Spectroscopic Measurement of Coronal Compositions

Although the elemental composition in all parts of the solar photosphere appears to be the same this is clearly not the case with the solar upper atmosphere (SUA). Spectroscopic studies show that in the corona elemental composition along solar equatorial regions is usually different from polar regions; composition in quiet Sun regions is often different from coronal hole and active region compositions and the transition region composition is frequently different from the coronal composition along the same line of sight. In the following two issues are discussed. The first involves abundance ratios between the high-FIP O and Ne and the low-FIP Mg and Fe that are important for meaningful comparisons between photospheric and SUA compositions and the second involves a review of composition and time variability of SUA plasmas at heights of 1.0≤h≤1.5R _⊙.     

Astrophysics in 2006

The fastest pulsar and the slowest nova; the oldest galaxies and the youngest stars; the weirdest life forms and the commonest dwarfs; the highest energy particles and the lowest energy photons. These were some of the extremes of Astrophysics 2006. We attempt also to bring you updates on things of which there is currently only one (habitable planets, the Sun, and the Universe) and others of which there are always many, like meteors and molecules, black holes and binaries.     

Investigation of the differential rotation of the large-scale magnetic elements for the solar activity cycles 20 and 21

The differential rotation of the patterns of the large-scale solar magnetic field during solar activity cycles 20 and 21 is investigated. Compact magnetic elements with the polarity of the general solar magnetic field have larger speed of rotation than the elements with the opposite polarity. The surface of the Sun was divided by 10°-zones. In all of them the average rotation rate of the magnetic elements with negative polarity is little higher than that of the magnetic elements with positive polarity, except for 50°-zone of the south hemisphere and at the 10° latitude of the north hemisphere.

The rates of differential rotation for large-scale magnetic elements with negative and positive polarities have similar behavior for both cycles of the solar activity.

The rotation rate varies at polarity reversal of the circumpolar magnetic fields. For the cycle No 20 in 1969–1970 the threefold reversal took place in the northern hemisphere and variations of rotation rate can be noticed for magnetic elements both with positive and negative polarity for each 10°-zone in the same hemisphere.     

FY-2气象卫星在轨管理工程测控关键技术(上)

介绍了风云二号(FY—2)地球静止轨道自旋气象卫星工程测控的关键技术。分析了位置保持、姿态确定、星蚀和日凌的原理，给出了位置保持、姿态控制策略和地影、月影、日凌预报算法。并提出了一种检验定姿结果正确性的方法，提供了相应的工程计算参数。这些策略都已成功地用于FY—2卫星的在轨管理工程测控。     

ZN3火箭姿态测量用太阳角计

本文给出了用于ＺＮ３火箭姿态测量太阳角计的原理和测量结果，讨论了背景抑制和标定方法，分析了误差来源。该仪器采用选取适当探测波段和比值测量方法较好地消除了地外太阳辐照和大气消光的影响，也有效地抑制了背景辐射的干扰，大大提高了测量精度。实测结果表明，火箭姿态角测量的均方根误差约为０．７°。这一方法适用于各种自旋稳定飞行器的姿态测量。     

太阳微波爆发精细结构与硬X射线耀斑的相关

北京天文台在２．８４ＧＨｚ频率上观测到的带短时标精细结构的微波爆发与日本ＹＯＨＫＯＨ卫星上ＨＸＴ在１９９１年１０月－１９９２年１２月观测到的硬Ｘ射线爆发（ＨＸＢ）事件作了比较，发现在２０个微波精细结构爆发事件只有１２个与ＹＯＨＫＯＨ卫星记录的ＨＸＢ有对应关系．本文对１９９２年６月７日典型事件中２．８４ＧＨｚ与ＨＸＢ共同存在的百秒量级的准周期振荡作了分析及源区参数的计算，并作了简要的讨论．     

太阳射电微波爆发的频谱分析

1981年4月1日太阳发生一个4N级Hα耀斑并伴随出现强烈的IV型射电爆发.本文对北京天文台,西澳大利亚站等射电资料进行分析.分析表明:(1)该事件的微波源状态相对稳定,米波源位置存在移动,因此产生微波辐射与米波辐射是两组不同的电子群体,在爆发频谱指数的时变曲线上表现出明显的形态差异.还由于两者辐射源的位置不同,微波与米波的爆发在峰值时刻上也不完全符合.(2)4月1日微波大爆发是由三个主爆发组成的,它们的峰值时刻分别为0135.1,0146.1,0153.6UT.由射电高频端谱指数算出的非热电子能谱指数表明,在射电爆发的三个峰值时刻电子能谱都变硬.本文还得出该活动区的非热电子平均速度(以光速c为单位)β为0.9左右,磁场强度B为430G.并由回旋同步辐射阻尼算得,非热电子的寿命为829秒,这个数值与三个主峰的持续时间相吻合.     

Observations of loops and prominences

We review recent observations by the Yohkoh-SXT in collaboration with other spacecraft and ground-based observatories of coronal loops and prominences. These new results point to problems that SoHO will be able to address. With a unique combination of rapid-cadence digital imaging (32 s full-disk and 2 s partial-frame images), high spatial resolution (2.5 arcsec pixels), high sensitivity (EM 10⁴² cm^–3), a low-scatter mirror, and large dynamic range, SXT can observe a vast range of targets on the Sun. Over the first 21 months of Yohkoh operations, SXT has taken over one million images of the corona and so is building up an invaluable long-term database on the large-scale corona and loop geometry. The most striking thing about the SXT images is the range of loop sizes and shapes. The active regions are a bright tangle of magnetic field lines, surrounded by a network of large-scale quiet-Sun loops stretching over distances in excess of 10⁵ km. The cross-section of most loops seems to be constant. Loops displaying significant increase in the ratio of the footpoint to loop-top diameter () are the exception, not the rule, implying the presence of widespread currents in the corona.All magnetic structures show changes. Time scales range from seconds to months. The question of how these structures are formed, become filled with hot plasma, and are maintained is still open. While we see the propagation of brightenings along the length of active-region loops and in X-ray jets with velocities of several hundred km/s, much higher velocities are seen in the quiet Sun. In XBP flares, for example, velocities of over 1000 km/s are common. Active-region loops seem to be in constant motion, moving slowly outward, carrying plasma with them. During flares, loops often produce localized brightenings at the base and later at the apex of the loop. Quiescent filaments and prominences have been observed regularly. Their coronal manifestation seems to be an extended arcade of loops overlying the filament. Reliable alignment of the ground-based data with the X-ray images make it possible to make a detailed intercomparison of the hot and cold plasma structures over extended periods. Hence we are able to follow the long-term evolution of these structures and see how they become destabilized and erupt.     

Modeling of dynamic evolution of coronal loops

Parameters of expanding magnetic loops and arches and of mass flows generated by them in the corona have been computed in a 1D two-fluid approximation. Two possible trigger mechanisms of the coronal transients have been considered: (i) sudden increase of the background magnetic field strength, and (ii) heating and compression plasma inside these magnetic structures. We discuss the formation of shock waves and their dependence on dynamics and geometry of the magnetic structures.