X-ray timing beyond the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer

With its ability to look at bright galactic X-ray sources with sub-millisecond time resolution, the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) discovered that the X-ray emission from accreting compact stars shows quasi-periodic oscillations on the dynamical timescales of the strong field region. RXTE showed also that waveform fitting of the oscillations resulting from hot spots at the surface of rapidly rotating neutron stars constrain their masses and radii. These two breakthroughs suddenly opened up a new window on fundamental physics, by providing new insights on strong gravity and dense matter. Building upon the RXTE legacy, in the Cosmic Vision exercise, testing General Relativity in the strong field limit and constraining the equation of state of dense matter were recognized recently as key goals to be pursued in the ESA science program for the years 2015–2025. This in turn identified the need for a large (10 m² class) aperture X-ray observatory. In recognition of this need, the XEUS mission concept which has evolved into a single launch L2 formation flying mission will have a fast timing instrument in the focal plane. In this paper, I will outline the unique science that will be addressed with fast X-ray timing on XEUS.     

Clues on black hole feedback from simulated and observed X-ray properties of elliptical galaxies

The centers of elliptical galaxies host supermassive black holes that significantly affect the surrounding interstellar medium through feedback resulting from the accretion process. The evolution of this gas and of the nuclear emission during the galaxies’ lifetime has been studied recently with high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations. These included gas cooling and heating specific for an average AGN spectral energy distribution, a radiative efficiency declining at low mass accretion rates, and mechanical coupling between the hot gas and AGN winds. Here, we present a short summary of the observational properties resulting from the simulations, focussing on (1) the nuclear luminosity; (2) the global luminosity and temperature of the hot gas; (3) its temperature profile and X-ray brightness profile. These properties are compared with those of galaxies of the local universe, pointing out the successes of the adopted feedback and the needs for new input in the simulations.     

A rendezvous navigation algorithm for orbit determination, based on visual measurements by space vehicle crew members

At present, various radio navigation systems are employed during the automated approach of a transport vehicle to a space station. Experience has shown that emergency situations can occur in which it is necessary to revert to manual override of the automatic approach.Such situations have indeed occurred during flight operations of the space station Mir. The crews of the transport vehicles and the Mir used manual steering more than 30 times for successful docking, and four times for approach to the station.Successful manual steering demands absolute understanding of the relative orbit parameters. The decisive task of the crew is to determine these relative parameters. This is possible using visual observations from either the transport vehicle or the station using simple and reliable instruments. This article explains the algorithm for determining the relative orbits from visual crew observations, based on similarities of relative orbit families.     

Solar neutron events as a tool to study particle acceleration at the Sun

The Sun provides unique opportunities to study particle acceleration mechanisms using data from detectors placed on the Earth’s surface and on board spacecrafts. Particles may gain high energies by several physical mechanisms. Differentiating between these possibilities is a fundamental problem of cosmic ray physics. Energetic neutrons provide us with information that keeps the signatures of the acceleration site. A summary of some representative solar neutron events observed on the Earth’s surface, including associated X and γ-ray observations from spacecrafts is presented. We discuss evidence of acceleration of particles by the Sun to energies up to several tens of GeV. In addition, a recent solar neutron event that occurred on September 7th 2005 and detected by several observatories at Earth is analyzed in detail.     

The Formation Of The First Stars In The Universe

In this review, I survey our current understanding of how the very first stars in the universe formed, with a focus on three main areas of interest: the formation of the first protogalaxies and the cooling of gas within them, the nature and extent of fragmentation within the cool gas, and the physics – in particular the interplay between protostellar accretion and protostellar feedback – that serves to determine the final stellar mass. In each of these areas, I have attempted to show how our thinking has developed over recent years, aided in large part by the increasing ease with which we can now perform detailed numerical simulations of primordial star formation. I have also tried to indicate the areas where our understanding remains incomplete, and to identify some of the most important unsolved problems.     

全国内地非典型肺炎疫情自回归预报模型

利用时序分析方法研究从2003年4月27日开始卫生部办公厅发布的全国内地新增传染性非典型肺炎疫情报告，建立全国内地非典型肺炎疫情ARMAV预报模型，对模型进行适用性检验后，可以用所建模型对未来疫情进行外延预测。用时序分析方法进行监测、分析及预报，对非典型肺炎的疫情发展和关键影响因素等提供精度较高的预测结果。     

基于Zernike矩的高精度太阳图像质心提取算法

在基于太阳观测的月球车天文导航系统中,针对太阳传感器中图像噪声以及典型图像退化的不良影响,提出了一种基于Zernike矩的高精度太阳质心提取算法。采用Sobel算子进行边缘检测,Zernike矩重定位亚像素边缘,用最小二乘法拟合圆心。而当图像存在退化时,进行有效圆边缘点检测后,再用该法提取质心。从理论上分析了Zernike矩亚像素边缘检测对圆拟合法的改进作用。利用仿真图像和地表实验图像,将本文方法与传统的重心法、带阈值的重心法和圆拟合法进行了比较。结果表明,本文方法精度更高,具有更好的稳定性,可以对月球车天文导航精度的提高起良好作用。     

孙中山与邓小平的社会主义本质论的相通性

孙中山的社会主义思想和邓小平的社会主义本质论,在发展生产力、变革生产关系和实现共同富裕等方面存在着相同性或相通性。这些相通性启迪我们必须坚持走社会主义道路,坚持马克思主义基本原理和中国的具体国情相结合,在实践中不断丰富和发展马克思主义。     

A physical interpretation of the jet-like X-ray emission from supernova remnant W49B

In the framework of the study of supernova remnants and their complex interaction with the interstellar medium and the circumstellar material, we focus on the galactic supernova remnant W49B. Its morphology exhibits an X-ray bright elongated nebula, terminated on its eastern end by a sharp perpendicular structure aligned with the radio shell. The X-ray spectrum of W49B is characterized by strong K emission lines from Si, S, Ar, Ca, and Fe. There is a variation of the temperature in the remnant with the highest temperature found in the eastern side and the lowest one in the western side. The analysis of the recent observations of W49B indicates that the remnant may be the result of an asymmetric bipolar explosion where the ejecta are collimated along a jet-like structure and the eastern jet is hotter and more Fe-rich than the western one. Another possible scenario associates the X-ray emission with a spherical explosion where parts of the ejecta are interacting with a dense belt of ambient material. To overcome this ambiguity we present new results of the analysis of an XMM-Newton observation and we perform estimates of the mass and energy of the remnant. We conclude that the scenario of an anisotropic jet-like explosion explains quite naturally our observation results, but the association of W49B with a hypernova and a γ-ray burst, although still possible, is not directly supported by any evidence.