Who is who in Algol-land ?- Part I -

We computed the evolution through case A mass transfer for 8 systems with mass of the primary equal to 3 and 5 M₀, mass ratios 0.7 and 0.9, and different periods. To this we added similar results from Packet (1988) for M_i = 9 M₀, q_i = 0.6, P_i = 1.62 d.During the mass transfer two competing mechanisms in the gainer decide on the evolution of the system: the rejuvenation of this star as the increasing convective core mixes fresh hydrogen into the inner regions, and the acceleration of nuclear burning, responding to the increasing mass.In all the cases the net result is a faster decrease of the central hydrogen content compared to the mass losing star. The secondary fills its own critical Roche lobe and reversed mass transfer starts.From our results and those of Nakamura and Nakamura (1984), we find that reversed mass transfer occurs after core hydrogen burning of the secondary (case A₁B₂) approximately for periods larger than 1 d (M_1i = 3 M₀) to 2 d (M_1i = 13.4 M₀). For smaller periods this happens before the gainer ends its core hydrogen burning (case A₁A₂).     

Sounding rocket experiment of bare electrodynamic tether system

An overview of a sounding rocket, S-520-25th, project on space tether technology experiment is presented. The project is prepared by an international research group consisting of Japanese, European, American, and Australian researchers. The sounding rocket will be assembled by the ISAS/JAXA and will be launched in the summer of 2009. The sounding rocket mission includes two engineering experiments and two scientific experiments. These experiments consist of the deployment of bare electrodynamic tape tether in space, a quick ignition test of hollow cathode system in space, the demonstration of bare electrodynamic tether system in space, and the test of the OML (orbital-motion-limit) current collection theory.     

Solar flares and particle acceleration

Energy release in solar flares occurs during the impulsive phase, which is a period of a few to about ten minutes, during which energy is injected into the flare region in bursts with durations of various time scales, from a few tens of seconds down to 0.1 s or even shorter. Non-thermal heating is observed during a short period, not longer than a few minutes, in the very first part of the impulsive phase; in average flares, with ambient particle densities not larger than a few times 10¹⁰ cm^–3 it is due to thick-target electron beam injection, causing chromospheric ablation followed by convection. In flares with larger densities the heating is due to thermal fronts (Section 1). The average energy released in chromospheric regions is a few times 10³⁰ erg, and an average number of 10³⁸ electrons with E 15 keV is accelerated. In subsecond pulses these values are about 10³⁵ electrons and about 10²⁷ erg per subsecond pulse. The total energy released in flares is larger than these values (Section 2). Energization occurs gradually, in a series of fast non-explosive flux-thread interactions, on the average at levels about 10⁴ km above the solar photosphere, a region permeated by a large number ( 10) of fluxthreads, each carrying electric currents of 10¹⁰–10¹¹ A. The energy is fed into the flare by differential motions of magnetic fields driven by photospheric-chromospheric movements (Section 3). In contrast to these are the high-energy flares, characterized by the emission of gamma-radiation and/or very high-frequency (millimeter) radiobursts. Observations of such flares, of the flare neutron emission, as well as the observation of ³He-rich interplanetary plasma clouds from flares all point to a common source, identified with shortlived ( 0.1 s) superhot ( 10⁸ K) flare knots, situated in chromospheric levels (Section 4). Pre-flare phenomena and the existence of homologous flares prove that flare energization can occur repeatedly in the same part of an active region: the consequent conclusions are that only seldom the full energy of an active region is exhausted in one flare, or that the flare energy is generated anew between homologous flares; this latter case looks more probable (Section 5). Flare energization requires the formation of direct electric fields, in value comparable with, or somewhat smaller than the Dreicer field (Section 6). Such fields originate by current-thread reconnection in a regime in which the current sheet is thin enough to let resistive instability originate (Section 7). Particle acceleration occurs by fast reconnection in magnetic fields 100 G and electric fields exceeding about 0.3 times the Dreicer field at fairly low particle densities ( 10¹⁰ cm^–3); for larger densities plasma heating is expected to occur (Section 8). Transport of accelerated particles towards interplanetary space demands a field-line configuration open to space. Such a configuration originates mainly after the gradual gamma-ray/proton flares, and particularly after two-ribbon flares; these flares belong to the dynamic flares in Sturrock and vestka's flare classification. Acceleration to GeV energies occurs subsequently in shock waves, probably by first-order Fermi acceleration (Section 9).     

关于外语专业数学教学的调查实践与思考

从当前高等教育研究中的学科交叉、文理渗透这一背景出发，介绍了对国内部分院校外语类专业数学教学情况的调查分析与作者在这方面的教学实践。针对人文专业数学教学的特点，就如何有效、合理地开展教学进行了思考。     

多输入多输出雷达的非均匀线性阵列配置(英文)

提出了利用非均匀线性阵列(Non-uniform linear array,NLA)对多输入多输出(Multiple-input multipleoutput,MIMO)雷达系统进行阵列配置优化的方法。在传统的相控阵雷达中,非均匀线性阵列配置被用来形成较窄的波束方向图,而在MIMO雷达中,利用非均匀线性阵列来获得更多的互不相同的虚拟阵元,以此来提高雷达的参数可辨识性能。文中所采用的一种非均匀线性阵列是最小冗余线性阵列,并给出了一种在物理阵元数量较大时最小冗余线性阵列的生成方法。实验结果表明:与均匀线性阵列(Uniform linear array,ULA)配置的MIMO雷达相比,非均匀线性阵列MIMO雷达能够利用较少的物理天线阵元获得相同的参数可辨识性能;而在两种配置的雷达系统的物理阵元个数相同的情况下,非均匀线性阵列MIMO雷达可以获得更大的阵列孔径长度和更低的克拉美.罗界。     

Debris Discs Around Stars: The 2004 ISO Legacy

Debris discs around stars were first discovered by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) in 1983. For the first time material orbiting another star than the Sun, but distinct from a circumstellar envelope, was observed through its far infrared emission. This major discovery motivated astronomers to investigate those discs by further analyzing the IRAS data, using ground-based telescopes for the hunting of exoplanets, developing several projects using the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), and now exploiting the ISO Data Archive (IDA). This review presents the main ISO results, statistical as well as individual, on debris discs in orbit around pre-main-sequence and main-sequence stars. Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.     

Distributed target detection in compound-Gaussian noise with Rao and Wald tests

The problem of detecting distributed targets in compound-Gaussian noise with unknown statistics is considered. At the design stage, in order to cope with the a priori uncertainty, we model noise returns as Gaussian vectors with the same structure of the covariance matrix, but possibly different power levels. We also assume that a set of secondary data, free of signal components, is available to estimate the covariance matrix of the disturbance. Since no uniformly most powerful test exists for the problem at hand we devise and assess two detection strategies based on the Rao test, and the Wald test respectively. Remarkably these detectors ensure the constant false alarm rate property with respect to both the structure of the covariance matrix as well as the power levels. Moreover, the performance assessment, conducted also in comparison with the generalized likelihood ratio test based receiver, shows that the Wald test outperforms the others and is very effective in scenarios of practical interest for radar systems.     

Solar variability and minor constituents in the lower thermosphere and in the mesosphere

Space Science Reviews - The variation in the solar irradiance related for example to the 11-year cycle leads to changes in the photodissociation and photo-ionization of the upper and middle...