Future Instrumentation for the Study of the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium

We briefly review capabilities and requirements for future instrumentation in UV- and X-ray astronomy that can contribute to advancing our understanding of the diffuse, highly ionised intergalactic medium.     

大气温度对发动机的影响及其修正

对相似原理造成的误差进行了分析,给出了修正这些误差的方法,并采用这些方法,运用新的性能参数换算公式,对军用某型涡扇发动机做了大气温度对发动机特性影响的计算。计算结果表明:随着温度的增加,流量减小,压气比减小,因而推力减小,耗油率增加。     

A new method of single celestial-body sun positioning based on theory of mechanisms

Considering defects of current single celestial-body positioning methods such as discon-tinuity and long period, a new sun positioning algorithm is herein put forward. Instead of tradi-tional astronomical spherical trigonometry and celestial coordinate system, the proposed new positioning algorithm is built by theory of mechanisms. Based on previously derived solar vector equations (from a C1R2P2 series mechanism), a further global positioning method is developed by inverse kinematics. The longitude and latitude coordinates expressed by Greenwich mean time (GMT) and solar vector in local coordinate system are formulated. Meanwhile, elimination method of multiple solutions, errors of longitude and latitude calculation are given. In addition, this algo-rithm has been integrated successfully into a mobile phone application to visualize sun positioning process. Results of theoretical verification and smart phone’s test demonstrate the validity of pre-sented coordinate’s expressions. Precision is shown as equivalent to current works and is acceptable to civil aviation requirement. This new method solves long-period problem in sun sight running fix-ing and improves applicability of sun positioning. Its methodology can inspire development of new sun positioning device. It would be more applicable to be combined with inertial navigation systems for overcoming discontinuity of celestial navigation systems and accumulative errors of inertial nav-igation systems.     

OB Associations, Wolf–Rayet Stars, and the Origin of Galactic Cosmic Rays

We have measured the isotopic abundances of neon and a number of other species in the galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) using the Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer (CRIS) aboard the ACE spacecraft. Our data are compared to recent results from two-component (Wolf–Rayet material plus solar-like mixtures) Wolf–Rayet (WR) models. The three largest deviations of galactic cosmic ray isotope ratios from solar-system ratios predicted by these models, ¹²C/¹⁶O, ²²Ne/²⁰Ne, and ⁵⁸Fe/⁵⁶Fe, are very close to those observed. All of the isotopic ratios that we have measured are consistent with a GCR source consisting of ∼20% of WR material mixed with ∼80% material with solar-system composition. Since WR stars are evolutionary products of OB stars, and most OB stars exist in OB associations that form superbubbles, the good agreement of our data with WR models suggests that OB associations within superbubbles are the likely source of at least a substantial fraction of GCRs. In previous work it has been shown that the primary ⁵⁹Ni (which decays only by electron-capture) in GCRs has decayed, indicating a time interval between nucleosynthesis and acceleration of >10⁵ y. It has been suggested that in the OB association environment, ejecta from supernovae might be accelerated by the high velocity WR winds on a time scale that is short compared to the half-life of ⁵⁹Ni. Thus the ⁵⁹Ni might not have time to decay and this would cast doubt upon the OB association origin of cosmic rays. In this paper we suggest a scenario that should allow much of the ⁵⁹Ni to decay in the OB association environment and conclude that the hypothesis of the OB association origin of cosmic rays appears to be viable.     

Determination of Sulfur Abundance in the Solar Wind

Solar chemical abundances are determined by comparing solar photospheric spectra with synthetic ones obtained for different sets of abundances and physical conditions. Although such inferred results are reliable, they are model dependent. Therefore, one compares them with the values for the local interstellar medium (LISM). The argument is that they must be similar, but even for LISM abundance determinations models play a fundamental role (i.e., temperature fluctuations, clumpiness, photon leaks). There are still two possible comparisons—one with the meteoritic values and the second with solar wind abundances. In this work we derive a first estimation of the solar wind element ratios of sulfur relative to calcium and magnesium, two neighboring low-FIP elements, using 10 years of CELIAS/MTOF data. We compare the sulfur abundance with the abundance determined from spectroscopic observations and from solar energetic particles. Sulfur is a moderately volatile element, hence, meteoritic sulfur may be depleted relative to non-volatile elements, if compared to its original solar system value.     

The Geology of Mercury: The View Prior to the MESSENGER Mission

Mariner 10 and Earth-based observations have revealed Mercury, the innermost of the terrestrial planetary bodies, to be an exciting laboratory for the study of Solar System geological processes. Mercury is characterized by a lunar-like surface, a global magnetic field, and an interior dominated by an iron core having a radius at least three-quarters of the radius of the planet. The 45% of the surface imaged by Mariner 10 reveals some distinctive differences from the Moon, however, with major contractional fault scarps and huge expanses of moderate-albedo Cayley-like smooth plains of uncertain origin. Our current image coverage of Mercury is comparable to that of telescopic photographs of the Earth’s Moon prior to the launch of Sputnik in 1957. We have no photographic images of one-half of the surface, the resolution of the images we do have is generally poor (∼1 km), and as with many lunar telescopic photographs, much of the available surface of Mercury is distorted by foreshortening due to viewing geometry, or poorly suited for geological analysis and impact-crater counting for age determinations because of high-Sun illumination conditions. Currently available topographic information is also very limited. Nonetheless, Mercury is a geological laboratory that represents (1) a planet where the presence of a huge iron core may be due to impact stripping of the crust and upper mantle, or alternatively, where formation of a huge core may have resulted in a residual mantle and crust of potentially unusual composition and structure; (2) a planet with an internal chemical and mechanical structure that provides new insights into planetary thermal history and the relative roles of conduction and convection in planetary heat loss; (3) a one-tectonic-plate planet where constraints on major interior processes can be deduced from the geology of the global tectonic system; (4) a planet where volcanic resurfacing may not have played a significant role in planetary history and internally generated volcanic resurfacing may have ceased at ∼3.8 Ga; (5) a planet where impact craters can be used to disentangle the fundamental roles of gravity and mean impactor velocity in determining impact crater morphology and morphometry; (6) an environment where global impact crater counts can test fundamental concepts of the distribution of impactor populations in space and time; (7) an extreme environment in which highly radar-reflective polar deposits, much more extensive than those on the Moon, can be better understood; (8) an extreme environment in which the basic processes of space weathering can be further deduced; and (9) a potential end-member in terrestrial planetary body geological evolution in which the relationships of internal and surface evolution can be clearly assessed from both a tectonic and volcanic point of view. In the half-century since the launch of Sputnik, more than 30 spacecraft have been sent to the Moon, yet only now is a second spacecraft en route to Mercury. The MESSENGER mission will address key questions about the geologic evolution of Mercury; the depth and breadth of the MESSENGER data will permit the confident reconstruction of the geological history and thermal evolution of Mercury using new imaging, topography, chemistry, mineralogy, gravity, magnetic, and environmental data.     

The atmospheric composition,extinction and luminosity of the LBV R71

ESO 3.6m Caspec spectra of the LMC luminous blue variable (LBV) taken at minimum have been analysed using NLTE model atmospheres and line formation calculations to derive atmospheric parameters and chemical composition. Using the silicon ionization balance and the hydrogen Balmer lines we deriveT _eff =17250, log g=1.80 and a microturbulent velocity of 15–20 km/s. The analysis yields abundance ratios by number of approximately 0.43 for He/H, 0.03 for C/N and 0.14 for O/N, implying that enrichment of the atmosphere by processed material has taken place. We have re-evaluated the reddening of R71 using IUE low resolution data and published UBVRIJHKL photometry and derive a value for A _V of 0.63. We also construct an extinction curve using archive IUE data for mid-B LMC supergiants and show that the extinction is anomalous; the 2175A bump being almost absent and the far UV rise very pronounced. A comparison of our model flux in theV-band with the observed (dereddened)V magnitude and the D.M. of the LMC (18.45), implies that the bolometric magnitude or R71 is –9.9. This is significantly higher than the value of –9.0 usually adopted for R71 and suggests that this object may not in fact be a subluminous LBV.     

SOHO contribution to the understanding of mass supply and flows in the solar corona

We expect a variety of dynamic phenomena in the quiescent non-flaring corona. Plasma flows, such as siphon flows or convective flows of chromospheric material evaporating into the corona, are expected whenever a pressure differences is established either between the footpoints or between the coronal and chromospheric segments of a coronal loop. Such flows can induce phenomena of spatial and temporal brightness variability of the corona. In particular, evaporation induces a net mass input into the corona and consequently coronal density enhancements. Flows are also expected in the regions where energy is released during magnetic reconnection. From the observational point of view the dynamics of the solar atmosphere has been investigated in great detail mostly in the lower transition region with the HRTS, and during flares with theSolar Maximum Mission andYohkoh. The high spectral, temporal and spatial resolution of theSOHO ultraviolet spectrometers should enable us in the near future to fill the gap providing a continuous coverage from the chromosphere to the corona, in the 10⁴–10⁶ K domain, and therefore to best study the dynamics throughout the solar atmosphere.     

Trace — The transition region and coronal explorer

TRACE is a single-instrument solar mission that will be put into a Sunsynchronous polar orbit and will obtain continuous solar observations for about 8 months per year. It will collect images of solar plasmas at temperatures from 10⁴ to 10⁷ K, with 1-arcsec spatial resolution and excellent temporal resolution and continuity. With such data, we expect to gain a new understanding of many solar and stellar problems ranging from coronal heating to impulsive magnetohydrodynamic phenomena.     

Galactic Evolution of D and 3He

The most recent chemical evolution models for D and 3He are reviewed and their results compared with the available data.Models in agreement with the major galactic observational constraints predict deuterium depletion from the Big Bang to the present epoch smaller than a factor of 3 and therefore do not allow for D/H primordial abundances larger than 5 × 10-5. Models predicting higher D consumption do not seem to be able to reproduce other observed features of our galaxy (e.g. SFR, abundances, abundance ratios and/or gradients of heavier elements, metallicity distribution of G-dwarfs).Observational and theoretical 3He abundances can be reconciled with each other if the majority of low mass stars experience in the red giant phase a deep mixing allowing the consumption of most of the 3He produced during core-hydrogen burning.