A highly-ionized absorber as a new explanation for the spectral changes during dips from X-ray binaries

We report the XMM-Newton detection of narrow Fe xxv and Fe xxvi X-ray absorption lines at 7 keV in the persistent emission of the dipping low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) 4U 1323−62. Such features have now been reported in a growing number of LMXBs seen almost edge-on, indicating that the highly-ionized plasma probably originates in an accretion disk atmosphere or wind. During dipping intervals of 4U 1323−62, the strength of the Fe xxv feature increases while that of the Fe xxvi feature decreases, consistent with the presence of less strongly ionized material in the line-of-sight. As observed previously, the changes in the X-ray spectrum during dips are inconsistent with a simple increase in absorption by cool material. However, we show that the changes in both the narrow absorption features and the continuum can be modeled self-consistently by variations in the properties of an ionized absorber. From persistent to deep dipping the photo-ionization parameter decreases while the equivalent hydrogen column density of the ionized absorber increases. No partial covering of any component of the spectrum, and hence no extended corona, are required. Since highly-ionized absorption features are seen from many other dip sources, this mechanism may also explain the overall changes in X-ray spectrum observed during dipping intervals from these systems.     

Einstein observations of high luminosity X-ray binaries

Recent observational advances in the study of high luminosity x-ray binaries have permitted investigation of the interaction of the outgoing x-radiation with the accreting matter surrounding the compact object. In two sources, 4U1822-37 and 4U2129+47, extended EINSTEIN coverage has led to the detection of partial x-ray eclipses, which indicate that the x-ray emitting regions must be extended in size. These have been interpreted as evidence for a large Compton-thick corona produced by evaporation of cool material off the surface of an accretion disk. In three other sources, 4U1915-05, 4U1624-49, and Cygnus X-2, evidence has been found for short x-ray absorption dips which are likely to be associated with obscuration by cool dense matter at the outer edge of the disk. In 4U1915-05, these dips are strictly periodic and determine the binary period for the system. In Cygnus X-2, the dips appear to be quasiperiodic, while in 4U1624-49, insufficient coverage has prevented clarification of the temporal properties of the absorption.For the brightest cosmic x-ray source, Scorpius X-1, the EINSTEIN objective grating spectrometer has provided high resolution spectra (λ/Δλ ～50) in the wavelength range 40-10 Å. The spectra reveal absorption features due to intervening helium, nitrogen, and oxygen. The implied nitrogen and oxygen abundances are anomalous and suggest that the absorbing material is intrinsic accreting matter which has been transferred from the surface of an evolved companion. Constraints on the inclination of the system then imply that this cool dense material must be well out of the orbital plane of the binary.     

Quenched Carbonaceous Composite: a laboratory analog for carbonaceous material in the interstellar medium.

We review the properties of Quenched Carbonaceous Composite (QCC), a residue produced from a hydrocarbon plasma, and the properties of its derivatives. A. Sakata and his colleagues have shown that QCC has a 220 nm absorption band, visible fluorescence matching the extended red emission seen in reflection nebulae, and infrared absorption bands that correspond to the infrared emission features in reflection nebulae, HII regions, and planetary nebulae. These properties make QCC a strong candidate material as a laboratory analog to the carbonaceous material in the interstellar medium. QCC is distinguished from the PAH hypothesis in that (1) it is a condensate composed of aromatic and aliphatic molecules, as well as radicals; (2) it exhibits a 220 nm absorption that is very similar in wavelength to the 217 nm absorption in the interstellar medium; (3) it exhibits visible fluorescence consistent with that seen in reflection nebulae; and (4) the bands at 7.7 and 8.6 microns are caused by ketone bands in oxidized QCC. The aromatic component in QCC is thought to be typically 1-4 rings, with the majority being about 1-2 rings.     

航空头盔典型件冲击保护性能实验研究

利用分离式Hopkinson压杆研究了几种航空头盔典型件的冲击保护性能,测量了各构件的能量吸收率.讨论了冲击过程和能量吸收过程,进一步分析了头盔外壳材料力学性能及泡沫衬垫密度对头盔能量吸收率的影响规律.实验表明,在一定范围内外壳力学性能和泡沫衬垫密度对于能量吸收起着重要作用.为设计新一代航空头盔提供了可靠的实验依据.     

The formation of organic molecules in astronomical ices.

An absorption feature at 3.4 micrometers has been observed in various lines-of-sight through the diffuse interstellar medium. Its position and width lead to an identification with the C-H stretching mode of solid organic material. A possible mechanism for the production of organic solids in the interstellar medium is UV photoprocessing of icy mantles which accrete on dust grains in dense clouds. Furthermore, thermally induced reactions involving formaldehyde molecules in the mantles could be an important source of organics. Laboratory simulation of these processes shows that a large variety of oxygen- and nitrogen-rich species may be produced. It is shown that the occurrence of periodic transient heating events plays an important role in the production of organic material in the ice mantles. Finally, it is pointed out how future missions like the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) as well as analysis of comet material by Rosetta may be able to clarify the nature and evolution of interstellar organics.     

基于Kriging模型的浮空器氦气昼夜温差最优化

分析浮空器氦气昼夜温差时通常将整个囊体蒙皮涂层设置为同一种材料,分析材料的吸收率与发射率对氦气昼夜温差的影响。为进一步减小氦气昼夜温差,提出了将囊体分为迎光面和背光面,迎光面采用吸收率低的材料,背光面采用发射率高的材料。建立了囊体热力学模型,采用Kriging模型对囊体不同部位的材料特性进行优化,其基本思想是将囊体划分为48个部分,采用拉丁超立方体方法进行抽样,进行热力学分析得到样本的响应,以此建立Kriging近似模型。经过该方法优化后发现,氦气的昼夜温差减小到28.6 K,比传统的分析减少7.7%。      

Polarization VLBI observations of AGN jets now and into the future

The history of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations has been characterized predominantly by an ongoing quest for increasingly high resolution and sensitivity. VLBI monitoring of relatively large samples of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) with uniform quality and linear polarization sensitivity are now available at the moderately high frequencies of 15 and 43 GHz. This has enabled considerable advances in our understanding of the relativistic jets of AGNs, but gaps in the available observational material remain, which must be addressed in future VLBI polarization observations. Linear polarization observations at frequencies above 43 GHz remain non-routine, and the availability of multi-frequency and circular polarization measurements is still limited. It is of interest both to push inward toward the jet base and to study details of the jets themselves on parsec scales, such as magnetic field structures along and across the jets, which are intrinsically related to their formation, launching and propagation. Requirements for future VLBI polarization observations are considered, highlighting the key role that can be played by space VLBI observations. Unique opportunities are offered by relatively low-frequency space VLBI observations that are sensitive to effects such as Faraday rotation, opacity, and low-frequency absorption.     

Numerical Simulation for the 16 August 1999 EUV Brightenings

The 16 August 1999 EUV brightenings are numerically simulated by a third-order upwind compact scheme, basing on the TRACE observation. The present simulation can give a possible explanation to its formation and evolution. The numerical results show that the initial reconnection jets at around X-point are responsible for the occurrence of EUV brightening. The strong and superposed ejections caused by the first and second coalescence of magnetic islands are possibly related to the lifted material which initially appeared as absorption features and Later EUV-emitting structures respectively. The bi-directional reconnection jets may correspond to the lifted material that either continued to move upward along the apparently open field lines or fell down to the surface.      

钛合金表面抗激光涂层损伤特性及热效应影响研究

实验研究了钛合金和高反射型陶瓷涂层材料抗连续型激光烧蚀的损伤及温度分布特性，并从热效应影响角度对比分析了二者在抗激光损伤效果方面的差异性。研究结果表明：相比于钛合金，高反射型陶瓷涂层材料能有效增强钛合金基底抗激光损伤的能力；在同等激光功率密度辐照下，陶瓷涂层材料能有效提升钛合金基底耐受激光辐照的时间长度。实验结果表明该陶瓷涂层材料的激光损伤阈值比钛合金高约5.8倍。实验发现陶瓷涂层温升速率高于钛合金，但由于陶瓷材料具有较高的反射特性，以及良好的热吸收和热传导特性，因此能使由激光辐照产生的热量在其表面较快地扩散，而降低向基底方向传导的程度，最终提升陶瓷涂层的抗激光损伤阈值。     

The Lyman-alpha absorption anomaly in satellite occulation measurements as a tracer for some thermospheric composition variations

The absorption anomaly of Lyman-alpha radiation in satellite occultation experiments is known as the fact that extinction above 100 km is much stronger than absorption by atmospheric O₂ alone would explain. Additional absorption by NO or H₂O has been suggested but none has been clearly identified so far. The additional absorption occurs predominantly in middle and high latitudes of the winter hemisphere, but has also been found in equatorial latitudes. Recent measurements of NO would explain the Lyman-alpha absorption anomaly. The high densities of the additional Lyman-alpha absorber at lower latitudes could be explained by transport processes through global circulation systems of the higher thermosphere. Structural variations of the neutral gas derived from occultation measurements seem to indicate that thermospheric low pressure systems in mid latitudes modulate the transport of tracer constituents and heat energy from higher latitudes to the equator.     

Saturn's E ring

The E ring is a loose collection of debris orbiting Saturn well outside the classical ring system. Compared to the classical ring system, the E ring is extraordinarily tenuous but occupies an enormous volume. The optical depth has a pronounced maximum near the orbit of Enceladus, which is therefore widely assumed to be the source of ring material. Optical properties of the ring suggest a collection of micron-sized spheroids whose composition is generally supposed to be water ice in accordance with the assumed Enceladus source.Apart from its unusual physical properties, the very existence of the E ring as a permanent feature of the Saturn system is problematical. The particles of the ring are susceptible to erosion by ion sputtering and outward transport by ion drag. Lifetimes against either of these processes in the presence of observed ion populations are estimated to be no more than a few thousand years, and it is not clear that Enceladus can replenish the ring particles continuously on such a time scale. It has thus been suggested that the E ring is a transient feature of the Saturn system, resulting from an episodic disturbance of Enceladus (e.g., a sizeable meteoroid impact or tectonic event) in the recent past. In any case, the E ring presently provides a convenient natural probe of magnetospheric transport processes because it presents a marginally significant cross section for the absorption of magnetospherically-trapped particles traversing its volume.     

The structure of the IC443 supernova remnant complex derived from ROSAT and Ginga observations

Radio observations have shown that the emission from IC443 can be attributed to three, partially incomplete shells. The two smaller diameter shells are bright in X-rays, whereas the X-ray extent of the largest one has been discovered only recently in the ROSAT All-Sky-Survey. This new X-ray shell — G189.6+3.3 — is well explained by a separate old ( 10⁵yr) supernova remnant (SNR), in contrast to the IC443 proper SNR, the age of which has been estimated to 10³yr. Spatial structure of the X-ray absorption observed with ROSAT suggests that G189.6+3.3 is located in front of a molecular cloud while the two smaller subshells previously known as IC443 are behind it. This geometry is confirmed by the observation of an additional absorption ridge across IC443, which is produced by a shell of cool and dense matter associated with G189.6+3.3.     

Production and evolution of carbonaceous material by ion irradiation in space.

We review recent experimental studies concerning the evolution, driven by ion irradiation, of carbonaceous material from frozen gas to a refractory molecular solid. Under further irradiation the latter changes to a polymer-like material and ultimately to amorphous carbon. Most of the results have been obtained by "in situ" and remote IR and Raman spectroscopy. The results have been applied to demonstrate that molecular solids may be easily formed by irradiation of frozen mantles in dense interstellar clouds. Polymer-like material and amorphous carbons may result by further irradiation of organic mantles on grains in the diffuse interstellar medium. Those grains, during the aggregation to form extended bodies like comets (T-Tau phase of the Sun), are further modified. These latter are also irradiated, after the comet formation, during their long stay in the Oort cloud. In particular it has been suggested that comet may develop an ion-produced cometary organic crust that laboratory evidences show to be stable against temperature increases experienced during passages near the Sun. The comparison between the Raman spectra of some IDP (Interplanetary Dust Particles) and the Raman spectra of some ion-produced amorphous carbons, is also discussed.     

X-ray emission from supernova remnants observed with ROSAT

Spectrally resolved X-ray images of galactic supernova remnants have been obtained both from the ROSAT all-sky survey and a number of pointed observations. There is substantial evidence for significant spatial variation in temperature, density and pressure across the older, thermal remnants like the Vela SNR, the Cygnus Loop and the North Polar Spur. Both the brightness distribution and the pressure variations observed point towards recently shocked interstellar clouds and filaments, which dominate the X-ray emission pattern. Across the Puppis-A SNR an arc-shaped absorption structure has been detected, which is demonstrated to be produced by cold gas located close to the shock front of the Vela SNR. Across IC443 a similar absorption pattern has been observed, which is created by a cold shell associated with a previously unknown, ROSAT discovered SNR, which lies in front of IC443. Finally, a statistically overview of the SNRs detected in the ROSAT all-sky survey is presented. About half of the catalogued radio remnants have been observed in the survey and another 90 sources have been found which are considered to be candidates of new SNRs.     

含空心球复合材料有效模量的确定

用四相球模型确定了含空心球复合材料的有效模量性质，得到这类材料的有效体积模量和有效剪切量同空心球体积比的关系。在各向同性材料的假设下也确定了材料的有效杨氏模量，并同Ｈｕａｎｇ等人给出的理论及实验结果进行了比较。     

航空用国产碳纤维/双马树脂复合材料湿热特性

针对1种航空用国产T700级碳纤维和4种双马树脂（QY9611、5429、QY9512、QY8911-4），采用3种湿热条件（100℃水煮、70℃水浸、70℃/85%相对湿度）对其复合材料单向层板进行湿热处理，通过研究吸湿量、扩散系数、显微结构、化学成分、耐热温度及力学性能，分析了复合材料的湿热特性。结果表明，4种复合材料在3种湿热条件下的吸湿行为均符合Fick第二扩散定律，100℃水煮时平衡吸湿量和扩散系数最大，70℃/85%相对湿度时两者最小。4种复合材料吸湿速度有明显区别，这与其原材料形式和成型工艺不同有关。湿热处理未导致复合材料内部产生损伤和化学变化，主要引起增塑效应，导致玻璃化转变温度降低。复合材料的90°拉伸性能测试结果表明，高温和吸湿耦合作用下复合材料力学性能衰减更为明显，破坏模式由基体开裂转变为界面脱黏和开裂。      

弹翼角反射器效应的雷达散射截面分析

分析了弹翼与一般直两面角的角反射器效应的不同,从等效截面法分析一般直两面角角反射器效应的雷达散射截面(RCS),推导出用等效截面法分析弹翼角反射器效应的工程计算公式,通过计算弹翼、弹体组合的侧向散射特性进行了验证;引入涂敷吸波材料的平板RCS的反射系数计算方法,采用两个反射系数表示角反射器效应的两次吸收/反射效应,最后用反射系数法分析了涂敷吸波材料后的弹翼散射特性.     

空间碎片光谱特性获取与分析方法研究

空间碎片的反射光谱是碎片表面材料与太阳光谱共同作用的结果,能够反映碎片的材料性质,为空间碎片的光学特性研究提供依据. 将观测获得的空间碎片反射光谱进行预处理后,与已知空间材料样本的光谱进行比对,比较两者间光学特性差异,包括连续反射光谱曲线中的峰值、斜率、形态、特征窄波段、吸收谱线和多波段反射光谱间的成像差异、色指数、特征温度等,分辨碎片表面可能的材料,最终实现对空间碎片光学特性的研究.      

Simulation experiments of the effect of space environment on bacteriophage and DNA thin films.

The main goal of PUR experiment (phage and uracil response) is to examine and quantify the effect of specific space conditions on nucleic acid models. To achieve this an improved method was elaborated for the preparation of DNA and bacteriophage thin films. The homogeneity of the films was controlled by UV spectroscopy and microscopy. To provide experimental evidence for the hypothesis that interplanetary transfer of the genetic material is possible, phage T7 and isolated T7 DNA thin films have been exposed to selected space conditions: intense UVC radiation (lambda=254 nm) and high vacuum (10(-4) Pa). The effects of DNA hydration, conformation and packing on UV radiation damage were examined. Characteristic changes in the absorption spectrum, in the electrophoretic pattern of DNA and the decrease of the amount of PCR products have been detected indicating the photodamage of isolated and intraphage DNA.     

BBXRT and Ginga observations of AGN

The X-ray properties of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) support recent theories which unify the Seyfert 1 nuclei with the Seyfert 2's and radio-quiet quasars. In these objects the underlying spectrum is strongly distorted by the effects of reflection from the accretion flow and by absorption in partially ionised material. These obscure any intrinsic changes in the spectrum, making it difficult (though not impossible) to constrain the nature of the emission process. Conversely, there is no evidence for either of these spectral distortions in the radio-loud AGN, supporting the hypothesis that the X-rays are dominated by beamed emission from the relativistic jet.