Plasma chemical reactions in C2H2/N2, C2H4/N2, and C2H6/N2 gas mixtures of a laboratory dielectric barrier discharge

Plasma chemical reactions in C₂H₂/N₂, C₂H₄/N₂, and C₂H₆/N₂ gas mixtures have been studied by means of mass spectrometry at a medium pressure of 300 mbar in a laboratory dielectric barrier discharge. A major reaction scheme is production of larger hydrocarbons like C_nH_m with n up to 12 including formation of functional CN groups.     

Direct correlations between coronal transients and interplanetary disturbances

Major interplanetary shock waves have often been successfully associated with major solar flares. The interplanetary response to weaker solar events, e.g., eruptive prominences (EP) and slow coronal transients, is far less pronounced. Recently, progress has been made by combining the newly-available data of white-light-coronagraph measurements from the earth-orbiting satellite P78/1 (these data show the development of coronal transients between 2.5 and 10 R _bd, in-situ plasma measurements from the HELIOS solar probes positioned mostly above the Sun's limb at solar distances between 60 and 200 R _bd (showing the reactions of the interplanetary plasma), ground based Hα-coronagraphs (showing in a few cases the evolution of EP's from the Sun's limb up to 1.5 A_bd). In the years 1979 to 1981 about 25 uniquely associated events were identified, 19 of which allow some detailed analysis. The events can be sorted into three main categories:

The ‘flare-type’: 13 events, probably all of them flare-related, transient speeds v _t from 560 to 1460 km s^?1, no evidence for post-acceleration of the transient (indicating impulsive injection), all transients followed by drastic interplanetary shock waves, some of them probably involving magnetic clouds.

The ‘EP-type’: 4 events, none of them flare-related, at least one was observed as an Hα-EP, transient speed from 200 to 410 km s^-1, all post-accelerated (indicating ‘driven’ injection), all followed by shocks with at least one magnetic cloud, one showing presence of He⁺ and O²⁺ behind the shock.

The ‘NCDE-type’: 2 events, one observed as an Hα-EP, the other without known solar source, v _t , = 130 and 470 km s^?1, one post-accelerated, the other one not, considerable density increase in interplanetary plasma (however, in pressure equilibrium with surroundings), one event including shock, the other not. These two events may not belong to the same category.

Our results are not completely consistent with previous work which is mainly based on data from the Skylab era, 1973/74. This could be due to the different phase in the solar cycle. The study is being continued.     

Galactic and Extragalactic Magnetic Fields

The current state of research of the Galactic magnetic field is reviewed critically. The average strength of the total field derived from radio synchrotron data, under the energy equipartition assumption, is 6±2 G locally and about 10±3 G at 3 kpc Galactic radius. These values agree well with the estimates using the locally measured cosmic-ray energy spectrum and the radial variation of protons derived from -rays. Optical and synchrotron polarization data yield a strength of the local regular field of 4±1 G, but this value is an upper limit if the field strength fluctuates within the beam or if anisotropic fields are present. Pulsar rotation measures, on the other hand, give only 1.4±0.2 G, a lower limit if fluctuations in regular field strength and thermal electron density are anticorrelated along the pathlength. The local regular field may be part of a `magnetic arm between the optical arms. However, the global structure of the regular Galactic field is not yet known. Several large-scale field reversals in the Galaxy were detected from rotation measure data, but a similar phenomenon was not observed in external galaxies. The Galactic field may be young in terms of dynamo action so that reversals from the chaotic seed field are preserved, or a mixture of dynamo modes causes the reversals, or the reversals are signatures of large-scale anisotropic field loops. The Galaxy is surrounded by a thick disk of radio continuum emission of similar extent as in edge-on spiral galaxies. While the local field in the thin disk is of even symmetry with respect to the plane (quadrupole), the global thick-disk field may be of dipole type. The Galactic center region hosts highly regular fields of up to milligauss strength which are oriented perpendicular to the plane. A major extension of the data base of pulsar rotation measures and Zeeman splitting measurements is required to determine the structure of the Galactic field. Further polarization surveys of the Galactic plane at wavelengths of 6 cm or shorter may directly reveal the fine structure of the local magnetic field.     

Using LASCO-C1 spectroscopy for coronal diagnostics

The LASCO-C1 telescope was designed to perform spectral analysis of coronal structures by means of a tunable Fabry–Pérot interferometer acquiring images at different wavelengths. Results from spectral scans of the Fe xiv 5303 Å green coronal emission line are presented. Physical quantities like the ion temperature (line widths), and the flow velocity along the line of sight (Doppler shifts) are obtained over the entire corona.     

EXPOSE-E: an ESA astrobiology mission 1.5 years in space

The multi-user facility EXPOSE-E was designed by the European Space Agency to enable astrobiology research in space (low-Earth orbit). On 7 February 2008, EXPOSE-E was carried to the International Space Station (ISS) on the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) platform in the cargo bay of Space Shuttle STS-122 Atlantis. The facility was installed at the starboard cone of the Columbus module by extravehicular activity, where it remained in space for 1.5 years. EXPOSE-E was returned to Earth with STS-128 Discovery on 12 September 2009 for subsequent sample analysis. EXPOSE-E provided accommodation in three exposure trays for a variety of astrobiological test samples that were exposed to selected space conditions: either to space vacuum, solar electromagnetic radiation at >110?nm and cosmic radiation (trays 1 and 3) or to simulated martian surface conditions (tray 2). Data on UV radiation, cosmic radiation, and temperature were measured every 10?s and downlinked by telemetry. A parallel mission ground reference (MGR) experiment was performed on ground with a parallel set of hardware and samples under simulated space conditions. EXPOSE-E performed a successful 1.5-year mission in space.     

Adenine synthesis in interstellar space: mechanisms of prebiotic pyrimidine-ring formation of monocyclic HCN-pentamers

The question whether the nucleobases can be synthesized in interstellar space is of fundamental significance in considerations of the origin of life. Adenine is formally the HCN pentamer, and experiments have demonstrated that adenine is formed under certain conditions by HCN pentamerization in gas, liquid, and condensed phases. Most mechanistic proposals invoke the intermediacy of the HCN tetramer AICN (4), and it is thought that adenine synthesis is completed by addition of the 5(th) HCN to 4 to form amidine 5 and subsequent pyrimidine cyclization. In this context, we have been studying the mechanism for prebiotic pyrimidine-ring formation of monocyclic HCN-pentamers with ab initio electronic structure theory. The calculations model gas phase chemistry, and the results primarily inform discussions of adenine synthesis in interstellar space. Purine formation requires tautomerization of 5 to the conjugated amidine 6 (via hydrogen-tunneling, thermally with H(+) -catalysis, or by photolysis) or to keteneimine 7 (by photolysis). It was found that 5-(N'-formamidinyl)-1H-imidazole-4-carbonitrile (6) can serve as a substrate for proton-catalyzed purine formation under photolytic conditions and N-(4-(iminomethylene)-1H-imidazol-5(4H)-ylidene)formamidine (7) can serve as a substrate for uncatalyzed purine formation under photolytic conditions. The absence of any sizeable activation barrier for the cyclization of 7 to the (Z)-imino form of 9H-adenine (Z)-2 is quite remarkable, and it is this feature that allows for the formation of the purine skeleton from 7 without any further activation.     

MICA: The Mirror Coronagraph for Argentina

As part of the new German-Argentinian Solar Observatory in El Leoncito, San Juan, Argentina, a new ground-based solar telescope (MICA) began to operate in August 1997. MICA is an advanced mirror coronagraph, its design being an almost exact copy of the LASCO-C1 instrument. Since its installation, it has been imaging the inner solar corona (1.05 to 2.0 solar radii) in two spectral ranges corresponding to the emission lines of the Fe XIV and Fe X ions. The instrument can image the corona as fast as every minute. Thus, it is ideally suited to study fast processes in the inner corona. In this way, it is a good complement for the LASCO-C1 instrument. After a brief review of the instrument, we present some recent observations showing the capabilities of the instrument. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Exploring the global shock scenario at multiple points between sun and earth: The solar transients launched on January 1 and September 23, 1978

We revisit the transient interplanetary events of January 1 and September 23, 1978. Using in-situ and remote sensing observations at locations widely separated in longitudes and distances from the Sun, we infer that in both cases the overall shock surface had a very fast “nose” region with speeds >900 and >1500 km⁻¹ in the January and September events, respectively, and much slower flank speeds (∼600 km⁻¹ or less), suggesting a shock surface with a strong speed gradient with heliospheric longitude. The shock-nose regions are thus likely efficient acceleration sites of MeV ions, even at 1 AU from the Sun. Our 3D magnetohydrodynamics modeling suggests that a 24° × 24° localized disturbance at 18 solar radii injecting momentum 100 times the background solar wind input over 1 h can produce a disturbance in semi-quantitative agreement with the observed shock arrival time, plasma density and velocity time series in the January 1978 event.     

Solar orbiter, a high-resolution mission to the sun and inner heliosphere

The scientific rationale of the Solar Orbiter is to provide, at high spatial (35 km pixel size) and temporal resolution, observations of the solar atmosphere and unexplored inner heliosphere. Novel observations will be made in the almost heliosynchronous segments of the orbits at heliocentric distances near 45 R and out of the ecliptic plane at the highest heliographic latitudes of 30° – 38°. The Solar Orbiter will achieve its wide-ranging aims with a suite of sophisticated instruments through an innovative design of the orbit. The first near-Sun interplanetary measurements together with concurrent remote observations of the Sun will permit us to determine and understand, through correlative studies, the characteristics of the solar wind and energetic particles in close linkage with the plasma and radiation conditions in their source regions on the Sun. Over extended periods the Solar Orbiter will deliver the first images of the polar regions and the side of the Sun invisible from the Earth.