Magnetospheric plasma discontinuity by the geostationary version of the differential phase method during storms

It is shown that the dynamics of the plasmapause, the plasmasphere plasma tails, the plasma sheet and the magnetosheath boundaries of the geomagnetosphere may be investigated by means of the geostationary version of the differential phase method, by which a signal transmitted from a sounding station (a geostationary satellite) and received by a response station on the Earth may be transformed, allowing the sign of the frequency shift and of the phase lag to be changed. Information on the location, the motion of the magnetospheric plasma discontinuities and the concentration drop at their boundaries may be obtained from measurements carried out on board the geostationary satellite of the phase difference of the sounding and response signals ΔΦ, the time of its increase Δt and the phase difference change rate (fast beating frequency Δƒ = ΔΦ/2π Δt). The establishment of communication between appropriately spaced ground stations and a satellite with a quasi-polar orbit allows the midlatitude plasmapause dynamics, and those of the ionosphere trough, polar cusp boundaries and of polar cap inhomogeneities to be studied. Equipment with a stability of 10⁻¹¹–10⁻¹² is needed for the most dynamical events (for ΔΦ= 10⁻⁴ tens of rad. and for Δƒ= 10⁻⁵ tens of Hz) occurring in the radio path during storms.     

The model of the depth variations in the properties and state of the rocks in the upper,middle, and lower continental crust of the Kola-Norwegian block,Kola Peninsula

Based on the experimental and calculated data, the model of depth variations in density, as well as the velocities of longitudinal (P) and transverse (S) waves, within the upper, middle, and lower crusts of the Kola-Norwegian block down to a depth of about 40 km is suggested. The variations in density and the velocities of the P- and S-waves are primarily caused by the changes in the mineral composition of the rocks. The relative reduction in the velocities of the P- and S-waves under the action of the increasing pressure and temperature in the depth interval from 5 to 37 km is estimated at ～2%.     

Global astrometry by space techniques

The European Space Agency project of an astrometric satellite-HIPPARCOS-is shortly described. It will measure the angles between stars situated in fields separated by about 70°. The precision of the elementary measurements is expected to be of the order of 0.005. A similar accuracy is found to apply to the basic reduction giving the abcissae of stars referred to great circles on the sky. The final overall reduction should yield accuracies better than 0.002 in position and parallaxes and 0.002 per year in proper motions.The main features of the final catalogue are described and some possible consequences for fundamental astronomy are given.Presented at the Symposium Star Catalogues, Positional Astronomy and Celestial Mechanics, held in honor of Paul Herget at the U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, November 30, 1978.     

Objectives of ground-based astrometry after HIPPARCOS

After a short summary of the results expected from the HIPPARCOS mission, the author gives several examples illustrating the needs that will arise afterwards in order to maintain the level of precision achieved and to extend it to many more objects. Three domains are particularly dealt with in this paper:

1. The maintenance of the HIPPARCOS reference system that will degrade at the rate of 2 mas per year. The instruments intended to contribute to this task should concentrate on observing a few stars as accurately as possible. The best candidates are astrolabes and optical interferometers.
2. The extension of the HIPPARCOS catalogue to more stars using astrographs, Schmidt telescopes, and photoelectric meridian circles. A particularly important objective would be to reduce the GSE catalogue to this system and determine its proper motions with second epoch plates.
3. The determination of new parallaxes and double star parameters in particular with CCD astrometry, astrometric photometry and various interferometric techniques.

     

Détermination des masses des planétes

Sans résumé

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Presented at IAU Colloquium No. 9, The IAU System of Astronomical Constants', Heidelberg, Germany, August 12–14, 1970.     

Contribution to an analytical lunar theory

During the last year, the project of an analytical lunar theory was revived. All programs for computations on literal trigonometric series with rational coefficients were rewritten for an IBM 360-65 with new principles as far as the internal structure of series is concerned. The computational loops have been programmed and results of the calculations for the first loops will be presented. The method is essentially based on the theory derived by J. Chapront and L. Mangeney.To prepare the successive approximations, all the expressions are computed by incremental formulae. A special device has been prepared in order to keep the denominators only in those terms where their development in power series affects the convergence of the coefficients.

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Résumé Nous avons repris l'année dernière le projet d'une thèorie analytique de la Lune. Tous les programmes de calculs sur des séries trigonométriques littérales à coefficients rationnels ont été réécrits pour un IBM 360-65, avec de nouveaux principes quant à la structure interne des séries. Les boucles de calcul ont été programmées et nous donnons les premiers résultats. La méthode repose sur la théorie due à J. Chapront et L. Mangeney.Pour les approximations suivantes les expressions sont calculées par accroissements. Chaque fois que le développement en série du dénominateur d'un coefficient affecte la convergence de celui-ci, il est conservé.

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Communication presented at the conference on Lunar Dynamics and Observational Coordinate Systems held January 15-17, 1973 at the Lunar Science Institute, Houston, Tex., U.S.A.