TV Observation of the Daytime Meteor Shower; The Arietids

We have carried out multi-station TV observations since 1994 in order to determine the orbit of the Arietid daytime meteor stream. In 1999, one possible Arietid meteor was recorded by our simultaneous observations and its orbit was determined. In 2003, two Arietid meteors were observed from two stations of our observing site, those orbits were determined precisely, the orbital elements were in good agreement with each other. This is the first time that determination of the precise orbit of the Arietids has been made from optical observations. The orbit of these Arietid meteors, and comparison with the orbit obtained from radar observations are discussed.     

Temperature-influenced dynamics of small dust particles

The motion of spherical dust particles under the action of gravity, electromagnetic radiation force and Lorentz force (LF) is studied theoretically for materials with temperature-dependent dielectric functions in the visible (VIS) spectral range. Even a weak variation of the optical constants with heliocentric distance may influence predominately a long-term dynamical behaviour of submicron-sized and small micron-sized dust grains. It is shown that the lifetime of carbonaceous or Si particles may change by several tens of per cent because of the temperature dependence of particle refractive indices. The orbital inclination is the most evident difference between the evolution of a dust particle with temperature-dependent optical properties and one without. While carbonaceous 2-μm-sized particles with optical constants independent of temperature may evolve in orbits with inclinations greater than an initial value, grains of the same size with variable refractive indices will be spread along orbits characterized with inclinations lower than the initial one. Here the temperature works as a separation factor for particles having slightly different temperature dependences of the optical constants.     

行星际尘埃的研究进展

宇宙尘物质是太阳系最原始的考古样品,比陨星更具有太阳系初始物质的特性,其整体成分更能代表太阳星云的初始丰度和同位素特征。初步综述了目前国内外对宇宙尘的探测、捕集和研究现状以及最新研究进展．     

Solar wind and spin of small interplanetary particles

The action of the solar corpuscular radiation on the rotational properties of small interplanetary dust particles is investigated. It is shown that the solar wind increases the angular momentum (spin) of the particle. Analytic solutions are presented for dominant terms in which quantities of the orders (v/u) ⁿ ,n 1, are neglected (v is the orbital velocity of dust particle around the Sun andu is the speed of the solar wind particles).     

Harmonics of exceptionaly low amplitude anisotropic wave train events in cosmic ray intensity

The unusually low amplitude anisotropic wave train events (LAEs) in cosmic ray intensity using the ground based Deep River neutron monitor data has been studied during the period 1991–94. It has been observed that the phase of the diurnal anisotropy for the majority of the LAE events remains in the co-rotational direction. However, for some of the LAE events the phase of the diurnal anisotropy shifts towards earlier hours as compared to the annual average values. On the other hand, the amplitude of the semi-diurnal anisotropy remains statistically the same, whereas phase shift-towards later hours; a similar trend has also been found in case of tri-diurnal anisotropy. The high-speed solar wind streams do not play a significant role in causing the LAE events. The occurrence of LAE is independent of the nature of the Bz component of IMF polarity. Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 313–324 (May 2007).     

A Study on the Technique of Observing Interplanetary Scintillation with Simultaneous Dual-Frequency Measurements

Ground-based observation of Interplanetary Scintillation(IPS)is an important ap- proach of monitoring solar wind speed.We describe both the principle and method of ob- serving the solar wind speed by using the normalized cross-spectrum of simultaneous dual- frequency IPS measurement.The effects of the solar wind properties and the angular size of the scintillation source on the measurement of solar wind speed are investigated by numerical analysis.We carry out a comparison of this method with the traditional single station-single frequency method.We outline a new IPS observation system using this method now under construction at the National Astronomical Observatories,CAS(NAOC).     

Are CME-Related Dimmings Always a Simple Signature of Interplanetary Magnetic Cloud Footpoints?

Coronal dimmings are often present on both sides of erupting magnetic configurations. It has been suggested that dimmings mark the location of the footpoints of ejected flux ropes and, thus, their magnetic flux can be used as a proxy for the flux involved in the ejection. If so, this quantity can be compared to the flux in the associated interplanetary magnetic cloud to find clues about the origin of the ejected flux rope. In the context of this physical interpretation, we analyze the event, flare, and coronal mass ejection (CME) that occurred in active region 10486 on 28 October 2003. The CME on this day is associated with large-scale dimmings, located on either side of the main flaring region. We combine SOHO/Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope data and Michelson Doppler Imager magnetic maps to identify and measure the flux in the dimming regions. We model the associated cloud and compute its magnetic flux using in situ observations from the Magnetometer Instrument and the Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor aboard the Advance Composition Explorer. We find that the magnetic fluxes of the dimmings and magnetic cloud are incompatible, in contrast to what has been found in previous studies. We conclude that, in certain cases, especially in large-scale events and eruptions that occur in regions that are not isolated from other flux concentrations, the interpretation of dimmings requires a deeper analysis of the global magnetic configuration, since at least a fraction of the dimmed regions is formed by reconnection between the erupting field and the surrounding magnetic structures.     

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF METEORITES AND INTERPLANETARY DUST PARTICLES: CLUES TO THE PROPERTIES OF THE METEORS AND THEIR PARENT BODIES

Meteorites, generally 1 cm or larger in size that are believed to sample asteroids, and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), generally 5–50 μm in size that are believed to sample both asteroids and comets, span the size range of the meteors. Thus, the physical properties of the meteorites and the IDPs are likely to constrain the properties of the meteors and their parent bodies. Measurements of the density, porosity, longitudinal and transverse speeds of sound, elastic modulus, and bulk modulus, as well as imaging of the internal structure by Computed Microtomography indicate that unweathered samples of chondritic meteorites are more porous and have lower sound velocities than compact terrestrial rocks. In general, the IDPs are even more porous than the chondritic meteorites. The impact energy per unit target mass required to produce a barely catastrophic disruption (Q ^* _D) for anhydrous ordinary chondrite meteorites is twice that for terrestrial basalt or glass, indicating that collisional disruption of anhydrous meteorites requires more energy than for a compact basalt. These results indicate that most stone meteors are likely to be weak, porous objects, and that the parent bodies of the anhydrous stone meteorites are likely to be more difficult to disrupt than compact terrestrial basalt.     

Meteoroid Bulk Density Determination Using Radar Head Echo Observations

We present the results of a study of meteoroid bulk densities determined from meteor head echoes observed by radar. Meteor observations were made using the Advanced Research Projects Agency Long-Range Tracking And Instrumentation Radar (ALTAIR). ALTAIR is particularly well suited to the detection of meteor head echoes, being capable of detecting upwards of 1000 meteor head echoes per hour. Data were collected for 19 beam pointings and are comprised of approximately 70 min. of VHF observations. During these observations the ALTAIR beam was directed largely at the north apex sporadic source. Densities are calculated using the classical physical theory of meteors. Meteoroid masses are determined by applying a full wave scattering theory to the observed radar cross-section. Observed meteoroids are predominantly in the 10⁻¹⁰ to 10⁻⁶ kg mass range. We find that the vast majority of meteoroid densities are consistent with low density, highly porous objects as would be expected from cometary sources. The median calculated bulk density was found to be 900 kg/m³. The orbital distribution of this population of meteoroids was found to be highly inclined.     

On the Role of Dust Mass Loss in the Evolution of Comets and Dusty Disk Systems

We present the results of an ongoing optical/thermal infraredphotometric imaging survey of thedust mass loss and nuclear size ofcomets. We find an evolution with time of the kind of dust emittedfrom a comet's surface. Our results indicate that the mass loss ratefrom the short period comets alone is enough to supply the interplanetary dust (IPD) complexagainst losses. We conclude that the nature of the IPD cloud haschanged over time, with small particles dominating early, and largerparticles dominating in the present era. The rate of destruction of short period (SP)comets due to sublimation mass loss is found to be low compared to therate of surface mantle formation, but fast compared to the rate of their dynamical removal from the inner solar system.