°N附近的玄武岩和火山玻璃样品进行了微量元素分析,以探讨该区域玄武岩的演化过程和物质来源。测试分析结果显示所有样品的微量元素含量比值m(Tb)/m(Lu)(1.74~2.03),m(Sm)/m(Nd)(0.29~0.35)和m(Nd)/m(Y)(0.32~0.48)存在不能忽略的变化,表明它们可能受到了非均一质地幔来源的影响。m(La)/m(Nb),m(La)/m(Sm)和m(La)的线性相关性辨别结果,以及稀土元素分布型式图表现的元素分布特征等均表明东太平洋海隆13°N附近的洋中脊玄武岩可能来自不同的端元组分,也证明研究区域内的玄武岩除N-MORB(常规型MORB)外,还有E-MORB(富集型MORB)。此外,玄武岩m(Ce)/m(Pb)和m(Ce),m(Nb)/m(U)和m(Nb),以及m(Nb)/m(La)和m(La)线性相关性,均显示了这些微量元素比值和微量元素含量的正相关趋势,这可能与双组分地幔熔融有关。m(Nb)/m(Th)和m(Th)线性相关性显示出负相关,显示该区域玄武岩的地幔来源组成可能受到了富集组分的影响。分析显示,样品的Nb*值均大于1,而大部分样品的Ta*值大于1,这表示大部分玄武岩的来源很可能是从俯冲区域循环的物质。     

Programme of the US.-Swiss conference on internal waves in geophysical contexts

Abstract

Evidence from radio polarization measurements is reviewed that indicates that most galactic magnetic field structures fall into one of two categories: axisymmetric spiral and bisymmetric spiral. The resultant challenges to dynamo theorists is stated. Estimates of the magnetic field strengths based on equipartition of field and cosmic ray energies are given, but deviations from equipartition are inferred. Possible goals for future research are suggested.